Here comes the next race in my project of redoing the races to better fit my campaign setting, this time its the dwarf that's getting the treatment. Got a picture of a dwarf in Bombardier Mechanized Armor, not finished yet as my friend is working on it, but should give you a picture of the dwarves. Description of the armor can be found in my crafting thread in this forum.
Dwarf
The dwarves are another race not native to Balmortis. Industrious, patient and slightly xenophobic, the dwarves are usually found only on their island realm of Cimakath where the labour endlessly to prepare for war against any foe who would try to invade.
History: Ages ago, a small group of planar travelers came to Balmortis on an exploratory mission. Unfortunately, their grasp of planer travel was flawed and as they passed through their planar portal, their bodies were torn asunder, evaporated in a red mist. The spirits of the travelers left their bodies and was consumed by the land, except for one spirit, the spirit of the armorer Arak Kammon. Without a body, the spirit of Arak Kammon travels across the plane of Balmortis to find a body to inhabit. Weakened by the planar transfer, the spirit is incapable of taking control of a living body and it eventually finds a statue to inhabit. Unknown to the spirit, the statue is a mockery made by the Shim, a statue deliberately made grotesque and disfigured as a joke on a Shim noble. When Arak Kammon animates the statue, the surprised Shim immediately take him captive to study the odd phenomena. Only after nearly a century in captivity is Arak Kammon able to escape, making his way through a series of tunnels in the Shim empire to reach Cimakath island. There the lost traveler decides to create a new race which will give him company in his solitude. Using his skills as a craftsman, stitching together the flesh of the local wildlife and imbuing it with a fraction of his essence, Arak Kammon creates the dwarves in his image. All the time spent in Balmortis, especially the time spent as a spirit without a body, has made Arak Kammon slightly mad and caused him to forget much of the ancient lore of his people. Unable to remember how he even looked like before the fatal voyage across the planes, Arak Kammon has no other option but to use the shape of the disfigured statue that he chose to inhabit as a prototype for his new race.
While Arak Kammon himself is made of pure granite, he decides to create his people from a mixture of steel and flesh. Creating the first Womb Engine, the dwarven king starts a process of industrialization and growth that will lead to Cimakath becoming the beacon of technology and progress in Balmortis. The dwarven race prospers and expands across the island. Initially, the dwarves have little concern for warfare, being a race dedicated to craftsmanship and growth. Only in roughly 52.000 BC does the faith of the dwarven race change when they are assaulted by raiding bands of goblins sent by the Timeless Council. The goblins, seeking to imprison the dwarves so that they can provide them with their craftsmanship and technology, invade the Cimakath island in force. Many dwarven villages and towns are destroyed and only a fraction of the dwarves survive by entrenching themselves in a series of sturdy forts. Unable to take these forts, the goblins are eventually forced to abandon their plan of conquering the island and they travel back to the Tamara continent through the tunnels beneath the Emerald Sea. After the horrible genocide committed by the goblins, the dwarves are enraged and their entire culture slowly starts to change. Their industry is reformed to revolve around warfare. Even though the dwarves are able to reproduce asexually, their enormous Womb Engines are slow and costly, forcing the dwarves to rely on a tactic that is less dependent on numerical advantages. Over several centuries, the dwarves evolve, building up a formidable army, an army focused on a mix of very heavy infantry and potent, long range weapons. Throughout history, dwarves have fought in numerous wars. While their army has never been of a sufficient size to invade other countries, dwarves are still a feared foe due to their tendency to hold grudges and their ability to decimate both heavy fortifications as well as armies far larger than their own.
Appearance: Dwarves in Balmortis have many similarities to dwarves in typical fantasy settings. They are short, stocky humanoids with long beards and a determined expression on their face. Dwaves have dull, grey skin and brown or black hair. Their eyes are brown and typically small and squinted. Some foreigners have made the mistaken assumption that dwarven females must have beards, which is a false assumption since dwarves don't have genders. The dwarves are bred in the mansion-sized Womb Engines, machines that cultivate and shape organic matter to create a living creature. The Womb Engines are not a perfected technology though, and many dwarves are created with defects. Typically, flesh-mechanics will repair these defects on newly created dwarves as much as they can, using steel to reinforce damaged body parts. If a newly created dwarf is deemed to be too deformed or mentally deficient, it is cast out from dwarven society into the underworld where a whole sub-culture exists of the so-called gnomes, a society consisting of misfits and degenerates. Dwarves are naturally resistant and durable creatures, capable of withstanding punishment and hardship like few other races.
Dwarves do not age like normal creatures. They are created from Womb Engines as fully grown beings. While a newly created dwarf might be fully grown, it doesn't have any training or memories, so even though a new dwarf might have the physical capabilities of other dwarves, it still needs to be trained and taught to speak and operate in dwarven society. It usually takes twenty to twenty-five years for a dwarf to be fully trained and integrated into society.
Psychology: Dwarves are, as mentioned, quite xenophobic and serious. They have a tendency to take everything very seriously and do not have a pronounced sense of humor. They also have a bad tendency to ignore foreigners unless they have an urgent matter to discuss with them. While most races become curious when approached by outsiders, the dwarves seem completely unaffected and uninterested in cultures besides their own. Some suspect that dwarves only appear to be uninterested, that their rough and uncaring behavior is merely a facade they put up to protect themselves. While plausible, this theory is not true. The dwarves originate from another world and their entire culture revolves around work and adherence to the dwarven hierarchy. They don't waste time on anything that doesn't further the means of their society. The emotion that is most dominant amongst dwarves is hatred, their ability to hold grudges. While the dwarves are rather neutral, if reserved, to races and nations that have done them no harm, they take great offense when insulted or harassed. Malkai Anvilheart is the most famous of all dwarves, the dwarf that declared war upon the elves solely because of an insult, a war that wiped out not only an entire dwarven army but also the bulk of the elven nobility along with their orc slave army. There is no such thing as overreacting to a dwarf. While foreigners have great problems dealing with dwarves, even in such peaceful pursuits as trade, there have been times when dwarves have been able to make friends with non-dwarves. It naturally takes some time for a foreigner to learn about the dwarven mindset, but if a dwarf is respected and treated well he can form friendships with outsiders. While a dwarf will never value an outsider as much as he will value another dwarf, he can still become a valuable friend. Many make the assumption that dwarves are not creative, since they don't value humor and most art. This is also a dangerous assumption, since dwarves have proven to be very cunning and resourceful. Especially when it comes to using their machinery to solve a problem, the dwarves are both competent and creative.
Dwarves will always be of lawful alignment. They also tend to be neutral on the evil / good axis, with rather selfish tendencies when dealing with non-dwarves. It is extremely rare to encounter dwarves that become outright good or evil.
Society: Since dwarves are created in their enormous Womb Engines, they don't have a natural family structure. Normally when a dwarf is created, a member of the dwarven society is tasked with being the guardian of the new dwarf. The guardian is often called "blood father" and the new dwarf is referred to as "blood son". Through the guardian system, a family structure involves that is somewhat similar to the family structure of other races. Several dwarves who share a guardian are called "blood brothers", the blood brother of a blood father is a "blood uncle", and so forth. When a new dwarf needs to have a guardian appointed, a council of flesh-mechanics decide what task the new dwarf is required to perform in their society. The council is constantly updated on the needs of the society by monthly reports from the various fields of the society, so they have a good impression of where the manpower is needed. While there is no class system in dwarven society, due to the randomness of the guardian system, especially strong dwarves are picked to serve in the military while especially clever dwarves might be trained to become flesh-mechanics or inventors. The military caste are kept completely separate from the rest of the population, rigorously drilled from birth to protect the dwarven homeland and the dwarven way. The military usually live and train in forts on the outskirts of society, either along the coast of Cimakath or in some of the subterranean fortifications. Especially competent warriors are sent to the Rain Mountains to participate in the war of attrition between the elves of Zel-Nagash and the dwarves.
Art: Dwarves have a great love for steel and stone, a love that is reflected in their art. The majority of dwarven art is built into objects which see frequent use, rather than being independent pieces of art. Especially dwarven structures, vehicles and armors are adorned with pieces of art. Often the dwarven art will be made to intimidate their foes, depicting slain enemies scattered on the battlefield or scenes of great duels fought between the dwarves and their foes.
Combat: Dwarves focus heavily on armor and long range weaponry when they engage in battle. The heavy armor they wear, the Bombardier and Juggernaut Mechanized Armors, are an important aspect of their style of combat, the highly trained dwarves in Juggernaut armor acting as a wall of steel that keeps enemy melee combatants away while the bombardiers, siege engines and tanks pummel the enemy from afar. The dwarven formations are notoriously lacking in flexibility and mobility, but the dwarves have learnt how to make up for it by deploying weapons with a range that far exceeds anything fielded by their enemies.
Dwarves as characters
* -2 Dexterity, +4 Constitution, -2 Charisma. Dwarves are unaturally tough and resilient, but not very agile. They're also a bit unaccustomed to dealing with people not of dwarven descent and often come across as rough and unfriendly.
* Medium: As Medium creatures, dwarves have no special bonuses or penalties due to their size.
* Dwarf land base speed is 20 ft. However, dwarves can move at this speed even when wearing medium or heavy armor or when carrying a medium or heavy load (unlike other creatures, whose speed is reduced in such situations).
* Bonus Feat: Dwarves gain the Great Fortitude feat for free.
* Community: Dwarves have a very tight-knit community and it is customary for one dwarf to help another dwarf whenever possible. When purchasing goods from another dwarf, the character only has to pay half the usual price of the goods.
* Craftsman: Dwarves are famous for their craftsmanship. A dwarf gains a +4 racial bonus to all craft skills that involves metal or stone (such as Armorsmithing, Weaponsmithing, Gunpowder, Mechanics and Steam). A dwarf also receives a +2 racial bonus to all Appraise checks related to items made of stone or metal.
* Darkvision: Dwarves can see in the dark up to 120 feet. Darkvision is black and white only, but it is otherwise like normal sight, and dwarves can function just fine with no light at all.
* Forge Fire: Dwarves tend to work in damp, hot environments and have developed a natural resistance to heat. A dwarf character has Fire Resistance 5. This resistance stacks with other effects or spells which grant Fire Resistance.
* Grudge: Dwarves harbor a deep hatred towards elves and goblins, and gain a +2 bonus to all attack and damage rolls against elves and goblins.
* Machine-Born: Dwarves are not a natural creature like most other residents of Balmortis, they were created from a machine and they are resistant to effects which change their body. Dwarves are immune to effects which reduce any of their physical Ability Scores (Strength, Dexterity and Constitution). Dwarves also receive a +4 bonus to their Saving Throw against poisons and diseases.
* Spirit Link: Dwarves are bound together by the spirit of Arak Kammon which allows them to sense the presence of other dwarves. A dwarf will automatically know if another dwarf is within 120 ft. of him, and he will be able to determine the range and direction to another dwarf inside this range.
* Stability: A dwarf gains a +4 bonus on ability checks made to resist being bull rushed or tripped when standing on the ground (but not when climbing, flying, riding, or otherwise not standing firmly on the ground).
* Stout: Dwarves are extremely tough compared to most other races. At first level, the dwarf character may add his Constitution Modifier twice to his Hit Points instead of merely once. The extra Hit Points granted from this ability will increase if the dwarf's Constitution Modifier increases.
* Unnatural: Dwarves are somewhat removed from the natural order of Balmortis due to their unique origins. This makes them completely incapable to taking levels in any spellcasting class, and they gain a +2 bonus to all Saving Throws against spells and spell-like effects.
* Wealth: Dwarves are a industrious and hard-working race. When creating a dwarf character, the character starts with double the amount of money.
* 4 extra skill points at 1st level and 1 extra skill point at each additional level. The extra skill points must be used on a Craft skill.
* Natural Armor +1
* Automatic languages: Common and Dwarf. Bonus languages: Any
* Favored Class: Fighter. A multiclass dwarf's fighter class does not count when determining whether he takes an experience point penalty for multiclassing.
* Level Adjustment +1
Racial Feats
New Feat Type: Graft Feat
A Graft feat is a special type of feat that involves the character having some kind of mechanical augmentation done to his body prior to taking the feat. A Graft feat requires that the character first pays a certain price in gold to purchase the mechanical graft involved in taking the feat. Secondly, the character must succeed at a Craft (Flesh) check to successfully have the graft fitted to him. It is possible for a person other than the character to perform the fitting. If the Craft (Flesh) check fails, the graft is ruined in the process and a new one must be purchased. Usually, grafts can be bought by any dwarven character when in a dwarven city.
Body Over Mind
You are able to absorb mind-affecting spells and effects into your body instead of letting them affect your mind.
Prerequisites: Dwarf Toughness
Benefit: When you are subject to a spell or effect that requires a Will Saving Throw, you may choose to use half your Fortitude Saving Throw bonus instead of your normal Will Saving Throw bonus.
Chemical Rage (Graft)
You have had several canisters of chemical steroids and stimulants imbedded in your body that can be activated to cause you to enter a chemical rage.
Prerequisites: Must be a dwarf or gnome
Graft Cost: 2500 gp
Craft (Flesh) DC: 26
Benefit: You have several canister located underneath your skin that can be activated as a standard action to release powerful steroids and stimulants into your blood stream. When the canisters are activated, you will gain a +6 bonus to Strength for 1d6+5 rounds. The canisters can only be used once before they need to be refilled, a process which takes 5 full rounds. The special concoction in the canisters must be purchased separately and costs 150 gp per dose.
Dwarf Toughness
You are able to withstand greater amounts of punishment as a result of your inherent ruggedness.
Prerequisites: Must be a dwarf
Benefit: You may add your Constitution Modifier to your Hit Points as if though you had an additional Hit Dice and you gain a +1 bonus to your Fortitude Saving Throws.
Special: A character may gain this feat multiple times. Its effects stack.
Incorporated Weaponry (Graft)
You have had your hand removed and socket grafted in its place that allows you to affix a weapon permanently to your arm.
Prerequisites: Must be a dwarf
Graft Cost: 1000 gp
Craft (Flesh) DC: 24
Benefit: You have had a weapon socket permanently replace one of your hands. The socket allows you to affix a weapon to your arm pemanently. The weapon must be crafted especially to be socketed to the graft, a process that increases the price of the weapon by 50 gp. A weapon not made to be affixed into a socket can be modified to allow it to be affixed, a process which takes 1 week, costs 100 gp worth of materials and requires a Craft (Weaponsmithin) check (DC 18). It takes five full rounds to affix a weapon to the graft, and it takes one full round to remove a weapon. Once a weapon is affixed to the graft, you gain a +2 bonus to all Attack and Damage rolls with it, and you can't be disarmed. You suffer a -6 penalty to all Skill checks that typically involves using two hands, such as Climb, Craft, Escape Artist, Open Lock, Sleight of Hand, Swim and Use Rope.
Metabolic Stimulants (Graft)
You have had several canisters of organic stimulants imbedded in your body that can be activated to give you an increased rate of regeneration.
Prerequisites: Must be a dwarf or gnome
Graft Cost: 1000 gp
Craft (Flesh) DC: 24
Benefit: You have a number of small canister located just beneath your skin that you can activate as a standard action. When activated, the canisters will release a number of growth hormones, metabolic stimulants and nutrients into your blood stream that will grant you Fast Healing 5 for 1d6+5 rounds. The canisters can only be used once before they need to be refilled, a process which takes 5 full rounds. The special concoction in the canisters must be purchased separately and costs 50 gp per dose.
Steel Skin (Graft)
You have had a number of reinforcing, metal plates embedded in your skin.
Prerequisites: Must be a dwarf
Graft Cost: 500 gp
Craft (Flesh) DC: 22
Benefit: The heavy plates placed underneath your skin makes you able to withstand greater amounts of punishment, increasing your Natural Armor by +2. The plates do cause some hindrance though, decreasing your Dexterity by -2.
Dwarf
The dwarves are another race not native to Balmortis. Industrious, patient and slightly xenophobic, the dwarves are usually found only on their island realm of Cimakath where the labour endlessly to prepare for war against any foe who would try to invade.
History: Ages ago, a small group of planar travelers came to Balmortis on an exploratory mission. Unfortunately, their grasp of planer travel was flawed and as they passed through their planar portal, their bodies were torn asunder, evaporated in a red mist. The spirits of the travelers left their bodies and was consumed by the land, except for one spirit, the spirit of the armorer Arak Kammon. Without a body, the spirit of Arak Kammon travels across the plane of Balmortis to find a body to inhabit. Weakened by the planar transfer, the spirit is incapable of taking control of a living body and it eventually finds a statue to inhabit. Unknown to the spirit, the statue is a mockery made by the Shim, a statue deliberately made grotesque and disfigured as a joke on a Shim noble. When Arak Kammon animates the statue, the surprised Shim immediately take him captive to study the odd phenomena. Only after nearly a century in captivity is Arak Kammon able to escape, making his way through a series of tunnels in the Shim empire to reach Cimakath island. There the lost traveler decides to create a new race which will give him company in his solitude. Using his skills as a craftsman, stitching together the flesh of the local wildlife and imbuing it with a fraction of his essence, Arak Kammon creates the dwarves in his image. All the time spent in Balmortis, especially the time spent as a spirit without a body, has made Arak Kammon slightly mad and caused him to forget much of the ancient lore of his people. Unable to remember how he even looked like before the fatal voyage across the planes, Arak Kammon has no other option but to use the shape of the disfigured statue that he chose to inhabit as a prototype for his new race.
While Arak Kammon himself is made of pure granite, he decides to create his people from a mixture of steel and flesh. Creating the first Womb Engine, the dwarven king starts a process of industrialization and growth that will lead to Cimakath becoming the beacon of technology and progress in Balmortis. The dwarven race prospers and expands across the island. Initially, the dwarves have little concern for warfare, being a race dedicated to craftsmanship and growth. Only in roughly 52.000 BC does the faith of the dwarven race change when they are assaulted by raiding bands of goblins sent by the Timeless Council. The goblins, seeking to imprison the dwarves so that they can provide them with their craftsmanship and technology, invade the Cimakath island in force. Many dwarven villages and towns are destroyed and only a fraction of the dwarves survive by entrenching themselves in a series of sturdy forts. Unable to take these forts, the goblins are eventually forced to abandon their plan of conquering the island and they travel back to the Tamara continent through the tunnels beneath the Emerald Sea. After the horrible genocide committed by the goblins, the dwarves are enraged and their entire culture slowly starts to change. Their industry is reformed to revolve around warfare. Even though the dwarves are able to reproduce asexually, their enormous Womb Engines are slow and costly, forcing the dwarves to rely on a tactic that is less dependent on numerical advantages. Over several centuries, the dwarves evolve, building up a formidable army, an army focused on a mix of very heavy infantry and potent, long range weapons. Throughout history, dwarves have fought in numerous wars. While their army has never been of a sufficient size to invade other countries, dwarves are still a feared foe due to their tendency to hold grudges and their ability to decimate both heavy fortifications as well as armies far larger than their own.
Appearance: Dwarves in Balmortis have many similarities to dwarves in typical fantasy settings. They are short, stocky humanoids with long beards and a determined expression on their face. Dwaves have dull, grey skin and brown or black hair. Their eyes are brown and typically small and squinted. Some foreigners have made the mistaken assumption that dwarven females must have beards, which is a false assumption since dwarves don't have genders. The dwarves are bred in the mansion-sized Womb Engines, machines that cultivate and shape organic matter to create a living creature. The Womb Engines are not a perfected technology though, and many dwarves are created with defects. Typically, flesh-mechanics will repair these defects on newly created dwarves as much as they can, using steel to reinforce damaged body parts. If a newly created dwarf is deemed to be too deformed or mentally deficient, it is cast out from dwarven society into the underworld where a whole sub-culture exists of the so-called gnomes, a society consisting of misfits and degenerates. Dwarves are naturally resistant and durable creatures, capable of withstanding punishment and hardship like few other races.
Dwarves do not age like normal creatures. They are created from Womb Engines as fully grown beings. While a newly created dwarf might be fully grown, it doesn't have any training or memories, so even though a new dwarf might have the physical capabilities of other dwarves, it still needs to be trained and taught to speak and operate in dwarven society. It usually takes twenty to twenty-five years for a dwarf to be fully trained and integrated into society.
Psychology: Dwarves are, as mentioned, quite xenophobic and serious. They have a tendency to take everything very seriously and do not have a pronounced sense of humor. They also have a bad tendency to ignore foreigners unless they have an urgent matter to discuss with them. While most races become curious when approached by outsiders, the dwarves seem completely unaffected and uninterested in cultures besides their own. Some suspect that dwarves only appear to be uninterested, that their rough and uncaring behavior is merely a facade they put up to protect themselves. While plausible, this theory is not true. The dwarves originate from another world and their entire culture revolves around work and adherence to the dwarven hierarchy. They don't waste time on anything that doesn't further the means of their society. The emotion that is most dominant amongst dwarves is hatred, their ability to hold grudges. While the dwarves are rather neutral, if reserved, to races and nations that have done them no harm, they take great offense when insulted or harassed. Malkai Anvilheart is the most famous of all dwarves, the dwarf that declared war upon the elves solely because of an insult, a war that wiped out not only an entire dwarven army but also the bulk of the elven nobility along with their orc slave army. There is no such thing as overreacting to a dwarf. While foreigners have great problems dealing with dwarves, even in such peaceful pursuits as trade, there have been times when dwarves have been able to make friends with non-dwarves. It naturally takes some time for a foreigner to learn about the dwarven mindset, but if a dwarf is respected and treated well he can form friendships with outsiders. While a dwarf will never value an outsider as much as he will value another dwarf, he can still become a valuable friend. Many make the assumption that dwarves are not creative, since they don't value humor and most art. This is also a dangerous assumption, since dwarves have proven to be very cunning and resourceful. Especially when it comes to using their machinery to solve a problem, the dwarves are both competent and creative.
Dwarves will always be of lawful alignment. They also tend to be neutral on the evil / good axis, with rather selfish tendencies when dealing with non-dwarves. It is extremely rare to encounter dwarves that become outright good or evil.
Society: Since dwarves are created in their enormous Womb Engines, they don't have a natural family structure. Normally when a dwarf is created, a member of the dwarven society is tasked with being the guardian of the new dwarf. The guardian is often called "blood father" and the new dwarf is referred to as "blood son". Through the guardian system, a family structure involves that is somewhat similar to the family structure of other races. Several dwarves who share a guardian are called "blood brothers", the blood brother of a blood father is a "blood uncle", and so forth. When a new dwarf needs to have a guardian appointed, a council of flesh-mechanics decide what task the new dwarf is required to perform in their society. The council is constantly updated on the needs of the society by monthly reports from the various fields of the society, so they have a good impression of where the manpower is needed. While there is no class system in dwarven society, due to the randomness of the guardian system, especially strong dwarves are picked to serve in the military while especially clever dwarves might be trained to become flesh-mechanics or inventors. The military caste are kept completely separate from the rest of the population, rigorously drilled from birth to protect the dwarven homeland and the dwarven way. The military usually live and train in forts on the outskirts of society, either along the coast of Cimakath or in some of the subterranean fortifications. Especially competent warriors are sent to the Rain Mountains to participate in the war of attrition between the elves of Zel-Nagash and the dwarves.
Art: Dwarves have a great love for steel and stone, a love that is reflected in their art. The majority of dwarven art is built into objects which see frequent use, rather than being independent pieces of art. Especially dwarven structures, vehicles and armors are adorned with pieces of art. Often the dwarven art will be made to intimidate their foes, depicting slain enemies scattered on the battlefield or scenes of great duels fought between the dwarves and their foes.
Combat: Dwarves focus heavily on armor and long range weaponry when they engage in battle. The heavy armor they wear, the Bombardier and Juggernaut Mechanized Armors, are an important aspect of their style of combat, the highly trained dwarves in Juggernaut armor acting as a wall of steel that keeps enemy melee combatants away while the bombardiers, siege engines and tanks pummel the enemy from afar. The dwarven formations are notoriously lacking in flexibility and mobility, but the dwarves have learnt how to make up for it by deploying weapons with a range that far exceeds anything fielded by their enemies.
Dwarves as characters
* -2 Dexterity, +4 Constitution, -2 Charisma. Dwarves are unaturally tough and resilient, but not very agile. They're also a bit unaccustomed to dealing with people not of dwarven descent and often come across as rough and unfriendly.
* Medium: As Medium creatures, dwarves have no special bonuses or penalties due to their size.
* Dwarf land base speed is 20 ft. However, dwarves can move at this speed even when wearing medium or heavy armor or when carrying a medium or heavy load (unlike other creatures, whose speed is reduced in such situations).
* Bonus Feat: Dwarves gain the Great Fortitude feat for free.
* Community: Dwarves have a very tight-knit community and it is customary for one dwarf to help another dwarf whenever possible. When purchasing goods from another dwarf, the character only has to pay half the usual price of the goods.
* Craftsman: Dwarves are famous for their craftsmanship. A dwarf gains a +4 racial bonus to all craft skills that involves metal or stone (such as Armorsmithing, Weaponsmithing, Gunpowder, Mechanics and Steam). A dwarf also receives a +2 racial bonus to all Appraise checks related to items made of stone or metal.
* Darkvision: Dwarves can see in the dark up to 120 feet. Darkvision is black and white only, but it is otherwise like normal sight, and dwarves can function just fine with no light at all.
* Forge Fire: Dwarves tend to work in damp, hot environments and have developed a natural resistance to heat. A dwarf character has Fire Resistance 5. This resistance stacks with other effects or spells which grant Fire Resistance.
* Grudge: Dwarves harbor a deep hatred towards elves and goblins, and gain a +2 bonus to all attack and damage rolls against elves and goblins.
* Machine-Born: Dwarves are not a natural creature like most other residents of Balmortis, they were created from a machine and they are resistant to effects which change their body. Dwarves are immune to effects which reduce any of their physical Ability Scores (Strength, Dexterity and Constitution). Dwarves also receive a +4 bonus to their Saving Throw against poisons and diseases.
* Spirit Link: Dwarves are bound together by the spirit of Arak Kammon which allows them to sense the presence of other dwarves. A dwarf will automatically know if another dwarf is within 120 ft. of him, and he will be able to determine the range and direction to another dwarf inside this range.
* Stability: A dwarf gains a +4 bonus on ability checks made to resist being bull rushed or tripped when standing on the ground (but not when climbing, flying, riding, or otherwise not standing firmly on the ground).
* Stout: Dwarves are extremely tough compared to most other races. At first level, the dwarf character may add his Constitution Modifier twice to his Hit Points instead of merely once. The extra Hit Points granted from this ability will increase if the dwarf's Constitution Modifier increases.
* Unnatural: Dwarves are somewhat removed from the natural order of Balmortis due to their unique origins. This makes them completely incapable to taking levels in any spellcasting class, and they gain a +2 bonus to all Saving Throws against spells and spell-like effects.
* Wealth: Dwarves are a industrious and hard-working race. When creating a dwarf character, the character starts with double the amount of money.
* 4 extra skill points at 1st level and 1 extra skill point at each additional level. The extra skill points must be used on a Craft skill.
* Natural Armor +1
* Automatic languages: Common and Dwarf. Bonus languages: Any
* Favored Class: Fighter. A multiclass dwarf's fighter class does not count when determining whether he takes an experience point penalty for multiclassing.
* Level Adjustment +1
Racial Feats
New Feat Type: Graft Feat
A Graft feat is a special type of feat that involves the character having some kind of mechanical augmentation done to his body prior to taking the feat. A Graft feat requires that the character first pays a certain price in gold to purchase the mechanical graft involved in taking the feat. Secondly, the character must succeed at a Craft (Flesh) check to successfully have the graft fitted to him. It is possible for a person other than the character to perform the fitting. If the Craft (Flesh) check fails, the graft is ruined in the process and a new one must be purchased. Usually, grafts can be bought by any dwarven character when in a dwarven city.
Body Over Mind
You are able to absorb mind-affecting spells and effects into your body instead of letting them affect your mind.
Prerequisites: Dwarf Toughness
Benefit: When you are subject to a spell or effect that requires a Will Saving Throw, you may choose to use half your Fortitude Saving Throw bonus instead of your normal Will Saving Throw bonus.
Chemical Rage (Graft)
You have had several canisters of chemical steroids and stimulants imbedded in your body that can be activated to cause you to enter a chemical rage.
Prerequisites: Must be a dwarf or gnome
Graft Cost: 2500 gp
Craft (Flesh) DC: 26
Benefit: You have several canister located underneath your skin that can be activated as a standard action to release powerful steroids and stimulants into your blood stream. When the canisters are activated, you will gain a +6 bonus to Strength for 1d6+5 rounds. The canisters can only be used once before they need to be refilled, a process which takes 5 full rounds. The special concoction in the canisters must be purchased separately and costs 150 gp per dose.
Dwarf Toughness
You are able to withstand greater amounts of punishment as a result of your inherent ruggedness.
Prerequisites: Must be a dwarf
Benefit: You may add your Constitution Modifier to your Hit Points as if though you had an additional Hit Dice and you gain a +1 bonus to your Fortitude Saving Throws.
Special: A character may gain this feat multiple times. Its effects stack.
Incorporated Weaponry (Graft)
You have had your hand removed and socket grafted in its place that allows you to affix a weapon permanently to your arm.
Prerequisites: Must be a dwarf
Graft Cost: 1000 gp
Craft (Flesh) DC: 24
Benefit: You have had a weapon socket permanently replace one of your hands. The socket allows you to affix a weapon to your arm pemanently. The weapon must be crafted especially to be socketed to the graft, a process that increases the price of the weapon by 50 gp. A weapon not made to be affixed into a socket can be modified to allow it to be affixed, a process which takes 1 week, costs 100 gp worth of materials and requires a Craft (Weaponsmithin) check (DC 18). It takes five full rounds to affix a weapon to the graft, and it takes one full round to remove a weapon. Once a weapon is affixed to the graft, you gain a +2 bonus to all Attack and Damage rolls with it, and you can't be disarmed. You suffer a -6 penalty to all Skill checks that typically involves using two hands, such as Climb, Craft, Escape Artist, Open Lock, Sleight of Hand, Swim and Use Rope.
Metabolic Stimulants (Graft)
You have had several canisters of organic stimulants imbedded in your body that can be activated to give you an increased rate of regeneration.
Prerequisites: Must be a dwarf or gnome
Graft Cost: 1000 gp
Craft (Flesh) DC: 24
Benefit: You have a number of small canister located just beneath your skin that you can activate as a standard action. When activated, the canisters will release a number of growth hormones, metabolic stimulants and nutrients into your blood stream that will grant you Fast Healing 5 for 1d6+5 rounds. The canisters can only be used once before they need to be refilled, a process which takes 5 full rounds. The special concoction in the canisters must be purchased separately and costs 50 gp per dose.
Steel Skin (Graft)
You have had a number of reinforcing, metal plates embedded in your skin.
Prerequisites: Must be a dwarf
Graft Cost: 500 gp
Craft (Flesh) DC: 22
Benefit: The heavy plates placed underneath your skin makes you able to withstand greater amounts of punishment, increasing your Natural Armor by +2. The plates do cause some hindrance though, decreasing your Dexterity by -2.
