You can play NetHack as a Gnome: G. You will see yourself as @ (unless you have showrace turned on), but you are actually considered to be letter G for other purposes.
Racial benefits and restrictions[]
Gnomes have infravision and can use uncursed touchstones as blessed, like an Archaeologist. As a gnome, you will also find the gnomish inhabitants of the Gnomish Mines to be generally peaceful.
Gnomes are always Neutral. They can be Archeologists, Cavemen, Healers, Rangers, or Wizards. From an attribute perspective, they are mostly average, with moderate strength and high intelligence. The following table outlines their maximum (unaided) attribute levels.
| Race | Strength | Dexterity | Constitution | Intelligence | Wisdom | Charisma |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gnome | 18/50 | 18 | 18 | 19 | 18 | 18 |
The maximum attributes of a gnome are in fact identical to those of a human, except that the gnome can achieve 1 more Intelligence. This makes gnomish wizards slightly superior to human wizards (unless the human wizard intends to be chaotic, which is an illegal alignment for a gnome.) For the other roles a gnome can be, it doesn't make much of a difference.
Gnomish items[]
Gnome Rangers start with a crossbow instead of bow, and crossbow bolts instead of arrows. These are listed below. The weapon damage figures are copied from weap-343.txt.
- crossbow - d2/d2
- crossbow bolt - d4+1/d6+1
SLASH'EM[]
In SLASH'EM, gnomes can also be Flame Mages, Ice Mages, or Undead Slayers. Gnomes start with the Vanish technique. At level 5, they gain Stealth. When they reach level 7, Tinker, which allows them to upgrade certain items, becomes available.