Here is an idea for a "Part 2" video: What are the different kinds of counter-tactics and equipment mankind would eventually develop to fight the dwarves?
Halberds, tower shields, and bardiche. Halberds are obvious, but a bardiche is a musket rest as well as a short polearm. Tower shields don't have an easily exploited gap at the bottom like a Norman kite shield
This might be why Orc's are traditionally seen wielding large polearms with nasty protrusions at all angles, giant shield busting axes, and curved swords. All are reasonably useful against Dwarvish defences, if you can't go around, go through.
I don't know if this has been done before, my limited dwarf exposure comes from LOTR. It would be great to see dwarven defensive structures made at dwarven heights instead of giant echoing halls. Forcing the tall folk to have to stoop or even crawl into a fortified position would be a huge advantage
Dwarves ought to know a thing or two about stoneworking, including the might of the Gothic Arch. The wider you want the base, the taller the centre is going to be.
Those probably exist, the entrances and public areas of a city/fortification would have to be normal sized, however, if only because beasts of burden and trade with other races.
@@Sableagle yeah their large room should stay huge, but i think their defensive positions should be really tight, and tiny. Kinda like chokepoints in castle or something that small group can defend against larger in narrow corridors, but since they are so short they could drop the ceiling too
I always appreciate it when fantasy settings have actual thought put into them. I also really like how the dwarves are portrayed using unique equipment and tactics to defeat human opponents. Makes me wanna read the comic now!
ever since getting into the sword side of youtube i've wanted to see a story that's basically lord of the rings but without a big evil and that focuses on exploring the details of how the physical nature of different species affects their cultures and creations. Like dwarves would be extremely dense creatures, having impressive durability and strength but of course not being terribly fast, so it makes sense that they'd hole up in defensible positions and ward off foes. Whereas elves, being agile and weaker, could be nomadic and prefer to evade conflict entirely. And then you can explore the interplay between this, maybe dwarves and humans get along REAL good, with the dwarves building fortifications and being the defensive force and humans being the offensive arm of the military. Then if we say relations between elves and other races are good they might well be merchants traveling between settlements with goods!
Swed neck elves are not weaker in lotr so your example of elves means it would not be 'lotr but without a big bad'. LOTR elves are super humans in every way (except maybe reproduction as they ahev similar numbers of children and become adults at 50)
Adtionally nomads irl are made of strong people because its a tough lifestyle. Adtionally it doesn't make sense to be agile and weak. Agility requires strength too, because it requires speed and acceleration. Infact agility requires muscle type I (skeletal muscle fibres can be broadly split into 2 types. Type I is for speed and power, type II is for endurance. Humans have mostly type II which makes us slow and weak compared to other animals, but we are 1 of the irl animals with the best endurance, many studies conclude we are infact the best at endurance of any animal irl). A fantasy creature weaker than us but of similar size is going to be slower than us but even better at endurance. A fantasy creature faster/more agile than us at similar size is going to be stronger than us too, but with less endurance. Agility also requires stiffer tendons, which also improves other power related actives (like weight lifting), while endurance requires more elastic tendons. The other aspect agility requires is fast reaction times. If elves are fast/agile, realistically they are going to be low endurance creatures, requiring large energy input to move long distances and so would likely be less interested in wondering and traveling. As a result they would be very territorial and their speed/strength and reaction time advantage would make them very deadly in combat, but for short periods of time. So OK foot they would probably be hit and run (get in, kill and leave before they can get tired) and they would probably dometicate animals to overcome the fact they get tired easily and so would likely rely heavily on cavalry. The low endurance would also limit armour use. While they are stronger they tire quicker and armour is more of a tiring factor than a speed limit factor. Any heavy armour they wear would be designed to be taken off quickly.
@@matthiuskoenig3378 Really interesting thoughts there. I think that is an explaination for some elven clans in DnD and other games. Territoral, agressiv even, with a habbit of taming animals, like horses, to cover greater distances. Might also explain the common trope of elves being very fond of trees, thinking about using trees (plants in general) as weapons. When you get tired faster it might be usefull to just restrain the enemy with vines or let them get punched by an animated tree instead of fighting eye to eye. Real elves would fight dirty is what I am saying.
1:46 this is actually pretty accurate because in fantasy dwarves generally dont use swords, they use hammers warpicks, axes, mattocks ect. so a curved shield would definitley help
Gives another reason why dwarves favour axes and hammers, if you are targeting your opponent's legs, these weapons are likely more effective than swords.
@@MrChickennugget360 think it would be more useful to just look over the top. hema ppl need to learn boxing and mma. anything interfering with your line of sight is crippling. your vision is one of the most important things.
@@counterprogressive5800 I imagine if the thing blocking your line of sight is essentially a wall of impenetrable protection it's a bit easier to get away with. Sure it's not ideal but it's not like their sword will penetrate a shield the same way a punch can slip past a guard.
As an SCA fighter, I once saw a very short guy in light armor fighting against a series of 300lb Vikings. The short guy apparently had extensive martial arts training and was exceedingly fit. He would turtle up behind his shield until his opponent was leaning over him trying to rain blows past his defense. Then this little guy would spring up, clearing a couple feet off the ground and hammer his opponent right in the back of his head. He pulled that trick off three times before people started wising up against him.
The transparent shield idea has so much untapped potential in fantasy. Like imagine a one-way mirror type material, to combine with the age-old mirror-shield mythos.
Being usually depicted as miners and all I've always thought it interesting how few Dwarfs are represented as Sappers or using Vietcong style ambush tunnel networks. Especially if you combine the latter with some hard-hitting Dwarfish crossbows and keep the tunnels at Dwarf proportions they would have the potential to be an incredibly effective guerilla force.
Now i really want to see you analyse the different units in total war warhammer detailing your opinion on the weaponry for the race and the matchup against other races, like natural enemys (orcs/dwarfs) or counters (skaven/dwarfs). Not really sure if it would be worth the effort but i would really like that.
One thing Warhammer always got right is how much momentum Dwarfs actually had. They're heavy as fuck and though they have short legs if they actually do gain some speed they just bowl anything over. it's why Slayers, who are typically naked, are fucking dangerous because those Ginger suicidal fucks can LEAP.
One tactic I learned a long time ago when it came to fighting taller opponents was to fight really low so they'd have to punch and grab much lower; that way you could also focus on defending against leg attacks and grappling their legs.
I was going to mention HTH combat as well. Grappling and wrestling would or should be the dwarven combat discipline of choice, given their short reach but lower center of gravity, more solid frame, and greater strength. I prefer fantasy dwarves depicted as wider and more buff than humans, rather than simply like modern human dwarves who could never overpower an adult human. This isn't just wishful thinking, given Neanderthals were shorter but more massive than Homo Sapiens.
@@Mlai00 Whenever I approach dwarves I consider them more like Neanderthals. Yeah they may be like 4 ft to 4.5ft tall but they're stupidly broad and muscular and just as heavy as that 6ft human warrior with thick bones and lots of muscle.
@@Mlai00 You're right about grappling but pike/shot/cannon should be the meta for Dwarf warfare. All Dwarven males have an affinity for hand cannons and skewered meat. Also shovel/pickaxe combat but that's another topic. Neanderthals cannot throw projectiles with reliable accuracy but I'm sure they could point + shoot + reload a gun if their lives depended on it.
I'm writing a story where dwarves and elves fight in a tercio formation, the elves handle the guns with a clear line of sight over the dwarves' shoulders, and the dwarves are the ones to carry the pikes.
In a worldbuilding project I'm doing now I have very early decided on dwarves employing pike and shot formations. Shield and axe / hammer for tunnel fighting.
The idea that dwarves should carry pikes is legit. Ancient Chinese generals think the Dwarves should carry spears and halberds while having taller people carry ranged weapons: ”The basic rule of warfare that should be taught is that men of short stature should carry spears and spear-tipped halberd, the tall should carry bows and crossbows, the strong should carry the flags and banners, the courageous should carry the bells and the drums, the weak should serve in logistics, while the wise should be involved in planning." -Wu Qi And other Chinese generals/formations suggest these halberdiers be mixed in with crossbowmen: "…three ranks of halberds, swordsmen, and spearmen, supported by crossbows, with light cavalry on each wing..." -one Han Dynasty tactical formation in 167 AD
I am terribly intrigued by a fantasy world where all races live together, but are still completely different. For instance the long lives of elves would put them in positions of nobility, feuds between elves would rage for tens of generations of humans fighting. Dwarves become an artisan class, etc
It'd also help him maintain the shield wall with his unit against polearms trying to rip it away from their hands, especially if it has a part that allows him to step down on it to add his whole weight on it.
Your idea makes sense because Ancient Chinese generals also think the Dwarves should carry spears and halberds and should be mixed in with crossbow troops: ”The basic rule of warfare that should be taught is that men of short stature should carry spears and spear-tipped halberd, the tall should carry bows and crossbows, the strong should carry the flags and banners, the courageous should carry the bells and the drums, the weak should serve in logistics, while the wise should be involved in planning." -Wu Qi "…three ranks of halberds, swordsmen, and spearmen, supported by crossbows, with light cavalry on each wing..." -one Han Dynasty tactical formation in 167 AD
@@Intranetusa fascinating, thanks for sharing. no shields though? Halberds can't be used with shields. The first line with shields and short spears, the second and third with mixed halberds and swords, with the ranged weapons behind. What do you think of that?
@Rogue Jedi - It "might" be possible to have halberds with shields. The troops with the shorter spears and swords will have the shields and be placed in the front, while the troops with longer spears (eg. pikes) and halberds may or may not have shields and will be placed behind them if they don't have shields. I say it "might" be possible for pikemen and halberdiers to have shields because historically people in Eurasia used strapped shields that left both hands free. Strapped shields were used by the ancient Chinese polearm troops, ancient Macedonian pikemen, and "some" European Rennisance pikemen. The GreatMingMilitary blog has images of a figurine depicting an ancient Chinese strapped shield and some historical murals that possibly depict halberdiers with strapped shields.
Maybe use a stronger crystal. Dwarves are already proficient miners and craftsmen, perhaps they could have gemstone windows in their shield. This would both be a decoration showing off the craftsmanship of the Dwarven hold, but also act as hardened windows. They're obviously not indestructible, so would be studded with the gem windows to give visibility, without making them to risky at breaking, but they could still provide both vision and defense at the trade off of durability.
Every time I think of dwarves fighting, it’s always as a phalanx.first three layers as Roman, past that 15’ pikes. With heavily armoured sergeants that have either an axe or a hammer as a badge of office.
Your suggestion makes sense and even Ancient Chinese generals agree with you that Dwarves should carry spears and halberds and be mixed with crossbowmen and swordsmen: ”The basic rule of warfare that should be taught is that men of short stature should carry spears and spear-tipped halberd, the tall should carry bows and crossbows, the strong should carry the flags and banners, the courageous should carry the bells and the drums, the weak should serve in logistics, while the wise should be involved in planning." -Wu Qi And other generals/formations suggest these halberdiers be mixed in with crossbowmen: "…three ranks of halberds, swordsmen, and spearmen, supported by crossbows, with light cavalry on each wing..." -one Han Dynasty tactical formation in 167 AD
@@Intranetusa You're right about everything you said, but it does remind me of why the North Asian horse archers were so adept at defeating the Chinese. Their horse archers were trained to continuously fire arrows at the enemy while advancing and retreating, and could rotate their units with simple visual and auditory signals. China managed to win by always having a government sophisticated enough to manage the new warlord's needs, even at the cost of their citizenry; its pretty brutal for anyone who looks into that part of history.
When you think about it... Dwarven shieldwalls would be pretty strong. Their smaller size relative to their shields means that it would be much easier to not have any gaps for arrows to get through. Cavalry charges would be less effective against them because it's possible that cavalry riders simply can't reach how low the dwarves are (Especially if they get lower to the ground to brace against them), also given dwarf height, it'd be more plausible for them to brace spears/pikes against the ground offering more resistance to incoming enemies (I.e. Less likely to be knocked aside by a charging horse) Throw in some crossbows and you could even see a tactic where a group of crossbowmen prepare bolts and then shields forming the top of a formation are raised slightly to enable them to fire. Think of something like the classic Roman style phalanx formations, just with occasional volleys of bolts being fired out as it moves (Timed between incoming arrow volleys) Honestly, it'd probably be difficult to stop a dwarven military with such strong shield wall tactics available. Heck, given the higher strength that dwarves tend to have in fantasy settings and they might even be able to use solid metal shields even as early firearms become popular, maintaining their shieldwall while adding in the added deadliness of gunpowder. I wouldn't be surprised if you'd see the occasional dwarf tank a cannonball with their shield (Provided it was thick enough)
This is some good creative thinking, always irks me when I see stuff being put into fiction without having thought about it. Suspension of disbelief can cover for a lot obviously but it is always great when it doesn't have to. Even better when a work presents logical, smart solutions a reader can be impressed by. :)
A general rule for writing any kind of fiction is that the rules of the universe need to make sense, be consistent, and have a logical basis. Fantasy can have dragons, witches, time-bending gods and other such things, so long as the rules of the universe allow for these things, and the creatures within the universe take these things into account. Generic fantasy doesn't take these things into account, because here the idea of "fantasy" is derived from tropes and superficial images, not logical worldbuilding. Generic fantasy is written by generic writers, because they believe the superficial tropes will be enough for the audience. Within parodies, this is fine, but not within a universe the writer wants the audience to take seriously. "Wizards only wear robes", for instance, is an idiotic trope if there is no thought put behind it, and primarily derived from folktales (or bastardizations thereof) that center around Merlin, who was likely viewed as a druid or a woods-witch, not a warrior that needed armor. So why would a wizard in your story only wear robes and thereby not armour themselves? Some would counter that robes can be enchanted, but then why can't regular armor be enchanted? And wouldn't regular armor work regardless, so you can use that enchantment for something else instead? Even if the robes CAN be enchanted, why would the wizard primarily choose the robes over, say, regular clothing, eve in a non-combat scenario? You can then come up with a rule: ONLY cloth items can be enchanted, not metals. A rule which you can then expand upon further, or give causes as to why this is the case. And why specifially robes and not regular shirts and pants? Perhaps another rule: the enchantment's field is correlated with the extension of the cloth itself. Wearing multiple pieces of fabric would therefore weaken the enchantment you desire, or conversely, you would need to use multiple enchantments of the same type if you're wearing pants and a shirt, costing precious enchanting resources. So there, you have a logical set of rules as to why wizards tend to wear robes primarily. Not only does the logical set of rules make your universe consistent (and therefore an interesting part of the universe for the audience to engage with), it also means you can expand upon it, build more rules, create more limits, draw more logical conclusions from said limits, etc... until eventually the world writes itself.
@@RedFloyd469 I didn't read all of your comment(sorry but tldr, I understand I get rambly on that topic too but I only have that much time right now) but from what I have overflown you seem to basically share my own viewpoint. I am a passionate worldbuilder myself and I pursue internal consistency with almost religious devotion. It makes fiction feel *real* to me as much of an oxymoron as that might be.
@@RedFloyd469Examples like yours illustrate why generic fantasy is cringe and borderline unwatchable/unreadable for people like me. A perfect example is the way the battle of the bastards was depicted in GoT. Absolutely insane, and this is a world where dragons fit without batting an eye.
*Specifically* giving dwarves axes and hammers is one of the silliest fantasy tropes in my opinion. These weapons rely heaviest on leverage and therefore suffer most from shorter reach.... AND they are less effectively in tight tunnels!
Happy to see you mention the curve helping protect from thrusts. Also, you could probably use some fantasy crystal with the perforated shield widow to give it a little more strength but more importantly prevent debris from getting through the gaps
In one D&D campaign the dungeon master had us find a mine of ore he called clear steel. It is a light grey iron that when worked thin enough is clear. You also don't have to work it like regular iron to make it into steel, but it's as easy, relatively, to work as pure iron. My character used it to have solid visors made for his soldier's helmets and since it was grey instead of clear like glass it also acted like sunglasses.
I'd imagine that the default position for the shield if a dwarf was fighting a human or larger sized opponent would be up high, so that they can maintain good visions while protecting themselves. Probably wouldn't want put holes in the shield for the same reason you don't really care to in real life, dwarves do fight eachother after all.
You can have specialized equipment though. If you're planning to fight a war against humans, use shields that counter specifically that opponent. Also, unless I'm reading wrong, your point about simply using the shield high for a larger sized opponent has been adressed in this video with the counterargument that you will then limit your field of vision severely, hence the grating on the shield to see through, which would be less useful in a dwarf vs dwarf context.
@@laurencefraser Dwarfs do tend to have much more stamina than Humans, literal endurance warfare is likely how Dwarfs would fight Humans, Force March right into their territory and dig in a formation, turning every battle into an earthworks siege.
The only downfall with having a grill on your shield is that sword thrusts and, potentially, arrows, making trough the openings. It's a very neat concept and It would be very interesting to se how a shield like that performs on the battlefield.
It coud be more useful in the mines and tunels, since its too tight to use arrows and it can be too slim for a sword to go past it. And considering dwarfs do most of their fighting and living underground it make such a shield better.
@@Bzhydack I can definitely could see shield slits or peepholes that come with mechanical switch to easily activate a sliding cover over it for incoming arrows then pop it back open to charge lol Could still be pretty beefy but yeah would have to be pretty durable and simple in design to not be easily damaged in general battle.
something i realize about this is that if the dwarves can pick equipment to fight humans, humans can do it too, just get a wide shield to neutralize any side attack and use flay weapons that will swing around and smack the back of the dwarf head
When I think about dwarven warfare I think about a lot of pikes and halberds, but also crossbows, arbalests, pavices och fortified war wagons. And testudo formations where dwarves are armed with short swords, heavy armour and testudo like shields. Some might adopt hoplite formations with spears. I don't think of any cavalry, except maybe chariots and war wagons (which would bee fortified boxes dragged by oxes and with crossbowmen inside who fires from slits).
I don't think that dwarves would use pikes or chariots a lot, since they live underground where there is limited space. I think that dwarven warfare will revolve around short weapons for close quarters combat. Of course, if the dwarves have to fight on the surface, they would adopt different tactics/strategies and weapons, such as pikes and chariots, but I don't think it would be the bulk of their army or their main form of warfare.
I am not anti dwarven mount, but it would definitely be different. More smaller cave dwelling creatures generally or something mechanical in nature. Dwarven wolf or boar riders could work, black bears (smaller bear species) maybe. If a more of a high mountain setting ram riders defintely work. On the mechanical side, we have all seen some version of dwarven steam tanks or something along those lines. There are definitely options depending on setting sepcifics. If I think of dwarven cavalry its something along those lines.
Probably not chariots. But pikes and halberds. Sometimes dwarves live above ground or go outside of their cities. They'll have to grow food etc. So even if the city is in/around/on top of a mountain they still need to produce food. Which means farms. And other civilisations might want to get that food. Maybe orc raiders, or humans. Then pikes and other pole-arms would be very useful due to the reach disadvantage of the dwarves.
I always find it so fantastic how many different arms and armor exist specifically for very specific scenarios. You come up against a dwarf with a large spiked shield and you've got an arming sword: get rekd son.. But if you're from Hammerfell you can easily dip down past the shield for some dwarf skewers. Also the dwarf tag-team with one holding the shield while the other climbs on his shoulders duel weilding axes would be terrifying for an oponent just thinking they're facing a single target. All in all great research as always. I love when fantasy is applicable to reality, please keep these type of vids coming!
The dwarves' cutout pavise reminds me more of an Assyrian mantlet that a more traditional pavise (though you could say that perhaps the Assyrians invented the pavise). The slope at the top of the shield would better cover the soldier from missiles and, like how the dwarves do it in the image, would be used in a shieldbearer-archer pair. Overall, I think we need to start making more Assyrian Dwarves and while I have many reasons, the mantlets are just one.
Your old video is why I gave a dwarf fighter I prepared for a oneshot a halberd: Dwarves with axes, but ones that makes sense. It als also synergises remarkably well - not because dwarves in _D&D_ have less reach, but because they have 25 feet movement speed instead of 30 feet.
You question windows in shields in a fantasy setting, DnD has "Glass steel" I know it's made by elves in the setting due to the fact it's lightweight and strong as steel. Avariel elves of I recall make weapons and armor from it because they have wings and fly. A window of that if thick enough would work just fine in a shield
For the crossbow / shield thing - i've seen somewhere a full-body shield with wheels mounted on the bottom, and the crossbow fixed to it like a bipod. Also, D&D has (or had) a spell that gave glass the same physical characteristics as steel, so a completely transparent shield is possible.
I've fought against a child with foam melee weapons before (obviously paying attention to safety) and I can tell you for certain that since the head and shoulders of said opponent is generally around chest height, I tend to mostly tag him around the face and shoulders, so yes, this is pretty accurate. Though I am gonna get him a closed-face helmet before we do things again.
One aspect I like about these tactics is, there is some transfer from Dwarf vs Human to Human sized fighters (2 meters ~ish) vs Giants (3-4 meters). One difference would be Giants are generally considered stronger than Humans by notable margins, while Dwarfs are considered to me of similar and sometimes even stronger than Humans. It's fun to think about though.
The Dwarves series by Marcus Heitz has brilliant dwarf combat. Lots of knees are being broke followed by a hammer to the skull. The sieges are by far the highlights of the series as far as combat is concerned though. Murder holes, catapults, and in one instance gigantic hollow tops filled with burning oil. The Alfar series as well has some great fantasy combat and sieges.
Invading a dwarf underground city as a non-dwarf would be almost impossible I think. Not only you would have to deal with near-darkness that doesn't affect them as much, but they could just make the entrance a long hallway and form a phalanx or shield wall at the end of it, supported by crossbows.
Pikes are weapons that would prove massively powerful in classical dwarven terrain: tunnels and mines, where there is no way whatsoever to flank the pikemen, and you have to either go through the pike wall or retreat... the main issue being the ability to bring pikes through winding tunnels. But then I imagine, being dwarves, they would probably have multi-part pikes with steel threads that can be assembled at a battle site.
I think one thing that this video overlooks is that humans can also use specialized "anti-dwarf" equipment to mitigate the advantages dwarves can get with their gear. For example, you can prioritize heavy leg protection and weapons that can go over shields. Flails might actually be more useful than they are against humans
Also let's not discount the basic size advantage. A full force kick putting an entire humans weight into said kick would likely be fairly effective. The longer reach can mean greater leverage as well. Anything that promotes the size and reach advantage would be effective. Heavy hammers, long pikes, general use of mounted units. A scythe would be pretty effective considering. Wide 2 handed swipes with force, particularly low threshing swipes, and overhead strike that could impale over shields and plenty of reach in general, all would make it effective against smaller shield using units.
An interesting thing about armouring the legs: Effective knee armour is actually the most complicated piece of armour to make. It's not the most prone to jamming and other failures (that would be the finger plates on gauntlets), nor is it all that difficult to figure out how to do, but it but in terms of fabrication and mechanical complexity (in that it has any at all, in the latter case), it is the part that takes the most skill and effort on the part of the armoursmith.
@@bicks420 Kick won't be very effective in my opinion. Fantasy dwarves are usually short while still being bulky and heavy. Thus their center of gravity is much closer to the ground, making it difficult to break their balance. With a shield they will barely feel it. Reach and leverage are unarguably massive advantages though
It cannot be understated how USEFUL it is, for low-light vision fantasy races have over those who can't see well in the dark. It really determines how they attack their foes.
Now those are some cool ideas! I really like that cutout-pavise shieldbearer as that feels like it would work with the main drawback being that the shieldbearer might not be able to fight while the crossbowman shoots. Still, if they plan it out like the crossbowman withdrawing a few ranks once the enemy closes in (especially with one of my ideas below), that could still work pretty well and it addresses the issue of not being able to see through the shield, partially at least. The other answer to the vision could be a 'mail slot', with a downward roof over the opening so that you have to thrust up from below to get past it. I had taken a crack at dwarf-specific tactics myself with ideas I'd been toying with; my idea was basically "pike-and-shieldbearer" where they use shielded front ranks and then pikemen stab above. The shieldbearers had the job of keeping the enemy back (especially since a dwarf army would expect to be out-reached anyways by other pikes), while the pikemen would be able to stab over their comrades' heads and into the center mass or faces of the opponents from below. and of course, combine that with crossbowmen or handgunners mixed into the ranks. Dwarfs are shorter than humans and the like, so when the enemy is pressed into melee they are also directly in front of and relatively unobstructed to some ranged troops just behind the frontline. Nothing ruins an arrogant human or orc's day like clashing with the enemy shield wall only to eat a volley of bolts and bullets to the chest or head because they could fire over their comrades without much fear.
One thing I'd like to hear a breakdown from you from is about how you would think dwarf tunnel fighting would look like. I know a lot of fantasy settings have nearly every dwarf in plate armor, how would you think their tactics and weaponry would change if their infantry were all armored like a noble knight in our world, and almost exclusively fighting in a restricted mobility setting.
In regards to shields vs. visibility: A thought that crossed my mind was some sort of one-way transparency enchantment. It would probably be less expensive than a special magical material, it would avoid the trade-off of overall durability for vision grates, and depending on how you want to build the lore, the runes would be on the inside of the shield and less vulnerable to damage. This was a really good topic. Thank you.
The price would definately vary depending on how many magic users in the setting know how to perform enchantments like that. If it's a setting where tons of people can use magic, and trnasparency spells are relatively simple then yeah, it'd be super cheap. If magic users are rare, or something like a one-way transparency spell is difficult enough that not many people can do it, or even just really time-consuming to do, then the fees might actually wind up being more expensive than a special material, but could also act as a sort of status marker for those who could actually afford it
@@Amy_the_Lizard I feel I should iterate that the implication behind having the shield enchanted as such in this hypothetical would be that there are indeed common skillsets and plenty of magical capability in the world, and that entourage/party/individual would have found themselves in a place where it would be feasible to seek such a commission, such as a large city or popular trade port. A person in a backwater or impoverished area would likely have poor luck finding someone who could make equipment better than their own, if not on par with it (with the exception of the "out-of-place and uniquely-skilled armorer/enchanter/crafts-person sidequest" trope.) That said, I agree with you. Economics and regional manufacturing specializations are important things to consider when world-building in a fantasy setting. Of course, it ultimately falls to who is building their world regarding how they want to go about handling magic in it. I'm just as attracted to the idea that a plastic-like special material is more common than the "rare few" who can instill an item with magical properties, making that skill and those wares enormously valuable. It's an excellent point to consider, to be sure, and I appreciate the input.
I wished there was a "warfare and guerrilla tactics" inspired in fantasy. This is graet but I mean more, different classes fightning, the way to fight dragons (which I assume would mostly require entire troops, traps and poison), pagues, slimes, giants, wild beasts, anything really, and obviously illustrated. I think it would sell quite well (if done correctly) in this niche
Can you talk about the sickles used by Death from the movie Puss In Boots: The Last Wish, I think they're actually pretty interesting because they can also double as hand guards
Interestingly the pavise shield's name comes from the italian pavese, meaning "from the city of Pavia". The pavese also often had a spike on the bottom to fix it in the ground better. Genoese crossbowmen were adept in using it, working in a team.
It always amused me why dwarfs of Moria literaly lost their home. Only 2 entrances, very tight narrow defenses would be impenetrable with dwarfs forming a shield wall spears while utilizing range weaponry and traps.
Goblins had a lot of fodder to throw at dwarven defences until defenders are exhausted. Also, goblins can dig tunnel too and attack from many directions.
I love these well thought out fantasy concepts. Its so easy to just transplant from history at random, but even just thought into WHAT you transplant makes it so much richer, let alone the custom elements you can creat.
In D&D Dwarves often work with rare minerals like adamantine and mithral, one being near indestructible and the other being the lighter and stronger iron. I always liked the idea of Dwarf shields being made of a relatively thin layer of mithral that could be made transparent with some chemical treatments or things like that. Get that transparent riot shield that has the same durability as anything made of steel with the rough weight of a wooden shield the same size
If they had rifled firearms they could use Squadron formations with those transparent riot shields while the cannons and mortar teams from afar send the real firepower to the enemy.
I've recently been gathering the tattered remnants of my self-esteem and trying to build up the courage to have another crack at writing my fantasy short stories, so this is timely.
I was thinking about viewing ports in the shields before you even said it. It seems to me they could be small enough to not weaken it overall. Since they would be close to the shield when used a few spots with small holes like breaths in a helmet. Perfect vision wouldn't be needed just enough to know where to swing at.
Nah, Dwarf Warriors should know how to fight the enemy without seeing them. Any holes in the shield will weaken it regardless of the metallurgy. Maybe they call it "Combat Instinct" idk.
I never understand why so many writers ignore dwarven phalanxes. First of, they are in most universes fighting alot underground in tunnels. A phalanx without the abillity to be flanked is just insane. Second, it just completely diminishes all of the dwarves disadvantages in height/speed/reach by using polearms, which if they fight against a human-sized opponent they can breach against the floor. It also builds of their strengths, that is their sturdy build and (usually) expert metalworking for things like heavy armor. I have been writing on my own fantasy universe and what the dwarves do there is a type of phalanx made up of "shieldbearers" carrying massive metal pavises with a side arm (in case they drop the pavise and need to fight in a melee) and "axewielders" carrying halbards behind them. Then they are supported by crossbowmen, which probably is the best option for ranged weapons imo. Their build would allow them to load much heavier crossbows with the use of a lever faster than a human would.
One thing that i realized while playing with the pickaxe customization system in deep rock galactic (yes i know it is hardly a close quarter fighting game) is that dwarven axes, dwarven pickaxes or dwarven hammers are not different weapons in the eyes of a dwarf unlike humans weapons which would be clearly made for one purpose but rather different set of tools that the dwarves would attach to an handle depending on the situation they would have to deal with. For example, if the dwarf knew in advance that his next opponents would be lightly armored and shielded, he would then take his ornate handle and equip it with an axe blade for the flesh and a pick for overreaching behind the foes shield. This goes hand in hand with the idea that dwarves tend to be extremely good craftsmen and it wouldn't be surprising to have them make "easy to clip and unclip" weapons/tools that would be reliably sturdy enough to never fall apart. As such when a dwarf would talk about his axe, he wouldn't be referring to the human counterpart but rather referring to the axe blade he is currently using on his "multi-tool".
First time i've seen such thought employed in fantasy worlds was the last Hobbit movie (I didn't read the books, so i'm describing what i've seen in the movie exclusively), when at the battle of five armies, the elf vs dwarf combat shows probably centuries of anti-mutual tactics employed. Elves open the battle with archer salvos, dwarves employ blade-bolt-ballista kind of weapons, dwarves charge with chariots - elves maneuver their spear formations to counter them, dwarves move in goat cavalry to jump over the spear line etc. I might have misplaced a few moves since i've seen the movie a while ago, but you get the idea. It was pure pleasure to see such thorough thought put into this battle, a very delightful picture compared to standard movie blob fights (a vast area shown with evenly distributed duelists fighting in the whole scene....duuh).
I love these kinds of videos. Speculation of realistic advantages and disadvantages of fantasy races. RUclips knows that, apparently, as it finally recommended me your channel again. I'd be really interested for a series on this. Not just dwarves, but other fantasy races. Elves, orcs, minotaur, etc.
My favourite 'dwarven' strategy was in 'The Carpet People' by Terry Pratchett. The person from the shorter race (by gods I cannot recall the name of it) was standing right in front of the person from taller race, thus representing a two-level fighting technique that was rather impossible to fight against.
I love the "realistic fantasy" content, the more of this the better. I'd say the grill in the shield is a no-go due to breath weapons and magic. I do like the idea of crystal inserts though, Dwarves work with crystal in a lot of settings. It feels like dwarves would be more natural spear and gladius users, spear to get range or gladius for the up close and personal. Spear/halberd/pike formations with the heavily armoured, dense formations dwarves could bring would be natural in cave defence and we know it worked well on the surface too.
Scrolled down just to make sure someone pointed this one out, and, if Elder Scrolls reintroduced the dwarves in the next game, it would be a real shame if they left out this joke.
I once had a D&D character that was a Gnome Paladin with a giant tower shield that was bigger than she was. The shield had a wolf head design (facing forwards) and the wolf's eyes were holes that she could look through.
One thing to note. Dwarfs aren't really THAT short. They are still considered Medium in most systems they are around from 125 to even 150 CM while being heavily muscular and pretty wide so their proportions aren't like humans. You can't mistake them for halflings which are kinda like human children. Basically, you don't want to end up on the receiving end of dwarven phalans or warhammer
They're usually shown as significantly shorter though, just so stout that despite being a third to half the size of an average human they weigh as much. That weight and mass is the excuse to have them count as medium, and I think the classification is for balance purposes and because of tradition for RPG settings.
@@leadpaintchips9461 Keyword "shown". In the books which pretty much created modern fantasy dwarves, LotR, they average from 4 to 5 ft tall or ~120 to 150 cm. This is almost always mirrored in various systems and universes. This is short in comparison to normal humans, but no so much that it would be hard for them to fight humans or orcs. Definitely not half or third of a man or at least those that aren't over 2m. Honestly, if they were any shorter their fame of being formidabble warriors would be BS. On the other hands, hobbits/halflings really are as short as you mentioned (half or third of a man) beign between 2 to 4 feet tall or ~60 to 120 cm and they aren't know for being incredible warriors while being considered small in most systems. So yeah, most artistic depictions of dwarves there are (or at least the ones I've seen, the here in thumbnail probably included) have skewed scale or proportions and are depicting hobbits not dwarves Edit: More accurate description would be that dwarves are 3/4 of a man instead of 1/2 or 1/3
@@Aurilion44 My memory of dwarfs were based off of playing TTRPG's based off of the legends that Tolkien took from, and those had them that tall. Willing to admit that modern interpretations have them at around 4'1" average, which still is enough of a disadvantage that would require adjustment. Another thing to point out is that in the fantasy world that he was talking about, they _are_ that short. Just because it isn't the norm for fantasy doesn't mean that it can't be true in this instance.
@@leadpaintchips9461 He being Skallagrim? If yes then mea culpa. What were those system if I may ask? Also dwarven shortness may have been Tolkien worlbuidling since before that they were quite rarely described as short and never too much in depth. What was knows is that they were also referred to as dark elves (svartalf). To be fair 4.1 would be lower on the scale and if dwarf are very wide, stout and carrying shields or armor then yeah, that would still work. Exactly as their lore indicates
@@Aurilion44 Ya, the comic that Skallagrim was talking about and had the images that he showed had them that short. It was years ago and it was some homebrew system based off of 3.5 (because of how easy it is to do so), so my memory was so fuzzy around it. I did know that it didn't do anything with the systems involved, just because the DM didn't want to accidently screw it up with too many homebrew things. I decided to Google about the myths to make sure that I wasn't just fever dreaming it all up. From the websites that I read, dwarfs in the northern Europe myths that they were common in rarely described their height at all, and when they did it was the super clear 'short', which tbf both of our points of view fall under. Decided to get something a bit more clear then 'short', so I pulled out my old 3.5 D&D PHB and the average height for the random roll was 4'1" (base 3'9", +2d4) while the average weight was 154 (base 130, + [height modifier x 2d6]), so that's where I pulled that number out of.
I'd include having the bottom of the shield come to a point like a kite shield or heater shield, allowing the dwarf to rest their shield on the ground but still move it more easily (pivoting on that single point rather than a broad curve or flat edge) and conserve their stamina.
For my story, the mythology is mostly based on the Celts and Romans, but for the vendor expeditionary Force there is a dwarf who is a troll handler and controls it through a harness attached to a nose ring and earrings while using a elephant goad.
Everything curved forward would be useful, I would also like to add flails and actual battlescythes, i.e. polearms with long blades pointed downwards for getting around that tall, curved shield.
There is a unit in the LotR strategy battle game from Games Workshop called the Dwarven "Vault Warden Team", and like the name implies, it is a team of two dwarves. One of them has a shield that could almost be described as a slab of iron, with a vision slit. This shield can effectively just *plonk* seal off a tunnel, good luck getting past him. The other team member has a big chonky spear, which is used to support the shield-carrying dwarf to dispatch the foes that have been stopped by the shield.
I am loving this kind of thinking. A dwarf really wouldn't need to clad themselves in armor like a knight would because realistically they aren't fighting a lot of things smaller than them. Which gives a lot more flexibility in what kind of WEAPONS they can use. Just going to spitball a few dwarf ideas. Dwarf 1 uses a two handed barbed war pick (hinged in the middle for maneuverability underground) the picks primary purpose is to pierce a shield and not be removed easily. Dwarf 1 then negotiates the shield away from the wielder. Dwarf 2 uses that crank operated crossbow and pelts the enemy when they are no longer able to defend themselves. Dwarf 1 carries 2 shields. One is a deployable Pavise while the other is a two handed bar shield (basically a tempered rebar grid). The bars would be easy to produce and maintain while being fairly light and maneuverable. He can grab the attention of the enemy while also having the means to defend himself, so long as there's not too much ranged fire. He can easily set up a defensive grid several meters wide for multiple dwarves to take cover behind. Dwarf 2 Carries a wall gun (like this ruclips.net/video/LkW1Fsaxj-Y/видео.html) that can attach to the pavise, he also carries a few broad top metal spikes to pound the aforementioned pavise into the ground. He then deploys his wall gun onto the pavise and takes fire, thus feeling minimal recoil while carrying a weapon that can punch a hole through a horse. Dwarf 3 carries lead chain bolas with lodestone weights. These bolas are quite heavy and the lodestones stick to each other making it difficult to remove in combat.
As a character artist dealing primarily in fantasy, I LOVE puzzling out these sorts of logistics! Because of that, I always appreciate the insight of others - especially when those others have more than my own humble dabbling experience in the fighting arts. I enjoyed your previous vids on the dwarves, and on how to fight an iron golem. I'd love to see your thoughts on other fantasy races - such as halflings/hobbits, ogres or giants and so on.
Was adding an old dwarven kingdom to my dnd campaign, was trying to figure out how they would fight considering the new tech. disparity. This actually helps quite a bit, thanks mate!
I really like videos like this. A dwarf with a shield and axe actually seems like a tough opponent. A dwarf with a shield and short sword seems like a good mix though.
in regards to glass or a glass like material, it would be problematic because scratches could easily make it opaque, replacement/repair could be problematic and dust and blood could cover it, leaving you blind where you expected to be able to see
When I was younger and more competent, it was also a joke in my local group to "never target my legs". I was a moderate fighter, better than a handful of the people on the field at full height - but as soon as I was legged (and had to take a knee) I became this obnoxious and terrifying landmine that would drop just about anyone that came after me, especially if I had a shield. There is a surprising amount to be said about angle of attack versus defense between different height opponents, especially if one isn't significantly heavier or stronger.
The opening in the shield made me think about a design that I like in the game smite. A character, Xing Tian, is a warrior that died beheaded, but a new face appeared on his belly and chest. His eyes are now at chest level and his shiel in the game does have an opening in the upper half that would allow him to see through, always thought that was cool even tho the shiel isn't used in his moves in the game.
When I was messing around with putting together a homebrew D&D setting, I came to the realization that there is one military tactic that would make up the absolute core of dwarven defensive warfare. And that tactic would be the phalanx/shield wall. Now as effective as those tactics were in real life, they had issues that made them not used as often as fiction would have us believe. However dwarves have a major difference that would make the phalanx their first choice in warfare- they live underground. Imagine running into a Roman style phalanx not in an open field where you can try to figure out how to flank it, but sealing off a tunnel carved through solid stone where head first into the wall is your only option. And while holding together a phalanx while marching would slow you down considerably, dwarves would be using it as an anti-siege tactic. They'd only have to set up at chokepoints and not move until they need to retreat.
i love the pavise crossbow, seems like a perfect idea. But I think polearm wise a dwarf is best suited with something curved like a billhook since that allows pulling cuts on an enemies leg. One handed axe best used as a sidearm, two handed axes being a specialist in the second line. For the grilled shields I can only see that working if it has a drop down plate from the dwarves side, to cover the grille when at range.
I think the curved shield like that would actually be something that could protect from a flail. I rarely see good protection against something like that. Also I think dwarven axes, since they are always depicted with bearded axes) should have the inside part of the axe sharpened as they could use it to hook and cut legs. Most armor is either non existent on the back of fighters legs or its very light with buckles and straps unless hes fighting someone in full Gothic plate. The top spike could also be used to bind weapons as they go in to hook an opponents leg to either injure or knock them down to finish them that way.
Dwarves, generally being inclined towards mechanics, perhaps the vision port in the shield is covered on the back side with some kind of sliding shutter, maybe with a spring or pully to operate it with the fingers holding the handle. Open and covered with a hatch work grill for most engagements, slide the shutter if needed to protect from arrows or bolts.
Something else about the two dwarves you could also utilize. A length of chain could be fixed to the back side of the shield, then when you want to trip someone up, detach the weighed end, fling it around the legs and catch it in the other side then tug hard, that would act as a surprise against your opponent and allow you to trip them up.
If a dwarf was fighting a normal sized person that also had a shield, I think a hook curving down and pointing up on the bottom of his own shield could be handy. You could maybe use it to hook the opponents shield from the bottom and lift it up for some ankle biter antics. Or even just a forward facing spike lower on the shield so you can try jabbing it at their legs below the enemies own shield
This is a brilliant element of worldbuilding that's missing from so many settings. C. M. Kosemen's Dinosauroids project shows a world colonised by dinosaurs, not humans, mainly set in the stone and bronze ages. The designs are great, but the different body plan offers so much more variety in weapons and tools that wasn't explored enough imo. (Secrets of the Gnomes is also great for this sort of thing)
The shield and cross bow reminds me of modern day machine gun teams. Its like a cross between old and new, in a fantasy way. I absolutely see dwarfs going "fire enough bolts down range and your going to hit something" And finding ways to just mass fire crossbows.
The biggest advantage of fantasy Dwarf is that despite them being shorter than humans, they weigh as much or even more (becasue they are much wider and their limbs/torsos are much more muscled and wider/massive, I guess also their skeleton is way thicker/heavier) which gives them same weight-stopping force, push/pull force and same strength. They would also best deadlifters and squaters thanks to that. Which means that if you give a dwarf a regular human wide shield, like let's say Viking shield, that has weight to be suitable for same strength: the dwarf is completely protected by it, from feet to almost tip of head, while sacreficing nothing when it comes to manouvering such shield. Humans for that would need pavis (which is very akward due to weight to use in non-formation combat) or kite shield (which has much less protective area becasue it has to be longer to protect full human frame). So dwarf shield formations would be really really scary. Not to mention since they are shorter but wider, they armor woud probably (not sure here, it's pure speculation) thicker. Since dwarfs are different spieces than humans, it's easy to say they have bigger, more dense bones and way denser/different muscle mass/structure than humans, which allows them to have same weight and strength while being so much shorter but way wider. Fantasy spieces are always fascinating when your try apply "how would they fight in reality". For example I belive Elves due to being slim and more fragile would probably use crossbows and spears and hit-n-run tactics more. While Orcs would be the best fucking archers in any fantasy setting. They are naturally (usually) so much stronger, bigger and heavier that their Warbows would have pull strength unmatched by other spieces and they would out-range every other humanoid archers formations. Can you imagine Orc archer warbow?
Very cool. Imagine a cone shield with a little extra on top. Think of those plastic funnels you use for a car oil change. Longest part goes over the user's head. Spikey front. The Dwarf rushes through the enemy line. Maybe there's a "Combat Conga Line?" A train of Dwarves who each push the front forward, while a hand axe of spear is pushed out with their other hand. Sorta like a Centipede with a beard... that smells of ale... and bites yer shins.
I always strive to be this guy in a team… The guy that sits down one afternoon, with a sketchbook, his favorite songs playing, and thinkers out in great detail how can a dwarf fight a human, and what gear will he use to do so 😂 There’s many people out there like that, but maybe they’re lost. So my advice is to get yourself into a job, or college, where you can make the things you create true. Write, program, film… please don’t let your creativity die out or be restrained to restroom sittings or the meantime between commuting and going to work.
The spike would also be helpful defensively against axe attacks like the ones shown around 1:35. The spike would stop the haft from moving across the shield's top to threaten the head, or the dwarf could even quickly move the shield to the side to knock the weapon aside with the spike.
Thanks for the wonderful video! I'll make a note of this for the dwarves in our own setting. It seems like the ideal material for dwarven shields would be something akin to the glass forged items in elder scrolls, which is generally as strong if not stronger than steel and much lighter. You can't see through them, but I think that is more of a game limitation as you can't see through any windows in those games.
If you want to know about the nonfunctional windows in Skyrim (I sure did) The interiors of buildings, caves, etc. are separate worldspaces. That's also why there is a loading screen upon entering them. All closed buildings are just hulls and frequently the interior wordspaces are larger or formed differently than the hull. Therefore you can't look in, as there is no interior in the hull's constraints and you can't look out because the interior space floats in a void (visually). If you want to see for yourself: look at the Skyrim modding toolset (or guides for how to use it)
Holy hell..... all the 2 Dwarf attacks is almost exactly how my friends played their Dwarfs in our D&D campaign 20 years ago. I laughed at how silly is sounded at the time, but later saw the advantage of it.
Here is an idea for a "Part 2" video: What are the different kinds of counter-tactics and equipment mankind would eventually develop to fight the dwarves?
A catapult that drops elves on them..
Horse-archers... oh, and stone-throwers
Halberds, tower shields, and bardiche. Halberds are obvious, but a bardiche is a musket rest as well as a short polearm. Tower shields don't have an easily exploited gap at the bottom like a Norman kite shield
Thick greaves... after all if dwarves go for the legs just reinforce the legs more
This might be why Orc's are traditionally seen wielding large polearms with nasty protrusions at all angles, giant shield busting axes, and curved swords. All are reasonably useful against Dwarvish defences, if you can't go around, go through.
I don't know if this has been done before, my limited dwarf exposure comes from LOTR. It would be great to see dwarven defensive structures made at dwarven heights instead of giant echoing halls. Forcing the tall folk to have to stoop or even crawl into a fortified position would be a huge advantage
Dwarves ought to know a thing or two about stoneworking, including the might of the Gothic Arch.
The wider you want the base, the taller the centre is going to be.
@@Sableagle Make it one dwarf wide. Say 3 feet? With a 5 foot arch?
A human knight in armor is going to feel constricted.
Those probably exist, the entrances and public areas of a city/fortification would have to be normal sized, however, if only because beasts of burden and trade with other races.
@@Sableagle yeah their large room should stay huge, but i think their defensive positions should be really tight, and tiny. Kinda like chokepoints in castle or something that small group can defend against larger in narrow corridors, but since they are so short they could drop the ceiling too
Short? This is a grudge.
I always appreciate it when fantasy settings have actual thought put into them. I also really like how the dwarves are portrayed using unique equipment and tactics to defeat human opponents. Makes me wanna read the comic now!
It shows that the people who wrote the story really cared about it, enough to research and put love into creating something special.
ever since getting into the sword side of youtube i've wanted to see a story that's basically lord of the rings but without a big evil and that focuses on exploring the details of how the physical nature of different species affects their cultures and creations.
Like dwarves would be extremely dense creatures, having impressive durability and strength but of course not being terribly fast, so it makes sense that they'd hole up in defensible positions and ward off foes.
Whereas elves, being agile and weaker, could be nomadic and prefer to evade conflict entirely.
And then you can explore the interplay between this, maybe dwarves and humans get along REAL good, with the dwarves building fortifications and being the defensive force and humans being the offensive arm of the military.
Then if we say relations between elves and other races are good they might well be merchants traveling between settlements with goods!
Swed neck elves are not weaker in lotr so your example of elves means it would not be 'lotr but without a big bad'. LOTR elves are super humans in every way (except maybe reproduction as they ahev similar numbers of children and become adults at 50)
Adtionally nomads irl are made of strong people because its a tough lifestyle.
Adtionally it doesn't make sense to be agile and weak. Agility requires strength too, because it requires speed and acceleration. Infact agility requires muscle type I (skeletal muscle fibres can be broadly split into 2 types. Type I is for speed and power, type II is for endurance. Humans have mostly type II which makes us slow and weak compared to other animals, but we are 1 of the irl animals with the best endurance, many studies conclude we are infact the best at endurance of any animal irl). A fantasy creature weaker than us but of similar size is going to be slower than us but even better at endurance. A fantasy creature faster/more agile than us at similar size is going to be stronger than us too, but with less endurance.
Agility also requires stiffer tendons, which also improves other power related actives (like weight lifting), while endurance requires more elastic tendons.
The other aspect agility requires is fast reaction times.
If elves are fast/agile, realistically they are going to be low endurance creatures, requiring large energy input to move long distances and so would likely be less interested in wondering and traveling. As a result they would be very territorial and their speed/strength and reaction time advantage would make them very deadly in combat, but for short periods of time. So OK foot they would probably be hit and run (get in, kill and leave before they can get tired) and they would probably dometicate animals to overcome the fact they get tired easily and so would likely rely heavily on cavalry. The low endurance would also limit armour use. While they are stronger they tire quicker and armour is more of a tiring factor than a speed limit factor. Any heavy armour they wear would be designed to be taken off quickly.
@@matthiuskoenig3378 Really interesting thoughts there.
I think that is an explaination for some elven clans in DnD and other games.
Territoral, agressiv even, with a habbit of taming animals, like horses, to cover greater distances.
Might also explain the common trope of elves being very fond of trees, thinking about using trees (plants in general) as weapons.
When you get tired faster it might be usefull to just restrain the enemy with vines or let them get punched by an animated tree instead of fighting eye to eye.
Real elves would fight dirty is what I am saying.
1:46 this is actually pretty accurate because in fantasy dwarves generally dont use swords, they use hammers warpicks, axes, mattocks ect. so a curved shield would definitley help
curved shield would block dwarves vision. he wouldn't be able to see his enemy over it.
Gives another reason why dwarves favour axes and hammers, if you are targeting your opponent's legs, these weapons are likely more effective than swords.
@@counterprogressive5800 thats why you have a hole in the shield to look through.
@@MrChickennugget360 think it would be more useful to just look over the top. hema ppl need to learn boxing and mma. anything interfering with your line of sight is crippling. your vision is one of the most important things.
@@counterprogressive5800 I imagine if the thing blocking your line of sight is essentially a wall of impenetrable protection it's a bit easier to get away with. Sure it's not ideal but it's not like their sword will penetrate a shield the same way a punch can slip past a guard.
As an SCA fighter, I once saw a very short guy in light armor fighting against a series of 300lb Vikings. The short guy apparently had extensive martial arts training and was exceedingly fit. He would turtle up behind his shield until his opponent was leaning over him trying to rain blows past his defense. Then this little guy would spring up, clearing a couple feet off the ground and hammer his opponent right in the back of his head. He pulled that trick off three times before people started wising up against him.
The transparent shield idea has so much untapped potential in fantasy. Like imagine a one-way mirror type material, to combine with the age-old mirror-shield mythos.
Shoutout to Call of Duty of all things to show the greatness of the transparent riot shield.
Being usually depicted as miners and all I've always thought it interesting how few Dwarfs are represented as Sappers or using Vietcong style ambush tunnel networks. Especially if you combine the latter with some hard-hitting Dwarfish crossbows and keep the tunnels at Dwarf proportions they would have the potential to be an incredibly effective guerilla force.
That's explored in "Gate: war of 2 world"
Now i really want to see you analyse the different units in total war warhammer detailing your opinion on the weaponry for the race and the matchup against other races, like natural enemys (orcs/dwarfs) or counters (skaven/dwarfs). Not really sure if it would be worth the effort but i would really like that.
That could be fun!
One thing Warhammer always got right is how much momentum Dwarfs actually had. They're heavy as fuck and though they have short legs if they actually do gain some speed they just bowl anything over. it's why Slayers, who are typically naked, are fucking dangerous because those Ginger suicidal fucks can LEAP.
Hmm yes a 20 meters tall rat monsters will be hard to kill 😊
One tactic I learned a long time ago when it came to fighting taller opponents was to fight really low so they'd have to punch and grab much lower; that way you could also focus on defending against leg attacks and grappling their legs.
I was going to mention HTH combat as well. Grappling and wrestling would or should be the dwarven combat discipline of choice, given their short reach but lower center of gravity, more solid frame, and greater strength.
I prefer fantasy dwarves depicted as wider and more buff than humans, rather than simply like modern human dwarves who could never overpower an adult human. This isn't just wishful thinking, given Neanderthals were shorter but more massive than Homo Sapiens.
@@Mlai00 Whenever I approach dwarves I consider them more like Neanderthals. Yeah they may be like 4 ft to 4.5ft tall but they're stupidly broad and muscular and just as heavy as that 6ft human warrior with thick bones and lots of muscle.
@@Mlai00 You're right about grappling but pike/shot/cannon should be the meta for Dwarf warfare. All Dwarven males have an affinity for hand cannons and skewered meat. Also shovel/pickaxe combat but that's another topic.
Neanderthals cannot throw projectiles with reliable accuracy but I'm sure they could point + shoot + reload a gun if their lives depended on it.
I'm writing a story where dwarves and elves fight in a tercio formation, the elves handle the guns with a clear line of sight over the dwarves' shoulders, and the dwarves are the ones to carry the pikes.
In a worldbuilding project I'm doing now I have very early decided on dwarves employing pike and shot formations. Shield and axe / hammer for tunnel fighting.
Dwarves and elves cooperating? Outrageous!
I like the idea. :)
The idea that dwarves should carry pikes is legit. Ancient Chinese generals think the Dwarves should carry spears and halberds while having taller people carry ranged weapons: ”The basic rule of warfare that should be taught is that men of short stature should carry spears and spear-tipped halberd, the tall should carry bows and crossbows, the strong should carry the flags and banners, the courageous should carry the bells and the drums, the weak should serve in logistics, while the wise should be involved in planning." -Wu Qi
And other Chinese generals/formations suggest these halberdiers be mixed in with crossbowmen:
"…three ranks of halberds, swordsmen, and spearmen, supported by crossbows, with light cavalry on each wing..." -one Han Dynasty tactical formation in 167 AD
@@Intranetusa Everybody gangster until the orcs pull up with comically high draw weight longbows.
I am terribly intrigued by a fantasy world where all races live together, but are still completely different. For instance the long lives of elves would put them in positions of nobility, feuds between elves would rage for tens of generations of humans fighting. Dwarves become an artisan class, etc
Sticking a shield spike into the ground could also help a dwarf maintain his ground by making it harder to push him.
It'd also help him maintain the shield wall with his unit against polearms trying to rip it away from their hands, especially if it has a part that allows him to step down on it to add his whole weight on it.
@Voitan maybe a foot hole stirrup that's covered by rounded metal sorta like a boot so it's harder to stab into
A set of see-through bars on your shield to improve visibility? That's a GRATE idea!
I’m a simple man, I see dwarf, I click like.
This is really interesting. The two dwarves behind a shield with a repeating crossbow idea is really cool.
Your idea makes sense because Ancient Chinese generals also think the Dwarves should carry spears and halberds and should be mixed in with crossbow troops: ”The basic rule of warfare that should be taught is that men of short stature should carry spears and spear-tipped halberd, the tall should carry bows and crossbows, the strong should carry the flags and banners, the courageous should carry the bells and the drums, the weak should serve in logistics, while the wise should be involved in planning." -Wu Qi
"…three ranks of halberds, swordsmen, and spearmen, supported by crossbows, with light cavalry on each wing..." -one Han Dynasty tactical formation in 167 AD
@@Intranetusa fascinating, thanks for sharing. no shields though? Halberds can't be used with shields.
The first line with shields and short spears, the second and third with mixed halberds and swords, with the ranged weapons behind. What do you think of that?
@Rogue Jedi - It "might" be possible to have halberds with shields. The troops with the shorter spears and swords will have the shields and be placed in the front, while the troops with longer spears (eg. pikes) and halberds may or may not have shields and will be placed behind them if they don't have shields. I say it "might" be possible for pikemen and halberdiers to have shields because historically people in Eurasia used strapped shields that left both hands free. Strapped shields were used by the ancient Chinese polearm troops, ancient Macedonian pikemen, and "some" European Rennisance pikemen. The GreatMingMilitary blog has images of a figurine depicting an ancient Chinese strapped shield and some historical murals that possibly depict halberdiers with strapped shields.
Maybe use a stronger crystal.
Dwarves are already proficient miners and craftsmen, perhaps they could have gemstone windows in their shield.
This would both be a decoration showing off the craftsmanship of the Dwarven hold, but also act as hardened windows.
They're obviously not indestructible, so would be studded with the gem windows to give visibility, without making them to risky at breaking, but they could still provide both vision and defense at the trade off of durability.
Every time I think of dwarves fighting, it’s always as a phalanx.first three layers as Roman, past that 15’ pikes. With heavily armoured sergeants that have either an axe or a hammer as a badge of office.
Your suggestion makes sense and even Ancient Chinese generals agree with you that Dwarves should carry spears and halberds and be mixed with crossbowmen and swordsmen: ”The basic rule of warfare that should be taught is that men of short stature should carry spears and spear-tipped halberd, the tall should carry bows and crossbows, the strong should carry the flags and banners, the courageous should carry the bells and the drums, the weak should serve in logistics, while the wise should be involved in planning." -Wu Qi
And other generals/formations suggest these halberdiers be mixed in with crossbowmen:
"…three ranks of halberds, swordsmen, and spearmen, supported by crossbows, with light cavalry on each wing..." -one Han Dynasty tactical formation in 167 AD
@@Intranetusa You're right about everything you said, but it does remind me of why the North Asian horse archers were so adept at defeating the Chinese. Their horse archers were trained to continuously fire arrows at the enemy while advancing and retreating, and could rotate their units with simple visual and auditory signals.
China managed to win by always having a government sophisticated enough to manage the new warlord's needs, even at the cost of their citizenry; its pretty brutal for anyone who looks into that part of history.
now do a video about elven fighting, and how spinning 12 times before an attack is clearly the superior fighting style
dazzle the enemy
@@swedneck and use acid base attacks with your vomit from all the spinning
Ah yes, The Wood Elf sword dancers.
When you think about it... Dwarven shieldwalls would be pretty strong.
Their smaller size relative to their shields means that it would be much easier to not have any gaps for arrows to get through.
Cavalry charges would be less effective against them because it's possible that cavalry riders simply can't reach how low the dwarves are (Especially if they get lower to the ground to brace against them), also given dwarf height, it'd be more plausible for them to brace spears/pikes against the ground offering more resistance to incoming enemies (I.e. Less likely to be knocked aside by a charging horse)
Throw in some crossbows and you could even see a tactic where a group of crossbowmen prepare bolts and then shields forming the top of a formation are raised slightly to enable them to fire. Think of something like the classic Roman style phalanx formations, just with occasional volleys of bolts being fired out as it moves (Timed between incoming arrow volleys)
Honestly, it'd probably be difficult to stop a dwarven military with such strong shield wall tactics available.
Heck, given the higher strength that dwarves tend to have in fantasy settings and they might even be able to use solid metal shields even as early firearms become popular, maintaining their shieldwall while adding in the added deadliness of gunpowder. I wouldn't be surprised if you'd see the occasional dwarf tank a cannonball with their shield (Provided it was thick enough)
This is some good creative thinking, always irks me when I see stuff being put into fiction without having thought about it. Suspension of disbelief can cover for a lot obviously but it is always great when it doesn't have to. Even better when a work presents logical, smart solutions a reader can be impressed by. :)
A general rule for writing any kind of fiction is that the rules of the universe need to make sense, be consistent, and have a logical basis. Fantasy can have dragons, witches, time-bending gods and other such things, so long as the rules of the universe allow for these things, and the creatures within the universe take these things into account.
Generic fantasy doesn't take these things into account, because here the idea of "fantasy" is derived from tropes and superficial images, not logical worldbuilding. Generic fantasy is written by generic writers, because they believe the superficial tropes will be enough for the audience. Within parodies, this is fine, but not within a universe the writer wants the audience to take seriously.
"Wizards only wear robes", for instance, is an idiotic trope if there is no thought put behind it, and primarily derived from folktales (or bastardizations thereof) that center around Merlin, who was likely viewed as a druid or a woods-witch, not a warrior that needed armor.
So why would a wizard in your story only wear robes and thereby not armour themselves? Some would counter that robes can be enchanted, but then why can't regular armor be enchanted? And wouldn't regular armor work regardless, so you can use that enchantment for something else instead? Even if the robes CAN be enchanted, why would the wizard primarily choose the robes over, say, regular clothing, eve in a non-combat scenario?
You can then come up with a rule: ONLY cloth items can be enchanted, not metals. A rule which you can then expand upon further, or give causes as to why this is the case.
And why specifially robes and not regular shirts and pants? Perhaps another rule: the enchantment's field is correlated with the extension of the cloth itself. Wearing multiple pieces of fabric would therefore weaken the enchantment you desire, or conversely, you would need to use multiple enchantments of the same type if you're wearing pants and a shirt, costing precious enchanting resources.
So there, you have a logical set of rules as to why wizards tend to wear robes primarily.
Not only does the logical set of rules make your universe consistent (and therefore an interesting part of the universe for the audience to engage with), it also means you can expand upon it, build more rules, create more limits, draw more logical conclusions from said limits, etc... until eventually the world writes itself.
@@RedFloyd469 I didn't read all of your comment(sorry but tldr, I understand I get rambly on that topic too but I only have that much time right now) but from what I have overflown you seem to basically share my own viewpoint. I am a passionate worldbuilder myself and I pursue internal consistency with almost religious devotion. It makes fiction feel *real* to me as much of an oxymoron as that might be.
@@RedFloyd469Examples like yours illustrate why generic fantasy is cringe and borderline unwatchable/unreadable for people like me. A perfect example is the way the battle of the bastards was depicted in GoT. Absolutely insane, and this is a world where dragons fit without batting an eye.
*Specifically* giving dwarves axes and hammers is one of the silliest fantasy tropes in my opinion. These weapons rely heaviest on leverage and therefore suffer most from shorter reach.... AND they are less effectively in tight tunnels!
@@trequor D&D also made the Drow, (who are dark elves that went into hiding underground,) evolve black colored skin....
D&D is full of such nonsense.
Happy to see you mention the curve helping protect from thrusts. Also, you could probably use some fantasy crystal with the perforated shield widow to give it a little more strength but more importantly prevent debris from getting through the gaps
In one D&D campaign the dungeon master had us find a mine of ore he called clear steel. It is a light grey iron that when worked thin enough is clear. You also don't have to work it like regular iron to make it into steel, but it's as easy, relatively, to work as pure iron. My character used it to have solid visors made for his soldier's helmets and since it was grey instead of clear like glass it also acted like sunglasses.
I'd imagine that the default position for the shield if a dwarf was fighting a human or larger sized opponent would be up high, so that they can maintain good visions while protecting themselves. Probably wouldn't want put holes in the shield for the same reason you don't really care to in real life, dwarves do fight eachother after all.
You can have specialized equipment though. If you're planning to fight a war against humans, use shields that counter specifically that opponent.
Also, unless I'm reading wrong, your point about simply using the shield high for a larger sized opponent has been adressed in this video with the counterargument that you will then limit your field of vision severely, hence the grating on the shield to see through, which would be less useful in a dwarf vs dwarf context.
@@RedFloyd469 holding it higher up is also likely more tiring.
@@laurencefraser Dwarfs do tend to have much more stamina than Humans, literal endurance warfare is likely how Dwarfs would fight Humans, Force March right into their territory and dig in a formation, turning every battle into an earthworks siege.
The only downfall with having a grill on your shield is that sword thrusts and, potentially, arrows, making trough the openings. It's a very neat concept and It would be very interesting to se how a shield like that performs on the battlefield.
It coud be more useful in the mines and tunels, since its too tight to use arrows and it can be too slim for a sword to go past it.
And considering dwarfs do most of their fighting and living underground it make such a shield better.
Dwarfs, as expert craftsmen, can make some clever closing system for them. Of course, drawback is durability.
Just use little holes instead, as if put in from a holepuncher
@@Bzhydack I can definitely could see shield slits or peepholes that come with mechanical switch to easily activate a sliding cover over it for incoming arrows then pop it back open to charge lol Could still be pretty beefy but yeah would have to be pretty durable and simple in design to not be easily damaged in general battle.
@@Bzhydack Not to mention that in many fantasy worlds average dwarf is about 20% stronger than the average human.
something i realize about this is that if the dwarves can pick equipment to fight humans, humans can do it too, just get a wide shield to neutralize any side attack and use flay weapons that will swing around and smack the back of the dwarf head
flail wouldn't be too useless in a setting with dwarf
When I think about dwarven warfare I think about a lot of pikes and halberds, but also crossbows, arbalests, pavices och fortified war wagons. And testudo formations where dwarves are armed with short swords, heavy armour and testudo like shields. Some might adopt hoplite formations with spears. I don't think of any cavalry, except maybe chariots and war wagons (which would bee fortified boxes dragged by oxes and with crossbowmen inside who fires from slits).
I don't think that dwarves would use pikes or chariots a lot, since they live underground where there is limited space. I think that dwarven warfare will revolve around short weapons for close quarters combat. Of course, if the dwarves have to fight on the surface, they would adopt different tactics/strategies and weapons, such as pikes and chariots, but I don't think it would be the bulk of their army or their main form of warfare.
@@PositivelyBonkers And artillery in the open!
I am not anti dwarven mount, but it would definitely be different. More smaller cave dwelling creatures generally or something mechanical in nature. Dwarven wolf or boar riders could work, black bears (smaller bear species) maybe. If a more of a high mountain setting ram riders defintely work. On the mechanical side, we have all seen some version of dwarven steam tanks or something along those lines. There are definitely options depending on setting sepcifics. If I think of dwarven cavalry its something along those lines.
Probably not chariots. But pikes and halberds. Sometimes dwarves live above ground or go outside of their cities. They'll have to grow food etc. So even if the city is in/around/on top of a mountain they still need to produce food. Which means farms. And other civilisations might want to get that food. Maybe orc raiders, or humans. Then pikes and other pole-arms would be very useful due to the reach disadvantage of the dwarves.
Your Swedish aren't you 🤔
YO! So glad he talked about this, I really wanted him to talk about those shields
I always find it so fantastic how many different arms and armor exist specifically for very specific scenarios. You come up against a dwarf with a large spiked shield and you've got an arming sword: get rekd son.. But if you're from Hammerfell you can easily dip down past the shield for some dwarf skewers. Also the dwarf tag-team with one holding the shield while the other climbs on his shoulders duel weilding axes would be terrifying for an oponent just thinking they're facing a single target. All in all great research as always. I love when fantasy is applicable to reality, please keep these type of vids coming!
The dwarves' cutout pavise reminds me more of an Assyrian mantlet that a more traditional pavise (though you could say that perhaps the Assyrians invented the pavise). The slope at the top of the shield would better cover the soldier from missiles and, like how the dwarves do it in the image, would be used in a shieldbearer-archer pair.
Overall, I think we need to start making more Assyrian Dwarves and while I have many reasons, the mantlets are just one.
Your old video is why I gave a dwarf fighter I prepared for a oneshot a halberd: Dwarves with axes, but ones that makes sense.
It als also synergises remarkably well - not because dwarves in _D&D_ have less reach, but because they have 25 feet movement speed instead of 30 feet.
Dwarf content is always appreciated. Really enjoyed the video, will apply some of these ideas for my world!
You question windows in shields in a fantasy setting, DnD has "Glass steel" I know it's made by elves in the setting due to the fact it's lightweight and strong as steel. Avariel elves of I recall make weapons and armor from it because they have wings and fly. A window of that if thick enough would work just fine in a shield
For the crossbow / shield thing - i've seen somewhere a full-body shield with wheels mounted on the bottom, and the crossbow fixed to it like a bipod. Also, D&D has (or had) a spell that gave glass the same physical characteristics as steel, so a completely transparent shield is possible.
It's a shame Glasssteel (I think that was its name) was removed.
So many possible shenanigans lost.
For shield visibility, what about a shield with holes, covered by a large-ringed mail?
I've fought against a child with foam melee weapons before (obviously paying attention to safety) and I can tell you for certain that since the head and shoulders of said opponent is generally around chest height, I tend to mostly tag him around the face and shoulders, so yes, this is pretty accurate. Though I am gonna get him a closed-face helmet before we do things again.
One aspect I like about these tactics is, there is some transfer from Dwarf vs Human to Human sized fighters (2 meters ~ish) vs Giants (3-4 meters). One difference would be Giants are generally considered stronger than Humans by notable margins, while Dwarfs are considered to me of similar and sometimes even stronger than Humans. It's fun to think about though.
Giants would fail to overcome caltrops unless they were as smart as humans.
The small openings in the should might allow for rapier stabs against a human of normal hight but i could see it be useful for a Dwarven shield .
The Dwarves series by Marcus Heitz has brilliant dwarf combat. Lots of knees are being broke followed by a hammer to the skull. The sieges are by far the highlights of the series as far as combat is concerned though. Murder holes, catapults, and in one instance gigantic hollow tops filled with burning oil. The Alfar series as well has some great fantasy combat and sieges.
I can imagine Dwarves inventing mortars and artillery just to avoid the terror of the alternative.
Invading a dwarf underground city as a non-dwarf would be almost impossible I think. Not only you would have to deal with near-darkness that doesn't affect them as much, but they could just make the entrance a long hallway and form a phalanx or shield wall at the end of it, supported by crossbows.
Not just that, non-Dwarf sized invaders would have to fight in cramped spaces. It'd really suck to die before you could draw your weapon out.
The high elves attempted that during the war of the beard, and every single time they did, they got brutally beaten by the Dwarfs
Pikes are weapons that would prove massively powerful in classical dwarven terrain: tunnels and mines, where there is no way whatsoever to flank the pikemen, and you have to either go through the pike wall or retreat... the main issue being the ability to bring pikes through winding tunnels. But then I imagine, being dwarves, they would probably have multi-part pikes with steel threads that can be assembled at a battle site.
3:10 I hope the spike on that shield is not on top, because in that case - that poor bastard just impaled himself!
My thoughts exactly!
SO REFRESHING compared to the vast majority of creators: click the video and boom straight to content. Bravo!
I think one thing that this video overlooks is that humans can also use specialized "anti-dwarf" equipment to mitigate the advantages dwarves can get with their gear. For example, you can prioritize heavy leg protection and weapons that can go over shields. Flails might actually be more useful than they are against humans
Also let's not discount the basic size advantage. A full force kick putting an entire humans weight into said kick would likely be fairly effective. The longer reach can mean greater leverage as well. Anything that promotes the size and reach advantage would be effective. Heavy hammers, long pikes, general use of mounted units. A scythe would be pretty effective considering. Wide 2 handed swipes with force, particularly low threshing swipes, and overhead strike that could impale over shields and plenty of reach in general, all would make it effective against smaller shield using units.
An interesting thing about armouring the legs: Effective knee armour is actually the most complicated piece of armour to make. It's not the most prone to jamming and other failures (that would be the finger plates on gauntlets), nor is it all that difficult to figure out how to do, but it but in terms of fabrication and mechanical complexity (in that it has any at all, in the latter case), it is the part that takes the most skill and effort on the part of the armoursmith.
@@bicks420 Kick won't be very effective in my opinion. Fantasy dwarves are usually short while still being bulky and heavy. Thus their center of gravity is much closer to the ground, making it difficult to break their balance. With a shield they will barely feel it. Reach and leverage are unarguably massive advantages though
Now I wanna a video like this about every fantasy race in dnd. Fascinating stuff!
It cannot be understated how USEFUL it is, for low-light vision fantasy races have over those who can't see well in the dark. It really determines how they attack their foes.
Now those are some cool ideas! I really like that cutout-pavise shieldbearer as that feels like it would work with the main drawback being that the shieldbearer might not be able to fight while the crossbowman shoots. Still, if they plan it out like the crossbowman withdrawing a few ranks once the enemy closes in (especially with one of my ideas below), that could still work pretty well and it addresses the issue of not being able to see through the shield, partially at least. The other answer to the vision could be a 'mail slot', with a downward roof over the opening so that you have to thrust up from below to get past it.
I had taken a crack at dwarf-specific tactics myself with ideas I'd been toying with; my idea was basically "pike-and-shieldbearer" where they use shielded front ranks and then pikemen stab above. The shieldbearers had the job of keeping the enemy back (especially since a dwarf army would expect to be out-reached anyways by other pikes), while the pikemen would be able to stab over their comrades' heads and into the center mass or faces of the opponents from below.
and of course, combine that with crossbowmen or handgunners mixed into the ranks. Dwarfs are shorter than humans and the like, so when the enemy is pressed into melee they are also directly in front of and relatively unobstructed to some ranged troops just behind the frontline. Nothing ruins an arrogant human or orc's day like clashing with the enemy shield wall only to eat a volley of bolts and bullets to the chest or head because they could fire over their comrades without much fear.
One thing I'd like to hear a breakdown from you from is about how you would think dwarf tunnel fighting would look like. I know a lot of fantasy settings have nearly every dwarf in plate armor, how would you think their tactics and weaponry would change if their infantry were all armored like a noble knight in our world, and almost exclusively fighting in a restricted mobility setting.
This will definitely help me brainstorm for my dnd based heavily in realism, thank you
good idea with the dwarves adding windows to their large shield. it also works with the idea of them being master smiths.
In regards to shields vs. visibility:
A thought that crossed my mind was some sort of one-way transparency enchantment. It would probably be less expensive than a special magical material, it would avoid the trade-off of overall durability for vision grates, and depending on how you want to build the lore, the runes would be on the inside of the shield and less vulnerable to damage.
This was a really good topic. Thank you.
The price would definately vary depending on how many magic users in the setting know how to perform enchantments like that. If it's a setting where tons of people can use magic, and trnasparency spells are relatively simple then yeah, it'd be super cheap. If magic users are rare, or something like a one-way transparency spell is difficult enough that not many people can do it, or even just really time-consuming to do, then the fees might actually wind up being more expensive than a special material, but could also act as a sort of status marker for those who could actually afford it
@@Amy_the_Lizard
I feel I should iterate that the implication behind having the shield enchanted as such in this hypothetical would be that there are indeed common skillsets and plenty of magical capability in the world, and that entourage/party/individual would have found themselves in a place where it would be feasible to seek such a commission, such as a large city or popular trade port. A person in a backwater or impoverished area would likely have poor luck finding someone who could make equipment better than their own, if not on par with it (with the exception of the "out-of-place and uniquely-skilled armorer/enchanter/crafts-person sidequest" trope.)
That said, I agree with you. Economics and regional manufacturing specializations are important things to consider when world-building in a fantasy setting. Of course, it ultimately falls to who is building their world regarding how they want to go about handling magic in it. I'm just as attracted to the idea that a plastic-like special material is more common than the "rare few" who can instill an item with magical properties, making that skill and those wares enormously valuable.
It's an excellent point to consider, to be sure, and I appreciate the input.
I wished there was a "warfare and guerrilla tactics" inspired in fantasy. This is graet but I mean more, different classes fightning, the way to fight dragons (which I assume would mostly require entire troops, traps and poison), pagues, slimes, giants, wild beasts, anything really, and obviously illustrated. I think it would sell quite well (if done correctly) in this niche
Can you talk about the sickles used by Death from the movie Puss In Boots: The Last Wish, I think they're actually pretty interesting because they can also double as hand guards
Interestingly the pavise shield's name comes from the italian pavese, meaning "from the city of Pavia". The pavese also often had a spike on the bottom to fix it in the ground better. Genoese crossbowmen were adept in using it, working in a team.
It always amused me why dwarfs of Moria literaly lost their home. Only 2 entrances, very tight narrow defenses would be impenetrable with dwarfs forming a shield wall spears while utilizing range weaponry and traps.
Goblins had a lot of fodder to throw at dwarven defences until defenders are exhausted.
Also, goblins can dig tunnel too and attack from many directions.
Well, a Balrog would be quite the force multiplier.
The thing that cost them Khazad Dum came from the depths of their mines
I love these well thought out fantasy concepts. Its so easy to just transplant from history at random, but even just thought into WHAT you transplant makes it so much richer, let alone the custom elements you can creat.
In D&D Dwarves often work with rare minerals like adamantine and mithral, one being near indestructible and the other being the lighter and stronger iron. I always liked the idea of Dwarf shields being made of a relatively thin layer of mithral that could be made transparent with some chemical treatments or things like that. Get that transparent riot shield that has the same durability as anything made of steel with the rough weight of a wooden shield the same size
If they had rifled firearms they could use Squadron formations with those transparent riot shields while the cannons and mortar teams from afar send the real firepower to the enemy.
I've recently been gathering the tattered remnants of my self-esteem and trying to build up the courage to have another crack at writing my fantasy short stories, so this is timely.
Aww yiss best video, watch this get ten million views and this becomes the dwarf tactics channel.
You really should do more videons like this one, Skal! I'm sure mamy DnD players or people into worldbuilding are going to appreciate this!
I was thinking about viewing ports in the shields before you even said it. It seems to me they could be small enough to not weaken it overall. Since they would be close to the shield when used a few spots with small holes like breaths in a helmet. Perfect vision wouldn't be needed just enough to know where to swing at.
Nah, Dwarf Warriors should know how to fight the enemy without seeing them. Any holes in the shield will weaken it regardless of the metallurgy. Maybe they call it "Combat Instinct" idk.
I never understand why so many writers ignore dwarven phalanxes. First of, they are in most universes fighting alot underground in tunnels. A phalanx without the abillity to be flanked is just insane. Second, it just completely diminishes all of the dwarves disadvantages in height/speed/reach by using polearms, which if they fight against a human-sized opponent they can breach against the floor. It also builds of their strengths, that is their sturdy build and (usually) expert metalworking for things like heavy armor.
I have been writing on my own fantasy universe and what the dwarves do there is a type of phalanx made up of "shieldbearers" carrying massive metal pavises with a side arm (in case they drop the pavise and need to fight in a melee) and "axewielders" carrying halbards behind them. Then they are supported by crossbowmen, which probably is the best option for ranged weapons imo. Their build would allow them to load much heavier crossbows with the use of a lever faster than a human would.
One thing that i realized while playing with the pickaxe customization system in deep rock galactic (yes i know it is hardly a close quarter fighting game) is that dwarven axes, dwarven pickaxes or dwarven hammers are not different weapons in the eyes of a dwarf unlike humans weapons which would be clearly made for one purpose but rather different set of tools that the dwarves would attach to an handle depending on the situation they would have to deal with.
For example, if the dwarf knew in advance that his next opponents would be lightly armored and shielded, he would then take his ornate handle and equip it with an axe blade for the flesh and a pick for overreaching behind the foes shield.
This goes hand in hand with the idea that dwarves tend to be extremely good craftsmen and it wouldn't be surprising to have them make "easy to clip and unclip" weapons/tools that would be reliably sturdy enough to never fall apart.
As such when a dwarf would talk about his axe, he wouldn't be referring to the human counterpart but rather referring to the axe blade he is currently using on his "multi-tool".
Dwarves are usually the first ones to invent Replaceable Parts and Modular Designs just to make their jobs easier.
First time i've seen such thought employed in fantasy worlds was the last Hobbit movie (I didn't read the books, so i'm describing what i've seen in the movie exclusively), when at the battle of five armies, the elf vs dwarf combat shows probably centuries of anti-mutual tactics employed. Elves open the battle with archer salvos, dwarves employ blade-bolt-ballista kind of weapons, dwarves charge with chariots - elves maneuver their spear formations to counter them, dwarves move in goat cavalry to jump over the spear line etc. I might have misplaced a few moves since i've seen the movie a while ago, but you get the idea. It was pure pleasure to see such thorough thought put into this battle, a very delightful picture compared to standard movie blob fights (a vast area shown with evenly distributed duelists fighting in the whole scene....duuh).
This stuff is very interesting, I like the concept of these videos. Injecting some realism into fantasy definitely isn't a bad thing
I love these kinds of videos. Speculation of realistic advantages and disadvantages of fantasy races. RUclips knows that, apparently, as it finally recommended me your channel again.
I'd be really interested for a series on this. Not just dwarves, but other fantasy races. Elves, orcs, minotaur, etc.
Hey Skall, transparent wood can be made for shield windows
True but woodworking is for Elves and Elf sympathizers.
Dwarves could use clear sapphire for windows.
@@lollma0 thats elf propaganda. dwarves can outcraft any of them skinny twig armed knife ears in any type of work, including woodcraft
I'm not impotent! It's just transparent wood. I swear.
Best shield that you can see trough is 100 meters of air.
My favourite 'dwarven' strategy was in 'The Carpet People' by Terry Pratchett. The person from the shorter race (by gods I cannot recall the name of it) was standing right in front of the person from taller race, thus representing a two-level fighting technique that was rather impossible to fight against.
Well brothers
You know what's the best dwarf tactic?
ROCK AND STONE
Rock and stone, to the bone!
Rock and stone brotha
I love the "realistic fantasy" content, the more of this the better. I'd say the grill in the shield is a no-go due to breath weapons and magic. I do like the idea of crystal inserts though, Dwarves work with crystal in a lot of settings. It feels like dwarves would be more natural spear and gladius users, spear to get range or gladius for the up close and personal. Spear/halberd/pike formations with the heavily armoured, dense formations dwarves could bring would be natural in cave defence and we know it worked well on the surface too.
Did you see those Dwarven warriors? They have curved shields. _Curved. Shields._
Scrolled down just to make sure someone pointed this one out, and, if Elder Scrolls reintroduced the dwarves in the next game, it would be a real shame if they left out this joke.
I once had a D&D character that was a Gnome Paladin with a giant tower shield that was bigger than she was. The shield had a wolf head design (facing forwards) and the wolf's eyes were holes that she could look through.
One thing to note. Dwarfs aren't really THAT short. They are still considered Medium in most systems they are around from 125 to even 150 CM while being heavily muscular and pretty wide so their proportions aren't like humans. You can't mistake them for halflings which are kinda like human children. Basically, you don't want to end up on the receiving end of dwarven phalans or warhammer
They're usually shown as significantly shorter though, just so stout that despite being a third to half the size of an average human they weigh as much. That weight and mass is the excuse to have them count as medium, and I think the classification is for balance purposes and because of tradition for RPG settings.
@@leadpaintchips9461 Keyword "shown". In the books which pretty much created modern fantasy dwarves, LotR, they average from 4 to 5 ft tall or ~120 to 150 cm. This is almost always mirrored in various systems and universes. This is short in comparison to normal humans, but no so much that it would be hard for them to fight humans or orcs. Definitely not half or third of a man or at least those that aren't over 2m. Honestly, if they were any shorter their fame of being formidabble warriors would be BS.
On the other hands, hobbits/halflings really are as short as you mentioned (half or third of a man) beign between 2 to 4 feet tall or ~60 to 120 cm and they aren't know for being incredible warriors while being considered small in most systems. So yeah, most artistic depictions of dwarves there are (or at least the ones I've seen, the here in thumbnail probably included) have skewed scale or proportions and are depicting hobbits not dwarves
Edit: More accurate description would be that dwarves are 3/4 of a man instead of 1/2 or 1/3
@@Aurilion44 My memory of dwarfs were based off of playing TTRPG's based off of the legends that Tolkien took from, and those had them that tall. Willing to admit that modern interpretations have them at around 4'1" average, which still is enough of a disadvantage that would require adjustment.
Another thing to point out is that in the fantasy world that he was talking about, they _are_ that short. Just because it isn't the norm for fantasy doesn't mean that it can't be true in this instance.
@@leadpaintchips9461 He being Skallagrim? If yes then mea culpa.
What were those system if I may ask? Also dwarven shortness may have been Tolkien worlbuidling since before that they were quite rarely described as short and never too much in depth. What was knows is that they were also referred to as dark elves (svartalf).
To be fair 4.1 would be lower on the scale and if dwarf are very wide, stout and carrying shields or armor then yeah, that would still work. Exactly as their lore indicates
@@Aurilion44 Ya, the comic that Skallagrim was talking about and had the images that he showed had them that short.
It was years ago and it was some homebrew system based off of 3.5 (because of how easy it is to do so), so my memory was so fuzzy around it. I did know that it didn't do anything with the systems involved, just because the DM didn't want to accidently screw it up with too many homebrew things. I decided to Google about the myths to make sure that I wasn't just fever dreaming it all up. From the websites that I read, dwarfs in the northern Europe myths that they were common in rarely described their height at all, and when they did it was the super clear 'short', which tbf both of our points of view fall under.
Decided to get something a bit more clear then 'short', so I pulled out my old 3.5 D&D PHB and the average height for the random roll was 4'1" (base 3'9", +2d4) while the average weight was 154 (base 130, + [height modifier x 2d6]), so that's where I pulled that number out of.
I'd include having the bottom of the shield come to a point like a kite shield or heater shield, allowing the dwarf to rest their shield on the ground but still move it more easily (pivoting on that single point rather than a broad curve or flat edge) and conserve their stamina.
Rock and Stone brothers!
Rock and stone!
FOR KARL!
We’re rich
For my story, the mythology is mostly based on the Celts and Romans, but for the vendor expeditionary Force there is a dwarf who is a troll handler and controls it through a harness attached to a nose ring and earrings while using a elephant goad.
Hmm, Falx and Rhomphaia would be good anti dwarfs weapons i would say.
Everything curved forward would be useful, I would also like to add flails and actual battlescythes, i.e. polearms with long blades pointed downwards for getting around that tall, curved shield.
There is a unit in the LotR strategy battle game from Games Workshop called the Dwarven "Vault Warden Team", and like the name implies, it is a team of two dwarves. One of them has a shield that could almost be described as a slab of iron, with a vision slit. This shield can effectively just *plonk* seal off a tunnel, good luck getting past him. The other team member has a big chonky spear, which is used to support the shield-carrying dwarf to dispatch the foes that have been stopped by the shield.
Digging a Hole, obviously.
I am loving this kind of thinking. A dwarf really wouldn't need to clad themselves in armor like a knight would because realistically they aren't fighting a lot of things smaller than them. Which gives a lot more flexibility in what kind of WEAPONS they can use. Just going to spitball a few dwarf ideas.
Dwarf 1 uses a two handed barbed war pick (hinged in the middle for maneuverability underground) the picks primary purpose is to pierce a shield and not be removed easily. Dwarf 1 then negotiates the shield away from the wielder. Dwarf 2 uses that crank operated crossbow and pelts the enemy when they are no longer able to defend themselves.
Dwarf 1 carries 2 shields. One is a deployable Pavise while the other is a two handed bar shield (basically a tempered rebar grid). The bars would be easy to produce and maintain while being fairly light and maneuverable. He can grab the attention of the enemy while also having the means to defend himself, so long as there's not too much ranged fire. He can easily set up a defensive grid several meters wide for multiple dwarves to take cover behind. Dwarf 2 Carries a wall gun (like this ruclips.net/video/LkW1Fsaxj-Y/видео.html) that can attach to the pavise, he also carries a few broad top metal spikes to pound the aforementioned pavise into the ground. He then deploys his wall gun onto the pavise and takes fire, thus feeling minimal recoil while carrying a weapon that can punch a hole through a horse. Dwarf 3 carries lead chain bolas with lodestone weights. These bolas are quite heavy and the lodestones stick to each other making it difficult to remove in combat.
Continue this series: Fantasy Fighting Styles
I think the top spike on the shield is useful for hooking swords sliding along the rim too
As a character artist dealing primarily in fantasy, I LOVE puzzling out these sorts of logistics! Because of that, I always appreciate the insight of others - especially when those others have more than my own humble dabbling experience in the fighting arts. I enjoyed your previous vids on the dwarves, and on how to fight an iron golem. I'd love to see your thoughts on other fantasy races - such as halflings/hobbits, ogres or giants and so on.
Was adding an old dwarven kingdom to my dnd campaign, was trying to figure out how they would fight considering the new tech. disparity.
This actually helps quite a bit, thanks mate!
I really like videos like this. A dwarf with a shield and axe actually seems like a tough opponent. A dwarf with a shield and short sword seems like a good mix though.
in regards to glass or a glass like material, it would be problematic because scratches could easily make it opaque, replacement/repair could be problematic and dust and blood could cover it, leaving you blind where you expected to be able to see
When I was younger and more competent, it was also a joke in my local group to "never target my legs".
I was a moderate fighter, better than a handful of the people on the field at full height - but as soon as I was legged (and had to take a knee) I became this obnoxious and terrifying landmine that would drop just about anyone that came after me, especially if I had a shield.
There is a surprising amount to be said about angle of attack versus defense between different height opponents, especially if one isn't significantly heavier or stronger.
3:28 I am in love with that kilij.
I really love the look of this comic, and how well thought out it is makes me really interested
The opening in the shield made me think about a design that I like in the game smite. A character, Xing Tian, is a warrior that died beheaded, but a new face appeared on his belly and chest. His eyes are now at chest level and his shiel in the game does have an opening in the upper half that would allow him to see through, always thought that was cool even tho the shiel isn't used in his moves in the game.
When I was messing around with putting together a homebrew D&D setting, I came to the realization that there is one military tactic that would make up the absolute core of dwarven defensive warfare. And that tactic would be the phalanx/shield wall. Now as effective as those tactics were in real life, they had issues that made them not used as often as fiction would have us believe. However dwarves have a major difference that would make the phalanx their first choice in warfare- they live underground. Imagine running into a Roman style phalanx not in an open field where you can try to figure out how to flank it, but sealing off a tunnel carved through solid stone where head first into the wall is your only option. And while holding together a phalanx while marching would slow you down considerably, dwarves would be using it as an anti-siege tactic. They'd only have to set up at chokepoints and not move until they need to retreat.
i love the pavise crossbow, seems like a perfect idea. But I think polearm wise a dwarf is best suited with something curved like a billhook since that allows pulling cuts on an enemies leg. One handed axe best used as a sidearm, two handed axes being a specialist in the second line. For the grilled shields I can only see that working if it has a drop down plate from the dwarves side, to cover the grille when at range.
I think the curved shield like that would actually be something that could protect from a flail. I rarely see good protection against something like that. Also I think dwarven axes, since they are always depicted with bearded axes) should have the inside part of the axe sharpened as they could use it to hook and cut legs. Most armor is either non existent on the back of fighters legs or its very light with buckles and straps unless hes fighting someone in full Gothic plate. The top spike could also be used to bind weapons as they go in to hook an opponents leg to either injure or knock them down to finish them that way.
Dwarves, generally being inclined towards mechanics, perhaps the vision port in the shield is covered on the back side with some kind of sliding shutter, maybe with a spring or pully to operate it with the fingers holding the handle. Open and covered with a hatch work grill for most engagements, slide the shutter if needed to protect from arrows or bolts.
Something else about the two dwarves you could also utilize.
A length of chain could be fixed to the back side of the shield, then when you want to trip someone up, detach the weighed end, fling it around the legs and catch it in the other side then tug hard, that would act as a surprise against your opponent and allow you to trip them up.
If a dwarf was fighting a normal sized person that also had a shield, I think a hook curving down and pointing up on the bottom of his own shield could be handy. You could maybe use it to hook the opponents shield from the bottom and lift it up for some ankle biter antics. Or even just a forward facing spike lower on the shield so you can try jabbing it at their legs below the enemies own shield
This is a brilliant element of worldbuilding that's missing from so many settings. C. M. Kosemen's Dinosauroids project shows a world colonised by dinosaurs, not humans, mainly set in the stone and bronze ages. The designs are great, but the different body plan offers so much more variety in weapons and tools that wasn't explored enough imo.
(Secrets of the Gnomes is also great for this sort of thing)
The shield and cross bow reminds me of modern day machine gun teams. Its like a cross between old and new, in a fantasy way. I absolutely see dwarfs going "fire enough bolts down range and your going to hit something" And finding ways to just mass fire crossbows.
The biggest advantage of fantasy Dwarf is that despite them being shorter than humans, they weigh as much or even more (becasue they are much wider and their limbs/torsos are much more muscled and wider/massive, I guess also their skeleton is way thicker/heavier) which gives them same weight-stopping force, push/pull force and same strength. They would also best deadlifters and squaters thanks to that. Which means that if you give a dwarf a regular human wide shield, like let's say Viking shield, that has weight to be suitable for same strength: the dwarf is completely protected by it, from feet to almost tip of head, while sacreficing nothing when it comes to manouvering such shield. Humans for that would need pavis (which is very akward due to weight to use in non-formation combat) or kite shield (which has much less protective area becasue it has to be longer to protect full human frame). So dwarf shield formations would be really really scary. Not to mention since they are shorter but wider, they armor woud probably (not sure here, it's pure speculation) thicker. Since dwarfs are different spieces than humans, it's easy to say they have bigger, more dense bones and way denser/different muscle mass/structure than humans, which allows them to have same weight and strength while being so much shorter but way wider.
Fantasy spieces are always fascinating when your try apply "how would they fight in reality".
For example I belive Elves due to being slim and more fragile would probably use crossbows and spears and hit-n-run tactics more.
While Orcs would be the best fucking archers in any fantasy setting. They are naturally (usually) so much stronger, bigger and heavier that their Warbows would have pull strength unmatched by other spieces and they would out-range every other humanoid archers formations. Can you imagine Orc archer warbow?
Very cool. Imagine a cone shield with a little extra on top. Think of those plastic funnels you use for a car oil change. Longest part goes over the user's head. Spikey front. The Dwarf rushes through the enemy line. Maybe there's a "Combat Conga Line?" A train of Dwarves who each push the front forward, while a hand axe of spear is pushed out with their other hand. Sorta like a Centipede with a beard... that smells of ale... and bites yer shins.
I always strive to be this guy in a team…
The guy that sits down one afternoon, with a sketchbook, his favorite songs playing, and thinkers out in great detail how can a dwarf fight a human, and what gear will he use to do so 😂
There’s many people out there like that, but maybe they’re lost. So my advice is to get yourself into a job, or college, where you can make the things you create true. Write, program, film… please don’t let your creativity die out or be restrained to restroom sittings or the meantime between commuting and going to work.
There's a fun idea. Magic crystal glass see-through shields. Even better if you can make it a one way mirror shield. Gonna steal that idea for DnD!
The spike would also be helpful defensively against axe attacks like the ones shown around 1:35.
The spike would stop the haft from moving across the shield's top to threaten the head, or the dwarf could even quickly move the shield to the side to knock the weapon aside with the spike.
Thanks for the wonderful video! I'll make a note of this for the dwarves in our own setting.
It seems like the ideal material for dwarven shields would be something akin to the glass forged items in elder scrolls, which is generally as strong if not stronger than steel and much lighter. You can't see through them, but I think that is more of a game limitation as you can't see through any windows in those games.
If you want to know about the nonfunctional windows in Skyrim (I sure did)
The interiors of buildings, caves, etc. are separate worldspaces. That's also why there is a loading screen upon entering them. All closed buildings are just hulls and frequently the interior wordspaces are larger or formed differently than the hull. Therefore you can't look in, as there is no interior in the hull's constraints and you can't look out because the interior space floats in a void (visually).
If you want to see for yourself: look at the Skyrim modding toolset (or guides for how to use it)
Holy hell..... all the 2 Dwarf attacks is almost exactly how my friends played their Dwarfs in our D&D campaign 20 years ago. I laughed at how silly is sounded at the time, but later saw the advantage of it.
The see-through shield in the thumbnail is pretty cool.