Dwarf Fortress Wiki - User contributions [en]

v0.31:Forgotten beast

2010-04-29T12:08:56Z

Arin: bridges. tested excessively.

{{AV}}
{{Spoiler}}
'''Forgotten Beasts''' are subterranean {{L|Titan}}s; Forgotten Beasts are, essentially, randomised creatures (or procedurally generated for you fancy big-city developer types) composed from a variety of material types, creature bodies / limbs and other additions. These other additions include everything from venomous stings to flame breath.

The venom of a forgotten beast is randomly generated also, along with the symptoms, along with its [[Syndrome#Breath_attacks|breath attack]] if it has one.

The number of forgotten beasts is a World-Gen Parameter; you can have any number you want. They dwell most often in caverns. All appear to be building destroyers, and they also appear to be immune to {{L|trap}}s. {{L|Bridge}}s are also less useful, as they cannot be raised or lowered as long as the beast is standing on (or under) them, preventing the traditional {{L|magma}} pit / {{L|atom smasher}} designs from working. This is probably one {{L|Toady}}´s ways of making the encounters even {{L|fun}}nier.

If you need to kill a Forgotten Beast, order your military to move to the location of the beast. Ordering your troops to attack a forgotten beast currently does not work. Also, some Forgotten Beasts are extremely tricky to kill due to some body compositions (for instance, the Fireball-throwing, fire-spitting blob of fire will quicky erradicate any dwarf attempting to kill it while happily absorbing and disintegrating even fireproof buildings/traps.). When confronted with such near-invulnerable creatures the only option is usually to use your brain and try to lock it away somehow.

Forgotten Beasts can be butchered. Some are quite massive and may leave you with hundreds of meat and bone units and dozens of prepared organ units.

When a forgotten beast appears, the game pauses and you will get a message.
[[Image:DF2010ForgottenBeast1.png]]

User talk:Arin

2010-04-17T05:11:22Z

Arin:

Welcome to this wiki! Dwarf Fortress rapidly becomes more complicated, and we're always glad to have new writers.<br>
Since you should try to follow wiki standards, and you probably don't know ours yet, we've made a list of basic guidelines. Note that this is a template, not a customized message for you.
* To tell us who you are when you talk, please sign your posts on discussion pages by typing <code><nowiki>~~~~</nowiki></code> after your posts. This can also be inserted with the [[Image:Button sig756222.png]] button if JavaScript is enabled.
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* Generally, [[Dwarf_Fortress_Wiki:Community_Portal#We_are_doing_this.21_Let_us_do_it_right.|read and follow the rules.]] They're like a little constitution, except not boring! Really, read them.
* Read the [[df:Announcements|site announcements]] regularly, they contain important info.
* Check up on the [[df:Manual of Style|manual of style]] occasionally, it's still being written, but will contain important style info soon.
* Some pages have version-specific articles, (ie: 40d, 23a...) when creating a redirect from the mainspace to a version specific article, use cv: instead of the version namespace.
<div align=center><div style="width: 28em; padding: 0.5em; margin-bottom: 0.5em; margin-top: 0.5em; border: 1px solid #ccc; background: #eee; text-align: center">''"You have been processed! Go forth, now, and edit!" --[[User:Savok|Savok]]''</div></div>

Hi. Please don't believe you ''have'' to create redirects for (non-irregular) plurals. Any link can have additional letters typed after it, and the whole thing will act the same as the root link. For example, <nowiki>[[seed]] can be expanded to [[seed]]s, [[seed]]ing, [[seed]]er, [[seed]]ling, [[seed]]less, or [[seed]]al;s#%#^oawiuge</nowiki> - they all link to the [[seed]] article. The only reason to add a redirect for one of those if that spelling were expected to be a common Search term. Readya later, --[[User:Albedo|Albedo]] 21:51, 16 April 2010 (UTC)
: Alright, thanks for the tip. --[[User:Arin|Arin]] 05:11, 17 April 2010 (UTC)

v0.31:Seed

2010-04-13T07:13:25Z

Arin: Basic info, links.

{{av}}

Seeds are used in {{l|farming}}. They can be brought on embark or obtained by {{l|gather plants|gathering}} or growing the respective {{l|crops}}. When crops are eaten or used in {{l|brewing}}, they leave one or more plantable seeds.

v0.31:Seeds

2010-04-13T07:07:56Z

Arin: Redirected page to Seed

#REDIRECT [[Seed]]

v0.31 Talk:Farm plot

2010-04-13T07:06:23Z

Arin:

In DF 31.01, Farm plots must now be constructed on mud. Mud is left behind when water evaporates. It is no longer possible to grow crops on sand. <small>– [[template:unsigned|unsigned]] comment by [[User:Garanis|Garanis]]</small>

Baughn has stated that this is a bug, and likely to be fixed. [[User:Deimos56|Deimos]] 05:07, 2 April 2010 (UTC)

I actually kind of like it. [[User:Garanis|Garanis]] 05:15, 2 April 2010 (UTC)

To each his own. Personally, I rather like the ability to farm with or without irrigation at will, but this is neither the time or place for such a discussion. [[User:Deimos56|Deimos]] 05:20, 2 April 2010 (UTC)

== Merge ==
I don't see why we need a separate page for [[Farm Plot]] and [[Farming]]. Merger anyone? [[User:Kenji 03|Kenji 03]] 12:27, 6 April 2010 (UTC)
: Alright, i´m oficially incapable of merging articles =P --[[User:Arin|Arin]] 07:06, 13 April 2010 (UTC)

v0.31:Farm plot

2010-04-13T07:05:42Z

Arin: Undo revision 92019 by Arin (Talk)

{{av}}

A '''farm plot''' is a building that allows {{L|dwarf|dwarves}} to grow {{L|crop|plant}}s from {{L|seed}}s. Plants can be used for {{L|food}} or to {{L|brew}} {{L|alcohol}}. Farm plots built {{L|outside}} have completely different crops than farm plots built inside.

== Outside Farm Plots ==

In large fortresses, farming is the most compact way of producing food. Some early forts can subsist with {{L|herbalist}}s collecting plants from {{L|bush}}es outside but that is insufficient to support large populations. (Note that plants gathered by herbalist can be processed for the seeds necessary to set up an outside farm.)

See the article on {{L|crop}}s for details on the conditions needed to grow the available plants.

== Inside Farm Plots ==
Unlike outside farms, Inside plots need {{L|Mud}} in order to produce crops. Underground caves will most often have multiple {{L|Mud|Piles of mud}} to build inside plots on, but any other location requires you to {{L|Irrigation|irrigate}} the desired location first.

== See also ==
* {{L|Farming}}, for a complete guide
* {{L|Irrigation}}
* {{L|Tile attributes|Tile Attributes}}

{{Farming FAQ}}

[[Category:Buildings]]
[[Category:Agriculture]]

v0.31:Farm plot

2010-04-13T07:03:43Z

Arin: Merge into "Farming".

{{av}}

#REDIRECT [[Farming]]

v0.31:Farming

2010-04-13T07:01:24Z

Arin:

{{AV}}
{{stub}}

Farming is the action of growing {{l|crops}} for {{l|food}}, {{l|alcohol}} production and {{l|cloth}} manufacturing. While small forts can easily be sustained by {{l|hunting}} or slaughtering {{l|livestock}}, farming is vital to large settlements.

Farming is done at a farm plot builing (keystroke b-p, size with UMKH). It requires {{l|seeds}} and a worker with the "Farming (Fields)" {{l|labor}} enabled. Depending on where the farm plot is constructed, several crops may be planted (see below).

== Underground Farming ==

Underground farms are required to grow the 6 "dwarven" plants, including the {{l|plump helmet}}; the only seeds available at embark are for underground crops.

In order to create a {{l|farm plot}} underground you must first muddy the ground by temporarily covering it with water (common methods include a bucket brigade or '''controlled''' flooding by temporarily diverting a river or pool, using a floodgate or door), or find a muddied area in a {{L|cavern}}) (each tile underneath the farm plot must be muddied). Most caverns have entire open areas which will be permanently covered in mud, though beware the underground inhabitants when farming. Any underground surface can be used to create a farm plot, provided you muddy it first. Due to a bug, this currently includes soil layers, which would normally not require muddying.{{version|0.31.02}}.

See {{L|irrigation}} for more.

== Above Ground Farming ==

Above ground farming is basically the same as underground farming, with the (current, see above) distinction that above ground plots on soil do not need muddying. The complications are that, first, seeds cannot be chosen at embark. They can either be bought from caravans ({{L|elves}} or {{L|humans}}) or simply gathered using the {{L|Plant gathering}} designation. The second complication is that it, ostensibly, must be done above ground, which is dangerous (due to agressive animals, ambushes and sieges). However, any land which has ever been exposed to sunlight becomes permanently marked as "above ground", so if you channel some above ground land, remove the resulting ramps, then construct a floor above, where the surface once was, the (now dark and protected) soil will still be suitable for farming {{L|strawberries}}, {{L|longland grass}}, {{L|rope reed}}, and anything else you may find.

v0.31 Talk:Caverns

2010-04-12T08:36:15Z

Arin: /* Underworld article */ new section

I'm not sure 'When should I move in' is a relevant topic for this page. It goes from being informative to prescriptive. As this is not a guide page, it should probably avoid recommendations and focus on facts about Caverns. (Relevantly, the answer to 'when should i move in' may well be never, based on considerations entirely unconnected to the dangers of the cavern). --[[User:Squirrelloid|Squirrelloid]] 18:58, 1 April 2010 (UTC)

:Well, it needed something, and I'm not the best writer in the world, so you're right. Someone should also take a picture of a cavern for when the images work again, I might if no-one else does. --[[User:Tarran|Tarran]]
::I haven't found ruins. Instead I used an adamantium pillar to mine through a magma sea layer, and found glowing pits with about eleventy-billion demons in them. Good to see that while going deep is GAME OVER, there are dozens of different ways to die.--[[User:Alkyon|Alkyon]] 03:38, 2 April 2010 (UTC)

Should this page be considered/have a link to a Biome page? All creatures that exist in these caverns have a the tag [BIOME:SUBTERRANEAN_CHASM] and appear use the [UNDERGROUND_DEPTH:1-3:1-3] to control the depths they can be found in. This would be quite useful for organization. -[[User:EricBlank|EricBlank]]
:I think it should have a link from the biome page, since this page is more specific, and it is a biome itself.--[[User:Tarran|Tarran]] 02:22, 6 April 2010 (UTC)

== Of magma and pools ==

Can anyone verify if the first level will likely have a gigantic pool, and that the magma is really part of the cavern an not the separate {{l|Magma_sea|Magma sea}}? --[[User:Tarran|Tarran]] 08:24, 8 April 2010 (UTC)
:There is a world gen setting for "cavern water" ranging from 1-100, also one for "force magma at bottom layer". the latter is on by default. So, dont know, maybe merge or link the articles? Maybe i´ll try a world without forced magma later. --[[User:Arin|Arin]] 08:28, 8 April 2010 (UTC)
::Maybe the "force magma at bottom layer" means the magma sea, so I don't think it is a part of the cavern, if someone doesn't disagree, then I'll remove it from the cavern page. --[[User:Tarran|Tarran]] 08:31, 8 April 2010 (UTC)
::: I agree, but i think the page should link to [[Magma sea]], as a reference to what you get when you got past the caverns. --[[User:Arin|Arin]] 08:39, 8 April 2010 (UTC)
::::You made a link to 'Magma_Sea' instead of 'Magma_sea' :p (yes it matters), anyway, changed the main page around a bit. --[[User:Tarran|Tarran]] 08:51, 8 April 2010 (UTC)

== downward passage ==
As adventurer I entered a cave with a dragon in it from the surface, it let to one of these caverns. upon exploring it for about two hours I got an announcement that I found a downward passage. What followed was a series of small caves much like the one that let from the survace into the caverns, only that this one led to the second level.
Does one get this announcement also in fortress mode?

== Underworld article ==

There is a more generic article about subterrean features: {{L|Underworld}} what do? merge/redirect?

v0.31:Caverns

2010-04-11T09:10:25Z

Arin: Genned a few pocked worlds, played with params. Positive about the water thing. Also more links and tender care.

{{av}}
{{human}}
'''Caverns''' are ''huge'' natural underground tunnel systems, inhabited by strange and dangerous creatures. They go up, down, left, right, and about anywhere else. Vanilla worlds provide three cavern layers. Number, size and z-position can be altered in the {{L|world generation}} parameters.
The caverns will usually have open map edges, allowing all sorts of {{L|creatures}} to migrate into and from the cavern. By exploring the caverns in adventure mode it is possible to travel large distances below the surface - the caverns effectively connect all sites that access them.

''In subterranean biomes, Chasm, water, and lava mean land, water (pool), and magma (pipes) respectively.''

== Geography ==

The first cavern usually resides about 15 z-levels below the surface. {{Verify}}
Each cavern layer spans multiple z-levels, and is filled with {{L|water}} to a certain degree. This can range from a few pools at the bottom level (rarely even no water at all) to the whole layer being submerged, forming a gigantic underground sea, including {{L|fish}} and possibly camps of {{L|olmman|olmmen}} and other {{L|fun}} aquatic creatures.

The average amount of water cavern layers feature depends on your world generation settings, specifically

[CAVERN_LAYER_WATER_MIN:0]

[CAVERN_LAYER_WATER_MAX:100]

Underlying cavern layers tend to have more water than those above them. {{Verify}}

Beneath the third layer lies the {{l|magma sea}}.

== Other Features ==

Exploring the underground world, you may find a variety of special geographical features. When your dwarves discover a feature, an announcement window will let you know of it.

'''Deep pits:''' deep pits are... deep pits, they go from one cavern level to the next, and they are a fixed shape, when they hit the next cavern level they end up 'merging' into it (''no other way to explain it''), and the top z-level, the z-level it hits the next cavern level, is un-muddied rough rock floor where the the normal space of the deep pit and the random rock spires of the cavern collide.

'''Magma pipes:''' Magma pipes are tubes extending from the {{l|magma sea}} and their shape is fixed, it's really random if you find one, it could extend to the top cavern, or even just a few z-levels.

'''Passages:'''
Passages are natural tunnels connecting two layers by ramps and short, twisted tunnel sections.

== Vegetation ==

Caverns will, from the topmost to the deepest, feature the following vegetation:

'''Level one''': a benign (or as nice as caverns get) level, it has shrubs, Tower-caps, and Fungi wood.

'''Level two''': a level filled with, in addition to the above, Goblin-caps, Spore trees, Black-caps, and Tunnel tubes.

'''Level three''': a level lacking the trees the first level had, while still having those the second introduced, also has, Nether-caps, and Blood thorns.

Plants from recently discovered layers will also start sprouting in your artificially muddied areas (but not on the already muddied areas that the caverns are generated with).

== Dangers ==

There are many, many dangerous {{l|animal}}s in a cavern, including {{l|bugbat}}s, {{l|giant olm}}s, {{l|troll}}s, {{l|giant cave swallow}}s, and others.
Also, any cavern of sufficient size will be inhabited by {{l|giant cave spider}}s, which can be both {{l|Silk|benefit}} and hazard.

== Benefits ==

Caverns provide ever regenerating resources in form of underground forests, animals to hunt, and fish.
On breaching a cavern layer, a variety of ores and gems lining its walls will be revealed.
The cavern floors are always {{l|Farming#Underground Farming|muddied}}, providing soil to a variety of underground {{l|plant}}s.
Also, underground caverns and the water they provide can be used in constructions and traps. Throwing your prisoners into a damp hellhole filled with ravaging beasts is a nice addition, too.

== When should I start exploring? ==

[[Image:Cavern.png‎|thumb|right|A cavern found underground.]]
Likely the best time is when you get your first migrant wave, and have a military. The first cavern usually has few hazardous monsters, apart from the occasional giant olm or toad and is pretty safe. The subsequent caverns will become increasingly {{L|fun}}, so don't dig too deep without making adequate preparation. As you can handle what tries to attack, presuming you don't have a {{L|siege}} to worry about.
You can of course explore a cavern without a military, but you will likely get a bunch of dwarves killed.

Not all parts of a cavern are immediately visible; A good portion of a cavern is revealed once you breach it, but other parts remain hidden until your dwarves explore them. Since you often don't know what you'll find in a cavern, they can be exciting places, but also very dangerous.

v0.31:Immigration

2010-04-10T14:21:51Z

Arin: eh. damn you, british english!

{{av}}
Immigration can occur once per season, and can happen at any time throughout (both early and late season immigrations have been reported)

Smaller migrant waves (3 to 9) seem typical in early seasons, followed by a large wave (low double digits) in the second Spring (one year after embark). Be prepared with adequate {{l|food}}, {{l|alcohol|drink}}, and {{l|bed}}s, among other things. Max wave size reported to date is 25{{verify}}.

Migrants also often bring animals with them. These are often not pets of the migrants, but can instead be food or farm animals.

== Labour preference bug ==

Migrants each can arrive with a wide collection of (often unrelated) skills, far greater than possible with one of the {{L|starting build|starting 7 dwarves}}, and {{L|experience}} levels (at least) as high as Legendary.
Any and all skills might be represented, including obscure military skills (like {{l|blowgunner}}, high levels of one or more {{l|social skill}}s, {{l|crutch walker}}, {{l|concentration}} and others.

Immigrants may have high skills in certain {{l|labor|labors}} without actually having them enabled in their labor preferences. This leads to dwarves either doing jobs from an area they are not labeled for or no work at all. For example, an adequate cheese maker (with the cheese making labor turned on) may also have the skill bonecrafting on "high master", albeit turned off in his preferences. The dwarf in question is listed as a bonecrafter on screen and in the {{l|status}} tab, but will only perform the cheese making labor. Individually checking each immigrant for skills and labor preferences is the only workaround so far.

v0.31:Immigration

2010-04-10T14:20:39Z

Arin:

{{av}}
Immigration can occur once per season, and can happen at any time throughout (both early and late season immigrations have been reported)

Smaller migrant waves (3 to 9) seem typical in early seasons, followed by a large wave (low double digits) in the second Spring (one year after embark). Be prepared with adequate {{l|food}}, {{l|alcohol|drink}}, and {{l|bed}}s, among other things. Max wave size reported to date is 25{{verify}}.

Migrants also often bring animals with them. These are often not pets of the migrants, but can instead be food or farm animals.

== Labour preference bug ==

Migrants each can arrive with a wide collection of (often unrelated) skills, far greater than possible with one of the {{L|starting build|starting 7 dwarves}}, and {{L|experience}} levels (at least) as high as Legendary.
Any and all skills might be represented, including obscure military skills (like {{l|blowgunner}}, high levels of one or more {{l|social skill}}s, {{l|crutch walker}}, {{l|concentration}} and others.

Immigrants may have high skills in certain {{l|labour|labours}} without actually having them enabled in their labour preferences. This leads to dwarves either doing jobs from an area they are not labeled for or no work at all. For example, an adequate cheese maker (with the cheese making labour turned on) may also have the skill bonecrafting on "high master", albeit turned off in his preferences. The dwarf in question is listed as a bonecrafter on screen and in the {{l|status}} tab, but will only perform the cheese making labour. Individually checking each immigrant for skills and labour preferences is the only workaround so far.

v0.31:Immigration

2010-04-10T14:18:12Z

Arin: Annoying bug with added skill levels.

{{av}}
Immigration can occur once per season, and can happen at any time throughout (both early and late season immigrations have been reported)

Smaller migrant waves (3 to 9) seem typical in early seasons, followed by a large wave (low double digits) in the second Spring (one year after embark). Be prepared with adequate {{l|food}}, {{l|alcohol|drink}}, and {{l|bed}}s, among other things. Max wave size reported to date is 25{{verify}}.

Migrants also often bring animals with them. These are often not pets of the migrants, but can instead be food or farm animals.

== Labour preference bug ==

Migrants each can arrive with a wide collection of (often unrelated) skills, far greater than possible with one of the {{L|starting build|starting 7 dwarves}}, and {{L|experience}} levels (at least) as high as Legendary.
Any and all skills might be represented, including obscure military skills (like {{l|blowgunner}}, high levels of one or more {{l|social skill}}s, {{l|crutch walker}}, {{l|concentration}} and others.

Immigrants may have high skills in certain {{l|labours}} without actually having them enabled in their labour preferences. This leads to dwarves either doing jobs from an area they are not labeled for or no work at all. For example, an adequate cheese maker (with the cheese making labour turned on) may also have the skill bonecrafting on "high master", albeit turned off in his preferences. The dwarf in question is listed as a bonecrafter on screen and in the {{l|status}} tab, but will only perform the cheese making labour. Individually checking each immigrant for skills and labour preferences is the only workaround so far.

v0.31:Cavern

2010-04-08T11:05:05Z

Arin: Redirected page to DF2010:Caverns

#REDIRECT [[DF2010:Caverns]]

v0.31 Talk:Caverns

2010-04-08T08:39:02Z

Arin:

I'm not sure 'When should I move in' is a relevant topic for this page. It goes from being informative to prescriptive. As this is not a guide page, it should probably avoid recommendations and focus on facts about Caverns. (Relevantly, the answer to 'when should i move in' may well be never, based on considerations entirely unconnected to the dangers of the cavern). --[[User:Squirrelloid|Squirrelloid]] 18:58, 1 April 2010 (UTC)

:Well, it needed something, and I'm not the best writer in the world, so you're right. Someone should also take a picture of a cavern for when the images work again, I might if no-one else does. --[[User:Tarran|Tarran]]
::I haven't found ruins. Instead I used an adamantium pillar to mine through a magma sea layer, and found glowing pits with about eleventy-billion demons in them. Good to see that while going deep is GAME OVER, there are dozens of different ways to die.--[[User:Alkyon|Alkyon]] 03:38, 2 April 2010 (UTC)

Should this page be considered/have a link to a Biome page? All creatures that exist in these caverns have a the tag [BIOME:SUBTERRANEAN_CHASM] and appear use the [UNDERGROUND_DEPTH:1-3:1-3] to control the depths they can be found in. This would be quite useful for organization. -[[User:EricBlank|EricBlank]]
:I think it should have a link from the biome page, since this page is more specific, and it is a biome itself.--[[User:Tarran|Tarran]] 02:22, 6 April 2010 (UTC)

== Of magma and pools ==

Can anyone verify if the first level will likely have a gigantic pool, and that the magma is really part of the cavern an not the separate {{l|Magma_sea|Magma sea}}? --[[User:Tarran|Tarran]] 08:24, 8 April 2010 (UTC)
:There is a world gen setting for "cavern water" ranging from 1-100, also one for "force magma at bottom layer". the latter is on by default. So, dont know, maybe merge or link the articles? Maybe i´ll try a world without forced magma later. --[[User:Arin|Arin]] 08:28, 8 April 2010 (UTC)
::Maybe the "force magma at bottom layer" means the magma sea, so I don't think it is a part of the cavern, if someone doesn't disagree, then I'll remove it from the cavern page. --[[User:Tarran|Tarran]] 08:31, 8 April 2010 (UTC)
::: I agree, but i think the page should link to [[Magma Sea]], as a reference to what you get when you got past the caverns. --[[User:Arin|Arin]] 08:39, 8 April 2010 (UTC)

v0.31 Talk:Caverns

2010-04-08T08:28:05Z

Arin: /* Of magma and pools */

v0.31:Caverns

2010-04-08T08:17:42Z

Arin:

{{av}}

'''Caverns''' are ''huge'' natural underground tunnel systems, inhabited by strange and dangerous creatures and plants. They go up, down, left, right, and about anywhere else. Vanilla worlds provide three cavern layers, the first one residing about 15 z-levels below the surface. Number, size and z-position can be altered in the world generation parameters.
The caverns will usually have open map edges, allowing animals to migrate into and from the cavern. By exploring the caverns in adventure mode it is possible to travel large distances below the surface - the caverns effectively connect all sites that acess them.

== Layers and Types ==

The cavern closest to the surface usually has few monsters (the occasional giant olm or toad) so it is pretty safe. The subsequent caverns will become increasingly fun, so don't dig too deep without making adequate preperation.

Depending on your world generation settings, cavern layers may come in the following variations:

'''Dry:''' Regular cave floors with no vegetation.

'''Wet:''' The whole layer is [[Farming#Underground Farming|muddied]], providing soil to a variety of underground [[plants]].

'''Aquatic:''' Mayor sections of the layer are filled with [[water]], forming a gigantic underground sea, including [[fish]] and possibly camps of [[animal men|olmmen]] and other aquatic creatures.

'''Magma:''' Always present in standard worlds, the [[magma]] of the bottom layer is vital to forts with little acess to wood and other smelter fuel. Depending on your biome, its [[fire|firy]] inhabitants may pose a serious danger to an unprepared fort.

== Other Features ==

'''Deep pits:''' deep pits are... deep pits, they go from one cavern level to the next, and they are a fixed shape, when they hit the next cavern level they end up 'merging' into it (''no other way to explain it''), and the top z-level, the z-level it hits the next cavern level, is unmudded rough rock floor where the the normal space of the deep pit and the random rock spires of the cavern collide.

== Dangers ==

There are many, many dangerous {{l|animal}}s in a cavern, including {{l|bugbat}}s, {{l|giant olm}}s, {{l|troll}}s, {{l|giant cave swallow}}s, and others.
Also, any cavern of sufficient size will be inhabited by {{l|giant cave spider}}s, which can be both [[Silk|benefit]] and hazard.

== Vegetation ==

Depending on whether they can support plants, caverns will, from the topmost to the deepest, feature the following vegetation:

'''Level one''': a benign (or as nice as caverns get) level, it has shrubs, Tower-caps, and Fungi wood, it will very likely have a gigantic pool at the bottom level.

'''Level two''': a level filled with, in addition to the above, Goblin-caps, Spore trees, Black-caps, and Tunnel tubes.

'''Level three''': a level lacking the trees the first level had, while still having those the second introduced, also has, Nether-caps, and Blood thorns.

Plants from recently discovered layers will also start sprouting in your artificially muddied areas.

== Benefits ==

Caverns provide ever regenerating resources in form of underground forests, animals to hunt, and fish.
On breaching a cavern layer, a variety of ores and gems lining its walls will be revealed.
Also, underground caverns can be used in constructions and traps. Throwing your prisioners into a damp hellhole filled with ravaging beasts is a nice addition, too.

== When should I start exploring? ==
[[Image:Cavern.png‎|thumb|right|A cavern found underground.]]
Likely the best time is when you get your first migrant wave, and have a military. As you can handle what tries to attack, and you don't have a siege to worry about, earlier is fine, but you will likely get a bunch of dwarves killed. The subsequent caverns will become increasingly ''fun'', so don't dig too deep without making adequate preperation.

Not all parts of a cavern are immediately visible; A good portion of a cavern is revealed once you breach it, but other parts remain hidden until your dwarves explore them. Since you often don't know what you'll find in a cavern, they can be exciting places, but also very dangerous.