Dwarf

Dwarves are short, stout demi-humans with an unabashed love of gold. Nothing pleases them more than the gleam of gems and the solidity of a gold ingot. They love to count their coins! The sight of treasure sometimes makes dwarves lose their head – just as does the swirling chaos of combat. Dwarves love to fight wildly, swinging a weapon with brutal effectiveness as they chop their way through foes.

Dwarves live far beneath the ground and rarely set foot above it. Dwarven societies are rigid, orderly, and prescribed, with clearly defined roles and responsibilities bound by byzantine rules of age and occupation. Any dwarf who rejects this lawful model of insular defensiveness to pursue a vocation of gregarious curiosity is, to his fellows, a loose cannon or even a traitor.

## Abilities

### Weapon Training

Dwarves prefer to battle with a weapon and shield. A dwarf is trained in the use of these melee weapons: battleaxe, club, dagger, handaxe, longsword, mace, short sword, spear, twohanded sword, and warhammer. A dwarf is also trained in these missile fire weapons: crossbow, javelin, shortbow, and sling. Dwarves wear whatever armor they can afford.

### Alignment

Dwarven life impresses lawful behavior forcefully. A dwarf who rejects this must have a good reason. Adventuring dwarves of a lawful alignment are syndics: agents of their native governments sent to spy, reconnoiter, procure goods, or build alliances. They are often possessed of many useful skills that represent their nations favorably, chosen for the traveling role based on fortitude and attitude.

Chaotic dwarves are exceedingly rare in their home countries. Death or exile is their natural fate; banishment due to rebellion and disobedience is the best they can hope for. Lacking the temperament to dedicate decades to learning a dwarven craft, they depend on martial skill and violence to endure their community’s punishment for their tergiversation. Those who survive become adventurers.

Neutral dwarves adventure to learn of the world – a rare personality among this solipsistic race. A neutral dwarf is a master blacksmith, tanner, or miner seeking to expand his skills among the surface dwellers.

### Sword and Board

Dwarves excel at fighting with a shield in one hand and a weapon in the other. When fighting with a shield, a dwarf always gains a shield bash as a second attack. Dwarves may also use a twohanded weapon in one hand, allowing them to use a shield in the other. However, using a twohanded weapon in one hand makes them perform both their weapon and shield bash attacks as if untrained.

### Speed

Dwarves are short and stocky, meaning they tend to move around slower than other races. However, they are not slowed by wearing any armor, as their mighty endurance allows them to shrug off the encumbering effect of heavy items.

### Underground Skills

Long life beneath the ground trains dwarves to detect certain kinds of construction such as traps, secret doors and moving walls. Additionally, a dwarf can smell gold and gems.

### Dwarven Runes

Dwarves have the ability to carve magic runes into walls, doors and other items. Doing so takes a few hours depending on the size of the object or area they went to carve into. There are three types of Dwarven Rune. Dwarven adventurers know how to carve one type of rune, but they may learn others through intense study of a rune's intricate magical secrets. Hiding Runes make a small to medium inanimate object impossible to notice by non-dwarves unless they specifically search very hard for it. Prohibition Runes magically seal shut a door or chest, which can only be opened by speaking a password defined by the dwarf. These runes must present a riddle written in the dwarven language, the solution to which is the password. No spell can break this seal. Finally, Guard Runes alert the dwarf mentally if a living thing passes through their aura. If the dwarf is sleeping when this happens, they awake. Any of these runes may be dispelled by the dwarf who carved them.