All the Different Types of Dwarves

X-Calator

First Post
Remember before, we did the elves, a very complex race to chart because of its diversity. I don't think the dwarf table will be as difficult, since the concept of the dwarf is consistent in almost every mythos. The lack of complexity should also make listing them that much more fun, too. :D

So, let's get started. Here's what I need, the a complete list of the dwarves from the following official campaign settings:

-Forgotten Realms
-World of Greyhawk
-Dragonlance
-Mystara
-Birthright
-Dark Sun
-Spelljammer
-Planescape
-Ravenloft
-Kingdoms of Kalamar
-And any of the miscellaneous entries you might find in Dragon Magazine or such sources

Let's get started!
 

log in or register to remove this ad

Krishnath

First Post
Let's see.

MM: Hill, Mountain, Deep, and Duergar (gray).

FRCS: Shield, Gold, Duergar (gray),

Monsters of Faerûn™: Arctic, Urdunnir, Wild,

MM2: Durzagon (Half-Fiend Duergar)

Fiend Folio: Maeluth (Planetouched dwarves of decendant of devils)

Those are the ones I know of, I'm sure there are others. If you need more info on these types of dwarves, I am sure that other people here would be willing to devulge the information. :D

Good luck!

Later,
 

Filby

First Post
Once again, I think I can be of some assistance. :) Feel free to point out anything I may have missed so I can add it to the list. As per the elves, listed by campaign setting...

Birthright:
- Cerillian dwarf: Creatures born of stone, with cold gray skin and wiry hair.

Dark Sun:
- Athasian dwarf: Completely hairless (to cope with the heat). Ususally obsessed with finishing some life focus; if they don't, they rise as undead banshees. Sometimes taken captive by evil humans to breed muls (see below)

Dragonlance:
- Aghar: aka Gully dwarves. Seriously inbred and usually mentally deficient (unable to count past two). Aghar are shorter and thinner than other dwarves; the other subraces believe they have human, gnome, or goblin blood in them.
- Daergar: One of the mountain dwarf clans, the Daergar are often willingly subservient to the Hylar. They are known for their skill as merchants.
- Daewar: The most violent dwarves. Daewar look just like regular mountain dwarves (from the MM). Daewar live deep underground in a brutal, semiprimitive society.
- Fianawar dwarf: The 'deep dwarves' of Krynn, the Fianawar live far underground on the northern continent, Taladas.
- Hylar: The ruling clan of the dwarves on Ansalon, the southern continent. Hylar are the same in appearance and culture as regular mountain dwarves.
- Klar: The Klar are mountain dwarves, but many live among the Neidar (hill dwarves) as well. The Klar are often insane; many attribute this to an old catastrophe they suffered through, but the fact of the matter is that many Klar suffer from mercury poisoning.
- Neidar: The Neidar are the hill dwarves of Krynn and live on the southern continent of Ansalon. During the Cataclysm they were shut out of the Hylar kingdom and forced to live on the surface, and though they have since recovered the Neidar are still very resentful and often war against the Hylar.
- Nylgai Hadirnoe: aka Scorned dwarves. They are the equivalent of Sundered dwarves (see below) and live on Taladas. Taladas was hit the hardest by the Cataclysm, and the Nylgai Hadirnoe got the worst of it. They now eke out a meager existance on the surface.
- Rainward Isles dwarf: Closely related to the other dwarves of Taladas. These dwarves removed to the bleak Rainward Isles after the Cataclysm hit Taladas, and now live peacefully side-by-side with the humans and kender (Krynn's answer to halflings) who also live there.
- Theiwar: Very similar in appearance and culture to the derro (MM), but unrelated. Theiwar are the only dwarves who use magic. They are cruel and cunning, but still mix with the other dwarves (who hate them but can't do anything about it). They often bully their Daewar cronies around.
- Zakhar: The Zakhar were trapped underground beneath Ansalon by the Cataclysm and contracted a horrible rotting disease. They are shorter and thinner than other dwarves, and often lack beards. After the Second Cataclysm, the Zakhar were cured by a human mage, and are now expanding onto the surface.

Forgotten Realms/Al-Qadim/Kara-Tur/Maztica:
- Chultan dwarf: Actually albino shield dwarves. The Chultan dwarves live in mines beneath the Jungles of Chult and typically avoid the wild dwarves and other natives.
- Desert dwarf: aka Maztican dwarf. The desert dwarves are the descendants of Shield Dwarves who tunneled across the ocean to Maztica and were trapped on the new continent when their tunnels flooded.
- Duergar: See 3E Forgotten Realms Campaign Setting.
- Dur authalar: aka jungle dwarf or wild dwarf. See Monsters of Faerun.
- Gold dwarf: aka hill dwarf or southern dwarf. See FRCS.
- Innugaakalikurit: aka Arctic Dwarf. See MoF.
- Ishikorobokuru: Related to the korobokuru but smaller, they live in Kara-Tur's arctic areas and have light blue skin.
- Korobokuru: aka Oriental Dwarf. Native to Kara-Tur. See Oriental Adventures.
- Malatran korobokuru: From 'Living Jungle'. They live on a hidden plateau in Malatra, a subcontinent south of Kara-Tur. More primitive than other korobokuru.
- Shield dwarf: aka northern dwarf. See FRCS.
- Urdunnir: aka the Chosen of Dumathoin or orecutter dwarf. See MoF.
- Zakharan dwarf: Similar to normal hill dwarves. They live on the Middle-Eastern continent of Zakhara (al-Qadim setting) and are integrated into human culture.

Mystara:
- Eusdrian dwarf: Native to the viking kingdom of Eusdria on the Savage Coast, which is ruled by humans. The elves and dwarves of Eusdria are friendly with the humans but keep mostly to themselves. Similar to mountain dwarves.
- Kogolor dwarf: Native to the Hollow World. Kogolor dwarves have a slightly German culture. I don't know much else.
- Modrigswerg: aka moulder dwarf or rot dwarf. Dwarves that were banished from the dwarven homeland of Rockhome and removed to caverns beneath the islands of Ostland. A lot like the typical sneaky fairy-tale dwarves. From 'The Northern Reaches'.
- Rockhome dwarf: The common dwarves of Mystara, found all over the Known World but centered in the dwarven homeland, Rockhome. Basically the same as hill dwarves.
- Savage Coast Dwarf: Same stats as hill dwarves. They live in the Savage Coast, far to the west of the Known World. Totally absorbed into human culture. They almost always shave their beards and dress the same as the local humans, who have sort of a Spanish swashbuckling culture.

Planescape:
- Nidavellir dwarf: Typical Norse dwarves, native to the lowest layer of Ysgard, where they war for territory with the local gnomes and good-aligned drow (Svartalfen). Often wizards and sorcerers, worship both the dwarven and Viking pantheons.
- Planar dwarf: Any dwarf who's taken to life on the Outer Planes.

Ravenloft:
- Ravenloft dwarf: See 3E Ravenloft Campaign Setting.

Spelljammer:
- Wildspace dwarf: Any dwarf who lives in outer space, but usually refers to those that live in large hollowed-out asteroid citadels.

World of Greyhawk (all in MM):
- Deep dwarf
- Duergar
- Hill dwarf
- Mountain dwarf

Dwarves from Earth's Dark Ages:
Note that all of these subraces should probably be considered Fey rather than Humanoids.
- Dverge: Native to Norway and Sweden. They have crow's feet instead of normal humanoid feet. Usually short and skinny, and wield considerable magical abilities. Live deep underground, and can sometimes be found on the Outer Planes in Niflheim (in Hades) as well. From the 'Vikings' historical reference sourcebook.
- Dwarv: Pretty much normal dwarves, also native to Norway. From Dragon Magazine 257.
- Maahiset: The dwarves of Finland. Similar to normal Hill Dwarves, but more barbaric. Lives underground, and fond of elemental magic, especially earth-based. Also from 'Vikings' sourcebook.

Dwarves from no particular campaign settings:
- Aleithan dwarf: Gray-skinned dwarves descended from deep dwarves that were given psionic powers by Aleithilithos, one of the Thanes of Sardior, god of the gem dragons.
- Ptah's seeker: aka African Dwarf. Black-skinned (like obsidian), pupilless black-eyed dwarves with hard, metallic hair, worship the Egyptian god Ptah. From Dragon 202.
- Sundered dwarf: Descended from Mountain Dwarves, forced to live on the surface by some disaster. Taller (five feet tall) and slimmer than other dwarves. Often form ghettoes in human cities. Pretty sad and pathetic. From 'The Complete Book of Dwarves'.

Dwarven crossbreeds:
- Derro: Found on Toril and other worlds, but actually native to Oerth, the World of Greyhawk. Actually human/dwarf creations of the Suel Imperium, used as slaves before orchestrating a revolt and spreading to other worlds by magic portals. See MM.
- D'tarrig: Human tribesmen with some dwarven blood, native to the desert of Anauroch in the Realms. From 'Anauroch'.
- Durzagon: See MM2.
- Half-dwarf/half-human: Only reported from the Realms (though assumedly possible on other worlds). Taller than full dwarves but otherwise similar in appearance; can mate with either humans or dwarves to produce full-blooded individuals of either race. From 'Dwarves Deep'.
- Komazar: A human/dwarf slave race created by the Scarlet Brotherhood of the World of Greyhawk, in an unsuccessful attempt to recreate the derro. Nonagressive and subservient, but very deformed. From 'The Scarlet Brotherhood'.
- Maeluth: See 'Fiend Folio'.
- Mul: aka Athasian half-dwarf. Sterile, hairless gladiator-slaves born into captivity on Athas. Taller than humans (like mules are bigger than horses), but with a dwarf's large, muscular build.
- According to 'Dwarves Deep', dwarves can also mate with elves (almost unheard-of), gnomes, and halflings; I believe Krynnish dwarves can procreate with kender as well.

Hope that helps. :)

EDIT: Added the Komazar under crossbreeds.
 
Last edited:

X-Calator

First Post
Filby said:
Once again, I think I can be of some assistance. :) Feel free to point out anything I may have missed so I can add it to the list.
Wow, kickass, Filby. I really didn't expect so much help when I first started doing these, but I'm glad I'm getting it, believe me.

Filby said:
- Half-dwarf/half-human: Only reported from the Realms (though assumedly possible on other worlds). Taller than full dwarves but otherwise similar in appearance; can mate with either humans or dwarves to produce full-blooded individuals of either race. From 'Dwarves Deep'.
Wow, I didn't know those existed. Thought I made them up myself for my hybrids list. Good thing to know they are officially the way I thought of them. A little taller than pure dwarfs yet retain the same features. Stupendous.

Filby said:
- According to 'Dwarves Deep', dwarves can also mate with elves (almost unheard-of), gnomes, and halflings
I assume those dwarf/elves are the dwelfs. As for the other ones, I don't think they have names, but I can make them up eventually.

Filby said:
Hope that helps. :)

Definitely, though I still need the dwarves from Kingdoms of Kalamar. After that, we're set. :D

Anybody else have anything to add?
 
Last edited:

Tonguez

A suffusion of yellow
Filby said:

- Half-dwarf/half-human: Only reported from the Realms (though assumedly possible on other worlds).

Remember also that CS Lewis's Narnia featured Half-Dwarfs (an important character in the Prince Caspian Saga)
 


Gez

First Post
X-Calator said:
I still need the dwarves from Kingdoms of Kalamar. After that, we're set. :D

No, you don't. Remember the attachment in the other thread ? There you'll find kalamaran dwarves. And gnomes, and halflings, for your next complete lists...
 

X-Calator

First Post
Gez said:
No, you don't. Remember the attachment in the other thread ? There you'll find kalamaran dwarves. And gnomes, and halflings, for your next complete lists...
Oh, that's right. Well, great, then. We're done with the dwarves, I guess. Anybody have anything else to say?
 


Krishnath

First Post
I have a couple of homebrews dwarves as well if you are interrested (and I have plans of doing a race of dwarf barbarians...)
 
Last edited:

Remove ads

Top