General Description | Runes | Battle Magic | Runic Magic | Dwarven Special Rules
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The Dwarfs are one of the most ancient races of the Warhammer World. They have always made their homes in the World's Edge Mountains, the vast mountain chain that marks the eastern boundary of the Old World. Here in ancient times the Dwarfs built their massive underground strongholds. At its height the realm of the Dwarfs spread from the far north to the distant south, their mines stretching far beneath the earth itself. The days of glory are now long gone; many strongholds lie in ruins or are occupied by evil creatures. The great achievements of the south are now but memories and ancient sagas sung in the halls of the survivng Dwarf strongholds.
Dwarfs are supremely skilled craftsmen and take great pride in everything they do. It is almost impossible for a Dwarf to hurry his work, and no Dwarf would ever produce something slipshot or cheap. Whether it be forging weapons and armour, the construction of fortifications, or the mechanical inventions of the Engineer's Guild, the ingenuity and technical ability of Dwarfs are unsurpassed anywhere in the Old World. No other race, not even the great craftsmen of the High Elves, can rival the skill of the Dwarfs. The most important things in Dwarf society are age, wealth, and skill.
The most important Dwarf gods are: Grungni, God of Mining, who is the most important; Grimnir the Fearless, the Warrior God, he who is said to have protected the Dwarf people on their ancient migrations by fighting giants, huge trolls, dragons, and bands of marauding Orcs; and Valaya, who is the only Dwarf goddess, Valaya is the protectress of the homeland and the clan.
Dwarfs have very long memories when it comes to ties of blood. To injure one member of the clan is to injure all members of the clan. The clan will protect and avenge all its members. Vendettas are common occurences between the different clans. The many Dwarf clans have formed a web of bonds made between the clans, guilds, and strongholds over the millenia, and it means that Dwarfs always show great solidarity in the face of outside enemies and aggressions.
Dwarf magic is tied to magic runes than are inscribed on items by the Runesmiths. The Dwarfs have many runic items, including weapons, protective talismans and amulets, they inscribe runes on their banners, and on their armour.
Runes are very important to the Dwarfs, and the Dwarf language is written in runes.
The Dwarfs have a high resistance to magic, which is unique among the races of the Warhammer World. Dwarfs are unable to cast spells, and they have no wizards. Their lack of wizards is at least compensated for my their sheer stubborn resistance to magical influences. During the magic phase, the Dwarf player is dealt magic cards as normal, however he can only use the Dispel and Drain Magic cards. This means the Dwarf player will not be able to use the Power, Rebound, Destroy Spell, Mental Duel, Escape, or Total Power cards. The Dwarf army may also make use of other magic cards if it includes an Anvil of Power. Dispel cards work on a roll of 4+, even if there is no wizard. If the army includes allies or creatures which are not Dwarfs then they also benefit in the same way as Dwarfs. If an allied wizard is employed, he can use Dispels in the normal way, dispelling on a 3+ or 4+ as described in Warhammer Magic.
A Dwarf character can carry ordinary magic items and runic magic items at the same time if you wish, but the total number of magic items cannot exceed the normal limits. It would be a very good idea for all Dwarf players to familiarize themselves thoroughly with the Runic magic rules starting on page 24 of Warhammer Armies: Dwarfs.
All Dwarves hate Orcs and Goblins, so they are subject to the the rules
for Hatred when fighting these enemies.
Dwarves hold a grudge against all Elves, so they suffer a -1 Leadership penalty if
there are any Elves fighting on the same side they are and within 6", as they do not
consider the Elves trustworthy.
Armour: Dwarves suffer no movement penalty for heavy armour.
Pursuit and Flee: Dwarfs pursue and flee at 2d6-1" rather than 2d6".
Take all of these special rules into account when planning your tactics using a Dwarf
army.
General
The Dwarf army must include a general. This general represents a Dwarf Lord or a Dwarf King. You should equip your general with heavy armour possibly a runic item to increase his survivability, and I would also give him a runic weapon. A Dwarf general is a very good fighting character with a WS 7, a S4, and a T5. He also has good leadership he can contribute to the army. The Dwarf general may ride upon the Throne of Power accompanied by four Throne Bearers, this can make a powerful combination, but I would not use it in all instances.
Battle Standard
I would always include an Army Battle Standard for the benefits that it gives to the army and the fact that it can be a magical standard and add even more benefits.
Heroes
Dwarven Heroes are stalwart and strong characters, and given the right combination of weapons and magic items can be quite deadly. I myself favour two-handed weapons for the Dwarfs, as most times they will strike last anyways unless you charge.
Champions
I would include Champions in most units for the extra killing power that they give to the unit.
Slayer Champions
You can add as many of these to a unit of Slayers as you wish. For that matter, the whole Slayer unit can be Champions! With their ability to strike with increased Strength equal to their opponent's Toughness up to the maximum for the type Champion they are, they can take out even the meanest opponents. Slayers should be used with care and not thrown away.
Runesmiths
Even the lowliest Runesmith may have up to three magic items. I like to give my Runesmith(s) Spellbreaking Runes in multiples. The Master Runesmith and the Rune Lord are very powerful fighters, also. A Rune Lord riding into battle on an Anvil of Doom is truly awesome. He can use the magic cards to power the Anvil to fire a lightning bolt 24". You must use extreme care in choosing whether to store the Total Power card in the Anvil, as there is a small chance of disaster.
Longbeards
You may have one regiment of Longbeards in your army. These are the oldest of all the Dwarf Warriors, with truly great skill at arms (WS 5). They have fought in more wars, beaten more enemies, and endured more hardships than young Dwarfs can possibly image. They enjoy grumbling about how today's Goblins are far smaller and weedier than they were in their younger days, and nothing is as well built today as it was in their younger days. Longbeards wear heavy armour and a shield, and they are armed with hand weapons such as axes, hammers, and swords. They may, and in my opinion should, have a magic standard, one that will add to their damage or to their rank bonuses for battle results.
Hammerers
These are the King's guards. They wear heavy armour and a shield, and carry ornate hammers. They can have double-handed hammers, and in my opinion, they should have. With their Initiative of 3, and the Dwarfs' slow movement rate, they will probably have to strike back anyway. You should also give them a magic standard that will aid them in their combat results.
Iron Breakers
These are the most powerful of the Dwarf Warriors. They wear heavy armour and a shield with the Rune of Stone for a 3+ armour save. They may be given a magic standard and should be given one.
Dwarf Warriors
These are the backbone of your army. They are the troops that make up the bulk of your line and should be fielded in large units of 4 ranks deep, and they should be given a magic standard to strengthen them and to increase their staying power.
Dwarf Crossbowmen
Dwarf Crossbowmen can give decent firepower and a good way to deploy them is to also give them a two-handed weapon. It comes as quite a shock to opponents when they charge crossbows to find themselves facing two-handed axemen. Again, this is a good unit to give a magic standard to.
Dwarf Thunderers
These are Dwarven handgunners. The handgun has a save modifier of -2 and can be a deadly missile weapon even against heavily armoured targets.
Dwarf Miners
This is a cheaper, less elite, heavily-armoured Dwarf unit that can be used as an anchor in a large formation, and will stand and fight all day, especially if you give them a magic standard that aids them in staying power.
Slayers
Slayers can be used as strike units, and to disrupt your enemy's attacks on your own units. I like to place them between units of normal troops and use them to counterattack enemy units that are already engaged with other units of my troops. They can also be used to attack and kill enemy characters and monsters. They have the advantage that you can add as many Slayer Champions to the unit as you wish. My favourite armament for Slayers is two hand weapons or a two-handed weapon. Make sure to familiarize yourself with the special rules for slayers on page 78-79 of Warhammer Armies: Dwarfs.
Stone Throwers
These are weapons that are often overlooked by Dwarf generals and should not be. They can have truly devastating effects on enemy units. Being a template weapon a Stone Thrower can take out multiple figures at once.
Gyrocopter
Gyrocopters are very useful. You can get on the flank and rear of the enemy, and sow havoc with the Steam Cannon on these. They are great for taking out the crews of enemy warmachines. With a Rune of Disguise the Gyrocopter cannot be seen or shot at until it fires its weapon.
Bolt Throwers
These are very good against massed ranks of troops. Their bolts can penetrate multiple ranks, impaling troops as they go.
Flame Cannon
The Flame Cannon is short ranged, but can do good damage and is very useful in a defensive position. These are good for using to defend against chargers, and to protect your flanks and your other war machines.
Organ Gun
The Organ Gun will put out a devastating amount of firepower, even though you may not declare any range of over 24", its ability to fire multiple shots more than makes up for this.
Cannon
A Dwarf Cannon has a S10 and a range of 48", and it gives no armour save. With its bounce-through rule the cannon can take out several ranks of troops and can even take out troops in more than one unit.
Using Cannons and Stone Throwers
All cannons and stone throwers' ranges must be guessed at it. A good idea is to take a gaming table when you're not playing, take some checkers or poker chips, have a friend or someone toss them onto the table at random areas, guess the range, then measure to see if you were right. Put a picture in your mind of where the disc is in relation to the edges and corners of the table. Do this over and over until you get to the point that you can guess the range with a fair degree of accuracy.
The Dwarf army has a fairly balanced group of monsters available to it. I personally like the Griffon best of the monsters but which monster to use will depend on the amount of points you have available and your own personal preference. Exspensive monsters should not be chosen for battles of 2000 points or under.
King Kazador of Karak-Azul
King Kazador has three very powerful runic items, giving him an effective WS of 8, his hammer kills automatically if it causes a wound, and he strikes with a S10 against all opponents that have Toughness higher than his. He has a save of 2+, and then he has a magic resistance save of 4+, making for a very powerful but very exspensive (494 points) character.
Ungrim Iron-Fist, the Slayer King
Here is one of the most powerful characters in Warhammer. He is subject to the rules for Slayers, and is effectively a Daemon Slayer that can lead an army and give it his Leadership. He has the Axe of Dargo, inscribed with the Rune of Smiting and the Rune of Parrying, he wears the Slayer Crown (+1 Toughness and +1 armour save, giving him a 4+), and he wears the Dragon Cloak with the Rune of Spite, which rebounds wounds on a 4+, Rune of the Furnace (immune to fire), and the Rune of Luck (one reroll during the game).
Rune Lord Kragg the Grim
This is one very, very expensive character, but also one very powerful character. Kragg wears heavy gromril rune armour and carries a rune staff and rune hammer. These are all powerful items. He is a formidable fighter and also very useful for the automatic dispel he gets from his rune staff. Kragg is immune to fire, able to ignore difficult terrain, and able to dispel one incoming spell automatically.
Gotrek and Felix
These are two of my favourite characters. When you combine their magic weapons with Gotrek's Doom, they can take on and kill even the meanest of opponents. I almost always include Gotrek and Felix when I can.
High King Thorgrim Grudgebearer
Thorgrim is not one of the most powerful of Dwarf characters, but he is one of my favourites due to the Book of Grudges. Thorgrim hates all enemies, so he is always subject to the rules for Hatred, and his Thronebearers are also subject to the rules for Hatred due to Thorgrim's prescence. If the Throne should be used to carry any other Dwarf King, or if Thorgrim is slain, they are not subject to Hatred. Thorgrim has four potent items: The Great Book of Grudges; The Armour of Skaldour; The Dragon Crown of Karaz; and The Axe of Grimnir.
Joseph Bugman
I just like Joseph Bugman and his Brewers, they make a very good unit. Joseph is much better when he is leading the Brewers than he is as an individual character.
Engineer Guildmaster Burlok Daminson
This is one of the stranger Dwarfs. He has a steam-driven arm and hand, he carry Burlok's Hammer, which is engraved with the Master Rune of Swiftness, he wears Burlok's Armour, which gives a 4+ save and +1 Toughness. This guy has a S7, and a T6! This is one BAD Dwarf! Anyway, he looks mean.
In general, I like to use a good defensive position that allows my war machines and missile troops to weaken and/or destroy the enemy before he can become engaged with my troops. The Dwarfs are not a mobile army, and they are forced to fight a defensive battle. You must keep a cohesive line, not allowing any breaks, and protecting your flanks. Deep formations of hand-to-hand troops protecting your missile troops and artillery. The Dwarfs are one of the few, actually one of only two armies that I recommend the so-called "Castle" formation for. This basically amounts to: Select a good multi-level hill to defend, and set up your troops as follows: Long range artillery on the highest level, missile troops and medium ranged artillery on the second highest level, and melee troops and short-ranged artillery on the lowest level. If you can have two levels to set up your missile troops, all the better, because then you can deploy them in two lines that can both fire. I much prefer Crossbowmen to Thunderers, as the Crossbowmen can fire every turn if they do not move, whereas Thunderers can only fire every other turn. I do use a unit of Thunderers to weaken the charge of heavy Knights or heavily-armoured elite infantry. The main thing is to concentrate as much firepower during your first turn on your opponent's best unit as you can. Once it is broken or destroyed, move on to the next best. Keep doing this until he no longer has an effective assault force or his army has routed in panic. The Dwarfs must weaken their enemies' best troops before the enemy can come into contact. Use your Slayers to attack enemy missile troops, characters, and monsters, and use the Gyrocopter to attack his flanks and rear areas and to sow as much havoc as possible. If the terrain will not allow the Castle formation, I would suggest the Echeloned Line, which can be found in the Battle Formations in the Tactica at this site. Remember, cohesion of your line and concentration of your firepower is the secret to success with a Dwarf army.
-Inscribed by The Old Sage
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