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0005130Dwarf FortressDwarf Mode -- Moodspublic2012-02-15 12:252012-03-27 05:09
Mazonas 
Toady One 
normalminoralways
resolvedfixed 
0.34.01 
0.34.07 
0005130: Magma-destroyed corpses are always "missing," can't carve slab to prevent ghosts
A dwarf falls into, or is otherwise killed by magma and, naturally, their corpse is never found. Because the corpse is never found, the dead dwarf remains permanently assigned as "missing", which means no burial slab or other memorial can be built for them. Meanwhile, dwarves that knew the deceased receive a mood effect due to "witnessing/enduring the decay of a friend".

Basically, although the dwarves do not know their friend is dead, they still get depressed about said friend not receiving a burial.

The dwarf was missing for well over a year before the fortress fell, and their ghost never showed up despite them having not received a proper burial.
Arrange a death-by-magma of one dwarf, out of sight of other dwarves and watch.
I tried looking to see if there was any option in any of the screens to manage the missing-dwarves list and assign long-term missing to "deceased" but could not find one. I received one announcement that "Urist McMagmabreather has been missing for a week", but never received any more after that.

A work-around for this would be pretty simple - being able to assign missing dwarves as "dead", or being able to engrave memorials for long-term missing dwarves, or even if the dwarf's ghost had just turned up at some point would have done the trick.
No tags attached.
related to 0003708resolved Toady One Ghost names that can't be engraved on a slab and nameless slab engravings 
has duplicate 0005404resolved Footkerchief missing dwarfs with destroyed corses and ghosts can not have a slab engraved for them 
has duplicate 0005658resolved Footkerchief Vampire ghost can't be put to rest 
related to 0005110confirmed Footkerchief Dwarfs put corpses in corpse stockpile even though they're "missing" and haven't been found yet. 
related to 0005203new  Dwarf dying from justice beating generates a "has been found dead" report 
related to 0005678resolved Toady One ghostly dwarves can't be memorialized 
Issue History
2012-02-15 12:25MazonasNew Issue
2012-02-15 13:36vaderflagNote Added: 0019674
2012-02-16 01:16MazonasNote Added: 0019757
2012-02-19 05:43uchoNote Added: 0020115
2012-02-20 13:19crebeleNote Added: 0020285
2012-02-21 07:56FootkerchiefRelationship addedrelated to 0005110
2012-02-22 07:05TarasqueNote Added: 0020456
2012-02-22 20:01FootkerchiefSummaryMagma-induced death results in permanent "missing" status and lost mood due to decay of friend => Magma-destroyed corpses are always "missing," can't carve slab to prevent ghosts
2012-02-22 20:02FootkerchiefRelationship addedhas duplicate 0005404
2012-02-22 20:02FootkerchiefRelationship addedrelated to 0003708
2012-02-25 22:14quintiliusNote Added: 0020698
2012-02-28 09:42FootkerchiefRelationship addedrelated to 0005203
2012-02-29 21:47crossmrNote Added: 0020938
2012-02-29 23:59crossmrIssue Monitored: crossmr
2012-03-01 00:00crossmrIssue End Monitor: crossmr
2012-03-01 13:33quintiliusNote Added: 0020969
2012-03-01 18:41greycatNote Added: 0020979
2012-03-10 04:18quintiliusNote Added: 0021329
2012-03-16 07:44FootkerchiefRelationship addedhas duplicate 0005658
2012-03-18 20:15Logical2uRelationship addedrelated to 0005678
2012-03-27 05:09Toady OneNote Added: 0021788
2012-03-27 05:09Toady OneStatusnew => resolved
2012-03-27 05:09Toady OneFixed in Version => Next Version
2012-03-27 05:09Toady OneResolutionopen => fixed
2012-03-27 05:09Toady OneAssigned To => Toady One

Notes
(0019674)
vaderflag   
2012-02-15 13:36   
I'm unsure if this is related:

I had a miner set on fire by magma, but did not die IN it -- he escaped in time to run across the room burning until he died.

Upon his death, he dropped all of his (very flammable) equipment, but no corpse. His death was witnessed, so he did not show up as missing, but his corpse was AWOL.
(0019757)
Mazonas   
2012-02-16 01:16   
Makes sense, I was never able to find the corpses in the magma afterwards. No magma moats for me for a while, then.
(0020115)
ucho   
2012-02-19 05:43   
Somehow related - I have a dwarf missing, he is somewhere in long tunnels under fortress, no one will find him there. His ghost is haunting the fortress - yet, dwarf still think he is "missing" and engraving the slab is impossible.
(0020285)
crebele   
2012-02-20 13:19   
Probably related, I had a dwarf fall into the ocean and drown. The ocean then froze, so her body is long gone. Now, her ghost is haunting the ocean floor, but I cannot engrave a memorial slab for her, her name does not show up, and she is still listed as missing.
(0020456)
Tarasque   
2012-02-22 07:05   
I've managed to lose a dwarf to burning while breaching a magma tube. After the death, there was no corpse. The clothes however are in the floor above. Even after the ghost of the dead dwarf appeared, the dwarf is still listed as missing. I'm unable to engrave a slab for the dwarf.

In 34.02 I've had similar thing happen, where the dwarf was crushed mistakenly by a raised bridge. Unable to engrave a slab for any missing dwarf, even if the ghost turns up eventually.
(0020698)
quintilius   
2012-02-25 22:14   
do ghosts spawn faster now? i had a zombie army spawn on top of a caravan within 3 seconds - they camped in a siege for a season and i got a violent ghost who proceeded to kill off my craftsworkers. I dont think they showed up quite that quickly before (maybe there's another dead dwarf out there from years before). Of course, if i could have made a slab i would have - but no... and the 'engrave slab to " " did nothing.
(0020938)
crossmr   
2012-02-29 21:47   
I had 5 vampires burned by a dragon.
one of them has come back as a ghost, can't engrave the slab, since ghosts can be troublesome, this might be more than a minor issue.
(0020969)
quintilius   
2012-03-01 13:32   
what is it with me and ghosts... another fort, forgotten beast breathes fire, destroys caravan guard hammerer... no historical significance thus no slab...
just a single check - does that dead corpse that wants to be a ghost have a historical flag, if no then dont spawn the ghost... that's all i need
(0020979)
greycat   
2012-03-01 18:41   
http://dffd.wimbli.com/file.php?id=5759 [^]

Miner, killed by magma. Now a ghost. Shows up as "Missing" rather than "Dead", even though people are walking right by his ghost. Cannot engrave a slab for him.

0.34.03 worldgen with Fortress Defense II v10 mod applied.
(0021329)
quintilius   
2012-03-10 04:18   
yeah - dwarf necromancer this time... hmmm - whatever toady did before to adjust for the missing body necromancers (5463)? might have had some unintended consequences. Before i could bury them if i had a corpse... now i have the skeleton of one and my dwarves wont put it in a coffin. I built a coffin, made it available, after a couple set aside to other dwarves with unretrieved bodies (traders who show up and stand at the edge of the map for no apparent reason during migration waves) that i'd put slabs down for already - i finally got one built that it assigned to the necromancer in question - but no. To test - i set up a "corpses" stockpile and the dwarves immediately move the parts there - so they know it's a real corpse and not just another dead elf... but now they cant seem to associate the coffin that's been named for the corpse and the fact that it belongs there. This is new to .05 imo - i certainly was able to bury them in .04.

Of course - i still cant engrave a slab etc - and lacking runesmith and the dfhack tweak not working - means this one remains pretty much a backbreaker if the ghost is surly (whether he's raising dead or not). The good thing is that of the half dozen unburyable ghosts i've had wandering my fort - they seem to come back as 'restless haunts' - so at least they're not fort destroying like they were when they were raising the dead.
(0021788)
Toady One   
2012-03-27 05:09   
The missingness part of this is fixed. I'll use the related reports to capture other sides of this.