RULES AND REGULATIONS - Persona Creation Rules and Guidelines

1 -- TYPES OF PERSONAS

1.1 -- Playing Characters (PCs)

1.1.1 -- PC Description

• A Playing Character (PC) is the main character or persona in your writing.
• Each member must have at least one active PC.
• PCs have persona descriptions on the rosters of PC locations and are listed on the Reserved Names list.
• You have to post at least once a month for each PC. (Please refer to the Posting Rules for details and exceptions.)

1.1.2 -- PC Creation Rules

• New members have to create a PC to join the Club. (Please check our Persona Creation Guidelines for detailed instructions and tips how to create your first PC for DragonRiders.)
• To create a PC, simply submit a persona description through the join form.
• You may create additional PCs if you meet the following conditions:
  • You have posted at least three times with your first PC after being released from mentoring.
  • You are current on posting with all PCs you own.
  • Creating more than eight (8) PCs requires Council approval.
    (The join form reviewers have the discretion to approve requests for additional personas up to a total of eight before a Council vote is required. However, they may forward any persona request to the Council for approval if they feel circumstances exist that warrant such an action.)
  • Ranking and Premium PCs require Council approval. (Please refer to the Rank section for details.)

1.1.3 -- PC Changes

• Persona sheet updates reflecting normal life processes, such as normal aging or personality development, do not require council approval.
• Other reasons for adjustments will be reviewed on a case by case basis by Council based on the reason behind the request.

1.2 -- Non-Playing Characters (NPCs)

1.2.1 -- NPC Description

• Non-Playing Characters (NPCs) are support characters created to interact with your PC in storylines.
• NPCs do not have persona descriptions or reserved names on the website.
  (Exception: Close relatives of PCs may be added to the PC's persona page with a short physical/personality description and life history, and their names may be added to the Reserved Names list upon request. However, these "Reserved NPCs" will not appear on the persona rosters.)
• Since NPCs are not "official" personas, posting requirements do not apply.

1.2.2 -- NPC Creation Rules

• NPCs are not submitted through the join form. Simply list your NPC's name in your post's intro block if you use an NPC. (Please refer to the Posting Rules for details.)
• All members may create NPCs to use in stories at any time with the following restrictions:
  • NPC weyrlings require Council approval.
  • Ranking or premium NPCs require Council approval and will be rare.
• Please check all NPC names against the Reserved Names list before you post! Since NPCs do not need to be approved by the join form reviewers, this is your responsibility.

1.3 -- Owned Non-Playing Characters (ONPCs, NPC/Owned)

1.3.1 -- ONPC Description

• Owned Non-Playing Characters (ONPCs) are frequently used NPCs or retired PCs.
• ONPCs have all the benefits of PCs (persona page, reserved names, listed on rosters), but no posting requirements.

1.3.2 -- ONPC Creation Rules

• ONPC status is available to established personas only and requires that the persona has appeared in a number of posts as PC, NPC or MPC:
  • Personas related to one of your PCs need to have appeared in at least 12 posts.
  • Personas unrelated to your PCs need to have appeared in at least 20 posts.
• You may have only one ONPC weyrling.
• You may have only one Premium ONPC. (Please refer to the Rank section for details.)
• Ranking personas may not be changed to ONPCs. Exceptions have to be approved by the Council and will be very rare.

1.4 -- Free Non-Playing Characters (FNPC, NPC/Free)

1.4.1 -- NPC/Free Description

• Free Non-Playing Characters (NPC/Free) are special NPCs created for use by anyone within the Club as supporting characters in storylines.
• NPC/Frees are not tied to any PC nor owned by an individual Club member.
• Most NPC/Frees have persona descriptions on the website and all NPC/Free names are listed on the Reserved Names list.

1.4.2 -- NPC/Free Creation Rules

• You may make your owned personas (PC, NPC, ONPC, MPC) available to the Club as NPC/Free (e.g. instead of dropping a persona you no longer wish to write for or if you are quitting the Club and wish to leave your personas behind for others to use).
• You may provide a persona description for an existing NPC/free (if no description exists yet) or create a new NPC/Free with Council approval.
• The Council may create an NPC/Free as a 'placeholder' to fill a ranking position left open after a call for ranker applications.

1.4.3 -- NPC/Free Usage Rules

• You may use any of the personas listed as NPC/Free in storylines at any time with the following restrictions:
  • Your use does not alter the NPCs free use by other members (such as, but not limited to, a previously unwritten attachment to another persona). In rare cases such alterations may be approved by the Council, but you are encouraged to create your own NPCs for such occasions.
  • If your storyline dramatically alters the history of an NPC/Free (child birth, death, injury, life style change, etc.), you must have Council permission. You may also be required to amend the current persona sheet to show any lasting changes.
  • When writing a post involving an NPC/Free, please check the storyboard or reserve list and see if the persona is free. If they are reserved, remember this _does not_ mean you cannot use them, merely that you should contact that writer to see if there would be a conflict of interest that day. The writer with the reserve has 'dibs' on the persona for use. Please, do not use a persona that is reserved without checking with the reserving writer first.
• NPC/Free Use Approvals (Reservations):
  • The reserving of an NPC/Free persona is not necessary if you are just using them for a one off post that does not include any of the changes listed above.
  • If you are planning to use an NPC/Free as the main player in a storyline, you may request persona use approval to be logged with the Council. This will allow you to retain permission to use the NPC/Free to finish your storyline in the event of another member adopting the NPC/Free you are using.
  • To reserve an NPC/Free persona for a main storyline we do ask for a blurb for the storyboard to alert other members of their use, as well as a Pernese time frame for said usage. Please, when reserving NPCs remember Council can not list reserves for open ended dates.
  • So as not to cause delays in the transfer of any ranking/premium personas to their new owner upon adoption, no persona featured in a ranker call shall be available for reservation during the corresponding Pern dates of the two week real life period (less then 1 week Pern time) that the ranker call takes place.

1.4.4 -- NPC/Free Adoption Rules

• You can adopt a non-ranking, non-premium NPC/Free as a PC by simply contacting the Council if you are eligible to add another PC to your persona list. (See 1.1 - Playing Characters for details.)
• Ranking NPC/Frees may require an actual application procedure before being adopted. (Please refer to the Rank section for details.)
• The history of any NPC/Free persona who is adopted may not be changed.
• NPC/Free personas who have been adopted and used in less than 12 posts as a PC may not be dropped from the rosters. If their new writer wishes to drop the persona or leaves the Club, the persona should be returned to NPC/Free status.

1.4.5 -- NPC/Free Replacement Rules

• When the Council opens applications to adopt an NPC/Free, applications can be to either adopt the NPC/Free as a PC, or to replace the NPC/Free with a different PC.
  Exceptions:
  NPC/Frees currently involved in storylines for which persona use approval has been logged may not be replaced until after the Pern date on which the storyline ends. NPC/Free goldriders may not be replaced during the time their gold has a clutch on the Sands.
• In the case of replacement, applications must also include the persona sheet for the new PC and provisions for the departure of the current NPC/Free.
• NPC/Frees that do not require application procedures may still be replaced instead of adopted. However, the Council must approve the replacement, and the Club member may be asked to suggest provisions for the departure of the current NPC/Free.
• Upon awarding a replacement to a member, the Council maintains the right to change the provisions for the departure of the current NPC/Free, and the join form reviewers maintain the right to approve any new persona sheet.

1.5 -- Mentor-Only Playing Characters (MPCs)

1.5.1 -- MPC Description

• Mentor-Only Playing Characters (MPCs) are non-ranking, non-premium personas created for mentoring purposes only.
• MPCs have persona descriptions on the website and are listed on the Reserved Names list.
• MPCs are not active personas, and posting requirements do not apply.

1.5.2 -- MPC Creation Rules

• Mentors may create MPCs to be listed as mentoring personas for locations where they don't have other personas to use for mentoring. (See Mentor page in the Members Only section for details.)

2 -- NAMES

2.1 -- Valid Names

2.1.1 -- Pernese Names

• All male dragonrider names are elided, e.g. F'lar, F'nor, K'van etc.
• All dragon names end in "-th". You may not use any names ending in "-th" for people or pets. This ending is reserved for the dragons only.
• No Terran names:
  You may not use common Terran names, although variations of these are acceptable.
• No surnames:
  Only Trader personas have a surname which is the name of the Trader Train of which they are a member. All other personas have one name only.

2.1.2 -- Book/Movie Character Names

• You cannot use the name of a major character in any popular book, TV series, or movie.
• No names from the Dragonriders of Pern® books and short stories:
  You may not use any of the names that are found in Anne McCaffrey's books, nor can your persona be the relative of any of her characters. Names that are even close to the characters in the novel are not permitted either (e.g., Sorcha/Sorka).
  Exceptions:
  As new Pern books are released by Anne McCaffrey (and now her son Todd McCaffrey), pre-existing DragonRiders persona names may exactly or closely match one of the names from the new novel. These names will be allowed to remain in use and will be marked with "++" next to their Reserved Names listing and in the member logs. However, once the member drops the persona or leaves the Club for any reason, the name will then be protected as Anne McCaffrey's and no longer be available for use.

2.1.3 -- Common Words

• Common words may be used for nicknames and pets, but may not be used for persona names.
• Common words on the Reserved Names list that are names used by Anne McCaffrey may not be used. In the cases where the common name is part of double names - such as Red Hanrahan and Blackie Nilwan - the common word portion of the name may be used, i.e. Red and Blacky.
• A member can request to reserve a common word which they are using as a name for a pet on the Reserved Names list.

2.2 -- Reserved Names List

In addition to the rules above, new names cannot be similar or identical to names already reserved by other DragonRiders Club members. Please check the Reserved Names list for possible conflicts when you create a new name. This list is the primary means by which names on join forms and additional personas are reviewed.

2.2.1 -- Names Included in the Reserved Names List

The Reserved Names list includes:

• Names used by Anne McCaffrey (and Todd McCaffrey) in the Dragonriders of Pern® novels and short stories
• Names used in UBI Soft's Dragon Riders: Chronicles of Pern™ computer game
• Persona and dragon names of previous Weyrleaders at our Club Weyrs
• Approved PC, ONPC, NPC/free and MPC names: personas, dragons, dolphins, firelizards

Additional names that may be entered into the Reserved Names list upon member request include:

• Close relatives of PCs (NPC parents, siblings, spouses/weyrmates, children)
• Non-firelizard pet names (canines, felines, runnerbeasts, etc.)

2.2.2 -- Regarding Name Conflicts

It is your responsibility to check any nicknames or NPC names you create against the Reserved Names list before using them in posts. If you fail to do so and there is a conflict with an existing name, you may be asked to reissue your post(s) with the conflicting name changed or removed.

If a member feels a new name is too close to a reserved one and brings this to the Council's attention, the Council will discuss and decide if the names are close enough to warrant a name change request. A statute of limitations will exist in that protests over names that appeared in posts more than a month ago will no longer be entertained by the Council.

Other than close relatives of your PCs, NPC names are generally not eligible to be entered into the Reserved Names list and thus do not have protection from coincidentally being used by other members. However, if a new member joins with a PC name that is close or identical to an NPC name previously used by another member, the NPC name will be allowed to stay in use. Neither member can force the other member to change their persona's name. There can be a discussion between the two members to facilitate a name change, but if either member decides they do not want to change the name, both will be allowed to use it.

3 -- RANK

Premium/Ranking Combinations:

• Bronzeriders who are promoted to a ranking position shall no longer count as Premium Personas but as Ranking Personas. For example, a Wingsecond bronzerider would count as a Ranking Persona, but not as a Premium Persona.
• However, it is possible for one persona to count as both a Premium and a Ranking Persona or as a double Premium Persona if that persona owns a bronze or gold firelizard or a watchwher. For example, a bronzerider with a gold firelizard would count as two premium positions, or as one ranking and one premium position if that bronzerider holds a ranking position.

3.1 -- Craft Ranks

3.1.1 -- Age Requirements

• Apprentices must have at least 12 Turns.
• Journeymen must have at least 17 Turns.
• Masters must have at least 30 Turns and require Council approval.

Members wishing to hold personas who do not meet these age requirements may petition the Council for permission.

3.1.2 -- Limits and Restrictions

• Personas may be skilled in up to two crafts, but one must be no higher than apprentice level.
• Dragonriders may have up to Journeyman level in a craft (attained before Impression), but cannot be Masters.
• A Lord/Lady Holder may have up to Journeyman level in a craft, but cannot be a Master.

3.2 -- Premium Positions

• Members may hold up to five (5) premium positions, but no more than four (4) may be in the same location.
• A maximum of one (1) premium persona per member can be an ONPC with Council approval, under the conditions that:
  - the position has been applied for as a PC persona and 
  - the minimum posting requirements for ONPCs (12 or 20 posts, see the ONPC Creation Rules) have been met for that persona.

3.3 -- Ranking Positions

• Members may hold up to five (5) high ranking personas, but no more than three (3) may be in the same location (Weyr/Hall/Hold) with no more than one (1) per Wing.
• Members may not have more than one (1) gold dragon (adult or weyrling) in the Club.
• Members may not have the Weyrwoman and Weyrleader position at the same Weyr. (However, it is permissible for the writer of either Weyrwoman or Weyrleader to hold an additional Ranking Position, e.g. Wingleader, at the same Weyr.)
• Ranking personas need to remain PC personas and cannot be changed to ONPCs. Exceptions to this rule will be very rare and require Council approval.
• The spouse and children of a PC Ruling Lord/Lady Holder, only if written by the owner of the Ruling PC Lord/Lady Holder, may be written as NPC or ONPC. Standard rules apply to gaining ONPC status for these personas (i.e. 12 posts must be authored by the relative persona to be eligible for ONPC status), and expectations for coposting will be upheld. Any other additional position(s) for such spouse or children which may be of ranking or premium status (see Rule 3 for a list of ranking or premium personas) will fall under standard rules for ranking and premium personas.

3.3.1 -- Ranker Duties

Each ranking persona has certain responsibilities of duty. For example:

• Wingleaders are expected to create sweep schedules for their wings.
• Ranking Personas may be asked to become mentors for their location.
• The owner of a Ranking Persona must be available to anyone that wishes to refer to, mention, or co-post with that ranking PC. The option to not write with someone, of course, stands; however, as it is part of ranking PC's duty, the owner should have a plausible reason for turning someone down.
• Because of their significance in their location, Ranking Personas will NOT be exempt from posting. All Club members, including Council members, Webbies, Listmum etc., are expected to post for their rankers.

Duty Guidelines:

3.4 -- Application Guidelines for Ranking/Premium Positions

Premium and Ranking Positions (as defined above) are granted by the Council according to the following guidelines.

• If a Ranking Position becomes newly available or the Council deems it necessary to create one, the Club must be notified of availability before filling the position.
• The Council will send calls for applications to the mailing list via Newsletter to fill open Ranking Positions at least once every six months.
• If there are no suitable applications, the Council will decide if the position will remain with an NPC/Free persona or be removed. The Council reserves the right to simply delete the position if there is no need for its continued existence in the Club.
• The Council will also accept unsolicited applications for Premium Positions and most open or NPC/Free Ranking Positions.
  Exceptions:
  The positions of Weyrleaders, Lord or Lady Holder, Masters, and Wingleaders will require a Club-wide call for applications before filling the vacancy.

3.4.1 -- General Guidelines to meet prior to applying for a Premium or Ranking Position

• Premium and Ranking Positions must be applied for as PC personas.
• The applicant should be at least three (3) months out of mentoring.
• The applicant should be current on posting for all PCs.
• The applicant should show good posting quality and demonstrate accurate canon knowledge and familiarity with Club rules.

High Ranking Positions will require the highest level of compliance with these guidelines. E.g., for high ranking and/or highly competitive positions, the Council will consider applicants' posting histories for the last 3-4 months.

Please remember: A Ranking or Premium Award must be earned. This is neither a lottery to win, nor a first-come, first-served procedure. Take your time and make your application the best you can. In cases where only unsuitable applications are received, the Council may decide not to fill the position.

Exceptions to the guidelines are possible concerning awarded Premium Positions. For new members, exceptions will be very rare. For returning members, exceptions will still be infrequent and based, to a large degree, on the members' history with the Club and the manner in which they departed.

3.4.2 -- Wingleader/Wingsecond Requirements

Since Wingleaders and Wingseconds are appointed positions, there is a requirement of a minimum number of Turns out of Weyrling training. This would enable the rider to gain experience he would need to lead a Wing.

• Wingseconds need to be at least five (5) Turns out of Weyrling training.
• Wingleaders need to be at least ten (10) Turns out of Weyrling training.

Exceptions:

• Exceptions to these appointed positions would be rare and subject to Council approval.
• Weyrleader and Weyrwoman are the product of a mating flight and, while experience would tend to give an edge, it would not prevent an exception from occurring on Pern.
• While seniority is a big factor in deciding on the Wingseconds for the Queens' Wing, exceptions can also be made for goldriders since there are so few of them in a Weyr.

3.4.3 -- Weyrleader Rotation

Weyrleader positions may be opened for applications every time the Senior Gold rises (i.e. roughly two times a Turn), depending on interest in the position.

• Before the Senior Gold flight, the Council will remind the Club that the Weyrleader position is open to challenge. All existing Wingleaders at the Weyr are eligible to challenge the current Weyrleader via notifying the Council of their intent to apply for the position.
• If the Council receives such a notification, a Club-wide call for applications will be made. The existing Weyrleader can reapply at this time.
  Exception: The writer of the Weyrwoman at the same location is not eligible to apply.
• If the Council receives no notification or no applications are received at the time of the call, the existing Weyrleader will remain in office.
• Should the current Weyrleader choose to step down or does not win the Senior Gold's flight, he has the option of taking up any Wingleader or Wingsecond position that is listed as vacant or is filled by an NPC/Free rider in either Weyr, thereby retaining his rank.

3.4.4 -- Weyrwoman Replacement

If the Weyrwoman position becomes available, applications will usually be limited to existing goldriders only. The goldrider chosen as Weyrwoman will schedule a mating flight within the following Pern month to establish herself in the position of Weyrwoman.

If no applications are received, the Council may fill the position with an NPC/Free, thus opening it for Club-wide applications for adoption or replacement.
Note: To avoid losing clutches, an NPC/Free goldrider can be adopted, but not replaced and dropped from the roster, during the time her gold has a clutch on the Sands.

3.4.5 -- Ranker Retirement

The Council would like to remind everyone that rankers can, of course, step down from active duty if their writer no longer wishes to retain the ranking position. At that time, the Council will call for applications to fill the vacated position(s).

In the case of writers neglecting their ranker duties (e.g. minimal posting, extended leaves, not available for co-posts, failure to write/release control posts on time etc.), the Council may ask the writer to retire their ranking persona to open the position for applications if there is a demand.

4 -- CANDIDATES, WEYRLINGS & DRAGONRIDERS

4.1 -- Regarding Candidates

Clutch on the Sands:

If there is a clutch on the Hatching Sands, the Council will call for Candidate applications from current club members. Once the application deadline has passed, any unclaimed Eggs will be available to any eligible current, rejoining or new members on a first come first chance basis to Impress the dragon. If all of the Eggs have been awarded, a member (current, rejoining or new) can still create a Candidate. A non-Impressing Candidate persona does not require Council approval.

No clutch on the Sands:

If there is no clutch on the Sands, members (current, rejoining or new) may nevertheless create a Candidate persona. Such Candidates will be considered non-Impressing Candidates left standing from a previous clutch who opted to stay at the Weyr. The persona will need a job at the Weyr until the next hatching occurs - kitchen worker, practicing a craft, etc.

4.1.1 -- Personas Eligible to Stand as Candidates

• Candidates for Impression must have at least 15 Turns but no more than 26. Members wishing to develop a Candidate persona outside of this range may petition the Council for permission. (Exceptions will be rare, however.)
• NPCs may be Searched as well as PCs and ONPCs, but NPCs may not Impress.

4.1.2 -- Candidate Limits and Restrictions

• Candidates cannot be Masters, Lord/Lady Holders or Hold heirs.
• If a persona wishes to be a Candidate, then they may not be partnered to a dolphin or watchwher.

4.1.3 -- Impression

The Council will accept applications for Impression during the timeframes listed on the Hatching Sands page if there is a clutch on the Sands. While members may request a preferred dragon color, Impression and color choice must be approved by the Council. Non-impressing Candidates do not require Council approval.

• Applications for Impression can be for PC or ONPC personas only. NPCs have to be changed to PC or ONPC status.
• Should a PC and ONPC be vying for the same Hatchling, priority goes to the PC, unless that member's posting history and writing ability clearly show that s/he does not deserve the position.
• Only PCs can Impress a gold or a bronze. (See Application Guidelines for Ranking and Premium Positions for more details.)

4.2 -- Regarding Weyrlings

Weyrling personas held by Club members must be either PC or ONPC characters whose persona sheets must be up on the web. Members may have more than one weyrling persona, with the following restrictions:

• A maximum of two (2) weyrlings per clutch is allowed.
• A maximum of one (1) bronze per clutch is allowed, with Council approval, if it is within the limits of the member's premium personas, bronzes being premiums.
• Members may have only one gold dragon, including weyrlings.
• Available openings and adoptable NPC/free personas in weyrling classes can be applied for as PC personas.
• ONPC weyrlings can only be created through Impression of an existing ONPC. Once the Hatching has occurred, no further ONPC applications will be accepted for that weyrling class.
• New members may join with personas from a candidate class after the call for cadidates has ended, but after the call ends, no existing members may add a persona from that candidate class until after the hatching, at which time any member may create a PC weyrling from whatever positions remain open.
• PC weyrlings, once established, may be made ONPC by the standard method of 20 posts.

If any weyrling positions are open after candidate applications, the Council may create up to three unadoptable NPC/Free weyrlings, making sure to leave one dragon of each color open, if possible. No gold NPC/Free weyrlings may be created.

4.3 -- Regarding Dragonriders

4.3.1 -- Naming Conventions

• All dragon names end in "th".
• All male riders' names must be elided (e.g., "D'rin").
• Female riders' names may be shortened, but without apostrophe (e.g. Jenette to Jen, but not J'ette).
  (Note: This is not required and up to your preference. Most Club members don't shorten their female personas' names on Impression.)

4.3.2 -- Rider Gender and Dragon Color

The DragonRiders Club follows a traditional view of Pern canon. Dragon colors must be matched with the following gender of rider:

4.3.3 -- Restrictions

• All dragonriders live in the Weyr (no rogues).
• A dragonrider cannot also be a Lord/Lady Holder or Master.
• A dragonrider cannot also be partnered to a dolphin or watchwher.

5 -- COMPANIONS

5.1 -- Dragons

5.1.1 -- Dragon Colors

• No dragon mutations: gold, bronze, brown, blue and green only. Ruth was the only white dragon.
• Since a dragon's eye color is constantly changing, no dragon has one single eye color.

5.1.2 -- Dragon Sizes

Please refer to the following table for dragon sizes:

5.2 -- Dolphins

• Partnered dolphineers may not be dragonriders or wherhandlers, nor stand as Candidates to Impress a dragon or watchwher.
• Dolphins partnered to human dolphineers need to be at least 5 Turns old.
  (Exceptions may be possible within reason but require Council approval.)

For Club canon information on dolphins, please refer to the dolphin and dolphineer information in the Craft Corner.

5.3 -- Watchwhers

• Wherhandlers may not be partnered with a dragon or dolphin, nor stand as Candidates to Impress a dragon.
• A watchwher must always be Council approved based on both writing quality and the reason/storyline behind the request. Such approvals will be very rare.

For Club canon information on watchwhers, please refer to the wher canon summary in the Pern Knowledge Archive.

5.4 -- Firelizards

• Green, blue or brown firelizards do not require Council approval.
• Bronze and gold firelizards are Premium awards and must always be Council approved. They are granted to members partially on the reason they have requested the firelizard but mostly as an award based on writing quality and posting history.

5.5 -- Pet Limits

The total number of non-human companions must be equal to or less than two. This means your persona can have:

• one dragon and one pet for dragonriders
• one dolphin and one pet for dolphineers
• one watchwher and one pet for wherhandlers
• two pets for other persona types

Members wishing to hold personas with a greater number of pets may petition the Council for permission.

6 -- LOCATIONS OF RESIDENCE

6.1 -- PC Locations

PC locations are available as places of residence as well as posting locations for all personas types. All PCs and ONPCs must be listed on the rosters of our PC locations and may live at:

• one of the Weyrs, Holds, or Halls listed as PC locations above
• cotholds or Minor Holds beholden to one of the Major Holds:
  Personas living in one of these cotholds/Minor Holds will be listed on the roster of the corresponding Major Hold under "Residents", with persona sheets giving more specific details as to actual location.
• within the flight sectors of one of the Weyrs, with the exception of Cove Hold (since this is Anne McCaffrey's location):
  Personas will be listed under "Residents" of the Weyr to which they tithe.

The creation of new PC locations requires sufficient member interest and Council approval.

6.2 -- NPC Locations

6.2.1 -- NPC/Free Locations

NPC/Free locations are available as posting locations and as places of origin to mention on persona forms, but no PCs or ONPCs may reside at these locations. Personas listed at NPC/Free locations will be considered NPC/Free and non-adoptable unless transferred to a PC location. They will generally not have full persona sheets nor be listed on the Reserved Names list, but a short persona description may be added to the location's info page.

Members may create new NPC/Free locations for inclusion on the list of Miscellaneous Locations with Council approval if the location is or has been used by multiple members for posting purposes.

6.2.2 -- Personal NPC Locations

Members may create NPC Minor Holds and cotholds as posting locations and as places of origin to mention on persona forms, but such locations or their descriptions shall not be placed on the web pages.

6.3 -- Regarding Hold Ranks

• Lord and Lady Holders of Major Holds count as Ranking Personas; the Holder of North Tip Fishing Hold counts as Premium Persona.
• Stewards and Headwomen/Headmen of Major Holds, Crafthalls and Weyrs count as Premium Personas.
• Holders, Stewards, and Headwomen at Minor Holds and Cotholders do not count as Ranking or Premium Personas.
• A Master Craftsman, if he/she has for whatever reason chosen to strike out on his/her own with his/her own cothold/Minor Hold, will be considered to be retired from the craft and will be a Premium Persona. The same applies to the Stationmaster of the Runner Station.

7 -- PERSONA LIMITS AND RESTRICTIONS

7.1 -- Persona Limits

There is no set limit on the total number of personas a member can have in DragonRiders. However, addition of a ninth and subsequent PC requires Council approval, and certain persona types have limits to ensure a fair distribution of limited positions among interested Club members.

• The number of Ranking personas a member can have is limited to five (5) with no more than three (3) in the same location and no more than one (1) per Wing.
• The number of gold dragons a member can have is limited to one (1).
• A member may not only hold the Weyrwoman and Weyrleader positions in the same Weyr at the same time.
• The number of Premium personas a member can have is limited to five (5) with no more than four (4) in the same location.
• Members may have a maximum of two (2) weyrlings per clutch, a maximum of one (1) bronze per clutch, and a member may have only one (1) gold dragon in the club, whether weyrling or adult.

7.2 -- Persona Ideas Requiring Council Approval

• All Premium and Ranking Personas (PCs, NPCs, ONPCs) - approval for NPCs and ONPCs will be rare
  • Dragonriders: Gold/bronze dragons, Wingleader/-second, Weyrlingmaster, Watchrider
  • Lord/Lady Holders, Headwomen, Stewards
  • Mastercrafters
  • Gold/bronze firelizards
  • Watchwhers
• Exceptions to age requirements:
  • Apprentices younger than 12
  • Journeymen younger than 17
  • Masters younger than 30
  • Candidates younger than 15 or older than 26
  • Wingseconds less than 5 Turns out of Weyrling training
  • Wingleaders less than 10 Turns out of Weyrling training
  • Dolphins younger than 5 partnered with Dolphineers
• Personas with more than two (2) non-human companions
• Candidates Impressing
• Creating an NPC weyrling
• Adopting, replacing, or creating an NPC/free
• Changing a Premium PC to ONPC
• Changing a Ranking PC to ONPC - only with very good reason, approval will be very rare

7.3 -- Regarding Oldtimers

We are playing in a timeline following the event of the Oldtimers coming forward. Though Anne McCaffrey writes about the Oldtimers as a group, she does not name them all. Therefore, the use of Oldtimers is allowed for all types of personas as long as they are not one of Anne McCaffrey's named characters.

7.4 -- Regarding Disabled Personas

Anne McCaffrey has stated that no disabled person would be Impressed by a dragon. The Council extends this statement to mean that the following disabilities, when long term or permanent, preclude a person from
a) being Searched and standing as a candidate or,
b) having Impressed prior to the disability, from continuing in a fighting wing:

blind, deaf, mute, mental or emotional disability, loss of limb

There are no explicit restrictions on non-riders of any rank being disabled as long as the duties or subset of duties for which they are responsible within their craft or position are not illogical in light of their disability (i.e., a deaf healer listening to lung sounds, runner missing a leg, blind archivist, etc.).

7.5 -- Regarding Special Talents

No persona on Pern will have or show latent ability in anything that could be related to Anne McCaffrey's Talents series; i.e., no telepathy except between dragon and rider, no astral projection, no mind reading, or any other forms of Extra Sensory Perception. While these abilities could have been latent in some of the original colonists, it is against the established Pern canon of this Club to write any person with these abilities. If you have any questions or doubts about whether you might be crossing the line, please contact the Council.

7.6 -- Regarding "Hearing All Dragons"

Personas may not have the ability to "hear all dragons." Per Anne McCaffrey, anyone may hear a dragon when that dragon is speaking directly to them:

"I think I've stated on several occasions that dragons will speak to those they want to speak to - as the dragons did to Robinton in MHoP. There has to be a good reason for dragons to do so and not all dragons are so inclined even if they have reason. Of course, Robinton was special, even as a child. But it is possible."

--Anne McCaffrey in an email to then-Council member, Debbie Griffin, May 2000

However, no one may hear dragons as Lessa and Brekke did (i.e., hear a dragon when that dragon is speaking to someone else).

Last updated on 21-May-08.

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The Dragonriders of Pern® is registered U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, by Anne McCaffrey, used here with permission. Use or reproduction without a license is strictly prohibited.