Genotype Guide

We can isolate several genes that affect a creature's body type. Many will have multiple factors that go together, and mustn't be separated, 
such as ear type and ear length.

 Rec = recessive, dom = dominant, ID = incomplete dominance (mix or half point), number indicates how rec/dom it is. Rec 1 > rec 2. 

Ears 

Floppy - fl (rec)
Straight - St (dom)
Ear length - EL (ID)

Examples: flfl - down, floppy
Stfl - up, round/partial floppy
StSt/Stst - up, pointed
Flfl/stst/stfl - middle, default ear
ELEL - short, ELel - medium, elel - long

Heads

Stubby - Bs (rec)
Elongated - Be (rec)

Examples: bsbs - stubby
bebe - elongated
Bsbs/BsBs/bsbe/Bebe/BeBe - flat faced

Bodies

Muscle - M (ID)
Fat - Fa (ID)
Height - Sz (ID)

Examples: MM - less muscle, Mm - average, mm - ripped
FAFA - skinny, Fafa - average, fafa - fat
SZSZ - short, Szsz - average, szsz - tall

Fur

Straight/Curly - Se (dom straight, curly rec)
Wired - Se^w (rec)
Hair length - HL (ID)

Examples: Sese/SeSe/Sese^w - straight
sese - curled
se^wse^w - wired
sese^w - hairless
HLHL - short fur, HLhl - medium, hlhl - long

Fur cut

Normal/Sheep - Sh (normal dom, sheep rec)
Satyr - Sy (rec)
Poodle - Po (rec)

Examples: Shsh/ShSh/Shsy/Shpo - normal
shsh - sheep
sysy - satyr
popo - poodle
shsy/sypo/Popo/Sysy/etc - normal

Tail

Normal - N
Length - ML
Tail Fur Length - Tf

Tf affects fur on tail, and can cover the whole tail, or just the end tuft.

Examples: Nn = "cat" cut, nn = "bob" cut, NN = "curled" cut
MLML - short tail, MLml - medium tail, mlml - long tail
TFTF - short tail fur, TFtf - medium tail fur, tftf - long tail fur, no TF genes - bald tail

Horns

Normal/Antelope - Ho (Normal dom, antelope rec)
Pronged - Hoa (rec)
Bull/Curled - Hob (curled dom, bull rec)
Size - AL

Demons may have 2 or 4 horizontal horns (like a deer), but not vertical horns (like a rhino,) nor 1 horn (like a unicorn).
(^ editing/adding visuals for this soon, just look at current chars/phenotype guide for examples for now ^)

Examples: Hoho/HoHo/Hohob/Hohoa - normal
hoho - antelope
ho^aho^a - pronged
ho^bho^b - bull
Ho^bho^b/Ho^bHo^b - curled
ho^aho^b/hoho^a/Ho^aho^a - no horns
ALAL - short horns, ALal - medium, alal - long/large

These are special characteristics that cannot be passed down to children. They can make a demon stand out above the crowd.

Mutations can be such things like: two heads, nine tails, a body covered in mouths.

Anomalies can be such things like: headlessness, stuffed animal bodies, cyborgs. 

These are not things obtained as easily as other characteristics, since they do not rely on genetics. The best way to get one is to buy an official adopt,
or to commission a custom design.

There is a small set of genes that determine an animal's color. Overall, there is a base color (example: Rr), a secondary color (example R^sr^s), and a tertiary color (example: R^tr^t). Under that, there is skin color, which is often just a desaturated, pale version of the base color. Except in white, whereas the skin underneath is a pale shade of the blood color. Animals can have multiple colors in their genes. Which color shows depends upon the dominance hierarchy (refer to the numbers or hierarchy just below).

Gray (g) > Brown (e) > White (w) > Red (r) > Blue (b) > Yellow (y) > Black (a)

Natural Colors

Black - A (rec 2)
White - W (rec 1)
Brown - E (dom 2)
Gray - G (dom 1)

Natural colors do not mix and match.

Examples and explanations:

WW/Ww - no white, ww - white. Same for black. EE - brownish, Ee- reddish brown, ee, no brown. GG/Gg - gray, gg, no gray.

{ aa / ww / ee } - White, because white trumps black, and brown needs an E to work.
{ gg } = this animal is albino, because it lacks nothing to give it color.
{ Ww / Ee } = animal is reddish brown.

Unnatural Colors

Red - R (dom ID)
Blue - B (rec 1 ID)
Yellow - Y (rec 2 ID)

Unnatural colors do mix and match. 

  An animal can be both rr / bb at the same time.
However note than when breeding, this will make it more complicated.
Unnatural colors mix to make new colors. See examples.

Examples and explanations: 

Rr/RR - red, rr - no red. Bb/BB - no blue, bb - blue, and so on.

{ Rb } - purple, because they mix.
{ by } - green, because they mix.
{ Rr / aa } - red, because red is dominant over black.
{ RR / GG / Ww } - Gray, because gray is dominant over all other dominant colors.

Albinism

A lack of base pigment altogether results in albino demons. It is as simple as this: EE / Aa = brown, ee / Aa = albino.
Albinism causes a total lack of all color, including patterns, no matter the second/tert genes present.
EE / a^sa^s / SPLspl = brown with black pattern, ee / a^sa^s / SPLspl = albino.
For a white base coat and colored patterns, use the ww gene with a second/tert.

Any color (not coat modifier) with an s above it as a "secondary" color. Like this = a^sa^s. Any color with a t above it is a "tertiary" color. Like this = a^ta^t.
Most secondary and tertiary colors don't show unless a pattern gene is present, though a dot or two is fine (this is called residual color).

 An EE / bb demon is brown, blue carrying, but an EE / b^sb^s demon can become brown with a blue pattern! Your demons can have multiple secondary and tertiary genes, just like with base coat genes. They still follow the same rule of dominance, though. So EE / w^sw^s / a^sa^s is a demon that's brown with secondary white, 
since w > a.You can also have something like bb / b^sb^s / b^tb^t, with the same or diff shades of blue. 
You don't need a modifier to pale or darken a second/tert. R^sr^s is "red," but can be pink. However, Rr cannot be pink without cream.

When breeding characters, you make punnet squares the same way for second/tert colors as you do with base colors. Example below.
Secondary unnatural colors only mix with other secondary unnatural colors, same for tertiary colors.
You'll never see anything that looks like B^sr^t or y^tb^s.

NOTE: If you receive a character that has NO secondary or tert colors at all, you are allowed to choose ONE color to be secondary and ONE color to be tertiary. But choose wisely, as after you decide, you cannot change your decision. If a demon ALREADY has a second/tert color, you cannot change it.

Coat modifiers change the base coat color or pattern. They are not affected by, nor need, secondary or tertiary colors.
Secondary and Tertiary colors can be affected by modifiers (such as lightening them), but you don't need a modifier to pale or darken a second/tert.
For example, if you want a pale pink secondary, you do not need cream. But if you want a pale pink base coat, you need cream.

Modifiers

Cream - Cr (ID)
Sooty - Sty (ID)
Dun - D (dom)

Cream lightens, sooty darkens / makes ashy, and dun lightens + adds black socks + black back stripe.

Examples: Crcr - some lightening 
CrCr - very pale
Stysty - some sooty
StySty - very sooty
Dd/DD - dun
crcr/stysty/dd - no modifier

{ bb / aa / CrCr } - extremely pale blue, nearing white.
{ yy / ww / Stysty } - dark yellow with 'ashen' back (dark with gentle flecking).
{ Gg / EE / Dd } - gray with black socks + black back stripe.

Patterns effect whether or not socks are gradient or solid, whether your demon shows a myriad of colors or just one, or whether your demon's coat is cat or dog like. And like most genes, they're highly variable. Some even show colors not present in the genotype, such as gradient. Animals who are albino show no patterns, as they lack pigment altogether. Hairless animals can show patterns, but they will be less saturated. Most patterns are effected by, or even require, a color with a secondary/tertiary superscript. Most patterns can show at the same time, but the layering of impactive genes will more often than not cause some patterns to show and others to be hidden. 

Gray (g) > Brown (e) > White (w) > Red (r) > Blue (b) > Yellow (y) > Black (a)

1. Piebald (s^ps^p) will mask any pattern.
2. Impactive genes (genes with large coverage): Calico, brindle, merle, tabby, roan, gradient, jawbreaker.
3. Low-impact genes (generally): Ticking, rings, okapi

Roan (tt) > Brindle (a^bra^br) > Merle (Me)
Calico (coco) > Tabby (tsts)
Gradient (Gr) + Splashed (Spl) > Rings (Ed) + Okapi (eded)
Piebald > All > Jawbreaker (awaw)

Gradient- Gr (dom)

Gradient can show a gradient anywhere, big or small.
If no second/tert color, gradient will be the next most dom color on the hierarchy. 

Grgr/GrGr = gradient, grgr = no gradient.

Examples

RR / Grgr = Animal is red, but has no secondary color.
So, the next most dominant color, white, will gradient somewhere.

RR / a^sa^s / GrGr = Animal is base coat red, secondary color black. 
Animal will be red with a black gradient somewhere.

Splashed- Spl (dom)

Splashed gives splashes of the color it affects, big or small. Will never cause a piebald or calico look.
Can appear slightly mottled at the edges but should never be a solid, smooth gradient.
If there is no second/tert color, it will present as white or pale cream.

Splspl = splashed, SplSpl = very splashed, splspl = no splash

Examples:

Rr / Splspl = The base color is red, with no second or third colors.
So animal is red with splashed white beginning at the points.

Rr / b^sb^s / SplSpl = Base coat red, secondary color blue.
Animal will thus be red with very splashed blue.

Merle- Me (dom)

Merle only affects black, red, and blue. It turns such colors into a patchwork of the base and a lighter shade of the base.
In black, it patches gray. In red, it's pink. Etc. Also causes some whitening.

MeMe will cause an 80% chance of deafness. 
MeMe animals can be pedigrees but will preform poorly in certain contests.

Meme / MeMe = Merle, meme = no merle

Examples:

Rr / Meme = Some whitening occurs around chest, legs, and face.
Remaining red parts become a patchwork of red and pale pinks.

Brindle- a^br (rec)

Brindle is a striping gene that affects all colors but white.
It will cause a type of co-dominant striation of color.
Brindle will affect the base coat, or can layer on top of another pattern.

A^bra^br / A^brA^br = no brindle, a^bra^br = brindle

Examples:

Ee / a^bra^br = Whole animal is covered in reddish brown brindle.

Ee / b^sb^s / y^ty^t / Splspl / a^bra^br = Brown base, blue second, yellow tert. Splashed can be blue, 
then brindle can be yellow and layer over splashed, making it tint green.
OR just let brindle affect brown, and ignore a color.

Ticking/Roan - T (Ticking dom, roan rec)

Ticking are spots, like an appaloosa. Roan is a co-dominant "salt and pepper," like a short haired pointer.
Roan presents on any color and can be more patchy or like a gradient.
If no second/tert color is present, roan is usually just a pale version of the base: so gray for black, cream for brown, etc.
Ticking never shows as cat spots, but can be "owlish," as "U" shapes or vertical lines.
If no second/tert, ticking stays as the base color.

Tt/TT = ticked, tt = roan

Examples:

EE / Tt = Brown coat, ticking same color as base.

Gg / w^sw^s / Splspl / tt = Gray base, white secondary. Animal is gray, spl can affect w^sw^s, resulting in
white areas around the body. Roan then affects the gray, making it look dark, and the white, making it look gray.

Piebald- S^p (rec)

Piebald is a white based gene. It will cause whitening of the body,
with splotches of color, i.e. "painted" animals.
Piebald masks all other patterns; it can be good for hiding a disliked pattern.

Extreme piebalds may look albino, but are not.
Extreme piebalding can make an aa animal solid white, for example.

S^pS^p/S^ps^p = no piebald, s^ps^p = piebald.

Examples:

yy / s^ps^p = White with yellow painted coat.

ww / a^sa^s / s^ps^p = White, no showing piebald. This is because s^ps^p causes color to whiten, and the base is already white.
If you want a white animal with black spots (like a cow), you need a plain aa animal with piebald, or splashed, or calico.

Tabby- Ts (rec)

Tabby creates cat stripes, as in domestic tabby cats. If no second/tert, stripes are darker shade of base.
Will not affect black unless black has a cream, or a second/tert color is used. Thicker or thinner stripes are an artistic liberty.
Will never appear as tiger, zebra, or okapi stripes.

TsTs/Tsts = no tabby, tsts = tabby.

Examples:

GG / tsts = gray, with tabby cat pattern.

Calico- Co (dom)

Calico takes the affected color and causes blobs of the color lightened, along with white blobs.
If a second/tert color is used, blobs of that color will also appear. If only a base, it uses the base color.
Can appear as either solid shapes or as slightly mottled, but never as smooth gradients.

CoCo/Coco = calico, coco = no calico.

Examples:

aa / Coco = Black base. Animal has some whitening, and there are blobs of gray and white.

Rr / b^sb^s / Coco = Red base, blue secondary. Some whitening. Animal has red base with blobs of blue and white.

Rings/Okapi - Ed (Rings dom, okapi rec)

Rings create rings around any part of the body, like a candy cane.
Rings can, rarely, be so small that they instead look like circles.
They may also appear wavy, zig-zagged, or smooth. Rings on horns do not need this gene. 
Rings require a secondary or tertiary color. 

Okapi only stripes half way over affected areas, like meerkats, numbats., or okapi.
 Okapi does not need a second/tert in black or white, but does for all other colors.
In white animals okapi stripes are automatically black, in black animals, they're white. 

EdEd / Eded = rings, eded = okapi

aa / Eded = Black base. Animal is black with white rings somewhere on the body.

yy / a^sa^s / b^tb^t / Coco / EdEd = yellow base, black secondary, blue tertiary. Decide what pattern uses what color.
You can have black rings with blue/white blobs, or blue rings with black/white blobs. Coco also causes some whitening.

Jawbreaker- Aw (rec)

A gene that causes a myriad of colors not always in the genotype.
Generally, it creates "beads" or "bands" of fluctuating colored stripes.
It does not need a second/tert, but more colors will show through if more are in the genotype.
Jawbreaker is a huge gene, and often will not show if other big genes are present. Check the dom order.
If only has a base color, jawbreaker will show as bands of either red/pink, blue/green, or yellow/orange, but not all six.

AwAw/Awaw = no jawbreaker, awaw = jawbreaker

aa / awaw = black base. Assume red/pink is the color jawbreaker expresses as here.
Animal will be black, and will have vertical beads of red and pink down the back.

Ee / b^sb^s / awaw = Reddish brown base, blue secondary. Animal will have bands of
blue and green beading down the back, possibly with one or two
small bands of one more color (red/pink, yellow/orange).