v0.31 Talk:Captured creatures

How to strip prisoners

I've noticed that if you have prisoners and you want to steal their items...You first have to unforbid the items. Then you can dump them (as worked in 40d).

So, really it's a 3-step process:

1) d-b-c, reclaim the cage and everything in it. 2) d-b-d, dump the cage and everything in it. 3) k or t, then d, to un-dump the cage.

--JohnEvans 22:29, 5 June 2010 (UTC)

I've often wondered how to take prisoners' items if my book keeper isn't skilled enough to list all the weapons/armor in the stocks screen. Just to clarify, you're doing [d]esignate-[b]set properties-[c]reclaim on the cage which is inside an animal stockpile?--208.81.12.34 17:12, 21 July 2010 (UTC)

Yes. Usually I build one cage and assign all the non-theif goblins to it. I designate a garbage dump on the squares around the cage. After you claim the items using #1, then you need to follow #2 and #3 above. Namely dumping them and then claiming the cage so it isn't dumped. If the cage is built, you don't have to immediately worry about them dumping it. I've also found it convenient to have the cage/dump/stockpiles close to the depot to save the dwarves some time pathing.--Kwieland 19:36, 22 July 2010 (UTC)

The Non-nudists Approach to Disarming Slaves

This isolates particular items on your prisoners, instead of leaving them wimpy and naked. I perform this ritual before every execution, when my prisoners are all in one cage, but you could to it as easily with a stockpile of cages. We'll use hide because only you can flag items as hidden. It can be quite confusing to sort out which items are forbidden or dumped and when and where they were designated.

^*bookeepers and stocks: I'm not sure how bookkeeper accuracy works, but I haven't missed any weapons yet and my bookkeeper is only at high precision. ^**Achiles Heel alternative: Use the method below but remove only their footwear. If your dwarves are armed with wooden weapons it may take several lucky hits to cripple their opponents.

1. d-b-c, to claim everything in the cage(s)
2. d-b-h, to hide the cage and it's contents (oh no, the cage disappeared... It's still there, no worries)
3. z, stocks*, weapons**, tab, d any item marked h
4. d-b-H, to make the cage visible for your own sanity, because your dwarves don't care either way

Kill creatures in cages?

Say I capture a bonobo in a cage trap. How can I slaughter the bonobo and eat it?

As per 40d, you have to tame it first.--Kwieland 16:31, 21 July 2010 (UTC)

No, you can let it out of the cage near some of your military and order them to kill it. GhostDwemer 17:35, 9 November 2010 (UTC)

40d

This article should be copied over from 40d. I don't see any differences (other than the dungeon master bug)--Kwieland 16:31, 21 July 2010 (UTC)

It's a wiki, you can feel free to do so yourself :) Mason ^(T-C) 17:04, 21 July 2010 (UTC)

Release Large Animal

When a caged creature gives birth, a dwarf with the Animal Training job may grab another cage and stand place the newborn creature in the new cage. The dwarf's job is listed as "Release Large Animal."

Never seen that before. Are you sure the dwarf wasn't just releasing the animal so it could be milked/etc?

Why do sometimes the newborn ends up in the cage with the mother, other times it is outside the cage? I've seen both.--Kwieland 19:37, 22 July 2010 (UTC)

RTFA, dwarfs let them out soon after birth if you don't assign them to the cage.

update from 40d

I took these sections out, as it fit into the wiki idea as I understand it. Namely a place to explain the details and not tell people how to play the game.

How to capture your own Dwarves

The easiest and safest way to obtain a Dwarf cage is to build prisons with only metal cages, and get as many prisoners as you can (ignoring mandates is usually efficient). When you have someone installed in a cage, remove the building (q x). You now have your very own Dwarf cage, ready for lots of interesting things (e.g. starvation).

While in the cage, the dwarf cannot be released using most "normal" methods, and will not be fed while in the cage.^{v0.28.181.40d} To release the dwarf, you must attach the cage to a lever, and pull the lever to release the cage.

Execution

Many imaginatively sadistic methods have been discovered for the abuse of caged creatures.

• Dwarven Atom Smasher: You can set up a 1-tile of garbage dump zone under a raised drawbridge, designate whatever cages with hostiles you have for dumping, and then pulverize them along with their inhabitants by lowering the bridge.

• Execution tower: One method is the execution tower; the caged critter is brought on top of a very tall (~10 Z-levels) tower or to the edge of a chasm; then the edge of the tower (the abyss adjacent to the edge of the tower) is designated as a Pit/Pond; the animal in the cage is assigned to be in the pit/pond and unassigned from the cage. A dwarf will run up to the tower, pull the creature out of its cage and throw it down into the depth.

• Execution shaft: Almost the same as an execution tower, except that there is a stairway near a channeled out shaft that allows access to the bottom. This enables you to loot the corpses afterwards. It is recommended to place a door between the landing square and the up stairs, so that it can be locked during execution to ensure that any survivors cannot escape and no dwarves attempt to clean up the mess if multiple critters are being dropped.

• Execution range: Dig a medium sized pit (6x6 or more recommended) and set it as a pit/pond as you would with other methods. At one end of the pit, build a wall and cut fortifications in it. When you have prisoners, throw them into the pit and station your marksdwarves next to the wall. They will shoot through the wall, killing the creatures. It is recommended that you build a way for your dwarves to clean out the pit (bridge,floodgate,etc.) since you can store the remains until they become bones and them make more arrows for your marksdwarves to use.

Some invaders, such as dwarfs, can not be assigned to a pit. Others, such as thieves and certain dangerous creatures (including undead and chasm dwellers), can easily escape if a dwarf tries to pull them out of the cage and drop them. In these cases, build the invader's cage in a pit and attach it to a lever, releasing it where your marksdwarves can safely kill it.

• Slaughter tower: Almost identical to the execution shaft, except this one kills masses at once. You need to build a hollow tower ~10 Z-levels high. There should be no floors except for the bottom, and you should get your masons up there by staircases on the outside. Then build a retractable bridge at the top instead of a floor. Build a few Butcher's Workshops and a lever at the bottom of the tower. Connect the lever to the bridge. Now build walls for 1 Z-level on top of the tower such that the bridge is totally inaccessible. Now designate the area 1 Z-level above the bridge as a pit/pond. Assign all the animals you want to sacrifice to be thrown into the pit/pond. Once all of them are in the pit, get a dwarf to pull the lever, and start the butchering.

• Death chambers: A cage can be opened remotely by attaching a lever to it. This allows for some horrible traps, such as the drowning chamber or magma death chamber. A room is set up next to a water or magma pool, separated from it by a floodgate; a cage is put into the room, and a lever is attached to it; doors leading into the chamber are locked down; the cage and the floodgate are opened remotely. The creatures will then drown or burn. (Magma will melt/burn non-magma-resistant cages along with whatever is inside it. However magma-resistant cages, and any underwater cage, must be opened for this to work because animals in cages do not drown.)

• Arenas: Remote cage opening can also be used to set up arenas; a tame animal such as a tiger or dog is locked into the arena; a cage containing a hostile animal, such as a goblin (presumably stripped of its weapons and armor) is also brought in the arena; doors are locked down and the cage is opened. The animals will shred the goblin (or in a worse case, the creatures will kill off your animals - therefore it is wise to assign some guards to the doorways to put down any breakout attempts). An injury shaft can also be used to drop the creature into the arena, allowing for an easy kill.

• "Gangplank": Goblins and other non-flying creatures do not like heights or magma. You can combine both by creating a hanging platform. When you want to execute the goblins on the platform, simply release them from their cages and disconnect the platform. Watch as the helpless little buggers fly down several Z levels and are incinerated in your magma pool. One way of doing so is by using a retractable bridge to support the platform, and simply retract the bridge to dump the prisoners. This is also a good way to use all ten thousand units of your stone for something useful.

• "Injury shaft": This method does not kill prisoners so much as injure them, but it can result in death and is very amusing. Its usage and construction are similar to the Execution Shaft, except that it is only 2 or 3 z-levels deep and the door is replaced with a cage trap. When dumped into the pit, the prisoner will be injured, attempt to escape, and run into the cage trap. You then repeat the process until the prisoner dies slowly and painfully.

• "Siege engine target practice": Why waste good stone throwing it at a wall? Throw it at some captured goblins (or elves!) instead!

• "A section of the cavern has collapsed": why bother with a bridge? Dig out a rocky overhang to use as a cave-in trap; surround the lone support, linked to a lever, with cages, stick the little bastards in the cages, and pull. Net result: 200 tons of rock lands on their heads, and there will be nothing to remind you of their existence save the fading clouds of dust.

• Hello, goblin. I want to play a game. Why just kill them when you can sadistically watch them sprint through a labyrinth of fiendish deathtraps? Pressure plate activated Dwarven Atom Smashers, drawbridges over a drop five Z-levels deep activated by pressure pad and lever, and floodgates unleashing tidal waves combine to produce a horrifically painful experience for the foolish goblins who dared attack your fortress. Time-consuming, but fun to watch.

Pit Goblins Is The Same As Freeing Them Into Your Fortress

I had a bunch of goblins in cages, and I assigned them all to a Pit. Dwarves went to the animal stockpile, freed the goblins, and then started running away in fear of the goblins, effectively freeing them into my fortress.

i am finding this as well. a key difference from 40d. i miss those death towers and have not found a substitute that works quite as well.

As for 0.31.16, disarmed (d-b-d, d-b-c) goblins (except thieves) and even trolls don't interrupt dwarwes that lead them to the pit.9 Nov 2010, Ivze

I'm using 31.18 and trying to pit a simple troglodyte causes cancellation chaos as the troggo escapes custody. I have something like 35 caged troglodytes and need a quick way to be rid of them en masse. I would like to drop them into my chasm of death without having to create some elaborate mechanism and hook up every damn cage to a lever.

EDIT: Okay, I got it to work by making an animal stockpile restricted to just troggos all along the edge of the cliff and forbidding troggos in my other animal stockpile. Dwarves hauled all the troggo cages there and had no trouble tossing them off the edge since it was so close.

Caged Megabeasts

Instead of saying "Caged Prisoner" for a captured megabeast/semi-megabeast/forgotten beast/anything else that is referred to as an "Uninvited Guest", it says Caged Guest. Just a nice little detail.

SirAaronIII 03:25, 21 November 2010 (UTC)

Prisoner transport and foreigners

Interesting fact: if hostile prisoners (don't know if it would happen with wild animals) are being moved (for reassignment from cage to pit, for example), and there are foreigners in your fortress (human caravan guards, for example), the foreigners will not recognize that prisoner transport is being performed and will happily hack away at your captured goblins as they docilely plod by. The hostiles will not fight back unless they get a block-and-counterattack combat event. —Chaos 19:27, 4 January 2011 (UTC)

Prisoner Butchery

I caught 2 lizardmen theives (civ from a mod i have) in my cage traps, and have stripped them of their weapons and armor. Can you butcher prisoners for meat or do you have to kill them some other way and let them rot first then grab the bones?

Dwarves have a tag on them in the raws that won't allow them to butcher anything that has a sentient tag.

Prisoner escape if I move

Alwais I try to put a goblins thief in a pit, my dwarf scares and the goblin escapes :-/