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Author Topic: Dead hands, needs work.  (Read 1859 times)

Valdrax

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Dead hands, needs work.
« on: September 17, 2011, 01:03:57 am »

My fortress is currently humming along.  It's rare that I have an idle dwarf.  Except for one guy -- Kol Asmelkogan, Herbalist and former Speardwarf.  Unfortunately, in the last siege he took wounds to both arms which, possibly combined with overloaded and apathetic healthcare, left him with motor nerve damage in both arms. 

Now, with both arms disabled, he pretty much hangs around doing nothing except drinking and eating.  The Wiki says that dwarves with no arms can't haul items but can still work in workshops and gather plants.  Unfortunately, he seems uninterested or unable to Gather Plants or to work as a Thresher in a Farmer's Workshop.

So, what jobs can a dwarf with no working arms or hands do?
...And yes, I'm open to horrible experimentation if there's nothing better to do.  He's got a few kills, so I won't just atom-smash him, but beyond that...
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Corneria

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Re: Dead hands, needs work.
« Reply #1 on: September 17, 2011, 01:23:29 am »

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Valdrax

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Re: Dead hands, needs work.
« Reply #2 on: September 18, 2011, 08:14:39 am »

Okay, any suggestions that don't involve deliberately setting myself up for a future tantrum spiral?
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vyznev

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Re: Dead hands, needs work.
« Reply #3 on: September 18, 2011, 09:54:34 am »

Can he do stone detailing?  (This is a serious question -- I've heard that dwarves somehow don't need hands for that.)  I bet he'd have some some interesting things to engrave.
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Girlinhat

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Re: Dead hands, needs work.
« Reply #4 on: September 18, 2011, 10:01:32 am »

I think any workshop that has the material already in the shop.  Like, if someone has sheared an animal and there's wool in the farmer's workshop, then an armless dwarf should be able to spin that into thread.  Or produce cheese if the milk bucket were left in the workshop.  You could ready a workshop by queuing a job, and then forbidding the material once a dwarf had hauled it to the workshop, so you could "stock up" a workshop by un-forbiding it and then assigning the armless dwarf.  Really, it's more trouble than it's worth unless you've got a Legendary +5 Gem Setter and a pile of emeralds.

Personally, I'd put him as a squad captain and/or set him to train against weak animals.  He can teach your dwarven warriors valuable life skills.  Like biting.  In fact, leave him with recruits long enough and his Teacher skill will get higher and he'll do a great job of teaching good skills like Dodging and such.

Sphalerite

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Re: Dead hands, needs work.
« Reply #5 on: September 18, 2011, 10:59:55 am »

Fishing, although someone else will need to return the fish to a stockpile.
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acetech09

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Re: Dead hands, needs work.
« Reply #6 on: September 18, 2011, 11:57:30 am »

It has been proven that engravers do use their beards to smooth and engrave - that might be a use for that poor chap.
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melomel

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Re: Dead hands, needs work.
« Reply #7 on: September 19, 2011, 12:30:42 am »

Gimp champion.

Give him a barracks; he'll train endlessly.  Same thing happened to one of my raw recruits; he bit several things to death before succumbing.

The only downside is you won't be able to use him as an ambulatory armor stand for all your crap wearable artifacts.
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Poindexterity

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Re: Dead hands, needs work.
« Reply #8 on: September 19, 2011, 12:48:05 am »


Personally, I'd put him as a squad captain and/or set him to train against weak animals.  He can teach your dwarven warriors valuable life skills.  Like biting. 
NEVER underestimate the raw killing power of a skilled biter.
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Mister Always

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Re: Dead hands, needs work.
« Reply #9 on: September 19, 2011, 03:00:42 am »


Personally, I'd put him as a squad captain and/or set him to train against weak animals.  He can teach your dwarven warriors valuable life skills.  Like biting. 
NEVER underestimate the raw killing power of a skilled biter.

Urist McNohands bites the goblin lasher in the throat, tearing the skin and tearing the muscle!
A major artery has been opened by the attack!

"Wark! 'e's a nutter! Bitin' peoples' 'eads off!"
"Dang effective, though."
"Lotta arterial spray. 's Gonna be a bitch t' clean."
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geail

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Re: Dead hands, needs work.
« Reply #10 on: September 19, 2011, 09:06:56 am »


Personally, I'd put him as a squad captain and/or set him to train against weak animals.  He can teach your dwarven warriors valuable life skills.  Like biting. 
NEVER underestimate the raw killing power of a skilled biter.

Urist McNohands bites the goblin lasher in the throat, tearing the skin and tearing the muscle!
A major artery has been opened by the attack!

"Wark! 'e's a nutter! Bitin' peoples' 'eads off!"
"Dang effective, though."
"Lotta arterial spray. 's Gonna be a bitch t' clean."
"Not tha' it matters much.  Either the children or those pansy haulers will end up doing it.  They have some use besides drinking all the sunshine, right?
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Valdrax

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Re: Dead hands, needs work.
« Reply #11 on: September 19, 2011, 01:22:14 pm »

It has been proven that engravers do use their beards to smooth and engrave - that might be a use for that poor chap.
I think I'll try that out.  I'm looking for non military uses for him, though I have left him in an otherwise speardwarf squad after removing his spear & shield from his uniform.
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The history of a good fortress is not written in blood, it's painted on the walls by the hand of a melancholy orphan.