I had a homebrew subclass called "Penitent" based on Slayers. They were dishonored Dwarves who were working to regain their honor and place in Dwarves Society. The Clan Head gave them a Task (depending on the severity of the crime, it could be a huge or impossible task!). Not quite as restrictive as a Slayer's Oath, but still pretty tough!
It’s almost always a great time when one of the players at the table plays a Dwarf. From first hand experience players who play Dwarves are team players, vow to beat the villain to a pulp, and usually laugh instead of pout when the dice don’t roll their way. Great video guys!
I recently drew my friend into DND and gave her my first character, Helga Hammerhand the dwarf paladin. Her first words at the table were... "I grunt." Then she got hooked and clicked with Helga so much she hasn't created her own character.
I enjoy playing a Dwarven melee-based ranger. I know a lot of people view rangers as humans or elves and the like... but I can picture a team of Dwarven rangers scouting out forgotten tunnels, mountains and hills, etc. for new places to build, mine, and forge. They would need knowledge of nature and survival, like a ranger commonly has. Their endurance and fortitude would also help with long treks through the wilderness and mountain passes.
I love the idea of a Dwarven barbarian who was lost in the wilderness (underground or on the surface) at a young age and has raised themselves and stayed alive through pure Dwarven stubbornness
Plus eventual fire immunity is utter chaos for enemies; you can literally be the first dwarf to conquer a volcano, and sleep above lava, create lava weapons, create traps with fire. There’s literally so much you can do as a Forge Cleric it’s insane
My first D&D character ever in 1980 (damn, I'm old) was a Dwarf warrior named Balthazar Bloodhammer. He had a blue beard and was entirely without fear. Fairly stereotypical, but I loved him and still do to this day.
Eric Payne hey man, too many people these days don’t have an appreciation for the classics. Heck, my favorite character was a very typical triton named Sir Kepheus, but he grew to be one of the most influential characters in the campaign (especially when he became Lord Kepheus)
Not mine, as I've yet to play a dwarf, by my friend plays a hill dwarf bard college of glamour named Geode. His, as he likes to say, magnificent. He is bold, jovial, and loves to tell stories and sing bawdy tunes. Family is important to him and he is very protective of his sister, a tiefling his parents adopted. He wears his heart on his sleeve and is the emotional rock of the party. I love this guy.
I've been playing a dwarven bard - Amrak, in my friend's campaign for over two years now. He was basically my first ever thought-out character and I'm quite surprised that even back then when I first started playing I focused on strength and putting my expertise in athletics. I didn't even know about shoving before I made him! His main abilities are: Shoving, buffing his party members, telling dad jokes, annoying the DM with his high AC and making good life decisions.
One of the PCs in my first party was a Dwarven Bard as well. By level 5, he had become the god-king of a tribe of goblins. By level 7, he had made a flesh golem his pet. By the time his player got tired of playing him, the only way for him to 'die' was to suicide via a deck of many things (he actually got his soul trapped in another plane of existance, but that session was a TPK so no one knew to retrieve it).
Dwarves Monk with Dad Jokes? Sounds like an Old Dwarf. "It's not a 'Bo', it's a damn walking stick! Now mind thwack your thwack manners! Still given' me lip, boy? I'll show you the back of my hand!" Do NOT mess with Old Men in Anime!
I am playing a Mountain Dwarf War Magic Wizard. Between Arcane Delfection, Mirror Image, medium armor, and Haste, I think I've been hit twice over 20 games. And I play this as a melee wizard with high strength for melee cantrips.
Reminds me or shadow sorcerer quirk, you blinked once last week. I was hit by an attack once last month, maybe take a 3 level artificer dip for battle master, make a steel defender. Maybe a ram or goat, grab sentinel and ride around with melee spellcasting infusions for more AC and they have disadvantage against you because steel defender, Check our the battlesmith video by dungeon dudes last week
Try Hill Dwarf War Magic Wizard with a dip in Forge Cleric, 10/10/16/16/14/8 using Point Buy. You’ll be the most untouchable wizard in history, counting or not Bladesingers.
You guys are legitimately some of my favorite CZcamsrs. You are so genuine and clearly love what you do and that means the world to me. Please never change! Cheers mates.
we were rolling up a one shot in Waterdeep. so I sent with a dwarf. lol he is a proud member of the Gut Buster Bergaide from Mithril Hall. what made him fun was the RP. his dwarven accent was so deep. he talked normally like a scottish,Gaelic, Germanic "Boomhower" from King of the Hill. so we were all drinking in game. and made a twist. where the drunker her got his accent and speech would clear up. by the time he was so hammered he could t do anything he was talking FLUENTLY elven. from dwarven, threw common and head long into elven. I never had to buy a drink the whole damn game. lol
One of the things that bug me about 5E is no drinking rules. Another thing is No Alcohol (or poison) Resistance for Drunken Master! Dwarves take care of that! Also, their size makes them seem more Rolly Polly, and I bet that looks much funnier than other Drunken Masters!)
@@Quickieq7 really fun, but I use the open hand way, and I call it drunken master, and my character is a Brewer. Cuz mechanics are better design for the "Open hand" and my DM is new to the job (I've DMing since I have 15 yo, now I 'm 34 and still loving DMing)
It says an awful lot when elves are always being altered and changed and reimagined according to the writer, while dwarves are basically unchanged across media. I am interested in playing a dwarf sometime. I've yet to introduce either of my groups to Gawain Brightanvil, jolly kilt-wearing paladin of Gorm Gulthyn.
That is the nature of Elves and Dwarves. Elves are flighty, mercurial... They may live to be 1000, but they change every moment. Dwarves are SOLID, reliable!... That's why Dwarves seem dour all the time. They just can't trust other races! make a Trade Treaty with a King, next thing you know, he's dead and his son isn't happy with the deal! "Yes, I know you helped drive that hoarde out of the Kingdom... but what have you done for us ?" "LATELY?? That was only 20 years ago, you wee git! But YOU were still dirtying your diapers while MY SON was swinging an axe into some invader's face so YOU could grow up to be an ungrateful ponce!"
One of my favorite little ideas I've had is a story where you have your classic, gruff dwarves with their huge impressive subterranean cities and stuff ya know. But there's a catch, the MC discovers the dwarves' biggest secret: dwarves are all secretly the biggest bunch of music nerd bards you've EVER met and the acoustics underground are amazing so they're always trying new shapes, sizes of room, types of stone to bounce the sounds, different instruments, etc and everything in their culture is fronted around this secret from the other races.
I always used to go Fighter/Thief in 1st and 2nd Ed. The concept was The Tunnel Fighter! Sneaking around, checking for pesky Goblin and Kobold traps, picking locks, climbing walls...!
I'm surprised you didn't mention the Battlerager Barbarian. It's THE dwarf class. My main dwarf pc is a Battle Rager/Drunken Master mountain dwarf named Axe who just hugs his foes into submission.
Another great source of dwarf lore is none other than Dwarf Fortress. Sunlight sickness in particular is something I like using a lot for mountain dwarves, in that maybe after more than a few days without sun their body loses that desensitization of constantly being bathed in bright light and can get wicked headaches and even nausea from too much exposure. Also dipping into food culture is great for dwarves because they are usually isolationists so going into what food they would have under the mountains is really interesting. Like for example dwarves eating mostly vegetables and mushrooms because they grow and animals are harder to rear underground so their diet has very little meat traditionally. Also water! The reason they drink so much liquor is because it's easy to make from natural levans and it keeps for a long time which is great considering fresh water is usually hard to find underground outside of natural auqifers
I haven't played since 2nd edition. Some time about a year ago I got it in my head that I wanted to make a Dwarven geomancer. I recently bought the core rule books for 5e. This and some of your videos on spells are helping to keep the wheels turning in my head while I figure how to fit this idea in with the new rules
The same for me, played during 1st-2nd edition, life, got back into D&D in 5th. I can highly recommend the 5th edition starter set. 5 classic characters, enough NPC's to keep you busy, and the adventures are varied enough to keep your players busy for a few months. For $20 bucks it's hard to beat.
Great video, had to send it out to my friends that play dwarves. Talking about unexpected classes, I have a Dwarven Warlock waiting to be played, he forged a Pact to use it against the enemies of his Clan. He was cast out for it, but as an adventurer he still watches out for his home.
One of my Dwarf characters was a Druid. He had a strong connection to Dragons, even was there for a couple hatchlings. He was a few thousand years old, and accidentally became seen as a Demi-God
Nice, I have a Mountain Dwarf Runecarver background Wizard who is planning on School of Necromancy. He also outside of Necromancy primarily uses Acid and Poison Magic:) He is Chaotic Neutral and plans on restoring his family's Ancestral Home as well as achieving Apotheosis afterwards (similar to the Tribunal of Elder Scrolls or Myrkul of D&D old lore).
Early D&D Dwarf who wanted to be a Bard (when you couldn't). Played a fighter who dumped all of his skills into music (bagpipes). He was always positive and supporting and would lull the party to sleep with bagpipe music regardless of the surroundings...
Duergar's arent really the typical kind of dwarf. Considering they are mainly only found in the underdark. If you see one topside at all he would defenitly attract attention to himself and/or be hunted down because hes an evil SOB :P
I've had a party member who played a Dwarven drunken master in the Curse of Strahd campaign. Amongst our group we always reminisce about the time he suplexed Baba Lysaga off of her flying Skull.
One of my favourite characters I have made was this jovial dwarf fighter who was a guild artisan, specifically a cook. They specifically left their home to find new recipes and ingredients on their overarching quest to become the best chef in the world, and so whenever there was something the party had killed their first question after was always “so what would be the best way to cook this”
Here's my character, who I play in one shots like Monty's dwarf. I played Stagg Orenstone, a seasoned, Dwarven Forge Cleric, who's fought many a battle and lived many a century. He's a legendary smith for his creation of a powerful mythrel blade, that's now been lost forever. Seemingly he's back, and he travels the land in search of it, or at least for worthy materials to replicate it. The twist: Stagg's dead and has been for over a century, but before his death, he encountered and protected a tribe of changelings, it cost him his life to defend their land. Now in his debt, they keep his memory alive, as his identity is passed as a mantle through the generations from one changeling to another.
I have a dirty dwarven druid I love to play. Falling into the underdark at a young age, he's spent most his life looking for a way out. Eventually he found friends with the stones and learned some aspect of magic. Magic to him comes from asking the stones around him for help and trusting in his body's abilities. He wipes the snot from his nose and rubs his hands together smearing the snot across his hands. No worries he says as he climbs the cliff without any tools. His spells are my favorite thing cause everyone wants your help until a heal spell comes with a foul stench.
Related: I had a Creepy Doctor in a Changeling Game once. He was slovenly and leering, but it felt GOOD when he healed you. I had a lot of fun role play with him!
Playing my first D&D character, a “Kuldjargh” battlerager barbarian dwarf, who is an absolute tank. At level 5 I managed to almost single-handedly take out a mind-flyer who was trying to Interrogate me, by ripping out one of the chains holding me to the stone chair and with 20 roll managed to wrap the chain around the mindflayer’s neck and beat it to death with my other hand.
I have a Mountain Dwarf Runecarver background Wizard who is planning on School of Necromancy and outside of Necromancy he primarily uses Acid & Poison Magic! The armor proficiency and higher Constitution is helpful to limit the "Squishy Wizard" stereotype. He plans on restoring his Ancestral Home which was taken over during his Great-Grandmother's time by an Arch-Lich (wearing a strange circlet/crown) leading an Army of Undead. His Great-Grandmother lead a number of the clan & it's friends away from the home sealing the entry ways behind them. They eventually settled in a new home but still remember their ancient home. He realizes that the best way to restore his Ancestral Home is by becoming a Master of Undeath himself so can counter the Arch-Lich potentially and even turn it's Undead Army on them. Afterwards he plans on achieving Apotheosis/Deity status so can survive and guide his people to greater status and limit the chance of the home being taken away again.
I've played 2 dwarves and they were both amazing (and I've commented about them on previous videos). My first dwarf was a mountain dwarf paladin who got me my first inspiration point by saying "shush, smiting undead is its own reward". My other one was a hill dwarf cleric and after learning that I was joining a warlock and a rogue (squishy boys), I went nature domain with 16 CON and 16 WIS just so I could stand in melee and hit things with my shillelagh stick. 1d8+4 on level up and 18 AC goes a long way at low levels. Dwarves are great, I can't wait until the party get to the dwarven citadel in the campaign I'm running, it's going to be fantastic :D
My awsome dwarf character... was a dwarf that studied gobelins to know how to get rid of them. Doing so he ended-up learning gobelin shamanic ways... He was a wizard with a ton good acid/poison spells. Using "gobelin" abilities is not really well seen in dwarven society so he left, going to an adventure challenging his vision of the world.
I played a dwarf in a similar way. But instead of learning goblin magic, he was a ranger who learned to live in the wilds so he could fight the enemies of his people on their home turf.
recently started playing dnd, and i have to say, even though, i love my gnome battlemaster whose actually a cavalry man, my next character gonna be a tempest domain mountain dwarf sailor, who got his powers from umberlee, when he was hired to build a stone lighthouse on top of a rocky cliff, got struck by a lightning and fell in the water, only to be rescued by his goddess... watching your videos just giving me confidence, that my character ideas gonna work out just fine and fun....
Had an amazing Dwarf Paladin who worshipped Ioun, and was pretty much a Dwarf version of Indiana Jones. My DM even came up with a new vow to accommodate his goal of making a museum out of all his treasures (longest term goal was to buy a dungeon and turned it into a type of museum/theme park so visitors could get a safe feel of adventuring life). With all this effort put into the character, it's needless to say he didn't survive the third gaming session. Still, I might come back to the archetype, and thanks for the inspiration for the museum/theme park (the protective spheres where you take now damage really put everything else into place)!
In the awsome book The Weirdstone of Brisingamen one of the dwarves, Durathror, has a cloak of feathers that wraps round him when he leaps down cliffs and slows his fall. Would be fun Feather Fall magic item, especially if it would only work for smaller races
The idea of a dwarf wanting to build a ship is funny to me, because suposedly they hate boats. One of my favorite dwarfs is a fighter, named on a variaton of the weapon's manufacturer Northrop Grumman, named "Northran Grummop"
Dwarf is consistent because they are slow to change, stubborn, and rarely abandon traditions. I love that the emotions they can show are some joy (while drinking and telling battle stories) and in battle, and wrath and determination. I love the love, the grudge holding, the slowness to trust, how they view elves, halflings and humans, and while I normaly play chaning characters, and thend to go for humans, half elves, I fell in love playing a duergar druid (Yeah, odd combination, I was goind to do a circle of the land-undercommon, but the circle of the blighted came out and between that and circle of spores was a toss up, and blighted won. I like some of the little details of the duergar class. Great video (I dont' always agree with your ranking and opinions, BUT I ALWAYS enjoy your videos aand your campaign. Keep'em coming!) again, youdidn't mention, but I love DUergar. Not sure why, because I think sword coast adventure was out (where this class was published) when you made this video? I could be wrong.
So my DM came up with an original campaign in which I a dwarven monk named Chester Winterbottom was introduced to a set of three somewhat freshly buried heroes . Introductory role was Sherrif of Hidden Harbour, a pirate beach community. It was a blast...
Just recently found your channel and I have been watching a bunch of your older videos, like this one. I just wanted to say that my favorite character that I have gotten to play, since I am usually the DM, was my dwarf bard with a charlatan background. He was a tone of fun to play against the traditional dwarf builds.
I'm in the process of creating an exciting dwarf. Brynjar Ironbender is a Bardbarian who was once a great warrior, but he's so battle-hardened and traumatized that he uses music to cope with his PTSD. His primary weapon is a lyre/bow combo. Aesthetically very Norse inspired
Great video. The line Monty had about young dwarven volcanoes erupting so they can become pillars of stone to be the foundation of future generations. Very nice line and super inspirational for character creation
Favorite Dwarf character right now, Ulfbert Ironpoint. In our campaign he is a Dundier Mountain Ranger. Ranger, hunter, horde breaker, heavy cross bow, with crossbow expert. Favorite tactic, bottle necking the enemy then rain death with the cross bow and Hail of Thornes
Actually making my first character and it's a dwarf fighter, with a hermit background. He fell in love with the clan leaders wife, the leader killed his wife and forced him into exile hiding away.
Morgran Ironfist aka Creed. A dwarf who wandered away from his family in the mountains to become a pirate at sea. Lots of stuff has happened, and maybe some day he will reconcile with his family.
I loved my Hill Dwarf Sailor Bard of the college of Lore. He'd lost his ship (think turtle ship of steel and cannons) and planned on making a proper Dwarven Tavern in a Human City.
Made a Hill Dwarf Druid whose clan was wiped out by a curse. He ran away (young) was adopted by a Druid circle (essentially it was a commune). So he was played like a 60s era hippy.
My first character for a tabletop RPG was a dwarf inquisitor named Ol' Capn' Ironside. I had such a blast playing that character, who eventually became the party's designated pilot for their airship. That dwarf was my gateway into Pathfinder and eventually D&D. I've gotta give it to the dwarfs, they don't change because they don't need to be changed!
I had a character, Boln Brasshands, a dwarf who was tricked into being a Monk. He enrolled in the Hall of Heroes, a Dwarven monastery that rebranded itself an adventurer academy and churned out Kensei monks. Funny thing is that until you get to 9th level and start being able to run across water and up walls, the Kensei is a pretty good stand-in for a generic adventurer. A bunch of battleaxe/warhammer wielding dwarves with a crossbow slung over their shoulder whose idea of martial arts is a headbutt to the nose, fist to the groin, stomp on the knee. The monk is a character who seeks perfection but a Dwarf monk seeks Dwarven perfection, which is often indistinguishable from Dwarf concentrate.
Currently rollin' with: Thorin Rockfist, hill dwarf moon druid lvl 2 (so far). I love me some dire wolf, bear, giant spider combo action. Great work fellas. I've watched a bunch of your videos so far and shared with my party to get ideas. First campaign in 20+ years.
Played a Dwarf rune knight fighter named Turin Battlebeard and one of his personality traits is that any gem he found he would tie into his beard to show the world that he is a true Battlebeard. He ended up having so many gems in his beard that people thought he could literally grow gems out of his face.
Dragon Age has my favourite dwarves for inspo - complex politics, insular cultures divided by above/below ground life, and that same earth connection. Lets you play with loyalty and family while allowing plenty of opportunities to play a cunning or outsider character.
Awesome video as usual. If I may point out one thing, though, I think you missed a good opportunity to speak about the dwarf only class of the battlerager.
If I'm gonna be honest, battelrager isn't all that interesting. It was fun for a little bit in the Drizzt Dro'Urden books but got worn out fast. You can only run into people and impale them with spikes on your armor in so many ways...
I busted out at the dragon bit, as my first adventure that happened. Save the princess dungeon, last room princess was shaped red dragon. I was swallowed hole in the first round, eventually cut my way out with help from a ring of acid resistance, found the party dead. I was forced to retire that one.
In 3.5, I used to play a dwarven monk named Zeblek Goblingutter. His Intelligence and Charisma were dump stats (8 and 6, if I remember correctly) and he often worked as the party scout and front-line melee offense. Fun times!
Hill dwarf Life cleric was my choice and oh my, what a tank! Solid with both melee, thanks to dwarf weapon proficiencies and domain heavy armour prof, and utility, defence and offensive casting. War-caster and Res (Con) feats make it rather more difficult to get him to drop his bless even if you get past his AC (joint highest in the party, highest HP too). Plus he's happily smacking you with his hammer at the same time whilst also directing his foaming tankard appearing Spiritual Weapon to merrily bash you too.
My first character is a Hill dwarf rogue. His clan has Duergar origins to lead to their sneaky/spy ways. He then lived with his dad in the dwarft/artisan/smith district of a halfling town, as a guild spy. He adventures cuz he loves his dad, wants to find and make the family he doesnt know proud, and hone his skills.
I love the idea of a mountain dwarf wizard with the heavy armor feat. You can literally have 19 AC as a wizard, wield a two handed battle axe and still cast spells without sacrificing anything more than one ability score improvement.
@@Joemantler This reminded me of this: czcams.com/video/bFEi2YL6CM4/video.html And yeah. You can have your Spellcasting focus on a chain at your side and use it when you need it. ^^ But the main draw is definetly the high AC.
When designing a character, think character concept...stat bonuses are not large enough to make that big of an impact when you are going to get ability score increases as you level anyways. Dwarf Fighter for the Str and Con increases or Dwarf artificer, putting your highest stat in Int secure in knowing the bonuses with make even your dump stats into something passable.
such great information. I have never played but am getting a group of people together. As I wait for my book I am researching what I can. so in-depth thanks!
My favorite race is dwarf I got good ol Grank a drunk monk/barbarian a city watchman with 4 kids with different races, Got my new druid of the stars that loves gems as they are the stars of the underground, and a transmutation wizard dwarf with a literal steel chest by a accident, and now my 8'0 Goliath forge cleric raised by dwarfs with a barrel strapped to his back 3 gold per weapon and I just love dwarfs
I currently play my first DnD session and chose a Drunken Master Monk Hill Dwarf with Hermit background. Coming from a rather poor miner family, he joined the hermitage as the younger son, looking to study and honor dwarven gods and ancestors (and also brew awesome beer). However, an orc attack destroyed this rather small hermitage before he could attain the runic tattoos signalling the end of his studies. Now he travels the world, sometimes giving into alcoholism, looking for any signs that other brothers of his hermitage survived the attack and might etch the tattoos into his hands and forehead, so that finally he will fulfill his destiny and take back his honor. I'm currently thinking about the theology of this dwarven hermitage - what could be the ancestors and the gods the monks there were honoring? Does anyone have any ideas?
In my games Dwarven Monks were the guardians of temples as no weapons are allowed in the temple. Don't know if it helps but it always helped explain the role of the monk in Darven society.
Ancestors sound good. Idealized Dwarven forbearers. They might even be known by their Role, rather than Name. The Mother, the Clan Chief, the Smith... Make a task or ritual that must be completed annually for the Ancestors to Rest (or to be able to protect the Clan, or do other Dwarven Things), said task only to be performed by a full member of the Order he belongs to. That motivates him, AND the weight of his ancestors NOT being at rest is a heavy burden, which causes him to drink! Should they come into play, they should give sound advice, but always urge him to find a way to become a Full Member of the Order! The only problem is that, if he ever does become a full member, he'd be retired!
@@Joemantler the annual ritual is a fantastic idea, I must share it with my GM! And don't worry, once my dwarf becomes a full member, this only means he'll be a monk officially, so the duties will only start from here
My dwarf: Bringar Soulforger. Forge Cleric. "Lad, the spirit is like a good piece of steel," hefts warhammer, "Sometimes you got to beat the living hell out of it to turn it into anything useful."
I’m currently playing a Dwarven Gloomstalker, called Herne Mossbeard. When the campaign started I had the idea of the earth druid type, but one of the other players had already rolled an Aarakocra druid character, so I went ranger instead. Have just hit 5th lvl, and at the next level am going rogue, eventually Scout, just to cement his outdoor credentials. A fun character, and a pretty decent hitter with his longbow.
Not only have I never played a dwarf, but in my 2+ years of playing, I’ve never been in a party with one outside of 2 one shots, I should definitely get on that and bring a pact of the blade warlock who ISNT hexblade and DOESNT use a sword to the table, maybe while mining he stumbled on something he shouldn’t have seen and the knowledge of the great old one grabbed onto his mind, great vid guys!
Dennis McKiernan wrote his female Dwarfs (Chakia) amazingly well. They are always fully veiled, and rarely seen. But in one of the books, the Warrow (his Hobbit types) was badly wounded and brought to a Dwarfhold for healing (after formally being declared "Dwarf Friend"). He regains consciousness, and barely catches a glimpse of one before she veils herself, and (if memory serves) thinks she is the Most Beautiful Woman he has ever seen. I love the idea of Dwarven Women being so beautiful, they have to veil themselves from outsiders so that they do not go mad with beauty! I love the idea that the Chakia are the True Treasures of the Dwarves! I have a (very adult!) story in mind of a Chakia being captured and sold to the most depraved clients! The party comes to a very seedy town, and any Dwarves becomes irritated, agitated... but cant say why. They stalk through the town until they come to a bad part of an already seedy city. There, they (and only they!) hear the keening cry of the Female! Do they reveal the secret, or just move and maybe the party will follow? But whatever happens, they are willing to BURN THIS TOWN TO THE GROUND TO SAVE HER!
If you're using Disc world themed dwarves, yes, females do have beards! Infact they're better kept and much more luxurious than their male counterparts. They're pretty fun to play (and they're great for players who like playing with gender rolls as Disc world themed dwarves don't have a word for female... Unless you're playing them finally getting their independence!) also, bread as weapons is hilarious and awesome, giving you a reason to take cooking tools along! 😆
My favorite character I played is my dwarf fighter/barbarian outcast. Grom darkhammer. He was a tank. He would charge into battle and was fearless in a funny way. It got him into trouble everyone else in the party would be scared while grom walked up to a dragon and shook his axe at it lol. I wanna get him back out but can't find a group to play with.
Death domain Dwarf would be brutal to picture; you’ve been wronged so much, Moradin calls you to do one thing- kill creatures that have wronged them. 2 Paladin / Death Domain X is just nasty. Heavy armor, smites, Touch of Death, divine strike, GWM, booming blades... That’s on average 92 in one attack, which you can do by level 10.
All my Dwarves are form Aledrin clan ;) in Polish youth slang (I mean my teeneger days, however I'm not sure if it's stil in use) it means "What a drink!" ( it can be translated to "Oh, it has a kick!) It can also be read as a shorter form of "Ale drinkers" however it is not entirely acurate because this clan makes & export, dark as night, thick as blood and powerfull like Moradin, ale. Lately they even started exporting it to Ravnica and Eberon by means only known to the oldest and most trusworthy members of the clan. ;) :D Of course knoledge about this operations like formula for Aledrin's Ale is the most guarded secret and all who are too intereste in this matters suddeny disapear.
"Dwarf names are great, you just take you just take 2 words of something stone or smithing related and smash them together then put it behind a Norwegian sounding first name" Ulfar Hammerhill approves of this message.
I think a great source of inspiration for a Dwarf bard would be the skald of ancient Norse culture. The skald served as a kind of historian, composing poetry that told of their lord's deeds. They would recount epic tales of heroism, legends, and the stories of the gods. Since Dwarven culture places such emphasis on a dwarf's clan and lineage, a Dwarf bard could easily serve a similar role. In times of peace they would recount the legends of Moradin, or sing the praises of the clan's craftsmen. In times of war they could bolster the spirit of the clan by recounting the heroic actions of warriors and leaders of the past. An easy way to build this into RP would be playing a young bard who is going out into the world to spread the stories of his clan, and maybe make a few legends of their own. Once his or her adventuring days are done, you could retire the character by having them return to their clan, wiser and more experienced; ready to share their knowledge with their people.
You guys should try reading Dragon Champion and the rest of the series by E.E. Knight, the dwarves in the world are not only thier stereotypical miner smith selves, but also merchants! they covered thier faces above ground in order to protect thier beards, in which they had bioluminesscent moss.
Read Dennis L. McKiernan's "Mithgar" series! All his races are amazing, but his DWARVES are cranked up to eleven! (Just know that the books were originally written in the Middle Earth setting, but Tolkien's estate said "NOOOO!". His publisher said "this is so good, we'll publish it anyway. Just change things here, here, and here." So there is a lot of overlap, but, as I said, it was conceived as being in that world.)
I rolled for a new character using nothing but rolls. d20, d6, d4. This was for a short campaign that turned into my main one. A dwarven warlock with the pact of chain. Also his patron happens to be a Celestial. Most fun I've had. He's also a terrible smith because all he wanted to study as a kid is magic. lol.
I just love my Mountain Dwarf Zealot Barbarian with two handaxes based on Slayers from Warhammer Fantasy :3
I had a homebrew subclass called "Penitent" based on Slayers. They were dishonored Dwarves who were working to regain their honor and place in Dwarves Society. The Clan Head gave them a Task (depending on the severity of the crime, it could be a huge or impossible task!). Not quite as restrictive as a Slayer's Oath, but still pretty tough!
The zealot barb is awesome.
I too have a mountain dwarf who wields hand axes, his is B.O.B.
Nice, I’m planning on making a Dwarven fighter based off the Ironbreakers
Dwarves are not stubborn, we are open minded and you can't change my mind on that! :D Thanks Guys!
It’s almost always a great time when one of the players at the table plays a Dwarf. From first hand experience players who play Dwarves are team players, vow to beat the villain to a pulp, and usually laugh instead of pout when the dice don’t roll their way. Great video guys!
I have no idea how you guys only have 91000 subscribers that is a tragedy you guys are by far top-tier in my book keep it up
I know right?
a year later is 241k, not bad.
365k now
@@harbourfamily6215 376k now
Better!
I recently drew my friend into DND and gave her my first character, Helga Hammerhand the dwarf paladin. Her first words at the table were... "I grunt." Then she got hooked and clicked with Helga so much she hasn't created her own character.
Never forget the Dwarven word for gold is, "mine!"
I enjoy playing a Dwarven melee-based ranger. I know a lot of people view rangers as humans or elves and the like... but I can picture a team of Dwarven rangers scouting out forgotten tunnels, mountains and hills, etc. for new places to build, mine, and forge. They would need knowledge of nature and survival, like a ranger commonly has. Their endurance and fortitude would also help with long treks through the wilderness and mountain passes.
I love the idea of a Dwarven barbarian who was lost in the wilderness (underground or on the surface) at a young age and has raised themselves and stayed alive through pure Dwarven stubbornness
Diggy Diggy Hole.
Now you know all you need to know about dwarves.
I really like that song! :)
The only Dwarven song to survive the test of time!
@@StuffSayoSays Yeah, like a real, national anthem! ;)
fight kill fight. fight fight kill. kill kill fight.
@@DBebeful Never forget the anthem brother! once a Dwarf, always a Dwarf! "Raise your pick and raise your voice!"
One of my favorite characters ever is my Dwarf Forge cleric, It's so incredibly tanky and you always have something you can do in and out of combat.
That's what I'm playing for my first campaign!!! So excited
Plus eventual fire immunity is utter chaos for enemies; you can literally be the first dwarf to conquer a volcano, and sleep above lava, create lava weapons, create traps with fire. There’s literally so much you can do as a Forge Cleric it’s insane
Same. That's the first character I made back when I was 10 and still one of the main characters I remake all the time.
My first D&D character ever in 1980 (damn, I'm old) was a Dwarf warrior named Balthazar Bloodhammer. He had a blue beard and was entirely without fear. Fairly stereotypical, but I loved him and still do to this day.
Eric Payne hey man, too many people these days don’t have an appreciation for the classics. Heck, my favorite character was a very typical triton named Sir Kepheus, but he grew to be one of the most influential characters in the campaign (especially when he became Lord Kepheus)
Wednesday Web DM, Thursday Dungeon Dudes. Couldn't ask for a better lead-up to the weekend.
Monday DungeonClass! Start the week off right!
Not mine, as I've yet to play a dwarf, by my friend plays a hill dwarf bard college of glamour named Geode. His, as he likes to say, magnificent. He is bold, jovial, and loves to tell stories and sing bawdy tunes. Family is important to him and he is very protective of his sister, a tiefling his parents adopted. He wears his heart on his sleeve and is the emotional rock of the party. I love this guy.
I've been playing a dwarven bard - Amrak, in my friend's campaign for over two years now. He was basically my first ever thought-out character and I'm quite surprised that even back then when I first started playing I focused on strength and putting my expertise in athletics. I didn't even know about shoving before I made him!
His main abilities are: Shoving, buffing his party members, telling dad jokes, annoying the DM with his high AC and making good life decisions.
One of the PCs in my first party was a Dwarven Bard as well. By level 5, he had become the god-king of a tribe of goblins. By level 7, he had made a flesh golem his pet. By the time his player got tired of playing him, the only way for him to 'die' was to suicide via a deck of many things (he actually got his soul trapped in another plane of existance, but that session was a TPK so no one knew to retrieve it).
I've wanted to play a dwarf bard that sings nothing but dwarven mining and smithing songs.
Dwarves Monk with Dad Jokes? Sounds like an Old Dwarf. "It's not a 'Bo', it's a damn walking stick! Now mind thwack your thwack manners! Still given' me lip, boy? I'll show you the back of my hand!"
Do NOT mess with Old Men in Anime!
Please tell me your instrument is bagpipes
Making good life decisions, sounds like the most powerful character on the group
I am playing a Mountain Dwarf War Magic Wizard. Between Arcane Delfection, Mirror Image, medium armor, and Haste, I think I've been hit twice over 20 games. And I play this as a melee wizard with high strength for melee cantrips.
Gm needs to try harder :)
This is why Bladesinger was Elf only. Dwarves do it better without the subclass.
That’s awesome!
Reminds me or shadow sorcerer quirk, you blinked once last week.
I was hit by an attack once last month, maybe take a 3 level artificer dip for battle master, make a steel defender. Maybe a ram or goat, grab sentinel and ride around with melee spellcasting infusions for more AC and they have disadvantage against you because steel defender, Check our the battlesmith video by dungeon dudes last week
Try Hill Dwarf War Magic Wizard with a dip in Forge Cleric, 10/10/16/16/14/8 using Point Buy.
You’ll be the most untouchable wizard in history, counting or not Bladesingers.
You guys are legitimately some of my favorite CZcamsrs.
You are so genuine and clearly love what you do and that means the world to me. Please never change!
Cheers mates.
we were rolling up a one shot in Waterdeep. so I sent with a dwarf. lol he is a proud member of the Gut Buster Bergaide from Mithril Hall.
what made him fun was the RP. his dwarven accent was so deep. he talked normally like a scottish,Gaelic, Germanic "Boomhower" from King of the Hill.
so we were all drinking in game. and made a twist. where the drunker her got his accent and speech would clear up. by the time he was so hammered he could t do anything he was talking FLUENTLY elven. from dwarven, threw common and head long into elven.
I never had to buy a drink the whole damn game. lol
Beautiful!
I've got a Mountain Dwarf Storm Sorcerer. He loves to use his hammer to cast Booming Blade.
I'm playing a Dwarf Drunken master, and it's awesome, love Dwarven characters 💪
me too.
I'm ashamed to say I've never played a Dwarf in a DnD game. But I always thought they were some pretty badass guys.
One of the things that bug me about 5E is no drinking rules. Another thing is No Alcohol (or poison) Resistance for Drunken Master! Dwarves take care of that! Also, their size makes them seem more Rolly Polly, and I bet that looks much funnier than other Drunken Masters!)
I was thinking about a Drunken Master Dwarf. How is it?
@@Quickieq7 really fun, but I use the open hand way, and I call it drunken master, and my character is a Brewer. Cuz mechanics are better design for the "Open hand" and my DM is new to the job (I've DMing since I have 15 yo, now I 'm 34 and still loving DMing)
It says an awful lot when elves are always being altered and changed and reimagined according to the writer, while dwarves are basically unchanged across media.
I am interested in playing a dwarf sometime. I've yet to introduce either of my groups to Gawain Brightanvil, jolly kilt-wearing paladin of Gorm Gulthyn.
That is the nature of Elves and Dwarves. Elves are flighty, mercurial... They may live to be 1000, but they change every moment. Dwarves are SOLID, reliable!... That's why Dwarves seem dour all the time. They just can't trust other races! make a Trade Treaty with a King, next thing you know, he's dead and his son isn't happy with the deal!
"Yes, I know you helped drive that hoarde out of the Kingdom... but what have you done for us ?"
"LATELY?? That was only 20 years ago, you wee git! But YOU were still dirtying your diapers while MY SON was swinging an axe into some invader's face so YOU could grow up to be an ungrateful ponce!"
@@Joemantler I love this.
One of my favorite little ideas I've had is a story where you have your classic, gruff dwarves with their huge impressive subterranean cities and stuff ya know. But there's a catch, the MC discovers the dwarves' biggest secret: dwarves are all secretly the biggest bunch of music nerd bards you've EVER met and the acoustics underground are amazing so they're always trying new shapes, sizes of room, types of stone to bounce the sounds, different instruments, etc and everything in their culture is fronted around this secret from the other races.
Dwarven Clerics are a big favourite for me.
I always used to go Fighter/Thief in 1st and 2nd Ed. The concept was The Tunnel Fighter! Sneaking around, checking for pesky Goblin and Kobold traps, picking locks, climbing walls...!
@@Joemantler
You could do that in 5e- Battlemaster Fighter X / Thief Rogue 3.
Having a dwarf in the party, especially when they’re played by someone who really leans into it, always makes for a great time.
I'm surprised you didn't mention the Battlerager Barbarian. It's THE dwarf class. My main dwarf pc is a Battle Rager/Drunken Master mountain dwarf named Axe who just hugs his foes into submission.
"I LOVE YOU, MAN!"
XD
Either dwarf subrace works insanely well as a barbarian. Mountain gets extra strength, but hill gets that extra HP
Don’t forget the poison resistance + the Smith/Brewer supplies (for flavor)
Another great source of dwarf lore is none other than Dwarf Fortress. Sunlight sickness in particular is something I like using a lot for mountain dwarves, in that maybe after more than a few days without sun their body loses that desensitization of constantly being bathed in bright light and can get wicked headaches and even nausea from too much exposure. Also dipping into food culture is great for dwarves because they are usually isolationists so going into what food they would have under the mountains is really interesting. Like for example dwarves eating mostly vegetables and mushrooms because they grow and animals are harder to rear underground so their diet has very little meat traditionally. Also water! The reason they drink so much liquor is because it's easy to make from natural levans and it keeps for a long time which is great considering fresh water is usually hard to find underground outside of natural auqifers
Pickle Bouldershoulder. Best dwarf druid ever. Probably spelling his name wrong.
Pikel, I think. Underused in the Drizztverse. Killed off way too early.
I haven't played since 2nd edition. Some time about a year ago I got it in my head that I wanted to make a Dwarven geomancer. I recently bought the core rule books for 5e. This and some of your videos on spells are helping to keep the wheels turning in my head while I figure how to fit this idea in with the new rules
The same for me, played during 1st-2nd edition, life, got back into D&D in 5th. I can highly recommend the 5th edition starter set. 5 classic characters, enough NPC's to keep you busy, and the adventures are varied enough to keep your players busy for a few months. For $20 bucks it's hard to beat.
Great video, had to send it out to my friends that play dwarves. Talking about unexpected classes, I have a Dwarven Warlock waiting to be played, he forged a Pact to use it against the enemies of his Clan. He was cast out for it, but as an adventurer he still watches out for his home.
One of my Dwarf characters was a Druid. He had a strong connection to Dragons, even was there for a couple hatchlings. He was a few thousand years old, and accidentally became seen as a Demi-God
Nice, I have a Mountain Dwarf Runecarver background Wizard who is planning on School of Necromancy.
He also outside of Necromancy primarily uses Acid and Poison Magic:)
He is Chaotic Neutral and plans on restoring his family's Ancestral Home as well as achieving Apotheosis afterwards (similar to the Tribunal of Elder Scrolls or Myrkul of D&D old lore).
Early D&D Dwarf who wanted to be a Bard (when you couldn't). Played a fighter who dumped all of his skills into music (bagpipes). He was always positive and supporting and would lull the party to sleep with bagpipe music regardless of the surroundings...
DUDES! Duergars! No mention of duergars PCs? I hoping to play an Oath of Vengeance Palidin Duergar someday.
I played a Duergar Warlock with the an Old Ones Pact once. Pulled some pretty great shenanigans with him.
Duergar Grappler Rogue with the Innate ability to be invisible and/or enlarged
@@Stormeris The big fella creeping up on ya!
Oath of Redemption would be an interesting story for an 'evil' race.
Duergar's arent really the typical kind of dwarf. Considering they are mainly only found in the underdark.
If you see one topside at all he would defenitly attract attention to himself and/or be hunted down because hes an evil SOB :P
Also love that dwarves have a rumspringa. Nice call, Monty.
I've had a party member who played a Dwarven drunken master in the Curse of Strahd campaign. Amongst our group we always reminisce about the time he suplexed Baba Lysaga off of her flying Skull.
XD Did he talk like a Wrestler? "OH, YEAH! I'M GON'NA GIT CHA!"
Unfortunately nah he didnt. Just with slurs, because his character was almost always drunk.
One of my favourite characters I have made was this jovial dwarf fighter who was a guild artisan, specifically a cook. They specifically left their home to find new recipes and ingredients on their overarching quest to become the best chef in the world, and so whenever there was something the party had killed their first question after was always “so what would be the best way to cook this”
Here's my character, who I play in one shots like Monty's dwarf. I played Stagg Orenstone, a seasoned, Dwarven Forge Cleric, who's fought many a battle and lived many a century. He's a legendary smith for his creation of a powerful mythrel blade, that's now been lost forever. Seemingly he's back, and he travels the land in search of it, or at least for worthy materials to replicate it. The twist: Stagg's dead and has been for over a century, but before his death, he encountered and protected a tribe of changelings, it cost him his life to defend their land. Now in his debt, they keep his memory alive, as his identity is passed as a mantle through the generations from one changeling to another.
I like it! It reminds me a bit of
Lee Falk's The Phantom!
I really like the ignorant dwarf from the underground idea. I haven't seen that one played, and it makes so much sense.
The best fantasy race. I heartily recommend Markus Heitz' The Dwarves series for Dwarfish inspiration!
Saw you guys at the Fan Expo! You guys are probably my favorite dnd channel keep up the great work
I have a dirty dwarven druid I love to play. Falling into the underdark at a young age, he's spent most his life looking for a way out. Eventually he found friends with the stones and learned some aspect of magic. Magic to him comes from asking the stones around him for help and trusting in his body's abilities. He wipes the snot from his nose and rubs his hands together smearing the snot across his hands. No worries he says as he climbs the cliff without any tools. His spells are my favorite thing cause everyone wants your help until a heal spell comes with a foul stench.
Related: I had a Creepy Doctor in a Changeling Game once. He was slovenly and leering, but it felt GOOD when he healed you. I had a lot of fun role play with him!
Playing my first D&D character, a “Kuldjargh” battlerager barbarian dwarf, who is an absolute tank. At level 5 I managed to almost single-handedly take out a mind-flyer who was trying to Interrogate me, by ripping out one of the chains holding me to the stone chair and with 20 roll managed to wrap the chain around the mindflayer’s neck and beat it to death with my other hand.
I always heard the Battlerager was bad.
I have a Mountain Dwarf Runecarver background Wizard who is planning on School of Necromancy and outside of Necromancy he primarily uses Acid & Poison Magic!
The armor proficiency and higher Constitution is helpful to limit the "Squishy Wizard" stereotype.
He plans on restoring his Ancestral Home which was taken over during his Great-Grandmother's time by an Arch-Lich (wearing a strange circlet/crown) leading an Army of Undead. His Great-Grandmother lead a number of the clan & it's friends away from the home sealing the entry ways behind them. They eventually settled in a new home but still remember their ancient home. He realizes that the best way to restore his Ancestral Home is by becoming a Master of Undeath himself so can counter the Arch-Lich potentially and even turn it's Undead Army on them. Afterwards he plans on achieving Apotheosis/Deity status so can survive and guide his people to greater status and limit the chance of the home being taken away again.
I've played 2 dwarves and they were both amazing (and I've commented about them on previous videos). My first dwarf was a mountain dwarf paladin who got me my first inspiration point by saying "shush, smiting undead is its own reward". My other one was a hill dwarf cleric and after learning that I was joining a warlock and a rogue (squishy boys), I went nature domain with 16 CON and 16 WIS just so I could stand in melee and hit things with my shillelagh stick. 1d8+4 on level up and 18 AC goes a long way at low levels.
Dwarves are great, I can't wait until the party get to the dwarven citadel in the campaign I'm running, it's going to be fantastic :D
"The true treasure of the dwarf people is friendship."
Very inspiring video - thanks for sharing your ideas!
So agree
Oh jeez - craft breweries idea!!! Love that shit, man. Nice one!
My hill dwarf is a Circle of the Shepherd Druid and he is a ton of fun. Almost as many hit points as the fighters of the party.
My awsome dwarf character... was a dwarf that studied gobelins to know how to get rid of them.
Doing so he ended-up learning gobelin shamanic ways... He was a wizard with a ton good acid/poison spells.
Using "gobelin" abilities is not really well seen in dwarven society so he left, going to an adventure challenging his vision of the world.
I played a dwarf in a similar way. But instead of learning goblin magic, he was a ranger who learned to live in the wilds so he could fight the enemies of his people on their home turf.
recently started playing dnd, and i have to say, even though, i love my gnome battlemaster whose actually a cavalry man, my next character gonna be a tempest domain mountain dwarf sailor, who got his powers from umberlee, when he was hired to build a stone lighthouse on top of a rocky cliff, got struck by a lightning and fell in the water, only to be rescued by his goddess... watching your videos just giving me confidence, that my character ideas gonna work out just fine and fun....
Had an amazing Dwarf Paladin who worshipped Ioun, and was pretty much a Dwarf version of Indiana Jones. My DM even came up with a new vow to accommodate his goal of making a museum out of all his treasures (longest term goal was to buy a dungeon and turned it into a type of museum/theme park so visitors could get a safe feel of adventuring life). With all this effort put into the character, it's needless to say he didn't survive the third gaming session.
Still, I might come back to the archetype, and thanks for the inspiration for the museum/theme park (the protective spheres where you take now damage really put everything else into place)!
In the awsome book The Weirdstone of Brisingamen one of the dwarves, Durathror, has a cloak of feathers that wraps round him when he leaps down cliffs and slows his fall. Would be fun Feather Fall magic item, especially if it would only work for smaller races
The idea of a dwarf wanting to build a ship is funny to me, because suposedly they hate boats. One of my favorite dwarfs is a fighter, named on a variaton of the weapon's manufacturer Northrop Grumman, named "Northran Grummop"
Dwarf is consistent because they are slow to change, stubborn, and rarely abandon traditions. I love that the emotions they can show are some joy (while drinking and telling battle stories) and in battle, and wrath and determination. I love the love, the grudge holding, the slowness to trust, how they view elves, halflings and humans, and while I normaly play chaning characters, and thend to go for humans, half elves, I fell in love playing a duergar druid (Yeah, odd combination, I was goind to do a circle of the land-undercommon, but the circle of the blighted came out and between that and circle of spores was a toss up, and blighted won. I like some of the little details of the duergar class.
Great video (I dont' always agree with your ranking and opinions, BUT I ALWAYS enjoy your videos aand your campaign. Keep'em coming!)
again, youdidn't mention, but I love DUergar. Not sure why, because I think sword coast adventure was out (where this class was published) when you made this video? I could be wrong.
So my DM came up with an original campaign in which I a dwarven monk named Chester Winterbottom was introduced to a set of three somewhat freshly buried heroes . Introductory role was Sherrif of Hidden Harbour, a pirate beach community.
It was a blast...
And because we live in a world looking for a grand reason to keep being creative we turned it into a podcast
Just recently found your channel and I have been watching a bunch of your older videos, like this one. I just wanted to say that my favorite character that I have gotten to play, since I am usually the DM, was my dwarf bard with a charlatan background. He was a tone of fun to play against the traditional dwarf builds.
I'm in the process of creating an exciting dwarf. Brynjar Ironbender is a Bardbarian who was once a great warrior, but he's so battle-hardened and traumatized that he uses music to cope with his PTSD. His primary weapon is a lyre/bow combo. Aesthetically very Norse inspired
I like this new video about Race, I hope you keep this up for the other races as well!
At 17 sec, that's a lot of b words 🤣🤣
Great video. The line Monty had about young dwarven volcanoes erupting so they can become pillars of stone to be the foundation of future generations. Very nice line and super inspirational for character creation
Favorite Dwarf character right now, Ulfbert Ironpoint. In our campaign he is a Dundier Mountain Ranger. Ranger, hunter, horde breaker, heavy cross bow, with crossbow expert. Favorite tactic, bottle necking the enemy then rain death with the cross bow and Hail of Thornes
I just rewatched this video as preparation for my Dwarf Valour Bard that I will be playing in an upcoming Lost Mine of Phendelver game.
Actually making my first character and it's a dwarf fighter, with a hermit background. He fell in love with the clan leaders wife, the leader killed his wife and forced him into exile hiding away.
Classic first character! How are your parents?
@@siemslouise they turned their back on me along with the rest of the clan, loyalty to the collective over their love for their son.
Morgran Ironfist aka Creed. A dwarf who wandered away from his family in the mountains to become a pirate at sea. Lots of stuff has happened, and maybe some day he will reconcile with his family.
I loved my Hill Dwarf Sailor Bard of the college of Lore. He'd lost his ship (think turtle ship of steel and cannons) and planned on making a proper Dwarven Tavern in a Human City.
Made a Hill Dwarf Druid whose clan was wiped out by a curse. He ran away (young) was adopted by a Druid circle (essentially it was a commune). So he was played like a 60s era hippy.
My first character for a tabletop RPG was a dwarf inquisitor named Ol' Capn' Ironside. I had such a blast playing that character, who eventually became the party's designated pilot for their airship. That dwarf was my gateway into Pathfinder and eventually D&D. I've gotta give it to the dwarfs, they don't change because they don't need to be changed!
I had a character, Boln Brasshands, a dwarf who was tricked into being a Monk. He enrolled in the Hall of Heroes, a Dwarven monastery that rebranded itself an adventurer academy and churned out Kensei monks. Funny thing is that until you get to 9th level and start being able to run across water and up walls, the Kensei is a pretty good stand-in for a generic adventurer. A bunch of battleaxe/warhammer wielding dwarves with a crossbow slung over their shoulder whose idea of martial arts is a headbutt to the nose, fist to the groin, stomp on the knee. The monk is a character who seeks perfection but a Dwarf monk seeks Dwarven perfection, which is often indistinguishable from Dwarf concentrate.
Currently rollin' with: Thorin Rockfist, hill dwarf moon druid lvl 2 (so far). I love me some dire wolf, bear, giant spider combo action. Great work fellas. I've watched a bunch of your videos so far and shared with my party to get ideas. First campaign in 20+ years.
Played a Dwarf rune knight fighter named Turin Battlebeard and one of his personality traits is that any gem he found he would tie into his beard to show the world that he is a true Battlebeard.
He ended up having so many gems in his beard that people thought he could literally grow gems out of his face.
Dragon Age has my favourite dwarves for inspo - complex politics, insular cultures divided by above/below ground life, and that same earth connection. Lets you play with loyalty and family while allowing plenty of opportunities to play a cunning or outsider character.
Blast Hardcheese. Slam Steelefist. Max Powerbeer. Brock Mightyarm. Dwarf names are fun! Blaze Pascalerock...
Awesome video as usual. If I may point out one thing, though, I think you missed a good opportunity to speak about the dwarf only class of the battlerager.
If I'm gonna be honest, battelrager isn't all that interesting. It was fun for a little bit in the Drizzt Dro'Urden books but got worn out fast. You can only run into people and impale them with spikes on your armor in so many ways...
I busted out at the dragon bit, as my first adventure that happened. Save the princess dungeon, last room princess was shaped red dragon. I was swallowed hole in the first round, eventually cut my way out with help from a ring of acid resistance, found the party dead. I was forced to retire that one.
My hill dwarf, Aksryot Holderhek, was a cleric of the light domain burning the devil out of tarnished souls
In 3.5, I used to play a dwarven monk named Zeblek Goblingutter. His Intelligence and Charisma were dump stats (8 and 6, if I remember correctly) and he often worked as the party scout and front-line melee offense. Fun times!
Hill dwarf Life cleric was my choice and oh my, what a tank! Solid with both melee, thanks to dwarf weapon proficiencies and domain heavy armour prof, and utility, defence and offensive casting. War-caster and Res (Con) feats make it rather more difficult to get him to drop his bless even if you get past his AC (joint highest in the party, highest HP too). Plus he's happily smacking you with his hammer at the same time whilst also directing his foaming tankard appearing Spiritual Weapon to merrily bash you too.
My first character is a Hill dwarf rogue. His clan has Duergar origins to lead to their sneaky/spy ways. He then lived with his dad in the dwarft/artisan/smith district of a halfling town, as a guild spy. He adventures cuz he loves his dad, wants to find and make the family he doesnt know proud, and hone his skills.
I love the idea of a mountain dwarf wizard with the heavy armor feat. You can literally have 19 AC as a wizard, wield a two handed battle axe and still cast spells without sacrificing anything more than one ability score improvement.
"Aye, I use a wand! I just used a hefty wand, with an axe head on the end!"
@@Joemantler This reminded me of this: czcams.com/video/bFEi2YL6CM4/video.html
And yeah. You can have your Spellcasting focus on a chain at your side and use it when you need it. ^^ But the main draw is definetly the high AC.
When designing a character, think character concept...stat bonuses are not large enough to make that big of an impact when you are going to get ability score increases as you level anyways.
Dwarf Fighter for the Str and Con increases or Dwarf artificer, putting your highest stat in Int secure in knowing the bonuses with make even your dump stats into something passable.
such great information. I have never played but am getting a group of people together. As I wait for my book I am researching what I can. so in-depth thanks!
I once had a Dwarven battlemaster that added to his name with great deeds he performed.
Not mine but the best dwarf i ever witnessed is Merle Highchurch from the adventurezone balance. I love how Clint played him
My favorite race is dwarf I got good ol Grank a drunk monk/barbarian a city watchman with 4 kids with different races, Got my new druid of the stars that loves gems as they are the stars of the underground, and a transmutation wizard dwarf with a literal steel chest by a accident, and now my 8'0 Goliath forge cleric raised by dwarfs with a barrel strapped to his back 3 gold per weapon and I just love dwarfs
I currently play my first DnD session and chose a Drunken Master Monk Hill Dwarf with Hermit background. Coming from a rather poor miner family, he joined the hermitage as the younger son, looking to study and honor dwarven gods and ancestors (and also brew awesome beer). However, an orc attack destroyed this rather small hermitage before he could attain the runic tattoos signalling the end of his studies. Now he travels the world, sometimes giving into alcoholism, looking for any signs that other brothers of his hermitage survived the attack and might etch the tattoos into his hands and forehead, so that finally he will fulfill his destiny and take back his honor. I'm currently thinking about the theology of this dwarven hermitage - what could be the ancestors and the gods the monks there were honoring? Does anyone have any ideas?
In my games Dwarven Monks were the guardians of temples as no weapons are allowed in the temple. Don't know if it helps but it always helped explain the role of the monk in Darven society.
Ancestors sound good. Idealized Dwarven forbearers. They might even be known by their Role, rather than Name. The Mother, the Clan Chief, the Smith...
Make a task or ritual that must be completed annually for the Ancestors to Rest (or to be able to protect the Clan, or do other Dwarven Things), said task only to be performed by a full member of the Order he belongs to. That motivates him, AND the weight of his ancestors NOT being at rest is a heavy burden, which causes him to drink!
Should they come into play, they should give sound advice, but always urge him to find a way to become a Full Member of the Order!
The only problem is that, if he ever does become a full member, he'd be retired!
@@Joemantler the annual ritual is a fantastic idea, I must share it with my GM! And don't worry, once my dwarf becomes a full member, this only means he'll be a monk officially, so the duties will only start from here
I just recently made a Drunken Master Monk Dwarf. I was just wondering which Sub Race would work better. Mountain or Hill.
My dwarf:
Bringar Soulforger.
Forge Cleric.
"Lad, the spirit is like a good piece of steel," hefts warhammer, "Sometimes you got to beat the living hell out of it to turn it into anything useful."
I’m currently playing a Dwarven Gloomstalker, called Herne Mossbeard. When the campaign started I had the idea of the earth druid type, but one of the other players had already rolled an Aarakocra druid character, so I went ranger instead. Have just hit 5th lvl, and at the next level am going rogue, eventually Scout, just to cement his outdoor credentials. A fun character, and a pretty decent hitter with his longbow.
Such an underrated video !! I love your guys input it gives me so many ideas for a dnd oc of my own
Not only have I never played a dwarf, but in my 2+ years of playing, I’ve never been in a party with one outside of 2 one shots, I should definitely get on that and bring a pact of the blade warlock who ISNT hexblade and DOESNT use a sword to the table, maybe while mining he stumbled on something he shouldn’t have seen and the knowledge of the great old one grabbed onto his mind, great vid guys!
This was a huge help. I'm trying to get into D&D (It's in my bucket list of things to do) and I've been gravitating towards a dwarf character. Cheers!
Please do a video on giants. I’d love to see my favorite monsters tackled by my favorite dudes!
So, you missed the most important question about dwarves: Do the ladies have beards or not?
Robin Thrush the correct answer is
“Ask Yo Mama!”
Duergar (AKA best Dwarves) women do not.
Dennis McKiernan wrote his female Dwarfs (Chakia) amazingly well. They are always fully veiled, and rarely seen. But in one of the books, the Warrow (his Hobbit types) was badly wounded and brought to a Dwarfhold for healing (after formally being declared "Dwarf Friend"). He regains consciousness, and barely catches a glimpse of one before she veils herself, and (if memory serves) thinks she is the Most Beautiful Woman he has ever seen.
I love the idea of Dwarven Women being so beautiful, they have to veil themselves from outsiders so that they do not go mad with beauty! I love the idea that the Chakia are the True Treasures of the Dwarves!
I have a (very adult!) story in mind of a Chakia being captured and sold to the most depraved clients! The party comes to a very seedy town, and any Dwarves becomes irritated, agitated... but cant say why. They stalk through the town until they come to a bad part of an already seedy city. There, they (and only they!) hear the keening cry of the Female! Do they reveal the secret, or just move and maybe the party will follow? But whatever happens, they are willing to BURN THIS TOWN TO THE GROUND TO SAVE HER!
If you're using Disc world themed dwarves, yes, females do have beards! Infact they're better kept and much more luxurious than their male counterparts. They're pretty fun to play (and they're great for players who like playing with gender rolls as Disc world themed dwarves don't have a word for female... Unless you're playing them finally getting their independence!) also, bread as weapons is hilarious and awesome, giving you a reason to take cooking tools along! 😆
I remember reading somewhere that Dwarven women can grow beards, but generally prefer to shave.
My favorite character I played is my dwarf fighter/barbarian outcast. Grom darkhammer. He was a tank. He would charge into battle and was fearless in a funny way. It got him into trouble everyone else in the party would be scared while grom walked up to a dragon and shook his axe at it lol. I wanna get him back out but can't find a group to play with.
Death domain Dwarf would be brutal to picture; you’ve been wronged so much, Moradin calls you to do one thing- kill creatures that have wronged them.
2 Paladin / Death Domain X is just nasty. Heavy armor, smites, Touch of Death, divine strike, GWM, booming blades... That’s on average 92 in one attack, which you can do by level 10.
All my Dwarves are form Aledrin clan ;) in Polish youth slang (I mean my teeneger days, however I'm not sure if it's stil in use) it means "What a drink!" ( it can be translated to "Oh, it has a kick!) It can also be read as a shorter form of "Ale drinkers" however it is not entirely acurate because this clan makes & export, dark as night, thick as blood and powerfull like Moradin, ale. Lately they even started exporting it to Ravnica and Eberon by means only known to the oldest and most trusworthy members of the clan. ;) :D
Of course knoledge about this operations like formula for Aledrin's Ale is the most guarded secret and all who are too intereste in this matters suddeny disapear.
"Dwarf names are great, you just take you just take 2 words of something stone or smithing related and smash them together then put it behind a Norwegian sounding first name" Ulfar Hammerhill approves of this message.
My first Dwarf's name Is Ulfgar Ironfist. His wife's name is Helja. ( pronounced Hel ya )
I think a great source of inspiration for a Dwarf bard would be the skald of ancient Norse culture. The skald served as a kind of historian, composing poetry that told of their lord's deeds. They would recount epic tales of heroism, legends, and the stories of the gods.
Since Dwarven culture places such emphasis on a dwarf's clan and lineage, a Dwarf bard could easily serve a similar role. In times of peace they would recount the legends of Moradin, or sing the praises of the clan's craftsmen. In times of war they could bolster the spirit of the clan by recounting the heroic actions of warriors and leaders of the past.
An easy way to build this into RP would be playing a young bard who is going out into the world to spread the stories of his clan, and maybe make a few legends of their own. Once his or her adventuring days are done, you could retire the character by having them return to their clan, wiser and more experienced; ready to share their knowledge with their people.
You guys should try reading Dragon Champion and the rest of the series by E.E. Knight, the dwarves in the world are not only thier stereotypical miner smith selves, but also merchants! they covered thier faces above ground in order to protect thier beards, in which they had bioluminesscent moss.
One of my favorite characters to date was a Mountain Dwarf Barbarian - Path of the Ancestral Guardian
Read Dennis L. McKiernan's "Mithgar" series! All his races are amazing, but his DWARVES are cranked up to eleven!
(Just know that the books were originally written in the Middle Earth setting, but Tolkien's estate said "NOOOO!". His publisher said "this is so good, we'll publish it anyway. Just change things here, here, and here." So there is a lot of overlap, but, as I said, it was conceived as being in that world.)
I rolled for a new character using nothing but rolls. d20, d6, d4. This was for a short campaign that turned into my main one. A dwarven warlock with the pact of chain. Also his patron happens to be a Celestial. Most fun I've had. He's also a terrible smith because all he wanted to study as a kid is magic. lol.
My first character was Dain Frostbeard, a rune knight dwarf it was so much fun