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>>43451666
>What do Elves fight like?
High elves fight with long, two handed, light blades. This ensures they can at all times free up a hand to combine sword with magic.

Wood elves are mostly skirmishers who use shortbows, javelins and throwing axes.

>What do Dwarves fight like?
Stereotypical axes. However, they are also expert engineers and famed for their skill concerning the creation and use of siege weapons. I have plans to make them responsible for the creation of gunpowder weapons at some point, adding muskets to their favored weapons.

>Are there any famous fighting styles, or ones you can name? What can you tell me about them?
Well, pretty much the ToB styles

>Are there people renowned for their fighting skills? What are their iconic weapons or techniques?
In Not-France there's the head of the Not-12 peers who is a Crusader (class, not fluff) who has incredibly high CON, insane hp and a glaivelock build. What's iconic about him is that he's though as nails and won't as much slap your shit (though he's more than capable of doing so) as much as he'll outlast you.

He's also one of those guys who's horribly scarred and wears an evil looking eyepatch and never smiles, but is actually a pretty swell guy.

>>43452755
I really like the last one, he sounds like an awesome guy.

>>43451666
"I may have just shot one of my own men behind me, but damned if I didn't look like a badass while doing it!"

>>43451666

Well, there's only humans on my setting,
discountin undead and the living demigods and their psionic undead-hating necromancer-spidermen enemies, so I guess I'll tell about the different kingdoms.

The most powerful human kingdom has several large provinces on their home island that have certain distinctive flavours. One province outfits their knights in black, lightweight armour and uses them as independeny guerrilla cells who wield crossbows and two-handed swords, specializing in night raids. Most knights fight on foot with axes, though. Axe and shield is the favoured getup. This is because axe is considered a holy symbol and fighting on horseback is seen as cowardly.

There's a people in exile that without access to proper weapons and no real military begun to fight with knives. They're good at brawling to pin opppnents down with jiujitsu-style shit so they can shank them two or twenty times.

There's others, but those are the most distinctive. Best fighter? Tie between a man from a southern desert kingdom who is renowned as being unbeatable as long as he has a weapon and a guy who's the Grand Crusader of an order of warrior who keep watch in case the undead start stirring shit. The greatsword is his fave, and he prefer a style known as Iron Swan style - basically their version of a defensive stance in the German style of swordfighting which name I don't remember right now.

>>43451666
Elves are masters of cavalry and dismounted skirmish tactics-they don't have the manpower reserves or replacement rate to fight pitched battles. Thus, they prefer compact kingdoms surrounded by miles of wilderness or allied kingdoms to provide auxiliaries and mercenaries. Summoned creatures also form large parts of their armies. They prefer the lance and bow as their main weapons, as they can be used with skill from horseback.

Dwarves use tightly packed formations of pike men to defend their tunnel entrances. They prefer to fight defensively and draw their enemies into a prepared kill zone with caltrops and traps to block movement. Murderholes provide a means for crossbowdwarves to strike once the enemy has been fixed in place, along with the old standbys of boiling oil and rocks to be dropped on them.

That's really all I have atm. My world doesn't have the stereotypical "old races in decline" vibe, but it's set at the start of the rise of human civilization-most human tribes are still pre-written word, but there are several exceptions, specifically the human allies of the elves.

>>43451666
As I only have humans it goes like this

The kingdom of the north are primarily light spearmen, with skirmisher cavalry and flying cavalry. They have a small magical corps, and a small number of women fighting.

The isolated kingdom is entirely heavy infantry and dragon riding cavalry, well suited to their mountainous location. Fond of hammer and anvil tactics.

The tribal confederation of the steppes are almost entirely mounted archers and skirmisher cavalry, their favorite tactics being feints.

The western plains kingdom is mostly built on supporting the heavy cavalry with spearmen and crossbowmen, and a very strong tradition of mounted magic users.

Across on the Eastern plains and mountains around heavy infantry supported by longbows with cavalry mainly used for counter positioning enemy cavalry formations. They are large in number and well equipped, but poorly disciplined.

Finally the tiny nation of the central foothills, an odd mixture of highlander skirmishers, trebuchets, arbalests, magical troops and heavy crossbowmen they use the forests, quagmires, and uneven terrain to hold what little territory they hold.

>>43451666
Okay Satan, I'll play your game.

>Elves
Extinct, but when they were around were renowned for their preference for Spells, and a legendary use of Pike formations. Gotta stop the other guy from geeking the mage, ya know?

>Dwarves
Sword fighters, actually. They forge adamantine bastard swords that get passed down family lines for millenia. Their armies are closer to a large mob of duelists looking for their opposite number among the enemy, but they've learned the hard way to fall behind the occasional spearwall when in serious danger. Twist: While their swords are legendary, they are far better at archery (drawstrength is a BITCH). Calling a Dwarf a great swordsman is an insult as it implies they're shit with a bow.

>Goblins
Pack fighters and mounted archers. Ride them down, tire them out, and then rush for the kill once they've surrendered. Works like a charm.

>Lizardfolk
A mix of various gunpowder, (fantasy) medieval, and modern combat tactics. Lizardfolk prefer to hit and fade, but will stand up in a musket-heavy pike formation if they need to. Often described as some of the hardest motherfuckers in the world at line combat.

>Humans
Varied.

>Special/Famous fighting styles
There are, but I have yet to name them (and I almost never will since my players don't give a shit). Roughly based on Early Modern Period, so I would assume an assload.

>Renowned
Most famous swordsman would be a tramp turned servant turned bravo turned knight turned assassin turned Inquisitor from Not!Spain. While he's well known as the deadliest rapier in the land, he prefers the backsword and a sturdy shivving knife. He also only fights fair for the crowd. He's of the opinion that all's fair in love and knifing that fucker who looked at me funny.

One of the human kingdoms is big and pretty agrarian, specializing in harvesting wheat and rice. Their swordsmen have a fighting style modeled after these sorts of movements, crouching low and sweeping back and forth, relying on lower body strength to maintain mobility in close quarters

>>43451666
Elves use one handed blades, often on the shorter end. Their free hand is taken up by either spells, a shield, or light axes in the case of skirmishers.

Dwarves typically use hammers, often of the two-hamded variety.

One noteworthy fighting style is used by Nobles with Draconic Sorcery in their blood. It uses two curved daggers to represent a dragon's claws, and is mostly used for dueling.

>>43451666

>What do Elves fight like?
Depends on the Elf. Wood elves dont have a standing army and usually use bows for hunting. They often carry things like hatchets or short blades, but these are more for utility than combat.

The sun-worshipping Imperial Elves (working name) are a combination of light-based magic and infantry. They each carry a lit lantern built into their shields which can be utilized by supporting priests or wizards to create blinding flashes. The soldiers are rendered immune to this by their particular breed of elf. They arent especially tough or hard-hitting, but the sheer amount of annoying blinding and supporting magic makes them harder to combat.

>What do Dwarves fight like?
Dwarves favor a "one size fits all" approach to combat. Most dwarven soldiers are equipped with the heaviest armor they can get, a crossbow, a shield, and a melee weapon (usually a short choppy sword). They prefer to plink away in formation and swap to their melee kit to deflect charges. A dwarven marksmen line might not be the solution to every problem, but it's damn hard to get rid of no matter who you are. Their big weaknesses are hot weather and long distances. They disdain cavalry as a rule.

>Are there any famous fighting styles, or ones you can name? What can you tell me about them?

A technocracy has one of the wierder ones. They have a small standing force, but are the only ones to use guns. Their soldiers get a rifle, thrusting sword, and pavise. They mainly set up thier cover and fire in gunlines, but can pick up the pavise to use as a tower shield. They're probably the worst in melee, but most people cant get that far, and its more for buying time for another gunline to get readied. They also use no magic for cultural reasons.

Currently writing a kingdom based on sword, or spear fighting. Havn't decided yet.
What do you guys say, would it be cooler to give it only one style of fighthing, or let this kingdom have multiple 'schools of sword'?

>>43453795
... I like your style anon

Though I'm more partial to lizardfolk having shamans rather than fantasy gunpowder but yer fightan styles are solid
.

>>43451666
The closest thing to elves in my setting are members of the commune, a sort of mystic collective consciousness. The sum of the commune's mind(s) simultaneously acts through each body. For example, a ten-mind commune would have ten individual bodies, but each body would have the full power of all ten minds. They fight in an erratic, unpredictable way as a result of the many voices sharing control of the body. The universe tends to favor them in a fight, manifesting as extremely uncanny luck.

The dwarf analogue would be the Selves, who are like a cross between demons and titans. They fight with brute force to the extreme, with no need for tactics.Notably, the most powerful NEVER use tools and have a noted propensity to destroying the equipment of their enemies.

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>all elves fighting in the same way
>all dwarves fighting in the same way

>What do Elves fight like?
In my setting else are basically my Not-Japan area. Their preferred style of fighting is using a single kodachi and spellwork.
>What do Dwarves fight like?
Dwarves in my world are split between not russia and not native american. Due to a schism in the core of their belief system. One group prefer wielding the heaviest two handed weapons they can, preferably the lucerne hammer, or pick and shield. While the other group is very in touch with the natural spirits of the world and dress in light fur armors and wield clubs, throwing axes and daggers.
>Are there any famous fighting styles, or ones you can name? What can you tell me about them? Currently don't have any specific styles planned out.
>Are there people renowned for their fighting skills? What are their iconic weapons or techniques? Yes. so far the one group I have are called the imperial sword magistrates. Or the sword corps. They carry an imperial seal allowing them to be the eyes and ears of the emperor. They are made up of some of the best of the best, and all travel the lands aiding the people and seeing that justice is done according to imperial mandate. They all carry the seal and a sword as their badge of office. and are renowned for being extremely proficient with their chosen blade.

> What do Elves fight like?

Being as long-lived as they are, Elven warriors have the potential to exist on a tier all to their own. Imagine what a world-class human swordsman could do with a thousand more years of training and a body that stays in the prime of it's youth. Single elves throughout history have been known to route entire armies when sufficiently motivated. Their long lives also means that many elves are masters of a large array of weapons common and exotic. Unfortunately for them, no amount of training makes you immune to bullets, part of the reason why they hate technology so much.

> What do Dwarves fight like?

A Dwarf's body belongs to The Party, and thus every able-bodied Dwarf trains as part of a militia. Most do so simply as a state-mandated physical fitness program, but those that show promise may be scheduled for additional training under one of their local lords. As a result, almost all Dwarves that fight do so with either an arquebus or a pike, with a side of hand axe. Unfortunately for them, weapons are strictly controlled in the Dwarfhome, so getting permission to acquire the tools to learn any non state-approved fighting style is very difficult.

> Famous fighting styles?

*Terez-Ka* is a hobgoblin word for a fighting style that centers around the natural flinching movements every creature has. By a regimen of drills combined with semi-random "attacks" from your instructor throughout the day, you are conditioned away from uncontrolled dodging into a series of tightly controlled bobs and weaves, and you eventually learn to incorporate quick draws and counterattacks. The training has recently gained popularity with the Analian upper class (think Rome with halfling nobles and orc legions), which is infamous for it's literal political backstabbing.

> Renowned fighters?

One sec...

The only idea I had for weird fighting styles was something relating to swing a blade in a certain way in a certain pattern, and it creates these advanced geometric spirals of blood on the ground.

>>43455227

The hobgoblin flinch thing is fantastic, anon.

Continuing >>43455227

>Famous fighters?

In the Eastern desert, their is a tribe of kobolds known simply as "The Wind." Their leader is a warrior-scholar named Gax, who fights with a mace and shield and the eternal blessings of a god with no name. It is said that he once defeated one hundred Orcs with a single swing of his mace - a feat that is only matched by the legend that he once defeated a thousand Elves with a single word. Since he began traveling the desert, his "tribe" has only grown in size as the other desert-dwellers flock to it. Some fear that he will soon turn his eyes westward, to the sundered Halfling Empire, and claim it for himself.

The Catfolk live on the Northern Continent, amidst the remnants of their own great empire. Little remains of it beyond tombs and tales, shattered as it was during the "Age of the Orc," but the harsh Savannah and ancient warrior traditions of that land still produce hunters and archers heralded the world over. One such hunter is named Rio-Ma, and after traveling south she became a highly sought after and famous bounty hunter. Some say she can put an arrow through an Orc's eyes at a thousand yards from horseback, but she would tell you that the part of story noone talks about is how she emptied her quiver of arrows and had to pick up her missed shots while chasing him. Should you find yourself with a bounty on your head, know only that Rio-Ma has much more endurance than you do.

Orcs are pretty badass. They wear the heaviest armor, wield the heaviest weapons, ride the heaviest warhorses, and have a military tradition stretching back to before their Empire arose in the first place. As the feudal leaders of much of the known world, they keep their warrior traditions alive in tournaments. And so, without further gilding the lily, and with no more ado, I give to you the Seeker of Serenity, the Protector of [Halfling] Virginity, the Enforcer of our Lord God, the One, the Only, Sir Ulrich Von Lichtenstein!!!

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>>43451666

>>43456102
You have some really cool concepts. "The Wind" is badass.

>>43456102
>>43456634
The Wind made me cringe super hard personally but YMMV I guess.

>>43454915

Elves in my setting have no uniforms styles or distinct preference for weapons or tactics. Since all Elves represent an idea or a thing, they tend to fight in an unique way. Sure, an enclave of Wild Elves might have a similar kind of method to their hunt, but their wild, predatory chase will differ very much from the City Elf's rigid, practiced and expert movements, while a Sea Elf will most likely use a spear and their sharp claws and horrifying teeth. A Mountain Elf is a towering, gaunt creature whose face has growths of amethyst and their skin is granite and iron, so they wade into melee, slamming enemies away with their powerful, tall limbs.

Dwarves are creatures of the earth and naturally grow more stonelike as they grow older. Thus, most military Dwarves are of course young as they are the quickest and most passionate. They prefer ambushes as a rule. Either a small skirmish surprising a baggage train behind the lines, or a multi-pronged attack, or a feigned retreat into a closed pocket. This means the quicker, younger generation will often engage the enemy with slings and short weapons suited for tunnel-fighting (though topside they prefer spears to make up for their shorter reach), while the veterans hang back, bearing heavy shields and short swords and will just hold and work as an anvil to crush the enemy against when the moment is right.

The greatest warrior in the setting? The Elf who witnessed the first human bash in the skull of his kin. Out of that moment, the Elf became devoted to violence, the first Warrior. He's known as Carnage and has lived and breather battle for five thousand years.

>>43454818
The only thing similar to famous fighting style is the spectacle that is multi-communal fights. When more than one individual of the commune fights, it becomes a distressing and bizarre ballet; like the most scripted fight from an action movie spontaneously erupting into reality. Imagine the most choreographed fight scene you've ever seen, spontaneously happening like a script that nobody can see has decreed it to be so. Jackie Chan in a ladder factory holding a baby while he "doesn't want any trouble" exponentially improved in real time.

>>43456651

Reading it again, it kind of stands out to me as trying too hard. In my defense, it's a BBEG concept I used in a campaign back in high school when I wanted to make my players like the BBEG before they had to kill him. It didn't work out at all how I imagined it would.

Anyone put a lot of thought into battle tactics and military organization?

I was working on a campaign a while back, but we couldn't get a group together to run anything, so it's been sitting on the hard drive for a while now.

In the setting, large, formation battles tend to begin with armies' high-level casters duking it out and trying to find weakpoints in one another's defenses as the armies close. Sometimes this decides a battle before the armies meet head-on. Combined with the existence of divine healing and the presence of a number of low/midlevel clerics on the battlefield, this has the consequence of rendering large numbers of foot archers impractical when spells can do more damage at greater range. A contingent is usually on-hand to deal with airborne threats, but they're usually not a large component of an army. Other missile weapons are still useful, but they're primarily javelins or other armor-piercing weapons used at short range and easily carried and used by people wearing armor and carrying a shield.

Monsters also cause a number of problems from a worldbuilding perspective, which is largely solved by either having garrisons rain down unholy pwnage on attacking monsters or throwing tough melee fighters (or other monsters!) at them in the field. As a result, most field armies largely consist of medium/heavy infantry armed with polearms and close-quarters weapons, fast cavalry (often airborne mages riding... animals that fly), and heavy cavalry (often armored missile cavalry). Artillery's a component, but it's usually either reserved for siegecraft or it's highly experimental.

Anybody else been thinking in these terms? Pros and cons of my way of thinking?