Dwarf Treasure Hunters

*Dwarves respect only three things: age, wealth and skill. It is no surprise then that these grim warriors can be found in Mordheim searching for fame and fortune..*

Dwarf Treasure Hunters are one of the many Factions you can play in Mordheim: Warband Skirmish, to constitute your Warband.

 Dwarf Treasure Hunters Traits

Dwarf Treasure Hunters are the most expensive Faction in the game (25 fate tokens instead of 20).

Compared to Human Mercenaries, Dwarf Treasure Hunters get...

* -1 M, +10 WS (than Warriors +15 WS than Marksmen), +5 BS (than Warriors, same as Marksmen) -10 Ini and +24 Ld.
* Only one choice of Henchmen: Clansmen.
* Access to Special Dwarf Treasure Hunters Skills.
	+ Blade Master : Same as Expert Swordsman, but with all bladed weapons.
	+ Axe Master : increases armour penetration by 10%.
	+ Miner : Increases likelihood of finding shards grants one extra turn before anyone else to a dwarf equipped with a pickaxe.
	+ Mechanical Engineer : Gets +10 to hit with crossbows and repeater handguns.
	+ Chemical Engineer : Increases the strength (+10) of blackpowder weapons.
	+ Hard to Kill : He is stunned at 50% less health than usual.
	+ Thick Skull : He is immune to stunning.
	+ Great Grudge : Reroll a missed attack against a non-dwarf or non-human opponent, not that usefull since most warbands are Human.
	+ Extra Tough : When out of action two results are determined and the less grievous one is selected.
	+ Dwarven Armour Training : Reduces weight by 5 (instead of 3 by Armour Training).
* A 60% increase when hiring Henchmen.
* No access to Speed Skills or Lesser Magic.
* Range weapons limited to crossbows and blackpowder ranged weapons.
* Same range of weapons and armours, except for bows, that they cannot use.
* As inclusive as Human mercenaries, they'll accept most Hired Swords except the exclusive ones.

## Leader: Noble

*Fortune seekers who have recruited a band and set off from their stronghol in search of riches. A Dwarf Noble is well respected by the members of his warband. Oftem he is a member of one of the noble families of the lost Dwarf strongholds, dreaming of collecting enough treasure to restore the former glory of the Dwarf Kingdoms.*

Leader: Leadership Range 6

## Henchmen: Clansmen

*Friends and kinsmen of the noble: tough, stubborn and brave warriors who can be relied on to hold their own against any foe.*

 Known skills
 Skill access

## Dwarf Treasure Hunters Weapons & Armours

Dwarf Treasure Hunters get a general access to all commom Right Hand and Left Hand weapons and shields, except for Bows, and all common Helmets. They have access to special Armours equivalent to other common armours and of course Gromril Armour. Additionally they have access to other special equipment:

* Dwarven Miner Helmet: the light emitted from this helmet makes the wearer better at detecting hidden characters.
* Dwarven Pickaxe: Two-Handed weapon (Strength: +10 (+20), Enemy Defence: 0 (-5), Initiative: -20 (-15), Critical Hit: +10% (+20%). When combined with the Miner Skill, the wielder has one extra turn before anyone else.

## Levelling a Dwarf Treasure Hunters Warband

Clansmen can either be developed into close combat warriors (tanks or damage dealers) or marksmen (Pistoliers or sharpshooters). Either way you go I will recommend choosing Extra Tough, as your first skill since it greatly increases their survivability.

### Close Combat Warriors

Clansmen recommended initial Stats:

* 5 Wounds
* Weapon Skill greater than 40 and as high as possible
* Ballistic Skill does not matter (they are not going to be shooting)
* Strength greater than 30 and as high as possible
* Initiative is not that important, your most certainly going last, but if you could choose, get the highest value
* Leadership is also not that important it will be really high to begin with and with a couple of Leadership Increase levels it would be maxed out (90 or more).

#### Tanks

As combat warriors they are great tanks thanks to their extra racial 15 Defence and starting Dwarven Armour Training Skill, that allows them to carry heavy armour and a shield without losing any more movement. These combined with Resilient and Step Aside Skills, allows them to have a 100 Defence in combat and 90 Defence against ranged weapons (Initial 15 Defence +10 (Visored Helm) +40 (Gombril Armour) +15 (Votive Shield) +10 (Resilient) +10 (in combat, Step Aside)). Additionally their Blade Master, Axe Master, Hard to Kill, Thick Skull and Great Grudge Skills allows them to increase their damage in combat and to keep them fighting. Mean while their Extra Tough Skills grants them more survivability on the long run. For Warriors with a Shield, the Cutlass is the best choice at first. But they'll eventually want a Gromril Axe (combines great with Axe Master and Blade Master)(Enemy Defence: -25 and 1 extra damage), or Skull Hammer (Max Enemy Defence: 20) to fight at higher levels, where heavy armours are rampant. Even though it lacks armour penetration, Ithilmar Sword is also an excellent choice, +30% Parry bonus fits very well on a tanky archetype.

A possible development will be: Extra Tough, Advance Weapons Master (goes well with the Cutlass and is required for Web of Steel and Blade Master), Hard to Kill (you stay active longer in combat), Attack Increase 1 (If you have chosen your clansmen wisely you would not need any Weapon Skill Increase), Strength Increase 1, Wounds Increase 1, Resilient, Thick Skull, Web of Steel, Strength Increase 2, Wounds Increase 2, Strength Increase 3, Wounds Increase 3 (The Strength and Wounds Increases does not increase your warband rating as much as Weapon Skill and attacks increases and gives you greater survivability), Weapon Skill Increase up to 50+, Attack Increase 2, Step Aside. The other Tankier skill its Fearsome, but due to their high Leadership value and low Movement, is not that important for Dwarves, they will pass most tests and be charged by Fear inducing enemies. So you should focus on increasing their Weapon Skill as much as possible (Weapon Skill Increase up to max first, then Pit Fighter (Due to their low movement you can decided to be charged where you want) and you can skip Unstoppable Charge (you will not be doing the charging)). And then make them as deadly as possible Combat Master, Blade Master, Weapon Master, Axe Master, Strike to Injure, Strongman, Mighty Blow.

The downside to taking this path early on is that it would take a lot of time for them to develop, do to their lack of movement and ranged weapons.

#### Damage Dealers

As combat damage dealers (Two-handed weapon) Dwarves are great since they are as tanky as most tanks due to their +15 racial Defence (Max defence granted by a Shield is +15 (Votive Shield)). Warriors that fight with a two-handed weapon should probably avoid the great Axes (Ostland Great Axe and Dwarven Pickaxe) even when considering the skills (Axe Master and Blade Master). Their maximum armour penetration will be -15 and most Heavy armoured opponents have between 70 and 85 Defence in close combat. Thus, Comet Maul (Max Enemy Defence: 20) is probably the best choice all around, for a great punch through the heaviest armour. If you go the Axe Way you should choose the Dwarven Pickaxe since combining it with Miner will grant the Dwarf an extra turn before the battle starts. While in other Warbands two-handed Swords are not considered, with Dwarf you can make a compromise between damage dealing and defence with a Gromril Great Sword (Enemy Defence: -15, Parry: +15%).

For survivability it is easier to follow the same developing path as tanks and later on switch to a two-hand weapon, after Step Aside. Following with Strongman, Mighty Blow, Fearsome (not landing a blow or not been able to charge due to Fear is more costly with a two-handed weapon) and Combat Master. Then if you choose the infiltration way Miner, Axe Master and Blade Master. And after or instead of Weapon Skill Increase up to max Pit Fighter, Unstoppable Charge.

The downside to taking this path early on is that it would take a lot of time for them to develop, do to their lack of movement and ranged weapons.

### Marksmen

Clansmen recommened initial Stats:

* 5 Wounds
* Weapon Skill not that important but as high as possible (Best 40+), it is involved in survivability (see combat), and good for Pistoliers
* Ballistic Skill 35 it could be tricky to find one Clansmen with this value but it is essential
* Strength greater than 30 and as high as possible
* Initiative is not that important, your most certainly going last, but if you could choose, get the highest value
* Leadership is also not that important it will be really high to begin with and with a couple of Leadership Increase levels it would be maxed out (90 or more).

#### Pistolier

I believe the best way to develop clansmen in general is to make them pistoliers (they develop fast and are highly effective due to their low warband rating). Afterwards if you wish you can make them sharpshooters or transform them into tanks and close combat damage dealers. Dwarves make better pistoliers than Reikland Mercenaries since their pistols have +10 Strength (Chemical Engineer) and they have a racial +15 Defence and the Extra Tough skill, which allows them a greater survivability in close combat.

To develop a dwarf pistolier it is easier to start with Crossbow Training and a Crossbow Pistol (doesn't have to be reloaded, has a better range (10 instead of 6) and is more accurate than Pistol) and a hand weapon (a simple Club will do but Cutlass is better) and later on swap them with a couple of dual Pistols. Additionally, Crossbow Mastery is needed to access Mechanical Engineer, which unlocks Chemical Engineer (+10 Strength to Blackpowder Weapons).

An example development for a Dwarven pistolier could be: Crossbow Training, Extra Tough, Crossbow Mastery, Mechanical Engineer, Strength Increase 1, Wounds Increase 1, Ballistic Skill up to 40+, Blackpowder Training, Blackpowder Mastery, Hunter, Pistolier, Chemical Engineer, Strength Increase 2, Wounds Increase 2, Eagle Eyes, Hard to Kill, Thick Skull, Ballistic Skill up to 45+, Trick Shooter, Quick Shot (if you want you can take Quick Shot early on, since Dwarves low movement means they are usually going to be charged), Strength Increase 3, Wounds Increase 3, Resilient, Ballistic Skill Increase up to max. Then If you follow the pistolier path, you should start investing in their close combat attacks and defence, that in general will rapidly increase your warband rating: Attack Increase 1, Weapon Skill Increase up to 50+, Attack Increase 2, Step Aside, Combat Master, Advanced Weapon Master, Web of Steel, Strike to Injure, Pit Fighter (you are going to be charged most of the times), Strongman, Mighty Blow.

If you want to switch to a close combat dwarf you could do it before Crossbow Mastery or skip all crossbow related skills: Blackpowder Training, Blackpowder Mastery, Hunter, Pistolier, Extra Tough, and rest of close combat development.

### Sharpshooter

Their initial development is the same as pistoliers, since they need the same skills. However you can skip Trick Shooter if you decide to equip them with Hochland Long Rifle and Sight. But in the case of Dwarf it is best to equip them with a Repeater Handgun, they have +10 to hit due to Mechanical Engineer, and +10 to Strength due to Chemical Engineer and fire 1 extra shot. Additionally before increasing their close combat attacks, you can increase their Initiative, to increase both their range of visibility and hopefully could fire two consecutive runs of projectiles by skipping a turn where you don't see the enemy. Afterwards you can learn Weapon Master and equip them with a Skull Hammer to better deal with heavy armour opponents that get into combat, or a Gromril Axe, to also increase Critical Hit.

## Hired Swords

Dwarf Treasure Hunters can hire all non-exclusive Hired Swords, but they work better with some:

* Warlock is very popular for extra mobility, magic and exploring support.
* Ogre works well with melee Dwarves. They, too, lack access to Speed skills, and won't hinder a sneaky strategy. But watch out: get them into melee and they'll disable your range units.
* Dwarf Ranger is the Dwarven alternative to the Elf Ranger, it is basically a Dwarf Clansmen with access to Sprint and Perception Speed Skills. Thus, it could be a better option than Halfling Scouts, since you can equip him like the rest of the Dwarves in your warband. Although its sight is still limited.
* Pit Fighter's access to Speed Skills could be useful to Dwarf Treasure Hunters since the only Dwarf with access to some of them is the Dwarf Ranger. However, this is most important in Ranged Warbands and the Pit Fighter is not a good option for those.
* Halfling Scout can play a niche role in a range-focus Dwarf Treasure Hunters Warband, but are probably out of place in a tanky-melee team.
* Dwarf Troll Slayer, Freelancer and Duelist are there for flavour only. There are other better choices.

## Why choose Dwarf Treasure Hunters?

* Because you want to get more Shards and hence gold coins than other Warbands.
* Because you love tanks, but really want a range or hybrid Warband.
* Because you want the most resiliant, tough and less prone to injury warband.
* Because you hate losing to failed Leadership tests.
* Because you want your warriors to fight until their last breath.
* Because you love Axes, and Dwarves are the best axe fighters.
* Because you want excellent Pistoliers (Strength and Shooting = good combo). They won't be as fast and deadly as dedicated Skaven Pistoliers or even Reikland Mercenaries pistoliers, but they can get their Defence much higher and their pistols have the same strength as the Skaven pistols.

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