How realistic Dwarfs would actually work | Worldbuilding explained

How realistic Dwarfs would actually work | Worldbuilding explained
#fantasy #fiction #dwarf #dwarfs #worldbuilding

Music:

[Bear-bxyo]

If we're going by standard fantasy then dwarves would be an excellent merchant class in a fantasy world. They could sell weapons, booze, precious metals. Essentially anything an adventurer would want. Dwarves would make stronger medicine because of their large constitution as a race. Not to mention how long lived they are. Dwarves would be revered as aristocrats in human societies

[JonathanGhost]

I find it interesting how the classical lifestyle of Dwarves, that is used by almost everyone that unses Dwarves, is in fact even in a logical perspective suitable for this species.

[Exquailibur]

I do think the the differences between elves, humans, and dwarfs would make sense simply due to where they tend to be depicted living in a fantasy setting. First of all even in our own world humans tended to prefer open areas with good farm land and surprisingly are the best endurance runners in the animal kingdom. Elves and dwarfs have body plans more suited to the mountains and forests respectably since in a cold climate being stout is important for warmth and in a forest it is not as necessary to have great stamina but rather more agility, stealth, and perception.

Its basically like the 3 species are adapted to 3 of the most common environments in the world, humans realistically would have to excel at something and stamina would probably be that thing. Keep in mind that compared to most people throughout ancient history the people today are pretty out of shape and in fact the few people who still live hunter gatherer lifestyles today are basically more fit than an Olympic athlete out of necessity since anyone who isn't dies. These hunters in these tribes are able to run animals to exhaustion and barely break a sweat, so with how crazy long humans can run that would probably be what allowed them to exist in the first place. If humans had nothing going for them at all they wouldn't exist after all.

[JasonS]

Just throwing this out there:

Dwarves may also be well suited for medieval maritime environments. Without the development of the trisail rowing would be necessary for long periods of time. Their lack of physical speed could be made up by their ships which would also benefit from their craftsmanship. Heavy bows mentioned in this video would be helpful. It would be far harder for faster more nimble opponents to outflank them when boarding. Their more compact shape would lose heat slower, allowing them to survive the seas for longer when thrown overboard.

[bertholdvonzahringen]

An interesting point is that a method for sustaining their holds could be mushroom farming and fields in secluded mountain valleys. And their preference for alcohol could be a manner of preserving caloric intake against spoilage. Assuming beer is made with certain additives, it can last a long time. Some of these additives like hops can make it bitter, explaining why many non accustomed individuals can be unable to stand dwarven beer, not simply due to high alcohol content but bitter preservatives. How better to preserve grain imported from at times unreliable human sources.

[svyatoslav]

Dwarves should not use bow, because it damage is multiplication of its poundage on the length of its shoulders, second of which are limited by short dwarven hands

[LoneWolf]

a video like this is amazing, can you do one on how other races like elves or hobbits would actually work in world-building as well

[tinkertalksguns]

In 'Diaries of a Dwarven Rifleman' we have our dwarves being around 4' tall and 160 lbs. so they can easily ride ponies, carts etc. Of course they cannot contest with the cavalry of the 'Tall folk' directly; the big warhorses would knock their ponies around like tenpins. While proportionally stronger than humans and more resistant to cold due to their compact size they are not superhuman by any means. They are protected by their homes in the mountain valleys and technology (using several forms of large-bore airguns and air rifles) their real defensive advantage is a function of the fact that they live 3-4 hundred years; they serve ten year enlistments in the military and the average enlisted soldier has 30 years of experience or more. Maintaining disciplined formations, fighting as a unit, marching and making camp etc. is all second nature to them. There's a lot more to our dwarves, their society and world but there are a lot of ways to write dwarves than make sense and are recognizably a dwarven culture.

[comentedonakeyboard]

Perhaps Dwarfs could breed big birds and use them as rides, thus becoming aircavalleri (an option not available to plus size peoples)

[Wolf-octx]

I think a good cavalry warfare avenue for Dwarfs would be war wagons, versatile and with a team of strong draft animals it would get around the issue of how to have a large enough animal for a battle mount by splinting the work up between several animals.

[Ymhac]

A very nice video. Took some notes for my self and will use them in my writing.

[vomothytigan]

Warning, long info dump:

I currently trying to make my dwarves have an empire that lives on the mountians. Not in, ON the mountains. As someone who grew up in Latin america I want to take some inspiration from the incan empire and other mesoamerican cultures for their design and culutre, but also keep the trope of them being great miners and craftsmen after seeing a video where a guy explained how similar dwarves are to people from the caucasus mountains.
Also want to go a bit unconventional and distinct with my dwarves make them extremely hairy and have an opposable thumb on their feet so they can climb vertical surfaces like trees and cliffsides extremely well. was inspired by the ape civilisation from the planet of the apes trilogy.
TLDR:
Incan Chimpanzee blacksmiths

[Shirocco]

Cool. My problem with this mountain culture approach is that like Neanderthal, if homo-sapien are around then either they or our dwarves are unlikely to survive the neolithic period. They're too similar; one will supplant the other. You can write them into an isolated landmass or world, that's viable, but the shared world approach always has this early contact issue.

I go with alternative worlds and some limited access to going between worlds magically to resolve this. Then, your fantasy race can be in a world that favours it.


Also, did you have a go at underground farming? In later tech eras this gets easier, if the world they live on provides strong reasons for it. I haven't found/imagined a way to do that with medieval or earlier tech though.

[wasgzzak]

Hey dude just found your channel. Love your take on grounded and logical world building. Keep it going as these are pretty cool videos. Cheers

[kendo]

Dwarfs could evolve as their own race here on Earth. Male dwarfs prefer short females. Female dwarfs prefer hairy males. Their cold mountain environment favors body frames with a large surface area to conserve energy. Smaller ears and larger noses would also be naturally selected. Since dwarfs are isolated characteristics like hair and eye color, facial features, etc. could become distinct from their lowland neighbors. Within maybe 10 thousand years dwarfs would become what they are; short and hairy with wide bodies.
Dwarfs could build terraced fields like the Incas to grow wheat, rye, root vegetables, apples, cherries, etc. They would probably domesticate native sheep and goats and might even breed larger versions for better meat and wool production or as draft animals. Like humans, wolves would be tamed and eventually become dogs. The dwarfs might even domesticate bears. That would be interesting; armored war bears.

[forickgrimaldus]

From a biology perspective An IRL Dwarf (not that kind) would probably be Short but Robust much like the Stock Fantasy Dwarf but instead are Bald, Pale and have a Weak Eyesight much like many Subteranian or Cave dwelling Animals IRL.

Bald because long hairs get tangled in Tunnels,


Pale because of lack of Sun light (they don't need the Melani and in fact some cave dwelling Animals are Translucent) and

Poor eyesight because of the low visibility (some Cave dwellers even lose eyes completely)

[handpan]

Dwarves and crossbows are a match made in heaven. They can craft really heavy crossbow the can puncture armor easily and because of their strenght can easily use ones that other races simply can't because of the draw.

[kennethferland]

Short stature is also a major advantage is any kind of pushing or grappling situation

[aiforgemaster]

Interesting point of view. Nice video. 🤝

[thrall]

Greetings!
Preiss algorithm gods!
Dwarf mercenary units would be realy intresting. You have unit of basicly immortal heavy armor wall to put somewere and lets them defend or if ypu can help them in logistic you can use honorable heavy armor dwarf in front of battlefield and just win becouse they will never die.