D&D General I miss Mountain Dwarfs

[Whizbang Dustyboots]

Mountain dwarves are known for being radical dudes who rule at extreme sports and absolutely shredding on the half-pipe, as well as their signature vivid green-yellow beverage of choice.

 

[Micah Sweet]

Sure

But the point is that the species is interesting beef before you add the culture. Culture is an addition.

The problem was with species like dwarves Halflings does actual species themselves are boring and barely fantastic. The culture is the interesting part. However if the world builder or dungeon master wants to change their culture then the game has to strip the culture out of this race in order to allow the dungeon master or world builder to put the culture back on.

The issue really is that 5e dwarves are linked to old setting where they aren't fantastic and 90% of what's interesting about them in those settings is their culture. So species like dwarf and halfling have to remain humanlike physically and mental.

And humans don't get subspecies.

Yeah, which is why Level Up's system is genius, because culture and heritage are separate metrics. You mix and match in whatever combination you choose.

 

[Minigiant]

Yeah, which is why Level Up's system is genius, because culture and heritage are separate metrics. You mix and match in whatever combination you choose.

INCORRECT

The genius is not that you can combine culture and heritage.

The genius is that there was an effort to make every culture and heritage interesting and fantastical.

 

[Micah Sweet]

INCORRECT

The genius is not that you can combine culture and heritage.

The genius is that there was an effort to make every culture and heritage interesting and fantastical.

I would say function and form both play a role here.

 

[Quickleaf]

Ah it's a Lonely Mountain without the Mountain Dwarves...

 

[I'm A Banana]

Starting with Mountain Dwarves, what would you give them? Strength and Armor proficiency are right out.

To the Lore!

The main distinctions between mountain dwarves and other dwarves in the common lore sources are:

• Mountain dwarves live in the mountains (duh)
• Mountain dwarves are ruddier and paler and taller (pure fluff)
• Mountain dwarves are more standoffish and skeptical of outsiders, even considering other dwarves outsiders (also fluff)
• Mountain dwarves are more likely to use spears and less likely to use crossbows (fluff, but could inform fighting styles)
• Mountain dwarves are heartier (more hp)
• Mountain dwarves have a special patron deity - Dumathoin.

This is all kind of weak, tbh. So if we want a distinction between mountain dwarves and other dwarves, we're going to have to find a little hook in this material and dig in, and any choice is going to be a little arbitrary.

I think I would lean into that patron deity, myself. Dumathoin, the "Keeper of Secrets Under the Mountain," is a god of mining, gems, metals, and underground exploration. This means that mountain dwarves lean hard into the specific dwarven stereotype of a mining kingdom, wealthy, mineral-rich, where people descend into caverns each day to extract wealth and metal from the bones of the earth.

And because this is the nature of the creature and not part of the culture they've adopted, we have Dumathoin's blessing as a key component of the mountain dwarf - it's part of what makes them special. It's why they're not just tall, rude dwarves. They're different in the very soul of them.

idk exactly what the 2024 dwarf has as its package, so I'm not sure what I'd swap out, but here's some abilities I'd consider swapping in:

Improved Darkvision
120 feet rather than 60 feet. Mostly a fluff ability (marginally useful for ranged characters).

Treasure Sense
A mountain dwarf just knows when they're near gems or metals. Maybe also out to about 120 feet, they can sense these things even through rock and stone if they're conscious and they take about a minute to "see with eyes unclouded by stone." They can look at a treasure chest and tell you if there's a pile of gold inside, look at a cave wall and tell you if there's a seam of silver in there. This is mostly fluff, but clever players might get some good utility out of it.

Elemental Language
A mountain dwarf speaks Terran. Not because anyone taught it to them, it's just kind of...an innate language. Mostly fluff, but I like that this helps center them if the adventure involves earth elementals (who Dumathoin would get along well with!)

Fire Resistance
They're forging metal in the heat of a dwarven forge - this resistance lets them stoke the flames hotter than any other dwarf, and so leans into the metallurgy of it. Helps balance out the "metal" theme with something that's related, but not quite so literal.

Earth Magic
You learn blade ward and mold earth. I like having an active ability that a character can choose on a round to shout their species to the world, and blade ward makes a lot of sense. Depending on the 2024 version, maybe they have an enhancement or two to it (cast it as a bonus action!). Mold Earth is just kind of fun and mostly harmless - good for roleplaying out of combat.

Keeper of Secrets Under the Mountain
To jazz this up a bit, here's a juicy little RP element: When you reveal a secret to a creature that is not a mountain dwarf, Dumathoin isn't happy about it (he is the keeper of secrets after all - what are you doing, you big gossip?) and you get a flaw until you finish a long rest: "I don't want to talk to anyone about anything, just leave me alone!" Basically, a little RP-only curse that enforces the idea of mountain dwarves being standoffish and skeptical. It costs them something to tell a secret, and they can basically only do it once per day, so if they're going to do it, it's going to be someone they seriously trust. (this might not work at all tables, but mine would eat it up)

 

[Minigiant]

I would say function and form both play a role here.

More that you aren't tied to old settings where everything dwarfy was cultural.

 

[Mind of tempest]

I miss every species having subraces. The lineage/Ancestries of Tieflings and Elves are great, but I wonder why they dropped them from Dwarves and Halflings. Humans could even have Elven ancestry, Orcish ancestry, dragon ancestry...

Starting with Mountain Dwarves, what would you give them? Strength and Armor proficiency are right out.

I miss the idea of dwarven sub-options but what we had was a weak idea, we need something stronger with a clearer identity.

also, the names suck.

something like stone dwarves, fire dwarves, sand dwarves, metal dwarves and ice dwarves would sound far cooler and more evocative.

 

[Scribe]

Dragonborn

Dragonborn are so inhuman you don't need to keep the cultural ideas of 4e or dragons to make them interesting and create various subspecies of them.

That doesnt square at all. Dragonborn in 5e PHB have nothing interesting about them in any way. "Lizardmen, but we have a breath attack." while also being the Noble Strong Guy trope. Their colour coded subspecies are the only interesting thing about them as an option.

As to Mountain/Hill, just do it like Dragonlance. I dont suggest including Gully though or the pitchforks will be coming for you.

 

[Tales and Chronicles]

I generally base the two on the 2 dwarven cultures of Dragon Age:

• Mountain dwarves still live in their ancestral holds in the mountains.
• Hill dwarves is a pejorative term used by Mountain ones to insinuate their exiled, surface wandering cousins are lesser than them.