40d:Armorsmith

Skill: Armorsmith

Association
Profession	Metalsmith
Job Title	Armorsmith
Labor	Armoring
Tasks
Forge armor
Workshop
Metalsmith's forge Magma forge

The armorsmith skill is used to make all metal armor and shields at a metalsmith's forge (or magma forge). The corresponding labor is armoring.

Like all artisans in Dwarf Fortress, skilled armorsmiths make armor more quickly, and of a higher quality, than unskilled dwarves. The higher the quality of armor, the more damage it can block, which helps to minimize sparring injuries and casualties in combat. A legendary+5 armorsmith is potentially the most valuable dwarf any fortress could hope to have. This makes armorsmith skill a very popular choice in starting builds.

Training armorsmiths

To train an armorsmith to legendary (or legendary+5, better still), you must have him or her make hundreds of pieces of armor. Use copper for this (or bronze, if you have ample cassiterite: save your precious steel or iron for after the training is done (though you may opt to make a few steel suits early on for your soldiers to wear).

These hundreds of pieces of armor will rapidly clutter the forge, greatly slowing down the smithy's progress. To keep up with a high-skill armorsmith, you must employ several full-time haulers to clear out the shop: either item haulers, to drag the pieces to nearby armor stockpiles, or refuse haulers, to drag the items to a nearby dump. (Dumping, however, requires periodically redesignating the area over the forge (d-b-d) in order to mark its contents for dumping.) Setting up several forges and having the smithy move from one to the next when they get cluttered works well in concert with multiple haulers. If you happen to not have magma forges (poor you!), you can also employ a spare metalsmith of any sort to keep destroying and rebuilding the forges to clear them out. Do not do this with magma forges, however, or some items will drop into the magma.^[Verify]

Making one piece of armor grants 30 experience points, regardless of how many metal bars it takes to create. Therefore, train your metalsmiths on pieces of armor that take only one bar to create (helms, caps, shields, bucklers, gauntlets, boots, and leggings).

If you wish to recover the metal used to make these items (via melting), you should make chain leggings, which have a 50% recovery rate, higher than that of other armor items. You may also opt to sell the armor to merchants. Gauntlets and boots produce two items per bar, doubling the effective value produced, and are comparatively light, which will keep the caravan from becoming overloaded. Keep an eye on trade agreements from year to year; you can further double the price you get for your armor when the merchants request "legwear", "handwear", "shields", and so on.

In addition to training an armorsmith the hard way, you can try to boost your chances of getting a legendary armorsmith via a strange mood by having your peasants and other dwarves without "moodable" skills construct a single item of armor. This will give them dabbling skill in armorsmithing, and will cause them to become legendary+1 armorsmiths should they have a fey or secretive mood (but not a possession). A moody armorsmith will always create some form of artifact armor, often of incredible value, though only equivalent in protection to what a masterpiece item made of the same material would provide.

V · T · E Skills
Miner	Miner
Woodworker	Bowyer · Carpenter · Wood cutter
Stoneworker	Engraver · Mason
Ranger	Ambusher · Animal caretaker · Animal dissector · Animal trainer · Trapper
Farmer	Brewer · Butcher · Cheese maker · Cook · Dyer · Grower · Herbalist · Lye maker · Milker · Miller · Potash maker · Soaper · Tanner · Thresher · Wood burner
Fishery worker	Fish cleaner · Fish dissector · Fisherdwarf
Metalsmith	Armorsmith · Furnace operator · Metal crafter · Blacksmith · Weaponsmith
Jeweler	Gem cutter · Gem setter
Craftsdwarf	Bone carver · Clothier · Glassmaker · Leatherworker · Stone crafter · Strand extractor · Weaver · Wood crafter
Engineer	Mechanic · Pump operator · Siege engineer · Siege operator
Administrator	Appraiser · Building designer · Organizer · Record keeper
Military	General Armor user · Shield user · Wrestler Dwarven Axeman · Crossbowman · Hammerman · Maceman · Spearman · Swordsman Other Blowgunner · Bowman · Knife user · Lasher · Pikeman
Social	Broker Comedian · Conversationalist · Flatterer · Intimidator · Judge of intent · Liar · Negotiator · Persuader Other Consoler · Pacifier
Other/Peasant	Swimmer · Thrower
Unused	Alchemist · Druid · Tracker