The Approval Scale rates things that players can ask for on the basis of how significant they might be to the game as a whole, and requires ascending levels of approval as that significance increases. Things that are not called out as being at a specific level will generally require a single approval.

• Things that have minimal significance to the game as a whole do not require approval per se. For instance, a request to buy the first dot of a new Ability will always — absent extraordinary circumstances — be granted and does not require any discretion on the part of the staff member handling the request.
• Things of moderate significance require approval from one staff member. Character applications for common (i.e., Camarilla) Vampire clans; raising an Ability to two or three dots; raising most supernatural powers to one or two dots; and so forth are all examples.
• Unusual or highly significant things require approval from two staff members. Raising Abilities or Attributes to four or five dots; buying three or four dots in most supernatural powers; rising to Rank 2 (for shifters); or character applications for uncommon and unusual Vampire clans are examples of things requiring two approvals.
• Things that are both unusual and highly significant may require approval from a majority of current active staff.¹ Mages raising Arete to 4; buying the fifth dot in most supernatural powers; shifters seeking to rise to Rank 3; or very rare and unusual character types may require this level of approval.
• Some things that are of potentially game-wide significance may require unanimous approval from current active staff (defined as above). Examples might include Mages attempting to raise Arete to 5 or shifters seeking to rise to Rank 4 or above.

Players are always entitled to request review of denied requests by other staff. Please be aware that in the case of items requiring majority or unanimous approval, this is unlikely to change the results — but it is always possible that staff may be convinced to change their minds.

1. Staff who do not vote yea or nay within 72 hours are not considered to be be “active staff” for purposes of this definition. ↩︎