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[Supersnes]

I'd honestly prefer the Dungeon Master be an "evolved" member of your own fort than an appointed noble, however. 

Of course, coming from off-map, you could say that's where they got the special training, but basically, I like the idea that you could have a sort of strange mood where an elite animal trainer goes off on a journey and comes back a couple months later as a Dungeon Master with new animal-training related powers and some extra pets.

I agree with this in that the dungeon master should just be a highly trained animal trainer.  They could specialize in various animal groups--aquatic, subterranean, megabeast, etc..  These dwarves could then exchange knowledge to apprentices/students or write books that could cut the normal skill grinding time in half.  The books and apprentices could then be sent/copied and spread into the world allowing a knowledge base.  This can lead to changes in how civs deal with meagabeasts, night creatures, and general pests diminishing their threat.

[Owlbread]

I'd honestly prefer the Dungeon Master be an "evolved" member of your own fort than an appointed noble, however. 

Of course, coming from off-map, you could say that's where they got the special training, but basically, I like the idea that you could have a sort of strange mood where an elite animal trainer goes off on a journey and comes back a couple months later as a Dungeon Master with new animal-training related powers and some extra pets.

I agree with this in that the dungeon master should just be a highly trained animal trainer.  They could specialize in various animal groups--aquatic, subterranean, megabeast, etc..  These dwarves could then exchange knowledge to apprentices/students or write books that could cut the normal skill grinding time in half.  The books and apprentices could then be sent/copied and spread into the world allowing a knowledge base.  This can lead to changes in how civs deal with meagabeasts, night creatures, and general pests diminishing their threat.

But again, is Dungeon Master the right name for such a noble?

[NW_Kohaku]

But again, is Dungeon Master the right name for such a noble?

It is if we incorporate some element of "maintaining a dungeon" into the requirements for and duties of a Dungeon Master, which may be something as simple as getting exotic animal kills.  (You could also have the "define a dungeon" as a series of rooms that are filled with traps and exotic monsters, but unless you have a really good idea of how to define a dungeon as being different from any other room filled with crazy exotic beasts, simply measuring beast kills should be sufficient.)

[Owlbread]

But again, is Dungeon Master the right name for such a noble?

It is if we incorporate some element of "maintaining a dungeon" into the requirements for and duties of a Dungeon Master, which may be something as simple as getting exotic animal kills.  (You could also have the "define a dungeon" as a series of rooms that are filled with traps and exotic monsters, but unless you have a really good idea of how to define a dungeon as being different from any other room filled with crazy exotic beasts, simply measuring beast kills should be sufficient.)

Indeed. You would need to have some link to dungeons if you're going to keep calling the noble a Dungeon Master; right now he's basically just a beastmaster. I've always thought of a dungeon in the literal sense i.e. somewhere where you would keep prisoners.

[NW_Kohaku]

Indeed. You would need to have some link to dungeons if you're going to keep calling the noble a Dungeon Master; right now he's basically just a beastmaster. I've always thought of a dungeon in the literal sense i.e. somewhere where you would keep prisoners.

We have jails and guards and captains of the guard for that.  The dungeon master has always been about training exotic beasts and forging weapons and dreaming about treasure.  Again, it was a reference to the "DM" of D&D than it is to some sort of "noble in charge of jails". 

We might get something amusing, like a chance to make a "treasure room" in order to have a proper dungeon.  We could do something like have a chest filled with all the rubies and gold coins in the fort in a special room that could be used as a decoy for bandits and thieves so that they don't path straight to your meeting halls, instead.  Then, you can set up your "dungeon" along the path to your treasure room. 

It would have a more Evil Genius/Dungeon Keeper feel to the game like that. 

Of course, it could also be completely optional to ever try doing that, so you could still have a standard fortress.

It might go well with some types of starting scenarios, as well.  For example, maybe you need to build a tomb for the last great king stuffed full of treasures, and make sure there are plenty of traps and watchdogs to prevent thieves long after your last dwarf dies off.  The tomb would be under more constant attack from thief-type invaders.

[tsen]

One thing about the DM's "dungeon" is that it could be basically what amounts to a cell block, like the justice system jail, only it uses chains/pens/etc. on exotic animals so that he can train them all gradually. So basically your DM would have his office and a "dungeon" zone.

You can allocate critters to the "dungeon" zone, and the DM + the trainer dwarves perform incremental training jobs until the critter is tamed. (if possible)

[Naryar]

So no one is missing the metalworking skillz of the dungeon master ?

[Areyar]

Nah, I usually get a wave of predominately metalworkers 2-3 years into a fortress.
I would elevate one of these to DM if smithing was a required skill for the title.

[MarcAFK]

I like NW's idea about someone having a strange mood and going wandering before returning with new skills, some exotic beasts, a noble title, and some new awesome dungeon/beast interface options.
I would love statistics about what's been maimed/killed by my weapon traps, a menagerie that lists all captured /caged creature types along with Civ training level (Gotta catch em all, Dungeon Mon!)
Other stuff, maybe related to sieges, i would LOVE some intel about surrounding hostile civs based on tortured captives, Just knowing they're still out there in numbers and planning another attack would be awesome.

[NW_Kohaku]

So no one is missing the metalworking skillz of the dungeon master ?

Unless there were some way to rationalize giving the dungeon master some sort of special ability related to weaponsmithing that would somehow relate to the other aspects of the position, so that you would have to learn how to tame x number of beasts before you can learn how to craft such-and-such a weapon like a morningstar or something, it just isn't as sensical as just making them focused upon their exotic-taming abilities.

[kaenneth]

Personally, I would like someone who's job it is to make sure justice system prisoners get fed and watered; and perhaps caged creatures if they need feeding as well. But aside from that...

I like the idea of Dungeon Master "Good Cop" and The Hammerer "Bad Cop" interrogating suspects.

It'll be on TBS in 2013; "D.M. and The Hammer" starring Tobin Bell (Jigsaw from the Saw series) as the Dungeon Master and Kiefer Sutherland (24) as The Hammerer.  Tuesdays at 9pm

Just give the DM some mechanics skill, and it'll be like "The Closer" but with more mechanisms and blood.

Spoiler (click to show/hide)

[NW_Kohaku]

Why does everyone want to put the justice system into the Dungeon Master?  We already have justice system and jail system jobs.  "Dungeon" doesn't always mean "jail".

[Owlbread]

Why does everyone want to put the justice system into the Dungeon Master?  We already have justice system and jail system jobs.  "Dungeon" doesn't always mean "jail".

In real life it does, that's why a lot of those who are unfamiliar with DnD and common RPG fantasy ideas keep trying to put the justice system into the Dungeon Master. For us, "Dungeon" doesn't necessarily mean a sort of cave type thing full of treasure and monsters. I associate dungeons more with the holding cells in castles where prisoners are kept and tortured. This is why "Dungeon Master" doesn't seem right for a super animal trainer slash treasure keeper/treasure hider. I do see what you're saying though; the hammerer already does that job. This treasure hiding Dungeon Master is something different that might add quite a lot to the game.

[loose nut]

Well it certainly isn't very clear why a dwarven settlement would want a monsters-and-treasure dungeon lurking just below its living quarters, so either you could try to reason out what a "dungeon master" would do in a sensibly thought-out fortress/civilization, or you could presume the existence of a dungeon master that controls a dungeon and concoct rationalizations from there.

Going from the second premise, some possibilities:

- as I suggested before, dwarves attach cultural importance to dangerous dungeons, and your fort gains prestige depending on the value of your dungeon

- the dungeon is where they keep their coins, when the dwarven economy returns

- the dungeon master does !!SCIENCE!! on exotic creatures; he not only tames them, but develops extracts from them, perhaps gleans secrets from them

- you actually need a dungeon master to organize expeditions into the subterranean caverns, because civilian dwarves are actually (and sensibly) scared of unexplored caves. The dungeon master's function is to map the underground and corral the beasts therein. Also, you have to guard him, because you can't appoint dungeon masters, they come in immigrant waves.

[Misterstone]

I think the treasure room idea is good.  The DM demands that a treasure room be built.  He has to be able to access it, or he gets pissed.  When said treasure room is built, it attracts thieves (goblin or otherwise).  So of course the treasure room needs to accessible to some extent, but it also has to be very secure, full of beasts and traps and so-on. 

So, the DM is responsible for maintaining a "dungeon" (in the sense that this word is used in RPGs) and keeping it secure from thieves.  This duty incorporates trap building, beast-training, etc. etc. as well as the manufacture of treasure.

Of course this won't work very well right now since it's basically impossible for anything to sneak into your fortress as long as people or pets are in the area (simply tying a dog up to the entrance of the treasure maze would unmask any goblin thieve as the game works now), but when the game is more fleshed out it might make sense.