Difference between revisions of "Starting Ranks"

Revision as of 20:48, 25 September 2014

It is really helpful to remember that no matter what Master Rank a character starts at, they will have to wait the regular amount of time to increase in Master Rank as though they had begun at the very beginning of Master Rank C. That means a C+ and a C will hit B at the same time, all things being equal, and a starting C+, C, and B will all hit A at the same time. (For specifics, please see: Advancement)

In other words, there is absolutely no long-term advantage to a 'head start'; this is to encourage people to embrace the idea that starting a story from its beginning has a lot more opportunities for character development and growth, than creating an artificially experienced character in order to start with more power in the combat system.

It's also useful to remember that a Rank B is not totally dominant over a Rank C; the actual difference, in combat, between a one-rank differential, is more narrow than one might think. A Rank C can regularly beat a Rank B with either of superior luck or superior tactics. A Rank C needs both, generally, to beat a Rank A.

That being said, protagonists can be approved above C, if they can answer the following two questions in a very compelling way:

1) What part of your concept requires your character to be in a league of power above Sailor Moon, Nanoha Takamachi and Mai Tokiha, without which your concept is unplayable?

2) How does this aspect of your concept bring something special to the game's cast of characters, that it wouldn't if your character started at Master Rank C? (In other words, how does your character's exceptional starting power and experience make Battle Fantasia a better game for everyone?)

It is much easier to convince us to start an OC (or previously unrated FC) at C+ than B. It may help to recognize that only a teeny tiny handful of Feature Character protagonists start at B (and none start at A!), and even they can opt to start at C+ if they prefer. Besides enjoying advancement at a more steady rate, and the RP opportunities that arise from a longer development arc, there are tangible benefits over the long term to starting with fewer points, most notably faster improvement to one's Base Mode. (For more information, please see: Base Modes)

C: Starting magical girl. Highly awesome; this is the rank of Sailor Moon, Nanoha Takamachi, Utena Tenjou and Mai Tokiha. Battle Fantasia isn't Dungeons and Dragons; characters don't start at some pitiful 'level one', they start with moondusting lovebeams, Raising Heart, the Power of Dios, and Kagutsuki. There is no shame or weakness in starting at Rank C; it's just where you start. 180 points. As of 09/26/14, Rank Cs are built on 216 points, per our Advancement Policy's second normalization of the Character Point Minimum.

C+: Magical girl with some experience, but who still fights on a level not blatantly above the Cs. Sailor Venus, Natsuki Kuga, Mikoto Minagi, Miki Kaoru. 200 points. As of 09/26/14, this option has been superceded by the increase of the game's minimum Rank C CP to 216 points; C+ is thus no longer available in Chargen. All magical girls are assumed to be starting with considerable experience; it is now normal for 'experienced' characters to be on the same level as those who started their career an OOC year ago.

B: Magical girl both very experienced and unusually powerful, who are far enough into their career and personally extraordinary enough that they clearly fight in a league above the Cs. Juri Arisugawa, Sailor Neptune, Sailor Uranus, Midori Sugiura, Homura Akemi. Besides fighting at a clearly superior level, everyone on this list is either a 'senpai' sort of character who provides guidance and mentorship to younger/newer characters, or borderline antagonists anyway (all but one are in fact both!). The starting B list is heavily expanded by characters who begin as more clear-cut antagonists, and then change sides after the power of love and friendship has run its course; for more information, please see: Antagonists. 265 points.

Finally, once the average gamewide protagonist Character Point total has surpassed 265 points, characters will be allowed to start at Master Rank B without severely stringent justification, as the game evolves to tell a different kind of story about magical girls further into their careers. (For more information on why that will happen eventually, please see: Advancement)

For more information, please see: Ranks