DWARF ARCHER II

This is a more detailed look on my ideas for dwarven archers.

Traditional Dwarven bows used to be a composite of wild goat horn, sinew and wood, much alike the eastern composite bows from history and drawn with the same thumb-pinch draw. These are still widely spread and used, but over time another type rose as the most predominant: the steel bow.

Early models consisted of fairly thin spring steel arms fitted with a simple common string. These were considerably slower than composite bows and had limited applications. They were still favoured for their durability and imperviousness to elements and the action of time.

Metal bows are said to perform considerably worse than their organic counterparts, possibly in the region of 3/4s as fast as more conventional types. To compensate for the poor performance, the bow’s draw weight needed to be amped up, which created new problems, namely the difficulty to bend a heavy steel bow by hand.

The next innovation came in the form of a pulley system, that reduced the force required to bend the bow by half. In this way, the Dwarven weapon smiths were capable of producing a war bow that is comparable to longbows and composite bows but in a much smaller package, which was a pressing need to the short dwarves.

This is what you see depicted in here, a “compound” dwarven bow, with heavy steel limbs much alike to a crossbow, with a draw weight on the range of 100-200 pounds. The force needed to bend such bows would be around 50-100 pounds and the performance would be comparable to an organic bow of some 75-150 pounds. The draw force can be controlled through tightening or loosening the bolts that secure the prods into the frame and handle.

The arrows employed by the dwarves are short and heavy, for maximum penetration at short to medium range. Many types of arrowheads are used depending on the goal to be achieved, but this warrior in particular is packing two types, coded in red and blue and corresponding respectively to broadheads and long bodkins intended to piercing maille. They are fletched with vulture feathers and are kept in a hip quiver, and a holster for the bow itself is hung on the left side of the belt for ease of carrying. That is sometimes replaced by a sling attached to the bow itself.

The warrior’s equipment consists of a boar-themed helmet (a sacred animal to some dwarven clans) and a padded war leather jacket, worn over a short shirt of fine dwarven maille. He also wears a thick pair of goat leather trousers and sturdy Iron studded mountaineer boots. Completing the defensive gear is a dwarven Targe shield.

The secondary armament consists of a dwarven Seax and a one-handed battle axe with a spike on the back side, ideal to puncture armour or thick skulls, which coincidently Orcs have.

He sports tattoos of religious and magical properties, as well as amulets which are usually enchanted with minor but useful capabilities.

Dwarven bows are durable and sturdy, they are relatively easy to build and have a very broad and precise spectrum of how much force they can generate. They also require minimum maintenance and would last for centuries on end, as well as not needing to be unstrung when not in use.

 On the flip side they are heavy and burdensome, which is not a problem for the strong and stout dwarves, but that alone can put off many people from other races from owning one (considering they would be able to afford it), and for those reasons the steel dwarven bow is rarely seen in the hands of a non-dwarf archer.

🎨 Your encouragement and appreciation fuel my passion for creating art. If you've enjoyed my work and would like to support it, I'd be incredibly grateful for any tips you're willing to give. Your generosity allows me to continue pursuing my artistic endeavors, and every little help counts.

If you'd like to leave a tip, please visit the following link: PayPal Tip Link

Thank you so much for being a part of this journey! 🙏✨