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40d:Skill
| This article is about an older version of DF. |
- ("Level" redirects here; if looking for information on different z-levels or layers, see Template:L)
Skills and Professions are two different things, and are distinct from Template:L, which are distinct from Template:Ls, but all four are closely related.
The skills a dwarf has in an area determine how well that dwarf accomplishes Template:Ls in that area. A dwarf's Template:Ls can be turned on or off by the player (by viewing that dwarf's preferences for labors, v p l ), and determine what sort of jobs a dwarf is allowed to do. A dwarf may have great skill, but until you designate the appropriate labor and queue up some corresponding Template:Ls, and then the dwarf actually responds and takes and finishes that job, nothing gets done. Skills increase in level with Template:L; every time a dwarf completes a task successfully, the corresponding skill will increase by an amount of experience. Once the experience total reaches the amount required for the next level, the skill level will increase.
Profession tends to describe what a dwarf does best, as defined by their skills, not what Template:Ls they are currently designated to perform. Their profession is usually, but not always based on their best skill. A dwarf with cooking at level 1 and no other skills has the profession of "Template:L", but a dwarf with Template:L 14 and Template:L and Template:L and a dozen other skills all at 12 is also seen as having the profession of "Template:L".
Any dwarf can have any Template:L activated, even if they have absolutely no Template:L or levels in that skill. They are still the same profession. The only difference is the speed they complete the task, and/or the Template:L of the final product. So by turning different Template:Ls on/off, you can have your Template:L Template:L designated with the Template:Ling labor, and your expert Template:L making weapons - probably a bad plan, but nothing stops you from doing that.
When Activated for the Template:L, a dwarf's profession temporarily changes to a military one, but they will return to their civilian profession (if any) when de-Activated. (Note that dwarfs with military skills in excess of Great skill (level 10) will become a Template:L, abandoning any civilian professions and becoming permanently military.)
- (If you are a new player and find yourself boggled at the variety of skills for your starting seven dwarfs, see Template:L for a general discussion on and examples of starting skill selection.)
Profession
Professions are determined in one of two ways. For the majority of the population, the highest skill or skills of a Template:L determines their profession. Also, as your fortress grows, some unique professionals will arrive, one-of-a-kind dwarfs who perform a very specific function in the community - even if that function is not always appreciated or welcome. Such Template:L will be labeled with their noble "professions", regardless of any skills. Also, a dwarven "baby" or "child" will carry that label as their "profession" until they are adults. (Template:L titles do not affect professions, but may affect skills used and improved.)
Activating or de-activating a dwarf for the military changes their listed profession from civilian to military. Having some military skills along with civilian skills does not make a dwarf a professional Template:L. If a Wood Cutter has some levels in Axedwarf or a Hunter has some levels in Marksdwarf, they are still a Wood Cutter or Hunter, civilian professions, until they are activated. A dwarf with novice level of Axedwarf and Legendary Brewing will be activated as an axedwarf if that's their highest weapon skill, while a dwarf with high skill level in axedwarf and novice level in brewing will be a Template:L as a civilian if Template:L is their highest civilian skill.
A dwarf's profession also governs the possibility and likelihood, relative to the rest of the population, of entering a Template:L.
Some non-dwarves will show professions that are not available to dwarves, like "Template:L", or non-dwarf Template:Ls with non-dwarf Template:Ls, like a Template:L.
In Adventure Mode, there are professions that are not available or relevant in Fortress Mode, like Template:L or Pikedwarf.
Professions, colors, & skill categories
Different professions are associated with a different Template:L of dwarf. If the profession changes (due to skill levels increasing), the profession may change and the color of the dwarf with that, if appropriate. (See chart below for Template:Ls associated to skills and professions.) A dwarf with the "Template:L" profession is a dwarf that has no skills above dabbling level and/or only has skills as shown in the "No profession" box below plus isn't an active military member.
Some professions relate directly to one specific, (usually) dominant skill - "Bowyer" or "Wood Cutter" or "Wood Crafter", for example. However some professions are a general category for similar skills - "Woodworker", in the instance of the previous 3 examples, would imply similar expertise with 2 or more skills in that one category. The exact math varies as to how and when one particular profession vs another is chosen due to differences in and combinations of skill levels, but usually it's the highest skill(s)*. If two skills in different categories are tied, it's the one listed first for that particular dwarf.
- (* Many of the "category" professions seem to be based off of the number of levels above no skill/dabbling and whether the highest skill is "double" the increase of the lesser ones.)
On the unit page, your dwarfs are always listed by profession in the order below (provided you have any of that type) - Template:Ls first, Template:Ls last* (represented in the "No profession" category below). The colors displayed in this chart are the default Dwarf Fortress Template:L; if you have altered those, your colors will, obviously, be altered as well.
- (* and Template:Lren (not shown) following them in (dark) RED.)
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- (Note - Exact colors may vary with different tile-sets or Template:L in Template:L. The above are correct for standard DF.)
Template:Ls, Template:L, swimming and throwing do not affect profession. Military skills do not affect civilian professions (until they become Template:L).
When a dwarf is activated as a Template:L, their listed profession is generated by their best Template:L skill. Template:L and Template:L do not affect these military professions. Note that in the military menu you can assign a dwarf a different weapon, to fight or train with, than what is listed as their profession. A soldier with no military skills above dabbling is called a "recruit".
When increases in a dwarf's skills cause their profession to change, an announcement is generated. Any dwarf can change professions if they train (enough) with a different skill.
Custom profession labels
It is possible to give a dwarf a custom profession name, similar to giving them a Template:L, through the units list or by viewing them individually, or before embark if you are "preparing carefully" by viewing them in that menu. This custom label has no effect on color, or on the actual profession that the dwarf is associated with in the game. You can label them as Dyer or Duke or Dragonslayer, Wood Cutter or Weaponsmith or the Grand Wazoo, but if their skill levels determine that they're a Farmer, then they're a Farmer, until their skills change that.
Skills
A skill reflects the amount of Template:L a dwarf has. With (or without) that skill, they can be assigned one or more different labor preferences in their individual labor menu, general activities that you approve them pursuing. Once they accept a particular assignment, a job is generated and they proceed to apply their skill to that job.
A single skill can be applied to many different Template:Ls. For instance, a Bone Carver might carve a totem out of a skull, craft bone practice bolts for a crossbow, create bone armor, or carve bone crafts to trade. Higher skill levels may increase the speed at which jobs are performed, the quality of the items produced, or both.
Note that many labor preferences, especially Template:L, have no associated skill, do not generate experience, and do not improve with practice.
Starting a new skill
Dwarven peasants and members of other trades can learn a new skill by having the Template:L associated with the skill turned on in their preferences screen. The first task related to their new skill they preform will grant them the "Dabbling" skill level. Dwarves may then advance through the skill levels listed below.
Skill levels
To reach Novice level in any skill requires 500 XP. Reaching each successive level requires an additional 100 XP, so to go from Novice to No label requires 600 XP; No label to Competent requires 700 XP, and so on. The following figures are the cumulative XP needed to go from unskilled to any given skill level.
Although Template:L is the highest skill level displayed, there are actually five skill levels above it. These are known to have an effect on Template:L; a Legendary dwarf will make masterpiece items 15% of the time, on average, where a Legendary+5 dwarf will make masterpieces 27% of the time (and exceptional items the other 73% of the time). Skill beyond Legendary+5 does not increase the probability of creating a masterpiece item.
You can't find out exactly when a dwarf gets to Legendary+5, but it will happen 1000 XP before their eighth Template:L if they have no other skills -- so when they get eight attributes, they are at Legendary+5. Although skill is capped at Legendary+5, experience is not capped at any level; a dwarf can keep gaining attributes by using a skill that has long since maxed out.
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Skills with odd associated labors
Each skill has a corresponding labor which is usually named similarly - Miners do Mining, Carpenters do Carpentry, etc. However, there are some exceptions:
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See also: Template:L