Dwarf Fortress Wiki - User contributions [en]

Archery

2026-08-18T04:48:08Z

Joeljpa: /* Issues with Archery */ a bit misleading, ammo still has to be assigned in whichever version

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{{Skill
| color = 0:0
| skill = Archer
| profession = [[Military]]
| job name = None
| tasks = *Using any ranged weapon in combat
| attributes =
*Agility
*Focus
*Spatial Sense
*Kinesthetic Sense
}}
{{av}}
[[File:dwarf_archer.jpg|thumb|229px|right|A dwarf archer. ''Art by Artigas'']]'''Archery''' is the [[combat skill]] associated with all ranged combat, as well as the name given to using ranged weapons in general. Its exact function is unknown, except that it has been shown to decrease the probability of an enemy dodging a ranged attack. It serves as the ranged counterpart of the Fighter skill.

In terms of weapons, archery encompasses the [[crossbow]], the [[bow]], the [[blowgun]] and anything a creature has [[Thrower|thrown]] at another. Out of these, the crossbow is the only one available to [[Dwarf|dwarves]] outside of [[trading]], looting hostiles, [[strange mood]]s or [[modding]]; as such, this skill will be most relevant to your [[Crossbowman|marksdwarves]].

==Archery==
In order to engage in archery, a dwarf needs five things: a [[weapon|ranged weapon]]; a [[quiver]] and [[Weapon#Ammunition|ammunition]]; proper [[labor]]/[[military interface|military]] assignments; and a target. For further information, see the [[archery target]] page.

Dwarves will fire at targets 25 tiles away and are able to engage targets that are up to 3 z-levels up or down without any loss in firing distance.{{verify}}

Assignment of ranged weapons is done through the equipment screen in {{menu icon|q}} [[Squad]] menu. If you only have a few ranged weapons, [[military]] squads get first pick, and then [[ambusher|hunters]] can choose from the leftovers. [[Squad]]s can be assigned a particular ''type'' of weapon, but hunters cannot be controlled so finely.

Assignment of ammunition is not possible in the current versions, dwarves will decide for themselves what ammunition to use, ''usually'' choosing worse ammo for training. Hunters reserve 25 bolts for their needs. Ammunition must match the weapon: bolts for [[crossbow]]s, arrows for [[bow]]s. More details on military ammunition [[Squad#Ammunition_and_marksdwarf_squads|here]].

A living target can be selected from the {{menu icon|q}} [[Squad]] menu by selecting the squad(s) you wish to have attack and then selecting the [[File:Interface_squad_attack.jpg]] attack target. You can then select a single target with the cursor [[File:Button single select.jpg|26px]], or a number of targets by enabling selection by rectangle [[File:Button box select.jpg|26px]]. Note that if your dwarves don't have the required ammunition, quiver, or bow/blowgun/crossbow, the squad members missing these components will attempt to engage the target in melee. There is no way to force dwarves to only attack from range, but adequately equipped dwarves stand the best chance of remaining at range.

===Subsections of Archery===

[[Crossbow]] – [[Ammunition|Ranged Ammunition]] – [[Equipment#Quivers|Quivers]] – [[Archery target|Archery Target]] – [[Crossbowman]] – [[Ambusher|Hunters]] – [[Ranger]]

===Effects of Skill Leveling===

Higher skills in the bowman, crossbowman, or blowgunner attribute equates with greater accuracy and higher rates of fire. In order to increase the crossbowman/blowgunner/bowman skill, a dwarf must fire at something; if it misses a target, it will gain the same amount of experience points just as if it had been hit.


Firing at live targets gives much more experience points than firing on inanimate [[archery target]]s. The difference is about fourfold. Tests found that by firing around 67 practice bolts, which provided 7.5 experience for each shot at the archery target; the same experience total is gained by firing 17 bolts at a live target, providing 30 experience per bolt.

==Value in the Military==
Dwarves using archery have their place in the military: They may fire at a distance without the threat of being attacked by [[weapon|melee weapons]] or by [[undead|being mauled to death]]. They can fire through allies without hitting them, allowing them to support friendly warriors from behind. They may fire from higher or lower [[Z-level]]s than the target intended. [[Archery target]]s must be engaged from the same Z-level and with no empty spaces in between the ranger and target. They may fire at enemy targets through [[fortification]]s and over empty spaces although their usefulness is thwarted by proper armor and tactics.

[[ambusher|Hunters]] use the archery skill and will use ranged weapons in general.

Archers will use their bows, or other ranged weapons, as melee weapons if they run out of ammunition, although regardless of having ammunition or not, they will prefer to run towards the enemy anyway. [[Crossbow]] melee uses the [[combat skill|hammerman]] skill while bows and blowguns use the [[combat skill|swordsman]] skill.

It is possible to equip melee and ranged weapons simultaneously, dwarves can usefully switch between weapons in the middle of fights - perhaps sometimes to the wrong one.

==[[Known bugs and issues|Issues with Archery]]==
* It can be tricky to get dwarves to pickup ammo. This seems to be related to how squad equipment recipes are created and assigned. The default marksdwarf recipe seems to work for most people. If you deleted it, try the following:
** create a new equipment recipe. Include leather armor, cap, mittens (not gloves), boots, etc. Assign the ranged weapon of your choice. Save the recipe.
** delete the current squad. Create a new squad and select the ranged equipment plan you created.
* if you assign the squad to train at a barracks they will do melee training using the ranged weapons as clubs. Instead, assign them to the barracks for everything except training and to an archery range for training
As of v51.12 the following bugs have been addressed:
* Quivers and ammo are are now automatically assigned to a dwarf with a ranged weapon assigned and ammo assigned to their squad. You can tell that this has happened by checking the squad's/dwarf's equipment from the squad sidebar and seeing an ammo slot (to the left of backpack) and a quiver slot (to the left of the ammo).
* Assigning archers to fire from the top of a wall may result in the archers climbing down to engage the target in melee combat. Fully enclose towers and battlements with a roof and ensure your archers cannot path to attempt melee combat, even through climbing.

=See also=
*[[Military]]
*[[Combat skill]]
*[[Weapon]]
{{Skills}}
{{Category|Military}}
{{Category|Combat Skills}}

Temple

2025-08-14T05:14:23Z

Joeljpa: /* Specific Temples */ update about priesthood requirements for the petition, I had dedicated it to the deity only to realise the difference thanks to help on reddit

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{{av}}
[[File:temple_preview.png|right]]A '''temple''' is a structure devoted to an object of worship, which, typically, is any [[sphere]]-aligned being, such as a [[deity]], [[megabeast]], or [[titan]].

==Fortress mode==
[[File:df_temple_preview.png|thumb|right|Dwarves and visitors praying in a high-level temple.]]In [[fortress mode]], temples are [[locations]] ({{Menu icon|P}}) that can be created from any [[zone]]s. Temples can be dedicated either to any deity worshipped by at least one of your [[dwarves]] (not necessarily from the world's dwarven pantheon), or to "no particular deity", making it a place for anyone to meditate or to worship whomever they want. Dwarves who worship foreign gods--which is to say, gods who originate in civilizations outside of your own--need specific temples while worshipers of local gods will be satisfied by a temple dedicated to no particular deity.

==== Requirements ====

A temple can be dedicated from any [[meeting area]]. Temples require [[instrument]]s for their music, and thus require [[chest]]s to store them. However, a temple created with no instruments will still be used by citizens and visitors. Temples also require an empty floor space (called ''dance floor'') with a minimum surface of 25 tiles{{verify}}, the same as [[tavern]]s. [[Performer]]s can also be assigned to temples to perform sacred dances. Beyond being religious activity, dances and poetry in temples fulfill the same functions as they do in taverns, with the caveat of being limited to followers of said faith.

==== Effect on Mood, Thoughts ====

Communing with their deity or meditating decreases [[stress]] significantly with ''enraptured'' [[emotions]]. Not having a designated place to pray, on the other hand, makes dwarves sad or [[Need|distracted]]. Thus, making a temple early on might be a good investment for your fortress, even more so if you're going through difficult times. Simply designating any zone as a place to pray is enough to initially satisfy most of your dwarves; you do not need to provide instruments or containers for your dwarves to pray.

==== Specific Temples ====

You may dedicate a temple to a specific deity or religion. This leads to a greater mood boost for those who worship that deity, and it is '''required''' for prayer to any deities originating from outside your civilization.

When one of your fortress's religious organisations (sects) has sufficient members (10 by default), they may [[petition]] for the creation of a temple specific to their faith. Be advised that now you'll be dedicating it to the religious organisation as opposed to their deity (only then you can appoint its priests). The petition is satisfied once it has a minimum value of 2000 and when [[priest]]hood is recognised. Once established, these worshipers may congregate at the new temple, though it does not stop them from using other temples to no particular deity; satisfying the petition is sufficient to please them. If the petition is ignored for too long, it is eventually abandoned, and the petitioners will receive unhappy thoughts. A temple with a value lower than 2000 is called a '''shrine''', but with a value of 10000 or higher, it becomes a '''temple complex''', which is needed to recognise [[priest|high priesthood]]. The petition trigger and satisfaction numbers can be modified in the [[Difficulty#Temple|difficulty]] [[settings]].

If you find yourself struggling to get your shrine up to temple status, or to go from temple to temple complex, there are two tried-and-true methods for increasing wealth:

* [[Pedestal]]s
: Made at either a carpenter, metalsmith or stone worker's shop, a pedestal is capable of holding objects for display. Once filled, it can increase a room's value significantly. Gems, artifacts, or other high-value items are a great choice here.

* [[Engraving|Engraved]] metal [[floor]]ing
: Being more valuable than basic rock flooring, metal floors can offer ''incredible'' wealth gains for your dwarves' place of worship. With fine metal flooring (ex. gold, steel) and a skilled engraver, you can create a lot of wealth relatively quickly.

'''REMINDER:''' If a group of dwarves file a petition for a deity-specific temple, it's a good idea to write down the petitioners' request for the specific deity and/or religious sect, as it's often not accessible from the UI after you accept the petition. Although, if you have [[DFHack]], you can use the command <code>list-agreements</code> to find it. Once a location is designated you can verify the current value & level as well as the agreed on level via the [[locations]] ({{Menu icon|P}}) menu and selecting to the location.

You might also try scrolling through the [[need]]s of your dwarves until you see a repeated “Pray to” need unmet, and create a temple for that god.

==== Final Notes on Fortress-Mode Temples ====

[[Pilgrim]]s will visit fortresses specifically to hang out in temples. Other [[visitor]]s may pass by the temple and socialize with the dwarves there, if they came to visit a tavern or [[library]].

As in Adventure mode, worshipers of the temple's deity that topple a [[statue]] (or anything else that's been {{Menu icon|b}} built) in a temple will be cursed as a [[vampire]] or [[werebeast]] {{cite forum|160118/7144627}}{{cite reddit|8l8x7i}}.

==Adventure mode==
World-generated temples are visitable in [[adventurer mode]]. They are located in [[human]] towns and [[goblin]] fortresses, with smaller temples in [[monastery|monasteries]] and [[fort]]s, and are built when a given [[religion]] has enough followers in said site, or the site is dedicated to the religion. [[Priest]]s can be found in temples, and will allow you to join the local sect of their religion with the conversation topic 'Service'. In the current version, it is not possible to join a temple.

On first joining a sect dedicated to a particular object of worship, that entity will be added to the character's record. An adventurer can then [[Talking|converse]] ({{Adv menu icon|k}}) anywhere with any deific object of worship. Though the deity's only response is silence, repeated conversations can change the deity's 'object of worship' [[Relationship|status]] from 'dubious' to 'casual', 'object', 'devoted' and 'ardent'. It's unknown whether conversing with other objects of worship can increase their worship status; megabeasts tend to be [[Faction|uniformly hostile]], though titans may be flagged 'benign'{{verify}}.

Temples can have basements, sometimes extensive [[catacombs]], which may be crawling with enemies. These range from the typical [[kobold]]s and [[goblin]]s, to the occasional lurking [[mummy]] (with assorted [[Undead|skeletal]] minions). [[Pedestal]]s will be found in these lower levels, and will sometimes contain holy [[artifact]]s.

You can defile a temple of your deity by toppling a [[statue]], which leads to being cursed by the patron deity with either [[vampire|vampirism]] or becoming a [[werebeast]]. For this, the temple must be actively used (i.e. not an old ruin).

=== Architecture ===
Each temple found in procedurally-generated towns will have its own architecture, where certain architectural elements are chosen depending on the spheres to which the temple belongs. A temple can use a certain architectural element because of its likeness to their worshipped spheres, but also because of an antithetical relationship to said spheres. A complete list of architectural elements, as well as their connection to different spheres, is given in the table below. Since the introduction of institutionalized [[religion]]s, this seems to have changed somewhat, with most such temples having a wide array of architectural elements.
[[File:Df temple.png|300px|thumb|6 level temple, showing water pool, detailed surfaces, paved indoor areas, lower floors, upper floors, pillars on the perimeter, and a paved outdoor area, with doors leading to the catacombs. Dedicated to the Bejeweled Creed, a religion worshipping Ñor, deity of Birth and Youth. ]]
{| class="wikitable" cellspacing="0" border="1" cellpadding="5"
|-
! Architectural element
! Justification
! Related spheres
! Disallowed spheres

|-
|rowspan=2|Detailed surfaces||Experience||Art, Depravity||
|-
|Representation||Painting||
|-
|[[Magma|Lava]] pool||Representation||Volcanos||
|-
|rowspan=2|Lower floors||Representation||Caverns||
|-
|Experience||Darkness, Earth||
|-
|rowspan=2|Open structure||Experience||Dawn, Day, Dusk, Light, Lightning, Mist, Moon, Nature, Night, Rain, Rainbows, Seasons, Sky, Stars, Storms, Sun, Thunder, Twilight, Weather, Wind||
|-
|Representation||Freedom||
|-
|rowspan=3|Paved indoor areas||Representation||Fortresses||Caverns
|-
|Experience|| ||Earth, Plants
|-
|Antithetical|| ||Nature, Trees
|-
|rowspan=3|Paved outdoor area||Representation||Fortresses||
|-
|Experience|| || Earth, Plants
|-
|Antithetical|| ||Nature, Trees
|-
|Pillars on the perimeter||Representation||Boundaries, Fortresses||
|-
|rowspan=2|Square of pillars||Representation||Balance, Discipline, Laws, Order||
|-
|Antithetical|| ||Chaos, Deformity
|-
|Stagnant pool||Experience||Disease, Muck||
|-
|Uneven pillars||Representation||Chaos, Deformity||
|-
|rowspan=2|Upper floors||Representation||Fortresses, Mountains||
|-
|Experience||Dawn, Day, Dusk, Lightning, Moon, Rainbows, Sky, Stars, Storms, Sun, Thunder, Weather, Wind||
|-
|rowspan=3|Water pool||Representation||Coasts, Lakes, Oceans, Rivers||
|-
|Experience||Water||
|-
|Reminder||Fish, Fishing||
|}

=== Shrines ===
Before a temple is built in a site, there will be shrines dedicated to a given religion, consisting of a small garden, a [[statue]], and either a [[pedestal]] or an [[altar]]. If the religion has a divination tradition, divination [[dice]] can be found in these shrines. '''(Not to be confused with the lairs of [[titan]]s, also called [[Shrine (megabeast)|shrine]]s.)'''
[[File:Df town shrines.png|thumb|800px|center|A selection of shrines in a town in adventure mode, from left to right: a shrine in a townplot, a shrine with a garden, a statue at crossroads and a shrine with dice. ASCII mode.]]

=== Razing ===
Occasionally during worldgen, a site government may choose to raze an old temple, and build a new one in its stead. The ruins of the old temple, as well as any catacombs it was connected to, will still be explorable in adventure mode. Interestingly, the construction of the new temple will always coincide with the formation of a new religious order to utilize it - the order belonging to the old temple will remain on the site, but will move their offices to the keep. Due to this, leaders of "archaic" orders are often found in the keep.

== Language ==
The dwarven word for temple (religious building) is ''rath.'' This page refers to the word "temple" in this sense, that of a divine location. Not to be confused with the identical English [[wikipedia:homonym|homonym]] meaning head, which is ''mor'' in Dwarven (temple as head, crown, or forehead).

;Temple building words
:Rath (in Dwarven)
:Fothi (in Elven)
:Spôgmuk
:Olum
:TEMPLE (the token key in the raw)

;Temple head words
:Mor (in Dwarven)
:Odiÿa (in Elven)
:Guslen (in Goblin)
:Milo (in Human)
:TEMPLE HEAD (note that this token key does NOT use underscore, instead having a space)
[[File:dwarf_temple.jpg|thumb|320px|center|A real life temple.]]
{{Translation
| dwarven = rath
| elvish = fothi
| goblin = spôgmuk
| human = olum
}}

{{world}}
{{Category|Locations}}
{{Category|Adventurer mode}}
{{Category|Religion}}