User:Eklektikos/Rules

Avlis has high quality standards, which ensure that our vision of a roleplay server is met and that everyone has fun. Therefore, there are several important rules which are enforced on Avlis. These may be found below.

Common Sense is Rule Zero

If an action goes against common sense, it is against the rules.

Mandatory on Avlis

Courtesy

Players and team members are expected to treat one another with respect. Abusive behaviour will not be tolerated.

Roleplaying

Avlis is a roleplaying world. Player Characters should behave in-character at all times.

Shouting is disabled for Player Characters on the Avlis servers, and the use of tells or out-of-game media other than the Avlis forums to convey in-character information is prohibited, however it is ok to use these media to talk about out of game things.

Prohibited on Avlis

Cheesing

Cheesing of races or abilities is not acceptable on Avlis. Player Characters may only belong to the races explicitly made available at character creation, or to a race granted by the Avlis Team through the remort process. Likewise, Player Characters possess only the abilities that appear on their character sheet and equipment within NWN Avlis; players may not attribute to their Player Characters abilities beyond these.

Exploiting

Exploitation of bugs to gain experience, wealth, or to save time is illegal and a bannable offense. This includes duplicating items and farming Illegal Static Drops.

Item duplication can occur accidentally, not just as the result of a deliberate exploit. If this happens:

1. Send a private message to the "Dungeon Masters" group on the Avlis forum explaining the exact situation that the items are duped.
2. Dump all duped item in a trash can, or ask a DM to help you if a DM is on line.

An Illegal Static Drop is an item which consistently drops in a container or as loot from particular NPCs, and which is of excessively high value or power. As a player, it is your responsibility to report any ISDs that you find to the Avlis team.

Grief-style playing, or griefing

Griefing is defined as any style of play which makes the person playing a character feel genuine distress and anger through disruption of their gaming session.

In character interactions that don't go your way are not griefing. Having Player Characters express ideas contrary to those of yours is not abuse. Having other Player Characters get angry at yours for expressing ideas is not griefing. Having Player Characters get angry at you in-character is not griefing.

Metagaming

Metagaming is the use of information gained out-of-character by a player to gain an unfair advantage for their character. This includes using information gained in-character while playing one Player Character to benefit another of your Player Characters unfairly.

Obviously Stupid Character Names

Examples are names such as "l33t dood" and "Omagodhees Hungwell." It is STRONGLY recommended that names from fiction, literature, movies, etc. also be avoided. The teams has the authority to order a player to start a new character if a DM thinks the player's current character name is not in line with Avlis' name policy. If a player refuses to start over with a new character, the character in violation of the name policy will be deleted from the server-vault.

Player Character Pregnancy

Player Characters cannot be played as pregnant. If a player wishes for their character to become pregnant, they must first obtain team approval and then retire the Player Character permanently.

Player vs Player combat, as opposed to Character vs Character combat

Player vs. Player combat is illegal. However, Character vs. Character combat is LEGAL. A "player" is defined by the person sitting behind the screen playing the game. A "character" is defined by the alternate personality you portray within the game. Characters can have disagreements and fight over them, but as soon as it becomes a personal matter between the players behind the characters, it is no longer justified.

Sexual Offences

Non-consensual sexual activity is prohibited both in-character and out-of-character. The same applies to any form of sexual act involving a minor, as per the United States' strictest definition of a minor.

It is also prohibited to tell stories, spread rumors, make accusations, or engage in any roleplay relating to or referencing the above acts in-character.

This is a zero tolerance policy and anyone caught commiting sexual offences of any kind in Avlis or any Avlis owned/controlled medium will be immediately banned from ALL Avlis owned/controlled mediums.

Sneaking behind a person through a door

It is forbidden to use the delay before a door closes in order to gain access to an area that would otherwise be barred to your Player Character, or to avoid the risk of detection associated with opening said door while in stealth.

Speaking for NPCs

Do not speak for or post forum messages as NPCs unless you have the title "DM" underneath your name. You speak for your own characters but not NPCs. The city guard, members of the government, commoners, priests at the temples of various gods, etc. are all off limits to non-DMs.

Other Policies

Changelings

When a changeling uses the Changeling Special Ability, a message is sent to everyone in the area that the ability has been used. This is an OOC message.

When a changeling changes form, everyone in the immediate vicinity gets to make a spellcraft check (DC 16). This check is made automatically by the engine. If they succeed, they get a message indicating that the user of the power may be a changeling. If they fail, they get no message. If someone changes in front of your face, you do know that they can change form. However you do not know how they are accomplishing this feat unless you succeed in your spellcraft check.

When a changeling memorizes or purges a form, everyone in the immediate vicinity gets to make a spellcraft check (DC 30). This check is made automatically by the engine. If they succeed, they get a message indicating that the user of the power may be a changeling. If they fail, they get no message.

In both the above cases, the changeling does not know if someone made a check or if they succeeded at a check. When a changeling reviews their forms, no one gets to make a spellcraft check to identify a changeling.

This means that anyone without ranks in spellcraft will never be able to identify someone as a changeling. Those with some ranks will be able to identify changelings with a good degree of accuracy whenever they change shape or revert to their true form. Only characters of at least level 6 will have any chance of identifying changelings when memorizing or purging forms, and only epics with any degree of regularity.

If you cannot make spellcraft checks, the only other IC way to find out someone is a changeling is to have someone who ICly knows tell you that person is a changeling. So unless you succeed at a spellcraft check you do not know someone is a changeling, even if they change shape in front of your face.

Crafting Recipes

I would like to clarify the Avlis crafting recipe restrictions that have been brought up in the proposal for a free crafting guild in Avlis. A while back the team ruled that guilds could not post master recipe lists in the forums for all members to see and learn from. For the most part all guilds pass their information in character, which is how it should be. We have further clarified this rule.

All Avlis crafting recipes must be learned/discovered in game.

Distributing a master list of all known recipes is a flagrant violation of this. I don't care who you share your knowledge with as long as you do it in game. If you want to reveal secrets for nothing, that's your business. But there will be no listserv of crafting recipes.

This is a roleplaying server and while we can't enforce certain aspects of crafting that we'd like to, we can certainly set OOC guidelines that you should follow. Yes, there are ways you can get around this but you are violating the spirit of Avlis and this server's atmosphere. Because of limiting game mechanics I cannot create a realistic crafting experience. All recipes are boiled down to a list of ingredients and quantities. IC this is not so simple. Being a master alchemist is much more than slapping down half a dozen ingredients and choosing your recipe. There's skill involved in mixing certain ingredients, under certain conditions (heat, pressure, friction, etc), and observing the changes. This is why you have to have a certain level in a craft to even attempt a certain recipe. All trades are handled this way IC. If I could enforce it I'd require you to either experiment to discover your own recipes OR get a mentor to teach it to you.

Disguise

The PC trying to keep his/her identity hidden, is the one who must make the most effort. The less effort put into it, the less likely the disguise is to work.

The PC who is trying to identify another character can only 'recognize' items, mannerisms, voices, (anything else that fits here) if they have interacted with them before.

Specific Disguise Rule Clarifications

• Items that are +3 (or +3 equivalent) or higher are considered unique enough to be identified. You must remove all identifiable gear from your character if you want to remain in disguise.
• Voices must continue to be altered, by the character speaking, to remain a valid part of the disguise. There are no items that will disguise your voice. Stating once at the beginning of a conversation *Muffles Voice* is not enough.

You cannot disguise your voice while spellcasting. If a character hears you casting, and they can recognize your voice (see the main rule above) then they can talk with a DM about ICly identifying the disguised character. A PM to both the other player and DM is preferred if a DM is not with you IG.

If you are using the Silent Spell feat (i.e. casting a spell with Silent Spell meta-magic applied) then you cannot be ID'd by voice, nor can you be ID'd by the fact that you are Silent casting.

The CEP Shadowed Hood is treated in the same way as a helm, as long as it is used in conjunction with other disguise practices. A hood alone will not be a strong enough disguise to protect a PC's identity, but is perfectly valid as a portion of such.

Shadowshield is considered a Shadowed Hood for disguise purposes, obscuring the facial features of characters affected by it. Shadowshield has the additional character of, if the spell is visible to a player on his screen, obscuring the color but not the character of avatar-visible items such as armor, robes, wings, cloaks, weapons, and helms. It does not obscure armor for ID purposes under the disguise rules, nor does it obscure IDable items under those same rules.

Barkskin would be slightly less effective then armor/helm. You wouldn't see the color of someone's armor, helm, etc... But you'd still see the general design of it. Same goes for the face, it would still be the PC's face but harder to make out fine details. Barkskin alone is not enough to be considered a disguise.

Stoneskin does nothing disquise wise. The same goes true for any spell that doesn't have a lasting VFX.

You cannot identify a character by smell.

Your Animal Companion cannot identify disguised characters for you.

You cannot disguise yourself as someone of the opposite gender.

You cannot run across a transition and change clothes (or change forms), the transitions are an OOC factor of the NWN Engine.

"Floaty Names"

The floating name above a character's head DOES NOT actually exist IC. It cannot be used to reveal a character's name if the said character has not told you his/her name.

A person you know under the effects of "Invisibilty" or "Improved Invisibilty" cannot be identified by the floating name unless your character is under the effects of "See Invisibility" or "True Seeing".

Invisibility

An invisible character or creature CANNOT be seen and identified by anyone not under to effects of the spells "True Seeing" and "See Invisibility" as they can only be detected through hearing.

Creatures and characters under the effects of the spell "Improved Invisibilty" cannot be identified even after they have taken an action to make them "partially visible" unless the perceiving creature has "True Seeing" or "See Invisibilty". Characters know that the person/creature is there, but sees only a blurry, semi transparent figure.

Consequences of Breaking the Rules

Watchlisting

When a player is warned online by a DM for a rules violation, they will be placed on the watchlist. At this time the DM may remove equipment gained via rule breaking, and may impose an EXP fine. The purpose of the watchlist is to facilitate communication among the team. If a character is seen breaking a rule after being placed on the watchlist, they will be subject to punishment.

Vault Jail

We have decided to use what we call "Vault Jail" as a method of punishment for most infractions. "Vault Jail" consists of having all your characters removed from the servervault for a period of 2-5 days. The length of time is dependent on the type and number of infractions. Players whose characters are being investigated for cheating, exploiting, or griefing will also have their characters placed temporarily in Vault Jail.

If a player is being placed in Vault Jail we will attempt to PM them first. We reserve the right to jail first contact later. (Many players have a different name on the forums) If you log in and find your vault suddenly and completely empty you may have been placed in vault jail, and should contact the team ASAP by sending a private message to the "Dungeon Masters" group on the Avlis forum.

Banning

Banning is reserved for players that cheat, exploit, grief other players, manipulate or deceive a DM, or continue to break rules after having being punished previously.

It is not uncommon that family members play on the same CD and/or Gamespy account in Avlis. However, there have been a number of cases where ONE family member was banned for a specific reason, and thus Avlis was also made unplayable for the rule-abiding family member.

The banning policy is such that we will ban any CD key and/or Gamespy account that is associated with the said player. That means, if your family member is playing on the same CD and/or Gamespy account, you also risk being banned from Avlis if that your brother/sister/father/mother also plays on the same CD and/or Gamespy account.

This is done because it is next to impossible to distinguish whether or not it is true that said banned player truly has a sibling/parent/child who plays on the same CD and/or Gamespy account.

Thus, in order to protect yourself if you truly do have a family member who does play in Avlis, play on seperate CD's and/or Gamespy account and DON'T SHARE! Simple as that.