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Godmodding - The Rule You Think You Know, But Really Don't


"No Godmodding" is a rule you literally see in every single RP in existence. Most people think they understand what this is, and think they don't do it. Most people, however, are quite wrong.

First of all, godmodding is often erroneously oversimplified into something like "Don't auto hit and don't have over powered characters that can't die." And yes, in it's most basic, obvious form, that is what godmodding is. But there are TYPES of Godmodding. Yup. There are! The most obvious types are having a character that is overly powered or skilled so they are always the "best" no matter what. Also doing something (anything--not just actual 'hitting') to a character automatically without giving the other person a chance to dodge, deflect or escape. This can be anything from whacking a character in the face, to picking them up and carrying them somewhere.

Obviously overpowered characters are not okay. And you should never auto hit without knowing for SURE the other person doesn't mind.

But there are some far less obvious ways to godmod or control someone else's character, that most people don't even think about. Godmodding is really any time you try to force a scene into your favor to the detriment of other characters. There are lots of ways you can do this, and it's never okay.

One of the more obvious ways is what we call "metagaming." Simply put, this is when your character automatically knows or guesses something there is no way for them to know or guess. For instance, your character says something, and person two THINKS that your character is stupid. And your character suddenly knows or has a gut feeling the other person thinks they're stupid. This is so annoying. I can't even express in words how utterly and completely annoying it is when people do this. Your character cannot constantly know what other people are thinking. It's impossible. It doesn't work that way in real life and it doesn't work that way in RP. What I hate about RPing with people who do this is that it makes me have to be really careful about what internal dialogue I put in a post so they can't constantly have their character guess things they shouldn't know.

There are other ways to metagame. For instance, lets say you know there is a hidden passage behind a bookshelf in a room. So you have your character just have a feeling there's a hidden room there and they look for it and instantly find it. You can't use your knowledge of the setting or RP to give your character an advantage. That is also godmodding. Finally, another way I see people metagame is when their character always has the right tool or skill to solve the problem at hand. There is a locked door and their elven princess just happens to be an expert lock picker. Someone got shot and their doctor just happens to be carrying a scalpel and latex gloves in his pocket.

Sometimes your characters will struggle. They can't always know everything or have the perfect skill or ability for every situation. They cannot instantly solve all problems no matter how special and amazing they are.

I've also seen a lot of RPers try to control other characters by setting up a scenario where they define an off-screen action of another character without asking the other RPer. For instance, you might show up and say my character prank called yours in the middle of the night. Even if it's an off screen action, it's still an action. Just like you can't have your character say what mine is doing in the RP at any given moment, you can't say what my character has done outside the time frame of the RP. There is no defining what another character has done last night or two years ago--not unless that character's owner stated it happened first. Any time you are defining anything about another character, you have to ask.

If your character can see auras, you can't just assign colors and meanings to characters without asking their RPer first. Your character can formulate opinions about others, but you cannot establish facts about them without permission. Like everything else mentioned here, that is a form of godmodding.


The final form of godmodding I want to address is when you suddenly reveal hidden information that gives your character an advantage in someway, and railroads someone else. Let's say that your character was tricked by another because that RPer was able to simply RP properly and trick you/your character in some way. You can't suddenly say that you knew it was a trick the whole them, when you really didn't, and try to play some kind of reversal on them where you actually get the better of them instead. That is what we call cheating. If your character really didn't know they were being tricked, you have to deal with it and accept being bested. Other example would be trying to manipulate the setting or scenery in your favor somehow. For instance if you get into a fight with someone who uses electricity based powers, you can't suddenly say it's raining so they're at a disadvantage. If no one has mentioned rain prior to that point, suddenly making it up out of no where is godmodding.

The general idea, that I hope you're getting, is that whenever you find yourself trying manipulate a scene in illogical ways, just so your character can have an advantage, or know something critical, or win a scenario--that is godmodding. Your character can't always come out on top. If you're forcing it by making up all sorts of random things, or somehow are controlling another character then there is a serious problem with your RP habits, that needs to be addressed.

Godmodding is a pretty serious RP offense and I think most people don't realize how easy it is to godmod in more subtle ways than just being over powered.

LIST OF RP GODMODDING SITUATIONS

Invisibility
This means that your character cannot be seen, felt, heard, smelled, or anything. They can avoid any level of intelligence or skill at detection, can sneak anywhere or avoid anyone. There are no 'giveaways' (meaning nothing that tells another RPer or NPC that they have done this, and no warning whatsoever). This typically lasts however long the RPer wants, can be taken anywhere, triggered any time, and done in any situation entirely.

Non-GodModding Situations for Invisibility:
Camouflage, silhouettes, body flickering, disguises, and tell-tale signs are not GodModding, because there is a slight giveaway to each. Triggers that let another RPer know within a set time period, or give off a hint so that someone can react to it, are also non-GodMod situations. Timers for becoming invisible, duration limits, or circumstantial giveaways like bright to medium sunlight, fire, or special tools and senses help as well.


Mind Control/Puppeteering
Your character can control anyone, anytime, any circumstance. They cannot move whatever the controlled part is, and have no allowance to do so. This could be anything from a finger to the entire body, and has no triggers, no way to break free, and no willpower. Typically, they are also limited from even giving hints of their possession to other RPers for help, and are often given powers or capabilities they never had in the first place. Or removed from power entirely. This lasts however long the controller likes, and can be broken and replaced at their will, no matter what anyone else says. Sporadic and universal, this counts for extreme hyponosis, sleep-walking, and any affliction on the victim Rper that deals with the brain.

Non-GodModding Situations for Mind Control/Puppeteering:
Tell-tale signs, timers before use, specified triggers for breaking control, permission from the victim before-hand, among many other allowances. Loose control, such as moving a person's hand, but letting them move it to some extent too is acceptable. Letting them speak during, or having an agreeable time limit on duration is also acceptable.

Foresight
Knowing everything, predicting everything, being capable of dictating what will happen and when, as well as pre-empting all attacks, defenses, moves and anything from any RPer entirely. There is nothing or little that this person doesn't know, or can't find out within an unreasonable and unfair amount of time. They cannot be surprised, startled, or taken initiative on. Tactical moves are seen through, elaborate planning is non-existent, and secret or unseen moves are already known. As well, they can find anything they like, see anything they wish, and need little to no prompting or capability to use it.

Non-GodModding Situations for Foresight:
High Intelligence for specifics, tactical knowledge, experience, familiarity of another's OC (Icly), brief but vague imagery on limited occasions, prior knowledge, or various 'reasonably explainable' situations. Limited to brief scenarios and single to couple subject scenarios, the 'full view' picture should never been seen. There should be some fair amount of guessing or uncertainty.


Time Manipulation
Able to reverse or fast-forward time, to bend seconds, minutes, hours, days, weeks, etc at their leisure. Able to stop or slow time, and warp it to their advantage. Or cut out pieces of time and replace them, or segment them off as they like as well as erasing. Things of this nature are complicated and nearly completely unavoidable, unstoppable, and unable to be defended against.

Non-GodModding Situations for Time Manipulation:
This is an ability with little to no acceptable uses or solutions. It's GodMod. The only suggestion of similarity is fast reflexes, swift speed, high intelligence, etc. in the sense that they may help you shave a few seconds off of your reaction time.


Spatial Distortion/Manipulation
Brother to Time Manipulation. Ripping open the fabric of space in order to dispel, negate, destroy abilities at will. In order to hide, disappear, dodge, avoid, ignore, gain initiative, or dispel anything that attempts to get near the offending OC. Or used as they like as a make-shift teleporter, personal gains, unlimited weaponry, etc. There are literally hundreds of uses for this, and few of them stay behind the line of GodMod.

Non-GodModding Situations for Spatial Distortion/Manipulation:
This is an ability with little to no acceptable uses or solutions. Limiting storage space for objects, limiting object number, limiting ability to phase or how 'phased' you are, as well as limiting duration inside and length of movement capability helps.


Auto-Hit
Able to hit an enemy from anywhere or everywhere, any distance or any closeness, any ability or any technique. No matter what, what you do hits the other person automatically without the OC being capable of repelling, blocking, dodging, mitigating, ducking, reacting, etc. Nothing can be done against this, as there is no space for anything to be done.

Non-GodModding Situations for Auto-Hit:
The only allowance is if the OC or NPC is in a situation where there is no way they cannot be hit (IE: no skill to get away, right in their face, etc.). RP is about one or more person interacting with another or more people, not about you dictating what goes on.


Homing Attacks
The sister to Auto-Hit. Attacks that follow the target no matter what, capable of following anywhere, reaching anywhere, for any length, any period of time, around any obstacle. The only ways to stop this attack are very rare and typically far to convoluted or difficult to pull off legitimately, thus making this a high percentage change of hitting the target without their ability to take appropriate action.


Non-GodModding Situations for Homing Attacks:
Temporary homing, homing capable of being destroyed before reach of target, unintelligent homing (homing that if hitting anything aside from the target still disperses or disappears), or manual control homing (controlled by the user), are all acceptable non-GMing options. As well, triggers and pre-use timers, or homing attacks with a timer before they implode or disappear.


Impenetrable
Unable to be hit, 100% dodge, 100%, evade, 100% mitigation, 100% absorb, repel, reflect, counter-attack, etc. If your character cannot get hurt, cannot be touched, cannot be stopped, cannot be moved, cannot take any harm, they are GodMod. This can occur in any situation at any time in any circumstance. Similar to foresight in that nothing can be done to counter this.

Non-GodModding Situations for Impenetrable:
None. This is GodMod.


Instant Kill
One-hit shot, one blow, one attack, one move, one post, instant death, unavoidable kill, complete death, immediate destruction, etc. If your character only needs one move of one ability to instantly kill or fatally wound someone, as well as abilities that put a character beyond the point of recovery in one move are GodMod.

Non-GodModding Situations for Instant Kill:
Extreme situations where it isn't logical for the OC not to be killed. IE: swimming when an electrical line is placed in the water, falling into a pit of lava, etc.


Resurrection
Able to revive one's character from the dead, bring yourself back to life, create life from death. If you are able to revive without the proper and legitimate skills to do so, then this is GodMod. Anyone who revives someone from the dead without the legitimate skill is also GodMod. Unexplainable and non-legitimate revivals, as well as instantaneous and at 100% percent health are also a part of this. Unstoppable revivals or revival of yourself after death are also GodMod.

Non-GodModding Situations for Resurrection:
Preemptive revival (casting a revival ability before you die, so that you won't die or will revive after death), Revival of clones, non-important beings (Summons, NPC fragments, etc.) are all examples of legitimate revival. Necromancy, ultimate holy (healing or angelic) abilities, or anything dealing with death and life are legitimate.


Teleportation
Instantly moving from one place to another, instantly far away, instantly close, instantly flee from battle, instantly appear anywhere you want, at any time, without any consequence. If your character can be anywhere and/or everywhere whenever they wish, as well as in any situation they like regardless of circumstances, then they are GodMod.

Non-GodModding Situations for Teleportation:
Signs for teleportation (runes, symbols, flashes, lapses in time, energy bursts, special chants, etc.) in order to distinguish when one is teleporting are doable. This means if you wish to teleport and have preemptive notice for the OC of when you are doing this. As well, a reasonable limit on distance, or the amount of times the OC is capable of in one day.


Metagaming
Using OOC (non-RP situations) knowledge Icly (within RP situations). This means that if you yourself know something about someone's character and your OC uses this in an RP when they shouldn't know it, that is Metagaming. This also goes for scenarios, plots, skills, or anything you yourself know, but your OC legitimately should not. This also counts for knowing an OC's name when they were never told what it was.

Non-GodModding Situations for Metagaming:
Only when the situation for use is agreed upon by both parties.


Powerplay
When an OC can use such a massive amount of power that they are unstoppable. This usually involves pulling special items out of nowhere or with no explanation, or creating situations where they take on 'Main character' status; hogging all the glory, being the only one capable of defeating someone, or beating someone down with little to no effort. This also counts for combining massive powers that wouldn't make sense, or accumulating too much at once that negates any potential 'weakness' for said OC. When they gain it or use it, it is often through illegitimate and unexplainable circumstances... as well as used whenever they like and however they like without consequence or backlash. Or the backlash/consequence is 'dictated' by them on their terms as they see fit.

Non-GodModding Situations for Powerplay:
Only in your own comics. Stop GodModding.