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Editing Weapon
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: (* No "wooden handle" is required for most non-wooden weapons. The unique [[obsidian]] option for [[short sword]]s is the sole exception to this. Any metal weapons, including short swords made from metal, need no wood for their production.) | : (* No "wooden handle" is required for most non-wooden weapons. The unique [[obsidian]] option for [[short sword]]s is the sole exception to this. Any metal weapons, including short swords made from metal, need no wood for their production.) | ||
− | Graphically, each weapon's color palette will change according to the material used to make them, though this is currently the case with only dwarves. With [[kobold]]s, [[human]]s and [[goblin]]s, all wielded weapons will appear as steel-made. A slight exception to this is [[ | + | Graphically, each weapon's color palette will change according to the material used to make them, though this is currently the case with only dwarves. With [[kobold]]s, [[human]]s and [[goblin]]s, all wielded weapons will appear as steel-made. A slight exception to this is [[elves]], where they can also appear with grown wood weapons. |
− | Many creatures with a humanoid form ([[giant]], [[magma man|magma men]], [[animal people]], etc.), or even some non-humanoid creatures with hands can also wield weapons, which can be seen in the items tab after clicking on a creature, although their sprite will not reflect this. This | + | Many creatures with a humanoid form ([[giant]], [[magma man|magma men]], [[animal people]], etc.), or even some non-humanoid creatures with hands can also wield weapons, which can be seen in the items tab after clicking on a creature, although their sprite will not reflect this. This because only dwarves, humans, elves, goblins and kobolds have dedicated sprites to resemble what they're wearing and wielding. |
== Basics == | == Basics == | ||
=== Native vs. foreign === | === Native vs. foreign === | ||
− | In fortress mode, weapons can be split into two categories: those that you can produce, and those that you can't. [[Weaponsmith]]s can produce seven types of native weapons at a [[metalsmith's forge]], but there are also fourteen foreign weapons that can be found in the hands of enemy combatants, or bought from trading caravans (note, however, that due to bugs, several foreign weapons currently are effectively unusable by dwarves). These may use skills your dwarves are unfamiliar with, it is impossible to buy them in bulk, and they are of variable quality and material. Like all weapons, they tend to be expensive as trade goods | + | In fortress mode, weapons can be split into two categories: those that you can produce, and those that you can't. [[Weaponsmith]]s can produce seven types of native weapons at a [[metalsmith's forge]], but there are also fourteen foreign weapons that can be found in the hands of enemy combatants, or bought from trading caravans (note, however, that due to bugs, several foreign weapons currently are effectively unusable by dwarves). These may use skills your dwarves are unfamiliar with, it is impossible to buy them in bulk, and they are of variable quality and material. Like all weapons, they tend to be expensive as trade goods. They may be worth using if you can secure a high-quality specimen (see [[#Quality and strange moods|Quality]] below). Since they are common for other nations, it is important to understand their properties when you have to fight enemies wielding them. |
=== Types of weapons === | === Types of weapons === | ||
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These are effectively lightweight piercing weapons which work from a distance. When opponents engage the user in melee, the users are then forced to wield these weapons as melee weapons. Bows and crossbows both do extremely bad blunt damage over a contact area 100 times as wide as a war hammer, meaning it's far less likely for them to get through armor than such weapons. | These are effectively lightweight piercing weapons which work from a distance. When opponents engage the user in melee, the users are then forced to wield these weapons as melee weapons. Bows and crossbows both do extremely bad blunt damage over a contact area 100 times as wide as a war hammer, meaning it's far less likely for them to get through armor than such weapons. | ||
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There exists one more umbrella category of weapon: the so-called "'''training weapon'''". Training weapons are wooden, and are made at a [[carpenter's workshop]]. Training axes, spears, and short swords can be constructed in fortress mode. They all do blunt impact damage, but only a tiny amount due to the poor [[material science|material properties]] of wood for a combat weapon. While every weapon is actually safe to use in [[Training|sparring]], the primary purpose of training weapons in fortress mode is to allow your dwarves to start training before you have a working metal industry. They can also be used during live combat exercises (beating upon a disarmed goblin, etc.) to extend the training session's length. Finally, they may be issued to the guards to reduce the lethality of a [[justice|criminal beating]]. | There exists one more umbrella category of weapon: the so-called "'''training weapon'''". Training weapons are wooden, and are made at a [[carpenter's workshop]]. Training axes, spears, and short swords can be constructed in fortress mode. They all do blunt impact damage, but only a tiny amount due to the poor [[material science|material properties]] of wood for a combat weapon. While every weapon is actually safe to use in [[Training|sparring]], the primary purpose of training weapons in fortress mode is to allow your dwarves to start training before you have a working metal industry. They can also be used during live combat exercises (beating upon a disarmed goblin, etc.) to extend the training session's length. Finally, they may be issued to the guards to reduce the lethality of a [[justice|criminal beating]]. | ||
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The [[quality]] of a weapon has a significant impact on its combat performance, as well as its [[value]]. | The [[quality]] of a weapon has a significant impact on its combat performance, as well as its [[value]]. | ||
− | {{:Item quality/Table}} | + | {{DF2014:Item quality/Table}} |
Weaponsmithing is a [[moodable]] profession, which means that you can get [[artifact]] weapons. Artifact weapons have a 3x combat bonus and can be made out of a wide range of materials; ordinarily a [[hippo]] [[bone]] spear is impossible, but a moody dwarf can create one with a stack of hippo bone. Artifact weapons made of totally inappropriate materials are inferior to regular ones made of weapons-grade metal, although the exact balance is still under discussion. As with other moodable skills, a dwarf who creates an artifact using the weaponsmith skill stands a [[DF2014:Strange_mood#Skills_and_workshops|high chance]] of becoming a legendary weaponsmith. | Weaponsmithing is a [[moodable]] profession, which means that you can get [[artifact]] weapons. Artifact weapons have a 3x combat bonus and can be made out of a wide range of materials; ordinarily a [[hippo]] [[bone]] spear is impossible, but a moody dwarf can create one with a stack of hippo bone. Artifact weapons made of totally inappropriate materials are inferior to regular ones made of weapons-grade metal, although the exact balance is still under discussion. As with other moodable skills, a dwarf who creates an artifact using the weaponsmith skill stands a [[DF2014:Strange_mood#Skills_and_workshops|high chance]] of becoming a legendary weaponsmith. | ||
=== Weapons as tools === | === Weapons as tools === | ||
− | [[Hunter]]s use crossbows, [[wood cutter]]s use [[battle axe]]s, and [[miner]]s use [[pick]]s. They must be in possession of these items to do their jobs, and it's as simple as that. | + | [[Hunter]]s use crossbows, [[wood cutter]]s use [[battle axe]]s (wooden training axes worked prior to version 0.43.01), and [[miner]]s use [[pick]]s. They must be in possession of these items to do their jobs, and it's as simple as that. |
Hunters gain [[marksdwarf]] skill from hunting, but wood cutters do not gain [[axedwarf]] weapon skill from cutting trees. Miners gain [[mining]] skill, which is not considered a military skill, but is used as a weapon skill when fighting with a pick. A dwarf using a weapon as a tool will not use the same tool as a military weapon, instead dropping their tool to pick up another for military use.{{bug|1451}} Dwarves may carry only one weapon as a tool at a time; for example, woodcutters/hunters will drop their axes then go and pick up crossbows every time they begin hunting. | Hunters gain [[marksdwarf]] skill from hunting, but wood cutters do not gain [[axedwarf]] weapon skill from cutting trees. Miners gain [[mining]] skill, which is not considered a military skill, but is used as a weapon skill when fighting with a pick. A dwarf using a weapon as a tool will not use the same tool as a military weapon, instead dropping their tool to pick up another for military use.{{bug|1451}} Dwarves may carry only one weapon as a tool at a time; for example, woodcutters/hunters will drop their axes then go and pick up crossbows every time they begin hunting. | ||
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==== vs. [[undead]] ==== | ==== vs. [[undead]] ==== | ||
− | * recommended weapon: mace | + | * recommended weapon: mace only if you want to have a single corpse, axe if you want effiency. |
− | * other choices: sword will do a fine job. | + | * other choices: sword and spear will do a fine job. |
u/MrNorrelDoesHisPart: | u/MrNorrelDoesHisPart: | ||
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*Newest Dwarven [https://www.reddit.com/r/dwarffortress/comments/11bh54h/combat_science_iii_fighting_the_undead/ !!Science!!] shows that while axe create a messy pile of reanimated corpse, the axe generally takes only 1/3 the time to kill all the reanimated bits. Therefore without considering the extra hauling labor, battle axe is the superior solution to reanimated corpse. | *Newest Dwarven [https://www.reddit.com/r/dwarffortress/comments/11bh54h/combat_science_iii_fighting_the_undead/ !!Science!!] shows that while axe create a messy pile of reanimated corpse, the axe generally takes only 1/3 the time to kill all the reanimated bits. Therefore without considering the extra hauling labor, battle axe is the superior solution to reanimated corpse. | ||
− | + | ==== vs. Undead Megabeast and other large fleshy creature ==== | |
− | + | ** recommend weapon: if has access to steel: large army with steel spears. | |
+ | ** recommend weapon: if has access to candy: candy axe. | ||
+ | ** not recommend weapon: anything inferior than steel. | ||
− | + | The result varies between axe, spear and sword. When a squad of 4 armored dwarves fight an undead cyclops with metal inferior to candy, only the ones armored with steel spear has a chance of winning. The squads with axe, mace and sword stand no fighting chance. | |
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− | + | With candy weapon however, axe and sword outperforms spear. Even one grandmaster axe dwarf with candy axe stands a chance to defeat the undead cyclops. | |
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− | With | ||
==== vs. others ==== | ==== vs. others ==== | ||
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* other choices: any steel axe (depending), crossbow (from behind fortifications), whip | * other choices: any steel axe (depending), crossbow (from behind fortifications), whip | ||
− | There are many different types here, and no one approach works for all. Some are merely gigantic but (more or less) "normal", but many are non-organic, and most enjoy the "[[No Pain|don't feel pain]]" tag, including [[titan]]s, [[forgotten beast]]s, [[bronze colossus]]es, [[Iron man | + | There are many different types here, and no one approach works for all. Some are merely gigantic but (more or less) "normal", but many are non-organic, and most enjoy the "[[No Pain|don't feel pain]]" tag, including [[titan]]s, [[forgotten beast]]s, [[bronze colossus]]es, [[Iron men|Iron man]], and [[HFS|hidden fun stuff]]. Many of these enemies ''have'' no internal organs while being huge, weakening the effectiveness of pain and pierce. Some are still flesh and blood, and they're functionally like unarmored wildlife, but some are made from some material that may be very difficult to slash at.* In the worst case of being made of steel, it leaves chipping away at the target until they collapse from cumulative damage, which means either penetrating a LOT of armor (warhammer or ideally whip) or breaking everything (mace). Some few megabeasts are metal (e.g. [[bronze colossus]]), and the "superior metal" rule goes ''strongly'' in effect there - use steel sharp weapons for them, though whip would be best if you don't have those. |
(* although a forgotten beast made of, for instance, "mud" is laughably easy to kill) | (* although a forgotten beast made of, for instance, "mud" is laughably easy to kill) | ||
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==== Final verdict ==== | ==== Final verdict ==== | ||
− | Now, all that said, overall, if you had to choose one "least worst" weapon, it would probably have to be... the </u>steel short sword</u>. It has no true counters, no enemy it cannot ever defeat - while axes falls to iron men and copper armor and maces/hammers/spears falls to big creatures. If you cannot get steel, a second option would be the goblin-made whip, which is still somewhat effective against bronze | + | Now, all that said, overall, if you had to choose one "least worst" weapon, it would probably have to be... the </u>steel short sword</u>. It has no true counters, no enemy it cannot ever defeat - while axes falls to iron men and copper armor and maces/hammers/spears falls to big creatures. If you cannot get steel, a second option would be the goblin-made whip, which is still somewhat effective against bronze colossi and big beasts, and maces and hammers will always be effective no matter what they're made of. |
Outside that, for edged/piercing weapons (axe, spear, bolts, and sword) against unarmored (and non-"unusual" targets) any metal will be overpowered, easily cutting/chopping/piercing all equally. Soft targets aside, make edged/piercing weapons out of the best metal you can (steel > iron > bronze > copper > silver) for use against armor, if/when you meet that. Crushing weapons (in order: hammer, mace, and crossbow in melee) can be any metal, with silver or steel each ''slightly'' preferable. If you want to add megabeasts into the consideration, go with steel to be safe, for any weapon type. | Outside that, for edged/piercing weapons (axe, spear, bolts, and sword) against unarmored (and non-"unusual" targets) any metal will be overpowered, easily cutting/chopping/piercing all equally. Soft targets aside, make edged/piercing weapons out of the best metal you can (steel > iron > bronze > copper > silver) for use against armor, if/when you meet that. Crushing weapons (in order: hammer, mace, and crossbow in melee) can be any metal, with silver or steel each ''slightly'' preferable. If you want to add megabeasts into the consideration, go with steel to be safe, for any weapon type. | ||
= Technical = | = Technical = | ||
− | From here down, there are tables of values pulled from the raws, some technical analyses, a few statistical observations, and some solid and speculative inferences and conclusions. | + | From here down, there are tables of values pulled from the raws, some technical analyses, a few statistical observations, and some solid and some speculative inferences and conclusions. |
Insert obligatory "math warning" here. | Insert obligatory "math warning" here. | ||
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Using any multi-grasp weapon in a single hand (i.e. with a shield in the other hand) gives you a disability to hit - do not equip two-handed swords with a shield, for instance. '''The game will not stop you from doing this''', so be wary about it. | Using any multi-grasp weapon in a single hand (i.e. with a shield in the other hand) gives you a disability to hit - do not equip two-handed swords with a shield, for instance. '''The game will not stop you from doing this''', so be wary about it. | ||
− | In adventurer mode, however | + | In adventurer mode, however, it is possible to wield a two-handed sword, or any multi-grasp weapon, in one hand without penalty (allowing for the simultaneous use of a shield) if your character passes the one-handed check for single-handing a multi-grasp weapon. For example, if you create a human character, and manage to spawn into a world with a "broad body" or a "tall body" in the character description, you will be able to single-hand any multi-grasp weapon (and will be forced to, much like you are forced to single-hand any single-grasp weapon), which allows for the simultaneous, disability-free use of a shield, thus making your damage and defensive capabilities much higher than they would be with a single-grasp weapon and shield. Note that upping Strength to Superior (and eventually Superhuman) will make all attacks more likely to deal extra damage, making cutting off the limbs of your enemies much easier. |
{| class="wikitable" border="border" | {| class="wikitable" border="border" | ||
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! Skill Used | ! Skill Used | ||
! Used by | ! Used by | ||
− | ! Hands Used | + | ! Hands Used |
|- valign="top" | |- valign="top" | ||
|rowspan="4"| [[Two-handed sword]] | |rowspan="4"| [[Two-handed sword]] | ||
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| Sword | | Sword | ||
| Subterranean [[animal people]] | | Subterranean [[animal people]] | ||
− | | Single-grasp | + | | Single-grasp? |
|- valign="top" | |- valign="top" | ||
| [[Bow]] (Melee) | | [[Bow]] (Melee) | ||
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| Sword | | Sword | ||
| [[Elf]], [[Goblin]], [[Human]], [[Kobold]] | | [[Elf]], [[Goblin]], [[Human]], [[Kobold]] | ||
− | | Single-grasp | + | | Single-grasp? |
|- valign="top" | |- valign="top" | ||
| [[Flail]] | | [[Flail]] | ||
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The following table shows approximately how many dwarves ''should be'' able to use each weapon one- or two-handed (see [http://www.bay12forums.com/smf/index.php?topic=101379.msg3029579#msg3029579 this forum post] for details), with all fractional numbers being approximate. While there are seven categories each for height and broadness, the number used is chosen randomly from within each category. | The following table shows approximately how many dwarves ''should be'' able to use each weapon one- or two-handed (see [http://www.bay12forums.com/smf/index.php?topic=101379.msg3029579#msg3029579 this forum post] for details), with all fractional numbers being approximate. While there are seven categories each for height and broadness, the number used is chosen randomly from within each category. | ||
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Where the size checking bug affects weapon wielding for dwarves, correct approximate figures are given in brackets. | Where the size checking bug affects weapon wielding for dwarves, correct approximate figures are given in brackets. | ||
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== Combat formulae == | == Combat formulae == | ||
− | Penetration is poorly understood, but most of the rest of combat is fairly well understood. Maybe it defines how deep | + | Penetration is poorly understood, but most of the rest of combat is fairly well understood. Maybe it defines how deep blade may go thru layers of armor and flesh and bones and even cut off limbs. This may explain why it does not apply for blunt attacks that do not go thru layers. |
First, you need to calculate your weapon's momentum. | First, you need to calculate your weapon's momentum. | ||
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where: | where: | ||
* '''a_density''' is the armor material's density | * '''a_density''' is the armor material's density | ||
− | * '''wIY''' is the weapon's impact yield in MPa (i.e. raw value divided by 10<sup>6</sup>). | + | * '''wIY''' is the weapon's impact yield in MPa (i.e. raw value divided by 10<sup>6</sup>). |
Failure means the attack bounces off, meaning denser, larger armor resists blunt attacks better, but larger blunt weapons with smaller contact areas and higher impact yields get through armor better. This also means adamantine armor is some of the worst in the game at outright deflecting attacks, due to its poor density, but this is not typically relevant, as impact yields are typically at least 10 times larger than density values for the actual metals available, so this step is routinely passed by most weapons regardless of relative materials. | Failure means the attack bounces off, meaning denser, larger armor resists blunt attacks better, but larger blunt weapons with smaller contact areas and higher impact yields get through armor better. This also means adamantine armor is some of the worst in the game at outright deflecting attacks, due to its poor density, but this is not typically relevant, as impact yields are typically at least 10 times larger than density values for the actual metals available, so this step is routinely passed by most weapons regardless of relative materials. | ||
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*Equipping weapons/armor on military is erratic. This is likely due to a single piece of weapons/armor being erroneously assigned to multiple dwarves and seems to occur when dwarves are upgrading their equipment or going on raids. Removing and reassigning equipment for all military dwarves can temporarily fix this problem.{{Bug|535}} | *Equipping weapons/armor on military is erratic. This is likely due to a single piece of weapons/armor being erroneously assigned to multiple dwarves and seems to occur when dwarves are upgrading their equipment or going on raids. Removing and reassigning equipment for all military dwarves can temporarily fix this problem.{{Bug|535}} | ||
*'One-handed' vs. 'two-handed' checks are performed correctly, but 'can wield' vs. 'can't wield' ignores height and broadness modifiers, so dwarves in Fortress mode cannot equip two-handed swords, great axes, halberds, mauls, or pikes.{{bug|5812}} | *'One-handed' vs. 'two-handed' checks are performed correctly, but 'can wield' vs. 'can't wield' ignores height and broadness modifiers, so dwarves in Fortress mode cannot equip two-handed swords, great axes, halberds, mauls, or pikes.{{bug|5812}} | ||
− | *In the Premium version, the sprite sheets for equipped gear are mostly incomplete. The material of equipped gear is currently distinguished for [[dwarf|dwarves]], for [[elf|elves']] and [[kobold|kobolds']] [[armor]] (including metal armor), and for elves' wooden weapons; everything else has a default, 'gray' color | + | *In the Premium version, the sprite sheets for equipped gear are mostly incomplete. The material of equipped gear is currently distinguished for [[dwarf|dwarves]], for [[elf|elves']] and [[kobold|kobolds']] [[armor]] (including metal armor), and for elves' wooden weapons; everything else has a default, 'gray' color palate. |
*The Premium version has placeholder sprites for equipped artifact gear (which can be any material), but these are not used for gear of nonstandard materials spawned in the [[object testing arena]], resulting in creatures that use them appearing un-equipped. | *The Premium version has placeholder sprites for equipped artifact gear (which can be any material), but these are not used for gear of nonstandard materials spawned in the [[object testing arena]], resulting in creatures that use them appearing un-equipped. | ||