Digimon

Digimon – a portmanteau of the words "digital monster" – are an extremely diverse species of bio-electronic lifeform that serve as the native inhabitants of their own home universe, the Digital World, where virtually all of them originate from. The term is both in the singular and plural senses and refers to an individual member of a species or a collective species in whole; very rarely is there ever an applicable instance when they are called "Digimons".

No one is certain as to precisely how these mysterious entities originally came into being, or even the underlying reasons behind such a groundbreaking event, but one thing can be said for certain: the existence of Digimon is undoubtedly connected with that of the human species.

There are a truly countless variety of Digimon species to consider here, many of which imitate aspects and characteristics of the plants and animals that can be found in our own world, while some are completely mechanical or robotic in nature, or perhaps they even skirt the realm of the supernatural.

Regardless of these differences, roughly every species of Digimon are generally capable of exhibiting some measure of human-like sapience and intellect, including the ability to hold a dialogue and express their thoughts or feelings in equally unique and complex ways. Those that do not, well, this speaks for itself.

There are even instances when a Digimon naturally emerges as an altered, corrupted, augmented, weaker, or otherwise slightly different version of the species it was intended to emulate; these are referred to as a "Subspecies", and such existences are almost entirely determined by environmental factors. Acceptable examples of Digimon subspecies are:

- Any Digimon with the X-Antibody, e.g., WereGarurumon X - Alterations of an existing Digimon species, e.g., VictoryGreymon. - Recolorations of an existing Digimon species, e.g., Panjyamon.

Please bear in mind that simply replacing the nomenclature of an existing subspecies of Digimon is strictly prohibited; calling a GeoGreymon "NeoGreymon", for example, is not allowed. Like any other aspect of profile creation, the staff reserves the right to accept or deny your subspecies if it does not meet our expectations.

• NOTE: We at PRODIGIOUS™ do not permit the use of "gender-bending" for the creation of a Digimon subspecies, like adding breasts to a Leomon to make it appear female or removing Rosemon's to give it a male-type form, as this deeply betrays our intentions to preserve and maintain the original spirit of the source material. More on this matter is explained in greater detail below.

The concept of gender is entirely a foreign one for Digimon, both in the physical and psychological sense of the term; a truly large percentage of these creatures are ambiguous in their appearances (e.g., Garudamon), and you will quickly find that all of them find it unnecessary to devote special attention to this topic, even during instances when this might prove troublesome to those who are emotionally or cognitively dependent on such avenues.

While there are indeed some species of Digimon whose naming scheme, vocal intonations, mannerisms, or even their visual imagery might express or imply notions of masculinity or femininity (e.g., Angemon, Angewomon), these distinctions are, again, entirely redundant from a Digimon's standpoint – under most circumstances, individual specimens are referred to by the impersonal pronoun "it", as this leaves little room for the imagination to run rampant, whereas the use of "he" or "she" is entirely for human convenience.

Furthermore, the lack of any clear definition between "male" and "female" also illustrates another important feature of general Digimon biology: they possess no genitalia whatsoever and, as such, do not engage in sexual reproduction – such a ritual is actually perceived as bizarre, confusing, or even pointless to most Digimon.

As for precisely how new Digimon are created, this is accomplished by means of a universal data recycling program encoded directly into the Digital World's macroglobal operations; ambient data from all across the Network is filtered, processed, and formatted to spontaneously become a Digi-Egg.

On a similar front, Digimon do not experience death the same way a human person might; their nature as bio-electronic organisms means that their data is ultimately reconfigurable, thereby permitting a much longer lifespan by comparison. However, certain programming restrictions typically prevent them from naturally growing beyond the Champion level.

When a Digimon becomes too old or receives a fatal injury in battle, they simply dissolve into a burst of data. This is called "deletion" and, in the broadest possible sense, usually refers to the general and immediate termination of a particular individual.

That said, a deleted Digimon is not permanently lost – at least, not right away. Much like how a brand-new Digimon is created, if a deleted Digimon's data is left undisturbed, the Digital World will filter these particles back into the Source Code and, following this, reformat the coding into a Digi-Egg. It is not unheard of for a Digimon reborn in this way to discover that they have come back as a different species, or with fragmentary memories of their former life.

The only instance where a Digimon would be considered immutably dead would be if their data was somehow prohibited from returning to the Source Code; normally, this would require another Digimon to download a deleted Digimon's programming data into itself, but this is considered an act of predation and is frowned upon in most societies that model themselves with some modicum of civility or decency. Even animal-like Digimon such as Sangloupmon or Greymon, which can demonstrate behavior closely resembling a primitive or instinctual mindset, are also capable of displaying the full range of attributes necessary for cognitive sapience.

Each species of Digimon receives a number of taxonomic classifications that aim to provide a comprehensive understanding of their nature as living, breathing creatures.

When examining a Digimon species in detail, the first element to fall under scrutiny is their registered "Attribute", which can be listed as one of the following categories: Data; Virus; or Vaccine. These attributes play a minor role in determining an individual's final offensive capabilities, but they bear a much wider degree of influence on their default range of personality traits.

Digimon of the Data attribute are the most numerous kind to populate the Digital World and lack any ulterior motive to their default programming; as such, they are equally inclined towards either heroism or villainy, order or chaos, and often place a great deal of emphasis on their own personal freedoms before their willingness to adhere to a lofty set of ideals. Because of this live-and-let-live attitude, many Virus Digimon deign to make them an easy snack.

Virus Digimon are thought to have resulted from an error in the reformatting process or developed from a stray mutation in their original programming code. Nearly all of them display a kind of instinctive drive that compels them to seek out and accrue power, leading the worst cases to become something closer to a mindless predator. Their inclination for aggression and hostility often causes them to be a target of Vaccine Digimon.

On the other hand, Vaccine Digimon are speculated to have been introduced to the reformatting process in direct response to a supposed threat said to have been caused by the very emergence of Virus Digimon. This innate tension directly translates over into their formidable sense of personal virtue, allowing them to take the fight to any perceived threat with nothing less than total conviction – a kind of self-righteousness that puts off many Data Digimon.

Keep in mind that nothing is ever set in stone, and this also rings true in the case of Attributes; a Digimon classified under the Virus attribute is just as capable of committing themselves to the path of a hero as much as a Vaccine Digimon is able to align themselves towards a more nefarious purpose.

Next on the list is a Digimon's assigned "Field", also referred to as a "Family" in most cases, which represents an overarching theme, element, quality, or aspect that is shared by numerous other species of Digimon belonging to the same Field. It is not uncommon for Digimon to belong to more than one Field, but it is not permissible to embody or belong to all of them at the same time. Less frequently, a Digimon's Field may also refer to its preferred environmental habitats.

Dragon's Roar  [DR] Digimon that fall under this Field are almost always bound to be dragons, wyverns, saurians, or closely associated with the Fire affinity.

Deep Savers  [DS] Digimon belonging to this Field are deeply affiliated with the oceans, lakes, rivers, and other such bodies of water where aquatic life thrives; alternatively, some Digimon possess an inherent connection to the powers of ice and cold, instead.

Dark Area  [DA] Digimon that are represented by this Field are usually depicted as demonic, terrifying, evil, or villainous-looking creatures that have an innate connection to the powers of corruption and atrophy.

Virus Busters  [VB] Digimon categorized by this Field often appear as figures or beings associated with heroism, valor, holiness, or the powers of light, the sky, and the heavens.

Metal Empire  [ME] Digimon affiliated with this Field are predominately synthetic, robotic, cybernetic, or mechanical in their appearance and mannerisms, and in the rarest of cases, this also incorporates species of an entirely artificial nature.

Nature Spirits  [NSp] Digimon that belong to this Field are usually of an animal or beastly nature, as well as those that bear a connection to the Earth affinity or, more broadly, the untamed wilderness as a general concept.

Nightmare Soldiers  [NSo] Digimon of this particular Field end up taking on elements of the supernatural; ghosts, demons, vampires, and a wide assortment of other "spooky" creatures, including mystical spirits and other such beings, can be classified as such.

Wind Guardians  [WG] Digimon that fall under this Field are heavily associated with the Wind affinity, and typically assume an avian physiology or feature some potential for flight. These are also Digimon known for living in wide, open spaces or lofty areas.

Jungle Troopers  [JT] Digimon belonging to this Field tend to be of a plant-based or insectoid phenotype, and tend to gravitate towards dense tropical regions.

Unknown  [UK] Digimon of this Field are difficult to classify into any of the above Fields for any number of reasons, and is home to a sizable proportion of strange and bizarre mutant-types.

Finally, a Digimon receives a "Type" that best expresses their physical characteristics. For example, Greymon is of the Dinosaur Type, whereas WarGreymon is classified as a Dragon Man Type. No matter the circumstances, all Digimon are given a single one of these – they cannot possess two or more Types at once.

In the event there is a visible blend of qualities or aspects that would otherwise prevent a Digimon from being appropriately categorized, it qualifies as a Hybrid Type instead; the most outstanding example of this is Kimeramon, a literal juxtaposition of several Digimon and their respective Types, while another example, DORUmon, can be seen as a combination between Beast and Reptile Types.

Each level in a Digimon's growth chain is given a set number of moves they are able to learn by default, split into either "passive" or "active" moves. Passive moves remain in constant effect and cannot be "shut off", as it were, while active moves are traditionally represented in the form of signature attacks, techniques, or abilities that must be called out to be used. Fresh: 1 In-Training: 1 Rookie: 1 Champion: 2 Ultimate: 3 Mega: 4

PRODIGIOUS™ does offer the opportunity to purchase extra attacks for your Digimon's individual forms, if desired, and there is no limit to the number of moves they can retain. Please be sure to redeem such purchases in the Notifications Thread, along with a description of your new move and the form you would like to append it to, and a staff member will make the appropriate edits.

Another important matter to discuss regards the use of certain creatures and concepts that, for lack of a better way to put it, are entirely unsuited for normal player use. We have provided a list of Digimon, or ideas that have been included in the franchise, that are strictly prohibited and cannot be utilized at any given time, by any character or player, under any circumstances – this also means that players cannot create a Subspecies based on anything included on this list, either.

The following is currently forbidden unless otherwise specified and verified by PRODIGIOUS™ staff: Fanglongmon Azulongmon Zhuqiaomon Baihumon Ebonwumon Quartzmon Parallelmon Metamormon Apocalymon Ogudomon Chaosmon UltimateChaosmon Death-X-mon Millenniumon ZeedMillenniumon Moon=Millenniumon GranDracmon ElDoradimon Any "non-Digimon", e.g. the D-Reaper, Eaters, etc Any of these, with a small handful of exceptions

With this said, we have attempted to keep this list as small as feasibly possible to promote the widest amount of flexibility when it comes to creating the ideal Digivolution line. For instance, if you want to use the Rookie form of Lucemon as your Tamer's partner – or even as a solo Digimon – then you are certainly entitled to!

However, PRODIGIOUS™ has made these decisions with the hopes of preserving and maintaining some measure of singularity regarding the existence of certain Digimon that are commonly depicted as unique, or those normally portrayed as being part of a group that is equally individualized in this same aspect.

If a player wishes to use a particular Digimon that is usually defined as such, the established canon material does not apply to them here. Your Omnimon, for example, will almost certainly never be able to stand on equal footing or surpass the same Omnimon that holds the prestige of being the commander of the Royal Knights, nor is your Mihiramon the same one that serves the Sovereign Azulongmon, and so on and so forth.

Listed below are a series of Digimon collectives that cannot be incorporated into a player Digimon, reserved strictly for use by PRODIGIOUS™ staff as world-building and/or narrative devices, and are treated as both one-of-a-kind and vastly more powerful than their player-controlled counterparts or duplicates: BAN-TYO The Big Death-Star Generals The Crack Team The D-Brigade The Dark Masters The Digimon King, and all related or similar titles The Twelve Deva Guardians The Four Dragon Kings The Four Holy Sovereigns The Olympus Twelve, official or not The Order of the Royal Knights, official or not The Seven Great Demon Lords, official or not The Three Gods of Destruction The Three Great Angels The Three Head Officers The Three Musketeers The Ten Ancient Warriors of Legend

A final note to consider: while much of the information listed above might appear daunting to sit down and process at great length, or even nonsensical, we at PRODIGIOUS™ must iterate the importance of reaching out to one of our staff members in the event you have any questions regarding any of these features.