Dwarf Fortress Wiki - User contributions [en]

Skill

2025-07-30T01:38:13Z

Porkchop33: More specific

{{Quality|Masterwork|03:10, 22 February 2023 (CST)}}
{{av}}
''See also: [[Combat skill]]''

[[File:skill_preview.png|right]]'''Skills''' are used by some [[dwarves]] and other [[creature]]s to accomplish almost every task in the game. Higher levels of a skill allow a dwarf to accomplish the respective task more quickly and/or more effectively. Whenever a skill is used, [[experience]] is gained for that skill, allowing the dwarf to progress to higher skill levels. Skills can also be taught in a [[demonstration]], either through a [[guildhall]] or [[military]] [[training]]. Some species of [[creatures]] are born with natural skills (e.g. [[cat]]s and [[monkey]]s having legendary skill in climbing).

If a dwarf does not use a skill for a prolonged period of time, the skill will be labeled "rusty." If the rusty skill continues to remain unused, it will eventually be labeled "very rusty," or "V rusty" in-game. Skills remaining at 'very rusty' for (''even more'') prolonged periods of time will gradually suffer permanent experience loss. It is not possible to know in-game whether a given skill has suffered level loss, but any utility capable of reading exact XP levels will show a skill with a lost level as being at 100% of the XP required to take it to the next skill level - see [[#Skill rust|Rust]] below for more details.

To determine what skills a dwarf has, hover over and click them, which brings you to the dwarf's "Overview" menu. From there, you can see and access the "Skills" tab; "Labor," "Combat," and "Social" being the main three types of skills used by dwarves. "Other Skills" regards all skills outside the main types, like swimming and instrument use. Finally, "Knowledge" is used in the [[knowledge|knowledge system.]]

== Skill level names ==
The names of skill levels are as follows, in order of the experience required to achieve them:
{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Rank
! Skill Name
! Notes
|-
| 0
| {{Raw Tile|Not|7:0:1}}
| (No skill)
|-
| 0
| {{Raw Tile|Dabbling|7:0:1}}
| This level isn't displayed on the "prepare for journey carefully" screen.
|-
| 1
| {{Raw Tile|Novice|7:0:1}}
|
|-
| 2
| {{Raw Tile|Adequate|7:0:1}}
|
|-
| 3
| {{Raw Tile|Competent|7:0:1}}
|
|-
| 4
| {{Raw Tile|Skilled|7:0:1}}
|
|-
| 5
| {{Raw Tile|Proficient|7:0:1}}
| Maximum possible skill level for dwarves while "preparing for journey carefully".
|-
| 6
| {{Raw Tile|Talented|7:0:1}}
|
|-
| 7
| {{Raw Tile|Adept|7:0:1}}
|
|-
| 8
| {{Raw Tile|Expert|7:0:1}}
|
|-
| 9
| {{Raw Tile|Professional|7:0:1}}
|
|-
| 10
| {{Raw Tile|Accomplished|7:0:1}}
|
|-
| 11
| {{Raw Tile|Great|7:0:1}}
| Characters with this level of a specified [[weapons|weapon]] mastery (including [[wrestling]]) or higher are [[elite]].
|-
| 12
| {{Raw Tile|Master|7:0:1}}
|
|-
| 13
| {{Raw Tile|High Master|7:0:1}}
|
|-
| 14
| {{Raw Tile|Grand Master|7:0:1}}
| Maximum possible skill for any creature in the [[object testing arena]].
|-
| 15+
| {{Raw Tile|Legendary|7:0:1}}
|
|}

== Skills in use ==
[[File:legendary_v50_anim.gif|thumb|270px|right|Blinking legendary dwarves.]] Skills are never referred to in-game by "level number", but for all practical purposes, that is how they are treated by the game. "Dabbling" is not functionally a level, with "Novice" being level 1, and "Legendary" being any level from 15 and up.

All skills take (400 + 100 * the new level) experience points to gain a level, meaning Novice takes 500 experience points, and reaching Legendary from Grand Master takes 1900 experience points, or 18000 total experience.

Many skills can gain practical levels beyond level 15, or "Legendary". [[Farming]], [[plant gathering]], and [[fishing]] use an older formula for calculating yields which effectively caps the skill level at "Legendary+10", but most other crafting skills use the following formula to determine the [[quality]] of the resulting item:
# Find the effective skill level (i.e. Novice=1, Legendary=15), ''uncapped'', with status penalties applied (see below)
# Roll for [[item quality]] "points": <code>rand(0..10) + rand(0..(level * 5) / 2) + rand(0..(level * 5) / 2)</code> (where <code>rand(0..N)</code> returns a number from 0 to N, inclusive)
# Add points for [[physical attribute]]s: <code>(rand(0..phys_attr1) / 100) + (rand(0..phys_attr2) / 250) + (rand(0..phys_attr3) / 250)</code> (for whichever attributes are actually associated with the skill)
# Add points for [[mental attribute]]s: <code>(rand(0..ment_attr1) / 100) + (rand(0..ment_attr2) / 250) + (rand(0..ment_attr3) / 250)</code> (see above)
# Adjust points based on [[Need|focus]] (or lack thereof): <code>points = (points * current_focus) / undistracted_focus</code>
# Apply status penalties '''again''', this time to the "points"
# If you have a [[Syndrome|Curse (or Blessing)]] with a Luck modifier, apply it to the points: <code>points = (points * luck_mul_percent) / 100</code>
# Add 10 points if the item being produced matches an Item [[preference]] on the maker
# Add 10 points if the item being produced matches a Material [[preference]] on the maker
# Feed the points into the following formula:
#* 0-21 - base quality
#* 22-29 - Well-crafted
#* 30-34 - Fine
#* 35-44 - Superior
#* 45-54 - Exceptional
#* 55+ - 1/3 Masterwork, 2/3 Exceptional

For custom [[reaction]]s, the roll for item quality points can be altered. {{token|SKILL_ROLL_RANGE|r|11:5}} is the default behavior, where 11 is the size of the flat ``rand(0..10)`` roll (a d11-1 roll), and 5 is the factor for the level rolls.

A matching material or a matching item preference is each worth, on average, four skill levels. As both act as flat bonuses to base points, they are especially helpful for low-skill workers.
Attributes are less impactful: to get a skill level's worth of bonus (on average), 500 points in a primary attribute or 1250 points in a secondary attribute are required. (This is roughly two or, respectively, five "tiers" of [[attribute]] description in the [[thoughts and preferences]] screen.)

Labors with or without quality often have a time period associated with them, and skill levels reduce this significantly. Legendary skill can eliminate all time required to do a job down to a single action, exponentially increasing productivity.

Combat skills can scale upwards to a functionally impossible-to-reach degree, meaning that simply reaching Legendary in a combat skill only means they've just started climbing the ranks of the legendary warriors of ''Dwarf Fortress''. A Legendary +100 warrior will hit more regularly and deal more damage than a "mere" Legendary +10, although it takes nearly three-quarters of a million more experience points to get there.

=== Legacy-style skill checks ===
As mentioned above, [[farming]], [[plant gathering]], and [[fishing]] use an older algorithm for converting skill level to a number in 0-5 range. For these three skills, the result is used to determine item ''quantity'' instead of quality -- directly for fishing and gathering, and [[farming#Exact yield mechanics|with some adjustments]] in the case of farming. This check does not appear to be affected by [[Need|focus]] or [[attribute]]s.

The algorithm is as follows:
* Start with 0.
* With a (skill in 5) chance, add 1. (Always at Proficient or above.)
* With a (skill in 10) chance, add 1. (Always at Accomplished or above.)
* With a (skill in 15) chance, add 1. (Always at Legendary.)
* With a (skill in 20) chance, add 1. (Always at Legendary+5 or above.)
* With a (skill in 25) chance, add 1 ''one-third of the time''. (Thus the skill is capped at Legendary+10 for this purpose.)
The result is the amount of fish or gathered shrubs or a factor for crop yield.

==Skill penalties==
Dwarves which are suffering from various status ailments will have all of their skill levels reduced, causing them to work slower and produce lower-[[quality]] goods where relevant. The latter is unimportant for non-quality tasks such as [[wood cutting]] or [[furnace operating]], but you may want to delay construction of, say, [[platinum]] [[statue]]s or [[steel]] [[armor|breastplates]], if the [[smith]] forging them is famished or hollow-eyed from lack of sleep. For instance, dwarves that aren't in a martial trance that have pain above a certain level get all their rolls halved.

Each of the following status ailments can impact a Dwarf's skills:
* Nausea - reduce by 50%1
* Winded - reduce by 50%1
* Stunned - reduce by 50%1
* Dizzy - reduce by 50%1
* Fever - reduce by 50%1
* Blind - reduce by 75%1
* Extreme Pain - reduce by 75%12
* Tired - reduce by 25%1
* Over-Exert - reduce by 25% twice1
* Exhausted - reduce by 25% three times1
* Dehydrated - reduce by 50%
* Starving - reduce by 50%
* Very Drowsy - reduce by 50%
* Thirsty for Blood - reduce by 25% or 50%, depending on severity
:1 - Does not apply to dwarves who are Enraged, in a Martial Trance, or throwing a [[Tantrum]]
:2 - Does not apply to dwarves who are in a Strange Mood or are Insane (not that they're going to perform skill rolls in the first place)

Notably, having multiple status ailments will result in '''compounded''' penalties - for example, being both Stunned and Dizzy will cause all skill levels to drop by 75%.

== Professions ==
Skills are grouped under "professional" categories (shown below), each category represented by a specific color. In classic, the display color for a dwarf reflects its current profession, which is determined by their highest level (not [[experience]]) of their skills; in premium the colors of their name and clothing change. Professions do not affect skills or tasks in any way, professions are merely a reflection of the highest skill, and a loose way to differentiate dwarves with different types of skills. It is not perfect, but it can help when trying to spot a specific dwarf in a list or group.

So (and assuming it's their highest skill) your Miners names are always light gray, your Metal Workers are always dark gray, Masons (and Engravers) are always white, your Mechanics (and Siege Engineers and Pump Operators) are always red, and those waves of olive [[migrant]]s are all "Farmers" of some stripe. This is not to say that a dwarf doesn't also have some other skill(s) from a different category, ones that may be just lower than their highest skill (which is determining the color for their current profession), so be sure to examine each new arrival - but that's their current best, and so their current color/profession.

A dwarf with no skill levels above [[Skill#Skill level names|dabbling]] is displayed as "peasant" as their listed "profession", falling in the teal "miscellaneous" category.

The one exception to this are some of your appointed [[noble]] positions, which are the magenta/purple of the Administrator category. Appointing a new noble will apply that magenta color to the new "noble" dwarf, regardless of their previous profession.

Professions can change as skills are increased. When a skill in a new category is raised to a higher level than any in other categories, creating a new "highest" status, the dwarf will change listed profession and display color accordingly. This change is accompanied by a minor [[announcement]] to that effect.

{| style="margin: 0 auto"
|-
| valign='top' |

{{Skill Box|Miner|7:0|7:0|
* [[Miner]]R
}}

{{Skill Box|[[Woodworker]]|6:1|6:1|
* [[Bowyer]]Q
* [[Carpenter]]Q
* [[Wood cutter]]R
}}

{{Skill Box|[[Stoneworker]]|7:1|7:1|
* [[Engraver]]Q
* [[Stonecutter]]R
* [[Stone carver]]Q
* [[Mason]]Q
}}

{{Skill Box|[[Ranger]]|2:0|2:0|
* [[Ambusher]]
* [[Animal caretaker]]
* [[Animal dissector]]R
* [[Animal trainer]]
* [[Trapper]]Q
}}

{{Skill Box|[[Doctor]]|5:0|5:0|
* [[Bone doctor]]
* [[Crutch-walker]]
* [[Diagnostician]]
* [[Surgeon]]
* [[Suturer]]
* [[Wound dresser]]
}}

| valign='top' |

{{Skill Box|[[Farmer]]|6:0|6:0|
* [[Beekeeper]]Q
* [[Brewer]]R
* [[Butcher]]R
* [[Cheese maker]]R
* [[Cook]]Q
* [[Dyer]]Q
* [[Gelder]]
* [[Planter]]O
* [[Herbalist]]O
* [[Lye maker]]R
* [[Milker]]R
* [[Miller]]R
* [[Potash maker]]R
* [[Presser]]R
* [[Shearer]]R
* [[Soaper]]R
* [[Spinner]]R
* [[Tanner]]R
* [[Thresher]]R
* [[Wood burner]]R
}}

{{Skill Box|[[Fishery worker]]|1:0|1:0|
* [[Fish cleaner]]R
* [[Fish dissector]]R
* [[Fisherdwarf]]O
}}

{{Skill Box|[[Metalsmithing|Metalsmith]]|0:1|0:1|
* [[Armorsmith]]Q
* [[Furnace operator]]R
* [[Metal crafter]]Q
* [[Blacksmith]]Q
* [[Weaponsmith]]Q
}}

| valign='top' |

{{Skill Box|[[Jeweler]]|2:1|2:1|
* [[Gem cutter]]Q
* [[Gem setter]]Q
}}

{{Skill Box|[[Craftsdwarf]]|1:1|1:1|
* [[Bookbinder]]Q
* [[Bone carver]]Q
* [[Clothier]]Q
* [[Glassmaker]]Q
* [[Glazer]]Q
* [[Leatherworker]]Q
* [[Papermaker]]Q
* [[Potter]]Q
* [[Stone crafter]]Q
* [[Strand extractor]]R
* [[Wax worker]]Q
* [[Weaver]]Q
* [[Wood crafter]]Q
}}

{{Skill Box|[[Engineer]]|4:1|4:1|
* [[Mechanic]]Q
* [[Pump operator]]R
* [[Siege engineer]]Q
* [[Siege operator]]
}}

{{Skill Box|Other Jobs|3:0|3:0|
* [[Knapper]]
}}

{{Skill Box|[[Administrator]]|5:0|5:0|
* [[Appraiser]]
* [[Organizer]]
* [[Record keeper]]
}}

| valign='top' |

{{Skill Box|[[Military]]|0:1|0:0|type=m|
* [[Archer]]
* [[Armor user]]
* [[Axeman]]
* [[Biter]]
* [[Blowgunner]]
* [[Bowman]]
* [[Crossbowman]]
* [[Dodger]]
* [[Discipline]]
* [[Fighter]]
* [[Hammerman]]
* [[Kicker]]
* [[Knife user]]
* [[Lasher]]
* [[Maceman]]
* [[Military tactics]]
* [[Misc. object user]]
* [[Pikeman]]
* [[Shield user]]
* [[Spearman]]
* [[Striker]]
* [[Swordsman]]
* [[Thrower]]
* [[Wrestler]]
}}

{{Skill Box|[[Broker]]|3:0|3:0|
* [[Comedian]]
* [[Conversationalist]]
* [[Flatterer]]
* [[Intimidator]]
* [[Judge of intent]]
* [[Liar]]
* [[Negotiator]]
* [[Persuader]]
}}

| valign='top' |

{{Skill Box|Miscellaneous|3:0|3:0|
* [[Climber]]
* [[Concentration]]
* [[Consoler]]
* [[Leader]]
* [[Observer]]
* [[Pacifier]]
* [[Reader]]
* [[Rider]]
* [[Schemer]]
* [[Student]]
* [[Swimmer]]
* [[Teacher]]
* [[Tracker]]
}}

{{Skill Box|Performance|3:0|3:0|
* [[Dancer]]
* [[Singer]]
* [[Musician]]
* [[Poet]]
* [[Speaker]]
* [[Keyboardist]]
* [[Stringed instrumentalist]]
* [[Wind instrumentalist]]
* [[Percussionist]]
}}

{{Skill Box|[[Scholar]]|3:0|3:0|
* [[Critical thinker]]
* [[Logician]]
* [[Mathematician]]
* [[Astronomer]]
* [[Chemist]]
* [[Geographer]]
* [[Optics engineer]]
* [[Fluid engineer]]
* [[Wordsmith]]
* [[Writer]]
}}

{{Skill Box|Unused|3:0|3:0|
* [[Balance]]
* [[Coordination]]
* [[Druid]]
* [[Mod skill|Skill 1]]
* [[Mod skill|Skill 2]]
* [[Mod skill|Skill 3]]
* [[Mod skill|Skill 4]]
* [[Mod skill|Skill 5]]
* [[Mod skill|Skill 6]]
* [[Mod skill|Skill 7]]
* [[Mod skill|Skill 8]]
* [[Mod skill|Skill 9]]
* [[Mod skill|Skill 10]]
}}

|}

Q Predominantly affects the quality of items produced
O Predominantly affects the number of items produced (output)
R Predominantly affects the rate at which items are produced, or at which the skill is undertaken

==Skills, attributes and facets==
*'''Skills and [[attribute]]s''':
**.. are both trained by being used in activities they relate to.
**.. both influence future success of these activities, like craft quality, work speed, combat survivability, accuracy and damage.
**The dwarf's profession is determined by their highest-ranking skill group.
**Crafting skills are increased by [[preferences]], allowing the dwarf to make items beyond their skill level.
**The dwarf's highest moodable skill determines potential artifact types during a [[strange mood]].

*'''[[Personality facet|Facets]]''':
**can be changed (at least beliefs change through arguments).
**affect which [[social skill]]s gain experience ''(if the dwarf has X facet it will not gain experience in X skill)'' at all.
**give [[thought]]s when performing certain activities.
**influence the choice of [[artifact]] materials.

To summarize, it goes like this:

Thought <--triggers-- Activity ----trains----> Attribute
^ ,----------| |
modifies modifies trains increases
| ,--------' | |
| v v v
Facet --influences--> Skill --increases--> Dwarf performance
| ,---------|
item item |
material type determines
| ,--------' |
v v v
Artifact <--chosen-- Profession
dwarf

Since the same skills can be used by various professions, and the same [[attribute]]s are trained by various skills, this allows for [[cross-training]].

As [[Personality facet|facets]] can limit learning some skills, which can be required by some Noble positions, the need arises to:
*avoid appointing a dwarf that will never learn a certain skill to a Noble position that uses it:
**''appointing a [[Personality facet|straightforward]]{{verify}} dwarf as a [[broker]] will result in a [[consoler]], non-[[flatterer]], non-[[liar]] broker''.
*appoint a dwarf with a useful effect given by a [[Personality facet|facet]] to a profession that benefits from it:
**''appointing an [[Personality facet|undisciplined]]{{verify}} dwarf to an important job will result in [[fun|fun]]''.
**''appointing an [[Personality facet#ANGER_PROPENSITY|angry]] dwarf to be a [[soldier]] will result in more [[Status_icon|enraged]] bonuses.

==Skill rust==
Every skill has the following set of improvement and decay counters, which are caste specific:

{{token|SKILL_RATE|c}} (Default is {{token|SKILL_RATE|cr|100:8:16:16}})
* % of improvement points you get (Default 100)
* unused counter cap (Default 8)
* rust counter cap (Default 16)
* demotion counter cap (Default 16)

Once per day, each skill's "unused" counter increments by 1, and if it reaches the cap (without the skill ever being used), it resets to zero and increments the rust counter. Once the rust counter reaches its cap, it resets to zero, adds a "layer" of rust to the skill (to a maximum of 6), and increments the demotion counter. When the demotion counter reaches its cap, it resets to zero and the skill level is ''permanently'' reduced by 1 (and must be re-earned). With the default numbers, it takes about 4 and a half months before rust sets in, 2 years and 3 months before rust maxes out, and 6 years before actual skill levels begin to decay.

The {{DFtext|Rusty}} and {{DFtext|V.Rusty}} descriptions which are appended to a skill within ''Dwarf Fortress'' are determined by the following conditions:
*Rusty: A skill level greater than 0, and the number of rust layers is at least 50% of the original skill level.
*Very Rusty: A skill level greater than or equal to 4, and the number of rust layers is at least 75% of the original skill level.

Since a skill can never gain more than 6 levels of rust, only skills between "Skilled" and "Expert" can ever show as "V. Rusty", and only skills at "Master" or lower can ever show as "Rusty" - higher level skills will silently accumulate rust until they are eventually demoted below "High Master", then the rust will become visible.

Whenever experience is gained, the skill's "unused" counter is reset to zero, its "rust" and "demotion" counters are ''decremented'' by 1, and one or more levels of rust are removed depending on the amount of experience gained:
* 50% of the gained experience (rounded down, plus 1) is lost
* 10% of the lost experience (rounded down, plus 1) is spent toward removing rust
* If it was enough to remove ''more'' rust than was accumulated, then the XP penalty is set to 10 points per remaining rust level, minus 10

Since most crafting jobs give 30 points of experience, this means it would take 3 jobs to work away 6 levels of rust, each giving only 14 points of experience; if the skill only has 1 level of rust, a single job would work it away without losing any experience.

==Performances==

Randomly generated musical [[instrument]]s and musical compositions are also considered skills and gain experience from use, though it is not clear how greater skill levels affect anything or if these performance-related skills rust.

{{Category|Skills| }}
[[ru:Skill]]

Dwarf

2025-07-30T01:37:46Z

Porkchop33: Edit

{{Quality|Masterwork}}
{{Creaturelookup/0
|image=Dwarf sprite.png
|portrait=df_dwarf_portrait.png
|death=nobutcher
|contrib=no
|wiki=Dwarf (mythology)
}}
{{av}}
{{creaturedesc}}
[[File:Bersek dwarf.png|thumb|right|«''Berserk Dwarf''». Art by [[User:Jeff Agudelo|Jeff Agudelo]]]]
[[File:Full steel dwarf.png|thumb|right|«''Full steel warrior''». Art by [[User:Jeff Agudelo|Jeff Agudelo]]]]
[[Image:Dwarf.jpg|206px|thumb|This is a masterfully-designed engraving of a Dwarf and a battle axe.]]
'''Dwarves''' (singular, '''Dwarf''') are [[Stupid dwarf trick|"intelligent"]], [[alcohol]]-[[Creature_token#ALCOHOL_DEPENDENT|dependent]], {{Catlink|Humanoids|humanoid}} [[creature]]s that are the featured [[civilization|race]] of [[fortress mode]], as well as being playable in [[adventurer mode]]. They are well known for their stout physique and prominent [[beard]]s (on the males), which begin to grow from birth; dwarves are stronger, shorter, stockier, and hairier than the average [[human]], have a heightened sense of their surroundings and possess perfect darkvision. Dwarves live both in elaborate underground [[fortress]]es carved from the [[mountain|mountainside]] and above-ground [[hillock]]s, are naturally gifted [[miner]]s, [[metalsmith]]s, and [[stone crafter]]s, and value the acquisition of [[wealth]] and [[value|rare]] [[metal]]s above all else.

Dwarven civilizations typically form (mostly) peaceful, trade-based relationships with [[human]]s and [[elves]], but are bitter enemies with [[goblin]]s, and consider [[kobold]]s a petty annoyance. Dwarven babies become [[children]] one year after birth, grow up to become adults at their eighteenth birthday, and live to be around 150-170 years of age.

Well-trained dwarves are a menace in combat; they are the only race that can enter a [[martial trance]] when beset by multiple foes, granting them a major combat bonus, and their emphasis on mining and metalworking ensures access to the best [[weapon|arms]] and [[armor]]. They are incapable, however, of riding [[mount]]s, and will always fight on foot. Note, however, that this is only applicable to player controlled dwarves in fortress mode, as they have access to mounts if they are the invading force of a [[siege]].

Dwarves speak the [[Main:Dwarven language|dwarven language]].

Some non-dwarves [[Preferences|like]] dwarves for their ''beards''.

== Fortress mode ==
Dwarves are the current default race in fortress mode, as in, the only one that can be played without [[modding]]. As a [[trading]] race, dwarves will send a [[caravan]] every year in [[Calendar|Autumn]]. These merchants will bring back tales of a fortress's wealth and goods, which will attract [[immigration|immigrant]]s, and the [[outpost liaison]] will bring news about the goings on of the world centered mainly on the player's civilization, including results of [[mayor]]al elections, flight of various refugee groups from their forts and hillocks during [[war]]s, and replacement of [[monarch]]s if the previous incumbent dies with or without an heir.

Dwarves may occasionally be [[Strange mood|inspired]] to create a [[legendary artifact]], an item of masterful crafting and great value. A dwarf who is successful in this quest will in most cases become a [[skill|legendary]] worker in that profession; however, if the appropriate materials are not available, the dwarf will instead go [[insanity|insane]]. Dwarves with the dream of creating a great work of art long for a strange mood to strike them.

Being underground creatures, dwarves are not fond of the sun, and when exposed to it after [[Cave_adaptation|spending long enough in the dark]], they will experience negative thoughts and vomiting, which will be worse and last for longer the longer they have spent underground.

Dwarves react to stress depending on their [[personality facet]]s; some react with fear or violence unless they've become sufficiently [[discipline]]d (or numbed) to such things, while others will not feel anything unless the stress is particularly personal. When pushed to unhappiness by unfortunate events, dwarves will go into [[Mental breakdown|emotional breakdowns]] depending on their personalities, ranging from [[depression]] to aggressive [[tantrum]]s – it is not uncommon to find tantruming dwarves overturning furniture, injuring others, and generally being rowdy. Nevertheless, they also have a strong sense of [[justice]], and those who damage property or other dwarves may find themselves incarcerated, or – in extreme cases – on the receiving end of the [[hammerer]]'s corporal punishment, though unintentionally fatal beatings from the fortress guard are not unusual. While older versions of the game were famed for their "tantrum spirals", where dwarves would enrage each other in a domino effect and destroy the fortress in the process, these are not as common in the current day, though a stressed dwarf is nonetheless a plentiful source of [[fun]].

== Needs ==

As living creatures, dwarves need to [[Thirst|drink]], eat [[food]], and [[sleep]] to survive. On average, a dwarf needs to drink every 18 days, eat every 35 days, and sleep every 40 days. Dwarves prefer [[alcohol]] and are uniquely alcohol-dependent; if deprived for long enough, a dwarf will suffer from withdrawal and will work slower.

Dwarves also have a variety of emotional [[needs]] that arise from their [[personality facet]]s and [[Personality value|values]]. A typical dwarf may need to acquire [[Finished goods|objects]], eat [[Item value|good]] [[Prepared meal|meal]]s, maintain their [[relationship]]s, hone their [[skills]] (often in [[Industry|crafting]], but could also be [[Combat skill|martial]] or [[Library|intellectual]]), or enjoy a [[performance]].

== Adventurer mode ==
Dwarven fortresses can be explored in [[Adventurer mode]], both in their world-generated and player-made forms. They can be a good source of dwarf-sized [[armor]], as [[human]] armor is too large for dwarves. As the layout of underground [[Fortress|fortresses]] and [[mountain halls]] are considered to be [http://www.bay12forums.com/smf/index.php?topic=169696.msg8565801#msg8565801 too confusing] to navigate, it is not possible{{v|51.01}} for adventurers to start from there. Dwarven adventurers must start at other [[site]] types, such as [[hillocks]] or those founded by another [[civilization]].

Dwarves have the notable ability to see perfectly well in the dark, either at night or [[underground]]. They can also enter [[martial trances]] under the same conditions as they would in Fortress mode. Most human weapons must be wielded two-handed by dwarves, due to their size, except, of course, the weapons that dwarves can also make.

== Ethics ==
[[File:Dancing dwarves crayon.jpg|thumb|250px|This is a crayon drawing. All craftsdwarfship is of the highest quality. On the item is an image of dwarves in crayon. The dwarves are laughing. The dwarves are dancing. On the item are signatures of [[Main:ThreeToe|Zach]] and [[Main:Toady One|Tarn Adams]] in crayon.]]

Morally speaking, dwarven [[ethics]] most closely resembles human and elven ethics, agrees somewhat with kobold and [[animal people]] ethics, and disagrees strongly with goblin ethics. Unlike elves, dwarves find the devouring of dead enemies unthinkable, and will not butcher or consume intelligent beings (goblins see this as a personal matter). They are entirely opposed to torture of any sort for any reason, unlike elves, humans, kobolds and animal people (who find certain forms of torture acceptable) and especially goblins, who find all torture acceptable. Dwarves tolerate animal trophies but shun those who keep trophies of sapient beings, and find those who keep trophies of other dwarves appalling. Dwarves find the killing of animals, enemies and plants completely acceptable, unlike elves, kobolds and animal people. An exception to this is the killing of neutral beings, which is sanctioned as long as the killing had been officially ordered. A dwarf found to have participated in assault, theft, trespassing or vandalism will be seriously punished; some crimes such as killing other dwarves, breaking oaths, slavery and treason are punishable by death. On the other hand, lying is considered a personal matter.

Dwarves highly value craftsmanship, and deeply respect law, loyalty, family, friendship, truth, artwork, skill and hard work. They place a certain degree of value on martial prowess, cooperation, fairness, independence, stoicism, commerce, merriment, leisure time and perseverance. They have no respect for nature.

== Community outlook ==
Dwarves have accumulated a reputation among players for being slow-witted, although to be fair, this is more a function of the game itself (and certain consequences thereof) than it is the fault of the dwarves. The instances of dwarven stupidity are numerous; examples include [[dodging]] into thin air (off of cliffs and into [[river]]s), never accounting for [[water]] [[flow]] (and being swept off of [[waterfall]]s to a watery grave several [[z-level]]s below), always taking the easy [[path]]s (even through a pond [[syndrome|poisoned]] with toxic [[forgotten beast]] blood), climbing across tree branches and falling into the lakes or ponds the branches hang over, building [[construction]]s from the wrong side (trapping themselves within), [[channel]]ing the floor one <s>is</s> was standing on, wandering off to do dangerous things ([[web|collecting webs]] when a [[giant cave spider]] is visibly lurking), and generally disregarding dangerous circumstances (carrying back friendly [[corpse]]s even when the goblins that have rendered them horizontal are a mere two feet away).

Dwarves also have the reputation of being incredibly irritable, becoming stressed at the slightest provocation. The problem was compounded by dwarven touchiness in previous versions of the game; they easily became depressed, throwing tantrums that spiraled out of control for what seemed like minor reasons (e.g. a temporary lack of [[wear|unworn]] [[clothing#The_great_sock_obsession|socks]]). This inevitably led to players' emphasis of the "dwarfy": failsafe designs, machinery in place of dwarfpower, fun with [[magma]], seizing control of the environment, killing all the cute fuzzy animals, strip-mining the whole place hollow, etc. It is a great insult to be called an [[elf]], implying that the player is apt to sit around and gaze at trees, living in the world rather than bending it to their will.

In accounts of exploits or [[fun]], the generic name ''[[main:Urist|Urist]]'' is often used in place of any specific dwarf [[name]], often because the default dwarf names are complex, random, and hard to remember. Several other nicknames for dwarves also exist; some are less polite than others.

== Mythology ==
In real-life mythology, dwarves are much like humans, but generally prefer to live underground and/or in mountainous areas. In their fortresses they have accumulated treasures of [[gold]], [[silver]], and [[gem|precious stones]], and pass their time fabricating costly weapons and armor. They are famed miners and smiths, although, like humans, they can specialize in any number of trades. Generally shorter than humans, they are on average stockier and hairier, and usually sport full beards. Though slow runners and poor riders, dwarves are excellent warriors and defenders of their strongholds. Dwarves have the ability to forge magical items, which shows off their culture's and species' natural craftsmanship. For instance, dwarven smiths created some of the greatest and most powerful items of mythology, which inspired the in-game [[strange mood]]s and [[legendary artifact]]s.

== Myths concerning dwarves ==
{{D for Dwarf}}

Dwarves, much like the Biblical hero Samson, actually gain their strength from their beards. (Think back to Gimli, of Jackson's LOTR; "NOT THE BEARD"). There is some speculation among philosophers and biologists of other species whether there is a connection between alcohol and the near godlike properties dwarves exhibit, to which most dwarves respond with a roaring cascade of laughter, before bashing the offending creature's head in and chuckling, "''is'' there a connection?", while suddenly deciding to create an artifact due to the unexpected boost in happiness.

This brings us to the question of why dwarves become sad when they see a fellow dwarf killing a creature. In this, most species are only partially correct in the assumption that the dwarf regrets the loss of life. The real reason dwarves become upset, occasionally becoming melancholic and often throwing fits, is due to the regret that '''they''' were not the cause of said loss of life. This is especially true when the creature slain belongs to one of the following categories, in ascending order of amount regretted:
A) "LnT" Large and Threatening
B) "SCnI" Small, Cute and Innocent
C) "FB" Forgotten Beast (titans, forgotten beasts and other large "fun" included here)
D) "g" Goblins
E) "k" Kobolds
Z) "ë" Elves

{{gamedata}}
{{gamedata|title=Entity ([[civilization]]) Raws|{{raw|v50:entity_default.txt|ENTITY|MOUNTAIN}}}}
{{Creatures}}

{{Category|Races}}
{{Category|Humanoids}}
{{Category|Creatures}}
[[zh:Dwarf]]

Trading

2025-07-30T01:37:13Z

Porkchop33: Clarity

{{Quality|Exceptional}}
{{av}}
{{buggy}}
[[File:trading_icon_preview.png|right]]'''Trading''' in ''Dwarf Fortress'' allows your dwarves to trade with other friendly [[civilization]]s. They can barter their excess goods for items they need, possibly even items they can't otherwise acquire for themselves. Trade can make up for the lack of [[Industry|industries]] you neglected or don't find interesting, provide resources that aren't available where your dwarves settled, replace key tools you lost or accidentally destroyed, and allow you more freedom in selecting starting gear and skills at [[embark]]. Trading generally begins in the first [[Calendar|autumn]] after establishing your fortress, with the arrival of the [[dwarf|dwarven]] [[caravan]] from your home [[civilization]].

'''Trader''' is the generic term used at your [[trade depot]] to refer to your fortress representative (usually your [[broker]], although it can be anyone else in a pinch) when dealing with merchants in a visiting caravan. As a [[profession]], the term applies to visiting merchants and dwarves whose highest [[skill]] is [[Appraiser]].

To trade at all, you will need a [[trade depot]] and peaceful relations with at least one [[civilization]] that can reach your site. Appointing a citizen as a [[broker]] is not strictly necessary but is very helpful. Newly-founded fortresses begin the game at peace with their home civilization and will generally have at least that one trading partner each year, unless the parent civilization is [[Civilization#Dead and struggling civilizations|dead or dying]], or simply can't reach your site due to intervening mountains or open water. A [[civil war]] in your home civilization will also stop trade with them. Trading with your home civilization is quite important, as being visited by their caravans is part of attracting [[Immigration|immigrants]] after the first two waves.

Graphically, merchants will always appear in white clothing.
==Trading flowchart ==
{{:Trading/Flowchart}}

{{Clear}}

== Trade depot ==

{{Dual image
|premium=File:DFwikiGraphicalTradeDepot.png
|classic=File:DFwikiASCIITradeDepot.png
|width=150px
|caption=A Trade Depot
}}

{{Main|Trade depot}}
Building a [[trade depot]] is a prerequisite for trade with caravans that arrive at your fortress. If traders can't access your trade depot when they show up, their caravans will simply bypass your fortress that year. While it may be convenient to build a depot outside at first, it is usually a good idea to move it inside, or secure it with [[wall]]s, [[bridge]]s and other fortifications, to protect incoming caravans and your goods from [[steals drink|thirsty animals]], [[thief|thieves]], and [[goblin]]s.

Everything that is on your map belongs to you, except:
* the items that are on merchants' animals and wagons
* the items that are in the trade depot (they belong to the caravan until they are moved out of it)
* items worn by creatures that are not [[citizen]]s of your fortress (initially forbidden, but can be claimed via unforbidding and dumping them)

== Trading ==
[[File:merchant_v50_preview.png|right]]
{{Dual image
|premium=File:DFwikiTradeScreen.png
|classic=File:DFwikiASCITradeScreen.png
|width=300px
|caption=Trading screen
}}

Before you can begin trading, you need to designate what goods to trade and have the fortress's representative trader located at the [[trade depot]]. Select the trade depot and then click either "Broker requested at depot" or "Anyone requested at depot" if you have no [[broker]] [[noble]] assigned. Be aware that without an assigned [[broker]], it's likely a random, probably unskilled dwarf will volunteer to conduct the trade. Next click "Move goods to/from depot" to be presented with a list of all items in your fortress that belong to you. Mark the goods you want to sell --insert clever advice--, and your dwarves will begin moving them to the depot. If you are unsure about which goods are in which containers, clicking the bin or barrel within the menu will show every item that is stored inside, along with its perceived value (using your broker's [[Appraisal]] skill). However, individual items cannot be marked if they are in a container. Note that during this step, we are just moving the goods physically to the trade depot, and that containers like [[barrels]] and [[bins]] must be moved with all of their contents (although for bins you will have an opportunity to specify which contained items you wish to trade).

Once the trade goods are moved to the depot and your trader has arrived, select the depot again and finally click the "Trade" button to enter the trade menu. In the trade menu, select the items to offer from the right and the desired items from the left. All caravans have a weight limit which cannot be exceeded, and the allowed additional weight is displayed in the lower left corner. If your trader has sufficient [[Appraisal]] skill, the value of all items will be displayed with reasonable accuracy. Once the proposal is ready, click the "Trade" button to propose the trade; merchants will not agree unless they make adequate profit. Clicking the "Offer as gift" button instead will make a gift of the selected items. Items from outside the embark area cannot be offered as gifts. The amount of acceptable profit is determined by the trader's [[Broker skills|skills]] and the merchant's mood, described below. Merchants may attempt to propose counteroffers if they do not accept the proposal, which can then be accepted, rejected, or further amended by the trader. If the Trader Profit is listed in green rather than yellow or red the trade will always be accepted.{{Verify}}

With more experienced traders and pleased merchants, even marginally profitable trades can be successful, and counterproposals can be rejected safely, offering the same trade again. Note however that a low profit margin for the traders may not be desirable - it has been suggested that both export and profit numbers influence the size of next year's caravan and, in the case of the dwarven caravan, immigration numbers.{{Verify}}

Note: Goods brought by caravans rarely have base quality higher than superior, and decorations on a good rarely exceed superior as well.

Note if you give or trade away an [[Artifact|artifact]], you will receive a special notification:
;[[File:Treasure_Gift.PNG|750px]]
;[[File:Treasure_Trade.PNG|750px]]

=== Items cue colors ===
{| class="wikitable"
! {{DFtext|Brown|6:0}}
| Items have been created (or modified) by your fortress. They can be traded away or offered as a gift.
|-
! {{DFtext|Gray|7:0}}
| Items were created by another source. They can be traded, but if one of these items has been selected, the entire selection cannot be offered as a gift.
|-
! {{DFtext|Purple|5:0}}
| Items are under a no-export mandate. If they are traded away it will result in disciplinary action (see [[justice]]) against the dwarf that brought the item to the depot.
|-
! {{DFtext|Green|2:0}}
| Items have just been gifted to the caravan and they will not trade it back.
|-
! {{DFtext|Red|4:0}}
| Items have been seized from another caravan and cannot be traded as is; you will need to decorate them or turn them into other items for them to become "valid" trading items.
|}

Note that containers (barrels, bins, etc.) will be displayed according to the origin of the ''container'', not the contents. So a foreign barrel holding locally-produced beer will display as foreign (white). Once you {{k|v}}iew the container, the locally-made contents are displayed as local (brown).

=== Seizing items ===

Clicking "Seize" from the trade menu will seize the selected items of the merchant's. If you seize goods from a caravan, the merchant will respond "Take what you want. I can't stop you." and then leave immediately without the seized goods. Items cannot be seized from the dwarven caravan, and other races will not buy goods stolen from one of their caravans (then marked in red) unless they are tricked into asking for them via counteroffer, or the items are "laundered" by decoration or used to create other goods. Seizing goods will hurt diplomatic relations, but is not grounds for an automatic [[siege]].

Pressing the seize button while no goods are selected will result in the merchant interpreting your seizure as a joke. This apparently does nothing to benefit or hinder your trading.

As a side note, if you deconstruct your trade depot with a caravan in it, all the caravan's items will drop to the ground, to be readily hauled away by your dwarves. This does not mark the items as stolen, and the caravan will leave. However, ''next'' year's caravan is partly based on the profits from the previous year - so if you are relying on that race's caravans for needed items, you're hurting yourself in the long run.

Trying to interrogate a merchant can also cause a wagon to fall apart.

Another way to steal without marking as stolen is to forbid the trade depot just before they leave, causing them to leave their goods at the depot.

If you're using the search plugin for [[Utility:DFHack|DFHack]] (e.g. from the [[Utility:Lazy Newb Pack|Lazy Newb Pack]]), be warned that {{K|s}} means "seize" and '''NOT''' "search", and there is '''no warning''' for it. Use {{K|q}} to search the merchant's goods and {{K|w}} to search yours.

Note that the civilization attached to a particular caravan will keep track of the value of items the caravan was carrying when they set out to trade, and they will compare this value with the value of items they return home with. Regardless of what method you use to confiscate items from a caravan, even if you came to possess the goods through no fault of your own (an [[ambush]] killed the traders and guards, for example) the parent civilization may decide that you stole from them and send a [[siege]] instead of a caravan the following year. It is prudent to take measures to protect caravans visiting your lands!

===Offering items===

You can also give away items, as gifts to the leaders of the [[civilization]] you are trading with. This presumably helps relations between yourself and the other faction, though there is not yet a clear correlation between the value of the offerings and the improvement to relations. The exact effects of offerings on trading are unknown but it is believed due to the offerings' net trade value being counted towards the merchants' profit, possibly with a modifier (possibly a multiplier of more than 1 as a bonus or less than 1 to compensate for the improved relations){{Verify}}, which in turn increases the quantity and variety of trade goods brought by next year's caravan. Also the [[Monarch]] requires offerings to be made before their arrival. You cannot offer items that were not made at your fortress; the merchants do not want your spare [[Goblinite]] clothes.

The value of an offering for the purpose of becoming the capital is adjusted by your current export agreement.

=== Trading with Elves ===
Unless you are looking for extra [[fun]], '''''under no circumstances''''' should you offer or attempt to trade [[elves]] any items which involve [[wood]], dead [[animal]]s, or wood or animal products, or which used wood or animal parts at any step in their creation*, including [[decoration]]s. If you do not respect this cultural prohibition, the elves will immediately take offense, refuse that trade, end the entire trading session, and leave, possibly damaging relations enough to provoke a war between you and the elven civilization you traded with.

: (* e.g. This includes [[clear glass]] and [[crystal glass]] items, which require [[pearlash]] to produce, which in turn comes from [[potash]], which itself is produced by burning a log. Similarly, yarn and wool are unwelcome. Yes, they are ''that'' picky about it.)

However, they will accept live, caged animals, and their own "grown wood" items, products associated with milk, cheese and [[bees]], and some other exceptions without taking insult. [[Trading#Unacceptable items|See below]] and the [[elves]] article for more detailed information.

== Miscellaneous trading advice ==
* Thieves and thieving critters tend to follow caravans. Expect assaults and intruders.
* Create your trading depot inside your fort, preferably in the beginning. Place a 3-tile wide path—which must be free of obstructions such as stairways, traps, minecart tracks and boulders (not stones)—to the entrance of the fort and position war-trained animals along it (chains do not block wagons); this will help to protect the traders and keep the depot close to your supplies.
* Avoid having multiple wagon paths to your depot. Caravan [[wagon]]s cannot move through each other, and if two wagons happen to meet at a fork they may become gridlocked against each other, resulting in the destruction of wagons and loss of trade opportunities.
* All caravans will bring extra food (meat and edible plants), wooden logs, and cloth/leather (for making clothes) if the supplies of your fortress are low enough, independent of whether or not you requested them. This does not apply in the case that the weight limit is exceeded by (other) items you requested. The supply situation, as observed by traders, is based solely on the number of unforbidden items in your fortress, stockpiled or not; thus, it is possible to trick caravans into thinking your supplies are low by [[forbid]]ding all of your relevant stocks immediately prior to their arrival.
**In order to '''avoid''' this behavior, you should make sure that, for each dwarf in your fortress, you have the following ''unforbidden'' items:
*** 5 pieces of food - meat, fish, plants, or "other" in your [[Status]] bar (even though "other" includes inedible items)
*** 1 wood log
*** 5 pieces of ''[[wear|undamaged]]'' cloth, pieces of leather, or complete sets of [[wear|pristine]] clothing (shirt+pants+shoe)
* Define your trade depot as a burrow. When traders arrive, you can add your broker or another dwarf, perhaps one you want to train in trading, to the burrow. They will head to the depot immediately, and stay there until you remove them from the burrow.
* Each trade you make (regardless of value) will increase your trader's skills by 50, distributed among Comedian, Judge of Intent, Negotiator, and Persuader. Each skill seems to gain around 5-15 experience points, but the sum will always be 50. The skill gain occurs as soon as the "t" button is pressed - if the offer is rejected, the dwarf will still gain 50 points. If the same offer is subsequently accepted, no additional skill will be gained.
* Selecting "only broker may trade" ensures that you will start negotiations with a decently-skilled trader, but it may require a significant delay if your broker is far away (or is busy with other tasks). Selecting "anyone can trade" will ensure that you get the trading done quickly, but at the cost of all item trade values being extremely inaccurate. Once your fortress can produce enough goods to reliably buy out the whole caravan, waiting for your broker is less important; allowing your commoners to trade spreads out the trading skill gains and eliminates the micromanagement of trying to get your broker to the depot in a timely manner.

== Types of Merchant Caravans==
By default, each friendly [[civilization]] (including your own) will send one merchant [[caravan]] per year. Each race always trades in a particular season: autumn for dwarves, spring for elves, and summer for humans. (No race trades in winter by default.) If you have friendly contact with multiple civilizations of the same race, you may even get multiple caravans in a single season. Each race brings different goods, and they sometimes have different trading preferences.

If your fortress was founded in spring, it is highly unlikely that you will receive an elven caravan that spring, and it is uncommon for a human caravan your first summer, so probably your first and only caravan your first year will be the dwarven one. Caravans will only show up if that race considers the fortress site accessible (as denoted on the embark screen) and "worth the effort" (as determined by the [[Entity token#PROGRESS_TRIGGER_POPULATION|[PROGRESS_TRIGGER_*]]] tokens in the entity definition), with the exception of dwarves, who always arrive unless they are [[extinct]].

=== Dwarven ===
{{quote|
: ''Greetings from the mountainhome. Your efforts are legend there. Let us trade!''
:: (Or, if your fort ''is'' the [[Fortress|mountainhome]]...)
: ''Greetings from the outer lands. Your efforts are legend there. Let us trade!}}

Typically, the first caravan you receive is the [[Dwarves|dwarven]] one from your home civilization, giving you at least 22 weeks to prepare (assuming you started mid-spring, the default). This does require that you are on the same continent as they are, and you are not isolated by mountains or bodies of water.

The dwarven caravan:
* arrives in [[Calendar|autumn]].
* carries metal bars, [[leather]], weapons and armor, food and booze, and more. Dwarves alone may bring [[steel]] and steel goods.
:* If the trading civilization does not have access to [[iron]], they can still bring steel (and steel goods) and [[pig iron]] bars, but will not bring iron products.
* usually carries a selection of books that your civilization has access to. This can include books written in previous forts of yours within the same civilization.
* is heavily guarded.

The dwarven caravan from your home civilization:
* sends a liaison who will speak with the [[Expedition leader]], [[Mayor]], [[Baron]], [[Count]], or [[Duke]] to negotiate an import-export agreement (unless the [[Monarch]] is present).
* influences the number of immigrants received (if the caravan leaves intact).
* will not cause sieges when repeatedly destroyed or lost.
* is the only caravan to arrive during a fortress' first year.
* always arrives, regardless of embark location, unless the dwarven civilization is [[extinct]].
* cannot have its goods seized from the trade menu.
* may not arrive if your civilization lacks any notable figures.
* cannot be offered goods if the monarch is present.

=== Elven ===
{{quote|Greetings. We are enchanted by your more ethical works. We've come to trade.}}
[[Image:Evil_elves.png|thumb|400px|A typical elven caravan.]]

Friendly [[elf|elven]] civilizations will each send a caravan sometime in [[Calendar|spring]], giving you about a full year before the first caravan arrives when starting at the default time.

The elven caravan:
* arrives in the [[Calendar|spring]].
* carries [[cloth]], [[rope]]s, various above-ground seeds, [[plant]]s and their byproducts, [[log]]s, [[wood]]en goods & [[weapon]]s, clothing and [[armor]], and may carry tame exotic [[creature]]s.
* does not use [[wagon]]s, only [[Creature#Domestic animals|pack animals]]
* is unguarded.
* will become angry and immediately leave if offered "unethical" wooden or animal products; see [[Trading#Unacceptable items|below]].

Elven caravans don't use wagons, instead bringing all of their goods on pack animals. This means that they don't need any special accommodation to get to the [[trade depot]]: any untrapped one-tile-wide path will suffice. However, this also means that elven caravans have a much lower weight limit, which means selling them heavy items like [[furniture]] or large [[stone]] goods can be problematic. Their caravans are also unguarded, and may need protection if your fortress is in a [[Surroundings|dangerous environment]] or [[Siege|under attack]].

Elves will only ever have goods made from above-ground plants, goods made from their special "grown" wood, or various exotic [[creature]]s or [[vermin]] in grown wooden [[cage]]s. The possibility of getting a breeding pair of [[giant tiger]]s is nice, although they might just bring something useless like [[raven]]s or [[Green tree frog|tree frog]]s instead. If you trade with elves for unusual [[plant]] [[crop]]s, you may be able to [[brew]] or [[Millstone|otherwise]] [[Farmer's workshop|process]] those plants for [[seed]]s you can later grow in your own [[Tile attributes|above-ground]] [[Farming|farm]]s, if you live in a compatible [[biome]]. Elves also wear and sell the same-sized [[clothing]] as dwarves, if you haven't gotten your [[textile industry]] going yet. Otherwise, food, logs, cloth, or miscellaneous wooden goods like [[cage]]s, [[barrel]]s, and [[bucket]]s can be useful.

Elves don't forge [[metal]]. All of their [[weapon]]s and [[armor]] are made from [[wood]], including item types that dwarves can't normally make from wood, like [[spear]]s or different [[sword]] varieties. These are even less useful than most arms and armor sold by caravans, as wooden weapons and armor are [[Material science#Material and item properties|basically useless in combat]]. Even metal-poor dwarves can cheaply make superior arms and armor from bone or leather. It's probably for the best that elves are so poorly armed, because offending them and damaging your [[Diplomacy|diplomatic relationship]] with their civilization is very easy.

==== Unacceptable items ====
Elves [[Elf#Ethics|view]] living trees as sacred and dislike the killing of non-hostile animals; they're the only [[Ethic#Ethics of vanilla civilizations|unmodded civilization]] to do so. Offering them wood or animal-derived products, either as part of a trade or as a gift, will offend the merchant. The merchant will rebuke your broker and leave immediately. This offense reduces your [[civilization]]'s [[Diplomacy|diplomatic relationship]] with the elves' civilization, possibly leading to [[war]] after multiple infractions.

Examine your items carefully! Elf traders will reject [[Storage|container]]s holding a prohibited item, otherwise-acceptable items stored in a prohibited container, and all items «[[decoration|decorated]]» with a prohibited [[material]]. If you want to sell food or liquid to elves, it's best to use a [[large pot]] or one of their own grown wood barrels.

Note that elves only care about the items they are actually offered. It's perfectly allowable to use wooden [[bin]]s to haul items to the [[trade depot]], as long as you only offer the elves acceptable items from the bin and not the bins themselves.

===== Items made from wood =====
{{quote|Once a beautiful tree, and now? It is a rude bauble, fit only for your kind.}}
Elves do not want to be offered items you made from wood, nor do they want most items that require wood as part of their creation process.
* All items made of or decorated with [[wood]]. This includes wood from [[Tree#Underground trees|tree-like subterranean fungus]], such as [[tower-cap]]s. Elves make an exception for the "grown" wood items they make themselves, but items made by other races using "grown" wooden logs are still not acceptable.
* All items made of or decorated with wood derivatives. This includes [[ash]], [[potash]], [[pearlash]], [[charcoal]], [[lye]], and tallow [[soap]]. Note the exceptions for plant-based soap and ash-[[glaze]]d [[earthenware]] below, however.
* Items made from or decorated with clear or crystal [[glass]], as these items require [[pearlash]] in their creation. Again, note the exception for raw or cut glass [[gem]]s below.
* [[Obsidian]] [[short sword]]s. These require wood in their production, for the handle.

===== Animal products =====
{{quote|I see your low race still revels in death. That poor, gentle creature...}}
Elves also reject the majority of animal products. (This taboo extends to items made from intelligent creatures, despite the fact that you may see elven [[historical figure]]s hypocritically wearing items made from the hair or bones of their enemies.)
* Items and decorations made from [[body parts]], such as [[hair]], [[bone]]/[[skull]], [[shell]], [[horn]]/hoof/antler, and [[ivory]]/[[tooth]]. It also includes items dwarves can't normally use for crafting, such as [[nail]]s, [[chitin]], and [[scale]]s.
* [[Leather]] or [[parchment]]/vellum, and all items made from them. These are made from [[skin]]s.
* [[Wool]] [[yarn]] and [[cloth]], as well as all items made from them. Elves have never heard of [[shearing]], so it doesn't matter how well you treat your [[sheep]]; they still associate animal products with death.
* [[Meat]] (including [[prepared organs]]), [[fish]] (both raw and prepared), [[fat]], and [[tallow]]
* [[Egg]]s. Elves aren't keen on keeping chickens, either.
* [[Prepared meals]] made using any of the above products.
* Tallow [[soap]]
* [[Corpse]]s and [[body parts]] themselves, although these are usually worthless anyway.
* [[Blood]], even if you somehow manage to get it into an elf-friendly container.

A distinct retort awaits dwarves who are so tactless as to offer goods made from both wood products '''and''' animal products at the same time (such as tallow soap, or an item decorated with both wood and bone):
{{quote|You truly despise life, don't you? I am beside myself with grief. Perhaps we will show you how they suffered.}}

===== Acceptable items =====
Any item that isn't specifically prohibited above is acceptable to elves. A non-exhaustive list of items they accept:

* The "Feather Tree Egg Yolk" that the elves litter your trade depot with, can be traded back to them. Useful free trade items if you're looking to level another broker.
* Items made from or decorated with [[stone]], as well as raw [[clay]] or raw [[sand]]. This includes items made from [[petrified wood]], [[lignite]], or [[bituminous coal]]; elves aren't concerned with items that were plants or animals in a different geological age.
** [[Gizzard stone]]s are acceptable. Elves can't tell them from any other object made of stone.
* Items made from or decorated with [[metal]] (including [[steel]]), green [[glass]], or [[ceramic]]. Elves are content to assume your dwarves fuel their craft with [[coke]] and [[magma]] rather than [[charcoal]].
* All rough gems and cut gems, as well as items and decorations made from [[gem]] materials. Note that clear glass and crystal glass are not gem materials and are generally not acceptable, even though they can be used for [[Gem setting|gem decoration]]s and gem [[craft]]s.
** Due to a long-standing bug{{bug|919}}, elves do not examine the material rough gems or cut gems are made of. You can safely sell them raw clear or crystal glass, or cut gems made from clear or crystal glass, as long as you haven't used those gems for decorations. Be careful, because clear or crystal glass [[craft]]s from the "cut gems" job, including "large" gems, are still unacceptable.
* [[Block]]s made of any material, including wood or clear/crystal glass.
* [[Plant]] and fungus products in general. Unless otherwise prohibited, all of these items are acceptable either as themselves or as the material for an item or decoration:
** Plant [[crop]]s, [[fruit]]/pods, [[seed]]s/nuts, and [[leaf|leaves]]/bulbs/flowers. Anything that can be grown on a [[farm plot]] or harvested with [[herbalism]] is one of these four. This includes non-wooden produce from trees.
** [[Plant fiber]] [[thread]] and [[cloth]], and all items made from them.
** Processed plant products. This includes (but isn't limited to) [[booze]], [[dye]], [[flour]], [[dwarven sugar]] and [[dwarven syrup]], [[oil]], [[press cake]], and [[paper]]. [[Papyrus]] sheets seem to be a notable exception.
* [[Silk]] [[thread]] and [[cloth]] and items made from them. Elves don't care if you're exploiting spiders.
* Products of the [[beekeeping industry]], including [[honey]], [[royal jelly]], [[mead]], [[wax]], and wax [[craft]]s.
* [[Cheese]] and [[milk]]
* [[Prepared meal]]s made entirely with allowed ingredients.
* "Grown" wood items. These can generally only be obtained from elves, and are made in keeping with elven ethics. Note that these items can still become unacceptable if they contain unacceptable items or are later decorated with unacceptable materials.
* Items made from [[Adamantine|certain]] [[Divine metal|spoiler]] [[Divine fabric|materials]], if you're willing to give these up.
* Live [[creature]]s or [[vermin]]. Since these can only be traded when in a [[cage]] or [[animal trap]], make sure the cage or trap is also made of acceptable materials.
* [[Soap]] made from [[oil]]. This may be a bug{{bug|8571}}, as even plant-based soap requires [[lye]], which is made from [[ash]].
* Otherwise-acceptable items are not disqualified by [[ash]] [[glaze]], which may be a bug{{bug|4652}}.

=== Human ===
{{quote|Greetings. The craftsdwarfship of the dwarves is unparalleled. Let's make a deal!}}

Assuming you do have friendly contact with [[human]]s, their first caravan will arrive sometime in summer, giving you well over a full year before they arrive.

The human caravan:
* arrives in [[Calendar|summer]]. (Usually your first caravan opportunity.)
* carries metal bars, sand, [[leather]], cloth, wood, food and booze, books, ropes, waterskins, quivers, backpacks, metal weapons and clothing and armor, cages and a few domestic animals.
* carries only large-sized clothing and armor, which is unusable by dwarves.
* is moderately guarded.
* sends a chief treasurer to negotiate import/export agreements

==== Good Humor ====
Choosing to seize goods from a human caravan without marking anything to be taken is treated as a joke, which will raise the visiting trader's mood. This can only be done once each year.

=== Goblins and Kobolds ===
{{mod}}
{{main|modding#trade}}

A [[goblin]] caravan will only arrive if you mod the game, primarily because their entity lacks the [[entity token]]s needed to make use of pack animals and wagons - that, and that the token {{token|BABYSNATCHER|e}} makes them hostile to all non-goblin civilizations. The same caveats apply to [[kobold]]s (whose {{token|UTTERANCES|c}} and {{token|ITEM_THIEF|e}} tags, similarly, make them hostile to every civilization).

The goblin caravan:
*will arrive every season, four times per year
*is unguarded
*brings mostly food and cloth
*does not send a liaison or a guild representative
*does not make import/export agreements

== Merchant mood ==
{{Verify|Are we sure that this section is correct?}}
If your trader has Novice or better [[Judge of intent]] skill, there will be a line added below the merchant's dialogue describing the caravan's attitude. Their attitude rises with successful trades (especially if they get lots of profit) and falls when you propose deals they don't like. You can never make a deal that's at a loss for the merchant, even if they are at the highest possible mood.

* {{DFtext|(trader) seems ecstatic with the trading.|2:1}}
* {{DFtext|(trader) seems very happy about the trading.|3:1}}
* {{DFtext|(trader) seems pleased with the trading.|1:1}}
* {{DFtext|(trader) seems willing to trade.|7:1}}
* {{DFtext|(trader) seems to be rapidly losing patience.|6:1}}
* {{DFtext|(trader) is not going to take much more of this.|4:1}}
* {{DFtext|(trader) is unwilling to trade.|5:1}}

The happier you make a merchant, the less profit margin they will demand in a trade. Dwarven merchants start off wanting about 100% profit, maybe a little more. If you repeatedly offer less than what they expect, that will "lower" their mood. If, on the other hand, you meet or exceed their expectation, that will, over several trades, improve their mood. If merchants reach the lowest level, no further trade will be possible, and they will immediately pack up and leave your depot. Since annoyed merchants are more likely to reject deals, you should be generous in initial negotiations. Skilled negotiators seem less likely to offend merchants with unsuccessful deals.

An easy way to capitalize on this mood system is to perform several partial trades. First trade for a few items, offering goods twice the value of the items you ask for (e.g. offer 2000☼ for 1000☼ of his stuff). This will likely make the merchant ecstatic about trading with you. Perform the next trades more aggressively, working them down to about a 30% profit. With the merchant in such a good mood, they are more likely to counteroffer than reject a trade outright. If you don't like the counter-offer, try to split the difference, or just back out of the trade and start again.

== Trade Agreements and Liaisons ==
[[Outpost liaison]]s (from your own civilization) and foreign Merchant Nobles (if added with the [[Position token#TRADE|TRADE responsibility]]) will arrive with the caravan to speak to your [[noble]] dwarves (and they ''will'' speak to those dwarves, even if they have to wait at their bedside in the hospital for months after the caravan has left), appearing on the map edge at the same time as the caravan (though in a different location). Meeting with them allows you to request specific items for the next caravan to bring (at a premium price) or take requests for production for the next caravan (for which the merchants will pay a premium).

Current [[Trade agreement|trade agreements]] can be viewed through the Civilization menu ({{k|c}}). These trade agreements are cleared when a liaison of the corresponding civilization enters the screen, so they are generally not accessible after the caravan has arrived.

In the event that your leader is replaced, killed, or taken by a [[strange mood]], the liaison may decide to leave your fortress [[stymied|"unhappy"]].{{bug|576}} Curiously, this will '''not''' occur if your leader is otherwise unable to perform the "conduct meeting" task. You can currently lock a liaison in a room and they will wait years to attend the meeting your noble is constantly conducting (and all subsequent diplomats appear to wait in line for the first to finish); this behavior is presumably a bug.{{bug|8947}}

Whether having successfully met with your leader or given up, a liaison who has decided to leave but is prevented from reaching the map edge will eventually go [[insane]].

== Bugs ==

* Merchants who are attacked by enemies or even wild animals will sometimes become disconnected from the trade depot and refuse to pack of their things to leave the map, and these items will remain 'stuck' in the depot. Deconstructing the trade depot usually forces them to leave, presumably with the downside of causing those goods to be considered seized by the player.
* Aggressive, untrainable creatures (captured goblins, for example) cannot be traded; when a dwarf attempts to move the caged animal to the Depot, the creature is set free.
* When merchants leave with an animal, the merchants seem to be dragging their beast of burden instead of leading it. If the animal is incapacitated but not dead, the merchant will continue to walk at the same speed, dragging the unconscious beast.
* If a merchant's chosen map edge exit is guarded by a hostile creature (including those on a [[restraint]]), the merchant will wander back and forth repeatedly and eventually go insane rather than path to an alternate exit.
* Animals bought from merchants don't always become available for use.{{bug|10162}}

== Loyalty cascade ==
{{main|Faction#Loyalty cascade|l1=Faction}}
If you order your military to kill merchants from your own civilization, a bizarre result of the way loyalty is handled makes the members of your military who attacked the traders become enemies of your civilization, but remain members of your fort's government (dwarves of this [[faction]] are referred to as ''separatists''). As enemies, they attack your other dwarves (''citizens''), but as members of the fort, they still follow orders. Allowing citizen militia dwarves to attack the separatists will give them opposite loyalties of the separatists, (i.e. loyal to civ, not to fort), or ''loyalists'', who do '''not''' follow orders. And then, if a separatist or loyalist kill a citizen, they become enemies of the civ '''and''' fort, making them ''Renegades'', who are essentially complete enemies of the citizens.

To prevent the cascade from spreading, order the original separatists away from the fortress and let them fight amongst themselves. If the results are renegades, it is okay to allow other dwarves to kill them (by stationing them nearby). If the results are separatists/loyalists, then you will need to separate them, somehow.

== Exploits ==
*Deconstructing the depot will cause merchants to leave your fortress and abandon any goods in the Depot because items are not available until the building is fully deconstructed. However any animals they had caged will still belong to the merchants and only become friendly, you won't actually own them. According to Toady One, this is actually working as intended, and is not really an exploit or bug: "...the reckoning comes when they return with lesser value, and it has the same negative effect (it'll be listed as a disaster rather than an intentional seizing -- the depot could be destroyed, for instance -- but it counts for the same value if I remember). The overall wording could be changed and the interaction could be deepened to recognize this or that, but it's working as intended."{{bug|293}}
*If you wait until the merchants leave the map, you can "claim" caged animals by linking a lever to the cage and opening it, the animals will be released in a tamed state. Check the {{k|u}}nit screen before releasing them; if the creatures still show as Merchant creatures, they will wander off the map when released; if they show as Tame creatures, they will stay once released.
*If you lock them in your fortress for a minute or two (real time), the merchants '''may''' drop items and leave behind pack animals (both of which are yours for the taking!) Note: Results are not consistent.
* If [[Caravan#Destruction|spooked or attacked]] the merchants' caravan could leave their stuff behind as they attempt to flee the map, leaving the items free for the taking.

[[File:Bullock_Team_Wool_Wagon.jpg|thumb|400px|center|An old trading wagon from the 1880's.]]

== World level trade ==
During world generation, trade is established between sites. This probably determines growth.

{{Translation| dwarven = nish | elvish = lathì | goblin = otsmor | human = batow}}

{{Category|Trade| }}
[[ru:Trading]][[zh:Trading]]