Race and Cultures: Dwarf

Race: Dwarf

Dwarves are short, stout humanoids who dwell in mountainous and hilly terrain and are at home both underground and above ground. Female births are less then 20% and are particularly cherished and protected. There is no size difference between male and female. Males usually have lengthy facial hair. Coloration of skin tone, eyes and hair tends to be earth hues. Dwarves are in fact, very much related to the elemental plane of earth. This can be seen in the fact that they are not natural buoyant, perhaps to the high levels of iron and metals in their bones. Dwarves have a very lengthy history and the remains of their mountain holds have been found dating back hundreds of thousands of year. They reproduce slowly and tend towards large extended family groupings. The Dwarven language is rune based and contains thousands of characters. It is obviously influenced by both Draconic and Terran alphabets.
Dwarves who die, decompose in a unique way. Dwarven flesh becomes very dry, losing its moisture quickly, even in wet climates. It crumbles to dust within a year, leaving behind only the heavy, mineral infused bones and hair. In dry areas, such as dwarven tombs, these leads to the complete fossilization of the entire skeleton, turning the dwarven remains to stone. This return to the earth is not lost on the dwarves, who see this as an important last step in life, the soul moves on and the body returns to the earth. This is called stone-death Stone-death(Dwarf)
Dwarves spend much of their time below ground, however, they still have a psychological and physiological need for the sun. Those who ignore this need are at risk for Deep Sickness

Dwarf, General

Pysical Appearance: Dwarves are about 4-4 ½ feet tall and weight 150-225 lbs. Males in particularly are hairy and facial hair is an important cultural factor to must dwarves. Skin tones are similar to humans, ranging from a fleshy pink to a dark brown. Hair and eye colors are also similar to humans including brown, blacks and rarely blonde. Dwarven females tend to be wider of hip, have no facial hair and more likely than males to have light or red colored hair. Dwarves are closely link to the elemental plane of earth and are more attuned to law than other races. As Dwarves age their bones calcify. When ancient dwarves pass away, their bodies instantly become stone, this often seen as a great honor. As Dwarves age, their hair becomes more and more metallic, sometimes resembling wire more than hair.
Aging: Dwarves can live to be a thousand years old, those who are heavily exposed to magic can live many times that length.
Racial Traits:

• +2 CON, -2 CHA,
• Medium,
• 20’ movement,
• no speed penalty for heavy or medium armor,
• darkvision 60,
• stone cunning (+4 on search checks with rock),
• dwarven weapon familiarity (waraxe, dwarven urgosh are considered martial weapons),
• Stability (+4 to CMD against trip and bull rush attempts),
• +2 racial bonus on appraise and craft checks,
• +2 racial bonus on poison, spell and spell-like ability saves,
• +4 racial dodge bonus to AC against giants,
• +1 racial attack bonus against orcs and goblins,
• -4 to swim checks.
  

Favored Classes: fighter, cleric
Racial Templates Available: None
Cultures available: Duegar, Holds of Moradin, Irongate, Rebels of the Mithral Crown,
Bonus Class Skill: Knowledge Engineering and Architecture
Bonus Languages: Dwarf
Starting Gold Adjustment:-
Cultural Feats: Dwarf RacialRules- Feats: Dwarf Heritage Feats,
Mountainous TerrainRules- Feats: Terrain Feats
Item CreationRules- Feats: Item Creation Feats
Shield FeatsRules- Feats: Shield Feats

Dwarven Culture: The Seven Holds of Moradin-

Cultural Template: Dwarf
General Description: The Seven Holds of Moradin refer to an alliance of the Seven Great Clans that exist in the mountain ranges that bisect the Northern Continent. Each is self-governing but supports each other militarily and economically. They are the bulwark that prevents the chaos and anarchy of the East from reaching the nations of the West. As such, they have many allies amongst the human, Halfling and elven communities.

The Dwarves of the Seven Holds are, as a group, conservative and traditional. They are “a dwarf’s dwarf”. All the stereotypes about dwarves are found in the stout warriors of the Seven Holds and many taken to an extreme. While this conservatism binds them together into a coherent and effective community, its inflexibility is also a detriment in dealing with less straightforward problems. The Dwarves are very religious and Moradin is their primary God. Many also find faith in the teachings and ways of Bahamut and Tyr, while a few also pay homage to Pelor, Azuth, and Yondalla.

The Seven Holds put great stock into military might and boast many, many soldiers. Being traditionalists, most are fighters but there are a few marshals, paladins, and warblades to be found as well. Clerics and favored souls of Moradin are common. A few follow the path of the rogue, scout, and explorer but wizards and other arcane casters are rare. The Dwarf’s of the Seven Holds are great stone workers, miners, armor and weapon-smiths, and brewers. They consume massive amounts of beer and ale.

Location: The Central Mountain Ranges of the Northern Continent- the Barrier Peaks, Black Spines, Etc.
Starting Gold Adjustment: +10%
Cultural Feats additions: Phalanx FightingRules-Feat: Combat Feats
Role Playing Hooks: Most Dwarves of the Seven Holds are very traditional, you may want to exaggerate general dwarf traits to the extreme; beer, heroic epics, ancestors, metal and weapon crafting, wealth and greed, dislike for elves, hatred of orcs, goblins, and giants, worship Moradin. Seven Holds dwarves may seek to be heroes like those they hear about in epic poems. They may act brave but may have little experience outside their own lands. They are often rigid thinkers who do things the “right way” and are unable to change.

Dwarven Culture: Iron Gate-

Cultural Template: Dwarf
General Description: Iron Gate is a relatively new Dwarven Nation (by Dwarf standards) located in the Mountains South East of the Jeweled Cities Regions, where the Dustwall meets the Barrier Peaks. Three Clans of Dwarves united for mutual protection and economic power and have prospered since. Together they scoured the mountains, removing predatory monsters (including a few dragons and many giants) and slaying or driving away competing humanoid tribes (mostly orcs and ogres). Since then they have been concentrating on mercantile success, mass producing high quality arms and armor and beautiful works of gold and gems. They have applied the same single-minded stubbornness to efforts of trade and now are a strong market force in the Jeweled Cities and the Middle Kingdoms.

Dwarves from Irongate are less traditional in some sense then their brethren. Their central location and frequent trading with other cultures have given them a more cosmopolitan worldview. Others find still find them narrow minded, stubborn, and infuriatingly conservative, but when compared to, let’s say, the Dwarves of the Seven Holds, they come across as a “breath of fresh (but ale flavored) air” and “a joy to be swindled by”.

The Dwarves of Irongate mostly hold to traditional dwarven careers such as the fighter, cleric and rogue. When compared to the Seven Holds, there are a greater variety of classes. Dwarf soldiers are sometimes paladins, rangers, warblades, crusaders, marshals, and knights. Faith-based characters are still mainly clerics although there are a few druids and favored souls. Dwarven casters are mostly wizards peppered with a few artificers and sorcerers (mostly with an elemental heritage).

Unlike other dwarves, the average Irongate dwarf has traveled into other lands and have some degree of respect for other’s traditions and ways of doing things. They are also less monotheistic, while Moradin is still a central religious figure; there are other divine beings that are important as well. This mostly includes Tyr, Bahamut, Yondalla and Azuth. Unfortunately, there is also a darker side of Irongate, appealing to the rigid lawful nature of the dwarves and to their love of material wealth; both Asmodeus (as god of Tyranny) and Tiamat (as goddess of greed) have secret followings.

Location: A series of enclaves, fortresses and holds located in the general area where the Dustwall Mountains meet the Barrier Peaks.
Replaces Dwarf Ability Modifiers: +2 CON, -2 DEX
Replaces Dwarf Favored Classes: wizard, warblade
Replaces Bonus Class Skill: Appraise
Starting Gold Adjustment: +10%.
Cultural Feat Additions: Underground TerrainRules- Feats: Terrain Feats
Role Playing Hooks: Dwarves of Irongate are worldly and often feel like they understand things better then others. They are always seeking to make a deal and come out ahead. They may be desperate to get their homeland help against the drow and mindflayers. They may be swindlers or at least fast talkers. They are likely very professional in everything they do, be it merchant, craftsmen, or soldier. They are likely very serious with little time for fun and games or diversions.

Dwarven Culture : Duergar, the Gray Dwarfs-

General Description: Duergar (sometimes called Gray Dwarfs by surface dwellers) are an off-shoot of the Dwarven race that long ago gave up surface life and adapted to the sun-less underdark. The Duergar live in vast stone and iron citadels built into caverns. They employ vast armies of slaves- mostly captured underdark humanoids (goblins, orcs, ogres, kobolds) with a smattering of surface dwellers taken in raids. The Duergar are accomplished slavers. Their military campaigns are usually based around securing mineral wealth and new workers. The Duergar are ironfisted tyrants, they live in extreme hierarchical societies where the wealthy and powerful rule those below them. Duergar are very rigid people, whose sanity is a precarious thing.

The Duergar are, as a race, generally lawful evil, their main deity is Asmodeus. A few individuals also pray to such gods as Mask, Thyrm, Vecna or Tiamat but do so in secret for the most part. Those who sanity crumbles quickly turn to Tharzidun.

The Duergar are dour fighters and number many clerics. There is also a strong talent for psionics among them and boast powerful psions, psychic warriors, and wilders. Their love for enslavement and domination makes enchantment and mind affecting magics popular. The Duergar have an Ollam-like roll in their society, the Teller, a specific individual, often just one per clan, who records the deeds of the fallen in a creepy dirge-like chant. A single Teller can recite hundreds of such Tellings. Elite Duergar warriors, trained from birth to be the elite soldiers of the Gray Dwarfs. They become immune to pain and discomfort, forgetting all feelings and emotions. They live only to serve the clan and kill their enemies.

Alternative Physical Appearance: Gray Dwarves are about 4 ½-5 feet tall and weight 180-255 lbs. Males in particularly are hairy and facial hair is an important cultural factor to must dwarves. Gray dwarves have a dusty charcoal skin tone and white hair with pink or red eyes. Baldness is common among males. Females are slimmer with no facial hair. Duergar prefer the cold and dark colors of black and gray, sometimes off set by a burst of color from a gem or two. They prefer that their dress matchs their personality; colorless, dour, and efficient.
Location: Underdark
Religious Tendencies: Asmodeus
Replacement Special Abilities:

• +2 CON, -2 DEX,
• darkvision 120’,
• medium,
• speed 20,
• no speed penalty for heavy armor,
• stone cunning,
• stability,
• +2 racial bonus to intimidate and rope use,
• 1/day SLA: invisibility and enlarge person with caster level = 1/2 character level, -4 to swim checks,

Replaces Favored Classes: fighter, psychic warrior
Replaces Bonus Class Skill: Intimidate
Replaces Bonus Languages: Undercommon
Cultural Feat Replacements:

• Underground Terrain,Rules- Feats: Terrain Feats
• Psionic Combat,Rules- Feats: Psionic Feats
• Duergar Regional Feats,Rules- Feats; Duegar Heritage Feats

Starting Gold Adjustment: +5%
Role Playing Hooks: The Duergar are humorless and almost unfeeling who seek to place themselves above all else. Those whom they can’t enslave are mistrusted and feared. The Duergar expects exploitation because that is all they know. They feel superior to all other races and seek to show themselves as the masters. They generally see each other as tools to be used to gain status, wealth, and power. Only a rigid social order and general inability to change keeps them from simply killing each other. To A Duergar only power matters, and power, once possessed, is to be used.

Dwarf Culture: Rebels of the Mithril Crown (Dwarf, Arcadia)

The Mithril Crown was once the symbol of a Dwarven monarchy found in the north and central regions of the Arcadian sub-continent. With the rise and domination of the entire region by the Arcadian Empire, the Dwarves stayed stubbornly independent and largely non-cooperative with the Emperor. At the height of Imperial expansion, the Empire tried to, with modest success, to conquer the Dwarves and put them under the heel of the Emperor. Historians argue over the motivation behind such a move, as the Dwarves were no threat militarily. Some believe it was simple an ego and power play by the Emperor whom wanted all peoples to hold allegiance to his divine power. Others believe that various factions in the senate want control of the considerable mineral and metal resources in the Dwarves’ lands. Regardless, the last two hundred years has seen on and off again military campaigns to bring the Dwarves under the Imperial banner.


Initial efforts pitted the might of several Imperial Legions against the full force of the Dwarves and their mountain fortresses. Casualties were high on both sides but the most prominent Dwarf Holds fell. The stout people retreated to high altitudes and more secret and more subterranean lairs and continue to resist and strike back when able. Further efforts to root them out became more and more difficult and very costly to the Arcadians. Of late, they have largely stopped official efforts to do so, satisfied with the mines they had captured and distracted by events elsewhere. From time to time, a senator or consul will muster up a “legion” of barbarian tribesmen or humanoids and send them against the Rebels, usually with a specific economic goal in mind (or mine). These “legions” are usually destroyed by the now battle hardened survivors but the strength and the numbers of the dwarves is slowly being eroded.

The Dwarven Rebels are spread among a number of smallish holdings, whose locations are tightly guarded secrets. Previous organizations and allegiances were shattered with the advance of the Empire, now largely organized by “clan”, some old and some new; they are united with a hatred for the Arcadian Empire and desire to maintain their freedom and sovereignty. They have taken up the Mithril Crown of a symbol of that sovereignty.

The Rebels of the Mithril Crown are extremely paranoid, cautious and mistrustful of all others. In particularly they are wary of humans, and most are filled barely controlled violent hatred by those of the Arcadian Empire. Second to the Empire, the Dwarves hate those humanoid tribes the Empire now sends against them, their traditional enemies; orcs, goblins, ogres, and trolls. This has tempered the usual Dwarven trait of dislike for elvenkind, as at least Elves seldom openly try to seize their nations and enslave them. Rebels of the Mithril Crown are seldom found outside their secret hideouts. Those that are, are usually fleeing from the Empire or seeking resources to use against them. Due to the particular situation, the Mithril Crown Dwarves are more likely to be stealth-based characters then other dwarves.

Replacement Favored Classes: Rogue, Ranger
Replacement Bonus Class Skill: Hide
Replacement Bonus Languages: Arcadian dialect
Cultural Feat Additions: Scout FeatsRules- Feats: Scout Feats
Starting Gold Adjustment: -5%
Role Playing Hooks: Mithril Crown rebels are a rather paranoid and secretive lot. Forced to fight for their freedoms and identities they tend to be a proud, if sad, people. They always think the worse of other races, having been betrayed time and time again by those unable to resist the gold and the threats of the Arcadian Empire. Those not in the homelands have either been forced to flee (and may still be pursued) and are seeking to hide or they may have left on their home and desperate to find resources (of whatever kind) to aid their friends and family at home. Some of the Dwarves have lost hope and could come across as fatalists or even defeatists. Others have gone to the other seen and are such faith in their own fight against their oppressors that they have become fool hardy, refusing to give an inch.