Ironsmith - Wandering (Character Kit)

Class Information 	Class Information
Class Requirements 	Fighter
Racial Requirements 	Dwarf (shield), gnome (rock)
Ability Requirements 	Constitution 11, Dexterity 11, Strength 13
Prime Requisite 	Strength
Aligments 	Any
Social Rank 	Lower to middle class
Hit Die Type 	d10
Attack as 	Warrior
Save as 	Warrior
Advance as 	Fighter
Spell Ability? 	No
Exceptional Strength? 	Yes
Exceptional Constitution?	Yes
Starting Cash (x10 gp) 	5d4
Proficiencies 	Proficiencies
Weapon Slots 	4
Initial Weapons 	Warhammer (spec.), plus any two others
Additional WP Slot 	3
Additional Weapons 	Any
Nonproficiency Penalty 	-2
Nonweapon Slots 	3
Additional NWP Slot 	3
Available Categories 	General, Warrior
Bonus Proficiencies 	Blacksmithing, disguise (female shield dwarves only, see below), endurance, fire-building, languages (racial tongue, male shield dwarves only)
Recommended Proficiencies	Animal handling, appraising, armorer, artistic ability, cooking, direction sense, endurance, etiquette, fishing, gaming, hunting, leatherworking, mining, mountaineering, riding (land-based), rope use, singing, survival, weaponsmith, weather sense
Secondary Skills 	Armorer, miner, weaponsmith
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==Overview==
Dwarves are widely reputed to be the finest smiths in the Realms, and wandering ironsmiths contribute to this reputation. Every civilized community in the Realms has a need for a general handyman, forge-worker, and toolmaker. Shield dwarves and rock gnomes do best at this occupation, earning money and seeing the world. Shield dwarves are often secretly motivated to look for mates of any human or demihuman race as they go wandering, hoping to earn enough money to establish a permanent shop and build a home. However, the wayfaring life appeals to some shield dwarves so much that they never settle down, even if they marry, and they continue traveling with their families and belongings in a mule-drawn wagon or the like. Rock gnomes are content to wander without the pressure to start a family. Adventuring as a sideline is always attractive to an ironsmith of any race, for the money it brings.
Shield dwarf ironsmiths are most often seen in the North, but they roam everywhere in the Realms and even in the Underdark. Rock gnome ironsmiths are seen mostly in Tethyr following the Reclamation.
==Description==
A wandering ironsmith travels on foot unless he can afford a cart and donkey to haul large tools such as an anvil. He is usually encumbered with his belongings, as his workshop is wherever he happens to be. A leather apron and thick gloves and boots make up his working attire. A shield dwarf wears the usual furs, heavy armor, and horned helm common to Wanderer dwarves; a gnome's outfit likely has brighter colors and a merrier look. Weapons are openly shown except for a knife or two hidden away for emergencies.
==Roleplaying==
One of the unspoken agendas of a male Wanderer shield dwarf, such as an ironsmith, is to get married to any female dwarf, human, halfling, gnome, or other kind-hearted being who will have him, then have lots of Children. (Details on this situation appear in Dwarves Deep, page 7.) As a result, a Wanderer shield dwarf can be very forward in his dealings with females of any human or demihuman type—the more attractive the female, the more determined (though generally polite) the advances. This can be very trying for female characters, but in the Realms some of this annoyance is muted by the knowledge that the shield dwarves are, after all, threatened with real extinction if they cannot increase their numbers.
Conversely, one of the unspoken agendas of a female Wanderer shield dwarf, such as an ironsmith, is to not get married right away, instead having a chance to see the world without a lot of desperately earnest male shield dwarves following them around asking for their hand in marriage. Female shield dwarves who travel frequently become experts at disguising themselves like male shield dwarves in every way imaginable, from deep voice and braided beard to fluent cursing and mad attacks against orcs. Female shield dwarves even mimic the interest male dwarves show in other females, but only if other male shield dwarves are around; otherwise, they relax and enjoy themselves.
Wanderer shield dwarves are a tolerant, easy-going lot, though gruff at times. They go out of their way to cultivate friendships with other races, believing the salvation of the shield dwarves lies in joining forces with other folk against their common enemies: humanoids, drow, giants, Zhentarim, etc.
An ironsmith with the artistic ability proficiency usually takes up engraving, decorating the weapons and tools he makes with marvelous scenes and monsters. The better the artistic ability, the more gold he can command for his creations and the more likely they will be sought by collectors.
==Special Advantages==
The ironsmith uses his warhammer so often that he gains it as a weapon of specialization. He is also able to add half his level (round fractions up) as bonus points to either his attack roll, damage roll, or even both. Points may be redistributed from round to round in a melee. Thus, a 7th-level ironsmith has 4 bonus points and can strike one foe at the start of a battle with a bonus of +2 on the attack roll and +2 to the damage roll. Then, he can put all 4 points into the damage roll on each of the two attacks he makes in the next round (as he gets 3/2 attacks at 7th level). These bonus points are in addition to normal bonuses for Strength, specialization, magic (if the hammer is magical), and (if the hammer is hurled) Dexterity.
==Special Disadvantages==
Gold dwarves and Hidden shield dwarves have a special aversion to Wanderer shield dwarves such as ironsmiths, thinking they go out of their way to contaminate themselves with human ways. This is not particularly true, as shield dwarves are usually very proud of their heritage, but you can't tell that to a gold dwarf or one of the Hidden. Apply a +3 modifier to an NPC reaction roll involving gold dwarves or Hidden shield dwarves vs. a Wanderer shield dwarf. Gold dwarves have no negative feelings about gnome ironsmiths, aside from an obnoxiously paternalistic air.
Aside from this (and the problems males have with dating), ironsmiths have no drawbacks in play. They are widely respected for their skills and can find good-paying work in hundreds of places, not to mention very tempting adventuring offers.