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[Daveorock]

So I've made a magma piston and have been using it, but there's a problem now.

My method of retrieving magma was to punch a hole into the magma sea, and use a screw pump to get magma (this way there's no risk of an extra-crispy miner, and I can more easily retrieve magma to my liking). Anyway, I have a grate on the hole but now magma crabs have entered the map. 4 of them. I don't know if they can shoot through the grate, but ik they can't get through it (can't break it, even if they could they don't leave magma). I don't want whoever is operating the pump to get mauled by flying basalt, so what can I do? Will the magma crabs shoot through the grate given the chance? Help would be appreciated.

[Girlinhat]

I don't believe they can shoot through grates, though I think dwarves can see through it and may cause job cancellations.

[KodKod]

I don't believe they can shoot through grates, though I think dwarves can see through it and may cause job cancellations.

This much.

You're going to have to provide power to the pump I am afraid, that or wait until that coast is clear.

[Girlinhat]

On the bonus side: if magma crabs can shoot through grates, so can marksdwarves.  RETALIATE!

[khearn]

Assign a handy potash maker to man the pump and find out. The worst that can happen is you find out they can shoot through the grate.

"Sacrificing minions: is there any problem it CAN'T solve?" - Xykon (Order of the Stick)

[Naryar]

On the bonus side: if magma crabs can shoot through grates, so can marksdwarves.  RETALIATE!

Problem is that most marksdwarves are fragile compared to magma crabs.

[KodKod]

Problem is that most marksdwarves are fragile compared to magma crabs.

Sure, individually.

But fifty marksdwarves aren't fragile compared to a magma crab.

[wierd]

Magma crabs suck.  I lost a fort to a basalt poop hurling silicon crustacean induced tantrum spiral awhile back.

I use a small maze of diagonal fortifications to tap volcanoes now.

[Daveorock]

I'll have my duchess operate the pump, if anything happens, I don't care, I've been planning expecting and prepared for an accident for some time now, only need an excuse cause she's not that bad, just keeps making me make bags and bracelets.

[Marshall Burns]

I know for sure that you can shoot through wall grates. It stands to reason that floor grates would allow shooting too, but this is DF, so I dunno.

[jcnorris00]

According to the wiki, floor grates (but not wall grates) block line-of-sight and ranged attacks, so you should be okay.

[Sphalerite]

The preferred solution would be to catch them, mod them to have [PET_EXOTIC], tame them, and then chain them up outside your fortress.

[ledgekindred]

If you do manage to catch one, they make brilliant war pets.  They breed like mad and grow up very quickly.  Pasture a couple dozen of them outside your front doors and they will not only act as early warning against ambushes, but make a pretty effective defense.  Getting hit with little basalt pellets from 30 magma crabs at the same time is like having a sentient shotgun guarding your fort.   Sieges, not so much, due to sheer numbers, but they will slice through ambushes like nothing.

[Daveorock]

With the new animal training system, won't be easy to tame/train and use them, even if I do manage to catch one.

[ledgekindred]

Not necessarily so.  Animal Training !!SCIENCE!! so far seems to indicate that each successive generation born to your fort gets progressively more domesticated.  Since magma crabs breed frequently and prolifically, you could still have a herd of domesticated war magma crabs within a couple of in-game years.  Just make sure to keep butchering the previous generation so they don't continue to breed semi-wild children.