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[BlueManedHawk]

Note:  According to the Dwarf Fortress wiki, the content of this suggestion contains minor spoilers.

Currently, the various "flavors" of strange mood, with the exception of the fell mood, are somewhat frivolous and don't really add that much to the game.  All they really do right now is slightly encrypt the material requests.  They certainly need to be more interesting, and while I can't think of any way to make the secretive and macabre moods more interesting (and if nobody else can, then maybe they should just be removed), I have a thought for the possessed moods.

Possession would be actual possession: a dwarf (any dwarf!) could be possessed by the spirit of a dwarf that never had a strange mood before they died (though if they died from failing to create an artifact, they can't possess anyone).  If the strange mood is completed, then the dwarf that was possessed still wouldn't get the experience, but the artifact would count as being the artifact of the spirit that possessed the dwarf, so the dwarf could still make their own artifact.  If the strange mood does not get completed, then the dwarf that got possessed would be cursed—I'm not sure whether this would just be a curse of insanity, or whether it would be something else.  (This is something that I'm a little dubious on—I tried to think of a way that the possessing spirit could get harmed, but I couldn't think of one.)

[Mobbstar]

+1

Currently, possessions are disappointing because they are functionally identical to secretive/fey moods except they do not award experience.  Your proposal would alleviate this because the dwarf gets another chance to have a different strange mood and get the experience then.  Though, to trim the Artifact clutter, possessions shouldn't be possible indefinitely.

What is "aspect of one fey" supposed to mean?  I know D&D uses it for magical creatures, but those don't appear in Dwarf Fortress to my knowledge.  The dictionary also suggests "fey" as an adjective meaning "imminent death" or "otherworldy clairvoyance".

Macabre moods could perhaps change the dwarfs personality.  I imagine they may become unaffected by miasma, and complacent or even joyous around vermin and animal corpses.

[Manveru Taurënér]

Personally, unless things are changed completely, I'd like to see possessions be the wild card kind of strange mood, possibly resulting in more dangerous artifacts depending on what creature did the possessing, not all of them benign (and the resulting magical effects on the artifact being kept secret until "discovered" unlike the others where the creator had direct control).

[A_Curious_Cat]

I always thought “fey” was another term for “elf”.

[BlueManedHawk]

Isn't "fey" an alternative spelling of "fæ", which comes from the word "fairy"?  I'd also like to say that I think that fey moods as the "vanilla" form of strange moods should be kept, and I was more concerned about the secretive and macabre moods.

[A_Curious_Cat]

“Fey”, “fæ”, “fairy”, “elf”!  Same thing!  All I know is they die if you drown them In gnomeblight!

[delphonso]

For possession, I think it makes more sense for the possessor to be a fallen dwarf from a failed mood, no?

I always thought “fey” was another term for “elf”.

fæ means "one fated to die" in Old English, and slowly gained the mythical fairy/elven connections over time. Faerie originally referring to the hidden world of magic and fate, and elves being residents therein - fey/fairies being another name for elves until quite recently distinguished as the Tinkerbell pixie.

I quite like the fey moods as they stand - they're, as BlueManedHawk suggests, sort of the "vanilla" mood. They're the easiest to understand.

[BlueManedHawk]

For possession, I think it makes more sense for the possessor to be a fallen dwarf from a failed mood, no?

I chose the possessors to be dwarves who never got to have a strange mood under the idea that those who died from a failed mood already had their chance, and they mucked it up.  However, I do think that something interesting could be done with dwarves who died from a failed mood, as having no second chances does seem cruel.  Maybe they'd cause a different type of possessed mood that's unique in some way.

[Strik3r]

A failed possession mood should result in permanent possession, potentially completely altering the dwarf's personality and skills, and giving them some hidden and possibly undesirable (Serial murder, etc.) or beneficial extra behaviours, with no guarantee that the possessor is a dwarf who never got a strange mood, merely it is one potential form of possession. Maybe that form should be excluded entirely, because getting a strange mood shouldn't really be an expected part of a dwarf's lifecycle. However i do think that dwarves who failed a strange mood should be potential possessors in a strange mood.

[Thisfox]

I can't think of any way to make the secretive and macabre moods more interesting (and if nobody else can, then maybe they should just be removed)

I find them interesting and storymaking, and things that make story are exactly why things should stay in the game. Why do you think they should be removed?

[BlueManedHawk]

I can't think of any way to make the secretive and macabre moods more interesting (and if nobody else can, then maybe they should just be removed)

I find them interesting and storymaking, and things that make story are exactly why things should stay in the game. Why do you think they should be removed?

I said they should be removed if they can't be made more interesting.  I couldn't think of a way to do that, but maybe someone else can.

[anewaname]

The main difference between the Possession mood and the other moods is that while Possessed, the dwarf is "not there" and not experiencing the work their body is involved in, so they will have no memory of creating the artifact or how the work was performed.

Many of the other moods are probably a different type of possession, where the dwarf is still aware of how and why the possessing force is doing the work, so the dwarf gains memories and understanding, if they survive.

There could be many other outcomes for all of the strange moods, and more information about the muse that is inspiring/coercing/intimidating/guiding the dwarf into doing the work.

[Uthimienure]

Moods produced an overabundance of legendary skills.  For a successful mood the skill gain should either be randomized or vary depending on the type of mood.

[IndigoFenix]

Moods produced an overabundance of legendary skills.  For a successful mood the skill gain should either be randomized or vary depending on the type of mood.

Or make moods more likely in dwarves who are already skilled. An already talented craftsman being stricken by divine inspiration and achieving the pinnacle of their craft seems more sensible (and more fulfilling for the player) than some rando suddenly creating a legendary artifact with no experience and in doing so becoming more skilled than a dwarf who has worked their whole life in that craft.

Exceptions can be made for posession, since it isn't the dwarf's own skill. If they are possessed by a dead dwarf, it should be a dwarf who had high skills before they died.

[dikbutdagrate]

Macabre moods could perhaps change the dwarfs personality.  I imagine they may become unaffected by miasma, and complacent or even joyous around vermin and animal corpses.

Yes. All of my yes.

Also, perhaps the negative moods could be made easier to trigger. So far, I've only encountered one, and the amount of time and "work" required to achieve it was horrendous. It is surprising how much micro is involved in optimally running a terrible fort, that doesn't just cave in on itself. The "successful" fort, has to drive your dwarves just mad enough, so as to not collapse entirely, but also, to allow them to survive long enough to encounter a fell mood. It's ridiculous.