13.7 HEALING YOURSELF
Healing in Lusternia may be accomplished in a number of ways, dependent upon your resources and what it is you wish to heal.
Sleeping and Meditating
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Healing of health may be accomplished by sleeping, while mana and ego may be healed via meditation. SLEEP will put you to sleep, WAKE will wake you up, MEDITATE will cause you to meditate and any command will cause you to cease meditating. These are the most basic methods of healing, but they are not really sufficient for an experienced adventurer, as they are slow and require that you do not do anything else while performing them.
The other ways of healing are legion. They include abilities in various skills, salves, potions, plants, and smoking. Nothing need be said here about the abilities, as suitable help may be found on those within the skills. HELP SKILLS for details. However, the other methods need some explanation.
Herbs
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Herbs are a type of plant gathered using the Herbs skill. Most herbs in Lusternia are used in trade skills to create potions, salves, powers and other healing items. However, a rare few can be consumed directly to produce a curative or defensive effect. In order to do so, simply EAT <herb>. Purity dust, a common cure for internal illnesses, is used the same way: EAT DUST. Purity dust is produced using the Cooking skill and can be purchased from marketplaces around Lusternia, or directly from cooks. If you have trouble finding herbs (or any other item) in a marketplace, you can ask over the Market channel with MARKET <message> once you are level 11 or higher.
Potions and Salves
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Potions are liquids that may heal health, mana or ego (collectively referred to as vitals); cure afflictions; or set up various defences. Salves are also fluids, though they are thicker and are able to be spread on your body.
Both potions and salves come in the various types of vials found throughout the land, and when full, can be used many times before running out.
You may refer to potions and salves by the vial they are in. For example, if you were holding an onyx vial, you would type DRINK ONYX VIAL or DRINK <vial#>, etc. Often, you may wish to drink a certain type of fluid contained in one of your vials. You may DRINK <fluid type> and have Lusternia search for the first vial in your inventory containing that type of fluid (also works with APPLY described below). The "potionlist" ability in discernment and the "liquidrift" ability in planar both help you organize your potions and salves.
One drinks a potion, but one applies a salve. One may apply a salve to either head, chest, gut, either arm, either leg or to the body as a whole. For instance, a vial of restorative ice would cure a broken arm if applied to that arm, and a broken leg if applied to that leg. The syntax to apply a salve is APPLY <vial# or fluid type> TO <body part> where body part can be any of the following: HEAD, CHEST, GUT, BODY, LLEG, RLEG, LARM or RARM.
Both potions and salves are produced using the Alchemy skill. Potions and salves are not bought in the same way as herbs, as they are liquids and must be held in a container you already own, such as a vial. To refill an empty vial, use REFILL <vial> FROM <keg>.
Smoking
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Some cures are affected by smoking. To do this, you simply find yourself a pipe (created using either the Arts or Artisan skills), PUT <herb> IN PIPE, LIGHT PIPE (you must have a source of fire, such as a tinderbox in your inventory), and then SMOKE PIPE. A lit pipe will eventually go out if you don't smoke it now and then, but you can simply relight it. A filled pipe can be smoked ten times before it needs to be refilled.
The most commonly smoked cure is soothing steam, made directly by herbalists. Other herbs, such as cactus weed, have less medicinal effects when smoked.
You will find a list of some of the potions, salves, useful plants, and helpful actions in HELP CURELIST.
