Dwarves are a major[1] spacefaring race in the Spelljammer campaign setting,[2] and can be selected as a player character race.[3]
"Not bad for a human. We could have built a real palace, of course. Sturdy walls, strong halls underground, none of this light-airy-dome business"
- Arkaddun Stonethrower, dwarven engineer and architect[4]
Overview[]
Dwarves are a race of short, stocky humanoids who live deep beneath the earth, forging great cities and waging devastating wars against the forces of chaos and evil.[3] Unlike the elves, who have generally united behind the monolithic Elven Imperial Navy, spacefaring dwarven communities maintain their independence while remaining in constant communication with each other. Each dwarven community in wildspace is considered a sovereign nation, with its own ruler (known as "the king within the mountain") and its own ruling council of nobles and princes (known as "the shining council").[2][5]
Description[]
Dwarves stand 4 to 4 1/2 feet tall, and weigh around 130 to 170 pounds. They tend to be stocky and muscular, with ruddy cheeks and bright eyes. Their skin is typically deep tan or light brown, while their hair is usually black, gray, or brown, and worn long, though not long enough to impair their vision. Males favor long beards and mustaches, which are highly valued and are usually very carefully groomed. Dwarves can live from 350 to 450 years.
Dwarves do not favor ornate stylings or wrappings for their hair or their beards, and their clothing tends to be simple and functional. They often wear earth tones, using cloth considered rough and coarse by other races, especially humans and elves. Dwarves usually wear one or more pieces of jewelry, though these items are usually of no great value or ostentatious. Though dwarves value gems and precious metals greatly, they consider it in bad taste to flaunt their wealth.
Dwarves have found it useful to learn the languages of many of their allies and enemies. In addition to their own languages, dwarves often speak the languages of gnomes, goblins, kobolds, orcs, and the common tongue, which is frequently used in trade negotiations with other races.[3]
Personality[]
Dwarves have much in common with the rocks and gems they love to work, for they are both hard and unyielding. It has often been said that it's easier to make a stone weep than it is to change a dwarf's mind. Dwarves are a sturdy race, but they are a solitary people who distrust outsiders and other races.[3]
Combat[]
Dwarves are courageous, tenacious fighters who generally disdain magic, having developed some resistance to its effects. However, despite their non-magical nature, dwarves often become priests and happily utilise divine magic. Dwarves are also unusually resistant to the effects of toxic substances, possibly due to their exceptionally strong Constitution.
Having lived for thousands of years beneath the earth, dwarves have developed a number of skills and special abilities that help them to survive in their chosen environment. All dwarves have darkvision, enabling them to see up to 60 feet in the dark. When underground, dwarves can tell quite a bit about their location by looking carefully at their surroundings. When within 10-feet of what they are looking for, dwarves can detect the grade and slope of a passage, new tunnel construction, sliding or shifting walls or rooms, and stonework traps, pits, and deadfalls. Dwarves can also determine their approximate depth underground at any time.
During their long habitation beneath the earth as well as in wildspace, dwarves have often come into conflict with many of the evil creatures with which they share their environment, including orcs, half-orcs, goblins, and hobgoblins, and have since developed strategies to effectively combat them. In addition, their shorter stature has also proven an advantage against ogres, trolls, ogre magi, and giants.
Dwarven military units are well-organized and extremely well-disciplined. Dwarven troops usually wear chain mail and carry shields in battle, and wield a variety of weapons, including axes, hammers, swords, spears, some maces and picks, as well as a selection of crossbows. Dwarven commanders will typically wear plate armor and carry shields, with a good chance that these are enchanted.[3]
Society[]
Spaceborn dwarves typically establish their homes within mineral-rich asteroids and larger planetoids, and, much like their terrestrial kin, their towns and cities tend to be vast, beautiful complexes carved into solid stone. However, unlike their terrestrial cousins, spaceborn dwarves are fully aware that their colonies are temporary at best and that their mineral resources will eventually run out, forcing the resident dwarves to seek out a new home.
Smaller dwarven nations are based within small asteroids. Once these have been equipped with dwarven forges, they are transformed into enormous spelljamming vessels known as citadels. Citadels are a combination of home, ship and base, and range in size from 300 tons (the most common) to 700 tons, making them the largest vessels in wildspace bar the Spelljammer itself.[6] The dwarves consume their own ships through mining, building and crafting, and once all the mineral resources have been depleted, they are abandoned, their forges quenched and moved to a new citadel.
Larger dwarven nations are located within proportionally larger asteroids and planetoids that slowly tumble around a planet or the system's sun. Dwarven citadels whose populations have grown too large may move into a stationary asteroid as opposed to creating another citadel immediately. Part of the asteroid is carved away to form a new citadel, and the forges placed within, so that some of the population may move on, should they so desire.
Life within a dwarven asteroid is similar to that of terrestrial dwarves on most planets: a subterranean existence with a great deal of mining, crafting, and other activities, with occasional feasts and celebrations. Dwarven cities are lit within by a pale luminous moss which also provides most of the fresh air for the asteroid base. The moss grows everywhere, and often conceals carvings or secret doors installed by previous generations.
Dwarven society is organized into clans which usually specialize in a particular craft or skill; young dwarves are apprenticed at an early age to a master in their clan (or, occasionally, in another clan) to learn a trade. Since dwarves live so long, apprenticeships last for many years. Dwarves also consider political and military service a skilled trade, so soldiers and politicians are usually subjected to a long period of apprenticeship before they are considered professionals. Each of the clans serve a specific function: some are drillers, some are rock-haulers, some are artisans, some are warriors or mercenaries. Clan traditions go back generations, and dwarves are loath to take up an occupation not practiced by their clan. This has led to very specialized groups within each nation, with clans dedicated to working as blacksmiths, silversmiths, goldsmiths, armorers, weapons makers, and gem cutters.
To outsiders, life within these colonies might seem as rigid and unchanging as the stone that their homes are wrought from, which isn't all that far from the truth. Dwarves value law and order above all else, and this love of stability may originate in their long life spans, for dwarves can watch things made of wood and other mutable materials decay within a single lifetime. It shouldn't be surprising, then, that they value things that are unchanging and toil ceaselessly to make their craft beautiful and long-lived.
Dwarves also prize wealth, as it is something that can be developed over a long period of time. All types of precious metal, but particularly gold, are highly prized by dwarves, as are diamonds and other gems. Dwarves believe, however, that it is in poor taste to advertise wealth. Metals and gems are best counted in secret, so that neighbors are not offended or tempted.
To most spaceborn dwarves, all other dwarves are kin and they will often go to great lengths to establish some kind of ancestral relationship, however faint. This is reflected in a strong communal sense of personal honour among dwarves, in that an attack against one dwarf is seen as an attack on all dwarves. Dwarven communities can often be worked into a righteous fury by tales of atrocities committed against dwarves in far off crystal spheres, and many a careless bard has set off a dwarven crusade by elaborating too greatly on their tales.
Most spaceborn dwarven communities are on cordial, if distant, terms with their groundling cousins. Most of their communication passes through adventuring dwarves who travel to and from the various planetary bodies. Most dwarven nations are concerned with the decline of their people in the face of more robust populations of humans, orcs and elves. Most asteroid nations and citadels currently inhabited are thriving, but there are a huge number of abandoned citadels and bases drifting through wildspace, that have been repurposed, either as lairs by various monsters, or as bases by other spacefaring races.
Most other races see dwarves as a greedy, dour, grumpy folk who prefer the darkness of their secretive asteroid homes to the brightness of the stars in wildspace. This is partially true. Dwarves have little patience for humans and other short-lived races (since their concerns seem so petty when seen from dwarven eyes). Dwarves also mistrust elves because they are not as serious-minded as dwarves and waste their long lives on pastimes the dwarves see as frivolous. However, dwarves have been known to band together with both humans and elves in times of crisis, and long-term trade agreements and alliances are common.
On the other hand, dwarves have no mixed feelings about the evil races that continue to attack and dispoil their asteroid homes in space. They have an intense hatred of orcs, goblins, evil giants, and drow, and these dire creatures often fear dwarves, for these stout folk are tireless enemies of evil and chaos. It is a common goal of all dwarves to wage constant and bitter war against their enemies until either they or their foes are destroyed.
Dwarves most often trade in finished goods. Since much of their culture is focused on creating things from the resources available to them, dwarves produce a large amount of useful, valuable trade material which are highly valued for their workmanship. Dwarves are skilled miners, and though they rarely sell the precious metals and rough gems they uncover, dwarven miners have been known to sell surpluses to local human communities. Dwarves are also skilled engineers and master builders – though they work almost exclusively with stone – and some dwarven architects work for humans quite frequently. In fact, a fair number of dwarves can be found in human communities, where they work as artisans, weaponsmiths, and other craftsmen, and some even become adventurers before settling down to life "within the mountain".[3][2]
Dwarven homeworld[]
A common myth among spacefaring dwarves is that of a dwarven homeworld, a concept missing in elven and human origin tales (the elves feel the concept is unnecessary, while humans consider whatever world they come from to be their homeworld). This legendary dwarven homeworld is often envisaged as a wonderous world of huge mountains bored through by great tunnels and filled with ornate, wondrous sculptures the size of dwarven citadels. Attempts to recreate this fantasy have often been attempted on other worlds, but the legend persists. While races new to space, such as the giff and the dracon, have their own tales about some legendary homeworld, the dwarven legend has persisted for as long as the dwarves have been in space.[2]
Duergar[]
Duergar, also known as gray dwarves, are a malevolent race who dwell deep underground, and resemble emaciated, nasty-looking dwarves. Their complexion and hair range from medium to dark gray, and they prefer drab clothing designed to blend in with their environment. Within their communities, duergar may wear jewelry, though such pieces are generally kept dull. They speak their own dialect of the dwarven tongue, “undercommon” (the trading language of subterranean cultures), as well as a form of sign language commonly employed by some subterranean cultures.
All duergar have darkvision allowing them to see in the dark up to 120 feet. They also possess innate magical abilities of enlargement and invisibility (as per the spells). They can use their enlargement ability to either grow or shrink themselves, as well as anything they are wearing or carrying.[7]
Duergar are adversely affected by daylight which limits their effectiveness in wildspace. However, some isolated incidents indicate that some duergar clans have begun using hammerships, dromonds and tradesmen to mine metal-rich asteroids.[8]
Notable Dwarves[]
- Agate Ironlord Kova was the Kova or leader of the oldest, and most conservative, dwarven community onboard the Spelljammer.[9]
- Arkan Nobrodukk was the only dwarf on the Rock of Bral's Noble Council.[10]
- Brack Snagtooth was the owner of Snagtooth Shipbuilding located in the Free City of Greyhawk on Oerth in Greyspace.[11]
- Bron Stoneheart was the master miner and chief executive of the mining operation on the asteroid known as Motherlode in the Grinder in Greyspace.[12]
- Cap'n Gyudd was the proprietor of Cap'n Gyudd's Nautical Goods, a store on Bral which specialized in miscellaneous spacefaring goods and equipment.[13][14]
- King Druin of the Adamantite Circle was the dwarven ambassador to the council of war called in response to raids conducted by the Vodoni Empire.[15]
- Dwumor Barethold was king of Barukhaza and one of the Four Kings who nominally ruled all dwarven communities in the Astromundi Cluster.[16]
- Fallgon of the Whitebeards was a warrior-priest of Dumathoin from the Whitestone citadel and first mate of the mining ship Pebble.[17]
- Hurricane Halvor was the proprietor of Hurricane Halvor's Spacedock, an apparently mobile asteroid spacedock.[18]
- Forge Irongrip was a devout follower of Reorx and captain of the dwarven crusading tradesman, the Hand of Reorx.[19]
- Gordo Runelight was king of Chakarak and one of the Four Kings who nominally ruled all dwarven communities in the Astromundi Cluster.[16] Gordo and his followers were considered outcasts as they refused to conform to the rules and policies as set out by Makky Kurebold and the other Four Kings.[20]
- Huul Rantiron was king of Doromakhad and one of the Four Kings who nominally ruled all dwarven communities in the Astromundi Cluster.[16]
- Ironeyes Fireheart was an evangelical priest of Reorx who offered his services at various space ports on the planet Reorx and was considering travelling into wildspace to spread the wisdom of his god.[21]
- Makky Kurebold was king of Cerekazadh and was the most powerful and influential of the Four Kings who nominally ruled all dwarven communities in the Astromundi Cluster.[16]
- Mordreggan Zudrik was the founder of House Zudrik, a mining company based on the Rock of Bral.[22]
- Orotund Locofoco was a priest of Reorx who was appointed as mining foreman on Majere in Krynnspace due to his skills at arbitration and negotiation.[23]
- Reuful lronhand was the king of the dwarven community on Reorx in Krynnspace.[24]
- Rockbottom Jones was the one-legged port master at one of the space ports on the mesas of Reorx in Krynnspace.[25]
- Tholgrim of the Whitebeards was a warrior-priest of Dumathoin from the Whitestone citadel and captain of the mining ship Pebble.[26]
- Threndur Icehewer was the leader of the Dwarven Boarding Company, a dwarven mercenary company based on the Rock of Bral.[27][28]
- Uriksedda Ulfand was the leader of Xenotermination, a company specialized in hunting and eliminating dangerous wildspace creatures.[22]
- Vagner Firespitter of the Freedwarves was the leader of the more freewheeling, creative and temperamental dwarven community onboard the Spelljammer.[29]
Signature Spelljammers[]
Dwarves are most commonly associated with the citadel, one of the largest vessels in space.[30] However, because citadels are unable to land without risk, the dwarves must rely on other ships for trade as well as defence, including hammerships and tradesmen. Certain communities rely on innocuous designs that resemble terrestrial sailing ships, such as the dwarven mining ship,[31] allowing them to travel to groundling port cities without attracting unwelcome attention.
Appendix[]
Gallery[]
External Links[]
- Dwarf article at the Forgotten Realms Wiki, a wiki for the Forgotten Realms campaign setting.
- Dwarf article at the Dark Sun Wiki, a wiki for the Dark Sun campaign setting.
- Dwarf article at the Chronicles of Astinus, a wiki for the Dragonlance campaign setting.
- Dwarf article at the Eberron Wiki, a wiki for the Eberron campaign setting.
- Dwarf article at Greyhawkonline.com, a wiki for the Greyhawk campaign setting.
- Dwarf article at the Dungeons and Dragons Lore Wiki, a wiki for official Dungeons & Dragons content from every edition.
- Dwarf article at the Advanced Dungeons & Dragons 2nd Edition Wiki, a wiki for official Dungeons & Dragons content from 2nd edition AD&D.
References[]
- ↑ Jeff Grubb. AD&D Adventures in Space; Lorebook of the Void, TSR, Inc., 1989, Major and Minor Races side bar (pp.50, 52 and 54)
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 Jeff Grubb. AD&D Adventures in Space; Lorebook of the Void, TSR, Inc., 1989, Dwarves section, chapter 3: Spacefarers (pp.56–57)
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 3.5 Tim Beach et al, Monstrous Manual, 1993, (TSR Inc.), Dwarf entry, pages 94-95
- ↑ Richard Baker, SJR5 Rock of Bral, 1992, (TSR Inc), sidebar, page 46
- ↑ Richard Baker, SJR5 Rock of Bral, 1992, (TSR Inc), part one: The Crossroads of Wildspace section, page 15
- ↑ Jeff Grubb. AD&D Adventures in Space; Lorebook of the Void, TSR, Inc., 1989, chapter 2: Spelljammers (pp.45–46)
- ↑ Tim Beach et al, Monstrous Manual, 1993, (TSR Inc.), Dwarf entry, pages 96-97
- ↑ Ed Greenwood, SJR1 Lost Ships, 1990, (TSR Inc.), Quest for the Starmetal section, Amid the Stars chapter, page 26
- ↑ Jeff Grubb, The Legend of Spelljammer, Captains and Ships, 1991, (TSR Inc.), Personalities of the Spelljammer, pages 55-56
- ↑ Richard Baker, SJR5 Rock of Bral, 1992, (TSR Inc), The Noble Council section, page 25
- ↑ Dale "Slade" Henson, War Captain's Companion, War Captain's Guide, 1992, (TSR Inc.), chapter 4: Shipbuilding Companies, page 37
- ↑ Nigel Findley, SJR6 Greyspace, 1992, (TSR Inc.), Important NPCs section, The Grinder, page 32
- ↑ Dale "Slade" Henson, War Captain's Companion, War Captain's Guide, 1992, (TSR Inc.), chapter 2: Cap'n Gyudd's Spacefaring Gear, pages 11-12
- ↑ Richard Baker, SJR5 Rock of Bral, 1992, (TSR Inc), part three: A City Among the Stars, page 70
- ↑ Grant Boucher, SJA4 Under The Dark Fist, 1991, (TSR Inc.), Appendix B: Non-Player Characters, page 54
- ↑ 16.0 16.1 16.2 16.3 Sam Witt, The Astromundi Cluster, Adventures in the Shattered Sphere, 1993, (TSR Inc.), Dwarves section, Astromundi Powers chapter, page 29
- ↑ Shonn Everett, "Visitors from Above", Dungeon Magazine Issue 28, March/April 1991, (TSR Inc.), pages 53 and 55
- ↑ Ed Greenwood, SJR1 Lost Ships, 1990, (TSR Inc.), Any Port in a Spacestorm chapter, pages 30-32
- ↑ Jean Rabe, SJR7 Krynnspace, 1993, (TSR Inc.), Spacefaring Companies chapter, page 72
- ↑ Sam Witt, The Astromundi Cluster, The Celestial Almanac, 1993, (TSR Inc.), Chakarak section, The Almanac chapter, pages 31-34
- ↑ Jean Rabe, SJR7 Krynnspace, 1993, (TSR Inc.), Important NPCs section, Reorx chapter, pages 24-25
- ↑ 22.0 22.1 Richard Baker, SJR5 Rock of Bral, 1992, (TSR Inc), part two: A House Divided, page 40
- ↑ Jean Rabe, SJR7 Krynnspace, 1993, (TSR Inc.), Important NPCs section, Zivilyn chapter, page 56
- ↑ Jean Rabe, SJR7 Krynnspace, 1993, (TSR Inc.), Important NPCs section, Reorx chapter, pages 22-23
- ↑ Jean Rabe, SJR7 Krynnspace, 1993, (TSR Inc.), Important NPCs section, Reorx chapter, page 24
- ↑ Shonn Everett, "Visitors from Above", Dungeon Magazine Issue 28, March/April 1991, (TSR Inc.), pages 53 and 67
- ↑ Richard Baker, SJR5 Rock of Bral, 1992, (TSR Inc), part three: A City Among the Stars, page 66
- ↑ Richard Baker, SJR5 Rock of Bral, 1992, (TSR Inc), part two: A House Divided, page 66
- ↑ Jeff Grubb, The Legend of Spelljammer, Captains and Ships, 1991, (TSR Inc.), Personalities of the Spelljammer, pages 43-44
- ↑ Jeff Grubb. AD&D Adventures in Space; Lorebook of the Void, TSR, Inc., 1989, chapter 2: Spelljammers (pp.45–47)
- ↑ Shonn Everett, "Visitors from Above", Dungeon Magazine Issue 28, March/April 1991, (TSR Inc.), pages 53-55