Mental inspiration

Colonists with a high mood can randomly have mental inspirations, giving a stat boost for some time. Unlike mental breaks, you retain full control of the mentally inspired colonist.

At 100 mood, a colonist has an inspiration on average once every 10 days.^{[Wb lower?]} This can be a huge bonus to a colony, so if you find some of your colonists' moods are running pretty high, that might be a good time to rigorously enforce MORE recreation for them, to push them over the edge into inspiration.

Colonists have been observed to tend to get a type of inspiration based on their skills. For example, a Social colonist will get either Inspired Trade or Inspired Recruitment, while an Artistic colonist will get that inspiration.^{[Is this a tendency or an absolute?]}

Some traits prevent certain types of inspirations. Additionally, the pawns with the Tortured Artist trait have a 50% to gain an Inspired Creativity inspiration after a mental break ends, with a possible exception of "Run Wild" mental breaks^[Verify]. These pawns can be manipulated to create Quality work of all types by intentionally giving them a generally poor environment such as through awful accommodations, poor food, no access to recreation, and/or any other stressors.

There are 8 different, specific inspirations that can strike, usually applied to colonists that have skills that reflect that specific bonus.

Inspirations

Go frenzy

<NAME> will move faster for the next 8 days.

Colonist's great mood lifts them up and makes them move 1.4x as fast, as long as s/he feels inspired.

Base duration: 8 day
Minimum skill: None
Incompatible Trait: Slowpoke

Inspired creativity

<NAME> The next item, art, or furniture [PAWN_pronoun] creates will be two quality levels higher than it would otherwise be. This even allows the creation of legendary items. The inspiration will end after 8 days, or when the creation is completed.

A sudden burst of inspiration gives colonist insight on how to make a quality item. After it is completed, that item will be 2 Quality levels higher than it would otherwise be, allowing for the creation of legendary items. The inspiration is only good for the next one (1) object created.

Inspired recruitment

<NAME> will successfully recruit the next prisoner regardless of difficulty or resistance. The inspiration will end after 8 days, or when the prisoner is recruited.

Colonist gains insight on how to recruit prisoners into the colony. S/he will successfully recruit the next prisoner s/he attempts to recruit, regardless of difficulty or remaining resistance.

To make the most out of the recruitment, you may manually have the warden prioritize the recruitment attempt on a specific prisoner. If the prisoner has been talked to recently, you will need to disable warden interactions for that prisoner, and wardening for the inspired warden, then wait a while before enabling them both.

The inspiration ends after a prisoner is recruited.

Base duration: 8 days
Minimum skill: Social 3

Inspired surgery

The next time <NAME> performs a surgery, [PAWN_possessive] chance of success will be doubled. A small minimum chance of failure still applies. The inspiration will end after 8 days, or when the surgery is performed.

Colonist becomes more concentrated in surgeries after being inspired, and as a result, the success chance for the next surgery will be doubled. Note however that the 98% success rate maximum still applies i.e. there will always be a 2% chance of failure. Thus high skill doctors operating in high quality hospitals can receive no benefit from this inspiration but it can make a great difference for those with lower Medicine skill who are not good surgeons yet, or operations such as carcinoma removal that have a lower chance of success.^{[Fact Check]}

The inspiration ends after a surgery is performed, even if the surgery fails.

Base duration: 8 days
Minimum skill: Medical 3

Inspired taming

<NAME> will successfully tame the next animal regardless of difficulty. The inspiration will end after 8 days, or when an animal was tamed.

Colonist is inspired to tame an animal. S/he will successfully tame the next animal regardless of difficulty. S/he will not be able to tame any animal that s/he does not have the requisite skill level to tame however.

The inspiration ends when an animal is tamed.

Base duration: 8 days
Minimum skill: Animals 3

Inspired trade

<NAME> will get a significant trade price bonus when closing [PAWN_possessive] next trade deal. The inspiration will expire after 8 days, or when the deal is done.

Colonist is inspired to obtain a great deal. S/he will get a great 18% boost in trade prices, essentially meaning 12 more levels of Social skill.

After one successful trade deal, the inspiration ends.

Base duration: 8 days
Minimum skill: Social 3

Shoot frenzy

<NAME> will shoot more accurately for the next 8 days.

Colonist is somehow inspired to shoot more accurately and will shoot as if s/he has +8 additional shooting levels.

This is more useful if the colony frequently receives raids or if the inspired colonist is a hunter.

Base duration: 8 days
Minimum skill: None
Incompatible Trait: Brawler, non-violent

Work frenzy

<NAME> will work faster for the next 8 days.

Colonist suddenly becomes significantly more productive and will have her/his Global Work Speed multiplied by 1.8x for the duration of the inspiration.

Base duration: 8 day
Minimum skill: None

Legacy inspirations

These no longer exist in the current version of the game.

Inspired art

A sudden burst of inspiration gives colonists a great idea for a piece of art, and after it is completed, that piece of art will be 3 levels higher than it would otherwise be. The inspiration is only good for 1 piece of art.

Replaced by Inspired Creativity in Beta 19.

Base duration: 8 days

Minimum skill: Artistic 6

Version history

0.18.1722 - Added with the following inspirations: Work frenzy, Go frenzy, Shoot frenzy, Inspired trade, Inspired recruitment, Inspired surgery, Inspired art. At the time, incapacitation would end the inspiration.
Beta 19/ 1.0 - Inspired colonists now get a special icon in the colonist bar
1.1 - Inspired taming inspiration added.