Species Name: Dwarf, Dwarf, Desert Dwarf, Mul, Athasian Dwarf
The Desert Dwarves are another Athasian race from the Shattered Reality Dimension, left behind after Takhisis' failed invasion of the Beyond Heroes reality. They have taken to Earth's deserts while they try to determine what to do with their lives.
Type: Humanoid
Physical Traits: Dwarves are short, stocky demihumans capable of amazing feats of strength. They are known for obsessive attitudes about the tasks they perform and as such, are considered extremely reliable workers. They tend to have disproportionate statures because of over-muscled bodies and sometimes weigh as much as 200 pounds despite their height. Their massive hands permit them to hold weapons that seem too large for their size. Equally large feet help keep their bulging frames standing. Deep-set eyes sometimes give the impression that the dwarves are constantly observing, silently watching and judging the actions of those around them. Other than a distinctive build and usually hairless heads, dwarves do not stray too far from a human appearance. However, endless hours labouring under the scorching, Athasian sun has brought them deep copper tans and calloused bodies.
Height: 4.5-5 ft
Weight: 150-200 lbs
Abilities: Dwarves are able to work longer and harder without rest than are most other races. Regardless of the preceding type of exertion, eight hours of sleep will let a Dwarf become fully rested, ready to begin work again. They have resistance to magic giving a +4 bonus to all saving throws versus magical attacks, though individual dwarves may have different adjustments. A Dwarf’s high Constitution also results in a stronger resistance to illnesses and toxins, granting dwarves a +4 to saving throws versus heat, disease and poison, but this can vary for the individual Dwarf. They remain unaffected in temperatures as high as 45 degrees Celsius or as low as 0 degrees. Dwarves have the ability to see varying degrees of heat (infravision) to as far as 60 feet, making them formidable opponents even in darkness. Some Dwarves also have limited Psionic powers.
Mobility: Legs
Sensory Organs: Visual
Communication: Vocal
Reproduction: Sexual
INT: 3D6, WIS: 3D6, STR: 4D6 +2, DEX: 3D6, CON: 4D6, CHA: 3D6, MR: 2D6, HPs: CON +D12
Orbit/Climate: See Athas
Feeding Habits: Omnivore
Lifespan: 250 years
Technology: 2
Culture: Standard. Diversified mix of kind and evil people. A Dwarf's chief love is toil. A Dwarf is never happier than when there is a cause to work or fight for, something he can approach with stoic single-mindedness for weeks, months, years, or even decades at a time. Once a Dwarfs mind is committed to a certain task, hell only set it aside after a great deal of grumbling and coercion. The fulfilment he achieves upon completion of a lengthy, difficult task is what he strives for. The task to which a Dwarf is presently committed for compromise in the mind of a Dwarf. is referred to as his focus. A Dwarfs focus must be a feat requiring at least one week to complete. Shorter term goals cannot be considered a focus. While performing tasks that are directly related to his focus, a Dwarf receives a +1 bonus to all his saving throws and a +2 bonus to all his proficiency rolls (or +10 to any percentile roll). An Athasian Dwarf takes notice of other beings based upon his focus. If the other being is also actively committed to the Dwarf's focus, the Dwarf will consider him a sensible and dependable companion. If, however, the other being is vehemently opposed to the Dwarfs focus, the two will be irrevocably at odds until one or the other is dead. There is very little room for compromise in the mind of a Dwarf. A Dwarf does not ignore such short activities, but he derives no satisfaction from their completion. At all times, the Dwarf must be progressing toward the completion of the focus, changing direction for no more than a few days at most. It is possible for a Dwarf to have more than one focus, providing both are somehow related. For example, a Dwarf whose focus is to construct a new village for his clan to adopt may also have a short-term focus to locate the best builders in all of Athas for this village. A Dwarf who performs tasks related to the completion of his foci receives a +1 bonus to all saving throws and a +2 bonus to his proficiency rolls. A Dwarf who dies while resolving a focus is doomed to spend the remainder of its existence as a banshee, forever wandering the wastelands in vain attempts to finish his work.
Dwarves approach combat with the same obsessive, single-minded perspective they do all things. They neither offer nor expect any quarter, viewing almost every battle as one to the death. They are not incapable of mercy, but mercy is far from their first instinct. Opponents who fight with skill and honour have been known to lose to a Dwarf and walk away. Dwarves prefer sturdy weapons with good heft since weaker ones tend to break under the powerful might of a dwarven swing or thrust. Most dwarves strike for 1-8 points of damage with one of their swords, axes, hammers, or similar weapons. Most dwarven weapons are made of stone, but they might also be made with metals. Stone weapons have a -2 THAC0 penalty and a -1 penalty to damage rolls. In addition, dwarves’ great strength gives a +2 to all damage inflicted from a melee attack. Dwarves are particularly fond of, and quite capable of, finding and using metal to forge their weapons and armour, more so than most of the other demihuman races. There is a 10% chance per Dwarf encountered that D4 of them have arms and armour constructed from scraps of metal found or mined from the wastelands. Most Dwarves use shields if their main weapon requires only one hand or if they are not carrying a second weapon. They do not, however, overlook the value of enchanted arms, believing that the weapon or armour overpowers whatever unreliable magics reside within.
Free Dwarves settle in communities, called clans, bound around their families. Ties of the blood are honoured and respected above all others, except the focus. Debts and glories earned from one generation in a clan are passed down to the family members of the next generation. There is no way to break free from these nebulous ties, for such a concept is entirely foreign to the mind of the Dwarf. Many foci of clan dwarves centre around the benefit of the family. Dwarves adapt to virtually all types of terrain on Athas, comfortably settling in mountains, deserts, or near human city-states. Few communities surpass 300 in number. These communities usually spring from a few extended families linked by a common ancestor whose focus was to start the settlement ages ago. Most free dwarves earn their money through commerce with the world around them. Dwarven-forged metal is considered to be among the best in all of Athas. Many smiths swell the boundaries of their clan’s economy by purchasing or finding scraps of steel and converting it to arms or armour. Though dwarves despise haggling because it wastes too much time that could be directed toward better things, they set their prices fairly. Most dwarven-produced goods are priced within 10% of the prices listed in the Player’s Handbook. In the cities, dwarves who do not craft metal usually hire out as mercenaries. Dwarven mercenaries are highly prized; it is hard to buy their loyalty once it has been purchased by another. Some desperate dwarves find their ways into the gladiatorial pits of the nobles, sacrificing freedom to send money to the homelands. Cities of the dwarves were once as numerous as the caravan forts guarding the trade roads, but today not one exists. Likewise, no more than a handful of Dwarf villages remain in the Tyr Region. Kled and the twin villages of North and South Ledopolus are the most prominent. The rest of the Dwarf population lives in the city- states of the sorcerer-kings or among the slave tribes that wander the desert wastes.
Government: Tribal
Population: 7,200,000 on Athas; 56,000 on Earth