Persona: I Will Forge My Own Fate!

zerohour

Well-Known Member
#1
Making a new thread for this because I'm actually moving forward with this, rather than just asking for interest. I'll be posting what I currently have planned, and hopefully, recruit a few more people to play.

Any feedback or suggestions are appreciated. I want to make this enjoyable for everyone, so any opinions could help this along.

I will continue to expand this as I develop it, and will post new stuff in this post as well as anew one so you can be kept up to date on the progress of the game.


Rules:
Like the actual Persona Games, this will follow a single school year. Since I'm more familiar with it, we'll use a Western school schedule, which is school starts in August/September, a break in December/January, and then school concludes in May/June.

I'm planning on this being an interactive game. While I'm the GM, I plan on giving you guys OOC information so you can write your own posts and possibly expand the story. If you can come up with a really cool idea for a Social Link, I'm all for adding it in, assuming it doesn't derail the core plot. Hell, if you guys can create a massive plot twist that completely alters the game, I'm up for it if we can make it work.


Leveling:
Persona is divided into leveling up your combat and social abilities.

For the most part, they won't be a factor. Grinding levels is tedious, and can't really be simulated in Play by Post without making things extremely dull.

I'm currently planning on blocking out weeks, where players can say what they're doing for an entire week, and then I'll either tell them what the effects are, or write a post for it. There will be deadlines, and if a week isn't planned out, then it will be assumed that they're either did nothing or repeated what happened the week before. I want to keep this as simple as possible, and keep the game running smoothly.

Most leveling will be a passive thing, gained after repeating X action Y times, much like in the Persona games. I'll make sure to post when someone levels up a stat, so you're aware of it. Battle XP will be less developed, though if you guys want, I can track that as well, if someone wants to spend their time grinding to become stronger and kick ass all the way to the bosses.


Character Guidelines:
Character needs a name/basic bio. This must include an Arcana, as well as a Fatal Flaw. I would prefer a basic personality profile as well, if only to make it easier for other people to write your character should it come up.

The Arcana is the spiritual journey your character has to undertake. It's the transition from peasant villager to hero, the key to unlocking your true potential

The Fatal Flaw is the ultimate weakness of your character, something they have to struggle with. For the moment, I would prefer people stick to the Seven Deadly Sins, since they are well known and fairly straightforward. Additional Flaws can be used, but I reserve the right to alter/reject them.


Persona:
Persona are not currently required for your character. This is because everyone will have one of the four starting Personas, Sylph, Gnome, Undine, and Salamander. As you delve deeper into the happenings of the island and decide upon your own path, the Persona will "evolve" into something more suited to your personality (chosen by the player, of course.) SHoudl you complete your Social Link, then your Persona can evolve once more, and attain its full power.

Setting Information: (WIP. Names subject to change.)


Phoenix Island:
Named after the Phoenix Corporation that owns it, the island was originally a small, mildly volcanic islet with a small indigenous population. It was purchased by the Corporation, and used as the test site of some terraforming technology and theories. Several volcanic eruptions were triggered in succession, rapidly expanding the size of the island. The island grew to from a few hundred square miles to roughly 5,000 square miles over the course of three decades. The next ten years saw a sharp decline in this aspect of the experiment, and focused more on making it habitable for humans. After the island was made more suitable for living, it became the core of the Phoenix Corporation, operating more like a small nation than a corporation.

The majority of the island is fertile farmland, though there are a few small towns. The center of the island is the Leviathan City, where the original experiments were based, and now serves as the island's connection to the outside world thanks to its thriving port and airport, as well as the base for the Phoenix Corporation.


The Phoenix Corporation:
A massive international conglomerate, the Phoenix Corporation has its hands in almost every industry possible, though their primary focus is on pharmacuticals and prosthetics. Their efforts have significantly contributed to the longevity of human lives.


The Core Story:

The world exists in balance, between good and evil, dark and light, Yin and Yang. Whatever you want to call it it naturally finds an equilibrium between the opposing forces, and the spirits of th eworld mirror that balance.

The massive changes to Phoenix Island, and the sudden influx of a sizable population, has all but destroyed the spiritual balance of the island. Now, spirits rage out of control, no longer bound by the old order.

A new equilibrium must be established, for better or for worse, and it's in the hands of the players to accomplish that.
 

H-Man

Random phantom.
#2
I want in.

Name: Katsuya "Katz" Niwa
Persona: Undine
Arcana: Death
Fatal Flaw: Sloth

Age: 15

Bio: A transfer student from the previous year, still rather unusued to life in this place. Katz tends to keep to himself, at first, but can open up to someone who shows interest in him - as long as he doesn't feel threatened. Although he has quite the grades - enough to be among the better students in his class - he has a tendency to go for the easiest path if offered.

Rumors tend to form about how he's cheated in exams and elsewhere, but there's no evidence to come up - when accused, he certainly never admits to it. Although not abrasive himself, he certainly does not act like the most reputable of students, which only helps fuel more rumors. Whether he's lonely or not, nobody can tell.

Katz's family is a common one: a hardworking mother, an older brother who's actually respectable, and himself currently entering his own rebellious stage. His mother works at the Blue Horizon, doing what she can to afford their education, while his brother is halfway through college and already planning his own entry in the world of politics. His father walked out on them due to issues Katz never really understood, nor has tried to - at least, not since he became a teenager.

As of now, Katz enters his next year of high school with no expectations beyond the usual thing.

Personality: Normally sticks to himself, listening to others' ideas and trying to avoid taking any leadership. Sounds a little too smartass when he does speak up, which can be intimidating to others. Tends to be dismissive of things, but when wrong he's the first to accept it or take the blame for his own mistakes. Being able to bond with others over their Personas will help him open up more, but he'll be bad at hiding it when necessary - not when Personas are so useful/important/[insert reason here]...
 

zerohour

Well-Known Member
#3
You can't really call "dibs" on any of the basic persona. Everyone is going to start with one of them, until they realize their potential. The basic persona is a stepping stone to your "real" persona. If everyoen wanted to be water aligned, we could have a party of Undines, for a time, anyways.





Name: Daniel "Dan" Stella Morgen
Persona: Salamander
Arcana: The Fool
Fatal Flaw: Wrath

Age: 16

Bio: Stella had been a name handed down through his mother's side of the family to the firstborn. He just happened to have the bad luck of being a boy (at least it was only his middle name.)

His name tended to get him into a lot of fights when he was younger, and he got good at them. Before he knew it he had a reputation as the guy you didn't want to cross, and he liked it. He and his friends developed a reputation as delinquents and troublemakers, though most of it was exaggerated or falsely attributed to them.

Surprisingly, his grades remained fairly high, as neither of his parents would tolerate anything less, and he wanted to avoid setting a (too) bad example for his younger sister, Lucy.

Normally, both of his parents work full time jobs, often getting caught up in overtime, so a significant amount of his time after school is spent keeping an eye on his younger sister.

His father recently was employed as a researcher for the Phoenix Corporation, and they moved to Phoenix Island. His mother is currently searching for a job herself, though so far, has had no luck and might end up resigned to being a stay at home mom.

Personality: Dan is rough and abrasive. He's used to people confronting him about anything and everything, and has learned the best way to deal with that is to put them in their place right away, before they get any ideas. He can be a nice guy, but generally he presents a hostile front





Location: The Phoenix Academy (I'm really digging deep for these names.)

The Phoenix Academy is designed to be the premier learning institute of the modern world. While it is still in its infant stages, its funding from the Phoenix Corporation means it can afford the best of the best, be it equipment, books, or staff. Unfortunately, their mad dash to acquire the most skilled teachers had led to a few... unique personalities. While it hasn't affected the school or its learnign, it does occasionally result in a few unusual lessons.

The Academy offers classes from preschool all the way up through high school, with plans to open up a college in the near future. The courses tend to be focused towards what the Corporation needs, but all subjects and electives are available.

Due to the nature of the Phoenix Corporation, it's not uncommon to get new students throughout the year. Rarely, even entire classes are added in, when research uncovers a breakthrough and numerous new employees are needed.



I should probably mention, but if you guys want, you can create your own locations and NPCs. They are subject to approval, but it would make things a bit easier for me, and would make the game world more diverse and interesting.


Probably should include these, for people who want their names to have a meaning, or aren't familiar with the Arcana.
(Bonus points if you can guess who I intend to evolve my persona into. I kind of spelled it out if you look at it the right way.)

Tarot Card Meanings
Name Meanings
 

Meinos Kaen

Well-Known Member
#4
Alright, let's see who I can whip up...

Name: Kuromaru Daichi
Persona: Sylph
Arcana: The Hermit
Fatal Flaw: Pride

Age: 16

Bio: WIP

Personality: WIP
 

zerohour

Well-Known Member
#5
I already mentioned this to MK, but I'm planning on starting a prologue during the story's summer vacation. It's mainly to give us a chance to flesh out our characters, develop a few locations/NPCs we're interested in, and get a feel for how we want the game to play. No personas for this stage, but there are plenty of troublemakers around if you want to get in a fight and practice your battle scenes.




The battle system:
It's too difficult to run a battle moment by moment if there's going to be chance involved, but at the same time, I don't want everything to be completely scripted.

So what I'm proposing is a very simplified Battle System that would use the following equation:
1d100+(Player Level)-(Enemy Level)

And the two categories of Mooks and Antagonists.

Obviously, the higher the roll, the better the result, and the lower, the worse off you are. Losing to Mooks will have much less dire consequences (most likely getting sick, needing more sleep, or something like that.)

Losing to Antagonists can be more problematic, and depending on how bad the result is, may end with PC injury or even death.

Example Setup:
Range:Mook Result
0 or lower:0 Battles Won, Exhausted/Sick
1-20: 1d4 Battles Won, Exhausted
21-40: 1d8 Battles Won, Exhausted
41-60:2d6 battles Won, 50% chance Exhausted
61-80:3d6 Battles Won, not Exhausted. 10% Rare Drop
81-100: 4d8 battles won, not Exhausted 30% Rare Drop
101 or Higher: 4d12 battles won, not Exhausted, 60% Rare Drop


Leveling Up:

Again, my goal is to keep this simple, so the basic equation will be
(Enemy Level)/PC Level = Chance to gain an experience point. Ten experience points gain you a level. Repeat as necessary.



This is something I cooked up on the fly to offer an incentive to grinding in dungeons, while not bogging down the entire process and ruining the game. It might be simpler to just auto adjust levels to keep things moving, but I wanted to get your opinions first. If you guys want some method of XP gain, I can probably cook up something for personal stats and Social Links as well. If you guys would rather just subsume that into the story, that works for me too.


New Location: The Blue Horizon

The Blue Horizon is a medium sized marina that rents boats, as well as providing all item necessary for any kind of aquatic activity, be it fishing, para sailing, scuba diving, or something else entirely. If it has anything to do with boats or the ocean, they have it.

It lacks the glitz and glamor of some of the bigger shops, so it's mostly used by locals. On the bright side, it does mean the staff know a few locations that can be missed if you don't look closely enough.

Again, feel free to suggest additional locations/NPCs. I want this to be fun for everyone, so if you want a mountain climbing club, throw it out there!



Feedback always appreciated.
 

Hoki

Well-Known Member
#6
Is it too late to join? This looks fun, and I haven't done this for a while now.
 

zerohour

Well-Known Member
#7
Yeah, still open for new players. Still getting things together. Depending on the number of people interested, entry might remain open through the game (gotta love transfer students.)
 

Hoki

Well-Known Member
#8
zerohour said:
Yeah, still open for new players. Still getting things together. Depending on the number of people interested, entry might remain open through the game (gotta love transfer students.)
Then, count me in...

Name: Rusty Montero
Persona: Gnome
Arcana: The Chariot
Fatal Flaw: Sloth

Age: 16

Bio: Rusty's parents are part of the Phoenix Industry's robotics R&D department in the Pacific before being called into service in Phoenix island. Being an only child, he has spent most his days in front of various forms of electronics and technology in particular than with other children his age. Thus he found it hard to interact with people in general as he grew up, leading to him being a borderline hikkikomori. When he does go out, he is always seen with a laptop so he can play games and while traveling, wears a large headphone on his head, listening to music or going online using his phone.

He gets excellent grades in academics because he spends most time in school in the library reading online encyclopedias. As to be expected from his lifestyle, he is completely nonathletic. He also has terrible eyesight due to his upbringing so he wears rimless square glasses.

As far as he knows, his stay in Phoenix Island would not be a long one, possibly for only a year because of his parents' contract.

Personality: Rusty is quiet and reserved due to his lack of interaction with people. He does, however, show enthusiasm for anything technology related. He is also very dismissive of anything that can be considered "supernatural" or "magical" with the reason that any phenomena can be explained with science. Finally, although he is well informed about the happenings around the world, he is indifferent to them.
 

zerohour

Well-Known Member
#9
Looks good so far.

Just a note to you guys: Sixteen will be the maximum starting age, with 14 being the minimum at the start of the school year. This is to limit characters to the freshman, sophomore, or junior school years. This is for a couple of reasons:

-The characters are meant to be in flux, and that's a bit harder to accomplish when they're in their last year, and probably have some idea what they want to do with their lives.
-I don't know how long, in game, this will go on. It will be at least a year, possibly two or longer depending on how much fun we're having. If it goes longer, then having some characters in college could complicate matters.

As a side note, I'm presuming sophomore year/age fifteen to be the default starting age. Junior/16 is presumed to be more experienced, while Freshmen/14 are less experienced. Shouldn't affect the game too much, but older characters are more likely to get stuck with the leadership position.

Exceptions can be made for younger characters (like Ken from P3,) and possibly for older characters, but those will be on a case by case basis (and you'll need some REALLY good reasoning to be older, especially above senior year.)
 

zerohour

Well-Known Member
#10
Two new locations. Hopefully I'll have an introductory post ready by Saturday.

Do you guys have an opinion about the experience system? I'll assume it's fine if I don't hear anything, and I'll draw up something similarly simple for Social Links and Personal Skills as well.


Police Station:
The 7th precinct police station is one of many, but it is the one closest to the school and residential areas, so it is the one people are most likely to go to. IN addition to basic law enforcement, they run a number of community programs, including a neighborhood watch, community integration program (Such as Junior Police,) and help with a number of charities.


Phoenix Park:
While not the nicest or most interesting of places, Phoenix Park is one of the more popular locations for teens to hang out at, especially those who enjoy causing a little trouble. It's close enough to the school that they can get there easily, but is large enough that they can spot adults or officers and have enough time to scatter if necessary.

While not a dangerous place, fights do occasionally break out, though they are usually quickly resolved, either by the fighters, or the interference of a police patrol.
 

Hoki

Well-Known Member
#12
Edited my character profile, as his traits show more the sin of Sloth (apathy and inactiveness, both physical and spiritual wise) than Envy.

I'm still confused with the experience/level up system, otherwise I have no problems with it.
 

zerohour

Well-Known Member
#13
I'm assuming you mean the way you actually gain XP.

Let's say you're level one, and the enemy you just defeated is also level one.

That means you have Enemy Level divided by Your Level chance to gain an experience point. In this case, that's 1/1, or one hundred percent chance of gaining one experience point. Once you gain ten experience points and level up, the formula becomes 1/2, or 50% chance of gaining experience from each kill.

Did that help?


Ability Experience:

The abilities are skills used in the "real" world. They represent your ability to accomplish relevant

Athletics: Your physical (non combat) abilities, such and running, jumping, etc.
Courage: Your ability to control your fear and move past it.
Intelligence: Book smarts.
Charisma: You ability to communicate/inspire with others.
Emotion: Your ability to understand others

Each ability starts at level zero. You can gain between one and three experience for performing certain actions (Such as trying the mystery meat on tuesdays, to raise courage) The amount of experience to level up is (Desired Level x ten,) so 10 to reach level one, 20 more for level two, all the way up to 50 for level five.

Totals XP needed: 150 for each skill, 750 total.

So is everyone else playing a Japanese character? Nothing wrong with that, just a bit unusual given the international status of the Phoenix Corporation. Then again, Persona games are Japanese, and the Japanese are known for their crazy work ethic...
 

H-Man

Random phantom.
#14
Also everyone here clearly played Personas after the first one.

I'm just using my Persona 1 Portable character name. Feels fitting for some reason.

...and speaking of Persona 1, does not acting as much reduce EXP gains?
 

zerohour

Well-Known Member
#15
I don't really know what you mean by that. If you don't do anything, you won't gain XP, but beyond that there won't be a penalty or anything.

Anyways, how about some characters? We need some people to make social links with, right?


Jonas Sykes
Student Council Vice President
Arcana: The Devil
While his position won't be official until the start of the school year, there is little doubt that Jonas will be the Student Council Vice President. He acts as the velvet glove to the President's iron fist, smoothing over relations between the various offices and representatives so their projects can proceed.

Jonas is the kind of guy who can get you anything, and talk you into anything. While he doesn't do anything wrong or immoral, he doesn't mind walking a very shadowy path to achieve the desired result.

If he has one weakness, it's the fairer sex. He tends to be much friendlier towards them, and rumors abound that he is the one responsible for forming a host club in the previous year, and that he knows the ins and outs of the city nightlife more than any high school student ought to. It is uncommon to find him without at least one beauty on his arm or right behind him, though he is careful to keep his personal preferences separate from his duties..
 

H-Man

Random phantom.
#16
Basically, in Persona 1, if your 4-5 man party ends the battle in the first turn because one person used a power to kill everything in the first turn, the ones who didn't act get less EXP because they didn't do anything, even if they were in the battle itself.

Sort of what you said, so I guess it's how it's set.
 

zerohour

Well-Known Member
#17
And... we are go. Apologies for the delay, but you know how it goes.


A few additions:

Time: A basic way to keep track of time. A gooid chunk of these probably won't be used often, but I figured dividing it up evenly would make things simpler.

Just post the date and Time slot at the start of your post. If the time changes just post the new time after the transition.

Dawn
Early Morning
Mid Morning
Noon/Lunch
Afternoon
Later Afternoon
Dusk
Evening
Night
Midnight
Late Night
Pre-Dawn


New Social Link:
Rosemary
Arcana: The Emperor
The Student Council president, whose power far exceeds her office. Rosemary seeks to prove her worth by moving far beyond the limitations traditionally imposed upon the Student Council President. Her connections, resources, and the free reign given to students of the Phoenix Academy, have allowed her to create a personal empire that reaches from the high school, through the college, and into several small businesses.


REMINDER: This is the prologue, so no Shadows, no Personas. This is just a chance for everyone to get the hang of the game, and create locations that you're interested in. I'm sure we'll run into a few issues, so the prologue will serve to iron them out before we get serious.

"Official" game will start late August/Early September (in game.) In the meantime, still plenty of open slots, still plenty of room for development.
 

zerohour

Well-Known Member
#18
A basic rundown on Exhausted/Sick/Hospitalized

Exhausted: -10 penalty to rolls. 50% chance to recover after resting
Sick: -20 penalty to rolls. 50% chance to recover to Exhausted after resting.
Hospitalized: -50 penalty to rolls. 10% chance to recover to Sick after resting.

Resting: A good night's sleep (Sleeping for six time slots, such as from Midnight until Mid Morning, or Night until Early Morning) Sleeping in (Until Noon/Lunch) Napping in class (One time slot) or something similar.

Hospitalized generally should not come up. It's there in case someone decides to do something stupid, like solo a dungeon, or we have extremely bad luck against a boss. You could try to attend class and the like, but most likely, you'll spend a few days at home resting, and making lots of recovery rolls.

I'll have an example post about rolls and results in a day or two, assuming my computer doesn't have a meltdown (it's making funky noises.)
 
Top