Bay 12 Games Forum

I've just finished reading the Cado's Magical Journey (Well, I'm three years late. Whatever. ) and it struck me that I can never have a rhino boy companion. I'm sad for rhino people, as they are apparently extinct, probably by a misuse of a scroll of genocide.

I say Armok should forge them on his Anvil of Universes, and while he is doing that, what about attaching some elephant people? Steel-clad and wielding battle axes?

On a related note, I would like to see monsters that infect other organisms with their spawn, that would grow hidden inside my dorfs and burst out one day. In a middle of a dining hall.

‘Cause parasitism is FUN. And so I present you some of my thoughts about possible DF parasites:

Tapeworm
Rather common kind of parasite, the tapeworm will make the host eat more often and in larger quantities. Tapeworm infection mostly comes from raw animal meat or low quality cooked food. Also, any infected dwarf have a chance to transmit the tapeworm eggs on any meal he works with. Tapeworm can be get rid of by vomiting or laxatives administered by dwarf doc.

Tick
Tiny insect drinking the blood of your dwarves. Not dangerous, but it can transmit various syndromes if there are animals with caustic blood around.

Brain worm
A tiny pale worm slowly eating through the host’s brain, it causes dizziness growing stronger each day, followed by short periods of uncousciousness after several weeks. After a month or so, the host will start to be numb and the whole infection ends in total paralysis. Brain worm eggs should be transmitted by some kind of stinging insects, mostly in tropical swamps and rainforests. The infection can be halted by high level of alcohol in host’s blood, knocking the worm unconscious, but cannot be healed without brain surgery.

Leech
Attacks while the dwarf swims and drinks some blood. Can be torn off with (I)nteraction.

Throat leech
Any dwarf drinking from underground stagnant water can be infected. The throat leech will cling to inner throat of the host and will drink victim’s blood in course of several weeks. It causes blood cough, but is not dagerous until fully fed. At that point, the throat leech will be bloated with blood to the extend of blocking host’s throat and the host will suffocate. The throat leech will then crawl out of the body and try to reach any near water, laying eggs here. This way, it can infect previously intact well of a fortress. A heavy vomiting or surgery can save the host. Also, anemic host will never find itself infected with throat leech.

Rot grub
Spontaneously spawning in most rotting corpses, rot grub will try to infect any creature walking over the tile with the rotting corpse. The rot grub will burrow itself in the hosts unprotected flesh, causing necrosis and death. Subsequently, it will continue spreading from the new corpse. It can be stopped by wearing boots, gloves and heavy cloth while near any corpses, burning the corpses and cleaning the necrotic parts of body with soap.

Ear seeker
Ear seekers are tiny beetles found mainly in jungles. They will attack any creature walking through the bushes, hiding in the new host‘s ears. There, the ear seeker lays eggs and leaves. After several weeks, the eggs will hatch and swarm the host’s inner ear, feeding and growing till maturity, then leaving. The host will suffer harsh headache and will be left permanently deaf, with the risk of sebsequent infection from its wounds.

Fire bug
Living mainly in volcanic areas, these beetles will try to burrow themselves in the hosts unprotected skin, laying eggs. The host will suffer only mild fever at first, but the symptoms will get worse with maturing maggots in host‘s flesh. The infection inevitable ends in spontaneous combustion of the host, freeing the young fire bugs. However, low temperatures will halt and even stop the infestation.

Glow worm
Terrible menaces of deep caverns, the glow worm mother is a large worm glowing with sickly yellow light. It is very slow in motion, but can spit a venom causing glow disease. The infectee will suffer only mild blisters at first, all signs of infection disappearing after several days. However, in month or so, the host’s skin will start to glow in a manner similar to that of glow worm mother. This stage is closely followed by oozing, swelling and blood vomiting. If the host survives that stage of infection, his body will start to spawn young glow worms. These young glow worms cannot spit as a glow worm mother, but can burrow themselves into any bystander, spreading the infection. The last stage of infection ends after several days with the host’s flesh melting into a pool of glowing mucus.

Gut rat
A vile rodent of sheer perversion. The bite of this foul creature bears a nasty disease.
As the description says, the gut rat’s bite causes a terrible disease. The infectee will suffer a short period of fever and blood vomiting, followed by several months with no ill signs of infection. However, the disease is always lethal – the infectee will start to feel terrible pain in his stomach, along with nausea and antoher round of blood vomiting. Afterwards, the host’s stomach will burst apart, releasing a swarm of newborn gut rats. Laxatives can help in the first stage of infection, as can a surgery later on.

Brain monster
Abomination found only in underground evil biomes, the brain monster is simply a large floating brain with several tentacles hanging from the brain stem. It will attacks with venomous stings, infecting the victim with brain monster fetus. The host will start to feel drowsy in several weeks, followed by numbness and short periods of unconsciousness. Ultimately, the host’s head will crack open, releasing a new brain monster ready to infect any dwarves around. Brain surgery might help, but will most likely kill the host in the process.

Unborn child
Evil rain is strange, as are pregnant women. When your pregnant female dwarf of caught in the evil rain, there is the possibility than her baby will be transformed in the unborn child. That won’t end well, as the unborn child will chew its way out of its mother’s womb and start to haunt your fortress. The unborn child is small and weak, but it is incredibly fast and has all the characteristics of a necromancer, being immortal, inediate and able to raise dead with mere thought. It can also climb nearly any surface, making pit traps obsolete.

Thank you for reading that long text and please proceed to share your thoughts.