All Firan Survival Guide Advanced Tutorials
From FiranMUX
| This page includes all the text of the Advanced Firan Survival Guide tutorials. It's on one page for ease of searching, reading, or printing. |
| This page includes all the text of the "Jobs" Advanced Firan Survival Guide tutorial. It's on one page for ease of searching, reading, or printing. |
Every character in the game has a primary vocation of some sort, such as a farmer, a craftsman, or a soldier. Jobs can be both a focus of RP and a source of income. Characters may also have secondary skills or secondary jobs that they're skilled at. For example, a soldier may also be a farmer, or a tailor may also be a cobbler.
- To figure out your character's primary vocation, use the
@sheetcommand - To see other skills your character may use in a job-related sense, use the
@sheet/statscommand - To learn another character's vocation, use the
learn about <player>command (or thewho <player>command as an OOC source of the information) - To find a list of all characters of a certain vocation, use the
@vocation <job-type>command - To find a list of all characters with a certain skill at 2+, use the
@vocation/skill <skill-type>command
What follows is my own interpretation about the different types of vocations on FiranMUX and how they fit in the game. I describe a little about what it is they do, skills that are potentially relevant, help files that may be of value with the character, related news files, an idea of how to make money with that particular job, and tips for generating job-based RP.
As a note, most of the skills have help files that can be accessed in game (by typing help <skill>). Also, some of the skills, such as the artist or craft ones, allow for you to create items in game by using the make command. For a list of products that a particular skill can make, use the @products/<skill> command (for example, @products/tailoring). If you're curious about which of the many attributes match with which skills, refer to the (possibly outdated, but probably useful) are Firan attributes good for? page, created by histoire68 on LiveJournal. There is also an excellent FiranMUX Unofficial Smith Guide that describes more fully how to make customizable things, such as clothes or weapons or sculptures.
| Job Category | Examples |
| students, scholars, translators, historians, teachers | |
| potters, sculptors, painters, singers, dancer, musicians, entertainers, tattoo artists, actors, storytellers, artists, etc. | |
| barbers, beauticians, hairstylists | |
| children | |
| clothiers, armorers, carpenters, cooks, brewers, butchers, tanners, glassmakers, weavers, perfumers, masons, leatherworker, blacksmiths, jewelers, potters, cobblers, bowyers, etc. | |
| farmers, farriers, animal handlers, bird handlers, grooms, stablehands, griffon trainers, horse trainers, dairy farmers, beekeepers, shepherds | |
| gladiators, athletes, scorekeepers | |
| ministers, politicians, trade officials, political advisors, proxies, clan leaders, delegates, sharani, diplomats | |
| healers, midwives, apothecarists, poison tasters | |
| hunters, trappers, fishermans, surveyors, lumberjacks, trackers | |
| judges, lawyers | |
| locksmiths | |
| beggars, thugs, conmen, gamblers, thieves, gangsters, assassins, loan sharks, etc. | |
| mercenaries, bodyguards, bouncers | |
| merchants | |
| messengers, heralds | |
| miners | |
| nobles | |
| priests, priestesses, initiates, seers, shamans | |
| servants, nannies, lady's maids, lady-in-waiting, tavern wenches, stewards | |
| soldiers, guards, pilots, firefighters | |
| homemakers, rogues, landowners, trophy wives, etc. | |
| whores, towel boys |
Academic to Craftsmen
Academic
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RP IDEAS
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In a time where physical capabilities were stressed both at war and in competition, academics were in something of a minority. However, teachers and scholars and the like do exist, and they are the ones who preserve the history of the lands, who press forward with new knowledge, and who are responsible for an increasingly literate and educated population. There is one major academy in the city, the Lokaranis Academy, and one large library, the Great Library. Smaller academies and libraries may also exist.
Professions: students, scholars, translators, historians, teachers
Related skills: cartography, debate, economics, language skills, literacy skills, oratory, research, teaching, other skills of a particular focus (especially for teachers)
Possibly useful attributes: Reason, Memory, Shrewdness (debate mainly), Mobility (oration mainly), Attention
Related help files: debate command, teach, research, speak, write, read, language system, literacy system, practice, teach, orate
Related news files: Almost all of them! In particular 'news myths' (for news on myths, obviously), news gods (for religious information), news city (about Anarinuell), news history index (about the history of the land), news legal index (for those familiar with law), news obituaries (for information about dead people, potentially important ones). Also, look on the rest of the site or do searches for interesting information.
Sources of income: Teaching can be a great source of income, depending on where and what you teach. Ask around about teaching at the Lokaranis Academy in particular, where class tuitions run (as of mid 2006) at 25,000 stenis per student per lessons. Outside of classes, people may not be as willing to pay for instruction in skills, unless they are rare or high level. You might be able to get jobs doing research, or as a scribe for those without the ability to write. There are occasional contests, at festivals or otherwise, well-suited to academically oriented people (i.e., debate contests, scroll competitions, etc.). Your clan might hire you in a ministry position, such as Minister of Education, and pay a small salary. Translators may get hired on for specific needs, such as military purposes. Keep in mind that translation jobs might be more assumed activities, than on screen and RPed activities. Students, of course, can attempt to bum money off their parents forever, in order to avoid working in the real world.
Artists and Performers
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RP IDEAS
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Artists and performers are typically either commoners or middle class, though certain nobles may choose to dabble in the arts as a hobby. They usually have a noble social sponsor, or patron, backing them. Musicians and dancers and the like perform in public, while other artists may make their pieces in private to later sell, donate, or display. Of pariticular note are tattoo artists, who tend to almost always be one of the rarer professions in the Ticanee clan or, perhaps, someone in the Old City who does tattoos for gang members.
Professions: potters, sculptors, painters, singers, dancer, musicians, entertainers, tattoo artists, actors, storytellers, artists
Related skills: dancing, illustration, instrument skills, oratory, singing, sculpting, tattoo illustration
Possibly useful attributes: Creativity, Coordination, Memory, Sociability, Attention, Mobility (oration mainly), Passion, Self Esteem, Allure, Reputation
Related help files: dance command, song command, sing command, music index, play command, satire command, make command, draw command, music, @products, hang command, auction system, orate
Related news files: actors, artist, dancer, musician, painter, potter, sculptor, singer, storyteller, tattoo artist
Sources of income: Performers tend to make their money by either performing at social events or, perhaps, creating a new song for someone who's commissioned one. They may also be regularly employed by a noble, so that they are continually on call should any social events pop up. Artists typically work on commission, or sell paintings through the market (in which case they'll end up for sale in Jalon's Mercantile) or the auction system. The Classified bulletin board can be used either by those seeking an artist to hire, or artists who may be looking for work. Pricing is, as with most things, volatile. You're best off asking others in the field to get an idea, but prices vary wildly. And, if you can't seem to make ends meet as an artist, you can always do what struggling artists of the past have done: find a secondary job.
Beauty Industry
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RP IDEAS
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Hairstylists and other related professions are relatively new to Firan (circa 2005), when hair was actually coded in-game. These professions are concerned with giving haircuts and hairstylings, along with creating wigs and hair dyes for those in need, for whatever their reasons. There is an extensive list of hairstyles available, with higher levels of the hairstyling skill having access to the more intricate hairstyles. Beauticians could likely roleplay the application of makeup (currently not coded in-game but utilized thematically) as well.
Professions: barbers, beauticians, hairstylists
Related skills: hairstyling
Possibly useful attributes: Coordination (mainly haircutting), Attention (mainly hairstyling), Memory (mainly hair dyes), Creativity (mainly hair wigs)
Related help files: hair overview (and referenced files)
Related news files: barber, beautician, hairstylist
Sources of income: Some hairstylists might hire themselves on to a noble family. Others may work on commission, requiring a noble sponsor. Hairstyling can be a difficult profession to perform as the sole source of income, but it complements other fashion-related or servant-related (in the case of noble families) positions nicely.
Children
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RP IDEAS
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Characters are considered to be children until they have undergone their Ceremony of Souls (which is a coming of age ceremony). Typically this takes place around age 13 but it can vary. Some children are listed as simply being a child, while others may have vocations such as student, beggar, servant, etc. Children are typically subject to rules of their parents, though some kids might have more freedom than others. Some children have the personality of troublemakers, while others aren't. There's an in-game comsys channel for children, called Kids, that can be joined, and there may be child-oriented organizations to join as well. Ask on Kids channel to see if any such organizations are currently active.
Professions: child, student, selected others
Related skills: varies from child to child, though note that children are generally restricted to skills at level 1 and 2 only
Possibly useful attributes: varies from child to child
Related help files: varies from child to child
Related news files: ceremony of souls, child behavior, notmeraki
Sources of income: Asking parents or other relatives for money is always a good start! Some children work at odd jobs for money, helping out others (either through RP, through selling ERP, or through the employment code) with various tasks. Beggar children might beg or even steal. In general, children don't need all that much money if they have a family to provide them with food and clothes, though pocket change always helps.
Craftsmen
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RP IDEAS
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Craftsmen can be some of the most sought after workers in the game, as people are always looking to buy things. Those that make customized goods, such as tailors or armorers, can easily find themselves with more commissions than they can handle, especially if they start to make a name for themselves. Many craftsmen will be middle class, though some may be commoners. Nobles don't really work a trade like this as a general rule, though they may dabble with various crafts as a hobby. How much you can make at a certain craft varies, though 'high ticket' items such as silk clothing, masks, or jewelry have the potential to bring in a lot of money. Some craftsmen will have a shop somewhere in the city, while others simply work out of their homes. Craftsman may sell to other PCs, or they might simply sell to the market. A craftsman will likely want a noble sponsor in order to sell their goods, and such a sponsor will expect a certain percentage of the sales for such sponsorship. An alternative is if the craftsman hires on, for salary only, as a hired employee in a particular noble (or middle class) family.
Professions: clothiers, armorers, carpenters, cooks, brewers, butchers, tanners, glassmakers, weavers, perfumers, masons, leatherworker, blacksmiths, jewelers, potters, cobblers, bowyers
Related skills: various appraisal skills, armoring, bowyery, brewing, carpentry, cobbling, cooking, fashion, glassmaking, leatherworking, masonry, perfuming, pottery, ropemaking, smelting, smithing, tailoring, tanning, weaponsmithing, weaving
Possibly useful attributes: Coordination, Muscle, Attention, Creativity, Shrewdness (appraisals). (One good way to look up useful attributes is to use the @products/<skill name> command to identify a list of makeable objects, then go through the list using the @products <name> command, and look at the Related Attribute: line to see what specific attributes are used for which particular skills.)
Related help files: make command, descibe, name, design, finish, @fashion/list, @products, auction system, repair, ornament, market, appraise command, sponsor command, smithing, mix, construction by PCs
Related news files: vocations, federal laws3, tailoring, clothing, armorer, clothier, smithing, carpenter, cook, brewer, butcher, tanner, glassmaker, weaver, perfumer, mason, leatherworker, blacksmith, jeweler, potter, cobbler, bowyer
Sources of income: Craftsmen make their money selling the goods they create. Such goods can be sold to the market, via the auction system, to other PCs, or in private shops. You can advertise your services on the Classifieds bulletin board, or look there for others seeking goods. If you sell customized items to the market they will end up in various shops in Anarinuell, where other PCs might purchase them.
| This page includes all the text of the "Combat" Advanced Firan Survival Guide tutorial. It's on one page for ease of searching, reading, or printing. |
WARNING! The information contained here is based on the state of the game as of this writing. Since FiranMUX is an evolving game the combat system is, as with everything, subject to change. Currently in the works are version 3.0 of the combat system[1] which will pretty much change everything written here. There is no ETA for when this will be complete. Also, opinions on strategy and tactics are my own, and I have less combat experience than some others on the game, so take anything aside from the bare mechanics with a grain of salt.
You really don't need to know these details to fight. These are advanced details for people who want to understand the combat system, though soldiers in particular are advised to learn these advanced topics. All you strictly need to know is what's in help combat in a hurry. You can pick and choose to read up on topics of interest below for some advanced tactics, or an idea of how the mechanics work. Incidentally, pretty much all this information can be ferreted out from the dozens and dozens of help files on the game, except for my entirely subjective opinions found in some of the sections.
On the subject of code mechanics, rolls are done according to a modification of the original White Wolf dice rules. You can read more about the dice system elsewhere on this site.
| Combat Introduction | Some general information about the combat system on Firan. |
| Combat Styles | Different stances for fighting, and what they mean. |
| Melee Fighting | Information specific to melee (swords, spears, etc.) fighting. |
| Ranged Fighting | Information specific to ranged (bows, javelins, etc.) fighting. |
| Timers | How to determine the speed at which you can fight. |
| Weapon Stats | An explanation of what the various weapon stats actually mean. |
| Damage | A detailed explanation of all that affects damage in combat. |
Combat Introduction
Introduction to Combat
The combat system is fully coded and operates in real time. Instead of being strictly turn-based timers are used in between combat actions. Just as some characters may be stronger than others, some characters may be faster than others, or better skilled than others. Time between actions should be spent in posing. Even a very short one-line pose is better than no pose at all, and people are understanding about the harried nature of posing during combat.
There are no such things as called shots -- hit locations are randomly decided. There is also only a very limited concept of distance or range within a room, so that any character is considered to be within range if visible. The exceptions are that those flying on griffons cannot be engaged by someone standing on the ground, for obvious reasons, and the limited 'faking' of distance inherent in the archery combat styles.
You need energy to fight, in the form of EPs. If you run out of EPs you will either need to stop fighting, or use the adrenalin command to attempt to convert ERPs into EPs. The only action you can take without EPs is to use the disengage command to try to extricate yourself from the current combat situation. As you fight you suffer damage. Though the damage will not affect your combat ability via the code, once you take enough of it you will pass out and may even die. Be careful out there.
If you're going to be fighting you'll want to see the coded results of combat as it happens. You can turn the combat toggles on through use of the @toggle combatstatus on (this will show you your damage levels after being hit) and @toggle combatstats on (this will show you dice rolls as you attack) commands.
Generally speaking combat actions involve an aggressor and a defender. The aggressor rolls a certain number of dice, and the defender a certain number, and whoever has the most successes 'wins'. Greater margins of victory lead to greater results -- more damage dealt, less energy used, and so forth.
Finally, there's an on-game channel for the discussion of combat issues. Just use the addcom com=Combat command to join it if you have specific questions.
Online help files to read
The combat system may well be the most extensively documented system on the game. Pretty much everything you need to know, including the actual dice mechanics, is referenced in an online help file. These are listed below for the sake of reference. Really, though, the best way to learn the combat system is to read through the files for the theory, but then use the code for the practice.
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Situations where you fight
Fights can, in theory, break out anywhere at anytime, though they usually don't (with the exception of an occasional unarmed fist fight, for which you can see news brawling). Common activities or places to fight also include the following:
Training Center
The training center (located in the Palace District at the Army Post, which is at @coord 3.1) is for combat training. It is open to all citizens. Fights in the training center are considered to be IC, though you may at times find people OOCly discussing the code mechanics in there. Those in the Old City have access to other places to train.
As fights inside the training center are for training purposes only, deaths do not occur. If your character 'dies' (as determined by the code) in the training center, you will receive a permanent injury, or perm. The standard rule of taking a permanent injury at 60+ points of damage is not in effect within the training center. If you fall unconscious you can wake up immediately with the revive me command, though if your character dies, you'll need to ask a wizard to revive you. To reset your damage to 0 simply leave the training center and enter again. The IC explanation of how all this is possible is somewhat vague but centers around training techniques, use of non-lethal blunted weapons, availability of healers, and the wizards being nice in providing a place to practice without risking death or months recovering from injuries.
Battle Royales
Battle royales are held during all of the festivals and at other times throughout the year. These are mass battles, usually 'every man for himself' events but sometimes with teams, where any sort of melee weapon can be used. The last man standing wins. Usually these are chaotic affairs with a lot of actions taking place at one, so they can be a bit overwhelming your first time around. There are different rules in place that are explained before the start of these events. As far as death and injury go, the same rules apply as with the training center: a death via the code will result in a permanent injury, but otherwise, all damage will be healed at the end of the event and no coded damage will be sustained. Again, this isn't possible through 'super healing' but through the assumed use of blunted weapons designed for competition.
War Season
War is continual between the Firans and the shamibelians, but every IC summer seasonal reinforcements journey to the warfields west of Ellish for the summertime war season. Some of these war seasons are RPed. When this happens military members, both regular and seasonal, deploy to the forts west of Ellish and spend, typically, about two RL weeks there. This is real fighting. Your character can die. Military protocol should be observed or else you risk the consequences. In general if you are in the military you will receive a lot of information about the war season before it actually happens.
Hunting
Hunting involves venturing out into the lands around Anarinuell, finding cute furry animals, and killing them. Animals can be found by those with the hunting/trapping skill via the find command, or they may already be in a room. They are actual objects in the game environment. They do not, however, attack without provocation (though using the find command counts as provocation), so don't panic if you walk into a room with 10 bears. Assume they're elsewhere in the great expanse of terrain and you can safely avoid them.
Hunting does not involve the use of timers. Because of this, the accurate style is a good choice when hunting. Every time you attack an animal, it will attack back, without the need of an engagement roll. (The exception to this are birds, which can only be attacked with a ranged weapon and do not fight back.) Some animals, like rabbits, don't hurt at all. Others, like bears, can be quite deadly. Animals can strike any random body part, which leads to bits of amusements where oppossums spring into the air to attack someone's left eyelid. Even if you attack at range with a bow, the animal will fight back. Note also that if you're wielding a bow as you attack, under the current system your combat/staves skill (if any) will be used to counter as a defense.
Combat Styles
Combat styles apply modifiers to your various dice pools (attack, defense, engagement, etc.), combat timers, and archery difficulties. They are used to simulate different strategies in fighting. To see what style you are currently in use the style command. To see an overview of all available styles, use the styles command. To find out modifier information on the different styles, use the combat/styles (with help combat/styles explaining the key) or see the table below. (For a description of the modifiers on the top row (ES, ER, etc.) refer to the styles modifications key at the bottom of the page).
| Style | ES | ER | EE | DS | DR | DE | AS | AT | DF | DM | TS | TR | TD | SS | SR | SD |
| Accurate | -2 | +1 | +0 | -2 | +1 | -1 | -4 | +3 | +2 | +2 | -4 | +2 | +0 | -4 | +2 | +0 |
| Aggressive | +1 | +1 | -1 | -2 | -2 | +1 | +1 | +2 | -2 | +1 | +1 | +2 | -1 | +1 | +2 | -1 |
| Archlong | -5 | -5 | +4 | +0 | +2 | -3 | -4 | -3 | +3 | -2 | +0 | -2 | +2 | +0 | -2 | +2 |
| Archmid | -1 | -2 | +2 | +0 | +1 | -3 | +0 | -2 | +1 | +0 | +0 | +0 | +1 | +0 | +0 | +1 |
| Archshort | -1 | +0 | -2 | +0 | -1 | -2 | +0 | -1 | -3 | +1 | +1 | +1 | -2 | +1 | +1 | -2 |
| Berserk | +2 | +2 | -2 | -5 | -2 | +2 | +3 | -1 | -6 | +5 | +3 | -1 | -1 | +3 | -1 | -1 |
| Defensive | -1 | -1 | +1 | +1 | +2 | -1 | -1 | -2 | +2 | +0 | -1 | -2 | +0 | -1 | -2 | +0 |
| Lightning | +2 | -2 | +0 | +1 | -2 | +2 | +4 | -1 | -1 | -2 | +4 | -2 | -0 | +4 | -2 | -0 |
| None | +0 | +0 | +0 | +0 | +0 | +0 | +0 | +0 | +0 | +0 | +0 | +0 | +0 | +0 | +0 | +0 |
| Passive | -20 | -20 | -20 | -20 | -20 | -20 | -20 | -20 | -20 | -20 | -20 | -20 | -20 | -20 | -20 | -20 |
| Turtle | -2 | -2 | +2 | +2 | +3 | -2 | -9 | -9 | +6 | -2 | -9 | -9 | +1 | -9 | -9 | +1 |
| Zero | +0 | +0 | +0 | +0 | +0 | +0 | +0 | +0 | +0 | +0 | +0 | +0 | +0 | +0 | +0 | +0 |
| TABLE 1: Combat Style Modifiers |
Which style to use in a particular situation depends on a number of factors, such as your own combat statistics, the skill and strengths of your opponent, how injured you are, how reckless you feel, and so forth. If you're using a ranged weapon (a bow, throwing javelins, throwing knives), however, you need to be using one of the archery styles (prefaced by 'arch') or no style at all. Additionally, the archery styles cannot be used when wielding a melee weapon. Note, however, that it is still possible for someone to engage you in melee combat while you're wielding a ranged weapon and in an archery style. The training center is good for sampling different techniques against different opponents to judge their effectiveness. The following is my extremely subjective impression of the various styles:
- Accurate has the main drawback of being very slow. If speed isn't of the essense it's not a bad style because of the balance between offense and defense. Accurate style can be quite popular at war season, and it works exceptionally well if hunting animals with a melee weapon (where the drawback of speed doesn't really matter).
- Aggressive is another popular style in melee. It works really well if you're better than your opponent, as the defensive drawbacks won't matter quite as much. When in aggressive style you typically want to be the one who engages for the combat, as disengaging in aggressive can be difficult. Even better is engaging someone with a differing weapon length who is unable to fight back. Similarly, however, being engaged by someone with a different weapon length, when you're in aggressive style, is always a thing to avoid.
- Archlong makes it a whole lot harder to be engaged in melee combat, as it represents standing at about the maximum distance for your ranged weapon. Once engaged, there are defensive benefits in avoiding attacks and getting away (though keep in mind that being engaged with a ranged weapon in hand has its own difficulties, especially bows). Don't try to melee attack if you're engaged in this style as you're at huge attack penalties. Really, the most worrisome thing about this style is that the negative dice to shoot/throw makes it less likely to hit, and more prone toward 'friendly fire' accidents. As this is a new combat style it isn't as well understood by me as some of the others.
- Archmid is a more balanced archery style. There's a bit of a benefit in avoiding melee engagements, since you're still at range, but not nearly as good as with archmid. I tend to favor this style simply because it's a middle ground, and if things don't work out, I can (hopefully) retreat and switch to archlong. Again, this is a new combat style so I'm not as familiar with it as others.
- Archshort is nothing to use if you think you might be engaged. You're easy to engage, easy to shoot, easy to damage once engaged, and hard to disengage. I avoid it unless I'm at war in "mop up" mode and the battle is mostly won, or if I'm truly feeling gutsy, or if the situation is very desperate. Again, this is a new combat style so I'm not as familiar with it as others.
- Berserk is a really good style -- unless you get hit, and then it's really awful. I tend to only use it if I'm truly acting in a berserk fashion. Hits landed can be brutal with the +5 damage, but your defenses are really horrid and it can all be over in a flash.
- Defensive makes hitting people really hard, but keeps you from getting pummeled. It's not a bad tactic at all if you have little hope of hurting your target and are biding your time until you can escape, or just killing time in a battle royale waiting for other more skilled people to make their attacks (though hopefully not against you!). At war, if you're one of those 'picked on soldiers' or especially hurt, going to defensive style can give you a little breathing room, but still allow you to cause some damage to your opponent.
- Lightning I hardly ever use. Maybe it's useful. The decreased damage can really hurt if you don't normally deal out much damage in the first place, and your defenses are a little open. It might be good if you're skilled and powerful, and fighting some pesky fast person, maybe. I've also seen people use it in brawls. This is all just theory, though, since I never really use it.
- None or Zero is what I use when nothing seems to work. Or, I might use it if I want to go slightly defensive, but not fully defensive, and don't want the speed hits of accurate style. Or sometimes, if I just can't pick a style, I go to no style.
- Passive is a style I recommend rarely going into voluntarily, even if you're acting passively. You're completely at the mercy of others with no dice to roll for defensive purposes. In theory even if you're passive you're likely to twitch if someone starts lopping at your head with an axe. This is, however, the style you go into when you're immobilized (captured or stocked, for example) or unconscious.
- Turtle is really, really defensive but you're not going to hit anyone. It's your classic duck and cover. I use this when overwhelmed and waiting for reinforcements, or when cowering under a table or something. You can't use it in battle royales, and typically only the commanding general can use it on the battlefields (where it represents the protection of subordinates).
Styles Key
| Abbreviation | Full Name | What it does |
| ES | Engage Speed | Modification to time to wait before engaging |
| ER | Engager Roll | Bonus to your roll when engaging someone |
| EE | Engagee Roll | Bonus to your roll when someone tries to engage you |
| DS | Disengage Speed | Modification to time to wait before disengaging |
| DR | Disengager Roll | Bonus to your roll when disengaging someone |
| DE | Disengagee Roll | Bonus to your roll when someone tries to disengage you |
| AS | Attack Speed | Modification to time to wait before attacking |
| AT | Attack Roll | Bonus to your roll when attacking someone |
| DF | Defense Roll | Bonus to your roll when someone tries to attack you |
| DM | Damage Dice | Bonus to the weapon damage score |
| TS | Throw Speed | Modification to time to wait before throwing |
| TR | Thrower Roll | Bonus to your roll when throwing at someone |
| TD | Throwee Roll | Bonus to your roll when someone tries to throw at you |
| SS | Shoot Speed | Modification to time to wait before shooting |
| SR | Shooter Roll | Bonus to your roll when shooting at someone |
| SD | Shootee Roll | Bonus to your roll when someone tries to shoot at you |
Melee Fighting
Melee fighting is anything that's not a ranged weapon: brawling, swords, daggers, clubs, and so forth. See help combat in a hurry for a quick overview of the steps involved in melee combat. Typical you need to wield a weapon if you're using one, engage or be engaged by someone, and attack. There are, of course, a number of subtleties that can improve your odds of winning if you understand them and employ the proper tactics.
Wield
You can only yield one weapon at a time, and if you're not wielding anything, you're using your fists. You can only wield something if you're not engaged at the moment. There's no combat check required, you simply need to be holding the weapon. You can see what (if anything) a person is wielding by looking at them. And that's all there is to it.
Engage
Before you can attack a person in melee you need to either engage them, or have them engage you. The person who engages has the advantage in combat. This is for two reasons:
- Whoever engages has the luxury of disengaging whenever they like, without having to wait on combat timers and without having to make a roll.
- If weapons of mismatched lengths are being used (i.e., one person has a dagger while another has a sword) only the person who originally engaged will be able to attack. The other person can only disengage or get hit.
You can only engage one person at a time. However, you may be engaged by multiple people at once, and it may be that you have multiple opponents you can attack because of this.
When you engage somewhere you'll see a combat message. In the case of unequal length weapons it will look something like this:
COMBAT: Unsel gets into a position to attack Inarus.
If the weapons were of equal lengths, the message would look like:
COMBAT: Unsel gets into a position to attack Inarus. Inarus may attack also.
Engaging a person uses the combat timers. When you engage someone, their own combat timers reset. There is also a roll required. Engagement timers are affected by reflex and intuition, along with any combat style chosen. The details of the engagement roll can be found in help details engage. In general, it's based on agility and/or reflex, size, your combat still with your wielded weapon, and any style modifiers. If you're the person being engaged you can substitute your dodge skill for your combat skill, if it's higher.
Attack
Attacks work off the combat timers, and require a dice roll to determine success. If you were the person who engaged your opponent, you are always allowed to attack. If you were the person engaged, you can only attack if you have a weapon of a similar length. If by some unfortunate chance you are engaged to multiple people and have a choice of targets you can choose who to attack by typing attack <player>.
Details on the stats involved in attack rolls can be found in help details attack. Attack timers are based off reflex and luck attributes. In general, attack rolls for the attacker are based off agility, a relevant combat skill, and a style modifier. Defense is typically based off reflex, the relevant combat skill of whatever you're wielding, and a style modifier. Note that the dodge skill is not used to avoid attacks. If the attacker has more successes they hit. How much damage they do is determined by a number of factors including number of successes, damage factor of the weapon, combat style of the attacker, muscle of the attacker, and luck of the dice.
Different weapons function in different ways, as outlined in the section on understanding weapons. Some hit quicker, and some hit harder. Some are likely to bruise, while others are likely to cut. On a successful attack damage will be computed, and if your opponent is armored some of it may be soaked up by the armor. See the section on armor and damage for information about this.
Disengage
If you're the person who engaged someone in combat you can disengage at any point, without a check. Otherwise, disengagement runs off the combat timers and is subject to a dice check. If you're engaged to multiple people you can select who to disengage by using the disengage <player> command. Otherwise the code picks at random. Disengaging is the only combat maneuver you can perform if you're out of EP.
Details on the stats involved in disengage rolls can be found in help details disengage. Disengage timers are based off reflex and attention attributes. In general, to disengage you roll a combination of reflex or agility, your combat skill, and a style modifier. The person who's being disengaged from counters by rolling similar stats. Whoever has the most successes wins. If you're the person disengaging, you can substitute your escape skill for your combat skill if it's higher.
Unwield
You can unwield a weapon at any point in time, even while engaged in combat, by using the unwield command. There's no timers involved. There's no checks involved. It's pretty straightforward. (Note that when you have no weapon wielded you use your combat/brawling skill and are now considered to be using short weapon length.)
Capture
By capturing a character, you completely subdue them and there is no further hope for escape (without wizard intervention, via a @911 call). A captured character cannot use combat commands, cannot move at will, and is utterly defenseless. It is assumed that they're restrained in some fashion to make escape impossible. It takes another character's use of the uncapture command to free a captured character.
Captures are very hard to do. The wrestling stat is involved, as is dodge and/or escape skills on the defender's part. The exact details aren't clear (as I think the code on the web site is old) but in general it seems to be a reasonably tough thing for most people to do. It's also relatively expensive in terms of EP, which makes repetitive attempts costly.
You can only capture another character when you are engaged to them.
Tactics and Tricks
As you utilize the combat code, and watch others fight, you can pick up on a number of tricks and tactics. I make no claims as to the utility of these tactics. I'm simply reporting what I've had luck with, and what I've seen others do.
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One tactic centers around what skills to learn, an issue particularly of interest with new players with combat-oriented characters. Different weaons have different advantages. Knives, for example, can be very quick to use, but do less damage than swords. Some weapons cost more XP to learn than others. Some, like the staff, are better defensive weapons. Others, like the spear, are better offensive weapons but suffer defensive penalties. Some are better geared to different stat combinations. If really depends on your character's strengths and desires.As a matter of comparison, swords are very popular weapons to learn, followed by spears, especially amongst soldiers going to war and fighting with melee weapons. Staves are a very good defensive weapon and fast, but they aren't going to make anyone a powerhouse on the battlefield given their relatively small amounts of damage. Though some small number of infantry fighters use them, they are mostly favored by archers (who tend to avoid melee combat if possible, but also because they are the companion weapon skill used when engaged with a bow in hand). Daggers and knives are small and quick, but are seldom seen at war given their relatively small amount of damage and short length. Axes are another sometimes but rarely seen weapon; they do a tremendous amount of damage but are very slow and poor defensively. Brawling is good for boxing competitions and barroomm brawls, but relatively low in damage. Wrestling doesn't apply damage. Clubs are rarely used, and whips even less so, in actual combat situations.
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Another stat-related issue concerns whether or not to learn secondary skills like dodge and escape. Dodge is mostly used in combat to avoid being engaged, and escape to disengage, but only if they're higher than your weapon skills. (Dodge and escape can both help you avoid being captured if you don't have the wrestling skill, and dodge also helps a little if someone is shooting arrows at you. Both may come into play in GMed scenes as well.)One argument says to concentrate on weapon skills and avoid these secondary skills, and just stick to your primary weapon. Another theory says to spend the XP on these skills as they're easier to learn than primary combat skills, and apply to a variety of different weapons. Yet another theory suggests skipping these skills and learning the brawl skill, as that's what is used when you're attacked without a weapon in hand and you can always unwield. Really, there's a number of pros and cons on either side, and different people decide different things.
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Once you've decided what combat skills to focus on, there's still the choice of what exact weapon to use. For example, someone with the
combat/swordskill could use either a long sword or a short sword. A long sword is slower but does more damage and is slightly easier to defend with. Some with thecombat/knivesskill could use either a dagger or a knife. A dagger is slightly slower but does slightly more damage and is easier to defend with. And so on.Finally, there are different types of metals, ranging from flint to bronze to iron. Iron does the most damage among weapons of the same type, but iron weapons are more expensive and a bit heavier. Flint weapons do the least amount of damage among weapons of the same type, but are slightly lighter. -
Different weapon lengths can be used as a tactic. If you have a long length weapon, for example, and engage someone with a medium length weapon, they can't counterattack. If you can manage to keep them engaged and just keep attacking, mismatched weapon lengths can work to your advantage. On a similar note, sometimes it's more useful to match their weapon lengths. Some people switch weapons of different lengths during the course of combat to suit their needs. They may attack for a while with a spear (a long length weapon), then decide to use a long sword (a medium length weapons) for a while.
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Characters that are fast to attack can use the combat timers to their advantage. One tactic involves engaging a slower character, attacking once, and then disengaging before they can hit back. If this can be repeated often enough it will wear away at an opponent. If you find yourself the victim of this tactic you should be sure to try to keep the other person engaged in combat to prevent its usage. Alternatively, you could switch to a faster style or weapon.
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Sometimes you need to disengage in the course of combat, but your timers are too slow. For example, long swords in particular (though they hit hard) are very slow weapons. One tactic involved unwielding your weapon in order to make your combat timers faster. When you do this your defense goes off your brawl skill as you're unarmed, and you can't choose to wield a weapon until you successfully disengage. You may end up sacrificing defensive strengths in order to attempt to disengage faster.
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This trick is used when someone with a medium or long length weapon is engaged by someone with a short length weapon, such as a knife. Normally you would have to disengage to attack your opponent. However, as brawling is considered short range, you can also unwield your weapon and start punching. This tactic likely works better for those with higher muscle attributes.
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In group situations, such as in battle royales or in war, tag-teaming an opponent is very useful. In particular, engaging a person resets their combat timers. There's nothing more frustrating than to wait 80 or 90 seconds for the chance to attack some opponent, only to have a third person move in to engage you and start the waiting process all over.
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There are, in general, a number of tactics related to timers and knowing when to do what. For example, assume you're slightly slower than your opponent. You trade blows for a while. Eventually you'll get to the point where he's going to get two attacks in a row in. Disengaging right before this point might not be a bad idea.
Ranged Fighting
Ranged fighting includes both weapons that use the shoot command (including bows, slings, and ballistas) and anything that can be thrown -- which is pretty much anything that can be picked up. On FiranMUX there is only a limited concept of range so anything visible in the room is fair game to shoot or throw at. Be aware that these targets can also fight back, and potentially engage you in combat. (If you are engaged in combat while wielding a bow it will function like a staff in terms of stats usage.)
Aim
Once a ranged weapon or object to throw is wielded it needs to be aimed. This is done via the aim command. Combat timers are used but no roll is involved. Aim timers are based on a combatination of reflex and coordination. You can only aim at non-hidden targets in the same room as you.
Unaim
The unaim does not require a roll for success and does not use combat timers. With it, you stop aiming at your original target.
Shoot
The shoot command is used for firing a bow, sling, or ballista. You must have a ranged weapon wielded to use this command, and you must be aiming at a visible target (though not necessarily engaged to them). Additionally, the appropriate type of ammo must be loaded into the object. See the section on the reload command for information on how this is done. Damage done if you hit your intended target is similar to melee damage, except that instead of using damage statistics from the bow (sling, ballista, etc.) you use damage statistics from the ammo. In the case of bows, for example, iron arrows do more damage on average than flint arrows.
Shooting goes off combat timers. It generally does less damage compared to heavier weapons such as swords. Details on the stats involved in shooting weapons can be found in help combat system shoot.
The rolls involved with shooting are complicated. Shoot timers are based off reason and attention attributes. In general, shoot rolls for the attacker are based off coordination, a relevant combat skill, and a style modifier. The difficulty of this roll is variable, starting at a base difficulty of 7 for bows and slings, and 8 for ballistae. If your target isn't engaged in melee and is not immobilized, they can dodge. This involves either a perception or reflex roll on their part, at difficulty 8. The success results either raise or lower the shooter's difficulty on their roll. Finally, the difficulty is affected by any style modifiers or your target (i.e., targets in archlong style are harder to hit, while targets in aggressive style are easier to hit).
This brings up some of the major differences, codewise, between ranged attacks and melee attacks. In melee attacks, combat modifiers of the opponent affect dice pools; in ranged attacks, combat modifiers of the opponent affect difficulty. In general, changing the difficulty of a roll by 1 or 2 has a much, much more dramatic impact than changing the dice pool by one or two. Also, in melee the person being attacked gets a roll to defend with, where their successes subtract from the attacker's successes. This is not the case with archery. There is no engagement needed, and no counter roll save for the possible reflex/perception roll made by non-engaged opponents.
If you hit your target you cause damage. If you simply miss, the ammo disappears somewhere in the room and can be found later via the find command. If you fumble the roll badly enough, someone else in the room is hit. Because there is little concept of positioning known by the code every other person has an equally random chance of being hit and taking damage, regardless of RPed position and regardless of their combat style.
Throw
Anything on the game that can be picked up can be thrown, though some objects are easier to throw than others. Any object thrown can potentially cause damage, which is simply based off its weight if it's not a weapon. Though it's fairly embarrassing to be knocked unconscious by a thrown flower, it can (and has) happened You must have an object wielded to throw it, and you must be aiming at a visible target (though not necessarily engaged to them). There's no concept of true range on FiranMUX so you can throw something at anyone in the same room. Note that in some situations, such as wartime combat scenes, rules permit only certain items to be thrown. No lugging your favorite pantry out to the battlefield to throw at the enemy!
The dice system for throwing is very similar to the dice system for shooting, described in detail above. Throwing goes off combat timers, which are based off reason and attention attributes. In general, throw rolls for the attacker are based off coordination, a relevant combat skill (usually combat/thrown weapons, or combat/javelins in the case of javelins), and a style modifier. The base difficulty of the roll is based off the object's throwing balance. For weapons, this can be found via the @info command; look at the 'Throwing balance'. If the object isn't a weapon the difficulty is a base of 6. If your target isn't engaged in melee and is not immobilized, they can dodge. This involves either a perception or reflex roll on their part, at difficulty 8. The success results either raise or lower the shooter's difficulty on their roll. Finally, the difficulty is affected by any style modifiers.
If you hit your target you cause damage. In the case of a weapon this is computed in a manner similar to melee damage, basing the damage off the 'Thrown damage' of the weapon. If the object isn't a weapon necessarily the damage is based off its weight, with heavier objects causing more damage (which is a bit strange as they're not necessarily harder to throw). The object you threw will then end up being held by the person you threw it at. If you miss, the object you threw will be somewhere visible in the room. If you fumble, someone at random will be hit in a manner similar to the use of the shoot command.
Reload
One way to load ammo into a ranged weapon such as a bow is through the reload command. There are several forms of the command available that lets you specify which bow to reload and what type of arrow to load it with. If not specified, choices are made randomly. I've never had much luck with the reload command myself so tend not to use it, but others do.
Another way to load ammo is to simply hold it and use the put command to put it inside the object. You don't need to separate out one individual arrow to do this. If there are too many objects to put (for example, putting 12 arrows inside a bow) the code will remove one and leave the other objects in hand.
Hiding and Ranged Fighting
During war season archers that are not riding griffons tend to hide as much as they can while they shoot. You need the hiding skill to hide, and then use the hide command successfully. There are several different timers in place that keep you from hiding too often or too fast, ranging from a 15 second wait after usage of combat commands to a 60 second wait since you last unhid. While you are hidden you can reload your weapon, aim, and shoot. When you shoot, you nearly always come visible again -- at which point you must wait on the timers before you can re-hide. (The exception to coming visible occurs if you make a high difficulty roll to remain hidden, which is pretty rare.) While you are hiding you can't be engaged in combat or shot at. Note that it is possible to be spotted while hiding, which negates this advantage. See the search for command for more details on this.
In general, an archer who snipes from hiding will do a series of commands similar to this throughout the battle:
> put arrow in bow
> aim <target>
[Wait for hide timer]
> hide
> shoot <target>
Routine would be interrupted if you got engaged in combat. Typically an archer would want to disengage so they can hide again (after the hide timer wait), though you can involve yourself in melee combat if you like. This tactic can also be used to hide and throw things such as javelins.
Timers
The following is a synopsis of how combat timers are affected by various attributes. Each attribute weights equally in your speed. Note that things like attacking in particular are affected by things such as weapon speed, and all timers are affected by combat styles.
| Command | Attribute #1 | Attribute #2 |
| Wield | None | None |
| Engage | Reflex | Intuition |
| Attack | Reflex | Luck |
| Disengage | Reflex | Attention |
| Unwield | None | None |
| Capture | Reflex | Intuition |
| Aim | Reflex | Coordination |
| Shoot | Reason | Attention |
| Throw | Reason | Attention |
| Reload | None | None |
Weapon Stats
Different weapons have different attributes to them. Some, like daggers and knives, hit faster. Others, like swords and axes, hit harder. Some tend to leave bruises. Others tend to leave gashes and lacerations. Melee weapons have different lengths. Iron weapons tend to do more damage than flint, silver, or bronze weapons.
If you have skill in a particular class of weapons (this is the associated melee skill, so for arrows it would be combat/knives) you can learn about the stats of the weapon through use of the @info command. Also, those with the appraisal/weapons skill at any level can see combat info for any and all weapons. Information at the bottom of the description will reveal statistics about the weapon in question. Note that for ranged weapons, like a bow, what you really want to see information about is the ammo shot, the arrows themselves. Here is an example for an iron dagger:
Length: short Damage: 3 slashing Mode: 1W|WW|T Speed: 10 Throwing balance: 6 Thrown damage: 3 Ammo: none Attack: Agility + Combat/knives at 6 Defend: Reflex + Combat/knives at 7
Much of this is explained in help combat weapons somewhere. Summarized here:
- Length is self-explanatory. When engaged by someone in combat you can only attack back if wielding a weapon of the same length.
- Damage number is what sided dice are used in computing damage. Higher numbers do more damage. The type afterwards is the type of damage. Different damage types cause different types of wounds. This is why clubs (a bashing weapon) tends to bruise while knives (a slashing weapon) cause lacerations.
- Mode is a little confusing so I'll skip that. Hopefully it's not too important.
- Speed is how fast the weapon is. Lower numbers are faster.
- Throwing balance affects how easy it is to throw. Lower numbers are easier to throw.
- Throwing damage is similar to melee damage but, obviously, used if the object is thrown. This overrides the standard method of computing damage based on weight.
- Ammo indicates what ammo must be loaded for ranged weapons.
- Attack describes the stats used when using the weapon to attack in melee. This works into the dice rolls of the attack command.
- Defend describes the stats used when using the weapon defensively.
At the moment weapons suffer only rarely from damage through use.
Damage
To understand how armor protects you, you must first understand how damage hurts you. This is all a little bit complicated. Here is what happens when a person gets attacked or shot at in combat...
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The success (if any) of the hit is determined. This is described in the section on attacking for melee weapons, or the section on shooting or section on throwing for ranged weapons. There will be some sum total of successes derived from this.
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The hit location is determined at random. For PC-versus-PC combat, use the (undocumented)
hitlocscommand to see the percentage chance of hitting different body parts. This explains why people tend to get hit in the chest a lot, as it has a comparatively high chance of being hit as opposed to, say, the left eyelid. For NPC puppets (such as animals) and autocode damage on the battlefields, one of the body parts is picked at random with no weighting factor figured in; in this case, your left eyelid is just as likely to get hit as your chest.Also, it is noted what piece of armor (if any) is protecting that location. You can see what armor is covering what locations on you by using theworncommand, or by appraising individual pieces of armor if you have the appropriate skill. Currently it is the knees (1% chance of being hit), lips (0.4% chance of being hit), biceps (6% chance of being hit), wrists (1.2% chance of being hit), hands (0.6% chance of being hit), and shoulders (1.2% chance of being hit) that are left uncovered by armor, for a total 10.4% chance of being hit unarmored. In leather armor, the neck (4% chance of being hit) is also unprotected, for a total 14.4% chance of being hit unarmored. -
The type of damage is determined, based on the type of damage the weapon does:
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Chopping weapons tend to cause gashes, but can also cause lacerations, breaks, bruises, or punctures.
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Slashing weapons tend to cause gashes or lacerations, but can also cause bruises or punctures.
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Bashing weapons tend to cause bruises, but may also cause gashes, lacerations, punctures, or breaks.
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Piercing weapons tend to cause punctures, but may also cause stabbing pain, lacerations, or gashes.
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Punching tends to cause bruises, but on occasion may cause breaks.
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Damage is (virtually) rolled. This is where things really start to get complicated in the code, but in general you roll a number of damage dice equal to your net successes on the attack. These are virtual dice, where the number of 'sides' is determined by either the damage rating of the weapon or (if it's just something a person picked up and threw) the weight of the object. The damage modifier for the person's style is then added. A bonus is added based on either the character's muscle or perhaps some other attribute of either the character or the weapon. Finally, this value is multipled by the character's muscle attribute and divided by 4, to come up with the sum total of damage. Now you know! Told you it started to get complicated.
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If no armor is worn on the body part hit, the total of the damage is taken. A shock check is made at this point and, if that's failed, a death check. Be sure to see the section on health for the description of the many ways you can be maimed and killed.
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If armor is covering the location hit some of the damage may be soaked by it. See below for details!
Characters with the armor appraisal skill can appraise armor to see its current state of repair. The better repaired your armor is, the more damage it will absorb on average. Of course, the act of soaking damage is what hurts the armor in the first place. As an example, consider this armor description learned via the appraise command:
Body location: chest Durability: 6 Current Quality: 983 Maximum Quality: 1000 Defense Difficulties (Current/Maximum) -- chopping: 8/8 piercing: 7/7 bashing:8/8 slashing:8/8
To interpret this, start by looking at the last line. These number indicate the difficulty of a dice roll required for damage to pass through the armor. Obviously, the higher the difficulty the better the defense provided. Which number is used is based on the type of damage inflicted. For example, suppose that before the armor soaked the total damage done was 20 points of slashing damage. In a virtual sense twenty 10-sided dice would be rolled, at difficulty 8. Suppose that this led to 9 successes. This would mean that 9 points of damage got past the armor and harmed the person wearing it. The other 11 points of damage was soaked by the armor.
As armor soaks damage, the number listed as 'Current Quality' drops based on the total amount of damage inflicted, even if it wasn't soaked. If this number drops low enough the armor becomes unusable. This is why it's important to keep armor in good repair. Additionally, as this number drops the difficulty ratings at the bottom lower, making it easier for damage to pass through your armor's defenses and hurt you. Armor can be repaired by an armorer, with higher level armoring skills allowing a person to repair the armor more fully. The maximum quality can be achieved by someone with the armoring skill at level 5; someone with armoring 4 can repair it to 99% of its maximum quality, and armoring 3 does 95%. The maximum quality for any piece of armor varies based on the type and the quality of the piece.
| This page includes all the text of the "Health" Advanced Firan Survival Guide tutorial. It's on one page for ease of searching, reading, or printing. |
WARNING! The information contained here is based on the state of the game as of this writing. Since FiranMUX is an evolving game the health system is, as with everything, subject to change. Odds are the basics will remain the same, but the details may be tweaked. Also, there are things I don't know about the health systems, and worse yet, things I might be wrong about, so don't put 100% faith in this.
On the subject of code mechanics, rolls are done according to a very slight modification of White Wolf dice rules. Ask around if you don't know how it works, it's a popular dice system. Code mechanics are especially subject to tweaking so what's described may quite possibly be out of date, or else temporarily altered for plot reasons.
| Health Introduction | Some general information about the health system, pregnancy, and aging. |
| Getting Hurt | Information about ways in which you can get hurt. |
| Getting Healed | Information about ways to get healed. |
Health Introduction
Firan Survival Guide: Introduction to Health
A person's health is, for the most part, point-based. Unlike some gaming systems, characters do not have a set number of health points. Instead, they take damage points, with damage ratings going from 0 (fully healed) to 100 (very likely dead) or even higher. The higher the number of damage points, the more seriously hurt a person is. Damage is inflicted on a specific body part (right knee, stomach, left eyebrow, etc.) and is of a particular type (bruise, gash, break, etc.). If you're wearing armor, some physical forms of damage may be absorbed by your armor. To see how much damage you've currently taken, you can use the @sheet/damage command. Damage can heal naturally over time, with medicinal teas, or by healing commands.
There are a few ways to determine how injured another person is. One way is by simply looking at them. You'll see a description of the areas they're injured in (if not covered by armor), a listing of any bandaged body parts, and a general description of how hurt they look. As a person is actually taking damage, such as during a fight, each injury will cause a description of how hurt the person is to be displayed. Finally, those with the healing skill can use the diagnose command to determine how injured a person is.
Animals, incidentally, have the same health system that Firan characters have. Where Firans are healed with the healing skill, animals are healed in a near identical fashion with the farrier skill.
Pregnancy
Giving birth is a potentially dangerous affair that can lead to permanent injury, or even death of the mother or child. After the child is born via the code, a wizard makes two sets of rolls: one for the mother, and one for the baby. The check for the mother is a Health + Endurance roll made at a variable difficulty dependent on age, stress, current health, etc. As a basis of comparison, a young and healthy woman would probably have a difficulty of 7. Failing this roll results in a permanent injury, while fumbling it results in death. The check for the baby is Health + Luck, with the difficulty again based on variable factors. Failing this roll means the baby will be sickly for at least the first year, while fumbling it leads to the death of the baby. Having a midwife present can reduce (or, in some cases, raise) the difficulties of these rolls; see help midwifery for more details.
It is possible to lose a baby before the end of its term through miscarriage. Every IC month (currently on the 28th at 9 am) a check for miscarriage is made on all pregnant women. Miscarrying during a monthly check is fairly rare, however. Any time a pregnant woman takes damage a check is made for miscarriage. This check is based on Health + Child Rearing, at a base diff of 5 plus one for every 10 points of damage caused by the last injury (as contrasted with the total damage). Fumbling this roll will result in a miscarriage.
Growing old
As characters grow older there is the possibility that they may die of old age. Any character aged 50 or older will make a "death check" on a RL monthly basis (currently scheduled for the first of the month at 5:00 am). The check is based off Health + Luck. The difficulty of the roll is determined by their age:
| Age | Difficult of "Death Check" |
| 50-54 years old | Difficulty 4 |
| 55-59 years old | Difficulty 5 |
| 60-64 years old | Difficulty 6 |
| 65-69 years old | Difficulty 7 |
| 70+ years old | Difficulty 8 |
| TABLE 1: "Death Check" Difficulties |
If a character fails a death check, their health score is decreased by one. If the health score ever reaches 0, then the character has died of old age. Otherwise, if their health score drops they should roleplay some sort of illness that weakens them further.
For female characters, growing old means the possibility of going into a menopausal-like state where they are unable to have children. Monthly checks for this begin at age 35, with the base check being Health + Luck at difficulty 5 and increasing with age. Botching a roll leads to the menopausal-like state.
Getting Hurt
WARNING! The information contained here is based on the state of the game as of this writing. Since FiranMUX is an evolving game the health system is, as with everything, subject to change. Odds are the basics will remain the same, but the details may be tweaked. Also, there are things I don't know about the health systems, and worse yet, things I might be wrong about, so don't put 100% faith in this.
How to get hurt
There are lots of ways a person can potentially get hurt, and these ways cause different amounts and types of damage. The following is a potentially incomplete list of things that may, depending on circumstances, cause a person damage:
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Unconsciousness and potential death
As you take more damage you will eventually fall unconscious, and can potentially die. Take too much damage -- at or over 60 points worth in total -- and you'll suffer a permanent injury (or "perm") which will lower one of your attribute points. There are certain areas or times in the game where damage is not lethal. For example, in the combat training center no fights are lethal, though "dying" as determined by the code will result in a permanent injury. The same holds through for combat-oriented festival events.
Theoretically any amount of damage can kill a person. In reality, very very few people die unless their damage is over 30 points, and even then most deaths occur when it gets over 50 or 60 points. People can fall unconscious at any amount of damage -- it's happened at even just a single point -- but usually this happens when they've taken 30 or so points worth. The way it works is that when a person takes damage they automatically perform a shock check, to see if they fall unconscious. If they do, they automatically perform a death check, to see if they die. The way the code is set up you are much more likely to pass out before you're in danger of dying.
For those who like to deal with numbers and stats, the following table describes how unconsciousness and death checks are performed:
| Type of Check | Stats to Roll | Difficulty |
| Shock Resistance | Best and worst of Health, Endurance, and Willpower | Base of 3, plus one for every 8 points of total damage taken |
| Death Resistance | Best two of Favor, Passion, Luck, and Willpower | Base of 0, plus one for every 10 points of total damage taken |
| TABLE 2: Shock and Death Rolls |
If you go unconscious, you can't do anything except communicate OOCly. No posing of any sort is allowed. Periodic checks are performed automatically to see if you wake up. Currently these checks are performed at 20 and 50 minutes past the hour, in real time. In order to regain consciousness, you must succeed at a shock resistance check based on your current level of damage.
Getting Healed
Okay, so now you're injured. What do you do? There are a number of ways you can heal injuries, as described below.
Automatic daily healing
Every IC day at 6:00 am the healing code runs and certain wounds are healed automatically. The