Dirge (Half-Dwarf)

Dirge(Half-Dwarf) - Level Adjustment 0
Dirge have no naming culture of their own, and are evenly split between names of humanity, and names of the dwarves. Some rare few mesh such names to create unique labels for themselves, while the Duergar-born Dirge generally take on the more brutalistic names of the Duergar for themselves.

Ability Score Modifiers: (+2 CON, +2 to any ability of your choice besides CON): Dirge are durable and flexible, owing to their dual natures.

Size: Dirge are medium-sized creatures, and gain no bonuses or penalties due to size. Dirge are stocky and broad as a sign of their dwarven heritage, but stand taller than the average human, on average around 6 to 6 1/2 feet tall.

Type: Dirge count as humanoid creatures with both the human and dwarf subtypes.

Speed: Dirge have a base land speed of 30ft.

Vision: Owing to their dwarven heritage, Dirge possess darkvision out to sixty feet.

Languages: Dirge start play speaking both Common and Dwarven. Dirge with high INT scores can select any non-secret bonus languages they wish, to represent their varied natures and birthplaces.

Dwarf Blood: Dirge count as humans and dwarves for any effect related to race.

Unnatural: Dirge are rarely born into this world, due to both the infrequency with which humans and dwarves couple, as well as the infrequency with which such a coupling produces a child. When they are born, the natural order of the material plane rejects their very existence. Dirge unnerve both normal and magical animals, and train to defend themselves against the inevitable attacks from such creatures. They take a –4 penalty on all Charisma-based skill checks to affect creatures of the animal or magical beast types, and receive a +2 dodge bonus to AC against animals. Animals’ starting attitude toward them is one step worse than normal.

Stonecunning: Dirge gain a +2 bonus on Perception checks to notice unusual stonework, such as traps and hidden doors located in stone walls or floors. They receive a check to notice such features whenever they pass within 10 feet of them, whether or not they are actively looking.

Hardy: Dwarves gain a +2 racial bonus on saving throws against poison, spells, and spell-like abilities.

Skilled: Dirge gain an additional skill rank at first level and one additional rank whenever they gain a level.

Dual-Minded: Dirge are beings frequently born into the world misshapen, hated, and are treated with disdain, mistrust, and suspicion. Being used to rough lives and dealing with two heritages, they are resistant to any effect that would seek to shake them mentally. They gain a racial +2 to all will saves.

Dirge Alternate Racial Traits:
Duergar Dirge

These Dirge are immune to paralysis, phantasms, and poison. They also gain a +2 racial bonus on saving throws against spells and spell-like abilities. Gain Undercommon as a starting language instead of common.

Replaces hardy and skilled

Some amongst the mysterious, rare Dirge have skin the color of the palest ash, their hair whiter than bleached bone and their eyes lacking pupils of any kind or shape. These Dirge, though few make their way to the surface world, are instead bastard children of the evil Duergar, or grey dwarves, that lurk far below the lands of the world, usually the offspring of a slave and their captor that is quickly either killed, enslaved, or abandoned...though, there are rare exceptions. These Dirge inherit the immunities of their Duergar parent, and are all the stronger for it.

Eternal Hope

Some Dirge gain a +2 racial bonus on saving throws against fear and despair effects. Also, once per day, after a natural roll of 1 on a d20 roll, they may reroll and use the second result.

Replaces Dual-minded

Though rare, some Dirge, rather than become dour and bitter with their treatment, find their souls and spirits hardening and strengthening with each insult and beating they recieve...to these Dirge, who sometimes see slavery from birth, they have witnessed the worst life can throw at them...and they believe that only through hope for a better tomorrow can one hope to live to see the dawn. Such drive and zeal grants them a resilience to fear and despair, and whenever they would fail a task, they sometimes find themselves able to redo it.

Human Spirit

Gain a bonus feat at first level

Replaces skilled and dual-minded

Rather than their dwarven parents, some Dirge take after their human ones. These Dirge demonstrate the power and variance that is typical of humans.

Dwarven Trained

Become proficient with battleaxes, heavy picks, and warhammers, and treat any weapon with the word “dwarven” in its name as a martial weapon.

Replaces Stonecunning

In their lives, some Dirge are, rather than abandoned and forgotten, instead kept by their dwarven parents and put to work within the Dwarven military, their dwarven parents seeing the vast, untapped potential that slumbers within such a halfbreed and happily embracing it. These Dirge, thanks to their time within the military, are heavily acquainted with typical Dwarven warfare and are deftly able to handle the weapons of the Dwarves.

Eye for Value

Gain a +2 racial bonus on Appraise checks made to determine the price of non-magical or magical goods that contain precious metals or gemstones.

Replaces Hardy

A rare, rare case of the offspring showing greater ability than the parent race, some very rare Dirge find that the traditionally spoken of greed of their dwarven heritage has manifested itself in odd and unpredictable ways...they find themselves capable of easily assessing the worth of valuables minerals, gemstones, and even other items that possess great worth, magical or not. They are coveted by all races for this ability, and even the normally stubborn dwarves soften a bit when seeing this odd, powerful ability.

Dirge could reasonably have most any alternate racial traits for both the human and/or dwarf races. Ask/Tell your GM which ones you desire so the two of you can figure out what to replace for them.

==  Racial Feats: == Hated Outcast:

Prerequisites: Dirge,

Effects: Reroll a will save versus an enchantment spell once per day

Typically seen as terrible omens and pitiable abominations by their dwarven kin and rarely treated with respect by the humans, who see them as odd, unnerving half-breeds and the stuff of myth, plenty of DIrge walk the path of the outcast, and call no place or location their home. These Dirge are quite adept at beating back the influence of others upon their mind, and are very hard to seduce or enchant through magical means.

Solitary Existence:

Prerequisites: Dirge, Character level 5th, 'Hated Outcast' racial feat

Effects: +2 to all saving throws against scrying and divination effects

Due to their typical inability to find a home in either of the cultures of their heritage, many Dirge instead resign themselves to solitude so as to avoid the prejudice and mistrust which drove them from their homes. They are so adept at their solitary lifestyles that even the powerful scrying and divination magicks have a harder time finding them...as if the universe itself recognizes their desire to be left alone.

Neither Dwarf nor Human:

Prerequisites: 'Solitary Existence' racial feat, 'Hated Outcast' racial feat, Character level 10th

Effects: You are not considered Human nor Dwarf for the purpose of harmful spells

To the Dirge who travel the path of the outcast and solitude, some soon become something...else. Changing not in appearance or the physical but in the soul, and spirit, these Dirge, it is said...succeed at defining their own path. No longer human or dwarf, they become something else entirely...

Dwarven Secret Senses:

Prerequisites: Dirge, 'Eye For Value' alternate racial trait, Character level 3rd

Effects: Gain a +4 racial bonus on all appraisal checks, it is always considered a class skill, and you gain tremorsense out to 100ft, but it only detects valuable minerals, gemstones, and/or items of great worth both magical and non-magical

A rare, rare case of the offspring showing greater ability than the parent race, some very rare Dirge find that the traditionally spoken of greed of their dwarven heritage has manifested itself in odd and unpredictable ways...they find themselves capable of intrinsically sensing the location of valuables minerals, gemstones, and even other items that possess great worth, magical or not. They are coveted by all races for this ability, and even the normally stubborn dwarves soften a bit when seeing this odd, powerful ability. It is not rare to see such Dirge employed as miners or surveyors.

Halfbreed Camoflauge

Prerequisites: Dirge, Character level 1st only

Effects: Gain Disguise self as an at-will ability

Much like the malformed Stone-Warped, some Dirge find themselves born with an innate ability to hide their frequently unwieldy, unnatural forms, and treasure such a power...as it lets them more easily blend into their parent cultures.

Dirge may take any racial feat meant for dwarves or humans, but please consult with your GM before you do so just to be safe!