v0.31:Attribute

v50.14 · v0.47 · v0.34 · v0.31.25 · v0.28 · v0.23

This article is about an older version of DF.

xTATTEREDx · +FINE+ · *SUPERIOR* · ≡EXCEPTIONAL≡ · ☼MASTERWORK☼

A creature has numerous attributes which impact its performance at various tasks. These attributes are split into physical factors associated with the body and mental factors associated with a creature's soul.

Attributes are located in the Thoughts and Preferences screen. Body attributes are listed just above prefstrings, and soul attributes are listed immediately thereafter. Positive attributes are dark green and negative attributes are red.

Attributes are now associated with skills, so that shield use will raise endurance as an attribute, but not attributes like memory. Attribute gain and rust rates, along with skill gain and rust rates, are moddable in the raws as Creature_Tokens.

bugs

It is important to note that, as of 0.31.08, all non-military skills are apparently bugged, and will not gain in attributes no matter how much they are worked. Since attributes now rust as well, this means that the attributes of all non-military dwarves will continuously decline as your fort goes on, and with only a few attributes represented by military skills, some attributes (including memory, which works as a multiplier for rust rates) can become cripplingly low with no means of remedy aside from systematically replacing dwarves every few years.

Body Attributes

Strength

Alters the damage done in melee, increases muscle mass, and increases how much a creature can carry. Note that muscle mass will actually make a dwarf much slower, and gains in Strength will actually counteract equal gains in Agility.

unbelievably strong
mighty
very strong
strong

weak
very weak
unquestionably weak
unfathomably weak

Agility

This attribute is directly related to a character's Speed, and the difference between 1000 agility and the maximum 5000 agility is roughly halving the time between each turn you take.

amazingly agile
extremely agile
very agile
agile

clumsy
quite clumsy
totally clumsy
abysmally clumsy

Toughness

Reduces physical damage.

basically unbreakable
incredibly tough
quite durable
tough

flimsy
very flimsy
remarkably flimsy
shockingly fragile

Endurance

Reduces the rate at which dwarves become exhausted.

absolutely inexhaustible
indefatigable
very slow to tire
slow to tire

quick to tire
very quick to tire
extremely quick to tire
truly quick to tire

Disease Resistance

Reduces the risk of disease.

virtually never sick
almost never sick
very rarely sick
rarely sick

susceptible to disease
quite susceptible to disease
really susceptible to disease
stunningly susceptible to disease

Recuperation

Increases the rate of wound healing.

possessed of amazing recuperative powers
incredibly quick to heal
quite quick to heal
quick to heal

slow to heal
very slow to heal
really slow to heal
shockingly slow to heal

Soul Attributes

From this post by Toady One

With respect to skills: most of these attributes only effect duration, when that is the only available skill effect to begin with, but they are factored into outcomes when it applies.

Analytical Ability

Skills affected: animal care, trapping, cheesemaker, cook, smelter, extract strand, cut gem, siege craft, siege operate, mechanics, architecture, diagnose, appraisal, organization, record keeping, knowledge acquisition, knapping

awesome intellectual powers
great analytical abilities
a sharp intellect
a good intellect

poor analytical abilities
very bad analytical abilities
a lousy intellect
a stunning lack of analytical ability

Memory

Skills affected: animal care, herbalism, diagnose, appraisal, record keeping, knowledge acquisition

an astonishing memory
an amazing memory
a great memory
a good memory

an iffy memory
a poor memory
a really bad memory
little memory to speak of

Creativity

Skills affected: all crafts, trapping, cheesemaking, cook, architecture, organization, lying, comedy

a boundless creative imagination
great creativity
very good creativity
good creativity

meager creativity
poor creativity
lousy creativity
next to no creative talent

Intuition

Skills affected: animal training, judging intent, appraisal, observer, diagnose

uncanny intuition
great intuition
very good intuition
good intuition

bad intuition
very bad intuition
lousy intuition
horrible intuition

Focus

Skills affected: fishing, ranged combat, siege operate, sneak, surgery, bone setting, suturing, record keeping, knowledge acquisition, concentration, observer

unbreakable focus
a great ability to focus
very good focus
the ability to focus

poor focus
quite poor focus
really poor focus
the absolute inability to focus

Willpower

Skills affected: mining, woodcutting, melee combat, crutch walking, pump operating, swimming, concentration willpower directly resists exertion/pain effects

an unbreakable will
an iron will
a lot of willpower
willpower

little willpower
a large deficit of willpower
next to no willpower
absolutely no willpower

Patience

Skills affected: animal training, fishing, concentration, some non-skill tasks

absolutely boundless patience
a deep well of patience
a great deal of patience
a sum of patience

a shortage of patience
little patience
very little patience
no patience at all

Spatial Sense

Skills affected: mining, wood cutting, crafts, trapping, combat skills, siege operate, sneak, architecture, wound dresssing, surgery, bone setting, suturing, crutch walking, swimming, observer, knapping

a stunning feel for spatial relationships
an amazing spatial sense
a great feel for the surrounding space
a good spatial sense

a questionable spatial sense
poor spatial senses
an atrocious spatial sense
no sense for spatial relationships

Kinesthetic Sense

Skills affected: most skills involving any movement at all (lots of them), non-skilled tasks as well

an astounding feel for the position of own body
a great kinesthetic sense
a very good sense of the position of own body
a good kinesthetic sense

a meager kinesthetic sense
a poor kinesthetic sense
a very clumsy kinesthetic sense
an unbelievably atrocious sense of the position of own body

Linguistic Ability

Skills affected: persuasion, negotiation, lying, intimidation, conversation, comedy, flattery, console, pacify, leadership, teaching

an astonishing ability with languages and words
a great affinity for language
a natural inclination toward language
a way with words

a little difficulty with words
little linguistic ability
very little linguistic ability
difficulty with words and language

Musicality

Skills affected: nothing yet

an astonishing knack for music
a great musical sense
a natural ability with music
a feel for music

an iffy sense for music
little natural inclination toward music
next to no natural musical ability
absolutely no feel for music at all

Empathy

Skills affected: animal training, animal care, dress wounds, persuasion, negotiation, judging intent, conversation, flattery, console, pacify, leadership, teaching

an absolutely remarkable sense of others' emotions
a great sense of empathy
a very good sense of empathy
an ability to read emotions fairly well

poor empathy
a very bad sense of empathy
next to no empathy
the utter inability to judge others' emotions

Social Awareness

Skills affected: persuasion, negotiation, judging intent, organization, lying, conversation, flattery, console, pacify, leadership, teaching

a shockingly profound feel for social relationships
a great feel for social relationships
a very good feel for social relationships
a good feel for social relationships

a meager ability with social relationships
a poor ability to manage or understand social relationships
a lack of understanding of social relationships
an absolute inability to understand social relationships