Area Program Triggers

This page documents all 6 triggers available for area programs. Area programs have a deliberately limited trigger set — each one serves a distinct purpose in zone-level scripting.

For general trigger concepts and phrase matching, see Scripting Basics. For the commands you can use inside a triggered script, see Commands.

Table of Contents

How Triggers Work

When you attach a script to an area, you specify:

  1. Trigger type — The event name (e.g., reset, random, tick)
  2. Phrase — A percent chance (1–100) that the script fires when the event occurs

All area triggers use percent-chance phrases:

Phrase Value Meaning
100 Fires every time the event occurs
50 50% chance of firing each time
1 1% chance — very rare
* Always fires (equivalent to 100)

Entity Bindings

Area programs have limited entity context compared to mob or room programs. Because they fire at the zone level, there is no inherent “actor” or “room”:

Variable Type Description
$i / $(self) Area The area entity itself

Other variables ($n, $t, $r, etc.) are not automatically set in area programs. You must target entities explicitly by name or vnum when using commands like area echoat or area mload.

Trigger Quick Reference

Trigger When It Fires Phrase
moon When the in-game moon phase changes percent chance
prereckoning Just before a reckoning event begins percent chance
random On each random tick (periodic game pulse) percent chance
reckoning When a reckoning event is actively occurring percent chance
reset When the area resets (repopulation cycle) percent chance
tick On each game tick (regular interval) percent chance

Trigger Details

moon 

addprog <vnum> moon <percent>

Fires when the in-game moon phase changes. The phrase is a percent chance of the script firing each time the moon transitions to a new phase.

When it fires: Each time the game’s lunar cycle advances to the next phase (new moon, waxing crescent, first quarter, waxing gibbous, full moon, waning gibbous, third quarter, waning crescent).

Use cases:

  • Spawning werewolves or other moon-sensitive creatures during full moon
  • Changing area descriptions or ambient messages based on lunar phase
  • Triggering lycanthropy-related events
  • Activating moonlight-dependent puzzles or portals

Example:

** Spawn special mobs during full moon
if moon == full
  area echo {WThe full moon bathes the forest in silver light...{x
  area mload 5032 3001
endif

Attachment:

aedit
addprog 12345 moon 100

The moon trigger is also available on tokens and events but not on mobs, objects, rooms, instances, or dungeons. It is unique to entity types that manage global or persistent state.

prereckoning 

addprog <vnum> prereckoning <percent>

Fires just before a reckoning event begins in the area. A reckoning is a major world event — an invasion, a cataclysm, or a server-wide challenge. The prereckoning trigger lets you prepare the zone before the event starts.

When it fires: After startreckoning is called but before the reckoning event fully activates. This is the setup phase.

Use cases:

  • Broadcasting warning messages to players in the zone
  • Setting up defensive positions or spawning preparatory NPCs
  • Initializing zone variables that track event progress
  • Modifying room descriptions to foreshadow the coming event

Example:

** Warn players that a reckoning is about to begin
area echo {RThe sky darkens ominously. Something terrible approaches...{x
area varset reckoning_stage preparing
area mload 6000 3050

Attachment:

aedit
addprog 12346 prereckoning 100

random 

addprog <vnum> random <percent>

Fires on each random tick with the specified percent chance. Random ticks occur periodically but at slightly irregular intervals, making events feel less mechanical.

When it fires: Each random tick pulse. The phrase is evaluated as a percent chance — 25 means a 25% chance of firing each random tick.

The random trigger is marked as deprecated in the source code. For new scripts, prefer the tick trigger which fires on regular game ticks. Existing random triggers continue to work.

Use cases:

  • Ambient area messages (weather, sounds, environmental flavor)
  • Periodic NPC spawning with controlled frequency
  • Random events that should feel organic rather than clockwork
  • Variable tracking that accumulates over time

Example:

** Random ambient weather messages
area echo {cA cool breeze drifts through the valley, carrying the scent of pine.{x

Attachment:

aedit
addprog 12347 random 15

This attaches with a 15% chance of firing each random tick — roughly once every 6–7 ticks on average.

reckoning 

addprog <vnum> reckoning <percent>

Fires while a reckoning event is actively occurring in the area. This trigger fires repeatedly (each tick) during the reckoning, allowing scripts to drive the event’s progression.

When it fires: Each tick while the area’s reckoning event is active. The phrase is a percent chance per tick.

Use cases:

  • Spawning waves of invading mobs during the event
  • Escalating difficulty as the reckoning progresses
  • Tracking player kills or objectives during the event
  • Sending periodic status updates to players in the zone

Example:

** Spawn a wave of invaders during the reckoning
area varset wave_count $@(wave_count + 1)
if var wave_count <= 5
  area echo {RAnother wave of demons pours through the rift!{x
  area mload 6010 3001
  area mload 6010 3002
  area mload 6010 3003
elseif var wave_count == 10
  area echo {YThe demon lord himself steps through the portal!{x
  area mload 6099 3001
endif

Attachment:

aedit
addprog 12348 reckoning 100

reset 

addprog <vnum> reset <percent>

Fires when the area undergoes its periodic reset (repopulation). Area resets restore mobs, objects, and room states according to the zone’s reset list. The reset trigger lets you run custom logic alongside or instead of the standard reset.

When it fires: Each time the area’s reset timer expires and the zone repopulates. The phrase is a percent chance of the script firing on each reset.

Use cases:

  • Custom mob placement that varies based on zone variables
  • Conditional repopulation (only spawn certain mobs if a quest flag is set)
  • Resetting zone-wide state variables
  • Announcing area repopulation to players
  • Tracking how many times the area has been reset

Example:

** Custom reset logic — spawn a rare merchant 20% of the time
area varset reset_count $@(reset_count + 1)
if rand 20
  area mload 5050 3010
  area echo {GA traveling merchant has arrived at the crossroads!{x
  area varset merchant_spawned 1
else
  area varset merchant_spawned 0
endif

Attachment:

aedit
addprog 12349 reset 100

The reset trigger is also available on rooms, tokens, instances, dungeons, and events, but not on mobs or objects. Room reset triggers fire for individual rooms; area reset triggers fire once for the entire zone.

tick 

addprog <vnum> tick <percent>

Fires on each regular game tick. Unlike random, the tick trigger fires at consistent intervals, making it suitable for predictable periodic behavior.

When it fires: Each game tick (a fixed-interval server pulse). The phrase is a percent chance per tick.

Use cases:

  • Regular status checks and state machine progression
  • Timed countdowns (decrement a variable each tick)
  • Periodic zone-wide effects (weather cycling, day/night transitions)
  • Monitoring player activity or zone conditions

Example:

** Countdown timer for a zone event
if var countdown > 0
  area varset countdown $@(countdown - 1)
  if var countdown == 5
    area echo {YThe ritual will complete in 5 ticks!{x
  elseif var countdown == 0
    area echo {RThe ritual is complete! The portal opens!{x
    area mload 7000 3001
  endif
endif

Attachment:

aedit
addprog 12350 tick 100

Trigger Comparison

Trigger Timing Typical Use
moon Lunar phase change Lycanthropy events, moon-gated content
prereckoning Before reckoning starts Event preparation, warnings
random Irregular intervals (deprecated) Ambient flavor, organic-feeling events
reckoning During active reckoning Event progression, wave spawning
reset Area repopulation Custom spawning, state reset
tick Regular intervals Timers, countdowns, periodic checks

Area programs have only 6 triggers — this is by design. Areas are high-level containers, and most interactive behavior belongs in mob, room, or token programs. Use area programs for zone-wide coordination, not for responding to individual player actions.