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[EveryZig]

Coincidentally, a limb may be given [STANCE] and [GRASP] together, giving a tail that supports weight and grabs things.

I'm somewhat curious about using the [EQUIPS] token.  This is used by minotaurs most noticeably, who often appear with axes or other weapons.  It's also what causes trolls to pick up a mitten and harmlessly smash my woodcutter for 7 months.

Can you support weight with a tail and pick things up with it at the same time? That would take quite a long and tricky tail.

[Girlinhat]

I believe you can.  The game doesn't check for things like that.  It only knows "this creature has an intact [STANCE] part, this it moves."  Without a [STANCE] the creature will always move, such as the case with worms.  It may not be practically possible, but it's possible for the game.

[krenshala]

You definitely need a single horn option (rhino and unicorn being two examples). Personally I think for eyes you need a zero to eight (or nine) option.  Sure, they don't add much in game terms, but it adds flavor and that is what DF is all about in my opinion (flavor, feature, and function, not fluff (graphics) .

Worry about naming last (though I also like the idea of using the symbol table).  At worst you don't get names, but instead generate raws for these beasties and post them, asking what they should be named based on their feature(s). 

I wish I had the time for DF-genetic engineering like this.

[Girlinhat]

There's none, 1, 2, 4, and 6 eye options, this will be enough.  Keep in mind that a creature with no eyes is blind.  Try going into the arena, making a blind creature, and assuming direct control.  It's tricky!

Will add horns, fine!

Names will happen last and very sloppily.  Urina, here we come!

[arzzult]

You know there is an [EXTRAVISION] tag that lets eyeless creatures see? Things like "blind" cave bears have it.

[Girlinhat]

So do blind cave ogres.  So do dwarves, actually, which is what lets them see underground.  Human adventurers who expore an old dwarf fort, have a lot of trouble underground, with ~5 tile sight diameter.  Probably.  I've never actually tested this using an adventurer that has [EXTRAVISION].  Either way, 4-6 eyed beasties will have it, and certain blind creatures, especially the aggressive ones.  Some cavern creatures should be purely blind though.

[3]

So do dwarves, actually, which is what lets them see underground.

Err... no, they don't. And EXTRAVISION has no effect whatsoever on whether a creature can see underground or not, or on sight range - that's what VIEWRANGE is for.

[Girlinhat]

Really?  Huh...  Maybe it's the CAVEADAPT instead...  Neither dwarves nor humans have the VIEWRANGE token.

[3]

The solution to this quandary: Dwarves have exactly the same view range as humans.

[Sonlirain]

Blind cave ogres have extravision.
They have no eyes.
Thay are pretty capable of seeing.

[3]

Re-read the posts. Nobody said anything about EXTRAVISION not having an effect on sight when blind.

[Vorthon]

Idea: Thagomizers.

[Girlinhat]

Club tails, which basically means "spike tails" in this case, since I'm planning on a sort of "baseball bat with nails in it" tail shape.

[Vorthon]

There's a big difference between a tail club and a thagomizer.

[HungryHobo]

Awesome project though I get the impression that it's turning out to be a larger undertaking than expected.
there's just so much freedom with the raws in this game. any thought towards animal products/eggs? I imagine they'd be had to script in randomly.

One thing I've found with a few of the more.... unusual creatures in the game is that the first time in encounter them I often have no idea if they're insanely dangerous or even how big they are.
now this could be considered a plus but if it auto-generates a vague description which based on the attributes which they've been genned with uses a different descriptor.

poisonous : +1
flyer: +1
building destroyer +1
size: plus or minus (something multiplied by size)
dangerous appendages:+1
body material: if it's tough+1, if it's soft -1

neutral/friendly: -5
noexert: *2
nopain: *2

so you tot up the score and

case(score<0)
print "mostly harmless....mostly"
case(score>5 && score <10)
print "Travelers fear this beast"
case(score>100)
print "RUN RUN, IT WILL DESTROY US ALL"

etc

you could even make it give clues(or sometimes not, rand is fun) to their nature in the description based on what tags have been randomly added.
If something has a [mount] tag it could throw in something like "the natives in the [alter for biom] are said to ride them into battle" again rand so it doesn't turn up on *every* mount.

I liked the bit on custom behaviors  earlier, could a certain behaviour be packaged up as a collection of tags which could be added to any creature? a few predefined ones which could be added like limbs might be good with some being very rare.

If they have tags to steal stuff then it could include something like "These thieving beasts are...."