Pipes are common throughout the Mushroom Kingdom; many are stopped up, but a few will transport you to hidden areas or faraway lands - and it's impossible to tell at a glance whether a pipe will take you somewhere before you attempt to enter it (though someone with Tattle might be of help here). Attempting to enter a pipe, regardless of success, takes an action, and you must have at least 1 Move left (or, for those pipe above, 1 Jump) left to enter it.
Blocks are an incredibly common feature in the Mushroom Kingdom, often floating in the air mysteriously; when hit, they often produce interesting effects, depending on the kind of block. All blocks, however, share some common traits:
Many blocks can be broken. Almost all blocks have only 1 Health, but their Resist is varied - and unlike many things, ''a Block cannot be broken if its Resist is greater than your attack's power''!
If a block is hit from beneath, and there is an enemy on top of it, the enemy takes 1 damage, is knocked back 1 space (give or take some sideways momentum), and may be stunned.
Blocks may be lifted, like anything else, if your Lift exceeds their Resist.
Bricks are the most common block, and are found almost everywhere in large quantities. They form platforms, blockades, and the like. Some Bricks actually contain ? Blocks, or may contain a number of hidden coins. If a P-Switch is hit near some Bricks, they turn into Coins.
Bricks have a Resist of 2.
These look much like normal Bricks, but are a pale blue in color, and are surprisingly light. They have a Resist of 3, but unlike most blocks, can be picked up by anyone with a Lift of at least 1. They never have hidden secrets within them, and seem to be built for use as a projectile weapon. They disappear in a puff of smoke five rounds after being plucked from their original place.
? Blocks are much like Bricks, but they contain coins, or in rarer cases, items. Before they will release their item, they must be attacked: if hit from the underside, most any attack will do, but from any other direction, the attack must have a Strike of 2 or more and Strike Synergy.
Once its item is released, the ? Block becomes a Angry Block. ? Blocks have a Resist of 10.
Angry Blocks are the end result of ? Blocks - they hold neither items nor coins, but are just as tough. They make great platforms, and have a Resist of 10.
The ♪ Block (aka, "Music Note Block") is renowned for its bounciness. Whereas most blocks only inflict damage on someone atop them if hit from the underside, the ♪ Block will act similarly if hit from any direction. Because of their springiness, anyone jumping off of a ♪ Block will have 3 added to that jump only. ♪ Blocks have been known to hold items, but this is rare.
♪ Blocks have a Resist of 10.
The Yellow Brick is oddly fragile, though they have a Resist of 5. If hit with any attack insufficient to destroy it, it begins to spin, and can be traveled through as if it were not there. It spins for 5 rounds, and while spinning, cannot be broken, stood on, or otherwise touched in any way.
The Donut Block is a dangerous sort, often hanging over lava and bottomless pits. If a character stands on a Donut Block for an entire turn, the Donut Block will fall out from underneath his or her feet! Donut Blocks have a Resist of 10, and will re-appear three turns after falling away.
Coins are the major currency of the Mushroom Kingdom, and can be found floating in the air, hiding in all sorts of blocks, and are sometimes even invisible! If a P-Switch is hit near floating Coins (of any color) they will turn into Bricks. There are several kinds of coins in the Mushroom Kingdom:
Coin. Worth 1 Coin, of course. These are the most common.
Red Coin. Worth 2 Coins, and often exist in sets of eight. It's rumored that finding all eight in an area can lead to further good fortune...
Blue Coin. Worth 5 Coins, this rare denomination often hides behind the magic of a P-Switch or similar contraption. They have been known to disappear if not collected fast enough.
Coins, being currency, are most useful at the shops scattered throughout the Mushroom Kingdom, not to mention the shady traders that lurk in the plumbing and the shadows. What follows are simple guidelines for prices for items in the Mushroom Kingdom, but these prices will vary greatly depending on availability in any given area - a Snowpop might be cheap to buy in Shiver City, but you'll garner quite a profit if you sell it at Dry Dry Outpost.
Food items can be bought for (HP healed) + (FP healed * 2) + (value of statuses * 5) coins.
Items with the Destroyable trait, and items that can only be used once, can be bought for (their value in points * 10) coins.
Badges, permanent equipment, and techniques can be bought for (their value in points * 100) coins.
Items that increase maximum HP or FP can be bought for ((HP increase + FP Increase) * 100) coins.
All items can be sold, generally for half their value.
Many enemies in the Mushroom Kingdom, such as Koopa Troopas and Buzzy Beetles, have shells; i.e., when hit by a Jump-Element attack, they retract into this shell and are stunned for 5 turns, with their resist lowered to 0. While any character can lift them at this point, any character may also kick this enemy's shell into other foes.
A kicked shell moves 4 spaces each round, and this movement is ground-bound (that is, if kicked off a cliff it will arc from gravity's influence). While moving, the shell's occupant will not attempt to re-emerge (its Stun timer halts). If it hits a person, friend, foe, or inanimate obstacle, it deals the shell's occupant's normal Resist in damage - and if this destroys the target in question, the shell continues on its way. If not, the shell stops.