The Persona: Soul Paradigm Compendium

[Alice]

Hello, hello, all of you mortal flesh-sacks. This thread is both a general information depository and a FAQ to address any unique issues or questions that might come up during the length of our run. It's entirely supplementary and unnecessary, but if you have a question that's not covered by the rules, or if you're wondering about something and you don't want to dig through a few threads, this is your place. Most questions you could possibly have that are relevant can be answered here. If it can't, you may want to check the Persona or Weapon Shop. Anything else, check with staff! Your question might even get added to the bank.

This is a large thread. Don't be intimidated! Most of it probably doesn't apply to you, anyway. It'd be a pain to have to go looking through everything to find your answer, so there's gonna be a handy-dandy table of contents to help you search through stuff. Say you've played P3 and P4, and have no idea what demons, in this setting, are. CTRL+F on your keyboard, put in 3b. , and you'll find what you need.

Table of Contents

1. Soul Paradigm
1a. Setting
2. Character Classes
2a. Civilians
2b. Persona-users
3. Enemy Types
3a. Shadows
3b. Demons
3c. Bosses
4. Equipment Information
4a. Weapons
4b. Armor
4c. Acquistion Methods
5. Growth
5a. Civilians
5b. Persona-users
6. Explores
7. Missions
8. Battles
8a. Explore battles
8b. Area Bosses
8c. Full Moon Bosses
9. Mechanics
9a. Damage Calculation
9b. Buffs
9c. Statuses
9d. Rolls
9e. Unique Situations
10. Frequently Asked Questions

[Alice]

1. Soul Paradigm

Nice to meet you. Welcome to Soul Paradigm. You might be wondering what Soul Paradigm is. That's probably why you're here! Well, no worries. I'll cover all of that here. Persona: Soul Paradigm, or PSP for short, is a non-canon, alternate universe Persona role-playing board. To clarify, the world in which the events of Persona 1-5 and this world are different. The events of the games have not and will not occur in this world. That's not to say it's a perfect world, or that the incident in the plot is the first of its kind, but these situations are separate of the games. For that reason, we won't restrict the usage of canon FCs. Don't carbon copy them, though.

We, the staff of PSP, have had a few good runs in other places before, and this is not our first Persona run. All in all, it was a good run that had issues to learn from, and we've taken the issues from before and addressed them as best we could. We've aimed to make both the battle system and the growth system as balanced and welcoming as possible. Restrictions regarding powers have been altered to allow for a great degree of freedom, while preventing a game-breaking build from coming into play. Similarly, we've streamlined the growth system to allow members to grow quickly, while still limiting the amount of moderation work; the best of both worlds, to increase speed and ease.

Yes, we are a system-based board. This means we utilize a currency code to keep track of your “Experience”, “Money”, and other whatnot. Given the code's nature, we've had to compile all these variables into a single format, but it wouldn't be the first time it happened, and we've made it work before. Now, I know, some of you who haven't had this sort of board before might be thinking “Eh~” at the thought of your growth or “value” in battle being determined by numbers. That's perfectly fine, but, as a person from your camp, I wholeheartedly support this system. It was accessible before, but now it's truly streamlined and easy to get rolling.

Now, I'm going to assume, if you're still reading, that you're at least interested. Below, you'll find the plot. After that, pretty much all the important information of the board is covered. Please, take your time and consider if you're interested. We'd be happy to have you.

1a. Setting

Soul Paradign takes place within the region of Tokyo. The date roughly lines up with our real-world date. A week prior to the opening, humans could begin experiencing the Dark Hour. Coinciding with that time, disappearances and the sighting of strange, inhuman beings for brief periods, as though these entities were ghosts, have been reported on a few news stations. At the present, very few people are paying too much attention to these reports, people go missing or get stressed to the point of delirium all the time, after all.

Those that have successfully awakened to a Persona and survived the Dark Hour are also capable of finding and accessing the portals linking our world to the Dark World, where demons reside. There's little doubt that this other world is somehow linked to the incident. It's finding how and why that will provide the largest issue. Fortunately, that's your job. You're capable enough, after all. And, hey, if you fail, it's not like anything bad'll happen! You'll just die.

No pressure.

Any future events that are considered relevant to the site-wide plot will be added as necessary.

[Alice]

2. Character Classes

Naturally, you might be wondering what you can play on a board like this. We've only just opened, so there's no much there right now, but if you stick around with us, maybe there'll be more to pick from at a later time? -hint hint, wink wink, nudge nudge- Below, you'll find information regarding what these classes are, their capabilities, and all that.

2a. Civilians

“I don't know much about Persona.”

“I like the setting, but I'm not sure if I want to get involved with the supernatural stuff.”

“A friend is here, but I'd just like some slice-of-life stuff.”

Hey, guess what? There's a class for that! Civilians are the typical citizens of Tokyo. They do not have access to the Dark Hour or Dark World, and, for the most part, the board is a social experience for these characters. However, it'd be bad if you made an established character, later decided you wanted to get involved with the plot, but couldn't do so with that character, right? Don't worry. We've got you covered. Civilians, at a later point in time, can awaken, just like any Persona-user did during their history. It's a free process, but you will not receive that initial 1,000 FP a Persona-user would. However! Given that you've been posting in places, you've no doubt accumulated some FP naturally. You'll be just fine.

So, for those not sure if you want to be a Persona-user, this is your choice. At worst, you'll be set back by 1k FP, compared to the typical User, and that's easy to make up.

2b. Persona-users

The bread and butter of a site like this. Persona-users are typically what fans of the series are going to want to play. They have access to a Persona, they can experience the Dark Hour, and they can see and use the portals that are linked to the demons' Dark World. Created Persona-users get access to 1,000 FP to dump into skills or gear as they please. Users also get the choice of starting with 1/1 for resistances and weaknesses or 2/2. More on that in the Persona Shop. To be recognized as more powerful, a User must “Level Up”. The process is free and simply requires a preset amount of FP invested in skills. Not only does a User get “stronger” when this happens, but it also grants access to stronger resistances.

But, hey. We're not entirely worried about power right now. Fresh Users are typically citizens of Tokyo that have been minding their own business up until the Squiggly Midnight Happy Hour. After Awakening to their Persona to, you know, not die, they're forced to either deal with that looming sense of foreboding or try to figure out the situation. We personally advise the latter. And, hey, along the way, maybe the User will get some sort of revelation that changes their outlook on life? If it's sufficient impacting, they might even awaken to a new Persona. It won't make them more powerful in terms of the system, but it is a nice bit of character development, all the same.

[Alice]

3. Enemy Types

This segment is dedicated to enemy types that Users will end up engaging. This covers the “What”, “Where”, and “How” for these guys. Given that there's multiple types, and levels, of opponents, there's a few different sub-sections for this bunch.

3a. Shadows

Those that've played the more recent Persona 3 and 4 titles of the series are familiar with Shadows, but here's a general summary of them before we go into the nitty-gritty. Shadows are the embodiments of the repressed personalities of humans. They are, quite frankly, the “True Self” of humans, though they might be somewhat twisted in their means of expressing these “true” qualities. The majority of Shadows, however, have lost their awareness, descending into a sort of bestial, feral mentality, driven purely by base instincts- like feeding. Overall, despite their roots, they're more animalistic than anything.

Typically, Shadows can only be encountered during the Dark Hour, which occurs at 12:00 every night. Though weaklings can often be found strolling about through the streets, the majority of Shadows can be found at focal points of emotional energy- places where extremes of emotion can be found, such as hospitals, prisons, schools, and whatnot. These places, during the Dark Hour, act as a sort of “nest” for these creatures. While they don't necessarily multiply as the word “nest” would suggest, they do tend to huddle together and feed, becoming more powerful over time.

There are other, more unique, cases of Shadows, but those will be covered under the “Bosses” segment, below “Demons”. Be sure to check them out.

3b. Demons

Demons are something that SMT-mainline, and Persona 1-2, fans will be more familiar with. In this setting, where a Shadow is essentially the repressed emotions of a singular human, Demons are born from the collective negativity of humankind. They are less personalized, but more plentiful in their overall variety. Unlike basic, feral Shadows, a majority of Demons have the ability to speak, and are, in general, more intelligent than the same quality of Shadows. There are some exceptions to this, naturally, but every blizzard has its special snowflakes.

Like Shadows, who can typically only be found during the Dark Hour, Demons can generally only be encountered in the Dark World. It is their home, and they wander about as they please. There are certain “hubs” that can be found, however, where they tend to congregate. Most like the nests for Shadows, these places host a large number of Demons, many of whom will be hostile on sight. That's not to say that all Demons want to eat your flesh, suck your blood, and gnaw on your bones, though. Just any you encounter in these locations.

There are also unique, and powerful, Demons that can be engaged under special circumstances. Check in on those in the “Bosses” field below.

3c. Bosses

With a system like this, you'd expect bosses, and anybody that's played a game knows what a boss is. In basic terms, a boss here will be either a powerful opponent, or one that cannot be defeated through traditional spamming of skills. They are powerful Shadows and Demons that can be engaged in specific locations, with triggers that may not necessarily be readily available. Here, I'll cover the cases that we're ready to share with everyone.

First and foremost, each “nest” of enemies, regardless of whether it's during the Dark Hour or in the Dark World, tends to have a “guardian” or two. Or ten. These “guardians” are essentially Area Bosses. Once enough of their underlings have been slain, they appear. They are exceedingly hostile, dangerous, and are more than capable of defeating an unprepared- or even a prepared- team. They tend to have more, or unique, resistances than normal enemies, a wider variety of (more powerful) skills, and even unique skills that would otherwise be unseen with normal enemies. Upon being defeated, they typically leave some form of spoils behind for the victors. Occasionally, something special might happen if enough of an area's guardians are defeated.

Next up are Mission Bosses. You'll see more on Missions later, but some Missions will have a special enemy created just for them. In terms of power they're roughly what you'd expect from an Area Boss, but they can vary based on the details of the Mission. It should be noted that these enemies may be extraordinarily hardy, and are capable of fleeing at times.

Finally, there are enemies engaged during the full moon. These bosses, aptly called Full Moon Bosses, are extraordinarily powerful, typically requiring the attention of many Users. They're exceptionally durable, typically have the largest variety of skills, and are capable of having extensive resistances. Many of them are unique in their own right, typically requiring unique tactics to engage. The utmost caution is recommended, as defeat is entirely possible.

[Alice]

4. Equipment Information

Well, what would anything based off of an RPG be without some equipment, right? This is just some general information regarding weapons and armor, the means of acquisition, and the like. For all information regarding modifications and accessories, however, please refer to the Weapon Shop. They'll cover your needs on variety there.

4a. Weapons

All right! Weapons! Let's destroy things! Slash! Pierce! Strike! Make 'em bleed! Weapons are dangerous and should only be wielded by individuals of sound mental health and emotional maturity. Of course, that's a perfect world. This Tokyo is far from perfect. Weapons are divided into five levels, from 1 to 5. Naturally, they increase in power from one to the next. We'll cover the damage levels in a bit. Firstly, all natural weapons- that is, a weapon you buy from the shop or start will- will fall under the “Slash”, “Strike”, or “Pierce” attribute. For elemental weapons, you'll need a modded weapon. Speaking of mods, weapons can only utilize one modification. No “mix-n-match” of effects. Outside of this, so long as a weapon's attribute makes sense, we're generally a-okay with most weapons.

Weapons and Damage Levels

Each level of weapon deals a different amount of damage. Naturally, the higher the level, the more the damage. You'll notice that even-leveled weapons have two classifications. This is because these weapons can be considered “high-minor, low-moderate” and “high-moderate, low-major” respectively. Raw damage cannot be altered via modifications. It can and will be affected by applicable accessories and passive skills, however.

Lv 1 Weapon - Minor Damage
Lv 2 Weapon - Minor-Moderate Damage
Lv 3 Weapon - Moderate Damage
Lv 4 Weapon - Moderate-Major Damage
Lv 5 Weapon - Major Damage

4b. Armor

Armor protects you from stuff, obviously. Like knives. And fireballs. But not from your own stupidity and/or insanity. We don't accept returns because you hurt yourself. Anyway~! Armor acts to reduce damage intake. There's not much else to say about that. Below, you'll find a scale to determine roughly what effects can be expected from armor. While not necessary, armor is certainly a nice thing to have.

Lv 1 Armor - Reduces incoming damage by 4%
Lv 2 Armor - Reduces incoming damage by 8%
Lv 3 Armor - Reduces incoming damage by 12%
Lv 4 Armor - Reduces incoming damage by 16%
Lv 5 Armor - Reduces incoming damage by 20%

As with weapons, armor can only receive one modification. You cannot mix and match to acquire full immunity, sorry~

4c. Acquisition Methods

Naturally, telling you about these things, but not covering how to get them, would make me a very mean person. Fortunately, I'm only slightly mean! Meaning I'll tell you.

Naturally, weapons and armor can be purchased in the shop. This is a guaranteed option, and one that you'll never have to worry about lacking. Acquisition, modding, and all other details regarding your gear can be covered in the shop at all times. Naturally, though, this is the most expensive option. For the thrifty Persona-user, please read below.

Gear in general can be obtained via special events and promotions. To what degree of level, and if it were to be modded or not, however, greatly varies on the situation. Keep an eye out on advertisement promotions, as these can greatly help fresh Users get a quick boost to their power!

Gear can also be obtained as a reward from Missions. Level and mods (if any) will be a case-by-case deal.

Finally, Area Bosses drop materials that can be exchanged at the Weapon Shop for gear at a predetermined level, with a predetermined mod.

[Alice]

5. Growth

While it's covered in multiple other places, this depository is supposed to cover anything that would produce a lot of questions. For that reason, we'll be covering the “Growth” mechanics here, as well. FP makes the world go 'round. So this section is a basic description on the methods of gaining FP- for all character types. Do note that we will not cover promotional events or advertisement promos here, as they will be a case-by-case scenario, typically with their own rules.

5a. Civilians

Though the Civilian class may only be utilized for social-only characters, I feel that it's a good point to cover them here, in the event that someone wants to turn them into a User later. That said, there's also very little to put here! Civilians gain 50 FP per post in any in-character board. That is literally it. Of course, this can build up plenty well, and a long-standing civilian could possibly become a Level 2 or 3 User depending on how active they've been.

5b. Persona-users

From the get go, any freshly-made Persona-user gets access to a whopping 1,000 FP to invest in skills or gear upgrades. Any FP that goes unused will be directly applied to their account, so there's no need to try to spend all of it! Especially not on junk skills that you'd otherwise not be interested in. Like Civilians, Users get 50 FP for posting in any social area on the board. Additionally, they can post in “threat areas”, which is where an Explore will happen. More on that in the appropriate section, but any post in a threat area will give 150 FP, as opposed to the standard 50.

Note: Please adhere to all rules regarding threat areas. We will not hesitate to punish rule breakers.

Other things that are User-only for FP gain include Missions and the Full Moon Boss. Missions' rewards will vary on a case-by-case basis. Sometimes, the reward will be raw FP. Others, it'll include gear or items that could be traded with other members for FP, or, if it follows the rules of the shop, can be traded in for FP. As for the FMB, a sufficient level of activity during the battle will net your character a raw FP reward, which is determined beforehand by the boss itself.

[Alice]

6. Explores

This is another bit of information included mostly for comprehensiveness. An Explore is a thread in which a group of Users band together and fight against spawned enemies in a “threat area”. Reasons for Explores include an increased gain in FP, as opposed to a standard social post, and the encounter of Area Bosses, which lead to drops and possibly to new functionality or areas. Of course, there are some restrictions on exploring. Below, you'll find these restrictions, and why they're there.

A) An Explore must consist of at least two members, but no more than five. This is to prevent a single member from speed-exploring and unbalancing the system, but also to encourage team-building, which will be especially important later on. Groups may not exceed the size of five due to the restriction on AoE skills.

B) While a member may launch multiple Explores at the same time, the member must keep their chronological order in mind. Furthermore, only one Explore marked as “Open” may be launched by a member at a time; it must properly close before another is made. Additionally, a member cannot be in two Explores with the same person at the same time. These stipulations are again to keep people from simply farming Explores, but also to help prevent time paradoxes.

C) An Explore should only consist of two posts per member involved- their entry and their battle. Staff will only post once in a typical Explore. Given the additional FP gained from posting, this is a necessary restriction to prevent certain parties from gaining excessive FP through socializing.

[Alice]

7. Missions

Missions don't quite fit in anywhere else, yet there's nothing to split up. This will be a quick section further explaining what can be found in the Mission Rules thread, as well as including some details that were not included there. Now, for starters, Missions do not have a guaranteed launch date or launch quantity. This depends on the workload of staff at the point of time in question. Generally, however, we try to launch them around Sunday, whenever we do launch them. Missions offer a variety of rewards, and present an objective, or list of objectives, to clear. Each “round” of a mission is modded. Typically, you will fight the occasion wave of enemies. Sometimes, however, you may be planted into a proper, modded boss fight. It varies dependent on the mission.

Missions are first-come, first-serve. That means that anybody that meets the requirements, and is not currently on cooldown, may enter at any time. You may not “reserve” mission slots. You may request that a mission is left alone, should you desire to use it for plots, but those around are not obligated, in any way, to refrain from entering. That is their choice, and you have no right to criticize it.

That said, there are a few restrictions that keep people from flooding missions constantly. First, let's cover the per-character basis. You may not enter two missions at the same time as one character. Secondly, upon completion, the character in question may not enter another mission for a total of seven days upon the final mod post in the mission. These are rules that may not be bent in any way, shape, or form. However, there's a hard guideline that those with multiple characters must follow, as well as a moral guideline that is suggested. If you are actively in a mission with one character (enlisting or currently running; either way) you may not be the first to take a slot in a mission. Furthermore, upon a mission being claimed by the first person, you must wait twenty-four hours before attempting to put another character in it, as well. Finally, though not required by our rules, the staff suggest that you wait a full forty-eight hours before taking a slot, to give other members ample time to jump in. As stated, it's not required to wait the full forty-eight hours, but we will be watching you with judgmental eyes.

If the additional slots for a mission are not filled after seventy-two hours (three days), the mission will be accepted and will run as intended with scaled difficulty to match the participant(s).

You have three days to post in a mission upon having it modded. If you're in a mission with a group, order generally does not matter too much. Just post as soon as you can. Should you fail to post within that time frame and staff notices, there are two ways it can play out. If you're the only participant in the mission, the mission will be scrapped and reset. If you are only one of the participants, you will be kicked from the mission. If you're kicked from a mission, you must wait three days before enlisting in another. If there are any still open by that point, then, hey. Feel free.

[Alice]

8. Battles

All right! It's time for the blood to spray, for flesh to burn, and for souls to weep! Or not. Spamming the X-button works fine, too. Anyway, there's a number of different battle instances. As you might expect, there are different regulations for each breed due to the fact that they've each got a certain background and execution. So! I'll cover them below.

8a. Explore Battles

Whenever a group goes out to perform an Explore, this is what typically happens. Once an Explore is properly set up, the staff will spawn a group of enemies from our spawn table, based upon the number of participants in the thread. The division of labor for neutralization is up to the participants of the battle. That said, so long as the means of addressing your foes is reasonable, the staff does not mind too much. Non-modded Mission battles are typically executed in this fashion, as well.

8b. Area Bosses

Area Bosses, whenever they occur, will be modded. They're strong, and it's highly advised- though not required- that you engage them with a full team of five. We would very much prefer to keep those moving at a quick pace. While regrettable, we will not hesitate to skip someone if they take too long during a round of the boss. Additionally, it should be noted that these encounters are not revealed until someone has actively found and engaged the boss. In other words, the first round may be a little slow as we allow members to jump in. Additionally, we will not impose the same restrictions on Explores as we will on bosses. If you're already in an Explore with members in the Area Boss engagement, you are still free to enter, so long as the full party has not reached five members yet.

The fights themselves may or may not be against a single enemy. Even if it's against a single enemy, you may have multiple targets. All participants can take one action per “turn”, and then the boss(es) will attack in return. Some Area Bosses require unique strategies to defeat, or utilization of the environment. Unlike typical spawns, Area Bosses' weaknesses and resistances will not be readily apparent, though one may be able to make guesses based on their appearance and habits. Additionally, many, if not all, of their skills will have unique names, even if they're textbook skills. This is to prevent attackers from info-modding, as well as to keep the battle as a whole fresh and unexpected. Finally, upon defeat, Area Bosses drop materials that can be exchanged for goodies.

8c. Full Moon Bosses

And here we go with the once-a-month battles. Full Moon Bosses are open-ended battles, open to all Users. These fights will easily foster the largest “action per turn” rosters on the board. That said, given the size, we do not wait on anybody. Once the mods are available to post, this battle is updated. The time frame we allow you is twenty-four hours. You are free to toss as many alts that you have into these, as well. There is no upwards limit of Humans that can enter unless otherwise stated. If there is a limit stated, there may be surprises. Who knows~?

[Alice]

9. Mechanics

This the Mechanics segment. It is dedicated entirely to the functions that will come into play during battle. We will cover how damage modifiers stack, exactly how much buffs help you, status info, dice rolls, balance, and mysterious, advanced situations that. . . very well may never pop up. So, yes. Anything specifically combat-related will be covered here.

9a. Damage Calculation

In this department, we'll cover how damage modifiers function. This will clear up when and where certain passives, add-ons, and other related functions come into play. Damage modifiers are divided into categories. The categories you can alter are as follows: Medium, Attribute, Type, and Crit. These are “Dealing” categories, meaning that they are under your control as a part of your build. Buffs are also calculated, and calculated last, but they have their own section in this.

Medium would be the means of attack- this primarily applies to physical attacks with Weapons. This would be increased via the passive skill “Weapon Master”. Attribute would be any Boosts/Amps related to specific damage types- such as Fire Boost/Amp. Type would be Physical versus Magical; this is purely to determine whether Power or Mind Charge applies to the attack in question. Finally, there's Critical boosts. By default, a critical attack will boost in power by 50%.

So, allow me to give an example. I have the following Skills in my lineup: Weapon Master, Phys Amp, Cleave, Power Charge, and Apt Pupil. My weapons are a Level 1 Sword with typical Slash attribute and a Level 1 Sword with a Tier 1 Fire mod, dealing Fire damage.

I will attack an enemy with my Level 1 Slash sword. Its damage output is 225%. You might believe this doesn't add up, so let me explain. Weapon Master boosts the “Medium” category by 50%. In other words, the damage total is 150%. Once it moves over to “Attribute”, which is “Slash”, it is again boosted by 50% (150/2 = 75; 150+75=225) thanks to Phys Amp. We also did not use a Power Charge, so nothing in “Type”. Finally, we weren't lucky enough to get a crit. So the final damage was 225%. Now, let's use Power Charge. Also, we'll assume this next attack is a critical. We attack. The full damage is 843.75%. Let me explain. The setup is the same as before up to the 225%, so we'll carry on from there. First, Power Charge magnifies the attack by 2.5. (225*2.5=562.5) Then we managed to hit a critical, for an additional 50%. (562.5*1.5=843.75). So, suddenly, we're dealing 8.4 attacks' worth of damage at once!

Now, let's attack with the Level 1 Fire sword. I'll attack without doing anything else. We got a crit! The damage output is 225%. Sound off? Let me explain. It's a weapon, so Weapon Master boosts by 50%. That's 150%. Then the crit boosted that by a separate 50% (50% of 150 is 75; 150+75=225). You might ask why Phys Amp did not work. Phys Amp works of “Physical Attributes”. In other words, it boosts anything with Slash/Strike/Pierce as its attribute. Now, despite being an elemental attack, it was delivered with a weapon. Meaning, had we used Power Charge, the attack would have been another 562.5% (225*2.5=562.5).

Finally, we'll use Cleave. We'll Power Charge beforehand. Also, let's say it crits, just for maximum observation. Okay! We attack. The end result? 562.5%. You think it's a bit much? Let me explain, then. Cleave is a Slash-attribute skill. Therefore, Phys Amp boosted it. That's 150%. Factor in Power Charge (150*2.5=375). And then we delivered a crit. That's a 50% boost, so. . . (375*1.5= 562.5).

Is it starting to make sense? I sure hope so. Let's cover a few things that further determine the damage on the recipients' side.

First off, resistances. There are six categories of resistances. At the top, there's Repel and Absorb. One sends the damage right back at the attack, one converts the damage into recovery. Next is Null, which basically turns the damage into a big fat 0. Then, we have the Resist, which halves (reduces by 50%) the damage taken. Neutral, or the lack of any resistance, is taking the full damage. Finally, there's Weakness, which doubles the damage taken by an attack. These all vary based on attack attribute, meaning that they vary dependent on the attribute in question. Naturally, Almighty deals Neutral damage at all times.

Next is Armor. This reduces damage by a certain percentage dependent on the level of armor. For the list of damage reductions, please refer to the chart found within the Armor segment under “Equipment”.

Finally, there's buffs. Again, they have their own section, so that will be covered there.

9b. Buffs

Hey~! It's buffs. Macho men doing manly things! Except not really. With buffs, a little girl can outdamage a massive muscular man. This field covers both Buffs and Debuffs, explaining exactly how they work, and giving actual numbers for the people that care about this sort of stuff.

Before we get to modifications, though, let's clarify exactly what Buffs and Debuffs do. Buffs and Debuffs directly affect stats. They last a total of three turns. They do not stack. Buffs can be counteracted with Dekaja or a debuff. Debuffs can be counteracted by Dekunda or a buff.

Now, for calculation, Tarukaja will boost your offensive power by 20%. Tarunda will decrease it by 20%. Rakukaja will increase your defense by 20%. Rakunda will decrease it by 20%. Sukukaja allows for a dodge chance of 25% and boosts critical infliction rate by 10%. Sukunda decreases your accuracy by 25% and lowers your critical infliction rate by 10%.

For those with armor, Rakukaja's benefits are iterative and not cumulative. In other words, assume that Level 5 armor is equipped. That's -20% damage intake. Rakukaja has effect on the remaining 80% , which is another 16%. In other words, with Level 5 armor and Rakukaja, your maximum damage intake has dropped by 36%- to 64% total.

That about covers the details for buffs. For figuring out how to determine if you dodge and/or miss, please refer to “9d. Rolls”, which is two sections down from here.

9c. Statuses

My Status is great, baby. More seriously, Status Effects. We have eight status effects, each with their own specific effects. You'll find the list down below. For now, we'll cover general information. Store-bought status effects have either 25 or 50% chances of occurring. For details on determining if they work or not, please refer to “9d. Rolls”, which is the section below this.

Poison - Deals a portion of damage every turn for 3 turns.
Rage - Weapon attacks deal 50% more damage, but you take double damage overall for 3 turns.
Sleep - Unable to do anything until attacked or 3 turns have passed.
Charm - 50% chance to heal a random enemy or attack a random ally for 5 turns.
Fear - 50% chance to not attack for 3 turns, 20% more likely to receive a critical hit from physical attacks.
Confusion - 50% chance to hit yourself each turn for 3 turns.
Exhaustion - Tires you out, draining some of your SP each turn for 3 turns.
Silence - Disables spells for 3 turns.

9d. Rolls

This is how we roll. No, literally. Okay, you've seen it mentioned a few times, so let's cover exactly how we take care of all these “Chance of ----” issues. We'll cover how to implement rolls, when to implement them, as well as what numbers to use. Let's begin, shall we?

For starters, there's two ways to add the code to your post. You can click on the dice button in the coding options, then add the appropriate numbers, or you can simply type the code out. The code is roll range="”#-#”" Naturally, the #'s are Something to Something Else. The brackets had to be removed to show the example. Add [ before the code and ] afterward to get the code to work. So, if range=”1-5”, it will roll a five-sided die. Each number has a 20% chance of popping up. That's how you implement rolls into your post. So, let's next go to “when” to use them.

Now, there's number of situations that will pop up in a fight. Maybe you try to inflict a status effect, or you have some crit boosters? Anything that occurs as a result of your attack, or determines if your attack succeeds, is tagged on at the end of your post. In other words, say you have a 40% chance at crit'ing your target. You'd implement a range=”1-5” code at the end of your post, and 1-2 would give you the crit. Or maybe you tried to inflict Fear, but at 25% accuracy? In that case, range=”1-4”, with 1 being the only number of activation.

Now, let's say you've got Sukukaja, and you were attacked by your enemy. Let's say it's a boss, and it attacked you three times. You'd put in a a range=”1-4” three times, one for each attack. Every roll that lands on 1 will allow you to dodge those attacks. Similarly, if you suffer from status effects that dictate your actions, you must edit those into the preceding post. The reason you would put them in the preceding post is so that you actually know what you're doing being you type it up. It's kind of hard to address numerous attacks if you don't know if they connected or not, after all.

To summarize, if it's the effect of your attack, you include it in your post, in the notes, to let people see how they have to address it. Crits boost damage, and status effects can flip the battle over on its side, so they're pretty important to cover. For effects that determine your next post, such as which attacks you dodge, or what effect a status ends up having that turn, you edit them in to the previous post so you know how to advance. That should cover the “when” you roll.

Now, finally, I'm going to cover how you use the roll and utilize what numbers you see. By default, 1 activates the effect. In other words, no matter what you roll for, 1 will activate it. However, this does not mean that 1 is the only number, as it depends on the chances we're dealing with. For crits, you have a 60% of infliction via passives alone at best. You would roll a 1-5; 1-3 allows you to crit. Most probabilities here are increments of 20 or 25, so there shouldn't be too-too many issues with how to roll.


This roughly covers how the rolling and probability systems work.

9e. Unique Situations

And here's our final (current) Mechanic field. Unique Situations. This is more of an advanced field, and it's one that will be added to as unique circumstances come up and require judgment. Generally, this field is here for the sake of very. . . specific circumstances that would require details on both sides of the battle to line-up properly. So, that said, below, you'll find scenarios, with descriptions of why it's unique, following what, exactly, would happen. It may seem bare right now, but it will grow in size as these situations occur.

Situation

Bob is weak to Fire. However, Bob got a nice piece of armor with a Null Fire mod. In other words, Bob now nullifies his weakness to Fire. Jim, knowing that Bob is weak to fire, uses Agi. He is shocked to find it is ineffective. However, Jim has Fire Break. Upon using Fire Break, Jim, being the asshole he is, uses Agi again.

What happens?

Answer

Agi will connect, naturally, but the damage dealt will be in the Neutral category, as opposed to connecting as a Weakness. This is because Breaks only “nullifies the resistance”, as opposed to “reverts the resistance to its original state”.


Situation

Bob nullifies Pierce. Jim does not know this, and attacks Bob with an Pierce attack. However, the Pierce attack had a chance of inflicting poison, because why not. The chance to inflict poison activated.

What happens?

Answer

Given that Bob nullifies Pierce, even though Jim's secondary skill effect did activate, it will not connect with Bob. Anything that would prevent the attack from “hitting” the target in the intended fashion will not inflict any secondary effects. In other words, Null, Absorb, and Repel all nullify this secondary effect on the recipient. However, if the attack falls under Weakness, Neutral, or Resist, it will function as intended, unless there's another effect (such as Unshaken Will) on the target.


Situation

Bob has a nasty plot. He has an attack that inflicts Sleep at 25%. It's a Slash attack! He uses it on Jim! However, Jim repels Slash. On top of that, the Sleep roll activated!

What happens?

Answer

Bob takes the damage from the attack (he does not resist Slash), but the attack's secondary effect does not work on him. The reason for this is that any attack, upon being reflected, is converted into pure damage of that attribute and sent back at the attacker. This means that any status chance infliction, as well as any other effect, is removed during the reflection process.

[Alice]

10. Frequently Asked Questions

Oh, wait. There's an actual FAQ here?! Although, while we'll be addressing questions, we'll also situations that have repeatedly come up at any point in the past. The information here either does not fit into other categories, would not fit inside neatly, or is simply being located here because /effort. Naturally, this will be added to as situations and questions repeatedly pop up in the box or in threads, so, yes, this will perpetually be a “Work in Progress”.

"Did you forget my FP?"

I make it a point to add/subtract FP prior to posting my acknowledgments. The things I forget are, perhaps, event-based/promo-based modifiers. In other words, I don't forget to change your FP. Satanick will probably forget mine. But only mine. For some reason.

However, yes, your FP may revert. This is an issue we had with the currency plug-in in the past. We do not know if it was fixed, so please just be patient and let us know whenever your currency doesn't seem right. It is highly suggested to keep a record of your FP, updating it accordingly.


”I saw people talking to their Personas in -thisthread-. Can I do this?”

This was an issue that came up a few times before elsewhere. Let me first address the foundation of the situation. A Persona is the physical representation of your psyche. Similar to Shadows, but more a “total” or “forward” picture, where the Shadow is the repressed side of things. In other words, your Persona is you. It knows what you know. Nothing more, nothing less. However, it would also have access to things that you know and then “neglect” to remember. So, it is you, it knows what you know and not a bit more, and it's there.

So, to answer this question, you can talk to your Persona. Sure, it might even be a good means of restoring your confidence when facing a big foe, or something. But, uh. Lemme cover a few things. First, it is not going to tell you anything you don't already know or have known in the past. Just because your Persona is -insertgodofwisdomhere- does not mean you're going to be granted information you do not know. Furthermore, keep in mind that you will look goofy talking to your Persona in front of others. You silly goose.

But, yes. You can talk to them. If you want to, I mean. You can also touch them, naturally.


Character Roles

This should be a rather quick segment. Covering “roles” people play in battle. Note, we don't utilize stats here, so we do, on occasion, use RPG terminology like “tank”, “glass cannon”, “lightning bruiser”, et cetera, to summarize a person's role in battle. That's fine. We're cool with that, since it basically summarizes five paragraphs into a few words. However, and I want to emphasize this, this does not mean we support or approve of somebody pulling a ridiculous maneuver because they're one of these. Just because you're “The Glass Cannon” doesn't mean you can kill anything in one or two shots. General mooks, maybe. Not bosses, though. Similarly, just because you call your character a “Tank” doesn't mean they have an inexhaustible source of health. For an idea of how much damage you're dealing or taking, keep the damage calculation bit in the “Mechanics” segment in mind, as well as anything, such as damage-class and anything boosting endurance.

Please keep this in mind, should you see the terms used in chat, or otherwise. They don't make you more powerful. They're there for summarizing's convenience.


Arcana

“What can I do if I make my character this Arcana?”

Nothing. I will say this right from the get-go, as a member of staff, and make this very simple for you. The Arcana field in your profile is flavor text. It does not restrict your character in any way, nor does it determine what you can or cannot do. So, when you make your character, you make them, then decide an Arcana. It's flavor text. Look over the Arcana, then decide what matches your character. We only get picky if you do something goofy. Like choosing “The Death” for someone because they're a murderer, or something. If you want quick references, since it is flavor text, try here and just pick up key points. If you want something more in-depth, please go to Wikipedia or Google and do your own research.


"Two of us went to explore, but only one enemy got spawned!"

Chances are, if few enemies were spawned for your group than people were in the group itself, these enemies are among the strongest of the area's designated spawns. As such, they're much more dangerous than the rest. You're advised to work together and discuss (outside of the thread, of course) how to address the enemy.


"How do we tell how strong the enemies are?"

Firstly, consider the threat level of the area you're in. Secondly, consider the enemy's skill set. In a Threat Level 1 area, an enemy with Agi is pretty "eh~" in terms of danger. However, if you see Agilao and Garula on the same enemy, that one is probably one of the upper-level meanies that are rarely spawned in the area. To gauge the opponent's strength, consider the threat level, their skills, and things like that. We don't mind if you get a little "lucky" in the fight, but please don't do something absurdly impossible.


"What do the enemies look like?!"

If you're fighting a Demon, just check up at the wiki and search the Demon's name. For Shadows, check up on the models (typically the second word of their name), and go from there based on the first word of their name. These are all original. You're free to have a bit of creative interpretation of their appearances.


Physical versus Magical

All right, here's an issue that might confuse some people, so we're going to clarify it here for you. That is, what is “Physical” and what is “Magical”. Similarly, what the skills “Power Charge”, “Mind Charge”, “Tetrakarn”, and “Makarakarn” work on. Furthermore, I will note that the “Counter” Passive Skill tree will be the same as “Tetrakarn”, so use the two interchangeably.

So, here we go.

If you use a Weapon, regardless of the attack attribute, it will be affected by Power Charge. If it is Slash, Strike, or Pierce-aligned, it will be affected by Tetrakarn. If it is elemental in nature (Fire, Ice, Wind, Lightning, Darkness, and Light), it will be affected by Makarakarn. I will explain why this is the case. Power Charge has an effect on things requiring physical exertion- by default, this includes Slash, Strike, and Pierce skills, as well as anything dealing with a weapon. However, Tetrakarn works on “Slash, Strike, and Pierce”. Similarly, Makarakarn works on “Fire, Ice, Wind, Lightning, Darkness, and Light”. Anything that is a proper spell will be enhanced by Mind Charge. Similarly, anything aligned with the six elements will be affected by Makarakarn. Now, for Almighty, this depends on the case. The “Megido” spell chain, including “Morning Star”, is affected by Mind Charge, as they are clearly magical in nature. It is, however, not effected by Tetrakarn or Makarakarn.