The Dwarf is a slow and powerful fighter who is at his best in the caves, where he is respected as a master of searching, hiding and fighting the monsters that live there. Outside of the caves he is slow and clumsy. In battle his ability to duck allows him to swiftly escape enemy blows and out-maneuver the largest and slowest denizens.

He must be careful to avoid the fast opponents who live outside of the caves, however, and he is extremely vulnerable to attacks made by other characters, who can always Smash him as he ducks. Since he relies heavily on the ducking maneuver, his helmet is a critical part of his defenses.

Chits

Stats

Weight/Vulnerability: Heavy

Equipment: Great Axe, Helmet

Starting Gold Value: 23

Special: Short Legs (no sunlight phases, rest two asterisks per Rest phase), Cave Knowledge (roll one die for Hide, Meeting and Search rolls in cave clearings)

Start: Inn, Guardhouse

Ally: none

Friendly: Guard, Company, Scholar

Unfriendly: Bashkars, Woodfolk

Enemy: none

Strategy

Obviously, the Dwarf should look for treasure in Caves, where he gets his bonus to Search rolls. Of all the cave denizens, only the Goblins are likely to be a major problem, as they will be able to outnumber and overwhelm him. The Dwarf should team up with at least one other player, in order to Follow if the caves are too far away. The Wizard is a good choice. Obviously if you intend to choose the Dwarf, you should try to get the cave tiles placed as close to each other as possible.

The Dwarf, if his axe is alerted, can Duck at T3* and use Fight T6* to attack - all his attacks will be fatiguing unless he forgoes his Duck and manoeuvres at H6. Fortunately he Rests 2 asterisks per phase. Unfortunately the number of phases to dedicate to Resting (or Alerting) will be limited under normal circumstances. In Caves he will get one die to Hide, but it would likely be more advantageous not to Hide and spend both phases on Searching for treasure sites instead. The Dwarf is Friendly to the Company and the Guard , but cannot afford to Hire them straight away. Treasures which help him to heal quickly, or protect him against attacks, or reduce the number of effort asterisks he uses, will be the most useful to him. The Devil Sword or the Bane Sword would also be pretty useful. Of particular interest are the treasures that give bonus phases - the 7-League Boots, the Cloak of Mist, the Magic Spectacles and most especially the Shielded Lantern.

The Great Axe is one of the best weapons in the game - exceeded perhaps only by the Morning Star or the Devil Sword. It attacks at Time 4 when alerted, which is good because the Dwarf's attacks otherwise will perforce be slower. Treasures that allow him to attack faster are useful. The Gloves of Strength will allow him to get those T attacks without fatiguing. It is best to Alert the axe so that it attacks at Time 4.

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