In an effort to see how easy it is to create a new class for D&D 5E, I decided to dust off a concept I came up with years ago for 2E, and see how it would fit into the new rules. Below is the fruit of that labor.
(Interesting factoid, a "dwarfling" is an actual thing. It's a term for a person with Dwarfism who is smaller than normal, even for a dwarf.)
Dwarfling
“She’s a damn good cook. And after a long day in the mines, or a harrowing week on the battlefield, little else is more comforting.”Agnor the dwarf smiled.
“Except perhaps a full mug of icy ale.” Smirked his shield-brother, Jovik.
At that moment, Agnor’s wife, the halfling Bluella, brought a pair of mugs and set them on the table. Agnor encircled her curvy waste in his stout arm, and drew her close.
“Aye. The ale is good too.” He winked at Jovik, giving Bluella a squeeze. “Among other things.”
Born of the unlikely union between a dwarf and a halfling, the dwarfling is a unique blend of the hard and soft of his parents. As likely to favor one parent race over the other as he is to be an outcast that fits with neither, dwarflings are natural adventurers, who often seek the company of those who will accept them for who they are.
Tall and Stout
Though they range in height between their parent races, dwarflings, for whatever reason, tend towards the taller end of the scale, averaging a bit over four feet in height. Though not quite as stocky as dwarves, they are proportionately thicker than both halflings and humans.
Skin tones among dwarflings are as varied as they are among both parent races. Hair ranges from wavy to curly, and they only grow sparse facial hair, if at all. Generally, dwarflings are often mistaken for perpetually young, beardlesss dwarves.
Open-minded and Curious
Much like other halfbreeds (half-elves and half-orcs), a dwarfling’s outlook on the world and life will be highly dependent on which culture she was raised in. They are as likely to be laid back homebodies as they are stalwart and driven. However, dwarflings often have a strong sense of curiosity, and nearly every one of them develops wanderlust to some degree.
Regardless of what society they grow up in, dwarflings are fiercely loyal to those they befriend, even moreso than dwarves. Most likely due to their innate sense of not belonging, they are more open and accepting of strangers, especially those who are seen as outcasts by society.
Trusting and Loyal
Dwarflings don’t have a society of their own, and they are too rare to ever consider forming one. Therefore, they adapt to whichever society they are raised in. However, they are also known for questioning societal norms, which may cause some problems with authority figures.
Because the vast majority of (if not all) dwarflings are born from a loving union, they are very open to giving love and friendship. To a dwarfling, all friends are siblings, and they are treated as such. Sometimes to the chagrin of their parents, and members of their homeland.
Dwarflings are found in all of the normal types of occupations in both dwarf and halfling societies. However, they tend be somewhere in the middle between the extremes of industriousness normal to their parent race cultures.
A Desire to See Everything
Curiosity and wanderlust often pull dwarflings from their homes. And many are hesitant to put down roots in any one place for too long. Therefore, the adventuring life suits them well. Many dwarflings find that their innate curiosity makes it difficult to stay on task for too long. As such, many try different occupations throughout their lives, and a good number simply become bards and rogues.
Dwarfling Names
Dwarflings will usually take their first/given name from their mother’s race, and their family name from their father’s. See those descriptions for examples.
Dwarfling Traits
Your dwarfling character has several natural traits, unique to their physical nature.
Ability Score Increase. Your Charisma increases by 2, and your Constitution by 1.
Age: Dwarflings tend to live a little over 200 years, and reach maturity at around 20 years old.
Alignment. Despite both their parent races coming from Lawful cultures, dwarflings tend towards Neutral, simply because, in their experience, laws aren’t always perfect and are never the same in different places. However, nearly all dwarflings are Good.
Size. Dwarflings range between four and four and a half feet tall, and weight about 90 pounds. Your size is Medium.
Speed. Your base walking speed is 25 feet.
Darkvision. Thanks to your dwarven blood, you can see 60 feet in dim light as if it were bright, and in darkness as if it were dim. You cannot discern colors in darkness, only shades of gray.
Charming. You are naturally charming, and give off a welcoming aura. You have advantage when interacting with strangers and hostile creatures.
Lucky. When you roll a natural 1 on an attack roll, ability check, or saving throw, you can reroll the die, but must use the new roll.
Dwarven Combat Training. Your dwarven parent has instructed you in proficiency with the battleaxe, handaxe, throwing hammer, and warhammer.
Languages. You are fluent in common, dwarven, and halfling.
