The Complete Book of Dwarves is a supplemental rulebook for the 2nd edition of the Advanced Dungeons & Dragonsfantasyrole-playing game, published in 1991 by TSR, Inc.[2][4] It contains a variety of information useful to playing dwarf characters in the game, including information on strongholds,[5] dwarven subraces,[2] character "kits",[2] role-playing, mining, and more. The book was later reprinted in November 1993,[6][7] with a slightly different cover.
Contents
The Complete Book of Dwarves contains an introduction, 11 chapters, and a number of character sheets designed for use by players with dwarf player characters. It is split into the following chapters:
"The Creation of Dwarves: The book's first chapter discusses the creation of dwarves in the Dungeons & Dragons world and dwarven myths regarding the creation of the world, as well as information on the dwarven afterlife.[6]
"The Dwarf Subraces": This chapter describes the six main subraces of dwarves: hill dwarves, mountain dwarves, deep dwarves, sundered dwarves, duergar (also known as gray dwarves), and gully dwarves.[6] This chapter does not contain information on the statistics for the various subraces, focusing instead on the thematic differences between the subraces.[6]
"Your Life as a Dwarf": The third chapter of the book examines dwarven culture and lifestyle, including information on their clans, view of the world, emotions, diet, marriage, and life cycle.[6]
"Character Creation": This chapter contains information on how to create dwarf characters, including statistics for the various subraces and rules regarding maximum levels, ability score modifiers, movement, and age.[6]
"Proficiencies": The fifth chapter has rules on new and expanded proficiencies, with an eye towards their use by dwarves.[6]
"Dwarf Kits": The longest chapter in the book, this section describes 24 "character kits" designed for dwarf characters, allowing players to further customize their characters.[6]
"Role Playing and Personalities": The seventh chapter describes various "personalities" which can help players roleplay dwarf characters. Personalities include The Grumbler, The Optimist, and The Phobic.[6]
"Mining": Chapter eight contains rules on mining, including how to survey the land, what products can be mined, and how much gold can be earned by mining.[6]
"Equipment": This chapter includes new equipment, such as smelters, battleaxes, and war machines.[6]
"Dwarf Strongholds": The book's tenth chapter discusses dwarven strongholds, including the various types of strongholds, their government, resources they have access to, and relationships with other races.[6]
"Designing Dwarf Campaigns": The final chapter is for Dungeon Masters creating a dwarf-based campaign. It contains guidelines on what dwarf subraces to use, dwarven mythology, campaign environments, and rules on how to create new character kits.[6]
The Complete Book of Dwarves also contains "design sheets," for use designing new dwarf strongholds and kits, and "character sheets," designed for dwarves of each class.[6]
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