[MunchkinMan]

The new, color-inked Gnome you have is from the new printing, which has the new Gnome abilities. There's a set, called Munchkin Go Up A Level, which has replacements for your older style cards. Gnomes don't have some inherent penalty and the Epic rules are under revision to handle the reprinted cards, so your problem boils down to having bought a version of Munchkin 4 from before the new, reprinted Munchkin 4 has been released, and that card has the old Gnome abilities, and, as I said, the Epic rules are under revision so that they reflect new abilities based on the cards as they are now (since the Halfling, too, has changed, and I'm surprised you didn't ask about that, too).