Howdy-ho good folks of the DF modding forum.
I've been toying with a fix for the immortal bronze colossus.
The idea had been thrown around before of giving them some type of blood (and thus a feasible cause of death). My solution has been to create an additional material template for molten metal blood, include it into the BC's code, and then modify a few tags within it.
The result is a behemoth whose metallic form is kept limber and mobile by a steam of molten metal, kept forever hot by the same magical essence which gives it unnatural life. The creature is, of course, now extremely hot; simply being in combat with it will cause injury to even the best-armored adventurer after a time. It will, however, "bleed out" and stiffen if injured badly enough.
You can almost visualize it, a towering creature who glows with an unnatural flame, whose very joints spew flames and scorch the ground.
ANYWAY:
Replace the Bronze Colossus entry under creature_standard.txt with the following
[CREATURE:COLOSSUS_BRONZE]
[DESCRIPTION:A gigantic firey statue made of bronze and molten metals, bent on mayhem.]
[NAME:bronze colossus:bronze colossuses:bronze colossus]
[CASTE_NAME:bronze colossus:bronze colossuses:bronze colossus]
[CREATURE_TILE:'C'][COLOR:6:0:0]
[MEGABEAST]
[ATTACK_TRIGGER:80:10000:100000]
[FANCIFUL]
[POPULATION_NUMBER:15:30]
[NOPAIN][EXTRAVISION][NOBREATHE][NOSTUN][NONAUSEA][NOEMOTION]
[NOTHOUGHT][NOEXERT]
[NO_DIZZINESS]
[NO_FEVERS]
[HOMEOTHERM:11000]
[BUILDINGDESTROYER:2]
[LARGE_PREDATOR]
[NO_DRINK][NO_EAT][NO_SLEEP]
[SPHERE:METALS]
[SPHERE:STRENGTH]
[SPHERE:WAR]
[CANNOT_UNDEAD]
[CANOPENDOORS]
[NOT_BUTCHERABLE]
[BIOME:ANY_LAND]
[EQUIPS]
[NOFEAR]
[PREFSTRING:height]
[NOBONES]
[BODY:HUMANOID:2EYES:2EARS:NOSE:HUMANOID_JOINTS:5FINGERS:5TOES]
[NO_THOUGHT_CENTER_FOR_MOVEMENT]
[TISSUE:BRONZE]
[TISSUE_NAME:bronze:bronze]
[TISSUE_MATERIAL:INORGANIC:BRONZE]
[MUSCULAR]
[FUNCTIONAL]
[STRUCTURAL]
[RELATIVE_THICKNESS:1]
[CONNECTS]
[VASCULAR:3]
[ARTERIES]
[TL_MAJOR_ARTERIES]
[TISSUE_SHAPE:LAYER]
[TISSUE_LAYER:BY_CATEGORY:ALL:BRONZE]
[USE_MATERIAL_TEMPLATE:BLOOD:BCBLOOD_TEMPLATE]
[BLOOD:LOCAL_CREATURE_MAT:BCBLOOD:LIQUID]
[BODY_SIZE:0:0:20000000]
[BODY_APPEARANCE_MODIFIER:HEIGHT:90:95:98:100:102:105:110]
[BODY_APPEARANCE_MODIFIER:BROADNESS:90:95:98:100:102:105:110]
[ATTACK:PUNCH:BODYPART:BY_TYPE:GRASP]
[ATTACK_SKILL:GRASP_STRIKE]
[ATTACK_VERB:punch:punches]
[ATTACK_CONTACT_PERC:100]
[ATTACK_FLAG_WITH]
[ATTACK_PRIORITY:MAIN]
[ATTACK:KICK:BODYPART:BY_TYPE:STANCE]
[ATTACK_SKILL:STANCE_STRIKE]
[ATTACK_VERB:kick:kicks]
[ATTACK_CONTACT_PERC:100]
[ATTACK_FLAG_WITH]
[ATTACK_PRIORITY:SECOND]
[ITEMCORPSE:STATUE:NO_SUBTYPE:INORGANIC:BRONZE]
[ITEMCORPSE_QUALITY:5]
[DIURNAL]
[SWIMS_LEARNED][SWIM_SPEED:2500]
And add the following to material_template_default.txt:
[MATERIAL_TEMPLATE:BCBLOOD_TEMPLATE]
[STATE_COLOR:ALL_SOLID:GRAY]
[STATE_NAME:ALL_SOLID:hardened metal]
[STATE_ADJ:ALL_SOLID:hardened metal]
[STATE_COLOR:LIQUID:RED]
[STATE_NAME:LIQUID:molten blood]
[STATE_ADJ:LIQUID:molten blood]
[STATE_COLOR:GAS:RED]
[STATE_NAME:GAS:boiling metal]
[STATE_ADJ:GAS:boiling metal]
[DISPLAY_COLOR:7:0:0]
[MATERIAL_VALUE:1]
[SPEC_HEAT:450]
[IGNITE_POINT:NONE]
[MELTING_POINT:10000]
[BOILING_POINT:15150]
[HEATDAM_POINT:NONE]
[COLDDAM_POINT:NONE]
[MAT_FIXED_TEMP:NONE]
[SOLID_DENSITY:7850]
[LIQUID_DENSITY:6980]
[MOLAR_MASS:55845]
[IMPACT_YIELD:1080000]
[IMPACT_FRACTURE:1080000]
[IMPACT_ELASTICITY:1000]
[COMPRESSIVE_YIELD:1080000]
[COMPRESSIVE_FRACTURE:1080000]
[COMPRESSIVE_ELASTICITY:1000]
[TENSILE_YIELD:520000]
[TENSILE_FRACTURE:860000]
[TENSILE_ELASTICITY:1000]
[TORSION_YIELD:520000]
[TORSION_FRACTURE:860000]
[TORSION_ELASTICITY:1000]
[SHEAR_YIELD:520000] used stainless steel
[SHEAR_FRACTURE:860000]
[SHEAR_ELASTICITY:1000]
[BENDING_YIELD:520000]
[BENDING_FRACTURE:860000]
[BENDING_ELASTICITY:1000]
[MAX_EDGE:10000]
[ABSORPTION:0]
[IS_METAL]
He's a nasty SOB, but doggin'it, he'll die if you stab him enough.
(Granted, the fat will melt from your bones long before he bleeds out, but still.)
UPDATE: Replaced FIXED_TEMP with HOMEOTHERM. It will no longer be immune to magma, and its scorcheyness has been reduced a bit, but being splashed by its molten blood or being grappled by it will still prove to be quite unpleasant.
I tested a squad of 4 hammer and axedwarves, realistically equipped and skilled, in a fight with of these. It proved an even match, with the colossus and all but one dwarf killed in battle or from resulting burn wounds.
Seems balanced enough for a good scrap. Enjoy!