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| Player
vs. Mobile Combat
A 'mobile' is a monster or character controlled by artificial
intelligence rather than a human. They are also known as NPCs (Non-Player Characters) or CCCs (Computer-Controlled Characters). In Achaea, sentient mobiles are referred to as "denizens".
When you wish to fight
a mobile, you may, generally, initiate combat with it
simply by finding it and attacking it with whatever ability
you choose to use. Some mobiles will attack on sight, without you initiating combat. However, most abilities that do something
other than just cause damage will not work against mobiles.
The reason for this requires some understanding of how
player vs. player combat works, but for now suffice it
to say that creating an artificial intelligence that allowed
mobiles to effectively deal with the hundreds of things
a player can do to another player would be prohibitively
complicated. It should be emphasised that player vs. player
conflict, in all forms from combat to politics is central inAchaea, not simply bashing monsters.
Once you have attacked a mobile, it will, in most cases,
either attack you back, or run away. Usually a mobile
will continue to attack you until either it begins to
panic and runs away, or until you or it is dead. Be warned
that some mobiles may loot your corpse of an item or two
after they have killed you. The reward for killing mobiles
is, of course, experience and sometimes gold. Further,
a handful of very powerful mobiles will drop magical Artifacts
upon death and may even add a note to your publically-viewable
player file attesting to the fact that you managed to
slay such a powerful beast. |
Critical
hits
As you get to some of the higher experience levels, you
will begin to score critical hits more and more often.
There are five levels of critical hit, ranging from 
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Critical
:
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2x
damage |
| Crushing
Critical |
4x
damage |
| Obliterating
Critical |
8x
damage |
| Annihilatingly
Powerful Critical : |
16x
damage |
| World-shattering
Critical : |
32x
damage |
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Mobile
Attacks
When mobiles attack you, the effect might range from a
simple punch to devastating breath weapons, magical spells,
and so on. There are literally hundreds of mobile attacks
used in Achaea, and generally, the more powerful the attacks,
the more experience you will gain for slaying the beast.
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Player vs. Player
Combat
Player combat is an entirely more complicated affair.
Unlike most MUDs, whether text or graphical, Achaea's
combat system is heavily dependent on the skill of the
player, rather than the items the character has or the
level of the character. That's not to say that level
and equipment don't play a role, but the situation is
akin to golf. The worst golfer in the world will never
beat Tiger Woods even using the best golf clubs in the
world. This player vs. player combat is what our combat
system is primarily geared to, and few, if any games,
can match the intensity and complex nature of our combat.
Because of the simply enormous amount of information
that is available about our combat system, and because
of the complexity of it, we will talk about it here
in only the broadest of strokes.
It can be difficult to fully describe player combat,
as there are so many different approaches to it. It
is possible to fight with your goal as death of the
opponent, crippling of your opponent, rearrangement
of items (for instance, stealing things from him), or
even just as a demonstration or lesson. Every class has a different style of fighting, with some being more
suited to hit and run, some to going toe to toe, some
to using tricks to defeat an opponent, some to using
helping NPCs like Chaos Entities or forest animals to
assist you in battle, and more.
Generally, the details of your offensive combat manoeuvres
will be covered in the help files for your class-specific
skills, as this is where the majority of offensive abilities
lie. Some of your defensive abilities (more for some
classes, less for others) will also lie in your class-specific
skills, but probably the majority of defensive equipment
and abilities are available to everyone who has high
enough general (i.e. non-class-specific) skills and
enough money to purchase the proper equipment.
Player combat generally involves much more than simply
inflicting damage on your opponent. Not only can individual
body parts be damaged, with different, harmful effects
resulting from enough cumulative damage on a body part,
but there are hundreds of afflictions that can be inflicted
on an opponent. These afflictions range from anorexia
to epilepsy to paralysis to agoraphobia to concussions
to mangled limbs to dizziness.
If we take the most general goal of combat, which is
to kill your opponent, then combat can be said to generally
consist of:
1) Locating your opponent and finding him or
bringing him to you.
2) Pinning him into place so that he cannot escape.
3) Damaging or afflicting him until he dies.
This is an oversimplification insofar as only with
a very surprised or helpless opponent will you simply
execute 1, then 2, then 3. Usually there will be much
moving around, healing of the things that pin you, healing
of the damage done to you, etc. Combat is therefore
a give-and-take process. For many offenses, there are
defenses, and for many defenses, there are methods of
removing the defenses. There are many afflictions (the
general term for anything that affects you in a negative
way aside from damage), ranging from the classic web
spell to paralysis, to anorexia, to the aeon curse,
which slows your movement through time.
Here's what some reviewers
had to say about our combat system:
"The combat
system is fast paced and offers great variety, challenging
the most experienced of mudders." - mpog.com
"The combat system is really simply amazing, and
I've never seen anything like it." - RPGplanet.com
"Mind-blowing. I get a rush everytime I fight another
player." - Robert Toothe, a player.
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Example
Combat Abilities
What follows are some example combat abilities,
drawn from our greater than 800 unique abilities
and spells. It may be difficult to understand
them in the absence of a greater understanding
of our overall combat system, but they should
give you an idea of the variety that exists
in Achaea. |
Soulspear
In Skill: Necromancy
Syntax:
Evoke soulspear from <player corpse>
Throw soulspear <player> <direction>
Essence cost to evoke it: 2.5%
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Soulspear allows the skilled
Necromancer to form a weapon forged in the
soul of the dead. By taking a player corpse,
you can form the soulspear. A corpse from
a player level 30 and under has too weak a
soul to form such a powerful weapon out of.
Beyond that, the higher the level of the victim,
the more powerful the soulspear.
Once you have it, you may throw it at someone
who is outside your room, anywhere in your
line-of-sight. It will shatter shields and
prismatic barriers, or, if the person lacks
one of those, tear into your victim's flesh,
and impale him or her.
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Hermit
In Skill: Tarot
Syntax:
Activate hermit
Fling hermit at ground |
The Hermit is a solitary person.
When you activate the hermit card, it will
remember the location at which you activated
it. Then, when you fling it, you will be transported
to that location, provided there are no players
in that location at the time. |
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Lemming
In skill: Woodlore
Syntax:
Summon lemming |
Though tiny, the lemming can
be a powerful weapon, as it strips the defenses
of its victim by running speedily about him. |
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Burrow
In skill: Metamorphosis
Syntax:
Burrow <direction or above/below>
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With this ability,
you may, in many environments, burrow underground.
While underground, you will be able to do
most actions. You will be able to speak, drop,
get, score, stat, def, i, burrow, and morph.
As a gopher, you will only be able to burrow
quite shallowly. However, once the wolverine
morph is attained, you may burrow up to nine
levels deep. In fact, you will find that you
can burrow underneath many things that you
can not normally burrow into. For example,
though you cannot burrow down through a highway,
you can, if you go at least six levels deep,
burrow underneath it. Be warned, however,
that anything which you cannot burrow into
cannot be burrowed out of. Thus, if you decide
to try burrowing underneath a large area which
provides you no way of reaching the surface,
be very careful, lest you become lost, for
you will have no way of getting out. Remember,
to go up or down levels, use BURROW ABOVE,
or BURROW BELOW.
It is rumored that there are other races
living beneath the earth, and if you leave
items buried at any depth beyond the first
level down, these races may seek out and
steal whatever you left deep in the earth.
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Empathy
In Skill: Telepathy
Syntax:
Mind empathy
Mind unempathy |
This ability will channel much
damage done to a mindlocked player over the
telepathic link to you. This ability costs
a regular drain of mental power. |
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Besot
In Skill: Puppetry, Vodun (slightly modified)
Syntax:
Puppet besot
Fashions:
Required: 20
Used : 1
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This ability requires that you
have a shot of tequila in your inventory.
No other booze will do when attempting to
instill true drunkenness in your victim. Every
time you use this ability, you'll pour the
tequila in the puppet's mouth, causing your
victim to imbibe the equivalent of twice that
much. |
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Falconry
In Skill: Chivalry
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The art of Falconry is a noble
one indeed. It is a sport reserved solely
for men and women of chivalrous breeding,
for a bird as noble as the falcon would never
respond to commands given by one without honour.
When you initially gain Falconry, the first
thing you must do is find a hatchery and
'Falcon request.' . There are hatcheries
located in the House Manor of the Guardians of Light in the city of Shallam, in the
Manor of the Wardens in Cyrene, and in
the Manor of the Maldaathi Knights in Mhaldor.
There is also a hatchery in the desert oasis of el'Jazira. When you first get your falcon, he will
have assorted statistics randomly assigned.
Regardless of whether or not you like those
statistics, if you cause your falcon to
die, you will be refused another falcon.
There is absolutely no excuse for killing
or conspiring to kill your falcon.
Below is a list of commands that may be
used once you have gotten your falcon.
Falcon
Assess : See information about your
falcon.
Falcon
Recall : Recall your falcon to your
wrist. Requires a falconry glove.
Falcon
Sanctuary : Order your falcon to
a sanctuary where it will be safe.
Falcon
Land : Order your falcon to land
on the ground.
Falcon
Circle : Order your falcon to fly
up into the skies.
Falcon
Train : Order your falcon to go train,
in order to raise a stat.
Falcon
Report : Order your falcon to report
to you on its location.
Falcon
Slay : Order your falcon to slay
someone.
Falcon
Hunt : When your falcon is hungry,
have it go hunt for its food.
As your falcon gains in Stamina, it will
gain in health. As it gains Speed, it will
attack more quickly as well as fly from
place to place more quickly. As it gains
Strength, it will attack with more power
as well as be able to carry larger items.
Note that there are a number of other abilities
you will gain later on in Falconry that
are related to your falcon.
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Gravity
In Skill: Crystalism
Syntax:
Embed gravity
Required Crystal Shapes:
Torus, Egg
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The oscillations of this vibration
cause the downward pull of gravity to be increased
in your room, pulling those in the trees and
sky to the ground. |
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Blight
In Skill: Curses
Syntax:
Prepare blight with <curse>
Curse <player> blight |
A blight is a magical construction,
sourced in the nether world. By preparing
it with curses, you slowly fill it up to its
maximum of five curses. Then, when you curse
a player with blight, it will randomly take
one of the curses from the blight and deliver
it unto your enemy, with the caveat that your
enemy will not receive a specific message
about what has happened to him or her. |
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Hammer
In Skill: Tattoos
Syntax: TOUCH HAMMER <player> |
The hammer has a single purpose
in life: to smash the magical shields of your
opponents.
Requires 2 Red and 1 Purple ink. |
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Spiritwrack
In Skill: Spirituality
Syntax:
Angel spiritwrack <player>
Angel spiritwrack off |
This ability will set your angel
attacking the spirit of your target, giving
him various afflictions on a constant basis.
Note that this drains angel power while on. |
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Simulacrum
In Skill: Occultism
Syntax:
Simulacrum |
Using your karma, you can create
a simulacrum that stores health. Whenever
you take damage, a portion of that damage
will be absorbed by the simulacrum until it
cracks. |
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Grove
Guardian
In Skill: Groves
Syntax:
Grove guardian
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So strong is your bond with
your grove that you are able to reach down
into the roots of the earth and call forth
one of the fabled earth golem Guardians to
stand guard over your grove. It will protect
your grove, attacking anyone on your enemies
list who comes in, and will stay until dead.
Note, however, that there is a very high grove
energy cost. |
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Totems
In Skill: Runelore
Syntax:
Carve totem
Sketch <rune> on <totem> on slot
<1-6>
Stand totem |
Totems are a very powerful runelore
skill. After you've carved a totem, you may
sketch runes on one of 6 slots on a totem.
You may then 'stand totem', to prop the totem
up, and all enemies who enter the room will
be affected by -each- rune on the totem, going
from rune #1 to rune #6.
In order to carve a totem, you will require
20 wood commodities, 10 leather commodities,
and 2 silver commodities.
In order to remove a rune from a totem,
simply 'smudge <totem> [SLOT 1-6]'
(the slot 1-6 is optional). You may also
smudge runes on the ground, with 'smudge
ground.' You may, however, only smudge runes
that were sketched by someone with equal
or lesser skill in Runelore.
Runes that you may sketch on totems:
Kena Fehu
Pithakhan Inguz
Wunjo Sowulu
Mannaz Sleizak
Nairat Loshre
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Splice
In Skill: Subterfuge
Syntax:
Worm splice <player> |
This command takes two Serpent
Lords with the ability to splice. Target the
other Serpent Lord and then execute this command.
It will take quite awhile, but when finished,
a wormhole will be formed between your two
locations that those with worm warp will be
able to travel through. |
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Enfeeble
In Skill: Kaido
Syntax:
Kai enfeeble <player>
Cost:
61 kai energy
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This ability will throw a massive
shockwave of kai energy at your opponent,
cutting his current health and mana in half,
and stunning him briefly. |
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Moonkick
In Skill: Tekura
Syntax:
Mnk <player> <left/right> |
This kick, so-called because
the foot travels in the arc of a crescent
moon, attacks the arms of your opponent. |
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Bedevil
In Skill: Healing
Syntax:
Bedevil <player>
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Bedevil is the sole offensive
ability within Healing. As it goes counter
to your training as a healer, it is difficult,
mentally, to use, and thus carries with it
a high cost in mana.
Upon channeling all five elements, you
will be able to focus your will upon a hapless
victim, and channel your afflictions into
him or her by corrupting the spirit channel.
Further, as a result of doing this, some
of your afflictions may be cured
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Decapitate
In Skill: Weaponry
Syntax:
Decapitate <corpse>
Pike <head>
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Want to show the world that
you caned your hated opponent? Provided you
have an edged weapon in one of your hands,
you will be able to decapitate a corpse. You
may then do whatever you like with the head,
including buying a pike and then piking the
head. Note that heads, being organic matter,
do not tend to stick around too long, and
if put on a pike, the pike will also decay
away when the head does. |
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Dreamcatcher
In Skill: Enchantment
Syntax:
Begin creation of dreamcatcher
To use:
Just have it in your inventory.
Type:
Created item.
Actions:
14, 9, 17, 5, 3x11, 3x1, 2x8, 3x11
Commodities Required:
4 gold, 4 silver, 2 stag's horn
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The Dreamcatcher will increase
health regeneration while the bearer is sleeping.
(Note: This ability is part of enchantment.
One goes to a set of ourobori, places the
required commodities in one of the ourobori
and then performs the series of actions
listed. Each number corresponds to an action,
such as ringing a bell, turning in a circle
thrice, lighting a candle, and so on.)
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Equilibrium
and Balance
Most of the damage and afflicting-dealing abilities
in Achaea, as well as some defensive and movement
ones, will require that you have equilibrium and
balance and will, after you use the ability, take
equilibrium or balance away from you for a certain
number of seconds. How many depends entirely on
the ability.
Perhaps the single most important factor in mounting
a successful attack against another player, and
even against a mobile, is the efficient use of
equilibrium and balance. When engaged in combat,
you always want to be making the most out of every
second of combat. If you recover equilibrium and
balance, and your opponent is in the room with
you, there is no reason not to immediately use
another ability that will use these up, unless
you wish to flee.
The process of being as efficient as possible
in your use of equilibrium and balance is referred
to as "chasing equilibrium" or "chasing
balance".
Proper Healing
Technique
Just as using most offensive abilities requires
equilibrium and/or balance, many healing abilities
or equipment have their own type of balance. These
are often referred to as "healing balances".
For instance, you are limited as to how often
a health or mana elixir can be drunk with a beneficial
effect. Since they both use the same "balance",
you must choose which to heal while in the midst
of combat.
Damage Types
There are nine types of damage in Achaea. These
are: |
| Damage
Type |
Example |
Cutting physical |
a sword's strike |
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Blunt physical |
someone punching you |
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Cold |
the Necromantic "chill"
spell |
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Fire |
the fiery breath of a
Wyvern-morphed Druid |
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Asphyxiation |
the garrote
ability used by Serpentlords |
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Electric |
lightning
cast by a Sorcerer |
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Magic |
the "decay"
ability in Necromancy |
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Poison |
a Serpent biting you
with the camus venom |
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Psychic |
the "mind crush"
ability used by telepaths |
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For each type of damage, there exists defenses.
For instance, the higher your Avoidance skill,
the more easily you will avoid physical (both
blunt and cutting) attacks, or be able to reduce
the damage you take from them. There are mini-skills
for defending against all other types of damage.
Furthermore, you may find elixirs or particular
defenses that help you with a certain kind of
damage. We will leave it up to you to discover
these, however.
Sleeping and
Meditating
Healing of health and endurance may be accomplished
by sleeping, while mana and willpower may be healed
via meditation. 'Sleep' will put you to sleep,
'wake' will wake you up, 'meditate' will cause
you to meditate and any command will cause you
to cease meditating. These are the most basic
methods of healing, but they are not really sufficient
for an experienced adventurer, as they are slow
and require that you do not do anything else while
performing them.
The other ways of healing are legion. They include
abilities in various skills, salves, elixirs,
plants, and smoking. Nothing need be said here
about the abilities, as suitable help may be found
on those within the skills. However, the other
methods need some explanation.
Elixirs and
Salves
Elixirs are liquids that may heal health, mana,
cure afflictions, or set up various defenses.
Salves are also fluids, though not they are thicker
and are able to be spread on your body.
Both elixirs and salves come in the various types
of vials found throughout the land, and when full,
can be used many times before running out.
One drinks an elixir, but one applies a salve.
One may apply a salve to either head, arms, legs,
or body. For instance, a salve of mending would
cure a broken arm if applied to your arm, and
a broken leg if applied to your legs.
You may purchase elixirs and salves from the
marketplaces around Achaea, or you may ask someone
of the Druid or Sentinel class for them.
Ingestable
Plants
Plants, in this context, are things that you eat.
(Some may be smoked. See the next section.) Eating
plants generally cure afflictions, or set up defenses
for you. You may find both of these for sale in
marketplaces around Achaea, or you may contact
a Druid, Sentinel, or Sylvan to buy them.
Smoking
Some defenses, such as an anti-weapon field (created
by smoking the skullcap plant), and some cures
are effected by smoking plants. To do this, you
simply find yourself a nice pipe, 'Put <whatever>
in pipe', 'Light pipe' (you must have a source
of fire, such as a tinderbox in your inventory),
and then 'Smoke pipe.' A lit pipe will eventually
go out if you don't smoke it now and then, but
you can simply relight it.
Arenas
There are arenas in every major city in Sapience, as well as one in the island of Delos. Within these arenas, players may practice combat by challenging others to a spar or participating in brutal games called Free-For-Alls or Rampages, for a small fee.
The advantage of fighting in arenas is this: death in the arena does not result in death and experience loss for your character. Equipment and resources that you use up in the arena, such as sips of elixirs or applications of salves, are restored when you exit the arena. Hence, arenas are perfect battlegrounds for practicing and perfecting your combat skills without serious loss to much but your ego. If you intend to be a contender in the field of combat in Achaea, be sure to seek out the arenas.
Final Notes
Combat goes much, much deeper than the few things
mentioned here. It is, however, up to you to discover
its full breadth and depth. The successful combatant
is the one who has practiced, practiced, practiced,
and who has investigated every ability, in every
combination possible. Considerably more information
on combat may be found in the help files in Achaea,
and probably the best way to learn is to dive
in, start fighting, practice in the arenas, and ask questions of your
House or citymates when you don't understand something.
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