Dwarf

Dwarves hail from the depths of the earth, and have lived there for ages beyond count. Much like the stone they resemble, dwarves possess great fortitude and an indomitable will of granite. They are proud, loyal and honorable people, with lives said to be long as tunnels they delve beneath wind-scoured mountains. Renowned for their stonework and metal crafting, dwarves expend much of their lives perfecting their skills and mining ever deeper for rare ores and gems. There in the those dark recesses, the dwarves have unearthed many abominations and clashed with ferocious enemies, for the underworld is home to innumerable and usually baneful creatures, who consider dwarves their mortal foes.

### **Description**

Dwarves resemble the rock and stone they so love. They are short, stocky and muscled from years of labor at the forge, or from tunneling through the earth. Dwarves grow long beards and moustaches that are considered symbol of maturity and honor; the most renowned dwarves have great thick beards sweeping to their feet. From hours at the forge and difficult work at the mines, dwarf’s skin is dark, ruddy, and fissured even at an early age. Their deep set eyes tend to the blue, hazel or gray and sharp enough to pierce the gloom of the underworld.

### **Personality**

Dwarves are bound by codes of honor that obligate them to kin and kingdom. They consider themselves eternally beholden to their parents and immediate kin, for their parents brought them into the world. The dwarven kingdom serves as both guardian and a source of succor, so an enormous debt is also owed to the dwarf’s kingdom and homeland. These are debts many dwarves consider irredeemable. At its most extreme, the code obliges dwarves to sacrifice all in the name of kith, kin and kingdom, even if the cause is unjust or hopeless.

           The dwarves are also bound to another code that, at its simplest, requires just compensation to be paid for service dutifully rendered. This code guides all of their business and interpersonal dealings.

           Dwarves place high value on their skills both as craftsmen and warriors. Dwarves are meticulous and patient. All possess an expert’s attention to detail, and granite determination regardless of the undertaking at hand. Their expertise in crafting metal or stone is without equal in the world, and their steadfastness in battle is as certain as a mountain is strong.

           Dwarven stubbornness is nothing more than an expression of the codes of loyalty, debt, obligation and the determination they project into their daily lives. Dwarves are slow to shift loyalties and loathe breaking oaths, doing so only in dire circumstances. The word of a dwarf is as valuable as gold and gems, flowing from generations of tradition and belief. Many mistake the dwarven disposition for greed, and some believe dwarves simply take advantage of all they can in both business and war. In reality the dwarven personality stems from a sense of duty, loyalty and just compensation enforced by centuries of tradition.

### **Relationships**

Dwarves associate with many humanoids, through their relations are poor with almost all of them. Relations with elves are often strained, dwarves do not understand elves, and do not consider their codes of honor to be particular or reliable. Dwarves work well with halflings in business matters but tend to limit interactions to commercial relationships. Human cultures and society vary widely. To dwarves humans can appear as honorable as any dwarf, or as loathsome as a goblin. Dwarves often consider gnomes to be their friends and allies. Gnomish culture most closely mirrors dwarven social and cultural mores. However certain gnomish characteristics can ignite a dwarf’s short temper, particularly if gnomes and dwarves find themselves coveting the same resources.

### **Environment**

Dwarves live beneath the earth in the great halls of stone, stretching for miles under expansive mountain chains. These dwarf’s kingdoms often extend deep into the bowels of the earth as they mine ever further for precious metals and stones. Some clans however spend much of their lives above ground, building tunnels only for mining and not as abodes. These dwarves live in areas where massive underground stoneworks are difficult to build, due to lack of proper stone or simple impracticality. Small dwarven communities can be found in even the most remote of environments, for dwarves explore the world’s borderlands, ever searching for new veins of ores.

#### **Racial Traits and Abilities**

**Animosity (Elves):** Dwarves suffer -2 Charisma Check when dealing with elves.

**Deepvision:** 120 feet in even the darkest of nights and tunnel.

**Determine Depth and Direction:** The world beneath mountains and in the deeps of the earth is the natural home of the dwarf. Dwarves can sense their approximate depth underground as naturally as a human can sense which way is up.

**Enmity (Goblins/Orcs):** When in combat against goblins or orcs, dwarves gain a +1 bonus to hit, this also includes against half-orcs. -4 Charisma Check when interacting with half-orcs, orcs or goblins.

**Defensive Expertise (Giants/Ogres):** When fighting Giants or Ogres, dwarves receive a +4 bonus to armor class.

**Resistant to Arcane Magic:** Dwarves receive a natural resistance against arcane magic, +3 bonus to all saving throws against arcane spells and spell-like effects.

**Resistant to Fear:** Dwarves receive a +2 bonus to all saving throw against fear.

**Resistant to Poison (Constitution):** Dwarves receive a +2 bonus to all poison saving throw.

**Stonecraft (Wisdom):** Dwarves are capable of spotting unusual or unique construction or stonework features including new construction, unfamiliar architecture, sliding walls, stonework traps, unsafe stone surfaces, unstable ceilings and secret or concealed doorways constructed or disguised as stone. A dwarf passing within 10 feet of one of these features is entitled to a wisdom check at +2 to recognize the feature, as if actively looking for it. Should a dwarf active look for one of these features the bonus to the wisdom check is +4. When examining a feature, a successful wisdom check reveals other bits of knowledge, such as which race created the feature its approximate age, and if applicable, the approximate value of the stone or metal object.

**Languages:** Common, Dwarven

**Bonus Languages:** Gnome, Goblinoid, Halfling, Elven, Ogrish, Giant, Troll

**Size:** Small

**Movement:** 20 feet.

**Typical Classes:** Fighter, Rogue, Barbarian, Cleric and Bard

**Attribute Modifiers:** +1 Constitution, -1 Dexterity

**Rogue and Assassin Modifiers:** +2 Find Traps (In Structure Only)

##### **Dwarf Starting Ages**

1. **Group 1: Assassin, Barbarian, Cleric, Druid, Fighter, Rogue**
2. **Group 2: Paladin, Ranger, Knight.**
3. **Group 3: Bard, Illusionist, Monk, Wizard.**

### **Compatibility**

1. Castles and Crusades Generic Dwarf.
2. d20/OSR System.