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[RavingManiac]

Right now, there are three ways to strike down a humanoid creature: Destroying the brain, cutting off the head, and cutting off the lower body. Notice that there is no way for a strike to the upper body to directly kill a creature.

Hence, I propose that the destruction of the heart should immediately result in the creature being killed with a "<creature name> has been struck down" message. Creatures with multiple hearts will survive until the last one is destroyed.

[Calvin]

It's quite possible if your heart is mangled in real life that you can survive.

But if it's cut or pierced, then you might have heavy bleeding problems, but in no way, unless the heart is removed altogether or stops functioning, that a being can be instantly killed. (Actually, even if it stops functioning, you'll still live for a half a minute or so.)

[Rowanas]

Half a minute is
the consciousness period
death comes quite slowly

[RavingManiac]

I did consider the fact that people can remain alive for a brief period after their heart stops, but considering that it takes considerably longer in real-life for a man to bleed to death after having his lower body chopped off, and that a decapitated human head can also remain conscious for several seconds, instant death from heart stoppage in-game would be appropriate.

[Josephus]

Dude, if you want this in now as a temporary solution, simply add [THOUGHT] to the heart. That should do it.

In theory.

[ToonyMan]

So that's where the expression, "Knows it by heart" comes from.

[NW_Kohaku]

Technically, you're forgetting "bleeding out" as a way to kill a creature.  Which, incidentally, is how wounds to the heart very quickly kill most humanoids (within 3-4 turns in 40d).

This would only fail to kill if the creature had no blood (which would raise the question of why you would have a heart in the first place if you had no blood for it to pump), and incidentally, a creature with multiple hearts would still suffer terrific bloodloss rates, which makes multiple hearts more liability than aid unless it were a creature more like a snake, which I believe in some cases have secondary hearts just to be able to pump blood all the way down the full length of the body.

If you feel heart wounds don't bleed out fast enough, just go into the tissue_template_default.txt, and up the VACULAR token's value - the heart is currently a fairly low value of 10, compared to 3 on fat, for example...  Upping the bloodloss rate would expidite heart wound fatalities.

[Solace]

Would a "steam blob" be more likely to even have a heart while lacking a head and lower body?

[Cotes]

Your heart getting destroyed won't kill you, the lack of blood circulation does. Depending how you classify 'dead', people don't actually die instantly from heart wounds, just lose consciousness due to not having blood pressure.

But yeah, taking out the heart should be more or less an instant kill against most creatures.

This would only fail to kill if the creature had no blood (which would raise the question of why you would have a heart in the first place if you had no blood for it to pump), and incidentally, a creature with multiple hearts would still suffer terrific bloodloss rates, which makes multiple hearts more liability than aid unless it were a creature more like a snake, which I believe in some cases have secondary hearts just to be able to pump blood all the way down the full length of the body.

Unless of course a creature had two entirely different blood circulation systems, or possibly were capable of closing off its arteries and directing the blood through secondary ones.

I'm not sure how viable that is anatomically, but this is the DF board. "Impossible" is just a word here.

[FallingWhale]

The fact that aztec sacrifices could be shown their own hearts and still last long enough to be kicked down the stairs contradicts this fairly well. Those silly aztec priest.

[Cotes]

The fact that aztec sacrifices could be shown their own hearts and still last long enough to be kicked down the stairs contradicts this fairly well. Those silly aztec priest.

If this is true it is because the heart was still connected to the body, not because you can stay conscious without any blood pressure.

[FallingWhale]

The fact that aztec sacrifices could be shown their own hearts and still last long enough to be kicked down the stairs contradicts this fairly well. Those silly aztec priest.

If this is true it is because the heart was still connected to the body, not because you can stay conscious without any blood pressure.

After cutting a victims heart out atleast once a day they got very fast, and quite clearly blood pressure doesn't bottom out instantly, but by the part where they throw the victim down the stairs they were semiconscious or dead.

[NRN_R_Sumo1]

The fact that aztec sacrifices could be shown their own hearts and still last long enough to be kicked down the stairs contradicts this fairly well. Those silly aztec priest.

If this is true it is because the heart was still connected to the body, not because you can stay conscious without any blood pressure.

After cutting a victims heart out atleast once a day they got very fast, and quite clearly blood pressure doesn't bottom out instantly, but by the part where they throw the victim down the stairs they were semiconscious or dead.

I don't think many studies have been made to show the exact time periods of heart ripping and kicking down stairs, so I mean no offense to you but I have a feeling most of it is in your imagination.

[NW_Kohaku]

Well, people can go into total cardiac arrest and survive if they are given immediate medical treatment.  That's not quite the same thing as "ripping your heart out", but it can be a guideline.

[Neonivek]

Another issue is that not all creatures even need hearts to function. A lot of small bugs and insects have no hearts for example.

Though that is sort of a non-issue I guess...

Though if a creature doesn't even require its blood to live... or has no blood...