Back to the Table of Contents
- 7.1 Dwarfs in General 62
- 7.2 Characters 63
- 7.3 Units 64
- 7.4 War Machines 68
- 7.5 Magic Items 70
- 7.6 Runes 70
- 7.7 Special Characters 72
- 7.8 Tactics 73
- 7.8.1 Thunder in the Mountains 74
- 7.8.2 The Hammer of Wrath 74
BY GRUNGNI!
Bring me more ale, for I am Thungri of the Long Sword, a mighty Lord of
the Dwarven Stronghold of Karak Finr, a mighty fortress that lies far,
far North from here. What did you say? How we can live so near Chaos
Wastes? Listen now laddies, and Old Longsword shall tell you how he
deals with any scum that keep attacking our invincible fortress.
High leadership of 9 and weapon skill and toughness of 4, and very
useful ability to use dispel cards on 4+ sums up the good sides of the
Dwarfs, and as an additional bonus they hate Goblinoids and don`t care
about carrying a wagon load of armor.
On the down side, you pursue and flee 2D6-1" and have only movement of
3. (With those short legs this is no big surprise.) The lack of cavalry
and other fast troops is also disturbing, but by fielding monsters and
Gyrocopters, these shortcomings can be overcome.
The two options here is either making the general a High King (by
mounting him on the Throne of Power) to give him the access to many
great items like the Dragon Crown of Karaz, or fielding him as a
"standard" Dwarf General and thus saving him form enemy sniper fire and
the agonizingly slow movement rate of the Throne of Power. It is very
usual to see the point cost of a Dwarf Lord to push up to 600 points,
but one should remember that with bit of bad luck this can backfire upon
the dwarf army itself.
As far as the Battle Standard Bearer is considered, many people find
him an essential part of any dwarf army, namely because of the option
to field the famous Master Rune of Valaya. Since Dwarfs have no wizards
themselves, and many gaming groups take a hostile approach to allied
wizards in dwarf armies, anything that limits enemy magic is welcome.
There are few items that do it better than the Master Rune of Valaya:
You have 50 percent chance to dispel any enemy spell, whereever it is
cast.
The problem with the battle standard bearer is the same as with most
other armies: He dies far too easily. There are few solutions for this,
but none of them are altogether reliable. You could hide your battle
standard bearer in the back ranks of a unit so he could be safe from
the cruel world. Of course you could buy him a powerful Rune Armor, but
this rather defeats the purpose of having a battle standard since he can
carry only one magic item.
Runesmiths enable you to use some of the best items that Dwarfs have
available: Runes of Spellbreaking to make up for those missing dispel
scrolls and of course those Anvils of Doom. Most dwarf players consider
the Anvil useless, but there are some benefits to fielding it. First of
all, it enables the Runesmith to use the special magic cards like the
Rebound and Mental Duel. Also note that the Anvil Guards are individual
champions so they can issue a challenge if the anvil is charged by all
too powerful characters.
The lightning unleashed by the Anvil is also useful for taking out
chariots that are often very troublesome to Dwarfs. When you really must
field the ultimate dwarf death machine, you can of course buy a Rune
Lord with full quota of three Rune items and making them like a Rune
Armor with Master Rune of Gromril and a Runic Talisman with Master Rune
of Spite with two Runes of Luck. The downside of such Living Ancestor
God is that he will cost enormous amount of points. Most dwarf lords
are quite satisfied just by fielding a Runesmith with three Runes of
Spellbreaking and hiding him in the back ranks of the unit.
The problems with the Slayer Characters are:
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They are expensive.
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Since they are always champions, you can't field them as individual
heroes.
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They can't wear any armor.
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They may have only one magic item which must be a magical weapon.
These are your basic dwarf elite infantry. With strength 4, weapon skill
5 and initiative 3, they are very powerful shock elites.
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WEAKNESSES:
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They lack an option to carry any other armament than hand
weapons.
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USES:
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As a basic quality infantry instead of dwarf warriors. Of course
you could give them the Scepter of Norgim to boost their strength or
armor save. Again, think carefully who you are facing: Long Beards will
crush Empire Halberd men any day, but the 1+ save of the Chaos Knights
is too much for them.
Dwarf elites with the compulsory option of taking two handed weapons.
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WEAKNESSES:
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Dwarfs don't come cheap, and when using 2 handed hammers
in hand to hand their armor save fall to 5+. And of course, they will
always strike last in melee.
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USES:
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Hammerers are truly heavy handed warriors. They strike with
strength 6, which is enough to hurt even large monsters. Large regiments
are needed so your brave warriors will survive the enemy missile fire
and other inevitable casualties. 30+ troops.
As with the other dwarf elites, Iron Breakers have strength of 4,
initiative of 3, and weapon skill of 5. What makes them special is their
3+ save due the Rune of Stone.
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WEAKNESSES:
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Rune armor that they got boosts their point cost to 20.
Their basic strength is 4, and though no means puny, very heavily
armored targets are hard to wound with that.
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USES:
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Most dwarf lords compose their main fighting regiment out of Iron
Breakers. If you decide to do this, remember the following: strength 4
isn't too high, especially against Chaos Knights. You'll also require
a couple of rune-boosted dwarf heroes to deal with opponent's all too
tough Chaos lords and such. Just remember to keep some distance between
them! The evil enemies love to field their toughest characters with
Sword of Destruction, and losing the power of two sets of Magic Items is
simply painful. Remember that Iron Breakers armor is magical, so this
affords additional protection from some spells and weapons.
Basic dwarf infantry. Generally they are fielded as spearmen (or spear
Dwarfs).
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WEAKNESSES:
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Old races like Dwarfs and the Elves are not too cheap. The
only way to improve their ridiculous strength 3 is to take 2 handed
weapons, and that means striking last.
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USES:
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If given spears their weapon skill 4 and toughness 4 often see you
through the worst of the troubles caused by opponent`s basic infantry.
dwarf warriors can also be equipped with double handed weapons. If
your opponent is in habit of fielding a lots of basic infantry (he/she
is obviously out of his mind) then their toughness of 4 and effective
strength of 5 with weapon skill 4 should see you through.
Of course they are allowed to carry magical standard like almost all
dwarf regiments, so you might wish to field them just to carry that
Banner of Wrath. This is the cheapest way.
Basic Dwarfs with crossbows.
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WEAKNESSES:
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If equipped with armor and 2 handed weapons their point cost
soars to dizzying heights. Without them, they became prime targets for
enemy shock troops. ballistic skill 3 doesn't allow you to hit anything
smaller than an ogre easily.
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USES:
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The two options here are either a full blooded missile troops
(perhaps with the Rune of Slowness in their standard) or a combination
of close combatants and missile troops when equipped with 2 handed
weapons and as much armor as you can get. Remember that your point cost
total for a one paltry crossbow dwarf soars upwards very fast.
If you give them the equipment needed to survive hand to hand, try to
find points to field at least a champion to challenge the opposing
heroes. Also, the ever-popular Rune of Courage should come in handy.
Because of their long (30") range, they are my preferred dwarf missile
unit. I'd say a regiment of 16-30 strong.
Another typical dwarf missile regiment: Hand guns hit hard, have a
reasonable range and are slow to fire.
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WEAKNESSES:
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Hand to hand is without hope to these Dwarfs. They can
beat up Skavenslaves and Goblins on a good day, but enemy elites are
definitely out. Ballistic skill 3 isn't too high for troops that are
strictly a missile regiment.
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USES:
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Because of the "changing ranks" routine, the Thunderers can
be placed on flat ground. Enemy doesn't usually expect any missile
troops there, so you just might find yourself in very desirable firing
position. Like the crossbow Dwarfs, the Thunderers benefit from the Rune
of Slowness so they might get additional chance to fire their Guns. As
with other missile troops with ballistic skill of 3, I recommend at
least 16 strong regiment.
Miners are often called "Poor man's Hammerers". With 2 handed weapons
and heavy armor, they can do business very nicely.
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WEAKNESSES:
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The never changing problem with the 2 handed weapons: You
strike last. Only that there might be nobody left to do it.
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USES:
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With heavy armor and 2 handed picks, Miners are a good choice
against some of the more heavily armored targets like Chaos Dwarfs.
Humans, Goblins and such are easy prey for them, so when facing a
regimental strong army, they are a good choice.
The most colorful of dwarf regiments, these driven Dwarfs add a welcome
splash of color to otherwise rather grey Dwarf army. With their immunity
to psychology and break tests, and their Slayer Skill, they are deadly
unit indeed. Just remember to give them two hand weapons and hey ho, hey
ho, it's off to war you go!
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WEAKNESSES:
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No armor means that many spells and missiles cut down a
large number of these troops. Basic strength of 3 means that opponents
with high armor save are quite safe from their attentions. Then again
some Slayer Champions equipped with suitable rune weapons can quickly
fix this. Slayers are also the only dwarf regiment that can't get a
magical standard.
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USES:
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Almost all dwarf generals equip their slayers with two hand
weapons instead of 2 handed axes. Slayers are at their best when facing
an opponent with high toughness so you can get most out of their Slayer
Skill. If you wish to have a really strong hand to hand unit, tool up
some slayer champions, and put a hero or two with them. They can also
be fielded as (expensive) "trap" unit that ties powerful enemies up by
simply refusing to rout. You must remember that with movement of 3 it is
a rare day when you get to pick your fights, though. Because of their
tendency to die in enemy fire, Ruby Chalice is well worth the points
against Elves and such. Try to field a regiment of 20+ Slayers. This is
one of the regiments I always try to field when playing Dwarfs.
You have a choice between a cheaper and weaker and more expensive and
stronger one. I always go for the small stone thrower. It is cheap, has
high enough strength to damage almost anything, and still allows no
armor save. Of course large ones are more useful against extra-tough or
powerful creatures with lots of wounds, but since I generally target my
stone throwers towards rank and file, this is less of a problem. If your
opponent has a nasty habit of fielding a 10 strong unit of dragon ogres,
then the larger stone throwers might be worth their points. I generally
use the Runes of Accuracy and Fortune in my stone throwers, and try
to field at least 2 of them. Expensive choice, but sometimes worth it
against very numerous opponents like Skaven.
The standard version of the Gyrocopter is Mark III Karak Azul "Stealth
Bomber" with Rune of Disguise and 1 or 2 Runes of Penetration. It is
one of the things in the whole game that reaps a lion's share of all
complaints. In fact it is of limited use against most opponents because
of it's high point cost. Against heavy cavalry like the Chaos Knights
it will usually work, but if you are facing Skaven or such, their price
prohibits their use. I never use the bombing runs because of the severe
risks involved and the general ineffectiveness. When faced with army
that has very limited amounts of missile troops like Chaos, I've seen
even 3 Gyrocopters perform just fine.
Dwarf cannons have shorter range, weaker bite and higher point cost
than their Empire counterparts. The bonus sides are the possibility to
put runes to the cannon and a lot tougher crew. With luck they might
be able to stand against harpies that are far too common sight in the
dwarfish skies. The favorite rune is of course the Rune of Forging, and
the cannon can be equipped with additional runes like Rune of Burning
(if facing wraiths -makes the cannonballs magical) or the rune(s) of
Immolation. I once saw a dwarf cannon with three Runes of Immolation,
and it was teleported with the Bridge of Shadows in the middle of the
opponent's army. BOOM!
Remember always to target your cannons towards characters. They will
fail their "Look out sir!" Rolls eventually.
Perhaps the most popular war machine in the whole dwarf army, the organ
guns are perfect tools to bring death to powerful opponents. The usual
method is to equip it with the Rune of Disguise so the opponent's flyers
don't extend their unwanted attentions to it. The gun is that (according
to GWUK) it can't be boosted with the Rune of Forging, making the firing
a risky business. All in all, very good buys if you consider their low
point cost value.
Editor's note: GWUK has said at different times both that the Rune of
Forging is and is not allowed on the organ gun. I would allow it, and my
WFB FAQ reflects this.
Dwarf anti-aircraft artillery is the most usual option for this device.
With the Rune of Seeking and one or two Runes of Penetration, it can
give some nasty shocks to your opponent. If you think you won't be
facing large flying monsters, leave out the bolt thrower or equip it
with three Runes of Penetration. I personally try to field at least two
bolt throwers at a time or none at all. Two shots are better than one,
just like in the popular dwarf sport of Gob-lobbing (Todd's Note: In the
previous version of WFB the Dwarfs had a catapult that shot goblin body
parts at the enemy, it was the Gob-lobber).
Because of their high point cost value, the dwarf general must choose
carefully the time and the place he intends to use his flame cannons.
They are (of course) at their best when used against such thing as
treemen and mummies, because of the double damage caused by the fire.
It's also true that their flames will hit anything at least halfway
covered by the dragonfire template, making it one of the deadliest war
machines around. This high kill ratio is in addition to panic check your
opponent has to take, so I'd include it in most armies, even if it is a
bit risky.
I never field a dwarf army without taking the Scepter of Norgim. It
is such a wonderfully useful and effective item that I feel it is a
must for every dwarf general. Many opponents march within 8" of a dwarf
regiment, confident in the knowledge that with the movement of 3 they'll
still get to charge first. The Scepter changes all that by increasing
the move of the Dwarfs to 4! I've also seen an Iron Breaker unit with
armor save of 1+! (the regiment had a Standard of Shielding as a side
order.) The regiment was also 50 strong.
If you want to give your regiment a "regular" magic standard like the
Banner of Might, and still wish to have a good chance against psychology
and break tests, consider the Dragon Crown of Karaz. You'll have to give
it to a dwarf king, though.
Both Axe of Grimnir and the Gotrek's Axe are real bargains at mere 125
points. Whenever facing an opponent with lots of troops with multiple
wounds (like Chaos and the Undead) they are worth considering.
The Armor of Skaldour is in my opinion the best armor in whole game, and
if you are fielding any of the dwarf kings (Kazador, Ungrim, Thorgrim) I
say go for it. It is very cheap, and protects you from almost anything.
Here are couple of examples how to best use your Runes. Note that I've
avoided the usual 200 plus point items that everybody can design and
tried to include some of the more devious combos.
The Dwarfs have a very attracting chance to field completely unbreakable
army by giving every single regiment a Runic Standard with the Rune of
Courage. Of course your front rank is easily mowed down by rampaging
Chaos knights or chariots, so it might be a good idea to put your
Standard bearer in the back ranks of the unit.
The Flying Hammer (TM) is a famous invention. Combining the Master
Rune of Flight with, say Rune of Smiting and Rune of Breaking, enemy
characters will soon dread to come near your units. The main candidate
for this weapon is of course Burlok Damminson. Some people prefer giving
it to a Slayer champ, though others argue that it can only be placed in
a hammer. Mind you, there is an example in the Dwarf Book about slayer
with this rune, and I got a slayer figure with a hammer. In the hands of
a Slayer or Burlok the Flying Hammer has a chance to wound some of your
tougher opponents.
Dwarfs get both extra attacks and extra strength cheaper than other
races. Any combinations of the Runes of Cleaving and Runes of Fury are
usually very effective.
I like all runes that affect the target when it is hit, without trying
to wound. One of the best examples of this was when my general had
a Curse Rune and two runes of Fury in his axe. He managed to lower
Bloodthirster's strength to 4, and the Chaos player was not amused!
Other rune like this is the Rune of Breaking. I've seen few pale faces
when my opponent hears his Doomglaive/Axe of Khorne/Fellblade is broken!
If used by a character who sees lot's of melee, I recommend combining it
with the Master Rune of Swiftness. Rune of Luck is an excellent back up
item for Dwarfs with such things because it allows you to re-roll those
failed checks for destroying your opponent's weapon/physical health.
If you are fielding an army with lots of monsters, Then the Master Rune
of Gorth One-eye might be suitable for replacing the usual Master Rune
of Valaya. Just keep your monsters within 12" of the Battle Standard and
you'll have no worries about the loyally of these otherwise unreliable
troops!
Master Rune of Dismay is essential against armies like Orcs, Chaos and
Skaven, since it can really slow down their advance. It can be given to
a champion since it is "one use only" item.
Giving a couple of Runes of Fortitude to a character with Black Amulet
and Master Rune of Spite will make your dwarf a close combat monster
without any weapons at all!
Of course all of us can make a Rune Axe with Master Rune of Death, Rune
of Smiting and Rune of Might, but such things cost so many points that
often they will be your undoing, and nobody needs help in designing
them.
It is worth mentioning that all dwarf special character (with the
exception of Gotrek and Felix) can change their usual magic items to
something different. See Dwarf Book, page 81).
King Kazador gives you the possibility to field an additional dwarf lord
with a bonus strength of 5. When in need of an additional dwarf lord,
King Kazador is your dwarf. Rune of Might is often a good buy, since
it doubles his strength to an awesome 10 as long as his opponent has a
toughness of 6 or more. Nurgle Characters will dread him!
A Daemon Slayer General with the option of taking up to three magic
items, including armor. If you want to really enrage your opponent, give
Ungrim the Axe of Gotrek. He is, after all, a slayer.
As a dwarf king, Ungrim has the access to many of the best items in the
Dwarf Book.
As the High King of All Dwarfs Thorgrim has an access to a wide
choise of special magic items like the Armour of Skaldour. The other
outstanding quality of Thorgrim is that he can have four magic items
instead of three. He also has a special rule for hating all enemies, and
he costs just as much as a regular dwarf lord. He doesn't have to ride
the Throne of Power, so I see no reason why he shouldn't be included in
every
army.
Perhaps the most famous heroes in the whole Warhammer World, Gotrek
Gurnisson and Felix Jaegar are a formidable pair, but also quite
difficult to use. First of all, their movement rate is paltry 3, and
thus your opponents usually find it quite easy to dodge your heroic
pair. Second, they can't join any unit, so they often become prime
targets to enemy missile fire. While their special rule for 4+ save
against any and all of the wounds they receive is very effective, they
will eventually die if confronted with massed enemy fire. If you are
considering an allied wizard as well as Gotrek, go for the Grey Magic
and whisk him around the battlefield. Highly recommended!
The venerable Rune Lord of Karaz-a-Karak is the only special Character
whose weapon I wouldn't consider changing. With strength of 10, causing
D6 flaming wounds with additional attack, there are very few opponents
who can take on "the Old Pop". Other than that, he is just another Rune
Lord. Remember that you may only have one Runesmith, so if you choose
Kragg, remember to give him those Runes of Spellbreaking.
Statistically, Josef Bugman is just a regular dwarf hero. The real use
for Josef Bugman is his option for buying the Bugman's Tankard for only
25 points. If you think the tankard is a must, then consider Josef.
Burlok son of Damian is my favorite special character. He is the wielder
of the dreaded "Flying Hammer" (TM), a weapon inscribed with Master Rune
of Flight, Rune of Smiting and Rune of Breaking or additional Rune of
Smiting. The other option is to give him a suitably awe inspiring Rune
Axe and use his great Strength in hand to hand. I'd recommend a Rune of
Smiting and two runes of Fury.
Even though Dwarfs are expensive, you should try to field large
regiments. Since Dwarfs don't have any mounted troops, the cost of such
steel blocks is still affordable. I try to have regimental strength
of 20-50, and include a champion in each unit, as well as one Dwarf
Hero/Lord/Runesmith/Slayer character. Of course full-blooded missile
units don`t need such trappings, and usually I field Thunderers and
crossbowmen without anything else but standard rank and file.
Even though it isn't that archetypal, a missile and artillery
based dwarf army is one of the most effective choices in Warhammer
Fantasy Battle. The regiments should include several units of Dwarf
Crossbowmen, this time boosted to their full hand-to-hand potential
with 2 handed weapons because they might have to receive what is left
of the enemy charge, plus regiments of Thunderers. At least one hand to
hand regiment is required, since there usually is still some enemies
left when they come out of the hail of fire. But the most important
thing is to field all possible Cannons, Organ Guns, Flame Cannons,
Stone Throwers and such as you can.
The classic dwarven way of waging war has always been to determinedly
march towards your enemies, shrug off any missile casualties, and grind
your opponent to dust in melee. Buy one regiment of each elite (Iron
Breakers, Long Beards and Hammerers), and couple of units of Slayers,
tool them up and go shopping to the nearest rune market by equipping
your characters with all possible rune weapons. Try to use as much cover
as possible as you advance upon your enemy. Take a character with a
Rune of Passage to each unit. Your enemy will shiver with fear when you
charge through swamp at full speed!
A word of advice. Skaven and Chaos armies are so powerful in hand to
hand that it is very foolish to think you can defeat them without first
softening them up with artillery.
Now lads, fill up my tankard, and sharpen your axes. We will meet our
enemies in a field of glory tomorrow.
Next part: Empire Tactics.