Difference between revisions of "Mountain Dwarf"

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{{flavour|Mountain Dwarves, as opposed to the subterranean specimen, come from cities far above the Dungeon. They love to fight, and often venture forth to seek fame and fortune through battle. As such, they are very robust and excellent at hand combat, especially favouring axes or bludgeoning weapons, and are good at using armour and shields. They are poor at missile combat, the single exception being crossbows. Polearms usually are too big for them to wield comfortably and so make quite bad weapons for Mountain Dwarves.  
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{{flavour|Mountain Dwarves are stout and hardy folk, adept at fighting with axes and blugeoning weapons, though lacking the dexterity to excel at other forms of combat. Their reserves of magic are somewhat poor, though they still make passable spellcasters, and their connection with the blood of the earth gives them a particular talent at fire and earth magics. Their spell success is significantly less encumbered by armour than other species.
  
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In general, they are rather more resistant to magic than capable of using it themselves. However, they are very proficient at earth and fire magic. Thus, many a Mountain Dwarf started a career as an elementalist in those schools. They advance in levels at a similar rate to Deep Elves.}}
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They are superlative artisans and smiths, employed in ancient times by even the gods themselves, and this spiritual history makes them exceptional at invoking divine aid. They can even use enchantment scrolls to improve artefacts that would be beyond the understanding of any other species.}}
  
 
==Innate Abilities==
 
==Innate Abilities==
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*Bonus when using [[racial equipment|dwarven equipment]]. Dwarven armour grants a bonus to their [[Armour]] skill while worn (even moreso than with other species) and impedes their spellcasting less. They do slightly more damage with dwarven weapons.
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*'''Runic Magic''': The [[encumbrance rating]] of all armour you wear is reduced by 1/2 for purposes of [[spell success]].
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*'''Artefact Enchanting''': You can use [[scrolls of enchant weapon]] and [[scroll of enchant armour|armour]] upon random [[artefact]]s. This includes artefacts cursed by [[Ashenzari]]. Note that you cannot enchant [[unrand]]s, only [[randart]]s.
  
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==Preferred backgrounds==
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Mountain Dwarves have a base [[Strength]] of 10, [[Intelligence]] of 8, and [[Dexterity]] of 5 (before [[background]] modifiers).
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Mountain Dwarves are best suited as [[Fighter]]s, [[Gladiator]]s, [[Berserker]]s, [[Paladin]]s, [[Priest]]s, [[Healer]]s, [[Chaos Knight]]s, [[Reaver]]s, [[Conjurer]]s, [[Fire Elementalist]]s, [[Earth Elementalist]]s, and [[Hunter]]s.
 
  
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==Level bonuses==
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==Preferred Backgrounds==
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*+1 [[strength]] every 4th level.
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*'''Warriors''': [[Fighter]], [[Monk]]
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*You gain the base max [[HP]] every level, plus 1 on every even level.
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*'''Zealots''': [[Berserker]], [[Cinder Acolyte]]
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*You gain 1 max [[MP]] on every level except on every 3rd level.
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*'''Warrior-Mages''': [[Reaver]]
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*+4 [[magic resistance]] per level.
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*'''Mages''': [[Fire Elementalist]]
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==Level Bonuses==
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*+1 [[strength]] or [[intelligence]] (equal chance) every 4th level.
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*10% more [[HP]] than average.
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*+4 [[willpower]] per level.
  
 
==Starting Skills and Equipment==
 
==Starting Skills and Equipment==
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Mountain Dwarves begin with the skills and equipment listed for their background, with these exceptions.
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Mountain Dwarves start with the skills and equipment listed for their background.
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*Mountain Dwarves start with [[crossbow (item)|crossbows]] (and [[bolt]]s) instead of [[bow]]s (and [[arrow]]s).
 
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*Mountain Dwarves start with Crossbows skill instead of Bows.
 
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*All weapons and armor are of "dwarven" quality, when such variants exist.
 
  
 
==Difficulty of Play==
 
==Difficulty of Play==
 
{{Beginner}}
 
{{Beginner}}
  
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Much like the modern [[Minotaur]], Mountain Dwarves are an easy race to play thanks to their prowess of melee combat, with no need for spellcasting. They deal great damage with high STR, have great aptitudes for combat-related skills, and have well above average HP. Overall, Mountain Dwarves are recommended for players who want something hardier than a [[Human]], but don't want the slower leveling and other penalties that most monstrous species come with.
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Mountain Dwarves are an easy species to play, as they have high HP and good aptitudes for melee combat. They also have excellent skill in [[Invocations]], making them better at using certain [[gods]]' abilities. In addition, they can make passable and durable spellcasters.
  
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{{obsolete_species_aptitudes|Mountain Dwarf}}
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===Compared to Minotaur===
  
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==Strategy==
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Melee Mountain Dwarves are similar to Minotaurs. Their differences are listed below:
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The dwarven equipment bonus is nice, but bear in mind that Dwarves do not appear as common monsters in this game, so easy access to enchanted/ego dwarven gear (via looting it off their corpses) won't be an option as it is with [[Hill Orc]]s and the various species of Elves.
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*Minotaurs deal somewhat more damage in combat, due to having [[Horns]]. This can make a difference, especially in the early Dungeon.
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*Minotaurs have better defensive aptitudes ([[Armour]], [[Dodging]], [[Shields]]), while Mountain Dwarves are better at Invocations.
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*Minotaurs are better at most weapon skills, especially the [[Dexterity]]-based ones ([[Short Blades]], [[Long Blades]], [[Ranged Weapons]]).
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*Minotaurs are terrible at all magic schools. Mountain Dwarves not only have better magic aptitudes, but they also have an easier time casting in heavy armour.
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*Mountain Dwarves can enchant [[randart]]s, which makes it more viable to take a randart with a good base and properties even if the enchantment is low.
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Overall, Minotaurs are better at pure melee, but both species are strong. Games are rarely lost because you picked one over the other. (It's worth noting that Trog, one of the most popular 'melee gods', doesn't rely on the Invocations skill at all.)
  
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[[Nemelex Xobeh]] is a good god for them, since they have a good [[Evocations]] aptitude to make most of the decks, and the magical tricks of items are very useful to make up for the lack of magic.
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{{species_aptitudes|Mountain Dwarf}}
  
 
==History==
 
==History==
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*Mountain Dwarves returned in [[0.32]], replacing [[Hill Orc]]s.
 
*Mountain Dwarves were removed in version [[0.10]], which was met with protest from quite a few ''Crawl'' players. They were removed as MD, [[Minotaur]], and [[Hill Orc]] were all very similar melee/armour species. Most discussion happened in the #crawl-dev IRC channel; a lack of transparent communication meant that players who liked roleplaying as a Tolkien dwarf were upset at the sudden removal. Ultimately, the decision to axe MD and not Minotaur was [http://crawl.develz.org/wordpress/whisper-farewell-when-you-leave-gimli somewhat arbitrary]. For more context, see the aforementioned announcement and the [https://crawl.develz.org/tavern/viewtopic.php?f=8&t=2938 Tavern discussion] about it.  
 
*Mountain Dwarves were removed in version [[0.10]], which was met with protest from quite a few ''Crawl'' players. They were removed as MD, [[Minotaur]], and [[Hill Orc]] were all very similar melee/armour species. Most discussion happened in the #crawl-dev IRC channel; a lack of transparent communication meant that players who liked roleplaying as a Tolkien dwarf were upset at the sudden removal. Ultimately, the decision to axe MD and not Minotaur was [http://crawl.develz.org/wordpress/whisper-farewell-when-you-leave-gimli somewhat arbitrary]. For more context, see the aforementioned announcement and the [https://crawl.develz.org/tavern/viewtopic.php?f=8&t=2938 Tavern discussion] about it.  
 
*Prior to [[0.8]], Mountain Dwarves received only +2 [[MR]] per level.
 
*Prior to [[0.8]], Mountain Dwarves received only +2 [[MR]] per level.
 
*Prior to [[0.6]], Mountain Dwarves received +4 [[magic resistance]] points per level.
 
*Prior to [[0.6]], Mountain Dwarves received +4 [[magic resistance]] points per level.
  
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[[Category:Obsolete species]]
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{{species}}
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[[Category:Dwarf]]
 
[[Category:Dwarf]]
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[[Category:Obsolete]]
 

Latest revision as of 17:33, 14 September 2024

Version 0.32: This article is up to date for the latest stable release of Dungeon Crawl Stone Soup.
This page is a stub. You could probably expand this page should you wish to do so.
Mountain Dwarves are stout and hardy folk, adept at fighting with axes and blugeoning weapons, though lacking the dexterity to excel at other forms of combat. Their reserves of magic are somewhat poor, though they still make passable spellcasters, and their connection with the blood of the earth gives them a particular talent at fire and earth magics. Their spell success is significantly less encumbered by armour than other species.

They are superlative artisans and smiths, employed in ancient times by even the gods themselves, and this spiritual history makes them exceptional at invoking divine aid. They can even use enchantment scrolls to improve artefacts that would be beyond the understanding of any other species.

Innate Abilities

Mountain Dwarves have a base Strength of 10, Intelligence of 8, and Dexterity of 5 (before background modifiers).

Preferred Backgrounds

Level Bonuses

Starting Skills and Equipment

Mountain Dwarves start with the skills and equipment listed for their background.

Difficulty of Play

Simple • Intermediate • Advanced

Mountain Dwarves are an easy species to play, as they have high HP and good aptitudes for melee combat. They also have excellent skill in Invocations, making them better at using certain gods' abilities. In addition, they can make passable and durable spellcasters.

Compared to Minotaur

Melee Mountain Dwarves are similar to Minotaurs. Their differences are listed below:

  • Minotaurs deal somewhat more damage in combat, due to having Horns. This can make a difference, especially in the early Dungeon.
  • Minotaurs have better defensive aptitudes (Armour, Dodging, Shields), while Mountain Dwarves are better at Invocations.
  • Minotaurs are better at most weapon skills, especially the Dexterity-based ones (Short Blades, Long Blades, Ranged Weapons).
  • Minotaurs are terrible at all magic schools. Mountain Dwarves not only have better magic aptitudes, but they also have an easier time casting in heavy armour.
  • Mountain Dwarves can enchant randarts, which makes it more viable to take a randart with a good base and properties even if the enchantment is low.

Overall, Minotaurs are better at pure melee, but both species are strong. Games are rarely lost because you picked one over the other. (It's worth noting that Trog, one of the most popular 'melee gods', doesn't rely on the Invocations skill at all.)

Skill aptitudes

The higher the value, the better the aptitude.

Skill Aptitude Skill Aptitude Skill Aptitude
Attack Miscellaneous Magic
Fighting 1 Armour 1 Spellcasting -2
Dodging -3
Maces & Flails 2 Shields 1 Conjurations -1
Axes 2 Stealth -2 Hexes 0
Polearms 0 Summonings 0
Staves 1 Invocations 3 Necromancy 1
Unarmed Combat 0 Evocations 1 Translocations -2
Throwing -2 Shapeshifting -2 Alchemy -2
Fire Magic 2
Short Blades -2 Ice Magic -1
Long Blades -1 Air Magic -3
Ranged Weapons -2 Experience -1 Earth Magic 1

History

  • Mountain Dwarves returned in 0.32, replacing Hill Orcs.
  • Mountain Dwarves were removed in version 0.10, which was met with protest from quite a few Crawl players. They were removed as MD, Minotaur, and Hill Orc were all very similar melee/armour species. Most discussion happened in the #crawl-dev IRC channel; a lack of transparent communication meant that players who liked roleplaying as a Tolkien dwarf were upset at the sudden removal. Ultimately, the decision to axe MD and not Minotaur was somewhat arbitrary. For more context, see the aforementioned announcement and the Tavern discussion about it.
  • Prior to 0.8, Mountain Dwarves received only +2 MR per level.
  • Prior to 0.6, Mountain Dwarves received +4 magic resistance points per level.
Species
Simple Mountain Dwarf • Minotaur • Merfolk • Gargoyle • Draconian • Troll • Deep Elf • Armataur • Gnoll
Intermediate Human • Kobold • Demonspawn • Djinni • Spriggan • Ghoul • Tengu • Oni • Barachi
Advanced Coglin • Vine Stalker • Vampire • Demigod • Formicid • Naga • Octopode • Felid • Mummy
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