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[thvaz]

With the current development about night creatures most of them will have an impact in fortress mode, however, hag-like creatures remain an adventure-mode only monster.

And I was thinking that most of the code to use them in fortress mode is already in place. After all, they are all searching for food and mates, and there is plenty of both(dwarves) in fortresses. Goblins already abduct children and take them away - haglike creatures should abduct children (for food) and adults (for food and mating). They would enter the map using stealth the same way goblins do, but maybe a little different. Maybe they wouldn't enter the fortress and would only abduct dwarves that would be sleeping or wandering outside.

They could abduct their victims by grabbing them instad of using bags, giving them a chance to fight back, and then taking them outside of the map. This would be the part that would need some new code, I think.

They should be however way rarer than goblin thieves- rare like semi- or megabeast attacks. In the future developments, you could try to rescue them in the creature's lair both in fortress and in adventure modes - if they weren't transformed yet.

[Neonivek]

The problem with creatures of Semi-megabeast strength or lower is that they are ill equipped to really challenge a fortress or survive.

A Hag would be killed on sight quite easily.

[clockwork]

Hmmm, if we had a hag in DF, we'd need an evil eye syndrome. =O

[thvaz]

Hmmm, if we had a hag in DF, we'd need an evil eye syndrome. =O

We already have hags. Evil eye syndrome can be done with the curses that will come in the next version.

The problem with creatures of Semi-megabeast strength or lower is that they are ill equipped to really challenge a fortress or survive.

A Hag would be killed on sight quite easily.

I don't think so, most of the thieves run off quite easily. A hag would enter the map, attack a lone dwarf, and leave, taking him off. If she would be killed or not depends of the speed of your military.
Semi and megabeasts need some love from Toady. Another problem they have is that they shouldn't stay forever in the map like they do after they enter it. At least, not all of them.

[Neonivek]

most of the thieves run off quite easily

That is because they are invisible, immune to traps, and don't engage.

[thvaz]

most of the thieves run off quite easily

That is because they are invisible, immune to traps, and don't engage.

If you are going to comment, take your time to read the suggestion. Thieves aren't invisible. They enter the map in stealth mode. Hags would enter it the same way.

[Neonivek]

most of the thieves run off quite easily

That is because they are invisible, immune to traps, and don't engage.

If you are going to comment, take your time to read the suggestion. Thieves aren't invisible. They enter the map in stealth mode. Hags would enter it the same way.

Invisible as in "You cannot see them"

[thvaz]

Necromancers will attack fortresses, as will werewolves and vampires. Only mummies looks like won't affect fortress mode for now, of the ones toady already did.

I think hags have great potential to be fun in fortress mode, hence the suggestion.

[Neonivek]

Necromancers will attack fortresses, as will werewolves and vampires. Only mummies looks like won't affect fortress mode for now, of the ones toady already did.

I think hags have great potential to be fun in fortress mode, hence the suggestion.

All of those have sort of a point in attacking your fortress as well as a thing you will have to overcome.

Hags in your fortress should wait until other Semimegabeasts can also do so.

[thvaz]

I had forgot about this suggestion, but it is a good one that went overlooked. Raise from the dead, thread!

All of those have sort of a point in attacking your fortress as well as a thing you will have to overcome.

Hags in your fortress should wait until other Semimegabeasts can also do so.

Semimegabests (even before DF 34.01) already attacked fortresses.

In my opinion, there is no reason they shouldn't, as all the code is already in place (from the goblin thieves, just controling the gender of the dwarf instead) and the hags abduct dwarves in legends mode.

[Di]

I dunno, hags are from horror stories about tiny helpless villages in god-forgotten corners of the world.
Industrious crowded dwarven megalopolis wouldn't really fit in.
They'd need to turn from a village story to an urban legend and adapt the according behaviour which is far more complicated than that of snatchers and thieves.
And that spot I presume should be occupied by some of more intellectual forgotten horrors from the depth.
Unless night trolls would avoid any significantly large town it'd be as ridiculous as a bogeyman crawling from under your axelord's bed.
Then again, considering the migration rate, night trolls would have like a year or so to ever pay a visit to your settlement before there's like 40 of angry beards to chase it around without halting fortress development.

[Randy Gnoman]

A fortress with 20 or 30 dwarves is much, much smaller than most helpless forgotten villages.  They're only well defended because we're in a state of perpetual war with everything.

I think that if there's a lair nearby, then having the lair creature sneak onto your map to abduct your dwarves sound fantastic!  And they could be slightly scarier than goblin thieves, because they're somewhat tougher.  Tough enough to hold their own against an armed militia?  No- but tough enough to subdue a stray herbalist?  YES!  And hey- it's suggestion time.  If the concern is that they're not tough enough for this to be worth it, we could suggest that they be made a little bit tougher.

And the specific night creature that comes to take your dwarves could return periodically with the aim of either abducting a dwarf, or killing one and stealing their corpse (we've all seen a night hag's kitchen, right?), until you kill them.  This would be narratively more interesting than random thief entities.

I like the notion of not using bags- perhaps trying to knock a dwarf unconscious and haul them away?  That would give your military more time to respond, but maybe they could wise up and flee from armed dwarves...

[thvaz]

Your fortress may be crowded with activity, but the hag wouldn't go where it could be easily spotted, it would look for the lone ranger, woodcutter, herbalist or fishdwarf. If spotted it would run, not unlike the goblin thief.

The captured dwarf could later be found in adventure mode, transformed, or in the future when you can send patrols out of fortress, rescued.

[CrzyMonkeyNinja]

I dunno, hags are from horror stories about tiny helpless villages in god-forgotten corners of the world.

I'm not sure if these count as hags, but in Beowulf, Grendel and his mother both attacked Herot which was the fully armed hall of the king. They did have the benefit of being invulnerable to iron, though, so I suppose a normal hag wouldn't be so bold. All in all, I like the suggestion.

[NW_Kohaku]

Your fortress may be crowded with activity, but the hag wouldn't go where it could be easily spotted, it would look for the lone ranger, woodcutter, herbalist or fishdwarf. If spotted it would run, not unlike the goblin thief.

The captured dwarf could later be found in adventure mode, transformed, or in the future when you can send patrols out of fortress, rescued.

This makes perfect sense as a strategy for a type of creature like this - hide, lie in waiting, then pop out when the moment is best...

But the thing is, that's not doing this:

In my opinion, there is no reason they shouldn't, as all the code is already in place (from the goblin thieves, just controling the gender of the dwarf instead) and the hags abduct dwarves in legends mode.

Goblin kidnappers will happily rush straight into my guard dogs, and sometimes the first time I ever notice that they're even there is when I suddenly realize I have some blinking cage objects out in my front hallway about a month after the "attack" was initiated. 

You'd need to change the code to make them more intelligent and cautious creatures.  (Not that there's anything wrong with that, mind you, but that it would take more code to make them behave intelligently.)