Sh o r t a n d St o u t
B old and hardy, dw arves are kn ow n as
Dwar f
“Y e r l a t e , e l f !” c a m e t h e r o u g h e d g e o f a f a m i l i a r
voice. Bruenor Battlehammer walked up the back of his
dead foe, disregarding the fact that the heavy monster lay
on top of his elven friend. In spite of the added discomfort,
the dwarf’s long, pointed, often-broken nose and gray-
streaked though still-fiery red beard came as a welcome
sight to Drizzt. “Knew I’d fi ndy e in trouble if I came out
an' lookedfor ye!"
—R. A . S a lvatore, The Crystal Shard
K in gdom s rich in ancient grandeur, halls carved into the
roots o f m ountains, the ech oin g o f picks and h am m ers
in deep m ines and blazing forges, a com m itm en t to
clan and tradition, and a burning hatred o f goblins and
orc s —th ese co m m o n threads unite all dw arves.
skilled w arriors, m iners, and w orkers
o f stone and metal. T h ough they stand
w ell under 5 feet tall, dw arves are so
broad and com pact that they can weigh
as much as a human standing nearly tw o
feet taller. Th eir cou rag e and endurance
are also easily a match for any o f
the larger folk.
D w arven skin ranges from deep brow n to a paler
hue tinged with red, but the m ost com m on sh ades are
light brow n or deep tan, like certain ton es o f earth.
Th eir hair, w orn long but in sim ple styles, is usually
black, gray, or brow n, though paler dw arves often have
red hair. M ale dw arves value their beard s highly and
g room them carefully.
L o n g M e m o r y, L o n g G r u d g e s
D w arves can live to be m ore than 4 0 0 years old, so the
oldest living dw arves often rem em ber a very different
w orld. F or exam ple, som e o f the oldest dw arves living
in Citadel Felbarr (in the w orld o f the Forgotten R ealm s)
can recall the day, m ore than three centuries ago, w hen
or c s con q u ered the fortress and drove them into an exile
that lasted over 2 5 0 years. T h is longevity grants them a
perspective on the w orld that shorter-lived races such as
hum ans and halflings lack.
D w arves are solid and enduring like the m ountains
they love, w eathering the pa ssa ge o f centuries with stoic
endurance and little change. Th ey resp ect the traditions
o f their clans, tracing their an cestry ba ck to the
fou nding o f their m ost ancient stron gholds in the youth
o f the w orld, and don't abandon th ose traditions lightly.
Part o f th ose traditions is devotion to the g od s o f the
dw arves, w h o uphold the dw arven ideals o f industrious
labor, skill in battle, and devotion to the forge.
Individual dw arves are determ ined and loyal, true to
their w ord and decisive in action, som etim es to the point
o f stu bborn n ess. M any dw arves have a strong sen se
o f ju stice, and they are slow to forget w ron g s they have
suffered. A w ron g don e to one dw arf is a w ron g done to
the d w a rf’s entire clan, so w hat begin s as on e dw arf’s
hunt for ven gean ce can b e c o m e a full-blow n clan feud.
C l a n s a n d K in g d o m s
D w arven kin gdom s stretch deep beneath the m ountains
w here the dw arves m ine gem s and preciou s m etals
and forge item s o f w onder. They love the beauty and
artistry o f preciou s m etals and fine jew elry, and in som e
dw arves this love festers into avarice. W hatever w ealth
they ca n ’t find in their m ountains, they gain through
trade. Th ey dislike boats, so enterprising hum ans and
halflings frequently handle trade in dw arven g ood s
along w ater routes. Trustw orthy m em bers o f other races
are w e lcom e in dw arf settlem ents, though so m e areas
are off lim its even to them.
T h e ch ief unit o f dw arven society is the clan, and
dw arves highly value so cia l standing. Even dw arves
w h o live far from their ow n k in gdom s cherish their clan
identities and affiliations, recog n ize related dw arves,
and invoke their an cestors’ n am es in oaths and curses.
To be clan less is the w orst fate that can befall a dwarf.
D w arves in other lands are typically artisans,
esp ecia lly w eapon sm ith s, arm orers, and jew elers. S om e
b e c o m e m ercen a ries or bodyguards, highly sought after
for their cou rag e and loyalty.
Sl o w t o T r u s t
Dwarves get along passably well with most other races. “The
difference between an acquaintance and a friend is about a
hundred years,” is a dwarf saying that might be hyperbole,
but certainly points to how difficult it can be for a member o f
a short-lived race like humans to earn a dwarf’s trust.
Elves. “ It’s not wise to depend on the elves. No telling what
an elf will do next; when the hammer meets the orc’s head,
they’re as apt to start singing as to pull out a sword. They’re
flighty and frivolous. Two things to be said for them, though:
They don’t have many smiths, but the ones they have do very
fine work. And when orcs or goblins come streaming down
out o f the mountains, an elf’s good to have at your back. Not
as good as a dwarf, maybe, but no doubt they hate the orcs
as much as we do.”
Halflings. “Sure, they’re pleasant folk. But show me a
halfling hero. An empire, a triumphant army. Even a treasure
for the ages made by halfling hands. Nothing. How can you
take them seriously?”
Humans. “You take the time to get to know a human, and
by then the human’s on her deathbed. If you’re lucky, she’s
got kin— a daughter or granddaughter, maybe— who’s got
hands and heart as good as hers. That’s when you can make
a human friend. And watch them go! They set their hearts on
something, they’ ll get it, whether it’s a dragon’s hoard or an
empire’s throne. You have to admire that kind o f dedication,
even if it gets them in trouble more often than not.”

G o d s , G o l d , a n d C l a n
D w a rves w h o take up the adventuring life m ight be
m otivated by a desire for treasure—for its ow n sake, for
a sp ecific p u rpose, or even out o f an altruistic desire to
help others. Other dw arves are driven by the com m a n d
or inspiration o f a deity, a direct calling or sim ply a
desire to brin g glory to on e o f the dw arf gods. Clan and
an cestry are also im portant m otivators. A d w a rf might
seek to restore a clan ’s lost honor, avenge an ancient
w ron g the clan suffered, or earn a new p lace w ithin the
clan after having been exiled. Or a dw arf m ight search
for the axe w ielded by a m ighty ancestor, lost on the field
o f battle centuries ago.
D w a r f Na m e s
A d w a rf’s nam e is granted by a clan elder, in a ccord a n ce
with tradition. Every p roper dw arven nam e has been
u sed and reu sed dow n through the generations. A
d w a rf’s n am e b elon g s to the clan, not to the individual.
A dw arf w h o m isu ses or brings sham e to a clan nam e
is stripped o f the nam e and forbidden by law to use any
dw arven nam e in its place.
M ale Names: Adrik, A lberich, Baern, Barendd, Brottor,
Bruenor, Dain, Darrak, D elg, Eberk, Einkil, Fargrim ,
Flint, Gardain, Harbek, Kildrak, M orgran, Orsik,
Oskar, R angrim , Rurik, Taklinn, Thoradin, Thorin,
Tordek, Traubon, Travok, Ulfgar, Veit, Vondal
Female Names: Am ber, Artin, Audhild, Bardryn,
Dagnal, D iesa, Eldeth, Falkrunn, Finellen, G unnloda,
G urdis, Helja, Hlin, Kathra, Kristryd, Ilde, Liftrasa,
M ardred, R isw ynn, Sannl, Torbera, Torgga, Vistra
Clan Names: Balderk, Battleham m er, Brawnanvil,
Dankil, Fireforge, Frostbeard, G orunn, H olderhek,
Ironfist, Loderr, Lutgehr, R um naheim , Strakeln,
Torunn, Ungart
D w a r f T r a it s
Your dw arf character has an assortm ent o f inborn
abilities, part and parcel o f dw arven nature.
Ability Score Increase. Your Constitution sco re
in creases by 2.
Age. D w a rves m ature at the sa m e rate as hum ans, but
they’re con sid ered y ou n g until they reach the age o f 50.
On average, they live about 35 0 years.
Alignment. M ost dw arves are lawful, believing firmly
in the benefits o f a w ell-ordered society. Th ey tend
tow ard g o o d as w ell, with a stron g sen se o f fair play and
a b elief that everyone deserv es to share in the benefits o f
a ju st order.
Size. D w a rves stand b etw een 4 and 5 feet tall and
average about 150 pou nds. Your size is M edium .
Speed. Your b a se w alk in g sp eed is 25 feet. Your
sp eed is not redu ced by w earin g heavy armor.
Darkvision. A ccu stom ed to life underground, you
have su perior vision in dark and dim condition s. You
can see in dim light w ithin 6 0 feet o f you as if it w ere
bright light, and in darkness as if it w ere dim light. You
ca n ’t d iscern color in darkness, only shades o f gray.
Dwarven Resilience. You have advantage on saving
th row s against p oison , and you have resistan ce against
p oison dam age (explained in chapter 9).
Dwarven Combat Training. You have proficiency
w ith the battleaxe, handaxe, th row in g hamm er,
and w arham m er.
Tool Proficiency. You gain proficiency with the
artisan’s tools o f y ou r choice: sm ith’s tools, b rew er’s
supplies, or m a son ’s tools.
Stonecunning. W h enever you m ake an Intelligence
(H istory) ch eck related to the origin o f stonew ork, you
are con sid ered proficient in the H istory skill and add
double your p roficiency bon u s to the check, instead o f
your n orm al proficiency bonus.
Languages. You can speak, read, and w rite C om m on
and D w arvish. D w arvish is full o f hard con son a n ts and
guttural sou n ds, and th ose characteristics spill over into
w hatever other language a dw arf m ight speak.
Subrace. T w o m ain su braces o f dw arves populate the
w orld s o f D &D: hill dw arves and m ountain dw arves.
C h oose on e o f these subraces.
H il l D w a r f
A s a hill dwarf, you have keen sen ses, deep intuition,
and rem arkable resilience. T h e gold dw arves o f Faerun
in their m ighty southern k ingdom are hill dw arves, as
are the exiled Neidar and the d eb a sed K lar o f K rynn in
the D ragon lan ce setting.
Ability Score Increase. Your W isd om score
in creases by 1.
Dwarven Toughness. Y our hit point m axim um
in creases by 1, and it in creases by 1 every tim e you
gain a level.
M o u n t a in D w a r f
A s a m ountain dwarf, you're stron g and hardy,
a ccu stom ed to a difficult life in rugged terrain. You’re
probably on the tall side (for a dw arf), and tend tow ard
lighter coloration. The shield dw arves o f northern
Faerun, as w ell as the ruling Hylar clan and the noble
D aew ar clan o f D ragon lance, are m ountain dw arves.
Ability Score Increase. Your Strength sco re
in creases by 2.
Dwarven Armor Training. You have proficiency w ith
light and m edium armor.
D u er g a r
In cities deep in the Underdark live the duergar, or gray
dwarves. These vicious, stealthy slave traders raid the surface
world for captives, then sell their prey to the other races of
the Underdark. They have innate magical abilities to become
invisible and to temporarily grow to giant size.