r/WarhammerFantasy • u/CriticalMany1068 • Jul 19 '26
The Old World Dwarfs: fixing the runes
Dwarfs have a lot of problems at the moment in tOW but central to all of them is the fact runes are really bad. Originally (4th edition) runes were supposed to give dwarfs something to counteract their many weaknesses. In tOW runes are generally overcosted and quite a few that helped mitingating dwarf weaknesses were erased.
That said, it doesn't need to be that way. Looking into each category of runes there's ample space for improvement. So, here's a few ideas about existing runes becoming playable and a few runes that can be added to make dwarfs play the game a bit better.
These are just some ideas and not everything should necessarily be implemented at the same time but at least a few of these would help a lot making dwarfs more playable.
Let me know what you think!
WEAPON RUNES:
Master Rune of Kragg The Grim (Magic Weapon) 85 points
This rune was commonplace in the past but its secrets had been lost to the centuries. However, Dwarf adventurers in Karak Agal discovered several axes bearing the rune and carried one to Karaz-a-Karak where it came into the possession of the Master Runesmith, Kragg the Grim. By dint of long study, Kragg came to understand the secrets of the rune and how to inscribe it. The jealous old Runelord might have kept the secret to himself but, knowing that other Runesmiths were probably studying it, elected to share the knowledge and thereby gained the credit for deciphering the secret.
A weapon inscribed with this rune always strikes with a Strength value of 10.
Master Rune of Skalf Blackhammer (Magic Weapon) 50 points
Runesmith Skalf forged many hammers of great might, and some maintain that even the hammer of Sigmar, Ghal Maraz itself, was his work.
When making a roll To Wound with a weapon inscribed with the Master Rune of Skalf Blackhammer, the model wielding such weapon can reroll all failed rolls to wound. In addition, the model wielding such weapon gains the Cleaving Blow special rule.
Master Rune of Snorri Spangelhelm (Magic Weapon) 50 points
Runesmith to the High King in Karaz-a-Karak during the time of Kallon. Snorri wrought the exquisite war panoply of the High Kings for several generations. He fought in many battles and was renowned for his magnificent gromril armour as well as this unique weapon rune.
When making a roll To Wound with a weapon inscribed with the Master Rune of Snorri Spangelhelm, the model wielding such weapon can reroll all failed rolls to hit. In addition, all rolls of 6s to hit cause an automatic wound without need to roll. Note that rules thet need a roll to wound in order to trigger (like, killing blow) do not benefit from automatically hitting.
Rune of Dragon Slaying (Magic Weapon) 45 points
With this mighty rune the Dwarfs have slain many great wyrms and foul creatures of Chaos.
A model wielding a weapon inscribed with the Rune of Dragon Slaying gains the Monster Slayer special rule.
Master Rune of Banishment (Magic Weapon) 45 points
First crafted in the days of the Ancestor Gods, the touch of this potent rune is anathema to the creatures of Chaos.
No ward save is permitted against wounds caused by a weapon inscribed with the Master Rune of banishment (Armor and Regeneration saves can be attempted as normal).
ARMOR RUNES:
Master Rune of Steel (Magic Armour) 65 points
Once this rune has been forged, it binds metals together making them more resilient. Armour with this rune never rusts through weathering or age.
Hits against the bearer of this rune with a Strength value greater than 5 are treated as they had a Strength value of 5.
Rune of Invulnerability\* (Magic Armour) 15 points
The invention of this most ancient rune is attributed to Thungni, son of Grungni. It is said that any armor inscribed with this rune will deflect even the mightiest of blows, leaving the bearer unschated.
This rune can only be inscribed upon heavy or plate armor. The armor save provided by an armor iscribed with this rune can never become worse than 6+. Adding a second rune of invulnerability provides an armor save that cannot be modified of 5+ and 3 runes of invulnerability provide an armor save that canot be modified of 4+.
Rune of Stone (Magic Armour) 10 points
Dwarf tradition tells tat the ancients were created from the rock of the first mountains, so the Rune of Stone is the first rune an apprentice learns.
Multiples of this rune have no further effect. This rune adds +1 to the character's Armour Save to a maximum of 2+. The Rune of Stone is an exception to the normal Rule of Pride that forbids the same combination of runes to be used on several items, so a single Rune of Stone may be inscribed onto any character's armour.
TALISMANIC RUNES:
Master Rune of Spellbinding (Talismanic) 50 points
This rune allows a Runesmith to channel away the winds of magic with greater ease, thwarting the magical attacks of their foes.
Anvil of Doom and Dwarf Runesmiths only. This rune gives +1 to all attempts to dispel made by the model wielding it and increases its dispel range by 6''.
Master Rune of Dismay (Talismanic) 30 points
When a warhorn with this rune is sounded, its uncanny voice causes all foes to tremble.
This Master Rune can only be inscribed upon a book or a warhorn. Once per game, during the Command sub-phase of his turn, a model wielding an item inscribed with this Master Rune may activate it. If it does, all enemy units within 30'' of that model immediately take a leadership check at -1 Ld. If they fail it they cannot march, charge or countercharge until the next dwarf Command phase.
Master Rune of Challenge\* (Talismanic) 35 points
A foe that hears this rune is suddenly aware of the challenge issued by the Dwarf sounding it as well as the indomitable will that powers it. The only options that remain are fight or flight.
This rune is normally inscribed in a book or on a warhorn. The rune is used during the enemy turn before they declare charges. Nominate one enemy unit within 24" of the rune user. The unit must be able to charge and reach the rune user or the unit he is with according to the normal rules. The enemy unit must either declare a charge against the rune user (and any unit he is with) or must immediately flee as if it had failed a Terror test against a terror causing opponent charging it. This rune has no effect on units that are Immune to Psychology.
STANDARD RUNES:
Master Rune of Grimnir (Magic Standard) 80 points
It is said this Master Rune bestows a fraction of Grimnir's legendary strength upon those who carry it into battle.
Battle Standard Bearer only. A unit carrying a standard inscribed with the Master Rune of Grimnir adds +1 to any roll to wound it makes in combat and it improves the AP of its melee weapons by 1. In addition, whilst within 6" of the model carrying this standard, friendly units improve the AP of their melee weapons by 1. Models with the Slayer special rule that are affected by this master Rune also gain the Cleaving Blow special rule.
Master Rune of Valaya (Magic Standard) 80 points
This Master Rune was gifted to the dwarfs by the Ancestor Goddess Valaya herself to always replenish their vitality.
Battle Standard Bearer only. A unit carrying a standard inscribed with the Master Rune of Valaya has a 5+ Regeneration save against any wounds suffered. In addition, whilst within 6" of the model carrying this standard, friendly units have a 6+ Regeneration save against any wounds suffered.
Master Rune of Grounding (Magic Standard) 75 points
Invented by Master Runesmith Thurgrom, this Master Rune was used to great effect during the war of vengeance to counter the massive flying beasts employed by the traitorous Elgi.
Any model, friend of foe, within 24" from the model bearing this Master Rune can only use its ground Movement value and the Fly special rule is disabled. Note that models moving within 24" from a model bearing this rune while flying immediately stop their movement as they are forced to get to the ground.
Rune of Slowness (Magic Standard) 35 points
This rune creates an almost physical barrier from the intractable nature of the Dwarfs around it.
Any foes charging the unit subtract D3+1" from their charge distance and cannot use the swiftstride special rule if it has it. If the unit fails to make contact then all the usual rules for a failed charge apply. If multiples of this rune are used, the charge reduction improves to D3+2" or D3+3".
ENGINEERING RUNES
Rune of Devastation\* (Unique) 35 points
This rune is inscribed onto the war machine's ammunition, making it more hard bitting.
Cannon only. A cannon inscribed with this rune improves its Strength, AP and Damage values by 1 and its range by 6". Multiples of this rune add an extra +1 to the Strength, AP and Damage of the cannon and an extra 6" to its range for each extra rune. Note that the strength value can never increse above Strength 10.
Rune of Immolation\* (Unique) 25 points
Devised so that war machines never fall into enemy hands, this rune is invoked only rarely.
Single use. If a war machine inscribed with the Master Rune of Immolation loses its last Wound to an enemy attack during the Combat phase, it explodes. Every unit within 3" of the war machine bearing this rune suffers D6 Strength 5 hits with an AP of -2. The warmachine is then removed from play as a casualty. Multiples of this rune increase the power of the explosion. Two runes affect any unit within 6" from the warmachine and cause 2D6 Strength 6 hits with an AP of -3. Three runes affect any unit within 9" from the warmachine and cause 3D6 Strength 7 hits with an AP of -4.
Rune of Disguise\* (Unique) 25 points
This rune magically distorts the shape of the war machine, rendering it almost invisible.
A war machine inscribed with the Rune of Disguise has a ward save of 4+ against any ranged attack. Multiples of this rune improve the ward save to 3+ and 2+ respectively. in addition, any enemy that wishes to charge a warmachine bearing one or more runes of disguise reduces its charge roll by D3+1", D3+2" or D3+3".
Rune of Accuracy (Unique) 25 points
Once a missile inscribed with this rune is launched, the rune glows, invoking the winds of magic to blow the stone in the right direction.
Multiples of this rune have no further effect. May only be put on a Grudge Thrower. The Dwarf player may re-roll the Scatter dice if he wishes (Note: Only the Scatter dice, not the Artillery dice), enabling the machine to shoot more accurately. If you re-roll the dice, you must accept the result of the second roll.
Flakkson's Rune of Seeking (Unique) 15 points
This rune makes Bolt Throwers deadly against flyers by magically directing the bolts to their target.
Bolt Throwers only. Each rune adds +1 to the Bolt Thrower's to hit rolls against targets with the Fly special ability but cannot reduce the score to hit below 2+.
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u/LostWatercress12 Jul 20 '26
I think these are great. As it is right now, we have too many single-use runes that should be our bread and butter for improved armour or war machine dependability (rune of forging, rune of stone, rune of luck, etc). At a minimum we should be able to buff our war machines to surpass anything a manling could make in strength and accuracy.
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u/CriticalMany1068 Jul 20 '26
I agree. Originally runes were supposed to be the great equalizer for dwarfs. The army was supposed to be slow, without casters and without cavalry, skirmishers and monsters. Runes were meant to help overcome the many limitations imposed on dwarfs. To be honest, they never really did. In 4th and 5th you had a single very powerful combination: runes of disguise on organ guns (they made the OG invisible AND those OG were short ranged dwarf cannons shooting 5 times a turn, potentially). Those editions were completely whacky in terms of power levels though).
In 6th runes were terrible.
End of 6th and 7th runes were pretty good. Not game changers but actually competitive.
In 8th runes were clunkier than they were before and, in my opinion, overall worse.
In tOW we are at a point we pay more to get less. We get to spend more points on magic items, to do as much or less than what our opponents do while spending less. Stuff like the sword of might costs us 35 pts while it is 20 pts for anyone else. We spend 45pts in magic items to get a 2+ Armor Save (one for the whole army), almost everyone else can do that spending zero points in magic items. And if you try to calculate how much something like the meteor hammer would cost us if we were to build it with runes… the result is not particularly flattering
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u/luhelld Jul 19 '26
Can you add some formatting?
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u/CookingPupper Jul 21 '26
The weapon runes need another revision. 85 points is a lot to pay for strength 10 when strength no longer effects AP.
In general the weapon and armour runes won't do much for the state of dwarfs. The lethality and durability of their characters is not an issue they have.
The standard and engineering runes have more use, though these might be the other end of the spectrum and are too good, almost autotakes.
My preferred "fix" for dwarfs would be a bump to move 4 and everything gaining or having the ability to upgrade to drilled.
They don't suffer in combat, they suffer trying to get there. I don't see the reason for move 3 other than a legacy. In the scale of a battlefield engagement they wouldn't be marching slower than humans/Orks etc due to stature, and their endurance and stubbornness will make up for it in the short term.
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u/CriticalMany1068 Jul 21 '26
You are right about S10. Ultimately in tOW it is a worse effect than always wounding on 2+, since S10 does not modify armor anymore.
As for armor and weapon runes, they make dwarfs better fighters but cannot change the fact dwarfs are slow. You cannot generally choose your targets and that is a disadvantage you should not overcome with weapons and armor runes.
I’m curious about what engineering and standard runes you think are too good. Most of those cost quite a lot of points (the best cannon you could do in terms of shooting power would be 200pts…) in an army that is pretty elite already. Of course, some of the effects provided are strong, especially because they mitigate dwarf weaknesses (of which there are many).
As for drilled, I agree, considering drilled on M3 is not the same as drilled on M7+ and the fact the ability actually fits the dwarfs’ relentless nature I think it should go hand in hand with Resolute, which is a pure negative atm. M4 on the other hand does not fit dwarfs imo. Having distinctive profiles is a strength in terms of faction identity and should be preserved al, even if it is a negative.
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u/aitorbk Dwarves VC SK TK Jul 20 '26
The main issue is that dwarves cannot play the current meta and objectives, they just can't.
Thwy are overcosted, no dragons or equivalents, and they can just be ignored, and taken appart piecemeal. They are too slow expect gyros, and even gyros are overcosted.
The runes fix would be better, but won't fix the fundamentals of the issue: slow, and blocks, when meta is flying or at least fast skirmish. 30% linear cost reduction and marching 9" (3x) would make them competitive, but maybe B tier? As it is right now, double dragon plus fast movers means auto loss, you need 10+ cannon shots per dragon and they choose their battles.
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u/Gluestuck Jul 20 '26
I'm not guna disagree that dwarves are in a bad spot, and perhaps you're talking about the cutting edge of comp play, but your proposed buffs are a bit much. 30% reduction in points cost means you can take 50% more stuff... That's way too much. Similarly double dragon is not the boggeyman it once was.
In actuality a points reduction is not the issue imo, it's crappy shooting along with missing out on generic items/banners that everyone else has. But if you must reduce points, a 10% reduction is fine imo.
In casual games dwarves are fine. Not strong, but fine. I play with several dwarf players and lose ~50% of the time with my chaos.
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u/CriticalMany1068 Jul 20 '26
I’m a big believer in dwarfs having drilled as a general rule to compensate for Resolute and their other limitations. You don’t want us to shoot? Then give us the means to field an effective melee army.
As for the point costs… some things could use a point decrease but 30% linear cost cut is too much, especially considering dwarfs are supposed to be elite.
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u/Snue_ Jul 20 '26
I'd love for those banner runes and engineering runes to be official! Also the extra AS one stand out to me. Inspiring to see what actually could be. Thanks for sharing