How much does self-delegation need to be?

Pass --min-self-delegation in uterp when creating the validator (see Setup). The exact minimum is a chain parameter — read it live rather than trusting a guide:

terpd query staking params --output json | jq .params.min_self_delegation

How long is unbonding?

Read it from the chain — it differs between mainnet and testnet:

terpd query staking params --output json | jq .params.unbonding_time

What gets me slashed?

Downtime (missing too many blocks in a signed window) and double-signing (two signers on one consensus key — the fast track to tombstoning). Both are covered in Validator overview; the defense is monitoring plus one signer per key.

Can I run a validator and an RPC node on one host?

Don't. RPC traffic competes with consensus for CPU, disk I/O, and file descriptors. Run the validator private behind a sentry array and serve queries from separate full nodes.

Where do I watch upgrades and params?

Upgrade proposals: terpd query gov proposals --status voting_period. Live module params (slashing windows, gov periods, staking limits): the REST API — Cosmos SDK, Gov, Slashing, and Staking groups.

My node is stuck — where do I start?

State sync trust-height refresh, then snapshots, then troubleshooting — in that order.