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[Johann Canteloupe]

Hi all,

Was just reading the wiki, and something caught my eye as a possibility.

As I was aware, it is pretty much impossible to destroy and artifact quality weapon (atom-smashers aside).

However, what I didn't know was that if it was flammable, that it would burn as such. To that effect, if a dwarf was armed with a wooden weapon (training sword, crossbow, etc), would it be possible to intentionally ignite it and have it wielded, assuming the person using it was suitably armoured? If so, what would need to be done to get this to work?

I currently have a worthless wooden blowpipe artifact which I'm quite tempted to ignite and give to a dwarf. If nothing else, seeing a goblin get shanked with a flaming tube should be worth a laugh.

JC

[klefenz]

I think hitting people with burning objects doesn't actually burn them, I might be wrong, but I think temperature is not considered for hits.
However it would produce lots of smoke, if you can find a use for that.

[Madman198237]

This is DF.


What do you mean, IF you can find a use for it?

[Skorpion]

The artifact would be on fire and smoke constantly and indefinitely until put out with water, but not ignite things on a hit. It would, however, ignite the dwarf wielding it.

[Immortal-D]

The artifact would be on fire and smoke constantly and indefinitely until put out with water, but not ignite things on a hit. It would, however, ignite the dwarf wielding it.

Unfortunately, this is correct.  Even wearing full steel plate, a stray ember on the beard is all it would take.  Your militia can wield weapons coated with Dust and other poisons though.  As for your artifact blowpipe; you could place it underneath grates at your Depot, thus subjecting all who enter to annoying smoke.

[Fleeting Frames]

This works even with named wooden shields and such.

Damage on being hit with hot things...Well, I recall Max™ recently mentioned in FotF thread the bugs with boiling the blood of goblins with exceptionally hot arrows. However, issue is that the dwarf holding it will, well, be the closest to it, and gloves ain't gonna save him (provided they can path to it in the first place). Though this works with lignite statues too, so YMMV.

Other uses - I can't help but wonder if it could burn away a kea or kobold before they escaped the map. Perhaps a smoke trap in hallways is also a possibility, though there are simpler ways to cut off pathing. If you put it in container before lighting it on fire, iirc water will not extinguish it while it will keep evaporating it, allowing for non-minecart infinite (fps) drain.

Perhaps the best non-furniture use might be sword training in 43.05 - won't have it break or get a name.

[Thisfox]

Artifacts do eternally burn, but the idea is to have, for example, a sword that burns on the blade, but not on the handle....

I don't even guarantee that you will be able to put it out using water.

[Flintfakeer]

Striking doesn't transfer heat. Lodging does though. An artifact flammable pointy object can be shotgunned, launched or dropped, stick in, and then ignite the target. If the object does not enter the body, or is not in constant contact, the heat won't be transferred. To a degree this is true of contaminants as well. A dust covered mace probably won't get results while ammo, spears, and swords will.

 So take your artifact bone dagger or wood spear and fire it out a mine cart for desired effect. Another fun thing would be carefully moving the weapon on top or next to a fire proof weapon trap and arming the trap as quickly as possible then dousing the dwarf. The weapon won't ignite the creature on hit or even get lodged in them and heat them up that way but it will make that tile into an inferno with a hyper accurate weapon in the middle.

A fun dwarf trick might be to take a bunch of bone bolts and place them above a doorway on a retracting bridge and set up a magma spray generator to ignite the arrows immediately before you drop them. I find non-artifact bone lasts longer than non-artifact wood.

Reminds me of the time I tried to make an immortality well by dropping a vampire in a well and dropping a single bolt at a time; I got super lucky with one bolt and tore its throat out but then I bungled it by accidentally purifying the water trying to get the vampires corpse and items out of the well.

As for a fire weapon a dwarf can hold, that can't really happen as a dwarf would always be in the same tile as the weapon and the tile would heat up to fire levels instantly.

[Madman198237]

Just mod adamantine to have a constant temperature (Somehow) and thus gauntlets/a full suit of armor protect the dwarf.

[Bumber]

Just mod adamantine to have a constant temperature (Somehow) and thus gauntlets/a full suit of armor protect the dwarf.

Even if you could protect them, it still messes with pathing.

[Madman198237]

What, the constant flaming and burning? Nonsense, pathing will survive!

[vvAve]

I think hitting people with burning objects doesn't actually burn them, I might be wrong, but I think temperature is not considered for hits.
However it would produce lots of smoke, if you can find a use for that.

It might be effective if the weapon is stuck in the opponent.