Character Classes for Dwarfs, Ironbreaker, Runepriest, Engineer

From ancient strongholds along the World's Edge Mountains, the ancient race of Dwarfs cling tenaciously to their homelands, and do battle with enemies that lay siege to their mountain strongholds. Although the golden age of their people has passed into dim memory, the venerable Dwarfs refuse to pass quietly into the night.

Ironbreaker

archetype: Tank • special mechanic: Grudge

class details: Fighters specializing in physical defense, Ironbreakers build up Grudges as their allies and they take damage. The greater the Grudges the more powerful the Ironbreakers' offensive actions become. In addition, Ironbreakers can choose to expend some of their Grudges to activate group-based defensive actions.

description: When most people describe someone as "stubborn", they're probably talking about a Dwarf - but when a Dwarf describes someone as "stubborn as a bloody mountain", they're probably talking about an Ironbreaker. Clad in their legendary gromril armor, they are the vanguard of any Dwarf army, leading and protecting their kin and allies on the field of battle.

mechanic: No one can hold a grudge like a Dwarf, and the Ironbreakers are considered to be especially persistant even among the Dwarfs. Any time someone dares to attack the Ironbreaker, he makes a note of the insult and adds another Grudge to his list - and if an enemy should be so foolish as to attack an Ironbreaker's sworn and bonded Oath Friend, the Grudge earned will be paid back with fury several times over.

master classes:

Vengeance A Mastery path focused on offense.
Some Ironbreakers hold their grudges close to their heart, slowly nurturing them until they are filled with the fury of Grimnir himself. With a single-minded focus, a specialist in this path becomes more and more dangerous with every Grudge he holds, pushing himself to fight more brutally as he strives to avenge the insults that have been dealt.

Stone A Mastery path focused on defense and protection.
As stubborn and unyielding as the mountains themselves, Ironbreakers who master this path are specialists in defense and will expend every last ounce of energy protecting their sworn oath friends. Since an Ironbreaker builds up Grudges quickly when under direct attack, this mastery takes advantage of that by consuming his Grudges to fuel potent defensive abilities.

Brotherhood A Mastery path focused on supporting and bolstering you and your allies.
A specialist in this path understands the balance between camaraderie and retribution, and is a natural leader on the battleground. Alternately holding and discharging his Grudges, the master of Brotherhood serves as a shining example of the greatest of Dwarf traits, inspiring his allies to push onwards to greater heights. Equally adept at breaking the enemy line or standing his ground and holding back waves of foes, the master of this path has the ability to bolster his Oath Friend as well as himself.

Ironbreaker - Abilities, Tactics and Morale.

Runepriest

archetype: Healer • special mechanic: Rune crafting

class details: Rune Priests are a ranged support career specializing in Runic magic and crafted Rune stones. A single Rune stone can be given to each group member and each Rune stone has a different positive effect on the bearer. Using a blend of both mending and destruction, Rune Priests have both powerful offensive magic and strong defenses.

description: Dwarf runes bind and hold magic, solidifying and stabilizing the power through the knowledge and craftsmanship practiced by Runepriests through the centuries. A skilled Runepriest can tap into this rune-etched power to call forth all manner of spectacular effects, from restoring life to his allies to calling down wrath and doom upon his foes.

mechanic: Dwarf runes are repositories of raw power, harnessed to a specific purpose by generations of skilled and focused runecarvers. A Runepriest is adept at not only invoking these runic powers, but also at engraving runes on his allies' equipment, granting them abilities far beyond their normal grasp. A true master Runepriest can even call forth the power of mighty Master Runes, carving them into the very earth itself as an anchor for their tremendous energies.

master classes:

Grungni   A Mastery path focused on immediate, direct effects.
A master of this path focuses on powerful and direct effects, learning to both restore his allies and smite his enemies with equal skill. The path of Grungni is for those who prefer to focus on a single target at a time, be they friend or for, and unleash powerful effects upon them.

Valaya   A Mastery path focused on longer-duration effects.
An arguably more subtle mastery, the path of Valaya is focused on effects which continue to linger after they've been invoked. A master of this path prefers to stick to tested, tried, and true slow-and-steady abilities, whether he's building up his allies' strength until they become unstoppable, or whether he's grinding his enemies down with inevitable and unescapable doom.

Grimnir   A Mastery path focused on wide-area effects.
This path is concerned with runes which affect large, sweeping areas as they unleash their innate power. A specialist in this path is an expert at changing the ebb and tide of combat by either bolsting his allies' entire front line, or by sending vast swaths of crushing power across the enemy masses.

Runepriest - Abilities, Tactics and Morale.

Engineer

archetype: Ranged DPS • special mechanic: Mechanical Gadgets

class details: Engineers are defensive ranged fighters who specialize in gadgets and black powder weapons. The engineers many mechanical aids include turrets and traps, which allow them to prepare the battlefield for either an offensive ambush or a strategic defense.

description: The Dwarfs first discovered the secrets of black powder, and no one can rival them when it comes to putting it to good use. Armed with guns, grenades, and gadgets, the Engineers often prepare traps and ambushes throughout the battlefield before the fight begins, and then quickly dispatch any surviving enemies from a safe distance.

mechanic: Crossbows were good and fine, but nowadays, a gun is better - and if a gun is good, then an automated self-aiming gyro-mounted gun turret with a cyclic grenade feeder and napalm cannister is even better yet! An Engineer has gadgets and gizmos to suit any situation, and is virtually an entire battle line on his own.

master classes:

The Rifleman   A Mastery path focused on long-range attacks with your gun.
This path focuses on long-range attacks, and taking your time with carefully aimed precision shots. A master of this path prefers to stand back away from the hectic front lines of battle, and dispatch his enemies quickly and cleanly from behind defensive cover.

The Grenadier   A Mastery path focused on short-range combat with grenades and bombs.
This mastery is primarily focused on grenades and bombs, powerful explosives which may be quickly tossed into the middle of a fray to wreak havoc on enemies. While their effective range may be shorter than a gun's - after all, Dwarf arms aren't exactly build to throw for distance - grenades make up for this through sheer stopping power and swift arming times.

The Tinkerer   A Mastery path focused on close combat using your deployables and gadgets.
A specialist in this path is concerned mainly with his deployable contructs, preferring to fight from near the safety of his turrets while he lays out his foes with swings of his heavy steel wrench. Master tinkerers have also been known to use additional deployable devices above and beyond turrets as well, and many are the Engineers who've been banned for life from a blacksmith's forge after trying to test and improve the heat thresholds of land mines.

Engineer - Abilities, Tactics and Morale.