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Monarch

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Revision as of 21:52, 8 November 2018 by Libertine Angel (talk | contribs) (Updated offering & architecture value requirements)
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Dwarf head pixel.png  This article or section contains minor spoilers. You may want to avoid reading it.
Monarch
Room requirements  
Office Royal Throne Room
Quarters Royal Bedroom
Dining room Royal Dining Room
Tomb Royal Mausoleum
Furniture requirements
Chests 10
Cabinets 5
Weapon racks 5
Armor stands 5
Other
Mandates 5
Demands 10
Arrival conditions
  • 15,000☼ wealth in Architecture
  • 5,000☼ in offerings to Dwarven caravan
  • Metropolis rank
Function
None
This article is about the current version of DF.
Note that some content may still need to be updated.

The monarch is the highest level noble, and also the noble of the highest precedence. Rather than being promoted from within, like the baron, count, and duke, the existing monarch arrives as an immigrant from the previous capital. However, one of your fortress residents may become monarch if the previous monarch was killed or the position was vacant. A male monarch is known as a "king" and a female as a "queen". Either may arrive with a "king consort" or "queen consort", as well as an entourage that can include the outpost liaison, general, elite military dwarves, and ordinary workers.

Requirements for a monarch's arrival can be checked by pressing n c after a fortress has reached a certain wealth. It is unclear exactly what these requirements are, but a fortress must be a metropolis. These requirement notably do not apply when one of your fortress residents is elevated to monarch.

With the presence of the monarch, a fortress becomes the capital of its civilization. As a result, it can no longer receive visits from a dwarven liaison (and so can no longer negotiate trade agreements with the dwarven caravans), nor can it give goods to dwarven caravans as offerings.

The monarch arrives at the same time as an immigration wave, but has an entirely separate entourage that can spawn from a different part of the map. The monarch's entourage includes a "royal guard" consisting of dwarves with Legendary +5 skill in a random weapon (but no skill in Fighter), Accomplished skill in Dodger, Shield User, and Armor User, and the "doesn't really care about anything anymore" trait. The monarch will arrive even if you have exceeded your population caps, though the entourage may be limited by the caps.

It may be that your monarch is an ancient vampire with thousands of kills to his name before arriving at your fortress. Some monarchs have been known to drop dead as soon as they enter the map, especially in older worlds. Monarchs may also be of a different race, such as an elven king.

Random dwarves in dwarf fortress mode can become monarchs if the current monarch dies or if the position was vacant (common in dying civilizations). If the position no longer exists (i.e. the civilization is truly extinct) then no monarch will be appointed until the civilization is "resurrected" (by retiring a fortress, for example).

In other civilizations

Elves also have a monarch position of sorts, but in terms of function and importance they're royalty in name only. The actual position at the top is the druid, capable of appointing the monarch position. Elves are notable only in that they have a defined princess (both their monarchs and the position under them are always female) position that can succeed a queen. However this doesn't actually replicate a hereditary monarchy, as princesses have to be replaced by the druid appointing a new one. Both serve various noble functions, with princesses having many of the same responsibilities as the dwarven general.

Humans and goblins, meanwhile, generate equivalent positions during worldgen. These tend to have names like 'law-giver' or 'master', and presumably have most of the functions and behavior dwarven monarchs do - without extracting the information from the world data, however, it can be difficult to tell. In the case of goblins, the position of master often starts off taken by something else entirely.

Artist rendering of a dwarf king by Mechlin (post)
Appointed
Military Ranks
Elected
Aristocrats
BaronCountDukeMonarch
Other
Unused
Elven