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[Pinstar]

I understand the concept of 'moodable' skills and how they influence what KIND of artifact a moody dwarf might want to create.
My question is on the materials. What determines what materials a moody dwarf wants? Is there ever a chance that they might want...say... a zebra skull when I'm in an arctic biome and will never-ever see a zebra, nor have one show up in a trade caravan?

Will they just pick stuff from items you have?
What precautions should be taken to prevent moody dwarves dying from their moods due to unavailable materials?

[smjjames]

Dwarf preferences generally influence what materials, but its probably more complex than that since they usually choose whatever is available.

However, I did have a mood where they wanted bone, but refused to get it even though I had plenty. I think that dwarf wanted a specific type of bone.

The major unavailable material you would have to worry about is shell and I haven't run into that, yet.

[AutomataKittay]

As far as I know, it's most valuable or most preferred material that's been produced in the fortress, as long as it's in category, for primary base material. Though it'll fail with shell and cloth that you don't have avaliable ( silk, yarn, etc ).

I'm probably not being accurate, but it's what I've observed, only base material have specific preference, extra is just general type.

[smjjames]

Doesn't really explain the dwarf who refused to get bone even though he had collected everything else. Though DFhacks showmood seemed to say that the dwarf DID collect bone.

As far as the cloth, that's easy to get compared to shell.

[Larix]

I've seen a bunch of reports where showmood suggested things were alright when the game made quite clear they weren't. Unsurprisingly, this just shows that showmood isn't perfect, it's not a sign of a problem in the game.

Showmood and the game-internal requirement lists show that the full list of desired items is determined the moment a mood strikes. Most material requirements are fairly unspecific - any stone, any wood, any bone, any rough gem, any cut gem, any block etc. For those materials, anything that fits the basic class is acceptable, a dwarf won't refuse working with oak wood because they've a preference for some other wood type.
A few materials are naturally specific: cloth is always demanded as one of the three 'base' types plant, wool, silk; it's not unusual to only have one type of cloth of a class available, but cloth is easily acquired through trade. Glass, when required, must always be a 'rough gem' type piece of glass and i think it always specifically asks for one of the three glass types green/clear/crystal, nothing else will do. They can only ask for glass you've actually created in your fort (i think that means you must have made an item of this glass type at a glass furnace).

I'm aware of two preference-determined material requests:
- a dwarf with preference for a specific type of metal who enters a metalworking mood will require the preferred type of metal as base material, if you've ever produced bars of this metal in your fort. Dwarfs in such a mood will not substitute any other metal, and if it's a fey mood, they will spell out their specific requirement.
- a dwarf with preference for any type of 'shell' who enters a bonecarving mood will require shells of any kind as base material. They won't ask for the specific preferred shell type, but will demand shells even if you've never had a shell in your fort.

Adamantine is a material all dwarfs love, so metalworkers and clothiers/weavers will always claim adamantine wafers or cloth as base material for moods if any are available.

[ORCACommander]

a dwarf's preferences will directly influence demanded materials. in order for a specific material to be called though you first have to produce it locally at once point but mostly you are a slave to the random number god

[Maw]

Specific requests will only occur once your have actually produced said item in your fortress.

I can confirm two specific requests:
raw green/clear/crystal glass
I had only produced green glass (bought clear and crystal glass) when I had a glassmaker mood - asked specifically for green glass only.  Other moods also only asked for green glass.  Once I had made one each of clear and crystal raw glass, all types were then requested in future moods.
metals
Specific metal will only be requested where they have a metal preference and (again) you have produced that metal (from ore, or melted objects).  Having bought a metal (only) does not trigger the specific mood request.  I.e. a dwarf with brass preference, and you have bought brass off a caravan, but never produced brass.  Mooding will not require brass, only any metal.  Once your fort has either smelted brass, or melted brass objects to produce a brass bar, at that point the dwarf now having a strange mood with brass preference will ask for brass - whether produced or bought.

Qualifier to metal - I've noticed that when weaponsmithing, they will take their preferred metal (if produced) (hence the spoiler hammers, pewter swords etc).  Armour though, seems to only use preference metals that can normally make armour - investigation required on this point.