NCMUD WALKTHROUGHS

Yupa's Weapon Review
Version 1.2, January 25, 2003

What's New

 - Added more junk!

Introduction

 - Let's face it....weapons are cool.  Nothing better than getting some 
 really powerful, or conceptually cool weapon.  I'm throwing this together
 real quick just to give a brief overview of what sorts of weapons are 
 pretty good, what's mediocre, and what's probably better to avoid (It is, of 
 course, pretty subjective, so you might think differently than me.)

 - One of the reasons I make this, is so that newer players can get a feeling
 of what's out there, in terms of weaponry.  I had no idea when I first started,
 what would be considered good or not.  I've probably foolishly traded or lost
 quite a few top notch items, because I didn't really understand how good it 
 was or the effort involved in getting it.

 - I'm also going to be dealing with 3-attack weapons only, at least for the
 time being.  If there's enough interest, and if I have the time, I might eventually
 expand to other equipment types as well.

 - Also, for the most part, there are almost no 3-attack weapons that are usable for 
 dual players anymore, so don't be expecting to get something on this list and use it
 right away if you're new.  Aside from old weapons (getting rarer and rarer these days,
 there's only a handful dual-usable 3-hitters I can think of, and most aren't that hot
 to begin with.

 - Finally....I'm not going to be listing stats.  Half the fun is finding out
 for yourself.  Besides, I'm lazy, and it would make this file way too big if I
 did.  Get off your ass and find out for yourself!

Pierce/Stab Weapons

 - I'm listing these separately, mainly in consideration of the Assassin class.
 Pierce/Stab/Bite/Cut weapons are pretty much the only weapons that the Assassin
 can equip.  I'm listing Bite/Cut separately, for reasons that should be obvious (if
 not, check it out).

 ***Top Tier***
 - Scythe of the Grim Reaper - From Pentara, defeat the Reaper himself for it.
    This weapon has good damage dice, and the HR/DR is cumulatively the highest
    I can think of.  Repair often though.

 - Stormbringer - Elric, in Melnibone has it.  I think it's got decent dice,
    and provides HR/HP for the wielder.  Has a nice proc that it can suck Con from
    your foes if you PK.  Cool in that respect, a must-have for PK players.

 - Crystal of Light -  Survive Canals for this.  Magical item, so I dunno the
    damage dice.  HR/DR is ok, but not super great.  The nice thing about the
    CoL however, is that it's the only weapon that can SMITE.  COLs also have some
    nice charbits.

 - Samurai Sword - Krandon's Point.  Conceptually cool, if you ask me.  Damage dice 
    aren't as nice as a scythe (just 1 less though, no big), but the HR/DR is comparable.
    Plus, it just looks so dang cool!

 - Ice Axe - Scott Fisher, Mt. Everest.  Basically, this is an Infinity Axe
    with the Pierce attack type.  Nice dice, good HR/DR, plus Wield/Holdable.
    You don't see many of these though, not many people do Everest.

 - Shadowdancer - The one from Calandra, not the 2-hitter.  The Calandra 
    Shadowdancer is Armor and HR (maybe DR?), on par with Metallic Arm stats.
    Very nice piece.

 - Sawtooth Dagger - from Castle Northwind.  Fairly decent dice, ok HR/DR.  Pretty
    much one of the easier upper tier weapons to get, so long as you know the zone.

 - Destroyer Class Vibrator - Heh, you look like some kinda fruit using this!
    Despite that, it's got nice damage dice, though the HR/DR isn't super great.
    From Playboy Mansion.  

 **Middle Tier**
 - Homicidal Psycho Jungle Cat Claws - Long name, cool if you're a Calvin and
    Hobbes fan and you catch the reference.  Decent enough dice, so-so HR/DR. 
    From Washington DC.

 - laser scalpel - Kinda middle-of-the-road damage dice, but HR/DR is comparable
    with the upper tier stuff.  The Cyber-Doc in Rifts has it.

 - Blackjack - This is also from Pentara, same place you get the Scythe from.
    I think it's a decent enough weapon.

 - Ace of Spades - Neat name.  Dice similar to scalpel, but the DR/HR ain't as
    hot.  From Nerds, Doofus McGillicuty.
 
 - Spear of the Underworld - Everyone used to have one of these.  Dunno how much
    it's changed lately, but it's a fairly decent weapon.

 - Pitchfork - From Gummi Glen.  Dice like a scalpel, but not the HR/DR.

 *Bottom Tier*
 - The Trident of Iscariot, Bringer of Death - Once considered a good weapon,
    it pales in comparison to newer things.  Kinda crappy dice, low HR/DR.  Had
    some nice affects on it though.  The Spirit in Marsh has it.  He acids, watch
    out.

 - black dagger - It's the only dual 3-hitter around these days.  That doesn't
    mean it's necessarily good though; weak damage dice might make you consider
    running a strong 2-hitter instead.

 - Joker's Feather - From The Joker, in Gotham City.  I pretty much never see
    these around anymore....I don't think it was particularly good, except it
    might have had some good affects.

Bite/Cut Weapons 

 - Bite is cool, in the fact that it does Piercing-type attacks (so Assassins 
   can use!), but it doesn't glance off resist-pierce items!  This makes bite
   weapons highly prized by Assassins....it's also much harder to find Bite 
   type attacks.
 - Cut weapons work in almost the same respect....Resist pierce is nothing against
   cut.  Assassins can lunge and assassinate with a cut-type weapon, but are
   unable to perform other attacks such as backstab.

 ***Top Tier***
 - A Metallic Arm - From Spiderman.  It's a PK weapon though.  But it's got 
    nice Armor on it, making it both a good weapon in general and a great one
    for AC.
 
 - Decapitated Head of Tapis, the Tiamat - From Tap, the tap mob (duh).  In
    general, this is a more accessible weapon than the Arm.  Fairly good stats,
    and since it isn't PK-only, is more versatile.

 - Yashin - Kyuden Bayushi.  This is another PK-only weapon, which limits its
    use by others.  Still, decent enough stats on it.

 - a Thick Lens with Sharp Edges - Robotics Factory.  The only 3-attack cut weapon
    that I can think of, this thing's pretty darn cool.  Average stats, nice charbits,
    and it's also dual-usable!  Granted, the min. level is high dual, but....

 **Middle Tier**
 - Veleprocation Crystal - Velusian Palace.  Stats are ok, makes a good weapon
    to keep in the event of Resist-Pierce occasions.
 
 - Paintbrush - Ea, in Gilgamesh.  Probably the weakest of all Bite weapons,
    but still, bite is better than pierce in those Resist-Pierce situations.

Weapons (Slash, Hit, Blast, Pound, Claw, etc)

 - Now, for the rest of the stuff.  These are the weapons that Blademasters, 
   Avatars, and Heroes can use.  

 ***Top Tier***
 - Gold Hilted Sword - King Peter in Narnia possesses the famed Gold Hilted
    Sword.  Considered by many to be one of the better weapons in the game.  It's
    magical, but it seems that the damage dice is quite high.

 - A Jedi Lightsaber - Luke in Star Wars.  Conceptually cool, if you're a SW
    geek or general Sci-Fi fan.  Nice dice, good enough HR/DR, and it's also
    wield/holdable, so you can bust out your Anakin-Episode2-style-double-
    Lightsaber action.

 - A Tridactyl Claw - Ramoth, Benden Weyr.  Hits fairly hard, nice HR/DR.  
    Has a nifty name too.

 - Sceptre of Hearts - The Queen of Hearts, Malice.  Nice Damage dice, but the 
    HR/DR ain't as nice as most weapons.  Still, it hits like a ton of bricks.

 - Crescent Moon Rod - Sailor Moon, Sailor Moon.  Good dice, good HR/DR.  I tend
    not to use it as much as possible, mainly cause I'm not a Sailor Moon fan
    and it sounds too fruity to me.  Still though, it's a solid weapon so long
    as the name doesn't bother you.

 - Axe of the Negative Infinity - Silicon Nightmare.  Good dice, Good HR/DR.  
    Wield/Holdable.  Very nice. 

 **Middle Tier**
 - The Burner - Weapon, Earth Prime.  Dice are in the average 6D6 range, from
    what I can tell.  Good HR/DR though, so despite the mediocre damage it ranks
    fairly well.  Wield/Holdable, in case you want to bust out the Gun-in-each-
    hand John Woo style.

 - Itsuwari - Bayushi Shoju, Kyuden Bayushi.  Average dice.  Decent Armor though,
    so it's a good poor-man's Metallic Arm for non-Assassins. :P  Besides which,
    I place it fairly well on the concept scale cause there aren't that many
    katana-style swords in the game.

 - Soul Clash, The Battle Axe of Shodas - LOEC.  Average Dice, ok HR/DR.  
    Nothing spectacular.  Not bad either. 

 - Leonardo's Unmerciful Blade - from TMNT.  I forget offhand, I suppose it's decent
    though the min level is high advanced.  

 *Bottom Tier*
 - Illumina Sword - Kefka, Narshe.  This isn't really a great weapon, average
    dice and fairly low HR/DR.  Still though, it's relatively easy to get, and
    is a good starting advanced weapon if you don't have any better.

 - Black Scimitar - It has good damage dice, and decent HR/DR.  So why is it 
    Bottom Tier?  Mainly cause it's an Auto-Hit weapon, which mean's when you 
    wield it, you'll attack any mobs.  Fidos, the blacksmith, Dredd.  Seriously,
    this weapon has some practical applications in certain zones, but isn't 
    something you want to be wielding for everyday use. 

 - Nunchaku - Buy it in FF8.  It's a no-rent weapon, that isn't particularly 
    good by any means.  Still, buying a few to stock in your Cdon room would
    probably help someone who needs a temp weapon (like if they need to kill
    something to get their corpse back).

Special - 4-Attack Weapons

 - I list this separately...obviously cause they're not 3-hitters....but also cause
 there's only really 3 4-attack weapons that I know of, and I'm too lazy to make a 
 2nd file just for 3 items.  Aside from tooth, the others are basically unobtainable
 now, though I suppose anything is possible.  Still, we're talking major deaths
 and worse here.  You'll probably lose more than you could gain.

 - Tyrannosaurus rex tooth - Trex, Jurassic 
 - Sword of Souls - Evil Soul, African Plains.
 - Shotokan Sword - Grandfather, Shotokan Monastary


There's more I'm missing, no doubt.  I'm just writing what
I know for the time being.  I find more, I'll update....

Was this file even worth my time and effort? Lemme know.
I'll consider making this into a series and branching into
different EQ types, if there's enough interest and I get
bored enough.

Yupa
  

Yupa's Zoning Tips
Version 1.1, January 25, 2003

Contents
 A. Introduction
 B. Players
 C. Attacking Mobs
 D. Spelling up Mobs
 E. Wimpy
 F. The Classes
 G. The Races
 H. Sink Rooms
 I. Aliens

A. Introduction

 -I made this file to help people who have questions about zoning.  Now I don't
 think I know all and am some Zoning God or anything, but I thought I'd address
 some issues that are of some importance.  Maybe it'll help you out, maybe not.
 
 -I'm probably leaving alot of stuff out.  I'll try to amend things if I think
 of something new, otherwise, good luck, and have fun out there.


B. Players

 - You should be zoning with 2 equipped characters, if you have em.  There's
 no excuse not to, if you've got 2 characters in the level range of the activity,
 and enough eq for it.  It's better to bring along the other character for 
 extra damage/stunning/healing/spelling/etc.  

 - Even if you've got crap eq (maybe you DTed or got sacced recently, etc), you
 can still be effective to the group.  Just cause you're using EQ from Narshe
 and Ranma doesn't mean you can't zone with it.  You just won't deal as much
 damage, and probably die a bit more, but it's worth it to get new eq, don't 
 you think?

 - Listen to your leader.  The leader's in charge, most often than not knows
 what's going on, and will keep you safe.  If the leader says sit, you better
 sit.  If you're told to attack a target, do it.  

 - Pay attention at all times.  You never know when some mob is going to wander
 in and attack, so be on your best game.  If you need to go AFK to get a drink
 or something, make sure you ask if it's a safe place to be first, and make
 sure you announce that you're not going to be at the keyboard.

 - Leaving.  Yea, sometimes you can't stay on long enough to finish a zone.
 That's totally understandable.  But please show some courtesy;  inform the
 leader/group that you can only stay for awhile before starting the zone (when
 possible).  If it's something that comes up all of a sudden, that's understandable
 too.... just make sure you're leaving at a safe time, and that people know 
 you're going.  I know of a lot of times when people suddenly just say "gotta
 go,bye" (or not even that), and just cut out, even in the middle of fighting.

 - One thing I can't stand:  People asking to zone, then suggesting something
 totally preposterous.  My motto:  Don't suggest something seriously that you
 aren't prepared to lead yourself, or if there aren't enough people around to
 do it anyway.  Honestly, it gets kinda annoying, when a person logs on, then 
 gets flooded with requests to lead Tapis when there aren't enough people on, 
 and the requester doesn't even know how to do it.

 - Nobody likes a backseat driver.  If you're doing the following, do just that: 
 follow.  Give out warning shouts or offer your wealth of knowledge only if the 
 leader's about to make a boo-boo, or is unsure and needs the extra nudge. 

C. Attacking Mobs

 - Follow your leader's instructions, especially if there's a split involving
 multiple players attacking multiple mobs.  If you're assigned 5.guard, make 
 sure to attack that one.
 
 - Unless told otherwise, don't use the term <mob> when fighting.  You may end
 up attacking a druid's clones, or ghosts, or some mob that isn't aggro 
 initally, instead of your designated target.  That means you'll be preoccupied
 fighting the wrong thing, while the target you were supposed to keep busy is
 free to kill everyone in the group off.

 - Assist:  Generally, don't be using assist to start off combat.  You should
 be starting with a solid attacking move, to keep the stunning going.  If you
 type assist Yupa, you'll join in the combat, but no stun attack until the next
 time you can input a command.  That can really hurt, so make sure you start
 off with a lunge, thunderclap, hammerfist, trash, dpunch, web, hammer, etc.
 * There are some instances when assist is ok.  If you're in a real panic, 
 cause some mob just wandered in, it's better to assist than to stand around
 doing nothing. 

 - Stunning:  Speaking of which, use the most effective stunning your character
 can do.  There's no point in wasting your combat turns doing worthless attacks.
 For example, Hack or Dtouch might be a nice variety once in awhile, but when you're
 in the  thick of things, sticking with trash will probably save you more than screwing
 around will.
 Be careful of opening-type stun attacks too, like backstab, Asssassinate, Dim Mak.
 It's good in most cases to start w/ them, but if you miss, you're stunned for way 
 too long and will probably get killed.  Stuff like Assassinate can really mess you 
 up if you maim yourself, and would get hairy if mobs sac, etc.  Use what ya got,
 just know when to use it.

D. Spelling Up Mobs

 - Throw everything you got at em, and then some.  There's no harm in trying.
 If the mobs aren't aggro, or you can walk in while cloaked, try to blind them.
 Better yet, put them to sleep, it lasts longer.  Blind wears off in about 6 
 tics or so.

 - Always dispel mobs w/ sanctuary.  At least, unless the can't be dispelled.
 You'll get done killing alot faster if they have no sanc.

 - Other spells:  Guinness, Constriction, Stone Circle, Mystic Mist, Sink, 
 Curse, etc.

 - Something else to try:  get the mobs out of the room!  Gust of wind is very
 versatile.  Try it out, if possible.  If gust doesn't work, try scare.  It sucks
 up more mana, but can work when gust doesn't.  The fewer mobs in the room to 
 fight, the better.

 - It's not a spell, but also take into consideration using a giant's Shockwave
 move.  Just knocking a few mobs off their feet can make a difference.  A poor
 man's version of shockwave is the acolyte's Sweep attack; the only problem being,
 is that you'll be attacked by whatever you don't knock down.  Use as a last
 resort, or on a character you don't mind having die. 

E. Wimpy
 
 - Generally, wimpy's not good to have on when you zone.  Why?  Well, sure, it
 may save you from the mob you're fighting, but you may just end up fleeing into
 a room w/ more mobs that haven't been cleared.  That'll cause alot more 
 problem in the long run.  

 - Sometimes, wimpy is good, depending on the circumstances.  Just follow what
 your leader says....keep wimpy off until you're told otherwise, and don't 
 forget to turn it off after the time you need it.

F. The Classes

 - Ranking the Classes (1-10, 10 highest...naturally biased, of course) in terms of 
 usefulness in zoning:

     Heroes (10): Heroes rock.  They really do.  It's also a class that's 
     basically designed for zoning.  Heroes have a good stunning skill 
     (Thunderclap), can Scout (see info on mobs, what they do, etc.  A Must
     skill for zoning), taunt, and can camoflauge (cloak) on top of that.  
 
     Assassins (9):  While they're supposed to be better for single confrontations, 
     an assassin is another must have class for zoning.  Lunge is a decent enough
     stun, and even better since it can maim...assassinate for the same reasons.
     Assassins can also spot (see items in zone), cloak, envenom, and probably most 
     importantly, can scan.  Since you can see about 3 rooms ahead w/ scan, it's a 
     good skill to have.  Consider using an Asssassin as the leader of a group.

     Druids (9): Druids are basically your only source of healing in many
     instances.  Group heal is a must for reflecting mobs. Restore is great too,
     esp. for regaining mana and move.  Druids are less effective naked now,
     but that doesn't mean you shouldn't bring them along.  They can still be
     handy for dispelling a mob, gusting, etc.  and can still do a bit of healing
     regardless.  An equipped Druid though, is a godsend, I assure you.  If you know 
     someone who likes playing an equipped druid, I'd invite them along. 

     Blades (8, sometimes 6): Blades are good stunners, good muscle.  That's basically 
     about all they're good for though.  Good for hack-n-slash playing, but in terms
     of versatility, they ain't it.  I'd knock em down a couple points too, because
     there are many mobs now that pretty much make trash worthless.  Against mobs
     that blk_pummel and junk, trash is a big waste of time, and pretty much makes
     a Blademaster only good for dealing damage.

     Monks (8):  They aren't quite the damage monsters blades are, but their
     rather unusual skill sets make up for it.  Pressure point is very nifty, 
     so make use of it when stunning isn't critical.  Of points to note, do
     Foot (keeps mobs from fleeing), Eye (blinds), solar plexus (like envenom;
     btw, a mob can be envenomed and pressure solar at the same time), and neck
     (silence).  Do a groin pressure point for comic relief. :P

     Archmage (7):  Archies can be cool, but the mana drain in most zones means
     spell casting has to be moderated (druids too, for that matter).  Create 
     portal is a good spell to get around with, but like Druids, is now something
     that's only really usable if equipped.  A good archie player, much like a
     druid, can also be a wonderful addition to a group.

     Avatar (2):  Hurry up and become a Hero already!  Avatars might have
     the full range of dual skills and spells, but the bottom line is that they
     can't stun for a hill of beans.  Make haste and learn the ways of the Hero.

     Duals (0):  Unless you're doing a dual only zone, there should be no reason
     to bring a dual player along into a high level zone.  You're pretty much
     guaranteeing the poor dual much death, and they won't be able to contribute
     much to the group either.

G. The Races

Yeah, what races you bring along makes a difference too.  How so?  See:

 - Human:  Eh, ok.  Not high on the hp, but no slouch otherwise.  Nothing
 tremendously good or bad about the class, in terms of zoning.

 - Elf:  I guess elves can be marginally better than humans.  More hp, for 
 sure.  Dexterity's pretty decent as well.  

 - Giant: You're standard tanking monster.  Highest HP around, is a good
 thing.  Crappiest Movement, bad.  Bring lots of food if you're taking a 
 giant.  Also, Shockwave is a good skill in some situations.  Give it a try
 before attacking multiple mobs that normally assist, if the circumstances 
 allow it.

 - Dwarf: 2nd highest hp, decent move and mana, this is a good race for zones.
 The inspect skill is especially handy for finding hidden doors.

 - Halfling:  Decent mana, hp, makes a decent enough druid.  Feign could work
 to save you in the right situation.  They don't gain as much mana per tic as
 a lich though.

 - Gnome:  Hahaha!  Eh, seriously, I don't play gnomes, but they have nice mana
 and regen.  Too bad they can't carry squat and have ridiculously low HP.

 - Dragon:  I don't have a dragon char, surprisingly.  But Dragon Breath is 
 a good skill to deal damage, and their other stats are all around average.

 - Lich:  2nd best in terms of max mana, and they regen mana per tic fairly
 good.  Just watch out for their vision during the day, and be careful using
 decay.

 - Drow:  Good dex for assassins/monks.  Nice hp.  Not-so-good movement.  And
 vision during bright times suck.  Sphere of Darkness helps, but be careful
 since it drops ego and str significantly.

 - Kender: In terms of dexterity, probably the best for assassins and monks.
 Tremendous amount of Movement too.  HP ain't so hot, and they can only
 max wimpy at 40%.  

H. Sink Rooms

 - Watch out for them.  It's a pain in the ass if you don't know where the 
 destination will be.  You probably don't have to worry about saccers at the
 other end of the sink...that would be too uncool for anyone to build in. 

 - Test when in doubt.  Toss a coin in the room before you enter, see if it's
 still there when you peek again.

 - Watch out for assassination.  Ya, it's a nice skill, but you don't want to
 end up maiming your eq in a sink room, especially if it's gonna be awhile 
 before you can get to the destination room.

I. Aliens 

 - Aliens can be good or bad, depending on who you ask and when.  If you've
 got aliens, remember that as a consideration when you're in a zone.  I'll 
 gloss briefly over the +/-'s of aliens, and how it affects zoning.
 
     - Super Strength/HP/Mana boosts: Kick ass, nothing wrong with it.

     - Blindness:  Blindness sucks, especially when fighting.  Let the
       leader know, so that a healing char. can keep an eye out for you
       saying you're blind should it occur.

     - Fleeing:  This totally blows.  In combat, nothing you can do about
       it.  But when not fighting, pay attention to the leader.  If he says
       Aliens sit, you should.  Sitting should prevent you from fleeing, but
       pay attention that the aliens don't make you stand in one round, then
       you end up fleeing later.
       Also with this, remember that if you're sitting, to stand up when the
       boss tells you to as well.

     - Lose Cloak:  Sometimes aliens does this.  So just hope it doesn't happen
       in front of an aggro mob.  If you drop cloak, try to cloak up again
       ASAP.


Lemme know what ya think, if I missed anything of if I'm
totally wrong on some points; the Tips are a constant work
in progress....

Yupa
  

Yupa's Newbie Set
Version 2.0, January 27, 2003

Contents
 A. Introduction
 B. ACME Looniversity
 C. Camelot
 D. Narshe
 E. The Shire
 F. F/V Katahdin
 G. Olympus
 H. Darwin's Keep
 I. Cat in the Hat
 J. Melnibone
 K. Elemental Canyone
 L. Hawaii
 M. Lake Powell
 N. Computer World
 O. Dragonia
 P. Suburbs
 Q. Shotokan Monastary
 R. Hockey
 S. Ranma
 T. Final Fantasy 8
 U. Earth Prime
 V. Drow
 W. Red Light District
 X. Anavius
 Y. Rifts


A. Introduction

 - A while back, I had to help equip someone who unfortunately had rerolled,
 and needed a new set of EQ to wear.  Which got me to thinking, that someone
 should write down this stuff, so that in the event that you need to, you can
 grab a few things for yourself or others.  This is mostly gonna be a list of stuff
 to get for newbies, but some of it also works for those down on their luck as well.

 - New breakdown:  Gonna list some quick zones to hit, and the more respectable
 pieces that can be snagged from em.


B. ACME Looniversity

 - Tons of stuff here.  Grab whatever you can, most of it's OK for newbies.

 - Stuff:  Umm, everything.  Too lazy to list.

C. Camelot

 - Along w/ Narshe, Cam's got some decent stuff for newbies.  Alot easier to nab stuff too,
 so this'll probably be the first place to hit.  I'd go w/ Phantom's Mask over Crown though,
 but that's just me.

 - Stuff: Holy Grail (Light), Merlin's Robe (About), Sword of Nobility (2-Hit Wield/Hold), 
          Crystal Ball (Light), Amethyst Ring (Ring), Queen Guinevere's Crown (Head), 
          Phantom's Mask (Head), Copper Platemail (Body, Arm, Leg), Emerald Amulet (Neck), 
          Pandora's Box (Container), Coral Bracelet (Wrist)

D. Narshe

 - The mother of dual sets; pretty much everyone decks out the new guys with gear
 from here.  Most of it's pretty simple stuff, though you will want to be a little
 more prepared if you plan to do stuff like the Oh! My Goddess portion, and stuff
 like Jumpsuit/Old Invention.  Not that it's hard, mind you, you'll just want to pay
 attention a little more just in case.

 - Stuff: Offering (wrist), Force Armor (Body), Muscle Belt (Waist), Genji Gloves (Hands),
          Atma Weapon (Hold Weapon), Urd's Leggings (Legs), Belldandy's Collar (Neck),
          Paladin's Shield (Shield), Skuld's Bug Exterminator (2-Hit Wield), Mike Nelson's
          Jumpsuit (Body, About), Old Invention Exchange (buncha locations)

E. The Shire

 - Despite it's rather stockishness, there's a couple things that could be considered adequate
 for a newbie.  Note:  You can summon out a couple of the mobs, for added convenience.

 - Stuff:  One Ring (Ring), Nurse's Lab Coat (About), Battle Master's Pride (Neck, Hold), 
           Sting (1-Hit Wield/Hold)

F. F/V Katahdin

 - A simple place too.  There's more stuff than I'm listing, but most of it I'd consider crap.
 
 - Stuff:  Towels, Book on Fish (Wis/Int Levelling Gear), a large cutting knife (2-Hit Wield/Hold)

G. Olympus

 - Again, you can conceivably find a lot of EQ here, but there's only 1 real piece I'd consider
 worth getting.  I consider it one of the most underrated dual wields around.

 - Stuff:  Sword of the Sun (2-Hit Wield)

H. Darwin's Keep

 - Aside from the fact that the gear is all minimum levelled, you can snag some nice pieces
 here as well.  Not super hard, but again, min-lev gear....which might not be very handy for
 a fresh newbie.

 - Stuff:  Nail-Biter (Ring), Big Fluffy Pillow (Arm, Leg), Crown of Darwin (Head), A Jewelry
           Box (Container, Belt)

I. Cat in the Hat

 - I shoulda listed this sooner.  Super easy stuff to snag.  Mostly Min-lev'ed though, which'll be
 a problem for newbies.

 - Stuff:  General's Collar (NecK), Hat (Head), Cat in the Hat (Wis/Int Levelling Gear), Whos R Us (Arm)

J. Melnibone 

 - The easy part, of course.  Anything in the bulk of the zone is advanced gear anyway.

 - Stuff:  Agak's Octagonal Eye (Ring), Gagak's Octagonal Eye (Neck), Packet of Time (Container)

K. Elemental Canyon

 - The rulers have some decent pieces, depending on which ones you do.  Just remember that rulers
 sac.

 - Stuff:  Fundamental Ring of Power (Ring), Dagger of the Midnight Flame (2-Hit Wield), Elemental
           Shield of Might (Shield)

L. Hawaii

 - Another place w/ commonly distributed dual EQ.

 - Stuff:  Colossal Spear of the Ancients (2-Hit Wield/Hold), Minor Collar of Magic (Neck)

M. Lake Powell

 - Not particularly difficult either.

 - Stuff:  Wetsuit (Body), slalom Waterski (Feet), Waterski Gloves (Hands), Sun-Tan Lotion (Several
           Locations)

N. Computer World

 - Provided nothing's seriously at limit...

 - Stuff:  Static Boots (Feet), Laptop (2-Hit Wield), Silk Necktie (Neck)


O. Dragonia

 - A lot of people forget about Dragonia.  Everyone used to use Dragonia EQ in the old school
 days....
 
 - Stuff:  Eye of the White Dragon (Light), Shield of Black Dragon Scale (Shield), Black Onyx
           Ring of Dragonia (Ring), Sceptre of Dragonia (2-Hit Wield), Holy Bible (Container),
           Piece of the Statue (Levelling gear)

P. Suburbs 

 - What better place to snag dual gear, than a dual-only zone!  Of course, this would only be 
 a feasible EQ-gathering place if you've got a dual handy....

 - Stuff:  Butcher Knife (2-Hit Wield/Hold), Red Sweatpants (Leg), Nike Wristband (Wrist), Football
           Helmet (Head), Leather Toolbelt (Waist), Yoda Action Figure (Levelling gear)

Q. Shotokan Monastary

 - It gets harder as you progress, but this is a pretty simple run once you learn the tricks to 
 it.  For newbies, you won't be going past the Level 2 Dojo.... even then, everything's got a 
 minimum level, so some pieces won't be useful until that newbie's gotten some levels.

 - Stuff:  White Uniform (Body), Yellow Cloth Armbands (Arm), Orange Gloves (Hands), Red Ninja
           Shoes (Feet), Pair of Baggy Green Pants (Leg), Blue Runic Headband (Head)

R. Hockey

 - Hockey's also got some respectable stuff, and it's a zone that is now advanced-able (previously
 dual-only).  An advanced player can rip it pretty easily/quickly.

 - Stuff:  Toupee (Head), JC Penny Jackey (Body), Hockey Jersey (About), Autographed Hockey 
           Stick (2-Hit Wield), Hockey Gloves (Hands), Goalie Pads (Body), Golden Puck (1-Hit Hold)

S. Ranma

 - Ranma's gonna be a bit harder on the difficulty scale than the previous zones, but not overly
 so if you ask me.  A bit more time and effort, it's worth it for those newbies who you think
 are actually gonna hang around for awhile.

 - Stuff:  Ukyou's Giant Spatula (2-Hit Wield), Five Yen Coin (Ring), Ryouga's Backpack (About,
           Container), Ryouga's Tiger Striped Headband (Head), Akane's Black Belt (Waist), 
           Genma's Wooden Sign (2-Hit Wield/Hold), Ranma's Shirt (Body, About)

T. Final Fantasy 8

 - Like most of the recent zones, almost all the dual-usable EQ here is min levelled.  Some pieces
 are also harder than others.  Make sure you know which is which. :P

 - Stuff:  Ehrgeiz (Hands), Hyper Wrist (Wrist), Lionheart (2-Hit Wield), Shooting Star (Light),
           Cactus Thorn (Ring), More (But will probably take a bit longer, time wise to do),
           Back Issue (Hold)

U. Earth Prime

 - There's a couple dual-usable pieces to snag in the early half of this zone.  A bit harder than, say,
 Narshe, but some seriously underrated items can be snagged here, like the .45 Vest Auto and Cape

 - Stuff:  quartz ring (Ring), .45 Vest Auto (2-Hit Wield/Hold), a Billowing Cape (About)

V. Drow

 - Drow's got some solid dual-usable gear.  Most of it doesn't have a min-lev either, which is great.
 Make sure you know what you're doing though.

 - Stuff:  Boots of Speed (Feet), Adamantine Bracers of Darkness (Arm), Blackened Adamantium Flail 
           (2-Hit Wield), Battlemasters Gauntlets (Hands), Shadow Leggings (Leg), Holy Relic of 
           Dai'Shan (Light), Wristband of the Goblin Army (Wrist), Armor of the Underworld (Body),
           Shadow Belt (Waist, Container), Pitchblack Robe of the Dragons (About), Fire Shield (Shield), 
           Ring of the Waterworld (Ring), executioner's axe (2-Hit Wield/Hold), Scale of the Acid
           Worm (About)

W. Red Light District

 - Another zone that'll take a bit more effort, but certainly worth it.  

 - Stuff:  Twin Paradow (Wrist), Red Light (Light, Hold), Horns of Satyr (Head), Video (Neck), 
           Pound of Hashies (Hold), High Heels (Feet), Leopard Skin Suit (Body), The Mirror (Hands),
           Garter Belt (Waist), Umbrella (About)

X. Anavius

 - This is a 2-person zone, with a lotta maimers.  Some of the gear has a min lev, others don't.
 Again, this is one of those more-time/effort places...

 - Stuff:  Wings of Angel (Arm), Dark Crown (Head), Flaming Banner of the Phoenix (Light)

Y. Rifts

 - K, now we're getting into some slightly harder stuff. This is the stuff to save when a newbie
 has time to wait, or you're hooking up a good friend/cool player.  Some stuff is class restricted
 though, so make note of that fact.  Also, stay away from any part you can't handle, there's some
 areas/mobs that'll ream you if you're not prepared.

 - Stuff:  Psi-Sword (2-Hit Wield/Hold), Psi-Shield (Shield), Globe of Daylight (Light), Naruni
           Camoflauge (About), Strategic Armor Military Assault Suit (Body), MOM Implant (Head),
           Force Field (Waist), Boom Gun (1-Hit Wield), Cybernetic Hands (Hands), Imperial Signet
           Ring (Ring), Mechanoid Power Crystal (Neck), Bionic Arms (Arm), Bionic Legs (Legs),
           Vibro Claws (Wrist, Wield)





Got a hidden gem you like to give to newbies? Let me
know, I'll add it in.

Yupa
 

Yupa's Newbie Guide
Version 1.0, September 16, 2002

Contents
 A. Introduction
 B. Obligatory Plug for Northern Crossroads
 C. Starting Out - Customization
 D. Equipment
 E. Attributes
 F. Wandering the Mud - Don't.
 G. Gold
 H. Levelling
 I. Breaking out of Newbiedom

A. Introduction

 - Weclome, to yet another Boring-Guide-that-Yupa-Made-When-He-Should-Have-Been-Doing-Something-More-
 Constructive.  This time, I thought I'd slap a few things together that you, the New Guy, might
 find interesting.  In actuality, this will probably bore you to death, but hey, it's your fault
 for reading it!

B. Obligatory Plug for Northern Crossroads

 - I started at NC back in 1994.  Blame my college roommate for that one.  Northern Crossroads was
 my first, and (continues to be) best experience with MUDs.  While real life has torn me from here
 a few times, I've always been pleased and surprised by the changes upon my long absenses.  There's
 always new zones, or code implementations, or race and class additions that have blown me away.  
 Well, I think I'm here to stay this run, but I'd expect even more cool things if ever I had to take
 a break for something silly like, life.

 - NC doesn't really have one central theme, like other muds I've seen.  It's an eclectic mix of 
 playing styles and zone themes, and quite frankly, that's one of my favorite draws here.  Sure, it
 might be fun to be on an All-Star Wars All-The-Time MUD, or delve deep into medeival fantasy on
 some Tolkien-derived game, but I personally like the mix of zones we have here.  Where else can
 you fight King Arthur with a Jedi Lightsaber, or beat down that annoying Pizza Hut Manager with
 a Tridactyl Claw, then go smash through Smurf Village with a Boom Gun?

 - So yeah, we've got some conceptually cool zones to try out.  Some of em will be familiar from
 books and movies, like Narnia, Star Wars, Benden Weyr.... others will be originals based on
 pop culture references, like Pizza Hut, Playboy Mansion, or Silicon Nightmare.... and some are
 just downright fresh from the minds of crazy creators.  Either way, it's alot more fun than the
 boring ol' stock zones that you see everywhere.
  
 - Have I caught your interest yet?  No?  Then get back to playing computer solitaire, it's probably
 more your speed.  Heh.  Seriously though, I think Northern Crossroads is one of the cooler muds
 around; maybe I haven't played on alot, but I know what I like.

C. Starting Out - Customization

 - First things first.  After creating your new character at the start up screen, possibly after 
 reading Yupa's Character Creation Tips *wink wink*, you'll want to do a few things, to make
 life a little easier.

 - Type auto all.  This will allow you to loot corpses for gold and equipment automatically, as
 well as split gold when you're grouped with another player.  Make sure you see a message that
 says something along the lines of "You will now loot corpses automatically".  If not, keep fiddling
 with auto til you do.

 - Channels.  There are several channels you can toggle here; the main gossip channel, advice, chat,
 etc.  I recommend having at least gossip and auction on at all times; that's the main channel to
 speak to the "world", and one that'll let you bid on items that other players are selling.  Use
 the Advice channel when you want to ask/listen to hints from others; other stuff isn't super
 important, and you can fiddle with it at your leisure.

 - Prompt.  Type prompt list for a collection of premade prompts.  Find one that you like, that shows
 you all the information you desire on the prompt line.  You can also custom make your own, but again, 
 fiddle with that at your leisure.  I'd avoid making or using a prompt that's too cluttered, but
 that's up to you too.  My personal favorite is prompt 36, which will show the basic hp/mana/move,
 exp to next level, and will show the names of the mob you're fighting and its condition, as well as
 the "Tanker", the person who's being hit by that mob (typically you, but it may vary when you fight
 in a group).

 - Aliases.  Learn to use em, it helps.  Set aliases for things you'll be doing commonly, like 
 quaffing teals, using insignia, etc.  

D. Equipment
 
 - You start out with a few things when you're new.  Type wear all.  Now you'll probably think that 
 you got crap, which is basically true....but don't knock it.  You really don't need much eq at all
 in the very beginning, and besides...
 
 - Check out the newbie school first.  There are some mobs in here with equipment; admittedly, it also
 isn't that hot.  It is better than nothing though.  Make sure you get as much as you can from here
 first (and remember to wear it); the eq may not be super impressive, but it was made with 
 consideration to new players, and will be good for a bit.

 - Check the donation room.  It's pretty stocked sometimes.  Just be careful, alot of it is crap.
 Most people don't donate good eq.  Check first before replacing what you got on.

 - How are you going to check?  Well, NC doesn't have a compare feature, like I've seen on other 
 muds.  Sorry.  Just as well anyway.  What you'll want to do is find the magic shop in town; buy
 some scrolls of improved identify.  Use the scrolls on whatever item you want to learn more about;
 the information that the improved identify scroll/spell gives is pretty good.  Compare the stats
 from one item to another before choosing which one to wear.

 - Consider making a record of the stats you get.  If you plan on playing for a while, it wouldn't 
 hurt.  It can just be something simple, but at least you won't have to waste scrolls identifying
 the same thing over and over again cause you forgot.

 - Asking for EQ.  OK, I don't mean to sound like a dick about this, but it can get annoying.  It
 really can.  It's like having an army of encyclopedia salesmen swarming your front door.  I say,
 ask once, if someone's got something you can use, they'll probably give it to you.  If you get no
 reply, that often means that nobody really has anything handy at the time.  Ask every once in a 
 while, but saying it every 2 minutes isn't going to help you any.

 - If you do wish to live off the generosity of strangers though, use some tact.  You'll find that
 you can net a better bounty if you're nice and patient about it, rather than being insistent.  I
 usually find myself more inclined to help someone who's pleasant, that is willing to make do with
 what they have, and is just enjoying the game with what little they may have.  It's much more
 difficult to be accomodating to someone who asks for EQ, then when you offer to help, they demand
 something really good or difficult to obtain.  You can't be picky when you're asking for help. :P

 - But I digress.  I still remember what it's like to be new, to feel like ya got nothing.  Just make
 do with what you've got, and the rest will fall into place.  Just enjoy the game as best you can;
 making an impression on someone that way will prove more to your benefit in the long run.  

E. Attributes

 - Don't be so eager to pump out the levels right away.  Check your attributes first.  Two in 
 particular are critical in levelling, and will catch up to you in the long run.  Attributes 
 can be improved at the cost of 4-6 practices, depending on your class and the attribute.

a. Strength - How much you can carry.  It might seem important right now, but don't worry
       about it so much.  You can get the strength spell cast on you; don't waste
     practices on this right away.

b. Intelligence - You want maximum intelligence when you practice a skill or spell.  If your
 Int is low, it may take 4 practices to learn a spell; on the other hand, 
 if you max your Int, it may only take 2 practices!  It's worth it to 
 learn new stuff with the highest possible intelligence you can get.
c. Wisdom - The higher it is, the more practices you gain per level.   Definitely something
     you want maxed out before levelling.

d. Dexterity - It'll come into play later, particularly with future assassins and monks. 
      I really wouldn't worry about it too much in the beginning.

e. Constitution - OK, constitution is the most important thing to worry about.  The higher
 the constitution, the more HP you can get per level!  Missing out on
 1-2 hp when you level may not sound like much, but think about it in the
 long run; 1-2 hp, and you lose out on 100-200 hp by the time you make 
 it to high advanced.  Ouch.  
- Another reason to worry about con: You typically lose a point of con 
 everytime you die!  And when your con drops to 0, you reroll!  This means
 you start again at level 0, regardless of where you were before; level 15,
   level 40, even 50 advanced!  Never let your con slip low!

 - OK, now you're probably sitting there scratching your head going, "Yupa, you dummy, how am I 
   supposed to increase my attributes without levelling first?!"  The answer, my friend, is simple:

Levelling Gear.
Some EQ will raise things like wisdom and constitution just be wearing it.  It drops back
to your original levels once you remove the item, but the affect is the same temporarily
wearing it to level.  Slapping on something to max out your wis and con _will_ net you
more practices and HP.  Similarly, wearing something with Intelligence before practicing
a skill will let you learn that skill with the fewest number of practices used.

 - Where do you get levelling gear, you may ask?  The easiest thing to do is to ask if you can borrow
   some.  If someone's got something, meet them at the Training Room; equip the item they give you,
   level up as much as you wanted to, then remove the item and give it back.  That simple!

 - Now here's a quick list of a few items to either keep an eye out for, or to ask if someone has that
   you can borrow:
Book on Fish - Increases Int and Wis
Cat in the Hat - Also increases Int and Wis
Piece of Statue - Increases Con and Wis
Yoda Action Figure - Con and Wis
  Dictionary - Con and Wis
Training Potty - Con and Wis
A small piece of glass - Con and Wis

F. Wandering the Mud - Don't.

 - I know you want to do it;  I certainly do.  But I have to strongly recommend to use caution in
   your adventures.  There's alot of dangerous places on Northern Crossroads;  mobs that will kill
   you in a hit, Death Traps that will strip you of your equipment, and other such nasties.  

 - If you really want to know what's safe, type dir.  It's a list of (most) zones on this mud; 
   typically, there's a suggested level next to the zone name.  That's a good general guide; stay
   away from anything higher than your level, and especially stay away from anything Advanced.

 - It's not a fail safe method though.  The list is old; there's more zones out now, and some of the
   recommended levels are skewed to the wrong.  So what do you do when you're in doubt?

 - Ask.  You may sound like an idiot to others, but it's always best to see if anyone has any 
   information about a zone before you go in.  It'll save you alot of time, effort, equipment,
   etc.

G. Gold

 - The bulk of your gold should always be put in an ATM.  There are several around town, and every
   club should have one in their respective clubhouses.  That way, in the event that you should 
   die and somehow not be able to recover your gold, you'll at least have some in the bank to 
   fall back on.

 - Save.  Be frugal.  You might think a million coins is a ton when you first start, but you can
   burn through that like nothing.  Buy only the things you need or will use.  Trust me on this,
   you're gonna need all the money you can get in the future.

 - Be careful with auction.  Sure, it's tempting to blow your wad on some good piece of EQ, but be
   reasonable about it.  It's really easy to spend a whole ton on auction, so try not to get carried
   away.  *Note:  It's OK to spend lots of money on an item that I'm auctioning. Heh.*

 - While we're on the topic of auction, and cause I'm too lazy to give it it's own section, don't
   auction crap.  Nobody wants to buy that long sword you got from a cityguard, trust me.

H. Levelling

 - Let's face it, this is basically what a newbie does.  Bulk yourself up, get more familiar and
   experienced, and level level level.  It sucks, it can be boring and tedious, but it's a 
   necessary step.

 - Find new places to level; the experience you net from the Tree won't do you much good when
   you get to a higher level; move on to other places as you get higher levels.  Asking usually
   helps; someone typically will know a better place to go that's (relatively) safe.

 - Don't waste your time waiting for experience mode or for a person to group with.  When either
   is available, that's great; but sitting around waiting for them accomplishes nothing.  Make
   the most of your time and you'll be surprised by how fast and far you can go.

I. Breaking out of Newbiedom

 - Congratulations.  Now go read Yupa's General Mudding Tips, Yupa's Levelling Tips, Yupa's CR Tips,
   Yupa's Zoning Tips, and Yupa's Leading Tips.  Not that I'm blatantly plugging em or anything.

 - Remember, have fun.  Enjoy.  Visit far away lands, meet interesting mobs, kill them.  Interact
   with your fellow mudders.  And as I tend to say (most often to myself), "Have fun, but not at 
   the expense of others."

  If ya see me on, drop me a tell: lemme know if I've done any
good, anything I should include/exclude in future updates, etc.

Yupa 

Yupa's Levelling Tips
Version 1.0, July 30, 2002

Contents
 A. Introduction
 B. Levelling
 C. Stats
 D. Finding Good Places for Exp
 E. Potions
 F. Grouping
 G. Attacking
 H. Wimpy
 I. Gremlins and Saras
 J. Tankers
 K. Exp Mode
 L. Duals vs. Advanced

A. Introduction

 - I'm just putting some random thoughts on paper here, mostly things I've picked
 up over the years, and probably do unconsciously.  But these are things that
 are generally good to know, so I hope this helps a bit.
 
B. Levelling

 - Let's face it:  levelling sucks.  It's a necessary evil we've all gotta do.
 You'll get tired of it real quick.  Killing the same mobs over and over gets
 boring.  But it's the only real way to get it done.  Bite the bullet, quit your
 whining, and get to it!

C. Stats

 - Keep your Wis and Con maxed whenever you level.  Use levelling gear if 
 you have to, or train your stats to max when you have the spare practices.
     ** Advanced classes:  Depending on your class, you may be able to push
        some stats higher than your racial limit.  Look into it, and if Wis
        and Con can be raised, then use levelling eq too.  If not, there's 
        really not much point.

 - Levelling EQ.  Piece of the Statue from Dragonnia.  Yoda Statue from
   Suburbs.  Training Potty from PreSchool.  Piece of glass...well, don't
   worry bout that one.  Dictionary from Tap...also something not easily 
   obtainable.  Just get what you can, or ask to borrow someone's levelling
   stuff.

D. Finding Good Places for Exp

 - Ask.  It never hurts.  Everyone's had to level at one point or another, and 
 most will have a good idea, or a foggy recollection (heh), of where a good
 place is to get exp at your level.  

 - Don't stick to the usual places.  EVERYBODY seems to do camelot, pacific, 
 zombies, Marsh, etc.  Try to find someplace new.  Hardly anyone did Centaur
 Isle when I first came back.  Now it's pretty much empty everytime I log on.
 Just don't do something stupid, like going to Calandra to level. :P

 - Don't be too eager to fight the big mobs.  The exp gain might be greater, sure,
 but it's not worth it if you're gonna die alot.  Consider doing slightly 
 easier mobs that give less experience.  It might take longer, but it's safer.

E. Potions

 - Bring em.  Lots of em too.  It may cost a bit in money, but it's worth
 buying a 100 or so ambrosias or teals when you go out to level.  Unless
 you have a healing character handy, this is the way to go.

F. Grouping

 - You can only group within a limited range, typically with others about
 15 levels above or below you.  This range can be extended by using CON gear, 
 even if your con is already at it's max.  Don't ask me how it works, it just
 does.  Don't forget, exp gained when grouped is split among the group, so you'll
 get less exp in a group than when you fight solo.

 - Exp Split;  When grouped, you have to share the exp a mob gives with however many
 players are grouped.  So yeah, while it's nice to do some levelling with other people,
 sometimes you're better off on your own; is it really worth going in a large group if
 you'll only get 1/4 the exp you would alone?

G. Attacking

 - If you've got a stun move, use it.  Better to take the chance of keeping
 the mob from attacking you.  Damage spells are better than nothing too, but
 are generally worthless.  Oh, and don't spam pum mob, or whatever attack type
 you're using...if mobs wander in, you'll be in a whole world of trouble, 
 because you'll attack them instead...then you'll be fighting 2 or more mobs!

H. Wimpy 

 - Wimpy generally is ok for levelling.  Set it to a reasonable level, depending
 on where you are.  But most levelling places, it's usually safe to flee.

I. Gremlins and Saras

 - You can get alot of exp from Gremlins and Saras...even in a group.  Here's the
 thing though:  they hit hard and they sac!  Unless you're in a group w/ someone
 who knows what they're doing, I don't recommend levelling on gremlins and saras.
 Sure, you can reap in alot of exp, but is it worth losing eq?

J. Having a tanker

 - If you've already got a character going, and you're starting a new one, 
 consider using the old one as a tanker.  Wear down the mob significantly, 
 then have the new guy rescue the old one.  A couple rounds and the mob will
 be dead, and your levelling char will gain lots of exp!  If you don't have
 rescue, an alternative is to have the tanker flee, or to have a 3rd character
 to cast calm.  More of a nuisance though.

 - If someone offers to tank, that's cool.  Take em up on it.  I don't recommend
 begging someone to help you level though.  No offense and all, but I personally
 find it annoying as hell, and helping someone can be really boring and frustrating.
 I've helped alot, and all sorts of crappy things happened...guy would just run
 off when they had to go, in the middle of combat....or when they were supposed
 to rescue, they didn't, so the exp was wasted.  All sorts of stuff.  It kinda
 breaks my main rule: Have fun, but not at the expense of others.  The tanker
 is generally not going to be having fun, so please take that into consideration.

K. Exp Mode

 - If it's on, take advantage of it.  Depending on the value it's set at (type
 sys to see if it's on, and how much), you can gain quite a bit more exp on the
 mobs you're used to fighting.  Now Exp doesn't mean you'll get more than your
 max....simply that the mob you're fighting gives that much more exp.  So if you
 used to fight mobs in narshe, but now they give only half the exp that you get
 from whatever you fight now, and Exp Mode x2 is on, that means those narshe mobs
 will give double exp, as much as you get fighting those mobs now.  That means
 you can go in there, and since you're much stronger now, can wipe em out real
 easy for the same gains you get as is.  

 - I wouldn't recommend begging for Exp Mode.  I'm personally not a high enough
 immortal to turn it on, but if I was, I certainly wouldn't turn it on just 
 cause people beg for it constantly.  It's that whole "Are we there yet?" kinda
 thing.

 - Don't use Exp Mode as a crutch!  I know lots of people who only would level
 when Exp Mode is on....and just sat around the rest of the time!  You'll never
 get anything accomplished that way.  We used to level in the old days without
 Exp Mode, and you can still do it the hard way too.

L. Duals vs. Advanced

 - Duals
     
     - You don't max out alot in the beginning.  But as you gain levels, the
     maximum amount of exp you get per kill also goes up.  But you'll also get  
     less for killing that beastly fido than before.  Find new places to go
     so that you can reach your new max exp per kill.

     - The first few levels should be a snap.  I hit some doldrums usually in 
     the teens, but I pick up the pace again fast after that.  You can get
     some really nice exp by the time you're high dual, I don't know the 
     exact maximum values, but easily about 15+ mil per kill.

     - You don't have to run to Bozo's everytime you get enough exp to go up a
     level.  You can actually just keep on killing, when the killings good, and
     just sorta stockpile a load of exp.  Then hit Bozo's and just train your 
     level up multiple times, depending on how much exp you got.  On the other
     hand, do make sure you level now and again, so that you can hit a higher
     exp max.  I mean, sure, you could theoretically stockpile enough exp to go 
     from a level 10 dual to 50/50 in one fell swoop, but it'll take forever to
     get that much exp when you max out at 10,000.

     - I personally prefer levelling up my primary class first, at least til
     it gets to the high 40's or so.  When you can make 15 mil exp a kill then,
     levelling up your 2nd class gets super easy.  Some people may prefer to
     level their 2nd class first, but I find it easier this way.

 - Advanced

     - Surprise!  Level 1 Advanced characters, your exp max just took a major
     dive from when you were a high level dual.  Major suckage.  But, like dual,
     as you level, your max exp potential will also go up.

     - Another surprise....once you get enough exp to level, it's automatic.  
     No more trudging on over to bozo's to train level w, it'll happen as soon
     as you get enough exp to reach the next level.  This also mean you can't 
     stockpile exp and do a mass levelling at one time.  Oh yeah, that also 
     means you should slap on any levelling gear you're needing before you kill
     that last mob that pushes you over the top.

     - If this is your first character, you're going to go WTF?! after finding
     out that there's an exp cap.  Yea, you start out at low exp max in the 
     beginning, just like dual, and that cap eventually raises, but once you 
     hit 7 million exp max, that's it.  Can't get anymore than that per kill.
     Sucks, no?  Well, suck it up and get used to it.  That's just the way things are.



Lemme know if I missed any good nuggets of 
wisdom.  Or if I just totally suck and bored
you to tears.

Yupa
 

Yupa's Leading Tips
Version 1.1, January 27, 2003

Contents
 A. Introduction
 B. Leading
 C. Zone Selection
 D. Posts
 E. Gold Split
 F. EQ Split
 G. Walkthroughs
 H. DTs
 I. CRs
 J. Slide Rooms
 K. One & Two Person Rooms
 L. Tactics


A. Introduction
 
 - I've never thought of myself as a particularly good leader.  I do try however.
 And I guess I usually do a decent enough job.  But that's mostly because I've
 taken cues from following good leaders in the past.  I hope I do my "mentors"
 justice with the information I'm trying to pass onto you.

B. Leading

 - Be confident.  Don't be stupid.  Use the resources available to you as best
 you can.  

 - Whenever possible, try to use your brain, not brawn.  See if the mobs can 
 be blinded, or gusted, etc, rather than walking in killing.  It might be a lot
 easier in rooms w/ multiple mobs, if you can take some out of the action. 
 Sometimes, there may be 2 or 3 different groups of mobs in a room.  Some might
 be aggro, others not.  Don't waste your time and resources killing everything
 if there's no need to.

 - Take care of your party.  You're the boss.  The head honcho.  Numero Uno.
 Anyone zoning with you is basically under your wing.  Take care of CRs promptly,
 don't make that low avatar responsible for stunning a mob by himself, watch
 out for saccers, scavengers, flame/frost/bolters, acid mobs, etc.

 - You're the one to get things started.  See who wants to zone.  Try not to be
 snobby about it, invite people from other clubs.  Unless you are a snob.  You
 Meanie!

 - But, be wary.  If you're zoning w/ someone new, don't assume they know what's
 going on immediately.  They might not know the basics, or are unsure of the 
 commands you give.  Make sure everyone's clear as to what's going on.

C. Zone Selection

 - Don't bite off more than you or your group can chew.  There's no point in 
 trying to do Robotics Factory, if you're only going to get everyone sacced.
 Stick to something more manageable for the time being, and once you get good
 enough or have a big enough group, then tackle the big stuff.
 
 - Try to pick something that rewards everyone involved.  Getting 2 pieces of 
 awesome eq is great, but not so if you're in a group of 5 players.  What do
 the other 3 people get?  It may suck more to do a lesser zone, but it's more
 rewarding for those involved.  In the alternative, do the awesome stuff first,
 then do something smaller that the excluded people can get something out of.

 - Make considerations for time.  How long are you going to be on?  How about
 your group?  If the zone you want to do takes about 3 hours, but nobody is  
 going to be on that long, it's probably better to pick something quicker.  Also
 take into consideration extra time that may occur in case of a big FUBAR.  Like
 everyone dying.  That'll suck up a lot more time to do CRs and sort gear.

 - Pick something fun.  Avoid boring stuff, unless your group doesn't mind.

D. Posts

 - Leave a post in a safe part of the zone.  This will be very handy in case you
 die.  Then you can just use the post to summon everyone back in.  It'll also
 (in most cases) prevent a zone from repopping, and having all the eq in your
 corpse from going poof.

 - Make sure the post's in a safe, summonable place.  Avoid hot/cold rooms, when
 possible.  Make sure they can summon in to that part of the zone.  Make them
 sleep until you need em.  
 
 - When feasible, reposition your post accordingly.  If you get 3/4 through the zone, 
 it might be wise to bring your post to that spot rather than at the beginning; it'll
 save some walking time and other headaches.

E. Gold Split

 - Yeah, auto split on usually covers this.  But it's not necessarily good
 when someone has 5 chars in the group, while others have just 1.  Minor mobs
 is no big deal if you ask me, but if you enter a treasure room type deal w/ alot 
 of money, it's probably better to get the gold w/out splitting, then divvying it 
 up by the number of players, not chars.

 - If someone dies, watch out for gold split if you get something from their
 corpse or gold piles on the ground.

F. EQ Split

 - In the past, I gave a buncha things to think about when it comes to divvying up
 the loot.  I think some points were valid, but in terms of fairness, I think I'd
 propose this instead:

- Dice.  Really, it's generally the only fair way to do things.  Totally
random, let Lady Luck decide who gets first pick.  You can't have any
bad blood going around if everyone gets a fair chance to pick the cool
stuff.

 - However:  Some things to consider...

- People jumping on the bandwagon later in the zone.  Ya, is nice to have
your pal or extra muscle come along, but let them pick after those who
were there from the start.  I think that's a fair enough point.

- People who leave in the middle.  Yeah, thanks for coming along in the first
half, but really, those who stick it out for the whole zone deserve at least
first dibs.

- Sympathy Points for those who get really messed up cause of your leading.
Be a good guy, if you end up getting someone sacced or something.  On the 
other hand, if it's cause they weren't listening/paying attention/etc., eh.

- As leader, sometimes you gotta take one for the team, so to speak.  If you
ain't got enough EQ for the whole group, consider passing on your pick.  It
may suck, but you'll probably earn more in respect for your generosity. :P

G. Walkthroughs

 - Walkthroughs are good guides.  Some people scoff at them, but it's better to
 have useful info written down and easily accessible than to be going from
 foggy recollections.  Use them as reference, it's alot better than
 stumbling around without a sense of direction.

 - Don't rely solely on them though.  A lot of zones are revamped from time to
 time, so the info on a 5 year old WT may be inaccurate now.  Also, don't rely
 on a WT from some unknown source.  They might have made it inaccurate, or just
 didn't know how to write one.  Even some of the best walkthroughs I've seen won't
 prepare you for everything.  Following a WT on blind faith (yes, even mine....as
 cool as I am, I'm certainly not omnipotent, and probably will miss a few directions
 or trouble spots! <Kidding about me being cool...though I am omnipotent!!!>) 
 is both dumb and suicidal.  Use your brain!

 - By that measure, if you're planning on leading, take notes on zones that you
 do.  Log it, if you got zMud or any program that can make logs.  That way, 
 if you do a zone with someone else leading, you have your own set of notes so
 that you can someday lead it yourself.

 - Once you've done a zone a few times, it'll mostly be second nature.  Still, it's
 nice to have directions the first time through, and a good reminder for directions/
 instructions in subsequent adventures.

H. DTs

 - Watch out for em.  Peek won't always sniff em out.  When in doubt, throw a coin
 in the room and check for it w/ peek.  Or send a naked char in first.  Or, if 
 you got aliens, it's kinda moot.  Still, be careful.

I. CRs

 - Did you leave a post nearby?  Sure hope so, cause otherwise you got alot of 
 walking to do.

 - You can do your CR first, but don't stand around equipping yourself while 
 the rest of the corpses decay.  When possible, get all the CRs done first.
 It's not always feasible, but try.  It'll save you time later, rather than
 sorting thru a room full of assorted eq.

J. Slide Rooms

 - Watch out for them.  When the time comes to slide, and you know where you'll
 end up, make sure to tell everyone in the group to slide.  

K. One & Two Person Rooms

 - Bottlenecks can suck.  Especially if you don't know it's coming.  When you
 do, make sure you give good orders on which way to walk, what to expect, etc.
 Typically, the leader should go in first in a 1-person....best to lead by 
 example, no?  In 2 person rooms, take a solid player with you, someone who
 can hit hard and stun well, or is proficient in whatever way is needed.  

L. Tactics

 - I'm not telling.  No, really, I'm not.  Your strategy for leading will change
 with zone to zone, and everyone's got a style of their own.  I'm not one to force
 any particular method of zoning/leading on ya.  If you're a charge-in-and-kill-
 em-all type, and the zone calls for it, then by all means enjoy.  If you prefer
 to take it slow and safe, that works too.  

 - Just remember that each zone may require a different touch, and that you might
 also have to change tactics for different parts of a zone as well.


Of course, you should have your own playing style
and tactics. I'm just trying to provide some options
and ideas.  Lemme know if there's something I should
include.

Yupa

 
  

Yupa's General Mudding Tips
Version 1.2, February 4, 2003

What's New
-Fixed some typos and stuff I missed

Contents
 A. Introduction 
 B. Advice
 C. Stats
 D. Auction
 E. Teleport and Moongates
 F. Potions
 G. Spells
 H. Money
 I. Advancing
 J. General Etiquette
 K. Acid
 L. Flame/Frost/Bolt/Acid, and your EQ
 M. Limited EQ
 N. Containers
 O. AC
 P. What Stats do I want from my EQ?
 Q. Number of Attacks
 R. Upped, Downed, and Mended
 S. Dax, and other Bots
 T. Chaos, MK, Paintball, and other Modes
 U. Rerolling
 V. Death Traps (DTs)

A. Introduction

 - If you're new to the game, or feel like you want to learn more about how
 things work, this is the guide for you.  It's in no way complete, nor is it
 necessarily unbiased....I'm just trying to pass on what I know. 

 - Have fun, and remember that it's just a game.  That's my new motto, and I try
 to follow it as much as possible.  

 - Enjoy!
    Yupa.

B. Advice

 - It doesn't hurt to ask.  Really, it doesn't.  Most likely, the questions you
 have can be answered by the more experienced players and immortals.  There are
 no stupid questions, really.  Just don't expect someone to automatically have
 the answer.  NC's a big place, and there are lots of things to not be known.

 - Advice Channel.  Remember that thing?  You probably turned it off after you
 started mudding.  This is still probably a better place to place queries, though
 there may be fewer people channeled into it.  Still, the ones that are on the
 Advice Chan are usually the people who would answer your questions on Gos anyway.

 - Don't expect an answer right away.  Chances are, people aren't sitting around
 waiting for questions to be asked.  Players may be in Quiet Rooms, or fighting,
 or Creating, or whatever.  They might not be able to hear your query, or at least
 answer it immediately.  So try not to drone incessantly with the same question 
 over and over, it'll just wear on the other players nerves.


C. Stats
 
 1. Con 

 - You'll want your constitution at max when you level.  You get more HP and 
 stuff w/ higher CON.  Use levelling gear, like a piece of statue, yoda statue,
 or even a training potty to max out your con from the start.  If you don't
 have levelling gear, ask, someone usually stocks something you can borrow.
 Do this from Level 1....it may not seem like a big deal, missing out on 1 or 
 2 HP a level, but add it up, by the time you hit 50 Advanced, you could lose 
 out on 1-200 HP!

 - Keep your CON up!  Once it hits 0, you reroll.  That's bad.  You start
 again as a level 1 dual, regardless of your previous level.  Therefore, keep
 CON from reaching 0.  See the Rerolling section for more details.

 - Running low on CON?  Out of practices?  Find a practomat to buy more.  Most
 Clubhouses should have one.  Practomats can usually be used by high advanced
 characters only, and only if you have few practices left, I think.

 2. Wis/Int

 - Wisdom...like con, is good to have maxed when you level.  You get more 
 practices that way.

 - Intelligence - Int gear's good too, for when you want to practice skills and
 spells.  The higher your int, the fewer practices you'll waste to learn 
 something new.  Not needed at max when you level, but should be maxed when you
 practice.

 3. Str
 
 - Strength.  Use the spell when you need it, particularly when doing fun
 stuff like corpse retrievals.

 - When you're ready, go on the strength quest, aka Birth Control Pills Quest.
 Killing the mazekeeper at the end will max your strength second value.
 i.e. Your strength is 18/52....do the quest, it becomes  18/100.  Remember, the
 pills quest only maximizes the second value, not the first, and the max value
 is dependent on your race.

D. Auction

 - Try not to abuse auction too much.  It gets real annoying to the rest of us.
 Don't auction something to see the stats; buy an improved ID scroll instead.
 Don't tease people w/ an item, only to withdraw, that's kinda gay.  And don't
 auction crappy stuff either.  Nobody is really gonna buy that Flourescent 
 Light you got from the newbie school.

 - Also, don't rely solely on auctions for getting eq.  If you sit around 
 for 3 hours waiting for something good to be auctioned....well, odds are 
 that you just wasted 3 hours sitting on your butt.  You're better off using
 that time for levelling, or better yet, zoning to get good eq.

 - By that same token, don't log on and immediately ask someone to auction 
 so and so item.  Check first, to see first of all if anyone even has it.
 Locate Object is a great spell.  If someone's got the item, and isn't really
 using it, then maybe it's ok to ask....they might be waiting for an interested
 party to sell to as well.  On the other hand, don't pester that person about
 it.  They might not want to sell, and that's totally up to them.

 - By the way, withdrawing an item you put up on auction will result in a penalty,
 basically half of whatever the last bid was.  So I don't recommend screwing around
 and showing off your EQ, unless you're prepared to pay the price.

E. Teleport & Moongates

 - Don't try it.  No, really, don't.  It'll pop you somewhere randomly on the
 mud, possibly some very bad place.  Like a DT.  Or right to a aggro mob.  And
 it'll be a pain for others to help you w/ the CR if they don't know where you
 died...or worse, you end up near the end of oh, say Narnia.

 - On the other hand, if you've got an unequipped character that you want to
 screw around with, and don't mind the con loss, go ahead and explore.  Just 
 don't say I didn't warn you.

F. Potions

 - Good to have.  Generally, healing potions are handy for normal tasks, like
 levelling, basic zoning, etc.  Of course, they're worthless in no magic rooms,
 so watch out.

 - I wouldn't load up too much.  Especially on crappy potions.  You really don't
 need to be carrying 400 teal potions now, do you? :P

 - Good places to get potions:
    Teals:  Regular healer shop.  If under level 20 dual, go to the newbie
            healer shop.  It's southish of town, then go u, e, u when you can.
            Teals are somewhat cheaper there. 3x Cure Critic
    Ambrosias:  What you should be using instead of teals.  Costs alot more, 
            but it's a 2x Heal potion, which is good.  Buy them from the
            shop in Mt. Olympus
    Honeysuckle Nectars:  You can buy em in Xanth, all e of town.  Only problem
            is that these 3x Heal potions cost 10x as much as ambrosias!  Go 
            here if you've got tons of money to burn only.
    Tonics:  These are relatively new.  It's a 2x Heal, 1x Cure Critic potion,
            which is just a wee bit better than ambrosias.  The cost a lot 
            less though.  Find them at the shop in FF8, though you'll have
            to fight at least 8 mobs to get to it.  A task best suited for
            advanced characters.
    Armourall/Cureall:  You can do Evil carnival for these, all the freaks 
            carry a pouch w/ an Armourall (shield, armor, mvest), a cureall
            (rune of protection), and a shake (2x heal).  Curealls are good
            to keep, in case you don't have Rune.
    Yellow:  From the Magic shop, of course.  I just thought I'd mention it
            cause we all need Detect Invisible from time to time, and it's 
            easy and cheap to get.
    Zoning:  You can get some really good potions in the course of zoning. 
            Stuff like Liquid Force, Mud Bottles, Blood Red Potions, etc. 
            can only be found if you get out there and zone.

G. Spells

 - You should always have the following spells cast on yourself, or provided
   by your Equipment:
        Detect Invisible (duh, let's you see invis things)
        Sense Life (You might not see mobs and players w/out it)
        Sanctuary (half damage, defintely a must!)
        Fly (You don't want to hit a flying DT without it)
        Rune of Protection (prevents most aggressive mobs from attacking)

 - Other spells/affects to have are:
        Immune Silence (esp. if you're a magic user)
        Immune Summon (really only good during Chaos, so someone doesn't summon you)
        Armor, Shield, Magical Vestment (the holy trinity of armor spells, these
           alone should drop your ac by 90 points)
        Cumulus Nimbus (more armor)
        Sponge (gain mana for killing mobs)
        Holy (reduces mana use when it kicks in)
        Bless, Improved Bless, Inspire, etc. (more hr/dr, etc)

H. Money

 - Save your dough!  It might not really seem like you need much now, but
 it comes in handy later.  Most advanced spells and skills require the 
 expenditure of experience, practices, and gold!  We're talking roughly
 30 million in gold and exp to master, for the most part.

 - Also, doesn't hurt to have some spending money for other things later.
 Auctions, potions, etc.

 - ATMs.  Use em.  No point in losing your money cause you die.  Keep the bulk
 of your money in the machine.  I typically carry less than 20 mil on my
 player at any time, the rest is squirreled away in the bank.  You can keep
 up to 2 billion gold in the ATM per character.

 - Short on cash?  Go out and kill stuff!  There are still a few places around 
 where you can make some dough.  You'll probably get more by going out and doing
 it yourself rather than wasting time asking for handouts.

I. Advancing

 - OK, you've finally made 50/50.  Now what?  Advance to the higher classes, of
 course!  But where?  Well, type dir to find the individual trainers, or:
       Avatar:  Go to Paladines Temple.  Same thing you did to get your 2nd class.
       Monk:  This one's in the Shaolin temple.  Follow directions to get there.
       Everything else:  OK, there's directions to trainers listed, yeah.
          Some of them are a pain to reach though.  There is, however, an easier
          way.  Go to Xanth, all east of town.  You'll find a Blade, Assassin,
          Druid, and Arch trainer there!  How simple!
       Hero:  OK, go do the Heroes Quest.  Go to it, chop chop.

J. General Etiquette

 - Shouting is a no no.  Everyone can hear a shout, and it's pretty annoying.  
 Best to use gossip instead.  Why is there a shout channel when you're not supposed
 to shout?  That's one of the great mysteries in life...

 - Don't pester people too much.  Do you honestly want to log on everyday, and 
 be flooded with: "Can you tank for me so I can level?", "Can you give me EQ?",
 "Is your Boots (the one's you're wearing, usually) for sale?", etc.  Ya, asking
 questions is fine for the most part, but don't cross the line from inquisitive
 to annoying.

 - Language on Gossip.  Some people make a big deal about it.  It doesn't really
 bother me personally, but consider the fact that other players are sensitive to
 (or too young to be hearing) harsh language.  The Flame Channel is fine for this
 kind of thing.  Additionally, conversations w/ mature content involved may also
 be frowned upon by some.

 - Personal bickering doesn't really deserve to be on the public channels, either.
 If you've got a problem w/ someone, take it to Flame, or talk to them via tells
 or IRC.  Most people really don't want to hear insults exchanged and junk.  Or if
 you insist on having it out in public, don't be surprised if others join in, etc.

 - Kill Stealing.  This is uncool.  If someone's already in a room fighting a mob 
 (usually for levelling purposes, we're talking here), it's very uncool and frowned
 upon to walk in and attack the same mob, and killing it to get the exp/EQ/gold.
 It sometimes happens by accident, if that's the case though, be nice and apologize.
 You better not be doing it on purpose though.

 - Auto Scripts.  If you're running some kind of scripting program to level, you may
 also end up inadvertantly stealing kills from other players.  This is also uncool.
 If you insist on having a character run on auto for exp, gold, etc., by nice enough
 to do it at non-peak hours, or preferrably in a levelling place that isn't frequently
 used.  Again, it's frowned upon to steal kills from other players, and saying that
 your auto-scripter did it accidentally won't fly for long.

 - Corpse Looting.  This again, is bad.  It can also be severely punished if done 
 intentionally/frequently.  Bottom line is this: never take anything from any players
 corpse, unless specifically told to do so by the individual.  Would you really 
 want someone to steal all your hard earned EQ?  Set a good example, and don't.  And 
 tell others not to either.  This is a good way to get badnoded and deleted, as it has
 happened to others in the past.

 - Finding EQ:  Generally speaking, if you walk into a room w/ tons of gear on the ground,
 particularly good EQ, it may mean someone's corpse decayed.  I wouldn't recommend taking
 it; it's basically just as bad as corpse looting if you took stuff that didn't belong
 to you.  Check an item, it'll usually have the player's name on it.  Find the player,
 if possible, and inquire.  If they're not on, I think the right thing to do is to 
 gather up the EQ, put it in an empty container, and mudmail/general board post about it.
 Either hold on to the EQ until you get a response from the owner, or put it on a character
 with a name like EQHold, and send the name and password to the owner.  It may break the
 2-eq rule, but it's generally ok so long as the intentions are noble and you aren't just
 doing it to hoard eq.

 - Speaking of which, don't forget about the 2 EQ Character rule.  You can create as many
 characters as you'd like to on Northern Crossroads, but only 2 of these characters can 
 have EQ at any time.  And not just equipped on the character, but held in inventory or 
 containers.  Only 2 Characters.  If it's found that you have more than 2 characters w/
 equipment, chances are that your characters will be purged until you only have 2 w/ gear;
 and there's no telling which ones exactly will be purged!

K. Acid

 - Acid sucks, no doubt about it.  But it's not the end of the world.  Pretty 
 much anything can be repaired from acid damage, though the cost is high.  Just
 be careful if you've got some really old eq (It will repair to new stats, I 
 believe), and random eq (Can't be repaired....since AC values are also random,
 there's no way to know what the initial value was prior to being acided).
 Otherwise, don't fear acid mobs so much...it'll only cost you money if you 
 do get hit.

L. Flame/Frost/Bolt/Acid, and your EQ

 - You should never carry loose items in your inventory.  NEVER.  Put it in a 
 container.  Mobs that do any of the above can burn loose items and liquid 
 containers in your inventory.  EQ you wear is ok, and stuff in containers is 
 spared too.  But it's best not to take the chance of losing something cause
 you were too careless to put it away.

 - Any mob that can do one of these things, or can gas, can suck everyone into
 combat.  Just because you're not fighting that particular critter, doesn't mean
 it won't affect you.  Be warned.

M. Limited EQ

 - Never donate it.  Limited stuff is destroyed when you try to donate it.

 - As the name implies, there's a...limited amount of limited EQ in existence.
 The limit varies w/ item.  Once it's at limit, the item won't load anymore until
 someone ends up losing theirs.  Then it'll be back on the mob again during the
 next repop or reboot.  If you lose some limited item, and want to get it back,
 try to do the mob on the next pop/boot.
 
 - Over the limit.  Huh?  How does that happen?  Eh, a number of ways, mostly
 though from reimbursements that aren't handled well.  It sucks, yeah.  But
 it does happen sometimes.

 - By the way, do not HOARD limited equipment.  Hoarding is frowned upon here.  If an
 item has no limit, then theoretically you can carry as many as you like, though what
 you'd want to do with 47 Genji Gloves is beyond me.  Limited EQ, on the other hand, 
 can not be stockpiled.  You can only keep as many as your 2 equipped characters can use.
 In other words, only 2 Withered Fingernails (1 for each character to use), or 4 Pointed 
 Tooths (2 neck eq per character, 2 chars = 4), etc.  Any more than you can use is 
 considered hoarding, and if you're caught hoarding, you'll either have to give up the
 EQ promptly, or face dire consequences.

N. Containers

 - Use non-limited containers.  Why?  Cause you can donate them in the event
 that you need a CR done.  A limited container, like all limited EQ, will be
 destroyed if you try to donate it.  That includes ANY EQ YOU HAVE IN THE 
 CONTAINER!  So just cause that Rebel Corpse you have sounds like a cool
 thing to stick your gear in, it's probably not worth it in the long run.

O. AC

 - AC, or Armor Class, determines your chances of getting hit (or hitting the
 opponent).  Basically, the lower your AC, the better.  You start w/ 100 AC,
 that's bad.  EQ and spells will lower that value.  ID your EQ, it usually
 has a value called AC-apply.  

 - AC-apply is generally found all all armors.  How the value is applied to your
 actual AC, however, can vary.  For example, AC-apply values for Body Armor are
 basically doubled:  a suit of armor that has AC-apply 20, for example, will 
 actually lower your AC by 40 points.  So if you were only wearing that armor,
 without spells, your AC would be 60 rather than 100.  Some values are taken
 straight, like Head EQ.  An AC-apply 10 crown will drop your 100 AC value to 90.
 On the other hand, some AC locations are Halved!  Belts, for example, are halved.
 So an AC-apply 20 belt will only apply for 10. Check the help files on AC for
 full details.

 - Armor, on the other hand, is taken at face value.  - Armor values will lower
 your AC (good), but + values will raise it (bad).  So Armor on locations that
 normally halve AC is a good thing, but is kinda not worth it on a spot where it
 doubles, like on Body.

 - Acid affects EQ AC-apply.  An acided item will have a lower than normal AC.
 This can be repaired at the Acid Repair shop.

 - A few points of AC won't make too significant a difference on how well you take
 hits, trust me.  Having -200 AC won't be much more different than having -190.
 The only times you really start seeing AC make a big difference is once you get
 to the -300 level or lower.  I usually have to stock stuff specifically for AC/
 Armor to get this low, and that's usually at a sacrifice to HR/DR. 

 - So, I'd concentrate more on HR/DR than I would on AC, if it's a choice between
 a piece of EQ that would drop your AC a couple points at the expense of 3 or 4
 HR/DR.  Ideally, it'd be great to have super low AC, and super high HR/DR...but you
 can't get everything all at once, mostly.

P. What Stats do I want from my EQ?

 - It depends, really.  That's pretty much a cop-out answer, but it's true.
 The stats you want will depend on what kind of character you want...so I'll
 go into each basic type of EQ stat and explain:

     AC: The lower, the better, the fewer hits you take from enemies.  You could,
     in theory, drop your AC so low that you barely get hit.  Of course, it
     not only depends on how low your AC is, but also how high your opponents
     Hitroll is.

     Hitroll: Speaking of which....you want a good amount of hitroll.  The higher,
     the more likely you'll connect with a hit when fighting.  Personally, I 
     prefer high hitroll, more so than most other values.  Sure, you could be 
     a Damage monster, but it's a moot point if none of your attacks connect.
     Better to get in 3 or 4 solid hits w/ less damage, than 1 or 2 w/ only a 
     bit more damage.

     Damroll: The higher, the harder you hit.  Your damage bonus is added to the
     damage dice of your weapon per hit.... if you have a 6d6 weapon, you'd do
     anywhere from 6-36 points of damage per hit...but if your damage bonus is
     80, that 6-36 range becomes 86-116!
 
     Hit Points: Higher doesn't hurt.  Your racial max is only so much, but HP
     gear can boost that.  It's nice if you're going to be taking hits, and have
     low HP to begin with (like most Druids/Archies).  Having super high HP 
     works when you're taking the hits in zones, but most mobs will attack 
     weaker characters anyway, so kinda moot.  Don't sacrifice HR/DR too much 
     for more HP.

     Mana:  Druids/Archies typically have nice Mana (depending on class), but 
     they still burn through it like nothing.  More mana is nice.  Personally 
     though, like HP, I wouldn't sacrifice too much HR/DR for Mana either.  
     When I equip a druid, he benefits more from higher HR (Webbing works better)
     than w/ higher mana.

     Move:  Eh, kinda worthless in most cases.  Unless you're a giant, with
     totally sucky movement.  But it's not worth the sacrifice to other 
     values, if you ask me.  Just bring food and water.

Q. Number of Attacks

 - I didn't really think this is worth mentioning, but thinking back, I recall
 quite a few new people getting confused by this.  Here's how it goes... all
 weapons have a set number of attacks they do each round.  This can be 1, 2, 3,
 and even 4 attacks per round.

 - But then there's Haste.  The spell gives you one attack additionally.  So a 
 1-attack weapon will do 2 in a round if you have haste, 2 does 3, 3 does 4, etc.

 - On top of that, you can occassionally eek out an extra attack if you have a
 hold weapon.  That is, if your class allows you to hold one.  This attack is 
 generally a weak one...I think it just does the damage dice of the hold weapon
 without your Damroll Bonus.  If you have equipment with the Parry affect, you
 typically won't get this extra attack from your hold weapon.

 - To confuse the mix even more, there's Berserk, and Assassins can have speed to
 give them another attack, and characters afflicted with Aliens can bust out
 some 10+ attacks in a round, if they get the right alien affect.

 - But I digress....yeah, so make sure you know what your weapon does.  Try 
 attacking something easy (the chessboard mobs make a good one) that you can
 see how many rounds you do, factor out haste if you have it, and the hold 
 weapon, if you're using it.  That'll let you know the true amounts of attacks.
 (An alternative is putting the item on auction, that shows the # of attacks;
 but that'll not be very cool to abuse).

 - There are very few dual weapons w/ 3-hit anymore.  Druids and Archmages can 
 only equip 2-attack weapons, unless they use their enchanted weapon spell, which
 is technically a 3-attacker (cept it's not really a true weapon...more of a spell
 affect).  Monks can't use weapons at all, moot point.  But if you're a Blade,
 Assassin, Avatar, or Hero, you should seek out a 3-attack weapon ASAP.  Better
 to get more attacks per round.

 - Last thing.  I did mention that there are some 4-attack weapons in existence.
 Well, 3 to be precise.  Trex Tooth, Sword of Souls and the Shotokan Sword.  These 
 would be considered the best weapons in the game....except they're extremely 
 difficult (some would say impossible in some cases) to get.  I believe the ones
 that players had have been recalled or something as well, so there really aren't 
 any out there that players are actually using.  If you really want to try to get 
 one of these, I recommend just giving me all your EQ and killing yourself 
 repeatedly...you'll get the same results, only without the stress. :P

R. Upped, Downed, and Mended
 
 -Any equipment that has a minimum level (i.e. 35 dual, 5 Advanced), can up or 
 down.  Let's say you have a ring that's ac 5, hr 5, dr 5, min level 10 advanced.
 If it loads w/ min lev 10, it's "norm". If the min level is lower than the
 norm, it's downed, and the stats will reflect this.  It might only be ac 3, 4/4, 
 or any iteration between 3 less ac, 1 less hr/dr, etc.  If the item has a 
 min level higher than 10 though, it "ups", which means it could be an ac 8, 
 hr 6 dr 6 instead!

 - If you identify the object, it will have the UNIQUE flag on it if it's not 
 norm.  Whether it's good (upped), or bad (downed) is something you'll have to
 figure out.

 - Mend.  Ah, the joys of mending.  It can make your EQ better if you mend it.
 AC/armor will increase by 3 points, hr/dr by 1, HP/mana by 25.  That's if it
 mends, of course.  If not, the item will be destroyed.  Mended items will
 have the MASTERPIECE flag on them.

 - To mend or not to mend?  That is the question.  Some people think that an item
 that isn't mended is basically downed.  They mend everything they get.  Eh,
 it's up to you really...but personally, I'll only mend if I've already got 
 something better/comparable.... no point in breaking a ring if you don't have
 one to begin with.

S. Dax, and other Bots

 - Dax is an evil, evil person who sits in Bozo's Training Room waiting to break
 your Equipment. Heh.  Naw, actually, Dax is just another player character, one
 who's cool.  Dax stays logged on and runs an auto-scripter type thing, where
 his character can respond to players requests for spells, mending, etc.  Dax also
 has a ranking system for challenges and player stats.  Pretty cool, huh?  You
 should probably say something nice next time Dax is active on his character.

 - Some clubs also have members who set themselves up as bots.  You can get
 spells and stuff from them too, just check w/ your clubbies about it.

 - Don't abuse the Bots, however.  They make themselves available to you as a 
 courtesy....they don't actually have to be helping you, you know.  Don't spam
 them with numerous requests, making them cast the same spell on you a thousand
 times.... be nice to them, before the player decides not to offer their
 services anymore.

T. Chaos, MK, Paintball, and other Modes
 
 - Chaos Mode:  It allows players to kill each other anywhere.  The first time
 you get picked on, you'll hate it.  Probably whine and curse at the person who
 killed you.  But really, it's not too bad....

 - In Chaos, you are allowed to attack anybody, anywhere.  The first thing you
 should do if Chaos is turned on is to recall back to club.  If you don't want
 to participate, then sit around or log off or something...otherwise, why not
 have fun with chaos as well?

 - Things to know for Chaos:
    1. You don't lose con when you die. (That's good)
    2. You can summon players to you, then kill them. (Good if you're killing)
    3. To counteract being summoned, wear Immune Summon EQ.  Cloaking helps
    too.
    4. Work together.  If you've got clubbies on, you'll last longer by teaming
    up and picking off others one at a time.  It may sound uncool, but that's 
    probably what everyone else will be doing too.
    5. Show some etiquette.  If you kill someone, give them a chance to get 
    their EQ and re-equip.  Don't keep killing their naked character repeatedly
    when they try to get their stuff back, that's just uncool.  Also, if you
    summon someone to a far away location, offer to summon them back in for CR.
    Just 'cause it's called Chaos, doesn't mean you can't be a bit civil. Heh.
    6. Don't get too worked up about it, really.  It's just a little bit of fun
    that happens sometimes.  Other players don't usually pick on you for any 
    reason other than the fact that it's Chaos, so don't get your panties in a 
    bunch.

 - Mortal Kombat:  Controlled Chaos.  You go to a special zone (a mock-up of 
   Midgaard town), and it's a free for all, last man standing wins.  You die,
   you start back in the normal town, all your EQ still on you.  Maimed EQ will
   fall into your container.  No fuss, no muss.

 - Paintball: You get a paintgun, equip it.  Run around the special arena and
   shoot the other players with paint.  If you're hit, you're out of the game 
   for the round.  Last one standing gets a prize. Whoo hoo!

 - REF:  Random Eyeball Fest.  You typically break up into teams, go looking for
   a specific item type that's been loaded on a buncha mobs.  For example, you may
   have to go and find as many of YUPA's MAGICAL BEANS as you can find.  There'll 
   be a set number, like say 20, and the team that brings in the most wins.  Various
   prizes are usually awarded.

 - Farm & Trek:  No offense, but these are lame.  Just makes you moo or talk Trekkie
   instead of say, or you beam out, or gallop out of rooms, etc.  Not really fun,
   useful, or anything good.

 - Tag: Just a simple game of tag.  Something to occupy yourself with when there's
   nothing much going on.  No prizes or anything for winning.

 - Experience: You get ?x amount more exp per kill.  You can't pass your max, but
   you can get more experience from weaker mobs, for example.  Take advantage of 
   this whenever it's on, you'll level alot faster.

 - Nice, Friendly: This prevents mobs that typically sac, from saccing.  When Nice is
   on, it's a good chance to go do some hard zones and junk, with a bit less to worry
   about.

U. Rerolling
 
 - If your CON reaches 0, you reroll!  This is a horrible, horrible thing....
 regardless of what level you're at, Rerolling makes you a level 1 dual again!
 For a 50 advanced character you've had for years, spent countless hours 
 developing, this is darn tragic.

 - So, make darn sure that you're never that short on con!  Make sure you train 
 your CON, preferrably immediately after you die.  If you're short on practices,
 buy some from the practomat, or be very very careful. 

 - How you lose con:
   Death from a mob:  Usually (but not always) lose 1 con.
   Fighting a PK Player in Challenge: Lose 1 con, even if you're not PK.
   Chaos: You don't lose any con if you die when Chaos Mode is on.
   Challenges: You don't lose any con, unless fighting a PK player.
   Mortal Kombat: No con loss
   Death Trap: No con loss
   
V. Death Traps (DTs)

 - Death Traps suck.  You hit one, and you lose all your equipment!  But all is not 
 lost....there's this cool thing called the Time Quest.  Run the quest, and you have
 a chance to get some of your EQ back.  There's no guarantee that you get it all back
 though....in fact, I can pretty much assume that you won't be able to recover at
 least 3 or 4 pieces.  But hey, at least you got the rest back, better than nothing.

 - Avoid Death Traps.  Don't go foolishly walking around unfamiliar territory.  That's
 a sure-fire way to get DTed.  First of all, you should be using Peek.  Peek will
 SOMETIMES sniff out a DT...you'll get a message about "Having a bad feeling looking
 in this direction!).  Don't rely solely on Peek though....it doesn't always work!
 
 - Other ways to sniff out DTs:  Throw a coin into the room, peek to see it.  If the
 coin isn't there, it's either a DT room or a Sink Room.  Another way is to send
 an unequipped character in the room first.  If he dies, then it's obvious it was a 
 DT.  Another thing to consider is room names.  This isn't always accurate, but a
 room called Plunging to your Death will more likely turn out to be a DT rather than
 a room called Safe!  This isn't always the case though, so use the aforementioned
 methods just to be safe.

 - Aliens.  If you've been afflicted by aliens, you're safe from DTs.  You'll get a
 message about how your Sixth Sense won't let you go in.

 - Flying DTs:  You can enter a flying DT, no problem.  Provided you can FLY though.
 If you got Fly, a flying DT is nothing, just make sure you don't drop anything in 
 the room or die there.  If you don't have fly however, you'll end up dead.


Just have fun. Lemme know what else I should add/remove.

Yupa
 

Yupa's CR Tips
Version 1.0, July 30, 2002

Contents
 A. Introduction
 B. Doing your own CRs
 C. Calling in Back Up
 D. Spelling yourself Up
 E. Post Characters
 F. CR Characters
 G. Donating
 H. Too much Weight?
 I. Containers, Sucky Limited
 J. CR vs. Flame/Frost/Bolt/Acid Mobs
 K. CR vs. Aggro Mobs - Speed is the Essence!
 L. Scavengers, Blk_Take, and Saccers
 M. Crashes, Reboots, and your Rights to a Reimbursement

A. Introduction
 
 - OK, you just died.  That totally sucks.  But death is merely transitory on
 NC, and now you've got the opportunity to go get your corpse (and therefore 
 all your gear) back.  That's what these tips are for.  I hope this will make
 things a little easier for you, maybe give you some alternatives and options 
 to try.

B. Doing your own CRs

 - Before pleading for help, consider getting your own stuff back first.  You
 probably know better than anyone where you were at the time, and what killed 
 you.  Give it a go first before calling in someone else.

 - But don't rush in foolishly.  Most mobs have a good memory, and will attack
 you as soon as you walk back into the room.  Ideally, it would've been nice
 to have blinded the mob before you attacked it.  That'll keep the pressure off
 for awhile, but not long; remember, blindness does wear off after several tics
 (minutes).
 
 - So how do you do your own CR if the mob is only going to kill you again?  Well,
 have you tried using another character?  If the mob's not aggro, he won't bug
 you if you send in your alternate character.

C. Calling in Back Up

 - OK, so you tried to do it yourself, but to no avail.  Now it's time to gossip
 for some help.  Ask for help, when someone responds, give them as much details
 as you can....the zone you died in, what directions to get there/to the specific
 spot, what killed you, etc.  Be as precise as you possibly can, it'll make 
 things alot easier for those trying to help.

 - Try not to get those involved killed either though.  Warn them if the mob is
 aggro, or wanders, or does bad things like acid, flames, scavenges, sacs, etc.
 Most people will be still willing to help, but they can take necessary 
 precautions with the info yo give.

D. Spelling yourself Up

 - Before rushing out, remember that you've just died, have no eq, and therefore
 have no status or spell affects on you.  Well, except Chill Touch, which is 
 seriously sapping your strength.  Spell up before going anywhere, w/ as many
 of the following as possible:
     Detect Invisible: Esp. if you have invisible gear.  I've seen too many 
        people leave things on the ground, in their corpses, etc. because they
        didn't check for invisible items.
     Rune of Protection: You walked past that aggro w/out rune mob before cause
        you had gear w/ rune on before.  Now you don't.  Rune up before going
        into any trouble.
     Fly: Don't want to hit a flying DT (even if you have no eq), or be stuck
        cause you forgot it.
     Sanctuary: If you have to fight to get your stuff back, otherwise you'll 
        die twice as fast.
     Strength: To counteract chill touch, and to boost your strength as much
        as possible since you've probably been lugging around way more junk
        than you should.

E. Post Characters

 - If your zoning, or in a particularly dangerous area, it's even better to
 bring a Post Character along.  This is just basically a spare unequipped 
 character, preferrably one that can cast summon.  Leave this character in a 
 safe spot in the zone, as close to where you are as possible.  Definitely make
 sure it's a room that can be used to summon to.

 - When you die, you can just use your post to summon yourself back to the zone.
 It's faster than walking, you can probably avoid any mobs previously that you
 skipped, and the post doubles to ensure the zone doesn't pop on you.

 - Just put your post to sleep in a safe room til you need it.  And make sure
 to keep the post there; use a different character to do the CRs, cause you'll
 probably have to do it multiple times to get everything, so you'll want that
 post there the whole time.

F. CR Characters

 - You should make a dual character for CRs.  Why?  For one, this would be 
 an expendable character.  If he dies alot, you don't have to worry that you'll
 be rerolling a character you spent months or years developing.  It's an easy,
 throw-away character that's only purpose in life is to grab your gear when
 you screw up.  Another reason, sometimes mobs won't automatically attack a 
 level 1 char.  This isn't always the case, but it does apply in many situations.

 - Your level 1 CR character....you can make it whatever race or class you want,
 but I recommend possible a Giant/Cleric.  Giant's can carry a fair amount, 
 so that'll help lug your heavy corpse around.  And Cleric will let him carry
 a ball of light, which you should make w/ your other character (or get from 
 Dax or some bot), for the CR guy to hold.

 - Spells:  Don't forget to cast spells on your CR guy!  Remember, since it's 
 a level 1 character, it ain't got much.  Strength is definitely a must to have.
 Make sure the character can Detect Invisible as well.

 - Try to get your CR character clubbed too.  For reasons seen in the next
 section.

G. Donating

 - There are alot of circumstances in CRs when it's not feasible to stand in
 a room taking eq from your corpse and re-equipping.  For example, if there
 are still mobs in the room, or wandering mobs in adjacent areas that can come
 into the room.  No point in trying to get dressed if you're only going to die
 again in a second, right?

 - So the alternative....the safer way, is to donate!  That's right, grab your
 corpse and just donate it (or cdon it, preferrably).  Then have your recently
 killed character go to the (c)donation room and get your stuff at your leisure.
 It's alot safer and probably less messy.  Do it fast though, don't lounge around
 til your corpse decays, that'll make even more of a mess.

 - Just remember that Limited Items CAN'T BE DONATED!  I can't stress this point
 enough.  You donate a limited item, it is destroyed.  This applies to containers
 as well.  Make sure you know what it is before donating.
 - It's a no-no for people to loot corpses in the donation room.  It's generally
 bad for them to take stuff if your corpse decays too, but it sometimes happens.
 Especially if you forgot Detect Invisible and leave stuff there.  Just be nice
 about it, most people will be cool and give it back.

H. Too much Weight?

 - Yeah, it's fun being a Dragon or Giant, lugging around 600 midgets worth 
 of equipment and potions in your inventory.  Not so fun when trying to pick
 it all up though.  Remember weight will be a major consideration in Corpse 
 Retrievals....Not only do you have to be able to carry the weight of your 
 inventory stuff, but also the weight of your EQ that you were wearing, not
 to mention the weight of the corpse itself.  That adds up to a whole lot.

 - So it will probably be impossible for you to pick up your corpse.  What 
 do yo do?  Well, you'll have to do it in bunches.  First, get the container
 from your corpse (make sure it's a non-limited container!  See later section
 on containers for more info).  Donate the container, that will make things
 alot lighter.  If you still can't pick up your corpse, donate any other containers
 you have first.  That should be light enough.  If you have to, pick up items
 individually that you know aren't limited, and donate them.  However, I don't
 recommend doing so unless absolutely necessary, for reasons explained later.

I. Containers, Sucky Limited

 - Limited Containers suck.  They really do.  They might have cool names, 
 and carry alot, but are generally a bad thing to keep loose in your inventory.
 I'll repeat myself yet again, DON'T DONATED LIMITED ITEMS, ESPECIALLY CONTAINERS!
 A limited container is the worst....donate it, it's destroyed, along with 
 anything you kept inside it!

 - So what containers should you be using?  There's alot of good non-limited
 stuff, I'll list the ones I can think of off-hand:
   Pandora's Box, Packet of Time, Box of Birth Control Pills, JanSport Backpack,
   Hungry Cookpot, Holy Bible, Humbaba's Shrivelled Head, Beast's Backpack,
   Duffel Bag, Magician's Spellbox, Jewelry Box, etc.  
  Just to be safe though, check any of those I listed first.  I'm fairly sure
  I'm right, but better to be safe than sorry.
 
 - Some limited containers that I can think of offhand, these you should avoid:
   Pqowie, Rebel Corpse, Batbag, etc.  Will add more as I come across them.

 - What about magical containers, how can you find out if they're limited or not?
 Well, since Improved ID won't tell you, there's only one sure way to know...
 Donate it!  Make sure it's empty first, then donate.  If it breaks, then it's
 just as well.  If not, then go get it and it's usable.

J. CR vs. Flame/Frost/Bolt/Acid Mobs

 - You need to watch out for any mobs that do these things.  Any item in your
 inventory can be destroyed if they breathe on you!  The exception is containers
 with items in it, which are normally spared from flame damage.  Which is why
 I say to donate containers only, and not to pick up loose items from your
 corpse.
 
 - The last thing you need to be doing in is getting eq from your corpse, not
 being able to put it on in time,  and having some aggro mob burn it all!  A 
 definite no-no....I know a lot of people who lose really good stuff this way!

K. CR vs. Aggro Mobs - Speed is the Essence!

 - OK, you died at some aggro mob that's basically guarding your corpse.  If
 you send your character in, odds are you'll be dead in a round.  Here's where
 speed is important;  move fast, get it done, and get out.  The best way to do
 this is with an unequipped character, and aliases:
           Example:  Yupa dies at lions in Gilgamesh.  He logs on his
           unequipped druid Lassie.  He sets up aliases to expedite the
           process - alias com 5 get yupa (or corpse), alias com 6 cdon
           yupa (or corpse), alias com 7 quit lassie.  He sends Lassie into
           the room, and types 5, 6, and then 7.  Lassie grabs the corpse of
           Yupa, club donates it, and quits out of the game before the lions
           kill Lassie.  Yupa gets his gear safely to his clubhouse, and ol'
           Lassie doesn't lose con from getting reamed by the lions.

L. Scavengers, Blk_Take, and Saccers

 - K, any mob that does these things is generally bad.  Scavengers will pick
 up your EQ, Blk_Takers will prevent you from picking stuff up, and Saccers are
 the worst - They'll sac your eq as they pick it up!  
 
 - In any of these scenarios, you'll pretty much need to kill the mobs ASAP.
 Do it yourself if feasible, more likely call in for help though.  Just try
 not to get other people sacced in the process, if the task is too daunting.

M. Crashes, Reboots, and your Rights to a Reimbursement

 - You die.  Then the mud crashes before you can do a CR, or get everything.  
 That means your stuff is gone.  But alas, all hope is not lost... this is 
 generally a case where a reimbursement is in order.  If it's because of some
 problem w/ the mud (crash), then it couldn't be helped that you couldn't get
 your stuff back.  In this instance, consult any Imm that's on.  Only higher
 (God or so, I believe) imms can actually do a reimbursement, but if there aren't
 any on, the lower Imms can at least make a note of the fact that you died
 before the crash, and someone can attend to your inquiry later.

 - There are, however, some limitations to a reimbursement.  In general any item
 that you have that is at limit, may not be returned to you.  Now since you,
 died, theoretically that item is under limit when the mud reboots....however,
 this isn't always the case.  Furthermore, if you don't get your reimbursement
 done fairly quickly, there's a good chance that someone will go out and put
 that item back at limit.... so it's best to log on ASAP after a crash, and 
 get it done quick.

 - Don't be too insistent and annoying though.  Nobody likes hearing someone
 whine and moan.  And don't try to take advantage of this by dying, not logging
 on, and waiting until there actually is a reboot before going back on and 
 begging for a reimbursement....I've actually heard of a couple incidents like
 this, and the person(s) who tried it got zilch.

 - And hey, if you don't get all your stuff back....think of it this way.  At 
 least you got some of it back, right?  No point in complaining too much if 
 you weren't reimbursed a few limited items....better to have some than none at all.
 

Yupa's Club Tips
Version 1.1, December 5, 2002

Contents
 A. Introduction
 B. So, you want to Join a Club, eh?
 C. What are the Benefits of being in a Club?
 D. The Downside?
 E. What to do in a Club Raid
 F. What you should bring to the Club
 G. Insignias
 H. Other Club Amenities

A. Introduction

 - Howdy, weclome back for yet another boring segment of "Yupa's Tips" Series...
 this time around, I'd like to dissect clubs, what's the ups and downs of being
 in one, what to do, what not to do, etc.

 - Of course, this is all going to be fairly biased, and leaning more to my own
 club experiences.  You may or may not disagree with what I've got to ramble
 about.

B. So, you want to Join a Club, eh?

 - For you newbies, I'm sure you noticed that there are quite a few clubs (also
 known as clans elsewhere) here.... so, what to do?  Well, I recommend doing
 a bit of research on the clubs we have here first and foremost, before deciding
 which club you'd like to be in.  See how the club members of various clubs act, 
 if they're the type of people you wouldn't mind zoning with or just shooting the
 breeze, etc...

 - Now, how to get in?  Well, there's two ways:  Wait til someone invites you to
 join the club, or ask.  Now an invitation is always cool;  it means someone's 
 generally been keeping an eye on you, and think that you're a cool person and a
 good potential club member.  On the other hand, don't take insult if you're not
 extended the hand of friendship right off the bat; it's sometimes better to make
 a good impression and be proactive in your quest to join a club.

 - BUT....don't be too pushy or annoying.  Ask, inquire, and wait.  Most clubs have
 some sort of nomination/voting process for new members, so you probably won't be
 clubbed (so to speak) until after a few days.  It gives time for the club as a whole
 to air their support or grievances, and to decide if you've got the right stuff.

C. What are the Benefits of being in a Club?

 - Well, for starters, there's the Insignia.  Every club's got em.  If you type
 "use insignia", when wearing one, you will recall straight to your club recall room!

 - Being in a group that takes care of its own.  Generally speaking, most club members 
 are willing to go out of their way to help a fellow clubbie.  This includes getting
 EQ, zoning, and any other type of general help.

 - Club Amenities.  Blacksmith, Resting Room, Hotel, Post Office, to name a few.  Rather
 than run all around town to use these facilities, they can be found all in one at
 the clubhose!

D. The Downside?

 - Not many.  Except that now you'll have to watch out for the image of your club, and 
 that can sometimes carry excess burden on you.  Other players and clubs may have...
 less than kind... perceptions about your club, and sadly, many will reflect their 
 opinions of the club as a whole, on individuals like you.  

E. What to do in a Club Raid

 - Sometimes, club rivalries or personal squabbles can be taken to a whole different level -
 the Club Raid!  All clubs have an entrance somewhere in the mud, that can be accessed
 by anyone at anytime.  This entrance is blocked by guard mobs, and followed by a usually
 intricate maze that involves more guards, club critters, slide rooms, and many DTs!  This
 is usually a big enough deterrent, but those that have the drive will find a way to get in...

 - Typically, there's some warning when intruders are in the house.  Club guards may say
 something on cgos, or some other form of warning.  If you hear the warning, you can either
 make note to stay out of the clubhouse, or go in and stop the intruders!  I believe all
 clubhouses will have a way for clubbies to get into the maze; go and sniff out the raiding
 party, just be careful of DTs yourself.  You can either attack the party directly, or do
 something sneaky like heal the club guards when they're fighting.
 
 - Dying in the maze/raid; depending on who you are, different destinations will result for the 
 corpses that sink.  Club members who end up dying in a raid will find that their corpse will
 sink back to club recall room;  super easy.  Ya die, and once you log back on, your corpse
 will be right there.  For raiders, corpses will sink to their clubhouse, I think, which means
 taking one out will set back the raiding group significantly. 

 - Should you decide to meet the invaders in the maze, just remember; club guards aren't 
   aggressive, but club critters are.  This applies to you as well!

 - And so begins the club raid.  The raiding party comes in, and typically slaughters anyone
 they can find.  This can be anyone, from club bots, to low level players.  They can write
 on your boards, take a whiz in your fountain, etc.  Typically though, the raiders
 will sit in club recall, waiting for some clueless person to recall, or log on!  The raiders
 will have the element of surprise in this case, but it won't last for long.

 - If there's a raid, you're generally expected to defend your clubhouse.  The advantage is
 actually yours; for starters, you should know the club layout better than anyone else.  Use
 what you know to escape from attackers, run past em to keep them guessing, etc.  Catch your
 breath in any obscure rooms that not many people know about, and if the heat gets too hot,
 work your way to the links to town and get out.

 - Work together.  Find your other clubbies.  Plan a counterattack.  Maybe have it so that
 each club member is assigned a different target, then recall back in guns blazing. 

 - Pick off the enemy one at a time.  Since you can't summon into clubhouses, any raider
 you kill will basically be out of the picture.  They'd have to hike it back through
 the club maze to be a threat again, and that'll buy you some time to take care of the others.
 Pick off unequipped characters and weaker players if feasible; another thought would be
 to take out the strong leaders, leaving the less-experienced raiders to fend for themselves. 

 - On the other hand, don't be stupid.  If you're outgunned, don't stick around for the 
 slaughter.  Go about your business elsewhere until backup arrives.  Or rent out in town.
 
 - If you died in the clubhouse, you can try to retrieve your corpse...if you're fast enough.
 Otherwise, stay out, let the dust settle.  If you have to go, maybe ask another club
 member to gather your stuff once the raiders have left/been dealt with.

 - And remember:  You lose CON when you die in a club raid!  So don't keep going back over
 and over, dying.  It's a good way to get yourself rerolled!

 - Last note:  This is part of the game.  Don't take it too hard or personal if you get creamed.
 Just remember to have fun, and maybe someday you'll mount your own raiding party for some
 payback.

F. What you should bring to the Club

 - Be a contributing member.  Help those that are newer to the club, or have fallen upon
 bad luck.  Assist in Corpse Retrievals whenever possible, answer any questions you can,
 offer to zone, etc.

 - Politeness and respect.  Consider your club as an extended family.  Don't disrespect
 other clubbies blatantly; if there's a problem between you and someone else, settle it
 personally, don't drag the whole club into it.  For that matter, squabbles with other
 players in different clubs should be kept private to, if you ask me.  No point in getting
 someone upset with the whole club, rather than just you.

G. Insignias

 - Insignias are cool.  It's good to always wear one (note: unequipped characters are allowed
 to wear a club insignia.  This does not violate the 2-equipped character rule).  Keep a spare
 or two in a container, just in case you or someone else needs it.

 - Don't try to recall in the middle of combat.  Your insignia will typically be knocked off
 anyway.

 - Some rooms, typically no-magic rooms, may not let you use your insignia.  Just find a 
 nearby safe room that will allow you to.

 - Insignias from other clubs can be used by you to recall back to your clubhouse!  All club
 insignias are basically the same; they recall a player to their clubhouse, not the club
 of the insignia.  So if you're stuck somewhere, it's ok to grab a pin from another club
 to use to get back home.

 - There are a few items that can be used in the insignia spot, but that aren't club insignias.
 Things like King of Hearts Endorsement, Veleprocation Pin, Pulitzer Prize, Gears of the 
 Golem, Star Wars Pin, etc.  You can use them in the location, but they won't recall you.

H. Other Club Amenities

 - Town Portals.  Clubs will have one room with several links to various spots in Midgaard.
   Market Square, Temple of Midgaard, or next to the Blacksmith are popular portal exits.
 
 - Resting Room.  Just like Mallins, the resting room will have an olive statue that improves
   regeneration per tic. 

 - Fountains.  There's usually a water fountain, as well as a Jolt fountain, found in clubhouses.

 - Blacksmith.  Just like in town, only more convenient.

 - Post Office, Boards.  There may be a general board, and definitely a club board.  Use the
   club board for club-related junk.

 - Club Donation Room.  Use cdon to donate to clubhouses rather than the don command.  Same 
   rules apply; don't donate limited stuff or it'll break, and typically, don't waster your
   club space with crap items.


  

Yupa's Character Creation Tips
Version 1.1, January 22, 2003

Contents
 A. Introduction
 B. Picking a Name and Password
 C. Choosing your Sex
 D. The Classes
 E. The Races
 F. Secondary Class Choices
 G. Quick Breakdown
 
A. Introduction

   - Hey all, Yupa here once again, spouting off more useless information derived from my tiny lil
 grey cells.  This time, we're gonna tackle some tips on how to create a character.  For you new
 people, this little Tips file may help you from making disastrous race/class selections; Though
 I'm assuming you probably won't read this until after you've taken a liking to Northern Crossroads
 and actually find this file somewhere.  If that's the case, this might help you when you decide
 to make a 2nd or 3rd, or in my case, 15th additional character.

 - FYI, the files on races and classes on NC are a good resource.  You'll find an easier to read
 version of those on the NC website, http://www.ncmud.org, under the class and race sections.  
 (***Note: The website's a bit outdated.  Rely on the help files on the mud for accurate info***)
 These go into stuff like maximum attributes, how much HP/Mana/Move each class can get, etc.
 I'm not really gonna go into that here, cause it's easy enough to find that info, and I'm also
 too lazy to write it all up. Heh.

B. Picking a Name and Password

 - This is really more a personal choice.  Your name will reflect more upon what you like, just
 try to select something you won't mind hearing people call you by.  I've got a few characters
 that I have no idea what I was thinking when I named.  I mean really, what was I thinking when
 I named one of my druids Lassie?!

 - Passwords.  Pick something that you'll remember, and not something too obvious.  People hacking
 your pw isn't too big an issue, but still, to me it would be as if someone came into my house
 at night and put on all my underwear.  Just that icky feeling that someone's messed around with
 you.

 - It's recommended to change your password every few months;  do it if you feel like, just remember
 what it is.  Not a big deal when you're running 1 or 2 characters, but when you start creating a
 whole bunch, you may start forgetting passwords.  Or names for that matter.  Jot it down somewhere
 for safe keeping.

 - Oh yeah, and names.  We've had alot of players over the years, who have alot of characters and 
 are using up some of the choice names.  Don't be discouraged if your name choice is already in
 use;  think of alternatives in the event that it is.

C. Choosing your Sex

 - Yes is not a choice, sorry guys.  We're talking gender here, of course.  And that's totally up
 to you.  

 - Just to let you know though, there is some gender-restricted equipment out there.  It's a real
 small percentage, probably less than 1% of the equipment out there....not a big deal for the most
 part.  Just letting ya know so you won't get frustrated when you can't use something later down
 the road.

D. The Classes

 - OK, this is the first big choice you got.  Your primary class choice will greatly determine what
 type of character you'll be playing.  Physical characters will naturally evolve into the strong
 fighting classes, just as the magically inclined ones will become powerful spell casters in the
 future.  Let's get a couple things out of the way first.

a. Your start with a primary class, that's chosen when you first log on.  Once you get to
    Level 15 on that, you can pick a secondary class; this will be under the same racial
    restrictions that I'll explain in the next section.  Anyway, you get 2 classes, and
  once you level them up to 50/50, you can advance.

b. Advancing - this is where the fun begins.  The advanced classes are significantly more
    powerful than any of the dual classes.  The have an impressive collection of skills and
    spells that totally blow dual stuff out of the water.  What choices you have for 
  picking an advanced class will be determined solely by your primary class, which is why
  planning ahead during character creation is really important.

c. When it comes to advancing, all classes can choose to become an Avatar.  Avatars are
  basically all the dual classes rolled into one;  you get all the skills of a warrior,
  thief, and acolyte, coupled with all the spells of a cleric and mage.  Pretty neat, huh?
  In the old days, Avatar was the only option for advancing.
- The down side.  You get all the spells of dual classes, unfortunately, no cool
 advanced stuff.  That'll be hard in the long run; duals have weak spells and
 pathetic stunning moves.  Playing an avatar is significantly more difficult
 at times.  Certainly a long process, because of one thing; upon an Avatar reaching
 level 50, they can become a Hero!  
- The Hero class is like an advanced class for Avatar; It's got it's own cool advanced
 abilities that make Heroes some of the best characters in the game.  The down
 side, however, is that you have to be a glutton for levelling to master a Hero.
 You have to get a character to 50/50 dual first, then advance to avatar, then
 get that avatar to level 50, then advance to Hero, and then you've got another 
 50 levels more!  That's 200 Levels that you need to gain to make a Hero!  
- As such, I recommend _not_ trying to make a hero for your first character.  Go with
 one of the other advanced classes; it's quicker, and you'll get to do more fun
 fun things faster.  Consider waiting til later to make a Hero.

 - The dual classes.  Here's the breakdown.

a. Mage - Mages are the "dark" magic users on the mud.  They have a wide range of offensive
  magic spells, though to be honest, most of em are pieces of junk.  Or at the very least,
         they get more powerful as you go, so I wouldn't recommend rushing out and learning every
         single one.  If you're into throwing fireballs and stuff, this is the class to choose.
  Mages won't be physical powerhouses though; you'll take quite a beating unless you play
  to their advantages.

  Upon advancement, mages can become either an Avatar (eventually Hero), or the Archmage.
  Archmages have even more powerful magic attacks;  powerful spells like Claw can literally
  rip an opponent to pieces!  They have a number of support spells as well, like being able
  to open portals to other people, finding where any person/mob is on the mud, etc.

b. Cleric - The "light" that complements the Mage.  Clerics are healers, plain and simple.
  You basically pick a cleric for their healing and defensive spells.  Just like the mage,
  clerics aren't physical characters; their strengths come from the spells they have and
  how much healing can aid others.

  Clerics can choose to become Avatars, or Druids.  Druids by far, are one of the most 
  important advanced classes on the mud.  Healing spells are impressive for clerics; you
  can cast a single spell to heal an entire group, regenerate lost limbs on the wounded,
  create monsters to help you fight, and even clone yourself!  The role of a druid is
  typically for support, but I've personally found that an equipped druid can easily dish
  out as much punishment as they can take.

c. Warrior - The fighters of the mud.  All brawn, no brains, so to speak.  Warriors get 
  the good attacking skills, that can keep a mob temporarily stunned.  This character
  is the physical powerhouse, geared more for hack and slash playing than any other class.

  Advancement is either to Avatar (getting tired of hearing it yet?), or the Blademaster.
  The Blademaster is a really strong character.  No other class can dish out as much
  damage or (usually) stun a mob better than a Blade.  Blade skills basically lean to
  the offensive, though some of their abilities allow them to fight harder and longer
  when critically wounded, or heal themselves in combat.

d. Thief - Another physical character, moreso than you might think.  Thieves start with
  the best opening stun move for duals; backstab.  Powerful stuff, provided you're 
  successful.  Ironically, thieves on NC really can't steal anymore; but the have a good
  range of skills regardless.  Thieves can peek, which will turn out to be one of the
  most used skills you'll ever be blessed with having.

  Thieves become (say it with me) Avatar, or Assassins!  Sounds cool, eh?  Well, it is.
  Assassins are pretty powerful;  they're geared more for one-on-one confrontations, though
  they can hold their own when against groups as well.  They don't stun as well as Blades,
      but the assassin can do cool stuff like maiming opponents.  Definitely the character you
    want if you enjoy challenging other players, and is still an excellent character for
  zoning as well.

e. Acolyte - Acolytes are the newest class to NC.  Not quite as powerful as a warrior, they
  have interesting abilities from the start, which lead to a less hack-and-slash style but
  not to the point of being a magic class.  An interesting mix of abilities.

  The acolyte, upon advancement, can be either an avatar or a Monk.  Monks are a neat novelty
    act;  they can do some decent stunning, but also have an eclectic combination of abilities
  to try out.  They can (for a short time) absorb tremendous amounts of damage, and can
  even paralyze an opponents capabilities!

f. Avatar - since they can advance too, I'll list it here as well.  Like I said before
  Avatar is an advanced class; all the skills and spells of the warrior, thief, cleric,
  acolyte and mage.

  Avatars at level 50, can become a Hero.  The Hero class is probably the best class for
  people interested in doing zones.  They can stun fairly well, but have unique skills
  geared more for zoning.  Stuff like taunting, which can bring a mob in from a different
  room, or scout, which lets you see the abilities of mobs before facing them!

E. The Races

 - OK, the last step before starting; picking your race.  This is just as important as choosing
   your class, and is a big stumbling block in the long run if you don't choose wisely.

 - For starters, certain races cannot choose certain classes.  An elf, for example, can't pick
   cleric.  Don't ask me why so-and-so race can't become so-and-so class; I don't make the rules.

 - Each class has their own pros and cons, especially with particular classes.  Choose wisely.

 - The Classes

a. Human.  All around average.  No class restrictions.  They won't be the best choice
  for any class, but they won't be the worst either.  Avoid making a druid or archmage
  Human; humans max out at about 1200 mana, and that can be too little for a pure magic
  character.  Human heroes work out well if you want to mend alot, I believe.

b. Elf.  A bit more HP, dexterity than humans.  Can't be cleric.  Honestly, I don't know
  what an elf would be best at; they have decent dexterity, but I'd prefer more for 
  characters like assassins or monks.  Probably would make a good hero.  Recent info
         indicates that an elf would make a capable Archmage; they have the highest cumulative
         INT and DEX, which supposedly increases the success of a particularly devastating spell...

c. Giant.  Can only be warrior or cleric.  Pick warrior for primary; a cleric giant would
  be a joke.  You'd basically have a high HP, ridiculously low Mana character.  Giants
  excel at Blademasters, with the highest HP they make great tankers.  Giant Heroes aren't
  too shabby either.

d. Halfling.  Can't be warrior.  Halfings are actually quite versatile; while they might not
         excel in Dexterity, they can still be capable assassins or monks.  They've got about the 
         3rd highest mana potential as well, making them suitable as archmages or druids.  You
         probably won't be disappointed in any class you make a halfling.

e. Dwarf.  Can't be mage, which works fine since dwarves have low mana anyway.  Dwarves have
  the second highest HP max, so they'd work well as a Blade fairly well, but I find that
  they also excel at being a Hero

f. Gnome.  I kind of regard the gnome as a joke race.  They have phenomenal mana and can
  regen lost mana points quick, but they have ridiculously low HP and strength.  I think
  they're pretty restrictive in class type too; no thief or warrior I believe, and they can't
  even go avatar.  Go with archmage or druid if you go gnome, but like I said, it doesn't
         seem worth it to even pick this class.

g. Lich.  Here's a more balanced class than gnome.  2nd highest mana, you get more hp than
  gnome (sadly, lower than the average still).  This is a strong magic class, going 
  Druid or Archmage and you won't be disappointed.  One drawback is that liches can get
  blinded quite easily on bright, sunny times of the day.

h. Drow. Drows have a good amount of HP, and the 2nd highest dexterity around.  This makes
  them ideal for assassins and monks.  Arguably the best race for these classes.  They also
  have trouble seeing at bright times.

i. Dragon. Lots of strength, average HP, mana right behind a halfling.  You can only go
  warrior or mage;  dragon Blades and dragon Archies aren't half bad in some aspects,
  especially with the racial skill, Dragon Breath.  Dragons have horrible Dexterity.

j. Kender.  The highest dexterity and movement around, the Kender is arguably the best class
  for assassins or monks.  The problems stem from their low strength, the fact that they
  can only flee at a maximum of 40% damage (if you set wimpy), and the fact that they
  can't pick any magic class (would be nice for secondary skills).  That's why it's a debate
  as to whether or not Kenders or Drow are the best assassins/monks.  Still, I like 
  Kenders, despite their shortcomings.  Just make sure to have a magically inclined character
  around to supplement the kender.

F. Secondary Class Choices

 - Again, this will be restricted by race, and you'll want to go based on your preferences.  
   For example, I typically like to balance a physical primary character with a magic class as 
   secondary, just to give them some variety and usefulness.  That way, my Blade can heal himself
   when he needs, or I can have all my characters cast dispel magic to expedite the process.
   On the other hand, you could go pure fighting, pure magic, etc.  It's up to you really.  Those 
   more interested in fighting other players (btw, PK is a limited option here; can occur via
   challenges, mortal kombat, chaos.  All safe ways.  Can also elect to become PK, where you can
   fight other PK characters at anytime, anywhere.) will probably want to have a solid physical
   character, like thief/acolyte (an assassin that has acolyte abilities has a big advantage in
   some regards).

G. Quick Breakdown

 - If you want a character for the following advanced classes, I recommend:

a. Blade - Giant, Dwarf, Dragon.  Humans and Elves would also be OK.
b. Assassin - Kender, Drow. Human, Halfling, Elf, would be OK.
c. Druid - Halfling, Lich, Gnome (tough play though). I wouldn't recommend any other race, 
    low mana is a detriment.
d. Archmage - Halfling, Lich, Dragon. Gnome if yer nuts.  Elf, though mana's a bit lower.
                    Stay away from low mana races.
e. Monk - Kender, Drow, Halflings.  Humans and Elves might be OK, but not superb.
f. Hero - Pretty much anything works for this class.  Well, maybe not Gnome....

 - To fit your different playing styles:

a. Power Hack-n-Slasher - Blademaster, Hero, Assassin, Monk
b. 1 on 1 - Assassin, Hero, Archmage, Druid
c. Sneaky Bums - Assassin, Hero, Druid, Archmage
d. Support Player - Druid, Archmage
e. Solid Zoner - Hero, Assassin, Blade, Monk
f. Nifty Tricks - Monk, Archmage, Druid
g. Hard at the Start, worth it in the long run - Hero, Druid
h. Quick to level and have fun with - Assassin, Blademaster