Benefits
1. Access to a safe, cooperative play environment on the Battle.net USWest Realmsafe from hackers, pk-ers, solo-ers, experience leechers and all the other B.net pests.
2. A dupe-free, honest trading environment.
4. Participate in friendly tournaments and special events available exclusively to Hand members.
6. Space on our forums to put up your item "want" list

7. Access to a special Brotherhood of the Hand forum, where you can talk to other members about various Diablo II and House issues.

Character Requirements
1. All characters you use in Hand games must be registered under a known account.  Please be sure to record your account information in the forums Account & Character Info section.
2. You may NOT use duped items, or items that were acquired in any unfair manner. This does not include items that were traded for, or twinking low-level characters.  Please refer to the section on Cheating, below.
3. All characters must be expansion-pack characters.  The Brotherhood of the Hand does not support DII-Classic games.
4. Do NOT use profanity or implied obscenities in the names of your characters and accounts.
5. If you wish to designate a character or b.net account in a way to make you instantly recognizable as a Brotherhood of the Hand member, please follow your name/account with "_BH" (Example: Bob_BH)
 
Cheating
According to our policies, there are many forms of cheatingand NONE of them are acceptable in Brotherhood of the Hand's House games. The following actions are considered cheating, and partaking of any of them will result in your immediate and irreversible expulsion from our House.
1. DUPING - Duping describes the act of using or trading an item that was knowingly copied from another item through the exploitation of a loophole in the Diablo II code.
2. PLAYER-KILLING - While dueling is okay, Player-Killing is not. Player-Killing describes the willful and malicious assault on another character without their permission, regardless of whether or not you actually "kill" their character.
3. ITEM THEFT - Item theft is the act of taking an item that does not belong to you. This includes taking an item while somebody is muleing, keeping an item when somebody drops it to show it to you, or even taking an item that drops while you are in a party and keeping it to yourself, without finding out if anybody else wants it. (See Item Distribution Rules, below)
4. MAP HACKS - A map hack is a program which reveals all or part of the game map without exploring.
5. B.NET EXPLOITATION - Occasionally, a lone hacker will discover a bug in the Diablo II code which allows him to create a hack. Using ANY third-party battle.net program (with the sole exceptions of B.net Buddy and the Lag Reduce Mod) is not only against Hand law, but ILLEGAL as well.

 

Sanctioned Games
BROTHERHOOD GAMES - As a member of the Hand, you will have access to special, private games usable exclusively by members of our House. These are passworded games that will never be available to individuals outside the Hand.  Due to the private nature of these games, names and passwords are sent to individual members, and the password is rotated frequently.  Distributing the game password to non-Brotherhood members is forbidden, and will result in a mild warning.  Multiple offenses resulting in item theft, hack infiltration, or other forms of cheating may cause your expulsion from the Hand.

Using Site Features
While navigating the House site is designed to be easy, members are expected to follow certain forms to help keep things organized and easily sorted through.  What follows is a list of features available to you, and how to use them best.
1. MEMBER DATABASE - In order to keep the member database as up to date as possible at all times, it is important update your individual thread in the Account & Character Info section of the forums.  Doing so will ensure that other members of the Hand will be able to recognize you and keep the Brotherhood games secure and safe for all players.
2. ACTIVITIES CALENDAR - The Calendar currently functions solely as an information source, and does not have any interactive functions at this time.

3. HAND LAW - Of course, the rules are also a non-interactive area of the website.  If you have comments or questions about the rules, please write Leiahs or post in the forums.
4. THE FORUMS - If you have a question about strategy, Hand information, or are just looking to chat, this is the place to go. While we do ask that users generally attempt to keep discussion relevant to game-related subjects, the form here is very loose, and people frequently talk about other topics. Please do your best to post off-topic threads in the appropriate forums.  However, using profanity or talking about inappropriate subjects (drug/alcohol abuse, threats of violence, sex/pornographic description, etc.) is prohibited.  When you do this for the first time, your post will simply be deleted and you will receive a warning. Multiple offenses may get you banned or suspended from the Barracks. Note that you must be registered with with www.ezboard.com to use the forum.

5.WISH LIST - Every member may post ONE list of items they want in the Wish List section of the forums. If you attempt to post a separate thread for your items, the list will be deleted.  While there is no specific form for what to put on your Wish List, it is advisable to be as specific as you can. If you see something posted that you have available for donation or trade, you may respond to the thread.  In order to keep things neat and organized, posts acknowledging available items will be deleted after they have been up for 3-5 days. Additionally, Want List threads that have not been updated in 30 days may also be deleted (due to apparent inactivity).  You will receive e-mail notification before your Want List is deleted, but it is always a good idea to keep a backup copy on your hard drive.

6. AUCTIONS - Any member may post single-item auctions. When you post an item for auction, please post every item separately. Please be as thorough as possible when describing the item. Additionally, please try to designate what you desire in exchange for the item when posting, even if you want nothing in return, and the item is available on a first-come, first-serve basis (note that you can even make the item available in exchange for a specified points hit, or auction off the item to whoever is willing to take the biggest points hit for it!). It is acceptable to post responses stating your interest to an Auction thread. You may also contact the Auctioneer via e-mail or through b.net. All Auction posts are deleted once they have been up for 5 days. If your Auction is deleted and you were unsuccessful in trading it away, and you would like to try again, you are free to do so.
7. SCREENSHOT OF THE WEEK - Any member of the House may submit a Screenshot to be posted on the site. You will get credit for it when/if it is put up on the site. To submit, simply write an e-mail to Leiahs containing the screenshot or strategy tip. Screenshots may come as attachments, but should be in .bmp or .jpg format.

Etiquette
As a member of the Brotherhood of the Hand, you are expected to act in a friendly and civil member of Battle.net's online community - not just in Brotherhood games, but wherever your adventures in Diablo II take you.
1. DO YOUR PART - When playing in a party, do your best to contribute to the group. NEVER hang to the back of the group and just collect experience or treasure.
2. TREAT OTHERS WITH RESPECT - When somebody has an idea, suggestion or question, never laugh at or insult him/her. Always acknowledge their statement as if you were talking to an equal.
3. MULEING ETIQUETTE - Everyone who plays Diablo II should by now be familiar with the concept of muleing. Whenever you stumble across items on the ground in town in ANY act common sense would suggest that they usually aren't up for grabs. Ask before you take, and never take before you receive a response.
4. MULEING ETIQUETTE, PART TWO - On the other end of the spectrum, it is important only to mule when appropriate - at the beginning and end of play sessions. If you find yourself only popping into Brotherhood games because it is a safe place to mule, you are probably playing in the wrong House.  However, it is acceptable to mule in a game if you first receive permission from those who are playing in that game.
5. LANGUAGE CONTROL - Please refrain from using any profanity when playing in Brotherhood games. Do your best to keep yourself in check. Racial, sexist, and other bigoted slurs will never be tolerated. Multiple offenses are grounds for expulsion from the Brotherhood.
6. COMMUNICATE - When you get up from the keyboard, let people know that you will be back, and that you aren't ignoring them. When people say something to you, do your best to respond in a timely manner. Additionally, try to limit conversation during play when it becomes clear that those you are playing with would rather fight than play. It is acceptable to chat while in combat, but if the game is suffering because of it, or others are clearly bothered by it, please try to limit the conversation to town visits.

Ranks & Promotion
Ranks have been done away with at this time, as our community has become more friend-oriented rather than business-oriented.  There are only two things you need to know: 

1. Midnight is Lord of the House, and Leiahs is back-up in the rare instance that you cant get a hold of Midnight. 

2.  While Midnight has full and final say over the decisions made in the Hand, all members get a chance to voice their thoughts and opinions.  If you ever need anything, just ask anyone if they dont know, theyll help you figure it out.

Item Distribution
Since Lord of Destruction was released, a number of new and exciting items were added to the game - items which virtually every player of the game is interested in collecting due to their high desirability. Of course, sometimes conflicts can arise in game when playing in a party as to who deserves an exciting item when it drops.
To avoid friction in our House during such encounters, we have created rules for safe and fair item distribution. Our rules have been created in such a way as to be impossible to "cheat" at, as well as not being disruptive to the game. It is important to always follow these rules when playing in House games. Note that you do not need to, and should not, attempt to follow or enforce these rules in public games - they apply only to Hand games.

These rules also only apply when you are playing in a "party." When these rules refer to a party, they are implying that the group is partied together, playing in the same act, and the same difficulty. If you are partied according to the game system, but not actually adventuring in the same group, you are considered a "solo" player according to these rules.
If somebody in game is not following these rules, do not be afraid to speak up! If people think they can get away with it with "just you," then they will do it over and over. If somebody is not following our item distribution rules, and you feel uncomfortable confronting them, it is all right to e-mail Leiahs and/or Midnight as well.
There are four types of drops according to this system - Cash Drops, Free Drops, Rotating Drops, and Hot Drops. It is important that you, as a Hand member, familiarize yourself with each class of drop. The Hand's Item system is an integral part of our games. Each member is expected to follow them - no exceptions.
· CASH DROPS - This is the most basic type of drop - Gold. The only rule to follow with gold is to make sure, when playing in party, that you ALWAYS pick up gold after a fight before moving on to the next area. This will prevent situations where some members of a party, strapped for cash, have to stay behind and pick up gold while others move on ahead to do battle - leaving the poor broke members of the team constantly in their tracks, struggling to keep up and collect gold at the same time. Even if you are rolling in gold, and even if you feel it is safe to assume that those you are playing with are in similar circumstances - a post-battle area must be free (or nearly free) of gold before you may move on.
· FREE DROPS - A "Free Drop" is any item that drops that would be considered a low to mid - value item. Most items in the game are "Free Drops." When such an item drops, you can simply pick it up without following any sort of special procedure. If you pick up such an item, and somebody else declares that they also want it, you may work it out on your own, or refer to the Points System to resolve the dispute (refer to the next section for details). Free Drops include - All Normal items, all Socketed items, all Blue items, Ethereal items (assuming the item is not Rare, Unique, or Set), all Gems, Arrows, Bolts, Potions, Scrolls, Tomes, Keys, and certain Runes (El, Eld, Tir, Nef, Eth, Eth, Ith, Tal, Ral, Ort).
· ROTATING DROPS - For example, if you were playing in a party of three people, and a charm dropped, and you picked it up, the appropriate procedure is to announce "charm," wait until the other two people in your group have each collected a charm, then pick up the next one, announcing "charm" once again. When announcing that you have picked up a charm, it is easiest to also announce how which number of charms you have now received.  For instance, when you pick up your first charm, you should announce "Charm1".  Once everyone in the party has announced "Charm1", you may pick up another charm and announce "Charm2", and so on.  It is very important to PARTICIPATE in the Rotation system, or it WON'T work - even if one person does not participate, it will throw the entire system off. If you are trying to be generous, and you want to skip, it is okay to pick up the drop that belongs to you when it occurs, and then give it away to others in town. If you simply ignore that type of item when it drops, everybody else will just be waiting for you to take your turn - this will disrupt party play. ALWAYS pick up rotating drops when it is your turn. Rotating Drops include charms only at this point in time. 
· HOT DROPS - Whenever a "Hot" item drops, you should refer to the Points System, listed in the next section of the rules. It is FORBIDDEN to keep a "Hot" item to yourself without asking around to see if anybody else wants it, and following the appropriate procedure below. Doing so is considered item theft, and is punishable by suspension, demotion or even expulsion. Hot items include - All Runes (except those listed under "Free Drops"), Set Items, Uniques and Rare Items (including Rare Jewels). Note that any Free Drop which causes a dispute is also considered a Hot Drop, and those who wish to have the item should refer to the Points System.

The Gold Drop System
This system is the Hand's method of resolving disputes concerned all "Hot Drops." A Hot Drop is any Rune not listed under Free Drops, Set Items, Uniques, Rares or any item not listed that is considered desirable by two or more members of the same party.
When such an item drops, the first thing to do is to determine how many people actually want the item.  If only one person wants the item, that person can take the item without any further steps. 

Whenever two or more people are interested in said item, the selection becomes random. Each person who wants the item picks a number between 0 and 9, and announced their choice to the entire game. Once the choices have been made, the party then goes out as a group and kills a few monstersbeing careful to try to kill monsters one at a time. As soon as a gold pile drops, the group should refer to the right-most number (for example, the right-most number of 1,769 is 9), and see who picked which numbers. Whoever is closest wins the item - and needs to take a points hit.  For example, if a Zod rune dropped, and 4 people in the game wanted to keep it, the following might occur:  Person A picked #2, Person B picked #5, Person C picked #4, and Person D picked #8.  The party goes out to the Blood Moor where there have been no monsters killed at this point in time.  Killing monsters individually, and opening up chests, a pile of 416 gold drops.  The right-most number is 6, which nobody picked.  The killing continues until 235 gold drops, at which point Person B keeps the Zod, as 5 was the winning number.
Obviously, this procedure is disruptive to the game, and should only be utilized when an extremely valuable item has dropped, and nobody can decide who keeps the item. Hopefully, somebody will bow out of the process before this method needs to be brought into effect. We encourage generosity among our members.and what goes around comes around.

Game of the Week and other Hand Events
One of the greater benefits that comes from being a member of the Brotherhood of the Hand is the ability to participate in special events exclusive to Hand members. The Activities Calendar, featured on the main site, always lists upcoming events that you can participate in.
The Game of the Week is one of our more popular Event-style features. Glancing at the calendar, you'll notice a Game of the Week (often abbreviated as GotW) appears on a different day every week. This is a time when members from the Hand do their best to get together and play as a team. This is the best way to get to know other members of the House, as well as playing in large games exclusively with other members.
To attend the GotW, just go to channel "hand brothers" the night of the game - players wait until five minutes after 7:00 Pacific District Time to start (note that the game always starts at this time, with a few exceptions when the time will be noted). From there, members determine what style of game they'd like to play, as well as what difficulty. Occassionally, participants will agree to partake of a special style of game - such as a Hunt, Gauntlet, starting new characters, magic finding, etc. Anything goes on GotW night.
If you end up needing to be late for the GotW, but would still like to come - no problem. Just whisper a member who is in the game to get the password. You will need to get a special password to access House games on GotW night, as a special password is always assigned to prevent games from clogging up.
You are never required to attend the GotW, but are encouraged to do so whenever you can. It is almost always very fun to play with such a large group of friendly, cooperative people.