Difference between revisions of "v0.31:Adventurer mode"

{{quality|Fine|02:18, 28 November 2010 (UTC)}}{{av}}  

:''This is a detailed reference guide for Adventurer Mode. For a tutorial see the {{L|Adventure mode quick start|Adventure Mode Quickstart Guide}}.

:''See {{L|Adventure Mode quick reference}} to quickly look up key commands.

In '''adventurer mode''', you pick a race ({{L|dwarf}}, {{L|human}}, or {{L|elf}}) and start out in a {{L|Site|town}} of your race. You can receive {{L|quest}}s, venture into the wilderness to find {{L|cave}}s, abandoned towers and other {{L|Site|villages}}. You can even visit your old {{L|fortress}}es and find whatever riches were left to be guarded by the {{L|creature}}s that sealed their fate.

You can play Adventurer mode in any world that has a civilization with the {{L|Entity_token#Gameplay|ADVENTURE_TIER}} token (which are elf, dwarf, and human in unmodded raws) but as of the current version 0.31.25 only human civilizations have towns, NPC fortresses, or shops. As a result you need at least one human civilization if you want quests or anything but basic wilderness survival.

Any race with the {{L|Entity_token#Gameplay|ADVENTURE_TIER}} token is playable in adventure mode. In an unmodded game this means {{L|Dwarves}}, {{L|Elves}}, and {{L|Human|Humans}}. All three races can complete the same quests.

*'''Human Outsiders''' can only start with Spear User and Knife User as weapon skills, and they cannot start with Armor User or Shield User. They also start out literally naked with no clothing, but can wear any human-sized armor that they trade for, steal, or loot. "Outsiders" of other races can be played if you add the {{L|Entity_token#Gameplay|INDIV_CONTROLLABLE}} token to the race's entity definition.  

*'''Dwarves''' Have the advantage of being able to go into a {{L|Martial trance}} when fighting multiple foes at once. They are the only race which can start with steel weapons, but they wear "small" sized clothing (like goblins and elves) which means that they're unable to wear human clothing and armor found in shops. They can start with almost all of the same weapon skills as civilized humans. Most human weapons must be wielded two-handed by dwarves, due to their size.

*'''Elves''' start with very weak wooden weapons and have a more limited list of weapon skills during character creation. If they have any advantages over other races then it certainly isn't very obvious. Like dwarves they wear small sized clothing so will have the same problem finding suitable armor in shops.

{{L|Attribute|Attributes}} are divided into Body and Soul attributes. This section provides some guidance for allocating attributes as it relates to adventurer mode.

*'''Creativity''' - Currently completely useless in adventure mode. Normally it impacts crafting skills.

*'''Patience''' - Currently useless.

*'''Memory''' - Appears to be useless.

*'''Linguistic Ability''' - Currently useless because adventurers don't have social skills.

*'''Spatial Sense''' - Important. Effects combat skills, Ambusher, Crutch Walker, Swimmer, Observer, Knapping.

*'''Musicality''' - Completely useless as of yet.

Not all races have the same sets of skills available at character creation time, but keep in mind that all starting {{L|skill}}s, as well as ones not available at character creation, can be improved through use in game.

This section will specifically address starting skills as they relate to adventure mode. For a full description of combat skills see {{L|Combat skill}}. Other skills that you can't start with, but which can be increased in game (such as Butchery) are described elsewhere.

The weapon you start out with will be based on which of these, plus the unarmed combat skills, is the highest. In other words, even if Swordsman is your highest weapon skill, you won't start with a sword if your Wrestler or Striker skills are better. Usually the best choice anyway is to specialize in just one of these.

*'''Swordsman''' - Using swords.

*'''Maceman''' - Using maces (not hammers).

*'''Axeman''' - Using axes.

*'''Hammerman''' - Using hammers/mauls.

*'''Pikeman''' - Using pikes (not spears).

*'''Bowman''' - Using bows (not crossbows).

*'''Crossbowman''' - Using crossbows.

*'''Spearman''' - Using spears.

*'''Lasher''' - Using whips.

*'''Archer''' - This increases with, and contributes to, ranged combat including throwing. It works similarly to Fighter except for ranged attacks. It can be easily raised by repeatedly throwing rocks, making it advisable for archers to practice their marksmanship with rock throwing before using up the more finite and expensive forms of ammunition.

These skills are critical for survival. Starting out with good ability in one if not all is strongly advised.

*'''Shield User''' - Ability to block things with shields.

*'''Armor User''' - Affects the ability of armor to block attacks. How this is supposed to work exactly is unknown, but armor is much less effective when worn by someone with a low Armor User skill.

*'''Wrestler''' - Ability to grapple, restrain, "takedown", throw opponents, etc. Can be raised very easily in game.

*'''{{L|Observer}}''' - Helps one to notice things like ambushes and enemies who are "sneaking" (stealth movement). Detection range increases with skill. Hard to train. Adding some points here is advisable.

*'''{{L|Swimmer}}''' - Allows movement through water without drowning. A Novice swimmer can swim but will revert to being unable to swim if stunned, which happens when falling even 1 z-level into the water. An Adequate swimmer can swim normally (not drown) while stunned. For this reason, ''starting out as an Adequate swimmer is advisable.'' If you don't, at least start as Novice and go get some swimming practice right away.

*'''{{L|Ambusher}}''' - The skill of {{K|S}}neaking around unobserved. This can be raised fairly easily by sneaking around while traveling from place to place when speed is not important. At lower skill levels, speed is greatly reduced, but the penalty gradually reduces until negated at Legendary skill and it's possible to sneak at full movement rate. Chance of detection is also reduced at higher skill levels; a more skilled ambusher can remain in close combat for longer without being detected.

You will start out in a human town or hamlet; in the standard tileset the @ sign is your character.  In the lower left-hand corner of the screen is a mini-map, with the @ sign showing your relative location to other things in the town/hamlet.  The ▐ symbols are small collections of buildings.   

[[Image:adventurer-fast-travel.png|thumb|400px|Fast Travel screen. A fort is on the west side, and a hamlet is on the east side of the map. The regional map is displayed on the far right.]]  

See the {{L|Map legend}} for information on what the map symbols mean. Settlements are indicated by {{Tile|■|7:0:1}} tiles and you can find houses by exiting fast travel while standing on one of these tiles. Yellow tiles of the same shape {{Tile|■|6:0:1}} indicate the presence of shops rather than houses.

Move the cursor to the tile you want to look at using direction keys and {{k|Shift}}+direction. It's possible to look up and down z-levels (assuming you have line of site) using the {{k|<}} and {{k|>}} keys. This, for example, allows you to find out if any flying creatures are above you. Hit {{k|Esc}} to exit look mode and go back to movement mode.

| Get (pickup) an item off the ground

After acquiring {{L|armor}} from one source or another, you'll most likely want to equip it. To do this, first make sure it is in your possession--not on the ground. You can then {{key|w}}ear it, granted you don't already have too much on that equipment slot already. You can {{key|r}}emove or {{key|d}}rop inferior equipment as necessary.

See {{L|Armor}} for more information on wearing things. One thing to note in particular, DF allows you to wear more than one item in the same location in many situations.

There is no command for wielding items such as {{L|Weapon}}s in specific hands. Instead, they are automatically equipped when you either {{k|g}}et them from the ground or {{k|r}}emove them from your {{L|backpack}} - provided the hand that would wield them is free. So in order to change {{L|weapon}}s or {{L|shield}}s you should drop items or place them into containers (such as your backpack) until your hands are free, then get items from the floor or remove them from containers which will place them in your hands. For example, put all items into backpack, remove sword from backpack, remove shield from backpack. The items will end up in the right and left hand. Simply remember the {{k|r}}emove command and the {{k|p}}ut into container command.

It should be noted that the world of DF seems to have a lot of left handers, so do not be surprised if your character holds the weapon with the left hand and the {{L|Armor#Shields and Bucklers|shield}} with the right hand. (actually, it's common for right-handers to hold shields in their right hand as shields tend to be rather heavy and also need to absorb a lot of force when struck){{verify}}

The game has a day/night cycle with time passing as various actions take place. When in the fast travel screen you can just look at the bar along the top to see where the sun is an estimate the time, but in local travel mode you'll have to use the {{k|D}} command.

Sleep does not necessarily have to coincide with night, but if you're traveling alone when night comes you'll be in danger of being attacked by [[bogeymen]].  To avoid this while traveling solo you need to make it to shelter before nightfall and sleep the night away inside a building or abandoned lair.  Enter a building, use {{K|k}} to talk to a human, and ask for permission to stay the night. Next press {{K|Z}} to sleep, {{K|d}} to sleep until dawn, then {{K|Enter}} to confirm. ('''NOTE''': If you stay the night in a castle, you have to sleep in the keep which houses the lord/lady of the castle.  Sleeping inside the castle but outside the keep still leaves you vulnerable to attack.)

Though sleeping inside can be safe, it's also limiting: any quest site you want to go to has to be within a daytime's round-trip time of a human habitation, and you have to make your way to there by hopping from one habitation to the next, sleeping at each along the way.  A way to avoid this is to travel with companions.  If you have any companions with you then [[bogeymen]] won't attack you.  You'll still have to sleep at night, though, both to avoid sleep deprivation and because there's no visibility at night.  You can still be ambushed at night by wildlife, but that's much less likely than being ambushed by [[bogeymen]] when traveling alone. If you find yourself alone at night with nowhere safe to sleep, the safest best is to keep traveling until dawn, even if that means running around in circles. You will eventually feel unwell from sleep deprivation, but this can take a considerable time. You can make up for lost sleep once you've found your way to safety.

The easiest way to stay hydrated and full when starting out is by finding and fighting something weak (a vulture, say, or a racoon, or a fox).  You will almost certainly end up covered in blood.  You can drink any liquid covering you using 'e' and then simply selecting the fluid - perhaps a little salty in real life, but in Dwarf Fortress it works.  The corpse can then be butchered for edible parts, to cure your hunger - the first two problems are solved.

 

{{L|Combat}} is the fine art of using physical force to cause injury and death, and it is particularly fun in Dwarf Fortress.

Attacking a creature with {{k|A}} will allow you to make an aimed attack. You must first select the body part that you want to attack. Look at the difficulty rating for various possible attacks. Impossible attacks will be impossible to land and Easier attacks will be very easy to land. Don't be afraid to try Trickier attacks, especially against easier enemies. Attacks on various locations will also have limits on how "squarely" they can land (due to being out of reach, for example). Square and very square attacks will deal more damage.{{Verify}} Attacks which "can't land squarely" are generally still effective.

Attacks aimed at the head are the most effective; a single attack to the cranium with a weapon will usually put an end to the fight. Depending on the situation, it may be worth trying to take even a "Difficult" shot at the head. Severing limbs can also be effective even if not fatal, so if you have any Easy and Square attacks against limbs it may be worth taking them because, if a limb is chopped off, it will stun the opponent possibly making a followup shot to the head much easier. Removing a weapon arm can leave an opponent with no offensive ability, and removing a leg or foot can make it very difficult for them to escape or chase after you.

To attack with a ranged weapon press the {{k|f}} key and select the square where you want to attack. Similarly use the {{k|t}} key to throw any random object in the same manner. Random objects appear to make a random attack if they happen to have more than one possible type.{{Verify}} For example, if you throw a sword it may hit with a blunt impact, a stabbing impact, or a slicing impact.

It is not possible to aim ranged or thrown attacks.

'''Wrestling''' (grappling) can be performe