v0.31:Wound

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

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

There are five different levels of injury in the game, ranging from none to complete part loss. Shown using the default* colors, they are:

NONE: No recorded active wounds on the part.

MINOR: Any damage that doesn't have functional/structural consequences (might be heavy bleeding, though).

INHIBITED: Any muscular, structural, or functional damage, without total loss.

FUNCTION LOSS: An important function of the part is completely lost, but the part is structurally sound (or, at least partially intact).

BROKEN: The part has lost all structural integrity or muscular ability.

MISSING: The part is completely gone.

(* The color of wounds can be changed in Init.txt.)

Missing limb

As the name implies, this signals that a limb has been completely severed. Dwarves with severed limbs frequently either die of blood loss or linger in the hospital permanently. Those who recover may find themselves unable to perform the same tasks as they had in the past.

Dwarves without arms are unable to haul items, but are still able to gather crops or work in a workshop. Once created/gathered, the items simply remain where they are until another dwarf comes along to move them. They are also unable to equip armor/clothing, but this won't stop them from biting/kicking in combat. Armless dwarves are unable to operate screw pumps.

Function loss

The new cyan "Function loss" appears to be impairment of an organ for which "broken" or "bruised" would not make sense. Internal organs and eyes have been observed to turn cyan, signaling failures of sight, liver function, and other maladies.

A dwarf can also suffer nervous damage to sensory and/or motor nerves. For example, motor nerve damage to a leg means that the dwarf will never be able to stand up again, which will show as "Ability to stand lost" in the specific dwarf's personal health screen, in addition to nervous damage information. Sensory nerve damage causes pain to disappear and is thought to make a creatures' attacks weaker. With a crutch applied, dwarves with leg nerve damage can become mobile / useful again. Damage to spinal nervous tissue disconnects all nervous function below the damaged point. For the upper and middle spines this can include the lungs, so damage leads to suffocation.

If you want your dwarves to heal spinal nerve damage, go into the raws, find the tissue_template_default and set [HEALING_RATE:100] to the NERVE_TEMPLATE. Optionally, specify 2000 for a much slower rate; bone has a healing rate of 1000, so this will make nerve damage heal at half the speed of broken bones. However, this does not affect other nerves, as they apparently do not count as "nervous tissue".

Scarring

Dwarves who sustain major injuries may never fully heal—the part will always remain listed in their Wounds section as "Minor" or "Inhibited", and the dwarf's description in his Thoughts and Preferences screen will note that he bears scars. (Of varying degrees and types, {Tiny, very short, short, long, very long, massive, huge, etc.} {Jagged, Dent, Straight, etc.}) This may result in notes in the Health screen such as "Ability to grasp somewhat impaired". This means that one of the creature's grasping parts (usually hands) has lost the ability to grasp. Military dwarves with inhibited ability to grasp will not hold a weapon in the crippled arm. If one wants a crippled warrior to keep using weapon, the dwarf must be manually set not to use a shield.