AD&D Character Race: Dwarf

Duergar, also called Gray Dwarfs, live deep in the underdark. They are thinner than other dwarfs, and have medium to dark gray hair and skin. Although player character duergar may be of any alignment, duergar are known to be almost exclusively lawful evil, and will be suspected by other characters. They may be fighters, clerics, thieves, thief-acrobats, or assassins, and can combine classes in the multi-class combinations cleric/assassin, cleric/fighter, cleric/thief, cleric/thief-acrobat, and fighter/thief.

Being a non-magical race, Duergar gain typical dwarfen bonuses of +1 for each 3 1/2 points of constitution against rod, wand, staff, and spell. They are further unaffected by illusions and by non-natural poisons and by paralyzation attacks. They are bonused against natural poisons the same amount as to magic.

Dwarfish, undercommon, and alignment languages are known when the character begins, and two other languages may be learned. They have 12" infravision, and standard dwarf chances for detecting grade, slope, new construction, sliding walls, traps, and depth underground, and dwarf combat bonuses against ogres, trolls, ogre mage, giants, and titans, but not against orcs, half-orcs, goblins, or hobgoblins. They are more quiet and aware than most, surprising half the time, and being surprised only one time in ten.

Although "monster" duergar are almost always psionic, "character" duergar are not. However, the probability of having psionics is doubled for such characters at creation.

These dwarfs avoid daylight, and avoid being on the surface except at night and on the gloomiest days. Daylight or its magical equivalent will negate the surprise abilities, and reduce effective dexterity by two; additionally, all duergar attacks are at -2, and saves against duergar attacks are at +2. If the duergar is in darkness or shadow attacking opponents in such light, the penalties are less severe, -1 to hit, +1 on saves, with no effect on dexterity or surprise.

Gully dwarfs, known in Krynn as the Aghar or anguished ones, are lighter than most, thinner, with narrower limbs and fingers, but commonly pot bellies. Although they are physically similar to other dwarfs, they are often covered with boils, scars, sores, and filth, since they have no sense of personal cleanliness. They develop wrinkles very quickly after about age twenty-five. Skin colors run from olive brown to light parchment to dirty gray-brown, sometimes splotched or mottled. Males wear full long scruffy beards, and females have heavy pork-chop sideburns but no hair on the chin. Hair color varies, including dirty blond, brown, rust, gray, and dull black, with eyes of watery blue, dull green, brown, or hazel.

These creatures are incredibly stupid, proud of their meager abilities, and very durable and survivable. They regard cowardice a virtue, and raise groveling to an art form. They can distinguish one from many, but have no number system, and cannot distinguish few from many, using "two" for any number greater than one. Similarly, they regard their own needs as paramount, their own people as highly important, and their own tasks as pivotal in the grand scheme of things. Since they regard other races as, well, not exactly inferior, but not quite up to themselves, it is not possible to persuade them of their own faults.

Gully dwarfs can be fighters, thieves, barbarians, thief-acrobats, or holy order of the stars. Krynn races cannot be multi-classed. Note that the gully dwarf does not normally qualify as a barbarian. MyWorld rules allow that tribes of barbarian Aghar have ability scores at the top end of the range for the race, but below the class requirements; other referees may prefer to give these characters the minimum ability scores for the race.

Hill dwarfs are the standard dwarf sub-race. They can be clerics, fighters, thieves, and assassins, and can be cleric/fighters, cleric/thieves, and fighter/thieves.

Being a non-magical race, dwarfs gain bonuses of +1 for each 3 1/2 points of constitution against rod, wand, staff, and spell. They are also bonused against poisons the same amount as to magic.

Hill dwarfs speak dwarfish, gnome, goblin, kobold, orcish, common, and their alignment language, but cannot learn more than two additional languages regardless of their intelligence. They have 6" infravision. Because of their background as miners and underground dwellers, they can detect by concentration within 10' any grade or slope or new construction (75%), sliding or shifting walls or rooms (2/3), and large stonework-type traps such as pits and deadfalls (50%). They can also detect with concentration depth under ground (50%).

Hill dwarfs are bonused +1 to hit orcs, half-orcs, goblins, and hobgoblins, due to an extended racial animosity. Because of their ability to take advantage of their own small size, they gain a penalty of -4 on attacks launched against them by ogres, trolls, ogre magi, giants, and titans.

Dwarf charisma is limited to 16 relative to other races, but this limit does not affect the charisma of dwarfs to each other. They have skin from deep tan to light brown, and bright eyes which are almost never blue, with brown, black, or gray hair and ruddy cheeks. They set the standard of four feet tall and at least one hundred fifty pounds.

Krynn Hill dwarfs are barely distinguishable from their occidental namesakes. They have the same skin from deep tan to light brown, and bright eyes, with brown, black, or gray hair and ruddy cheeks. They can be fighters, barbarians, rangers, thieves, thief-acrobats, and holy order of the stars, but may not combine classes.

Krynn Mountain dwarfs are difficult to distinguish from Krynn hill dwarfs. Skin color varies less from a basic light brown, cheeks are smooth, and occasionally white hair is added to the other colors. They can be cavaliers, paladins, fighters, thieves, thief-acrobats, and holy order of the stars, but cannot combine classes.

Mountain dwarfs are like hill dwarfs, but about half a foot taller, lighter skin, and brown hair. They tend to live a little longer.

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