Dwarf
Dwarf lore will be reworked in the future towards a sexless race of people crafted from stone and dirt itself. This worldbuilding will better emphasize certain aspects of current Emaxian dwarf lore and highlight certain beloved dwarf tropes while also undoing more dated ones and just making them cooler across the board.Granted the spark of ingenuity and the determination to defend by Kaedo and Yamma, dwarves were created to serve as the defenders of Yophas against the corrupting influences of Xaeocreotis. Their underground and mountain-spanning empires are the stuff of legend. In those depths, the dwarves have developed long-standing traditions, strong militaries, and unbelieveable wealth.
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 stone gray to a paler brown 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. Some dwarves value their beards highly and groom them carefully.Long Memory, Long Grudges
Dwarves can live to be more than 400 years old, so the oldest living dwarves often remember a very different world. For example, dwarven veterans of the Fragmented War only recently died off. This longevity grants them a perspective on the world that shorter-lived races such as humans and halflings lack. The dwarves have known true loss. All Emaxian dwarves descend from but a few thousand who survived the Reckoning, and so their ancestries and clans run deep in their blood. They see safety in the unity of their clan, and are fully devoted to it. They are also devoted to the Children of Yamma, chief among them Kaedo, who granted them their resilience and intelligence to perform their divine duty. 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.Broken Kingdoms, Broken Race
Dwarven empires once sprawled across the subterranean landscape of Yophas, holding the borders between countless planes and Xaecreotis. In the Reckoning, the dwarves faced devastation on all fronts. Some empires were besieged from above, buried under crumbling mountains and tunnels. Some faced endless hordes of Xaecreotian invaders, their ancient elven allies turned into slaves and the once purposeless monstrosities of the Realms Below united under the Obsidian Lords' banners. Like the elves, the losses the dwarves sustained during the Reckoning were a tragedy among tragedies. Unlike the elves, the dwarves were given no natural counterbalance to their population and their long lifespans. Indeed, the gods wanted them to breed rapidly to sustain their populations in the face of endless war. The dwarves' infertility came from their society; their industrious nature and consummation of the natural world around them for the engines of their empires lead to dwarves becoming largely infertile by the time of the Reckoning. So, when the God-Wars brought them to the verge of extinction and saw nearly all of their major civilizations crumbled to ruin, the dwarves were left on the true edge of extinction, a position perhaps even more precarious than the elves. They did not have the safety net of divine intervention to ensure at least some repopulation, so their future was completely uncertain. The fact that even Demtodhir exists now is a true blessing. Dwarves have slowly made their recovery, but whether they will ever return to the golden ages of the Age of Rebirth is near-impossible. No remedy has been found for the dwarves' infertility, and dwarves who can still procreate are given respect akin to clan elders.Defenders Against the Deep
Dwarves were created to defend Yophas from Xaecreotis. As such, they have a long history of military traditions and defensive impregnability. As a race, they were created to be resilient and practical, with the ingenuity to handle change. Their societies reflect this, with strong militaries, strong traditions, and strong clan connections. This can lead to stagnation at worst and consistency at best. The chief unit of dwarven society is the clan, and dwarves highly value social standing. Even dwarves who live far from their own kingdoms cherish their clan identities and affiliations, recognize related dwarves, and invoke their ancestors’ names in oaths and curses. To be clanless is the worst fate that can befall a dwarf, for exilings do not occur lightly.Dwarf Names and Cultures
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. The names given below are merely examples for inspiration or use, feel free to go above and beyond. 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 You can also have a dwarf who has been influenced by a certain culture and their naming conventions. If you wish to play a dwarf of a certain culture, you can refer to the Cultures/Ethnicities subcategory of Races. Below are the main ones that dwarves tend to be from/belong to.Creating Your Character
At 1st level, you choose what race your character belongs to. If you choose a dwarf, follow the rules found below to make your dwarven hero -- or villain.Ability Score Increases
When determining your character's ability scores, increase one score by 2 and increase a different score by 1, or increase three different scores by 1. Follow this rule regardless of the method you use to determine the scores, such as rolling or point buy. The "Quick Build" section of your character's class offers suggestions on which scores to increase. You can follow those suggestions or ignore them, but you can't raise any of your scores above 20.Languages
Your character can speak, read, and write Common and one other language that you can your DM agree is appropriate for the character. The Player's Handbook offers a list of languages to choose from. The DM is free to modify that list for a campaign.Creature Type
Every creature in D&D, including each player character, has a special tag in the rules that identifies the type of creature they are. Most player characters are of the Humanoid type. Your race tells you what your character's creature type is. Here's a list of the game's creature types in alphabetical order: Aberration, Beast, Celestial, Construct, Dragon, Elemental, Fey, Fiend, Giant, Humanoid, Monstrosity, Ooze, Plant, Undead. These types don't have rules themselves, but some rules in the game affect creatures of certain types in different ways. For example, the cure wounds spell doesn't work on a Construct or an Undead.Dwarf Traits
Your dwarf character has an assortment of inborn abilities, part and parcel of dwarves' ancient duty.Age
Dwarves mature at the same rate as humans, but they’re considered young until they reach the age of 50. On average, they live about 350 years.Creature Type
You are a Humanoid.Size
Dwarves stand between 4 and 5 feet tall and average about 150 pounds. Your size is Medium.Speed
Your base walking speed is 25 feet. Your speed is not reduced by wearing heavy armor.Darkvision
Accustomed to life underground, you have superior vision in dark and dim conditions. You can see in dim light within 60 feet of you as if it were bright light, and in darkness as if it were dim light. You can’t discern color in darkness, only shades of gray.Dwarven Resilience
You have advantage on saving throws against poison, and you have resistance against poison damage.Dwarven Combat Training
You have proficiency with the battleaxe, handaxe, light hammer, and warhammer.Tool Proficiency
You gain proficiency with the artisan’s tools of your choice: smith’s tools, brewer’s supplies, or mason’s tools.Stonecunning
Whenever you make an Intelligence (History) check related to the origin of stonework, you are considered proficient in the History skill and add double your proficiency bonus to the check, instead of your normal proficiency bonus.Subraces
As a dwarf, there are a handful of key subraces that populate Yophas. Each subrace has its own, distinctive qualities, largely due to their different biomes and histories. Some of these are much, much rarer than others.Magmaborn (Azerblood)
During the Age of Rebirth, there was a titanic dwarven empire that sprawled across Vokatha by the name of Vegrahm. The dwarves of this civilization slowly evolved to their volcanic home, taking on aspects of flame. Though this civilization met ruin in the Reckoning, a handful of these "magmaborn" still exist, making their homes predominantly in Akkerath and Vokatha.Fire Resistance
You have resistance to fire damage.Inner Fire
Once you reach 5th level, you can cast the heat metal spell once per day as a 2nd-level spell. Wisdom is your spellcasting ability for this spell.Hill Dwarf
As a hill dwarf, you have keen senses, deep intuition, and remarkable resilience. Hill dwarves are often those encountered in smaller communities throughout the greater world, though the largest concentration can be found in Yathra Silthame.Dwarven Toughness
Your hit point maximum increases by 1, and it increases by 1 every time you gain a level.Mountain Dwarf
As a mountain dwarf, you’re strong and hardy, accustomed to a difficult life in rugged terrain. You’re probably on the tall side (for a dwarf), and tend toward lighter coloration. Most of the dwarves in Demtodhir, for example, are mountain dwarves, given their subterranean upbringings and existence.Ability Score Increase
You gain a second +2 ability score increase, instead of the normal +1.Dwarven Armor Training
You have proficiency with light and medium armor.Creation Mythos
Dwarves were created by Kaedo and An'liceth for the purpose of defending the myriad planes of Yophas from the corrupting influence of Xaecreotis, the Realms Below. The former molded them from stone and the latter gave them their knowledge and ingenuity. In modern times, most dwarves still worship Kaedo with devotion, though much fewer hold An'liceth to the same pedestal outside of her actual clergy and followers. Though dwarves still feel the call of their subterranean duty, few know of their true origin.Remove these ads. Join the Worldbuilders Guild
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