Creating a Lesser

## Lessers come in 2 forms: Exposed or Manifested

The **Exposed** form is the Lesser's original form, before it has a body. You may think it has a body, but that is only a facade. Exposed Lessers are quite small, about the size of a cup of coffee, and are essentially useless. Without a body, they have no power and are easily squashed.

A **Manifested** Lesser is a Lesser who has sealed a pact with a host. This pact allows them to fully manifest into the mortal plane, equipping them with a new body and their powers. Their new body may grow or shrink from its original size and will gain features from their 3 creature offerings.

* Have only one ability -- Minor Translucency.
* Do not have shackles.
* Have 3 body types.
* Have gray scars
* Have Spaded tails only.
* Gain access to all of their abilities.
* Have a shackle.
* Gain physical features from their creature offerings.
* Have skin colors.
* Can have creature tails.

## Standard Features

   Lessers are black. Their entire pelt is deep black, but organic mottlings of black tones are allowed so long as they are not heavy. When using white, grey and red as accent colors, keep in mind that there should only be one red, one grey, and one white color type present; color harmonies are not allowed. These accent colors should be distinct from each other and not blended into other colors unless on the tips of the horns.

Teeth, tongues, lips, noses, are white but may instead be grey or red. Eyes must be white or red but can have shading. Two-tone coloration may be present on the teeth and/or tongue. Stripes and minor fading may also be present on the tongue.

Claws and paw pads (if present) may be any of the 3 colors.

* Eye shapes may be any size!
* Eye design is standard and cannot be customized besides color. No pupils!

## Pelt Design

Some Lessers may have color accents on their pelts in white or red. These accents should be minor, simplistic, and compliment the Lesser's overall design. They should not cover large solid areas or be used for full-body patterns. Additionally, they should not feel cluttered or messy. We do not allow the use of letters, numbers, symbols, runes, text characters, or pop-culture symbols in pelt design.

* It is very rare for a Lesser to have both red and white pelt accents.
* Clean, Minimal Markings.
* The inner ear is not pink unless while in Manifest form.

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## Exposed Body Types

Exposed Lessers only come in 1 body size and 3 body types. For this form, you must choose one of the 3 body types. Horns, eyes, and ears may be designed at your discretion. Fur type should be kept short and velvety. Extremities are nubs or small claws. They may have any nose/snout. You may further customize this body once the Lesser is Manifested.

* Once a Lesser has Manifested, it is not able to return to this form until their pact is terminated.
* Exposed form does not have a shackle or additional creature features!
* Scars acquired will also appear in this form unless the Lesser wishes to discard them permanently.

## Manifested Body Types

Manifested Lessers may come in larger or smaller sizes, from the size of an chicken's egg to a gallon of milk. They can be no larger or smaller than the range of sizes given.

Three creatures are offered to the Lesser to create a Manifested body. You may choose to have them resemble one of these creatures entirely, or simply add features from them to the Lesser's body. This means you should have **4** total body types to work with when designing a Manifested Lesser.

Remember to understand your animal references closely, as you have a limited number of features to work with. You will not be able to give your Lesser a fox tail if one of their creatures is not a fox. The same is true for parts such as hooves, wings, antlers, scales, etc.

The Lesser is still a demon, even in their animal-esque form. While they may have a different body shape, everything else must be kept the same. The eye type, mouth coloring, and pelt design should be kept intact.

* Size = Body Volume // Not Height
* Pelt colors and design do not change except in the case of additional body parts.
* Manifest form cannot vary in design once it is official.
* Any Scars/Abnormalities from the 3 creatures can be added.

## Scars and Wounds

Lessers are very easily injured, but quite resilient. Scars MUST appear in a natural skin color. It is extremely difficult to kill an eye and impossible to remove one. A dead eye will simply appear dim. Limbs and extremities can be severed and will not grow back on their own. Horns may chip and crack. When a piece of a horn is broken off, the severed end will grow back as a permanently hidden section. If a Lesser loses its Manifest form, it will still keep its scars. Wen a Lesser gains a new manifest form, it will have the option of discarding its scars permanently.

* Exposed Lessers have only grey scars.
* Lessers can have Flesh Weavings, but Grimytes do not allow this.
* Lessers will lose Arcanic markings when Exposed.

## Horns

All Lessers have horns. This is where they keep all their power. There can be up to 4 horns and they may be any size. The larger the horns, the more powerful the Lesser. Even those with normally small horns may find that they grow with their pactmate’s power.

Horns may appear absent in Manifested Lessers by using Hidden Horns. Additionally, the may appear shrunken from their original size depending on how much Arcana they are using. When hidden, these horns are intangible. When using a fire ability, they may still be invisible but will lose their intangibility.

## Shackles

The shackle represents the binding of the pact. It is an object created through metaphysical means, and therefore can only be destroyed with the termination of the Lesser's pact.

Shackles can come in any neutral color or come in metallic natural colors. They must be one color only unless they have a border or imperfections. They may be plain, bent, carved, cracked, etc. If engraved, engravings must not be letters or numbers.They must not cover the entire neck and they must connect to form a continuous piece. They must also fit around the neck snugly, leaving no empty space or room to fit over the head. Only one shackle per Lesser.

* Stay away from complicated designs with many components!
* Shackles are ALWAYS present in Manifest form even when invisible.
* Shackles don't have tags or accessories.
* Shackles are solid metal, not chain-link!

## Accessories

Lessers do not normally have accessories, as any objects on their person would be discarded each time they use Seance, Cluster Jump, or Imaginary Friend. This means that they cannot be summoned already wearing their accessories. Any object touching a shackle would prevent them from using Cluster Jump or Televoid. Because of this, we do not allow accessories to appear on Lesser Reference Submissions unless there is a specific reason for doing so.

## Naming

Lessers do not reveal their true names unless absolutely necessary. Because of this, it is common for a Lesser to have a pet name or a false name, and in rare cases may even sell their name. A Lesser with a known name is unable to perform certain abilities or may succumb to specific disadvantages. Overall, it's just not a great idea.

Lesser names are normally shortenings of their true name. Because of this, Lesser names are most often one or two syllable names with simple pronunciation. Lessers cannot share a name with any name on the VoS character roster.

## Submitting a Design

#### Rules:

* Image must be an unobstructed fullbody.
* Lesser must be in its official Manifest form.
* Image must be a digital transparent PNG.

* Guidelines must be followed.

#### Include:

* Name
* 3 Creatures

When complete, send your design to Heck in a DM!