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23a:Strange mood
| This article is about an older version of DF. |
Periodically, individual dwarves are struck with an idea for a legendary artifact and enter a strange mood. Dwarves which enter a strange mood will stop whatever they are doing and pursue the construction of this artifact to the exclusion of all else. This will be based on a particular skill that creates a finished end product that can have a quality, rather than intermediary material such as bars of metal or raw food. They will not stop to eat, drink, sleep, or even run away from dangerous creatures. If they do not manage to begin construction of the artifact within a handful of months, they will go insane and die soon afterward.
A dwarf will only be struck by a mood once in their lifetime. Upon completion of their artifact they will usually become legendary in that skill, and will then return to their normal life in the fortress with their newfound skill. A fortress can have at most one dwarf in a strange mood at any one time.
Overview
The entire process can be summarized as follows:
- Strange moods can only occur when the below necessary conditions are met. Babies and activated Soldiers with military skills cannot enter moods, nor can nobles, but any other dwarf can, including children.
- The game will pause, center on a dwarf, and announce that the dwarf has entered one of five different types of strange moods. The types of moods are listed below. While in a mood, a dwarf will display a blinking exclamation point (see status icons).
- For the duration of the mood, the dwarf will claim a workshop related to the skill that the mood affects (not all skills are eligible), kick out any dwarf who was using it, and render it otherwise unusable until the mood has been resolved. If a moody dwarf does not claim a workshop, it is because the appropriate workshop does not exist. (See skills and workshops below to determine which workshop(s) might be required.) A moody dwarf will not be available to build a needed workshop; another dwarf with the appropriate labor designation must do so for them, if one is necessary.
- After claiming a workshop, the dwarf will set about collecting the required materials for their artifact. If the dwarf remains idle inside the workshop, it's because they cannot find the right material. Reference the demands section to determine what may be required.
- Once all materials have been gathered, the game will once again pause and center, and the moody dwarf will begin construction. Upon completion the dwarf will create a semi-random artifact related to the skill affected and gain legendary (or higher) status in that skill (unless the mood type is possessed). See the skills and workshops for information on which skills can be gained, or the artifacts created section for more details on the artifacts themselves.
Types of moods
For each of the following types of moods, the first message is how the mood is announced; the second message appears in the dwarf's profile when he or she is viewed with the v key. All moody dwarves will have "Strange Mood" listed as their active task.
Fey
- <dwarf> is taken by a fey mood!
- Has the aspect of one fey!
This is the most basic strange mood. Fey dwarves will clearly state their demands when the workshop they are in is examined.
Secretive
- <dwarf> withdraws from society...
- Peculiarly secretive...
Secretive moods are the same as fey moods, except a secretive dwarf will sketch pictures of their required materials instead of clearly stating their demands if they cannot find what they need. Descriptions of all these secretive requirements can be seen only by viewing the workshop that the moody dwarf has claimed, with q, and then only while the dwarf is waiting inside it. More than one "picture" is likely; these will cycle through the entire list automatically if any one is not available. (Since materials are gathered in order, it's quite possible that only one of a long list is needed to allow the moody dwarf to continue on their project. If the dwarf has gathered some of the materials (seen as "tasked" when looking at the workshop with t), then the next in the list is what they are looking for.)
Possessed
- <dwarf> has been possessed!
- Possessed by unknown forces!
Possessed dwarves have cryptic material requests, and have the unfortunate distinction of not receiving any experience upon successful construction of an artifact. It is unknown if controllable circumstances lead to a possessed mood instead of one of the more desirable fey or secretive moods. Possessed dwarves will mutter the name of the artifact they are working on once they have all the materials they need.
A possession is the only mood that does not result in a jump in experience.
Fell
- <dwarf> looses a roaring laughter, fell and terrible!
- Has a horrible fell look!
A dwarf that goes into a fell mood will always take over a butcher's shop or a tanner's shop. If neither are available, any other workshop will be used instead. The dwarf will then murder the nearest dwarf, drag the corpse into the shop and make some sort of object out of dwarf leather or bone. Once the artifact is completed, the fell dwarf will become a legendary bone carver or leatherworker. Strangely, none of the other dwarves seem to mind the murder. Only unhappy dwarves may enter a fell mood.
Aside from the potential loss of an important dwarf in the wrong place at the wrong time, there doesn't seem to be any downside to a fell mood. The end result is always an artifact and a legendary craftsdwarf. Since the only ingredient used (a dwarf) is available in abundance, a fell mood will only fail if the fell dwarf is completely isolated from other dwarves, or if the proper workshop does not exist.
Macabre
- <dwarf> begins to stalk and brood...
- Brooding darkly...
Macabre moods are similar to fell moods, but the dwarf will not murder a fellow dwarf. A macabre dwarf may require bones, skulls, and chunks/remains; if you do not happen to have any, you will have to "make" some, or let the moody dwarf go insane. Like fell moods, only unhappy dwarves can enter macabre moods.
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This article contains massive spoilers. If you do not wish to have your game experience spoiled, do not scroll down! |
Demands
Once a workshop is claimed, the dwarf will begin collecting materials. Each artifact will require between one and ten materials to complete. If the moody dwarf remains idle, then the necessary materials are not available. Press q and highlight the workshop to receive a series of clues about what the dwarf needs. Hints that stay active for longer than 2 seconds mean that multiple pieces of that material will be required; each single demand will be displayed for 2 seconds, so if it says "gems... shining" for 6 seconds, 3 gems are demanded. Materials will always be fetched in order, so if at least one item has already been retrieved (the items will show up with "TSK" ("task") next to them when the workshop is viewed with the t context menu), it will usually be possible to tell what item is required next.
Note though that if a dwarf has a demand for a specific item, such as a bar of metal, raw gem, or shell, then that item type will be required. For this reason, it is usually a good idea to keep an example of each item type on hand, particularly cut and raw gems, shells, bones, leather, raw glass of every type, both silk and plant cloth.
The various demands are translated here:
Material Fey Secretive Possessed <dwarf> screams "I must have <demand>!" <dwarf> sketches pictures of <demand>. <dwarf> mutters "<artifact> needs <demand>..." Wood wood a forest tree... life Ore the correct ore an ore mine ore... particular ore Gems (rough) rough gems rough gems rough... color Stone the right stone a quarry stone... rock Metal bar metal bars shining bars of metal bars... metal Gems (cut) gems cut gems gems... shining Stone block the proper surface to work on square blocks blocks... bricks... Bone bones skeletons bones... yes Shell a shell a shell a shell... Leather leather stacked leather leather... skin Cloth cloth stacked cloth cloth... thread
Demands for Ore or Metal bars are always for a specific material, while demands for rough stone or blocks merely require that the stone be gray, light, or dark. Demands for rough gems may be for a specific type of raw glass (unlike in later versions, there are no special messages) or any type of gemstone, though demands for random rough gemstones will sometimes glitch and refuse to use any type of gem, dooming the mood to failure. Demands for cloth can be for either plant fiber or silk cloth, and all other items (wood, cut gems, bone, shell, and leather) will accept any type of item. It is generally a good idea to keep as many types of material on hand as possible, including the three different kinds of glass.
The primary component of the strange mood will always be based on the dwarf's preferences:
- A moody stoneworker will require gray stone, light stone, or dark stone based on his preferences - for example, a dwarf that likes Limestone will demand any light stone.
- A moody weaver or clothes maker who likes any type of plant fiber will demand plant cloth, while one that likes any type of silk will demand silk cloth.
- A moody furnace operator, blacksmith, or metal crafter will demand malachite, cassiterite, galena, hematite, native gold, or native platinum. If you have not dug far enough into the mountain, then iron/gold/platinum are disallowed.
- A moody weaponsmith or armorsmith will demand either malachite or hematite. If you have not dug far enough into the mountain, then iron is disallowed.
- Not surprisingly, a moody adamantine worker (of any type) will demand raw adamantine.
- A moody jeweler will require the specific gem they happen to like.
- A moody glassmaker will require the specific type of glass they happen to like.
- A moody bone carver who likes any type of bone will demand bones, while one that likes any type of shell will demand shells.
Dwarves in macabre moods will list their demands in the same fashion as those in fey moods (though with them brooding "Yes. I need <item>." instead of screaming "I must have <item>!"). 50% of their requests will also be for skulls, bones, or vermin remains, stated as "Leave me. I need... things... certain things".
Moody dwarves who demand stone blocks will not actually incorporate them into the artifact as decorations - they merely use them as a surface and destroy them upon completion of the mood.
Once all materials have been gathered, viewing the workshop with q will display a special message depending on the type of mood:
- Fey - "<dwarf> works furiously!"
- Secretive - "<dwarf> works secretly..."
- Possessed - "<dwarf> keeps muttering <artifact>..."
- Macabre - "<dwarf> works, darkly brooding..."
- Fell - "<dwarf> works with menacing fury!"
The mechanics of moods
Frequency
When a fortress is started, an internal counter is set to 1000. Around 11 or 12 times per day, this counter is decremented by 1, running down to zero in about 3 months. When the counter would ordinarily be decremented when it has already reached zero, there is a 1 in 500 chance that a strange mood will strike. This means that, once all conditions are met and the clock is ticking, while there is approximately a 2.4% chance of a strange mood per day, or very approximately a 50% chance of a strange mood per month, there is no guarantee when a mood will strike - might be sooner, might be (almost) never.
Conditions
In order for a dwarf to be struck with a strange mood, three conditions must be met:
- There is no currently active strange mood,
- The maximum number of artifacts is not met,
- There are at least 20 eligible dwarves (see below).
If all three of these conditions are true, the game may trigger a strange mood according to the frequency.
Maximum number of artifacts
The maximum number of artifacts in any one fortress is limited by the lower of:
- The number of items created divided by 100.1
- The distance you have mined into the mountain divided by 20. Consequently, no fortress can ever have more than 18 artifacts, and getting that many requires digging past the Eerie glowing pits (but does not require mining any raw adamantine).
- 1 - actually the sum of all items by type and by material, divided by 200.
Eligibility
The deciding factor for eligibility is a dwarf's actual profession. (Note that "custom professions" have no effect on this!) Thus, dwarves may enter strange moods regardless of what skills they have or don't have, so long as they are of an acceptable profession. Dwarves who have already created an artifact are not eligible to create another, and since every mood ends in either an artifact or death, every dwarf may enter at most one mood. Dwarves who have obtained one or more legendary skills without creating artifacts may enter strange moods.
Only dwarves with the profession Miner, Carpenter, Mason, Trapper, Metalsmith, Jeweler, Craftsdwarf, Fisherdwarf, Farmer, Mechanic, Recruit, Peasant, or Child may enter a strange mood. Nobles, trained soldiers (other than Recruit), and babies are not eligible for moods.
Chance
When determining who will have a strange mood, each eligible dwarf is put into a weighted lottery. The odds are assigned a higher or lower weight based on the dwarf's profession. The default weight is 1, but some professions are more likely to enter a strange mood than others.
| Weighting | Professions |
|---|---|
| 16 | Metalsmith, Jeweler, Craftsdwarf |
| 6 | Carpenter, Mason |
| 1 | Miner, Mechanic, and all other professions |
- Example: What this means is: if you had 21 dwarves, made up of 20 eligible farmers, furnace operators, miners, woodcutters etc. (with 1 chance each) plus one Armorer (with 16 chances), that one Armorer would have a 16 in 36 chance (20 dwarves x 1 chances each = 20 + 16 chances more = 36 total) of the mood striking them. That's 4 in 9, while the other 20 have a 1 in 36 chance each. The odds are still against the armorer, but much better than for any other single dwarf.
Note that not every profession is from a moodable skill. A Fisherdwarf or Trapper can be taken by a mood, but that will not make those skills legendary.
- NOTE: If your game was saved shortly before one of you dwarves acquired a mood, reloading that game will most likely cause the chances to be completely re-figured, resulting in a different mood at a different time for a different dwarf with different materials. This is true for most all random events and results in Dwarf Fortress.
Skills and workshops
A dwarf will claim a workshop according to their highest applicable skill, and upon completion of the artifact, gain 20,000 experience in that skill (excepting possessed dwarves). This will give the dwarf a legendary-level skill (specifically, "legendary+1" or higher, depending on the dwarf's initial skill level) and a number of attribute gains. The table to the right describes all applicable skills and their potential workshop requirements - there are only 25 skills that determine the workshop and that can be affected by a mood (sometimes referred to as moodable skills.) If a dwarf does not possess at least one of the moodable skills listed to the right, they will take over a craftsdwarf's workshop and gain one of bone carver, stone crafter, or wood crafter skills, producing an artifact craft.
If a dwarf has the same experience points in two skills (as opposed to same experience title), the first listed for that dwarf will be the one affected by the mood (the exact experience can only be made visible with 3rd party utilities).
Metalworking moods will use a magma forge if and only if you have discovered the magma flow - until then, they will use an ordinary metalsmith's forge instead.
Below is a list of all non-moodable skills; if all of a dwarf's skills are found on this list and none from the table to the right, then they have no moodable skills and will construct their artifact at a Craftsdwarf's workshop, producing an appropriate craft as described above:
This fact can be utilized to maximize the possibility of getting a dwarf with the specific legendary skill you want: since non-moodable skills are ignored, when ever possible make sure that each dwarf's highest moodable skill is one of those you want*. Have all your peasants, farmers, non-professional military and other dwarves without any moodable skills do a tiny bit of work in the skill(s) you most want; if a "dabbling" skill is the highest moodable skill they have, that is the skill that will be used.
- (* Armorsmith, Weaponsmith/Bowyer, Metal crafter, or Metalsmith are possibly the most-desired legendary skills, but much depends on your fortress, your current mix of skills, and your play style.)
Artifacts created
The type of artifact created will depend on the dwarf's highest skill. Masons and miners will always create some kind of stone furniture; bone Carvers, a bone or shell object; carpenters, a wood object, etc. Engravers and stone crafters will make a stone craft; metalworkers, metal crafts, weapons, or armor (depending on the type of metalworker); weavers, an article of clothing; tanners, a leather armor or object. If a dwarf has no moodable skills, they will take over a craftsdwarf's workshop and create a bone, stone or wood craft of some type. The precise type of craft created is usually somewhat random but if a dwarf has a personality preference for a particular thing, such as gauntlets or floodgates or crowns, and that thing is an available choice given the dwarf's profession, they will generally create an object of that type.
The first object grabbed by the dwarf will be the "primary" substance; all other materials will be used to decorate the artifact. If a dwarf grabs a piece of chalk and makes a statue, for instance, it will be a "chalk statue", but an artifact can potentially be composed of bone, cloth, gems, leather, metal, shell, stone, and wood all at once. In some cases, a moody dwarf will produce an item which normally cannot be made from that material, leading to such odd constructions as an obsidian bed, ruby floodgate, or turtle shell cage.
Once created, the dwarf will carry around the artifact in his inventory for a long time. If the dwarf is killed, the artifact becomes available for general use. Artifact furniture is useful for high value noble rooms. Weapons and armor will only be used by heroes and champions. Artifact weapons in weapon traps can also boost a room's value considerably, as in the case of artifact trap components.
After a sufficient amount of time has passed, dwarves carrying their artifacts are intended to be overcome by them and do something special:
- "<dwarf> becomes obsessed with <artifact>!" - the dwarf continues to carry the artifact around for a while longer.
- "<dwarf> becomes uneasy and drops <artifact>." - the dwarf immediately drops the artifact on the floor, at which point it may be used like any ordinary item.
- "<dwarf> becomes nervous and cleverly hides <artifact>!" - the artifact is Lost (showing up in dark gray in the stocks screen), just as if it had fallen into the chasm, cave river, or magma flow.
Due to a bug, this behavior never actually happens - dwarves who create artifacts will carry them forever. A patch for version 0.23.130.23a can be found on the Talk page.
Failure
If you can't provide the desired workshop and all the required component materials within a couple of months, the dwarf will go insane, which cancels the mood and the artifact. As if that's not bad enough, any dwarf who goes insane will soon die, one way or another.
A dwarf who is stark raving mad or melancholy is harmless to others (until they die and start a tantrum spiral), but a berserk dwarf will attack other dwarves and possibly pull levers at random. You may want to station a squad nearby or assign a few war dogs to the dwarf on the chance that they will lash out. If you build your workshops inside enclosed rooms with doors you can also lock the moody dwarf in the room until he or she starves. In extreme cases, building a wall around an open workshop is the best precaution.
Most events that would ordinarily interrupt a dwarf will not deter a moody dwarf - for example, while passing out from pain will cancel most tasks, a moody dwarf will continue working as soon as he wakes up. Giving birth while in a strange mood does not interrupt the dwarf either; the new mother will ignore the baby until her mood is resolved and it will happily wander off in the meantime.
Severe distractions such as hostile creatures, however, can interrupt a strange mood, resulting in immediate insanity; similar results will happen if the workshop suddenly becomes unavailable, whether from being destroyed (by a cave-in or a dwarf throwing a tantrum) or from losing power (in the case of magma workshops). Note that the insanity can happen even when the dwarf is not deadlocked on an item; there have been observed instances where a dwarf goes insane while in the process of carrying a required item back to the commandeered workshop.
See also