Mutations

Plate scales are larger scales similar to those you might find on a snake's underbelly, like "belly scutes". These scales are generally larger and wider.

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Standard

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Plate Scales Guidelines
(Red areas are the regular scales mutation, which is separate from plate scales)

Details:

• Are large and generally more rectangular in shape (like snake belly scutes) or similar to a wide "V" shape, but shape can vary slightly. Plate scale shape cannot imitate heavily inorganic shapes (man-made objects) or elemental shapes. (Plants/wood, flames, water, multi-faceted crystals, etc.)
• Plate scales generally sit in rows overlapping one another, like you would see plated armor.
• Plate scales should not cover more than 50% of the elnin.
• Plate scales most often appear on the belly and legs of elnin but can occur in other areas on the body as well but, like standard scales, are generally more sparse on the tail.
• Tails will never be fully scaled with this mutation, unless a rarer scaled tail style like Overwild (Aquatic) is already present on an elnin.
• Plate scales should be three dimensional and rendered either with or without lineart.
• Plate scales can at times have small anima accents between the plate scaling, almost appearing like small gems due to how they’re minimal and set in the narrow gaps. These anima accents can show anima mutations. (Fx from anima mutations are very very localized to just the gap areas and don't have much spread.)
• These anima accent areas are not required on plate scales though, so if you wanted to broadly have a suffusion mutation around you could add the suffusion mutation generally around plate scaled areas as well, but it can't only be present in just those areas/should still be present and generally dispersed across the body elsewhere too.
• The large scales themselves should not imitate gems or markings. They must be distinctly read as scales. Similar to standard scales, the larger plate scales are not made of anima.
• What can affect plate scales?
  
  • YES: Body suffusion mutations, such as metallic suffusion, shimmering suffusion, iridescent suffusion, starlit suffusion, emberglow suffusion, and luminous suffusion. Body suffusion mutations cannot only affect plate scales and must also be present in other locations.
  • NO: Anima mutations would not affect scales outside of the accent gems that are attached. (*Unless crystallization is present on the plate scales, in which case anima mutations would be localized on plate scales and any related effects would be in very very close proximity to the plate scales themselves.)

Standard scales are small scales similar to those you might find on a reptile or fish. These scales are generally small in size.

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Standard

Standard

Scales on Grove Tail

Scales on Shoal Tail

Spread Sparingly

Details:

• Standard scales should not cover more than 50% of the elnin.
• Are small and generally more oval/soft-edged diamonds (like snake scales) or half-moon (like fish scales) in shape. Keeled scales are also allowed.
• Standard scales are generally staggered or clustered relative to each other, but not always.
• Scales should be three dimensional and rendered either with or without lineart.
• Standard scales most often appear across the back, shoulders, and sparsely down the tail (in areas of short fur on tails like grove or shoal) if at all.
• Tails will never be fully scaled with this mutation, unless a subtype specific or rarer scaled tail style is present on an elnin.
• Scales should not imitate gems or markings. They must be distinctly read as scales.
• What can affect the standard scales?
  
  • YES: Body suffusion mutations, such as metallic suffusion, shimmering suffusion, iridescent suffusion, starlit suffusion, emberglow suffusion, and luminous suffusion. Body suffusion mutations cannot only affect scales and must also be present in other non-scaled locations.
  • NO: Anima mutations would not affect scales (*Unless crystallization is present on the scales, in which case anima mutations would be localized on scales and any related effects would be in very very close proximity to the scales themselves.)