30 Equipment Packages/Backgrounds For Dwarves
↑art by Elthen
As my Mausritter mini-adventure is winding down, I'm gearing up for a bigger, Wolves Upon The Coast-style campaign, exchanging faux Europe for a fallen dwarven Citadel and surrounding overworld.
The goal is for the backgrounds to provide a minimalistic outline to each character, something to inspire without being a burden, easily ignored if disliked, and to offer glimpses into the worldbuilding. Each background gets a handful of things: items, resources, magic rituals, recipes... Many backgrounds contain a hook right off the bat.
The backgrounds are very roughly assigned to one core stat. Very roughly. The players get to roll on one of five d6 tables, based on whichever is their character's highest stat.
For second characters more d6 tables will be available, both more dwarven ones to signify new kinds of dwarves joining the expedition, and ones for other races at that point encountered, i.e. goat folk or human smugglers.
|MIGHT| |---| |1|Axe Dwarf|kite shield, helmet, 2 javelins| |2|Stone Shaper|chisels, light hammer, metal square, folio: Works of Gentlehammer1| |3|Marksdwarf|longbow, quiver of arrows, dagger| |4|Dwarf of the House of Repossessions|gang tattoos, ritual: Gloom2, handcrossbow| |5|Deck Dwarf|rowing boat, 3 bottles of rum, hardtack, lance| |6|Forge Whisperer|War hammer, the secret to forging feather steel, ritual: Smell Metal3|
|AGILITY| |---| |1|Pathfinder|spyglass, 4 dry rations, waterskin, 2 doses of Night Leaf (keeps user awake)| |2|Archaeologist|Rubbing of a map indicating static portals within the Citadel, quarterstaff| |3|Trapper|Shortbow, quiver, bear trap, longknife| |4|Tomb Robber|acid, wire cutters, crowbar, axe| |5|Naturalist|pastels, canvas, easel, wineskin, club| |6|Indebted Commoner|a sack (empty)|
|PHYSIQUE| |---| |1|Mountaineer|5 pitons, 30m silken rope, climbing axe, talcum powder| |2|Porter|cart, trusty mule, club| |3|Ex-convict|ritual: Strength in Unity4, recipe: Tattoo Ink5, dagger| |4|Model|oil, spicy beef jerky, ritual: Mountains of Muscles6, spiked knuckles| |5|Disgraced Royal Guard|broken magic axe, war hog7, three chunks of goat cheese, halberd| |6|Healer|bandages, narcotic (2 doses), antivenom, quarterstaff|
|RESOLVE| |---| |1|Ascetic|prayer beads, recipe: Ascension of the Mind8, sling| |2|Wizard's Apprentice|former master's freed/stolen pet parrot Peeve, spell: Dimension Door9| |3|Skald|instrument, half of a stone tablet detailing a ritual, one fan (not the tool, but possibly a tool), estoc| |4|Inquisitor|language (Serpentine), ritual: The Righteous Hammer Strikes the Wicked[^]10, mace| |5|Runaway Teen|second character (your BFF)| |6|Demonologist|ritual: Summon Yorgulu the Great Scourge10, vial of Yorgulu's blood, dagger|
|FORTUNE| |---| |1|Historian|oversized bronze key with the bit spelling out THORUV, oil lamp, paper, charcoal, language (Runic)| |2|Novellist|4 rumours researched for veracity, notebook, pencil, parrying dagger| |3|Shorn|beard shorn off unevenly, remains hanging in shameful tatters, signifying status as pariah; crossbow + bolts| |4|Noble Dwarf on Safari|thin sword hidden in tasteful cane, 2 retainers: man servant + porter| |5|Substance Enthusiast|potion of The Thumping of a Heart Presiding Over The Flow11, recipe: Skin as Stone12| |6|Art Forger|forgery kit, sealing wax, ink, vellum, magnifying glass, stiletto |
~
chief architect & engineer of the citadel↩
All lights including sunlight in 50m radius around an object are dimmed down to the darkest of dusk for 3 turns, components: the bottled essence of a shadow, bitterroot tea, pitch↩
Shavings of the desired metal/ore, a rust devourer's antennae, a magnetised needle↩
Up to 5 willing people sharing the same ritual tattoos magically fuse into a beast of destruction and freedom, total HD is the sum of the people fused +1HD per person. One attack every round for every 3HD. There is a risk of the beast taking over.↩
components: fairy dust, soot, pure alcohol↩
Increase Might to +2 for 24h, components: a dozen eggs, powdered magnesium, horn of a minotaur, fresh humanoid adrenal gland↩
Combat trained mount, eats everything, hates carrying stuff, will carry you for treats only (cheese, rodents, smoked fish); 2 HD, 1 attack↩
An eye of a creature with oracular abilities, an item each from three different sanctified sites, wormwood extract; effect: Unknown↩
Create a door to any location within [sum] × 20m that collapses after [dice] passages in either direction.↩
vial of blood, items from four different locations where Y. appeared before, a willing host (ideally with vocal cords)↩
Double actions/movement for 3 rounds, then 3 rounds of absolute apathy unless you succeed vs Resolve↩
Salve that needs to be applied to entire skin, +2 Damage Absorption for 1h, but the referee won't tell you how much damage you take because you don't feel pain; ingredients: ground up limestone, water, gravel and willow bark.↩