Homebrew Dwarf (Dragon Age) Species Details
Dwarves
The dwarves, or dwarva, as the dwarves refer to themselves, are one of the major humanoid races in Thedas. Strong, stocky, and shorter than any of the other races, 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. They once developed a huge, great empire which spread across vast underground networks of twelve great thaigs that spanned the breadth of Thedas with its population outnumbering both the humans and the elves. 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.
Dweller Dwarves
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 dwarf will 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).
In dwarven society, children inherit the cast of their same-sex parent; should a son be born, he would inherit his father's caste, or castelessnes, should that be the case.
Education in Orzammar appears to be given to those with caste and may in part be administered by members of the Shaperate. Among the casteless there is no formal education and most are functionally illiterate
Monarchy is the dwarven standard of government, but heredity tends to be a weak factor in determining who sits on the throne when the time comes for a new ruler. While a king may propose his heir to the throne, the next ruler is ultimately determined in the Assembly by a vote of the deshyrs.
It has been mentioned that most of the wealth of the dwarves comes from selling processed lyrium to the mages of Thedas.
The Chantry holds a monopoly on lyrium trade with the dwarves (in order to maintain control over templars and mages), but there remains a flourishing black market of the substance, dominated on the dwarven end by the Carta in Dust Town.
Shaperate
However, this means that a Shaper must seek out knowledge and history beyond the city and its inhabitants, venturing into the Deep Roads to record the history of lost thaigs and ruins and dwarves whom the Memories might otherwise forget. A Shaper must be prepared to risk all—perhaps even their own life—so that the dwarven race might reclaim its lost knowledge and learn from it.
Legion of the Dead
The Legion of the Dead is an independent branch of the dwarven army which answers directly to the king or queen of Orzammar. It is considered to be the most intimidating and devastating dwarven military force and most attribute this to the fact that the Legionnaires consider themselves already dead.
Many join the Legion to avoid punishment for various crimes or to regain their honor. Others join to have their debts forgiven, thus restoring their Houses' lost honor. Some even join for the glory, and the Legion accepts them all the same.
Before they permanently leave Orzammar and enter the Deep Roads, the Legionnaires undergo a symbolic "funeral" where last goodbyes are spoken to friends and relatives and all ties to their former lives are cut.
Provings
The Provings are public arena battles fought for the sake of honor and glory and to entertain the masses. They take place in the Orzammar Proving arena. Dwarves believe that a fighter who wins a Proving has the approval of the Paragons and so they use Provings to settle debates and honor challenges that could not be settled otherwise. This usually falls to warrior caste champions. Some Proving matches are fought to the death, but even in a dwindling society such as Orzammar, that one death is thought preferable to the widespread bloodshed of a conflict between noble houses.
In recent years, the Provings have also been used for entertainment and events to honor special guests, and each year the best fighters in Orzammar meet for the "Trials of Blood," a great tournament that crowns the kingdom's best and most popular fighter.
The great gladiatorial battles of the ancient Tevinter Imperium are based on this dwarven tradition.
Surface Dwarves
Most of the first surface dwarves were members of the Merchant caste which served as ambassadors from Orzammar to the surface, but the wealth this trade produced caused these merchants and their families to break ties with Orzammar and dwarves as a whole in order to keep the profits for themselves. This exodus was viewed as a bitter betrayal by the rest of the dwarves and the reputation of the Merchant caste had never managed to regain ever since.
Dwarves who have left the Stone's embrace are considered by their subterranean brethren as non-dwarves, lost and rejected by the Stone. They have no caste and no right to be reinstated. In sharp contrast, the humans respect surface dwarves and value their hard-working ethics, cunning and skills they bring. Surface dwarves usually work in the Dwarven Merchants' Guild supplying Orzammar with surface goods and exporting its products but there are many smiths, stonemasons, bankers as well as Carta thugs.
Many dwarves have moved on the surface, either as members of expeditions funded by dwarven houses or guilds, or for their own personal reasons, but usually as a punishment. In ancient times, the punishment of exile was very uncommon and was considered to be one of the fiercest.
A surface dwarf's life often leads them to become merchants or craftsmen, parleying the skills they may once have held underground into a new life on the surface. Ironically, despite leaving for the surface, a large number of them act as merchants supplying goods to Orzammar, and selling dwarven products to the human world.
The Stone
Unlike many other cultures in Thedas, dwarves do not worship anthropomorphic gods. Instead, their philosophy promotes personal excellence and an almost intimate tie to the Stone that houses them. Referring reverentially to "the Stone", the dwarves speak of it as being alive. They are the Stone's children; they respect her, they fear her, they cherish her, and they give thanks to her for protecting them and providing them with her bounty. This religion has been practiced for two thousand years by the dwarves.
Their other cultural beliefs are more akin to ancestor worship. Dwarves who lead a strong and noble life are said to strengthen the Stone when they die, becoming one of the Ancestors. Those who are ignoble or disgraced would weaken the Stone and are therefore rejected by it for all eternity. Surface dwarves and casteless are believed to be rejected by the Stone.
Every once in a while, a dwarf is declared by the Assembly to be particularly noble. If the required motion is passed in the Assembly, these dwarves become Paragons and are revered during their lives as living Ancestors. When a dwarf achieves Paragon status, a noble house bearing their name is established. The deeds of a Paragon are carefully recorded in
the Memories, records of lineage and deeds that help
determine what caste a dwarf is born into. The
word of a Paragon is held in such esteem that
you can surpass even the king's word.
Furthermore, a dwarf can be declared as
a Paragon even posthumously.
Surface dwarves still preserve their
beliefs in the Stone, while some do not
follow or care for any religion. Only a
small minority of them is part of the
Chantry.
Dwarf (Dragon Age) Traits
Your dwarf character has an assortment of inborn abilities, part and parcel of dwarven nature.Ability Score Increase.
Your Constitution score increases by 2.
Age.
Dwarves reach adulthood in their early teens and typically live for a century.
Alignment.
Most dweller dwarves are lawful, believing firmly in the benefits of the caste system, with a strong sense of racial superiority. Surface born dwarves tend towards no particular alignment, as they are typically raised in human societies.
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.
Darkvision.
Originating from the Stone, the dwarven race has developed superior vision in dark and dim conditions. You can see 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.
Detached from the Fade.
Dwarves are completely cut off from the Fade, and as such, cannot be mages or become possessed by demons.
Magical Tolerance.
Due to dwarves natural resistance to magic, you can choose to make a Constitution saving throw in place of the saving throw required from spells and magical effects. Additionally, you are immune to the side effects of raw lyrium.
Dwarven Combat Training.
You have proficiency with the battleaxe, handaxe, throwing hammer, and warhammer.
Languages.
You can speak Common.
Comments