Print

Please login or register.
1 Hour 1 Day 1 Week 1 Month Forever
Login with username, password and session length

[Randos]

I can't find the post I made before, I was asking how dwarfs see in the mines without light and a lot of interesting (and funny) conversation ensued, such as echolocation via fleshy beards!

Anyway, I couldn't help making this really dark illustration called "Miner".

Spoiler (click to show/hide)

Bigger version on DeviantArt: https://bschu.deviantart.com/art/Miner-715046670

[Skorpion]

Dwarves have Darkvision as a racial trait, so they don't need light to see.

[deathpunch578]

Dwarves have Darkvision as a racial trait, so they don't need light to see.

from what I remember from d&d dwarves, they do have darkvision but its worse than other races with it, since dwarves get 30ft and others get like 60ft, so light is nice for long times in the dark.

[PatrikLundell]

Forget about (A)D&D. DF doesn't try to follow whatever rules those systems have, but uses its own take on tolkienesque/folklore races. AD&D doesn't have cannibalistic elves and goblins rules by demonic overlords (as a rule) either. You can make comparisons, of course, but trying to use other systems as a guide will lead you astray.

[deathpunch578]

Forget about (A)D&D. DF doesn't try to follow whatever rules those systems have, but uses its own take on tolkienesque/folklore races. AD&D doesn't have cannibalistic elves and goblins rules by demonic overlords (as a rule) either. You can make comparisons, of course, but trying to use other systems as a guide will lead you astray.

true.

D&D also doesn't have gnomes that exist only to guzzle booze.

[Paxiecrunchle]

I would be entirely fine with echolocating dwarves though.

[zenkai]

Nice illustration Randos!

Echolocation is my favorite headcanon too. It would have to be extremely sensitive to tell the difference between types of stone when they're deciding whether they love an armor stand or simply tolerate it.

[Cathar]

I assume dwarves do like every medieval miner, and use candles and laterns. Torches are pretty much out of question due to the insane amount of smoke that would soon have everyone die from carbon monoxyde, but a lantern creates a dim light ans is enough for practical usages

Besides, dwarves adapt their vision to low light environment in DF. This is why they can't go back outside without feeling very sick after a while spent inside the mountain

[Randos]

I assume dwarves do like every medieval miner, and use candles and laterns. Torches are pretty much out of question due to the insane amount of smoke that would soon have everyone die from carbon monoxyde, but a lantern creates a dim light ans is enough for practical usages

Besides, dwarves adapt their vision to low light environment in DF. This is why they can't go back outside without feeling very sick after a while spent inside the mountain

Good point about the smoke! I will go with lanterns next time. Torches seem to be the thing in a lot of fantasy and gaming so that just popped into mind I guess.

In the last thread I mentioned, someone said that Toady has plans to add light actually, but it is on a long list of things to do. I'm not sure if it would add anything to the game or just make it more complicated.

[Dunamisdeos]

I always assumed they had Gollum-esque glowy night-vision, and this is also why they have problems with diplomacy with other races.

[TubaDragoness]

I always assumed they had Gollum-esque glowy night-vision, and this is also why they have problems with diplomacy with other races.

Funnily enough, this is true for both kobolds and goblins; they have a glow tile for when they are nearby but not within the range your character can currently see.

But why stop with glowing eyes? What about bioluminescence? It doesn't even have to be natural, I'm sure somebody got a Mood and put glowing fungus in their beard or something.

[EPM]

Considering the infinite capacity for vomit dwarves are capable of, I just go with the idea that they hork up scent markers and navigate by smell. That's why cave adaptation leads to puking immediately outside, the dwarven body recognizes an extremely foreign environment. Then it reacts with a compulsory attempt to re-orient the dwarf's navigation system. This also establishes a waypoint of sorts for other dwarves, making it a very beneficial evolutionary trait.

A dwarven beard is also an excellently sensitive apparatus for sensing vibrations, acting akin to an antenna straight to their eardrums. Given the beard's tangled storage capacity, it can also be used as a sort of reference chart for familiar smells. As it becomes soaked in a fort's booze supply, the dwarf is able to quickly compare the proportions with the surrounding air. This is also why most dwarves can't pathfind very well when submerged, as their sense of smell is nullified completely.