Resonance

Overview

The ability to call a Persona to battle is not the only benefit of being a Persona-user. Persona-users are also able to discover a wide spread of secondary psychic powers stemming from their ability. The most basic explanation for all of them is that Personae call out to each other, and for this reason, experienced Persona-users and Persona-studying scientists alike refer to the phenomenon as "resonance." The most basic of these abilities is easy for even a freshly-awakened Persona-user to discover; the most advanced often only become apparent over years of living the life of the awakened. That said, resonance is a subtle thing; even the easiest manifestations often need to be pointed out to a neophyte Persona-user.

Reading

The simplest form of resonance, and the easiest for even the most novice Persona-user to discover, is that Persona-users can sense each other... to a point. For most Persona-users, this is merely the vague knowledge that a presence is very close by; unless the target is well and truly alone, it can be difficult to pinpoint, and even then, unless the user is a very talented "spotter" or the target is a very strong Persona-user, it can be missed. Two average Persona users will quite likely not notice one another in the least.

There are factors that make sensing a target easier, however. The more pitched a situation is, the more likely one is to sense something, as well; one's sixth sense, like the other five, is more acute in the face of known imminent danger. The more intimately one knows the target, the more likely one is to sense a resonance, as well; as a result, one often needs to know at least a modest amount about a person to begin sensing the resonance of their Persona.

Complete strangers will likely miss each other entirely, unless they are both tremendous talents; some sort of relationship, whether it's teacher to student, friend to friend, or even long-time enemy to enemy, will make this much easier. Even more esoteric relationships can sometimes have an effect; those whose Personas are mythologically connected in some significant way (or in rare cases, are the very same figure) are much more likely to sense one another immediately, for good or ill.

Restrictions

Support-type Personae, colloquially "spotters," are the best at detecting resonance, and those with fully-powered combative Personae will generally enjoy fairly minimal sensing abilities. Those with great experience or strong natural facility for Persona use may resonate more strongly, but as a general rule, spotters are spotters and combat Personae are combat Personae. Perhaps troublingly to some, however, it should be noted that the Shadow-Posssessed function with resonance exactly as do more conventional Persona-users.

Resonance is consent-based, and while there are some doors that resonance opens in play, it closes many as well; please be respectful of other people's wishes regarding resonance. Do not simply assume that you can sense that an individual is a Persona-user or a Shadow-Possessed; this is exceptionally rude, doubly so if one arbitrarily declares how the target's resonance feels without any discussion. The IC reason someone wouldn't be detected is up to the individuals at the scene, but resonance is not a sure thing, and so it's perfectly natural for someone not to notice another Persona-user without a compelling reason to do so.

Those wanting more advanced resonance-related abilities must note this in the application, or a subsequent request; significant ability to feel or mask resonance will more often than not come with somewhat diminished combat capacities, and are often also modeled by unique abilities on a Persona's ability list. Almost everyone who possesses resonance, however, has the ability to dampen theirs from the senses of 'normal' persona-users--and there exist those who can even hide from actively-searching spotters. This last, however, requires as much power in reverse (and thus as much investment) as a full spotter-type Persona-user.

Resonance FAQ

• Q: What is Resonance?
  • A: Resonance is a sixth sense of Persona-users which allows them to, under certain circumstances, sense things about others. It is not tied to other senses, nor is it 'always on,' as a general rule.

• Q: How can I use it?
  • A: Resonance primarily allows one to sense those with whom one already has some modest degree of intimacy or at least knowledge.

• Q: I'm a spotter! Do I get more out of this?
  • A: You sure do. Spotters have the easiest time of using resonance; generally they can 'do more with less' -- a spotter can locate a person based only on general knowledge in supernatural spaces like the Dark Hour or the TV World, and can keep exceptional track of those they are close with and their surroundings.

• Q: I can mask my resonance! How does this work?
  • A: Anyone can do this, actually; it's as simple as 'trying to be careful.' A person attempting to hide themselves will naturally also dim their resonance, as their Persona responds to their intent similarly to making attacks. Someone aware enough of resonance to actively sense it can also /just/ mask that. Typically, it requires a person of spotter-level abilities actively sensing for someone (that is, with their Persona out) to pierce this level of masking. A higher level, which blocks out all resonance in a small area around the Persona-user, is available and even beats spotter-level abilities, but is itself a special power that requires application.

• Q: How do I get higher-powered resonance-related abilities?
  • A: Ask at character creation, or if it's something you've built to IC, toss a request! This may require you to give up some more conventional combative Persona powers.