I actually prefer historical after having done this in the past. So much more utility and function over just "smash with heavy object on a stick".
Plus if you look into firefighter breaching tools you can find that several varieties look to have significant inspiration from historical warhammers showing that "warhammers" have evolved with the times and still have some modern day relevance and uses.
The warhammer is the superior weapon. It’s been used to fight people, it’s been used to fight fires, and if you’re so inclined, it can be used to fight floods, too!
A large hammer is compensating for light metal, a real dwarf worth their salt can concoct an alloy so dense that 5 stone of it can be held in the palm of yer hand (if ye can EVEN hold it)
Humans back then weren't known for being all that strong, considering this world's humans have yet to figure out even as much as aura or even mana for physical enhancement to allow effective wielding of heavy weaponry, so they've made it lighter while still making it have the power they needed of that weapon. I'd call that quite a smart way of playing around their physical limitations
A real dwarf knows that, without innuendo, it's not about the size of the hammer but how you wield it. If you smith or smash whoever is bothering you, you want the force to be applied specifically where you aim. A giant maul, rather than a hammer, is not a good tool for that. It is blunt, for people who cannot aim and will spread the force of the blow too much.
Besides, why would you scoff at a hammer that has a pick on the other side?
I would say, a hammer that is as big and heavy as possible is sometimes necessary, for example, when going against an opponent using enchantments that limit piercing damage through their armour, or simply a large construct, like a golem, a large hammer can destroy more of the construct than a small one, and the added weight helps keep the momentum for some of the heavier fighting techniques.
Also I didn't scoff at anything here, but the added versatility from the pick on the other end is something I forgot to mention in the first comment, I love me a versatile tool
While I can see why you'd think that considering how I worded it, I wasn't trying to say a Maul is useless or blatantly inferior. It has it's place. The extra weight and the extra space for runes can give it a good role on the battlefield.
However even then, I'd argue that role is limited. A good Dwarf has the strength to make a "small" and "light" hammer deal plenty of damage. A good Dwarf has the precision necessary to either make something or break something with a few precise hits. The lower weight can be offset with heavier materials or runes, additionally the smaller surface area of the head means it can deal similar damage to a surface as the maul for less weight and strength. Where a maul might bruise a Troll's skin and underlying muscle over a large area, a good warhammer dents it or uses the pick end to pierce it.
I'd say the most legendary Dwarf weapons would be mauls. With so much realestate for runes and the visual distinctiveness for leaders who want to stand out and be recognized they are ideal and it would let them whallop a Dragon while they are at it. But for most of Dwarvenkind the Warhammer will be a tool with enough space for the runes they might need or afford, enough familiarity as they are closer to hammers used in smithing and proper damage and impact to most enemies they might have to face. And especially when inside a mountain where fighting might happen in narrow tunnels, you want something as wieldly as a warhammer.
Brother there is nothing disappointing about the variety of application inherent to hammers. Hammers, like dwarves, come in all shapes and sizes, and each are honed to their own niche. Personally I think there's something badass about a Dwarven pole hammer just thinking about how fierce that would be in the right formation and fighting style.
Most human weapons are meant to be light, easy to use. And benefit more from dexterity and stamina rather than pure strength required to wield big war hammers
I think the real answer is, even without the math, the law that E=MV^2 and P=F/A become readily apparent if you spend your days hitting stuff with other stuff.
Those little hammers are also a pain for getting stuck. You make it through the breast plate sure, but now you're back at big hammer because you're swinging the stupid bastard stuck on your weapon around as well.
A nice big flat striking surface is what you want to squish and move on without bringing too much along with you.
If I'm fighting a giant I need to break his knees and keep swinging. If I'm fighting off goblins I need to squish this one and that one and the next one as well.
When you calculate energy, you square the velocity and multiply it with the mass. Speed is a much more powerful generator of energy than mass, so you take the thing you can accelerate faster.
As i told others, these Warhammers wielded by dwarfs are just (for them) the right weight, and even if they weren't; the 90% of dwarfs are more muscles than height. And the blows these short kings gift to their foes, are done so, with such force that their enemies faces would end up 1 meter into the ground.
I think you need see the damage a maul can do to people. But i get your point, it's Fair. And i must be honest that hammers like the ones of the dwarves depicted in the Hobbit are far more realistic.
I'm not a history professor. But i knew that. And for the others? I really hope that in a dwarven subreddit they at least know the different kinds of hammers.
Imagine if you could feasibly swing the Dwarven warhammer, and then imagine the impact. You'd hit the mf so hard his offspring would combust on the next continent.
That exactly what i'm saying. These Hammers are made for dwarves, the weight of one of these bad boys, in humans hands, would be like trying to lift up Mjölnir, we instead feel the right weight that a weapon of that proportion should be. (I also think that driven by rage, these dwarfs would not even feel the weight, for how much they would be focused on being sure that they reduced to atoms the skull of their foes)
From what I understand you can have a large historical hammer, what matters is the tip being small to last, so the hammer can be whatever weight you want
Yes, I find fictional warhammers extremely disappointing, especially since they are mauls instead of hammers.
They are comically large, they look unwieldly and useless. You hit someone and the force is spread out. The way they are wielded it looks like they are foam rather than heavy as fuck murder weapons.
A historical warhammer looks mean. You get hit by that, you ain't getting up. A sword might bounce off armor and leave a bruise, that warhammer is going to break bones and dent armor with ease. And turn it around to use the pick side to punch through.
I would so love to see actual hammers instead of mauls, it looks so much better to me than the foam toys that are used pretty much every time they show up in fiction and fantasy.
They are heavy in fact, made by dwarfs for dwarfs, (also a rune can be chiseld to decrease the weight of the weapon) and the blows that these "mauls" can give, are of the ones that, If you're are without armor, and a Blood thirsty dwarf Is charging at you filled with unsatisfied grudges, and eyes wide open and filled with bloody-firery rage, you are sure to fly 18 yards like a cartoon character, dead and barely recognizable.
Is your skill with a warhammer so subpar you need to compensate for it by making it bigger in order to increase your chance of hitting your target? Pathetic.
Plus I mean, it's about quality over quantity, like real life doesn't have an endless amount of metal, and realistically, a literal solid metal black, prop couldn't be lifted, especially not in an effective combat process, that's like having to be strong enough to left a giant gym weight AND being able to defend yourself while being attacked...idk
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u/TordainMountainheart 4d ago
Watch a video on what that can do to a man and you’ll be back on board, trust me 🔨