Dwarf (Warcraft)

The stoic dwarves of Ironforge spent countless generations mining treasures from deep within the earth. Secure in their impregnable stronghold of Ironforge Mountain, the dwarves rarely ventured beyond the wintry peaks of Dun Morogh. Even so, when the orcs invaded Azeroth and set out to conquer the human, elven, and dwarven lands, the dwarves offered to join the Grand Alliance. The resilient and ingenious dwarves proved to be the backbone of the Alliance forces and helped usher in victory after victory.
Recently the dwarves unearthed a series of ruins that held the key to the secrets of their lost heritage. Driven to discover the truth about his people’s fabled origins, King Magni Bronzebeard ordered that the dwarves shift their industry from mining and engineering to that of archaeology. Magni helped to create the famed Explorers' Guild of Ironforge, a group utterly devoted to plumbing the secrets of the ancient world and delving out the truth of the dwarves’ fabled existence. An integral part of the Grand Alliance, the rugged dwarven armies have been called away to battle the merciless Horde in faraway lands. In these perilous times, the defense of the mountain kingdom falls to brave dwarves like you. The spirits of the dwarven kings watch over you, and the very mountains are your strength. The future of your people is in your hands.
Due to recent discoveries that uncovered fragments of their ancient origins (for example, the Discs of Norgannon in Uldaman), the dwarves have undergone a remarkable transformation. The discovery convinced the dwarves that the mighty titans created them from stone when the world was young. They feel that their destiny is now to search the world for more signs and proof of their enchanted heritage and to rediscover the Titans' hidden legacies.
To this end, the dwarves have sent out archaeological teams to all ends of the world in the hopes of discovering new insights into their shrouded past. These journeys have led to dwarven excavation sites all over the known world, some of which serve as outposts and some of which serve as potential hunting grounds for the enemies of the dwarven race.
The dwarves were stout allies of the humans during the Second War, joining the Alliance of Lordaeron after their homeland of Khaz Modan was invaded. Holed deep in their mountainside city-fortress of Ironforge, the dwarves have managed to weather both the Horde invasion and the plague. Still, they are long-lived, slow and careful folk, and children are a rare blessing to them. The dwarves of Ironforge number a mere 60,000.
Still, their tendency to explore is impressive. If about two thirds of the surviving humans now live in the capital city of Stormwind, less then a third of the dwarves are in Ironforge. In fact, there are more dwarves in the dwarven section of Stormwind than Ironforge itself. Now Ironforge is home to the Gnomish population as well, after they fled from their devastated city of Gnomeregan.

Dwarf Racial Traits (RP: 9)
- +2 Constitution, +2 Intelligence, -2 Dexterity. The stalwart dwarves of Ironforge are hardy and quick-witted, able to adapt and endure as the situation arises. Being 'built of stone' makes them a little less likely to dodge, and their large fingers get in the way of work that requires finesse.
- Size: Dwarves are Medium creatures and thus receive no bonuses or penalties due to their size.
- Type: Dwarves are humanoids with the dwarf subtype.
- Base Speed: (Slow and Steady) Dwarves have a base speed of 20 feet, but their speed is never modified by armor or encumbrance.
- Languages: Dwarves begin play speaking Common and Dwarven. Dwarves with high Intelligence scores can choose from the following: Giant, Gnome, Goblin, Orc, Terran, and Undercommon. See the Linguistics skill page for more information about these languages.

Defensive Traits: (3 RP)
- Stoneform: Dwarves can tap into their Earthen heritage to undergo a temporary partial sclerosis, known to the layman as stoneform. Not only does this make the dwarf more resistant to injury, it also seals open wounds and eliminates most poisons and infections. The lives of many dwarves have been saved by stoneform. Stoneform increases the Dwarves' natural armor by their Constitution bonus. Stoneform can be used once per day, and it's effect lasts for 1 minute.
- Frost Resistance: Dwarves are naturally adapted to cold climates, as evidenced by their stocky build and thick hair. Experienced wizards have observed that dwarves have a slight innate frost resistance. Dwarves have cold resistance 5.

Skill and Feat Traits: (6 RP)
- Skill at Arms: Soldiers of Ironforge are often recruited from the ranks of industrial laborers. For this reason, mace specialization and being a crack shot are common, since having worked in major dwarven industries like metalworking, excavation and hunting, they are already skilled with handling a hammer or powder. Dwarves receive Weapon Focus in one bludgeoning and one ranged weapon of the player's choice, chosen at character creation, regardless of the prerequisites for the feats.
- Explorer: Since the founding of the Explorers' League, interest in adventure has been strong in Ironforge. Whether to discover more of the world's history or just to find treasure, many dwarves leave their homes ready to explore the world for items of value. Members of this race gain a +2 racial bonus on Appraise and Perception checks to find hidden objects (including traps and secret doors), determine whether food is spoiled, or identify a potion by taste.


Alternate Racial Traits:
- Wildhammer: The Wildhammer clans have been separated from the dwarves of Ironforge for generations. They have taken to the skies rather than searching within the earth. Shamanism is common among members of the Wildhammer clans, and their voice must be able to travel great distances to hear over weather or other obstacles. Members of this race add +1 to the caster level of any spells with the air descriptor they cast. Members of this race also gain the following spell-like abilities (the caster level is equal to the user's character level): 1/day - resistance, breeze, clarion call. This ability replaces Explorer.