Dwarf

Kingdoms rich in ancient grandeur, halls carved into the roots of mountains, the echoing of picks and hammers in deep mines and blazing forges, a commitment to clan and tradition, and a deep-seated mistrust of goblins and orcs—these common threads unite all dwarves.

## **Short and Stout**

Bold and hardy, dwarves are known as skilled warriors, miners, and workers of stone and metal. Though they stand well under 5 feet tall, dwarves are so broad and compact that they can weigh as much as a human standing nearly two feet taller. Their courage and endurance are also easily a match for any of the larger folk.

Dwarven skin ranges from deep brown to a paler hue tinged with red, but the most common shades are light brown or deep tan, like certain tones of earth. Their hair, worn long but in simple styles, is usually black, gray, or brown, though paler dwarves often have red hair. Dwarves value their beards highly and groom them carefully.

## **Long Memory, Long Grudges**

Dwarves can live to be more than 400 years old, so the oldest living dwarves often remember a very different world. For example, some of the oldest living dwarves partook in founding the great Feyborn cities that stand today. This longevity grants them a perspective on the world that shorter-lived races such as humans and halflings lack.

Dwarves are solid and enduring like the mountains they love, weathering the passage of centuries with stoic endurance and little change. They respect the traditions of their clans, tracing their ancestry back to the founding of their most ancient strongholds in the youth of the world, and don’t abandon those traditions lightly. Part of those traditions is devotion to the Crumbling Earth, the primordial deity of their mountain homes. They also closely ally themselves with First Ones who uphold the dwarven ideals of industrious labor, skill in battle, and devotion to the forge.

Individual dwarves are determined and loyal, true to their word and decisive in action, sometimes to the point of stubbornness. Many dwarves have a strong sense of justice, and they are slow to forget wrongs they have suffered. A wrong done to one dwarf is a wrong done to the dwarf’s entire clan, so what begins as one dwarf’s hunt for vengeance can become a full-blown clan feud.

## **Clans and Kingdoms**

Dwarven kingdoms stretch deep beneath the mountains where the dwarves mine gems and precious metals and forge items of wonder. They love the beauty and artistry of precious metals and fine jewelry, and in some dwarves this love festers into avarice. Whatever wealth they can’t find in their mountains, they gain through trade. They dislike boats, so enterprising humans and halflings frequently handle trade in dwarven goods along water routes. Trustworthy members of other races are welcome in dwarf settlements, though some areas are off limits even to them.

The chief unit of dwarven society is the clan, and dwarves highly value social standing. Even dwarves who live far from their own kingdoms cherish their clan identities and affiliations, recognize related dwarves, and invoke their ancestors’ names in oaths and curses. To be clanless is the worst fate that can befall a dwarf.

Dwarves in other lands are typically artisans, especially weaponsmiths, armorers, and jewelers. Some become mercenaries or bodyguards, highly sought after for their courage and loyalty.

## **Gods, Gold, and Clan**

Dwarves who take up the adventuring life might be motivated by a desire for treasure—for its own sake, for a specific purpose, or even out of an altruistic desire to help others. Other dwarves are driven by the command or inspiration of a First One, as many find loyalty to deities such as Fornax and Sculptor to bring glory to themselves and their clan. Or, more commonly, they feel the calling of primordial deities, such as The Crumbling Earth. Clan and ancestry are also important motivators. A dwarf might seek to restore a clan’s lost honor, avenge an ancient wrong the clan suffered, or earn a new place within the clan after having been exiled. Or a dwarf might search for the axe wielded by a mighty ancestor, lost on the field of battle centuries ago.

## **Dwarf Names**

A dwarf’s name is granted by a clan elder, in accordance with tradition. Every proper dwarven name has been used and reused down through the generations. A dwarf’s name belongs to the clan, not to the individual. A dwarf who misuses or brings shame to a clan name is stripped of the name and forbidden by law to use any dwarven name in its place.

Male Names: Adrik, Alberich, Baern, Barendd, Brottor, Bruenor, Dain, Darrak, Delg, Eberk, Einkil, Fargrim, Flint, Gardain, Harbek, Kildrak, Morgran, Orsik, Oskar, Rangrim, Rurik, Taklinn, Thoradin, Thorin, Tordek, Traubon, Travok, Ulfgar, Veit, Vondal

Female Names: Amber, Artin, Audhild, Bardryn, Dagnal, Diesa, Eldeth, Falkrunn, Finellen, Gunnloda, Gurdis, Helja, Hlin, Kathra, Kristryd, Ilde, Liftrasa, Mardred, Riswynn, Sannl, Torbera, Torgga, Vistra

Clan Names: Balderk, Battlehammer, Brawnanvil, Dankil, Fireforge, Frostbeard, Gorunn, Holderhek, Ironfist, Loderr, Lutgehr, Rumnaheim, Strakeln, Torunn, Ungart

## Dwarf Characteristics

*When creating a Dwarf character, you can use the suggested ability score increases or, as detailed in Tasha's Cauldron of Everything, you can instead increase one ability score of your choice by 1 and one different ability score of your choice by 2.*

*(Con +2)*

**Creature Type.** Fey/Humanoid

**Size.** Medium

**Speed.** 25ft.

**Darkvision.** Accustomed to life underground, you have superior vision in dark and dim conditions. You can see in dim light within 60 feet of you as if it were bright light, and in darkness as if it were dim light. You can't discern color in darkness, only shades of gray.

**Dwarven Resilience.** You have advantage on saving throws to avoid or end the poisoned condition, and you have resistance against poison damage.

**Dwarven Combat Training.** You have proficiency with the battleaxe, handaxe, light hammer, and warhammer.

**Tool Proficiency.** You gain proficiency with the artisan's tools of your choice: smith's tools, brewer's supplies, or mason's tools.

**Stonecunning.** Whenever you make an Intelligence (History) check related to the origin of stonework, you are considered proficient in the History skill and add double your proficiency bonus to the check, instead of your normal proficiency bonus.

**Languages.** You can speak, read, and write Common and Dwarvish. Dwarvish is full of hard consonants and guttural sounds, and those characteristics spill over into whatever other language a dwarf might speak.

## **Subraces**

Four main subraces of dwarves populate the worlds of D&D: duergar, hill dwarves, mountain dwarves and Iron dwarves. Choose one of these subraces or one from another source.

### **Duregar**

*(Note: selecting this subrace removes the **Dwarven Combat Training**, **Tool Proficiency**, and **Stonecunning** trait from the original Dwarf characteristics for you.)*

*(Str +1)*

The gray dwarves, or duergar, live deep in the Underdark. After delving deeper than any other dwarves, they were taken and experimented on my mind flayers. Although they eventually won their freedom, these grim, ashen-skinned dwarves keep to themselves in the darkened tunnels beneath the earth. Physically similar to other dwarves in some ways, duergar are wiry and lean, with black eyes and grey-white hair.

Duergar value toil above all else. Showing emotions other than grim determination or wrath is frowned upon in their culture, but they can sometimes seem joyful when at work. They have the typical dwarven appreciation for order, tradition, and impeccable craftsmanship, but their goods feature an entirely unique aesthetic to those crafted aboveground. Few duergar become adventurers, fewer still on the surface world, because they are a hidebound and suspicious race. Those who leave their subterranean cities are usually exiles.

**Speed.** 30ft

**Superior Darkvision.** You can see in dim light within 120 feet of you as if it were bright light, and in darkness as if it were dim light. You can't discern color in darkness, only shades of gray.

**Psionic Fortitude.** You have advantage on saving throws to avoid or end the Charmed and Stunned conditions on yourself.

**Duergar Magic.** When you reach 3rd level, you can cast the Enlarge/Reduce spell on yourself once with this trait. When you reach 5th level, you can cast the Invisibility spell on yourself once with this trait. You don't need material components for either spell, you regain the ability to cast these spells with this trait when you finish a long rest. You can choose Wis, Int, or Cha as you spellcasting modifier for this trait.

### **Hill Dwarf**

*(Wis +1)*

As a hill dwarf, you have keen senses, deep intuition, and remarkable resilience. These dwarves are the most likely to live in the large cities occupied by other feyborn. In fact, many of them were instrumental in building these cities.

**Dwarven Toughness.** Your hit point maximum increases by 1, and it increases by 1 every time you gain a level.

### **Mountain Dwarf**

*(Str +2)*

As a mountain dwarf, you’re strong and hardy, accustomed to a difficult life in rugged terrain. You’re probably on the tall side (for a dwarf), and tend towards lighter coloration. Mountain dwarves are best known for their strongholds that are instrumental in holding back whatever leaks out of the forebear ruins.

**Dwarven Armor Training.** You have proficiency with light and medium armor.

### Iron Dwarf

*(Int +1)*

The Iron Dwarves hail from the Blackglass islands surrounding Mt. Maegera. These dwarves have eyes ranging from black to steely grey and when they come of age, they are given elaborate tattoos infused with Aphotic Iron that allows them to access a variety of abjuration magics.

**Iron Intuition.** Whenever you make an Intelligence (Investigation) check or an Ability Check involving Thieve's Tools, you can roll a d4 and add the number rolled to the total ability check.

**Wards and Seals.** You can cast the Alarm and Mage Armor spells with this trait. Starting at 3rd level, you can also cast the Arcane Lock spell with it. Once you cast either spell with this trait, you can't cast that spell again until you finish a Long Rest. You can choose Int, Wis, and Cha as your Spellcasting Ability for these spells, and you don't require material components when you cast them with this trait.

**Spells of the Warden.** If you have the Spellcasting or Pact Magic class feature, the following spells are added to the spell list of your Spellcasting class. *(1st level)* Alarm, Armor of Agathys, *(2nd level)* Arcane Lock, Knock, *(3rd level)* Glyph of Warding, Magic Circle, *(4th level)* Leomund's Secret Chest, Mordenkainen's Faithful Hound, *(5th level)* Antilife Shell.