Guidelines for Creating Characters

[Oswald C. CobblepotAdministrator]

Characters are the essence of a roleplay. Certainly, it's the players behind them that craft them and their stories, but their existence within the fictional universe of the RPG is what makes the latter special. As expected, Earth Infinity has its own set of guidelines on how to create and develop your characters and they are as follows:

 

Canon and Original Characters

Earth Infinity encourages players to create and use canon characters, but with an original and individual take on them. Any canon character from the DC Universe is accepted, be they heroes, villains or neutral characters. As far as original characters go, Earth Infinity doesn't disallow them, but it has a somewhat stricter policy regarding them. Namely, original characters are allowed, but only if they fit the lore of the world they inhabit. So, if you want an original character for Batman's universe, you have to be careful that he/she fits the lore of that world. 

Also, characters from other franchises are allowed, but only if they are in accordance with the original character policy (p.e. they have to fit the lore). 

---

The Team Rule

Taking two or more characters that belong in certain teams, such as the Justice League, Teen Titans, etc must be approved by administrators before applying. After all, it would be unfair to let one person have Batman and Superman, or Starfire and Raven, as they are fairly popular and interaction between such dynamic characters would be stifled. Some combinations can be allowed though, depending on the team and character popularity.

---

Core and Secondary Characters

One of the divisions of characters on Earth Infinity is based on whether they are core or secondary ones. A core character is a character a player wants to play on a regular basis and for a longer period of time, but also a character the player wants only for himself. One can have up to three core characters per world (see below) at one time, meaning that other players cannot play them, regardless of their activity status. A player can change his core character at any time, relinquishing control to another player or making him a secondary character.
A secondary character is any possible character from the DC Universe that is not taken as a core character by someone. A player can have as many secondary characters as he can handle at one point and he has control of them either for a specific plot or for a specific goal. The duration of said control can vary. A player will lose control of their secondary character if he wishes so, when the specific goal for which he/she was played is achieved or when someone wants to take him/her as their core character.

---

 

Admission Procedure

All character applications are posted in the appropriate section. Before posting, be sure to have read all the rules and guidelines that apply to character creation. When applying, you need to fill out our character sheet and post a 200 word minimum audition post. Audition posts should either include your character's origin story or a short scene in which you will present your style, grammar and your take on your character. Administrators have the final say in accepting or rejecting character applications so please refrain from posting anything before your character is officially accepted. Also, be patient - the administrators are going to review your application as soon as possible. 

A player who is taking up an extra character (core or secondary) does not need to post an audition post in that application, unless explicitly asked to by the administrators. The initially accepted post applies to all future characters by the same player.

A list of accepted characters can be found here. When your name appears on this list, you are free to post and participate in the RP. 

---

Character Development

Keep in mind that Earth Infinity is an RPG with a tendency of world development. Keeping that in mind, character development is also essential so, when creating and drafting your character, you have to remember that he's not a fully developed being at the beginning. Based on his interaction with other characters and his handling of certain plots, his story is going to develop further and so it is important to keep that in mind when applying.

---

 

Activity Status

Your character can be either active or inactive. If a character is active, then it means that he or she is currently participating in one of the major plots somewhere around the forum (plots that are dealing with past events are not covered by this rule), be it their own native heroic domain or not. On the other hand, if your character is currently ''on vacation'' somewhere around the Gulf of Mexico, they are considered inactive. 
The activity status of a character can change multiple times during the course of the RP and it is nothing to worry about; this rule is in place to encourage diversity and to hinder the players from constantly playing with the same characters. The player may change the status of their character at his/her own disposal, but the (in)activity status might also be the result of some plot element. Rest assured to all, the current status of your character, whichever it may be, is never permanent.

---

User Account Naming

Keep in mind that each one of your characters is a separate person. Therefore, when applying for one, create a separate account for each of your desired characters. That allows for smoother roleplaying and better control from our side, but also better character development on the player's side. For example, if you want to play Batman, Hal Jordan and Professor Zoom, be sure to create separate accounts for each of them. Control of this aspect will be made through the ''Player Name'' field in the character sheet. 
Elseworlds character accounts have to be labeled with the appropriate tag, signifying the Elseworld they're from. For example, if you're playing Miller's Earth-31 Batman, please name your account ''Batman [Earth-31]''.

---

 

Be Diverse

While you are not discouraged to play characters from the same universe, please try to avoid playing characters that are overly connected, either as allies or as (arch-)enemies. Those characters can be NPCs controlled by you or other players, but they cannot be taken characters played by the same person. Basically, this means that you cannot be Batman, Robin and Joker all in one; sorry, it would just be boring. 
The same goes for relationships and major characters. Namely, you cannot play characters that are or are intended to be in a romantic relationship; thus, you cannot, for example, play both Zatanna and Constantine, or Superman and Lois Lane. The reasons for such a decision are obvious. As for major characters, one player cannot play more than one main hero or main villain. This is to make things more diverse and dynamic, but also to allow more people to actively participate; for example, you cannot be both Batman and Superman, or Flash and Wonder Woman, or Joker and Riddler. 

---

Three-per-world Rule

As stated in the general rules section, there is a three-per-world core character limit that applies to every player. That basically means that you can have a maximum of three core characters from one world, be it our main world or one of the Elseworlds. This rule is endorsed mainly to diversify players and to allow more people to join. You can, of course, ask for administrative permission for an extra character, but you have to elaborate your request and have a good reason. 
Changing characters is allowed, but please consult the administrative team beforehand. 

---

General Guidelines

As with everything, please respect the general rules and guidelines when creating your character. Some of the rules apply directly to characters, but even the ones that do not can be useful during the creation process and the plotting of you character development. 


NOTICE: This is the Guidelines for Creating Characters version 1.0, created and published on September 5, 2017. Unless otherwise noted, these rules and guidelines apply in any form of dispute.