Rules edition: This guide describes dwarves in the 2014 fifth-edition rules, including the hill and mountain subraces. The 2024 rules use a different dwarf species entry; the two versions are not interchangeable. Duergar also vary by sourcebook, so use the traits from the version your campaign allows.
2014 dwarf traits
The 2014 dwarf traits give your character a 25-foot walking speed, darkvision out to 60 feet, Dwarven Resilience, Dwarven Combat Training, tool proficiency, Stonecunning, and the ability to speak Common and Dwarvish. The speed is not reduced by wearing heavy armor. Dwarven Resilience grants advantage on saving throws against poison and resistance to poison damage; it does not grant immunity.
Dwarven Combat Training grants proficiency with the battleaxe, handaxe, light hammer, and warhammer. You can choose one proficiency among smith’s tools, brewer’s supplies, or mason’s tools. Stonecunning applies to Intelligence (History) checks about the origin of stonework: it treats you as proficient and adds double your proficiency bonus to the check. These features can matter outside combat, but their usefulness depends on the campaign and the proficiencies your class already grants.
Hill and mountain dwarves
The 2014 rules give all dwarves a +2 Constitution increase. A hill dwarf also gains +1 Wisdom and Dwarven Toughness, which increases your hit point maximum by 1 and by 1 more each time you gain a level. A mountain dwarf gains +2 Strength and Dwarven Armor Training, which grants proficiency with light and medium armor. These are the printed increases for the legacy rules; the optional custom-origin rules in Tasha’s Cauldron of Everything can change how ability-score increases are assigned.
Hill dwarf features support characters who value Wisdom and extra hit points, such as some clerics and druids. Mountain dwarf armor training can help a class that lacks armor proficiency, while the Strength increase may suit a martial character. Neither subrace dictates a class: ability scores, armor proficiency, and background choices can be handled in several ways, especially when your group uses optional rules.
Choosing a class and building the character
Start with the class you want to play, then check which dwarf traits add something useful. A hill dwarf cleric can combine Wisdom, Constitution, and extra hit points. A mountain dwarf fighter, paladin, or barbarian can use Strength and Constitution, though each class has its own ability-score priorities. A mountain dwarf wizard can use the armor training if proficient armor fits the concept, but armor proficiency does not itself improve spellcasting or make every armor choice practical.
Do not assume a dwarf must be a front-line warrior. Poison resilience and extra durability can help a character who stays near allies, and tool training or Stonecunning can support exploration and social scenes when the DM calls for them. A dwarf rogue, bard, or wizard can be effective; choose ability scores and equipment for that class instead of trying to make every dwarf build maximize Strength and Constitution.
When using 2014 point buy or the standard array, apply the correct version of the ability-score increases after choosing scores. Under 2024 character creation, ability-score increases come from the background rather than the dwarf species. Do not combine the two systems on the same character. If you take a feat such as Dwarven Fortitude or Squat Nimbleness, check its prerequisites and exact 2014 wording in the sourcebook your table uses; optional feats are not part of the dwarf’s base traits.
Roleplaying a dwarf
Use the setting’s clans, communities, and traditions as character material rather than a fixed personality template. A dwarf might value craftsmanship, family, faith, trade, exploration, or none of those. Decide how their upbringing shapes their choices and relationships. A character can honor a clan tradition, reject it, or reinterpret it without losing the mechanical benefits of the species.
How the 2024 dwarf differs
The 2024 dwarf has a 30-foot speed and 120-foot darkvision, and its core traits include Dwarven Resilience, Dwarven Toughness, and Stonecunning. The 2024 version has no hill or mountain subrace traits in its core species entry; a background supplies ability-score increases. Its Stonecunning grants temporary tremorsense under its stated conditions, rather than the 2014 History-check benefit. If a character uses 2024 rules, use that rules text instead of importing the 2014 subrace, armor training, tool, or weapon features.
