>> SPECIES GUIDE <<

[JEM*]

>> SPECIES GUIDE <<

we'd like to stress here that you do not need to be familiar with Twilight in order to thrive here. to help reinforce that, here is a guide explaining what you need to know about the species available.

VAMPIRES

• created by being bitten by other vampires and surviving (most humans suffering from a vampire-inflicted wound do not survive because the venom causes a burning pain that can send a victim into shock. additionally, most vampires do not have the willpower to bite a human and to stop sucking their blood before they've lost too much).
• most vampires cannot spent a lot of time around humans without losing control and attacking. they have heightened senses that make humans nearly irresistible particularly while vampires are thirsty.
• need to feed about once a month at the very least. most feed more often
• can live off of animal blood but will not be as strong.
• can be killed by being set on fire or by decapitation.
• can be weakened or killed by the mixing of shifter blood and their own venom within their circulatory system.
• eyes turn red after feeding on a human, eyes turn gold after feeding on an animal. eyes turn black when a vampire is thirsty.
  
• some vampires, upon changing into a vampire, acquire a special ability or skill. this ability is a heightened ability that a particular vampire had as a human. i.e. alice cullen was very perceptive and intuitive as a human and so as a vampire she can see into the future. jasper hale was incredibly charismatic as a human and so as a vampire he acquired an empathetic ability.
  
• all vampires have heightened senses, strength, and speed. these attributes become stronger with age (with the exception of newborns, see below) and so a 5,000 year old vampire will generally be stronger than a 200 year old.
• newborns are vampires that are newly turned (within the first few months). their senses and strength are amplified dramatically and it is more difficult for them to fight their instinct to feed. after the first few months pass their senses and strength will dull and then gradually strengthen with age.
• vampires are immortal. they do not age physically. they can eat or drink anything but do not need to in order to survive. they will be unaffected by any drugs or alcohol with the exception of drugs made specifically to target their bodies (see plot for info on gryanite).
• cannot reproduce.
• vampires can typically recognize shifters by their scent.
  

SHIFTERS

• are born but develop the ability to phase later in life (typically phase around age 15 or 16).
• the ability to phase is hereditary but only appears when the shifter comes into close contact with vampires. a shifter living in an isolated area who never comes close to passing a vampire will never acquire the ability to phase.
  
• the quileutes are a native american tribe residing in la push, washington. shifters from this line turn into wolves.
  
• shifters can transform at will into an animal.
  
• shifters age slowly. once they stop phasing and refrain from doing so for a couple of years, they will begin to age at a normal pace again.
  
• shortly before phasing for the first time, humans tend to feel very hot, nauseous, and weak, often mistaking the symptoms for mono.
• the first phase tends to occur during a bout of extreme emotion.
• shifters do not keep their clothes while phasing. your character will not miraculously be wearing clothes upon turning back into their human form.
• the shifting gene is recessive and passed through the X chromosome. for this reason, it is more common for males to become shifters and for females to become carriers. female shifters cannot reproduce. only carriers of the gene can.
• some shifters are born with the innate ability of being an alpha. these shifters are more directly related to the first person known to have the gene. alphas are inherently stronger in their animal form and have the ability to give orders to their pack that pack members are physically incapable of disobeying. pack members are incapable of leaving a pack unless they have very strong will or have the ability to be an alpha themselves. once a shifter leaves a pack, they are making a permanent decision that breaks the connection with the alpha of that pack and may choose to join a new one. joining a pack is involuntary and will occur when a shifter comes into contact with another shifter of the same animal form. all members of the same pack are genetically related. 
  
• while phased, shifters can communicate telepathically with other members of their pack. this ability is involuntary, much to the frustration of some shifters.
  
• once phasing for the first time, shifters tend to experience a drastic growth spurt from their human form.
• shifters have heightened senses, speed, and strength, all of which affect them in their human form but are exceptionally stronger in their animal form (this also varies depending on the animal. a bear will be stronger than a bird, as expected).
  
• shifters in their animal form tend to be larger than any average animal (the wolf shifters can be recognized in a lineup of average wolves because they are significantly larger in size).
  
• the animal that a shifter can become will always be an animal native to where that shifter's genes come from. someone will never be able to phase into an elephant because elephants are not native to the united states and all shifters are native american. 
• shifters require concentration in order to control their form. shifters with more volatile personalities may find it difficult to control which form they take and maintain. for example, paul lahote has a short temper and is known to have difficulty with this control. additionally, illness or emotion may affect any shifter's control. if a shifter is injured in their animal form, it is very difficult for them to maintain that form.
• cannot reproduce in animal form.
• shifters are capable of killing vampires but it would take several of them to kill a lone vampire if the shifter's animal form is large.
• vampire venom is very dangerous and often fatal for shifters.
  
• shifters in human form have higher body temperatures and fast metabolisms. they require much higher doses of any average drug or alcohol to be affected because their bodies burn through everything so quickly.
  
• shifters can typically recognize vampires by their scent.
  

Junier of GS + Adox