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Author Topic: What's the best way to locate a necromancer on your map?  (Read 1436 times)

PaleBlueHammer

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What's the best way to locate a necromancer on your map?
« on: December 09, 2013, 07:42:17 pm »

I purposefully embarked between two towers (ehhehe) in order to get a little dose of zombie fun.  And of course I get the occasional zombie siege, but what I was unprepared for is the fact that apparently a necromancer can SNEAK onto your map and chill out indefinitely, making it difficult or downright impossible to hunt.

I've swept my military across the map here and there but I think you have to practically bump into these guys.  I know he's  hanging around somewhere because my hunters keep crapping themselves when their elephant comes back to life on the way to the butcher shop.
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Quote from: misko27
If adamantine is revealed for more then 2 years without being completely mined it all turns into galena. Useless, Useless Galena.

wierd

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Re: What's the best way to locate a necromancer on your map?
« Reply #1 on: December 09, 2013, 07:52:19 pm »

Turkey/vampire radar detection grid, coupled with necromancer corpse baits.

Basically, just small lookout towers with floor-grate floors on the upstairs, housing either "domesticated unliving", or "does not eat or drink" animal detection personel, and a small corpse stockpile underneath them.

Being upstairs, away from the resulting zombies, they are reasonably safe from the necromancer's end products, while also being ever vigilant in detecting nearby sneaking creatures.  Vampires are preferred, as even undead fliers pose no risk to them, and they can also double as your hunter dwarves safely.

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KingBacon

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Re: What's the best way to locate a necromancer on your map?
« Reply #2 on: December 09, 2013, 08:06:16 pm »

One word: Magma

If you have grass, the fire will burn them out of hiding.
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wierd

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Re: What's the best way to locate a necromancer on your map?
« Reply #3 on: December 09, 2013, 08:30:28 pm »

Yeah, but it takes time for that to "reload". In that time, more itinerant necrophiliacs can show up, looking for burned up bodies of pixies, lizards and lungfish to turn into his personal army if slightly crispy undead, and you will be left with no more grass to ignite as the last ditch purgative effort.

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Grim Portent

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Re: What's the best way to locate a necromancer on your map?
« Reply #4 on: December 09, 2013, 08:32:59 pm »

One word: Magma

If you have grass, the fire will burn them out of hiding.

Yeah but then you risk everburning zombies that you need to kill with bolts with is a pain when you can otherwise just hack everything down with melee dwarves once the necromancers dead. And units tend to be good at dodging fire in my experience. Not sure how they can stand in a spot surrounded by fire without dying but it happens.
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PaleBlueHammer

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Re: What's the best way to locate a necromancer on your map?
« Reply #5 on: December 09, 2013, 09:26:40 pm »

One word: Magma

If you have grass, the fire will burn them out of hiding.

Yeah but then you risk everburning zombies that you need to kill with bolts with is a pain when you can otherwise just hack everything down with melee dwarves once the necromancers dead. And units tend to be good at dodging fire in my experience. Not sure how they can stand in a spot surrounded by fire without dying but it happens

And, unfortunately, it kills all my wildlife, which is why I need to be necro-free in the first place.  :)
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Quote from: misko27
If adamantine is revealed for more then 2 years without being completely mined it all turns into galena. Useless, Useless Galena.

smjjames

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Re: What's the best way to locate a necromancer on your map?
« Reply #6 on: December 09, 2013, 09:41:25 pm »

Yeah, but it takes time for that to "reload". In that time, more itinerant necrophiliacs can show up, looking for burned up bodies of pixies, lizards and lungfish to turn into his personal army if slightly crispy undead, and you will be left with no more grass to ignite as the last ditch purgative effort.



I'm pretty sure necromancers can't raise vermin remains...
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wierd

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Re: What's the best way to locate a necromancer on your map?
« Reply #7 on: December 09, 2013, 09:54:46 pm »

Clamshells get raised all the time, and clams/turtles are vermin creatures.

Not sure if the "purple blobs" left by kitties can be zombied, but the remains left by dwarf activity most certainly can. A fisher dwarf leaving fish on the bank because he is fishing without a suitably enabled food stockpile will attract necromancers, and produce zombie doom.
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Button

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Re: What's the best way to locate a necromancer on your map?
« Reply #8 on: December 11, 2013, 02:01:39 pm »

Trapped hallway leading to corpsebait. They're not trapavoid unless you've modded kobolds necro-able, in which case heaven help you.
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PaleBlueHammer

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Re: What's the best way to locate a necromancer on your map?
« Reply #9 on: December 11, 2013, 07:37:48 pm »

Trapped hallway leading to corpsebait. They're not trapavoid unless you've modded kobolds necro-able, in which case heaven help you.

A wandering cat found one, he was a human hunter necromancer.  Dead now and incinerated, however there's at least one more on the map because I'm still getting animals zombified.

My corpsebait trap with guard peacock has not attracted anything, however.
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Quote from: misko27
If adamantine is revealed for more then 2 years without being completely mined it all turns into galena. Useless, Useless Galena.

Button

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Re: What's the best way to locate a necromancer on your map?
« Reply #10 on: December 12, 2013, 01:10:10 pm »

Trapped hallway leading to corpsebait. They're not trapavoid unless you've modded kobolds necro-able, in which case heaven help you.

A wandering cat found one, he was a human hunter necromancer.  Dead now and incinerated, however there's at least one more on the map because I'm still getting animals zombified.

My corpsebait trap with guard peacock has not attracted anything, however.

The peacock is possibly the problem. Necromancers aren't like thieves - they'll avoid your units if they can.
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Quietust

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Re: What's the best way to locate a necromancer on your map?
« Reply #11 on: December 12, 2013, 02:59:15 pm »

Clamshells get raised all the time, and clams/turtles are vermin creatures.
Clamshells are body parts left from cleaning fish, and body parts can be raised if they satisfy the proper criteria.

Not sure if the "purple blobs" left by kitties can be zombied
They cannot.
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smjjames

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Re: What's the best way to locate a necromancer on your map?
« Reply #12 on: December 14, 2013, 12:32:38 am »

Clamshells get raised all the time, and clams/turtles are vermin creatures.
Clamshells are body parts left from cleaning fish, and body parts can be raised if they satisfy the proper criteria.

Not sure if the "purple blobs" left by kitties can be zombied
They cannot.

Yeah, I was referring to the 'purple blob' vermin remains.
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