Moderation on SCoD
How does all the magic happen? Well, we hope to lay out before you transparently how your issue (whatever it is) will be handled by the staff in a general sense. Specifics of any arbitration will always be kept private between the relevant parties. In some instances, bans, their length, and the violations that led to them, may be made public after the ban goes into effect.
Reporting/Filing Complaint
So you have a complaint - what happens next? Ideally, you have approached the appropriate DM/EM for your issue - the link below will list our current DMs and their realms of expertise.
https://nwn2planescape.com/viewtopic.php?p=42075#p42075
We strongly prefer reaching out over Discord, as that facilitates the quickest communication and allows for the easy transfer of screenshots and logs that may be necessary to process your request or complaint. Reaching out in game is also acceptable, though there may need to be a Discord component later.
Arbitration
Once a DM receives a complaint, a few decisions will need to be made :
1) Has a rule been violated?
2) if a rule hasn't been violated, is approaching the other party still required for a resolution of the issue at hand?
If the answer to #1 is yes, evidence will be collected from both directly involved parties. Accessory testimony from third-parties will also be collected as applicable.
If the answer is no, or is inconclusive, #2 may be necessary to resolve the complaint, usually with the DM acting as a neutral third-party in navigating a conversation between two players.
Resolutions
Options the Moderation team will consider as enforcement versus players are as follows:
- Conversations with the Player - reminders or advice for the future.
- Formal Warnings - these will count as the minimum enforcement of any rule violation.
- Removal of items/rewards/XP (if such were the result of exploits/other relevant behaviors)
- Temporary Bans, ranging from 3 days, to other varying increments (weeks, months, etc.)
- Permanent Bans
Should a complaint investigation not show any rule violations, the most a player may receive is a conversation from a DM and a few reminders or tips on how to avoid/resolve such situations in the future.
Rule Violations will follow a Class of Offense model of enforcement. What this means is that the rule violation will each have a severity rating assigned to them, from 3 to 1.
A Class 3 Offense, is a Minor Offense, and will allow for more combinations of conversations/warnings/punishments before severe consequences of temporary bans or permanent bans are considered. Permanent bans for minor offenses should only be considered in very rare circumstances where the same rule has been violated multiple times over the course of play, over a 6-month period.
A Class 2 Offense is a Moderate Offense - these offenses will generally follow the former '3 strike' model. First strike a warning, second a temporary ban, and third a longer temporary ban or permanent ban.
A Class 1 Offense is a Severe Offense - violations of these rules will, depending on the severity of the violation, either merit a single warning before proceeding to a ban decision, or directly to a ban decision.
1) Rules on Character Creation & Builds
1. Naming
- No Profanity
- Immersion-breaking names (Tits McGee, I Eat Shawarma, XxoholicxX,) are not allowed
2. Background
- Real life "Earth", Gothic Earth, or the Modern World is not an acceptable background.
- Homebrew is accepted so long it doesn't directly contradict with existing canonical materials. If you have questions, reach out to our Narrative Lead.
- Only D&D settings from 2e or 3.5e are otherwise acceptable.
- All Player Characters should be of Adult age (18+ or equivalent) for their race
3. Build Restrictions
- In SCoD there are no build restrictions. If you can legally make the character, you can play the character. However, using exploits to achieve your build will not be tolerated.
- You are not required to strictly play your character sheet - minor details like deities and RP implications of classes can be glossed over.
2) Rules on the Server Setting & Standards
1. Language/Profanity
- SCoD uses English as its official language for IC or OOC communication in the community. ICly, English is referred to as Planar Common. ICly, other D&D languages may be used as well for RP.
- Use of other real world languages in a private OOC conversation between players is allowed.
- Avoid being unnecessarily offensive or antagonistic Out of Character (OOC). In-character (IC) Conflict is to be expected on a RP server. Remember to distinguish between IC conflict and OOC conflict when conversing with your fellow players. In Character actions are never an excuse to retaliate Out of Character.
- OOC Hate speech (speech which attacks someone on the basis of being a particular RL sexual orientation/race/gender identity/religious creed) is explicitly prohibited in all spaces.
- Crude language is not banned, but we also ask to be mindful of yourself and surroundings. As well, setting-appropriate crude language is highly encouraged, and resources exist in game as well as on the wiki for those looking to use such.
2. RP Facilitation
- We do not demand people play their character sheets to the letter. We expect people to play their characters. Of course, playing a non-caster as a caster might get you locked up in the Gatehouse (Sigil's madhouse), but from an OOC (Out-Of-Character) perspective it's fine.
- We do not demand people worship the deity on their character sheet - however we encourage those classes that depend on worshiping some concept or entity, to RP that worship and dedication. This is to assist in rp and concepts that may be limited or unrepresented by the nwn2 engine, such as the game's numerical limit on deities.
3. Adult/Erotic Role Play
- ERP/erotic role play is allowed on the server, and must always have full OOC consent of all those involved to continue.
- While ERP is allowed, it must always be done in a private setting, and explicit description or talk of such acts must ALSO remain private.
- If a person becomes uncomfortable OOC with the scene, they MUST communicate their OOC discomfort with all who are involved, and should be able to exit the scene as necessary. Players are not mind readers and text does not convey the subtleties of emotion very well. All parties are expected to be mature.
- Ageplay is explicitly disallowed on this server. Any other kink/fetish RP should be covered under our Adult Roleplay/ERP rules.
4. Minor (Non-Adult) Characters
- Minor aged PCs will be disallowed as PCs. All PCs must be 18+ according to the standards of their chosen race. The default setting in character creation should be the acceptable minimum for your chosen race. Anything lower is unacceptable.
- The Gameworld is still a living and breathing dark setting. NPC minors will be present in many ways such as DM NPCs, Static NPCs, or as player controlled NPC children of PCs.
NPC Non-Adults should conform to the following rulings/definitions:
- * A Child is any being that is the equivalent of a human between ages 0 and age 12. So something like a Dwarf that's 20, or an Elf that's 30 or 40 etc.
- * A Minor is any being that is the equivalent of a human between ages 12 and 18. Essentially, teenagers/adolescents. Not an adult, but no longer a child. I am using 18 because it's the strictest interpretation I'm aware of, even though some parts of Europe I know use 16. Both Child and Minor apply to all races. Your dragon is not exempt because they are a dragon.
- *Sexually-Oriented RP. This is roleplay in which the individuals involved are any of the following: discussed in a sexual manner, approached in a sexual/desirous manner, party to any sort of sexual or foreplay activities, sexualized nudity & romantically intimate acts that could reasonably be expected to lead to sex or other sex acts.
- *Erotic Role Play (ERP) - Explicit sexual roleplay. If it would give a movie an NC-17 rating, or a game a M-rating, its ERP.
- * Extreme Violence. Extreme violence is violence for the spectacle of it. Gruesome, gore-y, dismember-y, mutilated bloody messes. Graphic torture included. If a movie would be rated R for just the violence alone, it's Extreme.
- * Substances. In this particular case, Substances are hard drugs. The nasty stuff. Cocaine, LSD, etc, etc. Yes, this includes their fantasy Sigil equivalent. No, making up new ones with different names does not exempt you from this. Notably, this list does not include things like tobacco products, weed and mundane alcohol.
Minors and Children are NOT ALLOWED UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCE
- * Be subject or party to extreme violence, as a reference in the past, or in present circumstances. (While we hold no objections to Extreme Violence for characters of appropriate age, this is not appropriate for underage characters)
- * Be subject or party to Substances. (See above)
- * Be subject or party to ERP, or any sexually-oriented RP involving an Adult. (Tragic backstory references should be non-explicit and minimum necessary to convey the severity of the situation)
May be allowed to
- * Be subject to Reasonable Fantasy Violence (Eating children is okay a la Hansel and Gretel. Describing it graphically is not. Fusing children into horrible monsters is okay. Going into gore-y details is not. Harming children is okay, to the extent that it is kept to the strict minimum necessary. Brawling, knife fights, etc. Minors & Children may die, so long as it is handled maturely and again kept to a minimum level of graphic-ness.)
- * Minors & children may within reason consume alcohol or tobacco products.
5. Death
- Death on SCoD in PvE or PvP is always and entirely consent based, meaning, that the player in control of their PC is the person who chooses if their own PC has died ICly, or permanently.
- No PCs can force another PC to die without proper OOC communication with each other, thus a PC must always be given a situation where their confirmation of death is dubious.
- Even if death IC is agreed upon but permadeath is not, the dead PC must still be given a scenario where they may RP being resurrected at a later date.
- PCs should be realistic with their death scenes. A dying PC will not be walking off into the sunset with their near death wounds as explosions go off behind them. Consider the implications such a real dangerous situation would have. As well, if a PC is put into a situation where death is likely, it's encouraged but not required, to rp realistically with it. Miracles do happen where certain death was perceived!
- If IC death does not result from mechanical death in PvE or PvP by choice, it is treated ICly as a grave injury.
- DMs may enforce permadeath or character retirement.
- There are many things in the Planes, and Sigil alone that can, may, and will permanently kill a PC. This is up to DM CONSIDERATION alone. EMs will not and never enforce a permadeath, but may kill your PC ICly when logical. DMs will announce when and if an event or action could result in permadeath. The Lady of Pain is one example where there will be no "buts" when it comes to permadeath
6. NPC interaction
- A DM cannot control every NPC all the time, everywhere. However your characters live in a vibrant and living world IC. OOC technical limitations do not often depict an accurate bustling city. You, as a player and character, must be mindful of your PC's surroundings. Do not ignore an NPC's presence. You would not fight to the death in a Faction Hall where there are guards or otherwise numerous NPCs that would put a stop to it.
3) Rules on Player Conduct
- Player to Player OOC Conflict Resolution
- If someone's RP is making you uncomfortable (for any reason, but not to grief another player), you are expected to reach out OOCly (privately or publicly) to inform the person and politely ask them to stop. This can be done in /say ((OOC brackets)) or /tell. If such attempts fail, or you do not feel comfortable reaching out OOCly, screenshot the conversation and report it to the staff.
- If you do not feel comfortable addressing the person OOCly, there are a few acceptable IC reactions, so long as you are making an effort to resolve the situation.
- - Asking them to take it elsewhere
- - Expressing distaste & requesting the discussion to change or stop And if all else fails,
- - Leaving the scene.
- In these cases as well, please take screenshots, and send logs to the DMs/Moderators for resolution. Further engagement, insult-trading, provocation, or other escalation, is not an acceptable IC response if you are OOCly upset by something. This only engenders further ill-feeling and an OOC conflictual RP atmosphere. It also further muddies the waters as DMs/Moderators are asked to step in and mediate, and creates a situation where mutual antagonism and harassment can occur.
2. IC Player versus Player (PvP)
- Consent required for PvP. If consent is not given, the decliner needs to move elsewhere & cease whatever antagonistic activity was taking place if any. (Insults, threats, antagonistic or hostile actions etc)
- ALWAYS come forward to ask for consent with another player and/or DM when antagonistic or harmful RP against another PC's IC child is going to occur.
- In the event that the PvP is denied by a PC in their home turf, the antagonistic PC must leave, instead of the decliner.
- What is Home Turf? - Home turf is an area that is belonging to a PC for various reasons. Such as a public or private player house, or their home faction hall. Public server areas that are not player homes are not considered home turf.
- Should your PC fall/lose in PvP, you must avoid conflict and contact with the victor. Unless your PC has IC reasons to give another result, such as capture.
- Abilities, spells or other things that aren't mechanically represented in the game engine requires the consent of the DM (in events, or situations they are present in) or ALL other players it affects. If no consent is given, then the said abilities just can't be used.
- Abusing area transitions, or other game exploits to ensure a PvP victory, is not acceptable. Leaving the initial area where PvP was invoked, unless decided upon otherwise IC, is considered disengagement and a loss by the fleeing party, and should observe IC avoidance rules mentioned above.
3. Griefing
- Griefing other players is forbidden. Griefing is defined as using any in-game activity/mechanics to obstruct, impede or disrupt other players experience in the game, for the purpose of causing discomfort. This includes - killing other PCs outside of PvP engagement rules, stealing loot or chests from other players, spamming the chat with unrelated conversation past requests to stop, etc.
4. Harassment
- Harassment is forbidden. Harassment is defined as communication that seeks to cause discomfort by targeting a player in an out of character manner - verbal or physical aggressive pressure or intimidation, inclusive of continuing behavior past when you have been politely asked to stop. Hounding players across zones, or specifically seeking out characters and interactions you dislike in order to disrupt their playing, is included.
5. Threats
- The sending of OOC threats of any kind through any medium is forbidden: threatening bodily harm, threatening to expose someone's personal information (doxxing), threatening livelihoods, and threatening legal action, will not be tolerated.
6. RP Conduct
- God-moding is forbidden. (Such as acts of invulnerability, unpreventable activities or attempts to utilize power/influence unfit for player character, etc.)
- Autoing is forbidden. (Doing something without giving way to avoid it, even if there would be reason to be able to avoid it.)
- Metagaming is forbidden. (Using out of character knowledge/experience/resources to gain upper hand of others, such as using information in in character forum stories)
7. Cheating/Exploiting
- Exploiting bugged or broken game mechanics for any reason, is forbidden. Exploiting is the act of using the game system in a way that is not intended in the game engine, providing the character using them an advantage in the game. This includes, but is not limited to: Finding a way of selling items for a higher value than buying them. Using interactions between different abilities to cause an infinite loop (i.e. a method to gain infinite attacks/hp/saves), abusing the de-leveling system to create impossible class combinations or retain abilities that should be lost.
- Any suspected bugs or exploits found should be reported using the Discord Ticket Creation, in the #bug-reports channel. If you are unable to find or use the ticketing system, it should be sent straight to a member of the DM team. Exploits should never be reported in public channels.
8. DM Shopping
- DM shopping is when a player is unsatisfied with one DM's decision on an OOC or IC issue/request, and thus they go to other DMs to get a more favorable decision. This holds true for EMs as well.
- DMs will be in communication with each other, and aim to give a consistent voice on matters when applicable. DMs will not overrule another DM's decision without consideration.
- Direct all OOC issues to current Moderating DM (Shadowfox), and respect the decision of the DM running or approving your IC requests, unless explicitly directed elsewhere.