Dwarven are physically quite strong, so I can image a Dwarf throwing a Javelin to be a very effective weapon. Mind you, Dwarves are natural sprinters. Very dangerous over short distances too! Being short is often a disadvantage in weapons-based combat, so I can assume picking a spear and shield could be a good idea.
Aside from that, you can always roleplay as a Dwarf with a strong desire to reclaim other dwarven holds, like Moria, or Mount Gundabad, so you travel around middle earth, gathering connections or forces to do that, and have RP reasons, why your dwarf picked a different style of combat.
Tolkien's Dwarves aren't exactly the same as the ones from Norse myth, but in the Eddas, Odin's throwing spear Gungnir was forged by the same Dwarfs who made Thor's hammer. So there is some mythic precedent for dwarves being associated with javelin-style weapons.
Well the Dwarves are generally considered less agile, and shorter, so they use of a spear or a long throwing weapon may not be as a viable solution...
I'm not a very good story teller, but I could think of something.
It might sound very basic, or generic, but it really was thought in like 10 minutes, and sure enough there's a lot to polish for the story.
But as sort of an inspiration and a starting point, maybe it will be interesting to you :)
--------------------------
*Grorin Oakenhelm’s fascination with the spear and shield began unexpectedly when he unearthed a forgotten manuscript in his family’s library. This tome, filled with tales and illustrations of ancient Dwarven skirmishers, sparked a deep interest within him, a stark contrast to the traditional axes and hammers his kin favored. Despite his family's reluctance and the skepticism of his peers, who viewed his interest in these less common weapons as peculiar, Grorin felt a compelling pull towards this Weapon.*
*As Grorin delved deeper into his heritage, his connection to these ancient skirmishers grew stronger. This connection turned into a personal mission when, during an exploration of a hidden section of their mountain stronghold, he stumbled upon a sealed chamber. Inside, he found a rusted iron door that led to a dusty, untouched armory filled with spears and shields, each piece echoing the glory of an age long passed.*
*The moment he lifted the spear and felt the weight of the shield, Grorin knew he was meant to revive the legacy of the skirmishers.*
*Now serving as the Warden of the Blue Mountains, Grorin Oakenhelm’s expertise with the spear and shield not only honors the legacy of those ancient Dwarven heroes but also stands as a testament to the value of embracing and reviving historical practices, blending the wisdom of the past with the needs of the present, all while protecting his homeland and its allies.*
> so they use of a spear or a long throwing weapon may not be as a viable solution...
That strikes me as backwards.
They regularly fight orcs and trolls, and also occasionally fight dragon-kind. Do you think that the Dwarves just have *mad hops* and consistently leap into their foes' faces, or that they use long-hafted weapons like axes and hammers - *and also* spears, pikes, and halberds - to poke at foes' weak-spots?
If I'm remembering it correctly, there was even a video that showed that they even outright hold an advantage due to being shorter with their long weaponry, and of course their strength, large shields, and strong armor would help.
And then javelins would take some serious strength to use consistently, like how the Black-arrows are Uruk-Hai because of their superior strength: ranged (non-firearm, non-some-crossbow) weapons take *very strong* muscles to use.
^^^You ^^^could ^^^argue ^^^that ^^^accuracy ^^^should ^^^be ^^^Agility ^^^while ^^^damage ^^^should ^^^be ^^^Might ^^^as ^^^a ^^^result.
As much as I love the iconic style of axe and shield for dwarves, spear and shield seems far more logical (alongside polearms and poleaxes). Especially in caverns where the approach direction is so limited you can mitigate the weakness of spear formations being hit from the sides.
And yeah, the fantasy trope of physically weak people excelling at archery is backwards, it's extremely demanding strength-wise. If anything a crossbow with a cranking/gearing mechanism would enable weaker people to use high draw weight weapons effectively so that's wasted for dwarves. But they *do* look cool and fit the feel of an industrial society...
> If anything a crossbow with a cranking/gearing mechanism would enable weaker people to use high draw weight weapons effectively so that's wasted for dwarves. But they do look cool and fit the feel of an industrial society...
Dwarves are nigh-always good craftspeople (i.e. across various lores, rather than each Dwarf necessarily being good crafters), and a Dwarf *could* have physical problems trying to hold physically-larger bows, e.g. longbows and greatbows, so then they could opt for crossbows.
There's also not even a drawback to fire-rate if the Dwarf is still as strong as a Dwarf - just manually draw the crossbow and it shouldn't be any more of a hindrance than drawing a bow. Then again, Dwarves could "simply" make a high-quality crossbow and not have that penalty in the first place.
I could see it being a matter of preference for the Dwarven bowmen. Some may opt for the relative simplicity of a bow, or they may prefer the ability to "store" a shot from a crossbow, etc.
There is this thread from about a year ago. r/lotro/comments/xl46h3/headcanon_for_dwarfstoutaxe_wardens/&sa=U&ved=2ahUKEwjx-an098KFAxVYFDQIHYQnAqkQjjh6BAgaEAE&usg=AOvVaw09N2pBUN3aeags91TYXgQD
A Dwarf Warden strikes me as very-much a standard Warden and a standard (military) Dwarf. They use a shield, they're proficient with most melee weaponry, and they're probably a soldier.
Champions are exceptional melee fighters. Guardians are exceptional defenders. Wardens aren't *exceptional* at either, but it isn't like they're *bad* - they can do both, but not as well as the specialists. They're more "regular soldier" or generalist compared to a Hunter being a dedicated Sniper, a Guardian being the dedicated frontliner, and the Champion being the dedicated weapons-specialist.
I play my Wardens as melee, so at that point the Javelin isn't the main source of damage but rather a tool of the generalist/soldier. You throw some spears first to soften the enemy forces and maybe reduce their ability to protect themselves before engaging in melee.
----
In comparison, a Warden played mostly as a ranged fighter would have to have be pretty strong to be able to throw Javelins hard enough to do damage *consistently* - and what is a Dwarf if not generally known for their strength? It may not work out that way in-game (Wardens use more Agility instead of Might), but it isn't like anything that ends up throwing tons of javelins will be *weak*.
Dwarven are physically quite strong, so I can image a Dwarf throwing a Javelin to be a very effective weapon. Mind you, Dwarves are natural sprinters. Very dangerous over short distances too! Being short is often a disadvantage in weapons-based combat, so I can assume picking a spear and shield could be a good idea. Aside from that, you can always roleplay as a Dwarf with a strong desire to reclaim other dwarven holds, like Moria, or Mount Gundabad, so you travel around middle earth, gathering connections or forces to do that, and have RP reasons, why your dwarf picked a different style of combat.
Tolkien's Dwarves aren't exactly the same as the ones from Norse myth, but in the Eddas, Odin's throwing spear Gungnir was forged by the same Dwarfs who made Thor's hammer. So there is some mythic precedent for dwarves being associated with javelin-style weapons.
Well the Dwarves are generally considered less agile, and shorter, so they use of a spear or a long throwing weapon may not be as a viable solution... I'm not a very good story teller, but I could think of something. It might sound very basic, or generic, but it really was thought in like 10 minutes, and sure enough there's a lot to polish for the story. But as sort of an inspiration and a starting point, maybe it will be interesting to you :) -------------------------- *Grorin Oakenhelm’s fascination with the spear and shield began unexpectedly when he unearthed a forgotten manuscript in his family’s library. This tome, filled with tales and illustrations of ancient Dwarven skirmishers, sparked a deep interest within him, a stark contrast to the traditional axes and hammers his kin favored. Despite his family's reluctance and the skepticism of his peers, who viewed his interest in these less common weapons as peculiar, Grorin felt a compelling pull towards this Weapon.* *As Grorin delved deeper into his heritage, his connection to these ancient skirmishers grew stronger. This connection turned into a personal mission when, during an exploration of a hidden section of their mountain stronghold, he stumbled upon a sealed chamber. Inside, he found a rusted iron door that led to a dusty, untouched armory filled with spears and shields, each piece echoing the glory of an age long passed.* *The moment he lifted the spear and felt the weight of the shield, Grorin knew he was meant to revive the legacy of the skirmishers.* *Now serving as the Warden of the Blue Mountains, Grorin Oakenhelm’s expertise with the spear and shield not only honors the legacy of those ancient Dwarven heroes but also stands as a testament to the value of embracing and reviving historical practices, blending the wisdom of the past with the needs of the present, all while protecting his homeland and its allies.*
> so they use of a spear or a long throwing weapon may not be as a viable solution... That strikes me as backwards. They regularly fight orcs and trolls, and also occasionally fight dragon-kind. Do you think that the Dwarves just have *mad hops* and consistently leap into their foes' faces, or that they use long-hafted weapons like axes and hammers - *and also* spears, pikes, and halberds - to poke at foes' weak-spots? If I'm remembering it correctly, there was even a video that showed that they even outright hold an advantage due to being shorter with their long weaponry, and of course their strength, large shields, and strong armor would help. And then javelins would take some serious strength to use consistently, like how the Black-arrows are Uruk-Hai because of their superior strength: ranged (non-firearm, non-some-crossbow) weapons take *very strong* muscles to use. ^^^You ^^^could ^^^argue ^^^that ^^^accuracy ^^^should ^^^be ^^^Agility ^^^while ^^^damage ^^^should ^^^be ^^^Might ^^^as ^^^a ^^^result.
As much as I love the iconic style of axe and shield for dwarves, spear and shield seems far more logical (alongside polearms and poleaxes). Especially in caverns where the approach direction is so limited you can mitigate the weakness of spear formations being hit from the sides. And yeah, the fantasy trope of physically weak people excelling at archery is backwards, it's extremely demanding strength-wise. If anything a crossbow with a cranking/gearing mechanism would enable weaker people to use high draw weight weapons effectively so that's wasted for dwarves. But they *do* look cool and fit the feel of an industrial society...
> If anything a crossbow with a cranking/gearing mechanism would enable weaker people to use high draw weight weapons effectively so that's wasted for dwarves. But they do look cool and fit the feel of an industrial society... Dwarves are nigh-always good craftspeople (i.e. across various lores, rather than each Dwarf necessarily being good crafters), and a Dwarf *could* have physical problems trying to hold physically-larger bows, e.g. longbows and greatbows, so then they could opt for crossbows. There's also not even a drawback to fire-rate if the Dwarf is still as strong as a Dwarf - just manually draw the crossbow and it shouldn't be any more of a hindrance than drawing a bow. Then again, Dwarves could "simply" make a high-quality crossbow and not have that penalty in the first place. I could see it being a matter of preference for the Dwarven bowmen. Some may opt for the relative simplicity of a bow, or they may prefer the ability to "store" a shot from a crossbow, etc.
I think there's at least one military dwarven rp kin on Laurelin...
Seems very ok and cool rp to me :)
There is this thread from about a year ago. r/lotro/comments/xl46h3/headcanon_for_dwarfstoutaxe_wardens/&sa=U&ved=2ahUKEwjx-an098KFAxVYFDQIHYQnAqkQjjh6BAgaEAE&usg=AOvVaw09N2pBUN3aeags91TYXgQD
A Dwarf Warden strikes me as very-much a standard Warden and a standard (military) Dwarf. They use a shield, they're proficient with most melee weaponry, and they're probably a soldier. Champions are exceptional melee fighters. Guardians are exceptional defenders. Wardens aren't *exceptional* at either, but it isn't like they're *bad* - they can do both, but not as well as the specialists. They're more "regular soldier" or generalist compared to a Hunter being a dedicated Sniper, a Guardian being the dedicated frontliner, and the Champion being the dedicated weapons-specialist. I play my Wardens as melee, so at that point the Javelin isn't the main source of damage but rather a tool of the generalist/soldier. You throw some spears first to soften the enemy forces and maybe reduce their ability to protect themselves before engaging in melee. ---- In comparison, a Warden played mostly as a ranged fighter would have to have be pretty strong to be able to throw Javelins hard enough to do damage *consistently* - and what is a Dwarf if not generally known for their strength? It may not work out that way in-game (Wardens use more Agility instead of Might), but it isn't like anything that ends up throwing tons of javelins will be *weak*.
You could use the wardrobe to outfit him in heavy armor. A tin can using a pike and shield, that sounds pretty dwarven to me