Dwarf Fortress Wiki - User contributions [en]

v0.34:Trap design

2014-03-27T19:07:46Z

Naryar: /* Bioweapon trap */

{{Quality|Masterwork|21:15, 28 April 2013 (UTC)}}
{{av}}

:''This page is one of several inter-related articles on the broader topic of defending your fortress and your dwarves. '''Trap design''' focuses on the theory and design of complex traps, mechanical systems and other automation for defending your fortress, and also on unusual uses of simple mechanic's [[trap]]s. For a general overview of the threats that will challenge your fortress and things to consider when preparing a standard defense, see the '''[[defense guide]]'''. For tips on laying out your architecture to protect your military, see '''[[security design]]'''. For specific advice on how to get your soldiers prepared for any threat, see '''[[military]]'''.''

:''For suggestions on disposing of nobles and other unwanted residents, see [[unfortunate accident]].''
:''For a basic overview of how the different machine parts work and work together, see [[machine component]].''
:''For information on catching [[vermin]]-sized creatures in [[animal trap]]s, see [[trapper]].''

==Introduction==
Simple one-tile [[trap]]s* are just that - they exist only on their own tile, trigger themselves when a target walks onto that one tile, and affect only that one tile. Complex traps and automation rely on linking [[door]]s, [[hatch cover|hatch]]es, [[floodgate]]s, and [[bridge]]s to [[lever]]s or [[pressure plate]]s, along with machinery to provide the [[power]] to run some of the more diabolical designs. When the trigger is activated, it sends a [[lever|signal]] to the linked device. That signal is not always as simple as '''do it now''', but it's specifically either to '''open''' or to '''close'''. By manipulating what does what and when, and what follows from that, impressive results can be achieved.

:''(* specifically, the [[Trap#Stone-fall_Trap|stone-fall trap]], [[Trap#Weapon_Trap|weapon trap]], and [[Trap#Cage_Trap|cage trap]].)''

* To fully understand how these component objects work individually (before combining them into diabolical and complex combinations), see those main articles.

==Basic traps==
These are the simple [[trap]]s that are placed by a mechanic. They require one [[mechanism]] but do not require levers or pressure plates. They can be a quick, easy and brutally effective "first defense" for a fledgling fortress, but they can also be combined into key parts of more complex set ups. For tips on using these basic traps effectively, see the Trap Strategies section.

===Stone fall trap===
:This is the easiest trap to build, so you can easily build them in large numbers. Building lots of them is an easy way to earn experience for your [[mechanic]], and add to the depth of your fort's defenses at the same time. Surrounding intersections and stairways is a good way of handling threats that make it inside the fortress, including [[insanity|berserk]] dwarves.

===Weapon trap===
:The gold standard of lethal traps. This is the only simple trap that works repeatedly without reloading. They do get jammed, however. View the trap with the '''items in room''' {{key|t}} mode, and if there's a corpse inside the trap, it's jammed. None of the weapons on a jammed trap will function. It may be wiser to have several weapon traps with fewer weapons, rather than a smaller number of ten-weapon traps.

:Using [[crossbow]]s or other projectile weapons in weapon traps avoids the problem of jamming, but they must be kept loaded with [[ammo]]. Mechanics will load them with any ammo that is not forbidden. They will load each until each type of weapon has ten rounds of ammo. Hammers seem to jam less than swords or axes, and spears seem to jam the most. Your dwarves will attempt to unjam traps unless otherwise forbidden.

===Cage trap===
:A very powerful type of trap. Maybe even too powerful - currently, even a wooden or glass [[cage]] can hold any creature indefinitely, even [[troll]]s and [[megabeast]]s. A cage trap never fails, although creatures with the [[trapavoid]] tag cannot be captured unless knocked [[unconscious]] or [[Giant cave spider|webbed]] first. Use cage traps as your outermost traps to catch the occasional wandering animal, angry wounded [[elephant]] or [[unicorn]], or even [[zombie]]s. Caged animals and enemies will be safely brought to any animal [[stockpile]]s you have, but may escape later if you are not careful. For more information, see [[captured creatures]].

==Linked traps==
These traps require a trigger such as a [[pressure plate]] or [[lever]]. They will require at least three [[mechanisms]], one for the trigger and two to create the link. The trigger can be located any distance from the trap, typically close for a pressure plate or far away for a lever.

For a system that repeatedly activates automatically and regularly regardless of enemies, see [[Repeater]].

===Menacing spikes===
Menacing [[trap component|spike]]s or upright spears appear on the basic mechanic's {{k|T}}rap menu, but must be activated remotely to pop out of the ground and impale anyone standing on that tile. Vast forests of these can make any area a killing field.

While upright spike defense systems never jam, they also do not discriminate. When activated, they will inflict piercing damage on whatever is standing on the tile, whether it be friend or foe. You can use [[traffic|traffic designations]] to help somewhat. Designate the spike trap tiles as ''restricted'' then make a longer path going around the spikes that's designated as ''high traffic''. [[Domestic animal|Pets]] and [[Trade|merchants/diplomats]] will probably still get skewered, though.

==Trap strategies==
These are some basic tricks that can be used with most any trap design, basic or complex.

===Bait animals===
Enemies will hunt down and kill friendly tame animals wandering outside if they have nothing better to do. Put an expendable animal on a [[restraint]] or in a 1x1 [[Activity zone#Pen/Pasture|pen]] in some random spot outside, build a few [[construction|columns]] around it to reduce the chance of them shooting it, and trap that area to hell and back.

Note that this is a horrible method of getting rid of [[cat]]s, as they will often adopt a dwarf who will then attempt to free the cat. This may lead to the unfortunate situation of Urist McCatlover getting skewered by an ambush party while on his way to free Mr. Baitykins.

===Bait furniture===
[[Building destroyer]]s can be baited by furniture, which they will path to and destroy, if they can. Furniture bait allows you to selectively target building destroyers, to draw them away from other aggressors or to a different trap. This can be useful when, for instance, you'd like to draw a building destroyer like a [[giant cave spider]] into a cage trap, but don't want to bother caging all of the other wildlife around it. It can also be useful for trapping monsters with special attacks that you'd rather not see go off, as the building destroyer won't use any special attacks on furniture as it would an animal. For instance, you could use bait furniture to trap a [[forgotten beast]] with [[syndrome|deadly dust]] without causing it to spew more contagion.

Bait furniture can be especially effective when used with [[Legendary artifact|artifact]] quality furniture. Artifact furniture cannot be destroyed, but building destroyers will still attempt to path to it, at which point they will ineffectually attempt to destroy the furniture. This makes traps baited with artifact furniture easily reusable.

===Trapping efficiently===

====Crosshair trapping====
As the converse of building many traps everywhere, consider instead herding your enemies into a few traps. A cross-hair pattern of walls or impassable channels with an array of traps in the middle gap will increase the usage of each individual trap. This is particularly useful when capturing wildlife. You may also want a few traps near the edges, to catch the creatures that attempt to go around it.

{{diagram|spaces=yes|\
+++++++[#F00]^[#F00]^[#F00]^+++++++ [#FFF]l[#FFF]e[#FFF]g[#FFF]e[#FFF]n[#FFF]d
++++++++▓++++++++ ▓ stone/wall
++++++++▓++++++++ [#F00]^ trap
++++++++▓++++++++ + floor
++++++++▓++++++++
++++++[#F00]^[#F00]^▓[#F00]^[#F00]^++++++
[#F00]^+++++[#F00]^[#F00]^▓[#F00]^[#F00]^+++++[#F00]^
[#F00]^▓▓▓▓▓▓▓[#F00]^▓▓▓▓▓▓▓[#F00]^
[#F00]^+++++[#F00]^[#F00]^▓[#F00]^[#F00]^+++++[#F00]^
++++++[#F00]^[#F00]^▓[#F00]^[#F00]^++++++
++++++++▓++++++++
++++++++▓++++++++
++++++++▓++++++++
++++++++▓++++++++
+++++++[#F00]^[#F00]^[#F00]^+++++++
}}

====Inside corner trapping====
If the path where you will place your traps has bends, expect the enemy to take the most direct path - it's not guaranteed, but they will tend to hug the inside of a corner, and rarely detour to a dead-end (represented by "x").

╔═════════
║ ║xx ??
║ ║x ???
║???║ .???? ? = unpredictable path
║???║ .╔═════
║ ??║ . ║ . = ''most likely'' path
║ .║g ║ g = invader
║x . x║
║xx xx║ x = ''unlikely'' detour
╚═══════╝

Once in a straight hall, anything is possible (represented by "?"), but placing your best (or first) traps on the inside path near "inside" corners (and de-emphasizing outside "dead-end" corners) is the best bet. If two invaders are side-by-side, they will wander, and random actions are always possible, but if you had to guess, this is the way to do it.

====Pass trapping====
If there are a lot of hills outside, remove most of the ramps, then trap those last few routes. The only way for creatures to get around will be to go through your traps.

░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░
▲▲▲▲▲▲▲▲▲▲▲▲▲▲▲▲▲▲ Before
++++++++++++++++++

░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░
+++++++^▲^++++++++ After
+++++++^^^++++++++

====Ford trapping====
Have a river or any kind of chasm? Construct a floor over it (not a bridge), then build traps over it. Brooks won't work for this, because everything can already walk over the top of a brook. It also won't work as well in winter on a map that freezes.

+++++++++++░^^░+++++++++++
+++++++++++░^^░+++++++++++
+++++++++++░^^░+++++++++++
~~ ~~ ~~ ~~░^^░~~ ~~ ~~ ~~ Nobody ever said that it had to end at the river banks.
~~ ~~ ~~ ~~░^^░~~ ~~ ~~ ~~ Building walls along the side allows you to make it longer
+++++++++++░^^░+++++++++++ and to fill it with more traps.
+++++++++++░^^░+++++++++++
+++++++++++░^^░+++++++++++

==Trap Designs==
===Bridge and drop traps===

====Drawbridge trap====
Lowering drawbridges on invaders will [[dwarven atom smasher|crush]] them into nothingness. Known as the 'Dwarven Atom Smasher', bridges will destroy most things with some notable exceptions including [[jabberer]]s and [[elephant]]s, who will not only survive unscathed but also destroy the bridge.

Try replacing the side wall of a part of your main entrance with a drawbridge, big enough so it spans the whole hallway. Link the drawbridge to a [[lever|trigger]], and whenever you feel like it activate the trap. This can be done with minimal effort and used to smash invaders, unwanted [[immigration|immigrants]], bothersome [[nobles]], or simply to destroy your garbage.

====[[Pit trap]]====
A long retracting bridge in your entrance tunnel, with the pressure plate right in front of the fortress doors. The expression on the face of the point-goblin who reaches them only to watch his comrades plunge to whatever gruesome fate you have prepared for them will be a mental picture to cherish. Remember when designing this trap that bridges do not open until 100 ticks after they've been triggered.

You may also consider linking these bridges to levers for more control, just in case a goblin thief triggers the pressure plate while a caravan is on the bridge. Or, you might consider linking the bridges to a [[repeater]].

====Cave-in trap====
[[Support]]s can be linked to [[lever|triggers]]. Building a section of floor that is deliberately held up only by a trapped support allows for an intentional [[cave-in]].
* [[Invader]]s dropped into a pit can be wounded or killed.
* Dropping a floor or wall directly onto any creature will ''instantly'' kill it, regardless of its [[size]].
* The cave-in will also knock nearby invaders unconscious. This will stun them, and also make them susceptible to simple traps (even if they possess the TRAPAVOID token).
* Cave-ins will ''not'' reveal invisible invaders, such as [[ambush]]ers unless it kills them outright, in which case their bodies become visible.

The biggest drawback of this sort of trap is the "reload" process, which can be relatively time consuming. Have a drawbridge that can seal off the work area so your mechanics and [[mason]]s can reconstruct the setup in peace.

=====Land mines=====
In any suitable open area which hasn't been dug out underneath, build a support and an adjacent multi-use pressure plate set to trigger on creatures (but not citizens), link them together, then build floor tiles above the support and pressure plate. When an enemy steps on the pressure plate, the game will pause and recenter the view with the announcement "''A section of the cavern has collapsed!''", at which point the enemy will be crushed and its companions will be stunned or knocked unconscious by the cloud of dust (though not necessarily revealed, in the case of an [[ambush]]).

More "traditional" landmines also exist, taking advantage of a bug. This involves setting a bridge to be deconstructed, then having this order be cancelled, all done while the bridge is in the down position. The bridge will then let fluids through, which with pressurized magma makes it a potent weapon.

=====Chasm trap=====
The easiest chasm trap is just a retractable bridge, very high up or over a very deep hole; instead of flinging invaders when raised, it just drops them.

A uselessly complicated collapsing spiral trap can take out ten goblins at a time. When finished, it looks like this:

+++
..........+++
.++++++++#+++
.+╔══════. # = retractable bridge
.+║++++++.
.+║+╔══╗+. + = floor
.+║+║A+║+.
.+║+╚═+║+. . = open space
.+║+++^║+.
.+╚════╝+. ^ = pressure plate
.++++++++.
.......... A = bait animal

The goblins are lured in by a restrained bait animal, and can't shoot it due to the surrounding walls. Just before they reach the bait, they trigger a pressure plate that retracts the bridge and collapses the support holding up the whole spiral. Goblins, bait animal, walls and all plummet into the chasm.

When building, you will need to construct a span of floor underneath to place a support, as bridges do not support constructions (''which is also why you want a bridge as the access, so it will not hold up the trap*)''. You will also need to have a floor tile between your floor and solid ground or wall while constructing, as the bridge alone will not work as a base, but you can remove it once the support is in place.

====Falling debris trap====
[[gravity|Falling objects]] tend to cause ridiculous injury to creatures below, and what better use for [[wear|worn]] socks than mangling intruders. Mix in some loose [[stone]], poor-quality [[furniture]], and any [[goblinite]] lying around, then bury your enemies under a pile of junk.

A retracting [[bridge]] makes a good trigger mechanism (connected to either a [[lever]] or [[pressure plate]]), while garbage dump [[zone]]s above the bridge provide an easy means to load the trap. To reset the trap, use {{k|d}} {{k|b}} {{k|c}} to reclaim the garbage and {{k|d}} {{k|b}} {{k|d}} to have your dwarves haul the junk back to the garbage dumps above. The trap can also be fully automated via [[minecart]].

====Canceled construction deadfall====
Canceling an incomplete construction immediately frees the building material. The simplest way to weaponize this knowledge is to create a one tile wide hallway that is several z-levels high, and carve down stairs into the roof from the level above. Assign your masons to create stairs in the top level of the hallway, but suspend construction on each tile after they begin. When danger threatens below, simply cancel constructions to send building material raining down on enemies below.

A more advanced design uses incomplete 8x1 bridges--each bridge will release three stones when canceled. These stones will normally be deposited on the tile where the architect was standing when the bridge was designed. A (completed) retracting bridge at the top of the hallway can provide a place for your architects to stand while loading the trap, but still allow the rocks to rain down when retracted.

This trap has the distinction of being the only overseer-triggered trap--it doesn't require dwarves to pull levers, enemies to cross pressure plates, or any sort of timing delay. With some practice, it can be used selectively to take out priority targets (elite archers, squad leaders, dangerous creatures, etc.).

===Water traps===
These traps drown, freeze, boil, or wash targets away. Errors in execution can be quite <s>[[flood|harmful]] to your fortress</s> [[fun]], so use with caution.

====Drown and burn====
A flooding room trap combined with an unextinguishable [[fire|burning]] [[lignite]] bin. The water will evaporate on the bin's tile, causing the water from the surrounding tiles to move to it, which then get evaporated as well. The water will also push the invaders onto the fire, causing them to burn to death... in a flooding chamber.

NOTE: Traps involving large quantities of water turning into [[steam]] are as effective at killing your framerate as they are [[goblin|goblins]]. Use with caution, and have the cut-off lever at the ready.

====Drowning hall====
'''Level 0'''

░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░ <tt>░</tt> - Wall
->++▼··················▼++-> <tt>-></tt> - Direction of traffic
->++▼··················▼++-> <tt>▼</tt> - Down-Ramps (as visible from one level above = see [[ramp]])
->++▼··················▼++-> <tt>+</tt> - Floor
░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░ <tt>·</tt> - Open space

'''Level -1'''
░░░░░░XX░░░░░░░░XX░░░░░░ <tt>X </tt> - Inflow
░░▲++▼··▼++++++▼··▼++▲░░
░░▲++▼··▼++++++▼··▼++▲░░ <tt>▲</tt> - Up-Ramps
░░▲++▼··▼++++++▼··▼++▲░░
░░░░░░XX░░░░░░░░XX░░░░░░ <tt>▼</tt> - Down-Ramps

'''Level -2'''
░░░░░░xx░░░░░░░░xx░░░░░░ <tt>x</tt> - Outflow
░░░░░▲++▲░░░░░░▲++▲░░░░░
░░░░░▲++▲░░░░░░▲++▲░░░░░
░░░░░▲++▲░░░░░░▲++▲░░░░░
░░░░░░xx░░░░░░░░xx░░░░░░

If enemies are in the middle of Level -1, open the inflow, then the water will first trap, and then drown them. If the pit is full, close the inflow and open the outflow. You can automate this by using [[pressure plate]]s, or if you want to have more fun, replace the water with [[magma]] (which would require pressure plates and floodgates to be [[magma-safe]]).

====Drowning tower====
This is a trap that can be built in discrete units. Each unit requires a lot of labor and protects only a small area, though in a dramatic manner. A wall of these around the map sharing a single massive water reservoir makes a very effective [[siege]] defense, as each tower component can be linked to a [[lever]] and used to wipe out a single invading squad at a time. Note: This may count as a [[stupid dwarf trick#Pressure Washer|stupid dwarf trick]].

While a [[pressure plate]] in the center of this trap can trigger it and drown hidden ambushers, such an arrangement is subject to double-activation and failure. A pressure plate that only triggers once will break and the system will be incapable of self-reloading. A lever or [[pressure plate#Latching Pressure Plates|latch]] is highly recommended.

Using a cross-hair pattern of walls, invaders are herded through the trap. Inside the fortress, Urist McLeverpuller does his job. Floodgates on the ground close, hatches on the ceiling open, and drowning ensues. When all enemies are dead, the lever is pulled again. The hatches close and the floodgates open, allowing a rush of water and bodies to spill out.

Schematics shown are for a stand-alone tower, though the upper level can be linked with many similar towers for a grid-like defensive system.

'''Level 0'''

░░X░░X░X░░X░░ <tt>░</tt> - Wall
░+++++░+++++░ <tt>+</tt> - Floor
X+++++░+++++X <tt>X</tt> - Floodgate
░+++++░+++++░ <tt>H</tt> - Hatch
░+++++░+++++░ <tt>-</tt> - Water reservoir
X+++++░+++++X
░░░░░░+░░░░░░
X+++++░+++++X
░+++++░+++++░
░+++++░+++++░
X+++++░+++++X
░+++++░+++++░
░░X░░X░X░░X░░

'''Level 1'''
░░░░░░░░░░░░░
░-----------░
░-H--H-H--H-░
░-----------░
░-----------░
░-H-------H-░
░-----------░
░-H-------H-░
░-----------░
░-----------░
░-H--H-H--H-░
░-----------░
░░░░░░░░░░░░░

====Ice trap====
Water open to the sky in freezing [[biome]]s will freeze instantly, completely destroying anything caught in it. By digging a channel entrance to your fort and selectively allowing it to flood as invaders pass through, you can commit genocide with appalling efficiency. The only disadvantage to this trap is its size: because water freezes so quickly, each entry channel must have a source of non-freezing water right next to it.

Observe in action [http://mkv25.net/dfma/movie-231-degrinchinator here], or a wider version [http://mkv25.net/dfma/movie-1675-semi-automaticorcsiclemaker here]. For more information, see [[User:Vattic/Orcsicle_maker_Explained|these detailed instructions]].

=====Fully Automatic Ice Trap=====
The hallway is exposed to the elements, and water there freezes instantly. The rest of the trap is underground. When an enemy steps on the pressure plate, the hallway is flooded with water immediately. Some of the water that doesn't freeze also triggers a second pressure plate. The second pressure plate pumps magma into the room directly beneath the main hallway, which melts the ice. The water is pumped out and retracting bridges then return the water and magma to their original positions. This trap was also inspired by the Degrinchinator.

Observe: http://mkv25.net/dfma/movie-2239-automaticresettingicetrap

For more info, see [http://www.bay12forums.com/smf/index.php?topic=63346.0 this] thread.

====Flusher====
Have a water reservoir to one side of the path the intruders should take, and a deep chasm at the other side. When invaders are on the path, just pull a lever to flush them out.

A compact version of this can be set up with a reservoir tower and a path circling it:

'''Level 0'''

····························· <tt>░</tt> - Wall
->++++++++++++++++++++++++++· <tt>-></tt> - Direction of traffic
->++++++++++++++++++++++++++· <tt>▼</tt> - Down-Ramps (as visible from one level above = see [[ramp]])
->++++++++++++++++++++++++++· <tt>+</tt> - Floor
░XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX░+++· <tt>·</tt> - Open space
░<nowiki>~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~</nowiki>X+++· <tt>X</tt> - Floodgate OR retracting bridge
░<nowiki>~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~</nowiki>X+++· <tt>~</tt> - Water
░<nowiki>~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~</nowiki>X+++·
░<nowiki>~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~</nowiki>X+++·
░XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX░+++·
<-++++++++++++++++++++++++++·
<-++++++++++++++++++++++++++·
<-++++++++++++++++++++++++++·
·····························

Be sure that the reservoir can hold enough water to flush everything out (3 levels should be enough), that it can be automatically or easily refilled quickly, and be advised that flushing your own dwarves can be much fun. Adjust the height of the chasm depending on how much damage you want to cause to intruders or to [[Unfortunate accident|innocent bystanders]] (7 levels start to do some serious damage).

Once flushed, the victims will try to find a way out (to re-invade the fortress, or to flee). Make sure there are some maintenance-free traps in their way. If you plan to collect [[goblinite]] afterwards, have a way to drain the bottom of the trap dry.

===Magma and fire traps===
These traps incinerate targets, or possibly encase them in [[obsidian]]. Magma does not play favorites - read up (again) on magma, and use with ''extreme'' caution. Fire traps are included in this category because magma is often the best method of starting a fire.

====Magma chamber====
Create an airlock using two bridges, two doors or whatever you like best. Make it a medium sized chamber, perhaps 10x10 or so. Channel out the floors around the rim, and rig up a system to pump magma into the room, or drop it from the roof. Enemies will quickly be destroyed, and with the magma in the channels, you can pump it out for future use or just leave it. The idea here is a re-useable magma trap; you can use this with a pressure plate, too. It also leaves behind any magma-proof items the invaders might have been carrying.

Variation: By placing magma-safe hatches on the ceiling and quickly activating and deactivating the trap, you can limit the use of magma. It doesn't take a lot of magma to set a goblin on fire: only 1/7 deep will do it, and using less magma means it will dry on its own. It does take a while for an enemy to burn to death, but what's better than spending the whole summer watching a room full of smoke and dying goblins?

====Incinerator hall====
Certain minerals such as [[lignite]] and [[graphite]] have an ignition point but no melting point, meaning that once they are set on [[fire]] they will burn for a very long time (about 9-10 months) unless exposed to water or [[weather|rain]]. Any item made out of these materials has this property, which can be used to design horrifying fiery death traps.

Consider a hallway filled with lignite [[floor grate]]s, which can be built directly on the floor and do not impede the passage of enemies. Pouring magma on any one of these grates will set it alight, and the fire will spread to all connected grates. The end result is a lot of constant smoke and a hallway that kills anything that passes through it. Consider [[traffic|restricting access]] to your dwarves or building this in a pit with a retractable bridge over top: the mere fact that a location is on fire will not stop them from walking through it. On the plus side, goblins are just as stupid.

====Flamethrower bunker====

Catch a creature that has a fire breath attack, such as a [[dragon]], [[fire imp]], [[fire man]], or anything else. Tame it if you can, and drop it into a 3x3 square of fortifications surrounded by bridges. Drop the bridge when necessary, and watch the creature lay waste on your opponents. Note that this may cause you to rage if the beast is not hostile to invaders. Beware of enemy archer squads as well.

You may want to build the bridge and mechanisms out of [[Fire#Dragonfire|dragonfire-safe]] materials if you are using a dragon.

You may do this with [[magma crab]]s (but first you must catch one) for a machinegun bunker, or [[giant cave spider]]s (or anything that has a [[web]] attack) for a paralyzing bunker.

===Weapon traps===
Traditional trap components can be used in sometimes interesting ways.

====Casual impalement====
One method of creating a zone of constant slaughter is to link a pressure plate in your main dining hall or main hallway to a patch of menacing spikes or spears. As your dwarves/pets mill around conversing/mating, they will constantly trigger the spike system without regard to the consequences.

Variation: Drop goblins into a holding pit with various spike traps linked to your pressure plate artfully placed around the chamber. Watch as every dining hall [[party]] begins to be measured in goblin blood.

====Caravan-Safe Traps====
Since traps block caravans, how can one have a depot but not have a trap-free entrance to the fortress? Simple! Caravans need 3-wide corridors, but that corridor does not need to be straight. Invaders will path straight (or as straight as they can). By knowing this, you can make trap layouts that have 3-wide corridors that intersect straight paths.

Like so:

Zig-Zag Alternating U
T+P+T+++ T = Trap ++++P+++++++++++++P++++
+T+P+T++ + = Ground/floor ++T+P+TTTTTTTTTTT+P+T++
++T+P+T+ E = Ramps going down ++T+P+T+++++++++T+P+T++
+++T+P+T to tunnel to depot ++T+P+T+++++++++T+P+T++
++++T+P+ P = Caravan path ++T+P+T+++++++++T+P+T++
++++T+P+ ++T+P+T+++EEE+++T+P+T++
+++T+P+T ++T+P+++++++++++++P+T++
++T+P+T+ ++T+PPPPPPPPPPPPPPP+T++
+T+P+T++ ++T+++++++++++++++++T++
T+P+T+++ ++TTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTT++
+P+T++++ +++++++++++++++++++++++

Both designs can be repeated for maximum effect or used together (make the entrance on the U wider and put Zig-Zag traps on the corridor to the depot).

====Dodge Me Trap====
Passing over a catwalk of traps, invaders will find themselves dodging into your pit. Since you can seal the pit with bridges, it doesn't complicate access to your fortress while inactive. Beware of dwarves fighting on top of it when active, as they will dodge too. Using weapon traps with a lot of possible hits can make an invader dodge multiple times at once, allowing him to dodge across an open space tile, skipping the pit. This can be dealt with in some variants by the strategic placement of walls and/or by having an incredibly broad pit. Using a low quality mechanism will also force invaders to dodge, as opposed to using a high quality mechanism in the weapon trap, which will cause the weapon trap to actually land hits on the invader.

Simple version:
+............+ ^ weapon trap
+............+ + floor, your fort on one side; the savage wilds on the other
+^^^^^^^^^^^^+ . Pit
+............+
+............+

Compact version:
+#########+ # retractable bridge with pit underneath
+#^^^^^^^^+
+#^#######+ + floor
+#^^^^^^^#+
+#######^#+ ^ traps
+#^^^^^^^#+
══+++═══════

====Goblin Grinder====
{{diagram|spaces=yes|\

═════
[#FF0]¢[#FF0]^[#F00]^[#00F]^[#00F]¢
═════
}}

In this trap described [http://www.bay12forums.com/smf/index.php?topic=62798.0 here], invaders are constrained to moving back and forth over a weapon trap {{Raw Tile|^|#F00|#000}} by two hatches over channels, {{Raw Tile|¢|#FF0|#000}} and {{Raw Tile|¢|#00F|#000}}, each linked to the pressure plate, {{Raw Tile|^|#FF0|#000}} and {{Raw Tile|^|#00F|#000}}, of the same color. Because the trapped creatures constantly path between the two hatches, a single trap may hit them many, many times.

The ends of the corridor are left open, allowing invaders to rush down the corridor, thinking it is an easy entrance into your fort. When they step on the pressure plate at the end, the hatch raises, exposing the uncrossable channel and blocking the exit. The invader's pathfinding decides to run back the other way, as that is now the only exit. As he reaches the other end, that hatch opens, causing him to run back and forth inside the corridor, unable to escape. As he runs back and forth, the traps grind him into a fine mist with no effort on your part. Creatures will occasionally fall into the pit dug underneath the hatches, but these are easily dealt with such as building a room underneath the channels filled with more traps.

By setting the pressure plates to be untriggerable by citizens, it's easy for them to walk through and collect the remaining goblinite unharmed once the siege ends.

Its two main disadvantages are being susceptible to both trap-avoiding creatures and building destroyers. These can be safeguarded by any of the other many usual ways of defending against this type of creature. It's also possible for a creature to be "stuck" in only the first few tiles of the trap, as they try to escape after taking enough damage, only walking two or three steps into the trap, then immediately turning around and trying to exit, and so only walking past already-triggered traps. Again, you can get rid of these with your military with no problem.

Some usage ideas from the thread:

* Without traps and placing only one pressure plate/hatch combination at the end leading into your fort, it makes a very simple dwarf-only one-way door into your fort. Non dwarves that attempt to enter will be blocked and turn around and take the exit. Alternately a good way of keeping creatures inside an area while allowing dwarf passage.
* With some additional work (details in the thread), it can be built as a repeater system, with a pressure plate inside hooked up to some other device that you want to repeatedly trigger. A pet running back and forth inside attempting to reach its owner or releasing a trapped prisoner and tempting them with freedom in exchange for running back and forth will repeatedly hit the pressure plate inside.
* Similarly, place a pressure plate inside that will link to some other action such as spike traps outside the entrance, impaling invaders waiting for their turn to enter the grinder as their friends run down the corridor.
* Don't fill with traps; instead, carve fortifications into the walls and use the trapped invaders as target practice and training for your archers.
* Don't fill with traps; instead fill with magma at your convenience.
* Fill with very weak weapon traps that will only maim the prisoner. Put an atom smasher near the other end that will be triggered as he tries to crawl towards freedom.

===Building destroyer and trapavoid traps===

====Door number one====
If you're having trouble dealing with building destroyers that don't set off traps, consider the following design, as seen from the side:
{{diagram|spaces=yes|\
════╝╬╬
[#F00]~X[#F0F]^ ▲╔═
══════╝
}}

Put the magma {{Raw Tile|~|#F00|#000}} behind a floodgate {{Raw Tile|X|#FFF|#000}}. In front of the floodgate, place a pressure plate {{Raw Tile|^|#F0F|#000}} set to go off on magma of 0 to 0. Link the pressure plate to a retracting bridge {{Raw Tile|╬|#FFF|#000}}{{Raw Tile|╬|#FFF|#000}} that covers the exit ramp {{Raw Tile|▲|#FFF|#000}} to the area. Although you can't get the creature to set off traps, when it breaks the door, magma will spill over the pressure plate, locking the creature in the hallway that is rapidly filling with magma. You could combine this with a simple levered hatch for drainage, but there's only one way to be certain: obsidianify it from orbit.

Note that the trap as pictured is too short-- in order to catch a creature, your bridge has to close before the creature can escape from the tunnel.

====Artifact awe trap====
{{diagram|spaces=yes|\
═════
+¢╬ ╬
═════
}}

This simple containment trap is designed to trap any number of building destroyers, even trapavoid building destroyers, on a single tile, after which you can do whatever you'd like with them-- bolt 'em, ice 'em, drop 'em, spike 'em, it's all good. Building destroyers are drawn by a piece of [[legendary artifact|artifact-quality]] furniture, in this case, a hatch cover {{Raw Tile|¢|#FFF|#000}}. A door {{Raw Tile|+|#FFF|#000}} prevents them from seeing further into your fort and being distracted from the enchanting beauty of your furniture. When you've captured as many creatures as you'd like on that tile, simple raise both bridges {{Raw Tile|╬|#FFF|#000}}-- first, the far one, then, the one near the artifact-- and you may even remove the artifact, to create a new trap elsewhere.

===Other traps===
Anything that can be weaponized can be turned into a trap. And anything can be weaponized.

====Bioweapon trap====
Some of the underground's nastier creatures are capable of breathing [[syndrome]]-bearing deadly dust. While such dust can easily spread and lead to the downfall of a fort, more masochistic players may seek ways to weaponize it. Syndrome-bearing blood may be used similarly, but placement of the trap is a great deal more difficult.

At its simplest, a bioweapon trap is a single tile of syndrome-bearing extract. It can be placed by moving an item covered in dust to the desired location via stockpiling or dumping, and then pouring a [[bucket]] of water over the item, transferring the dust from the item to the tile it sits on. A simple way to get your dwarves to pour a bucket of water over the item is via designation of a [[activity zone#Pit/Pond|pond]] zone. Alternatively, one can take advantage of the natural tendency of [[User:Uristocrat/Dwarven__Bathtub|dwarven bathtub]]s and simply drag contaminated items through a trench full of shallow water to create a contamination trench.

Any affected creature is likely to carry the contamination with it past the location of the bioweapon. This can be useful, if you've discovered a particularly interesting extract that you no longer have a way to generate, but it can also be dangerous to the well-being of your fortress. A pile of extract sitting in 2/7 water will not block pathing, and will simultaneously infect and wash creatures passing through it. Placement of extract in a damp trench can be difficult, as the water will tend to carry the extract on to the walls, but with persistence, it can be done. Extract/water combos like this are best placed underground to prevent freezing or evaporation. You may have difficulty preventing your dwarves from [[cleaning]] tiles affected by the extract.

The deadliness of a bioweapon depends entirely on the extract used to create it, and can range from debilitating nausea (perfect to incapacitate invaders while your military mops them up, yet unlikely to lead to serious damage to your own fort), to death by bleeding within 600 ticks (a half day). Given the proper extract, you could even create a beneficial bioweapon trap that prevents those affected from suffering pain. Footwear appears to protect, leaving any bioweapon trap much more deadly to your own dwarves than to any invader.

Bioweapon traps have the potential to be very powerful but should be considered extremely [[fun]], as extracts are capable of multiplication and don't distinguish between friend or foe. A single bioweapon trap could easily kill all of your dwarves in a season. Bioweapons never require cleaning or resetting, but won't work on many foes.

Alternative biotraps are possible. Using a 'deadly dust' creature rather than its extract is possible, but such interactions have rather short range (2 tiles at least) and may ignore invaders passing by a bit further away. By forcing invaders to walk right next to fortification that separates the beast and invader you can ensure a syndromey greeting to your unwanted guests, but the creature will be vulnerable to enemy archers. Should you discover a creature with noxious secretions that boil at a low temperature, such a creature can be used even while caged: its secretions will affect anything nearby, but the creature that bears the syndrome remains invulnerable to attack. Good luck getting the cage where you want it!

=== Animal/Gladiator Traps ===
War animals can be a messy way of dispatching your invaders. Since most war animals aren't grazers, you can put a pasture in a room and assign a bunch of war animals without any need for maintenance. Keep in mind size, a war dog is not going to do nearly as well against a troll as a lion would. However, 5 dogs should be able to overcome it. If you don't want your animals to die, simply use cage traps to catch invaders, disarm them, then drop them into the animal arena unarmed with a pit above the room. Although, this isn't a guarantee, unarmed goblins are incredibly weak. This trap has a lot more randomness involved than others, so it's more of a novelty than an effective and practical trap. Exotic animals can be much more brutal, so bonus points for catching tigers, bears,(or buying them from elves) or dragons. If you do manage to catch a dragon and tame it, you'll probably want to clear out any other animals, unless they don't mind dragon fire.

If one of your dwarves has been plagued by [[Vampire|Vampirism]], all the better. Build him/her a nice pit outfitted as barracks, throw in good weapons and armor, and watch as they train themselves nonstop up to Legendary skill in most combat abilities.

When you want to make them practice, just throw a caged prisoner in, order them to open it, and watch as they tear them to shreds.

=== Minecarts ===
A [[minecart]], while you think about it, is just a large hunk of metal traveling at a very fast speed in a straight line. Its nature can be used for your advantage.
==== Minecart grinder ====
All you need is a straight, narrow corridor, some tracks, and a way to make a minecart gain momentum (rolling down 3 z-levels worth of ramps should be more than enough).

Using the hauling designation, assign a minecart to the top of the ramp, without giving it any departure conditions. As soon as the enemies are approaching the other side of the corridor, change the departure condition to "push" and "always". Once a dwarf comes by and pushes it, the minecart will jolt down the hallway flattening everything on its path, and may even put a dent in an attacking [[Megabeast]].
By dumping minecarts on either rollers or downward ramps, multiple carts can be used on the same track without any hauling routes, allowing for multishot weapons, increasing the efficiency of the trap.
Rollers or impulse ramps can be used to make a cart return system, allowing for fully automatic systems.

==== Shotgun ====
Minecarts have the interesting properties of spilling their contents when they hit a solid object like another minecart at high speed. This can be used by filling minecarts with either heavy objects like stones, sharp objects like surplus weapons or simply a lot of them, then sending them down some ramps onto a target. On impact, the contents will continue their way at high speed, dealing damage to anything in the way. You know you want to fill a minecart with !!lignite blocks!! now.

==== Water/Magma gun ====
Minecarts submerged in [[Water]] fill themselves with liquid, which then counts as a quite heavy object. Using the shotgun effect, this allows for a weapon without need to manually load minecarts, resulting in higher rate of fire and fewer dwarves running on potentially lethal tracks. First proposed [http://www.bay12forums.com/smf/index.php?topic=114654.0 here], with an updated version [http://www.bay12forums.com/smf/index.php?topic=119831.0 here].

Using [[Magma]] makes the design potentially more lethal and certainly more dwarven, and adds the <s>usual dangers</s> [[fun]] of working with this fluid.

==== Minecart thumper ====
When falling minecarts land on a floor, they injure creatures in the tile below.{{bug|6068}} Add some rollers and a very short track loop to maximize the damage potential. Since the minecart remains physically separated from its targets, it shouldn't jam or jump off track.

{{Category|Traps}}
{{category|Fortress defense}}
{{category|Design}}

v0.34:Trap design

2014-03-27T19:05:09Z

Naryar: /* Shotgun */

{{Quality|Masterwork|21:15, 28 April 2013 (UTC)}}
{{av}}

:''This page is one of several inter-related articles on the broader topic of defending your fortress and your dwarves. '''Trap design''' focuses on the theory and design of complex traps, mechanical systems and other automation for defending your fortress, and also on unusual uses of simple mechanic's [[trap]]s. For a general overview of the threats that will challenge your fortress and things to consider when preparing a standard defense, see the '''[[defense guide]]'''. For tips on laying out your architecture to protect your military, see '''[[security design]]'''. For specific advice on how to get your soldiers prepared for any threat, see '''[[military]]'''.''

:''For suggestions on disposing of nobles and other unwanted residents, see [[unfortunate accident]].''
:''For a basic overview of how the different machine parts work and work together, see [[machine component]].''
:''For information on catching [[vermin]]-sized creatures in [[animal trap]]s, see [[trapper]].''

==Introduction==
Simple one-tile [[trap]]s* are just that - they exist only on their own tile, trigger themselves when a target walks onto that one tile, and affect only that one tile. Complex traps and automation rely on linking [[door]]s, [[hatch cover|hatch]]es, [[floodgate]]s, and [[bridge]]s to [[lever]]s or [[pressure plate]]s, along with machinery to provide the [[power]] to run some of the more diabolical designs. When the trigger is activated, it sends a [[lever|signal]] to the linked device. That signal is not always as simple as '''do it now''', but it's specifically either to '''open''' or to '''close'''. By manipulating what does what and when, and what follows from that, impressive results can be achieved.

:''(* specifically, the [[Trap#Stone-fall_Trap|stone-fall trap]], [[Trap#Weapon_Trap|weapon trap]], and [[Trap#Cage_Trap|cage trap]].)''

* To fully understand how these component objects work individually (before combining them into diabolical and complex combinations), see those main articles.

==Basic traps==
These are the simple [[trap]]s that are placed by a mechanic. They require one [[mechanism]] but do not require levers or pressure plates. They can be a quick, easy and brutally effective "first defense" for a fledgling fortress, but they can also be combined into key parts of more complex set ups. For tips on using these basic traps effectively, see the Trap Strategies section.

===Stone fall trap===
:This is the easiest trap to build, so you can easily build them in large numbers. Building lots of them is an easy way to earn experience for your [[mechanic]], and add to the depth of your fort's defenses at the same time. Surrounding intersections and stairways is a good way of handling threats that make it inside the fortress, including [[insanity|berserk]] dwarves.

===Weapon trap===
:The gold standard of lethal traps. This is the only simple trap that works repeatedly without reloading. They do get jammed, however. View the trap with the '''items in room''' {{key|t}} mode, and if there's a corpse inside the trap, it's jammed. None of the weapons on a jammed trap will function. It may be wiser to have several weapon traps with fewer weapons, rather than a smaller number of ten-weapon traps.

:Using [[crossbow]]s or other projectile weapons in weapon traps avoids the problem of jamming, but they must be kept loaded with [[ammo]]. Mechanics will load them with any ammo that is not forbidden. They will load each until each type of weapon has ten rounds of ammo. Hammers seem to jam less than swords or axes, and spears seem to jam the most. Your dwarves will attempt to unjam traps unless otherwise forbidden.

===Cage trap===
:A very powerful type of trap. Maybe even too powerful - currently, even a wooden or glass [[cage]] can hold any creature indefinitely, even [[troll]]s and [[megabeast]]s. A cage trap never fails, although creatures with the [[trapavoid]] tag cannot be captured unless knocked [[unconscious]] or [[Giant cave spider|webbed]] first. Use cage traps as your outermost traps to catch the occasional wandering animal, angry wounded [[elephant]] or [[unicorn]], or even [[zombie]]s. Caged animals and enemies will be safely brought to any animal [[stockpile]]s you have, but may escape later if you are not careful. For more information, see [[captured creatures]].

==Linked traps==
These traps require a trigger such as a [[pressure plate]] or [[lever]]. They will require at least three [[mechanisms]], one for the trigger and two to create the link. The trigger can be located any distance from the trap, typically close for a pressure plate or far away for a lever.

For a system that repeatedly activates automatically and regularly regardless of enemies, see [[Repeater]].

===Menacing spikes===
Menacing [[trap component|spike]]s or upright spears appear on the basic mechanic's {{k|T}}rap menu, but must be activated remotely to pop out of the ground and impale anyone standing on that tile. Vast forests of these can make any area a killing field.

While upright spike defense systems never jam, they also do not discriminate. When activated, they will inflict piercing damage on whatever is standing on the tile, whether it be friend or foe. You can use [[traffic|traffic designations]] to help somewhat. Designate the spike trap tiles as ''restricted'' then make a longer path going around the spikes that's designated as ''high traffic''. [[Domestic animal|Pets]] and [[Trade|merchants/diplomats]] will probably still get skewered, though.

==Trap strategies==
These are some basic tricks that can be used with most any trap design, basic or complex.

===Bait animals===
Enemies will hunt down and kill friendly tame animals wandering outside if they have nothing better to do. Put an expendable animal on a [[restraint]] or in a 1x1 [[Activity zone#Pen/Pasture|pen]] in some random spot outside, build a few [[construction|columns]] around it to reduce the chance of them shooting it, and trap that area to hell and back.

Note that this is a horrible method of getting rid of [[cat]]s, as they will often adopt a dwarf who will then attempt to free the cat. This may lead to the unfortunate situation of Urist McCatlover getting skewered by an ambush party while on his way to free Mr. Baitykins.

===Bait furniture===
[[Building destroyer]]s can be baited by furniture, which they will path to and destroy, if they can. Furniture bait allows you to selectively target building destroyers, to draw them away from other aggressors or to a different trap. This can be useful when, for instance, you'd like to draw a building destroyer like a [[giant cave spider]] into a cage trap, but don't want to bother caging all of the other wildlife around it. It can also be useful for trapping monsters with special attacks that you'd rather not see go off, as the building destroyer won't use any special attacks on furniture as it would an animal. For instance, you could use bait furniture to trap a [[forgotten beast]] with [[syndrome|deadly dust]] without causing it to spew more contagion.

Bait furniture can be especially effective when used with [[Legendary artifact|artifact]] quality furniture. Artifact furniture cannot be destroyed, but building destroyers will still attempt to path to it, at which point they will ineffectually attempt to destroy the furniture. This makes traps baited with artifact furniture easily reusable.

===Trapping efficiently===

====Crosshair trapping====
As the converse of building many traps everywhere, consider instead herding your enemies into a few traps. A cross-hair pattern of walls or impassable channels with an array of traps in the middle gap will increase the usage of each individual trap. This is particularly useful when capturing wildlife. You may also want a few traps near the edges, to catch the creatures that attempt to go around it.

{{diagram|spaces=yes|\
+++++++[#F00]^[#F00]^[#F00]^+++++++ [#FFF]l[#FFF]e[#FFF]g[#FFF]e[#FFF]n[#FFF]d
++++++++▓++++++++ ▓ stone/wall
++++++++▓++++++++ [#F00]^ trap
++++++++▓++++++++ + floor
++++++++▓++++++++
++++++[#F00]^[#F00]^▓[#F00]^[#F00]^++++++
[#F00]^+++++[#F00]^[#F00]^▓[#F00]^[#F00]^+++++[#F00]^
[#F00]^▓▓▓▓▓▓▓[#F00]^▓▓▓▓▓▓▓[#F00]^
[#F00]^+++++[#F00]^[#F00]^▓[#F00]^[#F00]^+++++[#F00]^
++++++[#F00]^[#F00]^▓[#F00]^[#F00]^++++++
++++++++▓++++++++
++++++++▓++++++++
++++++++▓++++++++
++++++++▓++++++++
+++++++[#F00]^[#F00]^[#F00]^+++++++
}}

====Inside corner trapping====
If the path where you will place your traps has bends, expect the enemy to take the most direct path - it's not guaranteed, but they will tend to hug the inside of a corner, and rarely detour to a dead-end (represented by "x").

╔═════════
║ ║xx ??
║ ║x ???
║???║ .???? ? = unpredictable path
║???║ .╔═════
║ ??║ . ║ . = ''most likely'' path
║ .║g ║ g = invader
║x . x║
║xx xx║ x = ''unlikely'' detour
╚═══════╝

Once in a straight hall, anything is possible (represented by "?"), but placing your best (or first) traps on the inside path near "inside" corners (and de-emphasizing outside "dead-end" corners) is the best bet. If two invaders are side-by-side, they will wander, and random actions are always possible, but if you had to guess, this is the way to do it.

====Pass trapping====
If there are a lot of hills outside, remove most of the ramps, then trap those last few routes. The only way for creatures to get around will be to go through your traps.

░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░
▲▲▲▲▲▲▲▲▲▲▲▲▲▲▲▲▲▲ Before
++++++++++++++++++

░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░
+++++++^▲^++++++++ After
+++++++^^^++++++++

====Ford trapping====
Have a river or any kind of chasm? Construct a floor over it (not a bridge), then build traps over it. Brooks won't work for this, because everything can already walk over the top of a brook. It also won't work as well in winter on a map that freezes.

+++++++++++░^^░+++++++++++
+++++++++++░^^░+++++++++++
+++++++++++░^^░+++++++++++
~~ ~~ ~~ ~~░^^░~~ ~~ ~~ ~~ Nobody ever said that it had to end at the river banks.
~~ ~~ ~~ ~~░^^░~~ ~~ ~~ ~~ Building walls along the side allows you to make it longer
+++++++++++░^^░+++++++++++ and to fill it with more traps.
+++++++++++░^^░+++++++++++
+++++++++++░^^░+++++++++++

==Trap Designs==
===Bridge and drop traps===

====Drawbridge trap====
Lowering drawbridges on invaders will [[dwarven atom smasher|crush]] them into nothingness. Known as the 'Dwarven Atom Smasher', bridges will destroy most things with some notable exceptions including [[jabberer]]s and [[elephant]]s, who will not only survive unscathed but also destroy the bridge.

Try replacing the side wall of a part of your main entrance with a drawbridge, big enough so it spans the whole hallway. Link the drawbridge to a [[lever|trigger]], and whenever you feel like it activate the trap. This can be done with minimal effort and used to smash invaders, unwanted [[immigration|immigrants]], bothersome [[nobles]], or simply to destroy your garbage.

====[[Pit trap]]====
A long retracting bridge in your entrance tunnel, with the pressure plate right in front of the fortress doors. The expression on the face of the point-goblin who reaches them only to watch his comrades plunge to whatever gruesome fate you have prepared for them will be a mental picture to cherish. Remember when designing this trap that bridges do not open until 100 ticks after they've been triggered.

You may also consider linking these bridges to levers for more control, just in case a goblin thief triggers the pressure plate while a caravan is on the bridge. Or, you might consider linking the bridges to a [[repeater]].

====Cave-in trap====
[[Support]]s can be linked to [[lever|triggers]]. Building a section of floor that is deliberately held up only by a trapped support allows for an intentional [[cave-in]].
* [[Invader]]s dropped into a pit can be wounded or killed.
* Dropping a floor or wall directly onto any creature will ''instantly'' kill it, regardless of its [[size]].
* The cave-in will also knock nearby invaders unconscious. This will stun them, and also make them susceptible to simple traps (even if they possess the TRAPAVOID token).
* Cave-ins will ''not'' reveal invisible invaders, such as [[ambush]]ers unless it kills them outright, in which case their bodies become visible.

The biggest drawback of this sort of trap is the "reload" process, which can be relatively time consuming. Have a drawbridge that can seal off the work area so your mechanics and [[mason]]s can reconstruct the setup in peace.

=====Land mines=====
In any suitable open area which hasn't been dug out underneath, build a support and an adjacent multi-use pressure plate set to trigger on creatures (but not citizens), link them together, then build floor tiles above the support and pressure plate. When an enemy steps on the pressure plate, the game will pause and recenter the view with the announcement "''A section of the cavern has collapsed!''", at which point the enemy will be crushed and its companions will be stunned or knocked unconscious by the cloud of dust (though not necessarily revealed, in the case of an [[ambush]]).

More "traditional" landmines also exist, taking advantage of a bug. This involves setting a bridge to be deconstructed, then having this order be cancelled, all done while the bridge is in the down position. The bridge will then let fluids through, which with pressurized magma makes it a potent weapon.

=====Chasm trap=====
The easiest chasm trap is just a retractable bridge, very high up or over a very deep hole; instead of flinging invaders when raised, it just drops them.

A uselessly complicated collapsing spiral trap can take out ten goblins at a time. When finished, it looks like this:

+++
..........+++
.++++++++#+++
.+╔══════. # = retractable bridge
.+║++++++.
.+║+╔══╗+. + = floor
.+║+║A+║+.
.+║+╚═+║+. . = open space
.+║+++^║+.
.+╚════╝+. ^ = pressure plate
.++++++++.
.......... A = bait animal

The goblins are lured in by a restrained bait animal, and can't shoot it due to the surrounding walls. Just before they reach the bait, they trigger a pressure plate that retracts the bridge and collapses the support holding up the whole spiral. Goblins, bait animal, walls and all plummet into the chasm.

When building, you will need to construct a span of floor underneath to place a support, as bridges do not support constructions (''which is also why you want a bridge as the access, so it will not hold up the trap*)''. You will also need to have a floor tile between your floor and solid ground or wall while constructing, as the bridge alone will not work as a base, but you can remove it once the support is in place.

====Falling debris trap====
[[gravity|Falling objects]] tend to cause ridiculous injury to creatures below, and what better use for [[wear|worn]] socks than mangling intruders. Mix in some loose [[stone]], poor-quality [[furniture]], and any [[goblinite]] lying around, then bury your enemies under a pile of junk.

A retracting [[bridge]] makes a good trigger mechanism (connected to either a [[lever]] or [[pressure plate]]), while garbage dump [[zone]]s above the bridge provide an easy means to load the trap. To reset the trap, use {{k|d}} {{k|b}} {{k|c}} to reclaim the garbage and {{k|d}} {{k|b}} {{k|d}} to have your dwarves haul the junk back to the garbage dumps above. The trap can also be fully automated via [[minecart]].

====Canceled construction deadfall====
Canceling an incomplete construction immediately frees the building material. The simplest way to weaponize this knowledge is to create a one tile wide hallway that is several z-levels high, and carve down stairs into the roof from the level above. Assign your masons to create stairs in the top level of the hallway, but suspend construction on each tile after they begin. When danger threatens below, simply cancel constructions to send building material raining down on enemies below.

A more advanced design uses incomplete 8x1 bridges--each bridge will release three stones when canceled. These stones will normally be deposited on the tile where the architect was standing when the bridge was designed. A (completed) retracting bridge at the top of the hallway can provide a place for your architects to stand while loading the trap, but still allow the rocks to rain down when retracted.

This trap has the distinction of being the only overseer-triggered trap--it doesn't require dwarves to pull levers, enemies to cross pressure plates, or any sort of timing delay. With some practice, it can be used selectively to take out priority targets (elite archers, squad leaders, dangerous creatures, etc.).

===Water traps===
These traps drown, freeze, boil, or wash targets away. Errors in execution can be quite <s>[[flood|harmful]] to your fortress</s> [[fun]], so use with caution.

====Drown and burn====
A flooding room trap combined with an unextinguishable [[fire|burning]] [[lignite]] bin. The water will evaporate on the bin's tile, causing the water from the surrounding tiles to move to it, which then get evaporated as well. The water will also push the invaders onto the fire, causing them to burn to death... in a flooding chamber.

NOTE: Traps involving large quantities of water turning into [[steam]] are as effective at killing your framerate as they are [[goblin|goblins]]. Use with caution, and have the cut-off lever at the ready.

====Drowning hall====
'''Level 0'''

░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░ <tt>░</tt> - Wall
->++▼··················▼++-> <tt>-></tt> - Direction of traffic
->++▼··················▼++-> <tt>▼</tt> - Down-Ramps (as visible from one level above = see [[ramp]])
->++▼··················▼++-> <tt>+</tt> - Floor
░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░ <tt>·</tt> - Open space

'''Level -1'''
░░░░░░XX░░░░░░░░XX░░░░░░ <tt>X </tt> - Inflow
░░▲++▼··▼++++++▼··▼++▲░░
░░▲++▼··▼++++++▼··▼++▲░░ <tt>▲</tt> - Up-Ramps
░░▲++▼··▼++++++▼··▼++▲░░
░░░░░░XX░░░░░░░░XX░░░░░░ <tt>▼</tt> - Down-Ramps

'''Level -2'''
░░░░░░xx░░░░░░░░xx░░░░░░ <tt>x</tt> - Outflow
░░░░░▲++▲░░░░░░▲++▲░░░░░
░░░░░▲++▲░░░░░░▲++▲░░░░░
░░░░░▲++▲░░░░░░▲++▲░░░░░
░░░░░░xx░░░░░░░░xx░░░░░░

If enemies are in the middle of Level -1, open the inflow, then the water will first trap, and then drown them. If the pit is full, close the inflow and open the outflow. You can automate this by using [[pressure plate]]s, or if you want to have more fun, replace the water with [[magma]] (which would require pressure plates and floodgates to be [[magma-safe]]).

====Drowning tower====
This is a trap that can be built in discrete units. Each unit requires a lot of labor and protects only a small area, though in a dramatic manner. A wall of these around the map sharing a single massive water reservoir makes a very effective [[siege]] defense, as each tower component can be linked to a [[lever]] and used to wipe out a single invading squad at a time. Note: This may count as a [[stupid dwarf trick#Pressure Washer|stupid dwarf trick]].

While a [[pressure plate]] in the center of this trap can trigger it and drown hidden ambushers, such an arrangement is subject to double-activation and failure. A pressure plate that only triggers once will break and the system will be incapable of self-reloading. A lever or [[pressure plate#Latching Pressure Plates|latch]] is highly recommended.

Using a cross-hair pattern of walls, invaders are herded through the trap. Inside the fortress, Urist McLeverpuller does his job. Floodgates on the ground close, hatches on the ceiling open, and drowning ensues. When all enemies are dead, the lever is pulled again. The hatches close and the floodgates open, allowing a rush of water and bodies to spill out.

Schematics shown are for a stand-alone tower, though the upper level can be linked with many similar towers for a grid-like defensive system.

'''Level 0'''

░░X░░X░X░░X░░ <tt>░</tt> - Wall
░+++++░+++++░ <tt>+</tt> - Floor
X+++++░+++++X <tt>X</tt> - Floodgate
░+++++░+++++░ <tt>H</tt> - Hatch
░+++++░+++++░ <tt>-</tt> - Water reservoir
X+++++░+++++X
░░░░░░+░░░░░░
X+++++░+++++X
░+++++░+++++░
░+++++░+++++░
X+++++░+++++X
░+++++░+++++░
░░X░░X░X░░X░░

'''Level 1'''
░░░░░░░░░░░░░
░-----------░
░-H--H-H--H-░
░-----------░
░-----------░
░-H-------H-░
░-----------░
░-H-------H-░
░-----------░
░-----------░
░-H--H-H--H-░
░-----------░
░░░░░░░░░░░░░

====Ice trap====
Water open to the sky in freezing [[biome]]s will freeze instantly, completely destroying anything caught in it. By digging a channel entrance to your fort and selectively allowing it to flood as invaders pass through, you can commit genocide with appalling efficiency. The only disadvantage to this trap is its size: because water freezes so quickly, each entry channel must have a source of non-freezing water right next to it.

Observe in action [http://mkv25.net/dfma/movie-231-degrinchinator here], or a wider version [http://mkv25.net/dfma/movie-1675-semi-automaticorcsiclemaker here]. For more information, see [[User:Vattic/Orcsicle_maker_Explained|these detailed instructions]].

=====Fully Automatic Ice Trap=====
The hallway is exposed to the elements, and water there freezes instantly. The rest of the trap is underground. When an enemy steps on the pressure plate, the hallway is flooded with water immediately. Some of the water that doesn't freeze also triggers a second pressure plate. The second pressure plate pumps magma into the room directly beneath the main hallway, which melts the ice. The water is pumped out and retracting bridges then return the water and magma to their original positions. This trap was also inspired by the Degrinchinator.

Observe: http://mkv25.net/dfma/movie-2239-automaticresettingicetrap

For more info, see [http://www.bay12forums.com/smf/index.php?topic=63346.0 this] thread.

====Flusher====
Have a water reservoir to one side of the path the intruders should take, and a deep chasm at the other side. When invaders are on the path, just pull a lever to flush them out.

A compact version of this can be set up with a reservoir tower and a path circling it:

'''Level 0'''

····························· <tt>░</tt> - Wall
->++++++++++++++++++++++++++· <tt>-></tt> - Direction of traffic
->++++++++++++++++++++++++++· <tt>▼</tt> - Down-Ramps (as visible from one level above = see [[ramp]])
->++++++++++++++++++++++++++· <tt>+</tt> - Floor
░XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX░+++· <tt>·</tt> - Open space
░<nowiki>~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~</nowiki>X+++· <tt>X</tt> - Floodgate OR retracting bridge
░<nowiki>~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~</nowiki>X+++· <tt>~</tt> - Water
░<nowiki>~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~</nowiki>X+++·
░<nowiki>~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~</nowiki>X+++·
░XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX░+++·
<-++++++++++++++++++++++++++·
<-++++++++++++++++++++++++++·
<-++++++++++++++++++++++++++·
·····························

Be sure that the reservoir can hold enough water to flush everything out (3 levels should be enough), that it can be automatically or easily refilled quickly, and be advised that flushing your own dwarves can be much fun. Adjust the height of the chasm depending on how much damage you want to cause to intruders or to [[Unfortunate accident|innocent bystanders]] (7 levels start to do some serious damage).

Once flushed, the victims will try to find a way out (to re-invade the fortress, or to flee). Make sure there are some maintenance-free traps in their way. If you plan to collect [[goblinite]] afterwards, have a way to drain the bottom of the trap dry.

===Magma and fire traps===
These traps incinerate targets, or possibly encase them in [[obsidian]]. Magma does not play favorites - read up (again) on magma, and use with ''extreme'' caution. Fire traps are included in this category because magma is often the best method of starting a fire.

====Magma chamber====
Create an airlock using two bridges, two doors or whatever you like best. Make it a medium sized chamber, perhaps 10x10 or so. Channel out the floors around the rim, and rig up a system to pump magma into the room, or drop it from the roof. Enemies will quickly be destroyed, and with the magma in the channels, you can pump it out for future use or just leave it. The idea here is a re-useable magma trap; you can use this with a pressure plate, too. It also leaves behind any magma-proof items the invaders might have been carrying.

Variation: By placing magma-safe hatches on the ceiling and quickly activating and deactivating the trap, you can limit the use of magma. It doesn't take a lot of magma to set a goblin on fire: only 1/7 deep will do it, and using less magma means it will dry on its own. It does take a while for an enemy to burn to death, but what's better than spending the whole summer watching a room full of smoke and dying goblins?

====Incinerator hall====
Certain minerals such as [[lignite]] and [[graphite]] have an ignition point but no melting point, meaning that once they are set on [[fire]] they will burn for a very long time (about 9-10 months) unless exposed to water or [[weather|rain]]. Any item made out of these materials has this property, which can be used to design horrifying fiery death traps.

Consider a hallway filled with lignite [[floor grate]]s, which can be built directly on the floor and do not impede the passage of enemies. Pouring magma on any one of these grates will set it alight, and the fire will spread to all connected grates. The end result is a lot of constant smoke and a hallway that kills anything that passes through it. Consider [[traffic|restricting access]] to your dwarves or building this in a pit with a retractable bridge over top: the mere fact that a location is on fire will not stop them from walking through it. On the plus side, goblins are just as stupid.

====Flamethrower bunker====

Catch a creature that has a fire breath attack, such as a [[dragon]], [[fire imp]], [[fire man]], or anything else. Tame it if you can, and drop it into a 3x3 square of fortifications surrounded by bridges. Drop the bridge when necessary, and watch the creature lay waste on your opponents. Note that this may cause you to rage if the beast is not hostile to invaders. Beware of enemy archer squads as well.

You may want to build the bridge and mechanisms out of [[Fire#Dragonfire|dragonfire-safe]] materials if you are using a dragon.

You may do this with [[magma crab]]s (but first you must catch one) for a machinegun bunker, or [[giant cave spider]]s (or anything that has a [[web]] attack) for a paralyzing bunker.

===Weapon traps===
Traditional trap components can be used in sometimes interesting ways.

====Casual impalement====
One method of creating a zone of constant slaughter is to link a pressure plate in your main dining hall or main hallway to a patch of menacing spikes or spears. As your dwarves/pets mill around conversing/mating, they will constantly trigger the spike system without regard to the consequences.

Variation: Drop goblins into a holding pit with various spike traps linked to your pressure plate artfully placed around the chamber. Watch as every dining hall [[party]] begins to be measured in goblin blood.

====Caravan-Safe Traps====
Since traps block caravans, how can one have a depot but not have a trap-free entrance to the fortress? Simple! Caravans need 3-wide corridors, but that corridor does not need to be straight. Invaders will path straight (or as straight as they can). By knowing this, you can make trap layouts that have 3-wide corridors that intersect straight paths.

Like so:

Zig-Zag Alternating U
T+P+T+++ T = Trap ++++P+++++++++++++P++++
+T+P+T++ + = Ground/floor ++T+P+TTTTTTTTTTT+P+T++
++T+P+T+ E = Ramps going down ++T+P+T+++++++++T+P+T++
+++T+P+T to tunnel to depot ++T+P+T+++++++++T+P+T++
++++T+P+ P = Caravan path ++T+P+T+++++++++T+P+T++
++++T+P+ ++T+P+T+++EEE+++T+P+T++
+++T+P+T ++T+P+++++++++++++P+T++
++T+P+T+ ++T+PPPPPPPPPPPPPPP+T++
+T+P+T++ ++T+++++++++++++++++T++
T+P+T+++ ++TTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTT++
+P+T++++ +++++++++++++++++++++++

Both designs can be repeated for maximum effect or used together (make the entrance on the U wider and put Zig-Zag traps on the corridor to the depot).

====Dodge Me Trap====
Passing over a catwalk of traps, invaders will find themselves dodging into your pit. Since you can seal the pit with bridges, it doesn't complicate access to your fortress while inactive. Beware of dwarves fighting on top of it when active, as they will dodge too. Using weapon traps with a lot of possible hits can make an invader dodge multiple times at once, allowing him to dodge across an open space tile, skipping the pit. This can be dealt with in some variants by the strategic placement of walls and/or by having an incredibly broad pit. Using a low quality mechanism will also force invaders to dodge, as opposed to using a high quality mechanism in the weapon trap, which will cause the weapon trap to actually land hits on the invader.

Simple version:
+............+ ^ weapon trap
+............+ + floor, your fort on one side; the savage wilds on the other
+^^^^^^^^^^^^+ . Pit
+............+
+............+

Compact version:
+#########+ # retractable bridge with pit underneath
+#^^^^^^^^+
+#^#######+ + floor
+#^^^^^^^#+
+#######^#+ ^ traps
+#^^^^^^^#+
══+++═══════

====Goblin Grinder====
{{diagram|spaces=yes|\

═════
[#FF0]¢[#FF0]^[#F00]^[#00F]^[#00F]¢
═════
}}

In this trap described [http://www.bay12forums.com/smf/index.php?topic=62798.0 here], invaders are constrained to moving back and forth over a weapon trap {{Raw Tile|^|#F00|#000}} by two hatches over channels, {{Raw Tile|¢|#FF0|#000}} and {{Raw Tile|¢|#00F|#000}}, each linked to the pressure plate, {{Raw Tile|^|#FF0|#000}} and {{Raw Tile|^|#00F|#000}}, of the same color. Because the trapped creatures constantly path between the two hatches, a single trap may hit them many, many times.

The ends of the corridor are left open, allowing invaders to rush down the corridor, thinking it is an easy entrance into your fort. When they step on the pressure plate at the end, the hatch raises, exposing the uncrossable channel and blocking the exit. The invader's pathfinding decides to run back the other way, as that is now the only exit. As he reaches the other end, that hatch opens, causing him to run back and forth inside the corridor, unable to escape. As he runs back and forth, the traps grind him into a fine mist with no effort on your part. Creatures will occasionally fall into the pit dug underneath the hatches, but these are easily dealt with such as building a room underneath the channels filled with more traps.

By setting the pressure plates to be untriggerable by citizens, it's easy for them to walk through and collect the remaining goblinite unharmed once the siege ends.

Its two main disadvantages are being susceptible to both trap-avoiding creatures and building destroyers. These can be safeguarded by any of the other many usual ways of defending against this type of creature. It's also possible for a creature to be "stuck" in only the first few tiles of the trap, as they try to escape after taking enough damage, only walking two or three steps into the trap, then immediately turning around and trying to exit, and so only walking past already-triggered traps. Again, you can get rid of these with your military with no problem.

Some usage ideas from the thread:

* Without traps and placing only one pressure plate/hatch combination at the end leading into your fort, it makes a very simple dwarf-only one-way door into your fort. Non dwarves that attempt to enter will be blocked and turn around and take the exit. Alternately a good way of keeping creatures inside an area while allowing dwarf passage.
* With some additional work (details in the thread), it can be built as a repeater system, with a pressure plate inside hooked up to some other device that you want to repeatedly trigger. A pet running back and forth inside attempting to reach its owner or releasing a trapped prisoner and tempting them with freedom in exchange for running back and forth will repeatedly hit the pressure plate inside.
* Similarly, place a pressure plate inside that will link to some other action such as spike traps outside the entrance, impaling invaders waiting for their turn to enter the grinder as their friends run down the corridor.
* Don't fill with traps; instead, carve fortifications into the walls and use the trapped invaders as target practice and training for your archers.
* Don't fill with traps; instead fill with magma at your convenience.
* Fill with very weak weapon traps that will only maim the prisoner. Put an atom smasher near the other end that will be triggered as he tries to crawl towards freedom.

===Building destroyer and trapavoid traps===

====Door number one====
If you're having trouble dealing with building destroyers that don't set off traps, consider the following design, as seen from the side:
{{diagram|spaces=yes|\
════╝╬╬
[#F00]~X[#F0F]^ ▲╔═
══════╝
}}

Put the magma {{Raw Tile|~|#F00|#000}} behind a floodgate {{Raw Tile|X|#FFF|#000}}. In front of the floodgate, place a pressure plate {{Raw Tile|^|#F0F|#000}} set to go off on magma of 0 to 0. Link the pressure plate to a retracting bridge {{Raw Tile|╬|#FFF|#000}}{{Raw Tile|╬|#FFF|#000}} that covers the exit ramp {{Raw Tile|▲|#FFF|#000}} to the area. Although you can't get the creature to set off traps, when it breaks the door, magma will spill over the pressure plate, locking the creature in the hallway that is rapidly filling with magma. You could combine this with a simple levered hatch for drainage, but there's only one way to be certain: obsidianify it from orbit.

Note that the trap as pictured is too short-- in order to catch a creature, your bridge has to close before the creature can escape from the tunnel.

====Artifact awe trap====
{{diagram|spaces=yes|\
═════
+¢╬ ╬
═════
}}

This simple containment trap is designed to trap any number of building destroyers, even trapavoid building destroyers, on a single tile, after which you can do whatever you'd like with them-- bolt 'em, ice 'em, drop 'em, spike 'em, it's all good. Building destroyers are drawn by a piece of [[legendary artifact|artifact-quality]] furniture, in this case, a hatch cover {{Raw Tile|¢|#FFF|#000}}. A door {{Raw Tile|+|#FFF|#000}} prevents them from seeing further into your fort and being distracted from the enchanting beauty of your furniture. When you've captured as many creatures as you'd like on that tile, simple raise both bridges {{Raw Tile|╬|#FFF|#000}}-- first, the far one, then, the one near the artifact-- and you may even remove the artifact, to create a new trap elsewhere.

===Other traps===
Anything that can be weaponized can be turned into a trap. And anything can be weaponized.

====Bioweapon trap====
Some of the underground's nastier creatures are capable of breathing [[syndrome]]-bearing deadly dust. While such dust can easily spread and lead to the downfall of a fort, more masochistic players may seek ways to weaponize it. Syndrome-bearing blood may be used similarly, but placement of the trap is a great deal more difficult.

At its simplest, a bioweapon trap is a single tile of syndrome-bearing extract. It can be placed by moving an item covered in dust to the desired location via stockpiling or dumping, and then pouring a [[bucket]] of water over the item, transferring the dust from the item to the tile it sits on. A simple way to get your dwarves to pour a bucket of water over the item is via designation of a [[activity zone#Pit/Pond|pond]] zone. Alternatively, one can take advantage of the natural tendency of [[User:Uristocrat/Dwarven__Bathtub|dwarven bathtub]]s and simply drag contaminated items through a trench full of shallow water to create a contamination trench.

Any affected creature is likely to carry the contamination with it past the location of the bioweapon. This can be useful, if you've discovered a particularly interesting extract that you no longer have a way to generate, but it can also be dangerous to the well-being of your fortress. A pile of extract sitting in 2/7 water will not block pathing, and will simultaneously infect and wash creatures passing through it. Placement of extract in a damp trench can be difficult, as the water will tend to carry the extract on to the walls, but with persistence, it can be done. Extract/water combos like this are best placed underground to prevent freezing or evaporation. You may have difficulty preventing your dwarves from [[cleaning]] tiles affected by the extract.

The deadliness of a bioweapon depends entirely on the extract used to create it, and can range from debilitating nausea (perfect to incapacitate invaders while your military mops them up, yet unlikely to lead to serious damage to your own fort), to death by bleeding within 600 ticks (a half day). Given the proper extract, you could even create a beneficial bioweapon trap that prevents those affected from suffering pain. Footwear appears to protect, leaving any bioweapon trap much more deadly to your own dwarves than to any invader.

Bioweapon traps have the potential to be very powerful but should be considered extremely risky, as extracts are capable of multiplication and don't distinguish between friend or foe. A single bioweapon trap could easily kill all of your dwarves in a season. Bioweapons never require cleaning or resetting, but won't work on many foes.

Alternative biotraps are possible. Using a 'deadly dust' creature rather than its extract is possible, but such interactions have rather short range (2 tiles at least) and may ignore invaders passing by a bit further away. By forcing invaders to walk right next to fortification that separates the beast and invader you can ensure a syndromey greeting to your unwanted guests, but the creature will be vulnerable to enemy archers. Should you discover a creature with noxious secretions that boil at a low temperature, such a creature can be used even while caged: its secretions will affect anything nearby, but the creature that bears the syndrome remains invulnerable to attack. Good luck getting the cage where you want it!

=== Animal/Gladiator Traps ===
War animals can be a messy way of dispatching your invaders. Since most war animals aren't grazers, you can put a pasture in a room and assign a bunch of war animals without any need for maintenance. Keep in mind size, a war dog is not going to do nearly as well against a troll as a lion would. However, 5 dogs should be able to overcome it. If you don't want your animals to die, simply use cage traps to catch invaders, disarm them, then drop them into the animal arena unarmed with a pit above the room. Although, this isn't a guarantee, unarmed goblins are incredibly weak. This trap has a lot more randomness involved than others, so it's more of a novelty than an effective and practical trap. Exotic animals can be much more brutal, so bonus points for catching tigers, bears,(or buying them from elves) or dragons. If you do manage to catch a dragon and tame it, you'll probably want to clear out any other animals, unless they don't mind dragon fire.

If one of your dwarves has been plagued by [[Vampire|Vampirism]], all the better. Build him/her a nice pit outfitted as barracks, throw in good weapons and armor, and watch as they train themselves nonstop up to Legendary skill in most combat abilities.

When you want to make them practice, just throw a caged prisoner in, order them to open it, and watch as they tear them to shreds.

=== Minecarts ===
A [[minecart]], while you think about it, is just a large hunk of metal traveling at a very fast speed in a straight line. Its nature can be used for your advantage.
==== Minecart grinder ====
All you need is a straight, narrow corridor, some tracks, and a way to make a minecart gain momentum (rolling down 3 z-levels worth of ramps should be more than enough).

Using the hauling designation, assign a minecart to the top of the ramp, without giving it any departure conditions. As soon as the enemies are approaching the other side of the corridor, change the departure condition to "push" and "always". Once a dwarf comes by and pushes it, the minecart will jolt down the hallway flattening everything on its path, and may even put a dent in an attacking [[Megabeast]].
By dumping minecarts on either rollers or downward ramps, multiple carts can be used on the same track without any hauling routes, allowing for multishot weapons, increasing the efficiency of the trap.
Rollers or impulse ramps can be used to make a cart return system, allowing for fully automatic systems.

==== Shotgun ====
Minecarts have the interesting properties of spilling their contents when they hit a solid object like another minecart at high speed. This can be used by filling minecarts with either heavy objects like stones, sharp objects like surplus weapons or simply a lot of them, then sending them down some ramps onto a target. On impact, the contents will continue their way at high speed, dealing damage to anything in the way. You know you want to fill a minecart with !!lignite blocks!! now.

==== Water/Magma gun ====
Minecarts submerged in [[Water]] fill themselves with liquid, which then counts as a quite heavy object. Using the shotgun effect, this allows for a weapon without need to manually load minecarts, resulting in higher rate of fire and fewer dwarves running on potentially lethal tracks. First proposed [http://www.bay12forums.com/smf/index.php?topic=114654.0 here], with an updated version [http://www.bay12forums.com/smf/index.php?topic=119831.0 here].

Using [[Magma]] makes the design potentially more lethal and certainly more dwarven, and adds the <s>usual dangers</s> [[fun]] of working with this fluid.

==== Minecart thumper ====
When falling minecarts land on a floor, they injure creatures in the tile below.{{bug|6068}} Add some rollers and a very short track loop to maximize the damage potential. Since the minecart remains physically separated from its targets, it shouldn't jam or jump off track.

{{Category|Traps}}
{{category|Fortress defense}}
{{category|Design}}

v0.34:Trap design

2014-03-27T19:04:47Z

Naryar: /* Shotgun */

{{Quality|Masterwork|21:15, 28 April 2013 (UTC)}}
{{av}}

:''This page is one of several inter-related articles on the broader topic of defending your fortress and your dwarves. '''Trap design''' focuses on the theory and design of complex traps, mechanical systems and other automation for defending your fortress, and also on unusual uses of simple mechanic's [[trap]]s. For a general overview of the threats that will challenge your fortress and things to consider when preparing a standard defense, see the '''[[defense guide]]'''. For tips on laying out your architecture to protect your military, see '''[[security design]]'''. For specific advice on how to get your soldiers prepared for any threat, see '''[[military]]'''.''

:''For suggestions on disposing of nobles and other unwanted residents, see [[unfortunate accident]].''
:''For a basic overview of how the different machine parts work and work together, see [[machine component]].''
:''For information on catching [[vermin]]-sized creatures in [[animal trap]]s, see [[trapper]].''

==Introduction==
Simple one-tile [[trap]]s* are just that - they exist only on their own tile, trigger themselves when a target walks onto that one tile, and affect only that one tile. Complex traps and automation rely on linking [[door]]s, [[hatch cover|hatch]]es, [[floodgate]]s, and [[bridge]]s to [[lever]]s or [[pressure plate]]s, along with machinery to provide the [[power]] to run some of the more diabolical designs. When the trigger is activated, it sends a [[lever|signal]] to the linked device. That signal is not always as simple as '''do it now''', but it's specifically either to '''open''' or to '''close'''. By manipulating what does what and when, and what follows from that, impressive results can be achieved.

:''(* specifically, the [[Trap#Stone-fall_Trap|stone-fall trap]], [[Trap#Weapon_Trap|weapon trap]], and [[Trap#Cage_Trap|cage trap]].)''

* To fully understand how these component objects work individually (before combining them into diabolical and complex combinations), see those main articles.

==Basic traps==
These are the simple [[trap]]s that are placed by a mechanic. They require one [[mechanism]] but do not require levers or pressure plates. They can be a quick, easy and brutally effective "first defense" for a fledgling fortress, but they can also be combined into key parts of more complex set ups. For tips on using these basic traps effectively, see the Trap Strategies section.

===Stone fall trap===
:This is the easiest trap to build, so you can easily build them in large numbers. Building lots of them is an easy way to earn experience for your [[mechanic]], and add to the depth of your fort's defenses at the same time. Surrounding intersections and stairways is a good way of handling threats that make it inside the fortress, including [[insanity|berserk]] dwarves.

===Weapon trap===
:The gold standard of lethal traps. This is the only simple trap that works repeatedly without reloading. They do get jammed, however. View the trap with the '''items in room''' {{key|t}} mode, and if there's a corpse inside the trap, it's jammed. None of the weapons on a jammed trap will function. It may be wiser to have several weapon traps with fewer weapons, rather than a smaller number of ten-weapon traps.

:Using [[crossbow]]s or other projectile weapons in weapon traps avoids the problem of jamming, but they must be kept loaded with [[ammo]]. Mechanics will load them with any ammo that is not forbidden. They will load each until each type of weapon has ten rounds of ammo. Hammers seem to jam less than swords or axes, and spears seem to jam the most. Your dwarves will attempt to unjam traps unless otherwise forbidden.

===Cage trap===
:A very powerful type of trap. Maybe even too powerful - currently, even a wooden or glass [[cage]] can hold any creature indefinitely, even [[troll]]s and [[megabeast]]s. A cage trap never fails, although creatures with the [[trapavoid]] tag cannot be captured unless knocked [[unconscious]] or [[Giant cave spider|webbed]] first. Use cage traps as your outermost traps to catch the occasional wandering animal, angry wounded [[elephant]] or [[unicorn]], or even [[zombie]]s. Caged animals and enemies will be safely brought to any animal [[stockpile]]s you have, but may escape later if you are not careful. For more information, see [[captured creatures]].

==Linked traps==
These traps require a trigger such as a [[pressure plate]] or [[lever]]. They will require at least three [[mechanisms]], one for the trigger and two to create the link. The trigger can be located any distance from the trap, typically close for a pressure plate or far away for a lever.

For a system that repeatedly activates automatically and regularly regardless of enemies, see [[Repeater]].

===Menacing spikes===
Menacing [[trap component|spike]]s or upright spears appear on the basic mechanic's {{k|T}}rap menu, but must be activated remotely to pop out of the ground and impale anyone standing on that tile. Vast forests of these can make any area a killing field.

While upright spike defense systems never jam, they also do not discriminate. When activated, they will inflict piercing damage on whatever is standing on the tile, whether it be friend or foe. You can use [[traffic|traffic designations]] to help somewhat. Designate the spike trap tiles as ''restricted'' then make a longer path going around the spikes that's designated as ''high traffic''. [[Domestic animal|Pets]] and [[Trade|merchants/diplomats]] will probably still get skewered, though.

==Trap strategies==
These are some basic tricks that can be used with most any trap design, basic or complex.

===Bait animals===
Enemies will hunt down and kill friendly tame animals wandering outside if they have nothing better to do. Put an expendable animal on a [[restraint]] or in a 1x1 [[Activity zone#Pen/Pasture|pen]] in some random spot outside, build a few [[construction|columns]] around it to reduce the chance of them shooting it, and trap that area to hell and back.

Note that this is a horrible method of getting rid of [[cat]]s, as they will often adopt a dwarf who will then attempt to free the cat. This may lead to the unfortunate situation of Urist McCatlover getting skewered by an ambush party while on his way to free Mr. Baitykins.

===Bait furniture===
[[Building destroyer]]s can be baited by furniture, which they will path to and destroy, if they can. Furniture bait allows you to selectively target building destroyers, to draw them away from other aggressors or to a different trap. This can be useful when, for instance, you'd like to draw a building destroyer like a [[giant cave spider]] into a cage trap, but don't want to bother caging all of the other wildlife around it. It can also be useful for trapping monsters with special attacks that you'd rather not see go off, as the building destroyer won't use any special attacks on furniture as it would an animal. For instance, you could use bait furniture to trap a [[forgotten beast]] with [[syndrome|deadly dust]] without causing it to spew more contagion.

Bait furniture can be especially effective when used with [[Legendary artifact|artifact]] quality furniture. Artifact furniture cannot be destroyed, but building destroyers will still attempt to path to it, at which point they will ineffectually attempt to destroy the furniture. This makes traps baited with artifact furniture easily reusable.

===Trapping efficiently===

====Crosshair trapping====
As the converse of building many traps everywhere, consider instead herding your enemies into a few traps. A cross-hair pattern of walls or impassable channels with an array of traps in the middle gap will increase the usage of each individual trap. This is particularly useful when capturing wildlife. You may also want a few traps near the edges, to catch the creatures that attempt to go around it.

{{diagram|spaces=yes|\
+++++++[#F00]^[#F00]^[#F00]^+++++++ [#FFF]l[#FFF]e[#FFF]g[#FFF]e[#FFF]n[#FFF]d
++++++++▓++++++++ ▓ stone/wall
++++++++▓++++++++ [#F00]^ trap
++++++++▓++++++++ + floor
++++++++▓++++++++
++++++[#F00]^[#F00]^▓[#F00]^[#F00]^++++++
[#F00]^+++++[#F00]^[#F00]^▓[#F00]^[#F00]^+++++[#F00]^
[#F00]^▓▓▓▓▓▓▓[#F00]^▓▓▓▓▓▓▓[#F00]^
[#F00]^+++++[#F00]^[#F00]^▓[#F00]^[#F00]^+++++[#F00]^
++++++[#F00]^[#F00]^▓[#F00]^[#F00]^++++++
++++++++▓++++++++
++++++++▓++++++++
++++++++▓++++++++
++++++++▓++++++++
+++++++[#F00]^[#F00]^[#F00]^+++++++
}}

====Inside corner trapping====
If the path where you will place your traps has bends, expect the enemy to take the most direct path - it's not guaranteed, but they will tend to hug the inside of a corner, and rarely detour to a dead-end (represented by "x").

╔═════════
║ ║xx ??
║ ║x ???
║???║ .???? ? = unpredictable path
║???║ .╔═════
║ ??║ . ║ . = ''most likely'' path
║ .║g ║ g = invader
║x . x║
║xx xx║ x = ''unlikely'' detour
╚═══════╝

Once in a straight hall, anything is possible (represented by "?"), but placing your best (or first) traps on the inside path near "inside" corners (and de-emphasizing outside "dead-end" corners) is the best bet. If two invaders are side-by-side, they will wander, and random actions are always possible, but if you had to guess, this is the way to do it.

====Pass trapping====
If there are a lot of hills outside, remove most of the ramps, then trap those last few routes. The only way for creatures to get around will be to go through your traps.

░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░
▲▲▲▲▲▲▲▲▲▲▲▲▲▲▲▲▲▲ Before
++++++++++++++++++

░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░
+++++++^▲^++++++++ After
+++++++^^^++++++++

====Ford trapping====
Have a river or any kind of chasm? Construct a floor over it (not a bridge), then build traps over it. Brooks won't work for this, because everything can already walk over the top of a brook. It also won't work as well in winter on a map that freezes.

+++++++++++░^^░+++++++++++
+++++++++++░^^░+++++++++++
+++++++++++░^^░+++++++++++
~~ ~~ ~~ ~~░^^░~~ ~~ ~~ ~~ Nobody ever said that it had to end at the river banks.
~~ ~~ ~~ ~~░^^░~~ ~~ ~~ ~~ Building walls along the side allows you to make it longer
+++++++++++░^^░+++++++++++ and to fill it with more traps.
+++++++++++░^^░+++++++++++
+++++++++++░^^░+++++++++++

==Trap Designs==
===Bridge and drop traps===

====Drawbridge trap====
Lowering drawbridges on invaders will [[dwarven atom smasher|crush]] them into nothingness. Known as the 'Dwarven Atom Smasher', bridges will destroy most things with some notable exceptions including [[jabberer]]s and [[elephant]]s, who will not only survive unscathed but also destroy the bridge.

Try replacing the side wall of a part of your main entrance with a drawbridge, big enough so it spans the whole hallway. Link the drawbridge to a [[lever|trigger]], and whenever you feel like it activate the trap. This can be done with minimal effort and used to smash invaders, unwanted [[immigration|immigrants]], bothersome [[nobles]], or simply to destroy your garbage.

====[[Pit trap]]====
A long retracting bridge in your entrance tunnel, with the pressure plate right in front of the fortress doors. The expression on the face of the point-goblin who reaches them only to watch his comrades plunge to whatever gruesome fate you have prepared for them will be a mental picture to cherish. Remember when designing this trap that bridges do not open until 100 ticks after they've been triggered.

You may also consider linking these bridges to levers for more control, just in case a goblin thief triggers the pressure plate while a caravan is on the bridge. Or, you might consider linking the bridges to a [[repeater]].

====Cave-in trap====
[[Support]]s can be linked to [[lever|triggers]]. Building a section of floor that is deliberately held up only by a trapped support allows for an intentional [[cave-in]].
* [[Invader]]s dropped into a pit can be wounded or killed.
* Dropping a floor or wall directly onto any creature will ''instantly'' kill it, regardless of its [[size]].
* The cave-in will also knock nearby invaders unconscious. This will stun them, and also make them susceptible to simple traps (even if they possess the TRAPAVOID token).
* Cave-ins will ''not'' reveal invisible invaders, such as [[ambush]]ers unless it kills them outright, in which case their bodies become visible.

The biggest drawback of this sort of trap is the "reload" process, which can be relatively time consuming. Have a drawbridge that can seal off the work area so your mechanics and [[mason]]s can reconstruct the setup in peace.

=====Land mines=====
In any suitable open area which hasn't been dug out underneath, build a support and an adjacent multi-use pressure plate set to trigger on creatures (but not citizens), link them together, then build floor tiles above the support and pressure plate. When an enemy steps on the pressure plate, the game will pause and recenter the view with the announcement "''A section of the cavern has collapsed!''", at which point the enemy will be crushed and its companions will be stunned or knocked unconscious by the cloud of dust (though not necessarily revealed, in the case of an [[ambush]]).

More "traditional" landmines also exist, taking advantage of a bug. This involves setting a bridge to be deconstructed, then having this order be cancelled, all done while the bridge is in the down position. The bridge will then let fluids through, which with pressurized magma makes it a potent weapon.

=====Chasm trap=====
The easiest chasm trap is just a retractable bridge, very high up or over a very deep hole; instead of flinging invaders when raised, it just drops them.

A uselessly complicated collapsing spiral trap can take out ten goblins at a time. When finished, it looks like this:

+++
..........+++
.++++++++#+++
.+╔══════. # = retractable bridge
.+║++++++.
.+║+╔══╗+. + = floor
.+║+║A+║+.
.+║+╚═+║+. . = open space
.+║+++^║+.
.+╚════╝+. ^ = pressure plate
.++++++++.
.......... A = bait animal

The goblins are lured in by a restrained bait animal, and can't shoot it due to the surrounding walls. Just before they reach the bait, they trigger a pressure plate that retracts the bridge and collapses the support holding up the whole spiral. Goblins, bait animal, walls and all plummet into the chasm.

When building, you will need to construct a span of floor underneath to place a support, as bridges do not support constructions (''which is also why you want a bridge as the access, so it will not hold up the trap*)''. You will also need to have a floor tile between your floor and solid ground or wall while constructing, as the bridge alone will not work as a base, but you can remove it once the support is in place.

====Falling debris trap====
[[gravity|Falling objects]] tend to cause ridiculous injury to creatures below, and what better use for [[wear|worn]] socks than mangling intruders. Mix in some loose [[stone]], poor-quality [[furniture]], and any [[goblinite]] lying around, then bury your enemies under a pile of junk.

A retracting [[bridge]] makes a good trigger mechanism (connected to either a [[lever]] or [[pressure plate]]), while garbage dump [[zone]]s above the bridge provide an easy means to load the trap. To reset the trap, use {{k|d}} {{k|b}} {{k|c}} to reclaim the garbage and {{k|d}} {{k|b}} {{k|d}} to have your dwarves haul the junk back to the garbage dumps above. The trap can also be fully automated via [[minecart]].

====Canceled construction deadfall====
Canceling an incomplete construction immediately frees the building material. The simplest way to weaponize this knowledge is to create a one tile wide hallway that is several z-levels high, and carve down stairs into the roof from the level above. Assign your masons to create stairs in the top level of the hallway, but suspend construction on each tile after they begin. When danger threatens below, simply cancel constructions to send building material raining down on enemies below.

A more advanced design uses incomplete 8x1 bridges--each bridge will release three stones when canceled. These stones will normally be deposited on the tile where the architect was standing when the bridge was designed. A (completed) retracting bridge at the top of the hallway can provide a place for your architects to stand while loading the trap, but still allow the rocks to rain down when retracted.

This trap has the distinction of being the only overseer-triggered trap--it doesn't require dwarves to pull levers, enemies to cross pressure plates, or any sort of timing delay. With some practice, it can be used selectively to take out priority targets (elite archers, squad leaders, dangerous creatures, etc.).

===Water traps===
These traps drown, freeze, boil, or wash targets away. Errors in execution can be quite <s>[[flood|harmful]] to your fortress</s> [[fun]], so use with caution.

====Drown and burn====
A flooding room trap combined with an unextinguishable [[fire|burning]] [[lignite]] bin. The water will evaporate on the bin's tile, causing the water from the surrounding tiles to move to it, which then get evaporated as well. The water will also push the invaders onto the fire, causing them to burn to death... in a flooding chamber.

NOTE: Traps involving large quantities of water turning into [[steam]] are as effective at killing your framerate as they are [[goblin|goblins]]. Use with caution, and have the cut-off lever at the ready.

====Drowning hall====
'''Level 0'''

░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░ <tt>░</tt> - Wall
->++▼··················▼++-> <tt>-></tt> - Direction of traffic
->++▼··················▼++-> <tt>▼</tt> - Down-Ramps (as visible from one level above = see [[ramp]])
->++▼··················▼++-> <tt>+</tt> - Floor
░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░ <tt>·</tt> - Open space

'''Level -1'''
░░░░░░XX░░░░░░░░XX░░░░░░ <tt>X </tt> - Inflow
░░▲++▼··▼++++++▼··▼++▲░░
░░▲++▼··▼++++++▼··▼++▲░░ <tt>▲</tt> - Up-Ramps
░░▲++▼··▼++++++▼··▼++▲░░
░░░░░░XX░░░░░░░░XX░░░░░░ <tt>▼</tt> - Down-Ramps

'''Level -2'''
░░░░░░xx░░░░░░░░xx░░░░░░ <tt>x</tt> - Outflow
░░░░░▲++▲░░░░░░▲++▲░░░░░
░░░░░▲++▲░░░░░░▲++▲░░░░░
░░░░░▲++▲░░░░░░▲++▲░░░░░
░░░░░░xx░░░░░░░░xx░░░░░░

If enemies are in the middle of Level -1, open the inflow, then the water will first trap, and then drown them. If the pit is full, close the inflow and open the outflow. You can automate this by using [[pressure plate]]s, or if you want to have more fun, replace the water with [[magma]] (which would require pressure plates and floodgates to be [[magma-safe]]).

====Drowning tower====
This is a trap that can be built in discrete units. Each unit requires a lot of labor and protects only a small area, though in a dramatic manner. A wall of these around the map sharing a single massive water reservoir makes a very effective [[siege]] defense, as each tower component can be linked to a [[lever]] and used to wipe out a single invading squad at a time. Note: This may count as a [[stupid dwarf trick#Pressure Washer|stupid dwarf trick]].

While a [[pressure plate]] in the center of this trap can trigger it and drown hidden ambushers, such an arrangement is subject to double-activation and failure. A pressure plate that only triggers once will break and the system will be incapable of self-reloading. A lever or [[pressure plate#Latching Pressure Plates|latch]] is highly recommended.

Using a cross-hair pattern of walls, invaders are herded through the trap. Inside the fortress, Urist McLeverpuller does his job. Floodgates on the ground close, hatches on the ceiling open, and drowning ensues. When all enemies are dead, the lever is pulled again. The hatches close and the floodgates open, allowing a rush of water and bodies to spill out.

Schematics shown are for a stand-alone tower, though the upper level can be linked with many similar towers for a grid-like defensive system.

'''Level 0'''

░░X░░X░X░░X░░ <tt>░</tt> - Wall
░+++++░+++++░ <tt>+</tt> - Floor
X+++++░+++++X <tt>X</tt> - Floodgate
░+++++░+++++░ <tt>H</tt> - Hatch
░+++++░+++++░ <tt>-</tt> - Water reservoir
X+++++░+++++X
░░░░░░+░░░░░░
X+++++░+++++X
░+++++░+++++░
░+++++░+++++░
X+++++░+++++X
░+++++░+++++░
░░X░░X░X░░X░░

'''Level 1'''
░░░░░░░░░░░░░
░-----------░
░-H--H-H--H-░
░-----------░
░-----------░
░-H-------H-░
░-----------░
░-H-------H-░
░-----------░
░-----------░
░-H--H-H--H-░
░-----------░
░░░░░░░░░░░░░

====Ice trap====
Water open to the sky in freezing [[biome]]s will freeze instantly, completely destroying anything caught in it. By digging a channel entrance to your fort and selectively allowing it to flood as invaders pass through, you can commit genocide with appalling efficiency. The only disadvantage to this trap is its size: because water freezes so quickly, each entry channel must have a source of non-freezing water right next to it.

Observe in action [http://mkv25.net/dfma/movie-231-degrinchinator here], or a wider version [http://mkv25.net/dfma/movie-1675-semi-automaticorcsiclemaker here]. For more information, see [[User:Vattic/Orcsicle_maker_Explained|these detailed instructions]].

=====Fully Automatic Ice Trap=====
The hallway is exposed to the elements, and water there freezes instantly. The rest of the trap is underground. When an enemy steps on the pressure plate, the hallway is flooded with water immediately. Some of the water that doesn't freeze also triggers a second pressure plate. The second pressure plate pumps magma into the room directly beneath the main hallway, which melts the ice. The water is pumped out and retracting bridges then return the water and magma to their original positions. This trap was also inspired by the Degrinchinator.

Observe: http://mkv25.net/dfma/movie-2239-automaticresettingicetrap

For more info, see [http://www.bay12forums.com/smf/index.php?topic=63346.0 this] thread.

====Flusher====
Have a water reservoir to one side of the path the intruders should take, and a deep chasm at the other side. When invaders are on the path, just pull a lever to flush them out.

A compact version of this can be set up with a reservoir tower and a path circling it:

'''Level 0'''

····························· <tt>░</tt> - Wall
->++++++++++++++++++++++++++· <tt>-></tt> - Direction of traffic
->++++++++++++++++++++++++++· <tt>▼</tt> - Down-Ramps (as visible from one level above = see [[ramp]])
->++++++++++++++++++++++++++· <tt>+</tt> - Floor
░XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX░+++· <tt>·</tt> - Open space
░<nowiki>~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~</nowiki>X+++· <tt>X</tt> - Floodgate OR retracting bridge
░<nowiki>~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~</nowiki>X+++· <tt>~</tt> - Water
░<nowiki>~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~</nowiki>X+++·
░<nowiki>~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~</nowiki>X+++·
░XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX░+++·
<-++++++++++++++++++++++++++·
<-++++++++++++++++++++++++++·
<-++++++++++++++++++++++++++·
·····························

Be sure that the reservoir can hold enough water to flush everything out (3 levels should be enough), that it can be automatically or easily refilled quickly, and be advised that flushing your own dwarves can be much fun. Adjust the height of the chasm depending on how much damage you want to cause to intruders or to [[Unfortunate accident|innocent bystanders]] (7 levels start to do some serious damage).

Once flushed, the victims will try to find a way out (to re-invade the fortress, or to flee). Make sure there are some maintenance-free traps in their way. If you plan to collect [[goblinite]] afterwards, have a way to drain the bottom of the trap dry.

===Magma and fire traps===
These traps incinerate targets, or possibly encase them in [[obsidian]]. Magma does not play favorites - read up (again) on magma, and use with ''extreme'' caution. Fire traps are included in this category because magma is often the best method of starting a fire.

====Magma chamber====
Create an airlock using two bridges, two doors or whatever you like best. Make it a medium sized chamber, perhaps 10x10 or so. Channel out the floors around the rim, and rig up a system to pump magma into the room, or drop it from the roof. Enemies will quickly be destroyed, and with the magma in the channels, you can pump it out for future use or just leave it. The idea here is a re-useable magma trap; you can use this with a pressure plate, too. It also leaves behind any magma-proof items the invaders might have been carrying.

Variation: By placing magma-safe hatches on the ceiling and quickly activating and deactivating the trap, you can limit the use of magma. It doesn't take a lot of magma to set a goblin on fire: only 1/7 deep will do it, and using less magma means it will dry on its own. It does take a while for an enemy to burn to death, but what's better than spending the whole summer watching a room full of smoke and dying goblins?

====Incinerator hall====
Certain minerals such as [[lignite]] and [[graphite]] have an ignition point but no melting point, meaning that once they are set on [[fire]] they will burn for a very long time (about 9-10 months) unless exposed to water or [[weather|rain]]. Any item made out of these materials has this property, which can be used to design horrifying fiery death traps.

Consider a hallway filled with lignite [[floor grate]]s, which can be built directly on the floor and do not impede the passage of enemies. Pouring magma on any one of these grates will set it alight, and the fire will spread to all connected grates. The end result is a lot of constant smoke and a hallway that kills anything that passes through it. Consider [[traffic|restricting access]] to your dwarves or building this in a pit with a retractable bridge over top: the mere fact that a location is on fire will not stop them from walking through it. On the plus side, goblins are just as stupid.

====Flamethrower bunker====

Catch a creature that has a fire breath attack, such as a [[dragon]], [[fire imp]], [[fire man]], or anything else. Tame it if you can, and drop it into a 3x3 square of fortifications surrounded by bridges. Drop the bridge when necessary, and watch the creature lay waste on your opponents. Note that this may cause you to rage if the beast is not hostile to invaders. Beware of enemy archer squads as well.

You may want to build the bridge and mechanisms out of [[Fire#Dragonfire|dragonfire-safe]] materials if you are using a dragon.

You may do this with [[magma crab]]s (but first you must catch one) for a machinegun bunker, or [[giant cave spider]]s (or anything that has a [[web]] attack) for a paralyzing bunker.

===Weapon traps===
Traditional trap components can be used in sometimes interesting ways.

====Casual impalement====
One method of creating a zone of constant slaughter is to link a pressure plate in your main dining hall or main hallway to a patch of menacing spikes or spears. As your dwarves/pets mill around conversing/mating, they will constantly trigger the spike system without regard to the consequences.

Variation: Drop goblins into a holding pit with various spike traps linked to your pressure plate artfully placed around the chamber. Watch as every dining hall [[party]] begins to be measured in goblin blood.

====Caravan-Safe Traps====
Since traps block caravans, how can one have a depot but not have a trap-free entrance to the fortress? Simple! Caravans need 3-wide corridors, but that corridor does not need to be straight. Invaders will path straight (or as straight as they can). By knowing this, you can make trap layouts that have 3-wide corridors that intersect straight paths.

Like so:

Zig-Zag Alternating U
T+P+T+++ T = Trap ++++P+++++++++++++P++++
+T+P+T++ + = Ground/floor ++T+P+TTTTTTTTTTT+P+T++
++T+P+T+ E = Ramps going down ++T+P+T+++++++++T+P+T++
+++T+P+T to tunnel to depot ++T+P+T+++++++++T+P+T++
++++T+P+ P = Caravan path ++T+P+T+++++++++T+P+T++
++++T+P+ ++T+P+T+++EEE+++T+P+T++
+++T+P+T ++T+P+++++++++++++P+T++
++T+P+T+ ++T+PPPPPPPPPPPPPPP+T++
+T+P+T++ ++T+++++++++++++++++T++
T+P+T+++ ++TTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTT++
+P+T++++ +++++++++++++++++++++++

Both designs can be repeated for maximum effect or used together (make the entrance on the U wider and put Zig-Zag traps on the corridor to the depot).

====Dodge Me Trap====
Passing over a catwalk of traps, invaders will find themselves dodging into your pit. Since you can seal the pit with bridges, it doesn't complicate access to your fortress while inactive. Beware of dwarves fighting on top of it when active, as they will dodge too. Using weapon traps with a lot of possible hits can make an invader dodge multiple times at once, allowing him to dodge across an open space tile, skipping the pit. This can be dealt with in some variants by the strategic placement of walls and/or by having an incredibly broad pit. Using a low quality mechanism will also force invaders to dodge, as opposed to using a high quality mechanism in the weapon trap, which will cause the weapon trap to actually land hits on the invader.

Simple version:
+............+ ^ weapon trap
+............+ + floor, your fort on one side; the savage wilds on the other
+^^^^^^^^^^^^+ . Pit
+............+
+............+

Compact version:
+#########+ # retractable bridge with pit underneath
+#^^^^^^^^+
+#^#######+ + floor
+#^^^^^^^#+
+#######^#+ ^ traps
+#^^^^^^^#+
══+++═══════

====Goblin Grinder====
{{diagram|spaces=yes|\

═════
[#FF0]¢[#FF0]^[#F00]^[#00F]^[#00F]¢
═════
}}

In this trap described [http://www.bay12forums.com/smf/index.php?topic=62798.0 here], invaders are constrained to moving back and forth over a weapon trap {{Raw Tile|^|#F00|#000}} by two hatches over channels, {{Raw Tile|¢|#FF0|#000}} and {{Raw Tile|¢|#00F|#000}}, each linked to the pressure plate, {{Raw Tile|^|#FF0|#000}} and {{Raw Tile|^|#00F|#000}}, of the same color. Because the trapped creatures constantly path between the two hatches, a single trap may hit them many, many times.

The ends of the corridor are left open, allowing invaders to rush down the corridor, thinking it is an easy entrance into your fort. When they step on the pressure plate at the end, the hatch raises, exposing the uncrossable channel and blocking the exit. The invader's pathfinding decides to run back the other way, as that is now the only exit. As he reaches the other end, that hatch opens, causing him to run back and forth inside the corridor, unable to escape. As he runs back and forth, the traps grind him into a fine mist with no effort on your part. Creatures will occasionally fall into the pit dug underneath the hatches, but these are easily dealt with such as building a room underneath the channels filled with more traps.

By setting the pressure plates to be untriggerable by citizens, it's easy for them to walk through and collect the remaining goblinite unharmed once the siege ends.

Its two main disadvantages are being susceptible to both trap-avoiding creatures and building destroyers. These can be safeguarded by any of the other many usual ways of defending against this type of creature. It's also possible for a creature to be "stuck" in only the first few tiles of the trap, as they try to escape after taking enough damage, only walking two or three steps into the trap, then immediately turning around and trying to exit, and so only walking past already-triggered traps. Again, you can get rid of these with your military with no problem.

Some usage ideas from the thread:

* Without traps and placing only one pressure plate/hatch combination at the end leading into your fort, it makes a very simple dwarf-only one-way door into your fort. Non dwarves that attempt to enter will be blocked and turn around and take the exit. Alternately a good way of keeping creatures inside an area while allowing dwarf passage.
* With some additional work (details in the thread), it can be built as a repeater system, with a pressure plate inside hooked up to some other device that you want to repeatedly trigger. A pet running back and forth inside attempting to reach its owner or releasing a trapped prisoner and tempting them with freedom in exchange for running back and forth will repeatedly hit the pressure plate inside.
* Similarly, place a pressure plate inside that will link to some other action such as spike traps outside the entrance, impaling invaders waiting for their turn to enter the grinder as their friends run down the corridor.
* Don't fill with traps; instead, carve fortifications into the walls and use the trapped invaders as target practice and training for your archers.
* Don't fill with traps; instead fill with magma at your convenience.
* Fill with very weak weapon traps that will only maim the prisoner. Put an atom smasher near the other end that will be triggered as he tries to crawl towards freedom.

===Building destroyer and trapavoid traps===

====Door number one====
If you're having trouble dealing with building destroyers that don't set off traps, consider the following design, as seen from the side:
{{diagram|spaces=yes|\
════╝╬╬
[#F00]~X[#F0F]^ ▲╔═
══════╝
}}

Put the magma {{Raw Tile|~|#F00|#000}} behind a floodgate {{Raw Tile|X|#FFF|#000}}. In front of the floodgate, place a pressure plate {{Raw Tile|^|#F0F|#000}} set to go off on magma of 0 to 0. Link the pressure plate to a retracting bridge {{Raw Tile|╬|#FFF|#000}}{{Raw Tile|╬|#FFF|#000}} that covers the exit ramp {{Raw Tile|▲|#FFF|#000}} to the area. Although you can't get the creature to set off traps, when it breaks the door, magma will spill over the pressure plate, locking the creature in the hallway that is rapidly filling with magma. You could combine this with a simple levered hatch for drainage, but there's only one way to be certain: obsidianify it from orbit.

Note that the trap as pictured is too short-- in order to catch a creature, your bridge has to close before the creature can escape from the tunnel.

====Artifact awe trap====
{{diagram|spaces=yes|\
═════
+¢╬ ╬
═════
}}

This simple containment trap is designed to trap any number of building destroyers, even trapavoid building destroyers, on a single tile, after which you can do whatever you'd like with them-- bolt 'em, ice 'em, drop 'em, spike 'em, it's all good. Building destroyers are drawn by a piece of [[legendary artifact|artifact-quality]] furniture, in this case, a hatch cover {{Raw Tile|¢|#FFF|#000}}. A door {{Raw Tile|+|#FFF|#000}} prevents them from seeing further into your fort and being distracted from the enchanting beauty of your furniture. When you've captured as many creatures as you'd like on that tile, simple raise both bridges {{Raw Tile|╬|#FFF|#000}}-- first, the far one, then, the one near the artifact-- and you may even remove the artifact, to create a new trap elsewhere.

===Other traps===
Anything that can be weaponized can be turned into a trap. And anything can be weaponized.

====Bioweapon trap====
Some of the underground's nastier creatures are capable of breathing [[syndrome]]-bearing deadly dust. While such dust can easily spread and lead to the downfall of a fort, more masochistic players may seek ways to weaponize it. Syndrome-bearing blood may be used similarly, but placement of the trap is a great deal more difficult.

At its simplest, a bioweapon trap is a single tile of syndrome-bearing extract. It can be placed by moving an item covered in dust to the desired location via stockpiling or dumping, and then pouring a [[bucket]] of water over the item, transferring the dust from the item to the tile it sits on. A simple way to get your dwarves to pour a bucket of water over the item is via designation of a [[activity zone#Pit/Pond|pond]] zone. Alternatively, one can take advantage of the natural tendency of [[User:Uristocrat/Dwarven__Bathtub|dwarven bathtub]]s and simply drag contaminated items through a trench full of shallow water to create a contamination trench.

Any affected creature is likely to carry the contamination with it past the location of the bioweapon. This can be useful, if you've discovered a particularly interesting extract that you no longer have a way to generate, but it can also be dangerous to the well-being of your fortress. A pile of extract sitting in 2/7 water will not block pathing, and will simultaneously infect and wash creatures passing through it. Placement of extract in a damp trench can be difficult, as the water will tend to carry the extract on to the walls, but with persistence, it can be done. Extract/water combos like this are best placed underground to prevent freezing or evaporation. You may have difficulty preventing your dwarves from [[cleaning]] tiles affected by the extract.

The deadliness of a bioweapon depends entirely on the extract used to create it, and can range from debilitating nausea (perfect to incapacitate invaders while your military mops them up, yet unlikely to lead to serious damage to your own fort), to death by bleeding within 600 ticks (a half day). Given the proper extract, you could even create a beneficial bioweapon trap that prevents those affected from suffering pain. Footwear appears to protect, leaving any bioweapon trap much more deadly to your own dwarves than to any invader.

Bioweapon traps have the potential to be very powerful but should be considered extremely risky, as extracts are capable of multiplication and don't distinguish between friend or foe. A single bioweapon trap could easily kill all of your dwarves in a season. Bioweapons never require cleaning or resetting, but won't work on many foes.

Alternative biotraps are possible. Using a 'deadly dust' creature rather than its extract is possible, but such interactions have rather short range (2 tiles at least) and may ignore invaders passing by a bit further away. By forcing invaders to walk right next to fortification that separates the beast and invader you can ensure a syndromey greeting to your unwanted guests, but the creature will be vulnerable to enemy archers. Should you discover a creature with noxious secretions that boil at a low temperature, such a creature can be used even while caged: its secretions will affect anything nearby, but the creature that bears the syndrome remains invulnerable to attack. Good luck getting the cage where you want it!

=== Animal/Gladiator Traps ===
War animals can be a messy way of dispatching your invaders. Since most war animals aren't grazers, you can put a pasture in a room and assign a bunch of war animals without any need for maintenance. Keep in mind size, a war dog is not going to do nearly as well against a troll as a lion would. However, 5 dogs should be able to overcome it. If you don't want your animals to die, simply use cage traps to catch invaders, disarm them, then drop them into the animal arena unarmed with a pit above the room. Although, this isn't a guarantee, unarmed goblins are incredibly weak. This trap has a lot more randomness involved than others, so it's more of a novelty than an effective and practical trap. Exotic animals can be much more brutal, so bonus points for catching tigers, bears,(or buying them from elves) or dragons. If you do manage to catch a dragon and tame it, you'll probably want to clear out any other animals, unless they don't mind dragon fire.

If one of your dwarves has been plagued by [[Vampire|Vampirism]], all the better. Build him/her a nice pit outfitted as barracks, throw in good weapons and armor, and watch as they train themselves nonstop up to Legendary skill in most combat abilities.

When you want to make them practice, just throw a caged prisoner in, order them to open it, and watch as they tear them to shreds.

=== Minecarts ===
A [[minecart]], while you think about it, is just a large hunk of metal traveling at a very fast speed in a straight line. Its nature can be used for your advantage.
==== Minecart grinder ====
All you need is a straight, narrow corridor, some tracks, and a way to make a minecart gain momentum (rolling down 3 z-levels worth of ramps should be more than enough).

Using the hauling designation, assign a minecart to the top of the ramp, without giving it any departure conditions. As soon as the enemies are approaching the other side of the corridor, change the departure condition to "push" and "always". Once a dwarf comes by and pushes it, the minecart will jolt down the hallway flattening everything on its path, and may even put a dent in an attacking [[Megabeast]].
By dumping minecarts on either rollers or downward ramps, multiple carts can be used on the same track without any hauling routes, allowing for multishot weapons, increasing the efficiency of the trap.
Rollers or impulse ramps can be used to make a cart return system, allowing for fully automatic systems.

==== Shotgun ====
Minecarts have the interesting properties of spilling their contents when they hit a solid object like another minecart at high speed. This can be used by filling minecarts with either heavy objects like stones, sharp objects like surplus weapons or simply a lot of them, then sending them down some ramps onto a target. On impact, the contents will continue their way at high speed, dealing damage to anything in the way. <s>You know you want to fill a minecart with !!lignite blocks!! now</s>

==== Water/Magma gun ====
Minecarts submerged in [[Water]] fill themselves with liquid, which then counts as a quite heavy object. Using the shotgun effect, this allows for a weapon without need to manually load minecarts, resulting in higher rate of fire and fewer dwarves running on potentially lethal tracks. First proposed [http://www.bay12forums.com/smf/index.php?topic=114654.0 here], with an updated version [http://www.bay12forums.com/smf/index.php?topic=119831.0 here].

Using [[Magma]] makes the design potentially more lethal and certainly more dwarven, and adds the <s>usual dangers</s> [[fun]] of working with this fluid.

==== Minecart thumper ====
When falling minecarts land on a floor, they injure creatures in the tile below.{{bug|6068}} Add some rollers and a very short track loop to maximize the damage potential. Since the minecart remains physically separated from its targets, it shouldn't jam or jump off track.

{{Category|Traps}}
{{category|Fortress defense}}
{{category|Design}}

v0.34:Giant earthworm

2014-03-27T17:09:13Z

Naryar:

{{quality|Fine|19:32, 11 October 2010 (UTC)}}
{{Creaturelookup/0
|meat=40-41
|brain=5-6
|heart=2-3
|intestine=17-18
|fat=13
|vary=no
|contrib=yes
|skin=hide
}}
{{av}}
{{creaturedesc}}

Giant earthworms are colossal annelids, burrowing through rock and stone. They are also exceptionally rare.

Gigantic is an understatement -- a worm corpse of merely average weight is around 1700 kilograms. Giant earthworms are also far faster than one might guess an earthworm to be. Their lack of sharp corners and edges makes them not especially dangerous. However because of their lack of body parts they can be difficult to kill by severing.

Some dwarves admire them "for their awesome presence."

{{gamedata}}
{{Creatures}}
{{Category|Animals}}

v0.34:Amethyst man

2014-03-27T17:07:58Z

Naryar: Formidable ? Nah. Cave dragons are formidable fighters.

{{Quality|Exceptional|03:51, 2 July 2013 (UTC)}}
{{Creaturelookup/0
|vary=no
|contrib=no
|death=item
|item=Rough [[amethyst]]s
}}
{{av}}
{{creaturedesc}}

[[File:Amethyst man.png|thumb|left|Admired for its rockiness.]]

'''Amethyst men''' are an extremely rare type of anthropomorphic creature made of solid [[amethyst]], essentially [[gem]]stone golems, found only in the deepest [[cavern]]s. They are non-sentient creatures that are not alive, [[No Pain|feel no pain]], feel no fear, [[No Stun|cannot be stunned]], like fighting, do not need to breathe, have no thought center, and are type two [[building destroyer]]s. Decent fighters, not to be attacked with large numbers or good soldiers. Amethyst men can only be killed in combat by severing of their heads with an adept sword stroke (blunt weapons are useless), or more creatively with a long fall, a [[cave-in]], or [[magma]]. Upon death, they leave a rough [[amethyst]] [[gem]] usable by your [[jeweler]]s.

{{gamedata}}
{{Creatures}}
{{Category|Humanoids}}

v0.34:Magma mist

2014-03-27T16:55:08Z

Naryar: /* Preventative Measures */

{{quality|Fine|10:19, 30 December 2011 (UTC)}}{{av}}

Magma mist is the [[Fire|!!]][[Fun]][[Fire|!!]] yellow mist created in three cases :
* when debris from a [[cave-in]] splashes into [[magma]]
* when a fast-moving item or creature skips across magma
* when you drop a sufficiently large item into magma

Unlike normal [[mist]], magma mist is '''not''' created when a magma falls down a Z-level. It sets on fire all non-fire-resistant creatures that share a tile with it, and in earlier versions would instantly kill most creatures who breathed it in.

Magma mist tends to be around longer than cave-in dust, and is created in quantities proportional to what you drop into magma.

When it appears outdoors, it is called ''lava'' mist instead but is otherwise identical.

Magma mist is '''not''' to be confused with being "caught in a cloud of boiling magma", a bug involving messages displayed when caught in [[cave-in]] dust.

== Preventative Measures ==

If you are being careful around magma, it isn't very likely that you'll run into magma mist at all, let alone have to worry about your dwarves breathing it in. The simplest thing you can do to prevent it is to watch out when dealing with mining above magma, or channeling above magma in particular.

If you plan on using a magma garbage disposal system, have sufficient z-levels between the dumping point and the magma/lava. Mass dumping a whole siege worth of corpses, body parts and assorted trash may generate magma mist clouds 3 z-levels high and wide. A single large corpse (eg. a troll) is enough to cause a small magma mist cloud, potentially fatal if the magma's surface is just 1 z-level below the dumping point.

{| style="border-spacing:0; float:left; margin-right:10px;"
|-
|{{000}}
|{{000}}
|{{RT0|░|#FF0}}
|{{000}}
|{{000}}
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|{{RT0|░|#FF0}}
|{{RT0|▒|#FF0}}
|{{RT0|░|#FF0}}
|{{000}}
|-
|{{RT0|≈|#F00}}
|{{RT0|≈|#F00}}
|{{RT0|≈|#F00}}
|{{CCC}}
|{{CCC}}
|-
|{{RT0|≈|#F00}}
|{{RT0|≈|#F00}}
|{{RT0|≈|#F00}}
|{{CCC}}
|{{CCC}}
|-
|{{RT0|≈|#F00}}
|{{RT0|≈|#F00}}
|{{RT0|≈|#F00}}
|{{CCC}}
|{{CCC}}
|-
|{{RT0|≈|#F00}}
|{{RT0|≈|#F00}}
|{{RT0|≈|#F00}}
|{{CCC}}
|{{CCC}}
|}

{| style="border-spacing:0; float:left; margin-right:10px;"
|-
|{{000}}
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|{{000}}
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|{{000}}
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|-
|{{000}}
|{{000}}
|{{RT0|░|#FF0}}
|{{CCC}}
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|-
|{{000}}
|{{RT0|░|#FF0}}
|{{RT0|▒|#FF0}}
|{{CCC}}
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|-
|{{RT0|≈|#F00}}
|{{RT0|≈|#F00}}
|{{RT0|≈|#F00}}
|{{CCC}}
|{{CCC}}
|}

'''Side View.''' ''Fun (left) and completely safe (right) magma garbage disposal points showing typical magma mist clouds after dumping a few corpses.''

 

== Weaponization ==

Magma mist can be used as an [[Fire|ignition device]] on [[Elf|various]] [[Goblin|targets]] if you do not want to use magma itself and wait until it evaporates.

Channel a moat right next to your main fortress. Fill it with magma. Drop one (or several) large, unneeded items in the magma from a few higher Z-levels when an enemy walks on the path. It can also double as a waste disposal system.

Of course, since it sets targets on fire, be sure that it does <s>not</s> permit the burning target to reach your dwarves (or booze stockpile), and be sure that the invaders are not fire immune (like a dragon or bronze colossus).

{{Category|Physics}}
{{Category|World}}

v0.34:Animal trainer

2013-10-03T14:29:11Z

Naryar:

{{quality|Exceptional|03:36, 10 January 2012 (UTC)}}
{{Skill
| color = 2:0
| skill = Animal Trainer
| profession = [[Ranger]]
| job name = [[Animal training]]
| tasks =
* Train [[dog|war animal]]
* Train [[dog|hunting animal]]
* Tame large animal
* Tame small animal
| workshop = [[Kennel]]
| attributes =
* Agility
* Toughness
* Endurance
* Intuition
* Patience
* Empathy
}}
{{av}}

'''Animal trainer''' is the skill associated with the '''animal training''' [[labor]]. An animal trainer works with [[animal]]s, either taming wild ones, or training certain species for war or hunting.

The Animal [[status]] tab ({{k|z}} - {{k|Enter}}) has a list of all animals that are tame (and belong to your civilization) or are caged and can be tamed. Each animal on the list can be assigned a trainer, who will then tame (if needed) the animal, increase its tameness (if not born from tamed animals) or train it for war or hunting (if selected for hunting or training). Which animals are known and how well can be checked in the second sub-tab in "Animals" tab.

An [[Activity_zone#Animal_Training|animal training zone]] is required for all training activities.

== Domesticating wild animals ==
=== Capture ===
In order to domesticate an animal you must first have an animal to domesticate, so before you can do any training you must capture some wild animals. Which animals appear at your fortress (and thus which animals you can attempt to tame, besides the [[Caverns|subterranean]] creatures that are randomly present) is dependent upon your [[surroundings]], which is in turn dependent upon the local [[biome]], or biomes if your fortress overlaps multiple [[region]]s.

Wild [[creature]]s can only be captured by [[cage trap]]s; as above-ground traffic is, as a rule, unrestricted, and as creatures can enter and exit the map from any direction, the only reliable way to force wildlife into your cages is to build a lot of them. The same is true of the [[caverns]], although since they are usually not nearly so expansive capturing passing creatures is a little easier; on the other hand you have to be much more worried about exposing your dwarves to the various subterranean nasties. Note that [[animal trap]]s are ''not'' used in this role, but are instead used by [[trapper]]s to capture live [[vermin]], and thus surprisingly enough trappers are not involved in the trapping of actual creatures.

Just because you have a creature stowed away in your cages [[stockpile]] does not mean that it can be trained, as only creatures with the <tt>[PET]</tt> or <tt>[PET_EXOTIC]</tt> [[creature token]] can be trained. Additionally, <tt>[TRAPAVOID]</tt> creatures ignore cage traps entirely. Captured [[siege|war]] [[mount]]s can also be trained, but they will, regardless of training level, remain hostile to your civilization and will, if released from bondage, attack your units without mercy; even worse these creatures [http://www.bay12forums.com/smf/index.php?topic=111357.0 may cause] a [[loyalty cascade]] if you order your [[military]] to deal with the situation.{{bug|6051}} To make use of captured creatures that you cannot or do not want to tame, see [[live training]] and [[mass pitting]].

=== Taming ===
{| style="text-align:center; float:right; margin:8px;" class=wikitable
! '''Designation'''
! '''Description'''
|-
| Wild || Not tamed
|-
| Semi-wild || Semi-wild
|-
| Trained || Trained
|-
| -Trained- || Well-trained
|-
| +Trained+ || Skillfully trained
|-
| *Trained* ||Expertly trained
|-
| ≡Trained≡ || Exceptionally trained
|-
| ☼Trained☼ || Masterfully trained
|-
| Domesticated || Tame
|}

Once you have a captured, trainable creature trapped in a cage, you can start trying to domesticate it. You will need [[trap#Cage_Trap|cage trap]], an [[Activity zone#Animal training|animal training zone]], and some [[plants]] or [[meat]] depending on whether the animal is herbivorous or carnivorous. To have your animal trainer begin taming a wild animal, use {{k|z}} to open the status screen and select the animal menu. Scroll through the list until your captured wild animal is selected and use {{k|t}} to set a trainer to tame it. Note that if a caged animal is fed a plant, [[seed]]s will stay in the cage. This has no effect on training, but if you later release the animal, you will need to [[Activity zone#Garbage Dump|dump]] the seeds from the cage before it can be reused.

The trainer will bring food to the cage and interact with it, bringing it to one of the trained levels (see table at right). A fully wild animal must be trained from its cage, but once an animal has been initially trained and it is no longer wild, it may be safely released from its cage (and preferably assigned to an enclosed [[pasture]] or [[restraint]], to keep it hemmed in case problems arise later). Be warned: trained animals immediately become trapavoid, and will stay so if they ever go wild again, making recapture impossible.{{Bug|6002}}

Animals left in a cage cannot be retrained from beyond a wild state (ae. will only be trained from and revert to a wild state), so moving the no longer wild animal out of its cage is necessary for further training. Alternatively, with a difficult to train animal or a poor trainer, you may want to leave the animal in its cage; the Animal will eventually revert back to its wild state, at which point your trainer will train it again, safely giving your trainer experience and also more knowledge about the animal if it's exotic. Note that <tt>[GRAZER]</tt> animals need a pasture to survive, and will die if left to linger in a cage for too long.

The overall difficulty and time required to tame an animal is roughly proportional to its [[List of creatures by pet value|pet value]]. As a general guideline, animals with pet value less than a hundred are easy to train, those with values in the hundreds take some effort and a few years to train well, and creatures with pet values in the thousands such as [[dragon]]s are very slow to train and almost impossible to completely domesticate.

Adult trained animals will slowly revert to their wild origins over time and must have a trainer permanently assigned to them (through the animal [[status]] menu) to ensure they remain friendly through regular re-training. Trained animals have a quality associated to their training that affects how long they will retain composure before reverting to the wild, but which may have other effects as well. The last state an animal reaches before it becomes fully wild is semi-wild, at which point the animal sporadically attacks passerby and which prompts a major [[announcement]].

Dwarves will instinctively know when their animal training partners need retraining, and will prioritize doing so, but will obviously not be able to if they are [[wound|injured]], experiencing a [[strange mood]], do not have the necessary treats, or are otherwise unable to reach their trainees. If you assign a single dwarf to an animal (Any available trainer is also an option) only that dwarf will ever attempt to train or retrain the creature, so care must be taken to keep your trainers healthy and available.

When training animals that your [[civilization]] has never domesticated before, successful training will result in some knowledge being transferred to your civilization every time the dwarven [[caravan]] returns to the mountainhomes. This has no effect on gameplay within your fortress, but is conjectured to reduce training barriers for future fortresses established by your civilization. Although a number of farm animals are domesticated by your civilization from the beginning of the game, your fortress cannot individually "civilization-level" domesticate a species.[http://www.bay12forums.com/smf/index.php?topic=121150.0 1]

{|class="wikitable" style="width:80%; align:center"
! Announcement
! Training level in {{k|z}} screen
|-
| {{Gametext|The dwarves of (civ) now know a few facts about (animal) training.|cyan}}
| {{DFtext|A few facts|red}}
|-
| {{Gametext|The dwarves of (civ) have attained a general familiarity with (animal) training methods.|cyan}}
| {{DFtext|General familiarity|yellow}}
|-
| {{Gametext|The dwarves of (civ) are now quite knowledgeable (animal) trainers.|cyan}}
| {{DFtext|Knowledgeable|white}}
|-
| {{Gametext|The dwarves of (civ) are now expert (animal) trainers.|cyan}}
| {{DFtext|Expert|cyan}}
|-
| {{center|-}}
|{{DFtext|Domesticated|lime}}
|}

=== Taming children ===
Only animals with the <tt>[CHILD]</tt> tag can [[breeding|breed]] and have children, but any animal children that they have offer a significant perk: the possibility of eventually fully domesticating a species. Note that animals cannot get pregnant in cages (in fact, this is the ''only'' time they can't), so you'll have to move past the initial training stage to have them - ae. there is no such thing as wild fortress-born animal children.

Animals born from partially tamed parents will not revert to a wild state while they are still children: for example, if a wild female wolf is captured and trained up to the +T+ level, and gives birth, the pups may forget any training they're put under as pups, but will never go lower than Semi-Wild while they're still pups. They can, and will, revert to a wild state when they become adult wolves, though going back to a fully wild state will still take some time after they've reached adulthood.

Animals who are born from a trained animal will inherit the mother's trained status, including the training quality. This allows procession to full domestication, as when children with a high enough taming level are tamed well enough, they may become domesticated (and will never need retraining again, unlike their mother). Interestingly, the training level of the father does not count for anything when it comes to the child, but perhaps this is unsurprising given that in Dwarf Fortress animals can breed from across the entire map, without ever even seeing each other. Only children can be domesticated, and once the young animal grows up the opportunity for domestication will no longer be available.[http://www.bay12forums.com/smf/index.php?topic=121150.0 1]

Animals in Dwarf Fortress give birth in one of two ways, either with live births or by laying and incubating [[egg]]s. Child-rearing animals that give birth to their young is easy: as long as there is at least one male of that species is somewhere on the map, children will be born, inheriting their parent's pasture statuses in the process. Egg-layers are more complicated; there must be an open constructed [[nest box]] for the female to occupy and lay a clutch of eggs in, and they and the mother must remain undisturbed during the process as the mother must incubate her eggs, even for training. Thus the eggs must be [[forbid]]den and the mother should have her trainer de-assigned during the duration of her stay; they also will ''not'' inherit their mother's pasture status.[http://www.bay12forums.com/smf/index.php?topic=121150.0 1] The resultant children will have the taming status of their mother when they were ''laid'', not hatched.

== Training tame animals ==
Tame animals can be trained for hunting or for war, for which you need a [[Zone#Animal_Training|training zone]] ({{k|i}}-{{k|t}}) and a dwarf with the animal training labor enabled. Then you can go to your animal status screen ({{k|z}}-{{k|Enter}}) and find your trainable animal. Trainable animals are those where you see you can press either {{k|w}} for war training or {{k|h}} for hunting training. If you wish you can also select a particular trainer {{k|t}} to perform this task.

===Train a hunting animal===
This requires an [[Cage|uncaged]] tame animal with <tt>[TRAINABLE]</tt> or <tt>[TRAINABLE_HUNTING]</tt>, an animal training activity zone, and an animal trainer. Note that an animal that is in a pasture can only be trained if the zone is also in the same [[pasture]]. Hunting animals can be assigned ({{K|v}}-select dwarf-{{K|p}}-{{K|e}}) to follow a hunter and assist in the hunting process. They are intrinsically faster and more agile than a regular tamed animal, and can [[ambusher|sneak]] alongside their partner, but are not as strong as a war animal and cannot be unassigned.

=== Train a war animal ===
Requires: An [[Cage|uncaged]] tame animal with <tt>[TRAINABLE]</tt> (or <tt>[TRAINABLE_WAR]</tt>, although no such animals exist, as currently all war-trainable animals can be trained for hunting as well and are under the inclusive <tt>[TRAINABLE]</tt> tag), an animal training activity zone, and an animal trainer. [[Pasture|Pastured]] animals can only be trained if the zone is located within their pasture.

War animals are significantly stronger than their untrained counterparts; war dogs make excellent companions when starting a fortress, when you can't spare many dwarves for fighting.

Like hunting animals, they can also be assigned to individual dwarves; combined with their strength, this makes them effective expendable bodyguards for any dwarf likely to see danger or who you feel is valuable enough to be worth protecting. Even if they fail to defeat an attacker, they can often buy their charge time to escape or for additional reinforcements to arrive.

== Bonding ==
As animal trainers work with an animal, they may become [[Relationships|bonded]] to it ("formed a bond with an animal training partner"), and this relationship is visible in the dwarf's relationships screen. This happens even if the dwarf is not specifically assigned to the animal and appears to disregard training quality. The death of a bonded animal results in a bad thought for the trainer ("has lost an animal training partner to tragedy"), whose exact severity is unknown but fairly significant. It is unknown whether working with a bonded animal gives a happy thought similar to the one gained from talking to a friend.

== Trainable war/hunting animals ==
The following creatures can be trained into war animals or hunting animals:
If you trade for one of these animals, and they are already tame then they will remain tame when they become yours.

{| class="wikitable sortable"
! Animal
! Size
! Notes
|-
|[[Dog]]
|30,000
|† ♪
|-
|[[Mandrill]]
|20,000
|☼ †
|-
|[[Gorilla]]
|150,000
|☼ †
|-
|[[Grizzly bear]]
|200,000
|☼
|-
|[[Polar bear]]
|400,000
|☼
|-
|[[Gigantic panda]]
|1,160,900
|‼
|-
|[[Elephant]]
|5,000,000
|‼
|-
|[[Rhinoceros]]
|3,000,000
|‼
|-
|[[Giraffe]]
|1,000,000
|‼
|-
|[[Giant bat]]
|200,000
|♪ Hunting only
|-
|[[Giant cave swallow]]
|200,000
|♪ Hunting only
|-
|[[Jabberer]]
|4,500,000
|☼
|-
|[[Cheetah]]
|50,000
|♪
|-
|[[Leopard]]
|50,000
|♪
|-
|[[Jaguar]]
|75,000
|♪
|-
|[[Lion]]
|200,000
|† ♪
|-
|[[Tiger]]
|225,000
|† ♪
|-
|[[Bobcat]]
|8,000
| Too small
|-
|[[Ocelot]]
|25,000
|?
|-
|[[Lynx]]
|25,000
|?
|-
|[[Giant bobcat]]
|256,320
|♪
|-
|[[Giant ocelot]]
|377,750
|♪
|-
|[[Giant lynx]]
|377,750
|♪
|-
|[[Giant cheetah]]
|560,000
|♪
|-
|[[Giant leopard]]
|560,000
|♪
|-
|[[Giant jaguar]]
|750,000
|♪
|-
|[[Giant lion]]
|1,700,000
|♪
|-
|[[Giant tiger]]
|1,900,000
|☼ ♪
|-
|[[Cave dragon]]
|15,000,000
|☼
|-
|[[Roc]]
|20,000,000
|☼ ♪ [[Megabeast]]
|-
|[[Dragon]]
|25,000,000
|☼ [[Megabeast]]
|}

''☼ - These animals are a good choice for your army.'' 
''† - These animals are good choices for protecting important civilians, attacking dangerous creatures so the dwarf can escape.'' 
''♪ - These animals are good companions for hunters and marksdwarves.'' 
''‼ - These animals are a poor choice for training due to their voracious appetites for [[grass]].''

Remember to keep a breeding pair out of harm's way around if you want more of a particular animal, in case the ones in service somehow die.

==Tame water creatures==
With a great deal of effort and some clever engineering, it is possible to capture, tame, and butcher water creatures.[http://www.bay12forums.com/smf/index.php?topic=75780.0 2] Water creatures can survive indefinitely in [[cage]]s, but will drown at water levels below 4/7 while dwarves will cancel tasks at water levels at or above 4/7, making training extremely tricky. This basic problem can be solved with one of more interesting bugs in the game: [[ghost]] trainers.[http://www.bay12forums.com/smf/index.php?topic=127659 3] It is currently unknown what bug causes this, but some animal trainers that are killed and never [[burial|buried]] or [[memorial]]ized will continue to perform their job from the grave. This removes the fundamental problem of water depth incompatibility and makes the task much easier. An easier solution, however, would be [[vampire]] animal trainers: they are unbreathing and will path through such water normally, so long as there is no flow. Taming water creatures in vanilla is fairly useless, however, as without [[modding]] they never have children, nor can they receive war (or hunting, however that would work) training.

==Taming enemy mounts==

Taming enemy [[mount]]s does not work properly. While the job is complete and the animal trainer gains experience, tamed enemy mounts still are still hostile to your civilization and will attack your dwarves.

However, it does seem that the offspring of tamed enemy mounts belong to your civilization, because tamed mounts <s>amusingly</s> disturbingly attack and subsequently kill these offspring at birth. If you are careful and [[stupid dwarf trick|ingenious]] enough, you can separate the parents and children at birth.

Note that egg-layers, such as tamed [[cave crocodile]] mounts, will not use nestboxes and therefore generate no offspring.

==Bugs==

* Trained animals immediately become trapavoid, and will stay so if they ever go wild again, making recapture difficult.{{Bug|6002}}

* Capturing and training [[siege|war]] [[mount]]s [http://www.bay12forums.com/smf/index.php?topic=111357.0 may cause] a [[loyalty cascade]] if your [[military]] has to put them down.{{bug|6051}}

* Trained [[flying|fliers]] may swap positions with dwarves, leaving the dwarves stranded in an inaccessible area.{{bug|3371}}

* Taming herbivores leaves [[seed]]s in [[cage]]s, which must be manually removed.{{bug|201}}

{{skills}}

v0.34:Creature

2013-09-02T20:44:05Z

Naryar:

{{Quality|Exceptional|18:04, 19 July 2013 (UTC)}}
{{av}}{{Category|Creatures}}

In Dwarf Fortress, a '''creature''' is defined as any animate, normally-mobile (and for the sake of this article, non-[[vermin]]) being that can interact with the world. Although most creatures are animals, [[dwarf|dwarves]], [[giant cave spider]]s, and even [[megabeast]]s are all also considered creatures. Various creatures can and will interact with a fortress or adventure in many different ways.

==Reading the Table==
{{CreatureCurrent table head}}
|}
The above columns indicate, in order:

'''Symbol:''' The symbol assigned to the creature, how you will see it without a graphic set.

'''Name:''' The name of the creature as it shows up ingame.

'''Hostile:''' If "Yes" then the creature will attack on sight, if "No" then the creature is either neutral or friendly. [[Undead]] creatures are always hostile to living things.

'''Food Source:''' If "Yes" then the creature can be butchered into edible substance that your dwarves will feed on.

'''Adult Body Size:''' The average size of the creature when an adult. This can be anywhere from 500 for a [[rabbit]] to 25,000,000 for a [[dragon]]. More or less equals the creature's weight in grams. These sizes do not correspond to the sizes which trigger [[pressure plate]]s. Size is modified with height and broadness (ie. incredible skinny and short is below the average weight, while a fat and tall one is above it).

'''Pet Value:''' This is the value the creature can be bought and sold for as a [[pet]] during [[trading]].

'''Biome:''' Where the creature can be found.

'''Features:''' Any special features the creature possesses, these can include things such as [[cave blob|causing a syndrome]], [[dragon|breathing fire]], or [[giant cave spider|spinning webs]].

==Creatures==
===Civilized===
====Main Races====


{{CreatureCurrent table head}}
{{CreatureCurrent table row|name=[[Dwarf]]|symbol=☺|color=3:0:0|hostile=No|food=No|size=60,000|value=Not tameable|biome=Fortresses|note=Trading race}}
{{CreatureCurrent table row|name=[[Elf]]|symbol=e|color=3:0:0|hostile=Variable1|food=No|size=60,000|value=Not tameable|biome=Forest retreats|note=Trading race}}
{{CreatureCurrent table row|name=[[Goblin]]|symbol=g|color=7:0:0|hostile=Variable1|food=No|size=60,000|value=Not tameable|biome=Dark fortresses|note=Trading race, Snatchers2}}
{{CreatureCurrent table row|name=[[Human]]|symbol=U|color=3:0:0|hostile=Variable1|food=No|size=70,000|value=Not tameable|biome=Towns and cities|note=Trading race}}
{{CreatureCurrent table row|name=[[Kobold]]|symbol=k|color=6:0:0|hostile=Variable1|food=No|size=20,000|value=Not tameable|biome=Caves|note=Skulking race}}
|}
:1. Whether or not you are hostile with select civilized races depends on the history of your game world.
:2. Snatchers try to snatch children of other civilizations. Snatched individuals become part of the Snatcher's civ.

====[[Animal people]]====
'''Note: These creatures can form crude civilizations underground but will not trade with you. They wield some weapons and can join adventurers.'''
{{CreatureCurrent table head}}
{{CreatureCurrent table row|name=[[Amphibian man]]|symbol=a|color=6:0:0|hostile=Variable1|food=Yes|size=20,000|value=Not tameable|biome=Underground|note=Amphibious}}
{{CreatureCurrent table row|name=[[Antman]]|symbol=a|color=0:0:1|hostile=Variable1|food=Yes|size=Variable2|value=Not tameable|biome=Underground|note=Four castes}}
{{CreatureCurrent table row|name=[[Bat man]]|symbol=b|color=0:0:1|hostile=Variable1|food=Yes|size=70,000|value=Not tameable|biome=Underground|note=Can fly}}
{{CreatureCurrent table row|name=[[Cave fish man]]|symbol=f|color=7:0:1|hostile=Variable1|food=Yes|size=70,000|value=Not tameable|biome=Underground|note=Amphibious}}
{{CreatureCurrent table row|name=[[Cave swallow man]]|symbol=s|color=0:0:1|hostile=Variable1|food=Yes|size=70,000|value=Not tameable|biome=Underground|note=Can fly}}
{{CreatureCurrent table row|name=[[Olm man]]|symbol=o|color=7:0:1|hostile=Variable1|food=Yes|size=70,000|value=Not tameable|biome=Underground|note=Amphibious}}
{{CreatureCurrent table row|name=[[Reptile man]]|symbol=r|color=2:0:0|hostile=Variable1|food=Yes|size=50,000|value=Not tameable|biome=Underground|note=Amphibious}}
{{CreatureCurrent table row|name=[[Rodent man]]|symbol=r|color=0:0:1|hostile=Variable1|food=Yes|size=40,000|value=Not tameable|biome=Underground|note=}}
{{CreatureCurrent table row|name=[[Serpent man]]|symbol=s|color=7:0:1|hostile=Variable1|food=Yes|size=50,000|value=Not tameable|biome=Underground|note=Amphibious; Causes [[Syndrome]]}}
|}
:1. Whether a animalman civilization treats you as hostile or not seems random. {{verify}}
:2. Antmen body sizes depend on their caste.

====Domestic Animals====
{{CreatureCurrent table head}}
{{CreatureCurrent table row|name=[[Alpaca]]|symbol=a|color=7:0:1|food=Yes|hostile=No|size=70,000|value=200|biome=N/A|note=Domestic, milkable and can be sheared}}
{{CreatureCurrent table row|name=
[[Blue peafowl]]|symbol=p|color=1:0:1|food=Yes|hostile=No|size=4,000|value=10|biome=Tropical broadleaf forest|note=Domestic, lay eggs}}
{{CreatureCurrent table row|name=[[Cat]]|symbol=c|color=0:0:1|food=Yes|hostile=No|size=5,000|value=20|biome=N/A|note=Domestic}}
{{CreatureCurrent table row|name=[[Cavy]]|symbol=c|color=7:0:0|food=No|hostile=No|size=800|value=3|biome=Tropical savanna, grassland, and shrubland|note=Domestic}}
{{CreatureCurrent table row|name=[[Chicken]]|symbol=c|color=6:0:0|food=Yes|hostile=No|size=3,000|value=10|biome=N/A|note=Domestic, lay eggs}}
{{CreatureCurrent table row|name=[[Cow]]|symbol=C|color=6:0:0|food=Yes|hostile=No|size=600,000|value=300|biome=N/A|note=Domestic and milkable}}
{{CreatureCurrent table row|name=[[Dog]]|symbol=d|color=6:0:0|food=Yes|hostile=No|size=30,000|value=30|biome=N/A|note=Domestic and trainable}}
{{CreatureCurrent table row|name=[[Duck]]|symbol=d|color=2:0:0|food=No|hostile=No|size=1,000|value=10|biome=Any lakes and any wetland|note=Domestic, lay eggs}}
{{CreatureCurrent table row|name=[[Donkey]]|symbol=D|color=6:0:0|food=Yes|hostile=No|size=300,000|value=200|biome=N/A|note=Domestic, milkable, pack animal}}
{{CreatureCurrent table row|name=[[Goat]]|symbol=g|color=6:0:0|food=Yes|hostile=No|size=50,000|value=50|biome=N/A|note=Domestic and milkable}}
{{CreatureCurrent table row|name=[[Goose]]|symbol=g|color=7:0:1|food=Yes|hostile=No|size=4,500|value=10|biome=Temperate lakes and temperate marshes|note=Domestic, lay eggs}}
{{CreatureCurrent table row|name=[[Guineafowl]]|symbol=g|color=0:0:1|food=No|hostile=No|size=1,500|value=10|biome=N/A|note=Domestic, lay eggs}}
{{CreatureCurrent table row|name=[[Horse]]|symbol=H|color=7:0:0|food=Yes|hostile=No|size=500,000|value=200|biome=N/A|note=Domestic, milkable, wagon puller, pack animal}}
{{CreatureCurrent table row|name=[[Llama]]|symbol=L|color=7:0:1|food=Yes|hostile=No|size=180,000|value=200|biome=N/A|note=Domestic, milkable and can be sheared}}
{{CreatureCurrent table row|name=[[Mule]]|symbol=M|color=6:0:0|food=Yes|hostile=No|size=400,000|value=200|biome=N/A|note=Domestic, pack animal}}
{{CreatureCurrent table row|name=[[One-humped camel]]|symbol=C|color=6:0:0|food=Yes|hostile=No|size=500,000|value=500|biome=Any desert|note=Domestic, milkable, pack animal}}
{{CreatureCurrent table row|name=[[Pig]]|symbol=p|color=5:0:1|food=Yes|hostile=No|size=60,000|value=100|biome=N/A|note=Domestic and milkable}}
{{CreatureCurrent table row|name=[[Rabbit]]|symbol=r|color=6:0:0|food=No|hostile=No|size=500|value=3|biome=Temperate savanna, grassland, and shrubland|note=Domestic}}
{{CreatureCurrent table row|name=[[Reindeer]]|symbol=R|color=6:0:0|food=Yes|hostile=No|size=130,000|value=200|biome=Tundra and taiga|note=Domestic and milkable}}
{{CreatureCurrent table row|name=[[Sheep]]|symbol=s|color=7:0:1|food=Yes|hostile=No|size=50,000|value=100|biome=N/A|note=Domestic, milkable and can be sheared}}
{{CreatureCurrent table row|name=[[Turkey]]|symbol=t|color=4:0:1|food=Yes|hostile=No|size=5,000|value=10|biome=Temperate forest, swamp and shrubland|note=Domestic, lay eggs}}
{{CreatureCurrent table row|name=[[Two-humped camel]]|symbol=C|color=6:0:0|food=Yes|hostile=No|size=500,000|value=500|biome=Any desert|note=Domestic, milkable, pack animal}}
{{CreatureCurrent table row|name=[[Wagon]]|symbol=W|color=6:0:0|food=No|hostile=No|size=12,000|value=Not tameable|biome=|note=A special "creature" - see [[wagon|article]]}}
{{CreatureCurrent table row|name=[[Water buffalo]]|symbol=W|color=0:0:1|food=Yes|hostile=No|size=1,000,000|value=200|biome=Tropical wetland|note=Domestic, milkable, wagon puller, pack animal}}
{{CreatureCurrent table row|name=[[Yak]]|symbol=Y|color=6:0:0|food=Yes|hostile=No|size=700,000|value=200|biome=Mountains|note=Domestic, milkable, wagon puller, pack animal}}
|}

===Special===
====Megabeasts====

{{CreatureCurrent table head}}
{{CreatureCurrent table row|name=
[[Bronze colossus]]|symbol=C|color=6:0:0|food=No|hostile=Yes|size=20,000,000|value=Not tameable|biome=All land|note=Made of bronze, fairly hard to kill}}
{{CreatureCurrent table row|name=[[Dragon]]|symbol=D|color=2:0:0|food=Yes|hostile=Yes|size=25,000,000|value=10000|biome=All land|note=Breathes fire, trainable}}
{{CreatureCurrent table row|name=[[Hydra]]|symbol=H|color=4:0:1|food=Yes|hostile=Yes|size=8,000,000|value=10000|biome=All land|note=Has seven heads}}
{{CreatureCurrent table row|name=[[Roc]]|symbol=R|color=7:0:1|food=Yes|hostile=Yes|size=20,000,000|value=10000|biome=All land|note=Can fly, trainable}}
|}

====Semi-Megabeasts====

{{CreatureCurrent table head}}
{{CreatureCurrent table row|name=[[Cyclops]]|symbol=C|color=4:0:1|food=Yes|hostile=Yes|size=8,000,000|value=Not tameable|biome=All land|note=One eyed}}
{{CreatureCurrent table row|name=[[Ettin]]|symbol=E|color=6:0:1|food=Yes|hostile=Yes|size=8,000,000|value=Not tameable|biome=All land|note=Has two heads}}
{{CreatureCurrent table row|name=[[Giant]]|symbol=G|color=3:0:0|food=Yes|hostile=Yes|size=9,000,000|value=Not tameable|biome=All land|note=}}
{{CreatureCurrent table row|name=[[Minotaur]]|symbol=M|color=6:0:0|food=Yes|hostile=Yes|size=220,000|value=Not tameable|biome=All land|note=}}
|}

====Nonexistent====

{{CreatureCurrent table head}}
{{CreatureCurrent table row|name=[[Centaur]]|symbol=C|color=6:0:0|food=N/A|size=N/A|value=N/A|hostile=N/A|biome=Nowhere|note=Only found in engravings}}
{{CreatureCurrent table row|name=[[Chimera]]|symbol=C|color=2:0:1|food=N/A|size=N/A|value=N/A|hostile=N/A|biome=Nowhere|note=Only found in engravings}}
{{CreatureCurrent table row|name=[[Griffon]]|symbol=G|color=7:0:1|food=N/A|size=N/A|value=N/A|hostile=N/A|biome=Nowhere|note=Only found in engravings}}
|}

===Above Ground===

{{CreatureCurrent table head}}
{{CreatureCurrent table row|name=[[Aardvark]]|symbol=a|color=7:0:0|food=Yes|hostile=No|size=50,000|value=50|biome=Tropical shrubland, tropical savanna, tropical grassland|note=Benign}}
{{CreatureCurrent table row|name=[[Aardvark man]]|symbol=a|color=7:0:0|food=Yes|hostile=No|size=60,000|value=50|biome=Tropical shrubland, tropical savanna, tropical grassland|note=Animal person, Benign}}
{{CreatureCurrent table row|name=[[Adder]]|symbol=a|color=6:0:0|food=Yes|hostile=No|size=150|value=50|biome=Temperate grassland, temperate savanna, temperate shrubland, any temperate forest, any temperate wetland|note=Lays eggs}}
{{CreatureCurrent table row|name=[[Adder man]]|symbol=a|color=6:0:0|food=Yes|hostile=No|size=35,075|value=50|biome=Temperate grassland, temperate savanna, temperate shrubland, any temperate forest, any temperate wetland|note=Animal person, Lays eggs}}
{{CreatureCurrent table row|name=[[Alligator]]|symbol=A|color=2:0:0|hostile=Yes|food=Yes|size=400,000|value=650|biome=Freshwater swamps, marshes and rivers|note=Amphibious}}
{{CreatureCurrent table row|name=[[Anaconda]]|symbol=A|color=2:0:1|food=Yes|hostile=Yes|size=100,000|value=200|biome=Any tropical swamp|note=}}
{{CreatureCurrent table row|name=[[Anaconda man]]|symbol=A|color=2:0:1|food=Yes|hostile=Yes|size=35,050|value=200|biome=Any tropical swamp|note=Animal person}}
{{CreatureCurrent table row|name=[[Armadillo]]|symbol=a|color=7:0:0|food=Yes|hostile=No|size=7,500|value=20|biome=Tropical savanna, tropical grassland, tropical shrubland, any tropical forest|note=Benign}}
{{CreatureCurrent table row|name=[[Armadillo man]]|symbol=a|color=7:0:0|food=Yes|hostile=No|size=38,750|value=20|biome=Tropical savanna, tropical grassland, tropical shrubland, any tropical forest|note=Animal person, Benign}}
{{CreatureCurrent table row|name=[[Aye-aye]]|symbol=a|color=7:0:0|food=Yes|hostile=No|size=2,500|value=50|biome=Tropical dry broadleaf forest, tropical moist broadleaf forest|note=Benign}}
{{CreatureCurrent table row|name=[[Aye-aye man]]|symbol=a|color=7:0:0|food=Yes|hostile=No|size=36,250|value=50|biome=Tropical dry broadleaf forest, tropical moist broadleaf forest|note=Animal person, Benign}}
{{CreatureCurrent table row|name=[[Badger]]|symbol=b|color=7:0:0|food=Yes|hostile=Yes|size=15,000|value=25|biome=Taiga and any temperate savanna, grassland, shrubland and forest|note=}}
{{CreatureCurrent table row|name=[[Badger man]]|symbol=b|color=7:0:0|food=Yes|hostile=No|size=42,500|value=25|biome=Taiga, any temperate forest, temperate shrubland, temperate savanna, temperate grassland|note=Animal person, Benign}}
{{CreatureCurrent table row|name=[[Bark scorpion man]]|symbol=s|color=6:0:1|food=No|hostile=No|size=35,001|value=Not tameable|biome=Any desert, tropical grassland, tropical savanna, tropical shrubland, tropical conifer forest|note=Animal person}}
{{CreatureCurrent table row|name=[[Barn owl]]|symbol=b|color=6:0:0|food=Yes|hostile=No|size=500|value=25|biome=Any wetland, any temperate forest, tropical conifer forest, tropical dry broadleaf forest, any shrubland, any savanna, any grassland, any desert|note=Lays eggs, Benign}}
{{CreatureCurrent table row|name=[[Barn owl man]]|symbol=b|color=6:0:0|food=Yes|hostile=No|size=35,250|value=25|biome=Any wetland, any temperate forest, tropical conifer forest, tropical dry broadleaf forest, any shrubland, any savanna, any grassland, any desert|note=Animal person, Lays eggs, Benign}}
{{CreatureCurrent table row|name=[[Beak dog]]|symbol=B|color=4:0:0|food=Yes|hostile=Yes|size=150,000|value=50|biome=Evil marshes|note=Can be mounted by goblins}}
{{CreatureCurrent table row|name=[[Bilou]]|symbol=g|color=0:0:1|food=Yes|hostile=No|size=6,000|value=500|biome=Tropical broadleaf forest|note=}}
{{CreatureCurrent table row|name=[[Black bear]]|symbol=B|color=0:0:1|food=Yes|hostile=Yes|size=120,000|value=300|biome=Taiga and temperate forest|note=Steals booze}}
{{CreatureCurrent table row|name=[[Black mamba]]|symbol=s|color=0:0:1|food=Yes|hostile=No|size=2,500|value=50|biome=Tropical savanna, tropical shrubland, any tropical forest, any tropical swamp|note=Lays eggs}}
{{CreatureCurrent table row|name=[[Black mamba man]]|symbol=s|color=0:0:1|food=Yes|hostile=No|size=36,250|value=50|biome=Tropical savanna, tropical shrubland, any tropical forest, any tropical swamp|note=Animal person, Lays eggs}}
{{CreatureCurrent table row|name=[[Black-crested gibbon]]|symbol=g|color=0:0:1|food=Yes|hostile=No|size=6,000|value=500|biome=Tropical moist broadleaf forest|note=Benign}}
{{CreatureCurrent table row|name=[[Black-handed gibbon]]|symbol=g|color=0:0:1|food=Yes|hostile=No|size=6,000|value=500|biome=Tropical moist broadleaf forest|note=Benign}}
{{CreatureCurrent table row|name=[[Blizzard man]]|symbol=M|color=3:0:1|food=No|hostile=Yes|size=300,000|value=Not tameable|biome=Tundra and glaciers|note=}}
{{CreatureCurrent table row|name=[[Blue peafowl]]|symbol=p|color=1:0:1|food=Yes|hostile=No|size=4,000|value=10|biome=Tropical broadleaf forest|note=Domestic, lay eggs}}
{{CreatureCurrent table row|name=[[Bobcat]]|symbol=b|color=6:0:0|food=Yes|hostile=No|size=8,000|value=75|biome=Any forest, any desert, tropical freshwater swamp, tropical saltwater swamp, temperate freshwater swamp, temperate saltwater swamp, mangrove swamp, mountain|note=}}
{{CreatureCurrent table row|name=[[Bobcat man]]|symbol=b|color=6:0:0|food=Yes|hostile=No|size=39,000|value=75|biome=Any forest, any desert, tropical freshwater swamp, tropical saltwater swamp, temperate freshwater swamp, temperate saltwater swamp, mangrove swamp, mountain|note=Animal person}}
{{CreatureCurrent table row|name=[[Bonobo]]|symbol=b|color=0:0:1|food=Yes|hostile=No|size=50,000|value=500|biome=Tropical broadleaf forest and shrubland|note=}}
{{CreatureCurrent table row|name=[[Brown recluse spider man]]|symbol=s|color=6:0:0|food=No|hostile=No|size=35,000|value=Not tameable|biome=Temperate broadleaf forest|note=Animal person}}
{{CreatureCurrent table row|name=[[Bushmaster]]|symbol=s|color=6:0:0|food=Yes|hostile=No|size=4,250|value=50|biome=Tropical moist broadleaf forest|note=Lays eggs}}
{{CreatureCurrent table row|name=[[Bushmaster man]]|symbol=s|color=6:0:0|food=Yes|hostile=No|size=37,125|value=50|biome=Tropical moist broadleaf forest|note=Animal person, Lays eggs}}
{{CreatureCurrent table row|name=[[Bushtit man]]|symbol=b|color=6:0:0|food=No|hostile=No|size=35,002|value=30|biome=Any temperate forest|note=Animal person, Lays eggs, Benign}}
{{CreatureCurrent table row|name=[[Buzzard]]|symbol=b|color=0:0:1|food=Yes|hostile=Yes|size=1,400|value=30|biome=All desert and temperate grassland, savanna, and marsh|note=Steals food, lays eggs}}
{{CreatureCurrent table row|name=[[Capuchin]]|symbol=c|color=7:0:1|food=Yes|hostile=No|size=3,500|value=50|biome=Any tropical forest, mangrove swamp|note=}}
{{CreatureCurrent table row|name=[[Capuchin man]]|symbol=c|color=7:0:1|food=Yes|hostile=No|size=36,750|value=50|biome=Any tropical forest, mangrove swamp|note=Animal person}}
{{CreatureCurrent table row|name=[[Capybara]]|symbol=c|color=6:0:0|food=Yes|hostile=No|size=45,000|value=100|biome=Any wetland|note=Makes sounds in Adventure mode}}
{{CreatureCurrent table row|name=[[Capybara man]]|symbol=c|color=6:0:0|food=Yes|hostile=No|size=57,499|value=100|biome=Any wetland|note=Animal person}}
{{CreatureCurrent table row|name=[[Cassowary]]|symbol=c|color=0:0:1|food=Yes|hostile=No|size=50,000|value=100|biome=Tropical moist broadleaf forest|note=Lays eggs, Benign}}
{{CreatureCurrent table row|name=[[Cassowary man]]|symbol=c|color=0:0:1|food=Yes|hostile=No|size=60,000|value=100|biome=Tropical moist broadleaf forest|note=Animal person, Lays eggs, Benign}}
{{CreatureCurrent table row|name=[[Cavy]]|symbol=c|color=7:0:0|food=No|hostile=No|size=800|value=3|biome=Tropical savanna, grassland, and shrubland|note=Domestic}}
{{CreatureCurrent table row|name=[[Cheetah]]|symbol=c|color=6:0:1|hostile=Yes|food=Yes|size=50,000|value=200|biome=Tropical savanna, grassland, and shrubland|note=}}
{{CreatureCurrent table row|name=[[Chimpanzee]]|symbol=c|color=0:0:1|hostile=No|food=Yes|size=50,000|value=500|biome=Tropical broadleaf forest and shrubland|note=}}
{{CreatureCurrent table row|name=[[Chinchilla]]|symbol=c|color=7:0:0|food=Yes|hostile=No|size=500|value=3|biome=Mountain|note=Benign}}
{{CreatureCurrent table row|name=[[Chinchilla man]]|symbol=c|color=7:0:0|food=Yes|hostile=No|size=35,250|value=3|biome=Mountain|note=Animal person, Benign}}
{{CreatureCurrent table row|name=[[Coati]]|symbol=c|color=6:0:0|food=Yes|hostile=No|size=6,000|value=50|biome=Any temperate forest, any tropical forest|note=}}
{{CreatureCurrent table row|name=[[Coati man]]|symbol=c|color=6:0:0|food=Yes|hostile=No|size=38,000|value=50|biome=Any temperate forest, any tropical forest|note=Animal person}}
{{CreatureCurrent table row|name=[[Cockatiel man]]|symbol=c|color=7:0:1|food=No|hostile=No|size=35,045|value=30|biome=Any desert, temperate grassland|note=Animal person, Lays eggs, Benign}}
{{CreatureCurrent table row|name=[[Copperhead snake]]|symbol=s|color=6:0:0|food=Yes|hostile=No|size=300|value=50|biome=Temperate broadleaf forest, any temperate swamp|note=}}
{{CreatureCurrent table row|name=[[Copperhead snake man]]|symbol=s|color=6:0:0|food=Yes|hostile=No|size=35,150|value=50|biome=Temperate broadleaf forest, any temperate swamp|note=Animal person}}
{{CreatureCurrent table row|name=[[Cougar]]|symbol=C|color=6:0:1|hostile=Yes|food=Yes|size=60,000|value=100|biome=Any forest and shrubland|note=}}
{{CreatureCurrent table row|name=[[Coyote]]|symbol=c|color=7:0:0|food=Yes|hostile=No|size=15,000|value=50|biome=Mountain, tundra, taiga, any temperate forest, temperate savanna, temperate grassland, temperate shrubland, any temperate wetland, any desert|note=}}
{{CreatureCurrent table row|name=[[Coyote man]]|symbol=c|color=7:0:0|food=Yes|hostile=No|size=42,500|value=50|biome=Mountain, tundra, taiga, any temperate forest, temperate savanna, temperate grassland, temperate shrubland, any temperate wetland, any desert|note=Animal person}}
{{CreatureCurrent table row|name=[[Crow man]]|symbol=c|color=0:0:1|food=No|hostile=No|size=35,250|value=10|biome=Temperate grassland, temperate savanna, temperate shrubland, taiga, any temperate forest, any temperate wetland|note=Animal person, Lays eggs, Benign}}
{{CreatureCurrent table row|name=[[Dark gnome]]|symbol=g|color=3:0:0|food=No|hostile=Yes|size=15,000|value=Not tameable|biome=Evil mountains|note=Steals booze}}
{{CreatureCurrent table row|name=[[Deer]]|symbol=d|color=6:0:0|hostile=No|food=Yes|size=140,000|value=50|biome=Taiga and temperate forest|note=}}
{{CreatureCurrent table row|name=[[Desert tortoise]]|symbol=t|color=6:0:0|food=Yes|hostile=No|size=5,500|value=50|biome=Any desert|note=Lays eggs, Benign}}
{{CreatureCurrent table row|name=[[Desert tortoise man]]|symbol=t|color=6:0:0|food=Yes|hostile=No|size=37,750|value=50|biome=Any desert|note=Animal person, Lays eggs, Benign}}
{{CreatureCurrent table row|name=[[Dingo]]|symbol=d|color=6:0:1|food=Yes|hostile=Yes|size=20,000|value=50|biome=Not freezing|note=}}
{{CreatureCurrent table row|name=[[Dingo man]]|symbol=d|color=6:0:1|food=Yes|hostile=Yes|size=45,000|value=50|biome=Not freezing|note=Animal person}}
{{CreatureCurrent table row|name=[[Duck]]|symbol=d|color=2:0:0|food=No|hostile=No|size=1,000|value=10|biome=Any lakes and any wetland|note=Domestic, lay eggs}}
{{CreatureCurrent table row|name=[[Eagle]]|symbol=e|color=6:0:0|food=Yes|hostile=No|size=4,000|value=25|biome=Any wetland, any forest, any shrubland, any savanna, any grassland, any desert, mountain, tundra|note=Lays eggs, Benign}}
{{CreatureCurrent table row|name=[[Eagle man]]|symbol=e|color=6:0:0|food=Yes|hostile=No|size=37,000|value=25|biome=Any wetland, any forest, any shrubland, any savanna, any grassland, any desert, mountain, tundra|note=Animal person, Lays eggs, Benign}}
{{CreatureCurrent table row|name=[[Echidna]]|symbol=e|color=6:0:0|food=Yes|hostile=No|size=10,000|value=50|biome=Any temperate forest, temperate shrubland, temperate savanna, temperate grassland, any desert|note=Lays eggs, Benign}}
{{CreatureCurrent table row|name=[[Echidna man]]|symbol=e|color=6:0:0|food=Yes|hostile=No|size=40,000|value=50|biome=Any temperate forest, temperate shrubland, temperate savanna, temperate grassland, any desert|note=Animal person, Lays eggs, Benign}}
{{CreatureCurrent table row|name=[[Elephant]]|symbol=E|color=7:0:0|food=Yes|hostile=No|size=5,000,000|value=500|biome=Tropical forest and shrubland|note=Trainable}}
{{CreatureCurrent table row|name=[[Elk]]|symbol=E|color=6:0:0|food=Yes|hostile=No|size=300,000|value=100|biome=Tundra and temperate grassland|note=}}
{{CreatureCurrent table row|name=[[Emu]]|symbol=E|color=6:0:0|food=Yes|hostile=No|size=35,000|value=100|biome=Temperate shrubland, any temperate forest|note=Lays eggs, Benign}}
{{CreatureCurrent table row|name=[[Emu man]]|symbol=E|color=6:0:0|food=Yes|hostile=No|size=52,500|value=100|biome=Temperate shrubland, any temperate forest|note=Animal person, Lays eggs, Benign}}
{{CreatureCurrent table row|name=[[Flying squirrel man]]|symbol=s|color=6:0:0|food=No|hostile=No|size=35,100|value=10|biome=Any temperate forest|note=Animal person, Benign}}
{{CreatureCurrent table row|name=[[Foul blendec]]|symbol=b|color=0:0:1|food=Yes|hostile=Yes|size=60,000|value=250|biome=Most evil forest|note=}}
{{CreatureCurrent table row|name=[[Fox]]|symbol=f|color=4:0:0|hostile=No|food=Yes|size=6,000|value=25|biome=Taiga and temperate forest|note=}}
{{CreatureCurrent table row|name=[[Gazelle]]|symbol=g|color=6:0:0|hostile=No|food=Yes|size=20,000|value=50|biome=Tropical savanna and grassland|note=}}
{{CreatureCurrent table row|name=[[Giant aardvark]]|symbol=A|color=7:0:0|food=Yes|hostile=No|size=560,000|value=500|biome=Tropical shrubland, tropical savanna, tropical grassland|note=Benign}}
{{CreatureCurrent table row|name=[[Giant adder]]|symbol=A|color=6:0:0|food=Yes|hostile=No|size=201,049|value=500|biome=Temperate grassland, temperate savanna, temperate shrubland, any temperate forest, any temperate wetland|note=Lays eggs}}
{{CreatureCurrent table row|name=[[Giant anaconda]]|symbol=A|color=2:0:1|food=Yes|hostile=Yes|size=933,000|value=500|biome=Any tropical swamp|note=}}
{{CreatureCurrent table row|name=[[Giant armadillo]]|symbol=A|color=7:0:0|food=Yes|hostile=No|size=252,750|value=1000|biome=Tropical savanna, tropical grassland, tropical shrubland, any tropical forest|note=Benign}}
{{CreatureCurrent table row|name=[[Giant aye-aye]]|symbol=A|color=7:0:0|food=Yes|hostile=No|size=217,525|value=500|biome=Tropical dry broadleaf forest, tropical moist broadleaf forest|note=Benign}}
{{CreatureCurrent table row|name=[[Giant badger]]|symbol=B|color=7:0:0|food=Yes|hostile=No|size=306,000|value=500|biome=Taiga, any temperate forest, temperate shrubland, temperate savanna, temperate grassland|note=Benign}}
{{CreatureCurrent table row|name=[[Giant bark scorpion]]|symbol=S|color=6:0:1|food=No|hostile=No|size=200,021|value=500|biome=Any desert, tropical grassland, tropical savanna, tropical shrubland, tropical conifer forest|note=}}
{{CreatureCurrent table row|name=[[Giant barn owl]]|symbol=B|color=6:0:0|food=Yes|hostile=No|size=203,500|value=500|biome=Any wetland, any temperate forest, tropical conifer forest, tropical dry broadleaf forest, any shrubland, any savanna, any grassland, any desert|note=Lays eggs, Benign}}
{{CreatureCurrent table row|name=[[Giant black mamba]]|symbol=S|color=0:0:1|food=Yes|hostile=No|size=117,550|value=500|biome=Tropical savanna, tropical shrubland, any tropical forest, any tropical swamp|note=Lays eggs}}
{{CreatureCurrent table row|name=[[Giant bobcat]]|symbol=B|color=6:0:0|food=Yes|hostile=No|size=256,320|value=500|biome=Any forest, any desert, tropical freshwater swamp, tropical saltwater swamp, temperate freshwater swamp, temperate saltwater swamp, mangrove swamp, mountain|note=}}
{{CreatureCurrent table row|name=[[Giant brown recluse spider]]|symbol=S|color=6:0:0|food=No|hostile=No|size=200,007|value=500|biome=Temperate broadleaf forest|note=}}
{{CreatureCurrent table row|name=[[Giant bushmaster]]|symbol=S|color=6:0:0|food=Yes|hostile=No|size=259,845|value=500|biome=Tropical moist broadleaf forest|note=Lays eggs}}
{{CreatureCurrent table row|name=[[Giant bushtit]]|symbol=B|color=6:0:0|food=No|hostile=No|size=200,035|value=500|biome=Any temperate forest|note=Lays eggs, Benign}}
{{CreatureCurrent table row|name=[[Giant capuchin]]|symbol=C|color=7:0:1|food=Yes|hostile=No|size=224,560|value=500|biome=Any tropical forest, mangrove swamp|note=}}
{{CreatureCurrent table row|name=[[Giant capybara]]|symbol=C|color=6:0:0|food=Yes|hostile=No|size=450,000|value=500|biome=Any wetland|note=Makes sounds in Adventure mode}}
{{CreatureCurrent table row|name=[[Giant cassowary]]|symbol=C|color=0:0:1|food=Yes|hostile=No|size=560,000|value=500|biome=Tropical moist broadleaf forest|note=Lays eggs, Benign}}
{{CreatureCurrent table row|name=[[Giant cheetah]]|symbol=C|color=6:0:1|food=Yes|hostile=Yes|size=560,000|value=200|biome=Tropical savanna, grassland, and shrubland|note=Trainable}}
{{CreatureCurrent table row|name=[[Giant chinchilla]]|symbol=C|color=7:0:0|food=Yes|hostile=No|size=203,500|value=500|biome=Mountain|note=Benign}}
{{CreatureCurrent table row|name=[[Giant coati]]|symbol=C|color=6:0:0|food=Yes|hostile=No|size=242,160|value=500|biome=Any temperate forest, any tropical forest|note=}}
{{CreatureCurrent table row|name=[[Giant cockatiel]]|symbol=C|color=7:0:1|food=No|hostile=No|size=200,629|value=500|biome=Any desert, temperate grassland|note=Lays eggs, Benign}}
{{CreatureCurrent table row|name=[[Giant copperhead snake]]|symbol=S|color=6:0:0|food=Yes|hostile=No|size=122,100|value=500|biome=Temperate broadleaf forest, any temperate swamp|note=}}
{{CreatureCurrent table row|name=[[Giant coyote]]|symbol=C|color=7:0:0|food=Yes|hostile=No|size=306,000|value=500|biome=Mountain, tundra, taiga, any temperate forest, temperate savanna, temperate grassland, temperate shrubland, any temperate wetland, any desert|note=}}
{{CreatureCurrent table row|name=[[Giant crow]]|symbol=C|color=0:0:1|food=No|hostile=No|size=203,500|value=500|biome=Temperate grassland, temperate savanna, temperate shrubland, taiga, any temperate forest, any temperate wetland|note=Lays eggs, Benign}}
{{CreatureCurrent table row|name=[[Giant desert scorpion]]|symbol=S|color=6:0:0|food=Yes|hostile=Yes|size=200,000|value=2500|biome=Savage desert|note=No pain, no stun, no emotion; deadly [[Syndrome]]}}
{{CreatureCurrent table row|name=[[Giant desert tortoise]]|symbol=T|color=6:0:0|food=Yes|hostile=No|size=238,645|value=500|biome=Any desert|note=Lays eggs, Benign}}
{{CreatureCurrent table row|name=[[Giant dingo]]|symbol=D|color=6:0:1|food=Yes|hostile=Yes|size=341,800|value=500|biome=Not freezing|note=}}
{{CreatureCurrent table row|name=[[Giant eagle]]|symbol=E|color=6:0:0|food=Yes|hostile=Yes|size=100,000|value=700|biome=Savage mountains|note=Trainable}}
{{CreatureCurrent table row|name=[[Giant echidna]]|symbol=E|color=6:0:0|food=Yes|hostile=No|size=270,500|value=500|biome=Any temperate forest, temperate shrubland, temperate savanna, temperate grassland, any desert|note=Lays eggs, Benign}}
{{CreatureCurrent table row|name=[[Giant emu]]|symbol=E|color=6:0:0|food=Yes|hostile=No|size=450,100|value=500|biome=Temperate shrubland, any temperate forest|note=Lays eggs, Benign}}
{{CreatureCurrent table row|name=[[Giant flying squirrel]]|symbol=S|color=6:0:0|food=No|hostile=No|size=201,400|value=500|biome=Any temperate forest|note=Benign}}
{{CreatureCurrent table row|name=[[Giant gila monster]]|symbol=G|color=4:0:1|food=Yes|hostile=No|size=214,020|value=500|biome=Any desert|note=Lays eggs}}
{{CreatureCurrent table row|name=[[Giant grasshopper]]|symbol=G|color=2:0:1|food=No|hostile=No|size=200,007|value=500|biome=Not freezing|note=Benign}}
{{CreatureCurrent table row|name=[[Giant gray langur]]|symbol=L|color=7:0:0|food=Yes|hostile=No|size=306,000|value=500|biome=Any desert, any grassland, any savanna, any shrubland, any forest|note=}}
{{CreatureCurrent table row|name=[[Giant great horned owl]]|symbol=O|color=7:0:0|food=Yes|hostile=No|size=214,020|value=500|biome=Any forest, any shrubland, any savanna, any grassland, any desert, mangrove swamp, mountain, tundra|note=Lays eggs}}
{{CreatureCurrent table row|name=[[Giant green tree frog]]|symbol=F|color=2:0:1|food=No|hostile=No|size=200,700|value=500|biome=Temperate freshwater pool, temperate freshwater lake, temperate freshwater swamp, temperate freshwater marsh|note=Benign}}
{{CreatureCurrent table row|name=[[Giant grey parrot]]|symbol=P|color=7:0:0|food=Yes|hostile=No|size=202,800|value=500|biome=Tropical moist broadleaf forest|note=Lays eggs, Benign}}
{{CreatureCurrent table row|name=[[Giant hamster]]|symbol=H|color=7:0:0|food=No|hostile=No|size=201,049|value=500|biome=Not freezing|note=Benign}}
{{CreatureCurrent table row|name=[[Giant hare]]|symbol=H|color=6:0:0|food=Yes|hostile=No|size=224,560|value=500|biome=Temperate savanna, temperate grassland|note=Benign}}
{{CreatureCurrent table row|name=[[Giant hedgehog]]|symbol=H|color=6:0:0|food=No|hostile=No|size=205,600|value=500|biome=Temperate shrubland, temperate savanna|note=Benign}}
{{CreatureCurrent table row|name=[[Giant hornbill]]|symbol=H|color=0:0:1|food=Yes|hostile=No|size=217,525|value=500|biome=Any tropical forest|note=Lays eggs, Benign}}
{{CreatureCurrent table row|name=[[Giant hyena]]|symbol=H|color=6:0:0|food=Yes|hostile=Yes|size=633,600|value=500|biome=Tropical savanna, tropical grassland, tropical shrubland|note=}}
{{CreatureCurrent table row|name=[[Giant ibex]]|symbol=I|color=6:0:0|food=Yes|hostile=No|size=560,000|value=500|biome=Any grassland, any desert|note=Benign}}
{{CreatureCurrent table row|name=[[Giant impala]]|symbol=I|color=6:0:0|food=Yes|hostile=No|size=560,000|value=500|biome=Tropical savanna, tropical grassland|note=Benign}}
{{CreatureCurrent table row|name=[[Giant jackal]]|symbol=J|color=6:0:0|food=Yes|hostile=No|size=306,000|value=500|biome=Tropical shrubland, tropical savanna, tropical grassland|note=}}
{{CreatureCurrent table row|name=[[Giant jaguar]]|symbol=J|color=6:0:1|food=Yes|hostile=Yes|size=150,000|value=100|biome=Savage tropical areas, any desert|note=Trainable}}
{{CreatureCurrent table row|name=[[Giant jumping spider]]|symbol=J|color=0:0:1|food=No|hostile=No|size=200,007|value=500|biome=Not freezing|note=}}
{{CreatureCurrent table row|name=[[Giant kakapo]]|symbol=K|color=2:0:0|food=Yes|hostile=No|size=221,040|value=500|biome=Temperate shrubland, temperate savanna, temperate grassland, any temperate forest|note=Lays eggs, Benign}}
{{CreatureCurrent table row|name=[[Giant kangaroo]]|symbol=K|color=6:0:0|food=Yes|hostile=No|size=857,700|value=500|biome=Temperate grassland, temperate savanna, temperate shrubland, any desert|note=Benign}}
{{CreatureCurrent table row|name=[[Giant kea]]|symbol=K|color=2:0:0|food=Yes|hostile=No|size=207,010|value=500|biome=Any temperate forest, temperate shrubland, mountain|note=Lays eggs}}
{{CreatureCurrent table row|name=[[Giant kestrel]]|symbol=K|color=4:0:0|food=Yes|hostile=No|size=201,750|value=500|biome=Tropical freshwater marsh, tropical saltwater marsh, temperate freshwater marsh, temperate saltwater marsh, any shrubland, any savanna, any grassland|note=Lays eggs, Benign}}
{{CreatureCurrent table row|name=[[Giant king cobra]]|symbol=K|color=0:0:1|food=Yes|hostile=No|size=242,160|value=500|biome=Any tropical forest|note=Lays eggs}}
{{CreatureCurrent table row|name=[[Giant kingsnake]]|symbol=K|color=7:0:1|food=Yes|hostile=No|size=105,255|value=500|biome=Any temperate forest, temperate shrubland, mountain, any desert|note=Lays eggs}}
{{CreatureCurrent table row|name=[[Giant kiwi]]|symbol=K|color=6:0:0|food=Yes|hostile=No|size=217,525|value=1000|biome=Any temperate forest, temperate shrubland|note=Lays eggs, Benign}}
{{CreatureCurrent table row|name=[[Giant koala]]|symbol=K|color=7:0:0|food=Yes|hostile=No|size=270,500|value=500|biome=Temperate broadleaf forest|note=Benign}}
{{CreatureCurrent table row|name=[[Giant leopard]]|symbol=L|color=6:0:1|food=Yes|hostile=Yes|size=100,000|value=100|biome=Savage tropical areas, any desert|note=Trainable}}
{{CreatureCurrent table row|name=[[Giant leopard gecko]]|symbol=G|color=6:0:1|food=No|hostile=No|size=200,350|value=500|biome=Any desert|note=}}
{{CreatureCurrent table row|name=[[Giant lion]]|symbol=L|color=6:0:1|food=Yes|hostile=Yes|size=400,000|value=200|biome=Some land|note=Trainable}}
{{CreatureCurrent table row|name=[[Giant lion tamarin]]|symbol=L|color=6:0:1|food=No|hostile=No|size=204,302|value=500|biome=Tropical moist broadleaf forest|note=Benign}}
{{CreatureCurrent table row|name=[[Giant lorikeet]]|symbol=L|color=4:0:1|food=No|hostile=No|size=201,400|value=500|biome=Tropical moist broadleaf forest, mangrove swamp|note=Lays eggs, Benign}}
{{CreatureCurrent table row|name=[[Giant louse]]|symbol=L|color=6:0:0|food=No|hostile=No|size=200,007|value=500|biome=Not freezing|note=}}
{{CreatureCurrent table row|name=[[Giant lynx]]|symbol=L|color=6:0:0|food=Yes|hostile=No|size=377,750|value=500|biome=Taiga|note=}}
{{CreatureCurrent table row|name=[[Giant magpie]]|symbol=M|color=0:0:1|food=No|hostile=No|size=201,400|value=500|biome=Temperate grassland, temperate savanna, temperate shrubland|note=Lays eggs, Benign}}
{{CreatureCurrent table row|name=[[Giant mantis]]|symbol=M|color=2:0:1|food=No|hostile=No|size=200,007|value=500|biome=Not freezing|note=}}
{{CreatureCurrent table row|name=[[Giant masked lovebird]]|symbol=L|color=2:0:1|food=No|hostile=No|size=200,629|value=500|biome=Any tropical forest|note=Lays eggs}}
{{CreatureCurrent table row|name=[[Giant mongoose]]|symbol=M|color=7:0:0|food=Yes|hostile=No|size=221,040|value=500|biome=Tropical savanna, tropical shrubland|note=Benign}}
{{CreatureCurrent table row|name=[[Giant monitor lizard]]|symbol=M|color=6:0:0|food=Yes|hostile=No|size=933,000|value=500|biome=Tropical grassland, tropical savanna, tropical shrubland, any tropical forest|note=Lays eggs}}
{{CreatureCurrent table row|name=[[Giant moose]]|symbol=M|color=6:0:0|food=Yes|hostile=No|size=4,257,750|value=1000|biome=Taiga, any temperate forest|note=Benign}}
{{CreatureCurrent table row|name=[[Giant mosquito]]|symbol=M|color=0:0:1|food=No|hostile=No|size=200,007|value=500|biome=Not freezing, any pool|note=}}
{{CreatureCurrent table row|name=[[Giant moth]]|symbol=M|color=6:0:0|food=No|hostile=No|size=200,007|value=500|biome=Not freezing|note=Benign}}
{{CreatureCurrent table row|name=[[Giant ocelot]]|symbol=O|color=6:0:1|food=Yes|hostile=No|size=377,750|value=500|biome=Any tropical forest, mangrove swamp, tropical savanna, tropical grassland|note=}}
{{CreatureCurrent table row|name=[[Giant opossum]]|symbol=O|color=7:0:0|food=Yes|hostile=No|size=221,040|value=500|biome=Any temperate forest, temperate shrubland, temperate savanna, temperate grassland|note=Benign}}
{{CreatureCurrent table row|name=[[Giant osprey]]|symbol=O|color=7:0:1|food=Yes|hostile=No|size=214,020|value=500|biome=Any ocean, any lake, any river, tropical freshwater marsh, tropical saltwater marsh, temperate freshwater marsh, temperate saltwater marsh|note=Lays eggs, Benign}}
{{CreatureCurrent table row|name=[[Giant ostrich]]|symbol=O|color=0:0:1|food=Yes|hostile=No|size=857,700|value=1000|biome=Tropical savanna, tropical grassland, any desert|note=Lays eggs, Benign}}
{{CreatureCurrent table row|name=[[Giant pangolin]]|symbol=P|color=6:0:0|food=Yes|hostile=No|size=235,100|value=500|biome=Tropical grassland, tropical savanna, tropical shrubland, any tropical forest|note=Benign}}
{{CreatureCurrent table row|name=[[Giant parakeet]]|symbol=P|color=2:0:1|food=No|hostile=No|size=200,840|value=500|biome=Tropical grassland, tropical savanna, tropical shrubland, any tropical forest|note=Lays eggs, Benign}}
{{CreatureCurrent table row|name=[[Giant peach-faced lovebird]]|symbol=L|color=2:0:1|food=No|hostile=No|size=200,419|value=500|biome=Temperate grassland, temperate savanna, temperate shrubland, temperate broadleaf forest|note=Lays eggs}}
{{CreatureCurrent table row|name=[[Giant peregrine falcon]]|symbol=P|color=6:0:0|food=Yes|hostile=No|size=207,702|value=500|biome=Any wetland, any temperate forest, tropical conifer forest, tropical dry broadleaf forest, taiga, any shrubland, any savanna, any grassland, any desert, mountain, tundra|note=Lays eggs, Benign}}
{{CreatureCurrent table row|name=[[Giant porcupine]]|symbol=P|color=6:0:0|food=Yes|hostile=No|size=263,430|value=500|biome=Temperate shrubland, temperate savanna, temperate grassland, temperate conifer forest, taiga, any desert, tundra|note=Benign}}
{{CreatureCurrent table row|name=[[Giant python]]|symbol=S|color=6:0:0|food=Yes|hostile=No|size=1,700,000|value=500|biome=Tropical moist broadleaf forest|note=Lays eggs}}
{{CreatureCurrent table row|name=[[Giant rattlesnake]]|symbol=S|color=7:0:0|food=Yes|hostile=No|size=124,635|value=500|biome=Not freezing|note=}}
{{CreatureCurrent table row|name=[[Giant raven]]|symbol=R|color=0:0:1|food=No|hostile=No|size=208,403|value=500|biome=Temperate grassland, temperate savanna, temperate shrubland, taiga, any temperate forest, any temperate wetland, tundra, any desert|note=Lays eggs, Benign}}
{{CreatureCurrent table row|name=[[Giant red panda]]|symbol=P|color=4:0:0|food=Yes|hostile=No|size=235,100|value=500|biome=Any temperate forest|note=Benign}}
{{CreatureCurrent table row|name=[[Giant skunk]]|symbol=S|color=0:0:1|food=Yes|hostile=No|size=228,040|value=500|biome=Any temperate forest, temperate shrubland, temperate savanna, temperate grassland|note=Benign}}
{{CreatureCurrent table row|name=[[Giant sloth]]|symbol=S|color=7:0:0|food=Yes|hostile=No|size=242,160|value=500|biome=Any tropical forest|note=Benign}}
{{CreatureCurrent table row|name=[[Giant sloth bear]]|symbol=B|color=0:0:1|food=Yes|hostile=No|size=933,000|value=500|biome=Any tropical forest|note=}}
{{CreatureCurrent table row|name=[[Giant slug]]|symbol=S|color=6:0:0|food=No|hostile=No|size=200,007|value=500|biome=Not freezing|note=Benign}}
{{CreatureCurrent table row|name=[[Giant snail]]|symbol=S|color=7:0:0|food=No|hostile=No|size=200,007|value=500|biome=Not freezing|note=Benign}}
{{CreatureCurrent table row|name=[[Giant snowy owl]]|symbol=O|color=7:0:1|food=Yes|hostile=No|size=214,020|value=500|biome=Tundra|note=Lays eggs, Benign}}
{{CreatureCurrent table row|name=[[Giant sparrow]]|symbol=S|color=6:0:0|food=No|hostile=No|size=200,210|value=500|biome=Any grassland, any savanna, any shrubland, any temperate forest, any tropical forest, any desert, any wetland|note=Lays eggs, Benign}}
{{CreatureCurrent table row|name=[[Giant spider monkey]]|symbol=M|color=0:0:1|food=Yes|hostile=No|size=259,845|value=500|biome=Tropical moist broadleaf forest, tropical dry broadleaf forest|note=Benign}}
{{CreatureCurrent table row|name=[[Giant stoat]]|symbol=S|color=6:0:0|food=Yes|hostile=No|size=202,450|value=500|biome=Taiga, tundra|note=Benign}}
{{CreatureCurrent table row|name=[[Giant swan]]|symbol=S|color=7:0:1|food=Yes|hostile=No|size=270,500|value=500|biome=Any temperate lake, any temperate marsh|note=Lays eggs, Benign}}
{{CreatureCurrent table row|name=[[Giant tapir]]|symbol=T|color=7:0:1|food=Yes|hostile=No|size=1,700,000|value=500|biome=Tropical moist broadleaf forest|note=Benign}}
{{CreatureCurrent table row|name=[[Giant thrips]]|symbol=T|color=6:0:0|food=No|hostile=No|size=200,007|value=500|biome=Not freezing|note=Benign}}
{{CreatureCurrent table row|name=[[Giant tick]]|symbol=T|color=6:0:0|food=No|hostile=No|size=200,007|value=500|biome=Not freezing|note=}}
{{CreatureCurrent table row|name=[[Giant tiger]]|symbol=T|color=6:0:1|food=Yes|hostile=Yes|size=450,000|value=200|biome=Some savage tropical areas|note=Trainable}}
{{CreatureCurrent table row|name=[[Giant tortoise]]|symbol=T|color=6:0:0|food=Yes|hostile=No|size=238,645|value=50|biome=Tropical shrubland, tropical savanna|note=Lays eggs, Benign}}
{{CreatureCurrent table row|name=[[Giant tortoise man]]|symbol=T|color=6:0:0|food=Yes|hostile=No|size=185,000|value=50|biome=Tropical shrubland, tropical savanna|note=Animal person, Lays eggs, Benign}}
{{CreatureCurrent table row|name=[[Giant weasel]]|symbol=W|color=6:0:0|food=Yes|hostile=No|size=201,400|value=500|biome=Any land|note=Benign}}
{{CreatureCurrent table row|name=[[Giant white stork]]|symbol=S|color=7:0:1|food=Yes|hostile=No|size=221,040|value=500|biome=Any grassland, any wetland|note=Lays eggs, Benign}}
{{CreatureCurrent table row|name=[[Giant wild boar]]|symbol=B|color=6:0:0|food=Yes|hostile=No|size=783,199|value=500|biome=Any savanna, any grassland, any shrubland, any forest, any wetland|note=Benign}}
{{CreatureCurrent table row|name=[[Giant wolverine]]|symbol=W|color=6:0:0|food=Yes|hostile=No|size=341,800|value=500|biome=Taiga, mountain|note=Benign}}
{{CreatureCurrent table row|name=[[Giant wombat]]|symbol=W|color=6:0:0|food=Yes|hostile=No|size=377,750|value=500|biome=Any temperate forest, temperate shrubland, mountain|note=Benign}}
{{CreatureCurrent table row|name=[[Giant wren]]|symbol=W|color=6:0:0|food=No|hostile=No|size=200,280|value=500|biome=Any forest, any grassland, any savanna, any shrubland, any wetland, any desert|note=Lays eggs, Benign}}
{{CreatureCurrent table row|name=[[Gigantic panda]]|symbol=P|color=7:0:1|food=Yes|hostile=No|size=650,000|value=1000|biome=Temperate forest|note=Trainable}}
{{CreatureCurrent table row|name=[[Gigantic tortoise]]|symbol=T|color=6:0:0|food=Yes|hostile=No|size=2,478,000|value=1500|biome=Tropical shrubland, tropical savanna|note=Lays eggs, Benign}}
{{CreatureCurrent table row|name=[[Gila monster]]|symbol=g|color=4:0:1|food=Yes|hostile=No|size=2,000|value=50|biome=Any desert|note=Lays eggs}}
{{CreatureCurrent table row|name=[[Gila monster man]]|symbol=g|color=4:0:1|food=Yes|hostile=No|size=36,000|value=50|biome=Any desert|note=Animal person, Lays eggs}}
{{CreatureCurrent table row|name=[[Giraffe]]|symbol=G|color=6:0:0|food=Yes|hostile=No|size=1,000,000|value=500|biome=Tropical savanna and shrubland|note=}}
{{CreatureCurrent table row|name=[[Goose]]|symbol=g|color=7:0:1|food=Yes|hostile=No|size=4,500|value=10|biome=Temperate lakes and temperate marshes|note=Domestic, lay eggs}}
{{CreatureCurrent table row|name=[[Gorilla]]|symbol=G|color=0:0:1|hostile=No|food=Yes|size=150,000|value=500|biome=Tropical broadleaf forest and swamp|note=Trainable}}
{{CreatureCurrent table row|name=[[Grasshopper man]]|symbol=g|color=2:0:1|food=No|hostile=No|size=35,000|value=Not tameable|biome=Not freezing|note=Animal person, Benign}}
{{CreatureCurrent table row|name=[[Gray gibbon]]|symbol=g|color=0:0:1|hostile=No|food=Yes|size=6,000|value=500|biome=Tropical broadleaf forest|note=}}
{{CreatureCurrent table row|name=[[Gray langur]]|symbol=l|color=7:0:0|food=Yes|hostile=No|size=15,000|value=50|biome=Any desert, any grassland, any savanna, any shrubland, any forest|note=}}
{{CreatureCurrent table row|name=[[Gray langur man]]|symbol=l|color=7:0:0|food=Yes|hostile=No|size=42,500|value=50|biome=Any desert, any grassland, any savanna, any shrubland, any forest|note=Animal person}}
{{CreatureCurrent table row|name=[[Great horned owl]]|symbol=o|color=7:0:0|food=Yes|hostile=No|size=2,000|value=25|biome=Any forest, any shrubland, any savanna, any grassland, any desert, mangrove swamp, mountain, tundra|note=Lays eggs}}
{{CreatureCurrent table row|name=[[Great horned owl man]]|symbol=o|color=7:0:0|food=Yes|hostile=No|size=36,000|value=25|biome=Any forest, any shrubland, any savanna, any grassland, any desert, mangrove swamp, mountain, tundra|note=Animal person, Lays eggs}}
{{CreatureCurrent table row|name=[[Green tree frog man]]|symbol=f|color=2:0:1|food=No|hostile=No|size=35,050|value=10|biome=Temperate freshwater pool, temperate freshwater lake, temperate freshwater swamp, temperate freshwater marsh|note=Animal person, Benign}}
{{CreatureCurrent table row|name=[[Grey parrot]]|symbol=p|color=7:0:0|food=Yes|hostile=No|size=400|value=10|biome=Tropical moist broadleaf forest|note=Lays eggs, Benign}}
{{CreatureCurrent table row|name=[[Grey parrot man]]|symbol=p|color=7:0:0|food=Yes|hostile=No|size=35,200|value=10|biome=Tropical moist broadleaf forest|note=Animal person, Lays eggs, Benign}}
{{CreatureCurrent table row|name=[[Grimeling]]|symbol=g|color=2:0:0|food=No|hostile=Yes|size=70,000|value=Not tameable|biome=Evil swamps|note=}}
{{CreatureCurrent table row|name=[[Grizzly bear]]|symbol=B|color=6:0:0|food=Yes|hostile=Yes|size=200,000|value=500|biome=Taiga and temperate forest|note=Steals booze, trainable}}
{{CreatureCurrent table row|name=[[Groundhog]]|symbol=g|color=6:0:0|hostile=No|food=Yes|size=3,000|value=50|biome=Temperate savanna, grassland, and shrubland|note=}}
{{CreatureCurrent table row|name=[[Hamster man]]|symbol=h|color=7:0:0|food=No|hostile=No|size=35,075|value=10|biome=Not freezing|note=Animal person, Benign}}
{{CreatureCurrent table row|name=[[Hare]]|symbol=h|color=6:0:0|food=Yes|hostile=No|size=3,500|value=10|biome=Temperate savanna, temperate grassland|note=Benign}}
{{CreatureCurrent table row|name=[[Hare man]]|symbol=h|color=6:0:0|food=Yes|hostile=No|size=36,750|value=10|biome=Temperate savanna, temperate grassland|note=Animal person, Benign}}
{{CreatureCurrent table row|name=[[Harpy]]|symbol=h|color=6:0:0|food=No|hostile=Yes|size=60,000|value=Not tameable|biome=Evil savanna, grassland, shrubland and marshes|note=All harpies are females}}
{{CreatureCurrent table row|name=[[Hedgehog man]]|symbol=h|color=6:0:0|food=No|hostile=No|size=35,400|value=10|biome=Temperate shrubland, temperate savanna|note=Animal person, Benign}}
{{CreatureCurrent table row|name=[[Hoary marmot]]|symbol=m|color=7:0:0|food=Yes|hostile=No|size=10,000|value=50|biome=Mountains|note=}}
{{CreatureCurrent table row|name=[[Honey badger]]|symbol=b|color=7:0:1|food=Yes|hostile=Yes|size=9,000|value=25|biome=Any tropical land and any desert|note=Doesn't give a sh*t}}
{{CreatureCurrent table row|name=[[Hornbill]]|symbol=h|color=0:0:1|food=Yes|hostile=No|size=2,500|value=25|biome=Any tropical forest|note=Lays eggs, Benign}}
{{CreatureCurrent table row|name=[[Hornbill man]]|symbol=h|color=0:0:1|food=Yes|hostile=No|size=36,250|value=25|biome=Any tropical forest|note=Animal person, Lays eggs, Benign}}
{{CreatureCurrent table row|name=[[Hyena]]|symbol=h|color=6:0:0|food=Yes|hostile=Yes|size=60,000|value=50|biome=Tropical savanna, tropical grassland, tropical shrubland|note=}}
{{CreatureCurrent table row|name=[[Hyena man]]|symbol=h|color=6:0:0|food=Yes|hostile=Yes|size=64,999|value=50|biome=Tropical savanna, tropical grassland, tropical shrubland|note=Animal person}}
{{CreatureCurrent table row|name=[[Ibex]]|symbol=i|color=6:0:0|food=Yes|hostile=No|size=50,000|value=50|biome=Any grassland, any desert|note=Benign}}
{{CreatureCurrent table row|name=[[Ibex man]]|symbol=i|color=6:0:0|food=Yes|hostile=No|size=60,000|value=50|biome=Any grassland, any desert|note=Animal person, Benign}}
{{CreatureCurrent table row|name=[[Ice wolf]]|symbol=w|color=7:0:1|food=Yes|hostile=Yes|size=50,000|value=50|biome=Evil tundra and glaciers|note=Evil}}
{{CreatureCurrent table row|name=[[Impala]]|symbol=i|color=6:0:0|food=Yes|hostile=No|size=50,000|value=50|biome=Tropical savanna, tropical grassland|note=Benign}}
{{CreatureCurrent table row|name=[[Impala man]]|symbol=i|color=6:0:0|food=Yes|hostile=No|size=60,000|value=50|biome=Tropical savanna, tropical grassland|note=Animal person, Benign}}
{{CreatureCurrent table row|name=[[Jackal]]|symbol=j|color=6:0:0|food=Yes|hostile=No|size=15,000|value=50|biome=Tropical shrubland, tropical savanna, tropical grassland|note=}}
{{CreatureCurrent table row|name=[[Jackal man]]|symbol=j|color=6:0:0|food=Yes|hostile=No|size=42,500|value=50|biome=Tropical shrubland, tropical savanna, tropical grassland|note=Animal person}}
{{CreatureCurrent table row|name=[[Jaguar]]|symbol=J|color=6:0:1|food=Yes|hostile=Yes|size=75,000|value=100|biome=Any tropical land and any desert|note=Trainable}}
{{CreatureCurrent table row|name=[[Jumping spider man]]|symbol=j|color=0:0:1|food=No|hostile=No|size=35,000|value=Not tameable|biome=Not freezing|note=Animal person}}
{{CreatureCurrent table row|name=[[Kakapo]]|symbol=k|color=2:0:0|food=Yes|hostile=No|size=3,000|value=50|biome=Temperate shrubland, temperate savanna, temperate grassland, any temperate forest|note=Lays eggs, Benign}}
{{CreatureCurrent table row|name=[[Kakapo man]]|symbol=k|color=2:0:0|food=Yes|hostile=No|size=36,500|value=50|biome=Temperate shrubland, temperate savanna, temperate grassland, any temperate forest|note=Animal person, Lays eggs, Benign}}
{{CreatureCurrent table row|name=[[Kangaroo]]|symbol=K|color=6:0:0|food=Yes|hostile=No|size=90,000|value=100|biome=Temperate grassland, temperate savanna, temperate shrubland, any desert|note=Benign}}
{{CreatureCurrent table row|name=[[Kangaroo man]]|symbol=K|color=6:0:0|food=Yes|hostile=No|size=80,000|value=100|biome=Temperate grassland, temperate savanna, temperate shrubland, any desert|note=Animal person, Benign}}
{{CreatureCurrent table row|name=[[Kea]]|symbol=k|color=2:0:0|food=Yes|hostile=No|size=1,000|value=25|biome=Any temperate forest, temperate shrubland, mountain|note=Lays eggs}}
{{CreatureCurrent table row|name=[[Kea man]]|symbol=k|color=2:0:0|food=Yes|hostile=No|size=35,500|value=25|biome=Any temperate forest, temperate shrubland, mountain|note=Animal person, Lays eggs}}
{{CreatureCurrent table row|name=[[Kestrel]]|symbol=k|color=4:0:0|food=Yes|hostile=No|size=250|value=25|biome=Tropical freshwater marsh, tropical saltwater marsh, temperate freshwater marsh, temperate saltwater marsh, any shrubland, any savanna, any grassland|note=Lays eggs, Benign}}
{{CreatureCurrent table row|name=[[Kestrel man]]|symbol=k|color=4:0:0|food=Yes|hostile=No|size=35,125|value=25|biome=Tropical freshwater marsh, tropical saltwater marsh, temperate freshwater marsh, temperate saltwater marsh, any shrubland, any savanna, any grassland|note=Animal person, Lays eggs, Benign}}
{{CreatureCurrent table row|name=[[King cobra]]|symbol=k|color=0:0:1|food=Yes|hostile=No|size=6,000|value=200|biome=Any tropical forest|note=Lays eggs}}
{{CreatureCurrent table row|name=[[King cobra man]]|symbol=k|color=0:0:1|food=Yes|hostile=No|size=38,000|value=200|biome=Any tropical forest|note=Animal person, Lays eggs}}
{{CreatureCurrent table row|name=[[Kingsnake]]|symbol=k|color=7:0:1|food=Yes|hostile=No|size=750|value=50|biome=Any temperate forest, temperate shrubland, mountain, any desert|note=Lays eggs}}
{{CreatureCurrent table row|name=[[Kingsnake man]]|symbol=k|color=7:0:1|food=Yes|hostile=No|size=35,375|value=50|biome=Any temperate forest, temperate shrubland, mountain, any desert|note=Animal person, Lays eggs}}
{{CreatureCurrent table row|name=[[Kiwi]]|symbol=k|color=6:0:0|food=Yes|hostile=No|size=2,500|value=10|biome=Any temperate forest, temperate shrubland|note=Lays eggs, Benign}}
{{CreatureCurrent table row|name=[[Kiwi man]]|symbol=k|color=6:0:0|food=Yes|hostile=No|size=36,250|value=10|biome=Any temperate forest, temperate shrubland|note=Animal person, Lays eggs, Benign}}
{{CreatureCurrent table row|name=[[Koala]]|symbol=k|color=7:0:0|food=Yes|hostile=No|size=10,000|value=50|biome=Temperate broadleaf forest|note=Benign}}
{{CreatureCurrent table row|name=[[Koala man]]|symbol=k|color=7:0:0|food=Yes|hostile=No|size=40,000|value=50|biome=Temperate broadleaf forest|note=Animal person, Benign}}
{{CreatureCurrent table row|name=[[Leopard]]|symbol=L|color=6:0:1|food=Yes|hostile=Yes|size=50,000|value=100|biome=Any tropical land and any desert|note=Trainable}}
{{CreatureCurrent table row|name=[[Leopard gecko man]]|symbol=g|color=6:0:1|food=No|hostile=No|size=35,025|value=10|biome=Any desert|note=Animal person}}
{{CreatureCurrent table row|name=[[Lion]]|symbol=L|color=6:0:1|food=Yes|hostile=Yes|size=200,000|value=200|biome=Tropical savanna, grassland, and shrubland|note=Trainable}}
{{CreatureCurrent table row|name=[[Lion tamarin man]]|symbol=l|color=6:0:1|food=No|hostile=No|size=35,310|value=10|biome=Tropical moist broadleaf forest|note=Animal person, Benign}}
{{CreatureCurrent table row|name=[[Lorikeet man]]|symbol=l|color=4:0:1|food=No|hostile=No|size=35,100|value=30|biome=Tropical moist broadleaf forest, mangrove swamp|note=Animal person, Lays eggs, Benign}}
{{CreatureCurrent table row|name=[[Louse man]]|symbol=l|color=6:0:0|food=No|hostile=No|size=35,000|value=Not tameable|biome=Not freezing|note=Animal person}}
{{CreatureCurrent table row|name=[[Lynx]]|symbol=l|color=6:0:0|food=Yes|hostile=No|size=25,000|value=75|biome=Taiga|note=}}
{{CreatureCurrent table row|name=[[Lynx man]]|symbol=l|color=6:0:0|food=Yes|hostile=No|size=47,500|value=75|biome=Taiga|note=Animal person}}
{{CreatureCurrent table row|name=[[Magpie man]]|symbol=m|color=0:0:1|food=No|hostile=No|size=35,100|value=30|biome=Temperate grassland, temperate savanna, temperate shrubland|note=Animal person, Lays eggs, Benign}}
{{CreatureCurrent table row|name=[[Mandrill]]|symbol=m|color=1:0:1|food=Yes|hostile=No|size=20,000|value=50|biome=Tropical moist broadleaf forest|note=Trainable}}
{{CreatureCurrent table row|name=[[Mantis man]]|symbol=m|color=2:0:1|food=No|hostile=No|size=35,000|value=Not tameable|biome=Not freezing|note=Animal person}}
{{CreatureCurrent table row|name=[[Masked lovebird man]]|symbol=l|color=2:0:1|food=No|hostile=No|size=35,045|value=30|biome=Any tropical forest|note=Animal person, Lays eggs}}
{{CreatureCurrent table row|name=[[Mongoose]]|symbol=m|color=7:0:0|food=Yes|hostile=No|size=3,000|value=25|biome=Tropical savanna, tropical shrubland|note=Benign}}
{{CreatureCurrent table row|name=[[Mongoose man]]|symbol=m|color=7:0:0|food=Yes|hostile=No|size=36,500|value=25|biome=Tropical savanna, tropical shrubland|note=Animal person, Benign}}
{{CreatureCurrent table row|name=[[Monitor lizard]]|symbol=M|color=6:0:0|food=Yes|hostile=No|size=100,000|value=400|biome=Tropical grassland, tropical savanna, tropical shrubland, any tropical forest|note=Lays eggs}}
{{CreatureCurrent table row|name=[[Monitor lizard man]]|symbol=M|color=6:0:0|food=Yes|hostile=No|size=85,000|value=400|biome=Tropical grassland, tropical savanna, tropical shrubland, any tropical forest|note=Animal person, Lays eggs}}
{{CreatureCurrent table row|name=[[Moose]]|symbol=M|color=6:0:0|food=Yes|hostile=No|size=525,000 (males) 315,000 (females)|value=300|biome=Taiga and temperate forest|note=}}
{{CreatureCurrent table row|name=[[Moose man]]|symbol=M|color=6:0:0|food=Yes|hostile=No|size=297,500|value=300|biome=Taiga, any temperate forest|note=Animal person, Benign}}
{{CreatureCurrent table row|name=[[Mosquito man]]|symbol=m|color=0:0:1|food=No|hostile=No|size=35,000|value=Not tameable|biome=Not freezing, any pool|note=Animal person}}
{{CreatureCurrent table row|name=[[Moth man]]|symbol=m|color=6:0:0|food=No|hostile=No|size=35,000|value=Not tameable|biome=Not freezing|note=Animal person, Benign}}
{{CreatureCurrent table row|name=[[Mountain gnome]]|symbol=g|color=0:0:1|food=No|hostile=No|size=15,000|value=Not tameable|biome=Good mountains|note=Steals booze}}
{{CreatureCurrent table row|name=[[Mountain goat]]|symbol=g|color=7:0:1|food=Yes|hostile=No|size=50,000|value=50|biome=Mountains|note=}}
{{CreatureCurrent table row|name=[[Muskox]]|symbol=M|color=7:0:0|food=Yes|hostile=No|size=285,000|value=300|biome=Tundra and grassland|note=Wagon puller, pack animal}}
{{CreatureCurrent table row|name=[[Nightwing]]|symbol=N|color=0:0:1|food=Yes|hostile=Yes|size=120,000|value=50|biome=Evil desert|note=Can fly}}
{{CreatureCurrent table row|name=[[Ocelot]]|symbol=o|color=6:0:1|food=Yes|hostile=No|size=25,000|value=100|biome=Any tropical forest, mangrove swamp, tropical savanna, tropical grassland|note=}}
{{CreatureCurrent table row|name=[[Ocelot man]]|symbol=o|color=6:0:1|food=Yes|hostile=No|size=47,500|value=100|biome=Any tropical forest, mangrove swamp, tropical savanna, tropical grassland|note=Animal person}}
{{CreatureCurrent table row|name=[[Ogre]]|symbol=O|color=7:0:0|food=No|hostile=Yes|size=6,000,000|value=Not tameable|biome=Evil savanna, grassland, and shrubland|note=}}
{{CreatureCurrent table row|name=[[One-humped camel]]|symbol=C|color=6:0:0|food=Yes|hostile=No|size=500,000|value=500|biome=Any desert|note=Benign, pack animal}}
{{CreatureCurrent table row|name=[[Opossum]]|symbol=o|color=7:0:0|food=Yes|hostile=No|size=3,000|value=10|biome=Any temperate forest, temperate shrubland, temperate savanna, temperate grassland|note=Benign}}
{{CreatureCurrent table row|name=[[Opossum man]]|symbol=o|color=7:0:0|food=Yes|hostile=No|size=36,500|value=10|biome=Any temperate forest, temperate shrubland, temperate savanna, temperate grassland|note=Animal person, Benign}}
{{CreatureCurrent table row|name=[[Orangutan]]|symbol=O|color=6:0:0|food=Yes|hostile=No|size=80,000|value=500|biome=Tropical moist broadleaf forest|note=}}
{{CreatureCurrent table row|name=[[Osprey]]|symbol=o|color=7:0:1|food=Yes|hostile=No|size=2,000|value=25|biome=Any ocean, any lake, any river, tropical freshwater marsh, tropical saltwater marsh, temperate freshwater marsh, temperate saltwater marsh|note=Lays eggs, Benign}}
{{CreatureCurrent table row|name=[[Osprey man]]|symbol=o|color=7:0:1|food=Yes|hostile=No|size=36,000|value=25|biome=Any ocean, any lake, any river, tropical freshwater marsh, tropical saltwater marsh, temperate freshwater marsh, temperate saltwater marsh|note=Animal person, Lays eggs, Benign}}
{{CreatureCurrent table row|name=[[Ostrich]]|symbol=O|color=0:0:1|food=Yes|hostile=No|size=90,000|value=100|biome=Tropical savanna, tropical grassland, any desert|note=Lays eggs, Benign}}
{{CreatureCurrent table row|name=[[Ostrich man]]|symbol=O|color=0:0:1|food=Yes|hostile=No|size=80,000|value=100|biome=Tropical savanna, tropical grassland, any desert|note=Animal person, Lays eggs, Benign}}
{{CreatureCurrent table row|name=[[Panda]]|symbol=P|color=7:0:1|food=Yes|hostile=No|size=130,000|value=300|biome=Temperate forest|note=}}
{{CreatureCurrent table row|name=[[Panda man]]|symbol=P|color=7:0:1|food=Yes|hostile=No|size=100,000|value=300|biome=Any temperate forest|note=Animal person}}
{{CreatureCurrent table row|name=[[Pangolin]]|symbol=p|color=6:0:0|food=Yes|hostile=No|size=5,000|value=20|biome=Tropical grassland, tropical savanna, tropical shrubland, any tropical forest|note=Benign}}
{{CreatureCurrent table row|name=[[Pangolin man]]|symbol=p|color=6:0:0|food=Yes|hostile=No|size=37,500|value=20|biome=Tropical grassland, tropical savanna, tropical shrubland, any tropical forest|note=Animal person, Benign}}
{{CreatureCurrent table row|name=[[Parakeet man]]|symbol=p|color=2:0:1|food=No|hostile=No|size=35,060|value=30|biome=Tropical grassland, tropical savanna, tropical shrubland, any tropical forest|note=Animal person, Lays eggs, Benign}}
{{CreatureCurrent table row|name=[[Peach-faced lovebird man]]|symbol=l|color=2:0:1|food=No|hostile=No|size=35,030|value=30|biome=Temperate grassland, temperate savanna, temperate shrubland, temperate broadleaf forest|note=Animal person, Lays eggs}}
{{CreatureCurrent table row|name=[[Peregrine falcon]]|symbol=p|color=6:0:0|food=Yes|hostile=No|size=1,100|value=25|biome=Any wetland, any temperate forest, tropical conifer forest, tropical dry broadleaf forest, taiga, any shrubland, any savanna, any grassland, any desert, mountain, tundra|note=Lays eggs, Benign}}
{{CreatureCurrent table row|name=[[Peregrine falcon man]]|symbol=p|color=6:0:0|food=Yes|hostile=No|size=35,550|value=25|biome=Any wetland, any temperate forest, tropical conifer forest, tropical dry broadleaf forest, taiga, any shrubland, any savanna, any grassland, any desert, mountain, tundra|note=Animal person, Lays eggs, Benign}}
{{CreatureCurrent table row|name=[[Pileated gibbon]]|symbol=g|color=0:0:1|food=Yes|hostile=No|size=6,000|value=500|biome=Tropical moist broadleaf forest|note=}}
{{CreatureCurrent table row|name=[[Polar bear]]|symbol=B|color=7:0:1|food=Yes|hostile=Yes|size=400,000|value=100|biome=Tundra and glaciers|note=Steals booze, trainable}}
{{CreatureCurrent table row|name=[[Porcupine]]|symbol=p|color=6:0:0|food=Yes|hostile=No|size=9,000|value=50|biome=Temperate shrubland, temperate savanna, temperate grassland, temperate conifer forest, taiga, any desert, tundra|note=Benign}}
{{CreatureCurrent table row|name=[[Porcupine man]]|symbol=p|color=6:0:0|food=Yes|hostile=No|size=39,500|value=50|biome=Temperate shrubland, temperate savanna, temperate grassland, temperate conifer forest, taiga, any desert, tundra|note=Animal person, Benign}}
{{CreatureCurrent table row|name=[[Python]]|symbol=S|color=6:0:0|food=Yes|hostile=No|size=50,000|value=50|biome=Tropical moist broadleaf forest|note=Lays eggs}}
{{CreatureCurrent table row|name=[[Python man]]|symbol=S|color=6:0:0|food=Yes|hostile=No|size=60,000|value=50|biome=Tropical moist broadleaf forest|note=Animal person, Lays eggs}}
{{CreatureCurrent table row|name=[[Raccoon]]|symbol=r|color=7:0:0|food=Yes|hostile=No|size=7,000|value=25|biome=Taiga and temperate forest|note=Steals items and food}}
{{CreatureCurrent table row|name=[[Rattlesnake]]|symbol=s|color=7:0:0|food=Yes|hostile=No|size=3,500|value=20|biome=Not freezing|note=}}
{{CreatureCurrent table row|name=[[Rattlesnake man]]|symbol=s|color=7:0:0|food=Yes|hostile=No|size=36,750|value=20|biome=Not freezing|note=Animal person}}
{{CreatureCurrent table row|name=[[Raven]]|symbol=r|color=0:0:1|food=No|hostile=No|size=1,200|value=25|biome=Temperate grassland, temperate savanna, temperate shrubland, taiga, any temperate forest, any temperate wetland, tundra, any desert|note=Lays eggs, Benign}}
{{CreatureCurrent table row|name=[[Raven man]]|symbol=r|color=0:0:1|food=No|hostile=No|size=35,600|value=25|biome=Temperate grassland, temperate savanna, temperate shrubland, taiga, any temperate forest, any temperate wetland, tundra, any desert|note=Animal person, Lays eggs, Benign}}
{{CreatureCurrent table row|name=[[Red panda]]|symbol=p|color=4:0:0|food=Yes|hostile=No|size=5,000|value=25|biome=Any temperate forest|note=Benign}}
{{CreatureCurrent table row|name=[[Red panda man]]|symbol=p|color=4:0:0|food=Yes|hostile=No|size=37,500|value=25|biome=Any temperate forest|note=Animal person, Benign}}
{{CreatureCurrent table row|name=[[Reindeer]]|symbol=R|color=6:0:0|food=Yes|hostile=No|size=130,000|value=200|biome=Tundra and taiga|note=Domestic and milkable}}
{{CreatureCurrent table row|name=[[Rhesus macaque]]|symbol=m|color=7:0:0|food=Yes|hostile=No|size=5,000|value=50|biome=Temperate savanna, grassland, and shrubland|note=Steals items and food}}
{{CreatureCurrent table row|name=[[Rhinoceros]]|symbol=R|color=7:0:0|food=Yes|hostile=No|size=3,000,000|value=500|biome=Tropical savanna, grassland and shrubland|note=}}
{{CreatureCurrent table row|name=[[Saltwater crocodile]]|symbol=C|color=2:0:0|hostile=Yes|food=Yes|size=800,000|value=700|biome=Any tropical swamps, marshes and rivers|note=}}
{{CreatureCurrent table row|name=[[Sasquatch]]|symbol=S|color=6:0:0|food=Yes|hostile=Yes|size=300,000|value=Not tameable|biome=Temperate forest and taiga|note=}}
{{CreatureCurrent table row|name=[[Satyr]]|symbol=s|color=6:0:0|food=No|hostile=No|size=60,000|value=Not tameable|biome=Most good forest|note=}}
{{CreatureCurrent table row|name=[[Siamang]]|symbol=s|color=0:0:1|food=Yes|hostile=No|size=12,000|value=500|biome=Tropical moist broadleaf forest|note=}}
{{CreatureCurrent table row|name=[[Silvery gibbon]]|symbol=g|color=0:0:1|food=Yes|hostile=No|size=6,000|value=500|biome=Tropical moist broadleaf forest|note=}}
{{CreatureCurrent table row|name=[[Skunk]]|symbol=s|color=0:0:1|food=Yes|hostile=No|size=4,000|value=50|biome=Any temperate forest, temperate shrubland, temperate savanna, temperate grassland|note=Benign}}
{{CreatureCurrent table row|name=[[Skunk man]]|symbol=s|color=0:0:1|food=Yes|hostile=No|size=37,000|value=50|biome=Any temperate forest, temperate shrubland, temperate savanna, temperate grassland|note=Animal person, Benign}}
{{CreatureCurrent table row|name=[[Sloth]]|symbol=s|color=7:0:0|food=Yes|hostile=No|size=6,000|value=50|biome=Any tropical forest|note=Benign}}
{{CreatureCurrent table row|name=[[Sloth bear]]|symbol=B|color=0:0:1|food=Yes|hostile=No|size=100,000|value=250|biome=Any tropical forest|note=}}
{{CreatureCurrent table row|name=[[Sloth bear man]]|symbol=B|color=0:0:1|food=Yes|hostile=No|size=85,000|value=250|biome=Any tropical forest|note=Animal person}}
{{CreatureCurrent table row|name=[[Sloth man]]|symbol=s|color=7:0:0|food=Yes|hostile=No|size=38,000|value=50|biome=Any tropical forest|note=Animal person, Benign}}
{{CreatureCurrent table row|name=[[Slug man]]|symbol=s|color=6:0:0|food=No|hostile=No|size=35,000|value=10|biome=Not freezing|note=Animal person, Benign}}
{{CreatureCurrent table row|name=[[Snail man]]|symbol=s|color=7:0:0|food=No|hostile=No|size=35,000|value=10|biome=Not freezing|note=Animal person, Benign}}
{{CreatureCurrent table row|name=[[Snowy owl]]|symbol=o|color=7:0:1|food=Yes|hostile=No|size=2,000|value=25|biome=Tundra|note=Lays eggs, Benign}}
{{CreatureCurrent table row|name=[[Snowy owl man]]|symbol=o|color=7:0:1|food=Yes|hostile=No|size=36,000|value=25|biome=Tundra|note=Animal person, Lays eggs, Benign}}
{{CreatureCurrent table row|name=[[Sparrow man]]|symbol=s|color=6:0:0|food=No|hostile=No|size=35,015|value=30|biome=Any grassland, any savanna, any shrubland, any temperate forest, any tropical forest, any desert, any wetland|note=Animal person, Lays eggs, Benign}}
{{CreatureCurrent table row|name=[[Spider monkey]]|symbol=m|color=0:0:1|food=Yes|hostile=No|size=8,500|value=50|biome=Tropical moist broadleaf forest, tropical dry broadleaf forest|note=Benign}}
{{CreatureCurrent table row|name=[[Spider monkey man]]|symbol=m|color=0:0:1|food=Yes|hostile=No|size=39,250|value=50|biome=Tropical moist broadleaf forest, tropical dry broadleaf forest|note=Animal person, Benign}}
{{CreatureCurrent table row|name=[[Stoat]]|symbol=s|color=6:0:0|food=Yes|hostile=No|size=350|value=25|biome=Taiga, tundra|note=Benign}}
{{CreatureCurrent table row|name=[[Stoat man]]|symbol=s|color=6:0:0|food=Yes|hostile=No|size=35,175|value=25|biome=Taiga, tundra|note=Animal person, Benign}}
{{CreatureCurrent table row|name=[[Strangler]]|symbol=s|color=0:0:1|food=Yes|hostile=Yes|size=40,000|value=250|biome=Evil tropical moist broadleaf forest|note=}}
{{CreatureCurrent table row|name=[[Swan]]|symbol=s|color=7:0:1|food=Yes|hostile=No|size=10,000|value=10|biome=Any temperate lake, any temperate marsh|note=Lays eggs, Benign}}
{{CreatureCurrent table row|name=[[Swan man]]|symbol=s|color=7:0:1|food=Yes|hostile=No|size=40,000|value=10|biome=Any temperate lake, any temperate marsh|note=Animal person, Lays eggs, Benign}}
{{CreatureCurrent table row|name=[[Tapir]]|symbol=T|color=7:0:1|food=Yes|hostile=No|size=200,000|value=200|biome=Tropical moist broadleaf forest|note=Benign}}
{{CreatureCurrent table row|name=[[Tapir man]]|symbol=T|color=7:0:1|food=Yes|hostile=No|size=135,000|value=200|biome=Tropical moist broadleaf forest|note=Animal person, Benign}}
{{CreatureCurrent table row|name=[[Thrips man]]|symbol=t|color=6:0:0|food=No|hostile=No|size=35,000|value=Not tameable|biome=Not freezing|note=Animal person, Benign}}
{{CreatureCurrent table row|name=[[Tick man]]|symbol=t|color=0:0:1|food=No|hostile=No|size=35,000|value=Not tameable|biome=Not freezing|note=Animal person}}
{{CreatureCurrent table row|name=[[Tiger]]|symbol=T|color=6:0:1|food=Yes|hostile=Yes|size=225,000|value=200|biome=Most tropical areas|note=Trainable}}
{{CreatureCurrent table row|name=[[Tigerman]]|symbol=T|color=6:0:1|food=No|hostile=Yes|size=120,000|value=200|biome=Savage tropical areas|note=}}
{{CreatureCurrent table row|name=[[Turkey]]|symbol=t|color=4:0:1|food=Yes|hostile=No|size=5,000|value=10|biome=Temperate forest, swamp and shrubland|note=Domestic, lay eggs}}
{{CreatureCurrent table row|name=[[Two-humped camel]]|symbol=C|color=6:0:0|food=Yes|hostile=No|size=500,000|value=500|biome=Any desert|note=Benign, pack animal}}
{{CreatureCurrent table row|name=[[Unicorn]]|symbol=U|color=7:0:1|food=Yes|hostile=No|size=600,000|value=1000|biome=Good taiga, forest, and shrubland|note=}}
{{CreatureCurrent table row|name=[[Vulture]]|symbol=v|color=4:0:0|food=Yes|hostile=No|size=9,000|value=30|biome=Any desert and tropical grassland and savanna|note=Steals food}}
{{CreatureCurrent table row|name=[[Warthog]]|symbol=w|color=6:0:0|food=Yes|hostile=No|size=100,000|value=100|biome=Tropical savanna, grassland and shrubland|note=}}
{{CreatureCurrent table row|name=[[Water buffalo]]|symbol=W|color=0:0:1|food=Yes|hostile=No|size=1,000,000|value=200|biome=Tropical wetland|note=Domestic, milkable, wagon puller, pack animal}}
{{CreatureCurrent table row|name=[[Weasel]]|symbol=w|color=6:0:0|food=Yes|hostile=No|size=200|value=10|biome=Any land|note=Benign}}
{{CreatureCurrent table row|name=[[Weasel man]]|symbol=w|color=6:0:0|food=Yes|hostile=No|size=35,100|value=10|biome=Any land|note=Animal person, Benign}}
{{CreatureCurrent table row|name=[[Werewolf]]|symbol=W|color=0:0:1|food=Yes|hostile=Yes|size=120,000|value=50 or 1000|biome=Evil tundra, taiga, temperate forest and shrubland|note=}}
{{CreatureCurrent table row|name=[[White stork]]|symbol=s|color=7:0:1|food=Yes|hostile=No|size=3,000|value=25|biome=Any grassland, any wetland|note=Lays eggs, Benign}}
{{CreatureCurrent table row|name=[[White stork man]]|symbol=s|color=7:0:1|food=Yes|hostile=No|size=36,500|value=25|biome=Any grassland, any wetland|note=Animal person, Lays eggs, Benign}}
{{CreatureCurrent table row|name=[[White-browed gibbon]]|symbol=g|color=7:0:1|food=Yes|hostile=No|size=6,000|value=500|biome=Tropical moist broadleaf forest|note=Benign}}
{{CreatureCurrent table row|name=[[White-handed gibbon]]|symbol=g|color=6:0:0|food=Yes|hostile=No|size=6,000|value=500|biome=Tropical moist broadleaf forest|note=Benign}}
{{CreatureCurrent table row|name=[[Wild boar]]|symbol=B|color=6:0:0|food=Yes|hostile=No|size=80,000|value=100|biome=Any savanna, any grassland, any shrubland, any forest, any wetland|note=Benign}}
{{CreatureCurrent table row|name=[[Wild boar man]]|symbol=B|color=6:0:0|food=Yes|hostile=No|size=75,000|value=100|biome=Any savanna, any grassland, any shrubland, any forest, any wetland|note=Animal person, Benign}}
{{CreatureCurrent table row|name=[[Wolf]]|symbol=w|color=7:0:0|food=Yes|hostile=Yes|size=40,000|value=50|biome=Tundra, taiga, and temperate forest/shrubland|note=}}
{{CreatureCurrent table row|name=[[Wolverine]]|symbol=w|color=6:0:0|food=Yes|hostile=No|size=20,000|value=25|biome=Taiga, mountain|note=Benign}}
{{CreatureCurrent table row|name=[[Wolverine man]]|symbol=w|color=6:0:0|food=Yes|hostile=No|size=45,000|value=25|biome=Taiga, mountain|note=Animal person, Benign}}
{{CreatureCurrent table row|name=[[Wombat]]|symbol=w|color=6:0:0|food=Yes|hostile=No|size=25,000|value=50|biome=Any temperate forest, temperate shrubland, mountain|note=Benign}}
{{CreatureCurrent table row|name=[[Wombat man]]|symbol=w|color=6:0:0|food=Yes|hostile=No|size=47,500|value=50|biome=Any temperate forest, temperate shrubland, mountain|note=Animal person, Benign}}
{{CreatureCurrent table row|name=[[Wren man]]|symbol=w|color=6:0:0|food=No|hostile=No|size=35,020|value=30|biome=Any forest, any grassland, any savanna, any shrubland, any wetland, any desert|note=Animal person, Lays eggs, Benign}}
{{CreatureCurrent table row|name=[[Yak]]|symbol=Y|color=6:0:0|food=Yes|hostile=No|size=700,000|value=200|biome=Mountains|note=Domestic, milkable, wagon puller, pack animal}}
{{CreatureCurrent table row|name=[[Yeti]]|symbol=Y|color=7:0:1|food=Yes|hostile=Yes|size=300,000|value=Not tameable|biome=Mountains, glaciers, and tundra|note=}}
|}

===Subterranean===

{{CreatureCurrent table head}}
{{CreatureCurrent table row|name=[[Amethyst man]]|symbol=M|color=5:0:1|food=No|hostile=Yes|size=70,000|value=Not tameable|biome=Caverns|note=Leaves behind an [[amethyst]]}}
{{CreatureCurrent table row|name=[[Blind cave bear]]|symbol=B|color=7:0:1|food=Yes|hostile=Yes|size=200,000|value=500|biome=Caverns|note=}}
{{CreatureCurrent table row|name=[[Blind cave ogre]]|symbol=O|color=7:0:1|food=Yes|hostile=Yes|size=7,000,000|value=500|biome=Caverns|note=}}
{{CreatureCurrent table row|name=[[Blood man]]|symbol=M|color=4:0:1|food=No|hostile=Yes|size=70,000|value=Not tameable|biome=Caverns|note=}}
{{CreatureCurrent table row|name=[[Bugbat]]|symbol=b|color=5:0:0|food=Yes|hostile=No|size=10,000|value=20|biome=Caverns|note=}}
{{CreatureCurrent table row|name=[[Cave blob]]|symbol=o|color=6:0:1|food=No|hostile=No|size=20,000|value=50|biome=Caverns|note=Causes [[syndrome]]}}
{{CreatureCurrent table row|name=[[Cave crocodile]]|symbol=C|color=7:0:0|hostile=Yes|food=Yes|size=600,000|value=750|biome=Caverns|note=}}
{{CreatureCurrent table row|name=[[Cave dragon]]|symbol=D|color=7:0:1|hostile=Yes|food=Yes|size=15,000,000|value=10000|biome=Caverns|note=}}
{{CreatureCurrent table row|name=[[Cave floater]]|symbol=f|color=6:0:1|hostile=No|food=No|size=40,000|value=50|biome=Caverns|note=Causes [[syndrome]]}}
{{CreatureCurrent table row|name=[[Creeping eye]]|symbol=e|color=7:0:1|food=Yes|hostile=No|size=20,000|value=50|biome=Caverns|note=}}
{{CreatureCurrent table row|name=[[Crundle]]|symbol=c|color=4:0:0|food=Yes|hostile=Yes|size=10,000|value=50|biome=Caverns|note=}}
{{CreatureCurrent table row|name=[[Draltha]]|symbol=D|color=6:0:1|hostile=No|food=Yes|size=2,500,000|value=500|biome=Caverns|note=}}
{{CreatureCurrent table row|name=[[Drunian]]|symbol=d|color=7:0:0|hostile=No|food=Yes|size=50,000|value=50|biome=Caverns|note=Steals food and items}}
{{CreatureCurrent table row|name=[[Elk bird]]|symbol=E|color=6:0:0|food=Yes|hostile=No|size=100,000|value=400|biome=Caverns|note=}}
{{CreatureCurrent table row|name=[[Fire imp]]|symbol=i|color=6:0:1|food=Yes|hostile=Yes|size=6,000|value=Not tameable|biome=Magma|note=Throws fireballs}}
{{CreatureCurrent table row|name=[[Fire man]]|symbol=M|color=4:0:1|food=No|hostile=Yes|size=70,000|value=Not tameable|biome=Magma|note=Throws fireballs and leaves behind [[ash|ashes]]}}
{{CreatureCurrent table row|name=[[Flesh ball]]|symbol=o|color=6:0:0|food=Yes|hostile=No|size=70,000|value=10|biome=Subterranean water|note=}}
{{CreatureCurrent table row|name=[[Floating guts]]|symbol=%|color=7:0:0|hostile=No|food=Yes|size=20,000|value=10|biome=Caverns}}
{{CreatureCurrent table row|name=[[Gabbro man]]|symbol=M|color=0:0:1|food=No|hostile=Yes|size=70,000|value=Not tameable|biome=Caverns|note=Leaves behind [[gabbro]]}}
{{CreatureCurrent table row|name=[[Giant bat]]|symbol=B|color=0:0:1|food=Yes|hostile=Yes|size=100,000|value=750|biome=Caverns|note=Trainable}}
{{CreatureCurrent table row|name=[[Giant cave spider]]|symbol=S|color=7:0:0|food=Yes|hostile=Yes|size=100,000|value=2500|biome=Caverns|note=Spins/throws [[web]]s and causes [[syndrome]]}}
{{CreatureCurrent table row|name=[[Giant cave swallow]]|symbol=C|color=0:0:1|food=Yes|hostile=No{{verify}}|size=100,000|value=700|biome=Caverns|note=Trainable}}
{{CreatureCurrent table row|name=[[Giant earthworm]]|symbol=W|color=7:0:0|food=Yes|hostile=No|size=1,500,000|value=500|biome=Caverns|note=}}
{{CreatureCurrent table row|name=[[Giant mole]]|symbol=m|color=6:0:0|food=Yes|hostile=No{{verify}}|size=200,000|value=350|biome=Caverns|note=Steals food and booze}}
{{CreatureCurrent table row|name=[[Giant olm]]|symbol=O|color=7:0:1|food=Yes|hostile=Yes|size=300,000|value=750|biome=Caverns|note=}}
{{CreatureCurrent table row|name=[[Giant rat]]|symbol=R|color=0:0:1|food=Yes|hostile=No{{verify}}|size=100,000|value=500|biome=Caverns|note=Steals food and booze}}
{{CreatureCurrent table row|name=[[Giant toad]]|symbol=T|color=2:0:0|food=Yes|hostile=Yes|size=300,000|value=750|biome=Caverns|note=}}
{{CreatureCurrent table row|name=[[Gorlak]]|symbol=g|color=6:0:1|food=Yes|hostile=No|size=50,000|value=Not tameable|biome=Good caverns|note=}}
{{CreatureCurrent table row|name=[[Green devourer]]|symbol=G|color=2:0:1|food=Yes|hostile=Yes|size=70,000|value=200|biome=Caverns|note=}}
{{CreatureCurrent table row|name=[[Gremlin]]|symbol=g|color=2:0:1|hostile=No|food=No|size=10,000|value=N/A|biome=Caverns|note=[[Gremlin|Cause mischief around fortress]]}}
{{CreatureCurrent table row|name=[[Helmet snake]]|symbol=s|color=7:0:1|food=Yes|hostile=Yes|size=50,000|value=30|biome=Caverns|note=Causes [[syndrome]]}}
{{CreatureCurrent table row|name=[[Hungry head]]|symbol=h|color=0:0:1|food=Yes|hostile=Yes|size=5,000|value=50|biome=Caverns|note=Flying}}
{{CreatureCurrent table row|name=[[Iron man]]|symbol=M|color=0:0:1|food=No|hostile=Yes|size=70,000|value=Not tameable|biome=Caverns|note=Causes [[syndrome]]}}
{{CreatureCurrent table row|name=[[Jabberer]]|symbol=J|color=5:0:1|food=Yes|hostile=Yes|size=4,500,000|value=1500|biome=Caverns|note=}}
{{CreatureCurrent table row|name=[[Large rat]]|symbol=r|color=0:0:1|food=Yes|hostile=No|size=25,000|value=250|biome=Caverns|note=Steals food}}
{{CreatureCurrent table row|name=[[Magma crab]]|symbol=C|color=0:0:1|hostile=Yes|food=Yes|size=30,000|value=200|biome=Magma|note=Throws molten [[basalt]]}}
{{CreatureCurrent table row|name=[[Magma man]]|symbol=M|color=4:0:1|food=No|hostile=Yes|size=70,000|value=Not tameable|biome=Magma|note=Leaves behind [[obsidian]]}}
{{CreatureCurrent table row|name=[[Manera]]|symbol=m|color=6:0:0|food=No|hostile=No|size=60,000|value=Not tameable|biome=Evil caverns|note=}}
{{CreatureCurrent table row|name=[[Molemarian]]|symbol=M|color=4:0:1|food=No|hostile=Yes|size=90,000|value=400|biome=Caverns|note=}}
{{CreatureCurrent table row|name=[[Mud man]]|symbol=M|color=6:0:0|food=No|hostile=Yes|size=70,000|value=Not tameable|biome=Caverns|note=}}
{{CreatureCurrent table row|name=[[Naked mole dog]]|symbol=n|color=4:0:1|food=Yes|hostile=No|size=60,000|value=350|biome=Caverns|note=Steals food}}
{{CreatureCurrent table row|name=[[Plump helmet man]]|symbol=m|color=5:0:0|food=No|hostile=No|size=50,000|value=Not tameable|biome=Caverns|note=}}
{{CreatureCurrent table row|name=[[Pond grabber]]|symbol=p|color=1:0:1|food=Yes|hostile=Yes|size=30,000|value=50|biome=Caverns|note=}}
{{CreatureCurrent table row|name=[[Reacher]]|symbol=R|color=7:0:0|food=Yes|hostile=Yes|size=70,000|value=100|biome=Caverns|note=}}
{{CreatureCurrent table row|name=[[Rutherer]]|symbol=R|color=7:0:0|food=Yes|hostile=No|size=3,000,000|value=600|biome=Caverns|note=Exotic Mount}}
{{CreatureCurrent table row|name=[[Troglodyte]]|symbol=t|color=6:0:0|food=No|hostile=Yes|size=60,000|value=Not tameable|biome=Caverns|note=}}
{{CreatureCurrent table row|name=[[Troll]]|symbol=T|color=0:0:1|food=Yes|hostile=Yes|size=250,000|value=Not tameable|biome=Caverns|note=Forms civilizations}}
{{CreatureCurrent table row|name=[[Voracious cave crawler]]|symbol=C|color=1:0:0|food=Yes|hostile=Yes|size=900,000|value=1000|biome=Caverns|note=}}
|}

===Aquatic===
Note: This does not include subterranean sea creatures.

{{CreatureCurrent table head}}
{{CreatureCurrent table row|name=[[Albatross]]|symbol=a|color=7:0:1|food=Yes|hostile=No|size=8,000|value=10|biome=Any ocean|note=Lays eggs, Benign}}
{{CreatureCurrent table row|name=[[Albatross man]]|symbol=a|color=7:0:1|food=Yes|hostile=No|size=39,000|value=10|biome=Any ocean|note=Animal person, Lays eggs, Benign}}
{{CreatureCurrent table row|name=[[Alligator]]|symbol=A|color=2:0:0|hostile=Yes|food=Yes|size=400,000|value=650|biome=Freshwater swamps, marshes and rivers|note=Amphibious, Lays eggs.}}
{{CreatureCurrent table row|name=[[Alligator snapping turtle]]|symbol=T|color=2:0:0|food=Yes|hostile=No|size=80,000|value=25|biome=Temperate freshwater river, temperate brackishwater river, temperate freshwater lake, temperate brackishwater lake, temperate freshwater pool, temperate brackishwater pool|note=Lays eggs}}
{{CreatureCurrent table row|name=[[Angelshark]]|symbol=s|color=6:0:0|food=Yes|hostile=No|size=15,000|value=200|biome=Oceans|note=}}
{{CreatureCurrent table row|name=[[Axolotl man]]|symbol=a|color=5:0:0|food=No|hostile=No|size=35,100|value=10|biome=Tropical saltwater lake, tropical brackishwater lake, tropical freshwater lake|note=Animal person}}
{{CreatureCurrent table row|name=[[Basking shark]]|symbol=S|color=7:0:0|food=Yes|hostile=No|size=15,000,000|value=1000|biome=Oceans|note=}}
{{CreatureCurrent table row|name=[[Beaver]]|symbol=b|color=6:0:0|food=Yes|hostile=No|size=20,000|value=25|biome=Any temperate lake, any temperate river|note=Benign}}
{{CreatureCurrent table row|name=[[Beaver man]]|symbol=b|color=6:0:0|food=Yes|hostile=No|size=45,000|value=25|biome=Any temperate lake, any temperate river|note=Animal person, Benign}}
{{CreatureCurrent table row|name=[[Blacktip reef shark]]|symbol=S|color=0:0:1|food=Yes|hostile=Yes|size=15,000|value=200|biome=Oceans|note=}}
{{CreatureCurrent table row|name=[[Blue shark]]|symbol=S|color=1:0:1|food=Yes|hostile=Yes|size=300,000|value=400|biome=Oceans|note=}}
{{CreatureCurrent table row|name=[[Bluefin tuna]]|symbol=α|color=1:0:1|food=Yes|hostile=No|size=600,000|value=200|biome=Oceans|note=}}
{{CreatureCurrent table row|name=[[Bluefish]]|symbol=α|color=3:0:1|food=Yes|hostile=No|size=15,000|value=200|biome=Oceans|note=}}
{{CreatureCurrent table row|name=[[Bull shark]]|symbol=S|color=7:0:1|food=Yes|hostile=Yes|size=150,000|value=500|biome=Oceans|note=}}
{{CreatureCurrent table row|name=[[Carp]]|symbol=α|color=3:0:0|hostile=No|food=Yes|size=40,000|value=50|biome=Freshwater rivers and lakes|note=}}
{{CreatureCurrent table row|name=[[Cod]]|symbol=α|color=7:0:0|food=Yes|hostile=No|size=50,000|value=200|biome=Oceans|note=}}
{{CreatureCurrent table row|name=[[Coelacanth]]|symbol=c|color=1:0:1|food=Yes|hostile=No|size=80,000|value=200|biome=Oceans|note=}}
{{CreatureCurrent table row|name=[[Common skate]]|symbol=ò|color=6:0:0|food=Yes|hostile=No|size=100,000|value=200|biome=Oceans|note=}}
{{CreatureCurrent table row|name=[[Common snapping turtle]]|symbol=t|color=2:0:0|food=Yes|hostile=No|size=30,000|value=25|biome=Temperate freshwater river, temperate brackishwater river, temperate freshwater lake, temperate brackishwater lake, temperate freshwater pool, temperate brackishwater pool|note=Lays eggs}}
{{CreatureCurrent table row|name=[[Conger eel]]|symbol=~|color=7:0:0|food=Yes|hostile=No|size=50,000|value=400|biome=Oceans|note=}}
{{CreatureCurrent table row|name=[[Crab]]|symbol=c|color=4:0:1|food=Yes|hostile=No|size=8,000|value=Not tameable|biome=Any ocean|note=}}
{{CreatureCurrent table row|name=[[Crab man]]|symbol=c|color=4:0:1|food=Yes|hostile=No|size=39,000|value=Not tameable|biome=Any ocean|note=Animal person}}
{{CreatureCurrent table row|name=[[Cuttlefish man]]|symbol=c|color=6:0:0|food=No|hostile=No|size=35,500|value=10|biome=Any ocean|note=Animal person}}
{{CreatureCurrent table row|name=[[Damselfly man]]|symbol=d|color=3:0:1|food=No|hostile=No|size=35,000|value=Not tameable|biome=Any pool|note=Animal person}}
{{CreatureCurrent table row|name=[[Duck]]|symbol=d|color=2:0:0|food=No|hostile=No|size=1,000|value=10|biome=Any lakes and any wetland|note=Domestic, lay eggs}}
{{CreatureCurrent table row|name=[[Elephant seal]]|symbol=S|color=6:0:0|food=Yes|hostile=No|size=3,000,000|value=400|biome=Arctic ocean|note=Benign}}
{{CreatureCurrent table row|name=[[Elephant seal man]]|symbol=S|color=6:0:0|food=Yes|hostile=No|size=1,535,000|value=400|biome=Arctic ocean|note=Animal person, Benign}}
{{CreatureCurrent table row|name=[[Emperor penguin]]|symbol=p|color=7:0:1|food=Yes|hostile=No|size=30,000|value=10|biome=Arctic ocean|note=}}
{{CreatureCurrent table row|name=[[Frill shark]]|symbol=s|color=3:0:0|food=Yes|hostile=Yes|size=60,000|value=500|biome=Oceans|note=}}
{{CreatureCurrent table row|name=[[Giant albatross]]|symbol=A|color=7:0:1|food=Yes|hostile=No|size=256,320|value=500|biome=Any ocean|note=Lays eggs, Benign}}
{{CreatureCurrent table row|name=[[Giant axolotl]]|symbol=A|color=5:0:0|food=No|hostile=No|size=201,400|value=500|biome=Tropical saltwater lake, tropical brackishwater lake, tropical freshwater lake|note=}}
{{CreatureCurrent table row|name=[[Giant beaver]]|symbol=B|color=6:0:0|food=Yes|hostile=No|size=341,800|value=500|biome=Any temperate lake, any temperate river|note=Benign}}
{{CreatureCurrent table row|name=[[Giant crab]]|symbol=C|color=4:0:1|food=Yes|hostile=No|size=256,320|value=500|biome=Any ocean|note=}}
{{CreatureCurrent table row|name=[[Giant cuttlefish]]|symbol=C|color=6:0:0|food=No|hostile=No|size=207,010|value=500|biome=Any ocean|note=}}
{{CreatureCurrent table row|name=[[Giant damselfly]]|symbol=D|color=3:0:1|food=No|hostile=No|size=200,007|value=500|biome=Any pool|note=}}
{{CreatureCurrent table row|name=[[Giant elephant seal]]|symbol=S|color=6:0:0|food=Yes|hostile=No|size=24,119,999|value=500|biome=Arctic ocean|note=Benign}}
{{CreatureCurrent table row|name=[[Giant green tree frog]]|symbol=F|color=2:0:1|food=No|hostile=No|size=200,700|value=500|biome=Temperate freshwater pool, temperate freshwater lake, temperate freshwater swamp, temperate freshwater marsh|note=Benign}}
{{CreatureCurrent table row|name=[[Giant grouper]]|symbol=G|color=1:0:0|food=Yes|hostile=No|size=600,000|value=200|biome=Oceans|note=}}
{{CreatureCurrent table row|name=[[Giant harp seal]]|symbol=H|color=7:0:0|food=Yes|hostile=No|size=1,428,900|value=500|biome=Arctic ocean|note=Benign}}
{{CreatureCurrent table row|name=[[Giant horseshoe crab]]|symbol=C|color=6:0:0|food=Yes|hostile=No|size=214,020|value=500|biome=Any ocean|note=}}
{{CreatureCurrent table row|name=[[Giant leech]]|symbol=L|color=0:0:1|food=No|hostile=No|size=200,700|value=500|biome=Any pool, any lake|note=}}
{{CreatureCurrent table row|name=[[Giant leopard seal]]|symbol=L|color=0:0:1|food=Yes|hostile=No|size=3,268,000|value=500|biome=Arctic ocean|note=Benign}}
{{CreatureCurrent table row|name=[[Giant loon]]|symbol=L|color=0:0:1|food=Yes|hostile=No|size=242,160|value=500|biome=Temperate saltwater lake, temperate brackishwater lake, temperate freshwater lake|note=Lays eggs, Benign}}
{{CreatureCurrent table row|name=[[Giant mink]]|symbol=M|color=6:0:0|food=Yes|hostile=No|size=205,600|value=500|biome=Any temperate lake, any temperate river|note=Benign}}
{{CreatureCurrent table row|name=[[Giant moon snail]]|symbol=S|color=4:0:1|food=No|hostile=No|size=201,400|value=500|biome=Temperate ocean|note=}}
{{CreatureCurrent table row|name=[[Giant mosquito]]|symbol=M|color=0:0:1|food=No|hostile=No|size=200,007|value=500|biome=Not freezing, any pool|note=}}
{{CreatureCurrent table row|name=[[Giant narwhal]]|symbol=N|color=7:0:0|food=Yes|hostile=No|size=9,624,000|value=2000|biome=Arctic ocean|note=Benign}}
{{CreatureCurrent table row|name=[[Giant nautilus]]|symbol=N|color=4:0:1|food=No|hostile=No|size=203,500|value=500|biome=Any ocean|note=}}
{{CreatureCurrent table row|name=[[Giant octopus]]|symbol=O|color=7:0:0|food=Yes|hostile=No|size=940|value=500|biome=Any ocean|note=}}
{{CreatureCurrent table row|name=[[Giant orca]]|symbol=O|color=0:0:1|food=Yes|hostile=No|size=20,000,000|value=500|biome=Any ocean|note=Benign}}
{{CreatureCurrent table row|name=[[Giant osprey]]|symbol=O|color=7:0:1|food=Yes|hostile=No|size=214,020|value=500|biome=Any ocean, any lake, any river, tropical freshwater marsh, tropical saltwater marsh, temperate freshwater marsh, temperate saltwater marsh|note=Lays eggs, Benign}}
{{CreatureCurrent table row|name=[[Giant otter]]|symbol=O|color=6:0:0|food=Yes|hostile=No|size=270,500|value=500|biome=Any pool, any lake, any river|note=Benign}}
{{CreatureCurrent table row|name=[[Giant penguin]]|symbol=P|color=0:0:1|food=Yes|hostile=No|size=228,080|value=500|biome=Arctic ocean|note=Lays eggs, Benign}}
{{CreatureCurrent table row|name=[[Giant platypus]]|symbol=P|color=6:0:0|food=Yes|hostile=No|size=214,020|value=500|biome=Any river|note=Lays eggs, Benign}}
{{CreatureCurrent table row|name=[[Giant pond turtle]]|symbol=T|color=2:0:0|food=No|hostile=No|size=203,500|value=500|biome=Any pool|note=Lays eggs, Benign}}
{{CreatureCurrent table row|name=[[Giant puffin]]|symbol=P|color=0:0:1|food=Yes|hostile=No|size=205,252|value=500|biome=Arctic ocean|note=Lays eggs, Benign}}
{{CreatureCurrent table row|name=[[Giant snapping turtle]]|symbol=T|color=2:0:0|food=Yes|hostile=No|size=414,000|value=500|biome=Temperate freshwater river, temperate brackishwater river, temperate freshwater lake, temperate brackishwater lake, temperate freshwater pool, temperate brackishwater pool|note=Lays eggs}}
{{CreatureCurrent table row|name=[[Giant sperm whale]]|symbol=W|color=7:0:0|food=Yes|hostile=No|size=100,000,000|value=500|biome=Any ocean|note=Benign}}
{{CreatureCurrent table row|name=[[Giant sponge]]|symbol=S|color=4:0:1|food=No|hostile=No|size=560,000|value=500|biome=Any ocean, any lake, any river|note=Benign}}
{{CreatureCurrent table row|name=[[Giant swan]]|symbol=S|color=7:0:1|food=Yes|hostile=No|size=270,500|value=500|biome=Any temperate lake, any temperate marsh|note=Lays eggs, Benign}}
{{CreatureCurrent table row|name=[[Gigantic squid]]|symbol=S|color=7:0:1|food=No|hostile=No|size=201,400|value=2000|biome=Any ocean|note=}}
{{CreatureCurrent table row|name=[[Goose]]|symbol=g|color=7:0:1|food=Yes|hostile=No|size=4,500|value=10|biome=Temperate lakes and temperate marshes|note=Domestic, lay eggs}}
{{CreatureCurrent table row|name=[[Great barracuda]]|symbol=B|color=2:0:0|food=Yes|hostile=Yes|size=60,000|value=200|biome=Oceans|note=}}
{{CreatureCurrent table row|name=[[Great white shark]]|symbol=S|color=7:0:1|food=Yes|hostile=Yes|size=2,000,000|value=500|biome=Oceans|note=}}
{{CreatureCurrent table row|name=[[Green tree frog man]]|symbol=f|color=2:0:1|food=No|hostile=No|size=35,050|value=10|biome=Temperate freshwater pool, temperate freshwater lake, temperate freshwater swamp, temperate freshwater marsh|note=Animal person, Benign}}
{{CreatureCurrent table row|name=[[Halibut]]|symbol=α|color=6:0:0|food=Yes|hostile=No|size=200,000|value=200|biome=Oceans|note=}}
{{CreatureCurrent table row|name=[[Hammerhead shark]]|symbol=S|color=6:0:0|food=Yes|hostile=Yes|size=500,000|value=500|biome=Oceans|note=}}
{{CreatureCurrent table row|name=[[Harp seal]]|symbol=H|color=7:0:0|food=Yes|hostile=No|size=165,000|value=100|biome=Arctic ocean|note=Benign}}
{{CreatureCurrent table row|name=[[Harp seal man]]|symbol=h|color=7:0:0|food=Yes|hostile=No|size=117,500|value=100|biome=Arctic ocean|note=Animal person, Benign}}
{{CreatureCurrent table row|name=[[Hippo]]|symbol=H|color=7:0:0|hostile=No|food=Yes|size=1,500,000|value=400|biome=Tropical rivers and lakes|note=}}
{{CreatureCurrent table row|name=[[Horseshoe crab]]|symbol=c|color=6:0:0|food=Yes|hostile=No|size=2,000|value=Not tameable|biome=Any ocean|note=}}
{{CreatureCurrent table row|name=[[Horseshoe crab man]]|symbol=c|color=6:0:0|food=Yes|hostile=No|size=36,000|value=Not tameable|biome=Any ocean|note=Animal person}}
{{CreatureCurrent table row|name=[[Leech man]]|symbol=l|color=0:0:1|food=No|hostile=No|size=35,050|value=10|biome=Any pool, any lake|note=Animal person}}
{{CreatureCurrent table row|name=[[Leopard seal]]|symbol=L|color=0:0:1|food=Yes|hostile=No|size=400,000|value=350|biome=Arctic ocean|note=Benign}}
{{CreatureCurrent table row|name=[[Leopard seal man]]|symbol=L|color=0:0:1|food=Yes|hostile=No|size=235,000|value=350|biome=Arctic ocean|note=Animal person, Benign}}
{{CreatureCurrent table row|name=[[Little penguin]]|symbol=p|color=1:0:1|food=No|hostile=No|size=1,500|value=10|biome=Arctic ocean|note=}}
{{CreatureCurrent table row|name=[[Longfin mako shark]]|symbol=S|color=3:0:1|food=Yes|hostile=Yes|size=30,000|value=500|biome=Oceans|note=}}
{{CreatureCurrent table row|name=[[Longnose gar]]|symbol=g|color=6:0:0|hostile=no|food=Yes|size=20,000|value=200|biome=Temperate rivers and lakes|note=}}
{{CreatureCurrent table row|name=[[Loon]]|symbol=l|color=0:0:1|food=Yes|hostile=No|size=6,000|value=10|biome=Temperate saltwater lake, temperate brackishwater lake, temperate freshwater lake|note=Lays eggs, Benign}}
{{CreatureCurrent table row|name=[[Loon man]]|symbol=l|color=0:0:1|food=Yes|hostile=No|size=38,000|value=10|biome=Temperate saltwater lake, temperate brackishwater lake, temperate freshwater lake|note=Animal person, Lays eggs, Benign}}
{{CreatureCurrent table row|name=[[Manta ray]]|symbol=►|color=7:0:0|food=Yes|hostile=No|size=2,300,000|value=500|biome=Oceans|note=}}
{{CreatureCurrent table row|name=[[Marlin]]|symbol=α|color=1:0:1|food=Yes|hostile=No|size=800,000|value=500|biome=Tropical and temperate oceans|note=}}
{{CreatureCurrent table row|name=[[Merperson]]|symbol=M|color=3:0:1|food=No|hostile=No|size=70,000|value=Not tameable|biome=Good oceans|note=}}
{{CreatureCurrent table row|name=[[Milkfish]]|symbol=α|color=3:0:1|food=Yes|hostile=No|size=10,000|value=50|biome=Almost all water|note=}}
{{CreatureCurrent table row|name=[[Mink]]|symbol=m|color=6:0:0|food=Yes|hostile=No|size=800|value=50|biome=Any temperate lake, any temperate river|note=Benign}}
{{CreatureCurrent table row|name=[[Mink man]]|symbol=m|color=6:0:0|food=Yes|hostile=No|size=35,400|value=50|biome=Any temperate lake, any temperate river|note=Animal person, Benign}}
{{CreatureCurrent table row|name=[[Moon snail man]]|symbol=s|color=4:0:1|food=No|hostile=No|size=35,100|value=10|biome=Temperate ocean|note=Animal person}}
{{CreatureCurrent table row|name=[[Mosquito man]]|symbol=m|color=0:0:1|food=No|hostile=No|size=35,000|value=Not tameable|biome=Not freezing, any pool|note=Animal person}}
{{CreatureCurrent table row|name=[[Narwhal]]|symbol=N|color=7:0:0|food=Yes|hostile=No|size=1,200,000|value=100|biome=Arctic ocean|note=Benign}}
{{CreatureCurrent table row|name=[[Narwhal man]]|symbol=N|color=7:0:0|food=Yes|hostile=No|size=635,000|value=100|biome=Arctic ocean|note=Animal person, Benign}}
{{CreatureCurrent table row|name=[[Nautilus man]]|symbol=n|color=4:0:1|food=No|hostile=No|size=35,250|value=10|biome=Any ocean|note=Animal person}}
{{CreatureCurrent table row|name=[[Nurse shark]]|symbol=S|color=6:0:0|food=Yes|hostile=No|size=150,000|value=300|biome=Oceans|note=}}
{{CreatureCurrent table row|name=[[Ocean sunfish]]|symbol=α|color=3:0:0|food=Yes|hostile=No|size=1,000,000|value=500|biome=Oceans|note=}}
{{CreatureCurrent table row|name=[[Octopus]]|symbol=o|color=7:0:0|food=Yes|hostile=No|size=20|value=10|biome=Any ocean|note=}}
{{CreatureCurrent table row|name=[[Octopus man]]|symbol=o|color=7:0:0|food=Yes|hostile=No|size=35,010|value=10|biome=Any ocean|note=Animal person}}
{{CreatureCurrent table row|name=[[Opah]]|symbol=α|color=4:0:1|food=Yes|hostile=No|size=200,000|value=200|biome=Oceans|note=}}
{{CreatureCurrent table row|name=[[Orca]]|symbol=O|color=0:0:1|food=Yes|hostile=No|size=2,500,000|value=750|biome=Any ocean|note=Benign}}
{{CreatureCurrent table row|name=[[Orca man]]|symbol=O|color=0:0:1|food=Yes|hostile=No|size=1,285,000|value=750|biome=Any ocean|note=Animal person, Benign}}
{{CreatureCurrent table row|name=[[Osprey]]|symbol=o|color=7:0:1|food=Yes|hostile=No|size=2,000|value=25|biome=Any ocean, any lake, any river, tropical freshwater marsh, tropical saltwater marsh, temperate freshwater marsh, temperate saltwater marsh|note=Lays eggs, Benign}}
{{CreatureCurrent table row|name=[[Osprey man]]|symbol=o|color=7:0:1|food=Yes|hostile=No|size=36,000|value=25|biome=Any ocean, any lake, any river, tropical freshwater marsh, tropical saltwater marsh, temperate freshwater marsh, temperate saltwater marsh|note=Animal person, Lays eggs, Benign}}
{{CreatureCurrent table row|name=[[Otter man]]|symbol=o|color=6:0:0|food=Yes|hostile=No|size=40,000|value=25|biome=Any pool, any lake, any river|note=Animal person, Benign}}
{{CreatureCurrent table row|name=[[Penguin]]|symbol=p|color=0:0:1|food=No|hostile=No|size=4,000|value=10|biome=Arctic ocean|note=}}
{{CreatureCurrent table row|name=[[Penguin man]]|symbol=p|color=7:0:1|food=Yes|hostile=No|size=37,000|value=10|biome=Arctic ocean|note=Animal person, Lays eggs, Benign}}
{{CreatureCurrent table row|name=[[Pike (fish)|Pike]]|symbol=α|color=2:0:0|food=Yes|hostile=No|size=35,000|value=200|biome=Temperate rivers and lakes|note=}}
{{CreatureCurrent table row|name=[[Platypus]]|symbol=p|color=6:0:0|food=No|hostile=No|size=2,000|value=10|biome=All rivers|note=}}
{{CreatureCurrent table row|name=[[Platypus man]]|symbol=p|color=6:0:0|food=Yes|hostile=No|size=36,000|value=10|biome=Any river|note=Animal person, Lays eggs, Benign}}
{{CreatureCurrent table row|name=[[Pond turtle man]]|symbol=t|color=2:0:0|food=No|hostile=No|size=35,250|value=10|biome=Any pool|note=Animal person, Lays eggs, Benign}}
{{CreatureCurrent table row|name=[[Puffin]]|symbol=p|color=0:0:1|food=Yes|hostile=No|size=750|value=10|biome=Arctic ocean|note=Lays eggs, Benign}}
{{CreatureCurrent table row|name=[[Puffin man]]|symbol=p|color=0:0:1|food=Yes|hostile=No|size=35,375|value=10|biome=Arctic ocean|note=Animal person, Lays eggs, Benign}}
{{CreatureCurrent table row|name=[[River otter]]|symbol=o|color=6:0:0|food=Yes|hostile=No|size=10,000|value=25|biome=Any pool, any lake, any river|note=Benign}}
{{CreatureCurrent table row|name=[[Saltwater crocodile]]|symbol=C|color=2:0:0|hostile=Yes|food=Yes|size=800,000|value=700|biome=Any tropical swamps, marshes and rivers|note=}}
{{CreatureCurrent table row|name=[[Sea lamprey]]|symbol=~|color=0:0:1|food=Yes|hostile=Yes|size=20,000|value=200|biome=Almost all water|note=}}
{{CreatureCurrent table row|name=[[Sea monster]]|symbol=M|color=0:0:1|food=Yes|hostile=Yes|size=8,000,000|value=1000|biome=Evil oceans|note=}}
{{CreatureCurrent table row|name=[[Sea otter]]|symbol=o|color=6:0:0|food=Yes|hostile=No|size=30,000|value=25|biome=Temperate ocean|note=Benign}}
{{CreatureCurrent table row|name=[[Sea serpent]]|symbol=S|color=3:0:1|food=Yes|hostile=Yes|size=9,000,000|value=1000|biome=Savage oceans|note=}}
{{CreatureCurrent table row|name=[[Shortfin mako shark]]|symbol=S|color=3:0:1|food=Yes|hostile=Yes|size=80,000|value=500|biome=Oceans|note=}}
{{CreatureCurrent table row|name=[[Snapping turtle man]]|symbol=t|color=2:0:0|food=Yes|hostile=No|size=50,000|value=25|biome=Temperate freshwater river, temperate brackishwater river, temperate freshwater lake, temperate brackishwater lake, temperate freshwater pool, temperate brackishwater pool|note=Animal person, Lays eggs}}
{{CreatureCurrent table row|name=[[Sperm whale]]|symbol=W|color=7:0:0|food=Yes|hostile=No|size=25,000,000|value=1000|biome=Any ocean|note=Benign}}
{{CreatureCurrent table row|name=[[Sperm whale man]]|symbol=W|color=7:0:0|food=Yes|hostile=No|size=6,285,000|value=1000|biome=Any ocean|note=Animal person, Benign}}
{{CreatureCurrent table row|name=[[Spiny dogfish]]|symbol=s|color=6:0:0|food=Yes|hostile=No|size=30,000|value=200|biome=Oceans|note=}}
{{CreatureCurrent table row|name=[[Sponge]]|symbol=s|color=4:0:1|food=No|hostile=No|size=50,000|value=10|biome=Any ocean, any lake, any river|note=Benign}}
{{CreatureCurrent table row|name=[[Sponge man]]|symbol=s|color=4:0:1|food=No|hostile=No|size=60,000|value=10|biome=Any ocean, any lake, any river|note=Animal person, Benign}}
{{CreatureCurrent table row|name=[[Spotted wobbegong]]|symbol=S|color=6:0:0|food=Yes|hostile=No|size=80,000|value=200|biome=Oceans|note=}}
{{CreatureCurrent table row|name=[[Squid man]]|symbol=s|color=7:0:1|food=No|hostile=No|size=35,100|value=10|biome=Any ocean|note=Animal person}}
{{CreatureCurrent table row|name=[[Stingray]]|symbol=ò|color=7:0:0|food=Yes|hostile=No|size=5,000|value=200|biome=Almost all water|note=}}
{{CreatureCurrent table row|name=[[Sturgeon]]|symbol=α|color=6:0:0|food=Yes|hostile=No|size=1,500,000|value=300|biome=Oceans and rivers|note=}}
{{CreatureCurrent table row|name=[[Swan]]|symbol=s|color=7:0:1|food=Yes|hostile=No|size=10,000|value=10|biome=Any temperate lake, any temperate marsh|note=Lays eggs, Benign}}
{{CreatureCurrent table row|name=[[Swan man]]|symbol=s|color=7:0:1|food=Yes|hostile=No|size=40,000|value=10|biome=Any temperate lake, any temperate marsh|note=Animal person, Lays eggs, Benign}}
{{CreatureCurrent table row|name=[[Swordfish]]|symbol=α|color=3:0:1|food=Yes|hostile=No|size=650,000|value=500|biome=Oceans|note=}}
{{CreatureCurrent table row|name=[[Tiger shark]]|symbol=S|color=7:0:0|food=Yes|hostile=Yes|size=500,000|value=500|biome=Oceans|note=}}
{{CreatureCurrent table row|name=[[Tigerfish]]|symbol=α|color=3:0:1|food=Yes|hostile=Yes|size=50,000|value=200|biome=Tropical freshwater rivers and lakes|note=}}
{{CreatureCurrent table row|name=[[Walrus]]|symbol=W|color=6:0:0|food=Yes|hostile=No|size=1,500,000|value=400|biome=Arctic ocean|note=}}
{{CreatureCurrent table row|name=[[Whale shark]]|symbol=W|color=6:0:0|food=Yes|hostile=No|size=20,000,000|value=1000|biome=Oceans|note=}}
{{CreatureCurrent table row|name=[[Whitetip reef shark]]|symbol=S|color=7:0:1|food=Yes|hostile=Yes|size=15,000|value=200|biome=Oceans|note=}}
|}

==Hidden Fun Stuff==

{{minorspoiler}}

{{CreatureCurrent table head}}
{{CreatureCurrent table row|name=[[Demon]]|symbol=&|color=7:0:1|food=No|hostile=Yes|size=N/A|value=Not tameable|biome=[[Hell]]|note=See article for more information}}
{{CreatureCurrent table row|name=[[Forgotten beast]]|symbol=Any|color=7:0:1|food=N/A|hostile=Yes|size=N/A|value=Not tameable|biome=All underground|note=See article for more information}}
{{CreatureCurrent table row|name=[[Night creature]]|symbol=Ñ|color=2:0:1|food=No|hostile=Yes|size=N/A|value=Not tameable|biome=All above-ground|note=See article for more information}}
{{CreatureCurrent table row|name=[[Titan]]|symbol=Any|color=7:0:1|food=N/A|hostile=N/A|size=N/A|value=Not tameable|biome=All above-ground|note=See article for more information}}
|}

v0.34:Dragon

2013-09-01T12:03:49Z

Naryar:

{{quality|Masterwork|00:05, 7 March 2013 (UTC)}}
{{Creaturelookup/0
|bone=66-110
|tooth=3
|meat=113-173
|fat=42-65
|nail=1
|lung=8-18
|heart=2-4
|intestine=14-27
|liver=4-9
|tripe=4-9
|sweetbread=2-4
|spleen=2-4
|kidney=4-8
|brain=4-8
|skull=1
|skin=scale
|eye=2
|contrib=no
|wiki=yes
}}
{{av}}
{{creaturedesc}}

'''Dragons''' are gigantic fire-breathing, green reptilian [[megabeast]]s, eventually becoming the [[List_of_creatures_by_adult_size#end_of_list|largest land creatures]] in the world.

While based on the occidental dragon model, dragons do not fly nor have wings. They are immune to fire and magma (and are not harmed by being immersed in it, they will however [[drown]] in it). They breathe out a jet of extremely hot ({{ct|50000}} hot) "dragonfire" which can injure things that are immune to normal fire, such as the [[Bronze colossus]] (dragonfire is, however, a blockable attack if its victim is using a shield). Only Dragons and [[Cave dragon|Cave Dragons]] are naturally immune to dragonfire. They are also ''not'' [[Trapavoid|trapavoid]].

Dragons are covetous and seek to steal items from your fortresses to bring them back to their lairs. Dragons generally succeed in doing so on worldgen, but most of the time when they attack a player fortress they get caged, killed or succeed in burning the whole fortress down.

Dragons are the glass cannons of the megabeasts. They aren't especially durable for a megabeast and can be slain quite easily with traps or skilled soldiers, however their dragonfire will melt every other non-shield-using creature in the game (except for [[sponge]]s), they breathe fire over a large distance and they breathe fire often.

Some dwarves [[preference|admire]] dragons for their ''terrible majesty''.

==Dragon Size==

Dragons slowly grow to become one of the largest creatures in the game, finally reaching their adult size of 25,000,000 cm3 after 1000 years. As a hatchling, dragons are quite tiny, at exactly 1/10th an adult dwarf's size, but they grow very rapidly, at roughly 25,000 cm3 per year. Dragons reach dwarf size shortly after its second birthday, are more than double a dwarf at about year 5, and add another dwarf in size roughly every two years after that.

*At 23 years, a dragon is the size of a [[giant cheetah]].
*At 80 years, a dragon is the size of an adolescent [[Roc]].
*At 200 years, a dragon is the size of an adult [[elephant]].
*At 320 years, a dragon is the size of a [[Hydra]].
*At 800 years, a dragon is the size of a [[Bronze colossus]] or an adult [[Roc]].
*Thereafter, a dragon is the largest creature found on land. (The [[giant sperm whale]] is the largest creature found anywhere)

==Defense Strategies==

Dragonfire can be blocked if the victim is using a shield, and it often will be. Dragons are also massively powerful in melee combat, so they can be hard to take down without a good military. Possibly the best defense is to use piercing weapons like crossbows and especially spears and hope you get lucky and hit a vital organ which can bring it down immediately. An alternative is building one or multiple cage traps, possibly beforehand, which will probably cage the dragon making it harmless. You should know that most cages and mechanisms will be melted or destroyed by dragonfire, so either make sure both cages (or weapons, or supports) and mechanisms are impervious to dragonfire, or more simply ensure that the dragon has no reason to breathe fire by removing animals and dwarves from the trapped area. While they won't fire on buildings normally, a stray blast (at your outdoor livestock or bait animals, say) that catches any traps, doors, bridges not made of [[fire|dragonfire-safe]] materials will melt and deactivate them. Also, Dragons make good companions if you are able to reanimate them as a [[Necromancer]]

==Domestication==
Dragons can be captured in cage traps and tamed if you're lucky enough to catch one. Currently, knowledge of animal behaviour is based on the civilization level and depends partly on the animals available for contact in a given civilization site. Such a rare megabeast as a dragon is unlikely to have had any civilized contact aside from adventurers attempting to slay them and other violent contact; as such, your fort will have to build the knowledge base from the ground up, making dragon-taming a highly difficult task. Bear in mind that even with a skilled [[animal trainer]] at hand, your first attempts to control such a powerful and elusive beast may result in [[Fun|half your fortress burning in dragonfire]].

If you can manage to endure its long-untamed wrath, you'll have a massively valuable pet that can lay [[egg]]s. Dragons can also be trained as war or hunting animals at an [[Activity_zone#Animal_Training|animal training zone]]. While a tamed dragon is an immensely destructive tool at your disposal, it is also very eager to use dragonfire against your enemies, which can be ''exceedingly'' [[fun]] if it happens in your booze stockpile or meeting room.

Dragons do not have a [CHILD] tag, and therefore their eggs do not hatch in fortress mode.

==Irregularities, Bugs, and Future Plans==
Dragons have been observed to occasionally wear some armour (breastplates, greaves, leggings and boots). This armor is specified as "Large [metal][armor type]" and gives the dragon the same protection as any other species might get from it.

Toady has mentioned that he plans to eventually extend the random creature generator of the game to create different species and varieties of dragon within certain constraints, calling it "Half-Random", with ideas for variants including just about anything dragons have been given in literature, such as acidic blood, while maintaining a basic draconic structure.([http://www.bay12forums.com/smf/index.php?topic=30026.msg1012311#msg1012311])

One of the [[Consolidated Development: Arcs, core-items, bloats, Reqs and Powergoals#Power Goals|old power goals]] referenced stealing dragon eggs as part of an adventure mode quest.
{{gamedata}}
{{Creatures}}
{{Category|Megabeasts}}

v0.34:Iron

2013-02-12T20:27:28Z

Naryar:

{{quality|Exceptional|18:30, 6 January 2011 (UTC)}}{{Metal|name=Iron|color=0:7:1
|ore=
* [[Hematite]]
* [[Limonite]]
* [[Magnetite]]
|uses=
* Make [[pig iron]] at [[smelter]]
* Make [[steel]] at [[smelter]]
* [[weapon|Melee Weapons]]
* [[Crossbow]]s
* [[Bolt]]s
* [[Pick]]s
* [[Armor]]
* [[Anvil]]s
* [[Metalsmith's forge|Metal crafting]]
|properties=

* [[Material value]] 10
}}{{av}}

'''Iron''' is an important resource for a fortress, as an often-plentiful [[metal]] that can be used to make just about anything necessary, from weapons to [[furniture]] to [[trade good|trade goods]]. Iron is also a necessary ingredient in the production of [[steel]], the best non-spoiler metal in the game for [[weapon]]s and [[armor]]. If you are unable to produce enough steel in your fort, then the next best metal for military purposes is iron.

The three ores of iron, which are [[Hematite]], [[Magnetite]], and [[Limonite]], can only be found in [[sedimentary]] layers, with the exception of [[hematite]], which can occasionally be found in [[igneous extrusive]] layers.

== Uses==

* Melee weapons. Mostly useful for edged weapons. Good for bolts as well. You can also make crossbows out of iron but there are better metals.
* Armor. You will generally never face better armor than iron armor. You may face however creatures made of stronger materials.
* Construction, if you are so inclined.
* Good quality [[furniture]]. It is quite heavy, however.
* Magma-safe mechanisms.
*

== Production ==

Iron comes from three ores : [[hematite]] (most common), [[limonite]] and [[magnetite]] (best iron ore ever, mostly because coming in large clusters).

Iron is smelted at a smelter from one of these and one fuel bar. If you have a magma smelter, you don't need coal.

Iron will also be available through [[goblinite]], as well as the dwarven and human caravans.

== alloys ==

Iron may be combined with other materials at a [[smelter]], mostly for the production of [[steel]]

* Iron + [[Flux]] + [[Fuel]] = [[Pig iron]]
* Iron + [[Pig iron]] + [[Flux]] + [[Fuel]] = 2 x [[Steel]]

Note that [[fuel]] is used as a part of the reaction: even [[magma smelter]]s need fuel in reactions that use iron. This conforms with the process of carbonization of iron and pig iron in ferrous metallurgy in real life.

{{gamedata}}
{{metals}}

v0.34:Bin

2013-02-12T20:06:13Z

Naryar:

{{quality|Exceptional|05:28, 28 April 2011 (UTC)}}{{av}}

{{furniture|name=Bin
|tile=X|col=0:6:0
|wood=y
|metal=y
|glass=N
}}
A '''bin''' is a specially made basket for certain [[stockpiles]]. A bin can be made from one [[wood|wooden log]] at a [[carpenter's workshop]] or forged from 3 [[metal]] [[bar]]s at a [[forge]]. Bins make it possible to store lots of objects into one tile of a stockpile. A stockpile without a bin will likely fill up fast, leaving any remaining items where they are to get in the way.

Bins are therefore incredibly useful to a maturing fortress. The best material for bins is generally [[wood]], because wooden bins are the lightest bins and will therefore save time to your haulers. Of course, if you intend to use bins next to a volcano or something equally [[fire|hot]], you may want to use metal or glass bins.

Stockpiles that use bins are [[ammunition|ammo]], [[armor]], [[bar]]s/[[block]]s, [[cloth]], [[Currency|coins]], [[finished goods]], [[gems]], [[leather]] and [[weapon]]s. [[Food]] stockpiles use [[barrel]]s and [[large pot]]s instead of bins. Other stockpiles do not use anything at all.

For information on managing bins in stockpiles, see [[using bins and barrels]].

== See also ==
* [[Container]]

v0.34:King of beasts

2013-02-12T19:50:09Z

Naryar: /* Air */

{{quality|Fine|01:05, 18 August 2012 (UTC)}}{{av}}
{{D for Dwarf}}

There are quite a few contenders for the title.

== Water ==

[[Giant sponge]]: These horrifying monsters have never been killed in fair combat (though notions of "fairness" are not clear when [[dwarf|dwarves]] are involved). They are not very aggressive, but Armok help you if you are next to them in water.

== Air ==

[[Giant kea]]: These brutal, green giant parrots have the distinction of looking harmless, but not only will they seek your fort for stealing stuff (such as your sole anvil, when you have not built your forge yet), but also tend to brutally murder any dwarf they meet in the dark corridors of your fort.

[[Giant mosquito]]es: These may have had the shortest claim at the throne of King of beasts. In the initial v0.34.01 release, not only could they fly, but they appeared by the hundreds (from 100 to 200 at a time), ensuring a large FPS drop to most forts and just plain being deadly in these numbers. This was corrected in the next "bugfix" release (see final item under "Other bug fixes/tweaks" [[DF2012:Release_information/0.34.02|here]]).

== Land ==

[[Unicorn]]: Their main definition of [[good]] is living in a fairyland full of [[feather tree]]s while stabbing and kicking dwarves to death, which is bad news when they're bigger than a horse and have hooves. [[Elves]] can bring a ton of them with their sieges.

[[Giant cave spider]]: This large arachnid will eat most stuff in the caverns, including most dwarves you throw at them. It can shoot immobilising webs and is armed with a deadly toxin, making it incredibly dangerous.

[[Cave dragon]]: Cave dragons are as skilled in battle as your regular soldiers, if not more, and are ''far'' larger than them. The [[fun]] news ? They come in dozens with goblin sieges!

[[Giant dingo]]: A hell-spawned monster, the giant dingo not only is bigger, faster, and more aggressive than a bear, but it spawns in groups and happens in every savage biome. Few adventurers (or babies) will survive.

{{category|Creatures}}

v0.34:Fire imp

2013-02-10T03:54:16Z

Naryar: (no troperspeak in here)

{{Quality|Fine|07:27, 27 July 2010 (UTC)}}
{{Creaturelookup/0
|wiki=no
|contrib=no}}
{{av}}
{{creaturedesc}}

[[File:Fire_imp.png|thumb|left|Admired for its terrifying features.]]

'''Fire imps''' are small demonic creatures straight from the magma sea. They are able to spit small firebolts and can ignite whole landscapes. Trying to drown them is futile because they don't breathe. [[Trap|Take measures]] when you spot some in a near magmapipe.

In an amusing example of the intricacies of Dwarf Fortress, Fire imps can not get [[syndrome|fevers]]. It makes sense when you know what a fever is (higher body temperature, by a few degrees), and the fact that fire imps are extremely resistant to high temperatures. This is not likely to affect gameplay unless you are playing with dwarves [[modding|modded]] to breathe fever-causing gas.

Fire imps are glass cannons (a [[dog]] can take care of them most of the time), but resist heat much more than most creatures, only taking damage at {{ct|15000}}. This makes them immune to fire and magma (obviously), but also dragonfire.

==Defense Strategies==
To avoid unwanted [[fun]] when dealing with Fire Imps and other nasty Magma-dwelling creatures, you can have a narrow channel leading between your source and the point you want to send it to, then put in a Magma-safe [[grate]] or set of [[bars]] ([[fortification]]s are useless when submerged, as creatures can swim through them). Beware, though, that [[magma man|magma men]] and [[fire man|fire men]] can and will [[building destroyer|destroy]] such barriers.

{{gamedata}}
{{Creatures}}
{{Category|Humanoids}}

v0.34:Mist

2013-02-10T03:42:48Z

Naryar:

{{av}} {{Quality|Fine}}
Mist is created by [[water]] [[Waterfall|falling]] from one [[Z-level]] to another, from ocean waves, and from items or creatures skipping across water. The mist is generated on levels below the top level (from which the water drops), but spreads out similar to miasma and therefore can appear even on the top level. Walking through mist generates a happy [[thought]] for a dwarf. 

Do <s>not</s> confuse mist with [[magma mist]].

==Generating Mist==
AncientEnemy [http://www.bay12games.com/forum/index.php?topic=34407.0] devised a convenient way to generate mist. This method relies on the fact that [[screw pump|screw pumps]] pump [[water]] faster than water spreads out.

Simply put, screw pumps are daisy chained (output to input) in a circle and then water is added to the system. Water is typically added by designating one of the inputs to the pump a [[Pond]] and having dwarves fill it up. Once water is dropped from the floor above it is immediately sucked up by the next pump. Since there is falling water, mist is generated. Ahh, lovely waterfalls!

Below is an example of a simple mist generator. The Z=0 level can be anything, a booze stockpile, barracks or even your [[Dwarven_atom_smasher|atom smasher]].

Pump Floor (z=1)
▒▒▒▒▒▒
▒.÷÷.▒
▒÷ ÷▒ The water can go clockwise or counter clockwise.
▒÷ ÷▒ Make sure your pumps are correctly aligned.
▒.÷÷.▒
▒▒▒▒▒▒
Some important considerations:[[Image:newmist.jpg|thumb|AncientEnemy's original simple mist generator.]]

*Evaporation is nonexistent as long as the pumps are working and the water is moving even above ground.{{Verify}}
*Job cancellation spam is possible if the water is filled to greater than 4/7 and a dwarf walks where the water falls. Even then, this can be prevented by blocking access to these tiles without blocking the water, such as by placing a [[statue]] underneath or greatly reduced by setting them as [[traffic#Setting Traffic Areas|restricted traffic]] areas.
*Mud will form where ever the water falls. Subterranean [[tree]]s can sprout up and clog the system. Solutions to this problem include: [[statue]]s, [[road|paved roads]], constructed floors or [[fortification]]s, or to simply channel out the space once the mist generator is running.
*The z=-1 layer can also be identical to the z=0 level. Mist will also be generated there. Because the water never touches the floor there, you don't have to worry about muddy tiles.
*This system is generally only capable of maintaining a single 7/7 square of water, due to the way water descends z-levels. Any additional water put into the system will quickly overflow into the pump chamber (z=1).
*Automated mist generators may significantly lower your [[Frames per second|FPS]], particularly if multiple generators are used.{{Verify}} This might be remedied by triggering via a [[repeater]] with a long delay or by one or more [[pressure plate]]s (perhaps set to activate by a passing dwarf).{{Verify}}
A movie [http://mkv25.net/dfma/movie-1292-ubermistgenerator] best illustrates the operation.
 
 
 
{{Category|Thoughts}}
{{Category|World}}
{{Category|Physics}}

v0.34:Magma mist

2013-02-10T03:40:39Z

Naryar:

v0.34:Forgotten beast

2013-02-09T19:50:51Z

Naryar:

{{quality|Exceptional|02:57, 13 June 2012 (UTC)}}
{{av}}

{{minorspoiler}}

''In the deep, there are beasts so fell and terrible, that only they know what they are, for none who have met them have lived to tell of it... they are the Forgotten Beasts, born of the chaos from before the world's birth... they have waited, brooding in the dark places of the world... and now... by digging too deep... we have awakened them.''

'''Forgotten Beasts''' are large, monstrous, procedurally generated creatures that spawn in the [[caverns]] beneath your fortress, [[path]]ing through to your fort and seeding destruction amongst your dwarves. They are the subterranean equivalent of [[titan]]s.

Forgotten beasts are attracted by [[wealth]] and population size. Additionally, one may randomly appear when you reclaim a fortress. When a forgotten beast becomes visible onscreen, the game automatically pauses and displays a message.

== Generation ==
[[File:Forgotten beast 1.jpg|thumb|right|"Aril was a forgotten beast. It was the only one of its kind. A towering skinless cobra. It has wings and it has a gaunt appearance. Beware its poisonous bite. Aril was associated with water, jealousy, and caverns." ([http://www.bay12forums.com/smf/index.php?topic=76346.msg1937497#msg1937497 post]).]]

Forgotten Beasts are procedurally randomized, and may be of any form, and be made of any sort of material. Forms range from gigantic skinless cobras, to shelled blobs, to humanoid golems. Materials range from flesh and blood, to flimsy things like [[ash]] and [[steam]], to truly scary monsters of pure [[rock]], [[gem]], or [[metal]]. After tossing in some limbs and extra bits for variety, they then get a special attack; including anything and everything between venomous stings, poisoned blood, powerful dust clouds and flame breath.

If a forgotten beast has a venomous attack of some sort, it is randomly generated as are the resulting [[symptoms]]. The beast's [[Syndrome#Breath_attacks|breath attack]] is also randomly generated, if it has one. Venom attacks come in a variety of forms, from boiling ichor to trailing dust, and the effects can range from mild pain to complete and instantaneous necrosis or paralysis. Some forms of venom can spread from spatters and contact with your dwarves, eventually infecting your entire fort. Decontaminating your soldiers in shallow running water is one way to deal with this problem. Some beasts breathe fire or shoot [[web]] in lieu of any syndrome-bearing attacks. Web-shooters are immune to the effects of webs they, or any other creature, create and will shoot web even at targets they lack a proper path to. Forgotten beasts based on spiders may be capable of shooting webs in addition to any other special abilities.

The number of forgotten beasts cannot be controlled directly, but is influenced by the size of the world. They dwell most often in caverns. All are [[building destroyer]]s, and are almost entirely immune to [[trap]]s (they are trapavoid and nostun but non-webspinners will trigger a trap that has been webbed). [[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 [[magma]] pit / [[dwarven atom smasher]] designs from working. This is probably one of [[Main:Toady One|Toady One]]'s ways of making the encounters even more [[fun]].

[[Image:DF2010ForgottenBeast1.png|thumb|center|500px]]

== Death and application ==
[[File:Shedim.png|thumb|300px|right|Shedim the forgotten beast.]]
If you need to kill a Forgotten Beast, order your military to attack. Some beasts, however, are content not to path to your fortress and will stay dormant underground. Most "fleshy" 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. Forgotten beast [[shell]]s may prove valuable during a [[strange mood]], particularly on a map without other sources of shells. Unfortunately, all forgotten beasts have a value multiplier of 1.

Some Forgotten Beasts whose bodies are made of liquid, gas or fire will die or lose limbs on the first hit. Other Forgotten Beasts are extremely difficult to kill due to some body compositions, such as being made of very hard materials. When confronted with such near-invulnerable creatures the only option is usually to use your brain and try to lock it away somehow. Walls and raised [[bridge|draw bridges]] stop them. Since they are [[building destroyer]]s you can used installed [[furniture]] to lure them to a particular location. If you can put it in a pit, a clever trapmaker can feed it invaders. If a near-indestructible beast isn't in a position to threaten your dwarves, it can be used to train marksdwarves.

One method of defeating nearly combat-invulnerable Forgotten Beasts (those whose bodies are made of rock, for instance) is to cause a [[Cave-in]] on top of them. They'll be killed by dropping either natural or constructed walls or floors on them. It is also possible to capture some forgotten beasts in cage traps by using [[giant cave spider]] webs (or similar).

You can prevent Forgotten Beasts from appearing by editing [[d_init.txt]] to change [INVADERS:YES] to [INVADERS:NO], though that will also prevent [[ambush]]es and [[siege]]s.

== Bugs ==
* If a beast has a dust attack, the dust will behave like it was from a [[cave-in]], flinging dwarves away (causing further damage if they hit a wall) and knocking them out. {{Bug|3133}}

== Forgotten Beast Threat Analysis==
'''If you do not want your [[fun]] spoiled, do not look below !'''

Forgotten beast pose different levels of threat to your fortress, based on their composition, body shape, movements or special attacks.

Of course, general threat must be appraised after all categories

'''Material Composition'''
*''Water, Grime, Filth, Salt, Steam, Smoke'' : Incredibly fragile. Unless paired with a dangerous attack method, these should not be a threat at all.
*''Fire'': While very fragile, [[fire]] is incredibly !![[fun]]!!. Engage with marksdwarves. It should die quickly.
*''Flesh'': Most forgotten beasts are fleshy. It's about the standard level of threat for a forgotten beast.
*''Rock or Mineral'': Tough, but nowhere near unbeatable. Metallic weapons should do the trick.
*''Glass or Gem'': Dangerous. You may want to eschew melee combat, unless you've got sufficiently good weapons and dwarves.
*''Non-weapon grade metal'': Not so hot for an inorganic FB. Shouldn't be much of a threat.
*''Copper/Silver'': Eh, it should be beatable if you've got a halfway decent military and weapons.
*''Iron'': It's quite possibly more dangerous than a bronze colossus, so be on your guard. Do not send anything against it that has less than steel weapons. Magma does nothing against these.
*''Steel'': That is official, the RNG hates you. These can be beaten only with cunning traps (magma won't do anything) or adamantine weapons.
*''Adamantine'': Run away. Seriously. Or use a cunning trap. But a forgotten beast made from adamantine is the absolute worst you can expect. You can kill it with cave-ins, obsidian encasing, but not much more.

'''Body Shape'''
*''Quadruped, Humanoid'': about the average for FB's. Try and use cutting weapons to cripple them.
*''Insect, Spider'' : Obnoxious because of the large amounts of redundant limbs.
*''Blob'' : Possibly the worst body shape to fight. Has only a blunt push attack, which at a FB's size is deadly. Cannot be defeated by any instant kill blow (such as decapitation/bisection). Most blobs made of stone and metal will make your life miserable. Fleshy blows can only be killed via blood loss.

'''Movement'''
*''Walking'': Normal movement.
*''Flying'': More dangerous than walking, for obvious mobility reasons. Be sure you only have one entry for your caverns.

'''Special attack'''
*''None'': Consider yourself lucky.
*''Poisonous bite/sting'': Not dangerous by FB standards.
*''Solid glob spit/Liquid blob spit'' : Generally not dangerous, unless you forgot shields and shield use on your military for some reason.
*''Fire breath'': Unthreatening if you have shields and decent shield skill. Can start cavern fires, so be careful.
*''Toxic blood/toxic vapor breath/toxic gas breath'': Threat depends of the syndrome's effects. Can be harmless or kill your entire military. You may want to sacrifice something for seeing what the FB's extract does.
*''Web spitter'': Webs are incredibly deadly in melee, but do not help much in range. It will slaughter your whole melee squad with incredible ease, but not your ranged squad as long as the ranged squad is out of reach. Engage it with marksdwarves or kill it with a cunning trap.
*''Deadly dust'': Possibly the most [[fun]] attack a FB can come with. Deadly dust acts like [[cave-in]] dust, plus syndromes. It can be used against the beast if the material the FB is made of is weak (like flesh) and/or it has articulations or organs to be damaged, considering it will use the deadly dust and harm itself, however if it is strong enough it will be immune to his own deadly dust. Deadly dust is generally a very effective defense against melee and marksdwarves, but is a liability if the FB is fleshy and not a blob.

{{Category|Megabeasts}}
[[ru:DF2012:Forgotten beast]]

v0.34:Forgotten beast

2013-02-09T19:48:06Z

Naryar: /* Forgotten Beast Threat Analysis */

{{quality|Exceptional|02:57, 13 June 2012 (UTC)}}
{{av}}

{{minorspoiler}}

''In the deep, there are beasts so fell and terrible, that only they know what they are, for none who have met them have lived to tell of it... they are the Forgotten Beasts, born of the chaos from before the world's birth... they have waited, brooding in the dark places of the world... and now... by digging too deep... we have awakened them.''

'''Forgotten Beasts''' are large, monstrous, procedurally generated creatures that spawn in the [[caverns]] beneath your fortress, [[path]]ing through to your fort and seeding destruction amongst your dwarves. They are the subterranean equivalent of [[titan]]s.

Forgotten beasts are attracted by [[wealth]] and population size. Additionally, one may randomly appear when you reclaim a fortress. When a forgotten beast becomes visible onscreen, the game automatically pauses and displays a message.

== Generation ==
[[File:Forgotten beast 1.jpg|thumb|right|"Aril was a forgotten beast. It was the only one of its kind. A towering skinless cobra. It has wings and it has a gaunt appearance. Beware its poisonous bite. Aril was associated with water, jealousy, and caverns." ([http://www.bay12forums.com/smf/index.php?topic=76346.msg1937497#msg1937497 post]).]]

Forgotten Beasts are procedurally randomized, and may be of any form, and be made of any sort of material. Forms range from gigantic skinless cobras, to shelled blobs, to humanoid golems. Materials range from flesh and blood, to flimsy things like [[ash]] and [[steam]], to truly scary monsters of pure [[rock]], [[gem]], or [[metal]]. After tossing in some limbs and extra bits for variety, they then get a special attack; including anything and everything between venomous stings, poisoned blood, powerful dust clouds and flame breath.

If a forgotten beast has a venomous attack of some sort, it is randomly generated as are the resulting [[symptoms]]. The beast's [[Syndrome#Breath_attacks|breath attack]] is also randomly generated, if it has one. Venom attacks come in a variety of forms, from boiling ichor to trailing dust, and the effects can range from mild pain to complete and instantaneous necrosis or paralysis. Some forms of venom can spread from spatters and contact with your dwarves, eventually infecting your entire fort. Decontaminating your soldiers in shallow running water is one way to deal with this problem. Some beasts breathe fire or shoot [[web]] in lieu of any syndrome-bearing attacks. Web-shooters are immune to the effects of webs they, or any other creature, create and will shoot web even at targets they lack a proper path to. Forgotten beasts based on spiders may be capable of shooting webs in addition to any other special abilities.

The number of forgotten beasts cannot be controlled directly, but is influenced by the size of the world. They dwell most often in caverns. All are [[building destroyer]]s, and are almost entirely immune to [[trap]]s (they are trapavoid and nostun but non-webspinners will trigger a trap that has been webbed). [[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 [[magma]] pit / [[dwarven atom smasher]] designs from working. This is probably one of [[Main:Toady One|Toady One]]'s ways of making the encounters even more [[fun]].

[[Image:DF2010ForgottenBeast1.png|thumb|center|500px]]

== Death and application ==
[[File:Shedim.png|thumb|300px|right|Shedim the forgotten beast.]]
If you need to kill a Forgotten Beast, order your military to attack. Some beasts, however, are content not to path to your fortress and will stay dormant underground. Most "fleshy" 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. Forgotten beast [[shell]]s may prove valuable during a [[strange mood]], particularly on a map without other sources of shells. Unfortunately, all forgotten beasts have a value multiplier of 1.

Some Forgotten Beasts whose bodies are made of liquid, gas or fire will die or lose limbs on the first hit. Other Forgotten Beasts are extremely difficult to kill due to some body compositions, such as being made of very hard materials. When confronted with such near-invulnerable creatures the only option is usually to use your brain and try to lock it away somehow. Walls and raised [[bridge|draw bridges]] stop them. Since they are [[building destroyer]]s you can used installed [[furniture]] to lure them to a particular location. If you can put it in a pit, a clever trapmaker can feed it invaders. If a near-indestructible beast isn't in a position to threaten your dwarves, it can be used to train marksdwarves.

One method of defeating nearly combat-invulnerable Forgotten Beasts (those whose bodies are made of rock, for instance) is to cause a [[Cave-in]] on top of them. They'll be killed by dropping either natural or constructed walls or floors on them. It is also possible to capture some forgotten beasts in cage traps by using [[giant cave spider]] webs (or similar).

You can prevent Forgotten Beasts from appearing by editing [[d_init.txt]] to change [INVADERS:YES] to [INVADERS:NO], though that will also prevent [[ambush]]es and [[siege]]s.

== Bugs ==
* If a beast has a dust attack, the dust will behave like it was from a [[cave-in]], flinging dwarves away (causing further damage if they hit a wall) and knocking them out. {{Bug|3133}}

== Forgotten Beast Threat Analysis==
'''If you do not want your [[fun]] spoiled, do not look below !'''

Forgotten beast pose different levels of threat to your fortress, based on their composition, body shape, movements or special attacks.

Of course, general threat must be appraised after all categories

'''Material Composition'''
*''Water, Grime, Filth, Salt, Steam, Smoke'' : Incredibly fragile. Unless paired with a dangerous attack method, these should not be a threat at all.
*''Fire'': While very fragile, [[fire]] is incredibly !![[fun]]!!. Engage with marksdwarves. It should die quickly.
*''Flesh'': Most forgotten beasts are fleshy. It's about the standard level of threat for a forgotten beast.
*''Rock or Mineral'': Tough, but nowhere near unbeatable. Metallic weapons should do the trick.
*''Glass or Gem'': Dangerous. You may want to eschew melee combat, unless you've got sufficiently good weapons and dwarves.
*''Non-weapon grade metal'': Not so hot for an inorganic FB. Shouldn't be much of a threat.
*''Copper/Silver'': Eh, it should be beatable if you've got a halfway decent military and weapons.
*''Iron'': It's quite possibly more dangerous than a bronze colossus, so be on your guard. Do not send anything against it that has less than steel weapons. Magma does nothing against these.
*''Steel'': That is official, the RNG hates you. These can be beaten only with cunning traps (magma won't do anything) or adamantine weapons.
*''Adamantine'': Run away. Seriously. Or use a cunning trap. But a forgotten beast made from adamantine is the absolute worst you can expect. You can kill it with cave-ins, obsidian encasing, but not much more.

'''Body Shape'''
*''Quadruped, Humanoid'': about the average for FB's. Try and use cutting weapons to cripple them.
*''Insect, Spider'' : Obnoxious because of the large amounts of redundant limbs.
*''Blob'' : Possibly the worst body shape to fight. Has only a blunt push attack, which at a FB's size is deadly. Cannot be defeated by any instant kill blow (such as decapitation/bisection). Most blobs made of stone and metal will make your life miserable. Fleshy blows can only be killed via blood loss.

'''Movement'''
*''Walking'': Normal movement.
*''Flying'': More dangerous than walking, for obvious mobility reasons. Be sure you only have one entry for your caverns.

'''Special attack'''
*''None'': Consider yourself lucky.
*''Poisonous bite/sting'': Not dangerous by FB standards.
*''Solid glob spit/Liquid blob spit'' : Generally not dangerous, unless you forgot shields and shield use on your military for some reason.
*''Fire breath'': Unthreatening if you have shields and decent shield skill. Can start cavern fires, so be careful.
*''Toxic blood/toxic vapor breath/toxic gas breath'': Threat depends of the syndrome's effects. Can be harmless or kill your entire military. You may want to sacrifice something for seeing what the FB's extract does.
*''Web spitter'': Webs are incredibly deadly in melee, but do not help much in range. It will slaughter your whole melee squad with incredible ease, but not your ranged squad as long as the ranged squad is out of reach. Engage it with marksdwarves or kill it with a cunning trap.
*'''Deadly dust''': Possibly the most [[fun]] attack a FB can come with. Deadly dust acts like [[cave-in]] dust, plus syndromes. It can be used against the beast if the material the FB is made of is weak (like flesh) and/or it has articulations or organs to be damaged, considering it will use the deadly dust and harm itself, however if it is strong enough it will be immune to his own deadly dust. Deadly dust is generally a very effective defense against melee and marksdwarves, but is a liability if the FB is fleshy and not a blob.

{{Category|Megabeasts}}
[[ru:DF2012:Forgotten beast]]

v0.34:Forgotten beast

2013-02-09T19:46:27Z

Naryar: /* Forgotten Beast Threat Analysis */

{{quality|Exceptional|02:57, 13 June 2012 (UTC)}}
{{av}}

{{minorspoiler}}

''In the deep, there are beasts so fell and terrible, that only they know what they are, for none who have met them have lived to tell of it... they are the Forgotten Beasts, born of the chaos from before the world's birth... they have waited, brooding in the dark places of the world... and now... by digging too deep... we have awakened them.''

'''Forgotten Beasts''' are large, monstrous, procedurally generated creatures that spawn in the [[caverns]] beneath your fortress, [[path]]ing through to your fort and seeding destruction amongst your dwarves. They are the subterranean equivalent of [[titan]]s.

Forgotten beasts are attracted by [[wealth]] and population size. Additionally, one may randomly appear when you reclaim a fortress. When a forgotten beast becomes visible onscreen, the game automatically pauses and displays a message.

== Generation ==
[[File:Forgotten beast 1.jpg|thumb|right|"Aril was a forgotten beast. It was the only one of its kind. A towering skinless cobra. It has wings and it has a gaunt appearance. Beware its poisonous bite. Aril was associated with water, jealousy, and caverns." ([http://www.bay12forums.com/smf/index.php?topic=76346.msg1937497#msg1937497 post]).]]

Forgotten Beasts are procedurally randomized, and may be of any form, and be made of any sort of material. Forms range from gigantic skinless cobras, to shelled blobs, to humanoid golems. Materials range from flesh and blood, to flimsy things like [[ash]] and [[steam]], to truly scary monsters of pure [[rock]], [[gem]], or [[metal]]. After tossing in some limbs and extra bits for variety, they then get a special attack; including anything and everything between venomous stings, poisoned blood, powerful dust clouds and flame breath.

If a forgotten beast has a venomous attack of some sort, it is randomly generated as are the resulting [[symptoms]]. The beast's [[Syndrome#Breath_attacks|breath attack]] is also randomly generated, if it has one. Venom attacks come in a variety of forms, from boiling ichor to trailing dust, and the effects can range from mild pain to complete and instantaneous necrosis or paralysis. Some forms of venom can spread from spatters and contact with your dwarves, eventually infecting your entire fort. Decontaminating your soldiers in shallow running water is one way to deal with this problem. Some beasts breathe fire or shoot [[web]] in lieu of any syndrome-bearing attacks. Web-shooters are immune to the effects of webs they, or any other creature, create and will shoot web even at targets they lack a proper path to. Forgotten beasts based on spiders may be capable of shooting webs in addition to any other special abilities.

The number of forgotten beasts cannot be controlled directly, but is influenced by the size of the world. They dwell most often in caverns. All are [[building destroyer]]s, and are almost entirely immune to [[trap]]s (they are trapavoid and nostun but non-webspinners will trigger a trap that has been webbed). [[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 [[magma]] pit / [[dwarven atom smasher]] designs from working. This is probably one of [[Main:Toady One|Toady One]]'s ways of making the encounters even more [[fun]].

[[Image:DF2010ForgottenBeast1.png|thumb|center|500px]]

== Death and application ==
[[File:Shedim.png|thumb|300px|right|Shedim the forgotten beast.]]
If you need to kill a Forgotten Beast, order your military to attack. Some beasts, however, are content not to path to your fortress and will stay dormant underground. Most "fleshy" 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. Forgotten beast [[shell]]s may prove valuable during a [[strange mood]], particularly on a map without other sources of shells. Unfortunately, all forgotten beasts have a value multiplier of 1.

Some Forgotten Beasts whose bodies are made of liquid, gas or fire will die or lose limbs on the first hit. Other Forgotten Beasts are extremely difficult to kill due to some body compositions, such as being made of very hard materials. When confronted with such near-invulnerable creatures the only option is usually to use your brain and try to lock it away somehow. Walls and raised [[bridge|draw bridges]] stop them. Since they are [[building destroyer]]s you can used installed [[furniture]] to lure them to a particular location. If you can put it in a pit, a clever trapmaker can feed it invaders. If a near-indestructible beast isn't in a position to threaten your dwarves, it can be used to train marksdwarves.

One method of defeating nearly combat-invulnerable Forgotten Beasts (those whose bodies are made of rock, for instance) is to cause a [[Cave-in]] on top of them. They'll be killed by dropping either natural or constructed walls or floors on them. It is also possible to capture some forgotten beasts in cage traps by using [[giant cave spider]] webs (or similar).

You can prevent Forgotten Beasts from appearing by editing [[d_init.txt]] to change [INVADERS:YES] to [INVADERS:NO], though that will also prevent [[ambush]]es and [[siege]]s.

== Bugs ==
* If a beast has a dust attack, the dust will behave like it was from a [[cave-in]], flinging dwarves away (causing further damage if they hit a wall) and knocking them out. {{Bug|3133}}

== Forgotten Beast Threat Analysis==
'''If you do not want your [[fun]] spoiled, do not look below !'''

Forgotten beast pose different levels of threat to your fortress, based on their composition, body shape, movements or special attacks.

Of course, general threat must be appraised after all categories

'''Material Composition'''
*''Water, Grime, Filth, Salt, Steam, Smoke'' : Incredibly fragile. Unless paired with a dangerous attack method, these should not be a threat at all.
*''Fire'': While very fragile, [[fire]] is incredibly !![[fun]]!!. Engage with marksdwarves. It should die quickly.
*''Flesh'': Most forgotten beasts are fleshy. It's about the standard level of threat for a forgotten beast.
*''Rock or Mineral'': Tough, but nowhere near unbeatable. Metallic weapons should do the trick.
*''Glass or Gem'': Dangerous. You may want to eschew melee combat, unless you've got sufficiently good weapons and dwarves.
*''Non-weapon grade metal'': Not so hot for an inorganic FB. Shouldn't be much of a threat.
*''Copper/Silver'': Eh, it should be beatable if you've got a halfway decent military and weapons.
*''Iron'': It's quite possibly more dangerous than a bronze colossus, so be on your guard. Do not send anything against it that has less than steel weapons. Magma does nothing against these.
*''Steel'': That is official, the RNG hates you. These can be beaten only with cunning traps (magma won't do anything) or adamantine weapons.
*''Adamantine'': Run away. Seriously. Or use a cunning trap. But a forgotten beast made from adamantine is the absolute worst you can expect. You can kill it with cave-ins, obsidian encasing, but not much more.

'''Body Shape'''
*''Quadruped, Humanoid'': about the average for FB's. Try and use cutting weapons to cripple them.
*''Insect, Spider'' : Obnoxious because of the large amounts of redundant limbs.
*''Blob'' : Possibly the worst body shape to fight. Has only a blunt push attack, which at a FB's size is deadly. Cannot be defeated by any instant kill blow (such as decapitation/bisection). Most blobs made of stone and metal will make your life miserable. Fleshy blows can only be killed via blood loss.

'''Movement'''
*''Walking'': Normal movement.
*''Flying'': More dangerous than walking, for obvious mobility reasons. Be sure you only have one entry for your caverns.

'''Special attack'''
*''None'': Consider yourself lucky.
*''Poisonous bite'': Not dangerous by FB standards.
*''Solid glob spit/Liquid blob spit'' : Generally not dangerous, unless you forgot shields and shield use on your military for some reason.
*''Fire breath'': Unthreatening if you have shields and decent shield skill. Can start cavern fires, so be careful.
*''Toxic blood/toxic vapor breath/toxic gas breath'': Threat depends of the syndrome's effects. Can be harmless or kill your entire military. You may want to sacrifice something for seeing what the FB's extract does.
*''Web spitter'': Webs are incredibly deadly in melee, but do not help much in range. It will slaughter your whole melee squad with incredible ease, but not your ranged squad as long as the ranged squad is out of reach. Engage it with marksdwarves or kill it with a cunning trap.
*'''Deadly dust''': Possibly the most [[fun]] attack a FB can come with. Deadly dust acts like [[cave-in]] dust, plus syndromes. It can be used against the beast if the material the FB is made of is weak (like flesh) and/or it has articulations or organs to be damaged, considering it will use the deadly dust and harm itself, however if it is strong enough it will be immune to his own deadly dust. Deadly dust is generally a very effective defense against melee and marksdwarves, but is a liability if the FB is fleshy and not a blob.

{{Category|Megabeasts}}
[[ru:DF2012:Forgotten beast]]

v0.34:Forgotten beast

2013-02-09T19:45:58Z

Naryar:

{{quality|Exceptional|02:57, 13 June 2012 (UTC)}}
{{av}}

{{minorspoiler}}

''In the deep, there are beasts so fell and terrible, that only they know what they are, for none who have met them have lived to tell of it... they are the Forgotten Beasts, born of the chaos from before the world's birth... they have waited, brooding in the dark places of the world... and now... by digging too deep... we have awakened them.''

'''Forgotten Beasts''' are large, monstrous, procedurally generated creatures that spawn in the [[caverns]] beneath your fortress, [[path]]ing through to your fort and seeding destruction amongst your dwarves. They are the subterranean equivalent of [[titan]]s.

Forgotten beasts are attracted by [[wealth]] and population size. Additionally, one may randomly appear when you reclaim a fortress. When a forgotten beast becomes visible onscreen, the game automatically pauses and displays a message.

== Generation ==
[[File:Forgotten beast 1.jpg|thumb|right|"Aril was a forgotten beast. It was the only one of its kind. A towering skinless cobra. It has wings and it has a gaunt appearance. Beware its poisonous bite. Aril was associated with water, jealousy, and caverns." ([http://www.bay12forums.com/smf/index.php?topic=76346.msg1937497#msg1937497 post]).]]

Forgotten Beasts are procedurally randomized, and may be of any form, and be made of any sort of material. Forms range from gigantic skinless cobras, to shelled blobs, to humanoid golems. Materials range from flesh and blood, to flimsy things like [[ash]] and [[steam]], to truly scary monsters of pure [[rock]], [[gem]], or [[metal]]. After tossing in some limbs and extra bits for variety, they then get a special attack; including anything and everything between venomous stings, poisoned blood, powerful dust clouds and flame breath.

If a forgotten beast has a venomous attack of some sort, it is randomly generated as are the resulting [[symptoms]]. The beast's [[Syndrome#Breath_attacks|breath attack]] is also randomly generated, if it has one. Venom attacks come in a variety of forms, from boiling ichor to trailing dust, and the effects can range from mild pain to complete and instantaneous necrosis or paralysis. Some forms of venom can spread from spatters and contact with your dwarves, eventually infecting your entire fort. Decontaminating your soldiers in shallow running water is one way to deal with this problem. Some beasts breathe fire or shoot [[web]] in lieu of any syndrome-bearing attacks. Web-shooters are immune to the effects of webs they, or any other creature, create and will shoot web even at targets they lack a proper path to. Forgotten beasts based on spiders may be capable of shooting webs in addition to any other special abilities.

The number of forgotten beasts cannot be controlled directly, but is influenced by the size of the world. They dwell most often in caverns. All are [[building destroyer]]s, and are almost entirely immune to [[trap]]s (they are trapavoid and nostun but non-webspinners will trigger a trap that has been webbed). [[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 [[magma]] pit / [[dwarven atom smasher]] designs from working. This is probably one of [[Main:Toady One|Toady One]]'s ways of making the encounters even more [[fun]].

[[Image:DF2010ForgottenBeast1.png|thumb|center|500px]]

== Death and application ==
[[File:Shedim.png|thumb|300px|right|Shedim the forgotten beast.]]
If you need to kill a Forgotten Beast, order your military to attack. Some beasts, however, are content not to path to your fortress and will stay dormant underground. Most "fleshy" 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. Forgotten beast [[shell]]s may prove valuable during a [[strange mood]], particularly on a map without other sources of shells. Unfortunately, all forgotten beasts have a value multiplier of 1.

Some Forgotten Beasts whose bodies are made of liquid, gas or fire will die or lose limbs on the first hit. Other Forgotten Beasts are extremely difficult to kill due to some body compositions, such as being made of very hard materials. When confronted with such near-invulnerable creatures the only option is usually to use your brain and try to lock it away somehow. Walls and raised [[bridge|draw bridges]] stop them. Since they are [[building destroyer]]s you can used installed [[furniture]] to lure them to a particular location. If you can put it in a pit, a clever trapmaker can feed it invaders. If a near-indestructible beast isn't in a position to threaten your dwarves, it can be used to train marksdwarves.

One method of defeating nearly combat-invulnerable Forgotten Beasts (those whose bodies are made of rock, for instance) is to cause a [[Cave-in]] on top of them. They'll be killed by dropping either natural or constructed walls or floors on them. It is also possible to capture some forgotten beasts in cage traps by using [[giant cave spider]] webs (or similar).

You can prevent Forgotten Beasts from appearing by editing [[d_init.txt]] to change [INVADERS:YES] to [INVADERS:NO], though that will also prevent [[ambush]]es and [[siege]]s.

== Bugs ==
* If a beast has a dust attack, the dust will behave like it was from a [[cave-in]], flinging dwarves away (causing further damage if they hit a wall) and knocking them out. {{Bug|3133}}

== Forgotten Beast Threat Analysis==
'''If you do not want your [[fun]] spoiled, do not look below !'''

Forgotten beast pose different levels of threat to your fortress, based on their composition, body shape, movements or special attacks.

Of course, general threat must be appraised after all categories

'''Material Composition'''
*''Water, Grime, Filth, Salt, Steam, Smoke'' : Incredibly fragile. Unless paired with a dangerous attack method, these should not be a threat at all.
*''Fire'': While very fragile, [[fire]] is incredibly !![[FUN]]!!. Engage with marksdwarves. It should die quickly.
*''Flesh'': Most forgotten beasts are fleshy. It's about the standard level of threat for a forgotten beast.
*''Rock or Mineral'': Tough, but nowhere near unbeatable. Metallic weapons should do the trick.
*''Glass or Gem'': Dangerous. You may want to eschew melee combat, unless you've got sufficiently good weapons and dwarves.
*''Non-weapon grade metal'': Not so hot for an inorganic FB. Shouldn't be much of a threat.
*''Copper/Silver'': Eh, it should be beatable if you've got a halfway decent military and weapons.
*''Iron'': It's quite possibly more dangerous than a bronze colossus, so be on your guard. Do not send anything against it that has less than steel weapons. Magma does nothing against these.
*''Steel'': That is official, the RNG hates you. These can be beaten only with cunning traps (magma won't do anything) or adamantine weapons.
*''Adamantine'': Run away. Seriously. Or use a cunning trap. But a forgotten beast made from adamantine is the absolute worst you can expect. You can kill it with cave-ins, obsidian encasing, but not much more.

'''Body Shape'''
*''Quadruped, Humanoid'': about the average for FB's. Try and use cutting weapons to cripple them.
*''Insect, Spider'' : Obnoxious because of the large amounts of redundant limbs.
*''Blob'' : Possibly the worst body shape to fight. Has only a blunt push attack, which at a FB's size is deadly. Cannot be defeated by any instant kill blow (such as decapitation/bisection). Most blobs made of stone and metal will make your life miserable. Fleshy blows can only be killed via blood loss.

'''Movement'''
*''Walking'': Normal movement.
*''Flying'': More dangerous than walking, for obvious mobility reasons. Be sure you only have one entry for your caverns.

'''Special attack'''
*''None'': Consider yourself lucky.
*''Poisonous bite'': Not dangerous by FB standards.
*''Solid glob spit/Liquid blob spit'' : Generally not dangerous, unless you forgot shields and shield use on your military for some reason.
*''Fire breath'': Unthreatening if you have shields and decent shield skill. Can start cavern fires, so be careful.
*''Toxic blood/toxic vapor breath/toxic gas breath'': Threat depends of the syndrome's effects. Can be harmless or kill your entire military. You may want to sacrifice something for seeing what the FB's extract does.
*''Web spitter'': Webs are incredibly deadly in melee, but do not help much in range. It will slaughter your whole melee squad with incredible ease, but not your ranged squad as long as the ranged squad is out of reach. Engage it with marksdwarves or kill it with a cunning trap.
*'''Deadly dust''': Possibly the most [[fun]] attack a FB can come with. Deadly dust acts like [[cave-in]] dust, plus syndromes. It can be used against the beast if the material the FB is made of is weak (like flesh) and/or it has articulations or organs to be damaged, considering it will use the deadly dust and harm itself, however if it is strong enough it will be immune to his own deadly dust. Deadly dust is generally a very effective defense against melee and marksdwarves, but is a liability if the FB is fleshy and not a blob.

{{Category|Megabeasts}}
[[ru:DF2012:Forgotten beast]]

v0.34:Giant cave spider

2013-02-08T23:39:14Z

Naryar:

{{Quality|Exceptional|18:39, 13 May 2012 (UTC)}}
{{Creaturelookup/0
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{{av}}
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'''Giant cave spiders''' are far different from your regular [[cave spider]]s; those are just treats for your [[cat]]. Giant cave spiders are as big as [[grizzly bear]]s and will make treats ''of'' dwarves, pets, and the occasional careless adventurer. You can find giant cave spiders in, obviously, caves, caverns and most underground areas. They are '''the''' most dangerous creature in the caverns, excluding some [[forgotten beast]]s, as they feel no pain, cannot be stunned, can [[syndrome|poison]] creatures and have the ability to shoot [[web]]bing to ensnare their prey.

Giant cave spiders are not a rarity with dozens present in the underground caverns, deep below the surface. They can be extremely hard to kill. On occasion, however, a lucky dwarf might pound one to death within a few attacks by punching its skull into its brain, which can be a godsend after an unfortunate cavern breaching exercise.

Webs can be quite a boon to a fortress, when they aren't being used in a direct attack. Giant cave spider [[silk]] is worth much more than ordinary [[cloth]] and, given the proper setup and victims, can be produced in endless amounts.

If you see one in adventure mode, an announcement, "You've spotted a Giant Cave Spider!" will appear.

==Fighting==

Giant cave spiders are ''not'' to be engaged in melee by a lone dwarf, especially if its armor is lacking. If the attacked dwarf is fully armored, then it will eventually die of hunger or thirst. Even a legendary axedwarf will be unable to do anything, due to the immobilizing webs and subsequent deadly bite. You may attempt to flank a giant cave spider with two melee dwarves, one serving as bait and the other killing the giant cave spider, but it is not a foolproof tactic and you will probably lose one or two dwarves. Marksdwarves, cage traps, and weapon traps are better.

To give you a feeling of how deadly they are in melee, a lone giant cave spider can take on and completely incapacitate any of the semimegabeasts, is ''the'' most dangerous predator of the caverns competing with the cave dragon, and fight equally with the weakest megabeasts like rocs or hydras. They are however incapable of killing anything large.

Giant cave spider venom appears to be a neurotoxin which causes progressive [[syndrome|paralysis]] and is ultimately fatal due to suffocation as the victim's diaphragm succumbs and ceases to function. The poison's effects set in relatively quickly with complete paralysis at phase 5 (360 seconds) and death usually occurs at around 1300 seconds.

Giant cave spider venom is only deadly on relatively small creatures, unlike giant cave scorpion venom. It only tends to induce mild paralysis of members on large things such as giants.

Due to the spider only attacking the head of a webbed dwarf, a pair of dwarves with steel helmets and weapons is more than a match for a lone GCS. The coding for all creatures sets headshots as the number one priority if possible, and the web ensures that a headshot is indeed always possible. You may want to avoid using untrained dwarves for this though, because the spider will still counterattack if the dwarf misses, potentially landing a blow on an unprotected area of the dwarf.

Fortunately (or unfortunately...), giant cave spiders tend to take time to kill their prey, giving you time to kill the GCS and save the dwarf, if you are similarly inclined of course. You may however not be able to save the dwarf from the GCS poison.

==Capturing==
Due to the considerable value of giant cave spider silk, many players attempt to capture a live spider and set up a silk farm to boost their fortress's economy. While simply opening a path to the [[cavern]]s and lining it with cage traps may eventually work, a much more effective method is to take advantage of one peculiar behavior of [[building destroyer]]s: simply build a '''[[wood]]en''' [[door]] within the caverns and surround it with cage traps (to a distance of at least 2 tiles), and any giant cave spider (or [[giant toad]], [[giant olm]], [[cave crocodile]], etc.) that wanders relatively close enough to the door will immediately charge toward it and be captured. Or, if you have enough mechanisms, cages and dwarfpower to spare, cage trap all of the cavern exits. If you are extremely lucky, a migrant will arrive with an already tamed GCS. Be aware that since they lack a [CHILD] tag, giant cave spiders will not breed.

==Farming Silk==
Several setups have been devised to harvest giant cave spider silk in large quantities. Working silk farms have a few traits in common:

# The spider must be aggressive toward its bait. Tame spiders are aggressive toward invaders, while wild spiders are aggressive toward most tame animals (with [[cat]]s being a notable exception). Tame spiders are not aggressive toward animals on restraints.
# The spider must not be able to reach its bait; if it can, the bait (or spider) will die and no further silk will be generated. Spiders can destroy wooden doors but not stone or metal doors. They cannot pass through forbidden doors or doors that have been "tightly closed".
# Web collection cannot occur in sight of wild animals or invaders; either the spider or its bait will interrupt collection. Drawbridges work well to block line of sight in either case, as webs will not prevent them from raising.

One design is as follows:
{{diagram|spaces=yes|color=#888|\
╔═══════════╗
║+++++++++++║
║+++++++++++║
║+++++++++++╣
[#0FF][#088]X++++++[#080]╞[#080]═[#080]═[#080]═[#080]╡║
║++++++[#080]╥[#F00]╬[#F00]╬[#F00]╬[#F00]╬║
║++++++[#080]║[#F00]╬g[#F00]╬S║
║++++++[#080]╨[#F00]╬[#F00]╬[#F00]╬[#F00]╬║
[#0FF][#088]X++++++[#080]╞[#080]═[#080]═[#080]═[#080]╡║
║+++++++++++╣
║+++++++++++║
║+++++++++++║
╚═══════════╝
}}
# Dig out (and optionally smooth) a sufficiently large room (example shown is 11x11).
# Channel out the "S" square and the "g" square and build retracting bridges over the gaps. Link these bridges to a lever and place a cage trap underneath whichever square will eventually hold the hostile creature. Separate levers for each bridge may also be used. Do not use any creatures with a size of over 1,000,000 as bait! The weight of these creatures will jam the bridge in place. This step is optional, and allows a creature or corpse to be removed from the silk farm and either repositioned or recaptured without military involvement.
# [[Construction|Construct]] all of the red [[fortification]]s.
# Build the 3 green [[bridge]]s, all raising lengthwise to form long walls.
# Construct a [[lever]] somewhere convenient in your fortress and link it to the 3 bridges.
# Build one of the 2 [[floodgate]]s and link it to the lever. Pull the lever to open the floodgate and allow access to the room, then build the second floodgate and link it to the lever. Pull the lever until both floodgates are closed.
# Using a pit/pond [[activity zone]] on the Z-level above, drop a tame giant cave spider into the gray "S" square and a hostile creature (such as a goblin) into the gray "g" square. Alternatively, use a hostile spider and a tame creature - the main concern is that the spider must be hostile toward its target.

At this point, the spider will begin blasting the bait creature with webs, and most of the webs will fly through the fortifications and land on the floor to the left. Once enough webs have accumulated, pull the lever to open the chamber for collection and raise the 3 bridges. These bridges enclose both spider and bait, and while the spider will continue to web the bait this does not cause the same lag as the old door method.

Silk can be farmed just as easily from a wild spider with a few changes. Domesticated pets can be used in place of goblins for wild spider, but avoid grazers; other animals may need to be replaced when they die of old age. It's recommended that you place a backup cage trap to reposition the spider if your first design doesn't meet your needs, but remember that should any webbing fall on the cage trap, it will trap your dwarves as easily as it will the spider. Wild spiders can be placed via lever-controlled deconstructing cage (which would have to be placed inside the chamber prior to building the fortifications).

Note that tame spiders are hostile to wild animals. This means that you can use a benign wild animal, such as a grasshopper man or a large rat, as a bait animal, instead of a hostile creature like a goblin. Dwarves are not as frightened of wild animals as they are of hostiles, and this can make the shutter bridges and surrounding walls entirely unnecessary--the weaver can simply walk up to the webs as the spider shoots them. This may cause the occasional cancel spam when an errant web hits the weaver directly, but there is no real danger.

==Live training==
:''Main article: [[Live training]]''

Pit an entirely metal-armored dwarf (the metal used seems to be unimportant) against a wild giant cave spider. Enjoy as the dwarf gets webbed, then the GCS attempts to bite the dwarf, but fails due to armor.

As it will never attempt any other attack, the GCS will keep biting metal, fail to injure the dwarf, and each attack will train your dwarf in armor using far faster than training or sparring.

As you probably don't want to kill something as rare and precious as a giant cave spider for just training armor user on a dwarf, you may want to set the training area on a lever-linked bridge, then pull the lever and fling/let fall the GCS on cage traps, therefore separating harmlessly the dwarf and the GCS.

{{gamedata}}
{{Creatures}}
{{Category|Animals}}

v0.34:Giant desert scorpion

2013-02-08T23:36:13Z

Naryar:

{{Quality|Exceptional|02:25, 14 September 2010 (UTC) (UTC)}}
{{Creaturelookup/0
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[[Image:Scorpion-panel2-col.png|thumb|200px|left|A Giant Desert Scorpion doing what it knows best.]]

The '''giant desert scorpion''' is a very high-[[value]] [[creature]] commonly found in all savage [[desert]] [[biome]]s. As opponents, they are equivalent to [[blind cave ogre]]s in lethality, and may appear in groups of anything from one to three mayhem-minded individuals. Giant desert scorpions are predatory meandering killing machines. They will roam over long distances seeking prey, meaning they ''will'' eventually find your fortress and start stinging dwarves.

Giant desert scorpions are capable of injecting a [[syndrome|neurotoxin]] which causes necrosis of the brain and nervous system, resulting in instant death once they completely rot. They cannot be stunned and feel no pain or fear. A wounded scorpion will never stop fighting until it is dead.

This means that despite its relatively moderate size, the giant desert scorpion is able to one-hit-kill all creatures with blood and a nervous system, that is, most creatures. Yes, a giant desert scorpion can and will kill a [[roc]], [[hydra]], [[dragon]] or [[elephant]] if it gets in melee and has the time to sting before getting killed.

However, giant desert scorpions only sting as a secondary attack, never stinging if one or more pincers are not latching upon the opponent.

In DF2012, giant desert scorpions are incredibly rare, considering the ton of new creatures in savage biomes.

They are also famous for their ability to wrest the [[weapon]]s (or [[backpack]]s, or socks, or [[armor]], or whatever item strikes their fancy) you or your dwarves wield out of your hands (thanks to the UPPERBODY_PINCERS possessed by scorpions) and proceed to brutally kill you with them. They have also been reported to shoot crossbows in the [[object testing arena]].

The ''good'' news is that giant desert scorpions can be tamed. Stuffing a [[cage]] with thirty scorpions and [[lever|releasing]] them all at once during an [[siege|invasion]] is a joyous sight.

Like many exotic pets, giant desert scorpions do not breed. This can easily be remedied/modded in by adding "[CHILD:3][GENERAL_CHILD_NAME:giant desert scorpling:giant desert scorplings]" to the giant desert scorpion entry in the raws, found in the file creature_savage_tropical.txt. Also, if you want to be able to train them into giant desert war scorpions, you need to add "[TRAINABLE]" somewhere in their entry too.

{{gamedata}}
{{Creatures}}
{{Category|Animals}}

v0.34:Giant desert scorpion

2013-02-08T23:35:46Z

Naryar: nah, GCS eats GDS for breakfast if it wants

{{Quality|Exceptional|02:25, 14 September 2010 (UTC) (UTC)}}
{{Creaturelookup/0
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|meat=21-22
|fat=21
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{{av}}
{{creaturedesc}}

[[Image:Scorpion-panel2-col.png|thumb|200px|left|A Giant Desert Scorpion doing what it knows best.]]

The '''giant desert scorpion''' is a very high-[[value]] [[creature]] commonly found in all savage [[desert]] [[biome]]s. As opponents, they are equivalent to [[blind cave ogres]]s in lethality, and may appear in groups of anything from one to three mayhem-minded individuals. Giant desert scorpions are predatory meandering killing machines. They will roam over long distances seeking prey, meaning they ''will'' eventually find your fortress and start stinging dwarves.

Giant desert scorpions are capable of injecting a [[syndrome|neurotoxin]] which causes necrosis of the brain and nervous system, resulting in instant death once they completely rot. They cannot be stunned and feel no pain or fear. A wounded scorpion will never stop fighting until it is dead.

This means that despite its relatively moderate size, the giant desert scorpion is able to one-hit-kill all creatures with blood and a nervous system, that is, most creatures. Yes, a giant desert scorpion can and will kill a [[roc]], [[hydra]], [[dragon]] or [[elephant]] if it gets in melee and has the time to sting before getting killed.

However, giant desert scorpions only sting as a secondary attack, never stinging if one or more pincers are not latching upon the opponent.

In DF2012, giant desert scorpions are incredibly rare, considering the ton of new creatures in savage biomes.

They are also famous for their ability to wrest the [[weapon]]s (or [[backpack]]s, or socks, or [[armor]], or whatever item strikes their fancy) you or your dwarves wield out of your hands (thanks to the UPPERBODY_PINCERS possessed by scorpions) and proceed to brutally kill you with them. They have also been reported to shoot crossbows in the [[object testing arena]].

The ''good'' news is that giant desert scorpions can be tamed. Stuffing a [[cage]] with thirty scorpions and [[lever|releasing]] them all at once during an [[siege|invasion]] is a joyous sight.

Like many exotic pets, giant desert scorpions do not breed. This can easily be remedied/modded in by adding "[CHILD:3][GENERAL_CHILD_NAME:giant desert scorpling:giant desert scorplings]" to the giant desert scorpion entry in the raws, found in the file creature_savage_tropical.txt. Also, if you want to be able to train them into giant desert war scorpions, you need to add "[TRAINABLE]" somewhere in their entry too.

{{gamedata}}
{{Creatures}}
{{Category|Animals}}

v0.34:Cave dragon

2013-02-08T16:54:40Z

Naryar:

{{Quality|Exceptional|07:22, 10 August 2010 (UTC)}}
{{Creaturelookup/0
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|kidney=12-14
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{{av}}
{{creaturedesc}}

'''Cave dragons''' are gigantic beasts which were once [[dragon]]s who have adapted to life underground. Unlike their above-ground [[dragon|brethren]], they do not breathe fire, but they do appear to be immune to the effects of fire. Happily, they are not immune to the effects of a [[magma|dwarf's best friend]]. They have wings (which lack the ability to fly) and white scales, but besides this are not nearly as dangerous as their above ground cousins (due to being smaller and not breathing fire). Oddly, despite their description, regular dragons do not have wings, much less functional ones, though cave dragons do.

Cave dragons are incredibly rare in the underground, but can be also be ridden as a war mount by goblins, which may be a lot more [[fun]] that you can handle. Cave dragons lay eggs, but do not breed, lacking a child token.

Cave dragons are among the largest creatures in the game, and grow into their adult size of 15,000,000 after 1000 years. The butchery values in the right-hand column assume that an adult is being butchered: worlds younger than 1000 years will only have juvenile cave dragons, which drop far less meat.

Cave dragons are [[building destroyer]]s which means, among other things, that [[door]]s are useless as defense. The may also be used as mounts during a [[siege]].

Cave dragons provide the insanely wonderful pet value of 10,000 and are very good war animals, due to high natural fighting skills and sheer size.

{{gamedata}}
{{Creatures}}
{{Category|Creatures}}

v0.34:Kakapo

2013-02-02T15:54:37Z

Naryar:

{{quality|Fine|00:02, 6 December 2012 (UTC)}}
{{creaturelookup/0
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A lone kakapo appears occasionally in any woodland biome and meanders around adorably. They can be captured to produce some meager quantity of eggs, which is likely the most suitable use for them as tearing the adorable thing apart can only fill up six round little dwarves for a season.

{{D for Dwarf}}

Kakapos are also known to mate with [[human]]s given the chance : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9T1vfsHYiKY

{{gamedata}}
{{creatures}}

v0.34:Ambush

2013-02-02T14:38:33Z

Naryar:

{{quality|Exceptional|15:37, 18 August 2010 (UTC)}}{{av}}

An '''ambush''' is a sudden event in [[fortress mode]] when a small force of enemy {{Catlink|humanoids}}, typically [[goblin|goblins]], attempts to attack your [[fortress]]. While smaller in scope than a full [[siege]], ambushes are not related to the number of [[dwarf|dwarves]] in your fortress, and so can be triggered by relatively small populations.

Ambushes, just like [[siege]]s, nearly always happen at the end of a season, generally in the last 10-15 days of the season.

An ambush is not announced immediately, but instead is announced when your fortress becomes aware of the attackers, such as when they set off a cage [[trap]] or come close to your dwarves or [[pet|pets]]. Not all traps trigger an alert; specifically, [[trap|stone fall traps]] and [[weapon trap|weapon traps]] do not, while [[Trap#Cage_Trap|cage traps]] do. You can still detect invaders by checking your traps "visually" - if the trap killed an invader the [[corpse]] and gear will be there. Once detected, an ambush is announced with the message: "An ambush! Curse them!" or "A human has sprung from ambush!" generally activated if a captured human leads the squad or "An ambush! Curse all friends of nature!" if you´re being attacked by elves. [[Necromancer]] ambushes are announced with "Intruders! Drive them away!".

Ambushes tend to arrive with [[caravan]]s but can happen any time. Note that goblins will usually ambush with more than one squad (2 to 4), each of which will trigger a separate message and also has to be detected separately. Necromancer ambushes consist of several necromancers, each one being detected individually. An early warning sign for a necromancer ambush is the presence of [[undead]] in non-evil [[biome|biomes]].

If ambushers are caught in cage traps, they will be marked as Caged Prisoner in the unit screen. These prisoners can be dragged around between cages (or tossed over tall towers) without risk of a jailbreak, unlike goblin thieves.

If you Abandon your fortress while an ambush is active, you will receive the message "Your strength has been broken."

When the leader of an ambush is killed(or captured)- but not the other units, they will stand around and "wait" for their leader.

{{Military}}

v0.34:Giant sperm whale

2013-02-01T13:01:54Z

Naryar:

{{quality|Exceptional|00:02, 13 December 2012 (UTC)}}
{{Creaturelookup/0
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}}
{{av}}
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The giant sperm whale is ''really, REALLY'' giant--it's even bigger than a real-world blue whale. It gives truly enormous stacks of animal products, can reach 11000 total units worth of food and butchering one will feed a 100-dwarf fortress for a bit more than ten years. If it doesn't rot halfway towards the butcher's shop, of course. This is actually the biggest [[creature]] in the game; it is eight times the size of a [[dragon]], ten times that of a [[bronze colossus]], about 175 times the size of a fully-grown bull [[moose]], and about 1,330 times the size of a measly [[dwarf]].

If you happen to embark on a [[surroundings|Terrifying]] ocean, you may run into [[undead]] versions of these. If you do... well, may Armok have mercy on your souls and those of your dwarves.

{{D for Dwarf}}

It is rumored that giant sperm whales can only be slain via throwing iron spears into their heads. Giant sperm whales also tend to rip off limbs for no reason, and therefore the surviving dwarf may start a grudge with the whale that may spell doom for dozens of dwarves.

Bonus points if the killing dwarf has a bone crutch and a lost leg.

{{gamedata}}
{{Creatures}}

v0.34:Giant kea

2013-02-01T12:52:51Z

Naryar:

{{Quality|Fine|04:13 10 July 2012 (UTC)}}
{{Creaturelookup/0
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{{av}}
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Giant keas are incredibly dangerous animals, so much that they are now the new uncontested flying [[king of beasts]] for DF2012. Their habit of going into your fort and stealing your stuff will mean these monsters will come right into contact with your dwarves and fight. And do not expect a civilian, unarmored dwarf to win any of these fights. Giant keas will kill your dwarves faster than you can say, "It's just a big parrot, what harm could it do?"

This animal is capable of stealing artifacts.[http://24.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_m6x9ohAAb41r1ahsco1_1280.png] Additionally, they can come in groups of 5-10. As such, they can quickly become your fort's top concern. They tend to fly away when targeted, but that won't stop them from foiling your plans.

Overall, these things can be a huge threat to a fortress.

Upon death, they may leave behind [[main:feather|feather]]s.

{{gamedata}}
{{Creatures}}

v0.34:Giant kea

2013-02-01T12:51:53Z

Naryar:

{{Quality|Fine|04:13 10 July 2012 (UTC)}}
{{Creaturelookup/0
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|intestine=1
|liver=1
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|sweetbread=1
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|feather=1
|brain=1
|skull=1
|fat=11
|skin=hide
|meat=18
|bone=24
|contrib=no}}
{{av}}
{{creaturedesc}}

Giant keas are incredibly dangerous animals, so much that they are now the new uncontested flying [[King of Beasts]] for DF2012. Their habit of going into your fort and stealing your stuff will mean these monsters will come right into contact with your dwarves and fight. And do not expect a civilian, unarmored dwarf to win any of these fights. Giant keas will kill your dwarves faster than you can say, "It's just a big parrot, what harm could it do?"

This animal is capable of stealing artifacts.[http://24.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_m6x9ohAAb41r1ahsco1_1280.png] Additionally, they can come in groups of 5-10. As such, they can quickly become your fort's top concern. They tend to fly away when targeted, but that won't stop them from foiling your plans.

Overall, these things can be a huge threat to a fortress.

Upon death, they may leave behind [[main:feather|feather]]s.

{{gamedata}}
{{Creatures}}

v0.34:Giant snail

2013-02-01T12:46:10Z

Naryar:

{{Quality|Fine}}
{{Creaturelookup/0
|contrib=no
|meat=34-67
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|heart=2
|intestine=13-15
|eye=2
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{{av}}
{{creaturedesc}}

Giant snails are predictably very slow, as large as a [[Grizzly bear]] and generally quite harmless. They are a good source of meat, fat, and especially shells (mostly for artifact requirements) in a pinch. They can cripple and may kill a normal, unarmed, naked dwarf though, so you might want to send basic militia or a marksdwarf to hunt it.

They live in every non-freezing savage biome.

{{gamedata}}
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v0.34:Giant moth

2013-02-01T12:44:01Z

Naryar:

{{Quality|Fine|2012-05-11}}
{{Creaturelookup/0}}
{{av}}
{{creaturedesc}}

Despite differences in real life, in Dwarf Fortress the '''giant moth''' is physically exactly like a [[giant thrips]]. It has the same size, same bodyparts, same wrestling ability, same flying tag and same wings. However, the giant moth is roughly three times [[speed|faster]] than a giant thrips.

Even though it is quite fast, it is still not much of a threat. It is good for food and marksdwarf training, but not much else. They are also very short-lived, like all of the other giant insects.

{{gamedata}}
{{Creatures}}

v0.34:Giant cheetah

2013-02-01T12:39:45Z

Naryar:

{{Quality|Exceptional|20:18, 5 July 2010 (UTC)}}
{{Creaturelookup/0
|wiki=no
|contrib=no
|bone=17
|meat=14
|fat=13
|lung=2
|heart=1
|intestine=1
|liver=1
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}}
{{av}}
{{creaturedesc}}

'''Giant cheetahs''' are strong carnivorous animals, living in savage tropical areas. Matured giant cheetahs can weight up to 100 kilo.

Note that giant cheetahs are not especially faster than any other animal, and cannot sprint.

They can be used as mount by some {{catlink|Races|races}}. {{verify}}

An [[animal trainer]] must be present in order to [[tame]] Giant cheetahs. They are also trainable into war/hunting giant cheetahs. See [[Kennel]] for how this is done, and for a list of other trainable creatures.

{{gamedata}}
{{Creatures}}
{{Category|Animals}}

v0.31:Megaprojects

2013-01-31T22:40:35Z

Naryar: /* Blood for Armok, God of Blood */

Instead of deliberately inhibiting yourself, create a wonder of the dwarven world that would make the Mountainhomes proud. Be sure to upload it to the [http://mkv25.net/dfma/ Dwarf Fortress Map Archive] when it's finished. More projects can be found where [[Stupid_dwarf_trick|stupid dwarves try crazy tricks]]. [[Mega construction|Incredible feats of construction]] are usually very [[Fun|fun]] so you'll see many different (and probably similar) constructions across the Wiki. Use whatever ideas you think are ingenious.

===Aqueducts===
For some reason, a noble was harmlessly pulling a lever when suddenly, magma flooded the river and exploded the booze! The king requires your band of seven to build a great aqueduct to bring water to the capital. Start with supports, and build up your aqueduct until it is 10 z-levels high!

*Bonus: Start over a human town, build a wall around it, pump water through the aqueduct and into it!
*Bonus: Mod the game so you can start on the dwarven capital and actually bring about the story.
*Bonus: Once you have completed your aqueduct, embark in a slightly different location and build the next section. repeat until you've built it all the way to the capital!

Variation: On a map containing a river, completely enclose it with glass walls, and floors. Use overhead pipe sections to move the water to places more <s>convenient</s> Fun.

===Blood for Armok, God of Blood===
Worship Armok by spilling copious amounts of blood. Paint ''every single outside tile'' red with blood. No blood rains allowed, of course. Rain will be your worst enemy.
*Bonus : No water flooding with blood. All the blood must be genuinely spilled, so that Armok does not call you a cheap imitator.
*Bonus : Paint your entire fortress red with blood, as well.
*MegaBonus : Paint the caverns red with blood, along with every single inside tile. Be sure as well to make every single water source red, except the one you use for your wells.
*UltraDwarfBonus : Paint [[Hell]] red as well ! BLOOD FOR THE BLOOD GOD !

===Biodome===
All material, seeds, food, tools, and dwarves must be in the fortress within one year. Then, seal up the entrance. Any new immigrants... well, they might be in trouble. Survive for as long as possible!

No chasms/underground rivers/magma vents allowed.

===Casting===
Who needs to construct giant statues?! We need ours made from natural walls, however, we want it above ground level as well. For casting your goal is to create some giant structure out of natural obsidian walls through the use of an extremely elaborate scaffold of lava and water pools and screw pumps. When you are finished, just deconstruct the scaffolding and smooth/engrave the statue as you go. Just imagine the bridge over that chasm, now complete with two giant dwarf statues on either side to strike fear into all who enter and to show them the power of your fortress.

*Bonus: Make the statues spit lava.

===Castle===
Build a castle, greater than anything built by human, elf or dwarf. This is highly time
consuming if you want it to be a good castle. There must be floor indoors, and no underground
constructions except for mining operations and cellars. For an even greater challenge, build
a gigantic tower in the middle, where the nobles stay.

===Ceremonial Sacrifices===
Build an amazingly complex or spectacular killing device. A shaft that extends across the entire Z-plane is a good start. A constantly shifting maze of atomsmasher drawbridges is another. For the minimalist, a very confined space where you will drop a dwarf wrestler along with the gobbos once in a while. Perhaps a waterslide that carries your prisoner all the way down into a chasm? Just cut their heart out? Whatever your idea, build it and dedicate your fort to the construction, maintenance and improvement of your device.

Do not kill any of your invaders. Capture them using cage traps, and them set them off in your device. Keep a record of the number of victims you drop into it.

BONUS: Create a statue garden to memorialize your victims, with one statue per victim. Structure your fortress such that sacrificial victims have to pass through the garden on the way to their demise.

===Computing===
Can your dwarves build the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Antikythera_mechanism Antikythera mechanism]? Can you program the fortress to play tic-tac-toe? More details at [[computing]].

===Colosseum===
Build a pit, around it on steps lots of Thrones, make the whole thing a meeting area, train Gladiators, capture goblins, leave them their weapons and let them fight against your gladiators. If they win, let them go.

===Crematory Fortress===
* Requires a [[magma| magma pipe]] and [[bauxite]].

Build a temple structure above a [[magma|magma pipe]] and [[engraving|engrave]] every available surface. The temple should be as opulent as possible. In the temple, build a retracting [[bridge]] over a hole in the floor, and designate a [[coffin]] [[stockpile]] on it. Whenever a dwarf dies, build a [[bauxite]] or other [[magma-proof]] [[coffin]] for him, place it on the [[bridge]], and retract it, committing his body to the [[magma|fiery blood of the mountain]].

::Note: Since coffins are unassigned and emptied when deconstructed and cannot be constructed on top of a bridge, this will not actually work. An alternative would be to place the coffins in individual chambers which can then be flooded with magma afterwards.

::: You could expose the magma pipe, build a one-tile wide floor span across it, and then above that build a support that holds up your temple floor on the z-level above. The temple floor would be separated from the walls of the temple and would be connected for walking access diagonally. The support holds it up. You would have to construct the coffins in the temple, then when someone gets buried you pull the lever attached to the support. You then rebuild the narrow span below, the temple floor, and the support, then link the lever to the new support.
::: You can do this without scaffolding if you build the temple floor access straight in, and then the span below and the support, then once the support is in place you destroy the straight temple access leaving only a diagonal temple access.

::: Another method would be simply to make a hole in your temple that goes straight down to the magma, of at least 3X3 squares, then build a floor of 2 squares long and 1 wide from the upper middle edge of the hole so that the second square is only connected to the temple by the first, then build your coffin on the second square and once your dwarf is inside deconstruct the first square leaving nothing holding the square with your coffin up and it will fall into the magma. On a side note it is best to start from the upper edge of the hole so the dwarf doing the deconstructing is a lot less likely to fall into the magma.

::: Retracting bridges work well to provide access to build the support and floor, and can then be retracted before dropping the coffin. Use a single lever to retract the bridge, then begin filling a chamber with water to trigger a pressure plate to destroy the support, dropping the coffin, and also draining the water to encase the coffin in obsidian.

===City===
Live like a human!

Build all of your buildings above ground. to make this easier, mod in a plentiful building material similar to bricks, however you want it. Make sure that your city is unplanned for that medieval look; build when you need to as close as you can to where it needs to be. As each migration wave comes you're going to need more and more buildings. Protip; you're going to need a caste of dedicated builders.

* Extra points; Emulate your favourite city.
* Combo bonus; Build your city around some other megaproject; a pyramid or giant colloseum.
* ULTRADWARF; Start in a mountainous area and hollow out the above ground city from the projecting mountains, including all four sides, thus leveling the mountain range to leave a series of *surprisingly natural* looking streets.
* Build each building (or section of one) out of the same materials or...
**Bonus: Create pixel art from the colors of the stones!
**Bonus: Try to build all freestanding structures
*Geek Reference Bonus: Build the city on the side of a mountain, using only marble, and make it look like Minas Tirith.

===Doomsday Clock===
Build a water or mechanical clock whose final state triggers the support which holds your fortress up or a megabeast out.
See how much wealth you can achieve before the clock runs out.
*Bonus: Create something that resets itself, as well as purging the map, so that you can reuse the same fortress over and over.
*Super-Bonus: Create something that involves pressure plates and a small kitten, when the pressure plates are hit in the right order, your map ends. Toss the kitten in and hope for the best. Alternatively, make the sequence quite unlikely, but add 2 kittens; breeding introduces a probability of doomsday that is a function of time (depending on the mechanisms involved)
*Super-Bonus: Create the super-bonus above, but place the kitten on the lowest Z-level and never return to either look at it or see how many of the conditions for the doomsday device have been met. This way, the kitty mimicks Schrodinger's cat: we cannot observe the state of the kitty, but we can infer it from the state of the world (spin-pairs effectively).

===Dungeons of Doom===

Beneath your fortress, carve out an immense dungeon starting from the surface. Each dungeon floor must be filled with rectangular rooms connected by twisting one-tile passages, with an occasional wider hallway, and each floor must lead to the next by a single-tile staircase (no up/down stairs). A few floors into the dungeon, build a small fortress and designate a few quarries away from the dungeon itself. The dungeon should not be exposed to the caverns, but the caverns should be exposed to the surface to free the fun creatures. The dungeon must go down until it reaches HFS. Dump an artifact amulet inside HFS. Build puzzles and thematic branches of the dungeon as you see fit.

* Bonus: Fill the dungeon with gnomes, goblins, kobolds, and horrible monsters of all kinds.
* Mega Bonus: Litter the floors of the dungeon with artifact items (especially weapons).
* Cosmic Bonus: Lead the dungeon into an upright spoiler and build a Labyrinth inside HFS.
* Nerd Bonus: Build the last few levels above your fortress, and fill one with lava, one with water, one entirely empty, etc, to mimic the last few levels of NetHack. The uppermost one should have three temples, and if possible megabeasts that cannot escape but which an adventurer could reach...

===Dwarf like an Egyptian===
*Build a pyramid of epic proportion.

Build a legendary dwarven pyramid, with a corridor running to a central tomb for your favourite noble. Then construct lots of different [[trap]]s in it to avoid grave robbery. Perhaps build it entirely out of glass? Or try to make the top twist in a bit of a swirl. Alternatively, make your entire fortress inside a pyramid, which stretches below the ground.

*Build rows of Obelisks

* Build a double row of Obelisks before the Pyramid, and engrave the sides. Build ramps on the tops.

*Build the whole thing upside down.
** And then another one on the upside-down one.

* BONUS: Make a Sphinx out of solid gold. Solid! Nobody lives or goes inside of it. Entomb the builders in an [[unfortunate accident]] - preferably inside the sphinx - so that they can never build one for anybody else.

* When the time has come, or when your fortress is about to be destroyed by a siege or something, perform the ceremony to translate the mortal form of the noble to the underworld. Give him a ritual death, and make sure you kill his servants as well. Pile wealth into the tomb. If the tomb is built for your king make every dwarf die but one, who inters everyone into their resting place. His final act will be to pull a lever that seals the tomb as well as kills him. Then enjoy going back and reclaiming your fortress to observe your efforts.

*BONUS: Dwarf like a Sumerian and make the Pyramid a Ziggurat.

===Graveyard Master===
Every dwarf deserves a decent resting place:
*Build a tomb for every dwarf that dies, the more dwarves you manage to bury the better.
*Tombs must be rooms with exactly 5x5 of size and 1 of height, with only one entrance tile that must be closed by a door.
*Tombs must have all its surfaces engraved.
*Tomb must contain at least 4 statues.
*Once complete, the door must be replaced with a wall and the tomb must not be ever entered again.

===How high can you go?===
Construction, construction, construction! Just how big a tower can you build? Out of glass maybe, clear glass? Steel? Pump water to the top? Make your tower a ''pinnacle'' of achievement and stun humans, elves and goblins alike - for they know nothing of construction and engineering like dwarves do!

===Land battleship===
Turn your mountain into a huge battle-station, complete with crew quarters, decks, command centre, cantina, and a large collection of deadly weapons : Batteries of marksdwarves, ballista cannons, catapults, boarding bridges and teams, but also lava projector or remote explosive devices (ie cave-ins in a part of the map triggered by a lever). Make sure it ends up looking like a real battleship, with nothing but plains surrounding it (you could build it on an actual plain, or destroy a mountain, choice is yours). The battleship has to be autonomous, and dwarves shouldn't wander outside it.

*Bonus: The weaponry covers every tile of the map (i.e., everything that enters the map can be shot)
*Bonus: Build several other ships, maybe dedicated to a specific product (food, ammo etc.)
**Bonus: Find a way to let them fight each other in a naval battle
*Bonus: Each crew member has a civil and military formation, and when the enemy arrives, stop every economic activity. All hands to quarters !
*Bonus: Rebuild Noahs Ark: Completely out of wood, with every animal twice, as well as one dwarven family with three sons on board. Flood everything around it AND LET EVERYTHING NOT ON THE ARK DIE!!! MUHAHAHA!!! FEAR THE WRATH OF ARMOK!!!!!
*Mega Bonus: Use lava instead of water (Although you shouldn't use wood, as it will burn, [[v0.31:Fun|unless that's your intent]]

===Labyrinth===
Build or dig out an elaborate labyrinth. It should be filled with traps, periodically flooded with water and magma, and decorated to your liking.

*Bonus: Build a prison and/or execution chamber somewhere inside the labyrinth.
*Bigger Bonus: Build all the labyrinth walls out of statues and make the entire thing a statue garden.
*Mega Bonus: Make it three-dimensional.

(A labyrinth is a [http://www.astrolog.org/labyrnth/algrithm.htm unicursal maze]: labyrinths offer no choices of path as they curve in and back on themselves to the endpoint. Mazes usually have choices of paths and therefore usually dead ends. Given how pathing will usually let sapient beings in DF avoid dead ends, a labyrinth is preferable to a traditional maze with dead ends.)

[http://sourceforge.net/projects/daedalus/ Daedalus] has many maze algorithms and tools, including for unicursal mazes (GPL, free).
A [http://www.billsgames.com/mazegenerator/ traditional maze generator] may be helpful if you somehow open the dead ends (such as with drawbridges) to attract traffic.

===Moria===
Build a huge hall - at least 3 z-levels high. Leave few pillars symmetrically placed in the hall (don't build them, carve them out). Smooth and possibly engrave everything (not only the lowest z-level!). Then build thin bridge (not the bridge building, just a thin piece of rock to walk on) above magma or above a chasm- support it with bauxite supports connected to a lever (bauxite mechanisms needed in support). Destroy stone holding it at the both ends and replace it with floor hatches (so when you pull the lever it all goes down). After that build a bridge above the chasm.
When it's all done seal your dwarves deep inside in safe place and get invaded by goblins. At the same time dig out HFS. Lead the HFS across the both bridges and then collapse the second one when one of the champions clashes with it (it doesn't matter that the champion has killed the HFS with one hit).

bonus - cast the walls of the hall out of obsidian using water and magma

===Mountain audit/core sample===
Start in a mountainous area and strip mine everything down, down, down to ground level. Stockpile everything, and calculate the mountain's composition. For kicks, try not excavating one tile on each z-level. You'll be left with one enormous core sample.

===Project Mayhem===

*You do not talk about project Mayhem
*Build a series of towers, at least 10 z-levels high, of different size and shape. They must be supported by a series of supports linked to a lever.
*Store all your riches in the towers : crafts, precious metal bars, gems, artifacts, everything. You may also want to house your nobles on top of the towers.
*Pull the lever and watch the collapse of financial history.

Bonus : make the towers' walls out of glass!

Bonus : Make soap! And remember, elf fat is ideal...

Extra Bonus: Make one large tower, and make it collapse onto a smaller tower, filled with all your artifacts/engravings. (Essentially, you only get the extra bonus if you've read the book)

===Santa Claus===
Get ten thousand toys built and offered to caravans yearly. Optionally, build ten thousand toys, fetch them in adventure mode and deliver them to every single city of the world.

BONUS: Make the toys out of lead.

MEGABONUS: Modding Elves to be pets, embark with 100 of them and force them to make the toys for you.

===Skull collector===
What proves the might of a civilization better than a hall full of skulls?
*Try to collect as many skulls as you can during your fortress life, and put them in a special skulls-only storage. The more skulls the better.

BONUS: Cover all the skulls in blood, and make the stockpile also a throne room. Blood for the Blood God, Skulls for the Skull Throne!

SUPERBONUS: Also fill the throne room with kittens.

===Space Ship===
Create a giant space ship fit for space travel. It should be able to hold about 100 dwarves for at least 2 years.

*BONUS: Use exploding [[booze]] as ignitable fuel.
*BONUS: Make a removable [[ramp]] for boarding.
*BONUS: Make the [[water]] for the 2 years be on the ship using removable pumps.
*BONUS+: Make it totally self sufficient. (Make an internal system which pumps the [[water]] supply through a room every few years to muddy the floor. Plant [[seed]]s in the [[mud]] that's now on the floor. Manage your consumption to maintain self sufficiency.)
*Modding BONUS: Mod the game so that merchants can fly their new wagonships into your docking bays. ''(If possible)''
*BONUS+: Make it all out of [[steel]] and [[aluminum]].
*[[fun|FUN]]: Let it be held by a single [[support]], ignite the [[booze]], remove the support an let it "fly".
*EVEN BETTER: Drop it down a chasm.
*More [[fun|FUN]]: Set up a mining operation on the surface and dig into the HFS. Watch the alien creatures take over your ship and hunt down your dwarves. Form a squad of heroes to overload the booze reactor to prevent the aliens from reaching earth. (See [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dead_Space_%28video_game%29 Dead Space] and/or [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alien_%28film%29 the Alien series])

===This Was A Triumph===
Build Aperture Laboratories, with marble test chambers supported by struts and columns of granite.
Lab should have (Connected through paths)-
1) Multiple test chambers, with observation booths and connecting staircases/elevators.
2) An end goal, with an incinerator.
3) Background systems, with catwalks and large areas of waste management.
4) An AI Control Chamber.
5) A cake chamber (with a cake, obviously)

*BONUS*- Make an entire model of the original Portal chambers
*BONUS*- Make a sealed off area, the original testing area in Portal 2 (Include a statue of a Noble named Cave Johnson)
*BONUS*- An extended map, including the Subject Suspended-Animation life support system
*BONUS*- Make a field on top with access, a single small shed
*BONUS+*- Build a 20:1 model of the Companion Cube
-**RIDICULOUS-YOU-ARE-GOD-BONUS**- Build an extremely elaborate mechanism which, using a number of levers in the AI room, will trigger the appearance of floodgate walls and other furniture that will compose an Aperature Modular Test Chamber. Make it so that you can build several room arrangements without using a single dwarf (except to pull the lever maybe)

===Swiss Precision===
Build a working clock. The clock should accurately track DF days, months, and years.

Bonus Points:
*If the clock has a mechanical effect in the fortress proper to announce new days
*If the clock creates seasonally appropriate effects at the change of months and/or seasons.
*If the clock is used to aid in the operation of the fortress in addition to its role as a clock (automatically controls farmland irrigation at particular times, automatically opens the <s>blast doors</s> <s>floodgates</s> <s>Magma Channels</s> Gate in time for those <s>evil</s> friendly merchants, etc...).
*If the clock governs the schedule of a working rail station (which is always on time). (Definitions of 'working' and 'rail station' are subject to player imagination).
*If the clock takes measures to protect itself. ''"I can't let you do that, Urist."''

But don't worry about the bonus points, a precision time device should be hard enough.

===Temple===
Designing a temple to [[Armok]]. Aesthetics count - the god will be very angry if there is no flowing [[blood]] in there, no sacrificial pit, no engravings, and no domed ceilings carved with frescoes.
*BONUS : Make your arena inside the temple and make regular sacrifices for the God of Blood. Blood must NEVER be cleaned, of course.
*MEGABONUS : Add magma. Add iron spikes everywhere. Impale enemies on these spikes and keep them here.
*MEGADWARFBONUS : Cast it all out of obsidian, add all of the former elements. Make it a replica of a Gothic cathedral : http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gothic_architecture

===The cube===
Play a fort as usual, but emphasize catching goblins in cages to support and fill this construction:
Construct a series of rooms in a symmetrical fashion, all connected to each other with appropriate doors. Of course, enough rooms to make a maze-like structure, and if you feel like it, an exit that is hard to reach. Fill a bunch of the rooms with traps and pressureplates. Then fill one room with 4-6 goblins (preferably in cages, opened by an outside lever), release them and watch them randomly walk around the rooms dying to traps and whatnots.

*Bonus: Do multiple story maze (3d-maze)
*Bonus: Use pressureplates to open/close the exit randomly; otherwise, all the goblins will just follow the shortest route to the exit.
*Bonus: Use multiple doors connected to multiple pressure plates in order to access certain rooms, so the goblins have to go through the maze in the correct order.
*Bonus: Figure out a way to have competing teams wandering through the maze at the same time. Can you say "elimination round?"

===The great brewery===
Disaster has struck the kingdom. A strangely glowing [[Fire|‼peasant‼]] visited the greatest brewery of the empire, and as a result the whole thing exploded. No time for weeping — create its successor, a fort dedicated to alcohol production, and get the alcohol supplies flowing! Try to make the widest variety possible, and give or trade it to the dwarven [[caravan]] each year.
* BONUS: Create a working sprinkler system to douse any fires that might occur.

===The Great Wall of Urist===
Build a dwarven great wall of china that splits the map in half. Must be at least 10 tiles thick and reach the highest z-level.
* BONUS: Make it block the <s>mongols</s> goblins out of your half of the map.
* BONUS: Make it out of obsidian.
**BONUS+: Embark on a map without obsidian.
* BONUS: Find a way to make it touch the boundaries.
* BONUS: Build one gate
* BONUS: Arm it with ballistas.
** MEGABONUS: Once you have split your embark in half, abandon the fortress and embark adjacent to it, and continue the wall until it splits the continent in half.
Someone should make a bonus for this but I'd like to point out that the actual wall was made from (compressed) dirt with on outer layer of stone and that the bodies a those who died from exhasution while building it were put into it.
** BONUS+: Encase all workers who died during building in caskets built into the wall. Possibly with traps to protect them from grave robbers
*I'd like to point out that it is just a myth that the bodies were put into the wall. In reality, they were buried nearby.

===The Monolith===
As the inevitability of a fortress-wide mental breakdown looms over every single fortress why not have something that alludes to that precipice of [[insanity]]. Like the book and feature film, 2001: A Space Odyssey you must have a Monolith. This has to be made from [[obsidian]] and have a completely smooth surface (You cannot build it from blocks) You can have it be any size as long as it is outside, at least 2 tiles thick to ensure there are no pillar tiles, and has about the same ratio of width to height as it does in the movie (1:4:9) to make it as close to the real thing as possible. It would be preferable to make it large so that it seems to be dominating the landscape and your dwarves' psyche. The bigger the better.

*If the rock obsidian strata isn't deep enough in parts to make a monolith feasible consider casting a monolith with a large rectangular block in the exact same dimensional criteria as above.

===Statue of greatness===
Build a giant statue, spanning 10-20 z-levels and make it in the shape of say, a dwarf you like or an animal you like.
* Bonus: make it in the shape of a teapot that has a working boiling system and a spout that water can come out of.
* Bonus+: Steam instead of water coming out of the spout.
* Bonus++: Magma mist instead of steam coming out of the spout.

===Underwater fortress===
Encase your entire fortress in [[water]]! Your fortress should be watersealed: surrounded by water against all [[wall]]s and the top of the fortress.
* Bonus: Build all water-touching walls/roof in clear glass!
* Bonus: Use [[magma]] instead of water (warning: will almost certainly lead to [[fun]])!
* Bonus: Build it in the [[ocean]] or a non-freezing lake
**Bonus: Build it in the magma sea
* Bonus: Build large glass domes that encase the fortress. A dome 20 tiles wide should be 10 z-levels tall (creating a hemi-sphere). Which may be hard to cover in water.
* Bonus: Have a mechanism for dropping your enemies into the water to drown! Or fill the water with carp.
**Superbonus: Don't use pansy walls, use pumps to keep the water out!
* Mod: Make your dwarves amphibious and include airlocks between the wet fortress and the dry.
* Remake: Make Rapture city from [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bioshock Bioshock]
** Remake Bonus: Mod in plasmids to give dwarves superpowers, but will eventually drive them mad!
*** Remake MegaBonus: Big Daddies for military, anyone?
**** Remake MegaDwarfBonus: Edit the save raws and name the mayor "Andrew Ryan".

===Flying fortress===
Turn cave-ins off in the init, the build a flying fortress. Perhaps some flying islands only connected with bridges, maybe combined with an orbital defense network.
* Bonus: Turn cave-ins back on.
* History Bonus: Try and make them look like B-17 Flying Fortress bombers from WWII.

===Wealth===
The kingdom's coffers need lining, so hop to! Found a fort and start accumulating wealth as fast as possible. Attain as high a fortress value as possible, and make most of your wealth into coins for the vault. Try to beat your record for one year, two years, or five years.

===We Are Dorf===

Embark site biome parameters: Mountain. Fortress shape: Cubicle (assume 7 tiles high), cut from natural rock and separated from the remaining stone so it is held by a single support. Migrant dwarves must report to assimilation chamber where a collapsing dust trap will launch them into large serrated disk [[trap component|traps]] to remove unnecessary appendages, or have their offending limbs removed some other way. Dorf drones must be cataloged and arranged in squads of varying number. The naming structure is as follows: First of Ten, Second of Ten, and so on. Clothing is irrelevant.

There is no trade, or unmerited contact with lesser species, they will be assimilated. Nobles are irrelevant. Economy is irrelevant. Solitary creatures that do not pose a notable threat to the Collective are not to be bothered with when there is important work to do. Corpses are to be vaporized or atom-smashed along with all [[pet|other useless material]]. Cage traps should be common.

We are the Dorf. Lower your shields and surrender your booze. We will add your biological and technological reaction mats to our stockpiles. Resistance is canceled: Dangerous Terrain. You are caught in a pool of magma! You are melting! x18

===World Domination===
Pretend you are an evil mastermind. Now come up with some device or machine to render the world (or at least your portion of the map) totally unlivable, aside from, of course, your hidden lair.

You will receive bonus points for making a more realistic World Domination setup. Some suggestions:

* Make one dwarf the evil mastermind. The evil mastermind will have no empathy whatsoever, and they will hate all other races, and put no value on the lives of his minions. Protect him at all cost. If he should die, switch his position to his oldest child (who will avenge his father, because insanity is hereditary.) or the most insane, diabolical dwarf in your fort or make a noble the evil mastermind. (everyone knows nobles are pure evil)
* Impractical, overkill solutions to everyday problems ("Sir, the dungeon master wants a better room" "Well then turn his room into a tomb and flood it with magma, and do not bother me with such trivial matters again or I will have you shot.")
* Give the evil mastermind a pet to obsess over. Give it a name like Mr. Bigglesworth or Snuggles. Even better if it's something really dangerous like a Giant Desert Scorpion.
* Have a science lab. Use living creatures and people as test subjects.

Doomsday device suggestions:
* Flood the map with water/magma (may require building walls around the edge of the map)
**BONUS: the water has carp in it.
***BONUSMOD: Carp with ''frickin' laser beams'' attached to their heads.
* Build an "Earthquake Machine" (the entire map is supported by a single support, which is connected to a lever)
* Build an extensive holding cell network for "scientific purposes". Fill it with megabeasts and <s>elephants</s> <s>unicorns,</s> skeletal carp in secret. Have a lever that lets everything free to feed on the general population.
* Embark in an evil area, and capture and tame all those undead animals if possible to create your own undead army
* Bonus: Eliminate the dwarves who constructed your device before you set it off. They must not be allowed to warn the rest of the citizens.
* Build an orbital weapons platform in space (which should be 12-15 stories above the ground, use your imagination), then arm it with magma bombs (droppable tank of magma) to glass the planet, rendering it uninhabitable for a few years.
* Build a door (or hatch) in every space of your fortress. Have all the doors set to lock at the flip of a switch. Have the switch kill the person who pulls it. Give the nobility their toy.
* Build [[User:Vattic/Mechanical Volcano Explained|Mechanical Volcano]] to flood entire map with searing magma.
*do all of the above and link all the devices to one lever in the room of the king/queen


{{Category|Guides}}

=== The Grand Treasury ===
At first, have the king come to you. Then excavate a laaarge room and fill it with i.e.: Lots of coins, shiny gems, artifacts, golden statues, silver mugs, etc. pp. But the king is still not satisfied with his possessions, so he wants more and more shiny and sparky things.
Of course sooner or later (probably sooner) those filthy kobolds and goblins will come and try to steal this enormous hoard. We must never tolerate this! Turn your treasury into a strongroom like the world has never seen before! Secret doors, traps in abundance, guards at every door, ballistae, guard dogs, the whole program. If anything gets lost, you have proven your incompetence, and the king will have your fortress abandoned and founded another to guard his treasures.

*Bonus: Build up the treasury and raid it successfully in Adventure Mode

=== Heaven ===
Build a dwarven version of heaven. Every dwarf must want to come to you! Important pieces:
# Streets paved with gold.
# The mindless hordes are held back by pearly gates -- or at least a close equivalent. Marble doors with diamond encrustations.
# No dwarves die (except for criminals). Heaven is everlasting.
# All criminals must be cast into the fires of Hell. Ideally, this would either be HFS or the bottom of a magma pipe.
# Nothing is ever stolen. St. Peter doesn't screw up.
# After the King has arrived, any male children he has must be sent out to fight sieges alone.

BONUS: No dwarves are ever unhappy -- no tantrums and no insanity. 
BONUS: When migrants arrive at the pearly gates, view their thoughts and preferences and only allow those with a similar/same Diety as your population. 
BONUS: Make Heaven 10 stories above the ground 
Mod: Make Angel dwarves and a godly being. (suggestions: Cacame, Morul, Ironblood.) 
ULTRABONUS: Make Heaven in the air, an earthly society on the ground (a wooden town perhaps?), and carve the HFS place into Hell, complete with a lake of Magma/fire.Look up the character of every dwarf and send him to the appropriate place. 
MEGABONUS-(Re)Make: The Seven Seals have been broken and the Apocalypse arrives.
# The Sky darkens (an obsidian ceiling spanning over the map).
# Meteors (opened lava tanks and cave-ins) devastate the earth.
# All bodies of water turn bloody.
# Dig into the HFS and have a battle between Heaven and Hell. 

=== City of Ember ===
Show those filthy humans that when dwarves build a secret underground refuge, they build to last! In other words, recreate Ember from the film "City of Ember" (yes, everyone is aware there is a book, that came first, an was part of a series), but do it right - none of these leaking pipes and crumbling buildings stuff, after only two and a half centuries underground!
# Mine out a massive cavern multiple z-layers high , and build a human-style city underneath it instead of carving out various chambers.
# You must seal it off. How long you wait to do this is up to you, but once it is sealed, you cannot unseal it for at least 200 years (if you decide to play that long). Ideally, use a utility to embark with a full set of dwarves (to represent the immigrating population) and seal the city off within one year of embarking.
# Build individual houses with their own dining rooms and bedrooms. Multiple dwarves can live in one house, but usually only a single family will live in one house.
# Build streets connecting all of the buildings, in the way that in the film, Ember didn't really have any space that wasn't either paved or built on until you got to the outskirts of the city.
# Have a "greenhouse" out on the outskirts for farming.
# You MUST have an underground river and use it for power.
# You MUST have magma and use it for power.
# Build City Hall, where the mayor has his office, with a nice fountain out front that actually works (probably involving water pressure, and as a testament to the fact that dwarves do it better, and their underground refuge isn't running desperately short of food, water, or power).
# No military, because there is simply no need for one, but have a fortress guard (to function as police, basically).
# After 200 or more years, unseal the city and colonize the surface.

BONUS: Instead of building your houses/other structures out of blocks or rocks, plan it all out beforehand and simply don't dig out the tiles that you want to be the walls of buildings, and smooth it all down so it looks the same, but your buildings are actually made out of solid natural rock. 
BONUS: Actually cause some kind of catastrophe on the surface (flood it with magma or something) that makes it uninhabitable, to FORCE yourself to stay underground, but when you unseal the city after 200 years, the surface should have healed and be habitable again. So, don't do something permanent.

===The quake===

# Make your entire forteress supported by one support.
# on year 5, remove the support so your entire forteress drops one level.
# Tell us the death rate.
# double the height of the support every year, see how much is too much of a drop!

===Pull A Boatmurdered===

What's this? Too many goblins? Not enough fun? You may be needing excess amounts of lava!

# Flood the entire map with water or lava
# Maybe both and have an obsidian farm in the center
# Pump all lava resources to the surface and watch it burn!

#Most famously employed in [[Main:Boatmurdered|Boatmurdered]].

===Hippie Exterminator===

Much like trees, better water those elves.

# It's a gigantic drowning chamber for [[Elf|Elves]].
# Construct a very long wall all the way around an Elf-village
# Build a floor on top, sealing them in
# Connect some screw pumps to this and the local water supply
# Really processor intensive! Not for calculators!

# At nothing else, at least build the box around your Trade Depot, and flood it when Elves are inside.
# Drainage can be done with a [[floodgate]] to release the water from the depot.

===Dwarven Arcology===

# Build your entire fortress above ground in one structure.
# A subterranean level (the basement) on the bottom floor provides plump helmets, pig tails, and so on.
# On the ground floor, grow above-ground plants and carve fortifications into all the walls.
# Every other level is packed with food stores, refuse dumps, wood stockpiles, workshops, archery ranges, and bedrooms.
# The only subterranean activity permitted is digging, although you may be able to get away with building your depot below ground.
Bonus: Cast the entire thing in Obsidian using magma and water and engrave all the sides with your greatness.

===D For Dwarfdetta===

# Create the parliment building or some such construction
# Rig it to explode or collapse spewing lava everywhere
# Detonate the fortress while you play the 1812 overture somewhere
# Time it to last 4 minutes, since that's how long the song is.
Bonus: make an underground railroad ( or magma pipe ) that detonates it.
Bonus: make a metal statue at the top which gets exploded.

MegaBonus: send burning [[graphite]] or [[lignite]] flying into the (strangely always daytime) sky.

CosmicBonus: Have an important Dwarf in a coffin play a role in detonating it.

===The Two Towers===

#Build a ring of stone [may be slightly difficult] and build a tower with four blades protruding from the top
#Build a (much larger) tower with only two blades protruding from the top
#Have the two towers combat each other ''without'' siege weapons

Bonus:
#Rig the first one to flood and the second to explode! (and you only get the points if you've seen the movies and record the videos. Try to make the towers' destruction as close to the movies as you can!)

===Twin maze of doom!===

-Make a complicated maze pair where pressure plates on any floor will trigger the rapid death of everything one floor before that in the OTHER maze.

-Check what survives the ratrace longer: goblins or elves? Kittens or dogs?

-BONUS: make it self-cleaning so it can be reused over and over!

-Double bonus: make it flood the map with lava if anything ever reaches the end of their maze, meaning their victory is for all time - as well as the last thing the world will ever see before the end.

===The doomsday temple of greed===

1- Prepare a game with the poorest skills starting dwarves and nothing on embark.

2- Edit files to add a little castle with 10 switches, some of which open up to desirable stuff, or a mild trap. Have the lineup fairly obvious so people know which prize/trap pair they're going for.

3- After learning the principle and getting say a starting pick, 100 wood, 10 obsidian, 10 slade, freeing an angry elephant, an artifact crossbow, alcohol for 10 years, freeing a carp guarding the exit (simple enough puzzle, dig yourself another exit), getting an anvil and 7 bronze armor sets, and avoiding the one trap/prize which has a dragon... let them look up the stairs to the next bit on the next floor...

4- THIS floor has mild traps/good prizes again, but one of them frees 7 goblins AS WELL AS trigger an unnanounced very distant magma-flooding system of immense power and speed (they think the goblins are all there is to the trap, mwa ha ha). Make sure the slope means the greedy player will get what's coming at him fully...

5- Share this fun map without announcing what's on it. Surprise!!!

==The Cathedral==

Make an epically tall cathedral out of obsidian. Encrust it with gems, make multiple spires. Build giant stained-glass windows and make rows of chairs for pews. In niches high in the walls, place masterpiece or better statues, also encrusted and engraved. Underneath, make noble tomb catacombs.
BONUS: Build it near a human/dwarf town. Kill heretics.

BONUS: Make several cathedrals, one to each in-game god. Once built, assign worshippers of a god to a burrow encompassing that god's cathedral. Build walls around each cathedral and let them fend for themselves.

v0.31:Megaprojects

2013-01-31T22:40:08Z

Naryar: /* Blood for Armok, God of Blood */

Instead of deliberately inhibiting yourself, create a wonder of the dwarven world that would make the Mountainhomes proud. Be sure to upload it to the [http://mkv25.net/dfma/ Dwarf Fortress Map Archive] when it's finished. More projects can be found where [[Stupid_dwarf_trick|stupid dwarves try crazy tricks]]. [[Mega construction|Incredible feats of construction]] are usually very [[Fun|fun]] so you'll see many different (and probably similar) constructions across the Wiki. Use whatever ideas you think are ingenious.

===Aqueducts===
For some reason, a noble was harmlessly pulling a lever when suddenly, magma flooded the river and exploded the booze! The king requires your band of seven to build a great aqueduct to bring water to the capital. Start with supports, and build up your aqueduct until it is 10 z-levels high!

*Bonus: Start over a human town, build a wall around it, pump water through the aqueduct and into it!
*Bonus: Mod the game so you can start on the dwarven capital and actually bring about the story.
*Bonus: Once you have completed your aqueduct, embark in a slightly different location and build the next section. repeat until you've built it all the way to the capital!

Variation: On a map containing a river, completely enclose it with glass walls, and floors. Use overhead pipe sections to move the water to places more <s>convenient</s> Fun.

===Blood for Armok, God of Blood===
Worship Armok by spilling copious amounts of blood. Paint ''every single outside tile'' red with blood. No blood rains allowed, of course. Rain will be your worst enemy.
*Bonus : No water flooding with blood. All the blood must be genuinely spilled, so that Armok does not call you a cheap imitator.
*Bonus : Paint your entire fortress red with blood, as well.
*MegaBonus : Paint the caverns red with blood, along with every single inside tile. Be sure as well to make every single water source red, except the one you use for your wells.
*UltraDwarfBonus : Paint [[HFS]] red as well ! BLOOD FOR THE BLOOD GOD !

===Biodome===
All material, seeds, food, tools, and dwarves must be in the fortress within one year. Then, seal up the entrance. Any new immigrants... well, they might be in trouble. Survive for as long as possible!

No chasms/underground rivers/magma vents allowed.

===Casting===
Who needs to construct giant statues?! We need ours made from natural walls, however, we want it above ground level as well. For casting your goal is to create some giant structure out of natural obsidian walls through the use of an extremely elaborate scaffold of lava and water pools and screw pumps. When you are finished, just deconstruct the scaffolding and smooth/engrave the statue as you go. Just imagine the bridge over that chasm, now complete with two giant dwarf statues on either side to strike fear into all who enter and to show them the power of your fortress.

*Bonus: Make the statues spit lava.

===Castle===
Build a castle, greater than anything built by human, elf or dwarf. This is highly time
consuming if you want it to be a good castle. There must be floor indoors, and no underground
constructions except for mining operations and cellars. For an even greater challenge, build
a gigantic tower in the middle, where the nobles stay.

===Ceremonial Sacrifices===
Build an amazingly complex or spectacular killing device. A shaft that extends across the entire Z-plane is a good start. A constantly shifting maze of atomsmasher drawbridges is another. For the minimalist, a very confined space where you will drop a dwarf wrestler along with the gobbos once in a while. Perhaps a waterslide that carries your prisoner all the way down into a chasm? Just cut their heart out? Whatever your idea, build it and dedicate your fort to the construction, maintenance and improvement of your device.

Do not kill any of your invaders. Capture them using cage traps, and them set them off in your device. Keep a record of the number of victims you drop into it.

BONUS: Create a statue garden to memorialize your victims, with one statue per victim. Structure your fortress such that sacrificial victims have to pass through the garden on the way to their demise.

===Computing===
Can your dwarves build the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Antikythera_mechanism Antikythera mechanism]? Can you program the fortress to play tic-tac-toe? More details at [[computing]].

===Colosseum===
Build a pit, around it on steps lots of Thrones, make the whole thing a meeting area, train Gladiators, capture goblins, leave them their weapons and let them fight against your gladiators. If they win, let them go.

===Crematory Fortress===
* Requires a [[magma| magma pipe]] and [[bauxite]].

Build a temple structure above a [[magma|magma pipe]] and [[engraving|engrave]] every available surface. The temple should be as opulent as possible. In the temple, build a retracting [[bridge]] over a hole in the floor, and designate a [[coffin]] [[stockpile]] on it. Whenever a dwarf dies, build a [[bauxite]] or other [[magma-proof]] [[coffin]] for him, place it on the [[bridge]], and retract it, committing his body to the [[magma|fiery blood of the mountain]].

::Note: Since coffins are unassigned and emptied when deconstructed and cannot be constructed on top of a bridge, this will not actually work. An alternative would be to place the coffins in individual chambers which can then be flooded with magma afterwards.

::: You could expose the magma pipe, build a one-tile wide floor span across it, and then above that build a support that holds up your temple floor on the z-level above. The temple floor would be separated from the walls of the temple and would be connected for walking access diagonally. The support holds it up. You would have to construct the coffins in the temple, then when someone gets buried you pull the lever attached to the support. You then rebuild the narrow span below, the temple floor, and the support, then link the lever to the new support.
::: You can do this without scaffolding if you build the temple floor access straight in, and then the span below and the support, then once the support is in place you destroy the straight temple access leaving only a diagonal temple access.

::: Another method would be simply to make a hole in your temple that goes straight down to the magma, of at least 3X3 squares, then build a floor of 2 squares long and 1 wide from the upper middle edge of the hole so that the second square is only connected to the temple by the first, then build your coffin on the second square and once your dwarf is inside deconstruct the first square leaving nothing holding the square with your coffin up and it will fall into the magma. On a side note it is best to start from the upper edge of the hole so the dwarf doing the deconstructing is a lot less likely to fall into the magma.

::: Retracting bridges work well to provide access to build the support and floor, and can then be retracted before dropping the coffin. Use a single lever to retract the bridge, then begin filling a chamber with water to trigger a pressure plate to destroy the support, dropping the coffin, and also draining the water to encase the coffin in obsidian.

===City===
Live like a human!

Build all of your buildings above ground. to make this easier, mod in a plentiful building material similar to bricks, however you want it. Make sure that your city is unplanned for that medieval look; build when you need to as close as you can to where it needs to be. As each migration wave comes you're going to need more and more buildings. Protip; you're going to need a caste of dedicated builders.

* Extra points; Emulate your favourite city.
* Combo bonus; Build your city around some other megaproject; a pyramid or giant colloseum.
* ULTRADWARF; Start in a mountainous area and hollow out the above ground city from the projecting mountains, including all four sides, thus leveling the mountain range to leave a series of *surprisingly natural* looking streets.
* Build each building (or section of one) out of the same materials or...
**Bonus: Create pixel art from the colors of the stones!
**Bonus: Try to build all freestanding structures
*Geek Reference Bonus: Build the city on the side of a mountain, using only marble, and make it look like Minas Tirith.

===Doomsday Clock===
Build a water or mechanical clock whose final state triggers the support which holds your fortress up or a megabeast out.
See how much wealth you can achieve before the clock runs out.
*Bonus: Create something that resets itself, as well as purging the map, so that you can reuse the same fortress over and over.
*Super-Bonus: Create something that involves pressure plates and a small kitten, when the pressure plates are hit in the right order, your map ends. Toss the kitten in and hope for the best. Alternatively, make the sequence quite unlikely, but add 2 kittens; breeding introduces a probability of doomsday that is a function of time (depending on the mechanisms involved)
*Super-Bonus: Create the super-bonus above, but place the kitten on the lowest Z-level and never return to either look at it or see how many of the conditions for the doomsday device have been met. This way, the kitty mimicks Schrodinger's cat: we cannot observe the state of the kitty, but we can infer it from the state of the world (spin-pairs effectively).

===Dungeons of Doom===

Beneath your fortress, carve out an immense dungeon starting from the surface. Each dungeon floor must be filled with rectangular rooms connected by twisting one-tile passages, with an occasional wider hallway, and each floor must lead to the next by a single-tile staircase (no up/down stairs). A few floors into the dungeon, build a small fortress and designate a few quarries away from the dungeon itself. The dungeon should not be exposed to the caverns, but the caverns should be exposed to the surface to free the fun creatures. The dungeon must go down until it reaches HFS. Dump an artifact amulet inside HFS. Build puzzles and thematic branches of the dungeon as you see fit.

* Bonus: Fill the dungeon with gnomes, goblins, kobolds, and horrible monsters of all kinds.
* Mega Bonus: Litter the floors of the dungeon with artifact items (especially weapons).
* Cosmic Bonus: Lead the dungeon into an upright spoiler and build a Labyrinth inside HFS.
* Nerd Bonus: Build the last few levels above your fortress, and fill one with lava, one with water, one entirely empty, etc, to mimic the last few levels of NetHack. The uppermost one should have three temples, and if possible megabeasts that cannot escape but which an adventurer could reach...

===Dwarf like an Egyptian===
*Build a pyramid of epic proportion.

Build a legendary dwarven pyramid, with a corridor running to a central tomb for your favourite noble. Then construct lots of different [[trap]]s in it to avoid grave robbery. Perhaps build it entirely out of glass? Or try to make the top twist in a bit of a swirl. Alternatively, make your entire fortress inside a pyramid, which stretches below the ground.

*Build rows of Obelisks

* Build a double row of Obelisks before the Pyramid, and engrave the sides. Build ramps on the tops.

*Build the whole thing upside down.
** And then another one on the upside-down one.

* BONUS: Make a Sphinx out of solid gold. Solid! Nobody lives or goes inside of it. Entomb the builders in an [[unfortunate accident]] - preferably inside the sphinx - so that they can never build one for anybody else.

* When the time has come, or when your fortress is about to be destroyed by a siege or something, perform the ceremony to translate the mortal form of the noble to the underworld. Give him a ritual death, and make sure you kill his servants as well. Pile wealth into the tomb. If the tomb is built for your king make every dwarf die but one, who inters everyone into their resting place. His final act will be to pull a lever that seals the tomb as well as kills him. Then enjoy going back and reclaiming your fortress to observe your efforts.

*BONUS: Dwarf like a Sumerian and make the Pyramid a Ziggurat.

===Graveyard Master===
Every dwarf deserves a decent resting place:
*Build a tomb for every dwarf that dies, the more dwarves you manage to bury the better.
*Tombs must be rooms with exactly 5x5 of size and 1 of height, with only one entrance tile that must be closed by a door.
*Tombs must have all its surfaces engraved.
*Tomb must contain at least 4 statues.
*Once complete, the door must be replaced with a wall and the tomb must not be ever entered again.

===How high can you go?===
Construction, construction, construction! Just how big a tower can you build? Out of glass maybe, clear glass? Steel? Pump water to the top? Make your tower a ''pinnacle'' of achievement and stun humans, elves and goblins alike - for they know nothing of construction and engineering like dwarves do!

===Land battleship===
Turn your mountain into a huge battle-station, complete with crew quarters, decks, command centre, cantina, and a large collection of deadly weapons : Batteries of marksdwarves, ballista cannons, catapults, boarding bridges and teams, but also lava projector or remote explosive devices (ie cave-ins in a part of the map triggered by a lever). Make sure it ends up looking like a real battleship, with nothing but plains surrounding it (you could build it on an actual plain, or destroy a mountain, choice is yours). The battleship has to be autonomous, and dwarves shouldn't wander outside it.

*Bonus: The weaponry covers every tile of the map (i.e., everything that enters the map can be shot)
*Bonus: Build several other ships, maybe dedicated to a specific product (food, ammo etc.)
**Bonus: Find a way to let them fight each other in a naval battle
*Bonus: Each crew member has a civil and military formation, and when the enemy arrives, stop every economic activity. All hands to quarters !
*Bonus: Rebuild Noahs Ark: Completely out of wood, with every animal twice, as well as one dwarven family with three sons on board. Flood everything around it AND LET EVERYTHING NOT ON THE ARK DIE!!! MUHAHAHA!!! FEAR THE WRATH OF ARMOK!!!!!
*Mega Bonus: Use lava instead of water (Although you shouldn't use wood, as it will burn, [[v0.31:Fun|unless that's your intent]]

===Labyrinth===
Build or dig out an elaborate labyrinth. It should be filled with traps, periodically flooded with water and magma, and decorated to your liking.

*Bonus: Build a prison and/or execution chamber somewhere inside the labyrinth.
*Bigger Bonus: Build all the labyrinth walls out of statues and make the entire thing a statue garden.
*Mega Bonus: Make it three-dimensional.

(A labyrinth is a [http://www.astrolog.org/labyrnth/algrithm.htm unicursal maze]: labyrinths offer no choices of path as they curve in and back on themselves to the endpoint. Mazes usually have choices of paths and therefore usually dead ends. Given how pathing will usually let sapient beings in DF avoid dead ends, a labyrinth is preferable to a traditional maze with dead ends.)

[http://sourceforge.net/projects/daedalus/ Daedalus] has many maze algorithms and tools, including for unicursal mazes (GPL, free).
A [http://www.billsgames.com/mazegenerator/ traditional maze generator] may be helpful if you somehow open the dead ends (such as with drawbridges) to attract traffic.

===Moria===
Build a huge hall - at least 3 z-levels high. Leave few pillars symmetrically placed in the hall (don't build them, carve them out). Smooth and possibly engrave everything (not only the lowest z-level!). Then build thin bridge (not the bridge building, just a thin piece of rock to walk on) above magma or above a chasm- support it with bauxite supports connected to a lever (bauxite mechanisms needed in support). Destroy stone holding it at the both ends and replace it with floor hatches (so when you pull the lever it all goes down). After that build a bridge above the chasm.
When it's all done seal your dwarves deep inside in safe place and get invaded by goblins. At the same time dig out HFS. Lead the HFS across the both bridges and then collapse the second one when one of the champions clashes with it (it doesn't matter that the champion has killed the HFS with one hit).

bonus - cast the walls of the hall out of obsidian using water and magma

===Mountain audit/core sample===
Start in a mountainous area and strip mine everything down, down, down to ground level. Stockpile everything, and calculate the mountain's composition. For kicks, try not excavating one tile on each z-level. You'll be left with one enormous core sample.

===Project Mayhem===

*You do not talk about project Mayhem
*Build a series of towers, at least 10 z-levels high, of different size and shape. They must be supported by a series of supports linked to a lever.
*Store all your riches in the towers : crafts, precious metal bars, gems, artifacts, everything. You may also want to house your nobles on top of the towers.
*Pull the lever and watch the collapse of financial history.

Bonus : make the towers' walls out of glass!

Bonus : Make soap! And remember, elf fat is ideal...

Extra Bonus: Make one large tower, and make it collapse onto a smaller tower, filled with all your artifacts/engravings. (Essentially, you only get the extra bonus if you've read the book)

===Santa Claus===
Get ten thousand toys built and offered to caravans yearly. Optionally, build ten thousand toys, fetch them in adventure mode and deliver them to every single city of the world.

BONUS: Make the toys out of lead.

MEGABONUS: Modding Elves to be pets, embark with 100 of them and force them to make the toys for you.

===Skull collector===
What proves the might of a civilization better than a hall full of skulls?
*Try to collect as many skulls as you can during your fortress life, and put them in a special skulls-only storage. The more skulls the better.

BONUS: Cover all the skulls in blood, and make the stockpile also a throne room. Blood for the Blood God, Skulls for the Skull Throne!

SUPERBONUS: Also fill the throne room with kittens.

===Space Ship===
Create a giant space ship fit for space travel. It should be able to hold about 100 dwarves for at least 2 years.

*BONUS: Use exploding [[booze]] as ignitable fuel.
*BONUS: Make a removable [[ramp]] for boarding.
*BONUS: Make the [[water]] for the 2 years be on the ship using removable pumps.
*BONUS+: Make it totally self sufficient. (Make an internal system which pumps the [[water]] supply through a room every few years to muddy the floor. Plant [[seed]]s in the [[mud]] that's now on the floor. Manage your consumption to maintain self sufficiency.)
*Modding BONUS: Mod the game so that merchants can fly their new wagonships into your docking bays. ''(If possible)''
*BONUS+: Make it all out of [[steel]] and [[aluminum]].
*[[fun|FUN]]: Let it be held by a single [[support]], ignite the [[booze]], remove the support an let it "fly".
*EVEN BETTER: Drop it down a chasm.
*More [[fun|FUN]]: Set up a mining operation on the surface and dig into the HFS. Watch the alien creatures take over your ship and hunt down your dwarves. Form a squad of heroes to overload the booze reactor to prevent the aliens from reaching earth. (See [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dead_Space_%28video_game%29 Dead Space] and/or [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alien_%28film%29 the Alien series])

===This Was A Triumph===
Build Aperture Laboratories, with marble test chambers supported by struts and columns of granite.
Lab should have (Connected through paths)-
1) Multiple test chambers, with observation booths and connecting staircases/elevators.
2) An end goal, with an incinerator.
3) Background systems, with catwalks and large areas of waste management.
4) An AI Control Chamber.
5) A cake chamber (with a cake, obviously)

*BONUS*- Make an entire model of the original Portal chambers
*BONUS*- Make a sealed off area, the original testing area in Portal 2 (Include a statue of a Noble named Cave Johnson)
*BONUS*- An extended map, including the Subject Suspended-Animation life support system
*BONUS*- Make a field on top with access, a single small shed
*BONUS+*- Build a 20:1 model of the Companion Cube
-**RIDICULOUS-YOU-ARE-GOD-BONUS**- Build an extremely elaborate mechanism which, using a number of levers in the AI room, will trigger the appearance of floodgate walls and other furniture that will compose an Aperature Modular Test Chamber. Make it so that you can build several room arrangements without using a single dwarf (except to pull the lever maybe)

===Swiss Precision===
Build a working clock. The clock should accurately track DF days, months, and years.

Bonus Points:
*If the clock has a mechanical effect in the fortress proper to announce new days
*If the clock creates seasonally appropriate effects at the change of months and/or seasons.
*If the clock is used to aid in the operation of the fortress in addition to its role as a clock (automatically controls farmland irrigation at particular times, automatically opens the <s>blast doors</s> <s>floodgates</s> <s>Magma Channels</s> Gate in time for those <s>evil</s> friendly merchants, etc...).
*If the clock governs the schedule of a working rail station (which is always on time). (Definitions of 'working' and 'rail station' are subject to player imagination).
*If the clock takes measures to protect itself. ''"I can't let you do that, Urist."''

But don't worry about the bonus points, a precision time device should be hard enough.

===Temple===
Designing a temple to [[Armok]]. Aesthetics count - the god will be very angry if there is no flowing [[blood]] in there, no sacrificial pit, no engravings, and no domed ceilings carved with frescoes.
*BONUS : Make your arena inside the temple and make regular sacrifices for the God of Blood. Blood must NEVER be cleaned, of course.
*MEGABONUS : Add magma. Add iron spikes everywhere. Impale enemies on these spikes and keep them here.
*MEGADWARFBONUS : Cast it all out of obsidian, add all of the former elements. Make it a replica of a Gothic cathedral : http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gothic_architecture

===The cube===
Play a fort as usual, but emphasize catching goblins in cages to support and fill this construction:
Construct a series of rooms in a symmetrical fashion, all connected to each other with appropriate doors. Of course, enough rooms to make a maze-like structure, and if you feel like it, an exit that is hard to reach. Fill a bunch of the rooms with traps and pressureplates. Then fill one room with 4-6 goblins (preferably in cages, opened by an outside lever), release them and watch them randomly walk around the rooms dying to traps and whatnots.

*Bonus: Do multiple story maze (3d-maze)
*Bonus: Use pressureplates to open/close the exit randomly; otherwise, all the goblins will just follow the shortest route to the exit.
*Bonus: Use multiple doors connected to multiple pressure plates in order to access certain rooms, so the goblins have to go through the maze in the correct order.
*Bonus: Figure out a way to have competing teams wandering through the maze at the same time. Can you say "elimination round?"

===The great brewery===
Disaster has struck the kingdom. A strangely glowing [[Fire|‼peasant‼]] visited the greatest brewery of the empire, and as a result the whole thing exploded. No time for weeping — create its successor, a fort dedicated to alcohol production, and get the alcohol supplies flowing! Try to make the widest variety possible, and give or trade it to the dwarven [[caravan]] each year.
* BONUS: Create a working sprinkler system to douse any fires that might occur.

===The Great Wall of Urist===
Build a dwarven great wall of china that splits the map in half. Must be at least 10 tiles thick and reach the highest z-level.
* BONUS: Make it block the <s>mongols</s> goblins out of your half of the map.
* BONUS: Make it out of obsidian.
**BONUS+: Embark on a map without obsidian.
* BONUS: Find a way to make it touch the boundaries.
* BONUS: Build one gate
* BONUS: Arm it with ballistas.
** MEGABONUS: Once you have split your embark in half, abandon the fortress and embark adjacent to it, and continue the wall until it splits the continent in half.
Someone should make a bonus for this but I'd like to point out that the actual wall was made from (compressed) dirt with on outer layer of stone and that the bodies a those who died from exhasution while building it were put into it.
** BONUS+: Encase all workers who died during building in caskets built into the wall. Possibly with traps to protect them from grave robbers
*I'd like to point out that it is just a myth that the bodies were put into the wall. In reality, they were buried nearby.

===The Monolith===
As the inevitability of a fortress-wide mental breakdown looms over every single fortress why not have something that alludes to that precipice of [[insanity]]. Like the book and feature film, 2001: A Space Odyssey you must have a Monolith. This has to be made from [[obsidian]] and have a completely smooth surface (You cannot build it from blocks) You can have it be any size as long as it is outside, at least 2 tiles thick to ensure there are no pillar tiles, and has about the same ratio of width to height as it does in the movie (1:4:9) to make it as close to the real thing as possible. It would be preferable to make it large so that it seems to be dominating the landscape and your dwarves' psyche. The bigger the better.

*If the rock obsidian strata isn't deep enough in parts to make a monolith feasible consider casting a monolith with a large rectangular block in the exact same dimensional criteria as above.

===Statue of greatness===
Build a giant statue, spanning 10-20 z-levels and make it in the shape of say, a dwarf you like or an animal you like.
* Bonus: make it in the shape of a teapot that has a working boiling system and a spout that water can come out of.
* Bonus+: Steam instead of water coming out of the spout.
* Bonus++: Magma mist instead of steam coming out of the spout.

===Underwater fortress===
Encase your entire fortress in [[water]]! Your fortress should be watersealed: surrounded by water against all [[wall]]s and the top of the fortress.
* Bonus: Build all water-touching walls/roof in clear glass!
* Bonus: Use [[magma]] instead of water (warning: will almost certainly lead to [[fun]])!
* Bonus: Build it in the [[ocean]] or a non-freezing lake
**Bonus: Build it in the magma sea
* Bonus: Build large glass domes that encase the fortress. A dome 20 tiles wide should be 10 z-levels tall (creating a hemi-sphere). Which may be hard to cover in water.
* Bonus: Have a mechanism for dropping your enemies into the water to drown! Or fill the water with carp.
**Superbonus: Don't use pansy walls, use pumps to keep the water out!
* Mod: Make your dwarves amphibious and include airlocks between the wet fortress and the dry.
* Remake: Make Rapture city from [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bioshock Bioshock]
** Remake Bonus: Mod in plasmids to give dwarves superpowers, but will eventually drive them mad!
*** Remake MegaBonus: Big Daddies for military, anyone?
**** Remake MegaDwarfBonus: Edit the save raws and name the mayor "Andrew Ryan".

===Flying fortress===
Turn cave-ins off in the init, the build a flying fortress. Perhaps some flying islands only connected with bridges, maybe combined with an orbital defense network.
* Bonus: Turn cave-ins back on.
* History Bonus: Try and make them look like B-17 Flying Fortress bombers from WWII.

===Wealth===
The kingdom's coffers need lining, so hop to! Found a fort and start accumulating wealth as fast as possible. Attain as high a fortress value as possible, and make most of your wealth into coins for the vault. Try to beat your record for one year, two years, or five years.

===We Are Dorf===

Embark site biome parameters: Mountain. Fortress shape: Cubicle (assume 7 tiles high), cut from natural rock and separated from the remaining stone so it is held by a single support. Migrant dwarves must report to assimilation chamber where a collapsing dust trap will launch them into large serrated disk [[trap component|traps]] to remove unnecessary appendages, or have their offending limbs removed some other way. Dorf drones must be cataloged and arranged in squads of varying number. The naming structure is as follows: First of Ten, Second of Ten, and so on. Clothing is irrelevant.

There is no trade, or unmerited contact with lesser species, they will be assimilated. Nobles are irrelevant. Economy is irrelevant. Solitary creatures that do not pose a notable threat to the Collective are not to be bothered with when there is important work to do. Corpses are to be vaporized or atom-smashed along with all [[pet|other useless material]]. Cage traps should be common.

We are the Dorf. Lower your shields and surrender your booze. We will add your biological and technological reaction mats to our stockpiles. Resistance is canceled: Dangerous Terrain. You are caught in a pool of magma! You are melting! x18

===World Domination===
Pretend you are an evil mastermind. Now come up with some device or machine to render the world (or at least your portion of the map) totally unlivable, aside from, of course, your hidden lair.

You will receive bonus points for making a more realistic World Domination setup. Some suggestions:

* Make one dwarf the evil mastermind. The evil mastermind will have no empathy whatsoever, and they will hate all other races, and put no value on the lives of his minions. Protect him at all cost. If he should die, switch his position to his oldest child (who will avenge his father, because insanity is hereditary.) or the most insane, diabolical dwarf in your fort or make a noble the evil mastermind. (everyone knows nobles are pure evil)
* Impractical, overkill solutions to everyday problems ("Sir, the dungeon master wants a better room" "Well then turn his room into a tomb and flood it with magma, and do not bother me with such trivial matters again or I will have you shot.")
* Give the evil mastermind a pet to obsess over. Give it a name like Mr. Bigglesworth or Snuggles. Even better if it's something really dangerous like a Giant Desert Scorpion.
* Have a science lab. Use living creatures and people as test subjects.

Doomsday device suggestions:
* Flood the map with water/magma (may require building walls around the edge of the map)
**BONUS: the water has carp in it.
***BONUSMOD: Carp with ''frickin' laser beams'' attached to their heads.
* Build an "Earthquake Machine" (the entire map is supported by a single support, which is connected to a lever)
* Build an extensive holding cell network for "scientific purposes". Fill it with megabeasts and <s>elephants</s> <s>unicorns,</s> skeletal carp in secret. Have a lever that lets everything free to feed on the general population.
* Embark in an evil area, and capture and tame all those undead animals if possible to create your own undead army
* Bonus: Eliminate the dwarves who constructed your device before you set it off. They must not be allowed to warn the rest of the citizens.
* Build an orbital weapons platform in space (which should be 12-15 stories above the ground, use your imagination), then arm it with magma bombs (droppable tank of magma) to glass the planet, rendering it uninhabitable for a few years.
* Build a door (or hatch) in every space of your fortress. Have all the doors set to lock at the flip of a switch. Have the switch kill the person who pulls it. Give the nobility their toy.
* Build [[User:Vattic/Mechanical Volcano Explained|Mechanical Volcano]] to flood entire map with searing magma.
*do all of the above and link all the devices to one lever in the room of the king/queen


{{Category|Guides}}

=== The Grand Treasury ===
At first, have the king come to you. Then excavate a laaarge room and fill it with i.e.: Lots of coins, shiny gems, artifacts, golden statues, silver mugs, etc. pp. But the king is still not satisfied with his possessions, so he wants more and more shiny and sparky things.
Of course sooner or later (probably sooner) those filthy kobolds and goblins will come and try to steal this enormous hoard. We must never tolerate this! Turn your treasury into a strongroom like the world has never seen before! Secret doors, traps in abundance, guards at every door, ballistae, guard dogs, the whole program. If anything gets lost, you have proven your incompetence, and the king will have your fortress abandoned and founded another to guard his treasures.

*Bonus: Build up the treasury and raid it successfully in Adventure Mode

=== Heaven ===
Build a dwarven version of heaven. Every dwarf must want to come to you! Important pieces:
# Streets paved with gold.
# The mindless hordes are held back by pearly gates -- or at least a close equivalent. Marble doors with diamond encrustations.
# No dwarves die (except for criminals). Heaven is everlasting.
# All criminals must be cast into the fires of Hell. Ideally, this would either be HFS or the bottom of a magma pipe.
# Nothing is ever stolen. St. Peter doesn't screw up.
# After the King has arrived, any male children he has must be sent out to fight sieges alone.

BONUS: No dwarves are ever unhappy -- no tantrums and no insanity. 
BONUS: When migrants arrive at the pearly gates, view their thoughts and preferences and only allow those with a similar/same Diety as your population. 
BONUS: Make Heaven 10 stories above the ground 
Mod: Make Angel dwarves and a godly being. (suggestions: Cacame, Morul, Ironblood.) 
ULTRABONUS: Make Heaven in the air, an earthly society on the ground (a wooden town perhaps?), and carve the HFS place into Hell, complete with a lake of Magma/fire.Look up the character of every dwarf and send him to the appropriate place. 
MEGABONUS-(Re)Make: The Seven Seals have been broken and the Apocalypse arrives.
# The Sky darkens (an obsidian ceiling spanning over the map).
# Meteors (opened lava tanks and cave-ins) devastate the earth.
# All bodies of water turn bloody.
# Dig into the HFS and have a battle between Heaven and Hell. 

=== City of Ember ===
Show those filthy humans that when dwarves build a secret underground refuge, they build to last! In other words, recreate Ember from the film "City of Ember" (yes, everyone is aware there is a book, that came first, an was part of a series), but do it right - none of these leaking pipes and crumbling buildings stuff, after only two and a half centuries underground!
# Mine out a massive cavern multiple z-layers high , and build a human-style city underneath it instead of carving out various chambers.
# You must seal it off. How long you wait to do this is up to you, but once it is sealed, you cannot unseal it for at least 200 years (if you decide to play that long). Ideally, use a utility to embark with a full set of dwarves (to represent the immigrating population) and seal the city off within one year of embarking.
# Build individual houses with their own dining rooms and bedrooms. Multiple dwarves can live in one house, but usually only a single family will live in one house.
# Build streets connecting all of the buildings, in the way that in the film, Ember didn't really have any space that wasn't either paved or built on until you got to the outskirts of the city.
# Have a "greenhouse" out on the outskirts for farming.
# You MUST have an underground river and use it for power.
# You MUST have magma and use it for power.
# Build City Hall, where the mayor has his office, with a nice fountain out front that actually works (probably involving water pressure, and as a testament to the fact that dwarves do it better, and their underground refuge isn't running desperately short of food, water, or power).
# No military, because there is simply no need for one, but have a fortress guard (to function as police, basically).
# After 200 or more years, unseal the city and colonize the surface.

BONUS: Instead of building your houses/other structures out of blocks or rocks, plan it all out beforehand and simply don't dig out the tiles that you want to be the walls of buildings, and smooth it all down so it looks the same, but your buildings are actually made out of solid natural rock. 
BONUS: Actually cause some kind of catastrophe on the surface (flood it with magma or something) that makes it uninhabitable, to FORCE yourself to stay underground, but when you unseal the city after 200 years, the surface should have healed and be habitable again. So, don't do something permanent.

===The quake===

# Make your entire forteress supported by one support.
# on year 5, remove the support so your entire forteress drops one level.
# Tell us the death rate.
# double the height of the support every year, see how much is too much of a drop!

===Pull A Boatmurdered===

What's this? Too many goblins? Not enough fun? You may be needing excess amounts of lava!

# Flood the entire map with water or lava
# Maybe both and have an obsidian farm in the center
# Pump all lava resources to the surface and watch it burn!

#Most famously employed in [[Main:Boatmurdered|Boatmurdered]].

===Hippie Exterminator===

Much like trees, better water those elves.

# It's a gigantic drowning chamber for [[Elf|Elves]].
# Construct a very long wall all the way around an Elf-village
# Build a floor on top, sealing them in
# Connect some screw pumps to this and the local water supply
# Really processor intensive! Not for calculators!

# At nothing else, at least build the box around your Trade Depot, and flood it when Elves are inside.
# Drainage can be done with a [[floodgate]] to release the water from the depot.

===Dwarven Arcology===

# Build your entire fortress above ground in one structure.
# A subterranean level (the basement) on the bottom floor provides plump helmets, pig tails, and so on.
# On the ground floor, grow above-ground plants and carve fortifications into all the walls.
# Every other level is packed with food stores, refuse dumps, wood stockpiles, workshops, archery ranges, and bedrooms.
# The only subterranean activity permitted is digging, although you may be able to get away with building your depot below ground.
Bonus: Cast the entire thing in Obsidian using magma and water and engrave all the sides with your greatness.

===D For Dwarfdetta===

# Create the parliment building or some such construction
# Rig it to explode or collapse spewing lava everywhere
# Detonate the fortress while you play the 1812 overture somewhere
# Time it to last 4 minutes, since that's how long the song is.
Bonus: make an underground railroad ( or magma pipe ) that detonates it.
Bonus: make a metal statue at the top which gets exploded.

MegaBonus: send burning [[graphite]] or [[lignite]] flying into the (strangely always daytime) sky.

CosmicBonus: Have an important Dwarf in a coffin play a role in detonating it.

===The Two Towers===

#Build a ring of stone [may be slightly difficult] and build a tower with four blades protruding from the top
#Build a (much larger) tower with only two blades protruding from the top
#Have the two towers combat each other ''without'' siege weapons

Bonus:
#Rig the first one to flood and the second to explode! (and you only get the points if you've seen the movies and record the videos. Try to make the towers' destruction as close to the movies as you can!)

===Twin maze of doom!===

-Make a complicated maze pair where pressure plates on any floor will trigger the rapid death of everything one floor before that in the OTHER maze.

-Check what survives the ratrace longer: goblins or elves? Kittens or dogs?

-BONUS: make it self-cleaning so it can be reused over and over!

-Double bonus: make it flood the map with lava if anything ever reaches the end of their maze, meaning their victory is for all time - as well as the last thing the world will ever see before the end.

===The doomsday temple of greed===

1- Prepare a game with the poorest skills starting dwarves and nothing on embark.

2- Edit files to add a little castle with 10 switches, some of which open up to desirable stuff, or a mild trap. Have the lineup fairly obvious so people know which prize/trap pair they're going for.

3- After learning the principle and getting say a starting pick, 100 wood, 10 obsidian, 10 slade, freeing an angry elephant, an artifact crossbow, alcohol for 10 years, freeing a carp guarding the exit (simple enough puzzle, dig yourself another exit), getting an anvil and 7 bronze armor sets, and avoiding the one trap/prize which has a dragon... let them look up the stairs to the next bit on the next floor...

4- THIS floor has mild traps/good prizes again, but one of them frees 7 goblins AS WELL AS trigger an unnanounced very distant magma-flooding system of immense power and speed (they think the goblins are all there is to the trap, mwa ha ha). Make sure the slope means the greedy player will get what's coming at him fully...

5- Share this fun map without announcing what's on it. Surprise!!!

==The Cathedral==

Make an epically tall cathedral out of obsidian. Encrust it with gems, make multiple spires. Build giant stained-glass windows and make rows of chairs for pews. In niches high in the walls, place masterpiece or better statues, also encrusted and engraved. Underneath, make noble tomb catacombs.
BONUS: Build it near a human/dwarf town. Kill heretics.

BONUS: Make several cathedrals, one to each in-game god. Once built, assign worshippers of a god to a burrow encompassing that god's cathedral. Build walls around each cathedral and let them fend for themselves.

v0.31:Megaprojects

2013-01-31T22:39:36Z

Naryar:

Instead of deliberately inhibiting yourself, create a wonder of the dwarven world that would make the Mountainhomes proud. Be sure to upload it to the [http://mkv25.net/dfma/ Dwarf Fortress Map Archive] when it's finished. More projects can be found where [[Stupid_dwarf_trick|stupid dwarves try crazy tricks]]. [[Mega construction|Incredible feats of construction]] are usually very [[Fun|fun]] so you'll see many different (and probably similar) constructions across the Wiki. Use whatever ideas you think are ingenious.

===Aqueducts===
For some reason, a noble was harmlessly pulling a lever when suddenly, magma flooded the river and exploded the booze! The king requires your band of seven to build a great aqueduct to bring water to the capital. Start with supports, and build up your aqueduct until it is 10 z-levels high!

*Bonus: Start over a human town, build a wall around it, pump water through the aqueduct and into it!
*Bonus: Mod the game so you can start on the dwarven capital and actually bring about the story.
*Bonus: Once you have completed your aqueduct, embark in a slightly different location and build the next section. repeat until you've built it all the way to the capital!

Variation: On a map containing a river, completely enclose it with glass walls, and floors. Use overhead pipe sections to move the water to places more <s>convenient</s> Fun.

===Blood for Armok, God of Blood===
Worship Armok by spilling copious amounts of blood. Paint every single outside tile red with blood. No blood rains allowed, of course. Rain will be your worst enemy.
Bonus : No water flooding with blood. All the blood must be genuinely spilled, so that Armok does not call you a cheap imitator.
Bonus : Paint your entire fortress red with blood, as well.
MegaBonus : Paint the caverns red with blood, along with every single inside tile. Be sure as well to make every single water source red, except the one you use for your wells.
UltraDwarfBonus : Paint [[HFS]] red as well ! BLOOD FOR THE BLOOD GOD !

===Biodome===
All material, seeds, food, tools, and dwarves must be in the fortress within one year. Then, seal up the entrance. Any new immigrants... well, they might be in trouble. Survive for as long as possible!

No chasms/underground rivers/magma vents allowed.

===Casting===
Who needs to construct giant statues?! We need ours made from natural walls, however, we want it above ground level as well. For casting your goal is to create some giant structure out of natural obsidian walls through the use of an extremely elaborate scaffold of lava and water pools and screw pumps. When you are finished, just deconstruct the scaffolding and smooth/engrave the statue as you go. Just imagine the bridge over that chasm, now complete with two giant dwarf statues on either side to strike fear into all who enter and to show them the power of your fortress.

*Bonus: Make the statues spit lava.

===Castle===
Build a castle, greater than anything built by human, elf or dwarf. This is highly time
consuming if you want it to be a good castle. There must be floor indoors, and no underground
constructions except for mining operations and cellars. For an even greater challenge, build
a gigantic tower in the middle, where the nobles stay.

===Ceremonial Sacrifices===
Build an amazingly complex or spectacular killing device. A shaft that extends across the entire Z-plane is a good start. A constantly shifting maze of atomsmasher drawbridges is another. For the minimalist, a very confined space where you will drop a dwarf wrestler along with the gobbos once in a while. Perhaps a waterslide that carries your prisoner all the way down into a chasm? Just cut their heart out? Whatever your idea, build it and dedicate your fort to the construction, maintenance and improvement of your device.

Do not kill any of your invaders. Capture them using cage traps, and them set them off in your device. Keep a record of the number of victims you drop into it.

BONUS: Create a statue garden to memorialize your victims, with one statue per victim. Structure your fortress such that sacrificial victims have to pass through the garden on the way to their demise.

===Computing===
Can your dwarves build the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Antikythera_mechanism Antikythera mechanism]? Can you program the fortress to play tic-tac-toe? More details at [[computing]].

===Colosseum===
Build a pit, around it on steps lots of Thrones, make the whole thing a meeting area, train Gladiators, capture goblins, leave them their weapons and let them fight against your gladiators. If they win, let them go.

===Crematory Fortress===
* Requires a [[magma| magma pipe]] and [[bauxite]].

Build a temple structure above a [[magma|magma pipe]] and [[engraving|engrave]] every available surface. The temple should be as opulent as possible. In the temple, build a retracting [[bridge]] over a hole in the floor, and designate a [[coffin]] [[stockpile]] on it. Whenever a dwarf dies, build a [[bauxite]] or other [[magma-proof]] [[coffin]] for him, place it on the [[bridge]], and retract it, committing his body to the [[magma|fiery blood of the mountain]].

::Note: Since coffins are unassigned and emptied when deconstructed and cannot be constructed on top of a bridge, this will not actually work. An alternative would be to place the coffins in individual chambers which can then be flooded with magma afterwards.

::: You could expose the magma pipe, build a one-tile wide floor span across it, and then above that build a support that holds up your temple floor on the z-level above. The temple floor would be separated from the walls of the temple and would be connected for walking access diagonally. The support holds it up. You would have to construct the coffins in the temple, then when someone gets buried you pull the lever attached to the support. You then rebuild the narrow span below, the temple floor, and the support, then link the lever to the new support.
::: You can do this without scaffolding if you build the temple floor access straight in, and then the span below and the support, then once the support is in place you destroy the straight temple access leaving only a diagonal temple access.

::: Another method would be simply to make a hole in your temple that goes straight down to the magma, of at least 3X3 squares, then build a floor of 2 squares long and 1 wide from the upper middle edge of the hole so that the second square is only connected to the temple by the first, then build your coffin on the second square and once your dwarf is inside deconstruct the first square leaving nothing holding the square with your coffin up and it will fall into the magma. On a side note it is best to start from the upper edge of the hole so the dwarf doing the deconstructing is a lot less likely to fall into the magma.

::: Retracting bridges work well to provide access to build the support and floor, and can then be retracted before dropping the coffin. Use a single lever to retract the bridge, then begin filling a chamber with water to trigger a pressure plate to destroy the support, dropping the coffin, and also draining the water to encase the coffin in obsidian.

===City===
Live like a human!

Build all of your buildings above ground. to make this easier, mod in a plentiful building material similar to bricks, however you want it. Make sure that your city is unplanned for that medieval look; build when you need to as close as you can to where it needs to be. As each migration wave comes you're going to need more and more buildings. Protip; you're going to need a caste of dedicated builders.

* Extra points; Emulate your favourite city.
* Combo bonus; Build your city around some other megaproject; a pyramid or giant colloseum.
* ULTRADWARF; Start in a mountainous area and hollow out the above ground city from the projecting mountains, including all four sides, thus leveling the mountain range to leave a series of *surprisingly natural* looking streets.
* Build each building (or section of one) out of the same materials or...
**Bonus: Create pixel art from the colors of the stones!
**Bonus: Try to build all freestanding structures
*Geek Reference Bonus: Build the city on the side of a mountain, using only marble, and make it look like Minas Tirith.

===Doomsday Clock===
Build a water or mechanical clock whose final state triggers the support which holds your fortress up or a megabeast out.
See how much wealth you can achieve before the clock runs out.
*Bonus: Create something that resets itself, as well as purging the map, so that you can reuse the same fortress over and over.
*Super-Bonus: Create something that involves pressure plates and a small kitten, when the pressure plates are hit in the right order, your map ends. Toss the kitten in and hope for the best. Alternatively, make the sequence quite unlikely, but add 2 kittens; breeding introduces a probability of doomsday that is a function of time (depending on the mechanisms involved)
*Super-Bonus: Create the super-bonus above, but place the kitten on the lowest Z-level and never return to either look at it or see how many of the conditions for the doomsday device have been met. This way, the kitty mimicks Schrodinger's cat: we cannot observe the state of the kitty, but we can infer it from the state of the world (spin-pairs effectively).

===Dungeons of Doom===

Beneath your fortress, carve out an immense dungeon starting from the surface. Each dungeon floor must be filled with rectangular rooms connected by twisting one-tile passages, with an occasional wider hallway, and each floor must lead to the next by a single-tile staircase (no up/down stairs). A few floors into the dungeon, build a small fortress and designate a few quarries away from the dungeon itself. The dungeon should not be exposed to the caverns, but the caverns should be exposed to the surface to free the fun creatures. The dungeon must go down until it reaches HFS. Dump an artifact amulet inside HFS. Build puzzles and thematic branches of the dungeon as you see fit.

* Bonus: Fill the dungeon with gnomes, goblins, kobolds, and horrible monsters of all kinds.
* Mega Bonus: Litter the floors of the dungeon with artifact items (especially weapons).
* Cosmic Bonus: Lead the dungeon into an upright spoiler and build a Labyrinth inside HFS.
* Nerd Bonus: Build the last few levels above your fortress, and fill one with lava, one with water, one entirely empty, etc, to mimic the last few levels of NetHack. The uppermost one should have three temples, and if possible megabeasts that cannot escape but which an adventurer could reach...

===Dwarf like an Egyptian===
*Build a pyramid of epic proportion.

Build a legendary dwarven pyramid, with a corridor running to a central tomb for your favourite noble. Then construct lots of different [[trap]]s in it to avoid grave robbery. Perhaps build it entirely out of glass? Or try to make the top twist in a bit of a swirl. Alternatively, make your entire fortress inside a pyramid, which stretches below the ground.

*Build rows of Obelisks

* Build a double row of Obelisks before the Pyramid, and engrave the sides. Build ramps on the tops.

*Build the whole thing upside down.
** And then another one on the upside-down one.

* BONUS: Make a Sphinx out of solid gold. Solid! Nobody lives or goes inside of it. Entomb the builders in an [[unfortunate accident]] - preferably inside the sphinx - so that they can never build one for anybody else.

* When the time has come, or when your fortress is about to be destroyed by a siege or something, perform the ceremony to translate the mortal form of the noble to the underworld. Give him a ritual death, and make sure you kill his servants as well. Pile wealth into the tomb. If the tomb is built for your king make every dwarf die but one, who inters everyone into their resting place. His final act will be to pull a lever that seals the tomb as well as kills him. Then enjoy going back and reclaiming your fortress to observe your efforts.

*BONUS: Dwarf like a Sumerian and make the Pyramid a Ziggurat.

===Graveyard Master===
Every dwarf deserves a decent resting place:
*Build a tomb for every dwarf that dies, the more dwarves you manage to bury the better.
*Tombs must be rooms with exactly 5x5 of size and 1 of height, with only one entrance tile that must be closed by a door.
*Tombs must have all its surfaces engraved.
*Tomb must contain at least 4 statues.
*Once complete, the door must be replaced with a wall and the tomb must not be ever entered again.

===How high can you go?===
Construction, construction, construction! Just how big a tower can you build? Out of glass maybe, clear glass? Steel? Pump water to the top? Make your tower a ''pinnacle'' of achievement and stun humans, elves and goblins alike - for they know nothing of construction and engineering like dwarves do!

===Land battleship===
Turn your mountain into a huge battle-station, complete with crew quarters, decks, command centre, cantina, and a large collection of deadly weapons : Batteries of marksdwarves, ballista cannons, catapults, boarding bridges and teams, but also lava projector or remote explosive devices (ie cave-ins in a part of the map triggered by a lever). Make sure it ends up looking like a real battleship, with nothing but plains surrounding it (you could build it on an actual plain, or destroy a mountain, choice is yours). The battleship has to be autonomous, and dwarves shouldn't wander outside it.

*Bonus: The weaponry covers every tile of the map (i.e., everything that enters the map can be shot)
*Bonus: Build several other ships, maybe dedicated to a specific product (food, ammo etc.)
**Bonus: Find a way to let them fight each other in a naval battle
*Bonus: Each crew member has a civil and military formation, and when the enemy arrives, stop every economic activity. All hands to quarters !
*Bonus: Rebuild Noahs Ark: Completely out of wood, with every animal twice, as well as one dwarven family with three sons on board. Flood everything around it AND LET EVERYTHING NOT ON THE ARK DIE!!! MUHAHAHA!!! FEAR THE WRATH OF ARMOK!!!!!
*Mega Bonus: Use lava instead of water (Although you shouldn't use wood, as it will burn, [[v0.31:Fun|unless that's your intent]]

===Labyrinth===
Build or dig out an elaborate labyrinth. It should be filled with traps, periodically flooded with water and magma, and decorated to your liking.

*Bonus: Build a prison and/or execution chamber somewhere inside the labyrinth.
*Bigger Bonus: Build all the labyrinth walls out of statues and make the entire thing a statue garden.
*Mega Bonus: Make it three-dimensional.

(A labyrinth is a [http://www.astrolog.org/labyrnth/algrithm.htm unicursal maze]: labyrinths offer no choices of path as they curve in and back on themselves to the endpoint. Mazes usually have choices of paths and therefore usually dead ends. Given how pathing will usually let sapient beings in DF avoid dead ends, a labyrinth is preferable to a traditional maze with dead ends.)

[http://sourceforge.net/projects/daedalus/ Daedalus] has many maze algorithms and tools, including for unicursal mazes (GPL, free).
A [http://www.billsgames.com/mazegenerator/ traditional maze generator] may be helpful if you somehow open the dead ends (such as with drawbridges) to attract traffic.

===Moria===
Build a huge hall - at least 3 z-levels high. Leave few pillars symmetrically placed in the hall (don't build them, carve them out). Smooth and possibly engrave everything (not only the lowest z-level!). Then build thin bridge (not the bridge building, just a thin piece of rock to walk on) above magma or above a chasm- support it with bauxite supports connected to a lever (bauxite mechanisms needed in support). Destroy stone holding it at the both ends and replace it with floor hatches (so when you pull the lever it all goes down). After that build a bridge above the chasm.
When it's all done seal your dwarves deep inside in safe place and get invaded by goblins. At the same time dig out HFS. Lead the HFS across the both bridges and then collapse the second one when one of the champions clashes with it (it doesn't matter that the champion has killed the HFS with one hit).

bonus - cast the walls of the hall out of obsidian using water and magma

===Mountain audit/core sample===
Start in a mountainous area and strip mine everything down, down, down to ground level. Stockpile everything, and calculate the mountain's composition. For kicks, try not excavating one tile on each z-level. You'll be left with one enormous core sample.

===Project Mayhem===

*You do not talk about project Mayhem
*Build a series of towers, at least 10 z-levels high, of different size and shape. They must be supported by a series of supports linked to a lever.
*Store all your riches in the towers : crafts, precious metal bars, gems, artifacts, everything. You may also want to house your nobles on top of the towers.
*Pull the lever and watch the collapse of financial history.

Bonus : make the towers' walls out of glass!

Bonus : Make soap! And remember, elf fat is ideal...

Extra Bonus: Make one large tower, and make it collapse onto a smaller tower, filled with all your artifacts/engravings. (Essentially, you only get the extra bonus if you've read the book)

===Santa Claus===
Get ten thousand toys built and offered to caravans yearly. Optionally, build ten thousand toys, fetch them in adventure mode and deliver them to every single city of the world.

BONUS: Make the toys out of lead.

MEGABONUS: Modding Elves to be pets, embark with 100 of them and force them to make the toys for you.

===Skull collector===
What proves the might of a civilization better than a hall full of skulls?
*Try to collect as many skulls as you can during your fortress life, and put them in a special skulls-only storage. The more skulls the better.

BONUS: Cover all the skulls in blood, and make the stockpile also a throne room. Blood for the Blood God, Skulls for the Skull Throne!

SUPERBONUS: Also fill the throne room with kittens.

===Space Ship===
Create a giant space ship fit for space travel. It should be able to hold about 100 dwarves for at least 2 years.

*BONUS: Use exploding [[booze]] as ignitable fuel.
*BONUS: Make a removable [[ramp]] for boarding.
*BONUS: Make the [[water]] for the 2 years be on the ship using removable pumps.
*BONUS+: Make it totally self sufficient. (Make an internal system which pumps the [[water]] supply through a room every few years to muddy the floor. Plant [[seed]]s in the [[mud]] that's now on the floor. Manage your consumption to maintain self sufficiency.)
*Modding BONUS: Mod the game so that merchants can fly their new wagonships into your docking bays. ''(If possible)''
*BONUS+: Make it all out of [[steel]] and [[aluminum]].
*[[fun|FUN]]: Let it be held by a single [[support]], ignite the [[booze]], remove the support an let it "fly".
*EVEN BETTER: Drop it down a chasm.
*More [[fun|FUN]]: Set up a mining operation on the surface and dig into the HFS. Watch the alien creatures take over your ship and hunt down your dwarves. Form a squad of heroes to overload the booze reactor to prevent the aliens from reaching earth. (See [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dead_Space_%28video_game%29 Dead Space] and/or [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alien_%28film%29 the Alien series])

===This Was A Triumph===
Build Aperture Laboratories, with marble test chambers supported by struts and columns of granite.
Lab should have (Connected through paths)-
1) Multiple test chambers, with observation booths and connecting staircases/elevators.
2) An end goal, with an incinerator.
3) Background systems, with catwalks and large areas of waste management.
4) An AI Control Chamber.
5) A cake chamber (with a cake, obviously)

*BONUS*- Make an entire model of the original Portal chambers
*BONUS*- Make a sealed off area, the original testing area in Portal 2 (Include a statue of a Noble named Cave Johnson)
*BONUS*- An extended map, including the Subject Suspended-Animation life support system
*BONUS*- Make a field on top with access, a single small shed
*BONUS+*- Build a 20:1 model of the Companion Cube
-**RIDICULOUS-YOU-ARE-GOD-BONUS**- Build an extremely elaborate mechanism which, using a number of levers in the AI room, will trigger the appearance of floodgate walls and other furniture that will compose an Aperature Modular Test Chamber. Make it so that you can build several room arrangements without using a single dwarf (except to pull the lever maybe)

===Swiss Precision===
Build a working clock. The clock should accurately track DF days, months, and years.

Bonus Points:
*If the clock has a mechanical effect in the fortress proper to announce new days
*If the clock creates seasonally appropriate effects at the change of months and/or seasons.
*If the clock is used to aid in the operation of the fortress in addition to its role as a clock (automatically controls farmland irrigation at particular times, automatically opens the <s>blast doors</s> <s>floodgates</s> <s>Magma Channels</s> Gate in time for those <s>evil</s> friendly merchants, etc...).
*If the clock governs the schedule of a working rail station (which is always on time). (Definitions of 'working' and 'rail station' are subject to player imagination).
*If the clock takes measures to protect itself. ''"I can't let you do that, Urist."''

But don't worry about the bonus points, a precision time device should be hard enough.

===Temple===
Designing a temple to [[Armok]]. Aesthetics count - the god will be very angry if there is no flowing [[blood]] in there, no sacrificial pit, no engravings, and no domed ceilings carved with frescoes.
*BONUS : Make your arena inside the temple and make regular sacrifices for the God of Blood. Blood must NEVER be cleaned, of course.
*MEGABONUS : Add magma. Add iron spikes everywhere. Impale enemies on these spikes and keep them here.
*MEGADWARFBONUS : Cast it all out of obsidian, add all of the former elements. Make it a replica of a Gothic cathedral : http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gothic_architecture

===The cube===
Play a fort as usual, but emphasize catching goblins in cages to support and fill this construction:
Construct a series of rooms in a symmetrical fashion, all connected to each other with appropriate doors. Of course, enough rooms to make a maze-like structure, and if you feel like it, an exit that is hard to reach. Fill a bunch of the rooms with traps and pressureplates. Then fill one room with 4-6 goblins (preferably in cages, opened by an outside lever), release them and watch them randomly walk around the rooms dying to traps and whatnots.

*Bonus: Do multiple story maze (3d-maze)
*Bonus: Use pressureplates to open/close the exit randomly; otherwise, all the goblins will just follow the shortest route to the exit.
*Bonus: Use multiple doors connected to multiple pressure plates in order to access certain rooms, so the goblins have to go through the maze in the correct order.
*Bonus: Figure out a way to have competing teams wandering through the maze at the same time. Can you say "elimination round?"

===The great brewery===
Disaster has struck the kingdom. A strangely glowing [[Fire|‼peasant‼]] visited the greatest brewery of the empire, and as a result the whole thing exploded. No time for weeping — create its successor, a fort dedicated to alcohol production, and get the alcohol supplies flowing! Try to make the widest variety possible, and give or trade it to the dwarven [[caravan]] each year.
* BONUS: Create a working sprinkler system to douse any fires that might occur.

===The Great Wall of Urist===
Build a dwarven great wall of china that splits the map in half. Must be at least 10 tiles thick and reach the highest z-level.
* BONUS: Make it block the <s>mongols</s> goblins out of your half of the map.
* BONUS: Make it out of obsidian.
**BONUS+: Embark on a map without obsidian.
* BONUS: Find a way to make it touch the boundaries.
* BONUS: Build one gate
* BONUS: Arm it with ballistas.
** MEGABONUS: Once you have split your embark in half, abandon the fortress and embark adjacent to it, and continue the wall until it splits the continent in half.
Someone should make a bonus for this but I'd like to point out that the actual wall was made from (compressed) dirt with on outer layer of stone and that the bodies a those who died from exhasution while building it were put into it.
** BONUS+: Encase all workers who died during building in caskets built into the wall. Possibly with traps to protect them from grave robbers
*I'd like to point out that it is just a myth that the bodies were put into the wall. In reality, they were buried nearby.

===The Monolith===
As the inevitability of a fortress-wide mental breakdown looms over every single fortress why not have something that alludes to that precipice of [[insanity]]. Like the book and feature film, 2001: A Space Odyssey you must have a Monolith. This has to be made from [[obsidian]] and have a completely smooth surface (You cannot build it from blocks) You can have it be any size as long as it is outside, at least 2 tiles thick to ensure there are no pillar tiles, and has about the same ratio of width to height as it does in the movie (1:4:9) to make it as close to the real thing as possible. It would be preferable to make it large so that it seems to be dominating the landscape and your dwarves' psyche. The bigger the better.

*If the rock obsidian strata isn't deep enough in parts to make a monolith feasible consider casting a monolith with a large rectangular block in the exact same dimensional criteria as above.

===Statue of greatness===
Build a giant statue, spanning 10-20 z-levels and make it in the shape of say, a dwarf you like or an animal you like.
* Bonus: make it in the shape of a teapot that has a working boiling system and a spout that water can come out of.
* Bonus+: Steam instead of water coming out of the spout.
* Bonus++: Magma mist instead of steam coming out of the spout.

===Underwater fortress===
Encase your entire fortress in [[water]]! Your fortress should be watersealed: surrounded by water against all [[wall]]s and the top of the fortress.
* Bonus: Build all water-touching walls/roof in clear glass!
* Bonus: Use [[magma]] instead of water (warning: will almost certainly lead to [[fun]])!
* Bonus: Build it in the [[ocean]] or a non-freezing lake
**Bonus: Build it in the magma sea
* Bonus: Build large glass domes that encase the fortress. A dome 20 tiles wide should be 10 z-levels tall (creating a hemi-sphere). Which may be hard to cover in water.
* Bonus: Have a mechanism for dropping your enemies into the water to drown! Or fill the water with carp.
**Superbonus: Don't use pansy walls, use pumps to keep the water out!
* Mod: Make your dwarves amphibious and include airlocks between the wet fortress and the dry.
* Remake: Make Rapture city from [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bioshock Bioshock]
** Remake Bonus: Mod in plasmids to give dwarves superpowers, but will eventually drive them mad!
*** Remake MegaBonus: Big Daddies for military, anyone?
**** Remake MegaDwarfBonus: Edit the save raws and name the mayor "Andrew Ryan".

===Flying fortress===
Turn cave-ins off in the init, the build a flying fortress. Perhaps some flying islands only connected with bridges, maybe combined with an orbital defense network.
* Bonus: Turn cave-ins back on.
* History Bonus: Try and make them look like B-17 Flying Fortress bombers from WWII.

===Wealth===
The kingdom's coffers need lining, so hop to! Found a fort and start accumulating wealth as fast as possible. Attain as high a fortress value as possible, and make most of your wealth into coins for the vault. Try to beat your record for one year, two years, or five years.

===We Are Dorf===

Embark site biome parameters: Mountain. Fortress shape: Cubicle (assume 7 tiles high), cut from natural rock and separated from the remaining stone so it is held by a single support. Migrant dwarves must report to assimilation chamber where a collapsing dust trap will launch them into large serrated disk [[trap component|traps]] to remove unnecessary appendages, or have their offending limbs removed some other way. Dorf drones must be cataloged and arranged in squads of varying number. The naming structure is as follows: First of Ten, Second of Ten, and so on. Clothing is irrelevant.

There is no trade, or unmerited contact with lesser species, they will be assimilated. Nobles are irrelevant. Economy is irrelevant. Solitary creatures that do not pose a notable threat to the Collective are not to be bothered with when there is important work to do. Corpses are to be vaporized or atom-smashed along with all [[pet|other useless material]]. Cage traps should be common.

We are the Dorf. Lower your shields and surrender your booze. We will add your biological and technological reaction mats to our stockpiles. Resistance is canceled: Dangerous Terrain. You are caught in a pool of magma! You are melting! x18

===World Domination===
Pretend you are an evil mastermind. Now come up with some device or machine to render the world (or at least your portion of the map) totally unlivable, aside from, of course, your hidden lair.

You will receive bonus points for making a more realistic World Domination setup. Some suggestions:

* Make one dwarf the evil mastermind. The evil mastermind will have no empathy whatsoever, and they will hate all other races, and put no value on the lives of his minions. Protect him at all cost. If he should die, switch his position to his oldest child (who will avenge his father, because insanity is hereditary.) or the most insane, diabolical dwarf in your fort or make a noble the evil mastermind. (everyone knows nobles are pure evil)
* Impractical, overkill solutions to everyday problems ("Sir, the dungeon master wants a better room" "Well then turn his room into a tomb and flood it with magma, and do not bother me with such trivial matters again or I will have you shot.")
* Give the evil mastermind a pet to obsess over. Give it a name like Mr. Bigglesworth or Snuggles. Even better if it's something really dangerous like a Giant Desert Scorpion.
* Have a science lab. Use living creatures and people as test subjects.

Doomsday device suggestions:
* Flood the map with water/magma (may require building walls around the edge of the map)
**BONUS: the water has carp in it.
***BONUSMOD: Carp with ''frickin' laser beams'' attached to their heads.
* Build an "Earthquake Machine" (the entire map is supported by a single support, which is connected to a lever)
* Build an extensive holding cell network for "scientific purposes". Fill it with megabeasts and <s>elephants</s> <s>unicorns,</s> skeletal carp in secret. Have a lever that lets everything free to feed on the general population.
* Embark in an evil area, and capture and tame all those undead animals if possible to create your own undead army
* Bonus: Eliminate the dwarves who constructed your device before you set it off. They must not be allowed to warn the rest of the citizens.
* Build an orbital weapons platform in space (which should be 12-15 stories above the ground, use your imagination), then arm it with magma bombs (droppable tank of magma) to glass the planet, rendering it uninhabitable for a few years.
* Build a door (or hatch) in every space of your fortress. Have all the doors set to lock at the flip of a switch. Have the switch kill the person who pulls it. Give the nobility their toy.
* Build [[User:Vattic/Mechanical Volcano Explained|Mechanical Volcano]] to flood entire map with searing magma.
*do all of the above and link all the devices to one lever in the room of the king/queen


{{Category|Guides}}

=== The Grand Treasury ===
At first, have the king come to you. Then excavate a laaarge room and fill it with i.e.: Lots of coins, shiny gems, artifacts, golden statues, silver mugs, etc. pp. But the king is still not satisfied with his possessions, so he wants more and more shiny and sparky things.
Of course sooner or later (probably sooner) those filthy kobolds and goblins will come and try to steal this enormous hoard. We must never tolerate this! Turn your treasury into a strongroom like the world has never seen before! Secret doors, traps in abundance, guards at every door, ballistae, guard dogs, the whole program. If anything gets lost, you have proven your incompetence, and the king will have your fortress abandoned and founded another to guard his treasures.

*Bonus: Build up the treasury and raid it successfully in Adventure Mode

=== Heaven ===
Build a dwarven version of heaven. Every dwarf must want to come to you! Important pieces:
# Streets paved with gold.
# The mindless hordes are held back by pearly gates -- or at least a close equivalent. Marble doors with diamond encrustations.
# No dwarves die (except for criminals). Heaven is everlasting.
# All criminals must be cast into the fires of Hell. Ideally, this would either be HFS or the bottom of a magma pipe.
# Nothing is ever stolen. St. Peter doesn't screw up.
# After the King has arrived, any male children he has must be sent out to fight sieges alone.

BONUS: No dwarves are ever unhappy -- no tantrums and no insanity. 
BONUS: When migrants arrive at the pearly gates, view their thoughts and preferences and only allow those with a similar/same Diety as your population. 
BONUS: Make Heaven 10 stories above the ground 
Mod: Make Angel dwarves and a godly being. (suggestions: Cacame, Morul, Ironblood.) 
ULTRABONUS: Make Heaven in the air, an earthly society on the ground (a wooden town perhaps?), and carve the HFS place into Hell, complete with a lake of Magma/fire.Look up the character of every dwarf and send him to the appropriate place. 
MEGABONUS-(Re)Make: The Seven Seals have been broken and the Apocalypse arrives.
# The Sky darkens (an obsidian ceiling spanning over the map).
# Meteors (opened lava tanks and cave-ins) devastate the earth.
# All bodies of water turn bloody.
# Dig into the HFS and have a battle between Heaven and Hell. 

=== City of Ember ===
Show those filthy humans that when dwarves build a secret underground refuge, they build to last! In other words, recreate Ember from the film "City of Ember" (yes, everyone is aware there is a book, that came first, an was part of a series), but do it right - none of these leaking pipes and crumbling buildings stuff, after only two and a half centuries underground!
# Mine out a massive cavern multiple z-layers high , and build a human-style city underneath it instead of carving out various chambers.
# You must seal it off. How long you wait to do this is up to you, but once it is sealed, you cannot unseal it for at least 200 years (if you decide to play that long). Ideally, use a utility to embark with a full set of dwarves (to represent the immigrating population) and seal the city off within one year of embarking.
# Build individual houses with their own dining rooms and bedrooms. Multiple dwarves can live in one house, but usually only a single family will live in one house.
# Build streets connecting all of the buildings, in the way that in the film, Ember didn't really have any space that wasn't either paved or built on until you got to the outskirts of the city.
# Have a "greenhouse" out on the outskirts for farming.
# You MUST have an underground river and use it for power.
# You MUST have magma and use it for power.
# Build City Hall, where the mayor has his office, with a nice fountain out front that actually works (probably involving water pressure, and as a testament to the fact that dwarves do it better, and their underground refuge isn't running desperately short of food, water, or power).
# No military, because there is simply no need for one, but have a fortress guard (to function as police, basically).
# After 200 or more years, unseal the city and colonize the surface.

BONUS: Instead of building your houses/other structures out of blocks or rocks, plan it all out beforehand and simply don't dig out the tiles that you want to be the walls of buildings, and smooth it all down so it looks the same, but your buildings are actually made out of solid natural rock. 
BONUS: Actually cause some kind of catastrophe on the surface (flood it with magma or something) that makes it uninhabitable, to FORCE yourself to stay underground, but when you unseal the city after 200 years, the surface should have healed and be habitable again. So, don't do something permanent.

===The quake===

# Make your entire forteress supported by one support.
# on year 5, remove the support so your entire forteress drops one level.
# Tell us the death rate.
# double the height of the support every year, see how much is too much of a drop!

===Pull A Boatmurdered===

What's this? Too many goblins? Not enough fun? You may be needing excess amounts of lava!

# Flood the entire map with water or lava
# Maybe both and have an obsidian farm in the center
# Pump all lava resources to the surface and watch it burn!

#Most famously employed in [[Main:Boatmurdered|Boatmurdered]].

===Hippie Exterminator===

Much like trees, better water those elves.

# It's a gigantic drowning chamber for [[Elf|Elves]].
# Construct a very long wall all the way around an Elf-village
# Build a floor on top, sealing them in
# Connect some screw pumps to this and the local water supply
# Really processor intensive! Not for calculators!

# At nothing else, at least build the box around your Trade Depot, and flood it when Elves are inside.
# Drainage can be done with a [[floodgate]] to release the water from the depot.

===Dwarven Arcology===

# Build your entire fortress above ground in one structure.
# A subterranean level (the basement) on the bottom floor provides plump helmets, pig tails, and so on.
# On the ground floor, grow above-ground plants and carve fortifications into all the walls.
# Every other level is packed with food stores, refuse dumps, wood stockpiles, workshops, archery ranges, and bedrooms.
# The only subterranean activity permitted is digging, although you may be able to get away with building your depot below ground.
Bonus: Cast the entire thing in Obsidian using magma and water and engrave all the sides with your greatness.

===D For Dwarfdetta===

# Create the parliment building or some such construction
# Rig it to explode or collapse spewing lava everywhere
# Detonate the fortress while you play the 1812 overture somewhere
# Time it to last 4 minutes, since that's how long the song is.
Bonus: make an underground railroad ( or magma pipe ) that detonates it.
Bonus: make a metal statue at the top which gets exploded.

MegaBonus: send burning [[graphite]] or [[lignite]] flying into the (strangely always daytime) sky.

CosmicBonus: Have an important Dwarf in a coffin play a role in detonating it.

===The Two Towers===

#Build a ring of stone [may be slightly difficult] and build a tower with four blades protruding from the top
#Build a (much larger) tower with only two blades protruding from the top
#Have the two towers combat each other ''without'' siege weapons

Bonus:
#Rig the first one to flood and the second to explode! (and you only get the points if you've seen the movies and record the videos. Try to make the towers' destruction as close to the movies as you can!)

===Twin maze of doom!===

-Make a complicated maze pair where pressure plates on any floor will trigger the rapid death of everything one floor before that in the OTHER maze.

-Check what survives the ratrace longer: goblins or elves? Kittens or dogs?

-BONUS: make it self-cleaning so it can be reused over and over!

-Double bonus: make it flood the map with lava if anything ever reaches the end of their maze, meaning their victory is for all time - as well as the last thing the world will ever see before the end.

===The doomsday temple of greed===

1- Prepare a game with the poorest skills starting dwarves and nothing on embark.

2- Edit files to add a little castle with 10 switches, some of which open up to desirable stuff, or a mild trap. Have the lineup fairly obvious so people know which prize/trap pair they're going for.

3- After learning the principle and getting say a starting pick, 100 wood, 10 obsidian, 10 slade, freeing an angry elephant, an artifact crossbow, alcohol for 10 years, freeing a carp guarding the exit (simple enough puzzle, dig yourself another exit), getting an anvil and 7 bronze armor sets, and avoiding the one trap/prize which has a dragon... let them look up the stairs to the next bit on the next floor...

4- THIS floor has mild traps/good prizes again, but one of them frees 7 goblins AS WELL AS trigger an unnanounced very distant magma-flooding system of immense power and speed (they think the goblins are all there is to the trap, mwa ha ha). Make sure the slope means the greedy player will get what's coming at him fully...

5- Share this fun map without announcing what's on it. Surprise!!!

==The Cathedral==

Make an epically tall cathedral out of obsidian. Encrust it with gems, make multiple spires. Build giant stained-glass windows and make rows of chairs for pews. In niches high in the walls, place masterpiece or better statues, also encrusted and engraved. Underneath, make noble tomb catacombs.
BONUS: Build it near a human/dwarf town. Kill heretics.

BONUS: Make several cathedrals, one to each in-game god. Once built, assign worshippers of a god to a burrow encompassing that god's cathedral. Build walls around each cathedral and let them fend for themselves.

v0.31:Megaprojects

2013-01-31T22:17:22Z

Naryar: /* Temple */

Instead of deliberately inhibiting yourself, create a wonder of the dwarven world that would make the Mountainhomes proud. Be sure to upload it to the [http://mkv25.net/dfma/ Dwarf Fortress Map Archive] when it's finished. More projects can be found where [[Stupid_dwarf_trick|stupid dwarves try crazy tricks]]. [[Mega construction|Incredible feats of construction]] are usually very [[Fun|fun]] so you'll see many different (and probably similar) constructions across the Wiki. Use whatever ideas you think are ingenious.

===Aqueducts===
For some reason, a noble was harmlessly pulling a lever when suddenly, magma flooded the river and exploded the booze! The king requires your band of seven to build a great aqueduct to bring water to the capital. Start with supports, and build up your aqueduct until it is 10 z-levels high!

*Bonus: Start over a human town, build a wall around it, pump water through the aqueduct and into it!
*Bonus: Mod the game so you can start on the dwarven capital and actually bring about the story.
*Bonus: Once you have completed your aqueduct, embark in a slightly different location and build the next section. repeat until you've built it all the way to the capital!

Variation: On a map containing a river, completely enclose it with glass walls, and floors. Use overhead pipe sections to move the water to places more <s>convenient</s> Fun.

===Biodome===
All material, seeds, food, tools, and dwarves must be in the fortress within one year. Then, seal up the entrance. Any new immigrants... well, they might be in trouble. Survive for as long as possible!

No chasms/underground rivers/magma vents allowed.

===Casting===
Who needs to construct giant statues?! We need ours made from natural walls, however, we want it above ground level as well. For casting your goal is to create some giant structure out of natural obsidian walls through the use of an extremely elaborate scaffold of lava and water pools and screw pumps. When you are finished, just deconstruct the scaffolding and smooth/engrave the statue as you go. Just imagine the bridge over that chasm, now complete with two giant dwarf statues on either side to strike fear into all who enter and to show them the power of your fortress.

*Bonus: Make the statues spit lava.

===Castle===
Build a castle, greater than anything built by human, elf or dwarf. This is highly time
consuming if you want it to be a good castle. There must be floor indoors, and no underground
constructions except for mining operations and cellars. For an even greater challenge, build
a gigantic tower in the middle, where the nobles stay.

===Ceremonial Sacrifices===
Build an amazingly complex or spectacular killing device. A shaft that extends across the entire Z-plane is a good start. A constantly shifting maze of atomsmasher drawbridges is another. For the minimalist, a very confined space where you will drop a dwarf wrestler along with the gobbos once in a while. Perhaps a waterslide that carries your prisoner all the way down into a chasm? Just cut their heart out? Whatever your idea, build it and dedicate your fort to the construction, maintenance and improvement of your device.

Do not kill any of your invaders. Capture them using cage traps, and them set them off in your device. Keep a record of the number of victims you drop into it.

BONUS: Create a statue garden to memorialize your victims, with one statue per victim. Structure your fortress such that sacrificial victims have to pass through the garden on the way to their demise.

===Computing===
Can your dwarves build the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Antikythera_mechanism Antikythera mechanism]? Can you program the fortress to play tic-tac-toe? More details at [[computing]].

===Colosseum===
Build a pit, around it on steps lots of Thrones, make the whole thing a meeting area, train Gladiators, capture goblins, leave them their weapons and let them fight against your gladiators. If they win, let them go.

===Crematory Fortress===
* Requires a [[magma| magma pipe]] and [[bauxite]].

Build a temple structure above a [[magma|magma pipe]] and [[engraving|engrave]] every available surface. The temple should be as opulent as possible. In the temple, build a retracting [[bridge]] over a hole in the floor, and designate a [[coffin]] [[stockpile]] on it. Whenever a dwarf dies, build a [[bauxite]] or other [[magma-proof]] [[coffin]] for him, place it on the [[bridge]], and retract it, committing his body to the [[magma|fiery blood of the mountain]].

::Note: Since coffins are unassigned and emptied when deconstructed and cannot be constructed on top of a bridge, this will not actually work. An alternative would be to place the coffins in individual chambers which can then be flooded with magma afterwards.

::: You could expose the magma pipe, build a one-tile wide floor span across it, and then above that build a support that holds up your temple floor on the z-level above. The temple floor would be separated from the walls of the temple and would be connected for walking access diagonally. The support holds it up. You would have to construct the coffins in the temple, then when someone gets buried you pull the lever attached to the support. You then rebuild the narrow span below, the temple floor, and the support, then link the lever to the new support.
::: You can do this without scaffolding if you build the temple floor access straight in, and then the span below and the support, then once the support is in place you destroy the straight temple access leaving only a diagonal temple access.

::: Another method would be simply to make a hole in your temple that goes straight down to the magma, of at least 3X3 squares, then build a floor of 2 squares long and 1 wide from the upper middle edge of the hole so that the second square is only connected to the temple by the first, then build your coffin on the second square and once your dwarf is inside deconstruct the first square leaving nothing holding the square with your coffin up and it will fall into the magma. On a side note it is best to start from the upper edge of the hole so the dwarf doing the deconstructing is a lot less likely to fall into the magma.

::: Retracting bridges work well to provide access to build the support and floor, and can then be retracted before dropping the coffin. Use a single lever to retract the bridge, then begin filling a chamber with water to trigger a pressure plate to destroy the support, dropping the coffin, and also draining the water to encase the coffin in obsidian.

===City===
Live like a human!

Build all of your buildings above ground. to make this easier, mod in a plentiful building material similar to bricks, however you want it. Make sure that your city is unplanned for that medieval look; build when you need to as close as you can to where it needs to be. As each migration wave comes you're going to need more and more buildings. Protip; you're going to need a caste of dedicated builders.

* Extra points; Emulate your favourite city.
* Combo bonus; Build your city around some other megaproject; a pyramid or giant colloseum.
* ULTRADWARF; Start in a mountainous area and hollow out the above ground city from the projecting mountains, including all four sides, thus leveling the mountain range to leave a series of *surprisingly natural* looking streets.
* Build each building (or section of one) out of the same materials or...
**Bonus: Create pixel art from the colors of the stones!
**Bonus: Try to build all freestanding structures
*Geek Reference Bonus: Build the city on the side of a mountain, using only marble, and make it look like Minas Tirith.

===Doomsday Clock===
Build a water or mechanical clock whose final state triggers the support which holds your fortress up or a megabeast out.
See how much wealth you can achieve before the clock runs out.
*Bonus: Create something that resets itself, as well as purging the map, so that you can reuse the same fortress over and over.
*Super-Bonus: Create something that involves pressure plates and a small kitten, when the pressure plates are hit in the right order, your map ends. Toss the kitten in and hope for the best. Alternatively, make the sequence quite unlikely, but add 2 kittens; breeding introduces a probability of doomsday that is a function of time (depending on the mechanisms involved)
*Super-Bonus: Create the super-bonus above, but place the kitten on the lowest Z-level and never return to either look at it or see how many of the conditions for the doomsday device have been met. This way, the kitty mimicks Schrodinger's cat: we cannot observe the state of the kitty, but we can infer it from the state of the world (spin-pairs effectively).

===Dungeons of Doom===

Beneath your fortress, carve out an immense dungeon starting from the surface. Each dungeon floor must be filled with rectangular rooms connected by twisting one-tile passages, with an occasional wider hallway, and each floor must lead to the next by a single-tile staircase (no up/down stairs). A few floors into the dungeon, build a small fortress and designate a few quarries away from the dungeon itself. The dungeon should not be exposed to the caverns, but the caverns should be exposed to the surface to free the fun creatures. The dungeon must go down until it reaches HFS. Dump an artifact amulet inside HFS. Build puzzles and thematic branches of the dungeon as you see fit.

* Bonus: Fill the dungeon with gnomes, goblins, kobolds, and horrible monsters of all kinds.
* Mega Bonus: Litter the floors of the dungeon with artifact items (especially weapons).
* Cosmic Bonus: Lead the dungeon into an upright spoiler and build a Labyrinth inside HFS.
* Nerd Bonus: Build the last few levels above your fortress, and fill one with lava, one with water, one entirely empty, etc, to mimic the last few levels of NetHack. The uppermost one should have three temples, and if possible megabeasts that cannot escape but which an adventurer could reach...

===Dwarf like an Egyptian===
*Build a pyramid of epic proportion.

Build a legendary dwarven pyramid, with a corridor running to a central tomb for your favourite noble. Then construct lots of different [[trap]]s in it to avoid grave robbery. Perhaps build it entirely out of glass? Or try to make the top twist in a bit of a swirl. Alternatively, make your entire fortress inside a pyramid, which stretches below the ground.

*Build rows of Obelisks

* Build a double row of Obelisks before the Pyramid, and engrave the sides. Build ramps on the tops.

*Build the whole thing upside down.
** And then another one on the upside-down one.

* BONUS: Make a Sphinx out of solid gold. Solid! Nobody lives or goes inside of it. Entomb the builders in an [[unfortunate accident]] - preferably inside the sphinx - so that they can never build one for anybody else.

* When the time has come, or when your fortress is about to be destroyed by a siege or something, perform the ceremony to translate the mortal form of the noble to the underworld. Give him a ritual death, and make sure you kill his servants as well. Pile wealth into the tomb. If the tomb is built for your king make every dwarf die but one, who inters everyone into their resting place. His final act will be to pull a lever that seals the tomb as well as kills him. Then enjoy going back and reclaiming your fortress to observe your efforts.

*BONUS: Dwarf like a Sumerian and make the Pyramid a Ziggurat.

===Graveyard Master===
Every dwarf deserves a decent resting place:
*Build a tomb for every dwarf that dies, the more dwarves you manage to bury the better.
*Tombs must be rooms with exactly 5x5 of size and 1 of height, with only one entrance tile that must be closed by a door.
*Tombs must have all its surfaces engraved.
*Tomb must contain at least 4 statues.
*Once complete, the door must be replaced with a wall and the tomb must not be ever entered again.

===How high can you go?===
Construction, construction, construction! Just how big a tower can you build? Out of glass maybe, clear glass? Steel? Pump water to the top? Make your tower a ''pinnacle'' of achievement and stun humans, elves and goblins alike - for they know nothing of construction and engineering like dwarves do!

===Land battleship===
Turn your mountain into a huge battle-station, complete with crew quarters, decks, command centre, cantina, and a large collection of deadly weapons : Batteries of marksdwarves, ballista cannons, catapults, boarding bridges and teams, but also lava projector or remote explosive devices (ie cave-ins in a part of the map triggered by a lever). Make sure it ends up looking like a real battleship, with nothing but plains surrounding it (you could build it on an actual plain, or destroy a mountain, choice is yours). The battleship has to be autonomous, and dwarves shouldn't wander outside it.

*Bonus: The weaponry covers every tile of the map (i.e., everything that enters the map can be shot)
*Bonus: Build several other ships, maybe dedicated to a specific product (food, ammo etc.)
**Bonus: Find a way to let them fight each other in a naval battle
*Bonus: Each crew member has a civil and military formation, and when the enemy arrives, stop every economic activity. All hands to quarters !
*Bonus: Rebuild Noahs Ark: Completely out of wood, with every animal twice, as well as one dwarven family with three sons on board. Flood everything around it AND LET EVERYTHING NOT ON THE ARK DIE!!! MUHAHAHA!!! FEAR THE WRATH OF ARMOK!!!!!
*Mega Bonus: Use lava instead of water (Although you shouldn't use wood, as it will burn, [[v0.31:Fun|unless that's your intent]]

===Labyrinth===
Build or dig out an elaborate labyrinth. It should be filled with traps, periodically flooded with water and magma, and decorated to your liking.

*Bonus: Build a prison and/or execution chamber somewhere inside the labyrinth.
*Bigger Bonus: Build all the labyrinth walls out of statues and make the entire thing a statue garden.
*Mega Bonus: Make it three-dimensional.

(A labyrinth is a [http://www.astrolog.org/labyrnth/algrithm.htm unicursal maze]: labyrinths offer no choices of path as they curve in and back on themselves to the endpoint. Mazes usually have choices of paths and therefore usually dead ends. Given how pathing will usually let sapient beings in DF avoid dead ends, a labyrinth is preferable to a traditional maze with dead ends.)

[http://sourceforge.net/projects/daedalus/ Daedalus] has many maze algorithms and tools, including for unicursal mazes (GPL, free).
A [http://www.billsgames.com/mazegenerator/ traditional maze generator] may be helpful if you somehow open the dead ends (such as with drawbridges) to attract traffic.

===Moria===
Build a huge hall - at least 3 z-levels high. Leave few pillars symmetrically placed in the hall (don't build them, carve them out). Smooth and possibly engrave everything (not only the lowest z-level!). Then build thin bridge (not the bridge building, just a thin piece of rock to walk on) above magma or above a chasm- support it with bauxite supports connected to a lever (bauxite mechanisms needed in support). Destroy stone holding it at the both ends and replace it with floor hatches (so when you pull the lever it all goes down). After that build a bridge above the chasm.
When it's all done seal your dwarves deep inside in safe place and get invaded by goblins. At the same time dig out HFS. Lead the HFS across the both bridges and then collapse the second one when one of the champions clashes with it (it doesn't matter that the champion has killed the HFS with one hit).

bonus - cast the walls of the hall out of obsidian using water and magma

===Mountain audit/core sample===
Start in a mountainous area and strip mine everything down, down, down to ground level. Stockpile everything, and calculate the mountain's composition. For kicks, try not excavating one tile on each z-level. You'll be left with one enormous core sample.

===Project Mayhem===

*You do not talk about project Mayhem
*Build a series of towers, at least 10 z-levels high, of different size and shape. They must be supported by a series of supports linked to a lever.
*Store all your riches in the towers : crafts, precious metal bars, gems, artifacts, everything. You may also want to house your nobles on top of the towers.
*Pull the lever and watch the collapse of financial history.

Bonus : make the towers' walls out of glass!

Bonus : Make soap! And remember, elf fat is ideal...

Extra Bonus: Make one large tower, and make it collapse onto a smaller tower, filled with all your artifacts/engravings. (Essentially, you only get the extra bonus if you've read the book)

===Santa Claus===
Get ten thousand toys built and offered to caravans yearly. Optionally, build ten thousand toys, fetch them in adventure mode and deliver them to every single city of the world.

BONUS: Make the toys out of lead.

MEGABONUS: Modding Elves to be pets, embark with 100 of them and force them to make the toys for you.

===Skull collector===
What proves the might of a civilization better than a hall full of skulls?
*Try to collect as many skulls as you can during your fortress life, and put them in a special skulls-only storage. The more skulls the better.

BONUS: Cover all the skulls in blood, and make the stockpile also a throne room. Blood for the Blood God, Skulls for the Skull Throne!

SUPERBONUS: Also fill the throne room with kittens.

===Space Ship===
Create a giant space ship fit for space travel. It should be able to hold about 100 dwarves for at least 2 years.

*BONUS: Use exploding [[booze]] as ignitable fuel.
*BONUS: Make a removable [[ramp]] for boarding.
*BONUS: Make the [[water]] for the 2 years be on the ship using removable pumps.
*BONUS+: Make it totally self sufficient. (Make an internal system which pumps the [[water]] supply through a room every few years to muddy the floor. Plant [[seed]]s in the [[mud]] that's now on the floor. Manage your consumption to maintain self sufficiency.)
*Modding BONUS: Mod the game so that merchants can fly their new wagonships into your docking bays. ''(If possible)''
*BONUS+: Make it all out of [[steel]] and [[aluminum]].
*[[fun|FUN]]: Let it be held by a single [[support]], ignite the [[booze]], remove the support an let it "fly".
*EVEN BETTER: Drop it down a chasm.
*More [[fun|FUN]]: Set up a mining operation on the surface and dig into the HFS. Watch the alien creatures take over your ship and hunt down your dwarves. Form a squad of heroes to overload the booze reactor to prevent the aliens from reaching earth. (See [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dead_Space_%28video_game%29 Dead Space] and/or [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alien_%28film%29 the Alien series])

===This Was A Triumph===
Build Aperture Laboratories, with marble test chambers supported by struts and columns of granite.
Lab should have (Connected through paths)-
1) Multiple test chambers, with observation booths and connecting staircases/elevators.
2) An end goal, with an incinerator.
3) Background systems, with catwalks and large areas of waste management.
4) An AI Control Chamber.
5) A cake chamber (with a cake, obviously)

*BONUS*- Make an entire model of the original Portal chambers
*BONUS*- Make a sealed off area, the original testing area in Portal 2 (Include a statue of a Noble named Cave Johnson)
*BONUS*- An extended map, including the Subject Suspended-Animation life support system
*BONUS*- Make a field on top with access, a single small shed
*BONUS+*- Build a 20:1 model of the Companion Cube
-**RIDICULOUS-YOU-ARE-GOD-BONUS**- Build an extremely elaborate mechanism which, using a number of levers in the AI room, will trigger the appearance of floodgate walls and other furniture that will compose an Aperature Modular Test Chamber. Make it so that you can build several room arrangements without using a single dwarf (except to pull the lever maybe)

===Swiss Precision===
Build a working clock. The clock should accurately track DF days, months, and years.

Bonus Points:
*If the clock has a mechanical effect in the fortress proper to announce new days
*If the clock creates seasonally appropriate effects at the change of months and/or seasons.
*If the clock is used to aid in the operation of the fortress in addition to its role as a clock (automatically controls farmland irrigation at particular times, automatically opens the <s>blast doors</s> <s>floodgates</s> <s>Magma Channels</s> Gate in time for those <s>evil</s> friendly merchants, etc...).
*If the clock governs the schedule of a working rail station (which is always on time). (Definitions of 'working' and 'rail station' are subject to player imagination).
*If the clock takes measures to protect itself. ''"I can't let you do that, Urist."''

But don't worry about the bonus points, a precision time device should be hard enough.

===Temple===
Designing a temple to [[Armok]]. Aesthetics count - the god will be very angry if there is no flowing [[blood]] in there, no sacrificial pit, no engravings, and no domed ceilings carved with frescoes.
*BONUS : Make your arena inside the temple and make regular sacrifices for the God of Blood. Blood must NEVER be cleaned, of course.
*MEGABONUS : Add magma. Add iron spikes everywhere. Impale enemies on these spikes and keep them here.
*MEGADWARFBONUS : Cast it all out of obsidian, add all of the former elements. Make it a replica of a Gothic cathedral : http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gothic_architecture

===The cube===
Play a fort as usual, but emphasize catching goblins in cages to support and fill this construction:
Construct a series of rooms in a symmetrical fashion, all connected to each other with appropriate doors. Of course, enough rooms to make a maze-like structure, and if you feel like it, an exit that is hard to reach. Fill a bunch of the rooms with traps and pressureplates. Then fill one room with 4-6 goblins (preferably in cages, opened by an outside lever), release them and watch them randomly walk around the rooms dying to traps and whatnots.

*Bonus: Do multiple story maze (3d-maze)
*Bonus: Use pressureplates to open/close the exit randomly; otherwise, all the goblins will just follow the shortest route to the exit.
*Bonus: Use multiple doors connected to multiple pressure plates in order to access certain rooms, so the goblins have to go through the maze in the correct order.
*Bonus: Figure out a way to have competing teams wandering through the maze at the same time. Can you say "elimination round?"

===The great brewery===
Disaster has struck the kingdom. A strangely glowing [[Fire|‼peasant‼]] visited the greatest brewery of the empire, and as a result the whole thing exploded. No time for weeping — create its successor, a fort dedicated to alcohol production, and get the alcohol supplies flowing! Try to make the widest variety possible, and give or trade it to the dwarven [[caravan]] each year.
* BONUS: Create a working sprinkler system to douse any fires that might occur.

===The Great Wall of Urist===
Build a dwarven great wall of china that splits the map in half. Must be at least 10 tiles thick and reach the highest z-level.
* BONUS: Make it block the <s>mongols</s> goblins out of your half of the map.
* BONUS: Make it out of obsidian.
**BONUS+: Embark on a map without obsidian.
* BONUS: Find a way to make it touch the boundaries.
* BONUS: Build one gate
* BONUS: Arm it with ballistas.
** MEGABONUS: Once you have split your embark in half, abandon the fortress and embark adjacent to it, and continue the wall until it splits the continent in half.
Someone should make a bonus for this but I'd like to point out that the actual wall was made from (compressed) dirt with on outer layer of stone and that the bodies a those who died from exhasution while building it were put into it.
** BONUS+: Encase all workers who died during building in caskets built into the wall. Possibly with traps to protect them from grave robbers
*I'd like to point out that it is just a myth that the bodies were put into the wall. In reality, they were buried nearby.

===The Monolith===
As the inevitability of a fortress-wide mental breakdown looms over every single fortress why not have something that alludes to that precipice of [[insanity]]. Like the book and feature film, 2001: A Space Odyssey you must have a Monolith. This has to be made from [[obsidian]] and have a completely smooth surface (You cannot build it from blocks) You can have it be any size as long as it is outside, at least 2 tiles thick to ensure there are no pillar tiles, and has about the same ratio of width to height as it does in the movie (1:4:9) to make it as close to the real thing as possible. It would be preferable to make it large so that it seems to be dominating the landscape and your dwarves' psyche. The bigger the better.

*If the rock obsidian strata isn't deep enough in parts to make a monolith feasible consider casting a monolith with a large rectangular block in the exact same dimensional criteria as above.

===Statue of greatness===
Build a giant statue, spanning 10-20 z-levels and make it in the shape of say, a dwarf you like or an animal you like.
* Bonus: make it in the shape of a teapot that has a working boiling system and a spout that water can come out of.
* Bonus+: Steam instead of water coming out of the spout.
* Bonus++: Magma mist instead of steam coming out of the spout.

===Underwater fortress===
Encase your entire fortress in [[water]]! Your fortress should be watersealed: surrounded by water against all [[wall]]s and the top of the fortress.
* Bonus: Build all water-touching walls/roof in clear glass!
* Bonus: Use [[magma]] instead of water (warning: will almost certainly lead to [[fun]])!
* Bonus: Build it in the [[ocean]] or a non-freezing lake
**Bonus: Build it in the magma sea
* Bonus: Build large glass domes that encase the fortress. A dome 20 tiles wide should be 10 z-levels tall (creating a hemi-sphere). Which may be hard to cover in water.
* Bonus: Have a mechanism for dropping your enemies into the water to drown! Or fill the water with carp.
**Superbonus: Don't use pansy walls, use pumps to keep the water out!
* Mod: Make your dwarves amphibious and include airlocks between the wet fortress and the dry.
* Remake: Make Rapture city from [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bioshock Bioshock]
** Remake Bonus: Mod in plasmids to give dwarves superpowers, but will eventually drive them mad!
*** Remake MegaBonus: Big Daddies for military, anyone?
**** Remake MegaDwarfBonus: Edit the save raws and name the mayor "Andrew Ryan".

===Flying fortress===
Turn cave-ins off in the init, the build a flying fortress. Perhaps some flying islands only connected with bridges, maybe combined with an orbital defense network.
* Bonus: Turn cave-ins back on.
* History Bonus: Try and make them look like B-17 Flying Fortress bombers from WWII.

===Wealth===
The kingdom's coffers need lining, so hop to! Found a fort and start accumulating wealth as fast as possible. Attain as high a fortress value as possible, and make most of your wealth into coins for the vault. Try to beat your record for one year, two years, or five years.

===We Are Dorf===

Embark site biome parameters: Mountain. Fortress shape: Cubicle (assume 7 tiles high), cut from natural rock and separated from the remaining stone so it is held by a single support. Migrant dwarves must report to assimilation chamber where a collapsing dust trap will launch them into large serrated disk [[trap component|traps]] to remove unnecessary appendages, or have their offending limbs removed some other way. Dorf drones must be cataloged and arranged in squads of varying number. The naming structure is as follows: First of Ten, Second of Ten, and so on. Clothing is irrelevant.

There is no trade, or unmerited contact with lesser species, they will be assimilated. Nobles are irrelevant. Economy is irrelevant. Solitary creatures that do not pose a notable threat to the Collective are not to be bothered with when there is important work to do. Corpses are to be vaporized or atom-smashed along with all [[pet|other useless material]]. Cage traps should be common.

We are the Dorf. Lower your shields and surrender your booze. We will add your biological and technological reaction mats to our stockpiles. Resistance is canceled: Dangerous Terrain. You are caught in a pool of magma! You are melting! x18

===World Domination===
Pretend you are an evil mastermind. Now come up with some device or machine to render the world (or at least your portion of the map) totally unlivable, aside from, of course, your hidden lair.

You will receive bonus points for making a more realistic World Domination setup. Some suggestions:

* Make one dwarf the evil mastermind. The evil mastermind will have no empathy whatsoever, and they will hate all other races, and put no value on the lives of his minions. Protect him at all cost. If he should die, switch his position to his oldest child (who will avenge his father, because insanity is hereditary.) or the most insane, diabolical dwarf in your fort or make a noble the evil mastermind. (everyone knows nobles are pure evil)
* Impractical, overkill solutions to everyday problems ("Sir, the dungeon master wants a better room" "Well then turn his room into a tomb and flood it with magma, and do not bother me with such trivial matters again or I will have you shot.")
* Give the evil mastermind a pet to obsess over. Give it a name like Mr. Bigglesworth or Snuggles. Even better if it's something really dangerous like a Giant Desert Scorpion.
* Have a science lab. Use living creatures and people as test subjects.

Doomsday device suggestions:
* Flood the map with water/magma (may require building walls around the edge of the map)
**BONUS: the water has carp in it.
***BONUSMOD: Carp with ''frickin' laser beams'' attached to their heads.
* Build an "Earthquake Machine" (the entire map is supported by a single support, which is connected to a lever)
* Build an extensive holding cell network for "scientific purposes". Fill it with megabeasts and <s>elephants</s> <s>unicorns,</s> skeletal carp in secret. Have a lever that lets everything free to feed on the general population.
* Embark in an evil area, and capture and tame all those undead animals if possible to create your own undead army
* Bonus: Eliminate the dwarves who constructed your device before you set it off. They must not be allowed to warn the rest of the citizens.
* Build an orbital weapons platform in space (which should be 12-15 stories above the ground, use your imagination), then arm it with magma bombs (droppable tank of magma) to glass the planet, rendering it uninhabitable for a few years.
* Build a door (or hatch) in every space of your fortress. Have all the doors set to lock at the flip of a switch. Have the switch kill the person who pulls it. Give the nobility their toy.
* Build [[User:Vattic/Mechanical Volcano Explained|Mechanical Volcano]] to flood entire map with searing magma.
*do all of the above and link all the devices to one lever in the room of the king/queen


{{Category|Guides}}

=== The Grand Treasury ===
At first, have the king come to you. Then excavate a laaarge room and fill it with i.e.: Lots of coins, shiny gems, artifacts, golden statues, silver mugs, etc. pp. But the king is still not satisfied with his possessions, so he wants more and more shiny and sparky things.
Of course sooner or later (probably sooner) those filthy kobolds and goblins will come and try to steal this enormous hoard. We must never tolerate this! Turn your treasury into a strongroom like the world has never seen before! Secret doors, traps in abundance, guards at every door, ballistae, guard dogs, the whole program. If anything gets lost, you have proven your incompetence, and the king will have your fortress abandoned and founded another to guard his treasures.

*Bonus: Build up the treasury and raid it successfully in Adventure Mode

=== Heaven ===
Build a dwarven version of heaven. Every dwarf must want to come to you! Important pieces:
# Streets paved with gold.
# The mindless hordes are held back by pearly gates -- or at least a close equivalent. Marble doors with diamond encrustations.
# No dwarves die (except for criminals). Heaven is everlasting.
# All criminals must be cast into the fires of Hell. Ideally, this would either be HFS or the bottom of a magma pipe.
# Nothing is ever stolen. St. Peter doesn't screw up.
# After the King has arrived, any male children he has must be sent out to fight sieges alone.

BONUS: No dwarves are ever unhappy -- no tantrums and no insanity. 
BONUS: When migrants arrive at the pearly gates, view their thoughts and preferences and only allow those with a similar/same Diety as your population. 
BONUS: Make Heaven 10 stories above the ground 
Mod: Make Angel dwarves and a godly being. (suggestions: Cacame, Morul, Ironblood.) 
ULTRABONUS: Make Heaven in the air, an earthly society on the ground (a wooden town perhaps?), and carve the HFS place into Hell, complete with a lake of Magma/fire.Look up the character of every dwarf and send him to the appropriate place. 
MEGABONUS-(Re)Make: The Seven Seals have been broken and the Apocalypse arrives.
# The Sky darkens (an obsidian ceiling spanning over the map).
# Meteors (opened lava tanks and cave-ins) devastate the earth.
# All bodies of water turn bloody.
# Dig into the HFS and have a battle between Heaven and Hell. 

=== City of Ember ===
Show those filthy humans that when dwarves build a secret underground refuge, they build to last! In other words, recreate Ember from the film "City of Ember" (yes, everyone is aware there is a book, that came first, an was part of a series), but do it right - none of these leaking pipes and crumbling buildings stuff, after only two and a half centuries underground!
# Mine out a massive cavern multiple z-layers high , and build a human-style city underneath it instead of carving out various chambers.
# You must seal it off. How long you wait to do this is up to you, but once it is sealed, you cannot unseal it for at least 200 years (if you decide to play that long). Ideally, use a utility to embark with a full set of dwarves (to represent the immigrating population) and seal the city off within one year of embarking.
# Build individual houses with their own dining rooms and bedrooms. Multiple dwarves can live in one house, but usually only a single family will live in one house.
# Build streets connecting all of the buildings, in the way that in the film, Ember didn't really have any space that wasn't either paved or built on until you got to the outskirts of the city.
# Have a "greenhouse" out on the outskirts for farming.
# You MUST have an underground river and use it for power.
# You MUST have magma and use it for power.
# Build City Hall, where the mayor has his office, with a nice fountain out front that actually works (probably involving water pressure, and as a testament to the fact that dwarves do it better, and their underground refuge isn't running desperately short of food, water, or power).
# No military, because there is simply no need for one, but have a fortress guard (to function as police, basically).
# After 200 or more years, unseal the city and colonize the surface.

BONUS: Instead of building your houses/other structures out of blocks or rocks, plan it all out beforehand and simply don't dig out the tiles that you want to be the walls of buildings, and smooth it all down so it looks the same, but your buildings are actually made out of solid natural rock. 
BONUS: Actually cause some kind of catastrophe on the surface (flood it with magma or something) that makes it uninhabitable, to FORCE yourself to stay underground, but when you unseal the city after 200 years, the surface should have healed and be habitable again. So, don't do something permanent.

===The quake===

# Make your entire forteress supported by one support.
# on year 5, remove the support so your entire forteress drops one level.
# Tell us the death rate.
# double the height of the support every year, see how much is too much of a drop!

===Pull A Boatmurdered===

What's this? Too many goblins? Not enough fun? You may be needing excess amounts of lava!

# Flood the entire map with water or lava
# Maybe both and have an obsidian farm in the center
# Pump all lava resources to the surface and watch it burn!

#Most famously employed in [[Main:Boatmurdered|Boatmurdered]].

===Hippie Exterminator===

Much like trees, better water those elves.

# It's a gigantic drowning chamber for [[Elf|Elves]].
# Construct a very long wall all the way around an Elf-village
# Build a floor on top, sealing them in
# Connect some screw pumps to this and the local water supply
# Really processor intensive! Not for calculators!

# At nothing else, at least build the box around your Trade Depot, and flood it when Elves are inside.
# Drainage can be done with a [[floodgate]] to release the water from the depot.

===Dwarven Arcology===

# Build your entire fortress above ground in one structure.
# A subterranean level (the basement) on the bottom floor provides plump helmets, pig tails, and so on.
# On the ground floor, grow above-ground plants and carve fortifications into all the walls.
# Every other level is packed with food stores, refuse dumps, wood stockpiles, workshops, archery ranges, and bedrooms.
# The only subterranean activity permitted is digging, although you may be able to get away with building your depot below ground.
Bonus: Cast the entire thing in Obsidian using magma and water and engrave all the sides with your greatness.

===D For Dwarfdetta===

# Create the parliment building or some such construction
# Rig it to explode or collapse spewing lava everywhere
# Detonate the fortress while you play the 1812 overture somewhere
# Time it to last 4 minutes, since that's how long the song is.
Bonus: make an underground railroad ( or magma pipe ) that detonates it.
Bonus: make a metal statue at the top which gets exploded.

MegaBonus: send burning [[graphite]] or [[lignite]] flying into the (strangely always daytime) sky.

CosmicBonus: Have an important Dwarf in a coffin play a role in detonating it.

===The Two Towers===

#Build a ring of stone [may be slightly difficult] and build a tower with four blades protruding from the top
#Build a (much larger) tower with only two blades protruding from the top
#Have the two towers combat each other ''without'' siege weapons

Bonus:
#Rig the first one to flood and the second to explode! (and you only get the points if you've seen the movies and record the videos. Try to make the towers' destruction as close to the movies as you can!)

===Twin maze of doom!===

-Make a complicated maze pair where pressure plates on any floor will trigger the rapid death of everything one floor before that in the OTHER maze.

-Check what survives the ratrace longer: goblins or elves? Kittens or dogs?

-BONUS: make it self-cleaning so it can be reused over and over!

-Double bonus: make it flood the map with lava if anything ever reaches the end of their maze, meaning their victory is for all time - as well as the last thing the world will ever see before the end.

===The doomsday temple of greed===

1- Prepare a game with the poorest skills starting dwarves and nothing on embark.

2- Edit files to add a little castle with 10 switches, some of which open up to desirable stuff, or a mild trap. Have the lineup fairly obvious so people know which prize/trap pair they're going for.

3- After learning the principle and getting say a starting pick, 100 wood, 10 obsidian, 10 slade, freeing an angry elephant, an artifact crossbow, alcohol for 10 years, freeing a carp guarding the exit (simple enough puzzle, dig yourself another exit), getting an anvil and 7 bronze armor sets, and avoiding the one trap/prize which has a dragon... let them look up the stairs to the next bit on the next floor...

4- THIS floor has mild traps/good prizes again, but one of them frees 7 goblins AS WELL AS trigger an unnanounced very distant magma-flooding system of immense power and speed (they think the goblins are all there is to the trap, mwa ha ha). Make sure the slope means the greedy player will get what's coming at him fully...

5- Share this fun map without announcing what's on it. Surprise!!!

==The Cathedral==

Make an epically tall cathedral out of obsidian. Encrust it with gems, make multiple spires. Build giant stained-glass windows and make rows of chairs for pews. In niches high in the walls, place masterpiece or better statues, also encrusted and engraved. Underneath, make noble tomb catacombs.
BONUS: Build it near a human/dwarf town. Kill heretics.

BONUS: Make several cathedrals, one to each in-game god. Once built, assign worshippers of a god to a burrow encompassing that god's cathedral. Build walls around each cathedral and let them fend for themselves.

v0.31:Megaprojects

2013-01-31T22:07:19Z

Naryar: /* Temple */

Instead of deliberately inhibiting yourself, create a wonder of the dwarven world that would make the Mountainhomes proud. Be sure to upload it to the [http://mkv25.net/dfma/ Dwarf Fortress Map Archive] when it's finished. More projects can be found where [[Stupid_dwarf_trick|stupid dwarves try crazy tricks]]. [[Mega construction|Incredible feats of construction]] are usually very [[Fun|fun]] so you'll see many different (and probably similar) constructions across the Wiki. Use whatever ideas you think are ingenious.

===Aqueducts===
For some reason, a noble was harmlessly pulling a lever when suddenly, magma flooded the river and exploded the booze! The king requires your band of seven to build a great aqueduct to bring water to the capital. Start with supports, and build up your aqueduct until it is 10 z-levels high!

*Bonus: Start over a human town, build a wall around it, pump water through the aqueduct and into it!
*Bonus: Mod the game so you can start on the dwarven capital and actually bring about the story.
*Bonus: Once you have completed your aqueduct, embark in a slightly different location and build the next section. repeat until you've built it all the way to the capital!

Variation: On a map containing a river, completely enclose it with glass walls, and floors. Use overhead pipe sections to move the water to places more <s>convenient</s> Fun.

===Biodome===
All material, seeds, food, tools, and dwarves must be in the fortress within one year. Then, seal up the entrance. Any new immigrants... well, they might be in trouble. Survive for as long as possible!

No chasms/underground rivers/magma vents allowed.

===Casting===
Who needs to construct giant statues?! We need ours made from natural walls, however, we want it above ground level as well. For casting your goal is to create some giant structure out of natural obsidian walls through the use of an extremely elaborate scaffold of lava and water pools and screw pumps. When you are finished, just deconstruct the scaffolding and smooth/engrave the statue as you go. Just imagine the bridge over that chasm, now complete with two giant dwarf statues on either side to strike fear into all who enter and to show them the power of your fortress.

*Bonus: Make the statues spit lava.

===Castle===
Build a castle, greater than anything built by human, elf or dwarf. This is highly time
consuming if you want it to be a good castle. There must be floor indoors, and no underground
constructions except for mining operations and cellars. For an even greater challenge, build
a gigantic tower in the middle, where the nobles stay.

===Ceremonial Sacrifices===
Build an amazingly complex or spectacular killing device. A shaft that extends across the entire Z-plane is a good start. A constantly shifting maze of atomsmasher drawbridges is another. For the minimalist, a very confined space where you will drop a dwarf wrestler along with the gobbos once in a while. Perhaps a waterslide that carries your prisoner all the way down into a chasm? Just cut their heart out? Whatever your idea, build it and dedicate your fort to the construction, maintenance and improvement of your device.

Do not kill any of your invaders. Capture them using cage traps, and them set them off in your device. Keep a record of the number of victims you drop into it.

BONUS: Create a statue garden to memorialize your victims, with one statue per victim. Structure your fortress such that sacrificial victims have to pass through the garden on the way to their demise.

===Computing===
Can your dwarves build the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Antikythera_mechanism Antikythera mechanism]? Can you program the fortress to play tic-tac-toe? More details at [[computing]].

===Colosseum===
Build a pit, around it on steps lots of Thrones, make the whole thing a meeting area, train Gladiators, capture goblins, leave them their weapons and let them fight against your gladiators. If they win, let them go.

===Crematory Fortress===
* Requires a [[magma| magma pipe]] and [[bauxite]].

Build a temple structure above a [[magma|magma pipe]] and [[engraving|engrave]] every available surface. The temple should be as opulent as possible. In the temple, build a retracting [[bridge]] over a hole in the floor, and designate a [[coffin]] [[stockpile]] on it. Whenever a dwarf dies, build a [[bauxite]] or other [[magma-proof]] [[coffin]] for him, place it on the [[bridge]], and retract it, committing his body to the [[magma|fiery blood of the mountain]].

::Note: Since coffins are unassigned and emptied when deconstructed and cannot be constructed on top of a bridge, this will not actually work. An alternative would be to place the coffins in individual chambers which can then be flooded with magma afterwards.

::: You could expose the magma pipe, build a one-tile wide floor span across it, and then above that build a support that holds up your temple floor on the z-level above. The temple floor would be separated from the walls of the temple and would be connected for walking access diagonally. The support holds it up. You would have to construct the coffins in the temple, then when someone gets buried you pull the lever attached to the support. You then rebuild the narrow span below, the temple floor, and the support, then link the lever to the new support.
::: You can do this without scaffolding if you build the temple floor access straight in, and then the span below and the support, then once the support is in place you destroy the straight temple access leaving only a diagonal temple access.

::: Another method would be simply to make a hole in your temple that goes straight down to the magma, of at least 3X3 squares, then build a floor of 2 squares long and 1 wide from the upper middle edge of the hole so that the second square is only connected to the temple by the first, then build your coffin on the second square and once your dwarf is inside deconstruct the first square leaving nothing holding the square with your coffin up and it will fall into the magma. On a side note it is best to start from the upper edge of the hole so the dwarf doing the deconstructing is a lot less likely to fall into the magma.

::: Retracting bridges work well to provide access to build the support and floor, and can then be retracted before dropping the coffin. Use a single lever to retract the bridge, then begin filling a chamber with water to trigger a pressure plate to destroy the support, dropping the coffin, and also draining the water to encase the coffin in obsidian.

===City===
Live like a human!

Build all of your buildings above ground. to make this easier, mod in a plentiful building material similar to bricks, however you want it. Make sure that your city is unplanned for that medieval look; build when you need to as close as you can to where it needs to be. As each migration wave comes you're going to need more and more buildings. Protip; you're going to need a caste of dedicated builders.

* Extra points; Emulate your favourite city.
* Combo bonus; Build your city around some other megaproject; a pyramid or giant colloseum.
* ULTRADWARF; Start in a mountainous area and hollow out the above ground city from the projecting mountains, including all four sides, thus leveling the mountain range to leave a series of *surprisingly natural* looking streets.
* Build each building (or section of one) out of the same materials or...
**Bonus: Create pixel art from the colors of the stones!
**Bonus: Try to build all freestanding structures
*Geek Reference Bonus: Build the city on the side of a mountain, using only marble, and make it look like Minas Tirith.

===Doomsday Clock===
Build a water or mechanical clock whose final state triggers the support which holds your fortress up or a megabeast out.
See how much wealth you can achieve before the clock runs out.
*Bonus: Create something that resets itself, as well as purging the map, so that you can reuse the same fortress over and over.
*Super-Bonus: Create something that involves pressure plates and a small kitten, when the pressure plates are hit in the right order, your map ends. Toss the kitten in and hope for the best. Alternatively, make the sequence quite unlikely, but add 2 kittens; breeding introduces a probability of doomsday that is a function of time (depending on the mechanisms involved)
*Super-Bonus: Create the super-bonus above, but place the kitten on the lowest Z-level and never return to either look at it or see how many of the conditions for the doomsday device have been met. This way, the kitty mimicks Schrodinger's cat: we cannot observe the state of the kitty, but we can infer it from the state of the world (spin-pairs effectively).

===Dungeons of Doom===

Beneath your fortress, carve out an immense dungeon starting from the surface. Each dungeon floor must be filled with rectangular rooms connected by twisting one-tile passages, with an occasional wider hallway, and each floor must lead to the next by a single-tile staircase (no up/down stairs). A few floors into the dungeon, build a small fortress and designate a few quarries away from the dungeon itself. The dungeon should not be exposed to the caverns, but the caverns should be exposed to the surface to free the fun creatures. The dungeon must go down until it reaches HFS. Dump an artifact amulet inside HFS. Build puzzles and thematic branches of the dungeon as you see fit.

* Bonus: Fill the dungeon with gnomes, goblins, kobolds, and horrible monsters of all kinds.
* Mega Bonus: Litter the floors of the dungeon with artifact items (especially weapons).
* Cosmic Bonus: Lead the dungeon into an upright spoiler and build a Labyrinth inside HFS.
* Nerd Bonus: Build the last few levels above your fortress, and fill one with lava, one with water, one entirely empty, etc, to mimic the last few levels of NetHack. The uppermost one should have three temples, and if possible megabeasts that cannot escape but which an adventurer could reach...

===Dwarf like an Egyptian===
*Build a pyramid of epic proportion.

Build a legendary dwarven pyramid, with a corridor running to a central tomb for your favourite noble. Then construct lots of different [[trap]]s in it to avoid grave robbery. Perhaps build it entirely out of glass? Or try to make the top twist in a bit of a swirl. Alternatively, make your entire fortress inside a pyramid, which stretches below the ground.

*Build rows of Obelisks

* Build a double row of Obelisks before the Pyramid, and engrave the sides. Build ramps on the tops.

*Build the whole thing upside down.
** And then another one on the upside-down one.

* BONUS: Make a Sphinx out of solid gold. Solid! Nobody lives or goes inside of it. Entomb the builders in an [[unfortunate accident]] - preferably inside the sphinx - so that they can never build one for anybody else.

* When the time has come, or when your fortress is about to be destroyed by a siege or something, perform the ceremony to translate the mortal form of the noble to the underworld. Give him a ritual death, and make sure you kill his servants as well. Pile wealth into the tomb. If the tomb is built for your king make every dwarf die but one, who inters everyone into their resting place. His final act will be to pull a lever that seals the tomb as well as kills him. Then enjoy going back and reclaiming your fortress to observe your efforts.

*BONUS: Dwarf like a Sumerian and make the Pyramid a Ziggurat.

===Graveyard Master===
Every dwarf deserves a decent resting place:
*Build a tomb for every dwarf that dies, the more dwarves you manage to bury the better.
*Tombs must be rooms with exactly 5x5 of size and 1 of height, with only one entrance tile that must be closed by a door.
*Tombs must have all its surfaces engraved.
*Tomb must contain at least 4 statues.
*Once complete, the door must be replaced with a wall and the tomb must not be ever entered again.

===How high can you go?===
Construction, construction, construction! Just how big a tower can you build? Out of glass maybe, clear glass? Steel? Pump water to the top? Make your tower a ''pinnacle'' of achievement and stun humans, elves and goblins alike - for they know nothing of construction and engineering like dwarves do!

===Land battleship===
Turn your mountain into a huge battle-station, complete with crew quarters, decks, command centre, cantina, and a large collection of deadly weapons : Batteries of marksdwarves, ballista cannons, catapults, boarding bridges and teams, but also lava projector or remote explosive devices (ie cave-ins in a part of the map triggered by a lever). Make sure it ends up looking like a real battleship, with nothing but plains surrounding it (you could build it on an actual plain, or destroy a mountain, choice is yours). The battleship has to be autonomous, and dwarves shouldn't wander outside it.

*Bonus: The weaponry covers every tile of the map (i.e., everything that enters the map can be shot)
*Bonus: Build several other ships, maybe dedicated to a specific product (food, ammo etc.)
**Bonus: Find a way to let them fight each other in a naval battle
*Bonus: Each crew member has a civil and military formation, and when the enemy arrives, stop every economic activity. All hands to quarters !
*Bonus: Rebuild Noahs Ark: Completely out of wood, with every animal twice, as well as one dwarven family with three sons on board. Flood everything around it AND LET EVERYTHING NOT ON THE ARK DIE!!! MUHAHAHA!!! FEAR THE WRATH OF ARMOK!!!!!
*Mega Bonus: Use lava instead of water (Although you shouldn't use wood, as it will burn, [[v0.31:Fun|unless that's your intent]]

===Labyrinth===
Build or dig out an elaborate labyrinth. It should be filled with traps, periodically flooded with water and magma, and decorated to your liking.

*Bonus: Build a prison and/or execution chamber somewhere inside the labyrinth.
*Bigger Bonus: Build all the labyrinth walls out of statues and make the entire thing a statue garden.
*Mega Bonus: Make it three-dimensional.

(A labyrinth is a [http://www.astrolog.org/labyrnth/algrithm.htm unicursal maze]: labyrinths offer no choices of path as they curve in and back on themselves to the endpoint. Mazes usually have choices of paths and therefore usually dead ends. Given how pathing will usually let sapient beings in DF avoid dead ends, a labyrinth is preferable to a traditional maze with dead ends.)

[http://sourceforge.net/projects/daedalus/ Daedalus] has many maze algorithms and tools, including for unicursal mazes (GPL, free).
A [http://www.billsgames.com/mazegenerator/ traditional maze generator] may be helpful if you somehow open the dead ends (such as with drawbridges) to attract traffic.

===Moria===
Build a huge hall - at least 3 z-levels high. Leave few pillars symmetrically placed in the hall (don't build them, carve them out). Smooth and possibly engrave everything (not only the lowest z-level!). Then build thin bridge (not the bridge building, just a thin piece of rock to walk on) above magma or above a chasm- support it with bauxite supports connected to a lever (bauxite mechanisms needed in support). Destroy stone holding it at the both ends and replace it with floor hatches (so when you pull the lever it all goes down). After that build a bridge above the chasm.
When it's all done seal your dwarves deep inside in safe place and get invaded by goblins. At the same time dig out HFS. Lead the HFS across the both bridges and then collapse the second one when one of the champions clashes with it (it doesn't matter that the champion has killed the HFS with one hit).

bonus - cast the walls of the hall out of obsidian using water and magma

===Mountain audit/core sample===
Start in a mountainous area and strip mine everything down, down, down to ground level. Stockpile everything, and calculate the mountain's composition. For kicks, try not excavating one tile on each z-level. You'll be left with one enormous core sample.

===Project Mayhem===

*You do not talk about project Mayhem
*Build a series of towers, at least 10 z-levels high, of different size and shape. They must be supported by a series of supports linked to a lever.
*Store all your riches in the towers : crafts, precious metal bars, gems, artifacts, everything. You may also want to house your nobles on top of the towers.
*Pull the lever and watch the collapse of financial history.

Bonus : make the towers' walls out of glass!

Bonus : Make soap! And remember, elf fat is ideal...

Extra Bonus: Make one large tower, and make it collapse onto a smaller tower, filled with all your artifacts/engravings. (Essentially, you only get the extra bonus if you've read the book)

===Santa Claus===
Get ten thousand toys built and offered to caravans yearly. Optionally, build ten thousand toys, fetch them in adventure mode and deliver them to every single city of the world.

BONUS: Make the toys out of lead.

MEGABONUS: Modding Elves to be pets, embark with 100 of them and force them to make the toys for you.

===Skull collector===
What proves the might of a civilization better than a hall full of skulls?
*Try to collect as many skulls as you can during your fortress life, and put them in a special skulls-only storage. The more skulls the better.

BONUS: Cover all the skulls in blood, and make the stockpile also a throne room. Blood for the Blood God, Skulls for the Skull Throne!

SUPERBONUS: Also fill the throne room with kittens.

===Space Ship===
Create a giant space ship fit for space travel. It should be able to hold about 100 dwarves for at least 2 years.

*BONUS: Use exploding [[booze]] as ignitable fuel.
*BONUS: Make a removable [[ramp]] for boarding.
*BONUS: Make the [[water]] for the 2 years be on the ship using removable pumps.
*BONUS+: Make it totally self sufficient. (Make an internal system which pumps the [[water]] supply through a room every few years to muddy the floor. Plant [[seed]]s in the [[mud]] that's now on the floor. Manage your consumption to maintain self sufficiency.)
*Modding BONUS: Mod the game so that merchants can fly their new wagonships into your docking bays. ''(If possible)''
*BONUS+: Make it all out of [[steel]] and [[aluminum]].
*[[fun|FUN]]: Let it be held by a single [[support]], ignite the [[booze]], remove the support an let it "fly".
*EVEN BETTER: Drop it down a chasm.
*More [[fun|FUN]]: Set up a mining operation on the surface and dig into the HFS. Watch the alien creatures take over your ship and hunt down your dwarves. Form a squad of heroes to overload the booze reactor to prevent the aliens from reaching earth. (See [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dead_Space_%28video_game%29 Dead Space] and/or [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alien_%28film%29 the Alien series])

===This Was A Triumph===
Build Aperture Laboratories, with marble test chambers supported by struts and columns of granite.
Lab should have (Connected through paths)-
1) Multiple test chambers, with observation booths and connecting staircases/elevators.
2) An end goal, with an incinerator.
3) Background systems, with catwalks and large areas of waste management.
4) An AI Control Chamber.
5) A cake chamber (with a cake, obviously)

*BONUS*- Make an entire model of the original Portal chambers
*BONUS*- Make a sealed off area, the original testing area in Portal 2 (Include a statue of a Noble named Cave Johnson)
*BONUS*- An extended map, including the Subject Suspended-Animation life support system
*BONUS*- Make a field on top with access, a single small shed
*BONUS+*- Build a 20:1 model of the Companion Cube
-**RIDICULOUS-YOU-ARE-GOD-BONUS**- Build an extremely elaborate mechanism which, using a number of levers in the AI room, will trigger the appearance of floodgate walls and other furniture that will compose an Aperature Modular Test Chamber. Make it so that you can build several room arrangements without using a single dwarf (except to pull the lever maybe)

===Swiss Precision===
Build a working clock. The clock should accurately track DF days, months, and years.

Bonus Points:
*If the clock has a mechanical effect in the fortress proper to announce new days
*If the clock creates seasonally appropriate effects at the change of months and/or seasons.
*If the clock is used to aid in the operation of the fortress in addition to its role as a clock (automatically controls farmland irrigation at particular times, automatically opens the <s>blast doors</s> <s>floodgates</s> <s>Magma Channels</s> Gate in time for those <s>evil</s> friendly merchants, etc...).
*If the clock governs the schedule of a working rail station (which is always on time). (Definitions of 'working' and 'rail station' are subject to player imagination).
*If the clock takes measures to protect itself. ''"I can't let you do that, Urist."''

But don't worry about the bonus points, a precision time device should be hard enough.

===Temple===
Designing a temple to [[Armok]]. Aesthetics count - the god will be very angry if there is no flowing [[blood]] in there, no sacrificial pit, no engravings, and no domed ceilings carved with frescoes.
BONUS : Make your arena inside the temple and make regular sacrifices for the God of Blood. Blood must NEVER be cleaned, of course.
MEGABONUS : Add magma. Add iron spikes everywhere. Impale enemies on these spikes and keep them here.
MEGADWARFBONUS : Cast it all out of obsidian, add all of the former elements. Make it a replica of a Gothic cathedral : http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gothic_architecture

===The cube===
Play a fort as usual, but emphasize catching goblins in cages to support and fill this construction:
Construct a series of rooms in a symmetrical fashion, all connected to each other with appropriate doors. Of course, enough rooms to make a maze-like structure, and if you feel like it, an exit that is hard to reach. Fill a bunch of the rooms with traps and pressureplates. Then fill one room with 4-6 goblins (preferably in cages, opened by an outside lever), release them and watch them randomly walk around the rooms dying to traps and whatnots.

*Bonus: Do multiple story maze (3d-maze)
*Bonus: Use pressureplates to open/close the exit randomly; otherwise, all the goblins will just follow the shortest route to the exit.
*Bonus: Use multiple doors connected to multiple pressure plates in order to access certain rooms, so the goblins have to go through the maze in the correct order.
*Bonus: Figure out a way to have competing teams wandering through the maze at the same time. Can you say "elimination round?"

===The great brewery===
Disaster has struck the kingdom. A strangely glowing [[Fire|‼peasant‼]] visited the greatest brewery of the empire, and as a result the whole thing exploded. No time for weeping — create its successor, a fort dedicated to alcohol production, and get the alcohol supplies flowing! Try to make the widest variety possible, and give or trade it to the dwarven [[caravan]] each year.
* BONUS: Create a working sprinkler system to douse any fires that might occur.

===The Great Wall of Urist===
Build a dwarven great wall of china that splits the map in half. Must be at least 10 tiles thick and reach the highest z-level.
* BONUS: Make it block the <s>mongols</s> goblins out of your half of the map.
* BONUS: Make it out of obsidian.
**BONUS+: Embark on a map without obsidian.
* BONUS: Find a way to make it touch the boundaries.
* BONUS: Build one gate
* BONUS: Arm it with ballistas.
** MEGABONUS: Once you have split your embark in half, abandon the fortress and embark adjacent to it, and continue the wall until it splits the continent in half.
Someone should make a bonus for this but I'd like to point out that the actual wall was made from (compressed) dirt with on outer layer of stone and that the bodies a those who died from exhasution while building it were put into it.
** BONUS+: Encase all workers who died during building in caskets built into the wall. Possibly with traps to protect them from grave robbers
*I'd like to point out that it is just a myth that the bodies were put into the wall. In reality, they were buried nearby.

===The Monolith===
As the inevitability of a fortress-wide mental breakdown looms over every single fortress why not have something that alludes to that precipice of [[insanity]]. Like the book and feature film, 2001: A Space Odyssey you must have a Monolith. This has to be made from [[obsidian]] and have a completely smooth surface (You cannot build it from blocks) You can have it be any size as long as it is outside, at least 2 tiles thick to ensure there are no pillar tiles, and has about the same ratio of width to height as it does in the movie (1:4:9) to make it as close to the real thing as possible. It would be preferable to make it large so that it seems to be dominating the landscape and your dwarves' psyche. The bigger the better.

*If the rock obsidian strata isn't deep enough in parts to make a monolith feasible consider casting a monolith with a large rectangular block in the exact same dimensional criteria as above.

===Statue of greatness===
Build a giant statue, spanning 10-20 z-levels and make it in the shape of say, a dwarf you like or an animal you like.
* Bonus: make it in the shape of a teapot that has a working boiling system and a spout that water can come out of.
* Bonus+: Steam instead of water coming out of the spout.
* Bonus++: Magma mist instead of steam coming out of the spout.

===Underwater fortress===
Encase your entire fortress in [[water]]! Your fortress should be watersealed: surrounded by water against all [[wall]]s and the top of the fortress.
* Bonus: Build all water-touching walls/roof in clear glass!
* Bonus: Use [[magma]] instead of water (warning: will almost certainly lead to [[fun]])!
* Bonus: Build it in the [[ocean]] or a non-freezing lake
**Bonus: Build it in the magma sea
* Bonus: Build large glass domes that encase the fortress. A dome 20 tiles wide should be 10 z-levels tall (creating a hemi-sphere). Which may be hard to cover in water.
* Bonus: Have a mechanism for dropping your enemies into the water to drown! Or fill the water with carp.
**Superbonus: Don't use pansy walls, use pumps to keep the water out!
* Mod: Make your dwarves amphibious and include airlocks between the wet fortress and the dry.
* Remake: Make Rapture city from [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bioshock Bioshock]
** Remake Bonus: Mod in plasmids to give dwarves superpowers, but will eventually drive them mad!
*** Remake MegaBonus: Big Daddies for military, anyone?
**** Remake MegaDwarfBonus: Edit the save raws and name the mayor "Andrew Ryan".

===Flying fortress===
Turn cave-ins off in the init, the build a flying fortress. Perhaps some flying islands only connected with bridges, maybe combined with an orbital defense network.
* Bonus: Turn cave-ins back on.
* History Bonus: Try and make them look like B-17 Flying Fortress bombers from WWII.

===Wealth===
The kingdom's coffers need lining, so hop to! Found a fort and start accumulating wealth as fast as possible. Attain as high a fortress value as possible, and make most of your wealth into coins for the vault. Try to beat your record for one year, two years, or five years.

===We Are Dorf===

Embark site biome parameters: Mountain. Fortress shape: Cubicle (assume 7 tiles high), cut from natural rock and separated from the remaining stone so it is held by a single support. Migrant dwarves must report to assimilation chamber where a collapsing dust trap will launch them into large serrated disk [[trap component|traps]] to remove unnecessary appendages, or have their offending limbs removed some other way. Dorf drones must be cataloged and arranged in squads of varying number. The naming structure is as follows: First of Ten, Second of Ten, and so on. Clothing is irrelevant.

There is no trade, or unmerited contact with lesser species, they will be assimilated. Nobles are irrelevant. Economy is irrelevant. Solitary creatures that do not pose a notable threat to the Collective are not to be bothered with when there is important work to do. Corpses are to be vaporized or atom-smashed along with all [[pet|other useless material]]. Cage traps should be common.

We are the Dorf. Lower your shields and surrender your booze. We will add your biological and technological reaction mats to our stockpiles. Resistance is canceled: Dangerous Terrain. You are caught in a pool of magma! You are melting! x18

===World Domination===
Pretend you are an evil mastermind. Now come up with some device or machine to render the world (or at least your portion of the map) totally unlivable, aside from, of course, your hidden lair.

You will receive bonus points for making a more realistic World Domination setup. Some suggestions:

* Make one dwarf the evil mastermind. The evil mastermind will have no empathy whatsoever, and they will hate all other races, and put no value on the lives of his minions. Protect him at all cost. If he should die, switch his position to his oldest child (who will avenge his father, because insanity is hereditary.) or the most insane, diabolical dwarf in your fort or make a noble the evil mastermind. (everyone knows nobles are pure evil)
* Impractical, overkill solutions to everyday problems ("Sir, the dungeon master wants a better room" "Well then turn his room into a tomb and flood it with magma, and do not bother me with such trivial matters again or I will have you shot.")
* Give the evil mastermind a pet to obsess over. Give it a name like Mr. Bigglesworth or Snuggles. Even better if it's something really dangerous like a Giant Desert Scorpion.
* Have a science lab. Use living creatures and people as test subjects.

Doomsday device suggestions:
* Flood the map with water/magma (may require building walls around the edge of the map)
**BONUS: the water has carp in it.
***BONUSMOD: Carp with ''frickin' laser beams'' attached to their heads.
* Build an "Earthquake Machine" (the entire map is supported by a single support, which is connected to a lever)
* Build an extensive holding cell network for "scientific purposes". Fill it with megabeasts and <s>elephants</s> <s>unicorns,</s> skeletal carp in secret. Have a lever that lets everything free to feed on the general population.
* Embark in an evil area, and capture and tame all those undead animals if possible to create your own undead army
* Bonus: Eliminate the dwarves who constructed your device before you set it off. They must not be allowed to warn the rest of the citizens.
* Build an orbital weapons platform in space (which should be 12-15 stories above the ground, use your imagination), then arm it with magma bombs (droppable tank of magma) to glass the planet, rendering it uninhabitable for a few years.
* Build a door (or hatch) in every space of your fortress. Have all the doors set to lock at the flip of a switch. Have the switch kill the person who pulls it. Give the nobility their toy.
* Build [[User:Vattic/Mechanical Volcano Explained|Mechanical Volcano]] to flood entire map with searing magma.
*do all of the above and link all the devices to one lever in the room of the king/queen


{{Category|Guides}}

=== The Grand Treasury ===
At first, have the king come to you. Then excavate a laaarge room and fill it with i.e.: Lots of coins, shiny gems, artifacts, golden statues, silver mugs, etc. pp. But the king is still not satisfied with his possessions, so he wants more and more shiny and sparky things.
Of course sooner or later (probably sooner) those filthy kobolds and goblins will come and try to steal this enormous hoard. We must never tolerate this! Turn your treasury into a strongroom like the world has never seen before! Secret doors, traps in abundance, guards at every door, ballistae, guard dogs, the whole program. If anything gets lost, you have proven your incompetence, and the king will have your fortress abandoned and founded another to guard his treasures.

*Bonus: Build up the treasury and raid it successfully in Adventure Mode

=== Heaven ===
Build a dwarven version of heaven. Every dwarf must want to come to you! Important pieces:
# Streets paved with gold.
# The mindless hordes are held back by pearly gates -- or at least a close equivalent. Marble doors with diamond encrustations.
# No dwarves die (except for criminals). Heaven is everlasting.
# All criminals must be cast into the fires of Hell. Ideally, this would either be HFS or the bottom of a magma pipe.
# Nothing is ever stolen. St. Peter doesn't screw up.
# After the King has arrived, any male children he has must be sent out to fight sieges alone.

BONUS: No dwarves are ever unhappy -- no tantrums and no insanity. 
BONUS: When migrants arrive at the pearly gates, view their thoughts and preferences and only allow those with a similar/same Diety as your population. 
BONUS: Make Heaven 10 stories above the ground 
Mod: Make Angel dwarves and a godly being. (suggestions: Cacame, Morul, Ironblood.) 
ULTRABONUS: Make Heaven in the air, an earthly society on the ground (a wooden town perhaps?), and carve the HFS place into Hell, complete with a lake of Magma/fire.Look up the character of every dwarf and send him to the appropriate place. 
MEGABONUS-(Re)Make: The Seven Seals have been broken and the Apocalypse arrives.
# The Sky darkens (an obsidian ceiling spanning over the map).
# Meteors (opened lava tanks and cave-ins) devastate the earth.
# All bodies of water turn bloody.
# Dig into the HFS and have a battle between Heaven and Hell. 

=== City of Ember ===
Show those filthy humans that when dwarves build a secret underground refuge, they build to last! In other words, recreate Ember from the film "City of Ember" (yes, everyone is aware there is a book, that came first, an was part of a series), but do it right - none of these leaking pipes and crumbling buildings stuff, after only two and a half centuries underground!
# Mine out a massive cavern multiple z-layers high , and build a human-style city underneath it instead of carving out various chambers.
# You must seal it off. How long you wait to do this is up to you, but once it is sealed, you cannot unseal it for at least 200 years (if you decide to play that long). Ideally, use a utility to embark with a full set of dwarves (to represent the immigrating population) and seal the city off within one year of embarking.
# Build individual houses with their own dining rooms and bedrooms. Multiple dwarves can live in one house, but usually only a single family will live in one house.
# Build streets connecting all of the buildings, in the way that in the film, Ember didn't really have any space that wasn't either paved or built on until you got to the outskirts of the city.
# Have a "greenhouse" out on the outskirts for farming.
# You MUST have an underground river and use it for power.
# You MUST have magma and use it for power.
# Build City Hall, where the mayor has his office, with a nice fountain out front that actually works (probably involving water pressure, and as a testament to the fact that dwarves do it better, and their underground refuge isn't running desperately short of food, water, or power).
# No military, because there is simply no need for one, but have a fortress guard (to function as police, basically).
# After 200 or more years, unseal the city and colonize the surface.

BONUS: Instead of building your houses/other structures out of blocks or rocks, plan it all out beforehand and simply don't dig out the tiles that you want to be the walls of buildings, and smooth it all down so it looks the same, but your buildings are actually made out of solid natural rock. 
BONUS: Actually cause some kind of catastrophe on the surface (flood it with magma or something) that makes it uninhabitable, to FORCE yourself to stay underground, but when you unseal the city after 200 years, the surface should have healed and be habitable again. So, don't do something permanent.

===The quake===

# Make your entire forteress supported by one support.
# on year 5, remove the support so your entire forteress drops one level.
# Tell us the death rate.
# double the height of the support every year, see how much is too much of a drop!

===Pull A Boatmurdered===

What's this? Too many goblins? Not enough fun? You may be needing excess amounts of lava!

# Flood the entire map with water or lava
# Maybe both and have an obsidian farm in the center
# Pump all lava resources to the surface and watch it burn!

#Most famously employed in [[Main:Boatmurdered|Boatmurdered]].

===Hippie Exterminator===

Much like trees, better water those elves.

# It's a gigantic drowning chamber for [[Elf|Elves]].
# Construct a very long wall all the way around an Elf-village
# Build a floor on top, sealing them in
# Connect some screw pumps to this and the local water supply
# Really processor intensive! Not for calculators!

# At nothing else, at least build the box around your Trade Depot, and flood it when Elves are inside.
# Drainage can be done with a [[floodgate]] to release the water from the depot.

===Dwarven Arcology===

# Build your entire fortress above ground in one structure.
# A subterranean level (the basement) on the bottom floor provides plump helmets, pig tails, and so on.
# On the ground floor, grow above-ground plants and carve fortifications into all the walls.
# Every other level is packed with food stores, refuse dumps, wood stockpiles, workshops, archery ranges, and bedrooms.
# The only subterranean activity permitted is digging, although you may be able to get away with building your depot below ground.
Bonus: Cast the entire thing in Obsidian using magma and water and engrave all the sides with your greatness.

===D For Dwarfdetta===

# Create the parliment building or some such construction
# Rig it to explode or collapse spewing lava everywhere
# Detonate the fortress while you play the 1812 overture somewhere
# Time it to last 4 minutes, since that's how long the song is.
Bonus: make an underground railroad ( or magma pipe ) that detonates it.
Bonus: make a metal statue at the top which gets exploded.

MegaBonus: send burning [[graphite]] or [[lignite]] flying into the (strangely always daytime) sky.

CosmicBonus: Have an important Dwarf in a coffin play a role in detonating it.

===The Two Towers===

#Build a ring of stone [may be slightly difficult] and build a tower with four blades protruding from the top
#Build a (much larger) tower with only two blades protruding from the top
#Have the two towers combat each other ''without'' siege weapons

Bonus:
#Rig the first one to flood and the second to explode! (and you only get the points if you've seen the movies and record the videos. Try to make the towers' destruction as close to the movies as you can!)

===Twin maze of doom!===

-Make a complicated maze pair where pressure plates on any floor will trigger the rapid death of everything one floor before that in the OTHER maze.

-Check what survives the ratrace longer: goblins or elves? Kittens or dogs?

-BONUS: make it self-cleaning so it can be reused over and over!

-Double bonus: make it flood the map with lava if anything ever reaches the end of their maze, meaning their victory is for all time - as well as the last thing the world will ever see before the end.

===The doomsday temple of greed===

1- Prepare a game with the poorest skills starting dwarves and nothing on embark.

2- Edit files to add a little castle with 10 switches, some of which open up to desirable stuff, or a mild trap. Have the lineup fairly obvious so people know which prize/trap pair they're going for.

3- After learning the principle and getting say a starting pick, 100 wood, 10 obsidian, 10 slade, freeing an angry elephant, an artifact crossbow, alcohol for 10 years, freeing a carp guarding the exit (simple enough puzzle, dig yourself another exit), getting an anvil and 7 bronze armor sets, and avoiding the one trap/prize which has a dragon... let them look up the stairs to the next bit on the next floor...

4- THIS floor has mild traps/good prizes again, but one of them frees 7 goblins AS WELL AS trigger an unnanounced very distant magma-flooding system of immense power and speed (they think the goblins are all there is to the trap, mwa ha ha). Make sure the slope means the greedy player will get what's coming at him fully...

5- Share this fun map without announcing what's on it. Surprise!!!

==The Cathedral==

Make an epically tall cathedral out of obsidian. Encrust it with gems, make multiple spires. Build giant stained-glass windows and make rows of chairs for pews. In niches high in the walls, place masterpiece or better statues, also encrusted and engraved. Underneath, make noble tomb catacombs.
BONUS: Build it near a human/dwarf town. Kill heretics.

BONUS: Make several cathedrals, one to each in-game god. Once built, assign worshippers of a god to a burrow encompassing that god's cathedral. Build walls around each cathedral and let them fend for themselves.

v0.34:Surroundings

2013-01-30T23:09:18Z

Naryar: /* Savage */

{{quality|Masterwork|22:10, 22 September 2012 (UTC)}} {{av}}

'''Surroundings''' affect the types of [[crop|plant]] life, wild [[animal|animals]] and [[creatures]] which will appear in play within a given [[biome]]. It is possible to start a [[fortress]] that overlaps multiple alignment types (for example a terrifying [[forest]] and a calm [[shrubland]]). Some players consider this desirable, as it provides diversity in your little corner of the world, but it also has its dangers in the form of more ferocious wildlife.

Some plants and animals are unique to a certain type of surroundings and will only be found if those surroundings are present on the map. Note that most creatures also require a specific [[climate]] to spawn in. Again, it's important to check the specific biomes making up your site. Once a [[creature]] spawns on the map, it is under no compulsion to stay in its own biome and can roam as it pleases. Because of this, the specifics of what means what can be difficult to pin down sometimes.

== Combinations of surroundings ==

{| {{prettytable}}
|-style="background:#dddddd"
|style="background:#aaaaaa"| ||'''Benign'''||'''Neutral'''||'''Savage'''
|-
|style="background:#dddddd"|'''Good'''||Serene||Mirthful||Joyous Wilds
|-
|style="background:#dddddd"|'''Neutral'''||Calm||Wilderness||Untamed Wilds
|-
|style="background:#dddddd"|'''Evil'''||Sinister||Haunted||Terrifying
|}

===Neutral===

:including '''Calm''', '''Wilderness''' and '''Untamed Wilds'''

'''Neutral''' regions are the easiest to understand. They generally mimic the real world, with recognizable wildlife. They can be quite dangerous depending on the region, holding anything from generally non-aggressive but physically powerful enemies such as [[gorilla]]s and [[elephant]]s to the very aggressive and very dangerous [[giant eagle]]s. As one might expect, ''Benign Neutral'' zones are really very safe, while ''Savage Neutral'' areas can pose some major difficulties, depending on the dominating climate and landforms. You'll find most of the standard aboveground plants in these alignments, such as [[prickle berry|prickle berries]], [[rope reed]], [[DF2012:Wild strawberry|wild strawberries]] and the like.

===Good===

:including '''Serene''', '''Mirthful''' and '''Joyous Wilds'''

'''Good''' biomes tend to have less aggressive and weaker [[creatures]], except for the [[unicorn]]. Good regions also support the wild [[sun berry]], which makes the best [[alcohol]] in the game. There are generally slight changes between ''Benign Good'' and ''Savage Good''.

=====Distinctive flora & fauna=====
* Animals: [[mountain gnome]], [[satyr]], [[unicorn]], [[merperson]], [[gorlak]]
* Plants: [[sun berry]], [[bubble bulb]], [[downy grass]]
* Trees: [[feather tree]]
* Vermin: [[fluffy wambler]], [[fairy]], [[pixie]]

===Evil===

:including '''Sinister''', '''Haunted''' and '''Terrifying'''

'''Evil''' regions are much more <s>dangerous</s> [[fun]] than their ''Neutral'' and ''Good'' counterparts across the board. At their root, ''Evil'' regions are modified ''Neutral'' regions. In addition to a pack of other [[creatures]] that are nasty, dangerous, and spiteful such as [[beak dog]]s, [[harpy|harpies]], and [[ogre]]s, ''Evil'' regions may modify their ''Neutral'' base by infecting many (but not all) of the indigenous [[creatures]] with various forms of [[undead|undeath]]. [[Undead]] cannot be killed through conventional means (dismemberment reanimates the individual body parts, creating even more enemies than before) and must be either butchered and tanned or exposed to magma in order to kill them permanently in certain (always evil) reanimating biomes. Any non-undead creature that dies in such a biome will reanimate as an undead creature after it is killed, including sentient beings, and any severed body parts and loose skin will also come to life as an individual enemy. Clearly, hunting undead animals for food is pointless, and finding kills in a place where things won't stay dead is suicidal. Sea Creatures will be able to come ashore in their undead forms, so expect to deal with that if you choose such a location for embark. The trees at embark may all be dead, and though they can be harvested, will not regrow. Undead shrubs are useless for gathering, too.

Even the [[DF2012:Evil weather|weather]] is dangerous; clouds of creeping murk can inflict various syndromes on par with those of [[forgotten beast|forgotten beasts]], or instantly transform creatures into nearly-indestructible thralls. Evil rains may also inflict random syndromes, albeit less severe ones, and always cause strong unhappy [[thought]]s and a desire to wash. A noticeable effect of evil rain is that murky pools will never refill.

Because of the inhospitability of evil regions, even ''Benign Evil'' is very difficult for beginning players to earn a niche to work in, so it should be reserved for a challenge play only.

=====Distinctive flora & fauna=====
* Animals: [[ogre]], [[dark gnome]], [[beak dog]], [[foul blendec]], [[grimeling]], [[harpy]], [[troll]], [[strangler]], [[nightwing]], [[ice wolf]], [[blizzard man]], [[sea monster]], [[manera]]
* Plants: [[sliver barb]], [[staring eyeball]], [[wormy tendril]]
* Trees: [[glumprong]]
* Vermin: [[demon rat]], [[blood gnat]], [[knuckle worm]], [[phantom spider]]

===Savage===
'''Savage''' surroundings are typically more dangerous than their Neutral or Benign counterparts, due to the "wildlife" (naturally occurring creatures) found therein. Savage regions contain many giant versions of normal wildlife, as well as sentient humanoid versions. A "Savage Good" region is called Joyous Wilds, a "Savage Neutral" region is called Untamed Wilds, and a "Savage Evil" region is called Terrifying (and is the most dangerous alignment by far, if you couldn't tell by the name).

=====Distinctive flora & fauna=====
* Animals: [[giant eagle]], [[giant cheetah]], [[giant leopard]], [[giant jaguar]], [[giant tiger]], [[giant lion]], [[tigerman]], [[slugman]], [[snailman]], [[leechman]], [[giant desert scorpion]], [[sasquatch]], [[sea serpent]]
* Plants: [[whip vine]]
* Trees: [[Tree#List_of_Trees|highwood]]
* Vermin: [[two-legged rhino lizard]], [[moghopper]], [[fox squirrel]], [[acorn fly]]

{{World}}

v0.34:Giant sperm whale

2013-01-30T23:05:43Z

Naryar:

{{quality|Exceptional|00:02, 13 December 2012 (UTC)}}
{{Creaturelookup/0
|wiki=no
|contrib=no
|meat=5800-7100
|bone=1450-1770
|fat=1260-1525
|heart=250-300
|intestine=1500-1850
|brain=500-610
|skin=hide
}}
{{av}}
{{creaturedesc}}

The giant sperm whale is ''really, REALLY'' giant--it's even bigger than a real-world blue whale. It gives truly enormous stacks of animal products, can reach 11000 total units worth of food and butchering one will probably feed your fortress for the rest of it's life. If it doesn't rot halfway towards the butcher's shop, of course. This is actually the biggest [[creature]] in the game; it is eight times the size of a [[dragon]], ten times that of a [[bronze colossus]], about 175 times the size of a fully-grown bull [[moose]], and about 1,330 times the size of a measly [[dwarf]].

If you happen to embark on a [[surroundings|Terrifying]] ocean, you may run into [[undead]] versions of these. If you do... well, may Armok have mercy on your souls and those of your dwarves.

{{D for Dwarf}}

It is rumored that giant sperm whales can only be slain via throwing iron spears into their heads. Giant sperm whales also tend to rip off limbs for no reason, and therefore the surviving dwarf may start a grudge with the whale that may spell doom for dozens of dwarves.

Bonus points if the killing dwarf has a bone crutch and a lost leg.

{{gamedata}}
{{Creatures}}

v0.34:Caverns

2013-01-29T10:58:11Z

Naryar: bugbats ? dangerous ?

{{av}}
{{Quality|Exceptional}}
{{minorspoiler}}

'''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 [[world generation]] parameters.
The caverns will usually have open map edges, allowing all sorts of [[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.

Upon reclaiming a fort, all mud in the caverns is removed.

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

==Geography==
The top of the first cavern usually resides about 10-11 z-levels below the surface.
Each cavern layer spans multiple z-levels, and is filled with [[water]] to a certain degree. This can range from a few pools at the bottom level to the whole layer being submerged, forming a gigantic underground sea, including [[fish]] and possibly camps of [[olm man|olm men]] and other [[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]

Beneath the third layer lies the [[magma sea]].

If you hit caverns too often then you can create a custom world with a higher number for 'Z Levels Above Layer 1' - Levels of stone above the first cavern layer. Making this higher will guarantee at least this many levels to build your fortress, but will have no impact on how many z-levels thick the surface layer is. Also, the top of a cavern may be higher than the rest of a cavern, so in practice there will be more levels than this.

==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 pit]]s:''' Deep pits are... deep pits, that connect one cavern level to the next. They have a fixed shape. The top z-level, where the pit meets the next cavern level, is un-muddied rough rock floor where the normal space of the deep pit and the random rock spires of the cavern collide.

If your map has an unseen [[cave-in]] at the beginning of embark, the caverns may have a deep pit somewhere. This occurs because some stone in the cavern above the deep pit is unsupported, and falls down. This may be a bug.

'''[[Magma pool]]s:''' Despite the name, magma pools are not actual pools, but tubes extending up from the [[magma sea]]. Their shape is fixed and their presence random. A magma tube might extend all the way to the top cavern, or merely a few z-levels. Magma pools can be distinguished from the magma sea even if they are only a single Z-level high due to two important features: they will always be walled by obsidian as opposed to the standard stone of the layer and, more importantly, will (very slowly) refill to their top if any magma is drained.

'''[[Passage]]s:'''
Passages are natural tunnels connecting two layers by ramps and short, twisted tunnel sections. The announcement window will let you know you've found a downward passage even if you happen to discover it from the bottom.

==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-cap]]s, and [[Fungiwood]](s).

'''Level two''': a level filled with, in addition to the above, [[Goblin-cap]]s, [[Spore tree]]s, [[Black-cap]]s, and [[Tunnel tube]]s.

'''Level three''': a level lacking the trees the first level had, while still having those the second introduced, also has [[Nether-cap]]s and [[Blood thorn]]s.

Any cavern layer without a pool of water will have only muddy dense floor fungus and no plants or trees except for [[Blood thorn]]s.

Removing a layer will cause the layer above to randomly pick from trees that the now removed layer could have handled and the layer above can handle.

==Dangers==
There are many, many dangerous [[animal]]s in a cavern, including [[giant cave spider]]s, [[giant olm]]s, [[troll]]s, [[cave crocodile]]s, and others.

Cavern level one is as good as things get, and the following levels will [[Cave dragon|only]] [[Voracious cave crawler|be]] [[Magma crab|worse]]. If you can't stand level one, you won't be able to stand level two or three.

[[Hungry head|Flying creatures]] can <s>ruin your day</s> [[Fun|provide some fun]] if your main stairwell leads directly into the cavern (the bottom of up-down/down stairs can be passed by flying creatures).

Also, any cavern of sufficient size will be inhabited by [[giant cave spider]]s, which can be both [[Silk|benefit]] and hazard.

One thing you really have to watch out for is having your main stairwell lead into a cavern. It doesn't have to be so walking creatures can get in, but just so there's an open hole. Any hostile creature sitting under your open stairway will spook any dwarves trying to use it, causing a flood of job cancellation messages as they keep trying to reach their destination. When this happens it can lead to all your dwarves starving themselves to death. Only build stairs on the side, preferably with a hatch.

==Benefits==
Caverns provide ever regenerating resources in form of underground [[wood|forests]], animals to hunt, and fish. On breaching a cavern layer, a variety of [[ore]]s and [[gem]]s lining its walls will be revealed. The cavern floors are always [[Farming#Underground Farming|muddied]], providing soil to a variety of underground [[plant]]s. Also, underground caverns and the [[water]] they provide can be used in constructions and traps. In places like [[glacier]]s, caverns will provide the only source of [[water]] and [[farming|farmable]] land. Throwing your prisoners into a damp hellhole filled with ravaging beasts is a nice addition, too. Additionally, creating a world without caverns will result in no subterranean plants, plant products (plump helmets/spawn/wine etc) or fish available on embark (or trade? {{verify}}).

Once an underground cavern has been discovered, shrubs and trees will spontaneously grow on any subterranean [[soil]] or [[mud]]died [[rock]] on every embark site that accesses the cavern. This means that if you find a cavern in one embark site and embark in another site accessing the same cavern, plants will start growing there even before you discover the branch of the cavern that lies under the site. This allows you to construct underground tree farms and avoid sending dwarves to the surface to harvest wood, or just to get wood in environments without above-ground forests.

As walls can be built right up to the map edge below ground, it is possible to prevent land creatures from spawning by turning all the spawn points into walls. A single level of wall is sufficient to halt non-fliers, who will appear on the wall and be unable to get down into the cavern itself. Fliers can be stopped only by building walls up to the ceiling, and swimmers can't be prevented from spawning without obsidianising the water tiles on the map edge. The next best thing is to block off access, which can be achieved by dropping a layer of natural stone wall into the water.

===Creatures===
[[Cage trap]]s placed in the caverns can capture wild animals to potentially [[animal trainer|tame]]. As with above-ground creatures, subterranean groups of creatures are limited to one group at a time. Many of the more interesting creatures appear in groups of one and have small populations, so you'll have to clear out a lot of bugbats and crundles before being able to grab every giant cave spider or jabberer your site can produce.

These small populations may result in all spawned individuals being of the same sex, making breeding programs impossible even for creatures that have the necessary tags. Adding the [CHILD:1] to a creature is a relatively easy mod, but sex changes require the application of a transformational syndrome and possibly changing the creature from an egg-layer to a live-birther.

==When should I start exploring?==
[[Image:Cavern.png‎|thumb|right|A cavern found underground.]]
You should have a working military. The first cavern usually has few hazardous monsters, apart from the occasional [[giant olm]] or [[giant toad|toad]] and [[giant cave spider]]s, but just one giant bat can destroy an early fort, and [[Forgotten beast|uninvited guests]] will wander in sooner or later. The subsequent caverns will become increasingly [[fun]], so don't dig too deep without making adequate preparation. You can handle what tries to attack, presuming you don't have a [[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.

==Methods of Exploration==
:''This section covers methods to explore already discovered caverns; if you're having trouble finding the caverns, check [[Exploratory mining]] for tips.''

There are many different methods of exploring, some less [[fun]] than others.

'''Dwarf team''': The most entertaining method, you can have dwarves manually explore the cavern by foot. This can be done by ordering your [[squads]] into the cavern with move orders. If you use this method, it is recommended that you equip your dwarves well. The {{k|s}}quad:{{k|a}}ttack:{{k|l}}ist command will help you find and kill enemy creatures which may be located on many different z-levels inside the cavern.

Note that creatures may wander into the cavern from the edges, so, if you want to start collecting silk, gems, ore and the other valuable loot in a cavern, and you want to do so safely, you should first kill or capture the creatures in the cavern, and then you can wall off the edges to keep new creatures from wandering in. Note that, if you want to keep flying creatures out, your walls will need to cover the edge of the cavern from the floor to the ceiling. If you'd still like to fight or capture wandering creatures, but don't want them killing your workers, you can leave some room for creatures to get in, and build doors or cages as necessary.

'''Fortifications''': as dwarves can see through [[fortification]]s, you can carve out a fortification near the edge of the explored area to safely discover more of the cavern. This prevents wildlife and [[megabeast]]s from entering your fort, as an added benefit. This method does not work for exploring the magma layers - or rather, it ''does'' work, but for a very, very brief time during which there is much [[fun]].

'''Digging and walling''': Instead of [[smoothing]] a wall and then carving a fortification, it can be quicker to just dig out the wall and then blocking off the opening with a [[construction|constructed]] wall. The disadvantage over the fortification method is that if any dangerous creatures are lurking unseen near edge of the explored area they might get to your dwarf before the wall can be put up.

'''Digging from above''': The only method that works in the magma layers, this method requires you to dig a hole from above the caverns into the cavern. It is advisable to seal the hole afterwards if you wish to prevent flying or magma creatures from entering your fort.

'''Autonomous Dwarven Cavern Rover''': [[Activity_zone#Pit.2FPond|Pit]] an animal into the cavern through an access tunnel above the cavern floor, walling it up afterward if you wish. The animal will wander the cavern, revealing more of it, and possibly stumble across things you would prefer your dwarves not encounter unaware. Use a female animal when you have a male of the same species somewhere in your fortress to produce a population of self replicating rovers. If the animal is tame, its movement can be somewhat controlled by creating a [[Activity zone#Meeting Area|meeting zone]] in the place you would like it to move to.

'''Suicide mission''': Ideal for exploring the bottom of a deep pit or magma pool. Knock a dwarf or animal into the pit, and they will rapidly plummet. Despite being unconscious, they will report everything they see for as long as they are alive. [[Noble]]s, [[cat]]s and [[vampire]]s make excellent geonauts.

'''Separate tunnels''': Digging exploration tunnels from within your fortress will result in a direct path from the caverns to your fortress- this can result in enormous volumes of fun. Players seeking to avoid fun may instead choose to start their exploration tunnels from elsewhere on the surface, outside the fortress. This guarantees that any threats released through exploration must pass through the same entrance utilized by surface threats, such as goblins or elephants, before they can access the fortress.

This method is recommended in conjunction with the "Digging from above" method. Placing the tunnels as close as possible to the edges of the map will reduce obstruction to the fortress. Magmawiki assumes no liability for any potential damage to lesser surface races resulting from the release of subterranean monsters directly into the surface world.

==Adventurer Mode==
You can enter a cavern with an [[Adventurer_mode|adventurer]] and explore it. The dangers are obvious; Nasty creatures, pitfalls, etc. But you also have to watch out because you can't fast-travel underground. That means no easy healing, so you have to be very careful. Make sure you stock up on food, water and (if you use it) ammunition before you head in, though, as caverns are quite massive and it can be difficult to find your way back. Luckily, there are tribes of animal men underground; unlike in fortress mode, they are your friends. Some of them can even be hired. Camps almost always have food, and usually some other items as well, though probably less useful. Since you can't fast-travel, you have to rely on sleeping to heal, which can be dangerous due to the [[Giant cave spider|nature]] of caverns. If you sleep in a camp, the tribe will try and protect you from [[Forgotten beast|whatever]] [[Troll|shows]] [[Blind cave ogre|up]]. Escaping from the caverns by the same route used as an entrance can be very difficult, though if you manage to reach a cavern area immediately underneath a town you will be able to fast-travel to the surface.

==Caravan and embark item availability==
[[Embark]]ation and dwarven [[caravan]]s will only provide resources available in the first cavern level. Since [[purring maggot]]s don't appear in the first cavern level, unlike in 40d, you can't buy dwarven [[cheese]] or dwarven [[milk]] {{Bug|1449}}. A workaround is to edit the global [[raw file]]s to make purring maggots appear on level one, [[world generation|generate a new world]], then edit the raws of the new world to change the maggots back to normal before embark.

{{World|Biomes}}

v0.34:Swimmer

2013-01-29T00:18:53Z

Naryar:

{{Quality|Fine}}
{{Skill
| color = 3:0
| skill = Swimmer
| specialty = Peasant
| profession = None
| job name = None
| tasks =
* Getting in and out of water
* Staying calm underwater
| attributes =
* Strength
* Agility
* Endurance
* Willpower
* Spatial Sense
* Kinesthetic Sense
}}
{{av}}

== Drowning ==
Dwarves with dabbling or no [[experience]] as '''Swimmers''' will start drowning immediately upon contact with deep surface [[water]] (ie surface water of 7/7 depth). Those of novice level experience or greater can be in deep surface water without drowning. Any dwarf will start drowning in 7/7 water if there is more water on levels above them (eg they are at the bottom of a two level deep cistern, or the bottom of the ocean).

Any conscious, uninjured, not stunned dwarf finding themselves in water of depth 4/7 or greater will try to leave if they can find a path out of around 20 tiles in length or less.[http://www.bay12forums.com/smf/index.php?topic=116764.0] If they can't find an exit within that distance, they won't move.

Dabbling swimmers require a [[ramp]] or [[stairs|stairway]] within 20 tiles to have any chance of getting out of deep water. Fortunately every natural shallow body of water has ramps.

Novice swimmers are able to get out of deep water safely without needing a ramp or stairway, but they will start drowning if [[Status_icons|stunned]]. Once that happens it can be difficult to get them out, as they lose the ability to exit anywhere and behave just like an untrained or dabbling swimmer. Everyone is stunned by falling into water rather than entering it calmly, which is what normally happens when they aren't entering it of their [[Carp|own free will]].

Adequate swimmers do not panic and start drowning in that situation, even when attacked, so training to this level is highly recommended. Higher levels only increase the speed when swimming, with a legendary swimmer being ''faster'' than he would be while running.

Note that you can drown in [[magma]] as well, but most creatures tend to burn to death first.

== Learning/Teaching swimming ==
A dwarf in the water will gain the ability to swim very fast - sadly not fast enough to prevent death from drowning. While water with a depth of 7/7 is deadly for non-swimmers, 6/7 or less will not harm any dwarf. So you can use water from 4/7 to 6/7 safely to teach your little ones how to swim. The speed of learning is independent of the depth, but water with a depth less of than 4/7 is not deep enough to make a dwarf swim, and therefore learn anything.

Training your little ones just requires a place of constantly or temporarily 4-6/7 water. Military orders or making rooms a meeting hall will not entice dwarves into the water, so you may need to prevent them from leaving an area (locked door, etc.) and then fill the area with the required amount of water, or dump them in from above using a [[bridge|retracting bridge]].

Swimming, since it involves no activity, can be potentially useful to train physically handicapped dwarves, whose conditions might go away or become manageable with an attribute boost to strength, endurance, willpower etc.

A fully automated method to train idlers is to use water flowing over a 1-z drop, with a 1-wide meeting zone at the top of the ledge, and a swimming pool at the bottom. Idlers will go to the meeting zone, be swept over the side into the pool and swim to the ramp, and repeat this for as long as they are idle. The meeting zone must have a low enough rate of flow that it has unsubmerged tiles, so dwarves voluntarily move into it. This can be accomplished with tricks like restricting flow through diagonal passages (see [[Pressure]] for details). Be aware that in recent versions dwarves can now suffer injuries more easily when falling, so this method can cause serious harm when the dwarves are washed over the edge.

Diagram of the 'fully automated' configuration described above:

.... - (pool continues as desired)
║≈≈≈≈║ - depth 4-6 swimming pool on Z-1
║+++▲║ - dropoff / entrance ramp from above
║<nowiki>~~~~</nowiki>║ - meeting hall, depth 0-3
╚╗%╔═╝
║%║ - screw pump (S->N)
║.║ - limited pump source (e.g. depth ~4-per-tick tile on Z-1)
╚═╝
Not pictured: exit from the swimming pool, preferably close to the entrance ramp to minimize delays in training.

== Adventure Mode ==
In [[adventurer mode]], as a novice swimmer, by moving carefully ({{k|alt}}+direction) into open space above water and selecting the option to move below (such as West/Below), you can swim about without getting stunned and starting to drown. To get out, alt-move carefully against a shoreline and select the option to move above.

Swimmers can also dive and rise through the [[z-axis]] by pressing {{k|>}} and {{k|<}} respectively. Note that air-breathers will be unable to breathe without air in the tile above them, and without returning to the surface will eventually drown. (Sadly, there's no oxygen meter as of yet, so you'll never know when they're about to expire. Don't linger too long.)

In adventure mode, water preference can be switched between "when possible" and "necessary" by pressing {{k|m}}.

If the temperature (press {{k|P}}) is "freezing" or if it is "cold" and close to sundown, the water may freeze while you are swimming, which instantly kills you and leaves your frozen corpse encased in ice and a valuable find for archeologists.
{{Skills}}

v0.34:Dragon

2013-01-29T00:17:14Z

Naryar:

{{quality|Exceptional|11:47, 2 October 2010 (UTC)}}
{{Creaturelookup/0
|bone=110
|meat=139
|fat=65
|lung=18
|heart=4
|intestine=27
|liver=9
|tripe=9
|sweetbread=4
|spleen=4
|kidney=8
|brain=5
|skull=1
|skin=scale
|contrib=no
|wiki=yes
}}
{{av}}
{{creaturedesc}}

'''Dragons''' are gigantic fire-breathing, green reptilian [[megabeast]]s, eventually becoming some of the largest beings in the world.

While based on the occidental dragon model, dragons do not fly nor have wings. They are immune to fire and magma (and are not harmed by being immersed in it, they will however [[drown]] in it). They breathe out a jet of extremely hot ({{ct|50000}} hot) "dragonfire" which can injure things that are immune to normal fire, such as the [[Bronze colossus]] (dragonfire is, however, a blockable attack if its victim is using a shield). Only Dragons and [[Cave dragon|Cave Dragons]] are naturally immune to dragonfire. They are also ''not'' trapavoid.

Dragons are covetous and seek to steal items from your fortresses to bring them back to their lairs. Dragons generally succeed in doing so on worldgen, but most of the time when they attack a player fortress they get caged, killed or succeed in burning the whole fortress down.

Dragons are the glass cannons of the megabeasts. They aren't especially durable for a megabeast and can be slain quite easily with traps or skilled soldiers, however their dragonfire will melt every other non-shield-using creature in the game (except for [[sponge]]s), they breathe fire over a large distance and they breathe fire often.

==Dragon Size==

Dragons can grow to be the second largest creatures in the game, eventually reaching their adult size of 25,000,000 cm3 after 1000 years. As a hatchling, dragons are quite tiny, at exactly 1/10th an adult dwarf's size, but they grow very rapidly, at roughly 25,000 cm3 per year. Dragons reach dwarf size shortly after its second birthday, are more than double a dwarf at about year 5, and add another dwarf in size roughly every two years after that.

*At 23 years, a dragon is the size of a [[giant cheetah]].
*At 80 years, a dragon is the size of an adolescent [[Roc]].
*At 200 years, a dragon is the size of an adult [[elephant]].
*At 320 years, a dragon is the size of a [[Hydra]].
*At 800 years, a dragon is the size of a [[Bronze colossus]] or an adult [[Roc]].
*Thereafter, a dragon is the largest creature found on land. It should be noted that the [[Giant sperm whale]] is the largest creature found anywhere.

==Defense Strategies==

Dragonfire can be blocked if the victim is using a shield, and it often will be. Dragons are also massively powerful in melee combat, so they can be hard to take down without a good military. Possibly the best defense is to use piercing weapons like crossbows and especially spears and hope you get lucky and hit a vital organ which can bring it down immediately. An alternative is building one or multiple cage traps, possibly beforehand, which will probably cage the dragon making it harmless. You should know that most cages and mechanisms will be melt or destroyed by dragonfire, so either make sure both cages (or weapons, or supports) and mechanisms are impervious to dragonfire , or more simply ensure that the dragon has no reason to breathe fire by removing animals and dwarves from the trapped area. While they won't fire on buildings normally, a stray blast (at your outdoor livestock or bait animals, say) that catches any traps, doors, bridges not made of [[fire|dragonfire-safe]] materials will melt and deactivate them.

==Domestication==
Dragons can be captured in cage traps and tamed if you're lucky enough to catch one. Currently, knowledge of animal behaviour is based on the civilization level and depends partly on the animals available for contact in a given civilization site. Such a rare megabeast as a dragon is unlikely to have had any civilized contact aside from adventurers attempting to slay them and other violent contact; as such, your fort will have to build the knowledge base from the ground up, making dragon-taming a highly difficult task. Bear in mind that even with a skilled [[animal trainer]] at hand, your first attempts to control such a powerful and elusive beast may result in [[Fun|half your fortress burning in dragonfire]].

If you can manage to endure its long-untamed wrath, you'll have a massively valuable pet that can lay [[egg]]s. Dragons can also be trained as war or hunting animals at an [[Activity_zone#Animal_Training|animal training zone]]. You may have to watch out, though, as even a relatively tame dragon can seriously damage a fortress with one blast of ill-timed dragonfire. See [[fire]] for details.

Dragons do not have a [CHILD] tag, and therefore their eggs do not hatch in fortress mode.

==Irregularities, Bugs, and Future Plans==
Dragons have been observed to occasionally wear some armour (breastplates, greaves, leggings and boots). This armor is specified as "Large [metal][armor type]" and gives the dragon the same protection as any other species might get from it.

Toady has mentioned that he plans to eventually extend the random creature generator of the game to create different species and varieties of dragon within certain constraints, calling it "Half-Random", with ideas for variants including just about anything dragons have been given in literature, such as acidic blood, while maintaining a basic draconic structure.([http://www.bay12forums.com/smf/index.php?topic=30026.msg1012311#msg1012311])

One of the [[Consolidated Development: Arcs, core-items, bloats, Reqs and Powergoals#Power Goals|old power goals]] referenced stealing dragon eggs as part of an adventure mode quest.
{{gamedata}}
{{Creatures}}
{{Category|Megabeasts}}

v0.34:Surroundings

2013-01-27T20:23:46Z

Naryar: /* Evil */

{{quality|Masterwork|22:10, 22 September 2012 (UTC)}} {{av}}

'''Surroundings''' affect the types of [[crop|plant]] life, wild [[animal|animals]] and [[creatures]] which will appear in play within a given [[biome]]. It is possible to start a [[fortress]] that overlaps multiple alignment types (for example a terrifying [[forest]] and a calm [[shrubland]]). Some players consider this desirable, as it provides diversity in your little corner of the world, but it also has its dangers in the form of more ferocious wildlife.

Some plants and animals are unique to a certain type of surroundings and will only be found if those surroundings are present on the map. Note that most creatures also require a specific [[climate]] to spawn in. Again, it's important to check the specific biomes making up your site. Once a [[creature]] spawns on the map, it is under no compulsion to stay in its own biome and can roam as it pleases. Because of this, the specifics of what means what can be difficult to pin down sometimes.

== Combinations of surroundings ==

{| {{prettytable}}
|-style="background:#dddddd"
|style="background:#aaaaaa"| ||'''Benign'''||'''Neutral'''||'''Savage'''
|-
|style="background:#dddddd"|'''Good'''||Serene||Mirthful||Joyous Wilds
|-
|style="background:#dddddd"|'''Neutral'''||Calm||Wilderness||Untamed Wilds
|-
|style="background:#dddddd"|'''Evil'''||Sinister||Haunted||Terrifying
|}

===Neutral===

:including '''Calm''', '''Wilderness''' and '''Untamed Wilds'''

'''Neutral''' regions are the easiest to understand. They generally mimic the real world, with recognizable wildlife. They can be quite dangerous depending on the region, holding anything from generally non-aggressive but physically powerful enemies such as [[gorilla]]s and [[elephant]]s to the very aggressive and very dangerous [[giant eagle]]s. As one might expect, ''Benign Neutral'' zones are really very safe, while ''Savage Neutral'' areas can pose some major difficulties, depending on the dominating climate and landforms. You'll find most of the standard aboveground plants in these alignments, such as [[prickle berry|prickle berries]], [[rope reed]], [[DF2012:Wild strawberry|wild strawberries]] and the like.

===Good===

:including '''Serene''', '''Mirthful''' and '''Joyous Wilds'''

'''Good''' biomes tend to have less aggressive and weaker [[creatures]], except for the [[unicorn]]. Good regions also support the wild [[sun berry]], which makes the best [[alcohol]] in the game. There are generally slight changes between ''Benign Good'' and ''Savage Good''.

=====Distinctive flora & fauna=====
* Animals: [[mountain gnome]], [[satyr]], [[unicorn]], [[merperson]], [[gorlak]]
* Plants: [[sun berry]], [[bubble bulb]], [[downy grass]]
* Trees: [[feather tree]]
* Vermin: [[fluffy wambler]], [[fairy]], [[pixie]]

===Evil===

:including '''Sinister''', '''Haunted''' and '''Terrifying'''

'''Evil''' regions are much more <s>dangerous</s> [[fun]] than their ''Neutral'' and ''Good'' counterparts across the board. At their root, ''Evil'' regions are modified ''Neutral'' regions. In addition to a pack of other [[creatures]] that are nasty, dangerous, and spiteful such as [[beak dog]]s, [[harpy|harpies]], and [[ogre]]s, ''Evil'' regions may modify their ''Neutral'' base by infecting many (but not all) of the indigenous [[creatures]] with various forms of [[undead|undeath]]. [[Undead]] cannot be killed through conventional means (dismemberment reanimates the individual body parts, creating even more enemies than before) and must be either butchered and tanned or exposed to magma in order to kill them permanently in certain (always evil) reanimating biomes. Any non-undead creature that dies in such a biome will reanimate as an undead creature after it is killed, including sentient beings, and any severed body parts and loose skin will also come to life as an individual enemy. Clearly, hunting undead animals for food is pointless, and finding kills in a place where things won't stay dead is suicidal. Sea Creatures will be able to come ashore in their undead forms, so expect to deal with that if you choose such a location for embark. The trees at embark may all be dead, and though they can be harvested, will not regrow. Undead shrubs are useless for gathering, too.

Even the [[DF2012:Evil weather|weather]] is dangerous; clouds of creeping murk can inflict various syndromes on par with those of [[forgotten beast|forgotten beasts]], or instantly transform creatures into nearly-indestructible thralls. Evil rains may also inflict random syndromes, albeit less severe ones, and always cause strong unhappy [[thought]]s and a desire to wash. A noticeable effect of evil rain is that murky pools will never refill.

Because of the inhospitability of evil regions, even ''Benign Evil'' is very difficult for beginning players to earn a niche to work in, so it should be reserved for a challenge play only.

=====Distinctive flora & fauna=====
* Animals: [[ogre]], [[dark gnome]], [[beak dog]], [[foul blendec]], [[grimeling]], [[harpy]], [[troll]], [[strangler]], [[nightwing]], [[ice wolf]], [[blizzard man]], [[sea monster]], [[manera]]
* Plants: [[sliver barb]], [[staring eyeball]], [[wormy tendril]]
* Trees: [[glumprong]]
* Vermin: [[demon rat]], [[blood gnat]], [[knuckle worm]], [[phantom spider]]

===Savage===
'''Savage''' surroundings are typically more dangerous than their Neutral or Benign counterparts, due to the "wildlife" (naturally occurring creatures) found therein. Savage regions contain many giant versions of normal wildlife, as well as sentient humanoid versions. A "Savage Good" region is called Joyous Wilds, a "Savage Neutral" region is called Untamed Wilds, and a "Savage Evil" region is called (and can truly be) Terrifying.

=====Distinctive flora & fauna=====
* Animals: [[giant eagle]], [[giant cheetah]], [[giant leopard]], [[giant jaguar]], [[giant tiger]], [[giant lion]], [[tigerman]], [[slugman]], [[snailman]], [[leechman]], [[giant desert scorpion]], [[sasquatch]], [[sea serpent]]
* Plants: [[whip vine]]
* Trees: [[Tree#List_of_Trees|highwood]]
* Vermin: [[two-legged rhino lizard]], [[moghopper]], [[fox squirrel]], [[acorn fly]]

{{World}}

v0.34:Surroundings

2013-01-27T20:23:17Z

Naryar:

{{quality|Masterwork|22:10, 22 September 2012 (UTC)}} {{av}}

'''Surroundings''' affect the types of [[crop|plant]] life, wild [[animal|animals]] and [[creatures]] which will appear in play within a given [[biome]]. It is possible to start a [[fortress]] that overlaps multiple alignment types (for example a terrifying [[forest]] and a calm [[shrubland]]). Some players consider this desirable, as it provides diversity in your little corner of the world, but it also has its dangers in the form of more ferocious wildlife.

Some plants and animals are unique to a certain type of surroundings and will only be found if those surroundings are present on the map. Note that most creatures also require a specific [[climate]] to spawn in. Again, it's important to check the specific biomes making up your site. Once a [[creature]] spawns on the map, it is under no compulsion to stay in its own biome and can roam as it pleases. Because of this, the specifics of what means what can be difficult to pin down sometimes.

== Combinations of surroundings ==

{| {{prettytable}}
|-style="background:#dddddd"
|style="background:#aaaaaa"| ||'''Benign'''||'''Neutral'''||'''Savage'''
|-
|style="background:#dddddd"|'''Good'''||Serene||Mirthful||Joyous Wilds
|-
|style="background:#dddddd"|'''Neutral'''||Calm||Wilderness||Untamed Wilds
|-
|style="background:#dddddd"|'''Evil'''||Sinister||Haunted||Terrifying
|}

===Neutral===

:including '''Calm''', '''Wilderness''' and '''Untamed Wilds'''

'''Neutral''' regions are the easiest to understand. They generally mimic the real world, with recognizable wildlife. They can be quite dangerous depending on the region, holding anything from generally non-aggressive but physically powerful enemies such as [[gorilla]]s and [[elephant]]s to the very aggressive and very dangerous [[giant eagle]]s. As one might expect, ''Benign Neutral'' zones are really very safe, while ''Savage Neutral'' areas can pose some major difficulties, depending on the dominating climate and landforms. You'll find most of the standard aboveground plants in these alignments, such as [[prickle berry|prickle berries]], [[rope reed]], [[DF2012:Wild strawberry|wild strawberries]] and the like.

===Good===

:including '''Serene''', '''Mirthful''' and '''Joyous Wilds'''

'''Good''' biomes tend to have less aggressive and weaker [[creatures]], except for the [[unicorn]]. Good regions also support the wild [[sun berry]], which makes the best [[alcohol]] in the game. There are generally slight changes between ''Benign Good'' and ''Savage Good''.

=====Distinctive flora & fauna=====
* Animals: [[mountain gnome]], [[satyr]], [[unicorn]], [[merperson]], [[gorlak]]
* Plants: [[sun berry]], [[bubble bulb]], [[downy grass]]
* Trees: [[feather tree]]
* Vermin: [[fluffy wambler]], [[fairy]], [[pixie]]

===Evil===

:including '''Sinister''', '''Haunted''' and '''Terrifying'''

'''Evil''' regions are much more <s>dangerous</s> [[FUN]] than their ''Neutral'' and ''Good'' counterparts across the board. At their root, ''Evil'' regions are modified ''Neutral'' regions. In addition to a pack of other [[creatures]] that are nasty, dangerous, and spiteful such as [[beak dog]]s, [[harpy|harpies]], and [[ogre]]s, ''Evil'' regions may modify their ''Neutral'' base by infecting many (but not all) of the indigenous [[creatures]] with various forms of [[undead|undeath]]. [[Undead]] cannot be killed through conventional means (dismemberment reanimates the individual body parts, creating even more enemies than before) and must be either butchered and tanned or exposed to magma in order to kill them permanently in certain (always evil) reanimating biomes. Any non-undead creature that dies in such a biome will reanimate as an undead creature after it is killed, including sentient beings, and any severed body parts and loose skin will also come to life as an individual enemy. Clearly, hunting undead animals for food is pointless, and finding kills in a place where things won't stay dead is suicidal. Sea Creatures will be able to come ashore in their undead forms, so expect to deal with that if you choose such a location for embark. The trees at embark may all be dead, and though they can be harvested, will not regrow. Undead shrubs are useless for gathering, too.

Even the [[DF2012:Evil weather|weather]] is dangerous; clouds of creeping murk can inflict various syndromes on par with those of [[forgotten beast|forgotten beasts]], or instantly transform creatures into nearly-indestructible thralls. Evil rains may also inflict random syndromes, albeit less severe ones, and always cause strong unhappy [[thought]]s and a desire to wash. A noticeable effect of evil rain is that murky pools will never refill.

Because of the inhospitability of evil regions, even ''Benign Evil'' is very difficult for beginning players to earn a niche to work in, so it should be reserved for a challenge play only.

=====Distinctive flora & fauna=====
* Animals: [[ogre]], [[dark gnome]], [[beak dog]], [[foul blendec]], [[grimeling]], [[harpy]], [[troll]], [[strangler]], [[nightwing]], [[ice wolf]], [[blizzard man]], [[sea monster]], [[manera]]
* Plants: [[sliver barb]], [[staring eyeball]], [[wormy tendril]]
* Trees: [[glumprong]]
* Vermin: [[demon rat]], [[blood gnat]], [[knuckle worm]], [[phantom spider]]

===Savage===
'''Savage''' surroundings are typically more dangerous than their Neutral or Benign counterparts, due to the "wildlife" (naturally occurring creatures) found therein. Savage regions contain many giant versions of normal wildlife, as well as sentient humanoid versions. A "Savage Good" region is called Joyous Wilds, a "Savage Neutral" region is called Untamed Wilds, and a "Savage Evil" region is called (and can truly be) Terrifying.

=====Distinctive flora & fauna=====
* Animals: [[giant eagle]], [[giant cheetah]], [[giant leopard]], [[giant jaguar]], [[giant tiger]], [[giant lion]], [[tigerman]], [[slugman]], [[snailman]], [[leechman]], [[giant desert scorpion]], [[sasquatch]], [[sea serpent]]
* Plants: [[whip vine]]
* Trees: [[Tree#List_of_Trees|highwood]]
* Vermin: [[two-legged rhino lizard]], [[moghopper]], [[fox squirrel]], [[acorn fly]]

{{World}}

v0.34:Giant sponge

2013-01-27T20:20:59Z

Naryar:

{{quality|Fine|10:05, 21 March 2012 (UTC)}}
{{Creaturelookup/0
|wiki=no
|contrib=no
|death=nobutcher}}
{{av}}
{{creaturedesc}}

'''Giant sponges''' are larger versions of [[sponge]]s. They can be found in savage rivers, lakes and oceans, and are one of the most improbably [[fun]] new creatures of DF2012.

Physically, giant sponges are blobs made of "sponge" tissue. Despite this harmless appearance, they have earned a reputation similar to that previously held by [[carp]], for they are much more dangerous than they look. If some hapless [[dwarf]] appears near their water, giant sponges may feel suddenly threatened and charge (!) the hapless dwarf and engage in combat. They may also become enraged or unconscious, as utterly improbable as that sounds.

''"Without a nervous system, the only thing it can feel is ANGER."

'''Giant sponges cannot be killed in normal combat.''' Any kind edge attack will only tear the body at best, and blunt attacks make no damage at all. This is due to having just one body part, with no blood, no brain, and no way to cut the body into two. Even several bronze colossuses wielding adamantine slashing weapons, or throwing punches, will not kill them. Besides being completely invulnerable to combat damage, their large size means they can shatter bones, articulations, bruise organs or even kill a dwarf via headshot using their default "push" attack. How a giant sponge's soft structural tissue can break a dwarven skull is a [[physics|mystery for the ages]].

== Giant Sponge Fun Facts ==

*Giant sponges are utterly immune to blunt damage and seemingly cannot be killed by edge damage, only "torn"
*Giant sponges do not seem to take damage from being set on [[fire]], although they will die from air-drowning.
*Giant sponges do not explode when striking the ground with enough force, so they are immune to falling damage.
*Giant sponges can only move when attacking or charging other creatures.
*Giant sponges ''do'' feel pain, and if hurt enough, will fall unconscious (whatever that means).
*The only way to kill a giant sponge is by airdrowning or by using an insta-kill method such as a [[dwarven atom smasher]], encasing it in obisidian or ice, or dropping a [[cave-in]] on it.

Beware embarking on evil water, though; a zombie giant sponge (or even worse, a [[evil weather|thralled]] giant sponge) is '''not''' strictly aquatic.

Both [[sponge]]s and giant sponges are, according to their raws, susceptible to infection. It is not known if sponges can die of infection.

Due to their invulnerability, giant sponges are wonderful training dummies, as long as they will not air-drown. However, your dwarves need to be protected if you want to engage giant sponges in melee, and the giant sponges quickly become unconscious, negating most dwarf experience gains. This can be fixed by making them [[undead]] (although a [[evil weather|thralled]] giant sponge will likely be far too [[fun]] to be trained on) They are also useful as crossbow training dummies.

According to its raws, the giant sponge can not only be tamed but even ''ridden as a war beast'' by invaders. No reports of goblins or elves riding giant sponges has been documented, but maybe its strictly aquatic lifestyle prevents it from being chosen.

{{gamedata}}
{{Creatures}}

v0.34:Giant sponge

2013-01-27T20:19:41Z

Naryar:

{{quality|Fine|10:05, 21 March 2012 (UTC)}}
{{Creaturelookup/0
|wiki=no
|contrib=no
|death=nobutcher}}
{{av}}
{{creaturedesc}}

'''Giant sponges''' are larger versions of [[sponge]]s. They can be found in savage rivers, lakes and oceans, and are one of the most improbably [[fun]] new creatures of DF2012.

Physically, giant sponges are blobs made of "sponge" tissue. Despite this harmless appearance, they have earned a reputation similar to that previously held by [[carp]], for they are much more dangerous than they look. If some hapless [[dwarf]] appears near their water, giant sponges may feel suddenly threatened and charge (!) the hapless dwarf and engage in combat. They may also become enraged or unconscious, as utterly improbable as that sounds.

''"Without a nervous system, the only thing it can feel is ANGER."

'''Giant sponges cannot be killed in normal combat.''' Any kind edge attack will only tear the body at best, and blunt attacks make no damage at all. This is due to having just one body part, with no blood, no brain, and no way to cut the body into two. Even several bronze colossuses wielding adamantine slashing weapons, or throwing punches, will not kill them. Besides being completely invulnerable to combat damage, their large size means they can shatter bones, articulations, bruise organs or even kill a dwarf via headshot using their default "push" attack. How a giant sponge's soft structural tissue can break a dwarven skull is a [[physics|mystery for the ages]].

== Giant Sponge Fun Facts ==

*Giant sponges are utterly immune to blunt damage and seemingly cannot be killed by edge damage, only "torn"
*Giant sponges do not seem to take damage from being set on [[fire]], although they will die from air-drowning.
*Giant sponges do not explode when striking the ground with enough force, so they are immune to falling damage.
*Giant sponges can only move when attacking or charging other creatures.
*Giant sponges ''do'' feel pain, and if hurt enough, will fall unconscious (whatever that means).
*The only way to kill a giant sponge is by airdrowning or by using an insta-kill method such as a [[dwarven atom smasher]], encasing it in obisidian or ice, or dropping a [[cave-in]] on it.

Beware embarking on evil water, though; a zombie giant sponge (or even worse, a [[evil weather|thralled]] giant sponge) is '''not''' strictly aquatic.

Both [[sponge]]s and giant sponges are, according to their raws, susceptible to infection. It is not known if sponges can die of infection.

Due to their invulnerability, giant sponges are wonderful training dummies, as long as they will not air-drown. However, your dwarves need to be protected if you want to engage giant sponges in melee, and the giant sponges quickly become unconscious, negating most dwarf experience gains. This can be fixed by making them [[undead]] (although a [[night creature#thrall|thralled]] giant sponge will likely be far too [[fun]] to be trained on) They are also useful as crossbow training dummies.

According to its raws, the giant sponge can not only be tamed but even ''ridden as a war beast'' by invaders. No reports of goblins or elves riding giant sponges has been documented, but maybe its strictly aquatic lifestyle prevents it from being chosen.

{{gamedata}}
{{Creatures}}

v0.34:Live training

2013-01-25T22:03:41Z

Naryar:

{{quality|Fine|00:42, 14 May 2012 (UTC)}}{{av}}
'''Live training''' is the process of how to attack [[creatures]] with [[military]] [[dwarves]] (and be attacked by these creatures as well) with minimal or inexistent [[wound]]s in order to train your military's [[skill]]s, if you consider [[danger room]]s as an exploit, or don't want to randomly lose [[children]] or [[pet]]s, and find [[sparring]] and military [[training]] too slow.

There are many ways how to do this. What you must ensure first is your dwarf's safety.

== Killing Wildlife ==

Just arm and armor your military and gratuitiously hunt wild [[animals]]. Note that some wild animals are more than capable of killing your dabbling [[soldier]]s, so you may want to scale the creature's threat to your dwarves skill and equipment.

*'''Pros''':
**gets you raw [[meat]], [[bone]], [[skin]], and other body parts for your animal products industry
**gets rid of unwanted animals in the biome
**possibly will get you new, more interesting animals on the map to catch
**very easy to set up, no special infrastructure needed
**slaughtering wildlife is fun
**trains all skills
**very easy to set up with [[marksdwarf|marksdwarves]]: just make your dwarves [[hunter]]s
*'''Cons''':
**not the fastest training method
**possibly the most dangerous techniques for dwarves
**can easily bring you too much meat and animal parts
**easily gets repetitive
**If training melee, dwarves spend a long time running after wildlife. [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZnHmskwqCCQ Feel free to listen to this while it happens.]
**wildlife supply isn't infinite
**may generate unwanted [[hauling]] jobs
**requires oversight (repetitive kill orders)
**trains offense much more than defense

BONUS : Improve on this design by breeding wild non-[[grazer]]s in some room for your dwarves to slaughter periodically the offspring. It removes the limited wildlife problem, but has still most of the other drawbacks.

== Beating on Enemy Prisoners (aka Away with thee, accursed Geneva Convention!) ==

Quite a bit more efficient than the previous one, this consists of catching intelligent enemies (mostly [[goblin]]s or enemy [[human]]s, the other ones are not worth it) in [[trap]]s, making sure they are well [[armor]]ed, then sending them against your armor-clad dwarves with training weapons. You can kill them or not : see the bonus.

'''Pros''':
*decent training speed
*beating on goblins is fun
*infinite supply of enemies
*quite safe if executed correctly.
*trains all skills
'''Cons''':
*goblins are trained as well (although this may be a good thing: see bonus) if you don't kill them
*still requires enough oversight to be a bother, most especially if you don't want wounds
*may be dangerous to your dwarves : remove goblin weapons for less <s>threat</s> [[Fun]]
*goblins tend to die easily due to poor armor coverage, you must replace a new batch
*if you use training weapons : dwarves may get attached to it
*generates hauling jobs (although this may be a good thing)
*as offensive skills improve and goblin skill stays the same, dwarves tend to kill goblins far too easily, making this method less effective as your dwarves improve.

BONUS : Don't kill goblins. Train them as well, making them increase in skill and try not to kill them. Use different batches of different goblins for differently skilled military dwarves. Make an arena design with dropping bridges and cage traps to stop the fight if it is going badly for your dwarf. While this requires a lot of oversight (possibly too much for your taste) and hauling jobs, this is a generally effective, realistic, complete and relatively quick method of training your military.

== Flesh Ball Beating ==

This is a quite efficient technique to train offensive training skills. Just cage trap and then enclose [[flesh ball]]s in some room, arm your dwarves with [[BLUNT]] weapons only, armor your dwarves and send them beating flesh balls. Do NOT use this to train marksdwarves, as it is a massive waste of time.

'''Pros''':
*good training speed on offensive skills
*totally safe if you armored your dwarves correctly
*requires little oversight, since flesh balls are immune to blunt
'''Cons''':
*requires some flesh balls and a fair bit of building and preparation
*edge weapon dwarves may attach themselves to a training weapon
*dwarves tend to bite and scratch, therefore making flesh balls die of bleeding sometimes
*flesh balls are in very finite supply
*does not train defensive skills in any meaningful way

BONUS : use [[undead]] flesh balls. No more bleeding to death, no more losing flesh balls, no need to use blunt training weapons, and more defensive skill gain. It is also excellent to train marksdwarves.
BONUS : You may use any near-invulnerable blob-shaped creature for this, [[sponge]]s work as well if you want to train your dwarves for swimming at least.

== Bronze Colossus Dummy ==

AKA : using a [[bronze colossus]]'s toughness and high experience gains to get good skills easily and safely.

For marksdwarves : catch the colossus, put it in a room, fire on it. You may want to use wooden/bone bolts to not damage it further, or iron bolts if you WANT to damage it further for melee training.
For melee : Remove it's arms and legs via falling and/or bolts, and then drop the colossus on a closed room, and send your melee dwarves on it. Remember, [[steel]] or better weapons will kill it, and that's not what you want.

'''Pros''':
*very good training speed, due to colossus giving a lot of experience
*generally not dangerous
*infinite training
*little oversight needed, since both sides doesn't do much damage
*easy to set up for marksdwarves
'''Cons''':
*endgame only, you don't get a colossus before 80 dwarves
*must actually have a colossus in the world
*dismembering a colossus without killing it isn't easy
*may be dangerous to dwarves with a low dodging skill
*limitation on quality material weapons => dwarf may end to favor a poor weapon
*trains mostly offense skills, although Dodger as well
*melee may be seen as an exploit

== Undead Battle Arena ==

Using one or several imprisoned [[necromancer]]s to train your dwarves with a controlled, infinite stream of [[undead]].

You must first catch one or several necromancers, or use a friendly necromancer, then dump him/them in a small space (if possible 1x1) surrounded by [[gem]] [[window]]s or [[fortification]]s (so he can animate what is around without being murdered by a dwarf), make an animation room. You can replace the necromancer by an animating [[evil]] biome or a [[demonic fortress]], but necromancers raise undead faster and can be moved anywhere you like. As a bonus, add raising [[bridge]]s or [[floodgate]]s to block the necro's view and stop the reanimation on command.

Then drop whatever pile of [[body parts]] you don't need and want your necromancer to animate. Enjoy as undead are animated, dwarf kills it, undead are reanimated, dwarf kills it again, etc.

'''Pros''':
**decent skill increases
**only little hauling needed
**use for necromancers
**infinite training
**requires little oversight
**trains every skill
**controllable training aspects : difficulty level, depending on corpse (from dropping llama [[wool]] to dropping a [[cave dragon]] corpse) and number of corpses animated
*'''Cons''':
**can be dangerous, actually danger is proportional to your oversight and difficulty level
**requires more stonework than most other methods
**requires to actually cage trap a necromancer
**time between two reanimations is wasted time => more necromancers is better

== Giant Cave Spider Armor Training Program ==

Using a [[giant cave spider]]'s inability to bypass the armor of a webbed dwarf to train [[armor user]].

First you must prepare the terrain to separate wild GCS and dwarf when the dwarf gets hungry/thirsty/drowsy/sufficient armor user skill.

Set the training on a non-lethal pit trap consisting of a 2x2 or 3x3 retracting bridge, or a series of grates, all linked to a lever and on top of a 1z-deep pit. Fill the ground under the bridge with cage traps.

Set a military dwarf fully armored in metal, without any weapons against a wild giant cave spider. Wild GCS webs the still-conscious dwarf, wild GCS attempts a bite to the head but fails to penetrate metal armor. Dwarf gains armor user skill. Repeat a hundred times. You may want to find a way of harvesting silk for your [[loom]]s as well.

When you want to stop the training, pull the lever. Bridge or grates go down, dwarf and spider fall 1 z-level and get stunned, one or both get caged and separated.

You can also try a dwarf without full armor and only a metal helm, but in that case I no longer guarantee the safety of your dwarf.

*'''Pros''':
**can double as a GCS [[silk]] farm
**very good training rates
**Useful skill which normally increases slowly in combat
**No danger at all for both dwarf and GCS, provided you armored your dwarf well
**Requires only oversight each month
*'''Cons''':
**slightly exploity
**trains only one skill
**needs quite a bit of work to set up if you want to save the GCS and reuse it
**can't train several dwarves at once unless you have several wild GCS and several training facilities

== Provoking elven sieges for fun and profit ==

No one likes the elves. No one. Well, except when they bring exotic animals and the occasional [[sun berry]].

So why not train your military on live elves? Obviously not with on caravans that come each year, but on their [[siege]]s!

You must first mod your game to allow the elven [[diplomat]] to come, or start in a world where you are at war with the elves. When he comes, [[military|greet]] [[attack|him]] [[trap|properly]]. Then, [[siege|training]] [[elf|partners]] will come around next year.

*'''Pros:'''
**killing elves is great fun
**lots of enemies means more training opportunities
**elves will bring many war animals with them, to [[tame]] or [[butcher]] as you desire
**elves pose little threat to a serious military... as long as your dwarves have shields
**more [[rope reed]] [[clothing]] than your fortress needs, although you may deem it not dwarven enough to wear
**can be made more manageable by cage [[trap]]ping all elf warriors and releasing them into your barracks

*'''Cons:'''
**no more elven caravan
**training can be only done once a year
**may generate large amounts of unwanted items (although all the wooden and cloth stuff can be used as trade "goods")
**may be too [[fun]] to handle for your civilians and untrained military, [[bow]]s being still overpowered
**may be a danger to other caravans

== Zerg Rush Defensive Program ==

So is one of your warriors hopelessly lacking in defensive skills ? Fear not ! With this, you will near-exclusively train defensive skills, and quickly !

The goal is to put one of your dwarves in a fighting situation when seriously outnumbered (between 5 or 10 for one dwarf should be good). The more aggressive and the less dangerous these enemies are, the better the training. You can technically do it with goblins, but it's pretty dangerous. Small [[undead]] may be best.

The dwarf will spend it's time defending and therefore will not attack, exclusively training Fighter and the defensive skills. You also want to design a solid enough separation device for when the dwarf becomes tired/hungry/drowsy.

It goes without saying that you must heavily armor your dwarf beforehand.

*'''Pros'''
**defensive skills are often low, and very useful
**good training rate
**good synergy with more offensive training methods
**not too much oversight
*'''Cons'''
**requires quite a lot of preparation beforehand, as well as lots of armor
**only trains defensive skills and Fighter
**may be dangerous, depending on what you use

[[Category:DF2012:Military]]

v0.34:Native gold

2013-01-25T13:19:53Z

Naryar:

{{stonelookup/0}}{{av}}{{Quality|Exceptional|22:42, 8 June 2010 (UTC)}}

'''Native gold''' is the only [[ore]] of [[gold]], a precious [[metal]]. Native gold [[vein]]s may be good sites for a high-value [[room]], since mining the vein still leaves a valuable gold floor, ready for [[smoothing]] and [[engraving]].

Native gold is very common in igneous layers, a bit less in sedimentary layers.

When mined, hunks of native gold are called ''gold nuggets''. Gold nuggets can be [[smelter|smelted]] to produce 4 gold [[bar]]s. Gold nuggets can also be smelted with a [[silver]]-bearing ore to create the [[alloy]] [[electrum]]. Using low-value silver ores (such as [[tetrahedrite]]) in this reaction will result in a net value increase for your fortress (though the electrum bars are each less valuable than gold bars, you will have twice as many total bars).

Native gold is just as valuable as metallic gold, so if you have a decently skilled stonecrafter and did not start your metal industry yet, native gold [[mug]]s are very good to quickly boost the value of your starting fortress and/or buy stuff from an early caravan. However, melting the gold will make far more bars and generally more wealth.

{{gamedata}}
{{stones}}
{{Category|Ore}}
{{Category|Economic Stone}}

v0.34:Live training

2013-01-25T09:02:56Z

Naryar: /* Zerg Rush Defensive Program */

{{quality|Fine|00:42, 14 May 2012 (UTC)}}{{av}}
'''Live training''' is the fine process of how to attack [[creatures]] with [[military]] [[dwarves]] with minimal or inexistent [[injury]] in order to train your military's [[skill]]s, if you consider [[danger room]]s as an exploit, or don't want to randomly lose [[children]] or [[pet]]s, and find [[sparring]] and military teaching too slow.

There are many ways how to do this. What you must ensure first is your dwarf's safety.

== Killing Wildlife ==

Easy enough, just arm and armor your military and gratuitiously hunt wild [[animals]]. Note that some wild animals are more than capable of killing your dabbling [[soldier]]s, so you may want to scale the creature's threat to your dwarves skill and equipment.

*'''Pros''':
**gets you raw [[meat]], [[bone]], [[skin]], and other body parts for your animal products industry
**gets rid of unwanted animals in the biome
**possibly will get you new, more interesting animals on the map to catch
**very easy to set up, no special infrastructure needed
**slaughtering wildlife is fun
**trains all skills
**very easy to set up with [[marksdwarf|marksdwarves]]: just make your dwarves [[hunter]]s
*'''Cons''':
**not the fastest training method
**possibly the most dangerous techniques for dwarves
**can easily bring you too much meat and animal parts
**easily gets repetitive
**If training melee, dwarves spend a long time running after wildlife. [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZnHmskwqCCQ Feel free to play this while your dwarves run after wildlife to avoid getting bored to death.]
**wildlife supply isn't infinite
**may generate unwanted [[hauling]] jobs
**requires oversight (repetitive kill orders)
**trains offense much more than defense

BONUS : Improve on this design by breeding wild non-[[grazer]]s in some room for your dwarves to slaughter periodically the offspring. It removes the limited wildlife problem, but has still most of the other drawbacks.

== Beating on Enemy Prisoners (aka Away with thee, accursed Geneva Convention!) ==

Quite a bit more efficient than the previous one, this consists of catching intelligent enemies (mostly [[goblin]]s or enemy [[human]]s, the other ones are not worth it) in [[trap]]s, making sure they are well [[armor]]ed, then sending them against your armor-clad dwarves with training weapons. You can kill them anyways, other goblins will come next season.

'''Pros''':
*decent training speed
*beating on goblins is fun
*infinite supply of enemies
*more useful than tossing goblins in the [[volcano]] as a sacrifice to Armok
*trains all skills
'''Cons''':
*goblins are trained as well (although this may be a good thing) if you don't kill them
*still requires enough oversight to be a bother
*may be dangerous to your dwarves : remove goblin weapons for less <s>threat</s> [[fun]]
*goblins tend to die easily due to poor armor coverage, you must replace a new batch
*most efficient with a training weapon : dwarves may get attached to it
*generates hauling jobs (although this may be a good thing)
*as offensive skills improve and goblin skill diminishes, dwarves tend to kill goblins far too easily, making this method less effective over a long period of time

BONUS : Don't kill goblins. Train them as well, making them increase in skill and try not to kill them. Use different batches of different goblins for differently skilled military dwarves. Make an arena design with dropping bridges and cage traps to stop the fight if it is going badly for your dwarf. While this requires a lot of oversight (possibly too much for your taste) and hauling jobs, this is a generally effective, realistic, complete and relatively quick method of training your military.

== Flesh Ball Beating ==

This is a quite efficient technique to train offensive training skills. Just cage trap and then enclose [[flesh ball]]s in some room, arm your dwarves with [[BLUNT]] weapons only, armor your dwarves and send them beating flesh balls. Do NOT use this to train marksdwarves, as it is a massive waste of time.

'''Pros''':
*good training speed on offensive skills
*totally safe if you armored your dwarves correctly
*requires little oversight, since flesh balls are immune to blunt
'''Cons''':
*requires some flesh balls and a fair bit of building and preparation
*dwarves may attach themselves to a training weapon
*dwarves tend to bite and scratch, therefore making flesh balls die of bleeding sometimes
*flesh balls are in very finite supply
*does not train defensive skills in any meaningful way

BONUS : use [[undead]] flesh balls. No more bleeding to death,, no more losing flesh balls, no need to use blunt weapons, and more defensive skill gain.
BONUS : You may use any near-invulnerable blob-shaped creature for this, [[sponge]]s work as well if you want to train your dwarves for swimming at least.

== Bronze Colossus Dummy ==

AKA : using a [[bronze colossus]]'s toughness and high experience gains to get good skills easily and safely.

For marksdwarves : catch the colossus, put it in a room, fire on it. You may want to use wooden/bone bolts to not damage it further, or iron bolts if you WANT to damage it further for melee training.
For melee : Remove it's arms and legs via falling and/or bolts, and then drop the colossus on a closed room, and send your melee dwarves on it. Remember, [[steel]] or better weapons will kill it, and that's not what you want.

'''Pros''':
*very good training speed, due to colossus giving a lot of experience
*generally not dangerous
*infinite training
*little oversight needed, since both sides doesn't do much damage
*easy to set up for marksdwarves
'''Cons''':
*endgame only, you don't get a colossus before 80 dwarves
*must actually have a colossus in the world
*dismembering a colossus without killing it isn't easy
*may be dangerous to dwarves with a low dodging skill
*limitation on quality material weapons => dwarf may like a poor weapon
*trains mostly offense skills, although Dodger as well
*melee may be seen as an exploit

== Undead Battle Arena ==

Using one or several imprisoned [[necromancer]]s to train your dwarves with a controlled, infinite stream of [[undead]].

You must first catch one or several necromancers, or use a friendly necromancer, then dump him/them in a small space (if possible 1x1) surrounded by [[gem]] [[window]]s or [[fortification]]s (so he can animate what is around without being murdered by a dwarf), make an animation room. You can replace the necromancer by an animating [[evil]] biome or a [[demonic fortress]], but necromancers raise undead faster and can be moved anywhere you like. As a bonus, add raising [[bridge]]s or [[floodgate]]s to block the necro's view and stop the reanimation on command.

Then drop whatever pile of [[body parts]] you don't need and want your necromancer to animate. Enjoy as undead are animated, dwarf kills it, undead are reanimated, dwarf kills it again, etc.

'''Pros''':
**decent skill increases
**only little hauling needed
**use for necromancers
**infinite training
**requires little oversight
**trains every skill
**controllable training aspects : difficulty level, depending on corpse (from dropping llama [[wool]] to dropping a [[cave dragon]] corpse) and number of corpses animated
*'''Cons''':
**can be dangerous, actually danger is proportional to your oversight and difficulty level
**requires more stonework than most other methods
**requires to actually cage trap a necromancer
**time between two reanimations is wasted time => more necromancers is better

== Giant Cave Spider Armor Training Program ==

Using a [[giant cave spider]]'s inability to bypass the armor of a webbed dwarf to train [[armor user]].

First you must prepare the terrain to separate wild GCS and dwarf when the dwarf gets hungry/thirsty/drowsy/sufficient armor user skill.

Set the training on a non-lethal pit trap consisting of a 2x2 or 3x3 retracting bridge, or a series of grates, all linked to a lever and on top of a 1z-deep pit. Fill the ground under the bridge with cage traps.

Set a military dwarf fully armored in metal, without any weapons against a wild giant cave spider. Wild GCS webs the still-conscious dwarf, wild GCS attempts a bite to the head but fails to penetrate metal armor. Dwarf gains armor user skill. Repeat a hundred times. You may want to find a way of harvesting silk for your [[loom]]s as well.

When you want to stop the training, pull the lever. Bridge or grates go down, dwarf and spider fall 1 z-level and get stunned, one or both get caged and separated.

You can also try a dwarf without full armor and only a metal helm, but in that case I no longer guarantee the safety of your dwarf.

*'''Pros''':
**can double as a GCS [[silk]] farm
**very good training rates
**Useful skill which normally increases slowly in combat
**No danger at all for both dwarf and GCS, provided you armored your dwarf well
**Requires only oversight each month
*'''Cons''':
**slightly exploity
**trains only one skill
**needs quite a bit of work to set up if you want to save the GCS and reuse it
**can't train several dwarves at once unless you have several wild GCS and several training facilities

== Provoking elven sieges for fun and profit ==

No one likes the elves. No one. Well, except when they bring exotic animals and the occasional [[sun berry]].

So why not train your military on live elves? Obviously not with on caravans that come each year, but on their [[siege]]s!

You must first mod your game to allow the elven [[diplomat]] to come, or start in a world where you are at war with the elves. When he comes, [[military|greet]] [[attack|him]] [[trap|properly]]. Then, [[siege|training]] [[elf|partners]] will come around next year.

*'''Pros:'''
**killing elves is great fun
**lots of enemies means more training opportunities
**elves will bring many war animals with them, to [[tame]] or [[butcher]] as you desire
**elves pose little threat to a serious military... as long as your dwarves have shields
**more [[rope reed]] [[clothing]] than your fortress needs, although you may deem it not dwarven enough to wear
**can be made more manageable by cage [[trap]]ping all elf warriors and releasing them into your barracks

*'''Cons:'''
**no more elven caravan
**training can be only done once a year
**may generate large amounts of unwanted items (although all the wooden and cloth stuff can be used as trade "goods")
**may be too [[fun]] to handle for your civilians and untrained military, [[bow]]s being still overpowered
**may be a danger to other caravans

== Zerg Rush Defensive Program ==

So is one of your warriors hopelessly lacking in defensive skills ? Fear not ! With this, you will near-exclusively train defensive skills, and quickly !

The goal is to put one of your dwarves in a fighting situation when seriously outnumbered (between 5 or 10 for one dwarf should be good). The more aggressive and the less dangerous these enemies are, the better the training. You can technically do it with goblins, but it's pretty dangerous. Small [[undead]] may be best.

The dwarf will spend it's time defending and therefore will not attack, exclusively training Fighter and the defensive skills. You also want to design a solid enough separation device for when the dwarf becomes tired/hungry/drowsy.

It goes without saying that you must heavily armor your dwarf beforehand.

*'''Pros'''
**defensive skills are often low, and very useful
**good training rate
**good synergy with more offensive training methods
**not too much oversight
*'''Cons'''
**requires quite a lot of preparation beforehand, as well as lots of armor
**only trains defensive skills and Fighter
**may be dangerous, depending on what you use

[[Category:DF2012:Military]]

v0.34:Live training

2013-01-25T09:02:31Z

Naryar:

{{quality|Fine|00:42, 14 May 2012 (UTC)}}{{av}}
'''Live training''' is the fine process of how to attack [[creatures]] with [[military]] [[dwarves]] with minimal or inexistent [[injury]] in order to train your military's [[skill]]s, if you consider [[danger room]]s as an exploit, or don't want to randomly lose [[children]] or [[pet]]s, and find [[sparring]] and military teaching too slow.

There are many ways how to do this. What you must ensure first is your dwarf's safety.

== Killing Wildlife ==

Easy enough, just arm and armor your military and gratuitiously hunt wild [[animals]]. Note that some wild animals are more than capable of killing your dabbling [[soldier]]s, so you may want to scale the creature's threat to your dwarves skill and equipment.

*'''Pros''':
**gets you raw [[meat]], [[bone]], [[skin]], and other body parts for your animal products industry
**gets rid of unwanted animals in the biome
**possibly will get you new, more interesting animals on the map to catch
**very easy to set up, no special infrastructure needed
**slaughtering wildlife is fun
**trains all skills
**very easy to set up with [[marksdwarf|marksdwarves]]: just make your dwarves [[hunter]]s
*'''Cons''':
**not the fastest training method
**possibly the most dangerous techniques for dwarves
**can easily bring you too much meat and animal parts
**easily gets repetitive
**If training melee, dwarves spend a long time running after wildlife. [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZnHmskwqCCQ Feel free to play this while your dwarves run after wildlife to avoid getting bored to death.]
**wildlife supply isn't infinite
**may generate unwanted [[hauling]] jobs
**requires oversight (repetitive kill orders)
**trains offense much more than defense

BONUS : Improve on this design by breeding wild non-[[grazer]]s in some room for your dwarves to slaughter periodically the offspring. It removes the limited wildlife problem, but has still most of the other drawbacks.

== Beating on Enemy Prisoners (aka Away with thee, accursed Geneva Convention!) ==

Quite a bit more efficient than the previous one, this consists of catching intelligent enemies (mostly [[goblin]]s or enemy [[human]]s, the other ones are not worth it) in [[trap]]s, making sure they are well [[armor]]ed, then sending them against your armor-clad dwarves with training weapons. You can kill them anyways, other goblins will come next season.

'''Pros''':
*decent training speed
*beating on goblins is fun
*infinite supply of enemies
*more useful than tossing goblins in the [[volcano]] as a sacrifice to Armok
*trains all skills
'''Cons''':
*goblins are trained as well (although this may be a good thing) if you don't kill them
*still requires enough oversight to be a bother
*may be dangerous to your dwarves : remove goblin weapons for less <s>threat</s> [[fun]]
*goblins tend to die easily due to poor armor coverage, you must replace a new batch
*most efficient with a training weapon : dwarves may get attached to it
*generates hauling jobs (although this may be a good thing)
*as offensive skills improve and goblin skill diminishes, dwarves tend to kill goblins far too easily, making this method less effective over a long period of time

BONUS : Don't kill goblins. Train them as well, making them increase in skill and try not to kill them. Use different batches of different goblins for differently skilled military dwarves. Make an arena design with dropping bridges and cage traps to stop the fight if it is going badly for your dwarf. While this requires a lot of oversight (possibly too much for your taste) and hauling jobs, this is a generally effective, realistic, complete and relatively quick method of training your military.

== Flesh Ball Beating ==

This is a quite efficient technique to train offensive training skills. Just cage trap and then enclose [[flesh ball]]s in some room, arm your dwarves with [[BLUNT]] weapons only, armor your dwarves and send them beating flesh balls. Do NOT use this to train marksdwarves, as it is a massive waste of time.

'''Pros''':
*good training speed on offensive skills
*totally safe if you armored your dwarves correctly
*requires little oversight, since flesh balls are immune to blunt
'''Cons''':
*requires some flesh balls and a fair bit of building and preparation
*dwarves may attach themselves to a training weapon
*dwarves tend to bite and scratch, therefore making flesh balls die of bleeding sometimes
*flesh balls are in very finite supply
*does not train defensive skills in any meaningful way

BONUS : use [[undead]] flesh balls. No more bleeding to death,, no more losing flesh balls, no need to use blunt weapons, and more defensive skill gain.
BONUS : You may use any near-invulnerable blob-shaped creature for this, [[sponge]]s work as well if you want to train your dwarves for swimming at least.

== Bronze Colossus Dummy ==

AKA : using a [[bronze colossus]]'s toughness and high experience gains to get good skills easily and safely.

For marksdwarves : catch the colossus, put it in a room, fire on it. You may want to use wooden/bone bolts to not damage it further, or iron bolts if you WANT to damage it further for melee training.
For melee : Remove it's arms and legs via falling and/or bolts, and then drop the colossus on a closed room, and send your melee dwarves on it. Remember, [[steel]] or better weapons will kill it, and that's not what you want.

'''Pros''':
*very good training speed, due to colossus giving a lot of experience
*generally not dangerous
*infinite training
*little oversight needed, since both sides doesn't do much damage
*easy to set up for marksdwarves
'''Cons''':
*endgame only, you don't get a colossus before 80 dwarves
*must actually have a colossus in the world
*dismembering a colossus without killing it isn't easy
*may be dangerous to dwarves with a low dodging skill
*limitation on quality material weapons => dwarf may like a poor weapon
*trains mostly offense skills, although Dodger as well
*melee may be seen as an exploit

== Undead Battle Arena ==

Using one or several imprisoned [[necromancer]]s to train your dwarves with a controlled, infinite stream of [[undead]].

You must first catch one or several necromancers, or use a friendly necromancer, then dump him/them in a small space (if possible 1x1) surrounded by [[gem]] [[window]]s or [[fortification]]s (so he can animate what is around without being murdered by a dwarf), make an animation room. You can replace the necromancer by an animating [[evil]] biome or a [[demonic fortress]], but necromancers raise undead faster and can be moved anywhere you like. As a bonus, add raising [[bridge]]s or [[floodgate]]s to block the necro's view and stop the reanimation on command.

Then drop whatever pile of [[body parts]] you don't need and want your necromancer to animate. Enjoy as undead are animated, dwarf kills it, undead are reanimated, dwarf kills it again, etc.

'''Pros''':
**decent skill increases
**only little hauling needed
**use for necromancers
**infinite training
**requires little oversight
**trains every skill
**controllable training aspects : difficulty level, depending on corpse (from dropping llama [[wool]] to dropping a [[cave dragon]] corpse) and number of corpses animated
*'''Cons''':
**can be dangerous, actually danger is proportional to your oversight and difficulty level
**requires more stonework than most other methods
**requires to actually cage trap a necromancer
**time between two reanimations is wasted time => more necromancers is better

== Giant Cave Spider Armor Training Program ==

Using a [[giant cave spider]]'s inability to bypass the armor of a webbed dwarf to train [[armor user]].

First you must prepare the terrain to separate wild GCS and dwarf when the dwarf gets hungry/thirsty/drowsy/sufficient armor user skill.

Set the training on a non-lethal pit trap consisting of a 2x2 or 3x3 retracting bridge, or a series of grates, all linked to a lever and on top of a 1z-deep pit. Fill the ground under the bridge with cage traps.

Set a military dwarf fully armored in metal, without any weapons against a wild giant cave spider. Wild GCS webs the still-conscious dwarf, wild GCS attempts a bite to the head but fails to penetrate metal armor. Dwarf gains armor user skill. Repeat a hundred times. You may want to find a way of harvesting silk for your [[loom]]s as well.

When you want to stop the training, pull the lever. Bridge or grates go down, dwarf and spider fall 1 z-level and get stunned, one or both get caged and separated.

You can also try a dwarf without full armor and only a metal helm, but in that case I no longer guarantee the safety of your dwarf.

*'''Pros''':
**can double as a GCS [[silk]] farm
**very good training rates
**Useful skill which normally increases slowly in combat
**No danger at all for both dwarf and GCS, provided you armored your dwarf well
**Requires only oversight each month
*'''Cons''':
**slightly exploity
**trains only one skill
**needs quite a bit of work to set up if you want to save the GCS and reuse it
**can't train several dwarves at once unless you have several wild GCS and several training facilities

== Provoking elven sieges for fun and profit ==

No one likes the elves. No one. Well, except when they bring exotic animals and the occasional [[sun berry]].

So why not train your military on live elves? Obviously not with on caravans that come each year, but on their [[siege]]s!

You must first mod your game to allow the elven [[diplomat]] to come, or start in a world where you are at war with the elves. When he comes, [[military|greet]] [[attack|him]] [[trap|properly]]. Then, [[siege|training]] [[elf|partners]] will come around next year.

*'''Pros:'''
**killing elves is great fun
**lots of enemies means more training opportunities
**elves will bring many war animals with them, to [[tame]] or [[butcher]] as you desire
**elves pose little threat to a serious military... as long as your dwarves have shields
**more [[rope reed]] [[clothing]] than your fortress needs, although you may deem it not dwarven enough to wear
**can be made more manageable by cage [[trap]]ping all elf warriors and releasing them into your barracks

*'''Cons:'''
**no more elven caravan
**training can be only done once a year
**may generate large amounts of unwanted items (although all the wooden and cloth stuff can be used as trade "goods")
**may be too [[fun]] to handle for your civilians and untrained military, [[bow]]s being still overpowered
**may be a danger to other caravans

== Zerg Rush Defensive Program ==

So is one of your warriors hopelessly lacking in defensive skills ? Fear not ! With this, you will near-exclusively train defensive skills, and quickly !

The goal is to put one of your dwarves in a fighting situation when seriously outnumbered (between 5 or 10 for one dwarf should be good). The more aggressive and the less dangerous these enemies are, the better the training. You can technically do it with goblins, but it's pretty dangerous. Small [[undead]] may be best.

The dwarf will spend it's time defending and therefore will not attack, exclusively training Fighter and the defensive skills. You also want to design a solid enough separation device for when the dwarf becomes tired/hungry/drowsy.

It goes without saying that you must heavily armor your dwarf beforehand.

*'''Pros'''
**defensive skills are often low
**good training rate
**good synergy with more offensive training methods
**not too much oversight
*'''Cons'''
**requires quite a lot of preparation beforehand, as well as lots of armor
**only trains defensive skills and Fighter
**may be dangerous, depending on what you use

[[Category:DF2012:Military]]

v0.34:Live training

2013-01-24T13:21:40Z

Naryar: /* Flesh Ball Beating */

{{quality|Fine|00:42, 14 May 2012 (UTC)}}{{av}}
'''Live training''' is the fine process of how to attack [[creatures]] with [[military]] [[dwarves]] with minimal or inexistent [[injury]] in order to train your military's [[skill]]s, if you consider [[danger room]]s as an exploit, or don't want to randomly lose [[children]] or [[pet]]s, and find [[sparring]] and military teaching too slow.

There are many ways how to do this, but the most efficient tend to be:

*complete (train most if not all military skills)
*nonlethal for the dummy creature (so you can reuse it, if you haven't got an infinite source of dummy creatures)
*nonlethal for the dwarf (obviously)

== Killing Wildlife ==

Easy enough, just arm and armor your military and gratuitiously hunt wild [[animals]]. Note that some wild animals are more than capable of killing your dabbling [[soldier]]s, so you may want to scale the creature's threat to your dwarves skill and equipment.

*'''Pros''':
**gets you raw [[meat]], [[bone]], [[skin]], and other body parts for your animal products industry
**gets rid of unwanted animals in the biome
**possibly will get you new, more interesting animals on the map to catch
**very easy to set up, no special infrastructure needed
**slaughtering wildlife is fun
**trains all skills
**very easy to set up with [[marksdwarf|marksdwarves]]: just make your dwarves [[hunter]]s
*'''Cons''':
**not the fastest training method
**possibly the most dangerous techniques for dwarves
**can easily bring you too much meat and animal parts
**easily gets repetitive
**If training melee, dwarves spend a long time running after wildlife. [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZnHmskwqCCQ Feel free to play this while your dwarves run after wildlife to avoid getting bored to death.]
**wildlife supply isn't infinite
**may generate unwanted [[hauling]] jobs
**requires oversight (repetitive kill orders)
**tends to train offense much more than defense

BONUS : Improve on this design by breeding wild non-[[grazer]]s in some room for your dwarves to slaughter periodically the offspring. It removes the limited wildlife problem, but has still most of the other drawbacks.

== Beating on Enemy Prisoners (aka Away with thee, accursed Geneva Convention!) ==

Quite a bit more efficient than the previous one, this consists of catching intelligent enemies (mostly [[goblin]]s or enemy [[human]]s, the other ones are not worth it) in [[trap]]s, making sure they are well [[armor]]ed, then sending them against your armor-clad dwarves with training weapons. You can kill them anyways, other goblins will come next season.

'''Pros''':
*decent training speed
*beating on goblins is fun
*infinite supply of enemies
*more useful than tossing goblins in the [[volcano]] as a sacrifice to Armok
*trains all skills
'''Cons''':
*goblins are trained as well (although this may be a good thing) if you don't kill them
*still requires enough oversight to be a bother
*may be dangerous to your dwarves : remove goblin weapons for less <s>threat</s> [[fun]]
*goblins tend to die easily due to poor armor coverage, you must replace a new batch
*most efficient with a training weapon : dwarves may get attached to it
*generates hauling jobs (although this may be a good thing)
*as offensive skills improve and goblin skill diminishes, dwarves tend to kill goblins far too easily, making this method less effective over a long period of time

BONUS : Don't kill goblins. Train them as well, making them increase in skill and try not to kill them. Use different batches of different goblins for differently skilled military dwarves. Make an arena design with dropping bridges and cage traps to stop the fight if it is going badly for your dwarf. While this requires a lot of oversight (possibly too much for your taste) and hauling jobs, this is a generally effective, realistic, complete and relatively quick method of training your military.

== Flesh Ball Beating ==

This is a quite efficient technique to train offensive training skills. Just cage trap and then enclose [[flesh ball]]s in some room, arm your dwarves with [[BLUNT]] weapons only, armor your dwarves and send them beating flesh balls. Do NOT use this to train marksdwarves, it is a massive waste of time.

'''Pros''':
*good training speed on offensive skills
*totally safe if you armored your dwarves correctly
*requires little oversight, since flesh balls are immune to blunt
'''Cons''':
*requires some flesh balls and a fair bit of building and preparation
*dwarves may attach themselves to a training weapon
*dwarves tend to bite and scratch, therefore making flesh balls die of bleeding sometimes
*flesh balls are in very finite supply
*does not train defensive skills in any meaningful way

BONUS : use [[undead]] flesh balls. No more bleeding to death,, no more losing flesh balls, no need to use blunt weapons, and more defensive skill gain.
BONUS : You may use any near-invulnerable blob-shaped creature for this, [[sponge]]s work as well if you want to train your dwarves for swimming at least.

== Bronze Colossus Dummy ==

AKA : using a [[bronze colossus]]'s toughness and high experience gains to get good skills easily and safely.

For marksdwarves : catch the colossus, put it in a room, fire on it. You may want to use wooden/bone bolts to not damage it further, or iron bolts if you WANT to damage it further for melee training.
For melee : Remove it's arms and legs via falling and/or bolts, and then drop the colossus on a closed room, and send your melee dwarves on it. Remember, [[steel]] or better weapons will kill it, and that's not what you want.

'''Pros''':
*very good training speed, due to colossus giving a lot of experience
*generally not dangerous
*infinite training
*little oversight needed, since both sides doesn't do much damage
*easy to set up for marksdwarves
'''Cons''':
*endgame only, you don't get a colossus before 80 dwarves
*must actually have a colossus in the world
*dismembering a colossus without killing it isn't easy
*may be dangerous to dwarves with a low dodging skill
*limitation on quality material weapons => dwarf may like a poor weapon
*trains mostly offense skills, although Dodger as well
*melee may be seen as an exploit

== Undead Battle Arena ==

Using one or several imprisoned [[necromancer]]s to train your dwarves with a controlled, infinite stream of [[undead]].

You must first catch one or several necromancers, or use a friendly necromancer, then dump him/them in a small space (if possible 1x1) surrounded by [[gem]] [[window]]s or [[fortification]]s (so he can animate what is around without being murdered by a dwarf), make an animation room. You can replace the necromancer by an animating [[evil]] biome or a [[demonic fortress]], but necromancers raise undead faster and can be moved anywhere you like. As a bonus, add raising [[bridge]]s or [[floodgate]]s to block the necro's view and stop the reanimation on command.

Then drop whatever pile of [[body parts]] you don't need and want your necromancer to animate. Enjoy as undead are animated, dwarf kills it, undead are reanimated, dwarf kills it again, etc.

'''Pros''':
**decent skill increases
**only little hauling needed
**use for necromancers
**infinite training
**requires little oversight
**trains every skill
**controllable training aspects : difficulty level, depending on corpse (from dropping llama [[wool]] to dropping a [[cave dragon]] corpse) and number of corpses animated
*'''Cons''':
**can be dangerous, actually danger is proportional to your oversight and difficulty level
**requires more stonework than most other methods
**requires to actually cage trap a necromancer
**time between two reanimations is wasted time => more necromancers is better

== Giant Cave Spider Armor Training Program ==

Using a [[giant cave spider]]'s inability to bypass the armor of a webbed dwarf to train [[armor user]].

First you must prepare the terrain to separate wild GCS and dwarf when the dwarf gets hungry/thirsty/drowsy/sufficient armor user skill.

Set the training on a non-lethal pit trap consisting of a 2x2 or 3x3 retracting bridge, or a series of grates, all linked to a lever and on top of a 1z-deep pit. Fill the ground under the bridge with cage traps.

Set a military dwarf fully armored in metal, without any weapons against a wild giant cave spider. Wild GCS webs the still-conscious dwarf, wild GCS attempts a bite to the head but fails to penetrate metal armor. Dwarf gains armor user skill. Repeat a hundred times. You may want to find a way of harvesting silk for your [[loom]]s as well.

When you want to stop the training, pull the lever. Bridge or grates go down, dwarf and spider fall 1 z-level and get stunned, one or both get caged and separated.

You can also try a dwarf without full armor and only a metal helm, but in that case I no longer guarantee the safety of your dwarf.

*'''Pros''':
**can double as a GCS [[silk]] farm
**very good training rates
**Useful skill which normally increases slowly in combat
**No danger at all for both dwarf and GCS, provided you armored your dwarf well
**Requires only oversight each month
*'''Cons''':
**slightly exploity
**trains only one skill
**needs quite a bit of work to set up if you want to save the GCS and reuse it
**can't train several dwarves at once unless you have several wild GCS and several training facilities

== Provoking elven sieges for fun and profit ==

No one likes the elves. No one. Well, except when they bring exotic animals and the occasional [[sun berry]].

So why not train your military on live elves? Obviously not with on caravans that come each year, but on their [[siege]]s!

You must first mod your game to allow the elven [[diplomat]] to come, or start in a world where you are at war with the elves. When he comes, [[military|greet]] [[attack|him]] [[trap|properly]]. Then, [[siege|training]] [[elf|partners]] will come around next year.

*'''Pros:'''
**killing elves is great fun
**lots of enemies means more training opportunities
**elves will bring many war animals with them, to [[tame]] or [[butcher]] as you desire
**elves pose little threat to a serious military... as long as your dwarves have shields
**more [[rope reed]] [[clothing]] than your fortress needs, although you may deem it not dwarven enough to wear
**can be made more manageable by cage [[trap]]ping all elf warriors and releasing them into your barracks

*'''Cons:'''
**no more elven caravan
**training can be only done once a year
**may generate large amounts of unwanted items (although all the wooden and cloth stuff can be used as trade "goods")
**may be too [[fun]] to handle for your civilians and untrained military, [[bow]]s being still overpowered
**may be a danger to other caravans

[[Category:DF2012:Military]]