Dwarf weapons: Great axe or Maul?

[Darklone]

Actually I would have liked more monsters with a "natural" DR5/blunt or slashing or piercing or so like the skeleton... I mean, blunt weapons against zombies should be mainly useless. You break his arm, he uses it as flail...

 

[Datt]

It's simple. The hammer is the chosen weapon of the All Father, Moradin.
As far as dwarves, not using the dwarven waraxe, expect that to change come 3.5e and Weapon Familiarity.

Of course as a follower of Clagendinn I use dual battle axes.

 

[MadScientist]

IMC we don't have use the FRCS or the Equipment guide. When my dwarf wanted a Maul as a secondary weapon (I usually use a guisarme) we upsized the warhammer to large.

This gives you 2d6 20/X3. The d10 seems pretty weird to me. I would expect a d12 or a 2d6. I mean isn't a greatclub free? A maul should have better stats than a greatclub.

 

[Darklone]

Of course as a follower of Clagendinn I use dual battle axes.

Why use battle axes if you can have dual wielded dwarven waraxes? I know, the EWP feat is puny, but if you use two of them... it becomes worth it

And it looks better. A lot.

"My axes are larger than your axes!"
- "Bah, my beard is longer, I have more scars and don't play elf with that silly composite longbow!!"
"Spoilsport!"

 

[Pax]

That's kind of silly. A dwarven miner might gravitate to a pick or a hammer, but the axe is the iconic weapon of the dwarven fighter or warrior.

It's like asking "Swords? Why do humans use swords? They should use scythes and bill-hooks and other converted farm implements!"

-Hyp.

Actually, they DO. A lot of polearms are actually adapted farming implements. Military Fork? Trident, beefed up for war. Glaive-Guisarme? Seriously, it's a tree-pruning tool, again beefed up for war.

 

[Hypersmurf]

Actually, they DO.

Of course they do... but nobody expects the bill-guisarme to be the iconic weapon of the adventuring human Fighter or Paladin.

Mercenary companies, standing armies, peasant militia, fine... but statistically speaking, the Paladin carries a longsword.

And while dwarven peasants might naturally grab picks and hammers, the adventuring Fighter carries an axe.

That's not to say there's no room in the game for a Paladin with a flail. It's just not the stereotype. Likewise, the axe is the dwarvish longsword.

-Hyp.

 

[Darklone]

That's not to say there's no room in the game for a Paladin with a flail. It's just not the stereotype. Likewise, the axe is the dwarvish longsword.

-Hyp.

I always liked human fighters with e.g. axe and shield in my groups... it had such a unfamiliar feeling in fantasy settings ("Hey, you're not a dwarf!")

Too bad D&D combat does not support the superiority of axes in close quarter combat like the good old tunnel fighting dwarves...

 

[Datt]

Why use battle axes if you can have dual wielded dwarven waraxes? I know, the EWP feat is puny, but if you use two of them... it becomes worth it

I have thought about that, but decided against it. I try to be as much like Clangedinn as possible. He uses dual battle axes and not dwarven waraxes so I use battle axes. He kills giants whenever possible so I kill giants whenver possible.