Difference between revisions of "Concepts"

[edit] Can you tell me about character types?

There are a few character types: normal, civilian, custom, spotter, Shadow-Possessed, antagonist, and ultimate.

Normal is what most Persona-users app as. They have 78 points for themselves and 232 for their Shadow/Persona. They get 2 high groups or one high group and one standard group. They get 2 high discretionary abilities and 2 standard discretionary abilities, for a total of 4. They get 4 points to weight their SP or HP with.

For civilians, the base total is the same as normal types, but the Shadow/Persona values are automatically set to straight 30s. For civilian police, military, and others trained in a similar level of combat, these are set to 45. Civilians get no abilities normally; military/police may pick two passive abilities.

Spotters gain access to different moves at a cost of combat effectiveness. Their stat totals are the same as normal, but they may only have 1 high group or 2 standard groups. This shifts to accommodate antagonist (1 severe group, 2 high groups, or 1 high group and 2 standard groups) and ultimate (1 severe group, or 2 high groups, or 1 high and 2 standard). While they have 6 discretionaries (3 high and 3 standard), 3 of these must be spotter-specific moves.

Custom covers both those who app for a custom (see the upgrades file) and those who choose The Offer method of gaining a Persona at start or later in play. See the Persona-gaining file for more, since this method disallows progress to ultimate. Stats and groups are the same as normal types, but they get an additional 2 discretionaries, one of which can be a custom move, and another (1) point for their weighted HP/SP totals.

Shadow-Possessed is mechanically the same as custom, but works in play very differently. Please see Shadow Possession

Antagonists have the same stat pools as normal types, but instead gain also 2 more points for their SP/HP totals (on top of what else is already received) and instead may have the following as groups: 1 severe group and 1 high group, 3 high groups, or 1 severe group and 2 standard groups. These are apped for at start or later in play. See the upgrades file.

Ultimate Personas are apped for (see the upgrades file). They have the same stat pools as normal types. They gain access to 1 severe group and 1 high group, or 3 high groups, or 1 severe group and 2 standard groups. They may choose to have more powerful custom moves, using the Unlock tag, that cost meter to use.

While characters of the Fool Arcana are not able to be apped as OC characters, the FCs with this arcana have another variant: they have five slots for generic Personas, but in exchange, only have access to group powers equivalent to that of a spotter on their main, e.g. a starting standard Fool will only be able to have one high group or two standard groups.

[edit] What are the basic combat commands?

+stats (or +sheet) - Shows your character's stats. +sheet/m, +sheet/1, +sheet/2 will display your stats as if the Persona in your main slot, Slot 1, and Slot 2 respectively is equipped.

+attacks - Shows your character's attacks. +attacks/m, +attacks/1, +attacks/2 will display the attacks for the Personas in the main slot, Slot 1, and Slot 2 respectively.

+attacks/self - Shows your basic weapon attacks and your special.

+attacks/groups - Shows a list of the attacks in your ability groups.

+attacks/all - Shows everything. Spammy.

+health (or +status) - Shows your character's current status. Reports HP, SP, EX meter, elemental resists and weaknesses, and any buffs or debuffs. Will also report your Counter target if you have the Counter passive, and it has activated.

+heal/full - Resets you to full health.

attack <name>=<ability> - The basic attack syntax. Use this both for offensive and healing moves, as appropriate!

[edit] What else can I do through combat commands?

+soda - Use of this command grants you 30 SP, and sets you in a guarding stance, increasing your evasion. However, it also ends your turn automatically.

+soda/set <name> allows you to choose which soda (or other drink) will display when you use +soda. +soda/clear to return to the randomized output.

+cover <target> - This will give you a chance, dependent on your target's current HP and whether you have rank 1 in the Arcana of your target, to jump in and take an incoming attack for another person.

For example, if your cover target is at full HP, it will be quite difficult to succeed a cover. On the other hand, if your cover target is at very low HP, you will be extremely likely to succeed.

Social link matters! For example, if your cover target is Empress Arcana and you have Rank 1 in Empress, you will gain an additional bonus to your success chances!

This command can be used at any time and will not take up your turn, although you can only cover one person at a time. To remove any active +covers targeted on yourself, use +cover/clear.

To stop +covering someone else, use +cover/off.

+wait - This will end your turn (your character does nothing) and give you one point of EX. Alternately there is +round but note that this gives you NOTHING; it only ends your turn.

[edit] How do I switch Personas/Shadows?

+persona/info <Persona> - Pull up a generic Persona/Shadow's stats.

+persona/summon <Slot #>=<Persona> - Equip a Persona/Shadow in the specified slot.

+persona/release <Slot #> - Clear the Persona out of the specified slot.

+persona <#> - Swap to the Persona/Shadow in the specified slot #. +persona m switches to your Main Persona/Shadow.

Note that setting Personas is done when battle begins (ask the scenerunner if you need to switch out a Persona/Shadow mid-combat for whatever reason) and that you will summon a Persona/Shadow before attacking and do not switch again until your next turn.

All characters, except for Fools, have 2 slots besides their main. Fools have 5.

[edit] What's the EX Meter?

The EX meter is a resource that is filled through various actions in combat, and which can be spent to enhance certain actions or unlock new capabilities. Attacking, or being targeted by an attack, always raises meter by 1; Statgrowth determines other ways to gain more than 1.

Using a Special or an Unlock-tagged ability costs 5 meter.

Only one meter command may be used per turn. Special or Unlock use is a specific exception to this rule: it is legal to, for example, use +ex/power before attacking with your Special.

+ex - Displays your current meter both as a bar and as a number.

+ex/power - Adds power to your next attack. Costs 3 meter.

+ex/aim <#> - Adds accuracy to your next attack. Costs at least 1 meter, but can scale up to 20.

+ex/vigor <#> - Recovers some of your own HP. Costs at least 1 meter, but can scale up to 20.

+ex/boost <target>=<#> - Gives some of your SP to someone else. Costs 5 meter, and you can spend anywhere from 1 SP, to as much SP as you currently have.

+ex/helpup <target> - Recovers someone from knockdown. Costs 3 meter.

+ex/onemore - Lets you take an additional attack! Costs 15 meter.

[edit] What's statgrowth?

Statgrowth allows a character to gain more EX meter by taking certain actions related to that stat. Statgrowth can be any of the five stats you wish; it does not necessarily need to be attached to your character's highest stat.

• STR: Allows a character to gain more meter when they attack with Physical or Primal abilities. Weapon attacks do not count towards this.

• MAG: Allows a character to gain more meter when they attack with Magical or Primal abilities.

• AGI: Allows a character to gain more meter when they are attacked (not necessarily hit) by magical abilities, and when they dodge.

• VIT: Allows a character to gain more meter when they are attacked (not necessarily hit) by physical abilities, and when they receive a heal.

• LUK: Allows a character to gain more meter when they score a critical hit, or apply an effect (such as Poison or Energy).

[edit] What can you tell me about knockdown and critical hits?

Striking an elemental weakness, or scoring a critical hit, carry certain advantages for a character in a fight. These actions will inflict the status Knockdown. Until their next turn, a character who is knocked down is more easily hit by incoming attacks, and in particular takes more damage from attacks with the tag 'Knockdownatk'. A character inflicted with Knockdown need not physically be 'knocked down,' despite the name. It simply reflects that the character is in a much more vulnerable position.

[edit] How does Boss Mode work?

Boss Mode exists as a way for a character to spoof a stronger enemy of some sort, whether it's as themselves, or as something else. It's made use of through the use of the command +heal/boss #, where # is generally used to equal the number of opponents the player is facing as a boss. This enables Boss HP, effectively raising one's HP high above the character's natural maximum, in relation to how many they are facing.

Any player can use Boss Mode. Check +persona/list boss for a list of free-use boss armors if you need one for your scene; you can also +request a boss armor if you need something special.

Boss Mode is exited -- if normal combat has not taken the character back down to their normal range of HP -- through use of +heal, which resets your character's HP to their natural maximum.

Characters in Boss Mode can make as many attacks per round as there are participants, divided by two and rounded down. They receive a minimum of two attacks per round if the previous value comes out as less than two.

Using +heal/boss # will automatically calculate how many attacks you are allowed, and will end your round for you only after that number of attacks has been made.

For example, +heal/boss 7 will grant you 3 actions per turn, and +autoround will not end your turn until those 3 actions have been taken.