40d:Armor

Armor is the protection your dwarves wear, to keep them alive longer. They come in several types, from simple clothes to shell, bone, leather, chainmail and plate.

Depending on the type, a certain dwarf with certain skills are needed to make the armor, as well as the appropriate materials. While clothes aren't necessarily armor, they do offer a little protection. Shell and bone armors are made by a bonecrafter at a craftsdwarf's workshop. Chainmail and plate are made by a blacksmith at a metalsmith's forge, and the type of metal used affects their performance. Leather armors are made at a leather works by a leatherworker.

Better materials provide better protection, according to the following table:

Material	Damage %
Adamantine	500 (unconfirmed)
Steel	133
Iron	100
Bronze	75
Copper	66
Other metals/materials (leather, cloth, bone, shell, wood, etc.)	50

Toady has also stated that item quality increases its protection (or damage, in the case of weapons), namely, "Quality has a huge effect on damage and damage reduction... Exceptional is almost double damage/damage block."

Using armor

To tell a dwarf to wear armor, [v]iew the dwarf, go to [p]references, then [s]oldiering. There you can select the highest level of armor he should wear: clothes, leather, chain, or plate. Shield level is selected separately. You can also set the armor level for many dwarves at once on the [m]ilitary screen, under [w]eapons.

Upgrading a civilian dwarf's armor level will not take effect unless they are activated as soldiers. Civilians will not wear armor other than clothing, except for those given the Hunting labor, who will wear leather (provided their armor level is set above "clothing"). This will, however, cause them to go out into the wilderness and hunt, which is often undesirable. Hunters will carry a Crossbow. Similar behavior for weapons is observed in the Mining and Woodcutting labors, where civilians may carry either Picks or Axes, to better defend themselves.