Bellosh

Those names only apply for D&D/Pathfinder-based settings though.

Eh, most people today would never think to associate a ram's head with a cat-bodied sphinx. At least with the goat-headed centaurs of MLP, goats and horses are fellow ungulates. Possibly then with a sphinx, what we actually need is the head of a fellow mammalian carnivore. But then, we'd have to settle on which carnivore head to choose from, and bleh. No matter what the RPH sphinx ruling will be, I'm sure not everyone will be satisfied.

I thought Tirek was just... Tirek. His g1 counterpart is essentially just an evil monster, and his current counterpart, beyond four legs and torso, is more apt to be a demon than a centaur. Since he's not really a centaur per se, his bull head worked out and explained his demon horns.

The MLP showrunners say Lord Tirek is a centaur, so there's that.

And once the wings are gone, it's sort of just become a new chimeric mixture with no real origin. Even calling it a sphinx at that point is a stretch.

Again, what exactly a sphinx is varies quite a bit by historical culture. I would be more accommodating of a sphinx based off the Greek model myself, but for extended-canon species, I'd like to keep each one we approve of as standardized as possible. Hmmm.... I may have to consult my colleagues about this matter. We'll see how it goes.....

How's the app rewrite coming along?

As I already said in that post you quoted, the WoE Species List permits players to app young sea serpents.

PS: The thought occurred to me that perhaps WoE sphinxes could have the heads of Saddle Arabian horses, since the Saddle Arabian region is a good fit for a sphinx rather than the overcrowded Equestrian continent. It'll mean the sphinx's body will have to be taller and leaner than a pony's body to make the head look right, but I'm confident this hybrid arrangement will work out. Any objections?

Oh, I'm also going to recommend that WoE sphinxes should NOT have wings, which will make these guys appropriately resemble the Egyptian Sphinx (ie. the Great Sphinx of Giza) more than their Greek-style counterparts. Again, feedback is appreciated.

UPDATE: To make sure I don't have to make rulings for the same species over and over again, I added a list of rulings to the OP. And here's my codified thoughts on cultures:

Cultures in General: Character applications are not allowed to describe a culture that extends beyond a character's local community. If you really want to introduce a regional culture for WoE that is not described by WoE Lore, it will have to be done with the approval and OOC collaboration of your fellow roleplayers. Everyone has the right to reject or ignore any WoE culture-building not based off the TV show or our official site Lore.

That is beyond the scope of our extended-canon species initiative. Cultures like those of Whitescar or Maretonia involve more than a species; they need locations on the WoE map that inform how their societies develop. And at this time, we are not prepared to force players into accepting the presence of major cultures that are not described in our Lore.

That's a culture you're talking about, not a species. With adequate justification, players can app OCs with traits inspired by Huns or Mongols.

Sorry I've been AWOL these last couple days. I've..... been distracted.

Qilin: Personally, I'd think they'd make a good WoE species too. The only black mark against them is that currently, we don't have a realm inspired by the Far East on our map, meaning they lack an obvious homeland. I suppose you folks will have to settle for immigrant communities within cosmopolitan cities, or something. 

Sphinx: I suppose Zeig has a point about giving it a horse-head, but I'm still iffy on the aesthetics of it. You know, I'll get back to you folk about sphinxes. XD

Kelpie: The "kelpies" described on our species list were the result of an ancient compromise regarding how WoE seaponies would look like. This was long before we adopted the current seapony lore we have in place today. If it was up to me, I'd say go ahead and make your kelpie OC more like the actual real-life myths. Ie. a shape-shifting being that's essentially a water-changeling.

Windigo, Timberwolf, & ADULT Sea Serpent: All three already banned from being apped on our Species List. Please read the list to make sure what you're proposing isn't already restricted. Juvenile sea serpents and Steven Magnet are okay though.

Siren & Centaur: They have enough of a precedent in FiM material to be permitted as extended-canon species.

Ork: How about NO? Bad Pinchy, you go sit in the corner!

Abada: We've already approved one Abada app actually! I actually urge all of you to read the app and our Staff feedback right now; you'll get a sense of what to do and what not to do when you're apping an extended-canon species. Try to strip your species idea down to its most basic and essential physical components, and never assume anything about how the rest of the species lives.

Hypothetical Barbarian Species: i have to say no, on account of what I wrote just above. For Lore reasons, you can't assume that one extended-canon species is comprised of mostly barbarians.

Thing is, mythology-based MLP creatures have human features removed as part of the setting. Actual centaurs for example have human heads, but MLP centaurs don't. To fit in a MLP-style setting, a sphinx in World of Equestria would have to undergo a similar redesign.

What about a sphinx? Cat faced to avoid having humans involved? Possibly with some kind of Egyptian society attached, tend to be obsessive about some passion or other and like to make gambles, dares, and bets?

The only other thing that might jump to mind is a Fire Pony, something similar in appearance to a D&D Nightmare, sort of completing the elemental pony schema, possibly living in a lush volcanic valley lost to time, discovered again by modern ponies or forced to leave due to some great disaster. Abilities would obviously involve fire in one way or another, with a likely immunity.

It's funny that you mention Egyptian societies; one of our unique WoE locations is modeled after the ruins of ancient Egypt. I think it'd be sensible to give a cat face to any sphinxes in WoE and have them come from the Saddle Arabian continent, but other than basic physical description, you'll have to avoid assigning attributes to the entire species. Without official lore backing up, RPH is powerless to enforce anyone's cultural vision for an extended-canon species as the WoE-wide reality.

I'm going to have to shoot down the Fire Pony idea. The major MLP pony types were not made with an elemental schema in mind, and to the best of my knowledge, a Fire Pony has no basis in real-world mythology or even past MLP generations. To prevent players from creating OP species, we can't allow species that are made from scratch.

Recommending this app for second review.

Could we let  species such as sea ponies or Hippocamps back in? There were sea ponies in the comics and we allow comic characters

Seaponies/hippocampi are already in our WoE Lore.

What about MLP gen 1 stuff? Bushwoolies, Flutterponies, etc.?

I assume that Breezies are the G4 upgrade of the Flutterpony concept. As for Bushwoolies, the only thing I seem to be able to find on them are that they're "incapable of independent thought; thinking, speaking and acting as a group." To me, that doesn't bode well for the RP viability of a playable species.

Uhhhhh, nimbats? Sadly Rose, I don't think we can let species into WoE if they were designed for commercially-owned IPs other than MLP.

As most of you know, we now permit players to write character applications for extended-canon species: those that either don't appear in MLP or are otherwise not listed in our species list. However, there are considerable limits on which extended species we'll allow into World of Equestria to ensure we don't get an influx of overpowered or special-snowflake characters. So when making your pitches, here are some ground rules to keep in mind:

1. Before making any sort of pitch, please check the Playable Species List to see what species we already permit or don't permit.
2. Also check the Provisional Rulings down below to see what's been already suggested.
3. It's preferred that you make a pitch only if you plan on actually apping that species in WoE.
4. If your pitched species has traits that an ungulate would potentially have, it's more likely that RPH will approve it.
5. We welcome species with a basis in real-world mythology, but RPH will be wary of OP traits like long lifespans or possessing other beings. Depending on their historically recognized attributes, mythological species may be allowed to utilize a magical ability present in an official WoE species.
6. Please do not pitch species that are either fan-made or belong to an intellectual property not connected with MLP.
7. The best species concepts are those understandable by players without RPH having to write Lore to establish gameplay boundaries. If your concept requires RPH to spend time figuring out how it can fit into WoE, it's already failed.

With the above pointers in mind, don't feel shy asking about an extended-canon species that you have a genuine craving to app.

-------------

RPH Provisional Rulings On Extended-Canon Species (Last Updated: 6/8)

When you get the chance, please notify us if you intend to keep this application thread active.

Is this app supposed to be [Ready] or [WiP]?

Right, so here's a list of many past Royal Equestrian Guard RPs. Not all of them were ever completed; heck, most of them went unfinished. But you'll have a fun read nonetheless. ^_^

(7/11) The Night Watch - Radiant Steel and Bonfire encounter two suspicious ponies

(4/12) Colts Will Be Colts - Reveille and Bonfire deal with a troublesome recruit

(1/13) An Eventful First Day - Sterling Silver's first shift as a royal guard

(5/13) Photos in the Foyer - Princess Luna poses with guard ponies for photos

(5/13) The Dance Floor - The guards get to dance with one another

(9/13) Ponies at the Gate - Flash Sentry and Radiant Steel pull guard duty at the Gala

(10/13) Under Her Wing - Night Watcher introduces a rookie to Lunar Guard life

(10/13) Chariot Down - Pummel and Radiant Steel fight off a changeling ambush

(10/13) Welcome to Boot Camp - Civilians are invited to participate in a boot camp program

(2/14) Fort Trots - Task Force Suntrot assembles for the first time

(2/14) Fort Drogan - Task Force Suntrot garrisons an inhospitable hellscape

(1/15) A Blow to the Heart of an Empire - Shining Armor duels the resurrected King Sombra

(1/16) The Changing of Guards - A summit is called to debate the future course of the Royal Equestrian Guard
(1/16) [sombra War AU] Fire and Sword - Only a small Army task force stands between a rural village and its destruction
(1/16) [sombra War AU] Only Hope - The HMS Endurance braves hostile winter seas to deliver relief supplies

Nice list Magi! I'd say add in the Crystal Guard as well; the soldiers of the Crystal Empire deserve recognition too.

PS: Give me time, and I'll be able to compile a list of those past REG RPs that made it to the finish. Need to provide the troops with their history, you know!

Is this app supposed to be [Ready] or [WiP]?

Moving this app along to second review.

Moving this app along to second review.

To Zecora, I say welcome back. I should shut up, or else get a smack.

My old Derpy Hooves app is still around there somewhere, right? 

I'll be out of town from Wednesday to Friday, so don't fear if I somehow mysteriously vanish off the face of the Earth.