CastleMUD Newbie Guide
One of the biggest problems that new players seem to have on CastleMUD is getting started: finding the guilds, where to buy equipment, how to undertake quests without asking acting ooc (out of character) or asking ooc questions. The purpose of this guide is to provide newbies with the basic information needed to get started in the game and how to find a few important places in the city of Holtsson. If there is anything that you think should be added to this guide, feel free to email me at lunarhound@crystal-tokyo.com.

CONTENTS:

1. Helpful Help Files
2. Starting Out
3. Class Training Suggestions
   1. Fighters
   2. Clerics
   3. Mages
   4. Rogues
4. Suggested Starting Equipment
   1. Armor
   2. Weapons
   3. Verduci (clothing, custom equipment and additional armor)
   4. Food and Supplies
5. Weapon Training
6. Important People And Places In Holtsson
   1. The Castle Vault
   2. The Healer
   3. The Master Smith
   4. The Sage
   5. The Repair Shop
7. What Do I Do Now?
   1. Working Your Way Into The Story
   2. Questing
8. On With The Adventure!

1: HELPFUL HELP FILES

There are several help files that you should familiarize yourself with before beginning to play:

help holt: brings up a map of the city of Holtsson with locations of shops, guilds, and other points of interest.

help castle: brings up a map of Lord Holt's Castle. This is where you'll find the Master Smith, Vault Keeper, Sage, and of course Lord Holt himself.

help map: brings up a map of the entire world of CastleMUD.

help communication: Brings up a list of all the different methods of communication available in Old Castle. Be sure to read 'help ooc', 'help qtell', 'help sayto'.

Also be sure to read:
help in character
help out of character
help role playing
help noooc

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2: STARTING OUT

Upon entering the game for the first time, your character will be placed before the drawbridge at the entrance to Lord Holt's castle in the capital city of Holtsson. Go directly north from here until you reach the throne room and Lord Holt himself. Once you've reached Holt, type 'take 1' to undertake the first quest, which is finding your guild and getting your diploma. In the future, you can return to Holt and type 'list' to see what other quests he has to offer you. typing 'take' followed by the number of the quest, will assign that quest to you.

Once you have your first quest, you'll need to find the guild for your particular class:

Fighter's guild: The guild of fighters is where Holtsson's finest hone their skills in the many styles of combat taught throughout the continent. It can be found just south of the castle, on the west side of Main Street. From the throne room, go 8 south and 1 west.

Rogue's guild: The mysterious guild of rogues can be found inside an old warehouse in the southern part of town, across the street from the magic shop and a short distance from the guild of mages. From the throne room, go 11 south and 2 east.

Cleric's guild: The guild of cleric's is situated in a large marble building with a white banner, on the north side of River Road, in the eastern end of town. From the throne room, go 9 south, 2 east and 1 north to find it.

Mage guild: Holtsson's guild of mages is located in a tall stone tower in the south part of town. From the throne room, go 10 south and 1 west to reach the entrance.

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3: CLASS TRAINING SUGGESTIONS

Once you've located your guild, the first thing to do is train in a few basic skills. To do this, type 'practice' or just 'prac' while standing in the room with your guild instructor. You will see a list of skills that you are able to practice. The following are suggestions on which skills to learn first.

A: FIGHTERS

Warrior
The "shield punch" ability should probably be the first skill learned by a beginning warrior, as it will make the fight with the beast at the end of the training quest much easier. Be sure to pick up and wear the shield in the training area so that you will be able to use this ability. After the training quest, return to your instructor and use your new practice points to learn the "parry" skill.

Barbarian
Barbarians should use their first practice sessions to learn "bite." That's right, folks, the barbarians, over many centuries, have developed the act of BITING their opponents into a fine art that must be practiced in order to be done right. After the training quest, it is up to you whether to spend your new practice sessions on increasing your biting ability, or learning the "gouge" skill (blinds your opponents).

Paladin
"Lay hands" is probably the first skill that should be learned by the paladin. After training, it is up to you whether to further your skill in "lay hands", or begin learning "detect chaos."

Anti-Paladin
Since the first level skills of the anti-paladin will not be of any real use in the first battle, it is up to you which skills to practice. Just be sure to pick up and wear the equipment found in the training area, since you will have no skills to aid you in the battle at the end of your training.

Ranger
While neither of the first level skills available to the ranger class will be of much use in the first fight, it is recommended that you spend your initial training sessions on increasing your skill in "archery", as this ability can become quite useful later on. Once you have completed your training and advanced to level 2, it is up to you whether to further your archery skill, or learn the "forage" ability. It should be noted, however, that an adequate supply of food is usually not difficult to obtain. While you may wish to learn foraging at some point in the future, it is likely that "archery" will serve you better at this point.

Martial Artist
While both the "punch" and "block" skills will aid you in the first battle, it is recommended that you spend all of your initial practice sessions on "punch." After you have completed training, you should return to your instructor and spend all of your new practice sessions learning to "block."

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B: CLERICS

Healer
Neither of the first level skills available to the healer will be of any help in the first battle, so make certain to pick up the training equipment available inside the guild's training facilities. It is completely up to you whether to practice "refresh" or "remove blindness" first.

Protector
The first skill learned by the protector should be "armor." Cast this spell before fighting the beast at the end of the training quest, and you should have nothing to worry about. After defeating the beast and advancing to level 2, it is probably a good idea to learn "circle of protection." This handy spell will surround you with a magical aura that prevents agressive monsters from attacking (although they will strike back if you attack them first).

Zealot
While "call lightning" is a nice attack spell, it will be of no use in the first battle, since you will be fighting indoors and the weather conditions must be right in order for you to summon a lightning bolt. I'd recommend learning it anyway, as it will probably come in handy in the future. What to do with your new practice sessions after advancement is up to you.

Druid
"Barkskin" should be the first spell learned by the druid. Cast this just before the fight with the beast at the end of the training quest and victory should come easily. After advancement to level 2, my personal reccomendation is that you learn the "goodberry" spell. While imbuing a berry with minor healing powers may not sound like much, it can actually be quite a lifesaver. Magical healing items are very hard to come by in CastleMUD, and berries can be harvested in large quantities if you know where to look. Being able to create magical healing items, even minor ones, can be am extremely valuable skill.

Priest
For the beginning priest, either the "bless" or "curse" spells should work equally well in the first battle. "Bless" will raise the combat abilities and saving throws of the target, while "curse" does the opposite. These are also fun spells to have, as they can be used on weapons, armor and other items in addition to living creatures.

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C: MAGES

Red Mage
Red mages should learn the "burning hands" spell initially. While it is really up to you what to do with your practice sessions after advancement, my personal opinion is that you should continue to further your skill in "burning hands." "Infravision", while useful in certain circumstances, is far from being an essential spell. You will probably find that the occasions where you might want to use it will be few and far between.

Blue Mage
"Chill touch" is the spell of choice for first level blue mages. After advancement, your remaining practice sessions are in your hands. While increasing your skill in "chill touch" will help a lot in the difficult combat situations at low levels, "create water" can also be useful at times, when on a long adventure. You may, however, want to wait until a later level to learn it, as it is not advisable for beginners to venture too far outside the city alone.

White Mage
"Invisibility" and "control weather" can both be useful, but I recommend learning invisibility first. While it won't help you in the first battle at the end of training (you become visible if you attack someone/something) it is very handy for moving around unnoticed (obviously). It is especially useful at low levels, for avoiding detection by the agressive goblins that like to bully travelers on the roads just outside of Holtsson.

Green Mage
A green mage's first spell should definately be "dig." This innocent sounding incantation opens up a large pit beneath your foe, causing them to fall in and take damage. There is also a chance the pit will close before they can manage to climb out, and they will be buried alive. This spell will come in handy when fighting the beast at the end of the guild training area. "Create food" can also be a handy spell, although only useful in certain circumstances, as it is normally not too difficult to find a place to buy food fairly cheap.

Black Mage (necromancer)
Whether to learn "feign death" or "consume" at the beginning of your career as a necromancer is really up to you. Both can be useful at times. "Feign death" will allow you to play dead. Vital signs slow down to the point that they become undetectable. While in this state, no agressive creatures will harm you, though performing any action at all ends the spell. "Consume" allows you to suck the last bit of life out of a recently killed opponent and use it to regenerate yourself. Necromancers should be certain to pick up the equipment found in the training area, as neither spell will do you much good in your first fight.

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D: ROGUES

Thief
A fledgeling thief would probably be best served by learning the "backstab" skill first. Initiating the fight at the end of the training quest with a "backstab" will get you off to a good head start. You should still be sure to pick up eqipment in the training area, as you will have no skills to aid you after the fight has begun. Increasing your "backstab" ability or learning to "hide" after advancement is up to you.

Bard
While neither "sing" or "identify" will be of any help in the first battle, both skills should be larned early. Your first practice sessions should be spent on one, and your new practice sessions after advancement should be spent on the other. Singing is where the majority of a bard's power comes from and without this ability... well what's the point of being a bard? "Identify" is a much sought after and very useful skill, as it allows a bard to determine the special and magical properties of nearly any item. Players will often be willing to pay a bard to identify an item found while adventuring.

Assassin
The first skill learned by an assassi should be "stab." This will help a lot in the first battle at the end of the training quest. After advancing to level 2, it is up to you whether to increase your skill in "stab" or begin learning the "stalk" ability. Stalk can, however, be extremely useful and should definately be learned at some point. It is particularly effective when used in combination with the high level skill "shadow strike."

Acrobat
For the acrobat, it is probably a good idea to become familiar with the "dodge" skill initally, as it will be helpful in the first battle at the end of the training quest. After advancing to level 2, it is your choice whether to continue training in "dodge" or learn the "throws weapons" skill.

Next, you'll need to undergo a short training quest in order to be advanced to level 2, complete your first quest and recieve your starting cash. The training program is the same for all classes. It is designed mainly to aid those unfamiliar with mudding in getting to know the world around them. Experienced mudders can quickly zip through this training exercise by simply following the room directions, since there will always be only one available exit per room while in the training area. For players completely new to muds, simply read each room description carefully, and follow the instructions provided. Also, while the equipment found in the training area is pretty weak, it may be a good idea to pick up and use what you find until training is complete, since there is a short battle at the end and it is unlikely you will purchase or recieve any equipment until after you have completed this quest. Picking up the bag is probably not necessary, as backpacks are much better for carrying things and are very inexpensive.

At the end of the training area, you'll fight a fairly easy monster. After defeating it, you will be advanced to level 2. Be sure to make use of any abilities learned from your guild instructor that may be useful. While the beast is pretty easy to defeat, he HAS been known to kill unprepared players occasionally.

After the beast is defeated, return to Lord Holt's throne room in the castle (if you don't remembere how to get there, look back at the directions to your guild and follow them in reverse). Upon reaching the throne room, type 'done' and Lord Holt will present you with 100 gold coins. This money can be used to purchase the basic necessities you'll need to get started on CastleMUD.

First, you will probably want to purchase some clothing and equipment. Type "help holt" to view a map of the city. Using this map, it should not be too difficult to find the shops you're looking for.

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4: SUGGESTED STARTING EQUIPMENT

The equipment suggested here was chosen because of its low cost and decent protective value for new players. Certain classes may wish to purchase more expensive equipment. This is not reccomended, as money is not easy to come by early in the game, but it can be done. Others may also wish to purchase less expensive equipment for Role Playing reasons or simply to save a little bit of money. Verduci the tailor can provide custom clothing, jewelry and other items for very low prices, in order to give your character more personality. Be aware, however, that Verduci's custom items have no protective value. They are for appearance and role playing purposes only. Spell-casting classes should remember that wearing metal equipment will disrupt an incantation, and cause a spell to fail.

A: ARMOR

Locate the armor shop on the city map. Once inside, type 'list' to see what's for sale. Reccomended items for all classes here, are:
leather boots
leather leggings
leather vest
leather cap

Each of these items costs 2 gold.

Warriors, paladins and anti-paladins may also find useful:
steel bracers for 15 gold each
a heater shield for 30 gold.
a steel scalemail coif for 30 gold

Remember that by purchasing any of these extra items, you will be using up quite a lot of your starting cash and while they will be very handy in battle, you may begin to feel the lack of money before too long. Begging for money from strangers in CastleMUD is frowned upon and will usually earn you more scorn than gold.

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B: WEAPONS

Choosing weapons is a matter of style, skill, strength and personal preference. As you have probably not trained in the use of any one weapon yet, skill will not come into play here.

The following are suggested starting weapons for each class:

Warrior/Paladin/Anti-Paladin/Barbarian:
a steel sword (20 gold)
a steel axe (20 gold)
a longsword (25 gold)

Martial Artist: Martial artists need not purchase any weapons, as they fight quite well barehanded and can deliver two strikes per round when fighting without a weapon. They are able to learn the use of any weapon, though and you may wish to purchase a backup weapon to be used for tactical or role playing purposes. If you do so, however, make sure it is fairly light and not too cumbersome. Staves can sometimes be useful for their length, although if you buy one, be sure to buy an iron-shod staff rather than a simple wooden staff.

All Mage Classes:
a wooden staff (4 gold)

Mages, remember that wearing metal equipment and wielding metal weapons will disrupt incantations and cause your spells to fail.

All Cleric Classes:
a steel mace (15 gold)
a steel warhammer (20 gold)

All Rogue Classes:
a steel dagger

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C: VERDUCI (CLOTHING, CUSTOM EQUIPMENT, AND ADDITIONAL ARMOR)

Verduci, the renowned jeweler, tailor and resident miracle worker (when it comes to equipment) does a lot of business in Holtsson. Not only does he carry a fine selection of clothing and jewelry, but if you can't find what you want on his shelf, he'll make it for you! And for a very reasonable price. Before I get into that, though, here are some suggested items to give your character a little extra protection:

All Classes:
a leather belt (5 silver)
a dark grey cloak (7 silver, 5 copper)
a bracelet of ebon wood (1 gold, 2 silver)

The surcoats, while inexpensive, are not advisable, as they prevent you from wearing a backpack.

As stated above, Verduci can create custom equipment for you. This equipment has no protective value or any other stats. It is for appearance and role playing purposes only. It is, however, always nice to have something to wear that gives your character a little personality, particularly if you have some empty equipment slots open and nothing else to fill them with. Here is how to have Verduci create equipment:

Simply type: ask verduci order In the field, you would type a short description of the item you want created. For example, let's say you want a large red ruby hung from a silver necklace. You would type: ask verduci order a large red ruby hung from a silver necklace. If you wanted a blue silk shirt with gold embroidery, you would type: ask verduci order a blue silk shirt with gold embroidery.

Verduci will charge based on what type of item he is creating for you and what materials are being used. More expensive materials such as silver and gold will cost more money. Adding gems such as rubies and diamonds to an item can get quite expensive. For the most part, though, his prices are very affordable. To see a list of base item and material costs, take a look at the bulletin board inside the shop.

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D: FOOD AND SUPPLIES

Everyone needs to eat and adventurers in particular must make sure they are always carrying plenty of food for the road. The Grocer's can be found just south of the town square, in a building on the east side of Main Street. Follow the city map (help holt) and it shouldn't be too difficult to locate.

It is recomended that all players purchase the following items regardless of what class they are, or what type of character they wish to play:
a backpack (4 silver)
at least 10 slabs of roast beef (4 copper each)
a jug of clear water (5 copper)
at least 3 lanterns (1 silver, 2 copper each)

The water jug can be refilled at the fountain in the town square when it's empty.

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5: WEAPON TRAINING

All characters who plan on engaging in combat of any sort should be profficient in some type of weapon, or at least basic hand to hand fighting. Even players who do not plan on actively involving themselves in combat may wish to train a little for self defense purposes.

Weapon profficiency training is done at Blademaster Frang's residence, on the west end of town, across the street from Verduci's. Use 'help holt' to bring up the city map and find it.

Once you've located Frang, you can train in a weapon, simply type 'train', followed by the name of the weapon type you wish to train in. The first weapon you train in should be the weapon you plan to use as your primary one. You should continue to train in this until you have reached your maximum potential and it becomes your weapon of choice. You can only have one weapon of choice, so be sure that you train regularly with your favorite weapon type. It's very frustrating when your weapon of choice becomes a weapon that you would rather not use.

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6: IMPORTANT PEOPLE AND PLACES IN HOLTSSON

A: THE CASTLE VAULT

All players are entitled to a safety box in Holt's Castle Vault. In this box, money and items can be stored for you to extract later. It is a good idea to store excess money in the vault at all times, as carrying all your cash on you can easily put you in the poor house if a thief picks your pocket, or some thug or monster decides to beat you up for your money.

To find the vault, type "help holt" to view the city map and make your way to the castle. Once you arrive at the the castle's arched entryway, go 1 east and 1 north.

To place gold or items in your safety box, type: deposit To withdraw gold or items from your box, type: withdraw

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B:THE HEALER

Lord Holt's healer can be found just inside the castle entrance, past the arched entryway, in a room to the west. For a fee, he will provide healing and remove curses, poison and blindness.

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C:THE MASTER SMITH

Lord Holt's master smith is a craftsman of great and awesome power, creating weapons, armor, jewelry and other objects that are not only of the absolute finest craftsmanship, but also posess potent magical properties. All are rare and valuable works of art and a few of his more special masterpieces are entirely unique. Of these items, such as the mighty sword Frostbrand, there are only one. The smith does not duplicate these, which are the greatest of his work.

There is a bit more to obtaining these prizes than simply shelling out mounds of money, for the smith is a man of ideals and considers his works far too valuable to be bought by adventurers for mere gold. He will only part with one of his precious pieces if the one requesting the item has performed tasks in the service of Lord Holt. The more powerful and rare the item, the greater and more numerous the tasks required.

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D: THE SAGE

Holt's personal wizard and advisor, known to many as, simply, "The Sage" is not only a man of great age and wisdom, but also a reknowned collector of rare and valuable objects, as well as many oddities that would seem to have little or no use to anyone else. He will often pay adventurers generous sums of gold for strange or unusual items found during their travels.

To recieve payment from the sage for an item, type: trade

The Sage can be found just to the east of Holt's throne room.

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E: The Repair Shop

This is where adventurers go to repair equipment that has been damaged in battle, or simply worn down from everyday use.

To repair an item, type: repair

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7: WHAT DO I DO NOW?

Well, now that you're properly outfitted, what should you do next? There are quite a few options open to you, but two stand out from the rest.

A: WORK YOUR WAY INTO THE STORY

CastleMUD is all about community. The first and foremost way to set yourself on the road to a rewarding and successful stay in this game is to get in touch with people and form IC (In Character) relationships. Players often gather at the Wanderer's Inn in the city of Holtsson (easily located by bringing up the city map with 'help holt'). Sit back and observe for a few minutes, then try squeezing your way into any roleplay that might be going on. Veteran players love new characters and are almost always eager to help out someone who is genuinely interested. If there are conversations taking place on the OOC channel, join in! Introduce yourself and make friends Out Of Character and other players will be more likely to want to roleplay and group with you In Character. The sky's the limit. There are stories to be told, songs to be sung and adventures to be had, so get in there and get going! We can't wait to see what you have to offer!

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B: QUESTING

Questing is a good way to earn favor from Lord Holt (which will cause to master smith to be more willing to part with the powerful magical items he creates) and to earn money. To recieve a quest from Lord Holt, stand before him in his throne room and type 'list' to see what tasks are available to you. Take a quest by typing 'take . After completing the task set before you, return to the throne room and type 'done'. Holt will then ask you if you would like gold or points as your reward. Choose your reward by typing either 'gold' or 'points.'

Points are 'quest points' which represent Lord Holt's personal favor. These can be spent at the master smith in exchange for special equipment. If you decide to return the equipment to the master smith at any time, you will recieve the full amount of quest points that you payed for the item. In this way, it is possible to simply "borrow" an item from the smith indefinately, and return it when you wish to borrow a different item, or when you have gained more quest points and would like some of your points back in order to get your hands on something more powerful.

There are different quests available to players of different levels. When you have advanced a level, always return to Lord Holt to see if he has a new task for you to accomplish.

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8: ON WITH THE ADVENTURE!

You are now well on your way to the beginning of an exciting life in a land of fantasy! New friends, powerful and cunning foes, wondrous magic and fantastic creatures await you. CastleMUD has long been a place where new players who share our love of fantasy role playing are welcomed wholeheartedly into our continuing saga. We, the players and administrators of CastleMUD, hope that you will come to love this imaginary land and the people who inhabit it as much as we have.

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