Difference between revisions of "Glossary"

Revision as of 03:42, 22 August 2014

This is a guide to unfamiliar terms that are used in Battle Fantasia’s combat system. It can be read all in one go as a moderately detailed but entirely out-of-logical-order-and-in-alphabetical-order guide to the system, but it’s designed to be more of a reference when something confusing appears in another section.

• Abilities - (Almost universally) passive traits that help define a character’s strengths and weaknesses.
• Accept - A reaction used to take the full effects of an attack, usually to accept buffs and Cheers.
• Attack - All non-reactions are technically attacks. Attacks have names, tiers, power levels, types, ranges and flags. Attacks are applied to one or more targets by the attacker, and reacted to by the defender(s). A defender who Accepts or Critically Reacts causes the attack to be unsuccessful. (If an unsuccessful Acceptance seems counterintuitive, it’s simply because the bonuses to successful attacks require a possibility of failure.) Otherwise, successful attacks grant the attacker a successful attack morale gain up to once per round. A defender’s list of incoming attacks that require them to react is called their Reaction Queue, and they must clear the queue by reacting to all such attacks before they, themselves, attack again.
• Attack Points - Attacks are designed by distributing a pool of Attack Points between an Attack’s Power Level and Flags. Finishing Attacks have the largest pool, then Specials, then Frees. Pool size increases with Master Rank.
• Base Mode - The Henshin Form used to represent a character’s ‘untransformed’, relatively powerless state. Usually Henshin Rank E or F. Usagi Tsukino is Sailor Moon’s Base Mode.
• Brace - A reaction used to represent bracing against, rolling with, blocking, parrying, or shielding against an attack. Brace draws from the Vitality stat when used against Physical attacks, and the Spirit stat for Magical attacks.
• Buff - Accelerate, Withstand, Empower and Surge are all Buff Flags; the accepter of an attack with Buff Flags will automatically receive their temporary benefit. You can Buff yourself.
• Character Points - All of a character’s forms are built out of Character Points, which may be spent on Stats, Henshin Abilities, and extra Special and Finisher attack slots. Character Points are initially defined by a character’s Master Rank and gradually increase over time, and reaching a certain number of CPs is one prerequisite for advancing in Master Rank.
• Cheer - A Morale Effect Flag that temporarily increases the amount of Morale a character automatically gains once per round. This amount can be modified by several Abilities. Cheer is resisted by the Composure stat; a low-Composure character is easily Cheered, while a high-Composure character is hard to sway. A character is increasingly difficult to Cheer as their Morale goes below zero. A successful Cheer is dispelled and replaced by a successful Taunt. A character cannot Cheer themselves.
• Combo Attack - An attack performed by multiple attackers simultaneously, but reacted to all at once by the defender(s).
• Composure - The Stat that determines how affected a character is by Morale. Low Composure characters are very susceptible to the advantages and disadvantages of the Morale system; High Composure characters are not. The only Stat not bought with Character Points.
• Counter - A reaction used to represent the defender using an attack to both block an incoming attack, and perhaps burst through it to do damage of their own. See also: Interrupt, Counterattack.
• Counterattack - The attack used by the defender in the counter reaction to represent their counterattack. Without the Barrier flag, only Ranged attacks can be used to counter Ranged attacks, and only Melee attacks can be used to counter Melee attacks. Regardless, only Finishers can counter Finishers.
• Cover - An ally can attempt to Cover a defending ally, which represents desperate efforts to interpose themselves between the incoming attack and their ally. Cover is more likely to succeed against a high Power Level attack or when one’s ally has low Morale. Not a full Reaction on its own; after a Cover succeeds, the Coverer becomes the new defender and has to choose a Reaction to use against the incoming attack.
• Critical Hit - All attacks have a chance to Critically Hit. This chance is modified by Morale (with larger effects for low-Composure characters, and smaller effects for high-Composure characters), as well as a wide variety of Buffs, Debuffs, and Flags. Critical Hits do extra damage, and are harder to successfully defend against with reactions.
• Critical Reaction - All reactions have a chance to Critically Succeed, causing the defender to take no damage (or any accompanying attack effects). When this occurs, an attack is considered unsuccessful, denying the attacker a chance at successful attack morale gain.
• Check - +check is an optional way to resolve a battle, if at any time the players are tired or otherwise ready to stop; it requires consent from all parties. It is especially useful in duels when Finishers have been used on both sides without a definitive winner.
• Debuff - Tangle, Trap, Stagger, Stun, Exhausted, Cripple, Diversion and Blind are all Debuff Flags. On a successful attack, there is a chance that a Debuff will be applied to the defender. Debuffs on Physical attacks are resisted by Vitality; Debuffs on Magical attacks are resisted by Spirit.
• Dodge - A reaction used to represent the defender getting out of the way of an attack. Dodge draws from the Reflex Stat at all times.
• Fatigue - The first of three resource pools, or bars, any one of which causes a character to be unable to continue fighting if it reaches its negative extremity. Fatigue starts at 100 and is depleted towards 0, usually by damage from attacks. It is called Fatigue rather than ‘health’ or ‘hit points’ to represent the fact that Dodge especially and reactions in general are not binary; it’s not so much that you get hit, or not, it’s the amount of your fatigue you expend in order to get out of the way or endure.
• Finishing Attack - Also called Finishers. Finisher is the highest attack Tier; Finishers are built on the largest pool of Attack Points, compared to Special and Finishing attacks, and enjoy a major discount to their mana cost. However, they can only be activated in one of two ways: by surpassing the Finisher’s Morale Threshold, or by surviving someone else’s Finishing Attack.
• Flag - A permanent modifier to the effect of an individual Attack, purchased with Attack Points. Flags can carry Buffs and Debuffs, Morale Effects, penalize certain types of reactions, and represent a variety of other things.
• Free Attacks - Free is the lowest attack Tier; Free Attacks are built on the smallest pool of Attack Points, compared to Special and Finishing Attacks, and have a limited selection of Flags to choose from. Free Attacks can and should be set constantly mid-combat, tailored to the tactical needs of the user.
• Henshin - Both a noun and a verb. A Henshin Form, or Transformation Form, or Mode, represents a character’s current overall state; Henshin Forms each have associated Stats, Henshin Abilities, and Attacks, as well as a Henshin Rank. Usagi Tsukino is a Henshin Form, and so is Sailor Moon. To Henshin or Transform means to change between Henshin Forms. Most characters only transform once a fight, right at the beginning of combat, before any other combat system actions are taken, but you can opt to transform up no more than once per round, before you attack and after all your attacks from the previous round have been reacted to, as well as after you have reacted to all attacks in your Reaction Queue.
• Henshin Abilities - Abilities that are attached to a given Henshin Form, and are only active when a character is transformed into that Henshin Form. Henshin Abilities are bought with Character Points.
• Henshin Rank - Henshin Forms each have an associated Rank, which determines the minimum (and maximum) number of Character Points they can be built on. Normally a Henshin Rank is equal to or lesser than a character’s Master Rank. If a character transforms into a ‘supercharged’ Henshin with a Rank higher than their Master Rank, they incur a significant Mana surcharge every round.
• Interrupt - A Flag that alters an attack’s functionality such that it a) can only be used as a counterattack, and b) is incapable of doing damage or delivering status effects. Interrupt-flagged attacks represent the expenditure of mana to directly reinforce one’s blocking shield, parrying sword, expedited teleport, and the like. (Or, chucking a rose at an attack to interrupt it before it can do anything, which is where the Flag got its name.)
• KO - Knock Out, though rarely literal in Battle Fantasia. When a character has 0 or less Fatigue or Mana, or -100 or less Morale, they can no longer fight.
• Mana - The second of three resource pools, or bars, that render a character unable to keep fighting once it reaches its negative extremity. Mana starts at 100 and is depleted to 0, usually by spending Mana on attacks and counterattacks. There are some Abilities that allow small amounts of Mana to be regained in various ways, and some Flags that allow attacks to target Mana reserves directly.
• Master Rank - The Rank that represents a character’s overall combat potential. Typically their day-to-day Henshin Form (eg, Sailor Moon) is the same Henshin Rank as their Master Rank, while their Base Mode (Usagi Tsukino) is much lower. Occasionally a Henshin Mode has a Henshin Rank higher than their Master Rank (Princess Serenity), but this incurs a mana surcharge and cannot be maintained for very long.
• Master Traits - Abilities that are permanently attached to a character, and are always active, no matter what Henshin Form they have transformed into. These are not bought with Character Points, but are rather drawn from their own pool of Master Trait Points, the size of which is dependent on Master Rank.
• Might - The Stat that determines, along with an attack’s Power Level and Flags, how much damage an attack can do. It is bought by spending a given Henshin Mode’s Character Points.
• Morale - The third of three resource pools, or bars, that render a character unable to keep fighting once it reaches its negative extremity. Morale starts at 0 and ranges between -100 and 100. -100 is a KO. The further Morale is away from 0, the better (or worse) a character’s critical hit chance, as modulated by their Composure stat. Morale increases automatically once per round by 10 points, a number that can be modified in either direction by Cheer or Taunt-flagged attacks. Quip-flagged attacks target an opponent’s morale directly. Morale also increases once per round in which a character performs a successful attack, and this value can be increased by a Psych-flagged attack.
• Morale Effects - Psych, Quip, Cheer and Taunt are all Morale Effect Flags, which can modify attacks to affect a target’s morale, or, in the case of Psych, the attacker’s.
• Morale Threshold - The distance from 0 Morale that a Finishing Attack requires of its user, in order to be activated. They range from 60-90, and increase with a Finisher’s Power Level. For example, a Finisher with a Morale Threshold of 60 requires the user’s Morale to be 60 or greater, or -60 or less.
• Power Level - Also PL. A permanent attribute of every attack. Power Levels determine the base potential damage, and base mana cost, of attacks. They range from 0 (no damage) to 10 (world-shaking, apocalyptic, Series End Boss damage), but the maximum PL of a Free Attack is 3, and Specials cap at 5. Most attacks in a given combat will usually be PL 0-3, except for the Finishers.
• Power of Darkness - An ability that designates a character as so fundamentally tainted by or composed of evil that they are especially susceptible to Banish and Purify-Flagged attacks. In return, such characters are built on extra Character Points and have a wider list of Attack Flags available for use in Free Attacks.
• Psych - A Morale Effect Flag that gives a one-time bonus to an attacker’s Morale, if their attack is successful. The value of this bonus can be modified by Abilities.
• Quip - A Morale Effect Flag that gives a one-time penalty to a defender’s Morale, if the attack is successful. The value of this penalty can be modified by Abilities.
• Range - A permanent attribute of every attack. Attacks can be either be Melee or Ranged, and this primarily determines how they can be Countered. There are Abilities that specialize in the use of, and response to, Melee and/or Ranged attacks.
• Rank - On Battle Fantasia, Rank determines the number of Character Points used to construct a Henshin Form and the number of Attack Points used to construct attacks used by that henshin form. It also very slightly decreases the amount of damage randomization; higher-ranked characters get more consistency in their attacks. F and E are noncombatant ranks; D is the weakest combatant rank, while C is the standard starting rank for powerful magical girls like the player characters. From there, the higher ranks go B, A, and finally S.
• Reaction - Dodge, Brace, Counter and Accept are all Reactions, while Cover gets an honorable mention as a Reaction-related action. A defender must choose a Reaction to each Attack in their Reaction Queue. There are many Abilities that improve specific Reactions, and many Attack Flags that modify a Reaction's effectiveness.
• Reaction Penalty - Consecutive uses of successful reactions incur a stacking Reaction Penalty (eg, Dodge Penalty, Brace Penalty, Counter Penalty), making it generally worthwhile to regularly change up one’s reactions. Using any alternative reaction will decrease all other Reaction Penalties by 1.
• Reaction Queue - Any incoming attacks that a defender must react to before they take their next turn to attack. It is accessed by +queue.
• Reflex - The Stat that determines, along with Abilities and an attack’s Flags, the effectiveness of the Dodge Reaction. It is bought by spending a given Henshin Form’s Character Points.
• Speed - An attribute of an attack that defaults to 0 and ranges between plus or minus 5. A high Speed attack sacrifices a lot of base damage for a high critical chance; a low Speed attack does the opposite.
• Spirit - The Stat that determines, along with Abilities and an attack’s Flags, the effectiveness of the Brace Reaction to Magical-type Attacks. It is also the stat that resists Debuff Flags on Magical-type Attacks. It is bought by spending a given Henshin Mode’s Character Points.
• Stats - Might, Reflex, Spirit, Vitality and Composure are the five Stats that first and foremost determine a character’s strengths and weaknesses in Combat. All but Composure are bought with a Henshin Form’s Character Points. Composure is freely, but permanently, defined.
• Supercharged Henshin Mode - A Henshin Mode with a Henshin Rank higher than a character’s Master Rank. They incur a mana surcharge every round they’re in this mode, the size of which is proportional to the distance between Ranks.
• Survival Finisher - If a Finisher fails to finish off a defender, such that they can still fight, they immediately, and for a single round, have the opportunity to invoke a Survival Finisher against their attacker, as their next attack, without any Morale Threshold requirement. They must still be able to pay for the Finisher with Mana, however. Survival Finishers do not infinitely loop; the initial attacker who triggered the Survival Finisher in the defender would not, in turn, get a second Survival Finisher.
• Taunt - A Morale Effect Flag that temporarily renders the amount of Morale a character automatically gains once per round very negative, rather than positive. This amount can be modified by several Abilities. Taunt is resisted by the Composure stat; a low-Composure character is easily Taunted, while a high-Composure character is hard to sway. A character is increasingly difficult to Taunt as their Morale goes above zero. A successful Taunt is dispelled and replaced by a successful Cheer.
• Tier - A permanent attribute of every attack. An attack’s Tier can be Free, Special, or Finisher, which determines the number of Attack Points they’re built on from least to most respectively. Free attacks can be defined and redefined at any time; Specials and Finishers are permanent. A Henshin Mode starts with 2 Finisher attack slots and 3 Special attack slots, and space for more can be bought with Character Points.
• Type - A permanent attribute of every attack. Attacks can be either be Physical or Magical, and this primarily determines which stat is invoked in a Brace reaction against them, and to resist any attached Debuffs. There are Abilities that specialize in the use of, and response to, Physical and/or Magical attacks.
• Vitality - The Stat that determines, along with Abilities and an attack’s Flags, the effectiveness of the Brace Reaction to Physical-type Attacks. It is also the stat that resists Debuff Flags on Physical-type Attacks. It is bought by spending a given Henshin Form’s Character Points.
• Youma Mode - A temporary Mode, transformed into with '+transform Y', to represent a Non-Player Character such as a youma, or monster-of-the-day. Managed with the Battle Fantasia Youma Repository System, for ease of players running scenes.

For more information, please see: Combat System