Unique Skills and Spells are part of what makes a mud fun. At Gizmo we've had more than a decade to develop unique abilities for our players. Here are a few of the highlights.
Commune allows nomads of various experience levels to get in touch with their animal side. During their travels nomads will find shrines built to honor animal spirits. By communing at these totems nomads can aquire some of the abilities of the associated animal. Some animals are defensively oriented and some are offensively oriented. Some require a material sacrifice before granting their favor. Some animal spirits can play nice with one another, while others will not commune with a nomad that is in touch with a rival spirit.
Harmonizing makes bards one of the most popular friends to have on the mud. It takes one bard to lay down a baseline. Each bard that joins in the harmony can add effects, duration, and potency to the song. Multiple high-level bards can confer tremendous bonuses for an adventuring group.
Brews can be made by the highest level mages. Reagents for the various brews grow in the less frequently traveled places in the world. Brews allow mages to have access to spells usually reserved for other classes.
Envenomed weapons can be made by anti-paladins. Potions with detrimental effects, usually aquired from mages special brews, can be smeared on the edge of a weapon. The envenomed weapon will pass the negative effects of the potion into the bloodstream of whomever it strikes.
Double Strike allows a ninja an extra attack. Since ninjas are capable of holding a weapon in each hand, the double strike can give a ninja four attacks in a single round. Double strike is better than pummel in some situations and vice versa. A skilled ninja will know when to use each of his attacks.
Circling around a mob allows a thief to get behind him and strike for extra damage. The damage potential for this skill is the highest in the game due to its repeatability and the fact that it can be pummeled. That's why every multi runs a thief or two. This is so powerful it needs a nerf.
Charge can be a devastating opener for the paladin class. Charge can only be executed when wielding a lance. Charge is so powerful that the lances have a high probability of shattering on impact. A frequently charging paladin requires constant replenishment of his armament stock.
The Hand of God can be summoned by sufficiently devout clerics to smite a foe. This powerful offensive spell comes with many restrictions. First, gods only answer summons during certain times of the solar cycle. An untimely request for aid will cause your god to ignore you for a period. Second, the cleric must choose her target carefully. A god will not strike his own worshippers.