Frequently Asked Questions about SWmud skills

This is an attempt to answer common questions about skills on SWmud.

1. My skill rating is xx%. Why don't I succeed more often?
2. Why don't some of the skills show up in the "skills" listing?
3. I've never succeeded with skill X, but I have a rating of Y%!
4. What determines whether a skill use succeeds?
5. What determines if my skill improves when I use it?

1. My skill rating is xx%. Why don't I succeed more often?
   Your skill rating is not the same as your chance of success with the skill. Each skill that appears in the "skills" listing can be improved up to a certain limit by practice. Your skill rating indicates what percentage of this limit you've reached; thus, a skill rating of 50% indicates that you've improved your that skill up to half of the highest possible rating, not that your chance of success is 50%.
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2. Why don't some of the skills show up in the "skills" listing?
   The "skills" command only lists those skills which can be improved by practice. Some skills do not need to be improved upon by practice; thus, they do not show up.
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3. I've never succeeded with skill X, but I have a rating of Y%!
   Every time you use a skill, there is a chance that it improves, regardless of whether you succeed or fail. However, note that if you *cannot* use a skill in a situation, it will not be improved by trying. For example, typing "disarm fred" can't improve your disarm skill unless fred is actually there and could be disarmed.
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4. What determines whether a skill use succeeds?
   This varies from skill to skill. However, any skill which has a skill rating is affected by that rating. Most guild skills are affected by the appropriate attribute for that guild. Some skills are affected by your level in that guild, although most are not. Some skills have a minimum chance of success, and all skills have a maximum chance of success of at most 95%.
   
   In addition, skills may be affected by other things. For example, combat skills are affected by the weapon you are using, your opponent's armor, and other modifiers.
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5. What determines if my skill improves when I use it?
   Your improvable skills have a chance to improve each time you use them. However, whether it actually improves or not is random; thus, it's possible that your skill might go up every time you use it, or that it might not improve after hundreds of uses. The chance of improvement is determined by how close you are to the skill's maximum bonus, and by a factor which determines how fast the skill should go up. Thus, the higher your skill, the less likely you are to go up from a single use.
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