The Dwarf: A Class for King of Kings

 Like I said on the previous post, while I am intending on running King of Kings using OSE more or less as written with little in the way of modification, I have decided to replace the three demihuman classes with custom classes that fill the same conceptual-mechanical niches but fit the ancient pseudo-Iranian setting better than DnD's Tolkienesque races. So here is another one of those!

Dwarfs are small hirsute humanoids that live in isolated verdant valleys and within the gaping mouths of mountainside caves. They stand shorter than a human, roughly 3.5 to 5 feet in height, with arms just too long for their frames and a thick coating of brown hair on just about every inch of their skin. They are pacifistic and softspoken, and although most of them speak Shahistani (the language of the Enlightened Empire), their native tongue is one of secret whispers only half-heard by human ears. A major exception to their fearful nonviolence is that of large birds such as cranes, storks, hawks, and ostriches, who they despise since such creatures devour their kind with ease. They live in rather small communities called nests, but they always remember other dwarfs that they meet and can always rely on them.

Although they are most at home in their cavernous nests, dwarfs are a rather common sight in human cities, primarily for their value to mobads, satraps, merchants, and other local notables. Their small frames and silent movements, coupled with their whispered language, make them invaluable assets to those who wish to keep well kept secrets. Dwarfs are often seen in the employ of powerful men and women, just slightly out of sight, coming to and fro with information about their business ventures that they heard from another dwarf acquaintance of theirs. They are the eyes and ears of those with power, made especially valuable by their naturally muscular frames and thick skulls that are quite resistant to sorcerous machinations. It is also quite common to see a mischievous little dwarf jester dancing in a satrap's hall, or performing in a market square, as their unusual appearance attracts attention.

Dwarfs, despite their simian features, are in fact quite closely related to humans, and can even interbreed with human partners. The products of such unions are sterile from birth, but they couple the musculature of the dwarf with the lack of restraint of the human, and as such are desirous for professional armies and criminal bandit gangs alike.

The Dwarf
A class for use with Old School Essentials (or any similar OSR ruleset)

Requirements: Minimum CON 9, Maximum INT 12
Prime Requisite: DEX and WIS
Hit Dice: 1d6
Maximum Level: 10
Armor: Any appropriate to size, including shields
Weapons: Any appropriate to size
Languages: Secret Tongue of the Dwarfs, Shahistani

A dwarf with at least 13 in one prime requisite gains a +5% bonus to experience. If both DEX and WIS are 16 or higher, the dwarf gets a +10% bonus.

Avian Enmity
Dwarfs have a +1 bonus to hit when fighting large birds, whether flightless or flying.
Combat
Dwarfs can use all types of armor, but it must be tailored to their small size. Similarly, they can use any weapon appropriate to their stature (as determined by the referee). They cannot use longbows or two-handed swords.
Defensive Bonus
Due to their small size, dwarfs gain a +1 bonus to Armor Class when attacked by large opponents (greater than human-sized).
Hiding
Dwarfs have an uncanny ability to disappear from sight:

• In woods or undergrowth, a dwarf can hide with a 90% chance of success.
• Beginning at second level, a dwarf hides in dungeons at a chance of success of 2-in-6.
  

Listen at Doors
Dwarfs have a 2-in-6 chance of hearing noises.
Natural Musculature
Dwarfs have +1 damage with all weapons, and +2 with blunt weapons. Beginning at level 7, a dwarf deals an additional d6 damage on a critical hit.
Speak to Apes and Monkeys
Beginning at level 4, a dwarf is able to speak the secret language of apes and monkeys. They are also able to send a monkey to communicate a message to any other dwarf that they know the name and location of.
After Reaching 9th Level

A dwarf may establish a dwarf nest, attracting 2d6 other dwarfs of first level. These dwarfs will function as the character's eyes and ears wherever they are living or working, and the dwarf will regularly receive information from them. 

Dwarf Character Advancement

Level	XP	HD	THAC0	D	W	P	B	S
1	0	1d6	19 [0]	9	9	12	12	10
2	1,900	2d6	19 [0]	9	9	12	12	10
3	3,800	3d6	19 [0]	9	9	12	12	10
4	7,600	4d6	19 [0]	7	7	10	10	8
5	15,200	5d6	17 [+2]	7	7	10	10	8
6	30,500	6d6	17 [+2]	7	7	10	10	8
7	61,000	7d6	17 [+2]	5	5	8	8	6
8	122,000	8d6	17 [+2]	5	5	8	8	6
9	244,000	9d6	14 [+5]	5	5	8	8	6
10	344,000	9d6+2	14 [+5]	3	3	6	6	4

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The dwarf was initially intended as something between the halfling and the dwarf classes, but it definitely ended up leaning more toward the halfling side of that arrangement. In my mind, these guys are both neanderthal/denisovan-type human relatives and also mythic/folkloric little people. They're like if a neanderthal was also a little fairy spy that worked for evil kings!

I was also kinda trying to avoid having a race thats very uninterested in going on adventures, which is one of my major complaints about the halfling race as depicted in most Dungeons and Dragons settings (the Dark Sun halflings are a very different story and one that I am much more inclined to like!). The dwarf's pacifism may lean closer to that, but I feel like me making them secretive little spies and the enemies of large birds counteracts that and makes them a potentially interesting race to play! You'll probably also notice that they have a maximum INT value, I personally really like the idea of a class being "unlocked", in a sense, by bad rolls, so I incorporated it here. Hope you like this weird little ape race!

(Edit: This class was renamed a few times both before and after publication, and the url reflects this. Apologies for any confusion regarding the difference between the url and the actual text in the post!)