Editing v0.34:Bronze colossus

{{quality|Exceptional|07:20, 28 June 2010 (UTC)}}
{{Creaturelookup/0
|death=item
|item=☼[[bronze]] [[statue]]☼ (worth 1500☼)
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|wiki=Colossus
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A '''bronze colossus''' (plural: '''bronze colossuses''' from the raws) is a [[megabeast]]. When one takes up residence near a fortress, it's up to those within to make an end of it, or it will make an end of them. Upon its death by means other than melting, a bronze colossus becomes a [[item value|masterwork]] [[bronze]] [[statue]] (worth 1500☼), a great decoration for a grand entrance hall.

[http://www.bay12forums.com/smf/index.php?topic=64341.msg1501902#msg1501902 Rough calculations] have placed the colossus somewhere between thirty five and forty feet tall, or about 1/4th the height of the Statue of Liberty. This of course assumes it is sculpted in the form of a nude male — a clothed or female figure might be shorter or taller.

==Fortress Mode==

Unless you are using whips or marksdwarves (but you will need a '''lot''' of bolts to kill a bronze colossus), bronze colossuses take no damage from any material inferior to [[steel]] {{verify}}, but they can still be defeated with cumulative damage. Attacks that cause cumulative damage will be reported as ''chipping'' or ''denting'' the colossus in the combat log [http://www.bay12forums.com/smf/index.php?topic=59642.msg1362817#msg1362817]. Adamantine two-handed swords and axes can also lop off entire limbs and heads if you have access to them.

Like other large creatures, a bronze colossus cannot be atom smashed. Raising and retractable bridges do not operate while underneath a colossus either. However, the great weight of a colossus can be exploited by sending it into a multi-floor fall with a controlled [[cave-in]]. While the colossus may not die from the fall, it will likely lose all its limbs and any combat effectiveness, which turns it into a [[Live training|great training dummy]]. 

Magma, the solution to all dwarven problems, is also effective against bronze colossuses. It may take an extremely long time to melt one unless large amounts of magma are used, however. A tamed [[dragon]] can also be quite effective, since a colossus can be melted with dragonfire, which is also much faster than small amounts of magma. Freezing in water, solidifying in obsidian, and cave-ins are also effective tactics.

On the other hand, why kill a 165-tonne colossus when you can trap it in a wooden cage and use it as a centerpiece for a [[cage|zoo]]?

==Adventure Mode==

Even a relatively weak and unskilled adventurer can easily cripple a bronze colossus with a whip. Other weapons with small contact areas retain some effectiveness too, and cumulative damage will eventually bring down a colossus. Stronger and more skillful adventurers can opt for swords and axes, as they can occasionally lop off limbs and heads. Since bronze colossuses are incapable of learning and have no skills, they have a hard time detecting adventurers that are hidden in ambush, even in close proximity. One can take advantage of this by attacking the colossus' feet and legs early in the battle from hiding, as this will bring it to the ground, greatly lowering its speed and preventing it from charging you. Bronze colossi also have a unique weakness to water, presumably because of its heaviness. A bronze colossi will not drown in water, but will flounder around helplessly, making for a easy target for adventurers with a good swimming skill; or if the adventurer stands on a land tile next to the water tile the colossi is in.

==Creature behavior==
{{D for Dwarf}}A bronze colossus leaves a masterwork bronze statue after death, but this is almost never actually a statue of the colossus. It can be presumed that the individual attacking the colossus is literally sculpting it to death, sometimes into the shape of an animal, sometimes into a statue of ''themselves''. How a warrior can so carefully and deliberately carve a 40-foot tall man made of bronze into a masterwork statue while it is trying to turn them into paste is a mystery for the ages. In rare cases, they can even end up as statues of multiple creatures, even with appendages not possessed by the bronze colossus during life.

==Trivia==
In previous versions of the game, bronze colossuses were nigh invincible in combat, save via decapitation. Only one such feat has been [http://www.bay12forums.com/smf/index.php?topic=56935.0 documented] in an epic battle.

The plural "colossuses" was reported as a bug{{bug|1953|cat=nocat}}, but it was deemed an acceptable alternate and remains the official term.

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{{Category|Creatures}}
{{Category|Megabeasts}}