Born
within the deep and fiery mountain ranges of Aurorea, the Dwarves are a proud
race of crafters, brewers, miners, and smiths. Dwelling is vast underground
kingdoms of carved stone, Dwarves are natural architects, coaxing magnificent
edifices and vaulting ceilings from the rocky depths of their home mountains.
Besides being master craftsman and
miners, Dwarves are also known as excellent warriors with a strong love of
drink. It is said that a Dwarven army could run on ale alone. There may be some
truth in this old saying, as true Dwarven ale and spirits are strong enough to
be nearly deadly to weaker stomached humans, and gnomes have been known to order
large cases of Dwarven spirits for use as solvents and paint strippers.
Among Dwarves, one’s word is one’s
bond, and honor is paramount. Perhaps it is due to the unforgiving nature of
their home environment that this has become such a sticking point for Dwarven
society, perhaps not. But it’s significance cannot be ignored. As a Dwarf grows
from childhood his honor is tested repeatedly by his parents or guardians. It
is only through successful completion of these tests that the young dwarf is
accepted into society.
As with the Elves of Aurorea, the
Dwarves have developed into distinct subspecies.
The Idar (E-dar) Dwarves,
native to Horidar and it’s colony Horeidar, are a light skinned race, with hair
colors tending to the black, brown, red, and blond variety. The Idar are
excellent traders and have created the Great Northern Gate in Horidar, a
tunnel through the Continental
Mountain range on Elesia.
This tunnel is lined with merchants from all over the continent, happy to pay
for a stall along the busy road and hawk their wares. The Idar dwarves are
always on the lookout for the best deals and treaties, and therefore make
steadfast and powerful business partners.
The Degar (Day-gar) Dwarves,
native to Hordegar, are a dark-skinned, xenophobic race who are content to
hoard the treasured gems of their mountain realm. Degar women are said to be
exceedingly beautiful, rivaling the elf queens with their loveliness. Hidden
away from the rest of the world, the veracity of these tales cannot be tested,
but the truth of them might be seen in the reverence that the Degar hold for
their females. Perhaps it is their protectiveness towards their women and
children that cause the Degar dwarves to come off so coldly in polite society,
but this could be easily ignored, as their metal goods are considered the best
in the world. Unfortunately, the natures of these reclusive dwarves does not make
them prone to sharing and few outside their society have seen their marvelous
craftsmanship.
Racial Properties:
Dwarves stand between 3 and 4½ feat
tall, with women noticeably slighter than men. Idar tend to have fairer
complexions and hair, while Degar often have dark complexions with skin tending
towards the brown and black spectrum. Dwarves are long lived and apparent age
should be multiplied by 3 to determine actual age.
- Dwarves
are a tough and wise, but brusque and undiplomatic race. They gain +2 to Constitution and a +2 to wisdom, but a -2 to
their Charisma.
- Dwarves gain a +2 bonus on all Appraise checks on non-magical goods that are at least partially made of precious metals or gemstones.
- Dwarves
are medium sized and gain no bonuses or penalties for their size.
- Dwarves have an ancient enmity with elves, and receive a +1 on all attack roles against creatures of the elf subtype.
- A
Dwarf’s base speed is 20 feet, but keeps this speed even while wearing armor or
carrying a medium to heavy load.
- Dwarves
have Darkvision of 60 feet.
- Dwarves possess Stonecunning, granting them a +2 perception check to notice oddities such as traps and hidden doors in stone walls and architecture. They are allowed to receive this bonus on a perception check immediately when passing within 10 feet of these things, regardless of whether or not they are actively looking for them.
- Dwarves are proficient with battleaxes, heavy picks, and warhammers, and treat any weapon with "Dwarven" in the name as a martial weapon, rather than an exotic one.
- Dwarves
have are very stable creatures, gaining a +4 racial bonus to their Combat Maneuver Defense against all attempts
to bull rush or trip them while they are standing on solid ground.
- Dwarves
gain a +2 bonus to resist poisons, spells,
and spell-like abilities.
- Idar dwarves treat Appraise as a class skill, even when it is not normally granted to them by their class selection.
- Degar dwarves treat Stealth as a class skill, even when it is not normally granted to them by their class selection.
- Dwarves begin play knowing Common and Dwarven of their sub-race dialect, and may learn additional languages based on their Intelligence score.
