Dwarven Glory

(UPDATE 12-Oct-13: Terminology has been changed from “Secondary Skill” to “Background”.)

As I mentioned before, a complaint about minimalist games is their lack of PC customization. I already introduced the idea of quirks, which provide modifiers to some rolls.

But what about a dwarf’s other abilities? Was he an apprentice miner? Does he know the lore of the fisherdwarf? Is he a cheesemaker?

Taking the skill list from Dwarf Fortress as a starting point, I provide the following Backgrounds for use in Dwarven Glory.

Dwarven society is organized into various guilds which jealously guard the secrets of their profession. Player characters are assumed to have apprenticed in a guild prior to play and thus gained some mundane abilities – information and training from early years before selecting a class.

Since dwarves are assigned (without their consent) by clan elders to a guild very early in their youth, a player must roll percentile dice on the following table to randomly determine their character’s background. The player will be able to pick the PC’s specialty, however (choose one from the list provided):

Dwarven Background Table

• 01-10: None (No ability of appreciable worth. 2-in-6 chance of noble title.)
• 11-25: Miner (Prospector, excavator, smelter.)
• 26-30: Woodworker (Bowyer, carpenter, lumberdwarf.)
• 31-40: Stoneworker (Engraver, mason, stonecutter.)
• 41-45: Hunter (Animal handler, tracker, trapper.)
• 46-55: Metalsmith (Armourer, furnace operator, metalcrafter, weaponsmith.)
• 56-60: Jeweler (Appraiser, gem cutter, goldsmith, silversmith.)
• 61-80: Craftsdwarf (Bonecarver, clothier, glassmaker, leatherworker, stonecrafter, weaver, woodcarver.)
• 81-85: Fisher (Crab/lobsterdwarf, fisherdwarf, fish cleaner, fish dissector, fishery worker.)
• 86-90: Farmer (Beekeeper, brewer, butcher, cheesemaker, cook, herbalist, milker, miller, mushroom farmer, thresher.)
• 91-95: Engineer (Architect, mechanic, pump operator, siege engineer, siege operator.)
• 95-00: Roll Twice (Apprenticed in multiple guilds.)

When backgrounds are used, it is up to the referee to create and/or adjudicate situations in which these applied are applied to the player character.

As a general rule, having a background will give the character the ability to determine the general worth and soundness of an item, the ability to find food, make small repairs, or actually construct (crude) items. For example, an individual with the Metalsmith (armourer) background could tell the quality of normal armour, repair chain links, or fashion a helmet. Typically, a Lore check is recommended for cases where success or failure would have measurable consequences. (In some cases, a Skill check may be more appropriate, at the referee’s discretion.)

In addition, if the player can convince the referee that a particular d20 check is related to the character’s background, then roll two dice and take the best result (he is considered advantaged). For example, an animal handler trying to calm an ornery mule could invoke this rule.