The Moss Dwarf, a Race-Class
Gnarled, woody humanoids whose fertile flesh hosts mosses, moulds, and fungi.
Race Type Mortal
Prime Abilities Constitution and Wisdom
Hit Points 1d6 per Level, +2 after 10
Combat Aptitude Semi-martial
Armor Any, including shields
Weapons Small and Medium
Level 1 PC Age 50 + 3d6 years
Lifespan 250 + 5d6 x 10 years
Height 42 + 2d6 inches (Small)
Weight 150 + 2d20 lbs
Native Languages Woldish, Mulch
Moss dwarfs, or "mosslings", are an obscure, stunted folk native to Dolmenwood, with an affinity for the dank plants and molds of the deep woods. They are of stocky, pudgy build, with green, yellow, or brown skin, textured like wrinkled bark and patched with mold, lichen, fungus, and creeping plants. Their hair and beards are plant-like, akin to moss, willow, watercress, or ferns. Their beady eyes and stubby tongues are sheer black. If injured, moss dwarfs ooze white, sap-like blood.
The natural habitat of moss dwarfs is dark, dank forests, where they gather in small, isolated communities. By nature, moss dwarfs are curious and jovial, in a slow, earthy way, and welcome occasional visitors. They are, above all, burrowers, delving their homes into the damp earth of their forest abodes or inhabiting natural caves where they are found. Moss dwarfs are, in any case, no masters of stonework or construction.
Moss dwarf adventurers are rare. Those who leave the isolation of the deep woods are typically woodsmen, hardened to the ways of the wilderness. Moss dwarfs have a number of useful magickal talents known as knacks.
Moss Dwarf Advancement Table
Ageing, Death, and Composting
Moss dwarfs become wiser and more plant-like as they age. After death, even their bones rot away to mold: a moss dwarf’s body decays to a rich compost within a year.
Dank Forest Burrows
The natural habitat of moss dwarfs is dark, dank forests, where they gather in small, isolated communities. They are, above all, burrowers, delving their homes into the damp earth of the Wood or inhabiting natural caves where they are found.
Worship Gods of Moss and Fungus
As subjects of the Duke of Brackenwold, moss dwarfs are nominally adherents of the Pluritine Church. However, in practice they worship their own gods of the deep forest and the fecund underworld—see Mogba.
Race Relations
Moss dwarfs are on friendly terms with mortal and demi-fey races. While most non-adventuring mosslings have never met a fairy, they tend to treat fairies with curiosity as wanderers from afar with tales to share.
Moss dwarfs are welcomed in human settlements in Dolmenwood, where they sometimes travel to sell mushrooms, ale, or cheese at a market.
Names
Among their own folk, moss dwarfs tend not to use surnames. If pressed by folk of other races, they usually adopt a melange of Woldish words associated with their culture.
Languages
In addition to their own muddy, squelchy language of Mulch, moss dwarfs speak the Woldish. They are also familiar with the squeaking language of raccoons, squirrels, and mice, and often keep such animals as pets.
Armor and Weapons
Armor must be tailored to moss dwarf’ Small size (see Tailoring Armor). Likewise, moss dwarfs cannot wield Large weapons. Moss dwarfs prefer non-metal armor, and manufacture special suits of armor from hardened bark and pinecones.
Fertile Flesh
As a moss dwarf ages (or, in the case of adventurers, as they advance in Level), they become riddled with symbiotic plants and fungi, picking up seeds and spores which germinate in the dwarf's fertile flesh. At each Level (including Level 1), the character acquires a random trait from the Fertile Flesh table. Duplicates may be re-rolled or taken to indicate an amplification of the trait.
Fungal Resilience
Moss dwarfs are hardy and resilient like the gnarled bole of an old tree, as indicated by their saving throws. Moss dwarfs gain an additional +2 bonus to Saving Throws against fungal spores or poisons.
Fungal Symbiosis
From Level 4, a moss dwarf may spend 1 Turn to attempt to enter into a symbiotic agreement with a non-hostile monstrous fungus.
Level limit: The fungus must be at least 3 Levels lower than the moss dwarf. For example, a Level 6 moss dwarf is limited to symbiosis with fungi of Level 3 or lower.
Chance of success: To determine whether the symbiosis is successful, the moss dwarf must Save Versus Spell. If the save succeeds the symbiotic pact is agreed.
Once per fungus: Entering into a symbiotic agreement may be attempted only once per fungus.
Successful symbiosis: Spores from the fungus infest the moss dwarf’s body, blooming after 1d4 days into fungal growths riddled throughout their skin and organs. The moss dwarf may subsequently activate any special trait or power of the fungus up to once a day per 2 Levels (e.g. up to 4 times a day at Level 8). Any special attack or defense forms of the fungus may be activated, including magickal powers. The moss dwarf is immune to any harmful effects.
One symbiosis only: It is not possible to initiate simultaneous symbiosis with multiple fungi, and the only way to reverse or cancel a symbiosis is by use of magic (e.g. the holy spell cure affliction).
Knacks
Moss dwarfs practice carefully guarded, quasi-magickal crafts known as knacks. Each mossling knows one knack, rolled or chosen at character creation.
Knacks known: A Level 1 moss dwarf knows one knack, rolled or chosen at character creation (see Knacks table). Each knack grants a special magickal talent at Levels 1, 3, 5, and 7 (see Knacks ).
Moss Dwarf Skills
Moss dwarfs have a Skill Target of 5 for Survival when foraging.
Trinket
A moss dwarf begins play with one trinket randomly rolled from the Trinkets Table. Small trinkets weigh 10 coins. The Referee should judge the weight of larger items.
Although known as moss “dwarfs” it is, amongst sages who specialize in the classification of sentient races, a matter of debate as to whether there is any proper relation between moss dwarfs and true dwarfs. Some speculate that they have, in fact, a closer kinship with forest gnomes or that they are the stunted offspring of stump-dryads.
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