Editing v0.31:Building destroyer

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

Creatures with the [BUILDINGDESTROYER:#] [[token]] will actively seek out various [[furniture|furnishings]], [[workshop]]s and other [[building]]s and topple or destroy them. They come in two varieties, the first being annoying, and the second dangerous.  Buildings made from raw materials will be toppled, leaving the materials on the ground, while buildings made from furniture will be destroyed, not leaving behind any items.

Creatures with this tag are gifted with an incredible ability to sense exactly where your buildings are. Underground creatures such as the [[Blind cave ogre]] or [[Voracious cave crawler]] will charge your fort immediately after spawning at the edge of the map. Plan your [[defense guide|defenses]] accordingly.  Building destroyers still prefer to attack creatures, and if a valid creature target for their aggression is or becomes visible to them, they will abandon building destruction in favor of classic creature destruction.

The time it takes for a building destroyer to destroy a building depends on the [[quality]] of the the building.  [[Artifact]] quality furniture can never be damaged or destroyed, but some kinds of artifact furniture will be deconstructed by a building destroyer, given enough time: for instance, artifact statues will eventually be deconstructed; artifact hatch covers never will.

Building destroyers will destroy nearly '''all''' types of buildings they can reach, whether or not they block their path - [[door]]s, [[floodgate]]s, [[hatch]] covers, vertical/horizontal [[bars]], floor/wall [[grate]]s, [[statue]]s, [[workshop]]s, and even furniture are vulnerable.  The only buildings that will be spared by a building destroyer are [[well]]s, [[bridge]]s, [[road]]s, [[trap]]s (including [[lever]]s and track stops), [[animal trap]]s, [[chain]]s, [[cage]]s, [[stockpile]]s, and [[Trap#Upright Spear/Spike|upright weapon]]s. While they can destroy most furniture and buildings from a lower [[z-level]] when a valid path exists to that furniture, they cannot destroy hatches or grates from below. Building destroyers will path to and destroy even opened (or stuck open) doors, hatches, floodgates, or vertical bars.  They will cause damage to any attached mechanisms during building destruction, sometimes leading to the unlinking of furniture to a lever before the furniture in question is fully destroyed.

==Destroying from underneath==

Building destroyers cannot destroy buildings unless their path to the building passes through the building's z-level.  This means that building destroyers cannot destroy, for instance, a forbidden hatch above them (note that non-forbidden, i.e. passable, hatches are vulnerable!), or a magma forge from the magma underneath it. 

Building destroyers can destroy buildings from the z-level below while standing on a ramp or stairs that leads up to the building's z-level.

==Annoying Variety==
When the value is '''1''', the creature will go after [[statue]]s, [[window]]s (glass or gem), [[archery target]]s, [[slab]]s, wooden [[door]]s, and wooden [[hatch]]es. They can't destroy homes during world gen as (semi)megabeasts.

'''[BUILDINGDESTROYER:1] creatures:'''
*[[Cave crocodile]]
*[[Giant cave spider]]
*[[Giant desert scorpion]]
*[[Giant olm]]
*[[Giant toad]]
*all [[Undead]] (unless it has [BUILDINGDESTROYER:2]), including [[ghost]]s

==Dangerous Variety==
When the value is '''2''' the creature will actively seek out [[building]]s and destroy them. They can also destroy buildings during world-gen with this tag. Megabeasts rely on this token for their pathing when attacking your fort. [[Construction]]s (walls, staircase, floors, etc.) are still safe, since they're processed the same way natural terrain is for most situations. 

The simplest way to keep building destroyer 2's from targets is with walls or channels.  The outside of a raised [[bridge|drawbridge]] will act like a constructed wall, blocking building destroyer 2's without that danger of being destroyed.

Tame animals still carry their building destroyer tokens.

'''[BUILDINGDESTROYER:2] creatures:'''
*[[Amethyst man]]
*[[Blind cave ogre]]
*[[Bronze colossus]]
*[[Cave dragon]]
*[[Cyclops]]
*[[Dragon]]
*[[Ettin]]
*[[Fire man]]
*[[Gabbro man]]
*[[Giant]]
*[[Hydra]]
*[[Iron man]]
*[[Magma man]]
*[[Minotaur]]
*[[Mud man]]
*[[Ogre]]
*[[Sasquatch]]
*[[Troll]]
*[[Voracious cave crawler]]
*[[Yeti]]
*All [[forgotten beast]]s, [[titan]]s, and [[demon]]s

See the [[Modding guide]] for more information on creature tokens.

==Undead==
All [[undead]] building destroyers also gain the ability to destroy wooden [[support]]s, which is likely to result in hilarity.

==Bugs==
* Building destroyers can destroy buildings even if there's one tile of empty space between them and the building. {{Bug|4585}}  In fact, they cannot destroy immediately adjacent buildings, although that's only relevant when releasing them from cages.