Exile - Gray Dwarf (Character Kit)

Class Information 	Class Information
Class Requirements 	Thief
Racial Requirements 	Dwarf (gray)
Ability Requirements 	Dexterity 9, Wisdom 10 or less
Prime Requisite 	Dexterity
Aligments 	Any nonlawful (rarely good)
Social Rank 	Lower class
Hit Die Type 	d6
Attack as 	Rogue
Save as 	Rogue
Advance as 	Thief
Spell Ability? 	No
Exceptional Strength? 	No
Exceptional Constitution?	No
Starting Cash (x10 gp) 	2d6
Proficiencies 	Proficiencies
Weapon Slots 	2
Initial Weapons 	Footman's pick, warhammer, and standard thief weapons
Additional WP Slot 	4
Additional Weapons 	As above
Nonproficiency Penalty 	-3
Nonweapon Slots 	3
Additional NWP Slot 	4
Available Categories 	General, Rogue
Bonus Proficiencies 	Blind-fighting, endurance (CTH), fungi recognition (CBDw), survival (Underdark, CTH)
Recommended Proficiencies	Animal lore, appraising, blacksmithing, direction sense, fire-building, herbalism, hunting (CTH), intimidation, languages (modern), leatherworking, mining, mountaineering, religion, set snares, stonemasonry, weaponsmithing (crude, CRH)
Secondary Skills 	Hunter, leather worker, mason, miner, trader/barterer, trapper/furrier, weaponsmith
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==Overview==
Usually, the only gray dwarf met on the surface of Faerûn is a desperate one, as duergar loathe the sunlit realm. Unlike some Underdark races, gray dwarves have no urge to conquer the surface world. They wish to destroy their enemies on the surface, of course, but they plan to conquer and rule only the Underdark, leaving the surface alone otherwise.
However, some duergar do not fit into their grim, bleak, regimented society. They hold the wrong political beliefs, take up the wrong religion, and perform the wrong deeds (usually theft). Those renegade duergar who are not immediately executed are exiled from their people on penalty of death, with the understanding that any other duergar may later hunt them down, slay them, and return with their heads for a special bounty. Exiled duergar often come to the surface to hide alone in shallow wilderness caves, where their gray brethren are unlikely to follow. There the exiles survive as best they can. A few become adventurers, but they risk much in doing so, as duergar are hated by many surface-dwelling folk.
Exiled duergar could appear almost anywhere in the less inhabited regions of the Underdark, away from major communities of any race. Very few ever go up to the surface, as sunlight harms their vision and abilities so greatly, but those that do are found near any entryway into the Underdark, even in Waterdeep (thanks to Skullport and Undermountain).
==Description==
Exiled gray dwarves stand about 4 feet tall and possess an evil, starved visage. Faerûnian duergar, males and females, are bald; females have no facial hair, but males grow long beards that are often combed or braided in clan styles. Skin and hair color range from medium to dark gray. Clothing is drab, in black and dark shades of maroon, gray, and brown. Metal surfaces are kept dull, and jewelry is dimmed by a light wash of dark dye or paint. Leather made from subterranean beasts is widely used. Duergar eyes glow faintly red, a result of their powerful infravision. Many duergar wear medallions or insignia showing clan identity, but exiles have no such regalia. The faces and arms of exiles are covered with tattooed yellow Dethek (Dwarvish) runes identifying them as criminal outcasts under sentence of death. Their clothing, armor, weapons, and other equipment are in poor condition, scavenged from corpses or trash piles in the Underdark. (Exiled duergar are stripped of all possessions when cast out.) But even an exiled duergar is proud in his rage and ruin.
==Roleplaying==
A duergar exile does anything to stay alive and regain some of his lost power. He could become an menial laborer, grave digger, miner, mason, or other mundane occupation in a human-dominated area, or he could work on his own as an assassin, thief, Underdark guide or adventurer. This assumes that other elves and dwarves in the party do not kill him out of hand first. Only humans, halflings, and gnomes are likely to give a duergar a chance to join them in exploring the world and getting rich.
A gray dwarf character is generated like any other dwarf as per Player's Handbook rules, with the following changes: A +1 bonus to Constitution and a -2 penalty to Charisma scores are applied to initial ability scores. Ability score maximums and minimums are the same as for normal dwarves.
A gray dwarf is immune to paralysis and poison, so many use poisons in combat without fear. They are also immune to all illusion/phantasm spells, seeing them for what they are. Constitution bonuses vs. attacks from wands, staves, rods, and spells are normal. Duergar move so quietly in leather or studded leather armor that a -2 penalty is applied to opponents' surprise rolls if the duergar are 90 feet ahead of other beings. Duergar are themselves hard to startle, taking a +2 bonus on their own rolls to avoid surprise.
Duergar normally possess magical powers of enlargement and invisibility, as per the MONSTROUS MANUAL tome, but these powers are cancelled for exiles (see below). A different system for using these powers appears in The Complete Book of Dwarves.
Magical items have the same 20% chance for malfunctioning as for other dwarves. Infravision is 120 feet in darkness; if bright lights or major heat sources are present, the infravision ceases. Dwarven abilities to detect underground phenomena are unchanged. On Tables 10 and 11 in the PHB, the height and aging data for dwarves is used with the weight data for half-elves, as duergar are thinner than normal dwarves. Initial language choices and classes are given in this book's introduction.
Daylight and continual light spells affect a duergar as follows: His infravision and enhanced ability to gain surprise are negated, his Dexterity is reduced by 2, his attacks take a -2 penalty on the rolls, and opponents' saving throws vs. the duergar's attacks are at +2. If opponents are brightly lit but the duergar is in darkness, his surprise bonus and Dexterity score are unaffected, but his attacks are at -1 on the roll and opponents gain a +1 bonus to saving throws against his attacks; infravision is lost. Light from torches, lanterns, bonfires, magical weapons, and light or faerie fire spells do not adversely affect the duergar.
Because they have not fought with humanoids to the extent that surface dwarves have, gray dwarves gain no attack bonuses against orcs, goblins, etc. Giant-type beings in the Underdark of Faerûn still take a -4 penalty to attacks against them, as trolls, ogres, stone giants, and the like exist underground.
A gray dwarf exile's religious beliefs are not necessarily good or evil. A few have repented their ways and taken up worship of Moradin All-Father, but an equal number have gone with Abbathor, god of greed. Some have stayed true to their old duergar gods. There is no consensus on post-exile deities.
==Special Advantages==
Few advantages are gained by being a gray dwarf exile, though it does pose many interesting challenges in roleplaying.
In addition to thieves' weapons, a gray dwarf exile has the additional options of using the footman's pick and warhammer, which are widely used in duergar warfare because of their additional use as mining tools.
Because the AD&D 1st Edition game's version of the duergar had them as psionic, anyone with The Complete Book of Psionics can have a gray dwarf exile gain a wild talent, as per the rules in that book on pages 19–21. At the DM's option, the roll to gain the wild talent is skipped and the character receives a randomly generated wild talent, the existence of which is known to no one but the character. Perhaps the existence of this secret talent had something to do with the gray dwarf's exile in the first place.
 ==Special Disadvantages==
As a part of the exiling process, a duergar is forced to undergo a magical ritual conducted by a duergar priest that permanently removes the normal duergar powers of enlargement and invisibility. This makes it easier for the exile to be found later and destroyed. The yellow tattoos are also permanent; as they scar the skin, their outlines can be seen through most facial makeup, whether ashes are rubbed on the skin or sophisticated disguise paints are applied.
The negative effects of sunlight on a duergar are given above. A gray dwarf exile on the surface copes best by simply becoming nocturnal, hiding from the sun to sleep in the daytime.
Duergar are not as well known as drow elves, and so are not widely reviled in the Realms by humans, halflings, and surface gnomes. However, shield and gold dwarves and deep gnomes know enough about duergar to recognize them as dangerous enemies, and gold, moon, and wild elves still tell tales of how duergar joined forces with the drow to destroy the Elven Court centuries ago. (The dwarves remember this event in their tales and legends, too.) A duergar cannot expect sympathy from races who suffered so much from drow and duergar treachery. Apply a +8 modifier (toward hostile results) to NPC reaction rolls from these races toward a duergar, and a +4 modifier from humans, halflings, and surface gnomes.
An exiled duergar cannot expect any sympathy from his own people either. Other duergar won't even check reaction to him, attacking instantly if they recognize the offender. Drow capture exiles as slaves and for hideous private amusements. Mind flayers snare them for well-known purposes that need no further detailing here.
Because he is immune to poisons, an exiled gray dwarf often uses them regularly for hunting. Many beings have extremely negative reactions to individuals using poison, and the duergar might poison an ally by accident as he never gives his own safety around poison a second thought.
An gray dwarf exile is often characterized by his bad judgment (hence, the low Wisdom score). Wise duergar keep their personal opinions to themselves and are careful to cover up their community misdeeds. Exiles obviously weren't that wise, and so they got caught. A Wisdom score below 9 should affect roleplaying, as the gray dwarf's willpower is not very good.