Dwarf Fortress Wiki - User contributions [en]

40d:Activity zone

2010-03-22T19:44:14Z

Ultima33: /* Meeting Area */

'''Activity zones''' are areas in which [[dwarves]] are instructed to perform specific tasks, such as [[fishing]], [[dumping]] objects, or collecting [[water]]. While activity zones are necessary for the performance of certain tasks, such as collecting [[sand]], they can also be used to help to keep dwarves out of danger and greatly increase the efficiency of some of their [[hauling]] behavior.

Activity zones can be placed in any [[revealed tile]], including in [[open space]] (over the [[chasm]] or a [[river]], for instance), or on top of a [[building]] or [[stockpile]]. (If any tile is impassable or unreachable, however, that portion of the zone will go unused.) They are placed in the same manner as stockpiles, by designating a rectangular area using {{K|Enter}} from within the Zones menu ({{K|i}}).

The location of a zone is only visible while in the Zones menu, and any object lying on the ground will hide the presence of a zone tile. [[Building]]s, [[stockpile]]s, [[construction]]s, and even rock walls will not obscure zone tiles, even though they may sometimes make them inaccessible.

Once an activity zone is created, tasks can be assigned to it by hovering over it with the cursor while in the Zones menu. When hovering over the activity zone, you may tap {{k|a}} to enable or disable the zone. Disabling a zone will not cancel any existing job that involves that zone, but no further jobs related to it will be created while it is disabled.

==Water Source==
:Shortcut {{k|w}}
[[Water]] source zones are areas in which dwarves will look for water to fill [[bucket]]s, [[waterskin]]s, or to drink. If there is no water source zone, dwarves may attempt to get water a great distance away from the fortress.

To define a water source, place a zone next to a constructed or natural [[murky pool]], [[river]], or [[channel]] full of ''[[Water#Salt_Water|fresh]]'' water. If the water is fresh, each ground tile within the zone adjacent to the water is considered a water source tile, and that number of water-tiles will be seen in the sub-menu - if you see none, that water is not fresh. Thus, if you want to place a single-tile zone to be used as a water source, place the zone onto a ground tile adjacent to the water, not onto the open space above the water. Water sources can also be placed over [[grate]]s and floor [[bars]], as well as directly on top of a [[brook]].

==Fishing==
:Shortcut {{k|f}}
Fishing zones are areas in which dwarves will attempt to [[fish]].

To define a fishing zone, place a zone over ground tiles adjacent to an [[ocean]], [[murky pool]], [[brook]], [[stream]], [[river]], or [[lake]]. Fishing may also be done at artificially-created ponds. As with a water source, each ground tile that is adjacent to the natural water source is considered a fishing zone: drawing a single tile of fishing zone on top of the water will accomplish nothing unless it is on top of a [[brook]] tile or above a [[grate]] or floor [[bars]].

If you do not designate fishing zone(s), any dwarves with the fishing [[labor]] enabled will still go off to in any fish-bearing body of water, although they may choose to fish in an area very distant from the fortress, which may also expose them to dangerous wildlife. Note that a fishing zone is required for dwarves ordered to "[[Captured live fish|Catch live fish]]" from a [[Fishery]] - if no zones are present, they will simply stand around and do nothing.

== Garbage Dump ==
:Shortcut {{k|g}}

Garbage dump zones are areas in which dwarves will throw items specifically designated by using {{k|k}} then {{k|d}} for single items at a time, or {{key|d}}, {{key|b}}, {{key|d}} to designate a larger area to be dumped (or use the mouse to point and click). Garbage dumps are not the same as [[refuse]] stockpiles, which can be designated to accept any specific type(s) of refuse-type item, such as animal corpses or bones, and then are randomly filled by haulers as the items become available on the map.

Garbage dumps:
:* Only accept items that have been marked for dumping.
:* Require dwarfs to have [[refuse hauling]] [[labor]] enabled.
::* Are subject to refuse orders (''{{k|o}}: Set Orders and Options -> {{k|r}}: Refuse Orders''). Most notably, dwarves will not dump items that are outside unless you allow them to ({{k|o}}->{{k|r}}->{{k|o}}).

To place a garbage dump, trace a zone on either a relatively empty plot of land or adjacent to a cliff face or hole. 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 [[Activity zone#Pit/Pond|pit]]), not onto an [[open space]].
Items dumped into a [[chasm]] or [[magma]] (provided they are not [[magma safe]]) will disappear permanently. Otherwise, any number of dumped items will fit even in a 1x1 square{{version|0.28.181.40d}}; this can be used for [[stone management]].

Once items are dumped they are automatically marked as "forbidden" however they will not dump items that are also forbidden. 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 {{key|d}}, {{key|b}}, {{key|c}} and tracing the designation over top of the objects.

Dumping can be used as an effective siege defense tactic in an entirely above-ground fortress, since ordering dwarves to stay inside will have no effect - when you get a siege, make a large dumping designation on those useless stones of yours then just reclaim them if you need them back.

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, the 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. Since falling objects do not hurt dwarves, such garbage dumps can be a very efficient method of moving materials to the lower levels of your fortress.

Dwarves seem to throw dumped items in the nearest available garbage dump, although this is probably not reliable given that they don't always use the nearest available item to make things at workshops. If a nearer zone becomes available as they are traveling to a zone they will ignore it. Also, they seem to prefer dumps that allow them to throw things in to open space regardless of how far away they are.

Note that Dwarves will actually ''destroy'' cave spider [[silk]] webs instead of hauling it. Webs need to be gathered by a job generated at a [[loom]] using the [[weaving]] labor.

==Pit/Pond==

:Shortcut {{k|p}}
Pit zones are areas that dwarves can be instructed to fill with specific [[creatures]]. The zone will only ever be used if you specify an animal manually to be dumped into the pit. Be wary that merchant guards will attack dangerous creatures that are on their way to be pitted, regardless of the creature not being able to attack back. So wait for merchants to leave before pitting anything.

Pond zones are areas that dwarves can be told to fill with water, using buckets. If the zone is active, the dwarves will continue attempting to fill the pond until it reaches a 6/7 state.

To place a pit/pond zone, trace a zone directly over top of open space you wish to use as a pit or pond. Unlike most of the other activity zones, the ground tiles are not used to determine the zone: a single-tile pit/pond zone is placed on top of the open space, not on the ground tile adjacent to it.

After defining the zone, hover over the zone then use {{key|P}} to open a menu which allows you to toggle whether it is a pit or pond with the key {{key|f}}. You may also specify [[animals]] you would like to throw into the pit or pond by selecting them with {{key|+}} and {{key|-}} and hitting {{key|Enter}}; a {{Raw Tile|+|#0f0|#000}} symbol denotes those animals which have been selected.

If you wish to fill a large pond faster, you may place multiple pond zones side by side, one for each tile of the pond accessible from the shore. Each individual zone will generate its own Fill Pond job. Likewise, you may define multiple pit zones side by side, and may thus toss several animals into the same pit simultaneously by specifying different animals for each pit zone.

It may also be advisable to disable the hauling of furniture from the [[Orders]] menu while filling a pond, as otherwise the buckets used to fill the pond will be immediately tasked for storage in a stockpile, resulting in numerous task cancellations.

It is possible to designate a pit/pond zone over a hole covered by a [[bridge]] or floor hatch; oddly, dwarves will still be able to drop monsters/water into the pit, despite the barrier present. This can be useful when pitting numerous dangerous creatures, as dwarves will otherwise cancel their tasks when they see the other hostile creatures already in the pit.

There is a small bug / glitch where dwarves pitting a hostile creature will cancel their task and run away after releasing the hostile from their cage. The only way to avoid this is to not stockpile / build cages that contain the creature you want to pit. Therefore, after capturing a creature with the cage trap, leave the cage where it is if you want to pit the captured creature.

To the above mentioned bug, there is also an alternative. You can build a cage and as it asks you to select a cage, press x to "expand" the list. This way it should show all the information of a cage - I.E. Kobold Cage (Pine). After placing the cage in your desired location, link a Lever to the cage and pull it to release the creature. This is a good idea for a large "prisoner" battle.

==Sand Collection==
:Shortcut {{k|s}}
[[Sand]] collection zones are areas in which dwarves will search for sand when ordered to gather it. Sand is used for [[glassmaking]].
Unlike water source and fishing zones, dwarves won't find sand by themselves if you don't define a sand collection zone. To collect sand, build a [[glass furnace]] and queue up "collect sand" tasks at the building or using the [[manager]] screen.

Sand collection zones must be placed either on top of or adjacent to a floor tile containing any type of sand - (normal) sand, yellow sand, white sand, black sand, or red sand. Sandy clay, sandy loam, and the like are not sufficient. It's worth noting that sand collection zones can be placed on top of stockpiles or even [[farm plot]]s.

==Meeting Area==
:Shortcut {{k|m}}
Meeting area zones are areas in which dwarves and animals will congregate, similar to [[meeting hall]]s.

Additionally, [[immigrant]]s will collect here until their "migrant" status wears off. It is a good idea to have at least one Meeting Area, of one form or another: it allows you to make off-duty dwarves and animals gather in an area where they are not vulnerable, such as within the fortress. Also, if you don't have a Meeting Area zone or other type of [[meeting hall]], migrants which arrive will wait at the edge of the map until "migrant" wears off. A meeting area filled with [[On break|idle]] dwarves rubbing shoulders quickly increases the [[social skill]]s of idlers which may give them [[attribute]] boosts. It makes idle dwarves a little less idle, and makes selecting a replacement [[broker]] (if the old one dies) easier.

There are several ways to designate a meeting hall. The preferred method is to use an Activity zone; type {{k|i}}, set up a zone, and mark it both "active" and "meeting". [[Statue garden]]s and [[zoo]]s are intrinsically meeting halls, as are rooms defined from a [[well]]. However, you can also create a [[Meeting hall|Meeting Hall]].

Because every dwarf will gather at the meeting hall every so often, it is an ideal place to site objects that give them happy thoughts. Interesting animals in cages perhaps designated as a [[zoo]], a waterfall with [[mist]], and high-quality [[statues]] and other objects can each improve the quality of life in your fortress. A meeting hall placed in a place with sunshine will ensure that dwarves do not become [[cave adaptation|cave adapted]]. Your starting [[wagon]] will serve as a meeting hall until you establish an official one.

Be warned that having dwarves socialize will result in them becoming [[friend]]s. This is often considered negative due to the extreme happiness penalties implicit in having a friend die, and can make your fortress much more vulnerable to [[tantrum]] spirals.

40d:Entity token

2009-11-06T07:05:22Z

Ultima33: /* Behavior */

These [[tokens]] define entities, or [[civilizations]], in entity_*.txt files.

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

|-
| ADVENTURE_TIER
| order
| Allows adventure mode. Dwarfs, Elves, and Humans take up tier 3, 2, and 1 respectively. It seems that the best way to use this is to put your entity in the same order as the other tiers. The tiers are in descending order. So you should put a new adventure entity above the Dwarves. Not at the end of the file.
[ADVENTURE_TIER:4]

|-
| INDIV_CONTROLLABLE
|
| Allows the "Play Now!" option adventure mode.

|-
| CIV_CONTROLLABLE
|
| Allows fortress mode.

|-
| CREATURE
| creature
|The type of creature that will inhabit the civilization. Multiple entries will be chosen from at random for each civilization.
[CREATURE:DWARF]

|}

== Placement ==

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

|-
| BIOME_SUPPORT
|
* biome
* frequency
| Frequency goes from 0 to 10. Higher numbers make the entity more likely to settle there.
[BIOME_SUPPORT:ANY_GRASSLAND:4]

|-
| START_BIOME
| biome
| Birth of the civilization can be performed on this biome.
[START_BIOME:MOUNTAIN]

|-
| DEFAULT_SITE_TYPE
| site type
| Also determines symbol used when selecting civilization. CAVE uses no symbol. Options are: CITY, TREE_CITY, DARK_FORTRESS, CAVE, CAVE_DETAILED, RUIN
[DEFAULT_SITE_TYPE:CAVE_DETAILED]

|-
| LIKES_SITE
| site type
| Most residents will try to move to this site type, unless already at one.
[LIKES_SITE:CAVE_DETAILED]

|-
| TOLERATES_SITE
| site type
| Some residents will try to move to this site type, unless already at one.
[TOLERATES_SITE:CITY]

|-
| WORLD_CONSTRUCTION
| construction
| Controls which constructions the civ will build on the world map.
[WORLD_CONSTRUCTION:BRIDGE]

|}

== Population ==

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

|-
| START_GROUP_NUMBER
| number
| Number of breeding couples to start with per entity. Note that single-gender (eg. [FEMALE], [MALE], [NO_GENDER]) creatures will not have breeding couples, so a civilization with only these creatures will not have any population. (Possible exception is if they have very high [DAMBLOCK] and [MAXAGE] values.)
[START_GROUP_NUMBER:10]

|-
| MAX_POP_NUMBER
| number
| Max population *per entity*, multiply this by max starting civ to get the total population of the species.
[MAX_POP_NUMBER:500]

|-
| MAX_SITE_POP_NUMBER
| number
| Max population per individual site.
[MAX_SITE_POP_NUMBER:200]

|-
| MAX_STARTING_CIV_NUMBER
| number
| Max number of entities to spawn at world generation.
[MAX_STARTING_CIV_NUMBER:3]

|}

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

|-
| PERMITTED_JOB
| [[Profession tokens|profession]]
| Allows this job type to be selected. This applies to worldgen creatures, in the embark screen, and in play.
[PERMITTED_JOB:MINER]

|-
| CURRENCY_BY_YEAR
|
| Causes the civ's currency to be numbered with the year it was minted.

|-
| CURRENCY
|
* metal token
* value
| What kind of metals the civ uses for coin minting as well as the value of the coin.
[CURRENCY:SILVER:5]

|-
| ART_FACET_MODIFIER
|
* type
* number
| OWN_RACE, FANCIFUL, EVIL, GOOD
Number goes from 0 to 25600 where 256 is the default.
[ART_FACET_MODIFIER:OWN_RACE:512]

|-
| ART_IMAGE_ELEMENT_MODIFIER
|
* item
* number
| CREATURE, PLANT, TREE, SHAPE, ITEM
0-25600
Determines the chance of each image occurring in that entity's artwork, such as engravings and on artifacts, for default (non-historical) artwork.
[ART_IMAGE_ELEMENT_MODIFIER:TREE:512]

|-
| ITEM_IMPROVEMENT_MODIFIER
|
* item
* number
| ART_IMAGE, COVERED, RINGS_HANGING, BANDS, SPIKES, ITEMSPECIFIC, THREAD, CLOTH, SEWN_IMAGE:0-25600
Determines the chance of the entity using that particular artwork method, such as "encircled with bands" or "menaces with spikes".
[ITEM_IMPROVEMENT_MODIFIER:SPIKES:0]

This also seems to change the amount that the entity will pay for items that are improved in the ways in their tokens.

|-
| TRANSLATION
| language
| What language raw the entity uses.
* If an entity lacks this tag, translations appear to be drawn randomly from all translation files{{verify}}.
[TRANSLATION:DWARF]

|-
| CULL_SYMBOL
|
* noun
* symbol
| ALL, CIV, SITE
Causes the entity to not use the words in these SYM sets.
[CULL_SYMBOL:ALL:UGLY]

|-
| SELECT_SYMBOL
|
* noun
* symbol
| Causes the entity to more often use these symbols in the particular SYM set.
[SELECT_SYMBOL:ALL:PEACE]

|-
| FRIENDLY_COLOR
| see [[color]]
|
The color of creatures currently in your group?
[FRIENDLY_COLOR:1:0:1]

|-
| METAL_PREF
|
| Enables creatures of this entity to have a preference for one or more advanced metals.
This also allows them to use stronger metals, such as steel. Currently only dwarves have this token.

|-
| STONE_PREF
|
| Enables creatures of this entity to have a preference for one or more stones.

|-
| WOOD_PREF
|
| Enables creatures of this entity to have a preference for one or more types of wood.

|-
| GEM_PREF
|
| Enables creatures of this entity to have a preference for one or more gems.

|-
| UNDEAD_CANDIDATE
|
| In previous versions, this also allowed ruins to be automatically populated by undead versions of that species.
Unknown if the tag does anything as of version 40d.

|}

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

|-
| RELIGION
| type
| REGIONAL_FORCE: The creatures will worship a single force associated with their spheres.
PANTHEON: The creatures will worship a group of gods, each aligned with their spheres and other appropriate ones as well.

ANY_APPROPRIATE_POWER: The creatures will worship creatures with the [POWER] token. At the moment, the only [POWER] creature is the Demon.

[RELIGION:PANTHEON]

|-
| RELIGION_SPHERE
| sphere
| Can by any available [[Sphere]]. Multiple entries are possible. Choosing a religious sphere will automatically make its opposing sphere not possible for the species to have: adding WATER, for example, means the species will never get FIRE as a religious sphere.
[RELIGION_SPHERE:FORTRESSES]

|-
| SPHERE_ALIGNMENT
|
* type
* number
|
This token forces an entity to favor or disfavor particular religious spheres, causing them to acquire those spheres more often when generating a pantheon.
[SPHERE_ALIGNMENT:TREES:512]

|}

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

|-
| CAN_HAVE_MILITARY_LEADER
|
| Allows the entity to have a military leader.

|-
| CAN_HAVE_MILITARY_SITE_LEADER
|
| Allow the entity to have military minor leaders.

|-
| LEADER_TYPE
| [[Profession tokens|profession]]
| Makes the leader of the civ this profession, uses tileset professions.
[LEADER_TYPE:MASTER_THIEF]

|-
| SITE_LEADER_TYPE
| [[Profession tokens|profession]]
| Makes the minor leaders this profession, uses tileset professions.
[SITE_LEADER_TYPE:MASTER_THIEF]

|-
| MAYOR
|
| Settlements have a mayor.

|}

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

|-
| [[ETHIC]]
|
*behavior
*reaction
| Sets the civ's view of certain behaviors, from capital punishment to completely acceptable. This also causes the civ to look upon opposing ethics with disfavor, if their reaction to it is opposing, and when at extremes (one ACCEPTABLE, another civ UNTHINKABLE for example) they will often go to war over it.
[ETHIC:EAT_SAPIENT_KILL:ACCEPTABLE]

|-
| WILL_ACCEPT_TRIBUTE
|
| Makes the civ accept tribute from conquered sites? Or maybe makes the civ's traders accept offered goods?

|-
| WANDERER, BEAST_HUNTER, SCOUT
|
| The civ will send out these sorts of adventurers in worldgen.

|-
| ABUSE_BODIES
|
| The civilization will mutilate bodies when they are the victors in history-gen warfare, such as hanging bodies from trees, putting them on spikes, and so forth.

|-
| ACTIVE_SEASON
| season
| the season the civ is most active and will trade, interact with you, and/or invade. While only one friendly non-dwarven civ can be active per season, both dwarves and another civ can be active in autumn. Including the dwarves, you can have five active civs trading with you. Civs can have multiple season entries.
[ACTIVE_SEASON:AUTUMN]

|-
| AMBUSHER
|
| When invading sneaks around and shoots at straggling members of your society. They will spawn on the edge of the map and will only be visible when one of their party are spotted; this can be quite dangerous to undefended trade depots.

|-
| AT_PEACE_WITH_WILDLIFE
|
| Will not attack wildlife, and will not be attacked by them, even if you have them in your party. This can be somewhat disconcerting when attacked by bears in the forest and your elven ally sits back and does nothing.

|-
| BABYSNATCHER
|
| Sends thieves to steal babies. Also sends ambush parties to harass your civilization. Without this tag enemy civs will only siege, and will siege as early as they would otherwise babysnatch. This can happen as early as the first year of the fort! In addition, babysnatcher civs will snatch children during history gen, allowing them to become part of the civ if they do not escape.

|-
| DIPLOMAT
|
| Sends diplomats to come and talk to you, also allows trade negotiations for the next year's caravan.

|-
| DIPLOMAT_BODYGUARDS
|
| Diplomats have bodyguards.

|-
| ENTITY_GROUPING
| alignment (obsolete)
| FRIENDLY, EVIL, or NUISANCE
[ENTITY_GROUPING:FRIENDLY]

|-
| INVADERS_IGNORE_NEUTRALS
|
|

|-
| ITEM_THIEF
|
| Sends thieves to steal items. This will also occur in history generation, and thieves will have the "thief" profession. Items stolen in history gen will be scattered around that creature's home.

|-
| MERCHANT_BODYGUARDS
|
| Merchants have bodyguards.

|-
| MERCHANT_NOBILITY
|
| Civ has a merchant prince.

|-
| PROGRESS_TRIGGER_POPULATION
| level
| 0 to 5, civ will come to site once population at site has reached that level

|-
| PROGRESS_TRIGGER_PRODUCTION
| level
| 0 to 5, civ will come to site once created wealth has reached that level

|-
| PROGRESS_TRIGGER_TRADE
| level
| 0 to 5, civ will come to site once exported goods has reached that level

|-
| SIEGER
|
| Will wait around at the edge of your map for a month or two, before charging.

|-
| SKULKING
|
| This makes the severity of attacks depend on the extent of item/baby thievery rather than the passage of time.

|-
| TREE_CAP_DIPLOMACY
|
| Makes the entity angry if you cut down too many trees. They will send a warning first.

|}

== Items and Animals Used ==
{| {{prettytable}}
|- bgcolor="#ddd"
! Token
! Arguments
! Description

|-
| AMMO
| item token
|
[AMMO:ITEM_AMMO_BOLTS]

|-
| ARMOR
|
* item token
* rarity
| Rarity is optional.
[ARMOR:ITEM_ARMOR_PLATEMAIL:COMMON]

|-
| DIGGER
| item token
|
[DIGGER:ITEM_WEAPON_PICK]

|-
| GLOVES
|
* item token
* rarity
| Rarity is optional.
[GLOVES:ITEM_GLOVES_GLOVES:COMMON]

|-
| HELM
|
* item token
* rarity
| Rarity is optional.
[HELM:ITEM_HELM_HELM:COMMON]

|-
| INSTRUMENT
| item token
|
[INSTRUMENT:ITEM_INSTRUMENT_FLUTE]

|-
| PANTS
|
* item token
* rarity
| Rarity is optional.
[PANTS:ITEM_PANTS_PANTS:COMMON]

|-
| SHIELD
| item token
|
[SHIELD:ITEM_SHIELD_SHIELD]

|-
| SHOES
|
* item token
* rarity
| Rarity is optional.
[SHOES:ITEM_SHOES_SHOES:COMMON]

|-
| SIEGEAMMO
| item token
|
[SIEGEAMMO:ITEM_SIEGEAMMO_BALLISTA]

|-
| TOY
| item token
|
[TOY:ITEM_TOY_PUZZLEBOX]

|-
| TRAPCOMP
| item token
|
[TRAPCOMP:ITEM_TRAPCOMP_GIANTAXEBLADE]

|-
| WEAPON
| item token
|
[WEAPON:ITEM_WEAPON_AXE_BATTLE]

|-
| USE_ANIMAL_PRODUCTS
|
|

|-
| USE_ANY_PET_RACE
|
| Assuming it passes other checks, any creature in their list of usables (from common domestic if they have that or from the surrounding 7x7 or so of squares and map features in those squares) which has PET or PET_EXOTIC will be available as a pet (next time, it'll let them use mounts/pullers/pack animals of any kind as well, but I'm not sure this matters in the stock raws). This notion of the initial usable creature list, which then gets pared down or otherwise considered, applies below as well. All common domestic and equipment creatures are also added to the initial list.

|-
| USE_CAVE_ANIMALS
|
| If they don't have it, creatures with exclusively subterranean biomes are skipped.

|-
| USE_EVIL_ANIMALS
|
| Don't have it -> EVIL creatures skipped.

|-
| USE_EVIL_PLANTS
|
| As EVIL creatures for all uses of plants.

|-
| USE_EVIL_WOOD
|
| As EVIL creatures for all uses of wood.

|-
| USE_GOOD_ANIMALS
|
| Don't have it -> GOOD creatures skipped.

|-
| USE_GOOD_PLANTS
|
| As GOOD creatures for all uses of plants.

|-
| USE_GOOD_WOOD
|
| As GOOD creatures for all uses of wood.

|-
| USE_MISC_PROCESSED_WOOD_PRODUCTS
|
| If wood is available locally, and you have permitted the relevant professions in the def, controls availability of lye, charcoal, potash and pearlash.

|-
| COMMON_DOMESTIC_MOUNT
|
| If a creature has PET and the relevant COMMON_DOMESTIC_x tag (or COMMON_DOMESTIC for pets), it will be allowed if it passes the other checks.

|-
| COMMON_DOMESTIC_PACK
|
| If a creature has PET and the relevant COMMON_DOMESTIC_x tag (or COMMON_DOMESTIC for pets), it will be allowed if it passes the other checks.

|-
| COMMON_DOMESTIC_PET
|
| If a creature has PET and the relevant COMMON_DOMESTIC_x tag (or COMMON_DOMESTIC for pets), it will be allowed if it passes the other checks.

|-
| COMMON_DOMESTIC_PULL
|
| If a creature has PET and the relevant COMMON_DOMESTIC_x tag (or COMMON_DOMESTIC for pets), it will be allowed if it passes the other checks.

|-
| RIVER_PRODUCTS
|
| Allow civ to use river products in the goods it has available for trade.

|-
| OCEAN_PRODUCTS
|
| Allow civ to use ocean products in the goods it has available for trade.

|-
| INDOOR_FARMING
|
| Determines if inside farms will be generated for civ towns, and determines if the player can build farms underground in fortress mode.

|-
| OUTDOOR_FARMING
|
| Determines if outside farms will be generated for civ towns, and determines of the player can build outdoor farms in fortress mode.

|-
| CLOTHING
|
| Civ members will attempt to wear clothing.

|-
| SUBTERRANEAN_CLOTHING
|
| Will wear things made of spider silk and other subterranean materials.

|-
| EQUIPMENT_IMPROVEMENTS
|
| Adds decorations to equipment based on the level of the generated unit. Also improves item quality.

|-
| IMPROVED_BOWS
|
| Adds decorations to weapons generated for bowman and master bowman. An elf hack.

|-
| MINOR_METAL
|
| Has a preference for weak metals. (copper)

|-
| LOW_SKILL
|
| No longer used. Formerly used to keep kobolds under control. [v0.28.181.39f]

|}

[[Category:Modding]]
[[Category:Tokens]]

40d:Adventurer mode

2009-10-31T05:32:20Z

Ultima33: /* Visiting abandoned fortresses */

In '''adventurer mode''', you pick a race ([[dwarf]], [[human]], or [[elf]]) and start out in either a [[Site|town]] of your race or in a previous [[fortress]] you played on. You can receive [[quest]]s, venture into the wilderness to find [[caves]], abandoned towers and other [[Site|villages]]. You can even visit your old [[Fortress|fortresses]] and find whatever riches were left to be guarded by the [[creatures]] that sealed the fate of your [[fortress]].

The user interface differs somewhat from [[fortress mode]]; you may want to refer to the [[Adventure Mode quick reference|quick reference]] guide, or examine the detailed [[controls]] page. [[Site map]] may also prove useful.

== Your first adventure ==

=== Picking a race ===
When it comes to picking a race, there is difference in [[skills]]. [[Dwarves]] cannot wear [[human]] sized [[armor]], and are somewhat limited in the [[weapons]] they can wield due to their size. [[Elves]] have a slightly different set of [[skills]]. [[Humans]] are generally fairly well-balanced, and are the easiest to acquire quests from. Each race fares differently in combat; you may wish to look at the races' pages for the finer details.

=== Choosing skills ===
Basically, if you want to start with a [[weapon]], you need to avoid having the most points spent in unarmored/[[wrestling]]. If you, for example, choose to start out with most points in [[swordsman]], you will start out with a [[sword]]. When you have chosen your preferred set of [[skills]], you can press {{key|Enter}} to embark. The higher the [[skills]] in [[weapons]]/[[armor]] determine the quality of the equipment you start out with.

All the [[skills]] you see CAN be improved through use in game, so don’t worry about spreading them out completely evenly. In general, pick the [[skills]] you think you’re going to use. The [[skills]] are pretty self explanatory but its recommended that you put at least a few points into [[shield]] / [[armor]] and into a type of weapon. Be warned that [[weapon]] [[skills]] generally take a while to level up, so placing a good deal of points into a singe weapon may be to your advantage. Also keep in mind that your skills determine what kind of equipment you have in the beginning, ie high sword skill means you’ll start with a sword. For information on the weapons and the other aspects of combat, please check the combat section. It might also be a good idea to use a point or two for swiming, otherwise you might end up drowning in a puddle.

=== Setting out ===
If you chose human, you will start out inside the Mead hall. You will see the Mayor (purple) as well as the occasional townsperson. Press {{key|k}} and talk to the Mayor. Press 'services' for a [[quest]]. You can talk to the Citizens and recruit them to your party for some additional combat aid if they feel like it (note, people with no combat skills are unlikely to follow you, and the major and town guards never will.) If you choose dwarf, you start out in a region just outside the entrance to a given fortress. There is a [[mayor]] or the [[king]] himself inside the fortress.

Be sure to read the [[Adventure Mode quick reference]] or use the help files for more information on the commands in Adventure mode.

=== Survival ===
Congratulations, you’ve created a character and are now about to embark on your fantastic adventure! For now, lets focus on the bare bones of staying alive shall we? First things first, you need food and water. If you’re a human you start with some, but barring that you may need to find a waterskin. These can be bought in human towns, specifically at the shop. DO NOT STEAL THESE OR ANYTHING ELSE. Do not pick anything up and walk outside the store before you trade for it. Why? Because you are currently weak and your neck is currently arrow bait. After getting the water skin, simply find a water source and hit (Shift+I) to interact with the object. Press the letter of the Water skin and you should be able to fill it from the water source. After it’s full press (e)to open the Eat menu and select the water. Food can be acquired from stores eaten in the same way. Beware, you won't be able to swim if you are hungry, thirsty or if you haven't slept for a day or two. If you get drowsy, just find a bed in a city or just find a good place to sleep. Avoid sleeping in an hostile place, if you don't want to have a bit too much fun.

Now that you know how to work your mouth we can move on to miscellaneous tips for survival. Firstly, you are very tasty and chances are (unless you’re an elf) the wildlife will soon be attempting to eat your face. A bear or cougar isn’t too much of a problem because there’s only one, the real problem will be wolf packs.
A single wolf is easy to dispatch, but a dozen or so can prove very problematic indeed. Beware large packs until you’ve gained a little experience. Secondly, do not piss off the towns folk, as they tend to have guards. Lastly, beware of taking quests or attempting things before you’re ready, as you will more than likely have tons of [[fun]]

=== Civilization? ===
Elves live out in the forest, literally. Although defined to specific regions on the map, they have no structural wealth whatsoever. Some trees are named.

Humans live in towns comprised of buildings and often a paved road. Human villages are highly modular. The small 5x5 buildings are citizen houses and are marked with an "H" on the town auto-map. Medium buildings are stores, marked with a symbol that indicates what they sell - food, weapons, clothing, and two kinds of trinkets (incidentally, armor and clothing is sold in the same building). As of the current version, you start in the mead hall which is marked with an "M" on the automap. There are one or two apartment buildings buildings which are two stories, with six rooms a story; they are also marked with an "H." There are two really large buildings - the "T"emple and the a fort-like building that is marked with "K." Temples tend to have two or three levels, and a pool of water, while the "K" buildings are three or four floors high and are almost entirely empty (they will occationally contain random smatterings of clothing though, if you're looking for things to sell.)

Dwarves live underground. Their entrances are large square pits with stairs around the perimeter, and a row of leading down into the fortress halls at the bottom. The main halls are wide and have pillars near the walls, long and occasionally turn corners. Different levels in the fortress are marked by a row of ramps with two pillars on the side (walk towards the side of the ramp that has the pillars) and, although the number of floors in a fortress can vary, they are usually little and only become deep if the lay of the land above is variable. There are one 1-tile wide hallways, empty rooms, and scant Dwarves in these pre-fab fortresses. It's obvious the computer is playing a completely different game than you are in [[Fortress Mode]]!

Goblins live in [[obsidian]] towers, usually found built in twos, though they both don't necessarily have to be built up. One could be a "tower," one could be an over-glorified "basement." There is probably a temple nearby, completely similar to human temples. Goblin towers have tight 1-wide hallways, spacious and empty rooms, and strange hall extensions that end in remote cross-like dead-ends. Like dwarf fortresses, there is rarely anything in a Goblin tower asides from Goblins, and they have a strange tendency not to attack non-Goblin visitors. They seem to have lots of children.

You may come across what the map defines as a "Goblin" city that is actually populated by Humans or Dwarves living in or around the towers.

=== Trading ===
In towns you can find merchants inside some [[buildings]]. Talk to them to trade with them. After buying an item, you must pick it up manually from somewhere in the shop. {{K|l}}ook around for an item without $ signs around it.

==== Selling ====
You can also sell things to traders. Bones, corpses, body parts and rocks are not valuable, no matter how attached you are to a particularly aerodynamic kobold head. Small creatures discovered while {{k|L}}ooking Carefully may be worth a small amount of money. In order to sell or buy items, stand adjacent to the shopkeeper in his store, and {{k|k}}onverse with the shopkeeper. Select "Trade" and press {{k|enter}} to open the trade window.

Select each non-worthless item you wish to sell, and then set a price using the following format{{verify}}:
* {{k|a}} asking for 9000☼
* {{k|s}} +100☼
* {{k|d}} +10☼
* {{k|f}} +1☼
* {{k|g}} reset to 0☼
* {{k|h}} -1☼ (offering)
* {{k|j}} -10☼
* {{k|k}} -100☼
* {{k|l}} offer 9000☼

The use of these keys may seem non-intuitive, and this is further complicated by the limit on your available offers by your current financial health.

Shopkeepers are used to adventurers with inflated ideas about the value of their goods, so it may be simplest to ask for 9000☼ for your goods, or offer 1☼ for theirs and suggest a {{k|t}}rade. The shopkeeper will counteroffer with the actual value of the goods, and will be quite delighted to accept a {{k|t}}rade at the price they've just quoted to you. You can then purchase things with your store credit. After the trade sessions, the balance of your coins will appear on a small table next to a chest.

[[Category:Adventurer mode]]

====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, ie goods bounded by the $$ signs, the game requires you to exit the site ''and'' travel a considerable distance before allowing you to 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.

====Managing 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. To do that you can purchase goods from a merchant to the sum of your copper coins, then sell them back. Check the merchant's chest to see how much gold and silver coins they have. You can delay the problem by selling your loot to many merchants, as they will try to pay you in higher denomination currency first.

A few goods are strictly superior to all forms of coinage as a store of value, most commonly giant cave spider silk items. A suitably sneaky (or powerful) adventurer can murder a few dwarves 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 sustainably.

=== Equipping your adventurer ===
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.

[[Weapons]] and [[Armor#Shields and Bucklers|shields]] are handled differently. There is no explicit equipment command. 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 [[weapons]] or [[Armor#Shields and Bucklers|Shields]] you would need to {{k|p}}ut your equipped weapon into your [[backpack]] and then {{k|r}}emoving your new desired weapon. You do not need to drop weapons and equip new ones etc. Simply remember the {{k|r}}emove command and the {{k|p}}ut into container command.

It should be noted that the world of DF seems to have a lot of left handers, so do not be surprised if your character holds the weapon with the left hand and the [[Armor#Shields and Bucklers|shield]] with the right hand.

== Traveling the world ==

=== How-to ===
You can walk around the whole world tile by tile if you wish, but given the size of the world, you might want to consider using another method. Pressing {{key|T}} will let see a very zoomed out map of the surrounding area. Moving about on this map is much faster, as well as it heals your adventurer, keeps him from starving, dehydrating, or getting tired. To exit this screen and explore the area you've reached, press {{k|>}}.

If there is more than one feature such as a [[Site|town]] or group of [[creatures]] on that map tile you will get to choose which one you want to arrive near.

Also while traveling on the world map, there is a chance that your adventurer can get randomly ambushed by enemies. When that happens, you must survive by either fighting them off or hide from them.

Jumping off [[Cliff|cliffs]] is not normally advisable; however, it is possible to do so by holding {{key|Alt}} while pressing the appropriate movement key. Jumping off [[Cliff|cliffs]], depending on how high you jumped, will most of the time cover your eyes in blood, which lessens visuals.

=== Finding a Quest ===
At this present point Quests can only be taken from people of leadership in an organization.

Human Weapon Masters: No matter what time of the day, human weapon masters will be in the mead hall, where you appear. However, if it is late they will immediately head for their homes so you may need to intercept them before they reach the door. The human capitals are not very different from the normal towns; humans have no central leadership so each weapon master is only a local leader of their own town, even at the capital the weapon master only rules the capital itself and not the other towns. Ignore the keeps; unless you're playing with a mod like LL no leaders hang out in the Keeps.

High Priests: Humans and Goblins will often suggest you ask the High Priest for quests but in all my times of doing this all this will do is allow you to join their religion. If you want to join the religion, the High Priest, as long as it is a reasonable time of day, should be wandering around the temple. Worth a visit at least as Temples are often the most interesting parts of a town/dark fortress because there are so many different kinds.

Dwarven Mayors/Kings/Queens: Hit and miss finding them, you'll generally find them on the outside of the fort but sometimes they move around; some have been known to run out of the fort and became a migrant unable to give out quests. Both Mayors and Kings/Queens can be found and both will assign Quests, which is nice. If you can't find them outside the fort you shouldn't really bother as mountainhomes take forever to search. As one might imagine the Kings/Queens can only be found at the Capital.

Elven Druids: Druids, who look like flashing peasants, are generally found in the middle of their Forest Retreats but it can be a bit hit and miss as well. Just keep looking; they don't usually seem to move and hopefully will be in the same place once the Quest is completed. Probably the 2nd easiest to find as you just look around the Forest. Despite people saying they dislike the Elves, in adventure mode they invariably give out the best Quests because Elves are not attacked by normal animals, so the only targets for your Quests will be Mega/Semi-Megabeasts or the leaders of enemy factions. Even though elves do have a capital there is nothing special to see there; still only one Druid who is only in charge of the Retreat, not the civ.

Goblin Weaponmasters/Demons: Probably the hardest to find; most Dark Fortresses are multitowered making it very difficult to find the leaders as there are several multifloored towers with twisty passages. Generally they will be in the tallest tower but this is not a definite fact. Sadly, they move around sometimes and are very difficult to find. The Demons are only in the Capital while weaponmasters exist in every Dark Fortress as local leaders. The goblins often have fun Quests as they generally seem to be at war with other civs.

Kobold Weaponmasters: Often hanging around the middle of a kobold cave camp; however, these guys cannot talk to you and as a result cannot give you a Quest (although you can use them to train your Sword skill)

=== Finding quest locations ===
After receiving a [[quest]], you will be able to track its location using the {{key|Q}}uest log. Initially it will just give you the location on the {{key|T}}ravel map, though a lesser-known feature is its use in finding the cave entry (or other such target) once you're already in the [[Site map|local map]]. Bring up the quest log again, highlight the quest objective you're after, and {{key|z}}oom to it. It should then provide you with a local map of your current area, complete with a 3x3 box of flashing squares. This box indicates the general location of the cave's mouth. You'll still have to do some searching, but at least it's narrowed down for you. You can bring up this map at any time that you're in the local area of a quest objective.

The compass on the left of the screen will also greatly help you in finding the entrance; the direction indicated should place you within one screen's distance of the entrance before it turns into "---".

=== Visiting abandoned fortresses ===
If you start an adventure in a world with one or more abandoned [[Fortress|fortresses]], you can take your adventurer to see the sites of your previous endeavors. When you find one of your old [[Fortress|fortresses]], you will find that everything is a mess. Items are scattered about, things are smashed up and there are probably new hostile inhabitants that you will need to fend off. Visiting your old [[Fortress|fortresses]] might prove to be rewarding, since you can find [[armor]] and [[weapons]] you made (if you made any). The best thing to be found in your [[fortress]] would probably be any left behind [[Legendary artifact|artifact]] [[weapon]] or [[armor]]. This is also the only way to get [[Legendary artifact|artifact-quality]] [[weapons]] and [[armor]].

Also remember to check out any [[Engraving#Engravings|engravings]] you made while in [[fortress mode]]. When checking out [[Engraving#Engravings|engravings]] in adventure mode, they reveal a lot more specific information about the event that is engraved.

=== Combat ===
== The Weapons ==
Weapons are basically divided into axe, sword, spear, pike, mace, whip, bow and hammer, with various versions of these taking up the gray area. Swords are your jack of all trades weapon, doing reasonable slashing damage. They come in short, long and two handed varieties, with the two handed doing the most damage and the short doing the least. Axes are similar to swords and do slashing damage as well. They come in 3 types, battle axe, great axe and halberd. The battle axe does slightly less damage than the long sword while the halberd does the same damage as a two-handed sword. The Great axe is generally too large to use, but it does slightly more than the halberd in damage. The spear does piercing damage and is ideal for damaging internal organs and causing heavy bleeding and unconsciousness. It has no variations. The spear is much more likely to become stuck in its target, which can be a great benefit if used right and a curse if not. The Pike is, for all intents and purposes, the same as a spear. The mace and the hammer are generally the same thing, simply a big metal thing to club your enemies over the head. As expected, they do high damage but their bludgeoning attacks tend to be slower and less effective , if more hilarious, ways to dispatch your foes. The Maul, a hammer, is the highest damaging weapon in the game. The last weapon is the whip, which does gore damage. Its relatively weak but has its uses. The bow throws arrows, which act as tiny spears. Basically, a bow and crossbow is like having a very slow, long range spear.

== Weapon Tactics ==
Sword: Once again, your general fall back weapon. It’s good against almost everything, if not being that great against almost anything. Works well against both living and non-living enemies as it actively dismembers them.

Ax: Pretty much the same as a sword, though some people believe it hacks off limbs more commonly. Good against organics, acceptable against anything else.

Spear/Pike: Ok, here’s where we get a little bit more advanced. The spear is most effective against organic creatures because of two abilities, pierce damage and stick ins. Piercing damage does major harm to internal organs, causing pain, bleeding, vomiting, unconsciousness and death. Stick-ins are when the weapon becomes stuck in the target, allowing it to be twisted. Twisting increases bleeding and causes extreme pain. Because of these two factors spears and pikes are ideal for single combat against organic targets. The are less effective against multiple enemies (because of the stick-ins lowering kill-to-turn ratios) and are even less effective against non-organic enemies (ie bronze colossus).

Mace/hammer: These weapons rely on their ability to turn your opponent into a tasty pulp through repeated wacking. They break bones and bruise flesh, meaning that aside from a critical hit they generally are less likely to mortal wounds quickly. They are great for crippling organics and non-organics alike, but when it comes to a swift, efficient death they are generally less than perfect. The exception to this is high strength and mace/hammer skill which allows for instant head crushing.

Whip: The whip uses gore damage, which is similar to a cross between slash and pierce. It can cut off limbs but is more likely to slice up organs and cause extreme pain and bleeding. A few hits will generally render an opponent unconscious and perhaps even badly injured enough to eventually bleed to death. However, the whip is a slow outright killer, sometimes needing dozens of blows to actually finish its target.

Bow (and arrows): Arrows are much like spears, because of their piercing damage and all the benefits it has. The benefits it has however are its range and its ability to target multiple enemies. They are most effective against organic targets. You, unfortunately, are organic, which makes archers one of your biggest problems.

== Non-weapon tactics ==

Besides your weapons you have two other major forms of attack: Wrestling and throwing.

Wrestling: Wrestling can be performed by standing next to an enemy and pressing (Shift+a) and then (enter) to switch to wrestling. You can wrestle any enemy, however things such as wolves, bears and big cats do not allow you to perform the more advanced moves. After catching hold of a body part you can perform a lock, which allows you to further sprain, break or cripple an opponent. With a free hand you can perform even more advanced moves, such as gouging out eyes or stealing weapons. To gouge eyes grab a head with an open hand, to steal a weapon, grab the weapon and then check your inventory with (Shift+I). press the button corresponding to the weapon and then press a to gain possession of it.

One of the best tactics for fighting high level weapon masters is to either break his weapon hand or to steal his weapon, essentially making him no more dangerous than a normal peasant.

Throwing: Throwing is the skill of…well basically throwing shit. And vomit. And bugs and spears and rocks so on. Just about anything can be thrown, sometimes with devastating results. While it seems like weapons (and arrows) tend to be more reliable in their damage causing abilities when thrown, just about anything can potentially be lethal. Picking up a worm and hucking it right through a dragon’s skull is not only possible, but has been done on multiple occasions. A warrior with a high throw skill is often times more dangerous with an arrow than a trained archer is.

=== Wounds ===
You or your enemy are going to get hurt in the course of your adventures and its pretty useful to know exactly what’s happening when you are. Here’s a quick guide to the various aspects of wounds.

== Wound indicators ==
Wounds come in several colors and are indicated on the status screen (press z to see your own status screen while pressing (l) to look at your enemy’s). The status screen will list your body parts in different colors to indicate how damaged they are.
White-unhurt and feeling fine

Light gray-slightly damaged, think a nasty scrape or cut.

Brownish yellow-moderately damaged, such as a mild sprain or the like

Yellow-Broken. Applied to joints it means literally broken, while applied to upper and lower body it generally means organ damage.

Red-Badly damaged. If you got this then chances are you’re in bad shape. Severely broken bones or ruptured organs. If this status is affecting anything even remotely vital you’re more than likely on your way to the grave.

Gray-lopped off or cut out. This is when you completely lose a body part. Effects include massive pain and bleeding along with ruining your promising juggling career. For some body parts (Noticeably the eye) it will not recover - if not a very long time - and will cause constant pain and unconsciousness, if so then consider restarting in a previous save or completely because fast travelling will not heal it.

== Wound effects ==
Hands: Damage to the fingers or wrists can cause you to drop your held items, but usually only with yellow level damage. Losing a hand entirely gives you a serious handicap, which will more than likely lead to [[fun]] in the future.

Feet: Causes slowed movement and falling. If removed can cause permanent slowed movement. Removing both can cause a continuous on ground effect.

Legs: Similar to feet, though often has increased bleeding and pain effects. Loss of one will usually result in death by bleed out. Even if you survive, you’re more than likely on your way to death. Severed legs do make a lovely club though.

Arms: Damage to almost any part of the arm can cause items to be dropped. Loss of an arm is perhaps even worse than the loss of a leg, due to the loss of weapon and wrestling capabilities. Loss of both arms is both tragic and hilarious.

Head: Contains the brain, ears, mouth, nose, eyes and throat. Ears, nose and mouth are officially useless and can be cut off in an effort to appear cool. The brain, eyes and throat are however less disposable. Damage to the eyes results in loss of vision, permanent if the eyes are removed, and terrible pain. It's usually not possible to bleed to death from eye loss, though. The throat is highly sensitive and damage causes both extreme bleeding and suffocation effects. The brain is the most important thing you’ve got, and damage to it is an almost instant death. Any wound it receives will more than likely cause instant unconsciousness and severe bleeding.

Upper body: Contains the heart, lungs, upper spine, liver and kidneys. Both the kidneys and liver have similar effects; namely, heavy bleeding and pain upon injury. The spine causes nervous system damage, which can have several, sometimes permanent effects. The lungs control breathing, so piercing them can cause suffocation. The heart is the main organ of the circulatory system and damage to it is almost always fatal through bleeding.

Lower body: Contains various organs like the stomach and spleen, all of which have the same effect of bleeding, pain and nausea. Nausea leads to vomiting, which makes the wounded creature unable to attack. There is also the lower spine, which has similar effects to the upper spine.

== Attack types and their wounds ==
Pierce-dangerous to organic creatures, you included. Often times objects with the pierce effect will become lodged in their target. Removing the weapon from its lodged position causes both increased pain and bleeding but often times can alleviate certain symptoms the piercing has caused.

Bludgeon: Breaks bones and cripples joints. Generally less dangerous to the internal organs than other damage. The danger comes from its ability to incapacitate you and then turn your head to mush.

Slash: Dangerous for its ability to sever limbs and cause bleeding. Beware its habit of decapitation.

Gore: Shreds internal organs, causing all sorts of nasty side effects. Almost worthless on non-organic enemies but can cause severe problems for you living sorts.

== Dealing with wounds ==
In adventure mode your wounds will heal if you travel (shift + t) and they’ll recover just about anything except a lopped off limb. If you can’t travel the best thing to do is try and run from battle if you’re badly wounded, since running will give you time to stop bleeding and suppress the pain. Beware dropping your weapon and make sure to pick it up before you make a run for it. If an arrow strikes you in the chest its best to leave it there while an arrow to the extremities can be removed.

=== <s>Living Shields</s> Companions ===

If you recruit some new members to your party, you'll not only gain extra damage output, you'll also have someone else to take the damage instead of you!

When you first start out, the easiest <s>human shields</s> friends to recruit are the drunks. They are found in human towns inside the [[tavern]] with the [[Mayor]] (the building you start in if you play a human). They will gladly come with you and block some blows for you. Drunks will usually attempt low-skill [[wrestling]] and (mostly) damage-less punches. Don't expect them to last long when you meet that [[Giant]] you are supposed to kill. Drunks are much rarer in the current version of the game, so it's unlikely that you'll find one.

To recruit someone into your party, press tal{{k|k}}, move the cursor over them, and press {{k|enter}}. Then in the conversation that follows, simply pick 'Join' from the list of options to ask them to accompany you. [[Children]], the Mayor, and [[Guard]]s don't want any part of this silly adventuring malarkey, but the occasional peasant will be bored enough to join you.

More detailed searches of towns of various races can yield other adventurers with some actual skills. The generally have a single weapon skill ([[Maceman]], [[Swordsman]], [[Spearman]] and so on) and some armor appropriate to the wealth of the town they were occupying. You will also find Guards around towns, and while they are combat-capable they will not shirk their duty in order to accompany you on your adventures.

Some otherwise eligible companions may rebuff your offer of becoming a living shield for one of the following reasons:

If the prospective meat shield considers himself more skilled than you are, he may rebuff you with, "Ha! Such enthusiasm from one such as yourself."
This can be remedied by training your skills until he judges you a bit more skillful than he is.

Another reason for someone to refuse to die protecting you is that you already have the maximum of 12 companions, and they will rebuff you by asking, "With a band so large, what share of the glory would I have?"
But look at it this way, at least your total party size is 13 when you count yourself! Now that's lucky!

Another possiblity is to asked your old, retired adventurers for help. They'll never say no unless your party is too big and they should be pretty capible since you trained them.

==== The Perils of the Wild ====

{{d for dwarf}}

You’ll face many creatures on your travels, several mega and semi-mega bests included if you’re taking quests. Heres a quick look at the more dangerous beasts (sentient or not) that you’ll meet.

=== The Mega and Semi-mega beasts and the sentient races ===

Bronze Colossus: Probably one of the hardest beasts to combat due to its massive strength, impressive natural armor and complete ignorance of pain, fear and bleeding. Bronze Colossi are basically walking, dwarf crushing statues that will never stop unless beheaded or outright obliterated. They have no organs and do not bleed, making them impossible to knock unconscious. Their immense strength makes them unlikely to give in to wrestling moves (though if you can manage to lock and break a limb it will snap off rather than just becoming useless.) Because of these resistances all you can really do is hack / shoot and hope that it dies before you do.

Dragon: The main danger of these beasts is their massive fire breath, which can consume dozens of spaces. A high block skill is recommended before you fight them. A spear is a great weapon here, as it allows you to potentially knock them unconscious within a few turns. Arrows are also good, though staying at a distance can be dangerous because of the fire breath. Beware their bite, as it can cause major damage.

Hydra: a joke really, as It seems to lack the regenerative powers of its mythological cousin. It has 7 heads, but damage to one is as serious as damaging the head of a one headed beast. More than likely you’ll have it unconscious in a few turns regardless of what you use.

Titan: basically an organic bronze colossus. It is essentially a larger, stronger human, with all the weaknesses being the same. Piercing and goring damage can quickly weaken and incapacitate these beasts, but keep an eye out for its wrestling, which can cause some bad joint damage.

Cyclops: A weaker, smaller titan with one eye. Eye+arrow=win

Ettin: A two headed giant. Basically a stronger human, usually unarmed. Just hack it until it dies.

Giant: Just a giant human like thing. Stab it in the neck or break its limbs for massive damage.

Minotaur: Only thing really dangerous about this guy is his horns. Pretty good wrestler but nothing that should give a reasonably prepared adventurer any problems.

Humans: Should you wander into battle against a human force its in your best interest to disable their archers first. The only real danger humans have is their numbers and their use of items. Disarming or crippling dangerous guards or weapon maters is highly recommended, since as soon as they are weaponless they are essentially as good as dead.

Elves: They have wooden equipment, making them laughable most of the time. Once again, the only real threat is their archers and even then they are less dangerous than humans. Elves are generally known for being annoying dicks so its recommended that you slaughter the lot. If you are an elf its recommended that you have tons of fun.

Dwarves: Their advantage is their steel weaponry and crossbows. Their disadvantage is that their mountain homes are generally so large that you’ll only rarely fight more than one or two. Disable their weapon masters and archers then throw their own axes at them. Juggle their heads in front of their children.

Goblins: Like weaker dwarves, with less armor and less skill. They have a feeble sense of morals, meaning that they will only sometimes attack you after you hurt one of their friends. You can basically cleave right through them with ease.

=== Other Humanoids ===

These are creatures that in shape resemble something human, but have no society.

Antman: A half man half ant hybrid which lives in chasms. They have higher natural armor than a man, but rarely use tools. As long as you’re armed they should pose no problem.

Batman: Half man, half bat that lives in caves and chasms. They can fly and use weapons, though they rarely do. Attacks with punches and bites; the bites are the most potentially damaging because they cause gore damage. He is the night.

Blizzard man: Frosty’s asshole brother. Blizzard men are creatures of pure ice that strangely still have organs. They can bite and punch, with biting doing the most damage. They will melt in normal temperatures so they are only found in freezing areas.

Dark gnome: Mischievous mountain folk who enjoy hard liquor. They‘re basically dwarfs but smaller and no where near as dangerous. Its rare that you’ll even find them, but if you do they should pose no threat to you. They punch and bite but neither is noticeable.

Fire Imp: Little gremlin like things that are either constantly on fire or made of fire. They’re found only in subterranean lava pits, meaning that you’ll have to go searching for them if you’re ever gonna see one. They only bite (does burn damage rather than gore), but their real danger comes from their ability to set you on fire. Ranged combat is recommended, though darting forward, attacking and then jumping away might be effective if you have no other choice. They can also breathe fire at you though, so its again recommended to stay back.

Firemen: Like the fire imps, but better. They have the bronze colossus syndrome of having no organs, not bleeding, feeling pain or being able to have weapons stuck in them. They too can set you ablaze, but they’re much harder to kill before they do it. Bludgeoning can break and hence sever their limbs. Recommended that you fight from a distance. Luckily these things only live in underground lava, so you’ll never find them without going into very specific places.

Frogman: No not those things Race Banon was always killing, but half man half frogs that live in underground water. They can’t equip weapons and are very small, making them almost completely non-threatening.

Iron man: Millionaire Tony Stark puts on his…oops wrong one. Ironmen are like firemen but less dangerous because they aren’t on fire. They are basically smaller, less dangerous Bronze Colossi. When killed they leave a valuable iron statue. They appear only in chasms.

Leechman: Half man, Half leech, all sexy. They have no bones, but curiously do have arms (but no legs). They can suck blood, but considering they have no bones and every blow will almost always strike a vital organ its a lot more likely that blood will be coming out of it than you.

Lizardman: Half man, half lizard; lives in underground water. Punches and bites along with the ability to use items. Similar to many of the other half breeds, but with one notable exception. He’s a lizard.

Magma man: A man made of pure magma. Everything about this guy is the exact same as the fire man, with the exception that he can’t breathe fire. This makes him less dangerous at a distance. Stay back and throw stuff at him.

Merpersons: Tiny little mermaids and mermen. Not dangerous at all, and relatively rare to boot. They can equip items but you’ll probably never see one anyway.

Mountain Gnome: The same as a Dark Gnome, but less evil. Same things apply here.

Mud man: Like Ironman but made of mud. Can’t equip items and only has a weak punch as a form of attack, making it about as threatening as a mudpie. Lives in underground water.

Ogre: The middle ground between giant and human. Their punches and bites do a surprisingly small amount of damage, though they can use weapons. As with any big, organic moron its recommended to try and damage their organs to quickly incapacitate and kill them. Piercing damage is very useful.

Olmman: Half man, half blind cave salamander. Think Gollum but even more messed up and without eyes. Their bites are surprisingly strong. Found only in subterranean water and even then only rarely.

Ratman: Seems to attack with 4 turtle men cronies, who are surprisingly good warriors. But seriously, they’re about as weak as actual rats. They only come from chasms so don’t worry about them too much.

Slugman: Do I even have to say? it’s a dang slug man, do you think its dangerous? Its not. Just stab it in its deformed face.

Snail man: Think slug man, but with a shell that doesn’t actually offer any protection.

Snakemen: The only real threat these guys pose is their ability to inject poison by biting. If it does bite you its your best bet to try and quickly kill the snake man before his poison takes effect, since it can incapacitate you.

Troglodyte: Small, reptilian creatures that live underground. Not dangerous unless they attack in swarms and even then they are easily beaten by even a novice adventurer. Use organic combating techniques to deal with them.

Troll: There’s no real difference between this thing and an ogre. Kill them both the same way.

Werewolf: Or wolfman. Attacks alone and only bites with a goring attack. Bite can be dangerous but the fact that there is only one of him makes it a lot easier to fight. Fun to wrestle for experience.

=== Wildlife ===

Here’s the rundown of all the mundane beasties that you’ll run into

Beak dog: Basically what happens when parrot gets combined with Velociraptors. They’re a little smaller than a man but quick and use their beaks and claws effectively. Try not to get caught in the center of a group of them, backpedal and cut them down as they give chase.

Black Bear: These will only ambush you one on one, and given their relative small size and forgettable strength they should pose little threat unless you’re completely unskilled and unarmed. Because there’s only one they can be useful for wrestling practice since you can focus all your attention on them.

Bonobo: I’ve never seen one myself, though I’ve been told they’re ape like things. Considering their squishy organs it would be best to stab them in the groin.

Camel: Its…a camel. You’ll probably never see one.

Carp: BEHOLD, FOR ARMOK BREATHED LIFE INTO THE VERY ROCKS IN THE RIVERS AND COMMANDED THEM TO GO FORTH AND MUTILATE RANDOM PASSERS BY. TO HIS DWARVEN FOLLOWERS HE EXPLAINED IT THUS, “F*** YOU”-the tome of Armok, chapter 2. In all seriousness though, while they may be freaking fresh water sharks in the fortress mode, carp aren’t too dangerous in adventure mode. Their biggest advantage is their environment, being water which you can not breathe.

Cat: IT’S A KITTY! Anyways, you’ll almost always have too many of these things in fortress and you’ll never see them in adventure. Even if you did, what would you do with them? You wouldn’t hurt them would you?

Cougar: Like a kitty, but bigger. Cougars are good wrestling practice and good shield training as well, what with the fact that Cougars suck so hard. If you get killed by this thing it was either insanely lucky or you have no arms.

Cow: It’s a cow. Kill it for free hamburgers. I’m actually not even sure if you can find the dang things in adventure mode.

Deer: You might see these running away from you in the woods. They’re harmless but good wrestling practice if you feel like strangling a defenseless animal.

Dog: I’ve never seen one of these in adventure mode, but its pretty obvious what they are huh?

Donkey: Pulls wagons and things like that. You might see one but its not really worth attacking them.

Elephants: In prior versions elephants were murderous berserkers, but thankfully they’ve been made a little more realistic. They’re just as big and strong as you’d expect, but won’t bother you unless you walk up and stab’em a few times. Reasonably dangerous, so don’t poke them unless you’re ready.

Elk: Much like deer, though a little bigger and usually solitary

Fox: Another small animal that you’ll most likely never see.

Giant bat: Bigger than a minotaur and more dangerous at times. Often encountered in low visibility areas where they can take you by surprise. Its best to avoid caves until you’re confidant in your blocking and combat skills.

Giant Cave Spiders: You’ll only rarely encounter these, because of their limited environment. You’ll know they’re near from the webs which hang around their homes. They are NOT to be meddled with. First and foremost, they do not feel pain and will never stop unless killed. Their high number of legs makes it likely that you’ll pointlessly hack away at the limbs while the mouth bites your head in half. Beyond these aspects the spider uses poison and sticky webs to ensnare you. Your best bet is to throw/ shoot it from a distance. If you can’t do that, use other piercing or goring weapons to damage its organs. Despite its ignorance toward pain, it still bleeds like any other animal, so a pierced heart is very effective.

Giant cave swallow: Pretty much harmless things, just big birds. If they harass you, break their wings and strangle them to death for wrestling points.

Giant Eagle: A major problem in fortress mode is little more than a pesky annoyance in adventure mode. If they are giving you trouble though, attempt to wrestle and break one of their wings. This should ground them and make them a much easier target.

Grizzly Bear: A little bigger than the Black Bear, though basically the same. Good for both wrestle and shield points. If they’re really giving you a hard time try catching both hands and its throat. This should not only make it impossible for it to attack, but also give you wrestle points.

Groundhog: Little rodent thingies. Zombie ground hogs are useful to strangle for wrestling experience. Besides that they’re only really good as golf balls for your putter (read Morningstar)

Hoary Marmot: A tiny forest dwelling creature. As harmless as it is delicious.

Horse: A beast of burden sometimes seen in human towns. They have an odd habit of going rogue and kicking children to death. Not to mention they’re some how smart enough to pull crossbow bolts out of their own legs. May cause random insanity if they attack a influential citizen.

Naked mole dog: Think enormous naked mole rat. Unless you’re both unarmed and unskilled these things are basically very bleedy shrubbery to hack your way through.

Mountain Goat: it’s a goat, that lives in the mountains. Likes to kill goblins and its not uncommon to find a few legends about goblin slaying goats.

Mule: Like a horse, but more inbred. Chances are you’ll never see them.

Musk Ox: Beasts of burden used by elves. Another thing you won’t see.

Pike: The fish, not the weapon. They’re nothing close to the carp and should be little more than particularly squishy speed bumps to you.

Raccoon: Forest rodents that you’ll never see. Make a nifty hat.

Rhesus Macaque :A nettlesome trickster in fortress mode, they are almost never seen in adventure mode. Even if you see them they’re very skittish and a single blow will send them running. Give’em a good strangle if you can catch one.

Unicorn: The random homicidal tendencies of the horse mixed with a dash of magic and a horn. They’re very aggressive for some reason, though not too hard to bring down. Watch out for that horn and stay away until you’re at least competent.

Whale: Big aquatic beast. Not dangerous unless in skeletal mode.

Wolf: And last but not least, the humble and numerous wolf. This is what is gonna be attacking you from now till forever. They’re dangerous the first few ambushes, but they quickly become nothing but barely noticed time wasters. Great for training up armor and shield, as they attack in packs and hence hit you many times, often with no effect. Early on, just be careful not to get caught in the middle of a pack and you’ll be fine. They have a random chance to rip your throat out. This has happened to even the most legendary of adventurers

=== Modifiers ===
Zombie: Zombie animals are just like their normal counterparts, with a few major exceptions. Firstly, they are no longer effected by pain or bleeding and their organs no longer matter. They are also much slower. This combination of increased difficulty in killing and decreased speed about evens out their threat level. Not too dangerous, unless the creature they’re based on is already strong.

Skeletal: All of the advantages of Zombie with none of the bad effects. Skeletal creatures are all immune to pain and do not bleed, but they remain just as quick as their living counterparts. Large skeletal beasts, such as dragons or whales are truly a terror to face.

== Avoid the impossible ==
Some things are harder than others. Decide for yourself if this is due to unbalancing of the game, realism or simply to add to the variety of challenges.

=== [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shelob Shelob]'s in-laws, aka Giant Cave Spiders ===
Unless you are a legendary or better (ok, its not possible to go beyond legendary..) bow-/crossbowman, you should at all costs AVOID giant cave spiders (Unless, of course, you enjoy [[Fun]])!! They shoot a web at you, making you immobilized while they rip your limbs off one by one. Then when you finally break free from the web, and can attack again, you've probably lost your arms while lying on the floor and the spider is about to throw you by your head up into the roof. Cave Spiders bleed to death eventually, but they know no fear nor pain, meaning they will not black out even if you manage to inflict serious damage including severed limbs. They are also capable of surviving red-level wounds to the body and legs and multiple severed limbs for long enough to eviscerate an adventurer. Leave these for the living shields to deal with while you slip out the other way, ideally from the cave entirely, never to return.

Even if you are a legendary projectile weapon user, reconsider attacking a giant cave spider because in the tight quarters of a cave you might be shooting it from stealth when a giant rat or something similarly stupid walks next to you and triggers your loss of cover. The spider would then punish your arrogance immensely.

''Note'': If absolutely required they ARE killable, but you need luck, and lots of it. Adept swordsman + Proficient [[shield]] user + Skilled ambusher manages to sneak up on it and then counterstrike + block does the job. In a suicide swordsman test run I had dethoraxation (decapitation for spiders) = instakill on the first counterstrike, second GCS got a mortal wound before it webbed me and bled to death while trying to chew through me, only broke sword wielding hand and leg. Third spider broke my shield hand and had me mortally wounded in no time after that, although I eventually killed it after unwebbing myself. That makes it ~2.5/3 chances to win, not bad for a rookie. And I was healed after each successful spider kill.

''To conclude'': Basically, as long as your shield wielding hand is intact (and shield skill is high of course) you have pretty good chances of survival in 1 on 1, otherwise you're dead. Any extra armor (in my case exceptional full plate + normal armor skill) also helps in glancing off their bites.

Another interesting thing is that before fighting one of them I threw a spear at it and it lodged in the wound, and it seems that the spider has a priority to break my grip as it repeatedly successfully broke my grip every time(that happened ~5-6 times in a row) I grabbed the lodged spear. That points to a possible distraction for a GCS in case of soloing it.

=== Arrows ===
Don't take on quests where you need to kill elite bow-/crossbowmen! Generally, avoid flying arrows! Why? Because bow/crossbowmen have the tendency to see farther than you can. They are therefore able to fire at you from beyond your sight, making it hard to see where the arrow(s) are coming from. You may therefor end up chasing the shooter in the wrong direction, giving the shooter even MORE time to turn you into a pin-cushion. Of course, this is only the case if you manage to survive the first 3-4 arrows, because arrows are BAD for anyone but the shooter's health. Piercing hits like arrows are much more likely to damage internal organs, and while you might shrug off a moderate blunt hit to the chest a similar piercing hit could directly damage one or both lungs or your heart and instantly kill you.

One extremely useful survival tip is to immediately drop prone (with the s key) as soon as you notice you are being shot at. Prone targets move more slowly, but seem to be much harder to hit with ranged attacks than standing ones. This is also worth noting to avoid wasting ammunition on fallen targets.

Another solid solution is to get behind something as quickly as possible and try sneaking. Even when caught in the open cover as flimsy as a single tree may be sufficient to begin sneaking. Sneaking around trees can also sometimes act as a compass for determining the direction of the shooter. By checking when and where sneaking is possible, the approach vector of any given observer or close cluster of observers can be extrapolated.

Finally, since archers are generally sentient, most (besides mayors) can be killed in their sleep.

If you do accept a quest against an elite bowman or crossbowman and manage to reach melee range, immediately grapple its weapon, ideally by dropping yours and pulling the weapon out of its grasp entirely before throwing it away.

== Training yourself ==
Gaining stats ([[Attributes|strength, agility, toughness]]) helps a lot when fighting. How to best train yourself?

==== Throwing ====
To find rocks simply hit {{k|l}} and look at any rock coulored tiles some of these will be simply called by the rock name (e.g. [[limestone]]) and cannot be picked up but some will be called pebbles. Rocks are practically free ammo. When you find a tile with [[pebbles]], pick up a lot of them (there are infinite rocks), and start throwing them. You can simply throw them at the tile you are standing at. Every throw will gain you 30 points toward the skill "Throwing", and will after a while increase your stats (Strength, agility, toughness). You will need to throw 600 rocks to reach legendary Thrower (starting with no skill).

For best efficiency, drop all of your gear (including held but not worn items) and empty out your backpack near your throwing location. This is done in order to keep your inventory simple for the rock-throwing portion. Then pick up a ton of rocks by pressing {{k|g}}-{{k|a}} over and over- ideally one would pick up 600 rocks at a single time, but you will probably get bored before then. Then, mash {{k|t}}-{{k|a}}-{{k|enter}} over and over until all of your rocks are thrown back at the floor. If you are not a legendary Thrower after this, repeat. Afterwards, remember to pick up your gear and re-fill your backpack.

''Alternate way'' : It could be difficult to repeat the {{k|t}}-{{k|a}}-{{k|enter}} sequence without making mistake. So you can just alternate {{k|t}}-{{k|enter}} quickly : The first {{k|t}} will open the inventory, the second will chose the rock which is in "t" position, and {{k|enter}} will throw it. In the same fashion, when collecting rock, prefer a tile where the rock is on "b" position : If you quickly alternate {{k|g}} and {{k|a}}, sometime you will open the [a]nnouncement panel, which will slow you down. Another solution to this is to switch the ''pick up'' and ''announcements'' keys, so you can press {{k|a}} to pick up an item and {{k|a}} to pick up rock.

Thrown objects are also a cheap way to injure enemies before they reach you if you are a melee fighter.

You can also throw other stuff you find, like flies, beetles, worms, and even vomit or [[sand]]. If you have a tendency to chop off enemy limbs, you can even throw these limbs. Killing zombies with their companion's severed heads and feet is always good for a laugh. [[iron_man|Iron men]] are fun, because they leave behind a nice [[statue]] for the taking which can be thrown. Arrows and weapons seem to be particularly deadly when thrown because they deal the same damage as they would in melee, including piercing or slashing damage type, but even the most innocuous or silly items can come up with a kill.

Most thrown objects deal blunt type damage, so they will break and bruise limbs, but arrows and weapons can deal their normal damage types. This is particularly useful to consider when trying for a desperate one-shot kill on a [[Giant Cave Spider]] that's about to web you and shred you into little chunks, as piercing attacks like thrown arrows and [[spear]]s damage internal organs (making them more likely to get a one-hit kill, as an enemy can live through having the outside of their head moderately damaged but not from having the same amount of damage done to their brain) and thrown axes or swords can sever body parts and leave deep gashes (leading to massive bleeding or slit throats).

==== Bow/Crossbow-skill ====
This skill trains in the same fashion as throwing. You gain skill per shot, not per hit. This is a more expensive skill to train than throwing because you need to buy (or find) arrows/bolts, but is also a much more deadly skill. Fired projectiles do much more damage than thrown ones, and are also piercing type weapons which can do crippling damage to internal organs. The majority of thrown weapons are blunt and will do much more superficial bruising and bone-breaking damage- at best, a lucky hit will break someone's spine or damage internal organs to a small degree. Shooting arrows at enemies is fun, because it is very efficient and will destroy enemies quite easily.

Sadly, this also goes for enemy bow/crossbowmen. You will often be shot in the leg and crippled by an enemy you can't even see, who will then proceed to shoot you in the face until you die - which won't be very long afterwards unless you manage to find something to hide behind. This is somewhat avoidable - train in sneaking to avoid being seen by enemies that could otherwise perforate your skin, and get a good shield and armor to better keep arrows. (See below for both skills).

Make sure to take extra <s>meat shields</s> companions along with you if you're planning on using ranged weapons, it'll take time before you level the appropriate skill to bash things with your weapon in melee so it's imperative you stay out of the fighting till then. Drunks are particularly useful here, as they love to dive on things and collapse into a massive wrestling pile which you can take pot-shots at. Don't worry, you can't hit your guys. Not that you'd care.

Metal bolts are quite heavy and expensive, so if you wish to train in this skill it would probably be a good idea to raid an old fortress of yours first and get all the wooden/bone bolts there.

==== Wrestling ====
Since melee weapon skills are hard train because not every hit gives points towards the skill, why not train your [[wrestling]]? When you are alone with a unconscious enemy, why not break some limbs before finishing it off? Monsters often try to break your arms and legs, so having a bit of skill in wrestling will help break those locks a lot, and breaking that legendary swordsmans sword hand at the beginning of the fight will make him laughably weak. Also, training wrestling is a quicker way to better stats (strength, agility, toughness) because gain points per move instead of per "hit". Wrestling also handles dodging skill which is very handy to have.

A good way to train wrestling is to find an undead region on the map- preferably Sinister if you remember the map layout from Fortress Mode. Obtain a pack of zombie herbivores therein, preferably of small size- do not attempt this with zombie [[elephants]]. Slaughter every zombie in the vicinity of this pack of herbivores but the one that you think is the most crippled, making sure to pick one with a throat to leave alive.

Press {{k|c}} and change your combat preferences from Strike to Close Combat. This means that your default attack when you press towards an enemy to making a random wrestling move, or the continuation (joint lock, break) or (strangle) if you have a break/strangle-able area held.

Then, walk over, and grab the zombie's neck (yes, with your weapon or shield- it is quite optional to drop what you're holding) and begin strangulation by holding the direction the zombie is strangling in. You will make several strangles per second and gain approximately 15 XP (tentative measure) per strangulation. Zombies cannot die from this, so you will earn enough XP to become legendary within a few minutes.

When your character becomes tired, break off from strangling and walk it off- you become less tired by ambling about aimlessly. If you become too hungry or thirsty to continue, just run away or destroy the zombie, {{k|T}}ravel, and then repeat after moving a square and back.

This can also be done at ruins, but you run the risk of weapon-carrying enemies and especially weaponmaster quest-zombies. In an undead ruin, there are also far, far more monsters in the area compared to hunting down a pack of undead animals.

Alternatively, wait until nightfall, and wrestle a sleeping enemy. Sleeping enemies are unconscious, and cannot detect you if you sneak. The autocombat will cause your adventurer to break limbs, grab and release bits of clothing, and other nonlethal attacks. Occasionally random chance will cause a chokehold; simply step back a tile and then resume. In this manner, you can train wrestling extremely quickly without the dangers of wandering in an undead zone.

Yet another alternative is presented by fish. No harmful wrestling moves can be performed on them so cornering a carp, tigerfish, or milkfish will raise wrestling quickly, while training swimming. Avoid hippopotamus infested waters.

A final option presents itself when exploring caves, there are many weak enemies to be found here, choose one (say a ratman) and walk up to it, grabbing it perform a takedown. Before it can stand up grab its arm and try to break it, as soon as it gets up perform another takedown, continue to break all the joints in both of your <s>toy's</s> <s>victim's</s> opponent's arms and then move on to legs, finally gouge out its eyes and begin strangling it to death. This gives you plenty of wrestling exp with very little risk as the enemy will only get in one or two strikes before being taken down after which it will prioritize standing back up.

==== Swimming ====
Having no swimming skill in Adventure Mode is not a particularly good thing if you intend to go near water. Anyone with no swimming skill who falls or is pulled/pushed into water will begin to drown immediately if it is over 4/7 deep, and will also be unable to climb out of water this deep - usually resulting in instant death.

To voluntarily jump into a pond or [[river]] you have to {{k|Alt}}-move off the edge of the land. This will present you with a choice of walking out into the open space above the water (immediately and unsurprisingly followed by a one-story fall) or moving directly into the water. To get back out, {{k|Alt}}-move into the riverbank/pond edge.

As long as you have at least some Swimming skill, you will be able to move around in deeper water and will gain Swimming skill for every tile you move. Without Swimming, you will have to find depth 4 water to voluntarily paddle about in with your water wings on for your first skill points. Any deeper and you'll start to drown, any shallower and you can't swim in it. Hit {{k|m}} to set your swimming options.

Another option is to find a body of water with a ramp into it. Walk down the ramp into the water, which will cause you to start "drowning". However, you can simply walk back out after 10 turns or so to stop drowning, and you will have gained some swimming skill. Repeat until you reach novice skill. If you don't have an abandoned fortress set up for this, slopes into water can be found at ocean beaches.

All in all this makes Novice Swimming an excellent starting skill, as you can (eventually) get Legendary skill simply by swimming back and forth in two squares of water and get lots of stat points in the process. However, this is mind-numbingly dull so good luck with that. One should also keep in mind that water in cooler areas may suddenly freeze when the sun starts to go down, and thus instantly kill any creatures within. As such, it's a good idea to do your training laps somewhere warm.

It also seems that you are not able to move out of water of less than (7/7) onto the river bank. In addition, while you are swimming, you can not move to the travel map! You must first leave the water.

You can crosstrain Ambushing while Swimming to save time- if you start with no Ambushing and Novice Swimming, you will be an Accomplished or Expert Ambusher, give or take, by the time you are a Legendary Swimmer. For more on Ambushing, see below. You can also crosstrain melee skills with swimming by picking a river and swimming down it, training Ambush when it's quiet and training melee when it's not. Some rivers have very high densities of fish, giving you lots of targets to hit. They will tend to gather up, bumping into and slowing each other down ahead of you for you to kill and an adventurer will be all but invincible against non-sturgeons after a few statgains. Just remember that Hippos have the right of way.

NOTE: Water does NOT currently cleanse fire, if you are burning, jumping into a pool of water will not save you

==== Ambushing ====
The Ambusher skill is the parent to the {{k|S}}neak ability, which makes you character move more slowly and stealthily to avoid being noticed. Sneak cannot be activated if an enemy can currently see you, but you can use it immediately if you break line of sight somehow. Sneaking around will increase your Ambusher skill even if nobody is around to see you.

Unfortunately, the best way to train Ambushing is to start sneaking and just hold a direction to run, until you've run 18,000 squares (assuming you started with no skill). This takes a long time, so you may wish to train sneaking just by sneaking whenever possible while playing the game normally in order to avoid boredom.

Sneaking is particularly useful for avoiding ranged attacks, as even Novice skill allows you to get within four or five squares of an enemy before they spot you reliably. It is relatively easy at normal levels of skill to stand anywhere but right next to an enemy and not be spotted for a long time, if ever. However, standing next to sombody without them spotting you is difficult even with legendary skill. However, even if they spot you moving next to them they will only get one shot at you which is a lot better than the hundreds they would have had if you'd been blundering around in the dark too far away to even see them when they opened fire.

If you are far faster than the enemy you can sometimes swoop in, attack, and back off to 1-square distance where you are less visible. Sometimes they will spot you, but other times you can literally slice off the opponent's leg and retreat to a safe distance. This may occur because enemies can only make checks to see if you are sneaking during their own turns, and a very fast (2000+ speed) player can run in, stab them, and retreat to a safe distance before their turn comes up.

The skill also has a valuable part to play in the noble art of running away. As long as you can get out of sight of all the enemies after you at once - such as around a corner indoors, or ducking behind a tree outside - you can start sneaking and head off in another direction. If your skill is too low however the enemies might be close enough to see you as soon as you try to sneak off.

The most useful part of sneaking is undoubtedly the 'stealth throw'. While firing a missile weapon or attacking in melee will get you noticed immediately, throwing things at people will not. Stock up on dead enemies' weapons, clothing and severed body parts and you can pretend you're some gruesome comedy version of Sam Fisher. You know you want to.

==== Armor and Shield Use ====

Armor User lets you wear heavy armor without slowing down, and might control the passive block rate of armor - a very useful skill, if true, because it controls how often your shiny full plate suit will actually work.

Shield User helps the block roll you make when you are attacked. A Legendary Shield User is far, far more capable of taking on enemies, especially projectile-based weaponmasters whose bolts and arrows are blockable with a shield to a far greater degree than with one's torso, so it is worthwhile to train these two skills.

Normally, you gain 10 Shield User XP per time you block an attack with a shield, and 2 Armor User XP per time you are attacked while wearing armor. This means that to gain the 18,000 XP necessary for legendary, you must block 1800 strikes, and be attacked at least 9000 times. Naturally, this could take some time- time in which a low-skill adventurer may die from attacks by worthy opponents.

However, a useful shortcut exists- if you find a small zombie herbavore to strangle in the above wrestling training method, you can also (if it is a small and non-dangerous animal such as a zombie [[groundhog]]) {{k|s}}it down next to it (to minimize your own speed and thus get attacked more often) and hold {{k|5}} to sit down next to the animal and block its attacks over and over. This is still slow, but leagues faster than waiting to train while fighting- it also means that you are probably not in any danger assuming you picked a sufficiently pathetic type of animal.

Warnings- Make sure that you have your {{k|c}}ombat preference set to Close Combat, otherwise you may counterstrike and kill the zombie. This way, you will wrestle it during a counterstrike instead of doing something that may actually hurt it such as counterstriking with your weapon.

It is probably also preferable to start with a modicum of skill in Armor and Shield using to make sure you don't accidentally get instakilled or crippled and are good at blocking with your shield to gain XP fast. You'll also want to have non-crappy armor and a good shield or two (dual wielding shields may increase your ability to block) to maximize your ability to block and to make sure you are taking as little as possible damage, if any at all, during training.

=== Exploration ===

== Basic exploration tips ==
When traveling it’s a good idea to avoid evil areas until you’re reasonably powerful, as they tend to contain stronger enemies. Also avoid caves for this same reason, you never know when a dragon is lurking in the shadows. Remember that only human towns have shops, so don’t die of hunger wandering the dwarves mountain homes looking for that allusive Applebees. Water can be had from rivers and stagnant pools, though fast traveling (shift + t) makes thirst and hunger go away. If you are exploring caves, make sure to have some water and food with you, as some can be quite deep.

== Fortress exploration tips. ==
If you’ve abandoned a fortress in the world and you’re now adventuring, you can find that same fortress on the map. Ask townsfolk about the surroundings and eventually they’ll mention the fortress and its direction. From there you need only to follow the directions till the fortress shows up on your map.
The perils of fortress exploration
If your fortress was abandoned or destroyed there’s more than likely a reason why. Be it magma overflows, flooding, goblin sieges or perhaps digging a little too greedily and too deep there are likely to be remnants of your downfall somewhere in the remains. Wild beasts and sentient invaders alike will more than likely be slugging it out in your once grand halls. Beyond this there is the danger of forgetting what lever does what and accidentally flooding the room with lava or collapsing the entrance.

= The advantages of Fortress exploration =
Depending on how advanced your fortress was it may contain extremely rare, powerful or valuables items. Raiding fortresses is the only way to get adamantine items and wafers, as well as the only way to get artifact weapons. Beyond this, you can read the engravings on the walls in order to fill your legends list.

= Preparation =
Whatever destroyed your fortress is what is going to be squatting in it now. If a goblin siege took you down, then prepare to fight some gobbies. If the horrors of the deep raped your little dwarven ass then prepare to fight those. If they drowned then find some waterwings etc. Make sure you’re fully stocked on arrows (if you use them) as well as water and food. Leaving anything you don’t need back in the tavern in town is a good idea too, as it lets you carry more loot.

= Plumbing the Deep =

While wandering the halls of your old fortress its best to secure each floor one by one, to avoid being ambushed. Explore one entire floor then move on to the next. This isn’t a requirement but it can help in finding the best loot as well as insuring against surprise arrow buttsex. If you start to get overburdened with all the loot climb to a secure floor and dump it in a pile. You can come back for it after you’ve finished exploring. Also note that, while traps no longer work, their components (giants blades, spiked balls etc) remain just as lethal in your hands. Also note that you can pick up and throw ballista bolts.

= What to do with all your newly acquired wealth =

Not much I’m afraid. While masterwork adamantine weapons are very useful and the raw chunks of adamantine are extremely valuable there’s nothing to really buy with them. The adamantine weapons you find are the strongest in the game and shops will never sell anything above iron so once you’ve got the weapons there’s pretty much nothing more you need. This will most likely be fixed in up coming versions (perhaps paying a blacksmith to make you weapons).

=== Summary ===
*Avoid flying arrows
*Throw rocks/statues/socks/AIDS/bugs/sand/coins/arms/heads/swords/arrows/kitchen sinks at enemies that still haven't reached you
*Train your stats before taking on your first quest-monster

[[Category:Guides]]
[[Category:Adventurer mode]]

40d:Cheating

2009-09-30T16:44:42Z

Ultima33: /* Easy Rough Gems */

'''Cheating''' is altering the game to make dwarf fortress easier. This is distinctly different from [[exploits]]. There are two main ways to alter the game: changing the game's raw source files (which are really just text files), and directly altering the game's memory (which requires special tools).

=File Edits=

The most common use of editing raw files is to get free items, such as gems, adamantine, or flux.

When changing the raw files, you may or may not need to create a new world in order for your changes to be reflected.

Generally speaking, ''modifications'' to an existing entry in a raw file don't require a new world. Altering existing reactions or creatures is an example of this.

Worlds created before the modifications were made won't be playable unless the previous version of the raw file is restored. Save your custom raw files if you want to continue playing your game at some future point.

Attempting to play worlds not generated with identical reaction additions will fail on load.

Raw files are located in the raw/objects directory

See also: [[Material tokens]], [[Creature tokens]], [[Matgloss tokens]] for making your own custom cheats.

==Reaction Additions==

Recipes for the Smelter are stored in the file reaction_standard.txt. Adding entries to this list will allow your dwarves to make whatever items they need, as easy as smelting iron ore into iron! This is recommended if you want a lot of items very quickly, but additions you make will not take effect until you start a new world.

===Easy Rough Gems===

[REACTION:FREE_GEMS22][NAME: make (insert gem name)][SMELTER][PRODUCT:100:10:ROUGH:NO_SUBTYPE:STONE:(insert gem name)]

It's really easy. All you have to do is take the name of the gem from stonegem matgloss and put it in the name and at the end of the product. Take all of that and paste it into the reaction_standard. Create a new world and poof! Your smelter will spit out gems of that type.

For convience, here are all the precious gems in the game.
<pre>
[REACTION:FREE_GEMS1][NAME: make DIAMOND_LY][SMELTER][PRODUCT:100:10:ROUGH:NO_SUBTYPE:STONE:DIAMOND_LY]
[REACTION:FREE_GEMS2][NAME: make DIAMOND_FY][SMELTER][PRODUCT:100:10:ROUGH:NO_SUBTYPE:STONE:DIAMOND_FY]
[REACTION:FREE_GEMS3][NAME: make EMERALD][SMELTER][PRODUCT:100:10:ROUGH:NO_SUBTYPE:STONE:EMERALD]
[REACTION:FREE_GEMS4][NAME: make RUBY][SMELTER][PRODUCT:100:10:ROUGH:NO_SUBTYPE:STONE:RUBY]
[REACTION:FREE_GEMS5][NAME: make SAPPHIRE][SMELTER][PRODUCT:100:10:ROUGH:NO_SUBTYPE:STONE:SAPPHIRE]
[REACTION:FREE_GEMS6][NAME: make DIAMOND_CLEAR][SMELTER][PRODUCT:100:10:ROUGH:NO_SUBTYPE:STONE:DIAMOND_CLEAR]
[REACTION:FREE_GEMS7][NAME: make DIAMOND_RED][SMELTER][PRODUCT:100:10:ROUGH:NO_SUBTYPE:STONE:DIAMOND_RED]
[REACTION:FREE_GEMS8][NAME: make DIAMOND_GREEN][SMELTER][PRODUCT:100:10:ROUGH:NO_SUBTYPE:STONE:DIAMOND_GREEN]
[REACTION:FREE_GEMS11][NAME: make DIAMOND_BLUE][SMELTER][PRODUCT:100:10:ROUGH:NO_SUBTYPE:STONE:DIAMOND_BLUE]
[REACTION:FREE_GEMS33][NAME: make DIAMOND_YELLOW][SMELTER][PRODUCT:100:10:ROUGH:NO_SUBTYPE:STONE:DIAMOND_YELLOW]
[REACTION:FREE_GEMS44][NAME: make DIAMOND_BLACK][SMELTER][PRODUCT:100:10:ROUGH:NO_SUBTYPE:STONE:DIAMOND_BLACK]
[REACTION:FREE_GEMS55][NAME: make RUBY_STAR][SMELTER][PRODUCT:100:10:ROUGH:NO_SUBTYPE:STONE:RUBY_STAR]
[REACTION:FREE_GEMS56][NAME: make SAPPHIRE_STAR][SMELTER][PRODUCT:100:10:ROUGH:NO_SUBTYPE:STONE:SAPPHIRE_STAR]
</pre>

===Easy Adamantine===
Add this:

[REACTION:ADAMANTINE_WAFERS]
[NAME:make adamantine wafers]
[SMELTER]
[REAGENT]
[PRODUCT:100:1:BAR:NO_SUBTYPE:METAL:ADAMANTINE]

into reaction_standard.txt. The next time you make a world your dwarves will be capable of creating adamantine from nothing.

*(Note) When I first tried this, the reaction failed to work. Then I removed the [REAGENT] from the list and it worked fine.

===Make Stone Into Logs===
Add this:

[REACTION:FREE_WOOD]
[NAME:stone to wood]
[SMELTER]
[REAGENT:1:STONE:NO_SUBTYPE:STONE:NO_MATGLOSS]
[PRODUCT:100:1:WOOD:NO_SUBTYPE:WOOD:OAK]

to reaction_standard.txt.

==Creature Token Modifications==

Modifying creature raw files does NOT require you to create a new world. If you want free items in your game without the hassle of planning your cheats when you create the world, the simplest way is to alter the creature files to make them drop the item on death.

You can also change the physical attributes of your dwarves.

===Free Items: Changing the Loot===

Missing one critical item for your impatient noble, or slavering fey dwarf, but there's no trader in sight? Have no fear, for you can make your enemies (or butcherable livestock) supply your needs!

Add something like this to their creature entries.

[ITEMCORPSE:ARMOR:ITEM_ARMOR_CHAINMAIL:METAL:ADAMANTINE]
[ITEMCORPSE_QUALITY:5]
Note that you do ''not'' need to make a new world for this to work, and that you can even change this entry in-between saves on the same adventurer (and by highly likely extension, fortress), which has immense and obvious cheating potential. You may want to take a look at the [[Item tokens]] page for a better general understanding of the ITEMCORPSE tag; ITEMCORPSE_QUALITY, on the other hand, simply ranges from 0 (no quality modifier) to 5 (masterpiece quality).

Another example:

[ITEMCORPSE:SHELL:NO_SUBTYPE:TURTLE:TURTLE]

Adding this to, say, a horse, will make that horse drop turtle shells on death; very useful if you have no shelled animals in your fortress area and your mastercrafter gets an unlucky Strange Mood.

===Super-Fast Dwarves===
If you believe your dwarves are a bit too slow, try opening the following [[creature token]] file...
<pre>\raw\objects\creature_standard.txt</pre> ...and adding '''[SPEED:1]''' somewhere after '''[CREATURE:DWARF]''' but before the next '''[CREATURE]''' entry.

This will make your dwarves do the majority of their actions '''''super''''' fast, including moving, digging and workshop actions.

This may lower FPS when a high population is present{{verify}}.

==Savescumming==

Savescumming refers to the practice of regularly backing up your saves so you can revert to one if your fortress crumbles to the last. This can be toggled to be done automatically in the init file, so some might not consider this to be cheating.

Another method to save scum is open up task manager (ctrl+alt+delete) and open the Processes tab, and then selecting dwarfort.exe and clicking on end task. This will cause dwarf fortress to close, reverting to the last saved game. Back a long time ago, this could cause inflate errors and destroy the save-game, but Toady has solved the problem.

=Memory Editing=

:''[[:Memory editing|Main article: Memory editing]]''

Memory editing refers to using an external program to modify numbers within the game. This is at its most useful when choosing what to take with you, as you can give yourself an unlimited number of points. What doesn't work in the new version is giving your starting dwarves tons of prof skills, since there now is a limit in how many skills they can start with. You can still start your dwarves with all proficient skills, but you need to change the skill limit value first on every dwarf you want to do this with, also when editing the memory values with such programs as CheatEngine in adventure mode your point value is 4bytes but in fortress you have to change the search to 2bytes only for hex editors though(NOTE as of 0.27.176.38c I have found that you can only edit the value of the first dwarf in you starting team)

The [[utilities]] page has several tools that do specific memory hacks, such as to teleport a creature.

Don't forget, Cheat-O-Matic is a very easy to use tool for memory hacking, use it to change starting points, the dwarf skill limits, etc.

Editing the memory of a game has a possibility to cause the game to crash or misbehave, including corrupting of saves.

NOTE: WPE may be ''flagged'' as a virus because it injects a DLL, and certain viruses out there use similar techniques to steal sensitive information.

{| style="width: 100%; background: #ddd; border: 1px solid #777; border-left-color:#bbb; border-top-color:#bbb;"
|+ style="color: #fff; background: #999; border: 1px solid #777; border-left-color:#bbb; border-top-color:#bbb; padding: 0.2em 0.5em; text-align: center" | '''Links'''
|-
! style="text-align: left; padding: 0.1em 0.5em" | Various Memory Hacking Tools:
| [http://wpepro.net/index.php?categoryid=9&p13_sectionid=1&p13_fileid=79?&category=3 WPE Pro/PermEdit/Tsearch], [http://www.artmoney.ru/?threadid=2669677 ARTMONEY], [http://www.developerfusion.co.uk/show/2426/?t=38984 Cheat-O-Matic],
[http://cheatengine.org/?t=38984 Cheat Engine]
|}
[[Category:Guides]]
Guide on how to edit the starting skills and points using TSearch: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=boC-IxvkYsI

40d:Exploit

2009-09-30T01:36:21Z

Ultima33: /* Merchant Swindles */

An '''exploit''' is a quirk of a game that allows players to gain what other players may consider an unfair advantage, usually by making use of a feature that is not working properly or which defies logic. 'Exploiting the game' is distinct from '[[cheating]]' because exploits occur within the game as written and do not need any external [[utilities]] or [[modding]]. Whether a player chooses to make use of an exploit or not depends on their personal taste; given that [[Dwarf Fortress]] is a single-player game, the user alone can decide what liberties to take and what options to shun. Among DF players there is much discussion what actually should be considered an exploit, going from making sweetpod syrup instead of sugar, growing crops in winter, or even underground, as the one extreme, to justifying 'water wheel batteries' as the other. This page takes a rather relaxed approach in that you considering it an exploit is basically enough to add it, if you don't get too much opposition.

Some exploits are listed below.

== Self-powered pumps ==

It is possible to produce a perpetual motion water pump where the act of pumping actually powers itself! See [[screw pump]] and [[water wheel]] for details.

== Atom Smasher ==

A [[drawbridge]], when rapidly triggered on and off, can be used to obliterate any creature or item beneath it. Only large creatures (with a SIZE greater than 10) are capable of withstanding a drawbridge crush.

== Trap fields ==
Laying a field of [[trap]]s with a significant-enough depth can protect your fortress from all invaders with no need to maintain a [[military]]. Traps are somehow intelligent enough to distinguish between [[pet]]s and allies while being dangerous to enemies and wild animals.

Many players do not consider this an exploit.

== Parents are back, party over! ==
A party can be stopped right away by {{K|f}}reeing (removing) the room the party is taking place in. The room can be recreated the same instance. Similarly, in times of high activity (e.g. mass dumping, trading; hauling) removing all rooms parties can take place in, prevents them. Since parties also have benefits this is not necessarily an exploit.

== Get back to work! ==
When a dwarf is "On [[Break]]", it is possible to draft this civilian into the military and then undraft her in order to get her to cancel the break. This does give an unhappy [[thought]] (but only if the dwarf has no military and/or civilian skills), so it is not a significant exploit and some may consider it a perfectly acceptable gameplay method.

== Frère Jacques ==
Need a [[sleep]]ing dwarf to do some work? Kick him out of bed by deconstructing it. This does not cause an unhappy thought.

== Quantum stockpiles ==
By designating a garbage pit [[zone]] instead of a [[stockpile]], you may store an infinite number of objects in a single tile by dumping them, then reclaiming them when you want to use them.

A similar effect may be achieved by building a wall two tiles in front of a catapult and digging a channel between the wall and catapult. By firing the catapult at the wall, the stone falls into the trench. The stone will pile up in the channel, putting it out of sight and out of mind. Not only does this train [[siege operator]]s, but it clears the stone that your legendary [[miner]]s leave.

Another way to quantum stockpile is to not have appropriate stockpiles to move items back you moved to the trading depot. The depot can hold an arbitrary number of items, and those items will not be removed if there is nowhere else to place them. This is also useful for anything you want to trade anyway.

== Cooking alcohol ==

[[Alcohol]] can be cooked without requiring many other ingredients, producing solid food that is eaten and not imbibed. Doing so is a highly efficient means of producing food, as each plant produces five units of alcohol.

Though some consider it an exploit, many people make use of this feature. It will eventually be plugged with [http://www.bay12games.com/dwarves/dev_req_101-150.html Req129]:
<blockquote>Req129, IMPROVE COOKING, (Future): More food. Food should require a substrate, rather than just being seeds etc. Seeds, syrups, drinks and other such objects can contribute to the likes/dislike checks as they do now, but they shouldn't add to the number created. A good roll could lead to the recipe being given a name and saved to the entity definition, where it can then be encountered in other cities in subsequent games.</blockquote>

==Bling Bolts==

Adding a [[decoration]] to a stack of [[bolt]]s causes a huge [[value]] increase. The value of the decoration is multiplied by the number of bolts in the stack. This is considered a [[bug]].

==Bookkeeper Exercise Program==
Changing your [[bookkeeper]]'s settings to maximum accuracy causes him to work furiously in his office, training quickly up to [[legendary]]. Even if this is a bug it is not really an exploit, since a) you actually want highest precision anyway b) he attains highest precision rather fast (depending, for example, on how many stones you have mined) and thus one can not train an unlimited number of, if even several, dwarves that way.

==Manager Exercise Program==

As a [[Manager]], skill is gained as tasks are approved, not completed. Simply by queueing lots of jobs ({{key|j}} {{key|m}} {{key|q}}), the manager will quickly level to [[legendary]]. The tasks can then be removed once approved.

==Nudist Fortress==

Dwarves get a bad [[thought]] from having [[clothing]] [[wear]] out{{verify}}, but nothing happens if they can't find replacement clothes. As long as you don't make new clothes, they will happily go naked. This also avoids the problem of messy dwarves leaving clothing strewn around the fortress.

==Recycling Archery Range==

In an [[archery range]], [[bolt]]s that hit the target are are always destroyed, but bolts that miss can be saved. Dig a [[channel]] between the [[archery target]] and the back wall of the range, and [[stairs]] to get into it. Amazingly, the bolts will no longer shatter on impact with the wall, but fall intact into the channel. Reclaim the bolts, and your dwarves will re-use them for target practice. This exploit has the unfortunate side effect of splitting up [[stack]]s of bolts, so your dwarves will make a separate trip for each individual bolt.

This trick will work for a [[ballista]] as well. Be careful for friendly fire.

==Merchant Swindles==

There are a variety of ways to cheat [[merchant]]s out of their cargo without seizing it. Tearing down the [[trade depot]] while the merchants are there is the easiest way.

Also, marking items for [[dump]]ing, using view creature mode ({{key|v}}), the stocks menu ({{key|z}}), items in room mode ({{key|t}}), or mass dump mode ({{key|d}})-({{key|b}})-({{key|d}}) then marking the entire depot, lets you relieve merchants of their goods. Just reclaim the items from your garbage dump [[zone]] later. You can even take clothing and equipment off merchant and guards this way.

The merchants will still leave disappointed if they have less value in goods when they leave the map than when they entered {{verify}}.

== The Castle of Ice in the Lake of Fire ==

[[Construction]]s are indestructible, regardless of material, and walls of wood and ice easily stand up to [[magma]]. Entire fortresses can be built of ice in temperate climates equally impervious to catapults, the summer sun, or a thousand tons of boiling lava.

On a similar note, all buildings and furniture are equally strong - indestructible to most creatures, tissue paper to others. Witness a single troll bashing through a multilayered set of [[adamantine]] and [[steel]] doors, while an army of Elite Hammergoblins are stymied by a single [[glass]] [[portal]].

== Miasma can't move diagonally ==
[[Miasma]] can only move horizontally and vertically. This means that if your refuse stockpile is only accessible on a diagonal, there is no way for the miasma to escape. This is more effective than the use of doors or even pairs of doors in an "airlock" setup, as doors can be stuck open if a creature or material is occupying their square. The same method can be used to create enclosures to prevent the spread of miasma from kitchens, tanneries, and butcher shops.

== Extremely Intricate Artifacts ==

When a moody dwarf sets out to fetch some material he's craving, forbid all the other items he has gathered so far. The dwarf will set out to find a replacement for the forbidden item(s). When he returns, forbid the new one, and so on. After a while you should have a large stockpile of stuff on the moody dwarfs workshop. After you unforbid an item, the dwarf will retask it if the number of items of that type that were gathered before that one is not enough for the artifact. With careful forbidding and unforbidding, you can create ridiculously large artifacts.

== Optimized-Value Artifacts/"Custom" materials ==
When a dwarf enters a strange mood, examine the item types he wants to use, then use the Stocks menu to forbid all except those you what you want him to fetch. With no other choices available, he will use your valuable materials instead of the common junk that may be closer. By doing this, you can create artifacts with "optimized" wealth or make sure your armorsmith's artifact is actually made of [[steel]] rather than [[zinc]]. Be warned, though, that moody metalsmiths may insist on a specific type of metal if they have a preference for it, brooding in their workshop instead of fetching your desired materials. Also note that forbiding a type of stones also forbids the workshops made from that stone, preventing all your dwarves (except the moody one) from using them. The non-exploit variant of this is to build custom stockpiles near (or right under) your relevant workshops that only take highest value items, a typical choice being native platinum and steel bars.

==River Freeze==
By setting temperature to NO in the init.txt file, a frozen river will remain frozen even during summer, allowing you to do anything you need to do before unfreezing it. This is especially useful for retrieving items or digging tunnels straight up to water sources without them flooding.

40d:Skill

2009-09-17T02:13:40Z

Ultima33: /* Skills with odd associated labors */

:''(If looking for information on different z-levels or layers, see [[z-axis]])''

----

The '''Skills''' a dwarf has in an area determine how well that dwarf accomplishes [[job]]s in that area. A dwarf may have great skill, but until you allow him to do the corresponding [[labor]], designate a suitable [[job]], and then the dwarf "takes" and finishes that job, nothing gets done. Skills increase in level with [[experience]]; every time a person completes a task successfully, the corresponding skill will increase by an amount of experience points (XP). Once the XP reach the amount required for the next level, the skill level will increase.

'''Profession''' tends to describe what a dwarf does best. This is usually, but not always based on their best skill.

Any dwarf can have ''any'' [[labor]] activated, even if they have absolutely no experience or levels in that skill. The only difference is the speed they complete the task, and/or the [[Item quality|quality]] of the final product.

----

:''(If you are a new player and find yourself boggled at the variety of skills for your starting seven dwarfs, see [[Starting build]] for a general discussion on and examples of starting skill selection.)''

== Profession ==

'''Professions''' are determined in one of two ways. For the majority of the population, the highest skill or skills of a [[dwarf]] determines their profession. Also, as your fortress grows, some unique professionals will arrive, one-of-a-kind dwarfs who perform a very specific function in the community - even if that function is not always appreciated or welcome. Such [[Noble#Immigrant Nobles |immigrant nobles]] will be labeled with their noble "professions", regardless of any skills. Also, a dwarven "baby" or "child" will carry that label as their "profession" until they are adults. ([[Noble#Appointments|Appointed noble]] titles do not affect professions, but may affect skills used and improved.)

Activating or de-activating a dwarf for the military changes their listed profession from civilian to military. Having some military skills along with civilian skills does not make a dwarf a professional [[soldier]]. If a Wood Cutter has some levels in Axedwarf or a Hunter has some levels in Marksdwarf, they are still a Wood Cutter or Hunter, civilian professions, until they are activated. A dwarf with novice level of Axedwarf and Legendary Brewing will be activated as an axedwarf if that's their highest weapon skill, while a dwarf with high skill level in axedwarf and novice level in brewing will be a [[Brewer]] as a civilian if [[brewing]] is their highest civilian skill.

A dwarf's profession also governs the possibility and likelihood, relative to the rest of the population, of entering a [[Strange mood#Chance|strange mood]].

Some non-dwarves will show professions that are not available to dwarves, like "[[Thief]]", or non-dwarf [[soldier]]s with non-dwarf [[weapon]]s, like a [[pikeman]].

In Adventure Mode, there are professions that are not available or relevant in Fortress Mode, like [[Drunk]] or Pikedwarf.

=== Professions, colors, & skill categories ===

Different professions are associated with a different color of dwarf. If the profession changes (due to skill levels increasing), the profession may change and the color of the dwarf with that, if appropriate. (See chart below for colors associated to skills and professions.) A dwarf with the "[[peasant]]" profession is a dwarf that has no skills above dabbling level and/or only has skills as shown in the "No profession" box below plus isn't an active military member.

Some professions relate directly to one specific, (usually) dominant skill - "Bowyer" or "Wood Cutter" or "Wood Crafter", for example. However some professions are a general category for similar skills - "Woodworker", in the instance of the previous 3 examples, would imply similar expertise with 2 or more skills in that one category. The exact math varies as to how and when one particular profession vs another is chosen due to differences in and combinations of skill levels, but usually it's the highest skill(s)*. If two skills are tied, it's the one listed first for that particular dwarf.

:''(* Many of the "category" professions seem to be based off of the number of levels above no skill/dabbling and whether the highest skill is "double" the increase of the lesser ones.)''

{| style="margin: 0 auto"
|-
| valign='top' |

{{Skill Box|Miner|#bbb|#bbb|
* [[Miner]]
}}

{{Skill Box|Woodworker|#ff2|#ff6|
* [[Bowyer]]
* [[Carpenter]]
* [[Wood cutter]]
}}

{{Skill Box|Stoneworker|#fff|#fff|
* [[Engraver]]
* [[Mason]]
}}

{{Skill Box|Ranger|#282|#484|
* [[Ambusher]]
* [[Animal caretaker]]
* [[Animal dissector]]
* [[Animal trainer]]
* [[Trapper]]
}}

{{Skill Box|Farmer|#882|#884|
* [[Brewer]]
* [[Butcher]]
* [[Cheese maker]]
* [[Cook]]
}}

| valign='top' |

{{Skill Box|Farmer (cont'd)|#882|#884|
* [[Dyer]]
* [[Grower]]
* [[Herbalist]]
* [[Lye maker]]
* [[Milker]]
* [[Miller]]
* [[Potash maker]]
* [[Soaper]]
* [[Tanner]]
* [[Thresher]]
* [[Wood burner]]
}}

{{Skill Box|Metalsmith|#888|#888|
* [[Armorsmith]]
* [[Furnace operator]]
* [[Metal crafter]]
* [[Metalsmith]]
* [[Weaponsmith]]
}}

{{Skill Box|Jeweler|#2f2|#6f6|
* [[Gem cutter]]
* [[Gem setter]]
}}

| valign='top' |

{{Skill Box|Craftsdwarf|#22f|#66f|
* [[Bone carver]]
* [[Clothier]]
* [[Glassmaker]]
* [[Leatherworker]]
* [[Stone crafter]]
* [[Weaver]]
* [[Wood crafter]]
* [[Strand extractor]]
}}

{{Skill Box|Administrator|#828|#848|
* [[Appraiser]]
* [[Building designer]]
* [[Organizer]]
* [[Record keeper]]
}}

{{Skill Box|Fishery Worker|#228|#448|
* [[Fish cleaner]]
* [[Fish dissector]]
* [[Fisherdwarf]]
}}

{{Skill Box|Engineer|#f22|#f66|
* [[Mechanic]]
* [[Pump operator]]
* [[Siege engineer]]
* [[Siege operator]]
}}

| valign='top' |

{{Skill Box|''No profession''|#288|#488|

''Military skills''
* [[Armor user]]
* [[Axedwarf]]
* [[Hammerdwarf]]
* [[Macedwarf]]
* [[Marksdwarf]]
* [[Shield user]]
* [[Speardwarf]]
* [[Swordsdwarf]]
* [[Wrestler]]

''Social skills''
* [[Comedian]]
* [[Consoler]]
* [[Conversationalist]]
* [[Flatterer]]
* [[Pacifier]]

''Broker skills''
* [[Intimidator]]
* [[Judge of intent]]
* [[Liar]]
* [[Negotiator]]
* [[Persuader]]

''Other skills''
* [[Swimmer]]
* [[Thrower]]
}}
|}
::''(Note - exact colors may vary with different tile-sets or settings in [[init.txt]]. The above are correct for standard DF.)''

[[Social skill]]s, [[Broker|Broker skills]], swimming and throwing do not affect profession. Military skills do not affect civilian professions (until they become [[Soldier#Heroes and Champions |Heroes]]).

When a dwarf is activated as a [[soldier]], their listed profession is generated by their best [[weapon]] skill. [[Armor user|Armor User]] and [[Shield User]] do not affect these military professions. Note that in the {{k|m}}ilitary menu you can assign a dwarf a different weapon, to fight or train with, than what is listed as their profession. A soldier with no military skills above dabbling is called a "recruit".

When increases in a dwarf's skills cause their profession to change, an announcement is generated. Any dwarf can change professions if they train (enough) with a different skill.

=== Custom profession labels ===
It is possible to give a dwarf a custom profession name, similar to giving them a [[nickname]], through the {{k|u}}nits list or by {{k|v}}iewing them individually, or before embark if you are "preparing carefully" by viewing them in that menu. This custom label has no effect on color, or on the actual profession that the dwarf is associated with in the game. You can label them as Dyer or Duke or Dragonslayer, Wood Cutter or Weaponsmith or the Grand Wazoo, but if their skill levels determine that they're a Farmer, then they're a Farmer, until their skills change that.

== Skills ==
'''Skills''' are distinct from [[labor|labor preferences]], which are distinct from [[job]]s, but all are closely related. A skill reflects the amount of [[experience]] a dwarf has. With (or without) that skill, they can be assigned one or more different labor preferences in their individual labor menu, general activities that you approve them pursuing. Once they accept a particular assignment, a job is generated and they proceed to apply their skill to that job.

A single skill can be applied to many different [[job]]s. For instance, a Bone Carver might carve a totem out of a skull, craft bone practice bolts for a crossbow, create bone armor, or carve bone crafts to trade. The better the skill, the better and/or faster all these jobs will be accomplished.

Note that many labor preferences, especially [[hauling]], have no associated skill, do not generate experience, and do not improve with practice.

=== Starting a new skill ===

Dwarven peasants and members of other trades can learn a new skill by having the [[labor]] associated with the skill turned on in their preferences screen. The first task related to their new skill they preform will grant them the "Dabbling" skill level. Dwarves may then advance through the skill levels listed below.

=== Skill levels ===

To reach Novice level in any skill requires 500 XP. Reaching each successive level requires an additional 100 XP, so to go from Novice to ''No label'' requires 600 XP; ''No label'' to Competent requires 700 XP, and so on. The following figures are the ''cumulative'' XP needed to go from unskilled to any given skill level.

Although [[Legendary]] is the highest skill level displayed, there are actually five skill levels above it. These are known to have an effect on [[item quality]]; a Legendary dwarf will make masterpiece items 15% of the time, on average, where a Legendary+5 dwarf will make masterpieces 27% of the time (and exceptional items the other 73% of the time). Skill beyond Legendary+5 does not increase the probability of creating a masterpiece item.

You can't find out exactly when a dwarf gets to Legendary+5, but it will happen 1000 XP before their eighth [[attribute]] if they have no other skills -- so when they get eight attributes, they are at Legendary+5. Although skill is capped at Legendary+5, experience is not capped at any level; a dwarf can keep gaining attributes by using a skill that has long since maxed out.

{| style="margin: 0 auto; border: 1px solid black; border-spacing: 0"
|-
| width="33%" style="border-right: 1px solid black;" |
{| width="100%"
! Level !! XP
|-
| Dabbling || align="right" | 1
|-
| Novice || align="right" | 500
|-
| ''No label'' || align="right" | 1100
|-
| Competent || align="right" | 1800
|-
| Skilled || align="right" | 2600
|-
| Proficient || align="right" | 3500
|-
| Talented || align="right" | 4500
|}
| width="33%" style="border-right: 1px solid black;" |
{| width="100%"
! Level !! XP
|-
| Adept || align="right" | 5600
|-
| Expert || align="right" | 6800
|-
| Professional || align="right" | 8100
|-
| Accomplished || align="right" | 9500
|-
| Great || align="right" | 11000
|-
| Master || align="right" | 12600
|-
| High Master || align="right" | 14300
|}
| width="33%" |
{| width="100%"
! Level !! XP
|-
| Grand Master || align="right" | 16100
|-
| Legendary || align="right" | 18000
|-
| Legendary+1 || align="right" | 20000
|-
| Legendary+2 || align="right" | 22100
|-
| Legendary+3 || align="right" | 24300
|-
| Legendary+4 || align="right" | 26600
|-
| Legendary+5 || align="right" | 29000
|}
|}

=== Skills with odd associated labors ===

Each skill has a corresponding [[labor]] which is usually named similarly - Miners do Mining, Carpenters do Carpentry, etc. However, there are some exceptions:

{| style="margin: 0 auto; border: 1px solid black; border-spacing: 0"
|-
| width="33%" style="border-right: 1px solid black;" |
{| width="100%"
! Skill !! Labour
|-
| Ambusher || Hunting
|-
| Bowyer || Crossbow-making
|-
| Building Designer || Architecture
|-
| Engraver || Stone Detailing
|}

| width="33%" |
{| width="100%"
! Skill !! Labour
|-
| Grower || Farming (Fields)
|-
| Herbalist || Plant Gathering
|-
| Metalsmith || Blacksmithing
|-
| Thresher || Plant Processing
|}
|}

----

'''See also:''' [[Labor]]

[[Category:Skills|*]]

40d:Skill

2009-09-17T02:12:48Z

Ultima33: /* Skills with odd associated labors */

:''(If looking for information on different z-levels or layers, see [[z-axis]])''

----

The '''Skills''' a dwarf has in an area determine how well that dwarf accomplishes [[job]]s in that area. A dwarf may have great skill, but until you allow him to do the corresponding [[labor]], designate a suitable [[job]], and then the dwarf "takes" and finishes that job, nothing gets done. Skills increase in level with [[experience]]; every time a person completes a task successfully, the corresponding skill will increase by an amount of experience points (XP). Once the XP reach the amount required for the next level, the skill level will increase.

'''Profession''' tends to describe what a dwarf does best. This is usually, but not always based on their best skill.

Any dwarf can have ''any'' [[labor]] activated, even if they have absolutely no experience or levels in that skill. The only difference is the speed they complete the task, and/or the [[Item quality|quality]] of the final product.

----

:''(If you are a new player and find yourself boggled at the variety of skills for your starting seven dwarfs, see [[Starting build]] for a general discussion on and examples of starting skill selection.)''

== Profession ==

'''Professions''' are determined in one of two ways. For the majority of the population, the highest skill or skills of a [[dwarf]] determines their profession. Also, as your fortress grows, some unique professionals will arrive, one-of-a-kind dwarfs who perform a very specific function in the community - even if that function is not always appreciated or welcome. Such [[Noble#Immigrant Nobles |immigrant nobles]] will be labeled with their noble "professions", regardless of any skills. Also, a dwarven "baby" or "child" will carry that label as their "profession" until they are adults. ([[Noble#Appointments|Appointed noble]] titles do not affect professions, but may affect skills used and improved.)

Activating or de-activating a dwarf for the military changes their listed profession from civilian to military. Having some military skills along with civilian skills does not make a dwarf a professional [[soldier]]. If a Wood Cutter has some levels in Axedwarf or a Hunter has some levels in Marksdwarf, they are still a Wood Cutter or Hunter, civilian professions, until they are activated. A dwarf with novice level of Axedwarf and Legendary Brewing will be activated as an axedwarf if that's their highest weapon skill, while a dwarf with high skill level in axedwarf and novice level in brewing will be a [[Brewer]] as a civilian if [[brewing]] is their highest civilian skill.

A dwarf's profession also governs the possibility and likelihood, relative to the rest of the population, of entering a [[Strange mood#Chance|strange mood]].

Some non-dwarves will show professions that are not available to dwarves, like "[[Thief]]", or non-dwarf [[soldier]]s with non-dwarf [[weapon]]s, like a [[pikeman]].

In Adventure Mode, there are professions that are not available or relevant in Fortress Mode, like [[Drunk]] or Pikedwarf.

=== Professions, colors, & skill categories ===

Different professions are associated with a different color of dwarf. If the profession changes (due to skill levels increasing), the profession may change and the color of the dwarf with that, if appropriate. (See chart below for colors associated to skills and professions.) A dwarf with the "[[peasant]]" profession is a dwarf that has no skills above dabbling level and/or only has skills as shown in the "No profession" box below plus isn't an active military member.

Some professions relate directly to one specific, (usually) dominant skill - "Bowyer" or "Wood Cutter" or "Wood Crafter", for example. However some professions are a general category for similar skills - "Woodworker", in the instance of the previous 3 examples, would imply similar expertise with 2 or more skills in that one category. The exact math varies as to how and when one particular profession vs another is chosen due to differences in and combinations of skill levels, but usually it's the highest skill(s)*. If two skills are tied, it's the one listed first for that particular dwarf.

:''(* Many of the "category" professions seem to be based off of the number of levels above no skill/dabbling and whether the highest skill is "double" the increase of the lesser ones.)''

{| style="margin: 0 auto"
|-
| valign='top' |

{{Skill Box|Miner|#bbb|#bbb|
* [[Miner]]
}}

{{Skill Box|Woodworker|#ff2|#ff6|
* [[Bowyer]]
* [[Carpenter]]
* [[Wood cutter]]
}}

{{Skill Box|Stoneworker|#fff|#fff|
* [[Engraver]]
* [[Mason]]
}}

{{Skill Box|Ranger|#282|#484|
* [[Ambusher]]
* [[Animal caretaker]]
* [[Animal dissector]]
* [[Animal trainer]]
* [[Trapper]]
}}

{{Skill Box|Farmer|#882|#884|
* [[Brewer]]
* [[Butcher]]
* [[Cheese maker]]
* [[Cook]]
}}

| valign='top' |

{{Skill Box|Farmer (cont'd)|#882|#884|
* [[Dyer]]
* [[Grower]]
* [[Herbalist]]
* [[Lye maker]]
* [[Milker]]
* [[Miller]]
* [[Potash maker]]
* [[Soaper]]
* [[Tanner]]
* [[Thresher]]
* [[Wood burner]]
}}

{{Skill Box|Metalsmith|#888|#888|
* [[Armorsmith]]
* [[Furnace operator]]
* [[Metal crafter]]
* [[Metalsmith]]
* [[Weaponsmith]]
}}

{{Skill Box|Jeweler|#2f2|#6f6|
* [[Gem cutter]]
* [[Gem setter]]
}}

| valign='top' |

{{Skill Box|Craftsdwarf|#22f|#66f|
* [[Bone carver]]
* [[Clothier]]
* [[Glassmaker]]
* [[Leatherworker]]
* [[Stone crafter]]
* [[Weaver]]
* [[Wood crafter]]
* [[Strand extractor]]
}}

{{Skill Box|Administrator|#828|#848|
* [[Appraiser]]
* [[Building designer]]
* [[Organizer]]
* [[Record keeper]]
}}

{{Skill Box|Fishery Worker|#228|#448|
* [[Fish cleaner]]
* [[Fish dissector]]
* [[Fisherdwarf]]
}}

{{Skill Box|Engineer|#f22|#f66|
* [[Mechanic]]
* [[Pump operator]]
* [[Siege engineer]]
* [[Siege operator]]
}}

| valign='top' |

{{Skill Box|''No profession''|#288|#488|

''Military skills''
* [[Armor user]]
* [[Axedwarf]]
* [[Hammerdwarf]]
* [[Macedwarf]]
* [[Marksdwarf]]
* [[Shield user]]
* [[Speardwarf]]
* [[Swordsdwarf]]
* [[Wrestler]]

''Social skills''
* [[Comedian]]
* [[Consoler]]
* [[Conversationalist]]
* [[Flatterer]]
* [[Pacifier]]

''Broker skills''
* [[Intimidator]]
* [[Judge of intent]]
* [[Liar]]
* [[Negotiator]]
* [[Persuader]]

''Other skills''
* [[Swimmer]]
* [[Thrower]]
}}
|}
::''(Note - exact colors may vary with different tile-sets or settings in [[init.txt]]. The above are correct for standard DF.)''

[[Social skill]]s, [[Broker|Broker skills]], swimming and throwing do not affect profession. Military skills do not affect civilian professions (until they become [[Soldier#Heroes and Champions |Heroes]]).

When a dwarf is activated as a [[soldier]], their listed profession is generated by their best [[weapon]] skill. [[Armor user|Armor User]] and [[Shield User]] do not affect these military professions. Note that in the {{k|m}}ilitary menu you can assign a dwarf a different weapon, to fight or train with, than what is listed as their profession. A soldier with no military skills above dabbling is called a "recruit".

When increases in a dwarf's skills cause their profession to change, an announcement is generated. Any dwarf can change professions if they train (enough) with a different skill.

=== Custom profession labels ===
It is possible to give a dwarf a custom profession name, similar to giving them a [[nickname]], through the {{k|u}}nits list or by {{k|v}}iewing them individually, or before embark if you are "preparing carefully" by viewing them in that menu. This custom label has no effect on color, or on the actual profession that the dwarf is associated with in the game. You can label them as Dyer or Duke or Dragonslayer, Wood Cutter or Weaponsmith or the Grand Wazoo, but if their skill levels determine that they're a Farmer, then they're a Farmer, until their skills change that.

== Skills ==
'''Skills''' are distinct from [[labor|labor preferences]], which are distinct from [[job]]s, but all are closely related. A skill reflects the amount of [[experience]] a dwarf has. With (or without) that skill, they can be assigned one or more different labor preferences in their individual labor menu, general activities that you approve them pursuing. Once they accept a particular assignment, a job is generated and they proceed to apply their skill to that job.

A single skill can be applied to many different [[job]]s. For instance, a Bone Carver might carve a totem out of a skull, craft bone practice bolts for a crossbow, create bone armor, or carve bone crafts to trade. The better the skill, the better and/or faster all these jobs will be accomplished.

Note that many labor preferences, especially [[hauling]], have no associated skill, do not generate experience, and do not improve with practice.

=== Starting a new skill ===

Dwarven peasants and members of other trades can learn a new skill by having the [[labor]] associated with the skill turned on in their preferences screen. The first task related to their new skill they preform will grant them the "Dabbling" skill level. Dwarves may then advance through the skill levels listed below.

=== Skill levels ===

To reach Novice level in any skill requires 500 XP. Reaching each successive level requires an additional 100 XP, so to go from Novice to ''No label'' requires 600 XP; ''No label'' to Competent requires 700 XP, and so on. The following figures are the ''cumulative'' XP needed to go from unskilled to any given skill level.

Although [[Legendary]] is the highest skill level displayed, there are actually five skill levels above it. These are known to have an effect on [[item quality]]; a Legendary dwarf will make masterpiece items 15% of the time, on average, where a Legendary+5 dwarf will make masterpieces 27% of the time (and exceptional items the other 73% of the time). Skill beyond Legendary+5 does not increase the probability of creating a masterpiece item.

You can't find out exactly when a dwarf gets to Legendary+5, but it will happen 1000 XP before their eighth [[attribute]] if they have no other skills -- so when they get eight attributes, they are at Legendary+5. Although skill is capped at Legendary+5, experience is not capped at any level; a dwarf can keep gaining attributes by using a skill that has long since maxed out.

{| style="margin: 0 auto; border: 1px solid black; border-spacing: 0"
|-
| width="33%" style="border-right: 1px solid black;" |
{| width="100%"
! Level !! XP
|-
| Dabbling || align="right" | 1
|-
| Novice || align="right" | 500
|-
| ''No label'' || align="right" | 1100
|-
| Competent || align="right" | 1800
|-
| Skilled || align="right" | 2600
|-
| Proficient || align="right" | 3500
|-
| Talented || align="right" | 4500
|}
| width="33%" style="border-right: 1px solid black;" |
{| width="100%"
! Level !! XP
|-
| Adept || align="right" | 5600
|-
| Expert || align="right" | 6800
|-
| Professional || align="right" | 8100
|-
| Accomplished || align="right" | 9500
|-
| Great || align="right" | 11000
|-
| Master || align="right" | 12600
|-
| High Master || align="right" | 14300
|}
| width="33%" |
{| width="100%"
! Level !! XP
|-
| Grand Master || align="right" | 16100
|-
| Legendary || align="right" | 18000
|-
| Legendary+1 || align="right" | 20000
|-
| Legendary+2 || align="right" | 22100
|-
| Legendary+3 || align="right" | 24300
|-
| Legendary+4 || align="right" | 26600
|-
| Legendary+5 || align="right" | 29000
|}
|}

=== Skills with odd associated labors ===

Each skill has a corresponding [[labor]] which is usually named similarly - Miners do Mining, Carpenters do Carpentry, etc. However, there are several some exceptions:

{| style="margin: 0 auto; border: 1px solid black; border-spacing: 0"
|-
| width="33%" style="border-right: 1px solid black;" |
{| width="100%"
! Skill !! Labour
|-
| Ambusher || Hunting
|-
| Bowyer || Crossbow-making
|-
| Building Designer || Architecture
|-
| Engraver || Stone Detailing
|}

| width="33%" |
{| width="100%"
! Skill !! Labour
|-
| Grower || Farming (Fields)
|-
| Herbalist || Plant Gathering
|-
| Metalsmith || Blacksmithing
|-
| Thresher || Plant Processing
|}
|}

----

'''See also:''' [[Labor]]

[[Category:Skills|*]]