Print

Please login or register.
1 Hour 1 Day 1 Week 1 Month Forever
Login with username, password and session length

[VerdantSF]

"Thief" type creatures, flyers, or large creatures like titans will escape using this system. If in doubt, build the cage manually or have sufficient military hanging around the top stockpile area.

I assumed the above was true, but then I noticed that my dwarves were able to mass pit thieves/snatchers just fine.  Not only were they able to dump thieves into the pit from adjacent cages, they were able to drag hostile goblin thieves several squares without any issues.  Was this a recent change? 

Here's a screenshot of a master thief and a snatcher being led to the pit. 

Spoiler (click to show/hide)

Here's a shot of three thief type goblins at the bottom.

Spoiler (click to show/hide)

[BlackFlyme]

So long as there is no way back up, there should be no way for thieves to escape the pit. If there are no stairs or ramps, which I don't see in the picture anywhere, then they should be stuck at the bottom.

Though fliers will be stuck directly below the hatch, flying on the spot. If the hatches aren't locked, then they may be able to fly free, but otherwise they will simply sit on the one spot until something knocks them down or they die.

Personally, I've never had any issues with dwarves dragging creatures around the fort, except on the rare occasion where the dwarf decides he has better things to do and abandons the captive.

[VerdantSF]

Oops!  I thought the wiki meant escape from handlers, rather than the pit.

[Di]

Maybe it's because of numerous weaponmasters right near them or maybe they don't see the way to leave fort?
I've seen them break free in this version, even with a couple soldiers nearby. That's the reason I've been bringing their cages right next to dumping spot before pitting them.

[BlackFlyme]

Maybe it's because of numerous weaponmasters right near them or maybe they don't see the way to leave fort?
I've seen them break free in this version, even with a couple soldiers nearby. That's the reason I've been bringing their cages right next to dumping spot before pitting them.

I don't see how soldiers would deter them from escaping, and they most likely have a path to escape, because otherwise the dwarves dragging them would have no exit either.

The only escapes I've had were caused by dwarves being dwarves. I've seen them stop dragging prisoners to go get food/drink/rest, go on break, or get distracted by wildlife. I've been able to make dwarves escort prisoners from the military barracks near the surface all the way down to a pit leading to the HFS in one fort, and the only three escapes or so were from when a dwarf was spooked by FBs that they ran into on their way down, and one instance of a dwarf ditching a raven in the dining hall to grab something to eat.

Though it may just be a luck thing. In any case, when you have a mass dumping station, it would be best to keep the captive cages as close as possible. I usually mark an animal stockpile right on top of the dumping zone.

[ImagoDeo]

I had an odd incident lately where several captured goblins escaped from their handlers, but I'm pretty sure it was due to the human caravan guards deciding to massacre them as they were led past.

(No dorfs were injured, despite armor and weaponry still being present on the gobbos. The silly idiots were caught right between the caravan guards and my military, which has shat on sieges for the last three years running.)

[BlackFlyme]

Oh yea, caravans are more than happy to beat up prisoners, even if the prisoners are being led around or are on restraints.

I used to have a large line of restraints that lead from the entrance to one of my forts to the edge of the map where the caravan usually entered from, just to see the merchant guards go axe-crazy.

[VerdantSF]

Maybe it's because of numerous weaponmasters right near them or maybe they don't see the way to leave fort?
I've seen them break free in this version, even with a couple soldiers nearby. That's the reason I've been bringing their cages right next to dumping spot before pitting them.

I don't see how soldiers would deter them from escaping, and they most likely have a path to escape, because otherwise the dwarves dragging them would have no exit either.

It's too bad there isn't a morale feature where enemies might reconsider causing trouble when faced with legendary soldiers armed to the teeth.  Then again, the constant checking would probably be another FPS hog .

[TheSaberTooth]

I don't pit thieves (Or much else really), I just throw them in The Grinder. 

Then again, I have to place them in the pit above to throw em in.

But they don't usually resist for me.

[VerdantSF]

I don't pit thieves (Or much else really), I just throw them in The Grinder. 

Normally I don't either, but my fortress is nearing its 100th year, so I'm going to have my dwarves celebrate Roman Colosseum-style .

[Geldrin]

It's maybe unrelated, but when I built my first deathpit, I ordered a mass execution of my prisoners on the opening ceremony. I almost shit bricks when I saw my haulers leading zombies trough the main halls... by the way, it seems it's perfectly safe to lead anything once they're captured.

Next time I'll try it with the 26 ton forgotten beast made out of purple spinel.

[Syndic]

The thing I'm wary about because they were able to escape being led to pits in the last version are goblin MASTER thieves. Regular old goblins won't put up a fight once caged, but the master thieves used to escape and sow chaos as soon as they were out of their cage. As I said, not sure if they still do since master thieves get a cage with a lever from me

/edit: just noticed it says master thief in the OP, so I guess they're safe now... I'll carefully test that next time I get one^^

[PaleBlueHammer]

The wiki is way out of date if all this is true; I remember it used to be the case that ANY hostile creature would immediately spook the handler.

[VerdantSF]

The wiki is way out of date if all this is true; I remember it used to be the case that ANY hostile creature would immediately spook the handler.

Yup, I recall posts from a while back about goblin thieves immediately stabbing dwarves that tried to toss them in a pit.

[smjjames]

I usually do stripcaged on captured prisoners, but I've pitted armed goblins before without problems.

They'll still get spooked by other creatures, but they seem to have a deathgrip on whatever they are dragging because I've never had any dwarves suddenly let go, or have whatever is being dragged fight back.