Game System

For purposes of non-combat shenans, everything is resolved with a single d6 roll. Your character has 5 stats (Courage, Knowledge, Expression, Understanding, Diligence), effectively representing a pool of points that you can use to boost the roll. The GM assigns a difficulty to the roll somewhere between 2 and 8. You roll the d6, spend points from you stat to boost it and hope you rolled equal to or higher than the number the GM gave you. (Ex: Yu Narukami wants to talk to his uncle Dojima about his rather serious drinking problem. There is a significant age gap to be bridged and the topic requires tact. The GM decides that this is an Expression roll with a difficulty of 5. Yu has an Expression stat of 5, so he opts to spend 3 of his 5 available points to boost the roll. Yu rolls a 4 and adds the points he spent totaling 7. He has succeeded...for now.) CharGen

Chargen is a relatively simple affair. You assign points to your five stats, you pick a couple of defining personality traits, you choose an Arcana, then you decide skills for your Persona. This all takes about 6 steps:

 Determine starting stat spread (26 points amongst 5 stats)  Pick two Traits  Determine your character's Arcana and that of their 3 starting S-links  Check which skills and stat bonuses you get from those Arcana  Calculate Resolution (equal to your lowest stat), HP, and SP.  Give your Persona a weakness and a resistance.

Stats

You Start with 26 points to spread amongst your 5 stats. Each has a different role in real world interactions and persona combat. Stat values can range from 1 to 10.

Used to stand up to authority, put yourself in harms way, and make romantic Courage advances on others.

Used to recall facts, research and study effectively, not embarrass yourself in front of Knowledge intelligentsia.

Used to breach conversational barriers of age or language, sway opinions with words, Expression and otherwise talk pretty.

Used to empathize with unfamiliar situations, pick up on subtle social cues, offer Understanding personal insight. Diligence Used to handle dull and repetitive tasks or tasks that require intense concentration.

These stats are directly tied to your combat stats. We'll go into more detail below as to how combat works but there is a general idea if you have a certain kind of combatant in mind.

Courage/Strength Affects damage dealt with physical skills.

Knowledge/Magic Affects damage dealt with elemental magic.

Affects initiative order and evasion. (You will be harder to hit if you have Expression/Agility 7 or higher)

Understanding/Endurance Affects HP.

Diligence/Special Affects SP. (i.e. mana)

Once you have those figured out, look at your Endurance and Special to calculate your HP and SP.

You collapse in the shadow world if you run out of these, spent to use physical skills. Equal to HP Endurance x 5.

SP Spent to cast magic. Equal to Special x 5.

Traits

Pick two of these when you create your character.

Big You deal an additional point of damage with your basic attack.

Your academic excellence is unrivaled. +1 to all rolls to interact with school faculty or Booksmart perform tasks related to your studies.

Charmer You get a +1 bonus to any rolls used to flirt or flatter.

Chef You can prepare your own food and goddamn is it tasty. This affects items that may appear in your gear package (see below).

Evoker You are capable of summoning your persona outside of the shadow world.

No matter how many of your S-links are romantic entanglements, none of them really seem to mind. You gain a bonus point of exp anytime one of your S-links becomes Heartbreaker your lover. The GM is never allowed to have your S-links turn on you because you are two-timing them. Pimp to survive.

You may start with fewer than the usual number of S-links. For each S-link given up, Loner increase a stat of your choice by 1.

The one use items in your gear package are much more varied than usual (see Gear Prepared Packages below.)

Reliable Increase the size of your action pool by 2.

This one is mostly for flavor purposes. Instead of being fueled by security with oneself Reversed and the power of friendship, your Persona is fueled by rage, despair, and abusive Arcana relationships. Rename your Resolution as Trauma and re-flavor your S-links appropriately.

Rich You have access to stronger gear packages.

You are either a terror to behold or can just be really frightening when you want to Scary be. You get a +1 bonus to any rolls used to intimidate others.

You have some manner of sixth-sense that gives you more information about shadows than usual. At the start of battle, name an element. The GM must tell you Scanner how vulnerable each shadow is to that element. Multiple players with this trait do not stack.

You are a few shades less impulsive than your typical teenager. +1 to rolls to talk Sensible people out of stupid shit.

You have a special knack for a particular activity. Perhaps you are a peerless actor, maybe your abilities with a certain musical instrument are unparalleled, or perhaps Talented you can craft stunning works of visual art. +1 to any rolls in which you can implement your talent. Japan has a very destructive attitude towards mental health and therapy. Fortunately, Therapist it has you. You gain an additional point of exp when you successfully talk one of your S-links through major psychological issues.

Arcana and S-links

Your character has an association with of 20 potential Arcana. These correspond to the first 20 major arcana found in a typical deck of tarot cards. Additionally, decide on 3 people with whom your character has a major interpersonal relationship. These people are your character's starting S-links (social links). In the game universe, every person has a tarot arcana associated with them. As such you pick an arcana for yourself and one for each of your S-links at character creation (4 in total). Your Persona is granted the power of each of these arcana. An important note to remember is that S-links must run deeper than a superficial friendship. They have to be someone you would take a bullet for. An S-link has to be someone really near and dear to your heart and the feeling has to be mutual. One-sided crushes, master/slave friendships, and abusive family members don’t count. Apply the effects of each Arcana named in this way to your character (it is highly recommended you take at least one Arcana that grants a skill).

Magician Gains Elemental Magic: Fire

Priestess Gains Healing

Empress Gains Elemental Magic: Ice

Emperor Gains Elemental Magic: Lighting

Hierophant Gains 1 additional resistance

Lovers Gains Revive

Chariot Gains Physical Damage

Justice Gains Light Magic

Hermit Gains Status Effect with a subtype of the player's choice

Fortune Gains Elemental Magic: Wind

Strength +1 Understanding, +1 Diligence Hanged Man +1 Diligence, +1 Knowledge

Death Gains Dark Magic

Temperance Gains Cure Status

Devil +1 Courage, +1 Expression

Tower +1 Courage, +1 Knowledge

Star Gains Buff with a subtype of the player's choice

Moon Gains Debuff with a subtype of the player's choice

Sun +1 Expression, +1 Understanding

Fool* +1 to a stat of the player's choice

*If you have taken the Fool as your own arcana instead of one of your starting S-links, you are granted an additional power. Any time you forge a new S-link by spending exp (see below), you create a new Persona instead of adding the power of that arcana to your first Persona. The new Persona has 3 skills of your choice, a different resistance and weakness, and all of the benefits of your current Resolution.

Resolution

Your starting Resolution is equal to your lowest stat. As characters gain higher Resolution, they will be able to perform varied special actions, improve their Persona skills, and build new elemental resistances. When additional resistance is granted you can do one of 3 things, gain a new resistance, turn an existing resistance into an immunity, or turn an immunity into a reflection or absorption. Reflections deal that damage type to their caster instead of to you and absorptions heal you instead of damaging you.

Resolution

1 -10 Max HP and SP

2 Max HP and SP penalties reduced to -5 3 HP and SP penalties removed, Skill Boost

4 New Special Action, Skill Boost

5 Skill Boost

6 New Resistance

7 Skill Boost, +5 Max HP and SP

8 New Special Action, Skill Boost

9 Skill Boost

10 Lose Weakness, New Resistance, +1 to all stats

Special Actions

Closely tied to your Resolution are special actions. Every character starts with one special action determined by their highest stat. Additional special actions of the player's choosing are granted as Resolution increases. Special actions can be used to interrupt the normal flow of combat when certain conditions are met. Special actions are activated by spending a point from your Action Pool. A character's Action Pool is equal to their current Resolution. Much like HP and SP, your Action Pool does not automatically refresh until you leave the shadow world and get some decent rest. Unlike HP and SP, there isn't a way to replenish it with items or magic, so use it wisely.

Special Related Stat Effect Action

If an ally knocks down an enemy in combat, you may spend a point of action pool to immediately attack any enemy. This attack automatically Follow-up Courage hits and deals +200% strength damage and inflicts dizzy status on the Attack target. This damage is unaffected by any resistances, weaknesses, or immunities.

Get a Hold When you knock down an enemy, you may spend a point of action pool Knowledge of Yourself to cure one status ailment on an ally with a quick slap.

Lead the Expression If all enemies are knocked down, you may initiate an all-out attack. All Charge players roll damage for their basic attack. Total up all the numbers and deal that much damage to all enemies. This damage is unaffected by any resistances, weaknesses, or immunities.

Take the If an attack would reduce an ally to 0HP, you may spend a point of Understanding Hit action pool to shove them out of the way and take attack yourself.

I Can Take If you would be reduced to 0HP, you may spend a point of action pool Diligence It to survive the attack with 1HP. This can only be used once per fight.

Persona

Alright, now it comes time to craft your Persona. In Jungian terms a persona is a sort of facade that a person presents to others in order to make an impression and conceal their true nature. In this game, a Persona is a manifestation of your ego that looks like a mythological figure and is used to beat the shit out of manifestations of everyone else's repressed feelings. I did say that game was about poorly understood Jungian ideas, now didn't I? Anyhow, probably the best way to name your Persona is to just pick a mythological figure or monster of some kind, preferably one that is reasonably in line with your Arcana. What that being actually looks like is totally up to you. I wish I was kidding when I say that the actual games have a recurring Persona that looks like a cock riding a chariot. Anyhow, once you have flavored your Persona to taste, assign it one weakness and one resistance from amongst the following seven damage types. You are not allowed to use the weakness and resistance to cancel each other out.

Physical Fire Ice Lightning Wind Light Dark

With that in order, determine which skills your Persona has. As mentioned earlier, this is dictated by your arcana and the arcana of your 3 starting S-links (If your arcana is Magician and your S-links are Priestess, Chariot, and Hermit, your Persona has fire magic, physical damage, healing, and a status effect as it's skills). The effects of any given skill are detailed on the charts below. As your Resolution increases your Persona will be granted skill boosts. Each of these gives you access to one of the available upgrades for a skill. When you pick a skill boost, you can apply the effects of the boost any time you use the skill by paying the additional cost. Please note you can only apply each boost once per skill use. In case that is a little confusing, here’s an example:

Hiro Brotagonist's Persona has the Physical skill and he has applied two skill boosts to it. He has chosen a +damage and the multi-target. First round of combat he decides to go all out and apply both boosts to it. He has to spend 10 HP and will attack all enemies for d6 +150% of his Strength damage. Over the rest of the round he takes a couple of hits and decides to play it safe in round two, only using the basic effect of Physical. He spends 3 HP and deals d6 + Strength damage to a single foe.

Physical Damage

Basic Effect Target Number Cost Subtypes

Deals d6 + Strength physical 3 3 none damage to one enemy HP

Skill Boost Effect Additional Cost

Attack deals additional damage equal +damage +2 HP to half Strength

Attack deals additional damage equal +damage +2 HP to half Strength

Multi-target Attack targets all enemies x2 HP

Elemental Magic

Basic Effect Target Number Cost Subtypes

Deals d6 + Magic damage to Fire, Ice, Lighting, 2 2 SP one enemy Wind

Additional Skill Boost Effect Cost

Attack deals additional damage equal to +damage +2 SP half Magic

Attack deals additional damage equal to +damage +2 SP half Magic

Multi-target Attack targets all enemies x2 SP

Light/Dark Magic Basic Effect Target Number Cost Subtypes

Instantly kills one enemy 6 4 SP Light, Dark

Skill Boost Effect Additional Cost

-TN Target number reduced by 1 +2 SP

-TN Target number reduced by 1 +2 SP

Multi-target Attack targets all enemies x2 SP

Status Effect

Basic Effect Target Number Cost Subtypes

Inflicts one enemy with a Poison, Rage, Confusion, 5 2 SP status effect Silence

Skill Boost Effect Additional Cost

Target number reduced -TN +1 SP by 1

Target number reduced -TN +1 SP by 1

Status effect targets all Multi-target x2 SP enemies

Buff

Basic Effect Target Number Cost Subtypes

Gives one ally a buff Damage, Defense, - 2 SP that lasts 3 turns Hit/Evasion Skill Boost Effect Additional Cost

Gain access to an additional subtype, both can be +subtype +3 SP applied to the same target by paying the additional cost

Gain access to an additional subtype, both can be +subtype +3 SP applied to the same target by paying the additional cost

Multi-target Buffs all allies x2 SP

Debuff

Basic Effect Target Number Cost Subtypes

Gives one enemy a Damage, Defense, - 2 SP debuff that lasts 3 turns Hit/Evasion

Skill Boost Effect Additional Cost

Gain access to an additional subtype, both can be +subtype applied to the same target by paying the additional +3 SP cost

Gain access to an additional subtype, both can be +subtype applied to the same target by paying the additional +3 SP cost

Multi-target Debuffs all enemies x2 SP

Healing

Basic Effect Target Number Cost Subtypes

Heals one ally for 10 HP - 1 SP none

Skill Boost Effect Additional Cost +healing Heals an additional 10 HP +2 SP

Full heal Restores target to max HP +5 SP

Multi-target Heals all allies x2 SP

Cure Status

Basic Effect Target Number Cost Subtypes

Removes all status effects except Down from one ally - 3 SP none

Skill Boost Effect Additional Cost

Multi-target Affects all allies x2 SP

Revive

Basic Effect Target Number Cost Subtypes

Revive an ally with 5 HP - 5 SP none

Skill Boost Effect Additional Cost

+healing Revives with an additional 15 HP +5 SP

Full heal Revives target to full HP +10 SP

Gear Packages

Your character starts with a weapon of varying quality and a handful of one-use recovery items. Said recovery items refresh at the start of each venture into the shadow world. Here are the gear packages.

 No weapons or training, 4 one use items.  Improvised weapon, 3 one use items.  Combat weapon, 2 one use items.  Exceptional weapon, no one use items. Rich characters can also pick from the following gear packages.

 Combat weapon, 4 one use items.  Exceptional weapon, 2 one use items.

Weapons enhance the damage dealt by your basic attack (see Combat section below). Before each venture into the shadow world, you must also determine what exactly all of your one-use items are. Pick from the list below.

Food Restores 20 HP

Sweets Restores 5 SP

Medicine Cures status ailments

Delicious Cooking* Restores 30 HP

Quality Dessert* Restores 10 SP

Homemade Explosive** Deals 5 elemental damage (player must decide type before-hand)

Suspicious Homemade Cocktail** Buffs one ally (player must decide typer before-hand)

* Available only to characters with the Chef trait. ** Available only to characters with the Prepared trait.

Basic Damage Weapon Type Examples Modifier

None -1 Unarmed attack with no weapons or martial arts training.

Improvised 0 Bokken, kitchen knife, hatchet, brawling aid, folding chair. Weapon

Sharp sword, combat knife, sledgehammer, trained martial Combat Weapon +1 artist with a brawling aid, bow.

Exceptional +2 Perfectly balanced sword, compound bow, gun. Weapon Sample Character

Hiro Brotagonist

Courage/Strength 7

Knowledge/Magic 4

Expression/Agility 4

Understanding/Endurance 6

Diligence/Special 4

HP 30

SP 20

Resolution/Action Pool 4

Traits Chef, Heartbreaker

Arcana Fool Weakness Wind

Persona Izanagi Resistance Lightning

S-links Chariot, Emperor, Star

Skills Physical Damage(+damage), Lightning Magic(Multi-target), Buff Attack

Special Actions Follow-up Attack, Lead the Charge

Gear Imitation Katana (+0 basic attack damage), Delicious Cooking x2, Quality Dessert x1

Character Advancement

Alright, real quick on this one. As you go though the game, fight shadows, and interact with your S-links you will gain exp. Exp can be spent to boost your stats, Resolution, and forge new S-links. Generally the best way to build exp quickly is to help your S- links. So here's the ways you can get exp:  Completing the session: 2 exp  Providing significant aid to an S-link: 2 exp  Helping an S-link in imminent danger: 3 exp  Helping an S-link when it is clear their life is in peril: 4 exp  Deepening a relationship with an S-link: 4 exp  Successful shadow world excursion: 3 exp

And here's what you can spend it on:

Advancement Exp Cost

Boost a Stat New Rating + 2

Boost Resolution New Rating + 5

New S-Link Current number of S-links x 3*

New Skill 10

*If S-link is between player characters, exp cost is based on whoever currently has the higher number of S-links, however the cost need only be paid once and can be divided between both players. Combat

Here's where things get crunchier. As much as I would have liked to neatly unify the d6+stat pool system used for interactions in the real world, I had to switch things up a bit for combat in the shadow world. You still roll pretty much everything on a d6. Rolls to hit are on a d6 trying to get as high as a target number. Rolls for damage are a d6 plus whatever modifiers are appropriate for your attack.

What Your Combat Stats Mean

Something important to keep in mind is that these rules cover Persona combat with shadows and not physical fights with other people in the real world. They are much more of a mental strain than a physical one. Your HP and SP are, so to speak, all in your character's head. Running out of SP feels like that special kind of tired you get from sitting on one place and working on an essay for way too long. Characters low on SP feel sluggish and unfocused. Running out of HP is a bit more nightmarish. That feels more like the numb shock and inexplicable chill of tragedy or betrayal. Characters who run out of HP do not die unless they are left to the predations of shadows. That said, characters with no remaining HP are rendered incapacitated. They have a tendency to become sobbing wrecks or just go catatonic until they can be brought around. Similarly, your Strength, Magic, Agility, Endurance, and Special are each tied to one of the stats you use to make shit happen in the real world. Suddenly, Courage translates into how hard you can pound your foes, Knowledge becomes how hard you can inflict more imaginative punishment on them, Expression becomes how fast and fluidly you and your Persona move, Understanding turns into a measure of how much stress your mind can handle, and Diligence becomes how long you can churning out magic.

Does This Have Anything To Do With Why Food Restores HP and SP?

Absolutely. Hopefully you are familiar with the concept of "comfort food." That is exactly the purpose food serves in the shadow world. Food gives you something basic, familiar, and nourishing to focus on, if only for a brief while. It helps you maintain the willpower needed to traverse the shadow world. By that same token, sweets give you a sugary boost to help keep your brain awake. This also why delicious, home-cooked food is more effective at keeping you going in the shadow world. It's kind of a thin justification of JRPG combat mechanics, I know, but I felt I had to throw some kind of flavor text down.

Wait, if all my combat ability comes from my mind, what is that weapon I got in my gear package for?

Shadows do technically have a physical form and if you try to beat them up yourself, it will work. It costs you no HP or SP, but it doesn't do much damage either. To kill shadows efficiently, it's probably better to use Persona skills. If you really wanted to, you could just get a bunch of dudes without Personas and have them beat shadows to dispersal with sticks. That said, bringing a character without a Persona into the shadow world tends to carry some...liabilities.

Combat Flow

 Combatants with the highest Agility act first. If a PC and a shadow are tied for Agility, the PC goes first.  On your turn if you use a skill that has a target number, roll a d6. If you roll at least as high as the target number, your attack connects.  If your attack deals damage, roll a d6 and add the amount of damage appropriate to the skill you used.

Basic Actions: If you can't (or just don't want to) use any Persona skills, you can always perform either a basic attack, a guard, or use an item.

 A basic attack is just you hitting a shadow with a physical weapon rather than invoking your Persona. It deals a little bit of physical damage and costs no HP. The damage from a basic attack is a d6 modified by the weapon you carry.  A guard means you do nothing on your turn, but until the start of your next turn, you take half damage from all sources and have no weaknesses.  Using one of the items in your gear package takes your turn, but you get the effect in the item's description. Now, there’s a few factors that can complicate this rather simple turn structure.

 If you hit an enemy’s weakness and they are not already down or dizzy, they are knocked down. Both you and your allies now have the opportunity to use the Follow-up Attack, Get a Hold of Yourself, or Lead the Charge special actions (circumstances permitting). If you kill an enemy with an attack that otherwise would have knocked it down, you may still take advantage of those 3 special actions.  The target numbers for physical and elemental magic attacks against enemies with 7 or more Agility is 1 higher than usual (physical attacks hit on a 4 and magic hits on a 3).

Here’s the low down on how weaknesses and resistances work.

 Damage types you are weak against deal half-again as much.  Damage types you are resistant to deal half as much.  Weakness to light or dark magic reduces the target number to hit you with those spells by 3.  Resistance to light or dark magic bumps the target number for those spells up by 1.

Here’s what buffs and debuffs actually do.

 Having buffed damage means you deal an additional 5 damage with all of your attacks. Debuffed damage means you deal 5 less damage with all of your attacks  Buffed defense means you take 3 less damage from all attacks. Debuffed defense means you take 3 additional damage from all attacks.  Buffed hit/evasion lowers your target numbers for physical and elemental magic skills by 1 and raises the target numbers by 1 for physical and elemental attacks targeting you. The reverse applies for debuffed hit/evasion.

Here’s the list of status effects.

If you are hit for damage while down, roll a d6. On a 4+ you become dizzy. If you are hit Down with your weakness, you automatically become dizzy. Lasts until the start of your next turn.

Dizzy Do nothing for one turn.

Poisoned Lose 5 HP at the end of your turn.

Enraged Make only basic attacks. Damage inflicted and received is doubled.

On your turn roll a d6. On a 1 or 2 you make a basic attack on one of your allies, on a 3 or a Confused 4 you do nothing on your turn, 5 or a 6 you can act normally.

Silenced You cannot use Persona skills on your turn. Ways you can screw with the setting

About the only things that are set in stone with regards to the setting of this game is that it takes place around present day and there is an alternate world where the repressed thoughts of humanity are given form. Anything beyond that is technically up to the GM and players. Most likely, the game will take place in Japan and the characters are high school teenagers. That last bit is encouraged, but not set in stone by any means. This section of the wiki page will handle the particulars of tweaks you can make to the flavor and setting.

Plot Hooks

So given that exploring the shadow world is dangerous, possibly deadly, and probably traumatic, its important that the PCs actually have a good reason to go there. Here's a few potential reasons why the player characters might be attempting to brave the shadow world.

 Somebody is throwing people into the shadow world and leaving them for dead. (like in Persona 4)  Under certain circumstances, shadows can invade the real world and attack people. (similar to Persona 3)  Shadows have found a way to subtly influence and alter the minds of people from the safety of their own world. (like...well honestly this one sounds more like Madoka Magica to me)  Local rumors and urban legends, no matter how implausible, seem to be coming true. Somehow the player characters figure out this has something to do with the shadow world. (shadows are altering reality or some such)

Windows into the Collective Id of Humanity

We know there's a shadow world. So how do things get in and out of it? That's kind of up to you.

 Monitors and other devices for viewing mass media serve as a physical portal into the shadow world under certain circumstances.  An extremely secretive group of scientists (or occultists) have managed to open a gate via use of supertech.  By dialing a particular number at a certain time of day, people experience the shadow world. In this case all the events within the shadow world take place in the blink of an eye, no matter how long the character's perception of them is.  Windows into the world open randomly over the course of a small geographical area.

Manifesting Personas

So its obvious that the players are able to use Personas, but they are the exception rather than the rule. Even then (barring a few exceptions) they can oly bust them out in the shadow world. Usually people have to undergo some sort of trial before they are able to summon them. Again, there's a few ideas for conditions under which a character can manifest a Persona.

 Some people are just born with the ability and others aren't. Not the most interesting explanation, but certainly the simplest.  Characters must be in possession of a special item in order to summon a Persona.  You must enter the shadow world and come to terms with your own shadow.  A supernatural entity is granting Personas to a select few individuals for unknown reasons. Building Stats for Shadows (Beta)

So I finally got around to codifying a system for generating shadows. Here's the basic notes.

 Shadows do not have an Action Pool and cannot take special actions.  Shadows do not have a Special stat or an SP pool. They have set skills that they can use once per battle.  Shadows come in 6 types that dictate what whether they have big stats, lots of skills at their disposal, or lots of resistances.  Shadows have a threat level between 1 and 5. Scale this up as the players gain exp.  Shadows, like Personas, must always have one weakness. No matter how many resistances they have, they cannot neutralize their one weakness.  Shadows do have basic attacks. Their basic attack damage is equal to 1/2 their Strength stat - 1 (ex. a Str 4 shadow deals +1 damage with their basic attack).

Brute Threat 1 2 3 4 5

Stats 22 24 26 28 30

Skills 3 4 4 4 5

Resistances 0 1 1 1 2

Shocker Threat 1 2 3 4 5

Stats 18 19 20 22 24

Skills 6 7 8 9 10 Resistances 0 1 1 1 2

Puzzle Threat 1 2 3 4 5

Stats 18 19 20 22 24

Skills 3 4 4 4 5

Resistances 6 7 8 9 10

Elite Threat 1 2 3 4 5

Stats 21 22 24 26 28

Skills 5 5 6 7 8

Resistances 0 1 1 1 2

Tank Threat 1 2 3 4 5

Stats 21 22 24 26 28

Skills 3 4 4 4 5

Resistances 2 3 4 5 6

Anchor Threat 1 2 3 4 5

Stats 18 19 20 22 24

Skills 5 5 6 7 8 Resistances 2 3 4 5 6

 A skill use costs 1 skill point plus however many skill boosts you want to apply to it (ex. if you want to give a shadow a single use of ice magic with multi-target and a damage boost, it costs 3 skill points).  To give a shadow a resistance to a damage type, it costs one resistance point. An immunity costs 2 and an absorption or reflection costs 3.

Sample Shadows

Threat 1 Brute

Str Mag Agl End

6 3 7 6

HP Basic Dam

30 +2

Skill Boosts

Physical + damage

Fire -

Phys Fire Ice Elec Wind Light Dark

- - - - Weak - -

Threat 3 Puzzle

Str Mag Agl End

3 8 5 4

HP Basic Dam 20 +0

Skill Boosts

Buff Attack Multi-Target

Ice x2 -

Phys Fire Ice Elec Wind Light Dark

Res - Abs Imm - Imm Weak

Threat 5 Shocker

Str Mag Agl End

4 8 4 8

HP Basic Dam

40 +1

Skill Boosts

Poison Multi-Target, -TN

Lightning Multi-Target

Lightning x2 +damage

Buff Hit/Evade -

Phys Fire Ice Elec Wind Light Dark

- Weak - Imm - - -

Design Notes  Alright, shadows that have an SP pool of 15 or higher can pretty much do whatever they need to do before they get picked off. After all, they only need to worry about the one fight they are in. The PCs on the other hand have to worry about conserving SP for future battles.  A sufficiently fast shadow with light/dark magic and at least 10 SP can statistically wipe out 1/3 of the party before any of them can even move. If they have decent stats, they can do this more than once.  Also, whether or not shadows exploit a character’s weaknesses is entirely up to the mercy of the GM. The GM has human intelligence rather than an AI pattern. Perhaps shadows need a structure for how they are built that is radically different from player characters. (Thinking maybe their skills are Vancian or some such?)  The current character advancement system makes it a little arbitrary as to when players must form S-links. Might break resolution and S-links into separate char advancement mechanics.  Multi-targeting is insanely good. As long as 3 or more enemies are on the field it’s very resource efficient. Will implement some manner of balancing (reflect/absorb enemies, harsher SP costs, hard limits).  Beyond plot related goals, there is no current reward for fighting shadows. Advances in resolution are either granted when the GM arbitrarily says so or (ideally) they are roleplayed out (finding new reasons to quest onwards, playing out new relationships developing). Some manner of currency system has been suggested. Not exactly a priority issue to fix but it’s on the “to do” list.  Seriously I need more traits. One of the ones I am definitely going to implement is some manner of “scanning” traits that lets you glean info about enemies weaknesses/resistances.

Trait Idea Effects

It's not like I like you, or anything like that. Your support magic for those idiots that Tsundere think you like them or something are [##] more effective. Whatever.

Spend [## 1?] less SP when casting an all-target magic attack of at least [xxx]% cost. Efficient (COULD BE BROKEN)

Popular You can have 1 more social link than normal party members. You suave bastard.

The power to use your friends' weapons is the guilty crown I will bear on my head. Void Genome For 1 AP, borrow a friend's Persona's ability for one use. They are not permitted to use that ability for their next turn. (Don't call it that.)

TAKE THIS! MY LOVE, MY ANGER, AND ALL MY [REDACTED]. You do a bit more Hot Blood damage, but tend to take a bit more damage, too. Pay attention, geez. (+1 to all damage given or received, before weak/res?) Your buffs/debuffs are more powerful, but last only one turn and cost twice as much Transient SP.

You're totally not misunderstood. If the target of your lover social link is threatened, Yandere your abilities are heightened on the next turn, and are especially heightened against the person who's hurting your lover; even if it's an ally...

You know where everything is, all of the hot spots and the places to avoid. Unless Townie that's where you're heading anyway...

I'm Helping! Gain extra exp for helping NPCs/Completing NPC sidequests.

You're unable to read the atmosphere. +1 to rolls for being inappropriate. (KY is KY Japanese slang for kuki ga yomenai, [unable to read the atmosphere])

You're kind of an idiot but we love you anyway. +1 to rolls that are deemed Fsteak sufficiently awkward.

Trial of the +1 to damage if you're aiming at someone's crotch. Dragon

Hi, I'm Daisy +1 to rolls if you're making any popular culture references, because goddamn.

It's Time For ?? Some Piracy

ELEMENT CHANGE !!