Gnome Champions

Contents

• Top
• Version Information
• Champion Rules
• Gnome Champion Rules
• Gnome Champion Icons and SAI Descriptions
• Dice Layouts

Version Information

This is the first edition of the Gnomes Champions rules, dated April 1, 1999.

• Champions are worth 4 health.
• You may bring one champion for every six-health of battle size (i.e., in a game with a 36-health battle size, you may bring up to six champions).
• Champions are placed in the summoning/promotion pool (along with dragons and dragonkin) until they are brought into play. When they die, they are returned to this area until brought back into play. Champions are never killed or buried - legends never die.
• Champions are immune to spells that target individual units, such as Lightning Strike and Finger of Death. Furthermore, they are immune to SAIs that target individual units (such as bullseye and coil), unless that SAI is generated by another champion.
• Champions can be brought into play by promotion: a rare unit can be promoted to a champion unit of the same race. Chances for promotion include dragon combat, City eighth face, and the King's Die.
• Champions can also be summoned into play with the Summon Champion spell:

• No more than one champion can be summoned/promoted per march, and no more than two champions can be summoned/promoted per turn.

• In order to summon a gnome champion, the Summon Champion spell must be cast using 8 points of gnome magic.
• Since gnome champions are small (when compared to the champions of other races), they have one less action icon per die than other champions.
• Gnome champions have all the benefits and (disadvantages) associated with "normal" gnome units. In particular, they can prattle, they do double damage when defending against a charge, they have one less icon per die (as already mentioned), they do not count their maneuvers during a charge attack, and they can only cast gnomish magic.
• Magic item affinity: Since gnome champions do not start the game in play, you cannot count the health of gnome champions when determining additional health worth of magical items and artifacts that can be brought into the game.

Normal Action Icons

Maneuvers	Melee (pike)	Saves	Missile (dart)	Magic (rune)

Special Action Icons

Cantrip	Counter	Fusillade	Run Away	Skewer
		Smite	Stone

Boost (not pictured) - During any roll made by the army (other than a prattle attempt), each Boost icon doubles the results (normal or SAI) of one health-worth of your magical items.

During a prattle attempt, each Boost icon engages one health worth of units in your opponent's army in prattle.

Cantrip - During a magic action, the Cantrip counts as normal magic. Its points are combined with any other magic icons to purchase spells. When rolling for maneuvers, the Cantrip is negated and can't be used for anything. During any other action (including rolling for saves or during a dragon attack), the Cantrip can be used to purchase immediate spells.

Counter - During a skirmish attack, a skirmish counter-attack, or during a charge attack, the counter acts as a normal melee icon. During a roll for saves, it counts as a normal save. During a roll for saves in melee � including a defender's roll during a charge � it counts as both a save and an immediate hit upon the attacking army, which may not roll saves against it.

During a dragon attack, the counter functions as both a save and a normal hit against a dragon

Fusillade - During a missile attack, each fusillade icon targets one-health worth of units in the target army. The target army's owner selects the affected units. Each unit must save individually or be killed. During a dragon attack, each icon counts as one normal missile hit.

Inspire (not pictured) - Each inspire icon counts as a normal save. In addition, for each inspire icon rolled, one gnome unit may count its run away results (in the current roll only) as saves without having to retreat to the reserves.

It Wasn't My Fault (not pictured) - During any roll made by the army (other than a prattle attempt), each IWMF icon rolled causes one-health worth of magical items in the champion's army explode. The items are removed from play. An equal health of units in the same army must then save or be killed by the explosion. You choose the items and units affected.

During a prattle attempt, this icon enrages an opponent, causing the gnome unit to flee to the reserves.

Revitalize (not pictured) - During any roll made by the army (other than a prattle attempt), for each revitalize icon, you may take 1-health worth of magical items from the same army and remove them from play. For each health of magical items thus removed, you may revitalize up to 2-health worth of your dead or buried units. Revitalizing buried units moves them into the dead unit area; revitalizing dead units brings them back to life (they join the champion's army). Revitalizations may be sequenced, so it is possible to bring a buried unit all the way back into play.

During a prattle attempt, each revitalize icon engages one health worth of units in your opponent's army in prattle.

Run Away - During maneuvers (including prattle attempts), each icon counts as a normal maneuver. During a roll for saves, each icon can optionally count as a normal save, but if used as a save, the unit must immediately retreat to the reserves.

Skewer - During a melee attack or a dragon attack, each icon counts as a normal melee hit. When defending against a charge, each icon counts as a normal save and kills one-health worth of the charging army (your choice). No form of saves or magic (including Open Grave) can save these units. Units killed must immediately save or be buried.

Smite - During a skirmish melee attack each smite icon counts as one immediate melee hit against which no saves (including spell already in play such as Stoneskin) are effective. Units killed by a smite are chosen by the unit's owner; the hits can be divided up however that player sees fit. The units are removed before the army rolls to save against any other damage incurred.

During a dragon attack or a charge, smites count as normal melee damage and can be stopped by saves.

Stone - During missile, inflict 4 damage on the target army, with no saves possible.

Dice Layouts

The Gnome with no Gname Pikeman - Inspired by Chris Thomas

Maddi Gaddlroot Skirmisher - Traditional Gnome Champion Maddi Gaddlroot is an epic figure in gnomish battle lore. She held off a whole army of trogs for an entire day, standing before a cave mouth between two trees, where only one of the enemy could get to her at a time. Behind her, her city of a thousand gnomes stood threatened, and during the course of that day the young and infirm (together with most of the treasure) were hustled through narrow tunnels into the depths of Esfah. Only after she had slain dozens of the brutes did Maddi fall before the superior might of her attackers. Then the trogs lunged into the lair, only to be met by a clever network of ambushes and illusionary traps - defenses which Maddi's heroic sacrifice had given her fellow gnomes time to create. In the end, the attack was defeated, the city saved, and the hero elevated to legendary status among her people. Interestingly enough, virtually every gnome settlement considers itself to be the one Maddi Gaddlroot died defending, and will often point out to visitors the site of her last stand!

Maddi takes advantage of a break in the battle to have her wounds bound by her side-kick.

Kuminix the Shunned Missile - Inspired by Phillip Hazlet Kuminix is this champion's short name. His full name (which also relates his story) is: KuminixtheshunnedonceofthegnomishcityofScorthsonofNemenewwho wasabarragerinthekingsarmyandonceonthedayofthebigmasquerademistook thekingandhiscourtwhoweremasqueradingasgoblinsforrealgoblinswhenthe kingchargedsomeciviliansNemenewsentforthafusilladethuskillingthekingof Scorthcausinghimandhisfamilytobeshunnedbyallothergnomesbecause NemenewknewnoothertradethanbeingamissilesoldierhetaughthissonKuminix andhissonVolgrancetheartofdarthurlingKuminixdevelopedintothebestdartthrow erevertolivewhereasVolgranceonlygaintheskillequaltoathrower

Kuminix enjoys the warmth and solitude of his own campfire, having learned not to trust fires provided by Nicodemus�

Nicodemus Prattlebutt III Tinker - Inspired by Cliff Broadway Nicodemus Prattlebutt is the third in a long, proud line of Prattlebutts. In fact, Nicodemus' revered Grandfather was the first Gnome in Esfah to successfully alter an Air-aligned Ring of Stars so that it would cast Red Fire magic in the soggy Swamplands. The story goes that Nicodemus the First was migrating with his Clan through the wicked swamps and they stopped to set up camp for the evening. Afraid of wandering Trogs, they needed to light a watchfire before the sun fully set. Nicodemus had been tinkering avidly on an old blue ring he had found the previous week and he felt quite certain he could get a spark or two for the kindling. With the new-and-improved ring on his index finger, he muttered a few words into the pile of branches and dead palmetto fronds, and <<FOOSH>> the flames licked up into the gathering gloom, a warm and congenial blaze for his coterie. Typical of Gnomish scholars, the story highlights Nicodemus' accomplishment without telling the whole truth. Little is said of how the episode nearly ended in disaster for the Clan. Indeed, the chosen spot for the campfire was, unbeknownst to any of them, right on top of a bog of swamp gas. When the fire ignited the methane trapped below, poor Nicodemus barely had a whisker left on his face. In a matter of seconds most of the campsite was engulfed in stenching flames, the ponies were scattered and their supplies of food scorched.

Nicodemus tries to prattle his way out of a sticky situation.

Kasselwort "Gnorm" Gladdensnout Magic - Inspired by David Papay Everyone knows this famous gnome champion's name, and all players are required to shout it aloud when he is summoned into play ("Gnorm!"). Legend has it that Gnorm is not originally from Esfah, but comes from another world he calls the "Forgotten Realms" where he was an adventurer of some renown. According to Gnorm, his adventuring party set out to discover the lair of a dragon that was killed several hundred years ago. After weeks of searching, they finally found the lair, but were very surprised to also find the dragon - very much alive. Gnorm was lucky enough to escape with his life - and a good portion of the dragon's treasure - but the other members of his adventuring party were not so fortunate. Upon returning from the fateful adventure, Gnorm told the relatives of his ex-companions what had transpired, and even offered to divide the treasure he had recovered with them. Regrettably, they were not very understanding, and instead accused Gnorm of murdering the other party members and concealing the bulk of the dragon's treasure for himself. Not that Gnorm had ever done anything to deserve such an accusation. Oh sure, there was that one incident with the Ravens Bluff City Watch, the Mayor's niece, and the Ring of Wishes, but that was a long time ago and was clearly a case of mistaken identity. Anyway, Gnorm decided to retire (he was forced into hiding). In his quest to find a place far, far away from the relatives of his ex-companions, he stumbled upon a Ring of Teleportation and a wild magic zone. Gnorm teleported right into the midst of a heated skirmish between a band of gnomes and a tribe of trogs. The trog leader, already completely surprised by the sudden appearance of a new gnome, was easily engaged in conversation, and was enthralled by Gnorm's vivid tales of the Forgotten Realms - especially the part about the dragon's treasure. In exchange for a truce, Gnorm agreed to transport the entire tribe of trogs back to the dragon's lair in the Forgotten Realms. However, in his haste, Gnorm did forget to mention that the dragon was still alive�

Kasselwort and friends as they discover the long-lost dragon's hoard � and the dragon.