Alter Aeon FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions)

FAQ Section 10 - [advanced] Spell system questions

Question 10.1  - Why isnt there a 'protection from good' spell?

For exactly the same reason there isn't a 'detect good' spell, or a
'conceal good' spell.

The short answer is that evil and good, while somewhat balanced against
each other, are not exact opposites.  Evil is not a mirror reflection of
good, and as a result good can do things that evil cannot.  The converse
is also true.

Specifically, in the world of Alter Aeon, evil has most of the powerful
magical artifacts.  Evil is also much, much easier to sense than good,
and the 'detect evil' spell is very low level cleric.  The gods have also
granted protection from evil to most clerics.

Good characters on the other hand, lack many of the more powerful items
and magical talismans, and their numbers are much smaller.  Despite their
advantages over evil, the life of a good aligned character can be hard.

In the future, the balances of power between evil and good may shift -
but understand that they will never be opposites and they will never be
symmetrical.  They will always have different powers and abilities.

Question 10.2  - Why isn't there a 'gate' spell?

From looking at other muds, traditional spells like 'gate' were deemed
a bad idea.  They reduce exploration of the mud and allow easy short
circuiting of areas intended to be difficult to get to.  Transportation
should take some work - you should not be able to walk from the
northern ocean to the viking warship in five minutes of mudding time.

We feel that the gate spell makes the apparent size of the mud much
smaller by allowing instantaneous, directed travel.  The need for
reliable trade routes is noted however, and plans are underway to
guarantee safe passage to caravans between the major cities in the
future.

Question 10.3  - Why isn't fly the way I think it should be?

Because 'fly' isn't really fly, it's more like 'levitate'.

Fly really should be named 'levitate 6 feet', where it will lift
a character up to 6 feet off the ground but no higher.  Thus fly
might be of help when climbing walls, but casting fly would not
be enough to eliminate the need for the climbing skill.

A lot of things in were created as though this were the intended
behavior, but not all - for example in an airfall room, you should
still fall if you are flying, but not take damage when you hit the
ground.  You also shouldnt fall as fast.

Not everything about the 'fly' spell is up to our satisfaction, so
don't be surprised if it changes slightly in the future.

Question 10.4  - Why can't I maintain <your favorite spell name here>?

Because typically, only the weakest and longest lasting spells can
be maintained.  There are very few spells that are worthwhile to
maintain, most of them being for detection or a small amount of
protection.  Larger spells such as strength and sanctuary simply
cannot be maintained - the cost is too great.