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[Saiko Kila]

I've got a cyclops caged, armed with an artefact steel spear, and trying to find a way to take the spear without killing the cyclops. The previous cyclops who visited me was killed, and I want this one for experimentation. But I want the spear too, since it's interesting one, with long history. And I don't have any other artefact weapon except a bow.

Artefacts cannot be dumped (which allows for stealing even weapons and clothes of bodyguards), so the most obvious route is not possible. The one I thought of is putting the cyclops in arena, and shooting it, hoping for either unconsciousness or damaging a limb. But I can as well kill him with the first shot, as it happened with certain large experiment. Any ideas?

[Quietust]

Is it possible to assign the artifact to a display case or pedestal while it's being carried by a unit?

[Saiko Kila]

Is it possible to assign the artifact to a display case or pedestal while it's being carried by a unit?

Thank you for this idea. It worked - the dwarf took the spear from the caged cyclops without a second thought and installed in a display case. I never used a display case before, though I created one just in case..

[Thisfox]

Doesn't always work: If the (unwanted) guest dies while carrying the bloody artifact, no dwarf is willing to pick it up and put it in the display case (or on a pedestal) despite the fact that they cleaned up the corpse, the clothing it was wearing, and the corpses of the dwarfs who died bludgeoned to death with said artifact (a metal-bound book). I need more cage traps. From what you've said, so long as I keep the guest alive until after extraction, the artifact can be moved to a more useful location, that would be helpful.

[DwarfStar]

That's a good trick! What I always did before in this situation is dump the cage + prisoner into a drainable magma pool. The cage and corpse go up in smoke, and the artifact (and any other magma-safe equipment) will be all that's left.

[Thisfox]

...And the artifact will be eternally on fire...

[DwarfStar]

...And the artifact will be eternally on fire...

Oh? I haven’t experienced that myself. Maybe the artifacts I’ve treated so rudely happened to also be magma safe. But from reports I’ve read I think there are ways to put out the fire on those artifacts if you desire.

[Garfunkel]

Speaking of cages, can someone explain to me like I'm five, how to safely butcher animals that I've caught in cage traps, without them flying away or mauling my dwarves?

[Bumber]

Speaking of cages, can someone explain to me like I'm five, how to safely butcher animals that I've caught in cage traps, without them flying away or mauling my dwarves?

Build the cage in a training zone, assign the animal for training on the animals screen, then assign for butchering after training is complete. I haven't tested if building the cage is actually necessary, or if you can do it from a stockpile.

[Thisfox]

Speaking of cages, can someone explain to me like I'm five, how to safely butcher animals that I've caught in cage traps, without them flying away or mauling my dwarves?

Build the cage in a training zone, assign the animal for training on the animals screen, then assign for butchering after training is complete. I haven't tested if building the cage is actually necessary, or if you can do it from a stockpile.

Alternatively, put a chain next to butchers, assign wild caged animal to the chain, then have the military slaughter the animal on the chain. I do this with elephants regularly.

[anewaname]

You do not need to build the cage, training from the stockpile works.

[Saiko Kila]

Speaking of cages, can someone explain to me like I'm five, how to safely butcher animals that I've caught in cage traps, without them flying away or mauling my dwarves?

What I do, not only with dangerous animals:

1. make a long tunnel
2. build cages near the end, link to levers
3. put weapon traps with steel (and glass, if not enough steel) blades and discs, usually up to four per trap, more is overkill
4. put cage traps near entry to the tunnel, for survivors (never needed, but just in case)
5. pull the lever, and forbid temporarily the cages/mechanisms/body parts if I want to pull another lever

This will give me more parts than standard butchering, meaning more skins for leather or parchment. Also I think it gives more bones and meat overall, but haven't checked precisely.

I have four butcher workshops for this, and enough butchers, because butchering dead carcass takes more time than slaughtering animals. This is doable only with not "stray" animal, but stray animals are safe to slaughter anyway.

Also, if you have freshly killed stray animal, and a setup to revive it using a necromancer, then revived animal zombie can be killed by military/traps and then normally butchered - because it loses "stray" status. That it was a zombie doesn't matter to dwarves, as long as it wasn't rotten.

[Bumber]

You do not need to build the cage, training from the stockpile works.

Good to know!