Add more about stats, skills, and wristpad hacks.

hugo-static/content/learn.md

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-date: 2023-02-18T16:04:43+11:00
+date: 2023-09-24T20:45:43+10:00
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@@ -28,6 +28,11 @@ and what you work on enhancing early in your game) so that they will be the type
 you want them to be. Your choice of stats will impact things like what weapons are best for
 fighting, how easily you can craft, and so on - so choose wisely!
 
+Pro tip: Blastmud currently has best support for whips and blades, so picking skills for
+one of those is recommended. We will add better support for more weapon types over time.
+
+Learn more: [Stats and Skills](stats-skills)
+
 ## Movement
 
 In Blastmud, you move around by sending commands representing the compass
@@ -227,6 +232,21 @@ others in with `allow visit from <user>` - set a limit like `until 5 minutes`, o
 after if you don't want them coming back. Be careful about inviting dishonest visitors though in case they try
 to clean you out!
 
+## Wristpad hacks
+
+You get a limited number of Wristpad hacks (starting with none, and ramping up on a curve as you get more
+XP). The `status` command will tell you how many slots you have free.
+
+When you have free slots, if you find a site where you can apply a particular hack, you can type `hack hackname`,
+where hackname is the name of the hack, to gain that hack. Wristpad hacks cannot be uninstalled except by
+resetting your stats, so choose wisely!
+
+### List of wristpad hacks
+
+Name|Effects|Where
+-|-|-
+Superdork|+3 brains, -1 cool|Search the computer museum
+
 ## Starting again
 ### Resetting your stats
 If you don't like the stats you picked, you can pick again with the *delete stats* command. It

hugo-static/content/stats-skills.md

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+---
+date: 2023-09-24T20:46:43+10:00
+draft: false
+---
+
+# Stats and Skills
+
+## Stats
+Stats are fundamental to your character. Your raw stats are the base of your character,
+and are what you tell Statbot when you start. You can change them by re-rolling (i.e.
+starting again with the `delete stats` command, resetting all your skills, and all your
+XP earned from fighting characters; you do get to keep journals and XP), but obviously
+that means re-grinding all your skills! As such, it is important to think through the
+stats you want for your character.
+
+Raw stats can be buffed (i.e. temporarily increased) or debuffed (temporarily decreased) by
+various temporary things in the game - but since your opponents might also use buffs and
+debuffs, the total you reach with buffs is higher if you start from a higher raw.
+
+Similarly, raw stats can be permanently buffed (or debuffed) by taking certain wristpad
+hacks - so you can plan to take certain hacks as part of your build, and factor that into
+your plan to get tough!
+
+## Skills
+You get some innate skill just from your total stats (after buffs). Since
+stats drive skills, and skills control how good you can get at something, getting the
+right stats is important if you want to be really good at a skill.
+
+You can improve beyond your innate skill at a task by practicing that skill.
+When you try to use a skill, you have a chance to learn (if you haven't improved in the
+last minute). You are most likely to learn when it is a toss-up (50/50) for the task
+using the skill to succeed. If you are already so good the task is almost certain, you
+won't be challenged enough to learn. If you try a task you have no chance of succeeding
+at, well, perfect practice makes perfect, and you don't yet know enough to even
+learn. In those cases, try to find a task closer to your current level (or find a
+way to buff or debuff yourself and practice the task while enhanced / impaired so
+it is the right difficulty level).
+
+You can only improve up to 15 points beyond your innate level, so your stat choice
+still makes a big difference!
+
+Note: It can be boring to 'grind', i.e. practice skills for hours for the sake of it,
+and this shouldn't really be necessary. If you just play the game, have fun, and work
+through the content in a sensible order, you should learn the skills as you go along.
+
+Here is how skills depend on stats:
+
+Skill|Stat impacts
+-|-
+Appraise|+1/2 per brains, +1/2 per senses
+Blades|+1/2 per reflexes, +1/2 per cool
+Bombs|+1/2 per brains, +1/2 per cool
+Chemistry|+1 per brains
+Climb|+1/2 per reflexes, +1/2 per endurance
+Clubs|+1/2 per brawn, +1/2 per reflexes
+Craft|+1 per brains
+Dodge|+1/2 per senses, +1/2 per reflexes
+Fish|+1/2 per endurance, +1/2 per cool
+Fists|+1/2 per brawn, +1/2 per endurance
+Focus|+1/2 per senses, +1/2 per endurance
+Fuck (not on Android)|+1/2 per senses, +1/2 per endurance
+Hack|+1 per brains
+Locksmith|+1/2 per brains, +1/2 per reflexes
+Medic|+1 per brains
+Persuade|+1/2 per brains, +1/2 per cool
+Pilot|+1/2 per brains, +1/2 per reflexes
+Pistols|+1/2 per reflexes, +1/2 per cool
+Quickdraw|+1/2 per reflexes, +1/2 per cool
+Repair|+1 per brains
+Rifles|+1/2 per reflexes, +1/2 per cool
+Scavenge|+1/2 per senses, +1/2 per endurance
+Science|+1 per brains
+Sneak|+1/2 per senses, +1/2 per cool
+Spears|+1/2 per reflexes, +1/2 per endurance
+Swim|+1 per endurance
+Teach|+1 per brains
+Throw|+1/2 per senses, +1/2 per brawn
+Track|+1 per senses
+Whips|+1/2 per senses, +1/2 per reflexes
+
+## Builds
+
+There are no official 'builds' in Blastmud, it is on players to decide what they
+want to play. However, it is generally smart to be strong in at least one weapon.
+
+One popular build that is well supported now in the game, and is easy to get started
+with, is the 'brainy whipper'. Let's look at how that build works now to give you an
+idea of how to put together a build.
+
+### Brainy whipper
+
+This build is called that because it optimises for two skills, senses and reflexes,
+and puts a little of the remaining stat allocation into brains.
+
+Statbot will let you set your stats between 8-15, and with a total of 14 increased
+stats above 8. Brainy whippers generally put +6 into reflexes (raw: 14),
++6 into senses (raw: 14), and +2 into brains.
+
+This gives them 14 total whips (before any improvements) - enough to fight off basic
+street pests, and also 14 total dodge (dodge lets you avoid getting hit in the first
+place). The brains help with medic (+10 total) - enough to sometimes succeed with a
+trauma kit to fix themselves or fellow players.
+
+Brainy whippers will often take the Superdork wristpad hack to give them +3 brains (at
+the cost of -1 cool) as soon as they are strong enough to get to the hack site.