Dwarves, Gold-Haired (3.5e Race)

Gold-Haired Dwarves

Authors Note: This race is for my Campaign setting Vermadad, though it can be used in other settings with retooling.

Personality

Gold-haired dwarves are usually described as the nobles of the Dwarven world however gold-hair dwarves tend to deny that, usually referring to themselves as "the leaders", they give orders, handle the diplomatic discussions, and provide food and other resources to the other castes. They like other dwarves, place great pride in their caste, place a strong value on tradition, and chastity.

Physical Description

Gold-haired dwarves are less muscular than the other dwarf castes, but they are the same size as other dwarf castes.

Gold-haired dwarves have blond hair (as indicated by their name) ranging from dirty to platinum blond (though platinum blond is viewed as most desirable), very few Gold-Hairs have non-blond hair (and those who aren't usually are thought to be results of a mother's infidelity) and those who don't have blonde hair will alway die it blond. They have generally somewhat pale skin They have the same range of height as other dwarves, however, they tend to have a smaller build than most other dwarves. Gold-haired dwarves also have (when described by humans) the most attractive facial features of any dwarven caste. Like most other dwarves the men have long beards (almost all dwarf men can grow full beards), and about 30% of female dwarves can grow some facial hair and about 10% of female dwarves can grow full beard, and both men and women have long hair, it is viewed as shameful for one to cut their hair in dwarven society, it is viewed as denying their caste, even dwarves who were banished from dwarven society usually still wear their hair in pride.

Like other dwarves in Vermadad, female Gold-Hairs dwarves menstruate almost exactly 60 days, with very little variation. (This has to with the selective breeding of dwarves preferring woman who ovulates regulars so it's easier to have time having kids).

Relations

Gold-hairs are the ones who manage the Coal-hairs and the Wood-hairs, the Gold-hairs view the Coal-hairs and Wood-hairs lesser and inferior, however, because Wood-hairs often find themselves in roles such as housekeeper or nurse, the Gold-hairs and Wood-hairs have been to have friendships or even romances beyond the caste structure. The gold-hairs view the blood hair as mad, but mad men that protect them from the giants and orcs, giving them a begrudging respect they don't have for other castes. Most Dwarves have dealt with enough issues with the Orcs causing trouble to have anything but an automatic hatred. They view Goblins as being a crazy nascence, that needlessly try to record everything. They view the Gnomes as hedonistic sex-maniacs, but at the very least harmless. They have great respect for humans living in the dwarven society and want nothing more for humans outside of Dwarven society to convert to the ways of Jestus. Gold-hairs have good relations with the Halflings as they rely on trade with them for food, (as the mountains where the Dwarves live have no easily obtainable food source). They view Elves hard to resist sexual tempters that need. They have some respect for the function Kobolds society.

Alignment

Gold-hairs dwarves tend to worship Jestus, as such tend to be considered good, also due to their strong belief in order, structure and tradition, they are generally lawful. However adventuring gold-hairs might have been banished from dwarven society for not fitting this dwarven mold, so one might find adventures of any alignment

Religion

Dwarves were created by Jestus and most dwarves worship her.

Language

Gold-haired dwarves almost always speak common, and Dwarven (the language of the dwarves),. Since they are well-educated it common for Gold-hairs to learn any language in an academic as most gold-hair houses like to have at least one person who speaks every language, however because of the impoi of the of the language it is especially common for Gold-hairs to learn Orc, Giant, Gnome, and Goblin as those are the languages of their neighbors

Racial Traits

• +2 Wisdom, +2 Charisma, +2 Intelligence, −2 Strength, −2 Dexterity, −2 Constitution; Gold-Hairs Dwarves have gone through such a long process of selective breeding, via arrange marriages, to be the ideal leader, giving them great Wisdom, Charisma and Intelligence, but at the expense of Physical Strength, Dexterity, and even losing the Dwarven hardiness they are so well known for.
• Humanoid (Dwarf)
• Medium: As Medium creatures, Gold-haired dwarves have no special bonuses or penalties due to their size
• Slight Statue: Though Gold-Haired Dwarves are Medium size, they are slight compared to others. They may wear items designed for Medium or Small sized humanoids, including weapons and armor. Being smaller grants Gold-Haired Dwarves a +2 size bonus on Hide checks.
• Gold-haired dwarves base land speed is 20 feet: Gold-Haired Dwarves having slower movement speed than the average human, due to their shorter legs, and unlike most dwarves, they still receive standard movement penalties for wearing armor
• Darkvision: Gold-haired dwarves can see in the dark up to 60 feet. Darkvision is black and white only, but it is other like normal sight, and gold-haired can function just fine with no light at all
• Stonecunning: This ability grants a gold-haired dwarf a +2 racial bonus Search checks to notice unusual stonework, such as sliding walls, stonework traps, new construction (even when built to match the old), unsafe stone surfaces, shaky stone ceilings, and the like. Something that isn't stone but that is disguised as stone also counts as unusual stonework. A gold-hair dwarf who merely comes within 10 feet of unusual stonework can make a Search check as if they were actively searching, and a gold-haired dwarf can use the Search skill to find stonework traps as a rogue can. A gold-haired dwarf can also intuit depth, sensing their approximate depth underground as naturally as a human can sense which way is up.
• +2 racial bonus on saving throws against spells and Spell-like abilities.
• +2 racial bonus on Appraise checks that are related to stone or metal items and +1 racial bonus on Appraise. While Gold-Hairs are trained to appraise things especially metal and stone good to allow better trade with Halflings and other dwarven houses.
• +2 racial bonus on Knowledge (Nobility and Royalty) and Knowledge (Religion) and +1 racial bonus on any other Knowledge check: Gold-Haired Dwarves are very well educated and place an especially high value on the education of Nobility and Religion.
• +2 racial bonus on Diplomacy and Gather Information: Gold Hairs are trained to be good diplomats and gather information
• A level 1 gold-hair dwarf starts with at least 6d8 x 10 gp worth of supplies. Gold-hair dwarves are very finically well-off, even those who are banished from dwarven society are done so will plenty of money and supplies.
• Automatic Languages: Common, Dwarven. Bonus Languages: Any (excluding secret languages), gold-hair dwarves are well educated, and have the resources to learn any language they please, though the most common languages ones learned are Giant, Gnome, Goblin and Orc.
• Favored Class: Cleric: Of all the Dwarf races, Gold-Haired Dwarves are the most naturally suited to become Cleric, due their superior Wisdom and Charisma, and Priesthood is a common route for Gold-Hairs who don't want to become house heads.

Vital Statistics

Table:Gold-Haired Dwarf Random Starting Ages

Adulthood	Simple	Moderate	Complex
40 years	+3d6	+5d6	+7d6

Table: Aging Effects

Middle Age1	Old2	Venerable3	Maximum Age
125 years	188 years	250 years	+2d% years
At middle age, −1 to Str, Dex, and Con; +1 to Int, Wis, and Cha. At old age, −2 to Str, Dex, and Con; +1 to Int, Wis, and Cha. At venerable age, −3 to Str, Dex, and Con; +1 to Int, Wis, and Cha.

Table: Random Height and Weight

Gender	Base Height	Height Modifier	Base Weight	Weight Modifier
Male	3' 9"	+2d4	130 lb.	× 1d6 lb.
Female	3' 7"	+2d4	100 lb.	× 1d6 lb.

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