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Author Topic: Necromancer Dwarf question.  (Read 2395 times)

twynn

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Necromancer Dwarf question.
« on: May 10, 2020, 12:31:54 pm »

The first migration wave came with a necromancer dwarf. Says right in her description a curse. necromancer. I wasn't sure if she would be a problem so i made her my bookkeeper with a nice bedroom/office with an airlock room to feed and water her and locked her away. Problem is she is apparently married to one of my original 7 dorfs my now legendary carpenter and to top it off about 3 days after locking her away in her new "job" she dropped the goat <had a kid>. Now I have her and baby dorf necro of my legendary carpenter locked away...and if they die, well i dont wanna see the tantrums thrown. Question is, Would she be harmful to my fort if i let her out? Will she start necro'ing every lost body part and dead goblin on the map?
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NordicNooob

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Re: Necromancer Dwarf question.
« Reply #1 on: May 10, 2020, 01:15:55 pm »

Necromancers can be dangerous, but they're also useful. Necromancers only raise corpses when in combat, but said corpses will be hostile to all living things, which can also cause loyalty cascades when they turn on the fort. It's somewhat dangerous to have a necromancer wandering the fort, since even a stray cavern creature might cause them to necro something and cause problems.

However, necromancers can raise intelligent undead from fresh sentient corpses. These intdead retain their personalities and loyalties from life, so you can effectively resurrect citizens and get them back to working. Intdead don't make great craftsdwarves since they stay perpetually unfocused, but they're terrifying in combat. There's quite a bit to successfully raising one, though.
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twynn

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Re: Necromancer Dwarf question.
« Reply #2 on: May 10, 2020, 02:10:04 pm »

So...should i let her out and put her in my army...or keep her locked up and bring dead dwarfs to her feet?
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PatrikLundell

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Re: Necromancer Dwarf question.
« Reply #3 on: May 10, 2020, 06:17:38 pm »

I'd recommend using a burrow that keeps her inside the fortress and away from corpse and refuse stockpiles. A necro won't raise anything if there isn't anything to raise, even when in a bar fight, but it can be very messy if there is a lethal bar fight (I've seen what a visiting necro did when a loyalty cascade happened as I tried to put down a visiting were. Not pretty, although the raised ogre from the corpse stockpile was part of the slaughter).
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martinuzz

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Re: Necromancer Dwarf question.
« Reply #4 on: May 11, 2020, 10:26:24 am »

Hah! I have the same predicament.  The very first migrant that arrives is a dwarf miner necromancer.

EDIT: Oh, and the second migrant is a dwarf farmer necromancer haha.

EDIT2: The third migrant is a dwarf doctor necromancer.  That's the last one in this migrant wave, the rest are normal dwarves.  Probably.

EDIT3: Apparently, necromancers have a tendency to have ' he is currently more distrustful' , and ' he is currently more anxiety prone'  in their thoughts screen
« Last Edit: May 11, 2020, 10:41:15 am by martinuzz »
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KevinM

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Re: Necromancer Dwarf question.
« Reply #5 on: May 11, 2020, 12:06:14 pm »

Their inability to eat or drink is going to make them really slow at doing anything.  I think they're less destructive than vampires, so just keep it open and in a burrow but have some sort of way for them to socialize, visit the temple somewhere that's not an alcohol tavern to avoid barfights.  Just decide if you want them in combat or not early on.

Vampires have that habit of killing off dwarves due to drinking.  Necromancers aren't any issue unless they fight or have a tantrum.  Whether they're harder to keep happy is something someone else will have to discuss who has had their Necromancers for longer.  Mine got locked away with a vampire because of red arrow stress, stumbling around and tantrums.  Currently deciding what I want to do for !science! on my own at that point, like throwing a deceased dwarf and a living animal into the burrow and make my Necromancer fight.
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Thaim

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Re: Necromancer Dwarf question.
« Reply #6 on: May 21, 2020, 01:32:31 pm »

I also had a whole bunch of Necromancers migrate in...  Maybe this is a trend in this version?

I've also got a visiting demon geographer at my library  :o

No battles yet, so I have no idea what's going to happen.
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Urist9876

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Re: Necromancer Dwarf question.
« Reply #7 on: May 21, 2020, 03:19:43 pm »

How I'd use a necro:

Build a room with a corridor, two doors and a cage trap in corridor. Put a wild animal or captured enemy in the room. Attach a lever outside the room to release. Keep doors locked. Cage trap is to trap creature again upon opening door.
This will be bait.

Build a nice adjacent room for your necro. Make a window or fortification to the next room. Fancy points if you use both and a floodgate to block view. Lavishly furniture the room so the necro has to stand at a point where the bait is visible.

Last room will have corpses. It can either be combined with the necro room or if separate, need yet another window. Bonus points if connected with an automated minecart dump.

Pull lever. Enjoy undead.

You can cage them for later use on enemies or use for live training. However soldiers will freak out with low discipline, so don't send recruits.

The necro probably goes insane at some point. Lots of stress from seeing an enemy all the time. Might not be the best situation in your case.

Maybe raid the necro towers and learn the husband necro too and lock up together?
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thefinn

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Re: Necromancer Dwarf question.
« Reply #8 on: May 22, 2020, 01:46:28 am »

I have to admit to missing the old necro/undead system...

The zombie hands crawling through the fort were amazing fun lol
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Stench Guzman

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Re: Necromancer Dwarf question.
« Reply #9 on: May 22, 2020, 07:45:44 pm »

I sent a squad of dwarves to loot a site...and rescued a Black Bear Man Necromancer.  I'm going to make him my baron.
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