What is Monsters and Other Childish Things? Monsters and Other Childish Things (MaOCT) is a roleplaying game written by Benjamin Baugh, based on Wild Talents by Dennis Detwiller and Greg Stolze, using the One Roll Engine (O.R.E.) that Stolze designed. In it, the players control school-age Kids (Elementary through High School, usually) who are accompanied by horrible, slavering, nightmarish Monsters that also happen to be a Kid’s best friend. They have adventures, deal with school bullies (hopefully with words, not by eating them), experiences crushes (again, hopefully without eating them) and discover the horrible secrets of other worlds on the fringes of human awareness. Good fun is had by all. What is Persona? Persona is a Japanese Roleplaying Video Game series made by Atlus. A spin-off of the Shin Megami Tensei series, Persona focuses on high schoolers pitted jointly against other-worldly forces and the crushing gravity of their own social obligations and psychological trauma. Their instrument for dealing with these are Personas: manifestations of psycho-spiritual power that come to their aid and defense. In each of the Persona games, the player controls a group of Persona users who must unravel the mysteries of some supernatural phenomena that threatens the existence of their friends, town, or even the entire world. What am I reading? The Velvet Book is a conversion module for MaOCT designed to optimize its rules for running a game inspired by the Persona series. In truth, you can run Persona with MaOCT’s vanilla rules; the Drunk and Ugly Podcast did an entire series like that (check out “Shin Megami Tensei and Other Childish Things”) and it worked just fine. All you need to do is change “Monster” to “Persona” and you’re done. This module, however, is designed for players who want to inject a little bit more Persona flair into their MaOCT game. It shows how to slip your characters more into the mold of a Persona protagonist; has some new rules that introduces elements from the Persona series into the gameplay of MaOCT; and has some advice and ground-rules for GMs to help them run a game inspired by Persona. So, then, without further ado... My soul, my soul, where are you? Do you hear me? I speak, I call you–are you there? I have returned, I am here again. I have shaken the dust of all the lands from my feet, and I have come to you, I am with you. After long years of long wandering, I have come to you again.... Do you still know me? How long the separation lasted! Everything has become so different. And how did I find you? How strange my journey was! What words should I use to tell you on what twisted paths a good star has guided me to you? Give me your hand, my almost forgotten soul. How warm the joy at seeing you again, you long disavowed soul. Life has led me back to you. ... My soul, my journey should continue with you. I will wander with you and ascend to my solitude. C. G. Jung, 12 November 1913 Chapter I: Characters Your Character Not much changes in how a player character is built in this module from vanilla MaOCT. You’re still a seemingly normal adolescent. Persona characters are usually high-school age, though there’s nothing to stop a GM from running a middle-school, elementary school or even college Persona experience. Your Stats The Velvet Book uses the same fundamental Stats as MaOCT: Feet, Guts, Hands, Brains and Face. However, the process of fusing Persona into the mix has changed them somewhat; now each is coupled with a social stat inspired by those used in Persona 3-5. Feet are coupled to Diligence Guts is still Guts Hands are coupled to Proficiency Brains are coupled to Knowledge Face is coupled to Expression This isn’t that much of a change from how Stats work in MaOCT. In that game, “Feet” represented your overall ability to move around without looking like a dorkus, and “Face” was both your sociability and your actual grill. We’re just surfacing those links because, in Persona, a character’s inner-self as more important than their outward ability. Stat Details Diligence is your self-discipline. Characters with low diligence are frail and shaky on their feet because they lack the focus and drive to strengthen themselves. Characters with high diligence are strong and steady regardless of how much strain they feel. Guts is your moxie and bravery. It’s largely the same as in vanilla MaOCT. Gutless people snivel and retreat; Gutsy folks run in to save the day. Proficiency is your talent and craftiness—usually involving stuff with your hands like painting or music. The Proficient love their work and take pride in it; a lack of Proficiency makes you clumsy or like your hands are always coated in potato chip grease. Knowledge is how smart and alert you are. It includes both book learning and creative problem solving. Low-knowledge characters are easily stumped, while Knowledgeable ones figure can figure out complex puzzles. Expression is your ability to deal with others tactfully, or sneakily. An Expressionless person is a wallflower, whereas a person full of Expression is the life of the party. (Page #) Chapter I: Characters Your Skills Skills have been adjusted slightly to accommodate the style of play encouraged by Persona. Old Skills are listed as unchanged, new ones are described. Diligent Skills Beat Down: Hit things that can’t hit back. This includes inanimate objects like doors, lockers and crates, and living-but-helpless things like jerk Rico after your Converse to his groin flattened him. Block: Stop things from hitting other things. Unchanged except now it’s under a different Stat. P.E.: Running, jumping, climbing, carrying, etc. Unchanged. Gutsy Skills Courage: Standing up to bullies and elder gods alike. Unchanged Fighting: Facing off against foes that can fight back. This is basically Kicking, Wrestling and Punching rolled into one skill. If your foe can’t resist you, roll Beat Down instead. Wind: How healthy and generally in-shape you are. Unchanged. Proficient Skills Aim: How precise your eye is. Use this to throw a basketball, chuck eggs at the principal’s car or shoot your dad’s hunting rifle. Remember kids: guns are dangerous. Reflexes: Getting out of harms way. It’s basically the same as Dodge, but under a different Stat. Shop: How good you are with your hands, especially when it comes to making stuff. Unchanged. Knowledgable Skills Academics: Your books-smarts. It has the same function as Remember, and is basically unchanged. Notice: Spotting things before they endanger you. Unchanged. Out-Think: Figuring problems out. Unchanged. Expressive Skills Charm: Making people like you. Unchanged Connive: Lying to and tricking people. Unchanged Put-Down: Delivering sick burns. Unchanged. (Page #) Chapter I: Characters Relationships, Arcana and Archetypes One of the reasons why MaOCT works so well for Persona is that both games feature rules by which a character’s relationship with another person can improve their ability to complete a task. Persona introduces a new level to these interactions: Arcana. As in the Major Arcana of the Tarot Arcana and Gender Deck. Each Relationship is linked with one of the Arcana, which describes core aspects of that person’s nature or The following section uses gendered pronouns for each the nature of his or her circumstances. The section that Arcana. These are based on the traditional follows lists the 22 Major Arcana and what kind of interpretation for each Arcana’s psychological people they represent. For each of your Relationships, archetype (as well as the symbolism on the Arcana choose which Arcana best fits that character’s itself). It’s not absolute. You can have a male High personality or how you relate to that person. Remember, Priestess, a female Heirophant or, like, a genderfluid Relationships can be with Groups or Things; so your Lover. What matters is how they act, not what they are. Relationship with the Football Team could be of the Chariot Arcana (as the archetype of success in spite of resistance), and your Relationship with the Q’uran could be of the Hierophant Arcana (as the archetype of moral guidance and spiritual authority). Each Arcana offers certain benefits to your character and your Persona that will be covered later in this module; for now just review the list and use it as a tool to match your Relationships to the Arcana they are archetypical of. Try and choose a different Arcana for each Relationship. In addition, you must choose an Arcana for Arcana and Psychology your own character—something that resonates with who they are and what they want in life. Each player Atlus didn’t adopt the Arcana system for Persona just to character’s Arcana should be unique and, ideally, add another element of mysticism to their game. The unique within the game. That way the PCs psychologist Carl Jung, whose interpretation of the persona themselves can benefit from forging Relationships and shadow serves as the basis for this entire game, with each other. viewed the Arcana as “archetypes” for the human condition, and represented distinct, obvservable patterns of human behavior and mental conditions. His archetypes are listed in italics along side each Arcana. (Page #) Arcana Archetypes Index The Magician Surpassing the plausible The Magician represents a person with knowledge or skill that surpasses your own. He could be a mentor or a peer whose made it his mission to achieve some great feat.