Dungeons and Dragons – Mystara
Races – Dwarf of Air (Hillbound)
Sourcebooks: Players Handbook (ph20)
Also known as Hilltop Dwarves or Hill Dwarves.
Considered to be an outcast or the product of a cursed earth dwarf (stonebound) turned into an air (hillbound) dwarf. They are raised to believe they are forever denied access to the dwarf afterlife. Hillbound dwarves and stonebound dwarves don’t interbreed (by tradition) and communities of dwarves living above ground or away from Rockhome are usually hillbound dwarves.
Adapted to the surface and considered foreign (and lesser) by the earth dwarves because they like the surface and have a love for the open sky. They are associated with the sphere of Thought, the element of Air, and the colour of white.
- Attributes – Dwarven Traits:
- Ability Score Increase: Constitution +2
- Alignment: Dwarves are Lawful in general
- Size: 4 to 5 ft tall and average about 150 pounds. Medium size.
- Speed: base walking is 25 ft and your speed is not reduced by heavy armour
- Darkvision (Dwarf) you can see in dim light within 60 ft as it was bright light, and darkness as if it was dim light. You can’t discern colour in darkness, only shades of grey.
- Dwarven Combat Training – Weapons Mastery: Gains proficiency with five weapons of significance of your choice. If you have proficiency with these weapons, they are upgraded to skilled. Standard Weapons – Battleaxe, Handaxe, Throwing Hammer, and Warhammer
- Tool Proficiency: You are proficient with the artisan’s tools of your choice: Smith’s tools, brewer’s supplies, or mason’s tools.
- Stonecunning (Dwarf) Whenever you make a Intelligence (History) check related to the origin of stonework, you are considered proficient in the History skill and add double your proficiency bonus to the check, instead of your normal proficiency bonus.
- Prophecy: Each dwarf is given a prophecy from their birth that describes how they die.
- Languages: You speak, read and write Common (Thyatian) and Dwarvish.
- Pantheon: Dwarven and Gnome
- Character Options – Available to all Dwarven Subraces
Nationalities
- Darokin: Stronghollow and Wywarf Clans as colonies.
- Karameikos Stronghollow Clan as homeland.
- Rockhome: Wywarf Clan as homeland.
- Thyatis: Stronghollow as colony.
Clans:
- Stronghollow (Darokin, Karameikos, Thyatis) An offshoot of the Rockhome dwarves, this clan of dwarves moved out and settled in the hills around Highforge, in Karameikos. They have become experts at repairing gnomish contraptions.
- Wyrwarf (Darokin, Rockhome) Dwarven clan name means “Born to Hunger”. This is a clan of criminals, outcasts and farmers. They have become experts at growing plants and raising animals.
D&D Dwarven Clan Stronghollow – Darokin, Karameikos (Mainly Dwarves of Air – Hillbound)
Settlements – Highforge (Town, Karameikos(7,4)),
The dwarves living in the Grand Duchy are either members of the Stronghollow clan up in the gnome community, or are dwarven professionals who have immigrated into Karameikos – often acting as professional soldiers in the service of the Duke or one of his barons. When they do express a preference between Traladarans and Thyatians, the dwarves tend to prefer the company of Thyatians, who are practical people, and not superstition-ridden like the Traladarans
Hillbound Heritage
The Hillbound people are an evolution from the Old Dwarves. They are connected to air and nature. Their appearance has an aspect of it highlighted in white.
- Height – men and women 4’ 2″ to 5′ 2″.
- Complexion – Pale skinned.
- Colouration – skin is pale and hair black with eyes of rich silver.
- Known Locations: Darokin, Karameikos, Northern Reaches, Rockhome, Thyatis.
- Traits – based on the Hill Dwarf and meets any requirements requiring that race.
Hillbound Traits
- Attributes – Dwarven – Hillbound (Dwarf of Air) Traits
- Ability Score Increase: Wisdom +1.
- Dwarven Toughness: Your hit point maximum increases by 1 and increases by 1 every time you gain a level.
- Heart of Lightning: You have resistance to Lightning, Thunder and Necrotic, and resistance to magical healing. You have a weakness to acid damage.
- Sunlight Growth: They have expertise with any checks relating to growing plants in the sunlight where they live. When looking at the sky in daylight, you can take an action to know which way is north.
- Evolution (1st Evolution): Counts as the Old Dwarf and Genasi races for the purposes of effects and magical items. As a 1st evolution, there is a 25% chance for any offspring to be a Genasi.
Most Hillbound have the Air Aspected Traits, to select other elemental traits please gain the game masters permission.
Elemental – Air Aspected Traits
- Ability Score Increase: Dexterity +2
- Appearance: Pale eyes, blonde hair, white veins or skin are trademarks of Air Aspected characters.
- Touch of the Air (Air aspected) While taking a short rest in the open sky, you can spend 1 HD to roll two dice and take the results of both.
- Power of Thought (Air aspected) When using (or effected by) Thunder or Lightning you add your proficiency bonus to the damage (or reduce damage taken) and cause your eyes to glow white till the start of your next turn.
- Danger of Matter (Air aspected) When hit by Acid or Poison damage you take additional damage equal to your proficiency. Acid or Poison effects you use, have their attack, damage and saving throw reduced by your proficiency instead of increased by it.
- Air Evolution: Counts as a Genasi for the purposes of using Air Genasi effects and magical items, but not as a Air Genasi. With every Genasi offspring there is a d20 roll to determine their elemental aspect:
- 80% chance of an Air Aspected child (1 to 16)
- 5% chance of an one of the other elements aspects. Darkness (17), Earth (18), Fire (19), Water (20)
- Character Options – All Air Aspected Sub-Races
- Barbarian – Path of the Storm Herald (Sea)
- Cleric – Domain of Air
- Monk – Way of the Elements (Air)
- Sorcerer – Draconic Bloodline (White), Elemental Essence (Air), Storm Sorcery
- Warlock – Pact of the Genie Lord (Air)
- Wizard – Elementalist (Air)
Hillbound Character Options
- Locations: Darokin, Karameikos, Northern Reaches, Rockhome, Thyatis
- Hillbound Class Options
- Barbarian: Path of the Battlerager
- Bard: College of Lore, College of Valour
- Fighter: Battle Master, Champion
- Monk: Way of the Drunken Master, Way of Iron
- Paladin: Oath of the Crown, Oath of Perfection
- Ranger: Beast Master, Monster Slayer
Campaign Examples
- Mystara Friday Campaign Tydrus (bard)
Hillbound Dwarf Racial Magical Items
Dwarves associated with nature and growth. See all (Hillbound) items listed below as your relic magical items. You can also treat (Dwarven) as relic items as well. See Genasi Overview for (Airchild) genasi items you can use is if you were a genasi.
- Hillbound – The items from these people have a tendency to deal with nature and growth style items.
- Dwarven – The items from these people have a tendency to deal with a mining and crafting style. A Dwarf (and all Dwarven subtypes) can use the base dwarf relic trait of all Dwarven items.
- Genasi (Air) – These are elemental air based items. A Hillbound can use the relic trait of the item is if they are a base Genasi, just not the Air aspect relic trait.
Designing the Hillbound Dwarves
As the Hill Dwarves are converted over to the Hillbound dwarves (briefly called Hilltop dwarves) I have given them extra abilities associated with the light and resistances to damage suited to a character in that region. It was a decision to make all dwarves have necrotic damage as well as a secondary type, and then have a weakness to the opposing element.
The Wisdom bonus as the choice to help them understand the machinery better.
The Heart of Lightning feature of the character shows their resistances and weakness based around the element of air.
The Touch of Air feature is similar to the humans elemental air option.
The feature Dwarven Toughness is a pick up from the Hill Dwarves which they were built from.
The Sunlight Growth is a connection to the land and how they adapted to being out in the open sky.
Lastly we have the 1st Evolution from the Old Dwarves. This means that if the character finds items that are keyed to any of their ancestral races, they also count as being part of that race. For Hillbound Dwarves this means that they count as Dwarf as well as Hillbound. And with their Air aspect they also count as a standard Genasi when using items belonging to the Air Genasi.
Content Updates
- 2021-08-18 – Updated the classes and magical items.
- 2021-08-05 – Updating the layout and menu.
- 2020-09-18 – Modified layout and air aspected options.
- 2020-07-22 – Added magical items and shared dwarf traits.
- 2020-06-28 – Added references.
- 2020-05-16 – Added in some more detail in the design decisions and nationality.
- 2020-05-07 – Added Heart of Lighting aspect to the character.
Mystara Races
Dragonkind Overview: Air (Crystalborn, Silverborn, Whiteborn), Darkness (Blackborn, Brassborn, Onyxborn), Earth (Copperborn, Emeraldborn, Greenborn), Fire( Amberborn, Goldborn, Redborn, Rubyborn), Water (Blueborn, Bronzeborn, Sapphineborn)
Dwarven Overview: Air (Hillbound), Darkness (Shadowbound), Earth (Stonebound), Fire (Craftbound), Water (Seabound)
Elven Overview: Air (Nomadfey, Skyfey), Darknes (Bloodfey, Shadowfey), Earth (Wildfey, Woodfey), Fire (Spiritfey, Sunfey), Water (Seafey), Elements (Seasonfey)
Genasi Overview: Air (Airchild), Earth (Earthchild), Darkness (Darkchild), Fire (Firechild), Water (Waterchild)
Gnome Overview: Air (Skykin), Darkness (Shadowkin), Earth (Forestkin), Fire (Tinkerkin), Water (Tradekin)
Halfling Overview: Air (Southshire), Darkness (Eastshire), Earth (Highshire), Fire (Heartshire), Water (Seashire)
Human Overview: Air (Hattian, Heldannic, Kerendan, Thyatian), Darkness (Nuari), Earth (Atruaghin, Ethengarian, Makistani), Fire (Alasiyan, Thothian, Traladaran), Water (Makai)
Inner World
Humans Overview: Fire – Nithian
D&D Gazetteer
The Known World Region: Alfheim, Atruaghin Clans, Broken Lands, Darokin, Ethengar, Five Shires, Glantri, Ierendi, Karameikos, Minrothad, Northern Reaches, Rockhome, Shadowlands, Ylaruam
Other Places of Note: Alphatia and Thyatis, Norwold Region, Thunder Rift
D&D 5E in Mystara
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Class Builds –
Artificer – Bombardier (Tinkerkin),
Barbarian – Totem Warrior (Plamin, Camdu),
Bard – College of Valour (Sunfey),
Druid – Circle of Dreams (Woodfey), Circle of the Tree of Life (Seasonfey),
Fighter – Battlemaster (Seashire), Eldritch Knight (Kerendan), Weapons Master (Lani), Weapons Master (Stonebound),
Monk – Way of the Elements (Tidal),
Paladin – Oath of Radiance (Sunfey), Oath of Vengeance (Firechild),
Sorcerer – Wild Magic (Shadowfey),
Warlock – Celestial (Llewell),
Wizard – Bladesinger (Nerye),
Dragon – White (Calcryx).
Multiclass – Cleric/Wizard (Xhall), Rogue/Cleric (Dracnomir), Rogue/Sorcerer (Yodrey), Wizard/Rogue (Traladaran)
Floorplans – Thyatian
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