Dwarves
Kingdoms rich in ancient grandeur, halls carved into the roots of mountains, the echoing of picks and hammers in deep mines and blazing forges... these all used to characterize the dwarves, twins to the elves as the Firstborn of the Eldar. While their surroundings and activities have grown since--just as many dwarves are merchants as there are miners--some things continue to hold true for dwarves: a commitment to clan, a preference for tradition, and a burning hatred of those that would threaten either.
Jump to: Hill Dwarf | Mountain Dwarf | Hill Dwarf Merchant | Mountain Dwarf Mercenary | Mountain Dwarf Clan Lord-in-Exile
Dwarves are hardy folk, often usually working in skilled professions. Some have taken up more agrarian roots, choosing to embrace the world of sun and rain, but many dwarves find themselves naturally drawn to lives of practiced skills. Take careful note, though: despite their history, dwarves are just as fond of scroll and pen as they are crossbow and axe. Traditions hold among the dwarven clans, one of those being martial exercise, so most dwarves are trained in some form of weaponry, and likely to fight if antagonized.
Short and Stout. Though they stand well under 5 feet tall, dwarves are so broad and compact that they can weigh as much as a human standing nearly two feet taller. Dwarven skin ranges from deep brown to a paler hue tinged with red, but the most common shades are light brown or deep tan, like certain tones of earth. Their hair, worn long but in simple styles, is usually black, gray, or brown, though paler dwarves often have red hair. Male dwarves value their beards highly and groom them carefully. Despite the rumors, female dwarves are beardless, though many put as much pride into their hair as male dwarves do to theirs.
Long Memory, Long Grudges. Dwarves can live to be more than 100 years old, but their traditions encompass a rich appreciation for history and scholarly study of the past. Through this rich and extensive study of the past, dwarves often "remember" a very different world. Many dwarven clans even have magical artifacts that allow them to speak with ancient ancestors, to understand history even more fully, particularly that of the time before the Exodus, which weighs heavily on the dwarven clans. This perspective of longevity grants them a view of the world that other races such as humans and halflings lack.
Dwarves are solid and enduring like the mountains they love, weathering the passage of centuries with stoic endurance and little change. They respect the traditions of their clans, tracing their ancestry back to the founding of their most ancient strongholds in the youth of the world, and don't abandon those traditions lightly. (To abandon tradition would be to abandon the Lost Seventeen entirely, in the minds of many dwarves, and to do that is simply unthinkable.) Part of those traditions is devotion to the gods of the dwarves, who uphold the dwarven ideals of industrious labor, skill in battle, and devotion to the forge.
Individual dwarves are determined and loyal, true to their word and decisive in action, sometimes to the point of stubbornness. Many dwarves have a strong sense of justice, and they are slow to forget wrongs they have suffered. A wrong done to one dwarf is a wrong done to the dwarf's entire clan, so what begins as one dwarf's hunt for vengeance can become a full-blown clan feud.
Clans and Kingdoms. The chief unit of dwarven society is the clan, and dwarves highly value social standing. Even dwarves who live far from their kingdoms cherish their clan identities and affiliations, recognize related dwarves, and invoke their ancestors' names in oaths and curses. To be clanless is the worst fate that can befall a dwarf. After the Exodus, however, and the scattering of so many clan connections (and outright destruction of many clans), "clan" and "guild" began to intertwine. To many modern dwarves, clan connections are an outdated, anacrhonistic way of thinking, choosing instead to invest their energy into their guild (typically a merchant guild, but sometimes that cna be a mercenary company or even mage school). Whichever a dwarf chooses to embrace, dwarves feel a strong need to "belong" to something larger than themselves, be that clan or guild.
Dwarven kingdoms, meanwhile, were often made up of dozens of clans closely allied, formed into a kingdom for mutual defense and prosperity. Most dwarven kingdoms (most of which were in the Underdark) are city-states: a large city comprising a significant portion of the state's population, governed by a Clan Lord (one of several on a City Council), offering shelter and support (in return for fealty and taxes) to smaller communities surrounding the city for some distance. (This would prove to be the model for Liria's organization into city-state ducal/baronial model.) Some of these smaller communities are in turn home to Underdark farmers (growing mushrooms and lichen and raising livestock), miners (playing out veins as they are discovered), and trappers (who hunt the various creatures of the Underdark), along with the various citizenry around those activities. Some Underdark cities have one or more of their communities on the surface, where a careful agreement with surface kingdoms help avoid conflict. Some are, in fact, under the shallower bodies of water (such as the Lishalsound, Ravensound, and Mighalian Narrows), giving new meaning to the term "Undersea".
The Tale of Garebel Brightshield (1812 AF)
A tragic poem, written by the famous dwarf poet Belegar Steeltoe, tells of the eponymous heroine, a hard-working young dwarven miner from a small community beholden to Kher Darwohrum. In the course of her explorations, she accidentally discovered the tunnels and warrens that reached all the way under the Mighalian Narrows to the continent of Al'Uma, proving beyond a doubt that such an Underdark passageway did exist; in fact, according to the poem, once she realized she stood on Al'Uman ground, she fled back underground but got lost, and emerged into Tragekian air before finding her way home, proving that not just one passageway existed, but several. Horrified at the implications, she raced to tell the Clan Councils of the three nearest cities--Bhem Meraruhm, Khun Gogbaduhr, and her native Kher Darwohrum--of the danger. Tragically, her warnings were ignored; the Clan Councils, stubborn in their beliefs, refused to acknowledge their danger. The poem lavishly describes the wailing and lamentations of the cities' innocents at the hands of the invaders as each were conquered and sacked before the century was out. In the moving last stanzas, Garebel watches while watching Kher Darwohrum burn, as shadowy Hordish figures approach her. Giving in to her grief, she makes no move to defend herself, and is slain, crying out her warning one last time to the uncaring stone cavern roof above her as the blades pierce her grief-wracked body.
Despite the popularity of the poem, no dwarvish records can actually verify Garebel's existence. Some argue that any records or lore that would have proven her existence were lost during the Exodus, but others point out that it is more likely that the poem is a thinly-veiled autobiographical criticism of dwarvish Clan Lords of the time; records do show that Belegar warned that Kolgalir, Bright Jewel of the Underdark and de facto capital of the dwarves of the Underdark, was in danger from Hordish invasion, and despite his warnings, the Kolgalir Clan Council refused to take the threat seriously, only to fall in 1776 AF. Thus, it seems, he "discovered" the Tale of Garebel as a way of making it clear that lax leadership would deoom the dwarves.
In fact, it took another hundred years (and two more Lost Cities) before Belegar's intent would be realized, but by 1900 AF the Clan Lords were putting exorbitant effort into the defense of their Underdark kingdoms, and to their credit, no city was ever lost again. Some dwarven scholars (particularly those of or close to Clans Steeltoe or Brightshield) argue that this was due to popular pressure brought by the popularity of Belegar's poem, but other scholars point out that around 2000AF the Hordes began to spread south (and, it is argued, put less effort into their westward underground migration).
Regardless of the truth of the matter, what dwarves know is that 6,000 years later, Belegar's poem stands as a painful reminder to the price of inattention and negligence, and the consequences that come from willful ignorance of warnings of danger. It is common for dwarves, on observing another creature ignoring a warning being delivered, will cluck their tongues (or yell outright) at "those who would tempt Garebel's Fate".
Prior to the Fall, dozens (some say hundreds) of dwarven kingdoms stretched deep beneath the mountains where the dwarves mined gems and precious metals and forged items of wonder. Sadly, for nearly half of the dwarven population, the loss of the Seventeen Cities and the subsequent Exodus robbed them of their ancestral homes. Other Underdark city-states continue to live and thrive, but always the dwarves lament the loss of the Seventeen. Little is known about the Seventeens' current state--or occupancy--but they factor prominently in dwarven poetry, literature, song, and history. Dwarvish music often alternates between the glories of the Seventeen, the tragedy of their fall, the evils of those who took them, and the triumphant Return that will someday return them to dwarvish hands. Dwarves insist that, even six thousand years later, thanks to the strength and fortitude of dwarvish engineering, the Cities still stand, and each of the Returns has declared the liberation of all Seventeen as their aim.
Tales of Triumph and Woe
Four of the Seventeen were occupied during the Fourth and Fifth Return, but bickering among the dwarven kings led to the dissolution of the Fourth Return, and the Fifth Return disastrously overextended itself, and the four were lost again. Very few dwarves discuss the Fourth or Fifth Returns among non-dwarven audiences.
Iron and Stone; Gold and Silver. Dwarves have always had a love for the beauty and artistry of precious metals and fine jewelry, and in some dwarves this love festers into avarice. Whatever wealth they can't find in their mountains, they gain through trade. Many mountain and hill dwarves dislike boats (though a surprising number of dwarves in recent generations have taken to them quite fondly), so enterprising humans and halflings frequently handle trade in dwarven goods along water routes. Trustworthy members of other races are welcome in dwarf settlements, though some areas are off limits even to them.
Dwarves in other lands are typically artisans, especially weaponsmiths, armorers, and jewelers. Some become mercenaries or bodyguards, highly sought after for their courage and loyalty. Dwarven arcanists (sorcerers, wizards, even pale masters) are often highly sought after, as they bring the intensity of dwarvish discipline to their chosen field.
Cousins of the Underdark. The duergar are genetically of the same lineage as other dwarves, but their time as captives of the mind flayers has rendered them almost genetically and culturally incompatible with their other dwarven kin. Likewise, the derro, actually closer kin to gnomes than dwarves, are so startingly different from their mountain and hill dwarf cousins that neither side much considers the other to be a "true dwarf" anymore.
TODO. Draw up Hill Dwarf Merchant, Mountain Dwarf Mercenary (Veteran).
Dwarf Names
A dwarf's name is granted by a clan elder, in accordance with tradition. Every proper dwarven name has been used and reused down through the generations. A dwarf's name belongs to the clan, not to the individual. A dwarf who misuses or brings shame to a clan name is stripped of the name, and while some clans or guilds forbid that dwarf to take a dwarven name in its place, usually there is another clan or guild willing to offer redemption. Certain names are held reverent within a clan or guild, however, and use of that name by someone outside the clan or guild is likely to draw ire, if not blood.
Male Names: Adrik, Alberich, Baern, Barendd, Belegar, Brottor, Bruenor, Dain, Darrak, Delg, Eberk, Einkil, Fargrim, Flint, Gardain, Harbek, Kildrak, Morgran, Orsik, Oskar, Rangrim, Rurik, Taklinn, Thoradin, Thorin, Tordek, Traubon, Travok, Ulfgar, Veit, Vondal
Female Names: Amber, Artin, Audhild, Bardryn, Dagnal, Diesa, Eldeth, Falkrunn, Finellen, Garebel, Gunnloda, Gurdis, Helja, Hlin, Kathra, Kristryd, Ilde, Liftrasa, Mardred, Riswynn, Sannl, Torbera, Torgga, Vistra
Clan Names: Balderk, Battlehammer, Brawnanvil, Brightshield, Dankil, Firebeard, Fireforge, Frostbeard, Gorunn, Holderhek, Ironfist, Loderr, Lutgehr, Rocksmelter, Rumnaheim, Steeltoe, Stonesmith, Strakeln, Torunn, Ungart
Hill Dwarf
Hill dwarves were those dwarves who, during the time of the Eldar, lived either above-ground or in homes that were partly above-, partly below-, the surface. They often served as the go-betweens among those on the surface (Eldar, humans, elves, and others) and those underground (most of all the mountain dwarves).
After the Exodus, hill dwarf and mountain dwarf were often standing side by side, and as their clans intermarried, any genetic differences slowly faded. Today, it is to the point where even most dwarves can't tell the two apart.
Environment
Hill, Mountain, Urban, Underdark
Token
Hill Dwarf
Medium humanoid (Dwarf), Any Lawful Alignment
- Armor Class 10
- Hit Points 5 (1d8 + 1)
- Speed 25 ft.
STR DEX CON INT WIS CHA 10 (+0) 10 (+0) 12 (+1) 10 (+0) 10 (+0) 10 (+0)
- Proficiency Bonus +2
- Saving Throws
- Damage Vulnerabilities
- Damage Resistances Poison
- Damage Immunities
- Condition Immunities
- Skills
- Senses Darkvision 60 ft.,Passive Perception 10
- Languages Dwarvish
- Challenge 0
Actions
Hand Axe. Melee or Ranged Weapon Attack: +2 to hit, reach 5 ft., or ranged 20/60 ft., one target. Hit: 3 (1d6) slashing damage.
Hill Dwarf Merchant Guild Master
Nothing epitomizes the modern dwarf more than the Master of a Merchant Guild. Whether overseeing a guild stretching across a meager half-dozen cities, providing niche goods and barely scraping by, or a seamaster operating his ship as an independent transport guild, or an overseer of a continent-spanning network of factors and trade routes, the dwarven traditions of clan (extended here to the guild) continue to hold strong.
Environment
Coastal, Forest, Grassland, Hill, Mountain, Urban, Underdark
Token
Hill Dwarf Merchant Guild Master
Medium humanoid (Dwarf), Any Lawful Alignment
- Armor Class 10
- Hit Points 5 (1d8 + 1)
- Speed 25 ft.
STR DEX CON INT WIS CHA 10 (+0) 10 (+0) 12 (+1) 10 (+0) 10 (+0) 10 (+0)
- Proficiency Bonus +2
- Saving Throws
- Damage Vulnerabilities
- Damage Resistances Poison
- Damage Immunities
- Condition Immunities
- Skills
- Senses Darkvision 60 ft.,Passive Perception 10
- Languages Dwarvish
- Challenge 0
Actions
Hand Axe. Melee or Ranged Weapon Attack: +2 to hit, reach 5 ft., or ranged 20/60 ft., one target. Hit: 3 (1d6) slashing damage.
Mountain Dwarf
Mountain dwarves were those dwarves who, during the time of the Eldar, lived below ground almost entirely. Fantastic miners and smiths, the mountain dwarves built the Seventeen Cities (often with help from earth elementals and other earth-friendly creatures), fashioned wondrous items of arcane power, and thrived in the Underdark. Numerically, they outnumbered their hill dwarf cousins by two or three to one, and were at times somewhat disparaging of their surface-friendly kin.
With the coming of the Hordes, mountain dwarves formed the majority of the defense underground, but much of the fighting remained on the surface, so their martial skills were not truly tested. It was not until lthe Fall of the Eldar that the Hordes discovered the vast Underdark, and before long the mountain dwarves' might was tested--and often found wanting. One by one, the Seventeen Cities fell to the larger numbers of the Hordes, in a time known to the dwarves simply as "the Exodus".
After the Exodus, hill dwarf and mountain dwarf were often standing side by side, and as their clans intermarried, any genetic differences slowly faded. Today, it is to the point where even most dwarves can't tell the two apart.
Environment
Hill, Mountain, Urban, Underdark
Token
Mountain Dwarf
Medium humanoid (Dwarf), Any Lawful Alignment
- Armor Class 10
- Hit Points 5 (1d8 + 1)
- Speed 25 ft.
STR DEX CON INT WIS CHA 10 (+0) 10 (+0) 12 (+1) 10 (+0) 10 (+0) 10 (+0)
- Proficiency Bonus Proficiency Bonus
- Saving Throws
- Damage Vulnerabilities
- Damage Resistances Poison
- Damage Immunities
- Condition Immunities
- Skills
- Senses Darkvision 60 ft.,Passive Perception 10
- Languages Dwarvish
- Challenge 0
Actions
Hand Axe. Melee or Ranged Weapon Attack: +2 to hit, reach 5 ft., or ranged 20/60 ft., one target. Hit: 3 (1d6) slashing damage.
Mountain Dwarf Clan Lord-in-Exile
The dwarven Clan Lord-in-Exile is a Clan Lord from one of the Lost Seventeen Cities. They typically are deeply involved in attempts to create another Return to reclaim one of the cities, either by drumming up political support among dwarves (and their cousins) to pressure surface kingdoms to sponsor the Return, training new recruits for the Armies of the Return, or working to obtain more in the way of funding. Many Clan Lords-in-Exile are also heavily involved in one or more merchant guilds, where their noble titles can often open doors and/or create paths of influence.
Some Clan Lords-in-Exile are more hands-on in their efforts around the Return, journeying into the Underdark (usually with a retinue), scouting out locations and mapping tunnels and terrain. A few have even taken to embracing diplomacy, looking to negotiate with other forces in the Underdark to either solicit future alliances, break existing alliances, or even create power-sharing agreements with the current occupants of a Lost City so as to avoid bloodshed.
Environment
Underdark, Urban
Token
Mountain Dwarf Clan Lord-in-Exile
Medium humanoid (Dwarf), Any Lawful Alignment
- Armor Class 18 (plate armor)
- Hit Points 100 (10d10 + 26)
- Speed 25 ft.
STR DEX CON INT WIS CHA 10 (+0) 10 (+0) 17 (+3) 8 (-1) 11 (+0) 15 (+1) ___ - Proficiency Bonus +4 - Saving Throws Str +4, Con +7 - Damage Vulnerabilities - Damage Resistances Poison - Damage Immunities - Condition Immunities - Skills History +3, Intimidation +5 - Senses darkvision 60 ft,blindsight 10ft, Passive Perception 10 - Languages Common, Dwarvish - Challenge 5 ___ Stonecunning. Whenever you make an Intelligence (History) check related to the origin of stonework, you are considered proficient in the History skill and add double your proficiency bonus to the check, instead of your normal proficiency bonus. Fighting Style: Blindsight. You have blindsight with a range of 10 feet. Within that range, you can effectively see anything that isn't behind total cover, even if you're blinded or in darkness. Moreover, you can see an invisible creature within that range, unless the creature successfully hides from you.
Action Surge (Recharges after short or long rest). On your turn, you can take one additional action on top of your regular action and a possible bonus action.
Duelist's Challenge (Recharges after short rest). You may issue a challenge against a single target within 30 feet that you can see. That target must make a Charisma save (DC = 8 + your proficiency bonus + your Charisma modifier) or be forced to engage you in combat. You gain advantage on melee attacks against that target, but all other foes (except your challenge target) gain advantage on attacks against you. If your target does not engage you (by making their save) or exits combat, you may drop your challenge without using an action. You may not change your challenge. You regain this ability after finishing a short rest.
Indomitable (Recharges after long rest). You can reroll a saving throw that you fail. If you do so, you must use the new roll.
Actions
Multiattack. You can attack twice whenever you take the Attack action on your turn.
Hand Axe. Melee or Ranged Weapon Attack: +2 to hit, reach 5 ft., or ranged 20/60 ft., one target. Hit: 3 (1d6) slashing damage.
Bonus Actions
Second Wind (Recharges on short or long rest). On your turn, you can use a bonus action to regain 1d10 + 10 hit points.
Reactions
Duelist's Defense. You add your Intelligence bonus to your AC against a single attack.
Riposte. When you use your Duelist’s Defense ability and an opponent misses, you may make an immediate attack against your attacker as part of your reaction.