Character Creation/Design
Breeding
General Info + Requirements
Ah, it’s that time of the year again! Breeding season! ‘Tis a time when those of opposite genders come together to make precious little mutant babies. Before you decide to breed a pair together there are a few things you need to know about herd customs and group requirements!
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Group Breeding Requirements​
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Anomalous requires a character reference and at least one roleplay to submitted and accepted to the group for both parents before breeding may occur!
Adoption Center adoptees and transferred characters also require a reference and at least one roleplay submitted and accepted to the group by their new player before they can be bred.
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After a breeding, both partners must have one non-breeding roleplay submitted to the group before they can be bred again.
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In-game gestation takes two in-game seasons, which will equal two real-life months! Birthdate will be two months after your breeding is accepted by the group, unless a Premature/Late birth has been requested. In this case, the foal will be born a week early or late.
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All breedings must be done through story, image, or both! This means you must submit either a literature and/or image to the group. The story and/or image should depict the events leading up or after the conception.
For example, you could have an image of the sire/dam together, an RP of the sire/dam together, or an image/RP of the sire/dam finding out they are expecting! If you feel the need to be more descriptive, please place appropriate mature warnings, and keep all posted material PG-13. Remember, there will be players of all ages in this group and labelling things appropriately is a must!
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While it is not a requirement, necessarily, it is recommended that a player for the foal is found before the breeding is processed! While in some cases - for instance when the foal is going to be auctioned - this isn’t possible, in the interest of making sure foals don’t end up homeless due to overbreeding having a player in line certainly helps!
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If an error is found in your breeding request, you have until the end of that year's breeding season (or up to two weeks after being informed of the issue, should it be brought up after breeding season has ended) to fix the problem. If the necessary changes are not made in time, the breeding is no longer valid. A moderator will let you know what the deadline to make corrections is.
Culture Note: Breeding Seasons Across Anomalous
Despite the end goal being the same, the breeding season can be quite different in the different herds of Anomalous! All females may be bred two years in a row without consequence. Upon their third pregnancy, the female may experience some complications in either the pregnancy or post birth! A fourth pregnancy in a row will have deadly consequences and, if the mother isn't killed, she will likely become infertile.
Austerians
Austerians can have a few different mates over the years but are primarily monogamous. Having fawns with too many different partners is disapproved. Mates, once chosen, are for life! Adultery between the Queen and King is treasonous. Does can only be bred once in either fall or winter and will be pregnant for two in-game seasons (two real-time months)! Generally give birth to a single fawn. Twins are rare and can cause complications.
Hihiri
Hihiri can have several different mates over the years but it is not uncommon for them to eventually choose a preferred mate(s). Males, particularly warriors, can hold small harems. Mares can only be bred once in either fall or winter and will be pregnant for two in-game seasons (two real-time months)! Generally give birth to a single foal. Twins are rare and can cause complications.
Nombeko
Since the Nombeko usually stick to family group, toms will often wander to other family burrows in search of queens in heat. Generally, the breeding is strictly business but toms may join the family of the queen or vice versa if they are particularly fond of each other! Queens may be bred once in either fall or winter and will be pregnant for two seasons (two real-time months!). Queens usually give birth to one-two kits but can sometimes have litters as large as three or even four kits. No harm will befall a Nombeko queen when having as many as three kits. Larger litters may experience complications.
Linx
Bjorns can but do not often collect small harems providing they can hunt and provide for both the maers and the cubs they give birth to. Fights for maers are not uncommon and - on occasion - fights for bjorns may occur if he is a particularly admirable suitor! Maers may be bred once in either fall or winter and are pregnant for two seasons (two real-time months). Generally give birth to a single cub. Twins are rare and can cause complications.
Saraph
Saraph Tiercels fight to collect as many hens as possible! Tiercels may keep as many hens as they can protect. Fights for hens amongst mature tiercels are fierce and bloody affairs, where it is not uncommon for death, bloodshed, and trampled fledglings to occur. Hens can be bred once in either fall or winter and will be pregnant for two seasons (two real-time months). Generally give birth to a single foal. Twins are rare and can cause complications. H
Scybilline
Scybilline breeding is strictly business, although occasionally two individuals may stick together for familiarity’s sake or love! Femmes can be bred once in the fall and once in the winter if timed correctly (ie, if a femme is bred on the first day of Autumn, she may be bred again on the first day of the Winter season!) Femmes will lay eggs a season (one real-time month) after they are bred and lay a clutch of up to three eggs. It is not uncommon for all eggs of a clutch to be infertile. Fertile eggs will grow and develop for another season (one real-time month) after their leathery egg was laid and emerge completely self-sufficient but in need of training! Twins inside of the eggs are extremely rare and usually one or both of the hatchlings are born dead or deformed.
Foals, Magic, and Mutations!
One of the perks of breeding a foal in Anomalous is being able to inherit traits/magic from the parents! This means that potentially rare mutations, coat colors, or magic strains can be passed from the mother or father to their child.
For example! Let’s assume an Purebred Austerian foal is born.
Say Dad has a unicorn tail, cloven hooves, branching tines, and Laurel magic and Mom has a horse tail, no horns, deer ears, and Earth magic. Baby can inherit any combination of these mutations (for example, horse tail, cloven hooves, deer ears, and horns) and either one strain without a cap or both strains with a cap! This excludes multiples (ie, multiple tails) which much be purchased with a Salamander reward. Non-RNG foals follow herd norms, and not the heights of the parents unless they inherit Remarkable Heights.
Of course, if you would like a foal without any mutations at all (ie, a normal horse!) that is totally fine too! All horse traits (hooves, tails, ears, etc) are completely free and can be used at your leisure when designing your foal even if the parents of the foal don’t have any horsie features themselves. In this case, the foal might get some pretty weird looks and will probably suffer the consequences of being born ‘normal’. Be prepared for them should you desire to take this route!
Foals will also be given a chance - however small - at inheriting a mutation not featured in their parents! This is the only way that mutations not common to a herd (such as feathers on an Austerian) can be featured without a reward purchase!
With parents who are particularly skilled with magic, foals may be born with higher magical skill! If a foal rolls a magical skill number of 75 points or more, they will have a better understanding of magic. Because of this, these blessed fawns will be able to actively use magic at one year of age and will learn magic faster than their lower-rolled counterparts!
RNG Versus Non-RNG Foals
RNG Foals
Are you breeding a foal but not sure what you want? Make strideroo's day by allowing her to RNG your foal's stats for you! RNG foals will have their physical stats/attributes randomly generated in addition to the normal foal rolls. This includes gender, phenotype, genotype, build, predicted, and mutations! All randomly rolled traits will be based off of the features/traits of the parents and will be organized into two different foal sets that are revealed upon breeding confirmation. Once you pick an RNG foal to be rolled, you must choose one of those sets OR purchase a Basic Salamander Reward to overturn the RNG sets and go back to picking your own foal traits. Note that there is also a slim chance that those 'Automatic' from their parents may or may not be inherited (ie, 1-5 = not inherited, 6-100 inherited)!
RNG foals are still rolled for random mutation inheritance, rare mutation/trait inheritance, and Talented skills! As a bonus, RNG sets each get rolled for Specialty rolls separately and at a kinder rate than freely design foals! These specialty rolls are revealed once the breeding is confirmed to help you make your decision.
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But what happens if you hate/dislike your roll? No worries, RNG can be a bit of a troll sometimes. We have options for you!
If you do not like either of your Sets, it will take a Basic reward to overturn the RNG; when it comes to Random mutation/Rare mutation inheritance, you will get Set 1's Speciality rolls. If you do like a Set but want to add something to the foal that didn't make it (say, a Colored Eyes mutation from dad that the set didn't inherit or a Cream gene from mom it didn't inherit) it'll be a Basic reward to add each mutation/gene to the foal. Rare mutations will be full price to add to the foal if they did not positively roll for it, just like any other breeding/foal rolls.
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Please Note: RNG Foals will have all Remarkable Heights already included in their rolled heights!
Non-RNG Foals
You can still choose not to have your foal rolled for RNG! They just come out a little bit different...​you get to choose what they look like, and what mutations they have!
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Please see the following details on Non-RNG Foals:
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Mutations Wise: These beans can inherit any of their parents basic mutations freely, while any rare/extra rare/legendary mutations, specialty magics/multiple magics, random mutations, crossbreed fertility, Magic/Herb stats, etc, are still rolled for inheritance.
If the kiddo doesn't inherit the rare/extra rare/legendary mutations, they're like a normal RNG foal, and you pay full price.
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For Automatics: If both parents are of the same herd, the kiddo gets those automatics (Or one, or none if chosen). If a foal is a Crossbreed, you choose one side to be Automatic, and the other herd can be inherited, they just wouldn't be listed as Automatic.
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Non-RNG Foals follow HERD height norms, unless they inherit Remarkable Heights from their parents or you purchase them.
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Genotypes/Phenotypes must be able to be made with their parents genes, unless you buy genes via Token/Mander. If either parent has a homozygous gene, the foal WILL inherit one side of it, and it must be removed with a basic mander.
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Abilities, and Magics are all inherited from their parents, unless paid for.
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Build: A Non-RNG foal can inherit any build BETWEEN that of their parents. So, a Light-Light breeding will always make a Light build foal, but a Heavy- Light breeding can produce anything in-between.
Born 'Special'
From time to time, you may see mentions on the breeding images of the parents with a note that reads 'PST, there may or may not be something special about this foal!'. Say whaaaat? From time to time, the RNG gods decide to be kind to the babes of Anomalous. While you won't get the true identity of this 'special' trait until the foal's design sheet has been accepted into the group, here are a few things that would fall into the 'Special' category!
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Being born with a Magic/Herb skill level of 50+ points.
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Being born 'Talented' (see the below notes about what being 'Talented' means).
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Inheriting a Rare mutation/feature from one or both parents (ie, multiple magic strains, abilities, rare mutations such as multiples, etc).
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Inheriting a Rare mutation not featured on their parents (aka, random mutation! Can be any basic level mutation from any herd - ie, a Scybilline foal could inherit feathers but not wings).
Talented Foals
If you've posted your foal design and it is revealed that your foal is 'Talented', congratulations! Much hype. But what does it mean to be born Talented?
Talented born foals have a special feature not available to any other character - a legendary skill level! While this legendary skill level will NOT match the Divine Blessing Legendary skill level (130 points max) it will allow +15 points to be added to the max of any skill level - ie, Magic, Herbs/Medicine, Strength, Stamina, or Agility - up to 115 points!
Please note that a Talented bonus overrides build caps but negates Ability bonuses. For example, if you choose to apply the Talented bonus to your Mage Ability foal's Magic Skill, its magic skill will still only be able to reach a max of 115 Magic points. However, if this foal happens to be of Light build and inherits the Mage Ability, you could apply the Talented bonus to its Agility skill so that it can reach both 115 max points in Magic AND Agility! So before you finalize what skill to tack on the Bonus to be sure to analyze your foal's build and which Abilities it can inherit from its parents.
Regardless of what skill you decide to apply the Talented bonus to, being born Talented has a second advantage! Instead of starting off at Basic level, Talented foals can start off with Medium level in that skill! Remember that Talented foals will still be capped by their age even if they are Talented (aka, must be 3 years old to start using this Medium level skill). For example, let's say a foal has been blessed with Talented magic. This means that while other three year old foal are stuck dealing with potential magical outbursts and learning from scratch, Talented Magic foals can already wield magic with the skill of a 6-9 year old!
Rights of Mother/Father
It doesn’t happen often but in the event that a foal’s intended player fails to have a design submitted and approved to the group by the due date or fails to create a reference a month after the expected due date, the mother and/or father may move to reclaim ownership of the design.
The mother of the foal gets first rights and, if she declines or does not claim her first right two months after the due date of the foal, the father may motion to acquire ownership of the design. Note that it is only the mother who can state whether or not a fawn was miscarried or the breeding was not successful, as this would directly affect the mother herself and would be considered god-moding unless agreed upon by both mother and father!
If the mother claims her first right, the player of the mother may decide to play the foal, gift/auction the foal to a new owner, or state that the breeding was unsuccessful/miscarried. If the rights of the father are enacted, the player of the father may choose to play the foal or may gift/auction the foal to a new owner.
If you would like to begin the process of claiming the rights of the mother/father, send the following form in a note to the group.
Right: (Mother’s Right or Father’s Right.)
Sire: (Link to the sire’s reference).
Dam: (Link to the dam’s reference).
Proof of Breeding: (Link to the art/lit where the breeding was confirmed.)
Foal Design: (Link to the design of the foal, if applicable.)
Remember that if a reference was made, Mother/Father rights do not exist. The only way to seek ownership of a foal with a reference is to have official ownership transferred to the player of the mother/father by the current owner of the foal with a formal note to the group.
How to Breed!
Now that you’ve made it through that sea of information (you can’t begin to imagine the amount of coffee consumed in order to type this level of madness) the time has come to explain how to do the ‘do’ in Anomalous!
Step One:
Find a sire and a dam of breeding age, aka at least SEVEN years old! (Please keep in mind mental ages)
Note if a breeding is done before age 10, the mother will face danger rolls!
The sire and dam may belong to either you or multiple players. Both parents must have an approved reference in the group and at least one prior RP submitted to the group in order to be able to breed. Remember that the sire and dam will need to be in the same area during the breeding season (Autumn/Winter) in order to successfully complete a breeding.
If you do not currently have an Anomalous character and would like to find a sire/dam, you may submit a journal to the Breeding Request folder (found here), reply to a journal already offering a stallion/mare for breeding, or send a note to another player seeking a breeding! In the event of the latter, please remember to check the reference of the character you are hoping to breed to make sure they are open to the public.
Step Two:
Create a breeding proof!
This may be either an art/literature RP piece placing the sire/dam of the foal together either before or after the deed has been done. It may also be an art/literature RP piece where the mother finds out that she is with child.
Please remember to adhere to deviantART’s rules about mature content if you feel the need to get descriptive!
Step Three:
Submit a breeding request via the handy form below! If breeding requests are not submitted via the form, they will not be valid/occur so please make sure to complete this integral step.
Step Four:
Wait for your breeding to be confirmed!
After your breeding has been submitted via the above form, just sit tight! As long as your request has been submitted, your breeding will remain valid even if certain issues may arise (such as Master Checks, lack of a prior RP, etc). In most cases, we will ask that you edit/change something and, once fixed, your breeding will be approved! Only in cases where the sire/dam is not of breeding age/infertile will be declined.
Breedings that request Multiple Foals or Premature/Late Foals will be given a final warning about the dangers of such a birth. Once these terms are accepted, the appropriate rolls will be completed. Once these rolls have been processed they cannot be changed!
However, if the mother/foal(s) do experience some complication, a Salamander reward to save one or all parties may be applied at any time before the birth date.
For the Nombeko/Scybilline herds, where multiple foals/eggs are common, a roll will be determined to see how many foals will be born. If you roll for multiple foals but only desire to play one, that is totally acceptable! Note that it is advised to take advantage of multiple Scybilline eggs. With their fertility issues, it is quite possible that even a triple roll will result in not a single fertile egg! Multiple fertile eggs are a rarity; if you do not have a player for the foal, it might be appreciated by other players who wish to have a Scybilline foal but did not get a fertile roll to be given the opportunity to adopt one of the fertile eggs.
Step Five:
Once the breeding is approved, you may design your foal! For in-game born foals, please use the lines below!
Remember that the foal’s genes must align with those of the parents. For example, you cannot have a cremello foal from two black horses unless they both carry a cream gene. We understand that, especially with special genes, this can get rather overwhelming. If you are confused about what your options are, feel free to shoot a note to the group and we will be more than happy to get you on your merry, foaly way!
If you do not wish to design the foal yourself, feel free to find another player or note the group to seek out a designer!
Once you have created a design you are happy with, you may submit it to the group for approval. In the artist’s comments of the design, please fill out the following for.
Don't forget to submit it to the appropriate Foal Designs gallery folder as well!
Name: ---
Gender: ---
Season, Year of Birth: Season, Year ____
Eye Color: (Must align with the appropriate coat color! Aka, bay horse will have brown eyes.)
Predicted Height: In hands. The height inherited by the foal! Non-RNG Foals follow herd values.
Predicted Build: Must be within parents' build range.
Intended Herd: (Must align with the herd of the mother/caretaker!)
Bloodline: If your character is a purebred, this will be 100%. If a crossbred token has been purchased, please list the percentage (ie, 50x50, 75x25, etc). Only up to two bloodlines may be included with one Crossbred purchase.
Phenotype: (The physical color of the foal.)
Genotype: (The genetic makeup of the foal.)
Inherited Ability: Must be realistically available from parents.
Inherited Mutations: (Mutations inherited from the parents!)
Sire: (Link to the father’s reference.)
Dam: (Link to the mother’s reference.)
Breeding Proof: (Link to breeding proof).
Salamander Rewards/Tokens Used: (List any rewards being used on this foal!).
Played by: (The dA username of the intended player! If the foal will be auctioned, type ‘TBA’.)
Designed by: (DA username of who designed this foal!)
Designs, once approved, will be rolled for magic if a strain is inherited from a parent. For information on how magic is inherited, visit the Magic Information journal. For information on the types of magic, visit the Magic Types journal.
In addition to magic rolls, foals will be rolled to see if they will feature a rare mutation not common to their herd. There is only a 2% chance of rolling positively for a rare mutation but, if successful, you may choose any mutation from any herd up to Rare level and apply it to your foal! This is the only way to get a mutation from an outside herd without a Salamander purchase. Good luck!
Step Six:
Once approved, create a reference for your shiny new foal!
The only thing left to do now is to create a reference image and profile for your foal! The Anomalous Character Profile may be found at the bottom of the Character Creation Journal!
Assuming everything is hunky-dory, your reference will be accepted and you may begin to RP with your foal. Congratulations on your new bundle of joy!