Minimum sentient animal protections

[Groudonmaster]

I understand sentient animals both through the ghost menu and sentience potions are considered roles for fun but it is shockingly often a clearly harmless creature that's just sitting around from xeno gets killed for little to no reason.

I'm not asking for equal rights or anything but can we add at least a basic don't just kill a creature that's just sitting there as you try to kill it? Whether it be slime or ian or runtime or coffee or just the randoms from gold slime spawn (okay maybe not those since some of them have pretty high damage) let's just not be psychopaths that like to hurt animals for fun.

[Charliminator]

I'm pretty sure this stuff already falls under rule 0

[Miraviel]

ICly, it is a crime to kill pets (Ian, Runtime, etc.) it falls under "Damage to Station Assets". The difficulty lies in finding a security officer who cares enough to enforce this part of the law.

Edited November 8, 2022 by Miraviel

[Groudonmaster]

12 hours ago, Charliminator said:

I'm pretty sure this stuff already falls under rule 0

As a slime the HoP extinguishered me to death for being on the bridge table and I was told there's no recourse beyond just attacking them back which when you've been extinguished is beyond difficult.

 

5 hours ago, Miraviel said:

 

Sorry I didn't mean to quote this I don't really have a response to this

[Gatchapod]

I'd rather not give pets too many rights. While you specifically were pretty chill (I was the captain who told the HoP to just leave you be, especially since he was about to spawn 3 wild slimes by making you split), many people actually pick these ghost roles for thinly veiled griefing. Slimes trying to pick up fights, Ians beelining important papers to eat them, Renaults dragging banana peels to slip literally everyone, Toms... actually, Toms are cool.

Personally, I'm one of the people who cares about killing pets IC, though. The issue is that you, legally speaking, were not a station pet. You were an escaped slime, so HoP did a reasonable thing IC. Nobody claimed your ownership, nobody said they're releasing a domesticated slime. Even if it was painfully obvious you won't attack us, all we knew is that you're an escaped specimen and slimes out of pens should be either re-contained or killed. I recommend making sure your master informs command he's your owner and plans to release you, so you're actually protected by the Space Law.

As such, it was a genuine IC issue and admin ruling is not surprising whatsoever there.

[Daeodon]

I've had several rounds where people have combed the station for sentient pets specifically looking to kill any that've been ghosted into, scientists chasing down drones to smash/deconstruct them for no reason, and been locked in a fridge for the specific purpose of being forced to ghost and lose respawnability. People are just dicks to ghost roles.

[alphaJackal]

On the on hand, i get it, it sucks to be minding your own business and get a welder to the face as an animal,  but on the other hand i cannot count the number of times an animal has come into my workspace for the sole reason of being a disruptive attention hog. If some pet wants to repeatedly push me away from a machine, then i want to be rid of them and at times the threat of harm is all they respect

[Esenno]

19 hours ago, Daeodon said:

I've had several rounds where people have combed the station for sentient pets specifically looking to kill any that've been ghosted into, scientists chasing down drones to smash/deconstruct them for no reason, and been locked in a fridge for the specific purpose of being forced to ghost and lose respawnability. People are just dicks to ghost roles.

If this is something that happens then please ahelp that. That's being a dick. However if a pet is running around being a menace then getting killed is kinda what you should expect to happen.