Lich:Tatterclaws' Guide for New and Returning Players

Lich:Tatterclaws' Guide for New and Returning Players is a third party script and is not maintained by Simutronics. Simutronics is not responsible for the accuracy of the information presented on this page, nor is it liable for issues stemming from the use of the application on players' personal devices.

Tatterclaws’ Guide for New and Returning Players

July 2024 Edition

This is an extensive update and expansion of the guide I wrote in April 2020 to help new and returning players, particularly those with minimal technology experience, get set up with GemStone IV (GSIV) and Lich. As someone traveling Elanthia since the AOL days in the 1990s, many people have helped me get acquainted with the changes and get back up to speed. I wrote this guide to compile and pass on that knowledge to others in similar circumstances. My hope is that after using this yourself, you'll send it to your friends who are just getting into the game, or returning after a long break, to ease their transition. More players means more fun for everyone! 
-Tatterclaws

This guide is designed to be followed one step at a time, from start to finish. If you do that, it should be relatively painless, and you should have a comfortable, flexible setup by the end which allows you to easily access the incomparable depth of GSIV going forward. Here’s the bird’s eye view:

• Account setup and installation
• Customizing your UI
• Customizing your scripts
• Customizing your character

For brand new players learning to play the game, please see the official guide for new players.

If you’re having trouble with dying, check out the GSIV Guide for the Recently Departed.

Account

• Create or reactivate your account from the official GSIV website.
• If you need help accessing an old character or account, you can email Chris at custserv@simutronics.com.

If you’re a returning player, you may enjoy typing INFO START, which shows when your character was first created!

Installation

The installation has three programs:

• Lich (the open-source foundation for the scripts)
• Ruby (the programming environment used by Lich)
• Wrayth (the official GemStone front end)

Wrayth can be downloaded via www.play.net. Right before you log into a character through the website, click “(download)” next to Wrayth.

Lich and Ruby can be installed together. To do so, follow the Lich installation guide, found in the blue box, then scroll down to the “Windows New Installation” section.

When the installation is done, look for the Lich5 folder on your desktop. There’s a file inside called lich.rbw. This is what you’ll use to login to the game each time.

Now that you're in the game, let's start customizing!

Wrayth

Now that you’ve installed Lich, Ruby, and Wrayth, and launched your character from lich.rbw, you should see the game inside of the Wrayth UI. Here’s how I have mine configured. You’ll probably want to adapt it to your own, but this should be a good starting point:

Two of these windows require scripts. A script is a short program that serves a particular function, often a single one, and which is run through Lich, a third-party, open-source scripting environment.

To get these additional windows and make them load automatically whenever the game opens, you can paste these four commands separately (for each line: Ctrl-C, Ctrl-V, press Enter):

;repo download uberbar_eo
;autostart add uberbar_eo
;repo download invoker-window
;autostart add invoker-window

Next, if you click the carat in the top left, you can open the Windows panel, where you can show or hide windows. The ones I have shown are: Thoughts, Announcements, Bounties, Tatterclaws (this will be your character name), and Invoker.

Here are my general Wrayth highlights, including for messages that need attention:

In the top right, go to Options -> Highlights, then under the tabs I have:

Custom:

• (Focused)
• you drop
• will be working
• voice whispers
• you are being watched
• returns to normal
• A town crier steps in and announces,
• [SEND]

Names:

• Your own character’s name
• Your friends
• Any GM-run merchant characters you encounter

Macros

Wrayth also allows you to create macros, which are keyboard shortcuts to enter custom text. You can access these in the top right, under Options -> Macros.

There are two fancy symbols I use to help:

\r acts as pressing the Enter key
@ places the cursor at that location

So, for example, I use these:

Key	Command	Description
Ctrl-T	take @ from my cloak
Ctrl-P	put @ in my cloak
Ctrl-L	look in my cloak\r
Ctrl-E	empty @ into my cloak
Keypad 0	;k all\r;go2 town\r;u\r	Emergency button which stops all scripts and runs to town
Alt-S	;eloot
Alt-L	{ToggleLinks}	This turns on clickable hyperlinks, which I like for: * NPC dialogue options * Spirit Beast battles

Wrayth Settings

Here are other settings I’ve changed:

In the top right, under Options -> Advanced, scroll down two lines, then click the checkbox for think to shortcut. This allows you to type Name:Message, instead of THINK TO <NAME>, which helps avoid accidentally sending private messages publicly.

Lich

As mentioned before, a script is a miniature program that usually serves a single purpose. Just like any program, you can read about scripts before downloading them, download them, run them, and you can also set them to autostart whenever you open GemStone. Thus, every script we use will follow the same pattern:

;repo info scriptname (optional, tells you info about the script)
;repo download scriptname (to download the script)
;scriptname (to run the script)
;autostart add scriptname (optional, to make the script run when you open GSIV)

The official GSIV Discord channel can also help address any questions or issues you have. You can connect to it by using DISCORD SETUP in-game. The #Scripting channel is particularly helpful.

Lich can also be used to access LNet, which is an unmoderated global chat. While some people enjoy the connectivity, the updates to the in-game ESP have made it a palatable and popular alternative. Personally, I find that the improved behavior resulting from having a moderated, in-game chat far outweighs any potential benefit from LNet, and I recommend using ESP, which will be covered in Part II of this guide.

A quick clarification: “script” refers both to these miniature programs which are run through Lich, as well as special in-game modifications which can be added to items. An item script might make it behave in a special way when you WAVE the item around, or give it flares that occur when you attack with it. These in-game item scripts are sometimes called “zests” as an attempt to remain in-character.

Authorship

Elanthia-online is a semiofficial organization which has taken over a number of scripts and keeps them updated. You can find a list of their scripts by typing:

;repo list --author=elanthia-online

For any of these scripts, you can:

;repo info scriptname, to learn about the script
;repo download scriptname, to download it
;scriptname, to run it

You can also download scripts from other authors, but you should either (a) make sure it’s from a widely-trusted author, or (b) be comfortable with reading the code first.

Autostart Scripts

These are scripts which run automatically whenever you open the game. If you’re following this guide in order, you’ve already added ;uberbar_eo and ;invoker-window. The others I use are:

Script	Description
;keepalive	Prevents you from being automatically logged out.
;inventory-buddy	Keeps track of your inventory, including a searchable UI popup window. You can use ;repo info inventory-buddy to see specific commands.
;map	This will open a clickable map in a separate popup window. The map has quite a few features if you right-click on it, including zoom. For foraging bounty tasks, you can right click -> Tags -> choose the item, and the rooms with it available will be marked with X’s.
;log	Keeps a log of your entire play session. A new log is written each time you open Wrayth. Logs are stored in the Lich5 folder, under “logs”.

If you want to download and add these to your autostart list, paste these commands one at a time:

;repo download keepalive
;repo download inventory-buddy
;autostart add keepalive
;autostart add inventory-buddy
;autostart add map (you don’t need to download this one since it comes pre-loaded)

Core Scripts

Script	Description	Setup
;ewaggle	Casts all of your defensive spells on yourself or someone else.	;ewaggle setup
;eloot	Configures your loot settings, both for gathering loot and selling it. Also handles skinning. When something dies, simply type ;eloot. You can also bind this to a macro.	;eloot setup
;eherbs	Finds the herbs you need, either from a predetermined container or by buying them, and eats them until you’re healthy.	;eherbs setup
;foreach	This is a powerful script that lets you repeat tasks. Advanced users can do quite a lot with this script. It has its own ;foreach Wiki page. Here are some examples: Move all gems from your cloak to your sack: ;foreach gem in my cloak;move to my sack REMOVE each item in your inventory, REGISTER and MARK each one, then WEAR them: ;foreach in worn;remove item;mark item;register item;wear item Read all your scrolls: ;foreach scroll in my pack;read Look at all the items on a table: ;foreach on armor table,weapon table,arcane table,misc table;inspect ||
;multi	Allows you to repeat a task a specified number of times. For example: ;multi 5,get my iron wand from my cloak,sell my iron wand -> this will get 5 iron wands from your cloak and sell them.	None
;elogin	Allows you to log in characters from the command line. I use this in combination with aliases for each character, so all I do is type in the character’s name and hit enter, and then it logs them in.	;elogin set realm prime
;bigshot	The most popular hunting script, with a huge range of customization. It can be quite complex at first, so you’ll likely want to reference the ;bigshot Wiki page.	;bigshot setup
;ebounty	This is a higher-order script which recruits a number of other scripts to run bounty quests for you. This one also has its own ;ebounty Wiki page.	;ebounty setup
;bundleall	Bundles all of your herbs and places them into your herb container.	;vars set herbsack=sack

Where “sack” is your herb container.

Peripheral Scripts

Script	Description	Setup
;combo	After a brief setup, runs through your Unarmed Combat (UAC) routine automatically. Can also be run as ;combo target.	;combo tierup jab ;combo tier3 kick
;ecure	Empath healing script, can also be run as ;ecure target.	;ecure setup
;echild	For child salvation bounty missions.	;echild setup
;ego2	For traveler protection bounty missions.	;ego2 setup
;resource	Helps you manage your profession resources for enchanting, ensorcellment, etc.	;resource bonus will show you ;resource setup
;dirty-deeds	This is a neat script which appraises the gems in a specified container, then maximizes their value in turning them into deeds.	;dirty-deeds setup
;invdb	Detailed inventory tracker. I don’t use it, personally, but many find it indispensable.	;repo info invdb.lic
;inventory-buddy	Another inventory tracker. I add this one to autostart on my characters. If you type ;send inv it will pull up a UI with a search field where you can type in any item, as well as several other ways to find items.	;repo info inventory-buddy

Alias

Alias (;alias) is a script which comes pre-loaded with Lich. It allows you to create custom shortcut commands. For example, when I type pawn, ;alias recognizes that as one of my custom shortcuts and inputs ;go2 pawn, which runs my character to the nearest pawnshop. So, all I have to do is type pawn, and I go to the pawnshop.

You can type ;alias setup to bring up a UI window. Some people like to add different aliases to different characters, but I prefer to add them all to the Global tab, which will apply them to any character you play with:

In the bottom left, in the “new alias trigger” window, input the text you want to type to trigger the alias. There’s no semicolon included with aliases, it’s just the letters. To the right of that field goes the alias itself. Thus, when I type wl, the alias prints out ;go2 288, which sends me to TSC in Wehnimer’s Landing.

Here are the aliases I use which aren’t specific to my character:

Alias	Command	Explanation
banking	;go2 bank	Goes to the nearest bank.
expquit	;e sleep 900;fput "quit"	Waits 15 minutes, then quits.
fwi	;go2 3672	Goes to Four Winds Isle.
imt	;go2 2300	Goes to Icemule Trace.
invoker	;e place=Room.current.id; Script.run('go2', "town --disable-confirm", {quiet: true }); fput "turn clasp"; Script.run('go2', 'bank'); fput "withdraw 10000 silver"; Script.run('go2', "3677"); fput "ask invoker for spells"; fput "ask invoker for spells"; fput "turn clasp"; Script.run('go2', "#{place} --disable-confirm", { quiet: true })	Premium only. Change “clasp” x2 to your Mist Harbor teleport jewelry. This one is a beast: Marks your room, brings you to town, uses your MH teleporter, gets 10k from the bank, gives it to her 2x for spells, then brings you back to your original room.
lockerimt	;e Script.run("go2", "29549"); multifput("go open", "open locker")	Goes to the Icemule Trace lockers.
lockermh	;e Script.run("go2", "16316"); multifput("go curtain", "open locker")	Goes to the Mist Harbor lockers.
lockerrr	;e Script.run("go2", "16135"); multifput("go open", "open locker")	Goes to the River’s Rest lockers.
lockersol	;e Script.run("go2", "30734"); multifput("go open", "open locker")	Goes to the Solhaven lockers.
lockercys	;e Script.run("go2", "9681"); multifput("go open", "open locker")	Goes to the Cysaegir lockers.
lockerwl	;e Script.run("go2", "391"); multifput("go open", "open locker")	Goes to the Landing lockers.
lookall	;foreach m=* in room; look in item; look on item; look under item; look behind item	Looks around all items in the room, nice for e.g. checking Pawnshop tables.
mer	;go2 16338	Goes to the Merchant Lounge in Four Winds Isle.
pawn	;go2 pawnshop	Goes to the nearest pawnshop.
rr	;go2 10861	Goes to River’s Rest.
adv	;go2 bounty	Goes to the Adventurer’s Guild.
gems	;go2 gemshop	Goes to the nearest gemshop.
sellwand	twisted|yew|bone|glass|thanot) wand/ in inv;sell	Sells all non-wizard wands.
sol	;go2 1438	Goes to Solhaven.
tatterclaws	;elogin tatterclaws	Logs in a character, e.g. Tatterclaws.
town	;go2 town	Goes to the nearest town center.
tsc	;go2 228	Goes to TSC.
wear	;eq multifput "wear ?";"sort auto head" # .	Sorts your inventory head-to-toe whenever you WEAR something.
wl	;go2 228	Goes to the Landing.
quit	;e multifput('stow right', 'stow left'); Script.run('foreach', 'in disk / get item / stow item'); fput('QUIT')	Takes any items (like boxes) out of your disks before you quit. This will work whether you type “quit” or click the X to close Wrayth.
wear	;eq multifput "wear \?","sort auto head" # .	Whenever you WEAR something, sorts your inventory by head-to-toe.

GSIV

GSIV is a game with an almost unbelievable depth of material. That includes extensive customization settings. There are so many options that it can be difficult to even figure out what they all are. Thus, I’ve attempted to compile them here.

Protecting Valuables

You will undoubtedly come across valuable or nostalgic items that you don’t want to lose by accident. The best ways to prevent item loss are as follows:

• Include the “you drop” Wrayth highlight, as mentioned above.
• MARK your valuable items, which will prevent them from being sold. You can undo this with MARK REMOVE <ITEM>.
• REGISTER your valuable items, which creates a record of them.
• Use FLAG NOMARKEDDROP ON, as mentioned below.

Key Settings

The FLAG (formerly SET) verb allows you to customize a great deal of settings related to how the game behaves. If you want to reduce screen scroll, change whether you get logged off quickly after dying, accept tips for healing, or any number of other settings, this is the place to adjust them.

There are no two ways about it, it’s a hassle to update all of these, but it allows for a significant degree of customization which means that the end result will be exactly what you want. So, I think it’s worth doing once, and then you never have to think about it again. The format to change them is: FLAG FLAGNAME ON

Flag	Status	Behavior for this setting
LogOn	ON	Show logon messages.
LogOff	OFF	Do not show logoff messages.
Disconnect	OFF	Do not show disconnection messages.
ShowDeaths	ON	Show death messages when someone dies.
RoomNames	ON	Display the name of the room in which you are located.
Description	ON	Display room descriptions.
RoomBrief	OFF	Display the full text of the room description.
CombatBrief	OFF	Display normal battle descriptions.
CombatNoNumbers	OFF	Display normal battle descriptions.
CombatSelfFull	OFF	Display your own battle descriptions like others.
MonsterBold	ON	Highlight monster names.
Inactivity	ON	Increase time before the system logs you off when inactive.
Death	OFF	Do not reduce the time before automatic logoff after death.
Group	ON	Allow others to join your group.
GroupLoot	ON	Allow only members of your group to loot kills.
RightHand	OFF	Do not attempt to place newly found items in right hand.
LeftHand	OFF	Do not attempt to place newly found items in your left hand.
AutoThink	ON	Activate items for THINKing automatically.
GatherCoins	ON	Gather coins when searching your kills.
AnnounceTPs	OFF	Do not notify me when training points are awarded.
Portrait	ON	View character portraits when available.
Dialogs	OFF	Do not display most dialog boxes.
Inventory	OFF	Display all inventory and container windows.
ShowSpellName	ON	Use the spell name in the active spells display.
Fame	ON	Allows inclusion in the fame lists.
ShowCulture	ON	Display your culture for others to see.
ShowProfession	ON	Allow others to see your profession in your profile and with the WHO verb.
LayerClothing	OFF	Do not display your clothing to others with layered messaging.
RefuseSilvers	OFF	Accept silvers given directly to you.
NoGroupShare	OFF	Accept all silvers shared in your group.
SilentLogon	OFF	Display a game-wide message when you log on.
SilentLogoff	OFF	Display a game-wide message when you log off.
ShowService	ON	Display available player services when you log on.
SortedView	ON	Display the contents of containers in a sorted list format.
LegacyPetMove	OFF	Have pets follow as if in your group.
OfflineExp	ON	Absorb field experience while logged off.
ShowLoresongs	ON	Show room-wide loresongs.
HideSFName	OFF	Show your name in the application title of Wrayth.
ObviousHiding	OFF	Hide as well as you can.
SaferDrop	OFF	Do not prompt to confirm PUT, DROP, PLACE, or EMPTY FEET if the item would leave your inventory.
NoMarkedDrop	ON	Prevent the PUT, DROP, PLACE, or EMPTY FEET verbs from moving an item with your MARK out of your inventory.
NoAmbientMsg	OFF	Do not prevent seeing ambient messages from other players.
NoSpellLook	OFF	Show spell effects at the top of LOOK to others.
GroupMovement	ON	When leading a group, do not leave members behind if they are unable to follow.
SilenceDeath	OFF	Allow others to sense my death.

Character Customization

These are roleplaying-related settings which allow you to customize your character to a great degree.

Setting	Description
PROFILE	Configure a number of fields that show up when someone checks your profile, e.g. PROFILE TATTERCLAWS.
TITLE	Configure your title, which can be prename (e.g. Lord Tatterclaws), and postname (e.g. Tatterclaws the Ranger, Tatterclaws the Citizen of Wehnimer’s Landing).
CULTURE	Allows you to configure your character’s culture. Each culture also has access to specific culture verbs which help in roleplaying that culture. OBSERVE is a great example. Related: If you see an unknown cultural word, you can also DEFINE it!
AGE	Configures your birthday, age, and age descriptors, e.g. “...Appears to be as old as the hills.”
TONE	Instead of just tying ‘message to talk, you can set your tone and your target. This is the format: say :tone ::target message For example, say :happily ::Tatterclaws hello! You say happily to Tatterclaws, “Hello!” You can see the full list of tones with TONE LIST. You can also set a default tone via, e.g. TONE SET DARK. The tones which can be set as your default are marked with asterisks.
DEMEANOR	Allows you to customize how warm or standoffish are your character’s reactions.

Container Settings

These verbs are for putting items you’re currently holding in specific containers. I recommend enabling and clicking hyperlinks when configuring any of these.

Verb	Description
STOW	This is the main general storage verb for automatically putting items in your hands into your containers. You can customize it to set certain containers for certain item types via STOW SET. N.B. If you set up your containers, e.g. via STOW SET GEM POUCH, and then use STOW ALL, or STOW LEFT/RIGHT, it will still place items into your default container. If you want to STOW to move it into the correct container, you need to do e.g. STOW TOPAZ GEM, or STOW RIGHT GEM, if it's in your right hand. ;eloot will handle this for you automatically.
STORE	This is intended for battle-related storage: weapons, shields, ammunition, back-up weapons, wands, etc.
READY	This allows you to quickly ready your pre-set weapon and shield.
GIRD	This can be used to draw multiple items at once.
SHEATH	This one seems specifically focused on putting weapons away.

Verbs to Learn About Items

Verb	Description
INSPECT	Shows where an item is worn and whether it has pockets.
ANALYZE	Shows special information, such as item scripts, as well as whether a container can be lightened or deepened.
RECALL	Shows the loresong unlocked by a bard, which can include enchanting information, flares, crit or damage weighting, and otherwise.
WEIGH	Gives the item’s weight.
APPRAISE	Shows the quality of the item, and how difficult it is for a profession to work on. Can also tell you the relative difficulty of an opponent in combat.
MEASURE	Tells you how many quaffs are left of a drink, how many skins or herbs are in a bundle, etc.

For a more extensive guide to the process of learning about your loot, you can check this Guide to Demystifying Unusual Loot.

Other Helpful Verbs

• BEFRIEND <NAME>: Allows you to mark someone as a friend, which changes your demeanor towards them and has other benefits, such as automatically inviting them to your table.
• RECOVER will help you recover a lost weapon, e.g. if you get disarmed and don’t notice.
• INV LOC (“inventory location”) will list your worn items in their inventory slots.
• INV FULL (“inventory full”) will list every item on you, including those in nested containers.
• SPELL ACTIVE will show you what defensive spells you currently have on.
• SPELL PRIVACY will allow others to use SPELL ACTIVE on you.
• DEFINE <WORD> will tell you about the word’s meaning and lore.
• LOCATION will tell you whether you're in the right location for your bounty.

References

Resource	Description
Tatterclaws’ GSIV Sheet	To track my items, I use a combination of ;inventory-buddy, which I have set to autostart on all my characters, and the sheet here. Inventory-buddy allows me to find which locker or character is holding an item, since tracking that manually is difficult, so having it automated is handy. I use the sheet to keep more detailed notes about particularly special items, such as favorite inventory items or project pieces. I also use the sheet as my single solution for all notes related to the game, as you’ll see from the tabs at the bottom. Finally, the sheet has a nice UI which lets you save alteration ideas, and call them up with detailed filters.
List of Guides	This is a list of guides of all stripes.
Training Guide	This is a detailed spreadsheet you can use to plan your character’s stats and skills.
Roleplaying Guide	A detailed guide to roleplaying in Elanthia.
Roleplaying Tips	This is a list of roleplaying tips from players and GMs.
Container Sizes	Easy table of the different container sizes, e.g. exactly what “large” means.
Creatures by Level	This is a complete list of creatures broken down by level. If you click on a creature’s page, you can figure out where it lives, then use ;go2 to get to that area. For example, spotted lynx are found in Cairnfang Forest, so if you ;go2 cairnfang forest, you’ll probably find some lynx.
Herbs	;eherbs will take care of this for you, but if you prefer to do it manually, the tables you need are here.
Player Shops	Gemstone has an extensive system of hundreds of player-run shops. Someone put together a searchable database of their contents. In addition to showing up in-person, you can also purchase a playershop item from anywhere via: BOOST RUNNER SHOP DIR TOWN SHOP BROWSE TOWN # SHOP PURCHASE ITEM #
Rooms Database	This is a searchable database of rooms in Lich.
Weighting, Padding, Sighting (WPS)	This information relates to weapons which cause critical hits or extra damage, and armor which prevents those.
Container Sizes	When you INSPECT a container and its size is, e.g., “Very Large,” here’s exactly what that means.
Flares	This sheet compares different flare types.
Lockpicking	Key scripts: ;tpick and ;rogue Lock mastery: Guild vouchers -> lock mastery tasks -> skilled master reps
Charts of Clarity	These are advanced tables for building endgame, high-end items. I include them here because they’re somewhat hard to find otherwise.
Mechanical Scripts	For those interested in maximizing their character’s mechanical abilities, this is a helpful list of mechanical scripts for items. It includes items in slots which are often not considered for mechanics, such as cloak-worn.

Completed and Planned Guides

Here are some other guides you might find useful (no link = planned):

• Merchant & alteration guide for new players
• Guide to Festivals
  • Duskruin
  • Rumor Woods
  • Rings of Lumnis
• “Mini-game” guides:
  • Fishing
  • Introduction to Spirit Beasts
  • Ships
  • Collectibles
• ESP

Conclusion

I hope this guide has been helpful for you! Please feel free to message me in-game on Tatterclaws if you discover errors or have comments or suggestions. And welcome, or welcome back!

Tatterclaws