Living

This guide covers the things you need between adventures: fighting, recovering, eating and looking after your equipment. See Starting for your first steps in Vaerlon.

Fight within your limits

Use consider <monster> before attacking. It gives a rough comparison, not a guarantee. Check Newbie areas for places to begin and avoid attacking city residents.

• battle shows your combat settings.
• wimpy shows your automatic retreat limit. New characters already have one; wimpy high makes you try to leave sooner.
• hp shows your health and other points; mon on reports changes.
• shape or x shows your opponent's condition.

Combat points are shared between attack, defence and casting. Check your split when changing roles. Read Combat and help battle before changing settings you do not understand. A party lets you work with fighters, healers and other specialists.

Recover before the next fight

Rest somewhere safe and give your health and endurance time to return. A camp and sleep help recovery; read help camp to learn how to build and maintain one. Healing from another player can help too.

Do not carry on fighting simply because your opponent looks nearly dead. Retreat early enough to survive the delay before you escape.

Find food and drink

Carry supplies before leaving town. Buy food and a water flask from shops, or gather food using the skills and talents available to you. In Vaerlon, the Central Square has a fountain. Food and drink needs differ by race, so check help race if ordinary supplies do not work for you.

Earn experience and silver

Explore new places, finish quests, fight suitable monsters, or do useful work. Some guild abilities also earn experience. Read Moneymaking tips for options beyond combat, including work in provinces.

After a fight, loot or get all from corpse collects possessions. Some corpses can be skinned for hides. Check your carrying space and sell unwanted items to a suitable shop. Use dig grave to bury remains; corpses left behind can become a danger.

Look after equipment

Use wear for armour and wield for weapons. Check eq to see what is equipped. Armour must fit your race; ask a smith about resizing when needed.

Use keep to protect items against accidental disposal. An item that glows has magical properties; help glow explains the colours. Equipment damage covers condition, marking and repairs. Ask before selling an unfamiliar shard or other rare find.

If you die

Read the instructions where your soul arrives. In the nether plane, sense souls helps you find soul parts and merge gathers them to reduce experience loss. pray offers another way at a cost. Follow Death and help death short for returning to life or receiving help from another player.

Divine favour

Sacrificing suitable items at an altar earns divine favour with your god. You can spend it on blessings. Read Divine favour, help worship and help blessing before choosing an element or making an offering.

Finish your session

Use leave game and read the reply. At an inn it saves your character and equipment and logs you out. Eligible newcomers may be guided to shelter first when alive and out of combat. See Save and leave for the difference between this, disconnecting and emergency logout.

More help: Settings · Newbie hints · Player's Handbook