Dwarves

(In Flan: *Dwur*)

> “I thought dwarfs loved gold," said Angua.
> "They just say that to get it into bed.”
> --Terry Pratchett, *Feet of Clay*
>
>

Dwarves are shorter than men, usually no more than 4 feet in height, and tend towards more solid, stocky builds. Hill dwarves typically have deep tan or light brown complexions, while the less common, somewhat taller mountain dwarves are lighter. Dwarven hair is typically brown, black or grey, though red is not uncommon, and blonde not unheard of. All dwarves grow beards, and it is considered un-dwarfish to shave one's face bare, though a close-trimmed beard is merely risque. (It's not unusual for a dwarf to lose his beard--say to an explosion--when this is the case, the dwarf will typically use kohl or other pigments to draw a false beard. This is a cultural custom that conveys the beard was lost, rather than "discarded.")

Dwarves are insular, and little of their history is known to outsiders. It is known that dwarves used to have mountain halls under the Crystalmists, which were destroyed by The Invoked Devastation. The last Low King perished in the aftermath of the Twin Cataclysms. Their clans sundered and homes burnt, the dwarves have allied with elves and gnomes, and those humans of reliable disposition. Dwarf lives are long compared to humans, and the Twin Cataclysms are closer to living memory for them than for the humans--only 20 generations past compared to 65 for humans. Some dwarves retain a bitterness towards the humans whose war resulted in the loss of dwarven heritage and home. Dwarves are now found in hills and treacherous mountains, such as the Lortmils, Glorioles, Crystalmists, Iron Hills, Principality of Ulek and Ratik with some dwarven strongholds to be found in the Barrier Peaks, Yatil Mountains, and Hollow Highlands.

Dwarves are often characterized as greedy, industrial, and humourless. Some humans forget that it was humans who took the dwarves' homes from them and look on dwarves are moochers for living in human cities. Dwarves are slow to let old grudges go--with some keeping alive an ancient tradition of maintaining "Grudge Books." Honor and family are very important to dwarves, as is history and the written--or graven--word. All dwarves, however, love stone and metal, especially precious stone and metal, and particularly gold. Some suffer from "Gold sickness"--an extreme covetousness, uncharacteristic even for dwarves. Dwarven leaders are honor-bound to distribute gold to their people, an unwillingness to do this is a sure sign of this sickness.

Traditional dwarven wear was woolen trousers, a linen tunic and a belt with a cloak or cape overall for men and women. On certain ceremonial occasions, men wore embroidered work aprons, women tabardlike overgarments. Beards were braided, adorned with jewels and precious wire. The dress of Dwarves is more eclectic today with the splintering of their clans, but they continue to favour a mixture of earth tones and louder, check-patterned or plaid colours. Leather accessories and boots with large iron buckles are both traditional and contemporary. Dwarves still groom and care for their beards, but tend toward simpler styles.

Dwarves favour magic which wards, such as the spells they used to protect their ancient tombs and mines, or which protects. Dwarven elders hold the race's history. In eras past the entire history of clans would be recorded on massive stone slabs. Since the Cataclysms the original histories have been lost, and histories are now recorded on parchment in ink. Traditionalist dwarves are distressed by this recent change, fearing how easily such records can be destroyed.

### Dwarven Racial Traits

* +2 Con, +2 Wis, -2 Cha
* Medium Humanoid (dwarf)
* 20 ft. Movement Speed
* Darkvision 60'
* Stonecunning: +2 racial bonus on Search checks to notice unusual stonework, sliding walls, stonework traps, new construction (even when built to match the old), unsafe stone surfaces, shaky stone ceilings, and the like. Something that isn't stone but is disguised as such is considered unusual stonework. A dwarf who comes within 10 feet of unusual stonework can make a Search check as if they were actively searching, and a dwarf can find stonework traps as if they were rogues. A dwarf can also intuit depth, sensing his approximate depth underground as naturally as a human can sense which way is up. Dwarves have a sixth sense about stonework, an innate ability that they get plenty of opportunity to practice and hone in their underground homes.
* Weapon Familiarity: Dwarves treat dwarven waraxes and dwarven urgoshes as martial weapons, rather than exotic weapons.
* Stability: Dwarves are exceptionally stable on their feet. A dwarf has a +4 bonus on ability checks made to resist being bull rushed or tripped when standing on the ground (but not when climbing, flying, riding, or otherwise not standing firmly on the ground).
* +2 racial bonus on saving throws against poison.
* +2 racial bonus on saving throws against spells and spell-like effects.
* +1 racial bonus on attack rolls against orcs (and half-orcs) and goblinoids.
* +4 dodge bonus to Armour Class against creatures of the giant type.
* +2 racial bonus on Appraise and Craft checks related to stone or metal.
* Automatic Languages: Dwarven, Common
* Favoured Class: Fighter and Cleric

## Common Dwarven Regional Feats

**Badge of Bondage** *Ket,* *Tiger Nomads, Yeomanry--* Your experiences as a slave have made you more resistant to torture and mental manipulation, granting you a bonus on Fortitude and Will saves, as well Bluff checks.

**Bareback Soul** *Tiger Nomads, Ull--* You're skilled at riding bareback, meaning you suffer no penalty on Riding checks when doing so, can automatically guide your mount with your knees, allowing you to use both hands while riding, and gain a bonus on ranged attack rolls while riding bareback.

**Blooded** *Geoff, Ket, Sterich, Yeomanry--* You know what it means to fight for your life, and the value of quick wits and quicker reactions when blades are bared and deadly spells chanted. Enemies find it difficult to catch you off guard, granting you a bonus to Initiative and Spot checks.

**Border Watch** *Geoff, Ket, Ratik, Sterich, Sunndi--* Your experience watching the horizon for enemy troop movements has made you a better soldier, granting you a bonus on Spot and Profession (Soldier) checks.

**Deepseer** *Mountain Dwarf--* You have better vision in darkness than others of your race.

**Defensive Expert** *Sunndi, Valley of the Mage, Yeomanry--* You excel at entrenched fighting, granting you a greater bonus to AC when benefitting from cover, and a greater dodge bonus when fighting defensively.

**Driftwalker** *Perrenland--* You aren't slowed by snowy terrain, and know how to disguise your movements in the snow, and leave no tracks in it unless you wish to.

**Dwarflore** *Dwarf, Ulek*-- You've memorized a litany of family histories, battle records and foundry lore sacred to the dwarven people, granting you a bonus on all Knowledge skills and on one Craft skill of your choice.

**Elflore** *Sunndi,* *Ulek--* You've memorized epic poems, histories and songs of the elven people, gaining insight into Oerth's history and magic, granting you a bonus on Knowledge and Spellcraft check.

**Exercises of Arnd** *Ratik--* You follow the teachings of the legendary ancient Oeridian general-priest Arnd of Tdon, practicing a rigidly defined set of physical exercises every day to maintain peak fighting effectiveness, granting you special bonuses in combat based on the specific exercise you've performed that day.

**Expert Dungeoneer** *Dwarf--* Your experience and study of dungeons have given you insight on common trapsetting techniques, granting you a bonus on saves against traps.

**Fiendsign** *Perrenland, Sterich, Ull--* Your body bears a readily identifiable mark of your traffic with fiends, chosen from the list of physical signs of Fiendish taint. You bond to the denizens of the Lower Planes grants you some measure of control over your fiendish associates, meaning that Outsiders with the evil subtype take a penalty on their saves against your spells, and granting you a bonus to your caster level check to overcome their spell resistance.

**Giantkiller** *Geoff, Sterich--* Your experience fighting giants has given you a Tactical Advantage against them, granting you a bonus on attack rolls to confirm Critical Hits against giants, and a dodge bonus on AC against them.

**Gnomelore** *Ulek--* You've memorized a staggering array of trivia, jokes, bawdy stories, and legends collected throughout the ages by gnomes and passed orally to each new generation, granting you a bonus on all Perform and Knowledge checks.

**Great Fervor** *Ekbir--* Your overwhelming religious zeal has caught the attention of your deity, granting you an occasional second chance on a failed save.

**Halflinglore** *Ulek--* You've memorized countless recipes, wives tales, folktales, and legends honored by the halfling people, granting you a bonus on all Kn. Local, History and Profession (Cook) checks.

**Horselore** *Tiger Nomads--* You're good with horses, granting you a bonus to Ride and Handle Animal checks when dealing with horses, and raising their initial attitude towards you to friendly.

**Landless Nobility** *Geoff, Principality of Ulek, Sterich--* You belong to a noble line that has utterly lost its homeland due to war, incompetence, politics or fate. Your status as a noble nonetheless grants you some measure of financial comfort, despite your lack of land, granting you maximum starting gold for your class, a bonus on Charisma-based skills made against residents of your homeland, including expatriates, and allowing you to generally find food and lodging from such people wherever you go.

**Mercantile Background** *Dwarf, Ekbir, Ket, Ulek--* You come from a family that excels at a particular trade and knows well the value of any kind of trade good or commodity, granting you a bonus on Appraise checks and the Craft or Profession check of your choice.

**Mercenary Background** *Hill Dwarf, Perrenland, Ull--* You've traveled across the Flanaess as a hired mercenary, learning a smattering of local flavor on every mission in a foreign land. Because you've known so many fellow mercenaries from distant lands, you have little difficulty picking up foreign languages, making Linguistics a class skill for you, and granting you a bonus on Kn. Local checks. Additionally, there is always a good chance that you will run into people you know from your time in the mercenary companies.

**Mountain Fighter** *Dwarf, Geoff, Perrenland, Ratik, Sterich, Ulek, Ull, Valley of the Mage, Yeomanry--* You know how to make the most of terrain-inspired advantages when fighting in mountainous terrain, granting you a dodge bonus to AC in such terrain.

**Noble Soul** *Ulek, Yeomanry--* Your strength of spirit and forthrightness bolsters your resolve and draws others toward you, granting you a bonus on Will saves and Diplomacy checks.

**Orc Blooded** *Ull--* Somewhere in the shadowy boughs of your extended family tree is an orc. The person's influence on your heritage isn't enough to make you a half-orc, but it is enough to slightly influence your features and make you a bit more easy to anger than others, granting your darkvision, making Barbarian a favored class for you, and allowing you to count as an orc for effects related to race.

**Raider's Spirit** *Tiger Nomads,* *Ull--* You're a fearless raider, granting you a bonus on Intimidation check and saves against fear effects.

**Rustic Charm** *Sunndi--* Others tend to underestimate you due to your rural upbringing, meaning you do not suffer penalties Diplomacy checks related to social class, and others suffer a penalty on Sense Motive checks against you.

**Shadowbound** *Valley of the Mage--* The Black One of the Valley of the Mage cast a powerful spell upon you, fusing your soul with a fragment of the Plane of Shadow, granting you a bonus to Hide checks and allowing you to occasionally empower shadow spells.

**Spirit of the Sea** *Ekbir--* You're most alive on the deck of a ship at sea and know all too well the dangers of open waters, granting you a bonus to Balance checks made on Unstable Footing and survival checks at sea.

**Tongue of Mouqol** *Ket--* You know your way around business negotiations, granting you a bonus on Bluff and Diplomacy checks related to business dealings.

**Vatun's Touch** *Ratik--* You have little difficulty with cold environments, and do not need protection to operate in cold weather, automatically succeeding at saves to Stave Off its effects.

**Well-Read** *Valley of the Mage--* Your readings have granted your extensive general knowledge about a wide range of affairs, making all Knowledge skills class skills for you.

**World Weary** *Ekbir, Geoff, Sterich--* Your crushed spirit makes you difficult to scare or intimidate, granting you a bonus on saves against fear, and allowing you to treat fear conditions as one rank lower.