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Author Topic: Reminder - Background rules and cheesing  (Read 3959 times)

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Reminder - Background rules and cheesing
« on: September 22, 2019, 09:29:24 AM »
Greetings,

Over the last few months we've noticed an increase in the number of characters whose backgrounds are unsuitable for a level two character. These backgrounds generally fall into two categories: epic, where the background seems to present a character who would logically be of significantly higher level than the level (two) at which your character enters the world, and cheesy, which presents your character as having possessed attributes, abilities, talents, or skills which are not mechanically represented on their character sheet or able to be acquired by a character of level two. Remember that, by rule, your character's background must not exceed the levels of power or ability that would be reasonable for a second-level character of their race or subrace, nor should they be represented as having significantly more privilege, accomplishments, connections, or potential. Furthermore, remember that when your character enters the world they must be at the beginning of their adventuring career: whatever deeds, ranks, feats, or possessions they might earn in that career, they must do so here on this server after their creation.

Here is a non-comprehensive list of backgrounds that would be considered illegal under our rules:

- Character has lost powers, abilities, levels, or skills prior to entering the Mists;
- Character has acquired special characteristics (blessings, curses, experimental changes, mutations, bodily modifications) not represented mechanically by their racial or class characteristics;
- Character is a member of a powerful organization with exclusive membership, such as the Fraternity of Shadows or the Illuminati;
- Character is above basic rank in a non-exclusive organization, such as being a knight paladin instead of a squire, a mercenary captain instead of a soldier;
- Character is a child (under 18 years or the racial equivalent)

Our philosophy is that while the backstory should serve as a foundation for future roleplay, a character's reputation and powers should be the result of play on the server, not off-screen. If you have doubts about a specific background, please do not hesitate to contact a DM for clarification.

Please note that the Community Council may not rule a background legitimate or illegitimate, nor can any staff team grant exceptions by application.

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Section 3: Character Story

- The mists of Ravenloft can reach into any world. You may choose any established D&D® origin for your player, including the Forgotten Realms®, Greyhawk®, Eberron®, and Dragonlance® campaign settings to name a few. Be true to their original setting in terms of names, appearance, and religious beliefs (i.e. domains and practices matching their god). You may also choose to make a character native to Ravenloft. Search our "About the World" section for information that a native character might have. And finally, you may also have your character origin from any other worlds (even those you make up yourself) provided that they make sense and do not break immersion by having exceptional features that differ from what the official settings contain (e.g. no characters from Cloud Cuckoo land.)

- No "children" characters please.

- When designing your character and his/her story, do not make him/her have any powers or strengths that your actual character will not have at the point he/she is created. Don't design your character's story to give him/her natural superiority to other players' characters. Let IC stay true to what actually is IC.

- If you want to play a native character, please research your character's homeland in our "About the World" section, or the appropriate Ravenloft books, if they are available to you.

- If you're making a native character, please use an appropriate name from your character's homeland in the "About the World" section. A character native to Tepest, for example, is not going to have a Japanese-sounding name.

- Characters may come from the Gothic Earth setting presented in the Ravenloft spin-off Masque of the Red Death, with one stipulation: they cannot come from Masque's "present day" of the 1890s, but instead must come from the Gothic Earth's past. The latest period in Gothic Earth's history that a PC may come from is AD 1650.