Editing 40d:Fire imp

{{quality|Exceptional|18:18, 8 November 2010 (UTC)}}

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'''Fire imps''' are potentially very dangerous [[creature]]s that live in [[magma]] vents. They usually don't roam that far from the vent, but sometimes they do and they will also surface and attack any [[dwarf]] who comes near their vent. They are rather [[size|small]] and easy to kill from range by an average soldier, unless they are able to breathe [[fire]] first that deals high damage and ignites objects and [[creature]]s.  They can only breathe occasionally - if a trained warrior can jump them (or dodge/survive their first breath), they can usually kill them easily.

If you need to use imp-infested magma for your metalworks, use extreme caution, or just kill them all first, or at least consider setting [[trap]]s or stationing [[marksdwarf|marksdwarves]] around the [[furnace]]s.  It is safer though to follow the same procedure you use to prevent [[fire man|fire men]] from getting to your dwarves.  

Another method of dealing with fire imps is to build a magma-proof [[grate]] into the channel leading to the vent where you're going to be drawing magma from. Grates made from [[Bauxite]] are a good start, but are not necessary. This will filter out just about all those unwanted pests. This same method can be done with other building types such as walls or doors over the magma channel just as easily.

Another danger of fire imps (and fire men) is that they will attack wild [[creature]]s (not other imps or fire men), traveling [[merchant]]s and [[goblin]]s, which can start a [[fire|wild fire]] that will jump from ignitable tile to tile and can burn your entire map and your dwarves.  For this reason, it is recommended that you keep an eye on the situation outside and give the [[orders]] for your dwarves to stay inside ({{K|o}}-{{K|i}}) when you see that flickering wall spreading from the magma vent area.  

When a fire imp [[corpse]] is [[butcher]]ed, clouds of "boiling fire imp fat" sometimes bubble out from the [[Butcher's shop]], which can ignite nearby items or [[cloth]]es (at least one butcher has perished to this fate), while other times it may leave a glob of [[fire|'''‼'''fire imp fat'''‼''']] in the butcher's shop which emits significant amounts of smoke (and may require deconstructing the butcher's shop in order to get rid of it).

Additionally, [[craft]]s made from their remains are quite [[value|valuable]].  Fire imp meat, though possibly a touch warm, is perfectly acceptable for use in cooking.

Imps can be easily caught by building a [[channel]] or [[wall]] around the magma with only one little opening then placing [[cage]] traps in that one entrance; many traps in a row are recommended. The imps will run out of the magma with the intent of killing your dwarves, only to get caught by your traps. This is a good semi-safe way to control the fire imps in your area. Just make sure your dwarves are not going in areas that you have boxed off, or there will be nothing to stop them from killing your dwarves.

Although Fire Imps have a natural [[creature token|body temperature]] of only [[temperature scale|10095]] (about 127 degrees Fahrenheit), they quickly reach a temperature of 12000 due to contact with magma.  This is why imp fat does not consistently explode, and is not always lethal; an imp that was shot as soon as it jumped out of the magma and promptly butchered will produce nearly 12000 degree boiling fat, while one which chased your dwarves for a few days might have cooled to between 10180 and 10360 and will produce ''burning'' fat, while one that ran around for an entire season will have cooled down to its natural body temperature.  Similarly, this is why wrestling a fire imp will only sometimes catch a [[wrestler]]'s clothes on fire.  A final danger is that fire imp meat can retain a high temperature for a long time, and will slowly heat its surroundings.  If the surroundings are a wooden barrel, [[fun]] can result.