AwakeMUD CE

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FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions)

Discord link: https://discord.gg/43Ag2vKt

====== Getting Started ======

links to chargen/archetypes FIXME

==== Useful commands ====

Words **in bold** are commands you can enter while playing.

Type **commands** to see all available actions. Type **help** to see a list of help topics, for example **help newbie** to see how to use the channel for new players seeking help.

==== Basic mechanics ====

__Relevant helpfiles:__ **help tests**

Your chance of success at tasks in-game is determined by a number of hidden dice rolls using your attributes or skills. Higher ratings give a greater chance of success, as well as a chance for //greater degrees// of success. For example, a character with Pistols 2 will have trouble hitting their target at all, while a character with Pistols 12 will almost always hit and can damage foes in heavy armor.

Each roll is made against a Target Number (TN), where a lower target number is easier to hit. For the character shooting a pistol, a smartlink can lower the TN, whereas bad weather can increase the TN.
====== Communication ======

==== Radios and phones ====

__Relevant helpfiles:__ **[[help_radio_crypt_frequency|help radio]]**, **help phones**

Radios are the main in-character (IC) method of communication. Meet new people! If you have a question, try asking there before proceeding to out-of-character (OOC) channels.

Use **phone**. (Have a phone.) Make sure it's turned on.

They'll still work if they're in the pockets of your gear. They count as miscellaneous items.


====== Commerce ======

==== Cash and credsticks ====

__Relevant helpfiles:__ **[[help_bank_withdraw_deposit_balance_wire_atm|help bank]]**, **[[help_credsticks|help credstick]]**.

Your funds are stored in two formats:
  * Carried cash, which you can see with **score** or **balance**. Most Johnsons pay out in cash.
  * Money deposited in the bank, which you can see with **balance** //while at an ATM// or **look credstick** while roaming. Your bank balance is unchanged if you die. A credstick is needed for legal transactions, such as shopping at corporate stores and malls.

You'll need to have an actual credstick item to use one. You can buy a branded one at [[Circuit Couriers]] in [[Auburn]], or a generic one at [[Nybbles and Bytes]] in [[West Tacoma]]. The latter stacks with generic credstick drops, though, so don't lose track of it! You can **restring** it or put it in one of your pockets or containers.

After you acquire a blank credstick, make sure to **activate** it. It must be in your main inventory to make a purchase with it.

You can transfer funds between cash and your account at any ATM. You can find them at the Neophyte guild and banks like Velasquez Bank in [[West Tacoma]] or UCASBank on Espanoza Way in [[Seattle NE]] (**say UCASBank** while in a taxi). Most malls also have one.

==== I "found" someone else's credstick. How do I use it? ====

Activated credsticks are locked with a complex PIN. **Broadcast** with a radio to ask if anyone knows someone who can crack them.

If your character is skilled in [[Electronics]], you can attempt to crack it yourself with the **crack** command if you have an electronics kit. If you fail, wait before trying as each failure increases the TN of subsequent attempts. 

==== Where can I get gear? ====

(link to future shopping section) FIXME

For items not found in public storefronts, try asking for a fixer on the radio.

==== Where can I sell gear? ====

Find a pawn shop. There are a couple in Little Chiba, Seattle's Japantown. The entrance to the zone is on south Fifth Street in Seattle SE. Tread carefully if you're not a human.

==== Where can I buy ammo? ====

There's a store that sells all basic ammo types **west, south, west** from the exit of the Neophyte guild.


====== Getting around ======

__Relevant helpfiles:__ **help taxi**, **help map**

Use the taxi while you get oriented. It's free until you reach 100 **TKE** (total karma earned) and you graduate from the Neophyte Guild. Don't worry, you still have access to the parking lot if you left a vehicle there.

Look at the sign in the taxi. Visit entertainment venues to find work. Collect grid coordinates for later (see below).

==== Using your vehicle ====

__Relevant helpfiles:__ **[[help_vehicles_cars|help vehicles]]**, **help speed**, **help gridguide**

**Unlock** and **enter** your vehicle. **Switch** to move between front and back, if available. **Drive** and change **speed** to get going (speeding is not recommended at low skill levels). When you're done, change **speed** to the lowest level (idle), then **leave** and **lock**.

If the commands default to someone else's vehicle, precede them with "my." e.g. **unlock my.americar**

Items dropped in vehicles, front or back, will persist. However, they can be lost if your vehicle is destroyed.

Points in driving skills are required to manually drive a car, but an unskilled owner can still use the gridguide system. Use a portable GPS scanner or GridGuide device to find coordinates to enter into your vehicle later.


==== I don't have a portable GPS unit. Where can I get one? ====

Have a look around the Lysleul Plaza. You can take a taxi there.

==== Is there a list of grid coordinates? ====

[[gridguidelist|Yes, here.]]

==== Why can't I get to... ====

Autonav is built into some vehicles, and Gridguide is built into some roads. Autonavigation depends on both and will not function where either have not been installed (e.g. some highways leading out of the city or some of the rougher areas of Seattle). You must drive manually to these areas or take a taxi (surcharges may apply: //caveat emptor//).

Portland is in another country (the elven nation Tir Tairngire) and requires a visa to enter. [[faq#how_do_i_get_to_portland|You can take a bus, where visas are not checked.]]

==== My vehicle is wrecked. ====

__Relevant helpfiles:__ **help tow**, **help push**

A character with a truck can tow it. Then a mechanic (often the same character) can fix it for you.

If nobody is available, there are forklifts in the Tacoma junkyard capable of towing your vehicle, as well as a public vehicle workshop.

==== Good sir, are you aware of the location of my vehicle? ====

Vehicles will remain indefinitely in any room marked with (Garage). Make a note of where you left it! If it was parked on the street during a crash or copyover, it will be towed to the Seattle Parking Garage, which is a taxi destination.

If your vehicle was wrecked when a crash or copyover occurred, check the garage or the Tacoma junkyard. If your wreck was in the junkyard when a crash or copyover occurred, it is gone.

A Remote Control Deck can [[help_subscribed|subscribe]] each of your vehicles (even for non-Riggers) to help you keep track of their location. If all else fails, you can (go near where you think it should have been and then) pay street urchins to look for it with **wheresmycar**.

====== Questing, Jobs, Running the Shadows ======

__Relevant helpfiles:__ **[[help_shadowruns_autoruns_jobs_work_quests_questing|help quests]]**

"Johnson" is a term/nickname referring to an anonymous (probably corporate) employer that seeks to employ you for deniable actions. As a new runner without any reputation, many Johnsons may be unwilling to trust you with certain jobs. In order to build your reputation, you need to go out and find those who are willing to trust you with less sensitive matters.

There are three people who will give you jobs in the Neophyte Guild. These will take you to the locations of other Johnsons. Take notes (actual notes) about their locations. Quests in the Neophyte Guild can give you items which you can read for more hints. Jack Johnson in particular can offer seven different jobs, one of which can reward you a gently used but functional credstick, and another a somewhat unloved pair of ultrasound goggles.

Johnsons may have more than one job. Which one they offer randomly changes approximately every two real minutes (one in-game hour). If you can't access their job, try waiting or making a circuit. Note that reputation limits are per job, not per Johnson - if you don't see the OOC message stating that they do not offer any jobs at all for your reputation level, then you qualify for at least one of their jobs.

Johnsons frequent bars, restaurants, and nightclubs. Some may be found in the backrooms of various other locations. You can find many of them on the list of destinations in a taxi.

==== Where's Beano's Collection Agency? ====

[[West Tacoma]], across from the **coffin** motel, which is a taxi destination.

==== How do I get to Portland? ====

Traveling out-of-country is tricky (Portland is part of another country in 2064). The highway route has a security checkpoint where they check visas.

Try taking a bus. The taxi can take you to a **Hellhound** bus terminal. 

==== Are there autoruns for deckers? ====

They are rarer, but yes. Try these locations:

^ Difficulty ^ Johnson ^Zone and Location ^ Travel ^ Comments ^
|Easy|Patricia Johnson|Seattle: Neophyte Guild|taxi **Neophyte**|Try here for your first decking run! In the North room.|
|Easy|Mike Haynes|Seattle: Action Computers|taxi **Action**|Try here for your next decking run! In the second room.|
|Intermediate|Zander|SE Seattle: Rollo's Cafe|gridguide -65264, 32732| |
|Intermediate|Mr Johnson|Tarislar: Blue Wyvern|taxi **Wyvern**|One run involves physical security.|
|Intermediate/Hard|Pinstripe suit|SE Seattle: Penumbra Jazz Club|taxi **Penumbra** gridguide -65174, 32687|Depends on the job. Funnily enough, AAA rated corps have a tough host.|
|Intermediate/Hard|Weston Lynn|Everett: Gravity Bar|gridguide -78414, 39307|Depends on the job.|

==== I can't do anything because I don't have enough rep. ====

Here are some places to look for jobs that don't require much reputation or tough combat:

^ Johnson ^ Location ^ Zone ^ Travel ^ Comments ^
| Jack Johnson | Neophyte Guild | Seattle SE | taxi **Neophyte** | |
| Ricky | Neophyte Guild | Seattle SE | taxi **Neophyte** | |
| Patricia Johnson | Neophyte Guild | Seattle SE | taxi **Neophyte** | |
| Richley Thorn | Dante's Inferno (1st hell) | Seattle SE | taxi **Dante** | |
| Cent | Slitch Pit | Seattle SE | taxi **Slitch** | While you're here, visit Axehead for tips and practical skills. |
| Boz Renfield | The Reaper | Seattle SW | taxi **Reaper** | |
| Mark Kornen | Aztechnology food court | Seattle NE | taxi **Aztech** | Avoid astral perception in the parking lot. This job has both an easy way and a hard way.|
| Lin | Lin's Laundry-mat | Seattle NE | grid **-61242 30721** | or taxi to **Homewood** and move south to the 7th street plaza |
| Oswald Skylarke | Afterlife (Heaven) | Tacoma West | taxi **Afterlife** | See elsewhere in this FAQ about Portland. |
| Beano | Beano's Collection Agency | Tacoma West | taxi **Coffin** | |
| Nick | Purple Haze | Tacoma West | taxi **Nybbles** then **n**, **w** | |
| Bunny | Circuit Couriers | Auburn | taxi **Circuit** | |

====== Inventory management ======

==== How do I load my gun? ====

__Relevant helpfiles:__ **help pockets**

**pockets put all** to //put// all your ammo //into// your pockets from a box in your inventory. Then **wield** and **reload**.

If you have low carrying capacity, you don't need to carry several hundred bullets around. Use **pockets get** to //get// ammo from your pockets and fill an ammo box that you can store somewhere.

==== My jacked/linked skills disappeared! ====

__Relevant helpfiles:__ **help alias**

These skills currently do not persist after disconnection. You can create an **[[aliases|alias]]** to unjack then jack all physical chips, and unlink then link all programs in headware memory. Run this alias upon logging in.

==== I can't retrieve something from my fingertip compartment. ====

__Relevant helpfiles:__ **help compartment**

Try **get finger**.

You can put a monofilament whip into a fingertip compartment and **ready** it.

====== Self-improvement ======

__Relevant helpfiles:__ **help train**, **help practice**, **help learn**

To improve your abilities, or learn new tricks, you must find NPCs willing to help you. **Broadcast** with a radio to ask other runners where to look.

**Train** improves attributes. **Practice** improves skills. **Learn** grants new magic.

Improvement costs a certain amount of karma and nuyen. The karma cost increases when your new skill level will exceed its linked attribute, and increases again when more than double.


======= Please explain decking. ======

Community member Sunny has made an in-universe guide: [[sunnys_decking_guide|Sunny's Guide to Decking]]

==== Is there work for deckers? ====

[[faq#are_there_autoruns_for_deckers|See here.]]

======= Please explain rigging. ======
[[hail_riggering_guide|See Hail's guide here.]]

Note that vehicle actions, like grid navigation and even entering them, require a character in the room. This means that remote driving must be done manually, and your character will have to be outside a vehicle before controlling a drone to enter it.

Weapon mount numbers start at 0 and count up.

====== Combat issues ======

==== General tips ====

__Relevant helpfiles:__ **[[help_initiative|help initiative]]**, **help smartlink**, **help recoil**, **help drain**, **[[help_pools|help pools]]**, **help illegal**

Unlike most games, high Initiative not only lets you go first, but gives you more actions too.

If you want to use better armor, you'll need more Quickness to avoid penalties.

A smartlink is the most important gun accessory and makes everything easier. A laser sight is less effective, but equivalent for characters without smartlink cyberware. They don't stack!
Also, recoil compensation is very important for automatic weapons. Innate recoil compensation **does** stack with gas vents.

Dodge dice do nothing against melee attacks (because Full Defence [[houserules|is not implemented]]); move Dodge dice into the Body Soak pool to resist melee damage. You may wish to keep some for dodging if you are getting shot at while in melee.
Burst and auto fire are harder to dodge. Body dice can help reduce the damage if you're frequently failing to evade.

To resist direct combat spells, 6 is the magic number for Body and Willpower. That is also the magic number for the Force when casting direct combat spells. Higher ratings are better, but those are good short-term goals.

Law enforcement will attack you if you go around with a drawn weapon or are wearing illegal equipment. Shields, security and military armor, including helmets, are illegal.

==== How do I recover health? ====

__Relevant helpfiles:__ **help healing**

You must rest or sleep. Mental health [[houserules#health_recovery|recovers relatively quickly]]. Physical health can also be restored with the [[houserules#biotech|Biotech skill]] and with magic.

Medical patches are useful, but do not permanently restore health.

==== I keep losing all my mana after casting a single spell. ====

__Relevant helpfiles:__ **help drain**, **help damage**

There is no personal mana in this game, only physical and mental health. When you use Sorcery, the effort of it causes //drain//, a type of mental feedback.

Casting variable-damage-level spells at higher damage levels means you take higher drain damage as well. You don't want to pass out in a fight. Try casting your damage spells at M or S; good rolls will stage up the damage level.

You can still try opening with a big bomb, but it's a risky tactic, because if you pass out you'll probably die (although not all enemies attempt to kill you). If you try this, set your **spool** to resist drain. Note that some weapons damage mental health (e.g. fists and nonlethal weapons), which is bad if you take high drain damage.

The same recommendations apply to the Force of spirits you **conjure**. As a rule of thumb, conjuring a Force above your Charisma level will cause high levels of drain.


==== I just got fragged by something and I have no idea what. ====

__Relevant helpfiles:__ **help ranged combat**, **[[help_pools|help cpool]]**, **help armor**

If you just took a whole bunch of damage, you were probably a victim of automatic weapons or a shotgun, which hit very hard. Make sure you have good ballistic armor, as much Body as you can afford, and that your **cpool** is allocated to dodging and/or soaking. If you have a source of vision magnification (from cybereyes, eyewear, or just a scope), you can engage from one or more rooms away, [[houserules#combat|depending on weapon]].

If you just bit off more than you can chew, try **broadcast**ing for help; lots of people are willing to help out newbies on a tough job. A character with Sorcery can also cast support spells on themself or others, such as the Armor spell, which is a big defensive boost that stacks with everything, or Invisibility, which makes you considerably harder to hit. 

==== No, I mean I got fragged by something that was literally invisible. ====

(don't know if this is even relevant for newbies, but here it is at the very bottom)

__Relevant helpfiles:__ **help vision**, **[[help_perceive|help perceive]]**, **help dispel**

If you can Astrally **Perceive** the astral plane, the source of magic, you'll be able to see them just fine. If not, try getting thermographic or ultrasound vision from cybereyes or goggles. Dwarves and Trolls have thermographic vision naturally. Note that thermographic vision [[houserules#sorcery|helps against]] Invisibility, while ultrasound vision is required for Improved Invisibility.

Adepts can spend power points to gain astral perception or thermographic vision (the latter is much cheaper). A character with Sorcery can also help out their buddies by attempting to **dispel** the invisibiity. Try to Astrally **Project** and **assense** to scout it out and note what commands you'll need to enter.
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