Dwarves are short but extremely powerful.  Athasian Dwarves average 4 1/2 to 5 feet in height and tend to have a very large muscle mass - a full grown dwarf weighs in the neighborhood of 200 pounds.  Lives of hard work in the hot sun leave them with a rich tan and rugged, callused hands and feet.  Dwarves can live up to 250 years.

A dwarf's chief love is toil.  A dwarf is never happier than when there is a cause to work or fight for, something he can approach with stoic single-mindedness for weeks, months, years or even decades at a time.  Once a dwarf's mind is committed to a certain task, he'll only set it aside after a great deal of grumbling and coercion.  The fulfillment he achieves upon completion of a lengthy, difficult task is what he strives for.

The task to which a dwarf is presently committeed is referred to as his focus.  A dwarf's focus must be a feat requiring at least one week to complete.  Shorter term goals cannot be considered a focus.  A dwarf's commitment to his focus is based in his physiology - those who complete their lives before their foci live out their afterlives as banshees in the wastes, haunting their unfinished works!

An Athasian dwarf takes notice of other beings based upon his focus.  If the other being is also actively committed to the dwarf's focusm the dwarf will consider him a sensible and dependable companion.  If, however, the other being is vehemently opposed to the dwarf's focus, the two will be irrevocably at odds until one or the other is dead.  There is very little room for compromise in the mind of a dwarf.

Dwarven Ability Adjustments: +2 Con, -2 Cha.

Favored Class (Fighter): A multiclass dwarf's fighter class does not count when determining whether he suffers an XP penalty for multiclassing.

Special Abilities:
- Dwarven base land speed is 20 feet. However, dwarves can move this speed even when wearing medium or heavy armor or when carrying a medium or heavy load.
- Medium: As Medium creatures, dwarves have no special bonuses or penalties due to their size.
- Darkvision: Dwarves are able to see in the dark.
- Stability: A dwarf gains a +4 bonus on ability checks made to resist being bull rushed or tripped when standing on the ground.
- Hardiness vs. Poisons: +2 racial bonus on saving throws against poisons.
- Hardiness vs. Spells: +2 racial bonus on saving throws against spells.
- Racial Weapon Familiarity: All dwarves treat the urgosh as martial weapons. (This will be implemented as a free urgosh proficency.)

Automatic Languages: Common, Dwarven. 

Bonus languages: Elven, Giant, Gith, Kreen, Saurian