Character Warning
What is a Character Warning?
In short, a Character Warning, or CW, is a declaration of intent to kill or permanently injure another player character.
While this explains what a CW actually is, it doesn't really explain why they exist or what purpose that they serve. In general, we want everyone to have an enjoyable experience on the server with every roleplay that they engage in, that includes losing fights. While having a character die or be maimed may seem to be antithetical to that, sometimes it is necessary and can serve its own purpose in RP. To understand why, you have to know what they are, and what they are not.
Character Warnings are a roleplaying tool. Sometimes a feud or rivalry between two characters reaches a climax that nothing but a final, definite resolution will suffice in ending it. Not every fight should have a warning attached to it, as the best rivalries can have many encounters within them, but a CW can provide an ending or conclusion.
Character Warnings are a courtesy towards others. Character death can often cause drama, and no one likes drama. Character Warnings provide an established way for characters to kill each other when necessary with minimal issue, while at the same time providing an out for anyone that doesn't wish to have their character be killed.
Character Warnings are threats against blatant stupidity. Characters sometimes do dumb things, and sometimes those dumb things need to be accurately roleplayed. If your character walks into a dragon's mouth, did you really expect him to live?
Most importantly, however, is that Character Warnings are not punishments. Everyone should have fun in the process of roleplay, even when they're losing a conflict. CWs are not designed to allow one player to punish another player OOCly. As a result, remember to keep things fun and have a resolution in mind that everyone will enjoy the aftermath of.
Issuing, Accepting, and Rejecting Warnings
If one wishes to issue a character warning, one must make a very clear declaration of the character's intent. A usual CW involves character death, but also any severe maims, such as the loss of body parts or inflicting other disabilities on a character, also requires a warning. If you think that the resolution that you have in mind may make someone uncomfortable, make sure that your intentions are clear, to avoid problems in the future. Once a warning has been issued, it is up to the target of the warning to either accept or reject the warning, and in both cases the target must make a clear declaration of their acceptance or refusal.
Note that an accepted CW goes both ways: once a target has accepted the warning, the warning also applies in equal measure to the one giving it out. Note, also, that just because a warning has been given, it does not mean that the target is automatically at the mercy of the aggressor. Combat may be required first, with the loser at the winner's mercy. Also note that a warning is automatically accepted in the case of a character doing something that is clearly suicidal and a violation of common sense, and this particular case is also the exception to CWs going both ways.
An accepted CW lasts until either the death/maiming is carried out against a character, or until the end of a "scene" if it is failed to be carried out at that moment. A "scene" ends if the characters involved leave emote range of each other, or if the players involved end the RP (though logging out to intentionally dodge an accepted CW can result in punishment. Don't do it.) As such, CWs rarely last more than an hour, barring long fights.
If the target wishes to refuse a CW, then that must be firmly declared as well. In such a case, it should be worked out between the two players how to resolve the RP, usually involving the characters separating, otherwise peacefully resolving the issue at hand, or continuing with a fight with a non-lethal conclusion. If a decision cannot be reached in a timely fashion, then the best solution is to simply separate the characters.
Reasons for Issuing CWs
Note that Character Warnings should have good reason to occur, and thus you must have a good IC reason to have your character kill another. Here are a list of things that CWs are NOT appropriate for, and invalid reasons for issuing CWs:
- "X is Y class/race." This may contribute, but shouldn't be the only reason. For example, "X is a Warlock" or "X is an Orc" are not valid reasons to CW someone, however "X is a Warlock and is casting fel magic in Azshara Crater" or "X is an Orc cutting trees in Ashenvale" might be.
- "My character is a serial killer." That might be the case, but that doesn't mean that you can just CW someone without getting into an appropriate RP, or that your killing ways must lead you to murdering tons of player characters. Keep in mind, CWs apply to scenes, and thus you can't just say "Anyone who interacts with this character automatically accepts a CW."
- "That guy looked at me funny!" That's fairly disproportionate, don't you think? An odd look or a passing snide comment isn't enough to kill someone, unless you're so mentally imbalanced that I question how the character functions in any society at all. In general, CWs should be issued as a result of major events, not because a character mildly annoyed you.
As a general rule, it's also highly recommended to avoid issuing CWs for events. They can scare people off, and rarely is character death in an event really worth dealing with. Some events may require CWs, but in general it's better to not use them unless the event depends on it.
Remember, CWs are best used sparingly, when no other resolution is logical for the conclusion of an RP. Be careful with these!
