40d:Archery target

An archery target is a building used to improve the marksdwarf skill. An archery range is the room defined from an archery target.

Creating an Archery range

1. To create a target, open the build menu and select Archery target. It uses one stone, log, bar or block and requires the architecture skill to finish.
2. Once constructed, an archery range must be defined from the archery target. Open the buildings menu (q) and select the target. Select "Make archery range" and define its size using + / -.
3. After choosing the size of the archery range you must decide on the shooting direction using w, a, s, or d.

• Only one marksdwarf seems to practice at an archery range at a time, regardless of how many targets it contains. You can enable multiple dwarves to practice in the same room by defining an archery range on each target.
• An archery range requires a minimum length of 3 squares - the one the archery target is on, one empty square, and one for the marksdwarf to stand on. Otherwise the marksdwarf will complain that there is no floor space and refuse to train.
• Having a longer length range seems to make marksdwarves miss more often. Since bolts which fall a z-level are not destroyed^{v0.27.176.38c}, you can combine this with a channel behind or around the archery range to collect the bolts and reuse them.
  • Note that this results in stacks of a single bolt, meaning a lot of hauling jobs and a far slower training regime as your dwarves have to reload 25 times as often.
• One method to readily create long ranges without requiring a large square space is to build long walls (or combination (door/door/wall/door/door/wall/door/door, which can be faster to build and deconstruct) before designating the archery target "room", thereby constraining the space. The walls can be removed after room designation if so desired.
• If you use second-story fortifications to watch over the entrance to your fortress, consider building an archery target on the same Z-level as the fortifications in the kill zone. Bolts which miss this target will land unharmed at maximum range, clearly marking that fortification's field of fire. Dwarves won't practice shooting over a gap or channel, so you may have to build the target inside the fortifications.

Using an Archery range

Only off-duty military dwarves equipped with crossbows will use archery ranges. You can switch a squad to off-duty by accessing the military menu, viewing the appropriate squad, and setting it to off-duty.

Shooting requires a crossbow and wooden or bone bolts. (Metal bolts are considered too valuable for practice and will not be used.) Bolts which hit a target are destroyed and cannot be reclaimed, and will form a small rubble pile that will be cleaned up by a dwarf with the cleaning labor enabled. He will happily - and unharmed - walk through the line of fire.

For further information on training martial skills, see sparring.