Way back when, in the Golden Age of the World’s Greatest Roleplaying Game, a dwarf was not just a race option for players. Dwarf was also a character class. It was a race-as-class. Someone else has undoubtedly already done this, but here’s my version of the Dwarf character class for 5E.

Dwarf Class Features

As a dwarf, you gain the following class features.

Hit Points

Hit Dice: d10 per dwarf level
Hit Points at 1st Level: 10 + your Constitution modifier
Hit Points at Higher Levels: 1d10 (or 6) + your Constitution modifier per dwarf level after 1st

Proficiencies

Armor: Light armor, medium armor, shields
Weapons: Simple weapons, battleaxe, handaxe, light hammer, and warhammer
Tools: Choose one artisan’s tools from smith’s tools, brewer’s supplies, or mason’s tools

Saving Throws: Strength, Constitution
Skills: Choose two skills from Animal Handling, Athletics, History, Insight, Intimidation, Perception, or Survival.

Equipment

You start with the following equipment, in addition to the equipment granted by your background:

* (a) chain shirt or (b) studded leather armor, light crossbow, and 20 crossbow bolts
* (a) battle axe, handaxe, light hammer, or warhammer and a shield or (b) one simple melee weapon and one artisan’s tools
* (a) a dungeoneer’s pack or (b) an explorer’s pack

Dwarven Nature

You have an assortment of inborn abilities.

Ability Score Increase

Your Constitution score increases by 2.

Age

Dwarves mature at the same rate as humans, but they’re considered young until they reach the age of 50. On average, they live about 350 years.

Alignment

Most dwarves are lawful, believing firmly in the benefits of a well-ordered society. They tend toward good as well, with a strong sense of fair play and a belief that everyone deserves to share in the benefits of a just order.

Size

Dwarves stand between 4 and 5 feet tall and average about 150 pounds. Your size is Medium.

Speed

Your base walking speed is 25 feet. Your speed is not reduced by wearing heavy armor.

Darkvision

Accustomed to life underground, you have superior vision in dark and dim conditions. You can see in dim light within 60 feet of you as if it were bright light, and in darkness as if it were dim light. You can’t discern color in darkness, only shades of gray.

Dwarven Resilience

You have advantage on saving throws against poison, and you have resistance against poison damage. At 9th level, you can reroll a saving throw you fail against magic. You must use the new roll, and you can’t use this feature again until you finish a long rest.

You can use this latter feature twice between long rests at 13th level and three times between long rests starting at 17th level.

Stonecunning

Whenever you make an Intelligence (History) check related to the origin of stonework, you are considered proficient in the History skill, and add double your proficiency bonus to the check instead of your normal proficiency bonus.

Languages

You can speak, read, and write Common and Dwarvish. Dwarvish is full of hard consonants and guttural sounds, and those characteristics spill over into whatever other language a dwarf might speak.

Dwarven Variety

You belong to one of the several dwarven subraces. Choose a subrace. Hill dwarf and mountain dwarf are detailed in the Player’s Handbook. Other subraces are detailed below.

Deep Dwarf

Deep dwarves live far under the earth, seldom having contact with races who live in the light of day.

Ability Score Increase: Your Dexterity score increases by 1.

Improved Darkvision: You can see in dim light within 90 feet of you as it were bright light, and in darkness as if it were dim light. You can’t discern color in darkness, only shades of gray.

Gray Dwarf

Also called duergar, these dwarves also live deep beneath the earth, driven their eons ago for worshipping evil gods.

Ability Score Increase: Your Intelligence score increases by 1.

Gray Dwarf Magic: You can cast enlarge (but not reduce and invisibility on yourself only, doing so once each with this ability. You regain the ability to do so when you finish a long rest.

Gray Dwarf Stealth: You have advantage on Dexterity (Stealth) checks when you are alone or accompanied by no one other than gray dwarves.

Sunlight Sensivity: You have disadvantage on attack rolls and on Wisdom (Perception) checks that rely on sight when you, the target of your attack, or whatever you are trying to perceive is in direct sunlight.

Superior Darkvision: You can see in dim light within 120 feet of you as it were bright light, and in darkness as if it were dim light. You can’t discern color in darkness, only shades of gray.

Fighting Style

You adopt a particular fighting style as your specialty. Choose one of the following options. You can’t take a Fighting Style option more than once even if you later get to choose again.

Crossbow

You gain a +1 bonus to attack rolls you make with crossbows, and you ignore the loading properties of crossbows with which you are proficient.

Giant Fighter

When you are fighting a Large or larger creature, you gain a +1 bonus to AC and melee attack rolls.

Great Weapon Fighting

When you roll a 1 or 2 on a damage die for an attack you make with a melee weapon that you are wielding with two hands, you can reroll the die and must use the new roll, even if the new roll is a 1 or a 2. The weapon must have the two-handed or versatile property for you to gain this benefit.

Protection

When a creature you can see attacks a target other than you that is within 5 feet of you, you can use your reaction to impose disadvantage on the attack roll. You must be wielding a shield.

Ancient Foe

You have significant experience studying, tracking, hunting, and even talking to giants, goblins, half-orcs, hobgoblins, or orcs. Choose one of these creatures. You have advantage on Wisdom (Survival) checks to track them, as well as on Intelligence checks to recall information about them. You learn one language of your choice that is spoken by this ancient enemy. At 6th and 14th levels, you choose another ancient enemy from the list and learn its language as well.

Foe Slayer

Starting at 2nd level, you can push yourself beyond your normal limits for a moment when fighting your ancient foe. On your turn, you can take one additional action on top of your regular action and a possible bonus action.

Once you use this feature, you must finish a short or long rest before you can use it again. Starting at 17th level, you can use it twice before a rest, but only once on the same turn.

Dwarven Archetype

At 3rd level, you choose an archetype that you strive to emulate in your life as a dwarf. The archetype you choose grants you features at 3rd level and again at 6th, 10th, and 14th level.

Ability Score Improvement

When you reach 4th level, and again at 6th, 8th, 12th, 14th, 16th, and 19th level, you can increase one ability score of your choice by 2, or you can increase two ability scores of your choice by 1. As normal, you can’t increase an ability score above 20 using this feature.

Extra Attack

Beginning at 5th level, you can attack twice, instead of once, whenever you take the Attack action on your turn.

Dwarven Archetypes

Dwarves manifest their fuller dwarven natures in different ways. The dwarven archetype you choose reflects the way your dwarf shows his fuller dwarven nature.

Battlerager

Battleragers are the most feared of dwarven warriors. In battle, the characteristic dwarven demeanor of calm, cool action crumbles, and the battlerager foams at the mouth, he screams imprecations, and even his body changes, growing in size and strength and speed. In the deepest of battlerages, the dwarf taps into the boundless fury of the dwarven god of war himself.

Battlerage

At 3rd level, when in battle, you surrender to the rage that burns in your heart. On your turn, you enter battlerage as a bonus action. Your rage lasts for 1 minute. It ends early if you are knocked unconscious or if you neither attacked a hostile creature since your last turn or have taken damage since your last turn. You can also end your rage as a bonus action. While raging, you gain the following benefits:

* You have advantage on Dexterity checks and Dexterity saving throws.

* You gain temporary hit points equal to 1d10 + one-half your dwarf level.

* When you make a melee weapon attack using Strength, you add one-half your proficiency bonus to the damage roll. Against your ancient foes, you add your full proficiency bonus to the damage roll.

If you are able to cast spells, you can’t cast them or concentrate on them while battleraging. Once you have raged a number of times equal to your proficiency bonus, you must finish a long rest before you can rage again.

Unstoppable

Beginning at 6th level when you battlerage, you have advantage on saving throws against spells. You also have resistance to bludgeoning, piercing, and slashing damage.

War Frenzy

Beginning at 10th level when you battlerage, you can use a bonus action to tap deeper into your wellspring of rage. This counts as an additional use of your battlerage feature. Your muscles swell with unnatural power. Any of your ancient foes within 30 feet of you that see you must succeed on a Wisdom saving throw (DC equal to 8 + your proficieny bonus + your Charisma modifier) or be frightened until the end of your next turn. For the duration of your battlerage, your melee weapon attacks deal 1d4 extra damage, and you have advantage on Strength checks and Strength saving throws.

War God’s Fury

Beginning at 14th level when you battlerage, your rage becomes a channel for the divine rage of the dwarven war god. You have four superiority dice, which are d8s. A superiority die is expended when you use it. You regain all of your superiority dice when you finish a long rest. Choose three maneuvers from the following list, which you can use when you battlerage: Evasive Footwork, Goading Attack, Lunging Attack, Menacing Attack (Wisdom saving throw DC equals 8 + your proficiency bonus + your Strength modifier), Pushing Attack, or Sweeping Attack.

Craft Priest

Dwarves excel at crafting. They are master artisans, and perfecting their arts plays a vital role in dwarven society. Craft priests represent the highest expression of dwarven craftsmanship.

Practice, Practice, Practice

At 3rd level, you gain proficiency in any combination of three Intelligence, Wisdom, or Charisma skills or tools of your choice. If you choose the artisan tools that you chose as one of your starting proficiencies, you become a master in that craft. You roll with advantage with any ability checks you make using the tools of your mastercraft. For every day of downtime you spend crafting with any of your proficiencies, you can craft one or more times with a total market value not exceeding 10 gp (or 15 gp with a mastercraft). You must expend raw materials worth half the total market value (or one-third the total market value with a mastercraft). If you want to craft something that has a market value greater than 10 gp (15 gp with a mastercraft), you make progress every in day in 10- or 15-gp increments until you reach the item’s market value. While crafting, you can maintain a comfortable lifestyle without having to pay 2 gp per day, or a wealthy lifestyle at half normal cost.

Spellcasting

Starting with 6th level, you can cast a number of cleric spells.

Cantrips: You learn three cantrips of your choice from the cleric spell list. You learn additional cleric cantrips of your choice at higher levels, as shown in the Cantrips Column of the Craft Priest table.

Preparing and Casting Spells: You prepare and cast spells as a cleric. When you choose your cleric spells that are available to cast, choose a number of cleric spells equal to your Wisdom modifier + five less than your dwarf level.

Spellcasting Ability: Just like a cleric, Wisdom is your spellcasting ability. Your spell save DC equals 8 + your proficiency bonus + your Wisdom modifier. Your spell attack modifier equals your proficiency bonus + your Wisdom modifier.

Spellcasting Focus: You can use a holy symbol or artisan tools for which your are proficient as your spellcasting focus.

Magic Craftsmanship

Starting at 10th level, you can cast identify a number of times equal to your Wisdom modifier (a minimum of once). You regain all expended uses when you finish a long rest. At 12th level, you always have fabricate prepared as one of your 4th-level spells, and it doesn’t count against the number of spells you can prepare each day. At 14th level, you can always have creation prepared as one your 5th-level spells, and it doesn’t count against the number of spells you can prepare each day.

Tags: 5E D&D, Character Classes

For I hear many whispering. Terror is on every side! “Denounce him! Let us denounce him!” say all my familiar friends, watching for my fall. “Perhaps he will be deceived, then we can overcome him, and take our revenge on him.” But the Lord is with me as a dread warrior; therefore my persecutors will stumble, they will not overcome me. (Jeremiah 20:10-11)

The Dread Warrior fights to defend holy causes against infidels, scoffers, blasphemers, and other evil-doers. He lacks the raw power and martial skill of the Warrior, but his righteous devotion grants him the ability to inspire dread in those he faces.

Dread Warrior
Starting HP: d8 + 4
HP Per Level/Resting: 1d8
Weapons & Armor: Any and All
Attack Damage: 1d8 / 1d4 Unarmed or Improvising

Special Features
Once per hour while in combat, a Dread Warrior can regain 1d6 lost HP.

When confronting evil-doers opposed to the Dread Warrior’s holy cause, the Dread Warrior inspires fear using his Dreadful Mien Usage Die, which starts at a d4 at 1st level. This fear affects a number of Hit Dice of enemies equal to the die’s roll plus the Dread Warrior’s level. For the next few minutes, the Dread Warrior rolls with Advantage against those foes.

The Dread Warrior rolls with Advantage when resisting effects that affect his emotions or loyalties.

Leveling Up
Roll to see if attributes increase. Roll twice for STR and CHA.

Every odd numbered level, step up the Dreadful Mien die.

Tags: Catholic, Character Classes, The Black Hack

With the ascendancy of the Via Lucis to political and theological supremacy, the Emperors began to enforce a more rigid orthodoxy. Those people judged heretical, schismatic, or pagan often faced serious social and economic penalties. Rather than convert or endure these penalties, many groups chose to leave imperial lands, establishing outlaw communities in wild places. But the price of their freedom is often high, especially for those who cross the Renos and Danuvius rivers into the Recondite Frontier. Strange machines and eldritch dangers haunt that vast forest now growing where the cities of the Sortarii once stood, built around the blood-stained ziggurats of those wicked sorcerers. Rarely, living in cursed places has cruel effects on newborns who come into the world as Hirviöes. Deformed, of prodigious size and strength, often disabled both mentally and morally, few Hirviöes survive to adulthood. Those that do most often turn to lives of violence and crime, outcasts unwelcome and feared by most.

Hirviö Class Abilities

Attribute Scores: When creating a Hirviö, do not roll attribute scores as normal. Instead, roll 1d6 for both Strength and Constitution, and record the following results: 1 = 13, 2 = 14, 3-4 = 15, 5 = 17, 6 = 18. Roll 3d4 and total the results to determine Intelligence, Wisdom, Dexterity, and Charisma.

Great Size, Great Strength: The average Hirviö stands a bit more than 7 feet tall and tips the scales at about 25 stone. A Hirviö’s bulk and might enable him to perform enormous feats of strength, each of which is described hereafter.

When a Hirviö uses brute strength against an inanimate obstacle, roll 1d6. The chance of success is shown on the adjacent table. If successful, the player chooses two or three consequences from the following list. Consequences not chosen indicate results that were not avoided.

* The attempt doesn’t take a very long time.
* Nothing of value is damaged.
* The attempt doesn’t make an inordinate amount of noise.
* The inanimate obstacle can be fixed again without a lot of effort.

In melee combat, if a Hirviö scores maximum damage against a foe, some additional physical consequence results from the powerful attack. Possibilities include events such as sundering the foe’s shield, breaking the foe’s weapon, or forcing the foe into a disadvantageous position.

Finally, a Hirviö may move and brace himself so that his armor or shield takes the brunt of an attack. Reduce damage by half and roll 1d6. If the die result equals or exceeds the amount of protection provided by the armor or shield, the armor or shield is damaged. Reduce its effect on Armor Class by 1 point, which makes the armor or shield more suspectible to harm should this ability be used again. If the effect on Armor Class is reduced to 0, the armor or shield is ruined. Nota Bene: In most cases, a shield is destroyed by a single use of this ability.

Saving Throws: Hirviöes possess enormous strength and vitality, gaining a +2 bonus to saving throws against disease and poison.

Weapon and Armor Restrictions: Hirviöes may wear any kind of armor and may use shields; however, their armor and shields must be specially made for their great size. Hirviöes may use any weapons. They are large and strong enough to use two-handed melee weapons with only one hand, although they suffer a -2 penalty to attack rolls when doing so. Hirviöes resolve their attacks using the same table as Fighters.

Tags: Character Classes, WhiteBox Adventures

The Halflings, so-called because they resemble humans in most ways except for height and toughness of foot, are not a numerous race, but they have an ancient pedigree. Indeed, the Halflings claim they were the first race created by the true god, whom they call Mnorh, which means “Illumination” in Trgovija, the trade tongue. Halfling scholars disagree on whether Mnorh created the other races, or whether Mnorh created the gods who created the other races, but either way the message remains the same: Mnorh is supreme. Most Halflings live semi-nomadic lives, establishing temporary settlements in fertile lands to graze their sheep and farm for a season before moving on. They are prolific traders, and those Halflings that reside in towns almost always seem to be engaged in business of some sort. Scrupulous and industrious, Halflings would be more trusted and liked if not for their religious beliefs, which many peoples view as insulting, even dangerous. Spates of terrible violence aimed at Halflings punctuate their history, and Halflings have developed a strong warrior tradition in response to the not infrequent threats to their way of life.

Halfling Class Abilities

Accuracy and Agility: Halflings receive a +2 attack bonus when firing missile weapons in combat. Halfling have special skill in fighting giants, ogres, and similar giant-type creatures such as trolls. Against Halflings, such monsters only inflict half the normal damage. Halflings possess natural agility and grace. They move quietly, climb and hide well, and perform acrobatic feats. The chances to do so are shown on the adjacent table. Of course, a Halfling may not be able to perform such feats wearing certain types of armor or if carrying too much weight.

Establish Fort: At tenth level, a Halfling who chooses to build a fort may attract a body of loyal followers who swear fealty to the character.

Experience Bonus for Dexterity: Dexterity is the Prime Attribute for Halflings, which means a Halfling with Dexterity of 15 or higher receives an additional 5% experience.

Saving Throws: Halflings possess great resolve and courage, gaining a +2 bonus to saving throws against fear.

Weapon and Armor Restrictions: Halflings may wear any kind of armor and may use shields; however, their armor and shields must be specially made for their small size. Halflings may use any small-sized weapons (such as a dagger, short sword, or short bow). Halflings may not use two-handed swords, longbows, battle axes, pole arms, or other large weapons. Halflings resolve their attacks using the same table as Fighters.

Tags: Character Classes, WhiteBox Adventures

The Gnomes, seldom seen above ground during the day, dwell mostly deep within the earth, within caverns and tunnels carved by forces both natural and unnatural. In their subterranean world, lit only by magic, fire, or the caps of giant phosphorescent mushrooms, Gnomes live in small communities most often ruled by jarl, a chief chosen from among the families of the tribe. War-like and territorial, Gnomes guard their cavern-halls against the predations of monsters, especially the cruel and cowardly kobolds. Segojan Earthcaller sang the first Gnomes into existence, shaping clay and into living creatures by the power of his voice. Segojan’s brother Baravar Cloakshadow taught the Gnomes the arts of illusion and stealth, and Gaerdal Ironhand taught them the arts of war. Gnomes are a secretive race who often have flexible notions about the importance of honesty, especially when dealing with those who are not Gnomes.

Gnome Class Abilities

Establish Cavern Hall: At tenth level, a Gnome who chooses to build and dedicate a cavern hall to his clan may attract a body of loyal followers who swear fealty to the character.

Experience Bonus for Intelligence: Intelligence is the Prime Attribute for Gnome, which means a Gnome with Intelligence of 15 or higher receives an additional 5% experience.

Infravision: Gnomes have infravision in addition to normal sight and can see 60′ in the dark. Infravision is the ability to see heat (and the lack of heat). Normal and magical light makes infravision useless.

Keen Detection: Gnomes are good at spotting unsafe cave features, slanting passages, depth underground, and direction underground. See adjacent table for the chance of success.

Saving Throws: Gnomes are preternaturally alert. They gain a +2 bonus on saving throws versus illusions and traps. Also, when surprised, a Gnome may attempt a saving throw. If successful, he isn’t surprised after all.

Shadows and Stealth: Gnomes possess natural stealth and an affinity for illusion magic. Once per day, a Gnome may use either Invisibility or Phantasmal Force, both of which duplicate the spells of the same name except that the duration is one round per level of the Gnome. Gnomes can move silently, avoid detection, and climb walls free-handed in much the same manner as a Thief. The Gnome’s chances of doing so are shown on the adjacent table.

Speak with Animals: Gnomes can speak with burrowing animals within 30 feet. This ability is similar to the spell Speak with Animals.

Weapon and Armor Restrictions: Gnomes have no restrictions on weapons, but their small stature makes heavy and two-handed weapons problematic. Thus, Gnomes may use one-handed weapons without restriction, but the Referee may adjudicate the permissibility of other weapons as necessary. Gnomes may wear only leather armor. Gnomes resolves attacks using the same table as Clerics.

Tags: Character Classes, WhiteBox Adventures