Okay, C&P from the FAQ page which finally loaded for me, in case others still can't get to it. Bolded the stuff that seems especially interesting...
Quote:
What is "Recruit-A-Friend"?
Our new friend referral system allows you to recruit some of your friends to join you in World of Warcraft by sending them an invitation email containing a trial activation key. With this key, your friends will be able to set up their own trial accounts.
To start this process log on to the Account Management section and click the Recruit-A-Friend button. This will take you to the actual friend referral page, where you can enter a friend's email address and name one at a time. If you want, you can also enter a message that will be included in the invitation email.
How can I earn the exclusive in-game mount?
For each person you refer who upgrades to a retail version of World of Warcraft and purchases two months of game time, you will be able to give a character on the account you sent the invitation from an exclusive in-game zhevra mount. This unique mount can be claimed through the website, is only available to Recruit-A-Friend participants, and can only be applied to a single character.
What in-game benefits do we get while the accounts we play are linked?
1. Characters on both accounts can summon each other once per hour.
2. While adventuring with your linked friend/family member, you will each gain triple experience and honor.
3. For every two levels the new player earns, the new player can grant one free level-up to a lower-level character played by the veteran player.
How long will I be linked to my recruit?
The link between the accounts will last for 90 days from the date that your recruit creates an account. Remember that for the link to work properly, your recruit must create a new World of Warcraft account using the 10-day trial key in your invitation email.
When my friend/family member upgrades from a trial account to a full version of the game, will that break the link between the accounts?
Nope! Your friend/family member will have to upgrade to continue playing past the 10-day trial, and the accounts you play will stay linked until the full 90 days have passed.
If my friend/family member recruits another friend/family member, am I linked to that person too?
No, these benefits only apply to the person that you referred directly.
Are there any limits on when and where I can summon my friend?
You and your recruit may only summon new characters of equal or lower level to the character you are playing. There is a one-hour cooldown on this summoning ability. Also, once one of the characters reaches level 60, the summon will no longer function.
Do I always gain triple experience while I am linked to my recruit?
No, only when you are partied with a character on the linked account and both players are present when slaying the monster or completing the quest. Also, if the two characters are not the same level, only the lower-level character is given the experience boost.
Is quest experience tripled too?
Yes, but only if the quest was not trivial (gray difficulty) for either character.
Do normal experience rules apply?
Yes, if a monster is trivial to either player, no experience boost is given.
How does this affect / stack with Rest State experience?
While you are partied with a linked recruit, any Rest State you have accumulated is not consumed. Only the tripled experience from the Recruit-A-Friend program is applied.
What if I'm partied with multiple recruits who I'm "linked" to? Do I get quadruple, sextuple experience?
No, you can only ever gain a maximum of triple experience regardless of how many linked recruits you are partied with.
Are there any limitations to granting levels to characters played by the veteran player?
Yes. The recruit may not grant a level to a character that is equal to or higher than the current level of the character he or she is playing.
Additionally, the recruit may not grant a level to a character that is level 60 or higher.
How can I earn the free 30-day credit?
For each person you refer who upgrades to a retail version of World of Warcraft and purchases his or her first month of game time, the account you sent the invitation from will receive a free credit of 30 days of play time.
Can I use the free 30-day credit on a different account or at a different time?
No, the 30 days of play time are immediately applied to the account you sent the invitation from once your recruit pays for his or her first month.
Can I earn multiple 30-day credits and mounts with Recruit-A-Friend?
Yes! These rewards will be given to you for each account you refer that meets the criteria listed above.
If my recruit cancels the account before purchasing subscription time, can I still earn the 30-day credit or the in-game mount?
If the recruit later comes back, reactivates the account, and purchases subscription time, you will still be eligible for the rewards. Additionally, you can always invite more friends/family members to try World of Warcraft through the Recruit-A-Friend system.
So, okay, not as broken as I was afraid of, but still quite useful. Interesting that it has to be the new recruit granting the levels, and not the other way around, I kind of missed that before. The big idea with this seems to be allowing a couple of friends to stay at relatively the same level, instead of one getting ahead of the other (though the assumption seems to be that the "veteran" player is much more likely to fall behind, and I'm not so sure that's accurate.)
Edited, Aug 5th 2008 5:00pm by isyris
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