both before dwarves changing rather

Khargra

Monsters Mordenkainen's Fiendish Folio Volume 1

tasty, refined metal their victim carries, they quickly flee—and will flee before that rather than risk death. Stealthy Couriers. A number of clans among the dwarves, duergar, and azers have trained

Gray Dwarf (Duergar) Legacy

Species Sword Coast Adventurer's Guide

The gray dwarves, or duergar, live deep in the Underdark. After delving deeper than any other dwarves, they were enslaved by mind flayers for eons. Although they eventually won their freedom, these

grim, ashen-skinned dwarves now take slaves of their own and are as tyrannical as their former masters. Physically similar to other dwarves in some ways, duergar are wiry and lean, with black eyes and

Elf Legacy

Species Basic Rules (2014)

. Since they are so long-lived, they can enjoy centuries of exploration and discovery. They dislike the pace of human society, which is regimented from day to day but constantly changing over decades, so

who fall short of their high expectations—which is most non-elves. Still, they can find good in just about anyone. Dwarves. “Dwarves are dull, clumsy oafs. But what they lack in humor

Human Legacy

Species Basic Rules (2014)

reckonings of most worlds, humans are the youngest of the common races, late to arrive on the world scene and short-lived in comparison to dwarves, elves, and dragons. Perhaps it is because of their

, striving to leave a lasting legacy. Individually and as a group, humans are adaptable opportunists, and they stay alert to changing political and social dynamics. EVERYONE’S SECOND-BEST FRIENDS

Halfling Legacy

Species Basic Rules (2014)

treasures locked in a cellar rather than on display for all to see. They have a knack for finding the most straightforward solution to a problem, and have little patience for dithering. Kind and

are adept at fitting into a community of humans, dwarves, or elves, making themselves valuable and welcome. The combination of their inherent stealth and their unassuming nature helps halflings to

Mercenary Veteran

Backgrounds Sword Coast Adventurer's Guide

Bloodaxes. Founded in Sundabar nearly two centuries ago, the Bloodaxes were originally a group of dwarves outcast from their clans for crimes against the teachings of Moradin Soulforger. They began

enemies is blind and unreasoning. 5 I obey the law, even if the law causes misery. 6 I’d rather eat my armor than admit when I’m wrong.

Bugbear Legacy

Species Volo's Guide to Monsters

rather than perform the work or confront the foe. Even when subsumed into a goblinoid host and drawn into war, bugbears must often be roused from naps and bribed to get them to do their duties. This

natural state. Thanks to Grankhul, they can use their size and strength to work as stealthy assassins rather than blundering around like ogres. Bullying, murder, and engaging in battle are all holy

Albino Dwarves

Compendium - Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Tomb of Annihilation

spots the dwarves, but all others are surprised. The dwarves knock characters out rather than killing them, stealing food, water, and gear from those rendered unconscious. They break off their attack if any character speaks Dwarvish to them or demonstrates peaceful intentions.

Albino Dwarves The characters are ambushed by 1d4 + 3 albino dwarf warriors (see appendix D) that attack from hidden burrows. Any character with a passive Wisdom (Perception) score of 13 or higher

Changeling

Species Mordenkainen Presents: Monsters of the Multiverse

With ever-changing appearances, changelings reside in many societies undetected. Each changeling can supernaturally adopt any face they like. For some changelings, a new face is only a disguise. For

end on an adventure. Members of some races, such as dwarves and elves, can live for centuries. If typical members of a race can live longer than a century, that fact is mentioned in the race’s

Dwarf Rangers

Compendium - Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Sword Coast Adventurer’s Guide

Dwarf Rangers Most dwarves prefer to hunker down under a mountain, rather than roam the wilderness of the surface or the Underdark. Most often, a dwarf ranger is either a shield dwarf cast out of a

clanhold or a clanless dwarf seeking a place in the world. Sometimes dwarf rangers are prospectors who explore the world seeking new veins of ore. In any case, there are two deities who appeal to such dwarves: Marthammor Duin and Dumathoin.

Exploration and Adventure

Compendium - Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Basic Rules (2014)

, which is regimented from day to day but constantly changing over decades, so they find careers that let them travel freely and set their own pace. Elves also enjoy exercising their martial prowess or

Although they can be haughty, elves are generally gracious even to those who fall short of their high expectations—which is most non-elves. Still, they can find good in just about anyone. Dwarves

Exploration and Adventure

Compendium - Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Player's Handbook (2014)

, which is regimented from day to day but constantly changing over decades, so they find careers that let them travel freely and set their own pace. Elves also enjoy exercising their martial prowess or

Although they can be haughty, elves are generally gracious even to those who fall short of their high expectations—which is most non-elves. Still, they can find good in just about anyone. Dwarves

Tabaxi Legacy

Species Volo's Guide to Monsters

of the world beyond their home. Barterers of Lore Tabaxi treasure knowledge rather than material things. A chest filled with gold coins might be useful to buy food or a coil of rope, but it’s

result every few days that pass in the campaign to reflect your ever-changing curiosity. Tabaxi Obsessions d8 My curiosity is currently fixed on … 1 A god or planar entity

Enemies All Around

Compendium - Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Mordenkainen's Tome of Foes

to possess the material goods in a stronghold’s hoard, and would much rather snatch up living treasure. Using its powers of deception, a green dragon might try to entice dwarves it encounters to ally

Enemies All Around If the dwarves weren’t so good at accumulating treasure, it’s likely that they wouldn’t have as many enemies. As things stand, however, almost every variety of marauding humanoid

Otaaryliakkarnos

Compendium - Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Tyranny of Dragons

guidance, and should be shown Bahamut’s righteous way of living rather than ignored and treated as children. If the dragons refuse to engage the humanoids and focus only on their own advancement, the

humanoids will persist in making the same mistakes again and again. Otaaryliakkarnos’s faith in the potential of humanoids has something of a blind spot when it comes to dwarves, however. She resents

Otaaryliakkarnos

Compendium - Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Rise of Tiamat

guidance, and should be shown Bahamut’s righteous way of living rather than ignored and treated as children. If the dragons refuse to engage the humanoids and focus only on their own advancement, the

humanoids will persist in making the same mistakes again and again. Otaaryliakkarnos’s faith in the potential of humanoids has something of a blind spot when it comes to dwarves, however. She resents

Conflict without End

Compendium - Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Mordenkainen's Tome of Foes

Conflict without End Few others aside from the dwarves and the duergar understand or appreciate the true scope and intensity of the battles between these two races. Viewed on a grand scale, the

fight a persistent guerrilla war of sudden raids and brutal attacks against isolated groups of dwarves. Duergar often begin an attack by burrowing into a dwarf settlement from below, then bursting out

Rolling with It

Compendium - Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Dungeon Master’s Guide (2014)

characters succeeding or failing on any one check to move the action in a specific direction. You must be ready to improvise and react to a changing situation. Relying on dice also gives the players the sense

might work. A drawback of this approach is that roleplaying can diminish if players feel that their die rolls, rather than their decisions and characterizations, always determine success.

One for All: The Stronghold

Compendium - Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Mordenkainen's Tome of Foes

stronghold, typically a series of chambers dug out beneath a mountain or inside a hill. The stronghold is a haven from the chaos of the outside world, allowing the dwarves to toil in peace. The first

at the touch of a child when they are unlocked. While some other races erect statues or build special structures to honor their heroes or commemorate momentous events, the dwarves live and work within

The Dual Role of Abbathor

Compendium - Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Mordenkainen's Tome of Foes

their creation, or actually steal them. Greed distorts the joy that dwarves normally take from their work. It focuses on the value of the end result, rather than the importance of the process of creation

The Dual Role of Abbathor A little act of selfishness now and then is to be expected even from the wisest of folk. — Tenelar, Outcast of Five Peaks Dwarves have rigid principles and lofty

Mirabar

Compendium - Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Sword Coast Adventurer’s Guide

Mirabar Mirabar is a human city that rests atop dwarven caverns. On the surface, humans dominate the population, with some dwarves mixed in, and a handful of gnomes and halflings. The uppermost

level of the undercity is mostly dwarves, with some few humans. The mixing of races is due to convenience of trade, preference, or skill; just as some few humans like to mine, to imbibe strong dwarven

Lizardfolk Legacy

Species Volo's Guide to Monsters

have more in common with iguanas or dragons than they do with humans, dwarves, or elves. Lizardfolk possess an alien and inscrutable mindset, their desires and thoughts driven by a different set of

pleasurable creatures and things are ones that allow lizardfolk to assess more situations as benign rather than fearsome. Cold and Calculating Most humanoids describe cold-blooded people as lacking in

Alignment in the Multiverse (p. 122)

Compendium - Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Sage Advice & Errata

Alignment in the Multiverse (p. 122) The first three paragraphs have been replaced with the following: For many thinking creatures, alignment is a moral choice. Humans, dwarves, elves, and other

, most devils hail from the Nine Hells, a plane of lawful evil. A devil does not choose to be lawful evil or tend toward lawful evil, but rather it is lawful evil in its essence. If it somehow ceases to be lawful evil, it changes into something new—a transformation worthy of legend.

The Path to Perfection

Compendium - Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Mordenkainen's Tome of Foes

of time. Rather than imparting his skills to them, he fueled their spirits with a burning desire to follow his example. His gifts of durability and purpose gave the dwarves all they needed to devote

greatness. — Balifra Eversharp Dwarves have a strong sense of their progress, and each day that goes by must bring them closer to the standard set by Moradin. Acutely aware of their mortality, they

Setting the Adventure

Compendium - Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Hold Back The Dead

Halvachar is a Knight of the Crown. Lord Soth’s forces are marching from Dargaard Keep. Eberron. Dwarves built the fortress in the Mror Holds long ago but abandoned it when a local mine was depleted

part of the Kingdom of Furyondy. The evil cambion Iuz, rather than Szass Tam, sends forces against the fortress.

Verdan

Species Acquisitions Incorporated

. Reality is a descent into chaos punctuated by brief flashes of order, whence we arose and so imagine it to be the norm rather than a distant outlier. That-Which-Endures held entropy back for a mere instant

the character of the different cultures these folk have encountered since coming out into the sunlight. When a group of verdan live near dwarves, they might take on more dwarven-sounding names, only

Flumph

Compendium - Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Monster Manual

to strangers. These tentacled, telepathic creatures jet through the air in short bursts, venting gases with a sound that gives them their name. Rather than speaking, flumphs communicate

telepathically and by changing color to reflect their moods. Flumphs dwell in psychically charged regions or near creatures with psionic magic. They harmlessly feed off psychic energies, but in doing so, they

Orc Legacy

Species Volo's Guide to Monsters

scythe. Only a skilled and determined hero can hope to survive single combat with an orc. Savage and fearless, orc tribes are ever in search of elves, dwarves, and humans to destroy. Motivated by their

chief can plan where to send raiders next. The territory that orc war parties cover can extend for many miles around the lair, and any encampment or settlement of elves, dwarves, or humans in that

Past and Present

Compendium - Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Spelljammer: Adventures in Space->Astral Adventurer’s Guide

there. One of the pirate captains, Cozar, sensed that times were changing on the Rock—that the days of lawlessness were coming to an end. Through a series of strategic alliances and shrewd business

, attracting profit-seekers, adventurers, and other more respectable types. Upon Cozar’s death, the rule of Bral passed to Frun, his son and heir. Frun was far from an able politician. Rather, he was a hedonist

Slaadi

Compendium - Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Monster Manual

of Limbo Unpredictable slaadi devour and multiply across the Ever-Changing Chaos of Limbo. These toad-like, extraplanar beings embody the endless potentiality of their home plane of existence

other creatures. Slaadi have no formal society. Rather, strong slaadi dominate weaker ones. Blue and red slaadi rampage across Limbo and spill into other worlds at the direction of green slaadi. More

Exemplars of Ambition

Compendium - Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Player's Handbook (2014)

, wealth, and fame. More than other people, humans champion causes rather than territories or groups. EVERYONE’S SECOND-BEST FRIENDS Just as readily as they mix with each other, humans mingle with members

of other races. They get along with almost everyone, though they might not be close to many. Humans serve as ambassadors, diplomats, magistrates, merchants, and functionaries of all kinds. Dwarves

Shrine of the Tender Oath

Compendium - Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Princes of the Apocalypse

Shrine of the Tender Oath Revered sites within the Vale of Dancing Waters include temples and shrines positioned throughout the gorge, rather than a single consolidated structure. Most of these spots

and its allies sneaked into the shrine, used deceit and magic to overcome the few worshipers, and began digging. They have gone unnoticed by other dwarves in the region.

D2. Shrine Entrance

Compendium - Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Princes of the Apocalypse

arch are two statues of dwarves offering a greeting. Beyond the archway is an open courtyard with a statue on a raised platform in the center. All these features have been chiseled out of the side of

the mountain rather than built from fitted stonework. Two dwarf guards stand watch atop this stony shelf. Instead of spears and shields, they carry warhammers that they wield with two hands (1d10 + 1

Sundabar

Compendium - Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Sword Coast Adventurer’s Guide

Sundabar Like Mirabar, Sundabar was a dwarven settlement atop which a human city was built. Sundabar’s recent fall should serve as an example to my fellow dwarves of what can happen when the balance

recognition of a human saving his life during the fight, the Forgemaster permitted the refugees to settle on the surface, rather than forcing them to depart once the battle was done. The partnership that grew

Appendix B: Character Names

Compendium - Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Xanathar's Guide to Everything

determine a name. Even though names are associated with races in this appendix, a character might not have a name from their own race. For instance, a half-orc might have grown up among dwarves and

have a dwarven name. Or, as DM, you might decide that dragonborn in your campaign have a culture reminiscent of ancient Rome and therefore use Roman names, rather than the dragonborn names suggested here.

D&D Beyond

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