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[Kar98]

Seeing as we have the new (very awesome) tamable animals feature, I was wondering what is the best way to capture magma crabs for potential breeding. The only way I've thought of doing it is digging a bunch of ramps in the magma sea and hoping they path up the ramps into traps but this just seems so random

[Sadrice]

Magma crabs don't have [PET] or [PET_EXOTIC], so they aren't tameable at all without modding.  I've been trying to catch them after observing how dangerous they are to my foundry workers (my metalcrafter mechanic had his right arm burnt off at the elbow, and died of his wounds).  I added [TRAINABLE_WAR] and [PET], but have had no luck catching them so far (using a ramp system like you described).  They don't seem that interested in actually pathing into the fortress, and just hang out in the magma taking potshots at any dwarves that go too close to the access holes.  Next I think I'll try chasing them towards the ramps with war dogs, possibly protected by windows, if that turns out to be necessary.  I'm suspicious that my animal trainer may get his hands burnt in the attempt, but it would totally be worth it to have some semimolten basalt machine guns with which to guard my front gate.

[Girlinhat]

A fortress built entirely of harvested basalt...

[Sadrice]

If you are unwilling to mod your game, but manage to trap magma crabs, you can make pillboxes with fortifications pointing away from your fortress (possibly set into the walls, like gun emplacements), with floodgate or drawbridge shutters, and use wild crabs as indiscriminate everything killers, that are only exposed when dwarves are inside and goblins (or elves) are outside.  An advantage of this is that you can build a gun emplacement to mow down traders or migrants that disregard your polite suggestion to get off the damn lawn.

Haven't checked magma crabs yet, but dragons no longer need any sort of path to the target to fire, simplifying the design significantly.

[Girlinhat]

Magma crabs and fire imps no longer need pathing, so pillboxes are valid.  I particularly like the idea of turning away migrants and traders.  Any dwarves that do get past the entrance, deserve to stay inside.

[Sadrice]

Does anyone know if high homeotherm creatures are hazardous while peacefully occupying the same tile as normal creatures, or do they need to be attacking?  If so they might be rather annoying if they make it to the meeting area before being safely deployed, and they would be dangerous in crowded meeting areas anyways, due to general animal grouchiness.  Also, does anyone have any information on the risk to dwarves hauling them around?