Player Biography (Character Profiles)
View detailed character profiles including stats, titles, accomplishments, and personal bios. Check player status, send mail, and stalk, er, research your fellow students.
What Is a Player Biography?
Every witch and wizard at Hogwarts Live has a public character profile accessible to all students - a comprehensive page displaying their stats, accomplishments, House membership, current status, and personal description. Think of it as a magical resume meets social media profile meets stalker's dream come true. Access it by clicking player names from the Player List, or navigate directly to /user/loginname if you're feeling technically inclined.
Bios serve multiple purposes: researching potential PvP targets (checking their level before you embarrass yourself), learning about characters for roleplay purposes (so you know if they're a brooding half-vampire or cheerful Hufflepuff), tracking player activity (when were they last online?), and sending quick Owl Post via the convenient scroll icon. They're also home to the Recent Accomplishments feed - a scrolling chronicle of every forest fight, level gain, death, and resurrection that defines the player's journey through Hogwarts.
Biography Header
Top Section Elements:
Page Title:
- Display: "Biography for [Character Name]" in purple
- Character Name: Uses display name (colorful name), not login
- Format: "Biography for %s."
Write Mail Icon:
- Display: Small scroll image (newscroll.GIF)
- Function: Click to open the Owl Post compose page
- Where It Opens: In the same window, as a normal page. Never in a popup window
- Pre-Addressed: Recipient automatically filled with player's login name
- Only When Logged In: Anonymous viewers don't see mail icon
There's Only One Profile Page:
- Clean URL:
/user/[login]is the actual profile page you land on and stay on - No Separate "Public Profile" Link: Older documentation of this page described a link out to a second, more detailed profile system - that system is simply the page you're already looking at
- Purpose: One page holds stats, bio text, House membership, and social features together
House Membership Display
Common Room Affiliation:
If Player Is in a House:
- Display Format: "[Name] is [rank] [House Name]"
- Example: "Harry Potter is a member of Dumbledore's Army"
- Color: Green for player name and House name
- Shows Only If: you belong to a House
Rank Descriptions:
- Newly Sorted: "newly sorted member of"
- Member: "a member of"
- Prefect: "a prefect of"
- Senior Member: "a senior member of"
- Head of House: "the Head of"
If Not in a House:
- Display: Nothing (section omitted entirely)
- Indicates: Player hasn't joined a player-created House (Common Room)
Character Statistics
Core Stats Display:
Username (Login Name):
- Display: "Username: [login]"
- Purpose: Unique account identifier for sending mail, adding friends
- Colors: Purple label, green value
- Differs From: Display name (which can have color codes and special characters)
Title:
- Display: "Title: [title]"
- Examples: "First Year Student", "Skilled Wizard", "Dragon Slayer"
- Progression: Changes based on Voldemort Encounters (VE)
- Custom Titles: Donors may have special custom titles
Level:
- Display: "Level: [number]"
- Range: Typically 1-20+ depending on experience
- Importance: Major indicator of character power and progression
- PvP Relevance: Check before attacking to avoid embarrassing mismatches
Status (Online/Offline):
- Online Display: "`#Online" (green)
- Offline Display: "Offline" (brown/gold)
- Counted as online: if you have done something in the last 15 minutes
- Real-Time: Updates based on player's last activity
- Use Case: Check before sending important mail (will they respond quickly?)
Resurrections:
- Display: "Resurrections: [number]"
- Counts: Total number of times player has died and been resurrected
- Badge of Honor: High resurrections indicate active combat participation (or poor survival skills)
- Zero: Either very skilled at staying alive or very new
Race:
- Display: "Race: [race name]"
- Examples: "Human", "Half-Giant", "Werewolf", "Goblin"
- Unknown: Shows "Unknown" if player hasn't selected a race
- Bonuses: Each race provides different stat bonuses/penalties
- RP Importance: Affects character roleplay and interactions
Pronouns:
- Display: "Pronouns: [pronouns]"
- Options: He/Him, She/Her, They/Them, or custom
- Custom Pronouns: Players selecting "Other" can enter custom pronouns
- Respect: Use these when referring to players in communication
Specialty:
- Display: "Specialty: [specialty name]"
- Examples: "Dark Arts Expert", "Auror", "Healer", "Enchanter"
- Default: "Unspecified" if player hasn't chosen specialty
- Gameplay Effect: Provides unique abilities and stat bonuses
Mount:
- Display: "Mount: [mount name]"
- Examples: "Hippogriff", "Thestral", "Dragon"
- None: Shows "None" (italicized) if no mount
- Permanent Buff: Mounts provide permanent stat bonuses
Voldemort Encounters:
- Display: "Voldemort Encounters: [number]"
- Only Shows If: you have at least one Voldemort Encounter (doesn't display for first-years)
- Progression Metric: Primary measure of character advancement
- Unlocks Content: VE gates access to locations, features, equipment
- Prestige: High VE = veteran player, low VE = newer or inactive
- Correct Terminology: Always "Voldemort Encounters", never "Dragon Kills"
Personal Bio Text
Character Description:
Bio Field:
- Display: "Bio: [bio text]"
- Only Shows If: Player has written bio text
- Sanitization: Bio text is cleaned up for safety
- Purpose: Player-written character description, backstory, personality
- Color Codes: Supports LoGD color formatting (backtick codes)
- No Length Limit: Can be as short or long as player desires
What Players Write:
- Physical Description: Appearance, clothing, distinctive features
- Personality Traits: Character quirks, temperament, behavior
- Backstory: Character history, family, motivations
- RP Preferences: How they prefer to interact, RP style
- OOC Info: Sometimes timezone, availability, contact preferences
- Humor: Many players use snarky, witty, or self-aware descriptions
Editing Your Own Bio:
- Access: Edit bio via character settings or profile editor
- Changes: Updates appear immediately on bio page
- Public: All bio text is public - don't include private information
- Guidelines: Follow game rules - no offensive content, no real-world contact info
Recent Accomplishments Feed
Activity Log:
News Feed Display:
- Header: "Recent accomplishments (and defeats) of [Name]" (purple)
- Source: Pulls from the news (last 100 entries)
- Sorting: Newest first
- Date Headers: Bold green date headers group entries by day
- Date Format: "Day, Mon dd" (e.g., "Mon, Dec 27")
- Entry Color: Green for most entries
What Appears in Feed:
- Forest Fights: "Defeated a [creature name] in the Forbidden Forest"
- Deaths: "Was slain by [creature/player name]"
- Resurrections: "Was resurrected by [method]"
- Level Gains: "Advanced to level [X]"
- Voldemort Encounters: "Defeated Voldemort in an epic encounter!"
- Achievements: Accomplishments from the game's many side features
- Special Events: Holiday events, competitions, etc.
Activity Stalking:
- See Recent Activity: Check what player has been doing lately
- Gauge Power: Lots of forest kills = active player
- Death Frequency: Many deaths might indicate aggressive but reckless play
- Inactivity Check: No recent entries = dormant account
Donation Feature
Donate on Behalf of Player:
PayPal Integration:
- Only Shows When: Viewing someone else's bio (not your own)
- Display: Large centered section with yellow "Donate via PayPal" button
- Header: "Donate on Behalf of [login]"
- Description: "Click on the yellow Donate via PayPal button below to give [login] points:"
- Item Name: "Hogwarts Live Donation for [name] from [your name] for Donator Points (Virtual Goods)"
How It Works:
- Opens PayPal: New tab/window to PayPal donation page
- Recipient Gets Points: Donated amount converted to Donator Points for target player
- Gifting: Way to support friends or favorite players
- Recognition: Donor name included in transaction record
- Virtual Goods: Points can be spent on in-game perks, items, features
Mute Status Display
Chat Restriction Notices:
If Player Is Muted:
- Display: Mute status message in special color (likely red/orange)
- Temp Mute: Shows time remaining (e.g., "Muted for 3 more hours")
- Perm Mute: "Muted forever" or similar message
- Location: After bio text, before accomplishments feed
- Public Warning: Visible to all players as deterrent/warning
Mute Types:
- Temporary Mute: 1+ hour duration, can be extended by staff
- Permanent Mute: Indefinite chat ban until unmuted by staff
- Reason: May display reason for mute
- Duration Tracking: The mute's start and length are recorded
Staff Options
Staff Controls (Staff Only):
Moderation Tools:
- Temp Mute: Mute player for 1 hour (extendable)
- Perm Mute: Permanently mute player's chat
- Unmute: Remove mute status
- Extend Mute: Add 1 more hour to temp mute
- Block/Unblock: Block player from editing bio
Technical Tools:
- Fix User Navs: Clear stuck navigation/output for player
- Kill Player: Instantly send player to Detention (dead, 0 HP)
- Grant Newday: Give player fresh forest fights immediately
- Edit User: Jump to the full user editor
System Mail:
- Mute Notifications: Auto-sends system mail when muted/unmuted
- Includes Reason: Mute reason included in notification
- Warning Message: Reminds players to follow rules
Navigation & Return Links
Getting Back:
Return Navigation:
- Default: "Return to Hogwarts Students" (links to the player list)
- From the player list: Always returns to the player list
- Other Pages: If you arrived from somewhere else, the link takes you back there
- Go Back: Generic return link when you came from a page other than the player list
Strategy & Tips
Bio Page Mastery
- Pre-PvP Research: Check level, resurrections, recent activity before attacking
- RP Preparation: Read bio text to learn character personality before interaction
- Pronouns Matter: Always check pronouns before referring to players
- Activity Check: Online/Offline status + recent accomplishments = activity level
- House Membership: See which Common Room they belong to for alliance/rivalry info
- Quick Mail: Use scroll icon instead of navigating to mail manually
- VE Comparison: Compare Voldemort Encounters to gauge relative progression
- Mount Envy: See what mounts other players have collected
- Death Frequency: Many recent deaths = active but vulnerable target
- Specialty Scouting: Know opponents' specialty before PvP (counters/weaknesses)
- Race Bonuses: Different races have different stat distributions
- Public Profile Link: Check extended profile for more social/RP information
- Accomplishment Stalking: 100-entry feed shows detailed recent activity
- Login Name Copy: Get exact login name for mail/friend adds
- Donation Gifts: Surprise friends with donated points via PayPal button
- Resurrection Count: High count = either combat enthusiast or terrible at survival
- No Bio = Newbie: Empty bio often indicates new/inactive player
- Color Code Creativity: Use color codes in your own bio for visual appeal
Player Bio Summary: Visit /user/[login] directly, or follow an old-style bio link, or click names from the Player List. The profile shows
stats (Username, Title, Level, Status, Resurrections, Race, Pronouns, Specialty, Mount, Voldemort
Encounters), House membership with rank, bio text, and a Recent Accomplishments feed of the last 100 news
entries. Other features can add content to the profile. Donate-via-PayPal appears when viewing someone else's profile.
Mute status and moderation tools appear for staff. The old bio link is just a signpost, not the page you're reading.