Code of Conduct

Kingdoms of Kahara Code of Conduct

These are general rules which apply across the game.

1. Don't harass fellow players.
2. Plots and backstories involving or centered around rape are not allowed on Kingdoms of Kahara.
3. Explicit sexual RP is not allowed. Should a scene progress to a point where such activity would happen, players should "fade to black."
4. Do not use abusive or hateful language out of character.
5. When you make a character on Kingdoms of Kahara, you understand you are consenting to things happening to your character that you may not have planned. Ideally should a player want to enact a major event upon another player they should discuss it and agree. However this is not always possible, in which case skill rolls will be used to adjudicate the situation.
6. Do not use AI in association with Kingdoms of Kahara. This includes in game, in our Discord server, on this wiki, and any other aspect of the game which may be added later. This includes AI generated images for the wiki, for instance.

If a player believes these rules are being violated they should report it to staff, ideally with keywords and a date and time the issue happened. We maintain command logs for the safety and security of the game we can check. Screenshots can also help, but for security reasons system logs will take precedence.

Violations of the code of conduct can lead to a range of disciplinary actions up to and including temporary and permanent bans.

Specific Rules

Specific rules cover more specialized areas of policy.

Character Making Rules

General Characters

1. Characters without special traits such as Elite or Patron will be evaluated on a "shall approve" basis. This means characters will be approved unless we have a reason to deny the application. Denial doesn't necessarily mean the character needs to be totally scrapped, though. We're happy to help you iron out the wrinkles!

Alt Policy

1. Kingdoms of Kahara doesn't have an arbitrary limit on how many characters a player may have, but players should make a good faith effort to keep their characters active.
2. Alts should not give material aid to each other and should avoid significant interactions.

Authority Character Rules

Whether noble or wielding some other form of major authority over other characters (authority characters), we have a couple things to keep in mind for these characters.

1. It is up to the discretion of the staff whether or not we want to approve authority characters at any given time. Consult staff before trying to make one.
2. Unlike general characters, applications for authority characters will be subject to more stringent requirements for background and concept.
3. Authority characters are expected to generate RP above and beyond what we expect of other characters. Those with more authority will be expected to generate more RP than those with less.
4. If you feel you are no longer able to play an authority character you have, consult staff to try and figure out what to do with the character. We don't want any PCs under your character's authority to be stuck if you won't be around.
5. Authority characters have easier access to the Elite and Patron traits, but this also means their actions in character are under more intense scrutiny and it is possible to lose these traits through in character misconduct. Authority characters, more than other characters, are bound to more obligations and rules than those without authority, such as the case with nobles.

Player Run Plot Guidelines

We want players to feel like they are able to run a wide range of plots on Kahara. Unfortunately the power in running plots comes with potential for abuse and so we need to have guidelines for what kinds of plots need approval and what kind need banned.

Note that should a plot need approval, logs need to be posted on the wiki. This is not optional.

Player Plot Approval Required

Players need to get approval for the following kinds of plots:

1. Plots meant to severely damage an established group or organization
2. Plots which cause serious damage or destruction to an established location (so a planned barfight would be fine, initiating a fire in the bar is not)
3. Plots where the planned length is more than a month
4. Plots which involve special magic not noted in the normal ruleset
5. Plots where NPCs will be targeting specific players
6. Player run plots which cover matters which need approval must have the logs posted.

Banned Player Plots

The following player plot types are banned on Kingdoms of Kahara:

1. Rape/sexual assault plots are banned, as indicated in the general code of conduct.
2. Plots which are designed to resolve core setting conflicts.
3. Plots which are designed to target specific players while avoiding responsibility with one's own character.
4. Plots which are designed with a general desire to keep one's own character safe while still benefitting from the events of the plot.

PC Death Guidelines

The staff of Kingdoms of Kahara understand players get invested in their characters and generally prefer not to lose them through death. The other side of the coin is if players believe their characters are simply unable to die it can lead to players having their characters take reckless action with little regard for the consequences. This necessitates a need for us to find a balance between these competing needs.

A non-consensual PC death should be rare. Furthermore it should have a clear line of actions and consequences where the PC death makes sense. When a PC dies, it should be the result of a clear line of actions the player had reasonable control over combined with poor rolls. PC death should not be arbitrary.

At Kingdoms of Kahara we use multiple mechanisms to make PC death rare.

1. PC HP compared to incoming damage is high. This is to say under normal circumstances a PC cannot go from full HP to 0 in a single round.
2. If a PC hits 0 HP (PC HP cannot go below 0) they are dying but not dead, they are barely clinging to life and will die in 3 rounds if not attended to. Since average threat fights last only one round this means there should almost always be time to stabilize a PC with healing or the Stabilize spell. Should either of these take place the PC may be at 0 HP and unable to take actions which require exertion, but unless they are harmed from a new source of damage will survive the scene. If the damage which reduces a PC's HP to 0 is caused by another PC the character stabilizes automatically unless a PC uses the Lethal Intent ability of Inner Focus.
3. If a PC wishes to kill another PC, the Lethal Intent ability of Inner Focus must be used on a PC at 0 HP. If it is not, the PC at 0 HP will survive the scene and will not die to non-malicious medical rolls.
4. Should a staffer declare a PC dead in a scene, there will be an audit to make sure the PC death is appropriate. Barring exceptional circumstances or breakdowns in communication this should be done within 48 hours. Auditing PC deaths can involve reading logs, interviewing players, and making sure there was not material error in the application of the rules of combat. All scenes where a PC kills another PC must have logs posted before a death can be ruled final.
5. If a PC would fall to 0 HP in a staff ran scene, a similar audit will be ran to make sure things like the TNs for rolls were appropriate to the scene and if needed an interview with the staff member.
6. If a PC would fall to 0 HP in a player ran scene, the audit will still take place as above and the scene runner will be interviewed if deemed necessary. In addition if possible should a PC drop to 0 HP and about to be declared dead by the rules of combat staff should be alerted to provide guidance as soon as possible.

All of this is intended to combine to make PC death a real possibility while respecting the desire to not capriciously take PCs away from their players.

Player Absence Guidelines

Kingdoms of Kahara does not portray a given character as dead or unplayable in the future should a player leave the game or be unable to play for a period of time; Players are welcome to come back and play their idled characters again. However, there is an issue if a character runs a place in character or has some kind of authority over others which needs to be addressed.

1. If a player is gone for two months unannounced, staff may grant temporary control of a group or location to a new character who will keep it active. If the player returns in the two months after this and wants the organization or location back it is expected they will be granted it. There may need to be some roleplay to provide an explanation.
2. If a player has a history of long unannounced absences this duration may be reduced. If a player leaves for a month, returns for a couple days, then leaves for another month that may be considered when determining when to make a transfer of control permanent.
3. If a player is able to let us know they will not be around for a while, staff is able to be more lenient with how this matter is handled. Ideally the PC in question is temporarily written out so another character can manage the group or location for the duration of the absence and arrangements can be made when the player is able to play again. These absences can be for far longer than four months if foreseeable, as we understand life happens.
4. Ideally a player on a planned absence is able to check in to let us know how things are going every so often.