Dwarves

Racial Traits

Average Height: 4′ 3″ – 4′ 9″
Average Weight: 160 – 220 lb.

Stat Bonuses: +1 Constitution, +1 Strength, +2 Wisdom
Size: Medium
Characteristics: Acquisitive, brave, hardworking, loyal, organized, stern, stubborn, tenacious, vengeful.

Play a Dwarf if you want….

• to be tough, gruff, and strong as bedrock.
• to bring glory to your ancestors or serve as your god’s right hand.
• to be able to take as much punishment as you dish out.
• to be a member of a race that favors the paladin, cleric and fighter classes.

Physical Qualities

Dwarves average about 4 1/2 feet in height and are very broad, weight as much as an adult human. Dwarves have the same variety of skin, eye and hair colors as humans, although dwarf skin is sometimes gray or sandstone red and red hair is more common among them. Male dwarves are often bald and braid their long beards into elaborate patterns. Female dwarves braid their hair to show clan and ancestry. Dwarven attire and equipment, including weapons and shields, are decorated with bold geometric shapes, natural gems, and ancestral faces.

Although they reach physical maturity at roughly the same age as humans, dwarves age more slowly and remain vigorous well past 150 years of age, often living to see 200.

Playing a Dwarf

Proudly proclaiming they were made from the earthen rock, dwarves share many qualities with the rock they love.  They are strong, hardy and dependable.  They value their ancestral traditions, which they preserve through the ages as fiercely as they defend the carved structures of their mountain homes.

Dwarves believe in the importance of family ties and ancestry.  They deeply respect their elders, and they honor the long-dead family and ancestral heroes.  They place great value on wisdom and the experience of years, and most are polite to elders of any race.

More so than most other races, dwarves seek guidance and protection from the gods.  They look to the divine for strength, hope and inspiration, or theyh seek to propitate cruel or destructive gods.  Individual dwarves might be impious or openly heretical, but temples and shrines of some sort are found in almost every dwarven community.

To a dwarf, it is a gift and a mark of deep respect to stand beside an ally in battle, and a sign of deepest loyalty to shield that ally from enemy attack.  Dwarven legends honor many heroes who gave their lives to save their family or friends.