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- Duergar, or gray dwarves, live deep underground, sometimes below the Deep Dwarves. They rarely venture above ground, finding it painful, except during heavily overcast days or at night. The light does not cause them damage, but it does affect their ability to see clearly.
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Duergar raider
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- A typical Duergar is 4' tall and weighs 120 pounds. Appearing to be emaciated, they possess pasty skins and white or dull gray beards. Men and women may be bald, and those who are not usually shave their heads.
- Most Duergar are Lawful Evil with Neutral tendencies. Other dwarves find their ways repulsive. Duergar war on other dwarf races and sometimes even join forces with orcs and other evil races to raid dwarf strongholds.
- They frequently compete with Deep Dwarves for living space and minerals. Usually the Duergar are bested in such struggles. Consequently, numerous Duergar strongholds are exceptionally poor, having been driven into areas rejected by others. In some cases, however, this may have been to their advantage and may have led them to the discovery of hidden subterranean wealth which they could secretly acquire.
- Even though their society is evil, they still retain many of the social structures of Hill, Mountain and Deep Dwarves. They are clan-based, but their crafts are usually inferior to those of other dwarves.
- Duergar speak their own dialect of the Dwarven language and Dwarf Common as native tongues when they begin play. While a Duergar does not automatically gain skill in the Trade Tongue, they speak Undercommon (recommended skill) as well as a surface dweller speaks the Trade Tongue. Duergar characters may also spend skill points at first level to learn the Trade Tongue, Sign Language, the languages of any other dwarven subrace, and the languages of Drow, Illithid, Kua-toa, Troll, Troglodyte, and Svirfneblin.
- Duergar are stealthy. Parties or individuals at least 90 feet ahead of a party of non-Duergar cause opponents to roll surprise with a -2 penalty. If a door or other screen is opened, the bonus is lost. Duergar receive a +2 bonus on their own surprise rolls. Duergar have 120' infravision.
- In addition to the standard saving throw bonuses against magical attacks, Duergar are unaffected by paralysis-type magical effects and spells or magical effects of the illusion/phantasm school of magic. They are immune to all magical and alchemical poisons. Against natural poisons they gain the standard dwarf saving throw bonus.
- Duergar possess the innate magical abilities of enlarge and invisibility. They can use each of these powers once per day. A Duergar uses the enlarge ability as though he were a wizard twice his own level. A second level Duergar uses enlarge as though he were a fourth level wizard. He may use it only to affect himself and whatever he is wearing or carrying.
- Duergar are adversely affected by bright light such as sunlight or a continual light spell. They are not affected by the light of torches, lanterns, magic weapons, light or faerie fire. A Duergar effected by bright light looses his enhanced ability to gain surprise and receive a -2 penalty to Dexterity and to hit rolls. In situations where a Duergar is in darkness but his opponents are in bright light, his Dexterity and surprise advantages are unaffected, but he suffers a -1 penalty to attack rolls.
- Other dwarves distrust Duergar and react to them with a -3 penalty. This penalty is cumulative with penalties incurred because of the class or kit chosen by the character.
- Duergar do not receive the standard bonus to hit when fighting orcs, half-orcs, goblins or hobgoblins.
- Duergar must earn an additional 20 percent experience points to advance in level.
- Duergar have an average life expectancy of 400 years.
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