Thank you for wanting to know more about FoxMUD. Long ago, man learned how to make fire. With the advent of technology... he learned how to burn himself. Since this was not a sufficiently stimulating experience, he spent milliena striving for greater achievements through advanced technology. Realizing in the end, that for all these great, advancements and honed humanitarian skills... all the time spent moving small bits of green paper from pocket... to pocket... to pocket. Happy or not, man still gets but one single, solitary chance to die really well. And if this chance isn't used properly, he risks becoming the butt of many a joke in the afterlife, that's not good. In an effort to be that joke while still alive, man can now experience virtual death.
Repeatedly. For now, mankind can MUD.
or how it came to be
Long ago, a group of failing college students were awake too long, too often. Hours were consumed in moving small lead figurines about a table cluttered with dice and papers. This was not good. Then, an idea came to them. This was good. If this distraction could be placed upon a computer, it could save the rainforests, increase mankinds' worth on the earth and lead the way for birth control. And, more free hours for studying could be misplaced. Also, many other people could waste their time with them, making their worth and importance that much greater. (That is not the story of FoxMUD or it's players, and will not be spoken of here. That is however the beginning story of Diku, from where FoxMUD's programming code originates.)
(THIS is the story of FoxMUD.)
One day, Adiron and Moksha, answered the call of their destiny, and abducted another to their midst by the name of Throm. Feeling the need for an expert in death, they pulled the bleeding corpse of Wedge from under a pile of corpses, where he had been hiding during the last failed group combat, healed him, and bandaged him to a chair in front of a computer. Finally, with this solid group of four, they ventured forth into a great unknown void, and so was born... FoxMUD.
The rest is history.
For new players to the Mud, be prepared for a learning experience. The first thing that must be decided, or at least considered is:
What sex will my character be:
Alignment - alignment will soon be added to all mortal levels, purely for roleplaying purposes (read 99% no game effect!).
Choices will be:
Truely Good - altruistic, kind, thoughtful, respectful
Somewhat Good - a nice enough sort, hardly perfect, well meaning
Fairly Unaligned - pretty unconcerned, neither cruel or kind
Somewhat Evil - not a very nice person, bad reputation
Darn Evil - truly darkhearted, villianous, even diabolical
FoxMUD is set up in a four class system, Mage, Cleric, Thief, Warrior. Each individual player can choose these four classes in any order they desire.
Mage - Can cast powerful offensive and utilitarian spells. Lowest hit points,
High mana. Some defensive spells. Very powerful at higher levels.
Cleric - Can cast great healing and protective spells, and some offensive spells.
Medium hit points, high mana. Can raise dead at higher levels.
Thief - Can backstab, sneak, pick locks and hide. Medium - high hit
points. Can multiple backstab at higher levels.
Warrior - Can withstand great amounts of damage, rescue others, parry
attacks. High hit points. Has multiple attacks at higher levels.
For example a character can be created that is a M/C/W/T, this character would have great mana totals and mana regeneration. This character however, would have low hit points and a slower hp regeneration rate. Also, this character would have a slow to moderate movement regeneration. Mv also affects sneaking and backstabbing, without mv, a character wouldn't get very far.
Another character example would be a W/T/C/M, this character would have alot of hp, and regen hp quickly, have plenty of movement, but very low mana, and a very low mana regen.
A W/C/M/T would be able to withstand alot of damage, quickly heal themselves, good hp, good mana, maybe a little low on mv.
But this should show that each character is an individual. Each person that chooses to play a Mud has an individual personality, so will their player characters. Depending on what you want, choose your classes wisely and always, enjoy playing FoxMUD.
Mana - is used by spell casters as stored energy from which spells derive their power. The more mana a character has, the more spells that character can cast.
Hit points - (or "HP") a number relevant to one's level and class order. The more hp a character has, the more damage they can withstand before dying. Damage inflicated upon the character is subtracted from the total HP of that character. When the character reaches -10 or lower HPs, the character dies. More on death later.
Movement - (or "Mv") determines how far a character can move. A high Mv and the character
can run from one end of the known realms to the other; a lower Mv and the character willhave to stop and
rest often to regenerate the Mv points. Difficult terrain costs more Mv, of course.
Strength - Helps determine how often and how much your character's attacks affect a mob.
Also determines how massive a weapon you can wield, as well as how much gear you can tote around.
Intelligence - Affects how often a cast mage spell fails, how much mana mages have, and how
effective each practice proves to be in learning skill and spells of all sorts. Also determines how many spells a character can memorize.
Wisdom - Affects the number of practices a character can earn when gaining levels; affects how often a cast cleric spell fails, how much mana clerics have.
Dexterity - Affects armor class and how much movement a character has.
Constitution - Along with class order, determines hit points.
Armor Class - Affects how frequently a mobs attacks will hit a character. Armor Class, or "AC" is rated from 10.0 to -20.0. -20.0 is the best AC while 10.0 is the worst.
When a mob dies, it becomes a corpse. Most mobs in Fox MUD have something on them; whether it is a magica item, or just gold coins, your player character has the ability to loot, or get all from the corpse once the mob dies. So let's say your character has found an alley cay in town. Your character types in the following "look cat" and you see the cat is wearing a leather cat collar. Your character then types in kill cat" or "backstab cat" and a battle begins. The battle will end when you kill the cat, the cat kills you, you flee or the cat flees. Let's say you are victorious, and kill the cat! Congratulations! =) Now there is a corpse at your feet. Next your character types in "get all corpse" and you will get the leather cat collar and any gold coins the cat had on it. Now you should type in "save" to save your character in the game. Next is the sacrifice.
Over twenty temples are located throughout the game; once your character has found one, it can take a corpse to the actual temple room, drop the corpse there and type in "sac corpse". This will allow your character to now worship that particular god. So, back to the corpse of the cat, the character can type i "sac corpse" and sacrifice that corpse to their god. The importance of sac-ing is that the top four sac ers in each temple can goto their temple and pray, the gods will bestow upon that character a Holy Shield (or some other great piece of unique holy eq). The top most sac'er in each temple, when they pray, will recieve a Holy Sword (or some other very nice God Goody) in addition to the Holy Shield. (stats for each of found on found on our equipment page) So, the importance of sac-ing alot of corpses to your god can be understood.
Well, some will laugh at you, some will comfort you, some may even raise you from the dead. OK, seriously your char is fighting a mob, and the next thing you know *BAM* yer dead. All you can see is stars. If yo try to do anything, the game will reply, "lie still, yer dead." You can still talk to group members, if you are in a group. If you are lucky, a cleric of at least level 36 or higher, who can raise you from the dead, will come to your aid. So, when you are killed, you are lying on the ground, with five ticks giving other players an opportunity to raise you, to bring you back to life. (A tick lasts maybe one minute.) Otherwise, your spirit will leave your dead body, and you will leave a corpse behind.
If you are UNlucky, you will corpse out after five ticks (the game will disconnect you). Corpsing out means your spirit leaves your body. You can log right back in, with that character (you have unlimited ' lives' in that sense). But you will reappear in a new body, temporarily weakened, and minus your equipmen , which is still on your old, now dead corpse. You may log back in immediately to the game, but you will re-enter the game at a safe place (which one depends on which continent you were killed on), naked, with HP. Somewhere in the game, lying on the ground, is your corpse. Your corpse has all your equipment. Remember you re-entered the game naked and at 1 HP! If you can remember where you were killed and the mob that killed you, you can ask for help on gossip. Ask for help doing a "corpse retrieval". Fox MUD has plenty of helpful, friendly folks, at least one of whom should help you get your corpse, and all your items back. Be careful, for what killed you once might still harbor a grudge, especially if you were of significant level for it to remember you!
How do I talk with other people:
There are many different way to communicate within the mud. Many different ways exist to communicate within Fox MUD:
WHISPER - To whisper to another player in the same room as you.
TELL - To send a message to a single player anywhere on the Mud.
SAY - All persons in the same room with you see what you say.
EMOTE - To all in the same room allows personalized actions.
GROUPTELL - To speak to all members in your group only.
YELL - everyone in nearby rooms, as well as your, hear this.
GOSSIP - All persons awake on the mud sees what you say.
AUCTION - Same as gossip, but used only for the sale of items.
SHOUT - To yell across the Mud, all can see. Gods frown on its overuse.
(Note that you can turn Gossip, Auction, and Yell on or off)
Hopefully this will give you a small idea of some of the basics of playing Fox MUD. See you there very soon!