40d:Vermin

v50.14 · v0.47 · v0.34 · v0.31 · v0.28.181.40d · v0.23 This article is about an older version of DF. More Info · V

Vermin are small Template:Ls such as Template:Ls, Template:Ls, and Template:Ls which are difficult to see. The presence of vermin can be noted if you are particularly observant, as they will occasionally blink into and out of view on the screen. The main distinctions between vermin and Template:Ls are that vermin i) do not attack and cannot be engaged in Template:L or trigger Template:Ls, ii) do not provide Template:L, Template:L, Template:Ls, Template:Ls or Template:L, and iii) do not Template:L, but "spawn", spontaneously appearing in their natural environment or Template:L.

Most vermin can be tamed and then adopted by dwarves, if the Template:L has a preference for a particular type, which is rare. Template:L can be milked for Template:L. A few have extracts. Occasionally dwarves will eat them as food, even if you have plenty of available "real" food.

Catching and Taming vermin, Pets

Small Template:Ls are designed specifically to catch and hold vermin. A catch a live land animal order issued at a Template:L or Template:L tells a Template:L to seek out and catch a vermin Template:L inside one of these traps (mostly from your food stockpiles). The animal will then be brought to an animal Template:L. Alternatively, animal traps can be built and baited, which is a better way to catch outside vermin.

Caught vermin can then be Template:Ld by anyone with the Template:L labor active at a kennel. Some vermin (those with the tag [PET_EXOTIC]) require the presence of the Template:L to be tameable.

Tame vermin can be offered for claiming as Template:Ls on the z Status screen under the Animals submenu. Tame vermin will only be claimed by dwarves who Template:L those vermin.

A dwarf will carry an adopted Template:L vermin with him as part of the inventory.

Template:L will also bring vermin in seemingly empty Template:Ls for Template:L. Viewing the cage will make the vermin visible. These vermin are already tame.

Risks

Vermin are primarily notable for their ability to annoy or accost Template:L, whether by being a general nuisance (e.g. flies, all dwarves) or by triggering disgust ("detests", only specific dwarves). Most dwarves will have Template:Ls related to such a terrible type of vermin they detest, and will suffer a significant mood penalty any time they spot that vermin. This also applies if the vermin is seen in a Template:L, thus hateable (see list) vermin make a poor choice for placement in a Template:L.

To verify:

• Will a pet vermin carried around by its owner accost other dwarves?
• Will a vermin in an animal trap accost dwarves?
• Will a tame/pet vermin in an animal trap still accost dwarves?
• Will a vermin just being eaten by a dwarf accost other dwarves in a dining hall?

Some vermin will also eat any Template:L in Template:Ls they can manage to get a hold on, causing Template:L on that Template:L. Food that has been protected in Template:Ls will be immune, but food that is exposed will be nibbled at and will eventually wear out and be destroyed. Some particularly tenacious vermin, such as lizards, can work their way through weak containers; Template:L Template:Ls are over ten times more effective at keeping your food safe. Having Template:Ls will keep vermin to a minimum, thus keeping your food safe.

Vermin as Food

Stray, untamed vermin that are caught in animal traps are edible, and will be eaten live as exotic cuisine by any dwarf who happens to be nearby.

Dwarves who are Template:L will also attempt to find and eat vermin, but if they do not have a preference for that vermin as a food type, they will receive a bad Template:L from doing so. In a fortress with Template:Ls, it may be difficult or impossible for the dwarves to find enough vermin to survive starvation, as even a small number of cats are ruthlessly effective at controlling the vermin population. If they are not pets, it may be best to just butcher the cats for food.

Extracts from vermin

Certain vermin, such as the Template:L, can be used to make Template:L. At present, most extracts have no use in the game other than trade goods.

Eliminating vermin

Template:Ls are chiefly useful for their ability to hunt down and kill vermin. Cats will wander around the fortress and surrounding lands killing vermin. As animals do not presently eat, this is done only for sport.^{v0.28.181.40d} This reduces or eliminates the possibility of Template:L receiving bad thoughts for being accosted by vermin — dead vermin do not bother any dwarf — but exposes a risk that a rotting Template:L or other larger vermin will release a cloud of Template:L and upset any dwarves who pass through the cloud.

Another method of controlling vermin is by building Template:L and periodically catching vermin with trappers to be consumed in some fashion. The trapped vermin may be used for a variety of purposes, including being eaten, tamed, or made into extracts, or can be relocated to a Template:L so that the trap may be used again.

List of vermin

Most catchable Template:L are technically considered "vermin" by the game, see the Template:L article for a complete list. Many vermin do not show up in Template:L. Vermin with no "value" are not capturable (except, perhaps, by Template:L). The values given in the table below are for tamed vermin; untamed vermin have only half the value, rounded down.

Some "hateable" vermin (tag: [VERMIN_HATEABLE]) can accost dwarves that have the specific "Template:L" against ("detest") them, giving them unhappy Template:Ls.

Name	Tile	Value	Biome	Hateable	Notes
Template:L	∙	10	All	Yes	Spawns in pools, amphibious
Template:L	☼	10	All	no	Spawns in pools, amphibious, Template:Lable, has Template:L
Template:L	·	n/a	All	Yes	Found in swarms, flier, rots Template:L
Template:L	∙	5	All	Yes	Eats Template:L, sometimes nests in groups
Template:L	·	n/a	All	no	Found in soil, only seen in Adventurer mode?
Template:L	·	n/a	All	no	Forms colonies in Template:L
Template:L	∙	1	All	no	Flier. Corpse can inexplicably block doors open.
Template:L	∙	1	All	no	Flier, glows
Template:L	∙	1	All	no	Flier
Template:L	∙	10	All	Yes	Eats Template:L (carnivore)
Template:L	∙	10	All	Yes	Eats Template:L ("gnawed"), sometimes nests in groups,
Template:L	~	n/a	Template:L, Template:L, Template:L, Template:L	Yes	Found in Template:L, only seen in Template:L
Template:L	∙	30	Template:L	no	Flier
Template:L	∙	30	Template:L	no	Flier
Template:L	∙	30	Template:L Template:Ls and Template:L	no	Flier
Template:L	∙	30	Template:L Template:L Template:L	no	Flier
Template:L	∙	30	Template:L Template:L	no	Flier
Template:L	∙	30	Template:L Template:L Template:L	no	Exotic Template:L, flier
Template:L	∙	10	Template:L Template:L	no
Template:L	∙	10	Template:L Template:L	no
Template:L	∙	10	Template:L Template:L	no
Template:L	∙	10	Template:L Template:L	no
Template:L	∙	100	Template:L Template:L Template:L	no
Template:L	∙	20	Template:L	no	Eats food ("gnawed"), sometimes nests in groups, exotic Template:L
Template:L	∙	20	Template:L	no	Eats food ("gnawed"), sometimes nests in groups, exotic Template:L
Template:L	∙	20	Template:L	no	Eats food ("gnawed"), exotic Template:L
Template:L	∙	100	Template:L	no	Rots food, exotic Template:L
Template:L	∙	n/a	Template:L Template:L	no	Makes webs, bites to inject paralyzing venom, Template:Ls are venom and antivenin, carnivore
Template:L	·	n/a	Template:L	no	Rots food, found in swarms, flier
Template:L	·	n/a	Template:L	no	Rots food, exotic Template:L
Template:L	∙	20	Template:L	no	Spawns in pools, amphibious, Template:Lable, Template:L only, Template:L is Template:L
Template:L	∙	10	Template:L	no	Flier, glows
Template:L	·	n/a	Template:L	no	Found in swarms, flier, glows
Template:L	∙	4	Template:L Template:L and Template:Ls	Yes	Exotic Template:L, makes webs, bites to inject stunning venom, Template:Ls are venom and antivenin, carnivore
Template:L	∙	1	Template:L	Yes	Exotic Template:L, Template:L is Template:L
Template:L	∙	1	Template:L Template:L	no	Exotic Template:L
Template:L	{	2	Template:L Template:L	Yes	Exotic pet (if tamed), otherwise Template:Lable for dwarven milk Template:L
Template:L	∙	30	Template:L, Template:L	Yes	Exotic pet, Flier, sometimes nests in large groups