Davvy's Classical Guide to Dwarves 

Davvy: "They hold on to every grudge ever been given" Me: "So, basically every internet community ever, got it. "

Yeah, no one ever played mountain dwarf......except for literally any strength-based martial character because you can get 2 18s at level 4.

2:23 "gaining one extra health per level, that's it." me: *laughs in +8 Hp per level thanks to max Con and Tough* I am CHONK!

Medium armor is fantastic for spellcasters, since it allows them to put less focus on their Dexterity (since all you need is a +2 or a +3 if you take the feat, which you probably won't be doing) and more focus into their Constitution, allowing for a more durable mage altogether. There's also the added benefit that medium armor is either as good or better than mage armor (since scale mail and breastplate match mage armor with a +3 dexterity bonus, and is better than mage armor with a +2 dexterity bonus), is active all the time instead of for 8 hours, gives you another 1st level spell slot to work with, and offers you more magic item compatibility in the future. Now, is medium armor and a second +2 better than the feat that custom lineage and variant human offer, or the mound of features you get as a half-elf, plus the ASI of +2 +1 +1, which has the same mathematical potency as the mountain dwarf's +2 +2? Probably not, but medium armor is surprisingly more useful than it would seem at first glance.

In regards to the duergar: another thing to note is that strength checks are also unaffected by sunlight sensitivity. This includes grapple checks. Additionally, Enlarge also gives you advantage on all strength checks, again, including grapple checks. Meaning that you can pretty reliably pin down enemies and beat the shirt out of them. Also look at the unarmed fighting style, which gives you free damage just by having someone grappled. Thoughts?

I have a mountain dwarf abjuration wizard sporting heavy armor and a shield that will disagree with your argument against the armor proficiencies.

"The weapon proficiencies are all but useless" Excuse me sir, the Forge Domain Cleric would like to have a word with you

"My name is Davvy Chappy and I like digging holes" davvy chappy a daddy toppy confirmed #science

The first thing that came to my mind when I saw this video "diggy diggy hole??"

Two interesting thoughts: a Mark of Warding Dwarf would make a phenomenal Rogue, and a Duregar could be a Twilight Cleric to cancel out Sunlight Sensitivity.

Mage Armor only beats Half-Plate when you have *TWENTY* dex, so yes, medium armor proficiency IS a great thing for casters. This same logic implies warforged are a terrible caster race for "only" giving you +1 AC

Davvy: "No one played the mountain Dwarf before Tasha's anyways, and now that the book came out I still don't see it happening soon anyways." Me: *Looks at recent fighter build, PHB mountain Dwarf, no Tasha intteruptus* "Yeah... Nobody..."

you forgot their moement speed can't be reduced by heavy armor it's why they make such good clerics cause you can get a pretty high ac without putting much into str

Getting Medium armour as a racial trait is not useless on a caster. Medium armour on a wizard and sorcerer is great, for Wizard and Sorcerer medium is better than mage armour so it saves a 1st lv spell per day and gives you higher ac since what kind of wizard has 20 dex.

I find it really shocking that you call the Hill Dwarf useless for giving you 1 extra hit point per level up. Having lots of hit points is always a good thing, especially if you're playing Hill Dwarf on a class that doesn't normally get a high hit die, like rogues or casters. And even on a martial class, more heath means you can stay in the fight longer and prevent the big monster from smashing your squishy spellcasters. Is it exciting? No, but it's a very practical choice.

The medium armor (but strangely not also shield) proficiency is a huge deal for most (sub)classes that don't already have acces to it. Many characters might not want to invest more into AC than they can get away with. Purely stat-wise, whether rolling or not, not having to sacrifice AC scoffing dexterity allows a character to more easily branch out: a historian bard might want high int, an illusion wizard can always use some extra charisma, etc. Sorcerers, specifically, have a very limited amount of spells known, so freeing up a spell by not needing mage armor is a big deal (as can be attested by draconic sorcs everywhere), especially in the early and most played levels. Lastly, medium armor proficiency where previously there was none allows a character to take one (1) feat and become proficient in heavy armor, removing dexterity from the AC equation entirely and opening the way for Plate Armour Sorcerer or Muscle Wizards or suchlike without breaking the bank in levels or ASI's. a fair number of subclasses get 'medium armour proficiency' as a defining feature, there is no reason for this to be any different for mountain dwarves.

Plate armor with a wizard hat sounds like the greatest option. Imagine the enemy laughing, only for you to use your left hand to cast a spell on your right hand before BURYING that right hand straight in their guts

I went Mountain Dwarf War Wizard in a game so I could pick up Heavy Armorer as a feat. With the shield spell, this guy’s never getting hit, and can safely get into melee for touch and weapon based spells. No worries with Shadow Blade or Enlarge being lost after a turn.

I play a mountain dwarf. Specifically a wild magic barbarian (thank you Tasha) and I find the boost to strength and constitution are great for barbarian

“No one played Mountain Dwarf” All of my dwarf characters are mountain dwarfs. Fight me, wazzock.

I like mountain dwarf lore more than hill dwarf or (especially) duergar. Shield dwarves (as they are called in Forgotten Realms) are the most common type of dwarf other races will encounter. Gold dwarves are mostly holed up in the Great Rift and only send their people out in order to trade. Even if I played a cleric, I would play a shield dwarf because I could roleplay that I'm from Citadel Adbar or Mithral Hall. I also like the idea of a dwarf divine soul sorcerer who wears medium armor, carries a warhammer, pretends to be a cleric, and blasts enemies in the name of Moradin.

2:00 Rock and Stone Brother! Gotta disagree with the armor tho. While you can have +5 from dex in light armor, most classes won't have a 20 dex score. So medium armor which can be up to 3 ac more than light armor and 2 more than mage armor is strictly better or equal in ac on everything except a 20 dex character with mage armor. Also there are magic armors that are not an option if you can't wear medium armor.

Sunlight Sensitivity is always easy to get around in my game, the character can just go get sunglasses. In the middle ages they were around for people who had illnesses that caused Sunlight Sensitivity.

I feel like you're really under rating the effect of getting an extra +1 hp per level. On average that amounts to the same as upgrading your hit die to the one above it, which is quite powerful

I was thinking it, you were thinking it, ROCK AND STONE!!

Armor profenciencies are useful for spellcasters that don't get them, a mountan dwarf wizard using Tasha's rules is incredibly potent due to the wizard having armor

I play a hill dwarf bladesinger and it's actually hilarious, she has the second most health in our party after the fighter and is basically a second tank.

We aren't made at Tasha's because of being "Purist", we are mad because of how it is implemented. She treats genetics like it's cultural.

You are SO WRONG About weapon and armor proficiency. Not all clerics get martial weapons, particularly forge cleric loves it. Thanks to Tasha's, monks can turn weapons into monk weapons, AS LONG AS THEY HAVE PROFICIENCY, and I don't know any monk who would reject turning their 1d8 from quarterstaffs to a d10 from a hammer Some casters, particularly sorcerers, have very limited spells known to them and would hate to waste one slot in mage armor. They would also rather invest in con for a bit extra health and concentration checks. Medium armor solves both problems. Are those proficiemcies amazing? No. Are they hot garbage and completely useless? In your dreams. But then again, what can you expect from someone who doesn't like guidance 💁‍♀️

He dissed the Mountain Dwarf and then suggests a dwarf that casts Elgi wazzok magic! Bring forth the Dammaz Kron! We have grudges to write!

Dimension 20's newest season, The Seven's dwarves with Jersey accents and Italian demeanor are the best dwarves

0:40 Dwarves living on an oil rig? Oil dwarves who are natural pyromancers or Sea dwarves who make mountains out of ship wreaks

I know i'm late to this but I just have to say it, The armor proficeiency that Mountain Dwarfs get is amazing is you are playing a caster because mage armor requires dex and just the base AC of 11 holds it back but with armor proficiency you can gain use of higher AC with more options for Enchanted gear as one person said down below and as a player who loves player casters I'm willing to take a loss on INT. boosts to gain some more survivability at the early stages of a campain plus more awsome roleplay options.

Personally, I feel like the natural weapon proficiencies of a race are more so for the sake of deciding what a 'civilian' or class-less NPC would defend themselves with. Like, if a dwarven town or city got attacked and the dedicated local military wasn't enough to stop the invaders(As unlikely as that is for dwarves), then you'd know that most of the civilians that rallied for an impromptu last stand would use hammers and axes. not the most relevant piece of information in most games, but its good to know anyways imo.

For anyone who may not know- Tasha's also allows you to trade a racial armor proficiency for proficiency in a simple weapon, martial weapon, or any type of tool. The same goes for racial weapon proficiencies. Tasha's also gives Monks feature to once a day choose a weapon they are proficient with that lacks the Heavy or Special properties and count it as a Monk weapon for the rest of the day. So this combined made me realize that you could use point buy to make a Mountain Dwarf Monk who at level 1 would have proficiency in 3-4 different tools (depending on if your DM would count the light and medium armor proficiencies as one or two things) with a Dexterity and Wisdom of 17 giving you an AC of 16. And come level 4 if you were to split your ability score increase between Dex and Wis your AC would jump to 18. At level 4. I think that the only thing keeping this from being a low level swiss army knife of utility and death is Monk's having such low amounts of starting gold if they choose to wave standard starting equipment keeps them from being able to buy all of those tools at the out set and having relatively low damage before level 5. Edit- Holy crap, I just double checked and realized that light hammers and hand axes are both simple weapons- something monks already have proficiency with so you can trade those in for tool proficiencies too. Meaning that RAW you can make a lvl 1 mountain dwarf monk with 6 tool proficiencies. 8 if you want to give up your battlaexe and warhammer proficiencies as well.

Half-Plate and a Wizard hat sounds fire

I am required by management to say “Rock and Stone!” Whenever I see DRG content in other media.

Duregar also have a fun shenanigans with Rune Knight as an extra size bump beyond the rest.

I’ve been on a binge of your channel since I’ve gotten into dnd. I’m glad it’s your channel.

davvy and dwarfs are so similar. anything fae or bullshit magic they burn and kill with extreme pregidious and that grudge shall last forever.

Dont dis my "I have 20 more health than any other barbarian" subrace

Mountain dwarf; Default dwarf skin. Hill dwarf; Look at me I'm a guy with a extra hit point. Mark of warding dwarf; * Enemy dispels alarm * "You fool, I have 70 alternative spell slots." Duergar; "Never call a dwarf short in sunlight, worst mistake of my life." -Peter Griffon.

You insulted Dwarves!? That's goin' in the book of grudges!!

I am a Dwarf, and I'm digging a hole. Diggy diggy hole, diggy diggy hole.

Mountain dwarf is and will always be the best dwarf subrace. I fail to see how getting two 18's at level 4 in strength and constitution makes the mountain dwarf bad. Also, the reallocating of ability score increases is stupid because that is part of what makes a race or subrace different. The defining feature of mountain dwarves is their amazing bonus to strength; if you take that away, they aren't mountain dwarves anymore. The same goes for just about every non-elven race and subrace.

Thanks for the shout-out at 5:28, Davvy! You Sir, are a scholar and a gentleman.

Thanks, dude. I’m making a book abt a dwarf, so this helped a lot. Thx.

For sunlight sensitivity I just allow my players to either have or get made sunglasses. It's that simple, and what they are made for 😂😂

Dwarf Doug Dimmadome sounds like the coolest npc

My own world has a common magic item called “Algarizz’s Lenses” which are essentially sunglasses, cancelling out disadvantage on attacks, but not perception checks. Most underdark races that regularly traverse the surface have them and they are automatically given to all PCs playing said races.

You know, with all of the half races that exist, i'm suprised there isn't a Half Dwarf.

You know what Davvy hasn't done, the Expanded Spell Lists for subclasses.

2:38 Made a hill dwarf barbarian with the tough feat once. He was chonky. And i put totem of the bear too. So basically his effective health was ridiculous

If anyone likes big weapons, don't forget that since while under the effect of the Duergar's enlarge spell they are considered a large creature, you can wield weapons designed for large creatures, which is going to be pretty great and pretty nasty.

Hey Davvy! I know you haven’t done one in a while, but can you make a race video on Aasimar? High-key a seriously underrated race that deserves some love

On the weapon proficiencies, they are useful... for Clerics. With the exception of War, Tempest, Death, and Twilight, Clerics do not get martial weapons, but any of the subclasses with heavy armor do get bonuses to their melee weapon attacks starting at 8th level. However, since Clerics only get one attack, the increase from a D6 to a D8 damage die will rarely make any meaningful difference.

The Duergar, atleast in my friend's group, have been discovered to be cool way of darkness monks and armorer artificiers.

Davvy! Video idea! After playing a one shot as a battlesmith with a robot monkey whose constant hijinks kept the group entertained, how about a video on how to play a comic relief character. The low int, the funny animal, the flesh hungry goblin, the kenku etc

Counter argument in defence of Mountain Dwarves: Under Tasha's rules (I think, or maybe you could do it before) you can swap all weapon/armour profs for tool profs. So base Dwarf = one tool already. Then another 4 for swapping out weapon profs. Then Mountain Dwarf allows another 2. Background for another potential 2. Classes/Subclasses can give 1 - 2 as well depending on what you pick. So to optimise this you can go either: Fighter, Rune Knight (with the fire rune, to get expertise in all tools by level 3) + another tool. or Artificer, any subclass, for another 2 tools and tool expertise by level 6. Having 9 - 11 tool profs/expertise might sound silly (which it is) but it is amazing how many times you can be use a tool prof/expertise as a slightly left of centre skill proficiency, with some creativity. Can make even an otherwise entirely classic Barbarian feel useful and involved in all sorts of social encounters, puzzles, camping/defence based situations and so on. Plus being able to fix everything/build everything is sweet, and it works well with both the Xanathar's tool prof rules and more homebrew-y crafting rules.

I've been musing about an idea of a subrace of ocean dwarves, but since I'm only just stepping into the DM space for the first time it'll be a bit before I consider putting ink to paper, however this got me thinking about them again and there is much 2 think about

Playing a kobold, I use the extra large hat strategy along with some magically crafted sunglasses

My DM gave me a cloak that stopped my sunlight sensivity. Really nice, but i build my drow bard around that feature anyways

First, quite possibly my favorite feature of the dwarf is the Dwarven Fortitude feat that lets you boost con by 1 and spend hit dice when you dodge. Second, I don't you're being completely fair to the medium armor proficiency of the mountain dwarf for casters. Who wants to have to spend ASIs on their wizard/sorcerer investing in dex higher than 14? Especially when most games won't go far enough for you to cap your casting stat, get things like War Caster or Resilient Con, AND boost dex to 20. But, you probably already know that and just went the hyperbolic route because it's a video for entertainment. We love you anyway, Banana Man.

There are so many different Elves, but only four Dwarf option. I would like to see more love given to Dwarfs, Gnomes and Halflings.

I like how atleast half of the art in this video is from MtG.

Me sitting here with my Charlatan Mountain Dwarf Artificer with 12 tool proficiencies at level 1. You sure Tasha's didn't change other things that affected Mountain Dwarves Davy?

One thing my DMs often allow is dropping Sunlight Sensativity in exchange for only 60 foot darkvision.

Dwarves are the only race that it makes sense to have darkvision for.

I don't personally care for Dwarves all that much, but I had an idea for a Dwarf character who is a Wizard as a way to spite his parents. His father wanted him to pick up some kind of craft, so he bent the rules and picked up "spellcraft".

Big hat Danny, the most feared Duegar mage.

Davvy, you keep bringing up how tool proficiencies are amazing, especially for Artificers. But what if you used Tasha's to make a Mountain Dwarf Artificer? That would already start with 4 tool proficiencies, and since Artificers already get light and medium armor you can trade in the racial armor proficiencies for 2 more tools, bringing you to 6. Artificers are also able to use all simple weapons so you can trade in the proficiency with hand axes and light hammers for 2 more, raising you up to 8 tool proficiencies at level 1. If you were maybe planning on taking the Battle Smith sub class later, you could just cut out the nonsense and trade in all your racial proficiencies for 10 different tool proficiencies at level 1. Then when you hit level 3, on top of getting another tool proficiency (raising your total # of tool proficiencies to either 9 or 11) as part of your sub class, you also get something called The Right Tool for the Job. This lets you use either your thief's tools or tinker tools to spend an hour to magic up a complete tool set of your choice (or as I'm planning to flavor it, the hour is added to the time I spend working on whatever it is I'm trying to work on with the tools I have on hand as I gradually use a bunch of magic, duct tape, and scrap to modify said tools into crude aproximations of what I need while swearing at said tools). Unless your DM and/or table has a problem with spending an extra hour to do stuff or home brewing away the extra time, you have essentially become the single greatest handy man the multiverse has ever seen.

I let my players use Sunlight Sensitivity as described in monster stat blocks where it’s just when they’re in the sun, and also, sunglasses are a pretty good quick fix

0:58 *Laughs in Artificer*

Wizards and sorcerers don’t have Armor proficiencies and warlock only have light armor proficiency so the dwarf armor proficiency is not unless and medium armor is typically better than mage armor

Counterpoint: make an armorer dwarf, and martial proficiencies are very useful to take advantage of both the stealth/range armor and better melee at the same time

Davvy what are you even saying?? The mountain dwarf's medium armor prof is baller on a spellcaster! Most casters want to focus on improving their casting, so they take war caster; resilient con; half feats that increase your casting stat; or they bump themselves with a +2 to their casting stat. There's no room in there for a dex increase! A 17 AC is better than a mage armor 15 ac. Especially with classes that get the shield spell.

Just a thought, if your playing a Duergar Artificer you could probably make some sunglasses to fight your sunlight sensitivity.

To get rid of Sunlight Sensitivity I would home rule that if a player is playing a race with that feature I would reduce Darkvision by half, basically they've adapted to life in bright light but at a cost to their Darkvision distance.

I'm playing my first dwarf character as a storm sorcerer

I have a Drow in my game. She was raised by her High Elf father, so was always in sunlight as she grew up. We lowered her Darkvision to 60 and got rid of her sunlight sensitivity all together.

Go artificer with duergar so you can modify any armor you make or get with some kick ass shades to help avoid the sun's wrath.

Gods I love Adrian’a music :,3 you’re such a man of culture Sir Daveus Chapp

I've DMed for my group for a while and since tasha's came out mountain dwarves don't get armor weapons, the get seven tool proficiencies. Hilariously, one was an artificer and the other a forge cleric

I recently started playing a mountain dwarf War wizard who uses booming blade on a warhamer and where's half plate and makes a good tank with its arcane Deflection and mirror image and add in a little haste and your a great melee caster

Those who dislike the optional rule for moving ASI's might be purists, but those who dislike that optional rule being turned mandatory for all future races are certainly not. They just don't like being told that their fun is wrong. P.S. You're dead wrong about Mountain Dwarves. They're lovely, and work well for all Str-based martial builds, and multiple caster builds.

Duergar rune knight for when you want your 5' tall dwarf to be a 20' tall monster.

There should be a spell "Light vision" for underdark denizens to take . Seems like something they would try to develop. Or googles of day vision which should be much cheaper to get because it is non-magical shaded glass.

Love it.

I actually plan on playing a melee based Fathomless Warlock and the Medium Armor proficiency made me chose a Mountain Dwarf.

Me playing a hill dwarf bear totem barbarian with the tough feat because I am allergic to dying and being the meatiest boy is a good way to avoid that.

While watching this, I ended up listening to "Diggy Diggy Hole" song by Wind Rose! :P

1:10 unless you know.. youre a forge domain cleric

Hell yeah Wind Rose!

Windrose is an awesome modern Metal band.

my only active Dwarven character is a Hill Dwarf Draconic Sorcerer, with 20 Con, and the Tough feat. he gets +9HP every level and with the scales has an AC of 15. he has traits of a Bronze dragon, he and his clan made a blood pact with a Wrym that had just left the nest. they and it would pool half their hoard each to be shared in times of crisis. kept in the dragon's lair. and the Clan would help defend it. thus attracting more mates and prestige for the growing dragon. in exchange, the Dragon was sworn to help defend the clan keep, and was officially a member of Clan Kyrimm. I have another in my back pocket that is a Mountain Dwarf Artillerist Artificer. he is Edmund McGuffin of Clan McGuffin, he is on a quest to visit the Clan's secure vaults for inspiration and security. one was broken into recently and looted. and now there's a bunch of his clan's creations all out and about and causing potential damage.

Deuragar twilight cleric. Now everything is fixed

Draconic sorcerer hill dwarf with the tough feat

The best dwarf fighter is Duergar Rune Knight. At lvl 3 you can turn into a size huge (9 squares total, 3x3). Also, if they want to improve mountain dwarf swap the hammer with a shield proficiency. It makes more sense and people might actually pick it if it does that (since a lot of classes would benefit from it). You can tell me Medium armor is useless all you'd like but the main reason a lot of people multiclass into hexblade is for the shield and medium armor proficiency (Hexblade's curse isn't bad either).

It's time to DIGGY DIGGY HOLE!

I'm currently playing an Aleithian Dwarf psychic warrior. We're 4th level now, at 6th level I'm going to dip into a level of Dwarven fighter, and then 7th level I'll go Iron Mind.