Revision
A
long time ago, I posted the first Racial Handbook, Hammer and
Stone. It inspired a number of others, but I never quite finished
mine. I ended up with a small blurb for each class, and about six
classes done in ridiculous detail. And that proved my
undoing. The detail was too much work, and too much text. It
turned out that I didn't have enough reserved posts to go into that
much detail in every class. So after posting at least a blurb for
each existing class, I abandoned the project.
So why am I back? In a word, Essentials. Finding out that Essentials would let dwarves trade their Wis bonus for a Str bonus meant that everything was changing for dwarves. So I dusted off the old guide, and figured out how to scale down a little. It's still pretty detailed, going over different builds, and suggesting at-wills. Going through every single dwarf-only paragon path and feat, as well as some that are not quite dwarf specific but definitely dwarf themed. And that brings me to this, the Dwarf Handbook 2.0. Leaner, but more complete. It's not quite done yet, but it'll get there.
So why am I back? In a word, Essentials. Finding out that Essentials would let dwarves trade their Wis bonus for a Str bonus meant that everything was changing for dwarves. So I dusted off the old guide, and figured out how to scale down a little. It's still pretty detailed, going over different builds, and suggesting at-wills. Going through every single dwarf-only paragon path and feat, as well as some that are not quite dwarf specific but definitely dwarf themed. And that brings me to this, the Dwarf Handbook 2.0. Leaner, but more complete. It's not quite done yet, but it'll get there.
So, you're a dwarf, eh? And you've reached an age where it's time to choose what you want to do with your self? Don't want to live with your mom and pop and siblings and cousins and aunts and uncles and grandparents any longer? I imagine some of you might find it a bit crowded. You could settle down, take up a craft, and start a family, but some dwarves... they just don't settle down as well as the rest of 'em. They want to see some sights, fight some trolls, loot some treasure troves, maybe become filthy rich, before they even think about the family stuff. But first you've got to figure out what you're good at, and what you want to be good at.
Well, you're a dwarf, so that means that you're tough and you can catch your breath with barely an effort at all. And if you haven't spent all your time working in the mines, that means you've got common sense too. And if you did spend your youth in the mines, at least you've got a strong back. What you're not is fast. Those short legs may be good for keeping you where you want to be and continuing on no matter how heavy the load, but don't expect to keep up with the elves when they're sprinting. Don't worry, though, you'll catch them in the long haul.
For everything else, you've got to work at it. You want to be quick, or book smart, or pretty, you've got to do the work. Fortunately, hard work is another thing dwarves are good at. Before we talk careers, let me tell you a story. You've heard it before, but it's important to understand our place in the world, so I'll tell you again:
History
Long
ago, Moradin made the first dwarves, the Firstborn, to help him in his
work, skilled craftsmen who served as his apprentices. The Primordials
who created this world saw their handiwork, and grew envious, finally
asking Moradin for dwarves of their own. Pleased at their appreciation,
Moradin gave generously, and then turned back to his work.
But the dwarves who were meant to be the Primordials' helpers instead became slaves to their creations, the giants, and labored long under their brutal masters. We cried out to Moradin for help, but he couldn't hear us over the din of his hammer.
Some grew tired of calling for help, and instead surrendered to their slavery. But others, when they ceased calling out to Moradin, looked elsewhere. Some learned to trust in their own power, their strength of muscle and of heart. Others learned to tap into the power of magic which seeped into the land, power that could be seized by those with the wit and will to use it. Still others made allies of the spirits of the world who also suffered under the Primordials' oppression. And a very few wrested power from death itself.
We took up the tools of our slavery--the axes with which we felled our masters' forests, the picks with which we dug their mines, and the hammers which we used to turn those raw materials into the great works of art they demanded from us--and we turned them against our masters. Thus began our rebellion against the giants, a brutal war which we could not hope to win when they had the power of the primordials on their side.
We would have been wiped away, had not Moradin finally looked up from his labor and beheld our plight. His fury shook the mountains. I know that some stories say it was the war of the gods that finally got his attention, but my priest always taught me that it was Moradin's anger that began that war, dragging the rest of heaven behind him. Whatever the case, Moradin finally came to his children, and gave generously of his divine power to assist us in that battle, enabling us to wield his might against our enemies.
But the dwarves who were meant to be the Primordials' helpers instead became slaves to their creations, the giants, and labored long under their brutal masters. We cried out to Moradin for help, but he couldn't hear us over the din of his hammer.
Some grew tired of calling for help, and instead surrendered to their slavery. But others, when they ceased calling out to Moradin, looked elsewhere. Some learned to trust in their own power, their strength of muscle and of heart. Others learned to tap into the power of magic which seeped into the land, power that could be seized by those with the wit and will to use it. Still others made allies of the spirits of the world who also suffered under the Primordials' oppression. And a very few wrested power from death itself.
We took up the tools of our slavery--the axes with which we felled our masters' forests, the picks with which we dug their mines, and the hammers which we used to turn those raw materials into the great works of art they demanded from us--and we turned them against our masters. Thus began our rebellion against the giants, a brutal war which we could not hope to win when they had the power of the primordials on their side.
We would have been wiped away, had not Moradin finally looked up from his labor and beheld our plight. His fury shook the mountains. I know that some stories say it was the war of the gods that finally got his attention, but my priest always taught me that it was Moradin's anger that began that war, dragging the rest of heaven behind him. Whatever the case, Moradin finally came to his children, and gave generously of his divine power to assist us in that battle, enabling us to wield his might against our enemies.
We gained our freedom, but we never forgot the lessons we learned. And there are still dwarves who follow each of these paths to power. You're going to have to choose one yourself:
Martial When Moradin was slow to answer, we learned to rely on our own strength. We still have a martial culture: no matter who we are, we know how to use a hammer and hit hard. Still, there's more to it than that. If you choose the martial path, expect to have to work at it.
Arcane To be honest, this is the one source of power we are least suited for. But while you may need to spend long hours in study to make use of it, it can be done, and don't underestimate how potent magic can be.
Divine Perhaps it was in shame because of his earlier negligence, but when Moradin finally came to our aid, he gave us an extra measure of his divine power. It is hard to go wrong putting your trust in Moradin, and it comes easiest to us.
Primal The elves always claim a special connection to the wilds, but they keep forgetting: we were here first. Some of the first dwarves to escape the giants' slavery found refuge with the spirits of the world. When Moradin finally returned to us, some dwarves were glad to accept him--others never could forgive him for his long absence. These Wild Clans have no divine worshippers, but instead cultivate their relationships with the spirits, and look to them to fill their needs. Even some dwarves who've accepted Moradin maintain close ties to the primal spirits, and the rest of us still have a soft spot in our hearts for them.
Shadow Death has a power all its own. And a few of us dare to draw on that power. Most call them evil, but somtimes even evil can be used to do good. We still only hear rumors of those wielding this power, necromancers who lead armies of the dead and hexblades who curse their enemies, but assassins--well, they've been around for a while.
Since that time, a new power has emerged:
Psionic You'll hear those flighty fey call it the power of imagination or the power of the mind, or some such nonsense. What it really comes from is pure stubborness: the unwillingness to accept the world as it is, and the strength of will make it what it should be. Yes, we dwarves aren't good at all psionic professions, but when we're good, we're really good.
Instead of telling you that your career choices are good or bad, I'm just going to tell you whether they're easy or hard. Hard choices aren't impossible, but they require real dedication to succeed with, and sometimes making the hard choice means that you'll have fewer good choices down the road. Colors mean something different here than usual:
Sky blue -- An easy choice. Something obvious that works.
Blue -- A pretty easy choice. You can mess it up, but it'll take some effort.
Black -- A medium choice. Most of the time, it'll work out okay, but be careful of possible mistakes.
Purple -- A fairly hard choice. It will take some effort to make it work.
Red -- A hard choice. If you want to make it work, you have to plan carefully.
The focus will be on building a dwarf of a particular class, so while I'll go through the standard options and recommend some at-wills, I won't go through every feat, power, and paragon path. That's what the class guides are for. Instead, I'll focus on those feats and paragon paths which are different for dwarves, either dwarf-only, or where being a dwarf can alter the effectiveness. I won't go through non-at-will powers at all.
Key:
MP - Martial Power
MP2 - Martial Power 2
AP - Arcane Power
DP - Divine Power
PrP - Primal Power
PsP - Psionic Power
PHB - Player's Handbook
PHB2 - Player's Handbook 2
PHB3 - Player's Handbook 3
FRPG - Forgotten Realms Player's Guide
EPG - Eberron Player's Guide
D XXX - Dragon Magazine, issue XXX
