DWARF

Dwarves are about four feet tall, stocky of build and weigh 150 pounds, shoulders very broad, their skin a ruddy tan, brown or grey. They wear long beards. Dwarves favor earth tones in their clothing and prefer simple and functional garb. They are sturdy fighters and are especially resistant to magic as shown by their better saving throws against magical attack. They have deepvision and can see 60 feet in the dark. Underground, they can detect slanting passages, traps, shifting wails and new construction about one-third of the time. Dwarves can all speak the languages of gnomes, kobolds and goblins.

Dwarves are experts in combat, effectively using their environment and executing well-planned group attacks. They rarely use magic in fights, since they have few wizards or sorcerers (but dwarven clerics throw themselves into battle as heartily as their fellow warriors). If they have time to prepare, they may build deadfalls or other traps involving stone. In addition to the dwarven waraxe and thrown hammer, dwarves also use warhammers, picks, shortbows, heavy crossbows, and maces.

Most who travel outside dwarven lands (as traders, mercenaries, or adventurers) know the Common tongue, while warriors in the dwarven cities usually learn Goblin to better interrogate and spy on those evil denizens of the deep caves.

Most dwarves encountered outside their home are warriors.

RACIAL TRAITS AND ABILITIES

SIZE: Small
MOVEMENT: 20 feet
ATTRIBUTE MODIFIERS: +1 Constitution, -1 Dexterity
FAVORED CLASS: Fighter
LANGUAGES: Common, Dwarven, Gnome, Goblinoid, Halfling, Elven, Ogrish, Giant, Troll

ANIMOSITY (Elves): The disparate personalities of dwarves and elves have resulted in eons of misunderstandings, squabbles and even wars between the two races. Dwarves consider elves to be disloyal and untrustworthy partners in war or trade. As a result, dwarves suffer a -2 penalty to charisma checks when dealing with elves to whom they are not closely associated.

DEEPVISION: Ages spent beneath the earth in the dark and quiet places of the world have imbued dwarves with the ability to see in darkness where a human would find it impenetrable. This vision extends up to 120 feet in even the darkest of nights and deepest of tunnels. Colors tend to erode with deepvision, and objects appear in many shades of gray. It is otherwise like normal sight, and dwarves can function well with no light at all. Bright lights, such as from a lantern or other light source, spoil deepvision. A dwarf requires one turn to adjust his or her eyes when a light source is extinguished before gaining full use of deepvision.

DETERMINE DEPTH AND DIRECTION: The world beneath mountains and in the deeps of the earth is the natural home of the dwarf. Dwarves can sense their approximate depth underground as naturally as a human can sense which way is up. The dwarf can determine direction underground just as easily.

ENMITY (Goblins/Orcs): Eternal wars against goblins and orcs have created an undying crucible of hatred for these vile creatures. When in combat against goblins or orcs, this fury and hatred allows dwarves a +1 bonus to hit these creatures. Dwarves have a similar distrust of half-orcs.

Dwarves find inter-breeding with goblinoids to be the worst of all sins, and their powerful antipathy towards pure goblinoids negatively affects dwarven relations with half-orcs. Dwarves suffer a -4 to charisma checks when interacting with half-orcs, goblins and orcs.

DEFENSIVE EXPERTISE (Giants/Ogres): Long regarded as a food source by many giants, dwarves have developed considerable expertise in fighting them. Combined with their small size, this tactical expertise allows dwarves to offer resistance to the powerful giants. When fighting giants or ogres, dwarves receive a +4 bonus to armor class.

RESISTANT TO ARCANE MAGIC: As unshakeable as granite or iron, dwarves are particularly resistant to arcane magic. They receive a +3 bonus to all saving throws against arcane spells and spell-like effects.

RESISTANT TO FEAR: Dwarven loyalty, duty, stubbornness and honor lend them courage where other races might falter. Dwarves receive a +2 bonus to all saving throws against fear.

RESISTANT TO POISONS (Constitution): Dwarves are imbued with great constitutional fortitude. Poisons that might fell a normal human are less likely to affect a dwarf. Dwarves receive a +2 bonus to all poison saving throws.

STONECRAFT (Wisdom): Dwarves spend much of their lives carving halls, castles and underground fortresses out of solid rock, so they possess an extensive knowledge of stoneworking and construction. They possess almost a sixth sense in this regard which gives them various bonuses and abilities. Dwarves are capable of spotting unusual or unique construction or stonework features including new construction, unfamiliar architecture, sliding walls, stonework traps, unsafe stone surfaces, unstable ceilings and secret or concealed doorways constructed or disguised as stone. A dwarf passing within 10 feet of one of these features is entitled to a wisdom check at +2 to recognize the feature, as if actively looking for it. Should a dwarf actively search for these features, the bonus to the wisdom check is +4. When examining a feature, a successful wisdom check reveals other bits of knowledge, such as which race created the feature, its approximate age, and if applicable, the approximate value of a stone or metal object.

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