v0.31:Wrestling

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v50.14 · v0.47 · v0.34 · v0.31.25 · v0.28 · v0.23 This article is about an older version of DF. More Info · V

The Wrestler skill pertains to incapacitating enemies by grabbing ahold of limbs and other body parts. This is distinct from Striker, Kicker, and Biter which are separate skills that pertain to punching, scratching, kicking, and biting attacks respectively. Note that the skill for Thrower is used for throwing miscellaneous objects at creatures, not throwing the opponents themselves.

While striking and kicking are basic one-shot attacks like weapon attacks, biting can be used in conjunction with wrestling even though it uses a different skill to determine if the bite "hits" (see Biting and Ripping Off Body Parts below).

Wrestling maneuvers include:

• Take-down maneuvers that render an opponent prone
• Throws (as in throwing a creature, not an object) which render an opponent prone and stunned
• Choke Holds and Strangling which can render an opponent unconscious
• Joint Locks and Breaking Bones which can break limbs
• Shaking around by the teeth, after latching on from biting, which can do extra damage or sever body parts
• Gouging (eyes, for example) and Pinching which can damage, destroy, or even sever body parts
• Disarming maneuvers which can remove weapons, shields, clothing, or armor from an opponent.

See Combat skill for more information on other combat skills.

Fortress Mode

While the same wrestling "moves" described here can be used by dwarves in Dwarf fortress mode, it isn't possible to force particular wrestling maneuvers to be used. About all you can do is take away a dwarf's weapons to encourage wrestling and hope that he picks effective wrestling tactics in combat.

In fortress mode, wrestlers are generally unable to kill very effectively, but they may make killing easier for their armed comrades. Unfortunately, the AI is rather unlikely to do some of the more elaborate moves even if they are possible.

Adventure Mode

Wrestling in Adventure mode can be performed by standing next to an enemy and pressing Shift+A followed by Enter to switch the menu to wrestling. You can wrestle any enemy, but the effectiveness of your wrestling attempts will be limited by relative size and strength differences. For example, a dwarf is unlikely to be able to throw or choke hold an elephant or dragon.

Wrestling works somewhat like a targeted attack. Once you grab a creature by some body part, you may be able to make another wrestling attempt that will allow you to perform a more elaborate and useful move.

Below are instructions on how to perform various wrestling moves in adventure mode. The player has no way to force the AI to use them in fortress mode, so there are no equivalent instructions for fortress mode.

See Status icon for a legend of icons used when creatures are prone, thrown, stunned, etc.

Take-down

This knocks an opponent to the ground similar to how they fall to the ground when one of their legs is cut off (apart from the loss of limbs, obviously). Once on the ground they'll have to take time to stand back up, or their movement rate will be limited as they try to crawl.

To perform a takedown:

1. Use Shift+A followed by Enter and select an adjacent enemy
2. Select Grab with right upper arm or with some other body part
3. Select Grab upper body with right upper arm or some other part of the body. If the grab is successful you will see:
   • You grab the Xxxx by the upper body with your right upper arm! and you and your opponent's icons will change to indicate that you are wrestling.
4. Use Shift+A followed by Enter and select the same enemy that you grabbed last time.
5. Select Wrestle using right upper arm
6. Select Take-down by upper body with right upper arm
7. You will then see one of:
   • You take the Xxxxx down by the upper body with Your right upper arm!
     Success! The creature's status icon will change to indicate prone.
   • You adjust the grip of Your right upper arm on The Xxxxx's upper body.
     Failure. You have not lost your grip but you will have to try the takedown again.
   • The Xxxxx breaks the grip of Your right upper arm from The Xxxxx's upper body!
     Bigger failure. You have completely lost your grip on your opponent and will have to start over from the beginning.

Throw

You perform a throw the same way as a take-down, using the same procedure as above, except that you select Throw by x with y when the option presents itself. A throw will cause an opponent to become stunned and prone, with the possibility of throwing them back a certain distance (depending on your strength and relative size). However, it is more difficult to successfully throw a creature than it is to perform a take-down on one.

Chokehold and strangling

Choke holds can be extremely effective, if you can pull them off. A choke hold will cause an opponent to become unconscious making it extremely easy to kill them with a followup shot.

To perform a choke hold:

1. Use Shift+A followed by Enter and select an adjacent enemy
2. Select Grab with right upper arm or some other body part
3. Select Grab throat with right upper arm. Choking requires grabbing the throat.
4. Assuming the grab is successful, hit Shift+A followed by Enter again and select the creature
5. Select Wrestle with right upper arm
6. Select Choke throat with right upper arm
7. You will then see:
   • You place a chokehold on The Xxxxx's throat with Your right upper arm!
     Success, so far anyway.
   • You adjust the grip of Your right upper arm on The Xxxxx's throat.
     Failure. You have not lost your grip but you will have to try the chokehold again.
8. Once in a chokehold, hit Shift+A followed by Enter yet again and select the creature
9. Select Wrestle with right upper arm
10. Select Strangle throat with right upper arm
11. If successful you will see:
    • You strangle Xxxxx's throat!
    • The Xxxxx passes out. (not necessarily on the first try)
12. If the creature passes out (some are immune to strangling) the next attack will hit very easily, so followup with a targeted headshot or, if you want to be more gruesome, a bite to the throat. (See below.)

Joint locks and breaking limbs

With some body parts it's possible to put them into joint locks and break them. This works almost exactly like strangling.

1. Use Shift+A followed by Enter and select an adjacent enemy
2. Select Grab with right upper arm
3. Select Grab right upper arm with right upper arm
4. Use Shift+A followed by Enter again and select the same enemy
5. Select Wrestle with right upper arm
6. Select Lock right shoulder with right upper arm. If successful you will see:
   • You lock The Xxxxx's right shoulder with Your right upper arm!
7. Use Shift+A followed by Enter yet again and select the same enemy
8. Select Wrestle with right upper arm
9. Select Break right shoulder with right upper arm If successful you will see
   • You bend The Xxxxx's right upper arm with Your right upper arm, shattering the right shoulder's bone!

Biting and ripping off body parts

When biting a creature you will usually get a message saying You latch on firmly!. If you have latched on with a bite, you can enter the wrestling menu and shake the creature around with your teeth. This can be extremely effective.

To bite down on and attempt to rip off a body part with your teeth:

1. Use Shift+A and target an adjacent creature with a normal targeted attack
2. Select a body part, preferably one you can actually hit
3. Select "bite" as the attack type
4. If the attack hits, you should do some damage and see You latch on firmly!
5. Once your teeth have latched on to some body part, you can now hit Shift+A followed by Enter and select the creature to enter the wrestling menu.
6. You will now see an option like Wrestle with upper front tooth. Select that option.
7. Select Shake <part> with upper front tooth
8. This should do some amount of damage ranging from tissue layer damage to ripping the body part completely off. If you bit down on the throat, for example, and were very successful you will see:
   • You shake The Xxxxx around by the throat, tearing apart the throat!
   • A major artery in the throat has been opened by the attack!

Pinching and gouging

To pinch or gouge you have to have at least one hand free, meaning that you can't be holding something like a weapon or shield.

1. Use Shift+A followed by Enter and select an adjacent enemy
2. Select Grab with left hand
3. Select Grab head with left hand
4. If this succeeds, use Shift+A followed by Enter again and select the same enemy
5. Select Wrestle with left hand
6. Select Gouge left eye with left hand or Pinch <part> with left hand, or whatever seems good. If successful you will see something like:
   • You gouge The Xxxxx's left eye with Your left hand, tearing it apart!

Pinching can do anything from tissue damage to severing the body part.

Disarming

To disarm a creature you must have a hand free.

1. Use Shift+A followed by Enter and select an adjacent enemy
2. Select Grab with left hand
3. Now, scroll down toward the bottom of the list of body parts and you will see items that you can grab ahold of. Select Grab <item> with left hand
4. Assuming you hit, press Shift+I (advanced interaction) and scroll through your inventory until you see the item in your left hand listed in red. Select it.
5. Select a - Gain possession
6. If successful you will now have sole possession of the item in your left hand. You may now do whatever you want with it.

You can remove weapons, shields, armor, clothing, or anything that shows up in the list of things to grab.

See adventurer mode combat for more information on combat in adventure mode.

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