Various Rulings

[Jes]

This thread is for clarification on either the more complex or less common rules and guidelines for occurrences within Amia. If you feel that something is missing, feel free to inquire here and the DM team will see if it needs to be added to the list.

• Alt Characters
• IC Spell Visual Effects
• Homebrew Rules
• PnP Spells & Abilities
• OOC Item Restrictions
• Wings & Cloaks
• Advertising Other Servers
• IC Settlement Bans/Imprisonment
• Dragon Disciple Alignments & Removal
• Palemaster IC Consequences
• Out of Game Harassment & Harassment via Unofficial Channels
• Telepathy
• Resurrecting the Dead
• Loot Rules

[Jes]

Alt Characters

What is an Alt Character?

• Usually simply referred to as an Alt, these are any number of characters that a player has in their vault and actively plays.

Rules:

• The DM team understands the allure of playing multiple characters that may or may not cross paths from time to time. Therefore, multiple characters under the control of one player are not allowed any direct communication whatsoever. Under no circumstances should Joe Blow's Character A and Character B ever directly exchange information, converse or otherwise interact in any way.
• This applies to factions also. You cannot have more than one character participating in activities with said faction - whether they are officially a member or not. This includes gathering resources for the sake of a faction you have another character invested in.
• By this same note, playing alt characters in different factions is allowed, but if the two factions ever come to conflict (or help one another) you will need to choose which character will partake in the conflict. You cannot have a character helping the enemies of your alt character at the same time as the alt character does the same, within the same conflict.
• Settlements: You can have more than one character living in a single settlement, but only one of them can partake in actions specifically related to the settlement or participate in the settlement Player Power System.
• Our muling rules exist because of alt characters, so keep them in mind and do not cross that line.

When a player is in doubt, the DM team highly suggests that the player err on the side of caution or ask a DM about the specific circumstance. These instances are all related to a conflict of interest, so try to use your best judgment with regard to these rules.

[Jes]

IC Spell Visual Effects

The visual effect results of spells are visible to other PC's and fall under a general WYSIWYG (What You See Is What You Get) rule on Amia. For example, a spell that causes leaves to whirl around a PC or the stone VFX from Stoneskin actually makes the player look like they have leaves whirling around them or are made of stone.

The two exceptions to this rule are the circulating dots emitted from auras and invisibility. A PC does not see the auras of a Knight Commander, for example, although any PC will feel the effects should they enter an aura. A character under invisibility that eases too close to another character can be seen by the game engine, however unless your character has True Seeing or See Invisibility active on them, they do not see the character. These visual effects are left for ease of game play and are not visible in an IC sense.

[Jes]

Homebrew Rules

Here on Amia, we wish to hold our setting to a high standard to reflect our stance as a roleplay-focused, lore-accurate server. To that end, any Homebrew lore created by players has to be vetted by the DM team to ensure the lore does not conflict with any pre-existing canon. Things which definitely need to be submitted include, but are not limited to, the creation of completely new cultures, new lands, and new races. The use of existing canon cultures, lands, and races with minor tweaks or twists are usually alright.

If in doubt, PM a DM and they will tell you whether or not your background needs to be approved.

[Jes]

PnP Spells & Abilities

Pen-and-paper (PnP) spells may be used so long as your character would have actual reason to know that spell and the people involved agree to the use of that spell. A DM may also approve use of a PnP spell, and may approve such use regardless of permission from other players in limited situations. Never use a PnP spell or ability that affects another player without informing them that you are doing so. This includes accepting the use of a Scrying spell when you are with other characters, since such a spell may also see them.

Rule of thumb: Ask everyone around to witness the spellcasting for permission, as well as any recipients or affected parties.

PnP Epic Spells

A caster may obtain up to 2 Epic PnP Spells. Evidence of proper role play to obtain the spells should be given before their use.

A group of casters can also come together to create one-time ritual spells that can be of Epic nature. For this, evidence of role play in assigning who does what for the casting should occur. These one-time group spells do not count toward the two-per-character limit.

[Jes]

OOC Item Restrictions

There are a few items in-game with a description that states 'OOC Restriction: can only be used by x'. You may safely ignore these except for Arcane Archer arrows; the rest are outdated descriptions. This does apply to deity rings also. If you have enough Use Magic Device to use any of these OOC restricted items, you can do so.

[Jes]

Wings & Cloaks

The DM staff has decided that characters with wings cannot hide them under cloaks.

Wings which are large enough to carry the weight of a humanoid sized creature are by far too large to be hidden under a tiny sheet of cloth like a cloak. They will always stick out unless you maybe wear a tent, but I think we can all agree that that's not a very great disguise idea. An exception to this rule may apply if you have direct DM oversight, but otherwise there are no exceptions.

Please keep this rule in mind and use the cloaks models which show wings. We have plenty of those available.

[Jes]

Advertising Other Servers

Do not advertise other NWN Servers on our forums. It is not appropriate and can be considered "fishing" for our players. At the same time, do not flame or needlessly "bash" other NWN servers on our forums. We are here to play Amia, and if you think another server is better, you can play there all you want. We are here on these forums because we are a community of gamers who enjoy Amia. If you are not an active member of the community, or do not play Amia at all, and only want to harass or undermine or inflame members of the community, you may be banned from the forum for breaching our courtesy rules.

[Jes]

IC Settlement Bans/Imprisonment

IC Settlement Ban Rules

• Active guard (and similar) PCs in a city or PCs which share a leading role with NPCs can issue a temporary ban from a city without any DM assistance for a maximum period of 30 RL days.
• If such ban is issued, the player needs to be informed when his ban starts and ends (and that he/she is banned). Either IC or OOC, preferably both.
• If a longer ban is wanted or warranted in the eyes of the issuing PC(s), the full case needs to be sent to the DM team for review, for the actual city ruling authorities to decide over such a drastic measure.
• Should the team decide a longer ban is valid (either by having been witness through NPC already or by making sure they heard enough evidence from both parties IC), they will inform the player of the banishment length and the reason for the ban. Depending on the city, a trial for long term/extreme criminals (mass murder, destruction of an integral part of the city, etc.) may be held if the suspect is caught. If such a trial is held and the criminal judged guilty of high crimes, the player needs to be aware that not only can permanent banishment from the city be a form of punishment, but also a longer term imprisonment (see below).
• If the accused does not show to the trial, he can be judged without his defense. If he shows, he has to be heard.
• Permanently banned characters can ask IC for an appeal after 3 months, and the appeal has to be reviewed by the DM team. However, if such is granted depends entirely on the circumstances of the banishment and the character's behavior in the meantime.

Imprisonment Rules

• 1 day is the maximum any Player Character can issue an order to imprison another character.
• A single DM can authorize up to 7 days of imprisonment.
• The other player can willingly agree to a longer imprisonment, but must be released IC when they wish to be - unless told otherwise by DMs.
• A long-term imprisonment that is longer than 7 days must be decided by the whole DM Team - not by the players and not by any single DM. No exceptions (unless it falls under willful imprisonment as stated above).
• Long Term imprisoned characters need to be given the option to write letters of appeal and to RP with the guards or make an attempt to escape or be freed, at least twice a month. This can be done with DM oversight. Player guards can and are encouraged to RP with them outside of this of course.
• Long-term imprisoned character can ask for an appeal after 3 months and have another trial if they wish. This can be denied if they have been caught in an attempt to escape or if they committed new crimes during their time of imprisonment (such as attacking guards, etc).

[Jes]

Dragon Disciple Alignments & Removal

Dragon Disciple Alignments

• For characters with 1-10 levels of Dragon Disciple, you may be 1 step out of alignment in any direction - based on the alignment of your ancestor dragon type.
• If you go past level 10 Dragon Disciple (11-20) this is tightened to only 1 step on the same horizontal axis.

This means the following for our standard Dragon Disciple types (from level 11 DD and onward):

• Green: LE or NE
  Blue: LE or NE
  Black: CE or NE
  White: CE or NE
  Red: CE or NE
  
  Shadow: CE or NE
  
  Gold: LG or NG
  Silver: LG or NG
  Copper: CG or NG
  Brass: CG or NG
  Bronze: LG or NG

At this point you simply get so close to your dragon heritage, in mind and appearance, that a non-good metallic being or a non-evil chromatic being is not reasonably feasible or possible, lore-wise.

Any other dragon types not listed here require a request anyways, so they are not indicated above.

-------------------

Removal of Dragon Disciple Levels (Such as with Rebuilds)

Because of the fact that the path of the Dragon Disciple is a completely wilful decision made by the character, all Dragon Disciples must adhere to the following:

• No removal of Dragon Disciple levels after level 8. This is due to the wings (or whichever trait you choose otherwise) growing in, as well as the Intelligence enhancement at level 9. Both of these symbolize the first major culmination of mental and physical acceptance of the character's lineage. (This is for characters made on or after April 6th, 2020. Characters made prior to this will still be able to willfully remove levels if the RP is appropriate, up to level 10.)
• We have a DM NPC who can facilitate the removal of Dragon Disciple levels, when the RP is appropriate and falls in the above guidelines. As with all such situations, it will require a rebuild request. The NPC will make herself available to the character in question when needed, following an approval.
• Dragon Disciples can be stripped of Dragon Disciple levels by the same NPC, if the Team deems it necessary. This will not be done lightly and will only occur if the Team approaches a player about a lore conflict and the player refuses to amend for the sake of server lore continuity.

[Jes]

Palemaster IC Consequences

A Palemaster with more than 10 levels has altered and bent their body to an extent that makes it irreversible. It is a wilful action and decision that the PC has made. Up until level 10 of Pale Master, it can still be changed/removed with a lot of effort and RP. Past that, they are beyond returning to a "normal" state.

Please be aware of this if you choose this class.

[Jes]

Out of Game Harassment & Harassment via Unofficial Channels

The staff reserves the right to enforce our rules with players who harass others players using third party platforms, channels, and mediums (such as Skype, Discord, E-mail, unofficial but Amia-related forums, etc.). Third-party harassment also includes the direct or indirect bullying of members of this gaming community through the aforementioned mediums.

Please remember that this is a gaming community. First and foremost, this is a game that you play. By harassing or bullying other players, you generate OOC toxicity in the gaming community which will have negative influence on the gaming experience of your fellow players.

Filing a Complaint

In order for the DM Team to best understand and assess the situation, please follow these steps:

• If the harassment/bullying goes directly to you in a private channel, then tell the person in question, clearly, that you no longer wish to continue the conversation, and block them if necessary.
• If the conflict continues after doing this, provide proof via screenshots, not copied text, and make sure that the full conversation is included. Bits of a conversation will not provide a full context for us to judge.
• Understand that not all complaints of harassment will automatically lead to an IG and/or Forum ban of the accused party. If it does not, the team will make clear the reasoning behind their decision.

Even if you are unable to provide everything on the list the DM Team still encourages you to come to them with any concerns you may have.

The intent behind this ruling is to protect our players from unwanted bullying and toxicity that will impact their enjoyment of the game. No player has the right to bully another player, especially to the point where the bullied player no longer wishes to play. Be respectful to your fellow players and understand that we all come from a variety of cultures. If you have a problem with someone, speak plainly with them about it or come to a DM for mediation.

This ruling shall not be abused by any party, either. If you haven't tried to sort your conflict out yourselves, don't file a report on them. This is not meant to be a retaliatory process for those who are unable to win an argument, for example. Action will only be taken if bullying/harassment is targeted, harmful, and persistent after the targeted party has clearly indicated they want it to stop.



(3/27/21 Edit) Note: Particularly egregious circumstances may cause the Team, at their discretion, to enforce this rule whether a formal complaint is filed or not. Bullying and toxic behavior will not be tolerated, period.

[Jes]

Telepathy

Telepathy is not permitted between players in any way. Pseudodragons and other summons your character may have which normally would only communicate telepathically in PnP can communicate normally through speech on Amia.

[Khylaria]

Resurrecting the Dead

When a person dies, their soul goes to the Fugue Plane to await being picked up by servants of their patron deity. On the material plane, the body does what bodies do: it becomes stiff, cold, and eventually it decomposes.

However, the gods' power can be called upon to raise the dead. Spells of Raise Dead and Resurrection can bring a fallen person back to life, but on a few specific conditions:

Revivification against one's will:

• A soul can't be raised against its will. The deceased knows the name, alignment, and patron deity of the character attempting to bring it back to life, and can refuse the resurrection. However, if the soul returns to life, it forgets anything and everything about the time it was dead. Raised people do not remember any information they learned during death, such as the alignment and patron deity of the character who raised them, or another character whose resurrection attempt they may have turned down earlier.

Raise Dead:

• The subject must be in one piece. You cannot raise some who has been beheaded, for example. Missing pieces will be missing after the spell is cast, though any mortal wounds are sealed. Those that have been undead or died of old age can't be raised.

Resurrection:

• The condition of the subject does not matter; if you have one proper piece of a person, you can raise them as long as the piece was intact at the moment of death. The subject's body regenerates around the piece being resurrected. Any other pieces, such as the severed head of the victim that someone might be keeping as a trophy, crumble to dust at the moment of resurrection. You can raise those who have been undead and then destroyed, but you can't raise anyone who's died of old age.

True Resurrection:

• As a PnP spell, True Resurrection requires the OOC consent of the player of the character you are attempting to bring back. You can attempt to bring back someone who has been deceased for up to 10 years per caster level. However, the spell does not work for bringing back those who have died of old age. Unlike Raise Dead and Resurrection, True Resurrection does not require having any part of the deceased's body, intact or otherwise. However, the caster must be able to identify the soul of the deceased in some way (the most common of which is by reciting the deceased’s time and place of birth or death, if the name is not known).
  
  In order to cast this spell, the cleric must have a DM witness the casting, as well as pay a full level's worth of XP and 15 diamonds, or the monetary equivalent of 25000 gold. This can be modified on a case by case basis, at DM discretion.

[Jes]

Item Level Restrictions & Spell Slots

If your character is not able to access a certain spell level normally, you are not allowed to use a bonus spell slot item to gain access to that spell slot. Do not take an item that has these bonus spell slots and remove all other properties on it so you can gain a free high level slot at a low level, or use these items for the high bonus spell slot when you only have a few levels in the class. This does not apply to those classes (like Bard or Paladin) who have access to a level 5 spell slot for use with an Extended casting of a spell. Items like that, if they exist, would be created specifically with that in mind, so it is fine. This specifically targets an exploit used by low level casters to access a spell slot they normally need to be higher level to gain.

This is most commonly exploited by Shifters or low-level druids using an amulet called Nature's Sense to gain access to level 9 Elemental Swarm.

If you are caught doing this, you will receive a warning. If you are caught a second time, you will receive a temp ban for abusing an exploit.

[charles1810]

Loot Rules

1. Establish how loot will be exchanged before hunting or immediately before loot is being rolled on in the case of epic loot/raids.
2. Show all loot to be rolled on. No withholding any loot, except in the case of rule 3.
3. If you choose to ignore any of the above for RP reasons then you are completely at fault for the IC fallout. This includes PVP action. If your character sheet does not match you ignoring these rules, you will be breaking server rules.
4. If people OOC'ly aren't comfortable hunting with you because you choose to follow rule 3 continuously, the DMs will not intervene.
5. No ninja-looting and suddenly running/porting off. You must make it clear that you grabbed loot IC before attempting to take off.
6. While in a perfect world loot should remain IC, it is always one of the most hot-topic issues. Please be considerate of other players' feelings. We are all playing this game together. If you choose to follow rule 3, you must allow the rest of the hunting party time to respond IC.