Post/Author/DateTime	Post
Bombur_Dain 01-15-08, 12:05 AM	http://i45.photobucket.com/albums/f65/sdmusgrave/5b.jpg I'm working on a character for an upcoming Underdark campaign. He's based off of this mini. I'm normally one to avoid cliché but, for once, I thought I'd give the "traditional dwarf" a try. Now, I'm not saying that I want to play Gimli but I don't want to hit the other end of the spectrum either. That's why I'm trying to find a happy medium between traditional and cliché. If anyone has anything to add, subtract, or suggest, I would be more than happy to hear it. He's still at the very basic character concept level. Concept Orin Stonehewer is a ludicrously unsuccessful prospector plodding his way through the underdark in search of great riches. Few of the dwarven miners take him seriously and regard him as a poor and foolish dwarf. Description Ideas Orin is a broad shouldered and solidly muscled Mountain Dwarf with emerald green eyes and a thick white beard. (I know his beard is gray in the picture but I prefer it be white.) Equipment Ideas Chain Shirt Greatpick Hammer, Light Spelunker's Outfit Belt, Baldric Mug/Tankard Pouches, Belt Mess Kit Boots, Low Breeches, Woolen Buckle, Plain Gloves, Leather Helmet, Miner's - Candle Shirt, Woolen Personality Ideas He has a hot-headed temper and a great love of ale. He is also fond of regular and plentiful meals. (Favorite Foods: Beef and mushroom stew...salted meats...breads and cheeses...?) Orin distrusts Elves in general and his intense hatred of orcs is well known. Traits 1. Hacking Cough – Orin has developed a hacking “miner's cough” due to his years spent working underground 2. Hot Tempered - The years of failure and ridicule have made Orin rather hot tempered. Skill Ideas Knowledge: Architecture & Engineering Knowledge: Dungeoneering Profession: Miner Class Ideas I don't want him to start out as your typical D&D hero. I want him to be the "ordinary dwarf caught in an extraordinary situation" type. I was thinking I might even take the Generic Class variants in the Unearthed Arcana book. Maybe a bit of barbarian to represent his temper? Any help here would be great because I'm a little stumped for ideas. Note: I apologize for the cheesy character name. I just couldn't help myself.
I_roll_ones 01-15-08, 01:48 PM	Maybe the clan Orin comes from has mandatory militia duty, with every able person learning how to fight and serving for a few years or they get exiled. The reason is that orc raids are all too common, and everyone is needed to fend them off. (Which could represent fighter levels. Or even Crusader, if he was a leader, even a minor one) Why is he a miner? If his name is Stonehewer, then it's probably a hereditary job, so he left the military, through he had a promising career to pursue the family work. His strength was a boon, and it flourished under him. (So he can have Adventurer stats and class levels, but he's normal since he went back to his stone mining job) He also learned to carve stone and make tunnels, gaining ranks in the architecture skill.(You never know when it might be handy!) He could have some children(Or even grandchildren) back at home with the missus. Maybe he didn't leave voluntary, or left to prevent some danger to his clan. Also think of what traditional dwarf values are. What are his traditions that he tries to uphold? Maybe he doesn't rob graves.
Orchomenos 01-15-08, 02:10 PM	Have him carry a "luck stone", to which he talks from times to times. He could even say his late maternal grandfather's soul is present in this stone. But he doesn't really believe all that crap, he just think it's less worse to talk to a common rock than talking alone...
Bombur_Dain 01-16-08, 09:10 PM	Maybe the clan Orin comes from has mandatory militia duty, with every able person learning how to fight and serving for a few years or they get exiled. The reason is that orc raids are all too common, and everyone is needed to fend them off. (Which could represent fighter levels. Or even Crusader, if he was a leader, even a minor one) Yeah, I was thinking along similar lines. In Races of Stone, it talks about how all dwarves spend time in a militia so I thought I'd use that as part of his class work. Why is he a miner? If his name is Stonehewer, then it's probably a hereditary job, so he left the military, through he had a promising career to pursue the family work. His strength was a boon, and it flourished under him. (So he can have Adventurer stats and class levels, but he's normal since he went back to his stone mining job) It's definitely hereditary. I think he'll be the youngest of three dwarven sons. His father could be a great mine-baron (or whatever the proper term is.) You're right, though. After his stint in the clan militia, he could have set out to stake his own claim. He also learned to carve stone and make tunnels, gaining ranks in the architecture skill.(You never know when it might be handy!) I agree with that too. If you're going to be digging tunnels, you'll need to know how to engineer them so they don't collapse. Also think of what traditional dwarf values are. What are his traditions that he tries to uphold? Maybe he doesn't rob graves. I'll have to put some thought into that. Have him carry a "luck stone", to which he talks from times to times. He could even say his late maternal grandfather's soul is present in this stone. But he doesn't really believe all that crap, he just think it's less worse to talk to a common rock than talking alone... He's going to have a great pick that once belonged to his grandfather. Or maybe it's a dwarvencraft item and it partially IS his grandfather. The "luck stone" reminded me of Scrooge McDuck's Number One Dime. Orin could carry a hunk of uncut gem/precious metal and it could be from the first vein he ever mined. Thanks for all the ideas, guys. If you have anymore or anyone else has anything to add, please speak up!
Terjon of the Blue Rose 01-17-08, 01:14 AM	Excellent advise so far. The only bit I would add is this. Dwarves tend to be a stubborn lot and to have strong ties to home and hold. You probably want to express a desire to return home and an absolute refusal to do so until you've found a vein of ore worth setting up a new mine over (adventure may distract from this but make sure you character keeps looking even if he can't actually stop to set-up shop).
I_roll_ones 01-17-08, 01:22 AM	Wait a moment...Does this dwarf have a religion thus far?
Bombur_Dain 01-17-08, 08:42 AM	Excellent advise so far. The only bit I would add is this. Dwarves tend to be a stubborn lot and to have strong ties to home and hold. You probably want to express a desire to return home and an absolute refusal to do so until you've found a vein of ore worth setting up a new mine over (adventure may distract from this but make sure you character keeps looking even if he can't actually stop to set-up shop). Yeah, exactly. I was thinking that his father was one of the most powerful and wealthy mining industrialists in the dwarven kingdoms and his son (orin) wanted to stake his own claim instead of living off his father's riches. A self-made-dwarf as it were. Wait a moment...Does this dwarf have a religion thus far? Not really. I was going to use Moradin but only because I can't seem to find a Dwarven god of mining (which seems really strange.) Any ideas?
Orchomenos 01-17-08, 11:35 AM	Not really. I was going to use Moradin but only because I can't seem to find a Dwarven god of mining (which seems really strange.) Any ideas? Dumathoin (http://realmshelps.dandello.net/cgi-bin/deities1.pl)
I_roll_ones 01-17-08, 01:33 PM	If you want to be less cliched, either choose another god, worship serveral, or worship Moradin in a new and exciting way. Like, attempt to build churches to him, or bring word of him to other dwarves.
Bombur_Dain 01-19-08, 10:07 AM	Dumathoin (http://realmshelps.dandello.net/cgi-bin/deities1.pl) Thank you! I don't know how I missed him in Faiths and Pantheons. If you want to be less cliched, either choose another god, worship serveral, or worship Moradin in a new and exciting way. Like, attempt to build churches to him, or bring word of him to other dwarves. Those aren't bad ideas. Thanks, guys.