Dwarves
You are a short, stout demi-human with an unabashed love of gold. Nothing pleases you more than the gleam of gems and the solidity of a gold ingot. You love to count your coins! The sight of treasure sometimes makes you lose your head – just as does the swirling chaos of combat. You love to fight wildly, swinging a weapon with brutal effectiveness as you chop your way through your foes.
Dwarves live far beneath the ground and rarely set
foot above it. Dark caves and deep cities were once
your home, but now you live a wandering life: you
are an exiled defender selling your martial might, a
curious craftsman trading your talents, or a bitter
renegade unwilling to settle for your lot in life. You
are an object of suspicion to surface-worlders as well
as other dwarves.
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.
Hit points: A dwarf gains 1d10 hit points at each
level.
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.
Attack modifier: Dwarves do not receive a fixed attack
modifier at each level. Instead, they receive a
deed die, just like a warrior. At 1st level, this is a d3.
The dwarf rolls this d3 on each attack roll and applies
it to both his attack roll and his damage roll. On
one attack, the die may give him a +1 to his attack
roll and damage roll. On the next attack, the die may
give him +3! The deed die advances with the dwarf’s
level, climbing to d7 by 5th level, and then further to
d10+4 by 10th level. The dwarf always makes a new
roll with this die in each combat round. When the
dwarf has multiple attacks at higher levels, the same
deed die applies to all attacks in the same combat
round.
Mighty Deed of Arms: Dwarves have a militant heritage
that glorifies martial prowess. Like warriors,
they can perform Mighty Deeds of Arms in combat.
See the warrior entry for a complete description.
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. This shield bash uses a d14
to hit (instead of a d20). The dwarf adds his deed die
to this number, as with all attacks, and can attempt
Mighty Deeds of Arms involving the shield as well
as his weapon. The shield bash does 1d3 damage.
Some dwarves customize their shields with spikes
or sharp edges to do more damage, while others
enchant their shields with unique powers. Dwarves
with multiple action dice (levels 5+) still receive only
one shield bash each round.
Infravision: A dwarf can see in the dark up to 60’.
Slow: A dwarf has a base movement speed of 20’, as
opposed to 30’ for humans.
Underground Skills: Long life beneath the ground
trains dwarves to detect certain kinds of construction.
When underground, dwarves receive a bonus
to detect traps, slanting passages, shifting walls, and
other new construction equal to their class level. Additionally,
a dwarf can smell gold and gems. A dwarf
can tell the direction of a strong concentration of gold
or gems within 100’. Smaller concentrations, down to a single
coin, can still be smelled but require concentration and have
scent ranges as low as 40’ (for a single coin or gem).
Luck: At first level, a dwarf’s Luck modifier applies to attack
rolls with one specific kind of weapon (e.g., “longsword,” not
“swords”), just as a warrior’s does. This kind of weapon must
be chosen at 1st level, and the modifier remains fixed over
time, even if the dwarf’s Luck score changes.
Languages: At 1st level, a dwarf automatically knows Common,
the dwarven racial language, plus one additional randomly
determined language. A dwarf knows one additional
language for every point of Int modifier, as described in Appendix
L.
