The following items have been patched into the Quidditch System and will take effect during the Spring 2023 games (which are scheduled to start June 3rd):

• The moves Quaffle Grab & Score vs Quaffle Grab & Pass have been clarified on how they work with other moves. Note: This means action submission can no longer be simply "Quaffle Grab," it must specify whether the user is trying to score or pass if they get the quaffle.
  
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  • Quaffle Grab & Score: [SEEKER] [CHASER] [KEEPER]
    This is where the player attempts to gain control of the Quaffle. If the player gets the Quaffle, the player will attempt to score with the Quaffle. There are five attempts to grab the Quaffle in a single round.
    • The Math: [Accuracy Stat]
      This is a contested Accuracy roll between every user that attempts to grab a Quaffle. The highest accuracy roll with accuracy stat would gain control of the quaffle. The user that gains control of the quaffle would automatically attempt to score. This is a contested accuracy roll between the player attempting to score and the Keeper if the Keeper is defending the rings/blocking.
  • Quaffle Grab & Pass: [SEEKER] [CHASER] [KEEPER]
    This is where the player attempts to gain control of the Quaffle. If the player gets the Quaffle, the player will pass the Quaffle to a teammate. That teammate will automatically attempt to score. There are five attempts to grab the Quaffle in a single round.
    • The Math: [Accuracy Stat]
      This is a contested Accuracy roll between every user that attempts to grab a Quaffle. The highest accuracy roll with accuracy stat would gain control of the quaffle. The user that gains control of the quaffle would automatically attempt to score. This is a contested accuracy roll between the player attempting to score and the Keeper if the Keeper is defending the rings/blocking.
    • Additional Information: The recipient of a pass must be doing the "Quaffle Grab & Score" move or the "Finbourgh Flick" move.
  
  
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  Example plays using the quaffle grabs:
  
  Chaser 1: Quaffle Grab & Pass to Chaser 3
  Chaser 2: Quaffle Grab & Pass to Chaser 3
  Chaser 3: Quaffle Grab & Score
  
  Or if you wanted to Finbourgh Flick you could:
  
  Chaser 1: Quaffle Grab & Pass to Chaser 3
  Chaser 2: Quaffle Grab & Pass to Chaser 3
  Chaser 3: Finbourgh Flick
• The ability Interception has been patched. It is now known as Chaser's Interception and with the clarification of the quaffle grabbing & passing mechanic above, the ability's effects have been elaborated. (Note: The handful of players with this ability will have the name changed in their trunks for ease of search.)
  
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  Chaser's Interception
  
  A special skill known by the best Chasers where they have swifter than normal reflexes.
  
  Prerequisite: None
  
  Effect: When a Quaffle is being passed by the opponent team, users with this ability automatically get a 10% chance to intercept the quaffle as long as the user is taking a quaffle-related action during that quidditch round. Note: a quaffle cannot be intercepted twice in one quaffle round (there are five quaffle rounds in one quidditch round).
  
  If the quaffle is successfully intercepted with this ability, your character will automatically perform their designated action. For example, if your character is using "Quaffle Grab & Pass" during the round that they intercept the quaffle, upon getting the quaffle with the intercept ability, they will automatically perform a pass to their designated target (this pass cannot be intercepted because it is being done in the same quaffle round).
  
  Additional Information: Only has use in Quidditch when playing as a Chaser.
• Critical Success have been added to the following actions: Quaffle Grab, Score attempts, Block, Search, Bludger, Backbeat, Blatch. Note: Rolling a critical success number does not mean auto-success. The user must have succeeded in their action + rolled in the critical success range for these effects to take place. Note II: Currently no abilities will impact the critical success range for Quidditch actions as they are not spellcasting related, but there are brooms that impact critical success range.
  
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  Critical Success Rolls

  • With a bludger or backbeat hit, the damage is doubled.
  • On a blatch, if the target is hit, they are knocked off broom and take damage as if they were bludgered.
  • On finding the snitch, the Seeker is able to skip the chase phase.
  • On attempting to grab the snitch, if contested the user has advantage on strength checks.
  • On grabbing the quaffle, advantage on strength checks if contested.
  • On attempting to score, they score twice (20 points).
  • On blocking an attempt to score, the keeper has advantage on strength checks if contested.
• Keeper's Catch has been patched with clarification on how it comes into play with other moves.
  
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  Keeper's Catch
  
  You have been training in the goal hoops for a long time, honing your skills to react quickly and aggressively when you block a goal.
  
  Prerequisite: None
  
  Effect: 10% chance to automatically block an attempt to score a goal as long as the Keeper is taking an action in the goal area.
  
  If an attempt to score has been blocked through this effect, the Keeper may take one of the following three as a free action: hurl the quaffle at the opponent team in an attempt to injure a player of their choice, pass the quaffle to a teammate who is taking a quaffle-related action, or attempt to score on the opponent. This must be declared by the Keeper if any of these free actions are to be utilized, for example:
  
  Keeper: Block [& Pass to x if Keeper's Catch goes off] - the pass recipient must be taking a quaffle related action
  Keeper: Starfish and Stick [& Attack x if Keeper's Catch goes off] - the action will be equivalent to a bludger action
  Keeper: Block [& Score if Keeper's Catch goes off]
  
  Additional Information: Only has use in Quidditch when playing as a Keeper.
• In the event that a Quidditch match ends in a tie, we have implemented a mechanic to decide the winner.
  
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  If a game ends with the scores between two teams tied, all users still standing get a chance to score one last quaffle. Mechanically, this means all players still on the field will get an accuracy roll. Whichever player rolls the highest wins the game for their team by getting the quaffle against everyone else and scoring the final goal (worth 10 points) against unguarded hoops. Like with any quaffle grab, a tied highest accuracy roll results in a contested strength check.

• The beater action Dopplebeater Defense is back, with an advantage roll to make the action economy worth it.
  
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  • Dopplebeater Defense: (2 Player Move) [BEATER]
    Both Beaters hit a bludger at the same time for extra power, resulting in a bludger attack of greater accuracy and severity.
    • The Math: [Accuracy][Strength]
      This is mathematically similar to Bludgering an opponent, except the Accuracy is averaged between the users using this move, and the strength of the two users is added together. They also gain advantage on the accuracy roll.
• Calming Presence and Terrible Presence only affect moves that have an accuracy vs evasion mechanic, because the abilities themselves are auto-hit and auto-miss. This means they do NOT apply to quaffle grabbing, quaffle scoring nor snitch catching. They DO apply to actions such as bludgering and blatching.
• The cheating DC for all fouls has been clarified in the Cheating System section of the rules.
  
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  Cheating System

  Cheating is done using a wisdom DC determined by avg opponent players' wisdom + 15. A player performing a foul must pass this DC in order to avoid being caught. The exception to this is blatching and pincering, which are automatically seen by referees unless someone has the Foulplay ability.
  
  If someone is caught cheating in a round, during the next round they will have to perform a penalty lap around the pitch, meaning they cannot take any other action. Players on a penalty lap can still be targeted by attacks. If a user caught performing a foul is sharing a broom with another player, they can use the "Return to Broom" action before performing the penalty lap the round after.

• The Cobbing foul has been clarified with a limit to how many times it can stack.
  
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  • Cobbing: [FOUL] [SEEKER] [CHASER] [KEEPER] [BEATER]
    Excessive use of elbows towards opponents.
    • Effect: This is a debuff move against a single opponent. Accuracy (+2 in favor of the Cobber) v. Evasion. This reduces a player's WISDOM, ACCURACY and EVASION by 2 for the next 2 rounds. This can stack twice.

• The Blurting foul has been clarified on how it is used against seekers.
  
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  • Blurting: [FOUL] [SEEKER] [CHASER] [KEEPER] [BEATER]
    Locking broom handles to steer an opponent off course.
    • Effect: Usually used against Seekers when they are in their Chase phase, which is the round immediately after spotting the snitch. This cannot be used when a seeker is doing their catch attempts. If the seeker is attempting to Alley Oop during their chase phase, this will cause their catch attempt to be done with a third roll of disadvantage. If the seeker is doing any other move during their chase phase, this would cause the Seeker to have to repeat their Chase Phase. This uses the Blurter's (Accuracy + 2) against the Seeker's Evasion.

• The Haversacking foul has been patched to Quaffle Grab & Haversacking for clarity.
  
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  • Quaffle Grab & Haversacking: [FOUL] [SEEKER] [CHASER] [KEEPER]
    Once they have control of the quaffle, during their score attempt they cheat. Their hand is still on the Quaffle as it goes through the goal hoop – the Quaffle must be thrown through the goal.
    • Effect: +5 accuracy to making a goal. They cannot be passed the quaffle during this round. Must pass the cheating DC for every score attempt. If caught, the penalty takes place during the next quidditch round.
• Damage has been removed from Parkin's Pincer as that was mistakenly left in the rules.
• For clarity, any of the following circumstances will cause a Quidditch game to end:
  • The snitch is caught
  • There are no seekers left on both teams
  • One team is completely KOB
  • One team has no way to score more points (eg they have no chasers/seekers/keepers - beaters cannot quaffle grab so they cannot earn points if they're the only ones left on the field)
  • Forfeit (this option is currently being discussed by the moderators team and details will be announced separately)

These changes will not impact the current Winter game of Quidditch, but they will impact all games going forward.

There is now a forfeit option in Quidditch per the above reasons on why a Quidditch match may end. It is important to offer a forfeit option to players who are no longer engaged or having fun with the game. However, restrictions will apply to calling for a forfeit so that it is fair on both teams:

• The forfeiting team must have no more seekers left
• The forfeiting team must have the agreement of all the players left on the field AND/OR the majority of the team wants to forfeit
• The forfeiting team must be losing by at least 100 points
• The winning team does not get extra points in the event of a forfeit

There are 3 new abilities being added to our abilities list with graduation around the corner. If you are interested in broom racing, please take note of these abilities! iNPCs can take these too. These abilities will be available to use from the summer games onwards.

Attacker Awareness

A broom racing based ability. This racer is great at assessing upcoming environmental attackers on racing courses and determining the best flight path to make it past unnoticed.

Prerequisite: None

Effect: When facing an environmental attacker on a broom racing course, you have a 10% chance to go unnoticed by the attacker and not have to roll against them. This stacks throughout the race, adding 10% for each attacker you encounter. Example: If you go past an attacker in round 2 and face another attacker in round 4, you have 10% chance to make it past the first attacker and a 20% chance to make it past the second attacker. This stacking chance caps at 50%. This stacking chance resets to 10% when the ability is successful. This roll is performed before any other rolls that might impact success against an attacker (eg Evasive Maneuvers).

Steady Flyer

A broom racing based ability. This racer is great at making it through obstacles without any trouble.

Prerequisite: None

Effect: When facing an obstacle on a broom racing course that is of easy or moderate challenge rating, you have a 10% chance to automatically make it past without having to roll against the obstacle's DCs. If you go through multiple obstacles in one round, your chance to make it past stacks for that round. Example: If you go through an easy obstacle and a moderate obstacle in one round, you have 10% chance to make it past the first obstacle, and a 20% chance to make it past the second obstacle. This stacking chance resets to 10% when the ability is successful and between rounds. This roll is performed before any other rolls that might impact success against an obstacle (eg Evasive Maneuvers).

Taking this ability twice will allow this effect to happen with hard and near-impossible challenge rating obstacles too.

Unfettered Flight (formerly known as Spell Flinger)

A broom racing based ability. This racer is more than capable of keeping their broom speed under control while focusing their attention on other tasks - like flinging spells and rocks, or helping out a fellow racer.

Prerequisite: None

Effect: This would allow a player to avoid the debuffs of moving at a faster speed than their broom is actually going when taking extra actions. To explain -- when a racer is taking another action while flying, their move speed is reduced by 50% rounded down; however, they still suffer all of the side effects of moving at the faster speed. This ability makes it so the racer is only suffering the debuffs of the halved speed. So if a user is casting a spell and flying speed 6, they will only suffer the debuffs of speed 3 since that is their actual speed that round.

There were some questions regarding snitchnipping so additional information was added (as bullets) under snitchnipping in the Quidditch System.

What does a Snitchnip do?

In snitchnip once the snitch is found another player is able to also attempt to grab the snitch. High risk, high reward. If they grab it unseen, they win the game for their team.

What should a Snitchnip do?

In snitchnip once the snitch is found another player is able to also attempt to grab the snitch. High risk, high reward. If they grab it unseen, they win the game for their team.

Risks:

• Being seen and suffering a penalty for that
• If they grab it as well as their Seeker, there is a contested roll where they would wrest it away from the captain and again have a risk of being seen and what would have been a won game is now continuing on.
• This reduces the action economy of players in the round. This is one less person quaffle grabbing, blatching, etc.
• If they are targeted by the opposing team, all the rounds spent searching, chasing and grabbing are lost.

Should the roll for snitchnipping be seen?

Yes. Players also know when a Seeker has found the snitch and what phase they are in (the find phase, the chase phase or the grab phase). IC players should not "know" that a user is attempting a snitchnip because it is in the end a "secret" (illegal) move.

How is this strategic?

This is a high risk tactic that could win the game for a team but it is not an easy feat. This move comes at a high cost in terms of action economy and the user can still be targeted by the opponent team. While they may not "know" that the player is snitchnipping, they are going to see someone loitering around the pitch and be left to wonder "what are they up to"?

The Strategy:

• This divides the attempts to "take out" the Seeker between more than one target.
• If successful, it can win the game.

Would a cheating roll need to be made for looking for the snitch or the chase phase?

No, there would be no way of knowing that someone is looking for the snitch IC, however there is the possibility that IC some of your opponents might suspect that a character is snitchnipping because some player is loitering in the middle of the field for multiple rounds.

Does foul play reduce the likelihood of being caught

Yes, it is the main reason for this skill. This is a powerful bolster.

If there is a contested roll between the chaser and the OPPOSING seeker, would that be an auto-fail on the cheating roll.

Yes, it would be pretty obvious at that point to the opposing team.

Added Information on Forward Dating and Back Dating to the Basic Site Rules

Players can backdate their threads as far back as they would like. Players can only forward date threads up to 1 month. The exception to this is in the summer months were we expand forward dating up to three months (June to August), always ending on September 1st to accommodate new users that joined the site during the summer and have chosen to start their wizarding journey in September.

Backdating is the declaration that the thread is taking place at a time before the date of the first post.
Forward dating is the declaration that a thread is taking place in the future, at a time after the date that the first post of a thread was.

** All threads are considered to have taken place on or within a few days of the date of the first post.
** The maker of the thread (whoever made the first post) declares in their post what date the thread is taking place.

The Bludger

This is a newspaper that was previously shut down. A pair of users have petitioned to write a few articles and gave a compelling argument that might have involved a PDF. The first article was released today: In the London Quidditch Stadium written by @Violet Castle and @Jorah Moussa.

1. Introduction
Welcome to "The Bludger," the Harry Potter/Wizarding World Role Play Magazine Guide. We
hope to revive the Bludger and bring life to the Wizarding World by adapting real life NHL games
into quidditch games which the magazine will cover. In this document, we will guide you through
the process of translating/converting real NHL teams and games into Quidditch gameplay.

So why the NHL?
Quidditch is played on broomsticks with players flying in the air. The objective is to score goals
by throwing the Quaffle through the opponent's hoops while also dealing with the challenges
posed by Bludgers and trying to catch the Golden Snitch.

Hockey is played on the ice, with players skating on ice. The objective is to score goals by
shooting the puck into the opponent's net while maneuvering through opponents and defending
their own goal.

Both sports require a specialized mode of transportation which requires skill to master. Both
involve scoring goals past a dedicated defender. Both use one goalie, three offensive players,
and two defensive players. Both are physically aggressive sports with similar fouls and penalties
which temporarily remove players from the game. Both require the use of long wooden objects,
i.e. brooms and hockey sticks, which could be broken affecting game play.

International Quidditch Tournament vs Quidditch World Cup?

We will focus on coverage of the International Quidditch Tournament (IQT) rather than the
Quidditch World Cup. The decision was made to include teams with personality that the readers
would be familiar with. For instance, instead of covering the England National Team, we will be
focusing on the Chudley Cannons or the Falmouth Falcons.

How many Quidditch teams will the Bludger follow?
The Bludger with alternate coverage between 32 regional Quidditch teams which have been
chosen to represent the 32 NHL teams.

How were teams chosen?
The Harry Potter Wiki lists 41 regional quidditch teams. The 22 teams with existing
logos/banners were chosen first. The next criteria was national diversity. Given that the majority
of the Quidditch teams hailed from the British Isles, additional teams from this region were
excluded. Teams that had no national representation were then selected. This left us with 31 out
of 32 teams. The last remaining team would then come from either Australia, Canada, or the
United States. The United States was selected given its larger population of the three.

How are the teams organized?
In keeping with the NHL layout, teams are divided between two conferences: Eastern
Conference and Western Conference. The Eastern Conference is further divided into the
Metropolitan Division and Eastern Division. The Western conference is divided into the Western
Division and Central Division. This will give 4 divisions of 8 teams each. Following this
framework allows for a play-off bracket system in which Division Champions will compete to
represent their respective conference. The two Conference Champions will then compete for the
International Quidditch Cup.

What does the national representation look like?
Australia, Bulgaria, Canada, England x6, Ethiopia, France, Germany, Ireland, Japan, Lithuania,
Luxembourg, New Zealand, Northern Ireland, Norway, Peru, Poland, Portugal, Scotland x3,
Tanzania,Togo, Uganda, United States x2, Wales x2.

Posting frequency?
Coverage will correspond with the NHL season from October to June. Ideally new editions will
be released monthly during the regular season and weekly during the play-offs.

2. Assigning NHL Teams to Quidditch Teams
How are teams divided into their respective Divisions?
Teams were generally divided by their global location while also keeping teams of the same
nation in the same division.

Eastern Division (Asia/Africa/Australia + Ireland): Australia, Ethiopia, Ireland, Japan, New Zealand, Tanzania, Togo, Uganda
Central Division (Europe): Bulgaria, France, Germany, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Norway, Poland, Portugal
Metropolitan Division (England/Wales): England x6, Walesx2
Western Division (Americas + Scotland/Northern Ireland): Canada, Northern Ireland, Peru,
Scotland x3, United States x2

* Note: Scotland and Northern Ireland were grouped together given their union in the United
Kingdom. This left Ireland the odd team out joining the Eastern Conference as far away from
England as possible*

Here is the breakdown of the assigned NHL teams for each Quidditch team and their
corresponding divisions:

Metropolitan Division

● Appleby Arrows - New York Rangers
● Caerphilly Catapults - Washington Capitals
● Chudley Cannons - Philadelphia Flyers
● Falmouth Falcons - Pittsburgh Penguins
● Holyhead Harpies - New Jersey Devils
● Puddlemere United - New York Islanders
● Tutshill Tornados - Carolina Hurricanes
● Wimbourne Wasps - Columbus Blue Jackets
Western Division
● Fitchburg Finches - Tampa Bay Lightning
● Moose Jaw Meteorites - Ottawa Senators
● Sweetwater All-Stars - Montreal Canadiens
● Tarapoto Tree-Skimmers - Toronto Maple Leafs
● Montrose Magpies - Boston Bruins
● Pride of Portree - Florida Panthers
● Wigtown Wanderers - Buffalo Sabres
● Ballycastle Bats - Detroit Red Wings
Central Division
● Grodzisk Goblins - Arizona Coyotes
● Gorodok Gargoyles - Minnesota Wild
● Braga Broomfleet - Colorado Avalanche
● Bigonville Bombers - Winnipeg Jets
● Heidelberg Harriers - Nashville Predators
● Karasjok Kites - Dallas Stars
● Quiberon Quafflepunchers - St. Louis Blues
● Vratsa Vultures - Chicago Blackhawks
Eastern Division
● Gimbi Giant-Slayers - Los Angeles Kings
● Patonga Proudsticks - San Jose Sharks
● Sumbawanga Sunrays - Calgary Flames
● Tchamba Charmers - Vancouver Canucks
● Toyohashi Tengu - Seattle Kraken
● Moutohora Macaws - Anaheim Ducks
● Wollongon Warriors - Vegas Golden Knights
● Kenmare Kestrels - Edmonton Oilers

3. Quidditch Positions and NHL Equivalents
Incorporating NHL positions into Quidditch gameplay adds depth and strategy to the role play.

Here's how you can assign NHL positions to Quidditch positions:

Two Beater: Equivalent to an NHL Defenseman
One Keeper: Equivalent to an NHL Goaltender
Three Chasers: Equivalent to NHL Forwards/Attackers

We considered the unique attributes and skills of each NHL position and aligned them with the
respective Quidditch positions for an authentic experience. NHL teams have one less player
than Quidditch teams. Therefore there is no position for the Seeker.

4. Scoring and Winning the Game
To determine the winner of a Quidditch game based on an NHL match, follow these guidelines:

Goals: In hockey, the average scores per game are 3-4. Each goal scored would count as 1 point in a hockey game. To align it with Quidditch scoring, we can multiply each NHL goal by 50. So, if the NHL team scores 3 goals in a game, their Quidditch score would be 150 points.
Extra Points: In Quidditch, catching the Golden Snitch is worth 150 points and ends the game.
To incorporate this into hockey, we can assign additional points to the NHL team based on the
outcome of the game.

For example:

● If the NHL team wins the game, they earn an extra 150 points.
● Games that progress to sudden death or double overtime will be settled differently.
○ The winning team will have an additional 150+ points added to their score but the
losing team will be said to have caught the snitch.

Keep in mind there have been Quidditch games where the snitch has been caught by a team,
but they did not necessarily win the game. Remember the snitch indicates a game end, not a
game won.

5. Player Names and Rotation
To enhance immersion and accommodate potential player substitutions or injuries, we will
maintain a list of country specific player names for each Quidditch team in a separate
spreadsheet.

For example:

Toyohashi Tengu (Japan)
Hiroshi Takahashi (Male)
Ayumi Nakamura (Female)
Yuki Tanaka (Female)
Haruka Suzuki (Female)
Kenjiro Yamamoto (Male)
Sakura Ito (Female)
Ryo Tanaka (Male)
Emi Nakamura (Female)
Daichi Sato (Male)
Aiko Kobayashi (Female)

This allows us to rotate players in and out of games as needed. We will assign each player a
position and keep track of their performance throughout the role play.

6. Utilizing Real Life Data for Analyzation
Real life data enhances the tracking and analysis of Quidditch games. We will able to implement
the following techniques:

● Create separate sheets for each Quidditch team to record game scores, goal scorers,
and assists.
● Include a standings sheet that with team rankings based on wins and losses

By incorporating real life data for analysis and visualizations, we can add depth to the role play
and provide a more immersive experience for participants.

7. Conclusion
By utilizing NHL games as the basis for Quidditch gameplay, "The Bludger" magazine offers a
unique and interactive experience for Harry Potter and Wizarding World enthusiasts. With
assigned NHL teams, proper position alignments, scoring mechanisms, player rotation, and the
use of data analytics, we can create a realistic and engaging Quidditch role play.

Advancement Program

This summer (July and August 2023) we are trialing a program that is aimed at users who have been IC held back due to OOC reasons. This means users who fell off index before graduation one year, and have since returned to the site and re-indexed with IC reasoning for why they were held back. This program will allow them to advance one extra year in the summer with the goal of catching up to their peers.

OOC this involves an application process that is available only over the summer. IC this is represented by an exam that Hogwarts students who were held back can take over summer.

This program is being created with the intention to help users that may have left the site at inopportune times or changed characters only to realize they want to stick with their original. This is not meant to be abused to keep multiple high-year characters in rotation, ideally this will be a rarely-used program for users that want to reignite passion for a character they intend to stick with.

The full information of the program and the application process can be found pinned at the top of the Characters forum, in this thread: [link]

The following items will be considered official rules for the summer games. The Quidditch moderator team is using this summer to test these mechanics before adding them to the official rules so tweaks can be made:

Bludgers

• Currently, bludgers only appear when beaters use them for attacks like bludgering and backbeating.
• We are testing a mechanic so that bludgers will randomly target users on a Quidditch pitch.
• For the summer, if at least one beater on a team takes a bludger-related action (eg bludgering or backbeating), then a bludger will not randomly target anyone on their team. However, if both beaters on one team do not take a bludger-related action, then a bludger will randomly target someone on their team. This would be rolled at the end of the round after all other actions, targeting someone who is still on their broom. This means at most, if both teams' beaters don't take a bludger-related action, then two bludger attacks will be rolled. One targeting each team.
• For clarification, defender is not considered a bludger-related action. A beater using defender will not prevent the bludger being randomly rolled, but they would be able to defend if the bludger randomly targets the person they are defending.
• For the summer, the bludgers who target randomly will have an accuracy stat of +5 and will deal 125 damage. They will select from whoever has positive health at the end of all other actions. If a bludger rolls a critical accuracy roll (20), their damage is doubled.

Death Defiance

• Currently, if a user is knocked below 0 health, they can be saved with the "Save" action and are brought back to 1 health. This makes the ability Death Defiance unusable in Quidditch because it is already being done for all users.
• We are testing the removal of this mechanic and making it so only users with Death Defiance can be saved in such a manner.
• For the summer, if a user is knocked below 0 health and does not have Death Defiance, they cannot be saved. They will be out of the game. If the user does have Death Defiance, they can be saved. They will be brought back to 1 health one time in the game. If they are knocked below that amount again, they cannot be saved.
• For the summer, this means when defining your "save" action priorities, you should keep in mind that if someone is dropped below 0 health, they cannot be saved, and so the next person on the priority list becomes the priority. Captains should have a backup suggestion ready in the event one person drops below 0 while another person gets blatched and falls with positive health.

We have made some changes to the Player Responsibilities and activity thread related to Sports on Hogwarts.io. The full thread is available here.

When you signup for a sport, you are committing to being part of a team. You will be expected to remain active, post in official matches, and help your team strategize during games.

During an official match, you will be expected to make a 50-word minimum post every round of the game by the deadline. If your team wins, you will be eligible for rewards if you have missed no more than one round. This is necessary because your action for the round will not happen if you do not post, putting your team at a severe disadvantage. The exception to this is if your character gets knocked out mid-game, you are not required to continue posting after that. If you post accordingly and your team wins the game, you will be eligible for the following rewards:

• 1 stat point. Note that this cannot be used to break the year caps on stats. You can redeem this after your match has ended and your moderator has made a post confirming who is eligible for rewards.
• 1 house point. This is awarded after all that sports' games have ended for that season.

Action submission is also an important responsibility. Captains are responsible for submitting their team's actions in broom racing and quidditch by the deadline (though players can and should be on top of reminding their captains if they see a disconnect), and in duelling the two-player sub teams are responsible for submitting their actions by the deadline. Failure to submit a strategy on time means your team loses their actions for the round.

Players maintain their spots on a team and waitlist as long as they are active. Activity is defined as posting on site anywhere, this includes forum games. The last time someone has logged onto the site, collected their scholarship, wrote an owl or spoke on discord would not count towards being "active."

Specifically, you must:

1. post on site at least once every calendar month. [So Feb 3 to March 3, Oct 9 to Nov 9] Some months are longer or shorter by a day or two, we do this by calendar month for clarity for the moderators and the players. In the case of users who have two accounts (eg staff with adult accounts), posting on either account will count towards this.
2. post in official matches. If you are active on site, but you miss posting twice in a single game, you will be removed from the role.

It is the player's responsibility to ensure they are keeping up with the activity requirements. Failure to meet the above requirements will result in immediate removal from the team. However, you can rejoin the team at the bottom of the waitlist/if there is a vacancy. iNPCs can rejoin once the iNPC update thread is open. (Please note: duelling has penalties for going inactive during a duel).

Special Considerations: This is in regards to players that know that they will be away for a prolonged period of time, will be missing a game, were suddenly unable to access the site. While some cases may be extreme, every person who is taken away from the community has a good reason, be it school, health, real life responsibilities, work, or issues accessing a computer. It is impossible for us to verify every person who has an "exceptional circumstance" and it is also unfair to state that certain issues would give someone extra time we would not offer someone else. This leads to concerns of favoritism, accusations of lying, becoming privy to personal information of users we have no business having and the unfortunate animosity that accompanies a subjective exception. In regards to knowing that you will be on vacation or unavailable during a game and therefore unable to post -- there is presently no additional consideration or system available for this. However, this is under active discussion.