Summary
Arguably one of the most recognizable species in fantasy games, the dwarves ofPathfinder Second Editionhave gotten a bit of a cleanup. After years of edits, the remaster for the Player Core looks to ensure that everyone new to the game can clearly understand how to build their favorite dwarven companion for an upcoming game.
With any attempt to return to core mechanics, there are chances to update certain aspects to rebalance them while cleaning up the language. Did dwarves get a major glow up, or have they remained the steady and unchanging entities that we know?
5Rock Dwarf
Rock Dwarves may sound somewhat redundant, but this heritage gives you some options while receiving some tweaks. Originally, it gave a +2 circumstance bonus to your save on only Trip or Shove actions taken against you, along with spells and effects that made you prone. The remaster fleshes this out a bit to include anything that may reposition you, including effects that force movement.
While dwarves only have 20 feet of base movement, this sturdiness won’t be felt as often as you would like, thanks to the sparse existence of forced movement spells and effects. You might find enemies that will actively throw you, but you’ll be able to tank a throw or two by then.
Pathfinder Definitions:
4Ancient-Blooded Dwarf
The only heritage that gives you an action thanks to invoking your ancestors, your blood is so old that it comes with the ability to resist magic effects through Call on Ancient Blood.
Unfortunately, this looks better on paper. Since reactions are one of the more scarce actions in the action economy, there are many betterspells and featuresas you level up – even in the Dwarven Ancestry list – that you’ll want to prioritize. Don’t be mistaken; a +1 bonus is still effective thanks to Pathfinder’s mechanics, but without any level-based scaling, this reaction will eventually fall by the wayside.
3Death Warden Dwarf
A death warden dwarf knows all about the balance of life and death and uses that knowledge to ward off spirits and death. Unlike the original that only worked on anything with the ‘necromancy trait,’ you now gain automatic critical success if you save against any effect that has the void trait or if it was created by an undead creature.
This flexibility makes you the ultimate undead destroyer, for the void trait can leave lingering effects even if you succeed in a saving throw. If you find your party delving into unholy territory or constantly fightingdivine spellcasters, your affinity for the dead can verify at least one of you stays standing.
2Forge
A Forge Dwarf knows about heat thanks to growing up in the hottest of environments, such as deserts and volcanoes. One could even say they were forged in flames to gain fire resistance, which is a fantastic boon with how prevalent fire damage can be. Thanks to it scaling with your level, you’ll be able to push through any heat your party might put you in.
That’s not all though, since you also gain resistance to environmental heat effects. These may not come in as handy if your party doesn’t go spelunking through a volcano, but the added insurance could be a lifesaver.
1Strong-Blooded
While no different from the original version, Strong-Blooded Dwarves still come out on top. Thanks to the prevalence and lethality of poisons in Pathfinder 2nd Edition, gaining a free resistance is a godsend in both combat encounters and surviving DM-concocted traps.
The scaling is the icing on the cake to ensure that no matter how far into your campaign you get, you’ll always have the ability to shrug off both the effects of poison and the damage itself. It may cause a shakeup inthe campaign planning, but you can be confident you’ll be able to survive even the strongest of food poisonings.
