his skill can only be initiated in combat, and costs 10 mana and 30 movement points. The mana cost is waived for karateka. When successful, it infuses the character with the fighting spirit of his ancestors, bestowing upon him an extra 15-40 points of strength for one game hour (approximately one minute in real life).

here is little doubt that traditional combat methods, such as slicing your foes with a blade or bashing them with a hammer, can be effective ways of killing your enemies. Many warriors have perfected such skills. However, there is a deeper satisfaction to be gained from a strong, crushing kick splitting your opponent's skull.

Kick is a special attack that increases in potency as you increase in level. A kick will do blunt damage equal to half your level; however, there is a catch. If you kick an opponent, you will not be able to enter a command for two combat rounds.

 character skilled in the art of lightning strike will automatically have the delay of commands that cause him to engage in combat—for example, kill, assist, or rescue,—significantly reduced.

his skill lets the user attempt to determine if there are any life forms in the direction specified. This skill can be used to attempt to determine what lies behind a closed door as well.

he lose skill allows you to get away from someone who is following or tracking you. Your target need not be present, but you must be able to see him.

his skill encompasses the use of blunt, hafted weapons of short to medium length in mêlée combat. This includes everything from maces proper through simpler weapons such as clubs. Aptitude at this skill negates non-proficiency penalties and allows weapons of this type to be used in conjunction with weapon kata.

se of this skill has several functions depending upon the level of the practitioner. At any level, it will remove the effects of poison at the turn of a (game) hour. When the character attains level 30 it will cleanse him of weakness. When the character attains level 50, this form of meditation will cleanse him of blindness. Finally, upon reaching level 70, this form of meditation will cure a character of the effects of curses. Meditation is only possible while a character is sitting. While he is meditating, he cannot enter commands into the Mud; doing so will break his trance. He can, however, listen to the world around him.

se of this skill will allow a monk or karateka to increase his natural movement and hit point regeneration to well above what he would normally receive while sleeping. Meditation is only possible while a character is sitting. While he is meditating, he cannot enter commands into the Mud; doing so will break his trance. He can, however, listen to the world around him.

se of this skill will allow a monk to regain his mana very quickly—more quickly than if he slept. Meditation is only possible while a character is sitting. While he is meditating, he cannot enter commands into the Mud; doing so will break his trance. He can, however, listen to the world around him.

uring their journey to attain spiritual enlightenment, karateka master the ability to ignore the elements through sheer force of will. Those abilities pale into insignificance next to the ability to stave off death. Karateka avatars are so attuned with their spiritual self that they can sometimes ignore mortal wounds, so long as they can maintain their ki.

ith this skill, a shadowmage avatar is able to tap into the shadow planes to replicate the spells available to simple mages. While it costs the shadowmage three times the mana as it would a true mage and takes three times as long for him to cast, this ability adds great flexibility, and will increase in power as the caster does.

ntrepid explorer or a native of the highlands, some people are gifted with the ability to scale the heights with ease. Forays into hilly, mountainous, or otherwise rocky regions are made significantly less tiring by the character's knowledge of the equipment and techniques required to safely and rapidly traverse the slopes and sheer walls.

his powerful fighting style emphasizes both liquidity of motion and focus. The original master who created this style was a proponent of both cobra strike and iron fist. He saw the value in focusing power into very precise blows, but could not understand why this should come at the expense of fluid movement. Thus, his style reflects some of the quick movements of the cobra, while retaining much of the forcefulness of the fist, channeled through one single finger.

his skill lets you stealthily take a single object in a similar manner to the get command, except that if you are successful, no one will see that you have done so.

he parry skill grants you a chance to neutralize one attack from a single opponent. Use of a shield increases your chance to parry by one fifth. Parry is checked only once per combat round, regardless of success.

n avatar monk practiced in this skill has become so at one with himself and his surroundings that it becomes obvious what his opponents will do before they act. This allows him to escape at will or block his opponent's intended escape. This ability also substantially increases the monk's chance of dodging an attack.

his skill allows a thief to unlock locked doors or containers without the benefit of a key. Not all locks are pickable.

his skill lets you stealthily place a single object on the ground, on another character, or in a container in a similar manner to the drop, give, or put commands, except that if you are successful, no one will see that you have done so.

his skill covers the use of long, wooden-hafted weapons topped with a variety of heads designed to damage opponents in mêlée combat. Spears and pikes are covered by a separate skill, but included are weapons such as glaives, guisarmes, halberds, and scythes. The non-proficiency penalty is negated, and the weapons can be used in conjunction with weapon kata.

his powerful skill gives its practitioners the ability to damage or even destroy the spiritual energies of a living being. This damage is reflected in the physical condition of the target to varying degrees, from slight bruising to weakness, disorientation, paralysis, and in extreme cases instant death. The skill is obviously more effective on weaker spirits and the sickly or wounded. Great willpower, personal power, and skill are useful to the martial artist in achieving greater results.

his skill allows the use of scrolls with spells scribed onto them. Once read, such items will destroy themselves as they release the magic contained within.

he rescue skill allows a combatant to step in front of one of his allies, placing himself between his comrade and his foe. The opponent will then begin fighting the rescuer, and the target will escape mêlée combat. Each use of this skill will only rescue the target from one foe; if he is being hit by multiple attackers, multiple rescues will be needed before he is safe from harm. Rescue is a good-aligned skill.

his powerful fighting style captures the essence of a rushing, angered bull. The monk rushes in, kicking, punching, elbowing and using his head as a battering ram, raining a large number of powerful blows upon his opponent. The only deficiency of the style is that it does not in any way address the protection of the monk himself: it is a style purely for those with an aggressive bent!

his skill reduces or prevents damage from long falls. While it is not likely to be used often, it can be a true life saver when it does.

his skill lets you scan your surroundings for anything moving. All adjacent rooms will be scanned and the creatures therein reported. If you scan in a specific direction, this skill will let you scan up to four rooms in that direction, and will report the creatures therein.

You can use the scan command even if you do not have the skill; however, it is much less accurate.

his skill permits the person with its knowledge to record one of his spells upon a scroll. It requires the expenditure of three times the normal mana requirements of casting the spell to scribe it to a scroll.

By default, spells are scribed at 10 levels lower than your casting level; you may scribe them at a lower level if you wish, so that they may be recited by lower-level characters. In any event, spells may not be scribed below their minimum level.

While spells granted only to avatars may be scribed, they remain usable only by other avatars of the appropriate class and level. The spells Contingency and Judgement Day may not be scribed at all.

o one is certain who created this style, but a monk choosing to utilize it looks like a dervish, dancing wildly and swinging his arms and legs in swift, swirling arcs. As fighting styles go it is not terribly accurate, but when it hits, it hits exceptionally hard.

his skill works similarly to the follow command with the exception that the person followed will not necessarily see that he is being followed.

he pinnacle of stealth, skulk lets a thief grand avatar attempt to hide even if he's delayed by another command, much in the same way utility commands like score, typo, and configure are unaffected by command delays.

ith this command, you attempt to move silently. A successfully sneaking character is able to travel without anyone noticing him entering or leaving a room. You will not know whether you are successfully sneaking except by the reactions, or lack of reactions, of the players and creatures around you. Entering combat will cause you to stop sneaking.

Sneak, Inside is effective indoors and in cities and other civilized areas.

ith this command, you attempt to move silently. A successfully sneaking character is able to travel without anyone noticing him entering or leaving a room. You will not know whether you are successfully sneaking except by the reactions, or lack of reactions, of the players and creatures around you. Entering combat will cause you to stop sneaking.

Sneak, Outside is effective outdoors in uncivilized areas.

his skill allows the use of suitably balanced spears as ranged weapons if they are equipped in the primary weapons slot. Increased skill level reduces the non-proficiency penalties.

his skill encompasses the use of long, usually wooden-hafted weapons tipped with piercing points made from bone, minerals, or metal in mêlée combat. The non-proficiency penalty is negated, and the weapons can be used in conjunction with weapon kata.

his skill allows you to understand what spell another character in the room is casting. (Note that knowledge of a spell does not automatically let you recognize it, since you are in a trance-like state while casting.) For instance, you would, on a successful skill check, see 'Atlan utters the words, "magic missile"' instead of 'Atlan utters the words, "waouq wuggurz".'

his skill will allow you to spot hiding, sneaking, or similarly stealthy players. Note that it will be especially difficult to notice talented, high level characters.

his skill allows the use of small weapons designed to be spun as they are thrown in ranged combat if they are equipped in the primary weapons slot. Increased skill level reduces the non-proficiency penalties.

ncompassing long, simple pieces of wood to fancier, banded weapons, this skill covers the use of staves in mêlée combat. The non-proficiency penalty is negated, and the weapons can be used in conjunction with weapon kata.

he steal skill allows you to take gold or items from a monster or, in the Underdark, gold from another player, without his knowledge or consent. Equipped items can only be stolen from a paralyzed or dying foe.

The chance of not getting caught depends on how well you have practiced, your dexterity, your mark's level, and whether he is conscious.

his skill allows you to notice diggable walls in a room.

ith this potent form of spell-casting, a shadowmage avatar flashes his target with a rapid succession of spells, effectively making one casting seem like three instances of the spell. This costs the caster six times the normal mana necessary to cast the spell, works only with shadowmage spells, and will only function when the shadowmage is under the cover of darkness.

his skill allows you to savagely smash into your foe, stunning him for up to four rounds of combat, preventing him from attacking or doing much of anything else.

A successful stun will render you unable to enter commands for four rounds of combat; failure will only delay you three rounds, but will leave you sitting.

The chance of success, and the length of the stun if successful, depends on your skill, your and your target's level, strength, and dexterity, and whether your target is already stunned.

This attack is taxing on the endurance; it costs you ten movement points to attempt.

nowledge of this skill will occasionally allow you to instinctively fight back after being stunned; being berserk makes it more likely to work.

Stunned maneuvers also reduces the penalty incurred for attempting to stun a foe who is already stunned.

his skill is required to navigate water unless you have a boat or are enabled by magic to do so. It will not allow navigation of the deepest or most turbulent waters, but will make such less tiring.

his skill allows a character who is already involved in a fight to start attacking a different opponent instead.

pon learning this skill, a paladin's, arbiter's, or inquisitor's god, or an antipaladin's demonic patrons, will grant him his Holy or Unholy Avenger. The weapon granted will be of whatever kind the character is most skilled in; specialization in a weapon mastery will guarantee that particular weapon type. This skill can only be used once to obtain an Avenger. If an Avenger is lost via deathtrap or scrapping, you must quest to regain it. Any Immortal of rank Einheriar or higher can grant Avenger quests.

overing a large variety of single-handed blades popular for their effectiveness and versatility, this skill aids in their use in mêlée combat, negating the non-proficiency penalties and enabling them to be used in conjunction with weapon kata.

his fighting style emphasizes the focusing of energy through the hand for quick, punch-like strikes. It is very good at penetrating light armors, and provides the monk with a quick, balanced body positioning for dodging enemy blows.

his basic unarmed combat style focuses power in the hands, for quick, cat-like strikes.

his command is similar to give, except that the recipient must have an empty hand to catch the object, it does not cause a time delay in combat, and it can be used if the recipient is in another room, similar to throw. (Unlike throw, it will not provoke a return attack and cannot be used to cause damage.) Proficiency in the toss skill is not a prerequisite for tossing, but it will markedly improve your accuracy.

he track skill allows you to locate a monster or another player by following the telltale signs left by his passage. There is a significant delay associated with tracking, as you must stop and search for signs of your quarry whenever you enter a new room. High-level rangers are able to track much more quickly than other classes.

his mêlée skill covers barehanded attacks as well as the use of weapons that can be regarded as an extension of your limbs, such as claws. Non-proficiency penalties are negated with this skill.

ith this style, a monk avatar sets aside the weaknesses of muscle and flesh, fighting without physical contact. It allows very rapid movement and amazing accuracy. While not the most devastating style, it grants its practitioner considerable mobility, and penetrates all but the crudest defenses with laughable ease.

his skill allows a trained martial artist to incorporate a weapon into his or her style, receiving all the standard bonuses of the weapon. While beginning kata users will suffer a slight reduction in attacks, especially with a two-handed weapon, high skill levels will negate this penalty. A master of both weapon kata and the weapon's associated weapon proficiency will gain an attack every other round on average.

The majority of strikes while using weapon kata in addition to a style will do standard style damage and damage type, with the remainder using the damage and type of the weapon wielded. Hits with the weapon will also benefit from any weaponspell on the weapon, unlike base style strikes.

Only weapons with a weight of 24 or less can be incorporated into a fighting style. Additionally, the martial artist must know at least the basics of the associated weapon proficiency.

his weapon proficiency encompasses long, flexible weapons which are used with a lashing action to damage foes, ranging from whips and scourges to jointed staffs and ball and chains. Skill in whips and flails negates the non-proficiency penalty and allows them to be used in conjunction with weapon kata.

end with the wind and do not break. The essence of the great willow, which bends against the wind but absorbs its force with elegance and grace, describes this monkish fighting style. When fighting with willow dance, a monk will not do terribly much damage to his opponents. However, his opponents will also find it hard to harm him!