Homebrew Athasian Dwarf Species Details

A dwarf’s body is an inadequate container for their passions. A burning desire for fulfillment rages inside every dwarf, prompting them to perform breathtaking feats at the amazement of other Athasians.

Small But Strong

Standing well under 5 feet tall, a dwarf’s size is no indication of their work ethic. Known as arduous laborers and masterful artisans, dwarves have stocky bodies that weigh nearly as much as humans that are two feet taller.

Athasian dwarves are rough and calloused from their labor, their skin tanned from working under the crimson sun. Their bodies are toned and muscular, completely devoid of any hair. Dwarves loathe the idea of any kind of body hair. They prefer to keep their skin plain, and are not known to mark themselves with tattoos or brands.

Single-Minded

A dwarf’s life is centered around a focus—a lengthy and difficult task that dwarves tirelessly strive to achieve. Dwarves value their clan and family, but hold the focus above their social institutions. Once a dwarf has selected a focus, they devote all their being toward completing it, often to the exclusion of other endeavors. Those who support a dwarf’s focus are regarded as sensible companions. Those who oppose are regarded as mortal enemies.

Like most races, dwarves have a strong dislike of magic. Their stubborn nature makes them unlikely to change their minds, even if the difference between defiling and preserving magic is explained to them. Dwarves rarely practice magic, but those who do are harshly shunned by regular dwarven society.

Fallen Kingdoms

Long ago, dwarven kingdoms existed as grand cities carved into mountains and large fortresses looming over the forests and fields. That time has since passed, and all dwarven kingdoms have turned to sand and rubble. Athasian dwarves lack a homeland, often found as slaves of merchant houses or organized in small clans living in the ruins of what was once their home. These clans are governed by elders, the community leader bearing the title Urhnomous and to whom clan members show great devotion. Family is a keystone of these dwarven societies. Dwarven gods having been erased from existence or otherwise silent, dwarves have moved on to worship the elemental earth.

Despite a radically different landscape on Athas, dwarves are by many still considered the best artisans in the land, and forged dwarven metal is highly sought after. Most dwarves earn coin from trade, frequently by selling the goods they manufacture. Some dwarves make their living by scavenging the wastes for metal to sell to dwarven smiths. Other dwarves turn to mercenary work. Mercenary dwarves have no trouble finding work since it is known by employers that once a dwarf mercenary's loyalty is bought, it is never shaken.

Crossing Paths

Typically, dwarves found in adventuring parties have a common interest between the adventurers’ goals and their own focus. This may be directly related, such as the adventurers seeking an artifact that the dwarf wishes to recover. Other motivations may emerge, however, such as the adventurers making an enemy of one whom opposes the dwarf’s focus, and thus seeks to help the adventurers settle the vendetta in blood.

Despite initial motivations, dwarves are not selfish and impersonal. They will care and form relationships with their party members as they travel together. Dwarves understand the difficulty in finding dependable people like themselves and will often stay with a party if they prove to be trustworthy. The dwarves' hatred of magic means they may tolerate traveling with wizards, but it is unlikely they will ever truly trust them.

STOIC AND STEADY

Dwarves get along passably well with most other races. Dwarves consider themselves to be hard-working, dependable characters, and base their judgements of others on those characteristics. A dwarf is most comfortable with similar characters as themself.

Elves. “I can't be bothered with the elves. They can't sit still, even for a moment. Have you seen them in the desert, running about like madmen?”

Halflings. “Sure, they’ve survived for centuries. But show me what they have accomplished. A monument, a garden that stands against the desert. Even a treasure for the ages made by halfling hands. Nothing. How can you take them seriously?”

Humans. “It's hard to trust a human. One might hold you up for your coin purse, and another might invite you in for a glass of Broy, both on the same street! If anything can surely be said about them, when they set their hearts on something, they’ll get it, whether it’s a chamber of gold or a noble title. You have to admire that kind of dedication, even if it gets them in trouble more often than not.”

Athasian Dwarf Traits

Your dwarf physiology grants you incomprable focus and ability to learn.

Ability Score Increase

Your Constitution score increases by 2.

Age

Dwarves mature at the same rate as humans, but they’re considered young until they reach the age of 30. On average, they live about 260 years.

Alignment

Dwarves tend towards a lawful alignment, with most members either good or neutral. Their devotion to following the established hierarchy in their village means they tend to follow the rules, sometimes to the point of ridicule.

Size

Dwarves stand between 4 and 5 feet tall and average about 150 pounds. Your size is Medium.

Speed

Your base walking speed is 25 feet. Your speed is not reduced by wearing heavy armor.

Artisan

Choose one artisan tool to gain proficiency in. Items you create with any artisan's tools are of a higher quality than a standard item made from similar materials.

Darkvision

Passed down from your underground ancestors, you have superior vision in dark and dim conditions. You can see in dim light within 60 feet of you as if it were bright light, and in darkness as if it were dim light. You can't discern color in darkness, only shades of gray.

Focused

At levels 1, 10, and 19, you choose a focus—a challenging task that takes at least a week to complete. Once you have declared a focus, you cannot change it, and you cannot have more than one focus as a result of this feature at once. Declaring a focus grants you expertise in one skill. When you declare a new focus at higher levels, you keep the expertise granted by your old focus, if you were successful.

Grounded

You have advantage on saving throws against being pushed or knocked prone.

Languages

You can speak Common and Dwarvish. Dwarvish is full of hard consonants and guttural sounds, and those characteristics spill over into whatever other language a dwarf might speak.