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Person

From Dwarf Fortress Wiki
Revision as of 11:41, 9 October 2024 by Jecowa (talk | contribs) (painting description)
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An abstract painting of a person by Id Kogan

Personhood is the state of being a person. Defining personhood is a controversial topic in philosophy and law, and is closely tied to concepts of citizenship, equality, and liberty. According to common legal practice, only a person has rights, protections, privileges, responsibilities, and legal liability. Personhood continues to be a topic of debate, and has been questioned during the abolition of plump helmet man farming, in the fight for kobold rights, and in animal person-rights advocacy.

The criteria for being a person… are designed to capture those attributes which are the subject of our most dwarvane concern with ourselves and the source of what we regard as most important and most problematical in our lives. -Geshud Imush

The defining features of personhood and, what makes a person as a person, differ widely among cultures and contexts. To determine if someone or something is a person, we must first look towards ourselves and ask, "What makes a dwarf a person, and what distinguishes us from the beasts?" So, what are some features of a dwarf? A dwarf can open doors, can feel pain, can learn, can speak, can join civilizations, can pet animals, and can spit. Although none of these characteristics on their own may be the defining characteristic of a person, they can be used to look for trends and compare and contrast ourselves with other creatures as a starting point for a determination.

Creature Doors †Pain Learns Speaks Civ/Hero Pets Spits Rifts
Dwarf Yes Yes Yes Yes Civ Yes Yes
Human Yes Yes Yes Yes Civ Yes Yes
Elf Yes Yes Yes Yes Civ Yes Yes
Goblin Yes Yes Yes Yes Civ Yes Yes
Kobold Yes Yes Yes Utterances Civ Yes Yes
Gremlin Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Exotic Pet
Troll Yes Yes Slowly No
Ogre Yes Yes Slowly No
Satyr Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Pet Value: 250☼
Bronze Colossus Yes No No No Mega Beast
Giant Yes Yes Slowly Yes Yes Yes Semi-Mega Beast
Cyclops Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Semi-Mega Beast
Ettin Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Semi-Mega Beast
Minotaur Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Semi-Mega Beast
Yeti Yes Yes No No
Sasquatch Yes Yes No No
Blizzard Man Yes Perhaps Slowly No
Fairy No Yes Yes Yes Pet Value: 10☼
Pixie No Yes Yes Yes Pet Value: 10☼
Grimeling Yes No No No
Foul Blendec Yes Yes Yes Yes Pet Value: 250☼
Nightwing Yes No Yes No Pet Value: 1000☼
Harpy No Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Pet Value: 30☼
Merperson Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes
Mountain Gnome No Yes Yes No Yes Yes
Dark Gnome No Yes Yes No Yes Yes
Blind Cave Ogre Yes Yes Slowly No Pet Value: 500☼
Magma Crab No Yes No No Yes Pet Value: 200☼
Blood Man Yes No No No
Molemarian Yes No No No Pet Value: 400☼
Gabbro Man Yes No No No
Gorlak Yes Yes Yes Yes Heroes Yes Yes
Plump Helmet Man Yes Perhaps Yes No Heroes
Amethyst Man Yes No No No
Troglodyte Yes Yes Slowly No
Fire Imp Yes Yes No No
Cave Fish Man Yes Yes Yes Yes Both Yes
Olm Man Yes Yes Yes Yes Both Yes
Bat Man Yes Yes Yes Yes Both Yes
Fire Man Yes No No No
Magma Man Yes No No No
Iron Man Yes No No No
Mud Man Yes No No No
Cave Swallow Man Yes Yes Yes Yes Both Yes
Amphibian Man Yes Yes Yes Yes Civ
Reptile Man Yes Yes Yes With a Lisp Civ
Serpent Man Yes Yes Yes With a Lisp Civ
Ant Man Yes Yes Yes Yes Civ
Rodent Man Yes Yes Yes Yes Civ
Animal Persons Yes ‡Mostly Yes Yes Heroes Yes

† Not an exhaustive list of creatures that can feel pain.

‡ All animal people can feel pain except for these 3: Bark Scorpion Man, Jumping Spider Man, and Brown Recluse Spider Man

Legend: