Species Template For Beginners

So you want to make a species? Cool! This document is here to help you. Before you begin you may wish to talk to other members and admins on discord to build excitement and get feedback about it as you work. If you need more help to finish, or just some inspiration you may wish to look at others Species pages to help you. There is also a Sample sheet to really get you started.

The wiki is a living document so if you can think of away to improve this template, experiment! It may become standard.

====== Species Name ======

<WRAP RIGHT>
|  {{:character:blank.png?direct&400| If you have a species or character picture for the species, putting it here a great way to let readers see it upfront. You can resize the image to about 400pixels wide.}} |
|  Character/Picture, artwork by Artist  |
</WRAP>

Give an opening brief of the species here, including their home world, national affiliation, prominent characters. Try to keep this to one or two decent paragraphs to give the reader an idea quickly.

  * **Capital:** ''Homeworld/City''
  * **Major Populations:** Places where the species is particularly numerous.
  * **Minor Populations:** Places where the species may be a notable minority.

===== Common Species =====

{{}} ''If you have multiple character arts of this species, collating them together into a small 400 pixel wide image can demonstrate their diversity.''

A small primer on common character tropes within the species, things such as common backgrounds or upbringing for potential characters. This part is all about sowing the imagination. Provide enough information to excite, not enough to dictate. A couple of decent paragraphs here should communicate the common conditions characters might find themselves coming from.

  * **Common Upbringing No.1:** These dot points can be used to quickly convey background ideas, or the conditions one might grow up in.
  * **Common Upbringing No.2:** These points might also simply be different lifestyles the race is known for, or other common tropes.
  * **Common Upbringing No.3:** Three of these is a good number, but one more or less is fine if you keep the content relevant.

===== Physiology =====
Try to describe the average characteristics of this species, colors, height, and impressions of the species to a human viewer. Relate it's physical properties succinctly as you can, you can expand further in subheadings below. If you're making a humanoid race then you may wish to focus more the more stark differences between your race and elves or humans.

The subheadings below are there to help you explain your race in further detail without being required. The ones here are used for example, if any of them are superfluous (such as many are in a human-adjacent species) feel free to delete them, if on the other hand you require more you're free to add any you wish.

A good example of when to delete a subheading is if your description is something like "The same as humans."

==== Eyes ====
Eyes are an important feature in any face, looking into the eyes of the creature what does an observer see. In turn, if the creature has any special eye properties (such as infra-red vision) write those here as well. 

==== Muscularity ====
This is a good place to describe the physical strength of a species, as well as body types or other muscle properties. A species that's fast may not be so good at stand-and-carry. A species might me small and lithe, or powerfully built and bulky.

==== Diet ====
What your critter eats, rather than listing cuisine this is more for describing what the species prefers to eat (omnivore, herbivore, carnivore, placivore, etc), as well as anything that might be poisonous for them to eat. This is a good one to wipe if you're writing a human-adjacent species.

==== Environment ====
Does your species need air to breathe? Do they even metabolize oxygen? How well can they adapt to tropical heat or freezing tundra? Do they enjoy acid baths? All questions the world would like to know.

==== Life Cycle ====
Rather than focus strictly on reproduction, the Life Cycle heading reflects the birth, growth, and subsequent life stages to adulthood and beyond. Describing parental arrangements, how capable a creature is at each stage of its life, and how much it evolves in that time. How it grows and reproduces a new generation of its own. 

===== Culture =====
Every civilization has culture, indeed, culture may even be a precursor to civilization. Lay the foundations of how your species lives in daily life, what they celebrate, how they mourn, and even perhaps how they think.

==== Clothing ====
If your species does wear clothes, do they wear them in a particular style? Do they use any special materials? How does the climate affect their clothing choice?

==== Food ====
Cuisine culture at its finest, what do they eat that brings them joy in their lives?

==== Language ====
Communicate meaning to others, how do they do it? Languages should have a name, describe any particular features of the language, and how difficult it might be for others to speak it. Is it planned or naturalistic? Is it even speakable with the human mouth? Is it spoken at all?

==== Naming ====
If there are any conventions of personal names within the culture, or the species at large, state them here. Particular features such as a gendered names, assumed names, or name order should be described. If possible it may also be a good idea to create a table with the basic name structure. Here is an example one for you to use.

^ First Name ^ Middle Name ^ Last Name ^
| Example Name 1 | Example Name 2 | Example Name 3 |

==== Technology and Magic ====
Does your species have any innate talent for magic or technology, or are they commonly exposed to such? Their history of technological progression and approach to it. Perhaps event their philosophy of technology or magic.

===== History =====
No great species would be complete without great stories. A primer to the important parts of a species' history should be put here, even if that history comes from oral tradition, or from myth.


====== OOC ======

Use this section for any notes or art credits in the article. 

===== Art Credits =====
If you have a lot of art, a credit section might be useful.

  - ''Character/Picture'', art by ''Artist'', commissioned by ''Owner''.