Staff Rules & Punishment Pathways
This document is the definitive reference for all staff actions on Shattered MC. All moderation decisions should be consistent with these pathways. When in doubt, escalate — do not act unilaterally on edge cases.
The goal of punishment is to protect the community, not to punish individuals. Every action taken should be proportionate, documented, and consistent with how the same situation would be handled for any other player. Personal feelings about a player do not change how the pathway is applied.
Staff Principles
Every warning, mute, kick, and ban must be logged in the staff Discord channel with: the player's username, the rule violated, the evidence (screenshot or log), and the action taken. Undocumented punishments are unenforceable and un-appealable.
Apply the pathway as written. If you believe the pathway produces an unjust outcome in a specific case, escalate to a Senior Moderator or Admin rather than deviating unilaterally. Inconsistent enforcement is worse than strict enforcement — it creates the perception of favouritism.
If a player is targeting you personally, hand the case to another staff member. You may not moderate a situation in which you are personally involved as a participant.
If the pathway includes a warning step, issue the warning clearly in chat or via DM, state the rule being violated, and give the player a reasonable opportunity to stop. A warning that is not clearly communicated is not a warning.
The public rules explicitly state that staff may act on harmful behaviour not listed. When exercising this discretion, the standard is: would a reasonable person agree this is harmful to the community? Document your reasoning explicitly when acting outside a listed rule.
A player's rank or financial contribution to the server has no bearing on how their rule violation is handled. Treating paying players differently is a policy violation for staff.
Roles & Permissions
Each staff tier has defined action limits. Actions above your tier require escalation to a senior staff member.
| Role | Warn | Mute | Kick | Temp Ban | Perm Ban | Rollback | Appeals |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Helper | ✦ | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Moderator | ✦ | ✦ | ✦ | ≤7 days | — | — | — |
| Senior Moderator | ✦ | ✦ | ✦ | ≤30 days | With evidence | ✦ | Review only |
| Admin | ✦ | ✦ | ✦ | ✦ | ✦ | ✦ | ✦ Final decision |
If an action requires a permission level above yours, do not delay — contact a senior staff member immediately via the staff Discord. In the meantime, you may issue a temporary mute to prevent ongoing harm while waiting for escalation. Do not attempt a ban you do not have permission to issue.
Staff Conduct
Do not explain or justify bans, mutes, or warnings in public chat. Refer players to the Discord support ticket system. Public moderation discussions create drama and undermine authority.
Using staff access — teleport, spectate, item spawning, command access — for personal gameplay benefit is grounds for immediate removal from staff. This includes assisting friends or Guild members using staff tools.
Staff discussions, internal documents, player reports, and ban reasons are confidential. Do not share internal information with players, including friends. This includes sharing screenshots of the staff Discord.
If a report involves a player you have a personal relationship with — friend, Guild member, rival — recuse yourself and hand the case to another staff member. State the conflict when handing off.
Staff members who violate server rules are held to the same standard as regular players — the same pathway applies. Senior staff handle reports against junior staff. Admins handle reports against Senior Moderators.
Punishment Pathways
Standard pathways are listed below. Follow these in order unless the violation is on the immediate permanent ban list, or unless the toxicity escalation clause applies. All steps must be documented.
Chat Violations
Gameplay Violations
Severe Violations
The following have no warning step — action is taken immediately on evidence confirmation.
Escalation & Toxicity
The public rules state that consistently toxic players may have their punishment pathway accelerated. This section defines what that means operationally.
Defining Toxicity
Toxicity is a pattern, not a single incident. A player is considered toxic under this clause when three or more separate staff-logged incidents within a 30-day window document a pattern of:
Repeated belittling or insulting of other players without rising to harassment level · Bad-faith arguments designed to provoke rather than resolve · Passive-aggressive behaviour in chat after being warned · Consistently negative or hostile tone that degrades the atmosphere · Complaints about other players delivered as attacks rather than reports
Accelerated Pathway
The toxicity clause requires a pattern — not a bad day. Three incidents spread over a month is a pattern. Three incidents in one afternoon may be a bad day or may be an escalating harassment situation that gets treated as harassment instead. Use judgement and document your reasoning when applying this clause.
Permanent Bans
Permanent bans require documentation and, for anything outside the immediate-perm list, Senior Moderator or Admin sign-off.
Immediate Perm — No Sign-off Required
These violations result in a permanent ban with no pathway steps. Any Moderator or above may issue them on confirmed evidence.
Hate speech / slurs · Hacked client or cheats · Duplication exploit · Staff impersonation · Chargeback (pending store confirmation)
Escalation-Path Perms — Sign-off Required
These permanent bans are the end of a pathway. They require a Senior Moderator or Admin to review the case log before the ban is issued.
Harassment (3rd offence) · Scamming (3rd offence) · Guild insiding (2nd offence) · Dungeon exploit (distributing access) · Toxicity pathway (end of accelerated path) · Organised rule-breaking Guild
Documenting a Permanent Ban
Every permanent ban must include in the staff log: player username, date and time, rule(s) violated with rule number, evidence links, pathway steps previously taken (if applicable), issuing staff member, and approving staff member (if sign-off required). This documentation is required for appeals.
Appeals Process
Who Can Appeal
Any banned player except those permanently banned for: hate speech, hacked clients, or chargebacks. Duplication exploit perms may be appealed after 90 days at Admin discretion only.
Process
If a ban is overturned on appeal, the staff member who issued it must be reviewed by an Admin. Wrongful bans are not automatic disciplinary events — mistakes happen. Repeated wrongful bans, or bans found to have been issued in bad faith, are a staff conduct matter.
Evidence Standards
Evidence quality determines whether a punishment holds on appeal. Use the right evidence type for the violation.
Acceptable Evidence
Chat violations: Screenshot of the chat log with timestamp visible. In-game logs are preferred where accessible.
Hacked clients: Video recording preferred. Screenshots alone are insufficient unless the visual evidence is unambiguous (e.g. kill-aura artifacts clearly visible).
Duplication: Server economy logs showing abnormal item or currency accumulation. Item audit trail from Admin tools.
Scamming / insiding: Screenshot of the agreed trade or Guild permission record, combined with evidence of the violation. A victim statement alone is not sufficient — corroborating evidence is required.
Toxicity pattern: Three or more separate staff-logged incidents with dates. Screenshots of the incidents linked in the log.
Evidence Handling
Do not alter, crop to remove context, or otherwise modify evidence before logging it. Screenshots should show the full chat window or relevant screen. If you only have partial evidence, note this explicitly in the log — partial evidence may still be sufficient for a warning but not for a ban.
Staff Discretion
The public rules state that staff may act on any behaviour harmful to the server, even if not explicitly listed. This section defines how to use that discretion correctly.
Before acting outside a listed rule, ask: would a reasonable player agree this behaviour is harmful to the community? If yes, you may act. If the answer is unclear, escalate rather than act unilaterally.
When acting outside a listed rule, your staff log entry must include: why you considered it harmful, what specifically happened, and why the existing rules do not cover it. This reasoning is reviewed on appeal.
Do not use the discretion clause to bypass a pathway for a violation that IS listed. If the violation is listed, follow the pathway. Discretion applies only to unlisted behaviour.
If you find yourself using the discretion clause for the same type of violation more than twice, flag it to an Admin for consideration as an explicit rule addition. Discretion should not substitute for clear policy on recurring behaviour.
This document will be updated as the server grows and new situations arise. If you encounter a situation not covered here, escalate — do not improvise. Consistency is the foundation of a fair community.