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Thread: The Blades of Keran [Setting]

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    Milo v3's Avatar

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    Default Re: The Blades of Keran [Setting]

    Dwarf
    Origin
    Dwarves are said to have been created by Genon, the god of elemental stone, during the early stages of the second era. He aimed for them to be the perfect society, but found they didn't develop. So he made a deal with Rana, god of the sun and elemental fire, and imbued his creations with fire.

    This trait normally only causes them to have independent thoughts and act as unique individuals, but sometimes it is more powerful resulting in Jinn.

    Personality
    Dwarves are very patient and cautious by nature, but also are stubborn and won't change their minds after they have made a decision. They are very traditional people, but they are known to spontaneous change the tradition. They don't believe in giving something for nothing, this has made the Dwarves seem inhospitable to others despite simply being rational.

    They generally aren't greedy and simply believe that you must earn what you gain, otherwise you are greedy and a bane to society. These people generally aren't cared for by others and get no sympathy.

    These traits generally alienate others; they enjoy the solitude this has granted them as it allows them to enrich their own culture how they wish rather than losing control because of other races.

    Physical Description
    Dwarves stand only 4 feet tall but they are so broad and compact that they are on average, almost as heavy as Karmainians. Dwarven men are slightly taller and noticeably heavier, than dwarven women. Dwarven skin is typically a shade of white, brown or black with the colour determining their social Caste.

    The lower chin of a Dwarf is covered by a thin layer of bone and at the very bottom of the chin a single horn curves outwards. The horn of a male is normally seen as a personal area in dwarven culture and is never to be seen by anyone but family and intimidate individuals. Females on the other hand lack the boneplate and chin, and do not need to cover their faces in any way. Despite lacking a horn on the chin, females do have several smaller horns on their heads.

    Because of their horns such men generally grow beards or cover their faces with clothing, helmets, or clay masks. Most Dwarves wear thick clothes as their homes are cold.

    Jinn are a rare caste of Dwarf which is imbued with elemental fire upon being chosen. Their breath is like smoke and their skin is always tanned. They strangely cannot grow facial hair and lack the bone that covers the chins of other dwarves.

    Relations
    Dwarves are seen as selfish by other races. They have never gotten along with the Durzites seeing them as amoral and selfish. This caused the Dwarves to develop in isolation which has caused dwarves to slowly become slightly xenophobic of other cultures. They are currently in a War with the Newesti over a trade route in the Feywild. They generally don't trust Sarli or Murderer's because of their nature to create undead.

    Gnomes generally aren't allowed in Dwarven cities because of the damage caused during the Aliēnus War.

    Alignment
    Dwarves are usually lawful, and they tend towards neutral.

    Lands
    Dwarven cities lie on the sides of colossal caverns, deep within the Tulvarn. These caverns are actually part of the underdark so they often have several guard towers around the outside walls.

    As these cities are vertical rather than horizontal they Dwarves can section their cities better than other species. As such each caste is placed in a different layer. The Workers dwell in the upper most layer, Artisans in the second, Merchants in the third, Knights in the fourth, and Nobles and Jinn in the lowest layer. Slaves have no layer as they must move through the whole city, they do have an area that only they move through though.

    There is a passage of thin tunnels which twist and turn through the different sections of Dwarven Cities, these tunnels connect the the main areas of the city and are known as Whisper Caves, because you can here whispers from the whole city in them.

    Religion
    They worship Genon of the earth. They believe that he is the creator of the Dwarven species and seeks to help them. It is believed every thousand years a Dwarf is chosen by Genon to be his prophet, this prophet automatically becomes the current ruler of the dwarves overriding the previous ruler. The first prophet Jachin used his power to create a colossal sphere; at the centre of this sphere is a large black Onyx which is said to be a gate to Genon's personal realm.

    After your Clan Elder chooses your Caste you must touch this Black Crystal, after which you are sworn to be that caste for all your life.

    Language
    Dwarves are taught to speak the Turvani tongue, but their lack of communication with outsiders means they aren't taught trader's tongue.

    Names
    Dwarves name is granted to him by his clan's elder, in accordance with tradition. Every proper Dwarven Name has been used and reused through the generations. A dwarves name is not technically his own. It belongs to his clan, and if he has shamed the clan they will revoke his name and clanship. From then onward they will be known as "Falkner", which means Fallen in Turvani. In addition to his name, a Dwarf also has a Caste that he is born into. This caste is the Dwarves role in society and cannot be changed by any but the clan's elder.

    Male Names: Asad, Hisein, Maram, Murad, Nagi, Naveed, Qadir, Suhayl, Zulfikar.
    Female Name: Arij, Ayesha, Galila, Gawahir, Khadiga, Lulu, Maryam, Rajya, Taliba.
    Castes: Slave, Worker, Artisan, Merchant, Knight, Noble, Jinn.

    Racial Traits
    • Dwarf: Dwarves are humanoids with the Dwarf subtype.
    • Small: As a Small creature, a Dwarf gains a +1 size bonus to Armor Class, a +1 size bonus on attack rolls, and a +4 size bonus on Hide checks, but he uses smaller weapons than humans use, and his lifting and carrying limits are three-quarters of those of a Medium character.
    • +2 Constitution, –2 Charisma.
    • Dwarf base land speed is 20 feet.
    • Darkvision: Dwarves can see in the dark up to 60 feet. Darkv/ision is black and white only, but it is otherwise like normal sight, and Dwarves can function just fine with no light at all.
    • Caste: The Caste of the Dwarf grants it abilities for the Caste. See below for Details.
    • Fortified Body: Dwarves gain a +4 bonus on Fortitude saves against disease, including magical diseases. Dwarves also gain a racial bonus on saving throws against poison effects equal to their Hit Dice + 4.
    • Feyborn Foe: A Dwarf is trained from a young age in the art of killing elves. Dwarves gain a +1 racial bonus on attack rolls and a +4 dodge bonus to AC against creatures of the Elf Subtype.
    • Language: Dwarves begin play speaking the Turvani language. Dwarves with high Intelligence scores can choose from the following: Estilex, Karmainian, Trader’s Tongue, Umbrese.


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    Dwarven Caste Options
    • Slave: A Slave must know how to move through the city as fast as possible and innately knows how to travel through the Whisper Caves. Members of this caste have a climb speed of 20 feet, and gain the +8 racial bonus on Climb checks that a climb speed normally grants.
    • Worker: A Worker must be able to work for as long as possible with low cost to resources. All members of this caste gain Endurance as a bonus feat at 1st level.
    • Artisan: An Artisan must be able to form the structures of the great dwarven cities. Members of this caste receive a +2 bonus on Perception checks to notice unusual stonework, such as traps and hidden doors located in stone walls or floors. They receive a check to notice such features whenever they pass within 10 feet of them, whether or not they are actively looking. In addition the Craft and Knowledge (Engineering) skills are always considered class skills for members of the Artisan caste.
    • Merchant: A Merchant is a trickster at heart who's life depends on his wares. Members of this caste gain a +4 racial bonus on Bluff checks to convince an opponent that what they are saying is true when they tell a lie
    • Knight: A Knight is a strong warrior who must never falter. Members of this caste receive a +4 racial bonus to their CMD when resisting bull rush or trip attempts while standing on the ground. In addition they also gain a +2 racial bonus on all saving throws against fear effects.
    • Noble: Members of this caste gains a +2 racial bonus to Diplomacy checks. Against Athach this bonus increases to +5. Also, nobles gain a +5 racial bonus on Handle Animal and Ride checks against Ankhegs.
    • Jinn: A Jinn is a natural born mage that is imbued with fire. Once per day as a swift action, a member of this caster can call on the elemental power lurking in its veins to shroud its arms in fire. Unarmed strikes with its elbows or hands (or attacks with weapons held in those hands) deal +1d6 points of fire damage. This lasts for 1 round per character level. The creature may end the effects of this firey assault early as a free action.

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    Favoured Class Options
    Instead of receiving an additional skill rank or hit point whenever he gains a level in a favored class, a Dwarf has the option of choosing from a number of other bonuses, depending upon his favored class. The following options are available to all Dwarves who have the listed favored class, and unless otherwise stated, the bonus applies each time you select the listed favored class reward.

    Cleric: ?
    Fighter: ?
    Sorcerer: ?

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    Racial Archetypes
    Stone Weaver (Cleric)
    {table=head]Level|Special
    1st|?
    [/table]

    Class Features
    All of the following are class features of the Mason Master.

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    Vital Statistics


    {table="head"]Dwarf Random Height and Weight| | | |
    Gender|Base Height|Height Modifier|Base Weight|Weight Modifier
    Male|3'9"|+2d4|130 lb.|x (2d6) lb.
    Female|3'7"|+2d4|100 lb.|x (2d6) lb.[/table]
    Last edited by Milo v3; 2013-02-11 at 08:37 PM.