[Folmes]

Genetics guide for Shadow Walkers!

Bases
Black
E_/aa

Bay
E_/A_

Wild Bay
E_/A+A+ || E_/A+A || E_/A+a

Seal Brown
E_/AtAt || E_/Ata

Chestnut
ee/__


Dilutions
Cream | Crcr
Double Cream | CrCr
Pearl | prlprl
Cream Pearl | Crprl (pearl is null - shows cream, written as cream pearl, can pass pearl or cream)
Dun | D_
Champagne | Ch_
Mushroom | mumu (appears on all bases)
Silver | Z_ (does not show on chestnut)
Flaxen | ff (does not show on black/bay)
Sooty | Sty_
Pangare | +Pangare (does not show on black)


Marking Tier I
Roan | Rn_ (Roan here works as a dilution, not a white marking, and will appear under other markings)
Grey | G_ (solid white grey appears as GG, other varieties as Gg)
(r) Brindle | +Brindle
(r) Reverse Brindle | +Reverse Brindle
(r) Somatic | +Somatic


Marking Tier II
(c) Ink Tipped | Ink_
(uc) Tiger’s Blood | Tg_
(uc) Grease Spots | +Grease Spots (Large soft spots in a slightly darker tone than the base coat. Covered by other markings.)
(uc) Bendor Spots | +Bendor Spots (Small soft spots in a much darker tone than the base coat. Only covered by white markings.)


White Markings
(c) Tobiano | To_
(c) Overo | Oo (OO is lethal)
(c) Splash | Spl_
(c) Tovero | To_/Oo, To_/Spl_
(c) Birdcatcher Spots | +BC Spots (Small solid white spots across the body)
(uc) Omen Spots | +Omen Spots (Small solid black spots across the body)
(c) Blanket Appaloosa | Lplp
(c) Snowcap Appaloosa | LpLp
(uc) Varnish Roan Appaloosa | Lplp (Varnish roan is a white marking and should cover all other markings)
(uc) Frosted Appaloosa | Lplp
(uc) Fewspot Appaloosa | LpLp/Patn1_
(uc) Rabicano | Rb_
(uc) Sabino | Sbsb
(uc) Dominant White | Dw_
(uc) Foreshadow Overo | Fo_
(uc) Foreshadow Tobiano | Fto_
(r) Foreshadow Splash | Fspl_

Over White Markings
(c) Skull | Skl_

Order/Layering
This is the order that markings standardly appear on Walkers. Ultimately, it is up to the artist to decide what looks best, but this is a general overview of how I'd like them to look.

1) Base
2) Dilution(s)
3) Marking Tier I
4) Marking Tier II
5) White Markings
6. Over White Markings

**Rarity
All real base coats, modifiers, and dilutions have no rarities, while white markings and Walker exclusive markings will.

**Order/Layering
Genes do have semi-loose placements, such as white markings needing to overlap most other markings, or dilutions needing to be underneath other markings, but otherwise most genes can be stacked however you/the artist wishes to. Markings within the same tier can be put where ever makes sense. For natural markings, layering needs to stay somewhat the same as in real life for most (sooty should not overlap white, dun stripes should stay below with the other modifiers, etc). This does not however apply to grey genes, which can be placed wherever you’d like rather than overlapping everything like white does.

**Somatic
Somatic will completely remove parts or the entirety of markings/dilutions. This could mean a grullo with somatic shows splotches of the black base coat unaffected by dun or that part of a dominant white’s coat is removed showing the patterns underneath. If a horse with no dilutions is somatic, it can manifest in a few different ways which are up to the artist. This may mean the somatic manifests in white, black, or chestnut colors. This is up to artist interpretation within limits.

Guide outline and some concepts inspired by Sveldala Walkers.