GENERAL SERVER RULES

Rules and Regulations, Custom Content, and Server Information

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GENERAL SERVER RULES

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BGTSCC - SERVER RULES
Updated November 2023


Baldur's Gate: the Sword Coast Chronicles (BGTSCC) is a NWN2 Persistent World Roleplay server, that many players share as a community. In order to keep things running smoothly, members of this community are expected to be aware of the rules and abide by them.

Circumstances that fall outside these rules but that Server Staff understands to be against the server and its vision may still be dealt with accordingly, through the use of proper judgment and discussion, and depending on the situation this post will be rectified to include what the server expects in those situations.

Players that see others breaking these rules and/or are targets of any kind of harassment by another member of the community should contact the DM Team for assistance.



INDEX
1. General Rules
1.1 - Exercise Respect
1.2 - IC / OOC Separation
1.3 - Griefing/Trolling
1.4 - Content Rating

2. In-Character Rules
2.1 - Roleplaying / Play-Your-Sheet
2.2 - Naming & Disguises
2.3 - Race/Class Changing
2.4 - Roleplay from Other Servers
2.5 - Metagaming
2.6 - Godmodding
2.7 - Skill Rolls
2.8 - Unusual Characters
3. Mechanical Rules
3.1 - 3b30
3.2 - Cleric Domains
3.3 - Exploits
3.4 - AFK Grinding / Botting
3.5 - Alternate Characters
3.6 - Loot Camping
3.7 - OOC Areas

4. DM Rulings
4.1 - AD&D Server Lore
4.2 - P&P/Lore Spells
4.3 - IC/OOC Quests
4.4 - Slavery
4.5 - Animal Language/Speaking in Polymorph
4.6 - Divine Roleplay
4.7 - Appraise System
5. Forum Rules
5.1 - Stay on topic
5.2 - Personal Attacks
5.3 - Politics/Religion
5.4 - Language
5.5 - Private Information
5.6 - Forum Moderation

6. Administrative Rules
6.1 - Real Money Trading
6.2 - Overrides

7. Links of Note
7.1 - PvP Rules & Permadeath
7.2 - Biography Rewards
7.3 - Guilds
7.4 - Player Housing
7.5 - RCRs and Character Rollbacks
7.6 - JEGs
7.7 - Makeover Feature
7.8 - Narrative & Expectations

What happens if I break a Rule?

When a player breaks a rule and it becomes known to the DM Team/Forum Moderators, the Team discusses the intensity of the rule break, checks if there have been prior rule breaks - and if yes, when was the last one -, asks all the involved parties for their side of the story, and take any other measures prior to punishment to arrive at a fair, informed decision.

Lighter rule breaks without a history will result in a warning to the player and what they can do to avoid breaking that rule in the future. Repeated rule breaks, especially over a small period of time, are likely to result in punitive measures such as bans (that generally span a few weeks), taking exp/lvls, among other measures. Many rule breaks over a small period of time, extensive cheating, harassment, threats, stalking, and overall serious, severe subjects will lead to harsher punishments, such as months-long bans, character/vault wiping, and even permanent banning.

General Rules


1.1 - Exercise Respect
The known "golden rule" found in every RP community. Treat other members of the community with respect; This is a very open-ended rule, and applies to any action a player takes that is seen as purposefully hostile or malicious against another member of the community.

1.2 - IC/OOC Separation
Understand that the Player Characters (PCs) are not the players themselves, be it another or your own. Do not take in-character situations, animosity, or any other interaction as out-of-character offense, nor bring your own out-of-character agenda into the game through your character. In-character conflict is a powerful driving force of RP that benefits everyone, as long as such grievances are kept in-character.

1.3 - Griefing/Trolling
Do not intentionally disrupt or harass other players, either with mechanics or other means. This includes, but is not limited to, stealing from campfires, exploiting summons to bypass PvP rules, or herding enemies to have them attack other players.

1.4 - Content Rating
BGTSCC seeks to shine a light on player's stories, but also aims to be a place where the community can feel comfortable and safe from certain heavier topics. Adapting a Teen content rating to the stories told, which means that all activities in the server may not contain excessive vulgarity, gratuitous violence/torture, graphic/extended sexual situations, explicitly or implicitly sexualizing any characters under the age of 18 or racial equivalent of such, among other more "mature" subjects.

The server does understand that some of that content may actually be part of RP, and chooses to adapt a "Fade-To-Black" policy for situations that may involve inflicted extensive and graphic pain or encounters of sexual and/or sensual nature.
However, Fade-To-Black does NOT apply to any situations where children are involved in a manner that is subjectively or objectively sexual/sensual, those remaining banned from the server and its content without exception.

All characters in the server must also be 18 of age, or racial equivalent; Pregnancies are strictly forbidden unless directly supervised by the DM team and approved in advance. Any pregnancies are a form of "retiring" a PC for the duration, and all children are NOT to be roleplayed in game without DM supervision.

Violations of this rule are taken very seriously, and will result in punitive measures.


In-Character Rules


2.1 - Roleplaying/Play-Your-Sheet
BGTSCC is a roleplaying server set in Forgotten Realms, it is expected of players to understand that any and all actions inside world areas of the server are in-character (IC), and must respect the setting. A player can go out-of-character (OOC) through the use of speech marked by starting it with (( or // when there's need for clarification, but must attempt to keep such conversation to a minimum.

In the spirit of remaining always in-character, the server follows a "Play-Your-Sheet" rule, which means that a player character (PC) must be roleplayed according to what they have on their sheet, be it their race, class, alignment, abilities, skills, etc; This means that if the sheet states your PC is a Human Fighter, they are indeed a human fighter and not a half-fiend wizard, polymorphed dragon, etc, even under the guise of insanity.
Characters can, of course, lie about and manipulate perceptions about themselves, but the player must understand that it is a lie or manipulation, even if other characters believe it IC.

Additionally, when making a character do stick to in-universe possibilities for their skin, hair and eye colours, as well as any intricacies specific to certain races. Characters that fail to make a character that looks like their race without good IC reason or DM team approval, may be requested to makeover or even RCR. This includes drow with human skin colouration, half-orcs with minotaur heads, etc. For more information, the use of the book "Races of Faerun" is recommended.

2.2 - Naming & Disguises
Be creative, but stick to these rules below!

On Naming:
  • Do not use names of famous people or existing media characters (e.g. Michael Jackson, Robin Hood, Drizzt Do'Urden)
  • Do not use descriptions or titles in place of names without DM Approval (e.g. Dame Alice, Bob the Bloody, Legend Killer)
  • Do not use vulgar or offensive names or mispellings of them (e.g. Fock Face, Hugh Janus)
  • Apostrophes and otherwise special characters are allowed in names, but overuse/misuse may be requested to be changed
Be sensible! Remember that your character is a real person in their own minds, their name should not be a username or a joke name, and instead should reflect the realistic naming tendencies of Forgotten Realms and the PC's race and place of origin.

On Disguise renaming:
In the use of the renaming function for diguises, the same rules as above are in effect, with the following changes:
  • Do not impersonate known figures (Be it NPC or Players)
  • Do not put ranks/titles in your name without DM approval (e.g. Lord John, High Priestess Clara, General Robert)
  • Do not change the color or font of the text
  • Impersonating server staff will result in disciplinary offence.
  • While performing activities as a guild, PCs of that guild are allowed to use pseudonyms that are not specific titles or generic nomenclature/professions (e.g. "Guard", "Mercenary", "Commoner" are NOT allowed. While "Faceless", "Petaldancer" and etc are allowed with the understanding that it's that PC's pseudonym in that guild). When in doubt, make sure to ask the DM team if something is allowed or not.
  • It is acceptable for a PC to use the disguise rename to name themselves the race of their character (e.g. "Human", "Elf", "Half-Orc", etc.)
  • While shapeshifted/wildshaped/etc into a creature, the PC is allowed to use the disguise rename to name themselves to what they've shaped into (e.g. "Owlbear", "Cat", "Bear", etc.)
We would expect players to play whats on their sheet as always, and RP the points into disguise skill in game, or lack of it, honorably. The DM team may approach you and ask to change your name if it breaches any of these rules.
Be sure to not log out while using a disguise name, as that can bug the PC's name entirely, at which point DM intervention is necessary.


2.3 - Race/Class Changing
Inside Forgotten Realms, there is precedent for magical changing of race and gender through certain spells, items, curses, etc; But doing such without DM supervision/approval is considered anti-rp and may result in a warning to change back, or further punitive measures.

In the same vein, a striking change of classes is not allowed without DM supervision/approval, and may also result in a warning to change back, or further punitive measures (eg. changing from a wizard to a ranger, a cleric of an evil deity to one of a good deity, a druid into a blackguard, a dragon disciple into a feytouched, etc).
However, the server does understand that a character may progressively learn classes/abilities ICly, and small adjustments to reflect such changes are allowed (eg. adding cleric levels to a character that has spent time leaning the faith, a ranger starting on a druidic path, a blackguard making a pact and starting as a warlock, etc). If there's any need for clarification, do not be afraid to contact the DM team!


2.4 - Roleplay from Other Servers
Understand that other servers do not exist in BGTSCC's Forgotten Realms setting, and thus RP that has happened in other servers is not considered valid in BGTSCC. Only roleplay that occurs in game or on the forum will be regarded as legitimate.
Do note that in some cases you may be able to use RP that happened in other places as inspiration for character backstory, but understand that adjustments may need to be made to abide by the server's lore and FR timeline.


2.5 - Metagaming
Any information your character has should be gained from IC sources that are not your alternate characters. Out-of-character information can be helpful to gain context as a player, but by no means should it be used to dictate any aspect of in-character behavior. (Also see 3.5 - Alternate Characters under Mechanics.)

Abusing avenues of communication to facilitate metagaming from others is also prohibited. An example of such an abuse would be your character dying in a zone a long way away, so you set a Scry message or send a Tell for someone to come over to raise you in order to avoid a death penalty.


2.6 - Godmodding
"Godmodding" is a player forcing reactions of another player's character or a non-player-character (NPC). A player can only speak for their own character's actions, not anyone else's, which means you may not dictate the actions and reactions without the consent of the other player or the DM(s) animating the NPC.
As the world is always "alive" in character, NPCs are not souless entities to be disregarded when a DM is not present, and PCs must treat them as if they are able to react to your actions regardless if someone is behind the wheel or not. Do not assume NPCs cannot see your character if they are hiding, invisible, polymorphed or disguised, unless a DM dictates that it is OK to do so.

However, as a PW, the server understands that DMs aren't always online/available, so we understand that minor instances of NPC interactions may be used, as long as they make sense in the context of that NPC's environment, visible profession or other information available. Such interactions may, for example, be: "The merchant said they would spread the rumor I was seeking a special item," or "the bartender takes my order and brings me my drink," or "The local guards gave me directions or information about the laws."

For guilds, it is safe to assume obedience of reasonable orders given to that guild's NPCs, so a guild member may command an NPC more freely, and even send it on more complicated orders. However, the success of more complex commands is something that requires DM supervision/approval.

For summoned creatures/animal companions/familiars or beings under your direct, mechanical command, you may freely roleplay their actions at will, though this may only be done with the expectation that the actions roleplayed are appropriate for that type of creature, their alignment and capabilities.


2.7 - Skill Rolls
Through in-game tools, PCs may roll all kinds of skills rolls, attack rolls, free dice, etc. However, unless a DM is present, no roll made is enforced nor should success be expected. Though between consenting players, they may be used to dictate RP, and in general it is good form to loosely accept rolls if they are made in oportune situations and are not forced upon you/another player.


2.8 - Unusual Characters
Players may desire to make characters considered "unusual" in the setting of Forgotten Realms, and/or may be not well represented by the Play-Your-Sheet rule, exemples of those cases being atypical heritage/background, nobility, contact with lore npcs, prestige classes (PrCs) not represented in game, etc. In order to make such concept valid, the player must send a biography approval request to the DM team, following the guidelines stated HERE.

Note that PCs are allowed to have minor foreign nobility in their backgrounds, contingent on at least one of the following variables:
  • The PC has been expelled from the noble house and cut off by their family.
  • The PC's noble house has fallen from grace, rank, and favor.
  • The PC is indirectly related to the noble house and has no direct lineage that would give them title within it.
  • PCs also may not have Balduran, or Amnian nobility built into their backgrounds. Similarly, Drow cannot use major House names in their backgrounds in any major way.
Be honest and as thorough as possible, and respect the stipulations the DM Team set for your character, if any. Omissions or failing to comply to the stipulations can lead to your character's background either being rejected or retroactively revoked. In extreme cases you may be subject to disciplinary action.


Mechanical Rules


3.1 - 3b30
For all character building, your character must have at least 3 levels in every class they've taken when they reach character level 30. Prestige classes are included. This means, for example, a Rogue 17/Assassin 10/Fighter 3 is valid, but a Rogue 18/Assassin 10/Fighter 2 would be invalid. Breaking this rule means the invalid PC will not be able to leave the Nexus, and will need to be RCRd into a valid build. Note that this is automatically done through a script, that will be able to tell even before level 30 if your build is invalid, for example a Wizard 25/Archmage 1/Frostmage 1 may be level 27, but the script is capable to tell that the PC will not be able to achieve 3 levels in each class, and will thus bar the PC from leaving the Nexus.


3.2 - Cleric Domains
Clerics must pick domains valid to their deity of choice (Check the list HERE), and failing to do such will mean the PC is unable to leave the nexus, requiring an RCR into valid domains.


3.3 - Exploits & Cheating
If an exploit is known, don't do it, and if it is not known, report it in a private message to the Dev team and refrain from doing so again. If you're unsure, chances are that it might be an exploit, so report it to the Dev team for confirmation.

Don't use custom .hak files or other third party programs. Evidence of cheating or using these programs will result in your account being banned and your character vault wiped clean.


3.4 - AFK Grinding / Botting
Punitive measures, up to account wipe, may be applied to any player who's characters are found AFK grinding or using automated scripts for fishing, loot runs, emotes for RP exp, or in general any activity that help the character generate exp/loot with minimal or no input from the player.
Aliases and macros are permitted, but under no circumstances should your character perform any actions without your involvement at the keyboard.


3.5 - Alternate Characters
BGTSCC imposes no limitation on the amount of Alternate Characters (Alts) you may have, though under certain conditions:
Alts can know of each other, but may never, under no circumstances, exchange information between each other, nor can they be related unless one has been officially retired. This includes "off-screen" interactions, or in general any interaction that involves only you as a player. Alice may know Bob is a Blood Mage, but if the player behind Alice is also playing Charlie, that player cannot have Alice tell Charlie by any means that Bob is a Blood Mage.


3.6 - Loot Camping
Parking a character in a boss room/treasure room and logging in solely to loot chests or kill the boss, or in general any other type of "loot camping", is prohibited. Furthermore, when entering a dungeon that already has players inside, it is prohibited to sneak past them just to get the loot. It's your responsibility to communicate with the players to see if it's okay for you to participate and get the spoils, or wait until they deal with the big bads and leave before taking the opportunity to loot.


3.7 - OOC Areas
Unless stated, all areas of the server are considered IC, with the exception of The Nexus, and any areas directly connected to it, and The Fugue. Those areas are there for mechanical reasons (spawning/respawning), and characters may never ICly remember any interaction they've had while in one of those areas.


DM Rulings


4.1 - AD&D / Server Lore
BGTSCC's lore is based on AD&D and 3.5e sources that are specific to Forgotten Realms, though other sources or homebrew may be used when there isn't a clear outline of a specific part of lore. Still, as a Persistent World, changes have happened overtime to the local lands, NPCs, and other aspects of the location.

For a player that wishes to know if something is allowed as canon lore in BGTSCC, it is a recommendation by the DM team to seek AD&D sources, and be wary of using the FRWiki as it contains information from all editions and may have misleading information. When in doubt, the DM team is always available to answer lore questions through a forum PM or even in discord, where other members of the community may also help.


4.2 - P&P/Lore Spells
Spells that exist in lore but not ingame do exist and may be referenced, but not used without DM supervision. Cantrips (level 0 spells) and low level spells that do not affect another player and/or are minimal in effect may be used narratively without supervision, with the expectation that such spell use would make sense for the character and situation.


4.3 - IC/OOC Quests
Quests may have intrinsic limitations based on their design, location or other cirumstances, however, players are allowed to treat individual quests as something IC that their character undertakes, or something OOC depending on the situation (eg. the character would never do such quest ICly, or their race isn't allowed inside the location where the quest is). If a player must enter a settlement they're not ICly allowed to for a quest(Drow in Baldur's Gate, for example), they must use the AFK tag through the >afk command, and not interact ICly with the settlement, keeping their time spent there to a minimum.


4.4 - Slavery
BGTSCC understands that lorewise, many cultures in Forgotten Realms have slavery as a day-to-day presence. However, slavery is not allowed among PCs in BGTSCC, though players are free to pursue NPC slaves.


4.5 - Animal Language/Speaking in Polymorph
Animal language acts as a stand-in for Animal empathy in PnP. It allows the issue of simple commands and exchange of simple ideas through whistles, clicks, body language, tone, etc, and is not in any way a language that can form full sentences or be used to communicate complex ideas/commands.

Furthermore, players in a polymorphed shape are limited to the speech capabilities of that shape.
If a shape can speak common, it is capable of speaking any vocal language the PC knows in their own shape.
Mouth/snout structure, vocal chords, word complexity should be taken into account when RPing speech in a different shape than your own. A character doesn't learn a language when they assume another shape, but if they already share a language in common with one spoken by that shape, they may freely use it.


4.6 - Divine Roleplay
When picking a divine-based class in BGTSCC, it is expected that the player understands that such choice entails in certain responsibilities for the character. They must understand and follow that deity's Dogma as expressed in lore, and risk Falling from Grace (losing divine capabilities) if they stray from it. Of course, a character that has Fallen has paths to choose, including repenting, changing deity or abandoning priesthood altogether, and a DM that falls you must ensure that you are presented with such choices.
The classes that are understood to be divine-based are the following: Clerics, Rangers (Except Hunter kit), Favoured Souls, Druids, Spirit Shamans, Paladins, Blackguards, Shadow Adepts, Divine Seekers, Darkfire Disciples, Hierophants, Storm Lords and other deity-specific PRCs.
You may read more about these expectations HERE.


4.7 - Appraise System
Unfortunately, the Appraise mechanic in BGTSCC can be faulty and unclear, so, until further notice, players may not use the Appraise mechanic in game to determine the race of another PC if they are fully masked or concealing their nature in other ways. When unmasked or otherwise not concealing in any way, the appraise mechanic may be used to confirm that PC's race, and when unsure if a PC is attempting to conceal in any way, approaching the player out-of-character for confirmation is advised.

For a disguise to protect one's identity, it must be complete and concise visibly. Patterns of speech, accents, body language, and other distinctive qualities are discerned only through roleplay over time, and details such as "a funny-sounding name" or the size of the character alone do not count for the purposes of identification.


Forum Rules

These are the Baldur’s Gate: The Sword Coast Chronicles' Forums! The rules below are important guidelines to follow before posting on the forums. The staff appreciates it if you would take your time to read and understand these rules and to help us to maintain the forums as a place for sharing ideas and opinions in a friendly and respectful environment.

5.1 - Stay on Topic
Please keep your posts relevant and do not make off-topic posts. If a subject is brought up in a thread which you believe merits a discussion, start a new topic in an appropriate forums section instead of derailing a current one.


5.2 - Personal Attacks
"Flaming", personal attacks, disrespectful, derogatory, threatening, insulting or negative comments directed towards or about another member of the community will not be tolared and will likely result in moderation. This encompasses "trolling", or posts purposely intended in instigate a member of the community in order to create any of the mentioned disruptions.
Another member of the community that notices a post that may break one of these guidelines may use the "Report" button ( ! ) on the top right of the post to report directly to the Forum Moderators.

If you have an issue with players/staff out of character or in character, do not post about it on the forums, instead use personal messages to solve it.


5.3 - Politics/Religion
Though BGTSCC understands that religion and politics are an important part of our daily lives, it is also understood that such discussions are prone to derail, and as such, refrain from discussing politics or religions in BGTSCC forums.


5.4 - Languages
Though the server welcomes members of any country or origin, it is understood that this community is moderated and maintained in English. All out-of-character posts must be in English or provide translation, so that Moderators can properly take care of the forums. For in-character posts, in-universe languages may be used, though it is heavily recommended to post along a translation of such piece.

Avoid the use of profanity/swearing out of character, though lore appropriate profanity is allowed for in-character posts. Modern day racial/social/political slurs are strictly prohibited. Images that include profanity/nudity must be edited to exclude the profanity/nudity, or they will be deleted.
You can find more about "lore appropriate profanity" in this thread.


5.5 - Private Information
Do not share or disclose other people's personal/private information without their consent, either through public forums or private messages.
Details such as real names or e-mail addresses can be used by those with ill intent for malicious purposes. More information can be found here: User Agreement.


Violation of forum rules may result in posts being deleted/moved, threads being locked/moved, and/or warnings to authors of posts violating the rules, including potential temporary/permanent loss of posting privileges.

Administrative Rules


6.1 - Real Money Trading
Real Money Trading of any kind using BGTSCC as a platform is expressly forbidden. This includes (but is not limited to) the transfer of accounts, characters, items, currency, or in-game services for real life money as opposed to game currency. This also includes offering to pay developers or DMs directly for items, events, or work on the module. Any players found to have participated in this activity will have any items or accounts removed as a result, and likely will have their character vault wiped clean. Character art commissions are an exception to this rule.


6.2 - Overrides
GUI and texture improvements are permitted. If you are using content that requires files to be in your override folder, remember to clear the folder before logging into the server in order to prevent issues that could corrupt your character.

While using the "Unlimited Colors" override, please be responsible and use colors that are appropriate for your race (and when in doubt, PM the DMs). DMs may request characters abusing the function to change those aspects of the character through the makeover feature.


Other Links of Note


7.1 - PvP Rules & Permadeath

Conflict is a huge part of RP, and some conflicts may turn into shows of force. To better understand Player versus Player (PvP), its rules and expectations, please do take the time to read our guidelines, here: PvP Rules and Guidelines


7.2 - Biography Rewards

In order to encourage deeper character development, the DM team offers an incentive to write character biographies. It is expected that the player shows a good sense of understanding of how the character fits in with the Forgotten Realms setting. This doesn't mean that you can't play something outside of the norm - in fact we are very happy for you to! What it means is that we expect you to show through the biography how and why the character diverges from it and what it means for its history and future, understanding that the server plays on Forgotten Realms lore and respects its core foundations. For further information, please read here: Character Biographies and Rewards


7.3 - Guilds

As a roleplay server, BGTSCC understands that PCs may align themselves with certain factions or even create their own, those factions are commonly referred to as "guilds". To see what guilds are available in the server, the following link will take you to the Guilds section of the forums: HERE.


7.4 - Player Housing

BGTSCC offers players a "Housing" system, allowing a character per player the opportunity to have a space of their own put in game, this may be used to create small taverns, shops, libraries, etc. More on this system, its requirements and limitations, may be read about here: Player Housing System


7.5 - RCRs and Character Rollbacks

Retired Character Rebuilds (RCR) is a system offered by BGTSCC for players to retire an old character and transfer their experience into a new concept. The system can also be used to adjust a character's build based on RPd progress. Note that, according to 2.3 - Race/Class Changing, drastic changes are against the rules. The RCR system does impose an EXP penalty that is able to be stored, based on the character's total level. More about this system and its intricacies can be read on here: XP Transfering.

The server also offers a "Character Rollback" once a year for each player, allowing to recover a character that was mistakenly deleted, or lost items in game due to a crash or bug. For this, a player can PM the Admin group asking for a rollback.


7.6 - JEGs

BGTSCC has made many changes to vanilla systems, along with having many different feats, classes and overall mechanics. In the main servers it is difficult to test a build as the server's many rules prevent class/race switching and in general make it difficult to test a theorycrafted build. Understanding this, the server has a testing environment, referred to as JEGs, that allows players to test a build from levels 1-30. To access it, a player can direct connect to the server IP while using the port :5123, like so: " game.bgtscc.net:5123 "


7.7 - Makeover Feature

BGTSCC has a "Makeover" function, that allows players to change aspects of their character's appearance, whether the player is unhappy with their character's appearance or the character has gone through IC changes that should be reflected in how they look. Information on the system can be found in the link: Makeover System


7.8 - Narrative & Expectations

To better undertand the BGTSCC Environment in regards to approaching the world, expectations, creating stories aided by the DM team, etc, the DM team has made a post that further explains and addresses questions that the community has been faced with in the past. If any question a player has is unanswered, they may certainly feel free to PM the DM team asking about it. To read the Narrative & Expectations post, click HERE.

Administrator
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Posts: 480
Joined: Sat Mar 28, 2009 5:14 pm

Re: GENERAL SERVER RULES

Unread post by Administrator »

- Rules Changelog.:
(Last update November 2023)

Hidden: show
General Rules updated on October 26, 2013.

Updated:

- Party Chat usage.
- Occupied Areas, and sharing resources within occupied Areas.
General Rules updated on 28-12-2013.

Updated:

- Rating and minimum PC age.
General Rules updated on 11 Jun 2014

Updated:

- Surface/UD Travel.
General Rules updated on 25 Aug 2014

Updated:

- Link directing to AFK Grinding penalties.
- Use of automated technics to emote or fish while AFK for collection of XP added to AFK Grinding section.
UD/Surface Travel rules updated July 2015
- Added more guidance on RP reasons and clarified that such reasons are defined widely.
- Added in specifically prohibited behaviours and PVP consequences.
- Added in RP guidance
Updated 30/09/15

Clarified that godmoding NPCs by taking hostile acts against them has the same ramifications as doing so by PVPing other PCs. Potential permastrike.
Hostile acts against NPCs will be treated in the same manner as PVP against PCs in front of NPCs - namely, permastrikes may well be handed out.
Updated 06/10/2015

- To clarify that feat swaps are included in the "No Rebuilds" rule.
Amended 02/01/16

Clarifying that release of warlock summons so they are hostile to other players in such a way as to circumvent PVP rules counts as griefing.
12/01/15

We keep hearing rumours about PvP bullying and that nothing is being done about it. Unfortunately, the way rule enforcement works, we can't actually do anything unless we are given reports (PMs) with evidence (screenshots). And if we give a warning to someone and then they keep doing what they were warned about, we need yet more reports to know that they haven't improved and so we can act with more severe punishments.

The bottom line is, we read your reports, but need to actually get your reports.

For this reason I have edited the rules to make clear the proper way to report rules breaches is by way of a screenshot PMed to the whole DM team.
16/02/16 Rules update:
- Some formatting
- Emphasis on Rule No 1, respect for other players.
- Amendment to Godmoding rules regarding infiltration of Guildhalls.
- Clarification that players are responsible for their builds vis a vis custom changes and rules.
08 April 2016

Rules updated to clarify policy on the issuing of character rollbacks and vault restores.
17/06/16 - Rules updated to cover unusual background requests
03/08/16 - Updated griefing section.

– Griefing
– Do not intentionally harass or disrupt the playerbase. This includes, but is not limited to, OOC harassment, stealing from campfires, repeatedly instigating PvP with the same person without consideration for the 24-hour rule, and using summons which can be sent hostile to circumvent PVP rules. If you are proven to be harassing players and disrupting the playerbase, you will be warned and/or removed from the Server, up to a permanent duration dependent on circumstances.
06/11/16 - Updated UD/Surface travel! rules. I've left them in bold, italics and yellow so the changes can be noted.
GENERAL SERVER RULES updated 1/18/2017 on staying in character while in the game world under "Roleplay". New section quoted in bold below:
– Roleplay
– This is a Role-play Server set in the Forgotten Realms campaign world. Please respect the setting and stay in-character (IC). You can go out-of-character (OOC) if there is need for clarifications, or if you wouldn't be disturbing role-play around you by doing so (please mark your OOC speech by placing either (( , // or ooc: before or behind it). Do not talk OOC in Party Chat mode, unless a DM has approved such. Party Chat is a tool reserved for DM Events, not to be used to communicate "secretly" between groups, where in-character your PC would otherwise have to talk out loud, or could not communicate over distances.

Unless there is a mechanical OOC distraction such as a server crash, a bug, mistakenly spawning into the wrong location in game, being otherwise AFK, or another OOC rules exception, your character is to always be considered IC while in the game world outside of the Nexus unless a DM says otherwise.
4/25/2017

Rules were revised, removed, and/or cleaned up. A new rule has been added regarding Nexus etiquette.
08/26/2018

General overhaul of the rules. Give them a read!
Added this bit back under the PG-13 section, as it was mistakenly left out during the revision.
Pregnancies are strictly forbidden unless directly supervised by the DM team and approved in advance. Any pregnancies are a form of "retiring" a PC for the duration, and resulting children are NOT to be roleplayed or represented in game.

The minimum age for any PC is 18 years old or racial equivalent.
Added this rule despite thinking we'd never have to:
Real Money Trading
Real Money Trading of any kind using BGTSCC as a platform is expressly forbidden. This includes (but is not limited to) the transfer of accounts, characters, items, currency, or in-game services for real life money as opposed to game currency. This also includes offering to pay developers or DMs directly for items, events, or work on the module. Any players found to have participated in this activity will have any items or accounts removed as a result, and likely will have their character vault wiped clean. Character art commissions are an exception to this rule.
EDIT: Made a small edit to clarify that art commissions are still fine.
Updated Godmodding rule to include these clauses:
Minor instances of NPC interactions may however be used, such as and for example: "The merchant said they would spread the rumor I was seeking a special item," or "the bartender takes my order and brings me my drink," or "The local guards gave me directions or information about the laws."

It is also safe to assume obedience of reasonable orders given to subordinate NPCs (for instance, NPC assets controlled by your guild), but not the success of those orders. If you would like to speak directly in these subordinate NPCs' voices, please seek permission from the DM team first and this will be reviewed on a per-case basis. An exception to this is roleplaying your summoned creatures, and this may be done at will with the expectation that the actions roleplayed are appropriate for that type of creature.
6/1/2020

Added the following to the Unusual Characters section.
Unusual Characters
Every character must be a legal adult (18 years of age for humans or the racial equivalent for nonhumans). No exceptions.

While most DM stances on certain events are covered under the DM Rulings topic, if you have a character concept that's out of the ordinary (e.g. atypical background/heritage, nobility, contact with lore NPCs, or a concept that can't be adequately described on your character sheet), send a request to the DM Team who will clarify and deal with any outstanding issues.


Note that PCs are allowed to have minor foreign nobility in their backrounds, contingent on at least one of the following variables:
  • The PC has been expelled from the noble house and cut off by their family.
  • The PC's noble house has fallen from grace, rank, and favor.
  • The PC is indirectly related to the noble house and has no direct lineage that would give them title within it.


PCs also may not have Balduran, or Amnian nobility built into their backgrounds.


Be honest and as thorough as possible, and respect the stipulations the DM Team set for your character, if any. Omissions or failing to comply to the stipulations can lead to your character's background either being rejected or retroactively revoked. In extreme cases you may be subject to disciplinary action.
8/21/2020

Added the following to the Be Respectful section.
Be Respectful
Players may play a character, but they are not the character. Remember not to take in-character grievances to personal, out-of-character attacks, nor to use out-of-character motivations and agendas to fuel in-character behavior. Even when your characters are bitter enemies, remember to be respectful towards the players and that the goal of your interactions with them should be to have fun.

If you are uncomfortable with someone's RP, you have the right to respectfully back out of the RP. Always remain polite and courteous when doing this. If someone chooses to back away from your RP, respect their decision and let them go.


If you don't like someone, don't get involved with them. There are enough players in the server to go around that you should not be obligated to RP with someone who you don't like, and RPing under a hostile OOC environment only breeds poor IC and OOC behavior, drama, and frustration especially if staff gets involved.
4/6/2021

Amended the character age related rules for the server due to recent inappropriate younger age innuendo play in the character age range of 18-24 or racial equivalent.
PG-13 Content
All players must be 13 years of age or older to play on Baldur's Gate: The Sword Coast Chronicles.

Beyond that, though, this server, the forums, and any interactions within them should be the equivalent of PG-13/Teen at most. No violations of this rule, not even within the privacy of an inn room or guild hall. This includes, but is not limited to, excessive vulgarity, gratuitous violence/torture, graphic/extended sexual situations, and explicitly or implicitly sexualizing any characters under the age of 18 or racial equivalent in age.

Pregnancies are strictly forbidden unless directly supervised by the DM team and approved in advance. Any pregnancies are a form of "retiring" a PC for the duration, and resulting children are NOT to be roleplayed or represented in game.

The minimum age for any PC is at least 25 years old or racial equivalent for all characters made. In the past, PCs at least 18 years old or racial equivalent were allowed and characters that have existed with a public biography or in game PC description since the beginning of 2021 that are at least 18 years old (but younger than 25 years old) or racial equivalent are grandfathered in through Tuesday, April 6, 2021 and are still allowed without having to change the age of their biographies and in game PC descriptions. There will be no exceptions to this grandfather period going forward.

----


Unusual Characters
Every PC must be a legal adult (at least 25 years of age for humans or the racial equivalent for nonhumans). No exceptions except as outlined in the rules on the PG-13 content for the server.


----



– Content = Teen
– The Server, Forum and all interactions are to be rated Teen or below. ERP/sexual encounters (other than fade to black scenes), graphic or extended nudity, gratuitous violence and torture, and especially rape or miscarriage are strictly prohibited. Pregnancies are forbidden unless directly supervised by the DM team and approved in advance. Any pregnancies are a form of "retiring" a PC for the duration, and resulting children are NOT to be roleplayed or represented in game. The minimum age for any PC is 25 years old or racial equivalent except as outlined in the rules on the PG-13 content for the server.
4/13/2021

After asking for further player community feedback and DM Team and staff feedback on the 4/6/2021 age rules, the rules have been amended to the below.
PG-13 Content
All players must be 13 years of age or older to play on Baldur's Gate: The Sword Coast Chronicles.

Beyond that, though, this server, the forums, and any interactions within them should be the equivalent of PG-13/Teen at most. No violations of this rule, not even within the privacy of an inn room or guild hall. This includes, but is not limited to, excessive vulgarity, gratuitous violence/torture, graphic/extended sexual situations, and explicitly or implicitly sexualizing any characters under the age of 18 or racial equivalent in age.

Pregnancies are strictly forbidden unless directly supervised by the DM team and approved in advance. Any pregnancies are a form of "retiring" a PC for the duration, and resulting children are NOT to be roleplayed or represented in game.

The minimum age for any PC is at least 18 years old or racial equivalent for all characters made. There will be a one strike policy (a one time warning) and you're out on the next violation (permanent ban from the forums and the game and the community) for any player that implicitly or explicitly violates this rule twice. We encourage all players to report vigilantly any violations as such to the DM Team.

----


Unusual Characters
Every PC must be a legal adult (at least 18 years of age for humans or the racial equivalent for nonhumans). No exceptions implicit in character description innuendo or explicit will ever be allowed.


----



– Content = Teen
– The Server, Forum and all interactions are to be rated Teen or below. ERP/sexual encounters (other than fade to black scenes), graphic or extended nudity, gratuitous violence and torture, and especially rape or miscarriage are strictly prohibited. Pregnancies are forbidden unless directly supervised by the DM team and approved in advance. Any pregnancies are a form of "retiring" a PC for the duration, and resulting children are NOT to be roleplayed or represented in game. The minimum age for any PC is 18 years old or racial equivalent. No exceptions implicit in character description innuendo or explicit will ever be allowed.
9/13/2021:

- Updated date stamp from "September 2018" to "September 2021."

- Removed reference to the server's being a "Medium RP" server and codified that in-character roleplaying is an integral/mandatory part of the BG:TSCC experience.

Below text:
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In-Character Behavior
This is a roleplaying server set in the Forgotten Realms. This server is considered "medium RP" and thus while some OOC behavior is permitted (such as grinding monsters and quests for experience/loot), when interacting with others please stay in-character (IC) and clearly mark any out-of-character (OOC) text being spoken.
Was replaced with:
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Roleplaying
This is a roleplaying server set in the Forgotten Realms campaign world. Please respect the setting and stay in-character (IC). You can go out-of-character (OOC) if there is need for clarifications (please mark your OOC speech by placing either (( , // or ooc: before or behind it). Do not talk OOC in Party Chat mode as it is reserved for DM events. Party Chat and tells are not to be used to communicate ICly where in-character your PC would otherwise have to talk out loud, or could not communicate over a long distance.
Updated naming and disguise rule:
Naming & Disguise - Rules

Be creative, but stick to these rules!

On Naming:
  • Do not use names of famous people or existing media characters (e.g. Michael Jackson, Robin Hood, Drizzt Do'Urden)
  • Do not use descriptions or titles in place of names without DM Approval (e.g. Dame Alice, Bob the Bloody, Legend Killer)
  • Do not use vulgar or offensive names or mispellings of them (See also PG-13 Content) (e.g. Fock Face, Hugh Janus)
  • Apostrophes and otherwise special characters are allowed in names, but overuse/misuse may be requested to be changed
Be sensible! Remember that your character is a real person in their own minds, their name should not be a username or a joke name, and instead should reflect the realistic naming tendencies of Forgotten Realms and the PC's race and place of origin.

On Disguise renaming:
In the use of the renaming function for diguises, the same rules as above are in effect, with the following changes:
  • Do not impersonate known figures (Be it NPC or Players)
  • Do not put ranks/titles in your name without DM approval (e.g. Lord John, High Priestess Clara, General Robert)
  • Do not change the color or font of the text
  • Impersonating server staff will result in disciplinary offence.
  • While performing activities as a guild under DM supervision, PCs of that guild are allowed to use pseudonyms that are not specific titles or generic nomenclature/professions (e.g. "Guard", "Mercenary", "Commoner" are NOT allowed. While "Faceless", "Petaldancer" and etc are allowed with the understanding that it's that PC's pseudonym in that guild). When in doubt, make sure to ask the DM team if something is allowed or not.
  • It is acceptable for a PC to use the disguise rename to name themselves the race of their character (e.g. "Human", "Elf", "Half-Orc", etc.)
  • While shapeshifted/wildshaped/etc into a creature, the PC is allowed to use the disguise rename to name themselves to what they've shaped into (e.g. "Owlbear", "Cat", "Bear", etc.)
We would expect players to play whats on their sheet as always, and RP the points into disguise skill in game, or lack of it, honorably. The DM team may approach you and ask to change your name if it breaches any of these rules.
Be sure to not log out while using a disguise name, as that can bug the PC's name entirely, at which point DM intervention is necessary.


OLD RULES.:
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GENERAL SERVER RULES (MUST READ)
September 2021

Baldur's Gate: the Sword Coast Chronicles (BGTSCC) has become one of the largest NWN2 servers around, with many players sharing the Persistent World as a community. In order to keep things running smoothly, please be aware of the rules that this server is governed by and abide by them.

Note that these rules are not here to limit on what staff will act on, but to give you an idea of what will be acted upon. Staff reserves the ability to exercise proper judgment and act as deemed necessary even if the situation being handled isn't explicitly outlined in the rules.

The rules are as follows:




Be Respectful

Players may play a character, but they are not the character. Remember not to take in-character grievances to personal, out-of-character attacks, nor to use out-of-character motivations and agendas to fuel in-character behavior. Even when your characters are bitter enemies, remember to be respectful towards the players and that the goal of your interactions with them should be to have fun.

If you are uncomfortable with someone's RP, you have the right to respectfully back out of the RP. Always remain polite and courteous when doing this. If someone chooses to back away from your RP, respect their decision and let them go.

If you don't like someone, don't get involved with them. There are enough players in the server to go around that you should not be obligated to RP with someone who you don't like, and RPing under a hostile OOC environment only breeds poor IC and OOC behavior, drama, and frustration especially if staff gets involved.


Griefing
Do not intentionally disrupt or harass other players, either with mechanics or other means. This includes, but is not limited to, stealing from campfires/packhorses, exploiting summons to bypass PvP rules, or herding enemies to have them attack players.


Courtesy Towards Staff
Staff has the final word on a matter and if they tell you not to do something, don't do it.

Don't "fish" DMs or other staff members. "Fishing" (or "shopping") is the term used for someone who requests multiple members of staff for something despite receiving a negative response earlier. Doing so is considered poor etiquette, and staff members talk among each other so they know if you've been trying to go around looking for someone to say "yes".

If you have an issue with a staff ruling, don't argue with them but take your issue to the relevant staff member above them (Lead Moderator, QC Coordinator, Head DM, etc.).


Reporting an Issue
Whether you have a problem with a player, or you are the victim of a rule breach, do not post such matters in public. Doing so will get you in trouble even if you are the blameless party. Instead, use the Private Messaging (PM) function to send a message to the DM Team covering your problem with attached evidence (e.g. screenshots). If a DM is the source of your grievance, send a PM to the Head DM group only, and if the Head DM is the problem, PM the Global Admin group.

In-Character Behavior

Roleplaying
This is a roleplaying server set in the Forgotten Realms campaign world. Please respect the setting and stay in-character (IC). You can go out-of-character (OOC) if there is need for clarifications (please mark your OOC speech by placing either (( , // or ooc: before or behind it). Do not talk OOC in Party Chat mode as it is reserved for DM events. Party Chat and tells are not to be used to communicate ICly where in-character your PC would otherwise have to talk out loud, or could not communicate over a long distance.


"Play Your Sheet"
If the race on your character sheet specifies that you are a human fighter, you are a human fighter and not a yugoloth wizard, polymorphed dragon, etc. and roleplaying as if you are otherwise (even under the guise of "insanity") is not acceptable. However, in-character deception regarding your character's abilities and moral leanings is fine.


Unusual Characters
Every PC must be a legal adult (at least 18 years of age for humans or the racial equivalent for nonhumans). No exceptions implicit in character description innuendo or explicit will ever be allowed.

While most DM stances on certain events are covered under the DM Rulings topic, if you have a character concept that's out of the ordinary (e.g. atypical background/heritage, nobility, contact with lore NPCs, or a concept that can't be adequately described on your character sheet), send a request to the DM Team who will clarify and deal with any outstanding issues.

Note that PCs are allowed to have minor foreign nobility in their backgrounds, contingent on at least one of the following variables:
  • The PC has been expelled from the noble house and cut off by their family.
  • The PC's noble house has fallen from grace, rank, and favor.
  • The PC is indirectly related to the noble house and has no direct lineage that would give them title within it.
PCs also may not have Balduran, or Amnian nobility built into their backgrounds. Similarly, Drow cannot use major House names in their backgrounds in any major way.

Be honest and as thorough as possible, and respect the stipulations the DM Team set for your character, if any. Omissions or failing to comply to the stipulations can lead to your character's background either being rejected or retroactively revoked. In extreme cases you may be subject to disciplinary action.


Godmodding
You only speak for your character's actions, not anyone else's. Do not "godmod" other peoples' characters or NPCs, or dictate their actions without the consent of the character's player or the DM(s) stewarding the NPCs. NPCs are not soulless entities to be disregarded when a DM is not present. Treat them as if they are able to react to your actions regardless if someone is behind the wheel or not. As a general rule of thumb, assume that one NPC represents 10 of them being nearby, and that your character is always outmatched power wise. Also, do not assume that they cannot see your character if they are hiding, invisible, disguised, or polymorphed, unless a DM tells you that it is OK to do so.

Minor instances of NPC interactions may however be used, such as and for example: "The merchant said they would spread the rumor I was seeking a special item," or "the bartender takes my order and brings me my drink," or "The local guards gave me directions or information about the laws."

It is also safe to assume obedience of reasonable orders given to subordinate NPCs (for instance, NPC assets controlled by your guild), but not the success of those orders. If you would like to speak directly in these subordinate NPCs' voices, please seek permission from the DM team first and this will be reviewed on a per-case basis. An exception to this is roleplaying your summoned creatures, and this may be done at will with the expectation that the actions roleplayed are appropriate for that type of creature.


Metagaming
Any information your character has should be gained from IC sources that are not your alternate characters. Out-of-character information can be helpful to gain context as a player, but by no means should it be used to dictate any aspect of in-character behavior. (Also see Alternate Characters under Mechanics.)

Abusing avenues of communication to facilitate metagaming from others is also prohibited. An example of such an abuse would be your character dying in a zone a long way away, so you set a Scry message for someone to come over and give you a raise so that you can avoid the experience loss.


Surface/Underdark Travel
Characters flagged as a surface race in the Underdark, and Underdark characters on the surface, will not gain any EXP from enemy kills or loot from chests in areas that are flagged on the side that isn't theirs.

When visiting the other side, have a legitimate roleplaying reason with a starting and ending point where you have to return to your home area once your business is concluded. (Being a point of contact and negotiating matters on behalf of a faction is an example of a legitimate reason, whereas going to the other side to PvP others is an example of an unacceptable reason.) Be ready to respond to a DM when asked by one.

Having a character of one side remain on a constant/permanent basis on the other side is not permitted without prior DM approval.

Players who are found to be violating or otherwise abusing this rule will find themselves ejected back to their home area and subject to disciplinary action in extreme circumstances.


Skill Rolls
You may use them as a guideline for RP, but only a DM can enforce skill rolls and the results.


Cite Your Sources
When using other peoples' content in the server, please give proper credit and attribution to the original source. This is to ensure respect towards the creators for their work.


Naming & Disguise - Rules

Be creative, but stick to these rules!

On Naming:
  • Do not use names of famous people or existing media characters (e.g. Michael Jackson, Robin Hood, Drizzt Do'Urden)
  • Do not use descriptions or titles in place of names without DM Approval (e.g. Dame Alice, Bob the Bloody, Legend Killer)
  • Do not use vulgar or offensive names or mispellings of them (See also PG-13 Content) (e.g. Fock Face, Hugh Janus)
  • Apostrophes and otherwise special characters are allowed in names, but overuse/misuse may be requested to be changed
Be sensible! Remember that your character is a real person in their own minds, their name should not be a username or a joke name, and instead should reflect the realistic naming tendencies of Forgotten Realms and the PC's race and place of origin.

On Disguise renaming:
In the use of the renaming function for diguises, the same rules as above are in effect, with the following changes:
  • Do not impersonate known figures (Be it NPC or Players)
  • Do not put ranks/titles in your name without DM approval (e.g. Lord John, High Priestess Clara, General Robert)
  • Do not change the color or font of the text
  • Impersonating server staff will result in disciplinary offence.
  • While performing activities as a guild under DM supervision, PCs of that guild are allowed to use pseudonyms that are not specific titles or generic nomenclature/professions (e.g. "Guard", "Mercenary", "Commoner" are NOT allowed. While "Faceless", "Petaldancer" and etc are allowed with the understanding that it's that PC's pseudonym in that guild). When in doubt, make sure to ask the DM team if something is allowed or not.
  • It is acceptable for a PC to use the disguise rename to name themselves the race of their character (e.g. "Human", "Elf", "Half-Orc", etc.)
  • While shapeshifted/wildshaped/etc into a creature, the PC is allowed to use the disguise rename to name themselves to what they've shaped into (e.g. "Owlbear", "Cat", "Bear", etc.)
We would expect players to play whats on their sheet as always, and RP the points into disguise skill in game, or lack of it, honorably. The DM team may approach you and ask to change your name if it breaches any of these rules.
Be sure to not log out while using a disguise name, as that can bug the PC's name entirely, at which point DM intervention is necessary.

PG-13 Content

All players must be 13 years of age or older to play on Baldur's Gate: The Sword Coast Chronicles.

Beyond that, though, this server, the forums, and any interactions within them should be the equivalent of PG-13/Teen at most. No violations of this rule, not even within the privacy of an inn room or guild hall. This includes, but is not limited to, excessive vulgarity, gratuitous violence/torture, graphic/extended sexual situations, and explicitly or implicitly sexualizing any characters under the age of 18 or racial equivalent in age.

Pregnancies are strictly forbidden unless directly supervised by the DM team and approved in advance. Any pregnancies are a form of "retiring" a PC for the duration, and resulting children are NOT to be roleplayed or represented in game.

The minimum age for any PC is at least 18 years old or racial equivalent for all characters made. There will be a one strike policy (a one time warning) and you're out on the next violation (permanent ban from the forums and the game and the community) for any player that implicitly or explicitly violates this rule twice. We encourage all players to report vigilantly any violations as such to the DM Team.

Mechanics

While the server has many roleplaying avenues to pursue, by the nature of being a game you are bound to interact with the mechanical aspects, and thus the mechanics have a few rules for you to be aware of and follow.

Regarding character builds, keep in mind that players are responsible for ensuring their build is correct. DMs are not obligated to offer assistance if a character's build goes awry due to personal error.


3-By-30 (3b30)
Your character must have at least 3 levels in every class they've taken when they reach character level 30. Prestige classes are included. So a Rogue 17/Assassin 10/Fighter 3 is valid, but a Rogue 18/Assassin 10/Fighter 2 would be invalid.


Alternate Characters
As many as you want, under two conditions:

Alternates can know of each other (and even be related), but under no circumstances are they to exchange information between each other. This includes "off-screen" interactions. Alice may know Bob is a Blood Mage, but if the player behind Alice is also playing Charlie, that player cannot have Alice tell Charlie by any means that Bob is a Blood Mage.


Cleric Domains
If you are playing a cleric, refer to the thread or wiki for the domains that your character's deity permits. If you pick an incorrect domain for your deity, you will be required to reroll your character to fix it.


AFK Grinding/Botting
Don't do this. This includes automated scripts for fishing, loot runs, emotes for RP EXP, and other activities that help make your EXP/loot numbers go up with little to no input from yourself.

Aliases and macros are fine, but under no circumstances should your character perform any actions without your involvement at the keyboard.


Looting
Don't "camp" places. This includes parking yourself in boss rooms or treasure rooms and logging in solely to loot the chests or kill the boss. If you enter a dungeon and it already has players inside, don't sneak ahead of them by stealth, invisibility, or other means just to get the loot ahead of them. It's your responsibility to communicate with the players to see if it's okay for you to participate and get the spoils.


Exploits/Cheating
If it's known, don't do it, and if it's not known, report it in a private message and don't do it again. If you're not sure, chances are if it seems like an exploit, it probably is.

Don't use custom .hak files or other third party programs. Evidence of cheating or using these programs will result in your account being banned and your character vault wiped clean.

Note that these situations are clarified to not be exploits and further examples will be edited in as they come up:
  • Power Attack with a rapier as a Small race
  • Duelist class bonuses while using Spears
  • Manually taking feats as a Ranger that are automatically gained as part of the Ranger's weapon style progression (e.g. taking One Shot as a feat despite already having One Shot from Archery Style)

The Nexus
The Nexus is where all players log in for the first time following a reset. It is not to be used as a chatroom, OOC lounge, or a place to horseplay and throw spells everywhere. Remain in the Nexus if you have a legitimate reason to do so (e.g. RCR or waiting on another player), but leave as soon as you are able for the sake of other people who log in.


Overrides
GUI and texture improvements only. If you are using content that requires files to be in your override folder, remember to clear the folder before logging into the server in order to prevent issues that could corrupt your character.

While using the "Unlimited Colors" override, please be responsible and use colors that are appropriate for your race (and when in doubt, PM the DMs). DMs may request characters abusing the function to RCR.


Rollbacks
Once a year, players can request for a character rollback if, and only if, they have a significant mechanical problem from the actions of server staff or server content, or if their character file has been corrupted or archived by the server. PM the Global Admin group if you wish to request a rollback of your character.

Administrative Rules

To aid in administration of the server, this section is for rules that don't fit in any other section.

Real Money Trading
Real Money Trading of any kind using BGTSCC as a platform is expressly forbidden. This includes (but is not limited to) the transfer of accounts, characters, items, currency, or in-game services for real life money as opposed to game currency. This also includes offering to pay developers or DMs directly for items, events, or work on the module. Any players found to have participated in this activity will have any items or accounts removed as a result, and likely will have their character vault wiped clean. Character art commissions are an exception to this rule.


Thank you for reading and enjoy your time in BG:TSCC!
[ original post by DM Novus in spoiler tag ]
Hidden: show
GENERAL SERVER RULES (MUST READ)
Apr - 2017

Baldur's Gate: the Sword Coast Chronicles (BGTSCC) has become one of the largest NWN2 servers around, with many players sharing the Persistent World, together, as a community. In order to keep things running smoothly for everyone, please be aware of our rules. Ignorance of the Rules is no excuse for breaking them. It is your responsibility to read and understand them when you play on this server.

The golden rule is to be respectful of other players, and remember that BGTSCC is just a game. This should always be the guideline with which to approach all other rules.


– Roleplay
– This is a roleplay server set in the Forgotten Realms campaign world. Please respect the setting and stay in-character (IC). You can go out-of-character (OOC) if there is need for clarifications, or if you wouldn't be disturbing roleplay around you by doing so (please mark your OOC speech by placing either (( , // or ooc: before or behind it). Do not talk OOC in Party Chat mode as it is reserved for DM events. Party chat and tells are not to be used to communicate ICly where in-character your PC would otherwise have to talk out loud, or could not communicate over a long distance.

– Content = Teen
– The Server, Forum and all interactions are to be rated Teen or below. ERP/sexual encounters (other than fade to black scenes), graphic or extended nudity, gratuitous violence and torture, and especially rape or miscarriage are strictly prohibited. Pregnancies are forbidden unless directly supervised by the DM team and approved in advance. Any pregnancies are a form of "retiring" a PC for the duration, and resulting children are NOT to be roleplayed or represented in game. The minimum age for any PC is 18 years old or racial equivalent. No exceptions implicit in character description innuendo or explicit will ever be allowed.

– "Play Your Sheet"
You are required to play what is on your Character Sheet. For example, no roleplaying of another race if it does not appear on your Character Sheet. In-character (IC) lying and misinformation about your Character's skills, profession and morality is fair and acceptable, but roleplay which does not reflect the Abilities, Feats and Skills that exist on your Character Sheet, is not acceptable.

- Unusual background and character sheet requests
Anything that you wish to play that is out of the ordinary, does not appear on your character sheet or in the character creation process, or is untrue to your character mechanically, is to be submitted to the DM team as a player request. The sort of things this covers include unusual heritage, unusual age, a class that doesn't exist in the game, an atypical background, nobility or personal contact with named lore NPCs. Requests that outright contradict the mechanics or character sheet of your character will almost always be rejected. We have also made some rulings on common requests that can be found on the "DM rulings thread." If in doubt, please contact the DM team.

Failure to submit an unusual background request, being dishonest or not playing by the guidelines the DM team set out for you can lead to the unusual background request being rejected or revoked by retcon. In extreme cases further disciplinary action may be necessary.

– Three By 20
3 Levels of Each Class at Level 20 (3b20) Rule: A PC (the build plan) must have 3 levels in every class at level 20 (example of a build's class level distribution at the 20th character level: 17/3 or 14/3/3/ or 11/3/3/3). Prestige classes are included in this rule. So for example, a Rogue 12/Wizard 5/Arcane Trickster 3 is okay. A Rogue 13/Wizard 5/ Arcane Trickster 2 is not. Failure to observe this rule will result in the de-leveling of your PC to a legal state with NO XP refund!

– Custom Changes
– Read Custom Changes to this World or the BGTSCC wiki to understand which game mechanics have been changed, and that may have an impact on your character concept (or build). Many of our custom changes DO NOT match the NWN2DB.com build website. Players have a responsibility for their own builds and being aware of custom changes to the world.

– Naming Rules
– Please do not use famous names (like "Robin Hood" or "Drizzt Do'Urden") for your character. Do not put any titles in your name or biography that you did not earn. You are not a king, noble, general, baron, etc. unless the DMs grant your PC that title. And finally, please use a name rather than a description (no "Big Man" or "Larry the Wizard") for your character. This will always be decided at DM discretion and a character in violation of this rule may log in to find the character with a new name.

– Skill Rolls Between players
– Skill rolls may be used as guidelines in RP. However, a player is not required to follow any Skill rolls unless a DM enforces it. Only a DM may enforce skill rolls.

– PVP Rules
– PvP rules can be found here or in the book that is in inventory of your character.

– No Metagaming!
  • "Metagaming" is the use of knowledge not lawfully gained by a character in game.
    -> Such as but not limited to the following examples:
    • 1. Using the name over someones head as a name tag, until you meet that person in character, you do not know their name.
      2. Sending a tell to a friend who was not with you at the time of your death, to come to your location and raise you from the dead.
      3. Using information that you learned on character 1, and playing character 2 and using said information not lawfully gained on character 2.
      4. Do not use the NWN2 game mechanics to assume things your character would not otherwise know by their skills alone (i.e. saves on an aura, or seeing a spell cast).
In addition, no meta-game looting. This includes camping at a treasure chest location waiting for resets, locating a character at chests and logging in and out every so often to loot them, etc. players may not use invisibility, stealth, or any other means of avoiding detection in order to loot chests and drops in a dungeon already occupied by anyone else. It is the responsibility of the hidden looter to ensure they do not jump ahead of others working their way through a dungeon. If there is an OOC reason to be moving ahead of another player(s), it is your responsibility to communicate that appropriately to them and seek permission first. Dungeons may extend through several maps, and would include the entire collection of maps with a similar theme and creatures. Out-of-character retaliatory PvP action for getting "skipped" by another player(s) is not legal.

- No Godmodding NPCs!
"God Modding" is when someone’s Character (PC) has the ability to do practically anything without limits or boundaries. And example is when a PC simply cannot be harmed by any means, or ignores NPCs that would otherwise take action against the Character if a DM was overseeing the roleplay situation. In addition, players are not to control or speak for or direct actions of other NPCs, especially such NPCs that do not exist in this NWN2 game. Minor instances of NPC interactions may be used, such as and for example: "The merchant said they would spread the rumor I was seeking a special item," or "the bartender takes my order and brings me my drink."

Violating this rule will lead to IC and/or OOC consequences at DMs' discretion. Hostile acts against NPCs will be treated in the same manner as PVP against PCs in front of NPCs - namely, permastrikes may well be handed out.

Sneaking in to player guild halls that have NPCs or are not publicly accessible is forbidden without DM approval and supervision, and will be treated as godmodding without it. Players sneaking in should expect significant risk (including permastrikes (Permastirke Rules: http://www.bgtscc.net/viewtopic.php?f=7&t=25355)), and that a fair chance will be given to the defending guild to respond appropriately.

– Surface/UD Travel!
-You can be on the other side, but have some roleplay reason to be there (not just an excuse to grind or PvP). races from the surface and the Underdark, respectively, are not permitted to live on the other side without DM approval. Expeditions to the other side have a clear set start and end period for a particular objective with the character returning to it's home setting after the period is over. Stating that you are there to defeat such and such creature, or to test your skill is not a valid RP reason, that is grinding. We also do not consider general exploration, or Drow raids on the surface as a valid RP reason, although such can be fodder for DM moderated events. Please PM the team regarding this.

Valid RP reasons outside of the above are defined widely and do not require prior DM approval. Examples include meeting another PC to trade, or to RP over religion, or to establish contacts with another guild. We would ask however that you are able to state your reasons when a DM asks and abide by any decision that is made. Please note that it is not valid to grind once the reasons for travelling to the surface or Underdark are complete. Stating that you are meeting a PC in Sshamath to acquire via trade rare and valuable items is a valid reason but grinding afterwards with your trading partner is still grinding. Both surface and Underdark races are permitted on Upperdark maps and full RP outs are required to initiate PvP (no KOS on Upperdark maps). If slain in PvP on the "other" side you may be issued a permastrike as a result.

We also ask that players are respectful of the setting given the leniency of these rules. On the surface NPCs should be regarded as universally hostile to Underdark PCs and so maps with NPCs should be avoided where possible without DM supervision. In the Underdark, the peculiarities of Sshamath's lore should be respected and the Underdark itself should be considered a dangerous and hostile place. While we wish to facilitate roleplay between surface and Underdark we do not want to erode the setting and so may intervene in RP that is immersion breaking.

– AFK Grinding
AFK grinding is illegal. This rule also applies to using automated techniques for fishing, emoting, or chatting while AFK. Under no circumstances should your character be performing any action while you are not at your keyboard.

– Griefing
– Do not intentionally harass or disrupt the playerbase. This includes, but is not limited to, OOC harassment, stealing from campfires, repeatedly instigating PvP with the same person without consideration for the 24-hour rule, and using summons which can be sent hostile to circumvent PVP rules.

– Exploits
– No using known or unknown exploits, custom hak files, or third party programs. Absolutely no exceptions. Chances are if it seems like an exploit, it probably is. This is limited to circumvention of conventional game mechanics or intentional use of bugs only, and does not extend to things that normally occur in the game's mechanics (power attacking with a Rapier as a small race, using a Spear on a duelist, taking One Shot twice as a ranger, etc are fair game. Things will be appropriately patched by developers if and when the issues appear to be problematic).

– Overrides
– Only GUI Overrides and Texture Improvement Overrides are allowed on BGTSCC. Please clear your override folder before you log on the server, or very odd things will happen to your character during and after creation and you will be asked to reroll it.

– No Rebuilds
– No Character Rebuilds unless under rare circumstances (corrupted bic, etc.). This includes feat swaps. It is up to you to make sure you build the right Character. De-levels are permitted (with rare exceptions) and you may ask a DM to do so. No refunds for reset and crash deaths; no refunds for bugged bodies.

– Character Rollbacks
– Character and vault rollbacks will only be issued to you if your character file has been corrupted by the server, a significant problem has resulted from the actions of server staff or server content, or your character files have been archived after several years of inactivity and you would like them restored.

– Cleric Domains
– If you would like to play a Cleric or any other divine caster class, including Stormlord, (with the exception of nature-based ones), please read the forums rules about domains here.

– The Nexus
- The Nexus should not be used as a chatroom, OOC lounge, or place to goof off. If you have a legitimate reason to remain there (RCR, waiting on another player, etc.) you may do so, but it's asked for the sake of those logging in that you finish your business as soon as possible and head in-game. Please do not try to cast spells in the Nexus.

– Public Personal Attacks
– If you have a problem with any player or any DM or are subject to any breaches of the rules by another player, do not post it publicly on the Forums. Instead, send a PM with linked screenshots (if available) to the DM group via Private Messaging available on this Forum. It is much harder for the DM team to take action without the evidence of screenshots.

Thank you for reading and enjoy gaming on BGTSCC.

Nov. 2023

Reformulation of the rules;
- Wording changes.
- Adding Index feature.
- Updated certain rules to modern server standards.
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