Marsh Dwarf

Marsh dwarves are a strange people, hell-bent on disrupting permanent structures. They despise cities and settlements, preferring the life on a rickety tram. It is said that some marsh dwarves have never set foot on solid ground, having lived their entire lives on floating townships made of boats tied together with hefty rope.

They also carry an innate fear of heights and seek to avoid them at all costs. This includes staying far away from mountains. An old dwarvish legend tells of the consequences felt if one should try to reach too high towards the sky, as the close proximity to the gods will turn those who attempt the climb to stone if they are deemed unworthy. The peaks of the mountains are believed to be foolish dwarves who tried to approach divinity by climbing the holy mountains, and the gods punished them for doing so.

Marsh dwarves know themselves to be unworthy by birth and will not risk even approaching a mountain on fear of death. These dwarves rarely interact with other races outside of the marshes. As a result, they tend to make allies with unsavory sorts, such as goblinoids and orcs. Regardless of their strangeness, their fellow dwarves carry a certain respect for them as their abilities are believed to be granted to them by a god. Though the god might be evil, he is still a god and should be respected for his powers.

Marsh Dwarf Subrace Traits

The marsh dwarf subrace has the following traits in addition to those granted to every dwarf.

Ability Score Increase. Your Charisma score increases by 1.

Sea Legs. You are proficient in the Acrobatics skill.

Strange Whispers. You know the message cantrip. Charisma is your spellcasting ability for it.

Fear of Heights. Whenever you are within 30 feet of a drop that is 30 feet or higher from the ground, you become extremely scared. This can include high walls, roofs, or mountain sides. While scared, you have disadvantage on Strength and Dexterity saving throws and Dexterity checks, and your movement speed is halved. This lasts until you are no longer within 30 feet of the drop or you can no longer see it.

Section 15: Copyright Notice

Aaralyn’s Stolen Notes to Velea Copyright 2018 Anne Gregersen Author Anne Gregersen

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