PLAYERS' RULES

Welcome to Dominions of Darkness™

Roleplaying in DOD has been made a great deal easier with the Dominions of Darkness HUD. The HUD allows Players to do a great many things in-game without the need to ask for Admin assistance, such as character creation, keeping track of earned Experience Points, purchasing/using skills & abilities, as well as doing all the tedious Buff calculations automatically for combat and using skills/abilities/special abilities.

The HUD also allows Players to Roleplay in any official Dominions of Darkness Sim and earn XP for legitimate roleplay. While at launch the City of Miami is the first city for Roleplay, other cities around the world will become available to Dominions of Darkness players. These new cities will be officially announced in Second Life and on this website when they open. New playable city sims will have their official pages here on the DOD Cities Tab.

The Purpose of DOD:
To have fun! To imagine! To create epic stories, characters and online friendships! To lose ourselves in another world by inhabiting the characters and avatars we have developed as our alter egos. To build a community that dares to have a sharp edge in the roleplay with people who crave a world where the bubble wrap has been removed and in-character actions have in-character rewards -- and consequences.

DOD Charter
The Administrators of Dominions of Darkness promise to create and administer a sim for the enjoyment of interactive roleplay. We strive to be fair, impartial, and expedient in our judicial decisions. We promise to base our rulings on the following guidelines listed below. These rules may be amended and added to as DOD grows and new rules are required. When these rules change, a formal notice will be sent via the Dominions of Darkness Group in Second Life. Ignorance of these rules is not a defense. All residents and visitors are asked to read the Charter and be familiar with its contents.

World of Darkness Books
Dominions of Darkness is a home-brewed system based on the W20 World of Darkness books: Vampire: The Masquerade 20th Anniversary Edition; and Werewolf the Apocalypse. All other World of Darkness books are used as resources to round out the Universe. It should be noted that these systems were developed by White Wolf to be played independent of each other. Because of this, in addition to shifting from table-top and dice to Second Life and a custom HUD, the game play has required compromise and balancing to ensure no race is more overpowered than another (with the exception of Human weakness, of course). Any rules or information found in the books that is in opposition here, is overruled by what is found on the Dominions of Darkness website.

Asking for Real Life Information is Strictly Off Limits.
Dominions of Darkness Owners, Admins, Moderators and Storytellers will NEVER ask you to divulge Real Life information, such as your name, where you live, marital status, your phone number or email address, or any other information regarding your life outside of Second Life or your Dominions of Darkness character. While age validation may be necessary to ensure you are 18 years or older, that is the extent of what we will ever ask of you.

While Admins may ask questions about a Player's Character and roleplay, Real Life information will never be needed for any situation, disagreement or to settle a dispute. We will never ask for credit card information or anything of that nature as well. If someone insists that you provide real life information to them, refuse to do so and immediately report the incident to the DOD Sim Owner. 

RULES OF ROLEPLAY AND PLAYER INTERACTION
Earning Experience Points

Roleplayers advance in level by earning Experience Points for valid roleplay within the DOD sims. Roleplay must be captured and copied into notecards that are then inserted into the Weekly RP Report Form. Experience points are calculated every Monday on a weekly basis and added to your HUD by end of day Friday (EST).  This is how it works:

1. Roleplay Monday-Sunday
2. Capture your Roleplay in a single Notecard, naming it with your character name and the date
   (To make this easier, here is a great RP Log Cleaner that will do all the hard work. CLICK HERE.)
3. Number each RP session and jot down a quick one-sentence synopsis in a Note Card, dating the entry with the day and time it occurred
4. Attach the corresponding Roleplay Notecard containing the actual Roleplay Chat next to your one-line synopsis.
5. Drop your notecard in the RP Mailbox, located on the Welcome Platform of any Dominions of Darkness Sim
6. Experience Points will be awarded on or before the following Wednesday and are available for use as soon as they appear in your Dominions of Darkness HUD

Ideally, only submit one notecard per week, outlining all your roleplay you wish to gain experience for. Just jot down a synopsis of your roleplay (a sentence or two) and the length of time you were roleplaying. This is on the honor system, though periodically members will have their attached notecards monitored and the time stamps matched with those on the Dominions of Darkness Server.

What is Valid Roleplay?
Valid Roleplay is any roleplay that takes place between two or more people within the City of Miami Sim or other Dominions of Darkness cities. The only exception to this is if you have been given a solo task to complete, in which case you need to submit your notecard in the RP box on the Welcome platform. Based on how you completed your task, XP will be awarded.

Valid roleplay may take place in any of the residences or skyboxes on an official DOD Sim. It may also take place during special events held on the sims. Your roleplay is strictly up to you and those you roleplay with.

What is NOT Valid Roleplay?
Roleplay that IS NOT valid and not eligible for XP points is any rp that takes place “outside” of the official Dominions of Darkness Cities. Such as in a Linden Home, in Discord, over the phone in Real Life, etc. It is recommended that you use an RP Cleaner to record you RP, then submit it in the Weekly RP Submission Form to be credited with XP points.

The Dominions of Darkness Proprietary HUD
The DOD HUD was designed and developed specifically for use in the Dominions of Darkness cities, and puts a great deal more control into the hands of the Players with little need to no need for Admin approvals. It contains an interactive Character Sheet that automatically calculates your Modifiers and automatically places those modifiers into whichever Actions you are taking during Roleplay. No more manually adding up your mods, or wondering if your opponents are illegally padding their own mods. This is all done for you, allowing you to focus on the Roleplay and not the mechanics. 

For complete information on the Dominions of Darkness HUD and how it works, CLICK HERE.

Using Earned XP to Purchase Skills & Powerup Your Character
Once you have earned enough experience points, you may use them to increase the power of your current skill sets, or to purchase new ones if applicable. Your HUD will tell you how many experience points you have currently earned. You will also be able to make your XP purchases using the HUD. See the website for XP requirements for purchasing specific skills and skill points.

Character Types in Dominions of Darkness

1. Currently, Players may choose to roleplay a Vampire, Garou (Werewolf), Apex Kinfolk, Hunter,  Human, Gifted Human, or Ghoul.  
   
   
2. Each Player may have and play a total of up to five different character types.  
   
   
3. Each Character must be generated and registered on its own Dominions of Darkness HUD. HUDs are linked to a single playable Character. To roleplay and earn XP for a different Character, the Player must attach that Character's HUD and replace it with the previous Character's DOD HUD.
   
   
4. You may only register and play one of each character type. Meaning you cannot play two Vampires, Garou, Hunters, etc. Just one character type per player. However you may deactivate a character, use your earned XP and create another character on a single HUD. (See CHANGING CHARACTERS below.)
   
   
5. Only one of your characters may be played at any given time, aka no rping with yourself or having both of your characters in the same scene. This is on the honor system as some troublemakers like to have many alts for the purpose of causing problems and starting drama. Eventually, this is always discovered. Especially with the new Dominions of Darkness system. To avoid being banned from Dominions of Darkness, the best policy is to just adhere to the rules and enjoy the roleplay.

NOTE: It is important to mention here that Players (that would be the Human Being reading this right now) do not earn Experience Points. A Player's "Characters" earn the Experience Points. Experience Points earned by one Character cannot be transferred over to a Player's other Characters. So while fun to play different characters, it should be noted that this will limit your level progression.

WYSIWYG! Yeah Baby!

What You See Is What You Get! Players must craft and dress their Avatars exactly as they want that Character to be seen by others in roleplay. Easy enough.

For example, if you walk down the street as a Dire Wolf,  have a bushy tail sticking out of your trousers, or any other supernatural features, that is exactly what everyone in the scene will be expected to react to. There is no telling everyone else,  "Well this is how I look in the Spirit World but you can't see my pink sequined wings and glowing three-foot-neon red phallus."

Asking other players to ignore visually disruptive clothing, body parts or anything else along those lines is inconsiderate and a hallmark of poor roleplay skills. 'Nuff said.

Character Generation & Actively Playing More Than One Character

1. All Players receive one character and one Dominions of Darkness HUD to begin roleplay. It is completely free and does not cost the Player any money to roleplay that Character in any Dominions of Darkness City-Sim.
   
   A Player can either request to import an existing character from another WOD Sim in SL (See FAQs), or generate a new character from the Dominions of Darkness HUD. A FREE Dominions of Darkness HUD may be obtained by visiting the City of Miami Welcome Center. Only one "free" HUD is allowed per Avatar/SL Account.
   
   
2. DOD HUDs are associated with just one (1) playable character. Putting on a specific character's DOD Hud will activate that Character's character sheet and will earn XP for that Character via roleplay. When you put on the HUD, you are putting on that "Character." This is part of the server's automation process. It cannot recognize earned XP for more than one character using a HUD. (If you want to delete a current character from a HUD and use any earned XP to build a different Character, please contact the Admins.)
   
   
3. To Play more than one Character, a Player must obtain a new DOD HUD. These are available for sale on any City Sim's Landing Platform.
   
   
4. Character Types: Players may play additional Characters but they must be of different class types. For example, if you are playing a Vampire, you may not play a second Vampire. However, you may play a Garou, Human/Gifted Human/Ghoul, Hunter, or Apex Kinfolk. Players cannot play two Vampires, two Garou, Two Humans, etc.

Changing Characters

When you "wear" a Dominions of Darkness Player's HUD, you are putting that particular character (and all their stats) onto your Avatar. Players are expected to have multiple HUDS if they wish to play multiple different Characters.

If you find that you do not enjoy playing one of your Characters and wish to play a different one, contact a DOD Admin by sending an email via this website, (or an IM in Second Life), to have your current Experience Points returned and your HUD wiped of your current character.

NOTE: This is an irreversible action and you are only allowed to do this once. 

After an Admin has returned your current XP to the Character Sheet within your HUD, you may then build a new character on your HUD's Character Sheet. This would be the recommended method if you wish to play a different type of character within the same class. For example, you wish to switch from a Brujah Vampire to a Ravnos Vampire.

However, this manual switching of Characters within a HUD can only be done once per Second Life Account. If later you wish to try another type of character, you will need to purchase a second HUD.

This is especially true if you are going from one character class to a completely different one. For example, switching from a Brujah Vampire to a Shadow Lord Garou. This way you can always go back to playing the first character.

WARNING!!! 
Please be aware that this option is not reversable. Your previous character will be completely wiped from the server and replaced with your new character.

ROLEPLAYING RULES AND PROTOCOL

Roleplaying As Part of a Community & Having Fun:

Players in roleplay are responsible for following through with the roleplay they have agreed to participate in. “Poofing/Crashing” or leaving roleplay without warning to avoid an undesirable result of your roleplay is a suspendable offense. Though crashes do happen, if they seem to frequently happen to you during roleplay where you miraculously saved yourself from in-character consequences, then the Admins will evaluate the situation.

Suspensions may be used for habitual poofing or repeatable use of “needing to log off” during fights or scenes that have put your Character at a disadvantage. Part of the excitement of roleplay is the knowledge that you are not always in control and things will not always go your way. Experienced Roleplayers know this and look at these situations as gifts of opportunity.

Players always have the option to FTB (fade to black) during scenes they do not wish to actively participate in. We realize that some roleplay situations may be triggering for some people. However, they must acknowledge that the roleplay happened. 

If your character is tortured, raped, or subjected to some other roleplay you do not wish to submit to from a Player's standpoint, then the Administration supports you in not being forced to roleplay the scene. However, you MUST acknowledge the scene happened to your Character. The other Roleplayers may continue the scene and are obligated to offer you the notecard of what transpired.

No Metagaming or God-modding
Warnings will be issued. Continued warnings may earn sim suspensions. To report these offenses, copy/paste the chat into a notecard and send it to the SIM Administrator. If it is determined that a violation of this rule has taken place, the SIM Admin will address the offense. Administrator’s decisions are final. 

1. Definition of Metagaming
   Using information or knowledge in Roleplay that your Character could not possibly know. You as a Player may know it, but your Character would not and you must roleplay that lack of knowledge. 
   • For Example: The Player, through reading the White Wolf Wiki site, knows that Setites have a weakness to bright lights. The Player uses this information to roleplay his Human Character fending off a Setite attack by shining a bright flood light on them. This would be cheating if the Human had no way of coming across this very specific advantage during the course of previous legitimate roleplay.
     
     Metagaming Via Profile Reading: Player A is a Hunter. He pops open Player B's SL Profile and sees she is a Toreador Vampire, checking out her SL Groups and reading any other information that would tell them Out of Character (OOC) information. While Profile Reading is perfectly fine, using any of that information in roleplay is strictly forbidden.
     
     If Player A, a Hunter walks up to Player B, a Vampire, then accuses them of being a Vampire and begins attacking them, this is a perfect example of Metagaming. Players need to make a conscious effort NOT to use information they personally know and transferring that information to their Characters.
     
     
2. Definition of God-modding
   This happens when Player A roleplays (via emotes or dialogue) how Player B reacts to Player A's actions, essentially playing Player B's character for them. 
   1. For Example: Player A makes a successful roll and punches Player B in the mouth. Player A emotes the attack adding in that "Player A is thrown to the ground, blood pouring from their mouth, then looks up at Player A with a stunned, frightened expression."
      
      This is not roleplaying. Player A does NOT get to decide how Player B reacts. He only gets to decide how HE/SHE/THEY acts or reacts.

No OOC Harassment, Threats or Bullying (AKA – Keep the Drama in RP Where It Belongs.)

Just because communication takes place behind a keyboard does not absolve you of being responsible for what you say and do while in a Dominions of Darkness Sim. Bullying and harassment will NOT be tolerated. No warnings will be issued. Those who are found guilty of breaking this rule will receive a sim suspension on the first offense. A second offense can earn the offender a full sim ban.

Our SIM residents and Roleplayers have a right to enjoy the sims and all they have to offer without griefers. If you enjoy inciting OOC trouble in IMs just to light a fuse and watch it blow, expect to be sitting on the next keg. Administrators have no tolerance for this kind of behavior and their decisions are final.

Everyone is expected to be respectful of other players, even if we do not agree with their points of view. If you find someone particularly offensive, you have a Block Button. Use it. Stay out of other people’s IMs and don’t escalate issues by exchanging barbs in IMs. 

If you have a complaint, bring it to the Sim Administrators. Verbal assaults, threats, insults, blackmail, or overt coercion “that happen on any DOD Sim” will be dealt with by the Sim administrators. Anything that happens outside of DOD or in Real Life is out of our jurisdiction.

Reporting Complaints

Please Notecard your complaint and send it to the Sim administrators. Explain the offense. Provide solid proof of your claim. Remove the emotions involved and stick strictly and only to the facts. The Admins take this very seriously and will investigate your complaint. Admin’s decisions are final.

Reports will not be reviewed without providing documented proof. While your personal testimony does bear weight in your claim, Hearsay of others is not proof. Any witnesses to the offense may help support your claim by submitting their own complaint or adding to yours.

Teaming up against other members to cause problems or bear false witness to have them banned is also considered Harassment. Those who fail to provide solid proof of any wrong doing yet continue to make claims can be accused of bullying and are subjected to Sim bans.

Sim Bans and Suspensions

Sim Bans and Suspensions are used in response to the severe breaking of Dominions of Darkness rules, as described on these pages. However, they generally only apply to the City Sim in which the offense took place. Any Sim admin may decide to use a temporary suspension or ban for any member who has been proven to have broken the rules. This is always the prerogative of a City Sim Owner.

For Example, Character A has been found guilty of "poofing" or having to "log off" three or more times during roleplay where his character was in danger to avoid the consequences. The Admin/City Sim Owner of Chicago, where the offenses took place, has decided to ban him for one week in response this.

Character A may not roleplay in Chicago for one week. However, he is still allowed to roleplay in Miami where he has not been found guilty of any offenses.

NOTE: While City Sim Owners are the direct authority of their own cities, serious offenses can be brought to the Council of City Sim Owners. If the vote is unanimous, an offending Player may be subjected to a world-wide ban and permanently removed from the DOD game. Anyone accused of serious offenses are allowed to make a statement to the Council at this time in their own defense.

In Character Roleplay Questions, Issues, Moderation

If there are questions regarding rules in roleplay, seek a sim Moderator or Admin. Storytellers are the Moderators of their stories. What they say goes to the extent of the story being roleplayed, unless it breaks any of the rules outlined in this document. Storytellers are accountable for accurate knowledge of races/skills/powers/modifier rolls. Though Players are also responsible for knowing their own Character's abilities and skills, and are expected to advise Storytellers. It is not reasonable for Storytellers to know all the intimate details of your Character's specific powers.

If a scene is not being run by a Storyteller, then questions, issues or concerns must be addressed by an official Moderator or the Sim Admins. A Storyteller may or may not be a roleplay Moderator. If the Storyteller is not also a Moderator, do not ask them to mod your impromptu scene. That is not their responsibility. Leave them to do what they do best, create fascinating, engaging and epic roleplay stories.

Discord and other Chat Groups

RP that takes place in Discord WILL NOT be rewarded with experience points and the story will not have happened in Dominions of Darkness. Any conflicts that happen there WILL NOT be recognized or addressed by the sim Administrators. If it doesn’t happen in a Second Life Dominions of Darkness Sim, it’s not within our jurisdiction.

Dominions of Darkness Players Groups
Any Second Life Groups created specifically for a specific Dominions of Darkness City must be created by that Sim's Admin/Owner. The Admin/Owner will give group Admin rights to the group's leader. This includes groups such as Miami Toreador Group, Miami Garou Group, Miami Hunters Group, etc. 

This does not include your own personal family groups or any sub groups you create. For example, Friends of Bob, Longshadow's Garou Pack, etc.

Being AFK in Roleplay Zones

It is assumed that if you are in a Roleplay Area, you are at your keyboard and ready to roleplay. Please limit setting yourself AFK (Away From Keyboard) while in roleplay areas. If currently in Roleplay, please notify affected parties via IM, NOT in local chat.

If you are going to be AFK longer than 10 minutes, remove your avatar from the roleplay area. For example, it is fine to go AFK in your own rental home, or any personal space within a city, such as a hotel room or space above your office or store. The City's Welcome Center is also a great place to be AFK.

IF you have parked your avatar in a roleplay area and choose to go AFK, be prepared for others to engage you in roleplay and react to your ignoring them. Consider this adequate warning.

Appropriate Use of Thought Emotes

Thought emotes are both Emotional Communication as well as general Non Verbal Communication and should be used sparingly. Appropriate thought emotes help bring a scene to life when they describe what others can see, hear, smell, taste, feel. The smell of your perfume or cooking food, the way a woman's dress flows about her thighs like liquid silk, the taste of her lip gloss as it mingles with the sweetness of her kiss, the smooth feel of sand between your toes, etc. In short, all the non-verbal communication that surrounds us. They CAN be reacted to if the other Player Characters wish to do so.

All thought emotes will be considered as In Character non-verbal communication. If you don't want others in a scene to know what you are thinking, don't emote it because this is your way of physically expressing how you feel. These will manifest in the ways described above, or in the roleplay as your body language, a telling smile, a reflexive furrowing of one's brow, general facial expressions, reading your mood in your eyes, the disturbing lack of eye contact or as a penetrating direct eye contact.

Though the other player characters may not know the specifics of your thoughts unless they are psychic, they may choose to react or ignore your non verbal body language. Those with special character abilities, such as Auspex, will be given sufficient provocation by a thought emote to use their character's talents to read more into such thoughts or emotions.

Avoid Negative Thought Emotes

Negative thought emotes are In-Character emotes where others in a scene are subjected to your opinions and insults, but because they are thoughts, the offender "assumes" their targets are unable to respond to them. 

This is not just poor roleplaying skills, it is passive-aggressive behavior (aka Venting Your Spleen) and depending on the extent of the hostility, will be addressed with the individuals responsible for using excessive use of negative though emotes in their roleplay.

Obviously, the Player has some very strong emotions if they feel so compelled to break decorum and put them into a thought emote. When this happens in roleplay, you have failed to keep those emotions and thoughts from physically manifesting. Though some level of thought emote is acceptable to build a more vibrant visual picture, negative thought emotes are not a safe zone for passive-aggressive behavior. In Miami, they can be reacted to.

For Example:
EvilMal Resident: Bobby Sue reached out and shook Billy Bob’s extended hand in greeting. She had met this retard before, but apparently he had a selective memory and limited intelligence in recalling that day. She smiled warmly at him, but in reality she considered him nothing more than a pig fucking son of a syphilitic goat. Though her crystal blue eyes sparkled in the neon lights of the club, all she really wanted was for him to die a long painful death. She secretly cursed him and prayed that his tiny little cock and undescended testicles would turn black and break off in the ass of whatever sibling he was fucking.”

BossHogg Resident: Billy Bob shakes Bobby Sue's hand, her grip seemingly stronger, more aggressive than he was expecting. Her smile was not reflected in the cold crystal blue eyes as they met his and he had a very strong sense that her attempt at a warm greeting was hiding something rather malevolent and hostile toward him. She had not spoken during the handshake, which he felt was unusual. The venom in her eyes was unmistakable. "You got a problem with me?" he asked her. "I don't remember ever meeting you before. Maybe you've mistaken me for someone else," he added, his grip on her hand now intensifying in strength to accentuate his words.

(Billy Bob could also ignore the thought emote and respond genuinely, though emoting that he had a strong intuitive reaction to this person and for some reason had a reflexive dislike of Bobby Sue. It's your character, the choice is yours. Again, information that anyone in the scene would easily be able to read as to Billy Bob's emotional state.)

In Dominions of Darkness, thought emotes of this kind are strongly discouraged. It is a sign of inexperienced Roleplayers and coaching will be provided when it is reported. But if it does happen, take it as an opportunity to elevate your roleplay to the next level and provide your In Character reaction.

The only legitimate time this activity would be considered acceptable is if your character is psychic with the ability to read the thoughts of others, or project your thoughts into the minds of others. (Or is under a curse that transmits all your internal thoughts to everyone in the vicinity.) In that case, ask the person you are reading (if you have successfully made your roll) to emote their thoughts in Local Chat, or in your IM if there are others around. If that thought is offensive, derogatory, hurtful, rude, threatening, or otherwise distasteful then suck it up buttercup. Stop reading the thoughts of others if you don’t really want to know what they’re thinking.

In Character (IC) vs. Out of Character (OOC)

Experienced Roleplayers usually have a very good grasp on what this is, but it does bear mentioning and explaining here in the rules as a base of expectations for keeping the peace. As well as to facilitate the roleplay and keep OOC from contaminating the In-Character roleplay, and vice versa.

• OOC = Bob123 Resident (Who You Are in SL / Your Account Name)
• IC = Conan the Librarian (The DOD Character Being Played/Acted by Bob123 Resident)

For Example: Bob123 Resident plays the DOD character he created called Conan the Librarian, a Garou Glass Walker. When in Roleplay, the character of Conan is the one who is speaking and acting in response to other Player Characters in a scene.

The person behind the keyboard is Bob123 Resident, who is the Actor behind Conan on the screen, making Conan behave and speak how Bob123 feels the proper responses are based on Conan's history and past roleplay experiences with the group, or the backstory Bob123 wrote for him upon creation. Conan's dialogue, emotes and actions are "Always In Character" and must be reacted to ONLY In Character by other Player Characters.

THE EXCEPTION TO THIS IS:

• If Conan is behaving against the World of Darkness Universe/Dominions of Darkness rules, such as flying around on a Harrry Potter broomstick, shifting into a purple unicorn, or crapping a rainbow of Skittles into a bucket...just to name a few. If these rules are being broken, then the roleplay is invalidated, meaning it never took place In Character and Bob123 Resident has some OOC explaining to do for breaking character.
  
  
• Everything and anything that Bob123 says is OOC communication. Meaning, anything said in brackets or parentheses ( ) in local chat, in an IM, in voice/phone, or in any Group Chat is out of character.
  
  Only RP Characters may speak and interact with other RP Characters, like Conan. Only SL Members may speak with other SL Members, such as Bob123 having a conversation with JaneABC. Not Bob123 having a conversation with Marvela the Rapha, or Jeff the Vampire.
  
  Bob123 is not Conan, in the direct sense that if Conan is offensive in any way, it is NOT appropriate to take an In Character roleplay to an OOC revenge or complaint against Bob, or inflict any punitive measures on the Person/Player Behind the Keyboard. This is called OOC Drama, and will not be tolerated. Depending on the inappropriate responses generated by OOC Drama, it may also be considered bullying or harassment of another Member. For Example:
  • Jane123 Resident to an Admin: "But Conan the Librarian not only refused to let me check out the book 'Using Mage Magic to Kill Garou,' he told my Tremere character, Princess Buttercup, that he would very much like to help me go fuck myself, then he slapped me so hard my ancestors are dizzy! Bob123 needs to be banned from the sim for bullying me!"
    
    This is NOT bullying. This is a perfect example of mixing In-Character Roleplay with Out-of-Character reactions. Reacting to Bob123 based on Conan's actions is like kicking James Earl Jones because you hate Darth Vader. Mr. Jones is just the actor, boys and girls. Just like Bob123 is the Actor portraying Conan the Librarian. Also notice the pronoun confusion that Jane123 is having in her statement, referring alternately to her Tremere vampire character, Princess Buttercup, then changing to herself with the use of "me."
    
    And while Bob123 made a conscious decision to have Conan the Librarian act like a total jerk, this is also an invitation to Princess Buttercup to react to his behavior In Roleplay, In Character. Getting offended OOC is just very poor roleplay skills. Here's what could have taken place instead of stopping the roleplay to complain OOCly:
    
    Princess Buttercup: Feels the sting of Conan's hard slap across her face as she screamed out in pain. She looked over to Conan in shock as he offered to help her fuck herself. Quickly she regained her senses, evaluating the situation. She glanced around and noticed they were entirely alone. (Princess Buttercup rolls for a dagger attack to the chest. (Her roll succeeds with a modified 75. Conan defends, rolling a modified 27.)
    
    Princess Buttercup pulls a dagger hidden inside her boot, throws it at him and hits him in the chest.
    
    In-World Consequences to In-World Actions + In-Character Solutions to In-Character Drama = Epic Roleplay

Hostile PVP Roleplay Activity —  Rules of Engagement

In Dominions of Darkness, Players can and may attack other Player Characters. However, there are rules of engagement that must be followed or the RP may be disqualified.

1. There must be a minimum of five lines of roleplay dialogue/action emotes with the Target prior to a Player-Character attacking another player character.
   
   
2. Motivation: Attackers must have an In-Character motivation for attacking/killing another Player Character. This does not include OOC reasons, nor does it include “I’m a serial killer/vigilante, it’s what I do.” In the latter case, knock yourself out attacking/killing all the NPCs you can slaughter. But expect the Hunters and/or Police to come looking for you with their own In-World justification for attacking and/or doing away with you.
   
   
3. Once this criteria has been met, all characters make their initiative roles and the fight begins. The fight ends when one opponent has been rendered unconscious or there is an agreement to cease the fight. Killing in this example is not an option. (See MURDER! – Rules of Engagement, located below.)

DEATH AND MURDER IN DOMINIONS OF DARKNESS
Putting The Danger Back Into Roleplay

In Dominions of Darkness, death can and will occur. 

That’s why we've based our roleplay system on the World of Darkness, not the World of Disney. If you’ve come to explore the darker side of roleplay, you really are in the right place. As satisfying as this concept of murdering another player is, (YES! I can finally inflict ultimate revenge on my enemies!), you may very well be giving someone else a reason for your own gory demise.

Before you get too excited (or panicked), killing other players is NOT the reason for roleplay in Dominions of Darkness Sims and should rarely occur. But In-World consequences for In-World actions do justify it. If you go down this path, be prepared for your own In-World consequences. 

First and foremost, Dominions of Darkness is NOT a vigilante sim. This means that someone cannot simply attack and kill you with no roleplay, no provocation, no In-Character motivation/reason. There are strict rules that must first be followed before murder can take place in roleplay. So if you’re a hot head with rage issues, you're going to need to cool down, follow the PVP killing rules, and make an In-Character plan or end up the target of a blood hunt (or subjected to a Sim ban). 

While death and murder do happen, we still have rules. This however DOES NOT mean that you can’t kill a Player Character or be killed in return. It simply means that the rules of engagement must first be met. So careful who you piss off, or an Assamite may be engaged to finish you off. Again, and we will reiterate this repeatedly so best to learn it now: In-World Consequences for In-World Actions.

NOTE: Attackers must have IN CHARACTER, NOTECARDED SCENES that “significantly” exemplify the justification for killing another Player-Character. It is advised that you contact an Admin to verify your character has sufficient IC reasons to kill another character first before proceeding in your kill. It really vexes us to disqualify Roleplay.

Vampire vs. Vampire Killings
The decorum of Kindred Society demands that it is against Camarilla Law to kill another vampire residing in the city without first approaching the Prince (or current ruling Vampire) and gaining his/her/their permission. 

A vampire killing another vampire without first securing the Prince’s permission may be punished, In-Character, by the Prince. That punishment may warrant declaring the murderer as a criminal and issuing a blood hunt. This ONLY applies to Player-Character Vampires, not NPCs. Blood hunts target the offender and any kindred who comes across you is authorized to kill your Character.

MURDER! – Rules of Engagement

Before a Player Character can be killed, you must first notify the city’s Assamite Guild. Technically you are hunting in their territory. (If there is currently no Assamite Lead, then talk to the Sim Admin or Owner.) 

At that time you may notify the Assamite Guild you wish to kill your personal enemy, or you may contract with the Assamites to do the killing for you. You may not kill someone who is:

• Not your own personal enemy
• Does not meet the qualifications as your enemy
• Is a friend’s or family member’s personal enemy

NOTE: NPCs cannot make hits on Player-Characters. Assamites CANNOT be NPCs. No Assamites currently on the sim = No assassinations. If you have adequate reason for your Character to kill another Player's Character and no Assamites are currently part of the DOD Group, seek out an Admin.

Reasons for Murder - Motivations
Attackers must have an in-character motivation for killing another player character. And this DOES NOT include OOC reasons, nor does it include “I’m a serial killer, it’s what I do.” In the latter case, knock yourself out killing all the NPCs you can slaughter. But expect the Hunters and/or Police to come looking for you with their own In-World justification for doing away with you.

Attackers must have IN CHARACTER, NOTECARDED SCENES that “significantly” exemplifies the justification for killing another character. It is advised that you contact an Admin or the Head of the Assamites to verify your character has sufficient IC reasons to kill another character first before proceeding in your kill. It really vexes us to disqualify RP.

In-Character Justifications for killing another Player Character:

• Loss or Death: Documented roleplay regarding significant loss of your property/reputation, or personal loss incurred during roleplay by the character you want to kill. This includes the killing of your In-Character:
  • Parent
  • Child/Childe 
  • Ghoul 
  • Lover
  • Spouse/Mate
  • Sibling
  • Garou Elder
  • A Garou's Packmate (see information on forming a Pack)
  • Your Primogen
  • Your City's Prince
    
    
• Revenge: Resulting from previous roleplayed consequences, of which you were the primary recipient of the damage that was caused by the person you now wish to kill.
  
  
• Clan Wars: An official clan war must be declared and authorized by the Primogen/Leader of the Clan/Guild/Pack. The Primogen/Leader is responsible for this action and may be held accountable for the actions of those who are under their direction.

NOTE: Please keep in mind that while any of these situations may trigger an In-World killing of another Player-Character, it is always the Player's option not to do so. A Player-Character is never under any obligation to go down this path, even if the roleplay has justified it.

Killing Your Enemy
You've done your due diligence. You have justifiable reasons for targeting another Player's Character for murder, have received the blessings of the Assamite Leader, and are now ready to make your kill. If you are not hiring the Assamites to do the deed and wish to do it yourself, here are your next steps:

• Stalking: Now that you have met all the qualifications for a legitimate In-Character kill, you may begin your hunt. Attackers looking to murder other Player's Character must engage with the target in documented roleplay a minimum of three separate times, on three separate days with a bare minimum of 5 lines of chat per session. Put these encounters into a single notecard as proof you have done your due diligence. What that roleplay entails is entirely up to you. This is called, Stalking your Victim.
  
  You are under no obligation to announce to anyone (other than the Assamites) that you are stalking your prey, learning their habits, identifying their routines, and frequenting their hangouts. The least conspicuous you can make yourself, the better. You want this to be a complete surprise. Unless of course you simply want to terrorize them. Then wear bright colors, perfect your beady-eyed stare, and make sure to wave a lot from across the room.

Murder is Personal! 
This means no gang killings (unless it’s an official clan war), and no getting your friends together to ambush your target, unless you simply want them as an audience. And why not? You’ve been waiting to waste this person for a while. Why not bring a cheering section. This kill is all yours, so do your own dirty work, or take the safe path and hire an Assamite. It’s by far less risky and you can claim no knowledge of the incident, whether it succeeds or not. Your hands are clean.

You must engage a Sim Admin or Moderator to Mod the Murder.
Murdering another character is a BIG deal. Make it a clean kill, and a Mod will ensure that all has been done according to the rules. Not following the rules will lead to your roleplay being invalidated and not being awarded experience points.

Some Sage Advice: Don’t pick a fight you’re not willing to pay the ultimate price for…your own life. That goes for Assamites as well, so know your target. As an Assamite, you are under no obligation to accept a mark if it’s a high-profile person or someone you know is more powerful than you are. To thine own self be true. Assamites don't accept suicide missions. 

If these conditions are met, then have at it. However, the standard rules of conducting fights are still enforced, meaning the Player Character with the highest initiative goes first (unless Stealth is involved). And if you’ve underestimated your target, prepare to beg for mercy or accept your own death. (This is called In-World Consequences for In-World Actions.) 

Player-Characters who kill their would-be assassins are never charged with a crime for defending themselves. If the assassin is an Assamite killed by their Mark, then the Assamites wash their hands of such deeds and seek no revenge since the assassin was obviously unworthy.

HELP! Someone Wants To Murder Me!

Well now, looks like you’ve been a very bad little boy, girl or nonbinary person. So much so that the sad news here is you’ve qualified yourself (see justifications) for the In-Character Consequences of being murdered. Maybe you should have been a little nicer, or at the very least covered up your tracks better. But cheer up, it’s not all bad. You may yet get out of this unscathed. Unlike your motivated nemesis, as the target of murder you are under no obligation to fight alone, “IF”:

• Your prospective murderer happens to catch you in the company of others willing to help you out.
  
  
• You hire a body guard to follow you everywhere you go to protect you. You can hire as many Player Character Body Guards as you like, BUT they must be in your immediate company to be of any use. You may also contract with one (1) professional human NPC body guard. +10 Initiative, +5 Attack/Def, 100 HP. This must be done in roleplay prior to being attacked. However, the NPC body guard is assumed to be at your side 24/7 and ready to defend you. Put this in your Titler, or use a Prim NPC guard to follow you.
  
  
• There are people in the area within shouting distance of you willing to help you fight off your attacker. (20 meter radius)
  
  
• Or, someone you are with runs for help and brings others (though they may not get there in time to be of much help). Running for help is done in real-time. Helpers cannot IM others and must run their Character to find and recruit others in Roleplay.
  
  

Other Restrictions
You are NOT permitted to use IMs to friends to come to your aid. This is strictly forbidden as it is OOC contact. Also, anyone in the scene who seeks to find help on your behalf is forbidden to IM anyone to help. If you are found guilty of IMing people to help fight off your attacker, you forfeit the fight and will be declared a legitimate kill.

How Well Do You Know Your Friends and Allies?

Yes! Nearby friends and allies may help you fight off your attacker. They can beat him back until he is either killed, rendered unconscious, or escapes. BUT here’s the catch, they too will risk death by your attacker and must accept the consequences of being killed. That’s a lot to ask someone to sacrifice on your behalf. Of course, if you were a caring, considerate and thoughtful person you wouldn’t have someone willing to risk their own life to end yours. Damn, ain’t karma a bitch?

Death is Not Necessarily the End and You DO Have options

Being Killed
You were killed in a legitimate fight. What does that mean? Fortunately for you the door of Darkness swings both ways and remarkably you’ve still got some choices to make.

• The Fresh Start
  Take your ultimate demise with respect, dignity and honor. Accept the death with a stiff upper lip and reroll a new character that is not a clone of your current character that just died. If you select this option, you may choose any available character type to reroll and start anew. If you choose to come back as the same species/clan, create a character that is completely different than your last one. Change your name, change your appearance, and anything else you wish to change.
  
  This is a fresh start. You can do this immediately using your previously earned XP by contacting an Admin who will reallocate it to your new character on the same HUD. You may then return to roleplay instantly, BUT you will not have earn any XP for the roleplay scenes of your last character’s death, nor can you accrue any XP for the first week of your new character’s life.
  
  
• The Reboot
  It’s a miracle! You are the luckiest SOB that ever walked the Earth! For a short amount of time you were declared clinically dead but somehow was resurrected and barely survived being in a coma for the next two weeks. This frees a hired Assamite of his/her/their hired obligation, as well as satisfies the other Player-Character's vendetta against your life.
  
  While somehow you survived the assassination and were not actually killed, everyone thinks you’re dead. Because, Damn! Your killer mopped the floor with your ass. How you survived that, no one has a clue. The good news is you get to keep your same character, current XP, skills, talents, etc. The bad news is the attack was brutal, and you did not survive unscathed:
  
  
  • It’s going to take two real-life weeks for you to come out of your coma and remember who you are.
    
    
  • Your memory of the previous month (two weeks prior to your death) is like a brick of Swiss cheese. You have no recollection of the attack or the attacker, and the last two weeks leading up to your death are permanently gone forever. No force can bring those memories back. Your hard drive of that time period has been wiped clean.
    
    
  • Because of the brutality of the attack and the injuries you sustained, you now have a permanent deformity, personality/mental quirk or visible scar that you must include in your roleplay going forward. Make sure you put this in your Profile and/or Picks.
    
    
  • You also permanently lose one point in either Potence, Fortitude, Celerity, Willpower, Athletics/Reflexes, Occult or Primal Urge. You MUST currently have at least one point in this skill. You can’t select to lose a point in a skill you do not have.
    
    For example, if you only have Celerity, that’s the skill you will permanently lose a point in. If you have both Celerity AND Potence, you get to choose which one permanently loses a point. The result of this means you will only ever be able to obtain 4 (or 7) points in that skill. If you currently do not have any of these skills, then you’re good and receive no negative effect. Might we suggest you seriously consider learning these. It’s probably why your ass got handed to you in the first place.
    
    
  • Everyone thinks you’re dead. Which means your character's commercial property and any titles he/she/they previously held are now forfeit. If you were the owner of an in-character business, that business is now up for sale or may already have been sold to someone else before you return. If not, you may seek to regain ownership.
    
    
  • If you own property in any DOD City, such as a free-rent house or other personal property your character acquired (this DOES NOT include any OOC Paid rental properties, beach houses, skyboxes, etc.), your next of kin now hold the deeds. Hopefully you treated your siblings, spouse, child well and they are willing to give it back to you when they discover you are still alive. Or, perhaps the thought of a generous inheritance is why they neglected to help you fend off your attacker in the first place. Which means good luck in getting anything back.
    
    
  • If you were a Primogen, Clan Leader, Second in Command, Head of your Guild, etc., your group will have selected a new leader before your return.
    
    
  • The good news is you get to keep your current Player-Character, your character's XP, plus the XP you earned during the roleplay leading to your death. But hey! You’re still alive and life is good!
    
    
  • If you are an OOC mod/Admin/Storyteller, you may continue to manage events or lead storytelling RP during those two weeks your character is in a coma. Or, you may purchase a second HUD and play on a different character until your main character heals up and regains consciousness.

How many times can I be killed?
As many times as you qualify yourself to be the legitimate target of a kill. Or how many times your targets/assassins beat you in legitimate combat to the death. In short, that’s up to how your character conducts himself/herself/themself in roleplay. In-world consequences for in-world actions. Let the games begin!