And hello, again!
First of all, I need to apologize for the mass confusion/hysteria. My rewording of the "Magic" section of NEWS 5 24 was meant to convey that there are a variety of circumstances in which almost any spell can be considered consent, and that when those circumstances arise, we GMs are likely going to stay out of it. Believe it or not, my intention wasn't to cause angst, but to assure folks that we take these things into consideration. However, my wording was clearly poor, and for that, I'm sorry.
That section has been replaced by a much longer explanation, which reads:
>The use of everyday magic in regards to PvP can be broken down into four categories: Offensive/Harmful, Bonus/Neutral, Remote, and Area Effect.
>1) Offensive/Harmful -- These include, but are not limited to, all spells which cause direct harm to the recipient. Use of these spells on a person WILL give the victim consent against the caster. Moon Mages, please note that Mental Blast does fall into this category for definition purposes.
>2) Bonus/Neutral -- Spells that do not cause direct harm to the target do not provide consent UNLESS they are being used as a means to do harm to the target, harass the target, or in an abuse/theft type of situation. Example: Halt does not necessarily provide consent; however, Halt used to place the target in danger from the environment, creatures, or persons can provide consent against the caster. Empaths, please note that "sleeping" a person MAY result in the target having consent on you if it places them in danger. Moon Mages, please note that Seer's Sense MAY result in the target having consent upon you, depending on what it ends up being used for.
>IMPORTANT: The use of bonus/neutral spells on oneself does NOT provide consent to anyone. The use of a non-offensive spell on another player for the purposes of taunting them or aggravating an existing situation MAY provide consent. The use of helpful magic on a person (i.e. Rejuvenation, Empathy) does NOT provide consent UNLESS there are extenuating IC circumstances -- which we will absolutely not "what-if" to death here or on the boards.
>3) Remote -- Spells cast on a person from a remote location that do not in some manner cause direct harm to the target do NOT automatically provide consent UNLESS they are being abused and/or being used solely for the purposes of harassment or exacerbating a conflict. The use of Locate and Shadewatch Mirror fall into this category. Riftal Summons CAN and in most cases probably will provide consent against the caster.
>IMPORTANT: The use of Thoughtcast does NOT automatically provide consent on the caster; that will be determined by its use and content. Much like the gweth system, if you're going to talk tough in somebody's head, be prepared for the consequences.
>4) Area Effect -- There are a variety of processes in place that will affect everyone in a room when utilized -- not only spells, but Barbarian roars and Bardic enchantes. If you happen to walk into an area effect, you do NOT have consent against the person who is the source. If one is used for the EXPRESS INTENT of harming you and/or everyone in the room, then that CAN give consent against the caster/singer/roarer.
>PREP/TARGET: Targeting someone WILL give them consent on you. PREParing a spell while directly involved in a conflict with another player MAY give that person consent to defend themselves IF they have reason to expect that the resulting spell may be used against them.
Additionally, NEWS 5 25 has been enhanced and extended to include a whole slew of questions and answers on PvP and consent in general.
As always, if you've got any questions, post them here on the boards!
-Tessima
This message was originally posted in DragonRealms Policy Discussions, PvP combat policy. To discuss the above follow the link below.
http://www.play.net/forums/messages.asp?forum=20&category=2&topic=9&message=1217
