| OOC Benefits | Cookies |
|---|---|
| 1 Experience Point | 10 |
| Quirk Change | 2 |
| Skill Fix | 5 |
| Family Crest Design | 50 |
| Trivial Photo-Manipulation | 10 |
| Light Photo-Manipulation | 20 |
| Medium Photo-Manipulation | 75 |
| Heavy Photo-Manipulation | 100 |
| Miscellaneous | Cookies |
| Magical Artefact | 20+ |
| Magical Pet | 20+ |
| Spell | Varies |
| Unusual Patronus | 200 |
| Wand | Varies |
| Windfall | 25 |
| Background | Cookies |
| Foreigner Parent | 25 / 35 |
| Immigrant | 50 / 70 |
| Prefect | 25 |
| Head Boy / Head Girl | 50 |
| Noble | 50 / 150 |
| Slytherin Half-blood | 300 |
| Unusual School Pet | 10 |
| Special Factions | Cookies |
| Centaur | 201 |
| Ghost | 100 |
| Goblin | 25 |
| House-elf, servant | 100 |
| House-elf, free | 500 |
| Part-giant | 400 |
| Part-Veela | 300 |
| Part-vampire | 600 |
| Vampire | 800 |
| Special Languages | Cookies |
| Beast speech language | 100 (50) |
| Centaur | 150 (0) |
| Giant | 75 (25) |
| Gobbledegook | 15 (0) |
| Mermish | 30 |
| Troll | 10 |
| Special Quirks | Cookies |
| Animagus | 300 |
| Legilimens | 90 |
| Mastered Form | 100 |
| Metamorphmagus | 500 |
| Mist Form | 200 |
| Occlumens | 75 |
| Seer | 200 |
| Soul Bond | 150 |
| Werewolf | 250 |
| Wealth: Well-To-Do | 25 |
| Wealth: Rich | 50 |
| Wealth: Opulent | 150 |
No, not these kinds of cookies.
Cookies are earned in game as rewards from fellow players for role-playing, and from staff for contributions to the game. More active players, and those that sacrifice their time and energy to improve the game for everyone, will earn more Cookies. Your current Cookie totals can be seen in game with the +cookie command.
Some examples of things that can earn you Cookies are:
- Role-play! — The more scenes you are in, the more Cookies you'll likely earn from other players. This also means that larger scenes with more players means more Cookies.
- Report bugs and glitches! — Notice a problem with the code in the game? Discover a dead link on the wiki? Let us know, and be rewarded.
- Run a Storyline! — Have a plot idea that you think you can run? We encourage player-run plots. Keep it basic (if you're concerned about the scope of it, run the idea past staff), but the more other players you involve, the more Cookies are in it for you.
- Be Helpful — Welcoming Guests and helping them find their way around the game and wiki, answering player questions, and generally being a friendly and helpful member of the community can earn Cookies.
- Work for the Game — If you think you can help with descriptions, writing material for the wiki, making maps, coding, etc., talk to staff. If we find that we can use your help, we'll pay for your labor with Cookies (and many thanks!). At the bottom of the Tags for Characters page there is a list of wiki pages that need above mentioned help. Click on which tag you'd like to help out with and you'll be taken to a list of things that need that brand of help. Please follow the instructions on the Tags page to submit your help. Thank you!
- Participate in Polling — Often times Staff looks to the Community on feed-back on things. Polls appear on the Discussion BBoard and on the Facebook Community Wall. Participating and voting in these polls will earn cookies.
This is far from a complete list. Cookies may be awarded by staff at their discretion. But the general theme is: When you do something to improve the quality of the game, you are rewarded with Cookies.
Cookie Rewards
With the expenditure of Cookies, you can gain access to certain "specials" in the game, such as restricted factions (races), or magical Quirks. Please note that these specials are still subject to approval, to make certain they fit the theme of the game. If you are asking for something especially unusual, a higher Cookie cost may be required (if approved at all). To apply for one of these specials, go to the Cookie Exchange and follow the instructions there. The Cookie Exchange can be found in game adjacent to the OOC Center.
Designing "Special" Characters
When considering any of the Cookie Rewards below, there is something important to keep in mind. If your character concept will only work if it can be a werewolf, or an animagus, or opulent, or have a special magical item, etc., then the concept isn't likely to be approved.
These "specials" should never be the core of a concept. Characters built around the idea of being a particular race or having a particular power tend to lack the depth and RP hooks of characters designed without them. So, start with the "normal" version of the character you want. Make sure it is an interesting character with or without anything special. Then find an interesting way to insert that special trait.
This will not only improve the likelihood of being approved for the Cookie Reward, but will also mean that if it is not approved, you still have a complete and interesting character ready to go.
Note that these specials do actually cost Cookies, meaning that you will lose the Cookies to pay for the special. But Cookies are considered a reward to the player, not the character. So you can use Cookies from one alt to pay for a special for another. However, you cannot spend your own Cookies to benefit another player's character.
Specials that reflect a learned ability (e.g. languages, Animagus training, etc.) will take time to learn. The duration varies with the quality of the teacher and the amount of time the learner has available to devote to training.
Cookie expenditures are nonrefundable. Once spent, they are gone. If you purchase a magical artefact, and that item is lost or destroyed, your Cookies are not returned to you. If you purchase an Unusual School Pet, you don't get 10 Cookies back after graduating from Hogwarts. At staff discretion, a character with any of the permanent benefits listed below that goes onto the roster may have the appropriate Cookie cost attached to them for anyone wishing to claim the character.
Reward Descriptions
OOC Benefits
1 Experience Point (10 Cookies)
Need a little boost to your skills? Maybe an extra language, but your XP is empty? Cookies can be traded in for bonus XP at a rate of 10 Cookies to 1 XP.
Quirk Change (2 Cookies)
Does your character have a Quirk that doesn't quite seem to fit? We can swap it out for a new one, or drop it altogether. In cases when something significant happens in the character's story, we might offer a Quirk change for free.
Skill Fix (5 Cookies)
Did you raise the wrong skill with XP? Did you misspell the skill name, and end up with a new Background Skill called "Mraksmansip"? Usually we don't refund XP for this kind of thing. But for a few Cookies, we'll take the trouble.
Family Crest Design (50 Cookies)
Have a family crest designed for your character's family, done in the style found throughout the wiki.
Trivial Photo-Manipulation (10 Cookies)
Have an image of your character photo-manipulated for something easy and minor, such as changing eye colour.
Light Photo-Manipulation (20 Cookies)
Have an image of your character photo-manipulated for something relatively simple, such as changing hair colour.
Medium Photo-Manipulation (75 Cookies)
Have an image of your character photo-manipulated for something moderate, such as putting a student in a school uniform.
Heavy Photo-Manipulation (100 Cookies)
Have an image of your character photo-manipulated for something difficult, such as turning someone into a goblin or house-elf.
Miscellaneous Rewards
Magical Artefact (20+ Cookies)
You possess an unusual magical item that isn't commonly available in wizarding shops. Cookie costs can vary considerably, from 20 Cookies to 200 or more, depending upon what the item is capable of.
Magical Pet (20+ Cookies)
You have a special magical pet that isn't commonly available in wizarding shops. Cookie costs can vary considerably, from 20 Cookies to 200 or more, depending upon what the creature is capable of and how rare it is.
Spell (Varies)
Certain spells have a Cookie expenditure to learn. See individual spell descriptions for costs.
Unusual Patronus (200 Cookies)
Requires the Patronus Charm. You are capable of producing an unusual corporeal Patronus, beyond the normal animal forms. For example, a magical beast such as a dragon or griffin.
Wand (Varies)
Some rare and powerful wand woods and wand cores have special costs associated with them. See Wandlore for details.
Windfall (25 Cookies)
Temporary financial gains for a one-time purchase at increased Wealth. For example, a family at Wealth: Comfortable comes into a small inheritance, and uses it to purchase a high-priced broom of their child that would normally require Wealth: Well-To-Do. This option is much more likely to be approved than an actual increase in Wealth.
Background Rewards
Immigrants and Foreign Parents
These specials represent an effort to maintain a strong United Kingdom theme. When a large portion of the game is immigrants or children of immigrants that essence is lost. The UK has people of every culture that have been around long enough to consider themselves British. We believe in a diverse United Kingdom, we simply don't want it to get out of hand and see the English, Welsh, Scottish, and Irish become the minority.
Foreigner Parent (Empire: 25 / Non-Empire: 35 Cookies per parent)
To play a British-born character with an immigrant parent, pay half the cost (rounded up) of an immigrant PC from the parent's home country. For example, the child of an Indian immigrant would pay 25 Cookies, because an Indian immigrant would normally pay 50.
Head Boy/Head Girl (50 Cookies)
Prerequisite: Prefect
There is only one Head Boy and one Head Girl at Hogwarts, and they are always selected from experienced Prefects. It is the duty of the Head Boy and Girl to provide leadership to the Prefects, and to organise their activities (such as Prefect meetings and patrol schedules).
Immigrant: Empire (50 Cookies)
A character that comes from the British Empire, but not the British Isles. Examples include immigrants from India, Australia, or South Africa.
Immigrant: Non-Empire (70 Cookies)
A character that comes from a country that is not part of the British Empire. Examples include immigrants from the United States, Brazil, or Japan.
Noble (50 Cookies for Muggles / 150 for those with Magical Blood)
This character is from the Muggle nobility or gentry. Note that this simply grants a title does not imply wealth or property. Pure-Bloods have been so far removed from Muggle Bloodlines that they can not take this. High Wealth Quirks must be purchased separately.
Prefect (25 Cookies)
The character is a Hogwarts Prefect. Note that Prefects are typically appointed during the summer prior to their Fifth Year. Though with the expansion of prefectships in 1940, there is more room for exception to this. This reward only applies to characters that are current students. Adults who were formerly Prefects during their Hogwarts days need not pay Cookies (but still require staff approval).
Slytherin Half-blood (300 Cookies)
Under the leadership of Albus Dumbledore, Hogwarts has become a more open and accepting place — so much so that the Sorting Hat might consider sorting a half-blood into Slytherin (but not a Muggle-born). Note that the earliest a half-blood could be sorted into Slytherin is as a First Year in the 1940-41 term.
Unusual School Pet (10 Cookies)
Most students may only have an owl, cat, or toad as a pet at Hogwarts. This reward means the characters has been granted permission to a student to keep another type of animal as a pet. This does not pay for the pet itself, so if it is a magical animal, it must still be purchased with Wealth (if a common magical animal) or the Magical Pet reward.
Special Factions
Centaur (40 Cookies)
A member of the Starchasers, a herd of centaurs from the Dark Forest Clan.
Ghost (100 Cookies)
A ghost is the spiritual remnant of a dead wizard, bound to a particular location.
Goblin (25 Cookies)
One of the clever, greedy goblins, known for their smithcraft and operating Gringotts Bank. All Goblins speak Gobbledegook at no cost.
House-elf, servant (100 Cookies)
A house-elf currently bound into servitude to a wizarding family.
House-elf, free (500 Cookies)
A free elf, with no master.
Part-giant (400 Cookies)
A character with giant blood in his or her veins, within at least three generations. Commonly called a "half-giant" regardless of actual percentage of giant heritage. Part-giant wizards are always half-bloods.
Part-Veela (300 Cookies)
A character with Veela blood in his or her veins, within at least three generations. Commonly called a "half-Veela" regardless of actual percentage of Veela heritage. Part-Veela wizards are always half-bloods.
Part-vampire (600 Cookies)
Extremely rare, part-vampires are sometimes created when a pregnant woman is bitten by a vampire. Also, descendants of a half-vampire within three generations will be part-vampires. Unlike true vampires, part-vampires can be wizards.
Vampire (800 Cookies)
One of the bloodsucking fiends of the night. Vampires cannot be wizards, but have their own supernatural powers.
Special Languages
All Cookie costs are in addition to XP costs for purchasing the Language.
Beast Speech (100 Cookies / 50 Cookies for centaurs)
Beast speech languages are magical languages for communicating with various types of animals. The most notorious is Parseltongue, made famous by Salazar Slytherin for speaking with snakes. Usually, one must be born with the ability to speak to animals. But unbeknownst to most, the centaurs possess the only method of awakening the gift within a being.
The beast speech languages are:
| Language | Animal types |
|---|---|
| Chirpwarble | Avians |
| Cloptrop | Equines |
| Cudmumble | Ruminants (grazing animals; e.g. cattle, sheep, etc.) |
| Glurblurble | Underwater animals and amphibians |
| Hisskratch | Felines |
| Parseltongue | Serpents |
| Pouchley | Marsupials (extremely rare in Britain) |
| Scaleform | Reptiles (but not serpents) |
| Skweek | Critters (rodents, bats, beavers, and other small prey) |
| Wuffrowl | Canine and bears |
Centaur (150 Cookies / 0 Cookies for centaurs)
The language of centaurs is extremely rare among non-centaurs. Few have the opportunity to learn it, and even fewer have the ability, given its dependence upon a deep cultural understanding of astrology. No non-centaur with a Divination lower than 7 can even hope to learn the language.
Giant (75 Cookies / 25 Cookies for part-giants)
The language of the giants.
Gobbledegook (15 Cookies / 0 Cookies for goblins)
The language of goblins. Goblin characters speak Gobbledegook for free.
Mermish (30 Cookies)
The language of merpeople, including sirens, selkies, and merrow.
Troll (10 Cookies)
The language of trolls.
Special Quirks
Animagus (300 Cookies)
A wizard with the ability to transform into an animal shape at will. This is a learned ability. Training time varies.
Legilimens (90 Cookies)
A wizard with the ability to explore the minds of others. This is a learned ability. Training time varies. Requires the Legilimency Spell.
Mastered Form (100 Cookies)
Prerequisite: Metamorphmagus
A metamorphmagus can master a specific form.
Metamorphmagus (500 Cookies)
A wizard with the rare ability to metamorphose one's body at will. This is an inborn trait, and must be taken during character generation.
Mist Form (200 Cookies)
Prerequisite: Vampire
A vampire can learn to transform into a cloud of mist.
Occlumens (75 Cookies)
A wizard with the ability to shield one's mind against magical intrusion or influence.. This is a learned ability. Training time varies.
Seer (200 Cookies)
A wizard with the Sight, a gift of prophecy and precognition. This is an inborn trait, though it may manifest after character generation.
Soul Bond (150 Cookies)
You possess a magical bond with another. Both soul partners must possess the Quirk (one partner may assist with the other's Cookie cost).
Werewolf (250 Cookies)
You are a reviled shapeshifting abomination. Read lycanthropy information carefully.
Wealth: Well-To-Do (25 Cookies)
May be free (with staff approval) if part of an existing Well-To-Do family.
Wealth: Rich (50 Cookies)
Prerequisite: Wealth: Well-To-Do
May be free (with staff approval) if part of an existing Rich family. You must first purchase Wealth: Well-To-Do.
Wealth: Opulent (150 Cookies)
Prerequisite: Wealth: Rich
May be free (with staff approval) if part of an existing Opulent family. You must first purchase Wealth: Rich.