The Ketucari New Player Guide
or
How I Learned to Stop Worrying And Love Matriarch Kills
First of all: welcome and thank you for joining our little community! We're always happy to see new folks joining in-- this ARPG is a passion project for all of us here in the admin team, and we're overjoyed to see folks enjoying everything we've built. You make all of this possible. <3
Sappy introductions inside, if you haven't already, please check out our Site Guide for a quick rundown on how to use the interface on our Lorekeeper. That'll give you the nuts and bolts you need to actually play, while this guide will walk you through the different activities we have for you and how to participate in the group!
Next, we have newbie packs to help folks get started in the game.
You can claim the Site Welcome Pack by submitting this prompt, and additionally, you can claim one of our five newbie packs. These are centered around five of our crafting disciplines:
Alchemy Pack
Contains:
25 gold, 1 Guard Talisman (nontradable, protects one litter from matriarch kills), 5 Superior Healing Potions, 1 Ancient Medallion, 1 binding reagent (can be used to make a potion effect permanant), 5 heavy bones, 1 flask, and one of each low-rank potion crafting material
Armorsmithing Pack
Contains:
25 gold, 1 Guard Talisman (nontradable, protects one litter from matriarch kills), 5 Superior Healing Potions, 1 Ancient Medallion, 10 leather scraps (required to make armor), 20 copper ore, a low-rank gem slot, and a random low-rank gem (heldyrite)
Archaeology Pack
Contains:
25 gold, 1 Guard Talisman (nontradable, protects one litter from matriarch kills), 5 Superior Healing Potions, 1 Ancient Medallion, 1 Ancient Medallion Fragment, 4 Stone Tablet Fragments, 4 Figure of Eirian Fragments, 3 Tattered Scroll Fragments, 2 Clay Statue Fragments, and 10 Copper Ore
Cooking Pack
Contains:
25 gold, 1 Guard Talisman (nontradable, protects one litter from matriarch kills), 5 Superior Healing Potions, 1 Ancient Medallion, 1 Stringy bait (Used for trapping carnivorous pets), 1 Meager Forage (used for trapping herbivorous pets), and two each of the following ingredients-- Flour, Broth, Onion, Pepper, Milk, Salt, Egg, Chunk of Meat, Frostberry, Bamboo, Leafy Greens, and Sugar.
Engineering Pack
Contains:
25 gold, 1 Guard Talisman (nontradable, protects one litter from matriarch kills), 5 Superior Healing Potions, 1 Ancient Medallion, 1 Rose Heldyrite, 1 Red Heldyrite, and 2 each of the following crafting materials-- Data Chip, Glass, Wire, Gear, Energy Core, Shaft, Copper Ore, Capacitor, Semiconductor, Venom Extract
What is Velukaelo, and what is a Ketucari?
Velukaelo is the setting in which our ARPG takes place. Most activities will require a particular canon setting, but others can be more freeform. You can read more about Velukaelo as a setting here (dA link), and view a list of the canon zones here.
Ketucari are draconid quadrupeds known as "god hunters", and are the closed species this group revolves around. You can obtain ketucari through designing "genotypes"; obtaining a semi-custom from an official sale, admin sale, or event; obtaining a geno from the Orphanage or another player; or obtaining a pre-made import from a raffle or another player.
In order to participate in most group events, you will need at least one ketucari.
How do I obtain a Ketucari?
The first and foremost way-- if there are available designs, you may claim one in the Orphanage! If there are none available, you may also obtain one from another player. However, be warned that you are only elegible to claim an Orphanage ketucari if you do not already have any imports or genos. If you would like to obtain a ketucari from another player, our Discord is a wonderful place to look!
Most ketucari will be originally obtained as a genotype. This is a piece of information, provided in a comment on DeviantArt or Lorekeeper, that will look something like this sample:
1 - Female
Healthy
Genotype: ee/ss/Kk/nDsk/nMtl/nSb/nScm/WW
Phenotype: Bronze with dusky points, mottling, sable, scale marks
Feather Type: Smooth
Build: Standard
Primary Horns: Chital
Each line of the genotype has a specific meaning:
Line 1: "1 - Female"-- This is the cub number and sex of your genotype. The cub number identifies your genotype in the breeding it was obtained from. The sex of your genotype determines whether the character is male (a toa) or female (a kadin). This is only used for breeding, and the gender of your finished character can be whatever you like. Sex can be switched before upload with the application of the legendary item "Kohto's Rattle", but we do not have a way to alter the sex of imports at this time.
Line 2: "Healthy" -- The health status of your cub. This is usually going to be "Healthy", but some other statuses are possible. "Matriarch Kill" or "Stillborn" means the genotype is dead and cannot be used for an import unless revived. Dead genotypes are untradable. "Deaf" or "Blind" only show up in breedings where inbreeding is present-- these have no gameplay effects, but may be used as prompts for character-building.
Line 3: "Genotype: ee/ss/Kk/nDsk/nMtl/nSb/nScm/WW"-- This is the genotype, or a string of "genes" that indicate the base coat, markings, and litter gene the ketucari possesses. The portion "ee/ss/kk" determines the base coat, the remaining entries are the genes, and the final gene is the "litter gene", which determines how many cubs can be naturally generated in a litter for female ketucari.
Line 4: "Phenotype: Bronze with dusky points, mottling, sable, scale marks"-- This is the phenotype, which restates the information from the genotype in a more readable form.
Line 5: "Feather Type: Smooth"-- The feather type determines which set of lineart your ketucari can be designed on. Smooth is the most common feather type, with other feather types passing rarely.
Line 6: "Build: Standard"-- This determines which build your ketucari will be. Builds are similar to subspecies-- the builds currently released are Standard, Ryno, Dnauoc, and Garoch, but more might be lurking somewhere in the shadows??? Build can be altered before upload with the item "Truth's Visage", or with a questline later on.
Finally, up to three sets of horns may be listed after the build. Ketucari can have primary, secondary, and/or tertiary horns. If a horn is not present in a particular slot, the line will be omitted in the genotype. The above sample geno possesses the primary horn type "Chital".
A list of feather types and horns can be viewed here.
The genotype is a list of information that can be used to design a ketucari. A ketucari genotype can be edited with items, but no genes may be added or removed without the appropriate items, and no ketucari can be created without a genotype. To design your ketucari, reference the Design Guides here. You will also need to download the appropriate import base from the Design Guides page. There may also be other users in the group willing to provide design services for your character if you are not confident designing them yourself!
Once your design is done, you will need to upload it to your DeviantArt sta.sh, or other image host, fill out the form located here in the description, and then submit it under the appropriate comment thread on this page. A stash that contains a properly filled out example form can be found here! Your design will then be judged by our admin team on how well it fits the design rules, and if there are any issues, an admin will explain them to you and you will be required to fix them and resubmit to the Corrections thread. If everything is fine, however, your ketucari will be uploaded on site, and registered to your site account automatically! This is known as an "import". Only officially certified ketucari can be used for site activities.
Additionally, already uploaded imports can be traded on site. Sometimes other members will have ketucari for sale!
Once your ketucari is certified, you can access their site profile to fill out their profile, including their name, bio, and gender. Additionally, you can view their stats and currently unlocked titles. Their import page is used to log a ketucari's activity, including skill unlocks, quests, adventures, and battles. Breedings and breeding slots are also tracked there.
Continue on to
>>Your FIrst Week<<