=======Species=======

Humans are not the only species in the world of REFUGE. There are many mythical and unusual species, such as Elves, Dwarves, Halflings, Kyn, and other more exotic species; and within each species, there are various cultures. This provides for the widest possible amount of character development.

Playing your species means knowing and understanding your species’ culture and society in your campaign—just like not all Humans are alike, you shouldn’t expect all Elves to act identically. Some species have their culture based on certain societies in our own world and other species are purely fantastic like Kyn or Halflings. Others are based on popular mythology or folklore. Still other species such as the Avani have been created from scratch, providing a unique aspect to our game.

Descriptions of each species follow. There are more detailed Culture Packets available for each species to download from the [[https://refugelarp.org/|REFUGE LARP website]] (www.refugelarp.com), and your local campaign will have information on the local culture(s) of that species.

=====Make up and Prosthetic Requirements=====
All species other than Human have a makeup and/or prosthetic requirement associated with it. If you wish to play one of these species, you must wear the appropriate makeup or prosthetic to distinguish yourself. Any prosthetic (such as Elf ears) must always be worn, even under a hood or when hidden by hair. You cannot use makeup to represent Avana eyebrows, High Ogre and High Orc tusks etc. If you have a real beard and wish to play a Dwarf, the beard must be braided so that it is clear you are a Dwarf and not just a bearded Human (if your beard isn’t long enough to braid, then you will have to wear a fake beard over your real one.) 

If you play a Species that requires makeup, all exposed skin must be covered with the appropriate makeup or colored cloth (Under Armor and gloves are great for this.) You cannot be a Halfling who shaves their eyebrows or a High Orc without protruding teeth. You must not only act the species; you must also look the species. If you do not, you will not be allowed to continue playing the species and will be forcibly changed into a Human.  You cannot wear makeup to disguise yourself to appear as a species you are not, nor can you act in such a way as to mislead others as to your species.

Do not sleep in your makeup! Your skin needs to breathe, and any kind of makeup hinders that process to some extent. Therefore, you should wash all the makeup off your body each night and reapply it in the morning. Your skin will thank you. As for makeup removal, moist towelettes and baby wipes (look for biodegradable ones) are very good, and so is cold cream. Avoid sharing makeup and sponges! It is possible for sponges and pancake makeup to contract bacteria. Also, if one of the people using the makeup has a skin rash or other contagion, then it can be shared with other people using the makeup and sponge.


===== Role-playing Requirements =====
We expect you to play your character’s species properly. High Orcs should be “focused on the now” and Dark Elves should shun the sunlight whenever possible. You must abide by the characteristics of your species. You cannot write your history to be the “outsider” of your species. There is no such thing as a “half” species. If your character history has your father as an Elf and your mother as a Human, that is fine, but in our game, you are one species or the other. You must then take all the advantages, disadvantages, and physical characteristics of that single species and none of the unique characteristics of the other. It should always be clear to everyone exactly what species you are portraying. 

These role-playing rules are put in place to allow players to make assumptions about the different species. When you see someone wearing pointed ears, you know that they may have certain abilities such as Resist Command and that may change your strategy when dealing with them. This adds up to more fun for you as well. By playing your species properly, other members of that species (and the Cast of that species) will be more willing to role-play with you, get you involved in their plots, and otherwise include you in the developing story of that species.


===== Species =====
{{page>Species_Chart}}
{{page>Avani}}
{{page>Dark Elf}}
{{page>Dryad}}
{{page>Dwarf}}
{{page>Elf}}
{{page>Halfling}}
{{page>High-Ogre}}
{{page>High-Orc}}
{{page>Human}}
{{page>Kyn}}
{{page>Realmsworn}}
{{page>Stellarean}}
{{page>Stone Elf}}
{{page>Syladrin}}
{{page>Monster Characters}}