Stoic, proud, and enduring, dwarves are known across the world as master artisans, skilled warriors, and builders of kingdoms carved from stone. Their kingdoms are architectural marvels: vast citadels hollowed into mountain hearts, with towering halls, subterranean roads, and mighty gates.
Dwarves organize themselves into powerful clans, each sworn to ancient ancestral halls and bound by shared history. Clan symbols are engraved into armor, shields, and family heirlooms. While they often quarrel among themselves, dwarves unite swiftly in the face of external threats.
Dwarves hold a deep reverence for both tradition and transformation. Every clan traces its lineage through stone tablets, recording deeds of valor in battle, feats of craftsmanship, and the honoring of ancient oaths. Dwarves have forged a unique culture under the guidance of two deities: Malevia, goddess of war, feasts, and glory; and Xaertha, goddess of change, the forge, and blacksmiths.
No matter their clan or kingdom, dwarves are also known for their magnificent beards, which they groom and style with the same care they give their armor and weapons. A beard is a symbol of maturity, pride, and personal honor. Beyond their stoic reputation, dwarves are a people who love hearty cooking, a roaring fire, and a good laugh among friends. Feasts are filled with jokes, tales, and song, though when duty calls, dwarves approach their responsibilities with seriousness and resolve, ready to set aside merriment for the work at hand.
**_Dwarves venture forth for many reasons: to reclaim lost halls, seek glory in battle, master forgotten crafts, or simply to see the world beyond stone walls. A dwarven adventurer carries with them the unshakable pride of their people.
- 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.
- 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. You have Darkvision with a range of 120 feet.
- Dwarven Resilience. You have advantage on saving throws against poison, and you have resistance against poison damage.
- Dwarven Toughness. Your hit point maximum increases by your level.
- Dwarven Combat Training. You have proficiency with the battleaxe, handaxe, light hammer, and warhammer.
Mountain Dwarf
Mountain dwarves dwell in the Overland. Their halls glitter with gold and iron, and their forges burn day and night beneath vaulted stone ceilings. Though their surface territories are small, their underground cities sprawl for miles, filled with mines, smithies, and sacred halls dedicated to Malevia and Xaertha.
They are the most numerous of their kind, forming the backbone of dwarven civilization. When other races speak of dwarves, it is the mountain dwarf they picture: sturdy warriors, iron-willed craftsmen, and proud defenders of ancient traditions. Their culture is shaped by the balance of glory in battle and the patient toil of craftsmanship, preserving the legacy of their ancestors while forging new wonders in stone and steel.
- 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.
3rd level
- Diggy Diggy Hole. As an Action, if you are adjacent to a stone or earthen surface large enough to fit a Medium creature (such as a cave wall, dungeon floor, or rock formation), you can dig a hole using a pickaxe or similar tool. This hole provides half cover (+2 bonus to AC and Dexterity saving throws) at all times to any creature occupying it. A creature leaves or enters the hole by moving out of it (no action required). Only one creature can occupy the hole at a time. You can use this ability a number of times equal to your proficiency bonus, regaining all expended uses after a long rest.
5th level
- One with Rock and Stone. As a Bonus Action, you gain Tremorsense with a range of 60 feet for 10 minutes. You must be on a stone surface or touching a stone surface to use this Tremorsense. The stone can be natural or worked. You can use this Bonus Action a number of times equal to your Proficiency Bonus, and you regain all expended uses when you finish a Long Rest.
Duergar
Long ago, bold dwarves ventured deep into the Underland, seeking untold riches. They found them: gems that pulsed with strange magic, veins of enchanted crystal, and ancient caverns humming with arcane energy.
Over generations, exposure to these magical forces altered them, and they became the duergar, awakening latent mystical power within their blood. Their skin grew pale or ashen, their eyes glimmered with eerie light, and their minds learned to shape magic.
The duergar are few in number, living scattered in isolated strongholds across the vast Underland. Their secluded nature makes them mysterious, and few outsiders ever set foot in their hidden domains. Duergar tend to be grimmer, more secretive, and wary of outsiders, even of their mountain cousins.
- Psionic Fortitude. You have advantage on saving throws you make to avoid or end the charmed or stunned condition on yourself.
- Sunlight Sensitivity. You have disadvantage on Attack rolls and Wisdom (Perception) checks that rely on sight when you, the target of your attack, or whatever you are trying to perceive is in direct sunlight.
3rd level
- Duergar Magic. You can cast the Reduce spell once without a spell slot or material components. You regain the ability to do so when you finish a long rest. You can also cast it using your spell slots.
5th level
- Stronger Duergar Magic. You can cast the Invisibility spell once without a spell slot or material components. You regain the ability to do so when you finish a long rest. You can also cast it using your spell slots.
