Make sure your wolf has realistic eye colors!
Your wolf may have a radio color as long as it is NOT active.
Ear tags are permitted as long as they cannot be used to track your wolf.
Your wolf’s pelt must be a realistic pattern and color.
Where has your wolf been? What is their backstory?
Starting a new character or introducing a beloved character can sometimes be daunting. There are several things to consider when starting a new character to join in our roleplay so we hope that you will find this guide helpful!
- Only specific, limited ties with humans are allowed for characters within the realms of WolfSpirits. Read the specifics below.
- Your wolf can be tagged or radio-collared as long as both are ‘inactive’. This means that humans are unable to track you.
- Your wolf cannot have unnaturally colored or patterned eyes or fur.
- Be creative with your backstory / history! We enjoy reading something new and refreshing!
Your Wolf’s Appearance
If you submit your character traits that are not that of a true wolf, your application will be denied. Our characters are modeled after wolves in the wild. If a wild wolf would not be a particular age or have a particular color or trait, neither can your character. This rule applies to all aspects of your character.
All of the wolven characters at WolfSpirits belong to the species “Canis lupus” or the gray wolf. Your character may not be a dire wolf or a dog, these animals are not playable species.
Wolf Pelt Colors
The coat colors of wolves can be of a single color or a mixture of many. Common colors include black, white, gray, silver, brown, tan, cream, russet, ginger, cream, white, and mixtures and combinations of many of these colors. Different wolf subspecies or wolves from different areas can sometimes have different or particular coat colors. For example, the coats of arctic wolves are usually solid white, to help them blend in with the flat, treeless, snowy environment they live in.
See the chart pictured below for examples of possible colors that your wolf’s fur could be. With the exceptions of lilac, red/sable, and blue, feel free to use this illustration as inspiration for your wolf. The coats of wild wolves do not have the colors lilac, red/sable, or blue pictured below.
Wolf Age
All characters joining WolfSpirits must be at or over the age of 1 year old.
Wolves give birth between the weeks of late March and mid-June. This means your wolf character cannot be born outside of this short time frame. A wolf any younger than one year of age would not survive on its own, as a result of predation or lack of hunting ability. If you would like to play a pup, be sure to ask the Alphas if any pups are expected within the pack in the Spring.
At the other end of your wolf’s life – golden years and saying goodbye. Wolves typically only live 8-13 years in the wild but can live upwards of 15 years in captivity. The older a wolf gets, the harder it is for them to hunt, compete for food, ward of hostile creatures, and travel. This is what often contributes to the end of a wolf’s life.
Life Path Rough Timeline
0-1 Years: Pup
1-2 Years: Adolescent
2-4 Years: Young Adult
4-6 Years: Mature Adult
6-10 Years: Older Adult
10+ Years: Elderly
Wolf Eye Colors
Wolf eye colors vary in hue, but the general colors range from green, olive, brown, yellow, bronze, and grey ( not blue ). Wolves do NOT have blue eyes naturally unless they are a wolf-dog hybrid. A wolf will not have blue eyes with the exception of pups under the age of ~8 weeks old. Wolves’ eye colors transition from blue to their adult color between the ages of 6-16 weeks.
Wolf Size & Build
Wolves are individuals and come in all sorts of shapes and sizes. Your wolf’s body type can also contribute to their size. Is your wolf short and muscular, tall and gangly? The size of the average wolf is usually measured by their weight, height at the shoulder, and length.
Length: 105–160cm/41–63 in long
Weight: 40kg/88lbs for Males or 37kg/82lbs for Females
Height: 80-85cm/31-33in tall
The largest wolf on record was an Alaskan male who weighed 175lbs/80kg. Please use this size as a reference for this species’ size limit.
These measurements change depending on the individual wolf and the wolf’s subspecies. If your wolf is a particular subspecies, their size may be different than these average values, but be sure to look up the average sizes for a wolf of that subspecies. Wolves who were malnourished as pups would likely have stunted growth and lone wolves are often underweight without the support of a pack.
Non-Wolven Traits
Non-Wolven traits are physical or phenotypic traits that wolves do not possess or which have not been observed in wolves. Wolven characters in WolfSpirits may not possess traits that do not belong to wild wolves. Here are some examples of non-wolven traits that WolfSpirits characters may not have.
- Blue eyes
- Heterochromia (Sectoral and Complete)
- Albinism, Piebaldism, and Leucism
- Unnatural Colors and Patterns
- Elements of Magic, Fantasy, or Supernatural quality
- Unnatural wolf sizes
- Dire wolves (extinct for 9,500 years)
Confused about what is allowed? Scroll back up and give the other appearance sections a read! If you have any further questions, feel free to ask us in our channels or in the form at the bottom of our homepage!
Backstory
At WolfSpirits we enjoy getting to know new people and characters! Your wolf’s backstory is a big part of who they are and who they are going to become the longer you roleplay them. Some of WolfSpirit’s members have been with the pack for many years, we have been around for 19 years, after all. When thinking about writing a new character’s backstory or modifying an existing character, WolfSpirits has some guidelines on what is and is not allowed.
Here are some things to think about when you’re writing your wolf’s backstory!
- Where did your wolf come from?
- How did it end up becoming a lone wolf?
- Are any of your relatives still around?
- Are you roleplaying with a friend? Perhaps consider adding them to your family.
Learn about wolves, their maturity, and life path on our About Wolves page.
Please follow the guidelines below regarding your wolf’s backstory. Similarly to appearance, your application will not be approved if your wolf’s backstory does not meet our guidelines.
Developing Your Wolf
This is probably one of the most overlooked sections when creating your character. Who doesn’t want to create an awesome, exciting character from the start: big rippling muscles, charismatic, killed 10 other wolves, and saved a pack in the process! While this might seem like the best way to make an interesting character, it makes for a very unimaginative wolf and limits your character’s possibilities for growth. In the wild, no wolf is the same, each has their own personality and traits. The wolves of WolfSpirits are like this too! Giving your character room to develop and change strengthens your bond with them. Many WolfSpirits long-time members play their characters for the span of their wolf’s natural life, sticking with their characters for years! Could you play your character for 11 years without getting bored?
One of the more appealing things about roleplaying is that it allows you to expand your imagination and with that, expand the story of your character. No single wolf is born with the weight of greatness upon their shoulders. When you role play, you develop your character’s own story. This is the exciting part! When you interact with other wolves and roleplay stories, then you get the unique opportunity to develop your character into who you want them to be, and sometimes, they will surprise you! The longer you play your character with us, the more your wolf will have the chance to develop alongside and together with WolfSpirits. Become a part of this pack’s history and walking along this path with many other wolves, those who have come and gone and those who have yet to visit.
Staying True
Here are some things to consider while creating and roleplaying your character. Keeping your character true to their personality, history, and traits will help you determine the path their development takes.
Introducing Your Wolf
Once you figure out your character’s details and back story, it’s time to introduce them to our channels! Head over to How To Roleplay A Wolf to read in depth about how we roleplay at WolfSpirits and for ideas on how to introduce your wolf!
- Look at the Territory Map for a point through which your wolf will enter the WolfSpirit’s Territory. Popular points include the Great Crossing, the Widow’s Creep, and the Southern Border.
- Write out your first post! Start with describing the entry point your wolf chose to use so other wolves can find you as you journey through the Territory. The Clearing is the heart of the pack’s territory, you’ll probably find other wolves here if you don’t run into a Scout on the way!
- Introduce yourself to visitors, pack wolves, and pack members. Make sure to seek out the Betas or Alphas IC to introduce your wolf and hear the ways of the WolfSpirits.
