Death and Dying

Discworld MUD Helpfile: http://discworld.atuin.net/lpc/playing/documentation.c?path=/concepts/death

So, let's look at death and dying, and how to avoid them.

Due Consideration

Never attack anyone without using the consider command first. Not only is it deeply frustrating, it is also rather embarrassing to die while fighting a cockroach. Never assume that because it's small it's going to be an easy kill: these are Ankh-Morpork roaches. And if you think they're hard, bear in mind the rats and cats¹ are bigger...

Good Health

Spend as much XP as you can spare on increasing your levels of adventuring.health. For the first forty levels or so, you should accrue a decent number of hit points with each new level. After that, the gains will drop off; but unless you've chosen to rearrange your stats in such a way as to reduce your strength and constitution² you should have been able to nearly triple your original number of hit points by then.

First Aid Kit

An essential item in any traveller's pack: the Discly equivalent is a bottle of healing tea. As healing tea is something produced entirely by player witches, you may only buy it in player shops. Prices range between AM$20 and AM$50, depending on the brewing bonus of the originator; all tea is good, but the higher the bonus, the faster it tends to work³.

The other option is to gain the bandage command and carry suitable items for tearing into bandage strips. However, the 25 levels of craft.medicine.firstaid required to obtain this command may take more of your XP than you feel able to spare.

Don't Set Your Wimpy to 0

Your wimpy setting makes you run away automatically when your hit points drop to a certain percentage. All new characters are set up to "wimp out" of fights as soon as their hit points drop to 20%.

The helpfile linked below will explain it all. My advice would be to leave your wimpy setting as it is until you have at least 25 levels of other.health, and decent levels of one type of fighting and defence (e.g. dagger & dodge).

Discworld MUD Helpfiles: http://discworld.atuin.net/lpc/playing/documentation.c?path=/helpdir/wimpy

Dress Appropriately

Don't go into combat wearing nothing but a frilly dress. Don't wander around Sto Lat market place wearing expensive jewellery. Don't explore the Ramtops in the winter without thermal underwear. Remember to remove the thermal underwear before exploring the Klatchian desert. And never go out in the dark without a source of light.

Take a Map

Wandering around in the dark can get you killed. So can wandering around lost. I strongly recommend bookmarking the maps listed in the Handy Useful Stuff section, and keeping a suitable one open at all times.

There are also maps available within the game, and these can be a lot of fun. To use them, do consult or study map, and depending on your level of adventuring.direction, you'll receive an idea of where you are. The better your character's sense of direction, the more accurate your results will be; and as long as you have at least one level of adventuring.direction, you'll be able to TM more levels with some frequency. Be advised, however, that the maps available in the main Disc do not work the same way as the one of Pumpkin Town. Sad but true.

Read the Signs

The Ramtops are liberally sprinkled with signposts. Reading them may be abbreviated to r sign, and they can save you many unplanned excursions into the mountains, lost and vulnerable.

Most dangerous parts of the Disc are clearly signposted in some way or another. The Gloomy Forest has signs at both entrances; parts of Genua and Bes Pelargic have kindly NPCs to warn the unwary.

And room descriptions not only enrich your experience, but often provide subtle clues to impending danger or potential rewards.

Conclusion

Neither Athelain nor Severus have yet died, and this is because Sothis has flung herself to her doom so many times, they can simply enjoy the fruits of her research. And now, with these few simple pointers, so can you!

Or can you? Seems a bit too simple and easy, really... not to mention a bit boring for we rugged adventurers! Surely there are more ways of getting into trouble than indicated here?

And is death really that scary...?

1. But only an utter cad would kill a cat.
2. Not recommended: see Rearrange for details.
3. Many thanks to Fole von Bruxa for the information.