Use the Species template to write about any group of organisms that consist of similar individuals typically capable of reproduction or exchanging genes among themselves. This includes different species of humanoids, animals, plants, fungi, and microorganisms!
Contents
What should I use this template for?
The species of your world, are an integral part of your worldbuilding. They enrich, interact and give life to your setting. Here are some example uses of the Species template!
Humanoids
Depending on your world and setting, there might be various humanoid species that co-exist. That could include typical fantasy humanoid species like humans, vampires, elves and dawrves or even more unique ones like orcs and trolls (in Lord of the Rings), super mutants and ghouls (in Fallout) and Twi'leks (in Star Wars).
For your individual characters and NPCs, you can use the Character template!
Sentient beings
Your species can also be sentient beings that are not humanoid. This means that they are creatures that have the capacity to experience positive and negative feelings such as pleasure, joy, pain and distress that matter to them as individuals. It may not necessarily imply higher cognitive functions such as awareness, reasoning, or complex thought processes. This includes most vertebrates like cats and pigs, but also other creatures like octopuses and lobsters.
Flora
Your species can also be more closely related to plant, bacterial, or fungal life. Some unique examples are the cordyceps fungus (it caused the zombie apocalypse in The Last of Us), elfroot (a plant with medicinal properties in Dragon Age), the white claudia (a mystical flower that was used to create the drug PTV in Sillent Hill) and the pod plant (a plant that sprays interlopers with peace-inducing and mind-controlling spores in Star Trek).
Microorganisms
Your species can also be organisms that can be seen only through a microscope (or other means!). Microorganisms include bacteria, protozoa, algae, and fungi. Some interesting examples are the cthulhu macrofasciculumque (it helps termites digest wood) and the midi-chlorians (microscopic, intelligent life forms in Star Wars).
Template walkthrough
Remember that all template prompts are optional! In fact some prompts might not be relevant to you. As always, there's a free-writing section at the top (which we call vignette) and the prompts are under the Expand prompts & connections button.
If you use the Parent Species field (for example, to define the evolutionary parentage of this species) or the Related Ethnicities field (for any cultural groups related to this species), an "organization tree" will be automatically generated at the bottom. This tree will visually represent all related species; learn more about it here.
The prompts are organized into three tabs:
- Generic
Use this tab to write about the basic details about the species, including the origin, anatomy and the biological cycle. This tab has multiple dropdowns in which you can link the species to other articles you've written, such as the Character that discovered/uncovered the existence of this species and the Geographic locations that this species can be encountered in. - Extended
Here you can fill in the species' characteristics and traits such as the average life span, intelligence and height. - Sapience
Use this tab to write about the social structure of the species, like its history and traditions.
Step-by-step guide to writing a species
Here are some steps you can follow to create your species:
- Why is it in your world?
The most important question you need to answer is: what's the role of this species in the worldbuilding/story you're writing? This is a meta question (i.e. it's out-of-world information), but it's very useful and will guide you through the rest of your creation process. By thinking about this first, you'll make sure that everything else (their characteristics, appearance, attitude, ideals...) are all well-integrated into the story. - What is it trying to achieve?
Or, in other words, what's the species' motivation and goals? Does it simply wish to survive, maintain its lifestyle or bring about change? Make sure that some of the things they cause or try to achieve are not part of the main plot; real-world species are multidimensional, so adding unrelated behaviors and goals will make your species feel more real. - How is it affecting everything else around it?
How does it interact with other species and the environment? Is it food for another organism? Is it bloodthirsty or civilized? Is it inteligent? Does it hold the secrets to the universe? Whatever that may be, it will create interactions with other species, which is essential to create rich and engaging worlds and stories that feel realistic.
Need more pointers? Take a look at these guides:
Community examples for inspiration
Need some inspiration? Here are some species articles written by our amazing community!
- Corvidan, by TJ Trewin
- satyrs, by Scalenex
- Androids, by LexiCon (WordiGirl)
- Edenbloom, by RiverFang
- Myrkild, by Fall
- Painted magpie, by Amélie I. S. Debruyne
