Tired of seeing enemy magic tear through your dwarf lines before you can even raise your hammer? Don’t worry: the Dispel Scroll from Warhammer Fantasy is back — but only for this army… and as a rune.
In this post, we’re going to look at how Dwarfs can deal with magic. What options do they have besides our beloved classic Dispel Scroll?
Runesmith: the best magic defense for 65 points
He can carry up to three Dispel Scrolls — from now on we’ll call them Rune of Spellbreaking — at 25 points each. Just like the old Dispel Scrolls, they let you automatically dispel a spell, no dice required.
What’s the catch? Even though you don’t need line of sight to the target, you do need to be able to attempt a dispel with the Runesmith. This means the enemy wizard must be within 18 inches, which becomes tricky depending on the list or enemy playstyle.
Updated for 1.5: While range is still an issue, it’s not as big of a deal anymore, mainly because the way the game is played has changed. Now that you have to go for objectives and can’t just sit back in your deployment zone waiting for the enemy, you’re more likely to be within range to unbind the enemy wizard.
BUT watch out: this also means you’re more likely to get stuck in combat and won’t be able to unbind anything unless it’s affecting the unit the runesmith is in.
On top of that, for any other spells you don’t stop with the Rune of Spellbreaking, the runesmith can still try to unbind them like a level 1 wizard – which is actually better than before in 1.5. You now unbind with a +1, and enemy level 3 or 4 wizards only cast with a +2, not +3/+4 like they used to.
Another perk of the Runesmith is that he has Magic Resistance (2). Remember that magic resistance isn’t cumulative, and the whole unit benefits from the highest value. So, the entire unit he joins gets Magic Resistance (2).
Important: Magic resistance is now quite a bit stronger than before, since wizards no longer add their full level to casting rolls — they only add half (rounded up). Even though you’re unbinding with just a +1, your whole army has Magic Resistance (1), which already makes it harder for enemy wizards to land spells. Sometimes you won’t even need to roll to unbind because the spell fails outright.
Runelord: is it worth paying double?
The Runelord can take up to 125 points in runes. So you might say, “I’ll just give him five Runes of Spellbreaking and be done with it.” No. You can’t. Because each rune can only be taken three times — as every proper Dwarf knows.
1.5 upgrade: his dispel range is 21′ now AND he has a +2 instead of +1. Considering that magic has been nerfed, this upgrade is HUGE.
Another option is to include two Spellbreaking Runes and one of the following: either the Master Rune of Calm or the Master Rune of Balance. Before July 2025, I didn’t think either was particularly worth it — but now, I think both have improved a lot.
But… are they actually good picks?
The Master Rune of Calm, for 50 points, gives you a bound spell at level 2. If successfully cast, it makes it so that enemies within 18″ of the Runelord get +2 to their casting difficulty. If you somehow manage to cast it on an 11+ (which is unlikely), the range extends to 36″.
Personally, I think it’s decent now — but don’t count on the 36″ range. Try to always stay within 18″ of your target. Since the spell has SELF range, you can even cast it while in combat, which is a pretty nice advantage.
Now let’s take a look at the Master Rune of Balance in ToW 1.5. Once per turn, it lets you dispel with 3D6 and drop the lowest.
Not every spell is critical. And your opponent won’t be able to cast all of them every turn either. If you save this ability for the one spell you really need to stop, it can be a big help.
That said, it doesn’t give you the guaranteed safety of the Spellbreaking Rune.
Considering the Runelord costs almost twice as many points as a regular Runesmith… is he really worth it? Well, I’d say we need to wait a bit for the new meta, because we still don’t now how many wizards will the average enemy army have, but this guy, who was 100% shit has become a very interesting option.
Anvil of Doom: the art of dispelling without moving
The Anvil of Doom has a +3 bonus to unbind, and it also has a 24″ dispel range. AWESOME.
But that range can be a bit misleading. Why? Because the Anvil can’t move, whereas your regular Runesmith with three Spellbreaking Runes absolutely can.
It can still carry three Spellbreaking Runes, and it might be worth it in some builds.
But… do we actually like the Anvil of Doom? I’ve written a full article about it, since there’s a lot to unpack. You can find it linked below under related posts.
How Dwarfs play against magic: final thoughts
Aside from the units and upgrades you include in your list, it’s crucial for the Dwarf player to know exactly which spells are truly game-changing — the ones that can win or lose a battle. (Miasmic Mirage, Crystal Column… I’ll talk about them when I do a post analyzing each lore separately.)
The Pillar of Fire is no longer your worst enemy now that it moves in a random direction, so you can chill a bit when it comes to that one — and a bunch of others too.
I hope this post helps you defend against magic if you’re playing Dwarfs, and helps you anticipate what the Dwarf player will try to do if you’re facing them and want to win the match.
🍺Warhammer Old World Dwarfs
🍺 Best Dwarf Runes combos in The Old World
🍺 Anvil of Doom breakdown | The Old World
Core Cavalry in Old World 1.5 Is it worth?
Old World 1.5 Breakdown FAQs and Errata
Secondary Objectives Old World 1.5 Explained
If you think there’s an error in the post, feel free to reach out at theoldwarrior@theoldwarrior.com, and I’ll review it. Hope you enjoy ToW!