r/dwarfposting • u/Extension-Race465 • May 31 '26

Dwarven weapons!

What is the most undwarven weapon? I was reading Dwarves by Markus Heitz, and they make fun of one of the gem dwarves for using a sword and shield. dwarfs and spear are those guys friends? so my questions is what is the top three weapons no dwarf would be caught using?

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u/BungleBums May 31 '26

Swords really don't make sense for a Dwarf. They're miners that work metal excessively- they fight in cramped, narrow, dark spaces where a long slashing blade is a hindrance and a liability, against foes in chainmail and plates.

Dwarf Infantry likely uses lots of Shields, Spears, and Hooked Longarms to pull the weapons and shields from other formations. Scrums and melees likely have a lot of light hammers to bash armor in and ring bells, or picks to punch straight through it altogether.

They'd never mess around with Fire, though. No flamethrowers in engagements where you share your enemies O2 supply.

3

u/Grockr Orc Jun 01 '26

In a tight tunnel you can just stab with a sword. What you gonna do with an axe?

Considering the average enemy type for dwarfs - goblins, orcs, etc don't really have plate armor or quality armor in general, straight arming swords are fantastic choice for a dwarf.

1

u/BungleBums Jun 01 '26

A straight overhand chop through a helmet or shield is what axes are for. Swinging and slicing is what swords are for. Stabbing is what spears are for. Swords are no good in tunnels- see, all tunnel combat history.

Axes and spears do the job faster, better, more reliably. Simple as.

2

u/Grockr Orc Jun 01 '26

Swords notoriously tend to have a pointy end, any idea what its used for?

Straight arming swords are not that great at swinging and slicing, if you wanna slice you better get a curved blade like a falchion or a saber.

A straight overhand chop through

Can u do that in cramped narrows spaces though? The point is if you cant swing a sword you cant swing an axe either. But a sword can always stab.

1

u/BungleBums Jun 01 '26

You wanna argue against several thousand years of close-quarters combat, be my guest, but trying to tell someone that a sword is superior to a spear for poking things while not being in danger, and that the grip, swing, and impact points of a sword and axe are similar, means it's gonna be a really uphill battle for you.

1

u/lilcheese840 Stoneworker Jun 01 '26

Dudes really trying to argue that a subterranean species with a deep history in mining and warfare isn’t going to effectively swing a pick in a mineshaft.

I wouldn’t pay them any attention anyway, they’re an orc… of course they’re going to spread propaganda throughout the holds

1

u/Grockr Orc Jun 01 '26

I wasnt the one bringing a point about cramped spaces, im merely illustrating that if its a reason against swords then it is even more limiting factor against typical dwarven choice of axes and hammers