Why Dwarfs Have Beards

To see in the dark. Obviously.

It never made sense to me that Dwarfs couldn’t see in total darkness, which is why I’m a fan of Zweihänder’s Dwarven ‘Cavesight’ Trait. But it allows them to see in enclosed spaces as if in daylight and makes it dependent on the Dwarf being able to hear. Instead, I think it should work as through feeling – the sense of changing space around the Dwarf, as well as the currents in the air and pressure of the rock above. The sense would only be partial, like a Human’s on a clear night, and monochrome, of course, so Dwarfs would still have reason to light their halls brightly to admire all their gold. But they wouldn’t need torches everywhere. And what better a conduit for such a sensitivity than a big bushy beard? After all, they don’t call beards ‘whiskers’ for nothing!

Meanwhile, some Human Ratcatchers will have also made the connection between Dwarven cavesight and Dwarven beards and have started to grow their own in the hope that they too will develop a special ‘Sewersight’. Who knows? Maybe they do…

Leave a Reply

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.