diff --git a/CHANGELOG.md b/CHANGELOG.md
index 5ba5309eda..9b889f0598 100644
--- a/CHANGELOG.md
+++ b/CHANGELOG.md
@@ -68,6 +68,8 @@ without arguments starts a full interactive Python console.
 - Make `Object/Room/Exit.create`'s `account` argument optional. If not given, will set perms
   to that of the object itself (along with normal Admin/Dev permission).
 - Make `INLINEFUNC_STACK_MAXSIZE` default visible in `settings_default.py`.
+- Change how `ic` finds puppets; non-priveleged users will use `_playable_characters` list as
+  candidates, Builders+ will use list, local search and only global search if no match found.
 
 
 ## Evennia 0.9 (2018-2019)
diff --git a/evennia/accounts/accounts.py b/evennia/accounts/accounts.py
index 654da9924f..a894638dc2 100644
--- a/evennia/accounts/accounts.py
+++ b/evennia/accounts/accounts.py
@@ -941,6 +941,7 @@ class DefaultAccount(AccountDB, metaclass=TypeclassBase):
         nofound_string=None,
         multimatch_string=None,
         use_nicks=True,
+        quiet=False,
         **kwargs,
     ):
         """
@@ -967,9 +968,13 @@ class DefaultAccount(AccountDB, metaclass=TypeclassBase):
                 message to echo if `searchdata` leads to multiple matches.
                 If not given, will fall back to the default handler.
             use_nicks (bool, optional): Use account-level nick replacement.
+            quiet (bool, optional): If set, will not show any error to the user,
+                and will also lead to returning a list of matches.
 
         Return:
             match (Account, Object or None): A single Account or Object match.
+            list: If `quiet=True` this is a list of 0, 1 or more Account or Object matches.
+
         Notes:
             Extra keywords are ignored, but are allowed in call in
             order to make API more consistent with
@@ -981,28 +986,33 @@ class DefaultAccount(AccountDB, metaclass=TypeclassBase):
             # handle wrapping of common terms
             if searchdata.lower() in ("me", "*me", "self", "*self"):
                 return self
+        searchdata = self.nicks.nickreplace(
+            searchdata, categories=("account",), include_account=False
+        )
         if search_object:
             matches = ObjectDB.objects.object_search(
-                searchdata, typeclass=typeclass, use_nicks=use_nicks
+                searchdata, typeclass=typeclass
             )
         else:
-            searchdata = self.nicks.nickreplace(
-                searchdata, categories=("account",), include_account=False
-            )
-
             matches = AccountDB.objects.account_search(searchdata, typeclass=typeclass)
-        matches = _AT_SEARCH_RESULT(
-            matches,
-            self,
-            query=searchdata,
-            nofound_string=nofound_string,
-            multimatch_string=multimatch_string,
-        )
-        if matches and return_puppet:
-            try:
-                return matches.puppet
-            except AttributeError:
-                return None
+
+        if quiet:
+            matches = list(matches)
+            if return_puppet:
+                matches = [match.puppet for match in matches]
+        else:
+            matches = _AT_SEARCH_RESULT(
+                matches,
+                self,
+                query=searchdata,
+                nofound_string=nofound_string,
+                multimatch_string=multimatch_string,
+            )
+            if matches and return_puppet:
+                try:
+                    matches = matches.puppet
+                except AttributeError:
+                    return None
         return matches
 
     def access(
diff --git a/evennia/commands/default/account.py b/evennia/commands/default/account.py
index 6f199a8a30..c992d18a66 100644
--- a/evennia/commands/default/account.py
+++ b/evennia/commands/default/account.py
@@ -301,27 +301,60 @@ class CmdIC(COMMAND_DEFAULT_CLASS):
         session = self.session
 
         new_character = None
+        character_candidates = []
+
         if not self.args:
-            new_character = account.db._last_puppet
-            if not new_character:
+            character_candidates = [account.db._last_puppet] or []
+            if not character_candidates:
                 self.msg("Usage: ic <character>")
                 return
-        if not new_character:
-            # search for a matching character
-            new_character = [
-                char for char in search.object_search(self.args) if char.access(account, "puppet")
-            ]
-            if not new_character:
-                self.msg("That is not a valid character choice.")
-                return
-            if len(new_character) > 1:
-                self.msg(
-                    "Multiple targets with the same name:\n %s"
-                    % ", ".join("%s(#%s)" % (obj.key, obj.id) for obj in new_character)
+        else:
+            # argument given
+
+            if account.db._playable_characters:
+                # look at the playable_characters list first
+                character_candidates.extend(
+                    account.search(self.args, candidates=account.db._playable_characters,
+                                   search_object=True, quiet=True)
                 )
-                return
-            else:
-                new_character = new_character[0]
+
+            if account.locks.check_lockstring(account, "perm(Builder)"):
+                # builders and higher should be able to puppet more than their
+                # playable characters.
+                if session.puppet:
+                    # start by local search - this helps to avoid the user
+                    # getting locked into their playable characters should one
+                    # happen to be named the same as another. We replace the suggestion
+                    # from playable_characters here - this allows builders to puppet objects
+                    # with the same name as their playable chars should it be necessary
+                    # (by going to the same location).
+                    character_candidates = [
+                        char
+                        for char in session.puppet.search(self.args, quiet=True)
+                        if char.access(account, "puppet")
+                    ]
+                if not character_candidates:
+                    # fall back to global search only if Builder+ has no
+                    # playable_characers in list and is not standing in a room
+                    # with a matching char.
+                    character_candidates.extend([
+                        char for char in search.object_search(self.args) if char.access(account, "puppet")]
+                    )
+
+        # handle possible candidates
+        if not character_candidates:
+            self.msg("That is not a valid character choice.")
+            return
+        if len(character_candidates) > 1:
+            self.msg(
+                "Multiple targets with the same name:\n %s"
+                % ", ".join("%s(#%s)" % (obj.key, obj.id) for obj in character_candidates)
+            )
+            return
+        else:
+            new_character = character_candidates[0]
+
+        # do the puppet puppet
         try:
             account.puppet_object(session, new_character)
             account.db._last_puppet = new_character
diff --git a/evennia/commands/default/tests.py b/evennia/commands/default/tests.py
index e4978dd879..5fd1bb9149 100644
--- a/evennia/commands/default/tests.py
+++ b/evennia/commands/default/tests.py
@@ -353,11 +353,27 @@ class TestAccount(CommandTest):
         self.call(account.CmdOOC(), "", "You go OOC.", caller=self.account)
 
     def test_ic(self):
+        self.account.db._playable_characters = [self.char1]
         self.account.unpuppet_object(self.session)
         self.call(
             account.CmdIC(), "Char", "You become Char.", caller=self.account, receiver=self.char1
         )
 
+    def test_ic__other_object(self):
+        self.account.db._playable_characters = [self.obj1]
+        self.account.unpuppet_object(self.session)
+        self.call(
+            account.CmdIC(), "Obj", "You become Obj.", caller=self.account, receiver=self.obj1
+        )
+
+    def test_ic__nonaccess(self):
+        self.account.unpuppet_object(self.session)
+        self.call(
+            account.CmdIC(), "Nonexistent", "That is not a valid character choice.",
+            caller=self.account, receiver=self.account
+        )
+
+
     def test_password(self):
         self.call(
             account.CmdPassword(),
diff --git a/evennia/objects/objects.py b/evennia/objects/objects.py
index d2bb4c2b2c..018ed61c8b 100644
--- a/evennia/objects/objects.py
+++ b/evennia/objects/objects.py
@@ -389,8 +389,7 @@ class DefaultObject(ObjectDB, metaclass=TypeclassBase):
                 - `me,self`: self-reference to this object
                 - `<num>-<string>` - can be used to differentiate
                    between multiple same-named matches
-            global_search (bool): Search all objects globally. This is overruled
-                by `location` keyword.
+            global_search (bool): Search all objects globally. This overrules 'location' data.
             use_nicks (bool): Use nickname-replace (nicktype "object") on `searchdata`.
             typeclass (str or Typeclass, or list of either): Limit search only
                 to `Objects` with this typeclass. May be a list of typeclasses