v50 Steam/Premium information for editors
  • v50 information can now be added to pages in the main namespace. v0.47 information can still be found in the DF2014 namespace. See here for more details on the new versioning policy.
  • Use this page to report any issues related to the migration.
This notice may be cached—the current version can be found here.

Difference between revisions of "23a:Item quality"

From Dwarf Fortress Wiki
Jump to navigation Jump to search
m (Rated article "Fine" using the rating script)
 
(10 intermediate revisions by 2 users not shown)
Line 1: Line 1:
 
{{quality|Fine|23:38, 13 August 2010 (UTC)}}{{av}}
 
{{quality|Fine|23:38, 13 August 2010 (UTC)}}{{av}}
''Also see {{L|Item designations}}.''
+
''Also see [[Item designations]].''
  
All items in the game have a {{L|item value|base value}}, which is multiplied by what {{L|material value|material}} the item is made of and by the item's '''quality'''.  {{L|Decoration}}s (such as bone, gems, and studding) further increase the value.
+
All items in the game have a [[item value|base value]], which is multiplied by what [[material value|material]] the item is made of and by the item's '''quality'''.  [[Decoration]]s (such as bone, gems, and studding) further increase the value.
  
Item quality can have an effect on an item's properties, especially {{L|armor}} and {{L|weapons}}.
+
Item quality can have an effect on an item's properties, especially [[armor]] and [[weapons]].
  
{{L|Room}}s also have a "quality grade" which determines their {{L|Room#Specific room quality grades|value}} in the eyes of those owning/using the room, which is the sum of the objects placed within their designated area plus the {{L|material}}s that surround it plus improvements (such as {{L|engraving}}) to those materials.  See {{L|room}} for a more complete discussion of these values, and {{L|How do I increase the value of a room}} for a complete list of options.
+
[[Room]]s also have a "quality grade" which determines their [[Room#Specific room quality grades|value]] in the eyes of those owning/using the room, which is the sum of the objects placed within their designated area plus the [[material]]s that surround it plus improvements (such as [[engraving]]) to those materials.  See [[room]] for a more complete discussion of these values, and [[How do I increase the value of a room]] for a complete list of options.
  
 
__TOC__
 
__TOC__
 
== Quality grades ==
 
== Quality grades ==
  
All crafted items ({{L|furniture}}, {{L|armor}}, {{L|bolts}}, etc.) – but not intermediate materials ({{L|bar}}s, {{L|block}}s, etc. except {{L|cloth}}, which does have quality levels) – are bracketed by characters that show the quality of their craftsdwarfship. Dyeing also has a quality level, as does {{L|Decoration|decorating}} (with gems, leathers, cloth, etc). Prepared foods have quality levels. Alcohol supposedly has a hidden quality rating that controls the amount of happiness a dwarf gets from drinking it. It is not yet known whether the damage or destruction of masterful alcohol can cause tantrums.
+
All crafted items ([[furniture]], [[armor]], [[bolts]], etc.) – but not intermediate materials ([[bar]]s, [[block]]s, etc. except [[cloth]], which does have quality levels) – are bracketed by characters that show the quality of their craftsdwarfship. Dyeing also has a quality level, as does [[Decoration|decorating]] (with gems, leathers, cloth, etc). Prepared foods have quality levels, but simple foods and drinks do not.
  
 
{|
 
{|
Line 28: Line 28:
 
| ☼Item Name☼ || Masterful || style="text-align: center;" | ×12 || style="text-align: center;" | ×2.0
 
| ☼Item Name☼ || Masterful || style="text-align: center;" | ×12 || style="text-align: center;" | ×2.0
 
|-
 
|-
| ''Unique name'' || Artifact || style="text-align: center;" | ×120 || style="text-align: center;" | ×2.0?*
+
| ''Unique name'' || Artifact || style="text-align: center;" | ×120 || style="text-align: center;" | ×2.0
 
|}
 
|}
 
:''(* An analysis of game memory indicates a base multiplier of 2.0, however observational reports (and some other elements of the game code) imply that the multiplier might be (significantly?) higher.  As it stands, it's not perfectly clear - more research is needed.)''
 
  
 
====Masterpiece====
 
====Masterpiece====
 
A '''masterpiece''' is more than the highest normal quality and value - it is an artistic expression that is of great importance to the dwarf who created it.
 
A '''masterpiece''' is more than the highest normal quality and value - it is an artistic expression that is of great importance to the dwarf who created it.
  
When a masterful quality item is created, the game will announce, "<dwarf> has created a masterpiece!"  The loss, destruction or theft of such a masterpiece will cause the dwarf that created it a ''very'' unhappy thought. {{L|Trading}} a masterpiece item to merchants is always safe. Masterpiece meals can be eaten safely, although allowing the food to rot will provoke the same response as theft or destruction. Using masterpiece bolts will not cause a tantrum, even if the bolts break - however, ''losing'' a bolt, even one left on the battlefield, will. So if a kobold or wild animal steals a used masterpiece bolt which was lying around, or misses its target and falls into the {{L|chasm}} or is melted by "the impertinent {{L|magma}}", this also counts as defacement, and the maker's mood will decrease drastically.  
+
When a masterful quality item is created, the game will announce, "<dwarf> has created a masterpiece!"  The loss, destruction or theft of such a masterpiece will cause the dwarf that created it a ''very'' unhappy thought. [[Trading]] a masterpiece item to merchants is always safe. Masterpiece meals can be eaten safely, although allowing the food to rot will provoke the same response as theft or destruction. Using masterpiece bolts will not cause a tantrum, even if the bolts break - however, ''losing'' a bolt, even one left on the battlefield, will. So if a kobold or wild animal steals a used masterpiece bolt which was lying around, or misses its target and falls into the [[chasm]] or is melted by "the impertinent [[magma]]", this also counts as defacement, and the maker's mood will decrease drastically.  
  
Since {{L|legendary}} dwarves are most likely to be the ones creating masterpieces, keeping these creations safe should be high priority; {{L|tantrum}}ing legendary dwarves can be very difficult to subdue (as was discovered the hard way in [[Boatmurdered]]).
+
Since [[legendary]] dwarves are most likely to be the ones creating masterpieces, keeping these creations safe should be high priority; [[tantrum]]ing legendary dwarves can be very difficult to subdue (as was discovered the hard way in [[Main:Boatmurdered|Boatmurdered]]).
  
 
====Artifacts====
 
====Artifacts====
{{L|Artifact}} items have a unique name instead of bracketing symbols and are worth 120x base value. Artifacts, like masterpiece items, will cause a significant mood drop in the creator when destroyed or stolen.  According to inspections of the memory values, it seems that artifacts have the same quality value as masterpiece items.  It is unclear if this is true for weapons/armor or not - opinions differ as to whether artifact weapons and armor have a 2.0 multiplier or something higher; nothing has been found in the game code to support such, but observation suggests otherwise.
+
[[Artifact]] items have a unique name instead of bracketing symbols and are worth 120x base value. Unlike masterpiece items, losing an artifact will not result in unhappiness unless the current owner is ''obsessed'' with it - in this case, losing the artifact will cause said dwarf to go '''insane'''.  According to inspections of the memory values, it seems that artifacts have the same quality value as masterpiece items.  It is unclear if this is true for weapons/armor or not - opinions differ as to whether artifact weapons and armor have a 2.0 multiplier or something higher; nothing has been found in the game code to support such, but observation suggests otherwise.
  
 
== Skill and quality levels ==
 
== Skill and quality levels ==
  
Tradesdwarves of higher {{L|skill}} levels will ''tend'' to produce items of higher quality.  Looking at the table below, we see that "Dabbling" dwarves never (without an applicable {{L|preference}}) produce anything above a basic "no quality" item, Proficient dwarves (the highest possible skill level at {{L|embark}}) always produce at least some quality and usually +Finely Crafted items+, while {{L|legendary}} dwarves usually (65% of the time) produce ≡Exceptional items≡, and the best legendary dwarves produce nothing ''less'' than ≡Exceptional≡ and produce ☼Masterful items☼ approximately 27% of the time.
+
Tradesdwarves of higher [[skill]] levels will ''tend'' to produce items of higher quality.  Looking at the table below, we see that "Dabbling" dwarves never (without an applicable [[preference]]) produce anything above a basic "no quality" item, Proficient dwarves (the highest possible skill level at [[embark]]) always produce at least some quality and usually +Finely Crafted items+, while [[legendary]] dwarves usually (65% of the time) produce ≡Exceptional items≡, and the best legendary dwarves produce nothing ''less'' than ≡Exceptional≡ and produce ☼Masterful items☼ approximately 27% of the time.
 +
 
 +
Preferences for particular materials and/or objects make a considerable difference in the odds of producing better quality items - specifically, matching item preferences and matching material preferences each provide a +1 skill level boost, possibly '''beyond''' Legendary+5.
  
Preferences for particular materials and/or objects make a considerable difference in the odds of producing better quality items.  Although the exact adjustment is unknown, preliminary testing indicates that they can boost effective skill (not quality) by one to three levels (if the craftdwarf likes the item type, subtype and material), and overlapping preferences seem to be cumulative (such as for both {{L|silver}} + {{L|axe}}s, or {{L|wood|birch}} + {{L|bed}}s, etc.).<br /><br />
 
 
{| border="1" cellpadding="5" cellspacing="0" valign="bottom"
 
{| border="1" cellpadding="5" cellspacing="0" valign="bottom"
 
|-
 
|-
!Lvl !! Skill of dwarf !! No quality !! -Well-crafted- !! +Finely-crafted+ !! *Superior quality* !! ≡Exceptional≡ !! ☼Masterful☼ !! Average<br />{{L|Value}} Multiplier !! Jump in<br />Average Value
+
!Lvl !! Skill of dwarf !! No quality !! -Well-crafted- !! +Finely-crafted+ !! *Superior quality* !! ≡Exceptional≡ !! ☼Masterful☼ !! Average<br />[[Value]] Multiplier !! Jump in<br />Average Value
 
|-
 
|-
 
| 0 || Dabbling|| 100.0%      || || || || || ||1.000||
 
| 0 || Dabbling|| 100.0%      || || || || || ||1.000||
Line 94: Line 93:
 
|20 || Legendary+5|| || || || || 73.3%        || 26.7%        ||6.867||0.219
 
|20 || Legendary+5|| || || || || 73.3%        || 26.7%        ||6.867||0.219
 
|-
 
|-
 +
|21 || ''Legendary+6''**|| || || || || 72.0%        || 28.0%        ||6.96||0.093
 +
|-
 +
|22 || ''Legendary+7''**|| || || || || 70.7%        || 29.3%        ||7.053||0.093
 +
|-
 +
|23 || ''Legendary+8''***|| || || || || 69.3%        || 30.7%        ||7.146||0.093
 +
|-
 +
|24 || ''Legendary+9''***|| || || || || 68.0%        || 32.0%        ||7.24||0.093
 +
|-
 +
|25 || ''Legendary+10''***|| || || || || 66.7%        || 33.3%        ||7.333||0.093
 
|}
 
|}
  
 
:''(* Proficient is the highest level a dwarf can have at embark.)''
 
:''(* Proficient is the highest level a dwarf can have at embark.)''
 
+
:''(** Legendary+6 and Legendary+7 can '''only''' be reached by making items that coincide with the dwarf's preferences)''
 +
:''(** Legendary+8 thru Legendary+10 are only relevant for certain non-crafting-related skills, such as Farming, Fishing, and Plant Gathering)''
 
::''(The above table is based on the formula discovered by [[User:0x517A5D|0x517A5D]])''
 
::''(The above table is based on the formula discovered by [[User:0x517A5D|0x517A5D]])''
  
 
===The math behind the curtain===
 
===The math behind the curtain===
The in-game calculations to determine final quality of a product work like this: first, a skill level is computed, directly related to the dabbling through legendary+5 indicators and preferences of the particular crafter.  "No skill" or dabbling is 0, proficient is 5, legendary is 15, etc.  Skill levels are capped at 20 (so Legendary +5 don't appear to produce Masterpieces more often in their preferences).
+
The in-game calculations to determine final quality of a product work like this: first, a skill level is computed, directly related to the dabbling through legendary+5 indicators and preferences of the particular crafter.  "No skill" or dabbling is 0, proficient is 5, legendary is 15, etc.  Skill levels are capped at 20, then item/material preference bonuses are added (so Legendary +5 will produce Masterpieces more often in their preferences).
  
 
Item quality is set to 0.
 
Item quality is set to 0.
Line 115: Line 124:
  
 
According to inspections of the memory values, it seems that artifacts have a quality of 5.
 
According to inspections of the memory values, it seems that artifacts have a quality of 5.
 +
 +
:::::::::''Full code breakdown here:''
 +
{{Spoil small|Here is Quietust's disassembly and analysis of version 0.23.130.23a:<br /><br />
 +
 +
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------
 +
<nowiki>
 +
; First, check what skill is being used
 +
                push    1              ; ignore_building
 +
                mov    ecx, ebx        ; job *
 +
                call    job_getSkill
 +
 +
; Next, get the level of that skill, if there is one (if not, it will use 0 instead)
 +
                mov    edi, [esp+2Ch+maker]
 +
                push    eax            ; skill
 +
                mov    ecx, edi        ; unit *
 +
                call    unit_getSkillLevel
 +
 +
; Cap the skill level to a maximum of 20
 +
                mov    esi, eax
 +
                cmp    esi, 20
 +
                mov    [ebp+item_craftedst.skill_level], si
 +
                jle    short loc_5DC657
 +
                mov    esi, 20
 +
 +
; Check if the item's type/subtype match any Item preferences in the maker
 +
loc_5DC657:
 +
                mov    eax, [ebp+itemst.vftable]
 +
                push    1              ; activatePrefs
 +
                push    -1              ; matgloss
 +
                push    -1              ; material
 +
                mov    ecx, ebp
 +
                call    [eax+vtable_item.getSubtype]
 +
                mov    edx, [ebp+itemst.vftable]
 +
                push    eax            ; item_subtype
 +
                mov    ecx, ebp
 +
                call    [edx+vtable_item.getType]
 +
                push    eax            ; item_type
 +
                push    LikeItem        ; prefType
 +
                mov    ecx, edi        ; unit *
 +
                call    unit_likesItem
 +
                test    al, al
 +
                jz      short loc_5DC67C
 +
                inc    esi            ; if so, increase skill level by 1
 +
 +
; Check if the item's material/matgloss match any Material preferences in the maker
 +
loc_5DC67C:
 +
                mov    ax, [ebp+item_craftedst.material]
 +
                cmp    ax, 0FFFFh      ; skip if item has no material
 +
                jz      short loc_5DC6A0
 +
                mov    cx, [ebp+item_craftedst.matgloss]
 +
                push    1              ; activatePrefs
 +
                push    ecx            ; matgloss
 +
                push    eax            ; material
 +
                push    -1              ; item_subtype
 +
                push    -1              ; item_type
 +
                push    LikeMaterial    ; prefType
 +
                mov    ecx, edi        ; unit *
 +
                call    unit_likesItem
 +
                test    al, al
 +
                jz      short loc_5DC6A0
 +
                inc    esi            ; if so, increase skill level by 1
 +
 +
; We roll a d5 and compare the result with the creator's skill level.
 +
; (Technically, we compare d5 - 1 against skill_level - 1.)
 +
loc_5DC6A0:
 +
                push    5              ; max
 +
                mov    [ebp+item_craftedst.quality], 0
 +
                call    trandom        ; generate number from 0-4
 +
                add    esp, 4
 +
                cmp    eax, esi
 +
                jge    short loc_5DC6B8
 +
                                        ; If the random number was less than
 +
                                        ; the skill level, increment quality
 +
                inc    [ebp+item_craftedst.quality]
 +
 +
; Now we roll a d10 and compare.  It's important to note that the roll
 +
; of the d10 is independent, not conditional, of the roll of the d5.
 +
 +
loc_5DC6B8:
 +
                push    10              ; max
 +
                call    trandom
 +
                add    esp, 4
 +
                cmp    eax, esi
 +
                jge    short loc_5DC6CA
 +
                                        ; If d10 < skill, bump quality
 +
                inc    [ebp+item_craftedst.quality]
 +
 +
loc_5DC6CA:                            ; Same thing for a d15
 +
                push    15              ; max
 +
                call    trandom
 +
                add    esp, 4
 +
                cmp    eax, esi
 +
                jge    short loc_5DC6DC
 +
                                        ; If d15 < skill, bump quality
 +
                inc    [ebp+item_craftedst.quality]
 +
 +
loc_5DC6DC:                            ; Same thing for a d20
 +
                push    20              ; max
 +
                call    trandom
 +
                add    esp, 4
 +
                cmp    eax, esi
 +
                jge    short loc_5DC6EE
 +
                                        ; If d20 < skill, bump quality
 +
                inc    [ebp+item_craftedst.quality]
 +
 +
loc_5DC6EE:                            ; Now we roll a d25
 +
                push    25              ; max
 +
                call    trandom
 +
                add    esp, 4
 +
                cmp    eax, esi        ; Compare against skill,
 +
                jge    short loc_5DC70E
 +
                push    3              ; max
 +
                call    trandom        ; AND roll a d3
 +
                add    esp, 4
 +
                test    eax, eax
 +
                                        ; The d3 result must be 1.
 +
                                        ; (Technically, d3-1 is tested against 0.)
 +
                jnz    short loc_5DC70E
 +
                                        ; If d25 < skill AND d3 = 1, bump
 +
                inc    [ebp+item_craftedst.quality]
 +
 +
loc_5DC70E:
 +
                cmp    [ebp+item_craftedst.quality], 5
 +
                jnz    loc_5DC7EC
 +
                ...
 +
                mov    dword ptr [esp+2Ch+__$EHRec$.state], eax
 +
                lea    eax, [esp+2Ch+message]
 +
                push    eax            ; str
 +
                push    edi            ; name
 +
                call    formatLanguageName
 +
                mov    edi, offset aHasCreatedAMas ; " has created a masterpiece!"
 +
                ...
 +
</nowiki>
 +
}}
  
 
==Effects of Quality==
 
==Effects of Quality==
  
Most obviously, quality influences the {{L|value|monetary worth}} of an object, for purposes of {{L|trade|trading}} and determining price (the latter once {{L|economy}} starts). Destruction of a {{L|masterwork}} will also cause relevant unhappiness. However, for some items, quality may also influence other things.
+
Most obviously, quality influences the [[value|monetary worth]] of an object, for purposes of [[trade|trading]] and determining price (the latter once [[economy]] starts). Destruction of a [[masterwork]] will also cause relevant unhappiness. However, for some items, quality may also influence other things.
  
 
Note that this is not a complete list.
 
Note that this is not a complete list.
Line 124: Line 267:
 
===Food===
 
===Food===
  
Higher quality {{L|prepared meals}} give dwarfs who consume them more {{L|thought|happiness}}.
+
Higher quality [[prepared meals]] give dwarves who consume them more [[thought|happiness]].
  
 
===Furniture===
 
===Furniture===
  
Because {{L|room quality}} is based on total value of the furniture in a room, high-quality furniture will result in high quality rooms, which provide more satisfaction for the occupants.
+
Because [[room quality]] is based on total value of the furniture in a room, high-quality furniture will result in high quality rooms, which provide more satisfaction for the occupants.
  
 
===Weapons===
 
===Weapons===
Line 134: Line 277:
 
To quote Toady:
 
To quote Toady:
 
<div style="width: 50em; padding: 0.5em; margin-bottom: 1em; border: 1px solid #ccc; background: #eee;">
 
<div style="width: 50em; padding: 0.5em; margin-bottom: 1em; border: 1px solid #ccc; background: #eee;">
The quality of any weapon, including {{L|crossbow}}s used as launchers, affects the skill of the shooter. I think this even leads to obscene things like master crossbows + master bolts causing recruits to shoot like legends. In general, if the quality Q is from 0 to 5, the skill is modified according to
+
The quality of any weapon, including [[crossbow]]s used as launchers, affects the skill of the shooter. I think this even leads to obscene things like master crossbows + master bolts causing recruits to shoot like legends. In general, if the quality Q is from 0 to 5, the skill is modified according to
  
 
Skill<sub>new</sub> = Skill<sub>original</sub> &times; (1.0 + 0.2 &times; Q) + Q
 
Skill<sub>new</sub> = Skill<sub>original</sub> &times; (1.0 + 0.2 &times; Q) + Q
Line 147: Line 290:
 
{| border="1" cellpadding="5" cellspacing="0" valign="bottom"
 
{| border="1" cellpadding="5" cellspacing="0" valign="bottom"
 
|-
 
|-
!Result for  !!Well-crafted!!Finely-crafted!!Superior quality!!Exceptional!!Masterful
+
!Result for  !!Well-crafted!!Finely-crafted!!Superior quality!!Exceptional !!Masterful
 +
|-
 +
|Dabbling    ||Novice      ||No-label      ||Competent      ||Skilled    ||Proficient
 
|-
 
|-
|Dabbling    ||No label    ||Skilled      ||Talented        ||Expert    ||Accomplished
+
|Novice      ||No label    ||Competent    ||Skilled        ||Proficient  ||Adept
 
|-
 
|-
|Novice      ||Competent  ||Proficient    ||Expert          ||Accomplished||Master
+
|No label    ||Competent  ||Skilled      ||Talented        ||Adept      ||Professional
 
|-
 
|-
|No label    ||Skilled    ||Adept         ||Professional   ||Master    ||Grand Master
+
|Competent  ||Skilled    ||Talented      ||Adept           ||Professional||Great
 
|-
 
|-
|Competent  ||Talented    ||Expert        ||Great           ||High Master||Legendary
+
|Skilled    ||Proficient  ||Adept        ||Professional    ||Great       ||High Master
 
|-
 
|-
|Skilled    ||Adept      ||Accomplished ||Master          ||Legendary  ||Legendary
+
|Proficient  ||Adept      ||Professional ||Great          ||High Master ||Legendary
 
|-
 
|-
|Proficient  ||Expert      ||Great        ||Grand Master   ||Legendary  ||Legendary
+
|Talented    ||Expert      ||Accomplished  ||Master         ||Grand Master||Legendary
 
|-
 
|-
|Talented    ||Professional||Master        ||Legendary      ||Legendary ||Legendary
+
|Adept      ||Professional||Great        ||Grand Master    ||Legendary   ||Legendary
 
|-
 
|-
|Adept      ||Accomplished||Grand Master ||Legendary      ||Legendary ||Legendary
+
|Expert      ||Accomplished||High Master   ||Legendary      ||Legendary   ||Legendary
 
|-
 
|-
|Expert      ||Master      ||Legendary    ||Legendary      ||Legendary ||Legendary
+
|Professional||Great      ||Grand Master  ||Legendary      ||Legendary   ||Legendary
 
|-
 
|-
|Professional||High Master ||Legendary    ||Legendary      ||Legendary ||Legendary
+
|Accomplished||High Master ||Legendary    ||Legendary      ||Legendary   ||Legendary
 
|-
 
|-
|Accomplished||Grand Master||Legendary    ||Legendary      ||Legendary ||Legendary
+
|Great      ||Grand Master||Legendary    ||Legendary      ||Legendary   ||Legendary
 
|-
 
|-
|Great and better||Legendary||Legendary   ||Legendary      ||Legendary ||Legendary
+
|Master+    ||Legendary   ||Legendary     ||Legendary      ||Legendary   ||Legendary
 
|}
 
|}
  

Latest revision as of 17:12, 13 December 2023

This article is about an older version of DF.

Also see Item designations.

All items in the game have a base value, which is multiplied by what material the item is made of and by the item's quality. Decorations (such as bone, gems, and studding) further increase the value.

Item quality can have an effect on an item's properties, especially armor and weapons.

Rooms also have a "quality grade" which determines their value in the eyes of those owning/using the room, which is the sum of the objects placed within their designated area plus the materials that surround it plus improvements (such as engraving) to those materials. See room for a more complete discussion of these values, and How do I increase the value of a room for a complete list of options.

Quality grades[edit]

All crafted items (furniture, armor, bolts, etc.) – but not intermediate materials (bars, blocks, etc. except cloth, which does have quality levels) – are bracketed by characters that show the quality of their craftsdwarfship. Dyeing also has a quality level, as does decorating (with gems, leathers, cloth, etc). Prepared foods have quality levels, but simple foods and drinks do not.

Designation Description Value
Modifier
Damage / To-Hit /
Armor Modifier
 Item Name ×1 ×1.0
-Item Name- Well-crafted ×2 ×1.2
+Item Name+ Finely-crafted ×3 ×1.4
*Item Name* Superior quality ×4 ×1.6
≡Item Name≡ Exceptional ×5 ×1.8
☼Item Name☼ Masterful ×12 ×2.0
Unique name Artifact ×120 ×2.0

Masterpiece[edit]

A masterpiece is more than the highest normal quality and value - it is an artistic expression that is of great importance to the dwarf who created it.

When a masterful quality item is created, the game will announce, "<dwarf> has created a masterpiece!" The loss, destruction or theft of such a masterpiece will cause the dwarf that created it a very unhappy thought. Trading a masterpiece item to merchants is always safe. Masterpiece meals can be eaten safely, although allowing the food to rot will provoke the same response as theft or destruction. Using masterpiece bolts will not cause a tantrum, even if the bolts break - however, losing a bolt, even one left on the battlefield, will. So if a kobold or wild animal steals a used masterpiece bolt which was lying around, or misses its target and falls into the chasm or is melted by "the impertinent magma", this also counts as defacement, and the maker's mood will decrease drastically.

Since legendary dwarves are most likely to be the ones creating masterpieces, keeping these creations safe should be high priority; tantruming legendary dwarves can be very difficult to subdue (as was discovered the hard way in Boatmurdered).

Artifacts[edit]

Artifact items have a unique name instead of bracketing symbols and are worth 120x base value. Unlike masterpiece items, losing an artifact will not result in unhappiness unless the current owner is obsessed with it - in this case, losing the artifact will cause said dwarf to go insane. According to inspections of the memory values, it seems that artifacts have the same quality value as masterpiece items. It is unclear if this is true for weapons/armor or not - opinions differ as to whether artifact weapons and armor have a 2.0 multiplier or something higher; nothing has been found in the game code to support such, but observation suggests otherwise.

Skill and quality levels[edit]

Tradesdwarves of higher skill levels will tend to produce items of higher quality. Looking at the table below, we see that "Dabbling" dwarves never (without an applicable preference) produce anything above a basic "no quality" item, Proficient dwarves (the highest possible skill level at embark) always produce at least some quality and usually +Finely Crafted items+, while legendary dwarves usually (65% of the time) produce ≡Exceptional items≡, and the best legendary dwarves produce nothing less than ≡Exceptional≡ and produce ☼Masterful items☼ approximately 27% of the time.

Preferences for particular materials and/or objects make a considerable difference in the odds of producing better quality items - specifically, matching item preferences and matching material preferences each provide a +1 skill level boost, possibly beyond Legendary+5.

Lvl Skill of dwarf No quality -Well-crafted- +Finely-crafted+ *Superior quality* ≡Exceptional≡ ☼Masterful☼ Average
Value Multiplier
Jump in
Average Value
0 Dabbling 100.0% 1.000
1 Novice 63.0% 31.4% 5.2% 0.38% 0.01% 0.000089% 1.430 0.430
2 Adequate 36.4% 44.1% 16.7% 2.6% 0.16% 0.0028% 1.860 0.430
3 Competent 18.3% 43.8% 29.4% 7.7% 0.79% 0.022% 2.291 0.431
4 Skilled 6.7% 35.6% 39.4% 15.8% 2.4% 0.091% 2.725 0.434
5 Proficient* 23.3% 44.4% 26.4% 5.6% 0.28% 3.167 0.441
6 Talented 15.5% 41.5% 33.3% 9.2% 0.58% 3.415 0.248
7 Adept 9.4% 36.3% 39.2% 14.0% 1.1% 3.674 0.259
8 Expert 5.0% 29.7% 43.5% 20.0% 1.8% 3.949 0.275
9 Professional 1.9% 22.2% 45.8% 27.2% 2.9% 4.245 0.296
10 Accomplished 14.4% 45.6% 35.6% 4.4% 4.567 0.322
11 Great 10.2% 42.4% 41.4% 5.9% 4.785 0.218
12 Master 6.7% 38.2% 47.4% 7.7% 5.021 0.236
13 High Master 3.9% 33.0% 53.3% 9.8% 5.276 0.255
14 Grand Master 1.6% 26.9% 59.2% 12.2% 5.552 0.276
15 Legendary 20.0% 65.0% 15.0% 5.850 0.298
16 Legendary+1 15.7% 67.2% 17.1% 6.037 0.187
17 Legendary+2 11.6% 69.1% 19.3% 6.233 0.195
18 Legendary+3 7.6% 70.8% 21.6% 6.436 0.203
19 Legendary+4 3.7% 72.2% 24.1% 6.647 0.211
20 Legendary+5 73.3% 26.7% 6.867 0.219
21 Legendary+6** 72.0% 28.0% 6.96 0.093
22 Legendary+7** 70.7% 29.3% 7.053 0.093
23 Legendary+8*** 69.3% 30.7% 7.146 0.093
24 Legendary+9*** 68.0% 32.0% 7.24 0.093
25 Legendary+10*** 66.7% 33.3% 7.333 0.093
(* Proficient is the highest level a dwarf can have at embark.)
(** Legendary+6 and Legendary+7 can only be reached by making items that coincide with the dwarf's preferences)
(** Legendary+8 thru Legendary+10 are only relevant for certain non-crafting-related skills, such as Farming, Fishing, and Plant Gathering)
(The above table is based on the formula discovered by 0x517A5D)

The math behind the curtain[edit]

The in-game calculations to determine final quality of a product work like this: first, a skill level is computed, directly related to the dabbling through legendary+5 indicators and preferences of the particular crafter. "No skill" or dabbling is 0, proficient is 5, legendary is 15, etc. Skill levels are capped at 20, then item/material preference bonuses are added (so Legendary +5 will produce Masterpieces more often in their preferences).

Item quality is set to 0.

Then dice are rolled. Each roll is independent; all rolls are made even if a previous roll fails.

  • If d5 < skill level, quality of final product is bumped.
  • If d10 < skill level, quality is bumped.
  • If d15 < skill level, quality is bumped.
  • If d20 < skill level, quality is bumped.
  • If d25 < skill level and d3 == 1, quality is bumped.

This gives the 6 quality levels (0 to 5).

According to inspections of the memory values, it seems that artifacts have a quality of 5.

Full code breakdown here:


Effects of Quality[edit]

Most obviously, quality influences the monetary worth of an object, for purposes of trading and determining price (the latter once economy starts). Destruction of a masterwork will also cause relevant unhappiness. However, for some items, quality may also influence other things.

Note that this is not a complete list.

Food[edit]

Higher quality prepared meals give dwarves who consume them more happiness.

Furniture[edit]

Because room quality is based on total value of the furniture in a room, high-quality furniture will result in high quality rooms, which provide more satisfaction for the occupants.

Weapons[edit]

To quote Toady:

The quality of any weapon, including crossbows used as launchers, affects the skill of the shooter. I think this even leads to obscene things like master crossbows + master bolts causing recruits to shoot like legends. In general, if the quality Q is from 0 to 5, the skill is modified according to

Skillnew = Skilloriginal × (1.0 + 0.2 × Q) + Q

This is pretty extreme and will probably be reduced for all weapons.

See this chart for the exact levels:

Note: This chart is out of date/wrong due to the facts that the integer that represents a specific skill level is not known, how the formula rounds is not known, and the fact that higher legendaries exist is known.

Result for Well-crafted Finely-crafted Superior quality Exceptional Masterful
Dabbling Novice No-label Competent Skilled Proficient
Novice No label Competent Skilled Proficient Adept
No label Competent Skilled Talented Adept Professional
Competent Skilled Talented Adept Professional Great
Skilled Proficient Adept Professional Great High Master
Proficient Adept Professional Great High Master Legendary
Talented Expert Accomplished Master Grand Master Legendary
Adept Professional Great Grand Master Legendary Legendary
Expert Accomplished High Master Legendary Legendary Legendary
Professional Great Grand Master Legendary Legendary Legendary
Accomplished High Master Legendary Legendary Legendary Legendary
Great Grand Master Legendary Legendary Legendary Legendary
Master+ Legendary Legendary Legendary Legendary Legendary

If this is true, then it would be possible to:

  1. Train a couple dozen skilled miners
  2. Give them exceptional picks
  3. Draft them and give them decent armor
  4. Kill a goblin siege with a couple dozen legendary speardwarves (picks = 70% damage spears) as long as there are no enemy champions to destroy your armour/shield/wrestling inept speardwarves