PathfinderWiki:Spoilers
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This page is an official policy on the PathfinderWiki. In accordance with policy, this page has been protected. You can suggest changes by following the revision procedure or discussing it on the talk page. |
It is not the intention of PathfinderWiki to provide spoilers for any Pathfinder Adventure Path, Pathfinder Adventure module, or Pathfinder Society Organized Play adventure, quest, or scenario, though the site's nature as a comprehensive resource makes crossing this line occasionally inevitable.
A general rule of thumb is that if an average character, local NPC, or mid-level sage would not have the information in question, it is probably a spoiler to someone. Obviously, there are countless exceptions to this rule, and as time progresses, older products will only become more likely to contain spoilers. Below are the procedures to follow if you find potential major spoilers on the site, such as any key plot points or revelations as part of an Adventure Path or other adventure:
- Add the {{Badges|spoiled}} template to the top of the article or section containing the spoiler, and link the spoiled products from the template's spoiled parameter. This adds the article to [[Category:Articles containing spoilers]], and places a prominent banner at the top of the page for all anonymous users and any logged-in users who have enabled the "more visible spoiler warning box" Gadget in their Preferences.
- If the reason for the spoiler warning might be unclear, add your reason for flagging the article to the article's talk page.
Do not remove information you feel is a spoiler. If no one knows why specific information is missing from an article, future editors will simply add it again. Instead, articles should be as detailed as possible, even if this means they include spoilers. Adherence to this policy will ensure that anyone wishing to avoid spoilers has sufficient warning and can navigate away from articles containing them.
Avoid game spoilers
Avoid including information necessary to player or story advancement within an adventure whenever possible. If such information is necessary, avoid phrasing it in the manner of a strategy guide.
For example:
- It is OK to note that the rainbow-hued shrines in an antagonist's temple provide various magical protections to its immortal inhabitants.
- Avoid describing in detail how these rainbow-hued shrines can be used to defeat the antagonist.
Prohibit redirects that constitute major spoilers
Do not create redirects that themselves constitute major spoilers, or otherwise circumvent spoiler warnings for visitors and chroniclers who have opted into them. An article can contain spoilers, but its title should not itself be a spoiler.
For example, if the identity of a character, item, or location is intentionally disguised and revealing the deception is a key plot point in an adventure:
- It is OK to write the article from an in-world perspective using the alias as the article title and explaining the true hidden identity within the article text, and to then redirect the true hidden identity to the alias—only people who know the spoiler will search for the alias, and others will see a spoiler alert at the top of the article before encountering the nature of the spoiler in the article text.
- Avoid writing the article with the title being the true hidden identity and then redirecting the alias to the true identity—people who do not know the spoiler will be immediately spoiled by the result, and people who already know the spoiler are not saved any time or confusion.