Dwarf Fortress Wiki - User contributions [en]

Weather

2015-04-22T18:14:58Z

Nubtom: /* Clouds */

{{Quality|Exceptional|00:18, 8 August 2014 (UTC)}}
{{av}}
'''Weather''' refers to any type of weather effect in DF. It includes snow, rain, and special features in evil surroundings.

Weather can be disabled by changing [WEATHER:YES] to [WEATHER:NO] in [[d_init.txt]]. Disabling weather is a quick and largely harmless fix to improve [[FPS|framerate]] on older machines if required.

== Normal Weather ==

=== Clouds ===

Dwarf Fortress has three layers of clouds: cumulus, cirrus, and stratus. When using the {{k|W}} key in adventure mode, any number of messages about the weather may appear, and corresponding symbols are shown when {{k|c}} is enabled on the fast travel mode. The types of clouds that are possible are:

* '''Clear sky (no clouds)''' — The sky is clear above you.

* {{Tile|α|7:0:1}} '''Scattered cumulus''' — There are scattered puffy clouds above you.
* {{Tile|β|7:0:0}} '''Many cumulus (causes rain)''' — There are mounds of clouds above you, smooth on the bottom with prominent upward bulges.
* {{Tile|¶|0:0:1}} '''Cumulonimbus (causes rain)''' — A dark, menacing cloud towers above you, crowned by an anvil.

* {{Tile|≡|7:0:1}} '''Cirrus''' — The sky is striped with high, thin clouds.

* {{Tile|█|7:0:1}} '''Altostratus''' — The sky above you is hazy and white.
* {{Tile|█|7:0:0}} '''Stratus (causes rain)''' — The sky above you is gray.
* {{Tile|█|0:0:1}} '''Nimbostratus (causes rain)''' — The sky above you is a uniform and dark gray.

Additionally, some unique messages occur when there are clouds in multiple layers:

* '''Scattered cumulus and cirrus''' — There are scattered clouds underneath a striped sky.
* '''Many cumulus and cirrus''' — Mounds of clouds are clustered through a striped sky.
* '''Cumulonimbus and cirrus''' — A dark, towering cloud rises into a striped sky.
* '''Altostratus and cumulonimbus''' — A towering gray cloud descends from the white sky above you.
* '''Stratus cumulonimbus''' — The sky above you is completely gray, with dark cloud pillars pressing through it.
* '''Nimbostratus and cumulonimbus''' — The sky above you is nearly black, ripped through with towering clouds.

Otherwise, stratus clouds prevent you from seeing if there are any cirrus or cumulus clouds.

=== Fog / Mist ===

Fog is another aspect of the weather, and is described separately from the state of clouds when using {{k|W}}. (However, thick fog prevents you from being able to tell what the clouds are like via {{k|W}}.) There are three kinds of fog that may appear:

* {{Tile|░|7:0:1}} '''Thin Mist''' — There is a thin mist here.
* {{Tile|▒|7:0:1}} '''Fog''' — Fog enshrouds the area.
* {{Tile|▓|7:0:1}} '''Thick Fog''' — There is a heavy blanket of fog enveloping everything.

The symbols shown appear on the fast travel map are shown regardless of whether you have {{k|c}} enabled or not. If you have cloud viewing enabled, clouds in the same position as the fog will obscure that fog. When in the midst of fog on the fast travel map, a small circle around your adventurer will blink to show the surrounding area.

=== Precipitation ===
==== Rain ====
{{DFtext|It is raining.|1:1}}

Normal rain cleans any tile it lands on, removing blood, [[vomit]] and other bodily fluids on contact. Any dwarf caught outside when it rains will receive a minor unhappy [[thought]].

When rain hits a tile labeled as a [[murky pool]], it will begin to fill it up with 1/7 [[water]], and if that does not evaporate the water will grow deeper, until the pool is full. Murky pools do not overflow from rain, but this extra water can be drained off and stored or used. (See the [[Well guide#Using ponds/pools in areas with heavy rain|Well Guide]].) While not much, it can really help maps without 'unlimited' water supplies such as [[river]]s and [[brook]]s.

==== Snow and Cold ====
{{DFtext|Winter is here.|7:1}}

{{DFtext|A snow storm has come.|7:1}}

When water comes into contact with a [[freezing]] climate, such as winter months in a moderate [[biome]], or at any time in a [[tundra]] or [[glacier]], it will freeze into a wall of [[ice]] if at least 4/7 deep, or a floor otherwise. Freezing ice acts much like [[obsidian]], and will instantly kill anything caught inside of it -- including creatures otherwise extremely hard to kill. In moderate biomes after winter has passed, ice will melt back into ponds. Ice walls will always thaw back into a full 7 units of liquid, regardless of the original water level, but ice floors will produce the original water depth when thawed. {{cite talk/this|Freezing/thawing ice}}

Dwarves outside during a snowstorm can also freeze to death, so a very high priority when embarking on a glacier is to dig out some place warm for your idlers to rest.

[[Magma]] running under a snow-covered ground will melt it, but unlike [[ice]], molten snow doesn't turn into [[water]].

== Evil weather ==
Certain [[surroundings|evil surroundings]] feature freakish weather, such as fogs, clouds, and rains. They may afflict those caught in them with various kinds of [[syndrome]]s or curses, such as poisonings or transformation into [[Undead|zombies]]. Names for evil weather are randomly generated, typically something along the lines of "abominable mist", "unholy gloom" (clouds) or "creeping murk", "horrid goo" (rain).

Two kinds of evil weather exist - evil rain and evil clouds. The type of weather effect and their associated syndromes (if any) are different and randomly chosen for every evil biome in a generated world. Usually there will be only one weather effect for a given evil biome, often in conjunction with the effect of [[Undead|corpse animation]].

=== Evil Clouds ===
{{DFtext|A cloud of haunting fog has drifted nearby!|4:1}}

Evil clouds are made of a generated inorganic gas or dust. They start in one tile and spread out in a similar manner to [[miasma]] vapor; when the game announces the cloud's presence, it will zoom into this tile. Evil clouds cause more serious syndromes than evil rains, similar to those of [[forgotten beast]]s, [[titan]]s and [[demon]]s. Certain evil clouds transform living beings caught in them into dangerous [[Undead|zombie]]-like thralls, turning them against all life while significantly increasing their strength and toughness [[attribute]]s.

Evil clouds inflict worse syndromes than evil rains; thralling clouds are especially dangerous in the extreme, as the zombies produced are much stronger than those produced via ambient effects. These [[undead]] are very hard to kill and are '''much''' stronger than their original forms. Evil clouds have a tendency to roll over your outdoor trade depot and convert traveling merchants into a band of dwarf-hungry savages, which can be crippling to a fortress reliant on trade.

Thralling clouds are also dangerous in adventure mode. Undead status means hostility from civilized beings, reduced speed and no regeneration. However, other undead will ignore you.

=== Evil Rain ===
Evil rain can be made of either the [[blood]] of a civilized race (dwarves, goblins, etc.) or a randomly generated inorganic substance. Blood rain typically causes no [[syndrome]]s, only giving whomever caught in it an unhappy [[thought]]. Generated substances are more dangerous, causing minor symptoms such as vomiting, blisters and fevers, as well as inspiring the aforementioned unhappy thought. Evil rain can also cause wounds and injure dwarves and other creatures caught in them, although the extent of injury depends on the substance. Dwarves spattered with evil rain will seek a bath after any outdoor work, wasting time and [[soap]]. There are rumors of rain composed of other substances, such as [[alcohol]]; however, this seems to be rare.

=== Dangers of evil weather ===
One of the dangers of evil weather is that ponds will never refill. Store water into underground basins and plan accordingly. Another annoyance is the total lack of wild bees in an evil climate. Though evil rains (excluding rains of blood) usually cause the "milder" types of [[syndrome]]s, these may still cause death as a secondary result of that syndrome: e.g. suffocation from blisters, dehydration from chronic nausea.

Some evil weather effects condense on creatures, making their effects semi-permanent - symptoms won't go away until the source is washed. Those effects also can spread like a disease. In most cases, it will just infect dwarves that carry contaminated bodies to caskets. Thralling dust clouds, however, [[fun|can quickly lead to an unstoppable zombie apocalypse]] if the dust is not completely washed off somehow.

==== Movement of evil weather and safeguarding ====
Evil weather forms on the edge of the map and moves about the screen in one direction as the wind blows. Because the clouds inflate similarly to [[miasma]], they can very quickly dissipate, fly out of the map immediately, carry on at a steady pace, or spread rapidly engulfing very large areas. They will not, however, change direction.

Although it will glide along a single Z-level, it will climb straight walls and pass over structures. It will not move through a closed door or raised drawbridge, but it can descend from an open roof and it will pass through fortifications with ease. If you choose to fortify outside, be sure to have any open areas secured with floodgates to act as shutters to keep the clouds out. Adding doors throughout the structure to stop any accidentally contained clouds from moving further inward does not hurt.

Undead created by evil weather gain immediate strength bonuses and acquire a status of {{DFtext|Opposed to Life|0:1}}. They will tirelessly seek out living things to kill until they are struck down, which can take considerable effort.

{{Translation
| dwarven = nugreth
| elvish = dafo
| goblin = strobnod
| human = señam
}}

{{Category|World}}

Garbage dump

2015-04-19T12:14:46Z

Nubtom: Changed quality rating from "Exceptional" to "Superior" using the rating script

{{Quality|Superior|12:14, 19 April 2015 (UTC)}}
{{projects}}{{av}}

[[File:Stockpile.png|thumb|350px|right|Garbage dumps are used most often for clearing out large areas of leftover stone - for instance, when constructing a [[stockpile]].]]

'''Garbage dumps''' are [[activity zone]]s in which dwarves will throw items marked for dumping - either with by using {{k|k}}-{{k|d}} (one item at a time), or {{k|d}}-{{k|b}}-{{k|d}} (bulk dumping; note that this designates ''all'' items on the tiles for dumping, even built [[furniture]] and items inside [[container]]s). Garbage dumps are ''not'' the same as [[Refuse#Refuse|refuse]] stockpiles, which can be designated to accept specific type(s) of refuse, such as animal [[corpse]]s or [[bones]], and then are automatically filled by haulers whenever the items appear on the map. Despite the name, garbage dump zones are useful for many things beyond [[garbage disposal]]; they can create [[quantum stockpile]]s, transport materials to a job site, send items to the [[trade depot]] when no caravan is present, [[trap design#Falling_debris_trap|drop rocks]] on enemies below, and numerous other uses.

To place a garbage dump, create a zone ({{k|i}}) on either a relatively empty plot of land or adjacent to a cliff face or hole and enable garbage {{k|d}}umping. If a garbage zone is designated beside a [[cliff]] or hole (both natural or dwarf made) garbage will be thrown off/in the z-space. Each ground tile within that zone is considered a garbage dump tile; thus, if you want to place a single-tile zone, place the zone onto a ground tile (optionally adjacent to a cliff or [[pit]]), not onto an [[open space]].

Garbage dumps only accept items that have been marked for dumping, require dwarves to have [[refuse hauling]] [[labor]] enabled, and are subject to refuse [[standing orders]] ({{k|o}}-{{k|r}}). Most notably, dwarves will ''not'' dump items that are in a tile marked "Above Ground" unless you allow them to ({{k|o}}->{{k|r}}->{{k|o}}). Items dumped into [[magma]] that are not [[magma safe]] will permanently disappear, which is useful for disposing of clutter and increasing [[FPS]]. Otherwise a single tile (either a dump zone, or the ground below the open space) will hold any number of dumped objects. Dumping items into [[magma]] can be [[fun|dangerous]] due to the [[magma mist]] generated when objects fall into magma. It is advised to dump items into magma from a hole several z-levels up to avoid [[Fire|!!Dwarves!!]] running around the fortress.

Dumped items are automatically marked as [[forbid]]den, preventing dwarves from touching them. If you wish to use dumped items, you need to reclaim them. Press {{k|k}} to view the item and {{k|f}} to toggle forbid status. You may also use the reclaim [[designation]] to reclaim simultaneously all of the items dumped by using {{k|d}}-{{k|b}}-{{k|c}} and tracing the designation over the objects in question. If you designate items for dumping, but forget to mark an active garbage dump, your dwarves will ignore the item until an active garbage dump is marked.

If a garbage dump is located next to open space, dwarves will always stand on a garbage dump square when throwing ''into'' that open space, even if it could potentially be done more efficiently. If a garbage dump is located next to multiple tiles of open space, they seem to prefer the one farthest to the northwest. If a tile to the north and a tile to the west are the only tiles available, they will throw to the west. Such garbage dumps can be a very efficient method of moving materials to the lower levels of your fortress. However care must be taken to prevent dwarves and livestock from being struck by falling objects, perhaps with [[traffic]] designations and [[pasture]]s. Dwarves usually throw dumped items in the nearest available garbage dump, although this is not an ironclad rule. If a nearer zone becomes available after they have already started the job they will ignore it. They also have a preference for open space dumps.

Probably due to a bug, dwarves occasionally ignore items that are meant to be dumped; viewing the item by pressing {{k|k}} then toggling forbid and dump status on, then off again ({{k|f}}-{{k|f}}-{{k|d}}-{{k|d}}) seems to correct this problem. Dumping items requires the '[[refuse hauling]]' labor. Items located in an "outside" tile will not be moved unless 'gather refuse from outside' is enabled in your [[standing orders]].

Garbage dumps are great space savers because they can hold an infinite number of items on one tile; with some micromanagement they can even compress large, one-item-per-tile [[stockpile]]s into single-tile [[quantum stockpile]]s (although this requires additional work and is usually considered an [[exploit]]). The most common use for garbage dumps is for cleaning away loose stones left in your fortress by your [[miner]]s: mark them for dumping, wait for the jobs to be completed, and then reclaim them ({{k|d}}-{{k|b}}-{{k|c}}) for use by your stonemasons; bonus points if you do this next to a stoneworking workshop and then re-designate the tile as a stone stockpile. If the dump is designated inside a workshop, the workshop will not become cluttered. However, if you put a garbage dump inside a magma workshop with the intent of dumping ores there, make sure the zone does not overlap any open pits of magma you may have carelessly left around, or as per intended behavior, items will be dumped into the magma.

The garbage dump may be inappropriately named, as it's more of a matter compression zone. The specifics are beyond human understanding; however, dwarves are in fact capable of compressing an infinite amount of matter into only one tile, as long as it is specified as a garbage dump. If for some reason [[Main:Urist|Urist]] is yet again incapable of locating his favorite pair of cave troll leather socks, he should think to look among the black hole of matter that is the nearest garbage dump, as they could be snugly lodged between a few billion rocks.

==Dwarves won't dump no matter what I do==

The key to set a zone for dumping is now {{k|d}} instead of {{k|g}}. Make sure that your muscle-memory has not caused you to designate a fruit gathering zone by accident.

{{Category|Designations}}

Magma

2015-04-13T19:27:36Z

Nubtom: /* Magma pools */

{{av}}{{Quality|Exceptional|21:13, 6 July 2010 (UTC)}}
'''Magma''' is red-hot [[fluid|molten rock]] that wells up from deep within the earth (but not so deep that it cannot be found by dwarves), entering the map either by the edges or by the area beneath a magma pool. Magma that emerges aboveground is called '''Lava'''; however the substance itself remains the same. Magma is very [[Fun]].

Magma serves as a heat source, replacing [[fuel]] in [[magma smelter]]s, [[magma forge]]s, [[magma glass furnace]]s, and [[magma kiln]]s. Magma is ''extremely'' hot which can lead to even more [[Fun]]. Materials that can withstand the temperature of magma are called '''[[magma-safe]]''', and the list is rather extensive.

Magma never cools, but can [[Water#Evaporation|evaporate]] if left at a depth of 1/7 for long enough, much like water. When magma is mixed with water it forms [[obsidian]] (and [[steam]]). Note that magma located above [[semi-molten rock]] will be listed as a Magma Flow; magma in magma flow tiles will disappear when mixed with water (instead of cooling into obsidian).

Without [[screw pump]]s to impart [[pressure]], magma flows rather slowly (though no more slowly than unpressurized water). A pipe to bring magma across the full map can take as much as a year to fill. This, combined with the fact that it will evaporate, can make filling a reservoir difficult and tedious. As a rule of thumb, the area coming out of a 1-wide-pipe shouldn't be more than three squares wide and 20 squares long, or else it will evaporate as fast as you fill it. Baffles can help.

==Magma sources==

Magma occurs in several different geological formations:
===[[Magma pool]]s===
Although the name suggests them as pools, they are more like pipes. They can be found underground, however they rarely reach the upper z-levels (40+). Most end a few z-levels above the magma sea, though some may span more than 100 z-levels.
Magma pools seem to be always connected to a magma sea, and the sea and pipe can occasionally reach up to the same level, making them hard to separate. However, magma pools can be identified by the obsidian walls which surround them.
Magma pools will slowly refill themselves, giving the player an infinite source of magma. The entire embark tile containing the pool will produce sporadic bursts of magma until the magma within it is at its natural level (i.e. the magma level at embark) or until it is halted by a bridge, floor, or bottom of a wall.

===[[Volcano]]es===
Volcanoes are magma pools that extend all the way to the surface. Volcanoes are an endless source of magma as they will always refill themselves. They never erupt, unlike their real-life counterparts. Volcanoes are geographical features visible on the [[location]] screen, making them much easier to find when choosing a site for your fortress.

===[[Magma sea]]===
The magma sea is a large body of magma deep under the earth. Nearly all maps will include a magma sea at the lowest z-levels, though its inconvenient placement may inspire your dwarves to [[#Bringing Magma Up|bring the magma up]] to the fortress proper.

== Finding magma ==

Nearly all maps will have magma available at the lowest z-levels, but it can be advantageous to select a site with a more easily accessible source, particularly when starting out.

Volcanoes are visible on the "local" screen in the starting location chooser. It is represented as a red ˜ mark (a double tilde) - essentially it looks like red water. Note that red ˜ marks in the "region" screen mean something different entirely (e.g. red sand).

After you have chosen to embark in a place that has a volcano, and once your dwarves have arrived at their target destination, you should see a large red pool of lava on your map. If you don't, you should expect your volcano to be somewhere underground. You then have to use [[exploratory mining]] to find it. If you can find a large patch of obsidian on the surface that is devoid of boulders, chances are there is a magma vent below, so that would be a good place to start your mining.

Much harder than simply finding a volcano is finding a volcano that is also near suitable terrain for building. Depending on your requirements - you may be looking for a source of running [[water]], or a [[mountain]] for minerals, or a healthy [[tree]] population, a layer of [[flux]] for [[steel]] production or even all four - suitable building sites can be extremely scarce.

==Working with magma==

Although magma is a liquid, it does not move via [[pressure]] unless it has been pumped. This reduced rate of flow can allow miners to survive digging into a magma reservoir, ''if'' they are lucky enough. There are ways to minimize this risk however:

'''Digging From Above:'''
If you can find a suitable position above the magma, your miner can dig a [[channel]] while remaining above the level of the magma. Be warned, however, that your dwarves might take the ramp down into the magma channel as a shortcut; preemptively designating the channel for restricted [[traffic]] is recommended.

'''Diagonal Digging:'''
Magma moves more slowly diagonally than orthogonally, giving the miner more time to escape. However, slower flow means you must keep in mind the evaporation. You should dig a smaller channel, wait for it to fill up, and extends the channel by Digging From Above. Workers that dig into a magma reservoir are not instantly killed as the magma touches them, but they are set on fire, which will kill them very quickly. For this reason, taking steps to ensure there is adequate water available to extinguish flaming dwarves running in random directions is advised before digging into any magma pools from the side. Channeling a single square wide pit across the planned magma pipe one tile away from the wall to breach and filling it with 2/7 water using the [[Activity zone#Pit/Pond|pond zone]] tool is recommended, so the panicking dwarves have no choice but to run through the water, and the water itself turns into an obsidian wall as soon as the magma flows into it.

'''Busy To Leave:'''
[http://www.bay12forums.com/smf/index.php?topic=111883.0]
Dwarves who dig into magma often die not because they are unable to flee but because they choose not to. By ensuring a dwarf has another task waiting (ideally far away) they will immediately move away from the ensuing magma flow.

Simply mine up to the corner of a lava tube and then smooth the last tile. Dig a staircase within a few tiles of the place where you will be breaching that leads up and back into your fortress, this will allow your dwarf to get out before the magma gets him. Now designate the smoothed corner to be carved into a fortification. Now immediately when the dwarf begins to carve the fortification, (and this is the most important part!), designate a bunch of other tiles to be smoothed/carved. It's not important that your dwarves actually smooth, carve, or engrave those tiles, what is important is that your dwarf immediately takes another smooth/carve/engrave task elsewhere in the fortress when they finish the current one. If they do not then they will pause for the briefest of instants as they pick a new task, resulting in their death. If they have the job though, they will instantly turn and head up the staircase, stopping the magma from catching and killing them."

'''Exploit From Below:'''
[http://www.bay12forums.com/smf/index.php?topic=110724.0]
Miners are able to mine out tiles diagonally above them '''even if there is a bridge over their heads'''. First you dig out your magma tunnel to feed magma to wherever in your fort you need it and dig it right up against the volcano pipe. Then you channel a trench against the pipe that can be the width of the tunnel if you wish. Build a magma-safe bridge over the trench, making sure to cover it completely, and then seal off access to the magma tunnel. Dig a new separate path to access the now bridged-over trench. Finally, designate the magma wall '''on the Z level of the magma tunnel''' for mining. Your dwarves will stand in the trench beneath the bridge but will somehow still mine out the squares diagonally above them, causing the magma to flow safely onto the bridge leaving your dwarves unscathed."

Example (use {{k|<}}{{k|>}} to navigate):
<diagram>
<frame type="level" level="0">
Z=0
[%205][%205][%205][%205][%205]╗[#F00]≈≈≈[#]
....[#080]╥[#000][@880][%186][@][#F00]≈≈≈[#]
....[#080][%186][#000][@880][%186][@][#F00]≈≈≈[#]
....[#080]╨[#000][@880][%186][@][#F00]≈≈≈[#]
[%205][%205][%205][%203][%205][%185][#F00]≈≈≈[#]
[%186]X[%186][#F00]≈≈≈[#]
[%200][%205][%188][#F00]≈≈≈[#]
</frame>
<frame type=level level=1>
Z=1
[#F00]≈≈≈[#]
[#F00]≈≈≈[#]
[#F00]≈≈≈[#]
[#F00]≈≈≈[#]
[%205][%205][%205][%205][%205][%187][#F00]≈≈≈[#]
....X[%186][#F00]≈≈≈[#]
[%205][%205][%205][%205][%205][%188][#F00]≈≈≈[#]
</frame>
<frame type="level" level="-1">
Z=-1
[%201][%205][%187][#F00]≈≈≈[#]
║▲║[#F00]≈≈≈[#]
║▲║[#F00]≈≈≈[#]
║▲║[#F00]≈≈≈[#]
║.║[#F00]≈≈≈[#]
║X║[#F00]≈≈≈[#]
[%200][%205][%188][#F00]≈≈≈[#]
</frame>
</diagram>

Make sure the top z-level is sealed off from miners and '''[[Mining|Mine]]''' ({{k|d}}-{{k|d}}) the highlighted tiles on the upper z-level.

== Bringing Magma Up ==

Magma can be brought to the surface by three different methods: pump stacks, magma pistons, and minecarts. Pump stacks are conceptually the simplest, but require an enormous amount of in-game time to make. Magma pistons tend to be faster to make, but require more time to understand how to build them. Minecarts are a simple solution, but require more management than pump stacks because they can overfill a reservoir.

=== Pump stacks ===
Pumping magma up from the [[magma sea]] via a conventional [[screw pump#Example layouts#pump stack|pump stack]] is a lot of work, requiring dozens of pumps and significant amounts of power. Making all of the pumps [[magma safe]] also requires a lot of precious materials like iron, or a functioning glass industry.

=== Magma pistons ===
[[Magma piston]]s are another way to move magma near the surface. Magma pistons require less time and fewer precious materials to construct than pump stacks. However, magma pistons are a bit more complicated than pump stacks, so it takes more time to understand how to operate and build them.

=== Minecarts ===
[[Minecart]]s submerged in 7/7 magma (or possibly less, but 2/7 is not enough) will fill with magma. Each minecart holds 2/7 worth of magma, which is subtracted from the amount of magma in the tile. The minecart is then shown as containing magma [833]. Minecarts used for this must be [[magma-safe]].

Minecarts full of magma can be tipped at a track stop, which will pour the magma in a specified direction from the stop. Therefore, the challenge is to get the minecart full of magma to the track stop. There are several ways to accomplish this.

The first task is to separate the minecart from the tile of magma. The "obvious" way is to build [[roller]]s in magma to pull the minecarts out; such rollers would also need to be magma-safe. Another way is to drain the magma, and then wait for evaporation. A third way is to pump the magma out of the minecart filling area.

The second task is to move the liberated magma-laden minecart(s) to the track stop. There are, again, multiple valid approaches to this. The "obvious" way is to build tracks from the magma sea to the surface. A minecart track can be operated by dwarves or fully automatic, using powered rollers or [[Minecart#Impulse ramps|Impulse ramps]]. Depending on the placement of the track stop, dangerous overflow can be prevented by making the track stop of a material that will melt/burn once the reservoir begins to overflow.

A less obvious way to move the minecarts up is to simply ''carry'' them. Dwarves can safely haul a minecart full of magma (albeit slowly, due to its weight). [[Wheelbarrow]]s may be used to speed the hauling enormously; however, if the wheelbarrows are not [[magma-safe]] (e.g. if they are [[wood]]en), they will [[wear]] quickly, most likely disintegrating in the middle of the hauling job. If a minecart is left stranded (either because the hauler got tired, or the wheelbarrow burned up), another hauling task is assigned to move it, either back to its origin stockpile, or farther along to its destination. Be sure your stockpile settings account for these possibilities, so you don't waste a lot of time moving a minecart halfway up, then back down, in a loop.

==== Design 1 ====
In [http://www.bay12forums.com/smf/index.php?topic=125679.msg4217863#msg4217863 one design] posted to the forums by gchristopher, a pump can provide power to the [[roller]], making the ramp eligible for building the roller, and keeping the trench at 7 magma so the carts fill instantly.

{{diagram|spaces=yes|\
▒▒▒
▒#▒ # {{=}} floor grate
▒%▒ % {{=}} south facing pump
▒%▒▒
▒▲▲▒ Left ramp ▲ has a left-pushing roller
▒▒▒▒ Right ramp ▲ has a retracting bridge
}}

If you drop minecarts in directly from at least 2 z-levels above onto the right ramp, this setup has the magical property that it can handle an arbitrary number of minecarts, and dispense them at a constant controlled rate. Carts are pushed up the left ramp by the roller.

If you extend the right bridge, that tile ceases to be a ramp. Exactly one minecart will fall onto the tile and stay there, and all other minecarts dropped from above will form a quantum pile 1 z-level up.

The last time I [gchristopher] built one, I timed the cart dispensing rate at 1 per 8 ticks. This is slow enough that carts can be brought to the surface using an impulse ramp spiral, but fast enough that you can still quickly cover a large area with magma.

The same design works with water, for giving you a lot of flexibility creating tall waterfalls without pump stacks, quickly and cheaply.

==== Design 2 ====
Rafal99 posted [http://www.bay12forums.com/smf/index.php?topic=109460.msg3374816#msg3374816 another design] using dwarf-powered [[wheelbarrow]]s to transport the magma-filled minecarts from one minecart stockpile to another.

<pre>
▒ddddd=====S==<<Zccccc Near the surface (top view)
U

▒bbbbb== ==<<Xaaaaa Near the magma (side view)
\7777/

\7777/ - Magma reservoir, with tracks in it and rollers to bring minecart up the ramp
U - Here we want magma
aabbccdd - Stockpiles accepting minecarts
===<< - Track and rollers
S - Track stop, set to lowest friction (so it doesn't stop the minecart), set to dump the contents into the U
XZ - Track stops set to dump their contents to the left
▒ - Wall to stop minecarts
</pre>

# Empty minecarts are put into stockpile aaaaa.
# There is a hauling route with one stop on X, with assigned vehicle, set to take furniture->minecarts from stockpile aaaaa.
# Empty minecarts are put into the minecart on track stop X, the track stop dumps them to the left, placing them on the rollers.
# Rollers move the empty minecarts into the magma reservoir, they get filled with magma, then the roller on ramp moves them up. They follow the track, then go out of it and stop at the wall; effectively the minecart with magma is being placed in stockpile bbbbb.
# Stockpile ccccc is set to take from stockpile bbbbb and has assigned 3 wheelbarrows. Dwarves safely transport the minecarts with magma inside wheelbarrows up to the surface into stockpile ccccc.
# There is a hauling route with one stop on Z, with assigned vehicle, set to take furniture->minecarts from stockpile ccccc.
# Magma minecarts are put into the minecart on track stop Z, and the track stop dumps them to the left, placing them on the rollers. (Same as in 3.)
# Rollers move the magma minecarts along the track. They pass through the track stop S and dump the magma in the destination point U, then they follow the track, go out of it and stop at the wall; effectively the emptied minecart is being placed in stockpile ddddd.
# Stockpile aaaaa is set to take from stockpile ddddd. Dwarves haul the empty minecarts back underground near the magma into stockpile aaaaa.
Then we go back to start and the whole thing repeats.

==== Design 3: Minimalist magma moving ====

You'll need two magma-safe pumps, a magma-safe wheelbarrow, and at least one magma-safe minecart. If you get lucky, the first dwarven caravan will bring all the tools you need. If not, you can forge your own by melting down the surplus of anvils that caravans carry, or just embark with a couple chunks of iron ore.

{{diagram|spaces=yes|\
sideview
░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░
░░░ %% ░░░░░░░░░░░░
░░░░░░░░░░▲%% ░░░░░░░░░
░░░░░░░░░░░░░7777777░░░
}}

# Dig down to the magma sea and channel a tile above the magma
# Build the first pump to pull magma up into a 1x1 room with a ramp (▲)
# Build the second pump to pull the magma out of the 1x1 room and dispose of it (a 3x3 evaporation chamber works fine)
# Designate a garbage dump zone in the 1x1 room and dump all your magma-safe minecarts
# Wait for all the minecarts to be carried down to the dump zone
# Operate pump 1 briefly, then stop it and activate pump 2 briefly (the minecarts should now contain magma)
# Designate a minecart stockpile near your desired magma workshops, and set it to use your magma-safe wheelbarrow
# Unforbid your minecarts and wait for your dwarves to wheelbarrow them up to the stockpile
# Build a dumping track stop to place the magma where you want it
# Create a new hauling route, specify a new stop on the constructed track stop, and assign one of the magma minecarts to the route
# Unassign the cart, and mark it for dumping; once you've emptied all the carts return to step 5

This design is only useful for moving small amounts of magma, but it is simple and flexible. With any luck you can have your topside magma workshops up and running in a year.

==Using magma==
The primary use for magma is to <s>flood your fortress</s> power [[magma smelter]]s, [[magma glass furnace]]s, [[magma kiln]]s, and [[magma forge]]s. To power a building with magma at least one of the external eight squares must be a hole above a square of magma on the level below.
Placing one of the workshop's [[impassable tile]]s above the magma conveniently prevents clumsy dwarves from falling in.
This seems to usually prevent magma critters from pathing in, but there was a bug report {{bugl|1189}} about [[magma man]] who somehow made its way through without [[building destroyer|destroying]] the furnace in question - it's not clear whether this was normal movement, dodging attack of another critter, [[building destroyer]] activity gone wrong, pathfinding bug, etc. Either way, if you feed magma from a wild area to furnaces via channel, locking it with a [[floodgate]] or raised [[bridge]] is a good idea.
Magma used this way is not consumed; a single tile of magma can operate the furnace indefinitely.

Other uses for magma include [[obsidian farming]], [[DF2012:Trap_design#Magma_and_fire_traps|trap design]], melting [[ice]], igniting [[fire]]s, and even [[garbage disposal]].

==Properties of magma==
Magma behaves the same way as water with the exception of not being affected by [[pressure]] (except when being moved by a [[screw pump]]) and apparently not showing [[flow]]. Magma will turn into [[obsidian]]1 if it touches [[water]]. In the game, magma's temperature is {{ct|12000}}. See the list of '''[[magma-safe]]''' materials for more information on what can (or cannot) be safely submerged in magma.

Tiles directly adjacent to magma will be heated to a temperature of {{ct|10075}}, causing revealed unmined tiles to flash with {{Tile|☼|6:4:1}} when placing digging designations and causing unrevealed mining-designated tiles to cancel their designation (with a "warm stone" warning) once they are revealed.

[[Construction]]s ([[wall]]s, [[floor]]s, etc.) of any material can safely contain magma. Non-construction [[building]]s ([[door]]s, [[bridge]]s, [[Screw pump|pump]]s, etc.) that come into contact with magma should be built entirely of [[magma-safe]] materials. Non-magma-safe components will eventually melt and the building will deconstruct. Any [[mechanism]]s likely to come into contact with magma should also be made of magma-safe materials.

1 - specifically, one of the inorganic materials having the [LAVA] tag, selected randomly ''per biome'' during worldgen.

==Dangers of magma==
Any contact with magma results in nearly instant immolation, followed by death if water is not close at hand. Additionally, dropping large items into magma will generate clouds of [[magma mist]] which can set your haulers on fire if you aren't careful. Magma is also home to various fiery creatures which can present a significant threat to unprepared fortresses.

{{D for Dwarf}}

Magma is very well known for being the perfect solution to any problem encountered by dwarves. Giant badger invasion? Pour magma on it. Noble being his usual snotty, useless, arrogant self? Pour magma on it. Door locked due to invaders? Pour magma on it! Flooded your fortress with magma? [[Fun|Congratulations, you just won the game!]]

{{gamedata|{{raw|DF2014:hardcoded_materials.txt|MATERIAL|INORGANIC}}}}
{{Magma FAQ}}

{{Category|Physics}}

Magma

2015-04-13T19:27:02Z

Nubtom: /* Magma pools */

{{av}}{{Quality|Exceptional|21:13, 6 July 2010 (UTC)}}
'''Magma''' is red-hot [[fluid|molten rock]] that wells up from deep within the earth (but not so deep that it cannot be found by dwarves), entering the map either by the edges or by the area beneath a magma pool. Magma that emerges aboveground is called '''Lava'''; however the substance itself remains the same. Magma is very [[Fun]].

Magma serves as a heat source, replacing [[fuel]] in [[magma smelter]]s, [[magma forge]]s, [[magma glass furnace]]s, and [[magma kiln]]s. Magma is ''extremely'' hot which can lead to even more [[Fun]]. Materials that can withstand the temperature of magma are called '''[[magma-safe]]''', and the list is rather extensive.

Magma never cools, but can [[Water#Evaporation|evaporate]] if left at a depth of 1/7 for long enough, much like water. When magma is mixed with water it forms [[obsidian]] (and [[steam]]). Note that magma located above [[semi-molten rock]] will be listed as a Magma Flow; magma in magma flow tiles will disappear when mixed with water (instead of cooling into obsidian).

Without [[screw pump]]s to impart [[pressure]], magma flows rather slowly (though no more slowly than unpressurized water). A pipe to bring magma across the full map can take as much as a year to fill. This, combined with the fact that it will evaporate, can make filling a reservoir difficult and tedious. As a rule of thumb, the area coming out of a 1-wide-pipe shouldn't be more than three squares wide and 20 squares long, or else it will evaporate as fast as you fill it. Baffles can help.

==Magma sources==

Magma occurs in several different geological formations:
===[[Magma pool]]s===
Although the name suggests them as pools, they are more like pipes (which is realistic for near-surface magma in real life, which also forms flat pools underground known as intrusions). They can be found underground, however they rarely reach the upper z-levels (40+). Most end a few z-levels above the magma sea, though some may span more than 100 z-levels.
Magma pools seem to be always connected to a magma sea, and the sea and pipe can occasionally reach up to the same level, making them hard to separate. However, magma pools can be identified by the obsidian walls which surround them.
Magma pools will slowly refill themselves, giving the player an infinite source of magma. The entire embark tile containing the pool will produce sporadic bursts of magma until the magma within it is at its natural level (i.e. the magma level at embark) or until it is halted by a bridge, floor, or bottom of a wall.

===[[Volcano]]es===
Volcanoes are magma pools that extend all the way to the surface. Volcanoes are an endless source of magma as they will always refill themselves. They never erupt, unlike their real-life counterparts. Volcanoes are geographical features visible on the [[location]] screen, making them much easier to find when choosing a site for your fortress.

===[[Magma sea]]===
The magma sea is a large body of magma deep under the earth. Nearly all maps will include a magma sea at the lowest z-levels, though its inconvenient placement may inspire your dwarves to [[#Bringing Magma Up|bring the magma up]] to the fortress proper.

== Finding magma ==

Nearly all maps will have magma available at the lowest z-levels, but it can be advantageous to select a site with a more easily accessible source, particularly when starting out.

Volcanoes are visible on the "local" screen in the starting location chooser. It is represented as a red ˜ mark (a double tilde) - essentially it looks like red water. Note that red ˜ marks in the "region" screen mean something different entirely (e.g. red sand).

After you have chosen to embark in a place that has a volcano, and once your dwarves have arrived at their target destination, you should see a large red pool of lava on your map. If you don't, you should expect your volcano to be somewhere underground. You then have to use [[exploratory mining]] to find it. If you can find a large patch of obsidian on the surface that is devoid of boulders, chances are there is a magma vent below, so that would be a good place to start your mining.

Much harder than simply finding a volcano is finding a volcano that is also near suitable terrain for building. Depending on your requirements - you may be looking for a source of running [[water]], or a [[mountain]] for minerals, or a healthy [[tree]] population, a layer of [[flux]] for [[steel]] production or even all four - suitable building sites can be extremely scarce.

==Working with magma==

Although magma is a liquid, it does not move via [[pressure]] unless it has been pumped. This reduced rate of flow can allow miners to survive digging into a magma reservoir, ''if'' they are lucky enough. There are ways to minimize this risk however:

'''Digging From Above:'''
If you can find a suitable position above the magma, your miner can dig a [[channel]] while remaining above the level of the magma. Be warned, however, that your dwarves might take the ramp down into the magma channel as a shortcut; preemptively designating the channel for restricted [[traffic]] is recommended.

'''Diagonal Digging:'''
Magma moves more slowly diagonally than orthogonally, giving the miner more time to escape. However, slower flow means you must keep in mind the evaporation. You should dig a smaller channel, wait for it to fill up, and extends the channel by Digging From Above. Workers that dig into a magma reservoir are not instantly killed as the magma touches them, but they are set on fire, which will kill them very quickly. For this reason, taking steps to ensure there is adequate water available to extinguish flaming dwarves running in random directions is advised before digging into any magma pools from the side. Channeling a single square wide pit across the planned magma pipe one tile away from the wall to breach and filling it with 2/7 water using the [[Activity zone#Pit/Pond|pond zone]] tool is recommended, so the panicking dwarves have no choice but to run through the water, and the water itself turns into an obsidian wall as soon as the magma flows into it.

'''Busy To Leave:'''
[http://www.bay12forums.com/smf/index.php?topic=111883.0]
Dwarves who dig into magma often die not because they are unable to flee but because they choose not to. By ensuring a dwarf has another task waiting (ideally far away) they will immediately move away from the ensuing magma flow.

Simply mine up to the corner of a lava tube and then smooth the last tile. Dig a staircase within a few tiles of the place where you will be breaching that leads up and back into your fortress, this will allow your dwarf to get out before the magma gets him. Now designate the smoothed corner to be carved into a fortification. Now immediately when the dwarf begins to carve the fortification, (and this is the most important part!), designate a bunch of other tiles to be smoothed/carved. It's not important that your dwarves actually smooth, carve, or engrave those tiles, what is important is that your dwarf immediately takes another smooth/carve/engrave task elsewhere in the fortress when they finish the current one. If they do not then they will pause for the briefest of instants as they pick a new task, resulting in their death. If they have the job though, they will instantly turn and head up the staircase, stopping the magma from catching and killing them."

'''Exploit From Below:'''
[http://www.bay12forums.com/smf/index.php?topic=110724.0]
Miners are able to mine out tiles diagonally above them '''even if there is a bridge over their heads'''. First you dig out your magma tunnel to feed magma to wherever in your fort you need it and dig it right up against the volcano pipe. Then you channel a trench against the pipe that can be the width of the tunnel if you wish. Build a magma-safe bridge over the trench, making sure to cover it completely, and then seal off access to the magma tunnel. Dig a new separate path to access the now bridged-over trench. Finally, designate the magma wall '''on the Z level of the magma tunnel''' for mining. Your dwarves will stand in the trench beneath the bridge but will somehow still mine out the squares diagonally above them, causing the magma to flow safely onto the bridge leaving your dwarves unscathed."

Example (use {{k|<}}{{k|>}} to navigate):
<diagram>
<frame type="level" level="0">
Z=0
[%205][%205][%205][%205][%205]╗[#F00]≈≈≈[#]
....[#080]╥[#000][@880][%186][@][#F00]≈≈≈[#]
....[#080][%186][#000][@880][%186][@][#F00]≈≈≈[#]
....[#080]╨[#000][@880][%186][@][#F00]≈≈≈[#]
[%205][%205][%205][%203][%205][%185][#F00]≈≈≈[#]
[%186]X[%186][#F00]≈≈≈[#]
[%200][%205][%188][#F00]≈≈≈[#]
</frame>
<frame type=level level=1>
Z=1
[#F00]≈≈≈[#]
[#F00]≈≈≈[#]
[#F00]≈≈≈[#]
[#F00]≈≈≈[#]
[%205][%205][%205][%205][%205][%187][#F00]≈≈≈[#]
....X[%186][#F00]≈≈≈[#]
[%205][%205][%205][%205][%205][%188][#F00]≈≈≈[#]
</frame>
<frame type="level" level="-1">
Z=-1
[%201][%205][%187][#F00]≈≈≈[#]
║▲║[#F00]≈≈≈[#]
║▲║[#F00]≈≈≈[#]
║▲║[#F00]≈≈≈[#]
║.║[#F00]≈≈≈[#]
║X║[#F00]≈≈≈[#]
[%200][%205][%188][#F00]≈≈≈[#]
</frame>
</diagram>

Make sure the top z-level is sealed off from miners and '''[[Mining|Mine]]''' ({{k|d}}-{{k|d}}) the highlighted tiles on the upper z-level.

== Bringing Magma Up ==

Magma can be brought to the surface by three different methods: pump stacks, magma pistons, and minecarts. Pump stacks are conceptually the simplest, but require an enormous amount of in-game time to make. Magma pistons tend to be faster to make, but require more time to understand how to build them. Minecarts are a simple solution, but require more management than pump stacks because they can overfill a reservoir.

=== Pump stacks ===
Pumping magma up from the [[magma sea]] via a conventional [[screw pump#Example layouts#pump stack|pump stack]] is a lot of work, requiring dozens of pumps and significant amounts of power. Making all of the pumps [[magma safe]] also requires a lot of precious materials like iron, or a functioning glass industry.

=== Magma pistons ===
[[Magma piston]]s are another way to move magma near the surface. Magma pistons require less time and fewer precious materials to construct than pump stacks. However, magma pistons are a bit more complicated than pump stacks, so it takes more time to understand how to operate and build them.

=== Minecarts ===
[[Minecart]]s submerged in 7/7 magma (or possibly less, but 2/7 is not enough) will fill with magma. Each minecart holds 2/7 worth of magma, which is subtracted from the amount of magma in the tile. The minecart is then shown as containing magma [833]. Minecarts used for this must be [[magma-safe]].

Minecarts full of magma can be tipped at a track stop, which will pour the magma in a specified direction from the stop. Therefore, the challenge is to get the minecart full of magma to the track stop. There are several ways to accomplish this.

The first task is to separate the minecart from the tile of magma. The "obvious" way is to build [[roller]]s in magma to pull the minecarts out; such rollers would also need to be magma-safe. Another way is to drain the magma, and then wait for evaporation. A third way is to pump the magma out of the minecart filling area.

The second task is to move the liberated magma-laden minecart(s) to the track stop. There are, again, multiple valid approaches to this. The "obvious" way is to build tracks from the magma sea to the surface. A minecart track can be operated by dwarves or fully automatic, using powered rollers or [[Minecart#Impulse ramps|Impulse ramps]]. Depending on the placement of the track stop, dangerous overflow can be prevented by making the track stop of a material that will melt/burn once the reservoir begins to overflow.

A less obvious way to move the minecarts up is to simply ''carry'' them. Dwarves can safely haul a minecart full of magma (albeit slowly, due to its weight). [[Wheelbarrow]]s may be used to speed the hauling enormously; however, if the wheelbarrows are not [[magma-safe]] (e.g. if they are [[wood]]en), they will [[wear]] quickly, most likely disintegrating in the middle of the hauling job. If a minecart is left stranded (either because the hauler got tired, or the wheelbarrow burned up), another hauling task is assigned to move it, either back to its origin stockpile, or farther along to its destination. Be sure your stockpile settings account for these possibilities, so you don't waste a lot of time moving a minecart halfway up, then back down, in a loop.

==== Design 1 ====
In [http://www.bay12forums.com/smf/index.php?topic=125679.msg4217863#msg4217863 one design] posted to the forums by gchristopher, a pump can provide power to the [[roller]], making the ramp eligible for building the roller, and keeping the trench at 7 magma so the carts fill instantly.

{{diagram|spaces=yes|\
▒▒▒
▒#▒ # {{=}} floor grate
▒%▒ % {{=}} south facing pump
▒%▒▒
▒▲▲▒ Left ramp ▲ has a left-pushing roller
▒▒▒▒ Right ramp ▲ has a retracting bridge
}}

If you drop minecarts in directly from at least 2 z-levels above onto the right ramp, this setup has the magical property that it can handle an arbitrary number of minecarts, and dispense them at a constant controlled rate. Carts are pushed up the left ramp by the roller.

If you extend the right bridge, that tile ceases to be a ramp. Exactly one minecart will fall onto the tile and stay there, and all other minecarts dropped from above will form a quantum pile 1 z-level up.

The last time I [gchristopher] built one, I timed the cart dispensing rate at 1 per 8 ticks. This is slow enough that carts can be brought to the surface using an impulse ramp spiral, but fast enough that you can still quickly cover a large area with magma.

The same design works with water, for giving you a lot of flexibility creating tall waterfalls without pump stacks, quickly and cheaply.

==== Design 2 ====
Rafal99 posted [http://www.bay12forums.com/smf/index.php?topic=109460.msg3374816#msg3374816 another design] using dwarf-powered [[wheelbarrow]]s to transport the magma-filled minecarts from one minecart stockpile to another.

<pre>
▒ddddd=====S==<<Zccccc Near the surface (top view)
U

▒bbbbb== ==<<Xaaaaa Near the magma (side view)
\7777/

\7777/ - Magma reservoir, with tracks in it and rollers to bring minecart up the ramp
U - Here we want magma
aabbccdd - Stockpiles accepting minecarts
===<< - Track and rollers
S - Track stop, set to lowest friction (so it doesn't stop the minecart), set to dump the contents into the U
XZ - Track stops set to dump their contents to the left
▒ - Wall to stop minecarts
</pre>

# Empty minecarts are put into stockpile aaaaa.
# There is a hauling route with one stop on X, with assigned vehicle, set to take furniture->minecarts from stockpile aaaaa.
# Empty minecarts are put into the minecart on track stop X, the track stop dumps them to the left, placing them on the rollers.
# Rollers move the empty minecarts into the magma reservoir, they get filled with magma, then the roller on ramp moves them up. They follow the track, then go out of it and stop at the wall; effectively the minecart with magma is being placed in stockpile bbbbb.
# Stockpile ccccc is set to take from stockpile bbbbb and has assigned 3 wheelbarrows. Dwarves safely transport the minecarts with magma inside wheelbarrows up to the surface into stockpile ccccc.
# There is a hauling route with one stop on Z, with assigned vehicle, set to take furniture->minecarts from stockpile ccccc.
# Magma minecarts are put into the minecart on track stop Z, and the track stop dumps them to the left, placing them on the rollers. (Same as in 3.)
# Rollers move the magma minecarts along the track. They pass through the track stop S and dump the magma in the destination point U, then they follow the track, go out of it and stop at the wall; effectively the emptied minecart is being placed in stockpile ddddd.
# Stockpile aaaaa is set to take from stockpile ddddd. Dwarves haul the empty minecarts back underground near the magma into stockpile aaaaa.
Then we go back to start and the whole thing repeats.

==== Design 3: Minimalist magma moving ====

You'll need two magma-safe pumps, a magma-safe wheelbarrow, and at least one magma-safe minecart. If you get lucky, the first dwarven caravan will bring all the tools you need. If not, you can forge your own by melting down the surplus of anvils that caravans carry, or just embark with a couple chunks of iron ore.

{{diagram|spaces=yes|\
sideview
░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░
░░░ %% ░░░░░░░░░░░░
░░░░░░░░░░▲%% ░░░░░░░░░
░░░░░░░░░░░░░7777777░░░
}}

# Dig down to the magma sea and channel a tile above the magma
# Build the first pump to pull magma up into a 1x1 room with a ramp (▲)
# Build the second pump to pull the magma out of the 1x1 room and dispose of it (a 3x3 evaporation chamber works fine)
# Designate a garbage dump zone in the 1x1 room and dump all your magma-safe minecarts
# Wait for all the minecarts to be carried down to the dump zone
# Operate pump 1 briefly, then stop it and activate pump 2 briefly (the minecarts should now contain magma)
# Designate a minecart stockpile near your desired magma workshops, and set it to use your magma-safe wheelbarrow
# Unforbid your minecarts and wait for your dwarves to wheelbarrow them up to the stockpile
# Build a dumping track stop to place the magma where you want it
# Create a new hauling route, specify a new stop on the constructed track stop, and assign one of the magma minecarts to the route
# Unassign the cart, and mark it for dumping; once you've emptied all the carts return to step 5

This design is only useful for moving small amounts of magma, but it is simple and flexible. With any luck you can have your topside magma workshops up and running in a year.

==Using magma==
The primary use for magma is to <s>flood your fortress</s> power [[magma smelter]]s, [[magma glass furnace]]s, [[magma kiln]]s, and [[magma forge]]s. To power a building with magma at least one of the external eight squares must be a hole above a square of magma on the level below.
Placing one of the workshop's [[impassable tile]]s above the magma conveniently prevents clumsy dwarves from falling in.
This seems to usually prevent magma critters from pathing in, but there was a bug report {{bugl|1189}} about [[magma man]] who somehow made its way through without [[building destroyer|destroying]] the furnace in question - it's not clear whether this was normal movement, dodging attack of another critter, [[building destroyer]] activity gone wrong, pathfinding bug, etc. Either way, if you feed magma from a wild area to furnaces via channel, locking it with a [[floodgate]] or raised [[bridge]] is a good idea.
Magma used this way is not consumed; a single tile of magma can operate the furnace indefinitely.

Other uses for magma include [[obsidian farming]], [[DF2012:Trap_design#Magma_and_fire_traps|trap design]], melting [[ice]], igniting [[fire]]s, and even [[garbage disposal]].

==Properties of magma==
Magma behaves the same way as water with the exception of not being affected by [[pressure]] (except when being moved by a [[screw pump]]) and apparently not showing [[flow]]. Magma will turn into [[obsidian]]1 if it touches [[water]]. In the game, magma's temperature is {{ct|12000}}. See the list of '''[[magma-safe]]''' materials for more information on what can (or cannot) be safely submerged in magma.

Tiles directly adjacent to magma will be heated to a temperature of {{ct|10075}}, causing revealed unmined tiles to flash with {{Tile|☼|6:4:1}} when placing digging designations and causing unrevealed mining-designated tiles to cancel their designation (with a "warm stone" warning) once they are revealed.

[[Construction]]s ([[wall]]s, [[floor]]s, etc.) of any material can safely contain magma. Non-construction [[building]]s ([[door]]s, [[bridge]]s, [[Screw pump|pump]]s, etc.) that come into contact with magma should be built entirely of [[magma-safe]] materials. Non-magma-safe components will eventually melt and the building will deconstruct. Any [[mechanism]]s likely to come into contact with magma should also be made of magma-safe materials.

1 - specifically, one of the inorganic materials having the [LAVA] tag, selected randomly ''per biome'' during worldgen.

==Dangers of magma==
Any contact with magma results in nearly instant immolation, followed by death if water is not close at hand. Additionally, dropping large items into magma will generate clouds of [[magma mist]] which can set your haulers on fire if you aren't careful. Magma is also home to various fiery creatures which can present a significant threat to unprepared fortresses.

{{D for Dwarf}}

Magma is very well known for being the perfect solution to any problem encountered by dwarves. Giant badger invasion? Pour magma on it. Noble being his usual snotty, useless, arrogant self? Pour magma on it. Door locked due to invaders? Pour magma on it! Flooded your fortress with magma? [[Fun|Congratulations, you just won the game!]]

{{gamedata|{{raw|DF2014:hardcoded_materials.txt|MATERIAL|INORGANIC}}}}
{{Magma FAQ}}

{{Category|Physics}}

Magma

2015-04-13T19:21:17Z

Nubtom: /* Magma sources */

{{av}}{{Quality|Exceptional|21:13, 6 July 2010 (UTC)}}
'''Magma''' is red-hot [[fluid|molten rock]] that wells up from deep within the earth (but not so deep that it cannot be found by dwarves), entering the map either by the edges or by the area beneath a magma pool. Magma that emerges aboveground is called '''Lava'''; however the substance itself remains the same. Magma is very [[Fun]].

Magma serves as a heat source, replacing [[fuel]] in [[magma smelter]]s, [[magma forge]]s, [[magma glass furnace]]s, and [[magma kiln]]s. Magma is ''extremely'' hot which can lead to even more [[Fun]]. Materials that can withstand the temperature of magma are called '''[[magma-safe]]''', and the list is rather extensive.

Magma never cools, but can [[Water#Evaporation|evaporate]] if left at a depth of 1/7 for long enough, much like water. When magma is mixed with water it forms [[obsidian]] (and [[steam]]). Note that magma located above [[semi-molten rock]] will be listed as a Magma Flow; magma in magma flow tiles will disappear when mixed with water (instead of cooling into obsidian).

Without [[screw pump]]s to impart [[pressure]], magma flows rather slowly (though no more slowly than unpressurized water). A pipe to bring magma across the full map can take as much as a year to fill. This, combined with the fact that it will evaporate, can make filling a reservoir difficult and tedious. As a rule of thumb, the area coming out of a 1-wide-pipe shouldn't be more than three squares wide and 20 squares long, or else it will evaporate as fast as you fill it. Baffles can help.

==Magma sources==

Magma occurs in several different geological formations:
===[[Magma pool]]s===
Although the name suggests them as pools, they are more like pipes (which is realistic for near-surface magma in real life). They can be found underground, however they rarely reach the upper z-levels (40+). Most end a few z-levels above the magma sea, though some may span more than 100 z-levels.
Magma pools seem to be always connected to a magma sea, and the sea and pipe can occasionally reach up to the same level, making them hard to separate. However, magma pools can be identified by the obsidian walls which surround them.
Magma pools will slowly refill themselves, giving the player an infinite source of magma. The entire embark tile containing the pool will produce sporadic bursts of magma until the magma within it is at its natural level (i.e. the magma level at embark) or until it is halted by a bridge, floor, or bottom of a wall.

===[[Volcano]]es===
Volcanoes are magma pools that extend all the way to the surface. Volcanoes are an endless source of magma as they will always refill themselves. They never erupt, unlike their real-life counterparts. Volcanoes are geographical features visible on the [[location]] screen, making them much easier to find when choosing a site for your fortress.

===[[Magma sea]]===
The magma sea is a large body of magma deep under the earth. Nearly all maps will include a magma sea at the lowest z-levels, though its inconvenient placement may inspire your dwarves to [[#Bringing Magma Up|bring the magma up]] to the fortress proper.

== Finding magma ==

Nearly all maps will have magma available at the lowest z-levels, but it can be advantageous to select a site with a more easily accessible source, particularly when starting out.

Volcanoes are visible on the "local" screen in the starting location chooser. It is represented as a red ˜ mark (a double tilde) - essentially it looks like red water. Note that red ˜ marks in the "region" screen mean something different entirely (e.g. red sand).

After you have chosen to embark in a place that has a volcano, and once your dwarves have arrived at their target destination, you should see a large red pool of lava on your map. If you don't, you should expect your volcano to be somewhere underground. You then have to use [[exploratory mining]] to find it. If you can find a large patch of obsidian on the surface that is devoid of boulders, chances are there is a magma vent below, so that would be a good place to start your mining.

Much harder than simply finding a volcano is finding a volcano that is also near suitable terrain for building. Depending on your requirements - you may be looking for a source of running [[water]], or a [[mountain]] for minerals, or a healthy [[tree]] population, a layer of [[flux]] for [[steel]] production or even all four - suitable building sites can be extremely scarce.

==Working with magma==

Although magma is a liquid, it does not move via [[pressure]] unless it has been pumped. This reduced rate of flow can allow miners to survive digging into a magma reservoir, ''if'' they are lucky enough. There are ways to minimize this risk however:

'''Digging From Above:'''
If you can find a suitable position above the magma, your miner can dig a [[channel]] while remaining above the level of the magma. Be warned, however, that your dwarves might take the ramp down into the magma channel as a shortcut; preemptively designating the channel for restricted [[traffic]] is recommended.

'''Diagonal Digging:'''
Magma moves more slowly diagonally than orthogonally, giving the miner more time to escape. However, slower flow means you must keep in mind the evaporation. You should dig a smaller channel, wait for it to fill up, and extends the channel by Digging From Above. Workers that dig into a magma reservoir are not instantly killed as the magma touches them, but they are set on fire, which will kill them very quickly. For this reason, taking steps to ensure there is adequate water available to extinguish flaming dwarves running in random directions is advised before digging into any magma pools from the side. Channeling a single square wide pit across the planned magma pipe one tile away from the wall to breach and filling it with 2/7 water using the [[Activity zone#Pit/Pond|pond zone]] tool is recommended, so the panicking dwarves have no choice but to run through the water, and the water itself turns into an obsidian wall as soon as the magma flows into it.

'''Busy To Leave:'''
[http://www.bay12forums.com/smf/index.php?topic=111883.0]
Dwarves who dig into magma often die not because they are unable to flee but because they choose not to. By ensuring a dwarf has another task waiting (ideally far away) they will immediately move away from the ensuing magma flow.

Simply mine up to the corner of a lava tube and then smooth the last tile. Dig a staircase within a few tiles of the place where you will be breaching that leads up and back into your fortress, this will allow your dwarf to get out before the magma gets him. Now designate the smoothed corner to be carved into a fortification. Now immediately when the dwarf begins to carve the fortification, (and this is the most important part!), designate a bunch of other tiles to be smoothed/carved. It's not important that your dwarves actually smooth, carve, or engrave those tiles, what is important is that your dwarf immediately takes another smooth/carve/engrave task elsewhere in the fortress when they finish the current one. If they do not then they will pause for the briefest of instants as they pick a new task, resulting in their death. If they have the job though, they will instantly turn and head up the staircase, stopping the magma from catching and killing them."

'''Exploit From Below:'''
[http://www.bay12forums.com/smf/index.php?topic=110724.0]
Miners are able to mine out tiles diagonally above them '''even if there is a bridge over their heads'''. First you dig out your magma tunnel to feed magma to wherever in your fort you need it and dig it right up against the volcano pipe. Then you channel a trench against the pipe that can be the width of the tunnel if you wish. Build a magma-safe bridge over the trench, making sure to cover it completely, and then seal off access to the magma tunnel. Dig a new separate path to access the now bridged-over trench. Finally, designate the magma wall '''on the Z level of the magma tunnel''' for mining. Your dwarves will stand in the trench beneath the bridge but will somehow still mine out the squares diagonally above them, causing the magma to flow safely onto the bridge leaving your dwarves unscathed."

Example (use {{k|<}}{{k|>}} to navigate):
<diagram>
<frame type="level" level="0">
Z=0
[%205][%205][%205][%205][%205]╗[#F00]≈≈≈[#]
....[#080]╥[#000][@880][%186][@][#F00]≈≈≈[#]
....[#080][%186][#000][@880][%186][@][#F00]≈≈≈[#]
....[#080]╨[#000][@880][%186][@][#F00]≈≈≈[#]
[%205][%205][%205][%203][%205][%185][#F00]≈≈≈[#]
[%186]X[%186][#F00]≈≈≈[#]
[%200][%205][%188][#F00]≈≈≈[#]
</frame>
<frame type=level level=1>
Z=1
[#F00]≈≈≈[#]
[#F00]≈≈≈[#]
[#F00]≈≈≈[#]
[#F00]≈≈≈[#]
[%205][%205][%205][%205][%205][%187][#F00]≈≈≈[#]
....X[%186][#F00]≈≈≈[#]
[%205][%205][%205][%205][%205][%188][#F00]≈≈≈[#]
</frame>
<frame type="level" level="-1">
Z=-1
[%201][%205][%187][#F00]≈≈≈[#]
║▲║[#F00]≈≈≈[#]
║▲║[#F00]≈≈≈[#]
║▲║[#F00]≈≈≈[#]
║.║[#F00]≈≈≈[#]
║X║[#F00]≈≈≈[#]
[%200][%205][%188][#F00]≈≈≈[#]
</frame>
</diagram>

Make sure the top z-level is sealed off from miners and '''[[Mining|Mine]]''' ({{k|d}}-{{k|d}}) the highlighted tiles on the upper z-level.

== Bringing Magma Up ==

Magma can be brought to the surface by three different methods: pump stacks, magma pistons, and minecarts. Pump stacks are conceptually the simplest, but require an enormous amount of in-game time to make. Magma pistons tend to be faster to make, but require more time to understand how to build them. Minecarts are a simple solution, but require more management than pump stacks because they can overfill a reservoir.

=== Pump stacks ===
Pumping magma up from the [[magma sea]] via a conventional [[screw pump#Example layouts#pump stack|pump stack]] is a lot of work, requiring dozens of pumps and significant amounts of power. Making all of the pumps [[magma safe]] also requires a lot of precious materials like iron, or a functioning glass industry.

=== Magma pistons ===
[[Magma piston]]s are another way to move magma near the surface. Magma pistons require less time and fewer precious materials to construct than pump stacks. However, magma pistons are a bit more complicated than pump stacks, so it takes more time to understand how to operate and build them.

=== Minecarts ===
[[Minecart]]s submerged in 7/7 magma (or possibly less, but 2/7 is not enough) will fill with magma. Each minecart holds 2/7 worth of magma, which is subtracted from the amount of magma in the tile. The minecart is then shown as containing magma [833]. Minecarts used for this must be [[magma-safe]].

Minecarts full of magma can be tipped at a track stop, which will pour the magma in a specified direction from the stop. Therefore, the challenge is to get the minecart full of magma to the track stop. There are several ways to accomplish this.

The first task is to separate the minecart from the tile of magma. The "obvious" way is to build [[roller]]s in magma to pull the minecarts out; such rollers would also need to be magma-safe. Another way is to drain the magma, and then wait for evaporation. A third way is to pump the magma out of the minecart filling area.

The second task is to move the liberated magma-laden minecart(s) to the track stop. There are, again, multiple valid approaches to this. The "obvious" way is to build tracks from the magma sea to the surface. A minecart track can be operated by dwarves or fully automatic, using powered rollers or [[Minecart#Impulse ramps|Impulse ramps]]. Depending on the placement of the track stop, dangerous overflow can be prevented by making the track stop of a material that will melt/burn once the reservoir begins to overflow.

A less obvious way to move the minecarts up is to simply ''carry'' them. Dwarves can safely haul a minecart full of magma (albeit slowly, due to its weight). [[Wheelbarrow]]s may be used to speed the hauling enormously; however, if the wheelbarrows are not [[magma-safe]] (e.g. if they are [[wood]]en), they will [[wear]] quickly, most likely disintegrating in the middle of the hauling job. If a minecart is left stranded (either because the hauler got tired, or the wheelbarrow burned up), another hauling task is assigned to move it, either back to its origin stockpile, or farther along to its destination. Be sure your stockpile settings account for these possibilities, so you don't waste a lot of time moving a minecart halfway up, then back down, in a loop.

==== Design 1 ====
In [http://www.bay12forums.com/smf/index.php?topic=125679.msg4217863#msg4217863 one design] posted to the forums by gchristopher, a pump can provide power to the [[roller]], making the ramp eligible for building the roller, and keeping the trench at 7 magma so the carts fill instantly.

{{diagram|spaces=yes|\
▒▒▒
▒#▒ # {{=}} floor grate
▒%▒ % {{=}} south facing pump
▒%▒▒
▒▲▲▒ Left ramp ▲ has a left-pushing roller
▒▒▒▒ Right ramp ▲ has a retracting bridge
}}

If you drop minecarts in directly from at least 2 z-levels above onto the right ramp, this setup has the magical property that it can handle an arbitrary number of minecarts, and dispense them at a constant controlled rate. Carts are pushed up the left ramp by the roller.

If you extend the right bridge, that tile ceases to be a ramp. Exactly one minecart will fall onto the tile and stay there, and all other minecarts dropped from above will form a quantum pile 1 z-level up.

The last time I [gchristopher] built one, I timed the cart dispensing rate at 1 per 8 ticks. This is slow enough that carts can be brought to the surface using an impulse ramp spiral, but fast enough that you can still quickly cover a large area with magma.

The same design works with water, for giving you a lot of flexibility creating tall waterfalls without pump stacks, quickly and cheaply.

==== Design 2 ====
Rafal99 posted [http://www.bay12forums.com/smf/index.php?topic=109460.msg3374816#msg3374816 another design] using dwarf-powered [[wheelbarrow]]s to transport the magma-filled minecarts from one minecart stockpile to another.

<pre>
▒ddddd=====S==<<Zccccc Near the surface (top view)
U

▒bbbbb== ==<<Xaaaaa Near the magma (side view)
\7777/

\7777/ - Magma reservoir, with tracks in it and rollers to bring minecart up the ramp
U - Here we want magma
aabbccdd - Stockpiles accepting minecarts
===<< - Track and rollers
S - Track stop, set to lowest friction (so it doesn't stop the minecart), set to dump the contents into the U
XZ - Track stops set to dump their contents to the left
▒ - Wall to stop minecarts
</pre>

# Empty minecarts are put into stockpile aaaaa.
# There is a hauling route with one stop on X, with assigned vehicle, set to take furniture->minecarts from stockpile aaaaa.
# Empty minecarts are put into the minecart on track stop X, the track stop dumps them to the left, placing them on the rollers.
# Rollers move the empty minecarts into the magma reservoir, they get filled with magma, then the roller on ramp moves them up. They follow the track, then go out of it and stop at the wall; effectively the minecart with magma is being placed in stockpile bbbbb.
# Stockpile ccccc is set to take from stockpile bbbbb and has assigned 3 wheelbarrows. Dwarves safely transport the minecarts with magma inside wheelbarrows up to the surface into stockpile ccccc.
# There is a hauling route with one stop on Z, with assigned vehicle, set to take furniture->minecarts from stockpile ccccc.
# Magma minecarts are put into the minecart on track stop Z, and the track stop dumps them to the left, placing them on the rollers. (Same as in 3.)
# Rollers move the magma minecarts along the track. They pass through the track stop S and dump the magma in the destination point U, then they follow the track, go out of it and stop at the wall; effectively the emptied minecart is being placed in stockpile ddddd.
# Stockpile aaaaa is set to take from stockpile ddddd. Dwarves haul the empty minecarts back underground near the magma into stockpile aaaaa.
Then we go back to start and the whole thing repeats.

==== Design 3: Minimalist magma moving ====

You'll need two magma-safe pumps, a magma-safe wheelbarrow, and at least one magma-safe minecart. If you get lucky, the first dwarven caravan will bring all the tools you need. If not, you can forge your own by melting down the surplus of anvils that caravans carry, or just embark with a couple chunks of iron ore.

{{diagram|spaces=yes|\
sideview
░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░
░░░ %% ░░░░░░░░░░░░
░░░░░░░░░░▲%% ░░░░░░░░░
░░░░░░░░░░░░░7777777░░░
}}

# Dig down to the magma sea and channel a tile above the magma
# Build the first pump to pull magma up into a 1x1 room with a ramp (▲)
# Build the second pump to pull the magma out of the 1x1 room and dispose of it (a 3x3 evaporation chamber works fine)
# Designate a garbage dump zone in the 1x1 room and dump all your magma-safe minecarts
# Wait for all the minecarts to be carried down to the dump zone
# Operate pump 1 briefly, then stop it and activate pump 2 briefly (the minecarts should now contain magma)
# Designate a minecart stockpile near your desired magma workshops, and set it to use your magma-safe wheelbarrow
# Unforbid your minecarts and wait for your dwarves to wheelbarrow them up to the stockpile
# Build a dumping track stop to place the magma where you want it
# Create a new hauling route, specify a new stop on the constructed track stop, and assign one of the magma minecarts to the route
# Unassign the cart, and mark it for dumping; once you've emptied all the carts return to step 5

This design is only useful for moving small amounts of magma, but it is simple and flexible. With any luck you can have your topside magma workshops up and running in a year.

==Using magma==
The primary use for magma is to <s>flood your fortress</s> power [[magma smelter]]s, [[magma glass furnace]]s, [[magma kiln]]s, and [[magma forge]]s. To power a building with magma at least one of the external eight squares must be a hole above a square of magma on the level below.
Placing one of the workshop's [[impassable tile]]s above the magma conveniently prevents clumsy dwarves from falling in.
This seems to usually prevent magma critters from pathing in, but there was a bug report {{bugl|1189}} about [[magma man]] who somehow made its way through without [[building destroyer|destroying]] the furnace in question - it's not clear whether this was normal movement, dodging attack of another critter, [[building destroyer]] activity gone wrong, pathfinding bug, etc. Either way, if you feed magma from a wild area to furnaces via channel, locking it with a [[floodgate]] or raised [[bridge]] is a good idea.
Magma used this way is not consumed; a single tile of magma can operate the furnace indefinitely.

Other uses for magma include [[obsidian farming]], [[DF2012:Trap_design#Magma_and_fire_traps|trap design]], melting [[ice]], igniting [[fire]]s, and even [[garbage disposal]].

==Properties of magma==
Magma behaves the same way as water with the exception of not being affected by [[pressure]] (except when being moved by a [[screw pump]]) and apparently not showing [[flow]]. Magma will turn into [[obsidian]]1 if it touches [[water]]. In the game, magma's temperature is {{ct|12000}}. See the list of '''[[magma-safe]]''' materials for more information on what can (or cannot) be safely submerged in magma.

Tiles directly adjacent to magma will be heated to a temperature of {{ct|10075}}, causing revealed unmined tiles to flash with {{Tile|☼|6:4:1}} when placing digging designations and causing unrevealed mining-designated tiles to cancel their designation (with a "warm stone" warning) once they are revealed.

[[Construction]]s ([[wall]]s, [[floor]]s, etc.) of any material can safely contain magma. Non-construction [[building]]s ([[door]]s, [[bridge]]s, [[Screw pump|pump]]s, etc.) that come into contact with magma should be built entirely of [[magma-safe]] materials. Non-magma-safe components will eventually melt and the building will deconstruct. Any [[mechanism]]s likely to come into contact with magma should also be made of magma-safe materials.

1 - specifically, one of the inorganic materials having the [LAVA] tag, selected randomly ''per biome'' during worldgen.

==Dangers of magma==
Any contact with magma results in nearly instant immolation, followed by death if water is not close at hand. Additionally, dropping large items into magma will generate clouds of [[magma mist]] which can set your haulers on fire if you aren't careful. Magma is also home to various fiery creatures which can present a significant threat to unprepared fortresses.

{{D for Dwarf}}

Magma is very well known for being the perfect solution to any problem encountered by dwarves. Giant badger invasion? Pour magma on it. Noble being his usual snotty, useless, arrogant self? Pour magma on it. Door locked due to invaders? Pour magma on it! Flooded your fortress with magma? [[Fun|Congratulations, you just won the game!]]

{{gamedata|{{raw|DF2014:hardcoded_materials.txt|MATERIAL|INORGANIC}}}}
{{Magma FAQ}}

{{Category|Physics}}

Pressure

2015-04-13T14:31:12Z

Nubtom: /* Summary */

{{quality|unrated}}{{av}}

{{Material properties}}
Dwarf Fortress features some pretty complex behavior in an attempt to simulate '''fluid mechanics'''. One aspect of this behavior is seen in the form of '''pressure'''. The basic idea here is quite simple - certain forms of '''fluids''' movement exert '''pressure''', causing them to potentially move ''upwards'' into other areas.

==Summary==
In Dwarf Fortress, contrary to what many people may believe, pressure is '''not''' a property of a body of liquid. Pressure is simply one of 3 rules by which liquids can be moved - the others are simple ''gravity'' (when the tile beneath contains less than 7/7 of liquid and it simply falls downward) and ''diffusion'' (when the liquid levels of two adjacent tiles are averaged, possibly pushing items around).

The following types of liquid movement follow the rules of pressure:
* Water falling downward into ''more'' water
* [[River]]/brook source tiles (whether the map edge or the "delta" where the river itself begins) generating water
** [[Lake]]s (surface or subterranean), [[ocean]]s, and the [[magma sea]] refilling from the map edge do '''not''' exhibit pressure
* [[Screw pump]]s moving water '''or''' magma

When a liquid is moved (or created) with pressure, it attempts to locate the nearest tile on the same Z-level as its destination tile (for falling water, this is 1 Z-level ''beneath'' its original location) by moving north, south, east, west, down, or up. As it tries to locate an appropriate destination, the liquid will first only try to move sideways and downward - only when this fails will it attempt to move upward. Pressure will not propagate through diagonal gaps.

==A demonstration of pressure using U-Bends==
A U-Bend is a channel that digs down, and curves back up. With '''pressure''' a fluid will be pushed up the other side of the u-bend. By understanding how pressure works in a u-bend you should be able to adapt this knowledge to use fluids in any configuration you desire without any unexpected surprises that could make life in your fortress more '''[[fun]]''' than anticipated. '''[[Water]]''' and '''[[magma]]''' both behave very differently with regards to pressure, so read carefully.

===Water in a U-Bend===
The key to understanding how high a z-level water will reach is to understand which tile(s) pressure is being ''exerted on''. Pressure will cause the water level to go ''as high as'' the tile upon which pressure is being exerted, but ''no higher''.

The following three diagrams demonstrate different ways water might behave in a u-bend. In all three cases, the water source is on the left side of the diagram and water is filling the area to the right. In the first example (Diagram A), we have water taken directly from a (flat) river used to fill a u-bend. In this case, the river is free to flow off the edge of the map, so the only pressure comes from the water tile on the top of the u-bend's left side (highlighted in green) falling downward (into the tile highlighted in red), so the water on the right side stops one level below the river itself, because even though the ''source'' tile is at river level, the ''destination'' tile (in red), whose height the water will reach because of pressure, is one z-level ''below'' the source tile.

In the next example (Diagram B), a '''dam''' has been placed, preventing the river from flowing off the edge of the map. In this case, the pressure exerted by the river source (highlighted in red) allows the water to fill up the remaining level of the u-bend. Use caution when placing a dam on your river. Note that this situation '''also applies on a map where the river is running into the sea'''. Rivers running into the sea are obviously not free to flow off the edge of the map, so the sea itself actually "dams" them.

The final example (Diagram C), demonstrates how a '''[[screw pump]]''' exerts pressure - in this case, the water fills up to the same level as the pump's output tile (highlighted in red).

With these three simple examples, you should be ready to go build your enormous plumbing masterpiece, and be relatively safe from any unanticipated flooding. If you plan to work with [[magma]] as well however, you should read further.

{|
! Diagram A !! Diagram B !! Diagram C
|- align="center"
| Undammed River || Dammed River || Screw Pump
|-
| {{diagram|spaces=yes|\
▓[#00F]≈[#00F]≈[#00F]≈[#00F]≈[#00F][#080]≈▓ ▓
▓▓▓▓▓[#00F][#800]≈▓[#00F]≈[#00F]≈[#00F]≈▓
▓[#00F]≈▓[#00F]≈[#00F]≈[#00F]≈▓
▓[#00F]≈[#00F]≈[#00F]≈[#00F]≈[#00F]≈▓
▓▓▓▓▓▓▓}}
| {{diagram|spaces=yes|\
▓[#00F][#800]≈[#00F][#800]≈[#00F][#800]≈[#00F][#800]≈[#00F][#800]≈▓[#00F]≈[#00F]≈[#00F]≈▓
▓▓▓▓▓[#00F]≈▓[#00F]≈[#00F]≈[#00F]≈▓
▓[#00F]≈▓[#00F]≈[#00F]≈[#00F]≈▓
▓[#00F]≈[#00F]≈[#00F]≈[#00F]≈[#00F]≈▓
▓▓▓▓▓▓▓}}
| {{diagram|spaces=yes|\
▓ ÷÷[#00F][#800]≈▓[#00F]≈[#00F]≈[#00F]≈▓
▓[#00F]≈[#00F]≈[#00F]≈[#00F][#080]≈▓▓[#00F]≈▓[#00F]≈[#00F]≈[#00F]≈▓
▓▓▓▓▓▓▓[#00F]≈▓[#00F]≈[#00F]≈[#00F]≈▓
▓[#00F]≈[#00F]≈[#00F]≈[#00F]≈[#00F]≈▓
▓▓▓▓▓▓▓}}
|}

===Magma in a U-bend===
'''[[Magma]]''' does not exert pressure when it falls downward. In our first magma example (Diagram A) we show how this works by creating a short u-bend and connecting it up to a magma pipe - it simply fills the lowest point and makes no further attempt to go back up.

In the second diagram (Diagram B) we see how with the addition of a single [[screw pump]], the entire situation changes dramatically - when the screw pump moves magma to the right side, it does so using the rules of pressure and allows the area to fill up to the level of the pump. Accidentally flooding your fortress with [[magma]] is considerably more [[fun]] than a flood of [[water]].

'''Diagram A''' '''Diagram B'''
Magma Pipe Screw Pump
Side View Side View 
▒≈≈≈▒ %%≈▒≈≈≈▒ %% = [[Screw pump]]
▒≈≈≈▒ ▒ ▒≈≈≈▒▒≈▒≈≈≈▒ ≈ = Magma
▒≈≈≈▒ ▒ ▒≈≈≈▒▒≈▒≈≈≈▒ ▒ = Solid Ground
▒≈≈≈≈≈≈≈▒ ▒≈≈≈▒▒≈≈≈≈≈▒
▒≈≈≈▒▒▒▒▒ ▒≈≈≈▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒

==Advanced Pressure==
=== Lazy model ===
Pressure is a lazy model, but will ''always'' behave like above. For example, a system on z0 receives water from a cistern z3 in amounts of ~3/tick. This system consists of a tree of passages, one tile wide, and contains 'underpasses' on z-1. Water will flow into the system to a depth of 7 before coming up on the other side of a the first underpass, as is expected. However, if faced with ''two'' underpasses, it will choose the nearest one and fill all the system on the other side of that underpass to a depth of 7 before filling the system on the other side of the far underpass. Similarly, if faced with multiple exits from the system, the whole flow will flow out of ''one'' exit, the nearest lowest one.{{verify}}

===Waterfalls===
Waterfalls are of special concern. When drawing water from a waterfall it is important to understand that, since the water is falling '''on top of''' the river's surface, the pressure exerted when it falls down into the river will permit it to pass through U-bends that would normally not be filled when using a flat undammed river - if you tap into a river below a waterfall just as you would above it, you could very easily flood your fortress.

==Neutralizing Pressure==
There are three methods for neutralizing fluid pressure: diagonal connections, screw pumps, and active control systems. Knowing how to manipulate pressure as needed allows you to quickly move fluids wherever you wish in your fortress allowing you to build things a dwarf can be proud of. Note that [[fortification]]s do ''not'' neutralize pressure.

===Diagonal Flow===
Liquids moving via pressure can only move to [[orthogonal]]ly adjacent tiles. When faced with a diagonal gap, pressure will fail to move the liquid, forcing the liquid to instead spread out. By forcing fluids through a diagonal connection you can prevent pressure from propagating past a certain point.

This does not work on a vertical basis - water only travels straight up and down to different Z-levels, never diagonally.

If you wish to maintain the rate of '''[[flow]]''' after de-pressurizing, it's recommended that you have more diagonals than water tiles - that is, if the source is 3-tiles wide, you may wish 4 or more diagonal passages.

'''Top View'''
▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒
> > > ▒ > > >
4Z Pressure ▒ 1Z Pressure
> > > ▒ > > >
▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒

'''Side View''' 
▒≈≈≈▒
▒≈≈≈▒
▒≈≈≈▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒ ▒
▒≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈RRR≈≈≈≈≈≈≈▒ RRR = Regulator design as seen in top view
▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒

===Pumps===
Since water pressure does not propagate through pumps, it is possible to fill a pool from a "pressurized" source using a screw pump without it overflowing. Of course, there is a downside - you still have to run the pumps and due to the source water's pressure, the pump must be [[power]]ed instead of [[pump operator|run by a dwarf]], as the tile the dwarf needs to stand on is filled by water. Furthermore, the pump will likely need to be powered from above or below (as water would simply flow around a gear or axle placed next to the pump), though creative setups are still possible by using additional screw pumps to transmit power.

Your vertical axles or gear assemblies need to be placed above the solid tile of the pump, and there must not be a channel over the walkable pump tile. (Water can only flow straight upward, not up and to the side at the same time.) Multiple adjacent pumps will also transfer '''power''' between themselves automatically.

Side view

Power Water Key
↓ ↓↓↓↓↓ ▒ = Normal wall
▒▒▒▒▒▒║▒▒▒▒'''≈≈≈≈≈''' ▒ = Wall that pressurised water would flow into if it were to be dug out
▒▒▒▒▒▒║▒▒▒▒▒'''≈≈≈≈''' ≈ = Regular water
____▒║▒▒▒▒▒▒▒'''≈≈''' '''≈''' = Pressurised water
▒≈≈≈≈≈%%'''≈≈≈≈≈≈≈≈''' %% = Pump
▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒'''≈'''▒▒▒▒▒▒▒ ║ = Axle
▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒ _ = Floor

Do note that the screw pump '''will''' still exert pressure when filling the pool, but said pressure will be independent of the source and can be subsequently blocked by diagonal gaps.

===Active control system===
An active control system can allow some water flow while preventing pressurized water from overflowing. Such a setup is significantly more complicated than the other two options, but it can produce controlled amounts of water at varying depths and pressures. While there are many different ways to set up a control system, a relatively simple example is shown below:

'''Side view''' 

▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒
▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒≈≈≈≈≈▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒
8Z Pressure ≈ |≈≈≈≈≈| ≈ 2Z Pressure
▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒

Two doors ('|') are connected to a control system (such as [[lever]]s or a [[minecart]] loop). The control system is designed to only open one of the doors at a time. When the left door is open, the pressurized water fills a reservoir. When the right door is opened, the reservoir provides reduced pressure and limited flow. The cycling can be controlled manually (by pulling levers), or automated (minecarts, pressure plates, etc.). Throughput is limited by how quickly the doors can be cycled; [[pressure plate]]s normally have a 99 tick refractory period, but clever design can reduce that significantly.

==Hatches==
[[Hatch cover|Hatches]] can be placed over [[channel]]s, [[stair]]s, [[ramp]]s, etc. to prevent [[water]] from moving vertically but will still allow the tile to be used, even as a water source (and possibly still for fishing too). Note that the construction of a hatch over the input tile of a [[Screw pump]] prevents water from being pumped.

==Plumbing Schemes==
Using the information above, you can devise a number of ways to get the water where you want it be. The following schemes provide a starting point for beginners:

===Safe well===

'''Side view''' 

▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒X▒≈≈≈ <-- potable water source
▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒X▒
w ▒▒OO▒
▒▒ ▒▒▒▒X▒▒
▒ ▒▒▒X▒▒
▒▒_▒▒▒▒X▒▒
▒▒ X▒▒
▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒

'''Pressure regulator, Top view''' 
▒▒▒▒
▒▒u▒ <--up stair (to water source)
▒d▒▒ <--down stair (to reservoir)
▒▒▒▒

Dig the up/down stairs ('X') near a source of good clean water (river, stream), and tunnel to the location below where you want your well. Make sure to add the pressure regulator ('OO') at the height of the well by digging another stairway diagonally adjacent to the first. Dig out the reservoir on the left side, channel down into the supply tunnel, and add a [[grate]] ('_') directly below the well (this grate keeps enemies from entering your fort via the well). Finally, channel a connection between the water source and your supply tunnel to fill the reservoir, and build your well ('w'). You can also build additional wells directly above the first, as long as you channel a clear path straight down into the reservoir.

===Pillar of pools===

Can be used to provide each level with a pool. A central 'pillar' of water extends all the way down and provides the water.

* ▒ = wall
* H = channeled out
* ≈ = water
* | = flood gate
* d = down staircase
* x = up/down staircase

'''Top floor, Top view''' 
▒▒▒▒▒▒▒
H▒d|≈≈≈ <-- water tunnel (e.g. coming from a river or your cistern)
H▒▒▒▒▒
▒▒▒▒▒▒▒

'''Top -1, Top view''' 
▒▒▒▒▒▒▒
▒≈▒x▒H
▒≈≈▒▒H
▒▒▒▒▒▒▒

'''Top -2, Top view''' 
▒▒▒▒▒▒▒
H▒x▒≈▒
H▒▒≈≈▒
▒▒▒▒▒▒▒

Obviously, keep the central block (with up/down staircase) aligned on each level. For lower levels simply continue alternating the -1 and -2 layouts.

Don't forget to add a lever and hook it up to the top floodgate so you can shut off the main flow if you're experiencing <s>flooding</s> fun.

You can also add additional floodgates on each level if you like:

'''z-1, Top view''' 
▒▒▒▒▒▒▒
▒≈▒x▒H
▒≈|▒▒H
▒▒▒▒▒▒▒

'''z-2, Top view''' 
▒▒▒▒▒▒▒
H▒x▒≈▒
H▒▒|≈▒
▒▒▒▒▒▒▒

== See Also==
* [http://www.bay12forums.com/smf/index.php?topic=32453.0 Hydrodynamics Education] forum thread
* [[flow]]
* [[river]]

{{Category|Physics}}

Tree farming

2015-04-12T15:08:30Z

Nubtom: /* Use and production */

{{quality|Fine}}
{{projects}}{{av}}

'''Tree Farming''' is the process of creating and managing an environment in which saplings can safely form and mature into [[tree]]s. Since planting trees is not currently possible without mods, a more indirect approach must be used. This technique may be used to supplement a thriving [[wood industry]] or to create an orchard stocked with valuable plant products. Tree farms require a moderate area and may not produce fast enough for impatient players due to the growth times involved.

{{TipBox2|titlebg=#c00|textbg=#ffd|Warning!|Building constructions adjacent to or in trees currently causes the game to crash due to a bug. When building a tree farm, chop down any potentially problematic trees prior to construction.}}

==Method==

Creating a tree farm is generally straightforward, but depends on your situation and needs. A tree farm must be at least two [[z-level]]s tall (though additional z-levels can increase yield) with a [[soil]] or [[irrigation|muddied]] stone floor. Walling off (and optionally roofing over) an outside area may suffice, but larger projects are possible below ground. Note that underground plants (including trees) will only grow after a [[cavern]] has been breached.

===Aboveground===

Walling off an existing plot of trees can provide a safe environment for [[plant gathering]] and [[woodcutting]], even during a [[siege]]. A roof is necessary to fully protect from [[climber|climbing]] and [[flying]] enemies, though a sufficiently-high block wall can stop most threats. If your embark has a wooded valley you can reduce your material and labor costs significantly by incorporating it into your design.

===Top soil===

If your embark has at least two [[soil]] layers, you can create a simple tree farm by channeling down two or more layers from the surface then roofing over the hole. Surface trees will grow on "Light Indoor" tiles, allowing the creation of an indoor orchard or tree farm.

===Subterranean soil===

If your embark has at least three [[soil]] layers, the fastest way to create an underground tree farm is by channeling out two or more subterranean soil layers while leaving the bottom soil floor intact. Since soil is easily mined and requires no [[irrigation]] this is probably the easiest option if available. Note, however, that your farm might experience "light leakage" and "branch collapse" problems if you mine out the layer directly below the surface.

===Caverns===
[[Image:DF2014_tree_farm.png|thumb|right|350px|An irrigated tree farm]]

If you find a suitably-sized muddy cavern you can opt to just use that as a tree farm. Walling it off provides safety against migrating "wildlife". Existing caverns can be enlarged by channeling out layers above the soil, but any horizontal expansion will need to be [[irrigation|irrigated]]. Note: causing a [[cave-in]] to clear overhanging stone will damage the mud floors, requiring re-[[irrigation]].

===Deep Underground===

If the above options are not for you then your next option is to dig out a large underground space, haul out the waste rock, and flood it. Locate several suitable levels and set your miners to work. While your miners and haulers are hard at work set up an irrigation system. Large amounts of water will need to be utilized since evaporation is a significant force when dealing with liquid spread thin over open areas. [[Aquifer]]s, [[river]]s, and [[underground lake]]s make excellent sources, but be wary of slowing frame rates especially with lakes. Once every tile has been covered then you can opt to recycle the water by dropping it down onto a similarly opened out space on a lower level. This way you may dig out larger farms without requiring more water.

==Use and production==

Freshly watered or sporulated farms will require about three years of growing before trees reach minimal harvest size. In this time a few may show up early, but the majority will mature as a group within the span of a month of in-game time. After the first group of trees appear, trees will show up slightly more frequently and steadily as time progresses.

Certain trees (especially underground -caps) produce only one or two logs, even when fully grown. For optimum yield, those trees should be harvested as soon as they reach minimum size. Other more productive trees ([[blood thorn]]s, [[fungiwood]], and [[spore tree]]s) can be allowed to continue growing for much larger returns.

Your tree farm can be specialized into an orchard indirectly, by allowing desired trees to continue growing and cutting down any undesired trees. Note that there is an upper limit to the number of same-species trees that will grow in an area; specializing on two or more species is recommended for optimum production.

Tree farms can double as [[pasture]]s, but trampling may lead to lowered wood production in the area occupied by grazers. It is generally advisable to create separate pasture and tree farming areas since pastures do not require multiple z-levels of open space.

==Details==

Trees will not grow on soil that is occupied by rocky boulders, items, buildings or stockpiles. Removal of these obstructions will increase the productive area of your farm.

Saplings of underground trees will not form in artificial areas until a cavern has been breached. Underground saplings will die if marked as {{DFtext|Outside|3:1}}.

A sapling must fulfill a few requirements in relation to the environment in order to mature. Saplings will not mature if there are many others of the same species in the area around it. On top of this, surface trees must meet a certain density requirement based on the [[biome]] your fortress is in. If there are too many mature trees in an area then growth will be halted. Underground trees always grow with uniform density.

Harvested trees sometimes remove mud from their growth tile. For long-term sustainable production non-soil tree farms will need occasional [[irrigation]].

Large tree farms can have a ridiculous impact on [[framerate]]s, particularly when displayed on-screen.{{bug|8877}} Multi-tile trees produce much more wood than their single-tile counterparts, so a gigantic tree farm probably isn't necessary. It may be best to create multiple small tree farms (on separate levels) as your fortress's needs increase instead of one [[megaproject]] farm.

{{Category|Trees}}
{{Category|Agriculture}}
{{Category|Guides}}

Burrow

2015-04-11T12:44:30Z

Nubtom: /* Help! Goblins are chasing me in circles! */

{{quality|Fine}}{{av}}{{buggy}}

'''Burrows''' are user-defined areas in your fort where selected dwarves live and work. You can assign these areas like zones and assign one or more dwarves to them. You may assign the same dwarf to multiple burrows, if desired. Dwarves will only perform jobs (use workshops, dig walls, use rooms, etc.) in burrows they are assigned to, though dwarves not assigned to any burrow may still perform jobs located in a burrow assigned to other dwarves.

Military dwarves that are on duty will ignore burrows. Off-duty military dwarves will respect their burrows in the same ways as civilian dwarves. If a military dwarf's training area is outside of his burrow, that dwarf will not train when off duty.

[[Image:Burrow.png|right|thumb|240px|An illustration demonstrating that a burrow does *not* restrict a dwarf's movement--the metalcrafter marched right out of his burrow to pull the right lever.]]
'''Burrows do not restrict a dwarf's movements'''; they only restrict the locations where dwarves may perform jobs (including picking up items, eating, sleeping, etc.). An idle dwarf can still go anywhere, regardless of burrows. (Note: a [[#Civilian Alerts|Civilian Alert]] overrides this behavior.)

Additionally, burrows can be toggled ({{k|w}} in the burrow menu) to restrict workshops inside the burrow to only use items from inside the burrow. Note that all items for the job must be located inside the burrow (including [[fuel]] for furnaces and [[barrel]]s for brewing). This feature is new and should be used with caution since it can result in less-than-obvious workshop job cancellations.

== Defining a new burrow ==

To enter the "define burrow" mode, press {{k|w}}.

You'll be presented with a list of all of your existing burrows. Change which burrow is selected with your secondary selection keys.

To add a new burrow to the list, press {{k|a}}. The new burrow created this way starts with no tiles and a default name.

To configure an existing burrow, select it with {{k|+}},{{k|-}},{{k|*}}, & {{k|/}}.

Press {{k|enter}} to set the burrow's name ({{k|n}}), {{k|c}}hange the symbol used, and define what tiles it encompasses. Defining the burrow's tiles can be done using rectangles much like other mass-selection or mass-designation situations elsewhere in the game, or you can paint with the mouse. Unlike other zone selections (but like designations,) burrow selections can take place over multiple z-levels, meaning that you can select cubes, rather than rectangles, or create multiple non-contiguous spaces. This may become important if you burrow citizens for an extended period of time, as you can include the dining hall, food & alcohol stockpiles, and bedrooms to keep your dwarves away from hungry/thirsty/tired states. Workshop stockpiles will need to be included within the burrow for craft-type dwarves (e.g. mason, bone carver, etc.) to do these jobs. '''Press {{k|r}} to set whether you're adding or subtracting tiles from the burrow.''' Also like zone selections, they may overlap. You can also set the colors and symbols used for different burrows to help tell them apart.

Unlike [[activity zone]]s, burrows can also be extended through not-yet revealed tiles. You can only see the parts of the burrow that have been revealed, but the burrow actually extends exactly as far as you defined it.

After defining the area of the burrow, you can add citizens with {{k|c}} on the selection screen, however they will stand wherever they happen to be until assigned a task inside the burrow, which they can path to. Note, however, that citizens may walk from one point of the burrow to another point even if the path they walk on is not part of the burrow. If you define a burrow which is split into two areas, the citizens may walk between those two areas, outside of the burrow you defined. The order of the dwarves in the list is based on an internal ID number, which doesn't correspond with any in game characteristic of the dwarf.

== Deleting Burrows ==

Deleting a burrow is easy, just enter "define burrow" mode by pressing {{k|w}}, select the burrow to delete, then press {{k|d}}, and confirm with {{k|y}}.

== Uses for Burrows ==
=== Defending an Area ===
''Full article: [[Scheduling]]

Burrows are one of the ways you can give passive orders to [[squads]] and civilians during [[Scheduling#Alert levels|alerts]]. Under the squad schedule menu (Press {{k|m}} {{k|s}}) you can add an order to any particular month for the chosen alert with {{k|o}} or edit their existing orders with {{k|e}}. On the Give Orders menu, use {{k|o}} to cycle through the orders given to squads. The order "Defend Burrows" '''cannot''' be given without first creating burrows to assign defenders to. Under a "Defend Burrows" order, dwarves in the squad are stationed in the specific area and will defend it proactively.

=== Civilian Alerts ===

Normally, you need to add citizens to a burrow manually when defining it to have them respect the boundaries. However, a [[civilian alert]] will automatically confine all non-military dwarves to the burrows defined in the alert for as long as the alert is active. When you set the civilian alert level to an alert including a defined burrow, your civilian dwarves will ignore their normal burrow-based job restrictions even if their burrow is one of those in the civilian alert.

See [[User:Khearn/CivilianAlertBurrow|these beginner-friendly instructions]] on how to create and use a civilian alert burrow.

=== Broker to the Depot, STAT ===

You can define your trade depot as a burrow, then when the traders appear, add your broker to that burrow. He will then only accept jobs at the trade depot, though he may be delayed if he is [[on break]] or asleep. This is particularly useful if your broker insists on performing other jobs instead of manning the depot.

===Help! Goblins are chasing me in circles!===
One problem with outdoor work is the lack of safe areas, the presence of ambushers, and civilian dwarves who will, by default, run in the dumbest direction possible. You can create small bolt-holes in the wilderness outside your fort and give them a floor hatch as a door. When ambushers appear, add your outdoor workers to the nearest bolt-hole burrow. After they run inside, lock the door. You don't even need to (and probably shouldn't) hook these bolt-holes up to your main fort; they are for short-term emergencies. You could stock them with a little food and booze, just in case.

===Alternative to Hot Keys===
You can define small burrows to areas you would like to zoom to. Then by pressing "w", select the burrow, "z" to 'center on burrow' your view will be moved to that spot like a hot key. This is useful when you run out of hotkey slots.

== Bugs ==

Burrows can be powerful tools, but that also means they have the potential to cause many problems. {{bugl|434}}, a longstanding burrow bug, was converted to an optional workshop restriction feature in v0.40.07. Unfortunately, this feature can be enabled accidentally (pressing {{k|w}} twice enters the burrow menu and toggles workshop restrictions for the first burrow).

* Haulers in burrows stand around contemplating hauling jobs they can't perform.{{bug|600}}

* [[Dwarf cancels Store Item: Item inaccessible]]" message spam results from idle dwarves being in a burrow that contains a stockpile but not the item the stockpile wants to have.{{bug|5062}}

* Civilians assigned to a burrow while hauling constantly spam "drop-off inaccessible".{{bug|597}}

* Dwarves cancel repeating workshop jobs which they personally cannot complete due to their burrow lacking materials.{{bug|2262}}

* Burrow-assigned dwarves abandon [[wheelbarrow]]s when passing through non-burrow tiles.{{bug|6484}}

* Mothers spam cancellations when attempting to recover a baby outside of their burrow.{{bug|765}}

* Harvest plants job unaffected by burrows.{{bug|5454}}

* Build construction job unaffected by burrows.{{bug|8414}}

* Dwarves get stuck trying to perform jobs at edge of burrow.{{bug|2416}}

* Dwarves may remain restricted to a deleted burrow.{{bug|1735}}

* Spouse room assignments behave oddly when spouses are in different burrows.{{bug|2442}}

* Dwarves try to party outside of burrow, "cancel attend party: no floor space".{{bug|3390}}

{{Category|Fortress mode}}

Burrow

2015-04-11T12:42:04Z

Nubtom: /* Civilian Alerts */

{{quality|Fine}}{{av}}{{buggy}}

'''Burrows''' are user-defined areas in your fort where selected dwarves live and work. You can assign these areas like zones and assign one or more dwarves to them. You may assign the same dwarf to multiple burrows, if desired. Dwarves will only perform jobs (use workshops, dig walls, use rooms, etc.) in burrows they are assigned to, though dwarves not assigned to any burrow may still perform jobs located in a burrow assigned to other dwarves.

Military dwarves that are on duty will ignore burrows. Off-duty military dwarves will respect their burrows in the same ways as civilian dwarves. If a military dwarf's training area is outside of his burrow, that dwarf will not train when off duty.

[[Image:Burrow.png|right|thumb|240px|An illustration demonstrating that a burrow does *not* restrict a dwarf's movement--the metalcrafter marched right out of his burrow to pull the right lever.]]
'''Burrows do not restrict a dwarf's movements'''; they only restrict the locations where dwarves may perform jobs (including picking up items, eating, sleeping, etc.). An idle dwarf can still go anywhere, regardless of burrows. (Note: a [[#Civilian Alerts|Civilian Alert]] overrides this behavior.)

Additionally, burrows can be toggled ({{k|w}} in the burrow menu) to restrict workshops inside the burrow to only use items from inside the burrow. Note that all items for the job must be located inside the burrow (including [[fuel]] for furnaces and [[barrel]]s for brewing). This feature is new and should be used with caution since it can result in less-than-obvious workshop job cancellations.

== Defining a new burrow ==

To enter the "define burrow" mode, press {{k|w}}.

You'll be presented with a list of all of your existing burrows. Change which burrow is selected with your secondary selection keys.

To add a new burrow to the list, press {{k|a}}. The new burrow created this way starts with no tiles and a default name.

To configure an existing burrow, select it with {{k|+}},{{k|-}},{{k|*}}, & {{k|/}}.

Press {{k|enter}} to set the burrow's name ({{k|n}}), {{k|c}}hange the symbol used, and define what tiles it encompasses. Defining the burrow's tiles can be done using rectangles much like other mass-selection or mass-designation situations elsewhere in the game, or you can paint with the mouse. Unlike other zone selections (but like designations,) burrow selections can take place over multiple z-levels, meaning that you can select cubes, rather than rectangles, or create multiple non-contiguous spaces. This may become important if you burrow citizens for an extended period of time, as you can include the dining hall, food & alcohol stockpiles, and bedrooms to keep your dwarves away from hungry/thirsty/tired states. Workshop stockpiles will need to be included within the burrow for craft-type dwarves (e.g. mason, bone carver, etc.) to do these jobs. '''Press {{k|r}} to set whether you're adding or subtracting tiles from the burrow.''' Also like zone selections, they may overlap. You can also set the colors and symbols used for different burrows to help tell them apart.

Unlike [[activity zone]]s, burrows can also be extended through not-yet revealed tiles. You can only see the parts of the burrow that have been revealed, but the burrow actually extends exactly as far as you defined it.

After defining the area of the burrow, you can add citizens with {{k|c}} on the selection screen, however they will stand wherever they happen to be until assigned a task inside the burrow, which they can path to. Note, however, that citizens may walk from one point of the burrow to another point even if the path they walk on is not part of the burrow. If you define a burrow which is split into two areas, the citizens may walk between those two areas, outside of the burrow you defined. The order of the dwarves in the list is based on an internal ID number, which doesn't correspond with any in game characteristic of the dwarf.

== Deleting Burrows ==

Deleting a burrow is easy, just enter "define burrow" mode by pressing {{k|w}}, select the burrow to delete, then press {{k|d}}, and confirm with {{k|y}}.

== Uses for Burrows ==
=== Defending an Area ===
''Full article: [[Scheduling]]

Burrows are one of the ways you can give passive orders to [[squads]] and civilians during [[Scheduling#Alert levels|alerts]]. Under the squad schedule menu (Press {{k|m}} {{k|s}}) you can add an order to any particular month for the chosen alert with {{k|o}} or edit their existing orders with {{k|e}}. On the Give Orders menu, use {{k|o}} to cycle through the orders given to squads. The order "Defend Burrows" '''cannot''' be given without first creating burrows to assign defenders to. Under a "Defend Burrows" order, dwarves in the squad are stationed in the specific area and will defend it proactively.

=== Civilian Alerts ===

Normally, you need to add citizens to a burrow manually when defining it to have them respect the boundaries. However, a [[civilian alert]] will automatically confine all non-military dwarves to the burrows defined in the alert for as long as the alert is active. When you set the civilian alert level to an alert including a defined burrow, your civilian dwarves will ignore their normal burrow-based job restrictions even if their burrow is one of those in the civilian alert.

See [[User:Khearn/CivilianAlertBurrow|these beginner-friendly instructions]] on how to create and use a civilian alert burrow.

=== Broker to the Depot, STAT ===

You can define your trade depot as a burrow, then when the traders appear, add your broker to that burrow. He will then only accept jobs at the trade depot, though he may be delayed if he is [[on break]] or asleep. This is particularly useful if your broker insists on performing other jobs instead of manning the depot.

===Help! Goblins are chasing me in circles!===
One problem with outdoor work is the lack of safe areas, the presence of ambushers, and civilian dwarves who will, by default, run in the dumbest direction possible. You can create small bolt-holes in the wilderness outside your fort and give them a floor hatch as a door. When ambushers appear, add your outdoor workers to the nearest bolt-hole burrow. After they run inside, lock the door. You don't even need to (and probably shouldn't) hook these bolt holes up to your main fort; they are for short term emergencies. You could stock them with a little food and booze, just in case.

===Alternative to Hot Keys===
You can define small burrows to areas you would like to zoom to. Then by pressing "w", select the burrow, "z" to 'center on burrow' your view will be moved to that spot like a hot key. This is useful when you run out of hotkey slots.

== Bugs ==

Burrows can be powerful tools, but that also means they have the potential to cause many problems. {{bugl|434}}, a longstanding burrow bug, was converted to an optional workshop restriction feature in v0.40.07. Unfortunately, this feature can be enabled accidentally (pressing {{k|w}} twice enters the burrow menu and toggles workshop restrictions for the first burrow).

* Haulers in burrows stand around contemplating hauling jobs they can't perform.{{bug|600}}

* [[Dwarf cancels Store Item: Item inaccessible]]" message spam results from idle dwarves being in a burrow that contains a stockpile but not the item the stockpile wants to have.{{bug|5062}}

* Civilians assigned to a burrow while hauling constantly spam "drop-off inaccessible".{{bug|597}}

* Dwarves cancel repeating workshop jobs which they personally cannot complete due to their burrow lacking materials.{{bug|2262}}

* Burrow-assigned dwarves abandon [[wheelbarrow]]s when passing through non-burrow tiles.{{bug|6484}}

* Mothers spam cancellations when attempting to recover a baby outside of their burrow.{{bug|765}}

* Harvest plants job unaffected by burrows.{{bug|5454}}

* Build construction job unaffected by burrows.{{bug|8414}}

* Dwarves get stuck trying to perform jobs at edge of burrow.{{bug|2416}}

* Dwarves may remain restricted to a deleted burrow.{{bug|1735}}

* Spouse room assignments behave oddly when spouses are in different burrows.{{bug|2442}}

* Dwarves try to party outside of burrow, "cancel attend party: no floor space".{{bug|3390}}

{{Category|Fortress mode}}

Losing

2015-04-07T21:17:20Z

Nubtom:

{{Quality|Exceptional}}
{{D for Dwarf}}
{{av}}

Losing is fun!

Either way, it keeps you busy.

There is no internal end point, single goal, final Easter egg or "You Win!" announcement in Dwarf Fortress. Therefore, eventually, almost every fortress will fall. The only ones that don't tend to be very conservative and very boring—and what fun is that? Thus, DF = losing ∧ DF = fun ⇒ losing = fun, and that's okay! It's a game philosophy, so embrace it, own it, and have ''fun'' with it!

Most new players will lose their first few forts sooner rather than later; when you lose a [[fortress]], don't feel like you don't understand the game. Dwarf Fortress has a steep learning curve (often referred to as a "cliff"), and part of the process (and fun!) is discovering things for yourself. However, this Wiki serves as an excellent place to speed up the learning process.

If you lose, you can always [[reclaim fortress mode|reclaim fortress]] or go visit it in [[adventurer mode]].

If you're looking for more ways to <s>lose horribly</s> test yourself, try either the [[mega construction]] or the [[Challenges]] articles.

[[File:FunComic.png|thumb|right|A comic depicting the contrast between Dwarf Fortress and other games, in terms of difficulty.]]

== Autopsy, or why your fortress died ==

Various common things can cause the death of a fortress. Let's examine some together...

===Dwarf vs. Wild===
Sometimes the wilds take you out.

====Local Wildlife====
Goblins aren't the only creatures that want you dead. [[grizzly bear|The]] [[elephant|obvious]] [[cougar|threats]] aside, some [[creature]]s with benign [[unicorn|natures]], [[carp|names]], or [[giant sponge|descriptions]] can be surprisingly deadly. A sudden wildlife attack can quickly cripple or destroy an unprepared fortress. Before you unpause a new game for the first time, hit {{k|u}}nits, and switch to the "Others" tab to see what's sharing your map. Learn to do this regularly—new creatures will frequently migrate onto your map and then off again to be replaced by others.

Consider arming up and thinning out any predictable threats.

Outdoor [[titan]]s and other [[megabeast]]s are a later stage hazard. And that's not to mention [[Werebeast]]s, which turn any dwarves they bite into Werebeasts once a month. While this will not ''directly'' cause you to lose the game (even if every Dwarf in your fortress becomes infected), it could cause major production slowdowns every month, and if a [[Goblin]] siege coincides with a full moon, things could get very interesting...

====Underground Life====
Underground life can be even more dangerous than surface life. Dig down to a cavern, and expect to be fending off hordes of smaller, weaker creatures as well as larger, more solitary creatures like [[giant cave spider]]s and [[blind cave ogre]]s. Arming up helps a lot, as there is usually only a small entrance they can get in by. A row of cage traps is exceptionally powerful there.
Underground Forgotten Beasts are a later stage hazard—and one that cage traps will offer very little protection against. Even if all the other creatures in the cavern are stopped by your cage traps, don't allow yourself to become complacent. That is not to mention that what lies [[HFS|even deeper]]...

====Magma and its denizens====
[[Magma]] by itself is dangerous enough to destroy a fortress that fails to contain it properly, but magma sources are also home to [[fire imp|many]] [[fire man|dangerous]] [[magma crab|creatures]] that can destroy buildings, kill even the most skilled soldiers, and spread destruction throughout your fortress. While careful designs using [[fortification]]s, [[magma-safe]] [[floor grate]]s, and [[magma-safe]] [[bridge]]s can mitigate much of the danger, magma remains a prime source of [[fun]] even in experienced fortresses.

====Evil Biomes====
Evil [[surroundings]] are more inhospitable than ever. If it's not the [[Undead|zombies]] that kill all your dwarves, then it's their freshly animated body parts hungry for revenge. Or vile weather that makes dwarves caught in it vomit to death. Or, worst of all, an evil cloud that drifts by your settlement and starts a zombie plague in your population.

When embarking on an evil biome, it's a fairly good idea to skip a [[meat industry]] of any kind. Though meat obtained from [[butcher|butchering]] doesn't rise up, hair, skin and bones are fully capable of turning to kill you - and bringing [[hunter]]s in your party is near-suicidal. Embarking with a [[military]] is a must, if you want to stand any chance against the zombies. Of course, if things are ''really'' bad outside (for example, the aforementioned thralling clouds), you're best off just sealing yourself inside forever and never turning back. As with cavern wildlife, a row of [[cage trap]]s is a great boon to the safety of your fortress.

===Dwarf vs. Physics===
Sometimes jumping from a tree into a river doesn't end well for your skeleton, or you for that matter.

===Dwarf vs. You===
Sometimes you bring it on yourself.

====No Food====
A serious danger, generally in the more inhospitable [[climate]]s, is the loss of your [[dwarf|dwarves]] due to starvation. As dwarves begin to starve, they will become [[hungry]], then [[starving]]. This will cause them first to slow down all work, and then to become very [[unhappy]]. When they die, their friends will become upset and will become even more unhappy, potentially causing the remainder of your fortress to break out in a [[tantrum spiral|terminal hissy fit]].

Don't forget your alternative sources of [[food]]. If your [[farm]]s aren't doing the job and a [[caravan|trade caravan]] is months away, try [[butcher]]ing your [[domestic animal]]s, [[plant gathering|gathering plants]], [[hunting]] local wildlife, and [[cook]]ing any excess [[alcohol]].

====No Booze====
Equally as bad is no [[alcohol]], which dwarves ''require'' to be happy and productive. Some alcohol can be acquired from [[caravan]]s, but not enough for an entire fort until the next caravan arrives. You must gather or [[farm]] certain plants to then [[brew]] those in a [[still]] with an empty [[barrel]]—it's just part of being a dwarf. Be sure to make lots of barrels. Often a shortage of barrels is just as bad as a shortage of beer. A dwarf would rather die than lower themselves to drinking from a [[mug]] (though it doesn't stop them being produced by the tonne in your [[workshop]]s).

====Water====
Sometimes you just can't help but take a drink, and when you think it's safe, WHAM. Watch out for [[giant sponge]]s...

=====No water=====
Healthy dwarves will not die of thirst as long as they have alcohol, which in the current version can be [[Brewing|brewed]] without the use of water. However, injured dwarves must be given water, not alcohol, or they will die of dehydration.

[[Rain]] will refill stagnant [[pool]]s of water slowly. In a hot [[climate]], this may evaporate almost immediately. What's more, if the map is in a dry [[climate]], such as a desert (hot or cold), then there can be long periods of time with no water anywhere - in extreme cases, none ever. Snow will not refill pools, so you can also have a lack of water in very cold [[climate]]s. Also, if weather has been turned off in the [[init.txt]] file then there will be no rain and no water will accumulate, though it may be there at the beginning of the game.

If all else fails, the [[caverns]] may contain water somewhere, so you can put down a [[well]]. Watch out for [[Giant toad|other]] {{catlink|Humanoids|sources}} [[Cave crocodile|of fun.]]

=====Too Much Water (aka "Flooding accidents")=====
The opposite side of the dehydration spectrum is having too ''much'' water. Remember that water can [[flow]] in 10 directions (the 8 horizontal ones as well as down, and up to the level of its source.)

If your fortress is beginning to flood from [[Water#Sourced Water|sourced water]], abandon all of the levels the water can reach immediately—create a [[civilian alert]] and order your dwarves to a burrow upstairs. You will never be able to recover those areas unless you can manage to [[pump]] out the water faster than it floods in, which can take over a year or two of game time to establish a functioning automated pump system. Generally, a flooding accident spells doom for your fortress.

If the accident is causing your mine shafts to flood (those fishy diagonal flows into downstairs on the level below), you can sometimes save the dwarves that are working inside it: designate the highest level they can reach before the water reaches it with your civilian burrow. Try to dig your way up from there, since the water will take some time to fill the lower floors, and keep updating your burrow definition to the higher floors. Saving your valuable Legendary +5 Miners (and their picks) could be vital to your fortress.

Sometimes, a fortress is flooded with [[magma]]. This is even more [[fun]], and even harder to recover from. Magma doesn't rise as aggressively (via [[pressure]]) as water, and can be [[pump]]ed out with [[magma-safe]] equipment. Read up on it. Good luck.

==== Inability to mine ("Diggor Mortis") ====
i.e., no [[pick]]s.

Diggor Mortis: ''when a Dwarf with a pickaxe decides that digging where they shouldn't is a bloody good idea.''

Simply put, you need [[pick]]s to mine [[ore]], which is then [[smelting|smelted]] to make [[metal]] for items like more picks. If you are careless (or ignorant) of how to dig safely, and your [[miner]]s create a [[cave-in|collapse]] or flood and their equipment gets lost/destroyed/unrecoverable, ''and'' you have no materials to make more picks, you will be at a severe handicap until the problem is solved. Any dwarf can be given the [[mining]] [[labor]], but without a pick they can do nothing. There is no way to get new metals or stone (clay excluded) for any purpose (except from foreign traders and smelting other items) nor any way to dig new rooms/tunnels unless you have picks.

If you have [[ore]] or [[bar]]s to create a [[Arms industry|weapons-grade metal]] (other than silver), and a [[forge]] (and [[smelter]] if you need one), you can create new picks and continue. In a pinch, you can even [[melt]] other metal objects for metal. You might get lucky with a [[caravan]] - elves never carry picks, but humans sometimes have bronze ones, and dwarves generally bring some along. If the first dwarven caravan doesn't bring any, you can try to keep your fortress running long enough to request additional [[pick]]s from your [[outpost liaison]], who will arrive with the next dwarven trade [[caravan]] in a year. Or you can [[abandon]] and try again.

If you have [[axe]]s and [[tree]]s available, then you can build [[construction|structure]]s, [[building]]s and [[furniture]] of [[wood]], which is something.

Averting this fate is simple: stockpile at least one additional pick at the first possible opportunity, or some of the [[Metal#Weapon_and_armor_quality|raw material]] to make more, and away from current digging operations.

See also: [[Arms industry]]

===Dwarf vs Society===
Sometimes your traditions and morals conspire. Hell Is Other Dwarves?

====General Unhappiness====
Think it's no big deal to leave your dwarves with a mediocre [[dining room]], no-[[quality]] bed and a generally inadequate fortress?

If there is little in a fortress to give your dwarves happy [[thoughts]] and enough to give them unhappy [[thoughts]], then your dwarves will start to throw [[tantrum]]s, grow melancholy, and/or cause general chaos. In extreme (but sadly not ''rare'') examples, this can lead to a [[tantrum spiral]] and the loss of the entire fortress. Immigrants are typically [[marriage|married]], often with [[children]] in tow, and are primed and ready to start pumping out even more babies. This means that the loss of one dwarf is likely to lead to a whole family of very unhappy dwarves, and potentially a tantrum spiral. Unhappiness is more likely to occur if your fortress is suffering other kinds of downfall as well, so try to keep all the bases covered.

Another problem is if you don't have a [[justice]] system in place at the time of a spiral and manage to recover. If you later implement the justice system, the hammerer may kill the former tantrum throwers, starting another tantrum because of their deaths.

====Mandates====
While it doesn't happen often, those [[Noble]]s' mandates can occasionally cause your fortress to come to a halt, especially if they decide to imprison a dwarf that's fairly essential to your fortress, or if they for some reason decide that a dwarf deserves a hammering. This can lead to your dwarf's death, which, as noted above, can cause a tantrum spiral.

Then, there's also points at which, when trying to fulfill a mandate, you run into some rather nasty problems. This could lead to any of the other problems, such as a cave in killing your miner (If you're not paying attention!) running into HFS, or accidentally mining out a new tunnel to the surface that you don't close, and lets in a horde of goblins.

====Supernatural Rogues====
There are monsters known collectively as [[night creature]]s that can potentially undo a fortress from within. A werebeast raid can not only bring trouble if you're lacking of a military, but its cursed bite can make more of its kind from your population. If you see a civilian survive a werebeast attack, you might be in for a surprise when he suddenly turns into a ravenous monster at the full moon and starts killing everything around him.

Vampires are a much more insidiously dangerous threat, as they hide themselves among the peasantry and may kill dozens of dwarves without being caught—and if they do, they might succeed at framing an essential member of your fortress into getting the hammer. As can be seen, this can easily lead into a tantrum spiral.

===Dwarf vs Goblins, Humans, Elves...===
Seizing goods from a friendly caravan will often lead to large shipment of fun next time the traders visit. Remember, it's not paranoia if they ''are'' out to get you.

====Ambush====
Goblin and elven [[ambush]]ers alike will infiltrate your map and charge into your fortress after they are discovered. They will retreat after suffering enough casualties or waiting around several seasons. Elves still arrive with caravans, and goblins can attack at any time. Even if your dwarves do not venture onto the surface, caravans will eventually trigger the ambushes. At least, caravans and sieges/ambushes have the amazing tendency to occur at the end of each season.

See Also:
:* [[Defense guide]]
:* [[Defense design]]
:* [[Trap design]]
:* [[Military design]]

====Siege====
[[Siege]]s can be quite devastating to a fortress, but unlike most of the other ways of losing, they are unlikely to occur early on, even if you do something <s>funny</s> stupid to piss off another civilization.

Should hosts of goblins besiege your gates and drive your peasantry inside, trolls beat down your doors and force you to seal off from the outside world, you may have already lost the game. Even if you have built an utterly impenetrable fortress with drawbridges and moats, a sieging army may stick around for a long time. Although a dwarven fortress can be made self-contained, with [[list of crops|crops]], [[metal]] and [[fuel]] readily available, underground [[tree farm|wood source]] and your own [[livestock]], a fortress may not be able to sustain such a state indefinitely.

For example, [[trade]] with the outside world has now been shut off, leaving you only what [[ore]]s are on your map for the production of mandated goods. In the (very) long run even those will run out. This can result in a breakdown of social order if you do not prevent your [[Hammerer]] from killing or maiming your dwarves. [[Shell]], [[bone]] and [[leather]] commonly acquired by [[hunting]] and [[fishing]] need to be supplied by previously established livestock and access to suitable water. If these resources are no longer available to your workers, moody [[craftsdwarf|craftsdwarves]] will be driven into suicide or worse. Rotten [[vermin]] [[corpse]]s begin to heap in your food supply, forcing you to dump these into inside [[refuse|refuse pile]]s, generating [[miasma]]. Better build indoor refuse piles away from trafficked areas. Unless an [[well|interior water supply]] was established (or you find water in caverns) your wounded will die of dehydration.

With all these critical industries unproductive, dwarves dying, and friends mourning over the rotting heaps of slain loved ones, it's important to remember your dwarves have nothing to do but throw funeral receptions, hold grief counseling sessions and host the occasional keg stand. This means they've all become one big happy family of friends, manically depressed from the loss of any dwarf.

In short, the attacking army can simply wait until your dwarves emo themselves to death.

====Hidden Fun Stuff====

Hidden fun stuff awaits those who delve too deeply and too greedily. Due to the concentrated amounts of [[fun]], HFS has been the downfall of many a fortress.

===Dwarf vs. Player ===
Mod too much and the human caravan that comes in could spontaneously combust. Or just crash your game.

===Dwarf vs. Computer===
Fall victim to the [[Catsplosion]] and even the mightiest computer may lose FPS to the point where the game becomes virtually un-playable. Or get too many Dwarves and pets in your fortress and the computer may crash. Problem can be solved, at least for the short term, by changing the priority of Dwarf Fortress in init.txt.

===Dwarf vs. Boredom===
Sometimes a fort's downfall comes not from fire and [[Fun]], but by the player deciding that enough's enough, and it's time to give in.

====Have I Won Yet?====
Even the most well-managed of forts will eventually fall. And if they don't, then what? Once you've fended off [[goblin]]s, [[bronze colossus]]es, and [[HFS|other]] [[Giant cave spider|fun]] [[Forgotten beast|things]], what's left to challenge your mighty defenses and legendary champions?

Eventually boredom takes its toll and you either hit abandon, or ease up on the impregnable defenses and effectively engineer your own doom.

====The Tantrum Fizzle====
So your dwarves are too busy punching each other to do any work, and the casualties are mounting while the goblins just point and laugh. Think the final chapter of your fort's saga will be a short one? Don't be so sure. Sometimes a little old-fashioned anarchy is enough to cripple a fortress, but not destroy it.

With good defenses and enough supplies, a well-managed fortress can run quite a while without any player input. And when you find this out the hard way, a few in-game months of fistfights might not be entertaining enough to offset the fact that you're not able to actually DO anything. If things don't calm down (or explode hilariously) soon enough, that "abandon fort" option will look awfully tempting...

==The Unending Cycle==
After decades have passed, and you truly feel your fortress is unassailable and eternal, DF2014 now offers you the option to [[Reclaim_fortress_mode|retire]] your boring fort, giving control of it back to your enlightened nobles. This returns it to the worldgen 'scale' of events and legends, where it can participate in the activities of your civilization. You can visit it in Adventurer Mode, or embark right next door (if so inclined) on a new Fortress expedition. Expand the reach, wealth and greatness of your chosen civilization(s), carving out your own legends over the eons, again and again!

== Winning ==

Despite the common knowledge that no one can win Dwarf Fortress, this is actually false. There are numerous ways to win the game, and all are equally <s>Fun</s> rewarding. The "You won the game" screen is in fact <s>Your fortress has crumbled to its end</s> a well hidden easter egg.

Here's a few ways to win at Dwarf Fortress:

*Having every single [[elf]] and [[goblin]] on the map on [[fire]]. You must set them on fire at the same time, of course.

*Have every single dug tile filled with 7/7 [[magma]]

*All your dwarves throwing a [[tantrum]] at the same time (note: the game doesn't register the deed if you have less than 20 dwarves)

*Have a mandate of a [[slade]]-made item successfully completed. Alternatively, have 20 mandates of [[adamantine]]-made items completed.

*Kill at least 100 dwarves in the space of a single [[time#breakdown|tick]]. (Hint: This is best done by [[Stupid dwarf trick|Self-destruct lever]])

*Kill all the denizens of the [[Hidden Fun Stuff]]. <s>Don't listen to the people who claim their numbers are limitless. They are ignorant.</s>

*Succeed in fully domesticating any of the following: [[carp]], [[giant sponge]], [[unicorn]], or any [[megabeast]] (cave dragons doesn't count)

*Have at least 1/7 magma on every single outside tile. This creates a new victory screen with a [[Bloodline:Boatmurdered|Boatmurdered]] reference.

*Have all of your dwarves on the topmost layer of the map.

{{Category|Guides}}

Losing

2015-04-07T21:15:59Z

Nubtom:

{{Quality|Exceptional}}
{{D for Dwarf}}
{{av}}

Losing is fun!

Either way, it keeps you busy.

There is no internal end point, single goal, final Easter egg or "You Win!" announcement in Dwarf Fortress. Therefore, eventually, almost every fortress will fall. The only ones that don't tend to be very conservative and very boring—and what fun is that? Thus, DF = losing ∧ DF = fun ⇒ losing = fun, and that's okay! It's a game philosophy, so embrace it, own it, and have ''fun'' with it!

Most new players will lose their first few forts sooner rather than later; when you lose a [[fortress]], don't feel like you don't understand the game. Dwarf Fortress has a steep learning curve (often referred to as a "cliff"), and part of the process (and fun!) is discovering things for yourself. However, this Wiki serves as an excellent place to speed up the learning process.

If you lose, you can always [[reclaim fortress mode|reclaim fortress]] or go visit it in [[adventurer mode]].

If you're looking for more ways to <s>lose horribly</s> test yourself, try either the [[mega construction]] or the [[Challenges]] articles.

[[File:FunComic.png|thumb|right|A comic depicting the contrast between other games' measure of difficulty and Dwarf Fortress'.]]

== Autopsy, or why your fortress died ==

Various common things can cause the death of a fortress. Let's examine some together...

===Dwarf vs. Wild===
Sometimes the wilds take you out.

====Local Wildlife====
Goblins aren't the only creatures that want you dead. [[grizzly bear|The]] [[elephant|obvious]] [[cougar|threats]] aside, some [[creature]]s with benign [[unicorn|natures]], [[carp|names]], or [[giant sponge|descriptions]] can be surprisingly deadly. A sudden wildlife attack can quickly cripple or destroy an unprepared fortress. Before you unpause a new game for the first time, hit {{k|u}}nits, and switch to the "Others" tab to see what's sharing your map. Learn to do this regularly—new creatures will frequently migrate onto your map and then off again to be replaced by others.

Consider arming up and thinning out any predictable threats.

Outdoor [[titan]]s and other [[megabeast]]s are a later stage hazard. And that's not to mention [[Werebeast]]s, which turn any dwarves they bite into Werebeasts once a month. While this will not ''directly'' cause you to lose the game (even if every Dwarf in your fortress becomes infected), it could cause major production slowdowns every month, and if a [[Goblin]] siege coincides with a full moon, things could get very interesting...

====Underground Life====
Underground life can be even more dangerous than surface life. Dig down to a cavern, and expect to be fending off hordes of smaller, weaker creatures as well as larger, more solitary creatures like [[giant cave spider]]s and [[blind cave ogre]]s. Arming up helps a lot, as there is usually only a small entrance they can get in by. A row of cage traps is exceptionally powerful there.
Underground Forgotten Beasts are a later stage hazard—and one that cage traps will offer very little protection against. Even if all the other creatures in the cavern are stopped by your cage traps, don't allow yourself to become complacent. That is not to mention that what lies [[HFS|even deeper]]...

====Magma and its denizens====
[[Magma]] by itself is dangerous enough to destroy a fortress that fails to contain it properly, but magma sources are also home to [[fire imp|many]] [[fire man|dangerous]] [[magma crab|creatures]] that can destroy buildings, kill even the most skilled soldiers, and spread destruction throughout your fortress. While careful designs using [[fortification]]s, [[magma-safe]] [[floor grate]]s, and [[magma-safe]] [[bridge]]s can mitigate much of the danger, magma remains a prime source of [[fun]] even in experienced fortresses.

====Evil Biomes====
Evil [[surroundings]] are more inhospitable than ever. If it's not the [[Undead|zombies]] that kill all your dwarves, then it's their freshly animated body parts hungry for revenge. Or vile weather that makes dwarves caught in it vomit to death. Or, worst of all, an evil cloud that drifts by your settlement and starts a zombie plague in your population.

When embarking on an evil biome, it's a fairly good idea to skip a [[meat industry]] of any kind. Though meat obtained from [[butcher|butchering]] doesn't rise up, hair, skin and bones are fully capable of turning to kill you - and bringing [[hunter]]s in your party is near-suicidal. Embarking with a [[military]] is a must, if you want to stand any chance against the zombies. Of course, if things are ''really'' bad outside (for example, the aforementioned thralling clouds), you're best off just sealing yourself inside forever and never turning back. As with cavern wildlife, a row of [[cage trap]]s is a great boon to the safety of your fortress.

===Dwarf vs. Physics===
Sometimes jumping from a tree into a river doesn't end well for your skeleton, or you for that matter.

===Dwarf vs. You===
Sometimes you bring it on yourself.

====No Food====
A serious danger, generally in the more inhospitable [[climate]]s, is the loss of your [[dwarf|dwarves]] due to starvation. As dwarves begin to starve, they will become [[hungry]], then [[starving]]. This will cause them first to slow down all work, and then to become very [[unhappy]]. When they die, their friends will become upset and will become even more unhappy, potentially causing the remainder of your fortress to break out in a [[tantrum spiral|terminal hissy fit]].

Don't forget your alternative sources of [[food]]. If your [[farm]]s aren't doing the job and a [[caravan|trade caravan]] is months away, try [[butcher]]ing your [[domestic animal]]s, [[plant gathering|gathering plants]], [[hunting]] local wildlife, and [[cook]]ing any excess [[alcohol]].

====No Booze====
Equally as bad is no [[alcohol]], which dwarves ''require'' to be happy and productive. Some alcohol can be acquired from [[caravan]]s, but not enough for an entire fort until the next caravan arrives. You must gather or [[farm]] certain plants to then [[brew]] those in a [[still]] with an empty [[barrel]]—it's just part of being a dwarf. Be sure to make lots of barrels. Often a shortage of barrels is just as bad as a shortage of beer. A dwarf would rather die than lower themselves to drinking from a [[mug]] (though it doesn't stop them being produced by the tonne in your [[workshop]]s).

====Water====
Sometimes you just can't help but take a drink, and when you think it's safe, WHAM. Watch out for [[giant sponge]]s...

=====No water=====
Healthy dwarves will not die of thirst as long as they have alcohol, which in the current version can be [[Brewing|brewed]] without the use of water. However, injured dwarves must be given water, not alcohol, or they will die of dehydration.

[[Rain]] will refill stagnant [[pool]]s of water slowly. In a hot [[climate]], this may evaporate almost immediately. What's more, if the map is in a dry [[climate]], such as a desert (hot or cold), then there can be long periods of time with no water anywhere - in extreme cases, none ever. Snow will not refill pools, so you can also have a lack of water in very cold [[climate]]s. Also, if weather has been turned off in the [[init.txt]] file then there will be no rain and no water will accumulate, though it may be there at the beginning of the game.

If all else fails, the [[caverns]] may contain water somewhere, so you can put down a [[well]]. Watch out for [[Giant toad|other]] {{catlink|Humanoids|sources}} [[Cave crocodile|of fun.]]

=====Too Much Water (aka "Flooding accidents")=====
The opposite side of the dehydration spectrum is having too ''much'' water. Remember that water can [[flow]] in 10 directions (the 8 horizontal ones as well as down, and up to the level of its source.)

If your fortress is beginning to flood from [[Water#Sourced Water|sourced water]], abandon all of the levels the water can reach immediately—create a [[civilian alert]] and order your dwarves to a burrow upstairs. You will never be able to recover those areas unless you can manage to [[pump]] out the water faster than it floods in, which can take over a year or two of game time to establish a functioning automated pump system. Generally, a flooding accident spells doom for your fortress.

If the accident is causing your mine shafts to flood (those fishy diagonal flows into downstairs on the level below), you can sometimes save the dwarves that are working inside it: designate the highest level they can reach before the water reaches it with your civilian burrow. Try to dig your way up from there, since the water will take some time to fill the lower floors, and keep updating your burrow definition to the higher floors. Saving your valuable Legendary +5 Miners (and their picks) could be vital to your fortress.

Sometimes, a fortress is flooded with [[magma]]. This is even more [[fun]], and even harder to recover from. Magma doesn't rise as aggressively (via [[pressure]]) as water, and can be [[pump]]ed out with [[magma-safe]] equipment. Read up on it. Good luck.

==== Inability to mine ("Diggor Mortis") ====
i.e., no [[pick]]s.

Diggor Mortis: ''when a Dwarf with a pickaxe decides that digging where they shouldn't is a bloody good idea.''

Simply put, you need [[pick]]s to mine [[ore]], which is then [[smelting|smelted]] to make [[metal]] for items like more picks. If you are careless (or ignorant) of how to dig safely, and your [[miner]]s create a [[cave-in|collapse]] or flood and their equipment gets lost/destroyed/unrecoverable, ''and'' you have no materials to make more picks, you will be at a severe handicap until the problem is solved. Any dwarf can be given the [[mining]] [[labor]], but without a pick they can do nothing. There is no way to get new metals or stone (clay excluded) for any purpose (except from foreign traders and smelting other items) nor any way to dig new rooms/tunnels unless you have picks.

If you have [[ore]] or [[bar]]s to create a [[Arms industry|weapons-grade metal]] (other than silver), and a [[forge]] (and [[smelter]] if you need one), you can create new picks and continue. In a pinch, you can even [[melt]] other metal objects for metal. You might get lucky with a [[caravan]] - elves never carry picks, but humans sometimes have bronze ones, and dwarves generally bring some along. If the first dwarven caravan doesn't bring any, you can try to keep your fortress running long enough to request additional [[pick]]s from your [[outpost liaison]], who will arrive with the next dwarven trade [[caravan]] in a year. Or you can [[abandon]] and try again.

If you have [[axe]]s and [[tree]]s available, then you can build [[construction|structure]]s, [[building]]s and [[furniture]] of [[wood]], which is something.

Averting this fate is simple: stockpile at least one additional pick at the first possible opportunity, or some of the [[Metal#Weapon_and_armor_quality|raw material]] to make more, and away from current digging operations.

See also: [[Arms industry]]

===Dwarf vs Society===
Sometimes your traditions and morals conspire. Hell Is Other Dwarves?

====General Unhappiness====
Think it's no big deal to leave your dwarves with a mediocre [[dining room]], no-[[quality]] bed and a generally inadequate fortress?

If there is little in a fortress to give your dwarves happy [[thoughts]] and enough to give them unhappy [[thoughts]], then your dwarves will start to throw [[tantrum]]s, grow melancholy, and/or cause general chaos. In extreme (but sadly not ''rare'') examples, this can lead to a [[tantrum spiral]] and the loss of the entire fortress. Immigrants are typically [[marriage|married]], often with [[children]] in tow, and are primed and ready to start pumping out even more babies. This means that the loss of one dwarf is likely to lead to a whole family of very unhappy dwarves, and potentially a tantrum spiral. Unhappiness is more likely to occur if your fortress is suffering other kinds of downfall as well, so try to keep all the bases covered.

Another problem is if you don't have a [[justice]] system in place at the time of a spiral and manage to recover. If you later implement the justice system, the hammerer may kill the former tantrum throwers, starting another tantrum because of their deaths.

====Mandates====
While it doesn't happen often, those [[Noble]]s' mandates can occasionally cause your fortress to come to a halt, especially if they decide to imprison a dwarf that's fairly essential to your fortress, or if they for some reason decide that a dwarf deserves a hammering. This can lead to your dwarf's death, which, as noted above, can cause a tantrum spiral.

Then, there's also points at which, when trying to fulfill a mandate, you run into some rather nasty problems. This could lead to any of the other problems, such as a cave in killing your miner (If you're not paying attention!) running into HFS, or accidentally mining out a new tunnel to the surface that you don't close, and lets in a horde of goblins.

====Supernatural Rogues====
There are monsters known collectively as [[night creature]]s that can potentially undo a fortress from within. A werebeast raid can not only bring trouble if you're lacking of a military, but its cursed bite can make more of its kind from your population. If you see a civilian survive a werebeast attack, you might be in for a surprise when he suddenly turns into a ravenous monster at the full moon and starts killing everything around him.

Vampires are a much more insidiously dangerous threat, as they hide themselves among the peasantry and may kill dozens of dwarves without being caught—and if they do, they might succeed at framing an essential member of your fortress into getting the hammer. As can be seen, this can easily lead into a tantrum spiral.

===Dwarf vs Goblins, Humans, Elves...===
Seizing goods from a friendly caravan will often lead to large shipment of fun next time the traders visit. Remember, it's not paranoia if they ''are'' out to get you.

====Ambush====
Goblin and elven [[ambush]]ers alike will infiltrate your map and charge into your fortress after they are discovered. They will retreat after suffering enough casualties or waiting around several seasons. Elves still arrive with caravans, and goblins can attack at any time. Even if your dwarves do not venture onto the surface, caravans will eventually trigger the ambushes. At least, caravans and sieges/ambushes have the amazing tendency to occur at the end of each season.

See Also:
:* [[Defense guide]]
:* [[Defense design]]
:* [[Trap design]]
:* [[Military design]]

====Siege====
[[Siege]]s can be quite devastating to a fortress, but unlike most of the other ways of losing, they are unlikely to occur early on, even if you do something <s>funny</s> stupid to piss off another civilization.

Should hosts of goblins besiege your gates and drive your peasantry inside, trolls beat down your doors and force you to seal off from the outside world, you may have already lost the game. Even if you have built an utterly impenetrable fortress with drawbridges and moats, a sieging army may stick around for a long time. Although a dwarven fortress can be made self-contained, with [[list of crops|crops]], [[metal]] and [[fuel]] readily available, underground [[tree farm|wood source]] and your own [[livestock]], a fortress may not be able to sustain such a state indefinitely.

For example, [[trade]] with the outside world has now been shut off, leaving you only what [[ore]]s are on your map for the production of mandated goods. In the (very) long run even those will run out. This can result in a breakdown of social order if you do not prevent your [[Hammerer]] from killing or maiming your dwarves. [[Shell]], [[bone]] and [[leather]] commonly acquired by [[hunting]] and [[fishing]] need to be supplied by previously established livestock and access to suitable water. If these resources are no longer available to your workers, moody [[craftsdwarf|craftsdwarves]] will be driven into suicide or worse. Rotten [[vermin]] [[corpse]]s begin to heap in your food supply, forcing you to dump these into inside [[refuse|refuse pile]]s, generating [[miasma]]. Better build indoor refuse piles away from trafficked areas. Unless an [[well|interior water supply]] was established (or you find water in caverns) your wounded will die of dehydration.

With all these critical industries unproductive, dwarves dying, and friends mourning over the rotting heaps of slain loved ones, it's important to remember your dwarves have nothing to do but throw funeral receptions, hold grief counseling sessions and host the occasional keg stand. This means they've all become one big happy family of friends, manically depressed from the loss of any dwarf.

In short, the attacking army can simply wait until your dwarves emo themselves to death.

====Hidden Fun Stuff====

Hidden fun stuff awaits those who delve too deeply and too greedily. Due to the concentrated amounts of [[fun]], HFS has been the downfall of many a fortress.

===Dwarf vs. Player ===
Mod too much and the human caravan that comes in could spontaneously combust. Or just crash your game.

===Dwarf vs. Computer===
Fall victim to the [[Catsplosion]] and even the mightiest computer may lose FPS to the point where the game becomes virtually un-playable. Or get too many Dwarves and pets in your fortress and the computer may crash. Problem can be solved, at least for the short term, by changing the priority of Dwarf Fortress in init.txt.

===Dwarf vs. Boredom===
Sometimes a fort's downfall comes not from fire and [[Fun]], but by the player deciding that enough's enough, and it's time to give in.

====Have I Won Yet?====
Even the most well-managed of forts will eventually fall. And if they don't, then what? Once you've fended off [[goblin]]s, [[bronze colossus]]es, and [[HFS|other]] [[Giant cave spider|fun]] [[Forgotten beast|things]], what's left to challenge your mighty defenses and legendary champions?

Eventually boredom takes its toll and you either hit abandon, or ease up on the impregnable defenses and effectively engineer your own doom.

====The Tantrum Fizzle====
So your dwarves are too busy punching each other to do any work, and the casualties are mounting while the goblins just point and laugh. Think the final chapter of your fort's saga will be a short one? Don't be so sure. Sometimes a little old-fashioned anarchy is enough to cripple a fortress, but not destroy it.

With good defenses and enough supplies, a well-managed fortress can run quite a while without any player input. And when you find this out the hard way, a few in-game months of fistfights might not be entertaining enough to offset the fact that you're not able to actually DO anything. If things don't calm down (or explode hilariously) soon enough, that "abandon fort" option will look awfully tempting...

==The Unending Cycle==
After decades have passed, and you truly feel your fortress is unassailable and eternal, DF2014 now offers you the option to [[Reclaim_fortress_mode|retire]] your boring fort, giving control of it back to your enlightened nobles. This returns it to the worldgen 'scale' of events and legends, where it can participate in the activities of your civilization. You can visit it in Adventurer Mode, or embark right next door (if so inclined) on a new Fortress expedition. Expand the reach, wealth and greatness of your chosen civilization(s), carving out your own legends over the eons, again and again!

== Winning ==

Despite the common knowledge that no one can win Dwarf Fortress, this is actually false. There are numerous ways to win the game, and all are equally <s>Fun</s> rewarding. The "You won the game" screen is in fact <s>Your fortress has crumbled to its end</s> a well hidden easter egg.

Here's a few ways to win at Dwarf Fortress:

*Having every single [[elf]] and [[goblin]] on the map on [[fire]]. You must set them on fire at the same time, of course.

*Have every single dug tile filled with 7/7 [[magma]]

*All your dwarves throwing a [[tantrum]] at the same time (note: the game doesn't register the deed if you have less than 20 dwarves)

*Have a mandate of a [[slade]]-made item successfully completed. Alternatively, have 20 mandates of [[adamantine]]-made items completed.

*Kill at least 100 dwarves in the space of a single [[time#breakdown|tick]]. (Hint: This is best done by [[Stupid dwarf trick|Self-destruct lever]])

*Kill all the denizens of the [[Hidden Fun Stuff]]. <s>Don't listen to the people who claim their numbers are limitless. They are ignorant.</s>

*Succeed in fully domesticating any of the following: [[carp]], [[giant sponge]], [[unicorn]], or any [[megabeast]] (cave dragons doesn't count)

*Have at least 1/7 magma on every single outside tile. This creates a new victory screen with a [[Bloodline:Boatmurdered|Boatmurdered]] reference.

*Have all of your dwarves on the topmost layer of the map.

{{Category|Guides}}

Token

2015-04-07T21:10:29Z

Nubtom: Moderate formatting-type changes, mainly for consistency

In Dwarf Fortress, a '''token''' is a piece of text that defines the properties of an object. An "object" could be a material, a type of tissue, an organ, a piece of armor, a creature, a biome, a civilisation, or anything else in the game. A "property" could be how large something is, what it is made from, its melting temperature, its name, its biome preference (for civilisations) or anything that makes it unique. All information associated with the properties of an object in the game is defined using tokens. Tokens are found in the [[raws]], and can be easily [[modding|modified]], allowing users to create (and distribute) new content.

:* [[Ammo token]]s define ammunitions, such as arrows and bolts.
:* [[Armor token]]s define armor.
:* [[Biome token]]s define environments for creatures, plants and entities (entities being civilisations).
:* [[Building token]]s define buildings.
:* [[Body token]]s determine bodily structure and materials.
:* [[Body detail plan token]]s define some details of a body, similar to body tokens.
:* [[Bodygloss]] tokens perform a single-word substitution of a creature's body parts.
:* [[Creature token]]s determine the properties of creatures.
:* [[Creature variation token]]s are used to create creatures which are derived from other already-existing creatures without duplicating every single token.
:* [[Entity token]]s define entities, or [[civilizations]].
:* [[Item token]]s define the most basic form of items (made specific by material tokens). Item tokens are mainly used in [[reactions]].
:* [[Item definition token]]s are used for actual definitions of items.
:* [[Interaction token]]s define interactions.
:* [[Labor token]] define labors.
:* [[Language token]]s define a language's vocabulary. Since fictional languages in Dwarf Fortress are only used in names, language tokens do not define grammar.
:* [[Material token]]s are used to refer to materials, similar to item tokens.
:* [[Material definition token]]s are used to define materials, similar to item definition tokens.
:* [[Plant token]]s define plants.
:* [[Position token]]s define positions in entities.
:* [[Skill token]]s define skills.
:* [[Syndrome tokens]] define syndromes.
:* [[Tissue definition token]]s define tissues.
:* [[Tool token]] define tools, similar to weapons tokens.
:* [[Trap component token]]s define traps.
:* [[Unit type token]]s are referred to by tilesets, and entities for purposes of nobility and the like.
:* [[Weapon token]]s define weapons.
:* [[World token]]s are used in custom world generation.

Also note [[reactions]], which are a little more complicated than simple tokens.

This [http://www.bay12games.com/forum/index.php?board=13.0 forum] is the official DF subforum dedicated to discussions about modding.

----

'''See Also:'''
* [[Raw file]]
* [[Modding]]
[[category:Modding]]

Burrow

2015-04-05T14:52:19Z

Nubtom:

{{quality|Fine}}{{av}}{{buggy}}

'''Burrows''' are user-defined areas in your fort where selected dwarves live and work. You can assign these areas like zones and assign one or more dwarves to them. You may assign the same dwarf to multiple burrows, if desired. Dwarves will only perform jobs (use workshops, dig walls, use rooms, etc.) in burrows they are assigned to, though dwarves not assigned to any burrow may still perform jobs located in a burrow assigned to other dwarves.

Military dwarves that are on duty will ignore burrows. Off-duty military dwarves will respect their burrows in the same ways as civilian dwarves. If a military dwarf's training area is outside of his burrow, that dwarf will not train when off duty.

[[Image:Burrow.png|right|thumb|240px|An illustration demonstrating that a burrow does *not* restrict a dwarf's movement--the metalcrafter marched right out of his burrow to pull the right lever.]]
'''Burrows do not restrict a dwarf's movements'''; they only restrict the locations where dwarves may perform jobs (including picking up items, eating, sleeping, etc.). An idle dwarf can still go anywhere, regardless of burrows. (Note: a [[#Civilian Alerts|Civilian Alert]] overrides this behavior.)

Additionally, burrows can be toggled ({{k|w}} in the burrow menu) to restrict workshops inside the burrow to only use items from inside the burrow. Note that all items for the job must be located inside the burrow (including [[fuel]] for furnaces and [[barrel]]s for brewing). This feature is new and should be used with caution since it can result in less-than-obvious workshop job cancellations.

== Defining a new burrow ==

To enter the "define burrow" mode, press {{k|w}}.

You'll be presented with a list of all of your existing burrows. Change which burrow is selected with your secondary selection keys.

To add a new burrow to the list, press {{k|a}}. The new burrow created this way starts with no tiles and a default name.

To configure an existing burrow, select it with {{k|+}},{{k|-}},{{k|*}}, & {{k|/}}.

Press {{k|enter}} to set the burrow's name ({{k|n}}), {{k|c}}hange the symbol used, and define what tiles it encompasses. Defining the burrow's tiles can be done using rectangles much like other mass-selection or mass-designation situations elsewhere in the game, or you can paint with the mouse. Unlike other zone selections (but like designations,) burrow selections can take place over multiple z-levels, meaning that you can select cubes, rather than rectangles, or create multiple non-contiguous spaces. This may become important if you burrow citizens for an extended period of time, as you can include the dining hall, food & alcohol stockpiles, and bedrooms to keep your dwarves away from hungry/thirsty/tired states. Workshop stockpiles will need to be included within the burrow for craft-type dwarves (e.g. mason, bone carver, etc.) to do these jobs. '''Press {{k|r}} to set whether you're adding or subtracting tiles from the burrow.''' Also like zone selections, they may overlap. You can also set the colors and symbols used for different burrows to help tell them apart.

Unlike [[activity zone]]s, burrows can also be extended through not-yet revealed tiles. You can only see the parts of the burrow that have been revealed, but the burrow actually extends exactly as far as you defined it.

After defining the area of the burrow, you can add citizens with {{k|c}} on the selection screen, however they will stand wherever they happen to be until assigned a task inside the burrow, which they can path to. Note, however, that citizens may walk from one point of the burrow to another point even if the path they walk on is not part of the burrow. If you define a burrow which is split into two areas, the citizens may walk between those two areas, outside of the burrow you defined. The order of the dwarves in the list is based on an internal ID number, which doesn't correspond with any in game characteristic of the dwarf.

== Deleting Burrows ==

Deleting a burrow is easy, just enter "define burrow" mode by pressing {{k|w}}, select the burrow to delete, then press {{k|d}}, and confirm with {{k|y}}.

== Uses for Burrows ==
=== Defending an Area ===
''Full article: [[Scheduling]]

Burrows are one of the ways you can give passive orders to [[squads]] and civilians during [[Scheduling#Alert levels|alerts]]. Under the squad schedule menu (Press {{k|m}} {{k|s}}) you can add an order to any particular month for the chosen alert with {{k|o}} or edit their existing orders with {{k|e}}. On the Give Orders menu, use {{k|o}} to cycle through the orders given to squads. The order "Defend Burrows" '''cannot''' be given without first creating burrows to assign defenders to. Under a "Defend Burrows" order, dwarves in the squad are stationed in the specific area and will defend it proactively.

=== Civilian Alerts ===

Normally, you need to add citizens to a burrow manually when defining it to have them respect the boundaries. However, a [[civilian alert]] will automatically confine all non military dwarves to the burrows defined in the alert for as long as the alert is active. When you set the civilian alert level to an alert including a defined burrow, your civilian dwarves will ignore their normal burrow based job restrictions even if their burrow is one of those in the civilian alert.

See [[User:Khearn/CivilianAlertBurrow|these beginner-friendly instructions]] on how to create and use a civilian alert burrow.

=== Broker to the Depot, STAT ===

You can define your trade depot as a burrow, then when the traders appear, add your broker to that burrow. He will then only accept jobs at the trade depot, though he may be delayed if he is [[on break]] or asleep. This is particularly useful if your broker insists on performing other jobs instead of manning the depot.

===Help! Goblins are chasing me in circles!===
One problem with outdoor work is the lack of safe areas, the presence of ambushers, and civilian dwarves who will, by default, run in the dumbest direction possible. You can create small bolt-holes in the wilderness outside your fort and give them a floor hatch as a door. When ambushers appear, add your outdoor workers to the nearest bolt-hole burrow. After they run inside, lock the door. You don't even need to (and probably shouldn't) hook these bolt holes up to your main fort; they are for short term emergencies. You could stock them with a little food and booze, just in case.

===Alternative to Hot Keys===
You can define small burrows to areas you would like to zoom to. Then by pressing "w", select the burrow, "z" to 'center on burrow' your view will be moved to that spot like a hot key. This is useful when you run out of hotkey slots.

== Bugs ==

Burrows can be powerful tools, but that also means they have the potential to cause many problems. {{bugl|434}}, a longstanding burrow bug, was converted to an optional workshop restriction feature in v0.40.07. Unfortunately, this feature can be enabled accidentally (pressing {{k|w}} twice enters the burrow menu and toggles workshop restrictions for the first burrow).

* Haulers in burrows stand around contemplating hauling jobs they can't perform.{{bug|600}}

* [[Dwarf cancels Store Item: Item inaccessible]]" message spam results from idle dwarves being in a burrow that contains a stockpile but not the item the stockpile wants to have.{{bug|5062}}

* Civilians assigned to a burrow while hauling constantly spam "drop-off inaccessible".{{bug|597}}

* Dwarves cancel repeating workshop jobs which they personally cannot complete due to their burrow lacking materials.{{bug|2262}}

* Burrow-assigned dwarves abandon [[wheelbarrow]]s when passing through non-burrow tiles.{{bug|6484}}

* Mothers spam cancellations when attempting to recover a baby outside of their burrow.{{bug|765}}

* Harvest plants job unaffected by burrows.{{bug|5454}}

* Build construction job unaffected by burrows.{{bug|8414}}

* Dwarves get stuck trying to perform jobs at edge of burrow.{{bug|2416}}

* Dwarves may remain restricted to a deleted burrow.{{bug|1735}}

* Spouse room assignments behave oddly when spouses are in different burrows.{{bug|2442}}

* Dwarves try to party outside of burrow, "cancel attend party: no floor space".{{bug|3390}}

{{Category|Fortress mode}}

Military

2015-04-05T13:59:29Z

Nubtom:

{{Quality|Masterwork|15:06, 1 November 2014 (UTC)}}
{{av}}

<div style="float:right; margin-left:1em; margin-top:1em;">__TOC__</div>
The '''military''' is one of the most important aspects of a successful fortress. Even with many [[trap]]s, [[bridge|drawbridges]] and [[magma|other defenses]], your military will still need to fend off [[goblin]] [[siege]]s, [[megabeast]]s, [[titan]]s, and fiendish [[Giant cave spider|underground]] [[Forgotten beast|beasties]]. Using a combination of [[squad|squad orders]] and [[scheduling]], you can set up an elaborate offensive, defensive, or balanced military structure for your [[equipment|well-equipped]] [[soldier]]s to follow. Turning your dwarves from [[immigration|useless migrants]] into bloodthirsty killing machines never hurts (except the enemy, of course).

The military system is rather extensive and complex, and there is a lot of documentation. Here is a list of key documents categorized by expertise level:
* '''Beginner:'''
** [[Attack]] is a ''very'' simple "How to attack a target" guide. This is useful if you don't know anything about the military and just want to order some (untrained) dwarves to (suicide) attack something ''now''.
** [[Military quickstart]] will teach you to set up and train your very first properly-organized squad.

* '''Intermediate:'''
** [[Squad]]s helps you understand everything about squads.
** [[Military interface]] contains mostly complete documentation on the ''military screen''.
** [[Scheduling]] describes the squad scheduling system in more detail.
** [[Military F.A.Q.]] is a list of frequently asked questions.

* '''Advanced:'''
** [[Training]] will give you insights about combat training.
** [[military design|Military Design]] provides specific advice on how to get your soldiers prepared for any threat.
** [[Security design|Security Design]] will give you specific suggestions on the physical defenses that will defend your military.
** [[Defense guide|Defense Guide]] is a general overview of threats and considerations for fortress defense.
** [[Trap design|Trap Design]] contains information on complex traps that are not a minor/optional part of a larger defensive plan (but might be adapted or plugged into one).

The rest of this guide contains an overview of military features (with links to associated sections of other documents).

==Quick Reference==
From the main menu:
*The '''[[Military interface|military]]''' screen is accessible through the {{k|m}} key.
*The '''[[squad]]''' screen is accessible through the {{k|s}} key.
*The '''[[Note|points/routes/notes]]''' screen is accessible through the {{k|N}} key.
*The '''[[burrow]]s''' screen is accessible through the {{k|w}} key.
The military screen and all its tabs are mouse-compatible, and can be navigated through mouse clicks rather than strictly keys (when in windowed mode).

==Creating a Military==
While it may be confusing to a new player, the military system makes up for its initial impenetrability with its versatility. Using the [[military interface]], squads can be assigned, reordered and restructured at will, dwarves can be set to equip a highly specified uniform along with the rest of their squad or stand out and equip something unique, and you can give incredibly detailed commands and programming to your squads to follow out based on time of year, circumstance, location, and user convenience. That being said, there's a lot to be learned.

This article is about the general aspects of what a military comprises. For more detailed information including specific key commands, see the associated article expanding on a subject. In particular you may want to check out the [[military interface]] article since the interface is one of the most confusing aspects.

===Squads===

{{main|Squad}}

'''Squads''' are the groups of soldiers that make up your military. Your military is led by the appointed '''[[militia commander]]''' (or, if the [[monarch]] is present, the [[general]]), and has many other squads led by '''militia captains''' (or [[captain]]s) under him. Creating a squad in the military screen is one of the first things you should do when starting your military.

===Equipping Soldiers===

{{main|Squad#Equipping Soldiers}}

Rather than simply pick a level of equipment and hope your dwarves pick up the right stuff, you can select what your dwarf will wear by item type or specific item, or create a new uniform template and apply it to a dwarf or entire squad all at once. Even the material and color of your soldiers' uniform is configurable. You can create identical armored units with intimidating red cloaks or just slap something together based on need and circumstance. Even artifact weapons/armor are selectable.


==Directing Soldiers==

Getting your military to actually ''do'' something is somewhat difficult. It is possible to give your squads different monthly '''schedules''', create different '''alert levels''' which will cause squads to follow out user-programmed instructions depending on circumstance, give '''direct orders''' to '''attack''' one or more specific targets or '''move''' to a specific location, or follow '''patrol routes''' and '''stations''' with greater accuracy.

There is a clear discrepancy between ''active'' orders and ''passive'' orders-- the latter is programming that a dwarf will follow to the letter and acts more as a defense method, and the former is used for taking the fight to the enemy. The ''squads'' menu is predominantly used for active commands, and the ''alert'' and ''scheduling'' menus are used for passive commands.

===Active Command===

{{main|Squad#Direct Commands}}

In the military, soldiers operate much more like part-time militiamen than full-time warriors. When soldiers are not passively doing their civilian duties or following their schedule programming, they can be actively sent to do small tasks to aggressively defend your fortress. After these orders have been carried out or cancelled, your dwarves will happily return to their passive programming as if they were never interrupted. It is possible to select multiple squads or specific dwarves to carry out these orders.

Your forces can be commanded to carry out two types of orders: '''Move''' orders and '''Attack''' (or '''kill''') orders. Move orders are much like the 'station squad' command in previous versions; your selected dwarves will run to wherever you've sent them. Similarly, attack orders will select an enemy (by location on screen, general area on screen, or list) and send your dwarves charging off that way.

Soldiers following orders will attack any hostiles they encounter on their way to their destination as well as wild animals and whatever other creatures they might encounter, whether you like it or not. As a result it is very difficult to attack members of an enemy group with any sort of precision, and if your dwarves cannot take down their target there is no real way to get them out of combat; it's do-or-die. It is unknown whether this is a bug or a feature.

Orders can be cancelled through the squads screen, but your dwarves tend to be so enthusiastic that they'll just ignore you in their bloodlust. This is likely a bug.

===Passive Command===

{{main|Scheduling}}

The '''alert level''' and '''scheduling''' system is a feature that is both incredibly versatile... and, initially, completely impenetrable. Once you learn the system, though, you will find that you barely need to manage your military at all. Effectively, a schedule is programming for a squad to follow within an alert, broken up by month, and alerts can be quickly and easily swapped in order to apply different schedules of your choosing to different squads of your choosing. Without scheduling, alert levels would do nothing; without alert levels scheduling would be horribly inefficient; the two functions co-exist and rely on each other.

It is possible to give your squads different monthly schedules, create different alert levels which will cause squads to follow out user-programmed instructions depending on circumstance, give direct orders to attack one or more specific targets or move to a specific location, or follow patrol routes and stations with greater accuracy. The entire system (including alert names) is completely configurable, and in time you will find yourself using complicated scheduling to rotate squads between training and defending/patrolling specified areas over the course of a year without any user input, or to start defending the fort entrance or trader route with a few easy key presses.

Civilian alert levels are also possible - civilians can be restricted by '''[[burrow]]''' to where they can roam should the need to tuck them away into a panic room arise. If a dwarf restricted to a burrow is not there, he will do his best to make the journey.

The scheduling screen is broken up into a list of squads, months, alert types and '''order criteria'''. Each order (applied to one month; multiple orders can be stacked on one month as well) can be given criteria to define how many dwarves within a squad will follow its programming at once, allowing you to make a few dwarves out of the squad active at a time while the rest go about their business or to make the entire squad always active for a matter of the utmost importance, foregoing food, sleep, and booze. You can also choose which positions in a squad the order will prefer to utilize when forcing a squad to follow it.

Four types of orders can be given (as well as the 'inactive' command), defining different types of patrolling or stationary defending. Squads can spar and be given combat demonstrations in the '''[[barracks]]''', defend a '''[[burrow]]''', patrol a '''route''', or defend a single '''station'''. The monthly schedules can be named so as to better suit your needs, and a copy/paste system is available to eliminate some of the tedium in creating fancy scheduling for many months. The display can also be flipped around.

Barracks can serve the needs of multiple specific squads at once. A barracks can be defined as a place to train, sleep, store squad equipment, store individual equipment, or any combination of the above, in any weird overlapping combination of barracks you like. Barracks are necessary for training.

When dwarves are being ordered to train, squad leaders will set up training classes for particular skills, or they will have dwarves spar. Any dwarves in the squad that don't qualify for these will default to individual training. In the current release, training classes are bugged where if a squad leader sets up a training class, he will wait forever (Or until you change his orders) for students, even if nobody shows up. Likewise, if students decide to request a class and the squad leader is doing individual training, they will wait for him to finish, even if they start starving. Thus, at the moment it's best to alternate your forced training schedules with downtime so the longest a dwarf will be stuck waiting is a game month (which isn't long enough to die), or just leave them off duty all the time and have them do individual training only, at least until this issue is fixed.

==Frequently Asked Questions==

{{main|Military F.A.Q.}}

==Bugs==
* When selecting new dwarves to place in a squad the cursor always returns to the first available dwarf instead of remaining where it is.
* There are still various problems with dwarves not equipping what they should; most notably, dwarves will try to equip two left gauntlets or two right gauntlets rather than one of each. This happens if there are an odd number of gauntlets of any quality level; the dwarves try to equip two gauntlets of the highest quality level, regardless of whether they are left or right. A solution is to make sure every quality level accounts for one right gauntlet for each left gauntlet.
*Dwarves who become lords automatically disable all their civilian jobs. When they come off duty and back on duty they lose experience as well. (Note: First part is already fixed Toady said, but i don't understand the latter. Someone who can check it edit this).
*Military dwarves in squads that are assigned to a schedule may get increasingly angry about long patrol duties, even if they were not on duty the past 12 months. The [[utility:DFHack|dfhack]] command "tweak patrol-duty" is a workaround for this bug.
*Military dwarves going on duty carry any currently-hauled items with them to training, pickup equipment, and even into battle.

{{Military}}
{{Category|Military| }}

Military F.A.Q.

2015-04-02T10:10:32Z

Nubtom: /* My dwarves won't do anything but stand around! */

{{quality|unrated}}
{{av}}

This is a list of '''Frequently Asked Questions''' related to the '''[[military]]'''. You may also want to read '''[[squads]]''', '''[[scheduling]]''' and '''[[equipment]]'''.

===My dwarves won't do anything but stand around!===

By default, newly created squads are assigned the 'Inactive' alert. You will need to create new alert levels or create new scheduling within alert levels (see [[Scheduling]]) to get them to do what you want. Note that 'Inactive' and 'Active/Training' are '''''not''''' the only two options available - they are simply the two default alerts and rather useless without creating more alerts and scheduling.

'''NOTE:''' If you are simply trying to get your military to train, you need to create a [[barracks]] and assign the squad to train there: press t while viewing your barracks with q, to set that squad to train.

A handy check list for when you've no more hair to pull out.

'''1. You need a commander for the squad'''

In the {{k|m}}ilitary Screen, listed on the left will be the option Militia Commander for your first squad. {{k|c}}reate a squad based on that position and set its basic equipment uniform. Place the Dwarf you want to lead in position 1 and fill the remaining positions as you want.

'''Note:''' If you later go to the {{k|n}}obles screen, the first squad's leader will be listed as ''Militia Commander'' while subsequent squad leaders will be listed as ''Militia Captains''. Also note that if a squad leader dies, you need to replace him or her.

'''2. The squad needs orders'''

By setting up a {{k|s}}chedule, the squad will know what it should be doing each month of game time without direct input from you. Training (10 minimum) all year round is down as default. The "10 minimum" acts more like a maximum - dwarves will train with any number up to 10 squad members. Dwarves will always leave training temporarily to go on a break and eat, drink or sleep. Unhappy thoughts about "long patrol duty" are not related to these short breaks, but rather result from not enough "Inactive / no order" scheduling orders for their squad, irrespective of whether a particular dwarf has been training hard or not. Heroic military dwarves ([[experience]] level of "Great" or better) in a weapon skill will no longer get unhappy thoughts about "long patrols".

'''Note:''' You can give very intricate operating orders for training, patrolling, etc., but they are not needed initially and may cause confusion getting your dwarves to activate for the first time.

'''3. The squad needs a barracks'''

Assuming you already have a barracks-marked room, {{k|q}}uery-ing the barracks-denoting piece of furniture (bed, armor stand, or weapons rack) will list all of your squads. Then, select the squad you want from the list.
(z) flags the area for sleeping
(t) flags the area for training
(i) and (q) flags the area for dumping their equipment all over the place. This is only important if your squads ever go inactive and have been ordered to switch to civilian gear only.

'''Note:''' Each option turned on will be marked with a single multicolored letter. Make sure that at least the Cyan T is showing to the right of the squad's listing, designating the area is used for the their training. You will probably have more than one bed, armor stand, or weapon rack in the barracks, so will have to find the one room-defining object by moving the cursor around. Remember to only have one piece of furniture define the space, don't have overlapping room definitions.

'''4. The squad needs to be activated'''

In the {{k|s}}quad screen, Your first squad will be selected with (a), whereupon the (t) option will toggle the squad between its inactive state and its active/<scheduling> state.

'''Note:''' The squad starts off inactive and, when activated, should now show '''''Active/Training''''' if their schedule was left as the default train all year.

'''5. Hope for the best!'''

Un-pausing the game, you should be receiving the drafted Dwarves' Professions changing to their military versions almost immediately.

'''Note:''' When troubleshooting, a schedule of training (10 minimum) all year round saves a lot of heartache when trying to get the system running for the first time.

===Alerts? Schedules? What am I looking at here?===

A schedule is what a dwarf/squad will do when a particular alert is active; once alerts are made and scheduling is performed within these alerts, you can simply change a squad's alert based on the scenario and they will follow out highly specified and complicated programming. For example, if you make two alerts named 'Caravan Guard' for protecting incoming traders and 'Bloody Kobolds' for attacking thieves, we can change Squad A's scheduling in 'Caravan Guard' to [[Scheduling#Routes|patrol your trade route]] and change their scheduling in 'Bloody Kobolds' to [[Scheduling#Defend Burrows|defend a pre-defined burrows]] around your entrance. When a caravan shows up, you can change Squad A to be under the 'Caravan Guard' alert (either {{k|a}} in the military screen or {{k|t}} to cycle through when in the {{k|s}}quad screen with a squad selected) and they will begin running up and down your route as the traders make their way through. When you get the 'Protect the hoard from thieving scum!' message, you can change their alert to 'Bloody Kobolds' and Squad A will charge off to defend the entrance.

Different squads can be given different alerts at once, but these squads can also be given different scheduling within the ''same'' alert - for example, you could make Squad B's scheduling in the 'Caravan Guard' alert to defend a burrows around your trade depot, then assign both A and B to 'Caravan Guard' when the traders appear and have one squad walk them in and the other keep the depot clear.

As schedules are broken up by month, you can make very complicated schedules in which dwarves train two months, take one off, then patrol your map for a season then take a shift defending the entrance, while having a second squad do something completely different, and change their scheduling instantly by applying a different alert. For ease, orders can be copied and pasted in the scheduling menu. Once you get the hang of the system it becomes extremely versatile. See [[Scheduling]] for more information.

===I can't seem to apply orders to my schedule===

When you finish with the Give Orders menu and hit {{k|shift}}+{{k|enter}} to save your changes, you may notice that your changes have not been saved. This is because your order does not have a defined location. '''Station''' orders need a station to be assigned to, '''patrol route''' orders need a route to follow, and '''defend burrows''' orders need a burrows to defend. When giving or editing orders, you must select the specific area from a list on the left pane.

Keep in mind that the left and right panes in the Give Orders menu can both be highlighted even if one is empty - if your pane doesn't seem to be highlighted, hit the left or right key to properly select it.

===My dwarves won't wear the uniform I made!===

The uniforms tab within the menu screen is not for assigning uniforms to your dwarves, it is for making uniform templates that can later be applied. Open the {{k|e}}quipment tab then the {{k|U}}niform sub-tab and you will be able to apply your uniform to either a single dwarf at once with {{k|enter}} or a squad at once with {{k|shift}}+{{k|enter}}. Your uniforms should appear in the rightmost pane.

===How do I make my dwarves kill things?===

If your soldiers are stationed, defending a barracks, or patrolling a route, they are ''defending''. To make them go on the ''offense'', you need to open the {{k|s}}quads screen, select a squad using {{k|a}}/{{k|b}}/{{k|c}}/etc. as listed and hit {{k|k}} to 'Attack.' Then you pick your targets: either hit {{k|l}} to choose from a list of possible targets, {{k|r}} to select all targets within a rectangle, or simply move the cursor to what you want to attack and press {{k|enter}}. Your dwarves should now have the 'Kill _____' duty and charge after your target(s). To select multiple squads at once just hold {{k|shift}} while selecting, or hit {{k|p}} while selecting to select specific dwarves.

SOME ENEMIES CANNOT BE KILL-ORDERED. Or more specifically, some enemies like [[hydra]]s, [[minotaur|minotaurs]], or [[forgotten beast]]s ''can'' be targeted for slaughter, but the dwarves won't actually carry it out. The only way around this is to order a squad to {{k|m}}ove to the location of the enemy instead. (It seems like a squad of any kind of monster is immune, more likely than not, and the same kind may be vulnerable to a kill order one time and resistant the next.)

Just watch out for the next question below...

===I can't get my dwarves to STOP killing things!===

When a targetable creature is noticed by your military, be it the target of a kill order or simply close enough to be noticed by stationed/patrolling dwarves, your dwarves will engage it and will not give up or run away (or even drop the chase if it's slow) until either it or the target is dead. The only way to stop them is to cancel all their military orders, returning them to civilian status and causing them to run away instead.

If a squad is trying to {{K|s}}->{{K|k}} kill a target, but that target has escaped the map, or is no longer reachable, then Cancel Orders for the squad. {{K|s}} squad {{K|a}} select a given squad exclusively, cancel {{K|o}} order.

===My dwarves won't go off-duty! They're starving themselves!===

Your '''order criteria''' is too high - order criteria is the number of dwarves in a squad required to follow out an order. By default a new order's criteria is set to 10 dwarves, or the entire squad; this means that you've told your dwarves that this order is of the absolute highest importance and that the entire squad needs to be on duty at all times. By changing this to two or three dwarves less than the number of dwarves in your squad (go to {{k|s}}chedule from the {{k|m}}ilitary screen and press {{k|Tab}}, then {{k|e}}dit the number of dwarves with {{k|+}} and {{k|-}}), some of your dwarves will be able to relax and take some me-time to grab supplies while the others follow your orders out.

===I keep activating my dwarves but they still have their civilian positions!===

If a squad is off-duty it may be dressed in its civilian clothes and thus listed as civilians (e.g. a swordsdwarf may revert to 'carpenter'). There also seems to be a discrepancy between which orders are 'civilian' orders and which are 'military' orders. The Inactive/training alert switches dwarves to civilian labors and self-training in their spare time, while the Active/Training alert keeps dwarves in the barracks all the time. Unhappy thoughts from long duty do not occur on the active alert as long as they spend every other three months or so actively training instead of actively defending a chokepoint {{verify}}.

===I can't seem to get my marksdwarves to practice firing at all!===

There are several steps to getting marksdwarves to practice at [[archery target]]s.

1. Check that your prospective marksdwarves are equipped appropriately with the {{k|v}}-{{k|i}} keys.

2. Build an archery target. To create a target, open the {{k|b}}uild menu and select {{k|A}}rchery target. It uses one stone, log, bar or block and requires the architecture skill to finish.

3. Use the {{k|q}} menu to designate the archery target as a [[room]]. Dwarves must stand at least two panels from the archery target.

4. Make sure that the shooting direction set for the target allows dwarves to use it. The {{k|w}}{{k|a}}{{k|s}} and {{k|d}} keys are used to designate shooting direction.

5. Assuming you have military squads, you should see their names on the target's information panel. Scroll to the appropriate archer squad/squad containing archers using the {{K|+}} and {{k|-}} keys.

6. Now the target must be set as available for training. Press {{k|t}} once you have selected the appropriate squad. Multiple squads must be selected separately in this way to allow them all to practice at the archery range.

7. Check your ammunition supplies! Press {{k|m}} then {{k|f}} to view the ammunition screen. Scroll to the marksdwarf squad and add new ammunition. Ammunition may be further customized by material using the {{k|M}} key.

8. This ammunition must then be designated for combat, training, or both using the {{k|C}} and {{k|T}} keys. It is recommended to create TWO separate ammunition piles, one for combat and one for training. This will ensure dwarves always save some ammunition for fighting instead of using it all while training. It is further recommended to save metal bolts for fighting, and wood and bone bolts for training.

===My marksdwarves are sparring with their crossbows as a melee weapon!===

You may have forgotten to assign them ammunition. In the military screen, open the ammunition tab ({{k|f}}) and then assign the squad your preferred ammunition. Remember to assign separate piles for training and fighting, or the squad will use all the bolts training and not have any left for killing enemies.

It is also possible that marksdwarves in v0.31 will not fire crossbows without a quiver; in the old version marksdwarves would carry a stack of bolts in their hand, but this does not seem to be the case anymore. Create some [[quiver]]s and try again.

===My hunter/marksdwarf ran out of bolts and won't pick up more!===

This seems to be a bug as well (yes, there are many) (this is most likely fixed in 0.31.12 version or later {{verify}} ).

A workaround for this is to give your marksdwarf a '''[[Squads#Selecting_Squads.2FSoldiers|move order]]''' and then cancelling it; your dwarf should snap back to reality and grab more bolts. Annoying, but should be a temporary problem.

If your troops still refuse to pick up ammo, it may be because that ammo has been assigned to a different squad or to the hunting labor (even if none of your civilians have that labor). Check the Ammunition screen; if it shows stacks of ammo assigned to hunters, remove or reduce the amount of ammo assigned to hunters, and your troops should pick it up again.

A related bug is that a hunter/marksdwarf might get stuck in a loop of picking up and dropping equipment (bows, bolts etc.), even if he usually trains at the range normally and/or there are animals to go hunt. Try removing his equipment on the military screen, watch him drop it, and then re-assign it. Make sure you have two piles of ammo listed for combat and training. Disabling the Hunting labour also seems to snap them out of this loop so that they will go and train instead. This problem may also be related to traffic designations - try removing any restrictive paths which might block access to needed equipment.

----

''If you have further questions, please ask them on the discussion page here or on another relevant talk page. Frequently asked or standard questions will be added to the FAQ as necessary.''

{{Military}}

Scheduling

2015-04-02T10:07:03Z

Nubtom: /* Training */

{{Quality|Fine}}{{av}}

No matter how much you micromanage your '''[[military]]''', your '''[[squads]]''' won't be able to get stronger or protect you from ambushes without proper scheduling practices. With practice, you'll be able to set your '''[[soldier]]s''' to follow a complicated annual training regimen, patrol major trade routes, defend important areas, or any combination of these... all with the flick of a few keys.

For quick reference: from the main menu the '''military''' screen is accessible through the {{k|m}} key, the '''points/routes/notes''' screen is accessible through the {{k|N}} key, the '''burrows''' screen is accessible through the {{k|w}} key, and the '''squads''' screen is accessible through the {{k|s}} key. The military screen and all its tabs are mouse-compatible, and can be navigated through mouse clicks rather than strictly keys (when in windowed mode).

==Passive Defense==

The '''alert level''' and '''scheduling''' system is a feature that is both incredibly versatile... and, initially, completely impenetrable. Once you learn the system, though, you will find that you barely need to manage your military at all. Effectively, a schedule is programming for a squad to follow within an alert, broken up by month, and alerts can be quickly and easily swapped in order to apply different schedules of your choosing to different squads of your choosing.

It is possible to give your squads different monthly schedules, create different alert levels which will cause squads to follow out new user-programmed instructions depending on circumstance, give direct orders to attack one or more specific targets or move to a specific location, or follow patrol routes and stations with greater accuracy. The entire system (including alert names) is completely configurable, and in time you will find yourself using complicated scheduling to rotate squads between training and defending/patrolling specified areas over the course of a year without any user input, or to start defending the fort entrance or trader route with a few easy key presses.

There is a clear discrepancy between ''active'' orders and ''passive'' orders — the former is used for taking the fight to the enemy, the latter is programming that a dwarf will follow to the letter and acts more as a defense method. The ''squads'' menu is predominantly used for active commands, and the ''alert'' and ''scheduling'' menus are used for passive commands. This article will focus on the '''passive''' commands you can leave your squads to follow.

For more information on '''active''' commands, see '''[[Squads]]'''.

===Alert Levels===

The '''alert level''' is a fundamental concept of passive military management. In each alert level, you can program instructions for your military and/or civilian dwarves to follow. The game contains two alert levels by default — 'Inactive' and 'Active/Train'. In 'Inactive', all squads are assigned no orders. In 'Active/Train', all squads are supposed to be assigned to train the entire year. By default, your squads will all be set to 'Inactive' — in this state, they will tend to spend most of their idle time in the barracks doing individual combat drills, or in the case of some dwarves only perform civilian work. You will need to make more alerts if you want them to do anything more complicated than this.

Your entire fortress is always set to exactly one ''[[civilian alert]] level''. This restricts where civilians, any non-military dwarf in the entire fort, may go. To define the restriction area, you must first create a [[burrow]] encompassing the area you want to restrict your civilians to. Then, go to the alert screen ({{k|a}} in the {{k|m}}ilitary screen), {{k|c}}reate a new alert level (you can {{k|N}}ame it something like 'Danger'), highlight it in the left pane, then press enter on the correct burrow in the rightmost pane. Multiple burrows may be selected. Note that the civilian alert burrow restriction replaces the 'Dwarves may/may not go outside' order in the older versions. By default, the civilian alert level is set to 'Inactive' and no burrow restrictions apply. If you intend on having your Dwarves stay inside at any time, for any reason, you will need to create a civilian alert burrow; see [[Civilian alert]] for a step by step walk-through.

Individual squads can be set to a certain alert by highlighting the appropriate alert level, then selecting the correct squad in the central pane and pressing {{k|enter}}. You can also select a squad's alert level by pressing {{k|s}} to open the squads menu, {{k|a}}/{{k|b}}/{{k|c}}/etc to select a squad, and {{k|t}} to scroll through alerts. You can change the currently active civilian alert level by pressing {{k|enter}} while the correct alert level is highlighted. Squads and civilians can only be set to one alert level at a time, so selecting one alert level for a group removes them from the former alert.

To deactivate an alert without selecting a new one, simply press {{k|enter}} on the alert for the relevant group again.

The main reason you want to use civilian alerts is to enforce [[burrow]] restrictions, i.e. making sure that your civilian dwarves do not wander outside in the middle of a siege. It can also be used to switch the areas where dwarves live and work around at will, if you are so inclined.

Note that triggering an alert with burrow restrictions seems to override the burrows normally assigned to dwarves, so if you used burrows to contain dwarves with different [[vampire|dietary requirements]], you might have some casualties.

===Schedules===

[[File:Quickstart-military-schedule.png|thumb|right|300px|The '''Squad Schedules''' screen.]]
Each squad can be given multiple '''schedules''' to follow for an entire year, broken up by month. Each squad has a separate schedule for each alert level; it can be swapped between these schedules with the procedure outlined in the previous section. Without scheduling, alert levels would do nothing; without alert levels scheduling would be horribly inefficient; the two functions co-exist and rely on each other. The scheduling screen can be accessed by pressing {{k|s}} in the {{k|m}}ilitary screen.

On the main scheduling page you will see a list of months on the left side and a list of all of the squads in your fortress along the top edge. Scheduling is done separately for each alert level; to switch between alert levels use the secondary page up/down keys (by default {{k|/}} and {{k|*}}). You can use the secondary up/down keys (by default {{k|+}} and {{k|-}}) to scroll through the squads at the top if you have more than will fit on one screen. Use the up/down arrow keys to navigate the month list, and the left/right arrow keys to navigate between squads. The orders in the currently selected cell are displayed in blue towards the bottom of the screen.

When you've highlighted a cell, press {{k|tab}} to switch focus to this '''order list'''. From here, you can press {{k|e}} to edit the standing orders or {{k|o}} to give a new one. Both will open to the Give Orders screen. Pressing {{k|o}} will scroll through and change the order type. This cycles between 'Train', 'Defend Burrow', 'Patrol Route', and 'Station'. To use any of the orders other than Train, you will first need to set up the appropriate [[burrow]], route, or station. When you cycle to the order you want, highlight the burrow, route, or station you want the order to go to (in the left pane) and press {{k|enter}}. It should now be highlighted in green.

Orders have a soldier-based '''order criteria''' that lists how many soldiers in the squad will follow the order at once. Using the secondary up/down keys you can choose how many soldiers must be in a squad the order applies; by default this number is ten. You can also select specific positions within the squad in the right pane to set those positions as 'preferred' - the order will try pick these dwarves to follow the orders if there are multiple off-duty dwarves to choose from. When you are done, press {{k|shift}}+{{k|enter}} to save the order and return to the schedule screen. If desired, multiple order criteria can be set for each month.

Note that the text displayed on each cell (like 'Train') is a completely customized text; it does NOT reflect the actual orders in the cell! When you have a cell highlighted, you can press 'n' to edit the label. Don't be confused by the fact that when you edit the orders in a cell, the label does not change to reflect your changes. You need to update the cell text yourself to be consistent with the orders.

To eliminate some of the tedium in scheduling many months, you can copy-paste orders from one cell to another with the {{k|c}} and {{k|p}} keys. Press {{k|c}} in the cell you want to copy from, then go to the cells you want to paste to and press {{k|p}} in each one.

By pressing {{k|shift}}+{{k|tab}} in the scheduling screen, you can flip the display of the rows and columns in the main grid. This allows you to see more squads, but fewer months. This can be useful if you want to see all your squads at the cost of not seeing the entire year's schedule. This change is cosmetic only; the tools still work the same way.

'''Warning:''' Dwarves who are permanently on-duty with no downtime have been observed to begin to starve themselves keeping to the rigorous schedule, and thus grow unhappy. Do you really want to find out how much damage that practice spear can do? To allow some of your dwarves to go sleeping when they need, and also eat and drink (even from carried rations!), you '''''need''''' to lower the minimum number of dwarves of the squad that need to follow the current order at any time in the order criteria as listed above. You want the criteria to be at least one or two dwarves less than the current number of dwarves in your squad. This will change the limit for the current month only, so use the copy/paste feature to update every month. It should be emphasized that dwarves who are stationed or on patrol will not eat or drink from their backpacks and flasks. Backpacks and flasks are more to shorten break times than to eat in the field. If there are no opportunities for breaks, carried rations will not be utilized.

This does not apply to training orders -- dwarves will attend to their needs as necessary between sparring sessions or demonstrations.

'''More Warning:''' When using a rotation schedule as described in the warning above, military dwarves that have no civilian skills, and possibly also civilian dwarves who do not have any military skills can generate bad thoughts with disturbing frequency caused by them frequently going on and off duty from monthly rotations. To avoid this problem it may be a good idea to cross train all your militia with at least one level in a civilian skill.

===Orders===

:''If you were redirected here while looking for information on moving your squads to a certain point on command, you may be looking for the [[Squads#Selecting_Squads.2FSoldiers|squad movement]] section on the [[squads]] page.

The five types of scheduling orders are listed below:

====Inactive / no order====

When dwarves have an empty spot in their schedule, dwarves with good self-discipline will visit the barracks and train themselves in their spare time - if you see a dwarf doing "Individual training" when they're free, that's what's happening. Technically this is not an order applicable in the 'Give Orders' screen - it is a ''lack'' of an order.

====Training====

For your dwarves to train, a '''[[barracks]]''' must be designated. This can be done through using {{k|q}} to examine an appropriate building and assigning it as a barracks. Many storage objects are eligible to be designated as a barracks, along with [[bed]]s, [[armor stand]]s, and [[weapon rack]]s. There is a 'Position' option that allows you to assign specific beds/storage to specific dwarves. If dwarves aren't assigned anything in particular they'll just use whatever they feel like, as per normal.

When being viewed, barracks can be {{k|n}}amed, used for {{k|s}}leeping, {{k|t}}raining, or {{k|i}}ndiv eq. and {{k|s}}quad eq. You can choose if a squad trains in one place and sleeps in another, or in multiple, and so on. Multiple squads can overlap with one barracks. It is assumed that indiv. eq and squad eq refer to individual and squad equipment respectively, meaning that the dwarves will store their equipment in this barracks if given the option. The indiv. eq option will make dwarves store their personal belongings in the selected barracks, while the squad eq option will store equipment designated for that squad when it's not in use.

To get marksdwarves to train in any way other than bashing each other with their crossbows, they must have quivers and an archery range. Archers will not fire bolts without a quiver to store them in (i.e. they will not hold a single stack in their hand). The archery range is set up for the squad via building an archery target and listing it as a {{k|t}}raining area for that squad. Marksdwarves will want to train more than archery, so make sure they also have a barracks to train at (otherwise they may sit around unable to follow orders). If you are having trouble getting marksdwarves to train, see the appropriate section of the [[Military F.A.Q.]] for more information.

When dwarves are being ordered to train, squad members will set up training demonstrations for particular skills, or they will have dwarves spar. Any dwarves in the squad that don't qualify for these will default to individual training.

====Defend Burrows====

After a [[burrow]] has been created in the {{k|w}} menu, you can order your dwarves to defend it. If an enemy enters the burrow (and is not hiding) the assigned squads will be alerted and attack it. It is unknown if a soldier defending a burrow is limited to his line-of-sight or is simply aware that an enemy is present.

====Stations====

Stations are set in the {{k|N}}otes menu. Simply {{k|p}}lace a point where you want a squad to stand, give it a {{k|n}}ame if you want to be able to find it quickly, then open the scheduling menu and set your chosen squad to be Stationed and select the station you want.

====Routes====

Routes are made by combining stations. Once you have stations set along your desired route (at least two stations are necessary), hit {{k|r}}outes while in the {{k|N}}otes menu. {{k|a}}dd a route, {{k|n}}ame it something appropriate, then {{k|e}}dit its waypoints. You need to {{k|a}}dd the points in the same order you want the dwarves to follow. They'll loop back to the initial point when they reach the last one. Waypoints can no longer be made on the fly; only stations can be selected as waypoints.

===Instructors and Demonstrations===

Members of a squad with relatively high experience in a [[combat skill]] will lead the group during a [[sparring|training]] session. This can be in the form of a demonstration. Instructors gain [[teacher|teaching]] experience, while students gain [[student]] and [[concentration]] experience. Higher levels of these skills make demonstrations more effective[http://www.bay12forums.com/smf/index.php?topic=85279.0 source]. Observing demonstrations (with typically non-existent teacher/student/concentration skills) is not as effective as practicing and sparring; to maximize sparring organize your dwarves into squads of three, with two required for any training activity.

===Individual Combat Drill===

Otherwise unoccupied soldiers may go to the barracks for individual combat drills regardless of the alert level of their squad, if the squad to which the dwarf is assigned has any Training barracks available. Dwarves assigned to an inactive squad will remain civilians. This can be useful to train up new recruits without drafting them and hurting their happiness.

==Frequently Asked Questions==

''See [[Military F.A.Q.]]''

{{Military}}

World generation

2014-12-14T22:10:05Z

Nubtom:

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{{buggy}}

To begin playing Dwarf Fortress, you must first create a world to play in. At the game's main menu, you can choose to either {{DFtext|Create New World!}} or {{DFtext|Design New World With Advanced Parameters}}.

World Generation can take long and may seem like a nuisance, but it is the actual heart of the game. This is where Toady invests most of his time, this is the piece of art that makes Dwarf Fortress unique enough for the New York museum. While you wait for the counter to finish, an entire fantasy world with unique geography, history and even language is created. Entire civilizations rise, wage war, fall, rise again, and fall. Countless characters, each with unique appearance and personality, live their lives, some of them a calm one, some go out and influence history. The world's complexity could rival the works of Tolkien himself. Dwarf Fortress is not only a game, it is a gigantic fantasy world simulator. Fortress and adventure mode allow you to influence a tiny part of that tale and write your own chapter. One chapter in an enormous bookshelf.

This article will cover basic world generation using the first option.

:''For information on advanced parameters, see [[Advanced world generation]].''

= Basic World Generation Menu =

The basic world generation menu looks like this.

[[File:BasicWorldGen.png]]
== Parameters ==

Each of the parameters is described below.

=== World Size ===

"This controls the size of the world map" as it says at the bottom of the screen when this option is highlighted. Also at the bottom of the screen is shown the dimensions of the world that will be generated given the currently selected size. Using Basic World Generation, the size options are:

* Pocket (17x17 region tiles)
* Smaller (33x33)
* Small (65x65)
* Medium (129x129)
* Large (257x257)

Setting this to a larger value will cause world generation to take longer, as more events will need to be calculated per step. In v0.40 selecting bigger worlds will reduce the framerate (update speed) of the game in fortress mode. Selecting Small or smaller worlds is recommended.

=== History ===

"This is the length of pre-generated history." The number of years for the currently selected length will be shown in the lower right. Essentially this means the amount of time that civilizations will have to grow, attack each other, and starve to death before the player can start playing. It also determines the amount of time that megabeasts will have to roam and kill things, get killed, etc. The longer the history, the more historical events will be generated by the time gameplay begins.

Setting this parameter to a higher value will cause world generation to take longer as more events need to be determined. Setting it to a very low value is ok, but will reduce the size of civilizations at game start.

Higher values will also increase the number of abandoned (sacked) towns and fortresses which can matter for adventure mode, but doesn't matter that much for fortress mode. Recommend value for worlds you plan to use for adventure mode are Short or Medium.

History will still progress after world generation, concurrently with normal gameplay, but this will of course be much slower. Therefore it is recommended to set the history length so that the number of sites, megabeasts, and historical events is roughly what one wants it to be during gameplay.

For more information on the history aspect of the game, see [[Legends]] and [[Calendar#Ages|Ages]].

=== Maximum Number of Sites ===

This is the maximum number of sites such as towns, hamlets, elf retreats, etc. {{Verify}}

Turning this up is advised for adventure mode games.

=== Number of Beasts ===

This controls the number of megabeasts such as dragons, titans, etc., that exist at the beginning of the world. They can later die (get killed) due to historical events, so the longer the history the more likely some of these will die.

The number of beasts does not appear to impact how often your fortress will be attacked by beasts in fortress mode. In adventure mode it means it will be easier to find more megabeasts. If set very low then you may actually run out of beasts during a game.

Since beasts can attack civilizations, more beasts may reduce the population of the world a little bit.

=== Natural Savagery ===

Increasing this value increases the number of [[Surroundings#Savage|savage]] [[Biome|biomes]] in the world. In short, this means that more areas are likely to have aggressive animals which may try to kill dwarves immediately upon embark and attack adventurers more often while traveling.

New players may want to just leave this at the Medium setting (which isn't that hard) or set it lower. Turn this up to make the game more [[losing|fun]].

=== Mineral Occurrence ===

This is a rather important parameter for fortress mode. Sparse means that many areas will only have one or two types of metal ore, if any, which can be very annoying to people until the economy is fully implemented and other metals can more easily be obtained via trade. New players should probably turn this up to Frequent.

In adventure mode this can impact the types of metals that civilizations have access to, which can affect the types of items that are available in shops. Therefore it may not be a bad idea to turn this up for worlds in which you plan to play adventure mode games.

= The Generation Process =

Once you're satisfied with your parameter selections, hit {{k|y}} to proceed.

The screen will show something like this:

[[File:WorldGenerationScreen.png]]

The name of the world will be random in basic world generation mode.

== Rejections ==

You may notice that during various phases of the world generation process worlds will be rejected, leading to the rejection count going up and the process starting over. This happens because certain factors such as number of mountain tiles can't be determined ahead of time by the generation process. Instead worlds are generated with parameters which are likely to produce worlds that can support a required number of mountains, and are then checked to make sure they meet the criteria. For example, the random generation of the topography of the land may result in too few high elevation areas to place mountains.

In practice you don't need to worry about this for basic world generation because the preset hidden values that determine acceptable criteria are designed to decrease the chance of rejections, but certain combinations of basic parameters (especially with very large worlds) may make it harder for the process to generate "acceptable" worlds. Basically what this amounts to is that world generation will just take longer for certain parameter selections that are more difficult for the generator to satisfy.

== History ==

Once the world itself has been generated, the process of generating historical events will begin. This can take a very long time for large, heavily populated worlds with very long 2,000 year histories.

== Finishing ==

Once everything is complete, you can take a look around using the directional keys. (Using {{k|Shift}}+directional key will make this faster.) If you find yourself confused about what all the characters actually mean, you are not alone. Check out the [[Map legend]]. At this point you can either abort the process or hit {{k|Enter}} to save the world to disk.

Unfortunately the post-generation-process viewer doesn't give you a way to view much information about the world, so unless you really hate the look of the map or something you probably want to just save the world and load it up in [[Legends]] mode to view more information.

= Getting More Advanced =

At first you will probably be satisfied with basic world generation, but later you may find that you want to create worlds with specific more extreme conditions. Check out the documentation on [[Advanced world generation]] for help with this.

= Bugs =
*Magma sea breaching into [[Main:HFS|HFS]]{{bug|1791}}
*Anti-Gravity Ants - Floating ant hills above river{{bug|3054}}

= Easter Eggs =
*On the 86th rejected world an error report will appear with four options, this is in reference to the term "86ing" something, which is defined in the Urban Dictionary as "To remove, end usage, or take something out or away." [http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=86]

{{World}}

Machine component

2014-12-10T13:13:44Z

Nubtom: /* Machinery overview */

{{Migrated_article}}
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'''Machines''' are an advanced concept in Dwarf Fortress, but although they can be [[User:BaronW#The_Almighty_Dwarven_Calculator|infinitely complex]], no fundamental part is very complicated. There are several different types of '''machine components''', all available from the {{K|M}}achine Components screen in the {{K|b}}uild menu. These components can be used to create custom-designed '''machinery''' of more or less complexity, depending on the situation and the player's design.

In the order listed in the machine components sub-menu, these are:

:* [[Screw pump]]
:* [[Water wheel]]
:* [[Windmill]]
:* [[Gear assembly]]
:* [[axle|Horizontal and Vertical axle]]
:* [[minecart#Roller|Rollers]]

Another important component to most machines are [[lever|levers]], but they are not, technically, "machine components", nor are they needed for many "always on" machine designs. (But a way to turn a machine off quickly, "just in case", is often a good plan.)

In order for the machines to operate, you must have a [[power]] source (either wind or [[water]]) of some kind. Power can be transferred to machine parts which require it by a system of [[axle]]s and [[gear assembly|gear assemblies]].

Machines are mostly used for pumping [[water]] or [[magma]], or running [[minecart|rail systems]]. Some complex [[trap design]]s incorporate machine components. You do ''not'' need machinery of this complexity to operate retractable [[bridge]]s, [[bridge#Drawbridges|drawbridges]], [[Lever#Linking|linked]] [[door]]s, [[hatch]]es or [[floodgate]]s, or simple one-tile [[trap]]s, nor to manually operate [[pump]]s.

==Nuts and bolts - the basics ==
=== Power generators ===

[[Windmill]]s {{k|m}} and [[water wheel]]s {{k|w}} are the machine components that provide limited power. Power generators can be chained together using axles or gear assemblies to combine their power along the same power conduit. Additionally, water wheels can be combined by placing them adjacent to one another in parallel, thereby requiring no extra materials to perform the linkage.

=== Uses for power ===

Currently, the [[screw pump]] {{k|s}} and the [[minecart#Roller|roller]] {{k|r}} are the only machine components that consume power to achieve a purpose. A [[millstone]] also requires power to operate, although it is classified as a [[workshop]] rather than a machine component.

Screw pumps can also be operated using dwarf labor in place of mechanical power. The millstone likewise has an unpowered alternative, the [[quern]].

=== Power conduits ===

A [[gear assembly]] {{k|g}} is used to link multiple machine components together. Additionally, a gear assembly can be linked to [[lever]]s and pressure plates, which can then be used to disengage the gearbox from any linked items. For example, screw pumps can be switched on and off in this way.

[[Axle]]s are used to transport power over a distance. A horizontal axle ( {{k|h}} ) transports power within a [[z-level]], while a vertical axle ( {{k|v}} ) transports power across z-levels.

==Construction==
Machine components have two basic states in which they can be built: "stable foundation" or "hanging". This state is visible when looking at the constructed machine with {{k|q}}.

A machine with a "stable foundation" is just what it sounds like; the machine component has been built on solid ground, and so it has a solid base on which to rest. A "hanging" component is not built on solid ground, but instead has been built beside or on top of an existing machine or component. Its only support comes from the adjacent component. This can be daisy-chained, so that it is possible to build machines which have only one component on solid ground, with the rest hanging out into empty space.

Possible advantages to this include protection from destruction by invading enemies (if they can't get to the machine components, they can't destroy them). However, it can be risky, as the rest of the parts will collapse if the component(s) on solid ground are destroyed.

Levers can be hooked up to a gear assembly in a power conduit (aka "power train"), causing any power transferred through that to "disconnect" when the lever is pulled. If a gear is disconnected in this way, and is serving as the support for hanging machine components, those hanging components will automatically deconstruct into their basic components, as they will no longer have support. As with any deconstructed building, they can be rebuilt.

==Machinery overview==

''This is an overview of how the different machine parts work and work together, with some basics about each of them. They all have more details - once you understand the basics, refer to the '''main articles''' for more complete discussions - these links will be listed in '''bold'''.''

'''Machinery''' in Dwarf Fortress consists of more than just [[machine component]]s. It's the systems of triggers (either [[lever]]s or [[pressure plate]]s) that control the [[windmill]]s and [[water wheel]]s that provide power to the [[gear assembly|gear assemblies]] and [[axle]]s that transfer that power, and the [[pump]]s and [[millstone]]s that use that power; and let's toss in [[bridge]]s, because they move and will come into the discussion sooner or later. No one part is very complicated, but combined they can be as complex as one can conceive. You can't do everything with DF machinery, but with creativity you can come close.

===Your friend, the mechanism===
The basic part is the [[mechanism]], the same thing that lets you build stonefall [[trap]]s - that can also become a [[lever]], a [[pressure plate]], or a [[gear assembly]] - as well as all the other various simple one-tile traps. Mechanisms are created using the [[mechanic]] labor out of [[stone]] in a [[mechanic's workshop]], or weapons-grade metal in a [[forge]]. The mechanism "quality" makes no observed difference when creating DF machinery, so any mechanism will work as well as others*, including the very rare, but possible, artifact mechanism.

:''(* Except in [[magma]], which requires [[magma safe]] mechanisms - a separate discussion, but that's pretty much the sum of it.)''

:Main Articles: '''[[Mechanism]]''', [[Trap]]

===Triggers===
The simplest machine use of a mechanism is the trigger, usually a lever. Both levers and pressure plates are "triggers" - they trigger something else to happen. That "something else" is determined by you when you "link" the two - the trigger and the object to be activated.

====Levers====
A mechanism is placed as a lever using {{k|b}}uild {{k|T}}raps/Levers {{k|l}}ever, and then once that's been completed, you go into that "building's" menu ( {{k|q}} ) and link it to something else - this takes 2 more mechanisms, one at the object end (first chosen), one at the lever end (second chosen), for a total of 3 mechanisms used: one lever plus a link at each end. Link the same lever to something else and you need 2 more mechanisms, etc. etc. No limit. One pull, they're all activated.

:Main Article: '''[[Lever]]'''

====Pressure plates====
A pressure plate works like a lever, but is based on either being stepped on, or fluid reaching a certain depth. The triggering process (and problems) are the same, but you have some variables you can designate when placing the plate - whether friend/foe triggers it and what size they must be (min and max), or fluid depth (1/7, 2/7, 7/7), etc.

A pressure plate is placed with {{k|b}}uild {{k|T}}raps/Levers {{k|p}}ressure plate, and is otherwise identical to the lever - one mechanism, two more to link it, etc.

:Main Article: '''[[Pressure plate]]'''

====Connection and activation====
If all you're doing is connecting a lever to an object, then a dwarf pulls the lever to activate that object. If a pressure plate, then it gets stepped on or the fluid reaches the designated depth - it's that simple.

Attached to a [[support]], the support crumbles (and brings down whatever it was supporting, ~IF~ that was in fact the last thing connected to it!) Attach to a [[cage]] or [[chain]], it releases its occupant(s). These are both single-use.

Connected to a barrier - a door, a hatch, a floodgate, or a bridge - it becomes the sole means of activation for those. Dwarfs cannot open or close doors/hatches that are linked (and cannot open/close floodgates or bridges without one).

:Main Articles: '''[[Door]]''', '''[[Hatch]], [[Floodgate]]'''

====On/off, open/close====
Note that a trigger does not just "toggle" a barrier - it doesn't ''always'' work "throw and it's open, throw and it's closed". The lever has to be in the right "phase", left or right, to open or close, and if the barrier is out of phase, nothing happens. What this means to you is that you cannot link one door, open it, then link another and have them stay opposite each other, opened/closed - they will get back "in phase" almost right away, both open, then both closed.* Gear assemblies, however, ''can'' remain in opposite states if the second assembly is built and linked while the first is disengaged.

There's a complete list '''[[Trigger#On.2FOff_states|here]].'''

:''(* But there are ways to achieve this - read main articles for full discussions.)''

====Activation lag time====
Also note that a few types of barriers respond "immediately" while others are delayed - (again, see '''[[Trigger#On.2FOff_states|that same list]]''' for full details). If delayed, and you open/close the trigger quickly, it will get out of phase, missing the second command while waiting for the first. Also, if a door, hatch or floodgate is propped open the moment it receives a "close" signal, it won't shut, and, again, be out of phase. Then the lever must be pulled twice, once to get it back in phase, and once to activate it the way you wanted. A dwarf or other creature passing through will hold each of the above constructions open and prevent closing, doors and floodgates can also be blocked by items lying in their tile.

===Machine power===
You can run a '''[[pump]]''' manually (or use [[quern]]s instead of [[millstone]]s for [[milling]]), but there are two kinds of [[power]] systems that are used to run pumps and millstones: '''[[windmill]]s''' and '''[[water wheel]]s'''. Both are buildings - you build them just like a workshop. There are some limits and considerations - build them wrong (without support) and they'll collapse.

====Windmills====
A windmill provides 0, 20 or 40 power - it depends on the "wind" on your map, you either have it or you don't - it's constant across a map and time, and you don't know until you build your first windmill. {{k|q}} shows you the power for that windmill on your map. Power comes out the bottom, via a gear or axle. Or you can build it directly over the item to be powered - that works too (but there's no way to shut it off then - see below).

:Main Article: '''[[Windmill]]'''

====Water wheels====
A water wheel provides 100 power (but water wheels consume 10, including the first one powered up, so call it 90) if it has "flow" under it, say from a river. You can also create artificial flow in your own channels, if you prefer. Line up several, and you have all the power you want. Power comes out the side.

(Note - too much flowing water can kill your framerate. Be careful about getting carried away.)

:Main Articles: '''[[Water wheel]]''', '''[[Power]]'''

====Power connection - gears & axles====
Connecting is easy, especially if you've ever played with tinkertoys. If you build your pump or millstone adjacent to the source, touching side-by-side, they're automatically connected. (Building "over" another, between floors, is tricky - see articles). If there's distance (horizontal or vertical) between power source and destination, there are axles, and gear assemblies. Axles are just logs - 1 log can get you up to 3 tiles in a straight line (though 3 logs can extend to 10 tiles) horizontally, or 1 single tile vertically, and can be connected directly to each other. Placed gear assemblies (more mechanisms) allow you to change direction of the axle line, either horizontally or vertically.

:Main Articles: '''[[Axle]], [[Gear assembly]]'''

====Power consumption====
Pumps and mills consume 10 power each (as do water wheels, powered or not). Gear assemblies use 5 power each, and axles 1 per tile. So you can have a windmill that pumps 40 power, and 4 axles over, a gear, 3 axles up, another gear, and a pump and mill adjacent to that gear - that's 4+5+3+5+(10+10) = 37 - no problem. If you wanted more power, you'd need another windmill or a water wheel, and connect it in to the grid.

Wheels, windmills, pumps, mills, axles and gears will all show the power they have and the power the assembly needs when viewed with {{k|q}}. If no power, you've done something wrong.

====Turning powered machinery on/off====
Now, you can also link a trigger to a gear assembly, to disengage that gear in the power train - this is how you turn on/off pumps that are attached to power, and how you create fluid traps that "turn on" automatically when their target is in the desired location.

Notes: If powering pumps, build the gear and lever and link them '''first''', then throw the lever to disengage the gear before connecting the power - or you'll find your fluid of choice pumping merrily into your fortress until you find a way to shut off what you just built.)''

Also, be aware that disengaging a gear that's directly under a windmill will cause the windmill to collapse, and the same will happen if you disengage a gear assembly that provides the only support to a water wheel. A "disengaging" gear has to be located later in the power train, or the wheel must be supported from the other side, for instance by an axle.

If building a gear assembly over a pump or millstone, that will work, but the floor between must be channeled ''first''.

:Main Article: '''[[Gear assembly]]'''

There are also quirks to what are "adjacent" items - sometimes floors get in the way, sometimes they don't, depending on the building - read articles on each piece of machinery for those details.

None of these are that hard to build or connect, and doing it is the best way to learn. Plan a little, expect it not to be 100% optimal the first try, and you'll get it right the second time.

* '''Switching by "Load"'''

Since all connected machinery will either instantly switch off or fail to start working if the power consumption is higher than the power provided, you can also switch machinery off by "overtaxing" the system. This way, you can build your 20 power windmill directly atop the two pumps it runs, attach a gear to one of the pumps which increases the "load" to 25 when engaged, and turn your pumps on or off by toggling that gear. This scheme is somewhat risky, because machinery can spontaneously activate if components are destroyed or deconstructed, reducing the load.

Since this method shuts down all machines connected to the same power supply, it is only really feasible when you have a highly decentralised power infrastructure - you will want to power small arrays of machinery from their own connected windmills. When drawing power from large centralised installations, e.g. large arrays of water wheels, the only practical option is to enable and cut connections in the way laid out in the preceding paragraph.

====Weather====

As you might expect, machinery that is submerged in [[water]] comes to a halt if that water [[ice|freezes]]. Perhaps less obviously, machinery that is built upon a natural ice floor, like the surface of a frozen pond, will also freeze. Such components will say "Frozen Here" in their information screen, while connected components will say "Frozen Elsewhere".

==Building/connection limitations==

'''Machinery''' (including [[axle]]s, [[gear assembly|gear assemblies]], and [[screw pump]]s) acts differently from other constructions. It can be built in one of two states:
:* '''Stable Foundation''' - The machinery is built on top of a floor, either natural or constructed.
:* '''Hanging''' - The machinery is built attached to another piece of machinery, typically on top of a gear assembly (to transfer power further down or out horizontally) or a pump. No additional support is required (except for [[screw pump]]s, which have their own requirements for support - see below). The supporting machinery needs only to have been designated for the hanging machinery to be built - it doesn't have to be completed, but might need to be before the power-connection is complete (depending on your design). If the supporting machinery is canceled, disabled, or removed the hanging machinery will collapse to base materials.
*'''Windmills''' may only connect to machinery directly below their center tile.
:* Windmills built on floors sometimes transfer power through them, but it seems to depend on the build order - for maximum reliability, channel out the floor.
*'''Water wheels''' may only connect to machinery on either side of their center tile.
*'''Screw pumps''' may connect to machinery from any tile in any direction. (However, the walkable tile of the screw pump MUST have a floor under it, so it cannot connect directly below the walkable tile)
*'''Gear assemblies''' connect in all directions.
:* A gear assembly which has been disconnected by a lever does not support machinery. No machinery can hang on top of it, and anything already hanging on it will fall apart. In #2 (below), disconnecting the gear assembly would dismantle the windmill and prevent another from being built until it was reconnected.
*'''Horizontal axles''' connect to either end, or a gear assembly or machine.
*'''Vertical axles''' connect directly above and below, or a gear assembly or machine.

====Unusual windmill behavior examples====

In the diagram below, brown is the windmill and the floor it stands on, black is floor from another level, the star is a gear assembly:

:* #1 will only work if the windmill and gear are built in the proper order, but it will be stable - it's supported by a floor, and has a gear assembly beneath it.
:* #2 works as long as dwarves can reach the building site - any tile adjacent to the windmill will do. It's the same as 1), but is "hanging", the windmill build on the gear assembly. (You cannot "disengage" this gear without causing the windmill to deconstruct.)
:* #3 can be built (provided the floor is supported somehow) but is pointless: the gear does not connect to the windmill, and the windmill will not provide power anyway.
:* #4 ''Would'' be valid if it were not a windmill. To place a gear above a machine, the floor must be channeled out.

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==See also==
:* [[Trigger]]
:* [[Repeater]]
:* [[Computing]]
:* [[Trap design]]

{{Category|Constructions}}
{{Category|Buildings}}
{{Category|Physics}}
{{Category|Machine components}}
[[ru:Machine component]]

Grate

2014-12-10T10:21:41Z

Nubtom: /* Floor Grate */

{{Migrated_article}}
{{av}}
{{Quality|Fine}}
{{buggy|bugsection=Bugs}}

A '''grate''' is a [[furniture]]-type item. It is used as a construction material for wall grates and floor grates. Grates can be constructed from [[stone]] or [[ore]] (with the [[masonry]] [[labor]] at a [[mason's workshop]]), wood (with the [[carpentry]] labor in a [[carpenter's workshop]]), [[Metal|metal bar]]s (with the [[blacksmithing]] labor at a [[forge]]), or [[glass]] (with the [[glassmaking]] labor at a [[glass furnace]]).

== Wall Grate ==

A wall grate is basically a [[fortification]], but with two differences:
* It is a [[building]] instead of a [[construction]]. It doesn't overwrite the tile below it, and it can be smashed by building destroyers.
* It can be linked to a [[lever]] or [[pressure plate]]. Once linked, it works like a linked [[door]] which doesn't stop fluids, [[arrow]]s or [[Miasma]] when closed.
Wall grates act as boundaries for rooms being resized, but they do not provide support for doors.
Unlike a constructed wall, the grate has some quality level and can be decorated.

== Floor Grate ==
A floor grate is similar to a floor or a closed [[floor hatch]] in that it can be walked upon and blocks [[creature]] and item movement between Z-levels. However, it lets [[water]] and [[magma]] through like an open tile. Floor grates block projectiles, unlike wall grates. They do not block line of sight. Floor grates can be linked to a [[lever]] or a [[pressure plate]]. When triggered, a floor grate opens like a hatch, but with a 100-tick delay.

Floor grates must be attached [[orthogonal]]ly (i.e. not diagonally) to firm ground or some solid construction (a [[wall]], [[floor]], etc.) if they are to be supported over empty space, not (just) other grates. Floor grates can also be placed directly on top of a non-constructed floor or [[stairs|staircase]], rather than empty space, in which case it doesn't need any support next to it.

A floor grate does NOT count as solid construction. It will not support any buildings or constructions. However, you can designate a construction to be built orthogonally to it with no other supports. This will cause the construction to [[cave-in]] immediately after being completed. This can be useful for controlled cave-ins.

[[Stockpile]]s cannot be placed over floor grates.

Like [[bridge]]s and [[floor hatch]]es, floor grates will mark areas beneath them as being "inside", even if they are retracted.

If a floor grate is placed right on top of a [[soil]] floor or [[mud]]dy floor it will prevent [[grass]], [[shrub]]s and [[tree|saplings]] from growing.

Floor grates do not block [[fishing]] or taking water directly from a [[activity zone#Water_Source|water source]], nor do they block collecting [[sand]] or [[clay]], though they do prevent [[well]]s from working if between the well and the water.

Floor grates over empty space block [[miasma]] from rising through them (miasma will normally flow upward through empty space).

== Bars vs. Grates ==

Vertical/horizontal [[bars]] seem to be functionally identical to wall/floor grates. The only notable difference between grates and bars is that grates are finished goods (which must be produced from raw materials) and have [[quality]] levels (and thus boost your fortress's architecture value significantly), while bars are simply raw materials that can be thrown into place at a moment's notice and then deconstructed later should they be needed later for other jobs.

One other important difference is that grates can be made from stone, which is generally much more plentiful than the materials for bars.

== Notes ==
* If you wish to remove a floor piece that is linked to a grate, make sure that the dwarf that carries out the job does not stand on the grate, or remove all grates first. The grate will not be supported, and fall (with your uncareful dwarf on it), and you will experience the famous idiom: "It's not the fall that kills you, it's the sudden stop at the end."
* On a similar note, be cautious when removing a large number of grates next to each other, as a dwarf trying to remove a grate ''will'' stand on one his neighbor is about to yank out from under his feet. This can be largely avoided by removing them in batches of alternating grates (IE: Grates 1, 3, 5 then 2, 4, 6, etc...)

== Bugs ==

* Creatures and dwarves pushed by water flow can be pushed through wall grates. {{Bug|5458}}

{{buildings}}

Nest box

2014-12-05T11:26:06Z

Nubtom: /* Construction and use */

{{Migrated_article}}
{{quality|unrated}}
{{av}}{{Buggy}}
{{Building|name=Nest box|key=N|job=[[Food hauling]]
|construction=
* Wood
* Metal
* Stone
* Glass
|construction_job=
* [[Woodcrafter]]
* [[Metalcrafter]]
* [[Stonecrafter]]
* [[Glassmaker]]
|use=
* [[Nest box]]
|purpose=
* Producing [[egg]]s
* Producing [[Domestic_animal#Comparison_of_domestic_poultry|poultry]] (with male present)
}}

A '''nest box''' is a 1x1 building that, once created and placed, a tame, [[egg]] laying creature will claim and use to lay eggs in.

== Creation ==
A nest box is created using a single piece of [[wood]] or [[stone]] at a [[craftsdwarf's workshop]], a single bag of [[sand]] (and optional crystal/pearlash) at a [[glass furnace]] or [[magma glass furnace]], or a single bar of [[metal]] at a [[metalsmith's forge]] or [[magma forge]]. Unplaced nest boxes are stored in the [[tool]] section of a finished goods [[stockpile]].

* To create one at a Craftdwarf's workshop, {{K|q}}uery the workshop, select {{K|w}}ood products, then use {{K|+}}/{{K|-}} to manually highlight "Make wooden Nest Box", or select {{K|g}} rock products, then use {{K|+}}/{{K|-}} to manually highlight "Make rock Nest Box".
* For a glass nest box, {{K|q}}uery the workshop, select {{K|g}}reen/{{K|c}}lear/{{K|k}} crystal glass, then use {{K|+}}/{{K|-}} to manually highlight "Make ''type'' glass Nest Box".
* For either forge, {{K|q}}uery the forge, select {{K|o}}ther objects, then use {{K|+}}/{{K|-}} to manually highlight the metal and then use {{K|+}}/{{K|-}} to manually highlight "Make ''metal'' Nest Box".

== Construction and use ==
Once created, the nest box is then {{k|b}}uilt using {{K|Shift}} + {{K|n}} and will not block movement. The box will then be claimed by an egg-laying animal when it is ready to lay eggs. The animal that claims the nest box will periodically lay [[egg]]s into the nest. This process is very quick (<1 day) and the eggs are ready to be collected immediately if they are to be cooked, but require time to hatch if you wish to start a breeding program.

If dwarves have access to the nest, a dwarf with the [[food hauling]] labor enabled will then remove the eggs and take them to a food stockpile and the animal will vacate the nest until it is ready to lay again. If a dwarf does not collect the eggs, the animal will remain on the nest box until the eggs hatch, after which it will also vacate the nest box until it is ready to lay again. In either situation, the nest box remains claimed by the animal. To free the nest for rapid turn around of eggs from a single box, deconstruct the nest after the eggs are collected or hatched and rebuild it - a different animal, ready to lay, will claim the nest box and immediately lay a clutch of eggs.

== Fertilized eggs ==

A nested female will lay eggs regardless of the presence of a male of the same species, however the eggs will not be fertilized unless a male is present. Hatching does not require male to be around, once the eggs are fertilized and laid. If a male is present, the eggs may be fertilized and hatch if the dwarves can be prevented from collecting them out of the nest box and hauling them to be eaten. To achieve this, eggs can be [[forbidden]], or access to the nest box can be blocked with locked doors, or eggs can be forbidden as a cooking ingredient in the kitchen menu and disabled in all food stockpiles reachable from the nest. There may be no way of telling whether or not eggs have been fertilized, but if they sit in a nest box for more than two seasons, they are unlikely to ever hatch. Eggs do not appear to go rotten and can be collected and cooked after two or more seasons without generating [[miasma]].

When the eggs are harvested from an occupied nest box, the female bird will leave the box, making it unoccupied once more. If you have a stockpile set to automatically receive eggs then it is very likely that all your nest boxes will appear to be empty.

=== Incubation Chamber ===
A simple way to make sure that eggs can hatch without having dwarves try to make omelettes out of them is to build incubation chambers for your female birds.
# Build 1x1 rooms, with lockable doors.
# Put one nest box in each room.
# Create a 1x1 pasture [[zone]] on top of the nest box, and assign one female egg-layer to it. She should claim the nest box when she is ready to lay eggs.
# Pasture or chain at least one male of the species somewhere. It needn't be close to the nest box.
# When you want the eggs to remain undisturbed, lock the door to the room.

If the eggs are fertile, you should eventually get a message about eggs having hatched. When you do, go to the nest box and unlock the door so the crowded chicks can get out (crowded animals will fight, and if they do, you may lose a chick or two in the melee; luckily they are always much smaller than their mother and unlikely to hurt her.)

It's a good idea to keep a [[cage]] nearby to assign newly hatched chicks to, so they won't get in the way and lower your FPS. When they are grown, they can be re-assigned to pastures for breeding or egg-laying, or butchered.

== Forging and Melting ==

* Metal nest boxes cost '''one''' [[metal]] bar to forge, or '''one''' [[adamantine]] wafer.

* When a nest box is melted down, it will return '''0.3''' metal bars/adamantine wafers for an efficiency of '''30%'''

== Bugs ==
It should be noted that most domestic birds have tremendous reproductive potential, and a few species of breeding birds can cause a population explosion that rivals even the deadliest of [[catsplosion]]s. Entire fortresses can be fed with [[egg production]]. It is unclear whether this behaviour is a bug or a feature, as the indicated clutch sizes in the raws are meant to match those of real life - and are sometimes ''lower'' in the case of reptiles.

[[Elk bird]]s are both [[grazer]]s and egg layers. Females left undisturbed near a nest box will probably starve themselves to death (certainly, if there are no males available). {{bug|4637}}
A possible workaround is to assign the bird a pasture close to the nest, but not including it, so that dwarves with Animal haulinhg on would pasture the bird now and then, then she would return. {{verify}} Eggs do not require continuous presence, only return before timeout ({{forum|140544/5826258}}).

[[Aquatic]] creatures (such as [[sea serpent]]s) refuse to use a submerged nest box, which makes [[breeding]] impossible.{{bug|4105}}

[[category:buildings]]

Egg production

2014-12-05T11:23:38Z

Nubtom: /* Egg Collection */

{{Migrated_article}}
{{quality|Exceptional|01:15, 16 April 2011 (UTC)}}{{av}}

'''Producing eggs''', like the [[meat industry]], the [[beekeeping industry]], the [[fishing industry]] and [[farming]], creates [[food]]. In egg production, collection and cooking of [[egg]]s is the primary activity, as, over time, domestic poultry such as [[chicken]]s can produce much more food as eggs than the same animal produces as meat when butchered (1 egg = 1 meat = 1 meal). When starting out a new fortress, raising poultry can be an excellent way to quickly fill up your food [[barrel]]s as it requires very little set-up for your dwarves. As a by-product of egg production, older or excess animals can be butchered as part of the [[meat industry]].

== Acquiring Egg-laying Animals ==
There are several sources for obtaining egg-laying [[animal]]s, outlined below.

===Embark===
You can buy [[Domestic_animal#Comparison_of_domestic_poultry|domestic poultry]] at [[embark]] and even decide how many males and females of each animal you embark with. Since you don't need males to produce eggs, and need only one male to breed, you could embark with three or four hens, and a single rooster. Poultry animals are very economical to purchase at embark, costing only 6[[currency|☼]] each.

Of the domestic poultry, [[turkey]]s produce the most eggs per clutch on average, followed by [[duck]]s, then [[chicken]]s and [[guineafowl]]. Turkeys are also the largest poultry animals, and produce the most meat and other products if butchered as part of the meat industry, with [[goose|geese]] and [[blue peafowl]] only slightly smaller. All domestic poultry become adults one year after hatching, but geese, blue peafowl, and guineafowl grow to full size at one year; other poultry only reach full size after two years.

===Migration===
Domestic poultry may arrive at your fortress with a wave of [[migrant]]s. These animals may be strays or [[pet]]s.

===Trading===
''Requires: A [[trade depot]], a [[Broker|trader]], a [[merchant]], and some tradeable goods''

You can purchase egg-laying animals from a [[caravan]]. While [[human]] and dwarven merchants will generally bring standard poultry, [[elf|elven]] merchants may bring tamed exotic egg-laying animals, which may prove useful for [[alligator|value]] or [[giant eagle|defense]] purposes.

===Cage traps===
''Requires: [[Cage]]s, [[mechanism]]s, a [[mechanic]], animal training [[zone]] and an [[animal trainer]]''

It is also possible to catch egg-laying animals through judicious use of [[cage trap]]s. This, of course, involves building cage traps where these animals will walk or fly. Once they are trapped the caged animal (or [[invader]]) will be delivered to an animal stockpile and the trap will be reset with a fresh cage.

Cage traps should be built where animals ''will'' walk, not where they are when you decide to trap them. Any dwarves sent out to create and arm traps in the animals' midst will scare them away or trigger their aggression. To successfully trap large animals, form a choke point some distance away from them: build walls, perhaps several z-levels high, to create a continuous barrier to movement.

Leave a small gap one or two tiles wide (depending on how many of the critters you want to trap) and build your cage traps there. If the animals haven't moved off or been scared off by the time you're done, and they're docile enough to not attack once they see your dwarves, use military orders to send a dwarf (or several) around behind the animals and herd them toward the choke point.

Note also that cage traps cannot be built within a certain number of tiles of the map edge, so when planning your funnels and choke points, be sure to leave four or five tiles as a buffer zone.

Egg-laying animals that are caught in a cage trap need to be tamed by an [[animal trainer]] at an animal training [[zone]] before they can be safely used to produce eggs. Note that you are not limited to standard domestic poultry; some of the most [[cave crocodile|lucrative and prolific]] egg-layers are reptiles.

===Breeding===
''Requires: One or more adult females and one adult male of each species, one or more [[nest box]]es, and time''

If a male and a female of the same species exist on your map, and there is an open constructed [[nest box]] for the female to occupy and lay a clutch of eggs in, then sooner or later (and probably sooner) the male will fertilize the eggs laid by the female. No contact between the male and the female or eggs is needed - fertilization can ''and will'' occur regardless of distance, physical obstacles such as walls or locked doors, number of each gender (beyond the first), and even ownership. ''(This is often referred to as "breeding by spores".)'' Even a male in a flock of wild animals outside the fortress walls can fertilize a clutch locked deep in a lowest level. A female can lay a clutch of eggs again immediately after the last clutch hatches. A female that can not claim a nest box ''will not'' lay a clutch of eggs.

A fertilized clutch will only hatch if they are left in the nest box undisturbed and their mother is allowed to incubate the eggs. Collecting the eggs, [[butcher's shop|slaughtering]] or [[animal trainer|training]] the mother, or deconstructing the nest box will all prevent the eggs from hatching. A clutch of eggs to be used for breeding should be [[forbidden]] to prevent their collection. Even if the eggs and mother are left undisturbed, it is possible that clutch was not fertilized. Eggs that don't hatch after two seasons will likely never hatch. To make sure that the eggs are left undisturbed, make sure that no [[stockpile]]s accept that type of egg, and if you [[cooking|cook]] any meals make sure that that type of egg is turned off in the kitchen sub-screen of the [[status]] screen. Alternatively, you can put the nest boxes in a room behind a [[door]] and forbid the door to keep your dwarves away from the eggs.

As a large number of free-roaming animals will reduce your game speed, a common strategy is to cage all your young poultry until they mature. Keep in mind, though, that some tamed wild species take more than 1 year to mature, unlike most domestic animals. For example, it may be excusable to butcher a [[saltwater crocodile]] hatchling right away, rather than wait 3 years for it to mature and produce more meat and bones.

Using [[cage trap]]s judiciously (or taking advantage of the animals [[elf|elves]] trade) can sometimes snag you a breeding pair of a wild animal. Tame something unusual and start something crazy, like a [[cave crocodile]] farm!

==Egg Collection==
''Requires: A tame adult female egg-laying animal, a [[nest box]], and [[food hauling]]''

Once you have at least one tame adult female egg-laying animal, you need to build a [[nest box]] to begin production of delicious and filling [[egg]]s. Every so often, the adult females will claim a nest box and lay a clutch of eggs. Then, a [[food hauling|food hauler]] will collect the eggs and move them to a food [[stockpile]]. Food hauling is an unskilled labor, so any dwarf in the fortress can do it. Egg collection is a great way to use those [[peasant]]s that otherwise just move boulders around the fortress.

Eggs must be [[cook]]ed into [[prepared meal]]s at a [[kitchen]] before they can be eaten by dwarves.

==Egg-laying Animals==
{{catbox|DF2014:Egglaying}}
''This table is incomplete (2012-05-22). You can help by adding to it.''
{| border="1px #AAA solid;" style="text-align:center;padding:0.2em;" class="wikitable sortable"
|+style="border:1px #AAA solid;background:#EEE;"| '''Outdoor Animals'''
|-
!style="border:1px #AAA solid;background:#DDD;"| Animal
!style="border:1px #AAA solid;background:#DDD;"| Minimum Number of Eggs
!style="border:1px #AAA solid;background:#DDD;"| Maximum Number of Eggs
!style="border:1px #AAA solid;background:#DDD;"| Egg Size*
|-
|[[Adder]]
|3
|10
|16
|-
|[[Albatross]]
|1
|1
|305
|-
|[[Alligator]]
|10
|30
|80
|-
|[[Alligator snapping turtle]]
|5
|10
|70
|-
|[[Barn owl]]
|3
|6
|32
|-
|[[Beak dog]]‡
|5
|10
|1600
|-
|[[Black mamba]]
|10
|30
|50
|-
|[[Blue peafowl]]†
|6
|8
|102
|-
|[[Bushmaster]]
|10
|20
|22
|-
|[[Buzzard]]
|2
|3
|60
|-
|[[Cassowary]]
|3
|6
|550
|-
|[[Chicken]]†
|4
|15
|62
|-
|[[Common snapping turtle]]
|5
|10
|50
|-
|[[Crow]]
|4
|6
|21
|-
|[[Crundle]]
|5
|20
|60
|-
|[[Desert tortoise]]
|3
|5
|40
|-
|[[Duck]]†
|8
|13
|52
|-
|[[Eagle]]
|1
|3
|142
|-
|[[Echidna]]
|1
|1
|1
|-
|[[Emperor penguin]]
|1
|1
|465
|-
|[[Emu]]
|5
|15
|805
|-
|[[Giant eagle]]
|1
|3
|2100
|-
|[[Giant tortoise]]
|5
|10
|82
|-
|[[Gila monster]]
|2
|12
|32
|-
|[[Goose]]†
|3
|8
|152
|-
|[[Grey parrot]]
|1
|5
|40
|-
|[[Great horned owl]]
|1
|5
|51
|-
|[[Guineafowl]]†
|4
|15
|42
|-
|[[Hornbill]]
|1
|4
|50
|-
|[[Kakapo]]
|1
|4
|52
|-
|[[Kea]]
|2
|5
|62
|-
|[[Kestrel]]
|3
|6
|32
|-
|[[King cobra]]
|10
|30
|5
|-
|[[Kingsnake]]
|5
|12
|20
|-
|[[Kiwi]]
|1
|2
|450
|-
|[[Little penguin]]
|2
|2
|53
|-
|[[Loon]]
|2
|4
|152
|-
|[[Monitor lizard]]
|15
|25
|70
|-
|[[Osprey]]
|2
|4
|60
|-
|[[Ostrich]]
|10
|15
|2000
|-
|[[Penguin]]
|2
|2
|125
|-
|[[Peregrine falcon]]
|3
|4
|46
|-
|[[Platypus]]
|1
|3
|11
|-
|[[Puffin]]
|1
|1
|30
|-
|[[Python]]
|10
|30
|50
|-
|[[Raven]]
|3
|7
|52
|-
|[[Saltwater crocodile]]
|20
|70
|100
|-
|[[Sea_serpent|Sea serpent]]
|1
|1
|6100
|-
|[[Snowy owl]]
|5
|10
|62
|-
|[[Swan]]
|5
|7
|340
|-
|[[Turkey]]†
|10
|14
|87
|-
|[[Vulture]]
|1
|3
|60
|-
|[[White stork]]
|1
|7
|110
|}
:† ''Common [[domestic animal]], can be purchased at embark''
:‡ ''Animal cannot be [[animal trainer|tamed]], and is therefore unsuitable for egg production''
:* ''Egg size does not currently affect food quantity''

{| border="1px #AAA solid;" style="text-align:center;padding:0.2em;" class="wikitable sortable"
|+style="border:1px #AAA solid;background:#EEE;"| '''Subterranean Animals'''
|-
!style="border:1px #AAA solid;background:#DDD;"| Animal
!style="border:1px #AAA solid;background:#DDD;"| Minimum Number of Eggs
!style="border:1px #AAA solid;background:#DDD;"| Maximum Number of Eggs
!style="border:1px #AAA solid;background:#DDD;"| Egg Size*
|-
|[[Cave crocodile]]
|20
|60
|80
|-
|[[Cave dragon]]
|1
|3
|6100
|-
|[[Crundle]]
|5
|20
|60
|-
|[[Elk bird]]
|2
|10
|60
|-
|[[Giant cave swallow]]
|2
|3
|2100
|-
|[[Helmet snake]]
|10
|30
|50
|-
|[[Jabberer]]
|1
|2
|5100
|}

:* ''Egg size does not currently affect food quantity''

{| border="1px #AAA solid;" style="text-align:center;padding:0.2em;" class="wikitable sortable"
|+style="border:1px #AAA solid;background:#EEE;"| '''[[:Megabeast|Megabeasts]]'''
|-
!style="border:1px #AAA solid;background:#DDD;"| Animal
!style="border:1px #AAA solid;background:#DDD;"| Minimum Number of Eggs
!style="border:1px #AAA solid;background:#DDD;"| Maximum Number of Eggs
!style="border:1px #AAA solid;background:#DDD;"| Egg Size*
|-
|[[Dragon]]
|1
|3
|6100
|-
|[[Roc]]
|1
|2
|201000
|}

:* ''Egg size does not currently affect food quantity''

==Bugs==
Aquatic egg laying animals will not claim a nest box. It doesn't matter if the box is built underwater or on land. {{Bug|4105}}

{{Category|Food}}
{{Category|Guides}}
{{Category|Industry}}
{{Industry}}

Adventurer mode

2014-12-04T18:51:23Z

Nubtom:

{{Quality|Masterwork|00:47, 29 September 2013 (UTC)}}
{{av}}

:''This is a detailed reference guide for Adventurer Mode. For a tutorial see the [[Adventure mode quick start|Adventure Mode Quickstart Guide]].
:''See [[Adventure Mode quick reference]] to quickly look up key commands.

In '''Adventurer Mode''' (also called "adventure mode") you create a single adventurer ([[dwarf]], [[human]], or [[elf]]) who starts out somewhere in one of your generated worlds. You can learn about what ails the world and go on [[quest|quests]] to end those troubles (or get brutally murdered trying), and you can venture into the wilderness to find [[cave|caves]], shrines, lairs, abandoned towers, and other [[Site|towns and settlements]]. You can even visit your previously abandoned and retired [[fortress|fortresses]] and take all the precious items you yourself once created.

Unlike [[Fortress mode]], Adventurer Mode is a sort of advanced [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sandbox_game open world] version of [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rogue_%28computer_game%29 rogue] or [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nethack nethack] taking place in the same procedurally generated worlds used for Fortress Mode. Whereas in fortress mode you are in charge of a large group of people in real-time, in adventurer mode you control a single character in a turn-based manner.

=World Selection=

You can play Adventurer mode in any world that has a civilization with the [[Entity_token#Gameplay|ADVENTURE_TIER]] token (which are elf, dwarf, and human in unmodded raws). Humans inhabit cities, towns, and the occasional above-ground fortress. Elves inhabit forest retreats. Dwarves are spread between "deep sites" which sometimes do not contain a direct connection to the surface, and "hill dwarves" which inhabit a loose collection of mounds built into hillsides. Human cities and towns are currently the only sites with shops and other places to officially buy goods.

If you have previously built a fort in the world that you select, your adventurer will be able to go visit it. If you have selected to "retire" the fortress rather than abandon it, you will likely be able to encounter all of the inhabitants from fortress mode. However, they will likely not have the same level of activity as they would in a bustling fortress-mode fort.

=Character Creation=

==Race and Civilization==

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

*'''Humans''' Always originate from one of the villages in the world, begin with bronze, copper, or iron weapons, and can use any of the items sold by shopkeepers (who, for the time being, are only found in human towns and only sell human-sized clothing/armor). They also start with the widest variety of weapon skills.

*'''Human Outsiders''' Human Outsiders are humans that aren't from that world or any of its villages. They simply appear in the wilderness, a stranger to all. You may always play as an outsider, even if the world is otherwise completely uninhabited. Outsiders can only start with Spear User and Knife User as weapon skills, and they cannot start with Armor User or Shield User. They also start out literally naked with no clothing, but can wear any human-sized armor that they trade for, steal, or loot. "Outsiders" of other races can be played if you add the [[Entity_token#Gameplay|INDIV_CONTROLLABLE]] token to the race's entity definition.

*'''Dwarves''' have the advantage of being able to go into a [[Martial trance|martial trance]] when fighting multiple foes at once. This gives them many combat bonuses, which aids their survival greatly. They are the only race which can start with steel weapons, but they wear "small" sized clothing (like goblins and elves) which means that they're unable to wear human clothing and armour found in shops. Goblin armor fits them, making Dark Fortresses (if your computer can handle them) and bandits a viable source of armor; if you're up for it, you could also just rob some dwarves. They can start with almost all of the same weapon skills as civilized humans. Many larger weapons must be wielded two-handed by dwarves, due to their size.

*'''Elves''' start with very weak wooden weapons and have a more limited list of weapon skills during character creation. They have the advantage that they have higher natural speed. Elves also have the AT_PEACE_WITH_NATURE tag. This makes all wildlife passive towards them. Like dwarves they wear small sized clothing and will have the same problem finding suitable armour.

*'''Kobolds''' can be played only if there are no other civilizations and there are kobolds. They are very small and weak in combat and a huge challenge compared to the other races. They wear even smaller armour than the other races and armour will be impossible to find for them, unless you are absurdly lucky and run into armoured kobolds.

If no civilization for the given race exists in a world you can only play as an outsider.

== Status ==

Determines the number of starting skill and attribute points, which does not change based on race:
*'''Peasant:''' 15 attribute, 35 skill
*'''Hero:''' 35 attribute, 95 skill
*'''Demigod:''' 105 attribute, 161 skill
The number of skill points is less significant than the number of attribute points because the time it takes to go from Peasant to Demigod in skill terms is much less than what it would take to go from Peasant to Demigod in attribute terms.

== Starting Attributes ==

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

=== Body ===

*'''Strength''': Alters the damage you inflict in melee regardless of weapon used. Increases muscle size. This increased muscular layer helps prevent damage, although this is a pretty minor effect. Increasing strength, at least in adventurers, increases movement speed (albeit not as much as agility) due to better carrying capacity.
*'''Agility''': This attribute is directly related to a character's Speed and is also used in combat skills. Agility is really, really important as being faster than the enemies allows you to get more hits in before they can fight back and lets you run away more easily.
*'''Toughness''': Reduces physical damage inflicted on you. Also relates to defensive combat skills.
*'''Endurance''': Reduces the rate at which the adventurer becomes exhausted. Becoming exhausted causes you to collapse, helpless and immobile and can cause you to pass out.
*'''Recuperation''': Increases the rate of wound healing. Not as important as Toughness. Recuperation isn't that useful in adventurer mode since you usually have as much time to rest as you need assuming you can escape a situation alive.
*'''Disease Resistance''': Seems to have some effect on vampirism infectivity; may have to do with infected wounds.

=== Soul ===

Some of these are useful for adventure-mode-applicable skills, but some are totally useless except as dump stats.

*'''Analytical Ability''': Useful only for Knapping; should be reduced to minimum.{{Verify}}

*'''Focus''': Affects Archer, Ambusher, Observer.

*'''Willpower''': Affects Fighter, Crutch Walker and Swimmer. Willpower is really important as it governs how easily you'll pass out from extreme pain. Low willpower is a death sentence if you are seriously wounded, as you'll pass out and have your head caved in. Broken bones currently cause enough pain that even very high willpower usually won't keep you conscious. For non bone injuries however willpower can keep you going long enough to kill enemies, or at least get away from them.

*'''Creativity''': Useless at the moment.

*'''Intuition''': Helps with Observer, which aids in spotting concealed enemies,ambushes and identifying attacks from opponents.

*'''Patience''': May have some effect on dealings with others as a result of the new conversation system.{{Verify}}

*'''Memory''': Memory aids greatly in mapping out areas as the higher your memory the longer you'll remember an area. As you explore you'll forget previously explored areas, causing them to appear blank, as if you had never been there. If you have low enough memory you'll forget areas of large locations like underground catacombs while you're still in them, making finding your way very confusing, as things like the exit wont be visible anymore until you find it again. Best to have at least average memory.

*'''Linguistic Ability''': May have some effect on dealings with others as a result of the new conversation system.{{Verify}}

*'''Spatial Sense''': Important. Affects combat skills, Ambusher, Crutch Walker, Swimmer, Observer, Knapping.

*'''Musicality''': Completely useless. Use this as a dump stat.

*'''Kinaesthetic Sense''': Affects most combat skills, walking with crutches and swimming.

*'''Empathy''': Might increase chance of persuading people to join you.{{Verify}}

*'''Social Awareness''': Increases the number of followers you can have at a given "fame" level. Normally you start with a limit of two. Increasing this stat by one level raises that to three. Your fame still plays a big part in whenever you can recruit followers or not.

=== Attribute Advancement Cap ===

Adventure mode attributes are capped at double the starting value or the starting value plus the racial average, whichever is greater. Humans, for example, have a racial average strength of 1,000. If a human adventurer starts with an ''above average'' strength of 1,100, then his strength will ultimately be capped at 2,200. Had this human started with a ''below average'' strength of 900, then his strength would be capped at 1,900 instead. For the purpose of maximizing final attributes, this makes it important to start with as many attributes in the ''superior'' range as possible (more attributes per point allocated), while avoiding taking any penalties to even remotely important attributes (big attribute deductions per point recovered). As a consequence of the attribute cap, demigod adventurers will always have a much higher potential for advancement than mere peasants and heroes.

== Starting Skills ==

Not all races have the same sets of skills available at character creation time, but keep in mind that all starting [[skill]]s, as well as ones not available at character creation, can be improved through use in game. [[Reader]] is an exception to this.

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

=== Weapon ===

The weapon you start out with will be based on which of these, plus the unarmed combat skills, is the highest. In other words, even if Swordsman is your highest weapon skill, you won't start with a sword if your Wrestler or Striker skills are better. Usually the best choice anyway is to specialize in just one melee weapon skill. Regardless of weapon skills, a '''large copper dagger''' will always be included in the starting equipment, which is handy for throwing at enemies that are just a step away or finishing off a foe pinned down by a stuck weapon. If you don't select any offensive skills, you will also start with a spear, just as an outsider would.

Not all races/civilizations can start with all of these skills. Dwarves can't start with Bowman, Pikeman, or Lasher. Elves can only use Swordsman, Bowman, and Spearman. Of the playable races, only humans have access to Pikeman and Lasher. Strangely, only outsiders can start with Knife User.

Note that different races have different names for their weapon skills. Axegoblin, Axedwarf etc.

Crossbowman is an exception. Dwarves call this skill Marksdwarf, although bow skill is referred to as Bow Dwarf as you'd expect. Elite Axe and Hammer dwarves are referred to as Lords.

*'''Axeman''': allows characters to use axes, great axes, and halberds more effectively. Useful for cleaving off limbs.
*'''Bowman''': skill allows characters to use bows more effectively. Useful for taking down enemies at a distance.
*'''Crossbowman''': allows characters to use crossbows more effectively. Useful for taking down enemies at a distance.
*'''Hammerman''': allows characters to use crossbows in melee, mauls, and war hammers more effectively. Useful for breaking limbs.
*'''Knife User''' - allows characters to use large daggers and knives more effectively. Useful for stabbing things.
*'''Lasher''' - allows characters to use whips and scourges more effectively. Very deadly weapons.
*'''Maceman''' - allows characters to use flails, maces, and morningstars more effectively. Similar to hammers.
*'''Pikeman''' - allows characters to use pikes more effectively. Like spears, but much bigger.
*'''Spearman''' - allows characters to use spears more effectively. Useful for stabbing things.
*'''Swordsman''' - allows characters to use blowguns and bows in melee, long swords, scimitars, short swords, and two-handed swords more effectively. Useful for cutting, stabbing, and whacking, but less effective than more dedicated weapons.

=== General Combat ===

These two skills can be raised rather quickly in game and so you probably want to skip spending any points on them at the start.

*'''Fighter''' - This increases with, and contributes to, melee combat whether armed or unarmed. It appears that the purpose of it is to allow melee experience to contribute to melee combat in general regardless of weapon. Repeatedly wrestling (grabbing and releasing) even a small creature will raise this skill.
*'''Archer''' - This increases with, and contributes to, ranged combat including throwing. It works similarly to Fighter except for ranged attacks. It can be easily raised by repeatedly throwing rocks, making it advisable for archers to practice their marksmanship with rock throwing before using up the more finite and expensive forms of ammunition. Shooting at a wall with adjacent upward ramp one level below and picking back projectiles is also a good idea (such places often happen to be in keeps and fortresses). See the FAQ section on [[#How do I increase my skills and attributes?|increasing your skills and attributes]] for information on raising bowman/marksman skills.

=== Defensive ===

These skills are critical for survival. Starting out with good ability in one (especially Shield User or Armor User) if not all is strongly advised.

*'''Shield User''' - Ability to block attacks with shields. Starting with even novice skill in this means that the adventurer will start with a shield. This is a no-brainer unless you're creating a two handed weapon user, and lack a broadness or height modifier on your character - necessary for one-handing any two-handed weapon, without penalty.
*'''Armor User''': A higher level of this skill reduces the encumbrance penalties of armour, allowing you to move faster when wearing it. It also affects how well armour protects you and this makes a huge difference. Unskilled armour users gain little protection. This is noticeable as you'll begin seeing far more combat reports about hits either striking you though armour, (you managed to use your armour to lessen the force of the blow) or being deflected by your armour (you used your amour to avoid the hit entirety) as your skill rises and you learn to actually use your armour to deflect hits. It is highly advised to train your armour skill before entering battle with it as the speed penalties of lower levels can be a serious handicap.
*'''Dodger''' - Ability to dodge out of the way of attacks. Dodger is incredibly important and will allow you to avoid many, many hits that would have otherwise injured you. Especially important when you are fighting unarmoured and can't afford a battle axe in the chest. Boost this to talented or at least close to it.

=== Unarmed Combat and Improvised Weapons ===

While some of them come in handy at times, they can generally be raised fairly easily in game, especially Wrestler and Thrower.

*'''Wrestler''' - Ability to grapple, restrain, take-down, throw opponents, etc. Higher skill means all of these moves succeed more often. See [[#Wrestling and Unarmed Attacks]] for details. Can be raised very easily in game.
*'''Striker''' - Punching ability. Turns handy when weapons get stuck and there is no time to wrest them back.
*'''Kicker''' - Kicking ability. Same as Striker. Kicks are slower but more deadly than punches; heavy kicks are particularly good at crushing and exploding heads.
*'''Biter''' - Biting ability. Biting is surprisingly effective even with non animal races as after biting you can shake opponents around by your teeth, causing great damage and possibly ripping off body parts, although with sapient races this tends to lean more towards fingers or toes, perhaps the occasional hand or foot.
*'''Thrower''' - Throwing any miscellaneous object including rocks, knives, axes, swords, heads, etc. Skill affects accuracy and damage caused.
*'''Misc. Object User''' - Ability to beat things to death with anything that comes at hand, from bags to coins to their own severed body parts. Also somewhat more commonly used for shield bashing. This skill affects combat with any object, from a rock to a beehive. There are no separate skills for different items. Items actually intended to be weapons, like swords or axes, are unaffected by this skill.

=== Movement and Awareness ===

*'''[[Observer]]''' - Helps one to notice things like ambushes, enemies who are "sneaking" (stealth movement), and traps. Detection range increases with skill, but up to a maximum of 3 tiles away. Higher levels give more information regarding opponents. Hard to train. Adding some points here is advisable.
*'''[[Swimmer]]''' - Allows movement through water without drowning. A Novice swimmer can swim but will revert to being unable to swim if stunned, which happens when falling even 1 z-level into the water, or possibly after an unfriendly encounter with a creature in the water. An Adequate swimmer can swim normally (not drown) while stunned. For this reason, ''starting out as an Adequate swimmer is advisable.'' If you don't, at least start as Novice and go get some swimming practice right away.
*'''[[Ambusher]]''' - The skill of {{K|S}}neaking around unobserved. This can be raised fairly easily by sneaking around while traveling from place to place when speed is not important. Enemies will have "sight ranges" from where they can detect a sneaking adventurer. The red zone of sight is where they will see you immediately and begin chasing you; the yellow is where they might see you. Staying out of sight will allow you to silently assassinate your foes, as they rarely seem to notice a knife in their back in time.
*'''[[Climber]]''' - The skill of climbing up walls, into trees, and around the edges of gorges. Higher levels reduce the chance of falling and increase the speed of a climbing character.
*'''[[Tracker]]''' - The skill of tracking your quarry, whether it be animals or goblins. Higher levels will let you spot more tracks and help you distinguish different tracks.

=== Crafting ===

These allow your character to create things. There is only one skill currently available in an unmodified game.

*'''[[Knapper]]''' - The fine art of sharpening rocks by banging them together in a clever manner. The resulting rocks become sharp rocks which do more damage when thrown and can be used for things requiring a sharp edge like butchering. Easy to raise in game and doing so helps with Kinesthetic and Spatial Sense.

=== Other ===

*'''[[Reader]]''' - Allows you to read books, signs, and writing in Adventurer mode. Novice level is required in order to become a [[Necromancer]]. There is no way to increase this skill. Adding more points is a waste, as novice allows you to read anything.
*'''[[Butcher]]''' - The art of turning corpses into piles of delicious prepared brains and meat for food. You cannot allocate points here during character creation, but that's OK since skill doesn't really affect anything anyway.

= Gameplay =

== Common UI Concepts ==
{{KeyConventions|3}}

== Moving Around ==

=== Local Movement ===
[[File:Advmode_normaltravel_DF2014.png|thumb|400px|An image of normal travel mode. A list of the closest (but not necessarily close) sites is in the top-left corner. On the right side are minimaps of the next two levels down, relative to the player. Along the bottom is information about the player.]]
{| class="wikitable" style="border:1px solid #ccc;"
|-
| {{k|8}} {{k|2}} {{k|4}} {{k|6}} {{k|7}} {{k|9}} {{k|1}} {{k|3}}
| Move
|-
| {{k|↑}} {{k|↓}} {{k|←}} {{k|→}}
| Move
|-
| {{k|Alt}} and a direction key
| Move carefully / Deliberately enter dangerous terrain
|-
| {{k|<}} or {{k|Shift}}+{{key|5}} (num lock off)
| Ascend
|-
| {{k|>}} or {{k|Ctrl}}+{{key|5}} (num lock off)
| Descend
|-
| {{k|.}}
| Wait for 10 instants
|-
| {{k|,}}
| Wait for 1 instant
|-
| {{k|s}}
| Stand or lie down
|-
| {{k|S}}
| Open Movement Speed/Sneak Menu
|}

Unless your character is an outsider, you will start out in a human town or hamlet; in the standard tileset the @ sign is your character.

The directional keys allow movement. Diagonal movement is particularly important especially when chasing or running away from things.

Use {{k|Alt}}+direction to enter water, jump off of cliffs, or otherwise attempt to enter anything that you can't enter using normal movement commands. Note that when entering water it's best to enter the actual water and not the open space over the water as, in the later case, you will fall in causing you to become stunned which may lead to drowning.

If you hit {{k|j}}, you can jump. This is mostly useful for crossing gorges and crevices, where you have to get to the other side. Occasionally, you can manage to jump onto an opponent and tackle them, which typically causes them to go flying a short distance.

Hitting {{k|.}} allows you to stay in one place and wait for other things to move. {{k|,}} does the same but with a tenth of the time it takes for {{k|.}}.

Use {{k|s}} to sit/lie down. Moving while laying down (crawling) will let you move past NPCs which are standing in your way. Also note that you will frequently get knocked to the ground in combat, and if you don't hit {{k|s}} to stand back up then you will crawl slowly along the ground, giving your opponent a lot of opportunity to attack you.

{{k|S}}neak will allow you to move around invisibly, limited by your Ambusher skill and the Observer skill of nearby creatures. Enemies will have sight cones indicating where they can detect a sneaking adventurer. The central zone of sight (red, violet, or cyan) is where they will see you immediately and begin chasing you; their peripheral vision (yellow) is where they might see you. Violet and cyan central zones indicate the enemy is on a different level than yours, while red means they are on the same level. Staying out of sight will allow you to silently assassinate your foes, as they rarely seem to notice a knife in their back in time.

If you {{k|h}}old onto a wall or tree, you can climb the wall or tree by using the movement keys. In towns and tamer parts of the countryside, this isn't particularly useful. However, in a combat situation, climbing a tree or wall can give you a height advantage, possibly allowing you to dive-tackle your opponents. Sometimes, mountains will be too steep to walk up the edge, or you will find a deep drop into a ravine. In these cases, you will have to climb up to reach the top, or perhaps jump or climb down one face, then climb up the other.

=== Fast Travel ===
[[File:Advmode_fasttravel_DF2014.png|thumb|400px|Fast Travel screen. The player is in a hamlet, between the houses to the right and the mead hall in the top-left area of the map. The asterisk represents a group of creatures (in this case unfriendly goblins). The world map (in sepia) is on the far right.]]
{| class="wikitable" style="border:1px solid #ccc;"
|-
| {{k|T}}
| Fast Travel
|-
| {{k|d}}
| Exit fast travel mode
|-
| {{k|K}}
| Display detected tracks and odors
|-
| {{k|c}}
| Toggle display of clouds on region map
|-
| {{k|s}}
| Walk around in sneak mode. Exiting fast travel starts you in sneak mode.
|-
| {{k|m}}
| Cycle through maps and significant structures
|-
| {{k|Q}}
| View Quest Log
|-
| {{k|Z}}
| Bring up sleep menu
|-
| {{k|h}}
| Hide parts of the bottom bar
|-
| {{k|>}} and {{k|<}}
| Enter/exit tunnel
|-
|}

Entering Fast Travel mode will allow you to move large distances in a single keypress. Of course, the same amount of time will go by and you can also be interrupted (ambushed) while moving in fast travel mode.

Along the top of the map is a line showing the sky, and the position of the sun and/or moon from west to east. This primarily helps you determine how long you have before it gets dark, at which point you won't be able to see very far, will risk getting attacked by bogeymen, and will be more vulnerable to attack in general.

If you are not near any sites, the {{k|m}} key will toggle a world map, colored in sepia tone (matching the map you see in the quest log). If you are near a site, then {{k|m}} cycles between a list of significant structures where your player is, a regional map (matching what you travel on when away from any site), and the aforementioned world map.

The {{k|c}} key will only show clouds on the region map (the one you travel on outside of sites). Some clouds will be visible regardless of the state of this option.

The {{k|h}} key will cycle through various amounts of the bottom bar of content hidden. The effects of each press are:

* 1 press: hide key reference. Allows you to see status effects on your character if obscured by the key list.
* 2 presses: hide most local name, reducing the bar to one line of text.
* 3 presses: hide less local name, eliminating the bar entirely.
* 4 presses: shows all information

== Status and Information ==

{| class="wikitable" style="border:1px solid #ccc;"
|-
| {{k|l}}
| Look around
|-
| {{k|Space}}
| Advance/Clear Messages
|-
| {{k|a}}
| View Announcements
|-
| {{k|z}}
| Status
|}

=== Looking Around ===

If you're not sure what a tile is, the {{k|l}}ook command will tell you. In addition to being useful for identifying tiles and creatures, you can also view creatures' equipment and what items are sitting on the ground in a given tile. If in doubt, try the look command.

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

=== Messages ===

The game makes frequent use of messages on the screen to tell you what is going on. If there are a lot of these you may need to use {{k|Space}} to display the rest of the messages that won't fit on the screen. You can always go back and view old messages by pressing {{k|a}}.

=== Status Screen ===

This screen shows your skills, attributes, wounded body parts, health (along with more detailed descriptions of your wounds), lets you view your description, and change your nickname if you want.

=== Saving the Game ===

Hit the {{k|Esc}} key at any time and select {{DFtext|Save Game}} to save your game. You can then come back to it later by using the {{DFtext|Continue Playing}} option in the main menu.

== Searching and Manipulating ==

{| class="wikitable" style="border:1px solid #ccc;"
|-
| {{k|u}}
| Interact with building, furniture, or mechanism
|-
| {{k|L}}
| Search the nearby area very carefully
|}

The {{k|u}} key can be used to do stuff like pull levers in your abandoned forts. It is also used to lower and raise the bucket when standing right next to a well so you can get water to refill your waterskin with.

{{k|L}} will perform a thorough search of the area that you're standing in, possibly revealing some small creatures.

== Managing Equipment ==

{| class="wikitable" style="border:1px solid #ccc;"
|-
| {{k|i}}
| Show Inventory
|-
| {{k|d}}
| Drop an item
|-
| {{k|g}}
| Get (pickup) an item off the ground
|-
| {{k|p}}
| Put an item into a container
|-
| {{k|r}}
| Remove an item you are wearing or from a container
|-
| {{k|w}}
| Wear an item
|-
| {{k|I}}
| Interact with an object in an advanced way. (unstick a weapon, refill waterskin etc.)
|-
| {{k|q}}
| Sheath your weapons and shield. (Frees your hands for tasks such as climbing or grabbing)
|}

=== Inventory ===

Press {{k|i}} to display a list of what you are currently carrying. Press {{k|-}} {{k|+}} {{k|*}} {{k|/}} to scroll the list. This list will show you if items are being worn, held in hands, stuck on your body, or are inside a container. Detailed information about an object can be viewed by pressing the key associated with the item.

=== Getting/Dropping Things ===

You can {{k|d}}rop items in your inventory, as well as {{k|g}}et items on the ground on the same tile that you are standing on. If there is more than one item a menu will be listed. Press {{k|-}} {{k|+}} {{k|*}} {{k|/}} to scroll the list if the list is too long to fit on the screen. Note that getting something makes your adventurer pick something up with his or her hands. This often means that you have to use {{k|q}} to sheathe whatever you have in your hands before you pick something up. If you do not (and you do not have a backpack or some other way of storing the object, your adventurer will not pick the item up.

{{k|g}} will also allow you to ignite foliage/any flammable objects adjacent to you. Fires aren't as devastating as one might imagine, but they will cause (most) enemies to path around them, making your crowd control slightly more effective when taking on multiple enemies. As an added bonus, it will also surely piss off the elves.

=== Containers ===

Items can be placed into containers with {{k|p}} and removed with {{k|r}}.

=== Wearing ===

Items can be worn using {{k|w}} and removed using {{k|r}} (the same command used for removing from containers). If an item you want to wear does not show up as an option, then it means you are already wearing too many items in the location used by that item. Try {{K|r}}emoving items in that location and then wear them again in order of priority. You also must put on equipment in an order that makes sense,. for example a shirt first ''then'' the armor, not the other way around. Armour must also be put on in a sensible manner with flexible layers such as chainmail first then rigid plate armour second. After all, who, in real life, would wear chainmail over a hard plate?

''Note that "large" or "small" clothing items are too big / small for your race'' (e.g. a '''large''' giant cave spider silk sock). If you have that problem, try getting clothing from a different source.

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

See [[Armor]] for more information on wearing things. One thing to note in particular, DF allows you to wear more than one item in the same location in many situations, for example a copper mail shirt and a copper breastplate. The thin, flexible chain can be worn under the breastplate, but not the other way around.

=== Wielding ===

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

While normally one would only be able to equip one item in each hand, removing items from your inventory results in them being wielded regardless of whether one's hands are full. This is especially useful with shields, as every shield will contribute a block chance to each incoming attack.

It should be noted that Dwarf Fortress does not enforce one particular hand as dominant for everyone, so do not be surprised if your character holds the weapon and [[Armor#Shields and Bucklers|shield]] in hands you yourself would not hold them in.

=== Advanced Interaction ===

The {{k|I}} key allows "complex interaction" with objects in your inventory.

This is used for removing arrows and weapons stuck in wounds which will appear in your inventory when they become stuck in you. Removing stuck arrows can cause bleeding so it is not always a good idea mid combat, but stuck objects will slow you down as you are encumbered by their weight. It s best to remove them as soon as possible when it is safe and you are not in danger of bleeding to death.

Advanced interaction can also be used to steal enemy equipment. Use [[wrestling]] to grab hold of a piece of enemy equipment, such as their weapon, or a helmet protecting their squishy brain and it will appear in the advanced interaction menu. Simply grab the item with a free hand and pull away. If successful, you will now be holding that item in your hands.

This command is particularly useful for getting water. When standing next to a well you press the {{k|u}} key to lower, then raise the bucket, yielding 10 units of water in the bucket. Then you can press the {{k|I}} key to fill your waterskin from the full bucket (alternatively you can press the {{k|e}} key to drink directly from the bucket).

Advanced interactions can be used next to a campfire to heat things, such as any frozen liquids you have in your inventory (or snow lying on the ground) and need to drink. You can refill waterskins from a nearby liquid source as well

===Sheathing===
The {{k|q}} key lets you strap your weapons to your back.

This is useful because you can't climb or wrestle with your hands unless your hands are free.

People will also be less likely to be scared of you on first sight if you don't appear to be ready to attack.

== Time and Weather ==

{| class="wikitable" style="border:1px solid #ccc;"
|-
| {{k|D}}
| Date
|-
| {{k|P}}
| Temperature
|-
| {{k|W}}
| Weather/Time
|}

The game has a day/night cycle with time passing as various actions take place.

When using quick travel mode, the top line of the screen will indicate the position of the sun in the sky with a yellow "☼"; further to the right of the screen is earlier in the day and further to the left is later in the day.

In local travel mode you'll have to use the {{k|W}} command to learn the position of the sun, when you're in a place where the sun is visible.

At night you won't be able to see nearly as well and you will be more vulnerable to ambush.

The game also has weather and temperature. The most common weather you'll experience is rain. Rain is shown as blue moving dots on the local travel screen and will unsurprisingly cause everything outside to become wet. Temperature is important because if it happens to drop below freezing while you're swimming through water, you'll instantly die from being encased in the ice.

Therefore you might want to keep an eye on the temperature while swimming, especially if it's getting cold.

Also, unlike fortress mode, rivers/other bodies of water can be liquid during the day, and freeze at night. The cycles of freezing can also be erratic from day to day.

Freezing weather can also freeze liquids in your inventory solid, making them undrinkable. If your water freezes and you are thirsty, make a campfire and {{k|I}}nteract with your waterskin to heat it over the fire and melt the ice.

== Sleep ==

{| class="wikitable" style="border:1px solid #ccc;"
|-
| {{k|Z}}
| Sleep
|}

Eventually your character will become {{DFtext|Drowsy|1:0}} and this will get worse until you get sufficient sleep.

Sleep does not necessarily have to coincide with night, but if you're traveling alone when night comes you'll be in danger of being attacked by [[Bogeyman|Bogeymen]]. To avoid this while traveling solo you need to make it to shelter before nightfall and sleep the night away inside a building or abandoned lair. Enter a building, use {{K|k}} to talk to a human, and ask for permission to stay the night. Next press {{K|Z}} to sleep, {{K|d}} to sleep until dawn, then {{K|Enter}} to confirm. ('''NOTE''': If you stay the night in a castle, you have to sleep in the keep which houses the lord/lady of the castle. Sleeping inside the castle but outside the keep still leaves you vulnerable to attack.) Sleeping on an ocean beach also prevents bogeymen from attacking. (If you'd rather not deal with bogeymen, you can disable them by generating a world using [[advanced world generation]] and setting "Number of Night creatures" to 0)

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

Note that sleeping in lairs, shrines, and labyrinths makes you safe from ambush, assuming that you or someone else has killed whatever was living there. If you have sufficient shrines/lairs/etc between you and your goal and they are either uninhabited or inhabited by things you are capable of killing then you can travel from lair to lair using each lair as a safe lodging. This is much safer than sleeping out in the open, day or night, even with companions.

If no other options are available, completely surrounding yourself with campfires will keep night marauders at bay as they cannot pass through the fires; the fires will go out after several hours and enable you to move on (you may also be able to jump over the fires). The bogeymen or other enemies may be outside your line of sight, which will prevent you from firing arrows or throwing things at them. In this case, you will have to stand up and lie down {{K|s}} repeatedly until the enemies wander into your range, the fires go out and the enemies can path to you, or dawn breaks.

== Food and Drink ==

{| class="wikitable" style="border:1px solid #ccc;"
|-
| {{k|e}}
| Eat or drink something
|}

To find water, you must find a river, stream, or well in a town and fill your waterskin from it, or drink from it directly. Water that may be covering you or your items will not be able to satisfy your thirst.

Note that drinking vampire blood will turn you into a vampire instantly.

Make sure to eat or drink regularly even if you're not hungry or thirsty, as you can only eat or drink thrice at a time: after that you'll need to rest, or wait until you can consume another meal. If you find yourself in need of both food and hydration, make sure to take care of the most urgent problem first, as if you are moderately hungry but severely dehydrated and eat three times, you may die before you have another chance to drink.

If the temperature is low enough you might have trouble finding liquid water. Snow and ice can be heated into water by first making a campfire with {{k|g}} and then performing an advanced interaction with {{k|I}} on the ice or snow in your inventory to heat it. Advanced interactions with your waterskin can also be used to gather water from water sources, or snow from the ground.

== Combat ==

{| class="wikitable" style="border:1px solid #ccc;"
|-
| {{k|8}} {{k|2}} {{k|4}} {{k|6}} {{k|7}} {{k|9}} {{k|1}} {{k|3}}
| Attack adjacent hostile creature
|-
| {{k|↑}} {{k|↓}} {{k|←}} {{k|→}}
| Attack adjacent hostile creature
|-
| {{k|A}}
| Attack an adjacent creature.
|-
| {{k|f}}
| Fire a projectile
|-
| {{k|t}}
| Throw an item
|-
| {{k|C}}
| Open combat preferences interface
|}

[[Combat]] is the fine art of using physical force to cause injury and death, and it is particularly fun in Dwarf Fortress.

=== Melee Attacks ===

Hostile creatures can be attacked using a non-aimed attack by simply advancing towards your enemy using the arrow keys. Doing a non-aimed attack will also have a chance of freeing up any stuck weapon, though you are more likely to accomplish this by moving away from the enemy, or complexly interacting with the weapon.

Any creature can be attacked by standing next to it and pressing {{k|A}}. Attacking a friendly or unconscious creature (which includes wild animals for elves) will further require a confirmation, given using {{k|alt}}+{{k|y}}.

After selecting (and maybe confirming) which creature you want to attack, {{k|a}} will allow you to make an '''aimed attack'''. You must first select the body part that you want to attack. Look at the difficulty rating for various possible attacks. Impossible attacks will be impossible to land and Easier attacks will be very easy to land. The difficulty rating for an attack does not change depending on your weapon skill. Based on player experiences, a Grand Master weapon user can almost always land a "Tricky" strike, while a Novice generally cannot. Attacks on various locations will also have limits on how "squarely" they can land (due to being out of reach, for example). Square and very square attacks will deal more damage.{{Verify}} Attacks which "can't land squarely" are generally still effective.

Attacks aimed at the head are the most effective; a single attack to the cranium with a weapon will usually put an end to the fight. Aimed attacks are especially useful for dismembering opponents. Opponents who are missing a foot will fall over, thereby greatly lowering their speed, and giving you an immediate edge in the fight. Cutting off both hands also highly recommended for obvious reasons. After all, a field full of armless, one-legged enemies can be a big experience booster for your companions.

Aimed attacks are also especially helpful when fighting giant beasts. Some enemies like giant desert scorpions have lots of redundant body parts, and random attacks waste valuable time on low priority areas while the scorpion is busy injecting venom into the whole party. Lastly, aimed attacks allow you to grab trophies that are not available via butchering. For example, a minotaur's horns can be cut off during a fight, but since its a humanoid, most adventurers will refuse to butcher its corpse after the fight.

There are several options below the hitting menu. Quick attacks are faster than regular attacks but weaker. Heavy attacks are slower but attack harder. Wild attacks are faster and hit harder but are inaccurate. Precise attacks are very slow but are much more likely to hit. Multi-attacks allow you to attack several times in a row at a great cost to the effectiveness of any one of the chosen attacks.

=== Ranged Attacks ===

To attack with a ranged weapon press the {{k|f}} key with a ranged weapon (bow, crossbow, etc.) equipped on one hand and select the square where you want to attack. Note that you need to have some sort of ammo, corresponding to the type of ranged weapon you are using (for example, bows use arrows, crossbows use bolts). Otherwise, a message stating "You have nothing left to fire." is displayed in brown. Similarly use the {{k|t}} key to throw any random object in the same manner. Random objects appear to make a random attack if they happen to have more than one possible type.{{Verify}} For example, if you throw a sword it may hit with a blunt impact, a stabbing impact, or a slicing impact. Throwing crossbow bolts with sufficient throwing skill and strength seems to have an effect similar to firing them, although less powerful. On the plus side, you will never lose ammo if you throw it.

It is not possible to aim for specific body parts with ranged or thrown attacks.

Throwing is generally a good skill to have for any adventurer, as it allows you to slow down fleeing foes, both on the ground and in the air without the need of equipping a (cross)bow. Just like {{k|l}}ooking, you can use throwing to view and hit enemies multiple Z levels away from you. If you're lucky, you can simply land a hit that causes the flying enemy to give in to pain, and then let gravity do the rest of the work. Even if the fall doesn't kill them, they will most likely be stunned long enough for you to run up and slaughter them.

=== Wrestling and Unarmed Attacks ===

:''Main article: [[Wrestling]]''

'''[[Wrestling]]''' (grappling) can be performed by selecting an enemy via {{k|A}} followed by {{k|b}} to wrestle. You can wrestle any enemy. Wrestling works somewhat like a targeted attack. Once you grab a creature by some body part, you may be able to make another wrestling attempt that will allow you to perform a throw or takedown.

For a detailed list of moves such as takedowns, throws, choke holds, etc., see [[Wrestling]].

It's also possible to punch, kick, and bite. These are not in the wrestling menu but are performed like normal targeted attacks with {{k|A}}.

=== Weapons ===

[[Weapon]]s are basically divided into axe, sword, spear, pike, mace, whip, bow and hammer, with various versions of these taking up the gray area.

=== Wounds ===

If you get wounded during combat, there's not much that you can do except perhaps run before you get more wounded. Your wounds will heal over time, so just travel around or sleep in a safe place. Some wounds however may never heal, leaving you permanently crippled. Obtaining a crutch may help with this. Or if you are not already a vampire, then you can get bitten by a werebeast during full moon, which will heal all injuries once per month.

If you have some bolts or arrows stuck in your body, they can be removed by using the complex interaction menu {{k|I}}. Select the stuck bolt or arrow from the list and then pull it out with {{k|a}} You'll probably start bleeding after you pull it out, but the bleeding is rarely anything to worry about.

=== Combat Preferences ===

At any time during gameplay (Except fast travel mode), you can press {{k|C}} to open the Combat Preferences menu. There are three different preferences you can set: Attack, Dodge and Charge Defense. These have a few different preferences each:

*'''{{k|a}}ttack'''
**'''According to Opponent''' - The default setting. When set to this, charging happens more or less frequently, depending on the difference in size between you and the opponent. Bigger opponents get charged less, smaller more often. Can be very risky, since a random charge against a huge opponent is likely to get you knocked down and stunned. In the same vein, charging when close to obstacles or other environmental hazards is very dangerous, potentially fatal, if the enemy dodges you.
**'''Strike''' - This setting ensures that you never charge an opponent, but rather just swing your weapon at them. This carries less risk than the above, but you're never going to knock anyone down without hitting their legs or spine. Very preferable against large opponents.
**'''Charge''' - When set to this, you ALWAYS charge. When faced with numerous small enemies (Bogeymen in particular), this can be extremely useful, but remember to switch back when facing something bigger. Charging a large dragon is almost a certain death sentence.
**'''Close Combat''' - With this setting, all your auto-attacks are grapples. Generally not very useful, since the random nature of it tends to prevent you from actually doing any damage with it, but if you continually auto-attack a harmless creature with it your wrestling-skill will be legendary in no time.

*'''{{k|d}}odge'''
**'''Move Around''' - This means you can jump away from attacks, physically moving in a random direction. While this lets you dodge attacks more often, it can also result in you jumping into a wall or down a lake. If you're fighting in really tight spaces, or areas with large pits, you might want to switch to the other option.
**'''Stand Ground''' - As can be expected, you stand your ground. No jumping around, which is useful in the above situation, but risky in the open. If you have room for jumping around, go with Move Around, but otherwise this could be a good idea.

*'''{{k|c}}harge Defense'''
**'''According to Opponent''' - Again, the default setting. You're more likely to stand still against small enemies charging, but will probably prefer moving away from larger ones. Somewhat risky, in that even a somewhat small enemy can stun you by charging.
**'''Dodge Away''' - With this, you'll dodge away from charging enemies, if you can. It's not a sure bet, but it's very much worth it against enemies who like to charge. This is probably the most preferable mode, since you're not losing a whole lot by dodging a small foe charging, but dodging an angry night beast can save you from a world of pain.
**'''Stand Ground''' - If you're certain of your physical superiority to the opponent, you can safely choose this. Standing your ground like a real man/woman might feel hardcore, but getting knocked down in a fight can be extremely dangerous. It probably has some use against bogeymen though, since they're quite small. If you really are much bigger than the enemy, you'll end up knocking THEM down. Most of the time though, charges heavily favor the attacker, so dodging away is probably preferable.

Using Combat Preferences properly can actually save your hide, so it's worth fiddling with. Just don't forget that you've fiddled with them, since a misplaced charge or dodge could end up killing you.

== Talking ==
[[File:Advmode_conversation_DF2014.png|thumb|400px|Talking to someone in Adventurer mode.]]
{| class="wikitable" style="border:1px solid #ccc;"
|-
| {{k|k}}
| Talk to somebody
|}

Now that you know how to kill people, you may also want to know how to talk to and otherwise interact with them in a less violent manner. While this is less entertaining, it can sometimes be useful.

To begin a conversation, press {{k|k}}. Unless someone else has already started a conversation with you (see below if someone has), you will get a cyan X that can be positioned over people you want to talk to with the normal directional keys. Use {{k|-}} and {{k|+}} to select who you want to talk to. Aside from individuals, you can also {{DFtext|Shout out to everybody}}, which will have you talking with everyone in earshot, or you can talk to your deity.

Whenever you want to advance the conversation, you have to press {{k|k}} again and choose the ongoing conversation you wish to continue. You will also see ongoing conversations from people who have started a conversation with you. If you want to talk to someone else during this time, simply {{DFtext|Start a new conversation}}.

* {{DFtext|Greet listener}} — Has you offering a greeting to someone, when you're initiating the conversation.
* {{DFtext|Bypass greeting (new menu)}} — Skips the greeting, taking you straight to the normal conversation menus.
* {{DFtext|Reply to greeting}} — If you aren't the one who started the conversation, this option will let you reply to someone's greeting. They will then talk about some trouble.
* {{DFtext|Refuse conversation}} — Causes you to explicitly refuse to talk to someone who started a conversation with you. Unknown if this has a different effect from simply not doing anything.{{Verify}}
* {{DFtext|Reply to greeting (impersonation)}} — Like {{DFtext|Reply to greeting}}, except you're impersonating a deity.
* {{DFtext|Nevermind}} — This has you back out of having a conversation.

When you start talking to someone, you are presented with a wide array of things to talk about. (If the person you are talking to started the conversation and told you about some trouble, you'll first get a menu related to that trouble. Just press {{k|-}}-{{k|Enter}} to {{DFtext|Change the subject (new menu)}} and get to this first menu.) Your choices are as follows:

{| class="wikitable" style="border:1px solid #ccc;"
| style="text-align:right;width:30%;" | {{DFtext|Return to current topic (new menu)}}
| You'll see this option only if you chose to change the subject in another menu. This will, predictably, take you back to that subject.
|-
| style="text-align:right;" | {{DFtext|Bring up specific incident or rumor (new menu)}}
| Allows you to spread rumors or summarize conflicts you've been a part of. The next step of the conversation will bring up a menu of choices that allow you to ask for directions to places or state your opinion on the incident/rumor.
|-
| style="text-align:right;" | {{DFtext|Ask to become a hearthperson}}
| Only appears when talking to a leader who you aren't under the command of. Allows to become one the leader's guards.
|-
| style="text-align:right;" | {{DFtext|Invite listener to become a hearthperson}}
| Only appears when you are a leader. Allows to become one the leader's guards.
|-
| style="text-align:right;" | {{DFtext|Request duty or advice pertaining to service as a hearthperson}}
| Only appears when talking to a leader who are under the command of. You will receive some task to accomplish for the group, if there is anything that needs doing.
|-
| style="text-align:right;" | {{DFtext|Bring up the journey together}}
| Only appears when talking to a companion. The next step of the conversation will allow you to cancel the agreement you made with that person, if you so choose.
|-
| style="text-align:right;" | {{DFtext|Inquire about any troubles}}
| Asks the listener what things in the world are bothering them and their people.
|-
| style="text-align:right;" | {{DFtext|Ask for directions (new menu)}}
| Allows you to ask for the location of a specific creature or site. People aren't guaranteed to know, and may instead direct you to someone who does.
|-
| style="text-align:right;" | {{DFtext|Ask about the local ruler}}
| As you might imagine, this gets you some information on who controls this particular area.
|-
| style="text-align:right;" | {{DFtext|Trade}}
| Allows you to trade with a merchant. Note that you have to be right next to them for this to work.
|-
| style="text-align:right;" | {{DFtext|Exchange, give, or take personal items}}
| Like {{DFtext|Trade}}, only that it works with non-merchants.
|-
| style="text-align:right;" | {{DFtext|Ask favor, place request, make demand or issue order (new menu)}}
| Takes to a menu of various request you can make, including asking the listener to yield, stay put, or pay homage to your group. The options available depends on who you're talking to.
|-
| style="text-align:right;" | {{DFtext|Ask listener to join you (new menu)}}
| This is how you get companions. You can either ask them to join you on an adventure, or to lead you to some location.
|-
| style="text-align:right;" | {{DFtext|Claim this site for yourself (group naming menu)}}
| This option allows you to stake a claim on the site you are in.
|-
| style="text-align:right;" | {{DFtext|Ask for permission to stay a day}}
| Allows you to sleep in the listener's building for the night.
|-
| style="text-align:right;" | {{DFtext|Ask about the structure you are in}}
| Tells you about whatever structure you are standing in, if you are standing in one.
|-
| style="text-align:right;" | {{DFtext|Ask about this site's neighbors and trade partners}}
| Lets you learn what sites this site is neighboring and/or trading with.
|-
| style="text-align:right;" | {{DFtext|Ask about the surrounding area}}
| Choosing this will tell you about some location nearby, and why it's significant.
|-
| style="text-align:right;" | {{DFtext|Comment on weather}}
| Small talk about the weather. Really.
|-
| style="text-align:right;" | {{DFtext|Comment on natural surroundings}}
| Same as the weather, only about the nature around you.
|-
| style="text-align:right;" | {{DFtext|Accuse listener of being a night creature}}
| If chosen against a night creature, such as a vampire, it will expose them. Normal individuals will just think you're losing it.
|-
| style="text-align:right;" | {{DFtext|Inquire about listener's profession}}
| Learn what it is the listener does. Useful for lords and ladies and anyone else whose profession isn't listed next to them.
|-
| style="text-align:right;" | {{DFtext|Ask about listener's family}}
| Discover what family the listener has, as expected.
|-
| style="text-align:right;" | {{DFtext|Brag about your past violent acts}}
| Causes you to brag about whatever last violent act you did. Doesn't seem to have an effect, or at least severely less impactful than summarizing the conflict.{{Verify}}
|-
| style="text-align:right;" | {{DFtext|Say goodbye}}
| Ends the conversation.
|}

Note that you can press {{k|Esc}} to not choose anything. The conversation is still ongoing, you have to explicitly say goodbye to end it. Pressing {{k|Esc}} is useful if you need to double-check something before talking.

== Companions ==

{| class="wikitable" style="border:1px solid #ccc;"
|-
| {{k|c}}
| View companion interface
|}

Companions are the guys who follow you around after you've asked them to join you and they've accepted. Your character will have a limit on the maximum number of companions that is based on fame/reputation level and the ''Social Awareness'' attribute. With average social awareness and the maximum level of fame, the limit is 19 companions.

You can use the {{k|c}} key to open up a list showing your companions and their relative position to you. This can be useful if one of them runs off somewhere and you want to find them. You can select specific companions who are in visual range in order to view them. This is the same as viewing them with {{k|l}}ook.

You can give or take equipment with a companion by choosing to talk to them and selecting {{DFtext|Exchange, give or take personal items}}. In addition to this screen, you can loot your companions' corpses when they die. (An evil but arguably inefficient way to get equipment is to intentionally get your companions killed and then take their stuff.)

However, if they survive long enough/are trained well enough they seem to be capable of leveling stats or skills in some way, and are susceptible to having title or job title changed as well.

Your companions will continue to follow you and fight hostile creatures around you until they die (if you asked them to join you on an adventure) or get you to the proper location (if you asked them to guide you some place). If you want to get rid of your companions at any time, the safe way is to talk to each one of them, ask them about their journey with you, and then cancel the agreement.

If your companions are too far away from you when you enter fast travel, they will become an asterisk on the map where you started fast travel from. This asterisk may try to join up with you during travel. If you keep losing your companions while traveling through rivers, try going to a spot where the river becomes a "minor river" (shown by a single dark blue line). Brooks are obviously also safe to cross.

== Personal Finance ==

=== Trading (barter) ===

In human towns (not hamlets or castles), you can find shops,in Elven Trading trees you can find markets and at depots in dwarven fortresses you can encounter brokers. Once you're inside of a [[shop]] and right next to any of the NPCs, you can use {{K|k}} to {{DFtext|Trade}} with them. Use {{K|Enter}} to select which items to trade, left/right arrow keys to switch between the list of shop items and your items, and up/down arrow keys to scroll through the lists. You can also either {{k|a}}sk for or {{k|o}}ffer currency as part of the process. Once done, press {{K|t}} to trade. The shopkeeper won't get angry if you're not offering enough in trade, so you can start offering just a few items, keep trying again with a little more until the trade is accepted. Once the trade is accepted all of the items you offered will be on the floor underneath you.

After trading, you will find the stuff you gave on the floor at your feet, and the stuff you got in your inventory.

=== Theft ===

You may also pick up the item before buying it, but you should never walk out of a shop carrying an unbought item, as that is theft. It is punishable by death if you are caught, and excommunication if you are not. On any occasion when you have stolen goods from a store (indicated by dollar signs on either side of the item in your inventory), the game requires you to exit the site ''and'' move a considerable distance before allowing you to quick travel. This may make a getaway more difficult if your adventurer is not already faster than anyone else. This only applies to goods in stores; killing townsfolk and taking their personal things, including those of the shopkeep still only requires exiting the site. The moment you are out of sight, you will be able to warp out as usual. Theft and murder remain within entities; even depopulating one country and stealing all its things will not generate ill response in another country.

In some cases, the shop will be abandoned. This will be made clear by the presence of unbought items and the lack of any merchants in the area. You will not be considered a thief by the relevant entity for taking stuff from an abandoned shop.

If the item name is not surrounded by dollar signs, it is never considered stealing, even in situations where it would be in real life.

=== Managing coins ===

You will find that coins from one civilization are nearly worthless in other civilizations. This will typically result in adventurers carrying around lots of now useless coins. Coins can and will encumber your adventurer, eventually reducing your speed. To reduce that effect you can try to exchange your copper and silver coins for gold ones as well as sell all of your loot directly for gold coins. Remember, merchants will always try to pay you in higher denomination currency first but will resort to lower value coins if they run out of anything higher. First, check the merchant's chest to see how much of each type of coins they have.

Coin values are as follows:
* Copper Coin = 1☼
* Silver Coin = 5☼
* Gold Coin = 15☼

To receive the maximum amount of gold coins from that merchant, make sure the amount "they owe you" during the trade is equal to (total amount of gold coins the shop has)*15☼ . If you are selling loot, simply make sure you only trade this worth of goods, and move on to other merchants for the rest. If you wish to exchange copper and silver coins for gold, buy random goods from the merchant until their price is around this value and then sell back all of the goods for their original value but in gold.

Alternatively, you can take your excess coinage and use it to purchase [[Gem|large gems]] at a trinket shop. Large gems make good investments because they are 1) light, 2) variably priced, and 3) equally valuable between different civilizations.

A few goods are strictly superior to all forms of coinage as a store of value, most notably giant cave spider silk items. A suitably sneaky (or powerful) adventurer can murder a few dwarves or goblins for such items for trade and sale for human goods. Giant cave spider silk is a non-renewable resource in a given world - please harvest responsibly.

=== Where to get items to sell ===

The best place to get items to sell is at bandit camps, after you've slaughtered all the bandits. You can loot the clothes and equipment off of the corpses of the bandits (and off your fallen companions, too), plus at the very center of camp there'll be a few scattered weapons and a few bags/chests containing various goods.

The next best way to get items to sell is to kill a creature, butcher their corpse (see below for how), and pick up the edible bits. Butchered bits from the corpses of people (dwarves, elves, humans, etc.) can sometimes be found in monster lairs and these seem to be just as desired by shopkeepers as the products you gain from your own butchering.

Another good early source of income can be bags left in houses and shops, which usually contain plants and food. No one will complain, and the plants inside can be sold at about 2☼ each plus the value of the bag.

At the bottom of the list comes {{k|L}}ooking carefully and selling any small creatures you might find. However, shops will not accept live creatures unless they are in cages. Some rocks, piles of sand, and other things found on the ground nearly everywhere can also be sold for 1☼ each.

You can also try filling your backpack from river - it can hold up to 100 units of water which is worth 100☼ total. After your sell it, water will drop to the floor as a pool, and backpack can be refilled instantly and for free from there. In fact, you can infinitely fill any container from any pool/pile of any liquid/powder, so if you happen to find some precious substance like [[sunshine]] or [[dwarven sugar]], money won't be a problem for you anymore. This is of course an [[exploit]], liable to be fixed at any time. It may be useful in a pinch, but don't rely on it.

Another devious method is to go outside the shop, {{k|g}}rab handfuls of mud and throw it into your backpack, then sell them for 1☼ each. The merchants will gladly buy your rare and valuable mud despite the unlimited free mud just outside their shop.

== Quest Log ==

{| class="wikitable" style="border:1px solid #ccc;"
|-
| {{k|Q}}
| Open quest log
|-
| {{k|Esc}}
| Exit quest log
|-
| {{k|e}} {{k|p}} {{k|s}} {{k|r}} {{k|b}}
| Access various lists
|-
| {{k|m}}
| Switch between the world map and additional info
|-
| {{k|z}}
| Center cursor on location of selected list item, if known
|-
| {{k|c}}
| Center cursor on your location
|-
| {{k|l}}
| Toggle the visibility of the line between you and some other point on the map.
|-
| {{k|f}}
| Filter the list
|-
| {{k|+}} {{k|-}} {{k|*}} {{k|/}}
| Navigate the list
|}

The quest log contains everything you know about the world, such as various events going on, people you know, and various sites. The {{k|m}} key will alternate between a world map that you can navigate, and information on whatever item is highlighted in the list to the right.

There are various kinds of lists you can check on the quest log:

* '''Events''' — A list of events that are happening or have happened. Formatting of the list is {{DFtext|(type)/(description)}}. You can center on the location of the event if you know this. This list is the closest you'll get to some formal quest system.
* '''People''' — A list of people you know. At the start of the game, this list will contain people in your site.
* '''Sites''' — A list of various sites around the world.
* '''Groups''' — A list of groups you know of and your relation to them. Note that you have to press {{k|e}} when you're on the events list in order to reach this list, requiring you to press {{k|e}} at most twice.
* '''Regions''' — A list of regions. The additional information will list the biomes a region possesses.
* '''Bestiary''' — A list of creatures, their characteristics, and where you could find them.

==Crafting==
{| class="wikitable" style="border:1px solid #ccc;"
|-
| {{k|x}}
| Perform action (butcher, create item...)
|}

Adventurers can perform limited crafting, (also known as "reactions"). To access the crafting menu, press {{k|x}}.

* '''[[Knapper|Knapping]]''' allows an adventurer to sharpen a rock. Knapping only works on stones on the ground or in your hands. Choose the {{k|c}}reate option and then select "Make sharp stone". You will be prompted to choose a rock to sharpen ("tool stone"), and then the rock that is to be the hammerstone. The tool stone will be replaced in your hand by a sharp version.

* '''Butchering''' acts similarly to Fortress Mode's [[Butchery]] by converting a corpse into edible products, bones, and skin. A corpse must be on the ground or in your hand. With a sharp object (such as a dagger or knapped stone or even a bolt/arrow) in your hand or on the same tile of the corpse, select the {{k|b}}utcher option, and then you can select the corpse and the sharp tool to butcher with. The corpse will be replaced by its butchering returns.

* '''Spitting''' gives you spit, which can be aimed at someone in much the same way as any projectile. To get this, choose natural ability and then spit in the reactions menu.

You may also gain acquired abilities when you become a creature of the night, such as a necromancer.

= Sites =

More information on each type of site can be found in the site's specific article.

== Civilization ==

[[Civilization]]s are organized groups of creatures (generally of the same race) which build sites such as towns.

=== Human Sites ===

==== Towns {{Raw Tile|+|7:0:0}} {{Raw Tile|*|7:0:0}} {{Raw Tile|#|7:0:0}} {{Raw Tile|☼|7:0:0}} ====
Humans live in towns comprised of buildings and often a paved road. Human towns are highly modular, and are usually near some source of water, either the coast or a river.

Towns appear on the fast travel map (when outside a site) as {{Tile|■|7:0:1}} or {{Tile|■|6:0:1}} symbols which are small collections of buildings. When you are near a human site, large yellow blocks indicate where various houses and shops are found (though not all houses and shops can be found in these blocks; sometimes you'll find a house or two out in a site's fields). You usually have to follow the roads in a yellow block on the fast travel map.

Towns usually have lots of interesting structures which are described fully in the [[town]] article.

==== Hamlets {{Raw Tile|æ|7:0:0}} {{Raw Tile|Æ|7:0:0}} {{Raw Tile|{{=}}|7:0:0}} {{Raw Tile|≡|7:0:0}} ====
Most of the time, the majority of a human civilization's population will live in small [[hamlet]]s, which tend to be sprawled out along coastlines and through river valleys. Like other sites, they can be invaded, and you'll sometimes find them captured by other civilizations, [[necromancer]]s, or criminal syndicates. Human adventurers usually spawn in hamlets.

Note that hamlets are similar in structure to towns, only they have mead halls instead of keeps, and don't have any defensive walls.

=== Dwarven Sites ===

==== Dwarf Fortresses {{Raw Tile|Ω|7:0:1}} ====
These are the randomly generated equivalent of the sites you build in [[dwarf fortress mode]]. [[Fortress]]es are described in detail in the own article. Their main function for adventurers is that they have a central, spiraling ramp that connects the underground and above-ground worlds, particularly in that they connect the subterranean tunnel networks to the rest of the dwarf civilization. They are located at the edges of mountain ranges.

Player-made fortresses are considered dwarf fortresses by the game, in addition to the randomly-generated ones.

==== Mountain Halls {{Raw Tile|Ω|0:0:1}} ====
[[Mountain halls]] are the sites of the "deep dwarves," located far beneath the mountains. They can be accessed via down-stairs found in underground tunnels, and are comprised of a couple of levels that contain bedrooms and large halls filled with smelters or forges.

==== Hillocks {{Raw Tile|Ω|7:0:0}} ====
[[Hillock]]s are the dwarf equivalent to human hamlets. They consist of a few circular mounds filled with dwarf citizens. There doesn't seem to be any settlement pattern for them; they are equally likely to be found in any land [[biome]].

=== Elven Sites ===

==== Forest Retreats {{Raw Tile|î|6:0:1}} {{Raw Tile|¶|6:0:1}} ====
Elves live in [[forest retreat]]s located, unsurprisingly, in [[forest]] biomes. They are essentially clusters of huge [[tree]]s with elves standing in and around them.

=== Goblin Sites ===

==== Dark Fortresses {{Raw Tile|π|0:0:1}} {{Raw Tile|π|5:0:0}} {{Raw Tile|π|5:0:1}} ====
These are the main goblin sites. Some [[dark fortress]]es may contain a [[Underworld spire|certain spoiler]].

==== Dark Pits {{Raw Tile|º|5:0:0}}====
These are the goblin equivalent of hamlets and hillocks. [[Dark Pit]]s are essentially canyons lined with wooden guard towers. They tend to be built in huge clusters around the dark fortresses, such that large chunks of the map may be covered with them.

=== Night Creature Sites ===

==== Necromancer's Towers {{Raw Tile|I|5:0:0}} ====
[[Necromancer]]'s Towers are built by necromancers who have at least 50 followers; younger necromancers may take over towns or camps instead. Usually you can find [[book]]s written by the necromancer, some of which contain [[Necromancer#Adventurer_Mode|the secret to life and death]]. Towers require abundant human populations (low savagery, large tracts of neutral land) and a high number of secrets to be generated in world generation, as necromancers cannot be elf or goblin.

==== Lairs ====
Lairs are the homes of [[night troll]]s. Lairs are mounds or holes in the ground with doors or hatch covers. Most night troll lairs are inhabited by a single creature, but sometimes you'll encounter entire families of five or even ten.

= FAQ =

== How do I find an entrance to the underworld? ==
Method 1: Most [[Cave|caves]] lead directly into the first [[cavern]] layer. Although it may be possible to learn of some trouble which originates from a cave{{verify}}, your best bet is to ask people about the surroundings, and hope that they mention a cave at some point. If they don't, travel to another site a fair bit away from where you are and ask someone else.

Method 2: Dwarf [[Fortress|fortresses]] are connected to the [[tunnel]] system, which usually connects to the caverns.

Method 3: You can start a [[dwarf fortress mode]] game, dig to the first cavern layer, retire or abandon the fortress, and then return with your adventurer.

The three cavern layers are connected to each other in [[Deep pit|various]] [[Passage|places]], although they are rather spread out and extremely difficult to find with an adventurer.

Additionally, [[Underworld spire|a certain spoiler]] can be found which leads to [[Hell|another spoiler]], deep underground.

== I keep getting maimed! How can I fight without getting seriously hurt? ==
The best defense is a good offense. If you let your enemies attack you, you're (unsurprisingly) likely to get hurt eventually.
* Try to '''avoid fighting difficult enemies until you get some armor'''. Don't fight enemies at all unless you're sure you can beat them. If you're unsure, you're probably going to get hurt.
* If you have good speed, try to '''fight enemies one-by-one''' — keep moving backwards and only attack when you're within range of just one enemy.
* If you have a slashing weapon, try to '''chop body parts off of your enemy''' — it makes them stop fighting for a turn, allowing you to keep attacking them without being attacked in exchange. Chopping off limbs will also weaken your enemies - taking their arms can prevent them from using weapons, taking their legs can make them slow and knock them down. Chopping off their heads will instantly kill them, but it may take a few (or, with larger enemies such as [[troll]]s, it may take more than fifteen) slashes before the head is severed.
* Remember that '''it's better to let your enemy come to you, than to go to your enemy'''. You have to either move or attack. If you move, you can't attack, so if you move within range to attack your enemy, you allow them to have the first strike (unless you're much faster than them). On the other hand, if you let them move within range of you, then you get to have the first strike. If your enemy is one space away from you, use that as an opportunity to throw a knife or a rock at them; worst case, they will get a bruise or a cut; best case, they will start the melee severely crippled. If you're fast enough, then you can simply step back after getting in that first hit, and they'll have to spend their turn approaching you again. Lather, rinse, repeat.
* Follow the advice under [[#Combat Preferences|Combat Preferences]].

== How can I obtain armor as quickly as possible? ==
* The best way would be to rummage through mead halls, keeps, and fortresses, or whatever other strongholds your race makes use of. Not all places will be stocked with equipment, but usually they have something.
** There are also underground locations, such as the dungeons underneath keeps, or the catacombs under temples, that contain plenty of equipment. These underground places are liable to be populated with unfriendly creatures, so beware.
* You can also take along companions and have them killed, or just plainly murder people and loot their corpses for stuff.
* You can earn some money by exchanging some loot with the local populace for coins, and then buy equipment off of soldiers you might meet in towns. Remember that coins only have nominal value in the civilization they've been minted, but gems are equally valuable anywhere.

== How do I increase my skills and attributes? ==

Here are some techniques for raising your skills; very rapidly in some cases.

Most of these skill-raising techniques involve repeatedly entering the same keystrokes. To assist with this you can use a [[DF2014:Macro|macro]] to make entering the same sequence of keystrokes over and over again much easier.

Increasing skills increases associated attributes which may in turn benefit other skills. For example, sharpening rocks using {{k|x}} will increase Knapping which will increase a number of attributes that help with combat skills. See [[Attribute#Skills_by_Associated_Attributes|Skills and Associated Attributes]] for a mostly complete list.

*'''Fighting and Wrestling''' — A good way to raise your Fighting and Wrestling skills and related attributes is to go find a small, relatively harmless animal and wrestle with it repeatedly. You can wrestle hitting {{k|b}} for the wrestling option after selecting the creature to fight. Continually grabbing and releasing a creature is sufficient to raise your skill, and you can do it indefinitely with the same animal as it won't be injured (unless you auto-wrestle it). Wrestling will increase Kinesthetic Sense, Spatial Sense, and to a lesser extent, Endurance. You may also somewhat increase Dodging and Shield User this way as the creature takes swipes at you.It's possible to change your {{k|C}}ombat preferences for attacking and dodging to ''Close Combat'' and ''Stand Ground'', respectively, allowing you to simply walk into the helpless critter to wrestle it. (Standing your ground prevents you from moving to dodge attacks, so your wrestling can continue almost uninterrupted.) You will, however, perform occasional throws and take-downs as long as the creature remains standing, which may result in their eventual bleeding to death. Strangulation is also a repeated concern, as it will render the victim unconscious, thus making you have to wait until it regains consciousness before you can continue auto-wrestling it (though you may still raise your Wrestler and Fighter skills by 10 points for every time you ''release'' a limb - though this must be done manually and must be repeatedly confirmed, once the creature is rendered unconscious). Another concern with auto-wrestling some animals is that you will perform joint locks, and break hips, knees, and ankles in the process, which can cause the creature to bleed to death. If you can wrangle a creature incapable of blood-loss and strangulation in a high-FPS area (such as a crab on a frozen beach), you can easily raise all associated skills and attributes to Legendary and Superhuman in the course of a few minutes.
*'''Shield User, Armor User, and Dodging''' - In addition to wrestling the creature, you can also sit back and let it attack you to raise your defensive skills. If you have metal armor, then a small animal like a gopher can't do any real damage to you when it hits. Also, to place emphasis more heavily on shield blocking, you can change your attack {{K|C}}ombat preference to ''Stand Ground''. The wrestling-a-crab-on-a-frozen-beach method also works fantastically for this.
*'''Weapon Skills and Fighting''' — Once your defensive skills are getting up there and your agility is high enough, you might want to try fighting [[bogeyman|bogeymen]] to increase your weapon skill. Just make sure to fight them one at a time while running away. If you don't know what a bogeyman is yet then you are probably not ready to try this. Also, doing difficult targeted shots will gain more experience and keep the training dummy alive longer.
*'''Throwing and Archery''' — Throwing rocks with {{k|t}} will raise your Throwing and Archery skills. Throwing objects at creatures, while not terribly effective, can still be a quite handy skill. Although throwing is a way to raise Archery without wasting ammunition, there is a non-wasteful method that additionally increases bow/crossbow skills.The most efficient way to level via throwing is to forgo using a macro and separate training into two phases: {{k|g}}etting and {{k|t}}hrowing. First, find a tile with an indefinite amount of throwable objects (e.g., snow, rocks, mud, etc.). Then, sequentially mash {{k|g}} and whatever key the rocks are assigned to until both your forearms explode. Rest. Then, sequentially mash {{k|t}}, followed by some consistent key assigned to your rocks, then {{k|Enter}}, until you've emptied your inventory. Rest. Rinse and repeat. (You may wish to empty your inventory beforehand such that the rocks are assigned to a key close to {{k|t}}, allowing you to keep one hand on {{k|Enter}} and another on {{k|t}}.)
*'''Marksman, Bowman, and Archery''' — Raising the bow and crossbow weapon-specific skills is best done by shooting at a wall or cliff with no floor directly beneath it. If bolts or arrows hit a wall that has floor/ground on the same z-level, then the ammunition will be destroyed. ''However'', ammunition that falls at least one z-level after hitting a wall will remain intact. So, simply find something like a hill inside a castle, stand on it, then shoot at a wall which is on the same z-level you are. The arrows will hit the wall and fall one z-level to the ground, remaining intact. You can then {{k|g}}et the arrows and {{k|f}}ire them at the wall again from the hill, ad infinitum. You can also stand next to a wall that's two or more z-levels high, aiming at the wall one z-level up by hitting {{k|<}} after hitting {{k|f}}. Whatever method you employ, the key is that the arrow needs to fall at least one z-level after hitting a wall to remain intact. Using a macro will speed this up greatly.
*'''Ambushing and Swimming''' — An efficient way to raise Ambushing is to sneak over large stretches of land. Sneaking on the fast travel screen may work as well.{{Verify}} Ideally, this would be done in a biome containing sparse vegetation and few threatening creatures to blunder into and reduce FPS (e.g., a frozen beach).Although less efficient for raising only Ambushing, it's also possible to sneak and swim at the same time, thus combining their training. '''Just make sure you start with at least Novice in swimming''', or you'll find swimming practically impossible to train. Swimming can very quickly improve your Strength, Agility, and Endurance. Additionally, if you can safely drown and then recover (e.g., by moving under a bridge and then back before suffocating), this will raise both Toughness and Endurance at a ''ridiculous'' pace— a single step spent drowning will raise both attributes by a fifth of a point apiece.
*'''Observer''' — You can't really power-level this skill as it is slow and difficult to train, which is why you're advised to sink some points into it during character creation. However, one way to train it appears to be sleeping or walking around in the wilderness, allowing yourself to be repeatedly ambushed. This is, however, inherently dangerous. Running away from these encounters would probably be faster than slaying your assailants, if not generally safer for your character (but not for your companions, hoh boy).Successfully detecting traps found in tombs and catacombs (performed automatically) will also raise Observer. However, without decent skill to begin with, you'll be torn to pieces by the many traps you'll fail to see. Otherwise, once you've found one or more traps, it's possible to grind experience by sleeping/waiting an hour, thus resetting the traps. Rinse and repeat.
*'''Spatial and Kinesthetic Sense''' - While sharpening rocks with {{k|x}} will improve your Knapping skill, it more importantly increases your Spatial Sense and Kinesthetic Sense attributes, which affect a number of other skills. Knapping can be combined with throwing via a macro to keep your inventory from filling up.
*'''Other Stats''' - Other useful stats like Strength, Agility, and Toughness will increase significantly as the fighting and defense skills increase, so you don't need to do anything other than what you'd normally be doing to increase these.

== I managed to escape but my limbs are chopped off. Now what? ==

'Tis but a scratch!

Unfortunately, there is only one way to get them back, and that is by being bitten by a [[werebeast]] and surviving until the next full moon. But as long as you have at least one leg and one arm left you can actually do pretty well. First, get a crutch from somewhere, such as a general store, and make sure it's in one of your hands. Once you do that you should be able to {{k|s}}tand back up again. (However, if spinal nervous tissue damage is what has disabled your ability to stand, crutches ''will not'' help you in that regard.) You will notice that your speed is now much slower than before.

Now go find someplace reasonably safe and walk back and forth until your Crutch Walking skill gets up to Legendary or above. You will notice your speed increasing as your skill levels up until your speed is completely back to normal. As a bonus you'll probably see some stat increases as well. You can continue to dodge with a crutch just as well as before.

You can wield a sword, shield, and crutch all in one hand, so even if you are missing an arm then you're all set. If you are missing both arms but still have both legs then unfortunately you'll be limited to biting, dodging, and wrestling with legs. If you're missing both arms and one leg then your movement will be limited and you'll be limited to biting and wrestling with your one remaining leg. And if all limbs are missing then you'll be limited to rolling around on the ground biting things.

Though you might actually be able to do surprisingly well as a Legendary Biter, especially if you powerlevel your strength to the point where you can shake things around by the teeth ripping limbs off, if you lose both legs then your character is going to be severely limited just due to the poor movement rate, so at that point it's probably best to opt for retirement or a glorious death in battle.

== What creatures of night can I become? ==

You basically have four different choices.

Firstly, you can become a [[necromancer|'''necromancer''']].
* That gives you some traits of an undead. Namely, you don't need to eat, sleep or drink, don't tire or age, zombies or mummies don't attack you and your physical stats are permanently fixed.
* The last one means it's wise to train them beforehand.
* You also can raise dead from the {{K|x}} menu. Depending on the flavor of your spell, zombies can be slow, very slow or not slow at all. They will be listed as companions.
* To become a necromancer, find a necromancer tower and obtain a book or slab containing secrets of life and death from there, then read it. Note that most of the books are useless. In younger worlds necromancers may not have built their towers yet, in which case they'll be hanging at a zombie bandit camp, slab under the arm.

Secondly, you can become a [[vampire|'''vampire''']].
* That gives you most traits of an undead. In addition to the listed above, you don't feel pain, don't breathe and immune to most syndromes.
* Your strength, agility and toughness are doubled.
* They're still fixed forever, so, again, be prepared.
* Despite not needing to drink water, you have a hunger for warm blood. To satisfy it, beat someone or something unconscious and {{K|e}}at their blood.
* To become a vampire, defeat one in combat and drink his blood.

Thirdly, you can become a [[werebeast|'''werebeast''']].
* This gives you the (uncontrolled) ability to transform into a powerful half-man, half-beast on a full moon.
* There's a fixed list of animals on which the werebeast is based, including goat, llama, lizard, horse, monitor, buffalo, moose, tortoise, camel, kangaroo, ape, gecko, bear, hyena, warthog, iguana, skink, shrew, elk, skunk, pig, raccoon, panda, mole, badger, armadillo, mammoth and more.
* Most importantly, upon transformation (both ways) all your wounds, including missing limbs, are instantly healed.
* You don't show any abnormalcy outside of beast form. You are still mortal.
* When in beast form, everything is hostile to you, you don't need to drink, eat, sleep or breathe, don't feel pain, don't tire and are immune to some syndromes.
* One randomly chosen metal is ten times as deadly to you than usual. All other materials deal you half damage.
* Werebeast's size is several times their base animal size, but no less than 80000. This means all armor will be too small for you while in beast form. But you can still use a shield.
* Also, some werebeasts are truly gigantic — weremammoth has a size of 9000000, on par with demons.
* To become a werebeast, make one bite you. It has to be in the beast form.
* You cannot be a werebeast and a vampire at the same time.

And finally, you can become a mist [[zombie|'''zombie''']].
* This makes you undead. In addition to vampire traits, you can see without eyes and can't die via blood loss or beheading. Note that you don't have health point limit raised zombies have.
* You become permanently hostile to everyone except other undead.
* Your strength and toughness are tripled and fixed. Train beforehand.
* Depending on the flavor of zombie virus, your speed may or may not drop to 20% or 60% of its normal value.
* To become a mist zombie, find a mist/fog cloud that zombifies creatures and run into it.
* You cannot become a vampire or a werebeast if you are already a zombie. The other way, however, is fine.

=See Also=
*[[Main:Adventure Mode quick reference|Adventure Mode Quick Reference]]
*[[Main:Adventure mode quick start|Adventure Mode Quickstart Guide]]

{{Getting Started}}
{{Category|Adventurer mode}}
{{Category|Interface}}

Adventurer mode

2014-12-04T18:50:14Z

Nubtom:

{{Quality|Masterwork|00:47, 29 September 2013 (UTC)}}
{{av}}

:''This is a detailed reference guide for Adventurer Mode. For a tutorial see the [[Adventure mode quick start|Adventure Mode Quickstart Guide]].
:''See [[Adventure Mode quick reference]] to quickly look up key commands.

In '''Adventurer Mode''' (also called "adventure mode") you create a single adventurer ([[dwarf]], [[human]], or [[elf]]) - as opposed to a group of dwarves - who starts out somewhere in one of your generated worlds. You can learn about what ails the world and go on [[quest|quests]] to end those troubles (or get brutally murdered trying). You can also venture into the wilderness to find [[cave|caves]], shrines, lairs, abandoned towers, and other [[Site|towns and settlements]]. You can even visit your previously abandoned and retired [[fortress|fortresses]] and take all the precious items you yourself once created.

Unlike [[Fortress mode]], Adventurer Mode is a sort of advanced [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sandbox_game open world] version of [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rogue_%28computer_game%29 rogue] or [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nethack nethack] taking place in the same procedurally generated worlds used for Fortress Mode. Whereas in fortress mode you are in charge of a large group of people in real-time, in adventurer mode you control a single character in a turn-based manner.

=World Selection=

You can play Adventurer mode in any world that has a civilization with the [[Entity_token#Gameplay|ADVENTURE_TIER]] token (which are elf, dwarf, and human in unmodded raws). Humans inhabit cities, towns, and the occasional above-ground fortress. Elves inhabit forest retreats. Dwarves are spread between "deep sites" which sometimes do not contain a direct connection to the surface, and "hill dwarves" which inhabit a loose collection of mounds built into hillsides. Human cities and towns are currently the only sites with shops and other places to officially buy goods.

If you have previously built a fort in the world that you select, your adventurer will be able to go visit it. If you have selected to "retire" the fortress rather than abandon it, you will likely be able to encounter all of the inhabitants from fortress mode. However, they will likely not have the same level of activity as they would in a bustling fortress-mode fort.

=Character Creation=

==Race and Civilization==

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

*'''Humans''' Always originate from one of the villages in the world, begin with bronze, copper, or iron weapons, and can use any of the items sold by shopkeepers (who, for the time being, are only found in human towns and only sell human-sized clothing/armor). They also start with the widest variety of weapon skills.

*'''Human Outsiders''' Human Outsiders are humans that aren't from that world or any of its villages. They simply appear in the wilderness, a stranger to all. You may always play as an outsider, even if the world is otherwise completely uninhabited. Outsiders can only start with Spear User and Knife User as weapon skills, and they cannot start with Armor User or Shield User. They also start out literally naked with no clothing, but can wear any human-sized armor that they trade for, steal, or loot. "Outsiders" of other races can be played if you add the [[Entity_token#Gameplay|INDIV_CONTROLLABLE]] token to the race's entity definition.

*'''Dwarves''' have the advantage of being able to go into a [[Martial trance|martial trance]] when fighting multiple foes at once. This gives them many combat bonuses, which aids their survival greatly. They are the only race which can start with steel weapons, but they wear "small" sized clothing (like goblins and elves) which means that they're unable to wear human clothing and armour found in shops. Goblin armor fits them, making Dark Fortresses (if your computer can handle them) and bandits a viable source of armor; if you're up for it, you could also just rob some dwarves. They can start with almost all of the same weapon skills as civilized humans. Many larger weapons must be wielded two-handed by dwarves, due to their size.

*'''Elves''' start with very weak wooden weapons and have a more limited list of weapon skills during character creation. They have the advantage that they have higher natural speed. Elves also have the AT_PEACE_WITH_NATURE tag. This makes all wildlife passive towards them. Like dwarves they wear small sized clothing and will have the same problem finding suitable armour.

*'''Kobolds''' can be played only if there are no other civilizations and there are kobolds. They are very small and weak in combat and a huge challenge compared to the other races. They wear even smaller armour than the other races and armour will be impossible to find for them, unless you are absurdly lucky and run into armoured kobolds.

If no civilization for the given race exists in a world you can only play as an outsider.

== Status ==

Determines the number of starting skill and attribute points, which does not change based on race:
*'''Peasant:''' 15 attribute, 35 skill
*'''Hero:''' 35 attribute, 95 skill
*'''Demigod:''' 105 attribute, 161 skill
The number of skill points is less significant than the number of attribute points because the time it takes to go from Peasant to Demigod in skill terms is much less than what it would take to go from Peasant to Demigod in attribute terms.

== Starting Attributes ==

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

=== Body ===

*'''Strength''': Alters the damage you inflict in melee regardless of weapon used. Increases muscle size. This increased muscular layer helps prevent damage, although this is a pretty minor effect. Increasing strength, at least in adventurers, increases movement speed (albeit not as much as agility) due to better carrying capacity.
*'''Agility''': This attribute is directly related to a character's Speed and is also used in combat skills. Agility is really, really important as being faster than the enemies allows you to get more hits in before they can fight back and lets you run away more easily.
*'''Toughness''': Reduces physical damage inflicted on you. Also relates to defensive combat skills.
*'''Endurance''': Reduces the rate at which the adventurer becomes exhausted. Becoming exhausted causes you to collapse, helpless and immobile and can cause you to pass out.
*'''Recuperation''': Increases the rate of wound healing. Not as important as Toughness. Recuperation isn't that useful in adventurer mode since you usually have as much time to rest as you need assuming you can escape a situation alive.
*'''Disease Resistance''': Seems to have some effect on vampirism infectivity; may have to do with infected wounds.

=== Soul ===

Some of these are useful for adventure-mode-applicable skills, but some are totally useless except as dump stats.

*'''Analytical Ability''': Useful only for Knapping; should be reduced to minimum.{{Verify}}

*'''Focus''': Affects Archer, Ambusher, Observer.

*'''Willpower''': Affects Fighter, Crutch Walker and Swimmer. Willpower is really important as it governs how easily you'll pass out from extreme pain. Low willpower is a death sentence if you are seriously wounded, as you'll pass out and have your head caved in. Broken bones currently cause enough pain that even very high willpower usually won't keep you conscious. For non bone injuries however willpower can keep you going long enough to kill enemies, or at least get away from them.

*'''Creativity''': Useless at the moment.

*'''Intuition''': Helps with Observer, which aids in spotting concealed enemies,ambushes and identifying attacks from opponents.

*'''Patience''': May have some effect on dealings with others as a result of the new conversation system.{{Verify}}

*'''Memory''': Memory aids greatly in mapping out areas as the higher your memory the longer you'll remember an area. As you explore you'll forget previously explored areas, causing them to appear blank, as if you had never been there. If you have low enough memory you'll forget areas of large locations like underground catacombs while you're still in them, making finding your way very confusing, as things like the exit wont be visible anymore until you find it again. Best to have at least average memory.

*'''Linguistic Ability''': May have some effect on dealings with others as a result of the new conversation system.{{Verify}}

*'''Spatial Sense''': Important. Affects combat skills, Ambusher, Crutch Walker, Swimmer, Observer, Knapping.

*'''Musicality''': Completely useless. Use this as a dump stat.

*'''Kinaesthetic Sense''': Affects most combat skills, walking with crutches and swimming.

*'''Empathy''': Might increase chance of persuading people to join you.{{Verify}}

*'''Social Awareness''': Increases the number of followers you can have at a given "fame" level. Normally you start with a limit of two. Increasing this stat by one level raises that to three. Your fame still plays a big part in whenever you can recruit followers or not.

=== Attribute Advancement Cap ===

Adventure mode attributes are capped at double the starting value or the starting value plus the racial average, whichever is greater. Humans, for example, have a racial average strength of 1,000. If a human adventurer starts with an ''above average'' strength of 1,100, then his strength will ultimately be capped at 2,200. Had this human started with a ''below average'' strength of 900, then his strength would be capped at 1,900 instead. For the purpose of maximizing final attributes, this makes it important to start with as many attributes in the ''superior'' range as possible (more attributes per point allocated), while avoiding taking any penalties to even remotely important attributes (big attribute deductions per point recovered). As a consequence of the attribute cap, demigod adventurers will always have a much higher potential for advancement than mere peasants and heroes.

== Starting Skills ==

Not all races have the same sets of skills available at character creation time, but keep in mind that all starting [[skill]]s, as well as ones not available at character creation, can be improved through use in game. [[Reader]] is an exception to this.

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

=== Weapon ===

The weapon you start out with will be based on which of these, plus the unarmed combat skills, is the highest. In other words, even if Swordsman is your highest weapon skill, you won't start with a sword if your Wrestler or Striker skills are better. Usually the best choice anyway is to specialize in just one melee weapon skill. Regardless of weapon skills, a '''large copper dagger''' will always be included in the starting equipment, which is handy for throwing at enemies that are just a step away or finishing off a foe pinned down by a stuck weapon. If you don't select any offensive skills, you will also start with a spear, just as an outsider would.

Not all races/civilizations can start with all of these skills. Dwarves can't start with Bowman, Pikeman, or Lasher. Elves can only use Swordsman, Bowman, and Spearman. Of the playable races, only humans have access to Pikeman and Lasher. Strangely, only outsiders can start with Knife User.

Note that different races have different names for their weapon skills. Axegoblin, Axedwarf etc.

Crossbowman is an exception. Dwarves call this skill Marksdwarf, although bow skill is referred to as Bow Dwarf as you'd expect. Elite Axe and Hammer dwarves are referred to as Lords.

*'''Axeman''': allows characters to use axes, great axes, and halberds more effectively. Useful for cleaving off limbs.
*'''Bowman''': skill allows characters to use bows more effectively. Useful for taking down enemies at a distance.
*'''Crossbowman''': allows characters to use crossbows more effectively. Useful for taking down enemies at a distance.
*'''Hammerman''': allows characters to use crossbows in melee, mauls, and war hammers more effectively. Useful for breaking limbs.
*'''Knife User''' - allows characters to use large daggers and knives more effectively. Useful for stabbing things.
*'''Lasher''' - allows characters to use whips and scourges more effectively. Very deadly weapons.
*'''Maceman''' - allows characters to use flails, maces, and morningstars more effectively. Similar to hammers.
*'''Pikeman''' - allows characters to use pikes more effectively. Like spears, but much bigger.
*'''Spearman''' - allows characters to use spears more effectively. Useful for stabbing things.
*'''Swordsman''' - allows characters to use blowguns and bows in melee, long swords, scimitars, short swords, and two-handed swords more effectively. Useful for cutting, stabbing, and whacking, but less effective than more dedicated weapons.

=== General Combat ===

These two skills can be raised rather quickly in game and so you probably want to skip spending any points on them at the start.

*'''Fighter''' - This increases with, and contributes to, melee combat whether armed or unarmed. It appears that the purpose of it is to allow melee experience to contribute to melee combat in general regardless of weapon. Repeatedly wrestling (grabbing and releasing) even a small creature will raise this skill.
*'''Archer''' - This increases with, and contributes to, ranged combat including throwing. It works similarly to Fighter except for ranged attacks. It can be easily raised by repeatedly throwing rocks, making it advisable for archers to practice their marksmanship with rock throwing before using up the more finite and expensive forms of ammunition. Shooting at a wall with adjacent upward ramp one level below and picking back projectiles is also a good idea (such places often happen to be in keeps and fortresses). See the FAQ section on [[#How do I increase my skills and attributes?|increasing your skills and attributes]] for information on raising bowman/marksman skills.

=== Defensive ===

These skills are critical for survival. Starting out with good ability in one (especially Shield User or Armor User) if not all is strongly advised.

*'''Shield User''' - Ability to block attacks with shields. Starting with even novice skill in this means that the adventurer will start with a shield. This is a no-brainer unless you're creating a two handed weapon user, and lack a broadness or height modifier on your character - necessary for one-handing any two-handed weapon, without penalty.
*'''Armor User''': A higher level of this skill reduces the encumbrance penalties of armour, allowing you to move faster when wearing it. It also affects how well armour protects you and this makes a huge difference. Unskilled armour users gain little protection. This is noticeable as you'll begin seeing far more combat reports about hits either striking you though armour, (you managed to use your armour to lessen the force of the blow) or being deflected by your armour (you used your amour to avoid the hit entirety) as your skill rises and you learn to actually use your armour to deflect hits. It is highly advised to train your armour skill before entering battle with it as the speed penalties of lower levels can be a serious handicap.
*'''Dodger''' - Ability to dodge out of the way of attacks. Dodger is incredibly important and will allow you to avoid many, many hits that would have otherwise injured you. Especially important when you are fighting unarmoured and can't afford a battle axe in the chest. Boost this to talented or at least close to it.

=== Unarmed Combat and Improvised Weapons ===

While some of them come in handy at times, they can generally be raised fairly easily in game, especially Wrestler and Thrower.

*'''Wrestler''' - Ability to grapple, restrain, take-down, throw opponents, etc. Higher skill means all of these moves succeed more often. See [[#Wrestling and Unarmed Attacks]] for details. Can be raised very easily in game.
*'''Striker''' - Punching ability. Turns handy when weapons get stuck and there is no time to wrest them back.
*'''Kicker''' - Kicking ability. Same as Striker. Kicks are slower but more deadly than punches; heavy kicks are particularly good at crushing and exploding heads.
*'''Biter''' - Biting ability. Biting is surprisingly effective even with non animal races as after biting you can shake opponents around by your teeth, causing great damage and possibly ripping off body parts, although with sapient races this tends to lean more towards fingers or toes, perhaps the occasional hand or foot.
*'''Thrower''' - Throwing any miscellaneous object including rocks, knives, axes, swords, heads, etc. Skill affects accuracy and damage caused.
*'''Misc. Object User''' - Ability to beat things to death with anything that comes at hand, from bags to coins to their own severed body parts. Also somewhat more commonly used for shield bashing. This skill affects combat with any object, from a rock to a beehive. There are no separate skills for different items. Items actually intended to be weapons, like swords or axes, are unaffected by this skill.

=== Movement and Awareness ===

*'''[[Observer]]''' - Helps one to notice things like ambushes, enemies who are "sneaking" (stealth movement), and traps. Detection range increases with skill, but up to a maximum of 3 tiles away. Higher levels give more information regarding opponents. Hard to train. Adding some points here is advisable.
*'''[[Swimmer]]''' - Allows movement through water without drowning. A Novice swimmer can swim but will revert to being unable to swim if stunned, which happens when falling even 1 z-level into the water, or possibly after an unfriendly encounter with a creature in the water. An Adequate swimmer can swim normally (not drown) while stunned. For this reason, ''starting out as an Adequate swimmer is advisable.'' If you don't, at least start as Novice and go get some swimming practice right away.
*'''[[Ambusher]]''' - The skill of {{K|S}}neaking around unobserved. This can be raised fairly easily by sneaking around while traveling from place to place when speed is not important. Enemies will have "sight ranges" from where they can detect a sneaking adventurer. The red zone of sight is where they will see you immediately and begin chasing you; the yellow is where they might see you. Staying out of sight will allow you to silently assassinate your foes, as they rarely seem to notice a knife in their back in time.
*'''[[Climber]]''' - The skill of climbing up walls, into trees, and around the edges of gorges. Higher levels reduce the chance of falling and increase the speed of a climbing character.
*'''[[Tracker]]''' - The skill of tracking your quarry, whether it be animals or goblins. Higher levels will let you spot more tracks and help you distinguish different tracks.

=== Crafting ===

These allow your character to create things. There is only one skill currently available in an unmodified game.

*'''[[Knapper]]''' - The fine art of sharpening rocks by banging them together in a clever manner. The resulting rocks become sharp rocks which do more damage when thrown and can be used for things requiring a sharp edge like butchering. Easy to raise in game and doing so helps with Kinesthetic and Spatial Sense.

=== Other ===

*'''[[Reader]]''' - Allows you to read books, signs, and writing in Adventurer mode. Novice level is required in order to become a [[Necromancer]]. There is no way to increase this skill. Adding more points is a waste, as novice allows you to read anything.
*'''[[Butcher]]''' - The art of turning corpses into piles of delicious prepared brains and meat for food. You cannot allocate points here during character creation, but that's OK since skill doesn't really affect anything anyway.

= Gameplay =

== Common UI Concepts ==
{{KeyConventions|3}}

== Moving Around ==

=== Local Movement ===
[[File:Advmode_normaltravel_DF2014.png|thumb|400px|An image of normal travel mode. A list of the closest (but not necessarily close) sites is in the top-left corner. On the right side are minimaps of the next two levels down, relative to the player. Along the bottom is information about the player.]]
{| class="wikitable" style="border:1px solid #ccc;"
|-
| {{k|8}} {{k|2}} {{k|4}} {{k|6}} {{k|7}} {{k|9}} {{k|1}} {{k|3}}
| Move
|-
| {{k|↑}} {{k|↓}} {{k|←}} {{k|→}}
| Move
|-
| {{k|Alt}} and a direction key
| Move carefully / Deliberately enter dangerous terrain
|-
| {{k|<}} or {{k|Shift}}+{{key|5}} (num lock off)
| Ascend
|-
| {{k|>}} or {{k|Ctrl}}+{{key|5}} (num lock off)
| Descend
|-
| {{k|.}}
| Wait for 10 instants
|-
| {{k|,}}
| Wait for 1 instant
|-
| {{k|s}}
| Stand or lie down
|-
| {{k|S}}
| Open Movement Speed/Sneak Menu
|}

Unless your character is an outsider, you will start out in a human town or hamlet; in the standard tileset the @ sign is your character.

The directional keys allow movement. Diagonal movement is particularly important especially when chasing or running away from things.

Use {{k|Alt}}+direction to enter water, jump off of cliffs, or otherwise attempt to enter anything that you can't enter using normal movement commands. Note that when entering water it's best to enter the actual water and not the open space over the water as, in the later case, you will fall in causing you to become stunned which may lead to drowning.

If you hit {{k|j}}, you can jump. This is mostly useful for crossing gorges and crevices, where you have to get to the other side. Occasionally, you can manage to jump onto an opponent and tackle them, which typically causes them to go flying a short distance.

Hitting {{k|.}} allows you to stay in one place and wait for other things to move. {{k|,}} does the same but with a tenth of the time it takes for {{k|.}}.

Use {{k|s}} to sit/lie down. Moving while laying down (crawling) will let you move past NPCs which are standing in your way. Also note that you will frequently get knocked to the ground in combat, and if you don't hit {{k|s}} to stand back up then you will crawl slowly along the ground, giving your opponent a lot of opportunity to attack you.

{{k|S}}neak will allow you to move around invisibly, limited by your Ambusher skill and the Observer skill of nearby creatures. Enemies will have sight cones indicating where they can detect a sneaking adventurer. The central zone of sight (red, violet, or cyan) is where they will see you immediately and begin chasing you; their peripheral vision (yellow) is where they might see you. Violet and cyan central zones indicate the enemy is on a different level than yours, while red means they are on the same level. Staying out of sight will allow you to silently assassinate your foes, as they rarely seem to notice a knife in their back in time.

If you {{k|h}}old onto a wall or tree, you can climb the wall or tree by using the movement keys. In towns and tamer parts of the countryside, this isn't particularly useful. However, in a combat situation, climbing a tree or wall can give you a height advantage, possibly allowing you to dive-tackle your opponents. Sometimes, mountains will be too steep to walk up the edge, or you will find a deep drop into a ravine. In these cases, you will have to climb up to reach the top, or perhaps jump or climb down one face, then climb up the other.

=== Fast Travel ===
[[File:Advmode_fasttravel_DF2014.png|thumb|400px|Fast Travel screen. The player is in a hamlet, between the houses to the right and the mead hall in the top-left area of the map. The asterisk represents a group of creatures (in this case unfriendly goblins). The world map (in sepia) is on the far right.]]
{| class="wikitable" style="border:1px solid #ccc;"
|-
| {{k|T}}
| Fast Travel
|-
| {{k|d}}
| Exit fast travel mode
|-
| {{k|K}}
| Display detected tracks and odors
|-
| {{k|c}}
| Toggle display of clouds on region map
|-
| {{k|s}}
| Walk around in sneak mode. Exiting fast travel starts you in sneak mode.
|-
| {{k|m}}
| Cycle through maps and significant structures
|-
| {{k|Q}}
| View Quest Log
|-
| {{k|Z}}
| Bring up sleep menu
|-
| {{k|h}}
| Hide parts of the bottom bar
|-
| {{k|>}} and {{k|<}}
| Enter/exit tunnel
|-
|}

Entering Fast Travel mode will allow you to move large distances in a single keypress. Of course, the same amount of time will go by and you can also be interrupted (ambushed) while moving in fast travel mode.

Along the top of the map is a line showing the sky, and the position of the sun and/or moon from west to east. This primarily helps you determine how long you have before it gets dark, at which point you won't be able to see very far, will risk getting attacked by bogeymen, and will be more vulnerable to attack in general.

If you are not near any sites, the {{k|m}} key will toggle a world map, colored in sepia tone (matching the map you see in the quest log). If you are near a site, then {{k|m}} cycles between a list of significant structures where your player is, a regional map (matching what you travel on when away from any site), and the aforementioned world map.

The {{k|c}} key will only show clouds on the region map (the one you travel on outside of sites). Some clouds will be visible regardless of the state of this option.

The {{k|h}} key will cycle through various amounts of the bottom bar of content hidden. The effects of each press are:

* 1 press: hide key reference. Allows you to see status effects on your character if obscured by the key list.
* 2 presses: hide most local name, reducing the bar to one line of text.
* 3 presses: hide less local name, eliminating the bar entirely.
* 4 presses: shows all information

== Status and Information ==

{| class="wikitable" style="border:1px solid #ccc;"
|-
| {{k|l}}
| Look around
|-
| {{k|Space}}
| Advance/Clear Messages
|-
| {{k|a}}
| View Announcements
|-
| {{k|z}}
| Status
|}

=== Looking Around ===

If you're not sure what a tile is, the {{k|l}}ook command will tell you. In addition to being useful for identifying tiles and creatures, you can also view creatures' equipment and what items are sitting on the ground in a given tile. If in doubt, try the look command.

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

=== Messages ===

The game makes frequent use of messages on the screen to tell you what is going on. If there are a lot of these you may need to use {{k|Space}} to display the rest of the messages that won't fit on the screen. You can always go back and view old messages by pressing {{k|a}}.

=== Status Screen ===

This screen shows your skills, attributes, wounded body parts, health (along with more detailed descriptions of your wounds), lets you view your description, and change your nickname if you want.

=== Saving the Game ===

Hit the {{k|Esc}} key at any time and select {{DFtext|Save Game}} to save your game. You can then come back to it later by using the {{DFtext|Continue Playing}} option in the main menu.

== Searching and Manipulating ==

{| class="wikitable" style="border:1px solid #ccc;"
|-
| {{k|u}}
| Interact with building, furniture, or mechanism
|-
| {{k|L}}
| Search the nearby area very carefully
|}

The {{k|u}} key can be used to do stuff like pull levers in your abandoned forts. It is also used to lower and raise the bucket when standing right next to a well so you can get water to refill your waterskin with.

{{k|L}} will perform a thorough search of the area that you're standing in, possibly revealing some small creatures.

== Managing Equipment ==

{| class="wikitable" style="border:1px solid #ccc;"
|-
| {{k|i}}
| Show Inventory
|-
| {{k|d}}
| Drop an item
|-
| {{k|g}}
| Get (pickup) an item off the ground
|-
| {{k|p}}
| Put an item into a container
|-
| {{k|r}}
| Remove an item you are wearing or from a container
|-
| {{k|w}}
| Wear an item
|-
| {{k|I}}
| Interact with an object in an advanced way. (unstick a weapon, refill waterskin etc.)
|-
| {{k|q}}
| Sheath your weapons and shield. (Frees your hands for tasks such as climbing or grabbing)
|}

=== Inventory ===

Press {{k|i}} to display a list of what you are currently carrying. Press {{k|-}} {{k|+}} {{k|*}} {{k|/}} to scroll the list. This list will show you if items are being worn, held in hands, stuck on your body, or are inside a container. Detailed information about an object can be viewed by pressing the key associated with the item.

=== Getting/Dropping Things ===

You can {{k|d}}rop items in your inventory, as well as {{k|g}}et items on the ground on the same tile that you are standing on. If there is more than one item a menu will be listed. Press {{k|-}} {{k|+}} {{k|*}} {{k|/}} to scroll the list if the list is too long to fit on the screen. Note that getting something makes your adventurer pick something up with his or her hands. This often means that you have to use {{k|q}} to sheathe whatever you have in your hands before you pick something up. If you do not (and you do not have a backpack or some other way of storing the object, your adventurer will not pick the item up.

{{k|g}} will also allow you to ignite foliage/any flammable objects adjacent to you. Fires aren't as devastating as one might imagine, but they will cause (most) enemies to path around them, making your crowd control slightly more effective when taking on multiple enemies. As an added bonus, it will also surely piss off the elves.

=== Containers ===

Items can be placed into containers with {{k|p}} and removed with {{k|r}}.

=== Wearing ===

Items can be worn using {{k|w}} and removed using {{k|r}} (the same command used for removing from containers). If an item you want to wear does not show up as an option, then it means you are already wearing too many items in the location used by that item. Try {{K|r}}emoving items in that location and then wear them again in order of priority. You also must put on equipment in an order that makes sense,. for example a shirt first ''then'' the armor, not the other way around. Armour must also be put on in a sensible manner with flexible layers such as chainmail first then rigid plate armour second. After all, who, in real life, would wear chainmail over a hard plate?

''Note that "large" or "small" clothing items are too big / small for your race'' (e.g. a '''large''' giant cave spider silk sock). If you have that problem, try getting clothing from a different source.

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

See [[Armor]] for more information on wearing things. One thing to note in particular, DF allows you to wear more than one item in the same location in many situations, for example a copper mail shirt and a copper breastplate. The thin, flexible chain can be worn under the breastplate, but not the other way around.

=== Wielding ===

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

While normally one would only be able to equip one item in each hand, removing items from your inventory results in them being wielded regardless of whether one's hands are full. This is especially useful with shields, as every shield will contribute a block chance to each incoming attack.

It should be noted that Dwarf Fortress does not enforce one particular hand as dominant for everyone, so do not be surprised if your character holds the weapon and [[Armor#Shields and Bucklers|shield]] in hands you yourself would not hold them in.

=== Advanced Interaction ===

The {{k|I}} key allows "complex interaction" with objects in your inventory.

This is used for removing arrows and weapons stuck in wounds which will appear in your inventory when they become stuck in you. Removing stuck arrows can cause bleeding so it is not always a good idea mid combat, but stuck objects will slow you down as you are encumbered by their weight. It s best to remove them as soon as possible when it is safe and you are not in danger of bleeding to death.

Advanced interaction can also be used to steal enemy equipment. Use [[wrestling]] to grab hold of a piece of enemy equipment, such as their weapon, or a helmet protecting their squishy brain and it will appear in the advanced interaction menu. Simply grab the item with a free hand and pull away. If successful, you will now be holding that item in your hands.

This command is particularly useful for getting water. When standing next to a well you press the {{k|u}} key to lower, then raise the bucket, yielding 10 units of water in the bucket. Then you can press the {{k|I}} key to fill your waterskin from the full bucket (alternatively you can press the {{k|e}} key to drink directly from the bucket).

Advanced interactions can be used next to a campfire to heat things, such as any frozen liquids you have in your inventory (or snow lying on the ground) and need to drink. You can refill waterskins from a nearby liquid source as well

===Sheathing===
The {{k|q}} key lets you strap your weapons to your back.

This is useful because you can't climb or wrestle with your hands unless your hands are free.

People will also be less likely to be scared of you on first sight if you don't appear to be ready to attack.

== Time and Weather ==

{| class="wikitable" style="border:1px solid #ccc;"
|-
| {{k|D}}
| Date
|-
| {{k|P}}
| Temperature
|-
| {{k|W}}
| Weather/Time
|}

The game has a day/night cycle with time passing as various actions take place.

When using quick travel mode, the top line of the screen will indicate the position of the sun in the sky with a yellow "☼"; further to the right of the screen is earlier in the day and further to the left is later in the day.

In local travel mode you'll have to use the {{k|W}} command to learn the position of the sun, when you're in a place where the sun is visible.

At night you won't be able to see nearly as well and you will be more vulnerable to ambush.

The game also has weather and temperature. The most common weather you'll experience is rain. Rain is shown as blue moving dots on the local travel screen and will unsurprisingly cause everything outside to become wet. Temperature is important because if it happens to drop below freezing while you're swimming through water, you'll instantly die from being encased in the ice.

Therefore you might want to keep an eye on the temperature while swimming, especially if it's getting cold.

Also, unlike fortress mode, rivers/other bodies of water can be liquid during the day, and freeze at night. The cycles of freezing can also be erratic from day to day.

Freezing weather can also freeze liquids in your inventory solid, making them undrinkable. If your water freezes and you are thirsty, make a campfire and {{k|I}}nteract with your waterskin to heat it over the fire and melt the ice.

== Sleep ==

{| class="wikitable" style="border:1px solid #ccc;"
|-
| {{k|Z}}
| Sleep
|}

Eventually your character will become {{DFtext|Drowsy|1:0}} and this will get worse until you get sufficient sleep.

Sleep does not necessarily have to coincide with night, but if you're traveling alone when night comes you'll be in danger of being attacked by [[Bogeyman|Bogeymen]]. To avoid this while traveling solo you need to make it to shelter before nightfall and sleep the night away inside a building or abandoned lair. Enter a building, use {{K|k}} to talk to a human, and ask for permission to stay the night. Next press {{K|Z}} to sleep, {{K|d}} to sleep until dawn, then {{K|Enter}} to confirm. ('''NOTE''': If you stay the night in a castle, you have to sleep in the keep which houses the lord/lady of the castle. Sleeping inside the castle but outside the keep still leaves you vulnerable to attack.) Sleeping on an ocean beach also prevents bogeymen from attacking. (If you'd rather not deal with bogeymen, you can disable them by generating a world using [[advanced world generation]] and setting "Number of Night creatures" to 0)

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

Note that sleeping in lairs, shrines, and labyrinths makes you safe from ambush, assuming that you or someone else has killed whatever was living there. If you have sufficient shrines/lairs/etc between you and your goal and they are either uninhabited or inhabited by things you are capable of killing then you can travel from lair to lair using each lair as a safe lodging. This is much safer than sleeping out in the open, day or night, even with companions.

If no other options are available, completely surrounding yourself with campfires will keep night marauders at bay as they cannot pass through the fires; the fires will go out after several hours and enable you to move on (you may also be able to jump over the fires). The bogeymen or other enemies may be outside your line of sight, which will prevent you from firing arrows or throwing things at them. In this case, you will have to stand up and lie down {{K|s}} repeatedly until the enemies wander into your range, the fires go out and the enemies can path to you, or dawn breaks.

== Food and Drink ==

{| class="wikitable" style="border:1px solid #ccc;"
|-
| {{k|e}}
| Eat or drink something
|}

To find water, you must find a river, stream, or well in a town and fill your waterskin from it, or drink from it directly. Water that may be covering you or your items will not be able to satisfy your thirst.

Note that drinking vampire blood will turn you into a vampire instantly.

Make sure to eat or drink regularly even if you're not hungry or thirsty, as you can only eat or drink thrice at a time: after that you'll need to rest, or wait until you can consume another meal. If you find yourself in need of both food and hydration, make sure to take care of the most urgent problem first, as if you are moderately hungry but severely dehydrated and eat three times, you may die before you have another chance to drink.

If the temperature is low enough you might have trouble finding liquid water. Snow and ice can be heated into water by first making a campfire with {{k|g}} and then performing an advanced interaction with {{k|I}} on the ice or snow in your inventory to heat it. Advanced interactions with your waterskin can also be used to gather water from water sources, or snow from the ground.

== Combat ==

{| class="wikitable" style="border:1px solid #ccc;"
|-
| {{k|8}} {{k|2}} {{k|4}} {{k|6}} {{k|7}} {{k|9}} {{k|1}} {{k|3}}
| Attack adjacent hostile creature
|-
| {{k|↑}} {{k|↓}} {{k|←}} {{k|→}}
| Attack adjacent hostile creature
|-
| {{k|A}}
| Attack an adjacent creature.
|-
| {{k|f}}
| Fire a projectile
|-
| {{k|t}}
| Throw an item
|-
| {{k|C}}
| Open combat preferences interface
|}

[[Combat]] is the fine art of using physical force to cause injury and death, and it is particularly fun in Dwarf Fortress.

=== Melee Attacks ===

Hostile creatures can be attacked using a non-aimed attack by simply advancing towards your enemy using the arrow keys. Doing a non-aimed attack will also have a chance of freeing up any stuck weapon, though you are more likely to accomplish this by moving away from the enemy, or complexly interacting with the weapon.

Any creature can be attacked by standing next to it and pressing {{k|A}}. Attacking a friendly or unconscious creature (which includes wild animals for elves) will further require a confirmation, given using {{k|alt}}+{{k|y}}.

After selecting (and maybe confirming) which creature you want to attack, {{k|a}} will allow you to make an '''aimed attack'''. You must first select the body part that you want to attack. Look at the difficulty rating for various possible attacks. Impossible attacks will be impossible to land and Easier attacks will be very easy to land. The difficulty rating for an attack does not change depending on your weapon skill. Based on player experiences, a Grand Master weapon user can almost always land a "Tricky" strike, while a Novice generally cannot. Attacks on various locations will also have limits on how "squarely" they can land (due to being out of reach, for example). Square and very square attacks will deal more damage.{{Verify}} Attacks which "can't land squarely" are generally still effective.

Attacks aimed at the head are the most effective; a single attack to the cranium with a weapon will usually put an end to the fight. Aimed attacks are especially useful for dismembering opponents. Opponents who are missing a foot will fall over, thereby greatly lowering their speed, and giving you an immediate edge in the fight. Cutting off both hands also highly recommended for obvious reasons. After all, a field full of armless, one-legged enemies can be a big experience booster for your companions.

Aimed attacks are also especially helpful when fighting giant beasts. Some enemies like giant desert scorpions have lots of redundant body parts, and random attacks waste valuable time on low priority areas while the scorpion is busy injecting venom into the whole party. Lastly, aimed attacks allow you to grab trophies that are not available via butchering. For example, a minotaur's horns can be cut off during a fight, but since its a humanoid, most adventurers will refuse to butcher its corpse after the fight.

There are several options below the hitting menu. Quick attacks are faster than regular attacks but weaker. Heavy attacks are slower but attack harder. Wild attacks are faster and hit harder but are inaccurate. Precise attacks are very slow but are much more likely to hit. Multi-attacks allow you to attack several times in a row at a great cost to the effectiveness of any one of the chosen attacks.

=== Ranged Attacks ===

To attack with a ranged weapon press the {{k|f}} key with a ranged weapon (bow, crossbow, etc.) equipped on one hand and select the square where you want to attack. Note that you need to have some sort of ammo, corresponding to the type of ranged weapon you are using (for example, bows use arrows, crossbows use bolts). Otherwise, a message stating "You have nothing left to fire." is displayed in brown. Similarly use the {{k|t}} key to throw any random object in the same manner. Random objects appear to make a random attack if they happen to have more than one possible type.{{Verify}} For example, if you throw a sword it may hit with a blunt impact, a stabbing impact, or a slicing impact. Throwing crossbow bolts with sufficient throwing skill and strength seems to have an effect similar to firing them, although less powerful. On the plus side, you will never lose ammo if you throw it.

It is not possible to aim for specific body parts with ranged or thrown attacks.

Throwing is generally a good skill to have for any adventurer, as it allows you to slow down fleeing foes, both on the ground and in the air without the need of equipping a (cross)bow. Just like {{k|l}}ooking, you can use throwing to view and hit enemies multiple Z levels away from you. If you're lucky, you can simply land a hit that causes the flying enemy to give in to pain, and then let gravity do the rest of the work. Even if the fall doesn't kill them, they will most likely be stunned long enough for you to run up and slaughter them.

=== Wrestling and Unarmed Attacks ===

:''Main article: [[Wrestling]]''

'''[[Wrestling]]''' (grappling) can be performed by selecting an enemy via {{k|A}} followed by {{k|b}} to wrestle. You can wrestle any enemy. Wrestling works somewhat like a targeted attack. Once you grab a creature by some body part, you may be able to make another wrestling attempt that will allow you to perform a throw or takedown.

For a detailed list of moves such as takedowns, throws, choke holds, etc., see [[Wrestling]].

It's also possible to punch, kick, and bite. These are not in the wrestling menu but are performed like normal targeted attacks with {{k|A}}.

=== Weapons ===

[[Weapon]]s are basically divided into axe, sword, spear, pike, mace, whip, bow and hammer, with various versions of these taking up the gray area.

=== Wounds ===

If you get wounded during combat, there's not much that you can do except perhaps run before you get more wounded. Your wounds will heal over time, so just travel around or sleep in a safe place. Some wounds however may never heal, leaving you permanently crippled. Obtaining a crutch may help with this. Or if you are not already a vampire, then you can get bitten by a werebeast during full moon, which will heal all injuries once per month.

If you have some bolts or arrows stuck in your body, they can be removed by using the complex interaction menu {{k|I}}. Select the stuck bolt or arrow from the list and then pull it out with {{k|a}} You'll probably start bleeding after you pull it out, but the bleeding is rarely anything to worry about.

=== Combat Preferences ===

At any time during gameplay (Except fast travel mode), you can press {{k|C}} to open the Combat Preferences menu. There are three different preferences you can set: Attack, Dodge and Charge Defense. These have a few different preferences each:

*'''{{k|a}}ttack'''
**'''According to Opponent''' - The default setting. When set to this, charging happens more or less frequently, depending on the difference in size between you and the opponent. Bigger opponents get charged less, smaller more often. Can be very risky, since a random charge against a huge opponent is likely to get you knocked down and stunned. In the same vein, charging when close to obstacles or other environmental hazards is very dangerous, potentially fatal, if the enemy dodges you.
**'''Strike''' - This setting ensures that you never charge an opponent, but rather just swing your weapon at them. This carries less risk than the above, but you're never going to knock anyone down without hitting their legs or spine. Very preferable against large opponents.
**'''Charge''' - When set to this, you ALWAYS charge. When faced with numerous small enemies (Bogeymen in particular), this can be extremely useful, but remember to switch back when facing something bigger. Charging a large dragon is almost a certain death sentence.
**'''Close Combat''' - With this setting, all your auto-attacks are grapples. Generally not very useful, since the random nature of it tends to prevent you from actually doing any damage with it, but if you continually auto-attack a harmless creature with it your wrestling-skill will be legendary in no time.

*'''{{k|d}}odge'''
**'''Move Around''' - This means you can jump away from attacks, physically moving in a random direction. While this lets you dodge attacks more often, it can also result in you jumping into a wall or down a lake. If you're fighting in really tight spaces, or areas with large pits, you might want to switch to the other option.
**'''Stand Ground''' - As can be expected, you stand your ground. No jumping around, which is useful in the above situation, but risky in the open. If you have room for jumping around, go with Move Around, but otherwise this could be a good idea.

*'''{{k|c}}harge Defense'''
**'''According to Opponent''' - Again, the default setting. You're more likely to stand still against small enemies charging, but will probably prefer moving away from larger ones. Somewhat risky, in that even a somewhat small enemy can stun you by charging.
**'''Dodge Away''' - With this, you'll dodge away from charging enemies, if you can. It's not a sure bet, but it's very much worth it against enemies who like to charge. This is probably the most preferable mode, since you're not losing a whole lot by dodging a small foe charging, but dodging an angry night beast can save you from a world of pain.
**'''Stand Ground''' - If you're certain of your physical superiority to the opponent, you can safely choose this. Standing your ground like a real man/woman might feel hardcore, but getting knocked down in a fight can be extremely dangerous. It probably has some use against bogeymen though, since they're quite small. If you really are much bigger than the enemy, you'll end up knocking THEM down. Most of the time though, charges heavily favor the attacker, so dodging away is probably preferable.

Using Combat Preferences properly can actually save your hide, so it's worth fiddling with. Just don't forget that you've fiddled with them, since a misplaced charge or dodge could end up killing you.

== Talking ==
[[File:Advmode_conversation_DF2014.png|thumb|400px|Talking to someone in Adventurer mode.]]
{| class="wikitable" style="border:1px solid #ccc;"
|-
| {{k|k}}
| Talk to somebody
|}

Now that you know how to kill people, you may also want to know how to talk to and otherwise interact with them in a less violent manner. While this is less entertaining, it can sometimes be useful.

To begin a conversation, press {{k|k}}. Unless someone else has already started a conversation with you (see below if someone has), you will get a cyan X that can be positioned over people you want to talk to with the normal directional keys. Use {{k|-}} and {{k|+}} to select who you want to talk to. Aside from individuals, you can also {{DFtext|Shout out to everybody}}, which will have you talking with everyone in earshot, or you can talk to your deity.

Whenever you want to advance the conversation, you have to press {{k|k}} again and choose the ongoing conversation you wish to continue. You will also see ongoing conversations from people who have started a conversation with you. If you want to talk to someone else during this time, simply {{DFtext|Start a new conversation}}.

* {{DFtext|Greet listener}} — Has you offering a greeting to someone, when you're initiating the conversation.
* {{DFtext|Bypass greeting (new menu)}} — Skips the greeting, taking you straight to the normal conversation menus.
* {{DFtext|Reply to greeting}} — If you aren't the one who started the conversation, this option will let you reply to someone's greeting. They will then talk about some trouble.
* {{DFtext|Refuse conversation}} — Causes you to explicitly refuse to talk to someone who started a conversation with you. Unknown if this has a different effect from simply not doing anything.{{Verify}}
* {{DFtext|Reply to greeting (impersonation)}} — Like {{DFtext|Reply to greeting}}, except you're impersonating a deity.
* {{DFtext|Nevermind}} — This has you back out of having a conversation.

When you start talking to someone, you are presented with a wide array of things to talk about. (If the person you are talking to started the conversation and told you about some trouble, you'll first get a menu related to that trouble. Just press {{k|-}}-{{k|Enter}} to {{DFtext|Change the subject (new menu)}} and get to this first menu.) Your choices are as follows:

{| class="wikitable" style="border:1px solid #ccc;"
| style="text-align:right;width:30%;" | {{DFtext|Return to current topic (new menu)}}
| You'll see this option only if you chose to change the subject in another menu. This will, predictably, take you back to that subject.
|-
| style="text-align:right;" | {{DFtext|Bring up specific incident or rumor (new menu)}}
| Allows you to spread rumors or summarize conflicts you've been a part of. The next step of the conversation will bring up a menu of choices that allow you to ask for directions to places or state your opinion on the incident/rumor.
|-
| style="text-align:right;" | {{DFtext|Ask to become a hearthperson}}
| Only appears when talking to a leader who you aren't under the command of. Allows to become one the leader's guards.
|-
| style="text-align:right;" | {{DFtext|Invite listener to become a hearthperson}}
| Only appears when you are a leader. Allows to become one the leader's guards.
|-
| style="text-align:right;" | {{DFtext|Request duty or advice pertaining to service as a hearthperson}}
| Only appears when talking to a leader who are under the command of. You will receive some task to accomplish for the group, if there is anything that needs doing.
|-
| style="text-align:right;" | {{DFtext|Bring up the journey together}}
| Only appears when talking to a companion. The next step of the conversation will allow you to cancel the agreement you made with that person, if you so choose.
|-
| style="text-align:right;" | {{DFtext|Inquire about any troubles}}
| Asks the listener what things in the world are bothering them and their people.
|-
| style="text-align:right;" | {{DFtext|Ask for directions (new menu)}}
| Allows you to ask for the location of a specific creature or site. People aren't guaranteed to know, and may instead direct you to someone who does.
|-
| style="text-align:right;" | {{DFtext|Ask about the local ruler}}
| As you might imagine, this gets you some information on who controls this particular area.
|-
| style="text-align:right;" | {{DFtext|Trade}}
| Allows you to trade with a merchant. Note that you have to be right next to them for this to work.
|-
| style="text-align:right;" | {{DFtext|Exchange, give, or take personal items}}
| Like {{DFtext|Trade}}, only that it works with non-merchants.
|-
| style="text-align:right;" | {{DFtext|Ask favor, place request, make demand or issue order (new menu)}}
| Takes to a menu of various request you can make, including asking the listener to yield, stay put, or pay homage to your group. The options available depends on who you're talking to.
|-
| style="text-align:right;" | {{DFtext|Ask listener to join you (new menu)}}
| This is how you get companions. You can either ask them to join you on an adventure, or to lead you to some location.
|-
| style="text-align:right;" | {{DFtext|Claim this site for yourself (group naming menu)}}
| This option allows you to stake a claim on the site you are in.
|-
| style="text-align:right;" | {{DFtext|Ask for permission to stay a day}}
| Allows you to sleep in the listener's building for the night.
|-
| style="text-align:right;" | {{DFtext|Ask about the structure you are in}}
| Tells you about whatever structure you are standing in, if you are standing in one.
|-
| style="text-align:right;" | {{DFtext|Ask about this site's neighbors and trade partners}}
| Lets you learn what sites this site is neighboring and/or trading with.
|-
| style="text-align:right;" | {{DFtext|Ask about the surrounding area}}
| Choosing this will tell you about some location nearby, and why it's significant.
|-
| style="text-align:right;" | {{DFtext|Comment on weather}}
| Small talk about the weather. Really.
|-
| style="text-align:right;" | {{DFtext|Comment on natural surroundings}}
| Same as the weather, only about the nature around you.
|-
| style="text-align:right;" | {{DFtext|Accuse listener of being a night creature}}
| If chosen against a night creature, such as a vampire, it will expose them. Normal individuals will just think you're losing it.
|-
| style="text-align:right;" | {{DFtext|Inquire about listener's profession}}
| Learn what it is the listener does. Useful for lords and ladies and anyone else whose profession isn't listed next to them.
|-
| style="text-align:right;" | {{DFtext|Ask about listener's family}}
| Discover what family the listener has, as expected.
|-
| style="text-align:right;" | {{DFtext|Brag about your past violent acts}}
| Causes you to brag about whatever last violent act you did. Doesn't seem to have an effect, or at least severely less impactful than summarizing the conflict.{{Verify}}
|-
| style="text-align:right;" | {{DFtext|Say goodbye}}
| Ends the conversation.
|}

Note that you can press {{k|Esc}} to not choose anything. The conversation is still ongoing, you have to explicitly say goodbye to end it. Pressing {{k|Esc}} is useful if you need to double-check something before talking.

== Companions ==

{| class="wikitable" style="border:1px solid #ccc;"
|-
| {{k|c}}
| View companion interface
|}

Companions are the guys who follow you around after you've asked them to join you and they've accepted. Your character will have a limit on the maximum number of companions that is based on fame/reputation level and the ''Social Awareness'' attribute. With average social awareness and the maximum level of fame, the limit is 19 companions.

You can use the {{k|c}} key to open up a list showing your companions and their relative position to you. This can be useful if one of them runs off somewhere and you want to find them. You can select specific companions who are in visual range in order to view them. This is the same as viewing them with {{k|l}}ook.

You can give or take equipment with a companion by choosing to talk to them and selecting {{DFtext|Exchange, give or take personal items}}. In addition to this screen, you can loot your companions' corpses when they die. (An evil but arguably inefficient way to get equipment is to intentionally get your companions killed and then take their stuff.)

However, if they survive long enough/are trained well enough they seem to be capable of leveling stats or skills in some way, and are susceptible to having title or job title changed as well.

Your companions will continue to follow you and fight hostile creatures around you until they die (if you asked them to join you on an adventure) or get you to the proper location (if you asked them to guide you some place). If you want to get rid of your companions at any time, the safe way is to talk to each one of them, ask them about their journey with you, and then cancel the agreement.

If your companions are too far away from you when you enter fast travel, they will become an asterisk on the map where you started fast travel from. This asterisk may try to join up with you during travel. If you keep losing your companions while traveling through rivers, try going to a spot where the river becomes a "minor river" (shown by a single dark blue line). Brooks are obviously also safe to cross.

== Personal Finance ==

=== Trading (barter) ===

In human towns (not hamlets or castles), you can find shops,in Elven Trading trees you can find markets and at depots in dwarven fortresses you can encounter brokers. Once you're inside of a [[shop]] and right next to any of the NPCs, you can use {{K|k}} to {{DFtext|Trade}} with them. Use {{K|Enter}} to select which items to trade, left/right arrow keys to switch between the list of shop items and your items, and up/down arrow keys to scroll through the lists. You can also either {{k|a}}sk for or {{k|o}}ffer currency as part of the process. Once done, press {{K|t}} to trade. The shopkeeper won't get angry if you're not offering enough in trade, so you can start offering just a few items, keep trying again with a little more until the trade is accepted. Once the trade is accepted all of the items you offered will be on the floor underneath you.

After trading, you will find the stuff you gave on the floor at your feet, and the stuff you got in your inventory.

=== Theft ===

You may also pick up the item before buying it, but you should never walk out of a shop carrying an unbought item, as that is theft. It is punishable by death if you are caught, and excommunication if you are not. On any occasion when you have stolen goods from a store (indicated by dollar signs on either side of the item in your inventory), the game requires you to exit the site ''and'' move a considerable distance before allowing you to quick travel. This may make a getaway more difficult if your adventurer is not already faster than anyone else. This only applies to goods in stores; killing townsfolk and taking their personal things, including those of the shopkeep still only requires exiting the site. The moment you are out of sight, you will be able to warp out as usual. Theft and murder remain within entities; even depopulating one country and stealing all its things will not generate ill response in another country.

In some cases, the shop will be abandoned. This will be made clear by the presence of unbought items and the lack of any merchants in the area. You will not be considered a thief by the relevant entity for taking stuff from an abandoned shop.

If the item name is not surrounded by dollar signs, it is never considered stealing, even in situations where it would be in real life.

=== Managing coins ===

You will find that coins from one civilization are nearly worthless in other civilizations. This will typically result in adventurers carrying around lots of now useless coins. Coins can and will encumber your adventurer, eventually reducing your speed. To reduce that effect you can try to exchange your copper and silver coins for gold ones as well as sell all of your loot directly for gold coins. Remember, merchants will always try to pay you in higher denomination currency first but will resort to lower value coins if they run out of anything higher. First, check the merchant's chest to see how much of each type of coins they have.

Coin values are as follows:
* Copper Coin = 1☼
* Silver Coin = 5☼
* Gold Coin = 15☼

To receive the maximum amount of gold coins from that merchant, make sure the amount "they owe you" during the trade is equal to (total amount of gold coins the shop has)*15☼ . If you are selling loot, simply make sure you only trade this worth of goods, and move on to other merchants for the rest. If you wish to exchange copper and silver coins for gold, buy random goods from the merchant until their price is around this value and then sell back all of the goods for their original value but in gold.

Alternatively, you can take your excess coinage and use it to purchase [[Gem|large gems]] at a trinket shop. Large gems make good investments because they are 1) light, 2) variably priced, and 3) equally valuable between different civilizations.

A few goods are strictly superior to all forms of coinage as a store of value, most notably giant cave spider silk items. A suitably sneaky (or powerful) adventurer can murder a few dwarves or goblins for such items for trade and sale for human goods. Giant cave spider silk is a non-renewable resource in a given world - please harvest responsibly.

=== Where to get items to sell ===

The best place to get items to sell is at bandit camps, after you've slaughtered all the bandits. You can loot the clothes and equipment off of the corpses of the bandits (and off your fallen companions, too), plus at the very center of camp there'll be a few scattered weapons and a few bags/chests containing various goods.

The next best way to get items to sell is to kill a creature, butcher their corpse (see below for how), and pick up the edible bits. Butchered bits from the corpses of people (dwarves, elves, humans, etc.) can sometimes be found in monster lairs and these seem to be just as desired by shopkeepers as the products you gain from your own butchering.

Another good early source of income can be bags left in houses and shops, which usually contain plants and food. No one will complain, and the plants inside can be sold at about 2☼ each plus the value of the bag.

At the bottom of the list comes {{k|L}}ooking carefully and selling any small creatures you might find. However, shops will not accept live creatures unless they are in cages. Some rocks, piles of sand, and other things found on the ground nearly everywhere can also be sold for 1☼ each.

You can also try filling your backpack from river - it can hold up to 100 units of water which is worth 100☼ total. After your sell it, water will drop to the floor as a pool, and backpack can be refilled instantly and for free from there. In fact, you can infinitely fill any container from any pool/pile of any liquid/powder, so if you happen to find some precious substance like [[sunshine]] or [[dwarven sugar]], money won't be a problem for you anymore. This is of course an [[exploit]], liable to be fixed at any time. It may be useful in a pinch, but don't rely on it.

Another devious method is to go outside the shop, {{k|g}}rab handfuls of mud and throw it into your backpack, then sell them for 1☼ each. The merchants will gladly buy your rare and valuable mud despite the unlimited free mud just outside their shop.

== Quest Log ==

{| class="wikitable" style="border:1px solid #ccc;"
|-
| {{k|Q}}
| Open quest log
|-
| {{k|Esc}}
| Exit quest log
|-
| {{k|e}} {{k|p}} {{k|s}} {{k|r}} {{k|b}}
| Access various lists
|-
| {{k|m}}
| Switch between the world map and additional info
|-
| {{k|z}}
| Center cursor on location of selected list item, if known
|-
| {{k|c}}
| Center cursor on your location
|-
| {{k|l}}
| Toggle the visibility of the line between you and some other point on the map.
|-
| {{k|f}}
| Filter the list
|-
| {{k|+}} {{k|-}} {{k|*}} {{k|/}}
| Navigate the list
|}

The quest log contains everything you know about the world, such as various events going on, people you know, and various sites. The {{k|m}} key will alternate between a world map that you can navigate, and information on whatever item is highlighted in the list to the right.

There are various kinds of lists you can check on the quest log:

* '''Events''' — A list of events that are happening or have happened. Formatting of the list is {{DFtext|(type)/(description)}}. You can center on the location of the event if you know this. This list is the closest you'll get to some formal quest system.
* '''People''' — A list of people you know. At the start of the game, this list will contain people in your site.
* '''Sites''' — A list of various sites around the world.
* '''Groups''' — A list of groups you know of and your relation to them. Note that you have to press {{k|e}} when you're on the events list in order to reach this list, requiring you to press {{k|e}} at most twice.
* '''Regions''' — A list of regions. The additional information will list the biomes a region possesses.
* '''Bestiary''' — A list of creatures, their characteristics, and where you could find them.

==Crafting==
{| class="wikitable" style="border:1px solid #ccc;"
|-
| {{k|x}}
| Perform action (butcher, create item...)
|}

Adventurers can perform limited crafting, (also known as "reactions"). To access the crafting menu, press {{k|x}}.

* '''[[Knapper|Knapping]]''' allows an adventurer to sharpen a rock. Knapping only works on stones on the ground or in your hands. Choose the {{k|c}}reate option and then select "Make sharp stone". You will be prompted to choose a rock to sharpen ("tool stone"), and then the rock that is to be the hammerstone. The tool stone will be replaced in your hand by a sharp version.

* '''Butchering''' acts similarly to Fortress Mode's [[Butchery]] by converting a corpse into edible products, bones, and skin. A corpse must be on the ground or in your hand. With a sharp object (such as a dagger or knapped stone or even a bolt/arrow) in your hand or on the same tile of the corpse, select the {{k|b}}utcher option, and then you can select the corpse and the sharp tool to butcher with. The corpse will be replaced by its butchering returns.

* '''Spitting''' gives you spit, which can be aimed at someone in much the same way as any projectile. To get this, choose natural ability and then spit in the reactions menu.

You may also gain acquired abilities when you become a creature of the night, such as a necromancer.

= Sites =

More information on each type of site can be found in the site's specific article.

== Civilization ==

[[Civilization]]s are organized groups of creatures (generally of the same race) which build sites such as towns.

=== Human Sites ===

==== Towns {{Raw Tile|+|7:0:0}} {{Raw Tile|*|7:0:0}} {{Raw Tile|#|7:0:0}} {{Raw Tile|☼|7:0:0}} ====
Humans live in towns comprised of buildings and often a paved road. Human towns are highly modular, and are usually near some source of water, either the coast or a river.

Towns appear on the fast travel map (when outside a site) as {{Tile|■|7:0:1}} or {{Tile|■|6:0:1}} symbols which are small collections of buildings. When you are near a human site, large yellow blocks indicate where various houses and shops are found (though not all houses and shops can be found in these blocks; sometimes you'll find a house or two out in a site's fields). You usually have to follow the roads in a yellow block on the fast travel map.

Towns usually have lots of interesting structures which are described fully in the [[town]] article.

==== Hamlets {{Raw Tile|æ|7:0:0}} {{Raw Tile|Æ|7:0:0}} {{Raw Tile|{{=}}|7:0:0}} {{Raw Tile|≡|7:0:0}} ====
Most of the time, the majority of a human civilization's population will live in small [[hamlet]]s, which tend to be sprawled out along coastlines and through river valleys. Like other sites, they can be invaded, and you'll sometimes find them captured by other civilizations, [[necromancer]]s, or criminal syndicates. Human adventurers usually spawn in hamlets.

Note that hamlets are similar in structure to towns, only they have mead halls instead of keeps, and don't have any defensive walls.

=== Dwarven Sites ===

==== Dwarf Fortresses {{Raw Tile|Ω|7:0:1}} ====
These are the randomly generated equivalent of the sites you build in [[dwarf fortress mode]]. [[Fortress]]es are described in detail in the own article. Their main function for adventurers is that they have a central, spiraling ramp that connects the underground and above-ground worlds, particularly in that they connect the subterranean tunnel networks to the rest of the dwarf civilization. They are located at the edges of mountain ranges.

Player-made fortresses are considered dwarf fortresses by the game, in addition to the randomly-generated ones.

==== Mountain Halls {{Raw Tile|Ω|0:0:1}} ====
[[Mountain halls]] are the sites of the "deep dwarves," located far beneath the mountains. They can be accessed via down-stairs found in underground tunnels, and are comprised of a couple of levels that contain bedrooms and large halls filled with smelters or forges.

==== Hillocks {{Raw Tile|Ω|7:0:0}} ====
[[Hillock]]s are the dwarf equivalent to human hamlets. They consist of a few circular mounds filled with dwarf citizens. There doesn't seem to be any settlement pattern for them; they are equally likely to be found in any land [[biome]].

=== Elven Sites ===

==== Forest Retreats {{Raw Tile|î|6:0:1}} {{Raw Tile|¶|6:0:1}} ====
Elves live in [[forest retreat]]s located, unsurprisingly, in [[forest]] biomes. They are essentially clusters of huge [[tree]]s with elves standing in and around them.

=== Goblin Sites ===

==== Dark Fortresses {{Raw Tile|π|0:0:1}} {{Raw Tile|π|5:0:0}} {{Raw Tile|π|5:0:1}} ====
These are the main goblin sites. Some [[dark fortress]]es may contain a [[Underworld spire|certain spoiler]].

==== Dark Pits {{Raw Tile|º|5:0:0}}====
These are the goblin equivalent of hamlets and hillocks. [[Dark Pit]]s are essentially canyons lined with wooden guard towers. They tend to be built in huge clusters around the dark fortresses, such that large chunks of the map may be covered with them.

=== Night Creature Sites ===

==== Necromancer's Towers {{Raw Tile|I|5:0:0}} ====
[[Necromancer]]'s Towers are built by necromancers who have at least 50 followers; younger necromancers may take over towns or camps instead. Usually you can find [[book]]s written by the necromancer, some of which contain [[Necromancer#Adventurer_Mode|the secret to life and death]]. Towers require abundant human populations (low savagery, large tracts of neutral land) and a high number of secrets to be generated in world generation, as necromancers cannot be elf or goblin.

==== Lairs ====
Lairs are the homes of [[night troll]]s. Lairs are mounds or holes in the ground with doors or hatch covers. Most night troll lairs are inhabited by a single creature, but sometimes you'll encounter entire families of five or even ten.

= FAQ =

== How do I find an entrance to the underworld? ==
Method 1: Most [[Cave|caves]] lead directly into the first [[cavern]] layer. Although it may be possible to learn of some trouble which originates from a cave{{verify}}, your best bet is to ask people about the surroundings, and hope that they mention a cave at some point. If they don't, travel to another site a fair bit away from where you are and ask someone else.

Method 2: Dwarf [[Fortress|fortresses]] are connected to the [[tunnel]] system, which usually connects to the caverns.

Method 3: You can start a [[dwarf fortress mode]] game, dig to the first cavern layer, retire or abandon the fortress, and then return with your adventurer.

The three cavern layers are connected to each other in [[Deep pit|various]] [[Passage|places]], although they are rather spread out and extremely difficult to find with an adventurer.

Additionally, [[Underworld spire|a certain spoiler]] can be found which leads to [[Hell|another spoiler]], deep underground.

== I keep getting maimed! How can I fight without getting seriously hurt? ==
The best defense is a good offense. If you let your enemies attack you, you're (unsurprisingly) likely to get hurt eventually.
* Try to '''avoid fighting difficult enemies until you get some armor'''. Don't fight enemies at all unless you're sure you can beat them. If you're unsure, you're probably going to get hurt.
* If you have good speed, try to '''fight enemies one-by-one''' — keep moving backwards and only attack when you're within range of just one enemy.
* If you have a slashing weapon, try to '''chop body parts off of your enemy''' — it makes them stop fighting for a turn, allowing you to keep attacking them without being attacked in exchange. Chopping off limbs will also weaken your enemies - taking their arms can prevent them from using weapons, taking their legs can make them slow and knock them down. Chopping off their heads will instantly kill them, but it may take a few (or, with larger enemies such as [[troll]]s, it may take more than fifteen) slashes before the head is severed.
* Remember that '''it's better to let your enemy come to you, than to go to your enemy'''. You have to either move or attack. If you move, you can't attack, so if you move within range to attack your enemy, you allow them to have the first strike (unless you're much faster than them). On the other hand, if you let them move within range of you, then you get to have the first strike. If your enemy is one space away from you, use that as an opportunity to throw a knife or a rock at them; worst case, they will get a bruise or a cut; best case, they will start the melee severely crippled. If you're fast enough, then you can simply step back after getting in that first hit, and they'll have to spend their turn approaching you again. Lather, rinse, repeat.
* Follow the advice under [[#Combat Preferences|Combat Preferences]].

== How can I obtain armor as quickly as possible? ==
* The best way would be to rummage through mead halls, keeps, and fortresses, or whatever other strongholds your race makes use of. Not all places will be stocked with equipment, but usually they have something.
** There are also underground locations, such as the dungeons underneath keeps, or the catacombs under temples, that contain plenty of equipment. These underground places are liable to be populated with unfriendly creatures, so beware.
* You can also take along companions and have them killed, or just plainly murder people and loot their corpses for stuff.
* You can earn some money by exchanging some loot with the local populace for coins, and then buy equipment off of soldiers you might meet in towns. Remember that coins only have nominal value in the civilization they've been minted, but gems are equally valuable anywhere.

== How do I increase my skills and attributes? ==

Here are some techniques for raising your skills; very rapidly in some cases.

Most of these skill-raising techniques involve repeatedly entering the same keystrokes. To assist with this you can use a [[DF2014:Macro|macro]] to make entering the same sequence of keystrokes over and over again much easier.

Increasing skills increases associated attributes which may in turn benefit other skills. For example, sharpening rocks using {{k|x}} will increase Knapping which will increase a number of attributes that help with combat skills. See [[Attribute#Skills_by_Associated_Attributes|Skills and Associated Attributes]] for a mostly complete list.

*'''Fighting and Wrestling''' — A good way to raise your Fighting and Wrestling skills and related attributes is to go find a small, relatively harmless animal and wrestle with it repeatedly. You can wrestle hitting {{k|b}} for the wrestling option after selecting the creature to fight. Continually grabbing and releasing a creature is sufficient to raise your skill, and you can do it indefinitely with the same animal as it won't be injured (unless you auto-wrestle it). Wrestling will increase Kinesthetic Sense, Spatial Sense, and to a lesser extent, Endurance. You may also somewhat increase Dodging and Shield User this way as the creature takes swipes at you.It's possible to change your {{k|C}}ombat preferences for attacking and dodging to ''Close Combat'' and ''Stand Ground'', respectively, allowing you to simply walk into the helpless critter to wrestle it. (Standing your ground prevents you from moving to dodge attacks, so your wrestling can continue almost uninterrupted.) You will, however, perform occasional throws and take-downs as long as the creature remains standing, which may result in their eventual bleeding to death. Strangulation is also a repeated concern, as it will render the victim unconscious, thus making you have to wait until it regains consciousness before you can continue auto-wrestling it (though you may still raise your Wrestler and Fighter skills by 10 points for every time you ''release'' a limb - though this must be done manually and must be repeatedly confirmed, once the creature is rendered unconscious). Another concern with auto-wrestling some animals is that you will perform joint locks, and break hips, knees, and ankles in the process, which can cause the creature to bleed to death. If you can wrangle a creature incapable of blood-loss and strangulation in a high-FPS area (such as a crab on a frozen beach), you can easily raise all associated skills and attributes to Legendary and Superhuman in the course of a few minutes.
*'''Shield User, Armor User, and Dodging''' - In addition to wrestling the creature, you can also sit back and let it attack you to raise your defensive skills. If you have metal armor, then a small animal like a gopher can't do any real damage to you when it hits. Also, to place emphasis more heavily on shield blocking, you can change your attack {{K|C}}ombat preference to ''Stand Ground''. The wrestling-a-crab-on-a-frozen-beach method also works fantastically for this.
*'''Weapon Skills and Fighting''' — Once your defensive skills are getting up there and your agility is high enough, you might want to try fighting [[bogeyman|bogeymen]] to increase your weapon skill. Just make sure to fight them one at a time while running away. If you don't know what a bogeyman is yet then you are probably not ready to try this. Also, doing difficult targeted shots will gain more experience and keep the training dummy alive longer.
*'''Throwing and Archery''' — Throwing rocks with {{k|t}} will raise your Throwing and Archery skills. Throwing objects at creatures, while not terribly effective, can still be a quite handy skill. Although throwing is a way to raise Archery without wasting ammunition, there is a non-wasteful method that additionally increases bow/crossbow skills.The most efficient way to level via throwing is to forgo using a macro and separate training into two phases: {{k|g}}etting and {{k|t}}hrowing. First, find a tile with an indefinite amount of throwable objects (e.g., snow, rocks, mud, etc.). Then, sequentially mash {{k|g}} and whatever key the rocks are assigned to until both your forearms explode. Rest. Then, sequentially mash {{k|t}}, followed by some consistent key assigned to your rocks, then {{k|Enter}}, until you've emptied your inventory. Rest. Rinse and repeat. (You may wish to empty your inventory beforehand such that the rocks are assigned to a key close to {{k|t}}, allowing you to keep one hand on {{k|Enter}} and another on {{k|t}}.)
*'''Marksman, Bowman, and Archery''' — Raising the bow and crossbow weapon-specific skills is best done by shooting at a wall or cliff with no floor directly beneath it. If bolts or arrows hit a wall that has floor/ground on the same z-level, then the ammunition will be destroyed. ''However'', ammunition that falls at least one z-level after hitting a wall will remain intact. So, simply find something like a hill inside a castle, stand on it, then shoot at a wall which is on the same z-level you are. The arrows will hit the wall and fall one z-level to the ground, remaining intact. You can then {{k|g}}et the arrows and {{k|f}}ire them at the wall again from the hill, ad infinitum. You can also stand next to a wall that's two or more z-levels high, aiming at the wall one z-level up by hitting {{k|<}} after hitting {{k|f}}. Whatever method you employ, the key is that the arrow needs to fall at least one z-level after hitting a wall to remain intact. Using a macro will speed this up greatly.
*'''Ambushing and Swimming''' — An efficient way to raise Ambushing is to sneak over large stretches of land. Sneaking on the fast travel screen may work as well.{{Verify}} Ideally, this would be done in a biome containing sparse vegetation and few threatening creatures to blunder into and reduce FPS (e.g., a frozen beach).Although less efficient for raising only Ambushing, it's also possible to sneak and swim at the same time, thus combining their training. '''Just make sure you start with at least Novice in swimming''', or you'll find swimming practically impossible to train. Swimming can very quickly improve your Strength, Agility, and Endurance. Additionally, if you can safely drown and then recover (e.g., by moving under a bridge and then back before suffocating), this will raise both Toughness and Endurance at a ''ridiculous'' pace— a single step spent drowning will raise both attributes by a fifth of a point apiece.
*'''Observer''' — You can't really power-level this skill as it is slow and difficult to train, which is why you're advised to sink some points into it during character creation. However, one way to train it appears to be sleeping or walking around in the wilderness, allowing yourself to be repeatedly ambushed. This is, however, inherently dangerous. Running away from these encounters would probably be faster than slaying your assailants, if not generally safer for your character (but not for your companions, hoh boy).Successfully detecting traps found in tombs and catacombs (performed automatically) will also raise Observer. However, without decent skill to begin with, you'll be torn to pieces by the many traps you'll fail to see. Otherwise, once you've found one or more traps, it's possible to grind experience by sleeping/waiting an hour, thus resetting the traps. Rinse and repeat.
*'''Spatial and Kinesthetic Sense''' - While sharpening rocks with {{k|x}} will improve your Knapping skill, it more importantly increases your Spatial Sense and Kinesthetic Sense attributes, which affect a number of other skills. Knapping can be combined with throwing via a macro to keep your inventory from filling up.
*'''Other Stats''' - Other useful stats like Strength, Agility, and Toughness will increase significantly as the fighting and defense skills increase, so you don't need to do anything other than what you'd normally be doing to increase these.

== I managed to escape but my limbs are chopped off. Now what? ==

'Tis but a scratch!

Unfortunately, there is only one way to get them back, and that is by being bitten by a [[werebeast]] and surviving until the next full moon. But as long as you have at least one leg and one arm left you can actually do pretty well. First, get a crutch from somewhere, such as a general store, and make sure it's in one of your hands. Once you do that you should be able to {{k|s}}tand back up again. (However, if spinal nervous tissue damage is what has disabled your ability to stand, crutches ''will not'' help you in that regard.) You will notice that your speed is now much slower than before.

Now go find someplace reasonably safe and walk back and forth until your Crutch Walking skill gets up to Legendary or above. You will notice your speed increasing as your skill levels up until your speed is completely back to normal. As a bonus you'll probably see some stat increases as well. You can continue to dodge with a crutch just as well as before.

You can wield a sword, shield, and crutch all in one hand, so even if you are missing an arm then you're all set. If you are missing both arms but still have both legs then unfortunately you'll be limited to biting, dodging, and wrestling with legs. If you're missing both arms and one leg then your movement will be limited and you'll be limited to biting and wrestling with your one remaining leg. And if all limbs are missing then you'll be limited to rolling around on the ground biting things.

Though you might actually be able to do surprisingly well as a Legendary Biter, especially if you powerlevel your strength to the point where you can shake things around by the teeth ripping limbs off, if you lose both legs then your character is going to be severely limited just due to the poor movement rate, so at that point it's probably best to opt for retirement or a glorious death in battle.

== What creatures of night can I become? ==

You basically have four different choices.

Firstly, you can become a [[necromancer|'''necromancer''']].
* That gives you some traits of an undead. Namely, you don't need to eat, sleep or drink, don't tire or age, zombies or mummies don't attack you and your physical stats are permanently fixed.
* The last one means it's wise to train them beforehand.
* You also can raise dead from the {{K|x}} menu. Depending on the flavor of your spell, zombies can be slow, very slow or not slow at all. They will be listed as companions.
* To become a necromancer, find a necromancer tower and obtain a book or slab containing secrets of life and death from there, then read it. Note that most of the books are useless. In younger worlds necromancers may not have built their towers yet, in which case they'll be hanging at a zombie bandit camp, slab under the arm.

Secondly, you can become a [[vampire|'''vampire''']].
* That gives you most traits of an undead. In addition to the listed above, you don't feel pain, don't breathe and immune to most syndromes.
* Your strength, agility and toughness are doubled.
* They're still fixed forever, so, again, be prepared.
* Despite not needing to drink water, you have a hunger for warm blood. To satisfy it, beat someone or something unconscious and {{K|e}}at their blood.
* To become a vampire, defeat one in combat and drink his blood.

Thirdly, you can become a [[werebeast|'''werebeast''']].
* This gives you the (uncontrolled) ability to transform into a powerful half-man, half-beast on a full moon.
* There's a fixed list of animals on which the werebeast is based, including goat, llama, lizard, horse, monitor, buffalo, moose, tortoise, camel, kangaroo, ape, gecko, bear, hyena, warthog, iguana, skink, shrew, elk, skunk, pig, raccoon, panda, mole, badger, armadillo, mammoth and more.
* Most importantly, upon transformation (both ways) all your wounds, including missing limbs, are instantly healed.
* You don't show any abnormalcy outside of beast form. You are still mortal.
* When in beast form, everything is hostile to you, you don't need to drink, eat, sleep or breathe, don't feel pain, don't tire and are immune to some syndromes.
* One randomly chosen metal is ten times as deadly to you than usual. All other materials deal you half damage.
* Werebeast's size is several times their base animal size, but no less than 80000. This means all armor will be too small for you while in beast form. But you can still use a shield.
* Also, some werebeasts are truly gigantic — weremammoth has a size of 9000000, on par with demons.
* To become a werebeast, make one bite you. It has to be in the beast form.
* You cannot be a werebeast and a vampire at the same time.

And finally, you can become a mist [[zombie|'''zombie''']].
* This makes you undead. In addition to vampire traits, you can see without eyes and can't die via blood loss or beheading. Note that you don't have health point limit raised zombies have.
* You become permanently hostile to everyone except other undead.
* Your strength and toughness are tripled and fixed. Train beforehand.
* Depending on the flavor of zombie virus, your speed may or may not drop to 20% or 60% of its normal value.
* To become a mist zombie, find a mist/fog cloud that zombifies creatures and run into it.
* You cannot become a vampire or a werebeast if you are already a zombie. The other way, however, is fine.

=See Also=
*[[Main:Adventure Mode quick reference|Adventure Mode Quick Reference]]
*[[Main:Adventure mode quick start|Adventure Mode Quickstart Guide]]

{{Getting Started}}
{{Category|Adventurer mode}}
{{Category|Interface}}

Starting build

2014-12-04T18:33:24Z

Nubtom: /* General Surroundings */

{{Migrated_article}}
{{quality|masterwork}}{{av}}

:''This is not a tutorial, a FAQ, or a new players guide. This is a mildly advanced theoretical treatment for someone ready to take the plunge and make all the decisions about their own fortress. The following are intended for beginners:''
::*[[Quickstart guide]]
::*[[Main:From Caravan to Happy Dwarves|Beginner Flowchart]]
::*[[User:Calite/Gloss_Guide|Beginner Checklist]]
:''For an explanation of the interface for starting out, see [[Embark]].''

A '''starting build''' is a personal strategy for choosing the initial supplies, equipment, and [[skill]]s of your initial seven dwarves when starting a new game in [[fortress mode]] (see [[Sample Starting Builds]]). These skills and items which you assign to your dwarves will have a large impact on life in your new fortress, especially in its first year.

This page attempts to provide a discussion about how and why you make the choices on what you bring with you. This page is not an explanation of the mechanics of doing so, see the [[embark]] page for an explanation of the interface itself. This page assumes you have already made certain decisions, such as where you plan on settling, and that you are looking at the [[Embark#Prepare_Carefully|Prepare Carefully]] screen.

One thing should be made clear - there is no "best" build, no "perfect" or "clearly superior" final mix of skills and items, if only because there isn't any one goal of play. The goals you have for a fortress will dictate which sets of items and skills are best suited to achieving that goal - in your opinion. And then there is the environment, where your dwarves will arrive, the creatures, the resources available, and so forth. Finally, some people do things solely because it is hard, and that makes it more [[fun]] for them.

__TOC__

== Components of a Starting Build ==
There are two components of a starting build: skills and items (which includes [[animal]]s).

Skills for your initial dwarves determine how quickly they will work early on, what industries you are able to start with skilled workers, how well you can defend your dwarves early on, and what the quality of various goods they produce will be, and possibly many other considerations. This page considers in detail how you might go about choosing skills for your starting dwarves, and examines the multiple competing perspectives from which you can make that decision.

The items that your dwarves bring with you can be tailored a number of ways. There are trade-offs to cheaper and more expensive alternatives, and reasons why you might choose either. This section explores the nature of these trade-offs and the reasons for making a decision. It also looks at optimizing goods brought in more general contexts.

Starting builds can and should vary based upon a number of other variables. [[location|Where you choose to settle]] will dictate what raw materials are available, and thus require different skill sets to utilize, not to mention different threats from native wildlife based on [[biome]], [[surroundings|savagery]], and [[surroundings|alignment]]. Which dwarven civilization you chose will restrict the materials with which you can start. Making choices about these variables is not part of a starting build. What you choose for skills and items because of these choices is part of your starting build, and so some general guidelines about different environments is given last.

This page does not cover the interface for accomplishing these tasks; please see the [[embark]] page for that information.

== Skill Optimization ==
With only 7 dwarves, you can't take every [[skill]], so you must balance what you do take. At the starting phase, each dwarf can only be assigned a maximum total of 10 skill levels, with no single skill starting higher than "5". Maximum skill distribution is thus constrained to 1 level in each of 10 skills, or 5 levels in each of two skills, or something in between. Because dwarves can [[experience|learn]] any and all skills once your fortress starts, these initial choices do not dictate what the dwarves can do, opening up incredible latitude to choose skills for reasons other than survival.

:''(* Note that an unskilled dwarf starts with all Skills at Level '''0'''. Adding +5 Levels is then Level '''5'''. This is true regardless of how many "points" a level costs when first buying skills at embark.)''

A brief list of considerations governing skill choice:
:* Maximizing starting skill ranks vs. generalizing and having more skills covered at lower levels.
:* Balancing multiple skills for a single dwarf, so they aren't constantly needed for two different tasks at critical periods
:* Military vs economic needs
:* Your goals vs "basic survival needs" to keep your fortress healthy and happy.
:* Speed that a skill can be trained in game
:* Demand for a skill during a game
:* Whether quality or speed are significant considerations for tasks/final product
:* Balancing the desire to create [[wealth]] ''(with high-value products)'' with the need to maintain [[thought|morale]] ''(with low-value but commonly used products, like [[bed]]s, which normally are made from [[wood]])''.
:* most importantly - ''your playstyle'' - what '''you''' think is "[[fun]]"!

==== Breadth vs. Depth ====

A dwarf with only 2 starting skills at 5 ranks each is pretty good at 2 tasks, but untrained at anything else. A dwarf with nothing higher than level 1 is passable at many tasks, but not good at anything. Each dwarf in your party is going to be somewhere along this continuum, and you'll need to choose where.

Level in a skill dictates how fast a dwarf completes a task (most of the time), and the [[quality]] of the result (if applicable). On one extreme, [[butchery]] has no time variance for slaughtering a tame animal, and has no quality associated with the outcome. On the other extreme, [[Metal industry|metalworking]] tasks can take a long time for an untrained worker to complete and their high material value means the quality multiplier has a large impact on the end value.

Dwarves who complete tasks faster can do more total [[job]]s within a given time. The rate at which speed increases with level varies with skill, so some skills will benefit more than others.

Dwarves who make items of higher quality will contribute more to fortress [[wealth]] and may have a large impact on fortress [[thought|happiness]] if their work is readily available to be seen by other dwarves. Items which typically contribute to happiness are common public items like [[bed]]s and [[table]]s. Items which contribute the most to fortress wealth often cannot be displayed, but make useful [[trade goods]] or [[equipment]] for your military.

Aside from the obvious trade off, there is another reason to prefer depth - dwarves can obviously only complete so many total jobs within a given timespan. If a dwarf is busy doing one thing, he can't simultaneously be doing something else. So a dwarf who is highly skilled in a few skills may not actually experience any disadvantage if he is kept doing those things in which he specializes. The generalist dwarf, on the other hand, may be able to do many more different tasks adequately, but he can still only do one type of task at a time. A dwarf with one highly used skill (such as Mechanics or Mining) can feasibly spend all his time using only his primary skill and thus has no need to generalize. In effect, the generalist is wasting more skill points whenever he does jobs than the specialist, so long as the specialist tends to do jobs he has levels in. Specializing your initial skill investment is therefore superior if you specialize the division of labor in your fortress.

Of course, you can still only bring 7 dwarves with 10 total levels of skills each, so covering everything you want to do in 14 skills may be hard, if not impossible. A generalist or two can cover more bases that have little quality need or are otherwise fast even without a high level. The generalist's real problem arises from the fact that any dwarf can do any task, and having 1 level isn't much better than having no levels. Which isn't to say there isn't a situation where a 1/1/1/1/1/5 dwarf is the right solution (indeed, the typical recommended [[leader]]/[[broker]] takes 1/1/1/1/1 in [[appraiser]]/[[judge of intent]]/[[negotiator]]/+2 social skills because none of these skills have a time or quality component), but most less-specialized dwarves are more likely to fall in the 5/3/2 or 4/3/3 end of the spectrum solely because there is a minimum investment necessary to be noticeably better than not having any levels at all.

==== Design Constraints: Which skills do I need, really? ====

The only thing that you absolutely must do in the first year is get your [[food]] supplies into a food stockpile, preferably inside, or your food will [[rot]] on the ground and your dwarves will starve. Anything else you want to do can be accommodated by sufficient investment in initial supplies and/or skills. This means the options for possible starting builds are vast because virtually any set of starting skills for your dwarves is viable (and that's before you even think about equipment, which adds more variables). So the short answer is: none.

That said, there are some skills which will be '''used''', to one extent or another, by virtually every fortress - but that doesn't mean you '''need''' or even want to invest points in them to start. You could even manipulate the fortress (see [[challenge]]) to completely avoid one or more of the following, but these are the skills you will find it exceptionally hard to avoid creating jobs for:

*[[Mining]] - to dig your fortress, and create loose [[stone]] for projects. It's only possible to avoid mining if you're secretly an [[elf]].
** Inexperienced [[miner]]s work very slowly. Mining can be leveled up quite quickly by mining [[soil#soil|soil]], but taking two dwarves with at least some points in mining is recommended in most cases.
*[[Carpentry]], [[wood cutter|Wood cutting]] - [[bed]]s can only be produced from [[wood]] (rare [[mood]]s aside). This skill is also quite useful for producing [[bin]]s and [[barrel]]s.
** It's best not to assign carpentery and wood cutting to the same dwarf. Doing so creates a bottleneck early on, when carpentry is your only reliable industry.
*[[Masonry]] - to fashion dwarven [[furniture]] from stone, and build [[buildings]] and [[constructions]] from stone.
** Due to the vast supply of loose stones, masons can be easily trained by [[repeat]]ing jobs at a mason's workshop.
*[[Grower|Growing]] - your farmers' work echoes throughout so many other tasks, it's stunning.
** Skilled planters produce larger stacks of crops, which means more food, more booze, more cloth, more dye, ....
** While it's possible to feed your fortress on nothing but caravan goods, you'll never come by enough alcohol that way, so you'll eventually need to grow or gather plants for brewing. Dwarves will literally go crazy if forced to drink nothing but water for long periods. Thus you'll want to plan for farming eventually - not that you must bring a highly skilled [[Grower]], but it'll certainly be ''very'' helpful.
** Planters with low skill levels can decrease your seed stockpiles - each seed planted by an untrained grower will usually result in a single replacement seed, but may produce no seed at all if the crop fails. When you start out with only a handful of seeds, a few losses can easily impact the sustainability of your fortress.
*[[Brewer|Brewing]], [[Cook|Cooking]] - A skilled brewer produces [[alcohol]] more quickly. Likewise, a skilled [[cook]] prepares [[prepared meal|meals]] more quickly (and more appealingly). However, most food can be eaten raw, and your dwarves can exist for a time on water.
*[[Mechanic]] - If you want traps, and most people will. Also needed for most machinery. Mechanisms sell for a high price as a bonus.
*[[Architecture|Building Designer]] - Mandatory for some buildings and constructions, but skill only improves speed a tad and increases structure [[value]].
*[[Appraiser]] - you will use this whenever you trade with a caravan. Without it, the game won't tell you how much anything is worth, making trading difficult. It's almost always recommended to start with a dwarf with Novice (1 pt) Appraiser skill.
*[[Clothier]], [[Leatherworker]] - At least one of these skills will be necessary to supply your dwarves with new [[clothing]]. Articles of clothing count as [[finished goods]] with quality modifiers, and clothes can be traded easily (either before or after your dwarves wear them).

The very fact that you ''will'' use these skills can make many of them desirable to choose as starting skills for your dwarves. Of the above, Mining, Masonry, Growing, Cooking, and Mechanics are generally worth considering as "highly desirable". However, '''any skill can be used untrained, and/or get trained on the job''' - it just means a slower process and/or average lower quality product than if done by a dwarf with a higher [[experience|skill level]]. Some skills (e.g. [[Record Keeper]]) are rarely worth investing initial points in even though you will almost always use them; you can simply let the dwarf learn on the job. Others (e.g. Mining, Carpentry) may be worth investing points in depending on your goals or the tempo with which you want to achieve them. (Mining is easy to train so you could forgo initial investment and just train on the job, but this could force you to spend longer on the surface, increasing your exposure to dangers. A skilled carpenter can contribute a lot to fortress mood, but won't produce much [[value]]; see the discussion of Quality below.)

Many other skills are optional for your fortress; you will have to deliberately choose to use them. The skills above are essential to basic aspects of the game, and avoiding one requires a deliberate choice ''not'' to use it (and likely a lot of effort spent to avoid doing so). A fortress can make its wealth by smithing fine weapons, weaving quality cloth, encrusting precious stones onto furniture, or crafting quality trinkets. Or all of those. But there usually isn't a compelling reason to choose any one in particular. A fortress that never designates a tile for mining, however, requires [[challenges|exceptional effort]] to achieve.

There is no universal design constraint on which skills to start with. Ultimately the answer to "What skills do I need?" is "Whichever ''you'' want". Choosing a mixture of these commonly used skills and your desired specialized skills will make starting up your fortress easier and more efficient, but you don't need to start with any of them. Choosing to avoid some skills may force you to use some others, but nothing compels you to invest in any skill in particular.

A common skill list (Just as a general quick start):
*2 Miners
*1 Woodcutter
*1 Grower/Cook
*1 Grower/Brewer
*1 Carpenter
*1 Mason

This is not the be all end all, of course; it all depends upon your location, your goals, and what you consider fun.

==== Balancing military and economic needs ====

Not all embarks will require a military presence in the first year, but anyone planning an expedition to a [[sinister]], [[haunted]], or [[terrifying]] [[biome]] would be foolish not to be prepared for nasty dwarf-killing creatures. The solution doesn't strictly need to be military skills; quick delving and a skilled mechanic may be sufficient; but starting with a military dwarf will give you the earliest possible protection and a lot more versatility in where that protection can be applied. Whatever you choose to do, understand the risk and be prepared for it.

==== Training considerations ====

Some skills are harder to gain experience in than others - requiring valuable resources or taking an extended period of time, and thus inconvenient to train from scratch. Investing in some of these skills for your initial dwarves can make those industries much less painful to start. For example, [[metal]]-related skills generally eat metal [[bar]]s, and thus the less time you spend training metal workers up to a decent level, the faster they'll be churning out high-quality items and the fewer raw materials (bars and [[fuel]]) they'll waste in training. On the other hand, despite its importance, skills like mining train relatively quickly and barring extenuating circumstances (expected need to accomplish particular digging projects in the first month or you'll get mauled by a Giant for example) there's little need to actually invest your starting skills in it - they can learn on the job.

==== Quality, value, and happiness ====

[[Quality]] is an important part of Dwarf Fortress. Higher-quality items produce better and more frequent happy [[thought]]s and are worth more money in [[wealth]] and [[trade]]. When choosing skills that produce objects of quality, the desire to produce valuable goods for trade will often conflict with the desire to produce objects that will make your dwarves happy. Built items that are frequently encountered tend to be things like [[furniture]] (especially [[bed]]s) which tend to have low material values and thus low total value despite the quality of the work. Further, these things tend to be inconvenient to trade (due to [[weight]] and storage constraints). It is often best to strike a balance between dwarves who produce valuable trade goods and dwarves who produce quality items that will make your population happy - and thus be able to achieve both goals simultaneously.

It's worth noting that built furniture and worn clothing counts its value twice -- once under the appropriate category and once for displayed value. If you're trying to maximize your created [[wealth]] total, a good metalsmith producing [[statue]]s from high-value metals is optimal. A mason can also build furniture directly from metal ores such as gold nuggets, if these are enabled in the stocks "Stone" screen. While building with ore saves time and [[fuel]], it generally results in a 25% reduction of total material value compared to refining the ore. This is balanced somewhat by the fact that masonry is much easier to train, and therefore more likely to yield a high [[quality]] modifier to offset the reduced material value.

==== Moodable skills ====

[[Strange mood]]s can give a dwarf Legendary skill in his/her highest-level "moodable" skill, and moods take hold of dwarves with different professions at different rates. Some skills are "moodable" where others are not. You might choose to take a certain skill solely because it opens up moods for that skill with that dwarf. Some moodable skills are more valuable than others - a legendary weaponsmith is both valuable and useful. A legendary tanner is generally a waste of a mood since tanned hides have no quality.

Because a dwarf can only have a strange mood in one skill, pairing a moodable skill with a non-moodable skill can ensure that if the dwarf has a mood it will be in the skill you desire. See the section on combining skills below for more details on ways to pair skills.

Dwarves with no moodable skill can be allowed to do one task using a moodable skill to give them a moodable skill with no starting build investment, so moodable skill considerations should not be considered a primary reason to choose particular skills - you should also want to make use of them for other reasons.

==== Combining Skills ====
Every dwarf is going to have 2 or more [[skills]]. This means that even once you know which skills you want, you're going to need to pair them up before assigning them. Not all skill combinations are equally functional.

Some skills are highly time-consuming, either because the skill is in frequent demand (e.g. [[mining]]), because it requires extensive travel (e.g. [[wood cutting]]), or because it takes a long time to do an individual job (e.g. [[strand extraction]]). If a dwarf is spending most of their time using that skill, they aren't making much use of their other skill. Pairing two time-consuming skills together therefore tends to be a bad idea, as one or both jobs are not going to get the attention they need or deserve. Similarly, pairing a skill with time-critical jobs with a time-consuming skill also tends to be a bad idea. If your [[grower]] is also mining, he may not stop to plant crops one season. Or he might neglect to harvest your crops in a timely fashion and they could rot on the ground (if you only let your growers harvest). Arranging your skill combinations to avoid these situations is generally beneficial. For example, Masons, miners, growers, and any craft that your fortress will base their economy off of (glass, stonecrafts, armour, etc.) will take a lot of time, so plan accordingly.

Instead, pairing relatively time-intensive tasks with less time-intensive tasks will let your dwarf accomplish all such tasks adequately. Once you get a metal industry rolling, an armorer/weaponsmith will need to make a lot fewer weapons to outfit your soldiers than he will armor components. Thus he can usefully do both jobs without hurting your productivity too much. Similarly, a mason might also be your architect, since building designer is a very infrequently used skill.

Working at different jobs levels up specific [[attribute]]s. One could level up a miner until he becomes mighty and ultra-tough - and then turn him into a soldier, or retire him to haul stone. If you plan on doing so, it may not be a good idea to give this guy a second critical job that will demand a lot of time away from their focus.

Since tasks will take place in specific areas, another approach is to combine tasks into dwarves who will take care of a specific industry, or spend all their time in one generally narrow part of the fortress - the forges, or the kitchens, or outdoors, for instance. So combining Farming with cooking, rather than mining, for example, and turn on only Haul Food, not Haul Stone. Metalworkers spending their time in the forge can easily handle more than one type of metalworking skill, and are also well-situated to be furnace operators.

Similarly, you can also make the craftsmen of your finished products also responsible for the production of intermediate products from raw ingredients. This way when they run out of materials to make into finished goods they can immediately switch over to working raw products into intermediate products so they'll have more to work with later. This works better in some industries than in others. A single butcher/tanner/cook trying to process multiple animals simultaneously will likely result in rotten food, carcases, or skins. But a weaponsmith who doubles as a furnace operator can usefully ensure he has material to work with when you want him to. Later on, however, a highly skilled craftsdwarf is often better suited at sitting in their [[workshop]] and having others deliver raw materials to them than going out and obtaining their own raw materials themselves, but in the early game dwarf-time is limited, and a single dwarf who can work an entire production chain can do so relatively efficiently and let your other dwarves be used elsewhere.

There is no requirement that a dwarves job combination needs to look 'right' or logical. A weaponsmith will most probably not spend nearly 100% of their time creating weapons - what they do with the other part of their time may have nothing at all to do with forges or smithing. Jobs which require little time in general, or little time early even if time-intensive later, may well be paired with any time-intensive task solely to provide the dwarf with something to usefully and skillfully do with most of their time, and freed from that duty as needed for the other tasks.

Another constraint you can impose on your skill combinations is to try to limit dwarves to [[moodable]] skill and one non-moodable skill (or a moodable and a less desired moodable skill at lower level), so any mood will improve the desired one. For example, pairing craft skills with farming skills gives you dwarves that will perform useful food production or raw good processing services while also getting their mood in a valuable finished goods skill. Example: Clothier/Grower.

Finally, when combining skills think twice about placing your most valuable skills (e.g. [[grower]]) alongside dangerous skills (e.g. [[hunting]], [[wood cutting]], etc.). Your most valuable dwarves should be kept safe inside your fortress; less valuable dwarves should be chosen to venture into the wilderness.

==== Which dwarf should have which skill? ====
Dwarves who craft goods they prefer, or work materials they prefer, gain a bonus to the quality of the finished work. This can inform your choice of which skills you choose, for example by choosing a weaver because you notice a preference for sheep wool yarn, or you might choose the skills you want and then try to find a suitable dwarf to use that skill. In the latter case, since all dwarves have one metal preference you might assign an armorsmithing skill to a dwarf with a preference for iron, steel, or adamantine.

The dwarf with the most social skills will end up being the [[Expedition leader]], who will then become the [[mayor]] and start making [[demand]]s and [[mandate]]s. Thus you should avoid giving the most social skills to a dwarf who has [[preferences]] for things like [[adamantine]] and [[traction bench]]es. Ideally, a dwarf with no item preferences will result in a mandate-free [[noble]].

Dwarves have physical and mental attributes that affect the performance of certain skills. You may wish to give a socially adept and patient dwarf the leadership/broker skills, or a dwarf who doesn't tire easily a skill which will be in frequent use like mining. You can also try to match skills to [[personality]], some of which have obvious implications for their willingness to work long hours or how frequently they might take breaks.

Of course, all combined these represent a lot of possible constraints on where you assign particular skills, and it would be impossible to apply them in total to your entire desired skill load. Use these as a guide, but don't be upset if all your dwarves are anti-social psychopaths - someone still needs to be the leader, after all.

==== Other considerations ====
[[Migrant]]s can and will arrive with a wide selection of decently trained skills. While it is a gamble, chances are pretty decent that migrants will arrive with a highly trained skill that is also highly desirable and would usurp the job of one of the seven starting ones. The first few migration waves are likely to give you a much better talent pool than what you can assign at embark. On the other hand, you may never see a migrant arrive with the skill you really want. Even then, migrants still provide an excellent pool of workers to train for the specific skills you desire.

Skills atrophy if not used (they are marked "rusty" and later "very rusty"), and they can eventually decrease in level. Consider that skills which you will use years after embark are going to be rusty or even deleveled. Embark to the first caravan is long enough for a skill to start rusting, so you might want to make sure you'll use every skill you embark with before the first year ends to avoid catastrophic rusting.

Remember that you need to survive in order to accomplish any goals. Have a plan for lasting to at least the first caravan, if not one for longterm sustainability.

== Items ==

The items you choose to bring with you will need to satisfy a number of needs. Most importantly, you need to keep yourself alive - at least until the caravan arrives in the fall to resupply your fortress. You probably also want to plan on some way of making a shelter, whether that be the traditional delved hall, a majestic castle, a log cabin, or something even more exotic. You may want to plan for mishaps by bringing essential medical supplies, especially those which may be hard to acquire on site. And you might bring items which will assist in creating items for trade to that first caravan, should you need anything for the skills you're planning on.

For the purposes of this article, livestock are considered items.

All embarks get the following items without paying for them: 2 animals (who pulled the wagon), and the 3 wood that make up the wagon.

=== Motivations ===

==== Survival ====

A single dwarf eats about 2x/season, and drinks about 4x/season. With 7 dwarves that's ~approximately~ 14 meals per season and 28 alcohol per season, or ~42 meals and ~84 alcohol until the end of Fall. The dwarf caravan tends to arrive in the third month of fall, so you will probably need to plan on a full 3 seasons. You are also likely to get at least one if not two small waves of migrants before the caravan arrives.

It is possible to bring enough food and drink to make it to the caravan - indeed, bringing enough food isn't especially hard (especially once you factor in slaughtering the animals who hauled your wagon). Bringing sufficient alcohol is harder, although bringing plump helmets to brew can significantly cut the cost.

The likely best way to keep your dwarves in drink is also the most labor-intensive - setting up farming in the first season or two is perfectly plausible, allowing to grow your own [[plants]] from seeds and brew the products. (Keep in mind not all plants can be brewed - don't plant dimple cups and expect to make alcohol). In addition to the necessary seeds, starting your own farming operation is going to require either some [[soil]] or [[irrigation|some way to get the ground muddy]].

It is possible to make all your alcohol by harvesting aboveground plants, if highly inefficient. It also only works in biomes with collectable plant life. Notably evil biomes and glaciers are unlikely to provide suitable vegetation.

==== Shelter ====
Barring a convenient cave, you're going to have to do something for shelter. Shelter is your first defense against roving creatures, keeping them away from where your dwarves are working so they don't spam job cancellations and strew items all over the place. (As you might guess, most 'convenient caves' aren't actually that convenient, as they tend to have residents). Basic walls that allow you egress won't stop a dedicated invader, but you ''probably'' won't see those until year 2 or 3, so you have a little time to develop more elaborate defenses.

Food outside will also spoil a lot faster than food inside, so making a cellar of some sort to store your food in will increase the longevity of your food supplies. The rate at which food spoils depends on ambient temperature, so the urgency of making a cellar will depend on where you settled. It might be possible to go without a cellar in a freezing biome.{{verify}} The only way you can avoid thinking about food storage in the first year is if you collect food and make alcohol as needed - i.e., by using an herbalist to collect local plants - which can avoid needing to mine at all.

Delving a shelter requires mining, which means having picks to dig with. One can always bring one or more picks at embark, but its also possible to bring the supplies necessary to make them. See [[Starting build#Finished product or do it yourself|finished product or do it yourself]].

An aboveground shelter can be made with stone or wood or possibly more exotic materials. Stone of course requires mining, and thus picks. Wood can be had with an axe assuming trees are present, and axes, like picks, can similarly be brought at embark or made on site. It is of course possible to bring sufficient raw materials to build walls and a roof with, but this is far less efficient than just bringing a pick or an axe, although it could make a fun challenge.

==== Industry ====
Most industries require little more than materials you can collect at the site and a workshop. As long as you have access to some sort of building material (stone, wood, or even ice), you won't need to bring anything for these. However, if you want to get an industry going immediately, it does help to bring a few building materials along (or be willing to use the wood from the wagon, if only temporarily).

Some industries require fire-safe materials to build with. Nearly all stone qualifies, as does metal. Wood can be converted to a fire safe material by burning it to ashes in a wood burner's workshop, but of course that workshop requires a fire-safe material. If you're mining, this condition is easy to satisfy, but if you intend to run any of these industries right away you will need to bring appropriate materials.

Some industries require plant or animal matter to work with. Clothiers ultimately need cloth, which comes from certain plants or animals. Leatherworkers need tanned skins. (And while you can get 2 off your pack animals, this isn't sufficient to run an industry). If you plan on running these types of industries you will need to provide suitable raw materials. Hunting can cover leatherworking needs (although this requires a hunter and hunting implements), and foraging can find rope reed plants, but its usually better to bring enough appropriate animals or plant seeds to have a good shot at getting started in a predictable and sustainable way. Similarly, milking and cheese-making require milkable animals, and bonecarving requires a dependable source of bones.

Metal industries require [[metal]] and an [[anvil]]. You cannot make an anvil on-site without already having an anvil, so if you plan on doing any forging before the first caravan, you will need to bring one with you. Metal can be brought as bars or as ores to be smelted in a smelter into bars, or can be mined yourself. Each unit of ore smelted will produce 4 bars of metal, so there is definitely a cost-advantage for creating the bars on-site. You will need to provide [[fuel]] or magma to run these workshops; a bar of coke and some bituminous coal can bring your metal industries up to speed much faster than relying on charcoal. Keep in mind that if you wish to produce steel, you will need some form of refined fuel even if you have easy access to magma. Bringing along some bituminous coal is a cheap and efficient way to guarantee a supply, especially since volcanic regions typically lack coal resources. This will greatly ease your wood consumption as well.

[[Soap]] requires wood and a source of [[tallow]] to be produced. [[Lye]] can be bought at embark to skip the first steps and make soap more directly. You will still need to bring or make buckets and have an empty barrel to actually produce soap, this is a matter of having sufficient wood. Tallow can only be acquired by hunting or from livestock you bring but both sources hamper a quick industry start anyway.

Jewellers require gems. Cut gems can be brought at embark, but are too expensive to bring in quantity. Generally a jeweller requires mining to find sufficient gems or a glassworker to produce raw glass to work with.

Glassmaking and Pottery requires sand or clay, and fuel. It's hard to viably run these industries solely off imports. You can check the pre-embark screen for clay layers, but sand is reported as a soil layer which may contain no sand at all unless in a Sand Desert biome. Like metal workshops, coal can be brought to substitute for fuel fairly efficiently, and [[magma]] can abate the need for fuel entirely.

As is probably obvious, certain industries depend on similar inputs. Planning on a set of industries which require similar complementary inputs can let you more efficiently spend your starting points at embark or more efficiently plan your digging during the first year. If you plan on a lot of fuel-dependent industries, it may be worthwhile to prioritize finding a source of magma.

=== Optimization ===

==== Container mechanics and free items ====

Many items come in containers such as [[barrel]]s and [[bag]]s, including [[food]], liquids, [[seed]]s, and [[powder]]s. The cost to embark with these items can be cheaper than the cost of the container itself, and each different type of item for each category will come in its own container. Furthermore, you'll get a new container after every 10th instance for food, most liquids, and seeds, and after every item of powders.{{verify}} [[Alcohol]] gets a new barrel after every 5th unit. (Food actually groups by animal type, so if you get horse tripe and horse meat they'll combine in one barrel, but horse meat and donkey meat will come in separate barrels). Thus diversifying your initial food supply with 1 of each low-cost food item will net you a large number of barrels. Similarly, it is worth taking 1 of each seed you weren't planning on taking more of, solely for the bags. Taking some sand or gypsum powder is also a cheap way to get bags. [[Lye]] (for soap) and [[milk]]s can be brought for more barrels - and milk can be made into cheese for a low-cost embark option that becomes food.

As stockpiling and some jobs are container-limited, getting as many free containers as you can will free up labor (and possibly valuable materials) that would otherwise be used making containers. Note, however, that this behavior is considered by some to be an [[exploit]] since it provides substantial advantage at no cost.

==== Finished product or do it yourself ====
Bringing raw materials and making the finished product yourself is often easier on your embark points than bringing the finished product. On the other hand, making it yourself takes time during which you aren't making use of the finished product.

The most common scenario involves [[make your own weapons|forging your own metal tools and weapons]]. While not usually too much of a hardship, it can be dangerous to make your own weapons or picks if you expect possible hostile creatures. Furthermore, you will lose time - possibly 1/4 to 1/2 the first month - if you forge your own picks.

Of special note regarding weapons is that a training battle axe is perfectly capable of chopping trees, and is made with nothing more than a carpentry workshop and a log. While the delay in acquiring one is minimal, a wood battle axe is not a good weapon, and so it loses utility for doing anything other than acquiring more wood.

You can also easily plan on making all or most of one's own booze, as plump helmets can be bought at embark and brewed at a still.

Any finished good can of course be made from raw materials that you bring, but most of them are not essential like the above, and thus you can generally wait until you find suitable resources on site or buy them from caravans.

==== Biome considerations: Dude, where's my wood? ====
Some environments have a shortage of trees. While you can direct production of a lot of item types to other materials, [[bed]]s and some items still require [[wood]]. In addition, it is difficult to make [[bin]]s out of non-wood materials early in the game, especially without ready magma (since otherwise you'll probably need to burn wood to make metal bins). If you have an aquifer it can be even worse - stone may be difficult or impossible to access easily. While you can ultimately ask for wood from your liaison and buy whatever the humans and elves happen to bring, and eventually you can create a [[tree farm]] underground, tight wood will limit storage and sleeping arrangements for at least the first year if not longer. You may wish to plan accordingly if embarking in a site with sparse or no trees.

==== Items for moods ====
When a dwarf is taken by a [[strange mood]], he often needs obscure material or he will go insane and die, possibly with severe consequences to an entire fortress. Bringing along some of the harder-to-find ores ([[cassiterite]], [[sphalerite]], [[bismuthinite]], [[garnierite]]), and putting those aside, forbidding their use "just in case", is spending a few points on an insurance policy. Many players also choose to bring a few items like pig tail cloth and cave spider silk just in case.

Alternately, if you're otherwise being minimalistic on gear you're bringing you can choose to bring a few valuable components to try to maximize the value of mood items. That artifact animal trap will be worth a lot more if your woodcarver grabs a blue diamond instead of moss agate.

==== Free Equipment ====

The only free equipment you get in Dwarf Fortress mode is the wagon (which can be broken down for some logs), its draft animals, and your dwarves' clothes. Unfortunately, your dwarves don't get any free equipment based on their skills. This is in contrast to [[Adventure mode]], in which the only equipment available on starting is free equipment.

That said, it is possible to procure additional containers by choosing to embark with a diverse range of items, ensuring that each is given their own bag, barrel or bin for less of the cost of the item by itself. See [[Starting_build#Container_mechanics_and_free_items|Container Mechanics and Free Items]].

==Site considerations==
Each fortress [[location]] offers particular challenges and opportunities, and can make different demands on your starting build. Your starting build may need to be adjusted depending on the [[region]] your fort occupies, the specific vision you have of your fortress, and what it will take to [[losing|stay alive]] where you're going!

The differences include what [[biome]]s, [[region]]s and likely [[metal]]s are present in your chosen embark site.

=== General Surroundings ===
Simply put, if your [[surroundings]] are [[evil]] or [[savage]], your dwarves have a higher risk of suddenly facing personal combat before they are safely behind their defenses. Consider bringing extra weaponry, in the form of axes, picks or crossbows. Hand in hand with those, consider skill mixes that include [[axedwarf]], [[mining]] (the skill used to wield a pick), and [[marksdwarf]] (for [[crossbow]]s).

The same is true if you are embarking near an exposed magma vent or an open chasm - these features can be seen on the embark map, but it's impossible to tell if they are "open" to the surface or not, until you are there in person.

Be sure to include some source of [[water]] on the map, preferably running water. Water is (almost) essential for any fortress. In cold and freezing climates, streams and [[lake]]s will often be frozen year-round and your dwarves may quickly die of exposure. In hot climates, [[murky pool]]s will dry up, and in dry ones, rain will only rarely refill them, if ever. Choose temperate or tropical zones for an easier game.

===Aquifers===
If an [[aquifer]] is present in the first soil or stone layers (visible on the pre-embark menu), it may bar all access to [[stone]] and [[ore]] until you find a way through the water barrier. Consider bringing some stone for building, and ore for your first basic needs. This may be critical to getting your fortress running smoothly.

=== Mountains ===
Mountains often have abundant [[ore]]s, but at the loss of trees and plants. In previous versions lacking [[cavern]]s, this was a serious drawback. Brave pioneers can dig down into the caverns to find essentials like water, mud, and plants. However, players should be aware that above-ground crops will not grow in mountain biomes, no matter how muddy you may make the surface.

Depending on the exact layers, it's common to find exposed [[vein]]s of useful [[ore]]s that can be immediately mined for [[Make your own weapons|DIY]] weapons and tools.

=== Wooded/Plains ===
Flatlands with at least some trees and gatherable plants can also make for highly successful fortresses. Advantages over mountain zones include abundant trees and plants and (unless frozen) more abundant water. There are even (rare) magma vents. More water also means a high likelihood of an [[aquifer]] being present. Make sure to check on embark.

The greatest disadvantage is the potential lack of exposed [[stone]] to mine. The first level(s) below the surface is often [[soil]] of some type, which offers no building materials. However, soil is mined much more quickly than stone (x3-x4 faster), and expansive accommodations (rooms) can be achieved quickly even by untrained miners. You will find stone, you just have to go down a bit for it - but that's what dwarves do, isn't it?

[[Experience|Training]] a [[Miner]] from No Skill to Proficient takes less than a month (~20 days with hauling disabled) in soil, and to Legendary in just under a season after. From embark, this means you should have legendary miners in early summer if you dig only in soil. Times increase slightly for each additional miner used.

=== Oceanside ===
With many features in common with some of the above locations, [[beach]]es are often a mix of ease intermingled with bouts of extreme difficulty. Minerals and trees are often abundant, as well as farmland and sand, but there is often no drinking water unless the biome has a flowing [[water]] of some sort.

By definition, the settlement will fall between (at least) two [[biome]]s (one land, one water), potentially hazardous if the player expects a peaceful oceanside meadow, without realizing the [[terrifying]] ocean is full of amphibious zombie [[whale]]s.

Hunters should be replaced with fisherdwarves and a fish cleaner (although the latter can be easily trained). Depending how much water vs. land, more starting wood and ores might be helpful. Swimming is rarely useful in Fortress mode, even at the beach, and can be trained.

=== Desert, Glaciers, and Barren ===
Treeless (or near-treeless) [[biome]]s are challenging sites for a fortress: you get most of the disadvantages of a flatland site without having access to nearly as many trees and plants. However, near-lifeless zones such as [[glacier]]s are wonderful for players with slower computers, as there's little to burden the CPU but your dwarves and livestock. [[Desert]]s and barren areas often have sand; with a sufficient source of energy (preferably magma or [[coke]], keeping in mind the scarcity of trees in these biomes), you can build almost anything out of unlimited glass.

==Technical tricks/modifications==
Starting builds are located in data/init/[[embark_profiles.txt]]. They are editable as well as (usually) transferable.

==Sample starting builds==
See [[Sample Starting Builds]]

{{Starting FAQ}}
{{Category|Guides}}
{{Category|Fortress mode}}

Lye

2014-12-04T18:25:35Z

Nubtom:

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'''Lye''' is a material used to make [[soap]] and [[potash]]. Potash can also be made directly from ash. Lye is made by a [[lye maker]] at an [[ashery]], and requires 1 [[bar]] of [[ash]] and a [[bucket]]. Ash is made from [[wood]] by a wood burner at a [[wood furnace]].

Lye is moved from buckets into a [[barrel]] if you have a food stockpile with "misc. liquid" enabled and a spare barrel. One [[barrel]] can hold 50 units of lye. However, a bucket of lye can also be used directly to make soap. Lye freezes in cold weather. You'll have to wait until it thaws in order to make soap. Magma helps unfreeze lye.

Lye is located under Food -> Misc. Liquids in the Stocks screen.

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