Dwarf virtues

[pouncingpanda]

Hello fantaziners!

I'm planning out an adventure to submit to the fantazine.  YOU play a dwarf exiled for breaking the dwarven honour code, given one last chance to redeem yourself through a dangerous pilgrimage to the barbaric surface world.

I want dwarven honour to be integral to the story and to have a mechanic to support it (a bit like Sword of the Samurai but more developed).

To this end, can anybody suggest 3-4 virtues that they see as being important to Titan dwarves?  I'm envisaging each being tracked during play.

Thanks!

[thealmightymudworm]

Interesting...

It depends what sort of thing you want to use. I think dwarves are usually seen as the representatives of the working class in fantasy worlds – not like those poncey elves who are all slender, clean-shaven, long word-using tree-huggers who probably do all their shopping at boutiques. (Someone else can probably provide better analysis than this.) So maybe the virtues should be based on solidarity and equality.

How about....
Roots – dwarves believe other races look down on them. A good dwarf should take pride in being one (think Gloten in PoE) and attributing their successes to their dwarven nature. By contrast it's inexcusable to allow the denigration of the dwarven race to go unchallenged – which might be a bit inconvenient if you are disguised or even hidden at the time.
Stalwart – spending time down mines, dwarves have a particularly strong sense of sticking together in the face of danger. It is never acceptable to abandon a companion or even a stranger even if attempting to rescue them is extremely risky with little chance of success.
Reliability – related to the above. If you've given your word that you're going to do something (eg as part of a plan), you cannot break with that even if circumstances have changed.

Any good? Perhaps they're a bit too worthy.

[unknown]

I hear dwarves are very short and need a bucket to stand on to see over battlements.

[a moderator]

Perhaps something to do with taking good care of their weapons - that could explain why the loss of Gillibran's hammer was such a big deal back in The Forest of Doom. Not entirely sure what to call such a virtue, but maybe 'custodianship' would cover it.

[champskees]

Key points of Titan Dwarves:

- Polytheistic religion, Throff and Earth Mother at the top I assume. Maybe a fervour/faith stat?

- Runes are used. Maybe a runic knowledge trait/stat to decipher runic language?

- Loves precious metals, particularly gold. Very hard for them to resist. A greed stat? 

- Dwarves traditionally miners/underground, newer generations starting to explore surface world. Maybe a stat tying character to family/kinship? Lose points as you integrate more with surface world and inhabitants, gain if you choose clansmen over humans, challenge half orcs to combat etc. 

[pouncingpanda]

These are all interesting replies, thanks.

The idea is something quite general, like Pashtunwali (observed by the real-world pashtuns): en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pashtunwali. Obviously, the more opportunities with it to get in the way of metagaming "common sense", the better!

Things like runic lore should certainly be part of the story, but more as skills than this system.

mudworm, I quite agree with your assessment. I might generalize "stalwart" into "courage".

khaxzan, there may be a point where the player can't see over a battlement but I might not make it a crux of the story!

Here's my emerging list:
- Roots (encompassing taking care of dwarven culture)
- Generosity
- Courage

[vastariner]

Strength - q.v. Portal of Evil (the best compliment is "you fight with the strength of a dwarf".

Courage - withdrawing from a challenge might be something worth exiling over. Imagine if it were a "fake" challenge that had been manipulated by a dodgy dwarf.

Loyalty - even in exile you stick to the interests of your clan.