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Rodent man

From Dwarf Fortress Wiki
Revision as of 03:25, 24 January 2023 by 50.83.220.34 (talk) (I added more detail about rodent man attacks after enduring one in my game that was actually quite a lot larger than a prior surface siege. I was only able to kill the ones riding elk birds by chasing them into cage traps which snagged the mounts and left the rodent men on the ground. I don't recall them being like that in previous versions, so I think this might be new for 0.5, but I might be wrong.)
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!!UNKNOWN!!  · xTATTEREDx  · +FINE+  · *SUPERIOR*  · ≡EXCEPTIONAL≡  · ☼MASTERWORK☼
Rodent man
Rodent man sprite.png
r

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Urist likes rodent men for their terrifying features.
Portrait

No portrait

Biome

  • Underground Depth: 1-3
Attributes

· Learns · Humanoid

Cannot be tamed 
Size
Birth: 1,000 cm3
Mid: 8,000 cm3
Max: 40,000 cm3

Age
Child at: 1
Adult at: 12
Max age: 60-80
Cannot be butchered
v50.12 · v0.47.05
This article is about the current version of DF.
Note that some content may still need to be updated.
An evil humanoid with a long tail, black spiky fur and a twitching nose. It lives far underground.

Rodent men are one of the many underworld tribal races of animal people, living on any cavern level milling around piles of meat and tanned hides. They stand at roughly the size of an adult dwarf. Despite their description, they are a separate species from the rat man.

Approach with caution, unless the tribe is friendly. If the tribe is friendly, feel free to take advantage of them in fine imperialistic tradition and steal all their resources without compensation. To check whether a tribe of rodent men is friendly, press u to view the unit list. The tribe will be labeled as either hostile or friendly. Alternatively, press v to view one of their profiles.

Like many underground races, the danger of rodent men is not to be found in their wooden weapons, but in the substances smeared on them - rodent men use many poisons, some of which can be deadly. They will launch group attacks on your fort, though unlike other animal people, they will not path through water to reach your dwarves. These attacks can be quite large, even comparable to sieges, and may include pets or mounts such as elk birds, giant olms, or giant cave swallows, the latter of which permits a flying rodent man blowgunner to shoot dwarves from above, beyond the reach of melee fighters. Rodent men riding elk birds are significantly faster than dwarves and may require more creative methods to defeat. However, they typically wear apparel of cloth or leather, so they can be easily dispatched in large numbers by a trained dwarf with metal gear, even copper. Much of the vanquished rodent men's clothing can be worn by dwarves due to their similar size. A repelled rodent man attack provides many blowguns and darts which dwarves can use, though the weapon is of questionable utility. Despite their description, they do not possess the [EVIL] token and are not any more malevolent than any other race of animal people.

In adventurer mode, rodent men can be found swarming at catacombs under temples, and their lack of armor may make them attractive targets for training one's combat skills.

Some dwarves like rodent men for their terrifying features.

Note: May look less aggressive in-game.
D4Dwarf.png This article or section has been rated D for Dwarf. It may include witty humour, not-so-witty humour, bad humour, in-jokes, pop culture references, and references to the Bay12 forums. Don't believe everything you read, and if you miss some of the references, don't worry. It was inevitable.


While many claim to have seen rodent men with their own eyes, any self-respecting scholar knows that they're but an unproven rumour to scare little dwarven children. The very possibility that a society of rodent men can live right under dwarven feet is preposterous.

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