Gray Dwarf
( Forgotten Realms Campaign Setting, p. 11)Attributes
| Size: | Medium |
|---|---|
| Base speed: | Land 20 |
| Strength: | +0 |
| Intelligence: | +0 |
| Dexterity: | +0 |
| Wisdom: | +0 |
| Constitution: | +2 |
| Charisma: | −4 |
| Level adjustment: | +2 |
| Space: | 5 feet |
| Reach: | 5 feet |
| Automatic languages: | Dwarven , Home Region , Undercommon |
| Bonus Languages: | Common , Draconic , Giant , Goblin , Orc , Terran |
Description
Long ago, mind flayers conquered the strongholds of clan Duergar of the dwarven kingdom of Shanatar. After generations of enslavement and cruel experimentation at the hands of the ilithids, the duergar rose against their masters and regained their freedom. They emerged as a new subrace of dwarf with limited mental powers.
The gray dwarves are an evil and bitter race, but retain the superior skill and workmanship of dwarvenkind. They have found a niche for themselves in the Underdark, creating armor and weapons to trade with the warring races of that realm. They seem to have been denied the Thunder Blessing.
Duergar on the whole are evil, but some turn their backs on their fellows and seek a different sort of life. For some, this means abandoning the evil gods of the duergar and embracing the traditional dwarven pantheon, while for others it is a more practical betrayal, usually involving stealing from other gray dwarves. When discovered, an outcast is typically stripped of his possessions, tattooed on the face and arms to mark him as a criminal, and cast out under penalty of death. Some clans secretly aid their outcasts – or encourage them to leave before they are found out. To return is to die.
This grim fate drives most outcasts to the surface, where they struggle to survive in an unwelcoming world. The surface dwarves hate the duergar because they turned to evil, and no other surface races hold much love for the gray dwarves. Most of the gray dwarves met by surface dwellers are tattooed exiles, although a small number were lucky or smart enough to leave before being discovered.
Male and female duergar are bald, and women do not grow beards. They are much thinner than other dwarves, with severe facial expressions, gray hair, and gray skin.
Regions
The gray dwarven strongholds are all located in the Underdark. The gray dwarf entry on Table 1-4: Character Regions (FRCS, p. 30) describes the traits of this kind of duergar culture.
Religion
Unlike statet in the Player's Handbook, characters in the Forgotten Realms almost always have a patron deity. See FRCS p. 39 for more details.
Combat
Racial Traits
Gray dwarves have all the dwarven racial traits given in Chapter 2 of the Player's Handbook (pp. 14) except as follows:
- +2 Constitution, -4 Charisma. Duergar are extremly withdrawn and guarded.
- Darkvision up to 120 feet.
- Immune to paralysis, phantasms, and magic or alchemical poisons (but not normal poisons). Duergar acquired immunity to some illusions and many toxic substances during their servitude to mind flayers.
- +4 racial bonus on Move Silently checks. Gray dwarves excel in stealthy movement.
- +1 racial bonus on Listen and Spot checks.
- Spell-like Abilities: 1/day – enlarge and invisibility as a wizard twice the duergar's level (minimum 3rd level). These affect only the duergar and whatever it carries.
- Ligh Sensitivity: Duergar suffer a -2 circumstance penalty to attack rolls, saves, and checks in bright sunlight or within the radius of a daylight spell.
