Please see my previous articles on Elves and Men.
Notes: The dwarves that J.R.R. Tolkien describes in The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit are by and large Longbeard dwarves. The Stiffbeards are only mentioned in The Peoples of Middle-earth, and I included them here simply to give dwarf players more options. Except for the name, we know nothing about the Stiffbeards from Tolkien, so I used the Umli race from MERP for inspiration. The Umli were "half-dwarves" that lived in the Far North and as far as I know they were invented by the creators of MERP. The Stiffbeards are true dwarves.
Disclaimer: Much of the flavor text is lifted from MERP with alterations. The races were constructed using the rules in the Advanced Race Guide.
The Longbeards are the descendants of Durin the Deathless, one of the Seven Fathers created by Aulë the Smith, giver of mountains and master of crafts. Durin was the greatest of the Seven Fathers, and the Longbeards are the greatest of the dwarven clan. Their mansions are the largest and richest, and their works of craftsmanship are looked upon with awe and jealousy by other dwarven clans. In times of trouble, the other clans look to the Longbeards for leadership, though the rest of time they are content to keep to themselves.
Physical Description: Short, stocky, strong, with exceptionally strong limbs. Black, red, or dark brown hair. Fair to ruddy complexion. All dwarves have beards, without exception, sometimes braided, and long hair. They wear heavy garb with colorful hooded cloaks. Crenellated trimwork is popular.
Society: The Longbeards are superb miners and craftsmen and unsurpassed in stoneworks. They live in tightly-knit groups and favor underground cities which are usually cut into rugged hills or mountains.
Relations: In the Third Age, the Longbeards have been close friends with groups of Men who live along the Great East Road, both east and west of the Misty Mountains, most famously the Men of Dale. In harder times, they have depended on trade with these groups for their livelihood. Other dwarven clans hold the Longbeards in awe, however the stubborn and jealous nature of dwarves means that the Longbeards cannot always look to the other clans for help. The Longbeards have had rocky relationships with the Elves of Mirkwood and Lothlórien, at times almost coming to open war. However, the dwarves truly hate orcs, wargs, and dragons, and they will never forget that Sauron at one time tried to enslave them all.
Religion: Dwarves have mysterious beliefs understood only by them and prophesies regarding the end of the world. They revere their ancestors above all other things but Aulë their maker. Longbeards believe their kings to be all the same dwarf—Durin the Deathless.
Longbeard Dwarf Racial Traits
+2 Con, +2 Wis, –2 Cha: Longbeards are both tough and wise, but also a bit gruff.
Medium: Longbeards are Medium creatures and receive no bonuses or penalties due to their size.
Slow and Steady: Longbeards have a base speed of 20 feet, but their speed is never modified by armor or encumbrance.
Darkvision: Longbeards can see in the dark up to 60 feet.
Ancient Foe: Longbeards have a +2 dodge bonus to AC against dragons and a +2 racial bonus on combat maneuver checks made to grapple dragons.
Greed: Longbeards gain a +2 racial bonus on Appraise checks made to determine the price of nonmagical goods that contain precious metals or gemstones.
Hatred: Longbeards gain a +1 racial bonus on attack rolls against Elves and orcs.
Stability: Longbeards gain a +4 racial bonus to their Combat Maneuver Defense when resisting a bull rush or trip attempt while standing on the ground.
Stonecunning: Longbeards gain a +2 bonus on Perception checks to notice unusual stonework, such as traps and hidden doors located in stone walls or floors. They receive a check to notice such features whenever they pass within 10 feet of them, whether or not they are actively looking.
Stubborn: Longbeards gain a +2 racial bonus on Will saves to resist spells and spell-like abilities of the enchantment (charm) and enchantment (compulsion) subschools. If they fail the save, they receive another save 1 round later to prematurely end the effect (assuming the spell or spell-like ability has a duration greater than 1 round). This second save is made at the same DC as the first. If the Longbeard has a similar ability from another source (such as a rogue’s slippery mind class feature), it can only use one of these abilities per round, but can try the other on the second round if the first reroll ability fails.
Weapon Familiarity: Longbeards are proficient with battleaxes, longswords, and warhammers, and treat any weapon with the word “dwarven” in its name as a martial weapon.
Languages: Longbeards begin play speaking Westron and Khuzdul. Longbeards with high Intelligence scores can choose from the following: Avian, Black Speech, Northman, and Sindarin.
The Stiffbeards are one of the lesser clans of dwarves. Their lands are in the far north, beyond the Grey Mountains, though dwarves are always on the move in search of new treasures to claim and therefore some groups may have migrated south. More than other dwarves, they are jealous and secretive, constantly muttering against anyone who has more than them, which includes most peoples in Middle-earth. To strangers they seem as cold and harsh as the lands in which they live, but they are not inherently wicked.
Physical Description: Strong and compact, with large facial features and considerable beards. They have ruddy skin and red hair, with penetrating pale blue eyes. They tend to wear fur-lined skin coats, shirts, pants, boots and hoods.
Society: The Stiffbeards are hunters, gatherers and fishermen. They move from site to site depending on the season. Most reside in caves of underground settlements. Many mine, and the Stiffbeards are accomplished smiths and artisans, though their works will never rival the Longbeards.
Relations: Except for the few small groups and individuals who have wandered south of the Grey Mountains, the Stiffbeards are largely unknown to the peoples of Middle-earth. Of all the races, the have the most dealings with the Lossoth. The Stiffbeards are extremely jealous of the Longbeards and desire all that they have, but this jealousy rarely turns into violence. Like all dwarves, they hate Sauron and will never trust him, and more than other races, they despise the ancient creatures of Morgoth that occasionally rise up from the ruins of Utumno.
Religion: As with the Longbeards, the Stiffbeards revere Aulë above all others.
Stiffbeard Dwarf Racial Traits
+2 Con, +2 Int, –2 Cha: Stiffbeards are both tough and cunning, but also a bit dour.
Medium: Stiffbeards are Medium creatures and receive no bonuses or penalties due to their size.
Slow and Steady: Stiffbeards have a base speed of 20 feet, but their speed is never modified by armor or encumbrance.
Darkvision: Stiffbeards can see in the dark up to 60 feet.
Greed: Stiffbeards gain a +2 racial bonus on Appraise checks made to determine the price of nonmagical goods that contain precious metals or gemstones.
Hatred: Stiffbeards gain a +1 racial bonus on attack rolls against wargs and dwarves of other clans.
Stability: Stiffbeards gain a +4 racial bonus to their Combat Maneuver Defense when resisting a bull rush or trip attempt while standing on the ground.
Stonecunning: Stiffbeards gain a +2 bonus on Perception checks to notice unusual stonework, such as traps and hidden doors located in stone walls or floors. They receive a check to notice such features whenever they pass within 10 feet of them, whether or not they are actively looking.
Stubborn: Stiffbeards gain a +2 racial bonus on Will saves to resist spells and spell-like abilities of the enchantment (charm) and enchantment (compulsion) subschools. If they fail the save, they receive another save 1 round later to prematurely end the effect (assuming the spell or spell-like ability has a duration greater than 1 round). This second save is made at the same DC as the first. If the Longbeard has a similar ability from another source (such as a rogue’s slippery mind class feature), it can only use one of these abilities per round, but can try the other on the second round if the first reroll ability fails.
Tundra Runner: Stiffbeards receive a +4 racial bonus on Constitution checks and Fortitude saves to avoid fatigue and exhaustion, as well as any other ill effects from running, forced marches, starvation, thirst, and hot or cold environments.
Tundra Stride: Stiffbeards can move through natural difficult terrain at their normal speed while within a cold tundra environment. Magically altered terrain affects them normally.
Weapon Familiarity: Stiffbeard are proficient with longswords, mattocks, and warhammers, and treat any weapon with the word “dwarven” in its name as a martial weapon.
Languages: Stiffbeards begin play speaking Westron and Khuzdul. Longbeards with high Intelligence scores can choose from the following: Black Speech, Lossadan, and Sindarin, and Wolf.