Principal of the Thing
The Principal of the Thing can’t end your run, but he can ruin it. He patrols the halls, watches for rule breakers and sends them to detention, where the noise brings Baldi straight to his office. Learn his rules and his timing, and he goes from the most frustrating character in Baldi’s Basics Plus to one you can safely ignore most of the time.
How he patrols
The Principal starts in his office and walks the halls, checking rooms and whistling as he goes. The whistle is your early warning: when you hear it, assume he is close and stop doing anything against the rules. He moves faster than you can run, so you can’t outpace him once he has seen you, but you can lose him by breaking his line of sight.
He only punishes what he sees. He can’t see through intact windows, and he only enforces the rules in the halls, not on the playground or in his own office. He can, however, see and scold you through a Portal Poster.
The rules
He doesn’t react the instant you break a rule. You have to be seen breaking it for a short moment, and each rule has its own delay. Some are almost instant.
| Rule | How fast he reacts | How to stay safe |
|---|---|---|
| No running in the halls | 0.1 s, practically instant | Look around before every sprint |
| No drinking in the halls | 0.8 s | Use BSODA only when he is out of sight |
| No entering faculty rooms | 1 s when you come out | Leave a faculty room only when the hallway is clear |
| No looking in other people’s lockers | 0.5 s when you leave a blue locker | Don’t climb out in front of him; shut storage lockers quickly |
| No escaping detention | Depends on the time left | Escape only with an item, and only when he is away |
| No being at school after hours | Always, once the timer runs out | Finish the level before time runs out |
The last two rules aren’t on the School Rules poster, but he enforces them all the same. Opening a storage locker counts as looking in other people’s lockers until you shut the door, even if you have walked out of his view.
If you were in a faculty room or a blue locker and then got teleported, for example by a Dangerous Teleporter, he still scolds you for it if he sees you afterwards.
Detention
When he catches you, you both teleport to his office. You are locked in until the timer above the door runs out, and that timer gets longer each time:
- the first detention lasts 15 seconds;
- every catch after that adds 5 seconds;
- once it would go above 60 seconds, detention lasts 99 seconds.
Detention time also runs faster than real seconds, but it is still the most dangerous wait in the game, because detention makes noise and Baldi comes to check. After sending you in, the Principal stands still for a few seconds and then walks back to where he caught you.
Getting out early
| Way out | How it works |
|---|---|
| Principal’s Keys | Unlock the office and let you leave early |
| Portal Poster | Open a way through the office wall |
| Dangerous Teleporter | Teleports you to a random place |
| A broken window | If 1st Prize has smashed the office window, you can leave through it |
Escaping is a rule break of its own. If he sees you in the halls while your detention isn’t over, he sends you back with a longer wait. The longer the detention, the riskier an escape.
If you have no way out, use the wait. Baldi’s Least Favorite Tape, the Alarm Clock or the Dirty Chalk Eraser can keep Baldi from reaching you while the timer runs down.
Items that affect him
- Faculty Nametag. While it is active he won’t scold you for new rule breaks, but he still chases you for anything you did before you put it on.
- Principal Whistle. Brings him running to you with “Don’t worry, I’m coming!” Use it to pull him away from a part of the level you need to cross.
- BSODA, Swinging Door Lock, Dangerous Teleporter. Give only brief relief: if he sees you again, he chases again.
He and the other characters
The Principal opens doors as he enters rooms and can interrupt Playtime’s jump rope by walking into the game. More usefully, he punishes It’s a Bully: if he sees the Bully demanding an item, he sends him to detention and the blocked hallway opens. He won’t do it while he is chasing you.
His worst partnership is with Baldi. Detention keeps you in one room while the noise tells Baldi exactly where you are. That is why one careless sprint late in a level can cost you a life even though the Principal never touches you himself.
After hours
When the level timer runs out, you become guilty just for being at school. The Principal chases you on sight and sends you to detention, and he starts turning off the lights in rooms, except rooms with an unfinished activity. Combined with a Baldi who keeps getting faster, this is the clearest signal to leave immediately.
Quick tips
- Treat the whistle as an alarm: stop running when you hear it.
- Glance down the hallway before every sprint.
- Drink BSODA only where he can’t see you.
- Check the hallway before leaving a faculty room or a blue locker.
- Keep one escape item for long detentions late in a level.
- Use the whistle to pull him away from the area you need.
FAQ
Can the Principal end my run?
No. He only sends you to detention. The danger is Baldi, who hears the detention and comes to the office.
Can he see me through windows?
Not through intact ones, so he can’t scold you through a window. A Portal Poster, however, lets him see and scold you.
Does he punish rule breaks on the playground?
No. He only enforces the rules in the halls.
The Principal is one of thirteen characters in the school. See the others in the Characters section, and read how Baldi uses detention noise to find you.
