v0.31:Skill

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v50.12 · v0.47 · v0.34 · v0.31.25 · v0.28 · v0.23 This article is about an older version of DF. More Info · V

Skills are used by dwarves to accomplish almost every task. Higher skills allows dwarves to accomplish tasks more quickly, but also more effectively (for example mining and crafting). Using a skill will grant experience in that skill, allowing the dwarf to reach higher skill levels.

Skills now become rusty and eventually very rusty after a certain period of time. The exact effects of this are unknown, but skills remaining at "very rusty" for prolonged periods of time will gradually suffer permanent experience loss.

To determine what skills a dwarf has, press v and highlight the dwarf, then press g to ensure you are on the general information page. The skills will be grouped in to three toggleable types, combat, labor and miscellaneous skills. The list will include the level of each skill and a note if it is rusty or very rusty in parentheses if applicable.

Skill levels are as follows:

• Dabbling
• Novice
• Adequate
• Competent
• Skilled
• Proficient
• Talented
• Adept
• Expert
• Professional
• Accomplished
• Great
• Master
• High Master
• Grand Master
• Legendary

Skill penalties

Dwarves that are hungry, tired, or thirsty will work slower and produce lower quality goods. For some tasks like wood cutting or furnace operating this is unimportant, but you may wish to halt construction of aluminum statues, or remove the designation on those diamond or native aluminum clusters if your blacksmith or miner is famished and hollow-eyed from lack of sleep.

Skills

Miner   Miner Woodworker   Bowyer Carpenter Wood cutter Stoneworker   Engraver Mason Ranger   Ambusher Animal caretaker Animal dissector Animal trainer Trapper Doctor   Bone doctor Crutch-walker Diagnostician Surgeon Suturer Wound dresser

Farmer   Beekeeper Brewer Butcher Cheese maker Cook Dyer Grower Herbalist Lye maker Milker Miller Potash maker Presser Shearer Soaper Spinner Tanner Thresher Wood burner Fishery worker   Fish cleaner Fish dissector Fisherdwarf Metalsmith   Armorsmith Furnace operator Metal crafter Metalsmith Weaponsmith

Jeweler   Gem cutter Gem setter Craftsdwarf   Bone carver Clothier Glassmaker Glazer Leatherworker Potter Stone crafter Strand extractor Wax worker Weaver Wood crafter Engineer   Mechanic Pump operator Siege engineer Siege operator Other Jobs   Alchemist Knapper Swimmer Administrator   Appraiser Building designer Organizer Record keeper

Military   Archer Armor user Axeman Biter Blowgunner Bowman Crossbowman Dodger Fighter Hammerman Kicker Knife user Lasher Maceman Misc. object user Pikeman Shield user Spearman Striker Swordsman Thrower Wrestler Broker   Comedian Conversationalist Flatterer Intimidator Judge of intent Liar Negotiator Persuader

Miscellaneous   Concentration Consoler Leader Observer Pacifier Student Teacher Unused   Balance Coordination Discipline Druid Poet Reader Speaker Tracker Wordsmith Writer

Skills, Attributes and Traits

• Skills:
  • are trained by being used in some activity.
  • train attributes.
  • the same attribute can be trained by various skills.
  • it's assumed that the skills also use some of the attributes that they train.
  • certain skills are required or important for certain noble, military and civilian professions.
  • certain professions require several skills.
  • the same skill can be used by various professions.
  • are increased by Preferences, but capped, so the dwarf will make items beyond its skill level but won't affect the chances of making more high value items at the highest skill level.

• Traits:
  • cannot be modified in-game.^[Verify]
  • affect which social skills gain experience (if the dwarf has X trait it will not gain experience in X skill) at all.
  • have other in-game effects that can be useful for certain professions.
  • give thoughts when performing certain activities.

To summarize it goes like this:

Trait --> Skill <--> Attribute
  |         ^
  v         |
effect      |
  |         v
  '-->  Profession

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

Being traits the unmodifiable^[Verify], limiting factor on which skills can be learned or having useful effects, and certain professions requiring various skills, the need arises to:

• avoid appointing a dwarf that will never learn a certain skill to a profession that uses it:
  • appointing a straightforward dwarf as a broker will result in a consoler, non-flatterer, non-liar broker.
• appoint a dwarf with an useful effect given by a trait to a profession that benefits from it:
  • appointing an undisciplined dwarf to an important job will result in fun.
  • appointing an angry dwarf to soldier will result in more enraged bonuses.

The solution comes in the form of a nice sortable reference table:

coming soon! work in progress... please don't delete hidden comments... ;)

Skills first introduced in version 0.31.01

Combat:

Fighter, Archer, Striker, Kicker, Biter, Dodger

Healthcare:

Wound dresser, Diagnostician, Surgeon, Bone Doctor, Suturer (stitching wounds), Crutch Walker (this is for patients rather than doctors)

Other:

Misc. object user, Student, Concentration, Observer, Leader, Teacher,

Skills first observed in version 0.31.14

Combat:

Military tactics

Skills first introduced in version 0.31.19

Farming:

Shearer, Spinner, Presser, Beekeeper

Crafting:

Potter, Glazer, Wax worker

V · T · E Skills
Miner	Miner
Woodworker	Bowyer · Carpenter · Wood cutter
Stoneworker	Engraver · Mason
Ranger	Ambusher · Animal caretaker · Animal dissector · Animal trainer · Trapper
Doctor	Bone doctor · Diagnostician · Surgeon · Suturer · Wound dresser
Farmer	Beekeeper · Brewer · Butcher · Cheese maker · Cook · Dyer · Grower · Herbalist · Lye maker · Milker · Miller · Potash maker · Presser · Shearer · Soaper · Spinner · Tanner · Thresher · Wood burner
Fishery worker	Fish cleaner · Fish dissector · Fisherdwarf
Metalsmith	Armorsmith · Furnace operator · Metal crafter · Blacksmith · Weaponsmith
Jeweler	Gem cutter · Gem setter
Craftsdwarf	Bone carver · Clothier · Glassmaker · Glazer · Leatherworker · Potter · Stone crafter · Strand extractor · Wax worker · Weaver · Wood crafter
Engineer	Mechanic · Pump operator · Siege engineer · Siege operator
Administrator	Appraiser · Building designer · Organizer · Record keeper
Military	General Archer · Armor user · Biter · Dodger · Fighter · Kicker · Shield user · Striker · Wrestler Weapon Axeman · Blowgunner · Bowman · Crossbowman · Hammerman · Knife user · Lasher · Maceman · Misc. object user · Pikeman · Spearman · Swordsman · Thrower Other Leader · Observer · Student · Teacher
Social	Broker Comedian · Conversationalist · Flatterer · Intimidator · Judge of intent · Liar · Negotiator · Persuader Other Concentration · Consoler · Pacifier
Other/Peasant	Alchemist · Crutch-walker · Knapper · Swimmer
Unused	Balance · Coordination · Discipline · Druid · Military tactics · Poet · Reader · Speaker · Tracker · Wordsmith · Writer