Svirfneblin: are they Evil like Drow and Duergar?

[WonkaMania]

Hey there everyone,

I could use a little help here, I'm wondering, are the Svirfneblin (a subrace of gnomes) evil?

When looking in the Monster Manual (3.0) under Dwarf, the stat block (page 79) has a seperate listing for the alignments of the different subraces, Duergar being "usually lawful evil". For Elf, (pg 85) it had different alignments listed for two of the subraces, Drow being "usually neutral evil".

However, for Gnome (pg 106) it doesn't list a differnt alignment for the subraces, only the standard which is "usually neutral good". Also, it doesn't say anything different on the next page when describing the Svirfneblin.

I thought I had rememberd the Svirfneblin as being evil though? The reason I'm asking is for my campaign. The Duergar says in it's description that they will ally with other Underdark dwellers from time to time. Would the Svirfneblin work with the Duergar? I'm writing the history of my little world right now, so it's kind of important to know this information! (why no Drow? Because everyone uses Drow! Using Duergar (and possibly Svirfneblin!) would be cool, and *different*!! )

Thanks if you can help!

~Wonka

 

[Sherlock]

I think that Svirfneblin tend towards neutrality. I don't believe that they are a racially evil race like the Drow or Duergar. And as for the Svirfneblin working with Duergar...I doubt it very much.

 

[NiTessine]

Yeah, svirfneblin tend to be neutral or neutral good. You want evil gnomes, go for the spriggan...

 

[Ashardalon]

Deep gnomes have always been in the position of being one of the few non-evil Underdark subraces. Pre-3rd edition, they have usually been of neutral alignment, now they are of good alignment.

That shouldn't stop you from making them evil in your campaign though. In the ignorant minds of many surface dwellers, svirfneblin are no different from other underdark races, which might turn some of them towards the darker side, either as a "sub-culture", or even the whole race.

 

[Nifft]

They are cute, cuddly and blue! With white hats! They can't be evil!

-- N

 

[WonkaMania]

Deep gnomes have always been in the position of being one of the few non-evil Underdark subraces. Pre-3rd edition, they have usually been of neutral alignment, now they are of good alignment.

That shouldn't stop you from making them evil in your campaign though. In the ignorant minds of many surface dwellers, svirfneblin are no different from other underdark races, which might turn some of them towards the darker side, either as a "sub-culture", or even the whole race.

Ok, thanks for the info all! This works out perfectly, I can have the Svirfneblin been bullied into allying with the Duergar because they are afraid of them, so they are neutral, but some have been brought up as evil. This works because the Duergar are going to be the main "bad-guys" in my campaign (which won't be known at first, they'll be the ones pulling all the strings though) This can make for an interesting reaction on the PC's part later down the line.. can they get the Svirfneblin to change their stance and ally with the humans and other surface races? Excellent..

~Wonka

 

[Macbeth]

The svir... szir.. sirbi... snivi... crazy deep gnomes must be evil, with a name like that. If you can't pernounce it, it must be evil. Just look at the xitith... xitih.. xihith...xihtchi... intelligent sting rays.

 

[diaglo]

smurf nibblin' were neutral in previous editions.

spriggan as mentioned in NiTessine's post were evil gnomes. but they were on the surface. and they became giants when they wanted.

 

[Nifft]

The svir... szir.. sirbi... snivi... crazy deep gnomes must be evil, with a name like that. If you can't pernounce it, it must be evil. Just look at the xitith... xitih.. xihith...xihtchi... intelligent sting rays.

Is that why people can't agree on how to pronounce "Drow"? Because they're so evil?

-- N

 

[johnsemlak]

FWIW, in their original source (1e D1-2-Descent into the Depths of the Earth), Svirfneblin are listed as Neutral (good tendencies). They were inserted in the module as potential allies against the evil Kuo-Toa or the Drow.

Of course, how you have 'em in your campaign is up to you.