Introducing: The Duergar!

Born in the sunless caverns beneath the world, the Duergar are as tough and unyielding as the stone around them...

Our upcoming expansion called Terror of Demogorgon features the next race to arrive in Dungeons & Dragons Online called the Duergar! Play as the Duergar race with your pre-purchase, or also as the Iconic Duergar Mindcleaver with Ultimate Fan edition.  This article gives you full details about the Duergar’s enhancement trees for both the base Duergar and the Iconic Duergar Mindcleaver and answers some of your most frequently asked questions. 

NOTE: All text is subject to change as the Duergar progresses through its preview and iteration process. There will likely be text changes prior to the Duergar's debut on the live game worlds.

Duergar:

Racial Traits/Feats:

• +1 Strength, +1 Constitution
• Dwarven Stability: Passive. Duergar naturally are able to keep their balance, receiving a +4 on their Balance skill.
• Dwarven Stonecunning: Passive. Duergar are naturally able to find secret doors more frequently, receiving a +2 bonus to their Search skill.
• Weapon Familiarity: Dwarven Waraxe: Passive. Duergar do not suffer a –4 penalty to their attack rolls when using a Dwarven Waraxe. Dwarven Waraxes can Strikethrough as if they were a two handed weapon if they are the only weapon wielded by a proficient user. Dwarven Waraxes get 1.1x your Ability Score modifier to Damage in addition to their other benefits.
• Giant Evasion: Passive. Duergar are naturally harder to hit by giants, receiving a +4 bonus to Armor Class when attacked by creatures of the Giant type.
• Orc and Goblin Bonus: Passive. +1 Racial bonus to attack rolls against Orcs and Goblinoids.
• Poison Save Bonus: Passive. Duergar are naturally resistant to poison, receiving a +2 bonus to their Saving Throws against poisons.
• Spell Save Bonus: Passive. Duergar get a +2 Racial bonus to Saving Throws against Spells and Spell-like Abilities.
• Enlarge Self: Transmutation SLA: For one minute, you grow in size, granting a +5 Psionic Bonus to Physical Resistance Rating. 6 Spell Point cost, 20 second cooldown. This cancels Reduce when applicable.
• Reduce Self: Transmutation SLA: For one minute, you shrink in size, granting you a +3% Psionic Bonus to Dodge. Costs 6 Spell Points, 20 second cooldown. This cancels Enlarge when applicable. 

Cores: 

• Underdark Upbringing: +5 Maximum Hit Points, +6 Maximum Spell Points
• Duergar Abilities: +1 Strength or Constitution
• Underdark Upbringing: +5 Maximum Hit Points, +6 Maximum Spell Points
• Duergar Abilities: +1 Strength or Constitution
• Underdark Upbringing: +5 Maximum Hit Points, +6 Maximum Spell Points 

Tier 1: 

• Dwarven Weapon Training (Multiselector): Choose from Axe Training or Pick and Hammer Training:
  • Axe Training: +1 to hit and damage with battle axes, dwarven waraxes, hand axes, greataxes, and throwing axes. +5% Strikethrough chance while wielding a Dwarven Waraxe.
  • Pick and Hammer Training: +1 to hit and damage with heavy picks, light hammer, light picks, mauls, throwing hammers, and warhammers.
• Duergar Shape I: While Enlarged, you gain a +3 Psionic Bonus to Attack. While Reduced, you gain +3 Psionic Bonus to Max Dodge and the Max Dex Bonus of your Armor. Your Enlarge and Reduce now last for two minutes.
• Mental Fortitude: +1/2/3 to Saves vs. Enchantments
• Dwarven Armor Mastery: +1/2/3 Armor Class and Armor Maximum Dexterity Bonus
• Forge Apprentice: You gain proficiency with Handaxes, Light Picks, Light Hammers, Throwing Axes, and Throwing Hammers, and consider them Simple Weapons. 

Tier 2: 

• Dwarven Weapon Training (Multiselector): Choose from Axe Training or Pick and Hammer Training:
  • Axe Training: +1 to hit and damage with battle axes, dwarven waraxes, hand axes, greataxes, and throwing axes. +1 to hit and +2 damage with greataxes. +5% Strikethrough chance while wielding a Dwarven Waraxe.
  • Pick and Hammer Training: +1 to hit and damage with heavy picks, light hammer, light picks, mauls, throwing hammers, and warhammers. +1 to hit and +2 damage with mauls.
• Duergar Shape II: While Enlarged, you gain a +3 Psionic Bonus to Damage. While Reduced, you gain a +3% Psionic Bonus to Max Dodge. Your Enlarge and Reduce now last for three minutes.
• Child of the Mountain: Grants a +1/+2/+3 bonus to Fortitude Saving Throws. Tier 3: Grants a +5% Quality bonus to Maximum Hit Points.
• Arcanum: +25/+50/+100 Spell Points and +1/+2/+3 Spell Penetration
• Forge Familiarity: Your Arcane Spell Failure chance while wearing armor is decreased by 15%. 

Tier 3:

• Dwarven Weapon Training (Multiselector): Choose from Axe Training or Pick and Hammer Training:
  • Axe Training: +1 to hit and damage with battle axes, dwarven waraxes, hand axes, greataxes, and throwing axes. +5% Strikethrough chance while wielding a Dwarven Waraxe. Dwarven Waraxe is now your favored weapon.
  • Pick and Hammer Training: +1 to hit and damage with heavy picks, light hammer, light picks, mauls, throwing hammers, and warhammers.
• Duergar Shape III: While Enlarged, you gain a +5% Psionic Bonus to Fortification Bypass. While Reduced, you gain a +5 Psionic Bonus to Natural Armor. Your Enlarge and Reduce now last for five minutes.
• Favored Enemy: Vermin / Giant / Monstrous Humanoid
• Underdark Knowledge: +10/20/30 Poison Spell Power
• Forgemaster: Axes, Picks, and Hammers in your hands become Spellcasting Implements, and no longer take item damage.  

Tier 4: 

• Dwarven Weapon Training (Multiselector): Choose from Axe Training or Pick and Hammer Training:
  • Axe Training: +1 to hit and damage with battle axes, dwarven waraxes, hand axes, greataxes, and throwing axes. +1 to hit and +2 damage with greataxes. +10% Strikethrough chance while wielding a Dwarven Waraxe.
  • Pick and Hammer Training: +1 to hit and damage with heavy picks, light hammer, light picks, mauls, throwing hammers, and warhammers. +1 to hit and +2 damage with mauls.
• Duergar Shape IV: While Enlarged, you gain a +2 Psionic Bonus to Critical Confirmation and Damage. While Reduced, you gain a +10 Psionic Bonus to Magical Resistance Rating. Your Enlarge and Reduce now last until rest or death.
• Size Mastery: While Enlarged, your melee attacks deal +20% damage to Helpless opponents. While Reduced, you gain 5% Incorporeality.
• Invisibility: Spell-like Ability, costs 6 Spell Points, with a 12 second cooldown
• Deep Magic (Multiselector): +1/2/3 Transmutation or Conjuration DCs 

Past Life Feats: 

• +1 Balance
• +1 Constitution
• Note: These Past Life Feats stack with the Past Life Feats of the Dwarf 

Iconic: Duergar Mindcleaver:

Play as the Mindcleaver Iconic and conjure devastating force axes that shatter the will of your enemies on every strike! The Duergar Mindcleaver starts with one level of Fighter (no archetypes).

(Note: Text that is different from the base Duergar race is colored in blue.)

Racial Traits/Feats:

• +1 Strength, +1 Intelligence
• Dwarven Stability: Passive. Duergar naturally are able to keep their balance, receiving a +4 on their Balance skill.
• Dwarven Stonecunning: Passive. Duergar are naturally able to find secret doors more frequently, receiving a +2 bonus to their Search skill.
• Weapon Familiarity: Dwarven Waraxe: Passive. Duergar do not suffer a –4 penalty to their attack rolls when using a Dwarven Waraxe. Dwarven Waraxes can Strikethrough as if they were a two handed weapon if they are the only weapon wielded by a proficient user. Dwarven Waraxes get 1.1x your Ability Score modifier to Damage in addition to their other benefits.
• Giant Evasion: Passive. Duergar are naturally harder to hit by giants, receiving a +4 bonus to Armor Class when attacked by creatures of the Giant type.
• Orc and Goblin Bonus: Passive. +1 Racial bonus to attack rolls against Orcs and Goblinoids.
• Poison Save Bonus: Passive. Duergar are naturally resistant to poison, receiving a +2 bonus to their Saving Throws against poisons.
• Spell Save Bonus: Passive. Duergar get a +2 Racial bonus to Saving Throws against Spells and Spell-like Abilities.
• Enlarge Self: Transmutation SLA: For one minute, you grow in size, granting a +5 Psionic Bonus to Physical Resistance Rating. 6 Spell Point cost, 20 second cooldown. This cancels Reduce when applicable.
• Reduce Self: Transmutation SLA: For one minute, you shrink in size, granting you a +3% Psionic Bonus to Dodge. Costs 6 Spell Points, 20 second cooldown. This cancels Enlarge when applicable. 

(Enlarge Self)

Cores: 

• Underdark Upbringing: +5 Maximum Hit Points, +6 Maximum Spell Points
• Mindcleaver Abilities: +1 Intelligence or Constitution
• Underdark Upbringing: +5 Maximum Hit Points, +6 Maximum Spell Points
• Mindcleaver Abilities:  +1 Intelligence or Constitution
• Underdark Upbringing: +5 Maximum Hit Points, +6 Maximum Spell Points 

Tier 1: 

• Dwarven Weapon Training (Multiselector): Choose from Axe Training or Pick and Hammer Training (identical to Dwarf version)
• Duergar Shape I: While Enlarged, you gain a +3 Psionic Bonus to Attack. While Reduced, you gain +3 Psionic Bonus to Maximum Dodge and the Max Dex Bonus of your Armor. Your Enlarge and Reduce now last for two minutes.
• Mind Weapons: You can tap into your soul to manifest and empower weapons. This grants both the ability to conjure physical Soul Axes to wield as weapons, as well as the ability to enchant your current weapons to be more powerful.
  • This enhancement has three components:
    • Conjure Mindcleaver: Mindcleavers are Dwarven Waraxes made of force and may use your Intelligence modifier for their attack and damage. Mindcleavers share some of the properties of Flame Blade: As you level up, they become more powerful. They appear in your Weapon slot; you can see their description box as with any weapon. If you unequip your Mindcleavers, they will dissipate into nothingness and must be summoned again.
    • Conjure Dual Mindcleavers: Creates a Mindcleaver in each hand.
    • Empower with Mind: This effect changes your equipped weapons, shields & orbs to the Force material type, causes them to be treated as implements, and grants a +1 enhancement bonus. This is considered an Item Enchantment. As an object made of force, it's immune to damage from oozes and rust monsters, although any special material properties of the original weapon remain.
• Armor Cleaver: +1/2/3 Sunder DCs
• Forge Apprentice: You gain proficiency with Handaxes, Light Picks, Light Hammers, Throwing Axes, and Throwing Hammers, and consider them Simple Weapons. 

Tier 2:

• Dwarven Weapon Training (Multiselector): Choose from Axe Training or Pick and Hammer Training:
  • Axe Training: +1 to hit and damage with battle axes, dwarven waraxes, hand axes, greataxes, and throwing axes. +1 to hit and +2 damage with greataxes. +5% Strikethrough chance while wielding a Dwarven Waraxe.
  • Pick and Hammer Training: +1 to hit and damage with heavy picks, light hammer, light picks, mauls, throwing hammers, and warhammers. +1 to hit and +2 damage with mauls.
• Duergar Shape II: While Enlarged, you gain a +3 Psionic Bonus to Damage. While Reduced, you gain a +3% Psionic Bonus to Max Dodge. Your Enlarge and Reduce now last for three minutes.
• Unbreakable Spirit: +1/2/3 Will Saving Throws
• Psychic Armor: You gain +2/4/6 Force Absorption and +2%/+4%/+6% Psionic bonus to your total Armor Class.
• Forge Familiarity: Your Arcane Spell Failure chance while wearing armor is decreased by 5%/10%/15%. 

Tier 3: 

• Dwarven Weapon Training (Multiselector): Choose from Axe Training or Pick and Hammer Training:
  • Axe Training: +1 to hit and damage with battle axes, dwarven waraxes, hand axes, greataxes, and throwing axes. +5% Strikethrough chance while wielding a Dwarven Waraxe. Dwarven Waraxe is now your favored weapons.
  • Pick and Hammer Training: +1 to hit and damage with heavy picks, light hammer, light picks, mauls, throwing hammers, and warhammers.
• Duergar Shape III: While Enlarged, you gain a +5% Psionic Bonus to Fortification Bypass. While Reduced, you gain a +5 Psionic Bonus to Natural Armor. Your Enlarge and Reduce now last for five minutes.
• Mind's Edge: Melee Sunder Attack: You conjure a Mindcleaver and send it hurtling at target foe, making an Attack roll on that target and dealing damage with your main hand Melee weapon if it hits, plus 1d4 Force Damage per Character Level to that target that scales with 100% Melee Power. In addition, the affected target must make a Will Saving Throw (14 + STR/INT mod + Sunder Bonuses) or be Sundered, losing -10% AC and - 25% Fortification for 6 seconds. This ability is considered a Sunder for the purpose of other abilities.
• Great Weapon Aptitude: +5/10/20% Strikethrough Chance
• Forgemaster: Axes, Picks, and Hammers in your hands become Spellcasting Implements, and no longer take item damage.  

(Mind's Edge)

Tier 4: 

• Dwarven Weapon Training (Multiselector): Choose from Axe Training or Pick and Hammer Training:
  • Axe Training: +1 to hit and damage with battle axes, dwarven waraxes, hand axes, greataxes, and throwing axes. +1 to hit and +2 damage with greataxes. +10% Strikethrough chance while wielding a Dwarven Waraxe.
  • Pick and Hammer Training: +1 to hit and damage with heavy picks, light hammer, light picks, mauls, throwing hammers, and warhammers. +1 to hit and +2 damage with mauls.
• Duergar Shape IV: While Enlarged, you gain a +2 Psionic Bonus to Critical Confirmation and Damage. While Reduced, you gain a +10 Psionic Bonus to MRR. Your Enlarge and Reduce now last until rest or death.
• Perfect Mindcleavers : Mindcleavers and weapons that are Empowered with Mind that you wield cause enemies to become Shaken for 6 seconds. This can apply once every 2 seconds.
• Shattering Mind: Your Mind's Edge now explodes when it hits its target, hitting enemies in a small radius. Affected enemies also suffer the Psychic Trauma effect, which grants -3 to Will Saving Throws. Stacks 5 times. Lasts 24 seconds.
• Invisibility: Spell-like Ability. 6 Spell Points, 12 second cooldown. 

Past Life Feats:

• Iconic Past Life Stance: +2% Force Absorption per stack of this Past Life. 
• Passive Bonus: +1 Saving Throw vs. Illusions per stack of this Past Life. 

Dwarf Race Adjustments:

In conjunction with the Duergar addition above, we're also making the following changes to the base Dwarf's enhancement tree: 

• Tier 3: The Hole Here now contains the Duergar's Favored Enemy multiselector listed above.
• Child of the Mountain is now 1 Action Point per rank.
• The movement speed penalty on Stand Like Stone is now 20% (was 50%).
• Hands of Stone now uses Stun DCs instead of Transmutation.
• The base DC of Hands of Stone now starts at 14 (was 10).
• Dwarven Axe Training 4 now also adds a +1 Competence Bonus to Critical Threat Range with Dwarven Waraxes. 
• Dwarven Pick and Hammer Training 4 now also adds a +1 Competence Bonus to Critical Threat Range with Warhammers and Heavy Picks.