40d:Crossbowman

v50.14 · v0.47 · v0.34 · v0.31 · v0.28.181.40d · v0.23 This article is about an older version of DF. More Info · V

Dwarfs or other creatures armed with Template:Ls deal "Template:L" damage from a long distance. A marksdwarf will usually open fire at a distance of 20 tiles or so from their target, but a bolt may carry 30 or more*. While also doing decent general Template:L, a Template:L does a fine job at piercing the internal organs of a Template:L, which can possibly cause organ failure and instant death, Template:Lness or crippling of any size target. This is of limited use against creatures without internal organs, such as Template:L. Occasionally a bolt will get stuck in a target; the only known use for this is that a Template:L dwarf may grab the bolt and twist it in the Template:L.

(* Note that increase in height (z-levels) hurts range, rather than helps it.)

A marksdwarf who is forced into melee will use the Template:L skill to bash enemies with their crossbow. If you'd prefer your marksdwarves to reload instead of going into melee combat, you can go the military menu, view their squad, and then toggle c to tell them to stay close to their station. This will cause them to go and collect bolts, then start shooting again, instead of either standing in place because they don't have a path to the enemy, or running out to smack the enemy with their crossbow.

Template:L marksdwarves bring their own crossbows and 30-40 bolts. Immigrating Template:Ls often arrive with Novice Marksdwarf skill, though will only bring a crossbow and bolts if they also have Template:L skill. (See Template:L for more details.)

Training

Increasing Marksman skill requires firing upon a target (hitting is not required), with "live targets" granting much more experience than an Template:L. The difference is huge, on the order of ~67 bolts fired (~7.5 Template:L/shot) in practice vs 17 bolts fired (30 Template:L/shot) against live enemies to achieve novice rank (verified by Jim Groovester). Higher skill grants better accuracy and higher rate of fire. An archery range is only used by Template:L dwarves that are off duty, and they will only use Template:L or Template:L bolts during practice.

Known issues

Training marksdwarves can lead to a number of problems. Marksdwarves only train with bone or wood bolts. They need individual Template:Ls of adequate size (3 tiles minimum) set up. Any activated military will only practice if they are "standing down" (not "on duty"), which can be toggled only in the military screen, and then by viewing any member within a squad and giving that squad orders - the entire squad will have the same orders, whether that squad has 1 dwarf or dozens.

Marksdwarves will not equip bolts and practice (or fight) with bolts if they are carrying items in hand (as checked via view inventory). Items get in hand if the marksdwarf has been wrestling, a frequent Template:L exercise. You can force the dwarf to drop them (or rather, have another dwarf snatch it from them) by selecting the items from their inventory using enter, then dumping them.

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