If you need help with anything, do not hesitate to ask questions in the appropriate forum, the discord channel, or via PM. We don’t bite. :]
Click on the question to expand the answer.
Accounts
OOC stands for ‘Out of Character’. The OOC account name should be the name you wish to go by on the site, typically your online nickname. It is also the account you can link all of your characters to.
Yes! You should start by creating two accounts. The username of the first one should be your desired OOC name, and this will be the account you use to apply in the application board. It is also the account you use to vote for the ‘of the month’ awards and posting in the Out of Character boards. The second account can be your first character to get started playing!
First, make sure you are on your OOC account. Then you can go to User CP > Account Switcher. There you will find the option to link your characters to your OOC account so you can switch easily between them. If you find you no longer want to have a character, you can go to this panel to detach the character from your account.
We don’t actually delete accounts! If you find you no longer want to play a character, you can offer them up in the adoption thread or simply detach the account from your OOC account to get rid of it.
You can have as many characters as you’d like, we only ask that you love all your characters and try to be honest with yourself about how many you can handle. :) There is no wait period in between character creation, but we do encourage everyone to follow the ‘love your character’ mentality!
On the account you wish to edit, go to User CP > Edit Profile. There you will have the option to edit your profile. Check out the Player Resources to see some cool things you can do with your profile.
You just have to type @Name and it should link and notify the character you’ve tagged. If someone has a 'complicated' name (e.g. K'yarie, Calhoun Ryder), you can put the name in double quotes, @"Name".
Joining
There are very few design rules in the Rift! Here is the list of different types of characters you can join as well as how many magics and items are allowed. If you have a design idea that you’re uncertain of, don’t hesitate to ask them in the appropriate forum, discord channel, or via PM to the admins! We don’t bite :)
Yes, however the companion will go ‘wild’ until you get enough Rift Force to bond to it again. You will need to complete a trial to get it back.
You can join up to three magics. Foreigners (characters not natively from the Rift) have more of a chance of the magics getting mutated or eaten. Riftians (characters native to the Rift) are guaranteed one magic, though it may be mutated, though the other two have a chance of being mutated or eaten as well.
When you’re editing your character’s profile, there will be an option to add their birthday. There’s a handy calculator to help you figure out what year your character was born in. It doesn’t allow you to edit it after you’ve saved it, so double check and make sure you have it where you want it. If you do mess it up, you can post in Account Updates and an admin will fix it for you.
A magical ability can affect others and leaving lasting effects on the world or other characters. A mutation is a design element, for example scales, forked tongues, or visual effects, such as auras, non-burning flames, glowing markings, etc.
First posts are made in the Portal. Please wait for Rift Presence to post before posting elsewhere, just in case your magic or items get mutated or lost.
It is entirely up to dice rolls as to whether or not the magic and items are kept, mutated, or lost. The Rift is a hungry place, the more magical things you have the hungrier it gets ;)
Yes! Just be sure to describe them in your first post and then link to it from the "Unenchanted Items" field in your profile.
In order to get art that meets our image requirements, you can post in the Art forum requesting an image for your character. Members may choose to make you art at their discretion. Please be polite, patient, and remember - they are not being paid. There are also many art community websites, such as DeviantArt, where you can have art of your character commissioned.
When you join, your character will be a ‘Newcomer’. As soon as you post in the Portal, this will change to ‘Roamer’. In order to change it to a herd, you must first join the herd before the rank will change.
Posting
No! However there are some free tables you can use in the Resources board.
Max table width is 900px.
The Rift has random portals everywhere. Your character could have stepped into one or magically been placed within the Portal to the Rift. It’s entirely up to you!
You may write your posts in any style, be it first, second, or third person. Or, if you are feeling more creative, feel free to come up with your own style. Whatever works for you.
You can end a thread by ‘fading to black’ or a hard conclusion. This can be anything from the characters walking away from one another to standing there for a while. Mainly, we just want a clear ending! Some examples: “Then Character A walked away from the conversation and left the gathering.” “Character A stood there lost in thought. -fade to black-”.
No. As long as one character writes a fade to black post/exit post indicating the entire thread is over, that is enough.
Yes. Threads must be completed before you can receive Rift Force from them.
Once everyone has completed the thread with a conclusive ending, on the top of the thread under where the page indicators are, there is an option to “Archive”. Click this and the thread will be archived.
More than likely, yes. The Rift is full of creatures! You can either RP them in the thread or use the Rift Havoc account. Sometimes they will also appear through Rift Presence for trials and SWPs.
The Rift caters to beginner, intermediate, and advanced-level roleplayers. Above all else, our goal is to foster each member’s love of writing. As long as you love to write and follow the site rules, it doesn’t matter how good of a writer you are - everyone starts somewhere! We only ask that you make an effort to spell correctly and have proper grammar.
Through posting. You can join any of the SWPs as long as they are still ongoing. There is no requirement to be able to participate unless specifically stated in the opening post by Rift Presence/Kisamoa/Hope. If it is a herd event, you must be a part of the herd or actively seeking to join the herd, which is up to the leads.
A Site Wide Plot is any staff-created and organized IC event that involves all members of the site. They happen occasionally and help to keep the Rift interesting on an even larger scale. Any character is welcome to participate, and there are often rewards given out upon a SWP’s conclusion.
Items
Normal items have no magical properties. These are things like necklaces, trinkets, scarves, blades, etc. Enchanted items are magical. For example, armor that shrinks into a necklace, a scarf that turns the wearer invisible, etc.
Magic
You can get magic by trialing for it. There’s also a possibility of magic being given out during Site Wide Plots as rewards.
Pretty much anything within your magic boundaries! If you craft with glass, for example, you won’t be able to craft a fabric bag, but you can craft glass jars.
Companions
Please refer to the guidebook for Rift Force benchmarks on when you can bond to a companion. Once you’ve got the correct amount of RF for the companion you’re seeking, you can trial to get it.
Trials
A trial is a series of tasks given out to you by the Rift. You can trial for magic and items, even companions when you get to the appropriate Rift Force benchmark.
Yes, 9 months after the date you received it.
Just about. Please reference the Rift Force benchmarks to make sure that you have enough Rift Force to trial for what you’re looking for. You can have up to three magics and as many items as you’d like (though it does make you a target to thieves) without having Rift Force, but you must have enough RF to trial to bond to a companion.
When you create the trial thread, use the prefix “T” and please make an OOC note stating what you are in need of. An alert will go to the Wordsmiths who will keep up with your thread, though upon replying you can tag ‘Rift Presence’ if you want to be sure a wordsmith sees that you’ve responded.
Rift Force
Rift Force is a measurement for how strong your character’s magical abilities are in the Rift. It’s a way of becoming ‘attuned’ to the Rift and allows you to increase your power.
Rift Force is important because it allows you to get more magic slots, safe item slots, and bond to companions.
As long as you meet the RF requirements; 3+ posts by your character and 6+ posts total.
Yes, so long as it meets all the other requirements; 3+ posts by your character and 6+ posts total.
Yes! The 3+ post rule is mostly for when you join a thread with more than one other person, you must have at least three of your character’s posts.
You get ‘Join a Herd’ RF regardless of thread status. You can ask for it the moment you’re accepted into the herd.
Rift Presence and Rift Havoc
Rift Presence is an admin and wordsmith controlled account. It is the account that posts in Portal threads, SWPs, and Trials.
Rift Havoc is a player controlled NPC account. This is the account anyone can use to add something extra to their threads, whether it be a forest fire or a random creature of the Rift to interact with. You can find the information on Rift Havoc here.
Herds
In order to join a herd, your character will have to be recruited by a herd member via an IC thread. Their rank will be updated by the herd leader.
Adding you to the herd roster is a responsibility of the herd leaders. Send them a friendly PM and ask if they've had the chance to add you yet!
If you've joined a herd but hasn't received permission to view the Discord channel, just shoot a PM or DM to one of the administrators and they'll add you to it!
No. The herd life is not for everyone! As such, it is completely optional to join a herd. Your character may choose to live as a nomad if they so desire, however, this also means they will be unable to reap the benefits of a more permanent home.
Miscellaneous
There is! We are always trying to improve the site and are open to whatever ideas you may have. You can make any suggestions you have over in the Brainstorm forum, and we will try our best to take them into consideration.
We’re always looking for more options and ideas to expand the lore of the Rift. If you have a great idea, you can drop it off in the correct Submissions thread sticky'd at the top of the Brainstorm forum!