Code of Conduct

Below is set of rules regarding user conduct whilst utilizing the site, engaging in discussions, editing this wiki, and the type of content permitted on the site. Administrators will adapt rules as needed, but exceptions will rarely, if ever, be made for repeated offenses. The wiki follows a strike system which will be detailed below.

## General Rules

1. **Be civil and respectful.** In all interactions with other users, assume good faith from those you speak with and act with nothing less. Creative endeavors are often an intensely personal, so critique of what you create can hurt. However, always remember to look past it to see if criticisms may have a point and can lead you to revise your work with new improvements. Even if you see the criticism from someone isn't constructive, don't let the conversation devolve into personal attacks or respond with anything you might have cause to regret later.
2. **Be constructive in your own responses.** In reading articles on the site, you may come across someone's mistakes in spelling or grammar conventions, a view you strongly disagree with, or a concept in someone's work you don't think would be possible within the context of The Witcher TRPG, mechanically or lore wise. If that's the case, don't simply comment their ideas are 'stupid' or 'wrong'. Politely point out what problem you have with their work, and if possible offer some suggestions for ways you see they could improve it.
3. **No discriminatory behavior.** So far as this wiki is concerned, everyone here is equal in being simply a creator with a username on computer displays. Any espousing beliefs that one person is superior to another on the basis of race, sexuality, beliefs, or other factors may be subject to discipline including temporary or permanent ban.
4. **Do not edit others' pages without permission.** Unlike other wikis about fiction series, fanon wikis such as The Witcher Fanon Wiki are about adding your own characters instead of contributing to articles wherever you see blank space. At the top of most pages will be a Writer template which includes the username of the person who came up with and started writing a page for their character. Unless you have their permission, **do not** make changes to the original works of other users. If you see a grammatical mistake or error using the wikis templates, good faith minor edits are permissible, but for more major issues get in touch with them to point it out or offer your help.
5. **Do not plagiarize.** Whether from another user's page here or another site on the web, copying the work of others to pass off as your own is disingenuous and strictly forbidden on this wiki. If referring to a canon element or quote from the *Witcher* books or games, excerpted quotes are permitted to help make your point, but they cannot make up the majority of your page.
6. **No sockpuppetting.** One wikia account for one individual should be enough for everyone. If the administration learns someone is using more than one account, they will be contacted to ban one of the accounts to prevent confusion or misuse. If misuse has been found to occur, such as using multiple accounts to praise one's own work or especially tamper with community votes, both accounts may be subject to a ban in addition to any further accounts created.
7. **Do not engage in excessive self-promotion**: The wiki is a collaborative community resource for the topic at hand. It is NOT a free place to advertise your related website, YouTube channel, blog, social media account, etc. Have a question about whether your link would be welcome? Ask an administrator!
8. **Do not harass other users**: If somebody asks you to stop posting certain content on their wall, respect their wishes. It is their wall. If a discussion begins to take a turn toward argumentation, you are free to disengage at any time. If the person you are having this discussion with chooses to do this you are NOT permitted to continue the discussion after the fact. If the discussion is between two or more individuals and one party disengages they are NOT permitted to return to the discussion if the others choose to continue, except to clarify a previous statement and only if called upon to do so. If discussions escalate to a point deemed counterproductive by the admin team, the administration will step in to close the topic: **NO FURTHER DISCUSSION** should take place.
9. **Do follow community guidelines for formatting**: When a community has established formatting, it’s important to adhere to that, especially when spoiler content is involved. We want our community to appear visually unified. For example articles that exemplify our format, please check the Example Articles.

## Content Rules

1. **This Wiki is for ‘The Witcher’ related fan-game and TRPG content only.** Homebrew articles should not be reskinned from sources like D&D, Pathfinder, Cyberpunk, and other such TTRPGs or games, and will be considered plagiarism. Doing so results in a strike against the user and immediate deletion of the work. Works ‘inspired by’ elements from other established properties must be approved by admin via our discord.
2. **Taking a monster, character, faction, or other element** from the *games, books, show, or comics* and giving them stats and mechanics to be used for the TRPG is permitted and encouraged.
3. **Taking a monster, character, faction, or other element** from *Wiedźmin: Gra Wyobraźni* and reimagining them for use in R. Talsorian’s The Witcher TRPG is also permitted, but keep in mind that some elements may not coincide.
4. **Users must get the express written consent from artists** to use their artwork on the site and must source any images used correctly. Violation of this rule results in a strike. Original artwork or commissioned work is permitted and encouraged, but must also be sourced.
5. **The use of AI for visual images is restricted** only to AI programs whose images can be sourced *exclusively* from official material, such as Leonaro.ai. Any other AI program (Midjourney) is strictly prohibited and will result in a strike.
6. **TRPG Homebrew articles for monsters, NPCs, PCs, and regions** should be restricted to basic, game-relevant information such as Stats, Mechanics, Loot, Abilities, Equipment, and a brief background in the case of NPCs and PCs. For longer, more in-depth lore, background information, and expansions please utilize our sister site; The Witcher Wiki Fanon.
7. **Plagiarizing the works of others** by posting Homebrew content not of your original creation without the consent of the original creator, or creating articles containing official material from R. Talsorian’s The Witcher TRPG is strictly prohibited. Doing so results in a strike against the user and immediate deletion of the work.

## Strike Policy

If a User breaks the above rules in a significant way, or otherwise attempts to disrupt or vandalize the site, Fandom Administrators and Bureaucrats have the ability to lock Users' rights to edit or view the site. These bans should not, however, be inflicted without a fair process. As such, we have a simple "Three Strikes" rule as outlined below:

1. Pre-offence Warning
2. First Offence: Official Warning and/or 24-hour ban
3. Second Offence: 24-hour to 2-week ban (depending on severity)
4. Third Offence: 1-month to Indefinite ban (depending on severity)

**Pre-offence warning:** It's entirely possible a user has yet to see and read these Rules, and thus, good faith should be assumed. If a user is breaking a rule or behaving disruptively, they should be made aware of the issue through a message from an administrator. This might be carried out publicly, such as through a post on the offending User's Message Wall, or privately, such as through Discord personal messages, if they are in contact there. This gives the User a chance to correct their mistake.

**First Strike:** If a User has been warned or otherwise knows they are breaking the Rules through their actions, a public Official Warning will be posted on the User's Message Wall. This warning will include the nature of the offence, including evidence of the wrongdoing. This may also include the removal of offensive content on site articles, or other consequences up to and including a 24-hour ban. During this ban, the User's right to edit their own Talk page will remain open for purposes of Appeal.

**Second Strike:** If a User has already received an Official Warning for their behavior or content, and persists in it, a longer ban may be necessary to make clear the consequences. This can take the form of a longer ban, anywhere from 24 hours to 2 weeks in duration. As before, offensive content posted on site articles might be removed or vandalism reversed and will be accompanied by a Message Wall post from the Administrator or Bureaucrat enacting the ban to cite the reasons for doing so.

**Third Strike:** If a User has already been warned at least twice, and either fails to acknowledge the previous warnings or shows no indication of remorse by continuing the same activities, the administration may have no choice but to enact permanent banning. The ability to edit one's own Talk page for continued communication may be allowed to remain open for communication and appeal purposes, but in cases of vandalism or extreme hostility, is not required.

**Appeals:** If the User feels they have been unfairly dealt a Warning or Ban, they are permitted to Appeal the warning to other Administrators or Bureaucrats. The administration team will then review the appeal together and attempt to reach a consensus on the issue. If reversed, the User may have their ban undone and the instance of a Warning removed for future blocking consideration. The administration team reserves, however, the right to impose more serious consequences if the initial punishment was found too lenient.

**Immediate Bans:** While the above applies to the majority of situations, some Users may be subjected to a permanent ban without the Three Strikes applying. This is reserved for cases where the User shows their only intention is to vandalize or disrupt the site, i.e. trolling or posting obscene content. A review by the Administrators might be required after the fact to confirm the fairness of the ban, but any Administrator has the right to ban an obvious bad actor to prevent further vandalism.