Player Killing (PK) checklist for MUDs

Verify that no combination of skills or spells allows for a 100% uptime stun loop against a single target.

Confirm that the highest possible burst damage from a single player does not exceed 60% of an equivalent-level player's maximum HP.

Check that healing items and buff scrolls have internal cooldowns or 'satiety' limits to prevent infinite sustain during combat.

Test command queuing to ensure players with 200ms+ latency are not mechanically disadvantaged by the server heartbeat.

Verify that 'flee' or 'retreat' commands have a success rate tied to stats rather than being purely RNG or 100% guaranteed.

Test that only the killer, the victim, or authorized party members can access a player corpse for a set duration.

Audit item 'NO_DROP' or 'KEEP' flags to ensure quest-essential items are not lost during PK deaths.

Verify that corpse decay timers allow enough time for a player to travel from the furthest respawn point to the death room.

Confirm that PK death penalties are distinct from PvE death penalties to prevent players from being de-leveled into a lower bracket.

Verify that resurrected players receive a temporary debuff to prevent immediate 'revenge killing' without recovery.

Verify all respawn points, shops, and entry portals are flagged as 'SAFE' and prevent the initiation of combat.

Confirm that ranged attacks or area-of-effect spells cannot be cast from a PK-enabled room into a Safe room.

Test that 'recall' or 'teleport' spells are disabled for a set duration after a player deals or receives damage.

Verify that players cannot use 'guard' or 'block' commands on room exits in newbie-trafficked zones.

Check that deaths within designated 'Arena' zones do not trigger global death penalties or item loss.

Validate that players cannot initiate combat with others who are more than X levels below them.

Verify that new accounts are immune to PK for the first 10 hours of playtime or until they reach a specific level.

If PK is optional, verify a 15-minute cooldown exists between disabling PK and it actually taking effect.

Implement a script that flags admins if the same two players engage in combat more than 5 times in an hour.

Verify that automated checks prevent two characters from the same IP address from being in the same PK combat.

Ensure all PK kills are logged to a flat file containing killer, victim, room ID, and timestamp.

Verify that logs correctly attribute kills to the player who dealt the most damage, not just the final blow.

Test that 'Infamy' or 'Bounty' points are correctly added to a player's profile upon a successful PK in restricted zones.

Confirm that PK stats (Kills/Deaths/Ratio) update in real-time on the global leaderboard or 'score' command.

Verify that if a player disconnects during combat, their character remains in the world for 60 seconds to prevent 'combat logging'.