Direction and Goals Revised 1/24/2010
Dragon
Blades is a 25 man raiding guild. The only official raids are 25 man. 10 man raids are at the player’s discretion. The basis
of being raider status in this guild is built around you attending the 25 man
raids. We strive to be one of the best raiding guilds on Azjol-Nerub.
Notable achievements are: The legendary sword, Thunderfury
(more personal pride than guild pride). Server first ZA Warbear. Archimonde and Illidan killed. Brutallis in Sunwell killed. Sarth 3D accomplished.
1. Guild Structure
1a. Ranks
1. Guild Master – Has ultimate authority of the guild. Thespore
2. 2nd in Command – Has all the same authority of
the GM without the glory. Brutaryis.
3. Officer – Officer core of the
guild. This rank also includes any alts of the GM, 2nd in Command, and
Officers. Handles the basic workings of the guild, its policies,
raid leading, and other daily operations. Gizard, Aerdian,
Soulrotz, Eatmycrit, and Punkstar.
4. Recruitment
Coordinators – Please contact these people in regards to applications, guild
membership, and related matters. Daeir and Skaergaard.
5. Raider – Main Raiding core of the guild.
6. Casual – also known as MCI. This rank consists of friends
and family of Raiders and/or Officers who may or may not be interested in
raiding. New members may also be placed in this rank in preparation for entry
into the main raiding core.
7. Initiate – Entry-level rank. Applicants are invited into the
guild at this level for evaluation.
8. Redshirt – Probationary rank before guild expulsion. Don’t
find yourself here.
2.
Applications –
Applications must be submitted to the Dragon Blades Applications Forum for
consideration for both Raider and MCI.
http://www.thedragonblades.com/SMF2-0/index.php/board,8.0.html
3. Acceptance to the Guild
3a. Applicants – Applications will be
posted in a feedback forum for a peer review. All comments of the review will
be confidential. If an applicant is viewed as desirable then a guild invite
will be issued upon our next scheduled raid. The applicant will enter the guild
as an Initiate. With the acceptance of the invite to the guild, you agree to
and will follow all Dragon Blades policies and conduct yourself in an
appropriate manner.
3b. Initiate (Raider)
– The applicant will be evaluated in a trial period for the next 3 weeks for
those apply for Raider status. Initiates should expect to have a raid spot a
minimum of 1 or 2 times during their initiate period for evaluation purposes,
but are not guaranteed anything more than that. During this time you will have
limited biding privileges in accordance to the Bidding policy (lower in this
document). Once the applicant’s trial period has passed, a vote will be put to
the guild Raider members for a short period with the options of “Yes, No, or
Extend”. An option of “Casual” can be added to a Raider applicants vote if a
sufficient number of members like the applicant but doesn’t think they are
quite ready for a raid spot.
3c. Initiate (Extended) –
At the end of the 3-week trial period as a raider initiate, the applicant may
have received a majority of votes for extending their trial period. Following
this vote the applicant will be extended as an Initiate for 1 more week. After
the extended initiate period another vote will be put forth with the options of
“Yes, No, or Casual”.
3d. Initiate (Casual)
– The applicant will be evaluated in a trial period for 1 week following their
guild invite. At the end of the trial period a vote will be put forth to all
guild members of “Yes or No”. Casual
initiates cannot be extended.
3ei. Casual
– If the vote consensus is “Yes” for a Casual applicant or a Raider applicant
has been voted in as “Casual”, they will be notified soon after and a promotion
to the rank of Casual will be issued at the beginning of the next scheduled
raid. With acceptance of this rank the applicant accepts all the policies
inclusive of the Casual rank. Casuals can be permitted to raid, but are allowed
in only after Raiders and have limited bidding privileges per the Bidding
policy.
3eii. Casuals may apply
for a promotion to the Raider rank. They will have to resubmit an application
for raider and another Initiate period will begin in accordance to the Initiate
(Raider) policy. The officers may decide to wave the waiting period under
certain circumstances, and a vote will be offered without the 3-week waiting
period.
3f. Raider
– If the vote consensus is “Yes” for a Raider applicant at the end of the trail
period, they will be notified soon after and a promotion to the rank of Raider
will be issued at the beginning of the next scheduled raid. With acceptance of
this rank, the guild member agrees with and will adhere to all of the policies
stated in the Raiding section. They will have all the privileges given by
Dragon Blades policies for this rank.
3g. All application
feedback is considered private. No one shall disclose anything discussed in the
feedback thread with the applicant.
See the
feedback rules at:
http://www.thedragonblades.com/SMF2-0/index.php/topic,8170.0.html
4. General
4a. Forums – The
Dragon Blades forums are a great place to get information. So great in fact, we
ask that you log on regularly to have the most up to date information regarding
our policy discussions, schedules, help, and much more stuff.
Check it
out at:
http://www.thedragonblades.com/SMF2-0/index.php
4b. Inactivity
– If anyone fails to logon to the game for more than 2 months and/or fails
to notify the Guild Leaders via a post/updates in the forums, may be removed
from the guild.
4c. Applying to Other Guilds
– We know that it is your choice to raid with our guild. However, if you apply
to another guild extend us the courtesy of leaving our guild first. If you
apply to another guild without first leaving the Dragon Blades you will be
removed from the guild, No Questions Asked.
4d. Guild Bank - The
guild bank is a depository for Raiding supplies. The first 4 tabs are materials
that can be requested for crafted items, enchants, or gemming of gear. These
items are restricted to player Mains, but can be requested for MS and OS. Tab 5
is for general purpose. All raiders have access and are encouraged to take the
items on this tab for raiding.
4e. Ventrilo – We have a Ventrilo server for the use and
enjoyment of the guild. Dragon Blade members are encouraged to use Vent at
anytime, like when questing, hanging out, or PvP’ing.
Current login info is posted in-game under "Guild Information”.
5. Raiding
5a. Raiding Times –
Dragon Blades is a casual raiding guild. Casual is defined as there is no
requirement for raid attendance and we only raid 3 days per week. Invites go
out at 18:00 server time and stop at 18:15 server time.
You are considered late if you are not in the raid by 18:15 ST.
Tuesday
18:00 – 22:00 ST
Thursday
18:00 – 22:00 ST
Saturday
18:00 – 22:00 ST
5b. Attendance – We realize that real life issues take precedence
over a video game. However, your raider status and DKP tax are based upon your
attendance. We do ask that you make 2 raids a week. Do
not save your main to any current 25 man content during our raid week, Tues –
Sat.
5c. Main character –
You are required to declare a Main Toon if one is not
apparent. If you switch mains you are required to post in the forums. You are
required to raid on your main. Alts will only be allowed in a raid if requested
by an officer or raid leader.
The thread
for Main Declaration and Main Switching can be found here:
http://www.thedragonblades.com/SMF2-0/index.php/topic,11425.0.html
5d. Talent Specs –
Specs are defined as Roles. The only roles in a raid are Tank, DPS, and Healer.
Due to our loot policy we require that raiders declare a Main-Spec for your
Main Toon. Your Main-Spec should be maximized for PvE raiding. You will be brought into the raid as your
declared Main-Spec unless asked to switch to your Off-Spec role. Failure to
declare a Main-Spec could result in suspended loot rights. To be eligible for
Off-Spec loot you also have to declare an Off-Spec also. It also must be
maximized for PvE raiding. You can only declare 1
Off-Spec and are eligible for loot for that Spec. We still have to consider at
what point is it better to have a shard rather than
just give away gear that will never be used for the Raid. It is also understood
that if you declare an Off-Spec and receive gear, you will get it enchanted and
gemmed for use of the Raid when asked. The table in the MS/OS declaration
thread is the official record of your Main and Off-Specs. If you change your Specs
please post in the thread. Please see Section 9, Bidding
lower in the document for more details on Main-Spec and Off-Spec rules.
The thread
for MS/OS declaration can be found here:
http://www.thedragonblades.com/SMF2-0/index.php/topic,14623.0.html
5e. Ventrilo - We
require that all people participating in a raid to be logged onto Vent. You
don’t have to speak, but you must be able to here instructions. If you are not
able to hear what is being said on vent then you will be replaced per the Raid
Leader.
5f. Required Addons – There
are several addons that we require for raiding.
DBM –
Deadly Boss Mods (Big Wigs can be used as an alternative)
Omen –
Threat meter
Decursive – (for any class that can de-buff) or any addon, like certain raid frames, that
help
manage debuffs your class can dispel.
Pallypower – for Paladins only
Grid,
Xperl, or Pitbull – For
healers. Unit and Raid frames mod
5g. Other Useful Addons
Ora2 – Raid
management tool.
Recount –
Damage meter plus a little more
Grid, Xperl, or Pitbul – Unit and Raid
frames
5h. Enchanting, Gemming,
and Talents - We require you to
have all of your gear enchanted, gemmed, and talented to optimally fill your
role in a raid. If you have some questionable gemming, enchants, or talents you
may be asked to justify why you chose what you did. If a suitable answer is not
given then you will be instructed or referred to someone who will help you
optimizing your raiding potential. If you are not sure of how to gem and
enchant your gear feel free to ask an officer or another senior raider.
5g. Preparation – All raiders are expected to be at the door to
the instance by 18:15 ST with proper food, flasks/elixirs, and reagents. It is
your choice to either use 2 elixirs or a flask, but they must be proper for
your role. It is expected that all raiders use their flasks / elixirs / food
for all bosses that are not considered to be on farm status.
See the
prep discussion at:
http://www.thedragonblades.com/SMF2-0/index.php/topic,14376.0.html
For a
listing of suggested foods for your class see: http://www.thedragonblades.com/SMF2-0/index.php/topic,14416.0.html
5h. Strategies – We ask that you read the strategies and
discussion posted on our forums regarding our current tier of content. Knowing the
encounter can mean the difference between endless wipes and a successful raid.
It is the responsibility of every raider to be familiar with bosses in our
current progression.
Read up on strats and the discussions for our current raid progression
in ICC at:
http://www.thedragonblades.com/SMF2-0/index.php/board,63.0.html
5i. Bench – Many times we will have more than 25 raiders
available. When that happens a bench will be formed.
All requirements to be in the raid are also applied to people on the bench.
There are many reasons being on the bench, for example class/role balance for an encounter. A bench is staple
of a successful raiding guild. If on the bench you must be prepared to enter
the raid at any time, this means having all your consumables ready and able to
enter the zone within a few minutes of being called on. Benched Raiders are
allowed to drop the raid to do quests, but you must remain in vent to
understand what is going on in the fight as to be ready to fill your role
immediately upon entering the zone. Those sitting on the bench and in
compliance with the bench policy earn points at the same level as those
attending the run.
5j. Top 25 vs. the Bench
– Members with the rank of raider will be given a raid spot (the top 25) before
a casual rank. Attendance, play consistency, and ability will all be taken into
consideration when assigning raiders to the top 25. On bosses that we consider
“on farm” we will do our best to rotate in those on the bench and those who are
less geared, casual, or have not had the opportunity to get into many of the
raids. It is a benefit to the guild to have as many people as geared and
experienced as possible. Initiates
should expect to have a raid spot a minimum of 1 or 2 times during their
initiate period for evaluation purposes, but are not guaranteed anything more
than that.
5k. Leaving the raid early – If you have to
leave the raid early, inform an Officer or Raid Leader at the beginning of the
raid, when invites are issued or while the raid is forming. Failure to do so
will result in punishment per Section 9.
5L.
AFK Policy
If you
disconnect or go AFK for more than 15 minutes, you may be removed from the raid
and replaced. You keep any points earned up till then.
DO NOT go
AFK between a start of a Boss and the last trash pack prior.
Ninja AFK’s
will not be tolerated. If you must go AFK tell an officer or the raid leader
and tag yourself as afk. Failure to do so may result
in expulsion from the raid.
6. DKP
DKP, Raid
points, or DBRP as mentioned in this document all refer to the points earned
that serve as our currency to bid for gear/items.
6a. Accrual
Raid Points
earned are added to your total at the end of the night, not during the raid.
Those
sitting on the bench and in compliance with the bench policy earn points at the
same level as those attending the run.
Raid Points
are per person, not per alt. If you have multiple alts and use them in a raid,
you have one pool of Raid Points.
You ARE
allowed to go into the negative on raid points. So if you have 10 points now,
and you win a min point item, you are going to have -10 points, and have to
work your way out of the hole.
You are
allowed to go negative to any amount, but only on through minimum bidding.
Current
Raid Point Totals:
http://spreadsheets.google.com/ccc?key=rxSsWOdi82RaSaijYi7yG8g.
6b. Taxation – In an attempt to encourage attendance and help
curtail extreme high dkp a tax system is in place.
Everyone is subject to the tax. Any points over your protected point total will
be taxed by 20% on a weekly basis. Exceptions can be made by the Officers to
suspend the tax for up to 1 month if an extreme situation dictates the action,
ex. A family member is sick and you have to take a break in raiding to
concentrate on family for a period.
The number
of points you can protect is 3 times your 30-day total. So if you have a
300 30-day total, you can have up to 900 points banked and no taxes be taken at
all. Any points you have that are over the 'protected' total will be taxed at a
rate of 20% a week. So if your protected point total is 300, and you
currently have 400 points, your tax at the end of the week would be 20 points
(100 unprotected points, times 20%).
See the tax
discussion thread at:
http://www.thedragonblades.com/SMF2-0/index.php/topic,14330.0.html
6c. Donations – DKP can also be earned by any guild rank from
turning in materials, such as Northern Spices, Flasks, Elixirs, etc. The
materials must be mailed to the toon Fortknox and received by 17:30 ST on every Tuesday of the
week.
DKP prices
for materials can be viewed at:
http://www.thedragonblades.com/SMF2-0/index.php/topic,14040.0.html
Points
earned can be viewed in the donation thread http://www.thedragonblades.com/SMF2-0/index.php/board,30.0.html
7. Loot
7.a All BoP drops in a raid will be up for bid during the raid.
BoE Blue
items are sent to the guild bank for sale or otherwise distributed to the
membership as needed (priority to those on the run who can use). The
expectation is gear will likely be sold or sharded,
and spells/recipes given to those that can use.
Recipes/patterns/etc
are bid out, starting at 0. The guild may hold
BoE patterns, if no one on the run is interested, to distribute to another
guild member. If you win a pattern dropped in a raid, you must have the
required profession level to use it, and it is understood that you will be
available to craft that item for guild members as needed.
Items won
must be used, not sold or DE’ed. You may not roll on
an item for your alt that is not in the raid.
7b. Crafted Items –
Items required for Crafted pieces (aka runed orbs,
etc) which drop in raids will be retained by the loot master and deposited in
the Guild Bank after the raid. Guild Members can request the materials in
accordance to the below policies:
Runed-orb request thread:
http://www.thedragonblades.com/SMF2-0/index.php/topic,14671.0.html
Crusader-orb
request thread:
http://www.thedragonblades.com/SMF2-0/index.php/topic,15123.0.html
Primal Saronite request thread:
http://www.thedragonblades.com/SMF2-0/index.php/topic,15588.0.html
8. Bidding
8a. Bidding Priority –
Raider refers to anyone of Raider Rank, while Others refers to any Casual, Alt,
or Initiate. MS stands for Main-Spec, OS for Off-Spec.
Roles are defined as Tank, DPS, or Healer. If your class does not have
different roles OS cannot apply to you. You cannot bid over someone whose bid
rank has priority over your bid rank.
Bidding
priority for gear is as follows:
MS gear –
the minimum bid for an MS piece of gear is 20
OS gear –
the minimum bid for an OS piece of gear is 0
8b. Bidding Procedures
– All bidding is done in Guild chat. Any bids typed in raid will be null.
Please refrain from typing in guild when bidding is going on. Both MS and OS
bidding will be conducted at the same time. Multiple minimum bids resulting in
a tie will be decided by a /random 100.
The Bid
Supervisor will initiate bidding by linking the item in /guild and request
bidders. The process is free-form. There is no set order to the
bidders. Bids do revolve around the highest bid placed; a new bid must be
at least 10 Raid Points higher than the current highest bid, or the maximum
points possessed by the bidder (see example below). The bid supervisor
during this time should help ensure tracking clarity (via Vent, /raid, or
/guild) to let it be known who is the highest bidder and what that bid is at
currently.
Example:
Bob bids 300 for his T20 shoulders. Fred wants the shoulders too, and has
304 points. As long as Fred bids all 304 points, he may place a bid that
is less than 10 points higher than Bob’s bid (an acceptable bid is 10 points
higher or your maximum points). If Fred bids 304, then Bob would need to
bid at least 314 or his maximum points (if they are less than 314 but more than
304).
After a
brief period with no new bids, the Bid Supervisor should state the highest bid
and who has it, and asks for any final bids (“[linked item] to [player] for
[amount] – last call”). Upon conclusion of the bidding process, the item
is awarded to the winner, and the winner’s points are deducted by the amount of
their winning bid. Once the item is awarded or another item is linked for bid,
no more bids are accepted.
If a player
is caught bidding more than the points they possess, a point penalty may be
assessed, up to 100 points, at the discretion of the officers regarding the
severity of the error. The player may immediately lose the right to bid
on the item, and may lose the right to bid on any additional items for the raid
or possibly future raids (again, depending on the decision of the
officers). Depending on the impact of the false bid, the next-highest bid
may be used or the entire bidding process may start over.
BoE gear
can be held by the ML (Master Looter) and rolled on after the next raid boss
kill, or at the Raid Leader’s discretion.
To bid on
any item, you must have been actively involved in the encounter (begin combat
to end combat) that resulted in the drop.
8c. Proxy Bidding –
Proxy Bidding is not allowed and is viewed as cheating the system. Proxy
bidding is defined as a person bidding on an item, with their DKP, for the
purposes of giving the item to someone else or alt. If anyone asks you to bid on an item for
them, tell an officer immediately. Otherwise, you will be held as accountable
as the person who proposed the proxy. Punishment will be dealt per the policy,
section 9, to the participating parties.
8d. Bidding with PuGs in the raid
- If the raid is not fully comprised of DB members then Pug Bidding will be
in effect. Pug bidding is similar to how we start normal DKP bidding. The ML
will link the item and ask for rolls. Anyone who needs the item for Main-Spec
will /roll 100. If one of the PuGs
wins the roll he will receive the item. If a DB member wins the roll then
normal bidding per DB bidding rules will commence. If no one rolls for
Main-Spec then the item will go to an Off-Spec round and will be handled in the
same manner. If no one chooses to bid on the item after the roll, then the
person with the winning role will receive the item and be charged for it
accordingly.
9. Punishment
The Guild
Officers may decide to assign punishment to anyone for infraction of Raiding
Policy. Punishments may include but may not be exclusive of…
Riding the
bench for a given period
DKP
subtraction
Loot rights
withheld for one or more bosses
Raiding
privileges suspended for a given time.
Demotion of
rank
Guild
expulsion