[OOC] Persona: Tenebrae

Rules

• Do not metagame. OOC knowledge will stay that way. This rule's in everything so it should be common by now, but just in case it's here.
• Anime only. It's Persona, so to keep everyone on the same page visually, only anime characters are allowed for FCs.
• Proper spelling, grammar and punctuation. I'm not asking for novel quality literacy, but make it legible.
• Be respectful. Take any fights to PMs, but don't start any in the first place. No OOC racism, sexism, etc. either.
• Keep it tasteful. It's Persona, so dark 18+ themes will be explored. If you wish to delve into it with your own character, please keep it tasteful and take it seriously.
• No Mary Sues. Nobody likes a perfect character. They're boring from an overall narrative perspective, and just interacting with them from moment to moment.
• Have fun. Or don't. I mean, that entirely depends on you. You might hate me and everyone else here. We'll see.

[Pompadourius]

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Plot: The metropolis of Akemishi, otherwise known as Akemi to the locals, is a booming multicultural bastion off the Northern coast of Japan. Founded in the 1990's, construction concluded in the year of 2019 and has seen a massive population surge since. People from all over the world flooded in to buy up property, and allowing the city to become an architectural marvel of the modern day. Society was a perfect mix of the world's brightest, and technological advancements in the following years were swift and merciless. Despite all of this however, there was always something wrong with it - something integral and deeply ingrained to the design of the entire city. Whenever questioned about it, no one could muster a reasonable response that didn't mention the words "demons" or "Indian Burial Ground". "Crazed lunatics and paranoia", the mayor of Akemishi, Hiro Daiba, commented. Rumors began spreading of cults and religious sects controlling the nightly affairs within the city, poking and prodding at its roots bit by bit behind the scenes. There was no solid proof of this; or rather, there wasn't until recently.

Recently there have been mass blackouts blanketing entire districts of Akemishi. On an average day one could expect up to a quarter of the city's lights and electricity to be shut down. As soon as one district has been dealt with, the problem crops up elsewhere. It isn't due to lack of electrical power, and industry professionals can't explain it as by all rights the city should be fully functional 24/7. On top of the blackouts, rumors have been spreading of people vanishing without a trace during the darkness. There has been no public outcry as of yet due to the rumors stating that it's only affecting people that are loners of society and whom "no one would miss anyway". There has been no official evidence, though there are more police patrols in areas of dense electricity loss - a sign that perhaps there is a sliver of truth to the rumors. Locals are claiming it's crazed cultists or kidnappers taking advantage of the confusion to sell people into a human trafficking business.

For most, life continues as normal. At a certain high school within the darkened metropolis, rumors are buzzing about among students that the blackouts until now have been the kidnappers' figuring out how to tamper with the city's power - and that it's only a matter of time until they deliver focused attacks towards the more vulnerable.

For a particular group of unknowing students, a harrowing conflict concerning their very lives is about to begin. To survive, they'll need to uncover the mysteries of the blackouts and delve deeper into the rumors of those skulking the shadows. The more perceptive among them might even notice a flickering light, every now and again...

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Setting

Akemishi is a city built on a dream: to revolutionize technology and bring a sense of oneness to the human race while doing it. That's why all registered citizens are given an Auto-Lingual Translator, or ALT for short. The device comes in a watch, bracelet or glasses form, and is the primary method by which Akemishi succeeds as a multicultural society. The ALT is the pride and joy of the city's accomplishments, being a device that interacts wirelessly with a separate speaker chip implanted within the head of the person. This feature auto-translates all spoken words into that of their preferred, typically most comfortable, language; though this setting can be changed via the interface of the exterior device. The most recent update has even included a visual portion, in which all text is automatically translated into their preferred language similarly to the vocal portion, and visually edited live. These functions can be turned off at any point, however.

The ALT has been the largest focus among ambitious new scientists in recent years, believing that only true progress can be achieved once the baseline known as human communication can be reached as easily as possible.

Akemishi has many different districts, from the high-tech metropolis it's famous for closer to the center spreading outwards, to more humble suburbs or even countryside stretching further towards the outskirts. There does also exist a lower class area of the city where homeless and the less fortunate tend to gather, but most of the high society within Akemishi often pretend it doesn't exist.

More locations and location details added as they're revealed.

The Districts

Daiba District

The Daiba District, named after Mayor Daiba, is the primary proving grounds for tech and medical development. When people think of Akemishi as a whole, this is the place they think of. It's every passionate dreamer's goal to one day work in a business space in this district, knowing the promising future that awaits them. This district is home to Eikichi High School, a superpower among educational institutes that will essentially guarantee them references to a workplace within the district should they graduate. It is also the largest housing district overall, with many restaurants and hobby shops to suit any niche one might imagine. Even living in Daiba could be said to be a bucket list must-do for some. Employees of the city ensure the district is always kept immaculate, and crime is said to be as rare as winning the lottery.

Hana District

The Hana District makes up the outer area of the Daiba District, and possesses a more suburban atmosphere. While simpler, it possesses many of the bounties that the Daiba District offers combined with the quiet of a more low population town. It's a nice middle ground residential area in between noisy metropolis and wilderness. Working class families typically reside here, able to afford better than slums but aren't on the level of Akemishi's elite. It's a place where people at large can be content with life in a bustling city of promise, and enjoy the multicultural aspect it was founded on to its fullest.

Of note, the first mass blackout began in this district.

Yonaga District

The Yonaga District is a ghetto - a slum for the less fortunate, and those that couldn't make it to where they wanted in life. As Akemishi as a whole is a new development, it's not quite as bad as the ghettos one might find in another city. It's home to a street gang calling themselves "The Sounders" who have sworn to defy the city by destroying their ALT chips and devices, and assaulting at random those who do have ALTs within Yonaga. The conflict is still rather tame between law enforcement and Sounders simply because there aren't many of them yet, but there have already been numerous deaths on both sides and multiple civilian casualties as well. Yonaga is still home to many of the same culinary and shopping exploits as other districts, but businesses are closing more and more as Yonaga residents look for other places within the city to move. There are even some rumors of weapon and junk shops smuggling illegal goods into the city...

Iori District

The Iori District is a more agricultural residential area on the outskirts of Akemishi. It's so drastically different in atmosphere and personality from the famed metropolis that some forget it's still technically part of the city. In of itself, this district is a small town with greenery and operational farms ready for harvest. It's a small community of its own of which those living there tend to know each other by name. Humble in nature, but agricultural experts fight their own battle of progression, finding the optimal ways to harvest their crops and breed livestock. It doesn't have the competitive streak of the Daiba District and its politics, and the people living here would much rather go about life the way they feel they should.

Specific Locations

Eikichi High School

Eikichi High School is a place of learning for the modern student in Akemishi, located near the central Daiba district of Akemishi. The school is equipped for the medical and psychological needs of its students, and is welcome to all diligent students eager to improve themselves daily. It has all the basic clubs one could ask for, and more available upon request. Being a school as new as the rest of the city, it has a shining reputation and positive media attention. It is predicted to be voted as the most successful high school of 2023, and a shining beacon of the future for Akemishi's residents. There are some rumors of shady dealings contributing to its publicity and success, but for the moment those are mere accusations with no proof backing it up.

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The Stats

Character stats will be required for combat purposes, and will determine the various things your character can reasonably accomplish. These stats won't be as hard and fast as in a full RPG or tabletop, but are merely a means of revealing the full extent of what your character is capable of in combat.

Mental Field

The Mental Field is a passive ability all Persona Users and those linked with Personas innately possess. It represents the overall mental fortitude and willpower of the user, and is an overshield that absorbs damage to avoid serious injury. The user will still feel pain from being hit by attacks, but it will be more akin to head pain and "mental damage" rather than the more severe alternative such dangerous and life threatening attacks would deliver upon them. Upgrading one's Mental Field allows for the enduring of more attacks without life-altering injury. When the Mental Field has sustained enough damage to break, the user will be vulnerable to direct hits to their body, unprotected by the Mental Field, from future attacks. If an attack would break through the Mental Field and still deal further damage, the remaining damage will be dealt to the user's Endurance instead.

Mental Field recovers at a rate of 1 per post while not in combat up to a maximum that their base stat allows, or is fully recovered upon the next in-game day.

User and Persona share the same Mental Field, so if one takes damage towards it, both of them will.

1: 5 MF
2: 7 MF
3: 9 MF
4: 11 MF
5: 13 MF
6: 15 MF
7: 17 MF
8: 19 MF
9: 25 MF
10: 30 MF
11: 35 MF
12: 40 MF
13: 45 MF
14: 50 MF
15: 60 MF

Strength

Damage added to physical attacks and physical skills in addition to the base damage of the item/skill used. It also gives slight bonuses to max HP.

1: +0 dmg / +0 HP
2: +1 dmg / +1 HP
3: +2 dmg / +2 HP
4: +3 dmg / +3 HP
5: +4 dmg / +4 HP
6: +5 dmg / +5 HP
7: +6 dmg / +6 HP
8: +7 dmg / +7 HP
9: +8 dmg / +8 HP
10: +9 dmg / +10 HP
11: +12 dmg / +11 HP
12: +15 dmg / +12 HP
13: +18 dmg / +13 HP
14: +20 dmg / +14 HP
15: +25 dmg / +15 HP

Strength can only reach 10 with base stats. 11+ is accomplished temporarily with buffs and skills.

Magic

Damage added to magical skills in addition to the base damage of the skill used. It also affects max SP.

1: +0 dmg / 30 SP
2: +1 dmg / 40 SP
3: +2 dmg / 50 SP
4: +3 dmg / 60 SP
5: +4 dmg / 80 SP
6: +5 dmg / 100 SP
7: +6 dmg / 120 SP
8: +7 dmg / 140 SP
9: +8 dmg / 160 SP
10: +9 dmg / 180 SP
11: +12 dmg
12: +15 dmg
13: +18 dmg
14: +20 dmg
15: +25 dmg

Magic can only reach 10 with base stats. 11+ is accomplished temporarily with buffs and skills.

Endurance

Endurance is a character's own durability, and the last line of defense should their Mental Field fail. If a character reaches 0 HP, they are sent into a near-death state with a serious or life-altering wound dependent on where the last blow struck. Their Persona may still be commanded and fight for them, but if either they or their Persona takes another unprotected hit following this in the same combat, they will succumb to the pain and die. If the user survives combat at 0 HP, their HP will become 1 and will retain the permanent injury unless cured by certain healing spells. Healing spells in general can heal HP damage up to the user's maximum HP according to their Endurance stat. If a permanent injury is sustained, it must be cured within 10 rounds of the user's turns or before the next calendar day; whichever comes first. If the injury cannot be healed before then, no magic will cure it.

User and Persona share HP, so if one takes damage to their Endurance, the other will as well. Personas cannot sustain permanent injuries, however, and can fight as normal regardless of damage sustained.

1: 10 HP
2: 11 HP
3: 12 HP
4: 13 HP
5: 14 HP
6: 15 HP
7: 16 HP
8: 17 HP
9: 18 HP
10: 19 HP
11: 20 HP
12: 21 HP
13: 22 HP
14: 23 HP
15: 25 HP

Agility

Agility affects a user's ability to move and evade. It's how fast characters are, represented by how far they can move on their turn from their current position. Agility also allows the ability of Absolute Dodge, which tempts fate in an almost precognitive manner to avoid an attack. Certain enemies and skills will possess an ability known as "Fateless", however, which ignores Absolute Dodge and treats the attack as if it hit the target if they attempt to use Absolute Dodge.

1: 5 meters / -
2: 6 meters / Absolute Dodge 5 post c/d
3: 7 meters / Absolute Dodge 5 post c/d
4: 8 meters / Absolute Dodge 5 post c/d
5: 9 meters / Absolute Dodge 4 post c/d
6: 10 meters / Absolute Dodge 4 post c/d
7: 11 meters / Absolute Dodge 4 post c/d
8: 12 meters / Absolute Dodge 3 post c/d
9: 13 meters / Absolute Dodge 3 post c/d
10: 15 meters / Absolute Dodge 3 post c/d
11: 16 meters / Absolute Dodge 2 post c/d
12: 17 meters / Absolute Dodge 2 post c/d
13: 18 meters / Absolute Dodge 2 post c/d
14: 19 meters / Absolute Dodge 1 post c/d
15: 20 meters / Absolute Dodge 1/post

Agility can only reach 10 with base stats. 11+ is accomplished temporarily with buffs and skills.

Luck

Luck affects critical hit rate, a character's ability to avoid certain death or permanent injury through a "Miracle", and further unknown things that fate might have in store for the user...

Miracles can only happen once per combat. Critical hits are rolled with every successful hit by the DM, on either enemies or players, and will deal double damage and stagger the target regardless of their weaknesses, as long as the target does not null/reflect/absorb the attack.

Luck also gives bonus success rate to ailment and instant-kill spells.

1: 1% Crit / 3% Miracle / 0% Ail bonus / ???
2: 2% Crit / 5% Miracle / 1% Ail bonus
3: 4% Crit / 10% Miracle / 2% Ail bonus / ???
4: 6% Crit / 15% Miracle / 3% Ail bonus
5: 8% Crit / 20% Miracle / 4% Ail bonus / ???
6: 10% Crit / 25% Miracle / 5% Ail bonus
7: 12% Crit / 30% Miracle / 6% Ail bonus / ???
8: 14% Crit / 35% Miracle / 7% Ail bonus
9: 16% Crit / 40% Miracle / 8% Ail bonus / ???
10: 18% Crit / 45% Miracle / 9% Ail bonus
11: 20% Crit / 50% Miracle / 10% Ail bonus / ???

Luck can only reach 10 with base stats. 11 can be accomplished through special means after reaching a 10 in base Luck.

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Combat

Combat will be common within the story, as Persona Users are resolved and fated to fight against the unknown. To go along with this, there will be some general terminology, descriptions and mechanics to go over. In general, aside from RNG-based abilities such as ailments, combat is free-form using the spells and positioning of characters as guidelines.

All-Out Attack: When the Mental Fields of all members of an enemy group are destroyed, the party may each choose to sacrifice their next turn to deliver an All-Out Attack. This must be a group decision, as all must contribute to the AOA in order for it to work. If even a single member chooses not to participate in it, it will fail and those that participated will have their turns wasted. All party members must be at 1 HP or higher in order to perform an AOA.

All-Out Attack is an AOE attack on all Field-broken enemies that will deal damage equal to the entire party's STR + MAG damage, combined with each of their weapons' damage, as an automatic critical hit for x2 damage on the total that ignores Miracles and cannot be avoided even with Absolute Dodge.

In order to queue in for an All-Out Attack, party members won't need to write out a multi-paragraph speech about the assault, but may simply write in the action *All-Out Attack* to confirm their willingness to participate.

Instant-Kill Spells: Contrary to the name, these spells found within the Bless and Curse spell trees will not instantly kill when they hit. Instead, they will deplete all remaining Mental Field from a target. If used on a target that has no Mental Field remaining, it will instead leave them at 1 HP on a successful cast.

Weaknesses: Most things have a weakness of some sort. Nobody's perfect. As it is with life, all players and most enemies will have weaknesses and strengths. Hitting a weakness will deal 1.5x damage (rounding up) to Mental Fields, or two higher number ranks in the respective damage stat to Endurance. Alternatively, hitting an elemental resist will deal 0.5x damage (rounding up) to Mental Fields, or two lower number ranks in the respective damage stat to Endurance.

The list of elements will be tagged below, as well as what users of these elements are typically weak and resistant to. They are not a hard and fast rule, and there are many exceptions to this rule, but they are the most common regardless.

Elements

Physical / - / -
Gun / - / -
Fire / W: Ice / R: Fire
Ice / W: Fire / R: Ice
Electricity / W: Wind / R: Elec
Wind / W: Elec / R: Wind
Psychic / W: Nuc / R: Psy
Nuclear / W: Psy / R: Nuc
Bless / W: Curse / R: Bless
Curse / W: Bless / R: Curse
Almighty / - / -

Ailments: Ailments are special negative statuses that can be inflicted upon a character for a period of time or until cured. Below lists the various ailments that a character can be affected by.

Ailments

Poison - Target takes damage over 4 turns, each turn taking damage equal to 1/2 the damage an offensive equivalent spell would deal of that tier

Dizzy - Target is confused for 4 turns, their vision growing blurry, and taking an Agility debuff equal to the tier of the Ailment spell used

Sleep - Target is asleep for 2 turns, unable to act but recovering +2 MF and HP per turn; taking damage or being touched will wake them

Confusion - For 2 turns, the target will see all allies as enemies and all enemies as harmless and must attack allies/heal enemies

Fear - For 2 turns, cannot attack/cast spells on enemies

Rage - For 3 turns, the target is overcome with anger, gaining +2 to Strength and Agility, but taking double damage from all sources and can only use phys attacks

Spell Tiers: Spells and skills are separated into multiple tiers of effectiveness. Below lists the tiers and their respective bonuses.

Tier 1

Agi, Zio, Garu, etc.

T1 MAG: +2 dmg / 10 meter range / 5 SP
T1 MAG AOE: +2 dmg / 10 meter range / 10 meter radius / 10 SP
T1 PHYS: +2 dmg / 3 meter range / 1 MF or HP
T1 PHYS AOE: +2 dmg / 5 meter radius / 2 MF or HP
T1 GUN: +2 dmg / 10 meter range / 1 MF or HP
T1 GUN AOE: +2 dmg / 10 meter range / 10 meter radius / 2 MF or HP
T1 Buff/Debuff: +/-1 rank / 1 ally/enemy / 5 SP / 3 rounds
T1 Buff/Debuff AOE: +/-1 rank / Full Party / 10 SP / 3 rounds
T1 Heal: +5 HP / 1 ally / 5 SP
T1 Heal AOE: +5 HP / Full Party / 10 SP
T1 Ail/Kill: 25% / 1 enemy / 15 SP
T1 Ail/Kill AOE: 20% / Full Party / 20 SP

Tier 2

Agilao, Zionga, Garula, etc.

T2 MAG: +5 dmg / 15 meter range / 10 SP
T2 MAG AOE: +5 dmg / 15 meter range / 15 meter radius / 15 SP
T2 PHYS: +5 dmg / 6 meter range / 3 MF or HP
T2 PHYS AOE: +5 dmg / 10 meter radius / 5 MF or HP
T2 GUN: +5 dmg / 15 meter range / 3 MF or HP
T2 GUN AOE: +5 dmg / 15 meter range / 15 meter radius / 5 MF or HP
T2 Buff/Debuff: +/-2 ranks / 1 ally/enemy / 10 SP / 3 rounds
T2 Buff/Debuff AOE: +/-2 ranks / Full Party / 15 SP / 3 rounds
T2 Heal: +10 HP / 1 ally / 10 SP
T2 Heal AOE: +10 HP / Full Party / 15 SP
T2 Ail/Kill: 40% / 1 enemy / 25 SP
T2 Ail/Kill AOE: 35% / Full Party / 30 SP

Tier 3

Agidyne, Ziodyne, Garudyne, etc.

T3 MAG: +10 dmg / 25 meter range / 20 SP
T3 MAG AOE: +10 dmg / 25 meter range / 25 meter radius / 25 SP
T3 PHYS: +10 dmg / 15 meter range / 10 MF or HP
T3 PHYS AOE: +10 dmg / 20 meter radius / 15 MF or HP
T3 GUN: +10 dmg / 25 meter range / 10 MF or HP
T3 GUN AOE: +10 dmg / 25 meter range / 10 meter radius / 15 MF or HP
T3 Buff/Debuff: +/-3 rank / 1 ally/enemy / 15 SP / 3 rounds
T3 Buff/Debuff AOE: +/-3 rank / Full Party / 20 SP / 3 rounds
T3 Heal: +20 HP / 1 ally / 20 SP
T3 Heal AOE: +20 HP / Full Party / 25 SP
T3 Ail/Kill: 60% / 1 enemy / 40 SP
T3 Ail/Kill AOE: 50% / Full Party / 50 SP

Tier 4

Tier 4 spells are secret spells. These are custom and specific to each Persona once a user has awoken to their full potential, and will receive one additional effect aside from the stats listed below, to be discussed on a case by case basis.

T4 MAG: +20 dmg / 35 meter range / 35 SP
T4 MAG AOE: +20 dmg / 35 meter range / 35 meter radius / 50 SP
T4 PHYS: +20 dmg / 20 meter range / 15 MF or HP
T4 PHYS AOE: +20 dmg / 25 meter radius / 20 MF or HP
T4 GUN: +20 dmg / 40 meter range / 20 MF or HP
T4 GUN AOE: +20 dmg / 40 meter range / 40 meter radius / 25 MF or HP
T4 Buff/Debuff: +/-5 rank / 1 ally/enemy / 30 SP / 5 rounds
T4 Buff/Debuff AOE: +/-5 rank / Full Party / 35 SP / 3 rounds
T4 Heal: +30 HP / 1 ally / 35 SP
T4 Heal AOE: +30 HP / Full Party / 50 SP
T4 Ail/Kill: 80% / 1 enemy / 60 SP
T4 Ail/Kill AOE: 60% / Full Party / 75 SP

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The Arcana

The Arcana is the means by which all is revealed. To that end, the faces that make up the Arcana determine oneself and how one affects their surroundings. Every person is bestowed an Arcana at birth, determining their destiny, and rarely do they ever change throughout life. Each Arcana will give power to the individual, and not one among them is to be scoffed at - for at the round table known as The Arcana, none are weak. Some, however, are stronger at certain facets of life than others. As such, an Arcana may lock a Persona out from certain abilities.

Arcana Benefits

0 - Fool - +1 Any / May perform 1 action during the same turn as participating in an AOA, or buff the AOA to 3x damage / Receives two T4 abilities when relevant

1 - Magician - +1 Magic, +1 Agility / Once per combat, may cast two spells of a tier lower than their highest on the same turn / -1 rank str dmg

2 - Priestess - +1 Mental Field, +1 Magic / Gains access to the unique T2 spell "Analyze" / -2 rank str dmg

3 - Empress - +1 Mental Field, +1 Agility / Recovers Mental Field equal to 1/4 the amount of HP healed by a Heal spell / -1 Luck

4 - Emperor - +1 Strength, +1 Endurance / Weapons do an additional +2 dmg / -1 rank mag dmg

5 - Hierophant - +1 Mental Field, +1 Luck / Healing spells additionally heal MF equal to half their MF rank / Cannot use phys/gun skills

6 - Lovers - +2 Magic / Healing spells cost half SP / Cannot use phys/gun spells, -2 rank str dmg

7 - Chariot - +2 Strength / Physical spells cost half MF/HP / Cannot use heal spells, -3 rank mag dmg

8 - Strength - +2 Strength / Physical and Gun spells cost double MF/HP, but also deal double damage / 15% more susceptible to Ail/Insta-Kill

9 - Hermit - +1 Luck / Ailment spells cost half MF/HP, gains access to the unique T2 spell "Analyze" / -1 rank str dmg, -1 rank mag dmg

10 - Fortune - +2 Luck / Ailment and Instant-Kill spells gain a bonus 5% success chance and Gun spells cost half / Cannot use Phys/Heal

11 - Justice - +1 Strength, +1 Magic / Once per combat, gain Fateless and ignore Mental Field for the next attack used. / Cannot use Debuff/Ailments

12 - Hanged Man - +2 Endurance / The user is not staggered by reaching 0 HP, and takes 2 hits to kill instead of 1 / Healing is only half as effective on the user

13 - Death - +1 Mental Field, +1 Luck / Ailment and Instant-Kill spells cost half, gain Resist to either Bless or Curse for free / Cannot use Heal/Buff

14 - Temperance - +1 Mental Field / Once per combat, the user may sacrifice their remaining MF to allow all spells to become half cost / -2 rank phys dmg

15 - Devil - +1 Mental Field, +1 Magic / Curse spells cost half, may cast magic spells for the MF/HP equivalent to the tier instead of SP / Cannot use Heal/Buff

16 - Tower - +2 Strength, +2 Agility, -1 Endurance, -2 Luck / Immune to Fateless / Cannot use Heal/Buff, weak to Bless or Curse, ailments get a 10% bonus against user

17 - Star - +1 Magic, +1 Luck / Buffs/debuffs cost half, immune to MF-piercing attacks / Cannot use Ailments/Insta-Kills, -2 rank str dmg

18 - Moon - +1 Mental Field, +1 Strength, +1 Endurance / Phys spells cost double the MF/HP, but also do double damage / Cannot raise Agility above 5

19 - Sun - +2 Mental Field, +1 Endurance / Gain Resist to Fire and Bless for free, Heal spells received heal for 1.5x / Gain Weakness to Curse

20 - Judgment

21 - World

Social Links will also be a factor of the campaign, and will serve to grant new spell slots for ranking up one's own Arcana, or special passives for ranking up with others' Arcana.

Social Links

Fool -
Magician -
Priestess -
Empress -
Emperor -
Hierophant -
Lovers -
Chariot -
Justice -
Hermit -
Fortune -
Strength -
Hanged Man -
Death -
Temperance -
Devil -
Tower -
Star -
Moon -
Sun -
Judgment -
World -

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Persona and User

Each Persona is unique, and develops with their User. Personas will start out weak, but gradually become a force to be reckoned with over time as its User develops and grows as their own individual. Only by accomplishing their goals, learning the ups and downs of life, and surviving through danger can a User temper a Persona as they were always meant to be.

In addition to the starting stats given by the Arcana chosen, each player will get an additional +2 stat ranks to place anywhere they want. All characters start with 1 in everything, and stats cannot go below 1. Any Arcana drawbacks that give -1 rank to a stat mean that the User will need to be buffed for +2 or higher to start seeing results. +2 would give a +1 buff, etc. This also applies for putting ranks into stats that give a -1.

Character Template (Quote and copy the code)

Name: Self-explanatory
Appearance: Put it in a hider or a URL
Age: Must be of high school age appropriate for their grade
School Year: Freshman, Sophomore, Junior, Senior?
Personality: At least a paragraph.
History: Two paragraphs at least.
Alignment: As per D&D. For the uninitiated, see here.
Weapon: Leave "-" for now.
Armor: Leave "-" for now.
Accessory: Leave "-" for now.
Arcana: From the available. Only one Arcana per player. Judgment and World are not available for players.
Arcana Bonus Just copy/paste the bonuses and drawbacks your Arcana gives here.
Current/Max MF:
Current/Max HP:
Current/Max SP
Persona: Name, with a reference picture attached either as a spoiler or as a url link.
Persona Lore: Must be either a historical figure, mythological creature/deity or something else widely known publicly.

Persona Stats: The starting ranks from your Arcana, +2 free ranks of your choice

• Mental Field -
• Strength -
• Magic -
• Endurance -
• Agility -
• Luck -

Elemental Affinities: Choose 1 Resist, 1 Weakness to start

• Phys -
• Gun -
• Fire -
• Ice -
• Elec -
• Wind -
• Psy -
• Nuc -
• Bless -
• Curse -

Persona Spells: You will start with two T1 spells of your choice that you're able to cast that follow the spell rules, and that your Arcana is able to cast. Starting Personas may only know one element + phys/gun if their Arcana allows it.

T1

T2

T3

T4

[Pompadourius]

So ultimately I wrote a lot more for the RP regarding systems than I initially thought I would. I hope this is still fine for the Casual section? Despite all of the mechanics I've included I still don't intend to write as many paragraphs per post as I would on Advanced, just interested in making it feel like a close experience to true Persona. Let me know what you guys think.

[Ryteb Pymeroce]

Zane Wulfe

Name: Zane 'Lone' Wulfe

Appearence

Age: 17

School Year: Junior

Personality: Zane is a battle junkie, not helped by deliquents around Akemishi possessing an inability to learn from getting beaten down. He tends to be a slight smartarse in general, going by the logic that an angry oppenent is more likely to make mistakes. Having few friends, he is naturally protective of them.

History: Moving from England to Japan at the young age of five, Zane has been regarded as an outcast for most of his life. His only solace was in kenjutsu. Learning from an old man who insisted on being called Master Shi, his happiest memories were of that time. Sadly, his father passed away and his mother moved them to Akenmishi. Initially he tried joining a local kendo club, but it was too... clean. Instead he took to practicing on his own, focusing on the kata his sensei beat into him.
It was barely a month after he got there when some punks tried attacking him. In their minds it was an easy target, a forigner and a loner. Unfortunately for them, Zane had his practice blade on him. In barely a minute four guys were laid out with vicious percision, and Zane's heart was pumping. This was what he had been missing, the thrill of battle.
At the start of the new school year, he already had a reputation as the Lone Wulfe, a delinquent who had apparently taken down Yakuza. Not that he cared, he fought for the love of fighting, not anything particularly deep.

Alignment: Chaotic Good

Weapon: -

Armor: -

Accessory: -

Arcana: Emperor

Arcana Bonus +1 Strength, +1 Endurance / Weapons do an additional +2 dmg / -1 rank mag dmg

Persona: Cú Chulainn

My Hider

Persona Lore: {Taken from Wikipedia}
Born Sétanta, he gained his better-known name as a child, after killing Culann's fierce guard-dog in self-defence and offered to take its place until a replacement could be reared. At the age of seventeen he defended Ulster single-handedly against the armies of queen Medb of Connacht in the famous Táin Bó Cúailnge ("Cattle Raid of Cooley"). It was prophesied that his great deeds would give him everlasting fame, but his life would be a short one. He is known for his terrifying battle frenzy, or ríastrad[6] (translated by Thomas Kinsella as "warp spasm"[7] and by Ciarán Carson as "torque"),[8] in which he becomes an unrecognisable monster who knows neither friend nor foe. He fights from his chariot, driven by his loyal charioteer Láeg and drawn by his horses, Liath Macha and Dub Sainglend. In more modern times, Cú Chulainn is often referred to as the "Hound of Ulster".

Persona Stats:

• Mental Field 2
• Strength 2
• Magic 1
• Endurance 3
• Agility 1
• Luck 1

Elemental Affinities:

• Phys - Resist
• Gun -
• Fire -
• Ice -
• Elec -
• Wind -
• Psy -
• Nuc -
• Bless -
• Curse - Weakness

Persona Spells:

T1

{Phys} Vargia Blast: +2 dmg / 5 meter radius / 2 MF or HP
{Cure} Media: +5 HP / Full Party / 10 SP

T2

T3

T4

[Duoya]

Will probably get a CS up in a few hours, gonna go for Chariot.

[Chi]

I'll start working on something too. For Arcana either Hanged Man or Sun.

[Vertigo]

Since a lot of the choices so far seem to include +Str/Weapons, will probably go with a magical user. Was thinking Death or Devil for either ailment or curse related shenanigans - I've got an idea for a character for either one. Curious about the effects of luck as well (yay gambling) so Fortune is also intriguing.

Though, just to be sure, what does this part mean? Does it mean that for example... for Agi, instead of spending 5 SP, they may choose to spend 1 MF or 1 HP instead?

may cast magic spells for the MF/HP equivalent to the tier instead of SP

Anyone planning on having heal (and/or buff) stuff btw? Since Chariot, Death, Devil and Fortune cannot use heals.

[Ryteb Pymeroce]

I was thinking of having Zane heal, considering offensive magic is pointless for Emperor Arcana.

[Pompadourius]

@Vertigo Yep. Devil's a balancing act of offensive spellcasting, basically. Using the MF/HP equivalent of the tier on SP skills like a deal with the devil.

@Ryteb Pymeroce
@Duoya
@Chi

I also forgot something in the character app! I forgot to add an appearance section and a spells section. Should be good to go now, so please copy/paste those bits in when you can. For spells... I assume everybody here knows how the spells work and what the starter elemental/physical spells look like and are called? I don't think I need to go into detail on how those will look. Basically just copy and paste the T1 spell rules for the spell type you're looking for, and replace "T1 [Spell]" with the element and name of the spell. For example...

T1 MAG: +2 dmg / 10 meter range / 5 SP

Becomes

[Fire] Agi: +2 dmg / 10 meter range / 5 SP

For the purpose of spells for your Persona.

[Ryteb Pymeroce]

Edit mine to include the new stuff.

[Pompadourius]

@Ryteb Pymeroce

Just two things I see that need fixing.

Stats: Stats cannot go below 1. If your Arcana gives you a -1, it just means that whenever buffed for that stat, a +1 buff will do nothing. A +2 buff will instead give you +1, a +3 buff would give you +2, etc. It also means that if you try to put ranks into that stat later as permanent increases, the first rank put in will do nothing, and then ranks put into it from then on will function as normal.

Vargia Blast: It seems you used the template for a Magic spell for this. Phys/Gun spells use MF/HP as the cost rather than SP and have different range/radius, so use the template for a T1 physical spell instead.

Other than those, it looks good and ready! I got some Kanji vibes from the character and I can always appreciate that.

[Ryteb Pymeroce]

Edited, should I post in the CS section?

[Pompadourius]

Edited, should I post in the CS section?

@Ryteb Pymeroce

Yep, it all checks out

[Pompadourius]

@Ryteb Pymeroce@Vertigo@Chi@Duoya

It has also occurred to me that there was no area for max and current MF and HP in the CS, so I've also added that. Makes it easier than needing to calculate based on your current stats + bonuses and all. Please add those in to your character sheets when you can.

Separate it by current/max for each. So if your MF's max is 5 for example, and you've taken 2 damage, write it as 3 / 5, representing your current status left of the slash mark and your max on the right of the slash mark.

Make sure to update whenever you take damage in battle, or keep track of it per post while in battle.

[Ryteb Pymeroce]

Might also want to add an SP meter.

[Pompadourius]

Might also want to add an SP meter.

@Ryteb Pymeroce

Done.

[Pompadourius]

@Vertigo@Chi@Duoya

You guys still good?

[Chi]

Yeah, I'm about to finish mine.
Edit: Here's it.

Takumi

Name: Arata Takumi

Appearance:

Age: 17
School Year: Junior
Personality: Calm and somewhat introverted, Takumi is someone who tries to not stand out from others, even more so now that he has a connection with The Sounders. He wants to live at his own pace yet has trouble with betraying people’s expectations of him, which makes him someone who finds it very hard to say no. Takumi does have a reckless side to him, often not thinking things through, which combined with his inability to say no, causes him to end up in bad situations easily. Takumi doesn't have many friends, both inside and outside of school, with him spending most his time studying, helping his brother, hanging out with The Sounders and more recently looking for his missing brother.

History:

Takumi’s family moved to Akemishi during his last year of middle school. The carefree life he had when he lived in a rural town suddenly changed, as things were much hectic in the metropolis, and his parents pressured him into improving his grades to increase his chances of getting into Eikichi.

While Takumi kept trying to improve and put more effort to be able to please his parents, his younger brother Kazuma quickly became the black sheep of the family by opposing his parents in every step of the way. Which combined with their parents becoming increasingly absent from home due to work, made the task of disciplining him to fall into Takumi. Finally entering Eikichi didn’t seem to stop the pressure from his parents, as now they expected him to be a model student.

Needless to say that he felt overburdened, his idyllic life had been changed into one where he couldn’t stop to relax for a moment, Takumi wanted a form to relieve his stress, and one fateful encounter with The Sounders would give him a way to do so. They certainly didn’t expect someone crushing their ALT device out of their own volition when they jumped on him, nor that same person asking them to join them. Takumi shared his hatred of the city with them, and even if taking his hate on bystanders wasn’t a healthy or good way of expressing it, this was a way for him to feel like he was in control over an aspect of his life.

There was a certain thrill to that sort of double life he had, nobody seemed to suspect him, or pay any mind to him for that matter, and his parents if they where ever at home would buy any excuse he had to go out as long as he mentioned the word “studying”. Only his brother seemed to think something was wrong, though Takumi always managed to change the topic.

This year Kazuma was supposed to enter Eikichi as a freshman, finally paying off many sleepless nights he and Takumi had spent studying. However one day during one of the regular mass blackouts he simply disappeared, leaving zero traces of where he went. Their parents think he just ran away trying to escape now that he was finally going to high school, and that he’ll come back at some point, but Takumi who had spent countless hours helping his brother and convincing him to keep trying his best knew that him running away wasn't something he would do.

Currently, he’s trying to piece whatever happened that day, and if the blackouts have something to do with it. His little investigation has made him spent less and less time in the gang and has angered some of its members as they already have few members in the first place.

Alignment: Neutral
Weapon: -
Armor: -
Accessory: -
Arcana: Hanged Man
Arcana Bonus +2 Endurance / The user is not staggered by reaching 0 HP, and takes 2 hits to kill instead of 1 / Healing is only half as effective on the user
Current/Max MF: 9/9
Current/Max HP: 12/12
Current/Max SP 30/30
Persona: Agni

Agni

Persona Lore: Agni is said to be one of the closest connected gods with humans than any of the other deities in the Hindu tradition. The god Agni is identified with being the producer of fire and referred to as being Indra’s (god of thunder and lightning) brother. There are many different myths as to how Agni was born; some say that the deity was born three times, once from water, then air and last on Earth. A common myth is that Agni was made from the coupling of the god of the earth (Prthivi) and god of the heavens (Dyaus) and is said to be the son of Brahma. Agni was born fully-grown and was said to be ravenously hungry which led him to devour his parents. Agni is the intercessor between the deities and humankind and is of the few gods in the Hindu tradition that has retained its power to this day

Persona Stats: The starting ranks from your Arcana, +2 free ranks of your choice

• Mental Field - 3
• Strength -1
• Magic - 1
• Endurance - 3
• Agility - 1
• Luck -1

Elemental Affinities: Choose 1 Resist, 1 Weakness to start

• Phys -
• Gun -
• Fire -
• Ice -
• Elec -
• Wind -
• Psy -
• Nuc - Weakness
• Bless -
• Curse - Resist

Persona Spells:

T1

[Fire] Agi: +2 dmg / 10 meter range / 5 SP
[Phys] Cleave: +2 dmg / 3 meter range / 1 MF or HP

T2

T3

T4

[Duoya]

Yeah, finals are hurting me pretty bad rn, will try to get my character out tomorrow.

[Vertigo]

All good ye, working on it.

Question, though. It says that Gun spells cost half for Fortune, but I don't see a category for them in the spell tier listing, since they're separate from Phys ones. Would they have the range of a magic spell but cost of a physical one...?

T1 GUN: +2 dmg / 10 meter range / 1 MF or HP

Or something? Also, would they use STR as their damage modifier?

Edit: Settled on the Devil, though still curious about the above. Also, do insta-kill curse spells count for the half SP effect Devil gives? I assume they at least count as magic for the purpose of the HP/MF usage effect.

Edit2: Very barebones wip

Edit3: Done!

erin kawasaki

Hider

Kawasaki, "Erin" Joseline

Age: 18

School Year: Senior

Personality: Erin is not the kindest individual you'll ever come across, but she is polite and tactful until given reason not to. Logical, calculating and not one to engage in idle chitchat, she speaks bluntly and formally, with little regard given to feelings or sentiments - though she can certainly pretend otherwise if needed. Manipulative and cunning, she isn't above using dirty tactics to get her way, either. With that said, her pride does prevent her from groveling in front of anyone, even if it would be useful for her. It also makes her come across as condescending, seemingly talking down to people even when it wasn't deliberate.

While she's calm and collected most of the time, she does have a tendency to carry grudges and become spiteful if her will isn't heeded or she's directly challenged. She doesn't yell even when crossed, but the sharpness of her tongue makes it clear enough when a line has been crossed. Ambitious to a fault, she hates the idea of following someone else's lead in matters where she believes she'd make a more suitable leader. At the same time, she is fully capable of recognizing and respecting talent and intellect around her, particularly in topics she's not well-versed in herself. She has no patience for idiocy or people she considers stupid.

History: The marriage of Eloise Belleau and Alexandre Chauvet was more a mutually beneficial arrangement than a vow made out of love, but it lasted for nearly two decades and spawned a successful family business, so neither side truly minded. Joseline was born in Paris at the height of the couple's success, and being an only child, it was expected that she would one day inherit the leadership of the company. Her opinion on the matter was never asked, nor did she think to offer it. From a very young age, she learnt to view her eventual takeover as something natural and inevitable - much like sunrise every morning.

Joseline was home-schooled, with particular emphasis put on topics related to business endeavours. As a child, she found the topics dull and her teacher duller, only sitting through her classes because she did not think she had a choice. Homework was abundant and her time to play outside limited, in both quality and quantity. She was not allowed to play with just anyone, and was rarely allowed outside alone.

The older she got, though, the less she minded her lifestyle and the more appealing her future position as a rich businesswoman sounded. The value of money became more apparent, as did the difference between her and the so-called 'poor folk'. Whether it was a natural development in her personality or the result of years of indoctrination, none could say, and she certainly didn't care either way. Regardless, she started to gain an interest in the family business, and the once-boring classes soon turned out to be something she thoroughly enjoyed. Ambition was in her blood, after all - or that's what her parents said, proud of her dedication.

Come time for high school, Joseline's parents decided to forgo home schooling in favor of improving her social skills and cultural knowledge. On her second year, Joseline went on exchange to North America - and it was while there that her life changed forever. Unbeknownst to her, both the family business and her parents' marriage had been going downhill as of late, until Alexandre and Eloise could no longer bear the though of each other. They divorced swiftly and professionally, with Joseline's father buying her mother out of the company; a deal that Eloise agreed to much more readily than Joseline. She had dedicated her entire life to this company, she was not about to leave it behind over her parents' whims.

Unfortunately, being underage and unable to live on her own, she had little choice. Though her father would've readily employed her after her graduation, with perhaps the chance of one day rising to the top, Eloise had other plans. By the time Joseline's exchange year was over, her mother had already begun arrangements to move to Japan, where she'd found the new 'love of her life'; another multimillionaire with a successful company. And so, Joseline never did return to France; she found herself sitting in a plane to the other side of the world, frustrated yet hopeful. Perhaps she could put her skills to use in her adoptive father's company. Supposedly, it was even more successful than her father's had been.

That hope soon died out. As it turned out, Mr. Yamahiro Kawasaki already had an heir for his company in mind; a son by the name of Hirokichi, two years younger than Joseline - or as she now went by, Erin. To make matters worse, the boy was neither suitable nor interested in any sort of business, much less his father's. He was not a bad kid, but he was, in Erin's words, 'dumb as a rock, and twice as quiet.' Shy, meek, and not leader material. Erin could not fathom him taking a position that should be hers. No. She would see to it that she got her due, through any means necessary.

Quite conveniently, it turned out that Hirokichi was not only a fool - he was naive to boot, and made the mistake of trying to be friends with his new sister. That suited Erin quite well; it gave her access to his trust and, by extension, influence over him. If nothing else, she could manipulate his opinions and decisions, essentially making sure her will was done, even if someone else did have to act as her mouthpiece.

And yet, for someone as ambitious as her, ruling from the shadows is the same as not ruling at all - and so, she remains dissatisfied. Perhaps she will figure out a more permanent solution come graduation - provided there aren't any... other surprises to distract her.

Alignment:
- Erin is part of the student council
- Though Joseline is her birth name, she tends to go by "Erin" in Japan, as it's much easier for the locals to pronounce.

Alignment: Chaotic Neutral

Weapon: -
Armor: -
Accessory: -

Arcana: The Devil
Arcana Bonus: +1 Mental Field, +1 Magic / Curse spells cost half, may cast magic spells for the MF/HP equivalent to the tier instead of SP / Cannot use Heal/Buff

Current/Max MF: 7/7
Current/Max HP: 10/10
Current/Max SP: 50/50

Persona: Lilith

Hider

Persona Lore: A demonic figure that has appeared in many legend, tale and religious text. Depending on the source, she's said to be the leader of the succubi, Adam's first wife, the mother of a horde of demons and so on and forth. Generally, she's seen as a seductress who preys on men at night.

Persona Stats:

• Mental Field - 2
• Strength - 1
• Magic - 3
• Endurance - 1
• Agility - 1
• Luck - 2

Elemental Affinities:

• Phys -
• Gun -
• Fire -
• Ice -
• Elec -
• Wind -
• Psy - Resist
• Nuc -
• Bless - Weakness
• Curse -

Persona Spells:

T1

[Curse/AOE] Maeiha: +2 dmg - 10 meter range / 10 meter radius / 10 SP
[curse/Kill] Mudo: 25% / 1 enemy / 15 SP

T2

T3

T4

[Duoya]

@Pompadourius
Pretty sure this guy is filled out properly - anything need fixing?

Nakayama Shiki

Name: Nakayama Shiki
Appearance:

Shiki

Age: 16
School Year: Sophmore
Personality: Shiki has an extremely introverted and obsessive personality, with an unhealthy dose of paranoia thrown in for good measure. He rarely talks without a good reason and will go to extreme lengths in order to avoid confrontation - bullying from some of his seniors do not help in this regard. This insecurity was initially caused by trauma in his childhood, which also caused his fear of women.

Without a close circle of friends, Shiki resorted to looking for hobbies that would distract him from the loneliness - at 8 he discovered the world of bodybuilding, and he now pours the vast majority of his free time into pursuing physical perfection. While resting, he enjoys studying the occult and researching conspiracy theories, which was a major factor for him not getting an ALT when he and his father moved to Arekishi.

While very reclusive and scared of interacting with others, Shiki is much more outgoing and expressive when speaking about his narrow interests - he can speak for hours on end about the different meal plans he has been on, the evidence of aliens controlling the Japanese Government, and the symbolic power of lamb blood. He gathers most of his information from online image boards and forums, which is also where he has most of his social interaction - leading to him occasionally speaking in odd portmanteaus or saying completely unrelated and odd phrases in response to certain statements or actions. He gets extremely defensive when pressed about this.

Shiki dreams of growing stronger and wants to be the best version of himself as possible. Whether this is out of immense insecurity and a poor attempt to improve his social life, or a genuine desire to overcome his vast number of fears, is anyones guess.

History: Born to a wealthy family in the heart of Tokyo, Shiki never managed to develop a good reputation with his peers - whether because he snitched on them to teachers or because he was scared of nearly everything, Shiki spent most of his childhood isolated and limited to adults for his social interactions. His teachers were generally supportive but didn't provide a good enough substitute for real social interaction. As a result, Shiki rapidly grew more and more reclusive, to the point where he would have dropped out of middle school if not for his father's constant insistence on the subject. His father supported the family mostly from his dealings as a translator for a Japanese company, while his mother stayed at home.

In his second year of Middle school, Shiki's mother cheated on his father, and their son caught her in the act. This disturbed Shiki to no end and left a deep emotional scar - one that grew into a fear of relationships and women in general. Shiki's father attempted to move on after that, completely leaving cities after winning custody of Shiki - the pair lived in a new home in Akemishi's Hana District, specifically for the education opportunities that it would provide Shiki.

With the advent of the ALT, Shiki's father quickly grew stressed in his attempts to support his son - it was only due to his long history with his company that he wasn't fired outright, and was instead given a position overseas, with only a moderate decrease in pay. Still, this further shook Shiki's expectations for his future, with college becoming uncertain. It was his final year of middle school that had him fully engross himself into his hobbies, where he had once only been obsessive - weightlifting dominated his every waking moment, and the time he spent recovering he researched vague, occultic texts and conspiracy theories online. The latter was done due to boredom and a need for entertainment at first, but Shiki rapidly grew to believe every word he read, leading to a very warped view of the city he lived in, as well as the ALT itself. Shiki never had one installed, in fear of numerous different consequences - ranging from mind control from the government to constant monitoring from some secret organization.

Shiki was lucky his father made sure to teach him English at a young age, as he would struggle greatly to continue living in Akemishi without fluency in the language or an ALT. In his free time researching the occult, he also picked up a basic proficiency in Hebrew and Latin, but not enough to be of any practical use. His lack of ALT made him briefly consider finding and joining The Sounders, but he quickly gave this up since he was afraid they would assault him even if he didn't have an ALT.

Currently, while not a member of any sports clubs, Shiki can usually be found in the school's gymnasium and weight room, and when pressed, usually will help in anything that he is asked to do. Some of his upperclassman in the basketball club use this as a way to bully him into cleaning up for them after practice, or even getting Shiki to buy them food.

Alignment: Neutral Good
Weapon: -
Armor: -
Accessory: -
Arcana: Chariot
Arcana Bonus +2 Strength / Physical spells cost half MF/HP / Cannot use heal spells, -3 rank mag dmg
Current/Max MF: 5/5
Current/Max HP: 14/14
Current/Max SP 30/30
Persona: Ulikummi

Ulikummi

Persona Lore: Ulikummi is a deaf and blind demigod of Hurrian Mythology. Born to dethrone the weather god Teshub, the stone giant was placed on the shoulder of the world-bearer Upelluri, and rapidly grew to the heavens. Teshub's thunder did little to the demigod, and it was only after seeking help from the god Ea that Teshub managed to stop Ulikummi's growth. The fate of the demigod is unknown.

Persona Stats:

• Mental Field - 1
• Strength - 4
• Magic - 1 (-3 mag dmg)
• Endurance - 2
• Agility - 1
• Luck - 1

Elemental Affinities:

• Phys -
• Gun -
• Fire -
• Ice -
• Elec - Resist
• Wind - Weakness
• Psy -
• Nuc -
• Bless -
• Curse -

Persona Spells:

T1

[Phys] Lunge: +2 dmg / 3 meter range / 1 MF or HP (.5 MF/HP)
[Buff/All] Marakukaja: +1 rank Endurance (Or would it be MF?) / Full Party / 10 SP / 3 rounds

T2

None

T3

None

T4

None