- v50 information can now be added to pages in the main namespace. v0.47 information can still be found in the DF2014 namespace. See here for more details on the new versioning policy.
- Use this page to report any issues related to the migration.
v0.31:Weapon
| This article is about an older version of DF. |
"Weapon" can refer to either the manufactured weapons used by dwarves and other creatures for either Template:L or specific Template:Ls, or natural weapons like fists, horns and Template:L used for creature-specific methods of combat.
Manufactured weapons
These weapons are constructed by dwarves or other intelligent races. There are many types of weapons, but not all may be manufactured in Template:L.
Notes about manufactured weapons
- If you find your dwarves wearing more than one weapon -- or any unwanted Template:L, for that matter -- one way to get rid of them is to dump the weapon from their v-i inventory screen. This does not always work, as they might re-equip the item. Another option is to remove any weapons and/or shields listed on their military equip screen. This too does not always work. At least "left-handedness" seems to not pose a problem.
- Using weapons is much more effective than unarmed combat -- an untrained swordsdwarf with an Template:L weapon can defeat a grand master Template:L, provided neither is wearing armor.
- Larger weapons with more heft tend to do more damage. How damage is calculated is currently not fully understood, and this is an area requiring more research.
- Weapons and ammunition with the "foreign" attribute (item being rarer than Common in the entity file) must be either imported by either Template:Lrs or Template:Ls, or acquired from Template:Ls.
- Weapons originating from strange moods can be made from almost any material: while it is never normally possible to manufacture a Template:L spear, for example, a fey Template:L may produce one from a single Template:L bone.
- Training weapons are all wooden, and all made at the Template:L. All training weapons can be constructed in dwarf fortress mode.
- Crossbows can be made of metal, wood, and bone. Metal crossbows are made by a Template:L at a Template:L, while wood and bone crossbows are made by a Template:L at a bowyer's workshop. The material of a crossbow does not affect its firing ability, only its melee damage. A dwarf's marksmanship skill is only affected by the core Template:L of the bow. This may be a consideration when deciding which dwarf you want outfitting your marksdwarves: a Template:L bowyer is a better choice than a proficient weaponsmith.
- The size for a weapon is it's volume in mm^3. The contact area represents the area of contact of the weapon. The penetration only matters for edges weapons and is how deep the weapon goes.
Weapons as tools
Template:L, Template:L and Template:L use weapons for their Template:L and if need be will also Template:L using them. Hunters seem to be limited to Template:L while miners and woodcutters use Template:L and Template:L respectively.
Dwarf-manufactured weapons
| Type | Size | Attack | Template:L | Contact Area | Penetration | Velocity | Skill Used | Template:L | Template:L | Template:L | Template:L |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Battle Axe | 800 | Hack | Edge | 40000 | 6000 | 1.25x | Axe | Yes | No | No | No |
| Flat slap | Blunt | 40000 | (6000) | 1.25x | |||||||
| Pommel strike | Blunt | 1000 | (1000) | 1x | |||||||
| Crossbow (Melee) | 400 | Bash | Blunt | 10000 | (4000) | 1.25x | Hammer | Yes | Yes | Yes | No |
| Mace | 800 | Bash | Blunt | 20 | (200) | 2.0x | Mace | Yes | No | No | No |
| Pick | 500 | Strike | Edge | 100 | 4000 | 2.0x | Mining | Yes | No | No | No |
| Short Sword | 300 | Slash | Edge | 20000 | 4000 | 1.25x | Sword | Yes | No | No | Yes |
| Stab | Edge | 50 | 2000 | 1.0x | |||||||
| Flat slap | Blunt | 20000 | (4000) | 1.25x | |||||||
| Pommel strike | Blunt | 1000 | (1000) | 1.0x | |||||||
| Spear | 400 | Stab | Edge | 20 | 10000 | 1.0x | Spear | Yes | No | No | No |
| Shaft bash | Blunt | 10000 | (6000) | 1.25x | |||||||
| War Hammer | 400 | Bash | Blunt | 10 | (200) | 2.0x | Hammer | Yes | No | No | No |
Training Weapons
All training weapons must be made of Template:L at the Template:L.
| Type | Size | Attack | Template:L | Contact Area | Penetration | Velocity | Skill Used |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Training Axe | 800 | Hack | Blunt | 30000 | (6000) | 1.25x | Axe |
| Flat slap | Blunt | 30000 | (6000) | 1.25x | |||
| Pommel strike | Blunt | 100 | (1000) | 1.0x | |||
| Training Sword | 300 | Slash | Blunt | 20000 | (4000) | 1.25x | Sword |
| Stab | Blunt | 50 | (2000) | 1.0x | |||
| Flat slap | Blunt | 20000 | (4000) | 1.25x | |||
| Pommel strike | Blunt | 100 | (1000) | 1.0x | |||
| Training Spear | 400 | Stab | Blunt | 200 | (10000) | 1.0x | Spear |
| Shaft bash | Blunt | 10000 | (6000) | 1.25x |
Foreign weapons
In fortress mode, foreign weapons can only be constructed by a dwarf experiencing a Template:L, out of any material. Template:L construct these out of wood, while other races construct them out of metal. Many dwarf-made weapons can be made by foreign civilizations as well, the Used by column is in no way all the weapons that race can make.
| Type | Size | Attack | Template:L | Contact Area | Penetration | Velocity | Skill Used | Used by |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2H Sword | 900 | Slash | Edge | 100000 | 8000 | 1.25x | Sword | Template:L, Template:L |
| Stab | Edge | 50 | 4000 | 1.0x | ||||
| Flat slap | Blunt | 100000 | (8000) | 1.25x | ||||
| Pommel strike | Blunt | 100 | (1000) | 1.0x | ||||
| Blowgun (Melee) | 150 | Bash | Blunt | 10000 | (4000) | 1.25x | Sword | |
| Bow (Melee) | 300 | Bash | Blunt | 10000 | (4000) | 1.25x | Sword | Template:L, Goblin, Human, Template:L |
| Flail | 500 | Bash | Blunt | 200 | (4000) | 2.5x | Mace | Goblin, Human |
| Great Axe | 1300 | Hack | Edge | 60000 | 8000 | 1.25x | Axe | Goblin, Human |
| Flat slap | Blunt | 60000 | (8000) | 1.25x | ||||
| Pommel strike | Blunt | 100 | (1000) | 1.0x | ||||
| Halberd | 1200 | Slash | Edge | 20000 | 8000 | 1.25x | Axe | Goblin, Human |
| Stab | Edge | 50 | 2000 | 1.0x | ||||
| Shaft bash | Blunt | 20000 | (6000) | 1.25x | ||||
| Dagger (Large) | 200 | Slash | Edge | 1000 | 800 | 1.25x | Dagger | Goblin, Kobold |
| Stab | Edge | 5 | 1000 | 1.0x | ||||
| Pommel strike | Blunt | 20 | (600) | 1.0x | ||||
| Long Sword | 700 | Slash | Edge | 60000 | 6000 | 1.25x | Sword | Elf, Goblin, Human |
| Stab | Edge | 50 | 3000 | 1.0x | ||||
| Flat slap | Blunt | 60000 | (6000) | 1.25x | ||||
| Pommel strike | Blunt | 100 | (1000) | 1.0x | ||||
| Maul | 1300 | Bash | Blunt | 100 | (6000) | 2.0x | Hammer | Goblin, Human |
| Morningstar | 500 | Bash | Edge | 10 | 500 | 2.0x | Mace | Goblin, Human |
| Pommel strike | Blunt | 50 | (1000) | 1.0x | ||||
| Pike | 800 | Stab | Edge | 20 | 12000 | 1.0x | Pike | Goblin, Human |
| Shaft bash | Blunt | 10000 | (6000) | 1.25x | ||||
| Scimitar | 300 | Slash | Edge | 20000 | 4000 | 1.25x | Sword | Goblin, Human |
| Stab | Edge | 50 | 2000 | 1.0x | ||||
| Flat slap | Blunt | 20000 | (4000) | 1.25x | ||||
| Pommel strike | Blunt | 50 | (1000) | 1.0x | ||||
| Scourge | 300 | Lash | Edge | 10 | 50 | 2.0x | Whip | Goblin |
| Whip | 100 | Lash | Blunt | 1 | (10) | 5.0x | Whip | Human |
Arena Testing
Testing of weapons(15 dwarfs vs 15 dwarfs combats) shows, that in v0.31.12 best dwarven-made weapon against humanoids is Template:L war hammer. Even in match 15x(steel armor+silver war hammer) VS 15x(adamantine armor+adamantine battle axe) hammerdwarves was a winner with less than 50% casualties(most of it is one-strike kills). But in battles against megabeasts 6 silver hammerdwarves was barely able to scratch bronze collossus(attacks was glancing away) due to bronze being better "weapon" material.
This is because silver has the highest solid density of all materials that can regularly be made into weapons by dwarves. Tests show that indeed Template:L and Template:L (increasingly dense) do increasing amounts of damage, and that war hammers remain the tool of choice, however they can only be produced by a moody dwarf (and a very lucky one at that).
Ammunition
Ammunition is fired from ranged weapons like crossbows and blowguns, and is stored in ammunition Template:Ls, sometimes in quivers. Ammunition may also refer to the Template:Ls and Template:L arrows fired from siege engines: For more information about these weapons, see the Template:L article.
Notes about ammunition
- Ammunition for foreign weapons like bows and blowguns is also considered foreign and cannot be manufactured in the fortress.
- All ammunition has the "EDGE" attack type.
Ammunition table
| Type | Size | Contact Area | Penetration | Skill Used | Template:L | Template:L | Template:L |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bolt (Crossbow) | 150 | 2 | 2000 | Crossbowman | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Arrow (Bow) | 150 | 2 | 2000 | Bowman | Yes | Yes | No |
| Blowdart (Blowgun) | 20 | 1 | 50 | Blowgunner | Yes | Yes | Yes |
Natural weapons
Natural weapons are incredibly varied, but may be divided into a few basic types. Every creature in the game has natural weapons of one sort or another. (Even if one mods the attacks out, the creature will push as an attack.) A short description of natural weapons and damage considerations follows.
Types of natural weapons
Striking natural weapons
Every creature has basic natural weapons, most commonly biting and kicking. Damage done by these weapons depends greatly on the respective size of the combatants and the strength and striking/kicking/biting skill of the attacker.
Natural weapons in this category can include but are not limited to punching with the fists, biting with the teeth, goring with the horns, scratching with the nails, and kicking.
Other natural weapons
The various Template:L delivery methods fall under this category, including breath weapons, poisonous blood, area dusting, venomous bites, and so on. With the exception of some breath weapons, these attacks do not rely on size for damage calculation. For more information, see the Template:L page. For specific information on breath weapons, see the Template:L section of the syndrome page.