Copyright 2008 Wizards of the Coast

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Duergar don’t feature in the first Monster Manual, being MM2 monsters, but they do feature in the Monster Vault, so we cover them here. Technically their entry comes before the one for dwarves, but I’m posting them afterwards because basic dwarves provide some important context.

Between the two books we have quite a lot of duergar stat blocks, so I’m making an executive decision to only cover the ones that appear in the MV in this post. The rest will be covered when I get to the MM2.

Duergar have been a part of D&D since at least the 1st Edition days. Basically, duergar are to dwarves what drow are to elves: the evil version that lives in the Underdark.

The Lore

When we looked at the Azer a while ago, we saw that not all dwarves managed to free themselves from their giant masters. Duergar history also tells us that not all dwarves who escaped found their freedom. Some of them Delved Too Deep (TM) and were re-enslaved by mind flayers, who I’m sure made the giants look like kind and caring masters.

It got so bad they came to believe Moradin had forsaken them, and started making deals with devils in order to attain freedom from the flayers. The devils delivered, and today’s duergar are the result of a centuries long mutually beneficial arrangement between these former slaves and the forces of Hell.

Duergar are about as nice as you would expect given their history. Their civilization is authoritarian, militaristic, and built on the backs of slaves. Isn’t it ironic? They still retain the dwarven knack for engineering and metalsmithing, but their long association with devils has given them several infernal mutations that somewhat resemble those undergone by tieflings in theme if not in their exact mechanics. Most prominent are the graphite-toned skins and the angry red poisonous quills sprouting from their beards and hair.

Duergar raid the surface from “shallow” outposts in search of loot and strong slaves, but the true centers of their civilization are large fortified cities deeper in the Underdark. Devils are a common sight in these cities, some of which house embassies of Hell and/or have devils as prominent members of their domestic power structures. Duergar leadership routinely consorts with devils, in all meanings of the word.

The Numbers

The duergar stat blocks in the MV and MM2 go from mid-Heroic to late-Paragon tier, with most of the later being in the MM2. Duergar are Medium Natural Humanoids. The MM2 gives them the Devil keyword, but the MV doesn’t. In both books, duergar have a few signature traits:

First, they have 5 resistance per tier to poison and fire; second, they can flex their face/head muscles and launch those poisonous quills a short distance as an minor-action encounter power. This is Ranged 3 vs. AC, and deals immediate physical and ongoing poison damage along with a -2 penalty to attacks (save ends both). Their usual speed is 5, like dwarves, and as Underdark dwellers they all have darkvision too.

Duergar Scout

An evil counterpart to the Dwarf Bolter or Warrior, this is a Level 4 Lurker with 48 HP. It’s trained in Dungeoneering, Perception and Stealth, and has all common duergar traits. It’s present in both books.

The scout is armed with a warhammer and crossbow, and has a Shadow Attack trait that makes both deal extra damage when the target can’t see the duergar. That can happen because of Underdark Sneak, which makes it invisible for a turn or until it attacks. Like all duergar, it can also launch its quills.

In the MV version, Underdark Sneak is a standard action, meaning the scout uses the lurker pattern of hide/big attack/rinse/repeat. The MM2 version has it as a minor action, but makes it less magical by requiring that the scout be in dim light or darkness and next to cover. Its Shadow Attack also does half the damage of the MV version’s.

I would recommend always using the MV version. You want at least two scouts who set up at opposite ends of the battle area and take turns sniping at the PCs while their frontliners keep the adventurers tied down.

Duergar Guard

These would be the afore-mentioned frontliners, counterparts to the Dwarf Hammerer or Clan Guard. They are Level 4 Soldiers with 58 HP who wear mail and wield warhammers two-handed. It’s present in both books.

The two versions are mostly alike, with the main difference being that the MV version’s basic warhammer attack marks for a turn as an effect. As a minor action they channel their Infernal Anger for a turn, adding 4 fire damage to their attacks and gaining the ability to shift 1 square as a reaction to an adjacent enemy moving. This recharges on a 5-6. There’s also the quills.

The MV version is preferrable both because of the basic math fixes and because it can actually do its soldierly job.

Duergar Thug

Basically a minion version of the Guard, present only in the MV. It’s a Level 4 Minion Brute with the same gear as the guard, and whose quills don’t inflict an attack penalty but can still cause a bit of ongoing damage.

Feel free to throw hordes of these at a a party who triggers an alarm while sneaking through a duergar fortress, and compare them with the Devil-Bred Duergar at the end of the post.

Duergar Raid Leader

This Level 5 Artillery Leader has 51 HP and equipment similar to that of a scout. In addition to attacking with its warhammer and crossbow, it can use a Raid Leader’s Command to have an ally within 5 squares make a basic attack in its place. And there’s also the quills.

The raid leader pairs well with the other duergars we saw so far, particularly the guard with its marking basic attack. It also goes well with hard-hitting brutes.

Duergar Infernal Consort

We skip right to the big leagues here. The Infernal Consort is a Level 17 Controller with 164 HP and all common duergar traits. In case the title misleads you, it’s worth clarifying that consorts can be of any gender.

The infernal consort fights with a warhammer, whose attacks push the target 3 squares and slow them for a turn on a hit. It also has a ranged basic attack named Devil Possession (Ranged 3 vs. Will, recharge 5-6) that does exactly that. Targets hit by it are dominated for a turn and cause 10 fire damage to any ally that ends their turn next to them. At the start of the target’s next turn, the consort can slide them 3 squares as a free action.

The consort can also perform an Infernal Summons (Area Burst 1 within 5 vs. Reflex) that brings a literal slice of Hell into the battlefield. This at-will attack does sizable fire damage and creates a zone of difficult terrain that lasts for a turn and does 10 fire damage to anyone who enters it or starts their turn there.

The Infernal Consort is meant to be encountered amid a group of devils of similar level, all of which have enough fire resistance to not worry about its attacks. The consort’s own tactics would involve keeping at least one Infernal Summons zone active at all times and using Devil Possession to drag more people into it.

Devil-Bred Duergar

You’ve met the consort, now meet the kids! Technically, every duergar we saw so far is “devil-bred” to some extent - that’s where the quills and such come from. I guess they figured this was as good a name as any for the “high-level minion” version of the Duergar Guard.

Devil-bred Duergar are Level 18 Minion Soldiers, wearing mail and wielding warhammers. They use basic warhammer attacks to fight, and can also use it to hit any adjacent enemy that makes an attack that doesn’t include them as a target (Punishing Hammer; Melee 1 vs. AC). This does fire damage on a hit.

Strangely, this is the only duergar without a quill attack. For a non-minion version you can level up the Duergar Guard and give it the Punishing Hammer ability.

Final Impressions

In my experience, duergar never did have much success in the crowded “evil underground civilization” space, being at best a third choice behind drow and mind flayers. This version of them seems to have a more consistent flavor and a level spread that means they’ll be the first things from the Underdark a PC party is likely to encounter in their careers.

There are enough stat blocks here for you to assemble all-duergar encounters, and you can also add imps or legion devils as reinforcements or other humanoids as slaves. The late-Paragon entries are tailor made for pairing with devils.