Primals and Handlers

Before we start, what even are Primals and handlers?
Primals are beasts that are owned by Prehistoria-ARPG, so the group itself. While they will never be for sale or trade, they can be used by players in various ways which we will explain later in this guide.
Handlers are humans or creatures that are created by the player themselves. There are some rules that have to be followed when creating them, but we will go into detail at the bottom of the page in the handler section. They are entirely optional and nobody has to create one if they do not want one!
 
Activity Bonuses
One thing both have in common are the bonuses they give for regular activities.
If you add a Primal or a handler in one of your regular activities (Hunting, Fishing, Discovery or Foraging) there will be a 10% chance for all other beasts to get an extra item on top of their regular roll. However, this chance cannot be increased by adding more handlers and / or Primals! Since Primals are official beasts within the group (even if they are group owned) they do count towards the limit of three (3) or four (4), if one of the beasts has a certain companion, beasts per entry.
Completing the Bonding Trials between a beast of yours and a Primal or handler will raise the 10% to 100%, which means your beast will gain an extra item in every entry the Primal or handler is present! This only affects the bonded beast though, all other beasts will still have the 10% chance.
You can find more information about Bonding Trials on our Trials page under “Bonding Trials”.

Primals
As already mentioned in our small intro above, Primals are used in quite a few ways, both by the group and players. Prehistoria-ARPG itself uses Primals mostly for randomly rolled lineages (Semi-Customs or abandoned babies do not have any official parents when being rolled for example) and as a base stock for every species and especially their species specific markings and mutations, so all players have a chance at gaining a beast with those markings by breeding.
Players can use Primals in a few ways as well though, so here is a small list with everything players can do with them as well as the rules surrounding it:
 
Activities
All Primals can be used in every type of activity except expeditions to gain loot, no matter if you already own a beast or not. Again, Primals will count towards the max number of allowed beasts per entry, how many you add in the end is up to you though!
If you want to get loot from a Primal you will have to add the same form as for player owned beasts in the description. You can use a global tracker or a tracker specifically for Primals, for more information on trackers please head over to our Tracker Guide.
Some Primals also have a special Primal Trait which affects all other beasts and often themselves as well. These traits mostly boost the rarity of items they bring back from activities. For more information and details have a look at our Trait page, which has a complete list of all Primal Traits.
In case of special events (mini games during one of our official yearly events like Shadow of Umbru for example) Primals can be used by players that do not own an uploaded beast yet so they can partake in the fun as well!
 
Breeding
Primals basically have an unlimited amount of slots which can be used by any player to breed them either with player owned beasts or other Primals. These slots can be gained in various ways, for example through ranking up with your beasts (see our Harmony Rank Guide for more information and the different rewards for each rank), Milestones (see our Milestone page for more information), sometimes during special events or through official sales.
All offspring of Primals have the chance to inherit a Primal Trait. This includes Primals that do not have a Primal Trait listed on their official Import! However, offspring can not pass it down to their litters. Only direct offpspring will have a chance at the trait.
Additional rules and information for breeding can be found in our Breeding Guide.

Handlers
Contrary to Primals, handlers are entirely made by players. However, there are some rules we have to make sure everything fits into our own lore and world.
You can find already created and accepted handlers in our Handlers refs folder over on deviantArt!
 
What can be a handler?
The general rule is, that any humanoid species that can hold reins and sit in a saddle or on a beasts back can be a handler.
One of the many and frequent questions that have been asked about handlers is, “Can my handler be a beast?”. Unfortunately, the answer is… no. Feral beasts can not be used as handlers as they do not adhere to the general rule above. They would not be able to handle and hold reins as a humanoid would. However, this still does not stop them from being friends!
 
With this mind, here are some acceptable and (mostly) lore friendly races for your handler:
– Archaic Humans (rough size: ~175cm / 5.7ft)
– Neanderthals (rough size: ~160cm / 5.2ft)
– Early Homo Sapiens (rough size: ~170cm to 180cm / 5.5 – 6ft)
– Humanoid Werewolves and other Were-Creatures
 
Even if your handler does not fit into the list above, you may still use them as long as they fit the general rule. Species and races made up by the player or an alien OC for example may be used as well. But keep in mind that they are still bound to Prehistoria’s rules when being used for Harmony Prompts and other images such as activities.
Please be aware that handlers can be something very personal and private as well as not every player has the same view on the lore and world of Prehistoria as others. While some might refuse to use any were-creature as handler due to a very realistic view on the world, others might only have were-creatures because their view on the world is more about fantasy.
 
Players may give their handlers special abilities as well. These can range from extraordinary strength to incredible speed or eyesight.
There are two abilities we have rules for though: time travel and shapeshifting.
– While time traveller may share their knowledge or tell others some interesting stories, they still have to follow the rules under the next section, Handler Apparel and Theme!
– Shapeshifters may shapeshift into an official Prehistoria beast (like Ilaat and Sorlak for example). However, for activities, Harmony Prompts and Themes, Trials and everything else giving loot or bonuses, they have to be in their beast form! The humanoid form may be used as Handler for other beasts.
 
Last but not least: age restrictions.
Generally it is allowed to have children as handlers and use them in Harmony Prompts and Themes. However, when it comes to activity entries or the Bonding Trials, handlers need to be at least 10 years old! We came to the desicion to set a minimum age as we cannot see an infant handling a beast the way it is necessary for activities like hunting or for what is asked during the Bonding Trial.
 
Handler apparel and theme
There are many outfits and styles that will work as clothing for your new handler, but there are a few things that do not work. These are items like:
– Futuristic metals
– Guns and Lasers
– Modern day apparel, like sneakers, sunglasses, etc.
– Futuristic technology
 
But what is allowed? Hide and fur is normally a good start and probably one of those things poeple in prehistoric times got their hands on rather easily. The same goes for bones and wood. Bronze, iron, gold, and other metals that were easy enough to smelt and work on are okay as well in the Prehistoria universe. Please keep in mind, that only small things such as small bells, rings or amulets can be made in our world. We are a bit more progressive than the real world prehistoric times, but not as progressive that it is possible to create something extremely big out of metal. The main source is still stone, wood and the likes for many things.
If you need any more ideas on acceptable materials to create an outfit from, here is a small list with suggestions:
– Seashells or Marine Shells
– Flowers, Leaves, Twigs
– Claws or Teeth
 
Above we wrote that time travellers are allowed in Prehistoria, so you might ask yourself, what if they saw clothes they liked in another era?
Well, as long as the apparel can be created with the materials they have in prehistorian times (see above) it’s absolutely okay! But please remember, nothing too modern, too complicated and detailed, as it would not be possible to do these things with prehistorian tools!