01. Procedures

['Souls Assemblage]

Procedures

Table of Contents

Additional Characters

• New and returning players may join initially with one character. A second character slot is automatically obtained (e.g., you needn't request) after 4 weeks of membership and 35 IC posts, counted from the application approval's posted date.
  
• Slots for additional (tertiary, quaternary, and so forth) characters must be Requested. Once approved, the player has that slot until they become inactive (i.e. do not have any active characters) or one of their characters is removed for inactivity. Slots do not otherwise expire, and players are not required to have an active character in all their slots at all times.
  (Show Example)   
  Tim requests a Third Character slot and is approved for it. He picks up Coyote as his Third Character, but decides he doesn't like Coyote and drops the character a month later. Tim still has his Third Character slot and can pick up another Third Character without re-requesting the slot. However, if Coyote was removed for inactivity, Tim would lose his Third Character slot.
• If a slot request is approved and the slot is filled, or a previously earned slot is re-filled, players must wait a minimum six weeks before requesting another slot; if a slot request is denied, they must wait a minimum of two weeks before re-requesting. Players cannot request a new slot unless all current slots are filled (e.g. they cannot request a Fourth Character slot if they do not currently have three active characters).
  (Show Example)   
  Alice picks up her second character, Wolf, via the automatic requirements. Alice must then wait six weeks before requesting a Third Character slot.
• The minimum waiting period between picking up characters is two weeks.
  

Dropping Characters

• Players must drop characters via the Drop List; they are also encouraged to PM their pack leader as an additional courtesy.
  
• After dropping an auxiliary character, players must wait two weeks before rejoining with another auxiliary character. Players dropping their only character may rejoin as a new character immediately.
  

Puppies

Game Procedures

• Players must Request puppies intended to survive past two months of age.
  
• Requests should be made prior to referencing pregnancy in roleplay.
  
• Permission may be requested up to four weeks before an intended birthdate, which means that half the pregnancy, if played, must be backdated.
  
• If a request is rejected, players may re-request in two weeks.
  
• Pending approval, each player is allotted three puppy points per calendar year. (More Information)
  • Players may split points between characters or combine points with other parent character(s) -- they needn't all be used in one litter.
    
  • A player with numerous characters may appeal for a fourth puppy point.
    
  • Points do not "roll over" if unused, nor can they be transferred, donated, or gifted to another player.
• Only the parent(s) that fit(s) the following requirements may contribute puppy points. The contributing parent(s) must:
  • Belong to a player who has been active for at least six consecutive months at the time of request. (Show Example)
    Coyote fits the requirements, but Wolf's player has been active only three months when the request is made. Coyote can contribute points, but Wolf cannot. The maximum number of puppies in the litter for Coyote and Wolf is three.
  • Currently be an active character. (Show Example)
    Coyote, an active character, may have a litter  with Wolf, an NPC (presuming Coyote meets the requirements, of course). Wolf, an NPC, may not have a surviving litter with Jackal, another NPC.

Realism Procedures

• Characters must be 1.5 years / 18 months at the time of request.
  
• A litter has a maximum of six surviving puppies. Multi-father litters are allowed; however, the maximum number of surviving puppies in a multi-father litter is still six.
  
• A mother may have a maximum of one live litter every 20 weeks. Explain
  (live litter" meaning born puppies, even if no points were used in the litter and they died prior to two months.)
• For same-sex couples seeking to use a surrogate, it is the couple that may contribute puppy allotments to the litter, not the surrogate; however, the surrogate still must meet age requirements.
  

Remember: puppies do not become playable until they are two months of age; until then, they are yNPCs.

Trespassing

• Unaccompanied non-packmembers may not trespass for a prolonged period of time or deep within packlands. Non-packmembers are not allowed to have private threads with other non-members on foreign packlands. Exceptions may be sought from pack leadership.
  
• Non-packmembers are free to have private, planned threads on packlands as long as they involve at least ONE packmember. However, for characters that have previously caused IC disputes within a specific pack and are explicitly unwelcomed, it would be courteous to inform the pack's leader(s) beforehand to prevent unwanted IC conflicts.
  
• Non-packmembers seeking unplanned threads on packlands MUST mark their thread as "all welcomed."
  
• Any posted pack Border Policies must be adhered to unless permission is otherwise sought from pack leadership.
  

Creatures and Companions

Creatures are any character not of the genus Canis. Non-Canine Companion NPcs are your character's non-canine characters (e.g., a horse or pet raven).

• The minimum playable age for Creatures is equivalent to the character's "functional adulthood" -- in short, independence from its parents. This will change according to species -- a bear that doesn't leave its mother for two years is playable at two years, while a domestic cat is playable at five months.
  
• We prefer creatures native to eastern Canada, but realistic exceptions are made.
  
• Similar rules apply to creatures as to canine chracters: no extinct species, natural coat patterns, any eye color is acceptable, etc. Hybridization of creatures also works similarly to the Canis genus: genetically possible hybrids within a given genus (e.g., a Serval and a Domestic Cat) are permitted, while genetically impossible hybrids within a given Family (e.g., a Bengal Tiger and a Domestic Cat) are not permitted.
  
• Within the 'Soulsverse, animals speak various languages, dialects, etc., split along the defining High and Low speech. For more information, see our Speech Guide.
  
• When roleplaying as a creature (or with a companion animal) remember, most creatures do not possess the level of sophistication as Luperci. While similar levels of intelligence may be found in apex predators, no other creature possesses the Luperci ability to shift.
  

Pack Formation

Packs can be formed at (almost) any time by any person provided certain requirements are met. See the Pack Formation topic and the Leader Handbook for further information.
    Guests and members who have not yet been accepted into the game, this information is not yet accessible to you. You'll be able to see it as soon as you're accepted to the game. However, we strongly suggest you wait a while before thinking about pack formation -- we recommend at least a year of membership before trying to form a pack.

More Information

• The administration has the final say in issues regarding board rules, procedures, and policies.
  (Explain!)   
  In the interest of keeping our information as concise as possible, we do not always account for every rare and complicated "edge case" in the written rules. Please try to keep with the intended spirit of posted items. You are always welcome to come to us with questions and to ask for clarifications regarding specific circumstances, but please remember that there is a reason behind each and every rule we have, and that even if something isn't technically against posted rules, if it goes against the reasoning behind the rule, we may disallow it.
• Got a question regarding our procedures? Check the FAQ! If you need more information, feel free to ask in the Questions and Help forum.
  
• You can read in detail how we handle requests on the wiki Requests page.