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[Lexyvil]

I never got attacked by animated corpses until now. They just keep getting animated around my fortress and I don't know where the necromancer is. I think there are two of them since I see their names in the battle report as well as an indication explaining that they are Necromancers, but I can't find them at all in the map or in my unit roster.

Is that because none of my dwarfs know who the necromancer is/are? And if that's the case, is there a good way to detect them?

[Eric Blank]

The necromancers are in ambush, sneaking around the fort. To my knowledge, there is no reliable way to spot a necromancer in ambush because unlike goblin ambush parties they always run away from dwarves/pets they see. So before the creature gets close enough to spot them, they're already running away. Perhaps try setting up cage traps in chokepoints.

[Spinal232]

The necromancers are in ambush, sneaking around the fort. To my knowledge, there is no reliable way to spot a necromancer in ambush because unlike goblin ambush parties they always run away from dwarves/pets they see. So before the creature gets close enough to spot them, they're already running away. Perhaps try setting up cage traps in chokepoints.

Also put corpses in the chokepoint to lure them in

[Eric Blank]

Actually, make the choke point the access route to your corpse heaps. Don't give them line of sight to the corpses until after passing the choke point, or you'd just end up with a big mess.

[Lexyvil]

When the Necromancers run away, do they go out the boundaries of the map?

They have names and professions that made me think at first that they were hiding among my dwarfs, but after looking at the unit roster a few more times, I couldn't find any units around my fort with the names that are relevant to the necromancers. The dead still wake and I try to find a way to make all my dwarfs go indoors so I can close the gate from the hell that's outside.

I'm still new to DF, I played it sometimes for 3 years now but I only just started taking the time to invest time into it, so there's still a lot of aspects that I'm trying to get the hang of. My fort is kind of out in the open, surrounded with walls with a drawbridge that allows entrance, I think it's not too late to add choke points since I placed my corpse pile outside and I can just change the pile's location.

[Eric Blank]

The necromancers probably won't leave the map anytime soon, they're just really hard to get a dwarf close enough to catch them. Once you get the corpse pile secured and set up some cage traps it'll be easier to deal with them, hopefully.

[Lexyvil]

Aye, thanks for the help~
I'll see if there's going to be a good outcome, I can already predict that it's better idea/plan than what I'm currently doing.

There's one last thing I'm curious about: are the necromancers invisible (making me unable to manually track them down with the cursor) until one of my dwarfs come near them? If that's what ambushes are.

[Lexyvil]

Aye, thanks for the help~
I'll see if there's going to be a good outcome, I can already tell that it's better idea/plan than what I'm currently doing.

There's one last thing I'm curious about: are the necromancers invisible (making me unable to manually track them down with the cursor) until one of my dwarfs come near them? If that's what ambushes are.

(Sorry for the double post, I accidently replied to my own post instead of editing/modifying it)

[Eric Blank]

Yeah, creatures in ambush are invisible to the overseer and dwarves until someone gets close enough to spot them, which iirc requires them to pass a check testing their observer skill versus the sneaking creature's ambusher skill. Also, intelligent creatures like those necromancers gain ambushing skill as they sneak around, so they get progressively better at it (and move quicker) as they go.

[ImagoDeo]

Aye, thanks for the help~
I'll see if there's going to be a good outcome, I can already predict that it's better idea/plan than what I'm currently doing.

There's one last thing I'm curious about: are the necromancers invisible (making me unable to manually track them down with the cursor) until one of my dwarfs come near them? If that's what ambushes are.

Yes, that is how it works.

[RocheLimit]

Check your artifact page.  Sometimes necromancers will carry their artifact books onto your map.

If you see a blue-text book, set a Follow Hot-key to it (like shift-F5).  Your screen will zoom to the book, and thus to the stealthed necromancer.

[PillarsOfSalt]

 In my very first fort I managed to catch 3 necromancers completely by accident and with shockingly few casualties. After a while, I decided to make an undead training facility for my military.

 Mistakes were made, and I started my second fort later that night.

[KiBoy]

Can caged necromancers raise corpses?

Will those corpses fight another necromancer's corpses?

Is it a good idea to turn my fort into zombie battlegrounds?

[Agent_Irons]

Can caged necromancers raise corpses?

Will those corpses fight another necromancer's corpses?

Is it a good idea to turn my fort into zombie battlegrounds?

I don't think so.
Almost certainly not.
Definitely.