			 Haven FAQ (December 1996)
		  -----------------------------------------

The following list contains most of the frequently asked questions people 
new to Haven have. Be sure you have read this whole thing and know that
your question is unanswered before you go asking someone else. Everyone
here is happy to help you, but you must understand that answering the same
question over and over again for several thousand players is wholly
unmanageable.  To that end, we have created this FAQ.

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1) What is the first thing I should do here as a newbie?

Type "help". Every command on Haven has a help file, but there
are other help files as well. The "help" command will list those other
help file for you.

2) How do i move around?

There are two motion commands on Haven, "go" and "enter".  

The "go" command represents motion towards, for example "go south".  Most
directional commands, for the sake of convenience, have been aliased
so that "s" means "go south".

The "enter" command is used for motion into, for example, "enter pub".
Use the enter command whenever you are going into something.

3) Where should I go first?

    The first thing you should do on Haven is look around.  You
start your life on Haven in the heavens.  Once you have looked
around the heavens a bit and are familiar with some of the commands,
you can move into the vortex you will find near Olympus.  This will
take you to your hometown. Your hometown depends on your chosen race.
From there, simply look around.  It is vital that you find a profession 
before exploring too much, as the way to advance on Haven is through 
advancement of your skills.

3) What happens when I die?
As a mortal, when you die, you join the living dead and are transported
to the cemetary of your hometown.  You live, however, with the knowledge
that if you die again, your death is permanent.  That is, when a
member of the undead dies, that person is erased from Haven.

On the other hand, you may simply ask a priest of some immortal to
resurrect you if you are undead.  Resurrection returns you to the land
of the living.  Unfortunately, those who go through the pain of
resurrection often find themselves less skillful than in their
previous life.

People who die while undead may not be resurrected, as it is too late.

4) How do I learn even more about this mud?

The first people you should talk to are other players. They are most 
familiar with many of the questions you might have. You can do this by
using the ooc line. To use the newbie line type <ooc message>.

5) What is legal here?

Anything is legal on a game wide scale.  There is no set law against
any action.  Haven is a role-playing environment.  The only law that
exists is that role playing is stressed.  Players who are disruptive
and/or not role playing well will be purged.

On a character scale, the best way to find out the laws of the city
you are in is to visit its town hall.  In it you should find a list
of laws that apply in that town.  Depending on the ruler and the god
that the town worships, it could be strict laws, or no laws.

6) I have a problem. Who do I talk to?

You can talk to other newbies, high mortals, legends, avatars, or the 
Immortals. The Immortals have many things to do, but can deal with players
problems (these do not include things like "Can you get me this and
that? Can you move me there? Can you kill this person for me?"). The
Immortals also serve as a liaison between players and Arches, so if
you have something that needs to be addressed by Arches, you should
first talk to the Immortals. 

7) What does the stuff in the "who" listing mean?

The who listing is designed to give you information about who is currently
present in our reality. The listing is divided by player and immortal
category (e.g. newbies, mortals, high mortals, legends, avatars, angels,
immortals, sages, and arches). The "who" listing also gives you 
information on which players are idle and which are in edit mode. 
Players or creators that are in edit mode generally don't like to be 
disturbed by tells, unless in cases of emergency.

8) How do i tell how long someone has been idle?

You can use the "idle <player>" command.

9) How do I send and read mail on Haven?

Visit a post office.  You will only be allowed to use the post office
of the city that you are a citizen of.  All newbies can use the Heaven
post office.

13) What is the difference between a guild and a class?

A class is considered your general way of life, akin to the modern
expression of saying "I work in television". It does not specify exactly
what it is I do, but it does suggest that I have certain talents I have
gained through training and such which will last me throughout my life
that may be manifest in many different manners. Similarly in the reality
of Haven, there are many classes of people.  There are help files on each 
of these.  

Once you join a class, you are a member for life. The class is your
source of power. A guild on the other hand is a social institution.
It's main function is to give an individual player character and
individuality that is not common in LPMud games.  There are no great
powers gained by joining a guild, but they do help tie you in a way to
other players in the game. Your choice of guild should thus reflect
your game personality. The number of guilds is limited only by how
many the immortals of the mud have created.  

10) Can I join more than one class? 

Yes. However, if you choose to do so, you must be prepared to make certain
compromises. No one but you can know if that is a wise decision for you to
make. But if you are the one who wishes to explore new things an take
risks, by all means, go for it.

11) How do I join a guild?

The method will vary from guild to guild. You should talk to a member of
the guild you want to join to find out the process for that guild.
Remember that each guild on Haven is meant only for a certain
restricted group of characters, so a guild good for one player is not
necessarily good for another player.

12) Have you seen player X?

Type <finger [name]> and you will get all of the information you need.

13) What can I use to fight monsters?

You can obviously use your limbs (melee) and any weapon you find, as
well as specialized magic spells.  Additionally, as in real life, any
object in the game could be used as a weapon, although it will be less
effective than designated weapons. 

14) What do I use to protect myself from being hit?

You can use amour (<wear amour>) or magical protection given to you by
your or somebody else's casting of a protection spell on you.

15) How do I heal?

There are many ways to be healed. You heal naturally over time. This
natural process of healing is speeded up when you rest, eat well and drink
plenty of fluids. You can also be healed by town healers, but that, of
course, costs money. Another way to get well is to make friends with
clerics who have the ability to cure people from all kinds of things.
However, it is a cleric's option to refuse this kind of service or do it
in exchange for a favor from you.

16) How do I make friends?

Well, hopefully, you should know that by now. Be nice to people, don't bug
them, do good deeds and be funny (people like that, unless you are making
fun of them).

17) Is player killing allowed?

Yes.  But remember that the name you make for yourself may haunt you.

18) How many quests do I have to do?

None.  Haven does not require you to do any quests.  Still, they
are a source of money, treasure, prestige, and skill advancement.
Quests give you a list of titles.  You may pick any two of your titles
at any time to be displayed using the "title" command.

19) How much experience do I have?

Unlike other MUDs, Haven has no experience points which will help you
determine your experience easily. Instead, your experience is determined
by your skillfulness in the arts essential to your class.

20) How do I advance, then?

Your level respresents how good you are at what you do.  This means
that a level 20 fighter is considered as skillfull at fighting as a
level 20 evoker is at the evokational arts.  It does not mean that a 
level 20 cleric should be able to do battle with a level 20 fighter 
and have any hope of winning.

A player thus advances through the use of their primary skills.  Each
class has 4 primary skills, and you can list those skills by checking
out the help file for your class.

21) How do I know my stats and skills?

<stats> will give you a list of stats, and <skills> will let you see your
skills.

22) How do I improve my skills?

You are alloted a certain number of training points which you may use
at training centers for training skills.  These are quickly
exchausted, and from that point on, you must use a skill in order to
improve it.  You will receive a certain amount of point each time
you gain a level.  These can be used however you see fit.

23) What do the stats mean?

Stats are numerical representations of your basic physical make up, your
personality and your karma, all of which are determined by your racial
heritage. These stats are used in different relevant aspects of your mud
life. Many stats have an impact on any single facet of your character. The
interactions between stats are very complex and you might begin to
understand them through experience.

24) How do I raise stats?

It depends on the stat.  Some stats, like luck, are with you as is for
all your life.  Others, like strength, improve with use, but decrease
as you enter old age.  Finally, others, like wisdom, improve as you
age.  Which stats do what, however, are highly dependent on your race.

25) What if I don't like my stats?

Every race has its strong points and weak points.  Either you play to
your strengths and become a member of a class which can take advantage
of your strengths, or you accept the challenge of overcoming your weak
points and excelling in a class you are not designed for.

If you really hate your stats, use the "suicide" command to destroy
your character and rebuild anew.

26) I have an idea for something new here, who do I tell?

You have several options:
a) become an immortal and build it yourself
This is perhaps the most rewarding option, as you have full creative
control over what eventually happens with your ideas.
b) Use the "bug" command and report your idea
c) mail Duuktsaryth and tell him your idea

Haven is always interested in hearing player ideas.

27) A list of abbreviations:

PK- Player killer
HM- High mortal
imm- Immortal
du - destroy utterly (a description of damage).
CL - Chain Lightning (a powerful spell).

28) How do I see in color?

Since different people have different terminal types, when you first login
to Haven your terminal is set to "unknown". If you have a terminal
emulation which supports some sort of standard protocol for producing
color (most vt100's support ansi), you may use the command "terminal" to
choose a protocol. See "help terminal".

29) How do I know what commands exist?

Type "help commands" for player commands, "help spells"
for a list of spells, and "help index" will give you a list of 
other command types as well.

30) I do not like my character or I no longer want to play 
Haven. How do I get rid of my character?

Use the "suicide" command.

This FAQ was first written by Descartes in 1992. Extensive modifications
and additions were completed by Xymox@Nightmare.  FAQ was edited for
use on Haven by Duuktsaryth 12-13-96. FAQ was later updated by 
Zaxan 1-25-98.

