Room Program Examples

Practical examples of room programs covering common use cases. Each example includes the complete script code, the trigger attachment, and an explanation of how it works.

Table of Contents

All room program commands use the room prefix. Comments use ** on their own line.

Example 1: Trap Room — Fire Damage on Entry

A room that damages players when they enter, simulating a fire trap. The trap has a chance to fire and warns the player with atmospheric text before dealing damage.

Script Code 

** Fire trap — damages anyone who enters
** Trigger: greet 100
room echo {RFlames erupt from vents in the floor!{x
room echoat $n {RYou are engulfed in searing flames!{x
room echoaround $n {r$N is engulfed in searing flames!{x
room damage $n 75 fire

Attachment 

redit <room vnum>
addprog <script vnum> greet 100
  • Trigger: greet — fires when a visible character enters
  • Phrase: 100 — 100% chance (always fires)

How It Works

  1. A player walks into the room.
  2. The greet trigger fires with $n set to the entering player.
  3. room echo sends the flames message to everyone in the room.
  4. room echoat sends a personal message to the victim.
  5. room echoaround sends a third-person message to everyone else.
  6. room damage deals 75 fire damage to the entering player.

Variations

50% chance trap — Change the trigger phrase to 50:

addprog <script vnum> greet 50

Disarmable trap — Check a variable before firing:

** Check if trap has been disarmed
if varexists $self trap_disarmed
  ** Trap was disarmed, do nothing
else
  room echo {RFlames erupt from vents in the floor!{x
  room damage $n 75 fire
endif

One-shot trap — Disable after first triggering:

room echo {RFlames erupt from vents in the floor!{x
room damage $n 75 fire
room varset trap_disarmed number 1
room echo {DThe flames sputter and die. The fuel is spent.{x

Example 2: Puzzle Room — Speech-Activated Mechanism

A room with a locked door that opens when a player says the correct passphrase. Speaking the wrong phrase triggers a different response.

Script Code — Correct Passphrase 

** Puzzle: say the passphrase to open the north door
** Trigger: speech open sesame
room echo {YThe ancient runes along the north wall blaze with golden light!{x
room echoat $n {WYou feel the magic respond to your words.{x
room alterexit north door open
room echo {GThe stone door grinds open, revealing a passage to the north!{x
** Set a variable so we know the door is open
room varset door_opened number 1
** Close it again after 30 seconds (120 pulses)
room delay 120

Script Code — Delay Handler (Door Closes) 

** Auto-close the door after the delay expires
** Trigger: delay 100
if varexists $self door_opened
  room alterexit north door closed
  room echo {DThe stone door slides shut with a heavy thud.{x
  room varclear door_opened
endif

Script Code — Wrong Passphrase (Optional) 

** React to incorrect attempts at magic words
** Trigger: speech open
room echo {dThe runes flicker briefly, then go dark.{x
room echoat $n {DNothing happens. That wasn't quite right.{x

Attachment 

redit <room vnum>
addprog <passphrase script> speech open sesame
addprog <delay script> delay 100
addprog <wrong phrase script> speech open

How It Works

  1. A player says “open sesame” in the room.
  2. The speech trigger matches the keyword substring “open sesame”.
  3. The script opens the north exit with room alterexit and sets a variable.
  4. room delay 120 schedules the delay trigger to fire in ~30 seconds.
  5. When the delay fires, the door closes again.
  6. If someone says just “open” without “sesame”, the wrong-phrase script fires instead.

Speech triggers match substrings. The phrase open sesame will fire when a player says “open sesame” or “I say open sesame please”. The more specific phrase is checked first.

Example 3: Environmental Narration — Random Atmospheric Descriptions

A room that periodically displays atmospheric descriptions to create ambience. Uses the random trigger to fire at variable intervals.

Script Code 

** Atmospheric narration for the Haunted Library
** Trigger: random 15
** Choose a random message each time
if rand 25
  room echo {DA book falls from a shelf with a dusty thud.{x
elseif rand 33
  room echo {DThe candles flicker as an unseen draft passes through.{x
elseif rand 50
  room echo {DYou hear the faint sound of pages turning somewhere nearby.{x
else
  room echo {DThe shadows in the corners seem to shift and writhe.{x
endif

Attachment 

redit <room vnum>
addprog <script vnum> random 15
  • Trigger: random — fires on the room’s random pulse
  • Phrase: 15 — 15% chance each pulse

How It Works

  1. Each random pulse, there is a 15% chance the script fires.
  2. Inside the script, if rand checks create weighted random selection among four messages.
  3. The first message has a 25% chance, the second ~25% (33% of the remaining 75%), the third ~25% (50% of the remaining 50%), and the fourth gets everything else.
  4. The result is varied atmospheric text that doesn’t repeat too predictably.

Variations

Time-sensitive narration — Different messages based on game time:

if hour $null > 18
  room echo {DThe library grows dark as night falls outside the windows.{x
elseif hour $null > 6
  room echo {wSunlight streams through the dusty windows.{x
else
  room echo {DThe library is eerily silent in the pre-dawn hours.{x
endif

Only when players are present — The random trigger fires even in empty rooms. Check for occupants:

if people $self > 0
  room echo {DA cold draft whispers through the corridor.{x
endif

Example 4: Teleporter Room — Entry Trigger with Transfer

A magical teleportation circle that activates when a player enters, displaying dramatic effects before transporting them to a distant location.

Script Code 

** Teleportation circle — transports player on entry
** Trigger: greet 100
room echoat $n {CYou step onto the glowing circle of runes.{x
room echoaround $n {C$N steps onto the glowing circle of runes.{x
room echo {WThe runes blaze with brilliant white light!{x
room echoat $n {WThe world dissolves around you in a flash of light...{x
room echoaround $n {W$N vanishes in a flash of brilliant light!{x
room transfer $n 5200
room at 5200 room echo {W$N materializes in a flash of light!{x
room at 5200 room echoat $n {WYou materialize in an unfamiliar place.{x

Attachment 

redit <room vnum>
addprog <script vnum> greet 100

How It Works

  1. A player enters the teleporter room, triggering greet.
  2. Atmospheric messages display to the player and room.
  3. room transfer $n 5200 moves the player to room 5200.
  4. room at 5200 executes commands in the destination room — welcoming the player with arrival messages.

Variations

Conditional teleporter — Only teleport players with a specific token:

if tokencount $n 6000 > 0
  room echoat $n {CThe portal recognizes your attunement crystal.{x
  room transfer $n 5200
else
  room echoat $n {DThe portal flickers but nothing happens. You lack the attunement.{x
endif

Two-way portal — Pair scripts on both rooms to create a bidirectional teleporter:

** In room A: transfer to room B
room transfer $n <room_B_vnum>

** In room B: transfer to room A (separate script)
room transfer $n <room_A_vnum>

Group teleporter — Transfer the entire group together:

room echo {WThe portal expands, drawing in $N and their companions!{x
room gtransfer $n 5200
room at 5200 room echo {WA group of adventurers materializes from the portal!{x

Example 5: Ambush Room — Greet Trigger with Mob Loading and Combat

A room that spawns hostile mobs when a player enters and forces them into combat. The ambush only triggers once, then disarms itself until the area resets.

Script Code — Ambush 

** Ambush: spawn bandits when a player enters
** Trigger: greet 100
** Only fire if the ambush hasn't been triggered yet
if varexists $self ambush_sprung
else
  ** Mark the ambush as triggered
  room varset ambush_sprung number 1

  ** Atmospheric buildup
  room echoat $n {rYou hear a rustle in the shadows...{x
  room echo {DA sharp whistle cuts through the air!{x

  ** Spawn the bandits
  room mload 4500
  room mload 4500
  room mload 4501

  ** Narrate the ambush
  room echo {RTwo bandits leap from the shadows! A bandit leader steps forward!{x
  room echoat $n {R'Your gold or your life!' snarls the bandit leader.{x

  ** Force the bandits to attack
  room vforce 4501 kill $n
  room vforce 4500 kill $n
endif

Script Code — Reset Handler 

** Reset the ambush on area repop
** Trigger: reset 100
room varclear ambush_sprung

Attachment 

redit <room vnum>
addprog <ambush script> greet 100
addprog <reset script> reset 100

How It Works

  1. A player enters the room, triggering greet.
  2. The script checks if ambush_sprung variable exists — if so, the ambush was already triggered and nothing happens.
  3. First time through: sets ambush_sprung, displays atmospheric text.
  4. room mload spawns two bandit mobs (vnum 4500) and one bandit leader (vnum 4501).
  5. room vforce forces all mobs of each vnum to attack the entering player.
  6. On area reset, the reset trigger clears the variable, re-arming the ambush.

Variations

Level-scaled ambush — Spawn different mobs based on player level:

if level $n > 30
  room mload 4510
  room mload 4510
  room echo {RElite assassins drop from the ceiling!{x
elseif level $n > 15
  room mload 4505
  room mload 4505
  room echo {RBandits leap from behind the rocks!{x
else
  room mload 4500
  room echo {RA lone highwayman steps from the shadows.{x
endif

Delayed ambush — Give the player a moment before the attack:

** On greet: set up the ambush
room echoat $n {rYou feel uneasy. Something is watching you.{x
room remember $n
room delay 12

** On delay: spring the ambush
room mload 4500
room echo {RBandits attack!{x
room vforce 4500 kill $n

Tips for Room Programs

  • Test with rpstat — Use rpstat in a room to see all attached programs and their triggers.
  • Use stat room — Verify the room’s properties (flags, exits, sector) to confirm your scripts are working.
  • Variables persist on rooms — Room variables survive reboots if saved with room varsave. Use them for puzzle state, trap status, and progression tracking.
  • $self is the room — In room progs, $self and $here are the same entity. Use $self when operating on the room itself.
  • Combine triggers — A single room can have many programs. Use greet for entry effects, speech for puzzles, random for atmosphere, and reset for cleanup.
  • Mind the break — Use break in pre-triggers (prerecall, exit, preenter) to prevent the action from completing.
  • Direction numbers — For exit, exall, knock, knocking, open, and close triggers: 0=north, 1=east, 2=south, 3=west, 4=up, 5=down.