B/X Monsters A to Z: Dwarf

 Every PC class in B/X has an NPC/monster equivalent, and dwarves are no exception. 

Dwarves have already been described in the character creation part of the book, and the Basic Rules very sensibly avoid recapitulating the description in the monster section. There's no need to do so here either. We all know what dwarves are.

Per the monster listing, these NPC dwarves have an Armor Class of 4, indicating mail and shield as standard kit, and 1 Hit Die as befits 1st level. Their movement rate is a rather sluggish 60'(20'). Given their AC, I would have expected 90'(30'); the given rate is more suggestive of plate armor. Perhaps they just carry a lot of miscellaneous gear? Their damage is listed as "1-8 or by weapon" which is also a bit hard to fathom; 1-8 suggests battle axes or swords. Swords are not weapons commonly associated with dwarves, and battle axes in B/X are two-handed weapons, impossible to wield simultaneously with a shield. Oh well. Consistency has not exactly been the authors' strong suit, at least when it comes to the monster listings.

In the dungeon, Number Appearing is a measly 1-6, which might say something about dwarves' bravery, or how comfortable they are in subterranean places. In the wilderness or the lair, you'll find 5-40 dwarves. A lot of the monster description is spent in discussing the leader of a group of 20 or more, who will be a dwarf of level 3-8, with a 5% chance per level of having a magic item from each subtable except Wand/Staff/Rod and Scroll. If I recall correctly, this formula is repeated in the Expert Rules for determining magic items for members of an NPC adventuring party. Hey, sometimes they are consistent! The dwarf leader is apparently an inspirational figure to his or her underlings, since while the leader still lives, their morale is a near-fearless 10 instead of the normal 8. 

The description closes with a note that dwarves hate goblins and will usually attack them on sight. I like that qualifying word there, usually. It's a small thing, but allows for the possibility that there could be circumstances in which the dwarves don't attack on sight, because while they may hate goblins, dwarves aren't mindless fools.

In keeping with dwarves' renowned love of gems and precious metals, a lair or wilderness band of dwarves will have Treasure Type G, a particularly rich hoard. For evil or amoral PCs, a dwarf lair or steading is a tempting target indeed.

Of course, dwarves certainly could serve as antagonists or even villains. Greed and xenophobia are a well-documented part of the dwarven psyche, as much as order, loyalty, and honor, and it's easy to imagine a clan or gang of dwarves in which those negative traits have gained dominance over the admirable ones. Their alignment is even listed as Lawful/Neutral, so you don't even have to stretch from the official stat block.

I'd probably make a few minor tweaks to the dwarf monster listing just to make it more congruent with the rules by which dwarf PCs abide. Increase movement to 90'(30') and make damage 1-6 to reflect the mail, shield, and hand axe/war hammer combo we'd reasonably expect. Everything else is fine and dandy as written.

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