During character creation the 2nd question you will be asked is which difficulty you wish to choose, Hardcore, Normal or Roughneck. The 3rd question deals with alignment, namely anarchy. These are the four difficulty choices.
Normal characters will never permadeath, they will live to be real old without potions of youth. Normal characters have little use for karma outside of purchasing potions. Normal characters have the base exp/regen/stats tables, and have little to no inherent bonuses to their tables. When a normal character dies, they may get raised, or use the resurrect command. These are the very safest characters, and are perfect for exploring the mud freely with little to no issues about deletion.
Hardcore characters off a challenge for the experienced player, but they will only ever get one life. Should a hardcore character fail a resurrection spell, or use the resurrection command, that character is for ever gone to the binary astral void. Hardcore characters are at the top of the table for life, mana, stats, karma gain, and exp tables. The only drawback is that death and file deletion thing. This mud it is quite capable of handing out random splats unexpectedly.
Roughnecks fall inbetween these other two difficulties. Roughnecks start with 5 karma, and each time you fail a raise or use the resurrect command, you will loose karma. Any Roughneck who resurrects at -5 karma is deleted. Karma can be gained and maintained in several ways. Roughnecks fall in the exp/life/regen table between normal and hardcore. This char will only ever have a finite number of lives.
Anarchy. This new alignment has a twist. Any character may choose it, though its the one decision that can kill you. A person who chooses the anarchy alignment is aggressive to everything, rather, everything in game, which can be killed, is going to want you dead. Even stuff that is normally not aggressive to anyone else, is going to do its best to kill you. Guildmasters, Innkeepers, etc wont ever bother you; everything else, from chickens to birds to guards, is going to be so happy to see you. An added twist. If someone attains a level 3x40 hardcore anarchist, I will give them a vorpal sword (and anyone who knows me, knows how I feel about vorpal swords through the years).
Karma plays a great role in the realm of SoulMUD. Karma is the life force behind all permadeath characters (note: normal players do not ever perma death, but gain small amounts of karma.) Each of these difficulties gains karma on a random scale as they level. Karma may also be gained by slaying very large creatures as a group in-game, these are either Lord or Hero growth mobs. Karma may also be spent upon permanent stat rendering potions for play improvement (should the vendor be found). These potion affects show up under the 'bonus' command. Should a players karma fall below 0, potion effects will stop working; how ever, once karma is in the good again, the potions will work again. Karma may also be gained by sacraficing corpses, though it takes a lot of corpses.
Immortal Run Quests - during this time, when the mud is switched into quest mode, permadeath is for all intensive purposed, turned off. Mobs in quest mode are meaner, faster, bigger, and more prone to grow, immortals them selves are brutal; and so everyone has an even footing during a quest, and shouldnt have to worry about things like file deletion, when folks are trying to have fun.
Gannon is a karma vendor who resides in Tupelo during the evening hours (9pm -5am). He sells simple potions of bonus to basic attributes. This allows characters to trade life force to make there characters stronger. All affects are permanent.
Frosty - increases max hitpoints
Soul - increases max mana
Luck - increases max movement
Storm - increases hitpoint regen
Freedom - increases movement regen
Stardust - increases mana regen
These potions have max'es of 10.
She is a Gypsy lass named Ezmerelda. Ezmerelda wanders the world and sets up shop in different spots, on different days of each month. She will always return to the spot she was at one month prior. She sometimes visits towns, and other times might be found in the wilderness or the desert. She wanders where every she goes, so finding her is often difficulty. Cause each day, she is in a different town.
Ezmerelda is a Karma vendor, and like Gannon the Tupelo Vendor, she sells Karma potions. These potions enhance the abilities of a character. So a character trades in their life force, for extra bonus powers. Each & every potion type has a maximum amount of times you may quaff and render an affect. Ezmerelda has a tight schedule, and every day she sets up shop again, though she will always return to that spot the next month, on that day.
The following potions render the following powers permanently:Royal Blue, +1 dam (max 7)
Fierey Red, fire damage spells + 5% (max 5)
Bubbling vile, +2 hitroll (max 5)
Infinity, unique focus (critical healing) + 3% (max 5)
Infernal, unique critical hit attack +3% (max 5)
Tribute, damage reduction, +3% (max 6)
Lava, earth damage spells + 5% (max 5)
Leviathan, water damage spells + 5% (max 5)
Atomic, unique focus (damage spell criticals) + 3% (max 5)
Worship, air damage spells + 5% (max 5)
As more karma potions are added this page will be updated.