Dwarven Women: Beards or no Beards?

[randcortin]

I've played with players who swear dwarven women have beards, but it doesn't say anything about it in the PHB that I've read, and the picture of the dwarven woman in the races section has no beard, but I think I remember seeing a dwarven woman in one of the many WotC books with a beard, so I'm just confused.

Tell me: do Dwarven women have beards? I need to know for the campaign I'll be running, whether dwarven women have beards, and I don't want to disappoint my players either way.

 

[RJSmalls]

Bearded Dwarves

Some dwarven women were bearded, if not all, in earlier editions of D&D. But 3E is more 'politically correct' and I think they tossed the bearded dwarven females out the same time they decided to mix and match 'she' and 'he' pronouns randomly throughout the Core Rules.

 

[Oni]

ride the fence and give them sideburns like Medusa from Earth-X.

Sorry I can't find a good pic or I'd post one.

 

[Seyrn Lerramir]

The pictures of dwarven bearded women appeared [for the most part] in the line up of the faiths and pantheons deity based books. In the 'line ups' of the clerics/avatars.

I think you should apply personal preference to your own game. Personally... I am not keen on bearded women. However, some of the bearded dwarven women artwork was very well done and made the beard look like it belonged there.

Maybe have it so that some dwarven women have beards and some don't? Or have them start growing beards after a certain age? Say after the middle age range ends?

I never played a dwarf, because my main DM would always tell me that I'd have to have a beard [I've never played a male character, nor do I have plans to]... This idea just... bleh. I don't want to have a beard on my character unless it has... uh, unless it's a man!

 

[RJSmalls]

More stuff

I skipped from 1E to 3E, so I can't vouch for how it was in 2E, but on pg. 37 of the DMG, it states that some dwarven women tend to be bearded, and hence dwarven males may be particularly forward with clean-shaven, or beardless, women as a result.

Bottom line, I'd agree with these other cats. Pick whichever dwarven female archetype works for you (or for you players). Then roll with it.

 

[Endur]

Bearded Dwarven Women

Just as an after-comment, the Living Greyhawk Gazetteer (3e) says that dwarven women have beards.

Tolkien is probably the original source of the idea that Dwarven Women have beards.

Tom

 

[Sulimo]

Beards of course. Dwarven women without beards would be well weird...like Halflings without hairy feet.

 

[Buttercup]

Do what you like. I've never run a world with bearded women of any race. Blech.

 

[Squire James]

The only clean-shaven dwarves in games I run were from Athas, and I imagine they only shaved because Borys (later "the Dragon") was killing everything with beards at one time. It probably explains the lack of body hair in many other Athasian races as well.

EDIT - Yeah, I'm pretty sure the fact that copious body hair -> sweat, and excessive sweat in deserts is bad juju, has absolutely nothing to do with it...

 

[alsih2o]

why not have 2 kinds of dwarves, basically the same, just minor differences like skin tone and whether the women grow beards?