FAQ


What year are we in?

Starting in December of 1998 and playing "real time" from that point on.

Who is the Minister of Magic?

Kingsley Shacklebolt was officially voted in mid-July and has held the position strongly and (generally) favorably since.

Can I play a vampire or a werewolf?

Certainly! They do, however, need to adhere to the guidelines set aside for their race. These can be found in the rules.

Can I play Peeves or one of the castle ghosts?

Yes, you can. I'm sure they've got something to say about the random reappearance of ghosts. However, ghosts established in canon will remain as ghosts throughout the game and will not be returning to life.

So what's going on where?

At the school, we have active construction which opens up interactions for students and for people inclined to volunteer for a day of pitching in to rebuild the castle.

In the outside world, we have the round-up of DEs, the attacks on the full moon, and general recovery.

In the Ministry, we have rewriting laws and digging up files and setting to rights everything that the Death Eaters managed to muck up while they were in residence.

What is each community for?

the_haunted_rpg is for threads.
haunted_media is for interactive journal entries, magic parchment notes, owls, and other forms of communications.
the_haunted_ooc is for out of character aspects - such as player/character intros, notices of hiatus, new threads, plot discussion, or other ideas.

If we have interactive journals, where's the friend-all button?

Rather than deal with a friend button, updating, ban_set-ing, etc., when someone leaves, we're requesting that all entries that would be placed in the character's journal are instead placed in haunted_media.

These entries are to be treated the same way as journal entries; they can be charmed private, or viewable to only certain people. Anything that is stricken out like so cannot be read.

I see the term "plot specific character" in the rules a lot. What does that mean, exactly?

A plot specific character is one that's not held to activity standards or expected to engage outside of plot posts they are relevant too. This can be because they are a minor/minion sort of character, or a Death Eater in hiding that makes it difficult to create legitimate, low-risk interactions for them.

If I play a ghost and the person they're haunting isn't cast, what do I do?

NPC them carefully. We suggest doing at least one narrative post as a ghost in the residence of the haunted character, without emphasizing too much what the uncast character is doing in the event he or she is picked up later.

If I pick up a haunted character but their ghost isn't cast, then what?

They won't have a ghost haunting them until someone does pick up the ghost. The ghosts can show up at any time, so there are no time constraints on that.

So what exactly happens along the timeline of a ghost?

When the ghost first settles on their hauntee, nothing of note really happens. They're restricted to their hosts' "home", and they cannot leave the house/flat/etc, even if their hauntee isn't presently home. For the first week and a half, they're like any other ghost. They're translucent and intangible, live people would feel a chill if the ghost brushed a hand through them (or vice-versa). They can converse, of course, just like any other ghost in the books.

After a week and a half to two weeks, the ghosts begin to slowly become more and more tangible. They find it harder and harder to phase away or disappear, and they begin to have an effect on their environment. The more they focus on solidity, the more they can affect their environment, but only for brief periods before they become tired.

During the solidification process, the hauntee will begin having issues with his/her magic. The bigger the magic, the more noticeable the effect, though even "unconscious" magics like potion-making and standing wards will be drawn upon by the ghost.

After three and a half to four weeks, the ghost will solidify completely into a living person. They will lose all memories gained while in ghost form (so everything will have to be explained to them again), and they will retain only the memories of their life until their point of death. They will remember what killed them/how they died. Since clothing does not carry through from the spirit world, the ghost will be starkers upon solidification.

Are all the Death Eaters who were at the last battle in Azkaban?

Surprisingly few of the named ones made it there, wink wink. A lot of them scattered and went deep into hiding. But it has been seven months, so they're probably a little itchy to start causing some mayhem again. The Malfoys were placed under the wizarding equivalent of house arrest for six months and are still being watched closely but are otherwise free.

The ghost I want to play isn't on the available list. Can I still play them?

Probably. You can ask on the holds page and if you think it's someone questionable, go ahead and suggest who they might be haunting. I'm pretty open to ideas.

Can I play a ghost younger than the age they died?

No, sorry. All ghosts are to be played from their point of death.

Can a ghost haunt another ghost?

Not while a person is still ghosted, no. If, however, someone wants to pick up James Potter after Lily has come back to life, they're welcome to have him haunt her.

Aren't there any other questions?

Yes, but all the ones I could think of were general things people familiar with the world should know. If I didn't cover something, drop a line and I'll add it.

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