During the fall of the Iron Kingdom, the rulers and leaders of the clans (the ancestors of the gold dwarves) fled to the desert mountains to get away from the uprisings and revolts. They discovered this site with a portal deep within a range of mountainous volcanoes to the Elemental Plane of Fire. A clan of fire giants made their home here, and the gold dwarves negotiated a treaty with them and made this their home. Since then, they have made themselves known by the perfection of their wares. They have spent generations bathed in extreme heat, and are even rumored to have mingled with the fire giants, changing their own form to resemble the molten metal they work with.
Gold dwarves are friendly and amicable to all people, for they believe in the dwarven principle that life is a forge that tests the mettle of a person’s character. They are also extremely secure in their invincibility, since every citizen has toiled either in a mine or at a forge all of his or her life, and this sometimes comes across as a subtle arrogance to foreigners. They know that their products are in high demand as the very best, and are content to keep it that way. However, many have not forgotten the Iron Kingdom, especially the mountain dwarves who were oppressed, and the gold dwarves are not welcome in many countries around the world.
The gold dwarves have access to the most precious and rarest of metals due to the flowing streams of magma, and volcanic calderas. Using the intense heat of the volcanoes, they temper metal to make the finest blades in the hottest furnaces of the world. They practice their crafts, defend their borders, and strive for perfection. Gold dwarves are only found in Masachog Mountainhome, but they frequently go on exodus to the other lands to research other techniques in blacksmithing and weaponmaking.
Gold dwarves have very dark skin, blackened from constant heat exposure. They are generally in shades ranging from bronze to a deep dark golden brown. Hair color is almost always black, with varying shades of metallic tones, and eye color is either black or red. In rare instances, a few families have had black skinned gold dwarves born to them, in their own version of mutated genes. Their hair is almost always deep auburn, with no facial hair, and their eyes are sky blue. These dwarves, although not treated any differently, consider themselves inferior and either leave the country in shame or take up professions that keep them away from the public eye.
Traits
Instead of the mountain dwarf traits, you gain the following:
- Ability Score Increase. Your Strength score increases by 2, and your Constitution score increases by 1.
- Alignment. Gold dwarves usually tend to lean towards a lawful alignment and, like the element they are made from, are not inclined towards good or evil. That said, you can be of any alignment
- Size. Gold dwarves are a little taller than mountain dwarves. Your size is Medium
- Speed. Your base walking speed is 25 feet. Your speed is not reduced by wearing heavy armor.
- Superior Darkvision. Accustomed to the light of the forge in darkness, you are able to see better than your brethren in darkness. You can see in dim light within 120 feet of you as if it were bright light, and in darkness as if it were dim light.
- Inner Flame. The flame burns within eternal. Due to this, you are resistant to fire damage but take double damage from cold damage. You also shed dim light to 10 feet.
- Earthcunning. Whenever you make an Intelligence (History) check related to the origin of stone or metal, you are considered proficient in the History skill and add double your proficiency bonus to the check, instead of your normal proficiency bonus.
- Mastercrafters. You are proficient with smith’s tools, and gain double proficiency when using them.
- Enmity. Due to the history between the gold dwarves and the mountain dwarves, you gain disadvantage to any Charisma check whenever you are dealing with a mountain dwarf.
- Giantfriend. You do not have the prejudices and biases of the mountain dwarf in regards to those larger than you, and indeed can almost relate to them better. You gain advantage on Charisma checks with creatures of the Giant subtype.
- Languages. You can speak, read, and write in Giant, Dwarven and Common.
Random Height and Weight
| Race | Base Height | Height Modifier | Base Weight | Weight Modifier |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dwarf, Gold | 4’2″ | +2d6 | 150 lb. | x (2d8) lb. |
Shadows of Dakaron 