Revision as of 04:52, 21 August 2011

Some people are simply better at some things than other people. Many of them have clear leanings towards a certain areas above all else. At the same time, some people are worse at some things than other people, with particular fields giving them more trouble. As is the case in many games, Persona MUSH rates a character's combat prowess across several different statistics that one should consider.

Stats are an abstraction for combat purposes. They reflect personal tendencies at a given time and can change along with a change in habits.

Stats Overview

You can see your stats at any time with +stats. The following is a sample statblock:

Example Stats

So, what does this all mean? The next few files will help you through that.

Shared Stats

These stats are used not only by a character, but also by a Persona, and range from 1 to 99. 'The 'average' for Persona-users is in the 50s, and divergence from this point is common - many people have clear talents and weaknesses. However, dipping far below the 40s or far above the 70s is very rare, and much farther than that simply doesn't happen except in very extraordinary cases. These abilities don't factor in the whole of human ability; an Olympic weightlifter is frankly irrelevant to a scale that deals mostly in combat prowess, though occasionally some very notable feats might occur thanks to the power of Persona. It is definitely true that the talents of those with that power are magnified compared to those of similar ability without Personas, however.

When a Persona is active, a character's attributes are averaged with the Persona's. For example, if a character's "self" rating for Luck is 50 and the Persona's Luck rating is 60, their effective Luck will be 55. Odd numbers are rounded down.

In general, Personae have a higher overall stat total than a person's own self, but it is possible to have a stat that is lower through averaging, in which the bar will usually display a red portion along with a red number (as opposed to positive averages, which have yellow portions with green numbers, or rare instances where a "Self" and "Persona" have the exact same rating in a stat, which results in a white number and no specially colored bar portions). Characters with extreme high and low ends on "Self" stats are more prone to this.

The five shared stats are as follows:

Strength (STR): Dictates how powerful the character is when making use of physical attacks and thus determines their damage output with the same. It also plays a secondary role in physical defense and the determination of HP totals.

Magic (MAG): Quantifies how skilled the character is in matters of magic and mysticism, thus translating to greater damage with magical attacks and skill with healing spells. It also plays a primary role in determining SP totals and a secondary role in magical defense.

Agility (AGI): This determines how accurate a character is with their attacks. It also plays a secondary role when it comes to avoiding danger headed their way. It also plays a role in the use of +cover.

Vitality (VIT): Measures a character's all-around toughness, playing a primary role in their ability to take both physical and magical damage. It also plays a primary role in determining HP totals.

Luck (LUK): How lucky a character is, governing general success in battles. It plays a primary role in determining critical hit chance, as well as how likely a character is to resist a negative effect applying. It plays a lesser role in defending against critical hits and determining how likely a character is to dodge an attack.

More information about all stats will be discussed later on.

Other Stats

These stats do not follow the rules of the five of the previous file, but are nonetheless highly important to observe.

HP: Your hit points, the total of which is dependent on the character's Strength and Vitality stats. As is the case with most games, this represents your character's remaining health. You lose this as you are struck by attacks or use physical abilities, but can be recovered with the use of healing abilities (Dia, etc.). If it drops to zero or lower, your character is unable to fight any further - this may be too tired to go on, or it may literally be unconscious, depending on the situation. Some characters' special attacks also cost HP to use, though at a far greater discount than they would be if they were normal abilities. The "average" HP count is 385.

SP: Your spirit points, the total of which is dependent on the character's Magic stat. This represents your mental fortitude in which to utilize the magical talents of certain Personae. Non-physical abilities - or 'spells' - cost SP. Usually, the higher the level or the more potent the effects, the more expensive. Some characters' special attacks also cost SP to use, though at a far greater discount than they would be if they were normal abilities. The "average" SP count is 113.

Resistances: This list indicates whether an element will do more or less damage to the character if they are struck by it, and is determined by the currently equipped Persona. (Non-Persona users have a blank one called "None," which has no resistances or vulnerabilities; some Personas may also have no resistances but this is very rare) See Elements for more.

Abilities: This list shows you what abilities are available to your character, with their basic attack on the upper left and their unique special attack on the upper right. Everything below them are abilities granted by the currently Persona. Aside from the basic attack, all abilities use up SP or HP. See Abilities for more.

Personae: Shows you the Personae that are available to you. Their native Persona rests in the 'M' (Main) slot, while their remaining slots are numbered (1, 2, etc). The name of the currently active one is in green, but is also listed at the top of the stat readout. Inactive ones are colored white in the list of currently held Personae. Unused slots are blank. You can type +stats/# (where # is a slot such as M, 1, 2, etc) in order to see how they would affect your character. See Persona for more info.

Stats in Depth

Stat Scale

A rough estimation of the scale used for all stats follows:

Strength

Strength is, in fact, a character's physical strength in combat. It is primarily used to determine damage with physical skills, but has some effect on defense against physical damage and the determination of HP totals as well.

Most humans have a Strength between 40 and 70, while most Personas have a strength between 35 and 85. A high Strength might represent extreme brute strength, or the ability to use normal strength extremely effectively. Conversely, a low Strength might represent physical weakness, due perhaps to innate weakness or to a lack of an investment in physical activities. Or it might also represent someone who, while they have average enough physical ability, are untrained or don't apply it correctly.

Magic

Magic is a measurement of a person's ability to do magic, naturally. It can help to consider this the equivalent of Strength, but for mystical pursuits. While it might seem strange for some people, like those without Personas, to have a Magic score, even those without the capability to use magic still have some sort of innate skill with it. It just never gets used. Magic is used primarily to determine damage from magical attacks and effectiveness of healing spells as well as determine a character's SP pool. It also has some effect on defense against magical damage.

Most humans have a Magic between 40 and 70, while most Personas have a Magic between 35 and 85. A high Magic might represent a great depth of arcane knowledge or a knack for using the mind's power to greatest effect in battle. A low Magic, however, does not necessarily mean that a character is stupid, simply magically unreceptive.

Agility

Agility is a measurement of a person's speed and skill at connecting with their attacks in combat. It has to do with speed, hand-eye coordination and any other number of physical factors, along with a good reaction time, so it's hard to generalize what sort of traits might give a high Agility. Agility is primarily used in determining the accuracy of attacks, but also plays a role in avoiding other people's attacks. Agility is also important in the use of +cover.

Most humans have an Agility between 40 and 70, while most Personas have an Agility between 35 and 85. A high Agility might represent great speed or a talent for accurate strikes. A low Agility score might suggest a character who is slow on their feet or unskilled with aiming their attacks precisely.

Vitality

Vitality is a measurement of a person's ability to withstand punishment in combat. It has to do with toughness, determination and grit. Vitality is used primarily to help reduce incoming damage, magical or physical, although it also plays an important role in determining a character's max HP.

Most humans have a Vitality between 40 and 70, while most Personas have a Vitality between 35 and 85. A high Vitality might represent being really tough, or being able to fight even on one's last legs. It might also suggest a character who takes pains to develop their endurance. Conversely, a low Vitality might represent a character who isn't able to endure pain as well, or lacks the training or endurance to take many blows. It might also suggest a character who may not possess particularly good personal habits.

Luck

While luck can be a measurement of how lucky one is, even those who don't believe in luck may notice that a positive attitude and unwillingness to give up can correlate to 'luckier' situations. Whether it's taking advantage of opportunities as they come or just getting more in the first place, Luck plays a distinct role in Persona combat. Luck is used for many things, although it is of primary importance in determining critical hit chance and the odds of a negative status effect applying; for the latter, a higher Luck lowers those chances. It also plays a role in defense against critical hits, and a character's likelihood to dodge attacks.

Most humans have a Luck between 40 and 70, while most Personas have a Luck between 35 and 85. A high Luck means being lucky, while a low Luck indicates a lack of luckiness, though there is a difference between the universe genuinely being out to get a character and a character who has simply suffered some unfortunate experiences. Luck can also be a reflection of a positive or negative attitude as much as anything else.