Basics
All Hounds can be bred, unless they are infertile. Hounds can only be bred to another Hound that is the opposite sex. In order to be eligible to breed a Hound must have a breeding assessment. Each breeding costs 1 breeding assessment per Hound.
Each player can submit 1 breeding per week, to the breeding prompt, unless an ongoing event provides an additional opportunity. Breedings may be between: two Hounds that you own; a Hound that you own and a merchant Hound; two merchant Hounds; a Hound you own and a Hound another player owns; two Hounds that another player owns; or a merchant Hound and a Hound another player owns. If you do not own both Hounds involved you will need a breeding permission to the Hound that you do not own. You can see how many breeding permissions your Hound has available on their breeding permission page, as found in their sidebar.
Various in game items can be used to influence breedings. You can find these items in the encylopedia under the 'Breeding Items' category. Unless otherwise noted only 1 of each type of item may be applied to a breeding. Items must to applied on the submission to the breeding prompt.
The average Hound litter contains 1-4 puppies, has a 1% chance at twins, and a 1% chance at producing a mutant.
Breeding Permissions
Breeding permissions allow Hounds to be bred with Hounds owned by other players. Each breeding permission costs 1 breeding assessment to create and can be created on the breeding permission page of the Hound. You may sell, gift or trade breeding permissions to other players. You may include certain restrictions on full or split breeding permissions that Itona will enforce. Itona will enforce the following terms in all breeding permissions:
- No inbreeding.
- Permission being used with a specific Hound.
- Specific split litter instructions on split slots, as detailed below.
Itona cannot enforce terms such as:
- No reselling.
- No trading.
Split Litters
If you are breeding with another player's Hound you may be doing a split litter. This means that both players will receive puppies from the litter. In order to submit a split litter you must have a breeding permission to the other player's Hound that clearly lays out how the split will be conducted. You and the other player may split the litter in any way that you both agree upon, but exact details of the split must be explicitly listed in the breeding permission. Splits could involve one player taking the pick of the litter, and the other player taking the remainder, players taking alternating picks, or players taking snake style picks. For ease of writing permissions, Itona allows the below terms to be used in breeding permissions that have the following set meanings:
POTL Only
The player indicated will receive first pick of the litter, the other player will receive any remaining Hounds.
Alternating Pick
The players will submit picks in alternating order, with the submitting player taking the first pick, unless otherwise stated.
Snake Pick
The players will pick in A, B, B, A, A order, with the submitting player taking the first pick, unless otherwise state.
Other split methods are acceptable, as long as they are clearly detailed and enforcable by a third party. We will reject submissions that say things like "we will roll a dice to decide who recieve first pick" or "we will decide on pick method after the litter arrives." Only stipulations that are listed in the breeding permission can be enforced.
Homing Litters
Once a litter has been rolled if there is a sole owner the ownership of the phenotypes will be assigned to the submitter. In the event a split litter the submitter of the litter will need to submit a claim that details in the comment who each phenotype should be sent to.
Mutations
Mutations can occur in any litter. Mutations are simply genetic traits that neither parent has. Mutation can occur on any allele, from appearance to stats to instincts. Litters have a 1% chance to have a mutation occur in them, if no additional items or traits are influencing the mutation chance. Puppies in litters that have a mutation are noted with 'Mutant' in the slot name.
Twins
The average litter has a 1% chance at producing twins, if no additional items or traits are influencing the twin chance. Twins can stack, up to quadruplets. Twins are genetically identical in every way. Twins are noted with 'Twin' in the slot name.