diff --git a/docs/Lua API.rst b/docs/Lua API.rst
index 4c7163623..2cfaff350 100644
--- a/docs/Lua API.rst	
+++ b/docs/Lua API.rst	
@@ -158,7 +158,9 @@ that don't fit any of the other reference types. Such
 references can only appear as a value of a pointer field,
 or as a result of calling the ``_field()`` method.
 
-They behave as structs with one field ``value`` of the right type.
+They behave as structs with a ``value`` field of the right type. If the
+object's XML definition has a ``ref-target`` attribute, they will also have
+a read-only ``ref_target`` field set to the corresponding type object.
 
 To make working with numeric buffers easier, they also allow
 numeric indices. Note that other than excluding negative values
diff --git a/test/main.lua b/test/main.lua
index 46a91e1ca..83a35d165 100644
--- a/test/main.lua
+++ b/test/main.lua
@@ -69,6 +69,19 @@ function expect.error(func, ...)
         return true
     end
 end
+function expect.error_match(func, matcher, ...)
+    local ok, err = pcall(func, ...)
+    if ok then
+        return false, 'no error raised by function call'
+    elseif type(matcher) == 'string' then
+        if not tostring(err):match(matcher) then
+            return false, ('error "%s" did not match "%s"'):format(err, matcher)
+        end
+    elseif not matcher(err) then
+        return false, ('error "%s" did not satisfy matcher'):format(err)
+    end
+    return true
+end
 function expect.pairs_contains(table, key, comment)
     for k, v in pairs(table) do
         if k == key then
diff --git a/test/structures/ref_target.lua b/test/structures/ref_target.lua
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..05818ee06
--- /dev/null
+++ b/test/structures/ref_target.lua
@@ -0,0 +1,35 @@
+function test.get()
+    dfhack.with_temp_object(df.unit:new(), function(unit)
+        expect.eq(unit:_field('hist_figure_id').ref_target, df.historical_figure)
+    end)
+end
+
+function test.get_nil()
+    dfhack.with_temp_object(df.coord:new(), function(coord)
+        expect.nil_(coord:_field('x').ref_target)
+    end)
+end
+
+function test.get_non_primitive()
+    dfhack.with_temp_object(df.unit:new(), function(unit)
+        expect.error_match(function()
+            return unit:_field('status').ref_target
+        end, 'not found')
+    end)
+end
+
+function test.set()
+    dfhack.with_temp_object(df.unit:new(), function(unit)
+        expect.error_match(function()
+            unit:_field('hist_figure_id').ref_target = df.coord
+        end, 'builtin property or method')
+    end)
+end
+
+function test.set_non_primitive()
+    dfhack.with_temp_object(df.unit:new(), function(unit)
+        expect.error_match(function()
+            unit:_field('status').ref_target = df.coord
+        end, 'not found')
+    end)
+end