Character Policy

== Characters* ==
A Supporting Feature Character (SFC) is a character who has not yet made a significant appearance in our primary source material, the IDW comics. These characters may be obtained via a shortened application process.
* Faction-aligned SFCs must begin at the lowest rank possible (10), but may be promoted through IC play.
* SFCs are not in roles of high physical power, influence, or authority. This must be reflected by their stat build and through roleplay.
* SFCs are expected to ICly behave similarly to their G1 or IDW counterparts.
* An SFC's status is subject to change as new information is revealed in the ongoing IDW series. If staff deems an upgrade to a higher tier character type is appropriate, any current player of the character in question will be expected to complete the full-length application within 30 days of the change if he/she wishes to continue playing the character.
* After 30 days of inactivity, a SFC is considered idle and will be listed as "Open" on the character roster. Idle characters may be handed out to any eligible and interested player.
* SFCs use a separate, shortened application found here.
Feature Characters (FC) are the intellectual property of the publishers who created the media from which the character comes. Therefore, players are expected to present the character according to the source material as much as possible. Since character development and change is unavoidable in the course of roleplaying, any major changes that occur need to be approved by the administration. Any approved changes will be considered canon to the game.
A Deluxe Feature Character (DFC) generally has more power and influence than a regular FC, but not as much as an Essential Feature Character. DFCs are generally stronger than FCs and most OCs. They often have special or rare abilities, high IC rank or unique roles in the story that allow them an inherent and above average amount of influence.
An Essential Feature Character (EFC) is typically stronger than most other characters, may command entire factions, and/or otherwise affect the story in major ways. EFCs require an increased time commitment to play in comparison to other types. Players who choose to take these roles are expected to actively contribute to the game by fostering RP and creating/contributing to plot content on a regular basis.
An Original Character (OC) is exactly what its name implies. It is a character authored by the player, that was not directly generated by the creators of our source material. OCs are exempt from vacation and activity requirements--your OC is unique to you.
=== Unlisted Characters ===
If the character you are interested in is not on +fclist, this does not mean the character is not playable. Please consult a staff member regarding the unlisted character.
* If you wish to apply for the unlisted character as a SFC, please use the Support Character Application.
* All other character types please use the full-length application.
=== Alternate Characters ===
Each player is given six points to spend across their account to have alternate characters. The points are weighted as follows:
EFC: 4 - These characters require the greatest IC and OOC time commitment and will be subjected to the highest level of scrutiny.
DFC: 2
FC: 1
OC: 1
SFC: 0.5
In some rare cases, a player demonstrating exceptional dedication to the creation of RP and plot content for the game may be given the opportunity to play two EFCs if desired.
Players may not be approved for more than 1 character every 14 days; unless they are new to the game, in which case they will be allowed to obtain 1 additional character of the opposing faction during the first 14 days. 
All staff and players will adhere to the Character Policies.
=== Banned & Restricted Concepts ===
Extremely powerful characters such as Trypticon, Metroplex, Omega Supreme, Unicron, Primus, etc will be used exclusively for TP purposes and as such are not playable characters. Any OC with powers on par with these types of characters will not be approved. 
An OC that is “spark brother” to an EFC, FC, or DFC will not be approved. Canonically, this sort of connection may have serious consequences, and while one player of a particular FC may consent to this, another might not; this could lead to problems should the person who agreed previously decide to drop. Additionally, an OC should not in general have a history that is so deeply intertwined with a FC that, for example in an extreme case, its entire existence depends upon that FC. An OC may share this connection with another OC if the other player’s express permission is given. An FC may share this connection with another FC, provided it is canon. 
Characters from alternate universes are not banned, but heavily restricted. A character from another universe must:
* be an OC, not a doppelganger of a FC, even if that FC is not listed on +roster.
* adhere to all of the game’s theme policies, as well as reflect its current setting. In other words, this is not a way of obtaining a non-Cybertronian character during an era that is focused on Cybertron, or obtaining a character that does not fit the overall tone of the game. For example, if the current state of the world is early wartime Cybertron, then your OC’s world must simply be a different iteration of the same or similar period on Cybertron, and that iteration must reflect the tone of this game’s theme.
* have a themely, IC justification for its current presence in this game’s world, and subsequently make its home here.
Neutral characters are not banned, however they are also restricted concepts. Due to the nature of this game and its focus on the factional conflict between Autobots and Decepticons, any non-faction-aligned character will be subjected to a higher level of scrutiny, require more extensive justification, and even if approved, are likely to be pressured to choose a faction both ICly and OOCly.
Additionally, neutral characters are unlikely to be approved for new players who do not have any other faction-aligned characters. We highly encourage players to apply for any neutral character concepts as an alternate character. Neutral feature characters will not have any activity requirements, however as with other characters if someone else applies for that character after you have not participated in RP for an extended period of time, it may be given to them.
=== Activity Requirements ===
IC Activity Requirements
Characters who have not logged in after one month without a vacation request will be reopened to applications. Vacation requests cannot last more than 30 days. However, a player can always request access to the character again if it is still open upon return, and staff will review.
Additionally:
* Feature Characters must roleplay at least once every three weeks.
* Deluxe Feature Characters and Essential Feature Characters must roleplay at least once every two weeks.
Idle List
Characters who do not actively engage in RP within certain timeframes, depending upon Type, will be placed on an Idle list. Characters on this list may be given without warning to any other player who is approved through the normal application process. Additionally, idle characters may be purged or re-opened without notice at staff's discretion. Players who have any character(s) on the Idlers list will not be given new characters until the idle characters are either dropped or become active again through RP. Active engagement in RP is defined by the following criteria:
* Must have been tagged to a sceneID within a specific timeframe defined by character type. The timeframes for each type are listed above in Activity Requirements.
* Must have sent at least 3 poses to that sceneID.
* The sceneID must contain a total of at least 6 poses.
* The sceneID must have at least 2 different charIDs tagged to it.
Characters that remain on the Idle list for 60 days or longer will be re-opened to applications and removed from the player's account. For first occurrences, the player on that particular character will be warned via email at least 5 days beforehand. However, warnings will not be issued on subsequent occurrences.
Please be aware that repeated and prolonged presence of your character(s) on the Idle list is a pattern that staff does not want to see and may result in your character being opened, given to another player without warning, or being denied an application for additional character(s). 
Vacation Requests
Players may request “vacation” time in order to avoid being placed on the Idlers list. A vacation may be no more than 30 days in duration and may not be less than 30 days apart from each other.
If there is an extenuatory circumstance regarding vacation time or being put on the idlers list, please let staff know. They will approve at their discretion. Furthermore, the Idlers list may also be periodically purged at the discretion of Character Staff.
=== Character Sheet Modifications ===
==== Upgrades ====
All coded character upgrades will cost Advancement Points (AP). A coded upgrade is any upgrade that increases any of your character's stats or improves its profile in any way. This includes but is not limited to: increased core/mode/attack stats, additional attacks/abilities, or removal of weaknesses. For upgrade costs, please see the "Stats" section of following page from the game where TACS was first used, Transformers 2005. To view Ability pricing, see !combatinfo in-game. Please note that all listed prices are in Character Points (CP). Our AP to CP conversion is different from theirs. On TDE, 1 AP will be equal to 0.2 CP.
AP will be granted through votes from fellow players or staff (WizVotes) for participating in scenes/facilitating RP in-game. Each vote received from a fellow player is worth 1 AP, while votes from staff will be worth 2 AP. AP will be accrued per character, and cannot be transferred or refunded.
Use +account/ap to check your current AP allocation.
All upgrades will have a 2-week trial period. If within this period of time, staff or the player decides that the upgrade is not desirable, it may be modified provided the price of the upgrade does not increase. Please note however that if the price is decreased, the change may be approved by staff but no AP will be refunded. The upgrade will become final after 2 weeks. However, if another player acquires the character at a later time, any upgrades purchased by the previous player will be reverted. 
Voting eligibility criteria are as follows:
# Both the voter and the target are registered to the specified sceneID
# The targeted player has sent at least 3 poses to the specified sceneID. 
# The voter has not already voted for the targeted player in association with the specified sceneID. 
# The voter has not already voted for the targeted player in association with any sceneID at all within the past 24 hours.
# Neither the voter nor the target is a guest. 
# The specified sceneID was created within the past 14 days. 
# The specified sceneID contains at least 8 poses total. 
# The targeted character is not the voter, nor is it registered to the voter's account.
WizVotes
* Not limited by any of the above criteria except 5 & 8. 
* Awarded by staff only at their personal discretion. 
* Each staff member will be allowed to give 3 WizVotes per day. 
===== Stat Upgrades =====
Upgrades to any core or mode-variable stat will be handled using the following rules:
* Any upgrade to a level of 5 or less will simply cost you the difference in AP. For example, if you were upgrading from 4 to 5, then you would simply need to spend 1CP or 5 AP. 
* Any upgrade to level 6 or 7 will cost the difference in AP plus 25%. So if you were upgrading from level 4 to 7, then it would cost you 3CP + 0.75CP which is 3.75CP or 19AP. 
* Any upgrade to levels 8-10 will cost the difference in AP plus 50%. For example if you were upgrading from 4 to 9, then it would cost 5CP + 2.5CP which is 7.5CP or 38AP. 
* Mode-variable stats must be upgraded separately for each mode.
* All upgrades require logs to be submitted to staff as IC justification for the changes.
* Keep in mind that Armor and Velocity stats are at half cost per rank.
* All stats are eligible for upgrade except for Energon. This stat may not be modified by a player, as it is predetermined based on other character traits and is important for maintaining a balanced system. If you find that your * Energon is becoming depleted too rapidly, consider pulling attacks, investing in the Charge or Refuel ability, or upgrading attacks with the Efficient effect where appropriate. Bear in mind that adding an Ammo-based attack to your profile will reduce your character’s maximum Energon stat.
===== Upgrade Application =====
To apply for an upgrade, please fill out the Upgrade Application and fill out the form.
Your character needs to have found some way to gain access to the resources necessary to implement the upgrade. Some examples include:
# Winning a battle and looting; finding something somewhere.
# Gaining approval from superiors to requisition them from your faction's armory (this needs to be someone rank 3 or higher). This could be in light of graduating the Academy, getting promoted, recognition for an important battle won, etc.
Check out the Sample Applications page for an example of an approved upgrade application.
===== Reworks =====
All reworks must be submitted through this form. If changes are requested, please re-submit the form.
*A rework is defined as any change to a character's sheet that does not increase the character's overall CP cost.
*A maximum of 2 reworks will be allowed per character. The first rework will cost 25AP, and the second will cost 50AP.
*All newly approved characters and/or build modifications (upgrades, reworks) are given a 14-day trial period within which to test the new sheet. If the player is not satisfied, he/she may request a free rework at the discretion of Character Staff, that will not cost AP and will not count toward the aforementioned quota.
*Please note that players will NOT receive an AP refund for any extra CP generated if the character's overall cost was reduced.
*Any major rework will require IC justification, this will be determined on a case-by-case basis at the discretion of staff.
=== Character Continuity ===
All prior scenes that took place in any location other than the Character Development Lab are considered part of the game's history. Therefore, we expect new players of any characters with history on this game to respect any previous RP that may have occurred. While this does not mean new players need to read every single historical log involving the character applied for before getting approved, we do expect them to have read the existing profile. If there are any significant inconsistencies with the portrayal desired by the applicant, the new player will be expected to provide an IC justification for the change.
Please understand that all RP is the careful and dedicated storytelling work of each character's player. Every player wants to have an impact on our story, and we want to respect those who have already contributed to the game as much as possible. Additionally, preserving the development that players have built with other characters is a high priority for us, especially since our playerbase is relatively small. As mentioned elsewhere, we do our best to avoid retcons whenever possible. 
We also believe that this is the best way to maintain the game's continuity in an orderly fashion.
=== Faction ===
This game's focus is centered around the factional conflict between the Autobots and Decepticons. Therefore, a character's factional alignment is extremely important, provided he or she has one (See Banned & Restricted Concepts section for more on Neutral characters). Every faction-aligned character is expected to respect the chain of command, to a degree. Due to the nature of the theme, it is important that factions maintain some semblance of order and cohesiveness within their ranks. This does not mean your character cannot rebel. The requirement is simply to not have an unreasonable amount of blatant rebellion, the kind that causes disruption to the game and the ability of other players to enjoy the game, within each given faction at any given moment. However, keep in mind that this does not mean treason or rebellion committed in secret will never have any consequences, although they may not be immediate.
Consequently, characters who will never cooperate or work well with others are not likely to be approved. Players whose characters openly and repeatedly disrupt the game both ICly and OOCly by defying their superior officers in both word and deed may get a warning from staff. If warnings are not heeded, the offending character may be removed from the player’s account. 
Remember, all major factions are military organizations. Treason will not be well-tolerated ICly, insubordination can only go so far, and desertion is at best considered shameful and at worst punishable by execution. This is why it’s important for every character to have a relatively permanent reason for having joined his or her faction. 
The most important thing to remember in regards to this is ICA=ICC. If your character is acting treasonously constantly, the logical consequence is severe punishment or execution, and if you do not want that for your character, avoid this kind of IC behavior. 
It follows from this that changing factions is not something easily justified. Any upgrade, rework, or TP that involves character(s) changing factions will come under heavy scrutiny. For more information about changing factions, check out the Upgrade & Rework FAQ page. 
*Derived in part from Transformers: Robots In Disguise MUSH’s old policy files as seen at this link: http://robots-in-disguise.wikia.com/wiki/Policy
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