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[Dunamisdeos]

I've got some blade traps set up. Something either steps on it and cut to ribbons, or dodges into a pit. The pit is 12z levels deep, but I get things surviving sometimes.

This is unacceptable.

I think a good solution is to fill the bottom with spikes. Now, how many spikes per tile is neccesary? Will an impact at high speeds with a single spike cause death? Also, can something dodge the spikes on the way down? Lastly, does dodging into a pit (as oppossed to having the bridge dissapear beneath your feet) somehow lessen falling damage?

[Loud Whispers]

does dodging into a pit (as oppossed to having the bridge dissapear beneath your feet) somehow lessen falling damage?

Nope. Also, any amount of spikes will do. 9 z lvls is usually a fatal drop height for humanoid creatures, so unless armour affects this, I don't know what's going wrong for you.
(Unless it's incredibly small creatures).

[NonconsensualSurgery]

Armor has been observed to decrease falling damage. Still, 12 zs kills pretty much everything in vanilla. Are these really goblins you're dealing with?

How many spikes is enough? Lots, and set to go up and down very rapidly with the help of Urist McLeverpuller. The material doesn't really matter on Menacing Spikes; even wood will pierce armor so go with whatever you can make a ton of. I suspect that one spike would finish off any extremely lucky normal opponent, but there is no kill like overkill.

[Chilton]

Surviving is Unacceptable?
You silly Dorf. *Rustles Hair*
Make some Rooms off to the side with Glass Windows, with Chairs and Tables so Dwarves can come and watch them suffer and die! If theyre unwounded though, THAT needs to be fixed. Possibly by filling the Pit with crazed animals.

[Sphalerite]

12Z should be lethal 100% of the time.  Are you letting dwarves or other creatures into the bottom of the pit while invaders are falling?  If a falling creature lands on another creature, both will be uninjured, so the survival of invades might be due to them landing on haulers or kittens or something.

[IamanElfCollaborator]

Apply Magmacin if all else fails.

Magmacin. The medicine that cures everything!*








*Side effects may include horrible burning, intense fever, excruciating pain, and death. Results may vary.

[Funk]

use all ten spikes/spears
dont move them, the act of falling on them will do.
 

[Dunamisdeos]

Ok, so. From this discussion I have gathered:

1:Survival of the enemy is acceptable, as long as extreme, long lasting suffering is involved. Entertainment value is a +.

2:This fall should kill goblins. Upon further finger-counting, it was 9z at the time. They hadn't dug out the rest. The more
   recent invasion has shown that 12 is indeed enough to instagib goblins.

3:It needs more spikes. Mechanical Spikes. Fully neccessary spikes.


Now then. Can I hook up spikes to a watermill, so as to have it stab things indefinately?

[Loud Whispers]

You could hook them up to a lever set to pull (on repeat), or just as easily link them to a pressure plate in a well travelled area. And use pathing designations for extra fun.

[MAurelius]

So my question to the OP is how did you get a 12z pit without breaking into the caverns? That seems to be my big pit construction PITA.

[Loud Whispers]

So my question to the OP is how did you get a 12z pit without breaking into the caverns? That seems to be my big pit construction PITA.

Cavern layers are random unless you do some pretty specific world gen parameters, so I'd say easily

[NonconsensualSurgery]

Now then. Can I hook up spikes to a watermill, so as to have it stab things indefinately?

Levers or a pressure plate in a meeting hall are simpler than water-based repeaters (technically clocks). However, if that's too controllable or simple or if you'd prefer uniform stabbing motions year round then it's relatively easy to build a repeater with water.

http://df.magmawiki.com/index.php/DF2010:Repeater

[Dunamisdeos]

Actually, I hit the cavern at 11z. I decided to continue, and simply walled up the pit in the pattern of the floor above it, sealing it from the cavern layer, then continued onward to 16 (my next cavern layer's ceiling).

No gum durned wonder of nature is going to stand between THIS dwarf and his engineering project. Also, the spikes are in place. 5 to a tile.