Ruinbound Dwarves (Race)

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The Doldarun dwarves say that any contact with the Realms Below corrupts the Mror. There’s one recent development that supports their argument—the occasional birth of ruinbound dwarves among the Mror clans. The ruinbound dwarf is born with a personal symbiont—an unnatural entity bound to the child. Unlike most symbionts, this entity cannot be separated from its host, and the two are permanently fused. Many ruinbound dwarves have additional disturbing mutations; you can roll on the Ruinbound Mutations table for ideas, or create your own. These secondary mutations are disturbing, but they don’t change the rules of how that character is played or grant mechanical benefits. For example, even if a ruinbound dwarf seems to have no eyes, their vision uncannily works as well as any other dwarf, though it defies logic.

## Ruinbound Mutations

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To date, no one knows the origin or purpose—if any—of the ruinbound dwarves. Doldarun asserts that they are children corrupted by Dyrrn in the womb, tools of the daelkyr waiting to be activated. The sages of Clan Narathun say that they may indeed be the result of strange forces emanating from the Realm Below, but there’s no evidence that the children have any direct tie to the daelkyr or that they’re drawn to malefic actions. Regardless of the truth, ruinbound dwarves are a recent development. The first ruinbound children were born thirty years ago, and traditionally, dwarves aren’t even considered to be adults until their fiftieth year; however, ruinbound children mature surprisingly (some say unnaturally) quickly.

Ruinbound dwarves are quite rare and can be born to dwarves of any bloodline. The Mror still don’t know what to make of them, though their attitude toward symbionts generally mirrors that toward ruinbound dwarves. The Doldarun dwarves are hostile to any ruinbounds that come to their land, and claim that ruinbound children are never born in their clan; while that’s a possibility, there are also rumors of Soldorak agents among the Doldarun that spirit away these infants to a clan that celebrates them, lest they meet a darker fate. The Droranath and Toldorath clans are curious, but they won’t necessarily ostracize ruinbound dwarves. Soldorak and Narathun families might embrace a ruinbound child—but they also might reject them out of fear that other clans could use them to paint the entire family as corrupted. In creating a ruinbound character, you need to decide how you were received, reflected by your background. Are you an urchin or an outlander, having made your own way after being rejected by your family? Are you a charlatan or a criminal, forced down a dangerous path by the fears of those around you? Or might you be a noble, treasured by your family despite—or because of—your condition?

You can play a ruinbound dwarf by building a character with the dwarf subrace presented below. As a ruinbound dwarf, you could also choose to attribute your class abilities to your symbiont or your unnatural nature. As a sorcerer, your spellcasting could be channeled through your symbiont or other mutations. Any class with Unarmored Defense could present it as being tied to a physical mutation; if you’re a barbarian, your rage could manifest as an active transformation. If you’re a ruinbound warlock, you could say that your symbiont is your patron, an active sentience within you—and if you help it grow, it promises you greater powers.

While others might fear them, ruinbound dwarves aren’t innately evil. In creating a ruinbound character, talk with your DM about where you’d like your story to go. Do you want to be faced with the threat of corruption? Is it possible that Dyrrn does have plans for you? Or do you want to be a true hero despite your seemingly sinister features?

Ruinbound dwarves have the dwarf traits from the Player’s Handbook, plus the traits below.

## Ruinbound Traits

If you are a ruinbound dwarf, you have this subrace, with the following traits.

***Ability Score Increase.*** Your Charisma score increases by 1. While your symbiont may be physically disturbing, you have a strong personality and mysterious charm.

***Personal Symbiont.*** You are bound to an alien entity. It’s part of your body and can’t be removed. Your symbiont possesses a minor supernatural ability, which it can use on your behalf. Choose a cantrip from the following list: *acid splash*, *guidance* (self only), *fire bolt*, *infestation*, *light*, *mage hand*, *poison spray*, *ray of frost*, *shocking grasp*. As long as your personal symbiont is fully exposed, you can cast that cantrip. You can choose to conceal the symbiont, but you can only cast the cantrip you gain with this trait while it’s exposed.

When you finish a long rest, you can mutate the symbiont, gaining different benefits; when you do so, you can select a different cantrip from this list. Charisma is your spellcasting ability for this cantrip.

Work with your DM to determine the appearance of your symbiont. It is organic and clearly alien, and when you cast a cantrip with this trait, it should be obvious that the symbiont is the source. A symbiont that casts mage hand could be a thin tentacle or an ectoplasmic insect that emerges from your body and performs the action. An eyestalk protruding from your shoulder could grant you guidance as it studies the situation and telepathically advises you—or it might blast your enemies with a ray of frost. Infestation could reflect a cloud of insects always hovering around you.

***Symbiont Mastery.*** You can attune to one magic item that has the Symbiotic Nature property without using an attunement slot. In addition, after you finish a long rest, you can end your attunement to a magic item that has the Symbiotic Nature property.