Dwarf

### **Physical description:**

Dwarves are stocky,
bipedal hominids which have a general appearance quite reminiscent of
Terrans. A common Terran expression when talking about dwarves is “I
could lend him my shirt, but he would need to wear my bermudas”,
whatever this actually means. Dwarves have an impressive musculature,
generally covered by a thin layer of fat which hides its definition,
making them quite large and rather heavy even though they have a
short stature. Dwarves ears are similar in form to those of Terrans,
but their nose is rather more prominent. Dwarves have very strong
pilosity on most of their body, with both males and females growing
facial hair. Men generally keep long beards and rather elaborate
mustache, much better kept their their actual hair, while women shave
off a good part of the hair but keep impressive sideburns most of the
time. Sexual dimorphism between male and female dwarves is limited
when they are wearing their work gear, but females have much larger
breats and a slimmer waist then males. Hair colour generally ranges
between light red to dark brown, with the rare individual having
blonde hair. Eyes are most commonly brown, green or black, with
different hues.

### **Society:**

 Another group of people that were
cast out during the Exodus, the dwarves were always disinterested in
the affairs of others, focusing heavily on their work. Unlike the
gnomes, however, dwarves were not willing to simply join the Empire
or Union, and began working into building their own nation-states.
Not interested at all in the war between the elves, the dwarves
exiled themselves to various worlds where they created large
underground cities around mines which became later known as the
Clanholds. Each planet is technically independent, even though they
generally have a non-aggression, non-competition pact with other
Clanholds and a mutual defense pact with other Clanholds in the
general area to prevent their lands being taken over. Dwarven
businessdwarves often go in the spatial mining business as well,
where they consider themselves independent from the rest of the Hold
but actively trade with it. Disputes between clan brothers generally
are settled in front of a Loremaster, their equivalent of a judge /
doctor, but sometimes things come to blow as different groups claim
the non-aggression principle was broken in some manner.

 Work is a the very center of a dwarf
life. While the original “classic” job for dwarves used to be
mining, many of them have switched over to engineering, zero-g
construction or electronic design. Dwarves are always expected to be
either working or in training, with unemployment being viewed as the
worst possible sin. Marriage is not common amongst dwarves, as two
dwarves have a child, raise it until its twentieth birthday, when he
enters apprenticeship, and then go their separate way. Most dwarves
have multiple half-brother and sisters, but the “family group” is
seen as far less important then their work social group.

### **Relations:**

As dwarves generally
live in semi-independent nation-states, each state has its own
relation with its neighbor, but the same is always expected of them:
you don't attack them or block their expansion into other lucrative
business ventures, and they will trade everything they make with you
at a very good price. As such, a large portion of the equipment in
use by both the Star Empire and United Realms is actually produced in
dwarven clanholds, from the simplest tool to the largest warship. The
Hu Syndicates also trade heavily with the dwarves for the necessary
biomass and food supplies they need. The Protectorate prefers to
build most of their weapons themselves, but they buy supplies from
the dwarves in large quantity, especially rare earth material
necessary for the production of laser weaponry. A lot of Loremasters
feel threatened by the aggressiveness of the Terran and So'Dar
traders, which they see as upstarts in the military equipment
business.

### **Adventurers:**

Dwarves who leave the
Clanhold come in two variety: those who do so in search of business
opportunities and profit and those who were cast out of the clanhold
for various transgressions which are sometimes nebulous to outsiders.
Both groups are still shrewd business people and prefer to see the
credits before they get into any form of adventuring. A significant
portion of the dwarven military is strictly mercenary work and a
large portion of those mercenaries do serve with the Imperial forces
or Royal forces.

## Standard Racial Traits:

**Size and Type:** Dwarves
are medium humanoid with the Dwarf sub-type.

**Ability score modifier:** Dwarves
are extremely resilient and have great professional ethic, but are
gruff and often set in their ways. They gain +2 to their Constitution
and Wisdom, but a -2 to their Charisma.

**Hit Points:** Dwarves are
incredibly resilient, starting with 6 Racial HP.

**Underground senses:** Dwarves
instinctively detect stonework that is not natural or abnormal, such
as traps or hidden doors, gaining a +2 to their Perception on such
rolls. They also have natural darkvision up to 60 feet.

**Stout and Hardy:** Dwarves
gain a +2 bonus to saves against Poisons, Spells and Spell-like
ability.

**Craftsmen:** Dwarves are
trained from birth to work hard in the Clanshold. Choose one of the
following: Computers, Engineering, Physical Science or one
Profession. You automatically gain 1 rank in that skill every level
you take. If you are using One time skill selection optional rule,
you are proficient in that skill instead.

**Slow and Steady:** Dwarves
are not encumbered until they have reached their maximum weight

allowance.