Dwarf
Dwarves are known for their skill in warfare, their ability to withstand physical and magical punishment, their knowledge of the earth's secrets, their hard work, and their capacity for drinking ale. Their mysterious kingdoms, carved out from the insides of mountains, are renowned for the marvelous treasures that they produce as gifts or for trade.
There are three dwarven subraces: shield dwarves, gold dwarves, and gray dwarves (also known as duergar).
Shield dwarves, the most common race of dwarves, are physically stout but rough around the edges, receiving +2 Constitution and -2 Charisma. Gold dwarves lack the poor charisma of shield dwarves but are less agile. Gray dwarves are even less charismatic than shield dwarves, but make up for it with natural talents and spell-like abilities.
Gold Dwarf
The gold dwarves maintained their great kingdom in the Great Rift and managed to survive terrible wars against evil humanoids. While they practiced some magic, they never acquired the hubris that caused the downfall of some human nations. Confident and secure in their remote home, the gold dwarves gained a reputation for haughtiness and pride. Since the Thunder Blessing, many young gold dwarves have left the Great Rift and are exploring the rest of the region. The folk of other lands have learned that while some gold dwarves are aloof and suspicious, for the most part they are forthright warriors and shrewd traders.
Racial Traits:
- Ability Adjustments: +2 Consitution, -2 Dexterity.
- Darkvision: Dwarves can see in the dark up to 60 feet.
- Stonecunning: +2 bonus to Search checks when inside.
- Lore Affinity: +2 bonus to Lore checks.
- Weapon Familiarity: Dwarven waraxes are treated as martial weapons, rather than exotic weapons.
- Hardiness vs. Poisons: +2 racial bonus to saving throws against poison.
- Hardiness vs. Spells: +2 racial bonus to saving throws against spells and spell-like effects.
- Battle Training vs. Giants: +4 dodge bonus to Armor Class against monsters of the giant type (such as ogres, trolls, and hill giants).
- Battle Training vs. Aberrations: +1 racial bonus on attack rolls against aberrations.
- Favored Class: Fighter. A multiclass gold dwarf 's fighter class does not count when determining whether he takes an experience point penalty for multiclassing. Dwarven culture extols the virtues of battle, and the vocation comes easily to dwarves.
Gray Dwarf
After rising up against their mind flayer enslavers, the gray dwarves, or duergar, emerged as a new subrace of dwarf with limited mental powers. Duergar on the whole are evil, but some turn their backs on their fellows and seek a different sort of life. Male and female duergar are bald, and women do not grow beards. They are much thinner than other dwarves, with severe facial expressions, gray hair, and gray skin.
Racial Traits:
- Ability Adjustments: +2 Consitution, -4 Charisma.
- Darkvision: Duergar can see in the dark up to 120 feet.
- Weapon Familiarity: Dwarven waraxes are treated as martial weapons rather than exotic weapons.
- Stonecunning: +2 bonus to Search checks when inside.
- Immunity to Poison: Immunity to all poisons.
- Immunity to Phantasms: Immune to the spells phantasmal killer and weird.
- Immunity to Paralysis: Duergar cannot be paralyzed.
- Hardiness vs. Spells: +2 racial bonus to saving throws against spells and spell-like effects.
- Battle Training vs. Giants: +4 dodge bonus to Armor Class against monsters of the giant type (such as ogres, trolls, and hill giants).
- Battle Training vs. Orcs and Goblinoids: +1 racial bonus on attack rolls against orcs (including half-orcs) and goblinoids (including goblins, hobgoblins, and bugbears).
- Stealthy: +4 racial bonus to Move Silently checks.
- Keen Senses: +1 racial bonus to Listen and Spot checks.
- Spell-Like Abilities:
1/day - Enlarge as a wizard twice the duergar's level (minimum 3rd level).
1/day - Invisibility as a wizard twice the deurgar's level (minimum 3rd level).
- Light Sensitivity: -2 circumstance penalty to attack rolls, saves, and checks in bright sunlight.
- Favored Class: Fighter. A multiclass duergar 's fighter class does not count when determining whether he takes an experience point penalty for multiclassing. Dwarven culture extols the virtues of battle, and the vocation comes easily to dwarves.
- Level Adjustment +1: Duergar are slightly more powerful and gain levels more slowly than other races. It will take more experience for a duergar to reach level 2 than it would for normal races, for example.
Shield Dwarf
The dwarven kingdoms of long ago became locked in eternal wars with goblin-kind and other dwellers in the Underdark. One by one, the dwarven empires of the north failed, leaving only scattered survivors in the mountains or unconquered sections of the Underdark. The clans that survived these battles are the shield dwarves, and they are the most common type of dwarf seen throughout the Realms.
Racial Traits:
- Ability Adjustments:: +2 Constitution, -2 Charisma.
- Darkvision: Dwarves can see in the dark up to 60 feet.
- Stonecunning: +2 bonus to Search checks when inside.
- Lore Affinity: +2 bonus to Lore checks.
- Weapon Familiarity: Dwarven waraxes are treated as martial weapons rather than exotic weapons.
- Hardiness vs. Poisons: +2 racial bonus to saving throws against poison.
- Hardiness vs. Spells: +2 racial bonus to saving throws against spells and spell-like effects.
- Battle Training vs. Giants: +4 dodge bonus to Armor Class against monsters of the giant type (such as ogres, trolls, and hill giants).
- Battle Training vs. Orcs and Goblinoids: +1 racial bonus to attack rolls against orcs (including half-orcs) and goblinoids (including goblins, hobgoblins, and bugbears).
- Favored Class: Fighter. A multiclass shield dwarf 's fighter class does not count when determining whether he takes an experience point penalty for multiclassing. Dwarven culture extols the virtues of battle, and the vocation comes easily to dwarves.