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[Footman04]

I'm having some problems with effective defences for the passages between my fortress and the caverns. I'm currently using a bridge airlock system, but it is cumbersome and difficult to operate. Does anyone have any suggestions as to how I can improve this?

[HoaBinh]

Cage traps ... it works on most things.

[MarcAFK]

repeating spikes, cages, an airlock, and for a last failsafe either magma flooding or a simple wall on a support attached to a lever somewhere higher up and safe

[forsaken1111]

Walls.

Seriously, just build walls in any connecting tunnel which leads to a part of the cavern you're not using.

[obeliab]

I use a single 10-steel-weapon trap down a short 1-wide passage with a chained dog a few tiles back.  The trap usually doesn't kill, but the severely injured intruders are rarely able to even get to the dog, providing easy insta-gibs for even novice warriors with average weapons.  Oddly, a lot of the curious cavern-dwellers will activate a trap, get a tile past it, then go into a "retreat" mode and step right on the same trap again.

If I'm worried about Forgotten Beasts or spiders, well, I wall off the caverns.  No need to be down there if I'm not to the point where I can take on a somewhat serious monster.

[Fredd]

Could linking a hatch, above a ramp leading downwards to the cavern work?

[Assassinfox]

Could linking a hatch, above a ramp leading downwards to the cavern work?

If you're not expecting any building destroyers, yes.

[Jake]

A ballista or half a dozen marksdwarves behind fortifications and a lever-linked iron door should cater for most things on their own, and delay Forgotten Beasts long enough for you to call in the heavy mob.

[Xvareon]

It should be noted that there are two types of building destroyer; BuildingDestroyer 1's and BuildingDestroyer 2's.  For simplicity's sake I'll call them Rank 1 and Rank 2.  Rank 1's can destroy buildings and furniture -- IF they are made out of Wood.  Rank 2's can destroy ALL buildings and furniture, regardless of what they're made of.  Still, Building Destroyers of both types can't destroy traps and will happily trigger them; unless the creature happens to be a trapavoid building destroyer.  The best way to deal those, or any building destroyers is to construct a support in a random area, then build a floor or wall above it.  The stupid beast won't be able to resist that juicy pillar and barely have time to scream before they are squashed by your cave-in.

Also, if you're having trouble with those annoying Gremlins, build a lever right next to a linked support with a larger floor above it.  Gremlins can't resist levers and will pull them with the biggest grin on their faces; but won't have time to entirely replace that expression as they are reduced to pancakes.

[ext0l]

In my past fort, I used pressure plates and floor hatches to divide cavern monsters into three groups: useful creatures (GCS,cave crocs), useless creatures (crundles,trogs) and building destroyer 2's/trap avoids.
When the useless creatures tried to go through the cage trap corridor, they triggered a floor hatch that would reroute them to the serrated steel disks. Likewise, when useful creatures try to enter the weapon trap corridor, a hatch would open that would send them towards the cages. There is a third path that is blocked by a locked door, behind lies ~10 menacing steel spikes linked to a lever.

[Shakkara]

1-tile wide floor over a pit that's deep enough. Weapon traps on it. They'll dodge off the bridge and fall into the pit, ready for future use.

[MarcAFK]

It should be noted that there are two types of building destroyer; BuildingDestroyer 1's and BuildingDestroyer 2's.  For simplicity's sake I'll call them Rank 1 and Rank 2.  Rank 1's can destroy buildings and furniture -- IF they are made out of Wood.  Rank 2's can destroy ALL buildings and furniture, regardless of what they're made of.  Still, Building Destroyers of both types can't destroy traps and will happily trigger them; unless the creature happens to be a trapavoid building destroyer.  The best way to deal those, or any building destroyers is to construct a support in a random area, then build a floor or wall above it.  The stupid beast won't be able to resist that juicy pillar and barely have time to scream before they are squashed by your cave-in.

Also, if you're having trouble with those annoying Gremlins, build a lever right next to a linked support with a larger floor above it.  Gremlins can't resist levers and will pull them with the biggest grin on their faces; but won't have time to entirely replace that expression as they are reduced to pancakes.

i thought that building destroyers knocking over supports was a myth

[Urist Imiknorris]

It's a thing that was removed in 31.01.

[Urist Da Vinci]

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First a door, then a cage trap, then a water channel for cleaning contaminants (3/7 full), then another door, then a ramp up covered by a retracting bridge. The bridge is remotely linked to a lever in a safe control center. Both doors are "tightly closed" but not forbidden. If a creature you want to capture is waiting outside the outer door, remove the "tightly closed" status to let it pass. If a FB destroys a door, quickly close the bridge.