DD FAQ: Section 3

DD Basics

PREVIOUS
Section 2. History of the Dragons Domain
UP
Table of Contents
NEXT
Section 4. Skills and Attributes

The following section contains information mostly for players new to MUDding, but experienced MUDders new to DD might benefit from quickly scanning through the list for any useful entries.


[3.1]  What do I do here? How do I win?

You find yourself in the middle of a combat-based MUD. The MUD is a virtual world containing creatures, places and objects, and you are now a member of it. A MUD is a role-playing game where you control the actions of a virtual character. How your character interacts with the MUD world is completely up to you.

'Winning' the game requires some sense of why you're playing it. There are various 'goals' that your character may choose to complete. Most involve improving the abilities of your virtual character; DD is a combat-based MUD, so your player improves by gaining 'experience' from exploring dungeons or wilderness and then killing monsters. Your character's experience is expressed in terms of her 'level'. You start at level 1, and become a 'hero' at level 100. Heroes may not level any further, so in one sense, winning involves getting to level 100 ('getting to hero').

DD is also a pkilling MUD [see FAQ 6.10], and many players concentrate on becoming strong and feared pkillers. This can involve reaching a certain level of experience and then turning all your attention to murdering other players. The best pkillers may have no intention of becoming heroes, but 'win' by gaining high pkilling scores [see FAQ 6.13].

DD is also a very social MUD, and many players like to login and chat to others, team up with them occasionally, with no real hurry to do anything!

You 'win' the game when you enjoy the time you spend logged in, which can be a long time in total; the real goal is to have fun.


[3.2]  I've never played a MUD: what do I do?

You'll need to learn the very basic commands that will let you move about, orientate yourself and observe the state of your character and the world. These commands will be covered in Section 11, and you should read the rest of this Section very carefully. (You should really read the entire FAQ.)


[3.3]  Where do I get food/drink?

You begin the game in the town 'Midgaard'. Midgaard has a central north/south running road, with the Temple at the very north. Head to 'Temple Square' (1 south from the RECALL square) and there you'll find a fountain. You can DRINK from the fountain and FILL any water containers you have. You can buy a waterskin from the General Store (1 south, 1 east then 1 north from Temple Square). You can buy potpies from the Bakery (1 south, 1 west and 1 north from Temple Square) if you need something to eat. You can also eat any body-parts you hack off from the monsters you manage to kill, so long as they're made of flesh and blood.


[3.4]  Where do I find anything in this town?

The town you are born into is Midgaard. When you RECALL, you appear at the 'Temple of Midgaard'. Directly north is the Healer where you can REST and SLEEP. There are three Squares directly south: Temple Square, Market Square and Common Square. Main roads run east/west through Market and Common Squares: you will find most stores and guild houses along these streets. A full map of Midgaard is available from the 'Cartography Store' (1 east then 1 north from Common Square, enter then type "BUY MIDGAARD").


[3.5]  Where can I get healing?

There are many healers throughout the MUD world, mostly in city temples. Midgaard has a healer, directly north from the temple (where you RECALL to). He will cast spells to refresh your hit points, mana and moves. You can also buy extra curative spells; type HEAL at the healer for further information.


[3.6]  Where can I train or practice?

You automatically train your attributes (strength, etc) as you level [See FAQ 4.1]. You need to find the appropriate trainer to learn any skills available to you. Up until level 10, that will be the trainer in MUD School (up, north then east from the Temple of Midgaard). See Section 4 of this FAQ for more information.


[3.7]  Where can I find equipment?

Basic equipment is available for sale by various shopkeepers throughout the MUD. There are several in Midgaard who sell items for low level characters. See the online help entries for BUY, SELL and LIST for further information on dealing with shopkeepers.

Most equipment, and all useful artefacts and magical items, are found outside of the major cities: you must search outlying areas for these items and determine their powers.


[3.8]  I'm lost or stuck: help!

If you're in trouble and you need to get back to town quickly then you can pray to be transported to the Temple by typing RECALL. You can't recall if you are cursed (type AFFECT to check), and you can't recall from some rooms. Sometimes, recalling is the only way to leave a room (i.e. it has no exits that you can leave through).

If you're stuck wandering around in circles, try drawing a simple map. If you think you're lost in a random area, see FAQ 3.29. If you are genuinely trapped and cannot find any way out, ask for another player to come in and get you, or an Imm to transfer you back home.


[3.9]  I've just been killed! Now what do I do?

Fortunately for you, you get to live again, although you'll lose experience and fame for dying. When you die, you end up as a naked soul in Purgatory. Your corpse, and all of your belongings, have been transferred to the Reaper, who sits at the end of Purgatory. Your corpse has a timer on it, so if you take too long to get to it, it'll disappear and you'll have to get all your gear all over again. The timer lasts about 20 minutes of real time.

Purgatory had randomized exits, so you'll be wandering all over the place. Most players end up with systems that get them out of there pretty quickly. Many rooms in Purgatory contain notes; you should read these for clues for a quick escape.

When you get to the end you'll find the Reaper with your corpse. You can recover your equipment with "GET ALL CORPSE". Note that you'll be able to get eq from the corpses of characters who are grouped with you, so be careful to avoid mix-ups. Remember your invisible items! The Reaper will be able to help you if you can't see invisible items. Can't pick all your gear up? You'll have to recast any strength-enhancing spells, and probably need to wear equipment with strength bonuses.

You can exit Purgatory by heading up from the Reaper. Once you leave, you can only return by dying.


[3.10]  Why doesn't anything listen to me?

Talking to the mobs? They're an antisocial bunch, mostly. There are some creatures that respond to specific words and actions, and you'll meet a few special ones on your travels. However, 99.99% of creatures are not going to chat with you... try slapping them instead.


[3.11]  What are MUD clients? Where can I get one?

MUD clients, or software developed as specific interfaces for MUDs, are essential for effective play. There are many clients available; here are some of the more popular ones for various platforms:

Windoze zMud http://www.zuggsoft.com/
WinMud winmud.netfirms.com
MUTT www.graphcomp.com/mutt
MacOS Savitar www.heynow.com/savitar
Rapscallion http://www.rapscallion.co.uk/
*nix tinyfugue www.muq.org/~hawkeye/tf
tintin http://www.game.org/cgi-bin/directory?/pub/mud/clients/tintin


[3.12]  How do I get colour? How can I use colours?

If your terminal supports ANSI colour then you can toggle colour mode on and off by typing COLOR. There are several online help entries: try "HELP COLOR", "HELP ANSI" and "HELP ANSI2". You will be able to incorporate colours into your description and title with the described colour codes.


[3.13]  What game options can I set?

There are several options that you can toggle on and off available with the AUTO command (see "HELP AUTO"). COLOR will toggle colour [see FAQ 3.12]. Also see online help for the commands GAG, QUIET and TELLMODE.


[3.14]  How can I see who's playing? How do I talk to other players?

You can see who's playing by typing WHO. You can see who's in the same area as you by typing WHERE. You can talk to other players privately using TELL. If someone tells you something, you can REPLY, even if you can't see who it is. Try "HELP CHAT" to learn how to communicate with the rest of the MUD.


[3.15]  How can characters form groups or parties?

See the online help entry for GROUP for related commands. To join a group, you must follow a character, and have that character accept you into her group. Members of a group must be within a certain number of levels from each other.


[3.16]  How do I view my character's statistics, or see what spells she's affected by?

Type SCORE to view your score sheet. As you increase in level, more and more information will be provided to you. Type AFFECT to view what spells are currently affecting your character. Lower level characters will only see the name of the spells; higher level characters will be given more details. The STATUS command will print your attributes and vital statistics, as shown as part of your score sheet.


[3.17]  How can I see what skills my character has, or can get?

Type SLIST for a list of skills that your character will be able to get as you increase in level. Type PRACTICE to see your current skills are, and how proficient you are with each. See Section 4 of this FAQ for more details.


[3.18]  Who's 'Someone'?

Someone you can't see, because you're blind or they're invisible. There are some invisible and hiding mobs that like to sneak around and grab items. Many players like to remain invisible too. See FAQ 7.6 if you need to know how to detect invis. Immortals are able to go 'wizinvis', so that you'll never be able to see them directly, even if you can see normal invisible creatures and items. If 'Someone' TELLs you something and you wish to talk back, use REPLY.

Some classes have special skills that make them hard to detect. Pkillers beware!


[3.19]  What are 'wimpy' and 'aggro dam', exactly?

'Wimpy' is the number of hit points you need to be reduced to in order for you to start trying to flee from combat automatically. If you set your wimpy to zero, you will only try to flee combat by issuing the FLEE command explicitly. You cannot set your wimpy value above 20% of your maximum hits (type WIMPY without an argument to get this value). You may always try to flee from combat by typing FLEE, no matter what your wimpy is set at or however many hit points you have.

'Aggravated damage' or 'aggro dam' is inflicted by certain special attacks, e.g. the bite of some vampires. Aggro dam cannot be healed back by spells or normal sleeping, and your maximum hits are lowered by the corresponding amount. Aggrovated damage heals slowly over time.


[3.20]  How do I know what an item does, or figure out what eq to use?

You need to cast the spell 'identify' on an object to learn its properties. The Wizard in Midgaard sells scrolls of identify for you to use if you don't have the spell. Some fighting classes get the skill 'lore', which lets them identify weapons and armour. A few mobs will identify items for a price, e.g. the Sage in Anon (just type "IDENTIFY [item keyword]").

You can use the command COMPARE to determine which of two items in your inventory would be better to use; see the online help entry for usage. Be careful, however, as the COMPARE command does not take into account any magical bonuses or effects: it will give you a crude measure of how much damage a weapon will do, or how protective a piece of armour is.


[3.21]  Help me, I'm blind/cursed/stunned/poisoned!

If you can't see, you've either been blinded, or you've lost your light source, or you've entered a dark room without a light source. Check AFFECT; if you're not blind, then you need a light from town. If you're blind, you need a 'cure blindness' spell. You can RECALL when blind, so recalling to Midgaard, heading north, and typing "HEAL BLIND" will recover your vision. The Healer will also cast 'cure blindness' periodically without charge. If you can't afford to get healing, you have to wait for the spell to end (which won't be terribly long), or beg for a player to cure you. If you're worried about being attacked while blind, recall to safety.

If you're cursed, you won't be able to recall. You need to walk back to town for healing at the Temple, unless you are able to remove the curse yourself with the appropriate spell or have someone else come out to help you.

If you're stunned you're in trouble! Being stunned can mean two things. You can either have between 0 and -10 hit points, in which case you get to watch the creature you were fighting finish you off, or you were purposely STUNned, usually by another character. In the latter case, you snooze while your opponent takes her time to whack you a good one.

If you're poisoned, you'll lose a few hits every tick, and lose some strength. Loss of strength is cummulative with every poisoning, so you might not be able to pick up dropped items, or even get 'cure poison' potions from any containers, if you are poisoned repeatedly. You need a 'cure poison' potion or spell, or healing from the Midgaard Temple.


[3.22]  Where can I get some money?

A few mobs carry coin, and there are caches of treasure in various areas. Most money is made by selling loot at town, and completing random quests [see Section 5]. Funds can quickly be raised by working through areas with mobs your level carrying plenty of eq, and selling this eq once you've murdered them.


[3.23]  Where can I get item X? Where can I find mob Y? How do I get to area Z?

If you're looking for basic newbie areas and equipment, read FAQ 7.2 and FAQ 7.4. For a list of directions to most areas, check the DD website. There are maps to some areas available; try the Cartography store in Midgaard. Otherwise, you need to ask another player for directions; consider FAQ 8.4.


[3.24]  Why does my equipment zap me and fall off when I try to wear it?

The items you are trying to equip have alignment restrictions on them (try identifying them). To wear them, you need to change to a compatable alignment [see FAQ 3.25]. There is no way to remove the restrictions from these items.


[3.25]  How do I change my alignment?

You need to kill mobs of alignment opposite to that you wish to have. This can take a little time if you have to change drastically. The spells 'detect evil' and 'detect good' will help you identify target mobs, else take an educated guess. Goblins south of Midgaard will be evil; town-dwellers are often good.


[3.26]  How do I get rid of my THIEF/KILLER flag?

You need to be pardoned by an Immortal. They will usually let you off if you gain the flag accidentally. They may not remove it immediately if you have repeatedly gotten into trouble, or have been particularly careless. If you gain the flag after a calculated act of thievery or violence you may wear it for a significant period of time, and you will need to prove to the Imms that you deserve to be pardoned.

Thieves and killers will be attacked by all guard mobs and will not be served by shopkeepers. They are also hunted by Grail the Hunter [see FAQ 3.37]. Be warned!


[3.27]  How do I know how dangerous a mob is?

You can CONSIDER a mob and judge by the response as to how much trouble you might have killing it; CONSIDER measures the difference in level between you and the target. It pays to LOOK at the mob too; mobs with equipment, weapons and staves most obviously, are significantly harder to kill and may inflict greater damage. Be wary of any similar mobs in the immediate area: they may join in the fight if they wander in.

Expect particular enemies to produce special attacks: snakes may poison, dragons might have a breath weapon, undead are nasty, wizards and clerics will likely cast spells. Many of these attacks can be very dangerous!


[3.28]  Why can't I recall? Why can't I recall to Midgaard anymore?

You may be cursed, in which case God will not transport you. There are rooms from which you can't recall either; some areas are almost entirely 'no-recall' for added danger.

If you are a member of a clan, you will lose your Midgaard recall when you reach level 41. You will have to walk to Midgaard, or buy a Midgaard recall after questing [see FAQ 5.6].


[3.29]  How do I get through this random area?

Some rooms have their exits jumbled so that you have no idea which direction you're really heading in (Purgatory, Shadow Grove, the Great Easten Desert, etc). If you're lucky enough to have the skill 'hunt', then you can sniff out a known mob at the other end of the area, otherwise you'll need a little nous and a lot of luck.

Generally, try "LOOK [direction]" and EXITS for anything obvious. Try SCAN to see if you can see any mobs you might like to get to. Pay attention to the room description; there are tricks to getting through many of these areas, as you will eventually discover. Try dropping a coin or two to leave a marker. Don't dispair, you'll be able to get through without too much trouble (unless you're in the Yew Forest, in which case you're doomed).


[3.30]  Where's a good place for me to level?

If you're a newbie, see FAQ 7.2. You can use the AREA command to list areas for your level by typing "AREA [your level]", although all of areas listed will not be suitable (many towns, for example, will show up). Otherwise you must ask other players, or do it the old way and explore for yourself.

Areas are located near cities where players of similar level ought to be basing themselves. Low-level areas tend to lie near Midgaard, Ofcol, Solace and Kerofk; mid-level areas surround Anon and Krondor; high-level areas are located near Draagdim.


[3.31]  How does the sub-class system work?

There are eight base classes, each with two sub-classes:

Base class Sub-classes Base class Sub-classes
Mage Warlock
Necromancer
Cleric Templar
Druid
Thief Ninja
Bounty Hunter
Warrior Thug
Knight
Psionic Satanist
Witch
Shapeshifter Werewolf
Vampire
Brawler Monk
Martial Artist
Ranger Barbarian
Bard

The website contains information about the base classes and their respective sub-classes.

Characters have the opportunity to CHANGE to a sub-class when they reach level 30. See "HELP CHANGE", and FAQ 8.14 if you encounter any trouble changing. If you wish to stay in your base class, you don't need to do anything.

You can only change at level 30; once you reach level 31, you may never change to either subclass.


[3.32]  What's the Arena, and how do I get there?

The Arena is an area where characters may pkill eachother without getting KILLER flags and without losing experience points if they die [see Section 6 this FAQ for more info on pkilling]. Unclanned characters may also murder other characters in the Arena.

You can enter the Arena by heading west from the Healer in Midgaard, or by typing ARENA in a room where you would be able to RECALL from. You must RECALL to leave the Arena.


[3.33]  What are donated items and where can I find them?

Players may DONATE items in their inventory, so that they reappear in the Donation Rooms, which are east from the Healer in Midgaard. The Donation Rooms can be a good place to find eq, especially for lower-level characters. Donated items are rendered worthless, so cannot be sold for profit.

The Donation Rooms have replaced the Pit at the Midgaard Healer, although more nostalgic players will occasionally place items in there.


[3.34]  How can I set how many spells I cast per round?

Use the ATTACKS command, e.g. "ATTACKS 3". (You need to have the skills 'second spell', 'third spell' or 'fourth spell' for this to work.)


[3.35]  How does the monetary system work here? Where's the bank?

There are four types of coin used in DD: platinum, gold, silver and copper, from most valuable to least valuable. 1 platinum = 10 gold = 100 silver = 1000 copper. Every ten coins adds a pound of weight to your burden; it's a good idea to keep most of your money in the bank, and carry coin of high denominations. Wherever the MUD refers to X amount of coins and doesn't specify the type, copper coins are assumed. There's a bank in Midgaard where you can hoard cash. It can be found east from Temple Square.


[3.36]  Why do I hear the 'patter of little feet'?

The area you are in is about to reset. This means that killed mobs will reappear, items may show up, and doors may close and lock.


[3.37]  Who's Grail and what's so special about him?

Grail is a mysterious being who hunts the MUD world, looking for thieves, killers and miscreants to exterminate. The Hunter is never in one place for long, teleporting about in his endless quest for vengeance! Grail casts powerful protective and enhancing magiks on characters and mobs alike, which is why people like to run into him. If you find some mobs affected by 'sanctuary' when they shouldn't be, then Grail has probably been in the area (and may still be around... try "WHERE GRAIL").


[3.38]  How do I get the 2nd X? How do I get all X's? How do I kill the 2nd Y?

You can prefix an item or mob keyword with "[number]." to indicate entities other than the first in the room. You can prefix a keyword with "ALL." to get or drop all matching entities. For example:

KILL 3.PANDA Kill the 3rd Panda.
DROP ALL.CHEESE Drop all the cheese.
GET ALL 2.CORPSE Get everything from the second corpse.
LOOK 4.LICHE Look at the 4th Liche.


[3.39]  Can I use multiple keywords to indicate a creature or object?

Some skills will accept multiple keywords for a creature or object if they are enclosed in single quotes. E.g. "HUNT 'RED DRAGON' " and "CAST LOCATE 'SILVER CIRCLET' ".


[3.40]  Why can't I remove or drop an item?

The item is cursed. You need to have the 'remove curse' spell cast on you; you can get this from the Healer. Items cannot be uncursed.


[3.41]  What are bounties? How can I set one?

Bounties are cash rewards offered for the murder of a character. You can put put a bounty on someone if you have sufficient coin to pay for the reward. The bounty must be the equivalent to at least 1,000,000 copper coins. To set the bounty, enter "BOUNTY [character] [reward]". You both need to be members of different clans for this to work. Characters with bounties on their heads gain the 'HUNTED' flag. You can find out the amount of another player's bounty by typing "WHOIS [character]". Type WANTED for a list of characters with bounties.


[3.42]  Where did all my keys go?

Keys disappear from your inventory when you quit. This prevents the hoarding of important keys.


[3.43]  Why can't I access my inventory when I'm fighting?

You can't rummage through your backpack or change your clothing while you're fighting. You may use potions or pills in your belt-pouch (if you're wearing one), and may recover your weapon, which will automatically be rewielded if you have the AUTOWIELD option set (see help for AUTO). If you need to do anything else, you must flee combat first.


[3.44]  Why is there a delay before my commands do anything?

Most commands include a time penalty: you must wait a certain amount of time before the next command you have entered is processed. The amount of time you must wait is referred to as your 'wait-state'. Some commands have small time penalties (e.g. moving into another room or looking), others have heavy penalties (e.g. combat actions, spell casts). You can use the '%w' token in your prompt to see your wait-state.


[3.45]  Why can't I use this lance/bow/musical instrument?

Because your class cannot use these items. Only Knights may use lances, only Rangers may use bows, and only Bards may use musical instruments.


[3.46]  Why can't I use this staff/wand/scroll?

Make sure you are HOLDing the item. If you still cannot use your item, then you will be unable due to your class. The following table summarizes these restrictions:

May not use scrolls,
wands or staves
May not use wands
or staves
May not use wands
Warriors
Brawlers
Martial Artists
Thugs
Barbarians
Thieves
Bounty Hunters
Rangers
Bards


[3.47]  Why can't I use this poisoned weapon?

Only Thieves, Thugs, Bounty Hunters, Ninjas, Witches, Werewolves, Vampires, Satanists, Necromancers and those of evil alignment may use poisoned weapons.


[3.48]  Who can use a mount? How can I use the 'joust' skill if I can't use a mount?

All classes except thieves and their sub-classes may learn riding techniques about level 30. All races may use mounts except for Centaurs. Cantuar knights may use the 'joust' and 'destrier' skills without needing a mount.


[3.49]  Do any classes gain damage bonuses when they use specific types of weapons?

Not currently. (Some classes used to get bonuses.)


[3.50]  Why am I lagged when I enter the game?

There is a two-round entry lag for all mortal characters when the enter the game; every character in your area also receives a warning when you log on. The lag is to give potential pkill victims time to react to your sudden appearance.


[3.51]  Who are the winged monkeys?

A small troop of winged monkeys travel throughout the domain. They don't like mess or damaged doors: they might put a portal back on its hinges if it chances upon one...


[3.52]  How can I use an area's default recall?

Some areas specify their own recall point: the room where you will appear when you RECALL from within the area. To use these default recall points, you must set your current recall destination to your default recall point: "RECALL SET 0".


PREVIOUS
Section 2. History of the Dragons Domain
UP
Table of Contents
NEXT
Section 4. Skills and Attributes