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[Viking]

I'm not sure where to put this so I'll just stick this here. I've lurked for ages and have a few stories to tell I suppose and this is one. Maybe it will amuse, offer insights, or draw suggestions.

So, a little while ago I created an fort in a cold area not knowing that the river would never unfreeze and apparently in ancient buzzard mating grounds. The fort was characterful and not abandoned although water became an issue, if only for the medics so boring down in search of water became the most obvious option and was pursued vigorously. Luckily the dwarves struck a cavern with a cistern in it. As I remember it, very quickly after a scary forgotten beast showed up that oozed puss over all all the water before I could manage to create a pump stack and not knowing how to deal with forgotten beasties without a military I just dug deeper until I found another cavern with water. I set up a pump stack there and all was good until another forgotten beast showed up made of fire who saw fit to prance around in the underwater lake all day and night for months at a time. This must've made the cavern quite balmy but it was bad news for pumpable water supply. Still not having an effective military but with a large enough cistern of water reserved my dwarves have been surviving in the perpetual permawinter off alcohol and no fresh water. Granted, that's normal for a lot of forts so no biggie. It does mean that my water supply is limited and increasingly threatened. One day, which may never be reached, I may run out of water for cleaning wounds before I run out of sane dwarves with a pulse

The problem is that the alcohol must've been so good that every forgotten beast in town came over. Without exaggeration, I must have over a dozen and yes, I've lost count of the exact number, wandering around in my basement cavern layers. Incidentally my last two layers of cavern appear to have merged a bit but nevermind that. Even until recently I still find military organization extremely tedious and impenetrable I still have no effect military to speak of that I'm willing to throw at them so while I develop the military I cowardly keep my dwarves out of the basement which is no "fun" but keeps them breathing stale, frigid, arctic air.

I've never been able to raise effective marksdwarves although I get skilled enough melee soldiers to beat down the odd dwarf that has lost his marbles due to losing his cat or the random wild animal or goblin that has escaped from a cage. I should also mention that with a weak military, cages are a favourite method of dealing with invaders. My favourite way to deal with caged invaders in turn is to tip them out of their metal containers into a deep dark shaft that passes umpteen levels through my fort and it horrifyingly efficient. I try not to image how terrifying it must be and focus rather on the loot that piles up on the bottom next to the atom smasher bridge that deals with the refuse that collects. I collect a lot of weapons, armour and skeleton parts.

To deal with the not so forgotten tenants I've tried creating cave-in traps hoping the beasts would destroy supports but alas, they prefer to destroy doorways and no constructions. I'd have to manually trigger them and lure them with said doors, which is fine although slightly less maniacle and requiring of more precious micromanaging.

 I've realized with great anticipation that there is a darkly brilliant silver lining to all this where by I can kill five buzzards with one single boulder. I've begun construction of shooting gallery near the cavern layer to train my marksdwarves (buzzard one), who will in turn be able to shoot down yet more annoying buzzards of course (buzzard two) with bolts made from bones (buzzard three) I'll lure in forgotten beasts with furniture, lock the door, and fill them up with bolts made from bones thus lowering the tenant population in the forts nether regions (buzzard four), and best of all, I'll make a newer shaft that is shorter than the other to toss goblins whatever in with the beast first (buzzard five). That last point isn't really a pressing need but man will it be fun. That is, if it all works. The chamber should look like this from the side:
_____________________________  _________
|___m_m_m_m_F                      | |_        c_|
                     |                       |   |bbbb|
                     |                       |   |       |
                     |                       |__|bbbb|_
                     |                                      |
                     |                                      bLLLLLL
                     |                                      |
                     |                                      |__
                     |               _d____FB_______b__ -> caverns
                     |               |
                     |_________|

m = marksdwarves
b = bridge
c= prisoner cage
d= bait door which will need frequent replacing
F= fortifications
FB= forgotten beast
L= future lava shoot if the beast proves too much.

The cage room has an "airlock" so that I can dump the goblin down a level, close the gate above him, and open the gate below so that a beast won't crawl up into the fort. I designed the room so marksdwarves are as far away from the beast as possible. If I can't kill the beast with measly bone arrows I may set up another chamber next to it with a collapsing ceiling and bait doors.

If it works: bwahahahah.

Thoughts?

[Bihlbo]

Isn't the frozen tundra fun? I hear-tell that if you run lava under ice, it'll melt. Haven't tried it yet, but you should.

I have had poor luck killing forgotten beasts with lava. As in, they ignore its presence entirely.

[thegoatgod_pan]

Isn't the frozen tundra fun? I hear-tell that if you run lava under ice, it'll melt. Haven't tried it yet, but you should.

I have had poor luck killing forgotten beasts with lava. As in, they ignore its presence entirely.

That is only true if they are made of steel or other magma safe stuff. the flesh and blood ones die like the rest. Your plan should work. Watch out for deadly dust going through fortifications

Weapon racks and armor stands are even better than doors since they dont need an adjacent wall, which also means armor stands can be right below a single tile wired to cave in.   Now the cave-in might not necessarily hit the f.b.

My solution, is having the cave-in be directly above the armorstand lure. Have the lure be just one of a series of 3-5 3x3 rooms with an armor stand in the middle separating the cavern and the fort. Above each room a single wall held by a support, this should be accessible for resets, but sealed-off otherwise (for flyers).  The z-level below the armor stand should be hollowed out too, ideally in small inaccessible rooms with fortifications.

When you trigger the cave-in, it should knock out the armor stand and the floor below creating a massive suction effect that pulls the f.b. into a room it cannot leave even if it tries (though fliers will get out just fine). Again, watch out for it deadly dusting through fortifications.

Since the armor stand blew up, the f.b.s who made it or weren't near the trap will move onto the next armorstand-cave-in and so on and so forth.

[Urist Da Vinci]

Channel a hole in the ceiling of a cavern above the water, and build a well. Dwarves will lower a bucket on a rope to safely retrieve water.

[caddybear]

Verily, you should pump magma into the caverns until there isn't anything left alive that isn't magma safe, and then arm your entire population and charge the rest after the magma is drained.

[Sadrice]

Doesn't pumping decontaminate water?  I know it will desalinate it, and remove stagnantness, but I'm not sure about syndrome contaminants.

[Viking]

Thanks for the insights and comments guys! I didn't think about using things like weapons racks and its an excellent idea Is there a specific distance I need to keep my dwarves away from the extra musty mists of death?
Urist Davinci: The well thing is very good to know!
Sadrice: I'd love to know that too as its rather important. I will do some testing on it when possible and try to report back.

[Viking]

Just as an update, this plan did work however I had to create viewing platforms for my marksdwarves closer to the level of the beast. I suspect the angle is too steep from the highest level.

[Morpha]

(though fliers will get out just fine)

Keep dropping the ceiling on them until they stop trying to fly.

[ledgekindred]

Having never experimented with cave-ins and the like, would it be possible to build a FB trap thusly:


==================  <- roof
          |   <- support
   -------------    <- constructed floor



         A  <- armor stand
==================  <- ground


Wait for the FB to wander up and try to destroy the armor stand, then pull a lever attached to the support to drop the floor on it?

[Friendstrange]

I would suggest placing cage traps around the armor stand.
That way, when you drop the floor on the beast you will capture it instead.

I like to keep my beasts alive and healthy until my militia commander and captains are stong enough to enter The Roullete Game.

Spoiler (click to show/hide)

The militia commander and captains are all placed in a room and made to fight forgotten beasts, megabeasts (minus bronze colosus), semi-mega beasts and any goblin that has ever managed to get caught.
The dwarfs are armed with masterwork weapons and armor, artifacts if available.
The goal is to bloody the weapons with as many amazing kills as possible, as well as add to the kill list of the military leaders.

Whoever gets the most kills becomes militia commander. Should none survive, the fortress will self destruct. Kinda like that first Alien vs Predator movie.