Trying to Come Up With More Dwarven Personalities

[ondonaflash]

I like to think of personalities in terms of templates, they basically run the gamut of emotional reactions to expected stimuli, and it keeps things organized when I have to come up for NPCs on the spot.

My Issue: I only have about three templates for dwarves and their all pretty stereotypical.

My request: Basically post your ideas for interesting dwarven characters. I want to make sure there are some key personality differences between Dwarves and humans, and I wouldn't care for more than a small percentage of characters that are dramatic deviants from the "Dwarven Ideal", what I'm looking for is variations on the basic dwarven theme. Perhaps a character for each alignment, or a description of a rebellious adolescent dwarf. Basically something more creative then "Axe, shield, beard, gruff but loyal."

[Drakevarg]

A Chaotic Evil Dwarf Barbarian. Has a massive Napolean Complex, completely insane and unreliable, primarily weilds other people's body parts. (His personal favorite is a large intestine stuffed with halfling skulls, used as a spiked chain.)

Just made that up on the spot. More random ideas to come, maybe.

[Heliomance]

There aren't any.

[ondonaflash]

Since the purpose of this thread is brainstorming, I'll use this opportunity to refine my ideas concerning dwarven society.

The concentrated society of dwarves is centrally located in an arctic climate, the climate is hostile and dangerous, so heavy emphasis is placed on military strength, with each Dwarf serving a mandatory stay in the military of 50 years.

Early life is spent in primary education, with the next few decades spent mastering a trade, which is practiced when not on active military deployment, or performing military duties.

Dwarves who find themselves more suited towards a military life than whichever trade they were apprenticed into may opt to continue service, usually around the second decade, and apply for officer candidacy, which requires a dwarf stay within the service for an additional century.

The dwarven social structure tends to be a meritocracy, with each dwarf holding status based on his skill in his trade, though the governing of the Dwarven states is split between military and religious leaders.

The military leaders, or Thanes, hold control over a specifically apportioned area, and they are expected to police the populous and protect their borders from outside threats, making Dwarven Society more of a socialist police state.

The religious leaders, the Priests of the Dwarven Society, have little direct control but claim dominion over the souls of the populace, giving them power to rival that of the Thanes. With the threat of damnation in their hands they can over-rule the Thanes if they choose, a political decision which could lead to bad blood in Dwarven Society. Only dwarves with a glowing pedigree are excepted into the priesthood, and only after an exemplary term of military service.

The two factions are unified by a mutually selected King, who wields absolute control over the society. Only the child of a Thane may be king, but a Thane may not attempt to step into this position. Usually it is a child of a Thane who joins the priesthood after his term of military service, and risen in the ranks, though being a priest is not compulsory.

[Beorn080]

Perhaps you should peruse the tale of BoatMurdered.

[Drakyn]

Dwarven scholar. A young, very fit dwarven scholar who's been sent on a trip so he'll (A) get some field research done and (B) get out of everyone's hair. Passionate love of learning, but hyperactive and restless as only a young adult can get. Give him a book and he's immobile and happy as a clam, though. Could work nice as a caster or anything you wouldn't expect a dwarf to be normally (AXE AND SHIELD SHIELD AND AXE AXE AXE), but nothing's preventing him from being a melee combatant - dwarf libraries have some practical how-to-club-goblins-in-eight-days-or-less sections too.
Dwarven Tarzan. No, not the loincloth-and-vines bit, the part where he's raised from birth in the wilderness. Cover your eyes and randomly stab at the creatures-by-habitat subterranean table (if you don't have one, just pick whatever's biggest or ugliest) and claim he was raised from orphanhood by those in the underground wilds. A few communication issues, but if you're willing to accept a few concessions there you might get a few fluffy survival-skill bonuses or something. Then again, odd concepts are their own rewards, right?
Dwarven murderer. A dwarf who is as incredibly calm, meticulous, tidy, and precise about killing things as a more "normal" dwarf is about making shiny axes. Just channel the average amount of OCD a fantasy stock dwarf appears to have about smithing and put it into killing things. It's not work, and it's not play - it's craftsmanship. And yeah, he probably murdered a few people. But not in the heat of the moment or anything - it'd be like trying to do inlays on a suit of full plate while pissed off. If he kills, it's with care.

[JoshuaZ]

Dwarves might run a gamut as broad as humans. The assumption that every species has a very stereotypes is dangerous. The mean might be different from humans, and even might have a smaller standard deviation, but pretty much everything should be there.

So why not a happy-go-lucky dwarf? Or one who drinks a lot like other dwarves but actually has a drinking problem?

[ondonaflash]

There aren't any.

My doctor says I'm not allowed to go there anymore. And if, perhaps I may have perused that page in my past, you are likely aware of the fact that this is precisely what I'm objecting to.

[sonofzeal]

One of my favorite PCs was a LE Dwarven Defender. He had some slight mixed ancestry a couple generations back, and was generally a sadistic bastard, so he was rejected by the very conservative Dwarven society. As a result he set out to try and embody their ultimate ideals - not to win back acceptance for himself, but to spite them for saying he wasn't a proper Dwarf.

[Toric]

A few personalities I've used:

Dwarven paladin with a tough time reconciling appearance and race with Detect Evil results. (A short conversation with True Neutral orc monk NPC's briefly gave him a case of culture shock)

Dwarven archaeologist. Doesn't like digging for gems so much as she likes digging for remnants of lost civilizations, dwarven or otherwise. Has a favorite legend she found on a tablet somewhere. Read: Adventure hook.

Dwarven disciple of an obscure form of combat. This can range from nifty to absurd. Two-weapon fighting with a hammer and an axe, aptly named "Rock and a sharp place." Barbarian/Dwarven Defender with the benefits of both used simultaneously. Gushes about how he came up with it and accepts any friendly challenges to his skill.

Competitive drinker. High strength for carrying alcohol, high constitution for fort saves, terrible everywhere else. Carries drinking trophies, sells them to buy more booze to train with. Frequently challenges strangers to drinking duels.

My personal favorite: Breadwarden. Dwarf whose Craft (Baking) checks create bread as hard as a hammer, who is quite friendly unless somebody trespasses in his kitchen or complains that most of his work is, in fact, utterly inedible to anyone other than a dwarf.

[Dr.Epic]

Dwarven Swashbuckler because it must be done.

[subject42]

One thing I did in a campaign to spice up Dwarfy society was that every dwarven stronghold had a "Goat", or sacrificial lamb. His holy obligation was to partake in as much sin and iniquity as possible (on the government dime) so that once a year the clergy could ritually whip the bejesus out of him. He served as a symbolic example of what Dwarf society would do those who stood afoul of their law and custom.

The players enjoyed dealing with a Dwarf who shirked his responsibilities, used drugs, disrespected his elders, tried to sell them drugs, tried to sell them his elders, and drank "that pansy elf wine".

And Dr. Epic nailed it. He was a Swashbuckler/Barbarian.

[Greenish]

My personal favorite: Breadwarden. Dwarf whose Craft (Baking) checks create bread as hard as a hammer, who is quite friendly unless somebody trespasses in his kitchen or complains that most of his work is, in fact, utterly inedible to anyone other than a dwarf.

Pratcett's dwarves are rather interesting, what with the whole "dwarfs don't have a religion - being a dwarf is a religion", the closet-female thingy and other fancy spins on the concept.

[Eldan]

Dwarven Hermit: lives alone in a cave high up in the mountains, just below the summer snow line. Has a small herd of goats or other local animals and, to differentiate him from other dwarves, also likes fishing in nearby creeks and gathering herbs. Is also a master stonecarver, and his cave is surrounded by statues. He has a reputation among other dwarves as an oracle: if you go to him with a gift, he will carve a small statuette or bust of you. Legend says that by looking at and meditating over the facial expression, clothing and pose he gave the statue, you can find answers to one question about the future. Never talks.

[Optimystik]

For non-traditional Dwarves, here are two very unique examples in established fiction:

Pikel Bouldershoulder - mute, loves nature, aspires to be a druid. From the Cleric Quintet by R. A. Salvatore. He maintains a couple of dwarven traits (shows affection through roughhousing, drinks heavily) but will not touch an axe or hammer, as they are too "industrial." Fantastic chef. Will even go against his family to protect nature (physically barring his brother from cutting branches from a tree.) Dyed his beard green.

Grimgnaw - From Neverwinter Nights - Dwarven Monk of the Long Death. Bald as an egg, with fierce eyebrows. Very fatalistic - obsessed with the nature and inevitability of death (which he refers to as "The Silent Lord.") Does not have a Scottish accent, instead speaking with a raspy husk, like a wight. Lawful Evil.

The religious leaders, the Priests of the Dwarven Society, have little direct control but claim dominion over the souls of the populace, giving them power to rival that of the Thanes. With the threat of damnation in their hands they can over-rule the Thanes if they choose, a political decision which could lead to bad blood in Dwarven Society. Only dwarves with a glowing pedigree are excepted into the priesthood, and only after an exemplary term of military service.

Question about your setting: Are their non-military priests? Particularly female dwarves, who are suitably rare as to not be risked in combat, in most societies. And they of course could continue to assist their people magically, even while pregnant.

And how do your dwarves view arcane magic? How about variant forms, like Binding, Incarnum, Psionics etc.?

[hamishspence]

Athrogate ("Bwahaha!") and Thibbledorf Pwent (both R. A. Salvatore) may also qualify as slightly nontraditional.

Morgalla in Elfsong by Elaine Cunningham, is a would-be dwarf bard, with a talent for art- caricaturing various characters.

[Dimers]

Loud, vibrant, gay, martial arts enthusiast and instructor. Somebody else's idea -- they said it was their favorite character ever. Seems like it'd be easy to start playing that character without needing any more than those broad strokes.

As with Subject42's suggestion of the scapegoat, I find that most stereotyped dwarven societies have a place in them for The Outcast. Maybe there's a circle of wizards among the fighters ... maybe there's one clan or school of wild-eyed berserkers who dye their beards day-glo orange ... maybe one small caste is suave merchants ... maybe the politicians and administrators present an attitude to other races of being sorry for their race's stubbornness and gruffness.

[Optimystik]

I forgot Morgalla too, actually

Would Bupu (from Dragonlance) count? She's smart (for a Gully Dwarf) but I'm not sure if that's enough.

[Tiki Snakes]

Bow weilding dwarven magic user. Keeps himself in shape, is soft spoken and polite, drinks little and rarely, and does not judge creatures/people on first glance.
Could be anything from a Necromancer with a short-bow to some kind of crazy arcane archer gishy thingy. *shrug*
Had a very non-judgemental approach to the undead, and would consider raising fallen allies to continue fighting their foe not disrespectful, but rather respectful, and allowed any such raised just long enough after their purpose was fullfilled to pass on a final message, perhaps.


A surface dwelling dwarven exile. Quietly spoken, shy sad dwarven girl. Young and wracked with guilt, because she tends to go berserk in battle and destroy her foes using anything from nearby rocks, to her hands, or even just teeth.
Wears a helment that blocks her mouth in combat (So she doesn't have to come too with the taste of meat in her mouth), and isn't allowed sharp weapons because when the mist descends, she's not aware enough not to hurt herself with them by holding the wrong bit.

Mortally terrified of hurting her few allies when she loses control.

(Neither are from actual tabletop games, actually, both were outcasts, though my poor little berserker does match amusingly well with the Frenzied Berserker class.

[waterpenguin43]

Maybe a Lawful Evil Dwarf Aristrocrat that pretends to LG just like all other dwarves, but is truly corrupt and evil at heart. He is trying to lure the whole city into getting doomed to Baator so the devils can give him enormous sums of money they promised.
I'm using that in my campaign setting.

[ondonaflash]

Question about your setting: Are their non-military priests? Particularly female dwarves, who are suitably rare as to not be risked in combat, in most societies. And they of course could continue to assist their people magically, even while pregnant.

And how do your dwarves view arcane magic? How about variant forms, like Binding, Incarnum, Psionics etc.?

Excellent questions, and precisely what I need to get my mind on the right track.

Women are important in dwarf society, and not in the "Lady in the Tower" bargaining chip way they were during the Middle Ages. Dwarven women are running things, but since they don't go into combat they can't become Thanes, thus the dwarven church is run by a sect of High Priestesses who themselves assist in the selection of a king.

Since the Dwarven Church doesn't require vows of chastity, typically one of the priestesses is selected to be queen, and if doing so forges a strong bond between clans, then more power to them.

Dwarves do not have a natural inclination towards magic, so dwarven sorcerers and druids are rare. Given their work-intensive upbringing, there isn't usually time to study Wizardry. There are only a handful of dwarves capable of casting magic, and not all of them take apprentices because the term of military service interrupts the training to much.

Dwarf multi-class Wizard-Fighters are more common than pure Wizards, and are usually picked up by dwarven special forces during their military service. Socially, Wizardry can be a bit of a dead end, since most dwarves prize feats of engineering over the use of magic, but there is a place in dwarven society for a clever Wizard who knows how to play to the people.

Clerics, of course are revered and beloved.

Thanks everyone for your help and suggestions, keep them coming, their working out great for me.

[Drakyn]

Few more ideas.

Dwarven clockmaker: Gepetto crossed with the quieter bits of Albert Einstein. Possibly a massive badass in his youth, but is genuinely quite unhappy to think of those days, loathes violence, and keeps his past quiet. Reclusive and very, very good at his job. Possibly makes some equipment with a little more magic to it than you'd expect (everyone wants a massive, clunky, reniassance-esque clock/watch that only a dwarven wrist could support...that can slow enemies, right?)
Dwarven singer: A deep bass is his upper register. You know how dwarves stereotypically have gruff and deep-ish voices? This guy is their Barry White, to the point where some humanoids have a bit of trouble making out his lower register. Possibly a bard, possibly not. Oh, and he's deaf. Doesn't hurt his singing voice, though - he's got a good knack for making sense of vibrations.
Dwarven dwarf: Dwarf raised by other humanoids (humans or elves, preferably) until maturity, who desparately wants to fit in with his biological species, yet is going overboard in precisely the personality direction this thread is trying to come up with non-examples of.

[Dimers]

Bow weilding dwarven magic user. Keeps himself in shape, is soft spoken and polite, drinks little and rarely, and does not judge creatures/people on first glance.
Could be anything from a Necromancer with a short-bow to some kind of crazy arcane archer gishy thingy. *shrug*
Had a very non-judgemental approach to the undead ...

Seems like I've seen that character somewhere before ...

[Arcane_Secrets]

The Dwarven Cynic: This might work well if there are intimations of failures in the meritocracy. Highly competent, but complains a lot about the failings of what he sees as a societal organization that doesn't work nearly as well as he thinks it should-mostly because he knows enough to have seen it fail.
He has conflicted feelings about them because while still a dwarf, he's also sick of trying to tell other dwarves points that they're sick of not listening to him about.

[Egiam]

This is an application for a PBP game I applied for:


Name: Zaegarn Dirkannal
Age: 48
Alingment: CG

Gender/Race/Class: Female Dwarf Barbarian


As all dwarves, Zaegarn is short and stocky, with an impressive set of muscles. On her scalp is a single braided ponytail, with a tattoo of a dragon circling around it. Those who know her well also know of a massive ornate pattern tattooed on her chest and breasts. She has a resolute, serious face, with a strong chin jutting out of her sturdy, stony features. On her chest is a chain shirt, and over her back a heavy dwarven greatsword is slung.


Zaegarn is hot-headed, and impulsive. She has absolutely no tolerance for sexism, and gets irritated with "weak" women of any race. She experiences an unquenchable thirst for warfare. "The true measure of a Dwarf is how she fights".She jumps at any opportunity to prove herself to her male peers.

She is very abrasive, having difficulty getting along with other humanoids. Even around her friends, she tends to be fairly rough and tends to lack tact.

She has never had a romantic relationship.

Zaegarn is a fearless warrior of Clan Dirkannal, and clan of Dwarves deep in mountains of the Mror Holds. She grew up in a family with a warrior tradition. All through her childhood she felt a subtle, yet present level of sexism. She wouldn't take it. She forced her way into the ranks of the defenders of the clan. Even though she doesn't realize it, most of her close relatives tend to avoid her, due to her eccentric personality. This may have been the motive of their encouragement to explore the rest of the world.

Most of you have "that strange, rude relative that no one wants to talk to or invite for thanksgiving". That's her.



-Also, I just LUV Dwarven Monks and Rogues.

-How about a desert-based Dwarf race?

-A collection of Dwarves live out in the Desert/Tundra/Plains, away from most of civilization. Recently, the main forces of the world have discovered a massive amount of some sort of natural resource (Salt/spices/Gold/silver), and the rest of the world powers are flocking to the area. This once barren place is now covered in outposts and camps. Some of the Dwarves deal peacefully with the visitors. Other's not so much.

[Quietus]

I say, look at WHY their society is like that. Dwarves drink all the time.. why? Is their existence that miserable that they want to spend as much of it as possible in a drunken stupor? Is Dwarven ale only that much stronger because they've gained resistance to it as a race and been forced to make stronger brew just to stay sloshed? Is their unusually long lifespan some kind of Deific punishment for a long-ago forgotten slight, making their drinking the only way they can escape the day to day grind of an unnaturally long lifespan?

As to dwarven women : Perhaps they're as rare as they are, because they are co-opted by dwarven society for specific roles. Low birth rates, particularly of females, make their bellies into breeding tanks; sex is made into a duty rather than something done for fun. The advantage of there being so few females is that any female can choose her mate from all the available men; Courting is HER job, and involves a great deal of highly structured and established rituals, despite it really coming down to her decision and "I pick <Dwarf>, he would make a strong father". She has this right - no, DUTY - from the first signs of womanhood. Legally, she could technically not take a mate, but if she doesn't, she isn't considered a "right and proper dwarf", and becomes the favorite topic of gossip among the other dwarves.

Women may take any role in society that they show aptitude in, same as men, but many end up as Priestess-teachers, simply due to their position as a sign of fertility (highly prized among dwarves) and because they tend to be accompanied by at least one child at all times once they pass child-bearing age anyway. This way, they can pass down dwarven moral codes and belief systems while caring for their own children.

[EnnPeeCee]

I'm going to be playing a dwarven druid sometime soon, and this is basically what I have going for him. Its more background than personality, but I'll still post it.

Torgen has devoted his life to attuning himself with the earth and stone, specifically the mountain he lives in. He has developed a bond with it, and can sense its thoughts and feelings. One day he meets an earth elemental who he determines to be the herald of the mountain. Bringing the elemental along as a companion, Torgen sets off to defend the mountain, and the earth in general from harm.

Now, whether this is all true, or whether Torgen is just insane and thinks he can talk to rocks will be up to the DM. Either way, he'll be strongly against established civilizations, flying creatures, and generally anyone who doesn't appreciate the ground they're standing on.

[Eldan]

Oh, and remotely inspired by the Farseer Trilogy:

When magically (or psionically, I guess) able dwarves grow old and weary, they retreat to a special pocket on the elemental plane of earth. There they embark on their last endeavour: they carve a statue of themselves, several times life-sized, from a special black stone. While doing so, over several weeks, they remember all the details of their lives. To help them with that, many take written records and memorabilia of personal significance with them. All the memories they recall are placed into the stone until finally, they forget all the details of their lives and die. At the same time, the statue awakens, with all their memories and their personality. It then travels back to the dwarven stronghold, where it serves as an advisor to the king and council. The stone can't hold memories forever, and the statues get more and more complacent and, well, statue-like over time, however.

[Devils_Advocate]

Since you spoke a bit about dwarven magical practices, let me throw in that the Artificer class pretty much fits them like a glove. A gestalt Artificer//Fighter/Dwarven Defender would pretty much be the dwarfiest dwarf that ever dwarfed.

Well, assuming that he also loved ale, had a beard, etc. Obviously.

[DragoonWraith]

A gestalt Artificer//Warblade/Deepstone Sentinel would pretty much be the dwarfiest dwarf that ever dwarfed.

Fixed that for you. Because it's not very Dwarfly to fail utterly at what you do. And the Fighter class and Dwarven Defender PrC do that.

Artificer//Incarnate/Ironsoul Forgemaster also is incredibly Dwarven.