Personality traits, values, and goals

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v50.14 · v0.47.05 This article is about the current version of DF. Note that some content may still need to be updated. More Info · V

Dwarven personalities are determined by a set of traits. These traits are distinct from attributes.

Personality traits are shown in a dwarf's "thoughts and preferences" description page, which can be accessed by viewing that dwarf then p, z, Enter, or from the unit menu with view, Enter.

Each trait has a value from 0 to 100. The value triggers a report in "thoughts and preferences" depending on where it falls in these seven levels:

Value Range	Values in Range	Probability	Effect
91 - 100	10	0.4%	Highest
76 - 90	15	2%	Very High
61 - 75	15	8.5%	High
40 - 60	21	78%	Neutral
25 - 39	15	8.5%	Low
10 - 24	15	2%	Very Low
0 - 9	10	0.4%	Lowest

The 40-60 range does not cause a report.

Traits are also influenced by species via the use of the PERSONALITY creature token. For example, dwarves are slightly more straightforward than average with a median of 55 in that trait, whereas goblins aren't likely to help others out - their altruism median is a mere 25, and is capped at 50.

Traits also have an effect on which social skills are learned in social interaction, and determine whether certain actions may give a good or bad thought. Traits may have other, more subtle effects on creature behaviour, which are currently not entirely understood.

Token	Value	Description	Gameplay effects
ANXIETY (Nervousness)	91 - 100	is a nervous wreck	More likely to go stark raving mad.
	76 - 90	is always tense and jittery
	61 - 75	is often nervous
	25 - 39	has a calm demeanor
	10 - 24	has a very calm demeanor
	0 - 9	has an incredibly calm demeanor
ANGER (Rage)	91 - 100	is in a constant state of internal rage	Prone to becoming enraged or throwing tantrums when unhappy. More likely to go berserk.
	76 - 90	is very quick to anger
	61 - 75	is quick to anger
	25 - 39	is slow to anger	Not prone to becoming enraged or throwing tantrums
	10 - 24	is very slow to anger
	0 - 9	never becomes angry
DEPRESSION (Depression)	91 - 100	is frequently depressed	More likely to be stricken by melancholy.
	76 - 90	is often sad and dejected
	61 - 75	often feels discouraged
	25 - 39	rarely feels discouraged
	10 - 24	almost never feels discouraged
	0 - 9	never feels discouraged
SELF_CONSCIOUSNESS (Neurosis)	91 - 100	is socially crippled by thoughts that everyone is watching and judging (him)	Cannot gain Comedian experience
	76 - 90	is concerned about rejection and ridicule
	61 - 75	is self-conscious
	25 - 39	is comfortable in social situations
	10 - 24	is very comfortable in social situations
	0 - 9	is absolutely unfazed by the opinions of others
IMMODERATION (Urge)	91 - 100	is ruled by irresistible cravings and urges
	76 - 90	feels strong urges and seeks short-term rewards
	61 - 75	occasionally overindulges
	25 - 39	doesn't often experience strong cravings or urges
	10 - 24	only rarely feels strong cravings or urges
	0 - 9	never feels tempted to overindulge in anything
VULNERABILITY (Stress)	91 - 100	becomes completely helpless in stressful situations	More susceptible to unhappy thoughts
	76 - 90	cracks easily under pressure
	61 - 75	doesn't handle stress well
	25 - 39	can handle stress	Less susceptible to unhappy thoughts
	10 - 24	is confident under pressure
	0 - 9	is impervious to the effects of stress
FRIENDLINESS (Friendly)	91 - 100	genuinely likes others and openly expresses positive feelings toward them
	76 - 90	makes friends quickly
	61 - 75	is very friendly
	25 - 39	is somewhat reserved	Cannot gain Conversationalist experience
	10 - 24	is very distant and reserved
	0 - 9	does not actively seek friendships and is incredibly distant and reserved
GREGARIOUSNESS (Company)	91 - 100	truly treasures the company of others
	76 - 90	enjoys being in crowds
	61 - 75	enjoys the company of others
	25 - 39	tends to avoid crowds
	10 - 24	prefers to be alone	Will not throw parties
	0 - 9	considers spending time alone much more important than associating with others
ASSERTIVENESS (Leadership)	91 - 100	loves to take charge and direct activities
	76 - 90	is very assertive
	61 - 75	is assertive
	25 - 39	is unassertive	Cannot gain Persuader experience
	10 - 24	prefers that others handle the leadership roles
	0 - 9	never speaks out or attempts to direct activities
ACTIVITY_LEVEL (Activeness)	91 - 100	is constantly active and energetic
	76 - 90	is very energetic and active
	61 - 75	is very active
	25 - 39	is relaxed
	10 - 24	lives life at a leisurely pace
	0 - 9	can't be bothered with frantic, fast-paced living
EXCITEMENT_SEEKING (Thrillseeking)	91 - 100	lives for risk and excitement	More likely to join adventurers
	76 - 90	is a risk-taker and a thrill-seeker
	61 - 75	loves a good thrill
	25 - 39	is not a risk-taker
	10 - 24	doesn't need thrills or risks in life
	0 - 9	is entirely averse to risk and excitement
CHEERFULNESS (Optimism)	91 - 100	often feels filled with joy
	76 - 90	can be very happy and optimistic
	61 - 75	is often cheerful
	25 - 39	is rarely happy or enthusiastic
	10 - 24	is a pessimist
	0 - 9	is never optimistic or enthusiastic about anything
IMAGINATION (Imagination)	91 - 100	is bored by reality and has a wonderful imagination	Is more likely to create better engravings (theory)[Verify]
	76 - 90	is incredibly creative
	61 - 75	has a fertile imagination
	25 - 39	isn't given to flights of fancy
	10 - 24	is grounded in reality
	0 - 9	is interested only in facts and the real world
ARTISTIC_INTEREST (Artistic)	91 - 100	can easily become absorbed in art and the beauty of the natural world	Gains a better happy thought when looking at engravings (theory)[Verify]
	76 - 90	greatly appreciates art and natural beauty
	61 - 75	appreciates art and natural beauty
	25 - 39	does not have a great aesthetic sensitivity
	10 - 24	is not interested in art
	0 - 9	is completely uninterested in art
EMOTIONALITY (Emotion)	91 - 100	has a profound understanding of (his) own feelings
	76 - 90	has a great awareness of (his) own emotions
	61 - 75	has a good awareness of (his) own emotions
	25 - 39	tends not to openly express emotions
	10 - 24	is mostly unaware of (his) own emotions and rarely expresses them
	0 - 9	does not display (his) own emotions and has no awareness of them
ADVENTUROUSNESS (Adventure)	91 - 100	is highly adventurous and loves fresh experiences
	76 - 90	is eager for new experiences
	61 - 75	likes to try new things
	25 - 39	prefers familiar routines
	10 - 24	is uncomfortable with change
	0 - 9	is resistant to change
INTELLECTUAL_CURIOSITY (Thinking)	91 - 100	is entranced by riddles and puzzles and loves to debate issues and ideas
	76 - 90	loves new and fresh ideas
	61 - 75	is open-minded to new ideas
	25 - 39	dislikes intellectual discussions
	10 - 24	regards intellectual exercises as a waste of energy
	0 - 9	is completely uninterested in ideas and debates over intellectual issues
LIBERALISM (Rebelliousness)	91 - 100	revels in chaos and disorder	Receives unhappy thought from talking to nobles[Verify]
	76 - 90	loves to defy convention
	61 - 75	is put off by authority and tradition
	25 - 39	admires tradition	Receives happy thought from talking to nobles[Verify]
	10 - 24	prefers stability and security to ambiguity and disorder
	0 - 9	is an ardent believer in convention and traditional society
TRUST (Trusting)	91 - 100	is naturally trustful of everybody
	76 - 90	is very trusting
	61 - 75	is trusting
	25 - 39	is slow to trust others
	10 - 24	does not trust others
	0 - 9	sees others as selfish and conniving
STRAIGHTFORWARDNESS (Honesty)	91 - 100	is incredibly frank and candid in dealings with others	Cannot gain Flatterer experience.
	76 - 90	is very straightforward with others
	61 - 75	is candid and sincere in dealings with others
	25 - 39	is guarded in relationships with others	Cannot gain Consoler experience Can gain Liar experience.
	10 - 24	is not straightforward when dealing with others
	0 - 9	believes that some deception is necessary in relationships with others
ALTRUISM (Helpfulness)	91 - 100	is truly fulfilled by assisting those in need	Receives happy thought from rescuing wounded
	76 - 90	finds helping others very rewarding
	61 - 75	finds helping others rewarding
	25 - 39	does not go out of (his) way to help others	Receives unhappy thought from rescuing wounded
	10 - 24	dislikes helping others
	0 - 9	views helping others as an imposition on (his) time
COOPERATION (Compromising)	91 - 100	sacrifices (his) own needs to get along with others	Cannot gain Intimidator experience
	76 - 90	dislikes confrontations
	61 - 75	is willing to compromise with others
	25 - 39	doesn't like to compromise with others	Cannot gain Pacifier experience
	10 - 24	would rather intimidate others than compromise with them
	0 - 9	would never deny (his) own needs just to compromise with somebody else
MODESTY (Modesty)	91 - 100	would never claim to be better than somebody else
	76 - 90	finds immodesty distasteful
	61 - 75	is modest
	25 - 39	is immodest
	10 - 24	is very willing to compare (himself) favorably with others
	0 - 9	would never shy away from an opportunity to say (he) is better than somebody else
SYMPATHY (Compassion)	91 - 100	is incredibly compassionate and feels the pain of others
	76 - 90	is easily moved to pity
	61 - 75	is compassionate
	25 - 39	is not easily moved to pity
	10 - 24	is not affected by the suffering of others
	0 - 9	would never let an objective judgement be tempered by mercy or pity
SELF_EFFICACY (Confidence)	91 - 100	is incredibly confident
	76 - 90	is very confident
	61 - 75	is confident
	25 - 39	lacks confidence
	10 - 24	does not feel effective in life
	0 - 9	always feels as if (he) is not in control of (his) life
ORDERLINESS (Organization)	91 - 100	loves to make lists and keep schedules	Gains more Organizer experience (theory)[Verify]
	76 - 90	tries to live a well-organized life
	61 - 75	is organized
	25 - 39	is disorganized
	10 - 24	is very disorganized
	0 - 9	is completely disorganized
DUTIFULNESS (Lawfulness)	91 - 100	has a profound sense of duty and obligation
	76 - 90	has a strong sense of duty
	61 - 75	has a sense of duty
	25 - 39	finds rules confining
	10 - 24	dislikes contracts and regulations
	0 - 9	hates rules, contracts and other confining elements in (his) life
ACHIEVEMENT_STRIVING (Excellence)	91 - 100	constantly strives for perfection
	76 - 90	thinks it is incredibly important to strive for excellence
	61 - 75	strives for excellence
	25 - 39	doesn't go out of (his) way to do more work than necessary
	10 - 24	very rarely does more work than necessary
	0 - 9	does the bare minimum necessary to accomplish the task at hand
SELF_DISCIPLINE (Perseverance)	91 - 100	will persist in the face of any difficulty until the task is complete	Affects duration of breaks[Verify]
	76 - 90	possesses great willpower
	61 - 75	is self-disciplined
	25 - 39	is occasionally given to procrastination
	10 - 24	has very little self-discipline
	0 - 9	rarely completes tasks and is often overcome by distractions
CAUTIOUSNESS (Cautiousness)	91 - 100	thinks through every alternative and its consequences before acting
	76 - 90	is extremely cautious
	61 - 75	takes time when making decisions
	25 - 39	often does the first thing that comes to mind
	10 - 24	acts impulsively
	0 - 9	always acts without considering alternatives or thinking through possibilities

Trait value distribution

To clarify how trait values are assigned, 16,000 dwarves were examined. The normalized traits (those with a mean value of 50) provided 432,000 data points; the results are shown below.

Plot of trait distribution.

Traits
Value Range	Original	Averaged	Proposed	Cumulative
0 to 9	0.3863%	0.3822%	0.3875%	0.3875%
10 to 24	1.8995%	1.928%	1.925%	2.3125%
25 to 39	8.5086%	8.4666%	8.4625%	10.775%
40 to 60	78.4465%	78.4465%	78.45%	89.225%
61 to 75	8,4245%	8.4666%	8.4625%	97.6875%
76 to 90	1.9565%	1.928%	1.925%	99.6125%
91 to 100	0.378%	0.3822%	0.3875%	100%

Understanding the results

The results demonstrate a better-than 78% chance that a normalized trait's value will fall within the "Neutral" band (from 40 to 60). Further, the probability of an outlying value decreases as distance from the mean value (50) increases. The results are similar to a Normal distribution (aka "Bell curve"), however they do not fall off quite as quickly in the "tails". A "High" or "Low" trait value will be generated approximately 8.5% of the time. A "Very High" or "Very Low" value will appear less than 2% of the time. The probability of receiving a trait in the "Highest" (or "Lowest") band is less than 0.4%; the probability of a dwarf receiving multiple extreme values is infinitesimal.