Meet the Dwarf
The Dwarf is a solid fighter with one rule no other core hero has: the Dwarf disarms traps without a tool kit and fails only on a black shield. Everything else about the Dwarf is steady rather than special: 2 attack dice, 2 defend dice, 7 Body Points (second only to the Barbarian) and 3 Mind Points.
The Dwarf starts with a Shortsword in the HeroQuest Game System. In the 2025 starter box HeroQuest: First Light, which uses the same rules, the Dwarf starts with a Handaxe instead.
Starting Stats
| Stat | Dwarf | What it means |
|---|---|---|
| Attack | 2 dice | From the Shortsword. Every skull is a hit. |
| Defend | 2 dice | Every white shield blocks one hit. |
| Body Points | 7 | At 0 you die unless you drink a healing potion or cast a healing spell at once. |
| Mind Points | 3 | Resistance to magic: better than the Barbarian, worse than the Elf and Wizard. |
| Movement | 2 red dice | Same as every hero. |
| Special | Trap disarming | No tool kit needed; fails only on a black shield. |
The Dwarf Next to the Other Core Heroes
Traps: the Dwarf's Job
Any hero can use their action to search for traps, as long as no monsters are in sight. Zargon then reveals the traps you would find. Searching is the same for every hero: there is no roll and the Dwarf finds nothing extra. The Dwarf's advantage starts once a trap is found.
| Trap | What happens if you spring it |
|---|---|
| Pit | Lose 1 Body Point. While you're in the pit you fight with one fewer die. |
| Falling block | Roll 3 combat dice, lose 1 Body Point per skull, no defense roll. The square is blocked for good. |
| Spear | Roll 1 combat die; a skull costs 1 Body Point. |
| Chest or furniture trap | Set off by searching the furniture; the quest notes say what it does. |
A falling block is the nasty one: it deals 1.5 Body Points on average, at least 2 half the time, and all 3 one time in eight. That's a real threat to the Wizard's 4 Body Points.
Getting Past a Trap You've Found
- The Dwarf disarms on anything but a black shield: 5 chances in 6.
- Another hero needs a Tool Kit from the Armory and then any non-skull result: an even chance.
- Jumping over a found trap costs 2 movement and also needs any non-skull result.
You can't lure monsters into traps
Monsters don't spring hidden traps, so leaving a trap armed "for the orcs" does nothing. Disarm it or walk around it.
Fighting
With 2 attack dice the Dwarf hits like the Elf and a step below the Barbarian. Against one-Body monsters that's still good: a 59.0% chance to kill an Orc in one attack (the Barbarian's is 75.0%), and 83.2% within two attacks. The tough monsters are a different story. Two dice can produce at most two hits, so the Dwarf can never kill a three-Body Dread Warrior or Gargoyle in a single attack.
Chance to Destroy Each Monster
Monster defend dice and Body Points come from the classic 1990 North American chart (Goblin 1/1, Orc 2/1, Skeleton 2/1, Zombie 3/1, Abomination 3/2, Mummy 4/2, Dread Warrior 4/3, Gargoyle 5/3). Fan sources say the 2021 game matches; your monster cards have the final word.
On defense the Dwarf is close to the Barbarian. With 7 Body Points and 2 defend dice, the chance that an Orc (3 attack dice) kills the Dwarf within four attacks is 7.6%. The Dwarf has none of the Wizard's equipment limits, so a Helmet or Chain Mail turns them into a good second front-liner.
Equipment
Spending the Dwarf's Gold
Skip the Tool Kit. The Dwarf doesn't need one, and their disarm odds (5 in 6) are already better than a Tool Kit gives anyone else.
Defense first. Each extra defend die cuts the damage you take. Against an Orc, going from 2 to 3 defend dice drops your chance of being hurt from 62.5% to 50.9%.
Then a bigger weapon. A weapon's attack dice replace the Dwarf's 2. With a 3-dice weapon the Dwarf fights as well as the Barbarian.
Item details and prices are in Treasure & Equipment.
The Dwarf in the Party
- Walk near the front in corridors. Traps sit in corridors as well as rooms, and the Dwarf wants to be the one who reaches a found trap first.
- Search for traps before the Wizard walks anywhere new. One falling block can take the Wizard from 4 Body Points to 1.
- Be the second fighter. Stand beside the Barbarian in rooms so two heroes can attack the same tough monster.
- Remember searches cost your action. A turn spent searching is a turn not attacking, so search when the room is clear and save fights for when monsters appear.
Try It at the Table
- For one quest, have the Dwarf search for traps in every new corridor before anyone else steps in. Count the Body Points that saves.
- Roll one combat die six times as the Dwarf disarming, and six times as a hero with a Tool Kit. The difference between 5-in-6 and 1-in-2 shows up fast.
- Compare the Dwarf and Barbarian against a Mummy with the Dice Roller.
Where Next
- The Elf: fighter and spellcaster in one.
- The Barbarian: the front-liner the Dwarf fights beside.
- Getting Started: the full turn, search and trap rules.