Dwarf
Dwarves are native to the mountains of Gabroria. They are universally short and stocky, ranging from 4-5 feet tall but easily weighing 150-230 pounds. Dwarfmen almost always sport impressive beards.
There are a handful of distinct Dwarvish nations. Each nation specializes in processing the resources present in or around their capital.
- Iron Dwarves: largest kingdom with ample iron
- primary subrace: Mountain
- started small but quickly took land from Bronze Dwarves
- elite subcategory: Steel Dwarves
- responsible for binding Shaitan in Helvete after stealing work from Adamant Dwarves
- entered Æði (Behemoth) Pact with Granite Dwarves: Granite Dwarves help bolster Helvete against Behemoth's attacks in exchange for iron, steel, and freedom to study Shaitan. Pact rendered moot while Behemoth is bound.
- Gold Dwarves: small group of cities that is rarely independent
- primary subrace: Deep
- perpetual subjects of other nations, currently Iron Kingdom
- terrible quality of life for working class, which most Gold Dwarves are
- story of a group of gold dwarves who tried to escape slavery by fleeing into underdark and never returned
- East & West Silver Dwarves: actually two kingdoms separated by the Fjordbukta
- primary subrace: Fjord
- the east kingdom came first and colonized the west side, which later declared independence
- only dwarves to have a navy
- Bronze Dwarves: medium-sized kingdom with lots of copper
- primary subrace: Mountain
- once the largest kingdom, but lost territory to Iron Dwarves
- lots of trade with Gnomes and Dwarves, especially Pewter Dwarves
- most inventive Dwarves due to utility of copper and cultural exchange with Gnomes
- starting to use brass
- Pewter Dwarves: smallish kingdom with tin
- primary subrace: Mountain
- historically home of the best small-scale artisans
- increasing in power due to trade with Gnomes and other Dwarves as more uses of tin are found (e.g. canning)
- Adamant Dwarves: single (now deserted) volcanic city that was the only source of adamant
- primary subrace: Cinder
- needed very high temperatures to process raw adamant, forming a bottleneck to production
- feared invasion by Iron Dwarves and were desparate for an advantage
- attempted to bind Shaitan in their city to increase adamant smelting, but failed and were destroyed
- Granite Dwarves: large kingdom with uniquely durable granite
- primary subrace: Hill
- only dwarves to build bulk of cities above ground
- also known for abundance of certain gem-quality minerals
- in order of increasing scarcity/value: quartz (rutile, rose, & plain), fluorite, tourmaline (schorl & watermelon), zircon, moonstone, topaz, beryl (emerald & aquamarine), titanite
- master masons: best architecture by far, including aqueducts carrying water to power public baths & sewer system
- most peaceful of all dwarves due to relative lack of weapons-grade metals, but defenses have never been breached
- largest population of wizards
- used to get iron and steel from Iron Dwarves through Æði Pact before Behemoths's binding; now short on iron
Names
Dwarves have a first name, a clan name, and rarely an epithet.
Game Mechanics
Abilities
Stocky. Dwarves are a hardy race and have a high Constitution score on average.
Feats of Valor. Feats of strength and courage are greatly admired in most Dwarvish cultures. As such, some dwarves achieve an exceptionally high Strength, Wisdom, and/or Charisma score.
Alignment
Dwarvish cultures generally hold strongly to their laws and traditions, which are literally set in stone in most communities. Dwarves tend strongly towards lawful.
Age
Due to their impressive fortitudes, dwarves rarely get sick at any age. Your old age threshold is 200 years, with an aging rate of 5 years.
Languages
You are proficient in your clan's dialect of Dwarvish. Due to the dwarves' long lifespans and opposition to social change, the language hasn't changed much over time. Dwarvish serves as the common language of Gabroria, although there are noticeable differences in dialect between distant regions.
Size
Your size is Medium. Despite averaging 4 feet tall, Dwarves are truly big-boned and often weigh over 200 pounds.
Dwarf
Size
Medium
Medium
Speeds
Walk 25 ft.
Walk 25 ft.
Old Age Threshold
200 years
200 years
Traits
Dwarven Fortitude. You have advantage on saving throws against being poisoned, and you have resistance to poison damage. Furthermore, your hit point maximum increases by 1, and it increases by 1 every time you gain a level.
Unencumberable. You ignore the cumbersome property of armor and shields. Furthermore, you have advantage on saving throws against being pushed or knocked prone.
Subrace. Choose Cinder, Deep, Fjord, Hill, or Mountain Dwarf as your subrace.
Subraces
Select one of the subraces below.
Fjord Dwarf
Ice Diver. Naturally more buoyant than other dwarves and adapted to freezing water, you have resistance to cold damage and a swim speed equal to your walking speed.
Mountain Dwarf
Ore Taster. As a standard action, you can taste a rock or alloy to identify its composition. You learn what minerals or metals are present, and in what quantities.
Crag Climber. Your tough nails and strong hands allow you to climb stone with ease, granting you a climb equal to your walking speed. You also have resistance to damage from falling.
Hill Dwarf
Powerful Build. You have the Powerful Build trait.
Unbreakable Bones. Bludgeoning damage you take is reduced by 1. This reduction is applied after any resistances and vulnerabilities.
Deep Dwarf
Cave Senses. Your ancestors rarely left the safety of their cavern homes. Your darkvision has a range of 120 feet instead of 60 feet. You also have blindsight (10 ft.), and you always know the grade of the ground you stand on.
Cinder Dwarf
Volcano Dweller. As a descendant of dwarves who lived on the slopes of active volcanoes, you have resistance to fire damage and immunity to the effects of low doses of volcanic gas.
Suggested Backgrounds
Dwarven Combat Training
Prerequisite: The ability to speak Dwarvish
You were trained in a Dwarven style of combat, which emphasizes confidence and ferocity. You gain the following benefits:
- Pick any number of the following weapons: battleaxe, greataxe, handaxe, light hammer, maul, warhammer, and/or war pick. You are proficient with the chosen weapons, and when you use one to make a melee weapon attack as part of the Charge action, the target of the attack must succeed on a Wisdom saving throw or be frightened of you until the end of your next turn. The DC is equal to 8 + your Strength score + your Intimidation proficiency.
- You are proficient with medium armor. While you wear medium or heavy armor or wield a medium or heavy shield, you have advantage on saving throws against being frightened.
Dwarven Trade Training
Prerequisite: The ability to speak Dwarvish
You are experienced in a Dwarven trade. Pick one of the following benefits:
- You are proficient with brewer's supplies, you have expertise in History for the purpose of Intelligence checks relating to alcoholic drinks, and you have expertise in Medicine for the purpose of Wisdom checks relating to intoxication.
- You are proficient with jeweler's tools, and you have expertise in History for the purpose of Intelligence checks relating to cut and uncut gemstones.
- You are proficient with mason's tools, and you have expertise in History for the purpose of Intelligence checks relating to stonework.
- You are proficient with smith's tools, and you have expertise in History for the purpose of Intelligence checks relating to forged arms and armor.
Swim
Swim
Natural Movement Modes: Jumping, swimming
Other Movement Modes (+1 Cost): Crawling, sneaking
Other Movement Modes (+1 Cost): Crawling, sneaking
When you have a swim speed, your unarmed weapons have the hydrodynamic property.
Jumping
Jumping
Jumping is a movement modifier that lets you clear gaps or obstacles. Instead of the usual movement cost, you must spend 1 foot of movement for every foot you jump vertically or horizontally (whichever is higher).
When you jump, perform the following series of calculations; don't round until the end. The resulting value is the maximum number of feet you can jump.
- Start with your passive Athletics. Alternatively, you can make an Athletics check and use the result instead.
- If you did not get a running start immediately before jumping, divide the value by 2. To get a running start, you must move in a straight line in the direction you want to jump for a number of feet determined by your size, as shown in the Running Start Distances table. The speed you use to get a running start must be the same speed you use to jump.
- To determine the vertical distance you can clear, divide the value by 2 again.
Running Start Distances
| Size | Running Start |
|---|---|
| Minuscule | 0 ft. |
| Tiny | 5 ft. |
| Small | 10 ft. |
| Medium | 10 ft. |
| Large | 15 ft. |
| Huge | 20 ft. |
| Gargantuan | 25 ft. |
Prone
Prone
Effects of This Condition
- The only movement mode available to you is crawling.
- You have disadvantage on attack rolls.
- An attack roll against you has advantage if the attacker is within 5 feet of you. Otherwise, the attack roll has disadvantage.
Ending This Condition
You can end this condition by standing up, which requires spending half of your walk speed when you move.
Causes of This Condition
Swimming
Swimming
Swimming lets you travel in any direction through a liquid. While swimming, you don't sink and are immune to the prone condition.
Sneaking
Sneaking
Sneaking is a special movement mode that you use at the same time as another movement mode. If you are hidden, sneaking allows you to maintain your Hide DC.
Hydrodynamic
Hydrodynamic
A hydrodynamic weapon functions normally underwater.
Climb
Climb
Natural Movement Modes: Climbing, jumping
Other Movement Modes (+1 Cost): Sneaking
Other Movement Modes (+1 Cost): Sneaking
When you use a climb speed to climb, you have advantage on any ability checks made to avoid falling.
Climbing
Climbing
Climbing lets you move in any direction across vertical surfaces. If the surface is particularly difficult to climb, you may have to make an Athletics check to avoid falling off.
Falling
Falling
When you begin falling, you immediately fall 60 feet. While falling, you drop another 180 feet at the start of each of your turns.
On impact, you take one size die of bludgeoning damage for every 10 feet you fell, to a maximum of 20 dice. You land prone unless you avoid taking damage from the fall, such as via the Break Fall reaction.
If you land in a creature's space, that creature must make a DC 10 Dexterity saving throw. It can choose to fail. On a failed save, the fall damage is split evenly between you and it.
Break Fall
Break Fall
Trigger: you land at the end of a fall
You attempt to land safely. Make an Acrobatics check. The fall damage is reduced by half the result of the check.
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Blindsight
Blindsight
Base sense: varies
If you have blindsight, you can sense physical shapes within a specified range, allowing you to effectively see creatures and objects within that range. Blindsight doesn't go around cover, nor can it detect color or intangible things. Thus, blindsight enables you to effectively see invisible things, but you can't use it to detect an illusory object created by a spell such as minor illusion.
The base sense of blindsight varies. A common base sense is hearing, in which case blindsight can often be interpreted as echolocation. Some creatures have no base sense for their blindsight; this represents a fundamentally distinct sense, such as a shark's electroreception. When a base sense is present, it is usually given in parentheses after this sense's listing.
Walk
Walk
Natural Movement Modes: Jumping, walking
Other Movement Modes (+1 Cost): Climbing, crawling, sneaking, swimming
Other Movement Modes (+1 Cost): Climbing, crawling, sneaking, swimming
If you don't have a walk speed, you are prone while on the ground. If you have a walk speed of at least 5 feet, you can spend half of it as part of a move to stand up from prone.
Walking
Walking
Walking lets you move in any direction across a non-vertical surface. There is no mechanical distinction between walking and running. If you are on land and lack a walk speed, you fall prone.
Darkvision
Darkvision
Base sense: sight
Within a specified range, a creature with darkvision can see in dim light as if it were bright light, and in darkness as if it were dim light. The creature can't discern color in darkness, only shades of gray.
Light
Light
There are three categories of illumination: bright light, dim light, and darkness.
A source of light typically emits bright light in a small radius and dim light in a larger radius; these distances are given in parentheses. For example, a fire that sheds light (20/40 ft.) produces bright light within 20 feet and dim light for another 20 feet beyond that.
Bright Light
Bright light lets most creatures see normally. Even gloomy days provide bright light, as do torches, lanterns, fires, and other sources of illumination within a specific radius.
Dim Light
Dim light, also called shadows, creates a lightly obscured area. An area of dim light is usually a boundary between a source of bright light, such as a torch, and surrounding darkness. The soft light of twilight and dawn also counts as dim light. A particularly brilliant full moon might bathe the land in dim light.
Darkness
Darkness creates a heavily obscured area. Characters face darkness outdoors at night (even most moonlit nights), within the confines of an unlit dungeon or a subterranean vault, or in an area of magical darkness.
Obscured
Obscured
When vision in an area is hindered by smoke, darkness, or a similar phenomenon, the area is obscured. There are two degrees of obscurity.
Lightly Obscured
In a lightly obscured area, such as dim light, patchy fog, or moderate foliage, creatures have disadvantage on Perception checks that rely on sight.
Heavily Obscured
A heavily obscured area, such as darkness, opaque fog, or dense foliage, blocks vision entirely. Nothing in that area can be seen.
Battleaxe
Battleaxe
Martial melee weapon
Cost: 10 gp
Damage: 1d8 slashing
Weight: 4 lb.
Properties: versatile (1d10)
Damage: 1d8 slashing
Weight: 4 lb.
Properties: versatile (1d10)
Versatile
Versatile
You can attack with a versatile weapon using one or two hands. When you use two hands, use the dice shown in parentheses after this property's listing as the weapon's damage dice.
Greataxe
Greataxe
Martial melee weapon
Cost: 30 gp
Damage: 1d12 slashing
Weight: 7 lb.
Properties: heavy, two-handed
Damage: 1d12 slashing
Weight: 7 lb.
Properties: heavy, two-handed
Heavy
Heavy
Due to their weight distribution, Small creaturesExcept those with the Powerful Build trait have disadvantage on attack rolls with heavy weapons.
Two-Handed
Two-Handed
Two hands are required to make an attack with a two-handed weapon.
Handaxe
Handaxe
Simple melee weapon
Cost: 5 gp
Damage: 1d6 slashing
Weight: 2 lb.
Properties: light, thrown (20/60 ft.)
Damage: 1d6 slashing
Weight: 2 lb.
Properties: light, thrown (20/60 ft.)
Light
Light
A light weapon is small enough to be easily wielded in one hand. Each time you spend at least 2 AP to take the Attack action and use a light weapon for the attack, you can take the Attack action once later that turn as a minor action. The secondary attack—called an offhand attack—must be made with a different light weapon, and it deals half damage.
Attack
Thrown
Thrown
If a weapon has the "thrown" property, you can make a ranged attack with it by throwing it. If the weapon is a melee weapon, you use the same ability for the attack roll and damage roll that you would use for a melee attack with the weapon.
The numbers shown in parentheses after this property's listing are the weapon's normal range and long range when thrown, in that order.
Light Hammer
Light Hammer
Simple melee weapon
Cost: 2 gp
Damage: 1d4 bludgeoning
Weight: 2 lb.
Properties: light, thrown (20/60 ft.)
Damage: 1d4 bludgeoning
Weight: 2 lb.
Properties: light, thrown (20/60 ft.)
Maul
Maul
Martial melee weapon
Cost: 10 gp
Damage: 2d6 bludgeoning
Weight: 10 lb.
Properties: heavy, two-handed
Damage: 2d6 bludgeoning
Weight: 10 lb.
Properties: heavy, two-handed
Warhammer
Warhammer
Martial melee weapon
Cost: 15 gp
Damage: 1d8 bludgeoning
Weight: 2 lb.
Properties: versatile (1d10)
Damage: 1d8 bludgeoning
Weight: 2 lb.
Properties: versatile (1d10)
War Pick
War Pick
Martial melee weapon
Cost: 5 gp
Damage: 1d8 piercing
Weight: 2 lb.
Properties: none
Damage: 1d8 piercing
Weight: 2 lb.
Properties: none
Brewer's Supplies
Brewer's Supplies
Cost: 20 gp
Weight: 9 lb.
Weight: 9 lb.
Jeweler's Tools
Jeweler's Tools
Cost: 25 gp
Weight: 2 lb.
Weight: 2 lb.
Mason's Tools
Mason's Tools
Cost: 10 gp
Weight: 8 lb.
Weight: 8 lb.
Smith's Tools
Smith's Tools
Cost: 20 gp
Weight: 8 lb.
Weight: 8 lb.