Homebrew Dwarf, Children of the Stone Species Details

Dwarf

The dwarves, or dwarva, as the dwarves refer to themselves, are one of the major humanoid races of the Dragon Age setting. Strong, stocky, and shorter than any other humanoid race, the dwarves are skilled builders and boast a long tradition of courage and martial skill that has served them well in their millennia-long battle against the darkspawn.

Appearance: Usually pale, with a pink flush. But it is not uncommon for their skin to range to a dark tan. Their hair ranges to all colors, and their beards are kept long, and well groomed. For females, the story is otherwise. Their height goes from 3 to 4 feet tall. 

Fallen Empire. The dwarves once developed a huge, great empire which spread across vast underground networks of twelve great thaigs that spanned the breadth of Thedas. However their world was all but destroyed during the First Blight, and they are now a race in decline.

In addition to the loss of nearly all thaigs and the majority of the Deep Roads to darkspawn, dwarves are known to be increasingly infertile due to their proximity to the darkspawn taint, a situation which has given rise to anxiety for the future of the race, as well as the invention of noble hunters to bolster the children born to noble houses.

 

Never see the surface, and often will have superstitious beliefs concerning surface-life (such as falling into the sky, or the sun falling to the ground).

 

 

Surface Dwarf

One "caste" stands apart from those found in dwarven thaigs: the surface dwarves. They play a vital role but curiously other dwarves look down on them. Surface dwarves are largely merchants and middlemen, trading goods and raw materials to humans and elves. They provide ore, gems, finely-forged steel, expertly-crafted
goods, and the precious mineral lyrium. Dwarf adventurers and wanderers also belong to the Surface Caste. In Orzammer and Kal Sharok dwarves of this caste rank below all others except the casteless and the criminals. It is ironic that the most famous dwarf adventurers in human lands have little standing and no prestige in their homelands.

Thaig Dwarf

The dwarven social hierarchy is ruled by complex, interrelated, and rigid castes. The casteless, commonly known as "dusters" after their ghetto of Dust Town, are the lowest rung of dwarven society: outcasts in their own city, unable to take up work among the higher castes, nor to defend their honor in the Provings or fight the darkspawn to protect the city, dwarves rejected by the Stone itself. Dwarves who are exiled or born on the surface are also officially casteless - but with an increase in the number of higher-caste dwarves choosing to live on the surface, it is becoming difficult for some surface dwarves to be considered permanent exiles. The average thaig dwarf will

Nonmagical

Unlike elves and humans, dwarves do not naturally enter the Fade, as they do not dream and lack magical ability. However, they are not completely barred and may enter it in exceptional circumstances. This is reflected in their resistance to magic, and accounts for their high tolerance to lyrium exposure. Dwarves who live on the surface for a long time (or who were born there) appear to gradually lose this resistance - however, there is still no recorded exception to their inability to learn spellcasting. Dwarven characters can not choose a full spellcaster class. 

The Stone 

Dwarves do not have a religion, but rather tend to hold The Stone in almost holy way. They claim the Stone speaks in songs that have been long forgotten. Due to this reason, underground, Dwarves have a significant lower chance of getting lost. 

Dwarf, Children of the Stone Traits

Your dwarf character has an assortment of inborn abilities, part and parcel of dwarven nature.

Magic Resistance

Dwarves have a strong resistance against magic. It may have some connection to their resistance to lyrium, or vice versa. 

Dwarves cannot take classes in magic. Warlock, Druid, Sorceress, Wizard. 

Darkvision

Dwarves are inhabited to Orzammar, the home of the stone. Some have never even seen the sun. 

Dwarves can see up to 30 ft in the darkness.

Rage / Berserker

Dwarves have created and mastered the art of Berserker. 

All Dwarves gain the Ring of Relentless Rage 
 

In battle, you fight with primal ferocity. On your turn, you can enter a rage as a bonus action.

While raging, you gain the following benefits:

• You have advantage on Strength checks and Strength saving throws.
• When you make a melee weapon attack using Strength, you gain a bonus to the damage roll that increases as you gain levels as a Dwarf.
• You have resistance to bludgeoning, piercing, and slashing damage.

If you are able to cast spells, you can’t cast them or concentrate on them while raging.

Your rage lasts for 1 minute. It ends early if you are knocked unconscious or if your turn ends and you haven’t attacked a hostile creature since your last turn or taken damage since then. You can also end your rage on your turn as a bonus action.

Once you have raged the number of times shown, you must finish a long rest before you can rage again.

 

Ability Score Increase

Dwarves have a specialty for their Strength, Dexterity, and Constitution.

Age

Dwarves mature at the same rate as humans.

Alignment

Most dwarves are lawful, believing firmly in the benefits of a well-ordered society. They tend toward good as well, with a strong sense of fair play and a belief that everyone deserves to share in the benefits of a just order. As long as a drink is involved, most Dwarves don't mind where the journey leads.

Size

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

Speed

Your base walking speed is 30 feet. Your speed is not reduced by wearing heavy armor.

Dwarven Resilience

You have advantage on saving throws against poison, and you have resistance against poison damage (explained in the “Combat” section).

Dwarven Combat Training

You have proficiency with the battleaxe, handaxe, light hammer, and warhammer.

Tool Proficiency

You gain proficiency with the artisan’s tools of your choice: smith’s tools, brewer’s supplies, or mason’s tools.

Stonecunning

Whenever you make an Intelligence (History) check related to the origin of stonework, you are considered proficient in the History skill and add double your proficiency bonus to the check, instead of your normal proficiency bonus.

Languages

You can speak, read, and write 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.