DF2014:Symptom

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A symptom is a status effect most often caused by contracting a syndrome. Individual symptoms can range from mild temporary annoyances to lifelong disabilities to even death if untreated. An affected dwarf will need to be diagnosed at a hospital before a treatment can be prescribed.

Blisters

Effects: Areas affected become prone to infection, this becomes more and more likely as severity goes up. While usually harmless in itself^*, a resulting infection might cause a loss of life or limb if not properly dealt with.

(* unless in the lungs, in which case the unlucky dwarf may be unable to breathe if the effect or a subsequent infection is severe.)

Bleeding

Effects: Areas affected will continue to bleed for the duration of the effect and will not taper off like a normal wound. In effect it suggests that whatever caused the wound had an anti-coagulant in the venom. This will quickly cause an affected creature to bleed out if the syndrome is not immediately treated.

Bruising

Effects: Causes pain long after the blunt trauma that caused it is over. Even the most severe bruises will heal without intervention, but may hint at fractures under the skin.

Cough

Effects: Dwarf will stop and cough occasionally. While nearly harmless by itself severe coughs will sometimes bring up blood. In this case it's a sign of internal hemorrhaging.

Dizziness

Effects: Creature might stumble/fall in a random direction when attempting to perform an action (including moving [!!!]). The more severe the dizziness the more likely this is to happen. Beware that stumbling, much like dodging, might end up putting a dwarf in a moat, or chasm, or magma, or off a wall, or falling just enough to land unconscious for a second on a cage trap. The list goes on.

Drowsiness

Effects: Creature tires faster than normal and requires more sleep. This can be almost unnoticeable if the severity is low, but results in narcoleptic fits if high.

Fever

Effects: Appears to reduce the ability to focus. Intense fevers can also cause stunning. While a fever in itself seems relatively harmless, it's often just the most visible symptom. Feverish dwarves blink with a red "X".

Impaired Function

Effects: Creature will be unable to use affected body parts for the duration. Much of the functionality here is mirrored in swelling, but this allows certain parts (such as organs) that normally can't swell to still cease functioning

Nausea

Effects: Creature will stop and Vomit. How often this happens depends on severity. Sustained and intense vomiting will cause dwarves to dehydrate.

Necrosis

Effects: The affected tissue starts to rot away, which needless to say is a medical emergency. If action isn't quickly taken to remove the tissue (through either surgery or amputation) it will spread throughout the body and may cause infection, killing the creature. Also commonly seen in Undead creatures.

Numbness

Effects: Creature will not be able to feel affected body parts. This makes pain a non-issue, but also hampers their use (I.E. Something with numb hands will find using weapons difficult, something who has a leg that's fallen asleep with have difficulty standing). Prolonged numbness will lead to permanent sensory nerve damage.

Oozing

Effects: A sign of infection. Infected areas heal much slower and might kill if especially severe or widespread.

Pain

Effects: Creatures that aren't in a martial trance that have pain above a certain level get all their rolls halved. They might give into pain and fall unconscious depending on toughness. This is more likely to happen more often the more severe the pain is, which is usually fatal in combat, since enemies will automatically target the unconscious victim's head with a perfectly accurate, perfectly square strike.

Paralysis

Effects: The creature can't move. Severity only decreases the chance of resisting the symptom. Untargeted paralysis often leads to suffocation in smaller creatures, which can include dwarves.

Swelling

Effects: Impedes the ability to use affected areas. Normally fairly harmless but can cause death by suffocation if it affects the throat. Prolonged swelling will lead to necrosis.

Unconsciousness

Effects: Affected creature will pass out for the duration of this effect, even if the creature isn't in pain or extremely tired.

Vomiting Blood

Effects: Much as excessive vomiting can lead to death from dehydration, vomiting blood can lead to death from blood loss. Considered to be a separate condition from coughing blood. If your creature happens to have green blood you'll be unable to tell this from nausea without checking the tiles.