Immortal Handbook

JediMUD's Immortal Handbook

Revision: 09/09/2009

Welcome to immortality here at JediMUD! After many hours of beast-slaying, you have earned a place in the immortal realms of Jedi. Congratulations to those of you who just achieved immortality! The handbook contains the basic guidelines and rules that apply to the immortals of JediMUD. Hopefully these pages will help you to get started without leaving you feeling overwhelmed.
If you are a new immortal, please go change your password as soon as you finish reading this handbook. Your new password should be very difficult to guess and should not be similar to any of the passwords you use for your mortal characters, nor should it be written down anywhere where other people can find it or saved on a computer that other people have access to. In short, you are responsible for taking all possible steps to ensure that no one except yourself is capable of logging in your immortal character. See "Sharing of Immortal Characters" below for more information.
For a simple listing of all your immortal commands, type "wizhelp." You can see what each of these immortal commands does by using the wizhelp command to access a help file. To access these help files you will need to use the format: wizhelp cmd <command>

The Rules of Immortaldom

If you break the rules in this handbook, you are NOT entitled to a warning. No excuses will be tolerated, especially the ever-popular "I didn't know that was illegal." Ask higher immortals for some clarification of any rules you do not understand after you have read the handbook. Obey both the letter and spirit of all of the rules. Immortal powers are far too easily abused and we will not allow untrustworthy immortals to retain the privilege of being immortal. If you break ANY rule as an immortal, expect to be remorted without the normal benefits to your character stats or, in more serious cases, frozen.

The Basic Rules:

IMMORTAL INTERFERENCE IN THE MORTAL WORLD

Interfering in the mortal world with your immortal character is an action which is punishable by freezing. Some ways that an immortal can interfere in the mortal world include attacking monsters in the mortal world, assisting mortals in combat, and picking up equipment in the mortal world. Never give mortals information about mobs or eq as an imm; go mortal to share any information you may know offhand, and NEVER share any information you have gained about a mob or obj during the current uptime. Acquiring equipment for mortals and/or giving gold to the mortals is prohibited and will result in freezing. You may not cast spells on mortals, identify items for them, stat their characters, mobs, or items for them, load equipment onto monsters for them to kill, or "soften" a mobile up. You should also not pick/unlock or even open doors in the mortal world; instead, use exits and goto to go to the rooms beyond a closed/locked door. In short, do not alter *anything* in the mortal world, for any reason.
You should also avoid interfering with the mortals' enjoyment of the mud in any way. Do not make offers for their equipment, follow them around without permission, harass them, or in any other way interfere with their playing experience. You may, of course, socialize with them with their consent, but if they ask you to leave them alone, do so immediately.
You may greet new players and give general advice (and we encourage you to help new players out with as much helpful advice as you can!), but do not give any mortal a specific advantage or disadvantage based on your immortal powers. For example, you may direct a newbie to the donation room or the bakery, but you may not tell a newbie his or her stats.
You may not use your immortal to answer questions regarding the specifics of spells, unless it is already listed in the helpfile. Examples of information that should not be disseminated by an Immortal would be spell damage numbers/ affects or any bonuses that stats might confer upon a spell. If you need to answer these sorts of questions, please go mortal to answer them.
You MAY NOT use your immortal to find out which mobs have loaded their items and then go mortal to kill them. This is considered cheating and is therefore a freezable offense. See the SCOUTING entry contained deeper in the handbook if this rule is not clear. If you still have questions about this, please see an AVTR+. IMMs are not exempt from the rules of the mortal world; for example, harassing someone is just as illegal (and very arguably more destructive) as an imm as it is as a mortal. Follow all of the normal JediMUD rules.

IDLING

Following all of the normal JediMUD policies includes 'policy bot.' Even though you don't have equipment, botting to avoid idling/force rent is not allowed. Furthermore, please keep in mind that when you're an immortal, mortals may ask you for help; please be invisible and/or put on your AFK flag when you are away from the keyboard, so that while you're idle, they won't think you're just ignoring them!

ALTERING OR FIGHTING MOBS IN THE MORTAL WORLD

Immortals do not need to fight monsters. Don't do it. If you *NEED* to kill something, either go mortal or ask a higher level immortal with load to put one somewhere in the God Complex and kill it there. If you can not kill it, then ask the person who loaded the monster to kill it for you. Do not alter monsters in the mortal world. This includes casting spells on them, as well as giving them items or gold.

SIMULTANEOUS LOGIN OF MORTAL AND IMMORTAL CHARACTERS

This is not allowed, even if one character is link dead. This will result in immediate freezing of both characters, no questions asked.

SHARING OF IMMORTAL CHARACTERS

Sharing or transferring of immortals is strictly forbidden. Violators will be frozen on sight. Disable any client-driven auto-logins for your immortal character. Use a different password for your immortal than you use for your mortals. Choose a password that is very difficult to guess and never write your password down where anyone might find it. YOU are responsible for any actions your immortal character takes.

DEATH TRAPS

You are allowed to explore the mud, including DTs. However, if you are going to be in a DT, go invisible to mortals before entering it. Mortals that see you standing in a room will think that it is a safe place to be.

AUCTION

Do not participate in auctions with your immortal, even via tell. If you see something on auction that you'd like to buy, go mortal to bid on it.

CLAN NAMES

JediMUD does not recognize official clans, but tolerates the existenceof unofficial clans among mortals. The administration, however, should remain free of anything which might suggest potential bias. For this reason, GRDN+ may not have any clan names in their titles.

ROOMS TO AVOID WITH YOUR IMMORTAL

Rooms 0-10 are off limits to immortals. Stay out of them. This includescharming Puff and using "at" to do actions in her room. Stay out of "Odin's Shop." Some zones are set up so that immortals may not enter them; these restrictions are in place to prevent immortal mapping. There are also rooms which have been made inaccessible to immortals for other reasons; these include the shadow storm and new zones, to allow mortals to explore without unfair competition from people with immortals.

PROMOTIONS

One's immortal levels are granted based on merit and contributions. Promotions are decided solely by the CIMP+'s, with recommendations from DEMI+'s for all levels DEMI and below. Most immortals do not rise above the rank of GRDN. Do not be discouraged. People who shine above and beyond their peers will be noticed and rewarded for their good work.

The immortals chosen for promotion are the people who will most effectively perform the duties of the positions available. Many factors are weighed during promotion cycles including good judgement and maturity, activities that make the immortal unique among his or her peers, and current and ongoing concrete contributions to the game.

People interested in promotion should realize in that above the level of IMM immortality is not a social position. It is a job that requires a great deal of work. It can be worth it, but don't expect it to be easy!

Normal promotion order is from IMM to GRDN. If an individual has made significant contributions to building or quest-running as a level 31 he or she may be promoted directly from IMM to BLDR or QSTR, but this is less common; more typically, a stint as a GRDN will precede BLDR or QSTR. BLDR and QSTR are considered equivalent levels although the code requires different numerical levels, and it is possible for immortals to go from one to the other if their interests and primary type of contributions change. GRDNs, BLDRs, and QSTRs who are interested in and possess the necessary skills for more administrative duties may apply for consideration for AVTR. (Please note that RNBL is a level for retired admin; it is not a level to which IMM-QSTR would be promoted, although it numerically falls between those levels and AVTR.) After AVTR, the immortal levels are a simple progression: the ranks in ascending order are DEMI, GOD, CIMP, and IMP. Promotion cycles occur approximately every 3 months. A notice will be posted in the IMOTD when it's time to submit applications. See wizhelp cmd application for more information.

QUEST APPROVAL

Quests add a great deal to daily mud life, and we encourage all of our immortals to become involved in designing and running quests. To that end, we have established the following working draft for classification of quest prizes, with accompanying approval guidelines:

Quest Approval Guidelines

All cash quests are required to have the amount of "tests" posted.
All cash quests are required to have the denomination for each "test" posted.
"Tests" are defined as trivia questions or instances where a quest participant must accomplish a minor task (such as finding a mob or room)
All cash quests are required to give away no more than 250k total for any given quest.
If you want to run a quest giving away gold or equipment from your mortals, you do not need to seek approval and do not have to adhere to quest prize approval guidelines, but you must run it as a mortal.
In-Game Quest parts and items may not be given away as prizes
Holiday/Special Event items (relics) may not be given away as prizes
DOOM items may not be given away as prizes
Pagoda items (zone 98) are classified as God Level quest prizes
QSTR+ may sponsor Happy Hours, up to a limit of 2 hours per 7 days.
GOD Approval quests are limited to 1 per 7 days
CIMP Approval quests are limited to 1 per 7 days
Holiday quests and Gauntlets are not included in the 7 day approval periods.
CIMP approved quests that include GOD approvable quest items do not block the 7 day limit on God approved quests.
Major GOD & CIMP approved quests should generally give a 1 week notice before the quest, though in some situations this may not be necessary.
Any of the above can be changed by a CIMP on the fly for any given quest.

QSTR Approval:

cash 250K

AVTR/RNBL Approval:

cash 500K
level up to 10
+1 Dam objects
+2 Dam weapons
+3 Dam holdables
weapons up to 18 damage only using the dice
up to 9 points (+ or -) of mana/hp/move combined
up to 2 points (+ or -) in stats
up to 5 points (+ or -) regen in 1 category
up to 3 points (+ or -) hitroll
items specifically flagged 'AVTR'

DEMI Approval:

cash 1M
level up to 20
+1 Dam objects
+2 Dam weapons
+3 Dam holdables
weapons up to 25 damage only using the dice
up to 20 points (+ or -) of mana/hp/move combined
up to 4 points (+ or -) in stats combined
up to 15 points (+ or -) in regen combined
up to 5 points (+ or -) hitroll
items specifically flagged 'DEMI'

GOD Approval: (1 per 7 days, max)

cash no limit
level up to 30
+2 or greater Dam objects
+4 or greater Dam holdables
+3 Dam or greater weapons
weapons up to 29 damage only using the dice
21+ points (+ or -) of mana/hp/move combined
5+ points (+ or -) in stats combined
16+ points (+ or -) in regen combined
6+ points (+ or -) hitroll
items specifically flagged 'GOD'
Pagoda items (zone 98)

CIMP Approval: (1 per 7 days, max)

artifacts
phasers
firedragon gear
level 31+
recall devices
decanter (portable fountain)
portable atm
items flagged 'CIMP'
anything in the lists above and without limit
*move up 1 slot (to a max of God Approval):
perma-effect OR quest-only (If an item has both, it gets moved up 1 slot)

Ok, here's how this would work.

red wyvern: 1dam puts it in Avtr, its ml fits that level, so it's an Avtr item.
blue plate: 1 dam -1 con puts it at AVTR, mL 12 moves it to DEMI
tattoos: 10 mana and mL 13 would put it at DEMI BUT the perma moves it up 1 level to GOD
jade frog: 5% mvR would put it at AVTR. Quest-only would ordinarily bump it up to DEMI, but it's flagged AVTR (because it was specifically created as an AVTR-approvable prize), so AVTRs can award it.

The admin who approves the quest is responsible for making sure the quest prizes are appropriate, the quest is well-designed, the quest time/date will not conflict with any previously posted quests, etc, even if he or she appoints a proxy (within the guidelines specified above) to actually supervise the quest. The quest supervisor is responsible for ensuring that the quest is run according to the approved guidelines. Mid-stream changes are strongly discouraged when a proxy is supervising the quest and should require approval by the original approver, ideally, but if that's not possible, such changes should be approved by someone of at least the approver's level.

***NEW*** The Quest Point System and Quest Point Exchange Program

Quest Tokens

a bronze 1-point Quest Token
a silver 5-point Quest Token
a gold 10-point Quest Token
a platinum 50-point Quest Token
a sapphire 100-point Quest Token
a ruby 500-point Quest Token
a diamond 1000-point Quest Token

Token Limitations

Rather than limiting the number of quest points which may be awarded by the approver's rank, this system ties quest point limits to specific types of quests. Quest designers under the level of AVTR will still require AVTR+ approval to award tokens, however, since only AVTR+ can load tokens.

Search & Destroy (eg. Lag Monsters)

0-3 points each depending on the location.

Scavenger w/ min 30 items

10 points for winner, 5 points for 2nd, 3 for 3rd place. If a higher quota (50+ total items, for instance) is both set and reached, the quest designer may award up to 3 more tokens for 1st.

Trivia (per 20 questions)

5 points for winner, 3 points for 2nd, 1 point for 3rd.

Recall

15 points for winner, 5 points for 2nd, 3 for 3rd place.

Monthly Solo Gauntlet

15 points for the winner, 10 points for 2nd place, 5 points for finishing 3rd or later -without- dying. Points will be awarded in addition to the traditional gauntlet prizes.

Monthly Pairs Gauntlet

15 points each for the winning pair, 10 points each for 2nd place pair. Points will be awarded in addition to the traditional gauntlet prizes.

Demi+ approval level quests

The specific number of points should be based on the difficulty of quest and, if the quest designer has chosen to allow winners a choice between eq prizes and points, appropriately calibrated to the generally recognized value of the eq prizes he or she has selected. Under no circumstances should both equipment and points be awarded, with the exception of the official monthly gauntlet quests, and under no circumstances should the maximum number of points awarded for a demi-level quest exceed 15 per winner, or the maximum number of points awarded for a god+ quest exceed 40 per winner.

Solo Demi+ Quests

Tokens are to be awarded to the first 3 finishers, with 1st getting the largest amount and 2nd and 3rd taking half the amount or less, to be determined in advance by the quest designer, in accordance with the above-stated limitations. This will help increase quest participation, as only half the quests run tend to award prizes to non-1st finishers. If, in the opinion of the quest organizer(s), minimal effort has been put forth by non-winners, however, the organizer(s) may choose to withhold 2nd and 3rd place rewards; points should only be awarded when legitimately earned.

Group Demi+ Quests

Each member of the winning group will receive an equal share of the points. Each member of the second group to finish should receive half the amount or less per member, but only if the group actually finishes the quest. If no group finishes second, no points are to be awarded, without exceptions. Should no group finish the quest, no points are to be awarded. As with solo quests, the quest organizer(s) may withhold points at their discretion.

Holiday Assembly Quests

No points shall ever be awarded.

Questing Beast

Questing Beasts were designed as automated-load in-game quests; they should not be loaded manually. Furthermore, they have their own built-in drop system; no additional points or prizes shall ever be awarded.

Awarding Quest Points

This system is not meant to replace eq prizes, but to be used as an additional design option. Quest designers should announce clearly in advance whether their quest is for eq prizes, for points, or for the winner's choice of either an eq prize or points. Note that tokens are to be used *instead* of eq prizes when desired, not in addition to an eq prize. The official monthly solo and pair gauntlets are the only exception to this rule: the monthly winners of those quests will receive both the traditional gauntlet prizes and quest points.

Rewards

Many of the quest-point-based item rewards will -only- be available through the QP Exchange System. These special creations cannot be awarded in any quest of any difficulty, including raffles or auctions. This is to limit their numbers and make participation in other quests mandatory to acquire the rewards. New items can be added to the list of rewards and old ones will be rotated out due to high or low demand, a holiday limited-time option, etc. The quest point system will also make some old favorites available as choices, as well.

Starting Reward List

450 Quest Points: Decanter

600 Quest points: ATM card

1000 Quest Points: choice of hometown trump

1500 Quest Points: remorting from a regular class to a remort class without the usual stat reroll

2000 Quest Points: Reset of the remort counter to 0

Additional prizes, including unique equipment available only via the quest points system, to be announced in the future! Until they're first awarded, most items will be marked as '???' or '??? <item type>' without listing stats or rests. New items will appear marked as '*NEW* ???'.

IMMORTAL COMMUNICATION

If you are dealing with a mortal problem use wizline to inform the other immortals online that you are dealing with it. If you need help from a higher level immortal wizline a request for their assistance. If no one is on who can help use your best judgement and follow existing policies as closely as you can, then post the situation and your solution to the immortal board in room 221.

IMMORTAL POWERS AND DIVISION OF RESPONSIBILITIES

Level 31 (IMM) --- Immortal (Basic Immortality):

IMM is a basic-immortal position where you can chat and explore without risk (yes, mapping and later using those maps with your mortals is allowed -- just don't map and then visit the area in the same uptime). You should keep 'nohassle' on at all times while in the mortal world, to ensure that aggressive mobs do not attack you. Many IMMS choose to just use the position recreationally, but IMMS who wish to do more than be social and/or explore for their own purposes will find that there are many ways in which they can contribute to the mud. Keep in mind that acceptable newbie assistance can go far beyond using the newbie command; you can also welcome them, invite them to ask you for help if they have questions, and give them basic assistance in learning how to access helpfiles, policy files, how to rent, etc. You can even gossip for a group for them. IMMS can also assist in running quests, or even come up with their own and work with a demi+ to run them; they can read and post to the immortal board, contributing to policy and game discussions; they can even do area building, if they wish. Basically, the position can be as limited or as productive as you wish to make it.

Level 32 (GRDN) --- Guardians:

GRDN is an intermediary position for seasoned immortals who have proven themselves to be trustworthy and dedicated to the improvement of the MUD. GRDNs have expanded abilities mainly to increase their ability to help the players. GRDN+ are still obligated, however, not to use their immortal powers to cheat: using where or stat to scout and using that information during that uptime, for instance, is still strictly forbidden. Your powers are for the benefit of the entire mud populace, not individuals.

Level 33 (BLDR) --- Builders:

BLDR is a new level established for those immortals who are actively involved in area building. Players typically achieve this level only after successfully completing at least one new zone.

Level 34 (QSTR) --- Questmasters:

QSTR is a new level established for immortals who have developed experience in running quests and continue to run quests often. QSTRs have the 'switch' command and can run many quests independently, as detailed in the quest approval guidelines above.

Level 35 (RNBL) --- Retired Nobles:

The RNBL position is used to recognize immortals who have made significant contributions to JediMud as DEMI+. This level exists for those immortals who no longer actively play but still wish to socialize on their former MUD.

Level 36 (AVTR) --- Avatars:

Starting at the AVTR level immortals have complete authority to deal with problems. Avatars can allow players from screen-banned sites into the game, warn players who break rules and make partial reimbursements to players hit by verifiable bugs. Decisions by AVTR+ will be backed completely, as long as they reflect good judgement and interpretation of active policy.

Level 37 (DEMI) --- Demi-Gods:

DEMI is the first level of the "administration" of the mud. DEMIs are in charge of the day-to-day running of the mud. They have access to commands such as snoop and freeze to deal with any serious problems which might occur.

Level 38 (GOD) --- Gods:

GODs have the ability to handle nearly any issue that arises on the mud. They are responsible for handling appeals to DEMI decisions, though those decisions will typically be upheld.

Levels 39/40 (CIMP/IMP) --- Co-Implementors/Implementors:

The IMP and CIMPs have absolute final authority in all matters, including appeals. They are responsible for the ultimate direction of the mud and its policies. They can do everything that code allows, and if the code doesn't allow it, they can modify the code.

A FEW DO'S AND DON'TS:

INVISIBILITY

Use your immortal power of invisibility responsibly. Do not harass people while immortal. If someone is invisible to you, do not harass them over wizline and try to force them to come visible.

SCOUTING

Scouting includes any actions taken while immortal which give you knowledge of what is in the game and then using that knowledge to give yourself or anyone else an advantage. Do not use locate object or goto/look to find things and then go out and get these items with your mortal. Do not pass knowledge gained from these acts to anyone else. Your syslog is not a zone reset timer. If it is a temptation for you to use it as one, turn it off. Using these commands to see that something is _not_ loaded and then trying to reset it is also scouting. While we do allow immortals to make maps of most areas, refrain from doing so in any area you wish to visit with your mortals during the time limit. Basically, if you find out where ANYTHING is using your immortal powers, you may not get it, visit it, share information about it, hint to friends to go to it, or do anything else whatsoever with it during the prescribed time limit.

The following time limits will apply to the scouting policy:

If you have scouted a zone by the above definition, you may not run that zone for 96 hours (4 days) after you have left the zone.

If you have run a quest or assisted as a quest-helper, you may not run that zone for 48 hours (2 days) after you have left the zone. If you have created a new zone or playtested the new zone prior to it's opening, you may not run the zone for 30 days after its installation. If there is a crash or a reboot, then rule 1 and 2 will be negated. The 30 day limit on new zones is a hard and fast rule. This policy affects *ALL* levels of immortality.

COMMENTS AND COMPLAINTS

The CIMPs love to hear your ideas and hear about things that you observe. Please, do give us your ideas. Do not, however, surround them with personal insults. If you have suggestions you would like to send by email rather than simply posting on the boards, send them to adminedimud.com and they will be read by all of the CIMP+.

POLICY AND HELPFILE

It would be a very good idea for you to become very familiar with these documents. Mortals will ask you questions about them. Please study them carefully so you will know how to answer mortal questions.

BOARDS

It is a very good idea to read the boards every time you login. There might be very important information on the boards that you NEED to know.

Common Sense and the use of Immortal Commands

Use common sense. Do not use your commands to invade people's privacy or to give your mortals (or your friends) an advantage. Abusing your commands is a very easy way to end up with a one way trip to the icebox.

Immortality is supposed to be fun. Remember that this is a game. Have fun and make it fun for the other players. If someone makes you angry, let someone else deal with them. Log out and get a soda. Nothing here is worth suffering over, especially misunderstandings that balloon into fights. If you have ANY questions, please ask. No one will think less of you for asking an intelligent question and you might just point out something that everyone needs to know.

HAVE FUN AND ENJOY!!!!!!

-- JediMUD's Implementation Team