40d Talk:Legendary artifact

What can become an artifact?

What are some of the things that dwarfs can make into artifacts? Diabl0658 03:59, 1 December 2007 (EST)

Any item that your dwarves can craft and has a quality modifier can be made into artifacts. This includes armor, clothing, weapons, all kinds of crafts, furniture, cut gems and whatnot. Notable exceptions include coins(dunnae have quality modifiers), buildings(aint items) and babies(those rascals!). Bars, blocks, raw glass and other such base materials have no quality modifier and cannot be artifacts. I've never seen or heard about legendary meals, drinks and cloth/thread, so I think they can't be artifacts either. Though dwarves will say that they've eaten a legendary meal, when they've consumed a masterpiece meal. Noctis 06:02, 1 December 2007 (EST)

Ive heard of someone creating a artifact meal and almost having it rot away before getting it into the food stockpile Diabl0658 11:00, 1 December 2007 (EST)

Destruction

On #bay12games, there was some question about artifacts being destroyed by magma. Can anyone confirm or deny this? Also ways to destroy artifacts which aren't listed: Trading, dumping in magma vent (the floorless bottom seems to count as chasm), and dropping a bridge on it. Rkyeun 02:10, 20 January 2008 (EST)

I can't imagine anything not made of a magma-proof base material *not* being destroyed by any significant immersion in magma. --Edward 20:29, 20 January 2008 (EST)

And yet because it's an artifact, it may have a special flag that prevents specifically that. Can anyone confirm non-magma-proof artifact destruction in magma? Rkyeun 11:52, 24 January 2008 (EST)

Nevermind. I did. Artifact mechanism melted in magma. Rkyeun 02:34, 16 May 2008 (EDT)

Can artifacts burn? After a very large confrontation with a couple dozen spirits of fire, my artifact kobold bone shield is putting off lots of smoke and burning anyone that comes near it, but isn't actually on fire (there's no !! next to the name). After about a year of it smoking up my fort, I channeled the ground under it and built a floor on top of it. 5 years later, it's still there, still smoking, and apparently hot enough to make the walls around it warm. HeWhoIsPale 16:44, 13 November 2008 (EST)

By any chance is it encircled with bands of plutonium?--Maximus 17:33, 13 November 2008 (EST)

Whoops, wrong bone shield. My other artifact bone shield is the buggered one: Tabaralen, "The Faithful Moth" This is a giant cave spider chitin shield. All craftsdwarfship is of the highest quality. Is is decorated with turtle shell and goblin bone. This object menaces with spikes of giant cave spider chitin, Native gold and Tower-cap. On the item is an image of two shields in Phyllite. On the item is an image of Tirist Leaderhammer the dwarf and dwarves in turtle shell. Tirist Leaderhammer is surrounded by the dwarves. The artwork relates to the ascension of the dwarf Tirist Leaderhammer to leadership of The Boats of Swallowing in 98. On the item is an image of Mosus Autumnstockade the dwarf in Phyllite. HeWhoIsPale 10:06, 14 November 2008 (EST)

Furniture

All right, so what can I do with a legendary lace agate hatch cover?GarrieIrons 03:20, 22 January 2008 (EST)

Same thing as 90% of Artis. Sell it or Build it in a Noble's room. --Edward 06:04, 28 April 2008 (EDT)

Artifacts are not tradeable. --Koltom 08:19, 28 April 2008 (EDT)

Really... that's weird then since I would swear that I sold a particularly valuable bracelet after killing off it's creator that was otherwise useless... Being that it was a good amount of time ago (possibly even pre-3D) that I actually *tried* to sell an arti, it's quite likely that time has muddled an attempt to sell into a successful sale. I suppose this somewhat nullifies my previous comment, since it's far less than 90% of artis which are buildable. --Edward 08:46, 28 April 2008 (EDT)

We just endured a rather nasty goblin ambush (I'd built a nice castle but hadn't yet built a real military to go with it, so we huddled inside with the drawbridge up for a whole season while I had my dwarves equip and train a small army to "break out" with) and one of my peasants gave me the nicest present after we cleaned up; a legendary goblin bone door made out of the bones of our fallen enemies. I very much want to use this as our castle's main entrance door now. Does anyone know if an artifact's indestructibility applies to trolls and similar door-wreckers? Oh, I've got magma, so I'll make a copy of the save game and test whether magma can burn through such a thing too. Bryan Derksen 15:30, 5 May 2008 (EDT)

It's a constructed nonterrain feature, thus it's going to be knocked down by anything that deconstructs constructions. --GreyMario 17:38, 5 May 2008 (EDT)

Hmph. I'll put it a couple of layers deep inside my fortifications, then. Guests will pass through it but invaders will have to fight pretty hard to get there. I'll just have to be satisfied with my giant electrum drawbridge as a fancy front door. Bryan Derksen 18:10, 5 May 2008 (EDT)

My current fortress desperately needs display cases or pedestals for artifacts... or statues could hold them; a legendary blowgun, two scepters and a mask would look cool on statues holding them or in cases. You can build furniture artifacts but currently the only way to "display" other artifacts is to create a stockpile for them.
Hmm... imagine a legendary king's statue holding several other artifacts. Forced happyness on anyone walking past it.
--Karp 05:42, 5 December 2008 (EST)

I build museums; small, deeply-cloistered rooms with only one entrance from above and a sort of checkered fringe of alcoves. I put stockpiles in the fringe and traps in every other allowable space, forbid artifacts from all stockpiles, and watch them trickle in. Sometimes I let large gems in too. Still not quite a pedestal but a rather more decorous display than some random pile... --Corona688 15:23, 10 December 2008 (EST)

Artifact menu

I seem to recall stumbling across a list of the various legendary artifacts I had created. Can anyone tell me how to get to it again?

If you're talking about current artifacts in a given fortress, you get a new menu option once you've produced atleast one in that fortress. (lowercase L) --Edward 21:59, 22 January 2008 (EST)

much better --NateAustin 17:36, 29 February 2008 (EST)

Trade

Is it possible to trade legendary artifacts? I just got a legendary statue and it currently sitting my furniture storage. I 've tried to get my dwarves to bring it to the depot, but it doesnt show up on the trade list. Is it possible? Robje 18:09, 12 March 2008 (EDT)

No, Artifacts are not tradeable. They will not even take them to the depot if they sit in a bin marked for trade. --Koltom 08:20, 28 April 2008 (EDT)

Value

The value can be found under the artifact menur "l" what is the maximum calue you have found on an artifact, mine is platnium high boot for 146400? --Corhen

There is a thread on the forums somewhere with this specific purpose. --GreyMario 17:02, 28 April 2008 (EDT)

"Finished Goods"-type Artifacts...?

I understand the point of furniture artifacts- they can be built and are great for nobles- but what the heck are you supposed to do with artifact rings/amulets/crowns/scepters/et cetera? I'm sitting on over 300,000 value worth of "Finished Goods" artifacts. I guess my dwarves don't like building furniture... --Borgin

You could abandon the fortress and come back in adventure mode. Artifact rings? Too good! --Marble Dice 11:01, 15 May 2008 (EDT)

There might be more point to those types if/when artifacts start getting special magical effects. That's probably a long ways off though. --BahamutZERO 12:16, 15 May 2008 (EDT)

But even in Adventure Mode, artifacts (besides weapons/armor) don't have much of a point, right? To be honest, I've never gone through Adventure Mode- it lags my laptop. Sad, I know. But like BahamutZERO said, at least they'll gain some point eventually... And hopefully soon. --Borgin 23:46, 15 May 2008 (CST)

Well you can trade 'em to merchants in Adventure mode, I'd imagine? Maybe not, I've never tried, and I doubt the shops sell anything you'd care about (ie masterpiece steel or adamantine weapons and armor). Still, I think it's fun to walk around wearing an artifact ring or amulet! At least until an archer kills you. --Marble Dice 02:45, 16 May 2008 (EDT)

As far as I can tell, artifact crafts/goblets/etc are used entirely for boosting your fortress created wealth stat. There is rarely a time when a sudden 200k added to that is trivial.--Dadamh 14:36, 30 May 2008 (EDT)

Artifact craft items work weird in Adventure mode: you can sell them to a shopkeeper for all their goods and cash, and just pick it back up and walk away without guards jumping you for thievery; you can even re-sell it to the same guy if he has any money left. This is a pretty blatant exploit, though of limited use (coins is heavy!). You cannot, however, fast travel with an artifact you've already sold. But what does a wandering professional spearelf do with a turtle bone crown, anyway? --Zombiejustice 21:25, 1 July 2008 (EDT)

selling

is there a way to hack DF and be able to sell artifacts? --0todd0 20:58, 2 June 2008 (EDT)

Artifact millstones and gems

My dwarves have made three artifacts so far; I know that my emerald flask is just for style, but what of the "Perfect Aquamarine" and the Millstone? Will some noble love having a mill placed in his bedroom, grinding away at all hours of the night when he's trying to sleep, or is it just going to annoy him? As for the aquamarine, can it be crafted into furniture? Will this raise the item's value exponentially? Will it still serve to elevate a room to royal status for satisfying noble needs? If no one has the answers to these questions, I'll do the research myself and post findings. --Eddie 14:33, 2 July 2008 (EDT)

Go ahead and use the millstone -- it'll work just fine. As for the gem, it just looks pretty. Sometimes gem cutters make large gems, and you can trade them away.Mirthmanor 11:16, 16 August 2008 (EDT)

Curious on this note, Can you make gem windows with artifact gems? If so, there is a use for it. Gem Windows are windows that are made from 3 gems, alike or different, and their quality is derived from their components. Jwguy 11:12, 8 July 2009 (UTC)

Artifact quality modifier?

I know that the quality modifier for regular equipped items is 1.0... for masterful it's 2.0... But what is the modifier for artifact level items? I can't find it anywhere. --PrettyGrizzly 11:04, 4 July 2008 (EDT)

The QUALITY modifier for artifacts is the same as Masterful, 2.0. The VALUE modifier of artifacts is MUCH higher than the Masterful's x12, though. :) AFAIK, the only difference is that only Legendary weapon/armor users can equip legendary weapons/armors. I may be wrong but I believe I read something to that effect a few months back. ----Borgin 20:00, 12 August 2008

I have yet to run into anybody who knows the quality modifier for sure. If you can find where either testing or a statement from Toady confirms what the modifier is, it would clear that up and be useful in several pages of this wiki. LegacyCWAL 15:14, 11 December 2008 (EST)

Here's what we do know:

1) In the game code, artifact weapons have a "masterful" multiplier attached to them.

2) Also, in that same part of the code, are more unknown modifiers - parts of the code that, as yet, have not been interpreted. Might involve multipliers, might not, we just don't know.

3) Only Heroes (skill level 15 or better) can wield artifact weapons.

4) Any dwarf with weapon skill 15 is a one-shot killing machine, with or without an artifact weapon. IF he hits, it's gone - if he hits a limb, it's off, if he hits the torso, organs go red, kk b'bye.. (Megabeasts/whales may be an exception.)

5) Without combat logging, there is no way to begin to assess what damage is done. (This might be possible in Adventure mode - not as familiar with that.)

6) Even with combat logging, combat has a lot of randomizing factors in it - a LOT of logging and statistical analysis would have to be done to approach something resembling convincing data.

And parallel problems for armour (maybe more).

So, all that said - we don't know. We suspect, but we just don't know. However, as mentioned above, with the possible exception of megabeasts and whales, practically speaking it's a moot point - with an artifact adamantine battle axe or a no quality silver practice axe, heroes are going to do just fine. (I'd like to know, no doubt - but a *steel battle axe* will do just fine for now.)--Albedo 18:47, 28 August 2009 (UTC)

Too precious to put down

Am I the only one whose dwarves create legendary... floodgates, put them down in the workshop and immediately pick them up again... then continue on with their merry lives just significantly weighed down?

I have never been able to use an artifact yet. My dwarves just never let them go! GarrieIrons 03:04, 6 July 2008 (EDT)

That's never happened to me, fortunately. I've seen three legendary doors, a legendary grate, a legendary bed, and a legendary batman cabinet, and was able to place them all normally. In fact, I've never had a military dwarf who was skillful enough to be worthy of picking up a legendary weapon or piece of armor. Bryan Derksen 04:37, 6 July 2008 (EDT)

I do believe that, in earlier versions, artificiers would carry their artifacts with them until death ripped them from their icy fingers. Perhaps you're just using an older version...? Borgin 20:04, 12 August 2008

Weird Materials (and armour?)

"Artifact weapons won't be used by recruits and normal warriors, only by elites and champions." Does this include armour? Also, should we add somewhere that weird materials are possible? Platinum plate armour (which is AWESOME) and the like that aren't normally possible? (I know I've seen it said somewhere, but it's not here) Droqen 10:58, 27 July 2008 (EST)

My Charbone Battle Axe says it should be written down SOMEWHERE :P ...as does my Kunzite Cabinet and Blue Garnet Statue. I have some crazy dwarves. Oh, and that thing about any room with an artifact in it being royal....bunk. I have an artifact Bismuth Chain in a throne room, place didn't get bumped up to royal status until I also threw in the artifact Oaken Hatch Cover. --Eddie 11:51, 26 July 2008 (EDT)

I think that, more specifically, it is that most artifacts will bump up a room to royal but all. Example: I have a Purple Spinel Door (worth 48000) that bumped up three rooms at once to royal quality. --Toloran 20:07, 10 August 2008 (EDT)

Um, my craftsdwarf just got possessed, and he made a bone spear. "this is a rhesus macaque bone spear, highest quality craftsdwarfship, adorned with hanging rings of birch. does anyone how much damage it will do? is it even possible? Destor 10:32, 28 September 2008 (EDT)

Bone gives a 0.5 damage multiplier, but being an artifact gives it a massive (though unknown) damage multiplier also. HeWhoIsPale 09:32, 29 September 2008 (EDT)

availability

Is there a way to hack the game so you can make artifact weapons, even if the dwarf isn't in a fey mood? Or better, for them out of nothing? -Eddren, Fortress extraordinar

Firstly, you signed incorrectly. Use four tildes (~~~~) to sign with the name and date.

Secondly, you spelled 'extraordinaire' incorrectly.

Thirdly, no, not without modifying the source, which would mean you'd need to be a developer (which is, at the time of writing, just one person--Toady), or you'd need to decompile the executable to the base code (good luck with that). And after that, you'd need to be knowledgeable enough in the language it's written in to modify the code to suit your needs.

In short, no. Wait for moods, like the rest of us do. And don't expect to be able to create artifacts out of nothing. ~ Midna 02:55, 27 October 2008 (EDT)

Artifact Quine!

My Tanner claimed a leatherworking shop and produced a self-referential artifact: Lathonnunùr, "The Mythical Crevices", a donkey leather mask.

This is a donkey leather mask. All craftsdwarfship is of the highest quality. This object menaces with spikes of dog leather and Alunite. On the item is an image of The Mythical Crevices the donkey leather mask in donkey leather. On the item is an image of Portalshades the alligator and dwarves in muskox leather. Portalshades in surrounded by the dwarves. The artwork relates to the rise of the alligator Portalshades as an enemy of The Problematic Sack in 29.

Presumably the image is recursive? Anyway, this artifact was apparently so cool that it created a disturbance in the Force which the dwarves back home managed to pick up, because the very next caravan to arrive offered an empty lead cage decorated with a (presumably also recursive) picture of The Mythical Crevices:

This is a well-crafted Lead cage. It is decorated with exceptionally worked giant eagle leather and encircled with bands of exceptionally worked Ruby. On the item is a finely-designed image of The Mythical Crevices the donkey leather mask in Cassiterite.

(Note that I'm running with [SHOW_ALL_HISTORY_IN_DWARF_MODE:YES], and my fortress started in the year 88. I didn't feel like waiting for the whole thousand-year history to generate — if you hit Escape during worldgen, you can start playing with the universe "so far". Useful thing to know.) --Quuxplusone 23:40, 3 August 2008 (EDT)

I've several recursive artifacts like you mention, as well as caravans arriving with gear decked out in pictures of my artifacts. Maybe a little cave swallow told them? RedKing 02:12, 19 April 2009 (UTC)

Reclaim Mode and Artifacts

It seems that if you have artifacts, lose your fortress, then reclaim, the artifacts are weirdly affected. Artifacts become sellable, for a start. This kinda makes sense because your dwarves don't care so much about someone else's artifacts, I suppose. The really odd thing, though, is that constructed artifacts (grates, doors, etc) seem to stop being artifacts. Shislugbumal becomes merely an elf bone throne - and if you view the items in the "building" the throne contains a Shislugbumal which isn't marked [B], can't be dumped or claimed, isn't listed in the stocks screen etc. And if the throne is deconstructed, it ceases to exist entirely. It does, however, still give a huge boost to the room value. Is this normal behavior?

PS: Damnit, every time I look to this wiki my dwarves all run off to be eaten by skeletal horses. Bastards. --Groveller 10:57, 25 August 2008 (EDT)

Adventure Mode Artfact Oddity

So I go to my fortress where two artifacts, a spear and a boot, happen to be still inside the forge. I take the spear and boot out, equip the spear, drop the boot, and look again. It shows that the spear and boot are still in the forge, with an additional boot outside the forge. Further, when I fast travel and end up fighting a bear, the spear is gone from my hand. Thankfully I'd kept the old one as a spare. Any ideas what's going on here? --Zombiejustice 14:57, 3 October 2008 (EDT)

Only dwarves with a legendary skill will use artifact weapons or armor?

This bit was just added, but I thought it had been established that heroes ("great" skill level or higher) can also use them, not just champions (legendary skill level). That selfsame data is referenced under Usage in this article. I'd edit the article accordingly, but I'm not really sure of that fact; I just remember Toady mentioning offhand at one point something along those lines, that heroes could use them or similar. --Janus 03:23, 9 December 2008 (EST)

No fuel needed

Just noticed that one of my dwarves used a forge to create some artifact greaves with no fuel... Mainly noticed this due to the fact that he wouldn't use my magma forge, and I had to build a non-magma one to get him to make them... Not sure where to add this, and whether anyone else wants to confirm? Tr00st 04:36, 2 January 2009 (EST)

Consider it confirmed. I've taken advantage of this multiple times. --Squirrelloid 04:51, 2 January 2009 (EST)

Also of note: Moody Dwarves that use a magma forge will only do so if and as long as it is powered. I've had a dwarf go into a frenzy when the forge he was using lost its power due to the shifting of the magma beneath causing it to lose power. --Eddie 14:13, 2 January 2009 (EST)

Controlled 'glitches' in item number

If you forbid an item the moody dwarf has already brought to the shop, it will grab a replacement item for that slot. However, if you unforbid the item afterwards, and the item is still there when he begins (ends?) construction, the previously forbidden items may be incorporated into the artifact.

Example: Mangrodkast "Ashamed Genius": a fire imp leather shield

This is a fire imp leather shield. All craftdwarfship is of the highest quality. It is encrusted with bauxite, decorated with leopard leather, and encircled with bands of fire imp leather, sturgeon leather, red diamond, green tourmaline, and nickel. This object is adorned with hanging rings of yellow diamond, donkey leather, and groundhog leather. On the item is an image of a cave spider in green diamond.

On the item is an image of Ashamedgenius the fire imp leather shield in cave spider silk.

On the item is an image of dwarves in yellow zircon. The dwarves are traveling. The artwork relates to the founding of Archspears by the Vestibule of Utterances of The Rags of Excavation in 30.

So, it includes: Fire imp leather, sturgeon leather, leopard leather, donkey leather, groundhog leather, bauxite, red diamond, green diamond, yellow diamond, green tourmaline, nickel, cave spider silk, and (rough) yellow zircon, a total of 13 items. The bolded items I had forbade after they made it to the workshop because I wanted the dwarf to use more valuable items, and unforbade them after the dwarf brought such items to the workshop. I actually forbade a third piece of leather, which must have been put away (or possibly simply added to the job queue and thus unavailable) since it was not also added to the artifact.

--Squirrelloid 05:03, 17 January 2009 (EST)

Losing an artifact?

I just had my worst artifact ever (first and only of this fort, a possession, created a turtle shell idol worth 3k) stolen by a kobold thief. However, there's no note about the artifact being lost on the artifact menu like the page says. Bug, or should the page be updated?

Re: Losing an artifact

Not sure if i'm editting this right, I'm not good at wikis. Anyway, several seasons after losing that artifact, it's name simply -disappeared- from the list of my artifacts. Again this seems to disagree with the article...

Automatic Royal Wrong

An artifact furniture does NOT automatically make the room Royal. Case in point, my first artifact in my current fort- a wood bed with an image of cloud in pine. Only worth 3600, so no royal. Only grand. I suppose I should edit the article...

Pretty much everything on the wiki regarding to room value is either wrong or hopelessly outdated =( --LegacyCWAL 21:15, 16 March 2009 (UTC)

Bug with Cloth in Artifacts

A mechanic got possessed and made an artifact mica mechanism. He used a mica, cave spider silk cloth and pig tail cloth. However, when the artifact was made, it said "...It is encircled with bands of cave spider silk and Pig tail..". Does the artifact-making process reduce the cloth to the raw material it was made of?

When describing the clothes you wear, would you usually say it's made from cotton and polyester, or that it was made from cotton cloth and sheets of polyester? Given that thread is not used as crafting materials, it should be quite obvious that those bands are of cloth.

Crossbow

I think the small entry about artifact crossbows needs to be changed, it's a tad confusing. "Note that the material of a crossbow, artifact or not, does not change its shooting abilities, only its viability in melee. However, higher quality crossbows shoot better." -Lamp 22:27, 29 June 2009 (UTC)

Values of cloth artifacts

Cloth used as the primary component of an artifact seems to have strange effects on its value. I have several cloth artifacts in my most recent fortress. All of them are worth at least 600☼ more than the formula would indicate in the absence of the "default" cloth and dye decorations, but there doesn't seem to be any rhyme or reason to precisely how much. This item: Media:Stigazustos.png is worth 13000☼, which is particularly strange because 13000 is not divisible by 120, or even by 12 (the multiplier for masterful dye). Perhaps the quality of the cloth, although no longer visible, is somehow factored into the artifact's value? Does anybody have any idea how this works? --LaVacaMorada 06:48, 21 October 2009 (UTC)

Number of materials

Currently, the article states that "Item types which normally require multiple objects to create (such as Platemail) will cause the moody dwarf to acquire that number of objects". I'm fairly certain that this is false, since the actual type of item isn't determined until the artifact itself is produced at the end of the mood - unless there's some sort of special handling for armorsmithing moods, it should be entirely possible to savescum an artifact low boot into plate mail, regardless of the materials gathered. --Quietust 17:08, 26 October 2009 (UTC)