Rules & Guidelines

This page will outline all of the rules in guidelines in one place, both IC/OOC rules and the specific RP Rules that arise in RP. If ever you are unclear, please check this page. If you notice a rule that should be on here but isn't, contact an @Admin member on Discord.

## Universal Rules

### OOC Guidelines

1. Profanity is allowed, but sexually explicit language and adult themes are both strictly forbidden. In particular, suggestive comments about other users or their characters are not allowed.
2. Bullying, discrimination, slurs, and personal insults are strictly forbidden.
3. Do not share personal information or doxx yourself or other members of Model Hogwarts. For safety reasons, this includes using your real last name as your character or Discord name, or showing pictures of your face. It also includes any identifying features in your about me. If you share your location, nothing smaller than a largely populated city (IE New York City, London, Toronto) should be stated. Counties/States/Providences/Country etc. are fine.
4. No spamming.
5. No advertisements unless given explicit permission by an Admin.
6. Be polite to new players; do not trick them, maliciously lie to them or accuse them of being an alt.
7. Alt accounts are permitted, but must be declared to Admins or Sorters as soon as possible upon joining, and must follow the Alt Code of Conduct.

### IC Guidelines

1. IC channels all have strict guidelines on what is and is not allowable. These are listed in the IC Server Ratings.
2. Do not give your character your real name.
3. No godgaming. Do not control another character’s actions, injure or somehow change another person’s character without the player's permission.
4. No metagaming. Do not act on information that you know OOC, but your character does not.
5. Be mindful of others. Everyone has the right to ask for an RP to be toned down if it is making them uncomfortable.
6. Don’t let arguments IC get personal. Hate the character not the player!
7. All spells must be cast using the spell bot. You must RP attempting to cast the spell, and may attempt !cast once per description.

## IC Server Ratings

These guidelines all relate to in-character behaviour that is or is not acceptable to roleplay about on Model Hogwarts. Behaviour that is within these rules may still be subject to IC consequences if the behaviour is illegal or against school rules (e.g. swearing). If you want your character to break school rules and not be caught, you will need to be RP the rule-breaking as discreet.

### Violence and Gore

No excessive violence or gore is allowed. Violent actions, blood, and injuries are permissible, but they should not be described in detail, with intense imagery, or in a sustained manner over a long period. Generally speaking, depictions should not exceed violence levels portrayed in the Harry Potter books. No explicit descriptions of psychological torture or abuse are permitted. Violent, dangerous and malicious behaviour must not be endorsed. If you are unsure about whether a piece of writing you are considering posting may be too extreme for the server, you are welcome and encouraged to ask the moderators to check it first.

### Alcohol and Drugs

Any roleplays that show or reference drunkenness or drug use must not glorify addiction or unsafe behaviour around alcohol or drugs. Depictions of alcohol consumption should be kept realistic but tasteful, keeping in mind the age of the character(s).

### Nudity

Nudity can be stated or implied in a scene, but must not be described. (For example, "so and so's underpants were vanished" is okay, "so and so's [insert body part] was out" is not.)

### Gambling

Gambling, and references to gambling, is allowed in character, as long as nothing worth OOC value is being used or gambled with through Model Hogwarts.

### Profanity

Uncensored swearing is allowed provided it is done sparingly and respectfully, keeping in mind the word and context. Slurs, discrimination and sexually charged language are not allowed OOC. If you are unsure about language IC, use your best judgement. It is strongly suggested that you seek consent from your RP partners before using offensive language targeted at their character.

### Relationships and Sexual Content

Permissible sexual activity and references depend upon the ages of the characters involved. First years should not go beyond light kissing, while mild suggestive themes are allowed once characters hit their early teens. Overtly sexual behaviour by characters under the age of 16 is expressly forbidden in roleplay: this includes "fade-to-black" scenes, offscreen scenes and monologues. Sexual activity between characters aged 16 and over may be referred to but not described. Explicit sexual behaviour and crude references are not acceptable regardless of age. Pressuring someone to begin or continue an explicit sexual scene elsewhere or in DMs will lead to OOC consequences.

## OOC Server Content

Our rules around OOC chat reflect the fact that we have a broad range of people on this server, of differing ages and cultures. The most important rule is to be mindful of others. If someone is uncomfortable with something you've said, apologise and respect their wishes (e.g. to delete messages or change the subject). **You won't get into trouble for accidentally upsetting someone.** If someone else has upset you, then ask them to stop and, if possible, try to explain what's wrong. If this fails, either leave the conversation or use the model's safe-word, +safeword . More information on the safe-word is given in this section below.

Some users on Model Hogwarts use trigger warnings to forewarn others that they are going to be discussing a topic that might be sensitive to people. Exactly how you do this is up to you. One way is to hide the potentially offensive content in spoiler tags by placing two horizontal bars, ||, on either side of it. A possible format is:

>
>

There are some topics and types of content that we do not allow on Model Hogwarts at all, **except where required by Harry Potter canon.** (If you aren't certain, ask a moderator.) These include:

* Self-harm
* Suicide
* Incest
* Eating disorders
* Sexual assault
* Child grooming
* Gore/horror pictures
* Uncensored images of spiders/insects

The following words do **not** need to be hidden with spoiler tags:

* Names of animals (e.g. snake, insect, spider)
* Death-related words (e.g. blood, murder, kill, death)
* Drug-related words (e.g. drunk, drug, alcohol)
* Profanities (e.g. fuck, shit)
* Weapons (e.g. gun, knife, blade)

## General Conduct

Model Hogwarts is intended to be a friendly and welcoming community. The rules and guidelines on this page are designed to identify inappropriate behaviour, but the ideal is that they be required as little as possible. Users are asked to police themselves and to maintain not only the letter of the rules but their intention and spirit as well. In short, **do to others as you would have them do to you**. If your conduct does not technically breach any of the rules or guidelines, but is nonetheless unduly aggressive, hurtful or unreasonable, then you should expect to be punished accordingly.

In a community as large as Model Hogwarts, complete harmony is of course impossible to maintain, and as such it is important that each server member is prepared to deal with conflict appropriately. As such, if a user has broken the rules, insulted you or made you uncomfortable, or if an argument is getting heated, **do not cause a scene**. It's not your job to handle discipline, that's the mods' responsibility, and if you react, you yourself may make others uncomfortable, and may get into equal or worse trouble. The correct response is not to lash out or continue the cycle of aggression, but to either withdraw from the conversation or call +safeword. Following this, you are encouraged to report the misbehaviour to the mods using one of the methods listed on this page. This is the best way to ensure that all players feel comfortable, and that the model remains the friendly community it is supposed to be.

## +Safeword

+safeword is the Model Hogwarts safe-word. You may use it at any time in any channel in the server, if the conversation there is making you personally uncomfortable or if you believe it is not appropriate for the server. It may be used for roleplays as well as OOC chatter.

If anyone uses the safe-word, the conversation around it must stop and change immediately. Persisting with the topic after the safe-word is called will result in moderator intervention, and harrassing the person who called it will lead to serious punishment. If you believe the safe-word was misused or called in error, contact the moderators **privately**.

## Punishments and Reports

Any breaches of the server rules, guidelines and ratings, as well as any other case where a user has made others upset or uncomfortable, are investigated by the Model Hogwarts Moderation Team. Depending on severity, punishments up to and including a permanent ban from the server may be issued. All players are encouraged to report any wrongdoing they become aware of. For more details on punishments, and how to make a report, see The Moderation System.

## Doxxing

Doxxing is the posting of identifying information about yourself or someone else. Doxxing is against the rules on Model Hogwarts. Even if you are an adult, doxxing yourself may encourage younger members of the model to do the same, so all forms of it are banned. There are several things that constitute doxxing.

### Posting your real, full name

Don't post your full name on the server in any way. Whether that's saying it OOC or using it for your character's name, it's against the rules.

### Posting identifying information about yourself

Don't tell people where you go to school, where you work, or where you live. The country and state you live in are okay to share, but anything specific falls under the doxxing rule.

### Posting pictures of your face

As well, posting pictures of any part of your face is not allowed. This includes pictures of your eye or eyes. If you'd like to show off your new shoes, a tattoo, or include your hand in another photo, that is totally fine.

## Spamming

Spamming generally refers to posting a lot of irrelevant or unimportant information. This can be a concern on Model Hogwarts because there are a lot of people, and spamming can disrupt conversations. The following behaviors fall under the category of spamming.

### Posting a lot of bot commands

The bots on Model Hogwarts can be a lot of fun, but it's important to remember that for each time you send a bot command, another post will appear from the bot. Since this can push conversations up quickly, we'd like to remind everyone to be mindful of others and use the info-and-spam-1 or info-and-spam-2 rooms for bot commands. It's no big deal to do a roll or two is okay if it's relevant to the conversation, but keep in mind that it might encourage a lot of people to do the same.

### Posting a lot of irrelevant pictures

Posting pictures is fine, but try to keep them on-topic. Like bot commands, pictures can push the conversation up quickly.

### Posting copypasta

Don't post long, irrelevant chunks of text like copypasta, especially while others are talking. Long messages are okay to post.

## Alt Code of Conduct

Alternate accounts, known commonly as alts, are permitted on Model Hogwarts. In fact, they are necessary if you want to create multiple characters, because of how the model's mechanical systems work. Each character's learns, stats, potions and so on are connected to the Discord account they are operated from, so it isn't possible to link multiple characters' attributes to the same account. As such, separate accounts are required for each character you want to create.

### Alt Rules

Everyone using alts must abide by the following rules:

1. Alt accounts must be declared to the Sorters and/or Admins as soon as possible after joining. When declaring, you **must** say whose alt you are, although you are allowed to do so privately to an Admin if you wish and request that your identity be kept private. Refusal to declare an alt, or deliberately misleading someone about your identity, is grounds for an immediate permanent ban from Model Hogwarts.
2. You may have only **one** character in each school year at Hogwarts at any given time (one in first year, one in second year, and so on). Additionally, you may create no more than **two** new characters in the period of an in-character calendar year, which lasts 6 real-life months. Finally, you must wait at least **three** weeks after your first character is accepted before creating any additional ones. (This is known as the **1/2/3 rule**.) The only exceptions are characters from the same birth (twins, triplets, etc.) which are covered in a later section.
3. One character must not provide another played by the same roleplayer with undue advantages or benefits (**altvantage**). A fuller explanation of this is provided in the following sections.

### Mechanical Altvantage

Situations covered by altvantage can be placed broadly into two categories: mechanical and narrative. Mechanical altvantage refers to characters played by the same person benefiting each other in a way that uses bots, or bypasses the need for token purchases. For example, an older character trading an advanced potion to a younger character who isn't capable of brewing it yet, or two characters fighting alongside each other in a combat situation, are both examples of using bots for altvantage, whereas one character telling the other about token-restricted information, or giving the other a token-restricted item such as a Newt Scamander-style suitcase, are both cases of bypassing tokens.

All mechanical altvantage situations are **not allowed**, and if discovered may be grounds for mod action. Most of these scenarios do have workarounds that allow for such interactions in roleplay without gaining any mechanical advantage. For example, the passing of token-restricted information from one character to another would be permitted if both paid (and applied successfully, if necessary) for that knowledge. In combat, multiple characters played by one person may take part if, for example, they switch turns and share the same HP pool. During plots, adventures and other cases where an enemy side consists only of NPCs, the plotrunner, adventure runner or NPC player may, at their discretion, allow a player's characters to fight together in combat without these limitations.

### Narrative Altvantage

Narrative altvantage refers to a roleplayer's characters benefiting each other in ways that don't involve bots or tokens, but nonetheless impact their and other characters' stories. This particularly arises in cases where such characters are related to each other, e.g. siblings: an example situation might be an older sibling finding out that their younger sibling is being bullied, and confronting or getting revenge on the bullies. These situations are harder to regulate, since disallowing them would unfairly limit the plausibility of anyone playing related characters. It is recommended that, if one of your characters discovers information relating to another that they would realistically act on, that you **discuss the matter with all affected parties** and agree on a roleplay solution that works for everyone.

### Alts in the Same Scene

Most cases of narrative altvantage arise in the course of roleplay scenes, in which multiple characters are present and may act to assist each other depending on the situation, especially if they are blood-related. Because of this, many roleplayers choose not to roleplay multiple characters in the same scene. For those who do, however, we ask that the following guidelines be followed:

* In **closed channels**, you may roleplay multiple characters in the scene **only with the consent of all other roleplayers in the scene**. It is recommended that you establish who is in the scene (or who may arrive later) prior to the scene starting. You may **not** roleplay in a closed channel with only your own characters, as this unfairly blocks the channel from others who might wish to roleplay there. Please pre-write these scenes and post them all at once in order to avoid this issue. Use of the #offscreen-scenes or #monologues channels are recommended.
* In **open channels**, you may roleplay as many characters as you like without needing to seek permission. However, your characters **must** **not interact directly with each other unless it is strictly necessary**. In an open scene related to the plot and run by a plotrunner, the plotrunner may choose to waive this rule.

### Alts in Applications

The rule against characters played by the same roleplayer benefiting each other extends to token purchase applications, which are handled by the Applications Team. What constitutes altvantage in apps will be at the discretion of the team, but in general, care should be taken to avoid using another one of your characters to justify a purchase (such as, for example, applying for a student to gain a rare magical creature as a pet because their parent, also roleplayed by you, owns a magical creature reserve). Applications based solely or mainly on another of your characters are extremely unlikely to be passed, especially if the purchase is major.

The Applications Team may also consider, when deciding on an app, the overall impact a single roleplayer is having on the model. For example, if you have already have a character pushing the boundaries of magical creation/discovery, then the standards for another character making high-impact discoveries may be higher, or outright disallowed.

### Same-Birth Characters (Twins, Etc.)

Multiple characters born at the same birth (twins, triplets, quadruplets and so forth) are the only exception to the 1/2/3 rule: twins by definition break the "one character per year level" rule, while triplets or greater numbers also break the "two new characters per in-character year" rule. Special rules, therefore, exist to make same-birth characters possible, although these rules are still very strict. This is because of the intrinsic altvantage risk for same-birth characters that is far greater than any other, due to their normally close relationship and the fact that they are in the same year at Hogwarts.

The following options are available for playing same-birth characters:

1. Asking other roleplayer(s) to collaborate with you, with one roleplayer playing each character. This is the **most preferred** option, as it avoids the altvantage issue entirely.
2. Roleplaying all characters on the same account, meaning the characters share all bot settings (for example, they will learn the same spells and have the same stats). Restrictions on mechanical and narrative altvantage as outlined above, such as the two characters alternating turns in combat, will still apply. Note that characters in different houses **cannot** be roleplayed on the same account, because the house roles interfere with each other.
3. Roleplaying all characters on different accounts. This is the **least preferred** option, and may only be granted through a private discussion with the Admins, which you can request using the #private-discussion-queue. You will need to explain why you cannot roleplay them on the same account (for example, because they are in different houses, or are different enough to be poorly represented by having the same bot settings), and demonstrate you intend for the characters to have distinct character arcs with minimal overlap with one another, thus minimising the possibility of altvantage.

If you create and roleplay multiple same-birth characters at Hogwarts using option 2 or 3 as stated above, they will **share the token progression of a single character**. Additionally, you will forfeit the right to make characters of the same type for a number of in-character years equal to the "extra" characters you made. So, for example, if you make First Year twins you will not be able to make any First Years the next year, while if you make Fourth Year triplets you will not be able to make Fourth Years for the next two years.

### General Alt Conduct

These rules regarding alts have been put in place for a number of reasons, largely to preserve the fun, enjoyment and smooth running of the entire server. Limits on the number of alts that may be created are designed to prevent people from dominating scenes or class years with their own alts, which can in turn make other people, especially people new to Model Hogwarts, feel unwanted or excluded. The limits also help lighten the load on the Sorter team, who can become overwhelmed when a large number of characters are submitted in a short space of time. Altvantage rules, meanwhile, are designed to prevent characters from achieving an unfair or unhealthy level of prominence in Model Hogwarts, simply due to the actions of other characters played by the same roleplayer. Everyone should be given equal narrative opportunities.

Because of this, as well as abiding by the letter of these rules, those who choose to make alts are asked to bear the health of the server in mind when roleplaying them. Don't make an alt simply to make them part of your other character's story: give them their own character arc. Bear in mind the experience of other roleplayers, especially new users; try to use alts in a way that includes other people who you might not roleplay with otherwise, rather than excluding them. In short, use alts responsibly!

## Hogwarts Rules

Like any school, and in accordance with Harry Potter canon, Hogwarts has rules that students are expected to abide by. You will never be punished for your character's rule-breaking or harmful actions; you are allowed to play a mischievous, mean or evil character if you so choose. However, we do place boundaries in order to maintain the Potter-like feel of the roleplay. As an example, it wouldn't be realistic if characters were allowed to openly cast Dark magic and get off scot-free.

Some actions are outright not permitted in roleplay on Model Hogwarts, or restricted in some way **(category 1)**. These rules are largely in place to avoid common misinterpretations of canon, particularly among people who don't know the Harry Potter universe very well. Attempts to break these rules will result in the moderators taking action to void or retcon the offending scenes, but you (OOCly) will not be punished unless you deliberately or persistently try to circumvent these rules.

The other type of rules are rules you are completely allowed to roleplay your character breaking, but if done openly or if they are caught doing so, they will be liable for in-character punishments **(category 2)**. Characters with IC authority roles, such as Professors and prefects, may be alerted to rule-breaking using the @On Patrol ping. They may also intervene to discover and punish rule-breaking of their own accord in some circumstances. More detail is given on this page.

In-character punishments typically range from house point losses and detentions, to expulsion from Hogwarts. As a reminder: these are punishments for your character only and don't reflect or impact your OOC standing on the server.

### Category 1: IC and OOC Restrictions

These must be followed: breaking them will result in moderator intervention.

* **You cannot leave Hogwarts during term.** The exceptions are Hogsmeade weekends, or if you are given school permission and have paid a minor token for Unique Circumstances. On Hogsmeade weekends, seventh years can travel by Apparition to other parts of the world, but it's assumed that they'll find their way back before the end of the trip. Younger students cannot do so, even by Floo, since it would violate channel viewing and posting permissions.
* **You cannot enter another house's common room.** If you try to do so, even if you know the password or secret to getting in, NPCs will prevent you from entering, or throw you out. The only exception is if you have a special means of entering undetected, such as Polyjuice Potion, and have received admin permission via the #private-discussion-queue.
* **You cannot enter a different gender's dormitory.** Each common room has its own magic preventing this.
* **People with disabilities or language difficulties are offered a house-elf to aid them at Hogwarts.** Alternatively, If their family has a house-elf who lives with them and would offer their aid, that house-elf is permitted. You should roleplay the house-elf as only providing services necessary for managing the disability or translating; anything further at Hogwarts may require a token application. Optionally, you may roleplay your character as refusing this aid, or a clerical error leading to it not being offered to your character and your character being unaware of the option until told. However, the service is routinely offered at Hogwarts. If you have had bad experiences with aid workers in real life, you may opt out of this and do not need to give an IC reason for it.
* **You cannot be harmed by a fall from a tower or window.** You can assume that either magic prevents any injury, or a house-elf is assigned to guard the hazard.
* **Notable items cannot be stolen or hidden.** This includes but is not limited to the Sorting Hat and past House Cups.
* **School property vandalism or damage does not last.** If something is not fixed by the end of the scene where it happens, it is assumed to be repaired or replaced by a Professor, or cleaned by a house-elf, before anyone else sees. The only exception is if an enchanted object is destroyed: that cannot be repaired.
* **The kitchens and the Room of Requirement are both hidden and secret.** You may roleplay your character discovering or entering these rooms, but need a reasonable explanation for how they made the discovery, such as being told by another character. The kitchens are accessed by tickling a pear in a painting of a bowl of fruit in a corridor in the basement, while the Room of Requirement appears in a corridor on the seventh floor if you walk back and forth three times while concentrating on what you need.
* **Dark spells are illegal IC and restricted OOC.** You cannot learn Dark spells without an application, and strict OOC rules govern their use. In-character, you must roleplay the study and use of Dark spells as secret and discreet; your character would be expelled from Hogwarts and in trouble with the law if the authorities found out. The full rules regarding Dark spells are given in this section below.
* **Dark items are not allowed IC and restricted OOC.** Similarly to the rules for Dark spells, items such as books teaching Dark magic and cursed objects require an application. If your character brings one to Hogwarts, you do so at the risk of being caught and punished, and the item confiscated, with the potential for expulsion and/or prosecution in extreme cases. Dark item rules are given in this section.
* **The Restricted Section is restricted both IC and OOC.** IC, you need either special permission from a Professor, or to sneak in at risk of being caught and punished. OOC, obtaining information from the Restricted Section requires a token payment and is locked to certain year levels, depending on the information. Rules regarding what can be found in the Restricted Section and at what cost are outlined on this page.
* **Love potions are not permitted at Hogwarts.** This includes the following potions in the bot: Infatuation Potion, Minor Love Potion, Love Potion and Amortentia. Possession or use of any of these potions is grounds for serious IC consequences up to and including expulsion. OOCly, when RPing the use and effects of love potions, the Love Potion rules must be adhered to at all times.

### Category 2: IC Rules

These may be broken but your character will bear the consequences if discovered.

* **You are not allowed to cast magic outside of school until your character turns 17.** Wix under the age of 17 are tracked by a spell known as the Trace, which alerts the Ministry of Magic if they or anyone near them performs magic outside of Hogwarts. NPC adults will not lie to protect your character from punishment, so if your character casts magic outside of Hogwarts, they will be caught, receiving a warning the first time and being expelled from Hogwarts on a second offence. Exceptions apply if the magic is performed with authorised permission (for example, as part of an apprenticeship) or in a life-threatening situation. The Trace comes into effect on September 1 of the student's first year at Hogwarts (or the equivalent if the student does not attend school), so the casting of spells prior to this date will not trigger it.
* **School uniform must be worn at classes and school feasts.** The Hogwarts school uniform is plain black robes, and students are also expected to have a black pointed hat, a pair of protective gloves, and a winter cloak for use where applicable. Outside of these events, students may dress casually, including in Muggle clothing, if they choose to.
* **You are not allowed to skip class without permission.** You do not have to be present OOC for every live class, but your character is still assumed to be there, otherwise they will be ICly punished. If they are ill or have another good reason for being absent, a written note from a staff member, Head Student or prefect is preferred.
* **You are not allowed to be out of bed after curfew.** Adult staff members patrol the corridors at these times, so night-time roleplays outside the common rooms happen at risk of being caught. Anyone who is out of bed at night frequently will be caught at some point.
* **You are not allowed to enter the Forbidden Forest.** Any roleplay in the #forbidden-forest channel, or other scenes set in the Forest, may be discovered by IC authorities. Even scenes in #forbidden-forest-outskirts may catch their attention, although this is not punishable.
* **You are not allowed to brew potions without supervision.** The #potions-lab is the place where extra-curricular brews are allowed, and are supervised at all times by a staff member, teaching assistant or house elf. Any brewing outside of classes and the potions lab is against the rules and will be punished if caught.
* **Unsanctioned duelling is banned.** Duels are only allowed in Defence Against the Dark Arts classes under the teacher's supervision and adjudication, as part of Duelling Club, or otherwise sanctioned by a staff member in a suitable space for duelling, preferably the #duelling-room. Any other duels or cases of malicious magic being cast will lead to IC punishment if discovered.
* **First years may not bring their own brooms to Hogwarts.** They use school brooms during flying lessons, and may request permission from a Professor, Head Student, Prefect, Flight TA or Quidditch Captain to borrow a school broom for practice under supervision. Other than this, they are not allowed to fly. First years are also not usually allowed to try out for Quidditch teams. Successful applicants to join a Quidditch team in first year (which costs a Journeyman token) may be exempted from this rule.
* **All areas of Hogwarts are open to discovery.** If you set up residence in an abandoned room or some other corner of the castle or grounds, and leave open evidence of rule-breaking or illegal activity, you should realistically expect to be discovered. Even if it's well-hidden, authorities have the power to discover such things if they so choose.
* **Muggle weapons are banned at Hogwarts.** Swords are not permitted, while sharp knives are allowed only for eating and preparing potion ingredients. Official clubs, for activities such as fencing, are an exception to this rule, with the handling of weapons allowed only under teacher supervision. Personally owned weapons are allowed only with staff permission, which will only be granted with significant justification, such as cultural reasons. Such weapons will be kept by a staff member when not in use. Weapons may be Conjured or Transfigured only for study purposes under supervision from a Professor, or within a sanctioned duel.
* **Joke items are banned at Hogwarts.** This includes any items purchased from Weasleys’ Wizarding Wheezes or other magical joke stores.
* **Pets are only allowed in approved areas.** Parts of the castle pets are not allowed in include, but are not limited to, classrooms and the library. Other limitations apply depending on the specific pet. Outdoor pets such as horses are not allowed inside, and pets that are unpredictable or difficult to handle have strict limitations; for example, Nifflers are kept in an enclosure on the grounds and not allowed out without supervision.
* **You are not allowed to cast magic in the corridors.** This rule is aimed at preventing harmful magics such as unsanctioned duelling and vandalism. Magic in the corridors cast constructively and with good justification, such a mending a broken item or healing an injury, will typically not be punished by the professors. There is no rule against magic in other areas of the castle, such as abandoned classrooms or the Great Hall, although dangerous or disruptive magic will still incur punishment.
* **You are not allowed to fly a broomstick inside the castle.**
* **You are not allowed to swim in the lake.**

### Expulsion

The following offences, if discovered, will lead to immediate expulsion from Hogwarts, even if not done on school grounds. They may also result in criminal charges depending on the character's age.

* Murder.
* Attempted murder with a reasonable chance of success, if the intent to kill is provable.
* The usage of harmful Dark magic (such as the Unforgivable Curses, and curses that are life-threatening or permanently scar), if awareness of the spell's effect is provable.
* A second offence of casting underage magic outside of school.
* Deep-delve Legilimency without consent.
* Any other actions taken to knowingly cause major and incurable harm, mental or physical.

Beyond this, the Professors on the server use a **three-strike** system to determine expulsions. Incidents that require major Professor intervention will incur a strike, and after a third strike the student will be expelled. Examples of actions leading to a strike include:

* Intentionally causing harm to someone, or attempting to do so.
* Bullying or discrimination.
* Majorly endangering the Statute of Secrecy (potentially revealing the wizarding world to Muggles).

All of these consequences apply if the misbehaviour is either impossible to be realistically hidden (for example, dramatically attacking someone in the Great Hall), is witnessed and verified by an authority figure, or otherwise discovered and proven. If you want your character to avoid these consequences, it is recommended to roleplay their rule-breaking in such a way that it is realistically unlikely they will be discovered, such as doing so in an out-of-the-way time and place, and using stealth/protective magic to keep others from finding out. Bear in mind, as previously stated, that IC authorities may still have powers to discover your character's rule-breaking depending on the situation; refer again to this page.

In summary, if you decide to have your character break IC rules, you are doing so at your own risk!

## Retconning

Retconning means a change to a past event in a narrative. In the context of roleplay, to retcon something involves adding, revising or removing something that happened in your character's past. Being a large-scale roleplay server, the narratives we tell on Model Hogwarts can majorly impact other characters. Any retroactive changes to a character or narrative can unfairly blindside other players and adversely affect their RP experience. Because of this, retconning is limited and generally discouraged on Model Hogwarts unless there is good reason to do so. There are two main types of retcon, which are detailed below:

### **Soft Retcons**

Soft retcons occur when new information is inserted into an existing story to give it new or additional context. None of the established 'canon' events are changed, but the new information might cause past events to be seen a different way. Some examples of soft retcons might be:

* Your character discovers they are adopted; the people they and everyone assumed to be their blood relatives are actually unrelated.
* You decide to apply for half-Veela on a character you have already created, which means their mother (who was assumed human but never roleplayed on-screen) is retconned into a Veela, and their unusual attractiveness is now supernatural rather than natural.
* J. K. Rowling reveals that Gellert Grindelwald was the original inventor of Flipendo, and that information is incorporated into Model Hogwarts canon.

Because soft retcons only involve recontextualising roleplayed events and not changing them, they can usually be done on Model Hogwarts without oversight. It is still important to get permission from any roleplayers who might be affected by the new information and change of context. When new canon information is released that soft retcons Model Hogwarts canon, the admins will typically aim to incorporate it as soon as possible.

### **Hard Retcons**

Hard retcons are when a canon event - one that was roleplayed or referred to in RP on Model Hogwarts - is changed or removed entirely. Some examples are:

* Your first year character mentions in a scene that they have a younger brother, but you later change your mind and decide they are an only child.
* J. K. Rowling reveals that Gnomes are immune to Flipendo, requiring an existing scene in which a character had successfully cast Flipendo on a Gnome to be revised - for example, to say that the character used Depulso instead.
* A player is banned from Model Hogwarts for notable reasons, and others wish to void some or all of their characters' involvement with the offending player's character, so as to distance themselves from the player.

Because of the nature of RP where at least two characters are involved in each scene, and the outcome of such a scene can then have ripple effects on others, hard retcons are regulated far more strictly than soft retcons. With certain exceptions that are listed below, they require permission from admins, and will not be accepted without sufficient reason.

### **How to Retcon**

* Hard Retcons of Minor Character Details: If you have stated something in your character sheet that you would like to change, you may reach out to the Sorters and run your desired changes by the team. Generally this will only be allowed for very basic details such as name or eye colour, only in the first few days after the sheet was accepted, and only if the character has had no or minimal RP.

* Limited-Scale Hard Retcons: If you wish to change or void a minor event where the effects are localised to only a small group of characters and had no impact on the wider model, and if all the players involved agree to the change, you can do so without consulting staff. Please note, however, that the mods reserve the right to intervene if the effects of the retcon end up being wider than assumed.

* Large-Scale Hard Retcons: Any change that might affect a large number of people, such as the voiding or changing of an entire plot or relationship between characters, requires a private discussion with the admins. These will almost never be accepted without a good reason. Factors the admins will consider include how long ago the event being changed happened, and the potential effects of the change on scenes that have occurred since. Removing characters entirely or resetting them to year one, for example, is almost exclusively allowed only for characters that had practically no roleplays.

* Soft OR Hard Retcons Due to Interpersonal Issues: Any retcons due to disagreements between two or more users require liaising with both mods and admins. This is due to the fact that the retcon will affect all parties and so needs to be done in a way that is fair to everyone. You are within your rights to void an RP in progress if one or more other players are making you uncomfortable, but this should still go through mods, so they can take appropriate action if necessary.

### **Staff-Enforced Retcons**

* Admin Retcons: While we try to avoid this, at times the admins will require a scene to be retconned, whether it is a change in details, or an outright removal. This can be due to a variety of reasons, including if new Harry Potter canon information directly contradicts events in a scene, if a system change (to the details of a power, for example) means what happened is no longer possible, or if the scene broke Model Hogwarts rules. In the latter case, we recognise that this can happen by accident and will try to work through the required changes with the affected parties so the impact on RP will be minimal. If the scene was particularly high-profile, an announcement to the server detailing the changes may be necessary.

* Apps Retcons: One particular situation that may arise is a scene in which something occurs or is used that ought to have required an application and/or token purchase. Again, we recognise that this can occur by honest mistake. If we feel this is the case, then depending on the particular circumstances and factors such as the token that ought to have been spent, we may ask for a retroactive token purchase with no application needed, or you may be required to apply. If you are unable or choose not to spend the token, or if the application is not passed, the scene will need to be retconned - in a similar fashion to admin retcons, admins will work with the participants to minimise the effects. The mods reserve the right to take appropriate action if they deem that the failure to spend a token was intentional or part of a pattern of behaviour.

If you're unsure about whether the change you wish to make is permitted or what the requirements are, please reach out to the admin team via the private discussion queue.

## !learn Roleplaying Guidelines

Spell learns should be accompanied by some roleplay! Below is a list of guidelines and suggestions, accompanied by a few rules regarding the spell RP system. Please note that the vast majority of these are **guidelines** and can be tweaked to suit your tastes, they're not mandatory and mostly intended to be prompts on how to get the brain juices flowing!

* First learns should have some form of RP, these are recommended to be outside of learn room whether that be in a specific location, monologue or off screen scene. These scenes should work to establish motive for learning this spell; this can be as simple as ‘for class’ to as complex as it being part of a character’s life long goal, Later learns can be done in the learn rooms, but we do encourage some RP to go along with them, even if it’s basic.
* If you feel learning in a scene would break its flow you may !learn in #learns-and-trains, however you **must** link back to the channel with the RP by doing #channel-name with a search term to make it easier to find. The RP must also be done prior to you doing the !learn in this instance. This same rule applies to the s!train and c!frog commands.
* You can put multiple points in at once, so feel free to mix this up and base it on how much you feel they learned. You can put these points in any time, so take it at your own pace! Maybe one week they learn one points in Flipendo and the next week five in Diffindo, that’s up to you!
* Upper years and Professors may know more about spells than you; sometimes it can be a fun RP prompt to have them walk you through their own casting process and teach you a thing or two for a learn scene. This is especially the case for more difficult spells (you can see a spells ‘difficulty’ under !info).
	+ Speaking of spells ‘difficulty’ we recommend starting off with lower difficult spells and building up to the higher one's, especially with lower years. This helps show a character’s growth at spellcasting. However, this is not enforced! Go with what you feel is true to your character.
* Learn modifiers don’t necessarily make you a master of that spell. Some spells require additional knowledge outside your characters ability to cast the spell. One such example is *Episkey* which requires an in-depth knowledge of the wound you’re trying to heal on top of your learn modifier.
* As learns aren’t strictly tied to rolls this gives you a variety of ways to approach the in character learning, some such examples include:
	+ Maybe your character is a big reader; rather than focusing on the practical elements of spellcasting they might study and study and study *before* they even begin to cast, allowing you to input your !learn prior to doing any spellcasting at all. This means when it comes time to cast, they’ll be ready. Likewise in classes you may do !learn during your teacher’s theory of said spells prior to the casting practicals.
	+ Perhaps your character learns through succeeding; prior to inputting your learns you can do a !cast and see if they successfully perform the spell. RPing this situation out you then either apply the learns or leave them for another time.
	+ Or perhaps your character learns equally well - or even better - from their mistakes. In this instance you can do the same !cast, but even on a failure add some learn points to the spell. Maybe they figure out their wand movement is sloppy, or they’re pronouncing the incantation wrong.
	+ If you feel like your character has an affinity for a specific spell (maybe they grew up with it, maybe they have some sort of mundane talent that helps them with the magical side of this spell, such as a tattoo artist understanding Imprimo). You may put points into this spell to start off with, prior to any study or practise. However, you, you must still write some form of RP for these learn points showing *why* your character has a natural gift here.
	+ Using the above methods, if you so wish you may place negative modifiers on your !cast by doing !cast Lumos -5 if you wish your character to have a particularly hard time with a specific spell.
	+ The flexibility of our spellbot allows you to tailor your learn narratives to fit *your* character, so don’t feel constrained by these suggestions even, developing the method in which your character’s learn can help create some extra flavourful RP that helps show off who they are as a person.

## Dark Magic

### Dark Spells

Dark spells, while able to be learned in the model, require an application to be submitted before you start learning them. You cannot apply for Dark magic as a whole: you must apply for one spell to start off with. To apply, use the Token Purchase Application form and choose the "Dark Magic" option for the question "What are you interested in applying for?" If you wish to apply for more Dark spells after this, you will need to use the same form for spells costing an Apprentice token or higher, but spells costing a minor token may be purchased in the #private-discussion-queue **if** they are not the first Dark spell the character is learning.

There are two things taken into account for Dark spell applications: whether your history on the model gives us cause to doubt if you'll use Dark spells appropriately abiding by the rules below, as well as whether or not your character has shown interest in learning these spells up to that point. It is recommended that you begin RPing interest prior to your application, as that will make the application process much quicker.

Besides that, there are two extremely important rules:

1. Your characters use and learning of Dark spells must be kept secret IC, or they will risk expulsion. Secrecy is an important aspect of accessing Dark spells, and failure to abide by the secrecy IC causing multiple infractions *will* lead to dire OOC consequences.
2. **OOC permission is required before you cast a Dark spell on someone else's character**. Casting a Dark spell on someone's character without permission will result in an immediate warning, and further infractions may lead to you being removed from the server. You cannot push for consent either, you may only ask once, and if they refuse, *you must respect their choice*. If it comes to light that consent was pushed for after the initial answer, you will face serious OOC consequences.

Failure to abide by either of these rules will have your access to all Dark spells removed *or* a ban, depending on the severity of the infractions.

### Dark Items

Dark Items include objects that are Enchanted with a Dark spell (a Cursed Object), as well as books that explicitly give sufficient information about Dark spells that one would be able to learn to cast them based on that information. Dark Items are illegal to buy, sell, own or use IC unless you have a permit from the Ministry of Magic to do so. Permits are only issued for valid reasons: for example, someone in the Department of Mysteries studying how a curse works, or a Healer who needs to understand a Dark spell so as to treat and heal wounds caused by it.

Some shops have a Ministry permit to display Dark Items, but are not allowed to sell them to anyone except those who also have a permit. Borgin and Burkes is an example of one such store, as are many others in Knockturn Alley. Many of these stores, including Borgin and Burkes, do in fact illegally sell Dark Items, while covering their tracks well enough to prevent the Ministry from gaining proof of their wrongdoing.

You may operate a Cursed Object if you have successfully applied for at least one Dark spell previously. If you have not, you will need to apply to be able to operate a Dark Item, which follows the same rules as applying for your first Dark spell (see the Dark Spells section above). This is in addition to the cost for the object itself.

You do not need to apply to own or gain access to a book with information on a Dark spell: this is covered within the cost of the spell itself. However, knowledge of the spell's existence in the first place may be costed: see the Restricted Knowledge page for details.