Dwarf Fortress Wiki - User contributions [en]

v0.31:Strange mood

2011-11-07T21:02:08Z

DivinaLittlefield: None

{{quality|Exceptional|02:25, 4 May 2011 (UTC)}}{{av}}

{{buggy|bugsection=Bugs}}
{{minorspoiler}}
Periodically, individual dwarves are struck with an idea for a {{L|legendary artifact}} and enter a '''strange mood'''. Dwarves which enter a strange mood will stop whatever they are doing and pursue the construction of this artifact to the exclusion of all else. They will not stop to eat, drink, sleep, or even run away from dangerous creatures. If they do not manage to begin construction of the artifact within a handful of months, they will go [[#Failure|insane]] and die soon afterward.

==Overview==

# The conditions necessary for a strange mood to occur are not fully understood, although they may possess even dwarf children.
# The game will pause, center on a dwarf, and announce that the dwarf has entered one of five different types of strange moods. The [[#Types of moods|types of moods]] are listed below. While in a mood, a dwarf will display a blinking exclamation point (see {{L|status icons}}).
# For the duration of the mood, the dwarf will claim a workshop related to the skill that the mood affects (not all skills are eligible), kick out any dwarf who was using it, and render it otherwise unusable until the mood has been resolved. If a moody dwarf does not claim a workshop, it is because the appropriate workshop does not exist. (See [[#Skills and workshops|skills and workshops]] below to determine which workshop(s) might be required.) A moody dwarf will ''not'' be available to build a needed workshop; another dwarf with the appropriate {{L|labor}} designation must do so for them, if one is necessary.
# After claiming a workshop, the dwarf will set about collecting the required materials for their artifact. If the dwarf remains idle inside the workshop, it's because they cannot find the right material. Reference the [[#Demands|demands]] section to determine what may be required. Important Note: They will only collect these materials in the order that they require them. In other words, you have to determine where they are on the list of required materials and then provide the next one before they will continue collecting other materials.
# Once all materials have been gathered, the game will once again pause and center, and the moody dwarf will begin construction. Upon completion the dwarf will create a semi-random artifact related to the skill affected and gain {{L|legendary}} (or higher) status in that skill (unless the mood type is [[#Possessed|possessed]]). See the [[#Skills and workshops|skills and workshops]] for information on which skills can be gained, or the [[#Artifacts created|artifacts created]] section for more details on the artifacts themselves.

== Types of moods ==
For each of the following types of moods, the first message is how the mood is {{L|Announcement|announced}}; the second message appears in the dwarf's profile when he or she is viewed with the {{K|v}} key. All moody dwarves will have "Strange Mood" listed as their active task.

=== Fey ===
* {{Gametext|<dwarf> is taken by a fey mood!|7:1}}
: ''Has the aspect of one fey!''

This is the most basic strange mood. Fey dwarves will clearly state their demands when the workshop they are in is examined.

A fey dwarf's happiness is automatically set to 'quite content'.

=== Secretive ===
* {{Gametext|<dwarf> withdraws from society...|7:0}}
: ''Peculiarly secretive...''

Secretive moods are the same as fey moods, except a secretive dwarf will sketch pictures of their required materials instead of clearly stating their demands if they cannot find what they need. Descriptions of all these [[#Demands|secretive requirements]] can be seen only by viewing the workshop that the moody dwarf has claimed, with {{k|q}}, and then only while the dwarf is waiting inside it. More than one "picture" is likely; these will cycle through the entire list automatically if any one is not available. (Since materials are gathered ''in order'', it's quite possible that only one of a long list is needed to allow the moody dwarf to continue on their project. If the dwarf has gathered some of the materials (seen as "tasked" when looking at the workshop with {{k|t}}), then the next in the list is what they are looking for.)

A secretive dwarf's happiness is automatically set to 'quite content'.

=== Possessed ===
* {{Gametext|<dwarf> has been possessed!|5:1}}
: ''Possessed by unknown forces!''

Possessed dwarves have cryptic material requests, and have the unfortunate distinction of not receiving any experience upon successful construction of an artifact. No controllable circumstances lead to a possessed mood instead of one of the more desirable fey or secretive moods. It is pure luck-based. Possessed dwarves will mutter the name of the artifact they are working on once they have all the materials they need.

A possession is the only mood that does ''not'' result in a jump in {{L|experience}}.

A possessed dwarf's happiness is automatically set to 'quite content'.

A possessed dwarf that is muttering nonsense has already gathered everything it needs

=== Fell ===
* {{Gametext|<dwarf> looses a roaring laughter, fell and terrible!|5:0}}
: ''Has a horrible fell look!''

A dwarf that goes into a fell mood will always take over a {{L|butcher's shop}} or a {{L|tanner's shop}}. If neither are available, any other workshop will be used instead. The dwarf will then ''murder'' the nearest dwarf (bonus if its a noble), drag the corpse into the shop and make some sort of object out of dwarf {{L|leather}} or {{L|bone}}. Once the artifact is completed, the fell dwarf will become a legendary {{L|bone carver}} or {{L|leatherworker}}. Strangely, none of the other dwarves seem to mind the murder. Only unhappy dwarves may enter a fell mood.

Aside from the loss of a potentially important dwarf in the wrong place at the wrong time, there doesn't seem to be any downside to a fell mood. The end result is always an artifact and a legendary craftsdwarf. Since the only ingredient used (a dwarf) is available in abundance, a fell mood will only fail if the fell dwarf is completely isolated from other dwarves, or if the proper workshop does not exist.

=== Macabre ===
* {{Gametext|<dwarf> begins to stalk and brood...|0:1}}
: ''Brooding darkly...''

Macabre moods are similar to fell moods, but the dwarf will not murder a fellow dwarf. A macabre dwarf may require bones{{verify}}, skulls{{verify}} or remains (this includes vermin remains and many otherwise unusable items); if you do not happen to have any, you will have to make some, e.g. by butchering an animal, or let the moody dwarf go insane. Like fell moods, only unhappy dwarves can enter macabre moods.

==Caveats==
* Shells are a common request in moods and are only produced from preparing raw {{l|turtle}}s, {{L|mussel}}s, {{L|oyster}}s, or {{L|cave lobster}}s at a fishery. That is, you must be able to fish them at your site - there is no way of trading for them, since traded {{L|cave lobster}}s and {{L|turtle}}s are ''processed'' fish (with the shells already removed). Version 0.31.12 and beyond should have much fewer shell requests.
* Should the claimed workshop be a {{L|magma forge}} and lose power due to insufficient magma beneath it, the mood will fail immediately and the dwarf will go {{L|insane}}. Should the forge be in danger of losing power, you should forbid it before it is claimed and wait until it is powered up reliably. Once magma forges are built, at least some dwarfes will no longer be satisfied with a regular forge.
* The following can happen (v .31.12) "OVERWROTE JOB: Strange Mood BY Starting Fist Fight".
* The mood's primary material will only be mentioned ''once'' in the dwarf's requests, even if the dwarf wants more than one unit of it. [http://www.bay12forums.com/smf/index.php?topic=75139.0;topicseen]
* The item to be built is not set at the beginning of the mood. Saving (even after a dwarf has begun to gather materials) will allow you to reload and the result may be a different artifact. If you want to receive artifact adamantine breastplate, make sure to have adamantine nearby and forbid/move away any other materials. You can reload the artifact creating process, even after the dwarf has gathered most of components by forbidding the claimed items. If other items of that type are available, dwarf will immediately switch to them.

==Bugs==
{{version|0.31.03}}
* There are bugs reported related to moody dwarves. As has been the case in 40d, most turned out to be (understandable) failures of the player to grasp the mechanics of artifact creation and demands. Bug tracker: [http://bay12games.com/dwarves/mantisbt/view_all_bug_page.php]
* Dwarves may request "rock bars" -- This is satisfied by metal bars.
{{version|0.31.10}}
* Moody Dwarves don't respect burrows when grabbing a workshop, but DO when looking for items. If his claimed workshop is outside his assigned burrow, the dwarf will continue to grab materials until all materials of the needed type are exhausted within his assigned burrow, this is similar to the [[Planepacked]] glitch.
* If a dwarf dies because of failing to complete an artifact, a memorial made to the dwarf will read that the dwarf did create it, despite the failure, and will even list the name of the artifact that never came to be.

== Demands ==
Once a workshop is claimed, the dwarf will begin collecting materials. Each artifact will require between one and ten materials to complete. The dwarf may well need several items of one material! If the moody dwarf remains idle, then the necessary materials are not available. {{L|Forbidden}} items must be reclaimed ({{K|d}} - {{K|b}} - {{K|c}}) before they may be used, but moody dwarves will ignore settings regarding {{L|economic stone}}. Press {{K|q}} and highlight the workshop to receive a series of clues about what the dwarf needs. Hints that stay active for longer than 2 seconds mean that multiple pieces of that material will be required; each single demand will be displayed for 2 seconds, so if it says "gems... shining" for 6 seconds, 3 gems are demanded. However, occasionally a hint shown for only 2 seconds will require more than one item to fulfill it; this behavior seems to occur mainly (only?) with the primary material (the base material of the artifact, and the first item gathered).{{Verify}} Materials will always be fetched ''in order'', so if at least one item has already been retrieved (the items will show up with "TSK" ("task") next to them when the workshop is viewed with the {{K|t}} context menu), it will usually be possible to tell what item is required next.

If you want your dwarves to construct their artifacts out of valuable materials instead of whatever useless thing happens to be close at hand, you can selectively forbid types of material through the stocks screen so that only the material you want them to use is available; though this might interfere with the normal crafting operations of your fortress, the disruption is generally short-lived (as long as you remember to unforbid them again afterwards!). You can even forbid something a moody dwarf is carrying (which may be necessary sometimes, since while they are not waiting in the workshop they will not tell you what they need); the dwarf will finish hauling it to the workshop, but then immediately go searching for another. This trick can mean the difference between a bauxite statue decorated with moss agates and a native platinum statue encrusted with diamonds. Be aware that this may not always work - moody {{L|metalsmith}}s will occasionally insist on a specific type of metal with which to make their artifact, and forbidding other metals to force them to use a more valuable material will simply cause them to sit in the workshop until you give them what they want. This metal is usually the one listed in their Thoughts and Preferences page as their favorite metal. Weaponsmiths and armorers are likely to insist on adamantine wafers should any exist in your fortress, forbidden or not, regardless of the particular dwarf's preferences{{verify}}.

As of DF2010, burrows seem to allow even better control over moody dwarf's material usage. Simply by creating a burrow around claimed workshop and another part over desired material, moody dwarf can be controlled without forbidding every single stone in fortress. A moody dwarf will follow the burrow-definitions just like a regular worker, but be mindful that they will not leave the burrow to get materials that are outside of their assigned burrow. A problem can arise when bones from an outside refuse stockpile are needed by a moody dwarf that is assigned to a burrow.

The various demands are translated here:

:{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:left;width:90%;"
|-
! Material
! Fey
! Secretive
! Possessed
|-
|
| <dwarf> screams "I must have <demand>!"
| <dwarf> sketches pictures of <demand>.
| <dwarf> mutters "<artifact> needs <demand>..."
|-
| {{L|Stone}}
| rock
| a quarry
| stone... rock
|-
| Stone/metal {{L|block}}s
| rock blocks
| square blocks
| blocks... bricks
|-
| {{L|Wood}}
| wood logs
| a forest
| tree... life
|-
| Metal {{L|bar}}
| rock bars
| shining bars of metal
| bars... metal
|-
| {{L|Gem}}s (cut)
| cut gems
| cut gems
| gems... shining
|-
| {{L|Gem}}s (raw)
| rough gems
| rough gems
| rough... color
|-
| Green {{L|glass}}
| raw green glass
| glass
| raw... green
|-
| Clear glass
| raw clear glass{{verify}}
| glass and burning wood
| raw... clear
|-
| Crystal glass
| raw crystal glass{{verify}}
| rough gems and glass
| raw... crystal
|-
| {{L|Bone}}{{verify}}
| bones
| skeletons
| bones... yes
|-
| {{L|Shell}}{{verify}}
| shells
| shells
| a shell...
|-
| {{L|Leather}}
| tanned hides
| stacked leather
| leather... skin
|-
| {{L|Cloth}} (plant fiber)
| plant cloth
| stacked cloth
| cloth... thread
|-
| {{L|Cloth}} (silk)
| silk cloth
| stacked cloth
| cloth... thread
|-
| {{L|Cloth}} (yarn)
| yarn cloth
| stacked cloth
| cloth... thread
|-
| {{L|Bone}}, possibly {{L|Skull}}, {{L|Horn}}, {{L|Ivory}}
| body parts
| death
| a corpse
|}

Dwarves in macabre moods will list their demands in the same fashion as those in fey moods (though with them brooding "Yes. I need <item>." instead of screaming "I must have <item>!"). They may also say "Leave me. I need... things... certain things", in which case they want special items such as {{L|skull}}s or vermin {{L|remains}}.

Fey dwarves will sometimes ask for rock bars. This is just a typographical error, caused by stones and metals having been joined into a single "inorganic" material type in version 0.31 - they are actually asking for metal bars.

Related to the above behavior, moody dwarves demanding rock blocks will also accept blocks forged from metal bars.

Moody metalworkers may occasionally require a specific type of metal as their artifact's primary material - for secretive moods and possessions, take a look at the dwarf's material preferences to see which metal the dwarf wants to use.

Once all materials have been gathered, viewing the workshop with {{K|q}} will display a special message depending on the type of mood:
* Fey - "<dwarf> works furiously!"
* Secretive - "<dwarf> works secretly..."
* Possessed - "<dwarf> keeps muttering <artifact>..."
* Macabre - "<dwarf> works, darkly brooding..."
* Fell - "<dwarf> works with menacing fury!"

== The mechanics of moods ==

==== Eligibility ====
The deciding factor for eligibility is a dwarf's actual {{L|Unit type token|profession}}. ''(Note that "{{L|Skill#Custom profession labels|custom professions}}" have no effect on this!)'' Thus, dwarves may enter strange moods regardless of what skills they have or don't have, so long as they are of an acceptable profession. Dwarves who have already created an artifact are not eligible to create another, and since every mood ends in either an artifact or death, every dwarf may enter at most one mood. Dwarves who have obtained one or more legendary skills without creating artifacts may enter strange moods.

Dwarves with a {{L|Soldier#Soldier professions|military profession}} other than "Recruit" can '''not''' enter moods. Incidental military skills make no difference - eligibility (and weighting) depends purely on the actual ''{{L|profession}}'' as listed at the time, so soldiers '''can''' enter moods if they are ''off duty'' and thus in Civilian mode. Babies may '''not''' enter moods.

Any other profession is eligible to enter a mood, but not all have the same ''chance'' to enter a mood...

:''('''Note''' - Specifically, and to avoid previous misunderstandings, {{L|Strand extractor}}, {{L|Clerk}}/{{L|Administrator}}/{{L|Trader}}, {{L|Doctor}} (and related), {{L|Building designer|Architect}}, {{L|Soldier#Recruits|Recruit}} and {{L|Child}} '''are''' moodable professions.)''

=== Chance ===
When determining who will have a strange mood, each eligible dwarf is put into a weighted lottery. The odds are assigned a higher or lower weight based on the dwarf's {{L|profession}}. The default weight is 6, but some professions are more likely to enter a strange mood than others. (This is like most dwarves getting 6 tickets to the lottery, and others getting more.)

{| class="wikitable" cellspacing="0" border="2" cellpadding="5"
|-
! Weighting
! Professions

|-
| 21 ||Armorer, Blacksmith, Bone Carver, Clothier, Craftsdwarf, Jeweler, Gem Cutter, Gem Setter, Glassmaker, Leatherworker, Metalcrafter, Metalsmith, Stonecrafter, Weaponsmith, Weaver, Woodcrafter
|-
| 11 ||Bowyer, Carpenter, Stoneworker, Mason, Woodworker
|-
| 6 ||Engraver, Mechanic, Miner, Tanner, & all other {{L|profession}}s (including Peasant).

|}

:'''''Example:''' What this means is: if you had 21 dwarves, made up of 20 eligible farmers, furnace operators, miners, woodcutters etc. (with 6 chances each) plus one Armorer (with 21 chances), that one Armorer would have a 21 in 141 chance (20 dwarves x 6 chances each = 120 + 21 chances more = 141 total) of the mood striking them. That's about 1 in 7, while the other 20 have a 6 in 141 chance each, or about 1 in 24. The odds are still against the armorer, but much better than for any other single dwarf.''

Note that not every profession is from a moodable skill. A Soaper, Architect, Furnace Operator or Strand Extractor can be taken by a mood, but that will not make those skills legendary, nor will they create an artifact bar of soap, building, bar of metal or wafer of adamantine.

:NOTE: ''If your game was saved shortly before one of you dwarves acquired a mood, reloading that game will most likely cause the chances to be completely re-figured, resulting in a different mood at a different time for a different dwarf with different materials. This is true for most all random events and results in Dwarf Fortress.''

=== Skills and workshops ===

{| class="wikitable" cellpadding="4" style="border:1px solid black;border-collapse:collapse;text-align:left;float:right;margin:0 0 20px 30px;"
|-
! colspan="2" style="background-color:#eee;border-bottom:1px solid black;text-align:center;" | Artifact Skill Rewards
|-
! Highest skill
! Workshop used
|- style="border-top:1px solid #aaa;vertical-align:top;"
| {{L|Armorsmith}}
| {{L|Metalsmith's forge}} (or {{L|Magma forge}})
|- style="border-top:1px solid #aaa;vertical-align:top;"
| {{L|Bone carver}}
| {{L|Craftsdwarf's workshop}}
|- style="border-top:1px solid #aaa;vertical-align:top;"
| {{L|Bowyer}}
| {{L|Bowyer's workshop}}
|- style="border-top:1px solid #aaa;vertical-align:top;"
| {{L|Carpenter}}
| {{L|Carpenter's workshop}}
|- style="border-top:1px solid #aaa;vertical-align:top;"
| {{L|Clothier}}
| {{L|Clothier's shop}}
|- style="border-top:1px solid #aaa;vertical-align:top;"
| {{L|Engraver}}
| {{L|Craftsdwarf's workshop}}
|- style="border-top:1px solid #aaa;vertical-align:top;"
| {{L|Gem cutter}}
| {{L|Jeweler's workshop}}
|- style="border-top:1px solid #aaa;vertical-align:top;"
| {{L|Gem setter}}
| {{L|Jeweler's workshop}}
|- style="border-top:1px solid #aaa;vertical-align:top;"
| {{L|Glassmaker}}
| {{L|Glass furnace}} (or {{L|Magma glass furnace}})
|- style="border-top:1px solid #aaa;vertical-align:top;"
| {{L|Leatherworker}}
| {{L|Leather works}}
|- style="border-top:1px solid #aaa;vertical-align:top;"
| {{L|Mason}}
| {{L|Mason's workshop}}
|- style="border-top:1px solid #aaa;vertical-align:top;"
| {{L|Mechanic}}
| {{L|Mechanic's workshop}}
|- style="border-top:1px solid #aaa;vertical-align:top;"
| {{L|Metal crafter}}
| {{L|Magma forge}} (or {{L|Metalsmith's forge}})
|- style="border-top:1px solid #aaa;vertical-align:top;"
| {{L|Metalsmith}}
| {{L|Magma forge}} (or {{L|Metalsmith's forge}})
|- style="border-top:1px solid #aaa;vertical-align:top;"
| {{L|Miner}}
| {{L|Mason's workshop}}
|- style="border-top:1px solid #aaa;vertical-align:top;"
| {{L|Stone crafter}}
| {{L|Craftsdwarf's workshop}}
|- style="border-top:1px solid #aaa;vertical-align:top;"
| {{L|Tanner}}
| {{L|Leather works}}
|- style="border-top:1px solid #aaa;vertical-align:top;"
| {{L|Weaponsmith}}
| {{L|Magma forge}} (or {{L|Metalsmith's forge}})
|- style="border-top:1px solid #aaa;vertical-align:top;"
| {{L|Weaver}}
| {{L|Clothier's shop}}
|- style="border-top:1px solid #aaa;vertical-align:top;"
| {{L|Wood crafter}}
| {{L|Craftsdwarf's workshop}}
|- style="border-top:1px solid #aaa;vertical-align:top;"
| Anyone Else
| {{L|Craftsdwarf's workshop}}
|}

A dwarf will claim a workshop according to their highest applicable skill, and upon completion of the artifact, gain 20,000 {{L|experience}} in that skill (excepting {{L|Strange mood#Possessed|possessed}} dwarves). This [http://tinyurl.com/7rm6j4b weight gain] will give the dwarf a legendary-level {{L|skill}} (specifically, "legendary+1" or higher, depending on the dwarf's initial skill level). The table to the right describes all applicable skills and their potential workshop requirements - there are only 20 skills that determine the workshop and that can be affected by a mood (sometimes referred to as '''moodable''' skills.) If a dwarf does not possess at least one of the moodable skills listed to the right, they will take over a {{L|craftsdwarf's workshop}} and gain one of {{L|bone carver}}, {{L|stone crafter}}, or {{L|wood crafter}} skills, producing an artifact {{L|craft}}.

This fact can be utilized to maximize the possibility of getting a dwarf with the specific legendary skill you want: since ''non''-moodable skills are ignored, whenever possible make sure that each dwarf's highest ''moodable'' skill is one of those you want*. Have all your peasants, {{L|farmer}}s, non-professional military and other dwarves without any moodable skills do a tiny bit of work in the skill(s) you most want; if a "{{L|experience|dabbling}}" skill is the highest moodable skill they have, that is the skill that will be used.

:''(* {{L|Armorsmith}}, {{L|Weaponsmith}}, {{L|Metal crafter}} and {{L|Metalsmith}} are possibly the most-desired legendary skills, but much depends on your fortress, your current mix of skills, and your play style.)''

== Artifacts created ==
The type of artifact created will depend on the dwarf's highest skill. Masons and miners will always create some kind of stone furniture; bone carvers, a bone or shell object; carpenters, a wood object, etc. engravers and stone crafters will turn out a stone craft; metalworkers, metal crafts, weapons, or armor (depending on the type of metalworker); weavers, an article of clothing; tanners, a leather armor or object. If a dwarf has no moodable skills, they will take over a {{L|craftsdwarf's workshop}} and create a bone, stone or wood craft of some type. The precise type of craft created is usually somewhat random but if a dwarf has a personality preference for a particular thing, such as gauntlets or floodgates or crowns, and that thing is an available choice given the dwarf's profession, they will generally create an object of that type.

The first object grabbed by the dwarf will be the "primary" substance; all other materials will be used to decorate the artifact. If a dwarf grabs a piece of {{L|chalk}} and makes a statue, for instance, it will be a "chalk statue", but an artifact can potentially be composed of bone, cloth, gems, leather, metal, shell, stone, and wood all at once. In some cases, a moody dwarf will produce an item which normally cannot be made from that material, leading to such odd constructions as an {{L|obsidian}} {{L|bed}}, {{L|ruby}} {{L|floodgate}}, or turtle {{L|shell}} {{L|cage}}.

Once created, most {{L|artifact}}s will be available for use just like a normal item of its type. Artifact furniture is useful for high value {{L|noble}} rooms. Artifact weapons in {{L|weapon trap}}s can also boost a room's value considerably, as in the case of artifact trap components and mechanisms.

Unless the mood was a Possession, the dwarf will gain 20,000 points of {{L|experience}} in the skill used to produce the artifact, enough to boost them to Legendary.

== Failure ==
If you can't provide the desired workshop and all the required component materials within a couple of months, the dwarf will go {{L|insanity|insane}}, which cancels the mood and the artifact. As if that's not bad enough, any dwarf who goes insane will soon die, one way or another.

A dwarf who is '''stark raving mad''' or '''melancholy''' is harmless to others (until they die and start a {{L|tantrum}} spiral), but a '''berserk''' dwarf will attack other dwarves and possibly pull levers at random. You may want to station a squad nearby or assign a few war dogs to the dwarf on the chance that they will lash out. If you build your workshops inside enclosed rooms with doors you can also lock the moody dwarf in the room until he or she starves. In extreme cases, building a wall around an open workshop is the best precaution.

23a:Weapon token

2011-11-07T21:00:15Z

DivinaLittlefield: None

{{quality|Exceptional|21:15, 30 March 2011 (UTC)}}{{av}}

For use on standard weapons.

{| {{prettytable}}
|- bgcolor="#ddd"
! Token
! Arguments
! Description

|-
| NAME
| singular:plural
| What this item will be called ingame.

|-
| ADJECTIVE
| adjective
| Appears before the name of the weapon's material. Eg. "large Obsidian dagger"

|-
| [DAMAGE:''<damage amount>'':''<damage type>'']
| dmg amount - value
dmg type - (slash, burn, etc.)
| Sets the amount and the type of {{L|Damage}}

|-
| WEIGHT
| value
| How much an item weighs.

|-
| STICK_CHANCE
| value
| The chance of a weapon sticking in a target.

|-
| SKILL
| weapon skill type (axe, sword, etc.)
| The type of weapon skill that experience is gained in when this weapon is wielded in melee fighting. For a list of skill tokens see {{L|Skill token}}s.

|-
| RANGED:''<skill type>'':''<ammo type>''
| skill type - weapon skill type
ammo type - anything
| This sets what weapon skill will be gained when this weapon is fired and what type [http://how2gainweightfast.org weight gain] of ammo can be fired by this weapon. Ammunition definitions have DAMAGE and CLASS - CLASS determines what ammo type it matches. Also allows this weapon to be constructed at a bowyer's workshop. For a list of skill tokens see {{L|Skill token}}s.

|-
| CRIT_BOOST:
| value
| Increases the chance of a weapon piercing internal organs.

|-
| TWO_HANDED
| value
| Creatures wielding this weapon that are above the minimum size but their size is below this number must wield this weapon with two hands. (''Currently only affects fortress mode as an adventurer can wield anything in one hand.'')

|-
| MINIMUM_SIZE:
| value
| The size a creature must be in order to use this weapon.

|-
| CAN_STONE
|
| Can be made out of SHARP (unmodded: obsidian) stone.

|-
| MATERIAL_SIZE:
| value
| How much material is needed to make the item. Is most important with bars. The number of bars needed is the value divided by three.
|}

{{Category|Modding}}
{{Category|Tokens}}

40d:Strange mood

2011-11-07T20:56:35Z

DivinaLittlefield: None

{{av}}
{{Quality|Masterwork}}
Periodically, individual dwarves are struck with an idea for a {{L|legendary artifact}} and enter a '''strange mood'''. Dwarves which enter a strange mood will stop whatever they are doing and pursue the construction of this artifact to the exclusion of all else. This will be based on a particular {{L|skill}} that creates a finished end product that can have a {{L|quality}}, rather than intermediary material such as bars of metal or raw food. They will not stop to eat, drink, sleep, or even run away from dangerous creatures. If they do not manage to begin construction of the artifact within a handful of months, they will go {{L|Strange mood#Failure|insane}} and die soon afterward.

A dwarf will only be struck by a mood once in their lifetime. Upon completion of their artifact they will usually become {{L|legendary}} in that skill, and will then return to their normal life in the fortress with their newfound skill. A fortress can have at most one dwarf in a strange mood at any one time.

==Overview==
The entire process can be summarized as follows:
# Strange moods can only occur when the below necessary [[#Conditions|conditions]] are met. {{L|baby|Babies}} and activated {{L|Soldier}}s with military skills cannot enter moods, nor {{L|Noble#Immigrant_Nobles|immigrant nobles}}, but any other dwarf can, including {{L|child}}ren.
# The game will pause, center on a dwarf, and announce that the dwarf has entered one of five different types of strange moods. The [[#Types of moods|types of moods]] are listed below. While in a mood, a dwarf will display a blinking exclamation point (see {{L|status icons}}).
# For the duration of the mood, the dwarf will claim a workshop related to the skill that the mood affects (not all skills are eligible), kick out any dwarf who was using it, and render it otherwise unusable until the mood has been resolved. If a moody dwarf does not claim a workshop, it is because the appropriate workshop does not exist. (See [[#Skills and workshops|skills and workshops]] below to determine which workshop(s) might be required.) A moody dwarf will ''not'' be available to build a needed workshop; another dwarf with the appropriate {{L|labor}} designation must do so for them, if one is necessary.
# After claiming a workshop, the dwarf will set about collecting the required materials for their artifact. If the dwarf remains idle inside the workshop, it's because they cannot find the right material. Reference the [[#Demands|demands]] section to determine what may be required.
# Once all materials have been gathered, the game will once again pause and center, and the moody dwarf will begin construction. Upon completion the dwarf will create a semi-random artifact related to the skill affected and gain {{L|legendary}} (or higher) status in that skill (unless the mood type is [[#Possessed|possessed]]). See the [[#Skills and workshops|skills and workshops]] for information on which skills can be gained, or the [[#Artifacts created|artifacts created]] section for more details on the artifacts themselves.

== Types of moods ==
For each of the following types of moods, the first message is how the mood is {{L|Announcement|announced}}; the second message appears in the dwarf's profile when he or she is viewed with the {{K|v}} key. All moody dwarves will have "Strange Mood" listed as their active task.

=== Fey ===
* {{Gametext|<dwarf> is taken by a fey mood!|7:1}}
: ''Has the aspect of one fey!''

This is the most basic strange mood. Fey dwarves will clearly state their demands when the workshop they are in is examined.

A fey dwarf's happiness is automatically set to 'quite content'.

=== Secretive ===
* {{Gametext|<dwarf> withdraws from society...|7:0}}
: ''Peculiarly secretive...''

Secretive moods are the same as fey moods, except a secretive dwarf will sketch pictures of their required materials instead of clearly stating their demands if they cannot find what they need. Descriptions of all these {{L|Mood#Demands|secretive requirements}} can be seen only by viewing the workshop that the moody dwarf has claimed, with {{k|q}}, and then only while the dwarf is waiting inside it. More than one "picture" is likely; these will cycle through the entire list automatically if any one is not available. (Since materials are gathered ''in order'', it's quite possible that only one of a long list is needed to allow the moody dwarf to continue on their project. If the dwarf has gathered some of the materials (seen as "tasked" when looking at the workshop with {{k|t}}), then the next in the list is what they are looking for.)

A secretive dwarf's happiness is automatically set to 'quite content'.

=== Possessed ===
* {{Gametext|<dwarf> has been possessed!|5:1}}
: ''Possessed by unknown forces!''

Possessed dwarves have cryptic material requests, and have the unfortunate distinction of not receiving any experience upon successful construction of an artifact. It is unknown if controllable circumstances lead to a possessed mood instead of one of the more desirable fey or secretive moods. Possessed dwarves will mutter the name of the artifact they are working on once they have all the materials they need.

A possession is the only mood that does ''not'' result in a jump in {{L|experience}}.

A possessed dwarf's happiness is automatically set to 'quite content'.

=== Fell ===
* {{Gametext|<dwarf> looses a roaring laughter, fell and terrible!|5:0}}
: ''Has a horrible fell look!''

A dwarf that goes into a fell mood will always take over a {{L|butcher's shop}} or a {{L|tanner's shop}}. If neither are available, any other workshop will be used instead. The dwarf will then ''murder'' the nearest dwarf, drag the corpse into the shop and make some sort of object out of dwarf {{L|leather}} or {{L|bone}}. Once the artifact is completed, the fell dwarf will become a legendary {{L|bone carver}} or {{L|leatherworker}}. Strangely, none of the other dwarves seem to mind the murder. Only unhappy dwarves may enter a fell mood.

Aside from the potential loss of an important dwarf in the wrong place at the wrong time, there doesn't seem to be any downside to a fell mood. The end result is always an artifact and a legendary craftsdwarf. Since the only ingredient used (a dwarf) is available in abundance, a fell mood will only fail if the fell dwarf is completely isolated from other dwarves, or if the proper workshop does not exist.

=== Macabre ===
* {{Gametext|<dwarf> begins to stalk and brood...|0:1}}
: ''Brooding darkly...''

Macabre moods are similar to fell moods, but the dwarf will not murder a fellow dwarf. A macabre dwarf may require bones, skulls, and chunks/remains; if you do not happen to have any, you will have to "make" some, or let the moody dwarf go insane. Like fell moods, only unhappy dwarves can enter macabre moods.

{{Spoiler}}

== Demands ==
Once a workshop is claimed, the dwarf will begin collecting materials. Each artifact will require between one and ten materials to complete. If the moody dwarf remains idle, then the necessary materials are not available. {{L|Forbidden}} items must be reclaimed ({{K|d}} - {{K|b}} - {{K|c}}) before they may be used, but moody dwarves will ignore settings regarding {{L|economic stone}}. Press {{K|q}} and highlight the workshop to receive a series of clues about what the dwarf needs. Hints that stay active for longer than 2 seconds mean that multiple pieces of that material will be required; each single demand will be displayed for 2 seconds, so if it says "gems... shining" for 6 seconds, 3 gems are demanded. Materials will always be fetched ''in order'', so if at least one item has already been retrieved (the items will show up with "TSK" ("task") next to them when the workshop is viewed with the {{K|t}} context menu), it will usually be possible to tell what item is required next.

You can use this to your advantage to get your dwarf to pick specific types of items, even if the moody dwarf has already started storing materials in their workshop: if a fey weaponsmith starts piling up copper bars, forbid those bars and he'll go pick another bar instead. If you forbid all metals except say steel (the stocks screen makes this fairly convenient), then he'll skip all those other metals and make his artifact weapon out of strong, valuable steel instead of whatever random inferior metal he might have picked otherwise. Don't forbid any of his materials after your dwarf has begun building his artifact - he won't go back to collecting materials once started and will end up going insane.

Note though that if a dwarf has a demand for a specific item, such as a {{L|bar|bar of metal}}, raw {{L|gem}}, or {{L|shell}}, then that item type will be ''required''. For this reason, it is usually a good idea to keep an example of each item type on hand, particularly cut and raw gems, shells, bones, leather, raw (green) glass, both silk and plant cloth.

In somewhat rarer cases, a dwarf with a personality preference for a specific material, such as steel or silver {{L|bar}}s, will demand exactly that specific sub-type of material. For this reason, it is a good idea to keep as many types of material on hand as possible, including the three different kinds of glass. Forbidding materials won't let you get around this either: if they want a [http://how2gainweightfast.org weight gain] specific material subtype and you forbid it in favor of something else, they'll just sulk in their workshop until you unforbid the material or they are able to find it some other way - or they go {{L|insane}}. Asking a liaison for likely materials ''in advance'' is a good plan - "next year" is far too long for a moody dwarf to last. Check your dwarves' {{L|preference}}s if you care.

Once you have struck {{L|Adamantine}}, all moods which use cloth or metal as a primary component will insist on using Adamantine cloth or wafers over all other materials; moody dwarves which happen to want metal for decorations will still choose bars based on distance or preference. Moods involving stone crafting or masonry will not prefer {{L|raw adamantine}} over other stones.

The various demands are translated here:

:{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:left;width:90%;"
|-
! Material
! Fey
! Secretive
! Possessed
|-
|
| <dwarf> screams "I must have <demand>!"
| <dwarf> sketches pictures of <demand>.
| <dwarf> mutters "<artifact> needs <demand>..."
|-
| {{L|Stone}}
| rock
| a quarry
| stone... rock
|-
| Stone {{L|block}}
| rock blocks
| square blocks
| blocks... bricks
|-
| {{L|Wood}}
| wood logs
| a forest
| tree... life
|-
| Metal {{L|bar}}
| metal bars
| shining bars of metal
| bars... metal
|-
| {{L|Gem}}s (cut)
| cut gems
| cut gems
| gems... shining
|-
| {{L|Gem}}s (raw)
| rough gems
| rough gems
| rough... color
|-
| {{L|Glass}} (green)
| raw green glass
| glass
| raw... green
|-
| {{L|Glass}} (clear)
| clear glass{{verify}}
| glass and burning wood
| raw... clear
|-
| {{L|Glass}} (crystal)
| crystal glass{{verify}}
| rough gems and glass
| raw... crystal
|-
| {{L|Bone}}
| bones
| skeletons
| bones... yes
|-
| {{L|Shell}}
| shells
| a shell
| a shell...
|-
| {{L|Leather}}
| tanned hides
| stacked leather
| leather... skin
|-
| {{L|Cloth}} (plant)
| plant fiber cloth
| stacked cloth
| cloth... thread
|-
| {{L|Cloth}} (silk)
| silk cloth
| stacked cloth
| cloth... thread
|}

Dwarves in macabre moods will list their demands in the same fashion as those in fey moods (though with them brooding "Yes. I need <item>." instead of screaming "I must have <item>!"). They may also say "Leave me. I need... things... certain things", in which case they want special items such as {{L|skull}}s or vermin {{L|remains}}.

Once all materials have been gathered, viewing the workshop with {{K|q}} will display a special message depending on the type of mood:
* Fey - "<dwarf> works furiously!"
* Secretive - "<dwarf> works secretly..."
* Possessed - "<dwarf> keeps muttering <artifact>..."
* Macabre - "<dwarf> works, darkly brooding..."
* Fell - "<dwarf> works with menacing fury!"

====Known quirk====
On maps with magma, dwarves* who intend to create an artifact at a {{L|forge}} or {{L|glass furnace}} may only be willing to use a standard (non-magma) version, or only a magma version, and will find the other completely unacceptable. If they are just standing around, then they won't use the type you have, and you will have to build the other type for them (though no {{L|fuel}} will be required if using a standard, non-magma version).
:''(* This would include most all {{L|armorsmith}}s, {{L|blacksmith}}s, {{L|metalsmith}}s, {{L|weaponsmith}}s, and {{L|glassmaker}}s, and any whose mood is dictated by the relevant skills.)''

== The mechanics of moods ==

=== Frequency===
When a fortress is started, an internal counter is set to 1000. Around 11 or 12 times per day, this counter is decremented by 1, running down to zero in about 3 months. When the counter would ordinarily be decremented when it has already reached zero, there is a 1 in 500 chance that a strange mood will strike. This means that, once all conditions are met and the clock is ticking, while there is approximately a 2.4% chance of a strange mood per day, or ''very approximately'' a 50% chance of a strange mood per month, there is no guarantee when a mood will strike - might be sooner, might be (almost) never.

=== Conditions ===
In order for a dwarf to be struck with a strange mood, three conditions must be met:
:* There is no currently active strange mood,
:* The maximum number of artifacts is not met,
:* There are at least 20 eligible dwarves ''(see below)''.

If all three of these conditions are true, the game may trigger a strange mood according to the frequency.

==== Maximum number of artifacts ====
The maximum number of artifacts in any one fortress is limited by the lower of:
* The number of items created divided by 200. It is unknown whether mined-out rock counts as an "item created", or whether bolts and units of drink are counted individually.
* The number of revealed {{L|subterranean}} tiles divided by 2308 (this is an area equivalent to a 48x48 square). Using {{L|Exploratory mining|exploratory methods}} is a great way to increase your artifact limit.
[http://www.bay12games.com/forum/index.php?topic=46803.0 Anecdotal evidence] indicates that obsidian farming will affect at least one of these limits.

==== Eligibility ====
The deciding factor for eligibility is a dwarf's actual {{L|profession}}. ''(Note that "{{L|Skill#Custom profession labels|custom professions}}" have no effect on this!)'' Thus, dwarves may enter strange moods regardless of what skills they have or don't have, so long as they are of an acceptable profession. Dwarves who have already created an artifact are not eligible to create another, and since every mood ends in either an artifact or death, every dwarf may enter at most one mood. Dwarves who have obtained one or more legendary skills without creating artifacts may enter strange moods.

Appointed {{L|noble}}s may enter moods as per their default profession, but {{L|Noble#Immigrant Nobles|immigrant nobles}} are '''not''' eligible for moods. That includes:
:Advisor, Baron/ess, Baron/ess Consort, Count/ess, Countess Consort, Duke/Duchess, Duke/Duchess Consort, Dungeon Master, Hammerer, King/Queen, King/Queen Consort, Philosopher, and Tax Collector.

Further, dwarves with a {{L|Soldier#Soldier professions|military profession}} other than "Recruit" can '''not''' enter moods. Incidental military skills make no difference - eligibility (and weighting) depends purely on the actual ''{{L|profession}}'', as listed at the time. Military professions include:
:Axedwarf, Axe Lord, Champion, Crossbowdwarf, Elite Crossbowdwarf, Hammerdwarf, Hammer Lord, Macedwarf, Mace Lord, Marksdwarf, Elite Marksdwarf, Speardwarf, Spearmaster, Swordsdwarf, Swordmaster, Wrestler, and Elite Wrestler.

Babies may '''not''' enter moods.

Any other profession is eligible to enter a mood, but not all have the same ''chance'' to enter a mood...

:''('''Note''' - Specifically, and to avoid previous misunderstandings, {{L|Strand extractor}}, {{L|Clerk}}, {{L|Administrator}}, {{L|Trader}}, {{L|Building designer|Architect}}, {{L|Alchemist's laboratory|Alchemist}}, {{L|Soldier#Recruits|Recruit}} and {{L|Child}} '''are''' moodable professions.)''

=== Chance ===
When determining who will have a strange mood, each eligible dwarf is put into a weighted lottery. The odds are assigned a higher or lower weight based on the dwarf's {{L|profession}}. The default weight is 6, but some professions are more likely to enter a strange mood than others. (This is like most dwarves getting 6 tickets to the lottery, and others getting more.)

{| class="wikitable" cellspacing="0" border="2" cellpadding="5"
|-
! Weighting
! Professions

|-
| 21 ||Armorer, Blacksmith, Bone Carver, Clothier, Craftsdwarf, Jeweler, Gem Cutter, Gem Setter, Glassmaker, Leatherworker, Metalcrafter, Metalsmith, Stonecrafter, Weaponsmith, Weaver, Woodcrafter
|-
| 11 ||Bowyer, Carpenter, Stoneworker, Mason, Woodworker
|-
| 6 ||Engraver, Mechanic, Miner, Tanner, & all other {{L|profession}}s.

|}

:'''''Example:''' What this means is: if you had 21 dwarves, made up of 20 eligible farmers, furnace operators, miners, woodcutters etc. (with 6 chances each) plus one Armorer (with 21 chances), that one Armorer would have a 21 in 141 chance (20 dwarves x 6 chances each = 120 + 21 chances more = 141 total) of the mood striking them. That's about 1 in 7, while the other 20 have a 6 in 141 chance each, or about 1 in 24. The odds are still against the armorer, but much better than for any other single dwarf.''

Note that not every profession is from a moodable skill. An Alchemist, Architect, Furnace Operator or Strand Extractor can be taken by a mood, but that will not make those skills legendary, nor will they create an artifact bar of soap, building, bar of metal or wafer of adamantine.

:NOTE: ''If your game was saved shortly before one of you dwarves acquired a mood, reloading that game will most likely cause the chances to be completely re-figured, resulting in a different mood at a different time for a different dwarf with different materials. This is true for most all random events and results in Dwarf Fortress.''

=== Skills and workshops ===

{| class="wikitable" cellpadding="4" style="border:1px solid black;border-collapse:collapse;text-align:left;float:right;margin:0 0 20px 30px;"
|-
! colspan="2" style="background-color:#eee;border-bottom:1px solid black;text-align:center;" | Artifact Skill Rewards
|-
! Highest skill
! Workshop used
|- style="border-top:1px solid #aaa;vertical-align:top;"
| {{L|Armorsmith}}
| {{L|Magma forge}} or {{L|Metalsmith's forge}}
|- style="border-top:1px solid #aaa;vertical-align:top;"
| {{L|Bone carver}}
| {{L|Craftsdwarf's workshop}}
|- style="border-top:1px solid #aaa;vertical-align:top;"
| {{L|Bowyer}}
| {{L|Bowyer's workshop}}
|- style="border-top:1px solid #aaa;vertical-align:top;"
| {{L|Carpenter}}
| {{L|Carpenter's workshop}}
|- style="border-top:1px solid #aaa;vertical-align:top;"
| {{L|Clothier}}
| {{L|Clothier's shop}}
|- style="border-top:1px solid #aaa;vertical-align:top;"
| {{L|Engraver}}
| {{L|Craftsdwarf's workshop}}
|- style="border-top:1px solid #aaa;vertical-align:top;"
| {{L|Gem cutter}}
| {{L|Jeweler's workshop}}
|- style="border-top:1px solid #aaa;vertical-align:top;"
| {{L|Gem setter}}
| {{L|Jeweler's workshop}}
|- style="border-top:1px solid #aaa;vertical-align:top;"
| {{L|Glassmaker}}
| {{L|Glass furnace}}
|- style="border-top:1px solid #aaa;vertical-align:top;"
| {{L|Leatherworker}}
| {{L|Leather works}}
|- style="border-top:1px solid #aaa;vertical-align:top;"
| {{L|Mason}}
| {{L|Mason's workshop}}
|- style="border-top:1px solid #aaa;vertical-align:top;"
| {{L|Mechanic}}
| {{L|Mechanic's workshop}}
|- style="border-top:1px solid #aaa;vertical-align:top;"
| {{L|Metal crafter}}
| {{L|Magma forge}} or {{L|Metalsmith's forge}}
|- style="border-top:1px solid #aaa;vertical-align:top;"
| {{L|Metalsmith}}
| {{L|Magma forge}} or {{L|Metalsmith's forge}}
|- style="border-top:1px solid #aaa;vertical-align:top;"
| {{L|Miner}}
| {{L|Mason's workshop}}
|- style="border-top:1px solid #aaa;vertical-align:top;"
| {{L|Stone crafter}}
| {{L|Craftsdwarf's workshop}}
|- style="border-top:1px solid #aaa;vertical-align:top;"
| {{L|Tanner}}
| {{L|Leather works}}
|- style="border-top:1px solid #aaa;vertical-align:top;"
| {{L|Weaponsmith}}
| {{L|Magma forge}} or {{L|Metalsmith's forge}}
|- style="border-top:1px solid #aaa;vertical-align:top;"
| {{L|Weaver}}
| {{L|Clothier's shop}}
|- style="border-top:1px solid #aaa;vertical-align:top;"
| {{L|Wood crafter}}
| {{L|Craftsdwarf's workshop}}
|}

A dwarf will claim a workshop according to their highest applicable skill, and upon completion of the artifact, gain 20,000 {{L|experience}} in that skill (excepting {{L|Strange mood#Possessed|possessed}} dwarves). This will give the dwarf a legendary-level {{L|skill}} (specifically, "legendary+1" or higher, depending on the dwarf's initial skill level) and a number of {{L|attribute}} gains. The table to the right describes all applicable skills and their potential workshop requirements - there are only 20 skills that determine the workshop and that can be affected by a mood (sometimes referred to as '''moodable''' skills.) If a dwarf does not possess at least one of the moodable skills listed to the right, they will take over a {{L|craftsdwarf's workshop}} and gain one of {{L|bone carver}}, {{L|stone crafter}}, or {{L|wood crafter}} skills, producing an artifact {{L|craft}}.

If a dwarf has the same experience points in two skills (as opposed to same experience title), the first listed for that dwarf will be the one affected by the mood (the exact experience can only be made visible with 3rd party {{L|utilities}}).

When multiple workshops are listed, the dwarf may require one or the other, so ensure that ''both'' are available, if possible. If you have one, and the dwarf is not interested, then build the other, right away. (i.e. If you have only {{L|magma forge}}s, you may have to build a standard {{L|forge}} for the moody dwarf).

Below is a list of all ''non''-moodable skills; if all of a dwarf's skills are found on this list and none from the table to the right, then they have no moodable skills and will construct their artifact at a {{L|Craftsdwarf's workshop}}, producing an appropriate craft as described above:

{|
|- style="vertical-align:top;"
| style="padding-right:30px;" |
* {{L|Ambusher}}
* {{L|Animal caretaker}}
* {{L|Animal dissector}}
* {{L|Animal trainer}}
* {{L|Appraiser}}
* {{L|Building designer|Architect}}
* {{L|Brewer}}
* {{L|Butcher}}
* {{L|Cheese maker}}
* {{L|Cook}}
* {{L|Dyer}}
* {{L|Fish cleaner}}
* {{L|Fish dissector}}
* {{L|Fisherdwarf}}
* {{L|Furnace operator}}
* {{L|Grower}}
* {{L|Herbalist}}
|
* {{L|Lye maker}}
* {{L|Milker}}
* {{L|Miller}}
* {{L|Potash maker}}
* {{L|Pump operator}}
* {{L|Record keeper}}
* {{L|Siege engineer}}
* {{L|Siege operator}}
* {{L|Soaper}}
* {{L|Strand extractor}}
* {{L|Thresher}}
* {{L|Trapper}}
* {{L|Wood cutter}}
* {{L|Wood burner}}
* All {{L|military}} skills
* All {{L|social skill}}s
|}

This fact can be utilized to maximize the possibility of getting a dwarf with the specific legendary skill you want: since ''non''-moodable skills are ignored, when ever possible make sure that each dwarf's highest ''moodable'' skill is one of those you want*. Have all your peasants, {{L|farmer}}s, non-professional military and other dwarves without any moodable skills do a tiny bit of work in the skill(s) you most want; if a "{{L|experience|dabbling}}" skill is the highest moodable skill they have, that is the skill that will be used.

:''(* {{L|Armorsmith}}, {{L|Weaponsmith}}, {{L|Metal crafter}} and {{L|Metalsmith}} are possibly the most-desired legendary skills, but much depends on your fortress, your current mix of skills, and your play style.)''

:''(Note that {{L|Tanner}} is a moodable skill, the only {{L|Farmer}} category skill that is moodable.)''

== Artifacts created ==
The type of artifact created will depend on the dwarf's highest skill. Masons and miners will always create some kind of stone furniture; bone Carvers, a bone or shell object; carpenters, a wood object, etc. Engravers and stone crafters will turn out a stone craft; metalworkers, metal crafts, weapons, or armor (depending on the type of metalworker); weavers, an article of clothing; tanners, a leather armor or object. If a dwarf has no moodable skills, they will take over a {{L|craftsdwarf's workshop}} and create a bone, stone or wood craft of some type. The precise type of craft created is usually somewhat random but if a dwarf has a personality preference for a particular thing, such as gauntlets or floodgates or crowns, and that thing is an available choice given the dwarf's profession, they will generally create an object of that type.

The first object grabbed by the dwarf will be the "primary" substance; all other materials will be used to decorate the artifact. If a dwarf grabs a piece of {{L|chalk}} and makes a statue, for instance, it will be a "chalk statue", but an artifact can potentially be composed of bone, cloth, gems, leather, metal, shell, stone, and wood all at once. In some cases, a moody dwarf will produce an item which normally cannot be made from that material, leading to such odd constructions as an {{L|obsidian}} {{L|bed}}, {{L|ruby}} {{L|floodgate}}, or turtle {{L|shell}} {{L|cage}}.

Once created, most {{L|artifact}}s will be available for use just like a normal item of its type. Artifact furniture is useful for high value {{L|noble}} rooms. {{L|Weapon}}s and {{L|armor}} will only be used by heroes and champions. Artifact weapons in {{L|Trap#Weapon Trap|weapon traps}} can also boost a room's value considerably, as in the case of artifact trap components.

== Failure ==
If you can't provide the desired workshop and all the required component materials within a couple of months, the dwarf will go {{L|insanity|insane}}, which cancels the mood and the artifact. As if that's not bad enough, any dwarf who goes insane will soon die, one way or another.

A dwarf who is '''stark raving mad''' or '''melancholy''' is harmless to others (until they die and start a {{L|tantrum}} spiral), but a '''berserk''' dwarf will attack other dwarves and possibly pull levers at random. You may want to station a squad nearby or assign a few war dogs to the dwarf on the chance that they will lash out. If you build your workshops inside enclosed rooms with doors you can also lock the moody dwarf in the room until he or she starves. In extreme cases, building a wall around an open workshop is the best precaution.

Most events that would ordinarily interrupt a dwarf will not deter a moody dwarf - for example, while passing out from pain will cancel most tasks, a moody dwarf will continue working as soon as he wakes up. Giving birth while in a strange mood does not interrupt the dwarf either; the new mother will ignore the baby until her mood is resolved and it will happily wander off in the meantime.

Severe distractions such as hostile creatures, however, can interrupt a strange mood, resulting in immediate insanity; similar results will happen if the workshop suddenly becomes unavailable, whether from being destroyed (by a cave-in or a dwarf throwing a tantrum) or from losing power (in the case of magma workshops). Note that the insanity can happen even when the dwarf is not deadlocked on an item; there have been observed instances where a dwarf goes insane while in the process of carrying a required item back to the commandeered workshop.

----

'''See also'''
:*{{L|Insanity}}
:*{{L|Artifact}}
:*{{L|Profession}}
:*{{L|Legendary}}

40d:Lead

2011-11-07T20:44:02Z

DivinaLittlefield: None

{{Metal|name=Lead|color=0:7:1
|uses=
* Make {{L|lay pewter}} at {{L|smelter}}
* {{L|Metalsmith's forge|Metal crafting}}
|ore=
* {{L|Galena}}
|properties=
* {{L|Material value}} 2
}}{{av}}{{Quality|Exceptional}}

Lead can only be smelted from {{L|galena}} and can be used to make all furniture and craft goods, or made into lay pewter.

*{{L|Lay pewter|Lay Pewter}} = Lead + 2x {{L|Tin}} + {{L|Copper}}

Due to its low material {{L|value}}, lead is hardly useful for making {{L|craft}}s. It can be useful for items of {{L|furniture}}, [http://bit.ly/vWV7iJ weight gain] in cases where value and weight aren't relevant, or on maps where {{L|wood}} is scarce (but magma for a {{L|Magma smelter}} is available). Making lay pewter from it isn't a good option, since you can gain more value by making {{L|trifle pewter}}, {{L|fine pewter}}, or {{L|bronze}} from the bars of {{L|copper}} and {{L|tin}} and leaving the lead as-is.

Bars of Lead might be most useful as constructed {{L|bars}} or {{L|grate}}s - all material has the same strength, lead as effective as steel (except for armor and weapons). Another way to make use of lead which does not use {{L|fuel}} is training your {{L|metal crafter}}s by making them stud stuff with it.

There is no lead poisoning in Dwarf Fortress yet, so there's no reason not to keep your food supply in lead {{L|barrel}}s or to trade lead goblets to elves (and enjoy imagining that you're slowly poisoning them).

{{gamedata}}
{{metals}}

40d:Cross-training

2011-11-07T20:41:58Z

DivinaLittlefield: None

{{quality|Exceptional|15:59, 29 April 2011 (UTC)}}{{av}}
'''Cross-training''' is training your military dwarf candidates in civilian disciplines (or vice versa), and offers multiple benefits. First and most importantly, it gives you several extra {{L|attribute}} increases. Toughness, especially, is extremely important for military dwarves; it allows them to take more wounds before passing out from pain, and to recover from wounds faster. Second, it provides a ready pool of recruits in case your military takes a beating at one point or another, and/or allows civilians a better-than-normal chance to defend themselves. Third, it ensures that your {{L|soldier}}s have some domestic skills so they will not receive {{L|thought|unhappy thoughts}} from being de-activated from the {{L|military}} in the event you need to downsize, or just need some extra labor short-term. Finally, most reserves programs provide chronic idlers with some work to do, which can be essential for unskilled workers like peasants to break out of their poverty (and therefore, unhappiness) cycle once the {{L|dwarven economy}} kicks in.

There is nothing saying you have to use only one of these ideas; they are all various approaches toward addressing these areas.

==Cross-training (starting a reserves program)==
The biggest thing to remember with a reserves program is that if you're going to go, you go all the way. Don't institute something "just for a little while" and come up with a handful of novice reservists; they will not get significant stat increases and you'll only waste time. Time is not something you have a heck of a lot of in a reserves program, typically. Remember that after you draft them, most dwarves are going to need about a year of sparring or training before they're ready for heavy combat. You might not have that much time if you are getting sieges regularly.

===Different Programs:===
====Gym ({{L|pump operator}})====
[[Image:Pump_farm.png|thumb|right|71px|No pain, no gain.]]
The Gym is the most basic sort of reserves program; it merely consists of building a bunch of {{L|screw pump}}s connected to nothing in a room that's close to {{L|food}}, {{L|bed}}s, and {{L|drink}}. After the pumps are built, order them to be pumped manually, then turn on {{L|Pump operator|pump operating}} for your reservists.

{{L|Toughness}} influences how tired your dwarves get. Tougher dwarves can operate a pump longer before getting tired, meaning they will gain skill more quickly than non-tough dwarves. Once dwarves hit Unbelievably Tough, they can operate pumps non-stop. 
'''Pros:'''
*Easy to set up; 4 pumps in the gym will keep at least 8-10 reservists busy around the clock.
*Extra pumps can be added to expand operations very easily.
*Requires no continuous oversight on your part.
*Somewhat fast training; legendary in under a year (if other responsibilities like hauling are minimized).
*Very safe; gyms can be placed anywhere in the comfort of your fortress with no issues. 
*If you're really clever, you might be able to arrange your pumps so they power one or more indoor {{L|waterfall}}s. To get the full benefit of this approach, you would probably have to design your fortress around the waterfalls. Remember not to dig under their feeding tubes!
'''Cons:'''
*Tons of cancel job spam. Every time a reservist exhausts himself and goes to satisfy his basic needs, you'll see "Urist McScrewpumper cancels Operate Pump: Exhausted."
*If you have any pumps around that actually DO need to be operated every so often (refilling your {{L|well}}, for example), it could be a serious pain to juggle the useless gym pumps and the ones that are actually useful.

====Artillery proving ground ({{L|siege operator}})====
Mass-produce some catapults, line them up near a quarry, and fire away. Works well to dispose of stone from a gulag (see below). 
'''Pros:'''
*Trains a skill that's reasonably useful, and provides a place to put all the sub-par siege engine components your {{L|siege engineer}} will doubtlessly create if you're going for superior-quality engines.
*Harasses the wildlife, which is always fun. 
'''Cons:'''
*Very slow to train (2+ years for legendary).
*Fairly space-consuming to set up a well-designed and usable proving ground.
*Can be dangerous depending on the biome (especially when {{L|elephant}}s are present. If they get winged by a stray boulder, you can bet they're going to be coming straight at you).
*{{L|Siege operator}}s are civilians, and will run in fear when an enemy approaches them.

====Internship ({{L|bookkeeper}})====
Turn on highest precision bookkeeping and rotate the appointed noble in and out the second he becomes a legendary bookkeeper. 
'''Pros:'''
*Requires no extra infrastructure at all.
*You need a bookkeeper anyway!
*Totally safe; a bookkeeper spends basically all his discretionary time snug in his office.
*Trains outrageously fast; if the office is very close to {{L|food}}, {{L|bed}}s, and {{L|drink}}, a bookkeeper can be legendary or close to it in a mere season. 
'''Cons:'''
*Only employs one dwarf at a time; not useful when you have 15-25 candidates for the reserves.
*No announcement when the current intern reaches Legendary status means you can lose time on rotation easily.
*Legendary bookkeepers might leave their successor without work, losing work and experience.
*Is arguably an {{L|exploit}}; some players may want to avoid it on principle.

====Internship MkII ({{L|manager}})====
Much like bookkeeping, assign a new dwarf to manager, queue several hundred jobs, and rotate a replacement in as soon as he becomes legendary. For bonus points, queue jobs which need to be repeated anyway, like "Prepare Raw Fish" or "Mill Plants", or jobs for which there is no workshop, like "Make Wooden Bow" or "Make Soap". 
'''Pros:'''
*Requires no extra infrastructure at all.
*You need a manager anyway!
*Mostly safe; a manager spends basically all his discretionary time snug in his office, or doing his other assigned jobs.
*Trains fairly quickly; with enough jobs, especially ones which need to be repeated anyway, you can get legendary inside two seasons. 
'''Cons:'''
*Only employs one dwarf at a time; not useful when you have 15-25 candidates for the reserves.
*No announcement when the current intern reaches Legendary status means you can lose time on rotation easily.
*Trains more slowly than bookkeeper, requiring roughly 60 lots of 30 jobs to reach legendary, and 40 more to Legendary+5.
====Gulag ({{L|miner}})====
The gulag is basically a strip mine that is located far away from your main fortress (so you don't have to worry about accidentally screwing up your own building plans; if you are careful in planning, it may be placed closer to your fortress). Take a big square and start leveling it; it's really no more complicated than that. Since {{L|pick}}s can actually be used as weapons, it's worthwhile to give the reservists who will be working in the gulag picks made out of {{L|iron}}, or, if you are really living large, {{L|steel}}. Note that you will have to turn your usual mining corps (the civilian miners who are already experienced with mining) off for this setup to work properly. 
'''Pros:'''
*Soldiers enter the military with an emergency weapon in their hand already; this can be critical in the case of {{L|speardwarf|speardwarves}}, who have a habit of losing their weapons in an enemy, or {{L|marksdwarf|marksdwarves}}, who are forced to use the {{L|hammerdwarf}} skill in melee, which they may not even have.
*Toting a pick for close-quarters support might make a legendary {{L|marksdwarf}} more useful, since the pathetic bludgeon damage of his {{L|wood}} and {{L|bone}} {{L|crossbow}}s are less important.
*Can be quite useful for producing stones you might not have access to normally, or uncovering veins of precious metals.
*Levels quite fast in sand.
*Relatively little oversight from you.
*An overland hike to the gulag will fight {{L|cave adaptation}} in your military candidates.
*Can easily be transformed into a {{L|Tower-cap#Underground_tree_farms|tower-cap farm}} on suitable maps, providing a safe and replenishable wood source. 
'''Cons:'''
*Juggling your real miners and your reservists when there's real work to be done on the fort can be a chore.
*Hard to keep dwarves in the gulag for too long; they'll inevitably get hungry, thirsty, and tired and start hiking back to the fortress proper.
*Can be dangerous, depending on the biome.
*Does require some amount of oversight from you, especially when your reservists start getting better at mining and run out of work more quickly.
*Low-skill miners may discover---and then partially destroy---valuable gem or mineral deposits.

====Renovation ({{L|stone detailing}})====
Another convenient way to buff up your dwarves, assigning your reservists to mass {{L|stone detailing}} duty increases your fortress' architectural wealth and makes the place look nicer. While they may clutter the halls somewhat, it doesn't require any special allocation of {{L|food}}, {{L|bed}}s or {{L|drink}}. Just turn on {{L|stone detailing}} for your reservists and mark up as much of the fortress as you like for renovation. 
'''Pros:'''
*Even easier to set up; just assign your dwarves and an area and you're good to go.
*Increases your fortress' value and general happiness.
*Requires no continuous oversight on your part.
*Very safe, if you only assign areas inside the fortress. 
'''Cons:'''
*Wealth overflow may bring too many {{L|immigrant}}s.
*Serious conflict with {{L|engraving}} assignments; trying to engrave with poorly trained engravers wastes a lot of wealth that essentially comes from nothing. To avoid this, have periods when you only designate stone smoothing, followed by periods where you only designate engraving.
*Careless designation of smoothing areas may have your dwarves trying to smooth walls too close to {{L|magma}} or a {{L|river}}.
*If you smooth and engrave all your bedrooms, many dwarves will not be able to afford them once the {{L|Dwarven economy}} kicks in.

====Sweatshop ({{L|mason}})====
Make one or more [http://how2gainweightfast.org weight gain]/span>s in an area with a bunch of junk stone you don't care about, or that you're actively looking to clear. Change the workshop settings to allow only your reservists to use it, then tell the workshop to churn out crafts, junk furniture, stone blocks, and trade goods that you can trade en-masse. Alternatively, forbid your reservists from working in your real mason's workshops, order lots of stone constructions built, and pray that your real masons stay too occupied with the workshops to intrude. Works well in conjunction with a gulag. Alternate ideas for sweatshops include a [[mechanic's workshop]] or a [[magma glass furnace]] to train [[mechanic]] and [[glassmaker]] respectively. ''Note: Do NOT try this with the {{L|carpenter}} skill, or any other resource you don't have in near-limitless abundance. Sweatshops will consume huge amounts of their associated resources, and if you run out mid-way you have probably wasted your time. This includes {{L|coke}} or {{L|charcoal}} used in the normal (non-magma) {{L|glass furnace}}.'' 
'''Pros:'''
*Quantitatively turns a profit. The inferior trade goods can be dumped on the next caravan for more useful commodities like bags, seeds, and logs. Logs are especially useful, since you'll inevitably stamp out lots of bins to support the trade good output.
*Mass-producing blocks makes your constructions higher value.
*Unlike many other training programs, Sweatshops train a skill that is very useful. 
'''Cons:'''
*Slow to level.
*Hard to keep the reservists on task, since they'll need to do plenty of hauling to keep their workshop from becoming chokingly cluttered.
*Can be a logistical nightmare; making bins and organizing hauling for the finished goods can be insane if you're working from a gulag.
*Can be dangerous depending on the biome and location of your sweatshops.
*Note also that stone blocks cannot be made into furniture or stone crafts. This may or may not be an issue depending on where you're putting your gulag.

====Dwarf Powered Mill ({{L|grower}},{{L|cook}},{{L|miller}})====
Start off by creating a surplus of {{L|longland grass}}, {{L|cave wheat}}, and/or {{L|whip vine}} and some bags. Create multiple {{L|quern}} all close to the food stockpile which contains the millable plants. Next to this area make a {{L|kitchen}} assigned to an experienced cook. Enable milling for the dwarves you wish to cross-train and order the cook to make lavish meals. As long as your growers provide a steady supply of millable plants and your cook can empty out bags quick enough, the milling jobs will continue. 
'''Pros:'''
*Produces a lot of wealth as flour is a high value ingredient
*Produces high amounts of food
*Sustains the training of non cross-training dwarves such as the cook and growers 
'''Cons:'''
*Requires a surplus of millable plants to ensure continuous milling, thus you may need to increase the number of plots/growers
*If you don't have enough bags and your cook decides to go on break you may end up having job cancellations for the millers
*Dedicated haulers will be required to keep all workshops clutter free

====Clear Cutting====
As long as wood hauling is turned off, dwarves will move from one tree to the next without stopping to bring the wood back. On a heavily forested map, this means that dedicated wood cutters can skill up very quickly. 
Of course, this training strategy isn't going endear you with the elves. 

'''Pros:'''
*Works quickly
*Trees regrow
*Provides useful lumber to carpenters, charcoal makers, etc
*Can cause problems with elves
'''Cons:'''
*<s>Can cause problems with elves</s>
*Map dependent
*Unless care is taken to only designate a small area for cutting, trainees and haulers can be spread out across the map while, making them vulnerable to creatures and ambushes. (OTOH, if done with more than a few dwarves at a time, a small squad of axe-wielding {{L|military|recruit}}s is not completely defenseless, and military can be stationed as support.)

====Dwarf Scouts ({{L|ambusher}}, {{L|hunter}}, {{L|marksdwarf}})====
Marksdwarves are an important part of any military. A bum rush of low level marksdwarves is good, but not as effective as an elite backup squad! Here is what you can do:
Draft a comfortable amount of dwarves to hunting, give them all cheap crossbows. Your dwarves should hunt as usual. But you are really training an elite squad of assassins, that will one day hunt goblins instead of groundhogs.

'''Pros:'''
*Easy to start.
*Lots of meat, bones and leather around.
*Aforementioned bones can be recycled to make new bolts.

'''Cons:'''
*Doesn't work on some maps.
*Hunting is dangerous!
*Not as economically productive as some other methods.

====Charm School ({{L|social skills}})====
(Note: Inspired by [http://www.bay12games.com/forum/index.php?topic=47533.0 milaga's Real Wagon experiment], details of this technique are still being investigated.)
Sure, dwarves get stronger, tougher, and more agile from flinging rocks, carving rocks, smoothing rocks, and taking inventory of rocks or assigning tasks regarding rocks, but since all skills are weighted equally in terms of producing attribute increases, dwarves gain attributes from just standing around and chatting, too!

Take advantage of this by setting up a small space with food, booze, and a few beds/chairs/tables, stashing your new immigrants in it, and locking the door for a few seasons. (Be sure to turn off all of their labors and designate it as a meeting place.) With no labors enabled and nothing to do, they'll chat and party and quickly buff up their comedian, flatterer, conversationalist, &c. skills, which in turn will produce quick attribute boosts.

'''Pros:'''
*works on any map
*easy to set up
*trains many dwarves at once
*requires almost zero player oversight
*easily scales to any size of immigrant wave
*requires no resources the dwarves would not already be consuming (food, beds, &c)
*levels quickly: initial tests show 14-15 attribute gains per dwarf by the end of 7 months
*very safe
*no conflict with existing workshops or skills, unlike gulag or sweatshop

'''Cons:'''
*dwarves gain no professional skills during this time
*produces no trade goods or useful items for the fortress
*produces many romances and tight-knit friendships, which {{L|Tantrum#Tantrum Spiral|put you at risk}} of suddenly having lots of {{L|losing#General Unhappiness|Fun}}
*inter-dwarf personality conflicts can produce early misery and tantrums. This can be prevented with quality furniture and food, and the risk is eliminated once friendships and relationships are formed and producing happy thoughts.
*unless the entrance and path from the exterior are carefully set up, you will probably have to draft new dwarves and station them in the charm school to move them there; this will produce an unhappy thought that can exacerbate the early period of tension

====National self-defense training====
This is the counter-part to the above - this trains civilians in basic wrestling. All your civilians - or at least, most of them. Any time a dwarf is activated into the military, and they do not have at least Novice level in some combat skill, they get a bad thought. Give every civilian dwarf one or two weeks off when they first {{L|migrant|immigrate}} and train them up to {{L|experience|Novice}} in {{L|wrestling}} - that's all they need. Then, if they ever get caught where they don't want to be (maybe they bump into a thief coming around a corner, or a flying critter jumps them, or you need to urgently order them out of the path of a magma flood, or send them to the {{L|control room}} - anything), not only can you activate them with no bad thoughts, but every dwarf has a better chance at not-dying - which can only be a good thing.

===Overview===
*The charm school can cross-train many dwarves in less a year, but produces no useful items, trade wealth, or professional skills. The method is also still being refined and potential pitfalls may still be uncovered.
*The gym also trains large amounts of dwarves, though it is relatively slow compared to other methods.
*Artillery training can give you some siege operators, which will be useful if you have ballistae.
*The internship is very fast, but only trains up one dwarf at a time. Your stocks could also lag behind if you are unlucky.
*The gulag requires planning, and your dwarves in the fortress proper may run all the way to the gulag to grab a stone for some crafts, a chair, etc. It does, however, train your dwarves in mining quickly, which is always a useful skill.
*Renovation is hands-free, but may bloat your fortress wealth too quickly.
*The sweatshop creates a large amount of goods, which can be traded away to keep traders happy. It also increases your wealth by quite a lot, which can be good or bad depending upon your situation. The goods are also difficult to manage.

Note that the gym, artillery training, and internship don't take away {{L|strange mood}} potential (you can give those dwarves dabbling in anything you want and that's how they'll get theirs), while the gulag, renovation, and sweatshop do.

----

=Army corps of engineers=
Your actual soldiers are obviously only one facet to your military preparation. {{L|defense|Defensive}} structures like {{L|fortification}}s, {{L|moat}}s, and above-ground bunkers need civilian support, and they need to be constructed - and sometimes that's as dangerous as military service itself. In the best of times it should be done quickly and efficiently, because faster means less time vulnerable to a possible {{L|ambush}} or dangerous {{L|creature|predator}}. In emergencies, having a trained, reliable workforce, with enough manpower to tackle any job at any time and can accomplish those projects quickly can be a fortress saver.

The incredible amount of effort required to complete full defensive preparations on many maps (even building a single-floor above ground bunker can take multiple seasons of full-time effort) means that the military can benefit greatly from having a corps of dwarves who are dedicated and trained to support the development full time.

Organizing a Corps of Engineers requires extra effort and planning on your part, but pays off big later on. Corps engineers become incredibly useful and will produce superior, happiness-inducing structures and items even after their chief issues are done. Also, since their highest {{L|strange mood}} eligible skill tends to be {{L|masonry}}, it improves your chances of getting a legendary {{L|mason}}, which is always a treat.

===Organizing===
The bread and butter skill of the engineer corps are {{L|masonry}} along with {{L|mechanic}}s, and some {{L|architecture}} thrown in for some trainees (but not necessarily all, see below). Candidates really don't need any prior skills, but if you can recruit some {{L|immigrant}}s that come with one of these skills already, so much the better. The long term result is a crew that can build anything anywhere, but not until after some training, so you should not use any dwarves who will be needed elsewhere soon. Assign {{L|potash maker}}s, {{L|soaper}}s, and the like instead. Miners that have run out of digging work and are suddenly idle (and already have {{L|attribute}}s for faster hauling of building stones) are also good candidates. You may wish to swap {{L|masonry}} with {{L|carpentry}} if you are doing a challenge where your structures are chiefly made out of wood, or conceivably even a {{L|metalcrafting}} skill, but the gist of it is the same.

Since these dwarves may be performing a lot of construction outside, one variation includes designating them all with the {{L|woodcutting}} {{L|labor}}, so they will all carry {{L|axe}}s full time. When wood needs to be cut, one tight area is designated at a time, and they all respond - this encourages mutual support. Other outdoor activities likewise become safer with a number of armed dwarves responding together, and faster with practice, so {{L|plant gathering}} may be another skill to add to the mix. Assigning war{{L|dog}}s to these outdoor-engineers is another good plan. (Whether or not to then train them as (reservist) axedwarves is up to you - see {{L|Cross_training#Cross-training_(starting_a_reserves_program)|cross-training}}, at the first half of this article.)

A suitable number of engineer corps members depends on personal preference and the expected scope of your projects, but you want them to support each other, so perhaps a half-dozen or more for an average fortress, or maybe ~10% total. This might seem like a lot when you have the {{L|fortress guard}} demanding 10%, the {{L|royal guard}} demanding another 5%, plus what dwarves you have committed to reserves programs or in the regular army, but your goal is a reliable building crew, large enough so they will not all be "{{L|on break}}" at once. Remember also that engineer corps members are civilians (with {{L|attribute}}s) and can be temporarily re-assigned to urgent hauling duty when the need arises, so they are not lost to other support tasks.

After you've decided who you want in the engineer corps, it's suggested that you give them a {{L|Profession#Custom_profession_labels|custom profession}}, to distinguish them in your {{k|u}}nits menu. They behave so much like normal civilians that it's hard to keep track of them if you don't. Don't use "{{L|Engineer}}", because that is an existing (and different) profession. Some suggestions for custom ranks are "Reserves," "Multi", "Corps Engineer", "CE", or some other profession or abbreviation that makes sense to you.

===Training masons===
Once your main fortress has {{L|what should I build first|the basics}} and things are relatively settled, build some {{L|mason's workshop}}s for the corps to work out of. Build as many as you have corps engineer members, to make sure that everyone is guaranteed to have work, and do it in areas that are dense with mined stones, preferably in low-traffic areas (but be careful about {{L|noise}}). A good place to start is anywhere you want to clear of (useless) stone, or any {{L|economic stone}} you want to turn into building {{L|block|material}} - that's what they'll be producing, and a lot of it.

After the corps' workshops are set up, we'll need to change the workshop profiles to make sure the regular masons don't use them. You can do this one of two ways. First, {{k|q}}uery the workshop, and choose {{k|P}}rofile to see who is allowed to work there. Then, either:
:*Lower the max skill threshhold to "Proficient" (or your choice). This lets different trainees swap workshops.
:*Or, enable each of the engineer corps' members individually. Tedious, but only needs to be done once, and very effective. This allows you more control over individual engineers over an extended period.
:* Or both.

Then, set the corps' workshops to produce stone {{L|block}}s, and put that on {{k|r}}epeat. Keep it there. This is going to be the corps' only job for it's few seasons, to train up masonry.

====(Why are we building blocks, again?)====
A couple of reasons. 
:* 1) Blocks have no quality modifier. That means that your dabbling mason engineer corps members are producing blocks every bit as good as your legendary masons.
:* 2) Blocks can be used in building constructions. What was the Corps' first job? Building, of course!
:* 3) Blocks make higher-value constructions than normal stone. Constructions made out of stone will become "Rough (rock) (construction)", while block constructions will eliminate the rough modifier and contribute more to the fortress's wealth.
:* 4) Blocks can be collected into bins (which is not true of raw stones), reducing stone clutter. This is important for moving them to handy on-site stockpiles.
:* 5) Blocks make it easier to budget stone for constructions, so you can see if you're running low on material or using more than you expected.

If you stop at no-label, you will have added 37 blocks/trainee to your stocks: 17 to Novice, and another 20 to No-Label. ''(See {{L|Experience}} for more info.)''

(If you're training carpenters, you can either mass-produce barrels and bins (you always seem to need more), or, if you are planning wooden constructions, wooden blocks.)

=== Apprentice Mechanics ===
Mechanic skill is important to place {{L|lever}}s and link them with existing devices, for traps or bridges, or whatever. It also allows them to reload {{L|trap}}s, and/or clear any that may have jammed, relieving your primary Mechanic of this burden. The importance of this skill depends on the extent of your use of levers and traps in your fortress design.

After you're satisfied with the skill level of your trainees (no-tag is a good place to be), move on to training {{L|mechanic}}s. Shut down the {{L|mason's workshop}}s and build {{L|mechanic's workshop}}s where there is more ({{L|economic stone|non-economic}}!) stone. Start churning out (no-/low-quality) mechanisms - again, 17 each will give Novice level, another 20 each will give No-Label. After you've got a decent handful, you may decide to build experience by building levers and linking them all a door. Don't go too overboard with training mechanics. Again, no-label is a good place to be, ample - you're just speeding things along a bit. Mechanics are not usually used enough to warrant going all out.

===Architect(s)===
Architecture is useful because dwarves trained in it will increase the quality of the structures they design, and so seeing them will cause happy thoughts. Factor in how easy it is to train up and it's a no-brainer. Of course, feel free to stop this at any time to attend to more urgent matters.

After you're done with mechanics, switch to {{L|architecture}} on some of your trainees. Only a few {{L|construction}}s and workshops need architecture, and only one architect can work on any designated structure at a time, regardless the size, so you don't (necessarily) need them all to have it. If you have one, they will train up as they build - if you have a lot, they will share the tasks and not achieve higher levels unless you stop and specifically give them more dedicated training.

The easiest way to train any number of architects is to turn off their {{L|masonry}} labor* and designate a bunch of supports (you will eventually need 17/trainee, just to start). Use the any nearby stone or blocks that is not needed elsewhere - designate one support over one stone if you can, to reduce hauling time. After they've been designed (and now "need masonry"), ''un''-designate them ({{k|q}}, {{k|x}}. If you want to actually build them, then keep masonry on, and that would train both architecture and masonry, giving you more net experience.

''(* Other dwarves with masonry may respond to build the designed supports, and faster than you'd expect, the little masonic ninjas. If this is a concern, lock your trainees in a room with the stone and let 'em design in peace.)''

===The payoff===
After the training starts taking hold, you will have a cadre of proficient building designers, proficient masons, skilled mechanics, and (optionally, see below) proficient siege operators or axe-dwarves. This can happen in as little as 3 years of training. You can (and should!) continue to train them until they are legendary in all of these, but that is very long term. In the shorter, 3 year term, you have a rock-solid foundation to react to any construction demand with speed, efficiency, and awesome quality.

===Non-professionals===
Remember that every dwarf in this crew will have masonry and mechanic labor designated (and possibly carpenter, etc) - for your primary mason's and mechanic's workshops, go into those workshop Profiles and only allow your primary, best-skilled dwarves to respond to work orders there, either by name or skill level, or both. If you forget to do this, you'll have your trainees jumping in and producing your furniture at lower {{L|quality}}.

===Role in your military===

Especially if you opt for the wood-cutter approach and they are armed 24/7 with axes, a brief (or not so brief) {{L|sparring}} session will make them extremely dangerous if ambushed, and create a reserve force to support your full-time military. Just be careful to train no military skill near {{L|Soldier#Heroes_and_Champions|Great}} level, as this will remove them permanently from the civilian workforce! Not even close - remember that combat gives experience quickly. Somewhere between Proficient and Professional should be ample for reserves. This is true for axe or {{L|wrestler}}, both of which can be handy for combatants.

You can also, at your discretion, enable the {{L|siege operating}} labor to train the engineer corps in the use of artillery. This is mainly to give them an actual military use, and since cross-training them like this reduces the military's overall impact on your society. If you've got enough dwarves to make a separate artillery corps, go right ahead.

{{Military FAQ}}

{{Category|Military| }}
{{Category|Fortress defense}}