Or perhaps you see a roleplay where you can be any species. You ask the owner, and they confirm that you can even use one that you created from scratch, so you excitedly put together a form for your original character of an original species. But oh no, everyone has a different idea of your character's size and traits and thinks they're a lot bigger or smaller than they actually are, and when you do something that's realistically within their capabilities as their species, you're accused of god moding! In frustration, you eventually quit (or are even kicked from the group), and you feel discouraged from using original species ever again.
I've been through both of these. It sucks, and it can make you feel like original species don't work and have no place in roleplay. But that is not the case--it is just as possible to roleplay an original species as it is to roleplay an obscure real one, with the right preparation.
The primary difference between most original species and existing ones taken from real life or popular media is the amount of information available. One cannot just use google to learn all about the anatomy, behavior, and life cycle of your original species like they can with badgers or pikachus. In order to use your original species in roleplay, you must provide such vital details yourself. While there are already guides to creating species in general, this one serves to specifically instruct on what you need to do to make it usable in roleplay without misunderstandings. I will be using real animals, well-known fictional ones, and some of my own original species as examples.
Universally Vital Information
Information in this section is vital for all cases where an original species is used in roleplay, whether other people control characters of that species or not.
- Size: In general, how big are members of this species? Are they tiny little things like mice? Do they tower over you like a giraffe? Could you make eye contact without needing to look up or down if you encountered one? Whether through exact measurement (2 meters head to tail) or general comparisons (about the size of a wolf), anything to give people a sense of scale will be useful and prevent misunderstandings. Size charts compared to a human and to popular/player species are also very helpful (and you might be able to convince someone to make one for you, nudge nudge wink wink). Just as important is their bulk; a polar bear and a horse are pretty similar in length, but the polar bear seems far larger due to its greater girth.
Examples:- Pumas are generally 2-2.4 meters long from head to tail. They are larger than wolves but smaller than lions, and they are generally very muscular.
- Wolvershrogs are about 3 meters long from head to tail tip, and are generally rotund. Though their short legs usually prevent them from rising above a man's hip, while rearing up they tower nearly 3 feet over a man's head.
- General Behavior: Even if the species is only encountered as an NPC, it is important that anyone who might roleplay their interactions with it has a general idea of how it behaves. For example, is it social or solitary? Is it aggressive or more likely to flee? Would it consider player characters to be threats, food, rivals, or something to pay no mind to? If it can be found in groups, how big are they typically?
Examples:- Grizzly bears are generally solitary and aggressive. They will attack humans, but only to chase them away from their territory, as they have no interest in eating them.
- Barkbucks are nomadic and generally found alone or in pairs with multiple offspring following close behind. They are not aggressive and are generally quick to flee from anything bigger than a chicken.
- Hazards: Is the species venomous? Is its meat poisonous? Does touching its tail cause you to be cursed with bad luck for all eternity? Is it fatal, or can it realistically be treated within the current setting? Even if the characters don't know this, it is important for the people playing them to know before they're forced into a bad situation against their will.
Examples:- Rattlesnakes have a venomous bite, which is usually fatal if left untreated.
- Unexpected Differences: If your species has naturally unconventional anatomy or unusual passive abilities, especially in ways that affect combat, this should be specified so that there are no false accusations of god mode. (Note, it should generally still be possible to fight them if the differences are already known!)
Examples:- Bird wings are feather-based, so an attack which hits the wing may not always disable it or draw blood like it would for a dragon or a bat.
- Lernaean Hydras grow two new heads when decapitated, instead of dying like most animals.
- Saucebacks breathe through spiracles on their backs and their brains are located over their hips rather than in their heads, so attacking the head or neck is largely ineffective.
- Spider bears have no organs in the back half of their body, so an attack aimed there will not have the same impact that it would have on most animals.
Important Information for Lone Characters
Information in this section is important for cases where there is only one (or very few) player character of this species in the roleplay, presumably your own. Some unstated information can exist for lone characters; for example, nobody who isn't playing as the species needs to know the complex details of its hunting strategies.
- Familiarity: How well-known is your species in the setting? Are other characters expected to be familiar with it, and if so, to what degree? If they are only somewhat familiar, are there common misconceptions that other characters are likely to believe? The answer to this can influence how much additional information is required to be specified out of character for other players' reference.
- First Impressions: Are other characters likely to make an incorrect assumption about your character from appearances directly related to their species? (for example, someone unfamiliar with spotted hyenas or dwarves might assume females to be male based on their masculine appearance compared to similar species)
Important Information for Roleplays Focused on Your Species
Information in this section is important for roleplays where everyone is playing as the species.
- Basic social structure: What types of groups does your species generally live in? Do they naturally have leaders? How are they chosen? Does it differ from the ranks in use within the roleplay?
- Diet and Hunting/Foraging: Does your species eat meat, plants, both, or something else entirely? If they eat meat, do they hunt alone or in groups? Do they eat prey smaller than themselves or take down big game? Can they eat carrion? If they eat plants, do they graze or browse? Do they eat leaves, root for buried food, or only eat fruit and seeds? Do they store food for later or eat it right away? If applicable, do they farm some of their food?
- Reproduction and Parental Care: Does your species give live birth or lay eggs? How many offspring do they have at a time? How long is their gestation/incubation period? Are newborns/hatchlings well developed or completely helpless? Do they perform any form of parental care? Are newborns nursed/breastfed like mammals, or fed whole/regurgitated food like birds? Do they brood their young in an unusual way (ie mouth brooding, pouch, etc.)? Do they have a specific breeding season, and if so, when is it?
- Although actual descriptions of mating and birth should not be included in roleplay (nor in your description of the species) in accordance with CS's rules, all of this information is still important to ensuring that everyone is on the same page. It would be very awkward to have to interrupt roleplay because someone described your decidedly non-mammalian, egg-laying creature nursing newborn offspring.
- Technology:
- For animals: If your species is a smart animal, do they use tools? What kinds? Can they craft new tools, or do they rely on happening to find a rock or twig that's the right shape?
- For anthros and sapients: What level of technology do they have access to in the current setting? If they are pre-industrial, do they use stone, copper, steel, or something else? Is it different from other intelligent species in the same setting? Can they use their tools instinctively (like humans), or is it learned behavior?
Situational
Information in this section may be necessary to provide in specific circumstances.
- Hybrid Compatibility: If your species is being used in a multi-species roleplay where romance is relevant, are they capable of hybridizing with other species? If they can only hybridize with some, which ones? (ie. elves and humans can probably produce hybrids, but elves and talking crabs probably can't)
- Although ideally you should discuss whether you want your characters to have offspring with your roleplay partner beforehand, there's always the chance that they might want to surprise you. If there's any chance it might happen and you know the species are incompatible, make sure they know.
More to be added soon, feel free to suggest specific things you think I should mention in the meantime!
