Here's another first for the blog: subspecies homebrew! What makes subspecies homebrew different from broader species homebrew is that the new creation needs to be able to fit into the existing framework of the "superspecies," so to speak. It's possible for an idea to be interesting yet ill-fitting. Additionally, because the species already takes up design space, both mechanically and narratively, the available design space is much narrower.
Anyhow, the Dunewalker Dwarf was my first foray into subspecies design. I like it a lot; I think the Dunewalker succeeds at having a simple, yet very evocative premise that lends itself well to interesting stories. The Dunewalkers manage to be very unique as Dwarves—what with having nearly no connection to the underground—but I think they speak to the heart and spirit of Dwarven tropes. Dunewalkers are taciturn, hardworking, mercantile, and honorable. They value cooperation as a society, and issues of disgrace are hinted at with references to the possibility of exile.
You will likely notice that I use a very specific term in the homebrew: "Glasslands." This is a bit of a hint at what I originally created the Dunewalker for. The Glasslands are the desert region of a personal campaign setting I am creating, called Veardynn. I first created the Dunewalkers while I was fleshing out the setting and imagining unique species to dwell therein, just like how a setting book such as the Sword Coast Adventurer's Guide includes unique subspecies like Deep Gnomes and Ghostwise Halflings.
I previously tried to create a long, comprehensive setting document for Veardynn and someday share it online, but I have since changed my mind. Making a book like Sword Coast great is difficult enough when it's a paying job for the Wizards of the Coast staff; as a personal project, I realized it's not something I have time for!
But, there are odds and ends here and there that I enjoy creating. The Dunewalkers were one of those.
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