Editing v0.34:Bogeyman

{{quality|Masterwork|9:44, 31 July 2013 (UTC)}}{{av}}
A '''bogeyman''' {{Tile|ñ|0:1}} is a [[night creature]] which attacks unwary [[adventurer mode|adventurers]] who [[Adventurer mode#Fast Travel|travel]]* or [[Adventurer mode#Sleep|sleep]] outside at night alone.  The bane of many a young adventurer, bogeymen can prove to be deadly foes for the inexperienced and the unprepared. 

Fortunately, adventurers are not doomed to face bogeymen every time night falls. In fact, bogeymen can be avoided entirely by:

1.Being accompanied by at least one [[Adventure mode#Companions|companion]].<br />
2.Sleeping/waiting the night away inside a shelter (see below).<br />
3.Sleeping/waiting/travelling [[Caverns|underground]] or in the more desolate [[biome|biomes]], such as [[mountain|mountains]], [[desert|deserts]], [[beach|beaches]], [[ocean|oceans]] and [[lake|lakes]].

<nowiki>*</nowiki>You can get ambushed by bogeymen both when fast travelling and when travelling normally on the local map.

When you are [[ambush|ambushed]] by bogeymen, you will get the message:
{{gametext|You are surrounded by incessant cackling.|5:1}}
A turn after receiving this message, 4-6 bogeymen will begin spawning around you.

You will receive the message:
{{gametext|You are still surrounded by cackling.|5:1}}
if you try to travel or sleep/wait while at least one of the bogeymen is still alive.

If you're playing as an adventurer with a [[speed]] of over 1000, you may be able to run away from bogeymen. However, there is no escaping the night. No matter where you run, the bogeymen will teleport near you if you ever get too far away. You can get rid of these pesky creatures in three ways:

1. '''Killing them all'''<br />
The most obvious solution. However it is probably the most difficult one for inexperienced adventurers, and anyone who attempts to do this should be well prepared. Once your adventurer becomes skilled, this will become a trivial task. See the "Fighting bogeymen" section for more information.

2. '''Surviving until dawn'''<br />
Bogeymen will be [[smoke|vaporized]] by the [[main:The Sun|morning sun]], so if you can't kill them but are able to run away from them or dodge/block their attacks well, you have another option:keep on doing that  until dawn breaks. Unfortunately, this can take quite a while, depending on the time of night you were ambushed.

3. '''Entering a shelter'''<br />
"Shelter" here refers to (non-ruined) buildings, (inhabited or uninhabited) lairs (including shrines and labyrinths) and [[cave|caves]]. Seeking refuge in such a place will make the bogeymen disappear in a puff of smoke. Incidentally, this is one of the reasons why townspeople encourage you to spend the night in their homes. You can find the nearest shelter by examining the map in your '''Q'''uest Log. 

Once you succeed in doing one of the above, you'll get the message:
{{gametext|The cackling fades away.|5:1}}
and then you can get back to adventuring.

Note that even if you successfully defeat bogeymen using any of the three methods described above, you can never get rid of them permanently, as they will ambush you again some other night if you do not take precautions. However, if you prefer not having to deal with bogeymen, generating a world with "'''Number of bogeymen types'''" set to '''0''' in [[Advanced world generation|advanced world generation]] will ensure that no bogeymen exist in your world. 

Bogeymen are created procedurally at the start of world gen, much like [[titan|Titans]] and [[Forgotten beast|Forgotten Beasts]] but to a lesser extent. The number of different types of bogeymen can be controlled in advanced world generation, as demonstrated in the previous paragraph. During a bogeyman ambush, you will face mixed types of bogeymen. For example, some Bogeymen are generated with wings and thus have the ability to fly, but this doesn't usually affect adventurers unless they too can fly. Others might be generated with appendages such as horns which can be used to gore the bogeyman's prey.

Bogeymen dissolve into harmless smoke shortly after being killed. Severed body parts can be picked up but they too vaporize quickly. However, it is sometimes possible to keep them if you pick them up and fast-travel away before they start smoking. Note that bogeymen cannot be [[butcher|butchered]] as they are considered sapient creatures. They also can't be animated by [[necromancer|necromancers]].

During a bogeyman attack, the "give up" option in the {{k|Esc}} screen becomes {{DFtext|Give in to the night.|7:1}} Selecting this will end the game immediately. If you end the game in this way, or are otherwise killed by bogeymen, you will be described in [[Legends|Legends mode]] as having {{DFtext|died in the the dark.|7:0}}

=== Fighting bogeymen ===

Direct [[combat]] against bogeymen might seem suicidal, but if you know how to fight them effectively, they will go down surprisingly easily. Here are a few tips for fighting them:

* Don't panic. Carefully planned manoeuvring is the key to survival.

* Use your [[size]] to your advantage. Bogeymen are surprisingly small relative to the playable races available in unmodded games. Set your combat preference to '''charge''', and you will knock them over every time you strike. This can easily give you the upper hand in battle, as being prone slows bogeymen down and gives you more time to act.

*Your [[speed]] is an important factor when it comes to fighting bogeymen. Whilst a slow adventurer can be swarmed and killed in seconds, one who is faster than the bogeymen has a distinct advantage.  Remember, prone bogeymen  are much slower, so charge at them as often as you can. You could also try to sever off feet or legs, as this will make them permanently prone. If you are carrying a lot of heavy objects, it might be a good idea to drop your backpack or, better yet, [[thrower|throw]] the [[weight|heavier]] and/or pointier objects at the bogeymen if they are not too close to you. If you are really desperate for speed, you might also want to consider dropping your [[armor]] if it is slowing you down too much. Note that, while the extra speed might very well prove vital for your survival, you will also be more exposed to bogeymen attacks and will probably die faster if they manage to attack you and you are not a good [[dodger]]. You might want to consider keeping your helmet-a punch to the head by one of these creatures can easily ram your skull through your brain and end your life.

* Despite what your imagination might imply, bogeymen are actually organic creatures. This means that they can be killed by damage to the brain, beheading, bisection (the separation of the lower body from the upper body) and excessive blood loss, and it is also generally easy to sever limbs and break bones. However, like a number of other [[night creature|night creatures]], bogeymen [[No Pain|do not feel pain]] and do not breathe, so they do not receive pain-related penalties or die from suffocation. This means that the most effective [[weapon|weapons]] to use against them are edged weapons. With sufficient weapon skill, it is easy to score a hit that will sever a limb or puncture a vital organ such as the heart. Due to their small size, it is also easy to chop off the head or the lower body, killing the bogeyman instantly.

* Whatever you do, don't allow yourself to get surrounded. If a group a bogeymen are approaching you from one direction, move in the opposite direction. This generally leads to them approaching you in a line rather than a group, as the fastest bogeyman reaches you first. Thus you can fight them one at time if you are fast enough. 

* Don't let bogeymen get the initiative. If you let the bogeyman attack you, it might be the beginning of the quick end. So you should charge at one, attack it and run away before it has the chance to strike back.  

* If the odds are against you, don't hesitate to flee. Remember that you don't need to kill bogeymen to get rid of them - you just have to survive the night or enter a shelter. Thus you should try to run in the direction of the nearest town, fortress, cave or lair. If you have a high enough speed, running away should actually be quite easy, as the bogeymen won't be able to catch up with you despite their constant teleportation. If ever a bogeyman gets too close to you, charge at it to knock it over and slow it down, and then continue running.

*Above all, remember that [[Losing|losing is fun]]!

{{Creatures}}