Manes
Bepotelkh manes can grow in a few different textures, but they can also be styled by their opposable-thumbed companions. Some mane types are only seen in domestic elkh, but may be seen in the wild as domestic elkh do sometimes leave captivity.
- Standard: A fluffy, tufty mane. The hair is a bit coarse, but fine. The most common, by far.
- Silky: A long, silky mane. The hair is smooth, but thick.
- Cropped: A short mane. The hair is thick and soft. It can grow this way naturally or be the result of shearing/trimming.
- Curly: Just like it sounds. (domestic bred trait)
- Wavy: A varation on "silky". (domestic bred trait)
- Collared: A bizarre looking mane that appears to grow backward. (domestic bred trait)
- Fluffy: An extraordinarily fluffy mane. Other bepotelkh tend to find this mane particularly attractive. Excellent for cuddling.
- No mane: A bepotelkh with no mane at all. Extremely rare. Other bepotelkh find this rather alarming, but will try to hide their discomfort in order to be polite to the unlucky cohort sporting this lack of mane.
- Long: The mane is reaching, or near reaching, the ground! (Purchase in the General Shop)
- Cloudy: Woolen and fluffy like a cloud. (Purchase in the General Shop)
- Ringlets: Big, beautiful ringlets. (Purchase in the General Shop)
Angora
Angora is considered a rare trait in general. This mutation causes the entire coat of a bep to grow similarly to the mane.
Antlers
Antlers may have fewer (sometimes more) points than are displayed on this guide, but they do not fork unless noted. Story-wise, antler size and shape may be a clue about how old a bepotelkh is, what they eat, their lineage, etc.
For the purposes of designing for customs, MYOs, etc. please keep antler points to a reasonable number (don't go overboard or it won't be approved).
For the purposes of designing for customs, MYOs, etc. please keep antler points to a reasonable number (don't go overboard or it won't be approved).
- Candelabra: Shaped, literally, like a candelabra! All points go upward in a repeating pattern and do not fork. Single "eye guard" tines in front.
- Wild Candelabra: Similar to candelabra, but at the end, the tines split; one pointing up and one down, forming a horizontal "Y". Does not fork. Single "eye guard" tines in front.
- Running Candelabra: Similar to Candelabra, but the tines have a slight lean backward. The antler always ends in a tiny, stubby "Y". Does not fork. Single "eye guard" tines in front.
- Ramosis: Antlers fork/branch up and back, somewhat resembling tree branches. May have two "eye guard" tines in front. Three tines max per fork.
- Contineo: These antlers branch upward and may have many fork points. The single "eye guard" tines may be forked.
- Rangiferous: Reindeer-like antlers, these grow straight back and then curve forward sharply, with tines growing on the outer top area of the curve only. Does not fork. There may be two "eye guard" tines, which may each fork once.
- Sambarine: Similar to candelabra, but grows upward in a curved pattern and appears forked at the end. Tines must be facing upward. Single "eye guard" tines do not fork.
- Singharine: This antler sweeps up in a gentle curve, which may fork up to 3 tines. Can branch off once with another forked end. Single "eye guard" tines do not fork.
- Carved: Can apply to any antler type. Carvings in antlers, placed by humans.
- Ancient: These antlers are based on megaloceros and moose. "Eye guard" tine should be a vertical paddle; there may be a second guard tine which is a point (does not fork). The rest of the antler is a broad paddle with shallow tines along the top only. These antlers are only found on Mountain subspecies and subsequent hybrids; when on hybrids or other species, they remain considerably stunted.
Ears
Bepotelkh ears tend to be long and full of fluff, for the purposes of listening for danger and for keeping the ears warm. There are some variations based on climate and on domestic breeding. They are always tufted at the ends.
- Standard: somewhat long, full of fluff
- Long: extra long ears; not entirely filled with fluff
- Furry: wide, pointed, and fluffy, rather like a fox (Purchase in the General Shop)
- Short: smaller, rounded ears with fluff (often seen in more northerly subspecies)
- Large: all around larger ears with varying amounts of fluff
- Lamb: ears that hang to the sides; somewhat rounded; filled with fluff (domestic bred trait)
- Nubian: ears that hang straight down; no fluff (domestic bred trait)
Tails
Bepotelkh don't fancy having their tails styled, but they do naturally grow in a few different ways.
- Standard: tail with fluffy underside.
- Silky: fur is draped/dangling.
- Tail Tip: not exactly a tail type, but a marking that can be applied to any tail type. (Purchase in the General Shop)
- Wavy: fur appears crimped and wavy- has some bounce to it.
- Short: quite stubby.
- Cloudy: fluffy and woolen like a cloud. (Purchase in the General Shop)
- Unicorn: thin and graceful with a tuft of hair at the end.
- Long: Ridiculously long, silky tail. It's not ideal because it drags on the ground. Because of this, bepotelkh may let their companions trim and style this type of tail if they have a good bond.
- Ringlets: big, beautiful ringlets. (Purchase in the General Shop)
Markings
Markings can be mixed-and-matched to an extent. Secondary markings can be added to primary markings, and additionally, secondary markings may usually be combined. Markings can also vary from the images above (meaning some don't have to look EXACTLY as pictured in the guide- in particular stripe and spot are more variable).
PRIMARY:
SECONDARY:
MANES:
Colors must remain fairly natural. This can only be changed by buying hair dyes at the ARPG shop. Natural colors are anything found on the coat of real-world mammals. This can be pushed slightly but not much. Example: bright reds/yellows/oranges can be seen on mammal coats so this is acceptable. Blues, greens, pinks, and purples should be pushed close to gray.
PRIMARY:
- Standard: Standard coat that has a darker overall color with lighter legs, and belly, and underside of the tail.
- Reverse: Standard coat that has a lighter overall color with horizontal fade to a darker color along the back and darker legs.
- Single: Single color coat (mane is usually a different color/shade).
- Tundra: Overall light color coat with varying darker shades toward the back and distinct dark line along front legs, across the sides along the belly, and down the back legs.
- Plains: Light to medium color coat with darker mane, legs, tailtip, and nosetip.
- Fade: Dual color coat that fades from one color to another on a vertical axis (from the head to the tail, generally: this marking is not usually used horizontally)
- Sunset: A dark gradient that runs from top to bottom horizontally.
- Albino: Entire body lacks pigment. No markings can be combined with this coat.
- Chimerism: A "super rare" trait that splits the elkh into two genetic halves in which appear two distinct sets of markings. This trait CAN (and must) be combined with other primaries.
SECONDARY:
- Spot: Spots. Can be seen in a variety of (natural looking) arrangements.
- Stripe: Horizontal stripes. Almost always broken up into "dashes". Varying thickness. Not to be vertical.
- Splotch: Large patches of color; generally darker patches on a lighter overall color but not always.
- Sock: Leg markings that cover the entire leg over the top of Primary markings.
- Piebald: Piebald is a real life phenomenon you can read about here. If you use the piebald marking, no other markings may overlap it because it is a lack of pigment (rather than just white spots). See examples in the masterlist if making a MYO design.
- Calico: A Combination of white + a medium + a dark color in random patches. Only medium color will contain other markings if applicable (spot, stripe, etc).
- Dun: An ancient marking that appears as a dark gradient moving up from the feet with matching striping that goes no higher than mid-upper leg.
- Brindle: A mottled striping. Most commonly dark but can be light.
- Farrow: Dark horizontal stripes with a bright center.
- Dorsal: A stripe (dark or light) along the center of the back and tail.
- Point: Single color coat with dark points at the nose, tail, and feet. Do not combine with: tundra, plains, or albino.
- Painted: Markings literally painted/dyed on by humans. A sign of status of pet or working class beps.
- Pictus: A wild smattering of light and dark markings reminiscent of a real-world African wild dog.
- Melanic: Works the same as piebald, but with black pigment instead of lack of pigment. Covers every other marking. Does not combine with piebald or calico.
- Burl: Reminiscent of woodgrain. Can be dark or light.
MANES:
- Ombre: Mane fades from one color/shade to another.
- Spotted: Mane has spots which are one color and generally small.
- Streak: Mane has streaks of one lighter or darker color.
Colors must remain fairly natural. This can only be changed by buying hair dyes at the ARPG shop. Natural colors are anything found on the coat of real-world mammals. This can be pushed slightly but not much. Example: bright reds/yellows/oranges can be seen on mammal coats so this is acceptable. Blues, greens, pinks, and purples should be pushed close to gray.
DISCLAIMER FOR MYOS AND CUSTOMS
There may be designs in the masterlist that do not follow these guidelines. Many of these designs are old. Beps are an old species and have changed over time. We're sticking with a more strict marking system now but I'm always willing to work with you to make sure what you get is as close to what you envision as possible. Feel free to ask if a marking is within range of acceptable; just don't cite older beps as an argument if your request is declined! Thanks for understanding!
(Additionally, any exceptions to these rules on existing beps should be considered exceedingly rare as far as traits are concerned, making them even more special!)
(Additionally, any exceptions to these rules on existing beps should be considered exceedingly rare as far as traits are concerned, making them even more special!)
Facial Markings
Few facial markings have rarities. They can be layered/combined (mask should be one solid color only). These markings are all independent from primary and secondary coat markings and so may be added on top of those.
(eyestripe can be flexible! It should always remain a vertical marking of some kind)
(eyestripe can be flexible! It should always remain a vertical marking of some kind)
Misc. Rare Traits
- Beard: A small beard (they might even be braided).
- Heterochromia: Eyes are two different colors.
- Braids: Bepotelkh may or may not allow a very beloved caretaker to braid their mane. One on each side: uncommon. Two or more on each side: rare.
- Tusks: Somewhat vestigial at this point; rare in general. Can be just upper, just lower, or both.
- Butt Fluff: It's just what it sounds like. Very cute.
Pupil Shape
The majority of elkh have elk-like pupils, here referred to as "cervine". There are three other types that apply to non-aiti elkh.
Beps and Sonos may have round, rectangular, or slit (fox) pupils in addition to the standard cervine shape.
NEW! Combo traits
Some traits can be combined to make new traits! These can be obtained via customs, MYOs, or breeding. MYOs and bred fawns will need one Mysterious Carving per trait combination!
Subspecies Types
Villa Bepotelkh — lives almost exclusively on Villainen, where they became a subspecies (likely derived from polar beps). They're extremely small for bepotelkh and their fur is mane-length over almost their entire body (with face fur typically being shorter).
Polar Bepotelkh — lives at the border of the taiga/polar regions. Has thick, shaggy fur. Hooves are wide for walking on snow.
Highland Bepotelkh — lives on rocky, often-arid plateaus and in the mountains. Smaller and leaner than the Taiga Bepotelkh, fur is usually slatey-gray but varies, especially in captivity. Hooves are smaller, sharper, and well-suited to mountain climbing.
Taiga Bepotelkh — forest-dwelling, living in the boreal northwoods. The most common of the bepotelkh species, and the most diverse in color and antler-shape.
Swampland Bepotelkh — a lowland subspecies; prefers to inhabit wetlands and swamps. Fur is sometimes tinged green with symbiotic mosses, lichens, and algae. Tall and spindly; little to no fetlocks.
Aitielkh — the magical and very secretive counterpart to the bepotelkh. Tall, lean, graceful.
Mountain Bepotelkh — a massive subspecies living high in the mountains and at northerly latitudes. Mane covers the entire front of the torso, hooves serve as giant snowshoes. This species always sports a beard.
Polar Bepotelkh — lives at the border of the taiga/polar regions. Has thick, shaggy fur. Hooves are wide for walking on snow.
Highland Bepotelkh — lives on rocky, often-arid plateaus and in the mountains. Smaller and leaner than the Taiga Bepotelkh, fur is usually slatey-gray but varies, especially in captivity. Hooves are smaller, sharper, and well-suited to mountain climbing.
Taiga Bepotelkh — forest-dwelling, living in the boreal northwoods. The most common of the bepotelkh species, and the most diverse in color and antler-shape.
Swampland Bepotelkh — a lowland subspecies; prefers to inhabit wetlands and swamps. Fur is sometimes tinged green with symbiotic mosses, lichens, and algae. Tall and spindly; little to no fetlocks.
Aitielkh — the magical and very secretive counterpart to the bepotelkh. Tall, lean, graceful.
Mountain Bepotelkh — a massive subspecies living high in the mountains and at northerly latitudes. Mane covers the entire front of the torso, hooves serve as giant snowshoes. This species always sports a beard.