River dwarves are the descendants of wood elves and hill dwarves. They live along the Tenneril River, and in the hills to the east of the river (the foothills of the Forges).
There are many farming and fishing communities in this area of various sizes, often mixed between river dwarf and human. Further up the river, communities tend to be more purely river-dwarf. Upland river dwarves are famous for their herds of swine, which they tend in the oak forests along the northern hills.
River dwarves live long lives—longer than dwarves, and more stable than elves—and they tend to take the long view of life and its issues. Polities in this area tend to be small and self-governing, with protection offered by volunteer military service traded amongst communities. Sometimes ambitious people try to turn themselves into warlords, and thus into nobles or kings. This rarely, if ever, gets above the level of protection-racket gangsters.
This statblock gives some default stats for mixing wood-elf and hill-dwarf backgrounds. It was created using the Ancestry & Culture expansion.
Not a distinct type of dwarf, but a term referring to mixed dwarven-elven people (hill dwarves and wood elves), who mostly live in small interconnected farming communities along the Tennerill River and in the foothills above it. There are a few river dwarves in the city of Malfa, but not in large numbers.
ability score increase:
Constitution +2, Wisdom +1
age:
450
Size:
Medium
speed:
25ft
Languages:
Common, Dwarvish, Sylvan
race features:
Ancestral features
Darkvision. Historically accustomed to twilit forests and the night sky, elves have superior vision in dark and dim conditions. You can see in dim light within 60 feet of you as if it were bright light, and in darkness as if it were dim light. You can’t discern color in darkness, only shades of gray.
Fey Ancestry. Thanks to your fey heritage, you have advantage on saving throws against being charmed, and magic can’t put you to sleep.
Dwarven Resilience. You have advantage on saving throws against poison, and you have resistance against poison damage, most likely a feature of your ancestors’ diet.
Cultural features
Ability Score Increase. Your Constitution score increases by 2, and your Wisdom score increases by 1.
Tool Proficiency. You gain proficiency with the artisan’s tools of your choice: smith’s tools, brewer’s supplies, mechanic’s tools, or mason’s tools.
Way of the Wood. You have proficiency in the Stealth and Survival skills. When you are in forest, you add double your proficiency bonus to the checks, instead of your normal proficiency bonus.
River dwarves are descended from the wood elves and hill dwarves of the Western continent, who traded and shared culture for centuries. Over time the elves have mostly moved further west, and the more reclusive Hewellen have become the dominant dwarven culture in the mountains. The river dwarves are a small localised ethnicity, living in relatively small communities, farming, fishing, and hunting in the forests. They are also famous swineherds; river-dwarf herds roam the cultivated woods south of the mountains.
River-dwarf society is generally well-ordered and peaceful, but they also like independence and lack of hierarchy. Alliances with other peoples are generally reluctant and temporary, made in reaction to external threats. They value self-sufficiency on both individual and communal levels.
