FAQ

[undergroundmods]

Frequently Asked Questions

Before applying ♦ In-game mechanics ♦ Plot and setting Before applying So what is this game about? The Underground is an alternate universe (AU) game set in a supernatural version of modern-day London. It's a mix of urban fantasy and supernatural drama, with slice-of-life elements and political intrigue. The game mythology is loosely inspired by a range of canons, including but not limited to Being Human, The Dresden Files, Harry Potter, Teen Wolf, True Blood, The Vampire Diaries/The Originals, and X-Men. What canons are allowed? You can play any canon character from any medium. Since this is an AU game, you should fit the character to the world of the game. You can choose to make your character a London native, or have them move to London when they join the game. There is no time limit as such for accepting characters from new canons, but information about it needs to be available in English and it should preferably have published in the UK as well. These will be treated on a case-by-case basis; please ask if unsure. Are original characters allowed? Yes. However, just like canon characters, they must be native to the world of the game. Fandom OCs will be accepted on a case-by-case basis. Can I play a non-human character? You can, but there are some non-human characters that are a better fit for the game than others. For instance, you cannot play your character as a robot or alien. You can still apply for the character, but you would need to AU them as one of the allowed species in the game. For example, you could play a character who is a humanoid alien in their canon as a meta human. If you would like to play a character who is an angel or demon in their canon, you can AU them as a fae. What supernatural species can I play? There are seven types of supernatural beings in the game. They are fae, ghosts, meta humans, shapeshifters, vampires, werewolves and witches. See the People page for more information on each type. Can I play a normal human? Yes! There are a number of possibilities for involving humans in the game. For example, they might have supernatural friends, relatives or significant others. Humans can also be hunters. You can bring them into the game already aware of and involved with the supernatural world, or use their introduction to the game as their first encounter with the supernatural and go from there. If I apply for a human character, can I AU them as a supernatural character like a vampire or a witch? Yes, you can AU your character as any of the available supernatural species in the game, regardless of what species they are in canon. So you could app a human as a witch, werewolf, vampire etc. You will need to explain your choice in your application, so it's best to choose a type that you feel works well with your character's adapted back story and fits with who they are as a character. Can my character be half-vampire? No. There are some supernatural combinations which are allowed and some which are not. Vampires and ghosts are dead, so it is not possible to be half-vampire or half-ghost. Werewolves either have at least one werewolf parent, or they were a different species entirely until they were bitten by a werewolf. Witches and shapeshifters may have one human parent, but they will still be considered fully supernatural. Meta humans often do have mixed ancestry, but you should still list their type as meta human. You can explain the specifics of their background in your application. When it comes to mixed supernatural combinations (e.g. meta human/witch, fae/shapeshifter), generally speaking one side will win out over the other, so you should choose their dominant type. For example, for a character whose parents are a shapeshifter and a witch, you would classify them as one or the other, depending on what side best fits them, and explain their background in your application. Either the shapeshifter side would win out and they would be born with no magical ability, or the witch side would win out and they would have a particular talent for transforming into an animal but their magic would likely be less strong. Think Squibs or Animagi in Harry Potter. The werewolf curse once activated is always dominant over any other type. For example, a character born of witch and werewolf parents would be a witch with a latent potential for becoming a werewolf until the day they kill someone and activate their curse. After that, they will be 100% werewolf and lose all of their witch abilities. I want to play a character who was already in the game. Do I have to keep their previous game history? Ideally, you would, although this will be discussed on a case-by-case basis. If you are happy to maintain continuity with the character's previous appearance in the game and pick up where they left off, that's great. You can do this even if the character died last time; there are always ways to bring a character back. Please discuss with the mod. If you want to start over, then you can consider the following options: - Amnesia, magically induced or otherwise. - Retconning parts of the character's previous game history. - Retconning the previous character as a random NPC. The last option is the one you would need to request if you wanted to play the character as a different type to what they were previously e.g. a character who was played as a meta human that you want to play as a witch. However, please note that you would have to discuss and agree any retconning with the mod and potentially cast-mates and other game-mates who had significant CR with the previous version of the character. For characters who were only in the game briefly (two months or less) and didn't make much of an impact, retconning should be straightforward. In all cases, the impact on current in-game characters will take precedence over potential applicants. Please do ask and discuss your options with players. Is there a character limit? Nope! You can play as many characters as you like in the game, provided you are active with all of them. The only restrictions on character applications are as follows: - You cannot apply for another character if you failed the activity check in the previous month. - You cannot play multiple characters of the same type e.g. two vampires or two werewolves, except for humans. You can play as many normal humans as you like. - You cannot play more than two characters from the same canon. Can my character keep their canon powers? If they are meta humans, then yes. Otherwise their powers will depend on their species and should be adapted for the game. See the Powers page for more information. So my character is ridiculously overpowered... This will be judged on a case-by-case basis. Every character in the game is assigned a strength and magic rating, to help determine how characters compare to each other. The scale goes up to 10, but in practice most characters won't score higher than a 7. If your character could legitimately score 8 or above, their powers may be reduced to make them more comparable with other characters in the game. In-game mechanics How does the game work? undergrounds is the main community for in-character interaction. There is no required format for posts to this community. You can write in present tense, past tense, prose, bracket-style, whatever you prefer. The only rule is that only in-character activity can be posted here, and you should place any mature content behind a cut. abovegrounds is our OOC community for discussion between players e.g. plotting posts, CR planning, player and character introductions, etc. Mod announcements, activity check and other important posts also go here. Finally, we also have a meme community at thetube. Test drive memes are posted here, and players are also free to post memes of their own. For the most part, memes are not considered game canon. However, players may choose to incorporate meme threads into game canon at their own discretion. Is there a network? No. Instead, characters have access to the modern-day communication methods and platforms that you might expect e.g. calls, texts, WhatsApp, Facebook, Skype, etc. You are welcome to add an IC contact post to your character's journal, which other characters can then use to get in touch with yours. If you want to send a message to multiple characters and you'd rather not comment individually to their contact posts, you can post it in the main community instead as long as it is labelled clearly. Please note that while virtual communication between characters is allowed and often useful for passing on information or making plans, the main focus of the game is on face-to-face interaction. For that reason, text messages, phone calls and other forms of virtual-only communication cannot be used as activity proofs. What is the timeline of the game? The game runs in real-time, roughly speaking. That is, it takes place in the present day. One IC day therefore corresponds to one OOC day. However, it's fine to back-date and forward-date posts as necessary. Because the setting is London, the game runs according to GMT (Greenwich Mean Time) in the winter and BST (British Summer Time) in the summer. Will current events feature in the game? Yes and no. The calendar will feature local holidays, traditions and events, such as Bonfire Night. You can also assume that the weather in the game is the same as the real London, so if it snows then there will be endless traffic jams and news reports about it in the game just as there would be in real life. However, please be sensitive and don't include references to recent serious or tragic real-world events. While the game world is set in London, it is still a supernatural AU. References to real local events such as art exhibitions, shows or concerts are fine and fun to play with, and it's also fine to make general comments about crime rates in parts of London and things like that. But running a plot based around a real-life tragedy that happened recently would not be acceptable. What about pop culture references? To avoid breaking the fourth wall, please assume that any popular canons you might mention either do not exist or have a fictional alternative. So Arthur Conan Doyle didn't write a popular series of novels about a detective called Sherlock Holmes who lives on Baker Street. But he might have written some novels about another detective. JK Rowling didn't write any books about Harry Potter. But she did write about a different fictional wizard. And so on. See this player-created spreadsheet for an updated list of alternative canon names. What happens when characters drop from the game? They might stay in London, in which case they will become an NPC. Or they might leave town. Or they might die. Players can decide their character's fate when they drop. It will be assumed that characters leaving town will do so around the time that the player drops. If you choose to kill your character, the exact circumstances of their death will be open to their faction to determine when drops are announced either in the monthly plotting post or in the AC results post. Alternatively, you can plan and play out your character's exit from the game. Make it as dramatic and/or as tearful as you like. This is why players can post notice of a drop up to six weeks in advance, to give you the chance to say your IC goodbyes. If a character idles out without posting to the drop post, their fate will be decided by RNG. The exception to this is characters on the Elite list, who are important to their factions. In this case the character's exit will be discussed and decided by the relevant players in their faction. What happens when characters die? They're dead. Usually. Character death is normally permanent. However, this is a supernatural-themed game so there are always loopholes. You can choose to kill your character and then play them as a ghost. You can also choose to kill your character via turning them into a vampire. (Ask for mod permission first.) Finally, you can choose to kill your character for real in which case they will be dropped from the game. Does that mean that dead characters can't be apped by anyone else? Remember those loopholes? Yeah. So either your character was Really Alive All Along or a fae brought them back to life for a laugh or a witch performed a black magic ritual... You get the idea. Death isn't meant to be cheap, but like so many supernatural canons, it's amazing how the main characters always seem to come back. Plot and setting What is the game plot? Broadly speaking, it's supernatural politics. There are many supernatural communities in London, and they may co-operate with each other or they may compete for power and territory. The game is designed to be player-led. There will be mod support to help facilitate this, but ultimately the game narrative will be created by players. There are various game mechanisms in place to help players develop the game plot: - A monthly plotting post which includes information on the state of the game so far. Here players can plan their territory claims for the next month. This post also includes a list of plot ideas that players can claim for the following month. - A monthly calendar which includes seasonal events. These provide opportunities for characters to mingle and develop CR, and can be used as a setting for player-initiated plots. - Bimonthly test drive, which is incorporated into game canon. - An activity rewards system, which enables characters to increase their rank and therefore their power and influence in the game. - A bribery and petitions system, through which characters can influence the rules that govern the game world. - Every three months, a reward will be offered to the most influential faction in the game. - When territory battles and disputes occur, there is a mod-run system in place to determine the outcome. What about NPCs? There are various NPCs in the game, most of whom play a background role. The main mod NPC is Sylvia Redbright, who is the head of the Redbright Institute. Her purpose is to provide information about game mythology and history, guide and support her factions, and potentially become an ally or an enemy to player characters. Other NPCs can be played by the mod when requested or required for particular plots, but for the most part they are invisible. Sylvia is one of the elites, the most influential characters in the game. Player characters can become elites by advancing to the highest ranks, gradually replacing the NPCs on the list. Finally, there are minions. These are invisible or player-controlled NPCs that make up the numbers in the various factions. The more minions you have, the stronger your faction. See the Minions page for more information. What are factions? Factions are supernatural groups, communities or organizations. Each faction has its own rules, territories, allies and enemies. To start, characters can only join one faction. However, they will have the opportunity to switch factions or join a second faction during the game, as long as their roles do not clash. See the Factions page for more information. Why aren't there any factions for ghosts, humans or meta humans? There are no species-specific factions for these types, but they can join other groups. For example, the Redbright Institute has a majority population of meta humans. The Hillingdon Clan is another likely home for them, and both factions have roles that can be filled by humans and meta humans. Ghosts by their nature don't belong anywhere because they shouldn't be hanging around in the living world in the first place. But don't worry, your ghost character won't be doomed to a sad and lonely afterlife. Choose the faction that best suits their background and the relationships they had when they were alive. None of the factions fit my character. Do I have to join a faction? You do have to join a faction. If there isn't a faction that you can see your character joining, then you may want to reconsider their suitability for the game. What is the ranking system? The ranking system determines how much authority your character has within their faction, and therefore within the game as a whole. There are five ranks, with one being at the bottom and five at the top. Characters progress through the levels the longer they are active in the game. Characters don't necessarily have to start at the bottom. Their initial ranking will be determined by the role they are best suited to within their faction, along with player preference. However, it is unlikely that any character will be ranked higher than level 3 when they first enter the game. A character's ranking is not just a number; it changes the role that they play in the game. Higher ranking characters are expected to lead their factions and help direct their strategy within the game. Higher ranks require greater plot involvement, and therefore have higher activity check requirements. What are territories? London is divided into 33 territories, which correspond to the London boroughs. Territories are ruled by different factions, and can be won or lost depending on how the game progresses. See the Territories page for more information. How are territories won and lost? There are three ways to gain a territory in the game. The first two guarantee that you will win a territory, while the third depends on various factors. 1. Claim a territory as an activity reward. This reward is only available to level 4 or 5 characters. 2. Claim a territory as the most influential faction in the game. This is a potential reward offered every three months to the most active faction. 3. Make a move on a territory as part of a player-initiated plot. In this case the outcome is not guaranteed and will be decided based on the power of the competing factions. See the Territories page for more information. What is the Other Realm? The Other Realm is an alternate plane that exists alongside the ordinary world. It is another version of London, and the home of the fae. See the Setting page for more information. Can territories in the Other Realm be won and lost too? No, the Other Realm works differently to the mortal realm. The fae of the Seelie and Unseelie Courts divide the Other Realm between them. See the Territories page for more information. Where can my character live? Anywhere you like, as long as it's in London. You can decide where your character lives. However, for the sake of convenience, it is better to place them in a territory that belongs to their faction. Living elsewhere could be dangerous. If your character belongs to the Seelie or Unseelie Court, then they should live in the Other Realm. All other characters should live in the mortal realm. back to navigation

Comments

[biophilia]

Man, this looks amazing. Read everything a few times, and without getting too canon-specific, I have two app-related questions.

1) How free are we to develop AU reflections of canon curses/traumas/lab accidents? That is, if I have a character who is an "[insert paranormal organism] magnet" in canon, how free am I, based on the existing 'verse descriptions, to invent an AU spin on that in my app?

Ex. "Ginko has the rare quality of seeing/attracting mushi and must Walk the Earth or sickness and magical bug chaos" becomes: "Ginko attracts the presence of ghosts and must therefore Walk the Earth or the area he's in would become magically imbalanced." Or, even more canon-compliant: "Ginko can't linger in one place or his presence would wear thin the boundary between this and Other World".

I know avoiding super special syndrome will be a challenge in a game like this, so I'd just like to know for sure how much freedom we have to play with 'verse dynamics before I create a backstory (the above canon point I picked is relevant to the character's entire personality and history, not a nitpicky thing).

2) I read the rpanons thread concerning Eastern vs. Western mythologies, but I've got one clarifying question. If I decided to app Ginko with Japanese cultural background intact (versus AUing him as a guy of Japanese descent born in the UK), would there be any differences in the way he would have learned witchcraft from Japanese witches (as well as to the coven system, etc)? Basically, are the points you've outlined globally universal truths, or specific to the London supernatural scene-- and to what degree? Ex. A big concept like "dark magic", or even something smaller like plant-based potions that would obviously be influenced by local flora.

[undergroundmods]

1) Good question. I would say relatively free. It's a matter of balance between wanting the flexibility to translate canon concepts into an AU setting, but not going beyond the limits of the AU setting in order to keep a shiny power. Anything that goes beyond the scope of a particular type's powers would need to have an explanation that makes sense within the setting of the game. So for example, you would need to explain why Ginko attracts ghosts. Was he cursed by a fae? If it's an important aspect of the character you're applying for and you can translate it into the world of the game in a believable way, then you're probably good to go. Any abilities that seem to be unnecessary add-ons will not be accepted.

2) Some of the game information is true everywhere and some of it is specific to London. Basically: if it's about the nature of a particular supernatural creature and their abilities, it's universally true. It doesn't matter where you are in the world, all vampires require blood to function. That's just a fact of being a vampire. There isn't a single fae in the world who can tell a direct lie. That's just a fact of being a fae. And so on.

The information that is specific to London and to a lesser extent the UK is mostly to do with how the various supernatural communities function and get on with each other. That would include the information about factions, territories, attitudes and beliefs, and community dynamics. Let's take the example of dark magic that you mentioned. Summoning fae is categorized as dark magic. Now, the ability to summon fae is universally true. So witches everywhere in the world can and probably do summon fae, assuming they have access to the right spells. But would every witch in the world classify that as dark magic? Not necessarily. The concept of dark magic is a value judgement that reflects the attitudes of witch society in the UK, but witches in other countries may think differently.

Long story short: Yes, it is possible that there would be differences in the way Ginko learned magic in Japan vs the way he would have learned magic in the UK. Those differences could include the actual spells he learns, since it's likely that different communities of witches would develop their own spells. But the system he grew up in could also be different in terms of how it was set up and the beliefs/attitudes of the witches in his community. The organization of witch communities in the UK (i.e. the coven system) is one possible model, it doesn't have to be the only one. The only thing I would say is that it is still true that witches can achieve more by casting spells together, so you would generally expect societies of witches to form close-knit communities.

[aproperdoctor]

Hi! I'm just curious about a few species-specific things. Is it possible to have a witch born to a non-magical family (possibly with a witch somewhere in their family tree, but one no one knows about)? And if so, how would they be found/trained? Around when would they start to show signs of magic?

[undergroundmods]

It's possible, though rare. The family would need to have some kind of magical background in their history, even if they're not aware of it. A young witch brought up in a non-magical family might start to show signs of magic anywhere from about the age of five or six to the onset of puberty. They'll definitely start manifesting magical powers at puberty.

Sadly, there is no magical letter that will find such a character and invite them into the supernatural fold. It's pot luck, basically. There are forces in the Night Council and Redbright Institute that cover up magical incidents, and therefore might discover a witch during the course of their work. But equally a witch could go for years hiding their powers without being discovered.

[(Anonymous)]

What are your views on apping fictional versions of historical figures, particularly if one wanted to keep their real world history as part of their in-game history?

[undergroundmods]

If the character you are apping is based primarily on a work of fiction and you use their real world history as a supplement, that should be okay. That said, it would depend on the character. I would be less likely to accept a controversial figure. Feel free to ask if you're not sure whether the character you intend to app would be acceptable or not.

[sardinelover]

Hi there! I just had some questions involving vampires, as Valvatorez here is one of the characters I'm considering.

First off, how old are vampires allowed to be, max? The reason I ask is because a major part of Val's character is that he's an old vampire, whose power and age made him known as a tyrant feared by humans and his kind alike, but after refraining from drinking human blood he kind of feel into obscurity and his legend was regarded as more of a myth than anything else.

Second, how powerful would an old vampire who refrains from drinking human blood be allowed to be? I read that it's basically a ratio of diet and age, so would it be more average than anything?

Also this isn't about Val, but how do necromancers and zombies fit into the game?

[undergroundmods]

Hello!

1) Since my power scale only goes up to 2000+ year old vampires, I'd prefer no more than two or three thousand years old.

2) Their strength would be severely diminished. The age does help to offset that, but at best an ancient vampire who doesn't drink human blood would have similar strength to a newbie vampire.

3) Necromancy is a subset of witch magic. Witches can perform spells that will animate corpses in order to control them. These would be zombies. They have no minds of their own and are therefore not appable.

[titanocidal]

1) Werewolves question: What if a human kills someone and then later on gets bitten by a werewolf? Do they have to kill a second time to activate the curse, or would that first kill be enough?

2) In a response to another question, you mentioned that game and meme threads are also acceptable for the two threads necessary for the app. Does this mean that threads don't have to be from the AUed version of the character to count?

[undergroundmods]

1) They would need to kill a second time! The "kill someone" rule only applies once they have been afflicted with the werewolf curse.

2) Yes, that's correct. Threads of the canon version of the character are just as acceptable as the AUed version.

[megidoomed]

dives in with some last minute questions don't be me kids don't be a serial procrastinator--

1) Is it possible for ghosts to have specialties? Like, a ghost might be better at manifesting, or affecting a specific type of object.

2) I know if they possess humans for too long it starts fucking the human over, but is there any time limit on inanimate objects? I'd assume that things like electronics would start breaking/etc.

I was also gonna ask about a unique magical item but I couldn't word it right + also was gonna ask about poltergeists but I realized halfway through writing it that that was just a normal ghost /)w(\

[undergroundmods]

1) Sure!

2) Yeah, you'd get the whole lights flickering, electronics short-circuiting, all that creepy ghost stuff.

[(Anonymous)]

If you have a character that can shapeshift into multiple forms in canon, would they have to pick just one in the game?

[undergroundmods]

That depends on what type they are. If they're a shapeshifter, then yes, they would have to pick just one although there are ways for them to gain more forms within the game. If they're a fae, they can be more flexible about taking multiple forms.

[goroesi]

Just a quick question, as I'm thinking about apping this girl to the game - would the offspring of a fairy and a human still be a fairy? And is there any prejudice in either Court regarding offspring of such dalliances? Thank you!

[undergroundmods]

They could be considered either a fae or a meta human depending on how their powers manifested. The Courts don't tend to discriminate on the basis of whether a character is part-fae or 100% fae. As long as fae retain their ties with their respective courts, they are considered proper Seelie or Unseelie and treated as such.

[crystalmethod]

Considering this game and I have a couple questions. What's law enforcement like? Pretty similar to what you'd expect, more lenient, or more strict? I ask because this guy would be running a pretty big, profitable drugs-and-weapons trade business on top of whatever AU I plan for him, and I wonder what sort of heat he'd catch for it.

In that vein, he'd be committing random acts of violence and theft of varying degrees on a regular basis - would I just keep it reasonable and obviously not game-breaking, or would I consult the mods beforehand? Most of it would probably be handwaved, aside from potential things hashed out with other players. And of course, nothing would reference real-life tragedies.

[undergroundmods]

Depends, are you talking about mundane crime or crime involving the supernatural? If mundane crime, then he'd be dealing with the London Met so the law enforcement you would expect is the same as in the real world.

If supernatural, then he would have to answer to his faction first and then the Night Council if his crimes are serious enough. They're especially draconian about anything that might expose the supernatural world. I would say if you keep it reasonable, that's fine but if it's anything that might attract the attention of the Night Council or that would affect characters in the game, it would be sensible to check with me first.

[acrookedchild]

Quick question! Do you want those playing witches to list every spell they use if it's not already on the spell page? I ask only because I bought a couple of books for ideas, etc.

[undergroundmods]

If it's not on the list and you want to add a spell to the game, then you'll need to request to add it on the spells/magical items list first! Then if you want Abby to know any new magic, just ask.

[kleptofaeniac]

About Moonlight Jewlery, is the enchantment anything specific or can it be something each witch does differently?

[undergroundmods]

The enchantment is pretty much the same. There might be some small variations in wording and level of mysticism. Some witches prefer to keep it simple and just say the words, others can't bear to cast anything without at least two dozen candles, a salt circle, lots of hand gestures etc. Depends how impressive you want to look.

The words spoken are not English. Basically it's some witchy magical language that no one will understand without the proper training.

[solarpanels]

I know you said in a reply to another character that factions and then the Night Council have their own way of disciplining characters, but I'm wondering, does that mean that other forms of justice would be discouraged? Wrong account, but I'm considering a hunter character's background where the group's creed is that if there are threats to humanity, regardless of faction, they seek to eliminate them or might be called in for that matter. If this isn't cool, let me know and I'll scrap the idea and try to create something else to work within what you guys have set up!

[undergroundmods]

I'm not completely sure I understand but let me try to answer: If your character's background is from a group that is outside the factions in London, then of course you are free to decide what the creed of that group is. Once your character comes into London, however, then they will be subject to the rules of the faction they join.

If you intend for your character's background to be within one of the factions in the game, then of course their group's creed should roughly be in line with that faction. From what you've said, it sounds like your character could quite comfortably fall within a faction like Hillingdon or Redbright.

[dualnatura]

I have sort of a character-specific question for my OC here. In the history I have for her (NOT AU'd yet), she is a sorceress in training who gets possessed by a powerful magical entity. I'm thinking that it would best fit your setting as a witch who tried to summon a fae being that was too powerful to contain, but I wasn't sure whether/how the possession element would fit in. Essentially, the way I'd like to play her is as the fae/entity/spirit/whatever basically wearing the sorceress/witch like a costume, but I am open to the idea of changing that around to fit.

What are your thoughts on this? Would something like this be possible? (Don't worry about her being overpowered, being stuck in the witch's body limits her power.)

[undergroundmods]

That sounds fine! It would definitely be possible to play her as a witch whose body has been taken over by a fae she unwisely summoned.

[murderbirdy]

Hi! I have a few questions about potential concepts for the next app round!

1.) What would be the best race choice to model a birdlike being with some elemental powers? Could this be modeled as a fae, or some type of transforming metahuman?

2.) How broad can a metahuman's abilities be? Can they appear similar to werewolves/shifters/fae in nature? And by that token, can a metahuman be mistaken for another supernatural type?

3.) Can a witch be associated with a type of animal or beast, similarly to a druid?

If these have been answered somewhere before, my apologies, I must not have seen them. Thank you for taking the time to read them anyway!

[undergroundmods]

Hello!

1) Probably fae or shapeshifter? The way you've worded it sounds like they're not human, so fae could be a good choice.

2) Good question. Meta humans can be a bit of a grab-bag, so it's entirely possible that some of their abilities might overlap with other types, which could lead to mistaken identities. My only caveat with this is that we are very much lacking in vampires and werewolves at the moment, so if anyone apps a character as a meta human and says "well, they're a lot like a werewolf but they can also do this!" then I'm probably going to shake my head and ask that they please make the character a werewolf instead. Generally, it's a matter of which type seems to fit the spirit of the character best, rather than making them a meta human in order to preserve their canon powers.

3) It depends what you mean by "associated with". There's no particular reason for any witch to have an affinity with a type of animal, although there is always room to add new magic to the game.

[mountainbones]

Hello! I have a question about the nature of being a Changling Fae. Since they are fae, they'd be attached to a certain court of course, but is it possible for them to essentially straddle the two worlds and perhaps moonlight with some court tasks, but live on the mortal realm?

Thanks!

[undergroundmods]

That would depend on the fae! If they're attached to one of the Courts, then most of the time they would live in the Other Realm. Some fae choose to spend more time than others in the mortal realm, but the Other Realm is their home. If they're an outcast fae, then they're not attached to either Court and have no choice but to live in the mortal realm.

[mead]

Asking (way) in advance for the next app round, but:

What would the requirement be for someone to bring in a family Book of Shadows that's been passed down through generations? Would I be able to consider it an Arcane spellbook? Or would it just be basic? I know I'll need to list what spells are in it that aren't already on the list; is there a maximum number I'm allowed to app in with? Is it also possible to have spells that are only available in the family book of shadows?

I think that's all I have for right now!

[undergroundmods]

That would depend on the kind of spells it contains! If it contains arcane spells, then it would be considered an arcane spellbook.

There is no maximum number of spells you're allowed to app in with; feel free to include as many as you want. And yes, you can include spells that are only available in one book. Just label them as such on your app.

[crystalmethod]

A few questions, cuz a couple of friends and I are considering some characters who'd be supernatural for the next app round:

1. About vampires. Do they have to follow the hierarchy system exactly? For instance, would it be possible for a group of them to form their own hierarchy outside of London, then essentially bring that to London and join up with whatever faction would allow them? I totally understand if that's not possible so it's fine if this is just out of the question.

2. Relating to this. Would it be possible for a sort of secret branch to exist in Night Council that serve as a spec ops unit for doing the gov's dirty work? The characters in question come from a military background so they'd need something like this to work for. I noticed you said characters can't join NC immediately, so this would be something they would work toward - though, they would not be holding seats. They'd just act as soldiers to be sent out. Enforcers, basically! If not possible in Night Council, how do you feel about us coming up with a similar organization in-game?

2. About witches/spells. Are we pretty much allowed to give our witch characters any spell they want (reasonably, ofc) - we'd just add it to the spell page, like you said in an answer to someone else? And similar to the vampire question, how feasible would it be for a band of rogue witches to work for that hypothetical spec ops unit?

Let me know if you need more clarification for my q's!

[undergroundmods]

This all sounds rather intriguing...

1. It's entirely possible for characters to come from a different vampire hierarchy outside of London. When they come to London, they will either have to join the Islington Nest in which case they will be subject to the faction's hierarchy, or else join up with another faction that would accept them. (Although to be honest, unless you're talking about a bunch of peace-loving hippy vampires, I'm not sure there would be another faction happy to take them.)

2. Yes. This is pretty much what Guardians do!

3. Yes. There are some types of magic that are better suited to the talents of the fae, and therefore would either get labelled as dark magic requiring the help of a fae, or wouldn't be added to the list. Anything to do with granting wishes, fate or fortune changing and powerful illusions would tend to fall under this category. But if you want a new spell, just include it in your application. Most of the time they do get added to the list.

It would be extremely feasible for a band of witches to work for your hypothetical spec ops unit, although I wonder why you say "rogue" witches? If they're working for the Night Council, they wouldn't be rogue at all, quite the opposite.

[megidoomed]

I will never stop with the ghost questions

This time, for future reference: can ghosts be injured? I know exorcism is A Bad, and salt/water act as immovable barriers, but is it possible for ghosts to be in pain/injured at all?

-- also, if the above is a "yes", does the damage regenerate at all or are they screwed for bad un-life choices forever?

[undergroundmods]

Ghosts cannot be injured, as they have no physical form to injure. There might be magic that could cause pain for a ghost, but it would be entirely psychological and could not leave any physical wounds.

[knightscode]

Hello!

It's a common folklore trope that animals are sensitive to magic/ghosts/stuff and act weird around it. Am I okay to assume that applies here too?

(In minor ways! Like animals might look uneasy if a ghost is nearby, or shy away from an area huge amounts of magic was done, smell a werewolf etc)

I figure specific instances involving PCs are case by case, but in general! Just because Lancelot has a (normal) dog.

[undergroundmods]

Yes, in minor ways that's fine! Cats get uneasy near ghostly presences. Werewolves are great with dogs. That sort of thing.

[euphonize]

Just a question because it came to my head.

In terms of activity points, can we give them to other players if something happens along the way like one person opts to drop but has 3 points left and doesn't want it to go to waste? Or can we get an item for a player with our points if we talked about it and agreed? Simply curious.

[undergroundmods]

No, activity points are specific to the character and can't be exchanged. You can request a specific item that you intend ICly to give to someone else, but the item itself will be given to the character whose points are paying for it.

[(Anonymous)]

Probably a stupid question re: AC.

So, the requirement for a level 1 is a post with five comments, and I know you can't use the same proof for AC and bonus points. But what if there are multiple threads within the post? Like, Person A posts and has 6 comments with Person B. Then 8 with Person C and 5 with Person D.

Can just the thread with Person B be submitted for AC and the rest for bonus? Or is it just the whole post that counts as one proof, end of story?

I'm sure this is obvious, but I'm just making sure. Apologies.

[undergroundmods]

No worries! If you submit a post that you made for AC, then it counts as one proof and you can't submit any of the threads within the post for activity points.

[(Anonymous)]

Question: it says that Fae can't be turned into vampires, but what about children of mixed heritage? Like a child who had a Fae father and a meta human mother. If the child takes after the mother and is more meta human than Fae, could they be turned into a vampire?

[undergroundmods]

If they're more meta human, then yes they could be turned into a vampire!

[entitles]

Regarding minions, on the minions page it says "Once you reach level 3, you can add four level 1 minions to your faction.".

Does that only apply to characters who level up from 2 to 3 via points, or should characters who start at level 3 make four level 1 minions?

[undergroundmods]

It only applies to characters who level up to 3 via points.

[grayatonement]

Hey! You mention in the FAQ (and on the Factions page): "However, they will have the opportunity to switch factions or join a second faction during the game, as long as their roles do not clash."

While you provide some details for joining a second faction, not much is given regarding changing factions. How easy or difficult is it to do so? Sylar here, for example, has a terribly fickle sense of loyalty based on (1) who's winning, (2) who has what he wants, and (3) who treats him like a special snowflake. It might be realistic for him to change factions a few times per year, depending on how things go. I'd appreciate having a sense of how possible that kind of change is (obviously fully understanding the IC consequences involved with doing so).

[undergroundmods]

The answer to that would pretty much depend on IC factors! The only OOC requirement is that you have three points to spend on switching factions, which you can do at any time. It would be a case of how deep has Sylar gotten himself in with his faction, would another faction agree to take him on and in what capacity, and what IC consequences would there be. These are things you would want to discuss and plot with other players. All I need to know is that you have a plan i.e. you know what role your character is going to move into when he makes the switch.

The only other thing to bear in mind is that this could affect his rank as well. ICly, level one is often made up of characters who are new to a faction, so if he switches a lot he could find himself starting out at the bottom even if he had previously moved up in rank. You can check with me whether your intended plans would have an effect on his level, so that you know in advance exactly what the consequences will be both ICly and OOCly.