Duergar

The Grey Dwarves of the Underdark

.....Of all the creatures that roam the Underdark, it is the Duergar, the grey dwarves, that give the Drow compitention for dominace in the under-ground world. The Duergar, unlike their elven conterparts, were not driven to the under-realm by their surface cousins, instead, it is believed that the Duergar's exil was self-imposed. They are a race of greedy dwarves that covet things such has gems and jewels, and fine metals. They descended into the Underdark in an effort to be closer to that which they so coveted and spent generations mining their precious ores. While there, the Duergar have encounted many creatures and cultures. They are often involved in border wars with the Drow and Maxpary. Like the Drow though, the Duergar have slaves (though not to the extent that the Drow do), they enlslave the likes of the Kobolds and Troglodytes and Goblins, and other underground races, to use in their mines. .....Grey dwarves resemble surface dwarves in every way except their skin color ranges from dark grey to and ashy grey color, and their hair and beard color ranges from stark white to coal black. Their eyes are usually hazel or grey, though there have been Duergar born with blue eyes. The majority of the Duergar on Rifts Earth came up underneath countries such as Russia, Poland, Romania, and Germany. They know of the Phoenix Empire and the Gargoyal and Brodkil Empires, but will have nothing to do with them. The natural dwarven hate of demons runs deep even within these dwarves. On the contrary, the Duergar engage in trade with the likes of the Warlords of Russia, and even offers support to the kingdom of Tarnow against the Brodkil Empire. .....For the most part, the Duergar are up front and can be trusted in dealings such as trade and sales. They will try and get the best deal possible for themselves, but they can be trusted to stick to the agreement once the deal is closed. This goes for all deals, from weapons and arms trade, to mercenary companies. Although the Duergar are slavers, they do not regularly engage in slavetrade. What disturbs most (especially the surface dwarves), is that the Duergar still practice magic. There is even a rumor the the grey dwarves still practice Rune magic! A rumor that no one has been able to substantiate. THE DUERGAR R.C.C. An NPC villian and optional player character. Alignment: Most (78%) are Aberrant or Unprincipled, with 12% being Anarchist and Miscreant, and 8% being Diabolic. Very few are actually good. Attributes: I.Q. 3D6, M.E. 3D6, M.A. 2D6+2*, P.S. 4D6, P.P. 2D6*, P.E. 5D6, P.B. 2D6, Spd. 2D6. *: A roll of 11 or 12 will gain the roll of another 1D6 for M.A. and P.P. but not P.B. and Spd.

Hit Points: Standard, P.E. +1D6 per level. S.D.C.: 20, plus that gained from pysical skills and O.C.C. A.R.: None. P.P.E.: 3D6 Average Height: 3-4 feet tall, with a few (1 out of every 60) reaching 5 feet tall. Average Weight: 200-300 lbs. Natural Abilities: Nightvision to 200 feet, natural psionics (see below), and the folowing;

.....Underground Tunneling: Duergar can dig and build solid, strong tunnels with amazing speed and dexterity. They can also excavate ruins and the sites of cave-ins with the same prowess. In addition, the character can usually tell if an existing tunnel or chamber is a natural formation or whether it was dug by other dwarves, kobolds, goblins, troglodytes, Drow, Sverfneblin, or humans. The Duergar can even tell if it's new, old, or ancient. Base Skill: 50% +5% per level. .....Underground Architecture: The Duergar are excellent underground architects able to build small and large rooms, ornate archeways, staircases, great chambers with cathedral ceilings, as well as a labyrinth of tunnels, passage ways, mazes, and underground traps (the most common are pit and cave in traps). Likewise, the character can recognize the racial style (dwarf, goblin, Drow, etc.) of construction. The Duergar who is traveling slowly and cautiously, looking for underground traps can locate them, and a avoid or deactivate them. Base Skill: 40% +5% per level. Detection and deactivation of traps is done at half the normal skill level. .....Underground Sense of Direction: The character has an innate ability to ability to tell direction when underground, even in total darkness (not applicable on the surface). Thus, the Duergar can tell whether he is traveling up, down, or level, the approximate angle of decline or ascent, approximately how far below he is and what direction he is traveling in (north, south, east, or west). Base Skill: 40% +5% per level. .....This skill also enable the Duergar to judge the approximate location to surface structures (natural and artificial), but only if the character is familiar with the area. The characterwill also recognize traits and aspects of the underground tunnel or construct that serve as land marks for him. Base Skill: 40% +5% per level. .....Metalworking: All Duergar have a basic understanding of blacksmithing facilities, smith techniques and procedures, and working with metal, particularly in the area of making weapons and jewelry. Equal to the field armorer skill with a +10% bonus. .....Recognize Precious Metals and Stones: Same as ther gemology skill with a +20% bonus.

Bonuses: +1 to save vs. magic, +2 to save vs. possession, and +2 to save vs. horror factor. Available O.C.C.s: Any. For the most part, they Duergar become men-at-arms and a few (8%) become practicioners of magic. Duergar are very fond of cybernetics but disdain the idea of M.O.M. implants and juicer augmentation. Magic: The rumors of the Duergar practicing Rune magic are false. Like their surface kin, they too have given up this unholy magic and feel it's best if those of the Megaverse forgot it ever exsisted. A full 64% of Duergar that become practicioners of magic are divided between TechnoWizards, Diabolists, and Mystic Kuznya. Another 20% are dedicated to the arts of elemental

magic (mostly Earth and Fire Warlocks and Stone Masters). 12% are Conjurers and 3% are Necromancers and Witches. Only 1% of those Duergar that use magic become Ley Line Walkers, Shifters, Mystics, Temporal Wizards, and such. Psionics: All Duergar are innately psionic and possess the following powers; Bio-Manipulation, Impervious to Cold, Impervious to Fire, Impervious to Poison, Psionic Invisibility, and See Aura. They are considered major psychics. I.S.P.: 4D6 +M.E. +1D6+1 per level of experiance. Penalties: As with the Drow, the Duergar suffer penalties when submitted to bright lights such as the sun, Globe of Daylight and other high intensity lights: -4 to strike, parry, and dodge, -3 to initiative, -2 attack/actions per melee, use psionics at half their effectiveness. Like the Drow, if the Duergar wears some kind of eye protection (polerized lenses, sunglasses, environmental armor), he can half these penalties (rounding all fractions up). The use of polarized cybernetic eyes completely negates the above mentioned penalties. Allies: Although the Underdark is a harsh realm of survival of the fittest, the Duergar have managed to gain allies, but on the surface, not below. They are on good terms with some of the various Warlords, and they engage in regular trade with the Kingdom of Tarnow. Enemies: The grey dwarves are enemies with the wicked and foul Drow elves, goblins and all their kin, the Splugorth, the Brodkil Empire, the Gargoyal Empire, and the Phoenix Empire. .