Fireforge Dwarves

Loch felt the sun beating down upon him, but its heat paled in comparison to the magma-fueled forges of his home. He watched the distant bandits, and tightened his grip on his warhammer. He and the rest of his clan would ensure they wouldn’t be leaving the desert that day…

Loch Smokebeard, a Fireforge Dwarf

Dwarven legends state the best metal-crafting is done in fires of the earth itself. Some clans that follow this tradition seek out and settle near areas of volcanic activity, turning such places into their forges. These are the fireforge dwarves. They toil in the heat of magma, creating weapons, armor, and other goods noteworthy even among fine dwarven crafts. They trade these goods for necessities not found in the harsh environs of their chosen homeland.

Fireforge dwarves sometimes form alliances with the azer. They maintain good relations with the elementals, coming to their aid against salamanders and efreet when needed. In return, the azer assist fireforge dwarves against fire giants, who are persistent enemies of the dwarves, often competing with them for territory.

Fireforge skin tones range from deep, ruddy browns to dark bronze or mahogany. Their hair is typically black, brown, or gray, with some sporting deep, copper-colored or rich, dark-red hair. Eye color tends toward brown or black and occasionally hazel or gray.

Creating a Fireforge Dwarf

There is no right or wrong answer when it comes to picking your class. However, some races may possess certain racial features that grant them an additional edge when it comes to particular classes or character archetypes.

Like all dwarves, their speed is not reduced by wearing heavy armor, making them a great fit for classes such as fighters, paladins, or certain cleric domains. Unique to fireforge dwarves however is their forgeborn trait, granting them resistance to fire damage. This combined with their dwarven resilience, which grants them advantage on saving throws against poison makes fireforge dwarves hardier than many other races, making them a great fit for fighting on the front-line. One drawback to keep in mind is that their races’ close proximity to magma has resulted in burned vision, meaning they lack the darkvision possessed by most other dwarves.

Roleplaying Tips
When it comes to roleplaying, your race and class don’t have to dictate every decision you make, and you certainly don’t have to play into the many cliches associated with them. However, it can be helpful to use them as a wellspring of ideas!

Much like their names entail, fireforge dwarves are accustomed to some of the most dangerous climates, taking up residence in and around active volcanos, or deep beneath the surface where magma flows freely in wide rivers. Living in such a dangerous environment is likely to have some effect on how you might roleplay your fireforge dwarf. Perhaps this harsh upbringing has hardened you, like magma long cooled, making you unlikely to flinch in the face of danger. Or instead, maybe you’ve seen what can happen when folks are careless around the magma, and as a result, you may act in a much more cautious or meticulous fashion when interacting with a potentially dangerous foe. There is of course always the possibility that you were not raised in one of the traditional fireforge clans at all, with another likely possibilities being that you grew up in a city, where you worked at a local blacksmith. When creating your character, consider what has motivated you to join up with an adventuring party. Is it to recover an ancient blacksmithing artifact? To seek out the aid of a powerful fire elemental that your clan has lost favor with? Or something else entirely? The choice is ultimately up to you!

The fireforge dwarves are one of the many races created by our partners at Kobold Press and available to subscribers in our Core Content Pack, along with others such as the Dhampir or the Spindrift Dwarves. Create your own and tell us about it in the comments below or on any of our social channels.

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