Dwarves
As a dwarf, maybe you left the confines of clan and mountain redoubt to seek glory for yourself or for your people, to find wealth with which to enrich your old fortress-homes or to found your own, or to reclaim fallen dwarven citadels from longtime enemies. Perhaps you seek to do good in the world in service to a god or cause; or you just want to travel to new lands. When conflicts arise, dwarven warfare is often characterized by tunnel fighting and melee combat, and as such most dwarves tend toward classes such as fighters and barbarians.
Details
Introduction: Dwarves are a stoic but stern race, ensconced in cities carved from the hearts of mountains and fiercely determined to repel the depredations of savage races, as they did in ages past before winning the orc wars, and as they do to this day against goblin-kin and kobolds. More than any other race, the dwarves have acquired a reputation as dour and humorless craftsmen of the earth. It could be said that dwarven history shapes the dark disposition of many dwarves, for they reside in high mountains and dangerous realms below the earth, constantly at war with giants, goblins, and other such horrors.
Appearance: Dwarves are a short and stocky race, and stand about a foot shorter than most humans, with wide, compact bodies that account for their burly appearance. Male dwarves pride themselves on the length of their hair and beards, and men often decorate their locks with a variety of clasps and intricate braids; female dwarves sometimes have naturally smooth cheeks and chins, while others are capable of cultivating short beards. Given their ability to endure great burdens, many dwarves wear armor and carry heavy loads.
Society: The great distances between their mountain citadels account for many of the cultural differences that exist within dwarven society. Despite these schisms, dwarves throughout the world are characterized by their love of stonework, their passion for stone- and metal-based artisanship and architecture, and a fierce hatred of giants, orcs, and goblinoids. They have an ancient quarrel with elves, which humans have leveraged as they expanded. More recently, dwarves have come to resent human innovations in metallurgy, although that has not stopped them from using steel as well. Dwarves are driven by honor and tradition, and while they are often seen as dour and standoffish, they have a strong sense of friendship and justice, and those who win their trust understand that, while they work hard, they play even harder. That's especially true when good ale is involved; for no happy dwarf willingly goes without a daily pint. Most dwarves are lawful good.
Rules
Character Creation: Apply the following adjustments to every dwarf player character.
- Ability Score Adjustment: +2 Constitution.
- Saving Throw Bonuses: +2 on Will and Fortitude saving throws.
- Extra Hit Points: +4.
- Skill Bonuses: +3 to Appraise, to Break, and to all Craft skills. You are proficient in these skills.
- Size: Medium.
- Move: 20 feet.
- Vision: Darkvision.
- Languages: Common and Dwarven. Bonus Languages: Giant, Gnome, Goblin, Human, and Undercommon (Undercommon is available to dwarves as a bonus language but not to any other race).
- Special: Sturdy - You receive a +2 racial bonus on your combat maneuver defense. Your speed is not decreased by wearing armor or carrying a heavy load. Also, gain a +4 racial bonus on saving throws to resist the effects of harsh environments and enduring forced marches.
- Weakness: Fond of Drink - Every day, you must drink a pint of a brewed beverage, such as beer, ale, wine, or rum. Each day you fail to do so, you get a -1 penalty on all charisma-based skill checks, cumulative. Every five days, you get a -1 penalty on all saving throws, also cumulative per five days. These penalties continue to grow until they reach -20. Drinking just one pint resets these penalties to zero. (Note: There is no magic, short of a limited wish, that can create brewed drinks in L&L. The Fabricate spell can help speed the brewing process, however, if you have the materials, tools, and skill.)
Tyro Tier (character level 3): Select one of these three powers:
- Power: Favored Class (Fighter) - Your levels as a fighter do not count against you when determining experience point penalties for multiclassing.
- Power: Magic Tolerant - You gain a +2 racial bonus on saving throws against magic, including spells, spell-like abilities, and supernatural abilities.
- Power: Stonecunning - You gain a +2 racial bonus on all Climb, Knowledge, and Profession checks related to rock, stone, and gems; and on Search checks to potentially notice unusual stonework, such as traps and hidden doors located in stone walls or floors. You receive a Spot check to notice traps and secret doors and compartments set in stone whenever you come within 10 feet of them, with a +2 racial bonus on the check, if you are not actively looking.
Adventurer Tier (character level 8): Select one of these three powers*:
- Power: Hardy - You gain a +2 racial bonus on saving throws against poison, disease, and effects that result in the queasy, sickened, or nauseated conditions. You gain a +4 racial bonus against the deleterious effects of overindulgence in alcohol.
- Power: Miner - So long as you have a metal pick, whether a tool or a weapon, you gain a burrow speed of 5 through earth or clay, and you leave a 5 ft x 5 ft tunnel in your wake. You can excavate a 5 ft by 5 ft by 5 ft cube of rock with an hour's labor.
- Power: Dwarven Foe-hammer - You gain proficiency with dwarven urgroshes as well as weapons with the words axe, pick, and hammer in the name (except for such weapons that name other races, such as the gnome hooked hammer). You get a +1 bonus on attacks and damage against kobolds, goblinoids, and drow. You get a +4 dodge bonus to AC against monsters of the giant subtype.
Hero Tier (character level 13): Select one of these two powers*:
- Power: Mountaineer - You are immune to altitude sickness. You gain a Climb speed of 20 and a +2 racial bonus on Tumble checks to traverse narrow, rocky, or slippery terrain; you do not lose your Dexterity bonus to AC when making Climb or Tumble checks to cross narrow, rocky, or slippery surfaces. You can ignore difficult terrain created by rubble, broken ground, slippery or rocky terrain, or steep stairs.
- Power: Stubborn - The DC to demoralize you (using the Intimidate skill) is increased by +5. You receive a +3 racial bonus on Will saves to resist spells and spell-like abilities of the enchantment (charm) and enchantment (compulsion) schools. In addition, if you fail such a save, you receive another save 1 round later to prematurely end the effect (assuming it has a duration greater than 1 round). This second save is made at the same DC as the first. If you have a similar ability from another source (such as a rogue's slippery mind), you can only use one of these abilities per round, but you can try the other on the second round if the first reroll ability fails.
Legend Tier (character level 18): Select one of these two powers*:
- Power: Legendary Crafter - Any roll you make to brew alcohol is treated as a natural 20. You can create certain magical items as if you had all the prerequisites, specifically Dwarven Throwers and Belts of Dwarvenkind; potions and elixers; and any magical weapon, armor, or shield made of adamantine. You do not need to make any spellcraft checks, but the usual costs in gold and experience points still apply. Also, once in your life at a time that you choose, you are inspired to create a lesser artifact; once inspired, you may adventure only to find the raw materials for your artifact, and then you must retire for one month to create it. The game master determines what you create, based in part on your talents and history, (see below for examples), but it is always an exceptional example of its kind, and indestructible by mortal means. The only cost to you are the raw materials and the time. When you are done, you gain 20 free skill ranks to place in craft and profession skills related to your artifact.
- Power: Stonesinger - When underground, increase your caster level by two for the purpose of determining variable effects (such as range, duration, damage, etc) of all spells, special abilities, and bardic performance that depend on caster level. This bonus also applies above ground for all spells and spell-like abilities with the earth descriptor.
* Or select a lower tier power that you have not chosen before.
Examples of legendary dwarven lesser artifacts:
- Vushumoz, the Rampager. This is a copper scepter of the highest quality. It is encircled with bands of gold and menaces with spikes of obsidian. It is decorated with a jasper inlay showing radiant cut gems. Held in hand, it reveals to the wielder the types, values, and precise locations of all cut and rough gems within 60 feet, as well as whether the gem is magical or part of a magical item. It weighs 3 lbs.
- Konshetbeth, the Mastered. This is a water buffalo bone bin of the highest quality, 2 ft per side, with an attached lid. It is decorated with almond wood, and it threatens with spikes of water buffalo bone. It weighs 1 lb. Within is a 10 ft x 10 ft x 10 ft space with air enough for a medium creature for 12 hours.
- Zansongtumam, the Massive Moral. This is a jasper opal mug of the highest quality. It is encrusted with trillion-cut jasper opals and encircled with bands of copper. This object menaces with spikes of black zircon and obsidian. It shows an image of flasks in black zircon. It fills with a pint of beer, ale, rum or wine, brewed in the dwarven style, four times per day (once per drink type). It weighs 1 lb.
- Kolonul Egath, a Statue of Dwarves. This is a highest quality quartz statue of dwarves. It features a masterfully designed portrait of seven dwarves founding a dwarven mountain home. It bestows a +1 morale bonus to all dwarves who see it. This bonus applies to all d20 rolls for 24 hours. It weighs 294 lbs.
Note that the dwarves in L&L, while primarily based on traditional RPG and fantasy tropes, also harken to the dwarves of a fabulous computer game, "Dwarf Fortress." Very highly recommended.