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[NW_Kohaku]

Heehee... I'll be happy if the Giant Mantis actually does get in.  I remember making that graphic back in the big rush, and forgetting that only giant vermin get a graphic. 

[Witty]

I think the kea wins this version.

They're fliers, which basically means they're unkillable - so you're totally at their whim for whenever they decide to leave your fort. They'll steal anything that isn't nailed down beneath the fort. And even if they don't steal anything, their mere presence causes bursts of unhappiness throughout your little populace. They're like little flying kobolds that masterd in PSYOPs. 

Sure, they might not win a duel with other creatures of the wild, but even an axe lord can't do much to stop a flock of those little buggers from spreading unhappiness and general annoyance. That's what makes them so horrifying.

[Altivera]

I think the kea wins this version.

They're fliers, which basically means they're unkillable - so you're totally at their whim for whenever they decide to leave your fort. They'll steal anything that isn't nailed down beneath the fort. And even if they don't steal anything, their mere presence causes bursts of unhappiness throughout your little populace. They're like little flying kobolds that masterd in PSYOPs. 

Sure, they might not win a duel with other creatures of the wild, but even an axe lord can't do much to stop a flock of those little buggers from spreading unhappiness and general annoyance. That's what makes them so horrifying.

your forgetting marksdvarves and all birds mortal enemy, trees.

[Loud Whispers]

Air: no new contestors

RAVENS

[Tawa]

Why are giant dingoes contenders? I don't think I've ever been killed by one, and encounter them on average at least once per character.

Also what's up with voting for trees? How are they dangerous, aside from climbing up and jumping off?

[Witty]

your forgetting marksdvarves and all birds mortal enemy, trees.

Getting marksdwarves to reliably attack a certain target is almost impossible - at least not without the help of strategically placed fortifications.

And that tree bug was fixed a while ago, IIRC.

Hunters could pose a minor threat to keas, sure, but they travel in packs of 5-10. Killing a few won't make that much of a difference.

[Naryar]

alright, let's decide what King of Beasts mean.

The main meaning is "godless dwarf-killing machine". But do other things that killing power matter ? Can a king of beasts be vanishingly rare yet still be a KoB ? Does a King of Beasts become more of a King of Beasts the more versions it stays lethal ? Can a king of beasts be on very specific biomes, such as evil oceans only ?

GCS is definitely the underground king of beasts. It kills dwarves with such ease, slaughters whole squads of melee militia with it's web attack and it can fight even with most megabeasts. Also, it has been lethal since 34a, and since a few versions you will encounter one at least in most playthroughs if you breach the caverns. It is also very much part of the established culture of DF since a long time, like carp and elephants.

so GCS = doubtlessly underground king of beasts. One can make a case for cave dragons, i don't know about them really.

Now let's try something else, the giant badger congas. In 0.31 (IIRC) it was so overly deadly AND common that it regularly killed fledgling fortresses.

Right now they are exactly as deadly as they were beforehand, but due to large amount of animals they are far, far less common than before. Are they still King of Beasts ?

Now let's try giant keas. Giant keas were previously -common, -attracted to your fortresses, -started fighting easily and killed dwarves.

Now with the new 0.40 combat mechanics they tend to be far less aggressive and therefore far less dangerous. They are still as annoying as ever, but they are no longer deadly. Are they King of Beasts ? (They don't have any competition in the air, though)

[Dunamisdeos]

I still say that Stealth Weremammoths are the scariest things I've ever had to deal with.

[Naryar]

I still say that Stealth Weremammoths are the scariest things I've ever had to deal with.

Sorry, but werebeasts can't be king of beasts.

[StagnantSoul]

I can't believe I'm saying this, but...


There is no King of Beasts anymore.

A simple copper helmet or two leather hoods can stop a GCS's bite, giant badgers and kea are no longer a problem, as well as a lot more rare. Elephants aren't immune to damage anymore, and normally charge, which most dwarves can easily dodge and only knocks them down. Cave dragons are so incredibly rare I've only encountered them thrice in two and a half years. Carp have been weak for years now. And... There's just no contenders anymore.

[Tawa]

A simple copper helmet or two leather hoods can stop a GCS's bite

The hell kind of DF are you playing?

[StagnantSoul]

The same df as everyone else. I've seen copper helms stop gcs bites forever. Iron and bronze definitely stop it.

[vjmdhzgr]

A simple copper helmet or two leather hoods can stop a GCS's bite

The hell kind of DF are you playing?

Yeah, the GCS webs the dwarf until they can't do anything then attack the head because they have an easy shot and the head is the priority target whenever a creature can hit it, and spider fangs aren't stronger than copper, so they just keep biting forever.

[Tawa]

Face shots, though. Helmets don't render you GCS immune. Helmets certainly impede them, but without crossbows anything with webs is a death sentence.

[vjmdhzgr]

Face shots, though. Helmets don't render you GCS immune. Helmets certainly impede them, but without crossbows anything with webs is a death sentence.

Helmets have a 100% coverage of the head body part. Whenever a dwarf is disabled, creatures always attack the head body part whether or not it works. In adventurer mode you might see this if somebody knocks you out with their fists while you're wearing a helmet. They'll just keep punching and punching until a day or something later you manage to wake up, and they start fighting normally again.