RULES AND REGULATIONS (GUILD EDITION)
Hi everyone! As you dive deeper into the world of Wayward to Wilds, you’ve probably been thinking about what kind of pet or mount - if any - your character will have. We created this document to lay down the rules surrounding this part of the WTW universe, and specifically how it will apply to the guild, which will be the focus of the group. As you read, if you have any questions, feel free to ask us on the server!
With that being said...Meet Shirley! Fun-loving and down to get dirty, she’s our newest NPC - the animal handler/keeper of the guild. Any pets/mounts your character brings along will remain in her care for the duration of expeditions!
Q. How many pets/mounts can my character have?
“How many? Y’best only be bringin’ one, y’hear? I only have so many paws!” - Shirley
Yes, unfortunately your character may only bring one pet OR mount to the guild - not one of each, but one animal in total. They may have as many as you want them to own back home, but only one animal can accompany them to the guild. It will be easier for us mods to keep track, and as much as we hate to say it - these animals will be left behind on expeditions. No reason for your character to have more than one.
Q. We have to leave pets/mounts behind on expeditions?
“UH - YES? Y’think these trips yer takin’ are gonna be pet friendly?!” - Shirley
Again, yes. We know, we know...we wish we could allow it too! However, there is just no easy way to balance pets and mounts on expeditions. It would make a lot of additional work for mods, as well as potentially grant some people advantages or even disadvantages. We also don’t want pets/mounts to take the focus from the RP, as they’re mainly an addition for flavor - we want characters to interact with each other, not just their beloved pet.
As for mounts, it’s still a ban for bringing them on expeditions. Groups will be expected to travel together, thus if not everyone has a mount, there’s no reason for anyone to have one. Not only that, but terrain, combat, and unforeseen dangers will make you glad to leave your friend behind - we really don’t want to have to kill your pet or mount due to unlucky circumstances/rolls, and we’re sure you don’t want that, either!
However, if your character does bring a mount to the guild - we may end up having a very specific expedition that you’re allowed to bring them on! No promises, and we will very explicitly tell you if so, but something to keep in mind if you really wanted to bring a mount on an expedition.
Q. What kinds of pets/mounts can we have?
“I’m a little worried you’re askin’ this question...please, not too many birds...” - Shirley
Alright, bear with us here!
IN GENERAL - No large carnivores. As cool as it would be to ride in on a bear, we need some limitations. In the worldbuilding of WTW, pets/mounts work fairly similar to real life - there are some animals that are just meant to be wild. There are, however, legends of grand kings and secret assassins taming bears and tigers and crocodiles to have by their side….but those are just that - myths and legends. Your character would not have seen anyone with a pet/mount like that in their lifetime.
No cats/large cats! Simply because it’d be a little funny to have a cat with a pet cat, or a cat riding on a larger, wilder version of themselves.
No marine animals! The guild doesn’t have a proper set-up for anything of the sort and your character probably doesn’t have a great way to transport them, either!
FOR MOUNTS - Just to repeat, no big carnivores. The only carnivores we are allowing are wolves/coyotes, due to their closeness to dogs - catfolk have had a bit more success at training them as mounts, although it takes time, patience, and energy. If you want your character to have one of these as a mount, please keep that in mind for their backstory!
Unfortunately, no bird mounts at the guild. While there are magically enhanced birds in the world that can act as mounts, we decided this would be a whole different thing to factor in for the future, especially if we do have a mount-driven expedition. Also, Shirley is scared of birds - she’s caring for all your pets, so bringing magically enhanced birds wouldn’t be fair to her. :( Normal birds are enough as is!
So what CAN you bring as a mount? No worries - there are still a lot of options! Wolves, large dogs, coyotes, and pretty much any sort of ungulates/hoofed creature are all fair game, as long as they’re no bigger than cattle. No elephants, for example! We do ask that you do some research on whatever creature you choose as a mount, but given that this is a magical world, it’s alright to assume that your creature can be magically enhanced/bred to be able to bear weight (as long as it’s naturally decently bigger than a cat to begin with. No riding on rabbits, even if they’ve got the strength of 20 rabbits in one.)
FOR PETS - Most of these still apply! No large carnivores - bears, alligators, huge snakes, etc. Anything that could reasonably eat catfolk in very few bites will be a no-go. However, you ARE allowed to bring birds as pets, despite Shirley’s fear - as long as they’re normal sized! No extra-large, enhanced eagles or raptors.
In general, though, the same creatures allowed for mounts and all little critters apply! Dogs, hamsters, rabbits, lizards, smaller snakes, goats, pigeons, etc. We’re hoping this is at least pretty self-explanatory, but please ask us if you’re unsure - we’d rather tell you now if an animal you want isn’t allowed, before you get too attached!
FOR HYBRIDS - hybrid animals do exist in the world of WTW, and if you would like a pet/mount hybrid, just abide by all these rules to begin (no large predators, no marine animals, nothing bigger than cattle) for each hybrid, and please run it through us Guildmasters once you’ve designed it for full approval!
Q. Does my character have to have a pet/mount?
“God, no! Would be a helluva lot easier if y’didn’t bring so many!” - Shirley
Nope! As pets/mounts will not be allowed on expeditions and thus not granting any advantages, they’re entirely for flavor/fun during rest breaks. Your character doesn’t need one!
For the potential future expedition that does allow mounts, don’t worry! Your character will be able to borrow one from the guild.
Q. What about service animals?
“Well, hell, we ain’t gonna letcha go on without yours.” - Shirley
Yes, service animals will be allowed for any character with a disability. HOWEVER - please read carefully. This will be treated as it is in real life - the service animal will need to be trained to the point that no attention should even be brought to it. Service animals are trained to do their job and ignore outside interaction, and we will expect you to RP it this way - brief mentions of your character’s service animal doing their job, but for the most part, nothing else. As we said at the beginning, we don’t want animals taking up the focus of your posts - and service animals doubly so, as the animal is working, not drawing attention to itself. Other characters should not be interacting or messing with the service animal, same as real life.
We just ask that you do your research and understand this is genuinely for characters who have a disability that would benefit from a service animal. Don’t just decide to give your character a disability for the sole reason that you want to bring an animal onto expeditions with you. Service animals will also grant no advantage, and instead will moreso level the playing field for your character.
Lastly, all previous rules regarding pet/mount species apply to service animals, but keep in mind not every animal can do the same things - we ask you approach this realistically and do your research for what the service animal can/can’t do to help your character and what species would be best for the job, if not just a plain old dog!
“I’ll take super good care of ‘em - promise!”
TO SUM IT UP….
- Each character may only bring one animal with them, be it a pet or a mount. They can have unlimited pets back home, if you really want, but only one may come to the guild.
- No pets or mounts will be allowed on expeditions, unless very explicitly stated.
- No large undomesticated carnivores allowed, other than wolves/coyotes.
- Magically enhanced large birds can be mounts, but you can’t bring them to the guild. Normal birds as pets allowed!
- No marine animals are allowed as pets or mounts.
- All pets/mounts should be cattle-sized or smaller - no elephants, bison, etc.
- If you want a hybrid as a pet/mount, abide by all rules already stated, and please run the final design/idea through the Guildmaster team so we can fully approve it!
- Please ask us if you’re not sure if your idea for a pet/mount is allowed!
- Service animals are allowed, but please do your research when approaching this. Don’t choose to give your character a disability solely to have a pet on expeditions.
- Pets/mounts will be mostly relevant during rest breaks, when you can RP your character having fun with their buddies! You can interact with our beloved animal keeper NPC then, too! They’re in safe paws, we promise!
If you have any questions/concerns, please talk to us! As we work on getting more info out to you guys, we’re always here to clear up any confusion you may have. We’re really excited to be building this story for you guys, and we’ll be getting more to you soon!