Difference between revisions of "Adventurer mode"

{{Quality|Exceptional|Jan 2016}}

:''This is a detailed reference guide for Adventurer Mode. For a beginner tutorial see the [[Adventure mode quick start]].  

:''See [[Adventure mode quick reference]] to quickly look up key commands.

In '''Adventurer mode''' (also called "adventure mode") you create a single adventurer, be they [[dwarf]], [[human]], [[elf]], [[goblin]], or one of the varieties of [[animal people]], who start out somewhere in one of your generated worlds. You can learn about what ails the world, and go on [[quest]]s to end those troubles (or get brutally murdered trying), and you can venture into the wilderness to find [[cave]]s, shrines, lairs, abandoned towers, and other [[Site|towns and settlements]]. You can even visit your previously abandoned/retired [[fortress]]es and take all the precious items you yourself once created. Unlike [[fortress mode]], Adventurer mode is a sort of advanced [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sandbox_game open world] RPG version of [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rogue_%28computer_game%29 Rogue] or [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nethack Nethack] taking place in the same procedurally-generated worlds used for Fortress Mode. Whereas in fortress mode, you are in charge of a large group of people in real-time restricted to a small parcel of land, in adventurer mode you control a single character in a turn-based manner, roaming the entire world freely.

You can play Adventurer mode in any world that has a civilization with the [[Entity_token#Gameplay|ADVENTURE_TIER]] token (which are elves, dwarves, humans, and goblins, as well as animal people{{version|0.42.01}}). Humans inhabit cities, towns, and the occasional above-ground fortress. Elves inhabit [[forest retreat|forest retreats]]. Dwarves are spread between "deep sites" which sometimes do not contain a direct connection to the surface, [[Fortress|fortresses]] which are built into the surface and almost always connect to the underground and "hill dwarves" which inhabit a loose collection of mounds built into hillsides. Goblins typically live in [[dark fortress|Dark Fortresses]]. Lastly, animal people can live with any civilization, in virtually any location. Human cities and towns, and dwarven fortresses, are currently the only sites with shops and other places to officially buy goods, not including taverns (which can also exist in elven sites, but only sell rooms and drinks). If you have previously built a fort in the world that you select, your adventurer will be able to go visit it. If you have selected to "retire" the fortress rather than abandon it, you will likely be able to encounter all the inhabitants from fortress mode. However, they will likely not have the same level of activity as they would in a bustling fortress-mode fort.

===''Race and civilization''===

Any race from an {{token|ALL_MAIN_POPS_CONTROLLABLE|e}} civilization is playable in adventure mode. In most standard games, this includes dwarves, elves, and humans. All three races can complete the same quests. If an {{tt|[ALL_MAIN_POPS_CONTROLLABLE]}} civilization never existed, adventure mode cannot be played.

* '''Dwarves''' have the advantage of being able to go into a [[martial trance]] when fighting multiple foes at once. This gives them many combat bonuses, which aids their survival greatly. They are the only race that can start with steel weapons, but they wear "small"-sized clothing which means that they're unable to wear human clothes and armor. Goblin armor fits them, making dark fortresses (if your computer can handle them) and dark pits a viable source of armor; if you're up for it, you could also just rob some dwarves or a dwarven fortress. They can start with almost the same weapon skills as civilized humans. Many larger weapons must be wielded two-handed by dwarves, due to their size.

* '''Elves''' start with very weak wooden weapons and have a more limited list of weapon skills during character creation. They have the advantage that they have higher natural speed. Elves are {{token|AT_PEACE_WITH_WILDLIFE|e}}, which makes all wildlife passive towards them. They also have a notably better sense of smell compared to the other races with a {{token|SMELL_TRIGGER|c}} of 10 instead of 90, which means they can sense smells over much larger distances. Like dwarves, they wear small-sized clothing.

* '''Humans''' begin with bronze, copper, or iron weapons. They also start with the widest variety of weapon skills. Humans are larger than the other main races, meaning armor from other civilizations are too small to be worn. Human-sized clothes and armor are commonly found in hamlets and towns.

* '''Intelligent Wilderness Creatures'''{{version|0.42.01}} are playable wild animals. Any creature with {{token|LOCAL_POPS_CONTROLLABLE|c}} fits into this category. A wilderness creature can be played as long as a population exists in an {{tt|[ALL_MAIN_POPS_CONTROLLABLE]}} civilization. Most wilderness creatures are [[animal people]]. They come in various sizes, shapes and abilities, and as such a short description cannot be given; however, they will not start with armor or be able to wear armor sized for the more common races, making Dodger and Shield User more important as defensive skills. Some useful features will be copied from the species to you, such as the ability to fly, a poisonous bite, extravision, a large size, various immunities (e.g. pain, stunning, exertion, traps, fear, dizziness, fevers, fire, poison, or drowning), special abilities (e.g. shooting webs, hurling fireballs), intrinsic starting skills, or the absence of vulnerable internal organs. Some features can also be uselessly amusing (e.g. [[Snakeman|snakemen]] talk with a {{token|LISP|c}}) or more crippling: [[Plump helmet man|plump helmet men]] can't talk, and characters from a {{token|MEANDERING|c}} species stroll very slowly in lieu of normal movement.

* '''Goblins''' are only playable when a population is present in an {{tt|[ALL_MAIN_POPS_CONTROLLABLE]}} civilization. They possess the same body size of dwarves and elves, and can wear whatever weapons and armor the civilization which adopted/conquered them allows. They require no food or water to live.

* '''Kobolds''' are not playable, but it can be allowed with [[kobold#Playing as kobolds|modding]]. They are very weak in combat, and a huge challenge compared to other races. They are even smaller than the other main races, and it is next to impossible to find a fitting armor for them, unless you are absurdly lucky and run into armored kobolds.{{verify}}

====''Outsider''====

Outsiders are adventurers that aren't from a civilization. They can begin at any site and are strangers to all. Only humans can be outsiders in vanilla by default. Other races can be played as outsiders if {{token|OUTSIDER_CONTROLLABLE|c}} is added to the creature's raws. At least one {{tt|[ALL_MAIN_POPS_CONTROLLABLE]}} civilization must have existed in the world in order to play as an outsider, though the civilization does not need to be alive. A human civilization is not strictly required.

Outsiders will always try to begin in a populated site. Caves and even lairs with [[megabeast]]s will be chosen when there are no occupied civ sites. When starting from a lair, be sure to escape from the site '''immediately''', as soon as the game starts, to avoid an instant death.

=== ''Status'' ===

=== ''Starting attributes'' ===

[[Attribute|Attributes]] are divided into Body and Soul attributes. This section provides some guidance for allocating attributes as it relates to adventurer mode.

==== ''Body'' ====

*'''Strength''': Contributes to melee attack momentum, adding velocity and force, and leg strength to movement velocity. Strength determines encumbrance limits, and higher capacity reduces the speed penalty of carrying burdens. Increases to muscle layer mass proportionately improves damage resistance but also reduces speed; proportionately larger characters benefit more from the extra layer thickness and suffer more from the speed penalty.

*'''Agility''': This attribute is directly related to a character's Speed. All combat skills rely on it, especially defensive. Increases attack velocity and potential attack rate.

*'''Toughness''': Reduces physical damage inflicted on you. Also relates to defensive combat skills.

*'''Endurance''': Reduces the rate at which the adventurer becomes exhausted. Exhaustion progressively penalizes physical skills and rate of movement to the point of immobility and [[unconscious]]ness.

==== ''Soul'' ====

*'''Analytical Ability''': Useful for Tracker, Knapping and Student. Analytical Ability seems to have an influence on the quality of written creations, such as poems, as well as ability to speak about ideals.{{version|0.42.01}}

 

 

*'''Creativity''': This influences quality of poems, songs, and dances and crafts. It may also influence "make believe", now able to be performed by children.{{version|0.42.01}}

 

*'''Patience''': May have some effect on dealings with others as a result of the new conversation system.{{Verify}}

*'''Memory''': Memory is applied to the Student and Reading skills. Higher Student skill improves the ability to learn from demonstrations in fortress mode, but it isn't certain whether it has any application in adventurer mode. It's also unknown what benefits come from of higher Reading capability.

*'''Linguistic Ability''': Affects any speaking and writing ability, improves the ability to communicate thoughts and feelings to listeners/readers. Verbal ability can form a positive impression depending on how the listener values eloquence, and responses to stories and poetry relies on delivery.

*'''Spatial Sense''': Important. Affects combat skills, Ambusher, Crutch Walker, Swimmer, Observer, Knapping. Also, prevents/reduces the chance of stumbling during a dance.{{version|0.42.01}}

*'''Musicality''': Influences the adventurer's ability to perform music and song well. This, so far, works for all instruments; one can play a flute, guitar, or any other instrument equally well, given that the adventurer has equal skills in all instrument fields.{{version|0.42.01}}

*'''Empathy''': Affects social skills such as Persuader, Flatterer, Judge of Intent, and other Social skills that may not be applied in adventurer mode.

*'''Social Awareness''': Increases the number of followers you can have at a given "fame" level. Normally you start with a limit of two. Increasing this stat by one level raises that to three. Your fame  still plays a big part in whenever you can recruit followers or not. This attribute also helps with Persuader and Judge of Intent.

==== ''Attribute advancement cap'' ====

Adventure mode attributes are capped at double the starting value or the starting value plus the racial average, whichever is greater. Humans, for example, have a racial average strength of 1,000. If a human adventurer starts with an ''above average'' strength of 1,100, then his strength will ultimately be capped at 2,200. Had this human started with a ''below average'' strength of 900, then his strength would be capped at 1,900 instead. For the purpose of maximizing final attributes, this makes it important to start with as many attributes in the ''superior'' range as possible (more attributes per point allocated), while avoiding taking any penalties to even remotely important attributes (big attribute deductions per point recovered). As a consequence of the attribute cap, demigod adventurers will always have a much higher potential for advancement than mere peasants and heroes.

=== ''Starting skills'' ===

Not all races have the same sets of skills available at character creation time, but keep in mind that all starting [[skill]]s, as well as ones not available at character creation, can be improved through use in-game.  

This section will specifically address starting skills as they relate to adventure mode. For a full description of combat skills see [[Combat skill]]. Other skills that you can't start with, but which can be increased in-game (such as Butchery) are described elsewhere.

==== ''Weapon'' ====

The weapon you start out with will be based on which of these, plus the unarmed combat skills, is the highest. In other words, even if Swordsman is your highest weapon skill, you won't start with a sword if your Wrestler or Striker skills are better. Usually the best choice anyway is to specialize in just one melee weapon skill. Regardless of weapon skills, a '''large copper dagger''' will always be included in the starting equipment, which is handy for throwing at enemies that are just a step away or finishing off a foe pinned down by a stuck weapon. If you don't select any offensive skills, you will also start with a spear, just as an outsider would.

Not all races/civilizations can start with all of these skills. Dwarves can't start with Bowman, Pikeman, or Lasher. Elves can only use Swordsman, Bowman, and Spearman. Of the playable races, only humans have access to Pikeman and Lasher. Strangely, only outsiders can start with Knife User.

Note that different races have different names for their weapon skills. Axegoblin, Axedwarf etc.

Crossbowman is an exception. Dwarves call this skill Marksdwarf, although bow skill is referred to as Bow Dwarf as you'd expect. Elite Axe and Hammer dwarves are referred to as Lords.

*'''[[Axeman]]''': allows characters to use axes, great axes, and halberds more effectively. Useful for cleaving off limbs.

*'''[[Crossbowman]]''': allows characters to use crossbows more effectively. Useful for taking down enemies at a distance.

*'''[[Hammerman]]''': allows characters to use crossbows in melee, mauls, and war hammers more effectively. Useful for breaking limbs.

*'''[[Knife user]]''': allows characters to use large daggers and knives more effectively. Useful for stabbing things.

*'''[[Maceman]]''': allows characters to use flails, maces, and morningstars more effectively. Similar to hammers.

*'''[[Pikeman]]''': allows characters to use pikes more effectively. Like spears, but much bigger.

*'''[[Spearman]]''': allows characters to use spears more effectively. Useful for stabbing things.

*'''[[Swordsman]]''': allows characters to use blowguns and bows in melee, long swords, scimitars, short swords, and two-handed swords more effectively. Useful for cutting, stabbing, and whacking, but less effective than more dedicated weapons.

*'''[[Fighter]]''': This increases with, and contributes to, melee combat whether armed or unarmed. It appears that the purpose of it is to allow melee experience to contribute to melee combat in general regardless of weapon. Repeatedly wrestling (grabbing and releasing) even a small creature will raise this skill.

*'''[[Archer]]''': This increases with, and contributes to, ranged combat including throwing. It works similarly to Fighter except for ranged attacks. It can be easily raised by repeatedly throwing rocks, making it advisable for archers to practice their marksmanship with rock throwing before using up the more finite and expensive forms of ammunition. Shooting at a wall with adjacent upward ramp one level below and picking back projectiles is also a good idea (such places often happen to be in keeps and fortresses). See the FAQ section on [[#How do I increase my skills and attributes?|increasing your skills and attributes]] for information on raising bowman/marksman skills.

==== ''Defensive'' ====

These skills are critical for survival. Starting out with good ability in one (especially Shield User or Armor User) if not all is strongly advised.

 

 

A well written article on the fanon martial arts style "Kisat Dur" can be found on the forums [http://www.bay12forums.com/smf/index.php?topic==148015.0 here].

 

==== ''Movement and awareness'' ====

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

=== Moving around ===

 

[[File:Advmode_normaltravel_DF2014.png|thumb|400px|An image of normal travel mode. A list of the closest (but not necessarily close) sites is in the top-left corner. On the right side are minimaps of the next two levels down, relative to the player. Along the bottom is information about the player.]]

{| class="wikitable" style="border:1px solid #ccc;"

Unless your character is an outsider, you will start out in a race-appropriate town or hamlet; in the standard tileset, the @ sign is your character. The directional keys allow movement. Diagonal movement is particularly important, especially when chasing or running away from things. Use {{k|Alt}}+direction to enter water, jump off of cliffs, or otherwise attempt to enter anything that you can't enter using normal movement commands. Note that when entering water, it's best to enter the actual water, and not the open space over the water, as in the later case, you will fall in, causing you to become stunned, which may lead to drowning. If you hit {{k|j}}, you can jump. This is mostly useful for crossing gorges and crevices, where you have to get to the other side. Occasionally, you can manage to jump onto an opponent and tackle them, which typically causes them to go flying a short distance. Hitting {{k|.}} allows you to stay in one place and wait for other things to move. {{k|,}} does the same but with a tenth of the time it takes for {{k|.}}.

 

Use {{k|s}} to sit/lie down. Moving while laying down (crawling) will let you move past NPCs which are standing in your way. Also note that you will frequently get knocked to the ground in combat, and if you don't hit {{k|s}} to stand back up then you will crawl slowly along the ground, giving your opponent a lot of opportunity to attack you.

 

{{k|S}}neak will allow you to move around invisibly, limited by your Ambusher skill and the Observer skill of nearby creatures.  Enemies will have sight cones indicating where they can detect a sneaking adventurer. The central zone of sight (red, violet, or cyan) is where they will see you immediately and begin chasing you; their peripheral vision (yellow) is where they might see you. Violet and cyan central zones indicate the enemy is on a different level than yours, while red means they are on the same level. Staying out of sight will allow you to silently assassinate your foes, as they rarely seem to notice a knife in their back in time. Note that sneak is also affected by a variety of other factors detailed on the {{k|S}}neak screen, such as light level and weather.

 

If you {{k|h}}old onto a wall or tree, you can climb the wall or tree by using the movement keys. In towns and tamer parts of the countryside, this isn't particularly useful. However, in a combat situation, climbing a tree or wall can give you a height advantage, possibly allowing you to dive-tackle your opponents. Sometimes, mountains will be too steep to walk up the edge, or you will find a deep drop into a ravine. In these cases, you will have to climb up to reach the top, or perhaps jump or climb down one face, then climb up the other.

 

| {{k|T}}

| {{k|d}}

| {{k|K}}

| {{k|c}}

| {{k|s}}

| {{k|m}}

| Cycle through maps and significant structures

| {{k|Q}}

| {{k|Z}}

| {{k|h}}

| {{k|>}} and {{k|<}}

| Enter/exit tunnel

 

Entering Fast Travel mode will allow you to move large distances in a single keypress. Of course, the same amount of time will go by and you can also be interrupted (ambushed) while moving in fast travel mode.

 

 

 

==== ''Looking around'' ====

If you're not sure what a tile is, the {{k|l}}ook command will tell you. In addition to being useful for identifying tiles and creatures, you can also view creatures' equipment and what items are sitting on the ground in a given tile. If in doubt, try the look command.

Move the cursor to the tile you want to look at using direction keys and {{k|Shift}}+direction. It's possible to look up and down z-levels (assuming you have line of sight) using the {{k|<}} and {{k|>}} keys. This, for example, allows you to find out if any flying creatures are above you. Hit {{k|Esc}} to exit look mode and go back to movement mode.

==== ''Messages'' ====

The game makes frequent use of messages on the screen to tell you what is going on. If there are a lot of these you may need to use {{k|Space}} to display the rest of the messages that won't fit on the screen. You can always go back and view old messages by pressing {{k|a}}.

==== ''Status screen'' ====

==== ''Saving the game'' ====

Hit the {{k|Esc}} key at any time and select {{DFtext|Save Game}} to save your game. You can then come back to it later by using the {{DFtext|Continue Playing}} option in the main menu.

The {{k|u}} key can be used to do stuff like pull levers in your abandoned forts. It is also used to lower and raise the bucket when standing right next to a well, so you can get water to refill your waterskin with.

 

{{k|L}} will perform a thorough search of the area that you're standing in, possibly revealing some small creatures.

=== Managing equipment ===

| Interact with an object in an advanced way. (unstick a weapon, refill waterskin etc.)

| Sheath your weapons and shield. (Frees your hands for tasks such as climbing or grabbing)

 

Press {{k|i}} to display a list of what you are currently carrying. Press {{k|-}} {{k|+}} {{k|*}} {{k|/}} to scroll the list. This list will show you if items are being worn, held in hands, stuck on your body, or are inside a container. Detailed information about an object can be viewed by pressing the key associated with the item.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Advanced interaction can also be used to steal enemy  equipment. Use [[wrestling]] to grab hold of a piece of enemy equipment, such as their weapon, or a helmet protecting their squishy brain and it will appear in the advanced interaction menu. Simply grab the item with a free hand and pull away. If successful, you will now be holding that item in your hands.

This command is particularly useful for getting water. When standing next to a well you press the {{k|u}} key to lower, then raise the bucket, yielding 10 units of water in the bucket. Then you can press the {{k|I}} key to fill your waterskin from the full bucket (alternatively you can press the {{k|e}} key to drink directly from the bucket).  

Advanced interactions can be used next to a campfire to heat things, such as any frozen liquids you have in your inventory (or snow lying on the ground) and need to drink. You can refill waterskins from a nearby liquid source as well

The {{k|q}} key lets you strap your weapons to your back. This is useful, because you can't climb or wrestle with your hands, unless your hands are free.

People will also be less likely to be scared of you on first sight if you don't appear to be ready to attack. Keep in mind that while strapping will put away ''everything'' you have in your hands, pressing it again will only cause you to put items into hands that are currently empty, meaning if you had multiple items in one hand you'll have to {{k|r}}emove them manually to use them again.

{| class="wikitable" style="border:1px solid #ccc;"

| Temperature

| Weather/Time

The game has a day/night cycle, with time passing as various actions take place. When using fast travel mode, the top line of the screen will indicate the position of the sun in the sky with a yellow "☼"; Further to the right of the screen is earlier in the day, and further to the left is later. In local travel mode you'll have to use the {{k|W}} command to learn the position of the sun, when you're in a place where the sun is visible. At night you won't be able to see nearly as well, and you will be more vulnerable to ambush. The game also has weather and temperature. The most common weather you'll experience is rain. Rain is shown as blue moving dots on the local travel screen and will, unsurprisingly, cause everything outside to become wet. Temperature is important, because if it happens to drop below freezing while you're swimming through water, you'll instantly die from being encased in the ice. Therefore, you might want to keep an eye on the temperature while swimming, especially if it's getting cold. Also, unlike fortress mode, rivers/other bodies of water can be liquid during the day, and freeze at night. The cycles of freezing can also be erratic from day to day. Freezing weather can also freeze liquids in your inventory solid, making them undrinkable. If your water freezes and you are thirsty, make a campfire and {{k|I}}nteract with your waterskin to heat it over the fire and melt the ice.

=== Sleep ===

Eventually your character will become {{DFtext|Drowsy|1:0}} and this will get worse until you get sufficient sleep.

 

 

Though sleeping inside can be safe, it's also limiting: any quest site you want to go to has to be within a daytime's round-trip time of a safe habitation, and you have to make your way there by hopping from one habitation to the next, sleeping at each along the way.  A way to avoid this is to travel with companions.  If you have any companions with you then [[bogeymen]] won't attack you.  You'll still have to sleep at night, though, both to avoid sleep deprivation and because there's no visibility at night.  You can still be ambushed at night by wildlife, but that's much less likely than being ambushed by [[bogeymen]] when traveling alone. If you find yourself alone at night with nowhere safe to sleep, the safest bet is to keep traveling until dawn, even if that means running around in circles. You will eventually feel unwell from sleep deprivation, but this can take a considerable amount of time. You can make up for lost sleep once you've found your way to safety. Note that sleeping in lairs, shrines, and labyrinths makes you safe from ambush, assuming that you or someone else has killed whatever was living there. If you have sufficient shrines/lairs/etc between you and your goal and they are either uninhabited or inhabited by things you are capable of killing, then you can travel from lair to lair, using each as a safe lodging. This is much safer than sleeping out in the open, day or night, even with companions.

If no other options are available, completely surrounding yourself with campfires will keep night marauders at bay as they cannot pass through the fires; the fires will go out after several hours and enable you to move on (you may also be able to jump over the fires). The bogeymen or other enemies may be outside your line of sight, which will prevent you from firing arrows or throwing things at them. In this case, you will have to <s>perform music, preferably playing guitar</s> stand up and lie down {{K|s}} repeatedly until the enemies wander into your range, the fires go out and the enemies can path to you, or dawn breaks. It should be noted that, as of DF2014, climbing trees and sleeping on them will sometimes prevent [[bogeyman]] attacks, as well.  This is especially useful if you prefer to play solo, and do not wish to have an army of followers in your employ.  This is also useful if you prefer to engage enemies at your own pace (such as via stealth), rather than having your entire follower party immediately charge at anything that is hostile to you. Be wary though, as bogeymen may still be able to reach you by climbing or flying.

=== Food and drink ===

To find water, you must find a river, stream, or well in a town and fill your waterskin (or any container) from it, or drink from it directly. Water that may be covering you or your items will not be able to satisfy your thirst. Note that drinking vampire blood will turn you into a vampire instantly. You can only eat and drink up to stomach capacity; after that you become increasingly nauseous and unable to retain your stomach contents (though if you needed a source for vomit, that's one way to acquire it.) You can reset stomach capacity by offloading the map (travel, rest, wait, etc,) which can only be done in safe locations and circumstances. Over time, food contents are converted to stored fat, even if you remain active, and this will increase your fat layer mass and potentially reduce your speed. Fast traveling also resets food contents (as of v: 43.03) though the hunger and thirst timers are still satisfied by consumption.  If you find yourself in need of both food and hydration, make sure to take care of the most urgent problem first, as if you are moderately hungry but severely dehydrated and eat three times, you may die before you have another chance to drink. If the temperature is low enough that you might have trouble finding liquid water, snow and ice can be heated into water by first making a campfire with {{k|g}} and then performing an advanced interaction with {{k|I}} on the ice or snow in your inventory to heat it. Advanced interactions with your waterskin (or any container) can also be used to gather water from water sources, or snow from the ground.  

====''Announcements when eating''====

=== Combat ===

| {{k|8}} {{k|2}} {{k|4}} {{k|6}} {{k|7}} {{k|9}} {{k|1}} {{k|3}}

| {{k|↑}} {{k|↓}} {{k|←}} {{k|→}}

| Attack adjacent hostile creature

[[Combat]] is the fine art of using physical force to cause injury and death, and it is particularly fun in Dwarf Fortress.

 

 

 

Any creature can be attacked by standing next to it and pressing {{k|A}}. Attacking a friendly or unconscious creature (which includes wild animals for elves) will further require a confirmation, given using  {{k|alt}}+{{k|y}}.

 

 

Attacks aimed at the head are the most effective; a single attack to the cranium with a weapon will usually put an end to the fight. Aimed attacks are especially useful for dismembering opponents. Opponents who are missing a foot will fall over, thereby greatly lowering their speed, and giving you an immediate edge in the fight. Cutting off both hands also highly recommended for obvious reasons. After all, a field full of armless, one-legged enemies can be a big experience booster for your character and your companions.

 

 

 

In addition to aimed attacks, pressing {{k|A}} also allows for the three defensive maneuvers: blocking, dodging and parrying. They do not have fixed keys because their order changes if one or more is impossible (e.g. no blocking without a shield). When dodging you will be able to pick a direction, and your character will move on step in this direction, possibly avoiding any number of attacks. Note that you can dodge even if you are not being attacked. When blocking or parrying you can pick one attack and attempt to stop it. If several attacks are incoming the remaining attacks will not be affected.

 

 

To attack with a ranged weapon press the {{k|f}} key with a ranged weapon (bow, crossbow, etc.) equipped on one hand and select the square where you want to attack. Note that you need to have some sort of ammo, corresponding to the type of ranged weapon you are using (for example, bows use arrows, crossbows use bolts). Otherwise, a message stating "You have nothing left to fire." is displayed in brown. Similarly use the  {{k|t}} key to throw any random object in the same manner. Random objects appear to make a random attack if they happen to have more than one possible type.{{Verify}} For example, if you throw a sword it may hit with a blunt impact, a stabbing impact, or a slicing impact. Throwing crossbow bolts with sufficient throwing skill and strength seems to have an effect similar to firing them, although less powerful. On the plus side, you will never lose ammo if you throw it.

 

 

{{k|t}}hrowing is generally a good skill to have for any adventurer, as it allows you to slow down fleeing foes, both on the ground and in the air without the need of equipping a (cross)bow. Just like {{k|l}}ooking, you can use throwing to view and hit enemies multiple Z levels away from you. If you're lucky, you can simply land a hit that causes the flying enemy to give in to pain, and then let gravity do the rest of the work. Even if the fall doesn't kill them, they will most likely be stunned long enough for you to run up and slaughter them.

 

 

 

'''[[Wrestling]]''' (grappling) can be performed by selecting an enemy via {{k|A}} followed by {{k|b}} to wrestle. You can wrestle any enemy. Wrestling works somewhat like a targeted attack: Once you grab a creature by some body part, you may be able to make another wrestling attempt that will allow you to perform a throw or takedown. For a detailed list of moves, such as takedowns, throws, choke holds, etc., see [[Wrestling]]. It's also possible to punch, kick, and bite. These are not in the wrestling menu, but are performed like normal targeted attacks with {{k|A}}.

 

 

 

 

If you get wounded during combat, there's not much that you can do except perhaps run before you get more wounded. Be aware that movement speed while stunned, nauseous or winded is reduced, and might leave you open to fatal blows.  Your wounds will heal over time, so just travel around or sleep in a safe place. Some wounds, however, may never heal, leaving you permanently crippled. Obtaining a crutch may help with this. Or, if you are not already a vampire, then you can get bitten by a werebeast during full moon, which will heal all injuries once per month. If you have some bolts or arrows stuck in your body, they can be removed by using the complex interaction menu {{k|I}}. Select the stuck bolt or arrow from the list and then pull it out with {{k|a}} You'll probably start bleeding after you pull it out, but the bleeding is rarely anything to worry about.

 

 

At any time during gameplay (except fast travel mode), you can press {{k|C}} to open the Combat Preferences menu. There are three different preferences you can set: Attack, Dodge and Charge Defense. These have a few different sub-preferences each:

*'''{{k|a}}ttack'''

**'''According to Opponent''' - The default setting. When set to this, charging happens more or less frequently, depending on the difference in size between you and the opponent. Bigger opponents get charged less, smaller more often. Can be very risky, since a random charge against a huge opponent is likely to get you knocked down and stunned. In the same vein, charging when close to obstacles or other environmental hazards is very dangerous, potentially fatal, if the enemy dodges you.

**'''Strike''' - This setting ensures that you never charge an opponent, but rather just swing your weapon at them. This carries less risk than the above, but you're never going to knock anyone down without hitting their legs or spine. Very preferable against large opponents.

**'''Charge''' - When set to this, you ALWAYS charge. When faced with numerous small enemies (Bogeymen in particular), this can be extremely useful, but remember to switch back when facing something bigger. Charging a large dragon is almost a certain death sentence.

*'''{{k|d}}odge'''

**'''Move Around''' - This means you can jump away from attacks, physically moving in a random direction. While this lets you dodge attacks more often, it can also result in you jumping into a wall or down a lake. If you're fighting in really tight spaces, or areas with large pits, you might want to switch to the other option.

**'''Stand Ground''' - As can be expected, you stand your ground. No jumping around, which is useful in the above situation, but risky in the open. If you have room for jumping around, go with Move Around, but otherwise this could be a good idea.

*'''{{k|c}}harge Defense'''

**'''According to Opponent''' - Again, the default setting. You're more likely to stand still against small enemies charging, but will probably prefer moving away from larger ones. Somewhat risky, in that even a somewhat small enemy can stun you by charging.

**'''Dodge Away''' - With this, you'll dodge away from charging enemies, if you can. It's not a sure bet, but it's very much worth it against enemies who like to charge. This is probably the most preferable mode, since you're not losing a whole lot by dodging a small foe charging, but dodging an angry night beast can save you from a world of pain.

**'''Stand Ground''' - If you're certain of your physical superiority to the opponent, you can safely choose this. Standing your ground like a real man/woman might feel hardcore, but getting knocked down in a fight can be extremely dangerous. It probably has some use against bogeymen though, since they're quite small. If you really are much bigger than the enemy, you'll end up knocking THEM down. Most of the time though, charges heavily favor the attacker, so dodging away is probably preferable.

Using Combat Preferences properly can actually save your hide, so it's worth fiddling with. Just don't forget that you've fiddled with them, since a misplaced charge or dodge could end up killing you.

Whenever you want to advance the conversation, you have to press {{k|k}} again and choose the ongoing conversation you wish to continue. You will also see ongoing conversations from people who have started a conversation with you. If you want to talk to someone else during this time, simply {{DFtext|Start a new conversation}}.

* {{DFtext|Greet listener}} — Has you offering a greeting to someone, when you're initiating the conversation.

* {{DFtext|Bypass greeting (new menu)}} — Skips the greeting, taking you straight to the normal conversation menus.

* {{DFtext|Reply to greeting}} — If you aren't the one who started the conversation, this option will let you reply to someone's greeting. They will then talk about some trouble.

* {{DFtext|Refuse conversation}} — Causes you to explicitly refuse to talk to someone who started a conversation with you. Unknown if this has a different effect from simply not doing anything.{{Verify}}

* {{DFtext|Reply to greeting (impersonation)}} — Like {{DFtext|Reply to greeting}}, except you're impersonating a deity.

* {{DFtext|Nevermind}} — This has you back out of having a conversation.

When you start talking to someone, you are presented with a wide array of things to talk about. (If the person you are talking to started the conversation and told you about some trouble, you'll first get a menu related to that trouble. Just press {{k|-}}-{{k|Enter}} to {{DFtext|Change the subject (new menu)}} and get to this first menu.) Your choices are as follows:

 

| Only appears when talking to a lord/lady who you aren't under the command of. Allows you to become one of the leader's guards.

| Only appears when talking to a bandit leader who you aren't under the command of. Allows you to become one of the leader's lieutenants.

 

Note that you can press {{k|Esc}} to not choose anything. The conversation is still ongoing, you have to explicitly say goodbye to end it. Pressing {{k|Esc}} is useful if you need to double-check something before talking.

{| class="wikitable" style="border:1px solid #ccc;"

 

Companions are the guys who follow you around after you've asked them to join you and they've accepted. Your character will have a limit on the maximum number of companions that is based on fame/reputation level and the ''Social Awareness'' attribute. With average social awareness and the maximum level of fame, the limit is 19 companions. Note that people with no military skills are unlikely to agree to join you, and people with military skills higher than yours will also be unlikely to join you.

 

 

 

{{new in v0.42}}

 

==== ''Trading (barter)'' ====

In human towns (not hamlets or castles), you can find shops, in elven Trading-trees you can find markets, and at [[depot]]s in dwarven fortresses you can encounter [[broker]]s. Once you're inside of a [[shop]] and right next to any of the NPCs, you can use {{K|k}} to {{DFtext|Trade}} with them. Use {{K|Enter}} to select which items to trade, left/right arrow keys to switch between the list of shop items and your items, and up/down arrow keys to scroll through the lists. You can also either {{k|a}}sk for or {{k|o}}ffer currency as part of the process. Once done, press {{K|t}} to trade. The shopkeeper won't get angry if you're not offering enough in trade, so you can start offering just a few items, keep trying again with a little more until the trade is accepted. Once the trade is accepted, all of the items you offered will be on the floor underneath you. After trading, you will find the stuff you gave on the floor at your feet, and the stuff you got in your inventory.

==== ''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 (indicated by dollar signs on either side of the item in your inventory), the game requires you to exit the site ''and'' move a considerable distance before allowing you to quick 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-repute in another country. In some cases, the shop will be abandoned. This will be made clear by the presence of unbought items and the lack of any merchants in the area. You will not be considered a thief by the relevant entity for taking stuff from an abandoned shop, but you will still be withheld the privilege of fast-travel until you leave the site. If the item name is not surrounded by dollar signs, it is never considered stealing, even in situations where it would be in real life.

==== ''Managing coins'' ====

You will find that coins from one civilization are nearly worthless in other civilizations (except for metal value, or so the presumption goes). This will typically result in adventurers carrying around lots of partially-useless 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, as well as sell all of your loot directly for gold coins. Remember, merchants will always try to pay you in higher-denomination currency first but will resort to lower-value coins if they run out of anything higher. First, check the merchant's chest to see how much of each type of coins they have.  

Coin values are as follows:

To receive the maximum amount of gold coins from that merchant, make sure the amount '''they owe you''' during the trade is equal to (total amount of gold coins the shop has)*15☼ . If you are selling loot, simply make sure you only trade this worth of goods, and move on to other merchants for the rest. If you wish to exchange copper and silver coins for gold, buy random goods from the merchant until their price is around this value, and then sell back all of the goods for their original value, but in gold. Alternatively, you can take your excess coinage and use it to purchase [[Gem|large gems]] at a trinket shop. Large gems make good investments because they are 1) light, 2) variably priced, and 3) equally valuable between different civilizations. A few goods are strictly superior to all forms of coinage as a store of value, most notably giant cave spider silk items. A suitably sneaky (or powerful) adventurer can murder a few dwarves or goblins for such items for trade and sale for human goods. Giant cave spider silk is a non-renewable resource in any given world - please harvest responsibly.

 

==== ''Where to get items to sell'' ====

 

The best place to get items to sell is at bandit camps, after you've slaughtered all the bandits. You can loot the clothes and equipment off of the corpses of the bandits (and off your fallen companions, too), plus at the very center of camp there'll be a few scattered weapons and a few bags/chests containing various goods. The next best way to get items to sell is to kill a creature, butcher their corpse (see below for how), and pick up the edible bits. Butchered bits from the corpses of people (dwarves, elves, humans, etc.) can sometimes be found in monster lairs and these seem to be just as desired by shopkeepers as the products you gain from your own butchering. Remember that you can also carve the bones of animals to make them desirable trading items. Another good early source of income can be bags left in houses and shops,