Four fantasy characters, including a dwarf warrior, a bearded man with a shield, a man with a feathered hat, and an elf with a staff, standing near an old ruined stone building with a castle in the background.

Welcome to Curious Quill, an original content resource for d20 roleplaying.

Choosing a class typically is more about its capabilities: what will it allow the character to do? But when building your character, theorycrafting on why the character, versus the player, followed that path can play a large role in creating an interesting back story. Some classes are more straightforward, while some are more open-ended. In these Class Theory features we will explore and present ideas to help illustrate the reason a character follows a class path.

Lore Kevin Frank Lore Kevin Frank

Dwarven Winter Festival

The dwarves of Taluma have two primary celebrations throughout the year, celebrating the advancement of the year, but more importantly honoring their tutelary deities Sol and Eosta, the Lord and Lady of the sun and Eost, the planet: fire and earth. They occur at the beginning and midpoint of what the dwarves consider a year, starting with the rise of the sun on the winter solstice and the midway point of the summer solstice.

Read More about the winter solstice festival.

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Lore Kevin Frank Lore Kevin Frank

Dwarf Beverages

Though dwarves are known for consumption of ale, there are actually few dwarven brews, instead they purchase barrels from humans and they drink it like water - to them it is a ‘soft’ drink, and even youth drink it seemingly unaffected by its low alcohol content. They make their own spirits from other sources than grain.

Read More about dwarven beverages.

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Rules Addenda Kevin Frank Rules Addenda Kevin Frank

Ability Modifiers: Intimidation

In the Ability Modifiers feature, we will be exploring Ability checks: mostly Skills, and how to modify, or enhance their usage in gameplay. This time, we will take a look at how the Intimidation skill can be used in different ways beyond the Charisma-based proficiency detailed in the basic rules.

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Tables Kevin Frank Tables Kevin Frank

Dwarf Clan Names

Dwarf clans are named in a similar manner to dwarven bynames. Often, a clan is named after its leader or founder, but the clan may achieve its own fame and gain a title relevant to their accomplishment. They may also be named after their homeland: their hold, a landmark, or other regional feature; or something historical like a famous battle they won.

Read More for lists of dwarven clan names you can use in your game.

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Tables Kevin Frank Tables Kevin Frank

Dwarven Hold Names

Dwarven communties, called Holds, like their clans, can be named after its founder or leader. Since they are long-lasting, though, and can persist longer than generations of even the long-lived dwarves, they are more likely to be named after other features such as its industry (a forge), or where it is located (the mountain it is built into).


Read More for names of Holds you can use in your game.

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Kevin Frank Kevin Frank

Introducing the Curious Quill

Welcome to Curious Quill, an original content resource for the best fantasy roleplaying game in the world. You’ll quickly get an idea on what we offer both GMs and players alike, but we thought you might first like to know who is behind The Curious Quill; who is pushing the pen, as it were.

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