UA:Arctic Dwarves

This material is published under the OGL

Arctic Dwarves

In the icy wastes, dwarves are the masters of both ice and stone. They build massive, elaborate defenses of ice and rock around the mines where the dig for copper, silver, gold, and iron.

Racial Traits: Arctic dwarves have the following racial traits.

• +2 Strength, +2 Constitution, −4 Dexterity, –2 Charisma. Arctic dwarves are tough enough to survive the brutal environment of the arctic, but rely on strength and heavy armor rather than agility.
• Humanoid (Dwarf).
• Medium: As Medium creatures, arctic dwarves have no special bonuses or penalties due to their size.
• Arctic dwarf base land speed is 20 feet. However, arctic dwarves can move at this speed even when wearing medium or heavy armor or when carrying a medium or heavy load (unlike other creatures, whose speed is reduced in such situations).
• Darkvision: Arctic dwarves can see in the dark up to 60 feet. Darkvision is black and white only, but it is otherwise like normal sight, and arctic dwarves can function just fine with no light at all.
• Stonecunning: This ability grants an arctic dwarf a +2 racial bonus on Search checks to notice unusual stonework, such as sliding walls, stonework traps, new construction (even when built to match the old), unsafe stone surfaces, shaky stone ceilings, and the like. Something that isn’t stone but that is disguised as stone also counts as unusual stonework. An arctic dwarf who merely comes within 10 feet of unusual stonework can make a Search check as if he were actively searching, and an arctic dwarf can use the Search skill to find stonework traps as a rogue can. An arctic dwarf can also intuit depth, sensing his approximate depth underground as naturally as a human can sense which way is up.
• Icecunning: Arctic dwarves can apply their stonecunning benefits to structures and natural features made of ice, as well as those made of stone.
• Weapon Familiarity: Arctic dwarves may treat dwarven waraxes and dwarven urgroshes as martial weapons, rather than exotic weapons.
• Stability: An arctic dwarf gains a +4 bonus on ability checks made to resist being bull rushed or tripped when standing on the ground (but not when climbing, flying, riding, or otherwise not standing firmly on the ground).
• Cold Endurance: Arctic dwarves have a +4 racial bonus on Fortitude saves made to resist the effects of cold weather or exposure.
• +2 racial bonus on saving throws against poison.
• +2 racial bonus on saving throws against spells and spell-like effects.
• +1 racial bonus on attack rolls against kobolds: Arctic dwarves must defend against constant assaults by kobolds.
• +4 dodge bonus to Armor Class against monsters of the giant type. Any time a creature loses its Dexterity bonus (if any) to Armor Class, such as when it’s caught flat-footed, it loses its dodge bonus, too.
• +2 racial bonus on Appraise checks that are related to stone, metal, or ice items.
• +2 racial bonus on Craft checks that are related to stone, metal, or ice.
• Automatic Languages: Common and Dwarven. Bonus Languages: Giant, Gnome, Goblin, Orc, Terran, and Undercommon.
• Favored Class: Fighter. A multiclass arctic dwarf’s Fighter class does not count when determining whether he takes an experience point penalty for multiclassing.
• Level Adjustment: +0.

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