Yagura:SRD:Dwarves (Race)

Dwarven Background

Stubbornly territorial, advanced architecture of grandeur and stability carved into mountainsides and extending below, labor and artistry working hand-in-hand, a commitment to clan and tradition, and a common history respected by all - 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 facial hair, which is often worn long.

Unchanging Legacy

Dwarves can live to be more than 400 years old, a secret well-kept from the other races. Their traditions allow them to exist for centuries without any noticeable change, so other races recognizing the difference between an elderly dwarf and one 200 years younger is rare. The oldest living dwarves often remember a very different world, granting 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 clan.

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. A clan that loses the respect of other clans is a clan that loses property, wealth, and territory. While clan infighting is avoided at high costs, a dwarf's loyalty is not to his or her race, but to the clan alone.

All Work, All Fight, All for the Clan

Dwarven cities are amalgamations of territory held by individual clans, usually with no common governance, save what can be agreed upon by the clans. These settlements exist both above ground and cut deeply underground, often in mountains where the dwarves mine gems and precious metals and forge items of wonder. They love the beauty and artistry of metalwork and stonecarving, and prefer that which is made to be enduring, rugged, and well-designed. Whatever wealth they can’t find in their mountains, they gain through trade. They dislike travel, so enterprising humans and other races frequently handle trade in dwarven goods along extended 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 respect clan structure and hierarchy. Even dwarves who live far from their own kingdoms cherish their clan identities and affiliations, recognize related dwarves, and invoke their ancestors’ names or clan name in oaths and curses. Indeed, the primary way a dwarf gains an identity and a sense of righteousness is through the familial bond of the clan. Clanless dwarves form into "bands" which, though structured much like a clan and sometimes as powerful and influential, are not as well-respected. Outcast dwarves, accepted in neither clan nor band, have short lives of misery and shame, usually as slaves.

Dwarves make their way in the world by serving the clan, usually as artisans or laborers. Even clan leaders learn a trade, for dwarves who do not work together are not seen as being loyal to the clan. All dwarves are expected to know how to fight, and to be willing at any time to defend their clan. Some with aptitude make a living through warfare, especially when other races are willing to pay a premium for the courage and loyalty of a dwarven mercenary.

Clans keep slaves, of a sort. Those unskilled in work or battle, non-dwarves who have not proven themselves to be tremendously exceptional, outcast dwarves, and children of the clan occupy the lowest caste of the clan membership. The term for this caste varies, but usually means "babies" or "helpless". They must obey actual clan members, are not allowed to own anything, are not allowed to represent the clan in any way, and are sometimes traded as possessions between clans. However, most children are cherished by their parents enough that they do not live as slaves of other races live, and grow up to be full and fiercely loyal members of the clan. While many of the single women of the clan are of this caste, most remain so out of a desire to be caretakers of the clan's children. The dwarven sense of justice is such that even these lowly clan members regarded as property are not often treated with cruelty.

Dwarven clans send out lone adventurers or adventuring groups for numerous reasons. Some are simply scouts, attempting to learn as much as they can about a place rarely visited by the clan. Other adventuring dwarves are on a mission to amass wealth, knowledge, power, and allies for themselves, and by extension their clan. 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 lost position. 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 or clans. Or a dwarf might search for the spear wielded by a mighty ancestor, lost on the field of battle centuries ago.

All Are Outsiders

Dwarves get along passably well with most other races. "The difference between an acquaintance and a friend is about a hundred years," is a dwarf saying that might be hyperbole, but certainly points to how difficult it can be for a member of a short-lived race like humans to earn a dwarf's trust. Relations within a clan are always the strongest, as the clan is family, and few who are not members of the clan ever know the full loyalty and love of a dwarf.

Elves. "It's not wise to depend on the elves. No telling what an elf will do next; when the hammer meets the orc’s head, they’re as apt to start singing as to pull out a sword. They’re flighty and frivolous. Two things to be said for them, though: They don’t have many smiths, but the ones they have do very fine work. And when orcs or goblins come streaming down out of the mountains, an elf’s good to have at your back. Not as good as a dwarf, maybe, but no doubt they hate the orcs as much as we do."

Gnomes. "Barely tolerable as a group, but if you get one alone they start making sense. Not even a human can be as unpredictable and flighty as a gnome. The mischief they get into is the least that they deserve. But you have to give them credit, they are clever. And crafty, and shifty, and usually crazy. Just when you think they gone running from the slightest danger, they'll appear with double the numbers in a flanking position. You never know what a gnome's going to do, but at least the worst they cause they bring on themselves.

Halflings. "Sure, they're pleasant folk. But show me a halfling hero. An empire, a triumphant army. Even a treasure for the ages made by halfling hands. Nothing. How can you take them seriously?"

Humans. "You take the time to get to know a human, and by then the human’s on her deathbed. If you’re lucky, she’s got kin—a daughter or granddaughter, maybe—who’s got hands and heart as good as hers. That’s when you can make a human friend. And watch them go! They set their hearts on something, they’ll get it, whether it’s a dragon’s hoard or an empire’s throne. You have to admire that kind of dedication, even if it gets them in trouble more often than not."

Dwarven 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

Dwarven Traits

• +2 Constitution, –2 Charisma.
• Humanoid (Dwarf)
• size Medium
• Dwarf base land speed is 20 feet. However, dwarves can move at this speed even when wearing medium or heavy armor or when carrying a medium or heavy load (unlike other creatures, whose speed is reduced in such situations).
• Darkvision A dwarf can see in the dark up to 30 feet. Darkvision is black and white only, but it is otherwise like normal sight, and a dwarf can function just fine with no light at all. From 31-60 feet total darkness appears as low light.
• Stonecunning: This ability grants a dwarf a +2 racial bonus on Search checks to notice unusual stonework, such as sliding walls, stonework traps, new construction (even when built to match the old), unsafe stone surfaces, shaky stone ceilings, and the like. Something that isn’t stone but that is disguised as stone also counts as unusual stonework. A hill dwarf who merely comes within 10 feet of unusual stonework can make a Search check as if he were actively searching, and a hill dwarf can use the Search skill to find stonework traps as a rogue can. A hill dwarf can also intuit depth, sensing his approximate depth underground as naturally as a human can sense which way is up.
• Armor Familiarity: All dwarves are proficient with the use of shields, and while not unclothed increase their armor bonus to AC by +1.
• Stability: A hill dwarf gains a +4 bonus on ability checks made to resist being bull rushed or tripped when standing on the ground (but not when climbing, flying, riding, or otherwise not standing firmly on the ground).
• +2 racial bonus on saving throws against poison.
• +2 racial bonus on saving throws against spells and spell-like effects.
• +2 racial bonus on Appraise checks that are related to stone or metal items.
• +2 racial bonus on Craft checks that are related to stone or metal.
• Automatic Languages: Common and Dwarven.
• Bonus Languages: Elven, Giant, Gnome, Goblin, Orc, Terran, and Undercommon.

Table: Dwarf Random Starting Ages

Adulthood	Simple	Moderate	Complex
20 years	+1d6	+3d6	+6d6

Table: Dwarf Aging Effects

Middle Age	Old	Venerable	Max Age Modifer
50 years	290 years	398 years	1

Table: Dwarf Random Height and Weight

Gender	Base Height	Height Modifier	Base Weight	Weight Modifier
Male	3’ 9”	+2d4	130 lb.	× (2d6) lb.
Female	3’ 7”	+2d4	100 lb.	× (2d6) lb.