Attributes

In addition to the base stats, there are many other factors in combat.

Hitroll And Damroll

Hitroll (HR) will affect the possibility of a successful strike against a target. The higher the hitroll, the more often the strike.

Damroll (DR) will affect how much damage is done with a successful blow against the target. The higher the damroll, the greater the damage done.

These are only two of many factors invovled in a chance to hit (including level of the player vs level of opponent, compared stats, involved skills, etc).

Resistances

Aardwolf no longer uses standard AC or armor class - it uses resistances. Resistances and vulnerabilities on Aardwolf can be variable, rather than having single 'flags' for whether or not a character is resistant or vulnerable to a damage type. This leads to a wider range of options for spells and equipment options as well as more diverse races.

Conversion notes for players: The damage types 'magic' and 'weapon' no longer exist as generic types. A character is either resistant or vulnerable to a damage type regardless of the source of the damage. 'Magic' is now a standard damage type just like fire and acid. The 'weapon' type has been removed completely. There is also a new damage type 'shadow' which is a counterpart to light.

Mobs/items that were res/vuln magic are now res/vuln to each damage type independently, including shadow. Disease and Poison were NOT converted as part of magic. Mobs/items that were res/vuln weapon are now res/vuln to slash/pierce/bash independently.

A number of resistance related spells that set resistance flags have been modified to provide varying amounts of resistance based on stats. These will be posted on announce and modified in their own helpfiles. Again, remember that the affects of these spells will now add to any resistance provided by the Aardwolf Breastplate and any other resistance items. This new system allows for a much wider range of resistance affecting spells and maledictions in the future.

Note that resistance is on a curve - any additional resistance you get will always help your character, but doubling your resistance points will not necessarily double the amount of protection it provides.

Saves

Each time a spell is cast against you, you make a 'saving throw' to resist the effects of the spell. Coupled with a comparison of stats between you and the casting player/monster, you may take less damage or completely resist a spell's effect. This is all done internally; you will not see the results of the saving throw, only whether or not the spell affected you.

For those used to lower saves being better, the mechanics have changed here on Aardwolf to reduce confusion; higher values mean a better chance at succeeding on a saving throw.

Hitpoints, Mana and Moves

Hit points (HP) are the life-blood of your character. You lose hit points as you are hit by things (mobs, players, etc). If you reach 0 hp, you are incapacitated. You will lose hp until -10, when you die, either from a mob attacking you again, or from slowly bleeding to death. You will be unable to interact in the room, but can still use other channels to call for help. If someone can get to you in time to heal you before you die, consider yourself lucky for cheating away the reaper!

Mana (MN) is the magical power within each person. Mana is used to cast spells and harness magical energy. Casting spell (successful or not) will take away from mana; if you do not have sufficient mana for a spell, you will no longer be able to cast it.

Moves (MV) are a measurement of your vitality. They are required to move from room to room, and sometimes used for complex combat tenchniques.

You will usually recover hit points, mana, and moves when the mud ticks. In some rooms, this may not be the case. Many factors affect the speed at which you regenerate - what you are doing (e.g., sleeping in a comfy room with a bed and fireplace vs fighting a monster), how hungry/thirsty you are, and even certain class skills and magical objects.