The Persona: Shackled Paradise Bible

[Erithania]

Hello-hello, all you beautiful and not so beautiful people. This is going to be a thread dedicated entirely to information. While it's primary purpose was intended to serve as a Frequently Asked Questions guide, you'll also general clarifications on a number of issues, as well a technical details for unique situations that will arise in battle. In other words, this is going to be a “go-to” thread for a lot of people. Given that there will be a number of wordy explanations (meaning textextext everywhere), you'll find a table of contents in this post, which will help guide you to the sections you're looking for. These fields will be updated with new information as expansions are released and as questions prove to be frequently asked.

This table of contents is here to help you home in on what you need. Simply use CTRL+F, on your keyboard, then put in the Number-Letter combination to skip straight to where you need to be. Wanna know about Elite Users? CTRL+F, then put in 2e. Boom. You're there.

Table of Contents

1. Setting
2. Character Classes
2a. Civilians
2b. Persona-users
2c. Anti-Shadow Weapons
2d. Veteran Users
2e. Elite Users
2f. Shadows
3. Enemy Types
3a. Shadows
3b. Demons
4. Equipment Information
4a. Weapons and Mods
4b. Armors and Mods
4c. Accessories
5. Growth
5a. Humans
5b. Shadows
6. Explores
6a. Strata
6b. Demon Strata
7. Missions
8. Battles
8a. Explore battles
8b. Invasion Battles
8c. Stratum Bosses
. Demon Bosses
8e. Full Moon Bosses
9.Mechanics
9a. Damage Calculation
9b. Buffs
9c. Statuses
9d. Rolls
9e. Unique Situations
10. Frequently Asked Questions

[Erithania]

1. Setting

Shackled Paradise takes place within the fictional city of Mosaic. Mosaic City is located around the middle (closer to Southern than Northern) coast of mainland China. It's a cultural hotpot, or was, and has people of every walk of life. The year is undetermined to remove the setting from events currently occurring in our world, but you can imagine that it's “current times”. That said, we are an AU (Alternate Universe) setting in terms of Persona. In other words, the world of Persona 1-4 (and soon to be 5) is not the same world that we are in. While you can bet all sorts of extreme shenanigans have, in fact, occurred in the past, none will be tied to the events of the four games. Furthermore, this is why FCs of the canon characters are allowed.

Now, for finer details, there is a lockdown around Mosaic City. This is basically a key point of the board's plot. I'll be deconstructing a lot of the information surrounding this below in a point-by-point style.

*The city is surrounded by two barriers. One is a barrier between the livable section of the city, where humans and Sentient Shadows can be located and the ruins. The second barrier is on the outskirts of the ruins. The first barrier protects the city from Shadow (and Demon) invasions. As can be seen presently, there are cracks and things are slipping in. Humans can freely enter and exit this barrier. The second barrier keeps everything inside of the barrier in as a means of cutting off an escape. No one can exit. In theory, no one should be able to enter, yet all organized forces of IBSE have a means of entering in a one-way trip.

*The lockdown had occurred three months prior to the “opening” point of the plot in the board. For all intents and purposes, the plot of the board began in early January, 2014, in our time. Time in-world matches ours in terms of moon phases and months passing. Therefore, the lockdown initiated roughly mid-October.

*The army members surrounding the city's barricade are, in fact, Shadows. This fact is only known a number of Users, however. They are unable to attack anybody inside the lockdown, and they act to keep citizens inside. Their motives are currently unknown.

*Contrary to what you might expect, resources are not dwindling. In fact, mysteriously enough, it seems that supplies are still reaching the city. How this is occurring is not known. Perhaps an investigation would yield some results?

*Regarding networking, all connections going outside of the city are dead. The network receives no new information from outside the barricade, nor does any information escape. However, the city's intranet functions properly, allowing for computer communications to occur without issue from businesses or households within the lockdown.

*The IBSE, mentioned above, is an acronym for the “International Bureau of Supernatural Extermination”. It is a private firm with numerous backers, from both the private and public sectors, including some larger companies and numerous governments. They have numerous installations around the world. They are the origin for all ASWs that are currently in deployment. Furthermore, the IBSE has ties with many “Veteran” Persona-users. All known “Elite” Persona-users are actively in their employ, going around the world to clean up Shadow and Demon-related messes. Their motivations are simply enough: “Prevent destruction caused by Shadows and Demons”, “Kill all dangerous Shadows and Demons encountered to ensure peace and safety for the surrounding environment”, and “Research any captured specimens to facilitate safer and quicker elimination of threats”.

[Erithania]

2. Character Classes

Now, as you may have noticed, we have a lot of groups in which a character can be located within. We've got your average Joes, your fresh starters, your skilled and elites, and even some robots. Also, there's playable Shadows. This segment describes each class of character, as well as what they do and do not have available to them. The finer details of their growth will be located down in the “Growth” segment.

2a. Civilians

Civilians are your ordinary, everyday peeps that go to school and/or work, or just chill and gain weight while watching what few things come on the television in Mosaic's closed network. This is what has been dubbed by the members as “Hard Mode”, for those planning to jump into the mess beyond the barricade. Of course, if you have no interest in that, and just want to play a normal dude in a locked down city, hey, that's fine. Civilians are a rare breed, but we certainly don't hate them. For people looking to just have a social character, with no battling, this is as far as you have to read. For those interested in growing and becoming a Level 3 Civilian, or even turning into a User later, please continue onward.

Now, as mentioned before, Civilians are essentially our “Hard Mode”. How, you ask? Well, for starters, they have no access to a Persona. This means no flashy skills to save your hide. On top of that, you start with a weakness to everything. Yes, everything. All nine attributes, by default, deal double damage. The only exception is Almighty. It still deals full damage, though. Unlike most Users, however, you start off with two weapon proficiencies. This is to give you two different forms of attack. Essentially, it's making up for your lack of skills and attack coverage. Civilians also vary from Users by requiring equipment investments to level up. More than that, they require more FP invested into gear than Users do into skills to level up. So not only is it harder to get those points, but they need more. This about sums up what makes a Civilian so difficult.

As for who can make a Civ, and what Civs can and cannot do, here's the lowdown. Anyone can make a Civilian. No restrictions. Civilians can perform Salvages if they've been into the Outer Circle, and they can go explore Strata. They can jump into Stratum Bosses and Full Moon Bosses, as well! Even poke into a mission every now and then, for that little something extra. What they cannot, however, do, is enter a Demon Portal Guardian fight or a Demon Stratum. There's a reason for this. For a Demon Portal Guardian, which is essentially an amped up Stratum Boss, a Civilian would be a burden on the party. On top of that, they'd likely go down in one or two turns unless proper support spells and healing was taken care of. For Demon Strata, this is because Demons are, by default, more powerful than Shadows. For Civilians, who already have issues with Shadows, a Demon would very literally cream them. Yummy blood sausage.

This about sums up the Civilian Character Class. They're perfect for people looking for a purely social experience, or who are interested in the people here, but not Persona specifically. On the other hand, they're also ideal for those looking for a challenge on their route to Level 5.

2b. Persona-users

Persona-users. These are your average fresh characters, and much more prevalent than the Civilians we just covered. So, where Civilians are the weakest of the weak, your standard Users are one step up. That said, they've got a Persona. They start, typically, with two or three skills, with the selection being available in the template thread. This grants them a few nice options for fights. Due to these new options, they can possess only one weapon proficiency from the get go. Now, they are not weak to everything. In fact, they only have one, or two, weaknesses. This varies from case to case, dependent on how the player wishes to build them. They can choose one Resistance and have one Weakness, or they can pick two Resistances and have two Weaknesses. Upon Awakening, this allows the 1/1 to have one Null, one Resist, and one Weakness. On Awakening, the 2/2 has two Nulls and two Weaknesses. For Ultimate, 1/1 has one Absorb/Repel, one Null, and one Weakness, and, for a 2/2, they have two Absorb/Repels and two Weaknesses. Sounds like a lot, yeah, but, fortunately, you don't have to worry about that from the get go.

That said, let's carry on with other important facts for those starting fresh, yeah? For the most part, fresh Users are citizens of Mosaic that were there when the lockdown initiated. They have very little information or know-how regarding exactly what's going on, unless they've got ties with existing characters. As for how they obtained their Persona, well, that's up to you. Generally, people try exploring the Outer Circle, bite off more than they can chew, and end up Awakening to not, you know, kick the bucket. They might explore there. They might be lured there by unknown forces. They might even go into a trance and head that way. Lots of causes have brought people over there. Some survived. Some didn't. If you're in this classification, you're among the prior.

That about covers the what and how. Let's cover what you can and cannot do with a standard User. For starters, you still have to go through an Awakened, then an Ultimate, Persona, if you plan on sticking to the tried and true formula. So, when you're picking out your starting Persona, please stick to something that's “smaller” on the mythological scale for original Personas or the “level” bar in terms of canon Personas. I mean, if someone started with Shiva, what are they going to go to for an Awakened Persona? There's a few other reasons we request this, but, generally, that's all that needs to be said. Other than that, Persona-users can grind their way up to Level 4. They have to buy an Awakened Persona to get to Level 5. Other than that, they can access Strata and take missions as far as their level allows. They can participate in Stratum bosses, as well, following this rule. Naturally, they can access the Full Moon Boss with zero issues.

That about wraps up the average Persona-user. They're the most common method of starting up here, as not a lot seem to be interested in Civs. Probably the difficulty difference.

2c. Anti-Shadow Weapons

Now, inherently, ASWs are not on a different power level from standard Users. However, given that they are a unique existence with specific requirements, they do require their own field. Now, in terms of a Versus Shadow fight, they're on the same level as a Persona-user with matching gear/level/skills. Outside of that, they're typically heavier, sturdier, and possibly stronger. Naturally, this is because they're robots. Given that they match Persona-users for powers, capabilities, and permissions, check the Persona-user field above for that information. Below is information that applies solely to ASWs.

Given that they are robots designed for Anti-Shadow warfare, they are equipped with weapons and built to last. They look human and sound human. As for whether or not they think like a human, it depends solely on their individual personality advancement. They're essentially AIs with bodies and the ability to feel emotions. Now, as for who built them, where they come from, and all that, they all originate from the IBSE, same as any organization-affiliated Veteran Users, as well as all Elite Users.

Naturally, there are different baseline models, varying on the development teams. For the most part, they cut out any “unnecessary” features for the sake of cutting costs. That means that, outside of a human appearance, they may be very lacking in terms of things like a digestive system or cavities for more carnal activities. Now, this is not to say that all models exclude this. However, if you plan to go that route, for the “full-human” image, you'd better be able to spin a good story, because we will want to see it covered in their history as to why they've been granted these functions.

Now, that roughly covers them up. It is worth noting, however, that ASWs are a class that can coincide with other classes. In this, I mean that they can be Veteran ASWs or Elite ASWs. For information on these classes, please view below. I believe it will make sense after you read that.

2d. Veteran Users

He we go with Veteran Persona-users. Same typical rules for the basic Persona-users, but there's a few perks to going with a Vet. Of course, there's also a few restrictions. Can't have people skipping that initial grind, you know? So, that said, let's cover their details, shall we? Veterans are individuals that have Awakened and grown strong on their own prior to arriving at the present. Now, there's a number of ways you can interpret this. They could be Users that had their own incident that they saw through to completion on their own- no IBSE or shady stuff- and just happened to wander into Mosaic prior to the lockdown. They could be Users that awakened after the lockdown and have grown stronger on their own. Then, there's the bunch affiliated with the IBSE. The IBSE is essentially a large-scale organization that recruits “special” individuals, typically Users, to engage and destroy Shadow and Demon forces around the world. More info on them in the “Setting” info above.

Now, time for those perks. Perks are nice, yes? Vets start on Level 3. They start with an Awakened Persona- that's a second Persona form, meaning higher resistances and all. Their starting skill set can be anything in the Persona shop that equals to 10,000 FP or less. Yes, that means you can dump it all into one powerful skill, or split it up for a balanced build. Other than that, you also start with a Level 3 Weapon of whatever proficiency you choose and a Level 3 Armor. Yes. You start with Armor if you're a Vet. Civs, standard Users, and standard ASWs do not.

Finally, the restriction. Yeah, that thing you hate. Our restriction on Vets is that you must first grind a character to Level 3. They can be a User or a Civ. We do not care which, so long as you've built at least one character to Level 3. That sums up the Veteran User class. They're essentially there for those looking to start a new character, but not one at Level 1. A middle-ground option.

2e. Elite Users

Yes, Elite Users. These guys are the next step up from Vets. Again, their capabilities on-board are the same as your typical User. They vary simply in what they start with, as well as how they got where they are. So, for this opening body here, I'll cover what they start with. Elites start at Level 5. Yes, Level 5. They have an Awakened (Not Ultimate, but Awakened) Persona. Now, there's two ways your gear and FP can end up with this classification. You can either go for 25,000 FP with a Level 5 Weapon of one proficiency, a Level 4 Weapon of a second proficiency, and a piece of Level 5 Armor, or you can go for 30,000 FP with a Level 5 Weapon and Armor setup. There is no “true route” with this. Go about it as you wish.

Now, in-world, Elites are special. These dudes are the toughest, baddest guys that have been actively sent around the world to fight both Shadows and Demons. We're not talking “occasional assignment”, we're talking “oh, cool, you're back! Here's your next mission!” busy. That said, Elites, like ASWs and some Vets, are going to be tied to the IBSE. Again, refer to the “Setting”. So, naturally, these guys are strong, experienced, and pretty mature. You have to be to constantly be facing down death.

So that covers the details and perks of this class. Next up, naturally, are the restrictions on them. You must have a Level 5 character prior to making an Elite. Yep, that's all. We don't want a storm of Level 5's to just pop out because a few new members wanted to start playing alongside the big boys. This is mainly for those that, after reaching that pinnacle, want another character, but without the initial grind. Or, on the other hand, that want characters aligned with this big, capable organization, and just want to feel like a Special Forces “Shadow/Demon” Squad. That about wraps up Elites.

2f. Shadows

Oh, hey. It's that class. Yes, we allow playable Shadows. Given that they're built and play differently than Users, a lot of information here is specifically tailored to them. If you plan on playing one, it'd be a good idea to look over the stuff here. Now, for those that aren't familiar with Persona terminology- you might've been dragged here by a friend or something- there are generic Shadows, the ones you go explore and kill, and then there's the Sentient, fully-aware Shadows. These are the latter. Shadows, like Personas, are representations of a person's personality. Where Personas are a more positive representation, Shadows are a person's repressed qualities- the things an individual tries to hide from society's eyes, out of shame or whatever else. They are honest about their truer qualities, but that doesn't necessarily mean that they're honest from head to toe. With that opener dealt with, let's cover the other info, shall we?

Shadows in Mosaic either arrived prior to the lockdown and barriers or they were “born” inside the area, after their human counterpart reached that point. Upon being rejected, the Shadow would follow-up by killing their counterpart and taking their place. Sometimes, they don't even take their place- they simply kill the counterpart and go on their merry way. It's entirely up to them. Whatever the case, if a player makes a Shadow, their human counterpart is dead. End of story for one creature, the beginning for another. Now, Shadows are not necessarily evil, nor are they necessarily good. Like humans, they will have their own motivations and goals. What those goals are is entirely up to the individual. We encourage creativity with this, but, due to the nature of the character, don't be surprised if we need to work with you before approving the profile.

Now that we've covered opening info, let's cover the execution. Shadows have two forms. The first is their human form. As the name implies, it is entirely human, and it is the shape that their human counterpart owned. This is the shape they'll be locked in while within the livable section of Mosaic. During Full Moon events, or in the ruins, they can swap at will. Swap into what, you ask? Their Shadow form, of course. Where Users summon their Personas, Shadows morph into their Shadow forms. As you might have guessed, their Shadow form, in execution, is essentially them morphing into what a User would be summoning. Shadow forms have their own “taken” list, so even if you see an entity taken under Personas, you can still go for it as a Shadow. Could make for some plot points, too. That said, a Shadow has one human form and one Shadow form.

Now, you might ask, how strong are Shadows? Playable Shadows are aware of themselves, so they're a little bit better than your garden variety mooks. They're roughly on the same level as a Stratum boss- they feel the same, too, when in Shadow form. What level Stratum, you ask? Depends on how much FP they've invested. It should go to note that they cannot be sensed while in human form. At best, particularly sensitive Users/ASWs can notice some sort of “off vibe” when close to them, but they wouldn't be able to put their finger on it. A fresh Shadow, if they're intended for actual combat (that is, not a troll setup reliant on statuses, or something similar) a solo User would not be able to engage them (successfully) unless they've been built far enough and in an appropriate manner. What do I mean by this? I mean that, despite having inherently more power than your typical User, a User can, in fact, build themselves up enough to fight a Shadow on even grounds, even in one-on-one terms. That said, that's more of a “Level 5, with good stuff” category than “everybody after Level 3”. And, even then, if a Shadow is sufficiently developed, even high-level, well-armed, and well-built characters will have issues going one-on-one.

So now that we've covered their in-world status, in terms of raw power, let's cover what you can do when making them. Shadows don't have levels. Their strength is roughly estimated via the FP they have invested. A fresh Shadow has 20,000 FP they can invest however they'd like, and they start with two Nulls and one Weakness. Other notable things about PC Shadows include the fact that they can purchase Custom skills (up to 4) for 10,000 FP apiece, and up to 4 Unique skills (or more, if they sacrifice Custom slots). That means that they have plenty of potential for powerful skillsets. Do try, however, to make unique builds, as opposed to just dumping all into Severe attacks. That's just a little boring, you know? Another noteworthy thing regarding PC Shadows is that they can purchase more resistances- up to four potential resistances for one weakness, or up to a total of six resistances, should they inherit a second weakness. You'll see how in the shop. As for that second weakness, don't worry about it until you get there. A final noteworthy power of theirs is the “Double Act”. Double Act allows them to act twice per turn in a modded battle. Do note that you must purchase this power, and that it will restrict what battles you are permitted in as a Shadow due to how easily it can tip the balance.

Now, you're probably wondering, what can you do with playable Shadows? Well, let's start with what you can't do. You cannot launch explores or salvages. You cannot take part in missions. You cannot enter Demon Strata or Demon Portal Guardian fights. You can, however, fight Users on your own. You can assist Stratum Bosses (depending on Stratum; info on that later) during those boss fights. You can even assist the FMB, or side with the Users against it. Note, antagonistic Shadow involvement is regulated to prevent Users from being mauled. As for how Shadows get FP, there's more on that in the “Growth” segment further on.

It might sound like there are a lot of things that Shadows cannot do, but Demon activities are Demon activities. Given that Demon bosses are more powerful, per level, than Shadow bosses, we don't want to overwhelm Users with the (at the time of initial writing) new and more powerful enemy type. So! We'll be a little stricter with Shadow profiles, but we still encourage players to make new Shadows.

Now, for the restrictions on creation, we require that players have at least one Level 2 character (User or Civilian; we don't care) per playable Shadow. For those that have reached that requirement, but do not want to make another character just to have a Shadow, there is the conversion route, in which a Civ/User gets offed by their Shadow and replaced, but there are a number of things to take into consideration if you're going that route. First, staff needs to be notified, as this involves you changing your character type. Next, we'll be watching you like hawks during your actual conversion process. This is because, while it's easily summarized in history, it can easily go awry in a thread- assuming you do it in a thread. Could be off-screen if you'd rather not go through the effort. Next, your character will retain their power level at the time of conversion. In other words, if you had a Level 2 User with weak skills and resistances, your Shadow will retain that level of power. No, you do not get new skills or resistances. Similarly, if a Civ turns Shadow, they gain nothing but the initial 1,500 FP a new User would have, as well as basic resistances. Shadows do not get the benefits of equipment. They can, however, sell them and use the new FP to build up their new stats. Naturally, even if you converted from a low-level User, you can build yourself up to the point that other Shadows would be. It'll just be slower. Finally, it should go to note that, even if you do convert from Civ/User to Shadow, you are not special. While you may have a larger skillset or more FP invested than a fresh Shadow, dependent on the time of conversion, you will still follow the general Shadow-to-investment power scale. You are, after all, just another Shadow.

That about covers Shadows. They have a bit more text because, unlike the various human classes, Shadows introduced a lot of information, as well as catches and restrictions. Our reason for having PC Shadows was for the sake of having portable bosses- bosses without having the staff constantly producing Stratum bosses. Of course, they also serve by amping the difficulty, should the chance arise.

[Erithania]

3. Enemy Types

This segment is dedicated entirely to the enemy types for standard Civ/User characters. This is to cover, you know, the details regarding “What”, “Where”, and “How”, among other things. Given that there's more than one enemy type, this segment is split into sections for the appropriate types. That said, let's begin.

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 classes of Shadows. 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. Below, you'll find information on each level of Shadow.

Basic Shadows, or those encountered in Stratum explores or en masse during missions, are the weakest of Shadows. They're typically very stupid. They vary in strength greatly, dependent on location. They're driven by base instincts, like that of hunger. It would be worth noting that basic Shadows are further divided into three categories. Mooks, which match the above to a T, and then Reds and Golds. Red and Gold Shadows are much more powerful than the Mooks, but they, like the Mooks, vary dependent on where they are found. Reds and Golds are about on the same power level as each other. They're also much more rare than typical Shadows.

Next up are Stratum Bosses. These guys are essentially area guardians. They only become active after a number of their kin have been slain- in other words, with more explores in a given Stratum. They are much more powerful than your basic Shadows, having plenty of endurance and firepower, and, occasionally, they display higher levels of intelligence than basic Shadows. Where basic Shadows typically follow a sort of “race” chain, Stratum Bosses vary in shape and size drastically. They can also possess vehicles or otherwise benign objects, turning them into terrifying deathbringers. They're not invincible, so don't lose hope. Conversely, they're very powerful, so don't get cocky.

Sentient Shadows come in here. While on the same general power level as Stratum Bosses, they can be more dangerous because they're not trapped to certain areas. Otherwise known as Playable, or PC, Shadows, they can wander about in the livable half of Mosaic, though in human form, and go about whatever business they may have. Given that they are fully self-aware, they know how to get stronger, what they need to eat, and they possess the human weapon of intelligence to make up for any deficit in power. Put simply, though on the same level as a Stratum boss, they could be more dangerous simply because of their portability and unpredictable nature. Exercise caution.

Finally, Full Moon Shadows come into play here. These are to Shadows as Elite Users are to humans. They're exceedingly durable and very powerful. They typically require large groups of people to address. In terms of raw power, they are the most dangerous of Shadows. They, by themselves, present a Dark Hour state onto the livable half of Mosaic. They seem to have their own motivations, but what they are is entirely unknown- to both Users and Sentient Shadows alike. Though they have their own goals, their level of intelligence varies greatly, from simple emotional urges to being able to capably speak with humans. Don't let your guard down.

3b. Demons

At the time of typing, Demons are a fresh addition to the enemy roster. In terms of raw power, a Demon of a given level is more powerful than a Shadow of the same level. The reason for this is that, where a Shadow is essentially the repressed emotions of a singular human, Demons are born from the collective negativity of humankind. In other words, with a bigger pool of sustenance, Demons are better able to develop their strength. Similar to Shadows, there are a number of different Demon types, each with a vastly different power level. Below, you'll find a general guide to Demons.

General Demons are the ones encountered in Demon Strata, and through a number of other Mirror Mosaic-only methods. They're listed as “general” Demons because they're smaller, weaker, and generally very numerous. Entities you heard of in myth, such as “Pixies” are a fine example of this. They may have their own names, but, as a whole, they possess a singular name. For that reason, they are “general” Demons. That said, they are still nothing to scoff at, as they are much more dangerous than Shadows.

Next up would be Avatars. Avatars are essentially body-doubles, Shadows, or “spectral bodies” of great Demons. They're much more powerful than a general Demon, but they're much weaker than the real version of the Demon in question. Though hard to come by, they typically can be found in Demon Strata, issuing orders to the general Demons. Though only Avatars of greater beings, they still leave unique or bountiful goods upon being defeated. Of course, they're exceedingly dangerous, all the same. They may not be as powerful as their real counterpart, but they are still nothing to cough at. Don't be a fool.

Next up are the Demon Portal Guardians. Once the dimension stability in the human realm has become weak enough at a given area, a portal between the worlds will start to open. These are fronts that could be used by Demons to mount an invasion. Of course, there needs to be a constant feed of demonic energy to allow for demons to freely come and go. That's where the Demon Portal Guardian comes in. While not necessarily as powerful as a Demon Stratum Boss, they are certainly very powerful. They are scouts that serve to keep the portals stable on the human side. Typically very intelligent, these Demons are both powerful and cunning, and can prove to be extremely dangerous. Caution is recommended. It would also be worth noting that even if a Guardian falls, the portal will not disappear. It will simply prevent Demons from freely coming and going.

Then there's the Demon Stratum Bosses. As mentioned above, the lesser ones may be weaker than Portal Guardians, but Demons in higher Strata can be excessively powerful. Like Portal Guardians, they're intelligent, durable, and very willing to kill things. Similar to the Stratum Bosses for Shadows, Demon Stratum Bosses only reveal themselves if enough of their kin have met an untimely end. Exercise extreme caution.

Next up are Full Moon Demons. While Portal Guardians are scouts, these guys are the vanguard. They can move a bit more freely than general Demons can, typically without the use of a portal, but they can only act during the Full Moon. If they appear, it is a sign that the instability around an area is increasing to dangerous levels. Stronger than a Full Moon Shadow, Full Moon Demons are resilient and very intelligent. While they are powerful, they are not the most powerful of Demons, mind you. Of course, even if you know that, you shouldn't underestimate them. In terms of raw power, they far overpower humans. Extreme caution is recommended.

Finally, there are “Unique Demons”. Demon Portal Guardians, Demon Stratum Bosses, and Full Moon Demons may fall into this category at times. Unique Demons are Demons that have a name. That's not to say that they have a name acknowledged by people, like the Pixies, but that they have a singular name. In other words, they are known not as a race, but by name. Various high-level gods and devils fall into this category. That said, Unique Demons are very powerful, and among the most intelligent of Demon-kind. The aforementioned Avatars? They are the pale imitations of these Demons. Unique Demons are one of a kind, excessively powerful, and they pull a number of strings in the Demon world. They have followers, human and Demon alike, and are extremely dangerous. If confrontation is unavoidable, it is suggested that one bring as many capable allies to the battle as possible. Even then, you may not be guaranteed a chance.




This about summarizes our current enemy types. It would go to note, for the curious, that Shadows and Demons are birds of feather. In other words, they do not necessarily hate each other. Of course, that doesn't mean they like each other, either. It's a case-by-case scenario.

[Erithania]

4. Equipment Information

Well, what would anything based off an RPG be without some equipment, right? This is just some general information regarding equipment before we go into individual categories. For starters, only humans/ASWs can utilize equipment. Shadows have their own special benefits. They don't really need gear. Below, you'll find sections dedicated to Weapons and their mods, Armors and their mods, and Accessories. Each category will include details regarding effectiveness, how they can be acquired, and the like. A good read-over for someone trying to plan ahead of time!

Before we proceed, however, let's cover some small details regarding chances for drops, since it's come up.

You have, by default, a 10% chance of a drop with every explore, excluding “special spawns”. You have, by default, a 5% chance of a special reward when getting paid during your salvages.



Details for how we spawn specific items can be found in their respective categories.

4a. Weapons and Mods

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. Mosaic City is far from perfect. Weapons are divided into six levels, from 1 to 6. Naturally, they increase in power from one to the next. We'll cover the damage levels in a bit. Before that, let me cover an issue that everyone may not be aware of. When you get a weapon proficiency, even at the start, you pick the type of damage- the attribute- of the weapon. You are not limited to just Slash, Strike, and Pierce weapons. Yes, even without modding, you can have weapons of the six elements. However, and I cannot stress this enough, if you go for these weapons, they need to make sense. This can be easy for fire- use a molotov cocktail- but it could be very difficult for darkness or wind. Also, keep in mind that some of these “special” weapons would be cost-prohibitive for, say, average-income families. While we are not restricting you to physically-aligned weapons, and we do encourage creativity, please be realistic with their design and reasonable with who wields them! That is all.


Weapons and Damage Levels

A question that has come up a few times, and rightfully so, is “How much damage does an “Lsomething” deal?”, and it's gotten some varied results over the occurrences. Below, you'll find the list, followed by an explanation on a certain thing.

Level 1 – Minor Damage
Level 2 – Minor-Moderate Damage
Level 3 – Moderate Damage
Level 4 – Moderate-Major Damage
Level 5 – Major Damage
Level 6 – Major-Severe Damage

Now, as you see, the even-numbered levels all have a “something to something” rating. Let me explain how this works. L2 is naturally more powerful than L1, even if it's still Minor. Same with L4 to L3 and L6 to L5. However, with characters that are obviously designed to deal more physical damage than magical (this can be verified by looking at their Personas' load-outs), the damage category would be a bit higher, settling them into a “weak” attack of the next category.

For example, imagine a man with a stick. This is Bob. Bob likes his stick, but it's Level 1. He has a bunch of physical skills- Assault Dive, Skewer, whatever- and just found a new stick. It's longer, so it's Level 2. Given that he has a physical build, he can now deal Moderate-class damage with his stick.

Now, imagine another man with a stick. This is Bob-2. Bob-2 likes his stick, but it's Level 1. He has a bunch of magical skills- Agi, Bufu, whatever- and just found a new stick. It's longer, so it's Level 2. Given that he has a magical build, he still deals Minor-class damage with his stick, but it's definitely “more” than with his Level 1 stick.

This should hopefully explain the weapon system.




For weapon acquisition, there's a number of methods to get what you're looking for. There's a chance of them dropping from enemies during explores. For standard Strata, weapon drops match the Stratum Level. Red Shadow encounters will provide Stratum Level+1. For Salvages, weapon acquisition matches your level. For Demon Strata, acquisition matches the Stratum Level +1. Stratum Bosses follow the Stratum rule, but present one guaranteed Stratum Level +1 drop for one lucky participant. Full Moon Bosses offer gear at Level+1 for the lucky finder. Weapons may also be acquired via events or missions.



Now, onto Weapon Mods. You might ask “Well, if I can start with elemental weapons, why should I bother with mods?”, and that's a good question. First, like I said, some elements can be difficult to explain without a magically-aligned “drop all logic” modification. Secondly, say you wanted all nine attack types. Okay. Excluding your one, or two if Civilian, starting proficiencies, you would still have to buy seven or eight proficiencies for the other types. That's 21,000 to 24,000 FP. And that doesn't include acquisition of Level 5/6 weapons. Weapon Damage Mods are there for the sake of making “variety” easily accessible and affordable. Weapon Status Mods are there to add flavor to your otherwise “pure damage” attack.

So, let's get on with the finer details. Weapon Mods can be divided into four categories: Tier 1 Damage Mods, Tier 1 Status Mods, Tier 2 Damage Mods, and Tier 2 Status Mods.

There are six Tier 1 Damage Mods, one for all six elements. There are none for physical attributes here because we didn't want guns shooting chainsaws, or other nonsense. Tier 1 Damage Mods simply change your weapon's attribute. In other words, say you implement a Fire Damage Mod to a Level 1 Slash-inflicting sword. Now, it's a Level 1 Fire-inflicting sword. It no longer deals Slash damage. That's all there is to Tier 1 Damage Mods. They're simple and sweet. Tier 1 Damage Mods can be acquired at a 35% rate during drops on Strata 1-3. They can also be gotten via Salvages at Levels 1-3, through missions, and through Stratum Bosses on Strata 1-3. Naturally, we may include them as a part of events, as well.

There are eight Tier 1 Status Mods, one for all eight status effects. These go into the second slot of a weapon, adding on a 25% chance of inflicting the status effect aligned with the mod. That's all there is to them. They can be put on any weapon, and do not change damage type. They are included in the same roll as the Tier 1 Damage Mod, so check there for methods of acquisition.

There are nine Tier 2 Damage Mods, one for all attack attributes. They are divided into Physical Mods and Elemental Mods. Elemental Mods follow the trend of Tier 1 Damage Mods, changing the damage type to a certain element, but they also add a 25% boost to damage inflicted with the weapon. Physical Mods, however, can only be applied to a Weapon matching it's type. In other words, a Tier 2 Slash Mod can only go on a weapon inflicting Slash damage. Rather than changing the damage type, it functions by increasing the damage output by 25%. Tier 2 Damage Mods also serve a secondary purpose by being the sole method to implement the Almighty damage type to a weapon. This process requires one of all nine Tier 2 Damage Mods. Tier 2 Damage Mods can be acquired roughly in the same methods as Tier 1's. They drop from Strata 4-5, and can be acquired from Salvages if your character is Level 4-5. It should go to note that Demon Strata 1-3 also allow for Tier 2's to drop. They are sometimes a reward from missions, and they can be under the list of awards from promotional events.

There are eight Tier 2 Status Mods, one for each status effect. They are identical to Tier 1's, but, instead of inflicting statuses at a rate of 25%, they have an infliction rate of 50%. Like Tier 1's, they are in the same roll as Damage Mods, only for Tier 2's. Refer to Tier 2 Damage Mods for means of acquisition.

Now, before we go, let me cover a small detail regarding Tier 2 Damage Mods. The 25% bonus applies only to attacks with that weapon, and not skills. In other words, attacking with a Tier 2 Fire Mod Sword will inflict Fire damage at a rate of 125%. However, your Agi will still be at 100%. No benefits are provided to your skills.

4b. Armors and Mods

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.

Level 1 Armor - -10% Damage Intake
Level 2 Armor - -20% Damage Intake
Level 3 Armor - -30% Damage Intake
Level 4 Armor - -40% Damage Intake
Level 5 Armor - -50% Damage Intake
Level 6 Armor - -60% Damage Intake

So, fun fact. If a Level 1 Civilian somehow gets Level 5 Armor, they would actually end up taking “Normal” damage from all attacks. In other words, they'd be taking the same damage a Level 1 Persona-user would from attacks. Without armor. You know, just pointing that out.

Armor is acquired at with the same general scheme as weapons. Drops match Stratum Level, or are Stratum Level+1 for Reds. Salvages match your level. Demon Strata will be Stratum Level+1. Stratum Bosses offer Stratum Level+1. Finally Full Moon, like before, offers at Level+1. Naturally, you can acquire them from events or missions, as well.



For Armor Mods, things are a bit simpler. At least, when compared to Weapon Mods. Armor Mods are split into two classes- Tier 1, or Resist Mods, and Tier 2, or Null Mods. Resist Mods add resistance to a single damage type to your armor. Null Mods add nullification to a single damage type to your armor. Either will override a weakness to a damage type. Like Weapon Mods, Armor Mods are dropped from encounters, gathered via salvages, and can pop up in missions or bosses. Like Weapon Mods, Tier 1 (Resist) is acquired from anything at a Level 1-3 modifier, while Tier 2 (Null) is acquired from anything at a Level 4-5 modifier. The only exception would be the Demon Strata. From 1-3, Null mods are obtainable from the get go.

4c. Accessories

And what would an equipment ensemble be without some amazing earrings? More seriously, we also offer one piece of equipment that functions as “auxiliary” gear. Similar more to mods than Weapons or Armor, Accessories can be obtained from just about anything, and match the Tier 1 for Levels 1-3 and Tier 2 for Levels 4-5 rule. Tier 2 can also be obtained from Demon Strata 1-3. Below, you'll find a list of Tier 1 Accessories and their effects, followed by a list of Tier 2 Accessories and their effects.

Tier 1
Slash Boost Trinket- Boosts Slash Damage by 25%
Strike Boost Trinket- Boosts Strike Damage by 25%
Pierce Boost Trinket- Boosts Pierce Damage by 25%
Fire Boost Trinket- Boosts Fire Damage by 25%
Ice Boost Trinket- Boosts Ice Damage by 25%
Lightning Boost Trinket- Boosts Lightning Damage by 25%
Wind Boost Trinket- Boosts Wind Damage by 25%
Light Boost Trinket- Boosts Light Damage by 25%
Dark Boost Trinket- Boosts Dark Damage by 25%
Heal Boost Trinket- Boosts Recovery Effects by 25%
Auto-taru Charm- Starts battle with a Tarukaja buff to the party
Auto-raku Charm- Starts battle with a Rakukaja buff to the party
Auto-suku Charm- Starts battle with a Sukukaja buff to the party
Crit-booster Trinket- Boosts Critical Chance by 20%
Health Boost Trinket- Boosts “HP” by 15%
Mental Boost Trinket- Boosts “SP” by 15%


Tier 2
Slash Amp Trinket- Boosts Slash Damage by 50%
Strike Amp Trinket- Boosts Strike Damage by 50%
Pierce Amp Trinket- Boosts Pierce Damage by 50%
Fire Amp Trinket- Boosts Fire Damage by 50%
Ice Amp Trinket- Boosts Ice Damage by 50%
Lightning Amp Trinket- Boosts Lightning Damage by 50%
Wind Amp Trinket- Boosts Wind Damage by 50%
Light Amp Trinket- Boosts Light Damage by 50%
Dark Amp Trinket- Boosts Dark Damage by 50%
Heal Amp Trinket- Boosts Recovery Effects by 50%
Auto-taru Seal- Starts battle with a Tarukaja buff to the party + Power/Mind Charge to self
Auto-raku Seal- Starts battle with a Rakukaja buff to the party + Power/Mind Charge to self
Auto-suku Seal- Starts battle with a Sukukaja buff to the party + Power/Mind Charge to self
Crit-booster Trinket- Boosts Critical Chance by 40%
Health Amp Trinket- Boosts “HP” by 30%
Mental Amp Trinket- Boosts “SP” by 30%

[Erithania]

5. Growth

Now, we're gonna cover exactly how you grow up. You get some nutrients, some exercise, and go to bed early, of course! More seriously, 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. So, this segment is divided into two major categories right now. There's the “Human” category, which encompasses all human-based characters, and then there's the “Shadow” category, which covers what the name suggests. Let's get on that, shall we?

5a. Humans

“Humans” will cover Civilians, all User classes, and Anti-Shadow Weapons. ASWs are included because, for all intents and purposes, they function, on the board, in the same manner as a typical human character would. This will cover pretty much every general method of FP gathering they can participate in. You may notice some redundancy with other categories. This is intentional. So, let's get on it.

For a human character, your fundamental gain of FP, besides simply posting, will be the “Explore”. Explores can be launched twice per week. This resets on 12:00 AM, or 00:00, Sunday. Any explores launched before that time are still on the previous week's count. More on that in the segment detailing Explores later on. For now, let's focus on what Explores give you. A successful Explore in a normal Stratum grants you [200 * Stratum Level] FP. In other words, if you explore Stratum 1, you get 200 FP. If you explore Stratum 2, you get 400 FP. Your actual level does not alter this. Should you be Level 5 and explore in Stratum 1, you will still receive 200 FP. Now, there's also the new (at the time of writing) Demon Strata. Civilians may not explore Demon Strata, but everyone else in this category can. A Demon Stratum offers [300 * Stratum Level] FP. In other words, Demon Stratum 1 offers 300 FP. Following that, Demon Stratum 2 offers 600 FP. And so on. Again, your level does not alter the rewards. That about covers pure FP rewards for Explores. More in-depth Explore details can be found in their respective segment.

The next major mean of gaining FP is a Salvage. Any character class within the “Human” category can participate in this, so long as they've been to the Outer Circle. Salvages are simply a character bringing random junk they found in the Outer Circle (literally junk; scrap metal, whatever; be creative) to the crazy blonde woman there. Salvages offer you [350 * Character Level] FP. This means a Level 1 Character gets 350, but a Level 2 Character gets 700. It's pretty simple, and there's little else to comment on for pure FP gains here, outside of the schedule. Salvages reset every seven days. That is to say, if you Salvage on Wednesday, you will not be able to Salvage (on that character) again until the following Wednesday or later.

The third method of getting FP, potentially all on your own, is a Mission. Missions have their own rules and regulations covered in that segment, so refer to that location for the info. Anyway, missions do pose the chance of participating with others, especially now, but, in the past, there had been solo missions. That said, it still fits for that reason. A mission has an objective, or set of objectives, that must be accomplished. Upon completion, participants will receive rewards. Often, these rewards include FP, or are nothing but FP. This is another method of gaining pure FP. Now, again, Civilians can only participate if they're heading out into the Outer Circle. That's where the mission board is, after all. Other than that, the only restrictions are those imposed by the mission regulations themselves. Again, more on that in the Mission segment.

That's about it for solo-capable FP gathering. The following methods typically include interaction and cooperation with others.

Invasions are randomly-created threads, made by the staff, which include a localized “Dark Hour” effect in a small area. It turns all non-Users and those with no Shadow experience with the space into Coffins, and deters people matching those criteria from entering. Persona-users, and those with Shadow experience can enter and move freely within these zones. They are launched without schedules and they are first-come, first-serve. Restricted by difficult, those Levels 1-2 can take Easy Invasions, those Levels 3-4 can take Medium Invasions, and those on Level 5 may take Hard Invasions. These are not suggestions. They are requirements. Easy Invasions offer 400 FP per wave of enemies. Medium offers 600 FP per wave. Finally, Hard offers 800 FP per wave.

You can battle against PC Shadows for FP. This is, however, not suggested to be done alone. If you're doing it for FP, you're very likely not advanced enough to do so solo. That said, you'll likely be in a party. Engaging a Player Shadow will reward 500 FP, regardless of the end result of the battle. However, should your forces band together and push the Shadow away, or actually defeat it altogether, you will receive an additional 1,000 FP. In other words, if you lose, run away, or draw, you receive 500 FP. If you drive back, or defeat, the Shadow, you receive a total of 1,500 FP.

Next up, there's the Full Moon Bosses. This is pretty simple. For every turn you participate in the battle, you receive 200 FP. In other words, if you came in late and only had three turns to do something, you got 600 FP. If you were there for a seven-turn battle, hey, you get 1,400 FP. It might not sound like a lot at a higher level, but, for lower levels, it's a pretty lump sum, all things considered. Full Moon Battles are laid out in a schedule detailed in the “A Full Moon is Upon Us!” announcement.

That about wraps up pure-FP gains for Humans. Naturally, there are drops and other items that can be sold for FP in the shops, or traded to other players for FP, but that's not what this segment is here for. Armed with the knowledge here, you should have an idea as to how to gather FP for yourself.

5b. Shadows

Shadows are inherently different in terms of growth, especially compared to Human characters. Human characters have access to Explores, Salvages, Missions, and a stuff like that. Shadows, however, do not. Instead, they have unique methods of growth based around their in-world nature and their meta-nature as “mobile bosses”.

Firstly, to counter the Users' ability to go Salvage, Shadows can “Feed” on emotions. You can get a lump sum of 2,000 FP by simply feeding off the emotional energy around you. You also have a small chance to receive a 50% bonus for a total of 3,000 FP. These events have no set location, outside of the fact that it must be done in the livable half of the city. There is, of course, a section of the board where all Feeding threads are posted. Like Salvages, Feedings reset after a week- seven days. If you Feed on Wednesday, you will be unable do so again until the following Wednesday or beyond.

Tying into the above, any social thread in which a Shadow has had sufficient involvement will allow the Shadow to receive a similar bonus. Any completed Social that has a Shadow actively sitting around others (Humans or Shadows; we allow both) will award the Shadow with a sum of 1,500 FP. Pretty simple, right?

Now, moving more into combative means of gaining FP, Shadows can straight-up battle Users, or they can assist Stratum Bosses. Before proceeding, let me cover something. Bosses are designed with being defeated in mind. After all, bosses are “stronger enemies located in a spot that would inhibit plot progression” in games. So don't feel bad if you get defeated by a team of Users. That's your role as a mobile boss. If it bothers you, design a theme on your character that would allow you to become a genuine threat. That said, Shadows gain [250 * #of enemies * #of turns] FP in standard battles. They also receive the 500 from engagement, and, should they win, the additional 1,000 FP. So, say I enter a battle with Jim and Bob. The fight goes on for five turns, and I win in the end. That is [250*2*5] + [500+1000]. In other words, 4,000 FP. Shadows are designed to quickly grow and amass FP through combat. Their ability to grow makes them formidable, as they can easily outpace a User through these methods. Note, we consider a “Turn” in combat “a full round in which both the Shadow attacks and can be attacked by the enemies”. In other words, fleeing does not constitute as a turn. Furthermore, all opposing forces must have a chance to act (whether they do or not is irrelevant, but they must have the option) for the phase to be considered a full turn.

Finally, there's the Full Moon Boss. Naturally, given the massive amount of Human-based characters that would be there, we cannot allow the standard battle formula to come into place here. Furthermore, some Shadows tries to ally themselves with humans during these events, so that would be crippling their growth, should they have been in-character and sided with humans. So, there's a much simpler formula for Full Moon Bosses. Shadows participating gain [500 * # of turns] FP. It's similar to the Human FP reward, but scaled forward. In other words, if you pop in for three turns, you have gained 1,500 FP. Similarly, if you stick around for a full seven-turn battle, you'd receive 3,500 FP.

This roughly concludes the methods of growth a Shadow can utilize. They are designed to quickly amass power, which allows them to equate with Stratum Bosses in terms of endurance/health. Because of this, they require relatively less work, if one times their engagements in battle correctly.

[Erithania]

6. Explores

Explores are a thing entirely for Human-class Characters. Of course, there's a number of details that should be covered. Now, given that there are Standard Strata and Demon Strata, we'll first cover the uniform details, then go into the specifics of either “specific”.

Explores can be launched twice a week. This count resets at 12:00 AM or 00:00 Sunday. If you managed to start your second explore prior to that point, it still counts on the previous week. In other words, even if you're still wrapping up an explore from the previous week, it will not count against the current week. Engaging in a Stratum Boss will not count against your Explores. Regardless of Standard or Demon, you can only Explore twice a week. There is no “separate count” between the types of Strata. Access to Strata depends on the specifics of the type of Stratum, but, universally, if you are not on the same level as the Stratum, you may not advance. Furthermore, regardless of your level, you will receive FP and drops based on the Stratum you explored.

6a. Strata

The vanilla Strata are the homes of Shadows. They are accessible to all character types, restricting only by level. FP is awarded at a rate of [200 * Stratum Level]. Therefore, Stratum 1 offers 200 FP, and Stratum 2 offers 400 FP. You also have a 1/10 chance of acquiring an item via drop. Drops are scaled according to the Stratum. For Weapons and Armors, the level of the equipment will match that of the Stratum. If you win a fight in Stratum 1 and acquire a Weapon, it will be Level 1, for example. Same for Armor. Accessories, Weapon Mods, and Armor Mods are separated into Tiers. Tier 1 can be acquired in Strata 1-3. Tier 2 can be acquired in Strata 4-5.

The exceptions to the above are simple. There is a 1/40 chance of encountering a Red Shadow, and a 1/40 chance of encountering a Gold Shadow. A Red Shadow offers a 100% chance of a Weapon/Armor drop. Equipment dropped by a Red will be [Stratum+1] Level. In other words, if you engage a Red in Stratum 1, it will drop a Level 2 Weapon or Armor. A Gold Shadow offers a 3x modifier to your FP gain. In other words, should you fight a Gold in Stratum 1, you will receive 600 FP, as opposed to 200. Both encounters are rare, as can be guessed by the 1/40 chance. Likewise, both are exceptionally powerful compared to typical Shadow spawns.

Finally, there is a chance to encounter the Reaper. Reaper encounters are only allowed on Stratum 5. The area is irrelevant. The chance to encounter a Reaper is 1/20. Yes, it can happen more frequently than a Red/Gold. This was designed to allow for characters to get gear more reliably. You see, a Reaper's reward is the player's choice of drop. They are exceptionally powerful opponents. To respect the effort spent in defeating one, as well as the danger, the reward is up to the player. That said, it is, currently, the only way to reliably get a Level 6 Weapon or Armor, without leaving it to chance.

This concludes the specifics of standard Stratum Exploration.

6b. Demon Strata

Demon Strata are the home to Demons, as the name implies. They are also a recent (at the time of typing) addition to the board. There are numerous restrictions on Demon Strata, so let's clear those up before getting into the nitty gritty, shall we? For starters, Shadows may not enter Demon Strata. Furthermore, neither may Civilians. On top of that, Demon Stratum areas will not even be revealed until a Demon Portal Guardian is unlocked. Most Demon Stratum areas are “mirrors” of the standard areas located in the ruins of Mosaic. While there are exceptions, and while not all areas have a “mirror”, this is the general rule.

That said, each area is a “pocket” in the mirror world, meaning that, upon warping, you will not be able to explore the mirror dimension in its entirety- just that location. Keep in mind that the fact that two locations are linked means nothing. They could fundamentally different structures. And, of course, rather than Shadows, you would encounter Demons. That said, you surely noticed the word “warping”. Where are the portals, you ask? Yes, let's cover that. To verify if an area has a portal or not, you much clear every Strata's boss. In other words, you must explore enough that a Stratum Bosses appear, then defeat the bosses, in every Stratum in an area. At this point, a portal will emerge shortly, if there is one to be had at all at that point in time. When a portal does emerge, a Demon Portal Guardian will arise and protect it. They must be defeated. Once these conditions have all been met, access to a Demon Stratum will be allowed.

That said, Demon Strata offer entirely different rewards. For example, you can gain more FP. To be precise, you will gain [Stratum * 300] FP per explore. So if you explore Demon Stratum 1, that's 300 FP. If you go through Demon Stratum 2, that's 600 FP. Like wise, drops are different. By default, all gear dropped is at a [Stratum+1] Level. Similarly, Accessories, Weapon Mods, and Armor Mods are, by default, at Tier 2 in Strata 1-3. This is because Demons are inherently more dangerous, and, unlike Shadows, they actually create things in their lairs.

Similar to a normal Stratum's Red and Gold Shadows, Demon Strata have encounters that occur at a 1/40 chance. Avatars are the spectral bodies of unique, high-level Demons. They're a shadow of the true Demon- an imitation. They're not on the same level as the real thing. However, they are color-coded, and, similar to Red and Gold Shadows, they offer good rewards upon defeating. A Red Avatar offered a [Stratum+1] Level Weapon or Armor that is pre-modded with a random T2 mod. In other words, if you battle a Red Avatar on Stratum 1, you will receive a Level 2 Weapon or Armor that is pre-modded with nice things. For a Gold Avatar, you still receive a 3x modifier, but, given the increased base FP gained, this evens out. In other words, should you defeat a Gold Avatar on Stratum 1, you will receive 900 FP, as opposed to 300 FP.

Now, you ask, why are the details for Strata 4-5 not shared? They are to be covered in good time. It's a surprise.

[Erithania]

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 divided into three levels of difficulty- Easy, Medium, and Hard. Easy Missions are open to all, but suggested for characters at Levels 1-2. Medium missions are more difficult and more dangerous. They are open to anyone at Level 2 and above, but are suggested for Levels 2-4. Finally, Hard missions are the hardest and most difficult of standard missions. They can only be taken by those on Levels 4-5. That said, the suggested levels are there as a moral compass for some. Typically, it is suggested that those missions are left for those in the level region dictated, as low-level characters have less freedom on what missions to take.

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.

[Erithania]

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 you go out on an Explore, this is what happens. An Explore battle is a random spawn, typically with the details of the appearance of the Shadow up to you. Staff will dictate the model, skills, and attributes, naturally. For the most part, you can address these battles however you like. Be creative. You're not obligated to follow the strict order of modded battles here. Unless you do something absolutely insane here, we will likely not care. For the most part, typical Mission battles fall under this, as well. Be creative. Be witty. Or don't. So long as you don't do something ridiculous, we're probably fine with it.

8b. Invasion Battles

For the most part, Invasion battles are identical to Explore battles, but we observe them more closely. Invasion battles are unique in that we will flick the “Mission Failure” screen on for you. However, there's a few other things to keep in mind. Posts are expected once a day from the three participants. We will extend this to two, at the most, before kicking someone out of an Invasion battle. Invasions come in waves. The waves can be handled and divided at will. However, the final wave may be a boss. You'll know, typically, by a lack of resistance info, unique skill names, and, of course, the presence of just one enemy. Not much else to say about it, but worth noting by itself for clarity.

8c. Stratum Bosses

Here's the first major category in which battles are strictly modded. Stratum Bosses, as covered, appear after so many explores occur in a given Stratum. They're the guardians of the area, and whatnot. Now, this is where things get special. For starters, you'll have five people total, typically fighting one Shadow. That Shadow will be a bit more powerful, have hidden resistances, and have uniquely-named skills (sometimes, they're even textbook skills; we rename them to keep things fresh and unexpected). We prefer to keep these moving at a good pace, so you have two days to post per round. This is without an excuse. If you have some real-world excuse (no “muse” is not an excuse, especially if you jumped into a boss), and don't seem to be posting in other things (unless other things hold up more people), we will extend this to a maximum of four days, but only once per Stratum Boss.

Now, let's move on to the execution. You will act once per turn. Note, you may not attack by yourself, then attack with your Persona. Similar to the games, you take one action per turn, regardless of whether it is you or your Persona acting. Furthermore, we require that you add notes at the bottom of your post specifying your action. This is to facilitate modding, as well as for quick references for other members. Any “chance”-based skills will require you to perform dice rolls. If you need to understand how those work, refer to that field under the “Mechanics” segment further down. This is for dodge chances and miss chances, where Suku-tree skills are relevant, status moves, criticals, and other such.

Finally, I'll cover one detail here, since it fits best here. Playable Shadows can invade battles. There is, however, a chart detailing where and when they can.

Stratum 1 – No PC Shadows
Stratum 2 – 1 PC Shadow, if permission is granted by Humans+Staff
Stratum 3 – 1 PC Shadow, if permission is granted by Humans
Stratum 4 – 1 PC Shadows; no permission is necessary
Stratum 5 – 2 PC Shadows; 1 can enter freely; second must gain permission of Humans

. Demon Bosses

Another modded instance. When I say that, everything from the field above, regarding what needs to be rolled, how many actions per post, and the like, goes without saying. This category includes both Demon Portal Guardians and Demon Stratum Bosses. Demons are inherently more powerful than typical Shadows. For this reason, Civilians are barred from access. Furthermore, rather than allowing simply five participants, Demon Bosses allow for a total of ten combatants. Given the bulk, we are stricter with post times, and we will require a post a day per round.

Fortunately, nothing can invade these battles, as they can become exceedingly hectic very quickly. More information will be added as necessary, however.

8e. Full Moon Bosses

And here we go with the once-a-month battles. Full Moon Bosses are open-ended battles, open to both Humans and Shadows alike, and 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. For Shadows, “friendlies”, or those that ally themselves with humans, are free to enter without limit. Enemy PC Shadows, or those working alongside the Boss, are typically limited to a small number. This can be verified in the opening post.

[Erithania]

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, Attributes, Skill, Type, and Crit. This 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. Skill would be specific boosting effects covered by the skill itself, such as Getsu-ei, which increases in power during the Full Moon. Type would 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, Getsu-ei, 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) It's a standard physical attack, so no Skill modifier there. 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, let's use Getsu-ei. It is, by the way, during the Full Moon. Therefore, the 2x boost of the skill will activate. We'll Power Charge beforehand. Also, let's say it crits, just for maximum observation. Okay! We attack. The end result? 1125%. You think it's a bit much? Let me explain, then. Getsu-ei is a Slash-attribute skill. Therefore, Phys Amp boosted it. That's 150%. Full Moon was in effect, so that's 2x that; 300%. Then, we factor in Power Charge. (300*2.5=750) And then we delivered a crit. That's a 50% boost, so. . . (750*1.5=1125)

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, which is a Human-only option. 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 have been moaning about them for a while now.

So, before we get into the actual effects, let me cover the coin known as “stats”. At the beginning of a fight, barring all accessories or passive, or whatever, you start at 0. Not to say that you start with zero in your stats, but 0 for a modifier. If a Buff is used, that number turns to +1. If the counteractive Debuff is used, it drops back to 0. If the Debuff is used again, it drops to -1. In other words, Buffs present +1 to the scale, while Debuffs offer a -1. So, no two effects are active at the same time. In other words, if you have Tarukaja cast three times, your Attack is at +3. If Tarunda is used, it drops to +2. Even if Dekunda is used, there will be no effect. This is because you're still set to a positive number.

With that covered, let me explain how the actual numbers work now. For a while now, the only numbers we shared were the Suku effects, given that dodging was kinda necessary to know. +1 increases by 20%, +2 by 40%, and +3 by 60%. The reverse is true for debuffs. -1 is a 20% decrease, -2 is 40%, and -3 is 60%. For Attack and Defense via Taru- and Raku- spells, this is an outright increase/decrease in those stats by 20, 40, and 60% respectively. For Suku, however, the numbers are the same, but it includes rolls. Sukukaja, or +1-3 in Speed allows you to dodge any attack coming from an attacker at a rate of 20, 40, and 60% respectively. For Sukunda, however, you begin to lose accuracy. You have to roll to see if your attack is even accurate, so -1 would be a 20% chance of outright missing, -2 would be 40%, and -3 would be 60%.

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 – The victim has poison in their system. Their health gradually drops by a small percent each turn in battle. This effect lasts for five turns.

Rage – The victim is overcome with intense anger. Your weapon attacks (including those with elemental damage mods) and skills aligned with Slash, Strike, and Pierce double in power. However, you also take double damage from all attacks. This effect lasts for five turns.

Sleep – The victim enters a slumber. Unable to perform any action- including dodge, even if Sukukaja is in effect. Effect lasts three turns at maximum. 50% chance to awaken each turn.

Charm – The victim is enamored with the enemy. 50% chance to attack a random ally or heal the enemy. Effect lasts for five turns.

Fear – The victim suffers from extreme fear. 50% chance to not attack each turn. Lasts for five turns.

Confusion – The victim is greatly confused. 50% chance to hit yourself each turn. Lasts for five turns.

Exhaustion – The victim is exhausted. The victim suffers the mental equivalent of poison, effectively draining their energy to use magic. Lasts for five turns.

Silence – The victim is mute. Unable to use magic abilities; physical skills are still fine. Lasts for five 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 three 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=”1-5” three times, one for each attack. Every roll that lands from 1-3 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 3x Sukukaja, you have a 60% chance of dodging. You would roll a 1-5; 1-3 allows you to dodge. Say you have 2x Sukunda. That's 40% chance of missing. Roll a 1-5; 1-2 means you miss completely. 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 Ice. Jim does not know this, and attacks Bob with an Ice attack. However, the Ice attack had a chance of inflicting poison, because fuck all logic. The chance to inflict poison activated.

What happens?

Answer

Given that Bob nullifies Ice, 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 50%. 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.”#-#*”nH9mXi_l

[Erithania]

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. 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 acknowledgements. The things I forget are level increments, if I'm modding in a rush, and, perhaps, event-based/promo-based modifiers. In other words, I don't forget to change your FP. Chrom forgets mine, but only mine. For some reason. Kitten is a fresh addition to our team, but I haven't had any complaints regarding FP from her.

However, yes, your FP does revert. This is an issue with the currency plug-in. There is no known way to fix it, as of yet, 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 according.


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

This was an issue that came up a few times before, but it only just reoccurred to me. 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.


Custom Skills

A popular subject that pops up, given that Shadows have access to four of these for the price of 10,000 FP, and that every User can get one with their Ultimate Persona. This is going to clarify a few things. In terms of power, Custom Skills = Unique Skills. It's not Custom > Unique in terms of power. Otherwise, they wouldn't be so cheap for PC Shadows. Custom Skills are our way of allowing members to be a little creative, not to break the game. So, let's go ahead and clear up some issues.

Firstly, the only guideline for Customs is in regards to those dealing damage. Why, you ask? Because those are the easiest to restrict. Customs are not purely restricted to offensive skills. They can be defensive, supportive, or even straight-up passives. So, with that said, let me cover how we moderate damaging Customs.

For Physically-aligned skills, we will allow Severe-all at a 25% chance of status infliction and Severe-single at a 50% chance of infliction. This reflects the fact that there are canon skills (Pralaya being one) with Severe + status, and the Single+50% is really no different from a weapon with a Tier 2 Status Mod. For magic, however, we have different restrictions. For magic, the caps are Major-all with a 25% chance of infliction and a Severe-single with a 25% chance of infliction. The reasoning for this is that typical non-signature magic skills don't incorporate status effects, so they're a bit more restricted than physical alternatives.

Renaming existing Severe-damage skills is fine. A bit wasteful (unless you're a Shadow, since that's getting a 15k+ skill for 10k), but that's your choice. Other than that, we don't really have a “guideline”, as, should we start putting restrictions on these open-ended effects, there wouldn't be much point to some of the more unique effects. So, rather than a guidelines, here's a series of questions to ask yourself when making the skill.

“Will this skill exceed canon skills in power?”

“Does this skill somehow, by itself, ensure that I or my allies cannot lose?”

“Does this skill gradually tip the scales irreversibly through repeated use?”

For the record, we do not permit full-recovery on Shadows, as they have an excessively high health pool- especially at “end-game”. Giving them the means to fully heal, especially considering that they have the potential to act twice a turn, means that they have effectively become unbeatable. Please keep these facts in mind when creating a Shadow's Custom Skills. Not much more to say on this field at the present time.


Player Shadows

Since we've had people asking about it, let me clarify some murky issues revolving around PC Shadows. Their role is that of a “portable boss”, a boss that doesn't have to be killed to progress/one that can flee to ensure its continued presence. They do roughly match a Stratum Boss, meaning that their health pool and overall stats are quite a bit higher than typical Shadows, and that they are formidable opponents for Users. Now, let me define something before we proceed.

A “Boss” is “a powerful opponent that is strategically placed to inhibit plot progression”. In other words, the boss is designed to block progress, and be used as a test for the player's growth. It can be defeated, and it is designed with that in mind. Even the “Ultimate, Super Secret, Amazing, God-killing Mega Boss” can be killed. They were designed with that in mind. In other words, don't be shocked when you're defeated. This is especially the case if your skillset hasn't fully blossomed, or if it doesn't branch out appropriately. Your entire role in this is to eventually be defeated, not to be immortal. In other words, you make yourself more powerful so as to be a challenge. And that's only if you plan to serve as “Boss” at all.

Now, that said, you're not immortal. You're not unbeatable. You have a large pool of energy, yes. However, it is indeed finite. Note, converting from a User or Civilian to a Shadow does not make you more powerful, nor does it make you special, in any way. It just means you became a Shadow within the setting, as opposed to it being a part of your history.

So, again, we designed Player Shadows to be portable bosses. You can quickly grow strong with repeated fights, even if they're only a few turns long, by engaging several opponents. You have the potential to nullify up to six attributes, with 3,000 FP per nullification. You can even get 21,000 FP skills for only 10,000 FP, should you choose to do that. Yes, you're easily matching, if not exceeding, the typical Stratum Boss with those details. Even more so, when you consider we let you have that sort of health pool, as well as use two Severe-All skills a turn, or even Power/Mind Charge one and use it in the same turn. That's something both current Stratum Bosses and FMBs will not utilize. Please understand that, should you have any complaints with our judgments regarding your combat prowess.


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. While Chrom may joke about “one-shotting the boss”, because his character is a glass cannon, he will not do that. 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.

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. I have a character with the Sun Arcana, and she only resists Light. She nullifies Darkness. 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.


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 “Black Viper” and “Morning Star”, is affected by Mind Charge, as they are clearly magical in nature. However, should you make an Almighty skill, as a Custom Skill, you have the freedom to determine if the skill is “Physical”, being boosted by Power Charge, or “Magical”, being boosted by Mind Charge. Regardless of which you choose, it will not be effected by Tetrakarn or Makarakarn, so you do not need to worry about that. We will require all Almighty Customs, purchased or listed on creation, to verify if they are Physical or Magical in nature for this reason.