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Author Topic: Intelligent Undead Become Entity Members in Fortress Mode  (Read 1370 times)

BugbearSpearFighter

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Intelligent Undead Become Entity Members in Fortress Mode
« on: August 18, 2020, 10:12:02 pm »

In world generation, it seems that the intelligent undead come into the service of those who animate them. However, in fortress mode, they don't seem to do that. I'd suggest implementing a function in the raws for changing their allegiances to match those of the Necromancer who animated them. It's just a minor tweak, but would make Necromancer Forts (not the intended play style of DF but still really fun) a much more consistent experience with the functioning of the wider world.

On the same topic, I think that there could be some changes to Necromancers performing animations in fortress and adventure mode. Perhaps they should animate corpses whenever they can see a valid corpse to animate rather than just when attacked.
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FantasticDorf

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Re: Intelligent Undead Become Entity Members in Fortress Mode
« Reply #1 on: August 20, 2020, 03:09:05 am »

I disagree but sympathize, maybe the way necromancers could be reworked but the way you suggest removes any sort of challenge from the game if you have a endless supply of invader bodies to just replace your citizens in total without any sort of caveat, given the unlimited uses to magic a necromancer has.

When there's more magic in the game at a later date (and importantly the AI for understanding appropriate times to use magical abilities so wizards don't turn into brittle lifeless husks over-casting with magic resource conservation & consequence) this would probably be revisted, including giving some direction on where to cast magical abilities i would hope, so you can `broadly` ressurect in the direction of the corpse piles in desirable way, calling upon the nearest friendly fortress caster.
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Azerty

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Re: Intelligent Undead Become Entity Members in Fortress Mode
« Reply #2 on: August 20, 2020, 02:02:18 pm »

I disagree but sympathize, maybe the way necromancers could be reworked but the way you suggest removes any sort of challenge from the game if you have a endless supply of invader bodies to just replace your citizens in total without any sort of caveat, given the unlimited uses to magic a necromancer has.

When there's more magic in the game at a later date (and importantly the AI for understanding appropriate times to use magical abilities so wizards don't turn into brittle lifeless husks over-casting with magic resource conservation & consequence) this would probably be revisted, including giving some direction on where to cast magical abilities i would hope, so you can `broadly` ressurect in the direction of the corpse piles in desirable way, calling upon the nearest friendly fortress caster.

Maybe anti-undead bias should be introduced, especially in civilizations whose spheres made it think dead shouldn't come back.
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"Just tell me about the bits with the forest-defending part, the sociopath part is pretty normal dwarf behavior."

Starver

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Re: Intelligent Undead Become Entity Members in Fortress Mode
« Reply #3 on: August 20, 2020, 04:19:36 pm »

(Undead, yes, Unperson, no!)

With conversation elsewhere about (what to do about) the accidental reading of certain books, and yet another about (suggesting) separation of politics and culture, I could see it starting off as a private affair for a citizen to have accidentally gone a bit Pushing Daisies. Possibly, with the right base mentality of both necromancer and necromancee, it could be an ignored/overlooked/unknown condition. Might be awkward if slabs/coffins have already been called into play, but as with vampiric identity-assuming, perhaps the less obvious zombie could assume their old identity and no-one would mind or care..?

It could go a bit Magician's Apprentice, of course. Though existing relationships in the fort could temper/exacerbate societal attitudes to the whole happening, in the interim.
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Pillbo

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Re: Intelligent Undead Become Entity Members in Fortress Mode
« Reply #4 on: August 20, 2020, 05:14:02 pm »

It might be cool to have intelligent undead to become like pets of the necromancer instead of members of the entity.  It would make sense that they were loyal to the necro over the civ. If a necro raised a zombie who's first action was to attack the necro they probably would not use the ability anymore.

Something like a cooldown on raising undead would really help with the OP problem and a lot of the problems necros create in forts, like raising an arm and killing it 100 times in one battle.

I'm for raising undead being used in more cases than 'I got scared and made a zombie', but raising any valid intelligent corpse they encounter seems like a bad move.
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