The Rules

The following information is Out-Of-Character. This article contains useful server information!

We have a number of guidelines and rules in place in the server; both in-game and on the Discord. These rules can be updated at any time and we will make the players aware of such changes through updates via the news-and-updates channel in the Dwarves! Discord Server. However, it is up to each player to remain up-to-date on them. Any questions regarding these rules should be brought to a member the Dwarves! Team.

Any violation of these rules will be considered an infringements.Trying to use loopholes, or stating that things are not directly specified will count as an infringement. Any infringement will be met with the appropriate penalty. Appeals or disagreements about the rules should be taken up with the Dwarves! Team.

The punishments for these rules will be a warning, followed by a temporary ban and then a permanent ban. However, the Dwarves! Team reserves the right to skip any of these punishments if they feel that it is necessary.

Server Rules on Discord

Be Civil

Try to be polite and well-mannered to both players and the Dwarves! Team in the Dwarves! Discord Server.

Restricted Topics

No discussion of politics or arguments about religion are allowed in public channels.

No Graphic Material

We will not allow detailed descriptions of torture, sexual content or similar material in the Dwarves! Discord Server. This applies not only to text, but to images, videos and every other type of media.

Client-Side Mods

Player-side mods that give an advantage, like X-ray Packs are not allowed. If you are not sure, ask a member of the Dwarves! team.

Server Rules In-Game

Be Civil

Try to be polite and well-mannered to both players and the Dwarves! Team in-game. If your character is a foul-mouthed brute, make sure it doesn't extend out-of-character as well.

No Graphic Material

We will not allow detailed descriptions of torture, sexual content or otherwise in-game. This applies to images, videos and every other type of media as well.

No Metagaming

Your character will not know things you do and, similarly, will not be able to do everything. This includes establishing your character, prior to joining the map, as having experiences, abilities or belongings that you do not mechanically start with. Powerful or very high-standing relations, martial experience, crafting abilities or other such things are not generally allowed without prior agreement from the Dwarves Team! If you wish to expand your character in this way, please discuss it with the Team! first. Set limits for yourself and try and keep IC and OOC discussion, dialogue and talks, separate.

Character Deaths

You are allowed two deaths as a character. The first will yield short-term injuries, the second must be dealt in a sensible manner and yield long term injuries. The third death will be the final one and you must create a new character. If you die due to lag or software issues and this can be proved, the death may be overruled.

Don't make it a carbon-copy, or a thinly veiled continuation of a past character that has died.

You may retire your character and start a new one, but you will lose all of that previous characters skills and belongings. The character will be treated as returning to their hometown, or whatever in-character reason you give. You may only retire 1 character per map and you may return as your retired character after 60 real-life days have passed.

Character Restrictions

Your character must be of full maturity, no exceptions.

Characters with mental disorders and syndromes are not allowed, unless discussed and agreed first with a member of the Dwarves! Team. This includes schizophrenia, any form of madness and similar afflictions.

Stealing

Stealing is allowed, but there are multiple sub-rules that must be followed. Under any circumstances, including stealing from abandoned buildings or deceased characters, a sign must be left at the location of the theft, hinting to the culprit. These can be hairs of a particular colour, or tell-tales signs of your profession or hobbies. False clues may also be allowed, if you have sufficient in-character reasoning behind them.

You may steal up to 4 items every real-life day. Any more than this is seen as excessive and may result in a punishment. If you wish to protect your items properly, please build some form of redstone lock. With redstone locks, signs hinting to the culprit must be left for any attempts to open them, actually breaking the lock, or if a redstone torch is used.

Griefing

Do not break blocks of another players builds unless you have specific permission from a member of the Dwarves! Team. Usually, this will be due to the build not being in-line with the limitations of the game, or an abandoned build. Small-scale (1-3 blocks) of low-quality materials (wood, stone, clay, etc) will be allowed for appropriate in-character reasons.

You will be allowed to destroy items owned by another character, but only 1 every real-life day. Any more than this, without express permission from the member of the Dwarves! Team will be seen as infringement of this rule.

This rule also applies to placing blocks and includes torches, redstone, plants and anything else a player can place. As with stealing, a sign must be placed showing the actions done and a hint as to the culprits identity. If you wish to change the terrain or landscape in a large or dramatic way, please consult a member of the Dwarves Team! first. You must have in-character reasoning for doing so.

Building Restrictions

No mob-grinders, floating builds, fully-automated farms or powergaming/metagaming builds. This includes mass-farming of animals and anti-AFK measures.

Traps

Traps and defences may be built for a number of in-character reasons, but must meet the following criteria to be allowed: Each trap must have a clear warning sign, or a verbal warning. No insta-kill traps are allowed. The trap must be visible. Any redstone mechanisms must be in a suitable built chamber. The entrance or exit of the trap must not be impeded - if a Dwarf wishes to escape, they must be able to. Potion dispensers are not allowed. Suitable materials must be used - iron blocks when utilising lava, for example. Any collateral damage caused by the trap must be agreed with by a member of the Dwarves! Team.

Pets

You may keep a mob as a pet if you wish, but it will still behave and be treated as a hostile mob. If they are despawned, you may ask for it back. If they are killed, you must treat it as an in-character issue. You are not allowed to tame any wolves.

PVP Rules

The following rules are still in a state of flux. Any PvP that occurs will be held to these rules, with any changes that need to be made being done so after the ruling.

Whilst PvP is a common occurrence within some roleplaying servers, in Dwarves! it is a rare sight.

As character deaths have the potential to be permanent, the need to adopt fair and equal rules for PvP is necessary. Without strict guidelines, many encounters, attacks and deaths get muddled in the wording and a truly fair outcome is needed. In an effort to make PvP fairer across the board, weapons will only do roughly 20% of their listed damage to a player.

In these rules, the following terms will be used;

'Attacker' - The person instigating the attack.

'Victim' - The person receiving the attack.

'Beating' - A non-lethal outcome of a mechanical death.

'Strike death' - A death as normally treated on the server, depending on what 'strike' the attacker or victim is on.

Combat RP

The term 'Combat RP' will refer to any fight that is done via emotes, not mechanically. Combat RP to a strike death will not be allowed, as it is too broad to codify. If players wish to undertake Combat RP in terms of wrestling, sparring or other non-lethal forms of combat they may do so, but it shall be up to the participating parties to organise the event.

Types of PvP

There are two types of PvP encounters; Sudden and Planned. Any accidental attacks, such as friendly-fire, will count as Sudden encounters.

Sudden Encounters

A 'Sudden' attack would be one that occurs spontaneously, usually in response to some kind of action that has just been performed.

A verbal warning must be given by the attacker. This warning must be coherent and reasonable. Impossible requests, or telling the character they will be attacked for absolutely anything, will not be allowed. A verbal warning must also be recognised, in some way, by the victim. This too, must be done verbally. A warning can be acknowledged peacefully, or aggressively, by the victim.These warnings and acknowledgements must be clear in their intent.

Once a warning is given by the attacker, they should be ready to react to either a peaceful or aggressive acknowledgement. If these warnings and acknowledgements are vague or non-existent, then the combat situation may be voided.

If a peaceful acknowledgement is given, but combat ensues regardless, the attack lethality will be a beating. If an aggressive acknowledgement is given and combat ensues, the attack lethality will be a strike death. If the victim runs away, instead of a proper acknowledgement, the attack lethality will be a strike death. If the victim logs out, without a proper acknowledgement, it automatically counts as a strike death against them.

If the victim has to log out at that moment, they must IC or OOC let the other player know when they can return. If both parties are still present, the encounter will resume as normal. If it is some time in the future, both parties automatically agree to a Planned encounter to a strike death, at a time and place of their choosing.

If the victim or attacker throws down their weapon in the middle of a battle, or appears unarmed, that is their signal to attempt to stop the battle. The other party may completely ignore this, so it is wise to judge this correctly. If combat resumes, another warning must be given and acknowledged as per the previous rules.

If there is any vagueness during a Sudden attack, an IS will make the final call as to a beating or a strike death.

Planned Encounters

A 'Planned' encounter would be an attack that occurs at a future time or date. A Planned attack must be announced to an Idea-Smith, or an Order-Smith, via Discord, and it must include the lethality of an attack and the character's IC reasoning.

The IS or OS will determine whether this reasoning is mentally sound, or makes sense for the character, within reason. The IS or OS will have the power to void this attack altogether, or lessen the lethality. Once the attacker has been told of this, they can either opt to go ahead with the attack or call the attack off. This must be stated to the IS or the OS in question. The planned victim will then be warned, OOC. A 24-hour grace period will then begin, wherein any PvP between the two parties will be limited to beatings only.

Two scenarios now arise; whether the victim is willing to fight or is not willing.

If they are willing, it is advised they co-ordinate OOC to hold a duel. The duel may be overseen by an IS or OS, but preferably sorted out by third party players with the rules in mind. Warnings may not be given, but some action or emote that signals the willingness of each party to fight is advised to be taken (jumping into an arena for example).

If the victim is not willing to fight, they must decide whether to attempt to seek refuge elsewhere, attempt peaceful negotiations, or mobilise allies in order to retaliate. If a retaliation does occur, the lethality level stated in the attack will be upheld to all parties that are then involved as per the rules on third parties.

Third Parties

Some PvP encounters will be purely limited to two participants; the attacker and the victim. However, in many cases, other characters will either be involved either due to alliances or friendships with other characters, or merely just wanting to join in the fight.

Any other participants in PvP encounter will automatically be held to the same lethality as per the previous rules, depending on whether it is a Sudden or Planned encounter.

In the case of Sudden encounters, all characters involved in the interaction must clearly state their intention to fight before combat begins. If they do not, then their attacks or deaths will be limited to beatings. All other Sudden encounter rules apply.

In the case of Planned encounters, all involved characters must be at the designated area for a duel before combat begins. Characters may not join mid-combat and, if this does happen, their attacks and deaths are limited to beatings.

Any sort of damage, effect or mechanic on a victim will be counted as an attack. This includes arrows, poison, knockback, lava, water, traps and other such things.

If a third party wishes to end their involvement in combat, they may throw their weapon down or appear unarmed. This may be ignored by the other parties involved, so again must be judged carefully.

Other Rules

Blocks or building will not be allowed during combat. This includes any walls or fortifications to stop an attack, or lava or water block placements in the middle of combat.

Example

Sudden Encounter

Flokk Drebbin has taken his friend, Blot Homen, to see where he is keeping his friendly pet spider. Blot does not like spiders at all and, when Flokk's pet comes to give him a hug, Blot draws his sword. Flokk issues a warning; "Blot, if you hurt my spider, you shall feel my axe!".

Blot, in his panic, stabs and kills the spider. Flokk waits for Blot to make his next move.

Blot can run away and try to make it back to the Outpost in time, where the no-PvP zone will be enforced. In-character, this could be due to the presence of the Molir.

Blot could try to issue a peaceful acknowledgement; "I'm sorry Flokk! I had no choice!". However, he doesn't think that Flokk can be calmed down.

Blot instead, draws his sword and states his acknowledgement; "Very well friend, my life or yours!".

The two now engage in martial combat in the wilderness. Flokk overcomes Blot and strikes him down.

This is Blot's 'third' death, or 'third strike'. He will not survive after this.

Blot is allowed a final, short session of being able to talk to others on his deathbed, this will allow him to quickly wrap up any loose roleplaying ends, or stories, that he may have.

Blot passes into the afterlife and Flokk loses a great friend.