A dwarf controlled world

[Falkus]

The virtues of gold and sliver are that they

They might have their virtues, but if only the dwarves can mine it, only the dwarves are going to consider it valuable.

 

[Stormborn]

You want a dwarf controlled world, or at least region? Simple. Make them builders of dams and tappers of underground sources of water in a large arid region. Hydraulic Empire. It doesn't matter if humans and elves have iron and steel if they can't water their crops because the dwarves have moved the river. Smart dwarves will play one faction off against another: "We will give you water if you support us against them." Add to that a control of underground salt reserves (there would be other ways to get it but the price of the dwarven variety would mean they would soon corner the market) and you have a powerful resource driven empire. Throw in the gnomish alchemists. Their great contribution to the Empire? Distilleries and breweries.

The dwarves would want human and halfling civilization to advance to a certain level,not only becuase it would be hard to stop them, but because they would make better second class citizens. Also, a more technologically advanced civilization is easier to control through resource management than a more primative one. The more technologically primative civilization needs less and is thus less dependent.

Also, the idea of water, salt, and beer as the source of the underground empire's might means that they can't be countered with magic. Even if the dwarves, or their human puppet warlords on the surface, have huge witchhunts and pogroms to suppress magic, there is always going to be the possibility of a hidden clan of sorcerers riding out of the woods with elven allies and causing trouble (cause magic weapons, even if bronze or wood or stone or obsidian, are going to give iron and steel a run for their money). Water, salt, and beer might not be as glamourous or as PC effecting as iron or gold, but in the long run those are what really can effect a civilization.

EDIT: Let me add that overall i agree about the dwarven culture presented in DnD not leading to conquerers. However, if just one large clan got it in their heads to do so, they could take over a large area...say a subcontinent. Particularlly if they are able to keep their true numbers secret and use politics and mercenary armies, both human and goblinoid, to keep their subjects fighting amongst themselves. And keep in mind, there is no need for this to be a truly stable empire, it just has to last long enough to have a campaign or two. Say a couple of human generations at most.

 

[Tonguez]

In practice, 5lbs of rock on a stick is nowhere near a good 5lb steel mace. If it was, there would have been no incentive to leave the stone age.
Tzarevitch

Not true a there are rocks that are harder than the equivalent quantity of Iron making for a much more effctive 'mace'

The advantage of metal is in creating blades which as a useful tool are wonderful things



Oh and I have entire clans of Zerhackers (Dwarf lumberjacks)

 

[DMH]

If humans don't use gold or silver as a currency, then it doesn't matter wheter or not Dwarves can pay in it.

But they do use them for money and ornimentation (sp). All the valuable metals of this world come from one source- the dwarves and so they have a lot of political power because of it.

Let me add that overall i agree about the dwarven culture presented in DnD not leading to conquerers.

DnD has painted dwarves to be slow growing, isolationist, traditionalist to the extreme, and devoted to craft-production.

Sovereign Stone has dwarves that are horseriders and raiders so not all settings have the races set in stone. I described carnivorous halflings that defile bodies (reavers with sanity*) so why can't the dwarves have a different personality from the PH? They could be scared of the demonic elves and their aberration creations and use all the political and military might at their disposal to keep the elves from the gate.

*Firefly reference

Just because the dwarves mine the stuff doesn't mean they will produce superior technology, though it does give them the advantage. What's important is innovation: can the dwarves find a new, better way to use the resources at hand to gain an advantage in something or other over their enemies.

Which is why I made the gnomes their most important allies. As much as I dislike the idea of technological (and illusionary) gnomes, the only other race that has been written with that knack is the kobolds.

 

[CCamfield]

Hm... metal aside, if the dwarves have all the gold, they could hire faster-breeding mercenaries to fight in their armies. Of course, that would have repercussions.

Another possibility would be lot and lots of constructs.


I stopped working on it, but in a homebrew world that I was working on, the "ancient fallen empire" was a dwarven one; the dwarves were civilized and working in metal while humans and elves and so on were still wandering tribesmen with stone technology, and they built a surface empire backed by armies (including constructs). Eventually a rebel force built up and backed by dwarven dissenters, the empire fell.

 

[interwyrm]

Hm... metal aside, if the dwarves have all the gold, they could hire faster-breeding mercenaries to fight in their armies. Of course, that would have repercussions.

Another possibility would be lot and lots of constructs.

True... dwarves would be the only ones with magic items because creating magic items requires GOLD.

 

[sniffles]

I've been entertaining ideas of a dwarf-controlled world, but I like to get away from the standard dwarf stereotype a bit and lose the subterranean miner aspect of the traditional D&D dwarf.

The dwarves in my concept are consummate engineers and builders, a bit like the Romans. They're also great tacticians. They've conquered the world through trade and military might. They might have started out living in under-mountain communities but they don't live that way any longer, except perhaps for the dwarves who live back in the "old country".

The gnomes, being culturally similar to the dwarves, become like the Greeks were to the Roman Empire. The dwarves borrow ideas from them readily, but the gnomes don't have the political or economic power that the dwarves have. Everybody else is considered inferior and in need of dwarven 'guidance'.

 

[Kunimatyu]

To me, this has 'warforged' written all over it.

If the dwarves are slow breeders but have abundant mineral wealth, they convert that mineral wealth into sentient, obediant golem armies, avoiding the inevitable 'we gave our human mercs awesome equipment and now they're killing us'.

 

[DMH]

avoiding the inevitable 'we gave our human mercs awesome equipment and now they're killing us'.

That is why the dwarves keep all the iron and steel and produce the finest bronze for their mercenary armies.

Also if I were to include the warforged, humans and halfling would be reduced to farmers and wasteland dwelling primitives. If I didn't write them out completely that is- gnomes could take that role easily.

 

[Nyaricus]

To me, this has 'warforged' written all over it.

If the dwarves are slow breeders but have abundant mineral wealth, they convert that mineral wealth into sentient, obediant golem armies, avoiding the inevitable 'we gave our human mercs awesome equipment and now they're killing us'.

An interesting idea. Though, the dwarves themselves would have to make sure they grabbed thier dead so that their enemies couldn't use the scrap metal to enhance their weapon adn make metal armour and whatnot.

Some really poignant ideas in here