I'm sure this was probably answered somewhere in here before, but what is the best material for crafting war-hammers? Especially for embark - Copper or bronze?
Between copper and bronze, take bronze. When it comes to weapons that deal blunt damage (hammers and maces mainly,) damage is determined by the weight of the weapon. In terms of readily produced weapons, silver is your best option for hammers- gold and platinum are heavier (and therefore more effective) materials, but can only be produced via strange mood.
If you feel like a bit of DIY to get your hammer, bring silver nuggets and smelt them to produce a silver bar, and then have somebody make a hammer themselves. Galena has a 50% chance of producing silver in addition to lead, and Tetrahedrite has a 20% chance of producing silver in addition to copper.
I myself often take tetrahedrite and cassiterite (ore of tin) on embark if I want a hammer right away. If I get the silver, then I can have a great weapon right away, but even if I don't get it I can smelt the cassiterite for tin and use tin + copper to make bronze. If I'm expecting a dangerous embark (which is probably why I'm trying for a quick hammer in the first place) then I invest in some charcoal to save time.
Here's a healthcare question: My militia commander has a spine injury. On his health screen, his spine has been smashed apart, and the lower spine nervous tissue has been cut apart. The nervous tissue has been sutured. Ability to stand lost.
Looking at the z health screen, however, reveals that he Cannot Stand and has Broken Tissue. More intriguing to me was the fact it does NOT list any sensory or motor nerve damage.
Will he walk again?