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[xZippy]

Current strange mood mechanics stay the way they are, but I'd like to suggest new strange moods that are dependent on if a biome is good, neutral or evil. I understand these aren't the best ideas in the world, and might even present some balance issues (especially the evil ones), but I hope at least this was still worth reading regardless if you agree or not.

Good biomes:
<dwarf> is overwhelmed with positivity!
A dwarf in a "positive mood" will interact positively with anyone near them, reducing the stress of whom they interact with, but will still be compelled to craft a random artifact. If they fail, they will still sadly go insane (30%) or melancholy (70%). If they succeed, they'll have their stress massively reduced, and will receive a boost in 3-8 of the social/broker skills (liar, persuader, etc). A dwarf like this could make an excellent broker or leader afterward.

<dwarf> feels a rush of productivity!
A "productive mood" will grant the dwarf the ability to craft things much faster than they normally would. Dwarves in this state will craft between 2-5 artifacts instead of just one, due to their increased productivity. Failing to create half of the randomly desired artifact amount leads to a 40% chance of melancholy, 40% chance of obliviousness or 20% chance of a tantrum. Success in this mood will leave the crafting speed boost on the dwarf, and greatly increase 2-6 crafting skills. Possible extra: There can be very, very small chances for the succeeding dwarf to permanently gain the ability to craft two of something with only enough resources to make just one thing. To keep things balanced, not every item can be "doubled".

12/30/2019 Update: Pillbo introduced a new type of insanity that fits seamlessly within this idea: Mania.

A dwarf sent into a Manic state could obsessively do some activity while neglecting themselves until death.  Unlike current Insanity types they could be drinking, eating, cleaning, hauling, socializing, dancing, singing, smoothing stone or even continuing to work at a claimed workshop turning out trinkets (obsessed with creating the Artifact that got away) until they starve or are hauled away by the military.

I would imagine for this to work you'd need to make it possible for a creature to eat itself to death.

Neutral biomes:
<dwarf>'s thoughts have randomized!
A "randomized mood" is less focused on crafting and more focused on doing activities beforehand, which the game chooses at random, though crafting an artifact is still required. The dwarf will feel the need to do 3-5 randomly chosen activities first, then craft an artifact last. The activities could be absolutely anything: could be swimming, could craft 2 crutches, could climb something, just about anything physical. Failing to do just one of these will cause insanity, but the trade-off is that a dwarf that succeeds in everything within this mood will receive large skill boosts that relate to the activities they did. A dwarf can come out very multi-talented completing this mood.

<dwarf> is no longer him/herself!
These "identity moods" are exactly how they sound. The dwarf's normal self vanishes, and the personality of another completely engulfs them. It can be the personality of a humanoid that already exists or once existed in history. I'm sure this part goes without saying, but the longer the history is generated in your world, the more options of different people for this mood. This dwarf will mimic the occupation and goals of the mocked person, and will create an artifact related to said mocked occupation. As expected, failure to meet requirements leads to insanity, though success leads to - you probably guessed it - skill boosts related to the occupation they mimicked. Regardless of the outcome, the dwarf's normal self returns at the end. Again, a dwarf can come out very multi-talented at the end.

<dwarf>'s mind has gone blank!
A "blank mood" is unique in the sense that the affected dwarf no longer moves. Another dwarf must move them around to get the artifact crafted. The blank dwarf will mutter what they need, and a nearby dwarf must listen in, bring the blank dwarf to the correct workshop and also give them the correct components - all based on their strange emotionless mutterings. The helping dwarf, after assisting the blank dwarf will "feel a strange bond", which is presented in the announcements.

When the blank dwarf is brought to the right workshop and given all the components, they will finally start moving and craft the required artifact. Upon completion, they receive a large skill boost like normal. However, the dwarf who helped will also get moderate skill boost in the same area (as a trade-off for 2 dwarves doing the work). If the blank dwarf is left alone for too long, they will either stumble obliviously (47%), stand in place until they starve (36%) or simply return to normal (17%).

Evil biomes:
<dwarf> is overwhelmed with hatred!
A "hatred mood" or simply "angry mood" is the first mood to involve a "dark artifact". Note that ONLY a dwarf already in an annoyed, angry mood can enter this state. A dark artifact is like a standard one, but involves gruesome and disturbing components to make, such as blood, nervous tissue, body parts, skin, etc. Sometimes standard meat or prepared meat can be used. This means a dwarf may go through refuse/garbage/food areas getting this stuff, and won't care about miasma when getting it. Dwarves may even claim butcheries and kitchens to achieve their goal. Dark artifacts are slightly more valuable than normal ones, but have the risk of creating miasma or greatly stressing those who see and get disturbed by it, both depending on what it's made out of. So they should be stored away from standard-traffic areas.

Dwarves will kill any person or animal to create these disturbing artifacts if it can't find the gruesome components anywhere in the fort. Crafting failures cause one to go berzerk. Success restores the dwarf to normal and gives a legendary increase to the crafting skills involved, including 'butcher' or 'cook' if the dwarf had to go this route.

<dwarf> is swallowed by darkness!
A "dark mood" is the most disturbing and evil of all, but also the rarest. Similar to the last mood, ONLY the angriest of dwarves can enter this mood, even a dwarf already berzerking. Regardless of what's available in refuse/garbage areas, the dwarf will kill anyone and anything nearby to gain dark artifact components, regardless of relation or age. Other than that, the mechanics are the same as in the previous mood. However, some skills involved with negativity may also get a decent boost, such as 'lair' and 'intimidator'. Though it's likely a dwarf succeeding in this mood will be jailed or killed anyway.

[Shonai_Dweller]

I think this would be very interesting come Mythgen when artifacts can actually have powers. Dwarves seem to be very much at one with the land, so it stands to reason that dwarves making a home in a nightmare biome would have subtly different moods than ones in a biome of rainbows and peace.

In fact expand the whole idea to gradually corrupt/change anyone according to the biome they live in (especially magical sphere based ones). Not totally of course, but add quirks that you only see in inhabitants of certain biomes.

[Pillbo]

Cool suggestion, your Good Biome ideas inspired a new type of insanity suggestion from me that I think would go well in addition to this.