Arctic Dwarf
Arctic dwarves, who call themselves the Inugaakalikurit, are
the isolated inhabitants of Faerûn’s northernmost reaches.
Native to the mountains at the heart of the Great Glacier and
other northerly regions, arctic dwarves are little known to the
outside world. Many arctic dwarves are rangers, barbarians, or
fighters, for they hold little interest in the spellcasting arts orgodly worship.
Arctic dwarves are unique among the Stout Folk in that
they do not trace their ancestry back to Bhaerynden, the great
cavern that later fell to the drow of
Telantiwar and now lies open as the
Great Rift. As such, they have little in
common with other Stout Folk, lacking any
common political, religious, craft, or magical
traditions. In recent years, a handful of arctic
dwarves have migrated across the icy northern
wastes to establish new settlements along the
shores of the Great Ice Sea and in the Silver Marches, but for the most part the Inugaakalikurit
have dwelt in splendid isolation
for uncounted generations, wholly
content with their lot in life.
Arctic dwarves are squat and hardy,
with blocky bodies, pinched faces, and
stubby legs. They rarely exceed 3 feet in
height and are nearly as broad as they
are tall. Their eyes are bright blue,
their cheeks as ruddy as apples.
Their skin is white, almost bluish,
but because of their fondness for
basking under the bright sun, many of
them are sunburned red from head to toe, a
condition that causes them no discomfort or other ill
effects. Their fingers and toes are thick and blunt and
their feet flat and wide. Curly white hair
covers their heads and tumbles down their
backs nearly to their waists. Males sport short
beards and twisting mustaches. Both sexes favor simple tunics of
polar bear fur and generally go barefoot.Arctic dwarves are open and friendly and can be quite sociable
with neighboring races, with the exception of frost giants,
whom they despise. Unlike other dwarves, Inugaakalikurit have
little interest in mining or crafts, instead devoting themselves
to hunting, raising children, and leisure. Traditional dwarven
strictures, such as those imposed by family and clan, hold little
weight in arctic dwarf society, and history and the past
achievements of one’s ancestors are seen as little more than a
source of enjoyable tales. Arctic dwarves are quite curious
about the outside world, although they have little inclination
to go and see it.
Arctic dwarves have the life expectancy and age categories
defined for dwarves.
Random Starting Ages Aging EffectsUse the table below to determine an arctic dwarf's height and weight.
Arctic Dwarf Random Height and Weight | Gender | Base Height | Height Modifier | Base Weight | Weight Modifier |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Arctic Dwarf, male |
2'8" |
+2d4 |
50 lbs. |
x(1d4) lbs. | |
Arctic Dwarf, female |
2'4" |
+2d4 |
40 lbs. |
x(1d4) lbs. | |
Abilities and Racial Features
Arctic dwarves have all the dwarven racial traits listed in the
Player’s Handbook, except as follows:
- +4 Strength, –2 Dexterity, +2 Constitution, –2 Charisma. Arctic dwarves are incredibly strong, but shorter and more stout than other dwarven subraces.
- Small: As Small creatures, arctic dwarves gain a +1 size bonus to Armor Class, a +1 size bonus on attack rolls, and a +4 size bonus on Hide checks, but they must use smaller weapons than humans use, and their lifting and carrying limits are three-quarters of those of Medium-size characters.
- Immune to cold.
- Automatic Languages: Dwarven (language), Common (language), home region. Bonus Languages: By region.
- Favored Class: Ranger.
- Level Adjustment: +2. Arctic dwarves are significantly stronger on average than most Stout Folk, and they possess an immunity to cold. They are slightly more powerful and gain levels more slowly than the common races of Faerûn.
History
Since the arctic dwarves have no historical record other than
their own stories, little is known about the true history of this
enigmatic subrace. Scholars believe that the arctic dwarves
migrated into northern Faerûn around the same time as the
Stout Folk who originally founded Bhaerynden, but, if that is
true, they have left no trace of their passing. Some claim that
the Inugaakalikurit once ruled a northern empire that rivaled
great Bhaerynden, but the Great Glacier long ago crushed any
ruins it might have left.
Arctic dwarves did not always claim the towering peaks of
Novularond as their home. Prior to the
coming of the Ulutiuns, they dwelt in small
villages across the Great Glacier. Since
adapting to their alpine homes, the arctic
dwarves have dwelt in quiet isolation,
untouched by the passage of time.
Outlook
Arctic dwarves are friendly and outgoing,
little concerned with class or clan
distinctions. They enjoy life to the
fullest and see little reason to accumulate
wealth or material possessions.
They believe in hunting and
gathering sufficient food to feed
themselves but otherwise have little
interest in labor of any sort. They
strive to spend as much time as possible
in leisurely pursuits, storytelling,
sports such as wrestling, and games with
their children.
Arctic dwarves are rarely drawn to
adventuring, but those who do usually evince
a curiosity about other cultures so strong that
they willingly forgo the life of leisure they might
otherwise pursue. Instead of waiting to chance
upon evidence of other cultures in their
remote glacial homes, they head out to explore
the world, seeking out the exotic and the new. As such, they
stumble into adventures by happenstance, happily exploring any
new environment they come across.
Arctic Dwarf Characters
Arctic dwarves typically make good rangers and barbarians,
since they are well equipped to survive in extreme environments.
Likewise, generations of battling frost giants and other
monsters have given rise to a strong martial tradition. The self-sufficiency
of these classes enables arctic dwarves to feel comfortable
about their continued survival and hence engenders the
relaxed attitude many feel toward life. Inugaakalikurit have no
arcane spellcasting tradition, and their lack of religious faith
precludes the role of cleric or paladin. Arctic dwarves often
multiclass as ranger/fighters or ranger/barbarians.
Favored Class: An arctic dwarf’s favored class is ranger. Theharsh polar environment of the Great Glacier rewards those who
possess excellent survival skills, and the intermittent feuding
between the Inugaakalikurit and their frost giant enemies
demands the specialized skills of a giant-killing ranger.
Arctic Dwarf Society
Arctic dwarf culture is remarkably homogeneous, the result of
centuries of isolation from the other races of Faerûn. Compared
to other dwarven cultures, Inugaakalikurit place almost no
emphasis on bloodline or clan. While individual accomplishment
does garner respect, rarely are such feats remembered for more
than a generation. The pursuit of leisure is placed above hard
work or skilled artisanship, and few arctic dwarves are driven to
accomplish more than continued survival.
Arctic dwarves receive a great deal of individual attention in
childhood, with all adult members of the community serving as
parental figures to varying degrees. Little is expected of Inugaakalikurit
youth, so they spend their days engaged in playful
pursuits. As adults, each arctic dwarf is expected to contribute to
the community’s well-being, but there is little societal reward for
doing more than the minimum required. Elderly arctic dwarves
are considered to have earned the right to live out the rest of
their days engaging in leisurely pursuits and are simply encased
beneath the ice and snow when death finally claims them.
Arctic dwarves have emigrated in such small numbers from
their mountain homes that they have very little experience as
minorities within other cultures. Those who do leave usually
look for individuals of similar temperament, regardless of
race, and attempt to recreate the easygoing lifestyle of their
native villages.
Language and Literacy
Like all dwarves, arctic dwarves speak a dialect of Dwarven (language) and
employ the Dethek rune alphabet. They also speak the dialect of
Common (language) spoken in Sossal. The Inugaakalikurit dialect of Dwarvenis known as Kurit and has strong ties to Uluik, the Ulutiun
tongue spoken by the humans of the Great Glacier and the Ice
Hunters of the North. Common secondary languages include
Uluik, Giant (language), Damaran (language), and Draconic (language), which enable arctic
dwarves to communicate with their neighbors.
All arctic dwarf characters are literate except for barbarians,
adepts, aristocrats, experts, warriors, and commoners.Arctic Dwarf Magic and Lore
Arctic dwarves take a pragmatic view toward magic: It’s useful
if it helps them hunt, but otherwise spells and spellcasters—especially
arcane ones—are a matter for tales told to youngsters.
Spells and Spellcasting
Arctic dwarves do not have an arcane spellcasting tradition.
Since they do they not worship the dwarven deities, they lack a
strong divine spellcasting tradition as well.
Most arctic dwarf spellcasters are druids, adepts, and rangers.
The druids in particular have an affinity to fire magic, because
many of their most common foes (such as frost giants and frost
worms) fear and hate flames.
Arctic Dwarf Magic Items
Arctic dwarves rarely employ magic items, as they do not have
a cultural tradition of clerics or arcane spellcasters to craft such
items. Those few items that do exist are usually fashioned by
druids or the rare arctic dwarf arcane spellcaster and include
such items as an amulet of natural armor and snowshoes of speed
(identical to boots of speed).
In caves carved into the Great Glacier, arctic dwarves nurture
coin-sized ice crystals of exceeding sharpness. Called kerrenderit
in the Kurit tongue, these crystals can be magically enhanced to
form deadly arrowheads. The kerrenderit crystals take a long time to form in
their icy caves, so only the greatest hunters among the arctic
dwarves carry kerrenderit arrows in their quivers.
Arctic Dwarf Deities
Among the various dwarven subraces, the Inugaakalikurit are
unique in that they do not venerate the Morndinsamman or,
indeed, worship any gods. A few exceptions exist, including a few
arctic dwarves who have turned to the worship of the human
god Ulutiu. Instead, the arctic dwarves follow a druidic tradition,
venerating Talos and Ulutiu.
Relations with Other Races
Isolated as they are by their environment, arctic dwarves have
little experience with members of other races aside from Ulutiun
humans and frost giants. They get along well with the former
and hate the latter. Since most arctic dwarves are amiable and
peace-loving, they treat representatives of most other races
favorably unless shown reason not to. The Inugaakalikurit find
other dwarves and gnomes somewhat amusing, a combination of
their familiar appearance and odd (to an arctic dwarf) ways.
Likewise, humans other than Ulutiuns are seen as odd since their
cultures differ greatly from that known to arctic dwarves. The
Inugaakalikurit regard elves and half-elves with a measure of
awe, having only ever seen winged elves soaring high above their
mountain homes. Halflings, half-orcs, and planetouched are
exotic creatures to a typical arctic dwarf.
Arctic Dwarf Equipment
Arctic dwarves commonly employ only a handful of weapons,
including battleaxes, halfspears, shortbows, and shortspears.
Most arctic dwarves wear hide armor, with pelts of polar bears
being most highly prized. The harsh arctic environment of the
Great Glacier requires the use of dogsleds (as sleds in the Player’s
Handbook), snow goggles, and snowshoes.
Arctic dwarves favor riding dogs with heavy winter coats as
pets and pack animals. When they hunt behind dogsleds, they
often chase down and exhaust their prey, then finish the hunt
with arctic harpoons.
While the arctic harpoon can be difficult for arctic dwarves
to wield, they favor it anyway, motivated by a mythic tradition
of arctic dwarf harpooners who felled impossibly large polar
bears and other prey.
Arctic Dwarf Region
Most arctic dwarves live on the Great Glacier. This region is
appropriate for an Inugaakalikurit raised in the race’s homeland
in the icebound mountains of the glacier.
Preferred Classes: Barbarian, fighter, ranger, druid. A characterof one of these classes may choose a regional feat and gain
his choice of the bonus equipment below as a 1st-level character.
An arctic dwarf character of any other class may not select one
of the regional feats here and does not gain the bonus equipment
at 1st level.
Automatic Languages: Common (language), Dwarven (language), Uluik. Bonus Languages: Aquan, Auran, Damaran (language), Draconic (language), Giant (language). Regional Feats: Oral History, Survivor, Swarmfighting. Bonus Equipment: (A) light pick* or halfspear*; or (B) ridingdog and hide armor*.