| How to roleplaye |
|---|
| General guide All the World's a Stage |
| Alliance |
| Horde |
| Both |
| Character typee |
| Criminal Evil Powerful Villain |
Aye me lad so ye wanna roleplay a dwarf do ye?
Okay, enough of the silliness.
No one can tell you exactly how to roleplay anything, so take below as a helping hand and a guide - not a rulebook.
Traits[]
You are going to be roleplaying a dwarf so there are a few types of traits you may want to remember:
Dwarves love alcohol, dwarves in bars or taverns without a mug with their hand might raise some eyebrows. Due to their love for alcohol, they don't get drunk that easily, so don't just pass out there after one mug! Just don't exaggerate on this either. Alcohol still has the same effect on a dwarf as on any other race. It doesn't make them stronger or anything like that so bringing a big jug of ale with you in a battle is probably unwise.
Dwarves have a strong relationship with the gnomes. When Gnomeregan fell the dwarves shared their home with the survivors. So if you are going to roleplay a dwarf that does not like gnomes, you should have a good reason to back it up.
Dwarves are born explorers. Finding treasure is in their blood. They can easily tell the quality of a gem or if it's real or not. This can be a very interesting way to RP, and it can be a lot of fun too.
Dwarves were once Earthen, though now they have flesh, they still feel very connected to the earth. Most of their kingdoms are under mountains, though it may seem very dangerous. Dwarves are patient with their work. and build their kingdoms until the last error is corrected. You might want to hang out in cities like Ironforge a lot to show your connection to your roots.
Racism and Sexism[]
Dwarves do not think of all races as equal; when a Dwarf is mad he can spit out the real things he thinks about some races,"Ya fragile Elves ain't even worth anythin' to the Alliance! All ye do is hug trees and complain 'bout loggin'!" Dwarves do not believe in all the nature and magic things, they call it "tricks", and do not appreciate races that use them much less worship them (this is far less true about the shamanistic Wildhammer dwarves). It is debatable that Dwarven men do not like their women, and sometimes try to get a date from another race. Many jokes were created about Dwarven women breaking razors on their leg hair.
Personalities[]
Dwarves do not have many different personalities like the humans or orcs. Most feel the same to an event, but don't let that hold your dwarf back. If you really wanted to, you can make your own personality for your dwarf, but it would be best for you to include some of the following dwarven traits:
Dwarves are a suspicious kind, it takes a lot to gain their trust; mostly from elves and draenei. Dwarves (with exception to Dark Iron dwarves) do not like "magical" stuff, they prefer an axe or/and a gun.
Dwarves are kind, protective and loving. A dwarf is a stalwart defender, he would rather die protecting the weak and innocent than seeing them get hurt.
Ironforge Dwarves like guns and cannons. If a dwarf encounters a serious threat, he does not hesitate to fill it's head with thorium and the air with the smell of burnt gunpowder.
Ironforge Dwarves feel more comfortable underground, it could be that the greatest treasures are found deep down in the mountains, or of their earth heritage. Either way, if a dwarf sent you a letter that requires your presence, the location would most likely be a well known fortress under a mountain. Wildhammer dwarves prefer more open-air settlements.
Dwarves are rough, tough, and sometimes a bit grumpy.
Dwarves love ale, a filled mug for them is a filled heart. They become very friendly after some ale, if you want a dwarf to like you make sure you make you first impression on him in a bar with fine dwarf ale.
Dwarves are stubborn, when they decide on something, they are hard to convince otherwise. A Dwarf which wants something done, -Will- get it done. If he doesn't.... Well if he doesn't, most of the time he will die trying.
Class Choices[]
Warrior: A very good option for dwarves. Dwarves love weapons, almost any kind of weapon. Dwarves also love to go to the field themselves and fight melee. Though a lot of dwarves like guns over the weapons, a sharpshooters best friend, a dwarf warrior has many options, he could basically be anything a dwarf would want! (Nothing magical) An explorer, adventurer, soldier, or mercenary... If you are good enough, maybe you will even be able to make your dwarf a Dwarven Avatar!
Hunter: Dwarves love guns as you know, a hunter could be the perfect way to show it! Picking up engineering along may be able to even make your RP experience better! Hunters could make excellent sharpshooters.
Rogue: Dwarves are honorable, rogue isn't really the first choice to pick, considering they are very muscular too, it doesn't fit very well to RP. But your Dwarf could be the criminal guy who never liked the battle front too much... Rather the battle's "back"...
Priest: This might be a tricky one. Dwarves are not traditionally associated with magic, and would rather wield a hammer than preach about their religion. Since humans taught the dwarves the way of the Light, they could become paladins, and some chose to go the second way and become priests.
Paladin: Great Choice for a dwarf! Honorable, kind, loving, fights to protect. The Paladin shows the kindness in the dwarves heart combined with their battle skills. It was the humans who taught the dwarves the way of Light.
Mage (Cataclysm): A Dwarf mage is basically a bit unusual, because dwarves do not like magical "tricks". They could be a runemaster like the Earthen, unleashing powers from runes written on simple papers to unleash devastating power does sound very fun and interesting. The Dark Iron dwarves were always interested in magic, and in Cataclysm, the Dark Iron dwarves came back to Ironforge and formed The Three Hammers again, the Dark Iron dwarves taught the Bronzebeard dwarves the way of arcane magic.
Shaman (Cataclysm): Following King Magni's heroic scrafice for the elements so they would protect Ironforge from the Catastrophic Cataclysm, dwarves started to look into shamanism and understanding the elements. The Wildhammer dwarves were practicing shamanism too, it may be very interesting to roleplay a dwarven shaman. Remember, dwarves dig deep in the earth, which is against the elements; a bit of a conflict between them and the Explorers' League could add a bit more spice to the Alliance. But remember, dwarves were once the Earthen, which makes them pretty close to shamanism.
Warlock (Cataclysm): Dwarf warlocks are pretty unusual around the Bronzebeard dwarves, but since some of the Dark Iron dwarves have joined them they could have learned dark magic from them. Warlocks are more welcome to Ironforge than they are to Stormwind, but a warlock wouldn't show what they really are in public and would often hide themselves.
Remember, Dwarves prefer guns and axes over magic, though there are always different playing styles! Explore each class to decide how to make your dwarf special!
Things to remember[]
There are a few rules that a dwarf roleplayer must always consider:
- Dwarves have their own accent that heavily resembles that of the Scottish accent. Calling men Lads, Women Lasses, You is ye, Your is Yer and much more.... (For more of an example try listening to the Dwarf NPCs, or some of your vocal emotes.)
- Dwarves express anger by mentioning something short or long. For Example, a dwarf tripped and his ale spilled out of his mug: "Oh By Magni's beard!" Or something longer: "Oh By Muradin's second solid yet nimble axe!" Or just: "BLAST IT ALL TE HELL!"
- Not much is known about Dwarven beliefs or religions, but some follow the light, some believe in the titans, some are shamanistic, etc... You can make your dwarf believe in something unique to make him special.
- There are multiple clans of dwarves, each with their separate cultures. Wildhammer dwarves are less technologically advanced as their Ironforge cousins, and prefer shamanism over feats of engineering. Wildhammer dwarves usually have darker skin as opposed to their Ironforge cousins. Dark Iron dwarves are on the fringes of dwarven society, likely the least respected. They're far more likely to delve into secret and forbidden magic.
This guide explains only just the basic dwarven ideas, there is still much more to learn about dwarves. Try to ask friends, complete quests, and read about them in more articles to make your dwarf the best dwarf you can!
External links[]
WoW Insider All the World's A Stage: Plot points for Dwarven roleplayers by Anne Stickney Aug 28th 2011 at 8:00PM WoW Insider All the World's a Stage: Dwarf and gnome timelines in roleplay by Anne Stickney May 29th 2011 at 4:00PM