D&D 5E Dwarves Could Use A Rethink

[Dannyalcatraz]

Dwarven aesthetics- to the CURRENT me, at least- should scream either functionality and practicality OR ceremonial importance, depending on purpose. So both the 4Ed & Warhammer art are off to me.

 

[Casimir Liber]

Dwarven aesthetics- to the CURRENT me, at least- should scream either functionality and practicality OR ceremonial importance, depending on purpose. So both the 4Ed & Warhammer art are off to me.

Like using swinging weapons like axes in narrow underground tunnels .

 

[Don Durito]

Games Workshop tends to have an aesthetic that is ridiculous and awesome at the same time. I can certainly see why it might not be to someone's tastes though. I don't think the dwarf art from D&D 4E look all that bad. I appreciate that the armor they're wearing actually looks like armor. Here's another one of their dwarfs from 1987. He's an ugly cuss but I kind of like the way he looks. Whoever said dwarves aren't sexy is right.

View attachment 140893

Well that's not as bad as the others. I wasn't commenting on Warhammer Dwarves in general just the oddness of the idea that the a Dwarf with huge decorative wings on there helmet was somehow "not ridiculous".

Although so far no one has posted any pictures of dwarves wearing armour that actually looks like armour.

 

[Vaalingrade]

Mostly because 'looks like armor' is basically just personal aesthetics considering the past 5000 years of armor technology around the world and also the majority of people don't want to see characters in sad cans full of wool.

 

[Dannyalcatraz]

Like using swinging weapons like axes in narrow underground tunnels .

I preferred picks. Still swinging weapons, yes, but they use them with skill in mining, sooooo…

 

[Casimir Liber]

I preferred picks. Still swinging weapons, yes, but they use them with skill in mining, sooooo…

Put a dwarf in a room with a battleaxe and a warhammer and tell him to take his pick....

 

[Casimir Liber]

Anyway.....in my milieu, duergar and mountain dwarves trade with variable hot-and-cold relations. Duergar seduced wholesale by Mammon, Belial and Baalzebul.....any DMs done anything interesting with duergar in their campaigns? (should I make this a new thread or leave here..?)

 

[Don Durito]

Anyway.....in my milieu, duergar and mountain dwarves trade with variable hot-and-cold relations. Duergar seduced wholesale by Mammon, Belial and Baalzebul.....any DMs done anything interesting with duergar in their campaigns? (should I make this a new thread or leave here..?)

I always dump them. I figure Dwarves are always capable of being evil on their own.

 

[Levistus's_Leviathan]

Anyway.....in my milieu, duergar and mountain dwarves trade with variable hot-and-cold relations. Duergar seduced wholesale by Mammon, Belial and Baalzebul.....any DMs done anything interesting with duergar in their campaigns? (should I make this a new thread or leave here..?)

In my world, they conquered the Underdark (as Mordenkainen predicted). They captured most of the Drow in order to use them as slaves, but some drow escaped and became nocturnal refugees on the surface drow (known as Sürdrae, and they eventually began to worship the stars). They experimented for centuries on the enslaved drow, causing them to become deformed, mindless brutes, and managed to trap their souls inside of Soul Cubes to force them to be their slaves (to prevent the drow's souls from escaping the Underdark and being reincarnated as another elf/drow). They also bred their Steeders to link with their rider, becoming Huge when the mounted duergar uses their Enlarge ability. They also use the Derro to send messages through the Far Realm to contact Elder Evils that want to corrupt the Material Plane without being able to physically enter.

 

[Mind of tempest]

Anyway.....in my milieu, duergar and mountain dwarves trade with variable hot-and-cold relations. Duergar seduced wholesale by Mammon, Belial and Baalzebul.....any DMs done anything interesting with duergar in their campaigns? (should I make this a new thread or leave here..?)

I considered making them work of ur-fascism remove the slavery and go full genocide ideally their soldiers are mostly faceless but terrifying.