This is the second GW2 design document, but this time I created it based purely on my own preferences. It kept many of the ideas I liked from the first design, and other members of the GW2 team gave a lot of input, but this time I wanted to create something that I would be enthusiastic about. Also note that it is much more similar to the original God Wars theme than the previous design. There were dozens of additional design documents for many of the features, but most of them were little more than scribbled notes. This document contained the backbone of the design, and although not all of it made it into the mud, you can still see what a huge influence it had if you play the mud. KaVir. ================================================================================ This is a tale of the earliest days When creatures of myth and legend walked the earth When the Supernaturalis ruled as gods And war raged eternal... ________ .___ __ __ .___.___ / _____/ ____ __| _/ / \ / \_____ _______ ______ | | | / \ ___ / _ \ / __ | \ \/\/ /\__ \\_ __ \/ ___/ | | | \ \_\ ( <_> ) /_/ | \ / / __ \| | \/\___ \ | | | \______ /\____/\____ | \__/\ / (____ /__| /____ > |___|___| \/ \/ \/ \/ \/ ================================================================================ 1. Character development 1.1. Stats 1.1.1. Primary stats 1.1.1.1. STR (Strength) 1.1.1.2. DEX (Dexterity) 1.1.1.3. STA (Stamina) 1.1.1.4. SIZ (Size) 1.1.1.5. WIT (Wits) 1.1.1.6. WIL (Willpower) 1.1.1.7. DIS (Discipline) 1.1.1.8. AUR (Aura) 1.1.2. Secondary stats 1.1.2.1. ATTACK 1.1.2.2. DEFENCE 1.1.2.3. HEALTH 1.1.2.4. DAMAGE 1.1.2.5. SPEED 1.1.2.6. ASCENDANCY 1.1.2.7. PROTECTION 1.1.2.8. POWER 1.1.2.9. MANA 1.2. Mortals 1.2.1. Baby 1.2.2. Child 1.2.3. Adolescent 1.2.4. Adult 1.2.5. Avatar 1.2.6. Stats 1.3. Abilities (stuff anyone can learn) 1.3.1. Skills 1.3.1.1. Combat 1.3.1.2. Meditation 1.3.1.3. Stealth 1.3.1.4. Athletics 1.3.1.5. Crafts 1.3.1.6. Survival 1.3.1.7. Medicine 1.3.1.8. Lore 1.3.2. Fighting stances 1.3.2.1. Basic stances 1.3.2.2. Advanced stances 1.3.2.3. Super stances 1.3.3. Magic colours 1.4. Classes 1.4.1. Revenants (a metamorphosis after death) 1.4.1.1. Vampire (control animals/mist, change form) 1.4.1.2. Ghoul (concealment, eat the dead, raise zombies, diseases) 1.4.1.3. Wraith (materialise, possess, telekinesis) 1.4.1.4. Mummy (bandages, underworld magic, amulets) 1.4.2. Lyncathropes (a disease) 1.4.2.1. Werewolf (form control, animal totems) 1.4.2.2. Wererat (form control, animal totems) 1.4.2.3. Werebear (form control, animal totems) 1.4.2.4. Werecat (form control, animal totems) 1.4.3. Illuminati (natural magical gifts) 1.4.3.1. Mage (general magic) 1.4.3.2. Witch (potions, curses, summonings) 1.4.3.3. Necromancer (blood runes, life draining, undead summonings) 1.4.3.4. Hunter (faith) 1.4.4. Nephilim (born as a supernatural being) 1.4.4.1. Demon (hellfire, pacts) 1.4.4.2. Lamia (form control, snake magic) 1.4.4.3. Dragon (form control, breath attack, shapechange, magic) 1.4.4.4. Sidhe (glamour) 1.4.5. Subclasses (weretiger, red dragon, etc) 1.4.6. Stats (class trained) 1.4.7. Stages 1.4.7.1. Fledgeling 1.4.7.2. Member 1.4.7.3. Elite 1.4.7.4. Master 1.4.8. Powers (class-specific "skills") 2. World system 2.1. Planes 2.1.1. Private planes 2.1.2. Realm planes 2.1.3. Nexus plane 2.1.4. Quest planes 3. Action system 3.1. Combat (fighting with the action system, as "Glad") 3.1.1. Healing 3.2. Magic (casting spells, as "Firetop Mountain") 3.2.1. Maintaining spells 3.2.2. Recovering mana 4. Objects 4.1. Magical objects 5. Mobs 4.1. Hostiles 4.2. Citizens 4.3. Servants 6. Parser 7. Recognition system 8. Quests 8.1. Script system 8.2. Completion (3 times each, at different difficulty levels) 8.3. Rewards (magical items, stat bonuses, etc) ================================================================================ 1. Character development ================================================================================ You enter your name. If your character already exists, you are prompted for a password, otherwise you have to start as a new "Baby" character and go through the introduction sequence. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1.1. Stats -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1.1.1. Primary stats Your primary statistics all start at 1, but increase through age - both as a mortal, and then as a supernatural. Generally speaking they are trained up manually, but they will also be increased automatically as part of the training process. These primary statistics are rarely used within the mud, other than to calculate your secondary statistics. 1.1.1.1. STR (Strength) This represents the raw physical might of your character. Each point of Strength gives you two points of HEALTH, one point of ATTACK and two points of DAMAGE. This stat provides a small bonus to your movement speed. 1.1.1.2. DEX (Dexterity) This indicates the agility and hand-eye coordination of your character. Each point of Dexterity gives you three points of ATTACK, two points of DEFENCE, one point of PROTECTION and a third of a point of SPEED. This stat provides a small bonus to your movement speed. 1.1.1.3. STA (Stamina) This is the toughness and overall fitness of your character. Each point of Stamina gives you two points of HEALTH, one point of RESISTANCE, one point of DEFENCE, one point of MANA and one point of PROTECTION. This stat provides a small bonus to your movement speed. 1.1.1.4. SIZ (Size) This represents the physical size and reach of your character. Each point of Size gives you one point of HEALTH, one point of RESISTANCE, two points of ATTACK and one point of DAMAGE. Every three full points of Size give you an extra one point of REACH, but also reduces your DEFENCE by three. This stat provides a large increase to your movement speed. Having a large Size also makes you slightly easier to hit with ranged weapons. 1.1.1.5. WIT (Wits) This indicates the mental alertness and reaction speed of your character. Each point of Wits gives you three points of DEFENCE, one point of ASCENDANCY, one point of PROTECTION and two thirds of a point of SPEED. 1.1.1.6. WIL (Willpower) This reflects the strength of mind and force of personality of your character. Each point of Willpower gives you four points of ASCENDANCY, one point of POWER and one point of MANA. 1.1.1.7. DIS (Discipline) This indicates the mental resilience and mind-over-matter discipline of your character. Each point of Discipline gives you two points of PROTECTION, one point of POWER, one point of RESISTANCE and one point of MANA. 1.1.1.8. AUR (Aura) This is the strength of the magical aura your character possesses. Each point of Aura gives you one point of ASCENDANCY, one point of PROTECTION, one point of POWER, two points of MANA and one point of SPELL RANGE. 1.1.2. Secondary stats Your secondary statistics are calculated from your primary statistics, although they may also get modifiers from other things (such as weapon skills, magic items, etc). These statistics are used for most actions within the mud. 1.1.2.1. ATTACK The offensive fighting capabilities of your character. Your base chance of hitting an opponent is 50%, however you gain +1% per point of ATTACK - and -1% per point of DEFENCE your opponent has. Your chances to hit are also adjusted according to the type of attack you are performing, the position your opponent is in and any defences they might currently have in place. 1.1.2.2. DEFENCE The defensive fighting capabilities of your character. Your base chance of avoiding an opponent's attack is 50%, however you gain +1% per point of DEFENCE - and -1% per point of ATTACK your opponent has. Your chances to avoid being hit are also adjusted according to the type of attack your opponent is performing, the position you are in and any defences you might currently have in place. 1.1.2.3. HEALTH The maximum pain (and damage) threshold of your character. When you have taken more damage than you have HEALTH, you fall unconscious. Twice your HEALTH in damage will kill you (if you are mortal). 1.1.2.4. DAMAGE The raw power of your character, depending on how big and strong they are. In combat, the amount of damage inflicted can be anything from as little as one point to as many as your DAMAGE rating. 1.1.2.5. SPEED The attack speed of your character. Each second, you gain SPEED+3 action points in each body location. These action points (APs) are then spent on performing combat techniques. Note that APs are not recovered while you are in the process of performing a technique. This statistic is rounded down to the nearest whole second. 1.1.2.6. ASCENDANCY This represents how skillfully you are able to manipulate magic in general. It's how "accurate" you are, how effective. It represents your chance of doing something - attacking, healing, summoning, etc. This is PURELY used to get past the "defence" rating of your target - which could be PROTECTION (in the case of a mental attack), DEFENCE (in the case of a direct spell such as fireball), amount of damage (in the case of a wound) or even the ASCENDANCY of another person (if you are trying to counter their spell). 1.1.2.7. PROTECTION This represents your innate ability to resist the magic of others, in the same way as DEFENCE counters ATTACK. 1.1.2.8. POWER This represents the strength of your magic. How much damage do you do? How much damage can you heal? How strong is your magic shield? How much information can you read from someone's aura? 1.1.2.9. MANA This represents how much magic power you possess, and is used to cast spells or activate certain powers. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1.2. Mortals -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1.2.1. Baby (this is where you learn about the storyline). You enter the game. The room is described as a nursery, where you are lying in a little cot, having just been born. There are various helpfiles available which describe the basics. You also have the ability to train your stats. Once you've trained 8 times, you "age" from "baby" to "child". At this point the nursemaid rushes in, exclaiming that you "have the gift", and picks you up, rushing you to the temple. There you hear her talk with the priest, who says that you are aging so quickly because you have an immortal soul, and that you must be taken into the forest and left there for the other Supernaturalis to claim. She takes you there, drops you off, and then leaves. 1.2.2. Child (this is where you learn about the basic game mechanics). Some nasty comes out of the forest and attacks you (perhaps a snake, a wolf, lion, bear, or whatever). You engage it in combat (you only have basic moves) and eventually defeat it (rigged combat - you can't actually lose). You learn how to rip open the creature and eat its flesh (alternatively you can discover fruit on the trees). You wander around in the forest, fighting and learning how to eat, drink, etc. As you perform certain tasks (like killing the creature, drinking, etc) you earn training points - once you've earned/spent all 8, you become an adolescent. At this point an old man approaches and says how he's been watching your progress. He tells you about your heritage and about the Supernaturalis, and offers to teach you how to tap your inner potential - to use what mortals refer to as "magic". If you refuse, he informs you that your physical growth coincides with that of your mental and spiritual growth, and that until you learn to control the magic within, you will be unable to grow any further. He points to his tower in the distance and tells you to come to him when you are ready. You cannot really do much other than wander around the forest killing things, or travel to his tower - so eventually you are forced to take up his offer. 1.2.3. Adolescent (this is where you learn about using magic). The old man teaches you more about the history of the Supernaturalis, about their various strengths and weaknesses. He show you how to tap your inner magic, allowing you to practice with various spells. As you successfully cast various spells, you earn more practice points - once you've spent 8 you become an adult. These spells are fairly basic compared to the class spells. 1.2.4. Adult (the "newbie arena"). You wander around a sort of "newbie zone" quest area - basically travelling back through the forest. You earn practice points as you go, so that by the time you have finished you've spent 8 and become an Avatar. 1.2.5. Avatar (the proper game). You are now fully grown, at your full potential. You can join a class if you wish (if not, your powers will be limited). 1.2.6. Stats All statistics initially start at 1, and increase as follows: * Baby: Max stat 3. Upon spending 8 points, become: * Child: Gain +1 SIZ. Max stat 5. Upon spending 8 points, become: * Adolescent: Gain +1 SIZ. Max stat 7: Upon spending 8 points, become: * Adult: Gain +1 SIZ. Max stat 9: Upon spending 8 points, become Elder. In addition to the above, upon reaching "Child", "Adolescent" and "Adult", the MUD spends 2 points in your lowest stats to try and balance you out. When you reach Elder, the MUD spends 1 point in your HIGHEST stat (which can take it above 9). The priority of stats is: WIT, STR, STA, DEX, WIL, DIS, AUR. Note that SIZ isn't an option, as it is automatically increased. This gives an Avatar 50 points spread among their 8 stats (an ordinary mortal would have 40) with potentially one supernaturally-high stat. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1.3. Abilities -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Abilities go up with use. They cannot be boosted through Primal and there is no limit to how many ranks you can have in any particular one. When an ability reaches 100, specialisation is sometimes required - and when that specialisation reaches 100, it is often necessary to specialise further still. In these cases the combined bonuses of each ability is combined to calculate the total ability - for example you would add "Combat", "Sword" and "Longsword" to calculate your total ability when wielding a steel longsword in combat. The specialisations are not displayed to the player until the requirements have first been met (for example you don't see "Sword" until your "Combat" skill has reached 100). 1.3.1. Skills Some skills have dependancies upon other skills, and will not be made visible to the player until those dependancies have been fulfilled. Examples of this are weapon specialisations and advanced/super stances. 1.3.1.1. Combat This indicates your general fighting ability, although it will quickly branch off into weapon categories and then on to individual weapon types. Anyone can learn the basics of all weapons, but few are able to master more than one. 1.3.1.2. Meditation This represents your awareness, alertness and concentration, and is useful for avoiding ambushes, as well as increasing your mental focus for spellcasting. 1.3.1.3. Stealth This represents your ability to sneak around quietly and ambush the unwary, as well as slight-of-hand techniques such as picking locks and pockets. 1.3.1.4. Athletics This represents your general athletic ability for tasks such as running, jumping, climbing, swimming, and so on. 1.3.1.5. Crafts This represents your knowledge of crafts, and includes skills such as leatherworking, smithing and carpentry. 1.3.1.6. Survival This represents your ability to survive out of doors, including skills such as tracking, foraging and setting snares. 1.3.1.7. Medicine This represents your medical knowledge - the ability to apply bandages, stitch wounds, diagnose and treat illnesses, etc. 1.3.1.8. Lore This indicates your knowledge of the creatures which inhabit the many realms of existence. Fight enough Vampires, and you'll learn their weaknesses; fight enough Mages, and you'll start to learn more about their abilities. 1.3.2. Fighting stances There are three categories of stance - basic, advanced, and super - and each grants a +1% bonus to one or more stats for every point you have within it. In order to attain a super stance you must first master the three appropriate advanced stances, and in order to attain an advanced stance you must first master the two appropriate basic stances. Advanced stance bonuses stack on top of the basic stance bonuses, just as the super stance bonuses stack on top of both advanced and basic. Thus a super stance is very powerful - it grants bonuses from 7 different stances (3 basic, 3 advanced, and the super stance itself). Note also that the word "stance" is a bit misleading, as it actually represents your overall fighting "style". You can change between your fighting styles at any time - and doing so will show you the exp progress bar for that particular stance. Finally, an important thing to note is that the stances are spiritual as well as physical, and the bonuses applied reflect this. Bonuses to ATTACK, DEFENCE, DAMAGE, and RESISTANCE will also grant those same bonuses to ASCENDANCY, PROTECTION, POWER and MAGIC-RESISTANCE respectively. SPEED, of course, is both a physical and a spiritual stat in the first place. 1.3.2.1. Basic stances You can train these at any time - they go up naturally just like weapon skills. Once you get two basic stances to 100, you may start developing the appropriate advanced stance - for example, if you have 100 in both Crane and Viper, you can develop Mantis. The bonuses gained for each stance go into the following stats: * Crane: DEFENCE * Mongoose: ATTACK * Crab: RESISTANCE * Bull: DAMAGE * Viper: SPEED 1.3.2.1. Advanced stances You may only develop an advanced stance if you have 100 in the two appropriate basic stances. You may then go on to develop a super stance, but that requires a "circle" of three advanced stances, each at 100+. For example Bear, Dragon and Swallow would be a "circle" (ATTACK + DAMAGE, DAMAGE + RESISTANCE, RESISTANCE + ATTACK). The bonuses gained for an advanced stance are calculated in the same way as the basic stances - however, the character ALSO gains the bonuses from their two basic stances in addition to the bonuses for the advanced stance itself. Thus with 200 in Bull (+200% DAMAGE), 150 in Crane (+150% DEFENCE) and 20 in Eagle (+20% DAMAGE, +20% DEFENCE), the total bonus would be +220% DAMAGE, +170% DEFENCE. * Bear: ATTACK + DAMAGE * Monkey: ATTACK + DEFENCE * Swallow: ATTACK + RESISTANCE * Cobra: ATTACK + SPEED * Eagle: DAMAGE + DEFENCE * Tiger: DAMAGE + SPEED * Dragon: DAMAGE + RESISTANCE * Mantis: DEFENCE + SPEED * Eel: DEFENCE + RESISTANCE * Fox: RESISTANCE + SPEED 1.3.2.1. Super stances You may only develop a super stance if you have the three appropriate advanced stances to 100+. When in a super stance, you gain the combined bonuses for the appropriate basic AND advanced stances, in addition to the super stance bonus itself. * Hawk: ATTACK + DAMAGE + DEFENCE * Rhino: ATTACK + DAMAGE + RESISTANCE * Lion: ATTACK + DAMAGE + SPEED * Ape: ATTACK + DEFENCE + RESISTANCE * Asp: ATTACK + DEFENCE + SPEED * Serpent: ATTACK + RESISTANCE + SPEED * Hydra: DAMAGE + DEFENCE + RESISTANCE * Leopard: DAMAGE + DEFENCE + SPEED * Wolf: DAMAGE + RESISTANCE + SPEED * Flea: DEFENCE + RESISTANCE + SPEED 1.3.3. Magic colours There are five types of magic, as follows: * Blue magic deals with defensive spells, both direct (such as healing) and indirect (such as protective shields). * Red magic deals with offensive spells, both direct (such as fireballs) and indirect (such as curses). * Green magic deals with manipulation, both of matter (such as shapechanging) and magic (such as counterspells). * Yellow magic deals with the imbuing of power within other sources, both animate (such as bless) and inanimate (such as enchant weapon). * Purple magic deals with external forces, both natural (summoned storms) and unnatural (creating a magical creature). Each spell or power belongs to one colour, and these "colours" of magic improve with use in the same way as a weapon skill or fighting stance. Each rank in a colour gives +1% to each of ASCENDANCY, PROTECTION and POWER, for all spells which use that colour of magic. Similar to the original God Wars, when you cast a spell your eyes briefly glow the colour of the spell cast. God Wars II provides additional information as well, in that it tells you how brightly the caster's eyes glow, reflecting their skill with that colour of magic. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1.4. Classes -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The classes within God Wars II are divided up into one of four different categories, as follows: 1.4.1. Revenants The Revenants are those who have returned from the dead. Sometimes this is done through sheer force of will, while other times it occurs via supernatural intervention. The one thing all of these creatures share in common, however, is that they need to feed from the living in some form or other in order to maintain their undead existence. In addition, these creatures are particularly vulnerable to items of religious significance. 1.4.1.1. Vampire The vampires are a parasitic form of undead which feeds from the blood of the living. A vampire may choose to pass on it's "curse" when it bites another human, although in the case of a Supernaturalis, the victim must be willing. A vampire suffers penalties when attacking someone wearing garlic. 1.4.1.2. Ghoul These scavengers gain their sustenance from human flesh (either living or dead). While not particularly intelligent in the traditional sense, the Ghoul is possessed of a vicious animal-like cunning. A ghoul suffers penalties when attacking someone wielding fire-based weapons. 1.4.1.3. Wraith Brought back to the world of the living through sheer force of will or the powers of a Necromancer, these creatures feed upon the emotions of others. 1.4.1.4. Mummy Ancient rituals of preservation have granted these creatures a form of immortality - but at a price. In order to extend their own lives, the Mummy is forced to feed upon the life force of others. 1.4.2. Lyncathropes The Lyncathropes, or were-beasts, are humans that can take the form of a beast during the full moon. Some consider lyncathropy a disease or curse, while to others it is a powerful gift, but none can deny the power it grants. The greatest weakness of the werebeast, however, is silver. A lyncathrope suffers penalties when attacking someone wearing wolfsbane. 1.4.2.1. Werewolf The most common of the werebeasts, the werewolf is able to transform into a wolf (either completely or partially). 1.4.2.2. Wererat While not as physically strong as the werewolf, the wererat is just as dangerous. Possessing razor-sharp senses and a viciously cunning mind, this creature should not be underestimated. 1.4.2.3. Werebear While slower than the werewolf, the werebear possesses incredible strength and resilience and can prove a very formidable opponent in combat. 1.4.2.4. Werecat While not as resilient as the werewolf, the werecat is incredibly agile, moving with feline speed and grace. 1.4.3. Illuminati The Illuminati are those who have somehow managed to tap into their own inner potential without external stimuli. Although their precise powers vary from individual to individual, they are invariably more powerful than any normal human, due to their Supernaturalis souls. 1.4.3.1. Mage In the same way as a carpenter can take a piece of wood and craft it into a chair, or an architect can take a pile of bricks and build a house, mages can twist and manipulate the magic in the air and earth around them. 1.4.3.2. Witch Through a mixture of rituals, charms and potions, the witch is able to formulate spells of considerable power. A witch suffers penalties if they have salt thrown at them, as it disrupts their magic. 1.4.3.3. Necromancer Drawing upon the power of death, the necromancer is able to summon and control undead in their various forms. In addition, they are able to draw upon many of the strengths and powers commonly associated with the undead. 1.4.3.4. Hunter Some humans have been known to demonstrate feats of incredible strength during life and death situations. Others have displayed amazing resilience to pain and damage by achieving deep states of meditation. The Hunters take these abilities to the extreme, demonstrating powers that rival those of even the most powerful of supernatural entities. 1.4.4. Nephilim The Nephilim are the true supernaturals, those who were never truely human to begin with. Many of them predate the birth of the human race and, although they have lost much of their original power, they are still a force to be reckoned with. 1.4.4.1. Demon When the angels were prohibited from direct human contact, many chose to disobey their orders. While these fallen angels have lost much of their power and knowledge, they are still extremely dangerous. Demons suffer penalties when attacking someone equiped with holy items. 1.4.4.2. Lamia A curious hybrid of human and snake, the Lamia is an ancient race of immortal shapeshifters with magical powers far beyond those of any mortal. 1.4.4.3. Dragon One of the first races, the mighty dragons are far less numerous than they once were. Incredibly strong both physically and magically, the dragons would still be masters of this world were they not so few in number. 1.4.4.4. Sidhe The fay folk are generally a carefree and frolicsome race, although they take some matters very seriously. Their magic takes the form of tricks, illusions and deceptions - powers which should not be underestimated. The fay suffer additional damage from cold iron (iron weapons beaten into shape rather than forged). 1.4.6. Stats A newly created supernatural is assigned 50 points, which are immediately split between their stats as specified in the following tables: Revenants STR DEX STA SIZ WIT WIL DIS AUR --------------------------------------------- Vampire 10 10 10 0 5 5 5 5 Ghoul 10 10 10 0 10 10 0 0 Wraith 0 0 0 0 5 15 15 15 Mummy 10 5 10 0 5 5 5 10 Lyncathropes STR DEX STA SIZ WIT WIL DIS AUR --------------------------------------------- Werewolf 10 10 10 10 5 0 0 5 Wererat 10 10 10 5 10 0 0 5 Werebear 15 0 15 15 0 0 0 5 Werecat 10 10 10 10 5 0 0 5 Illuminati STR DEX STA SIZ WIT WIL DIS AUR --------------------------------------------- Mage 0 0 0 0 5 10 10 25 Witch 0 0 0 0 10 10 10 20 Necromancer 0 0 0 0 10 15 15 10 Hunter 5 5 5 0 10 5 10 10 Nephilim STR DEX STA SIZ WIT WIL DIS AUR --------------------------------------------- Demon 10 5 10 5 5 5 5 5 Lamia 10 10 10 5 10 0 0 5 Dragon 15 0 15 10 5 0 0 5 Sidhe 5 5 5 0 10 5 5 15 This "newly created" supernatural can then train their stats up further by spending Primal. Every time they spend a point, the mud will automatically assign them another point in one of the stats appropriate for their class, randomly determined from the following tables: Revenants STR DEX STA SIZ WIT WIL DIS AUR --------------------------------------------- Vampire 4 4 4 0 2 2 2 2 Ghoul 4 4 4 0 4 3 0 1 Wraith 0 0 0 0 2 6 6 6 Mummy 4 2 4 0 2 2 2 4 Lyncathropes STR DEX STA SIZ WIT WIL DIS AUR --------------------------------------------- Werewolf 5 5 5 0 2 1 1 1 Wererat 3 5 4 0 6 1 0 1 Werebear 7 3 7 0 1 0 1 1 Werecat 4 7 4 0 3 1 0 1 Illuminati STR DEX STA SIZ WIT WIL DIS AUR --------------------------------------------- Mage 0 0 0 0 4 4 4 8 Witch 0 0 0 0 5 5 5 5 Necromancer 0 0 0 0 4 5 5 6 Hunter 2 2 2 0 4 2 4 4 Nephilim STR DEX STA SIZ WIT WIL DIS AUR --------------------------------------------- Demon 5 2 5 2 2 1 1 2 Lamia 4 5 4 0 4 1 0 2 Dragon 6 1 5 4 2 0 0 2 Sidhe 2 2 2 0 4 2 2 6 This means that for every 20 stat points a character increases, the mud will also - on average - have increased their stats by the above amounts. There is no theoretical limit to how far a character can train their stats, although in practice the Primal costs will eventually become ridiculously high. Note also that SIZe and AURa can ONLY be increased by the mud - the player may never train them manually after they have reached Elder and become an Avatar. This means that most classes will never improve their SIZe beyond that of a mortal (although ALL classes will gradually increases their AURa). The Supernaturalis are powerful, but they aren't (all) giants. 1.4.7. Stages As the character develops, they go through various "stages", which are used for the purposes of game balance. These stages are as follows, although the titles may vary from class to class: 1.4.7.1. Fledgeling: A newly classed Supernaturalis of 100-149 points. The character is the responsibility of their creator. In effect, their creator has power over them in the same way as a clan leader might, and is responsible for their training and education. The creator has to make an investment of Primal to class the new character, but then earns back a bonus when that character advances to Stage 2. When fighting in the Nexus, characters at this stage have the possibility of finding Legendary items, as well as the lesser Magical items. 1.4.7.2. Member: A Supernaturalis with 150-199 points. The character is now a fully-fledged member of their appropriate class and is no longer under the control of their creator. They may now join a clan if they wish. When fighting in the Nexus, they have the possibility of finding up to (and including) Mythical items. 1.4.7.3. Elite: A Supernaturalis with 200-249 points. The character is considered a powerful member of their class, and has the power to make clan votes. They are also able to create new members of their class. When fighting in the Nexus, they have the possibility of finding up to (and including) Relics. 1.4.7.4. Master: A Supernaturalis with 250+ points. The character is has attained the state of being considered a "master" of their appropriate class. They are able to create their own clan if they wish, although this requires votes from at least 2 other players. When fighting in the Nexus, they have the possibility of finding any level of item, including Artifacts. ================================================================================ 2. World system ================================================================================ Each "room" location is 100x100. To face a direction, type "north/south/east/west". Alternatively you can use "face ", where "direction" is either a compass direction or a visible location/thing (eg "face forest", "face river", "face kavir", etc). You can also specify a direction in the range 0-359. Finally, you can also turn with the "left" and "right" commands (with the paramater as a number in degrees). For combat purposes, there is also a "flee" command, which makes you run away from the specified location (unless you give a direction, in which case it worksthe same way as "move"). Other commands, such as "jump", are equally specific -in the case of "jump", you will run up to the location and then attempt to leap over it (eg "jump river"). To move a direction, type "north/etc" while facing that direction. This will move you 100 locations in that direction (unless you specify a different distance). Alternatively, you can move by typing "sneak", "walk" or "jog" or "run", which will move you at 0.5/1/2/3 times your normal movement rate (which is determined by your SPEED). You will keep moving until you type "stop", or until you reach an obstacle which cannot be crossed (although you may configure an override). You cannot stop instantly of course - only slow down - and your speed will be used to determine how long it takes to stop completely, as well as damage, should you run into something (or someone). In combat, different weapons have a different reach (the actual "room" makes no difference). In this respect the world is effectively coordinate based rather than room based. The "room" concept is really only there for people who are not familiar with non-room-based worlds. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 2.1. Planes -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- There are four types of plane, as follows: 2.1.1. Private planes Each character has their own private plane, which can be customised by the owner (in terms of layout - they cannot write their own descriptions, although default ones will be provided by the mud). This plane can also be used to store objects and mobs (servants, prisoners, etc), as well as to practice fighting or spellcasting. It also provides a safe place to talk to friends. 2.1.2. Realm planes Each mini-MUD has its own starting plane, where newcomers start out. This plane is quite large, and has randomly spawning mobs - so it can be a good place to earn exp and magical items early on in the game. Unfortunately there is a limit to the strength of the mobs, and only regular magic items can be discovered here. The important thing about this plane is that PK is not possible, making it an ideal location for newbies to get used to the game. 2.1.3. Nexus plane This is the central plane, where all the mini-MUDs will meet. It is pseudo randomly generated and is infinitely big - but it doesn't keep changing (so you CAN get used to landmarks). Mobs here are randomly spawned, and their strength is based upon the distance from the centre of the Nexus they were spawned from - thus there is no limit to the strength of the mobs. As the monsters get tougher, the magical items they drop become more powerful, and it is also possible to get Legendary+ items. Note also that different mobs will spawn depending on the type of area you are in - thus air elementals can be found in the sky, earth elementals below ground, fire elementals in deserts and volcanos, and water elementals in oceans and rivers. These elementals have a chance of dropping elemental hearts instead of regular magical items. 2.1.4. Quest planes There are many quest planes, and they can be "entered" at specific points in the Nexus. They are pre-defined (NOT random), and most importantly of all, unlike the other planes, each time a character enters a quest plane they get their OWN copy of the plane. In other words, if player 1 enters a quest plane, then player 2 enters that same plane, they will EACH be within our own copy, so it is not possible for them to ruin each other's quests. They can never meet, because they exist in different planes, and they can never kill each other's mobs for the same reason. There is no "waiting around" for a quest mob to respawn - your own copy of the area will already have it's own set of mobs, and once dead they will not come back. The only way to get more than one character in the same quest plane is for a "group" to enter - they all go to the same location in that case (assuming none of them have completed the quest yet). Once the player (or last member of a group of players) leaves a quest plane, it is destroyed. It is possible to enter the same Quest plane many times, but it can only be completed once by each character at each difficulty level. ================================================================================ 3. Action system ================================================================================ Each character has a number of locations, each of which may be performing one action at any one time. For most humans, these locations are "left hand", "right hand", "feet" and "mind". Note that the hand locations also include the arm, just as feet include legs and body. The mind also includes eyes, ears, nose, etc. Every second, each character receives a number of action points equal to his or her SPEED rating (to a maximum of 20 per second). These action points are then spent to perform various actions. In addition to costing a specific number of action points, each activity also takes a specific number of seconds to perform. Thus when a player wishes to walk north, they may type "north", and this will send a "walk north" action to their legs. Assuming they have sufficient action points and they are not currently doing anything with their legs, the action will kick off immediately - and one second later they'll move north. If there are insufficient action points, the action will sit on the queue until there ARE enough. It is also possible to stack up actions in this way. The action queue can also be cleared, and a "!" on the end of a command will push it to the front of the queue. An action performed with a different location will use the same pool of action points, but will be inserted into a different queue. Thus it is possible to be dropping something with your left hand while picking something up with your right, or to look in your backpack (requires both hands AND mind) while walking down the street. ================================================================================ 4. Objects ================================================================================ Each item has the following types of attribute, regardless of whether or not it's magical: * Type - eg cap, helm, full helm (each have slightly different stats). * Material - eg iron, steel, silver (different strengths). * Quality - crude/average/good/superb/etc (different bonuses). * Condition - get weaker as damaged. An item will often apply bonuses to a stat. When this happens, there will be pre- and post-bonuses, the former being applied before skills are taken into account, the latter being applied afterwards. The pre-bonus will generally represent the quality of the specific item, while the post-bonus is usually generic for that item type. For example, longswords might all grant a +10 ATT/DEF post-bonus as standard, but a finely-crafted steel longsword might also grant a +15 ATT/DEF pre-bonus, while a rusty old iron longsword might only grant a +1 ATT/DEF pre-bonus. The pre-bonus is applied BEFORE any skill modifiers are applied, the post-bonus is applied afterwards. Thus a master swordsman can take better advantage of a well-made sword than a trainee can. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 4.1. Magical objects (randomly generated) -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Magic items belong to one of five grades: Magical, Legendary, Mythical, Relic and Artifact. Magical items have the least power, while Artifacts have the most. In addition, each magic item has a Magic Radiation level, which indicates its rough power level. An Artifact has more Radiation than a Relic, for example, but is powerful enough to more than compensate, making the higher grade items more desirable. A character may safely handle ten times as many Magic Radiation points as his/her Age. The powers possessed by magic items consist of the following: Set (specify the set it belongs to) +X STR/DEX/STA/SIZ/WIT/WIL/DIS/AUR +X ATT/DEF/HEA/ASC/PRO/MAN +X/3 SPE +X DAM/POW +X Skill/power +X skills +X Sockets +% movement speed +% Resist +X Minimum/Maximum weapon damage +X Elemental damage +X Range (for missile weapons) +X Spell casting speed +% HEALTH Regeneration +% MANA Regeneration +% HEALTH stolen per hit +% MANA stolen per hit Attacker takes damage of X Magical Attacker takes damage of X Damage reduced by X Magic Damage reduced by X Poison Damage reduced by X Rampage (1/2/3): Cumulative bonus to damage while fighting. Deadly Strike: % chance of doing double damage. Crushing Blow: % chance of reducing opponents remaining hp by 50%. Aggravated: Inflicts aggravated damage. Envenomed: Inflicts X damage over Y seconds. Numbing blow: Reduces opponents SPEED rating. Holy: Inflicts enhanced damage to Revenants. Silver: Inflicts enhanced damage to Lyncathropes. Slaying: Weapon gains a PERMANENT bonus the more it is used (capped). The "sets" are not like DiabloII sets. Each "set" is a seperately coded attribute that grants bonuses according to the number of items you have of that type. For example the "DarkBlade" set might provide additional damage bonuses and void resistance (depending how many items of that set you were wearing) - but there wouldn't be any predefined DarkBlade items. The demonic armour that Demons create actually belongs to the "demonic" set. In addition, some items (those with the "socket" attribute) could contain elements hearts. These "hearts" could be earned from defeating particularly powerful foes on the appropriate elements plane (basically imagine the 4 elemental planes as super-large areas with a random layout and random mobs). The full elemental "tree" would look like this: FIRE LIGHTNING LAVA AIR VOID EARTH ICE ACID WATER However there would only be planes (areas) for the basic 4 elements. Basic Hearts: Fire, Air, Earth, Water. Compound Hearts: Lightning, Lava, Ice, Mud. There are five stages of heart: minor, lesser, normal, greater and major. Two hearts of the same element and stage may be combined to form a heart of the next stage. Two basic elemental hearts which are not of directly opposed elements maybe combined to form a compound elemental heart of the appropriate type (eg AIR+WATER=ICE), of one stage less (eg two MAJOR hearts would combine to create one GREATER heart). Two compound hearts which ARE directly opposed may be combined to form a void heart (eg LARVE+ICE=VOID), once again of one stage less. Basic elements provide the appropriate elemental damage (if in a weapon) or resistance to that element (if in anything else, although armour provides more resistance). In addition, they provide stat bonuses as follows: * Fire: +STR and +WIL. * Air: +DEX and +WIT. * Earth: +STA and +SIZ. * Water: +DIS and +AUR. A compound heart weapon inflicts compound elemental damage (requiring compound resistance to avoid). Other items provide compound elemental resistance, but also apply that same bonus to the resistance of BOTH its basic elements. Such items also provide the stat bonuses of BOTH basic elements. In addition, they have the following special affects if weapons: * LIGHTNING: Stun opponent for X seconds. * LAVA: Keeps burning, doing X extra damage per second for Y seconds. * ICE: Slow opponent by X for Y seconds. * ACID: Keeps burning, doing X extra damage per second for Y seconds. A void heart weapon inflicts void damage (requiring void resistance to avoid). Other items provide resistances to EVERYTHING (basic/compound elements as well as void). Such items also provide bonuses to ALL stats, and grant life/mana regeneration (or draining, if on a weapon). In addition to the elemental hearts, it could be possible to capture "souls" from particularly powerful mobs in non-elemental areas. These souls could provide alternate bonuses, although they would be non-combinable like the elemental hearts. ================================================================================ 5. Mobs (aka "mobiles") ================================================================================ Mobs are the computer-controlled creatures which inhabit the mud. For the sake of simplicity, they have been divided into three basic categories, as follows. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 5.1. Hostiles -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- These are your typical "monsters", which wander around fighting people. They are spawned in the Realm planes as well as the Nexus, and will be of variable strength. Their "strength" is a single number which represents a stat point value - thus a 40 point hostile would be the strength of a typical human, a 50 point hostile would be the strength of an Avatar, and a 100 point hostile would be the strength of a newly-classed Supernaturalis. Hostiles will generally attack on sight, although they can sometimes be charmed or controlled. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 5.2. Citizens -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- These are specially-designed mobs, each with a specific task. Some might act as shopkeepers, selling equipment, whilst others might be able to hold limited conversations. These mobs will defend themselves if attacked, but will not usually initiate combat otherwise (although some might, such as cityguard-style mobs). Quest mobs also fall into this category. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 5.3. Servants -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Generally either summoned or charmed, these mobs will aid their master in various ways, depending on what sort of creature they are. Some will obey orders, whilst others will carry messages or assist with certain tasks. The most common type of servant is the Bodyguard, who will automatically move to intercept hostiles (or enemy PCs) which threaten their master. ================================================================================ 6. Parser ================================================================================ objects: sword longsword:sword shortsword:sword extras: iron steel leather copper black blue red green yellow white get [,...] This would pick up the object. Note that because the specifiers and actual names of the items will be purely alphabetic, I have a good solution for making the system diku-compatible without being a diku-ripoff. Basically you take the argument (which is defined by a string without any spaces in it) and then remove any punctuation and numbers. If there are any numbers, then they are used to select the nth instance of that object - thus "2.sword" would become "sword", and instance 2 would be selected. However "2sword", "sword2", "2*sword" and even "2+!$%^&*()sword" would do exactly the same thing. get [,...] If there is a space between the number, then that number of items are picked up - so "get 2 sword" would pick up 2 swords. As a safety precaution, it could be coded so that "get " without an "s" on the end of the item name throws up a warning message instead, eg: > get 2 sword To pick up sword number two, type "get 2sword". To pick up two swords, type "get 2 swords" ("swords" rather than "sword"). This might be a little irritating at first, but it could be really confusing otherwise as people might well mix the two up. The specifiers would of course be optional, but they would also be a good way to select which item you want (have you ever sat on a Diku trying "2.sword", "3.sword", etc, until you could finally pick up the sword you wanted? I have). Here are some more examples: > inv You are carrying: a pair of steel shortswords a black leather cap an iron dagger a steel dagger > drop 2 swords This would drop both shortswords > drop 2 sword This would drop the second shortsword > drop 2sword (or 2.sword or sword2 or 2*sword etc) This would drop the second shortsword > drop sword This would drop the first shortsword > drop all daggers This would drop both daggers > drop red leather cap This would inform the player that they only had a black leather cap ================================================================================ 7. Recognition system ================================================================================ Recognition system similar to Last City. You can define another player as either a friend, enemy, or neutral. You can give them permission to loot your corpse. ================================================================================ 8. Quests ================================================================================ The world contains a number of quest-areas at specific locations. These are vital to the development of a character, and provide ample rewards for their completion. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 8.1. Script system -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Each quest within each area has one or more parts, assembled from the basic building blocks described below: o FIND: Find a specific object (special quest objects cannot be dropped/etc). o DELIVER: Give a specific object to another mob. o USE: Use a specific object. o VISIT: Visit a specific mob. o KILL: Kill a specific mob. o RESCUE: Rescue a specific mob. o TRAVEL: Travel to a specific location. o ESCORT: Escort a specific mob to a specific location. o RETURN: Escort a specific mob to another specified mob. The parts will form a quest. For example you might have to VISIT the innkeeper who tells you that his daughter has been kidnapped. After you RESCUE her the evil baron turns up, forcing you to KILL him. This might be coded something like: #QUEST 1 TASK Visit the innkeeper, south of the market square. @VISIT 3 (the innkeeper) ACTION 3 say My daughter has been kidnapped! You must help me, {name}! ACTION 3 emote wipes the tears from his face with the back of his hand. ACTION 3 say I think she was taken into the Black Forest! TASK Rescue the innkeeper's daughter from the Black Forest, west of town. @RESCUE 4 (the innkeeper's daughter) ACTION 4 say Thank you SO much for rescuing me! I cannot...wait! Who's that? SPAWN 5 (creates the baron) ACTION 5 emote steps into the room with an evil chuckle. ACTION 4 say Help! The evil baron has returned! ACTION 5 say Indeed I have. Prepare to die, {name}! ACTION 5 kill {name} TASK Kill the evil baron. @KILL 5 (the evil baron) ACTION 4 say Oh thank you, {name} - you have saved me! ACTION 4 say Please...would you escort me back to my father? ACTION 4 follow {name} TASK Escort the innkeeper's daughter back home. @ESCORT 4 3 (the innkeeper's daughter to the innkeeper) ACTION 3 say My daughter! I had thought never to see you again! ACTION 4 say Oh father I was so scared - but {name} saved me! ACTION 3 smile {name} ACTION 3 say Thank you, {name}, you have my eternal gratitude. ACTION 3 say Please, take this small gift as a thank you. REWARD 3 (creates a random reward and gives it to the player) TASK Quest complete. @END -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 8.2. Completion -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- It is proposed that each quests can be completed up to three times by each player, once at each of three difficulty levels. Multiple players may choose to participate in a single "quest" (assuming they haven't completed it at that difficulty already), but the power of the mobs will increase proportionally. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 8.3. Rewards -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Different quests will have different rewards - ideally each unique - although completing the same quest a second/third time will grant the same reward (but stackable, or better, each time). Rewards include things like permanent stat bonuses, magical items, Primal, etc.