On this guide, you will find design information that applies to all species within the worlds of Ember. Towards the bottom of the document, you will find a brief summary of species-specific characteristics of note. For more detailed information about a specific species, please visit their individual guides.
Species Templates: Google Drive - Ember Species Templates
Chapter I - Color
On Ember, species come in a wide variety of colors, which is influenced by the constant exposure and use of aether. Each new whelpling - Ember’s colloquial term for the young of different species - comes with a set colour palette that is inherited from a mixture of the parent’s colors, and a rarity which is randomly generated. You can see this on the right side of the whelping’s information page.
The rarity determines how many colors you may use in any gradients you chose to apply:
- Common: 1 colour (Two different shades of a similar colour).
- Uncommon: 2 colours
- Rare: 3 colours
- Mythic: 4 colours
- Aetherial: 5 colours
The colours shown are the colors you may use in your design. The gradient below the 5 solid colors is made of the same colors, just blended together to show more options.
Aether pigments are one time use design items that allow you to expand the number of colors available when designing your whelp. These may be crafted, purchased from the Pigments Plus+ shop, received as rewards or traded with other players. To use one, you can just attach the item to your design submission.
Once your design is approved, an updated colour palette will be automatically generated based on the colors used in your design. For example, if you only used the first two colors from the example above, that will be reflected in the newly generated palette. If you used an Aether Pigment, that may also be reflected, although there will never be more than 5 colors in the generated palette.
Chapter 2 - Physical Traits
Each species in Ember has certain key physical traits. For example, Tsukimi always will have a faceplate, ears, horns, fluffy, and tail assigned as whelplings. Nekomi have ears, tails, coat length, and wings.
It is possible to change these traits using a Physical Trait Changer item to change a trait to another one. When selecting which trait to change it to, you may choose any trait of the appropriate category of either parent. So, although Nekomi and Tsukimi both have the tails trait, only Nekomi have split tails. A Tsukimi with Tsukimi parents may only change to Tsukimi traits, but a Tsukimi with a Nekomi parent may also choose from Nekomi tails when using a physical trait changer.
In this case, a Tsukimi with a Nekomi and Tsukimi parent, the Tsukimi may even inherit wings. However, a physical trait changer can not be used to apply a trait category that has not been inherited naturally. By breeding different species together, it’s possible to make some very unique combinations!
Chapter 3 - Markings
All species may have any marking. The colors of the markings must come from the colors in your creature’s assigned palette or any aether pigments you are applying. An exception to this is certain markings, like rainbow, piebald, or brindle which have specific directions for what colors to use in the marking.
If you are still unsure, you can always ask in the discord or try using the advanced search in the character masterlist for examples.
Markings may also be affected by enchantments, or interact with each other for unique effects. Don’t be afraid to try something new!
Chapter 4 - Enchantments
Enchantments are special traits that make magical changes to your character. There is a lot of leeway in how enchantments are interpreted and expressed, and you may have multiple enchantments work together for new effects. As long as the enchantment is visible, or you can provide a brief explanation of how it is appearing in your design, it will very likely be approved!
Chapter 5 - Design Submission
When submitting your completed design, please don’t forget to attach any design items you have used, and add the traits on the appropriate tab. Staff is unable to change the traits during the design evaluation, so it may be returned to you if the information isn’t completed. If you feel any additional explanations are needed, please feel free to use the comments area. This can be very helpful to the staff member approving your design in cases where there is significant intermingling of effects, or markings are difficult to see or obscured by other markings.