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Character Creation Guide

Before you begin to create your character, please be aware of a few things:

• EF is not a canon board and only accepts original characters.
• Plagiarism (the stealing of characters), either from officially copyrighted sources (such as books, films or TV) or from unofficial sources (such as other players), will not be tolerated and will result in a ban.
• If you need any assistance with your character or finding your way around the site, you can contact an admin or post in our Help & Feedback board. :)

We very strongly recommend using this guide while you fill in the Application Template, whether this is your first or tenth character. EF has a lot of quirks and setting-specific information, but we've done our best here to guide you through them and help you make a character that truly belongs in the Elysian Fields.

1.  Application Process

1. Copy the application template into a word processor such as Microsoft Word, Word Pad or Open Office. (You could just do this on the forums, but if you run into connection issues or glitches, you may lose your hard work so we recommend doing it on your hard drive first.)
2. Use this guide to help you fill in the information to the best of your ability.
3. Check your spelling, punctuation and grammar. It's usually best to read your application out loud to yourself, since this forces you to recognise mistakes you'd otherwise miss. While you're doing this, preview your profile to check for any coding errors (don't worry if you're not code-savvy; Emma's usually on hand to fix problems if you ask her).
4. Once you've filled out all the necessary bits, post your completed form in our Characters board, making sure that the thread title is the full given name of your character (eg. "Piper Kin") and that the topic description includes their species and subgroups (eg. "Bonded Rutilus Dracovari").
   
   You'll automatically receive ζ250 for posting your application. This constitutes your start-up funds, so try not to spend it all at once. ;)
5. An administrator will review your application as quickly as possible and contact you via private message to let you know if you've been approved or if you need to make some changes.
6. Once you've edited, PM the same admin to request a re-review and the admin will then let you know if the edits are satisfactory. If not, they'll work with you to fix any problems.
7. Once your application is approved, the admin will confirm your character's skills, set up your account permissions so you can start to roleplay, and move your application to the Journals board.
8. Claim stuff! (You'll probably not need these right away, but I've listed them for you just in case.)
   • Upgrade Applications
   • Model Claims
   • Housing Claims
   • Employment Centre
9. Roleplay! :D

1.1  A Note on Re-Applying

If your character was established or created prior to September 8th, 2009, you will need to re-apply under the new Power System and application process.

Because there have been some pretty big changes to the available Skills & Powers, and because those changes can have a heavy influence on characters, we are allowing members to make fitting changes to their profiles, from editing their race and class, to even updating their background and history. These changes are available so that you're not stuck with a character you can't play, but should only be in areas affected by the site updates. (For instance, if you decide to change your Nymph to a Rutilus, then you can turn your petite blue-eyed blonde into a hulking red-eyed brunette just to stay in keeping with the racial profiles.)

Until your character is re-approved under the new system, however, you will not be able to post in any of the in-character areas. We apologise for this inconvenience, but the changes are simply too big for our members to ignore.

Thank you for your patience. :)

2.  Out-of-Character Section

2.1  The Player

This section is mostly self-explanatory. :)

Nickname

Please provide your name. It doesn't have to be your real name; if you prefer to go by a nickname or an internet handle, then that's fine. :) It's just so we know what to call you. For your own safety and privacy, do not provide your surname. ;)

This field must be included in your sidebar and is mandatory.

Age

EF is rated PG-13, so no one under the age of 13 is allowed to join. Our host's terms of use also restrict underage members from viewing mature content, but if you're a legal adult in your country, then you can request access to our Mature Threads forum. :) This is why this field is mandatory.

Gender

I don't think I need to explain this one. xD This field is optional.

Other Characters

Please list all of your other EF characters. This is to prevent us from deleting accounts accidentally, and so we can double-check that you're allowed another character if you have multiples, or provide extra help if you're a new member.

You only need to provide their given names (eg. "Dazadi, Piper, Kiel") and not their full names (ie. "Dazadi Rhea, Piper Kin, Ezekiel Taskel"), but make sure it's the same as their display name so they're easy to search for.

This field must be included in your sidebar and is mandatory. If this is your first character on EF, please delete this field and put "None" in your sidebar instead.

Referral

Please let us know how you found us. If you were referred by a member, they can get a reward. :D This field is optional.

2.2  Player Limits

This section is for you to outline what kind of roleplay situations you're okay with and which you're not. If you'd rather people ask you before doing something to your character, say so. You can also list members (or specific characters) who have permanent permission for things (eg. a member you RP with often or a character involved in a close relationship with yours).

Remember to include a direct link to your Player Limits form in your sidebar. This section is mandatory.

General

Explain what your general views are towards godmodding and powerplaying, what you can and can't accept. For example, is it okay if someone pokes, kisses, hugs, punches, kicks or even stabs your character (eg. "She rained kisses on his head") or would you prefer a chance to react first (eg. "He swung the axe at her")?

Injury

How badly can your character be injured by others? Are you okay with them giving your character major or even life-threatening injuries, or would you prefer to keep things more superficial? Do you mind if your character is killed? (Saying you don't want them to be badly injured doesn't mean you can powerplay, merely ensures that other players ask before drawing your character into a combat situation.)

Torture

Are you okay with your character being tortured (either mentally or physically)? How far can it go before you draw the line? (Note that heavy torture scenes belong in the Mature Threads forum, so if you're underage you won't be able to play these out anyway. Sorry.)

Transformation

This mostly applies to things like vampirism and the Hind, but do you mind if someone physically alters your character (for instance, by turning them into a vampire), or are you happy with the way things are?

Helping

Are you okay with having a character heal yours or rescue yours if they're being attacked, etc?

Other

How do you feel about characters using other powers to do something to yours (eg. a telepath reading your character's thoughts or a charmer entrancing and feeding from them)?

Sexual

Keeping in mind that it's usually better on EF to fade to black rather than write out sex scenes even in the Mature Threads forum, what kind of sexual situations are you comfortable with and which aren't you comfortable with?

Notes

Include any other notes you want here, including any members/characters who have godmodding permission and such.

3.  In-Character Section

3.1  Character Basics

Full Name

Please provide your character's full name (eg. Piper Kin, Ezekiel Taskel, Dazadi Rhea, Mary Ann Watkins). This field must be included in your sidebar and is mandatory. (Middle names are fairly uncommon in Elysia, but if your character has one you should include that too.)

Note:

• Your character's given name must be the same as your account name. (For instance, if your character is called "Ezekiel Taskel" and goes by the name "Kiel", your account name should also be "Kiel".)
• When naming your character, try not to duplicate names that already exist in our database so that your character is memorable and easily recognised. (The forums disallow duplicate display names anyway.)
• We strongly encourage you to choose names that fit your character's culture and background. You can find help for each of the races in the "Naming Conventions" section of their page. (For the races that haven't been transferred to the wiki yet, the following references are for purely OOC purposes.)
• While our races are influenced by and derived from certain Earth-based languages, they are not exact duplicates so you can get a little creative.
• For further help, here are some good naming sources you can use:
  • Behind the Name
  • Kate Monk's Onomastikon
  • Kleimo's Random Name Generator
  • Chris Pound's Language Machines
  • Serendipity Generators

Nicknames

This one is optional and probably self-explanatory. You should include any aliases, official or otherwise, that your character has as well as nicknames their friends and family have given them. If they go by a shorter version of their full name, you should put that, too (eg. Kiel has several nicknames including "Bubbles", "Easy" and "Kid").

Gender

What gender is your character? (Well, you've only got two choices in EF: Male or female.) This field is mandatory.

Real Age

How old is your character? (Each species has its own chart on their racial profile detailing not only how old they are in certain age bands but also how old they look while in those bands. You can view the chart here (at right) for a quick overview of the relevant age bands.) This field is mandatory.

Apparent Age

A race's apparent age does not necessarily equate to their actual age (for instance, a Nymph who is 80 years old will only look - and feel! - about 60). You can read the aging information on the racial profiles for more information.

This field is mandatory and must also be listed in your sidebar.

Race

Your character can be one of 6 unrestricted playable races, or a human if you meet the requirements. You can read the basic overviews of the Seven Races here for a general idea of what they are, but we very strongly recommend reading the individual profile of whatever species you choose so you know what you're getting into. (Each of the races has its own culture, background, language (sometimes more than one), government and so on, as well as their own unique skill sets, so it's important that you understand where your character is coming from.)

This field is mandatory and will be put in your sidebar by the administrator who approves your application.

Dolls by Emma; Base by Citron Rouge

Secondary Race

If your character is a hybrid, put their secondary species here, but remember that they cannot gain any powers from their secondary species unless you purchase a Hybrid Pack, and none at all from the classes that are normally available to their secondary species. (For instance, if your character is primarily Anyeli and their secondary species is Dracovari, they cannot join any of the 'Vari Septs (and so could not learn Sept skills like Empathy or Immunity), though they could learn basic Dracovarian skills like Speed.)

Remember also that half-breeds suffer the weaknesses of both species.

This field is mandatory for all hybrids.

Original Race

This field is mandatory for vampires but does not apply to anyone else.

If your character has been infected by the Bloodlust Virus and turned into a vampire, what were they originally?

Remember that whatever their original species, vampires always lose whatever racial powers they had before they were infected and thus start from scratch, though they retain their non-racial knowledge (for instance, a vampire who was once a powerful Nyad will no longer be able to use Elemental Manipulation at all, but would retain any trade or craft skills such as carpentry or cooking).

Also note that there are some other side effects for certain species that are outlined on the Vampires' profile.

Class

Most species are further divided into subgroups called "classes", and each is called something unique to that race (see below).

This field is mandatory if it applies, and will be included in your sidebar by the approving admin.

• Anyeli join either the Skotadi or Apali factions between 100 and 200 years of age, so you need to choose a faction right away. Your character can choose not to join a faction (in which case you need to explain why in your application), but doing so will greatly stunt their personal and political growth as well as their ability to learn.
• Dracovarians can be sponsored (by a mentor or elder relative) to join the Aurumus, Peteulanus, Rutilus or Viridis Septs when they become a young adult (120-500 years of age). They are not guaranteed success so you don't need to choose a Sept right away, but please do mention in your application if they've made the attempt before.
• Humans don't have classes so you don't have to worry about this section.
• Nymphs should have bonded with one of the four elements to become either an Ayad, Dryad, Nereid or Nyad by the age of 19, so you should choose an element right away (unless you have a good story behind their not successfully completing their Rite).
• Therians don't have classes. Instead, their choices come from which animal Forms they choose, but you don't have to worry about that in this section.
• Vampires automatically become either Charmer or Hunter when they're turned, so you need to choose your character's class right away.
• Zanaryans can only bond with an element if they are an Azat serving one of the four Shrine Lords. They can swear this allegiance once they become a young adult (150-300 years old), but they don't have to so you don't need to choose a class for them right away. However, Djans (those who don't swear an allegiance) are often treated poorly by other Zanaryans, so that's something to consider if you decide you don't want to serve a Lord right away (and if that is the case, please include your character's reasons for not serving a Lord in your application).

Specialty

Specialties are another class that some of the races can further divide into. To choose a specialty, your character must have at least 5 skill points spent in their class skills . Because of this, you should only worry about this field during your character's creation if you can and have purchased one of the Standard or Hybrid upgrade packs. Otherwise, you can add it later.

If your character's species has no available specialties, please delete this field. It's otherwise mandatory, and will be included in your sidebar by the approving admin.

• Anyeli can become either a Warrior or a Peacekeeper. In character, this usually happens only a few years after they've joined a faction, and usually not more than 50.
  
  Out of character, your character must have at least 5 skill points spent in their .
• In character, Summoning is a dangerous business, so a Dracovarian might not successfully complete the Summoning Ritual for decades or even centuries after they've joined a Sept. Not every 'Varian is interested in performing the ritual, as well, and they can live their whole lives without ever being able to summon. They must also know Latin well enough to perform their rituals in that tongue.
  
  Out of character, you must have spent at least 5 skill points in your character's class skills in order to choose between Bonded and Unbonded Summoner for their specialty.
• Humans do not have any specialties so you can ignore this section.
• In character, Nymphs are expected to undergo the Sylvan Rite of Second Bonding when they become a fully-fledged adult (around the age of 25), whereupon they will become either a Wanderer or a Warden.
  
  Out of character, Nymphs of any element must have at least 5 skill points spent in their class skills.
• Therians do not have any specialties so you can ignore this section.
• Vampires do not have any specialties. However, once you've spent 10 skill points on their abilities, you can contact an admin to request a rank upgrade to Master.
• Zanaryans don't technically have a specialty. However, once you've spent 15 skill points on their abilities, you can contact an admin to request a rank upgrade from Azat to Aziz.

Date of Birth

This one is simple enough: What date and year was your character born? This field is mandatory.

• If your character is Elysian, please use the Elysian calendar and put the Earth date in brackets after (eg. "9533 XA (1533 AD)").
• Similarly, if your character is Zanaryan, please use the Zanaryan calendar and put the Earth date in brackets after.

Date of Infection

This is mandatory for Vampires and is for the exact date they were infected with the BloodLust Virus. As with date of birth, please use the Elysian calendars and put the Earth date in brackets after (eg. "10005 XA (2005 AD)").

Financial Standing

How wealthy is your character? For instance are they poor, only able to afford necessities, luxuries, or a trust-fund baby?

To keep things balanced and fair, you must have a non-wealthy character before you can have a rich one, and then as you gain characters try to balance them out (so you can't have two rich characters if you don't have any non-wealthy ones).

That's not to say your character must remain financially static, however. As long as the balance is maintained when you create your character, they can become as wealthy as you like through in-game means (such as getting a job, participating in contests and events, and so on). This field is mandatory.

Sexual Orientation

Which way do they swing? This field is mandatory, even if you just put "doesn't really know".

3.2  Appearance

Model (aka Play-by)

You're allowed to put up a custom avatar, photo, signature and post layout to visually represent your character as long as you follow the graphics rules. If you use a particular model (such as an actor or piece of artwork), you'll need to claim them officially so that no one else can use them.

This field is optional, but model claims are on a first-come first-served basis, so if someone else claims the model before you (even if you were using that model first), they have the right to ask you to change yours. If your character is retired, you'll lose the model claim, so be sure to repost it when you reactivate them.

Ethnicity

This field is mandatory and refers to the general appearance and skin tone of your character.

• Anyeli and Nymphs traditionally have a Mediterranean appearance with darker features but have evolved and bred among other species and ethnicities enough that they're a mixed bunch now. Many of them have dark or blonde hair with brown or blue eyes; redheads and green eyes are virtually unheard of.
• Therians and Dracovarians are usually Caucasian, with the former often running to redheads (although there are just as many brunettes and blondes). Like the Anyeli and Nymphs, Therians have interbred enough that you can find pretty much any real-world colouring among them.
  
  'Vari eyes are usually a shade of white or light blue until they're Septed, at which point they turn a shade of that Sept's colour (eg. red or orange for a Rutilus, or blue or violet for a Peteulanus, etc).
• Zanaryans tend to look Middle Eastern with darker colouring. They have more variety with hair colour, with some having white, although still only natural tones (so no purple hair, etc, unless it's dyed). Many have red eyes.
• Humans have the same colouring trends as they do in the real world.
• Vampires follow the same ethnic trends as their original species.

Height

This field is mandatory. The Seven Races have differing averages for this, which you can learn from the individual racial profiles. For instance, Dracovari males tend to be over six feet, whereas Nymph males are usually only around five-foot-nine. Your character can be taller or shorter by a couple of inches, but try to avoid an excessive difference.

Hair Colour & Style

This field is mandatory. Please describe the colour of your character's hair and the way they wear it (is it cut in a bob, is it waist-length but normally french-braided around their head, etc). Natural hair colours are the same in Elysia as they are in the real world (so no green hair, etc, unless it's dyed), except for the Zanaryans who can have white hair.

Elysia also has many of the same hair styles as we find on Earth, although you can get a bit creative in this area because the fashions vary across the realms.

Eye Colour

This field is mandatory. What colour are your character's eyes? (Zanaryans can have red eyes, and 'Varian eye colour is determined by the Sept they joined, but otherwise eye colour is the same as in the real world.)

Build

Please describe your character's body build. For instance, are they tall and slender, short and round, heavily muscled, built like a runner, or petite? (For instance, Nymphs are often slender and petite (even the males), where trained Rutilus tend to be heavily muscled and bulky.)

As well as their species, consider your character's past training, experiences and occupation when you decide how they're built, because those things will have a big impact (a runner should have developed calf and leg muscles, an archer and a lumberjack would need a lot of strength in the arms and upper body, and so on). This field is mandatory.

Fashion Sense

What kind of clothes does your character normally wear? Are they only found in Victorian-style outfits, expensive custom-tailored suits, or are they running around in rags? You can describe their favourite outfits if you like, but this field is more to give a general sense of how your character is likely to look any day of the week (so don't just focus on one outfit as if they never get changed).

Elysian fashion trends tend to include, but are not limited to, those found on Earth. However, nothing is mass-produced in Elysia and they use a lot of natural fibres (or man-made fabrics using natural fibres), so we'd love for you to reference our bestiary and herbarium if you can. Some of the races also have their own fashion trends (like the Nymphs wearing a lot of silk or the Zanaryans with their jewelery) so please be sure to look at your character's racial profile as well! :)

This field is mandatory.

Distinguishing Features

Does your character have any tattoos, scars, birthmarks, brands, etc? If we met them down a dark alley or were held up by them in a robbery, would there be anything to set them apart from the millions of others of their race?

Please try to explain why they have these distinguishing features. Don't just say they have a scar — say what caused it. You can leave some things to develop as background during roleplay, but we like to see some justification. :)

General Appearance

This isn't a field on the form, but if you'd like to add more about your character's appearance in general, you can do so at the end of the Appearance section. :)

3.3  Personality

Describe how your character acts, how they view others, how they view themselves. Are they grouchy and introverted, or bubbly and enthusiastic about meeting new people? How do they act around other people?

Please be consistent. We see too many characters who are both introverted and painfully shy but can easily make friends, or misogynists who somehow get on well with everyone, etc. Painfully shy people don't normally make friends easily. :P

Try to refrain from sweeping, godmodding remarks such as "everyone loved her" or "everyone he met thought him a hero". Let the other players decide if their character likes yours.

This field is mandatory. You only need to write enough to get the point across, but we may ask for clarification or elaboration if we feel it's necessary.

Remember to include weaknesses as well as strengths!

3.4  Background & History

Birthplace

Where was your character born? This field is mandatory.

• The vast majority of non-human characters should hail from Elysia or their particular realm (ie, Zanaryans coming from Zanarya, etc). We like it when you get creative and specify their hometown or village, but this is optional as long as you include the general region. (If you need help, don't be shy!)
• You can read about the realms and regions in our Places section. If none of the written places suit your character, we welcome new submissions! :)

Current Residence

Please list your character's address. If you've made them a house thread, please link to it. (See Housing for information on how to acquire a home for your character and the Technical FAQ for help with links.) This field is mandatory.

Occupation

This field is optional but recommended. You can claim a regular salary at the employment agency if your character has enough posts, but even if you can't claim the salary out-of-character, your character needs an in-character income to pay for their rent and food and such.

• Make sure it's a job that makes sense, though! An old man's not going to be an inter-city courier if he can't do more than shuffle down the street, and likewise a young woman's not likely to have the experience to be a highly-sought and highly-skilled seamstress. ;)
• Also consider: If you're planning on claiming a job at the employment agency at the first possible opportunity, and you only have enough posts to claim "Amateur [X]", then it's not a great idea to say your character is "Master [X]" during the application since they'll effectively be going backwards. ;)

Daily Life

Describe a day in the life of your character. How do they spend their days when they're not in threads with others? Do they get up in the morning with gusto or slouch out of bed with a case of the grumps? Do they bother with breakfast, or dine out for lunch? Earn their wages grudgingly or work hard? Volunteer in their free time, or pick fights in the local pub on the weekends? Give us an insight into how they act and behave when no one's looking. ;) This field is optional but recommended.

Family History

Family can shape a character, so if yours has been an important influence, please try to include something. This field is optional but recommended, because we'd like to see how your character was raised, what the family dynamic is like. If they have older siblings, is your character bullied, or the mediator? Are they the eldest and carrying the weight of responsibility, or an only child searching for companionship? How do they interact with their siblings and parents and grandparents? Are they married, and if so, are they happy or wishing they'd waited? Do they have children of their own? Wanted or unexpected? Does the way they raise their own kids reflect the way they were raised themselves, good or bad? Have at it. :)

Family

This one's largely self-explanatory: Name the people signified by the relationship. What's the name of your character's father, mother, etc. This field is mandatory for the immediate family (parents and siblings, and spouse and children if they have them), but you can add the rest (grandparents and other extended family) later if you'd like a chance to get to know your character better through roleplay. Please put them in order of age from oldest to youngest, and indicate if a family member is deceased.

General Background

Describe your character's life to date.

Where "Family History" is optional and relates to your character's life and past interactions with their family, "General Background" is mandatory and is more about their life overall. Consider things like: How did they get on with people outside of their family? Were they raised in seclusion and never taught how to act in social situations, or did they run about the streets with their childhood playmates making a nuisance of themselves? Did they move around a lot, and if so, where have they lived and how did those places influence them? Or have they stayed in one place all their lives so that now they're afraid to leave the nest?

This section is about your character's history, too, so be sure to describe the important events in their past and think about the things that have influenced them. Are they lacking in the "Knowledge" section because they played truant a lot at school, or did their home life force them to seek attention by acting out? Did they suffer a bad fall that broke an arm and left them with an ache when it's about to rain, or are they afraid of small spaces because they accidentally got locked in a closet?

You only need to write enough to get across how they've spent their life to date, but we may ask for clarification or elaboration if we feel it's necessary. :)

3.5  Inventory

This is a mandatory field, though only for the sections that apply.

• All items on EF (discounting the item allowances included in your skill pack) must be paid for in some manner even if it's purely an out-of-character transaction. (For instance, if your character finds a waterfox in the wild and decides to keep and domesticate it, you don't need to buy it from a pet shop but then must pay for it out-of-character through the Prize Shop instead, even though your character technically gets it for free.) The exception is things like clothing, which is limited only by your character's financial standing.
• For some of the following sections, you don't actually need to list everything (although a few items is recommended just to give a general idea of what your character might own, such as clothing). So, don't feel like you have to mentally catalogue everything your character has, it's just the expensive and special stuff we're strict about.
• Make sure you keep your inventory up to date because you can only use items in threads that are listed in your inventory (so no saying your character used a healing potion on a broken arm if that potion wasn't listed in your inventory). To that end, rather than simply deleting items when they've been used, you need to strike them out so there's a record of that item once having been in your possession.

Property

House

This section is mandatory. See Housing for information on how to acquire a home for your character.

• Address: What is your character's address (please also provide a link to your house thread if you have one)? (See the Technical FAQ for help with links.)
• Tier: Which of the four tiers does your character's home belong to (eg. One or Three)?
• Type: Please specify exactly which house they're living in (eg. barrel house, cottage, villa, etc).
• Pack used: Which skill pack are you using to buy this house? (By default, it'll be the Starter pack but if you're creating your character with a better pack, you'll also be able to give them a better house. See "How to buy a house" for information on which packs buy which tiers.)
• Description: Please describe the exterior and interior of your character's home briefly, especially the areas that visitors are likely to see. Note: You can post this description in greater detail in a house thread if you want (these having the added benefit of enabling other characters to roleplay in your character's house) but if you do make such a thread, make sure to provide a link in the Address field of this section (and the Current Residence field).

Shop

This field is mandatory if you have a shop, otherwise you can ignore it. See the market rules for more information on how to acquire a shop.

• Address: Where is your character's shop? (See Housing for help with the address.) Please provide a direct link to their shop thread.
• Description: Please briefly describe what your character's shop looks like (ie, is it a cart, a kiosk, a small boutique, a small store fronting a workshop, etc) and what they sell. The majority of this information should be in your shop thread, this is just a quick overview.

Pets & Companions

In this section, all you have to do is list any animals your character owns, either as a companion (marked by an asterisk*) or as a pet (eg. "Azani", "Fae Squirrel*", etc). Details will come later in the NPCs section. :)

Note: You can use your special item allowance to "buy" pets but not companions/companion abilities.

Special Items

Depending on the Pack you buy, you're allowed up to three special items, these being expensive, heirlooms, legendary weapons or armour, etc etc (not including enchanted items; see below). You need to list them here by name (eg. "Aunty's necklace") and then give a brief description of the item's appearance and origin (that is, explain how your character came to own it).

Notes:

• You can use your special item allowance to "buy" pets but not companions/companion abilities.
• You can also use your special item allowance to "buy" regular items such as weapons or armour or healing potions so you don't have to pay for them.
• You don't have to use your special items right away if you don't have any ideas for them, but it is recommended.

Enchanted Items

Enchanted (and/or cursed) items must be purchased from the Prize Shop using Karma because they can only be created by Xanth and are thus extremely rare. (Note: You can give an enchanted item to a starting character by using the karma from another character, as long as both characters are yours.)

Please list the name of the item (eg. "Ring of Shadow", "Bracelets of Doom", etc) and give a brief description of the item's appearance, origin (specifically how your character came to posses it) and what the enchantment does.

Weapons & Armour

Please list any weapons and/or armour your character owns, and include a brief description.

• Weapons must be purchased in-game, either in-character from a usershop or, if there are none available, out-of-character from the Prize Shop. (You can contact a shop owner to arrange an out-of-character transaction if you'd prefer your character to already own these.)
• You can also use your special item allowance to "buy" a weapon or armour if you want your character to already own them.

Supplies

Please list any supplies your character owns (such as healing potions, animal or plant parts like phoenix feathers or tepua pollen, camping equipment, etc) and include a brief description.

• For the most part, supplies don't need an in-game transaction so you can simply claim them. However, certain supplies (such as healing potions and ingredients from rare/expensive creatures/plants like phoenix and griffin feathers) must be accounted for either through purchasing from the Prize Shop, by earning them in-game, or by using your special item allowance.

Clothing & Miscellaneous

Please list any clothing or items that don't fit the other sections. These shouldn't need to be paid for in-game (as long as your character's financial standing allows for them) unless there's a usershop that sells them or they have some unique or expensive quality.

For things like clothing, you don't need to list everything, but a few items is recommended to give other players an idea of what your character typically wears.

3.6  Therian Forms

This section is mandatory if your character is Therian and has upgraded their Form ability. You need to fill this in for every animal form your character knows.

Form Name

What is the species name of the animal your character can morph into (eg. "Orange-breasted falcon", "Fae squirrel", "Gray wolf, etc).

Type

What type is this animal (that is, its size from small to huge, and whether or not it's a predator)?

Physical Description

Describe your character's own version of this animal form. This is to say that not all gray wolves are the same shade of gray with the same markings, so you shouldn't just copy wikipedia — customise your character's size and colouring to make this form uniquely theirs. (Please note that animals here have the same possibilities as animals in the real world (except those specifically listed in the bestiary) so no purple wolves or green squirrels!)

Distinguishing Features

Describe any distinguishing marks, such as the particular pattern of their spots or if a patch of fur is missing from when that azani took a bite out of them, etc. What, if anything, stands out so someone could recognise your character on the street while in this form?

3.7  Knowledge

This field is mandatory.

This section does not refer to the genetic skills your character can gain by spending their skill points. This "Knowledge" section of the application form refers to general skills that have nothing to do with their race or class, and everything to do with their schooling and life experiences. This includes any trades they've mastered or are apprenticing in (such as wildcrafting or carpentry), any talents they've practised (for instance, art or a musical instrument), languages they've learned, and so on.

As well as listing these areas of knowledge, we also need you to define how skilled your character is with them. There's no official system for this, since each area of knowledge will use different terminology (eg. "Fluent" or "Conversational" for languages compared to "Master" or "Apprentice" for a trade), but a scale of three (Basic, Average, Good) is usually fine.

We expect a character's Knowledge to be justified, however. We discourage child prodigies, for instance, or to be exceptional in more than a couple of areas. Note as well that keeping your profile up to date is essential: if you haven't listed an area of knowledge here, then your character can't use it in their threads.

That said, this list doesn't have to be comprehensive right away because characters do evolve; it just helps us understand your character's strengths and weaknesses during the application process. Just be aware that if the approving admin feels your character has too many skills for their age, you may be asked to either remove a couple or reduce the level of them.

3.8  NPCs

This field is mandatory for Bonded Summoners, Wanderers, and any character who has otherwise acquired an animal companion.

We also strongly recommend including an NPC form for each pet your character owns, and any NPCs (such as family or mentors) your character is involved with.

Any NPCs used more than once, especially those who have more than a background role (as waiters, for instance) should be listed in the NPC Database so others can play with and even adopt them. If this is the case with your own NPCs, you can just link to their pages instead of duplicating text in your profile.

3.9  Skills

This section is mandatory. Please read over the Skills information before attempting to fill in this section.

1. If this is your first character or you're only using your Starter Pack, skip straight to Step 3.
2. If this is not your first character and you wish to buy a more advanced Pack, you'll need to purchase it beforehand.
3. List which of the available Skills you want to spend your skill points on now (include to what level you want to upgrade each skill, eg. "Flight 5", "Combat 1", etc). You must spend all the upgrades from your Starter Pack during the application process.

Once your application is approved, the Skills section of your profile will be cut from your application and re-posted by the approving administrator. They'll also add a direct link to your Skills post in your sidebar.

Further upgrades should then be purchased through the Upgrade Application thread where they'll need to be confirmed by an administrator (who will add them to your Skills post) before you can use them in your roleplay threads.

Packs Used

Which Packs have you used during your character's creation (eg. the Modest or Heroic pack)? We'll tally in brackets how many upgrades your pack afforded you, along with how many you've actually spent (eg. "Heroic (7/15)" means you've spent 7 of the 15 available skill points) so you can easily see if you have any left.

Posts Used

How many of your character's (IC) posts have been used to buy upgrades? (This field will usually not apply to brand-new characters since they have no post count to deduct from, but in some instances you're allowed to transfer the value of posts from one character to another if the donating character's skills are maxed-out.)

We'll keep a tally so you can easily see if you can afford more. We'll also note in brackets how many upgrades your Posts Used count afforded you (eg. "60 (3)" means you've used 60 posts to buy 3 upgrades).

Skill

For this field, we need you to list the full name of the skill you're upgrading (eg. "Telepathy" or "Elemental Manipulation") and the level you're ugprading to (eg. "Elemental Manipulation (3)").

We recommend adding a "(max)" note at the end if you've upgraded a skill to its highest level to help out with record-keeping.

4.  Further Reading

• Application Template
• Sample Applications:
  • Zephyr Cairbre
  • Piper Kin
• Getting Started
• Registration Guide
• Rulebook
• FAQ
• Introduction to Elysian Fields
• The Races of Elysia
• The Realm of Elysia

Remember that if you have any issues filling out or posting this template, or would like to consult an administrator before you submit a character, you can contact us in our shoutbox, Help & Feedback board or by private message.