Female Dwarf/Gnome Portrait!
Storyteller
Member Posts: 38
So I'm looking to experience the game in new ways, with combinations of genders/races/classes that I've always kind of had a blind spot to, and I thought I'd begin with female dwarves. I'm curious if any of you out there have a cool character portrait or concept for a character that probably doesn't get played as much as it deserves. I thought I would begin with a portrait that I did some (minor) editing to. Original art goes to the very talented Carlos Ancot!
Moxie Stonehand!
I saw this picture and immediately envisioned a pint sized badass with loads of grit and all the sass, ready to challenge Sarevok to a fist fight and drink Minsc under the table! Probably a Fighter/Thief with a focus on trap building was my initial impression, although I'm sure Moxie could work just as well as a particularly stout lady gnome. Playing a character like this could be a real breath of fresh air as opposed to the uptight do-gooders and sturm und drang villains hungry to inherit Bhaal's power. A solid Chaotic Neutral, possibly Chaotic Good character, depending on your leanings. She perfectly fits the Female: Relaxed voice, so I'm really looking forward to a play through with this character.
Have you played a female dwarf or gnome in the past? Share her portrait and your story!
Moxie Stonehand!
I saw this picture and immediately envisioned a pint sized badass with loads of grit and all the sass, ready to challenge Sarevok to a fist fight and drink Minsc under the table! Probably a Fighter/Thief with a focus on trap building was my initial impression, although I'm sure Moxie could work just as well as a particularly stout lady gnome. Playing a character like this could be a real breath of fresh air as opposed to the uptight do-gooders and sturm und drang villains hungry to inherit Bhaal's power. A solid Chaotic Neutral, possibly Chaotic Good character, depending on your leanings. She perfectly fits the Female: Relaxed voice, so I'm really looking forward to a play through with this character.
Have you played a female dwarf or gnome in the past? Share her portrait and your story!
Post edited by Storyteller on
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Owanna, Gnome
Melody, Halfling
Nelsy, Halfling
And of course, Thani, Dwarf, a famous no-reload solo wizard slayer
". . . or a bearded female dwarf who hates being
mistaken for a male."
Race: Shield Dwarf
Sex: Female
Class: Berserker
Alignment: Chaotic Evil
Hildur has anger issues, is violent and acts like she hates everyone who isn't also a dwarf. Further than that, she's also impulsive and greedy. She'll never back down from a fight. In order to make herself look taller than she actually is - even by dwarven standards she's short - she always wears a helmet with a pair antlers attached to them, to the point where she earned the nickname "Antlers". Her weapons of choice are two one-handed axes with which she causes mayham on every battlefield she comes across. Her best friend is Korgan. (I really need to make a new portrait of her, this one is almost three years old already ...)
Name: Stigg
Race: Shield Dwarf
Sex: Male
Class: Wild Mage
Alignment: Neutral Good
Stigg is a mild mannered dwarf, kinda clumsy but with a heart of gold. Basically like Clark Kent, now that I think about it. He's a scholar through and through and dislikes confrontation, the latter being partially thanks to his lack of control over his magic. He prefers spending his free time reading. His boyfriend is Glint.
Name: Orla Gravelheap
Race: Deep Gnome
Sex: Female
Class: Druid
Alignment: True Neutral
Orla is a very quiet and cute creature. Taller people often find her endearing, unless she is doing her creepy schtick, where she just quietly stares at them from a distance. She is usually lost in thought and rarely interested in what people have to say to her and instead focuses her attention on her environment. Even by druidic standards, she is very close to her animalistic side and spends more time in her bear form than is probably healthy. She is in a relationship with Rasaad.
On the topic of female dwarves with beards, which I also have touched upon on multiple occassions, in Forgotten Realms officially only Gold Dwarf women grow beards, as far as I know (though there may be differences between the editions that I am not aware of). I personally like to think that most dwarven women grow beards, no matter their subrace. Some just prefer to shave, especially if they live in a multi-racial environment.
Taken from "Races of Faerûn", a 3rd (or 3.5 not sure) edition Forgotten Realms campaign book:
Arctic Dwarves: All males grow beards.
Duergar: All males grow beards.
Gold Dwarves: All males and some females grow beards.
Shield Dwarves: All males and very few females grow beards.
And here from the main Forgotten Realms campaign book (3.5):
All dwarves can grow beards, some females can too but usually shave.
PS: From 2nd Edition AD&D "The Complete Book Of Dwarves" (not sure which edition that one is mainly about, but I am assuming it's either Greyhawk or more or less universal?):
All dwarves have beard growth. Most females clean shave, except for Deep Dwarves.
Gully Dwarf women only have facial hair on their cheeks.
PPS: From the 2nd Edition AD&D Forgotten Realms campaign book:
All dwarves can grow beards, but females usually shave.
PPPS: In second edition all dwarves can grow beards, but female Gully Dwarves can only grow muttonchops. Most female dwarves shave, with the notable exception of Deep Dwarves (not to confuse with Duegar aka Grey Dwarves). In third edition all dwarves can grow beards, but among women the Gold Dwarves are the least likely too shave, but sometimes they don't point out in the books wether or not they are physically able to grow beards, just wether or not they do grow them or not.
Heya, bridesmaid! Love the beard. Gives me something to hang onto! Woof!
As for my own research I came up with this (although I do not have the book myself to show a picture of, so I'm second hand quoting): From page five kg Dwarves Deep, a second ed source book on dwarves in the Forgotten Realms written by Ed Greenwood himself: "Some female dwarves of Faerûn can grow beards, too, often passing as males among the nondwarves of the surface lands. Dwarven women may choose to shave their beards to match human-style expectations of beauty, while others glory in luxurious plaited beards that match their hair or wear sharply cut goatees."
The level of polish, and detail is phenomenal, it looks professional.
Her expression is great, it looks completely natural, and I like the way she's got a crazy expression and gnomish proportions but she still looks really pretty.
A lot of the time if you look at D&D art even good artists sometimes screw up gnomes and make them look really ugly and unnatural, but you hit it out of the park, she looks great!
Fun fact: Gnomes smoke that funny green stuff in their cigars.
The artist is Akim Kaliberda.
One more time this comes from Pathfinder.
I have alread used a portrait from Pathfinder for my Halfling priest of Lathander Myrtle Leafbottom.
Well, when I saw this portrait, I thought that I would need to make a dwarf female character. I read @Grum thesis on why Charname should be a Dwarf. I think he is right, even if I think she could be as well a Halfling.
Usually, I build my character according to a nice portrait that I found. I think this portrait fits well Gorion's ward, because she looks pretty young. But I cannot imagine her to be a DD, or a Berserker. I want her to be specialized in Crossbows, but as well to be abe to wear a full plate. SO let's go for a vaniila fighter !
Here comes Gunnloda Swiftbolt, fighter, learned to use the warhammer with Reevor and the crossbow with Fuller. Pretty smart as well, could have been a wizard in an other world (other D&D editions ...). Pretty stout, not that strong (like Yeslick or almost like Kagain), and pretty agile for a dwarf.
F15 C 19 D 17 I 17 W 12 C 11
She is nice, pretty easy-going but as well a bit awkward, and she suffered a bit in Candlekeep from being podgy. There is a lot of racism towards dwarfs in Faerun, and most Candlekeeps' inhabitants are not exempt of it. Hopefully Reevor and Arkanis were there, even if they were a bit rude with her because she was a girl, particularly Reevor. She is VERY close to Imoen, who always accepted her as she was. She is a bit mefiant of men, beause of harassment that she suffered in Candlekeep from some Watchers and particularly from some wealthy visitors. Apparently they thought that because she was a) a dwarf b) a girl they could allow themselves some rude behaviour towards her. She has not Shar-Teel's hate of men, but lets say that she would prefer woman companions. For the moment, perhaps this will change during the story...
Alignement : Neutral Good
Weapons: Crossbow ++ Warhammer ++
Core rules
For the moment, she is about to enter the Nashel mines
Level 4 53 HPs (was pretty lucky) Crossbow +++ Warhammer ++
Plate armor Ashineeda Heavy Crossbow Medium Shield +1
Companions: Imoen, Neera, Branwen.