Special Ability System FAQ

This is an FAQ that answers some of the frequent questions we get regarding the Special Ability system and how you apply for powers.

For more information, check the Ars Arcanum.

## Why Quotas?

These powers were considered exceptionally rare in canon, if they existed at all, and as such having too many of them would be harmful in that it would significantly cause the Model's depiction of Hogwarts to deviate from what new joiners might envision. Furthermore, fostering an environment where certain natural powers were too available or common would amplify concerns that a natural power felt necessary for a character, which would be problematic and encourage applying for powers for the sake of keeping pace with others or not feeling left behind.

## What are you looking for in an app?

We look for a complete understanding of what the power actually entails, which typically is:

* A good understanding of how the power's progression ought to go, both in a vacuum and in the context of your character
* An idea of how the power and its progression might impact the growth of your character
* An idea of how the power and its progression might impact other players, and thus the model as a whole
* An awareness and strong respect for the drawbacks of the power, and how it might prove a hindrance for your character realistically given the nature of the model.

We also look for a compelling story intention for the power. This is an especially important priority for tier 4 apps and natural power apps, which are both inherently limited due to their impact. For natural powers particularly, due to the necessity of quotas, it's not enough to accept any application that simply shows understanding of the ability; a compelling story or potential stories tied into the power that convincingly justifies why your application is not just good, but good enough that it convinces us that if we accepted only applications of that quality or better over the next seven years, we would not exceed our quotas. That is essential to any successful application.

## Does my app need to be long?

The length of the application matters little on how well it will do, but for some of the powers, to properly touch on the consequences and impacts it can have, it may require the app to be longer.

Length for length's sake will not help an application much, but length out of necessity to explain the different impacts you could foresee or expect will. Length should not be a focus, but rather a side effect.

*Tier 1* applications only require a few sentences per section to get the point across because they are generally self contained with little impact on the overall model. *Tier 2* applications are when things start stretching beyond your character and begins having tangible impacts on your fellow players. As a result of that, they require a little more thought, while *Tier 3* will require in depth thought and consideration as the effect of the powers have grown even further. Now even the over-arching story can be heavily impacted by how many of these powers are present within the Model. *Tier 4* will always be the longest of all of these because these powers have massive, long-reaching effects on the RP, with tangible plot-line changing impacts and enough power concentrated in one person that you need a very detailed understanding of all of the impacts that power may have on those around you so we know it will be wielded responsibly. Powers of this caliber handled poorly can absolutely suck the fun out of an RP, and thus require very careful scrutiny to pass.

TL;DR Tier 3 and 4 apps will generally be long, but padding out the length artificially will not help.

## What if I'm not a good writer?

The app does not need to be well written to get the point across. We are more concerned with your understanding of the power and the impact it can have on the Model than how beautifully you can tie it together. We will never, ever judge on quality of the writing alone. Even beautifully written apps *can* and *have* been declined because they lacked understanding of the power, were unable to fully cover the impact of the powers on the different facets of the model or were unable to set up an adequate justification for the power.

## What if you guys don't like my idea, but a lot of other people do?

Each application has to be judged not just by how compelling it is as a story, or how much other currently active players or friends might enjoy it, but also by what impact that application's success might have on the model's future stories and player base, as well as the perception of those in the model who might be less inclined to approve of an idea but feel uncomfortable saying it for whatever reason. Part of the job of the apps team is to try to look at each application as objectively and with as broad a view as possible.

Ultimately, we accept that the applications process is inherently subjective to some degree, regardless of the lengths that we go to to define an app's quality by objective criteria rather than our own personal biases or desires.

However we go to great lengths to try and mitigate bias as we can; if we feel the current makeup of the app team is too biased for or against a specific power, we will bring in people from the outside with as neutral a viewpoint as possible and ask for their input, or we will take a break from a particularly troublesome app so we have more time to consider it. We regularly have members of the app team sit out if they feel they have too much inherit bias for or against a specific app, along with members who will actively play devil's advocate in or out of an app's favour. The idea of bias is something we take into consideration frequently, and are looking for new ways to circumvent all the time.

## Who else has gotten powers?

Sharing knowledge on a character’s successful applications, purchases and indeed powers is entirely up to the discretion of the applicants themselves. The mods won’t share knowledge on who has what power, which is also why the Wiki lacks such information. If you know someone has a power, or indeed anything that has been purchased through OOC points, please ask them for consent before sharing the knowledge with anyone else.

The reason for all of this, is that many players find it more fun to surprise people by slowly developing their power, leaving tiny hints behind, before they finally reveal it all IC. Others might not want the attention before their power comes into play.

## How do I know if I'm eligible for an application? How long can I apply for things?

Before you can apply for a Natural Power you must have been an active player for at least two weeks, with the exception of Metamorphmagus which must be applied for before roleplaying.

Due to the desire to roleplay out the full arc of each power from start to finish with proper consequences and downsides, Metamorphmagus cannot be applied for beyond initial joining due to the overt nature of the power and how big of a change it would make to a character to add that in later. Similarly, Natural Legilimens cannot be applied for beyond your first school year due to the significant downsides it entails whilst younger characters are developing that is mitigated by the passage of time. Other natural powers cannot be applied for after graduation due to the fact the full narrative experience will have been missed. You have a two application maximum on natural powers and if your initial app is denied you must wait three weeks before sending in a second.

The limitations on learned powers and general OOC powers are much less strict. You may begin to apply for such things when you have the appropriate number of OOC points and, in the case of learned powers, when you have reached the required year stated in the Ars Arcarnum.

## What about professors with natural powers?

Professors, whilst they typically must apply for natural powers unless that power is essential to their station (essentially, a Divination Professor must be a Seer) do not contribute to natural power quotas, and their possession of abilities thus has no impact on the abilities of the student body, for better or for worse.

## Why are natural powers so common amongst the oldest students?

This is an unfortunate consequence of the Model's rapid progression and scope expansion over the course of its first couple of IC years, and stemmed from no malice whatsoever. To briefly summarise how the applications process has changed:

In the model's first year, there was no Ars Arcanum at all, and no guidance provided whatsoever for what could be applied for and how they should, what kind of limits there would be, and how powers would work. Powers were considered purely on a case-by-case basis by the staff, as at the time the staff did not expect the model would expand so much in scope and outreach. At the time they focused on maintaining the model rather than considerations for the model's long-term health. As such, balance was considered less seriously and more apps were passed, but there was no transparency on how powers worked, what was acceptable to apply for or other similar concerns.

Furthermore, while proportionally the fifth years (the Class of 2023) actually have a slightly higher number of successful natural power applications to other years, and the fourth years (Class of 2024) even more so. This has in part been caused by serious issues with retention in our first and second IC years that resulted in many players leaving. The players passionate enough to stay invested in the server despite the difficult growing periods were often the players who'd invested heavily into writing a detailed application for a natural power.

Ultimately, the only assurance we can offer is that the systems we've outlined for applications, the Ars Arcanum and OOC points are now more stable than they have ever been, and barring unexpected catastrophe, all applications from now on should be treated with the same caution and rigour, so that no future year will ever have such an outlier situation again.

## This is making applying for a Tier 3 or 4 power really daunting. Should I go to all the effort anyway?

Our recommendation is that Tier 3 and 4 apps are avoided for players who worry that being rejected would be extremely upsetting. Despite judging some powers harshly, it genuinely isn't our intention to hurt people, especially when somebody has to be rejected for a natural power they feel extremely passionate about. If you’re not confident that you could take being turned down for such an app in stride, it is very likely better to not make the application at all, especially for tier 4 apps.

Return to the Ars Arcanum