Dwarf (Dungeons & Dragons)

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Dwarf
DnD Dwarf.png
An illustration of a dwarf
First appearance the original 1974 edition of Dungeons & Dragons
Based on Dwarf
Information
Type Natural Humanoid
Alignment Often Lawful Good
A dwarf, in the Dungeons & Dragons (D&D) fantasy roleplaying game, is a humanoid
race, one of the primary races available for player characters. The idea for the
D&D dwarf comes from the dwarves of European mythologies and J. R. R. Tolkien's
novel The Lord of the Rings (1954-1955), and has been used in D&D and its
predecessor Chainmail since the early 1970s. Variations from the standard dwarf
archetype of a short and stout demihuman are commonly called subraces, of which
there are more than a dozen across many different rule sets and campaign settings.

Contents
1 History
2 Description
3 Subraces
3.1 In campaign settings
4 Novels
5 References
5.1 Footnotes
5.2 Bibliography
6 External links
History
The concept of the dwarf comes from Norse[1] and Teutonic mythology.[2] In
particular, the dwarves in the Germanic story The Ring of the Nibelungen and the
Brothers Grimm fairy tale "Rumpelstiltskin" have been called "ancestors" of
Dungeons & Dragons dwarves.[3] Along with giants, dwarves were one of the first
types of non-humans to be introduced into the Chainmail game, the forebear of D&D,
when miniature figures of varying sizes were used together in the same wargame.[4]

The dwarf first appears as a player character race in the original 1974 edition of
Dungeons & Dragons,[5] with a design that is strongly influenced by the dwarves of
Poul Anderson's 1961 novel Three Hearts and Three Lions.[1] This early version of
the D&D dwarf is limited to playing a fighter, and can not progress beyond the
sixth level.[1] With the release of the first supplement, Greyhawk, in 1976, they
were then allowed to play a thief with no level restriction.[6] The dwarf and other
non-human characters are considered their own classes in the original Dungeons &
Dragons Basic Set (1977) and its sequels, where they were only permitted a maximum
level of 12 (compared to the Halfling's 8, the Elves' 10, and the human classes
36). With the arrival of Advanced Dungeons & Dragons, the dwarf was returned to a
player character race in the Player's Handbook (1978) and detailed as a monster in
the original Monster Manual (1977).[7][8][9] A number of dwarven subraces are
presented as character races in the original Unearthed Arcana (1985).[10]

In 1989, the hill dwarf, the most common dwarven subrace,[3] appears as a character
race in the second edition Advanced Dungeons & Dragons Player's Handbook[11] and as
a monster in the Monstrous Compendium Volume Two.[12] Dwarves are detailed as a
race for the Forgotten Realms setting in Dwarves Deep (1990).[13] Several dwarven
races are detailed as player character races in The Complete Book of Dwarves
(1991).[14] The dwarf appears as a character race in the third edition Player's
Handbook (2000),[15] the 3.5 revised Player's Handbook (2003),[16] the fourth
edition Player's Handbook (2008),[17] and the fifth edition Player's Handbook
(2014).[18] The arctic dwarf, gray dwarf, gold dwarf, shield dwarf, urdunnir, and
wild dwarf are all detailed in Races of Faerûn (2003).[19] Dwarves are one of the
races detailed in Races of Stone (2004).[20] The dwarf, including the dwarf bolter
and the dwarf hammerer, appears as a monster in the fourth edition Monster Manual
(2008).[21]

Description
Dwarves average four feet in height, with stout, broad bodies.[22] Male dwarves
grow thick facial hair. The female dwarves in The Lord of the Rings novels, which
greatly inspired D&D, were able to grow beards as well.[23] Some authors, such as
R. A. Salvatore, have followed suit in their writing, though the game rules'
official position is that females do not grow beards—the fourth edition of Dungeons
and Dragons portrayed female dwarves as "beardless and even attractive".[24] In
specific campaign settings, the potential for female dwarven facial hair sees much
variation: In the World of Greyhawk some females can grow beards but those
generally shave, in the Forgotten Realms they can grow full beards but also usually
shave,[25] and in Eberron they do not grow facial hair at all. In older editions of
the game, female dwarves did grow beards in various campaign settings.

The book Three Hearts and Three Lions by Poul Anderson strongly influenced Dungeons
& Dragons, having a dwarf named Hugi with a Scottish accent.[1] Most popular
portrayals of dwarves feature such an accent.[1] Dwarves tend to be more useful for
combat-oriented players, as they gain a number of special abilities and bonuses in
combat, mostly related to their hardiness and smaller stature compared to humans.
[22] Dwarves are also resistant to poison and magic, can see in the dark (a skill
called infravision in earlier editions and darkvision beginning with third
edition), and can detect different types of mining-related features underground,
such as sloping tunnels.[11] The dwarven ability to detect a sloping passage
underground is also taken directly from Anderson's book.[3]

Dwarves are generally good in alignment.[26] Ilan Mitchell-Smith wrote that

dwarves, along with other races allowed for use by players such as elves and
halflings, are "defined in terms of subjectivity, and ultimately, humanity" as
opposed to many other creatures who serve as a type of "monstrous other".[27]

Dwarves usually worship Moradin,[28] whom they believe is their creator. According
to their legends, Moradin fashioned the dwarves into a likeness of himself using
gems and metal. He then breathed life into them. In many campaign settings, the
dwarven pantheon of gods consists of the leader Moradin, as well as Abbathor,
Berronar Truesilver, Clanggedin Silverbeard, Dugmaren Brightmantle, Dumathoin,
Muamman Duathal, and Vergadain, and Laduguer is god of the duergar.[10][29] Several
gods including Hanseath were introduced in Races of Stone.[20] Other dwarven gods
may be present in different campaign settings.

Dwarves get along well with gnomes, who are often regarded as close cousins of the
dwarven race.[30] Dwarves are accepting of humans, half-elves and halflings.
Dwarves often do not get to know humans well as they live longer than the average
human, and prefer to become friendly with the human's family in general.[15]
Dwarves do not trust half-orcs, and fail to appreciate elves,[31] with whom they
only ally in their many battles against orcs, goblins, evil giants and trolls.[32]

Subraces
Over the history of D&D publications and rules editions, more than a dozen subraces
of dwarf have been described. Hill dwarves are the standard dwarven race.[3]
Mountain dwarves live deeper underground and have fairer skin than hill dwarves.
[11] Aleithian dwarves are deep-dwelling psionic dwarves who follow the dragon god
Sardior.[33] In the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd editions of D&D, Azers physically resembled
dwarves, though they were unrelated. In the 4th Edition of the game, they are a
product of the enslavement of dwarves by giants and titans. Badlands dwarves have
adapted to life in the inhospitable wastes, developing a natural knack for finding
water and tolerance to heat and thirst.[34] Deep dwarves dwell underground and have
a greater ability to see in the dark, but are sensitive to light. They are more
resistant to magic and poison than standard dwarves. Dream dwarves are
contemplative dwarves in touch with the world around them, which they call the
"earth dream."[20] The duergar are an "evil and avaricious"[3] subrace that live in
the Underdark. Frost dwarves are extra-planar dwarves who reside on the Iron Wastes
of the Infinite Layers of the Abyss. They were once duergar enslaved by frost
giants.[35] Glacier dwarves reside in cold glaciers, mining a special material
known as blue ice. These dwarves have great skill at crafting with ice and magical
ice, and are tolerant to cold weather.[36] Seacliff dwarves make their home in high
seaside cliffs and are excellent swimmers.[37]

In campaign settings
On Athas, the planet of the Dark Sun campaign setting, dwarves stand less than 5'
tall and weigh nearly 200 lbs. Each dwarf pursues a singular obsession, called a
focus, that requires at least a week to complete.[38] Athasian dwarves do not live
underground, but some communities focus on unearthing long-lost dwarven
strongholds. Physically, the dwarves of Athas are unique among their kind, having
no hair at all. Athasian dwarves can breed with humans to produce muls, who are
sterile offspring that share the strength and resiliency of dwarves with the size
of humans.[39]

In the Dragonlance setting, the dwarves are divided into three distinct groups,
which are sub-divided into clans. Hill dwarves consist of a single clan called the
Neidar. They are very similar to the mountain dwarves but are slightly more
forthcoming towards other races and cultures. Flint Fireforge, one of the Heroes of
the Lance, is a Neidar.[40] Mountain dwarves consist of several clans, two of these
being the Hylar and the Daewar clans. Gully dwarves, or Aghar ("the Anguished") are
thought to be the offspring of gnomes and dwarves. Gully dwarves are first referred
to in the Dragonlance Chronicles, by Margaret Weis and Tracy Hickman, as a
"miserable lot."[41] Several clans live together, following the rule of their
chieftains or one particular powerful leader. Gully dwarves are known to be vicious
fighters when cornered. They are generally stupid and often hold menial jobs. They
are characterized as "a tiny, dirty, unorganized folk", but as having heart.[42]
The highest an average gully dwarf can count is 2, though some have become smart
enough to count to 3.[43] They are smaller than normal dwarves. They have no land
of their own and live in ruined cities, sewers, and dirty parts of cities.[44]
Gully dwarves could be used as player characters in the D&D game. They were by
design weaker than other character options, and so only appealing to few players
who "enjoy the underdog status" they provided.[45]

The Forgotten Realms world of Faerûn has several major dwarven subraces. Shield
dwarves, also known as mountain dwarves, are the dominant dwarves in the northern
parts of Faerûn.[25] These dwarves tend to be fatalistic due to generations of
declining numbers.[25] Gold dwarves, also known as hill dwarves, are the dominant
dwarves in southern Faerûn. They are generally a more upbeat group than their
northern cousins.[25] They primarily reside in and around the Deep Realm, an
underground realm surrounding a Grand Canyon-like gorge. Arctic dwarves (also known
as the Inugaakalikurit), found in the northernmost reaches of Faerûn, are smaller
and stronger than most other dwarves, and immune to cold. Urdunnir, also known as
orecutter dwarves, have the magical ability to shape metal and stone, and can walk
through the latter. Wild dwarves are short, primitive dwarves found in the deep
jungles of Faerûn. Gray dwarves, or duergar, are mainly found in the Underdark, and
have an aversion to light. Bruenor Battlehammer, a Shield Dwarf, is the king of
Mithril Hall in the Forgotten Realms setting who reclaims his homeland from
monsters including a shadow dragon named Shimmergloom that he kills single-
handedly.[46] Their gods include Deep Duerra, Gorm Gulthyn, Haela Brightaxe,
Marthammor Duin, and Thard Harr.[13]

In the World of Greyhawk setting, the group of humans known as Flan call dwarves
dwur. They are found throughout the Flanaess, and are particularly numerous in the
Lortmils, Principality of Ulek, Glorioles, Iron Hills, Crystalmists, and Ratik.
Lord Obmi is a notable dwarf of the setting, a servant of Iuz and member of the
Boneshadow organization.[47]

Dwarves in the Spelljammer campaign setting operate in huge spacefaring asteroids,

honeycombed with tunnels.[48]