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[JakeTamber]

1) So, I get a message that a Kobolt thief is in my fortress. Not really sure what this mean, I expected my dwarfs to do something, but they didn't. no big deal, I have no idea what he stole, but I didn't have anything too good anyway. So, I make a few of my people into recruits. The next one comes along a while later, and he passes right by the recruits and they do nothing to stop him.  :/
1a) How do I make my dwarfs kill these thieves?
1b) How to I tell what they stole?

2) I now have some artifacts due to a possessed dwarfs. I know I can see these using the "l" key. How do I tell where they are and take measures to better protect them? Also, are they just super valuable "normal" items? Or do they do anything different?

Again, thank you in advanced.

[Untelligent]

1a) If a kobold passes a dwarf, they should chase it. Not sure why these didn't.

1b) If it stole something, it'll tell you when it leaves the map. If you didn't get such a message, it means the sneaking kobold was discovered before he yoinked anything. As far as I know, once discovered they run like hell for the map edge and don't steal anything if they already haven't.


3) If you have a record keeper, go to your Stocks (z -> stocks) menu and scroll down to the item type of your artifact. Find the artifact there (you might have to expand the menu for it to show up as its name) and then you can zoom to it.

Some people like to build "vaults" to put their artifacts in (you can set a stockpile to only allow artifacts). For the most part, they're just super valuable "normal" items that do nothing but add to your fortress value (you can't trade them); artifact furniture can be built, however (generally driving the quality of a room all the way up to Royal level), and artifact weapons and armor are very good at bashing faces in/preventing your dwarves' faces from being bashed in (especially if they're made out of a decent metal).

[Rogoho]

Were they possibly drinking/eating/sparring? Or does that not make a difference?

[Untelligent]

If they were doing anything like that, they'd be "interrupted" by the kobold and start chasing it.

[JakeTamber]

Well, I got another Kobolt thief and my recruits killed it, either I misunderstood the situation or it was just a fluke.

I actually don't have a record keeper, I just have to wait and hope that a migrant happens to have the skill, right?

[Rogoho]

No, it's fairly easy to level up, just go to the (n)obles screen and assign one of your dwarfs to it. Then assign them a chair. Go back to the nobles screen and switch their setting highest accuracy possible.

*Edit* This might help more: http://www.dwarffortresswiki.net/index.php/Record_keeper
If you have them do that and nothing bet they'll most likely be legendary by the end of the season. Just another way to train a dwarf.

[2xMachina]

And do note that you do not need to (nor should) wait for a migrant to have the skill you want.

Just pick any useless guy and tell him to learn it as he work. In fact, my first 7 dwarves are pretty experienced in lots of fields, due to the demands of setting up the infrastructure of the fort.

[Albedo]

1a) If a kobold passes a dwarf, they should chase it. Not sure why these didn't.

Possibly because you told them not to.

<m>ilitary menu, then <v>iew your individual recruits.  Make sure they're set to "harrass dangerous animals" (or words to that effect) - if the kobold wasn't hurting them, they might not have responded otherwise.  (Also "chase opponents", since thieves are fast li'l rascals.


Just as you can create stockpiles that only accept items of a specific sort, you can specify only "artifact" level items of that sort. This moves them where you want them - security is then up to you.

No migrant will ever show up with "BookKeeping" skill, nor any other "manager" skill.  You had one, in your Expedition Leader.  Assign them under <n>, and give them their own chair.  Rotating these every few weeks/months is a great way to give haulers a few stats quickly. (And guarantees you can see all your stocks in the z-menu.) 

Read wiki "military", "stockpile" and "Bookkeeping" for more on this.

[Derakon]

The "harass animals" setting actually only refers to wildlife. All soldiers will chase hostile civilization units (kobolds and goblins, generally) anytime, unless you've told them to stick to their station and they're currently on-duty.

[Quietust]

Also, don't expect a civilian to wrestle down a kobold thief - while they might be willing to attack a fire imp or frogman (once told my dungeon master to chain up a frogman I caught from the underground river - he chained it up, then proceeded to beat it to death, then walked away as if nothing had happened), kobolds and goblins will fairly consistently send them running in the other direction.

[Albedo]

Hmm? I'd disagree.  Combat can be is quite random at times, but I've never had a problem with an unskilled recruit kicking thief ass.  While a kitten can kill a dragon, but I'd always bet on the nearest recruit killing a thief, and be surprised if* they didn't succeed.

(* and sooner or later they will fail, it'd just surprise me when they do.)

[martinuzz]

Kobolds are faster than dwarves.
Kobold thieves will try to flee the map immediatly, when they are discovered
Also, civilians run away from kobolds.


So, you need a military dwarf, fairly close to the kobold, that is (I think) at least very agile, to catch up with the thief. Maybe agile is enough, but I think that makes your dwarf only just as fast as the kobold.

So, if the kobold was discovered by a civilian, look at his stats, and if he's very agile or faster, draft him. If not, I usually don't bother.

[SquirrelWizard]

its a proven scientific fact that kolbolds are allergic to wardogs.

by chaining some wardogs up around strategic places in your fort (IE entrances) you can not only flush out kolbolds prior to them getting into your fort, but also potentially have the wardog kill or maim the kolbold at the same time.

[Grendus]

Kobolds are faster than dwarves.
Kobold thieves will try to flee the map immediatly, when they are discovered
Also, civilians run away from kobolds.


So, you need a military dwarf, fairly close to the kobold, that is (I think) at least very agile, to catch up with the thief. Maybe agile is enough, but I think that makes your dwarf only just as fast as the kobold.

So, if the kobold was discovered by a civilian, look at his stats, and if he's very agile or faster, draft him. If not, I usually don't bother.

From what I've seen, sometimes dwarves will kill kobolds on their own (I've had miners and woodcutters exchange blows with the kobolds before I could react, usually crippling or killing them). Draftees will sometimes grab them instantly, other times they'll hesitate and get away. Kobolds are generally a nuisance.

I really wouldn't worry about kobolds, just chain a few war dogs in your entrance. I'm not sure if caged animals will work, I've seen them occasionally spot invaders but just recently a kobold thief got halfway into my fort before a marksdwarf spotted him.

[Jude]

Don't have unarmed civilians wrestle kobolds unless the civilians happen to be awesome wrestlers. Kobolds bring knives to a wrestle fight and your dwarf will get shanked. I've lost dwarves that way.