pot Rules

1. Act realistic, do your best to behave in a way you think a real dinosaur would. Other actors are allowed to react by rejecting, chasing away or killing those who act unrealistically within the hunting or challenge rules. This includes, but not limited to:

• Spam crouching, testing damage, using mechanics in an unrealistic manner for convenience. Using Waystones to teleport any players outside of nesting.

• Ignoring territorial threats/threat displays.

• Abusing janky collisions/hitboxes in combat. It's difficult to not mesh at all, but players should remove themselves from unrealistic meshing when it happens and reposition for realistic combat, not continue to wedge into an overlap.

• Jumping through/over dinosaurs that results in major clipping at any point of the jump, jump attacking. (Deinonys and Latens are exempt.)

• Bunny-hopping to travel. - Sleeping during combat

2. Local/Global chat should not be used outside of the following:

• Asking for a player’s name to DM or Whisper them and discuss a possible RB. Discussion of the details and other comments should only be made in DMs or whisper.(/whisper playername) If someone is misusing global, inform them in whispers and don't reply in global. Be kind when asking for a name. Specify the species, action, and color/pattern when possible- not the location.

• Asking for a dinosaur’s gender.

• To inform that a body is present during a hunt and reachable for the hunter(s) and visible by sight.

• To ask for in-game admin support if the other player(s) don't stop despite asking a name of them. You may also use in-game-help. - Players are expected to do their best to pay attention to when Local and Global are used.

• Requesting names must occur at the end of combat rather than during combat. If you are not kind while asking for a name, you will be given a minimum stern warning at staff's discretion.
   

3. Body denial is not allowed. This includes but is not limited to swimming out to the middle of a lake to die out of access of your hunter, jumping to an inaccessible place just to die, or otherwise preventing a hunter from fair access to your body after death. (edited)

4. Players should make their best effort to follow their profile. Any clear cases of grossly violating the profile will be punished, which includes the tags and the written bodies.

a. Courtship and bullfights should occur during an animal’s active schedule.
b. Animals may only follow the nesting limit of the current season. To check the season, look in #☔-season channel. The season will change every 2 weeks on Wednesdays.

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5. Players may not enter a homecave if they are being actively chased or hunted or if they have injury due to combat. Do not abuse homecaves to get out of fights. Players also may not "camp" homecaves, waiting outside to catch players going in or out. Hunters should at least be beyond the sightline of the homecave.

6. Waystones can only be used as nesting sites to teleport newly spawned players from a nesting post. The POI (Place of Interest) of these areas cannot be guarded/camped, and dinosaurs leaving this spot get a 5 Minute timer where they cannot be followed/engaged in combat.

a. Dinosaurs cannot linger and must leave the area after they have nested in their clutches.
b. Parents may only wait for 25 minutes from the time of their nesting post at Waystones to collect their hatchlings before having to move on abandon the rest of the eggs. Herdmates who are not nesting should not be at Waystones waiting with parents.
c. Only the parents may send waystone invites to their offspring tagged in the nesting post.

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7. Cannibalism is allowed situationally for carnivores. Aloof carnivores may only target obviously wounded or smaller individuals, Solitary carnivores are able to freely cannibalize, and Social carnivores may only cannibalize hatchlings, juveniles, and adolescents outside their pack. Certain profiles have exceptions which are allowed.

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8. Sub-Adults are allowed to nest and are treated as Adults for all purposes.

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9. Exploits are not permitted - this includes but is not limited to:
a. Biting through inappropriate meshes such as through a log or rock to attack, or clipping extremely into terrain.
b. Using exploits to deny food.
c. Clipping through a creature to attack the creature behind.
d. Using an alt account/creature slot to feed yourself or to scout the location of other players. (This includes switching dinos and returning to the same area within 45 minutes.)
e. Scouting for location/information by communicating with other species, other channels or metagaming.
f. Deliberately finding and using loopholes within the rules for personal gain.
g. Refusing to provide information such as names to avoid punishment.
h. Using homecaves to grow for extended periods of time.

1. Herbivores generally avoid raw carrion and do not play with meat or bodies. They may investigate bones or stay near a herdmate that died but may not guard the body from anything attempting to eat it.

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2. Herbivores avoid conflict when possible, only attacking when provoked or if another animal is ignoring threats or showing signs of being threatening.

3. Players should hunt in a way that is realistic in the circumstances. Consider the numbers of your pack and the status of your prey.

a) 2 or fewer small carnivores should not hunt healthy adult Large carnivores.

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4. In-game groups are defined as the group that uses the game's systems. Herds are gatherings of herbivores that can travel together. Packs are in-game groups of carnivores.

5. Herbivores and omnivores can only actively defend and group up in an in-game group with the same species. Social herbivores of different species can form larger herds, while aloof animals only form close herds with their own species. If it's stated in the profile grouping, herbivores can adopt hatchlings, juveniles, and adolescents.
 

a. Carnivores and piscivores can only hunt and defend within their group limits. Mobs may be formed by any number of carnivores of the same species with a mobbing tag that don't have to be in the same pack. Unless explicitly stated in the profile grouping.
b. Offspring (related hatchlings, juveniles, and adolescents) can have an unlimited amount in any grouping unless specified otherwise. Unrelated spawned juveniles and adolescents may also group to an unlimited amount unless explicitly stated otherwise in the profile. Sub-Adults count as Adults in terms of group limits.
c. When an animal dies, all their relations, mates, offspring, and other bonds are erased. They are effectively a new animal in terms of mate and family member. They are allowed to re-court the same mate, but they are no longer siblings, parents, or children of the same animals. This does not affect dinosaurs that are revived due to RB.
d. Herbivores can socialize more closely with other species in a Herds With. With social herbivores, it's which species they prefer interacting with closely, more intimately/friendly. They still can only form a group with their own species. With aloof/solitary herbivores, it's which species they tolerate for socialization and won't initially drive them away.

6. Adoption is when a single adult or two paired adults claim and raise an orphaned hatchling, juvenile, or adolescent of their species as their own child (the adoptee). For all purposes they treat this child as offspring as long as their profile allows adoption. Orphaned animals are either fresh spawns or those with both parents (biological or adoptive) confirmed deceased. A profile must have “adoptee” in the grouping for adoption to be allowed.

7. Territorial dinosaurs may include quest drop-offs in their territory, however the drop-off spot cannot be claimed alone/the only spot that is defended.

8. For all polygamous species as dictated by profile, a male can reset a female's mating timer by either killing her unattended offspring unrelated to the male or chasing the offspring out of the group in order to nest with her.

a. This action triggers the challenge timer. b. Polygamous females can be hyper aggressive to unrelated males that are a threat to their present young.
 

9. Do your best to create a realistic skin that matches the environment your species lives in. Other dinosaurs can reject a potential mate, abandon the care of their young or shun group members if their skin is unnatural to that species and provide little camouflage. This is because it may draw predators, ruin hunts or may carry unhealthy genes. This includes mutations such as Albinism.

a. Shunning involves avoiding social and physical contact, low hierarchy in a group, bullying from food or comfort, and in extreme cases being chased out of a group. Game, Combat, Challenge and Hunting rules must still be followed.

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1. Be fair to each other in combat. No killing for sport, mass killing, spawn killing, mix packing or combat logging. Players shouldn't join the server to intervene an ongoing hunt or start a hunt/challenge within 5 minutes of joining the server. If you hunt something, you must stay with the body until it is gone. You may only get up to get water and quickly return.

a. KFS = Hunting or killing without needing food. This includes carnivores eating food items during a hunt. Eating from a dead player body means that you claim that body. You do not have to stay with spawned carcasses, but you relinquish your claim of the spawned carcass if you move away.
b. Mass Killing = Purposefully killing multiple targets at once without needing to.
c. Spawn Killing = Killing a freshly spawned player knowingly. Spawning in is different from logging in, as spawning is the creation of a new character whereas logging in is a pre-existing character.
d. Combat Logging = Logging out during active combat, actively being chased, or whilst bleeding. e) Mix Packing = Supporting a separate or ungrouped species through protection, hunting with, or feeding.
 

2. All dinosaurs are allowed to react with self-defense and must stop actively attacking if the attacker backs off.

a. A 4-call (Danger) does not guarantee safety if the dinosaur fails to quickly escape. You must get one body length away to be safe. b) Leaving line of sight to heal means you cannot rejoin combat. This includes hiding in/behind bushes, cliffs, going behind multiple trees, or using ledges (even in sight) out of reach.

3. Only an attack will initiate a hunt towards a target, regardless of whether it lands as long as a miss is within one body length of the hunter from the target. A hunt only ends after a 4 call (danger) is made by one of the predators in the hunting party, a hunter intentionally leaves line of sight of their prey, when a semi-aquatic animal dives and remains in deep and murky water for greater than 30 seconds, when a body drops or if the fleeing prey outruns the predator and escapes out of render distance.

a. Any unclaimed and reachable bodies within visual range must be eaten first before any hunts can be initiated.
b. Pre-placed/Spawned Bodies only stop hunts from starting if they are within line of sight. If a hunt starts prior to seeing one, it will not end the hunt.
c. Against other carnivores, a 4 call (danger) from both parties is required to end the hunt along with body drops or fleeing out of render distance.
d. Once the hunt ends, the predator(s) must follow a hunting timer and cannot hunt or follow the hunted species again until after 15 minutes. This only applies to the species on which the hunt was initiated.
e. Mobs may only be done on Adult (Sub-adult or Adult) creatures. After a 4-call or the dropped body (be it mob member or intended target) despawns due to time passing or being consumed entirely, a 30 minute timer starts in which members of that mob are not permitted to join mobs until it elapses.
f. Only a friendly call (2-call) will forfeit hunts and challenges for Latenivenatrix, Alioramus, and Deinonychus. A submissive/forfeit call (4-call) will not as it sounds the same as the Bark ability.
g. If a creature is using water to avoid hunters during a hunt, a semi aquatic predator may attack the terrestrial creature while it is in water without challenging for the hunt.
h. Challenges may turn into hunts and vice versa so long as the requirements to initiate a legal hunt or challenge are met as the two timers are separate.

4. Players must hunt when appropriate to their schedule, as defined in the profiles. All other behaviors are flexible but consider what may be realistic.

a. All Hatchling/Juvenile/Adolescent dinosaurs are Cathemeral and may hunt or be hunted at any time.
b. Nocturnal creatures are active from sunset to sunrise, when skies are dark or crickets can be heard.
c. Diurnal creatures are active from sunrise to sunset, when skies are light or birdsong can be heard.
d. All creatures are active during sunrise and sunset, when skies are pink or orange.
 

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5. Herbivores may use other herbivores as “meat shields as long as the species size is larger than their own within profile. Meatshielding is defined as using a larger dinosaur to body block a hunter. This larger dinosaur cannot actively protect you and instead acts in its own interest to defend itself.

6. Herbivores have general protection rules depending on their tags.

a. Monogamous dinosaurs of any class may always protect their current mate alongside their offspring and adoptees in any scenario.
b. Polygamous male dinosaurs can protect all eligible adult females in any scenario. Only one male can defend a female at a time. Female polygamous dinosaurs can also always protect their offspring and adoptees in any scenario.
c. Besides the above cases, Belligerent herbivores may protect only one member of the same species in a hunt at a time and cannot have multiple members defending them. Defensive herbivores can protect all members that are within a body-length distance of each other but cannot go out of their way to help a hunted target unless those targets come to them.

7. Exclusively or excessively using tail hits to fight is not realistic behavior for carnivores in combat. Tail hits should be used defensively, such as when someone is chasing you.

8. You may hunt someone with a food item but not someone with a body. You may challenge for bodies or for other food items, as long as you can eat them. Body = carcasses and player bodies, food items = an item the dinosaur can eat (such as fish, meat chunks, shells etc).

9. Herbivores with Fear Lists respond depending on their tag. Skittish Herbivores will try to run away and escape the threat first unless they’re cornered/escape is impossible.

a. If Herbivores are being hunted by carnivores on their fear list, they can only follow Monogamous and Polygamous protection rules.

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1. A 3-call (threaten) must always be made before attacking another animal over food, territory, mating rights, or personal space. Reasonable time should be given for a response. Scavengers may choose to steal from claimed carcasses without 3-calling at their own risk. Scavengers may also issue a challenge to claim the body.
a. If the other dinosaur responds by 3 calling (threaten) within a reasonable time or continues to ignore threats, they may be attacked. This also applies to Scavengers found by an unclaimed body.
b. Scavengers not approaching or actively stealing from a carcass must be 3-called before attacking. Those in the act of stealing may be attacked without 3-call and must successfully get out of line of sight of the carcass to be safe.
c. Challengers get to choose what to challenge for, be it food, territory, etc.
d. Challenges for bodies may only be initiated if any unclaimed body within sight, be it a pre-placed gore or a player’s corpse, is already claimed. Only one body per pack can be claimed.
e. Only those who have heard the initiating 3-call (aggressive call) may participate in the challenge. Those who have not heard it may not join after the challenge has started.
 
2. A challenge can only be made against the same individual or group after 15 minutes. This includes food challenges between carnivores.
a. For challenges within a group, the timer counts for the individuals involved.
b. For challenges against those outside of the group, the timer counts for the entire group.

3. To end a challenge, a 4 call (Danger) must be made where the loser should back down or risk being killed. A party who leaves line of sight of the challenge or their opponents also forfeits a challenge. A body drop will end a challenge.
a. If the loser refuses to move away from the area, or returns to the area, the winner may attempt to kill them. The winner cannot chase if the loser is making an effort to run away.
b. Only a friendly call (2-call) will forfeit hunts and challenges for Latenivenatrix and Deinonychus. A submissive/forfeit call (4-call) will not as it sounds the same as the Bark ability.

4. If more than one carnivore or packs attempt to hunt the same group, they must first challenge for hunting rights, following the challenge rules.
a. Carnivores and piscivores within open, clear LOS of a hunt must challenge for the right to hunt the prey or else forfeit their right to challenge for the body.  Reasonably hidden creatures waiting for an opportunity are exempt, such as Suchos under the surface of water.
b. Same species of Mobber-class carnivores can broadcast to bring in members outside of their pack to hunt dinosaurs on their mob list. Regardless of the mob size, everyone involved still adheres to combat rules as normal.
c. Carnivores and piscivores must not remain in open, clear LOS of a hunt/challenge between two other parties of carnivore/piscivores. They may not actively hunt one of the other parties. They must remain reasonably hidden in order to challenge for the body afterwards.

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1. All dinosaurs with the semi-aquatic tag may use water in any way except for explicit body denial.

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2. All terrestrial animals must not swim in a hunt or challenge, as defined in Combat Rule 3 and 6. Any dinosaur can attempt to escape into the water outside of a hunt or challenge, at their own risk, and must not body deny.
a. Animals may not sit or lie down in water during active combat.

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IMPORTANT: For all cases of the rules above:
Group: The in-game group formed by players in the PoT system.
Herd: a legal gathering of herbivores/omnivores that are the same species or all social species

Pack: Carnivore/piscivore group members as well as the same species in your area you are allowed to work with

Mate: Another member of your species of the opposite sex with whom you have posted your most recent nesting post.

Note: if a profile or rule states anything else, such as “partner”, a nesting post is not required to fit this category.

Food Items: an item the dinosaur can eat (such as fish, critters, meat chunks, shells etc)

Body: carcasses and player bodies

If a profile in #📚pot-profiles channel states "Related" in a group limit, this only includes immediate relations such as parents + offspring, siblings or half-siblings.

 

Last Edited: 09/17/2022. For our most updated list of rules please join the Discord.

 

 

 

 

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