Dwarf

## Overview

Dwarves are a stout, sturdy folk who hail from the mountainous regions of the world. They are consummate perfectionists, unwilling to accept anything but the best and unwilling to produce anything but the same. Dwarven works, both physical and cultural, only change when they cease functioning perfectly - and until a similarly perfect solution is found, the dwarves will not budge an inch. Even then, rather than something entirely new, dwarves will salvage as much as possible from what they're leaving behind. As such, almost everything that a dwarf is and calls their own is always tried and true, at least in part, tested over dozens of generations and hundreds of years. While relatively slow compared to other races in terms of territorial expansion and travel, the dwarven tendency to utilize every perfect solution they know of in response to new problems means they've made connections that would've been impossible for those who attempted to create a unique solution. Their technological progress is quite fast as a result, and dwarven mechanisms and masterwork craftsmanship are known world-wide.

## Mechanics

### Standard Racial Traits

* **Ability Score Modifers:** Dwarves are both tough and wise, but also a bit gruff. They gain +2 Constitution, +2 Wisdom, and –2 Charisma.
* **Type:** Dwarves are Medium creatures and thus receive no bonuses or penalties due to their size.
* **Size:** Dwarves are Medium sized creatures and thus have no bonuses or penalties due to their size.
* **Base Speed:** Dwarves have a base move speed of 20 feet, but their speed is never modified by armor or encumbrance.
* **Languages:** Dwarves begin play able to speed Dwarven. With a high intelligence score, Dwarves are also able to begin playing knowing additional languages from the following list: Giant, Gnome, Goblin, Orc, and Terran.

### Defense Racial Traits

* **Lasting Grudge:** Dwarves are notorious for their long-lasting grudges. Those who live up to this racial reputation gain a +1 racial bonus on attack rolls against any individual creature that has attacked them 1 day ago or longer.
* **Hardy:** Dwarves gain a +2 racial bonus on saving throws against poison, spells, and spell-like abilities.
* **Stability:** Dwarves gain a +4 racial bonus to their Combat Maneuver Defense when resisting a bull rush or trip attempt while standing on the ground.

### Feat and Skill Racial Traits

* **Craftsman:** Dwarves are known for their superior craftsmanship when it comes to metallurgy and stonework. Dwarves with this racial trait receive a +2 racial bonus on all Craft or Profession checks related to metal or stone.
* **Stonecunning:** Dwarves gain a +2 bonus on Perception checks to notice unusual stonework, such as traps and hidden doors located in stone walls or floors. They receive a check to notice such features whenever they pass within 10 feet of them, whether or not they are actively looking.

### Senses Racial Traits

* **Darkvision:** Dwarves can see perfectly in the dark up to 60 feet.

### Offense Racial Traits

* **Weapon Familiarity:** Dwarves are proficient with battleaxes, heavy picks, and warhammers, and treat any weapon with the word “dwarven” in its name as a martial weapon.

## Society

Relying on the work of those that came before means that all dwarves, either theoretically, practically, or both, are well-schooled in history. This is made easier by their mountain citadels constructed and decorated with millenia-old carvings and filled with equally ancient tools, weapons, and tablets. With so much of their past being used and relevant to day-to-day activities through a racial expertise with stone and metal, it becomes simple to pass on lessons. Dwarven culture both venerates the past of their people and exalts those in modern times who are able to ensure that their own experiences are passed on - so crafting permanent or long- lasting things is held in high regard, as is defending one's home against those who seek to plunder or destroy the people and histories within. Of course, no day of hard work is complete without rest and relaxation, so many dwarves place equal importance on those who cook feasts or brew libations based on ancestral recipes.

## Religion

Dwarves pay homage to gods who have helped their people, as their memory is long and holds both favors and grudges in equal supply. Ketar Mozog, Dowager Empress Kyouko, Agathon, and Jolein Composed of Desire have contributed civilized stability, a hierarchy of rulership, health and wellness, and finely-curated knowledge to the dwarves over the years. They don't respect Basang Ba, whose storms hardly shake their citadels, but find her Apparition to be quite worthy of worship, along with the Apparitions of Zhihao Jin and Petya Naumov. While some dwarves follow Vicenta Salcedo, others find the fact that her heritage has no connection to dwarvenkind an unforgiveable appropriation of halfling creativity. Being mountain-dwellers, many dwarves find the worship of Fa'qamuu to be a natural step, but the asceticism it requres is often too demanding for their communal tendencies. Masik, despite being a god of death, is more often regarded as a god of mistakes by dwarves, and thus they seek to avoid him at all costs - even his Apparition is neglected simply by association.

## Relations

Dwarves get along well with aasimar and tieflings, whose long lives mesh well with the tradition in dwarven culture, and their divine nature grants them some associations with divinity and perfection itself.

Aphorites and dwarves are often so inseparable that they begin to resemble one another after spending so much time by the others' side, while ganzi find dwarves so obsessed with ancestry that they can't even tell dwarves from the same settlement apart.

Changelings have no love for dwarves, ending up as exiles, while dhampir may find the stability of dwarven life to be nostalgic even after being discovered and warned away.

Drelmans and dwarves get along reasonably well, as the hardy frontierfolk are happy to drink and work alongside dwarves at every turn, even if their standards seem far lower.

Drow don't last long in dwarven society, as their anger inevitably ends up directed at someone whose authority demands respect, and their individual emotions don't resound with dwarven tradition in the same way as ancient practices do.

All dwarves hate duergar: disgusting, life-sapped reflections of their own race, the surface-dwelling cousins of duergar are often the first to incite violence against the latter.

Dwarves find elves, fetchlings, suli, ifrits, sylphs, kitsune, parmans, and vishkanya to be too absorbed in their own frail egos to be worth having a conversation with.

Gnomes and halflings both get along with dwarves, but only during different parts of the day - gnomes during work, and halflings during play - and never the opposite, else chaos ensue.

Ghorans dislike dwarves, as their response to many a stranger is a brandished axe or an out-thrust torch.

Dwarves pity grippli and lizardfolk, who share their focus on one's own community, but have no way to reliably record their past.

Dwarves and hobgoblins rarely encounter each other due to a large difference in preferred climates, but it's a rare treat when they do, and both groups enjoy showing off different combat techniques for the other.

Kobolds and ratfolk are both considered hostile competitors among dwarves, with the kobolds tinkering and the ratfolk brewing, but their opinion is slowly growing less apprehensive and more positive as trade and knowledge pass between them.

On the other hand, the orcs and dwarves have been waging war to see who is the most stubborn, most determined, and most enduring of two the races since the beginning of time, and any meeting will inevitably result in a display of prowess, a challenge, or a battle - or all of the above.

Nagaji and oreads both get along well with dwarves, and friendship comes easily between them.

Dwarves distrust skinwalkers, who are too close to their bestial forebears for comfort, but love other kinds of beastfolk: dwarves see tengu as messengers and historians who travel so they don't have to, and find that the pranks and jokes of the vanara are just tame enough to meet their sensibilities.

Undines find dwarves to be rather callous folk who care more for old objects than people and thus rarely attempt to engage them, but those few who try anyway find that their first impressions are usually woefully inaccurate.

Goblins enjoy dwarves almost as much as they enjoy dwarven drink and festivals, and the bright, warm fires that often follow goblins are a pleasant warmth in dwarven halls.

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