Character Creation Rules and Guidelines [WIP]

[Shimmerwind]

Finally! Time to make your character!

I bet you're really excited to start the creation process, but slow down for just a moment! Before you begin, please take some time to look over the Character Creation Guidelines, listed below. Also, if you haven't yet, check out the Basic Rules and Guidelines.

1. Feline RPCs: It should go without saying that all characters created in Pawsteps are to be cats. It should also be noted that cats do not and should not have pets themselves, as this is not cannon whatsoever. In the case of a Camp attack, the offending animals will be NPCs controlled in seperate posts by members of the Staff. In the case of Kittypets, owners and other pets can be NPC'd by the roleplayer in question, so long as things are kept reasonable.

2. Naming: Character names should be kept realistic to the book series. For example, Maplewing is fine. Mysticdagger is not. Slight exceptions can be made if a valid reason can be supplied for the name, but even then, variations should be minimal. Exceptions to this rule will be few and far between, and most will have to pertain directly to a plot. As a rule of thumb, just keep them realistic. A long list of valid prefixes and suffixes have been supplied [enter url -- here]. Also, there should not be more than one cat in a clan with the same name - ex. only one Cherryfur per clan - and no more than two with the same prefix - ex. Cherryfur and Cherrylight, but that's it.

2.2 Requesting Warrior Names: Please do not request your Warrior Name unless beginning a character as a Warrior. In the books, Warrior Names were surprises to the Apprentices, and we at Pawsteps hope to create the same thrill. However, if you truly have your heart set on a name, you may request it. You also have the right to request a name change if you particularily dislike the name given to your character, but please do so within a week of recieving the title. This rule stands for Medicine Cat names as well.

3. Color Schemes: Fur patterns and eye colorations should be kept realistic. For example, a brown tabby tom with green eyes is fine, but a pink, swirl-covered tom with burgundy eyes is definitely not. Genetics should also be taken into account, but are not as strict. For example, nearly all calicos and tortioushells are female, with males being extremely rare. Exceptions to the male tortie/calico rule can be made, but there is a maximum of three allowed on-site at once, and all of these cats would have to be sterile. Another genetics rule cna be made with Odd Eyes - though one eye can be any realistic color the player wishes, the other eye is always blue. Albinos are also rare. On-site, this is defined as a purely white cat with one of the albinism-specific eye colors: pale lilac-blue, pale lilac, or pink.

Male Torties/Calicos: 0/3
Albinos: 0/3

3.5 Eye Color Examples: Examples of permitted eyecolors are blue, green, yellow, copper, amber, and hazel. Unusual, but unlimited, colors include ice blue, cornflower blue, chinchilla turquoise, regular-to-dark blue-violent, Odd Eyes (two differently colored but solid eyes), and dichoric eyes (two distinct colors in a single eye - ex. blue with a brown patch, yellow with a green rim). Limited eye colors include pale lilac-blue, pale lilac and pink, but these correspond directly to albinism, which has been listed above.

4. Limited Clan Positions: Please do not post a claim for a position in your original app, even if there seems to be an open spot. Unless reserved based on a Staff-approved plot, there will be application areas for these open spots when the timing is right. In general, keep your applications aimed toward one of the following areas: kit, apprentice, warrior, queen, and elder. Mentorships are assigned by leaders and are not given immediately to new characters.

5. Motherless Kits: At any given time, there may only be two motherless kits in a Clan. These numbers do not include kits born legally into the clan that are left behind when en existing queen dies or defects. Motherless kits that function as part of a larger, Staff-approved plot do not count toward this total.

RiverClan: 0/2
ThunderClan: 0/2

6. Loners- and Kittpets-Turned-Clan-Cats: In the books, Loners and Kittypets are not commonly accepted into Clans. However, those of us at Pawsteps do understand the temptations. As such, we have made a compromise - there may be no more than three originally-clanless cats in a Clan at any given time. Clanless cats that function as part of a larger, Staff-approved plot do not count toward this total.

RiverClan: 0/3
ThunderClan: 0/3

7. Character Categories: As Pawsteps is just starting out, we only have two potential character categories - ThunderClan cats and RiverClan cats. However, we know this is a bit of a let down to some who are excited to live the life of a Loner, Rogue, Kittypet, Tribe Member, or even a Shadow/Wind/SkyClan cat. These categories will begin to open as time moves on, members joins, and existing categories fill out. However, please understand the limitations for now and wait patiently.

8. Character Counts: Here at Pawsteps, members are allowed to have as many characters as they would like. However, in order to prevent idle character and spam cats, we request that you only take on as many as you can comfortably balance. A character may seem like a fun idea, but if you can't take them on, please don't try. It's better to have a small amount of active, well-rounded characters than a large cast of flat, inactive ones.