The Dwarves

MELIORA

The Dwarves are both the youngest and also the oldest of the races in Kaena. For untold millennia the Dwarves dwelt in their small underground Kingdoms, carving their mighty halls and seeking out the finest in gold and jewels. Though, occasionally, a wayward man would stumble across one of the Deep Roads that connected their city states, they were but myth to nearly all until fifteen hundred years ago when Mount Iulius erupted and the Dwarves came out from their warrens of stone to greet the Sun; the fierce, fiery God they called Vulcan. They were not content with what they had, and they did not come into the world of man with peace in their hearts. They brought with them fire and steel, and with it they conquered the known world in a handful of years and founded what is today the Imperium Vulcanalia.
The Dwarves have proven to be as brilliant above the earth as they were below it. In a single millennium they have built sprawling cities across Kynos and Leiren, erected towering monuments to their glorious ancestors, and connected the world through a vast network of tunnels, roads, and aqueducts.
As they say, the Dwarves have made the world a far greater place than it was when they found it.

D&D 5E

STANDARD RACIAL TRAITS

• Ability Score Modifiers: +1 Constitution, +2 Intelligence. OR choose one of (a) Any +2, any other +1 or (b) Any +1, any other +1, any other +1.
• Size: Dwarves stand between 4 and 5 feet tall and average about 150 pounds. Your size is Medium.
• Speed: 30 Feet. Your speed is not reduced by wearing heavy armour.

• 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.

• Stoic: You have advantage in saving throws against being charmed or frightened.

• Comprehensive Education: You have proficiency in your choice of any two Intelligence based skills.

• Taskmaster: Dwarves are careful not to show weakness in front of their allies, for fear of losing status. If you miss with an attack roll or fail an ability check or a saving throw, you can gain a bonus to the roll equal to the number of allies you can see within 30 feet of you (maximum bonus of +5). Once you use this trait, you can't use it again until you finish a short or long rest.

• Languages: You begin play speaking, reading, and writing Common and one language in which you were raised, which for the Dwarves is typically Vulcanic. You may, if desired, choose one bonus language that you and your DM agree is appropriate.

PATHFINDER 1E

STANDARD RACIAL TRAITS

• Ability Score Modifiers: Dwarves are both tough and wise, but also a bit gruff. They gain +2 Constitution, +2 Wisdom, and –2 Charisma.

• Size: Dwarves are Medium creatures and thus receive no bonuses or penalties due to their size.

• Type: Dwarves are humanoids with the Dwarf subtype.

• Base Speed: (Slow and Steady) 20 feet, but their speed is never modified by armor or encumbrance.

• Languages: Dwarves begin play speaking Vulcanic. Dwarves with high Intelligence scores can choose from the following: Aelfric, Ahuran, Heiratic, Kush, Otchipwe, and Runic.

• Darkvision: Dwarves can see perfectly in the dark up to 60 feet.

• Comprehensive Education: Dwarves raised with skilled teachers draw upon vast swathes of knowledge gained over centuries of civilization. They gain all Knowledge skills as class skills, and they gain a +1 racial bonus on skill checks for each Knowledge skill that they gain as a class skill from their class levels.

• Social Ties: Dwarven societies run on complex webs of favors and loyalties that canny members can intuitively exploit with relative ease. Dwarves gain a +2 racial bonus on Diplomacy checks, and on any skill checks to recruit members and teams for an organization. They also add a +1 racial bonus to their Leadership scores if they gain the Leadership feat.

• Stoic Negotiators: Some dwarves use their unwavering stubbornness to get what they want in negotiations and other business matters. They gain a +2 racial bonus on Bluff, Diplomacy, and Profession (merchant) checks.

Civilization and Culture

Naming Traditions

The practice of using three names, or the Tria Nomina, is the basic foundation of Dwarven names. The praenomen, or personal name, is given by a parent to their child eight days after their birth. Their family name, or nomen, is passed down unchanged from generation to generation. However a Dwarf's cognomen, their second and most important personal name, must be earned by action or renown.
Praenomen Examples
Male: Agrippa, Aulus, Decimus, Gaius, Gnaeus, Lucius, Manius, Marcus, Octavius, Publius, Quintus, Septimus, Servius, Sextus, Tiberius, Titus
Female: Aula, Decima, Fausta, Gaia, Gnaea, Lucia, Marcia, Nona, Numeria, Octavia, Prima, Servia, Statia, Titia, Tiberia, Tulla
Nomen Examples
Albinius, Annaeas, Aurelius, Balventius, Bellienus, Caesonius, Cassius, Claudius, Decentius, Didius, Duronius, Egnatius, Ennius, Festinius, Flavius, Galerius, Geminius, Horatius, Hostius, Julius, Junius, Laronius, Latinius, Ligarius, Livius, Maelius, Martinius, Minatius, Naevius, Nasidius, Ninnius, Orchius, Ovidius, Pompeius, Praeconius, Quirinus, Rammius, Reginius, Rufius, Salienus, Sextilius, Tarquinius, Tullius, Valerius, Viridius
Cognomen Examples
Augustus, Aviola, Balbus, Brutus, Cato, Constantius, Dexion, Draco, Eudoxius, Evodius, Flavianus, Fusus, Galba, Gracchus, Hemina, Honorius, Isaurus, Libo, Licinius, Macer, Maxentius, Narses, Novellus, Oceanus, Orestes, Orentius, Pastor, Proximus, Protus, Remus, Romulus, Ruso, Scipio, Sulla, Sura, Tremulus, Ursulus, Venator, Victorius

Interspecies Relations and Assumptions

Dwarves have an intense dislike for all the other races of Kaena. Though they live as partners with the humans they have conquered as a matter of practicality, it is only the Ahuran Elves who the Dwarves respect and admire. They believe all other races, especially the bestial and the grotesque, were made to serve the Dwarves and that they should be freely taken as slaves.

Scientific Name

Homo Vulcanis Maximus

Lifespan

Less than 300 years

Average Height

3'5'' to 4'5''

Average Weight

150 lbs to 250 lbs

RACIAL FEATS
Cautious Fighter
Cleave Through
Cosmopolitan
Demoralizing Lash
Echoes of Stone
Persuasive
Surge of Success
Taskmaster