Ranked Pack RP !Full Explanation! (Complete)

[ShadowMT13]

Ever wanted to join a ranked wolf pack rp, but were unsure what to believe and what not too? Welp then you have come to the right place! Here I will explain all that I can think off that has to do with Ranked Pack RPs, please do note though before we start that if you disagree with a rule or fact about the roleplay that is completely find and don't worry not all people rp the same way, this guide is only for those who want a vary strict and realistic wolf pack rp! But others who host rps may be less strict and more lenient than the ones this guide is for. Just to be clear though as I stated it is fine if you disagree with a fact in this guide, but by no means do I want anyone starting stuff in the comments, you can give your thank you and/or express it if you didn't know something, but the more opinionated of us should try not to bother with the commenting if you are someone who has a very strict ideal that you defend tooth and claw. We don't need fighting here and like I said this is only for those of you who want a much more STRICT and REALISTIC rp. Now that all of that was said and done, let's get into the tutorial shall we?

(Note that all art is from my DA, I added it just so this guide would not look so boring XD)

Understanding Ranks

In wolf packs there actually are no ranks other than leader now and days, since people who studied wolves stopped using the ranking system to organize pack behavior when researching recently, but since this is about the rp not entirely about real life we are going to cover this! So as most are aware in a ranked pack there are the alpha male and the alpha female who lead the pack, below them are other pack members who all have their own individual ranks as well. Depending on who you rp with sometimes the rules will vary though this guide is about how to be as realistic as possible and rp it "right". Below I will list Ranks from highest to lowest and give information on these ranks which will include jobs, definition, and pack rights they have at this rank, alone with a few facts about it! So here we go!

Alpha

The alpha rank is the rank given to the leader(s) of the pack, each strong and successful pack has a total of two alphas, one male and one female, these two act as the leaders, the breeding pair, and the protectors of their family which is their pack. A good alpha is fair and just, but not a pushover, and are meant to be the most willful and proud of the pack. Alphas must lead with courage, will power, and love while also being able to put their packmates in their place if necessary. Alphas in many ways are the head of the family or pack.

Jobs: Leading and Protecting the pack, breeding and raising the pups, defending the territory and the pack at all costs, making the right decisions for the pack when in hard times and disasters.

Rights: The alpha does not have to take orders from their pack members, the alpha male has the right to breed with multiple females, the alpha has the right to punish any packmates as they see fit as long as they are fair, the alpha is allowed to travel far from the territory to search for mates or scout out better homes for the pack provided they leave the next highest ranking member in charge while they are gone and do return before a month is up.


Beta

The beta is the second in command and the right hand to the Alphas. In a pack typically there can be up to two betas, one male and one female. The beta acts as a type of council for the alpha and help in decision making when the Alpha is at odds of what they should do in certain situations, they also act as a guard to the alpha and are the first to attack if their alpha is threatened. Betas also help in keeping order within the pack and have the right to discipline packmates who are acting out in the same way the alpha can with the only difference being that they can not kill their packmates whereas the alpha can choose to end a packmate if they become way too much of a problem and are causing chaos in the pack.

Jobs: Defending the territory the den and the alpha, Disciplining unruly packmates, Helping make decisions for the pack when the alpha is unsure what to do, Attacking and/or intercepting predators and enemies when they cross into the pack's territory, Guarding the den when the pack is out hunting and they stay behind, Helping the alpha in dealing with encounters with Loners.

Rights: The beta can not be bossed around quite as much by the alpha, the beta has the right to become mates with another higher ranking packmate, the beta may take over the pack and assume the alpha rank if their alpha is killed or abandons the pack becoming next alpha, the beta may have pups with a member of the pack, the beta may have more freedom than other pack members.


Delta

The delta is the lead hunter of the pack and are responsible for leading pack members into the hunt when it comes time to bring home food to feed the hungry pack. The delta is known for their superior hunting skills that out match some of the strongest wolves in the pack, they are essential if the pack is to eat. The delta needs to know not to over hunt and must be a trustworthy member of the pack, they must also have enough self control to not just run at anything that looks at them the wrong way. Deltas are typically strong willed hunters and vary brave, their passion is to hunt and they do a superb job of it. The delta however does need to ask the alpha before going hunting to get approval and to makes sure they don't kill more than they can eat. Typically there is only one Delta, but some people rp allowed one male and one female though this is not the "proper" way it is done.

Jobs: Leading hunting parties when they are told to go hunt for the pack, Coming up with strategies during hunting and sometimes even pack wars, helping care for pups, protecting the pack's "food supply".

Rights: The delta may hunt whenever it is necessary, the delta may become mates with another pack member though are not allowed to have pups unless their mate is beta or alpha, the delta may help make choices for the pack regarding food and other needed resources.


Hunter

This rank is not always applied but some do use it, in realistic packs everyone hunts except the omega though again depending on who you rp with, that will determine if this rank is applied to rp. The hunters are the pack members known for their superior hunting skills, they follow the delta into the hunt when food is needed. The hunters though not having many other jobs other than hunting when needed, are called upon during territory wars and pack wars since they do have a considerable amount of strength to them and typically are good at planning and plotting. A good hunter must be strong willed, acceptably strong, and have a considerable amount of intelligence, they must also be loyal and obedient. There can be more than one hunter in a pack.

Jobs: Helping hunt for the pack, Helping raise pups.

Rights: The hunter may not become mates with any other pack members, the Hunter may not have pups with any other wolf pack or outsider, The hunter has the right to help vote on decisions regarding food and resources.


Scout

The scout is not a real rank though it is sometime applied in rp. Scouts do exactly what they sound like, they are the lookout for the pack and scout out the territory for loners, predators such as bears and cougars, and gangs of wolves looking for trouble. When the scout spots danger they howl signalling the pack, usually then the Alpha or the Beta will respond and come to their call ready to fight. There can be more than one scout in a pack. Scouts have to be extremely loyal and trustworthy, they also must have some level of bravery and strength should they have to defend them self.

Jobs: Scouting the territory for threats and danger, Helping with raising pups.

Rights: The scout may not have a mate at all under any circumstance, the scout is not allowed to have any pups with any wolf, the scout has the right to try fighting an enemy on their own but should choose their battles carefully.


Pups/Yearlings

These are the kids and teenagers of the pack, they have yet to be given a rank and are usually tested and trained once they reach the yearling stage or teenager stage. Pups are considered pack members from stages newborn to child and yearlings are considered stages pre-teen to teenager (1yr at the oldest), once a pup becomes a yearling they will be tested by the alphas and the betas to figure out what rank would be best suited for them in the pack. Children of the alphas usually grow up to become the next betas when the current betas become to old, the oldest son of the alphas will be named heir and become the next alpha male, though if the alphas are unable to conceive a son their oldest daughter will become heir and then once old enough they will be told to choose on of the higher ranking male members as their mate to take the place as alpha male next to their daughter alpha female.

Job: None

Rights: None until yearling


Omega

The omega in some regards is thought of as the weak link in a pack, but this is not the case, though the Omega is the weakest and lowest ranking member in the pack they are essential to keeping the peace in the pack and helping break up fights between packmates. The omega is sworn to the pack's service and as such can be killed easily by the pack if they disobey or try running away, the omega rank in many way is kind of a prison sentence, but that depends on what you do with your life if you're as an omega, you can either sit around and be miserable just waiting for the next wolf to pick on you or you can be a better wolf and actually participate in the pack and actually socialize with them and give them a reason to enjoy your presence instead of making yourself out to be the packs dead weight so to speak. There is only one omega per pack.

Job: Breaking up fights, acting as a stress reliever for higher ranking members, easing the pack's mood and making them more happy and content, Helping raise pups.

Rights: The omega must stay with the pack or risk being killed, the omega may not have pups or claim a mate, the omega has the right to freely wander the territory until they are summoned by a higher ranking pack member, the omega has the right to prove them self and be ranked up to scout.

Understanding Wolf Pack law

Now in this part we will discuss how things work in a wolf pack and also in this rp in general looking at it through a wolf-like point of view! Wolf pack law is a set of rules that should be applied to any realistic wolf pack rp, these rules give a certain structure to roleplay that some other people just don't have in their rp and sometimes this is not always a good thing not to have structure in rp games. Now one I have seen a lot of in various games where there is a lot of rp, one being wolfquest, is that people seem to really enjoy having ridiculously over sized territories and land their pack own regardless of their packs size, strength, and population building, this however is really quite annoying and honestly unfair or at least in my opinion. Being in so many rps ran by amateurs and just kids that don't really take stuff into consideration, I have seen the problems these things can cause both in rp and out. This will basically discuss "rules of the wild" so to say, so let's get into it now that I gave you a briefing on this section!

Law #1: If your pack is small so is your territory. This mean your territory size needs to be sensible when rping pack rps, if you have only 4 pack members at the moment plus your alpha making 5 then your territory should be rather small, a pack of 5 has no reason to be patrolling a territory much bigger than necessary. Also looking at this from a wolf point of view what happens when your small pack's huge territory becomes invaded by a rival pack with much more members, trying to win your territory? Welp for one you're out numbered and two your pack will either be killed or forced out of the area. No reason your pack should be giving themselves the extra hell of trying to keep control of an area much bigger than needed at the moment anyways.

Law #2: Wolves have NO concept of sexuality or gender. I can't count how many times I have seen people coming into wolf rps but their description reads that their wolf OC is gay, bi, ect. There is nothing wrong with playing as a gay character at all and in most rps that the main characters are humans it is 100% okay and makes sense, but when you bring about the fact that it is wolf rp, sexuality stating becomes annoying since wolves don't have a concept of sexuality or gender identity they just are what they are. And to be clear when I state you should not be giving your wolf a sexuality or secondary gender I mean ANY sexuality and gender identity rather it is straight, gay, bi, ect. for sexuality or trans, queer, ect. for genders. Wolves do not think like this or even consider that, so all and all you should keep the sexuality and gender identities for the OCs that are human, not animal. Lastly before you call me a homophobe and rant like a dumby, save your breath because I am a supporter of LBG and T and rp has nothing to do with my preferences in real life. I can guarantee you if you see a male wolf humping another male wolf, trust me they are not even considering each other's gender and the only thing going through their mind is "hump, hump, hump!" so don't even bother trying to disprove this, nothing has been proven that a wolf can be gay, only thing that has been proven is exactly what I stated here.

Law #3: Over hunting would mean the death of your pack. Yes you heard right, over hunting would mean the death of your pack, so don't only rp hunting, because this is a dumb choice if you are actually an rper and actually think about what you rp. (Also I hope one day hunting will be brought to FeralHeart! I would love that :3)

The Basis of a Territory

In this section I will explain to you what I call the "Basis of a territory" what I mean by this is what is required for someone to have a territory in a wolf rp and what actually makes a territory. Once again I am going to remind you that this guide is only for rping at it's maximum realism, so if you disagree that is fine but don't bother getting all pissy in the comments please, thank you! Now much needs to be said about what it means to have a territory but there are certain little tidbits about what a territory actually is and who can have one in the wonderful world of wolves! So without further interruption I will start getting into this! Onwards!

What is a territory?

A territory is a home or a plot of land owned by a pack or pride, in this case it would be owned by a pack. Territories are like the villages but for animals, territory size depends on the amount of wolves in the pack and how strong of a pack they are. They can be claimed in two ways, one way is through residence meaning the territory was once your den site and where you raised and birthed the very first members of your pack, once your pack became bigger your pack would usually start spanning out and patrolling a larger part of land stemming off from the den site that was in many ways and quite literally the birthplace of your pack. The second way is through voyage and conquer, this means that your pack may of left the den site after and went in search of a larger and more lively territory, your pack could fight another pack for claim upon the territory, if you won the territory would be your's and the old pack would move out of the area or some would stay and be part of your pack while others would leave and find a new home. That my friends is a quick definition of a territory or at least a wolf pack rp definition of one!

What are the requirement for a territory?

The requirements for something to be an official territory are as followed.

-A den site for breeding and then raising the pups.

-A decent amount of food either near by or within the supposed territory.

-A Pack. Loners technically can not claim a territory because they are only one strong and not to mention loners roam and are not suppose to settle down for long, they don't fight for a territory because quite honestly it is a lost cause if a loner tried patrolling a territory all by their self and with no pack.

What about mates that are growing their pack?

A mating pair would typically not start trying to build up a territory until their pups are at least yearlings, until then the only territory they would have is a den site. If they chose to stay, the den site would be spanned out into a territory as I mentioned above.

   
       

[ShadowMT13]

I will add more if I think of anything I missed. But for now I am pronouncing this as done! *Pops confetti blaster* (OwO)/ Thanks for reading and hope this was helpful, I worked hard on it!