Roleplaying Rules
NOTE: These rules are incomplete and being drafted. If you found this page without me linking it to you, good job, I guess!
Contents
Character Creation Rules
- When making a character, please abide by the following rules. If your character violates one of these rules, a GM will assist you in making corrections.
- Characters must adhere to the game world's setting and lore.
- You must roleplay your character as the race you selected during character creation.
- You cannot use a 'custom' or 'original' race.
- Do not, for example, pick the Elf race and roleplay your character as if they were a Corbie.
- Your character's name must be appropriate; no profanity, no single noun names (IE; no 'Shadow'), no names based on existing media (IE; no 'Jon Snow').
- Your character's name cannot have numbers or special characters such as symbols. (IE; no 'Duke Nuk3m 123')
- Your character's origin must fit with the setting.
- Origin means how your character came to be in the world. This typically means being born into it, or created in the case of Mechanations, Vampires, etc.
- Your character cannot be a time traveler, or come from a different world or dimension.
- Your character cannot be the offspring or have any significant relation to Gods or other NPCs. For example, your character cannot be Risu's long-lost older brother, or the Tennou's son, etc.
- You may, however, make characters affiliated with certain noble houses without approval; check this topic for details: Playing characters affiliated with noble houses
- For other exclusive factions, such as The Agency, etc. please post an application in the forums.
- Your character should be unique.
- Playing characters from existing media is not allowed. No Gokus, no Vegetas, no Narutos, etc.
- You are permitted to use images of characters from media to represent your character in their profile, etc. (so called 'play-bys'). However, please ensure your character's backstory, name, aliases, personality, motivations, and so on are not overly similar (based on common sense and GM discretion). You are meant to create YOUR character and not play a copy of a character you like.
- Do not make a copy of another character which already exists in the game, including NPCs, characters played by other players, or copies of a character you already have. (Note: This does not mean using the same 'play-by' as someone else. This does include clearly copying someone else's character even if there are small differences.)
- No meme characters.
- Creating characters with no other purpose but to amuse yourself or others OOCly is disruptive to the RP environment and is not allowed.
- This means no Count Chocula vampires, no Sans liches, no spooky skeleton liches, etc.
- Some character concepts, or characters of certain physical features, require GM approval before creation.
- Characters of age 13 years or less, 300 years or more, or heights outside of the range of 4'5" to 7' tall are some examples.
- Characters seeking an exception to rules listed here or in General Roleplay Rules also require an application.
- See this topic for full details: Character Concepts Requiring Approval
Metagaming Rules
What is metagaming?
Metagaming is, generally speaking, any number of actions where knowledge that you (the player) are aware of is used to determine your in-character (IC) actions, when that knowledge is not known by the character.
- Metagaming, excluding examples mentioned in the exceptions list, is not allowed.
The reason for this is simple; this is a roleplaying game. Breaking character or acting in a way that undermines the roleplay aspect of the game is not allowed.
Examples of Metagaming
- This list is not all inclusive, but should serve as a guideline if you're unsure.
- Knowing someone's name, history, etc. without learning it IC.
- Just because you can see someone's name in their profile or by mousing over them does not mean your character knows it. The same goes for information in their profile (excluding appearances, which your character can see); just because you can read the history tab does not mean that information is public knowledge or that your character magically knows it.
- This is a common problem for roleplaying beginners, so try to be careful if you are one!
- Utilizing the game environment in abusive ways.
- While we, the player, know this is a game, that does not mean that your character does. Do not refer to things such as stats or other game mechanics in their specific terms. For example, your character should not say in-character how they once took 251 Darkness damage from a Necromancer boss once, or that their Gigantys has a +6 Power upgrade.
- A more serious transgression is utilizing the game to try and avoid RP consequences. Logging out of the game to avoid RP conflict or consequences is never permitted, and will likely result in punishment.
- Utilizing game behavior also falls into this category. For example, if you are locked in a cell, but 'escape' by joining someone's party and 'teleporting' out of the cell. This is another serious offense which will result in punishment, so do not do it.
- Using knowledge of a character's player in abusive ways.
- Do not attempt to harrass or bother people 'ICly' based on you knowing who their player is OOCly. (This also applies for friends or factions related to the person even if not done to them directly.)
- For example, do not attempt to insult or attack a character because someone you dislike is playing them; as always, you need an IC justification. Even with IC justification, if it is found to be lacking, or that your primary goal is to bother a player instead of create RP in good faith, you will likely be told to stop or be punished.
- Disregarding or assuming the actions of NPCs.
- NPCs are not just game objects and you should not ignore them. For example, performing a crime in front of an NPC guard is metagaming, because you are acting ICly on the knowledge that the NPC guard has no player and cannot move to stop you (without a GM).
- The same applies to interacting with NPCs. Attempting to attack, touch, etc. an NPC is metagaming for the same reason as the above.
- Do not assume that an NPC will act in a certain way for that matter. For example, do not assume Air will sell you forged passage papers. For any interactions with an NPC that you may need, please contact a GM.
Exceptions List
- Using OOC/LFG to set up parties for PvE or roleplay/events.
- This is permissable on the assumption that it is a purely positive interaction.
- An example of an allowed use of this exception is to use OOC or LFG to try and find other players to do dungeons with.
- Another example of an allowed use of this exception is if someone is using OOC or LFG to notify others of a roleplay event, such as a festival or party, going on in a certain location. However, in this case, it is preferred that you utilize LFG with IC 'hooks', IE; 'Fliers hanging on boards all over Cellsvich tell of a masquerade ball taking place in [player house] in the West Cellsvich District.'
- An example of how this exception may NOT be used; someone asking for help OOC because they're being robbed or arrested.
