Dependent NPCs (dNPC) - These are NPCs that only have to do with your character and your story. They have more relevance than a faceless NPC because they have a "face", a name and a history. They are necessary for your character's development and logical existence, such as having[/color] parents, a sibling, a best friend.

These dNPCs would not be going around the community on their own independently, as they are dependent on your character, so they would only be in threads with your character. This means that you would not write a solo roleplay from your father's perspective about a deal he made in the Ministry. The only media that comes wholly from the perspective of your dNPC where your player is not physically present with them would be them sending letters to you or perhaps another user. Ultimately dNPCs are not a primary part of your story and should be nothing more than a footnote used to facilitate your character.
For example: your dNPC mother smiled at Edward and his new best friend James. She was likely surprised that Edward had taken someone home with him, he was quite the homebody but she never said anything to Ed's relief. He was concerned that his mother would embarrass him and chase away his only friend.


In this example the roleplay comes from the perspective of Edward, the player rather than the mother. James, a PC friend was brought to the home so there is player interaction also but James can be another dNPC friend and this entire experience can be written as a solo used to explain or further solidify Edward's personality. Inferences are made regarding the dNPCs from the perspective of the player character, the dNPCs' actions are controlled by the player writer but it comes from the perspective of the writer.

These dNPCs have names, faces and identities. There is more to them than simply a smiling face or a friendly wave in the hall, they effect your story and are more than a means to reinforce the setting. There are some restrictions on these dNPCs as well.
• They can only be in threads that you are in unless specifically stated otherwise by the staff (such as in events). There are no clear rules for this, it is discretionary per the moderation staff. The other exception being that a parent can write an owl, this is one of the only times something is written from a dNPC's perspective in a thread without the PC being physically present with them.
• They cannot possess any special abilities or talents that you are deriving a benefit from (such as being a Seer and them sharing their visions with you). This does not mean that dNPCs cannot have abilities. If you are a Parselmouth, it is logical and expected that at least one of your parents is also a Parselmouth for instance. However, if you are not a part Veela you cannot claim that your mother was one and try to get past on the technicality that they were only a small fraction and that is why you are not considered one. If you game the system in this sort of way we won't trust you to make fun things on your own.
• They cannot share any information that you do not already have access to. They might be how you IC learned of something the general public is aware of, such as a wizarding war for instance because it was mentioned at the dinner table while you were home on holiday. You cannot learn information that would be otherwise generally unavailable to you via dNPCs. However, in the case of special events it is possible that the staff will provide you with some special information that your dNPC might be able to share with you.
• dNPCs would have reasonable access to the means by which they are created. Meaning: a muggle-born would have access to average muggle amenities. A muggle would not have access to a secret room filled with rare wizarding stuff. A wizard would have access to basic wizarding amenities, much like the Weasley household. There might be self-knitting needles or a false façade to hide from muggles for instance. These items stay home. You cannot claim your parents have a Flying Motorbike that you took on an adventure, this would be using your NPC's abilities and means for your character's advantage. We have a number of magical items in the shop that you can claim your parents have sent you as a gift or you have bought with your hard-earned coin however.
• dNPCs would have reasonable access to skillsets. Meaning if a parent is a doctor, they would have the skills of a physician. If a parent is a wizard, or a potion-master, they would have access to the skills that a wizard or a potion-make would have. Again, dNPCs are footnotes in stories, this would only be used to mention that a wizard mother is using magic to wash dishes or a physician father comments on the healing their child has experienced through magic perhaps as a tool to exemplify healing magic. This is not done to give a player an advantage that they otherwise do not have. For instance, a potion-master parent making their son a dozen Love Potions to take with them to school. This would go beyond the boundaries of dNPC use.
• dNPCs such as these do not need to be specifically approved by the staff but they are still beholden to site rules. If they break content or setting rules, we will request an edit or a removal of the interaction.
• They cannot be cannon characters from the Harry Potter universe or other fictional works, these dNPCs must be your creation (no plagiarism allowed).
• You are not to roleplay as them. To clarify, they are in threads -with- you. This is not a license to have a second player character. This serves as that best friend you might have 'always' nearby or your mother that sends you an owl to see how you are doing. This is describing your family when you go home for the holidays or when you are in a solo roleplay. You would still be rolplaying from your character's perspective (not theirs) [Refer to the example provided above]. If you need assistance or examples, we will link you some examples of dNPC use.
• dNPCs cannot be used to circumvent word count by having you interface with yourself through an entire post. If you are in a group thread, it is our expectation that the interaction(s) with your dNPCs does not overshadow your interactions with other players. This is considered to be "rude" in our roleplay culture and also makes interacting with you difficult. Please keep your dNPC use to less than half of your post. If you want an example of how to not use a dNPC in this way, we can point out a few threads.
• You need to be clear in your post what is being done by you and what is being done by your dNPC (looking at you twins).
• dNPCs need to make sense. The Index Team (while they do not actively monitor these because it is not humanly possible to do so) may notice discrepancies and may request additional information and clarification as it effects as mentioned above your story.