Unsorted FAQ

[Nicolas King]

FAQ: Frequently Asked Questions​

The purpose of this documentation is to answer as many questions that are common for unsorted/new members as possible. As such, they questions have been broken up by theme of questions and will be split over several posts. This documentation will cover many things that are mentioned in the General FAQ but not everything - so I recommend you read through both documentations. This specific documentation also contains plenty of information which is only relevant to unsorted/new members.

• Starting Off
• Sorting/Transfers/User-groups
• Shopping/School Supplies
• Hogwarts and Classes
• Special Abilities
• Signatures and Avatars

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This documentation has been created with the help of the Unsorted Assistants

 

[Nicolas King]

Starting Off​

What is Roleplaying?
Roleplaying, simply put, is just pretending - pretending to be something you're not. HNZ is a text-based Roleplaying Game (RPG), this means that you write stories - and to be even more specific HNZ is a play-by-post RPG. This means that the stories you write about your character are collaboratively written with other people as they try to write stories about their character. Did you get all that? If you're still not sure about roleplaying, or roleplaying on HNZ - worry not! We have plenty of documentation to help clarify. I recommend you start with this guide then move up from there.

I've seen people say things like OOC and IC and IRL, what do these mean?
Those are all acronyms that you will see commonly both on HNZ, and other roleplaying sites.
"OOC" means "Out of Character" it is used to specify in a roleplay that it is you (the typist) making the comment - and not your character.
"IC" means "In Character" this is sometimes used to indicate that the dialogue/comment has switched back from being yours (the typist's) to the character's.
"IRL" means "In Real Life". You know? That crazy world that exists outside of your computer? That's what that acronym is referring to.
For more phrase and acronym help see this documentation.

Is there a maximum number of characters I can have/make?
No! You can make and have as many characters as you can handle! If you're just starting off we strongly recommend you don't get carried away (maybe just the one student character - or one student and one adult). Characters are a lot of hard work, and if you can't keep up with them all then all of them suffer. It's better to have a few you handle very well rather than many that you can't handle at all.

How can I keep track of all of my accounts?
On Xenforo, your main account is known as your parent account and all of the other accounts that you can link to your parent account are called sub-accounts. Linking sub-accounts to your parent account will enable you to easily receive notifications from all of your accounts to your main account and will allow you and us to better track whose accounts belong to who. It will also help us to better verify information, retrieve information, and reset passwords for you.
To make a sub-account, you’ll want to hit your avatar to open that drop down. From there, hit sub account. You’ll see an option to either add existing or create new. When you hit add existing, you will type the name of the character (s), hit the ‘add existing button' to confirm. You’ll then be taken to a list of all the accounts that need confirming. You then must log in to the other accounts where you will receive an alert to go to the sub account area to confirm what you did on the parent account. Please make sure to double check before you click to confirm because you or another member might have made a mistake and entered an incorrect character.

The seasons confuse me. Why do we have Christmas in the Summer?
"HNZ" stands for "Hogwarts New Zealand". The key, therefore, is New Zealand. New Zealand is in the southern hemisphere - so seasons there are 'backward' of those in the northern hemisphere. While we in the North enjoy summer in June, July and August those in the south are experiencing their winter. Therefore Christmas in December is winter for northerners - but in New Zealand Christmas is actually in the summer.

 

[Nicolas King]

Sorting/Transfers/User-groups​

When can I get my character sorted?
Sorting is currently closed. HNZ runs on a timeline, so we don't just sort all the time (so as to keep things organized). Sorting opens at the very end of each school year and is always announced here!

How do I get my character sorted?
Once sorting is opened links to the sorting ceremony will be posted in plenty of places all over the site. You will just have to fill out the sorting form, and submit a quick role-play and you'll be sorted! It's made to be as simple for you as possible.
Once the sorting hat sorts your character, it will send you a personal message that will indicate your house, and all necessary information about it.

What age should my character be if I want to be a first year?
Your character should be eleven years old when sorting opens, and can turn twelve shortly thereafter if you so choose.
Here is the guideline that is used for birthdays:

Unsorted Students were born sometime between (You must have JavasScript enabled to view this content.).

How do I make my character become a transfer student?
Transferring to a higher year in Hogwarts is something that very few people get to do. It involves an application which is opened at the same time as sorting. Once sorting opens, the transfer application will also be linked to in several locations. You will be asked to explain why you want your character to transfer, along with several other questions. The number of applications we accept changes according to the number of applications we receive. If your application is denied you can change your character's age, and their history slightly, then enter into sorting right away.

How can I make an account that is not human? A creature or a ghost for example.
In order to have your account changed to be a ghost or a creature just submit a Magical Creature Application.

How do I put a character into the magical group, for example?
Just fill out the appropriate application. Most group changes (like 'Magical,' 'Muggle', etc. ) can be done through the standard change form.

 

[Nicolas King]

Shopping/School Supplies​

When can I buy school supplies?
Unsorted students can buy their wands right after they're sorted! The sorting hat will send you a PM that includes instructions on how to go about doing all the shopping that will need doing - so it's simple enough. For all other years, students can look in the gradebook to see what supplies they need for their classes.

How do I obtain galleons?
If your character is getting sorted, you will be able to get your initial galleons by reading your sorting PM. If your character is not getting sorted, you may request initial galleons added to your account through the galleons form on this page. Note that unsorted students may not receive galleons.

I RP my character already having a pet, do I have to buy a new one?
Normally we would require all school supplies to be bought (whether first hand, or from the second-hand store). Pets, however, are a little different. They could be a life-long companion and very important to your character. As such, if your character had a pet before Hogwarts that you would like them to bring to Hogwarts just send Stefan Archer a personal message asking that the pet be added to your character's vault.

 

[Nicolas King]

Hogwarts and Classes​

How long is the school year?
HNZ works on a very strict cycle for in character 'years' as compared to out of character time. Here is a brief summary of how we break up the school year:
Hogwarts works with two semesters, the semesters are separated by Summer Break (remember: Christmas is in the summer ). Each semester is six weeks long plus a week for exams, seven weeks total. Each class has one lesson per week and can be found in the gradebook once you are sorted. In the end, approximately seventeen weeks in real life (give or take some depending on the length of Winter Vacation and the likes) is one year on this site.

What happens if I am gone for a few days a miss class or two?
Not a big deal at all. All classes are up for a week, so the odds are when you come back you'll still be able to post and not miss the class. Assuming you do miss the class, and the lesson topic is closed, you can always post your student's lesson in the "Make-up Work" topic that is present in every classroom forum.

How do we get graded on classes?
Grading is up to individual professors to decide how to do. Some professors grade heavily off the success your character has in an RP. Completing 'Homework' assignments can help your character earn extra points.
Either way, you're marked on a Wizarding scale. The scale works with ten possible house points to earn with each lesson. Below is an explanation of said system:

Grading/Points System​
Grades:​	The Points System​
O =Outstanding	10 points = O 9 points = O 8 points = O
E =Exceeds Expectations	7 points = E 6 points = E
A =Acceptable	5 points = A 4 points = A
P =Poor	3 points = P 2 points = P
D =Dreadful	1 point = D
T =Troll	0 points = T

Do we get to play Quidditch games, like in the books?
Yes! A system for Quidditch is set up on HNZ. It can seem a little daunting at first but once you understand it, it's tonnes of fun! Each house has Quidditch tryouts at different points - so once you're sorted keep an eye out for your house bulletin board to see when your chance to try out might be!

Do we get to have a Tri-Wizard Tournament?
Currently, we do not.

Why do we have a Yule Ball? I thought that was just for the TWT?
The Yule Ball on HNZ is slightly different than the Yule Ball during the Tri-Wizard Tournament. During the Tri-Wizard Tournament special emphasis is put on the champion of each school. Here it's just another time to have fun (and even first years can join in on the fun). There are also many fun balls and feasts throughout the school year.

 

[Nicolas King]

Special Abilities​

How do I get my character to have special powers?
In order to keep most character's 'normal' (not everybody can have super special abilities) most things require an application to be approved by Administrators. Special powers are no exception to this. That application process is explained in this rules topic. Note that all 'special powers' must be known powers to the Harry Potter universe (A.K.A: Canon).

How can my character be a Werewolf or part-Veela?
This, too, follows an application process. The rules for being a Werewolf or any part-species are also included in this documentation with a link to the application page.

Can my character be Pureblood?
Yes, they can. However this too has a few rules and requires application. If you're interested in your character becoming a pureblood read this rules topic.

 

[Nicolas King]

Signatures and Avatars​

How do I get pictures under my posts and name like other people?

To add an avatar:
1. Click on the small HNZ crest that you'll find on the top right of the screen.

2. It will open a smaller screen, and you should click the HNZ crest once more where it says 'edit.' Once there, you can upload a file with the avatar you'd like to use.

To add a signature:
1. Follow step one from above.

2. Under the your account tab, you'll want to click on the signature option. can be done by hovering over 'Preferences' then clicking on 'Change Signature.

In order to add an image to your signature you'll need to use BBCode. So, for instance, if you wanted this image in your signature:

You would have to use the image BBCode tag.

[img]Insert Image Link[/img]

Since the link to that particular image is http://z5.ifrm.com/9058/177/0/f5012237/textareaBG.png you would input

[img]http://z5.ifrm.com/9058/177/0/f5012237/textareaBG.png[/img]

.

How do I host my image so that I can add it onto the site?

We now have an HNZ media gallery that you can use to store images without fear of re-hosting elsewhere!

First, , you'll want to head to this link: UPLOADS

Once there you'll notice on the right the option to 'add media.' You'll be able to decide a category to add the image to, which can be one of the public categories (everyone will have access to use) or create a personal album (personal use).

Once you select an option, you'll head to a screen that says 'upload file,' add the file from your computer or phone and then you can add a description and some tags. If you're creating a new album, you can also give that a description and title. And then hit 'save.'

Once you've hit 'save' you'll note on the bottom right several options to share your media. Choose your option and then follow the instructions above to add as an avatar or signature!

For more information on categorizing, personal albums, and moving images, take a look at this!

Is it OK if I use the same celebrity to represent my character as someone else?

Yes, definitely. There are no rules regarding people using the same celebrity "play-by" as other people on the site. If you want, you could ask that person if they're alright with it (especially if their play-by is pretty unique) but that is by no means required.

All we ask is that you read this thread then get your character's name added to it, so that we have a cohesive list of who is using what celebrity (which might help other people if they don't want to use the same celebrity as another person).