Frequently Asked Questions

What is Druids of Paranor (DoP)?

An RP group inspired by the fantasy world created in the Shannara books by Terry Brooks. This is not an Ultima Online guild, which some have confused it with, but a role-playing circle.

Is this game played with dice/cards/etc.?

No. It's a little like playing the old game of 'pretend', except that it's done through e-mail RPs.

What is an RP?

An RP, or role-play, is an e-mail document that a person has written about their character in the form of a story. It can be short or long, but usually it describes something that happens to the character or that the character does. [Ex. ***Kahle kneeled, lowering his head in respect as he recited his Druid oaths to Mareth (the High Druid.)***] Also refer to the How to write an RP section or the Recent Posts section.

How do I join the Druids of Paranor?

Go to the join page, read all the information, then fill out the application. The Applications Chairman of DoP will reply to you ASAP, and let you know if you have been accepted or not. Sometimes things are going on that make it difficult to bring in new apprentices, but we try to do this as quickly as we can, so please be patient.

You mean I don't automatically get in if I apply?

No. If the writing in your application shows a significant lack of spelling and grammar skills, or if you didn't read all the information and end up creating a character that doesn't work with the setting or within the rules [ex. the secret heir of the Elven Kingdom (doesn't fit with the backgrounds), a cousin of Par Ohmsford (wrong time period), or a character with 'superpowers' (not allowed by the rules)] then you will not be accepted. This is to make the game fun for the people in the group as a whole, not to be mean to anyone. If you aren't accepted, we are sorry. You will usually be told why, and if you think you can fix the problem, you are welcome to apply again.

How old do you have to be to join?

There is no certain age you must be, but the preferred age is at least 14. If you are younger than 14 and wish to join, your maturity level must be noticeably high for someone of your age; high enough that no one notices you are younger than you should be. We don't want people reacting immaturely to some of the things that happen in Paranor.

What is expected of a member of DoP?

As a member, you will have certain responsibilties given to you depending on your rank. But no matter what, you are expected to read all the RPs, role-play regularly yourself, follow the rules, and just generally participate.

How often do I have to RP?

You should be available to read and respond to RPs almost every day. You may not have to actually write an RP that often, but you need to be able to. It is not fair to the other players to have to wait several days for a response from you to be able to do something else with their character. In addition to this, if a member does not RP within a two week period, without prior notice of absense, the member will be penalized with either a demotion or banishment from DoP.

What happens if I do not go with what is expected and do not follow the rules?

It all depends on of the severity of the violation. If it's minor, you will have a chance to correct the problem, but if it is major, you may be kicked out of Paranor. The High Druid also has the option of demoting your RP character as a form of correction.

What happens if I lose my e-mail address?

If your e-mail turns out to be 'dead' or not working and we get a bounce response, you will be deleted from the mailing list and not knowing about it is your problem, although people WILL try to contact you in other ways if possible. If you don't contact someone within two weeks, you may be dropped from DoP.

How do I write my character's background?

To see the backgrounds of the present members for an example of what yours should be like go to the Member Information pages and look at different characters. Then use your imagination to create a character you would like to play as an apprentice at Paranor.

Can my character be from a different world other than Shannara?

In the past we have accepted characters who were from other worlds, but we will no longer be accepting them. This is the Four Lands, not Landover.

Can my character be anything other than the traditional races of Shannara?

No, there are a few characters that are at the moment, but we have decided to no longer permit that. Your character must be one of the races native to the Four Lands and mentioned in the books (Human, Elven, Dwarven, Gnome, Troll, etc.)

Can I have more than one character?

Many members do write for more than one character, but this is only allowed after it is obvious to the Leadership Council that the author is doing a reasonable job of handling their first character. In order to add another character, you must send in another application to the apps council, who will review the application and make a judgment as if you are a new player. We ask that additional characters be unrelated to and, if possible, completely separate from the player's other character(s). This is done not only to keep things spread out but also to ensure that your ability to write is diversified over different character types and backgrounds.

What is some basic role-playing lingo that I should know?

There are a few abbreviations that are often used for role-playing.

RP

A role play

NRP

Usually used in the subject line of an e-mail. Announcements or information that is not a role-play.

IC

"in character" Indicates that something is spoken in character, or from a character's point of view. Usually indicated in e-mails by *** at the beginning and end of the actual RP.

OOC

"out of character" This indicates that something is not part of the role-playing, but is what the person who is writing is saying in real life. Sometimes (( )) around a sentence is used to indicate that something is OOC.

IRL, R/L

"in real life" Another way of saying OOC.

PC

"player character" a term some of us use to describe the Druid characters we play. The only possible exception is a villain.

NPC

"non-player character" a term some of us use to describe the multitude of non-Druid characters we come across, be it popular non-Druid characters or just cameo appearances.

How can I get people to RP with me?

When you start out you will soon be encountered by a Druid who will be something like a mentor for you. They will RP with you in the beginning and get you going; but if you wish to go beyond and RP with others, all you have to do is pick someone and go with it. Most people are very enthusiastic to RP. If you ever feel you are being ignored, a "please someone pay attention to me" request will usually get people in gear.

When choosing my character's skill levels, do I put them at where my character is at the moment, or where I'd like them to be after training?

You should put them at the level you are now, that way the Druid you will work with will know where you stand at this point. There's no need to put where you will be, because everyone will know how you train and how well you do through reading your training RPs and such.