AD&D - PHBR6 - The Complete Book of Dwarves (2e)

Some may have banded together to form a re- Attltude
sistance and may be hiding in secret locations
in or near the stronghold. A stronghold does not exist in isolation; it
Feudal strongholds are ruled by a dwarf has contact with other strongholds and races.
king or one of his nobles. Major strongholds The nature of these contacts determines the
nearly always have monarchs, but even a low- stronghold's attitude and its military strength.
ly family stronghold may be ruled by a king The percentage of dwarves in the militia refers
whose power extends only to his immediate to the number of male and female dwarves
family. who regularly drill and carry arms. They are
Secondary strongholds and outposts may included when determining the armed F----s
be ruled by a king, or by a prince or duke who of a stronghold (seeMilitary Forces).
owes allegiance to a major stronghold.
A guild stronghold is ruled by the guild Attitude Table
masters of each clan. The guild masters meet
to regulate all aspects of life within the strong-
hold. They may be headed by a guild master Id20 Attitude In Milltin

who is elected by the others, for one or more 1 Decadent 25 %
years.
An oligarchy is an elite group of dwarves, 2-3 Declining 50%
elected or selected on the basis of their wealth, 4 Dispossessed 50-100%
to rule a stronghold. Oligarchies usually work 5 Exiled 50-100%
. to further their own goals and ambitions. The 6-7 Expansionist 100%
8-9 Friendly 50%
oligarchic members may be Highborns, Guild 10 Integrated 25 %
Masters, or merchants who have amassed 11-20 Isolationist 75-100%
large fortunes.
A theocracy is a stronghold ruled by priests A decadent stronghold is one in which tra-
of one or more dwarven deities. Theocracies ditional dwarf values have been forgotten or
attempt to impose their strictures and beliefs are little used. These dwarves will exhibit per-
on all the inhabitants of the stronghold. They sonality traits more in keeping with other
will typically strive to suppress other reli- races.
gions.
The NPC military forces of a decadent
An anarchy is a form of nongovernment stronghold are likely to be badly trained and
fight at -1 to hit and damage.
usually restricted to gully dwarves, but may
be found in any stronghold with a chaotic A declining stronghold was once powerful
alignment. In anarchy, citizens do what they
want, when they want to do it. An anarchy and rich, but has fallen upon hard times. Its
could be tempered by a desire to maintain so- mines may have played out, or it may have
ciety by avoiding harm to others, as in a com- been struck by a plague that devastated lihe
munity which is chaotic good. Alternatively, population. Perhaps the once profitable trade
it could be a case of no one having any regard it conducted with neighboring races has end-
for the effects of their actions on others.
-ed, and now the stronghold is short of com-
100 Chapter Ten
modities that it once took for granted. A
declining stronghold may have been involved

II

in a war that so taxed its resources that real tegrated strongnolam are most likely to have
recovery was too expensive. trade and military agreements with other
races. They are likely to join with armies of
Miporeued dwarves have lost their ances- other races to defeat a common foe.
tral homes and now live in a situation they be-
lieve is temporary, even though they may Isohttonlst dwarves avoid dealings with all
races, and often with other dwarf subram.
have been there for generations. They have a They look only inward and keep their gates
firmly locked. Visitors are unwelcome and
passion to reclaim their ancestral homes and
may even mount expeditions to do so. Or they trespassers are dealt with sharply. They usu-
may accept that their homes are lost and es-
tablish new ones for themselves. Even then, ally live in remote or inhospitable regions.
groups will periodically set out to attempt to Mountain and deep dwarves are frequently
recapture the ancestral stronghold. Consult iclolationist. Somelive close to other races, but
the War Table to determine who drove them shun all contact with them.
from their ancestral hearths.
Resources
E d e d dwarves have been expelled by their
own kind. Thii may have been for some evil No absolute figures are given for strong-
act or practice, or they may have been forced hold resources because campaigns frequently
have different scales of wealth. The Strong-
out by others who were evil. In either case, hold Resourcea Table usea relative divisions of
wealth, but does not express what these re-
they seek to return to their homes. sources are.
Expansionist societies are strong and ro-
The Starting Gold Modifier is an optional
bust. They seek to expand into new areas, rule which may be applied to a character's
starting wealth to take into account the rela-
even if they must go to war to acquire them. A tive wealth of his home stronghold. These
modifiers cannot reduce a character below the
stronghold with this attitude is frequently an- m i n i u m character fun& for his class. That
tagonistic toward other races. It may seek to is, if he rolls 5d4x10 gp for his startingwealth,
expand underground at the expense of other the minimum he could generate is 50 gp; his
subterranean races. It may be expanding starting wealth may not fall below this
above ground, perhaps driving elves from a amount I
nearby forest so that the dwarves can get at
the mineral deposits beneath it. For example, a warrior from a poor strong-
hold must subtract 10-60gp from his starting
Fdendly dwarves are as open as dwarves gold. He rolls his normal 5d4x10 gp for a mi-
ever get. This doesn't mean that other races serly total of 60 gp. Then he rolls his poor
are welcome, but that friendly types are less stronghold penalty of ld6x10 gp and gets -60
closed than the rest of their race. They usually gpl Since this would leave him with no money
at all, he automatically receives the minimum
have more dealingswith humans or elves than of 50 gp.

others, except for integrated strongholds.
Integrated strongholds are those which

have become a part of another race's society.
dTwheayrvmesosotrfdrewqaurevnetslyinoctcruardeamenocnlagvseusn. dTehreedy
will retain their traditional ways and life-
styles, but are more knowledgeable about the
races they live among than other dwarves. In-

Dwarf Strongholds 101

1

h.

e & '...'

I

Stronghold Resources Table Starting Stronghold Modifiers to Id20 Roll:
Major +3
Gold Secondary +1
ld2O Relative Resources Modifler outpost 0
-1 Very Poor (subsistence) ld8x10 gp Ghetto -3
-2-5 Poor ld6x10 gp Trade Enclave +2
-6-10 Fair ld4x10 gp Family 0
10-14 Average n+++ollldddml46Ooxxdx11il00fOiggegrppp
15-17 Comfortable Relationshipswith Other Player
18-19 Wealthy Character Races
20+ Rich

Racial Modifiers to ld20 Roll: Even the most isolationist strongholds must
Duergar: -- 5 have some sort of relationship with other
Gully Dwarves 10 player character races, wen if very distant
Sundered Dwarves -8 ones. Strongholds may have friendly ties with
Mountain and Hill Dwarves +2 other races, or they may be at war with them.

Whether you select the strongholds rela-
tionships, or determine them randomly, a sep-

Relationahlpto Other Player Character R a m Modifiers:
ld20 Elves Gnomes Halflings Humans
Friendly Friendly Friendly Friendly Stronghold
! Indifferent Friendly Friendly Friendly lawful good -2
I Friendly Friendly Friendly lawful evil +2
Friendly neutral evil +2
chaotic neutral +1
s Indifferent Indifferent Indifferent chaotic evil
s Indifferent Indifferent Indifferent +5
T u t i o u Indiffur Cautious
Threatening Indiffer Race's Alignment -2
.1 Threatening lndifferent lawful good -1
neutral good -1
lawful neutral

_ _kautious ~r Strongholds Attitude is:
Expansionist +5
Cautious ?autia.ua T-I- -
I tening Threatening Friendly -5
Cautious 1nreatening Threate-in- Isolationist*
Threatening Threatening Hostile 0

stile If the stronghold is isolation-
ist, treat all results of 4 or less
19 Hostile Hostile At War 9's on the Relationship Table.
20 'l,.a. At War At War At War
21+ AtWar

1 Dwarf Strongholds 103

arate determination must be made for each to contend with evil monsters and other races
race that lives near the stronghold. DMs who below ground. A war may have been raging
want the detail can determine different rela- for generations, or it may have just begun. To
tions toward each settlement in the area, even determine if the stronghold is at war with any
if many of them house the same race. underground races, use the War/Peace Table.

If the stronghold has a friendly, open rela- WuIPerce Table
tionship with the race, members of the race ldZ0 Situation
may visit the dwarves regularly and a few 1-10 Peace
may even live among them. Trade is brisk. 11-15 Uneasy Peace
16-20 War
An indifferent relationship is one that is
neutral and businesslike. Trade is likely, but Attitude Modifiers:
few members of the race visit the stronghold. Declining ++210
The only ones likely to live among the Dispossessed +5
dwarves are merchants. Expansionist
Friendly -5
In a cautious relationship, the stronghold
does not welcome visitors from the other race. If the stronghold is at peace now, it may
Those who enter are searched and watched have been at war in the past. Roll on the Peace
closely. The stronghold tries to avoid confron- Table to detennine how long the stronghold
tations and giving offense, but relationships has been at peace.
are strained and guarded. No one of the out-
side race lives among the dwarves. Peace Table
ldlO Duration
In a threatening relationship visitors are ac- 1 Id12 months
2 ld6 years
tively discouraged by the threat of violence. 3 2d6 years
They are turned back at the borders or held 4 3d10 yeara
and interrogated to learn why they are in the 5 5d10 years
dwarves’ territory. 6 ld4 generations
a7 2d6 generations
In a hostile relationship, intruders are at- 2d10 generations
tacked and driven back from the stronghold’s 9-10 Always at peace
borders. Armed forces are ready to repel in-
vaders. Relationships are strained and an un- If the stronghold has been at war, roll on the
easy peace might exist as described under
WarIPeace. War Table to detennine its enemies. To discov-
er the length of the war, roll on the War Dura-
In a war situation, combat is regular and se- tion Table.
rious. The DM can decide who started the war
The reasons for peace are as varied as the
and why. In any case, all of the stronghold’s reasons for war. The enemies may have been
resources are allocated to gaining victory over eliminated, or injured so badly that they
the enemy.

War and Peace with Other Races

Dwarves not only have dealings with other
human and demihuman races, they also.have

104 Chapter Ten

moved to another place. The war may have War Table
collapsed a major tunnel system, sealing off Id100 Enemy
the defenders from their attackers. 01-05 Beholders
06-10 Dragons
An uneasy peace is one in which friction 11-20 Drow
still exists between the dwarves and their ene- 21-30 Dwarves*
mies. The stronghold may again go to war, 31-35 Giants
but one or both sidesare lickingtheir wounds. 36-40 Gnolls
Diplomatic incidents may still occur over dis- 41-50 Goblins
puted territory. 51-60 Hobgoblins
61-65 Lizard Men
Roll on the War Table to determine the 66-70 Mind Flayers
7l-75 Ogres
strongholds enemies. To errtablish the length 76-85 Orcs
86-90 Trolls
of the peace, roll ld8 on the Peace Table. 91-95 Undead
Even defeated enemiesmay stillbe in a posi- 96-98 Roll two more times
99-00 Roll three more times
tion to threaten a stronghold, and may be pre-
If dwarves are rolled they will be duergar if
paring a renewed assault even now. Bands of
the stronghold is good or neutral in align-
orcs, for example, could have been defeated
three generations ago. Since then, they have ment. If the stronghold is evil, roll on the
been breeding and enlisting other ora and gi-
ants against the day when they will storm the Main Subrace Table (page 95) to determine
strongholds defenses.
.their enemies. These enemies can also be evil
An Aggressive stronghold is likely to be
preparing a preemptive attack against its foes. dwarves (i.e., duergar can fight duergar)
An Isolationist one will be engaged in
strengthening its defenses, anticipating an at- Duratlon of the War
tack. A Decadent stronghold is likely to ig-
nore the buildup, while a Declining one may The length of the war is determined first in
be powerless to do anything about it and may terms of years, and then generations. If the
well be overrun when the attack comes. duration of the war is more than the age of the
stronghold, then the stronghold has been at
War war since its founding. Its inhabitants have
To determinewho is at war with the strong- never known peace.

hold or has been at war with it, choose or roll
on the War Table. Feel free to select races not
on the table if that suits your campaign. Crea-
tures on the War Table are listed by general
category only. All giants are included in the
giant entry. Some races may have other races

serving them as troops or slaves. As always,

ignore any illogical results.

Dwarf Strongholds 105

War Duration Table regular raids against the stronghold. The
ld10 Duration stronghold sends forces to attack enemy
1 ld8 days camps and lairs.
2 ld4 weeks
3 Id12 months Escalating: The war steadily increases in
4 ld6 years scale. Both sides are adding more resources in
5 2d6 years an effort to prevail. Large battles are likely
6 3d10 years and the strongholds militia is always armed
7 5d10 years and ready to fight. Wars may continue to es-
8 ld4 generations calate for years, or they may quickly culmi-
9 2d6 generations nate in one decisive battle.
10 2d10 generations
Types of War Siege: One side has adopted (orbeen forced
to adopt) a completely defensive stance. Per-
Once it has been determined that a war is in haps goblin forces surround the stronghold,
progress, or that one occurred in the strong-
holds past, you can then determine what type cutting it off from all outside contact. Or per.
of war it was.
War Type Table haps the dwarves have done the same to a gi.
ldlO WarType ant fortress. In either case, constant pressurc
1-3 Sporadic must be maintained against the besieged. At.
4-5 Steady tempts are made to pollute or poison watei
6-8 Escalating supplies, destroy food reserves and crops, and
9 Siege shut off supplies of air to underground de-
10 Invasion fenders. The defenders may send out parties
Attitude Modifiers: to secure aid from other strongholds, or con-
Declining + 3 duct sorties to disrupt the attackers.
Isolationist +I
Life in strongholds under siege is much
Sporadic: The war consists of sporadic skir- harsher than normal. Food and water are of.
mishes and border incidents. No major battles ten in short supply and the inhabitants I"--'
have been fought and neither side is making contend with the constant threat of stori
any real progress, or even pushing the point parties, disease, and declining morale.
very hard. Enemies rarely penetrate far into
the stronghold and are content just to test its Invasion: The primary defenses of the strong-
defenses every once in a while. hold have been overrun and enemy forces occu-
py substantial portions of the stronghold,
Steady: A steady war consists of constant Alternatively, the dwarves may have advanced
pressure maintained by both sides. Border from their stronghold into the enemy's territory
skirmishes are common and the enemy makes in force. The goal may be to punish raiders, or
capture ground, or conquer and subjugate the
enemy, or eliminate the enemy entirely.

Militia

We have already established the number of
citizens in the militia on the Attitude Table.
Look up the dominant race and multiply the

total militia number by the percentage given Deep Dwarf Leaden (Plate mail and rhleld)
to determine how many militia members are # Militia Class Level
of the dominant race. e5v0e+ry 40 Warrior 3
All members of the militia are 1st level. Warrior 7
Their leaders are usually of higher levels and Warrior 4
are in addition to the total number of militia 231000000+++ Warrior/Priest 4-7/54
in a stronghold. Warrior 9
Warrior 10
The armor type is assigned for an average
stronghold. This may be adjusted to reflect Warrior 0
the wealth of the stronghold. The militia of a Warrior/Priest 7/0
poor stronghold may only be able to afford Warrior/Priest 5/5
leather armor, while a rich one could outfit its Warrior/Priest 4/4
militia in banded or wen plate mail armor.
Il Morale: An average morale is furnished for Duergar
each militia. This is modified according to the Morale: Elite (13)
attitude of the stronghold.
Leaden: The number and experience level Duergar militia are equipped with chain
of leaders is determined by the number of mail armor and carry shields.
dwarves in the militia. In the case of hill
dwarves, for example, for every 40 militia Weapona Total Militia
members there is a 2nd-6th level leader Pick and hammer
present. For every 160 militia there is a 6th Spear and pick 20 %
20 %
level leader present, and so on. Spear and hammer 20 %

Morale Modifiers: Pick and light crossbow 20%
Hammer and sword 10%
Decadent: -3 Hammer and heavy crossbow 10%
Declining: -2
Expansionist: +2
Isolationist: +1 Duergar Leaden (Banded mail and shield)
#Militla class Level
wery 4 Warrior 2
Deep Dwarves Warrior 4
Morale: Elite (13) 5ev0e+ry 9 Warrior 6
310000++ Warrior 4
Deep dwarf militia are equipped with scale WarriorjPriest 344-7
mail armor and carry shields. Warrior 10

Weapons Total Militia Warrior 0
Axe and light crossbow 15% Warrior/Priest 7/0
Axe and heavy crossbow 15% Warrior/Priest 5/5
Axe and hammer 25 % Warrior/Priest 4/4
Spear and sword 25 %
Pick and hammer 10%
Two-handed sword 10%

I Dwarf Strongholds 107

Gully YWUVCI HUI Dwarf Leaden (Plate and rhfefd)
I Militia Class Level
Morale: Unsteady (7) 1e6v0er+y40 Warrior 2-6
Gully dwarf militia is equipped with leather Warrior 6
Warrior 4
armor and shields. They only fight when 322000++ Warrior/Priest 344-7
forced to. The first reaction of most gully Warrior 0
dwarves, militia or otherwise, to danger is to Warrior 7
Warrior/Priest 6/7
drop their weapons and run away!

Weaponr Total Militia Wanior/Priest 4/4
Any they can scavenge100%
Mountain Dwarves
Gully Dwarf Leaden (Chain mall and shield)
# Militia Clau Lwel Morale: Elite (13)
wery 4 Thief (Leather) 2-6 Mountain dwarf militia is equipped with
every5 Warrior 2-4
every10 Warrior 2-6 chain mail armor and shields.

51000++ Warrior 0 Weapons Total Militia
Warrior 10 Sword and spear 30%
Priest 1-10 Sword and light crossbow 10%
Axe and hammer
Hili Dwuves Sword and poleann 25%
Axe and heavy crossbow 05 %
Morale: Elite (13) Axe and mace
Hill dwarf militia is equipped with chain Hammer and pick 10%
10%
mail armor and shields. 10%

Weapons Total MUlth Mountaln Dwarf Leaden (Plate and shield)
Sword and spear 20% #mth Level
Sword and light crossbow 15% 1ev50er+y30 Warrior 2-6
Axe and hammer Warrior 6
Sword and polearm 25% Warrior 4
Axe and heavy crossbow 200 + Warrior/Priest 344-7
Axe and mace 10% 300+ Warrior 0
Hammer and pick 10% Warrior 7
10% WarriodPriest 6/7
10% Warrior/Priest 4/4

Warrior/Priest 4/4

108 Chapter Ten

Sundered Dwarves War Machlner

Morale Steady (11) A stronghold may also have war machines
Sundered dwarf militia is equipped with available. These are dewibed in Chapter 9.
Roll once for every 50 militia members in the
ring mail armor and shields. stronghold.

Weapons Total MilItlr War Machlne Table # War Machinen
Axe and sword 15% Id10 None
Axe and spear 15% 1-5 1
Axe and light crossbow 15% 2
Polearm and mace 05% 1609-+8 3
Polearm and hammer 10%
Hammer and heavy crossbow 15% Attitude Modifiers: -3
Pick and dagger 10% Decadenk -2
Mace and sword 10% Declining: +1
Two-handed sword 05% Isolationist: +2
Expansionist:
Sundered Dwarf Leadem (Chaln m d
and shield) rAn1m ls
# Mu1tlr Claas Level
e1v00er+y50 Warrior 2-7
Warrior
Warrior 8 Certain strongholds are guarded by ani-
5 mals. Select these according to whether the
m150+ Warrior/Priest 2-7/34
Warrior 9 Animal Master kit is being used,and the sub-
Warrior 8
Warrior/Priest 7/8 race of the dwarf. Suitable animals include
Warrior/Priest 313 bears and wolves for mountain and hill
Wamor/Priest 3/3 dwarves, steedem for duergar, giant l i d s
for deep dwarves, giant rats and beetles for
Special Forces gully dwarves, and dogs and wolves for sun-
dered dwarves.

In addition to militia, a stronghold may Total Strength
have special types of forces. These are de-
scribed in the Character Kits and include Finally,add up the number of leaders in the
Hearth Guards, Battleragers, and Vermin militia, plus special troops, and add these to
Slayers, among others. The number of special the number of dwarves in the stronghold to
forces should not be more than 10 to 20% of determine its total strength.
the total number of male dwarves preaent in a

stronghold. For simplicity, add these to the

number of male dwarves in the militia rather
than subtracting them.

Dwarf Strongholds 109

The Stronghold of Bazzilkrak they did so, they were given their freedom and
permitted to remain within the stronghold.
In this example, we are going to create a Although they have not married into any
major stronghold for mountain dwarves. The mountain dwarf clan, the duergar have
proved themselves to be loyal and valuable
DM has already decided that this is to be a members of the Stronghold. They remain a
distinct group, but have served admirably in
powerful and expansionist stronghold. How- the strongholds military forces. They even
ever, since the details have not yet been helped to defend against other duergar who
worked out, he consults the stronghold design attacked the stronghold.

sequencefor inspiration. He will choose those The gully dwarves, on the other hand, have
never been really integrated into the strong-
elements he wants from the design sequence, hold. They are outcasts who live and work in
rather than rely on random die rolls. But, the garbage pits. They have been here for four
working through the sequence, he allows the generations, and were first attracted to the
dice to determine certain features for him. stronghold by wondrous tales of ”huge trea-
Namlng the Stronghold sure pits,” filled with broken items and bones.
The gully dwarves serve a uscful role recy-
The DM has already come up with a name cling garbage. They pretty much keep to
themselves and rarely venture far from the
and, because he is creating a mountain dwarf garbage pits. They continue to follow the
stronghold, there is no need to roll for a pri- ways of gully dwarves. A wily deep dwarf
mary subrace. He wants the stronghold to be merchant sells whatever usefulitems the gully
very large so he selects the maximum number dwarves recover and provides them with trin-
of mountain dwarves possible, 350. He notes kets and toys in exchange. While few moun-
this on the design sheet. tain dwarves will socialize with them, the
gully dwarves are recognized as performing
Subraces Present a useful and valuable function within the
society.
As he looks over the next part of the design
sequence, the DM decides that it would be fun Without consciously doing so, the DM has

to have a few other subraces of dwarves also introduced a deep dwarf merchant into
present. He selects two: duergar and gully the stronghold. To keep matters simple, he de-
dwarves. He also chooses the maximum num- cides that this deep dwarf is the only one
ber possible, 20duergar and I t gully dwarves. present. He is the sole survivor of a deep
dwarf stronghold that was overrun by drow.
Rather than generate separate strongholds
The DM now has three other subraces
for the subraces, the DM assigns them as part
present in his stronghold, but he decides not
of the mountain dwarf stronghold. He decides to reduce the number of mountain dwarves
that the duergar once lived beneath the accordingly. Bazzakrak is to be a very large
stronghold, where they fought the mountain stronghold.
dwarves. Two generations ago, the duergar
were finally defeated and most of them fled. A
few, however, were captured and imprisoned.
These later renounced their evil ways. When

110 Chapter Ten

I

I

Allgnment DMs campaign world, and he decides that it
As he wants Bazzakrak to be expansionist,
was founded by the mountain dwarves' god of
the DM chooses lawful neutral for its align- war. Not only does this fit in with his concep-
tion of the stronghold, but it also gives the
ment. This allows it to impose the will of its stronghold a religious significance that is in
leaders on others without being too concerned keeping with its importance in the campaign.
about whether their actions are seen as 'good'.
He does not want the player characters to be Death to Our Enemles
evil, so he dismisses lawful evil as a possible
alignment. The other alignments do not fit his Originally, the DM intended to make Baz-
conception of how the stronghold operates, so
he does not consider choosing one of those. zakrak a feudal stronghold, but it now occurs
to him that, because Bawkrak was founded
When he later discusses alignments with his by a god, it would be logical to have it ruled
by the priests of that god. He determines that
players, he decides that he will give them the the high priest is also the king, making the
choice of lawful good, lawful neutral, or neu- stronghold a feudal theocracy ruled by
tral good for their characters' alignments. But warrior/priests. He decides as well that the
he also knows that it may be necessary to al- king's officeis hereditary, passing to the king's
low other alignment choices depending on the eldest son.
character kits he makes available to them.
A stronghold ruled by warrior/priests fits
Slse of Bazzakrak neatly into his original conception of an ex-
As it is a major stronghold, the DM now in- pansionist stronghold. On the stronghold de-
sign sheet he notes that all of the stronghold's
creases the numbers of dwarves present by mountain dwarves and duergar are in its mili-
200%. This gives him 700 mountain dwarves, tia. The gully dwarves keep to themselves, so
24 gully dwarves, and 40 duergar. At first he there is no need to include them in the militia
considers not doubling the number of (they wouldn't be much help anyway).
duergar, but later thinks it would be good to
allow them as player characters. He increases The Rlches of the Earth
the number of deep dwarves to three by giving
the merchant a son and a daughter. Now the As Bazzakrak is to be the largest stronghold
son and the daughter can become player char-
acters, if any of the players wish to play them. in his campaign world, the DM wants it to be

Slnce Tlme Began a wealthy one. It will not only have the re-
The DM wants Bazzakrak to be very old, so sources to pursue its ambitions of conquest,
but the player characterswill benefit from the
he decides that 20 generations have passed optional starting gold rules when they first
since its founding. This equates to 8,000 outfit their characters.
years, a very long time for a stronghold to
have grown and expanded.

Bazzakrak is to be very important in the

Dwarf Strongholds 111

Threatening the Enemy erations. It has been a steady war of occasion-
Bazzakrak is an expansionist stronghold, al small skirmishes.

but does not have any ambition or desire to The DM has no clear idea about the wars

spread above ground. Therefore, the DM is against the trolls or goblins, so he lets the dice
decide. He rolls Idlo to determine the Troll
not concerned about its relationship to other War's duration and gets a 5-2d6 years-with
player character races apart from the gnomes. a followup roll of nine years. Checking the
He determinesrandomly that the relationship war type, he gets a sporadic war. This looks
with the gnomes is "cautious." Gnomes are not good. The dwarves expanded into troll terri-
welcome at Bazzakrak, but the stronghold tory nine years ago. Since then the two races
does not seek to conquer gnomish territory. have been fighting. The dwarves have not
pushed any further into troll country, and the
Then, out of curiosity, he decides to roll re- trolls content themselveswith minor raids.
lationships with elves and humans, too (ig-
noring halflings because he has decided that The DM then discovers (through the magic
none live in the area). He gets an "at war" re-
sult with the elves, but downgrades that to of dice rolling) that the war with the goblins
"hostile." Relations with the humans are "in- has only just begun, four weeks before. This
different,'' so the two races have little to do war is much more intense. It is an invasion;
with each other. the dwarves have entered the goblin's territo-
ry and are intent on wiping out their hated en-
War is Our Ufe emies. This is also good for his campaign, as it
Up until now, the DM has not really consid- allows his 1st level player characters to fight
in the front line without too much danger of
ered whose territory the dwarvesof Bazzakrak them being killed.
are expandinginto. He knows that at one time,
Bazzakrak defeated a force of duergar and that After a bit of thought, the DM decides that
the duergarhave attacked the strongholdwith-
in the current generation. So it issafeto assume the war will spread. There are more goblins
that the stronghold is at war with them. The than the dwarves anticipated, plus they have
two subraces are competing for the same un- allieswho may come to their aid (the trolls are
derground territory and resources. But this is logical friends at this time). The war could
all too neat. An expanding stronghold would even turn into a subterranean world war, as
also have come into contact with other subter- more races are drawn into it. But all that is for
ranean races. He adds trolls and goblins to the
list of the strongholds enemies. the future. The DM can provide this extra in-

Bazzakrak is now at war with three races. It formation after he sees how the actual cam-
is time to determinehow long these wars have paign progresses.
been going on. The war with the duergar has The Militia of Bazzakrak
been sputtering on for at least two genera-
With war on three fronts, Bauakrak needs
tions. The DM decidesto randomly roll for its
a well-equipped militia. As a wealthy strong-
duration, using 2d6, and discovers that the
war has been fought, off and on, for eight gen- hold, this is not a problem. Its mountain
dwarf and duergar militias wear plate mail ar-
mor and enjoy higher-than-normal morale.

-I-
Special Forces of h z a k r a k War Machlnesand Anlmrls
To allow his players a wide choice of char-
He has no clear idea of what he wants here.
acter kits, the DM does not specifyany special He decides to leave these sections until he
knows which characters his players choose.
forces. He is going to wait to see what kits his Finlshlng Touches
players choose. Then he'll decide how many
special forces he wants the stronghold to The DM has completed the design sequence

have. As an alternative, the DM may decide and has created the bare bones of Bazzakrak.
He now needs to flesh .out some NPCs and
that he wants the adventuringparty to consist draw a few maps. Once he's done that, its
primarily of Wayfinders and Vermin Slayers ready for play. Later he can elaborateupon its
and possibly a Vindicator or Battlerager along history and background, ashis campaign pro-
to spice things up. In this case, he would de- gresses or as he feelsinspired. For now, B a u a -
fine which special forces are available, and krak provides sufficient information to give
this would limit the choices available to his him and his player characters the impression
players. that it is a real and vibrant place.

Dwarf Strongholds 113

1 1 :Designing Dwarf Campaigns

This chapter is for DMs who want to design MONSTROUS COMPENDIUM@Appendix.
the background of a dwarf campaign. We Do they constitute definitive subraces of
have looked at the creation myths of the dwarves, with markedd&rences in appearance
dwarves, how they and the world were and outlook, or are they just hill dwarves living
formed, how dwarves have developed, their in unusual places?
history, why subraces of dwarves exist, and
how dwarves interact with other races. We Chokes of Subraces
shall now explore the kinds of campaigns
that can be run using dwarves as the main As DM you have full control over which
characters. dwarf subraces to include in your campaign
world, either as player or nonplayer charac-
Creating a History ters. You may decide that some of these sub-
races do not exist in your campaign world at
The creation text of Marak is one of many all. In Chapter 4, six different subraces are
possible backgrounds for a dwarf campaign. available for player characters. You do not
It revealed how a stronghold of dwarves have to use all of them. You may wish instead
might view the world and their place in it. You to restrict players to hill and mountain
could use this as part of your campaign back- dwarves.
ground or develop your own myth cycle. The
myths may be accepted by all dwarves, or If dwarves are an underground race, with
may only be held by one stronghold or sub- little surface contact, why are hill and moun-
race. The creation myth may be believed as tain dwarves different? The distinctions may
truth by all dwarves, but with dissension have arisen from an encounter with other
among elementsof related history, such as the races such as elves or humans, or because the
names of the heroes or the precise role of the mountains are also inhabited by evil mon-
gods. sters, and the hills are less prone to monster
incursions.
In the first creation myth all dwarves began
life together and later migrated to new strong- Mountain dwarves have far less contact
holds. They could trace their lineage back to with humans and elves, who only expand into
the First Dwarves, their common ancestors. the mountains in search of mineral wealth or
Since all of them came from common stock, when population pressures or warring ene-
subrace variations had to be explained. mies force them into new areas.

As an alternative, after they were created, If, in your campaign world, the gods cre-
ated the different subraces of dwarves, then
they could have been placed by the gods in ca- there is no reason to come up with any other
vernsaround the world. This would permit them rationale why there are several kinds of
to live in any place or situation, without having dwarves in the world. The creation myth ex-
to make up storiesabout how they spreada m s s plains the differences. If not, you need to in-
the world. They could live beneath tropical is- clude the separation of the subraces as part of
lands, under ice caps,or steamy jungles, as well your history of the dwarves.
as the more temperate hilly and mountain coun-
try. They may have been isolated from others If you have already worked up the mythic
and their developments and subsequent hstories history of your world, using the suggestionsin
may have diverged in countless ways. In such The Complete Priestk Handbook. all you
cases, you will need to decidehow these dwarves need to decide is how dwarves fit into that his-
would differ from the more traditional hill tory.,
dwarves of the Player's Handbook and
Alternatively, you may create your own
myths for your world. There is no reason why

114 Chapter Eleven

I---

dwarves and humans should agree how the background to explain the times and events of
world was created. They could share common your campaign.
beliefs, but with more emphasisbeing given to
the gods of each race and their role in the How much you tell your players is up to
mythic history of the world. you, depending on the type of campaign you
are running. Remember that no religion holds
The Importance of Myth all the answersto the questions of the universe.
Where gaps disturb our understanding, people
You will need to decide on the importance
of dwarves in your campaign world. If hu- tend to make up suitable stories to fii them.
mans are the dominant race, then much of
what followscan be worked into a human ori- Uncomfortable truths sometimes get hidden
ented campaign world. If dwarves are to play this way. Even when mythic history is largely
an important role in the campaign, then it is true, each race has a vested interest in empha-
important to have more fully defined creation sizing its own importance and supporting its
myths and histories for the dwarves. racial views. The history of a war between
dwarves and elves is likely to sound very dif-
However you design your campaign set- ferent when recounted by those two sides.
ting, you need to make some key decisions.
Bear in mind that, given the pride and stub-
Do dwarf myths tell the whole story? Do oth- bornness of the dwarves, they are likely to be-
er races share the dwarf myth? Does each race lieve that they were the first race, even if other
races claim (and can support their claims)that
and culture have its own interpretation of a they existed before the dwarves. The dwarves
common myth? Was the world created by one may even see other races as failed attempts to
being or by many? What role did each being produce beings as perfect as dwarves.
take in creating it? Was it the god or gods of
one particular race who created the world? Or The Importance of the Gods
was the world created by a variety of racial
gods, each one concerned with protecting his You will also need to decide how important
own creation?
the dwarven gods are to the dwarves. Do the
In some belief systems, the world may al-
ways have existed. Creation myths would gods govern all aspectsof life, or are they only
then be concerned with the creation of a par- worshipped for certain key functions or to re-
ticular race and their place within it. You don't
have to work up all the answers in detail, all quest favors? Do the gods hand down laws as
you need is a general framework, so that you
can develop other aspects of the campaign's masters addressing servants, or do they sim-
design around the mythos. ply light the way and let their followers inter-
pret signs as best they can?
Some readers may be wondering why they
should bother with this at all. Yes, you could You need to determine the size of the dwar-
just define things as they are now, with no re- ven pantheon. This is particularly true in a
gard for the distant past. But a well-developed campaign which involves priest player char-
mythology makes your campaign more vi- acters. Each of the gods within a pantheon
brant. The religious beliefs and mythological should have some special attribute for which
backgrounds of dwarves, humans, and other he or she is venerated. Some may have more
key races helps not only to explain, but to de- than one. Typical attributes for dwarven gods
fine, racial friendshipsand animosities. A his- are arts and crafts, each art and craft with its
tory of the races can be built on that own deity. War, justice, earth, elemental
forces, good, metalwork, race, and strength
all have their patron deities. Given that
dwarves breed so slowly, and that this is seen
as a reason for their decline, an interesting re-

1 Designing Dwarf Campaigns 115

ligion might deal with fertility. Perhaps the its races? The gods might want to see their
fertility goddess is dead or imprisoned. If she own race dominant, or at least protected. Or
is held prisoner, where and by whom? they may simply wish to pursue their own af-
fairs. Most dwarven deities may be content to
The Complete Priest's Handbook will be be properly recognized and worshipped, but
very useful in helping to create and populate don't overlook the activities of evil or chaotic
your pantheon. It includes 41 sample religions gods who act out of malice or a sense of mis-
suitable for dwarves. DMs interested in creat- chief. They may be more interested in upset-
ing well-balanced and detailed religions will ting the stable lifestyle of the dwarves and
find it an invaluable tool. their fellow gods than with establishing their
own power base. Perhaps they are so discon-
When designing a dwarven pantheon, it is tented that they are prepared to lead evil races
not necessary to flesh out all of the gods. A against the dwarves in order to destroy the
few of the major deities are enough to start other gods.
with; others can be added as needed. As with
all gods, a few decisions must be made about The Races of the World
their abilities.
You also need to decide whether dwarf crea-
Are they immortal? Do gods live forever, or tion stories for other races are true or whether
they are simply the views of the dwarves.
will they eventually age and die? Are they in-
destructible? The gods may be immune to Humans are traditionally seen as a new race
damage, or they may be injured. Does rapid in the process of seizing power from the de-
healing follow injury, or can they actually be clining elder races of elves and dwarves, or as
killed? having already usurped them. This may be the
case in your world, or you may have human
How much influence do the dwarven gods lands existing far from dwarf and elf territory
exert upon the world? The gods may use the with little contact between them. Another in-
dwarves as pawns in a cosmic game, or they teresting twist is to look at the earlier stages,
may be remote from daily events. In a cam- when humans are still an upstart race in a
paign where each race has its own pantheon, world dominated by dwarves and elves.
it is advisable to let the various races of gods
take a background role, rather than compet- Wars and Confllcts
ing for power.
Unless dwarves in your world are a rela-
How interested are the dwarven gods in the tively recent race, they will have a long histo-
world? They may not take any interest in the ry of conflict behind them. These conflicts
world on the surface and be content to restrict could have involved strongholds of dwarves
their activities to the subterranean realms. fighting each other, or their traditional goblin,
Why, for example, would a dwarvish God of orc, hobgoblin, and giant enemies. Wars
War be concerned with conquering the agri- against humans or elves may also have oc-
cultural lands belonging to humans or half- curred.
lings? He would be far more interested in
capturing the mineral rich lands beneath the
surface, and leave the world above to other
races. Dwarven gods of the arts and crafts
may also be so absorbed in the development
of their own skills that they are not interested
in other affairs.

What are the gods' intentions toward the
world? This is an important question. What
do the dwarven gods want with the world and

116 Chapter Eleven

Dwarf Versus Dwarf In some worlds these wars have raged con-
Conflicts between dwarves could have led stantly for centuries. In others they are spo-
radic affairs where evil races make small
to the original separation of the subraces. Un- gains, or are pushed back each time they try
less you are running a deep earth campaign, to advance. Entire mountain ranges once
it’s best to allow hill or mountain dwarves to filled with majestic dwarf strongholds may
be the victors of such conflicts, so that they have fallen to hordes of goblins and orcs.
retain possession of the strongholds which are These once exalted halls are now infested with
higher and better positioned. evil monsters. The descendants of those who
were driven from their ancestral halls now
Conflicts may take place between strong- long to drive out the goblins and restore those
holds of hill dwarves. A real or imagined halls to their former splendor.
slight could cause them to turn on each other.
Such a war could rage for hundreds or even Situations can exist where the dwarves are
thousands of years. It may even have gone on constantly under siege. They beat back the
for so long that its original causes have been orcs. but orcs breed faster than dwarves do,
forgotten and all either side now knows is so it is only a matter of time before the orcs’
their vehement hatred for the enemy. losses are replenished. (By extension, it can be
seen that in order to prevail in a war against
Civil wars are, alas, a possibility within in a any of the fast-breeding goblinoid races,
stronghold. A major disagreement between dwarves must inflict much heavier casualties
clans may lead to a stronghold being split into than they suffer. In fact, dwarves must be
factions, each controlled by separate clans very careful to avoid heavy losses in any but
more than prepared to make war upon the the most desperate engagements.) Dwarves
others. have been known, grudgingly, to turn to hu-
mans and elves for assistance in times of need.
Intradwarven wars may also be caused by At War with Humans and Elves
competition over mineral rights, particularly
where rich lodes of gold or mithril exist. Dis- Dwarven relationships with humans and
putes may arise over possession of a powerful elves are usually cautious. Dwarves may have
artifact, such as an anvil capable of creating fought elves or humans over mineral rights or
magical weapons. other disputes. Elves are often haughty to-
ward the dwellers underground and this
Wars may also be initiated by the interven- attitude makes for tense interracial under-
tion of evil deities, or by other races who suc- standings.
ceed in fomenting trouble between rival
strongholds. Duergar are invariably ready to Previous conflicts could have ended in
attack other strongholds in order to capture stalemate with neither race gaining the upper
slaves and loot, or merely to exercise their ha- hand. A tenuous peace may now exist be-
tred of other dwarves. tween them. Alternatively, a war could have
Dwarves Against Evil been fought which ended with few dwarves
left alive. In self-defense, the survivors shut
Dwarves have traditionally fought long and themselves in their strongholds and severed
bitter wars against their evil enemies beneath all ties with other races.
the earth. This struggle has become one of
“kill or be killed.” As well as goblins, orcs, Another possibility is that, in a war be-
hobgoblins, and giants, the war could involve tween elves (or humans) and dwarves, the
&ow, mind flayers, ogres, trolls, or any other dwarves emerged victorious. The difficulty is
intelligent race which inhabits the deep earth.

Designing Dwarf Campaigns 117

that success took a very heavy toll upon The dwarves would then attempt to take
dwarf lives and resources. The victors re- back their homes and treasures. They may not
turned to their strongholds only to come un- react favorably when humans and other races
der attack by goblins and orcs. Already drive out the dragons, only to keep dwarven
weakened by the first war, they found them- ore and gems for themselves. When the
selves unable to defeat the monsters and were dwarves demand their treasures and are told
driven from their stronghold. During the that they cannot have them, it is likely to lead
years that followed, the elves (or humans), re- to war.
covered from the war and prospered, while
the dwarves struggled to survive. The Campaign Environments
dwarves would be very resentful toward the
elves (or humans), even accusing them of in- In the standard adventure campaign char-
citing the goblin/orc attacks. (And at the acters are drawn from a wide range of classes
same time, the elves and humans might seize and races. The heroes travel through a variety
the opportunity to work some revenge on the of lands, meeting different races and cultures.
enemy which so recently humiliated them.) Your knowledge of dwarves may now be used
to good effect to develop strongholds, and to
These are broad historical scenarios, even provide additional background information
the most cataclysmic of wars may have taken for player characters.
place so long ago that no one really remem-
bers it. But dwarves and elves, especially, The All-Dwarf Party
have long memories. The resultant racial ani-
mosity survives and trust between the races In this campaign all of the characters are
has vanished. dwarves. There are no wizards in the party.
Warriors, priests, thieves, warrior/priests,
Relationships between humans, elves, and and warrior/thieves may be present, but there
dwarves do not have to be antagonistic. They are no dwarf wizards. There may be reasons
may simply fail to understand one another for human wizards or gnome illusionists to
and find it difficult to adapt to the ways of the join the party to alleviate the deficiency in
other. Rather than risk conflict, trade and oth- magic. You may decide to retain the true
er deals could be carried out diplomatically, in dwarven flavor by allowing wizards only as
order to minimize the possibility of misunder- opponents.
standings.
Dragon Wars This type of campaign works well when the
dwarves are beset by an outside threat. Per-
Dragons, with their love of treasure, have haps the stronghold is under attack by hordes
always looked with envy on the wealth of the of monsters and no other assistance can be se-
dwarves. Dragons cannot mine gems and ores cured.
and dwarves can. Dragons look at dwarves as
a race which has been created, not only to The Outcasts’ Party
supply them with wealth, but with nourish-
ment as well. In the outcast, party the player characters
are principally or exclusively dwarves, but are
Dragons have taken over entire strong- outcasts from their own society. Perhaps they
holds, killing or driving the inhabitants away. befriended an elven wizard or warrior/
These strongholds may be held by a single wizard. They may have been falsely accused
dragon, families of them, or by one dragon
with hordes of other evil allies.

118 Cha Eleven

of some heinous crime, murdering their lord to discredit the dwarves or shut down their
or betraying their own stronghold to orcs. trading operations, or the dwarves have de-
They would wander the world, above or be- cided that they don't want humans expanding
low ground, seeking to clear their good names into their mountains. The dwarves may have
and to become wealthy and famous heroes. explained to the humans that they are not wel-
come and the humans responded by murder-
The Slngle Claw Party ing the dwarves' ambassadors. If the humans
are a young race, they may have been tricked
Here, all the characters have the same class. into an evil allianceby crafty giants or venge-
They are all warriors, priests, thieves, or ful elves.
multi-classed. They may be part of the same
military force, temple, or guild, and may have The Wldc World Campalgn
been given a mission to perform. This cam-
paign can be very excitingwhile the group has In the wide world campaign the dwarves
a clear and common goal. If there is no goal, travel around the globe, often in the company
however, the campaign can quickly fall apart. of other races. Dwarves in this campaign may
For this reason it works best as a limited- visit strongholds, but they travel primarily
duration adventure, with everyone under- through human lands. This is closest in tone
standing that the group of characters will to what many dayers would consider a "typi-
disband when their quest is completed and a cal" A D & P game.
new group will be created.
The Deep M h Campalgn
The Vendetta Party
In this campaign the dwarves can be mem-
This campaign is similar to the standard ad- bers of any subrace and the entire campaign is
venturing party except that it emphasizes in- set underground. It may be deep within the
terracial animosity. The characters are earth where deep dwarves and duergar live. It
members of different races (or subraces) and may be a stronghold of hill or mountain
each has a grudge against the others. There dwarves who have either turned their backs
may have been fierce wars and broken alli- on the world above or have had little contact
ances in the recent past, so that there is no with the outside.
trust among them. This type of party needs to
have clear adventuring goals that depend A big advantage in this campaign is that
upon the cooperation of the whole party, in you don't need to design any of the worlds
order to achieve a final purpose. Otherwise, surface and you can effectively dispense with
its members will fall to squabbling endlessly, the histories of humans and elves. You will
and it would probably end in them killing need maps of the extensive caverns and
each other. Ideally, by the end of the mission, dungeonswhere the campaignis to take place.
they will have learned enough about each oth- The deep earth campaign can take place with-
er to overcome their prejudices. in caverns or a hollow earth. It may involve
an epic journey to the center of the globe.
The Vendetta Campalgn
While some people consider this settinglim-
This campaign involves one of the tradi- iting, it really is no different from a surface
tional enemies of dwarves: orcs, goblins, campaign. The biggest difference is that char-
elves, or humans. Perhaps the elves are trying acters never see the sky. Anything that is pos-
sible on the surface is possible beneath the
surface (this is a fantasy game, after all). And

Designing Dwarf Campalgns 119



i

!

! the unusual setting can make wen familiar the dwarves’stronghold, along with hundreds
and worn-out plots seem fresh and exciting1 of captives, and cut the dwarves off from the
outside world.
Dwarf Wars For a different twist, the PCs may be a re-
1
Interdwarven warfare can involve wars be- turning party of adventurers who find them-
I selves unable to get back into their stronghold

!

tween subraces or between different strong- because it is ringed by besieging enemies. Or
holds of the same subrace. It will work best if this scenario could be combined with the lost
one side is clearly the bad guys and the other clan concept, and the characters must escape
, side (preferably the one the PCs are on) is through the enemy camp, find the fabled lost
clearly the good guys. The player characters clan, and return at its head to drive the mon-
may be able to resolve the dispute through sters from the gates and save the stronghold.
i clever diplomacy or intervention before the
war escalates out of control. It could be a Creating New Klts
blood feud between two clans which has been
raging for years and will only end when one After you have designed your campaign
side has been destroyed or driven away.
world, you may wish to add profkiencies
which are specific to the world you created.
I The Lost Clan Using Chapter 6 as a guide, many new kits can
be created. If you wish to design a kit, con-
Considering the way ndowtaurvneresamsoonvaeb,leetxo- sider the following questions about the dwarf
pand, and relocate, it is and his role in your campaign:
assume that occasionally an entire clan could
drop from sight. The PCs may be an expedi- Description: What is the dwarf like7 Is he
tion sent out from the central stronghold to drawn from specific literary or mythological
! track down and reestablish contact with a lost sources7 Are there any special requirements
! for a character who wishes to play this type of

i clan of dwarves which disappeared genera- dwarf7
tions before. Or they could be from that lost Barred If the dwarf is a priest, are there any
clan, trying to work their way back to the sur- reasons certain dwarves should not be al-
face of the world to once again link up with lowed to be priests in this kit7
! other dwarves. Role: What place does he have in the cam-

The Slege Campalgn paign7 How is he regarded by his own race
and culture7 By other races and cultures? Is
there a particular attitude or outlook he needs
A siege campaign is set within a stronghold in order to acquire this kit7
or a series of strongholds. The dwarves are What kinds of activities does he perfom in
under constant attack by bands of evil mon- a campaign7 Is he a typically taciturn dwarf,
sters in a fight to the death. The evil creatures or a loud-mouthed oaf7 What is his relation-
are probably under the sway of a powerful ship with other characters7 Is he friendly, dis-
and charismatic tyrant who is leading them on tanced, wary, impassive7 Does he harbor any

a rampage across the dwarves’ territory. Por strong racial hatreds? How does he react to
added tension, the dwarves may possess a elves, gnomes, and other nonhuman races7
powerful artifact that this tyrant needs to Secondary Skills: If you are using the sec-
guarantee his conquests, and now he will stop
at nothing to get it. The evil forces may have ondary skills system, decide whether the kit
already captured the upper or lower levels of requires any particular skills.
Weapon Proficlencies: Certain types of

Designing Dwarf Campalgns 121

dwarves favor particular weapons. Note Special Hindrances: One or more special
these, along with any weapons the character hindrances should be imposed to limit the
must have. character.

Nonweapon Profidendes: Many dwarves Possible hindrances include:
have certain skills in common, and all should Penalties to reaction rolls, especially from
have the Endurance proficiency. You may as- certain races.
sign one or two proficiency slots which are Penalties to attack and/or damage rolls,
particularly against certain enemies or in
without cost to the character. If appropriate, special circumstances.
Restrictions against learning certain profi-
these may come from listings other than the ciencies.
Dwarves and General listings in Chapter 5. Social or cultural restrictions affecting how
easily the character can mingle with diverse
Equipment: If a kit is best known for spe- groups. He may be prohibited from carry-
cific types of equipment, the character should ing weapons within his stronghold, or can-
purchase the specified equipment at the start not marry, or is punished excessively for
of the campaign. If some, but not all, dwarves certain crimes.
of this type use the same equipment, it need
not be required. In that case, simply list it as Wealth Options: Does the dwarf have less
recommended.
or more starting gold than other characters?
Special Benefits: Although not necessary, Are there any restrictionsplaced on how start-
most kits should have some special benefit.
Any kind of benefit is acceptable, but it Bing gold must be s ent?
should relate to the way this particular dwarf You may also a apt kits to other classes by
operatesin fiction, mythology, or in your own adjusting the kit’s skills, weapons, proficien-
image of him. cies, benefits, and hindrances.

Pissible benefits include:
Bonuses to reaction rolls, particularly with
certain races.
Bonuses on proficiency use, especially in
specifically defined situations.
Bonuses to attack and/or damage rolls, es-
pecially against certain enemies or in spe-
cial circumstances.
A free weapon specialization.
Special resistances, such as immunity or a
saving throw bonus against specificmagical
attacks.
Special rights within the culture in which
the dwarf normally travels, such as immu-
nity from prosecution or free lodging on de-
mand.

122 Chapter Eleven

Dwarf Stronghold Design Sheet

Name of Stronghold:
Main Subrace:
Number:
Minor Subraces:
Number:
Overall Alignment:
Type of Stronghold:
Age of Stronghold:
Founded By:
Government:
Attitude:
Resources:

Relationship with Elves:
Relationship with Gnomes:
Relationshipwith Halflings:
Relationshipwith Humans:
Peace/War:
Length of Peace/War:
Type of PeaceIWar:
Military Forces
Total Number of Militia:
Militia Weapons:
Numbers:
Militia Leaders
Class
Level
Armor
Special Forces:
War Machines:
Animals:
Total Stronghold Strength:

* W l TSR lw TLIM lw ~MDwmUalo
nramw~~rm~rnu~m~

Dwarf Stronghold Deslgn Sheet 123

Dwarf Character Kit Design Sheet

Character Class: .mru.*Dm- n* ommm- m -*I*.
Campaign:
Player:
DM:
DESCRIPTION:
BARRED (if priest):
ROLE:
SECONDARY SKILLS (if used)
WEAPON PROFICIENCIES
Required:
Recommended:
BONUS NONWEAPON PROFICIENCIES:

RECOMMENDED NONWEAPON PROFICIENCIES:

EQUIPMENT:

DISTINCTIVE APPEARANCE:
SPECIAL BENEFITS:

SPECIAL HINDRANCES:

THIEF SKILL BONUSES/PENALTIES:
Pick Pockets:

Find/Remove Traps:
Move Silently:
Hide in Shadows:
Detect Noise:
Climb Walls:
Read Languages:
WEALTH OPTIONS:

124 Dwarf Character Klt Deslgn Sheet

ABILITIES MOVEMENT

SAVING THROWS

MOVEMENT