D&D 5E Dwarves Could Use A Rethink

[Helpful NPC Thom]

4e had awesome female dwarf art, with a gorgeous and engaging general aesthetic.

I found the art style to be an embarrassment.

Technical proficiency notwithstanding, the the art shouts "epic fantasy" and "high level adventurers," but the armor's design is lacking. In the same way villains bedecked in black armor bristling with spikes are devoid of personality, so too are armors adorned with baubles and facets. The attempts to add in more dwarven women to the artwork also fall flat when one looks upon the busty breastplates and bare midriffs of a race that is supposedly stocky and fond of meat and mead.

The ridiculousness of this is stark when contrasted with something like Warhammer dwarves:

This is a "your mileage may vary" territory, but if you want dwarven artwork with visual panache, I think even Peter Jackon's abysmal Hobbit trilogy provides a better aesthetic.

Naturally, that may be owing to the fact that Jackson himself resembles one of his plump, short-statured races.

 

[Mind of tempest]

I found the art style to be an embarrassment.

View attachment 140845 View attachment 140846View attachment 140851View attachment 140852

Technical proficiency notwithstanding, the the art shouts "epic fantasy" and "high level adventurers," but the armor's design is lacking. In the same way villains bedecked in black armor bristling with spikes are devoid of personality, so too are armors adorned with baubles and facets. The attempts to add in more dwarven women to the artwork also fall flat when one looks upon the busty breastplates and bare midriffs of a race that is supposedly stocky and fond of meat and mead.

The ridiculousness of this is stark when contrasted with something like Warhammer dwarves:

View attachment 140848View attachment 140849View attachment 140850

This is a "your mileage may vary" territory, but if you want dwarven artwork with visual panache, I think even Peter Jackon's abysmal Hobbit trilogy provides a better aesthetic.

View attachment 140854

Naturally, that may be owing to the fact that Jackson himself resembles one of his plump, short-statured races.

the hobbit ones have the problem of all mostly being comical they look like they are super out of their depth rather than they honestly have prepared to kill a being bigger than an elephant that can fly.

also, where do we go forward with dwarves you only need one group of dwarves to be the stereotype what else can they be without losing the fundamental dwarfness?

 

[Yora]

The truth about dwarves is that there is only a single dwarf in existence. The quantum dwarf. It exists in multiple places at different times at once.
Which is why you've never seen a single dwarf who isn't a scottish bearded, alcoholic, racist, greedy viking-miner-blacksmith.
Every dwarf is Gimli. There is only Gimli, nothing else. Always was, always will be. For all eternity.

 

[Vaalingrade]

I love the cool looking armor is somehow worse than 'angry dragon beard scroll'.

 

[Don Durito]

I found the art style to be an embarrassment.

View attachment 140845 View attachment 140846View attachment 140851View attachment 140852

Technical proficiency notwithstanding, the the art shouts "epic fantasy" and "high level adventurers," but the armor's design is lacking. In the same way villains bedecked in black armor bristling with spikes are devoid of personality, so too are armors adorned with baubles and facets. The attempts to add in more dwarven women to the artwork also fall flat when one looks upon the busty breastplates and bare midriffs of a race that is supposedly stocky and fond of meat and mead.

The ridiculousness of this is stark when contrasted with something like Warhammer dwarves:

View attachment 140848View attachment 140849View attachment 140850

This is a "your mileage may vary" territory, but if you want dwarven artwork with visual panache, I think even Peter Jackon's abysmal Hobbit trilogy provides a better aesthetic.

View attachment 140854

Naturally, that may be owing to the fact that Jackson himself resembles one of his plump, short-statured races.

I think all but 1 of those Warhammer Dwarves is as ridiculous as the 4e ones. (The one of the Dwarf in renaissance clothing is not exactly great, but not ridiciulous.

 

[Casimir Liber]

Pantheons help - e.g. my D&D 5e world has been populated by generations of Elder Gods cast out of Earth - e.g. titans, waves of celtic gods etc. as they were ousted by new generations. Entities that synergised with dwarves include Prometheus - who gave them fire and some technology, Govannon -smithing, and duergar (and some mountain dwarves) were seduced by Mammon (greed) and Belial (deception), and Baalzebul (flies) - evil giant-fly riding duergar...watch out......

 

[MGibster]

I think all but 1 of those Warhammer Dwarves is as ridiculous as the 4e ones. (The one of the Dwarf in renaissance clothing is not exactly great, but not ridiciulous.

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.

 

[Vaalingrade]

Species have both ugly people and beautiful ones.

For examples, humans have me and Chris Evans.

Poor, homely Chris Evans.

 

[Helpful NPC Thom]

I love the cool looking armor is somehow worse than 'angry dragon beard scroll'.

Yes, sadly, that's how badly 4e's artistic design missed the mark.

I think all but 1 of those Warhammer Dwarves is as ridiculous as the 4e ones. (The one of the Dwarf in renaissance clothing is not exactly great, but not ridiciulous.

I think Warhammer dwarves look ridiculous also, but their design is overall better.

 

[Vaalingrade]

Yes, sadly, that's how badly 4e's artistic design missed the mark.

To you maybe. I prefer my dwarves with shoulders below their heads and not Vogon-shaped.