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 burning hatred 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. Male
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 dwarves living in Citadel Felbarr (in the world of the Forgotten
Realms) can recall the day, more than three centuries ago, when orcs
conquered the fortress and drove them into an exile that lasted over 250
 years. 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 gods of the dwarves, 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 deity, a direct calling or simply a
desire to bring glory to one of the dwarf gods. 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 Features

Your dwarf character has an assortment of inborn abilities, part and parcel of dwarven nature.

#### Age

Dwarves mature at the same rate as humans,
but they're considered young until they reach the age of 50. On average,
 they live about 350 years.

#### Alignment

Most dwarves are lawful, believing
firmly in the benefits of a well-ordered society. They tend toward good
as well, with a strong sense of fair play and a belief that everyone
deserves to share in the benefits of a just order.

#### Size

Dwarves stand between 4 and 5 feet tall and average about 150 pounds. Your size is Medium.

#### Speed

Your base walking speed is 25 feet. Your speed is not reduced by wearing heavy armor.

#### 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 against poison, 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.

## Subrace

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

### Hill DwarfPHB

As a hill dwarf, you have keen senses, deep intuition, and remarkable
resilience. The gold dwarves of Faerûn in their mighty southern kingdom
are hill dwarves, as are the exiled Neidar and the debased Klar of Krynn
 in the Dragonlance setting.

#### Dwarven Toughness

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

### Mountain DwarfPHB

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 toward lighter coloration. The shield dwarves of northern
Faerûn, as well as the ruling Hylar clan and the noble Daewar clan of
Dragonlance, are mountain dwarves.

#### Dwarven Armor Training

You have proficiency with light and medium armor.

### Gray Dwarf (Duergar)SCAG

#### 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.

#### Duergar Resilience

You have advantage on saving throws against illusions and against being charmed or paralyzed.

#### Duergar Magic

When you reach 3rd level, you can cast the Enlarge/Reduce spell on yourself once with this trait, using only the spell's enlarge option. 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, and you can't cast them while you're in
direct sunlight, although sunlight has no effect on them once cast. You
regain the ability to cast these spells with this trait when you finish a
 long rest. Intelligence is your spellcasting ability for these spells.

#### Sunlight Sensitivity

You have disadvantage on
Attack rolls and Wisdom (Perception) checks that rely on sight when you,
 the target of your attack, or whatever you are trying to perceive is in
 direct sunlight.