v0.34:Bronze colossus

xTATTEREDx  · +FINE+  · *SUPERIOR*  · ≡EXCEPTIONAL≡  · ☼MASTERWORK☼

Bronze colossus

C
Urist likes bronze colossuses for their height.
Biome
Any Land
Attributes
Building destroyer: Level 2
· Megabeast · Genderless · No Stun · No Pain · No Exert · Fanciful · Humanoid
Cannot be tamed
Size
Max:	20,000,000 cm3
Age
Adult at:	Birth
Max age:	Immortal
Becomes after death
☼bronze statue☼ (worth 1500☼)
Wikipedia article

v50.12 · v0.47 · v0.34.11 · v0.31 · v0.28 · v0.23 This article is about an older version of DF. More Info · V

A gigantic magic statue made of bronze and bent on mayhem.

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 masterwork bronze statue (worth 1500☼), a great decoration for a grand entrance hall.

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), a bronze colossus takes no damage from any material inferior to steel ^[Verify], but 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 [1]. 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 great training dummy.

Magma, the solution to all dwarven problems, is also effective against a bronze colossus. 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 zoo? Or, since a colossus takes no damage from wood and bone bolts, with a little engineering and lots of ammo it can become an easy source of limitless marksdwarf experience.

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 colossuses also have a unique weakness to water, presumably because of its heaviness. A bronze colossus will not drown in water, but will flounder around helplessly, making it an easy target for adventurers with a good swimming skill; or if the adventurer stands on a land tile next to the water tile the colossus is in.

Creature behavior

This article or section has been rated D for Dwarf. It may include witty humour, not-so-witty humour, bad humour, in-jokes, pop culture references, and references to the Bay12 forums. Don't believe everything you read, and if you miss some of the references, don't worry. It was inevitable.

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 documented in an epic battle.

The plural "colossuses" was reported as a bug^Bug:1953, but it was deemed an acceptable alternate and remains the official term. "Colossi" is however also widely used. Not that you'd be likely to ever encounter several of them, if any.

Raws

[CREATURE:COLOSSUS_BRONZE] [DESCRIPTION:A gigantic magic statue made of bronze and bent on mayhem.] [NAME:bronze colossus:bronze colossuses:bronze colossus] [CASTE_NAME:bronze colossus:bronze colossuses:bronze colossus] [CREATURE_TILE:'C'][COLOR:6:0:0] [MEGABEAST][DIFFICULTY:15] 11 or higher does not get assigned as adv mode quests [ATTACK_TRIGGER:80:10000:100000] [FANCIFUL] [NOPAIN][EXTRAVISION][NOBREATHE][NOSTUN][NONAUSEA][NOEMOTION] [NOTHOUGHT][NOEXERT] [NO_DIZZINESS] [NO_FEVERS] [BUILDINGDESTROYER:2] [LARGE_PREDATOR] [NO_DRINK][NO_EAT][NO_SLEEP] [SPHERE:METALS] [SPHERE:STRENGTH] [SPHERE:WAR] [NOT_LIVING] [CANOPENDOORS] [NOT_BUTCHERABLE] [BIOME:ANY_LAND] [EQUIPS] [NOFEAR] [PREFSTRING:height] [NOBONES] [BODY:HUMANOID:2EYES:2EARS:NOSE:HUMANOID_JOINTS:5FINGERS:5TOES] [NO_THOUGHT_CENTER_FOR_MOVEMENT] [TISSUE:BRONZE] [TISSUE_NAME:bronze:bronze] [TISSUE_MATERIAL:INORGANIC:BRONZE] [MUSCULAR] [FUNCTIONAL] [STRUCTURAL] [RELATIVE_THICKNESS:1] [CONNECTS] [TISSUE_SHAPE:LAYER] [TISSUE_LAYER:BY_CATEGORY:ALL:BRONZE] [BODY_SIZE:0:0:20000000] [BODY_APPEARANCE_MODIFIER:HEIGHT:90:95:98:100:102:105:110] [BODY_APPEARANCE_MODIFIER:BROADNESS:90:95:98:100:102:105:110] [ATTACK:PUNCH:BODYPART:BY_TYPE:GRASP] [ATTACK_SKILL:GRASP_STRIKE] [ATTACK_VERB:punch:punches] [ATTACK_CONTACT_PERC:100] [ATTACK_FLAG_WITH] [ATTACK_PRIORITY:MAIN] [ATTACK:KICK:BODYPART:BY_TYPE:STANCE] [ATTACK_SKILL:STANCE_STRIKE] [ATTACK_VERB:kick:kicks] [ATTACK_CONTACT_PERC:100] [ATTACK_FLAG_WITH] [ATTACK_PRIORITY:SECOND] [ITEMCORPSE:STATUE:NO_SUBTYPE:INORGANIC:BRONZE] [ITEMCORPSE_QUALITY:5] [DIURNAL] [LAIR:SHRINE:100] [SWIMS_LEARNED][SWIM_SPEED:2500]

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Races	Dwarf • Elf • Goblin • Human • Kobold Subterranean animal people Amphibian man • Antman • Bat man • Cave fish man • Cave swallow man • Olm man • Reptile man • Rodent man • Serpent man
Birds	Albatross (man, giant) • Barn owl (man, giant) • Bushtit (man, giant) • Cassowary (man, giant) • Cockatiel (man, giant) • Crow (man, giant) • Eagle (man, giant) • Emu (man, giant) • Great horned owl (man, giant) • Grey parrot (man, giant) • Hornbill (man, giant) • Kakapo (man, giant) • Kea (man, giant) • Kestrel (man, giant) • Kiwi (man, giant) • Loon (man, giant) • Lorikeet (man, giant) • Magpie (man, giant) • Masked lovebird (man, giant) • Osprey (man, giant) • Ostrich (man, giant) • Parakeet (man, giant) • Peach-faced lovebird (man, giant) • Penguin (little, emperor, man, giant) • Peregrine falcon (man, giant) • Puffin (man, giant) • Raven (man, giant) • Snowy owl (man, giant) • Sparrow (man, giant) • Swan (man, giant) • White stork (man, giant) • Wren (man, giant)
Bugs	Bark scorpion (man, giant) • Brown recluse spider (man, giant) • Damselfly (man, giant) • Grasshopper (man, giant) • Jumping spider (man, giant) • Louse (man, giant) • Mantis (man, giant) • Moon snail (man, giant) • Mosquito (man, giant) • Moth (man, giant) • Slug (man, giant) • Snail (man, giant) • Thrips (man, giant) • Tick (man, giant)
Desert	Desert tortoise (man, giant) • Gila monster (man, giant) • Leopard gecko (man, giant)
Domestic	Alpaca • Blue peafowl • Cat • Cavy • Chicken • Cow • Dog • Donkey • Duck • Goat • Goose • Guineafowl • Horse • Llama • Mule • Pig • Rabbit • Reindeer • Sheep • Turkey • Water buffalo • Yak
Mountain	Chinchilla (man, giant) • Dark gnome • Hoary marmot • Mountain gnome • Mountain goat • Wolverine (man, giant)
Ocean	Angelshark • Basking shark • Blacktip reef shark • Blue shark • Bluefin tuna • Bluefish • Bull shark • Cod • Coelacanth • Common skate • Conger eel • Crab (man, giant) • Cuttlefish (man, giant) • Elephant seal (man, giant) • Frill shark • Giant grouper • Great barracuda • Great white shark • Halibut • Hammerhead shark • Harp seal (man, giant) • Horseshoe crab (man, giant) • Leopard seal (man, giant) • Longfin mako shark • Manta ray • Marlin • Milkfish • Narwhal (man, giant) • Nautilus (man, giant) • Nurse shark • Ocean sunfish • Octopus (man, giant) • Opah • Orca (man, giant) • Sea lamprey • Shortfin mako shark • Sperm whale (man, giant) • Spiny dogfish • Sponge (man, giant) • Spotted wobbegong • Squid (man, giant) • Stingray • Sturgeon • Swordfish • Tiger shark • Walrus • Whale shark • Whitetip reef shark
River/Lake	Axolotl (man, giant) • Beaver (man, giant) • Carp • Hippo • Leech (man, giant) • Longnose gar • Mink (man, giant) • Otter (river, sea, man, giant) • Pike • Platypus (man, giant) • Pond turtle (man, giant) • Snapping turtle (common, alligator, man, giant) • Tigerfish
Temperate	Adder (man, giant) • Alligator • Badger (man, giant) • Black bear • Bobcat (man, giant) • Buzzard • Capybara (man, giant) • Coati (man, giant) • Copperhead snake (man, giant) • Cougar • Coyote (man, giant) • Deer • Dingo (man, giant) • Echidna (man, giant) • Fox • Gray langur (man, giant) • Green tree frog (man, giant) • Grizzly bear • Groundhog • Hare (man, giant) • Ibex (man, giant) • Kangaroo (man, giant) • Kingsnake (man, giant) • Koala (man, giant) • Moose (man, giant) • Opossum (man, giant) • Panda (man, giant) • Porcupine (man, giant) • Raccoon • Rattlesnake (man, giant) • Red panda (man, giant) • Rhesus macaque • Skunk (man, giant) • Weasel (man, giant) • Wild boar (man, giant) • Wolf • Wombat (man, giant)
Tropical	Aardvark (man, giant) • Anaconda (man, giant) • Armadillo (man, giant) • Aye-aye (man, giant) • Bilou • Black mamba (man, giant) • Black-crested gibbon • Black-handed gibbon • Bonobo • Bushmaster (man, giant) • Capuchin (man, giant) • Cheetah (giant) • Chimpanzee • Elephant • Gazelle • Giant desert scorpion • Giant tortoise (man, giant) • Giraffe • Gorilla • Gray gibbon • Honey badger • Hyena (man, giant) • Impala (man, giant) • Jackal (man, giant) • Jaguar (giant) • King cobra (man, giant) • Leopard (giant) • Lion (giant) • Lion tamarin (man, giant) • Mandrill • Mongoose (man, giant) • Monitor lizard (man, giant) • Ocelot (man, giant) • One-humped camel • Orangutan • Pangolin (man, giant) • Pileated gibbon • Python (man, giant) • Rhinoceros • Saltwater crocodile • Siamang • Silvery gibbon • Sloth (man, giant) • Sloth bear (man, giant) • Spider monkey (man, giant) • Tapir (man, giant) • Tiger (giant, man) • Two-humped camel • Vulture • Warthog • White-browed gibbon • White-handed gibbon
Tundra	Elk • Lynx (man, giant) • Muskox • Polar bear • Stoat (man, giant)
Subterranean	Amethyst man • Blind cave bear • Blind cave ogre • Blood man • Bugbat • Cave blob • Cave crocodile • Cave dragon • Cave floater • Creeping eye • Crundle • Draltha • Drunian • Elk bird • Fire imp • Fire man • Flesh ball • Floating guts • Gabbro man • Giant bat • Giant cave spider • Giant cave swallow • Giant earthworm • Giant mole • Giant olm • Giant rat • Giant toad • Gorlak • Green devourer • Helmet snake • Hungry head • Iron man • Jabberer • Large rat • Magma crab • Magma man • Manera • Molemarian • Mud man • Naked mole dog • Plump helmet man • Pond grabber • Reacher • Rutherer • Troglodyte • Voracious cave crawler
Mammals	Flying squirrel (man, giant) • Hamster (man, giant) • Hedgehog (man, giant)
Miscellaneous	Beak dog • Blizzard man • Foul blendec • Gremlin • Grimeling • Harpy • Ice wolf • Merperson • Nightwing • Ogre • Sasquatch • Satyr • Sea monster • Sea serpent • Strangler • Troll • Unicorn • Yeti
Semi-Megabeasts	Cyclops • Ettin • Giant • Minotaur
Megabeasts	Bronze colossus • Dragon • Forgotten beast • Hydra • Roc • Titan
Nonexistent	Centaur • Chimera • Griffon