The Item Aspect Approval Policy outlines the various requirements that must be followed for any item aspect submitted by a member for use on a specific prototype item owned by that member. Upon completion of an item aspect and its submission, the Regent staff will review the submission to ensure that it meets the requirements set forth below. Should there be any issues or if it does not meet the requirements, it will be remanded back with reference to the specific requirement(s) that were not met.
While the policy allows for some mentions of character usage, leave specific character history elements and how they tie into the specific prototype item for your character’s Wiki page, rather than on an aspect.
If you have questions regarding an aspect, please utilize the Comment function within your submission under the Items Requiring My Attention section, which can be found on your Administration page. You may also send an email to djb-regent-staff@googlegroups.com with any questions you may have, should you have not yet submitted an item aspect and need help in building it.
Item Aspect Guidelines
All Item Aspects that are submitted will have the following policies applied when being considered for approval:
- 1. Non-Functional: All item aspects are considered to be Non-Functional, and as such should only include language to alter the cosmetic nature of an item. The language of the aspect can not include any portion of functional alterations as a result of slottable upgrades. This is done to prevent conflicts with functional upgrades that can be swapped in and out. Only Poison and Droid Personality remain as Functional Aspects. For those aspects, review the instructions in the Aspect Type Description.
- 2. Singular: Aspects are limited to an alteration of one single specific key feature of an item. It will not be approved if it appears that multiple non-functional adjustments are being attempted within a single aspect.
- 3. Appropriate Language: All aspects must be free of profanity, vulgar language, sexual content, racism, or other potentially offensive subject matters.
- 4. Aspect Type Description: All aspects must meet any specific language outlined in the description of the aspect type being requested for approval, if present; there can be no conflict. This specific language ensures compliance with the balance of the system.
An Example of an Aspect Type Description for a Ranged Weapon
- 5. Prototype Item Logic: All aspect language needs to make sense in the context of the prototype item that it is intended to modify or describe. For example, you would not say that the S-foils were black on a starfighter if it did not have S-foils, nor would you note that a blaster rifle had a finely honed cutting edge.
- 6. Length: All aspects must be no longer than 150 words in length.
- 7. Images: No embedded images, text only. One link to a relevant image may be allowed within the aspect itself. This link should be text-based, with a URL that references a full link name hosted on an image site that can not be modified or altered. Google drive images will not be accepted.
- 8. Base Item Only: All aspects must describe only the specific base item that it is referencing. The aspect description should not include any reference to upgrade aspects and/or purchasable upgrades that can be slotted.
- 9. Counterfeit Rule: An aspect cannot modify an item such that it is attempting to become a copy of another item, or modify an item to such a degree that it is no longer identifiable as the original item. When reading the item aspect, it must be clear that the extended description of an item does not attempt to mimic any item that is not the original item, regardless of its source. The aspect must retain the item's original characteristics, clearly identifiable as the original item.
- 10. Granted Aspects: Granted aspects are special aspects given to an item on a per-item basis and may grant a special effect with a corresponding downside. An aspect cannot modify or suppress the effects of a granted aspect, and granted aspects may not be counterfeited/duplicated by members. (i.e. A member cannot take the Intense Local Magnetic Field aspect from the Praetorian Royal Guard Armor and create a version for the Imperial Stormtrooper Armor)
Item Environment
With the above requirements in mind, when creating an aspect, there are two ways that the aspect’s presentation can be written. It can be written from a neutral perspective, such as the Display Case. Or from a personal and intimate perspective, such as Equipped. When creating your item environment, it may only be written in one perspective. They may not be combined.
- 1. Display Case: The aspect may detail the prototype itself as if it were sitting inside of a display case in a room. There can be a reference to a character that is intended to be using, wearing, or equipping the specific prototype. This can be utilized for both Non-Functional and Functional aspects. Omitting the character’s name is particularly useful if an aspect will be used for multiple characters or just for a general aspect.
- Example Aspect
- “Carefully tailored to fit the form of {{owner}}’s Hutt frame, only the white uniform top of this Grand Admiral’s Uniform exists. The neck has been greatly widened to fit around him, and the sleeves have been moved down and shrunk to fit onto his arms. The golden epaulet wraps around a third of his neck on both sides.”
- 2. Equipped: The aspect may detail the prototype itself from the perspective of someone standing in front of your character who is seeing you wearing it. While there can be a specific reference to your character and how that item is physically being worn, you can not include physical appearance details in relation to changes in that character’s appearance due to wearing it, such as makeup or hairstyles.
- Example Aspect
- “The diplomatic uniform of Clan Plagueis is perfectly tailored for {{owner}}. The edges of the black tunic’s sleeves stop just short of his wrists, showing the cuff of the white undershirt underneath. The tunic’s neck sits tightly upon his throat, rank insignia displayed on the sides. Buttoned from top to bottom, medals adorn the right breast, with the bottom of the tunic coming down just past his waist. The pants, perfectly pressed, descend straight to his black boots where they fluff outward.”
Unique and Custom Items
Some items have specific rules beyond the standard Aspect Guidelines listed above. In this section, those items will be highlighted.
Brotherhood Robes
Journeyman and Equite Robes custom aspects must describe and name a selectable robe on the Robe Construction Tool. The use of descriptors for light, medium, or heavy armor should also not be included in the aspect, as these can be changed on a whim by the member at any time.
Journeyman and Equite Example: “{{item_name}}[this_item] is tailored in the style of the Lost Sister robes. The pants, tunic, and cape are off-white, contrasting with the black boots and belt. A pair of black gloves completes the ensemble”
Tailored Brotherhood Robes, Elder Tailored Brotherhood Robes, and Elder Tailored Armor are custom robes/armor and can reflect whatever appearance the member desires as long as it does not conflict with the Counterfeit Rule (i.e. no Mandalorian armor, Stormtrooper Armor, etc)
Lightsabers
Lightsabers in the possession system are meant to mirror the options available on members' dossiers.
Lightsabers of members EQ1 and below (on the Knight Lightsaber and regular Lightsaber/Lightsaber Shoto item, if purchased) must describe and name a selectable lightsaber from the Weapon Construction Tool and they will use the Basic Lightsaber Cosmetic aspect type ONLY. All lightsaber cosmetic aspects that wish to describe a selector lightsaber will use a ‘’’Basic Lightsaber Cosmetic’’’, and all custom or modified lightsaber cosmetic aspects will use an ‘’’Advanced Lightsaber Cosmetic’’’.
Example Aspects
In an effort to assist with the creation of aspects and to avoid general errors, below are examples of Aspects that both meet the requirements and do not meet the requirements. For those that do not, a corrected version is included with an explanation.
Item: Ballroom Dress (Formal Attire)
- “Custom tailored for {{owner}}, this {{item_name}} is a sleek sparking black form-fitting dress that follows the curves of {{owner}} down to her waist before descending in a straight line down to her ankles. It features a slit down the right side to allow for a large range of movement, allowing the surrounding wind to make it flow behind her. It shows off both shoulders, her upper chest and neck, and the entirety of her arms. Unlike her typical appearance, {{owner}} has her hair curled and up in a high ponytail when wearing this dress with black fingernail polish and soft pink lipstick.”
- The above aspect utilizes the Equipped Item Environment, by detailing the item’s appearance on a specific character. It includes non-item specific physical appearance details in relation to how it is worn including specific changes to that character’s appearance when wearing it; which is a problem. It does also run afoul of the Rested State requirement by detailing the wind’s interaction with it having a slit in the side.
- Corrected
- “Custom tailored for {{owner}}, this {{item_name}} is a sleek sparking black form-fitting dress that follows the curves of {{owner}} down to her waist before descending in a straight line down to her ankles. It features a slit down the right side to allow for a large range of movement, and shows off both shoulders, her upper chest and neck, and the entirety of her arms.”
Item: Jedi Robes
- “These padawan robes are custom made for {{owner}} and fit loosely to allow for freedom of movement. They feature chest and shoulder armor protection at the expense of agility, with plating on the boots as well. The robes are a dark brown with a black tunic and pants. Knee-high boots complete the ensemble.”
- The above aspect adds Functionality to the Jedi Robes by adding the armor pieces. This example should be re-written to fall within Non-Functional guidelines.
- Corrected
- “These robes are custom-tailored for {{owner}} with a dark brown outer robe. An oversized black tunic and pants, along with knee-high boots, complete the ensemble.”
Item: Imperial Grand Admiral’s Uniform
- “This specific Grand Admiral’s Uniform is custom tailored to fit {{owner}}’s small frame and look virtually indistinguishable from the full size version, complete with a slightly smaller rank plaque and smaller code cylinders to appropriately match the ensemble.”
- While this aspect changes the size and scale of the original, it falls within aspect rules since it is still identifiable as the original item.
Item: Dark Age Sith Armor
- “This specific {{this_item}} has been custom tailored to fit the size of a much smaller species, with a unique twist; each piece of this {{this_item}}’s plating has been made to resemble a stark white imperial uniform, complete with grey and black waistline, black armored boots, with golden epaulets and trim in the same places found on such a uniform. [Visual Representation](https://imgur.com/Zaki7Xw)
- While clearly intended to function as an Imperial Grand Admiral’s Uniform, this does not violate the Counterfeit Rule due to the original aspects of the Dark Age Sith Armor being recolored to fit that design. Even with adding the rank plaque and epaulets as separate entities, it does not change it enough where it would be unidentifiable as the original item. The visual representation also falls within the rules, as it also reinforces that it maintains the original design in a visual way.
Item: WESTAR-35 Blaster Pistol
- “This weapon has been modified with 3 settings
- 1- Stun/Neurological disruption - Blue beam - can stun an opponent for short time
- 2- Pain/Burn - Red beam - can cause burns and searing damage
- 3- Kill - Green beam - Deadliest setting, will blast holes”
- The primary issue of this aspect is that it changes the item’s Functionality when it should be a Non-Functional aspect. This would result in the entire aspect needing to be reworked to be non-functional. If this were submitted as a Functional aspect however, it would still go against the Singular rule by adding three separate functions. If this was submitted as a Functional aspect with only one of the above, it would be an allowed aspect.
Item: Mandalorian Assault Rifle
- “This {{original_item_name}} was obviously not built on an assembly line. The various parts have clearly been sourced from scrap metal and other suitable substitute resources, broken down and reshaped to suit their new purpose. It's not exactly pretty, as the pieces bear imperfections, the colors don't all match, and some things are held together with makeshift bindings. Beneath its rugged form though, the critical components are properly constructed, making it as functional as any other {{original_item_name}}.”
- The above aspect, while well written, violates the Counterfeit Rule. As it is written, the only original construction is underneath the exterior. That is not enough to make it identifiable as a Mandalorian Assault Rifle with the exterior being scrap metal and bindings that are not fully defined. To bring this to where it meets the rules, it only needs a simple adjustment on that part.
- Corrected
- “This {{original_item_name}} was obviously not built on an assembly line. The various parts have clearly been sourced from scrap metal and other suitable substitute resources, broken down and reshaped to resemble an exterior casing of a Mandalorian Assault Rifle. It's not exactly pretty, as the pieces bear imperfections, the colors don't match, and some things are held together with makeshift bindings. Beneath its rugged form though, the critical components are properly constructed, making it as functional as any other {{original_item_name}}.”
Item: TIE/SF Starfighter
- “The central cockpit section of the {{this_item}} has been removed and replaced with the main section of an X-Wing Starfighter, with the laser cannons centered underneath it. Its color is a vibrant black, and cockpit glass a stark crimson.”
- The above aspect violates the Counterfeit Rule as at this point it can no longer be identified as the original item. It also incorporates a Functional portion to it as well by altering the design configuration of the fighter resulting in a functional difference when compared to the original item. This would be fully remanded for a complete re-design.
Item: HK-model Gladiator Droid
- “{{item_name}} unlike every other {{original_item_name}} cannot fight. It has lost all combat functions, along with its body, and has been left as just a head.”
- The above aspect, even though it modifies the item’s functionality to a severe degree, is still within the rules for a Functional Aspect. Because the head is that of an HK-droid, it also falls within the bounds of the Counterfeit Rule since it can clearly be identified as its original item.
Aspect Type Unique Scenarios
Some specific types of aspects are exempt from certain rules presented above. These aspect types are presented below with their specific special scenario situations where they can be fully customized, but still must obey all Aspect rules.
- Formal Attire: Formal Attire aspects are non-functional aspects intended to detail a specific set of attire that ‘’can be entirely customized for a specific character in a formal setting, such as a ball or a night of clubbing.
- Casual Attire: Casual Attire aspects are non-functional aspects intended to detail a specific set of attire that can be entirely customized for a specific character in a casual environment, such as daily wear or lounging around.
- Political Attire: Political Attire aspects are non-functional aspects intended to detail a specific set of attire that can be entirely customized for a specific character in a formal political environment to identify themselves to a specific allegiance, such as wearing a clan or house-specific uniform, or the uniform of a specific faction not represented by a currently existing item within the Item Stores. It can often include medals, accolades, or rank insignias attached to it.
- Costume: Costume aspects are non-functional aspects intended to detail a specific costume that can be entirely customized for a specific character in an environment, such as a costume ball, try and hide their appearance, or cheaply appear as another character without the functionality or protection.
- Family Heirloom: Family Heirloom aspects are non-functional aspects intended to detail an heirloom or artifact of a character’s family line that can be entirely customized to represent said heirloom in its appearance only.
- Tailored Armor: Tailored Armor aspects are both functional and non-functional aspects intended to be 100% fully customizable to the owner’s desire. These are often paired with commissioned or generated artwork to further detail its appearance.
- Caution should be taken when writing these to avoid breaking Functional Rule #7: Granted Aspects such as having tailored armor be Beskar or utilizing other Granted Aspects on it, which is the most often occurring mistake with these.
- Elder Tailored Robes: Elder Tailored Robes, albeit being fully customizable, are intended to be for non-armor creations. This can be any type of clothing or garment. Any usage of armor should be directed to the Elder Tailored Armor.
- Elder Tailored Armor: Elder Tailored Armor is fully customizable and is intended for any type of wearable creation that is armor-based.
Credits and Version Information
Currently in version 2.0
- 1.0 version drafted by Evant Taelyan ahead of possessions open beta - 24 Oct 2016
- 1.1 version edited by Evant Taelyan to add Functional Aspect policy Singular - 29 Nov 2016
- 1.2 version edited by Atra Ventus to add clarification for image linking and granted aspects, amongst other minor changes - 15 Aug 2020
- 1.3 version edited by Korvis to add clarification to the counterfeit rule, Brotherhood robes, lightsabers and provide examples of acceptable and unacceptable aspects - 1 Nov 2022
- 1.4 version edited by Korvis to add Base Item Only rule and examples to non-custom Lightsabers and Brotherhood robes - 13 Feb 2025
- 2.0 version drafted by Teebu, with edits by Thran Occasus-Palpatine and Korvis - Restructured and Updated.