Svirfneblin

From Neversummer 4 Wiki

Svirfneblin Bio

Also known as Svirfneblin, the Deep Gnomes of the Realms are a secretive, mysterious race. Found in the deepest caverns of the Underdark, the Svirfneblin live in constant fear of slavery or destruction at the hands or Drow, mind flayers, and Duergar. Deep Gnomes are legendary for their ability to handle stone and gems. They have gray skin and gray or white hair.

Favored Class: Wizard
+2 Dexterity, +2 Wisdom, -2 Strength, -4 Charisma
+2 to all saving throws
+2 Hide, +2 Search
Spell Resistance of 5 +1/lvl
Darkvision
Keen Sense
+4 AC
Blur 1/day as cast by a Wizard of their character level
Blur increases to 50% Concealment at Level 10
Level Adjustment +3

The AC is Deflection, so gradually becomes obsolete at later levels.

Note: Svirfneblin is a Subrace of Gnomes. To choose it you must pick Gnome at creation and choose Svirfneblin at first login.

Choosing the Gnome race will include Gnome adjustments already, therefore your stats will be adjusted from those selected at character creation as follows:

+2 Dexterity, -2 Constitution, +2 Wisdom, -4 Charisma

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Svirfneblin Guide

Pros: A gain of both wisdom and dexterity make this an ideal race for a (multiclass) dexterity Monk, Druid, or Cleric. +2 to saving throws will help any build, and spell resistance of level +5 is outstanding for 90% of builds. Increased Hide and Search when added to the dexterity bonus also opens up many Rogue possibilties.

Cons: ECL 3 is a real killer, especially when combined with the fact that the best builds for this race dont include Wizard levels (which is its favored class). The loss of strength will hurt slightly as even with weapon finesse it will still lower damage, but is no different to any other Small race. Bonus AC is deflection which can be matched with a level 1 spell. Dont try to make a Paladin, Blackguard, or Bard with the charisma dropped to the floor like that.

Conclusion: Really more of a halfling than a gnome, and an outstanding race for alot of builds, but be prepared to take three times longer to level it up when you have ECL 3. If you can stick it out though, you will reap the benefits later on. Biggest problem is finding a build that can use all of the Svirfs abilities. Note that this race is not recommended for characters with Monk, Cleric or Druid as a major class, as the racial Spell Resistance does not stack with the spell or Monk ability.

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