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[umiman]

I am... quite shocked. I thought people always saw them that way. You mean no one else thought that's how screw traps worked? :/

For all practical purposes, a screw makes an ineffective trap compared to items such as giant blades (and the game follows this quite well) because it has a tendency to get lodged in its enemy and thus, can only kill one at a time. Well, maybe more if it's sufficiently huge but that's besides the point because anything sufficiently huge can kill.

Thus, the only conceivable reason one would use a screw trap would be to torture and scare away others. I personally endorse serrated hooks for this purpose... but we don't have those in this game...

[Armok]

Umiman, you make me laugh out loud in glee!  

PLEASE give you description of a just as vivid description of your serrated hook traps. Pretty please?

[umiman]

Here's the idea:
You've got a bunch of rusty iron, serrated hooks with random spikes protruding out in every direction. They are hung by piano wire (or cat-intestine-wire, take your pick) from the ceilings of a somewhat dark area. The key is that the hooks will be just below eye level for the average person.

A thief or a warband will pass through the tunnel and through their recklessness, hooks will savagely get caught right between their eye and the upper chin. They will then panic, wildly attempt to remove the hook, and in doing so, tug on the wire that the hook is attached to. This will signal similar hooks, lying on the floor or on the walls, to come flying out, lashing at the victim and if not brutally ripping flesh from bone, get more hooks caught onto the poor sap.

Each time the victim struggles and tugs on the wire, the hooks continue to lash and strike, tearing meat and slowly taking apart the victim with each lash and hook. Hooks that were embedded in the sap pull back with force with each lash, taking with it whatever it was holding onto, be it flesh, eyes, or an entire limb. This process of whipping, hooking, and tearing continues until the victim either dies or stops moving.

Here's where the fun begins. Presumably, if the person had any comrades, this will be the time when they try to save the poor, crying, sniveling, blood-sodden mess of a creature. He will be whimpering to them, about how if he doesn't move, nothing happens, and they've got to save him now. They will cautiously approach the creature who is probably now hanging suspended from the air by a myriad of nearly invisible hooks, watching for hooks in the air, watching the dank walls, the poorly lit floors littered with dozens of clawing hooks...

Ahh... but the wire is timed, you see. If the victim doesn't move after a few minutes, all the hooks merely pull back with incredible force, including the one latched in his face in the first place, tearing a huge portion of his face from his skull, most likely taking whatever remains of the nose, the upper lip, and the eye with it. The rest of the body soon follows and the creature basically explodes outward while retaining basic skeletal form. Death is now certain, with the creature visibly missing half a face, and most likely huge portions of its outer body. And even better, since he isn't actually missing any vital systems, his friends and himself will think they have a chance! "If only we can stop the bleeding" they say! "You can make it! Let's get out of here!" they exclaim... but ah... such fools. You cannot survive when most of your body is missing. The victim will die slowly, and he will pass away in sheer, unbelievable, unstoppable pain. He will die thinking he has a chance, that he managed to escape the trap alive. It's beautiful.

[ShunterAlhena]

I admire your verbal skill, umiman. I can talk myself out of most situations and have been repeatedly commended on having a good command of language, but I lack this sheer talent for brutality. I also tried to express my feelings about having to watch a fortress of beloved dwarves mutilated and slaughtered, but with feeble results. I hope this skill will come with time as I play more Dwarf Fortress.

[Reasonableman]

Cripes, for anyone remotely familiar with screws and torque and such, can you imagine how much that freaking thing would have?
It could push 12 of itself up a hill, no problem.

[ZedEh]

@umiman:
Watch Hellraiser much? That's ok.  Pinhead is the greatest movie monster-villain, bar none.  He's the only one who can deliver cornball horror catchphrases and be taken seriously.  Love'em.  Dedicated, earnest, sincere & true evil.

Honestly, for the video the money shot is when the thing ramps up the bank and you see the screws turning underneath.  Definitely an OH SH*T! moment.

[umiman]

ZedEh: Hehe, not quite but you're on the money. I watched one scene from the movie where they are in space when I was.... 5? 6? And one of the dudes got his skin torn off. It sparked my curiosity so I did quite a bit of research on the practical applications of torture by the removal of skin (my parents are quite liberal in that they let me read whatever the hell I want).

It's always stuck with me. Forceful removing of the skin is such a beautiful technique. I can't think of anything more physically painful.

I didn't know they did screws in it though. I always thought it was nails...

[Alfador]

I always thought that since these are giant screws that can be used in two-tile water pumps, that they were basically set into the ground and the trap just opens up the floor so goblins fall in and get ground into sausage by the turning churning screw.

(if it were !!on fire!!, then it would be a turning churning burning screw.)

[Cajoes]

quote:Originally posted by umiman:
<STRONG>Forceful removing of the skin is such a beautiful technique. I can't think of anything more physically painful.</STRONG>

Mechanical deboning comes pretty close.

[Asehujiko]

The hook trap has the weakness that if the target is unusualy strong(troll etc) it will be able to just rip the hooks from the wall. And any allies of the trapped person can just use their sword to slash some of the wires.

In terms of effectiveness, i'd go with my own dwarven firestorm defense. Booze explosions are pretty lethal and anything that can get through it without burning to crisp will be very drunk.

[Earthquake Damage]

quote:Originally posted by Asehujiko:
<STRONG>In terms of effectiveness, i'd go with my own dwarven firestorm defense. Booze explosions are pretty lethal and anything that can get through it without burning to crisp will be very drunk.</STRONG>

If you're looking for a low-maintenance version, may I present to you the following (now with 100% more OHGODITBURNS action):

code:

[ITEM_TRAPCOMP:ITEM_TRAPCOMP_FIRESTORM]
[ADJECTIVE:dwarven]
[NAME:firestorm system:firestorm systems]
[DAMAGE:200:HEAT]
[WEIGHT:160]
[HITS:1]
[MATERIAL_SIZE:4]
[METAL]

[Mlittle]

You folks do realize that on 99,99% of the game forums this topic would get locked and Uniman perma banned. But luckily there are still places where actions speak louder than words, as Uniman in real life regularly donates to charity and helps old ladies cross the street.

With this I release the thread from my evil clutches and let it back on topic.

[PresidentEvil]

umiman, I am now officially calling dibs on a trap component mod. Any ideas to help me out?

[Sean Mirrsen]

I've got rotating fanblades, huge hammers and reciprocating battering rams in my MA mod. You can help me as well.  

[PresidentEvil]

Personally, I have come up with:

-Giant crushing pistons
-Huge spiked rollers
-Barbed wire snares

Y'know what? You seem to have some pretty good ideas. Wanna collaborate?