Shifters: Now open- links on first and 18th pages!

[Magni Prime]

eek eek wow . . . not only is there Tana's approval, but some enthralling conversation!

Now, first things first. The 'Downs' were to be the name of my avian races. They do exist, but are very rare. My plans for them included being aloof and highly intelligent- the scholars and experimenters of the Shifter species. Fish are not out of the question, for instance I am aware in the White Wolf games of the "Rokea," the weresharks. I had better get a damned good reason to be an aquatic- and I mean a DAMNED good reason. As per amphibians, those will be lumped into the reptiles. Salamanders, frogs, newts, and the like are to be there just as the arachnids are with the Chitons, despite being different. The major groups are generalizations, just as African Americans are all called black, despite being a whole range of colors.

Now, everybody can be a werewolf if they want, we'd just have to focus a lot more on the intraPelt dynamics. Wolves are so overdone, though. There are coyotes, dogs, cats, rodents, apes, rhinos, elephants . . . ******** mammals! Imagine a midway transformed elephant! xd As for conciousness, those are good points. For my sake, I had considered a human intelligence with slight animal leanings when in human form. For the mid-point, mostly human but more suceptable to instinct and influences. For instance a rodent would be more willing to run like mad from danger than the human form, but could still decide to stay. When in animal form, I would imagine it to be the most intelligent the animal could be. A dog would be like Lassie, a gorilla like the ones that communicate through sign language, and so on.

Personally, I think it interesting to go for all species- there are references around in some form or another of what other animals might do. The trick for me is size: if an animal drastically different than human is the shifted state, then the largest or smallest a person could go would be 50%. A six foot man could not become a one foot rat- he'd be a three foot rat at most.

I also will take a page from a vampire book in that the society is to be run by 'pure bloods.' Those born of two lycanthropes will be deemed an upper class. Such people are moderately rare, but not terribly so. I have something in mind special for this divide and the ultimate rulers of the castes . . . twisted

Cross breeding indeed . . .  

[Magni Prime]

Well, that was an extreme variation. sweatdrop A collossal mouse standing next to a dwarf elephant . . . yet both would transform to a moderately normal human in size.

In the reproductive measures, it is going to be difficult. The only chance for a cross-species hybrid is to be done in the human form. If for any reason a pregnant human is forced to change, the baby would not survive the sudden and drastic alteration of the uterus- with the very slip exception of say a gorilla due to genetic similarity and size. Even with similar animals mating, the human form is required for a pureblood. In most cases there is a separate method for reproduction for the turned. Venom.

For Chitons, there are stingers and fangs to deliver the venom and it is easiest for them to change as their own poisons attack the immune system, leaving the relatively benign retrovirus alone. Pelts can reproduce using their bite- but it is a conscious choice. Something like flexing a muscle, the glands that produce the venom are not automatic in every bite. Same for the reptilians. Those bitten only have a 1/3 chance of becoming Lycans. The other 2/3 become violently ill for a time, but normally recover. Purebloods are always Lycans, but their form is a mixed bag. Just like normal genetics, there is an equal chance the child will be male or female. The gender is very important, as the form of the child will be human, but when the change matures (about age cool they will follow the path of their same sex parent. If the father is a lion, and the mother is a tiger, then a boy would be a lion, a girl would be a tiger. There is however, a 7% chance that the pureblood will be an equal mix of it's parents. In this case, the mix would produce a liger, yes that is a real animal.

In transformation the thought process is the same, but simplified when gone to full animal. The only animals that retain human (or arrogantly better) intelligence are the hybrids. Not truly one animal or the other, their mind remains fully acute and powerful in any form, oddly added by the complexity of speech. Most Shifters lose the ability to speak human languages when in animal form, but the hybrids do not lose that ability. In fact, that was going to be some of the 'realistic' bits added in. Animals of legend such as Quetzalcoatl- a winged serpent (Scale/Down hybrid), or the Minotaur (Pelt hybrid) can be seen in this light.

This also gives rise to your warning of vampires. In theory, they can exist. Not as undead super-glittery emo wastes of space, but as vampire bat shifters, or some of the Chitons can be seen as such in their animal form by sucking the bodily fluids of their prey.

On a final note: I do not want to see the frog-rhino, but I have read of a magical mishap that made a horse front with a frog back- the mount was named "Puddlejumper." xd  

[Magni Prime]

Correct, Tana-nii. Hence the distinction of superiority in the purebloods. Stole that from Blade. xd

Turned/Infected people far outnumber the purebloods, yet are ruled by them by both tradition and power. Those born with the abilities tend to be about a quarter stronger than those turned. The exact reasons are not known, but legends say it comes from the beginning. In fact, that is a method the Downs were researching when their numbers were decimated. They still exist, but in very small numbers. For their own reasons, they only turn highly intelligent individuals, and their mating processes are very rare. Only a handful pureblood Downs are left. The liger is a perfect example. Not a species found in nature, yet the largest and strongest of any cat species.

There is a loophole that two turned people can give birth to a pureblood, but that will never change the parent's heritage. Only the child will gain pureblood status.  

[Magni Prime]

Push comes to shove, I have access to a guild or two to work this through . . . but I appreciate the vote of confidence. I had thought a subbie might work, stickies for explanation and character bios, then threads made for each area including tags such as {Pelt} or {All} to determine who all is likely to be there without being attacked. If it is as successful as this conversation is going, this might require something more extensive than a single subbie. So far it has not garnered a lot of attention yet, and I am having fun ironing out a few details. We shall see how far this goes. My favourite RP idea bouncer has yet to show up . . . I wonder how she will take it? confused