THE EARTH HAMMER
Greetings to all the gentle souls of the forum. As one may have easily inferred from a couple of posts of mine in the thread related to Durin, I would like to present a defined and specific concept. Although details are not very much defined and they will surely need be scrutinised a bit more thoroughly, the kernel of the topic does deal with a specific subject: the
Earth Hammer from the BFME2 campaign.
Unfortunately, I don't remember now all the technicalities of the system; this first post could be seen as an initial attempt to break the ice around the debate. What I know is that the Earth Hammer is a monumental machine which is able to hit the ground and propagate seismic waves across the map. Speaking about gameplay, it should allow the player to create earthquakes on a given area at intervals; thus, a real surrogate of a spell (a non-spell). Wouldn't it be interesting, smarter and more unique to implement this machine via the very Dwarven spellbook, as a proper spell? Obviously, a problem arises and it regards the new nature of this hypothetical spell: will the current spell (meant to be a short-term feature) be turned into a long-term feature, interfering with the summoning of the fortress? As I pointed out, I'm not enough familiar with the mechanics of this machinery (people who know are welcome to provide clearer insights), but I guess the essence of such spell would not be altered in a very abrupt of a way. In line with what my memory tells me, the generalities of the earthquake-creating feature are at the end of the day similar to the actual earthquake: creating seismic waves in a given area of the map, after waiting the common recharging time that the feature entails (whether it be the hammer or the actual spell). The idea behind is quite the same, as well as the function in the very game.
On the other side, I'm a good deal more self-confident in stating my lore-related and conceptual views about it. Contrary to the very simple design and nature of the current spell, including a machine of that kind would undoubtedly result in much more uniqueness and differentiation for the faction itself. Given the legendary skills of Dwarves when it comes to monumental building and complex engineering, a colossal construction of that kind would be totally apt for the context: stressing the importance of one of the peculiar traits of the race and disposing of an interesting tool to use. Parallel to how the Noldor infuse and imbue their weapons with magic (swords that sense the Evil and glow), which is nothing more than the nature of the artist reflected on the art, the Dwarves are equally renowned for boasting the mastery of monumental architecture/craftsmanship. We might also create an aura of mystery around the Earth Hammer, as the machine does have magical properties: what if some arcane secrets of Aulë (memories of the Noon of Valinórë) had been passed on to the Dwarves, when the latter encountered the Noldor in the Elder Days?
All in all, apart from details concerning the implementation of the feature, which I hope we will conceive in relatively short time, I deem the prospect I envisaged as very fitting for the Edain Mod's standards: uniqueness, smart gameplay, lore atmosphere and rationalisation of means. In simpler terms, I find the concept bloody brilliant!