#1000 The Staircase~ The staircase descends from the City Common Room to a landing in the basement of the building. The staircase itself is ornately carved and made of dark rich woods, and the floor of the landing is made of the same rich woods. A large gold door stands to the south. A magical aura blocks any but the young from passing through these doors. A {Ysign{w graces the doors. ~ ~ 1300 0 E sign~ Welcome to the School of Lukhan. Here, new players can find out how to handle the basics of mud life, and experienced players have a chance to give their new characters a quick start into the world. Only those level 5 and below may venture into the school. ~ D2 ~ ~ 0 0 1001 D4 ~ ~ 0 0 2093 S #1001 A small classroom~ This is a rather small classroom. Funding has apparently been short for schooling of new citizens, however there appears to be sufficient room for your basic schooling. The walls are covered with instructions, which the instructor advices you to read. You see posters with the following names: {WSKILLS{w, {WMAGIC{w, {WLEVELS{w, {WFIGHTING{w, {WRECALL{w. The instructor tells you that you may read any of these posters using the {Wlook{w command and the name of the poster. Try "look skills". The door leading out of the school has disappeared! Perhaps you need to find a different way to return to your hometown. There are, however, several other doors you may wish to try leading away from the classroom. ~ This is the main entry to newbie school, don't like it back to any hometowns or it will become a path between them. ~ 132372 0 E levels~ On this mud, there are 100 mortal levels. While many muds offer more, we feel that this amount helps maintain game balance much more effectively. Don't worry - You won't run out of levels very soon, and it takes some time to gain in levels. Your character advances in power by gaining experience. The number of experience points you need will vary based on which class and race you have chosen. {/ You can gain experience through many activities on the mud, but the primary source is by combat skills. In some cases experience may be awarded to an individual for good roleplaying effort. {/ After you reach level 25, you have the chance to lose a level when you die. Read "{Whelp death{w" for more information on this. ~ E magic~ Some classes on SunderMud ][ have spellcasting ability. Unlike many muds, however, this ability is limited to true spellcasters and priests only, and is not given to the likes of warriors and thieves. Your spells all are part of your character's skill package, and consist of those designed for offense, defense, healing and just general uses with which to amaze the general population. As with skills, spells too need to be practiced. This works in the exact same way as which you have already learned to practice your skills, so you should by now be familiar with how to do this. You will discover that some spells cannot be cast at some times, and on some targets. This is because they are designed for specific purposes, and in many cases the magical verbal and somatic components will not allow the spell to work at all outside its intended purpose. Unlike skills, all spells must be preceeded by the "{Wcast{w" command. This begins the sequence of events causing the spell to be cast. In most cases the spell will be cast right away, with a small delay afterward. You may need to use the magic symbols ' ' around the name of the spell. The target goes after this. If the spell name is one word, you do not need quote marks. You will notice that when you cast a spell, such as armor, that your mana will change. All spells cost {Wmana{w, and without this your spell- caster is a sitting duck. Always watch to make sure you have enough to cast the spells you need before engaging in combat. You can see how much mana each spell will cost you with the "spells" command. The amount of mana will change as you level, hopefully for the better. When you cast an offensive spell on someone, that victim gets what is called a "saving throw" and therefore there is a chance that your spell will not succeed even if your character is perfectly skilled with it. Magic is very powerful on SunderMud ][, and it is recommended that you familiarize yourself with all the spells within your grasp. ~ E recall~ Please take this time to read "{Whelp recall{w". Okay, once you've read that look at this sign again and read the rest of this. You may have noticed on help recall, that recall fizzles out after level 10. This is for a reason. Certain classes get transportation spells. That is a benefit for being in that class. Those who don't get that benefit have other benefits, therefore need to learn to walk. There will be ways in the game for you to ease your transportation burdens, but free recall is not going to be one of them. Now, until you are level 10 and have the chance to learn your way around this land, you have it. In fact, that is how you need to get out of this room. If you didn't read this far and asked on a chat channel how to get out of the classroom, then shame on you! ~ E skills~ Your character has many skills, and if you are a magic user, spells. These represent the specialised tasks your character has the ability to perform with the realm of this game. As you advance in levels, your skills will increase in power, and you will gain more skills. To see the skills you currently have, type {Wskills{w and then hit enter. This list will show you only those skills you currently know how to perform. To the right of each skills is listed a percentage. This number represents your ability to perform this skill. For some skills, this simply determines whether or not your attempt at the skill was successful. For others, this percentage determines your degree of success. It is up to you to figure out which applies for each skill. When you start playing, you are given {Wpractices{w. These are points that represent time your character has to dedicate to learning a new skill (raising one from 0% indicates you have learned a skill) or very importantly, improving skills he/she can already use. To see how many practices you have, and all the skills AND spells which you are currently able to practice, type {Wpractice{w and hit enter. You will notice that this list is very similar to the skills list. Indeed, the only difference is it includes spells also, since they can be practiced in the same way. To practice a skill or spell, simpy type practice along with the name of the skill. Example: Typing {Wpractice fast healing{w would practice that skill if your character has it. Skills cannot be practiced all the way to 100% without some effort, and it is usually not worth it. The better way to practice them, is to improve them through usage. The mud will notify you when a skill has increased. Good Luck with your newfound skills! ~ E fighting~ Fighting is a large part of the adventurer's life, and is the main source of the experience points you will need to level. The mud does most of the actual sword swinging for you, but do not think that makes it easy. You will need to be careful out in the world. You will need to find a good opponent first. Simply running up to anyone and trying to kill them will not be very effective, and you'll likely die. The first command you need to know is "consider". When you see someone you would like to fight, you need to "consider" the fight first. This tells you the chances you have against that opponent. The messages my be somewhat "cryptic" but generally should give you a clue of your chances. To do that simply type {Wconsider <target>{w where <target> is the name of the potential opponent. Once you have deemed an opponent worthy of your attention, you would then simply use the "kill" command in most cases to start combat. Again the syntax for this is {Wkill <target>{w. Very simple. For those who have chosen PKill (this is not a requirement of this mud) you would be safe from killing players in this manner by mistake, because to kill a player requires use of the {Wmurder{w command. Those who have not chosen pkill will be told if they have tried to target a player by mistake, and there are no penalties for that. You can't accidentally kill a player on the mud. Once combat has begun, you my use certain skills depending upon your class. See the sign for {Wmagic{w on how to use spells against your opponents. Skills such as {Wkick{w for warrior are activated simply by typing their names. Once you have begun combat, there are several possible outcomes. You may defeat your opponent, if you are strong enough, in which case you gain experience, a new kill to your list, and possibly an increase (or decrease) in your Mob Rating. However, if the fight goes badly, you may wish to consider {Wflee{w as an alternative to your own death. This command will simply attempt, not always successfully, to run away from the battle you are in. ~ D2 ~ ~ 1 -1 1006 D3 An oaken door labeled "Basic Training." ~ ~ 1 -1 1002 S #1002 Hallway~ This hallway is panelled in dark panelling, and has seen many years' use but has obiously been maintained well. It is a short hallway, and there are doors to all directions, and the passage back east to the classroom. The smell of sweat permeates the air here though, from the decades of students practicing their combat arts here. Each door has a sign on it. (Hint: look in the direction of each door to see the signs.) ~ ~ 132380 0 D0 Beyond this door you can find masterfully created illusions which simulate the kinds of challenges you might face in the future. Be careful, an illusion can hurt you as bad as a real opponent if you are not careful. ~ ~ 1 -1 1005 D1 ~ ~ 1 -1 1001 D2 Beyond this door you can find masterfully created illusions which simulate the kinds of challenges you may face in the future. Be careful, these illusions have power over you if you let them. ~ ~ 1 -1 1003 D3 ~ ~ 1 -1 1004 S #1003 The Room of Illusions~ This is a bare room, designed solely for one on one combat. The floor is padded for excellent traction in combat, and a small box in the corner contains the magic which keeps the illusions operating. After each battle, it takes some time for the magic to regenerate another set of opponents. These opponents are recommended for characters who find themselves motivated to fight for their own gain. ~ ~ 131352 0 D0 ~ ~ 1 -1 1002 S #1004 The Room of Greater Illusions~ This is a bare room, designed solely for one on one combat. The floor is padded for excellent traction in combat, and a small box in the corner contains the magic which keeps the illusions operating. After each battle, it takes some time for the magic to regenerate another set of opponents. This room appears somewhat different from the other two rooms. The floor here, while padded, has tears and scrapes from more serious training. In a few places you can see blood that has been spilled be students who did not learn quickly enough. ~ ~ 131352 0 D1 ~ ~ 1 -1 1002 S #1005 The Room of Illusions~ This is a bare room, designed solely for one on one combat. The floor is padded for excellent traction in combat, and a small box in the corner contains the magic which keeps the illusions operating. After each battle, it takes some time for the magic to regenerate another set of opponents. These opponents are recommended for characters who find themselves motivated to fight for the cause of righteousness. ~ ~ 131352 0 D2 ~ ~ 1 -1 1002 S #1006 A long hallway~ A very simple hallway, paneled in a slightly outdated style. To both sides of the hallway are combat chambers with magically constructed opponents who represent the type you may have to fight in your adventuring career. ~ ~ 131344 0 D0 ~ ~ 1 -1 1001 D1 ~ ~ 0 0 1010 D2 ~ ~ 0 0 1007 D3 ~ ~ 0 0 1009 S #1007 A long hallway~ A very simple hallway, paneled in a slightly outdated style. To both sides of the hallway are combat chambers with magically constructed opponents who represent the type you may have to fight in your adventuring career. ~ ~ 131344 0 D0 ~ ~ 0 0 1006 D1 ~ ~ 0 0 1012 D2 ~ ~ 0 0 1008 D3 ~ ~ 0 0 1011 S #1008 End of the hallway~ A very simple hallway, paneled in a slightly outdated style. To both sides of the hallway are combat chambers with magically constructed opponents who represent the type you may have to fight in your adventuring career. ~ ~ 131344 0 D0 ~ ~ 0 0 1007 D1 ~ ~ 0 0 1014 D3 ~ ~ 0 0 1013 S #1009 Combat Chamber~ A sparse room, with hardwood floors and tiled walls, designed for intense training of new combatants. Harsh light emenates from a magical globe near the ceiling. ~ ~ 131344 0 D1 ~ ~ 0 0 1006 S #1010 Combat Chamber~ A sparse room, with hardwood floors and tiled walls, designed for intense training of new combatants. Harsh light emenates from a magical globe near the ceiling. ~ ~ 131344 0 D3 ~ ~ 0 0 1006 S #1011 Combat Chamber~ A sparse room, with hardwood floors and tiled walls, designed for intense training of new combatants. Harsh light emenates from a magical globe near the ceiling. ~ ~ 131344 0 D1 ~ ~ 0 0 1007 S #1012 Combat Chamber~ A sparse room, with hardwood floors and tiled walls, designed for intense training of new combatants. Harsh light emenates from a magical globe near the ceiling. ~ ~ 131344 0 D3 ~ ~ 0 0 1007 S #1013 Combat Chamber~ A sparse room, with hardwood floors and tiled walls, designed for intense training of new combatants. Harsh light emenates from a magical globe near the ceiling. ~ ~ 131344 0 D1 ~ ~ 0 0 1008 S #1014 Combat Chamber~ A sparse room, with hardwood floors and tiled walls, designed for intense training of new combatants. Harsh light emenates from a magical globe near the ceiling. ~ ~ 131344 0 D3 ~ ~ 0 0 1008 S #0