This is a companion article to supplement my podcast Episode #69 Saturday Scrawl #13 Musings on Dwarven Beards.

I realized today that I left out several things and added a new article, More Musings on Dwarven Beards. You’ll want to read it after this one.

First, a transcription of the episode, then some tables and illustrations.

Transcription

After having a long beard for over a year, the end of April, early May will mark two years since I stopped trimming it and let it grow. I’ve been thinking about beards and how to portray them more realistically where dwarves are concerned.

But first, a call in from Colin, Spikepit himself.

[No transcription of the call in.]

Thanks for the encouragement Colin.

Having less stuff is a big improvement on dealing with daily life. The more stuff one has, the more work, including time and expense, it takes to maintain it. Thanks for the podcast suggestion. I don’t have time to keep up with all the RPG podcasts, so i’ll put that on the someday maybe list.

I also want to thank all the listeners! The podcast is at 67 downloads per episode with a total over 4,600 listens. Not bad for 69 episodes before this podcast. Since my episode 0 is up, this is actually the 70th episode.

Work is starting to slow down, but is still quite busy. I do have more energy than I had last week, as I intended to make a podcast last Saturday, but just didn’t have it in me.

I’m working on my January PDF and released the Patron preview on Patreon. This month is about magic items. I may get it released this weekend. I’ve got two PDFs with over 400 downloads, one of those is a Copper seller. The dollar amount on the other isn’t enough for it to be classed as a copper seller. I’m over 1,400 total PDF downloads.

It’s also time to start finalizing the games I’ll be running at Marmalade Dog in Kalamazoo in February, and the games I’ll be running at Gary Con in March. If you’re going to Gary Con, I’d like to meet face to face. Let’s coordinate that.

So onto my thoughts on dwarven beards.

Once a beard reaches a certain length, I’ve noticed issues I am sure people with long hair have encountered. When I put on a t-shirt or sweatshirt, I have to pull my beard out of it like those with long hair have to do. Getting out of bed in the morning, I have to ensure I don’t put my hands on my beard, or I’m not getting up until I move my hands. If I eat at my desk, I have to be careful not to dip my beard in my plate or bowl.

There’s also the old joke about a beard being a “flavor saver.” Sometimes I look in the bathroom mirror and learn I’ve got a piece of food in my beard. That happens a lot more often with a long beard, than when I kept it shorter.

[If you’re eating pause and finish before you listen to this next bit.]

When I have a cold, or am dealing with allergies, a mustache is a liability. That’s all you need to know.

Why do I have a beard? The main reason is I hate to shave. I grew my first beard in 10th grade, I turned 16 that year. During high school and college I’d grow it for several months, then shave it off and after a few weeks, let it grow again. I’ve had a near constant beard for nearly 30 years, only shaving it off a couple times. I went to a goatee for a few years to shave off the white, but it is so white now that it doesn’t matter. Trying to dye it is time consuming and expensive. I did try that a few times, and it never lasts very long.

Why did I grow it long? I’ve always wanted to grow it long. I’ve wondered if I could ever get it long enough to tuck into my belt. I also had the idea after watching Sujata Day on Girls, Guts, Glory braid her hair to make a beard, I thought I’d see if I can grow my beard long enough to braid together over my bald spot. So being single I just let it grow. I’ve learned about things to care for a beard that wasn’t ever communicated to me until the popularity of beards in recent years. Using beard balm has helped my beard stay soft and done wonders for my skin.

A questions I often get is, “Don’t you get hot in the summer?” If you are used to a beard it isn’t bad, at least in my experience. There is a temperature difference. If I put my hands under my beard in winter, it’s a good way to warm them. It holds a lot of heat. One thing I don’t recommend is shaving a beard in the middle of winter. I did that one year in college right before a cold snap. Never again!

Some guys say it itches when they let their beard grow. I’ve never experienced that.

Once it reaches a certain length you can braid your beard. I don’t do it very often, but I’m getting better at it. If you do it too tight, it is uncomfortable to move your face or lift your head. Things such as smiling and looking up will give a tug. You can move your cheeks and make the braids flop.

I’ve got some ideas for some RPG related things for dwarven beards that I plan to write up on my blog.

For example, dwarves grow out their beards to protect their faces and necks from the heat of the forge and cold of the mine. Dwarves already get a bonus on their saves, but for cold based spells, I’d give a bonus to the save, and if they fail a fire based save, I’d give the beard it’s own save.

If the beard fails a fire based save, then something catastrophic will happen to the beard. Is it merely singed, or gone? If the fire comes from a certain direction is that area gone and the rest singed?

Dwarves have massive full beards, I see them as protecting a dwarf from chocking attacks, like chocking vines or an assassin’s garrotte.

Different clans would have different braiding styles or other differences in styling their beards.

A clan of dwarves that don’t have the epic dwarven beard might be called Shortbeard, that gets muddled over time as “Shor’bd.”

There might be some family of dwarves that have uneven, scraggly beards due to a familial curse. Scraggle Beard might be a taunting phrase.

Some styles of beard might lead to a way to stash something. For example, a dwarven thief might stash some simple tool in a braid that might elude discovery if captured, allowing them to make an escape.

Some dwarves might cut their hair or they might grow it long to enhance the majesty of their beards.

Some dwarves beards might be so long that they can form a weaponized braid, whether a garrotte or a whip-like structure.

An undead dwarf or dwarf/monster hybrid might have a prehensile beard that can grapple opponents or foul their weapons, or gag the person in the back of the line. This could be clusters of hair, or actual braids.

In my campaign, I have both dwarves and gnomes, and non-dwarves and non-gnomes always confuse them. Elves know the difference, but only confuse them to annoy the dwarves. Gnomes as pranksters often go along with it.

These ideas and more are rumbling in my head on their way to a blog post.

I think it is important to make dwarves more than just short people with beards.

Similarly, other fantasy creatures should be more than human-like simulacra with a simple trope to make them different.

What are some of the things you use to make dwarves in your campaign different?

Thanks for listening and game on!

Addendum

I realized shortly after I released the podcast that I left out mention of how one’s breath freezes on your mustache and beard. When warmed, it melts and you have a wet mustache and beard. This scenario would give the beard a bonus to its save verses fire.

The Tables

There are two general categories of beard styles braided and non-braided. Hair may be grown long to intermingle with the braids of the beard. The hair of the head can be styled totally differently than the beard. It could be shaved, buzzed, cut short, shoulder length, or left to grow.

The idea is for each dwarven clan to have their own beard styles. Nobility and royalty might have special styles to signify their rank. A monarch might style their beard to the custom of the local clan they are visiting as part of building good will. Military units might have custom styles to signify their unit. For example, archers might have a general beard style and braids might be structured to signify rank.

This is an worldbuilding tool to help make the dwarves in your campaign come alive. I plan to use this in my campaign.

NOTE: I am limited by my own experience and brief internet searches on braid types. If I missed something, please let me know.

Non-Braided

There are three general shapes for a non-braided beard. They may have smaller decorative braids on the fringes. There could also be decorations with silver or gold cuffs, beads, or feathers.

1. Narrow – Combed inward from cheek to chin making a long pointy beard.
2. Broad – Combed outward making a full, rounder beard.
3. Forked – Whether naturally forked or styled that way.

Braided

This will vary in the number of braids, size of braids, number of strands in braids, whether they are joined, etc.

Size

1. Large – One or more large braids.
2. Small – One or more small braids.
3. Large & Small – A combination of large and small braids. Some braids may be joined, or a small braid may be made below a beard cuff.

Large Braids

1. Single braid under the chin.
2. Forked braids under the chin.
3. Large central braid under the chin and one under each cheek.

Small Braids

1. Decorative on the fringes, such as temples and cheeks.
2. All over, maybe even like corn row style braids.
3. Dreadlocks. (These could be large braids.)
4. At the ends of large braids.
5. Small braids joined at the tips.
6. Joining the ends of large braids together.

Decorations

1. None
2. Leather
3. String – may be colored.
4. Feathers
5. Beads (Any gem that can be put on a necklace can be threaded onto hair.)
6. Barrels/Cuffs
7. Trinkets
8. Other

Piercings

Pierced ears, for example, could have braids hanging from earrings. If your dwarven culture has piercings, then consider how they interact with their beards.

Treatment of Beard in Battle

Some dwarven clans will proudly display their beard in battle. Others might leave them beneath their armor as padding. If fighting dragons or other known fire-breathing creatures, most dwarves will instinctively dowse their beard in water if they know what’s ahead.

Their could be a tradition of a “war-braid” for some dwarves. A special braid is worn in addition to the normal clan styling to indicate the clan is at war. This would be something all dwarves would know and only a charmed, intoxicated, or unconscious dwarf would miss it. That is, no notice checks or knowledge checks needed, unless it is a new an isolated group of dwarves who are the only dwarves to do this.

Dyes

Dwarves are not vain about their age. An old dwarf is a wise dwarf who has seen some $#!^. No dwarf would hide their age for vanity. A thief might done a disguise, but never for vain reasons.

Dyeing or coloring beards might be another way to signify clan or rank. Perhaps only the tip of a single braid is dyed to signify rank. Or the entire braid is dyed.

Conclusion

There are as many ways to style beards as there are to style hair. The above is by no means complete, merely a starting point for consideration to make your character or your world interesting. Please share ideas in the comments for how I could improve this. I like the idea of an all the dice table to help generate lots of combinations. One could also put this into a spreadsheet and generate a lot of combinations quickly.

The follow post, is More Musings on Dwarven Beards.