Dwarf, Arctic (CR 1/2)
Small Humanoid
Alignment: Usually lawful good
Initiative: +0; Senses: Listen +2 and Spot +2
AC: 17 (+1 size, +4 scale mail, +2 large shield), touch 11, flat-footed 15
Hit Dice: 1d8+1 (5 hp)
Fort +3, Ref +0, Will +0
Speed: 20 ft. (scale mail), base 20 ft.
Space: 5 ft./5 ft.
Base Attack +1; Grapple +2
Attack: Dwarven waraxe +3 melee; or shortbow +1 ranged
Full Attack: Dwarven waraxe +3 melee; or shortbow +1 ranged
Damage: Dwarven waraxe 1d10+1/x3; shortbow 1d6/x3
Special Attacks: Dwarven traits
Abilities: Str 16, Dex 9, Con 13, Int 10, Wis 11, Cha 8
Special Qualities: Dwarven traits, immune to all cold effect and attacks
Feats: Weapon Focus (dwarven waraxe)
Skills: Appraise +2, Craft (blacksmithing) +2, Craft (stonemasonry) +2, Listen +2, and Spot +2
Advancement: By character class
Climate/Terrain: Cold mountains
Organization: Hunting party (3-12) or clan (51-100 plus 30% noncombatants plus 5 3rd-level lieutenants, 3 4th-level captains, and an elder of 6th-9th level)
Treasure/Possessions: Standard (Gems only)
Source:
Monster Manual (3E)
Squat, hardy, and eccentric, the arctic dwarves (who refer to themselves as Innugaakalikurit) are the only dwarven subrace native to the Great Glacier region. With blocky bodies, pinched faces, and stubby legs, arctic dwarves resemble normal dwarves who have been squashed. They seldom exceed three feet in height and are nearly as broad as they are tall. Their eyes are bright blue, their cheeks as ruddy as apples. Normally, their skin is white, almost bluish, but because of their fondness for basking under the bright sun, many of them are sunburned red from head to toe, a condition that causes them no discomfort or other ill effects. Their fingers and toes are thick and blunt, their feet flat and wide, enabling them to walk on the snow without sinking. Curly white hair covers their heads and tumbles down their backs nearly to their waists. Males sport short beards and twisting mustaches. Both sexes favor simple tunics of polar bear fur. Innugaakalikurit are always barefoot.
Combat
Dwarves are experts in combat, effectively using their environment and executing well-planned group attacks. They rarely use magic in fights, since they have few wizards or sorcerers (but dwarven clerics throw themselves into battle as heartily as their fellow warriors). If they have time to prepare, they may build deadfalls or other traps involving stone. In addition to the dwarven waraxe and thrown hammer, dwarves also use warhammers, picks, shortbows, heavy crossbows, and maces.
Dwarven Traits (Ex): Dwarves benefit from a number of racial traits.
- Arctic dwarves are Small, so they gain the advantages and disadvantages of that size (+1 to attacks and AC, +4 to Hide checks, reduced lifting and carrying limits, base speed of 20 feet, must use smaller weapons).
- +1 racial bonus to attack rolls against orcs and goblinoids, through special combat training.
- +2 racial bonus to Will saves against spells and spell-like abilities
- +2 racial bonus to Fortitude saves against all poisons.
- +4 dodge bonus against giants, through special defensive training
- Darkvision up to 60 feet
- Stonecunning: Dwarves receive a +2 racial bonus to checks to notice unusual stonework. Something that isn't stone but is disguised as stone also counts as unusual stonework. A dwarf who merely comes within 10 feet of unusual stonework can make a check as though actively searching and can use the Search skill to find stonework traps as a rogue can. A dwarf can also intuit depth sensing the approximate distance underground as naturally as a human can sense which way is up.
Skills: Dwarves receive a +2 racial bonus to Appraise checks and Craft or Profession checks that are related to stone or metal.
Dwarf Society
Dwarves prefer living in underground cities that they build around mines (although some live on surface outposts). Carved into solid stone, these cities take centuries to complete but remain for ages. Dwarf society is organized into clans, with distinct family lines within each. A clan is led by a hereditary ruler, usually a king or queen and direct descendant of the clan's founder. Dwarves are strongly loyal to their family, clan, monarch, and people as a whole; in conflicts with other races, even objective dwarves tend to side with their kinfolk. These ties have helped the dwarves survive generations of warfare against the evil creatures that live under the earth.
A dwarven city has noncombatant members (usually the young, elderly, and a few adults) equal to 30% of the fighting population; dwarven females are as numerous as males and are accepted in any part of dwarf society, including warriors.
Dwarven clans usually focus on one or two types of craft, such as blacksmithing, making weapons or armor, creating jewelry, engineering, or stonework. To avoid becoming overspecialized, dwarves apprentice some of their young ones to other clans; this practice also helps foster unity. Since dwarves live a long time, these apprenticeships can last many years, even well into adulthood.
The chief dwarf deity is Moradin, the god who created their race and the patron of smiths and other skilled craftworkers.
Dwarf Characters
A dwarf's favored class is fighter. Most arctic dwarf leaders are fighters or rangers.