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[Melzer]

Which is the best metal to make swords out of? lead, silver or gold?

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those metals make good hammers though.

[Linkeron]

Gold can't maintain an edge, it's a soft metal. In reality a gold sword would conform to the shape of whatever you hit it with. Silver isn't that durable either, but it's better than gold. Lead? I dunno if it could hold an edge, but in my mind a lead sword wouldn't be used for thrusting or parrying. It would be a chopping/hacking weapon, using its weight to force its way through a body.

[Hotaru]

No need to guess, just make gladiators in adventure mode with gold swords vs. silver swords or such.

I can tell you from experience, it's not tin.

[chris_strain]

If those are the only metals you have then you'd be best off using the silver to make blunt weapons. Of the 3, iirc, silver is the only one it will let you use for weapons. Outside of an artifact mood ofc.

[Unholy_Pariah]

if magmawiki and my raws aren't lying to me then its silver for cutting attacks even if you mod for gold and lead swords.

silver has the highest shear yield and fracture points followed by gold and then lead

           Yield       Fracture
silver    100k       170K
gold       50K       100K
lead       10K         12K

edit: also according to the wiki a lower density may also contribute to killing power so you are better off following chris_strain's advice and making hammers/maces anyway

[SmileyMan]

If you've somehow created galenaworld like I always manage to do, then sliver maces are your friend.

I'd recommend modding in lead ammo as well, because a) I have tons of the bloody stuff and b) I find historically inaccurate lead bolts to be less thematically disturbing than historically inaccurate lead barrels.

[Randy Gnoman]

Lead is better used to make buckets, pipe sections, flasks, large pots for storing booze and food- that sort of thing.

Gold is for furniture, and silver is for warhammers. 

[Keldor]

Remember, the Latin word for lead is the root of the word "plumbing".  The Romans used it for all sorts of water systems, yet there is no record of mass death due to lead poisoning, as the lawyers would have you believe.  Thus, lead barrels make perfect sense, provided that the lead is strong enough to prevent them from being damaged from normal use.

[claer_runway]

Remember, the Latin word for lead is the root of the word "plumbing".  The Romans used it for all sorts of water systems, yet there is no record of mass death due to lead poisoning, as the lawyers would have you believe.

Apparently roman water had so much calcium in it the inside of the pipes tended to get coated, it did increase the stillbirth rate though.

Great, now it just occurred to me that DF should simulate stillbirth. I'm a horrible person.

[Hotaru]

Well, it would also be nice if cinnabar were actually deadly if you happen to mine large chunks of it, like in real life. As damaging nerves and causing psychiatric symptoms.

[rtg593]

Well, it would also be nice if cinnabar were actually deadly if you happen to mine large chunks of it, like in real life. As damaging nerves and causing psychiatric symptoms.

... Is this toady's evil scene? To make us all geologists?

[Garath]

try it in arena, I guess

[Dr. Melon]

Well, it would also be nice if cinnabar were actually deadly if you happen to mine large chunks of it, like in real life. As damaging nerves and causing psychiatric symptoms.

I'm sure that you could mod the material to give slight nerve damage & drowsiness symptoms. (Note that drowsiness seems to affect psychological stability in fortress mode - there was a thread about it not long ago)

[ASCIt]

Interactions are a cool feature. Now lead/mercury/radiation poisoning can actually happen.

[claer_runway]

radiation poisoning! pitchblende goblets ftw.