Policies

GeneralStaffXP

Golden Rule

Real life always comes first and we are all humans behind the screen. Real life difficulties or responsibilities will be respected.

Respect

In the soulful words of Aretha Franklin, "What you want! Baby, I got it! What you need! You know I got it. All I'm asking is for a little respect." We understand that this is a two-way road, and we ask for consideration to both the player base and the staff to keep that in mind. Given that we are a text-based medium, there is no ability to parse tone or expression from someone's words aside from what's written on the page. If you find yourself becoming heated about a situation with another player, please remember to take a step back. Staff can, and will, mediate disputes, but we ask that you approach one another with basic respect and tolerance. This rule also applies to Staff when interacting with one another, or with players.

Bashing

Everyone has different histories at various games, some good and some bad. People often have reputations built from other games, some good and some bad. Like life, players have a variety of different backgrounds that may not always blend. We ask respectfully, of both staff and players, to please do not publicly bash, troll, or antagonize any other games or players/staff.

PC In Sphere

Staff may have a PC in the sphere that they are running. However, the PC will be approved following the sphere's guidelines by another staff member comfortable with the sphere or another staff member directly working in the sphere which includes all jobs for that PC. That PC is not allowed to have a Leadership role of significance (I.E. Alpha, King/Queen, etc). Minor roles like Guardian (Something beneath a major role) or like Knight in Changeling is fine because it's a support, not leadership. The Staff Lead may create/use NPCs in order to run gaps in leadership or leadership roles not designed for PCs.

NPC Rules and Limitations

The following rules apply specifically to adversaries created to serve as direct foils for PCs: Staff are limited to creating NPC adversaries that are reasonable and on par with the same rules and limitations that the players have. This includes total and possible XP, calculated based on either the oldest extant PC still accruing XP, or the average of accrued XP from the start of the game sans additional plot-based XP (whichever is less). Staff may not boost their NPCs with additional freebies past what is available to PCs; staff are not allowed to play their NPCs as though they are their personal characters. All scenes with NPCs will be logged and public with the exception of scenes that may be considered a spoiler for a future plot. NPCs do not accrue XP. When an NPC is created, Staff are expected to have some oversight to ensure that the NPC fits within these standards, and will submit all NPC stats for a review from their peers (anyone else on staff who understands the splat in question).

Accrual

All players who are active (measured by at least three active scenes on grid) will automatically be allotted 4 XP per week. In addition to this, players will be able to participate in Staff Plots (SPs) or Player Run Plots (PRPs) for other XP awards. There will be no +vote or +recc system in place to manage additional XP. If someone's RP is exceptional, feel free to tell them!

Spending

There is no cap to the amount of XP that can be spent at any given time; please see the following rules regarding justifications for information on what is necessary for XP spends to be approved.

Justifications

All standard stat expenditures (Abilities and Attributes) will be automatically approved via self-serve code up to level 3. This means that if a player wanted to raise their character's Strength from 1 to 3, they may do so so long as they have the XP. The following stats require jobs to be processed by staff:

• Any standard stat (Abilities or Attributes) that is being raised to 4 or 5 will require a job and a justification.
• Powers (Disciplines, Spheres, Arts, Gifts) will require a job. Powers over level 3 (Rank 3 gifts, Sphere dots at Adept level, level 4 Disciplines, etc.) require a justification.
• Willpower requires a job and a PRP/plot.
• Supernatural competence (Arete, Gnosis/Rage, Generation, Glamour) requires a job and a plot dedicated to raising it that must be approved by staff.
  • Rank and Renown are not covered under XP and are wholly considered story-based.
• Merits require a job and may require either a justification or PRP/plot.
• Backgrounds require a job and may require either a justification or PRP/plot.

Justification Criteria

Staff expect the following criteria for stat raises:

• Any standard stat (Abilities or Attributes) that is being raised to 4 or 5 requires either a number of times of "excellent use" (defined as being utilized successfully at a higher-than-average difficulty) or a number of training scenes dedicated towards the increase of the stat equal to the level desired. For example, if a player wanted to raise Strength from 3 to 4, they may either submit justification showing four separate situations where they successfully performed a Strength roll at difficulty 8+, or four scenes showing high-intensity training, deadlifting, or other form of strength training. Staff may require updates to the character's desc to account for changes in physical statistics if the player's current desc doesn't match (a character described as "frail and lithe" receiving Strength 4, for instance).
• A power requires a single good justification. This may be a scene showing the character learning a gift, training in a Discipline, practicing their sphere magick, or learning how to access higher levels of Realms, or it could be a scene showing excellent use. For example, a Vampire attempting to increase Celerity could submit a log showing vinculum with another Vampire who has Celerity at a higher level training them to unlock those capabilities, or they could show a scene wherein they succeeded on a roll of difficulty 8+ where Celerity was used.
• PRP/Plot justifications are just that: a character shows how they achieved a higher level of a particular ability. A player may submit a log showing a Seeking or request a Seeking from Staff to raise their Arete. A Garou player could be part of a series of player-run scenes set in the Umbra wherein the Garou in question achieves a stronger connection to Gaia. A Merfolk character could spend a significant amount of time in the ocean and hunting out new grottos to raise Glamour. Be creative! These should be fun!