v0.31:Magma

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

xTATTEREDx  · +FINE+  · *SUPERIOR*  · ≡EXCEPTIONAL≡  · ☼MASTERWORK☼

Magma is a red-hot Template:L that wells up from deep within the earth - but not too deep to be found by dwarves. Magma that is above the ground is called Lava but is still the same exact substance. Magma is very fun.

Magma serves as an energy source, powering Template:Ls, Template:Ls, Template:Ls, and Template:Ls. Magma is extremely hot which can lead to a lot of Template:L. In the current version magma seems a bit slower to burn things. Workers that dig into a magma reservoir are not instantly killed as the magma touches them and can often scramble to safety^[Verify] as long as they are not fully immersed in 7/7 magma. It's worth noting that magma never seems to blink with Template:L now either.

The list of materials that are Template:L has been expanded considerably in this version. Magma never cools, but can Template:L if left at a depth of 1/7 for long enough. When magma is mixed with water it forms Template:L. Note that magma located above Template:L will be listed as a Magma Flow and cannot be cooled into Template:L.

Bringing Magma Up

Magma can be brought to the surface by two different methods:Template:Ls, and magma pistons. Pump stacks are conceptually the simplest, but require an enormous amount of in-game time to make. Magma pistons tend to be faster to make, but require more time to understand how to build them.

Pump stacks

Pumping magma up from the magma sea via a conventional Template:L is a lot of work, requiring hundreds of pumps and vast amounts of power. Making all of the pumps Template:L also requires a lot of precious materials like steel or glass.

Magma pistons

The piston method requires much less work than pump stacks. It's based on a clever abuse of Template:L Template:L. The basic principle involves channeling out an area around a huge stone pillar, hundreds of z-levels tall, which will become the "piston" that drives magma to the top. Rest the piston on a single support, then carve out a tank at its base which will be filled with magma pumped from the magma sea. (Beware: building the piston directly over the magma sea will NOT work!) Once the tank has been filled, drop the piston by removing its support. Liquids displaced by a cave-in will "teleport" straight up to the nearest available space; here, the nearest available space will be the catchment area you thoughtfully prepared earlier atop the piston.

An simple magma piston works as shown in the following diagram:

Key:
  
  #    = Wall
  ~    = Magma
  S    = Support  
  _    = Floor hatch or bridge (your choice)

Basic magma piston design

#	_	#	#	#	_	#
#		#	#	#		#
#		#	#	#		#
#	~	~	S	~	~	#
#	#	#	#	#	#	#

When the support is destroyed, the wall sections in the middle will fall down into the magma. The magma will teleport to the top of the piston, as shown in the following diagram:

#	_	~	~	~	_	#
#		#	#	#		#
#		#	#	#		#
#	~	#	#	#	~	#
#	#	#	#	#	#	#

A magma piston is composed of 4-5 parts: the catchment area, the magma reservoir, the support, the piston, and the obsidian caster (optional).

Catchment area

The catchment area is located at the top of the piston. After the piston is dropped, the magma will spread out around the catchment area. In a repeating magma piston, some of the magma is used to cast obsidian on top of the piston, in order to reuse it. The volume and size of the catchment area must be carefully calculated to ensure that you won't have too much or too little magma above the piston for casting. Ideally, you want the depth of the magma above the piston to be 2. If the depth is 1, then the magma might evaporate and you won't be able to repair your piston. If the depth is greater than 2, then you're wasting magma if you cast it into obsidian.

Magma reservoir

The magma reservoir is dug out near the magma sea. You can't actually drop the piston directly into the magma sea because the bottom of the magma sea is Template:L, and it will completely destroy any piston dropped into it. The magma reservoir is artificial, so it won't have a floor made of semi-molten rock. This will allow the piston to rest on the floor of your reservoir. The magma reservoir needs three parts: a magma inlet, a magma drain, and an access corridor. After letting magma in, and dropping the piston, you'll want to dig out the bottom of the piston so you can drop it again. To do that, you need to drain any excess magma and let your workers in through the access corridor.

Support

The support is what prevents your piston from dropping until you decide to pull the firing lever. The support can be located either at the bottom of the piston, as shown in the simplified diagram, or at the side of the piston (shown in the following diagram). If the support is at the bottom of the piston, then the support and the mechanism it uses must both be magma-safe. If it's at the side, then neither need to be magma-safe. Here's an example of a side-mounted support:

Key:

  #    = Wall
  P    = Piston
  X    = Up/Down stairs
  S    = Support  
  _    = Floor hatch or bridge (your choice)
  =    = Constructed floor

Side-mounted support

X	#	#	_	P	P	P	_	#
X	#	#		P	P	P		#
X	_	=	=	P	P	P		#
X		S		P	P	P		#
X	#	#		P	P	P		#

In this diagram, you can see the catchment area at the top, and the piston in the middle of the shaft. The support structure is to the left. When the support element collapses, the two constructed floors will become unsupported, and then the piston will collapse. The stairs and hatch to the left of the constructed floors allows for convenient reconstruction of the support.

Piston

The piston is the heart of the scheme. It may be 100-200 z-levels long, so it will take quite a while for your miners to dig it out. The safest and fastest way to dig out the piston is to make up/down stairs instead of channeling it out. When you're ready, you can use a cave-in to destroy the stairs. You may encounter trouble with caverns. Ideally, you should scout out the caverns and find a clear path straight down. If you can't find such a path, you can fix the problem as follows:

Initial problem

#	X	P	P	P	X	#
#	X	P	P	P	X	#
#	X	P	P	.	.	.
#	X	P	.	.	.	.
.	.	.	.	.	.	.
.	#	#	#	.	.	.
#	#	#	#	#	#	#

First, smooth the top and bottom, like so:

#	X	P	P	P	X	#
#	X	P	P	P	X	#
.	.	.	.	.	.	.
.	.	.	.	.	.	.
.	.	.	.	.	.	.
.	.	.	.	.	.	.
#	#	#	#	#	#	#

Now drop the top of the piston on to the floor of the cavern. You can use a cave-in to destroy the stairs quickly.

#		P	P	P		#
#		P	P	P		#
.	.	P	P	P	.	.
.	.	P	P	P	.	.
.	.	P	P	P	.	.
.	.	P	P	P	.	.
#	#	#	#	#	#	#

Obsidian caster

The obsidian caster is what allows you to rebuild your piston and get more magma. The caster just needs to precisely dump water into the catchment area in order to form obsidian. A caster is composed of two parts: a water inlet, and a retracting bridge. Here's a sample design:

Key:

  #    = Wall
  P    = Piston
  F    = Closed floodgate
  ±    = Retracting bridge with water
  ±    = Retracting bridge with magma
  ~    = Magma
  ~    = Water

Obsidian caster

#	~	~	~	~	~	#
#	#	#	F	#	#	#
#	#	±	±	±	#	#
#						#
#	±	~	~	~	±	#
#		P	P	P		#

When you retract the bridge at the top, the water will fall straight down, and you'll get the following result:

#	~	~	~	~	~	#
#	#	#	F	#	#	#
#	#				#	#
#						#
#	±	P	P	P	±	#
#		P	P	P		#

Magma piston operation

The general procedure for operating a repeatable magma piston is as follows:

1. Pull your firing lever to collapse the side support, thus dropping the piston into the magma.
2. In the magma reservoir, close the inlet and open the drain to allow workers in later.
3. Retract the bridge of the obsidian caster to rebuild the piston.
4. Extend the bridge of the obsidian caster and open the inlet floodgate, to refill your caster.
5. Reconstruct the side support and re-link it to your firing lever.
6. Pump/drain any magma you want to use out of the catchment area.
7. Allow workers into the magma reservoir when it's safe, and dig out the bottom of the piston.
8. Get the workers out of the reservoir and lock the door.
9. In the magma reservoir, close the drain and open the inlet to fill it with magma.
10. Remember to close the inlet floodgate of your obsidian caster.
11. Make sure that your side-support is clear.
12. When the magma reservoir is full, use your firing lever to restart the process.

The original discussion of this trick, including how to make the piston reusable, can be found in this forum thread.

Magma pools

Although the name suggests them as pools, they are actually pipes (Unknown why Toady changed the name). They can be found underground, however they rarely reach the upper z-levels (40+). Most end just a few z-levels above the magma sea, though some may span more than 100 z-levels. Magma pools seem to be always connected to a magma sea, and the sea and pipe can occasionally reach up to the same level, making them hard to separate. However, magma pools can be identified by the obsidian walls which surround them. Magma pools will slowly refill themselves, giving the player an infinite source of magma.

Volcanoes

Template:L are magma pools that extend all the way to the surface. Volcanoes are an endless source of magma as they will always refill themselves.

Properties of magma

Magma behaves the same way as water with the exception of not being affected by Template:L, unless pressurized by a Template:L, and apparently not showing Template:L. Magma will turn into Template:L¹ if it touches Template:L. In the game, magma's temperature is 12,000 (2,032°F, or about 1,111°C). See the list of Template:L materials for more information on what can (or cannot) be safely submerged in magma.

Tiles directly adjacent to magma will be heated to a temperature of 10,075 (107°F, or about 42°C), causing revealed unmined tiles to flash with ☼ when placing digging designations and causing unrevealed mining-designated tiles to cancel their designation (with a "warm stone" warning) once they are revealed.

¹ - the rock that is used when magma mixes with water is the first rock encountered to have the [LAVA] tag during worldgen.

Dangers of magma

Magma is not immediately fatal when first touched. It is dangerous to stand in magma, but dwarves will generally only suffer minor burns when running from a flow. Most creatures can survive standing on even a completely filled magma tile for a single step, but any more and they will likely die.

Unlike how waterfalls create mist magmafalls create no magma mist, yet if some debris from a cave-in lands in some magma a deadly cloud of magma mist is released.