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[smakemupagus]

you suggest i should pump the lava up and flood my surroundings with lava?? well... thats 1 plan i guess i tryed burning it down atomsmashing looks like alot of work but this mess would be back in no time since i get invaded quite often..

Why not just pit or minecart dump all that junk into the volcano?  Or use a crematorium?

[toradrow777]

Most of my Dwarves are now Ghastly Plaguebearers.  What exactly is that and how screwed is my current fortress?

[SabbyKat]

Most of my Dwarves are now Ghastly Plaguebearers.  What exactly is that and how screwed is my current fortress?

Uh... you are playing dwarves with no alterations to the raws, right?

Plaguebearers, last I know of, were old-old 'special' monsters you could get from trade, they got removed eons ago. I've never once encountered anything like what you just described in 200+ forts since then... ._.;

Are you in an evil biome? if not, then the only ruling I can think of is one of those 'special books' that can gen in the world and cause various odd stuff like the above. I'd assume it is one these 'magical items' a dwarf can find and inherit (and in this case, sounds like it's a very bad thing). Be intrigued if you could toss a screen shot up and show their descriptions from the unit list to help.

[Meph]

Its either from the diseases or from a secret in worldgen. Its not the old plaguebearer creature, or else everyone would be dead.

[toradrow777]

I have a question regarding the security of my fortress.  Right now I have no military (about to make one, though) and no traps, but I do have a wall and draw bridge.

Spoiler (click to show/hide)

Not shown is the main hallway where I've pastured my Ward of Armok, my badgerdogs, and my war mastiffs.

I have yet to be invaded, ambushed, or sieged, it's Spring of the second year, and my population is currently over 50.  Will my current defenses suffice until I get a proper militia up and running?

[vonsch]

I have yet to be invaded, ambushed, or sieged, it's Spring of the second year, and my population is currently over 50.  Will my current defenses suffice until I get a proper militia up and running?

Depends. 

You may have an ambush get right into that courtyard area past the gate before they get spotted. And then there are fliers. I just had a flock of buzzards drop into my tower which is still open to the sky. Flew off with some food and created some panic, but no serious harm. One died when my military dwarf arrived to see what was up. Rest flew off lugging bloomberry roasts and such.

Not sure of those pups in the passage are on chains or pastured in 1x1 spots either. You want pets covering the full width (they can see at least one urist to each side, but beyond that gets iffy) of any entry that's open to the outside to prevent thieves and ambushes from sneaking in.

Invasions you get warning and enough time to close the gate (assuming the lever controlling it is put somewhere far away where there is usually an idling dwarf around to yank it.) I usually put my gate controls in the main meeting place deep inside.

I don't see your trading post. That (and free and easy traffic flow) are the only reasons for a corridor that wide (beyond looks!) I usually put my trade depot more on the "edge" of things, with a narrower, more easily defended, entry to my main fort past that. It's protected from outside things, once I close the main gate (assuming it comes in through one), but no where near as much as the main entry to my proper fort.

But that's one style. Some people like a lot of fighting and they build more open. But they also get military ramped up very early so it has a real fighting chance.

[toradrow777]

If I want to include an arcane dwarf and a guard recruit in my militia (early fortress defense, two dwarf guard team until I get a good migration wave), what would be the best skills for them to embark with?

[misiekm]

If I want to include an arcane dwarf and a guard recruit in my militia (early fortress defense, two dwarf guard team until I get a good migration wave), what would be the best skills for them to embark with?

I used to embark with one 5 Teacher / 5 Dodger and one 5 Teacher / Shield User, and set them to train right from the start. Sparring means they'll have decent weapon skills by the time the first ambush arrives, and teaching each other Dodger / Shield User tends to help a lot with surviving these first skirmishes, especially if you don't have the means to put them in full armor just yet.

Never did any science on how much that 5 Teacher speeds up the teaching process, but it seemed to work out well. I like to think it helps when each gets his own squad, maybe those biting lessons will be over faster :p

[smakemupagus]

I have a question regarding the security of my fortress.  Right now I have no military (about to make one, though) and no traps, but I do have a wall and draw bridge.

Spoiler (click to show/hide)

Not shown is the main hallway where I've pastured my Ward of Armok, my badgerdogs, and my war mastiffs.

I have yet to be invaded, ambushed, or sieged, it's Spring of the second year, and my population is currently over 50.  Will my current defenses suffice until I get a proper militia up and running?

Just to add on to what vonsch said, If that's the lever that controls the gate, it's not in a great place, because by the time an approaching stealth ambush is spotted by your dogs, the enemy will likely be between your dwarves and the lever.  Alternatives are having the lever deeper in the fort, or having some guard animals outside the gate.  (like, far enough outside that you have time to react)

[vonsch]

After the ambush I just dealt with, AT my door (in fact, the leader died in the actual doorway), I am about to put up some external "bait" structures to draw out the ambushes so I at least have more warning. A moleweasel chained with some cover on three sides, but with an open path from outside, is probably what I will do. Put it where I have good fields of fire and quick access from inside. When they kill the poor weasel, they will become visible.

Not worth using a real fighting animal like a war mastiff or a war bear. It's going to get shot up before it can react, unless/until it can be one with full armor and rune protection. That comes later.

[toradrow777]

Not sure if this would be the right thread for this, but how do I heal my Dwarves using DFHack?  It's not something I plan on using much, but one of my Dwarves has, somehow or another, managed to break his shin and he's about to die from starvation and/or dehydration and I don't really feel like losing a Dwarf this soon after embark.

[vonsch]

Not sure if this would be the right thread for this, but how do I heal my Dwarves using DFHack?  It's not something I plan on using much, but one of my Dwarves has, somehow or another, managed to break his shin and he's about to die from starvation and/or dehydration and I don't really feel like losing a Dwarf this soon after embark.

From the DFHack Quickguide in the documentation folder:

- type "fullheal" while looking at a creature to heal it.

[toradrow777]

One of my migrants has just came with a genie child; the last time I had genies they died for some unknown reason.  How do I keep genies alive?

Also, since I'm now setting up my hospital, I'm gonna need a well.  I'm using the nearby river as the water source for my well, connecting the two with a channel trench, but I'm concerned that their may be enough pressure to push the water up the well and start a flood.  Will pressure be a concern in my system, and, if so, what's the best, easiest way to prevent flooding?

[qorthos]

Water loses pressure if it is forced diagonally.  I generally build a few "baffles" to remove any excess hydraulic head that I don't want before it enters a cistern.

[toradrow777]

And, aside from flooding in my fortress, how can I tell if I need to decrease water pressure, and how much I need to decrease it?