The Dwarf
Dwarven relations with other races
Humans
Other than the Urbanites most dwarves will trade and work with humans but tend to avoid thier cities and societies if possible. They view humans as being "scatter-brained" not able to focus their attention on a single objective.
Elves
Dwarves tend to stay out of eleven lands except for trading or diplomatic reasons. If a dwarf is seen in an eleven city, they are more than likely be passing through. The same can be said about an elf in a dwarven village.
Halflings
Halflings are not trusted by dwarves, when a halfling is around hands move to either weapons or coin bags. Halflings will be followed throghout merchant shops, markets and even watched at taverns and feasthalls. Dwarves will give them a wide berth in the streets putting them at arms reach.
Half-Elves
Half-Elves are viewed as either elf or human based on the physical traits of the person.
Half-Orc
Dwarves are not fans of Orcs or half-orcs. Half-orc can enter a dwarven city, or stronghold but they are not expected to stay more than a few hours. The half-orc will almost always have a militia escort and some streets my even be blocked by citizens. The non-Orc companions will not be treated any different, even on later visits alone.
Other Dwarves
Dwarves do not always view other dwarves with the same sense of brotherhood. Deep dwarves normally will only associate with Subterranean ash dwarves. While no other dwarf will willingly associate with an Urbanite. Only Deep dwarves will work and trade with Duergar.
Off World Dwarves
Off world dwarves are view with some cautious curiosity. If the off-world dwarf is willing to discuss crafting techniques (or fashion to the Urbanite) then the conversation will be energetic until there is no other information to be had. Other than this, a off world dwarf will be greeted with a simple nod or stare.
| Sub-Race | Ability Score Adjustment | |||||
| STR | DEX | CON | INT | WIS | CHR | |
| Ash (Subterrabean) | +1 | -- | -- | +1 | -- | -1 |
| Ash (Surface) | +1 | -- | +1 | -- | -- | -1 |
| Ash (Urbanite) | -1 | -- | -- | -- | -1 | +2 |
| Deep | +1 | -- | +1 | +1 | -- | -2 |
| Mountain | +1 | +1 | +1 | -1 | -1 | -1 |
Ash Drawf
People from other lands may confuse the Ash Dwarf with a Duergar before meeting one, after-words they would come away thinking they are nothing like a Duergar. And in both cases, they would be wrong. According to historical texts, a series of large portals opened and an army of dwarves marched through bent on conquering another land at the will of their master. When the gates closed the dwarves looked around, there were no cities, no armies. They made camp and after several days realized they were mistakenly sent to the wrong place. Many dropped their weapons while others marched off to the mountains to seek caves and a path to the underdark.
Ash (Duergar)
Those that made it into the underdark maintained their previous lifestyle and society and they continue too today. The Duergar are rarely seen outside of the underdark, those they do have some minor trade relations with other subterranean dwarfs however, in most of these cases it is the other dwarfs that bring the goods down to them. Duergar society is basically a lawful-evil one. Laws and punishments are harsh, for those that can not bribe their way out of it. A standard saying among them is “No Witness, No Crime”. Duergar’s maintain they pale ash skin and dark nearly black eyes.
Ash (Subterrabean)
The second group of Ash Dwarves that went underground live closer to the surface and make frequent trips to surface communities to trade or for work. These dwarves are excellent engineers and craftsmen and enjoy the challenges of creating and building new structures and items. The more impossible the task, the cheaper they work. Due to their time on the surface, their skin has taken a less pale look and their eyes and hair has taken on a brownish color.
Ash (Surface)
Surface dwelling ash dwarves refuse to go underground unless they have little other choice or a really good reason. These dwarves are mostly farmers, craftsmen, woodsmen, guardsmen, soldiers, and merchants. They live in their own above ground communities and can be found in most human cites. Their dress is simple and based on their occupation. Their skin has tanned out giving them more of a bronzish skin and a lighter brown hair and dark brown eyes.
Ash (Urbanite)
The last group of ahs dwarves embraced the human city life and all its foppish ways. They tend to remove all their body hair. The male beards are well groomed and curled. The hair on their heads the same. The females keep their beards shaved. Their clothing is made from the finest materials they can afford and always of the latest fashion styles. They remain clean and smell of perfume. They tend to be merchants, scribes or any occupation that does not require physical exertion or getting dirty. Urbanites look down on other dwarves calling them un-evolved. Urbanites will use hair and skin dyes to give them a skin tone from pale white to a deep bronze, depending on the location and the current trend. They will also dye their hair and beards for the occasion they are dressing for.
Deep
Deep dwarves have skin that looks like granite with grayish black hair and dark brown eyes. There is little variation between each of them. This sub-race is quiet rarely speaks and when they do it is in low tones in an almost whisper. They are adept miners and spend most of their days either mining, crafting, or defending their cities from underdatk creatures. To see a deep dwarf on the surface is beyond a rarity as they will rarely be seen within a mile of the surface.
Mountain
Mountain dwarves are the hardiest of the dwarves and the best for combat. From the day they arrived on the planet they have had to fight someone or something. Mountain dwarves spend an equal amount of time both below ground and above ground. They have learned to fight on sloped terrain and against a large and diverse group of enemies. For the most part, these dwarves are good crafters, not as good as many of their counterparts, but they can produce good quality goods. Mountain dwarves appear as a normal dwarf, somewhat heavier than others. Their hair is either brown, red or blonde with brown or blue eyes. Their skin is generally heavily tanned. Most dwarves in their society are armored, a young dwarf will receive armor and weapons at a really young age and are constantly trained.
Benefits of Age
Dwarven age benefits apply to dwarves that remain close to their clan structure and society. These benefits are generally related to dwarven activity within the clan, such as excavating tunnels, mining ore, smelting ore, crafting weapons and armor. Additionally benefits are applied to fighting skills, if the dwarf has any. So for every 30 years a dwarf spends with his clan he gains one of the following benefits;
| Sub-Race | 30 | 60 | 90 | 120 | 150 | 180 | 210 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ash (Subterrabean) | Clan Enemy I | Clan Enemy II | Proficient Miner | Proficient Prospector | Fast Smithing | Bonded Weapon | Dwarven Line |
| Ash (Surface) | Clan Enemy I | Master Craft | Clan Enemy II | Master Appraisal | Fast Smithing | Weapon Bonding | Dwarven Line |
| Ash (Urbanite) | Streetwise | Custom Knowedge | Deplomacy +5 | -- | Master Appraisal | Master Craft | -- |
| Deep | Proficient Minor | Clan Enemy I | Proficient Prospector | Clan Enemy II | Fast Smithing | Master Appraisal | Dwarven Line |
| Mountain | Clan Enemy I | Clan Enemy II | Dwarven Line | Bonded Weapon | Master Craft | Proficient Prospector | -- |
Clan Enemy I & II
Each dwarven clan has an enemy they have fought constantly over the years. At first level the player mush choose their clans enemy. As the dwarf ages he/she becomes more proficient at attacking and defending agaist this enemy. Clan Enemy I grants a +1 racial bonus to hit and damage verses this enemy. Clan Enemy II grants a +1 racial bonus to armor class and saving throws.
Proficient Minor
The dwarf has worked in and around the mines for so long they can now dig an extra cubic yard of rock per day.
Proficient Prospector
The dwarf now has an eye for changes in the rock and is able to locate veins of precious minerals more easily, reducing the DC for prospecting by 5.
Fast Smithing
Being around forges the dwarf is able to pound out goods from the forge faster than others. The required time to repair or make forged items is reduced by 25%.
Weapon Bonding
The dwarf has used the same weapon for decades and knows the balance and swing of the weapon better than they know themselves. The dwarf gains one additioal attack per round with this weapon.
Dwarven Line
Fighting along side other dwarves for so long they know each others tactics very well. When a dwarf fights within 5 feet of another dwarf they both gain a +1 to armor class. If there are three dwarves then the bonus increases to +2.
Master Craft
The dwarf has made enough items and workd long enough in their profession all their goods are considered masterwork.
Master Appraisal
Being around for awhile the dwarf is aware of the latest trends in supply and demand and is able to properly apraise the value of items. +0.5 per level to appraise skill.
Streetwise
Being on the streets of the cites all their lives, they have learned how to not be bluffed or swindled by merchants and theives. The DC required to bluff the dwarf is increase by 5.
Custom Knowledge
Gaines 1 skill point in know custom skill per level of the character. A successful skill check with this skill will give the character the knoweledge of the local dress and customs of any given area.
History and Lore
Dwarven history is difficult to follow, especially deep dwarves. The dwarves, being underground, have little to remind them of the passage of time. So events tend to be group together around something familiar. These events can include the reigning king, the life of a mine, and the length of a mineral vain or a lengthy war. To an outsider, it becomes nearly impossible to discern which events came before which. To make matters even worse, what other races may believe is significant event in history, a dwarf may not. So a large number of years can go by without anything being recorded.
It is assumed the Deep Dwarven sub-race arrived on planet first. According to lore, the deep dwarves were happily mining away following a rich vain. The vain moved to far away from the main city so camps were set up along the way. The dwarves busted through into a large cavern where several mineral vanes ran through the walls. Most of the clan moved into the cavern to mine the minerals. With carts loaded with smelted ores and crafted wares, the dwarves proceeded to return to their city. Part way back through the tunnel the way was blocked. It had not been a cave in, there were no signs, and it just appeared as if the tunnel just stopped. The dug through for several miles, but never could find the original tunnel. The dwarves continued with their lives tunneling away, mining building their new city and crafting wares. Eventually the Mountain Dwarves of the Stronghold of Rochmoc tunneled their way down and found the deep dwarves.
The mountain dwarves came to this world on spelljammers. The lands they came from were low in minerals and high in population; human and elves. The dwarves were not able to open a new mine without some human or elf claiming it was done on their land. The entire clan put the last of their resources into purchasing enough vessels to carry the entire clan to another world. Not being spacefaring folk, the dwarves ended up lost until they finally found themselves here. They landed in the hardiest of mountain ranges they could fine and claimed it for themselves.
The ash dwarves came here as part of a large expedition led by a demon queen. These dwarves were her slave army nearly 4000 strong. Something went amiss when a gate was opened and the dwarves were sent forth to slaughter. They emerged on an open plain with nothing and no one around. After camping for some time most of them dropped their weapons and armor and set off to make a new life.
The Calendar
The Dwarven calendars are a new concept and only started a few hundred years ago. Most dwarven communities use the human calendars of the local area instead of creating their own. As stated before, much of the dwarven history is confusing and most scollers disgarded the writings.