diff --git a/df.entities.xml b/df.entities.xml
index 9f29dacb3..29aca71c4 100644
--- a/df.entities.xml
+++ b/df.entities.xml
@@ -480,8 +480,8 @@
             <stl-vector name='discovered_creatures' type-name='bool' index-refers-to='(find-creature $)'/>
             <stl-vector name='discovered_plant_foods' type-name='bool' index-refers-to='(find-plant-raw $)'/>
             <stl-vector name='discovered_plants' type-name='bool' index-refers-to='(find-plant-raw $)'/>
-            <stl-vector name='foreground_color' comment="foreground color used for the entity symbol in legends mode and the historical maps." type-name='descriptor_color'/>
-            <stl-vector name='background_color' comment="background color used for the entity symbol in legends mode and the historical maps." type-name='descriptor_color'/>
+            <stl-vector name='foreground_color' type-name='int16_t' ref-target='descriptor_color' comment="foreground color used for the entity symbol in legends mode and the historical maps."/>
+            <stl-vector name='background_color' type-name='int16_t' ref-target='descriptor_color' comment="background color used for the entity symbol in legends mode and the historical maps."/>
         </compound>
 
         <stl-vector name='uniforms' pointer-type='entity_uniform'/>