Homebrew Ancient Dwarf: By Pointy Hat Species Details

 

History:

The legends are true: dwarves are made of stone. Or rather, they once were. They were extracted from the earth from precious stones and molded into their shape by the gods who lovingly gave them sentience. But the shape they molded dwarves into significantly differs from the one we know today.

Dwarves in the past were made of stone or metals, and this led to two distinct appearances. Those who could trace their lineage to stone had skin that shone like minerals and was veined like marble, and the gemstone used in their creation grew on their heads like hair. Those who were instead born from metals had a metallic luster and shine to their skin, and molten metal flowed from their scalp and their lower jaw instead of hair.

At this stage of dwarven history, dwarves mined not for crafting, but for reproduction. They found gemstones and infused them with magic so that they would one day grow into another dwarf. And the magic they used was none other than arcane magic. The dwarves once worshipped a dwarven deity of the arcane, but also of fertility, since this is how they reproduced. This god was a motherly figure, to contrast Moradin’s paternal place in the pantheon, and the arcane was associated not only with knowledge but child-rearing.

It was through this deity’s guidance that the dwarves mastered the art of the arcane, and then turned it from an art to a science. At this point in time, magic practitioners could only ask the Weave to do as they wanted. The dwarves, on the other hand, made the Weave do what they wanted. They were crafters like the dwarves of today, but crafters of spells; they were the first to jot down formulas and measure arcane components to record the first spells. And they used what was most at hand to craft their spells: the gemstones and metals that made up their own bodies. They chiseled the gems of their beards and poured the metal of their hair, and with those ingredients, they made magic. Under the guiding hand of their arcane god, they became the first arcane experts. And then, this deity vanished. There is a gap in the records of the dwarves. A gap wide enough to have made them forget they were even born of the stone. Their previous appearance and way of life was sundered, erased along with this mysterious deity and their even more mysterious death.

Whatever the reason for their disappearance, something had severed the connection between dwarves and the arcane completely. No longer able to harvest magic components from their own bodies and with no divine guidance to practice magic—not even able to remember that they once did—one might think dwarves would simply forget spellcraft and the arcane.

But the industrious spirit is stronger than the hardest stone. Dwarves turned back to mining, not for child-rearing but to find the gemstones and metals they once came from to follow the spells they had once written themselves, despite not remembering doing so. Where once they crafted spells, dwarves now learned to craft artefacts. In time, over centuries, the dwarves found their own way to the arcane again. Nowadays, few dwarven scholars even believe the dubious theory that dwarves come from stone, and even fewer of them believe that dwarves were once metallic or stone-like in appearance. Except the newly found arcane connection that the dwarves have forged has awakened something within them. There are talks of dwarves born of wizard parents who sport those gems on their heads and beards, or molten metal as hair. There are even rumours of clans of ancient dwarves who still have the appearance that all dwarves once did, encased in the stone, dormant. Preserved like veins of precious metals and gems, ready for their brethren to mine deeper and liberate them from their earthen prison, so that they may tell the story of what exactly happened to the dwarven people.

Dwarf Traits

Creature Type: Humanoid
Size: Medium (about 4–5 feet tall)
Speed: 30 feet

Ancient Resilience. You have Resistance to Necrotic damage. You also have Advantage on saving throws you make to avoid or end the Petrified condition.

Darkvision. You have Darkvision with a range of 120 feet.

Dwarven Toughness. Your Hit Point maximum increases by 1, and it increases by 1 again whenever you gain a level.

Spellforger. When you cast a spell, you ignore all Material components that have no cost specified in the spell, and the cost of any Material components specified is halved for you. Additionally, as a Help action, you can cause another creature to benefit from this trait for the next spell with Material components they cast for the next minute. You can use this action a number of times equal to your Proficiency Bonus, and you regain all expended uses when you finish a Long Rest.

 

Ancient Dwarf: By Pointy Hat Traits

As a Dwarf, you have these special traits.

Ancient Resilience

You have Resistance to Necrotic damage. You also have Advantage on saving throws you make to avoid or end the Petrified condition.

Darkvision

You have Darkvision with a range of 120 feet.

Dwarven Toughness

Your Hit Point maximum increases by 1, and it increases by 1 again whenever you gain a level.

Spellforger

When you cast a spell, you ignore all Material components that have no cost specified in the spell, and the cost of any Material components specified is halved for you. Additionally, as a Help action, you can cause another creature to benefit from this trait for the next spell with Material components they cast for the next minute. You can use this action a number of times equal to your Proficiency Bonus, and you regain all expended uses when you finish a Long Rest.