THE REALMS OF MYSTIC ADVENTURE
A guide for beginners
In ancient times the land of Mystic was a swirling sea of chaos, known only to the Triumvirate. From the minds of the mighty Implementors Keops, Sphynx, and Cobra, the world sprang forth, and the chaos condensed into water, earth, fire, air, and lightning. Cobra created a ruler for each of these realms, and set them to work molding the many lands of Mystic. Sphynx gazed upon all of Mystic, and created a network of roads to aid the rulers in their work. With one mighty hand, Keops scooped up a fistful of the chaos, and tossed it to the ground where it became a myriad of mystical creatures to inhabit the lands.
Unfortunately, the Three were not alone in their land, and others of equal stature stirred in their sleep. The Ancient's woke and saw what the Triumvirate were doing. Angered by the actions of the Three, they allied with each other. Zeus lead his minions to a high mountain top, which he named Olympus, and plagued the Three with an army of heavenly bodies. Phalse, Lord Bane, and the other Ancients scattered about the new land to attack from all sides. Of all the old gods, only Primus refused to join either side, and merely watched the great battle in eerie silence.
A thousand year war ensued, in which magical creatures were created to do battle for the gods and Imps. The Three created a whole host of creatures known as dinosaurs to fight the gods. T-Rex led many victorious battles, but fell before the hideous monsters known as Slicers. Created by the Ancients, the Slicers were undefeatable, and it looked as though the Three would fall. But, with one last effort, a mighty spell was cast by the Three, and mortals entered the realm for the first time. The mortals proved to be more formidable then anticipated, not subject to the limits of magical creatures. Some mortals fought for the old gods, but most fought for the Imps.
The old gods fell before this new onslaught, and the Three punished them for their treachery. The Olympians were trapped in their city, locked forever in a single pose to face mortal heroes. The Ancients were imprisoned in a vile place created by Keops called the Scary Square. Only Primus, who remained neutral through the ordeal, was allowed to maintain his realm, Nirvana, as he saw fit. The mortals settled throughout Mystic, avoiding the areas where monsters from the Thousand Year War still wandered. The great cities of men grew from the rubble of the War. Shire came to be a great place of trade, second only to Midgaard as a center of civilization.
Five hundred years later, the present is here. Mortals have lived in peace, with each other and the other mystical creatures of the land. But now, the old gods are stirring once more, rising from the evil corners of the world to plague the cities of Man. Centering their efforts around the Shire, ranks of terrifying monsters lay siege to the realm. The Imps prepare for the inevitable onslaught and have added another Implementor to their ranks: Wimp, the Creator of Beer. In addition, those mortals who have proved to be loyal have been made immortal, to exact the rule of the Imps. Led by Stew the Denier, the new gods watch over the land.
The time of Heroes is nigh.
-From the Ballad of Mystic, translated by ???????????
SHORTLY ABOUT MUDs
MUD - Multi User Dungeon - is a computer simulation in which the players assume the roles of other beings (most often fantasy) and roam a world in order to solve puzzles, defeat monsters or simply meet and chat with other people.
The MUD server is run on a UNIX machine somewhere in the world, and the players login using telnet. They get text information about where there are and what they see and control the character by typing in certain commands. Just like the somewhat old text adventures. There is however a big difference - you are not alone. You can meet and interact not only with computer characters but with living people.
There are several kinds of MUDs. Some are socially oriented; there the players talk about stuff and seldom fight. And then there are the combat oriented where the prime goal is to defeat monsters and solve puzzles in order to gain experience and eventually become immortal. Mystic Adventure is such a MUD. This guide is especially intended to be used with Mystic Adventure. However, most MUDs have the same commands and basic principles, so once you have mastered Mystic Adventure, you can try other MUDs. The chances are, however, that Mystic Adventure will captivate you and take all of your time...
To use this guide most optimally, I suggest that you print it out or have some other method of reading it as you are playing. You may want to read this through once, then play, then read again.
MYSTIC ADVENTURE
Mystic Adventure is set in a world of fantasy. You are an adventurer trying to make it big by exploring the world, defeating monsters, and solving puzzles.
The world is a very large one. Many cities to visit, many people to see. I suggest to take it one step at a time. Read everything you can before asking someone for help. You will receive help faster if you help for yourself first.
The setting for Mystic Adventures is a fantasy one. Magic is common and it is normal to carry magical items - items enchanted so they perform better than normal or help you in some other way (like an enchanted sword, which does more damage or glasses that increase your mental prowess).
There are several levels of people in Mystic Adventure (this holds true for most MUDs):
Mortals - you and other Players.Heroes- These are Mortals who have shown excellence in the game. If you ask them for advice they will most likely help you. This status is only achievable if the player is promoted by an Implementor.
Immortals - These are people who control the game itself. They have shown great knowledge throughout their playing years and have earned the status. You can only reach immortal status if the existing Immortals agree that you are worthy of the job. Immortal levels are
Not all Immortals can do all immortal commands. If you need something specific, your best bet is to start with the highest imm you see on...they'll tell you if they can help you.10015 = Implementor
10014 = Founder
10013 = Vizier
10012 = Creator
10011 = Vargamor
10010 = God of Air
10009 = God of Light
10008 = Demi-God
10007 = Daemon
10006 = Archangel
10005 = Angel
10004 = Avatar
10004 = Immortal
10002 = Prophet
10001 = Honorary Imm
HOW TO START
It is really quite simple. Just type the following at the UNIX prompt:
telnet mystic-adventure.org 4000 orand the computer tries to connect to the MUD. If it says 'unknown host', check your spelling. If the problem persists try to contact your administrator. If telnet returns an `host refused connection' error, it probably means the MUD is temporarily down. Try again in a few minutes.
telnet mystic-adventure.org 5000
On different types of machines, the method for logging in is a little different. Most computers have a telnet client, which you would run after you have logged in to the internet. Once the program is running, you would enter the address to the mud somewhere in a menu. On a standard Windows 95 machine, for example, you'd run the telnet application, pull down the 'Connect' menu, and choose 'Remote System...' The menu that displays would be filled in with the mud address and port (4000 is an example of the port).
The Mystic Adventure requires your terminal to have ANSI emulation. If you do not have it you will know - the display will look all wrong.
After you see the Mystic Adventure title, you will be asked for your character's first name. Choose it carefully, as names hold great power. To better fit with the surroundings, you should choose a fantasy name and not a name like John or Danny. Do not use commonly known names of famous characters (Aladdin, Nero, Superman). Read the screen that explains the rules, and try your best to follow them, or you will be told to quit or to pick a new name (and an Imm can rename you if this is the case)..Do NOT include any spaces in the name! We prefer you make up a name that is all new, and somewhat medieval sounding if at all possible.
If you are asked for a password right away, it means someone else plays a character with that name. Just press RETURN. The mud will disconnect you, so start over from the beginning. If you chose a name that is not in use, the MUD will ask you for confirmation (Y/N). Then select your password. This is what you have to type next time you log in, so do not forget it
STATISTICS
After you retype your password, you have to choose what statistics your character will have. Before you do that, however, you should find out what class you want to be. Therefore, read the RACES and CLASSES chapters below before selecting the statistics.
You can now select your stats. Stats are numbers, measuring your character's attributes like Strength, Intelligence, Wisdom, Dexterity, Constitution and Luck Simply: the higher the better.
You can reroll as many times as you want, until you get a satisfying result. You should select a set with high stats that you need (for example STR for a Warrior, INT if a Mage etc.). WIS, however, is also a very important stat, as it affects the number of practice points your character will gain, and they are very important. Therefore, it is recommended that you take a WIS of at least 14 if possible.
STRENGTH is the physical power of your character. The higher your STR the more damage you do in combat and the heavier weapons you can use. It also affects the amount of weight you can carry in your inventory.Beginning statistics range from 8 or less (you should avoid a set of statistics that has a stat below 8) up to 18. These may be further modified by race (for example Trolls get a bonus to STR).INTELLIGENCE is the mental quickness of your character. High INT means that you will gain more *practice points* (about that later) and more Mana (the amount of magic your character can use) when you gain a level. INT also can affect the chances of a spell you cast being successful.
WISDOM also affects your Mana and greatly affects the number of practice points you get when you gain a level.
DEXTERITY is agility and speed. It affects the chances of dodging a blow (which shows up as a better armor class) as well as the chances of hitting an opponent or fleeing a fight.
CONSTITUTION is your character's physical sturdiness. It affects the number of Hit Points (the amount of pain your character can take) you gain when you raise a level.
LUCK is just that - a measure of your luck. This has small effects on other aspects of the game, whether a spell succeeds, your chances of landing a blow...the effect is small, but sometimes every little bit helps.
The maximum for your primary stat is 25 (STR for Warriors, INT for Mages etc.) and 22 for all other stats (these will generally be reached only with magical equipment). Please note, however, that the statistics are not linear; a STR of 18 is not just double as much as a STR 9, but many, many times more. You will have the option later to increase your stats to a point, using some of your practice points. (This is just an example, as Giant is no longer a race available...see the complete list below.)
RACES
Next you select a race. In the fantasy world of Mystic Adventure, there are other races than humans, some better suited for certain purposes. Remember that the race and class should fit together. A Giant mage would be possible, but would perform poorly, as Giants recover mana slowly and have penalties to INT and WIS.
Below is a description of the various races you can choose from, followed by a table with a bunch of statistics for each race. As a beginner, they will probably confuse you. You can see, though, the precise advantages and disadvantages of each race. If you like number-crunching, go ahead.
Humans:
Humans were the first of the God's races. Designed to be the guardians of the realm, they proudly served their masters, generation after generation.Elves:All was fine for what seemed an eternity, but then came the uprising... Humans were no longer happy being the guardians, they wanted to be gods and brought war against their masters. The gods, in a fury that has yet to have an equal, almost unmade the traitors. Instead they did worse....
Allowing the humans to live, they removed all special abilities, mental and physical alike. Leaving the humans average in every aspect having no advantage over another race, but no disadvantages either.
Despite their mediocrity, humans were one of the races that survived the cataclysm.
Elven agility and intelligence is legendary amongst all the known races, and their magical abilities are rivaled by none, with the possible exception of the halfling race...although that is a matter of some great debate... Elves are also rumored to be very long lived, and that coupled with their centuries-old society also tends to instill in them greater wisdom than most of the races. Also, the long time they spend in the woodlands imbues then with special abilities in stealth and the ability to see creatures in light that other races would be effectively blind in.Dwarves:Because of the seeming advantages that elves hold over other races in some arenas, a certain amount of rivalry has developed. This is noticeable in some of the armor and weapons created by some races, which is specially made to dampen the mana available to a spellcaster who wears them.
Elves seem to have survived the cataclysm in quite large numbers, although they have been altered in some instances since that time. This is seen in the wide variety of sub-race elves that now exist.
Dwarves are a short, slow and not incredibly bright race. They have become superior in strength and stamina compared to most of the other races, due to their history of working in the eastern mines. Generations of that work has also developed the Dwarven ability to see heat sources in the darkness of their tunnels. This helps when trying to find someone or defending their underground homes against invading predators.Giants:Much like the elves, the dwarves were splintered as a race during the cataclysm, and now several sub-races exist, some having substantially different characteristics.
Giants, during the time of humans, being the guardians of the realm, were servants and laborers. The strongest of all existing races, giants possess enormous stamina. This compensates for being slow and dim-witted. They also possess less magical ability than most other races, although many Giants have still become successful users of magic.Halflings:Giants, for the most part, did not survive the cataclysm. A true-blood giant has yet to be seen anywhere in Mystic Adventure of late. However, there are tales told by some who have studied the races implying that several of the new races seen in the lands may be distant, altered varieties of the giantish survivors. Trolls, gnolls, and ogres have all claimed to be, or been accused of being, the descendants of the lost race of giants.
Halflings true ancestry has been diluted so much that you cannot tell their true heritage. Not incredibly strong but very quick, these tiny people are attracted to gold. Endowed with the ability to detect evil, they can tell if someone is possibly lying. They are also adept in the ways of magic, although they tend to be less successful at it than other races.Orcs:
The origin of the orc race is clouded in mystery. They have existed in the world as far back as any can recall, although in the time before the cataclysm, no pure-blood orcs were ever known to mix with the other races, although a few adventurers of mixed orc heritage were known to travel the lands and accompany travelers of other races.Gnomes:Curiously, orcs are similar to dwarves in stamina, strength and speed. A lifetime of raiding near the elven forests have given them the ability to detect magic. This helps them determine the value of items that they may have looted.
Gnomes are a smaller cousin of dwarves, typically highly intelligent but weak. Depending on their profession, their slight build and low strength are well offset by their wisdom and intelligence.Minotaur:As with many of the other post-cataclysm races, the gnomes seem to come from varied stock, and depending on the particular background of the sub-race, they may have developed innate abilities to overcome their size, such as the ability to detect hidden creatures, or to hide and sneak well in order to avoid detection.
Minotaurs are an odd mixture of equine and human stock. The individual minotaur sub-races developed in completely different settings, so they now have little in common.Merfolk:
Merfolk are similar to humans but live beneath the water and possess water breath, the ability to breath underwater. In all other ways, they are unremarkable.Ogres:
This typically evil race possesses great strength and stamina at the expense of any sizable intelligence. Various ogre races exist, including a variety that has adapted to living under water as well as on land.Orcs:
Like Ogres, Orcs are a strong, dumb, and inherently evil race. The varieties of orc have developed a few innate abilities, some of which are unique to the orcs, and there is even a sub-race that has developed the ability to fly.Sprites:
Sprites are small woodland creatures, possessing high wisdom and low strength. They are typically of good alignment. Most varieties have the ability to fly, and one is even known to be able to breathe under water.Trolls:Sprites are inherently wise, usually intelligent beyond many other races, and particularly dexterous. They are generally quite good with magic as well.
Trolls are a very strong, evil race, with high strength and constitution. They regain health faster than normal, but are unable to flee from any battle.Giffs:The background of the troll race is unclear, but may possibly be related to the demise of the giants (see the race listing for giants). However this race came about, it has had to survive under greatly varied conditions, from arctic to desert settings, and even under water. Most trolls have a heightened ability to see in the dark as well.
Giffs are strong race, but little else is known of their origin. Prior to the cataclysm, nothing of their like was ever encountered. For some reason, they have an incredibly hard time learning new skills and spells.Gnolls:Giffs are rather hard to describe compared to other races, and the closest anyone has ever come to an accurate description was to say that they resemble what a hippo would look like if it decided to live on land and walk upright.
This evil race is comparable to humans, with slightly greater strength and lower intelligence on average. They are larger than humans, resembling orcs in many ways, although they seem to have some characteristics of other animals as well, at least in appearance.Lizard Men:There are rumors of a racial tie between the gnolls and the race of giants from before the cataclysm, but such stories are only rumors, and will most likely never be substantiated.
Lizard men are a wholly unremarkable race, with the notable exception that they strongly resemble lizards. Despite this exceptional difference, they have few innate advantages or disadvantages over humans.One possible clue to the origins of the lizard man race could be found in the fact that one particular sub-race has the ability to breathe water, possibly revealing a hint as to where this unique race was hiding during the reign of the prior races before the cataclysm.
Legend
(mod): Extra bonuses that are added (or subtracted) from the stats you rolled.
(lvl): Bonuses or penalties to the stats that you get increased when you level (hit points, mana, moves, practices)
(max): The highest you can train your stats to naturally (adding magical equipment can increase your stats more, up to 25 for your prime stat, and 22 for all others).
(p/t): Per Tick. The bonus or penalty to the amount you regenerate per tick.
c/m : Cost Mana. ie: bonus or penalty on the mana cost of spells
alig : Alignment restriction on character creation. During play one can be of any alignment, the choice you make is your starting align. (A=all, E=evil, N=neutral, G=good)
The rest is pretty much self-explanatory.
(this is best viewed in a font that has non-dependant spacing, such as courier or many of the terminal fonts)
RACE (mod)ST IN WI DE CO (lvl)hp man mov prac
c/m alig abilities
(max)ST IN WI DE CO
(p/t)hp man mov
======================================================================
HUMAN:
Human 0 0
0 0 0 0 0
0 0 0 A
(none)
22 22 22 22 22 0 0
0
Plainsmen 0 -1 -1 +1 +1
+1 -2 +2 -5 +15 A
(none)
22 21 21 22 22 +2 -5 +1
ELF:
Grey -1 +1 0 +1
-1 -2 +1 +1 0
-10 NG (infravision)
21 23 22 23 20 -4 +2 +1
Half-Elf -1 0 0 +1 0
0 0 +1 +5 0
A (infravision)
21 22 22 23 21 -1 0 +1
Wild +1 -1 0 +1
-1 0 -2 +1
0 +10 N (infravision)
23 21 22 23 20 0 -3 +2
Aquatic 0 0 0 +1 -1
-1 0 +1 +5 0
G (infra w.breath)
22 22 22 23 21 -2 0 +4
Drow 0 +1 +1 +1
-2 -3 +3 +2 0
-15 E (infravision)
22 23 23 23 20 -5 +5 +3
High -1 +1 +1 +1 -1
-1 0 +1 +5 -5
G (infravision)
21 23 23 23 20 -2 0 +3
Avariel -1 0 +1 +1 -1
-3 +1 +5 -10 0
G (infra -fly)
21 22 23 23 20 -3 +2 +10
DWARF:
Hill 0 0
0 0 +2 +2 -2 -5 +5
+15 NG (infravision)
23 22 22 22 24 +3 -5 +5
Mountain 0 -1 0 0 +2
+5 -2 -5 0 +15 NG
(infravision)
23 22 22 22 24 +6 -7 +5
Derro 0 0
0 +2 +1 +1 -3 -1 -10
+20 E (infravision)
22 22 22 24 24 +3 -8 +3
Duergar 0 0 +1 0 +1
+1 -1 -1 -5 +5 VE
(infra)(enlarge)
22 22 23 22 24 +3 -5 +3
Gully -2 -5 -3 +6 +1
+1 -8 0 -70 +40 A
(none)
20 17 19 25 24 +2 -10 0
GNOME:
Rock -1 +1 0 +1
-1 -1 +1 +3 0
0 NG (none)
20 22 22 23 22 -2 +2 +3
Svirfneblin -1 0 +1 +1 0
0 0 +8 -10 0
G (infra)(d.hid)
20 22 23 23 22 0 +1 +8
Tinker -1 +1 0 +1 -1
-1 +1 +3 -5 0
NG (infravision)
20 22 22 23 22 -2 +2 +3
Forest -2 +1 +1 0 0
0 +2 +1 0 -5
NG (sneak-hide)
19 23 23 22 22 0 +4 +2
HALFLING:
Hairfoot -1 0 0 +2 0
0 0 0 -5 -5
G (detect evil)
21 22 22 24 22 0 +2
0
Tallfellow 0 0 0 +2 0
0 0 0 -10 +10
G (detect evil)
22 22 22 24 22 +1 0
0
Stout -1 0 +1 +2
0 -1 0 0
0 0 G (det
evil-infra)
21 22 23 24 22 -2 +1 0
Brownie -2 +2 +1 +2 -2
-4 +4 -9 -20 -5 VG
(prot evil)
20 24 23 24 20 -4 +7 -9
MERFOLK:
River 0 0
0 0 0 0 0
0 -15 0 A (w.breath)
22 22 22 22 22 0 0
0
Saltwater +1 -1 -1 +1 0
0 0 0 -15 +10
A (w.breath)
23 21 21 23 22 0 -3
0
MINOTAUR:
Minotaur +2 -2 +1 -2 0
0 -1 +5 +5 +5
E (none)
24 19 23 22 22 0 -3 +5
Satyr 0 +1 +1 -1 +1
+1 +1 +5 -20 0
N (infravision)
22 23 23 21 23 +2 +2 +5
OGRE:
Ogre +3 -4 -3 -3 +1
+1 -4 -2 +5 +35 E
(none)
25 19 19 19 23 +2 -8 -4
Merrow +2 -3 -2 -2 +1
+3 -4 -3 +10 +20 E
(w.breath)
24 19 20 20 23 +5 -6 -8
Ogre Mage +1 -2 -1 -2 +2
+2 -1 -3 +10 +15 E
(none)
23 20 21 20 24 +3 -4 -5
Half-Ogre +2 -1 -1 -2 +1
+1 -1 -2 0 +30 EN
(none)
24 21 21 20 23 +2 -3 -1
Ogrillon +2 -3 -2 -3 +1
+2 -3 -2 +10 +20 E
(none)
24 19 20 19 23 +1 -5 -2
ORC:
Orc +1 -1 -1 -2
+1 +2 -1 -1 +5
+10 E (none)
23 21 21 20 23 +1 -2 -1
Orog +2 -1 -1 -2 +2
+4 -2 -1 -5 +20 E
(none)
24 21 21 20 24 +2 -4 -1
Half-Orc +1 0 0 -1 0
0 0 0 0
0 N (none)
23 22 22 21 22 +1 -1 0
Bugbear +2 -1 0 -2 +2
+3 -1 -5 -20 +15 E
(infravision)
24 21 22 20 24 +3 -3 -5
Goblin -1 -1 -1 -1 -1
-1 -1 0 +10 +5
E (call tribe)
21 21 21 21 21 -2 -2 0
Kobold -2 -2 -2 -2 -2
-2 -2 0 +30 +15 E
(call tribe)
20 20 20 20 20 -4 -4 0
Hobgoblin +1 +1 0 0 0
0 +1 0 -20 +15 E
(none)
23 23 22 22 22 0 +2
0
Urd -1 -1 -1 -2
-1 -1 -1 +10 +20
+5 E (fly-infra+x)
21 21 21 20 21 -2 -2 +10
SPRITE:
Sprite -2 0 +2 +1 0
0 0 +3 0 0
G (fly)
20 22 24 23 22 -2 +1 +3
Sea Sprite -2 0 +1 +1 -1
-1 +1 0 0 0
G (w.breath)
20 22 23 23 21 -4 +2 0
Pixie -2 +1 +1 +1 0
0 +1 +4 0 -5
G (fly)
20 23 23 23 22 -2 +2 +4
Nixie -2 0 +1 0
0 0 0 +2
0 0 G (fly)(w.breath)
20 22 23 22 22 -2 +1 +2
Dryad -3 +1 +2 +1 +1
+1 +1 0 -15 -5
G (charm monster)
19 23 24 23 23 0 +2
0
TROLL:
Troll +2 -2 -2 -2 +3
+5 -5 0 -10 +10 E
(infra)(noflee)
24 20 20 20 25 +12 -8 0
Ettin +2 -1 -2 -1 +1
+2 -4 0 -10 +10 E
(infra)(no flee)
24 20 20 20 23 +6 -5 0
Water +1 -2 -2 0 +2
+3 -6 0 -15 +15 E
(no flee)(w.brea)
23 20 20 22 24 +7 -8 0
Desert +1 -2 -1 -3 +4
+8 -5 0 -10 +10 E
(no flee)
23 20 21 19 25 +16 -8 0
Giant +4 -3 -2 -1 +1
+3 -9 0 -20 +35 E
(infra)(no flee)
25 19 20 21 23 +8 -10 0
Ice +1 -1
0 -1 +1 +2 +3 0 -5
+5 E (no flee)
23 21 22 21 23 +6 +5 0
GIFF:
Giff +4 0
0 0 0 0 0
0 -55 0 N (none)
25 22 22 22 22 0 0
0
GNOLL:
Gnoll +1 -1 0 0
0 0 0 0
0 0 E (none)
23 21 22 22 22 0 0
0
Flind +2 0 0 -1
0 0 0 0 -10
0 E (none)
24 22 22 21 22 -4 -4 -4
LIZARD MAN:
Lizard Man 0 -1 0 0 +1
+2 0 0 0
0 N (none)
22 21 22 22 23 +3 +1 -4
Triton +1 -1 +1 0 -1
-1 0 0 +10 +5
E (w.breath)
23 21 23 22 21 -2 0 -2
Troglodyte 0 -1 +2 0 -1
-2 0 0 +15 -5
E (none)
22 21 24 22 21 -1 +3 0
CLASSES
There are many classes on Mystic Adventure. The differences between the classes are not always as great as you think. In the beginning, there were 4 basic classes: Fighter, Mage, Thief and Cleric. Most of the classes are mixes between two of them, some few are new. The `pure' classes are more powerful, but more specialized, generally....you will have to find out for yourself.
It is hard to choose, but do not despair. It would be best if you chose a class that fits your personality. If you are mischievous, pick a thief. If you are big and outspoken, pick a warrior. And so on...You can always start over again with a new character. The easiest characters to play for new mudders are perhaps Fighter characters as they depend almost exclusively on weapons. Mages, however, have to use spells in order to survive, and other classes have their own special qualities.
The classes available are:
Mage- A mage is a spellcaster, knowledged in the ways of spells during combat. They have very powerful spells but a very weak attack using weapons. Mages' prime stat is IntelligenceCleric- A cleric is also a spellcaster. They are very different from mages though. Clerics are knowledgeable in the ways of healing and protection. Clerics' prime stat is Wisdom
Thief- Thieves are just that, thieves. They are skilled in the art of camouflage and assassination. They also know how to make powerful poisons (more on that later). Thieves' prime stat is Dexterity.
Warrior- Warriors are a big and tough. They are skilled in the art of combat using physical attacks. They charge into any battle without fear. They cannot, however, use any kind of scroll, wand, staff, etc. Warriors' prime stat is Strength.
Caster- A Caster is a mixture of 2/3 Mage and 1/3 thief. They are skilled in spells of the elementals. They can control the weather and the wind. Casters' prime stat is Intelligence.
Adept- An Adept is a mixture of 2/3 Cleric and 1/3 Mage. Adepts are skilled in healing and travel. They have many damaging spells which makes them a threat to any foe. They are also master scroll makers. Adepts' prime stat is Wisdom
Druid- A Druid is a mixture of 2/3 Mage and 1/3 Cleric. Like their counterpart, Adept, they are also skilled in healing. They have many protection spells and can also do a lot of damage. Unlike the Adept, they know how to brew potions instead of scrolls. Druids' prime stat is Intelligence.
Warlock- A Warlock is a mixture of 2/3 Warrior and 1/3 Mage. Warlocks are skilled in the ways of physical combat, but unlike the Warrior they picked up a few books and read. Since they have knowledge, they can cast many useful spells. Warlocks' prime stat is Strength.
Warlord- A Warlord is a mixture of 2/3 Mage and 1/3 Warrior. Warlords are skilled in combat with both physical attacks and spell attacks. They also have many useful spells that allow them to charm many monsters. Warlords' prime stat is Intelligence
Brigand- A Brigand is a mixture of 2/3 Thief and 1/3 Mage. Brigands are rogues who dabble a bit in the Arcane Magics. In this sense they have some things in common with Casters, but whereas the Caster is mainly focused on their spells, Brigands use their thieving skills. Brigands have some great skills of their own. A Brigands' prime stat is dexterity.
Crusader- A Crusader is a mixture of 2/3 Cleric and 1/3 Warrior. Crusaders are Warrior-Clerics. They roam the world to spread their beliefs, if need be at the point of their swords. As a specialized Cleric they have some healing and protection magic, but they have considerate physical combat abilities as well. Crusaders also have the ability to make strong magical armor and weapons, which last for a certain period. A Crusaders' prime stat is wisdom.
Mercenary- Mercenary is a mixture of 2/3 Warrior and 1/3 Thief. Mercenaries are Warriors that roam the lands of Mystic fighting for whatever side pays them more. In their travels the Mercenary has picked up quite a few thieving skills as well as developing quite a few of their own unique skills (ambush, rage, lure, etc). Although Mercenaries don't tend to hit as hard as a true Warrior, they have enough additional utilities and unique skills to make them a fun class to play. A Mercenary's prime stat is strength.
Samurai- Samurai is a mixture of 2/3 Warrior and 1/3 Cleric. Samurais are a very unique class. They have unique skills such as; backflip, towa sampai, arakari. Samurais' prime stat is Strength.
Bandit- Bandit is a mixture of 2/3 Thief and 1/3 Cleric. Bandits are skilled in the ways of healing and assassination. Bandit is a very complete class. Bandits' prime stat is Dexterity.
Native- Natives are best described as Warriors of nature. Apart from considerate physical fighting skills, they have a lot of special Native skills. They are excellent food gatherers and fletchers (arrow-makers), for instance. Natives are a new, very special class on Mystic Adventure. A Natives' prime stat is dexterity.
Priest- Priest is a mixture of 2/3 Cleric and 1/3 Thief. Priests are skilled in the ways of healing and thievery. Priests also have many utility spells. Priests' prime stat is Wisdom.
Psionicists- The PSIONICIST class is a 'spellcasting' class similar to Mages and Clerics, but with several important differences. Where a Mage's power comes from harnessing external energies present in all matter, and a Cleric's comes from his or her deity, the Psionicist derives all of his or her power from within. The Psionicist harnesses, shapes, and utilizes the natural forces which infuse his or her own being. As a result, many of the devotions that a Psionicist can practice are strictly personal in effect, and cannot be used on other players. Psionicists' prime stat is Intelligence.
EXPLORING THE WORLD
Ok, You have your character. Now what do you do? Well...Here are some commands to help you start off. Type "help config" , "help newbie", "help rules", "help rules2". To turn off any channels type channel -(the name of the channel). Ex.. channel - chat , channel -emergency.
Now you are ready to explore the world. When you start you see a description of your location - the entrance to MUD school. Below, is the prompt that serves the same function as the UNIX prompt - to tell you that the system is ready for your command and to give you some information (HP, Mana etc.).
Each location has up to 6 other location it is connected with. They are always so in 6 directions: North, South, West, East, Up and Down. From the MUD School entrance you can go North, Up, Down and South.
You can type the full word, for example North, or only a part of the word like N. When you type the location, your character will go there, if possible. Then you will get a new description.
One very useful movement command is RECALL. Typing recall will take you back to your home temple (what city your temple is set to depends on the race you select in part). It is useful if you for some reason are stuck or about to die in a far-away place. After having recalled, you can rest safely in the temple. You lose some XP by recalling from battle, more than if you fled.
Another very important command is LOOK. Try typing LOOK SIGN. You will get instructions on what to do now. Look can be abbreviated to L. Please note that you can use both upper and lower case, it does not matter. It is, however, best to type in proper case (i.e. starting sentences with big letters etc.) when talking to others; typing in uppercase only is considered shouting.
Another command good to remember is SCAN You will find out what monsters or characters are in the locations near yours.
To start out, read each room description, look at anything you're directed to, and follow all the instructions. You'll start out going north...keep going until you've gone through it all. Again, READ ALL THE SIGNS! Once you have finished mud school you will have a basic idea of the game.
Here are the good places to go as a "newbie":
1) Mystic Academy: suggested levels 1-5
a) This is the area where all new players
start.
b) Read all the signs in this area to
get a basic understanding of mud
commands.
c) Mobs in this area: easy monsters,
a creature, and the diploma beast.
d) There is a quest built into this
area...once you have gained a few
levels and are
a little more powerful, you can complete the quest and
receive a nice
prize. (HINT: you can complete the quest in the mud
school area,
including the training grounds...look around until you
find everything
you need.)
e) Items in this area: academy equipment
and the mud school diploma.
The diploma
is a +1 wis held item. Very nice for new players.
2) Training Arena: suggested levels 1-10
a) This area is south of Mystic Academy,
you must open a door to enter
it. It
can be reached by going south from the entrance to mud
school, or north
after killing the diploma beast.
b) Mobs in this area: snails, rabbits,
foxes, lizards, and boars.
3) Dungeon: suggested levels 8-15
a) This area is located under the arena
(which is south of mud school).
b) Mobs in this area: bears, wolves,
and a beast.
c) The beast is an aggressive monster.
4) Mud School 2: suggested levels 5-15
a) This area can be reached from just
a few rooms north of the entrance
to Mud School
– go east from Sphynx's Acolyte. Read, listen, etc.
b) Mud School teaches you the basics
of mudding, and Mud School 2 can
teach you a
lot about Mystic and the unique features we have.
5) Immortal Graveyard: suggested levels 5-20
a) This area is reached from the mud
school arena (where all the rabbits
and boars are),
you go north from the northwest corner of the arena.
b) This is a large and sometimes confusing
area, and there are mobs that
can cause you
problems...this would be a good place to practice
mapping.
A lot of good equipment for levels under 20 can be found
here.
You can also use the AREAS command to see a list of all areas, and levels which you should be in order to enter. Watch out for areas which span a large number of levels (like Nippon); one wrong move and you may end up somewhere very difficult. Always CONSIDER unknown enemies before attacking.
TEMPLES
On Mystic there are many temples spread across the land. Temples are cities that you go to when you recall. Your starting temple will be set when you first enter the game. You may only temple at areas that have the <*> in the name. To change temples just type temple in the room that has the <*> in the room name, then save.
THE HELP SYSTEM
There is help for almost every command in the game. Type HELP to see a list of help topics, and HELP <command> to get help to a specific command. This guide does not cover all of the commands, nor all possibilities. Certain exotic combinations have been left out to keep it as short as possible.
To see help on a spell type HELP <spellname> like HELP MAGIC MISSILE or HELP BLINK.
They are also a number of informational texts about other topics like DAMAGE and EXPERIENCE. Those can be seen at the bottom of the text that comes up when you type HELP.
FIGHTING
Fighting plays a major role in most DIKU/MERC muds. To start a fight the easiest technique is with the KILL command. Some skills allow you to start fights while others are only allowed during fight - the help files should inform you of their use. Something useful before fighting a new creature is to use the CONSIDER command which will give you a foggy perspective of your chances of winning or losing (this isn't always a useful command, however, as some mobs are aggressive and will attack you before you can decide if you want to fight or not...)
HEALING
You must heal when your hit points get low. The best way to heal at low levels is to sleep at the healers. Healers can be found at all temples very near where you recall to.
DEATH
Death is part of the game. Everyone dies. When you die your equipment is left behind in your corpse, and your corpse is left where you died. You have to go back to you corpse and get your equipment. To do this use the command: "get all corpse" then wear it by typing "wear all". Type "look in corpse" to make sure you got it all. Some equipment has "flags" that make them invisible. You must detect invisible to get invisible equipment, don't forget. Potions of 'see invisible' can be bought in town.
Your corpse will stay intact for about 20 minutes, and no one will be able to loot your corpse. You should make every effort to get back to it as soon as you can. After that time, your corpse will decay, and all your equipment will be left on the ground, where other players (and even some mobs) might pick it up. If things are a little too tough for you, use one of the channels to ask for help – there are a lot of helpful people around almost all of the time.
In the rare event that the mud crashes before you have a chance to get the equipment from your corpse, the game will still save everything, so the next time you log in, go back to where you died and retrieve your belongings.
LEVELS AND EXPERIENCE
Your character will gain Experience Points, XP, for defeating monsters. After you gain a certain number of XP (you can see the requirements by typing LEVEL) your character will gain a level. This means more Hit Points, Mana, etc. and practice points.
By typing SCORE (abbr.: SC) you can see your character's statistics.
Following is an explanation of some of what you'll see there...
HIT POINTS are the amount of punishment your character can take. Whenever you are hit by a monster, you lose some HP. They will regenerate over time...faster if you are resting, even more quickly when you are asleep. Sleeping near mobs isn't generally advised, you're better off heading home first.MOVE is how much you can walk around before you become tired and have to rest.
MANA is the magical energy your character possesses. All spells take a certain amount of Mana when cast. As with HP, they regenerate over time.
GOLD is the amount of money you have on you. You also have a bank account. You can see how much money you have there by typing ACCOUNT (abbr. ACC). See the map of Midgaard for the location of the Bank.
XP REQ is how many XP you have to earn before you gain a level.
AC - Armor Class, is how armored and protected your character is. The *lower* the better! AC can go from about +100 to -500.
TO-HIT is the bonus you get when attacking - it determines how often you will do damage to a foe during a fight. The higher the better.
DAMAGE is the bonus you get when you have hit and damaged your opponent. The higher the better.
(Note that the 2 above are not the complete numbers, but only bonuses.
For example a dagger may give between 1 and 4 points of damage, and a long
sword between 2 and 10. You do not see those numbers here. If you want,
you will have to identify the item, by either casting the spell or reading
a scroll with it on. You can also use the COMPARE command to compare two
weapons. Just type COMPARE sword to compare the weapon in your hand with
the sword in your inventory. You will be informed which of these is better.)
Every time you gain a level, you gain some practice points, as well as HP, movement points, and mana points. The practice points can be used on training your statistics with the trainer, or increasing your skills and spells. (You cannot train your spells or skills until you get to 3rd level.)
Please note that different statistics require different number of practices to train. Your primary attribute costs 120 practices, others 150.
PRACTICING SYSTEM
Mystic Adventure uses a practice system known throughout the diku/merc mud world. Each time a player gains a level he gets a certain amount of practices according to his/her wisdom and intelligence level. These practices give you the possibility to practice skills, spells and proficiencies.
When you will reach 3rd level, and can practice skills and spells. Go
to the Proficiencies room (in the mud school, near where you logged in)
or another mob and type first PRACTICE (short PRA). You will see the list
of spells and skills you can train in. Type HELP name to see what a give
spell or skill does - the list is far too long to give here.
The number of practices that a skill, spell or proficiency will cost can be seen using the PRAC or PROFI commands. Each time you practice one percent (%) it will be subtracted from your acquired amount of practices. You may practice by using "PRACTICE <name> <amount>" (see help practice). Also, be aware that to practice skills or proficiencies, or cast spells, of more than one word, you must enclose them in single quotes (i.e. PRAC 'MAGIC MISSILE' 25).
Some skills depend on other skills to be learned first. That means if you have learned the preceding skill, you will learn the one that depends on it easier (i.e. use less practices).
PROFICIENCIES
A proficiency is something you must learn to be good at. On MA, profis are mostly used for weapon skills. You may wield any weapon, but without the appropriate proficiency, it will be of no use to you.
Let's say you kill a mob and get a spear, then you identify the spear and discover that you need to know the 'spear' proficiency to use it. Nothing will prevent you from wielding that weapon right away, but to be able to hit something with it you need to be proficient with that type of weapon. If you think the weapon is of any use you can go to any guildmaster to learn that proficiency.
You can type PROFICIENCIES (abbr. PROF) to see the *weapon* skills (mostly) you can practice. Each weapon has a skill it depends on. Some weapons are easy to use, depending on the skill Normal (like gnarled staff, chamorro dagger or epee), some (most) are more complicated.
To train use:
PRA (or PROF) <skillname> <percentage>E.g. to use 40 PP on training short sword type
PROF 'short sword' 40to practice with the spell burning hands
PRA 'burning hands' 50Please note the quotations around skills/spells that have more than 1 word.
The maximum percentage is 85 - 95 depending on your class.
Note that the points you use for skills & spells are the same points you use for increasing stats. Therefore you have to carefully consider whether you want do: increase stats or skills. Remember that if you train, it pays off to train WIS, as this will give you more PP next level.
To see what proficiencies you will get, type PLIST. SLIST does the same, just for spells/skills. To look up a special skill or spell, type HELP name. You can also see skills for other classes, by typing SLIST (or PLIST) classes.
Please note that the practice and proficiency system here involves a LOT of exploration. No one mob will be able to teach you more than 25% of any given skill, and not all of the mobs that can teach you any skills will necessarily teach the one you are looking for. And you won't be able to tell what mobs can teach without trying. Many of the mobs that can teach you will be obvious (such as a thief teaching you to pick pockets), but some are not obvious. Explore, and try to practice at any mob you can, and in time you will learn.
EQUIPMENT
You can see what you carry around with you by typing INVENTORY (abbr. I).
If you type EQUIPMENT (abbr. EQ) you see what you have equipped, i.e. what you have put on (the weapon you are wielding, the armor you have on, whether you hold a lantern).
You cannot, however, use all equipment. All equipment has a level that the wearer must have in order to use it. You can carry equipment that has higher level than you do, but cannot use it. Note however, that if you QUIT with a piece of equipment on it which is more than a few levels higher than you, it will be lost. This is to prevent creation of character and using them for storing items. Also, some equipment, particularly magical equipment, may reject you because of your race or alignment, but for low-level players most equipment doesn't have that problem.
To take something out of a container, type GET <item> <container>, like GET SWORD BAG. Please note that Mystic Adventure does NOT allow words like the, from or to. Typing GET THE SWORD FROM THE BAG is not allowed! Use PUT to store items in containers (PUT SWORD BAG).
Corpses are containers, too. If you kill something, and it has some items, type GET ALL CORPSE to get everything from the corpse.
Here's a tricky one (which is important to know!): if there are more than 1 of something in a room or in your inventory, use a number and a dot in front of the name; e.g. GET 2.SWORD to get the second sword in a room, or GET ALL 2.CORPSE to get everything from the second corpse. Also if there is a bag in your inventory, and also one on the ground in the room, when you LOOK IN BAG, you will see the one on the ground.
Finally, to drop a piece of equipment, use the DROP command. You can DROP ALL. You can also DROP ALL.SWORD - this will drop all the swords you have. Please note that only things in your inventory are dropped - for something you are wearing, you will have to REMOVE first. Another variant of DROP command is DONATE - then the item is transferred to the Donation room, where others may find it and use it.
Equipment can be used in many ways. Most common is equipment that just has to be worn to be effective. You can EAT and DRINK food and drinks items, respectively. Scrolls can be activated by using the RECITE command.
CASTING SPELLS
Spells are the core ability of Clerics, Mages and Psionicists. Casting spells is really simple, just type CAST (or C) spellname, optionally followed by a target. Note that you just have to type enough of the spell to uniquely discern it from the others, not necessarily the whole word. This means you just have to type CAST MAG goblin to cast a magic missile at a goblin. If you leave out the target and the spell needs one, the spell will be cast on yourself if it is a beneficial one (like ARMOR or BLESS) and at the opponent if it is offensive (during a fight).
Whenever you cast a spell, the computer checks against your skill to see if you succeed. If you fail, you lose half of the amount of mana the spell costs. The spell costs gradually decreases as you gain levels. Likewise, the power of the spell increases - an ARMOR cast by a 10th level Mage will not last as long as one cast by a 90th level one.
SCROLL, STAFF, WAND
You use a scroll with the RECITE command. You use a staff with the BRANDISH command. You use a wand with the ZAP command. You must first HOLD a staff or wand.
NOTE: Pure warriors can't use any scroll, wand or staff.
Some of the above need a target as well, such as ZAP troll or RECITE SCROLL SWORD...it depends on what the spell is the item casts. Experiment.
POISONS
Mystic Adventure has a powerful poison system for thieves and semi-thieves that allows them to be competitive. Some of the classes poison their weapons to poison mobs during fights. Poisoned weapons are not permanently poisonous, but they can still be very useful. Other poisons are used in other ways...
Information on poisons, their recipe or where to find ingredients is mostly learned through the help of others or by using the LISTEN command throughout the world.
If you encounter a skill in a thieves SLIST that isn't documented in the help files, chances are it is a poison.
ADVENTURING TOGETHER
You will find that it pays off to travel together. You can buy a pet at the Pet Shop (see map) but a human friend is usually much better. You have to use the FOLLOW and GROUP commands to group with someone. Check on-line help for details.
You will generally want to group with people near your own level, so that the experience you receive is split evenly between you. You may not be able to group with everyone due to certain restrictions...more info will be available on the mud, or ask another player.
The experience received by each of the group members will vary according to the ratio of their level to those of their fellow companions. This is to prevent a level 5 character grouped with a level 80 to get too much experience too easily. If the level 80 character kills a level 60 mob surely the level 5 one didn't do much in the fight, so he doesn't deserve that much experience.
In order to promote grouping, and the social aspects of the mud, there is a 10% bonus to the experience you gain if you are grouped during the fight. You will find, especially as you get higher in level, there are mobs that may have equipment you want that you can't kill by yourself. Cooperation, and careful planning, may be the only way to gather such special treasures.
ETIQUETTE
Here is some advice on common etiquette:
Both player killing and player stealing are not allowed on MA. The game has been coded to prevent direct killing and stealing from players, but even should you be able to find a way around the code, you could still find yourself in trouble From time to time a God will initiate a BATTLE, where players ARE allowed to fight each other. See the BATTLEFIELD section below, or type HELP BATTLE for more information.
Be kind and helpful to other players, especially those less experience than you. Many higher level players are very often helpful, too. If you reach a higher level, remember back to the time you were low level, and help those who are low level!
You should not FOLLOW people around without their permission.
You should not YELL or SHOUT unnecessarily (YELL sends a message to anyone in the same area you are in, and SHOUT sends the message to everyone).
If you constantly behave in an annoying manner to others, you may find that you cannot access this MUD any longer.
On the other hand, remember you are free. A new person. Other players cannot see who you really are. Only gods are able to discern your true identity and they are not likely to reveal it.
Also, it is perfectly OK to own more than one character - if you are tired of you current one, just start a new one - and go back to the other later. Playing two characters at the same time however is not allowed. If you are caught playing two characters at once, the Imms will exact a harsh penalty, up to and including the loss of your characters. The one exception to this is that you are allowed to have two characters at your temple city recall (or in the mud school) to exchange equipment. But before one character can be moved from there, you must quit the other character. Talk to an Imm if you are unsure of this policy.
A yellow aura will appear on protected mobs. Those mobs are considered essential to the playing and enjoyment of Mystic Adventure. Here are some things prohibited on such mobs:
Trying to charm them
Trying to memorize them
Giving them ANY items
Acting in their room in such a way that could kill them or hurt them in any way.
Any offensive action against them.
Trying to summon them out of their usual place.
Doing anything that would alter their current presence in the room.
Trying to kill them.
COMMUNICATION AND INTERACTION
The most basic command is SAY. You can type SAY Hello! and everyone in the current room will hear you say that. You can use the quotation mark ' instead of SAY, for example 'hello.
If you only want a specific person to hear what you say, use TELL. E.g. TELL CONAN How do you do?.
If you are grouped with other players, you can use GTELL. GTELL Lets go north! will tell that to the group. Semicolon ; is an abbreviation for GTELL.
Then there are the social commands. Socials are there as a shortcut for someone to express his feelings or attitude. Socials are commands like SMILE or HELLO that do something, but have no real effect. They are worth using, however. It makes the game more fun for everyone. Socials make mudding much more interesting...The most commonly used social commands are: SMILE, HELLO (to greet someone, like HELLO Conan), BOW, HUG, BYE, LAUGH, SING, HI5 (to give some the high five) and CLAP. Some socials accept character names as arguments while others don't. Type SOCIAL to get a list of all the socials.
If you want to be more social, you also might want to get a description. Type HELP DESCRIPTION for more help about this useful feature. The character's description is shown whenever you LOOK at them.
CHANNELS
Mystic Adventure uses the channel system found in the original Diku/Merc
code. That system allows for players to be able to turn on or off the channels
of their choice. Here is a brief explanation of the use of each channel:
CHAT English channel used to talk about anything.If you want to find out if there are any immortals on (they do not necessarily show up when you type WHO) just PRAY and ask. Do NOT use CHAT for that! To see a list of the immortals that are online and not invisible, type WHO IMM.
FRANCO French channel, like CHAT.
DUTCH Dutch channel, like CHAT.
DANISH Danish channel, like CHAT.
SPANISH Spanish channel, like CHAT.
NEWBIE For new player help, advice, etc.
MUSIC In case you feel like singing
GRATS For congratulating people
YELL Yelling will transmit your message to everyone in the ->AREA<-
SHOUT Shouting will transmit your message to everyone in the ->MUD<-
QUESTION Used to ask questions.
ANSWER Answers to the QUESTION channel.
AUCTION This is the channel where the information on current auction is
transmitted.
INFO This is the channel where you see who dies and who gains a level.
TRIVIA This is the channel gods use to run certain games and contests.
RUNNER This channel transmits messages used in Running Man, one of the
games played occasionally.
BATTLE This is the channel used to transmit every message concerning the
battlefield.EMERGENCY (or 911) This is the channel is used for emergencies only. It is used when you die and need to get back to your corpse and do not know how or will have a hard time. THIS CHANNEL IS FOR EMERGENCIES ONLY. Abusers of this channel maybe jailed.
PRAY This is ONLY to be used if you have something important to say. Whatever you type after PRAY is sent out to a special channel, heard by only Gods. Do not PRAY if you think someone else may help you (a typical situation where you might want to pray if something is _terribly_ wrong with the game or there is some abuse being done by another player). Try using QUESTION first. If you see a bug or alike in the game use the commands BUG, TYPO (if something is misspelled in the description) and IDEA (if you have one).. Check on-line help for more help about these.
NOTES
MA also has a kind of mail system. Type HELP NOTE for more information. If you write a note, write to ALL to send it to all characters. If you just type a name of a certain character, the note can only be seen by him. you can also address the notes to HERO to have only people level 100+ see it, to IMM for just the immortals, or to IMP to for just the highest Imms
BATTLEFIELD
The battlefield system is not the first in its genre. MA's battlefield allows players to fight against each other without encountering any penalty. Only imms (level 10001+) are allowed to open a battle. In the battlefield is the ONLY place you are allowed to attack other players. To enter the battlefield once it is opened all you need to do is type BATTLE. Doing this will transport you to a room where you can prepare yourself to fight. When the gods start the battle, you will be teleported into the battle area randomly. From there you can race to kill someone (or run a lot to avoid being killed). You can use WHO BATTLE to see who is in the battlefield. You will not lose experience for dying, nor gain it for winning...battles are strictly for fun. When you are killed there, or the battle ends, you will be recalled back to your temple, and all your hip points and mana will be restored.
FOOD AND WATER
In a touch of reality, characters must sustain themselves by eating and drinking periodically. Heed the advice when you are prompted to do so, otherwise you will heal much more slowly.
BANKS
There are banks in the temple cities. To use the banks you need to know three commands: WITHDRAW, DEPOSIT and ACCOUNT. These command are self-explanatory. The ACCOUNT command can be used anywhere to know how much gold coins you have in your account.
AUCTION SYSTEM
The automated auction system used on MA is different from any other mud, although chances are others have copied us (maybe it was implemented elsewhere, we do not claim to be the first, but we haven't copied). The help on auction is very clear and states most of the details that are to be known about it...Take note that when you sell an item in AUCTION, THE COINS GO TO YOUR BANK ACCOUNT. If you have no account, AUCTION will create one for you and deposit your gains there.
To see the stats of an item on auction, type AUC (short for AUCTION). Look especially at level - if it is equal to or lower your level, it may be worth bidding on.
To bet on an item currently auction, just type BET amount, like BET 200. Note that your bet must be at least 100 gold higher than the last bet.
To auction something yourself, type AUC <item> <minimum bet>, e.g. AUC sword 200. Note that if no one bids at the sword, you will still lose it! 200 is in this case the opening bid. If you manage to sell something, it goes to your bank account, minus 20% which is taken by the Aucton Inc. you also need to purchase an auction token to place an item on auction, and those are available at various stores around the mud. Both the auction token and the item you wish to auction must be in your inventory (in other words, not being worn or in a container).
Some items cannot be auctioned ever, such as containers, drink containers, light sources, and anything that has been donated to the donation pits.
Do not bid on items that seem useful, but are 2 or more levels higher than you are. It will simply take too long time before you can use them, and you will probably be able to use the money on something more useful. And remember, if you quit, or if the mud crashes, nothing higher than your level + 2 will be saved, so you will lose it forever.
SHOPS
If you enter a room and there is a mob there with the SHOPKEEPER flag, you are in some kind of a shop. DO NOT attempt to kill that mob. There are different kinds of shops in different areas.
For all shops there are following commands:
LIST - to see what equipment is available. Note the level - you cannot use equipment with higher level than you are.BUY item - to buy a specific item. If there are two items with the same name, like two swords, you have two possibilities. Either use BUY 2.sword to buy the second sword or BUY 'short sword' to buy the short sword.
SELL item - sells the item, IF the owner of the shop wants it. Please note that you will not get to confirm this!!
VALUE item - asks the shop owner if he wants the item and if so, what he will give for it.
EQUIPNEMT REPAIRS
From time to time you will notice that the condition of your equipment will get worse, which can happen during a fight (you can see the condition of all items in your inventory when you type INVENTORY, and also the condition of the things you are wearing when you type EQUIPMENT). When that happens, locate a blacksmith, and he can repair things for you (for a fee, if the equipment is higher level). Typing REPAIR ALL will repair all the items you wear that need it, and typing REPAIR <item name> will repair an individual item in your inventory.
MAKING LIFE EASIER
There are certain commands that take care of the trivial things, like getting equipment and gold from the corpses of the monsters you have defeated.
Type:
AUTOEXIT - this will show all exits on 1 line every time you enter a room or look. Equivalent to typing EXITS every time.AUTOGOLD - every time YOU defeat a monster, you will take all its gold.
AUTOLOOT - as above, but all other items.
AUTOSAC - automatically sacrifice slain foes. If you use this, any equipment that was in the foe's corpse will be lost, unless you also have the AUTOLOOT switch on. USE THIS SPARINGLY, but for the first few levels, it can make things a lot easier.
AUTOSPLIT - automatically splits gold between everyone in your group (if any).
WIMPY - to flee automatically, once you reach 20% of your HP. If you want to flee at a different HPs, use WIMPY hp, for example WIMPY 40. Note that not all races are allowed to flee.
There is also the prompt. As it is now, it contains some stuff you
may not need. Type HELP PROMPT to see the possibilities.
PROMPT <%h/%H %O> This gives a result like this:
<399/455 56%>
Your current/maximum HP, and then the percentage of HP my opponent
has left.
PROMPT <%h/%Hhp %v/%Vmov %m/%MMan Opponent: %O Leader:
%L > This gives
<399/455hp 275/850mov 500/500man
Opponent: 50% Leader: 82% >
or, your current/maximum hip points, move, mana, the % of hit points
your opponent has, and the % of hp the leader of your group (or your %,
if you're not grouped).
ALIASes are new feature, although an extremely useful one. Type
ALIAS aliasname command
to create an alias. From then on, every time you type <aliasname>, you execute the commands, like ALIAS owo ORDER WOLF KILL HOBGOBLIN. Type HELP ALIAS for more information. NOTE: Aliases use memory, so do not overuse them!
To remove an alias, type ALIAS <aliasname> with no command after.
If you can start an UNIX shell on your system (most can) you can use a client, like Tintin++. A client is a program which helps you play the MUD - you can define actions to be taken when something happens, and aliases which are more advanced than those in the MUD. E.g. my Tintin automatically send commands to take out a bread from a bag and eat it, whenever I get hungry. There are other clients for other systems...ask around, the players all have their favorites.
COMMAND SUMMARY
<dir> direction
<cnt> container
<crt> creature (both a monster as well as other characters)
Notice that commands like SNEAK, HIDE, CIRCLE, RESCUE etc. have to be practiced in order to be effective - not all classes have those abilities.
Command Shortcut Function
Movement etc.
N,E,S,W,U,D
Go North, East, South, West, Up or Down
HIDE
Hide in a location, so people cannot see you
OPEN <dir>
Open a door
SAVE
Just save your character
SNEAK
Attempt to walk around without being notice
QUIT
Save your character and disconnect
UNLOCK <dir>
Unlock a door (you have to have the key!)
Communication
ANSWER text
Answer a question someone asked
CHAT text .
Say something in the chat channel
FOLLOW <crt>
Follow someone around
GROUP <crt>
Put someone that follows you into your group
REPLY text
TELL text to the last character that used TELL on you
ORDER <crt> text Make crt
do something (usually your pet)
QUESTION text
Ask a question
SAY text
Say something to everyone present in the room
SHOUT text
Shout to everyone awake in the game
YELL text
Yell to everyone awake in the area
EMERGENCY text
Emergencies only
Combat (partial listing only)
BACKSTAB <crt> BS A thief ability,
causes thief to cause a lot of damage
to an unsuspecting monster
CAST <spell>
Cast a certain spell (may require a target as well
CIRCLE <crt>
A thief ability to strike a mob causing more damage
CONSIDER <crt>
Find out how tough your may-be opponent is
FLEE
Flee from combat
KILL <crt>
Attack a creature until it dies
RESCUE <crt>
Attack whoever is attacking crt
Items
DRINK item
Drink
DROP item
Drop item on the floor
EAT item
Eat
EQUIPMENT EQ
List of what you have on
GET item
Get item from the floor
GET item <cnt>
Get item from container
INVENTORY
List of items in your backpack
PUT item <cnt>
Put item into a container
RECITE scroll
Read a scroll
WEAR item
Put on item
WIELD item
Equip a weapon
Information
LEVEL
Check the XP needed for your different levels
LOOK <item>
Look at anything
PLIST
The weapon skills for your class
PLIST <class>
The weapon skills for any class
REPORT
Show your HP, Mana etc. to everyone in room
SCAN
Look in every direction to see who's there
SCORE
Your stats etc.
SLIST
All the spells for your class
SLIST <class>
All the spells for any class
SPELLS
List of your spells and their cost
WHO
Get a list of players on-line
WHO <class>
Get a list of players on-line in a certain class
WHOIS <crt>
Find out more about a certain player
WIZLIST
The list of the makers of the game
Social (most of these can me used by themselves for a generic action (such as saying HELLO the whole room) or with a person's name to direct it at that person specifically (SMILE <person> to smile at him/her)
BYE <crt>
Say good-bye to someone
CLAP <crt>
Applause
HELLO <crt>
Greet someone
HI5 <crt>
High-five someone
HUG <crt>
Hug someone
LAUGH <crt>
Laugh at someone
SAD
Look sad
SIGH
Sigh
SMILE <crt>
Smile at someone
TITLE <text>
Change your title to something else (then when typing
WHO, other characters will see that message after your
name - e.g. TITLE the Magnificent will show 'Frodo the
Magnificent' instead of Frodo the Thief. Don't include
your name when you enter your title.
ABBREVIATIONS
Commonly used abbreviations when speaking with others:
:) a smiley, means other person
is smiling while writing this, and you
should not take
it too seriously.
:( an unhappy smiley. If you
tilt your head 90 degrees left, you will
see the secret
behind those arcane symbols :) ':' are the eyes, and
'(' is the mouth)
You can add a nose, '-', if you want to :-)
<g> another variant of smiley
(stands for 'grin')
2 too or to.
BRB Be Right Back (or Bathroom Break
:)
CR Corpse Retrieval. When someone
dies a dangerous place, and high level
characters help
him to retrieve his corpse and his possessions.
CU See you!
IMHO In My Humble Opinion
IMMS short for IMMORTALS - Gods, who are
in charge of the mud
IMPS short for IMPLEMENTORS, the makers
and Gods of this game
L8R Later
LOL Laughing Out Loud
MOB mobile. The technical name for
a monster.
ROFL Rolling On the Floor Laughing
RTFM Read The Fine (or Fragging or F..)
manual
U You