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[Sphalerite]

Given that we have infinite cold sinks and infinite heat sources, it's not actually all that surprising that it's possible to build a perpetual motion machine out of logs and rocks.

[KodKod]

Those lucky dwarves, despite the risk of being stabbed, shots, poisoned, eaten, mauled, enslaved, eviscerated or involved in accidents... at least they don’t have to worry about immediate dangers like the heat death of the universe.

[miauw62]

Those lucky dwarves, despite the risk of being stabbed, shots, poisoned, eaten, mauled, enslaved, eviscerated or involved in accidents... at least they don’t have to worry about immediate dangers like the heat death of the universe.

Physics are awesome and the universe is a troll.

[NW_Kohaku]

Given that we have infinite cold sinks and infinite heat sources, it's not actually all that surprising that it's possible to build a perpetual motion machine out of logs and rocks.

Well, I was assuming they were "functionally infinite" (as in, not going to run out any time soon, like how the Sun is a functionally infinite source of energy for as far as humans are concerned), although that does open up some interesting concepts.

One of the things I was thinking of talking about in the alchemical property thread was how we could hypothetically start creating tools of multiple arbitrary magical properties, of the like of nethercaps as perpetual thermal sinks and matching them up against perpetual thermal fountains. 

Place a magma-temperature device in a nethercap box to make it "off", but slide the nethercap lid away to generate a heat source like an oven. 

Alternately, a magma-temperature sword might come with a wooden nethercap crossguard. 

Then, of course, there's the functional free energy reactors if we just plain build a steam engine off of a perpetual thermal fountain reactor with a perpetual thermal sink condenser.

[BastiBasti]

Well nethercap logs are SO cold that they are magma resistance soo... perhaps arm hunters (that have no fat) with nethercap bolts and make the hunt imps! It would be like a silver bullet to a werewolf.

Toady changed the way fire works, so now burning off all you fat wont make you immume to fire (you win this time, thermodynamics!)

[SmileyMan]

Given that we have infinite cold sinks and infinite heat sources, it's not actually all that surprising that it's possible to build a perpetual motion machine out of logs and rocks.

Heh heh, a stirling engine with one end made of nether cap and the other end dunked in magma man blood......

[Gizogin]

Having done some fairly rigorous testing with extreme cold in DF, I can confirm that creatures will die of frostbite, but it takes quite a while.  They also have to be in contact with the cold object for a long time, and it has to be really cold.

EDIT:  Sorry, had to leave the computer I was working on.  Anyway, yes, frostbite is possible, but rarely fatal in the short term.  It took me quite a bit of tinkering to get a material which could reliably cause frostbite, and it ended up being around 2500 U.  As a liquid spray, it would coat the target and cause frostbite on all their skin in a relatively short period.  Unfortunately, this did not seem to be reliably able to kill on its own, though I'm pretty sure frostbite will cause death by infection if left long enough.

As a weapon, it was nigh useless, as it would only cause the wielder's hand to freeze.  When I made a bolt out of it, it only caused frostbite when it lodged in the target, and it still took a while before there was any noticeable effect.  Unless it managed to freeze a vital organ (the impact of the arrow/bolt would probably kill/seriously wound the target anyway in this case, as frostbite is very localized), I doubt a frostbite-based arrow/bolt would kill in any reasonable timeframe.

[Mrhappyface]

Wait, then how come I can make charcoal and ash out of nethercaps, unless Dwarven smelters can actually disassemble and reassemble  stuff down to a molecular level without using any heat?

[Mrhappyface]

Dbl Post

[Sadrice]

Clearly wood furnaces use strong oxidizers, rather than fire.

[Mrhappyface]

Clearly wood furnaces use strong oxidizers, rather than fire.

I shudder to think at what sort of acid/base compounds can actually smelt adamantine.

[Urist Da Vinci]

Clearly wood furnaces use strong oxidizers, rather than fire.

I shudder to think at what sort of acid/base compounds can actually smelt adamantine.

OR the answer to the riddle is that Dwarves can "turn off" the magic temporarily or are resistant to it, another common fantasy trope.

[Monk321654]

I think I've said this before somewhere else, but I've always thought of Dwarves as being Magical as long as it relates to industry.
So they can effectively use their Industrial magic to counteract Nethercaps' magic.

[Leafsnail]

I made a creature that was essentially human with a fixed temp of zero.  It was kindof boring after my unbelievably hot adventurer who could set fire to people with grabs and turn picked up rocks to boiling magma - grabbing people wouldn't really yield any effect, so I wouldn't be hopeful that a mildly cold nethercap weapon would do anything through cold.  Actually, the main change for this species was that entering water would cause it to be instantly encased in ice and killed (I was hoping the water would freeze before I stepped in, but that doesn't seem to work).

[arzzult]

I once made two creatures. One that was hotter than the surface of the sun and the other about 0 urists. One had dragon fire breath. The other had vapor breath attack of a 0 urist liquid. I think the latter one was more deadly because while testing in arena even if I managed to wash off the super cold liquid it would still cause what ever I was playing to steadily freeze to death after about 20 to 100 frames depending on the size of the creature. And part of the reason it was more deadly is probably thanks to the fact the those vapors flows aren't blocked by shields. But this was quite a while ago, some time around the "acid" rain bug.