Fauna
When the Adac created Atharen, they made a world full of life. Among that life, animals in Atharen have thrived in their own right; they populate all corners of the world and some have managed to develop impressive abilities to survive and keep the balance in the countless ecosystems of land and sea. Even after the Bleeding, many of these adaptations have ensured the survival of a great amount of species, from the smallest herbivores to the largest apex predators. For an animal to be considered an animal, few true conventions have been adopted, but it must be genuinely alive, not be a member of the sentient races, obtain nutrition from external sources, follow laws of survival and be able to reproduce.
Contents
The Tier System
Fauna in Atharen comes in very different shapes, and the way they have adapted to find their place in the balance of the ecosystem is also very different. Some grow larger or gain different abilities, some obtain weapons to fight their way to the top with, and some even have ways to manipulate the ether around them, essentially developing what we commonly refer to as magical abilities, producing many different outcomes, not limited by boundaries the magic of sentient beings have. This makes some of the various Atharen species fairly strong, or dangerous, or valuable, or rare. For this reason, a transversal classification of different creatures that takes these parameters into account becomes necessary, mostly for gameplay reasons.
Each animal species will have a rank in a tier system from 1 to 5; tiers 6+ beyond that won’t be accessible to players in any way unless under extremely special circumstances under staff control.
| Tier | Description |
|---|---|
| Rather common, inoffensive animals with little instrumental use to the player. Usually small and not too aggressive, with no impactful abilities. | |
| Animals that are still common, but can have offensive capabilities. Their ability to cause damage is limited, though they can be more useful in other ways. | |
| Common to uncommon animals. Most of them are dangerous, usually predators, and able to overpower unarmed foes. Others are very useful or shy creatures with unique capabilities. | |
| Uncommon to rare creatures. Most of them are dangerous (often lethal) and display unique weapons, resistances or significant etheric abilities; all creatures on this tier can be considered abnormal in some way. | |
| Rare, often legendary creatures. Almost all of them display explosive amounts of power in the form of lethal ability or inducing significant environmental changes, mosts species having unique capabilities they are known for. They are able to take down powerful mages and warriors if so they will. Usually hard to find and harder to tame. | |
| True legends, with power above most mortals. Few species fit this category, and usually they are hard to classify as proper animals given their vast amounts of power. |
Gameplay Effects
The tier system has been made to regulate several relevant aspects of gameplay in Atharen that are related to implementation of fauna. These are the parts of gameplay affected by this Tier system:
Rathor
For players creating Rathor characters or NPCs, the tier system determines which species can actually be chosen for them. It’s fairly simple: tiers 1 and 2 are allowed if the adaptation to Rathor standards is correct. Tier 3 is dependent on the species and its abilities; it will be marked on the necessary wiki page or a mod can be messaged if necessary beforehand for details to be worked out. All animals that exist on earth only rank up to tier 3, and all in all cases allowed for use as Rathor species. Tiers 4 and 5 will most likely not be allowed for a Rathor species.
Malformity
Malformity, the animal shapeshifting magic, is also tied to the Tier system. Unrelated to progression abilities, player progression on Malformity determines which species they can transform into, completely or partially. The system is pretty straightforward; Novices can shapeshift into tier 1 fauna, Apprentices tier 2, Journeymen tier 3, Experts get tier 4 and Masters access the incredible abilities Tier 5 animals offer.
Necromancy
The tier system also affects how necromancy uses animal parts. Since animals are particularly different from sentient races, a level of knowledge on anatomy and mastery of necromancy are needed to make grafted parts well-preserved and functional. For this very reason, species tiers are directly matched with progression levels in this world magic: Novices can only successfully connect tier 1 parts, apprentices correctly use the parts in tier 2, Journeymen succeed with parts up to tier 3, Experts can properly use tier 4 animal parts and Masters are able to manipulate tier 5 animal organs to full functionality.
Legends state Liches were able to succesfully manipulate the intrincate, mysterious mechanisms in Tier 6 and higher fauna as well; this has yet to be confirmed.
Pets (Pet NPCs)
Players can get different fauna species as pets through several means; usually, the easiest way is obtaining one in a pet shop or a similar business, like breeders, farms… though it depends on the character’s history. The tier system is strictly tied to pet NPC management.
Pets from tiers 1-3 can be obtained in normal threads, specifying the adoption in the Loots area of review and linking a short file for the pet NPC so it can be approved. Submitting the NPC file first is also a possibility and ensures that part is cleared. However, tiers 4 and 5 require modded threads to do so; tier 5 pets can only be obtained through Architect level threads, and in both cases it’s the mod the one who shall decide if the player’s progress and actions make them worthy of such an animal companion.
Pets from tiers 3 to 5 also have a special feature; Pet Abilities. Unlocked via the player’s level of Animal Handling skill, these abilities are designed by the NPC creators, must be coherent with the species’ limitations and have to submitted within the NPC sheet for approval. The higher the tier the pet belongs to, the more abilities it can learn; tier 3 pets get 2 abilities, tier 4 pets get 3, and tier 5 pets get 4 abilities. Abilities are meant to be fairly simple, and represent how pets learn to use their natural potential (being ridden, shooting elemental blasts, attacking in a certain way, assisting at work…). This table shows the unlocking process:
| Animal Handling | Tier 3 | Tier 4 | Tier 5 |
|---|---|---|---|
Note: X means that no ability is unlocked
