Millennia ago, the frost giants of the Ice Wastes of the Abyss enslaved a tribe of duergar and brought them to their home to craft armour and weapons. All but the hardiest perished, and those who survived gradually changed, becoming more like their frost giant masters. Now, frost dwarves toil away in the mines and forges of the Ice Wastes, plotting their liberation — and their revenge.
Like other dwarves, frost dwarves use their environment to its fullest, though they only rarely plan out their attacks in advance. Frost dwarves hurl themselves into every battle with reckless abandon, hacking away with their axes until no enemies are left. In close combat, frost dwarves sometimes cast aside their battleaxes and attempt to grapple their foes into submission, using their chill touch spell-like ability to help take the fight out of their enemies (and later ransoming their prisoners for a hefty profit). If outmatched — or if they simply wish to remain hidden — frost dwarves use their obscuring mist spell-like ability to confuse their enemies and cover their escape. (The frost dwarves may not be able to see through the mist themselves, but they know the layout of their mines and tunnels.)
Source: Planar Handbook (Page 113)
Your character can be either male or female.
Every player character starts as an adult. You can choose or randomly generate your character’s age. If you choose it, it must be at least the minimum age for the character’s race and class (see Table: Starting Ages). Your character’s minimum starting age is the adulthood age of his or her race plus the number of dice indicated in the entry corresponding to the character’s race and class on Table: Starting Ages.
Alternatively, refer to Table: Starting Ages and roll dice to determine how old your character is.
| Adulthood | Intuitive1 | Self-Taught2 | Trained3 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 40 years | +3d6 (43—58) years | +5d6 (45—70) years | +7d6 (47—82) years |
1 This category includes barbarians, rogues and sorcerers.
2 This category includes bards, fighters, paladins and rangers.
3 This category includes clerics, druids, monks and wizards.
With age, a character’s physical ability scores decrease and his or her mental ability scores increase (see Table: Aging Effects). The effects of each aging step are cumulative. However, none of a character’s ability scores can be reduced below 1 in this way.
| Middle Age1 | Old Age2 | Venerable3 | Maximum Age |
|---|---|---|---|
| 125 years | 188 years | 250 years | +2d% years |
1 -1 to Strength, Dexterity and Constitution; +1 to Intelligence, Wisdom and Charisma.
2 -2 to Strength, Dexterity and Constitution; +1 to Intelligence, Wisdom and Charisma.
3 -3 to Strength, Dexterity and Constitution; +1 to Intelligence, Wisdom and Charisma.
When a character reaches venerable age, the DM secretly rolls his or her maximum age, which is the number from the Venerable column on Table: Aging Effects plus the result of the dice roll indicated on the Maximum Age column on that table, and records the result, which the player does not know. A character who reaches his or her maximum age dies of old age at some time during the following year, as determined by the DM.
The maximum ages are for player characters. Most people in the world at large die from pestilence, accidents, infections or violence before getting to venerable age.
Choose your character’s height and weight from the ranges mentioned in the appropriate race description or from the ranges found on Table: Height and Weight. Think about what your character’s abilities might say about his or her height and weight. A weak but agile character may be thin. A strong and tough character may be tall or just heavy.
Alternatively, roll randomly for your character’s height and weight on Table: Height and Weight. The dice roll given in the Height Modifier column determines the character’s extra height beyond the base height. That same number multiplied by the dice roll or quantity given in the Weight Modifier column determines the character’s extra weight beyond the base weight.
| Gender | Base Height | Height Modifier | Base Weight | Weight Modifier |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Male | 3’ 9" | +2d4 (3’ 11"—4’ 5") | 130 lbs. | ×2d6 (134—226 lbs.) |
| Female | 3’ 7" | +2d4 (3’ 9"—4’ 3") | 100 lbs. | ×2d6 (104—196 lbs.) |
Source: Player’s Handbook (Page 109)