Half-Dwarf

Dwarves sometimes spend months on the water, isolated from the affections of all but their crew. When called to port, they are naturally inclined to seek out such companionship, which over the years has led to a healthy population of half-dwarves founding and maintaining a good number of the towns and villages that send imports to the land-locked regions.

Hardy and Healthy

Humans often mistake half-dwarves for tall dwarves, while dwarves consider them short humans. Neither is wrong, but if one looks more closely at the short beard and strong facial features, they can begin to recognize the difference.

Open Seas and Salt Trees

When they’re not living as dock workers or shipwrights, half-dwarves there work beside dwarves and dworgs, tapping salt trees for fresh, filtered water and harvesting those that no longer produce for crafting.

Versatile and Industrious

Half-dwarves blend in well with the society they call home, be it dwarf or human in nature. They don’t tend to make too much fuss about representation of their kind, preferring to live quietly, letting others think what they will of the circumstances of their birth.

Other races don’t have much problem with half-dwarves, seeing as it can be difficult to distinguish them from common dwarves or humans at times. For their part, the race holds a firm stance on building trust first, so they can sometimes fall to arguing with halflings, lizardfolk, and other roguish types.

Half-dwarves lean toward adventuring as warrior-types such as barrier sentinels or marshals, but censors, clerics, and paladins are not unheard of. In the costal regions many call home, half-dwarves are commonly seen as nobles and swashbucklers.

Names

Names hold as much importance to half-dwarves as they do for dwarves. To be recognized for one’s family can be a mark of pride or shame for a half-dwarf, but whichever it is, they wear it with dignity.

Half-dwarves raised primarily in human societies aren’t as tied to their heritage, preferring instead to go the route of using a name to describe their common traits or profession, such as Baker, Stout, or Thatcher.

Heritage Traits

• Ability Score Increase. Two ability scores of your choice increase by 1, and another ability score determined by your culture increases by 2.
• Age. Half-dwarves mature at the same rate humans do and reach adulthood around the age of 30. They live much longer than humans, however, often exceeding 140 years.
• Alignment. Half-dwarves are less likely to be lawful than their dwarven ancestors, but they are just as loyal to their friends as any dwarf. Like humans, they can be good or evil, depending on how they grew up. Size. Half-dwarves are about the same size as humans ranging from 4-1/2 to 5-1/2 feet tall. Your size is Medium. Speed. Your base walking speed is 30 feet. Your speed is not reduced by wearing heavy armor. Darkvision. Thanks to your dwarf blood, you have superior vision in dark and dim conditions. You can see in dim light within 60 feet of you as if it were bright light, and In darkness as if it were dim light. You can’t discern color in darkness, only shades of gray.
• Languages. You can speak, read, and write Common, Dwarven, and one other common language of your choice.

Culture

Choose one of the following cultures:

Inframundo

While the dwarves’ original homeland beneath the surface prides itself on traditionalism, half-dwarves have begun to show up in increasing numbers. Those who visit from above are either searching for dwarven ancestors that are likely still alive, or just wish to better understand their heritage by studying at the capital’s archives.

Half-dwarves born in inframundo have to be tougher than those born topside because they have to be able to survive both the physical pressure of being so far underground, and that which is laid on them by their society.

• Ability Score Increase. Your Wisdom score increases by 2.
• Dwarven Toughness. Your hit point maximum increases by 1, and it increases by 1 every time you gain a level.
• Stonecunning. Whenever you make an Intelligence (History) check related to the origin of stonework, you are considered proficient in the History skill and add double your proficiency bonus to the check, instead of your normal proficiency bonus.

Onilaaran

Intellectuals with a preference for non-magical, technological advancements flocked to the country in droves.

Naturally, the mingling of so many races has led to more than a few unique faces, one of the most common being half-dwarves.

• Ability Score Increase. Your Intelligence score increases by 2.
• Crafter’s Eye. You have proficiency with artisan’s tools (tinker’s tools). When you make a check using your tools, you add double your proficiency bonus to the check.
• Cunning. You have advantage on all Intelligence, Wisdom, and Charisma saving throws against magic.

Wutenten

Half-dwarves  are counted among the best farmers, with their ability to cultivate the salt trees of their homeland despite intense weather and the natural defenses of the blue-tinged flora.

• Ability Score Increase. Your Constitution score increases by 2.
• Electricity Resistance. You have resistance to lightning damage.
• Green Thumb. Whenever you make an Intelligence (Nature) check to recall lore about plants and natural cycles, you are considered proficient in the Nature skill and add double your proficiency bonus to the check, instead of your normal proficiency bonus.

Alternate Traits

Unless stated otherwise, these traits can be chosen by any half-dwarf to replace the traits normally gained by their heritage or culture.

• Artificer’s Lore. Whenever you make an Intelligence (History) check related to magic items, alchemical objects, or technological devices, you can add twice your proficiency bonus, instead of any proficiency bonus you normally apply. This trait replaces Crafter’s Eye, Green Thumb, or Stonecunning.
• Battle-Ready. Whenever you finish a long rest, you gain temporary hit points equal to 1 + your level. These temporary hit points last until depleted or you finish a long rest. This trait replaces Dwarven Toughness (Inframundo) or Darkvision (all other cultures).
• Dwarven Resilience. You have advantage on saving throws against poison, and you have resistance against poison damage. This trait replaces Cunning (Onilaaran) or Darkvision (all other cultures).
• Inframundo Resistance. You have resistance to bludgeoning or fire damage (your choice). This trait replaces one of your Ability Score Increase options.
• Tool Proficiency. You gain proficiency with the artisan’s tools of your choice: smith’s tools, brewer’s supplies, or mason’s tools. This trait replaces Green Thumb (Wutenten) or Stonecunning (all other cultures).

Variant Half-Dwarf Traits

If your campaign uses the optional feat rules, your GM might allow these variant traits, all of which replace the half-dwarf’s Ability Score Increase and Darkvision traits.

• Ability Score Increase. Your Constitution score and one other ability score of your choice each increase by 1.
• Feat. You gain one of the following feats of your choice: Defensive Duelist, Resilient, Skilled, Tavern Brawler, Theian Determination*, or Tough.