Starting Out

Getting Started
Hints
Equipping Yourself
Stayin' Alive
What's My Armor Class?
Portable Magic

Getting Started

To get a better idea of how to play Realms of Despair, we highly recommend that you take 20 minutes to read the Adventurer's Guide to the Realms. A copy of it is given to you when you enter the Realms. To read it, simply hold the book in your hand, or in your inventory, type LOOK BOOK and follow the instructions given. You may also view the book on-line at our webpage, www.game.org.

You can also find answers to many of your questions in the myriad of help files available. To read help files, type HELP <SUBJECT>. HELP NEWBIE has a list of these files that are especially useful for new players.

If you find it difficult to read with all of the scrolling going on on your screen, we suggest several options. You can go to the Reading Room in the academy, or remain in this room. These rooms are silent rooms, where channels are silenced to minimize screen scroll. You can also reduce screen scroll by selecting which channels you wish to listen to. Typing CHANNEL shows you the number and status of channels available to your character. To turn a channel on, type CHAN +<CHANNEL>. To turn one off, type CHAN -<CHANNEL>. The Adventurer's Guide or help files will give you greater detail on what each channel's purpose is.

Also remember that the Newbie Council is around to answer your questions and assist you.

Hints

Important abbreviations, words and what they mean:

LAWS: The laws of the Realms are enforced by the immortals. All players are responsible for understanding and following them. Type LAWS.

AC: Armor Class (Base AC starts at about 100, depending on stats, and is lowered by each piece of amor you wear. ie: AC2 on an item lowers your base AC by 2 points. The lower your AC, the better)

HR: Hit Roll. Every time you attack, a random number is generated and can be modified by weapons/armour. The higher your HR, the better.

DR: Damage Roll. This number modifies the amount of damage you inflict when you get a successful hit. The higher your DR, the better.

SPAM: Type HELP SPAM for more information.

NC: Otherwise known as the Newbie Council.

Requesting Aid: When in need of aid, feel free to chat or ask for help, but it is important that you do it properly to insure speedy aid. When calling for help, be sure to identify where you are and what form of help you need. Most importantly,  always be polite. People will be less eager to help you if you are rude. For example: Newplayer chats 'Help! I need aid at the nanny in the dwarven daycare, please!' would make a good help request. Newplayer chats 'HELP!' does not identify where you are or what you need and will most likely cause a delay in your getting aided.

Equipping Yourself

The following is a list of equipment that you really SHOULD have before you leave the Academy and wander the city. The more body parts you cover, the better your chances of survival.

Location Item Effects
<light> an eye of enlightenment [Affects save vs spell by -1]
<finger1> a ring of light [AC1, +5 HP, +1 Dex]
<neck1> a strong metal collar [AC2]
<neck2> a strong metal collar [AC2]
<body> a thick plate of breast armour [AC2, Affect AC by -3]
<head> a wrought iron helmet [AC3, +1 Int]
<legs> heavy mail leggings [AC2]
<feet> a pair of black combat boots [AC2, +100 Moves]
<hands> kid gloves [AC2, +1 Dex]
<arms> lightweight tin sleeves [AC3, +1 Str]
<shield> a shield of dragonscales [AC2, +1 HR, +1 DR]
<body> a black brocade cape [AC2]
<waist> a braided leather belt [AC3, +1 Con]
<wrist1> a charm bracelet [AC1, +1 Luck]
<wrist2> a charm bracelet [AC1, +1 Luck]
<wielded> a finely honed dagger (or mace) [Dmg 2-6, +2 HR, +1 DR]
<held> Adventurer's Guide [AC1, +1 Int, +1 Con, +1 Wis]
<ears> a token of the Gods' affection [AC2, Affected by floating]
<eyes> a visor of completion [AC3, +1 Wis, +1 Int]

When equipment is used in battle there is always the chance that it can become damaged, lose its effectiveness, and if damaged bad enough, it will fall to the ground in scraps. Equipment is usually damaged by mobs using spells against you, by the mob's magical shields, or a mob's special attacks. When equipment is damaged during a fight, a message is usually displayed telling which piece of equipment has suffered damage. Something like; "The druid's harm spell thrashes you! (a strong metal collar is damaged.)"

It is a good idea to check every piece of equipment you're wearing after large battles, or extended adventures. To check something you're wearing, type "exa (item)", <ex; exa collar>. Each piece of equipment should be list as "Superb Condition", if it isn't, it's damaged and should be repaired at the blacksmith. Check EACH piece of equipment you're wearing, except lights. Lights are non-repairable.

To repair an item, you must be in a blacksmith's shop (see map). REMOVE the damaged item (ex; remove collar), then you can ask the blacksmith to appraise the damage (ex; appraise collar). The blacksmith will tell you how much it costs to repair that item, then when you can, tell him to repair it (ex; repair collar). Repair each piece of damaged equipment then WEAR it (ex; wear collar), then SAVE your character. SAVE often!

Regarding Equipment and Inventory;
There are 3 types of inventory; ACTIVE inventory, INACTIVE inventory and EQUIPPED inventory.

Active Inventory;
Depending on your stats, you are able to hold approximately 28-32 items in your active inventory. These items can be anything, weapons rings, armour, containers or whatever. Your active inventory is displayed when you type "inv". Items in your active inventory should include things like boats.

Inactive Inventory;
Since you can carry only a limited number of items, it is necessary to carry containers to house any extra items. Containers include anything that items can be put into (check the Guide for more info), and extend your inventory. Anything inside a container is considered inactive and has no effect.

Equipped Inventory;
These are the items that you are wearing on your body, your armour, and the weapon(s) you wield. You can see a list of these items by typing "eq". (Check "sets" in the Guide for more info on equipped items). Anything equipped has an effect on AC, HPs or other stats.

Stayin' Alive

How do I stay alive?!
The secret of staying alive in the Realms is pretty simple; You need to keep your armour in good shape and keep updating it as you advance in level, you need to gain as many HPs as you can when you level, you need to keep yourself healed, and when the time comes, you need to know when to run away.

Stats in relation to HPs, Mana and Practices.
Your character has 5 major stats; STRength, INTelligence, WISdom DEXterity, & CONstitution. All stats can be increased to a maximum of 20, with the exception of the prime stat for your char class, which can rise to 25. Each class has it's own prime stat, check the Guide. By typing "score", you can view your current stats and base stats, shown as 2 numbers; current stat "## (##)" (base stat).

You want to get your INT, WIS, and CON as high as you possibly can before you gain a new experience level. INT affects the amount of mana you gain (used for spells), WIS affects the number of practices (used for training skills), and CON affects the amount of hit points you gain (your life blood). Spells, weapons & armour can all be used to increase or decrease these three stats. Finally, STR affect the amount of weight you can carry & your DR, and DEX affects the number of items you can carry and your HR.

Keeping Yourself Alive...
There are a number of ways to help you keep your HPs and keep yourself from dying. The most common ways; Spells, Pills, Potions & Healers. Curing spells can be cast on you by other high-lvl chars, as long as you are both either deadly or non-deadly. Pills are objects that cast spells on you when you eat them, the most common being "a small white root", available in Ocean Keep. Potions are objs, that when quaffed, cast spells on you; the most common being "anti-death elixir". And Healers are mobs that cast helpful spells on you while you rest near them, such as the Avatar of Thoric in the Academy. In order to use pills and potions, they must be in your active inv., & are invoked by typing "eat (pill)" <ex: eat root>, or "quaff potion" <ex: quaff elixir>.

The Art of Running Away...
There are 3 basics ways of leaving combat; Fleeing, Recalling, or Dying. There are 2 ways to FLEE; the first way is to simply type "flee" during a battle and your char will try to run away, the 2nd  way to flee is to set your WIMPY. Your "wimpy" is an amount of HP, that you can set, at which you automatically try to run away from a fight. Your wimpy SHOULD be set at about 1/3 your total HP. <ex: "wimpy 20" will force you to flee when you drop to 20 HP>. Setting your wimpy to 1/3 your HPs gives you a little bit of an edge if the mob decides to give chase or summon you back when you flee.

To recall during battle, simply have a "recall" or "escape" scroll in active inv. and type; "recite recall". Recalling doesn't work 100% of the time while in battle. You should also know that some areas are set as NORECALL zones and you will not be able to recall from these areas, or, if you're cursed, you cannot recall unless you use an "escape" scroll (recite escape), or have some means to remove curse. Either way, when you flee from battle, you WILL lose some experience points, but it's better than dying!

Tips on Staying Healthy...
If your terminal supports macros (programmable function keys), then you should set some up to help you in battle. For example; I have my F1 set up to "recite recall" when I hit it, F2 is "eat root", & if I have healing potions, F3 is "quaff potion". In my ACTIVE inv, I usually have 2 recall scrolls and 10-15 roots/potions, and I keep extras of all three in a bag. So I can hit ONE key, and either recall out of battle or get healing. Also, remember to set your wimpy to 1/3 of you max HPs every time you level. * SAVE often! * Recall scrolls are available in the scroll shop, see map of DH. Roots are in Ocean Keep. Anti-Death elixirs are in the training area of the Academy, along with escape scrolls.

What's my Armor Class?

Since several people have asked, and since you won't know before you get to level 20, here's a "guide" to Armour Class.

AC Description
+101 and up the rags of a beggar (worst AC)
+100 - +80 improper for adventure
+79 - +55 shabby and threadbare
+54 - +40 of poor quality
+39 - +20 scant protection
+19 - +10 that of a knave
+9 - 0 moderately crafted
-1 - -10 well crafted
-11 - -20 the envy of squires
-21 - -40 excellently crafted
-41 - -60 the envy of knights
-61 - -80 the envy of barons
-81 - -100 the envy of dukes
-101 - -200 the envy of emperors
-201 and lower that of an avatar (best AC)

Portable Magic

As you wander through the Realms, you're going to quickly find that you need some kind of portable magic you can use to heal your wounds, or to get you out of trouble. Here are some items that are easily available here in Darkhaven to help you out...

Potions (Available at Zelah's Potion Shop - See "help map")
Item Spell Returns
Maroon cure light wounds 15-20 HPs
Puce cure serious wounds 25-30 HPs
Purple cure critical wounds 35-40 HPs
Violet heal 100 HPs
Blue restore mana 55-65 Mana
Scrolls (Available at Poshir's Scroll Shop - See "help map")
Item Spell Effect
Recall Scroll Word of Recall Returns you to Darkhaven
Detect Invis Detect Invis Lets you see invisible creatures
Magical Tablet Identify Tells you about an object or mob

These are very important and useful items that you should get to know and to carry with you wherever you travel.