Dwarf Dwarves are sturdy individuals who live in mountainous regions. Dwarves in NERO are not necessarily short (remember that all players and monsters are the same size as the person playing them), but taller players should think twice about playing a dwarf. In-game, the rumor is that dwarves are the small cousins of hill giants, and so to the giants, they were seen as short. Dwarves tend to be friendly but secretive. They all have beards, although many females prefer a long “goatee.” Their race enjoys and appreciates good craftsmanship, especially in weapons, armor, and jewelry. Because they live so much longer than humans, they tend to dislike the human’s faster paced lifestyles (but they generally like the food). Dwarves have an extreme hatred of trolls who often attack and take the dwarven caves for themselves. Their history is very lengthy but is mostly comprised of stories and legends of great dwarven heroes. Some of these stories can take many hours or even days to tell completely, and no self-respecting dwarf would consider telling an abridged version. Dwarves are generally peaceful and have no problem with other races—although they think elves are pompous, humans are impatient, hoblings are troublemakers, and half orcs and half ogres are incapable of understanding the finer things in life (like a well made weapon and a fine wine). They start with one extra body point and can buy Weaponsmith and Armorsmith skills for one point less. They can buy Resist Poison. Dwarves cannot buy the skills Polearm, Staff, Two Handed Blunt or Two Handed Sword. They must pay double for Read Magic.