The Hollow

A cyberpunk MUD set in the cracks of a surveillance state. You are an off-grid operative surviving on the margins — taking jobs, building contacts, staying below the radar, and deciding how far you'll go.

Built on Evennia.

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Connecting

MUD client (recommended): connect to localhost, port 4000

Web client: open http://localhost:4001 in a browser

At the login screen:

create <username> <password>    — new account
connect <username> <password>   — existing account

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Character Creation

On first login you'll be walked through character creation. You choose a background and a role. These are permanent.

Backgrounds

Background	Bonus Attributes	Starting Focus
Corporate Defector	INT, PRE	Research, deception, electronics
Agency Burnout	PER, WIL	Firearms, surveillance, composure
Syndicate Exile	CUN, AGI	Streetwise, deception, melee
Underground Native	AGI, END	Stealth, streetwise, evasion
Escaped Experiment	STR, END	Athletics, toughness; mandatory augmentation
Idealist	PRE, INT	Persuasion, research, read person

Roles

Your role defines your edge — a passive ability that operates without a roll.

Role	Edge	Effect
Ghost	Vanish	Once per scene, disengage from pursuit without a check if any cover exists
Operator	Combat Composure	Never suffer injury penalties at the Hurt tier; Wounded gives only -1
Netrunner	Cold Entry	Hack unsecured or lightly secured networks with no special equipment
Fixer	The Network	Start with one extra contact beyond your background contact
Tech	Field Strip	Repair or jury-rig equipment with improvised materials
Medic	Stabilize	Bring a downed character back to functional in 60 seconds, no equipment needed

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Core Mechanic

All checks use the same system:

2d10 + Attribute + Skill Rank  vs  Difficulty

Margin	Result
+6 or more	Critical Success — exceptional outcome, possible bonus effect
+3 to +5	Clean Success
0 to +2	Marginal Success — you succeed, but with a complication or cost
-1 to -4	Failure
-5 or worse	Critical Failure — something goes wrong beyond just failing

Difficulty Levels

Name	Target
Routine	10
Challenging	14
Hard	18
Severe	22
Extreme	26
Legendary	30

To roll a check manually: check <skill> or check <skill> <difficulty>

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Attributes

Nine base attributes, rated 1–8 (default 3, augmented cap varies).

Attr	Governs
STR	Melee combat, raw physical force
AGI	Speed, evasion, stealth, fine motor skills
END	Endurance, HP, toxin resistance
INT	Hacking, research, languages
PER	Firearms, surveillance, streetwise
WIL	Composure, mental resistance
PRE	Persuasion, command, intimidation
CUN	Deception, negotiation, reading people
TEC	Hardware, electronics, weapons modding, fabrication, medicine
AUG	Set by augmentations, not training

HP = END × 5. Raise an attribute with train attr <ATTR> (costs 15 XP; cap 8 unaugmented).

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Skills

Skills are ranked 0–4: Untrained → Novice → Trained → Expert → Master.

Each skill is governed by an attribute. You roll 2d10 + governing attribute + skill rank.

Skill	Attr	Use
Melee	STR	Unarmed and blade attacks
Athletics	AGI	Running, climbing, physical feats
Stealth	AGI	Moving unseen, hiding
Evasion	AGI	Passive defense against attacks
Sleight of Hand	AGI	Picking pockets, concealment
Piloting	AGI	Vehicles
Toughness	END	Shrug off fatigue and minor wounds
Detox	END	Resist toxins and chemicals
Hacking	INT	Breaching digital systems
Research	INT	Finding information
Languages	INT	Communication across language barriers
Firearms	PER	Ranged combat
Surveillance	PER	Observing and tracking
Streetwise	PER	Reading the street, knowing who's who
Composure	WIL	Keeping it together under pressure
Resist	WIL	Withstand coercion and manipulation
Persuasion	PRE	Charm and reasoned argument
Command	PRE	Directing others, taking charge
Intimidation	PRE	Fear-based compliance
Deception	CUN	Lying, misdirection, bluffing
Read Person	CUN	Reading intent and emotional state
Negotiation	CUN	Deal-making
Hardware	TEC	Physical device construction and repair
Electronics	TEC	Circuit-level work
Weapons Mod	TEC	Modifying and upgrading weapons
Fabrication	TEC	Building things from parts
Medtech	TEC	Medical treatment

Raise a skill with train <skill> (XP cost scales with current rank).

XP Costs

Rank Increase	Cost
Untrained → Novice	2 XP
Novice → Trained	4 XP
Trained → Expert	6 XP
Expert → Master	10 XP
Attribute +1	15 XP

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Injury

HP loss moves you through injury states. Injury penalizes all checks.

State	HP %	Check Penalty
Full	100%	—
Hurt	76–99%	−1
Wounded	51–75%	−2
Critical	26–50%	−3
Down	1–25%	Cannot act
Dead	0%	—

Operators ignore the Hurt penalty and take only -1 at Wounded.

Recover HP by finding a medtech NPC (heal) or treating yourself if you have the medtech skill (heal self).

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Combat

attack <target>        — one combat round: you strike, then target counter-strikes
hit <target>           — alias
fight <target>         — alias

flee                   — escape to a random exit (Athletics or Stealth check, difficulty 14)
flee <direction>       — flee toward a specific exit

How attacks work: Roll 2d10 + STR + melee rank (melee) or PER + firearms rank (ranged) vs the target's passive defense (AGI + evasion). Hitting deals weapon damage + STR bonus (melee). A margin of 6+ is a critical hit (+3 damage).

Weapon condition matters: worn weapons give -1 to attack rolls; damaged give -2.

Fighting in surveilled areas raises your profile.

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Hacking

terminals              — list hackable systems in the current room
jacks / devices        — aliases

hack <target>          — attempt to breach a system (INT + hacking)
hack <target> quietly  — stealth breach (adds half your stealth rank as bonus)
breach / jack          — aliases

Success extracts data, scrip, or access. Failure raises your profile and logs the intrusion. Two failed attempts locks the system.

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Social

talk <npc>                 — open conversation
talk <npc> about <topic>   — directed conversation
talk <npc> = <what you say> — say something specific

persuade <npc>             — PRE + persuasion vs NPC WIL + 10
persuade <npc> = <words>

intimidate <npc>           — PRE + intimidation vs NPC END + 10
deceive <npc>              — CUN + deception vs NPC PER + 10

Social checks shift NPC disposition (hostile → suspicious → neutral → friendly → loyal). Failure shifts disposition in the wrong direction — they noticed you trying. Strong successes also improve the contact relationship level.

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Inventory & Economy

inventory / i / inv    — list what you're carrying
equip <weapon>         — equip a weapon from inventory
equip none             — go unarmed

buy                    — browse vendor stock in the current room
buy <item>             — purchase an item
sell <item>            — sell to a vendor (40–60% of item value, condition-adjusted)

use <consumable>       — use a stim, medpack, etc.
read <document>        — read a document or data shard

Currency is scrip. Item condition (pristine / good / worn / damaged / broken) affects performance and resale value.

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Quests & Jobs

quests / quest / jobs      — view active and completed jobs
quests <number>            — detail on a specific active job
quests generate            — ask the AI for a new job based on your situation
complete <number>          — turn in a completed job and collect reward
abandon <number>           — drop an active job

board                      — anonymous job board (lower pay, no introduction needed)
board refresh              — pull a new board posting

Completing jobs earns XP and scrip, and improves your Underground faction standing.

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Profile

Profile tracks how visible you are to the surveillance apparatus. It ranges 0–5.

Level	Label
0	Ghost
1	Blip
2	Pattern
3	Target
4	Priority
5	Burned

Profile rises from violence and hacking in surveilled areas. It decays naturally over time offline — roughly 1 step per 48 hours disconnected. Stay below the radar.

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Factions

Your actions accumulate standing with five factions (-2 Hostile to +2 Allied).

Faction	Description	Default
The Underground	Safe houses, docs, fixers, off-grid vendors	Neutral
City Authority	State enforcement, surveillance apparatus	Suspicious
The Syndicate	Organized crime, black market upper tier	Neutral
Corporate Interests	Megacorp security and information assets	Suspicious
Free Agents	Informal collective of grid-exit people	Friendly

View faction standings via status or journal notes.

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Information Commands

status / sheet / stats     — your character sheet
check <skill> [difficulty] — roll a skill check
roll <skill>               — alias

journal                    — active jobs, contacts, recent events
journal events             — full event log
journal notes              — completed jobs and faction standings

contacts                   — your tracked NPC relationships
contact <name>             — detail on a specific contact

who                        — currently connected players

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Augmentations

Augmentations are chosen during character creation (Escaped Experiment backgrounds get one free). They provide passive attribute bonuses or special capabilities:

Augmentation	Type	Effect
Neural Interface	Cybernetic	+1 INT; improved hacking
Reflex Booster	Cybernetic	+1 AGI; evasion and initiative
Subdermal Plating	Cybernetic	Reduce all physical damage by 1
Enhanced Optics	Cybernetic	+1 PER; low-light vision, zoom
Hidden Compartment	Cybernetic	Concealed storage (bypasses standard scans)
Comms Implant	Cybernetic	Internal encrypted communicator
Enhanced Senses	Genetic	+1 PER; extended scent and hearing range
Adrenaline Regulation	Genetic	Manual control of adrenaline response
Pheromone Glands	Genetic	+1 PRE in close proximity
Toxin Immunity	Genetic	+2 END vs a chosen toxin class

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Quick Reference

look                   — describe current location
north / south / east / west / up / down   — move
go <exit>              — use a named exit

say <message>          — speak aloud
pose <action>          — emote

help                   — general help
help <command>         — help for a specific command