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Well, Dwarves tunneled to the surface during the Quest for the Sky. That was nearly 10,000 years ago.
Has that been enough time for dwarven variants to have developed, or has there always been variants? Specifically I am looking at environmental variants from Unearthed Arcana (wanting to use dessert dwarves).
Did dwarves emerge in ONE location? Were there variants before they emerged?
I was thinking about this too when I was making a dwarf NPC. I noticed the +1 for hated enemy only applies to orcs ad goblins - couldn't have dwarves been on the surface long enough to let the hate spread to other groups like gnolls, giants, drow, etc? :)
Contributor
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I quickly reviewed the PCS before posting, but I didn't dig much deeper, so please forgive if I misstep in this attempt. There is mention in the Dwarf character race entry of the "contemplative" dwarves of the Osirian Ouat caste, indicating there are at least cultural differences around the world.
I've never heard any mention that the dwarves of Golarion are any more or less fecund than humans (unlike my now-second-favorite campaign setting, in which dwarves had problems in the procreation department). Still, the long lifespan of a dwarf will naturally slow the rate of reproduction somewhat.
Cultural adaptation (manner of dress, shaving of facial hair, etc.) can be more quickly and easily adapted to the environment than actual physical (or metaphysical) traits. Based on the relative ease associated with cultural adaptation and the fact that dwarves are known for holding grudges, I think it would be fairly easy to argue for altering the focus of a dwarven community's racial hatred depending on what races pose the greatest threat to the community at large.
In the absence of outside forces (e.g., magic), though, it would take longer for genetic adaptations to manifest in a large portion of the dwarven population. Thus, I would say that 10,000 years isn't enough time to produce a wide variety of dwarves (although small pockets of dwarves existing in isolated locations with harsh climates may have the concentration required to force the acceleration of natural selection--but it may also lead to very in-bred dwarves).
Also, the adaptations that come from exposure to a sun-drenched desert climate (i.e., darker skin, heat tolerance, etc.), might not show up as quickly in a race that is traditionally perfectly comfortable retreating below the surface where the temperatures are more stable.
Basically, I'm of the mind that the variants or something related to them must have existed before they completed the Quest for the Sky. For example, if a group of dwarves had adapted to living close to a subterranean heat source before arriving on the surface, they may be quite comfortable in an equitorial desert climate of the surface world...at least during the day. They'd be shivering at night.
However, another option is to say that some early dwarven surface communities intentionally intermingled with elemental races as a kind of eugenics program: breeding children with certain elemental characteristics to improve the quality of life for future generations.
Lastly, do I get an a-hole label if I point out that "dessert dwarves" would likely be made of marzipan and wouldn't fare well at all in hot climates? ;-p
couldn't have dwarves been on the surface long enough to let the hate spread to other groups like gnolls, giants, drow, etc? :)
Doesn't an elf's long lifespan mean that he should start with 10 levels in whatever class he's in? Shouldn't gnomes, which are basically fey creatures, not have druid magic with a CL equal to their character level in addition to other class features?
It's all about balance.
And dwarves really don't need a +1 to attacks against everything. They're powerful enough as it is.
If anything, I'd take away the bonus against goblins - orcs are their archenemies, not the little buggers.
By the way: For the drow hate, they would have had to stay in the Darklands. As it is, dwarf/drow contact is virtually nonexistent, since almost all dwarves are on the surface, or in caverns that aren't considered part of the Darklands at all. Some may live in Nar-Voth, but below, there's almost no dwarves. Even duergar are more in Nar-Voth (the uppermost Darklands layer) - and depending on who you ask, they're not dwarves.
Drow, on the other hand, live mostly in Sekamina (the middle layer).
During the time the dwarves still lived underground, there weren't any drow yet, so they could not have met down there before the Quest for Sky was fulfilled.
Concerning variants: I think that before they came to the surface, there wasn't much in sub-species variety. You had dwarves. Maybe there were cultural or regional differences, but they were no more pronounced than what you find in humans - probably much less so, since the Darklands aren't quite as diferse in matters of climate and so on as the surface.
The first big change came when not all dwarves chose to go up. The duergar chose to remain behind and turn to darker gods. The radical change to their appearance is partly a divine curse for their hubris.
If any other sub-species exist, they have developed during the time above.
Concerning the subraces from the core SRD:
Deep dwarves probably do not exist, or are very, very rare. They're those few who remained behind but didn't turn to Droskar.
Mountain dwarves are probably those who do live underground (real underground, without a ready connection to the surface, including those from Nar-Voth.
If you want other sub-species, go ahead and use them. Desert dwarves could have came about when some dwarves came up under the desert, or chose to relocate there. Maybe they liked the solitude of the deep desert.
here is a link to the d20srd site about dessert dwarves and environmental variants.
I'll take the one made of whipcream and chocolate, please ROFLMAO!!
Sorry, Krome, but that's DESERT, with one S, for the sandy dry place, and DESSERT, with two Ss, for yummy goodies after dinner :) Easy way to remember for english and non-english speakers ... if it's the edible, you want seconds, so you get two Ss :)
chocolate covering dwarves is an excellent aphrodisiac!
That's what I keep tellin' 'em! 'Cause, you know me--I'm all about the ladies.
and didn't you know chocolate covering dwarves is an excellent aphrodisiac!
As an anti-depressant, try covering them with boiling pitch. It always cheers me up.
chocolate covering dwarves is an excellent aphrodisiac!That's what I keep tellin' 'em! 'Cause, you know me--I'm all about the ladies.
And if you want seconds, then it's all about the laddies....?
Gru
As an anti-depressant, try covering them with boiling pitch. It always cheers me up.
and didn't you know chocolate covering dwarves is an excellent aphrodisiac!
And don't forget the appetizers! You HAVE to serve appetizers before your meal and dessert! "Elf-on-a-Stick", also known as "3-points-on-a-pole" by more wealthy denizens.
This appetizer can also be used as the main course for certain cultures, such as Sahuagin.
The orc culture tends to refer to this culinary delight as an "Elven Exotic Weapon".
The orc culture...
You lost me there. I know the word "orc" and the word "culture", but if you put them into the same sentence, all you get is gibberish.