[attr="class","likedoinfo"]Due to Carpe Noctem being only semi-realistic with quite a bit of fantasy allowed; here on CN we allow the characters to have litters at any time of the year, though the viability of the pregnancy and the odds of the pups surviving depend heavily on the season of conception and birth respectively. However to prevent any individual of having too many litters and taking over, both the male and female cannot have another litter for 3 months after their last litter.
When your character has pups, you and the other player are free to adopt the pups out or claim any for yourself to play. Most often the players of the parents will use their litter thread (In the Up for Adoption board) to take applications. If the pups do not have players and completed accounts by the time the bitch's due date arrives, they will be stillborn.
[attr="class","likedosub"]Litter requirements
To ensure that some thought and planning was put into litters we have some basic requirements that a pair must meet in order to qualify for a successful, cost-free litter:
FIRST - The mother and father must have known each other for a minimum of 2 months
SECOND - The pair must have a minimum of 4 completed threads together
THIRD - If not a mated pair a brief explanation is required (just so we can be sure there is some sort of plot importance beyond 'I want puppies, they're cute!')
But wait, we're aware we don't live in a fairy-tale world where all babies come from secure and loving couples. So what if you have a juicy plot that involved pups? You're still able to apply for a litter, you'll just have to provide us with a bit more information. Please keep in mind though that litters produced from these sort of scenarios are usually smaller and have a higher chance of producing sickly/weak puppies due to the mother being in a stressful situation.
You must provide a logical and viable plot that involves or results in pups
Once you're confirmed you meet the litter requirements or have a plot written out for a by-pass then head over to the Litter Request Form Example where you will find all the information you'll need to compile. You will need details on both the mother and the father so be sure to get that information from the other player before posting the form in the Up For Adoption page. Only completed forms should be posted so make sure you have everything in there before posting!
If your application is denied you will be provided with a reason why, but its most likely because (1) You did not meet the requirements (2) Your plot was not approved. If your request is accepted then information about the litter will be posted ASAP by the staff member processing the request!
[attr="class","likedosub"]Pup Creation
The number of pups born in a litter is dependent on the health status of the parents, especially the mother, and the season. Because pack wolves are generally healthier and more secure than loners the litters of pack wolves will be larger and healthier naturally. The characteristics of the pups are all produced by a random generator. Certain traits such as albinism, mutations and powers do have a certain percentage of success that they pass onto the next generation. Once your application has been approved the staff member processing the request will post the foundation information for the pups of your litter:
BIRTH ORDER & GENDER The order the pup was born in as well as their gender
SIZE & BODY TYPE Both traits are most likely to be inherited from the parents; extra large/small/dire size can be passed down from a parent but there is generally only 1 per litter if any
COAT COLOR & MARKINGS The base, highlight and low-light will be provided though the final distribution of these colors is up to the parents. Any inherited markings will also be listed here
EYE COLOR A color will be given but the exact hexcode may be chosen by the parents. If heterochromia was inherited it will be listed here
DEFECTS These include physical things like blindness and deafness, but may also include inheritable emotional illnesses. Any mutations or powers will be listed here as well if the puppy has inherited such things.
HEALTH STATUS Pups can be born healthy, weak, sickly or stillborn. Likelihood of survival for weak or sickly pups depends on the parents ability to nurse them through the adverse times
CUSTOMIZINGAt the costs some points, members are allowed to customize their litter if they so choose. This cost can be split between the two parents, unless stated otherwise. You do not necessarily have to give intention of customization when you post your litter application. If you'd rather wait to see what the pups look like and then decide whether to customize, that's perfectly fine, and in fact probably the smarter idea as a pup might just inherit the characteristic or trait you were looking to customize!
When it comes to powers and mutations however, an admin must approve the litter for it to go through to adoption. Generally mutations and powers have a low chance of being passed on, however we will not completely stop you if you are customizing your puppies. We simply cannot allow all of the them to have both mutations and powers.
[attr="class","likedosub"]Fights
Fighting is normal in the natural world. Wolves and animals alike fight for multiple reasons, and not all of them are good. A wolf may fight in order to claim a mate, protect another, gain respect and ranking or simply to train. The intent and severity of a fight can vary greatly so it's important to be aware of the limitations of your own character - and remember that you cannot win them all.
Defaulting time for judged fights is 4 days (exactly 96 hours from when their opponent posted). If a default occurs in a predetermined fight or judged fight, the loser will receive no stats and the winner will receive stats decided by the staff member judging it (depending on how well it was written, the attacks and defences used, the damage taken).
Stats are only to be claimed for one character per fight, meaning if you own three characters who are all in the same fight, only one of your three characters may claim stats for that thread.
The following are types of fights that may occur.
PREDETERMINED
Spars, scuffles and fights which will not result in detrimental injury fall under the category of predetermined fights. The outcome of these fights are pre-planned by the players of the participants and are the simplest, quickest means of fighting to proceed through. Injuries may also be planned, but this is not necessary. Predetermined fights must be a minimum of 3 rounds in order to be eligible for stat claim. There are no reply time requirements associated with this type of fighting. However, the thread must be completed in order to claim stat points and for the outcome to be recognized.
JUDGED
Judged fights may not have any predetermined component to them, except the number of rounds. The fight, which must be a minimum of 3 rounds, is judged by a staff member. The default time for these types of fights is 4 days. That is, if you do not reply within 4 days following your opponent's reply, you will default to that opponent and they will be named the victor by default. There are NO EXTENSIONS on Judged fights. However, high risk means high reward and judged fights earn considerably more stats than predetermined fights.
Comparing the opponents' stats allows the judge to determine the physical strengths and weaknesses of the participants. In addition to the simple comparison of numbers, each response will be graded in clarity, realism/accuracy, and style. If you feel, for any reason, that your fight was judged unfairly, you may request a re-judge by a different staff member. Please know that our staff do their very best to be impartial and fair, so please do not request a re-judge if you are simply upset about the ruling.
ONLY THE FOLLOWING KINDS OF FIGHTS ARE ELIGIBLE FOR JUDGING TO DECIDE A WINNER, ALL OTHERS WILL BE GIVEN A POLL FOR MEMBERS TO VOTE IN:
ALPHA CHALLENGES
Alphas may be challenged by any pack wolf or loner who has been active onsite for at least 4 months and has more than 50 posts. Alpha challenges may be predetermined or judged fights, but must be a minimum of 5 rounds. Once the fight begins each participant will be allowed 4 days to reply, if they fail to reply within those 4 days (exactly 96 hours from when their opponent posted) they will default to said opponent. A 4 week grace period is granted to an Alpha following a challenge. That is, that same alpha cannot be challenged again for 4 weeks. It is important to remember that in this situation the alphas are not the only wolves involved, the pack wolves also play a very important role. If a challenger overthrows the alpha and assumes leadership of a pack the members have the right to revolt against the new alpha. By revolting the wolves will either work together to drive the new alpha out or they may chose to simply leave. If they choose to remain in the pack and over throw the Alpha, the pack has 4 weeks to choose a new leader. If no leader is appointed, the Beta may be Alpha (if the player already has a pack to lead, then they must continuously look for a new leader or an Admin will appoint one).
RANK CHALLENGES
Rules regarding acceptability of rank challenges vary from pack to pack. Before engaging in a rank challenge, be sure that you are clear on the pack rules or accept the IC consequences of engaging in a rank challenge. Similar to Alpha challenges, Rank challenges may be predetermined or judged fights, but must be a minimum of 5 rounds. Once the fight begins each participant will be allowed 4 days to reply, if they fail to reply within those 4 days (exactly 96 hours from when their opponent posted) they will default to said opponent.
MAIMING
Maims are a very realistic consequence of any sort of battle between two or more wolves. A maim is a serious, sometimes fatal injury which involves the loss of a body part or bodily function. This includes, but is not limited to: the loss of an eye or eyesight, the loss of an ear or hearing, the loss of a limb or tail, broken bones, or the loss of genitalia. Whenever a maim is involved in a fight, both players must be in full agreement about the maim. That means it is up to you to decide the severity and conditions of the maim. (Such as both characters will be maimed during the fight, or whoever the winner is will not be maimed).
DEATH MATCHES
Death matches are a rare thing, but they do happen every now and again, so they must be addressed. This type of battle is strictly between two individuals. Any death challenge must be approved by both players. Please be aware that losing this type of battle has dire consequences, so consider carefully before initiating or accepting a death match challenge!
FIGHT EXPECTATIONS
To avoid any confusion about the rules when a fight is being judged, and what to expect when your fight is going through judgment - here are a list of things to keep in mind before a fight is in progress, or during.
• In any fight, the word count must absolutely be followed. Any post less then 250 words will have points deducted from the fight. This also takes away from gaining PP in a regular thread, as it won't count as a full post.
• All injuries must be carried over from previous fights AND hunts. Points will be deducted if this is not acknowledged. The player of the character is 100% responsible for recognizing these details in their posts. All injuries can be reset after a decent amount of time, provided they haven't fought in between and have allotted enough time to heal (depending on the severity of the injuries). The judging staff member at the end of the thread will pass the injuries obtained by both fighters and the duration of time the wounds will take to heal if not treated by a medic.
• There is no Godmoding or Powerplaying. You will automatically lose unless the okay was given by your opponent.
• No post edits can be made after the post is written and submitted. If anything needs to be changed, you must confirm it with the person in which you are in the fight with. This makes it so there is no misunderstandings, or post changes to heed to the other parties post. If this is not followed, points will also be deducted from the fight.
• Be realistic. Please take into consideration the injuries you inflict on your character in a short amount of time can ultimately result in death. Especially if your character is taking on more then one wolf at the same amount of time. Wolves generally will work in a pack to fend off other wolves. This is the same when it comes to Death Matches and/or territory invasions.
• Losing an Alpha challenge will most likely result in a maim of sorts, you will be given a choice of what will be the worst injury. A penalty will be handed out if you do not carry this over to other threads. This is also character development and can give you a boost of defensive stats once they are healed. Simply post in the Update Me with the amount of threads needed for it to heal to prove that you've done it and a defence stat boost will be rewarded (depending on the injury).
