Battle Fantasia MUSH - User contributions [en]

Main Page

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'''Welcome to the Battle Fantasia MUSH wiki!'''

Battle Fantasia is now open for applications. Please join us at pinksugarheartattack.net port 2873!

* [[Theme]] - The in-character setting of Battle Fantasia.
* [[Rules]] - The out-of-character guidelines for play on Battle Fantasia.
* [[Combat System]] - The complete guide to Battle Fantasia's optional combat system.
* [[Tutorials]] - How to [[MUSH Survival Guide: About MUSHing|connect to]] and [[MUSH Survival Guide: MUSH Basics|interact with]] our game, as well as other guides.
* [[Characters]] - Character pages, created by their players.
* [[Miscellaneous]] - Gameplay [[Logs|logs]], [[Cutscenes|cutscenes]], [[Acknowledgments|acknowledgments]], and other goodies.
* [[Site Map]] - The Battle Fantasia wiki, all in one place.

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Acknowledgments

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[[Main_Page|Battle Fantasia]] underwent a very long development cycle. It would not exist today if not for many tirelessly enthusiastic and supportive people. We would like to extend our special thanks to:

* Nodaitsu and Nabikasu, who passed the torch
* Valzacard of [http://wiki.srtmush.com/Main_Page Super Robot Taisen MUSH], for consultation
* Belladonna of [http://www.mysterymeep.net/mw/index.php?title=Main_Page Persona MUSH], for consultation and donation/importation of generic code platforms, many written or rewritten by her (+requests, +who, +where, +orgs, +casts, +pot, +help, room parent code, and more).
* Alice and Trish, also of PMUSH, for the generous donation of their [[MUSH Survival Guide]], [[Wiki Etiquette]] and [[Wikipage Tutorial]] pages
* Myrddin, author of the widely used [http://www.firstmagic.com/~merlin/mushcode/ bulletin board and timer MUSH codes]
* Our crack team of combat system beta testers
* Our dedicated and thoughtful community of LiveJournal friends, who followed and lent their voices to our (no longer updated) [http://bf-muck.livejournal.com/ development blog] over multiple years!

Back to [[Miscellaneous]].

[[Category:Miscellaneous]]

Staff

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The staff name theme is Magical Girl Weapons! You may discover from some of our choices that we are not wildly serious people.

'''Here's what our staff positions mean, in terms of who to contact for what:'''

* '''Plotstaff''': These staffers focus on generating their own plots, and approving and enabling other people. They should be your best choice for plot-related matters.
* '''Charstaff''': These staffers focus on the character generation process; both coming up with ideas to help a concept work, and warning people what may be unworkable.
* '''Themestaff''': These staffers focus on generating theme and helping with theme integration.
* '''Gridstaff''': These staffers focus on the creation and maintenance of the grid, both in and out of character.
* '''Coderstaff''': These staffers focus on the creation of maintenance of code, as well as the combat system.
* '''Director''': This staffer does everything as necessary.

'''And here are a couple of quick suggestions for how to have quick and easy interactions with the staff:'''

* '''There are a lot of you and only a few of us.''' Please be patient if we ask you to wait your turn; please be patient if we forget to get back to you simply because we have a twenty-person queue. Just remind us nicely; this is our advance apology.
* '''Often, good ideas are complex ideas, and they require discussion between staffers to rule on.''' Don't take a delay on an answer -- possibly the warning of a significant delay -- as a sign that we hate your idea. Take it as a good sign; really unworkable ideas are generally easier to answer (with rejection) than workable ones that require some thought and tender loving care.
* '''The wiki''' is very, very large (as are our extensive +helpfiles, but we recommend the wiki for your convenience, the two are kept identical whenever possible). It can be intimidating to read through, but it also means that there is a tremendous amount of information stored within. Happily, there's a '''search function at the top''', and we recommend trying to find answers to many questions that way.

'''And without further ado, the people behind the curtain:'''

* '''Pink Moon Stick''' (Source: Sailor Chibi-Moon of Bishoujo Senshi Sailor Moon) is our director and coder.
* '''Raising Heart''' (Source: Nanoha Takamachi of Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha) is Gridstaff/Themestaff.
* '''Cowstian Dior''' (Source: Anthy Himemiya of Revolutionary Girl Utena) is Charstaff.
* '''Rebound Ball''' (Source: Kaitou Jeanne of Kamikaze Kaitou Jeanne) is Charstaff.
* '''Glittering Crux Masque''' (Source: Glittering Crux Brigade members of Star Driver) is Plotstaff.

Nice to meet you, everyone!

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[[Category:Miscellaneous]]

Magical Girl Generators

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Sometimes, whether you have an idea or not in mind for your original character or need an outfit for your feature character, it`s sometimes hard to picture it. To that end, here`s various generators to help you along! Make sure to credit the creator if you use their work as your picture!

Please add if you know of more! If there`s a better link that properly credits the original maker, please update as well!

===General===

* [http://www.tektek.org/dream/ Gaia Dream Avatar by Tektek.org] - A wide range of customization here, for male and female characterss!
* [http://www.dolldivine.com/chibi-maker.php Chibi Maker by gen8] - Another chibi style maker for female and male characters.
* [http://www.dolldivine.com/costume-creator-ix.php Costume Creator IX by Ammotu] - A nice darker themed male customer generator.

===School & Casual Outfits===

* [http://hapuriainen.deviantart.com/art/School-Girl-Dress-up-v2-254916324 School Girl Dress up v2 by Hapuriainen] - A very nice generator for female outfits for school and casual days off!

===Henshin & Transformation Forms===

* [http://www.dolldivine.com/sailor-senshi-maker.php Sailor Senshi Maker by Drachea Rannak] - Seems simple at first, but there`s a lot of options the deeper you go in.
* [http://www.dolldivine.com/anime-sorceress.php Anime Sorceress by Rinmaru Games] - A little limited, but neat nonetheless.
* [http://www.dolldivine.com/fantasy-look.php Design Your Fantasy Look by Didi Games] - A fantasy-themed costume generator for females.

===Text Generators===

* [http://www.seventhsanctum.com/generate.php?Genname=animepower Anime Power Generator by Seventh Sanctum] - Great for thinking up names for attacks and powers!
* [http://tinyurl.com/BFAttack Battle Fantasia Free Attack Generator] - One of our players, [[Kinzo Hiroyuki]], made a tool for creating [[Free Attacks|Free Attack]] commands in Battle Fantasia. Since it also includes a randomized attack ''name'' generator, you can use it for inspiration as well.

===Just For, uh, Fun?===

* [http://www.zoisite.darkkingdom.ru/doll/ Zoisite's Wardrobe Game by kir-tat] - Now you, too, can dress up Zoisite.

Back to [[Miscellaneous]].

[[Category:Miscellaneous]]

Artist's Alley

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Battle Fantasia enjoys quite a few roleplayers who are also talented artists. This is where we showcase the local talents in our community! Please visit their galleries and enjoy their stupendousness.

{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Player !! Gallery Link
|-
| [[Azyana Konstantinov|Azyana]] || [http://Jnrajh.tumblr.com Potato-Cat! Gallery]
|-
| [[Mamoru Chiba|Mamoru]] || [http://speedforcesatori.deviantart.com Gallery]
|-
| [[Zoisite]] || [http://lustrare.deviantart.com/ Gallery]
|}

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[[Category:Miscellaneous]]

Miscellaneous

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* [[Logs]] - The on-camera action of Battle Fantasia!
* [[Cutscenes]] - The off-camera action of Battle Fantasia!
* [[Artist's Alley]] - Artists of the Battle Fantasia community!
* [[Magical Girl Generators]] - Links to image creators, attack name generators, and other fun toys, gathered by our own [[User:Tanyuu|Akemi Tsukiyama]]!
* [[Staff]] - The people behind the curtain.
* [[Acknowledgments]] - Our eternal gratitude to the lights of hope in ''our'' galaxy.

[[Category:Miscellaneous]]

Wikipage Tutorial

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<div style="float:right; width: 20%;">
__TOC__
</div>
<div style="float: left; width: 75%;">
This page will cover the basics of creating a wikipage.

==Account Creation==

Account creation has been turned off for this wiki. To create an account, please send an email to battlefantasiastaff@gmail.com with your preferred username. You will receive your password; once you log in, be certain to change your password and set your email.

==Page Creation==

There are two ways to create a wikipage. First, you can take the basic link of '''<nowiki>http://bf.digitallyinked.com/</nowiki>''' and toss in your page's name at the end after the equal sign (remember to capitalize both names if it's a character page, or if the page has more than one word as the title). You'll get back a notice that this page doesn't exist; click on 'edit this page' to start your page. You can also click on the 'Create' tab. Alternately, you can enter the title of your page into the search engine and click the red link that comes up.

==Using Templates==

We have a variety of [[Wiki Templates]] for use on character pages. In most cases, simply copying and pasting the raw template code should be sufficient. If you are having difficulties with any template, please contact a wiki administrator for assistance.

==How Do I...==

===Rename a Page?===

At the top of every page is a tab with an arrow pointing down (like a 'v'). Click on that, and you'll see a list of options, among them one called 'Move'. Click on that, and you'll be taken to a page where you will have the option to rename the page. The old page will automatically redirect to the new page.

===Change My Username?===

Usernames may be changed, but only by admin. Contact an admin on the MUSH or send a +request and state both your current username and the name you would like to change it to.

===Create a Redirect?===

A redirect means you create a page that you want to make redirect to your other page. For example, let's say you're the player of [[Dona Kimura]] and you'd like to make a redirect to your page from [[Daiya Kagami]]. What you do is create the Daiya Kagami page, and insert: '''<nowiki>#REDIRECT [[pagename]]</nowiki>'''.

Pagename in this case would be Dona Kimura. Save the page, and you're done.

===Create a Table?===

To create a table, use and modify the following code (please put '''<nowiki>{|</nowiki>''' before this code):

border="1" cellpadding="5" cellspacing="0"
|-
|<nowiki>'''Column A'''</nowiki>
|<nowiki>'''Column B'''</nowiki>
|-
| Row 1, Cell 1
| Row 1, Cell 2
|-
| Row 2, Cell 1
| Row 2, Cell 2
|}

Which looks like this:

{|border="1" cellpadding="5" cellspacing="0"
|-
|'''Column A'''
|'''Column B'''
|-
| Row 1, Cell 1
| Row 1, Cell 2
|-
| Row 2, Cell 1
| Row 2, Cell 2
|}
 
Each row is broken up by '''<nowiki>|-</nowiki>''', and you can insert as many rows as you like. Similarly, to make new columns, simply add, for example, '''<nowiki>|'''Column C'''</nowiki>''' right under '''<nowiki>|'''Column B'''</nowiki>'''. Remember to make the row contents match the number of columns. Thus, to continue the above example, you would add '''<nowiki>| Row 1, Cell 3</nowiki>''' and '''<nowiki>| Row 2, Cell 3</nowiki>''' to the code.

===Create Collapsing Tables?===

Use the following code for a collapsing table:

class="mw-collapsible wikitable" style="border:0px solid #000000;background: #ffffff;vertical-align: top;"
!style="text-align: left;background: #hhhhhh; width:1000pt"|''I Am A Collapsing Table''
|-
|
I am table contents.
|}

Remember to put '''<nowiki>{|</nowiki>''' right before '''<nowiki>class="mw-collapsible wikitable"</nowiki>'''.

It will look like so:
{| class="mw-collapsible wikitable" style="border:0px solid #ffffff;background: #ffffff;vertical-align: top;"
!style="text-align: left;background: #hhhhhh; width:1000pt"|''I Am A Collapsing Table''
|-
|
I am table contents.
|}

For a precollapsed table, replace: '''<nowiki>class="mw-collapsible wikitable"</nowiki>''' with: '''<nowiki>class="mw-collapsible mw-collapsed wikitable"</nowiki>'''. Remember to put '''<nowiki>{|</nowiki>''' right before '''<nowiki>class="mw-collapsible mw-collapsed wikitable"</nowiki>'''.

A collapsed table looks like:
{| class="mw-collapsible mw-collapsed wikitable" style="border:0px solid #ffffff;background: #ffffff;vertical-align: top;"
!style="text-align: left;background: #hhhhhh; width:1000pt"|''I Am A Collapsing Table''
|-
|
I am table contents.
|}

===Delete a Page?===

Unfortunately, page deletion can only be handled by wiki admin! If you can't contact an administrator directly, blank your page and add a summary along the lines of 'please delete, no longer needed'. We may contact you to confirm the deletion in some cases.

===Remotely Link Images?===

You are able to remotely link images from other websites on your pages. Syntax is, as cribbed from Mediawiki:

*'''<nowiki><img>http://some.site.com/with/an/image.png</img></nowiki>''' for just the image as-is. Warning, this will not adjust the image's dimensions.
*'''<nowiki><img size=420x840>http://some.site.com/with/an/image.png</img></nowiki>''' to constrain the image's dimensions; adjust proportions as needed for your image.

[http://www.mediawiki.org/wiki/Extension:EmbedImg Mediawiki has additional details]. As stated in [[Wiki Etiquette]], please be mindful of other people's bandwidth when doing this.

Special thanks to Alice and Trish of [http://www.mysterymeep.net/mw/index.php?title=Main_Page Persona MUSH] for this guide!

'''MediaWiki has been successfully installed.'''

Consult the [//meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Help:Contents User's Guide] for information on using the wiki software.

== Getting started ==
* [//www.mediawiki.org/wiki/Manual:Configuration_settings Configuration settings list]
* [//www.mediawiki.org/wiki/Manual:FAQ MediaWiki FAQ]
* [https://lists.wikimedia.org/mailman/listinfo/mediawiki-announce MediaWiki release mailing list]
* [//www.mediawiki.org/wiki/Localisation#Translation_resources Localise MediaWiki for your language]

</div>

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Wiki Templates

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[[Character Page Template]] - Thanks to Erythrite!

[[Another Character Page Template]] - Thanks to Hisae Musumi!

[[Logs and Cutscenes Template]] - Thanks to Mamoru Chiba!

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[[Category:Miscellaneous]]

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The Care and Keeping of Antagonists

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''"First things first. This is the absolute core truth of telling a story, and is as important to your writing as the laws of physics are to the real universe:
 ''Stories are about conflict.
 ''One more time, because something this important bears repeating.
 ''STORIES ARE ABOUT CONFLICT!
 ''If I wasn't in ASCII, I'd say it three times, the last time in giant animated 3-D letters that were on fire. That's just how important it is. Alas, I'll just have to settle for saying it twice."
 ''--Jim Butcher''

Every story is about conflict; a hero can only be as heroic as the challenges they overcome. And antagonists are the only important, exciting, meaningful challenges: "girl vs. nature" is a strictly second-class citizen, narratively speaking, since while you could put Sailor Moon up against a forest fire, having Sailor Moon confront Zoisite ''while a forest fire rages around them'' is a way better scene in every way.

Antagonists are thus incredibly important to every protagonist's story and the game as a whole. They aren't just black-moustached villainesses; an antagonist can be a misunderstood or ruthless hero, a friendly (or unfriendly) rival, or even an authority figure! If a character is directly opposing your goals, for the duration of that scene, they are your antagonist. Without them, there is no conflict. Without conflict, there is no story. Without story, there is no game.

'''Treat your antagonists well.'''

Let's say that twice, too, because it's the corollary to the above quote and, in a writing setting that is collaborative between multiple creative people, deserves even more giant, fiery (or sparkly) letters. And, because ''we'' aren't stuck in ASCII like Jim:

[[File:Wordstoliveby.gif|700px]]

It's in everyone's best interest, but especially yours. Antagonist players are generally sacrificing their valuable time and energy to help you enjoy your heroic magical girl fantasies; they deserve your respect and appreciation. If treated poorly, they are likely to go oppose another, more pleasant protagonist player, instead; there are always way more protagonists than antagonists, and you need them more than they need you. Even if your opponent is another protagonist on the grand scale, no matter what, the more you give narrative weight to their threat and opposition in your writing, the more impressive your own character becomes. If you lose, you lost to a huge badass. If you win, you overcame a huge challenge. "If everyone works hard to make everyone else feel awesome, then we'll all be awesome together" is generally a good mantra to live by.

This guide exists to discuss and describe good and bad oppositional etiquette; in other words, ''how'' to treat your antagonists well. If you read it and find that you have some habits that you never realized might be problematic, think about them. Learn. Improve! We're all here to have fun together, and the best way to make up for some stinker moments is to give your friends and co-authors some shining ones.

==Selling and No-Selling==

''"I learned if you make your opponent look better, it makes you look better."
 ''--Chris Jericho

Selling is about making your opponent look strong -- and more importantly, look strong in the ways that ''they'' want to look strong. This most clearly comes up in combat, but there are tons of non-combat powers and resources someone can have and want to look strong as well.

There's also the idea of selling the emotional, mental, or social impact of an event or thematic concern. Here, what's meant is to avoid undermining the gravitas of a situation by deciding that it's not affecting your character.

When you sell your opponent, you look better, win or lose. It can be a little difficult to process that getting hurt actually makes you look stronger in turn, but consider: if your opponent looks strong, how strong do you look for being able to contend with them? How strong do you look when you eventually defeat them? Making an opponent look good, win or lose, affects your own credibility positively, ''and'' affects the credibility of everyone ''they'' go on to fight.

Conversely, no-selling isn't necessarily about making your opponent look weak in general; there are tons of ways to sabotage your opponent's credibility as a threat, though this is admittedly one of the most common. Emotional and social concerns can do just as great of a job of ruining an opponent's credibility as simply posing not being damaged. Hurting the emotional resonance of a scene can do just as much to sabotage the overall effect, even if you're still taking your lumps.

===Physical Sell===

This is the most direct type of selling, and the type you're probably most apt to think of when you think about selling -- someone does something tangible to you, directly, and it's up to you to choose how to make it affect you. '''The goal you should be aiming for is 'verisimilitude' '''-- you want to make it feel as though a person could really have the reaction you're having, given the conceits of your character and the setting. If you're in a joint lock, you're probably screaming in pain. If you're getting tangled up in ribbons and vines, it's probably really infuriating to hack through and messing with your movements.

As with most types of selling, '''this is about making your opponent look strong for doing the things they are strong at, and making you look strong for handling it.''' In a typical fight where both sides are playing to their strengths and are reasonably powerful, this means that every action matters. If things aren't hurting, they're exhausting; if they're not exhausting, they're at the very least difficult to deal with. When someone is coming at you with everything they've got, '''nothing is trivial'''... for the most part.

There are, indeed, exceptions. "Making things that should look strong look strong" does also mean that sometimes -- especially for antagonists, and doubly especially for high-powered antagonists -- '''some things are just not going to hurt'''. A noodle-armed punch aimed at Kunzite or Ilkubo is probably going to be met with standing there and looking unimpressed -- and that's okay in those circumstances! That, too, is part of selling -- you make the things that should look strong look strong, and the things that shouldn't... not. '''That's not a license for you to no-sell everything if you're a high-powered antagonist, though'''; no matter who you are, things that should look strong should still look strong, or at the very least, not weak.

On the other hand, '''"what should look strong" is not exclusively a case of a damage number''', especially in a system like Battle Fantasia's where success and failure with maneuvers is on a gradient. This particularly applies to perfect reactions against heavy attacks and Finishers; perfectly dodging or bracing is an opportunity to make yourself look strong or fast, rather than making your opponent look weak or slow. Show the struggle. Let people see how close it came. If you're going to blade-grasp the Sword of Dios, let everyone see you shake and slide back as you grind its momentum to a halt; if you're ducking Starlight Breaker, let everyone see you sweat and sigh in relief as it blows past. Just because you did something cool doesn't mean you weren't threatened.

'''For Example:''' Sailor Jupiter glares at the Zakenna as it opens its mouth and shoots that energy beam at her. She cartwheels out of the way, then concentrates her power: "SUPREME THUNDER!" A gigantic lightning bolt rages down from the sky, straight for the monster.

This gives no sell to the threat of the Zakenna's energy beam, other than to acknowledge getting out of the way; often people 'effortlessly' cartwheel out of the way of such attacks, which is even worse! It also gives her attack a lot more threatening adjectives than the monster's.

'''Try Instead:''' Sailor Jupiter gapes at the Zakenna as it opens its mouth and shoots that enormous energy beam at her. She can feel all of her muscles burning as she frantically cartwheels out of the way, and feels the heat of the blast singe the tip of her ponytail as it goes by. Wiping sweat off her brow, she concentrates her power, knowing that she has to end it now before it ends her instead: "SUPREME THUNDER!" A gigantic lightning bolt rages down from the sky, straight for the monster, dwarfed by its bulk but not its intensity.

This gives lots of acknowledgement to the Zakenna's energy beam as a threat. It also notes her own attack is so tiny, compared to the monster's huge size -- which both sells the monster, and makes it all the more impressive if she takes it out.

===Emotional Sell===

This is a complex and wide-ranging topic. Let's start with the most common issue (because of who we are, as gamers, and where we often come from):

Be really wary of Spider-Man/Joss Whedon-esque "witty banter." While it has become omnipresent in Western pop culture, it is very rare in mahou shoujo, and ''totally incapable'' of improving the emotional resonance of a scene. '''Trash talking the bad guys is, by definition, a no-sell of their threat''' -- your character is saying whatever they want without fear, and the ''without fear'' is the problem here. The more acceptable mahou shoujo substitute is ''outraged lecturing'', which happens a lot. It's okay to be really mad at your opponent; that ''sells'' their threat emotionally, because it means they've upset you, which is often an objective of theirs or at least a pleasant side benefit. (Also, anger doesn't preclude or contradict fear the way that banter does.)

''"But what if my character is bantering in order to hide the fact that she's afraid, from others and from herself?"'' If you absolutely cannot be convinced to swap to righteous indignation, then first of all, try to dial it back about five steps from the Avengers, and then remember: '''if you're going to outwardly no-sell your opponent, the only way to offset this is to inwardly sell the hell out of them.''' Pose your issues. And definitely, definitely be afraid, be very afraid.

'''Fear is important for everyone, regardless.''' As the old adage goes, ''you can't be brave if you aren't afraid''. Some characters are a lot more experienced than others; some are a lot more stoic than others; no matter who you are, if you're a protagonist, you need to give your antagonist some way to be threatening your emotions. If you'd rather play down the fear, you could simply be hiding it outwardly (but still posing it inwardly). You could be afraid of a possible outcome of the scene: afraid that things will go wrong, and that the antagonist will accomplish their objective, which terrifies you, and is probably why you're here in the first place. Afraid of your own failure. One way or another, you need to be struggling with your emotions, and the balance between hope and despair is the iconic emotional pivot for mahou shoujo, so you might as well get down to brass tacks and dive in. Being at the bare minimum ''very concerned'' about the actions of your antagonist is part of the foundations of the scene, its struggle, its tension, and ultimately its quality.

There are also considerations of overall scene tone. The game incorporates a really wide variety of source material, which ranges from goofy and lighthearted to extremely depressing. '''You should do your best to respect the tone of the theme whose scene you're in, as defined by the antagonist and any of the antagonist's protagonist cast.''' Try to take your cues from them a little -- that isn't to say you should play your character as a weird mirror of everyone around you, but undermining a scene's tone is dirty pool, and nobody likes it. If the game is trying to have a silly event and you're a serious character, try to play the straight man without narratively dismissing the humor as stupid. Others will appreciate having someone to play off of. If the game is trying to have a dark event and you're a light-hearted character, it's pretty likely there's something going on in the scene that your character would react to very strongly in a negative way, so it's time to play with being horrified, shocked, and out of your depth. Others will appreciate having someone to reach out to and support.

Finally and most importantly, let's talk about positive emotions! Mahou shoujo is all about the powers of hope and love emerging victorious over that of despair and hatred. In general storycrafting terms, though, the best way to handle them is using the concept of ''catharsis''.

Thanks, [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Catharsis Wikipedia]: '''Catharsis''' (from the Greek κάθαρσις ''katharsis'' meaning "purification" or "cleansing") is the purification and purgation of emotions—especially pity and fear—through art or any extreme change in emotion that results in renewal and restoration.

'''Often the ones who experience catharsis in the grand finale of a mahou shoujo story are the antagonists.''' Some of the most powerful moments in the entire genre come when a magical girl extends her hand in friendship and compassion, when all hope has already been lost, and the world is already over, and convinces the antagonist that maybe it's okay to be exactly who they are, ''and'' restore the entire population of Earth from having been turned into stone statues. That hope is never truly lost; that anyone can find connection, happiness, and cake.

This is the good stuff. However, it is also ''big payoff'' -- on a MUSH, it probably took at least a year to get to this point, a year of relationship development, emotional nuance, and character growth on both sides. And one of the worst crimes to commit against an antagonist, that can undermine a scene completely, as well as their threat, is to try to force them into it too quickly.

'''For example:''' Cardcaptor Sakura looks sadly at Cobraja. "I think what you need is a really big hug! Don't worry, everything is going to be okay." She runs in to hold the Desert Apostle in her tender embrace, trying to pat his back.

This pose is a ''disaster''. It's simultaneously no-selling:
* ''The antagonist's physical threat.'' Reasonably, such an attempt would leave a magical girl open to immediate and in many cases fatal retaliation; she shouldn't be taking his ability to hurt her so lightly.
* ''The antagonist's emotional threat.'' Cobraja is scary! His actions may make a magical girl feel bad, or sad, but fearlessly running up to hug him completely undermines any sense of tension or struggle in the scene. It's also using a sledgehammer to destroy any emotional arc the antagonist might be trying to do for themselves. He'll come around on his own player's terms and no one else's, and that's exactly as it should be.
* ''The other protagonists' moral sell.'' So, what, everyone else who is fighting Cobraja is just a big meanie who doesn't truly hold the light of hope in their hearts? While there's absolutely a gradient of protagonist ruthlessness on the game (which can create all manner of fantastic roleplay in its simple juxtaposition), this has cranked the dial to an impossible 11 that nobody else can match.
* ''The overall tone of the scene.'' Any emotional resonance in the scene has just been destroyed, unless this is specifically a scene where the antagonist invited hugs.
* ''Hugs.'' Would that this were a joke. Spam-hugging, and other over the top ridiculous parodies of the love and hope that mahou shoujo invoke, makes the real thing less potent when it actually comes out.

'''Try instead:''' Cardcaptor Sakura looks sadly at Cobraja. "You seem so angry, and so sad... you shouldn't give up on us, or on yourself!" She punctuates these words with an invocation of THE BUBBLES, trying to limit his ability to hurt those near him with interposition of fluffy suds. Those energy cards of his terrify her.

This pose is communicating the same positive emotions of the protagonist to the antagonist without no-selling anything:
* ''It is taking the antagonist's physical threat seriously, and the emotional, as well'', since she's acknowledging her fears of his hurting someone by trying to prevent it.
* ''It is respecting the sell of the other protagonists by including a combat action'': standing down completely while yelling at your antagonists still runs the risk of undermining them, and should be reserved for big moments -- the impact of the pacifistic choice to not engage physically is ruined with overuse.
* ''It allows the antagonist to do whatever they want with it''; some antagonists might be good enough people that they'd hesitate to throw a hugger around, but anyone can blow off Sakura's attempts to sway them -- or internalize them as one of many catalysis towards slow and dramatic change that will be paid off down the road.
* ''It allows other emotional beats to coexist in the scene.'' Sakura is still experiencing, and expressing, powerful positive emotion, acting as an embodiment of hope and love, but in a much less absurd way that doesn't blow everything else out of the water.

'''Protagonists have catharsis too.''' Overcoming your own fears (and other emotional issues) is a great opportunity to sell your allies, without whom, you presumably would not have been able to make such a breakthrough. Just make sure that those breakthroughs don't come at the expense of your antagonist's threat -- saying "You have no power over me" to Prince Jareth is all well and good (at the end of the movie!), but in most scenes that means that now the balance has shifted to the dramatic climax of the confrontation, and if you're about to win, make sure to sell your antagonist straight to the end, with physical struggle backing up your emotional triumph.

===Resource Sell===

Any resource that an opponent feels is important to them and the threat of their character is worth selling. If you're butting heads with Kanako Watanabe, multi-bazillionaire, it's likely that she's throwing her obscene wealth in your face -- being ''wholly'' unaffected by it is neutralizing her threat, whereas if you ''must'' seem unaffected, posing seeming outwardly unaffected by it, but inwardly having to suppress a little voice being like "OMFG GOLD," is much better for everyone.

One incredibly iconic and important resource in our setting is academic threat; there are a few characters out there whose whole identity, or at least central identity, is dominated by being not just good at school but absurdly good at school, invested in it to an extreme of time and passion. Unless you're one of these characters, you really shouldn't even be rivaling them in any of their important subjects -- they're a force of nature and earn their lofty positions with considerable social drawbacks, being too busy to participate in a lot of the fun of daily life. This also applies to iconic musicians, athletes, and so on. Their players care about their characters being nigh-unmatched within their iconic specialties; work to sell them, and they will in turn work to sell you in yours.

===Selling and No-Selling Events===

This one's easy: don't be the IC asshole in the back of the crowd cracking wise, being totally stoic, or otherwise unaffected, while everyone else is, correctly, freaking out because the world is coming to an end. (That example is not always hyperbolic, but obviously, lesser plot-important events deserve your respect and consideration as well.) Doing so no-sells the impact of the event and the emotional credibility of everyone around you. If your character has snarky or stoic traits, now isn't the time to play them to the hilt, and to the extent that you do, make ''very'' sure that your poses include a window into their soul, beyond the front they're putting up, to show how they truly feel (which should be deeply, everyone should have strong feelings about conflicts, especially in mahou shoujo).

===Selling and No-Selling Casts===

'''All of our advice about selling your opponents applies triply to enemies from another cast.''' In the end, if you routinely no-sell your own cast's antagonist, the main person you're hurting is yourself, since this is your destined opponent whose credibility you're destroying, and thus your own payoff for dramatically overcoming their threat. ''If you do it to another cast's villain, you're not only hurting yourself and the villain, but you're also damaging the credibility of every protagonist in that cast.''

===Selling and No-Selling Your Allies===

While it should never be done at the expense of selling your opponents, it's always nice to sell your allies. Care about what they're doing, and make sure that your character has a reason to show it (or, if they have a reason to hide it, explore the necessity of them having to because of other peoples' actions affecting their true feelings in some way). Be impressed, embarrassed, amazed, awed or even afraid. ''Don't'' pose yourself as the big gun of the protagonists in the room -- instead, make all of your allies ''feel'' like the big gun with your poses. If they do the same, imagine how epic things will become.

==Powerposing==

It's incredibly easy to accidentally powerpose other people in your scene -- which is to say, to dictate an objective fact about their character in your own pose. The most common way is simply to casually state something as true in the middle of your prose (eg, outside of the dialogue), without making it absolutely clear that it's your character's opinion rather than, necessarily, reality.

'''For example:''' "I hate you!" screams Sailor Mars, as she sees Sailor Venus crash to the ground, dazed. She feels the fury pour through her -- she loathes every inch of Zoisite's smug, presumptuous, creepy, obnoxious body.

Obviously this is untrue, or even if it is true, it is not your place to pose -- it's up to your antagonist how they want to describe themselves in the greater context of the universe. Fortunately, it's also incredibly easy to fix!

'''Try instead:''' "I hate you!" screams Sailor Mars, as she sees Sailor Venus crash to the ground, dazed. She feels the fury pour through her -- she loathes every inch of Zoisite; to her he is smug, presumptuous, creepy, and obnoxious, and what's worse, his legs are nicer than hers.

This is much improved by simply clarifying the statement as the opinion, rather than the fact, that it is -- and it's always nice to throw in a compliment, too, while your character is internally insulting their antagonist. Whether they admire an antagonist's looks, strength, or choice of ice cream, it never hurts to show a little respect.

==Winning and Losing (or: you've gotta lose, to win)==

'''Losing is good for you: winning all the time isn't merely boring -- it undermines the threat of your opponents and thus your own credibility as a hero.''' Without overcoming loss, victory has no narrative weight. Losing also creates great follow-up roleplay; merely going to Kaoru-chan's stand for afterparty donuts is way less compelling a scene hook when compared to now having a burning desire to revenge yourself in the ''next'' conflict, or having to deal with the fallout of failing to protect whatever was at stake, or even simply having to recover from your physical and, more importantly, emotional wounds. Winning eventually after losing a lot has much more payoff to it and will ultimately be a lot more satisfying to everyone involved.

Thus protagonist players should want their characters to lose every so often, and lose definitively. It never hurts to mention to your antagonist that you particularly ''want'' to lose a fight (as they will often be assuming that you don't, and aiming for their own credible loss). Conversely, once in a while an antagonist player may decide that it's better for the arc of the story for them to win this one -- you may want to respect that, as well!

==The Combat System==

Note that in the combat system especially, antagonists often aren't fighting to win; rather they are trying to arrange to lose as awesomely for everyone as possible. It is thus incumbent on you to make sure that 'everyone' includes them.

Also note that how combat system outcomes play out in the dice reflects nothing about you as a person; gloating and whining about it, however, does. Neither is classy -- gloating is simply rude, and whining makes the antagonist players feel bad, when they've been working hard to entertain you. If you must celebrate or bemoan your dice, we suggest you do it via page with someone else who you know enjoys that shared experience.

Additionally, there's a number of csys-related good practices you can partake in, in order to help everyone tell a better story and have more fun doing it:

* '''Posing your character's reactions is the single best place to sell your opponent, so no matter the reaction and the outcome, don't waste the opportunity.''' In a system with non-binary reactions, it's especially important to be mindful of selling your opponent's threat (as well as your own tension within the scene) when you successfully react to an attack, whether narrowly or perfectly. Make it close; make it desperate. Remember that our 'hit points' are Fatigue for a reason -- even continuously successfully defending yourself over the course of the fight, you are expending Fatigue and becoming exhausted. If your character manages to perfectly react, negating all damage, don't make them dismissive: make them ''relieved''. Show that they feel like they probably couldn't do it twice.
* '''Since Morale is a component of the csys, be sure to sell both sides of it.''' If you get Quipped or Taunted, sell it! There are lots of ways to do this without totally freaking out (if that isn't something your character would do) -- hesitate a little in your resolve, start questioning yourself or what your character thought was true. And if you get Cheered, whoever Cheered you probably really wants to see you sell their character's ability to make you feel good, too, so make sure to show how your character was affected.
* '''Being at high Morale is not an invitation for your character to be unafraid, unaffected, perfectly confident or effortlessly competent.''' A scene's tone varies from character and character and theme to theme, but there should always be tension in a combat scene, always struggle. There are lots of ways to express a character's heart filling with love and hope rather than despair, but none of them should ever come at the expense of the threat of your opponent.
* '''If you get nailed with a status effect, that's a great opportunity for some sell.''' Got Trapped? Pose your character having to fight while being relatively restricted in their movement, ''and'' their frustration with that limitation. It's not just that they've been screwed, it's that they care about having been screwed. That's where the real sell lies.
* This mostly applies to big scenes: whether a Survival Finisher or no, '''don't ever use a Finisher (or other really big attack) on someone who you haven't been interacting with in a fight up until that point.''' Don't even ask someone you haven't been fighting for permission, if for example you have some Area targets to burn but haven't been fighting enough people to justify it; people being nice, they'll probably say yes to please you, but there is no lamer story in the world than a Finisher coming out of literally nowhere to take a character out of a fight.
* '''If you're going to use your Survival Finisher on anyone but the person whose Finisher you survived''', first reconsider, and then if you're really still convinced that it's a good, fun idea, '''ask for volunteers rather than specific targets'''. That way there's no pressure on any specific person to say yes, and if nobody volunteers, you can just go with the flow.

==OOC commentary and behavior==

We've touched on examples of good OOC commentary and behavior throughout the guide -- indeed, ultimately all of these writing techniques and storycrafting strategies are the choices of the player, not the character. Really, all of it applies to everyone: be honest, be kind, help everyone else be awesome, and be awesome yourself. Don't be a dick. ''Make sure'' to keep open lines of communication between yourself and your opponent, so that everyone's expectations and desires can be known and satisfied. However, if you have a finite amount of energy to expend on being excellent to each other, put your antagonist players at the top of the list. '''Antagonism can be a really unrewarding job; don't let it be for them.'''

'''And don't forget to be patient with them'''; with far more protagonists than antagonists in most scenes, antagonist players have their hands more than full taking care of everyone's experience. If they fail to acknowledge you sufficiently in their pose, they may have missed the important beat in yours, or they may be choosing to prioritize someone else in the action for a while. If a problem becomes a repeated issue, the time to discuss it with them is not while they're running a scene, or immediately after (when they're probably exhausted). Try to find time to talk to them ''separately'' from such stressful conditions.

'''Finally, always thank your scene partners, and especially your antagonists, when the scene has come to an end.''' It seems like a little gesture so common as to be meaningless; it is not. A little gratitude goes a long way towards convincing an antagonist that their time was well-spent.

==Full-Time Antagonists==

'''The advice in this guide is triply important to apply to the treatment of full-time antagonists and their players.''' Someone who apps Jadeite is signing up to lose often, but to lose as awesomely as possible -- for you and for them. It can be ''incredibly'' unrewarding to be no-sold by the playerbase in scene after scene, and equally unrewarding when the playerbase refuses to occasionally lose in the interest of making the eventual win a bigger deal.

It is a very common and very unfortunate practice, however, to constantly tease, insult and annoy antagonist players OOCly about how their characters are evil, incompetent, not long for this world, and so forth. '''It is not their job to OOCly field "witty" banter via page, in the lounge, or at any other time''', and many of them get burnt out by constantly having it slung at them.

'''Conversely, whether or not they intend to have their characters eventually find redemption, villain players often really enjoy discussing their characters as the well-rounded, nuanced, complex beings that they are.''' In apping such a character, they have quite possibly thought more deeply about them than the writers of their source material have. They are working very hard to bring this character to life, through a well-developed sense of their motivations and interests. They tend to respond positively to respectful interest in their portrayals.

And finally, of course, '''antagonist players have as much right as anyone to just be themselves out of character without worrying about or discussing who they are when they hit the grid at all.''' Many of them have been so burnt over the years that they don't enjoy discussion; respect their need for space and desire to just hang around and shoot the breeze.

==Bonus Round: Antagonizing!==

If this guide extolling the virtues of the antagonist player has excited you so much that you want to try your hand at it yourself, we have some brief advice for you. This is far from an exhaustive list; antagonists should really have their own guide (and may soon).

A major part of antagonism is running scenes - which often are very mentally taxing. Included are some practical tips from some old hands on how to make these things easier, so you can take it easy and focus on making a fun experience for everyone - including ''you'', the scene runner!

*'''Keep open lines of communication with your castmates'''. ''Playing their villain is not carte blanche to dictate how the arc of the protagonists' story will proceed''. You aren't their puppet, but you aren't the puppetmaster, either -- MUSH storytelling is a collaboration on all sides. Particularly in smaller casts, it's nice to at least try to see if peoples' schedules can line up, too; protagonists are always sad when they don't get to go to their own cast's events.
*'''Concerns of sell and powerposing go both ways'''. It is just as much your job to help everyone in the scene feel awesome as it is theirs for you. ''Don't ever dismiss your opponents as boring or weak, at least in the greater narrative''; if you should ICly be sneering down your nose, make sure it's clear in the larger pose that either the antagonist knows deep down that this is untrue, or else acknowledge reality more objectively (taking care not to powerpose).
*'''However, the occasional no-sell is a very powerful narrative beat in the antagonist's arsenal''', especially early on (in a scene, in a plot, in the arc of their existence) when their threat needs to be powerfully established. Do it tastefully; you're trying to evoke your character being overwhelming and terrifying, not an asshole.
*'''Work to sell others' iconic character traits in ways that don't reduce your own threat'''; if you're a lieutenant of the Dark Kingdom, your role isn't to out-study Ami or out-lacrosse Nagisa, and indeed finding ways to let individual specialties shine in the context of a greater plot is a great way to create really, really happy protagonist players.
*'''Sell your allies'''. Far more important for antagonists than protagonists, especially since antagonists are often a fractious bunch; by all means undermine and sabotage each other's plots and plans, but ''constantly'' be shoring up each other's threat.
* On that note: '''bring a buddy, or find one!''' Having a second antagonist to interact with can add some flair to your own pose situation, and it also means you can subdivide your attention. It may not suit every scene concept, but give it a shot. With the [[Battle Commands#The Battle Fantasia Youma Repository System|youma system]], you don't even need an antagonist character to do it -- just grab one and go! (Naturally, don't feel obligated -- you apped your character to PLAY your character -- but if everyone does it once in a while, everyone's life is easier. Don't forget to ask for your [[Player Run Plots|Cream Puffs!]])
* '''Prior preparation can be a huge help.''' Writing your set pose, or the 'set pose' and the 'and now the bad guy shows up' pose beforehand can save you a lot of hassle when you're running your scene.
* '''Pre-write! As you're reacting to attacks or other actions over the course of the pose round, start composing your pose in Notepad or the word processor of your choice.''' This is also useful from the protagonist side too: you can put in those short but vital notes of acknowledgement and recognition that come from social contacts and buffing magic ahead of time. Then when it's your turn again, you'll already have your pose partially written - you'll just have to edit it and write out your own new actions.
*'''You'll often be OOCly trying to lose, but make it look good.''' Using +heal to silently reduce your hit points (which can take a bit of careful guessing, or timing, to avoid blowing your cover in +pot; if you don't think you can pull it off credibly, it's always better to simply pose having been forced to retreat, selling all the way home) is a good way to speed along a scene that is dragging, but the key component to that strategy is ''silent''. The csys is designed for you to properly defend yourself from Finishers, rather than +accepting them, and still lose. ''That GM screen is there for a reason'': sometimes you'll want to make concessions in the system to ensure the protagonists' big victory, but it's incredibly unsatisfying for the gamer in them to hear that you cheated in their favor, so keep it under your hat.
*'''Use your Finishers as the narrative tools they can be'''. Antagonists will usually be using Survival Finishers, which means you can pull out the big guns -- however, there are a variety of things to consider when doing so. Obviously, you've got to return fire on whoever triggered you in the first place (if they're still up -- it's possible someone else KOed them in the interim, or they knocked themselves out with mana overexpenditure); if you can't, or if you have an Area Finisher, then consider your other targets carefully. If you want to lose, try to induce Survival Finishers in people who otherwise might not be able to get one at all for whatever unfortunate Morale reason; also avoid using them on someone at super low heath, unless they've already used their Finisher (in which case their early KO is a swell way to sell your own threat without depriving them of their big moment). If you want to win, try to let everyone get their Finisher off anyway (though if it's close, go for the throat of someone who's about to, if necessary).
*'''+noko is an option, but use it sparingly'''. Don't ever, ever, ''ever'' tell anyone you're using it. Don't ever preferentially use it to spare your friends, either; that's terribly abusive and unfair. Use it only if you absolutely do not want to KO someone, and have no other way to guarantee their survival that would still look good for everyone.
*'''Make losing look good ICly as well, but not at the expense of your own ongoing threat.''' "TEAM ROCKET'S BLASTING OFF AGAIIIIIIN!" is not a good beat to be using at the end of every scene if you want to have any credibility; when an antagonist gets "KOed," that doesn't mean they should be literally knocked out or rendered helpless (and as we remarked a couple points up, they also don't have to wait around for the system to KO them). Sell the individual final attacks as incredible as they come in, but at the last second, escape with your dignity relatively intact, cursing your opponents for preventing today's objective from being completed.
*'''If you're winning, intentionally or not, tread carefully'''. Losing scares a lot of people who haven't read this guide and learned that it's what's best for them a lot of the time; sometimes people just don't want to eat their narrative vegetables. The solution, on your end, is to ''very judiciously'' keep it all in-character; you aren't their enemy out of character, and that's what they need to remember, or else someone is going to say something they regret in a moment of overinvestment in their character's flawless victory.
*'''You have the right to refuse service to anyone'''. If someone is repeatedly rude to you, a regular no-seller, or in any other way making your scenes less enjoyable with their presence, and they do not seem willing to read this guide and mend their ways, ''you have the absolute authority to not have them in your scenes''. Ideally, you can talk it out in the end, and get better roleplay from them in future, but you aren't personally responsible for their quality, either. If you want to avoid the drama of kicking them out, ''it's your right to focus your energy on those who are making the scene fun for you''.

For more information, please see: [[Tutorials]]

[[Category:Tutorials]]

MUSH Survival Guide: Roleplaying

2014-08-22T06:58:42Z

Administrator: Protected "MUSH Survival Guide: Roleplaying" ([Edit=Allow only administrators] (indefinite) [Move=Allow only administrators] (indefinite))

MUSH Survival Guide: Apping

2014-08-22T06:58:33Z

Administrator: Protected "MUSH Survival Guide: Apping" ([Edit=Allow only administrators] (indefinite) [Move=Allow only administrators] (indefinite))

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'''[[MUSH_Survival_Guide:_About_MUSHing|Chapter 1: Bare Bones Minimum]]'''- wherein MUSHing is talked about in comparison to other mediums, and clients are listed.

'''[[MUSH_Survival_Guide:_MUSH_Basics|Chapter 2: How Do I Shot MUSH?]]'''- wherein basic mechanics of communication are described.

'''Chapter 3: Can I Haz Character Nao?'''- You're here!

'''[[MUSH_Survival_Guide:_Statting|Chapter 4: Everyone was Kung-Fu Fighting with Lovebeams???]]'''- Getting your character ready for our combat system (aka 'csys'), combat RP advice, and other goodies.

'''[[MUSH_Survival_Guide:_Roleplaying|Chapter 5: Wait, What's This Thing You Call 'Roleplay'?]]'''- Where we discuss the ins and outs of obtaining roleplay and the tricks behind scene-planning.

==Can I Haz Character Nao?==

Welcome to Chapter 3. If you're reading this, you should have done the following:

'''1''': You should be able to access the MUSH.

'''2''': You can do guestly things, such as communicate on the channels and bother people in the lounge. This is important, since this will help you if there's a question you need answered.

==Guestly Behavior==

While we're all pretty easy-going and happy to help, remember that you are a guest. That means, like someone coming into some dude's house, there's a general protocol to follow. Unless you know said dude, you wouldn't automatically raid his fridge. This is sort of the same thing. Many of these suggestions come from past experience with many types of guests, so while this may seem just common sense to some, players have encountered this before many times. '''Feel free to add any tips here!'''

* Try to use the guest channel for guest-related things. To do this, type '''+guest''' or '''+g''' to speak on the channel. It should look like this:

+g I love you all!

The OOC lounge gets spammy, so it's easy to lose questions. The guest channel has a handy color to it, making it easier for people who are on it to see your question.

* Sometimes you may log on and get tons of people welcoming you. Other times, you'll get none. It's not due to a lack of enthusiasm, but due to the fact that there's often a lot of bot guests that log in and promptly disconnect.

* On that note, if the OOC lounge spam is hurting your ability to concentrate, '''type 'q' to go to the Quiet Room'''. It's a useful place to be if you need to concentrate on something, but want to be open to pages from other people or chatter on channels.

* While this may sound silly to note, communicate clearly as you can. This doesn't mean 'you must type like you're writing a novel', but try to make sure you're communicating your ideas clearly. Sometimes it's easy to forget that, if you're new to a place, there's no cues there to go on like facial cues or body language. No one's going to know your sense of humor, your likes and dislikes, and what pushes your buttons, and we don't want to scare you away!

* Answer questions. People may try to clarify things with a question- try to be aware of them and answer. It's okay if you overlooked or missed something, but we've had guests in the past who set themselves on a certain track that's hard to decipher. If you're overwhelmed, though, feel free to admit to it! Sometimes we get overzealous in trying to help.

* On that note, ask questions! This is a good idea no matter who you're apping, or even if you have your character. If you're apping an FC, you'll want to talk to your castmates -- check out the '+cast' command for a list. If you're apping an OC, you'll want to talk to some people from your [[Schools|school]] or [[Organizations|organization]], if any of those apply (listed in +classes and +orgs respectively), and also from your cast if you're apping into an existing theme. They can help fill you in on details related to your interests.

* Be flexible. Many people come on with a set idea of 'I want to be Sailor Sun' or 'I want to have suchandusch ultra super power' while not realizing that these may not be appropriate to our setting. This gets further complicated when they try to stamp their character concept in any way possible into our setting, while ignoring suggestions. It's okay to be stubborn, especially if you have a good idea, but try to be as receptive as you can!

* If staff rules 'no' on a part of your character concept, such as their Path to Power, or an aspect being something that may be too sensitive for the setting, this is where it's not good to be stubborn and insist, unless you think there's a misunderstanding. People may be able to help you find an alternative that's even better!

* Weird tidbit: ~_~ on Battle Fantasia MUSH generally tends to mean 'flutter eyes' rather than irritation. So, when someone goes 'These brownies are heavenly! ~_~' they're not annoyed with those brownies. It's sort of an extension of adding a ~ to the end of sentences to indicate a singsong tone, innuendo, or playfulness.

* Battle Fantasia MUSH is constantly evolving, so you'll see +help files bork up, different sources contradict each other, or files suddenly updated in reference to a ruling staff had to make on the spot. Let us know if you find something contradictory or confusing, and if policy doesn't reflect what's in one +help file, let them know so they can change it! They'll <3 you for it.

* If you do something wrong and someone corrects you, it's okay! It's nothing personal. Some things you won't know about unless you're told. Just make sure you learn from it; we all make mistakes, no matter how long we've been roleplaying. It's the downside of communication over a text-based medium!

* If you have an app sent in, be patient. As a general rule, a build for the character needs to be made first before an application is approved, and sometimes, they're just busy. A good rule of thumb is to ask after a week. Feel free to hang out in the OOC lounge in the meantime! Catch up on board posts so you'll be partly caught up. Just use '''+bbcatchup <board numbers you've read>''' when you get your character. Click on pictures of kittens. It's all good.

* Be nice! Seems like simple advice, but remember, you're a guest. Certain things are going to seem bewildering and even annoying simply due to being new, and there's nothing wrong with asking questions to clarify things. It's better that than let frustration get pent up inside you.

==Application Tips and Hints==

Here on Battle Fantasia MUSH , we have an application system, as opposed to a @pcreate system where you can create your character right out of the gate. We do this to make sure concepts fit within the game and that the player has researched the right things. The application is available [[Application: Character Creation|here]]. While application styles can vary from person to person, here (will be) an [[Example: Character Application|example]].

'''Here's some critical tips to ensure a good application:'''

* Read the +help files, either on here or on the MU*. It doesn't matter if you've watched all the shows, or none. Things from each show have been layered upon one another like a tasty lasagna of lovebeams and crystals, topped with a healthy amount of plot from RP itself. The [[Theme Primer]] exists to fill you in on the barebones basics of how a given theme has been integrated into Battle Fantasia, while the [[Cast Pages]] often have further information about a given theme.

* Do you want an OC (original character), or a FC (Feature Character)? If the latter, [[Inappable Characters|make sure that character is appable]], and make sure that character is open by checking +cast. For example, Sailor Saturn from Sailor Moon is not appable at this time. On the other hand, if you want to know if someone who isn't on the inappable list -or- the cast list feel free to ask if they're available!

* You can absolutely make a totally original magical girl theme for your character, that other people could even join you in! For more information, please see: [[Original Themes]]. You can also integrate magical girl themes that are as-yet unplayed on our game. For more information, please see: [[Theme Adaptation]].

* Once the MUSH has been around for a while, some FCs will have gone through multiple players. You don't have to match their RP note by note, but this brings up another point: time will pass (slowly, 2 OOC days to every 1 IC day).

* Keep in mind that the application staff is very thorough on apps; applications are more a collaboration than a job interview, especially when it comes to original characters. What they'll be looking for are qualities that will allow a character to mesh well into the MUSH's social fabric. While your idea for a character can be badass and could be a strong enough concept to be the main character of their own manga, staff may still send the app back for some clarifications or suggestions for changes.

* Do your research. While no one can act like they're an expert on Japan, Japanese modern society is not a mirror reflection of western culture. The [[Culture]] page has files to help you, and you can ask questions on the guest channel. No question is too stupid or obvious to ask! Sometimes you'll be surprised by the answer. For example, Japanese are strict on guns, and not many people have cars. A well-researched and well-thought out application is more likely to be approved much faster, even on the first try.

* Protagonists (or, for that matter, antagonists) don't have to have extremely dark pasts in order to be interesting or qualify themselves as playable characters. Don't mistake 'dark' or 'grim' as a tactic to use in order to generate people's interest in a character- sometimes it's the more subtle characters that get the most attention due to how they interact with others.

* Roleplay a character type *you* want to play. While this can be subjective and some characteristics will be favored over others, don't play a cheerful outgoing female high school student when you have no interest in playing such a character.

* By the same token, try to make sure you provide yourself hooks right at the beginning to get yourself involved with other people. If you're apping a quiet, reserved character, give them several means to thrust them among people like a job, family member, pet, hobby, being elected to some student council position, or some other hook that gives you ways to set up reasons why your character is somewhere. Staffers are likely to be wary of characters who provide no means or hooks to provide for RP, as those players may not be prepared to get the ball going, so to speak.

*Put any character secrets into your application. They may be a secret to most of the MUSH, but staff needs to know everything important about your character.

== SCHOOL spelled backwards is LOOHSC! ==

If your character is in elementary, middle, high school or college, you'll have to figure out what school you go to! We ask that everyone attend one of our three [[Schools|Sister Schools]], for connection's sake (though unlike Infinity, Juuban and Ohtori's aren't all in one giant skyscraper; the public university has its own building, etc).

* [[School: Juuban Public School]] - A perfectly ordinary Japanese public school.
* [[School: Infinity Institute]] - A hypermodern charter school that is also Secret Hogwarts.
* [[School: Ohtori Academy]] - An ancient, proud private school with as dark a past as its future.

The [[Schools: Guiding Principles|guiding principles]] that sort out the three schools are a great way to select a school, and we encourage you to peruse them!

== Organizations...? ==

Unlike on many other games, Battle Fantasia's organizations are not monolithically central to roleplay and plot -- or even to most peoples' personal motivations and loyalties. '''Many, even most, magical girls are not members of an Organization. Many antagonists are, simply because they need to band together to survive the tsunami of lovebeams.''' But they do exist to provide loose coalitions, and act as an organizational tool OOCly.

Your choices are....

(Mostly) Protagonist Organizations:
* [[Organization: The Magic Association|The Magic Association]] - Gray haired wizards, ancient traditions, equally ancient rivalries and responsibilities.
* [[Organization: The Tuner Organization|The Tuner Organization]] - Modern, ruthless monster-hunters who have unionized for their own survival.

(Mostly) Antagonist Organizations:
* [[Organization: Dark Fall|Dark Fall]] - Monsters from other dimensions out to destroy (or destroy, then conquer) the rest.
* [[Organization: Ends of the World|Ends of the World]] - A very (and mostly) human secret conspiracy to control the world.

== HENSHINHENSHINHENSHIN ==

If you're apping an original character, you will need to make up your own main transformation -- and before that, you'll need to carefully define their [[Paths to Power]].

Original magical girl themes can be basically anything, within reason -- and taste.

[[Paths to Power]] are a way to organize your thoughts about the 'magical' part of your character concept; distilling it down to be smoothly fit into our magical girl setting. Want to keep it simple? Just have your character stumble across some kind of transformation [[Paths to Power: Artifacts|Artifact]]. Even more complex concepts are expected to have an Artifact of some kind.

If you're thinking about integrating a new but not original theme, it's worth noting that the Paths to Power are an excellent filter for taking a theme and making sure that when it comes out the other end, its tone and ideals are compatible with the magical girl universe. Forcing any theme to conform to the Paths to Power is not, however, indicative of whether that theme should be integrated at all. Direct adaptations of non-magical girl themes are very, very unlikely to be approved. Using ancient legends as indirect inspiration is more possible, but will require discussion with the staff.

'''Got all that? Then onward to [[MUSH_Survival_Guide:_Statting|Chapter 4]]!'''

Special thanks to Alice and Trish of [http://www.mysterymeep.net/mw/index.php?title=Main_Page Persona MUSH] for this guide!

[[Category:MUSH Survival Guide]]
[[Category:Examples]]
[[Category:Tutorials]]

MUSH Survival Guide: MUSH Basics

2014-08-22T06:58:13Z

Administrator: Protected "MUSH Survival Guide: MUSH Basics" ([Edit=Allow only administrators] (indefinite) [Move=Allow only administrators] (indefinite))

<div style="float:right; width: 20%;">
__TOC__
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<div style="float: left; width: 75%;">
'''[[MUSH_Survival_Guide:_About_MUSHing|Chapter 1: Bare Bones Minimum]]'''- wherein MUSHing is talked about in comparison to other mediums, and clients are listed.

'''Chapter 2: How Do I Shot MUSH?'''- You're here!

'''[[MUSH_Survival_Guide:_Apping|Chapter 3: Can I Haz Character Nao?]]'''- Wherein you find how to be a good guest, survive the horrors(?) of the application process, and how to construct a well-rounded character for MUSHing purposes.

'''[[MUSH_Survival_Guide:_Statting|Chapter 4: Everyone was Kung-Fu Fighting with Lovebeams???]]'''- Getting your character ready for our combat system (aka 'csys'), combat RP advice, and other goodies.

'''[[MUSH_Survival_Guide:_Roleplaying|Chapter 5: Wait, What's This Thing You Call 'Roleplay'?]]'''- Where we discuss the ins and outs of obtaining roleplay and the tricks behind scene-planning.

== Chapter 2: How Do I Shot MUSH?==

Welcome to Chapter 2. If you're looking at /this/, you should be in the following situation.

'''1''': You should have a telnet client running, and know what that even means.

'''2''': You should have an open connection to Battle Fantasia MUSH running.

'''3''': You should have just typed 'connect guest guest', and a bunch of text should have just scrolled at you.

If this doesn't describe your situation, please go back to [[MUSH_Survival_Guide:_About_MUSHing|Chapter 1]] now, or nothing after this will make sense. If you already know what you're doing and would like to skip ahead to that character application business, head over to [[MUSH_Survival_Guide:_Apping|Chapter 3]].

== What just happened ==

Alright, what you just saw was a metric boatload of text. Let's run down what we just saw:

* You'll see, at the very top, the message that you can use the command +g to chat on the Guest Channel.

* You'll probably see things like the OOC lounge coming up twice and you suddenly being ported to another room to the tune of 'There's no place like home...' This is just you being automatically ported into the OOC Lounge, in case the person who used the guest bit before you went into another room.

* Next will be "<Guests> Guest01 (or whatever number you are) has connected." That's you automatically being added to the guest channel.

* Then, finally, you'll see the welcome to Battle Fantasia screen. It will contain a link to the wiki (which you are on now).

==The OOC Lounge==

Let's look at a sample of what the 'OOC Lounge' looks like.

<code>
*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+* OOC Lounge - The Great Cake +*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*
There is a place visited only in dreams, and forgotten upon awakening. With
its glistening, smooth white surface, it looks at first like a vast disk of
virgin snow, dropping off into an abyss punctured by twinkling stars. But
here there is a strawberry the size of a car, sugar-glazed and standing on
its head like a fruit tower. There, a spattering of rainbow sprinkles the
size of sausages. The edge of the disk is lined with rampant puffs of
cloudlike frosting. This is not a snowy field, but the surface of a most
colossal cake.
*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+* Players +*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*
Usagi Tsukino (U|8th) <Sailor Moon>
*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+ Things +*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*
Announcements -- Please 'l announcements'!
.*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+--+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*.
<nowiki>| Plot Door Plot Rooms |
| Quiet Door <Q> Quiet Room - Parfait of Silence |
| Meeting Door <M> Meeting Room - Diet of Cookies |</nowiki>
'*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+--+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*'</code>

This is a list of the people currently in the room, plus something that falls under 'Things'. For now, let's examine the person in the room...

Usagi Tsukino (U|8th) <Usagi Tsukino>

What does this tell you? First, Usagi Tsukino is this lovely maiden's name. U means she's unaffiliated with any Organization, 8th means she's an 8th grader in school, and the <Usagi Tsukino> in brackets means she's currently in her [[Base Modes|Base Mode]], untransformed, just regular schoolgirl Usagi. If she were transformed into Sailor Moon, it would say <Sailor Moon>! If you could see her color (bright blue), you would know that she's a student at [[School: Juuban Public School|Juuban Public School]].

The Plot Door, Quite Door and Meeting Door are examples of exits through which you can 'move' to their destinations (listed on the right), by typing 'p', 'q', or 'm'. You can also type plot, quiet, or meeting, if you enjoy writing words.

== Can I do things now? ==

Now, let's teach you how to hit buttons and influence people! [[Basic Commands]] and [[Other Commands]] comprise entire lists of this information, as well.

One of the things you should have seen looks sorta like this, right?

'''<Guests>''' Guest has connected.

<Guests> is a 'channel'. To you WoW players, it is similar to General, or Trade. To you IRC users, consider it a global IRC room people can choose to listen in on. Depending on when you connected, people may be frantically greeting you or some such enthusiasm. To reply, consider one of the following:

'''+g Hello!''' 
'''+g :waves hello!''' 
'''+g ;'s connection is being a drag!'''

The difference between these two is pretty slight, and hinges entirely on the presence of that colon. Without the colon, the top line looks like this:

'''<Guests>''' Guest says, "Hello!"

And with the colon, the second line looks like this:

'''<Guests>''' Guest waves hello!

With the semicolon, the third line will look like this:

'''<Guests>''' Guest's connection is being a drag.

The difference between a colon (:) and a semicolon (;) is that a colon inserts a space before what you type, while the semicolon doesn't.

Along the same lines, people in the room will likely be interested in interacting with you as well, and doing so is a fairly simple process as well! Consider one of the following:

'''"Hello!''' ''':waves hello!''' ''';'s connection is being a drag!'''

This does precisely the same thing as the previous commands, but only displays it to people in the same 'room' as you. That being, in this case, the OOC lounge. (If you're interested, type 'who' to see who is connected to the MUSH as a whole.)

== By the way, I typed 'help' for help, and... ==

You may have typed in an incorrect command somewhere along the line, and received a message that says:

''Huh? (Type "help" for help.)''

This message means the MUSH did not understand what you just typed in. As a complete MUSH newbie, I would highly recommend you not attempt to navigate the default help menus. They are coded primarily to teach the PennMUSH coding language, and are a little arcane and obtuse for the first time user.

Instead, for a useful list of notes, type +help. This will give you a menu of commands you can look at. If there's not a +help file for it, you can try '''help <command>''', as, sometimes, it can give you something useful. If everything else fails, just ask. Many who have MUSHed for years sometimes have to ask things constantly, like the person writing this specific part.

We'll be explaining enough here as well to get you going, fear not!

== Advanced Communication Techniques ==

===Paging===

During the course of your guesthood, you may find that 'say' and 'pose' just don't have the functionality you want and desire. For instance; private communication between two or more people. Try the following command, with our completely randomly picked brave, heroic friend, Makoto Kino:

'''page Makoto=Hello!''' or '''page Makoto=:waves hello!'''

Just like say, pose, and the channel commands, this will alternate between:

'''You page Makoto Kino with 'Hello!'''

'''Long distance to Makoto Kino: Guest waves hello!'''

This can only be seen by the intended target of the page. If you are solely paging one person at a time, you only need to indicate their name once. For instance:

'''page Makoto=Hey!'''

'''page Hey, are you listening to me?'''

'''page :prods until you awaken.'''

This will continue to send to Makoto Kino until you specify another person. A word of advice, though; The MUSH recalls who you last paged on a character-basis. This means that if you disconnect, and reconnect, it is highly suggested you specify a target on your first page, or you might accidentally be talking to the wrong person!

Now, when you get incoming pages, for instance:

'''Makoto Kino (Makoto) pages: What's up?'''

You'll notice the word (Makoto) in brackets. This is an 'alias', which effectively just means you can type 'page Makoto' instead of 'page "Makoto Kino"' which is just a pain in the neck. Most people on the MUSH--including you, incidentally, right now--have aliases set for easier paging.

===Global Bulletin Board===

---------------- Unread Postings on the Global Bulletin Board ----------------
Public (#1): 13 unread (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13)
Announcements (#2): 26 unread (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18,
19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26)
Character Announcements (#3): 2 unread (1, 2)
Scene Announcements (#4): 11 unread (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11)
Vacations (#6): 13 unread (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13)
Suggestions (#7): 6 unread (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6)
Code Updates (#8): 2 unread (1, 2)
Daily Spotlight (#9): 8 unread (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8)
IC News (#10): 15 unread (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15)
IC Rumors (#11): 35 unread (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19,
20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28,
29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35)
Cutscenes (#12): 5 unread (1, 2, 3, 4, 5)
--------------------------- BBS at 13.3\% capacity ---------------------------

Now, what the heck did any of that mean?

What you just saw there is an example of what the Global Bulletin Board, or 'bboard' of the MUSH, might look like when you connect. As a guest, the MUSH assumes you haven't read a single post, so will show you every post on the board. Let's read a post now. Try the following, in order!

'''+bbread 1'''

Might give you something like...

==============================================================================
**** Public ****
Message Posted By
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1/1 T Madoka PSP SQQ Save Sat Oct 24 Miyu Greer
1/2 U Regarding Myself Sat Oct 24 Yukino Kikukawa
1/3 U Re:scene Mon Oct 26 Tomoyo Daidoji
1/4 U Re: Demon Artist Thu Oct 29 Touga Kiryuu
1/5 U Endorsing Laziness Thu Oct 29 Mamoru Chiba
1/6 U Plotting the Downfall of the MUSH Fri Oct 30 Ikuto Tsukiyomi
1/7 U To Our New MUSHers Sat Oct 31 Michiru Kaioh
1/8 U MUSH Newbie Questions Part 1 Sun Nov 01 Pink Moon Stick
1/9 U MUSH Newbie Questions Part 2 Sun Nov 01 Pink Moon Stick
1/10 U MUSH Newbie Questions Part 3 Sun Nov 01 Pink Moon Stick
==============================================================================
'''+bbread 1/1'''

Will get you the first post of the first forum, which in this case is...

=================================== Public ===================================
Message: 1/1 Posted Author
Madoka PSP SQQ Save Sat Oct 24 Miyu Greer
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
If anybody wants a save with a level 28 main with the 500k moneys and the ect.
basically required to do a thanatos run for the snow queen quest, send me a calls.
You'll have to use the 0003 number to get it to work in the folder you put it in.
==============================================================================

Similarly, you can use '''+bbread 2/1''' to read the first post of the second forum, or '''+bbread 2/2''' to read the second post of the second forum, or any combination of boards. Of course, the exact posts you see will probably differ when you use the command; Posts are automatically trimmed fairly quickly on the bboards of MUSHes.

Of course, you may now ask yourself, "Do I need to manually type the board number each time just to go to the next message?!" Fear not, fair visitor to the Great Cake. '''+bbnext''' is here to save the day. Just keep hitting that in, and it will automatically go to the next message in all the boards you have access to. Read each one before you type the next one, since if you +bbnext too quickly, you might get a repeat since the game hasn't had time to mark it as read. (Don't be alarmed if that happens, just wait one second, then keep +bbnexting until you get what you want.)

However, your next question may be "But... will I have to do that when I get a character just to get that wad of text to go away?!" For this, you have '''+bbcatchup all'''. This will get rid of all the message notifications.

So, why deal with the message board at all? The message board is an important resource for tip-offs that a future scene will occur, what time it will occur, and what might be going on there. It also has IC (In Character) news, IC rumors, OOC observations, OOC links to weird youtube links of babies doing the cancan- ER. Yes. It's a valuable resource. Thus, when you get your character, read it. Love it. Make use of it.

'''Anyway, to move on to this weird thing called ''character application process'', proceed to [[MUSH_Survival_Guide:_Apping|Chapter 3]]!'''

Special thanks to Alice and Trish of [http://www.mysterymeep.net/mw/index.php?title=Main_Page Persona MUSH] for this guide!
</div>

[[Category:MUSH Survival Guide]]
[[Category:Examples]]
[[Category:Tutorials]]

MUSH Survival Guide: About MUSHing

2014-08-22T06:58:03Z

Administrator: Protected "MUSH Survival Guide: About MUSHing" ([Edit=Allow only administrators] (indefinite) [Move=Allow only administrators] (indefinite))

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Welcome to the MUSH Survival Guide! This guide is from [http://www.mysterymeep.net/mw/index.php?title=Main_Page Persona MUSH], but has been heavily edited to better suit the specifics of Battle Fantasia MUSH.

This guide also contains text and advice from many people, as this is something anyone can add advice or update. If you run across something that confused you that you wish to put in this guide to help others, have the staff put it in here!

Here's the chapters so you can skip ahead as necessary:

'''Chapter 1: Bare Bones Minimum'''- You're here!

'''[[MUSH_Survival_Guide:_MUSH_Basics|Chapter 2: How Do I Shot MUSH?]]'''- wherein basic mechanics of communication are described.

'''[[MUSH_Survival_Guide:_Apping|Chapter 3: Can I Haz Character Nao?]]'''- Wherein you find how to be a good guest, survive the horrors(?) of the application process, and how to construct a well-rounded character for MUSHing purposes.

'''[[MUSH_Survival_Guide:_Statting|Chapter 4: Everyone was Kung-Fu Fighting with Lovebeams???]]'''- Getting your character ready for our combat system (aka 'csys'), combat RP advice, and other goodies.

'''[[MUSH_Survival_Guide:_Roleplaying|Chapter 5: Wait, What's This Thing You Call 'Roleplay'?]]'''- Where we discuss the ins and outs of obtaining roleplay and the tricks behind scene-planning.
 
 
==Chapter 1: Bare Bones Minimum!==

This is intended to get you from 'some guy keeps poking you about a MUSH thing god what is he even talking about' to 'connecting as a guest'. If you can connect, proceed to [[MUSH_Survival_Guide:_MUSH_Basics|Chapter 2: How Do I Shot MUSH?]].

== What th-- ==
So some 'friend' of yours or other has repeatedly insisted you try this 'MUSH' thing, because it is full of awesome people and because you will totally enjoy reading white on black text for hours on end. However, they're blabbering about things like 'pose orders' and 'telnet clients' and you want to stab them in the gut to make them stop talking. This is an understandable reflex response, and this guide is here to ease you away from the violence and towards the wonderful world of /archaic roleplay mediums/.

== What IS a MUSH? ==
So, what IS a MUSH, exactly? Well, let's try to frame it in terms based on your potential prior experience with roleplaying games!

'''IRC/Forums/AIM/etc:'''

If you're used to roleplaying via forums/bulletin boards or chatrooms, think of MUSHes as a midpoint between the two. You're roleplaying in a series of chatrooms, themed after specific rooms that would, in character, exist in the room. These tend to be laid out in a manner that from a 'physically moving' perspective are fairly rational.

So instead of a list of 'tavern, tavern(rafters), town fountain, jail', for instance, you might have the Town Square room, which links to the Tavern room, which links to the Tavern(Rafters) area, as an example. This is not nearly as cumbersome as it appears, because you aren't often moving between rooms in the middle of a roleplay. Also, many times, people will pick a room within the general area and just pretend it's whatever spot they want, so it's not as specific as it sounds. It's mostly just a way to keep scenes separate from each other.

'''MMORPGs/Second Life:'''

Let's say you're used to MMOs such as World of Warcraft, City of Heroes, or Second Life. MUSHes are text-based MMOs at their core, and spring from a thing called a 'MUD'. Imagine if WoW/CoH was all text-based and you entered commands to fight instead of clicking on buttons, and everything was visually described instead of graphical, and you have roughly the right idea. MUSHes, however, are more or less purely roleplaying, and generally have minor or no character progression systems, though exceptions exist.

While Battle Fantasia MUSH has a combat system, it's more a complex way to decide who gets hit by a fireball, taking into account each person's strengths and weaknesses and adding an element of randomness. It allows for strategy on some levels, but it also allows people a possible tool to help roleplay out how their character reacts to combat situations. It also organizes things like transformation forms, and how they affect your stats. Thus, unlike the game, you don't level up after beating a 'boss'. You do 'level up' gradually by spending experience points on stats and abilities, and periodically in a dramatic, major way that requires an application.

If you're coming from Second Life, it's seriously just a text-based version of Second Life that's a little more specific.

==Client? I'm not a Lawyer!==

([[MUSH_Survival_Guide:_MUSH_Basics#So... now what?|Already have a telnet client? Click here!]])
So you want to connect and even see what the devil is going on. Well, you're going to need some kind of fancy client for that. It's okay, these are relatively painless to install and use. Now, since telnet clients are old hat, most of these haven't been updated in forever. This is okay; They do not NEED regular updates, so don't be alarmed if a client linked below hasn't seen work done on it since 2003 or whatever. It will work just fine. Thankfully, pretty much every OS in existence has at least a few clients.

Yes, you probably have a Telnet client already on your computer. No, you really don't want to use it for this.

=== Windows ===

* ''MUSHClient''
[http://www.gammon.com.au/MUSHclient/MUSHclient.htm MUSHClient Website] 
This is also a popular client, and it's probably one of the most regularly updated. Used to be a pay client, is completely free now, and has a variety of nifty features.
 
* ''BeipMU*''
[http://www.beipmu.com/ BeipMU Website] 
This is a popular client, though it doesn't have as many features as other clients. However, on the upside, it's not as complex and has many useful features, and many people use it and swear by it. Plus? It's free.
 
*''SimpleMU*''
[http://simplemu.onlineroleplay.com/ SimpleMU Website] 
This is a relatively simple client to get used to. While it claims to be shareware, it will Mildly Nag at you for thirty days and then pretty much leave you alone. There are options to even turn off the nag screen. If you do obtain a full, legal copy of it, you get some additional features that are kind of handy, but hardly necessary to get the job done.
 
*''MUCKclient''
[http://muckclient.software.informer.com/ MUCKClient Website] 
This is a very simple client, and does not have a wide variety of features to it. If you're really seriously just looking to 'press button, receive MUSH', this is not a bad one to start.
 
*''Mudlet''
[http://www.mudlet.org/ Mudlet Website] 
Simple to use and fast MUD client. Runs on Windows, Mac and Linux. Give it a try to see what it can do.
 
*''PotatoMUSH''
[http://code.google.com/p/potatoMUSHclient/ PotatoMUSH Website] 
A graphical MUSH/MUD client for Windows and Linux.
 

=== Mac OS ===

*''Atlantis''
[http://www.riverdark.net/atlantis/ Atlantis Website] 
This is the one many Mac users swear by. As I don't /have/ a Mac, I can't tell you if it's really that great, but it's supposed to be, so give it a try?
 
*''Savitar''
[http://www.heynow.com/Savitar/ Savitar Website] 
This is the other one I keep hearing about, so give it a try?
 
''Huge List Here''
[http://www.hsoi.com/mud/clients/ A list of clients] 
I suspect this list is a little terrifying if you're new to MUSHes, so please try the top two first, and if they blow up, click these at random?
 
*''Mudlet''
[http://www.mudlet.org/ Mudlet Website] 
Simple to use and fast MUD client. Runs on Windows, Mac and Linux. Give it a try to see what it can do.
 

=== Linux ===

*''Kmuddy''
[http://kmuddy.com/index.php/Main_Page Kmuddy Website] 
Relatively simple client, comes with a binary so you don't have to compile it, all around good times. Has a variety of basic functions to make your life simpler and easier! :D!
 
*''Kildclient''
[http://kildclient.sourceforge.net/phpwebsite/index.php Kildclient] 
Also a very userfriendly client, if you have troubles with KMuddy for some reason.
 
*''TinyFugue''
[http://tinyfugue.sourceforge.net/ TinyFugue Website] 
I'm only suggesting this because you already use Linux, so the concept of 'inordinate amounts of front end effort for maximum end-use benefit' doesn't particularly faze you. Requires ridiculous setup to get going in any rational sense, but can do basically anything once you get it running.
 
*''Mudlet''
[http://www.mudlet.org/ Mudlet Website] 
Simple to use and fast MUD client. Runs on Windows, Mac and Linux. Give it a try to see what it can do.

== So... now what? ==

Now you're going to want to configure the darn thing to actually connect to Battle Fantasia MUSH. Unfortunately, EXACTLY how to do this changes per client, but it generally consists of something along the lines of:

'''File'''

> New Connection

> Name: Battle Fantasia MUSH

> Host: pinksugarheartattack.net

> Port: 2873

> Type: (It will have some sort of option that says 'MUSH' somewhere, this is what you want. Not all clients have a type set thingy.)

Don't worry about password/name information just yet. You don't have a character yet, so leave these fields blank.

Alright, boot 'er up, by whatever means seem available. Ideally you have someone on hand to poke if things go wrong, but if all goes well, you should come across a /stylish/ ascii logo, and a bunch of words about logging in!

Type 'connect guest guest' and go to [[MUSH_Survival_Guide:_MUSH_Basics|Chapter 2]].

Special thanks to Alice and Trish of [http://www.mysterymeep.net/mw/index.php?title=Main_Page Persona MUSH] for this guide!
</div>

[[Category:MUSH Survival Guide]]
[[Category:Examples]]
[[Category:Tutorials]]

MUSH Survival Guide

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Welcome to our MUSH Survival Guide! People totally new to MUSHing should start at the top; otherwise, it's pretty safe to start at chapter three, Apping, though there is BF-specific information in all sections.

[[MUSH Survival Guide: About MUSHing]] - What is a MUSH, and how do I log in?

[[MUSH Survival Guide: MUSH Basics]] - Once I'm logged in, how do I interact?

[[MUSH Survival Guide: Apping]] - Once I can interact, how do I get a character?

[[MUSH Survival Guide: Statting]] - Once I'm applying for a character, how do I do her stats?

[[MUSH Survival Guide: Roleplaying]] - Once I have a character, how do I interact as her instead of me?

Special thanks to Alice and Trish of [http://www.mysterymeep.net/mw/index.php?title=Main_Page Persona MUSH] for this guide!

For more information, please see: [[Tutorials]]

[[Category:MUSH Survival Guide]]
[[Category:Examples]]
[[Category:Tutorials]]

Other Commands

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The following commands are useful for finding -- and showing -- various information about characters and casts on Battle Fantasia MUSH.

=====+requests/+request=====
The request system is the best way to contact the staff with any requests more involved than something that can be settled by immediate discussion. Conversely, sometimes immediate discussion may lead to the staff asking a player to submit a +request so they can review an idea more thoroughly. Excessively long requests can be emailed to battlefantasiastaff@gmail.com instead.

+requests: Displays a list of current or recent +requests you are able to view.

+request/submit Title=Content: Submits request <title> with the appropriate content. By default, only the submitting player can view it, as can admin.

+request/comment #=Text: Adds comment <text> to +request <#>. You must be able to view the request in question.

+request/share #=Names: Adds <names>, a space-separated list of valid aliases, to those who can view a given +request. You must be able to view a +request to share it!

+request #: Views +request <#> and latest comment, if any. You must be on the list of its viewers.

+request/full #: Views +request <#>, with all comments. You must be on the list of its viewers.

+request/close #=Comment: Admin-only command. Closes out +request <#> with final comment <comment>.

+request/status #=Status: Admin-only command. Alters the status of +request <#> to be <status>.

+request/viewers #=Names: Admin-only command. Sets viewers for a given +request to the list of space-separated valid names/aliases.

=====+finger/+profile=====
A basic profile describing a character; filling out these fields happens during a character's initial application process, and updating them is as simple as requesting that the staff implement an update. +finger information is generally a good place to put commonplace IC knowledge about a character's normal life, as well as the same for their supernatural persona; +finger information, of course, is never ICly revealing the intersection of the two, unless it specifically states otherwise.

The valid +finger fields are Name, AKA (as in, Name: Usagi Tsukino, AKA: Sailor Moon, Princess Serenity), School (listed as School (Grade), as in Ohtori (8)), Clubs, Quote (a regular phrase or defining quote of the character's), Organization, Source (the theme they're from), Rank (specifically, Master Rank) and Info (a paragraph describing the essence of the character).

+finger <target> or +profile <target>: Displays a target's profile.

=====+oocfinger/+oocprofile=====
A space to provide any out-of-character, or OOC, information about yourself that you want to share. In all of these commands, +oocfinger and +oocprofile are synonymous.

+oocfinger <target>: Displays the OOC profile of <target>.

+oocfinger: Displays a character's own OOC profile.

+oocfinger/set <field>=<entry>: Sets a character's +oocfinger <field> to <entry>. Suggested basic fields include Alts, Contact Information, and Timezone, but anything goes, within the bounds of tastefulness!

+oocfinger/wipe <field>: Removes an +oocfinger field from oneself.

=====+grade=====
+grade/set <class>=<grade>: Sets your [[Schools: Coursework#Grades|grade]] in a given [[Schools: Coursework#Classes|class]].

+grades <target>: Displays the grades of your target.

+grades: Displays your own grades.

+grades/list <school>/<year>=<class>: Displays all grades of a given school's year for a given class. Valid fields are K-12; university students are too cool to care about their grades.

+grade/addclass <target>=Class1 or Class1|Class2: Allows admin to add one or two (but no more) classes to your schedule. Should not be used lightly; electives are not a part of the Japanese school system, and most people should just have the usual curriculum. However, Infinity Institute in particular has many varied courses of study, and thus some students should always be in Dance, or Fine Arts, and so forth; a Foreign Language (other than English) is the other place that courses of study more generally diverge. If you need an elective, submit a +request.

=====+vitals=====
In honor of the manga sidebars describing a character's 'vital statistics' from the 1990s:

+vitals <target>: Displays the vital statistics of <target>.

+vitals: Displays a character's own vital statistics.

+vitals/set <field>=<entry>: Sets a character's +vitals <field> to <entry>. Suggested basic fields include Astrological Sign, Blood Type, Favorite Food, Least Favorite Food, Favorite Subject, and Least Favorite Subject, but anything goes, within the bounds of tastefulness!

+vitals/wipe <field>: Removes a +vitals field from a character.

=====+soundtrack=====
If you want to share music you associate with your character -- or that your character might associate with a relationship they have with another character -- this is the place!

+soundtrack <target>: Displays the soundtrack of <target>.

+soundtrack: Displays a character's own soundtrack.

+soundtrack/add <track>=<artist>: Adds a track to the soundtrack in the form 'Track - Artist'.

+soundtrack/wipe <track>: Removes a +soundtrack track from a character.

You can also display and view appropriate soundtracks in poses! To be able to see when people set them, '''&pot_soundtrack me=1'''

+soundtrack/current <soundtrack>: Sets a soundtrack for your next pose; will clear after the pose, the design being to not reset it until the song changes. Can be a song/artist title, or a link to the song.

=====+cast=====
These commands display the availability of Feature Characters, as well as names and facts about OCs and FCs involved in a given theme.

+cast: Displays the master list of all currently integrated theme sources.

<nowiki>+cast <Source>: Displays the cast list of a theme source, with the characters' names, aliases, factions and availability for application.

+cast/info <Source>: Displays the [[Theme Primer]] of a given theme.
</nowiki>

=====+classes=====
These commands list the classes (eg, students of the same grade) within a given school on Battle Fantasia. Students of the same grade are assumed to be in the same IC class (unless there's a strong reason to feel otherwise), on the principle that that way we may actually have enough characters in a given class for classmate camaraderie.

+classes: Displays the master list of all Sister Schools.

+classes <school>: Displays the classes within a given school.

=====+clubs=====
These commands list the clubs within a given school on Battle Fantasia. Clubs of separate school level (elementary, middle, high) are considered technically separate but functionally work together, to encourage roleplay.

+clubs: Displays the master list of all Sister Schools.

+clubs <school>: Displays the club membership within a given school.

=====+orgs=====
These commands list the members within a given organization on Battle Fantasia, as well as their essential positions within that organization.

+orgs or +organizations: Displays the master list of all Organizations.

+orgs or +organizations <organization>: Displays the characters within a given Organization.

=====+sparkle/+vote=====
+sparkle and +vote are interchangeable commands. Sparkles are expected to be given freely and easily, so don't worry about hoarding them; there's no limit on how many you can give, total, only a limit on how many people can receive. That being said, '''sparkles are for ''roleplay''; throwing sparkles around for no reason is against the rules.'''

+sparkle <name>: Expresses your appreciation for a roleplay to <name> by sparkling them. You may only sparkle someone once a week. You may not sparkle yourself.

+sparkles: Lists who has sparkled you this week.

+sparkles <name>: Lists who has sparkled <name> this week.

+sparkled: Lists who you have sparkled this week.

+sparkled <name>: Lists who <name> has sparkled this week.

+sparkle/room: Sparkles everyone in the room!

=====+cp/+xp=====
+cp (Character Points) and +xp (eXperience Points) are interchangeable commands that help players manage their CP, earned each week (on Sundays) by having received up to two sparkles (the benefit of more than two sparkles a week is the splendid roleplay that led to sparkling in the first place). These commands are not locked; CP is OOCly transparent. '''Using this information in any sort of in-character way is against the rules.'''

+cp <name>: Displays <name>'s total character points, starting character points, total CP earned and total votes/sparkles received.

+cp: Displays your own total character points, starting character points, total CP earned and total votes/sparkles received.

=====+puff/+puffs=====
Cream Puffs are awards [[Player Run Plots|given]] to people who run scenes for others, particularly when they don't involve their own character.

+puffs: Displays Cream Puff rewards. As you gain rewards{,} you gain information!

+puffs <player>: Displays the number of Cream Puffs a player has earned.

+puff/info <Puff Number>: Displays information about a specific Cream Puff reward. You can only view the info of puffs that you've earned.

+puff/load <Henshin Number>=<Puff Number>: Loads a Cream Puff reward to a given henshin form. Only usable in Base Mode.

+puff/name <Puff Number>=<Attack Name>: Alters a Cream Puff attack's name. Only usable in Base Mode.

+puff/type <Puff Number>=<Attack Type>: Alters a Cream Puff attack's Type. Only usable in Base Mode.

+puff/range <Puff Number>=<Attack Range>: Alters a Cream Puff attack's Range. Only usable in Base Mode.

For more information, please see: [[Tutorials]], [[Advancement]]

[[Category:MUSH Commands]]

Basic Commands

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In all cases, use of <> as separators is not to be taken literally; you shouldn't type < and then >.

==Commands to find players==

'''WHO''' - The most raw, basic output of who's online, how long they've been on, how long they've been idle, and a 'doing' (set with @doing me=Whatever) that is usually used to store silly, short notes.

'''+who''' - A much fancier way to show the same information, including peoples' aliases. A red asterik indicates someone is in-character, and there's a total listing of how many folks are IC or OOC (or idle) at the bottom.

'''+where''' - Only shows the location of in-character people, but if they are online but not on +where, they're probably in the OOC Lounge. Names are color-coded to the [[Schools|School]] a character atttends for your convenience!

'''l''' - Shows the [[Locations|room]] you're in. For example:

<code>
*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+* OOC Lounge - The Great Cake +*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*
There is a place visited only in dreams, and forgotten upon awakening. With
its glistening, smooth white surface, it looks at first like a vast disk of
virgin snow, dropping off into an abyss punctured by twinkling stars. But
here there is a strawberry the size of a car, sugar-glazed and standing on
its head like a fruit tower. There, a spattering of rainbow sprinkles the
size of sausages. The edge of the disk is lined with rampant puffs of
cloudlike frosting. This is not a snowy field, but the surface of a most
colossal cake.
*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+* Players +*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*
Usagi Tsukino (U|8th) <Sailor Moon>
*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+ Things +*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*
Announcements -- Please 'l announcements'!
.*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+--+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*.
<nowiki>| Plot Door Plot Rooms |
| Quiet Door <Q> Quiet Room - Parfait of Silence |
| Meeting Door <M> Meeting Room - Diet of Cookies |</nowiki>
'*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+--+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*'</code>

This has a structure in which top line shows the greater zone the room is in; the second line shows the name of the room. Then comes the description. Any players in the room are listed under 'players', with their name, ([[Organizations|organizational]] affiliation|grade in school, if any; U is for Unaffiliated, 8th is for 8th grader, in the example), and <Current Henshin Form>. Their color designates their school. Beneath that are any exits. For example, you could type 'plot' or 'p' to go through the Plot Door exit to the Plot Rooms. And that's how you get around!

 The watchfor system is used to know when your friends log on and off. In all cases, +watchfor and +wf are synonymous.

 '''+watchfor''' - Shows you a list of connected, watched characters. 

'''+watchfor/list''' - Shows you everyone on your watchfor list. 

'''+watchfor/add <target>''' - Adds a character to your watchfor list. 

'''+watchfor/del <target>''' - Deletes a character from your watchfor list. 

'''+watchfor/on''' - You will be notified when characters on your watchfor list connect and disconnect. 

'''+watchfor/off''' - You will no longer be notified when characters on your watchfor list connect and disconnect.

==Expressing yourself in the same room as another person==

'''@describe me=I am stupendous!''' Character descriptions (what you see when you type 'l name') are usually somewhat longer than this. A good rule of thumb is two paragraphs: one for the person themselves, one for their clothes. Longer than that may or may not get fully read by someone who wants to look through the descriptions of the ten magical girls in the room; your mileage may vary.

You can also use our multi-descer (multiple description) storage commands to save and recall descriptions:

'''+desc/add Title=Description''' - Saves 'Title' description as 'description'.

'''+desc/del Title''' - Deletes 'Title' description from storage.

'''+descs''' - Lists stored descriptions.

'''+desc/view Title''' - Views the description saved as 'Title.'

'''+desc Title''' - Sets your description to what's saved under 'Title', and announces your new splendor to the room!

'''+desc/silent Title''' - Silently sets your description to what's saved under 'Title'.

'''+desc/henshin Henshin Number=Title''' - When you +transform to Henshin Number, your description will automatically change to the one saved as 'Title.'

'''+henshin/name Henshin Number=Name''' - When you +transform to Henshin Number, your name will automatically change to 'Name.'

The following commands are the meat and drink of roleplay. If you use them in an in-character area, they're assumed to be in-character. If you use them in an out-of-character area, they're assumed to be you, the player behind the screen, not your character.

'''"Blah''' - The " command is called 'say'. This emits to the room, ''Yourname says, "Blah"''

''':blahs.''' - The : command is called pose. This emits to the room, ''Yourname blahs.''

''';'s blah is blah!''' - The ; command is also a pose, but it doesn't automatically append a space after the semi-colon. This emits to the room, ''Yourname's blah is blah!''

'''@emit Suddenly, Yourname blahs.''' - @emit lets you start a pose with something other than your name. It is always advisable to include your name (or, if you're being an NPC, the NPC's name) somewhere in an emit (even if other characters in the scene haven't ICly been introduced), and it is very rude to impersonate someone else with emits. This emits to the room, ''Suddenly, Yourname blahs.''

'''+ooc Blah''' and '''+ooc :blahs''' and '''+ooc ;'s a'blahing''' - +ooc prefaces a say or pose with an indicator to show it is an out of character comment. This is only necessary on the In-Character grid; in out of character areas, you are assumed to be out of character, and actually mixing things up by being in-character, out of character, can get very confusing (so please don't).

==The Pose Order Tracker (+pot)==
'''+pot''' - The pose order tracker sorts by pose order, with the most recent posers at the top. It displays their names, how long they've been idle, how long it has been since they posed, whether or not they have any status effects (eg, buffs or debuffs; B|D: Y/N means a N under B means 'no buffs', a Y under D means 'yes debuffs', and vice versa), and then some prose about their Fatigue, Mana and Morale. These are only indicators; how one poses one's condition (especially one's feelings) is ultimately up to the player.

A yellow asterick indicates someone has used +heal/boss to take on multiple opponents.

[[Fatigue]] and [[Mana]] ranges: Great: 90-100%, Good: 70-90%, Okay: 50-70%, Bad: 30-50%, Awful: 10-30%, Critical: 1-10%, [[KO]]: 0% or less. Boss indicates a character is in boss mode, and has extra health and mana.

[[Morale]] ranges: Normal: -10 to +10, Down: -40 to -10, Morose: -70 to -40, Despairing: -90 to -70, Critical: -99 to -90, [[KO]]: -100 or lower. Upbeat: 10 to 40, Hopeful: 40 to 70, Radiant: 70 to 90, Transcendent: 90 to 100.

For example:

<code>
===========================[ Sagittarius Zero Star ]============================
Name Idle Pose B|D: Y/N Fatigue Mana Morale
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Usagi Tsukino 0s 2m N|Y Great Great Hopeful
Jadeite 4s 5m N|N Okay KO Transcendent
Ami Mizuno 47m 54m N|N Great Good Normal
Scene Pose 24m Scene pose set by Jadeite.
==========================[ Sun Sep 15 18:59:13 2013 ]==========================</code>

'''+pot/last''' - Displays the most recent round of poses. '''+pot/last <name>''' only displays Name's most recent pose.

'''+pot/scene <pose>''' - Sets the Scene Pose, accessible by anyone in the same room with '''+pot/scene'''.

'''+observe''' - Marks you as an observer, untracked by the pose order and ineligible for room-wide +sparkles. A second invocation removes the observer status.

'''&pot_spoof me=1''' - Prefaces incoming poses with the names of their writers.

'''&pot_soundtrack me=1''' - Prefaces incoming poses with their soundtrack (as set with '''+soundtrack/current <trackname or link>''').

==Expressing yourself ICly, from another room==

This is modern Japan, so we have a cell phone/wrist communicator command for in-character interactions between people, especially teammates, who are in different rooms. (It's also a solution for the occasional theme with telepathy, mind-to-mind speech.) If you'd rather just RP 'as though you're in different rooms, talking on the phone', in the same actual room on the MUSH, that's perfectly fine. Please don't use +phone excessively in actual roleplaying scenes, and if you do, be sure to note in your poses that you're occasionally turning away to talk into your device!

'''+phone <targets or predial code>=<Message>''' - Sends your IC voice across your cell phone to the targets, either entered directly or preset in a predial setting.

'''+phone/predial <nowiki><code></nowiki>=<targets>''' - Defines a predial code with the given targets.

'''+phone/list''' - Shows your list of predial codes.

'''+phone/predialdel <nowiki><code></nowiki>''' - Removes a predial code entirely from your phone.

==Expressing yourself OOCly, from another room==

'''p someone=something''' - p is short for page. This pages, or sends a direct, private message, from you to 'someone'. Either use their full (first and last) name, or their alias, which is listed in +who and their +finger. Pages are always assumed to be out-of-character. This emits to someone, ''Yourname (youralias) pages: something''

'''p someone=:somethings.''' - If you append a colon after the =, you get a page-pose. This emits to someone, ''From afar, Yourname (youralias) somethings.''

'''p someone=;'s something is something!''' - Similarly, appending a semicolon will eliminate the space, allowing you to use contractions. This emits to someone, ''From afar, Yourname (youralias)'s something is something!''

==Finding The Staff==
Need help? The [[staff]] are here to answer your questions.

'''+staff''' or '''+stafflist''' - Lists the currently connected staff. If no staff are connected, suggests an alternative. Please do not disturb Off-duty staff unless it is an emergency, or contact them on their characters about staff matters.

'''+staff/all''' or '''+stafflist/all''' - Lists all the staff, connected or no.

==Channels==

There are both in- and out-of-character chat channels. Though the OOC Lounge is the primary source of out-of-character discussion, OOC chat channels can be useful to carry on a conversation when people are in different rooms.

IC chat channels, on Battle Fantasia, represent actual cell phone chatrooms, social media, and the like. '''If you're in the middle of a roleplay, please don't use IC chat channels unless you're also posing your character stopping mid-speech (or mid-punch!) to text the school chatroom, and the like; unlike on some other games, Battle Fantasia is not a setting where continuous IC channel-chatting makes IC sense, and we'd prefer that IC channels be reserved for out-of-scene short discussions and the like.'''

* '''Public''' is the main OOC chat channel. Be tasteful, and don't be wildly spammy; otherwise, anything goes.
* '''Discussion''' is an alternative space for especially spammy or heated topics. Please move here if requested by others in a room or channel!
* '''Spoilers''' is the OOC chat channel for spoilery things. New shows and the like have an eight week spoiler cooldown (starting after the final episode airs), during which they should only be discussed here, ''not'' in the OOC Lounge or anywhere else. After that period, if someone asks you to move a conversation to Spoilers, please respect their wishes. If you can be considerate, why not be?
* '''Guests''' is the OOC chat channel that Guests are automatically on, whenever they log in. It exists to provide them with a separate space to ask questions. Please be polite -- and don't be misleading -- if you're on this channel.
* '''Ask-Staff''' is a direct OOC line to the staff for any questions. You're welcome to listen in, but please actually let the staff answer the questions posed; if the asker was surveying everyone, there are other channels for that purpose.
* '''Characters''' is an OOC chat channel for existing players to formulate additional character concepts.
* '''Roleplay''' is an OOC chat channel where players looking for roleplay can arrange scenes.
* '''O-School''' are OOC school chat channels, for players whose characters are at the same school to discuss and arrange school-related matters.
* '''O-Organization''' are OOC organization chat channels, for players whose characters are in the same organization to discuss and arrange organization-related matters.
* '''IC-Whatever''' are IC chat channels. There are IC-School channels and IC-Organization channels. They might be a twitter feed, or a chatroom, though for actual cell phones, conference calls, and whatnot, we also have another command called +phone.

School and Organization channels are on the honor system; if you aren't a student at a given School, or a member of a given Organization, please do not be on their channels. Staff will remove interlopers; repeated offenses may lead to punitive action.

'''+chanlist''' shows all the channels out there.

'''@chan/on <channel name>''' turns on a channel.

'''@chan/off <channel name>''' turns it off.

If you're already on a channel, '''@chan/gag <channel name>''' will temporarily gag it, if it's getting too spammy but you don't want to leave the channel completely; '''@chan/ungag <channel name>''' will ungag it, as will reconnecting to the game.

To speak on a channel, '''+<channel name> Blah''', '''+<channel name> :blahs''' and '''+<channel name> ;'s blah is blah.''' are all valid syntax.

'''@chan/title <channel name>=<title>''' will prefix a channel title to your name whenever you speak on that channel. For example, '''@chan/title pub=Pirate''' will cause all your Public commentary to be given by 'Pirate Yourname' instead of just 'Yourname'.

If you want to see what's been said on a channel recently, '''@chan/recall <channel name>=<number of lines>''' will emit you the buffer. This is the least of many reasons to always be polite to, and about, everyone on the game.

==Bulletin Boards==

Bulletin Boards are a great way to send lasting messages to the entire game. They are sorted by topic; it is ''highly recommended'' to read through the existing posts when you first join the game, and then keep on top of them thereafter, for it is here that both OOC and IC news is announced, scenes are scheduled, and so forth. If you haven't been keeping up with the bulletin boards and you don't know what's going on on the game, now you know why.

'''+bbread''' displays the various bulletin boards, the date of their most recent post, and the number of messages currently on each board, with the little Us indicating unread messages:

<code>
==============================================================================
Group Name Last Post # of messages
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1 Public Mon Sep 09 0
2 Announcements Mon Sep 09 0
3 Character Announcements Tue Sep 10 1 U
4 Scene Announcements Mon Sep 09 0
5 Wanted Concepts Mon Sep 09 0
6 Vacations Mon Sep 09 0
7 Suggestions Mon Sep 09 0
8 Code Updates Tue Sep 10 1 U
9 Daily Spotlight Mon Sep 09 0
10 IC News Mon Sep 09 0
11 IC Rumors Mon Sep 09 0
12 Cutscenes Mon Sep 09 0
13 Juuban Public School Mon Sep 09 0
14 Infinity Institute Mon Sep 09 0
15 Ohtori Academy Mon Sep 09 0
16 Dark Fall Mon Sep 09 0
17 Ends of the World Mon Sep 09 0
18 Magic Association Mon Sep 09 0
19 Tuner Organization Mon Sep 09 0
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
'*' = restricted '-' = read only '(-)' = read only, but you can write
==============================================================================</code>
The first 9 bulletin boards are all pretty exclusively out of character:

'''Public''' is for general discussion; '''Announcements''' is specifically for staff to post out-of-character announcements about the game. '''Character Announcements''' is the board that tracks the closing and opening of Feature Characters. '''Scene Announcements''' are where upcoming [[Player Run Plots|scenes]] are posted automatically by our scheduling commands (+help +scene). '''Wanted Concepts''' is a place for anyone to post a character they're looking to see played; '''Vacations''' is where you tell everyone that you're leaving for a while; '''Suggestions''' is an open suggestion box from the playerbase to the staff; '''Code Updates''' is where the staff informs the game of any code updates; finally, '''Daily Spotlight''' is a board with fast turnover, to post silly little out-of-character anecdotes as they arise.

The rest of the bulletin boards are used both for IC and OOC communication. It is customary to put IC: or OOC: in the title of your posts, to make clear which it is. They're all pretty self-explanatory in name; '''Cutscenes''' is notable for being a place to post off-camera [[cutscenes]] about your characters, and/or to link to the wiki pages that contain those cutscenes. Unless you're a member of a given organization or school, you should ''never'' assume that anything you see on one of their boards is knowledge available to you.

'''+bbscan''' will list all your unread bulletin board messages by board and message number.

'''+bbread <board number>=<message number>''' displays a message on a board.

'''+bbcatchup <board number>''' will mark all the messages on a board as read. '''+bbcatchup all''' will mark all messages as read.

'''+bbnext''' will display an unread message. Type it, read the message, type it again, repeat until it says 'you have no more unread messages'. Typing it in rapid succession is kind of a strain on the game, so try to avoid that.

'''+bbpost <board number>/<title>=<text>''' will post a message on Board Number with Title and Text. Alternatively, '''+bbpost <board number>/<title>''' will let you more gradually input and edit your text with '''+bb <text>'''; '''+bbproof''' will show proofread your post in that case, and '''+bbpost''' will post it.

'''+bbedit <board number>/<message number>=<A>/<nowiki></nowiki>''' will replace all occurances of A in the text of Message Number on Board Number with B. You can only edit your own messages.

For more information, please see: [[Battle Commands]], [[Other Commands]], [[Tutorials]]
[[Category:MUSH Commands]]
[[Category:Tutorials]]

MUSH Clients

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Administrator: Protected "MUSH Clients" ([Edit=Allow only administrators] (indefinite) [Move=Allow only administrators] (indefinite))

Here are MUSH clients that first-time users can download, in order to connect to our game. Most computers have some sort of raw telnet program, but that isn't what you want to use to MUSH.

=== Windows ===

* ''MUSHClient''
[http://www.gammon.com.au/mushclient/mushclient.htm MUSHClient Website] 
This is also a popular client, and it's probably one of the most regularly updated. Used to be a pay client, is completely free now, and has a variety of nifty features.
 
* ''BeipMU*''
[http://www.beipmu.com/ BeipMU Website] 
This is a popular client, though it doesn't have as many features as other clients. However, on the upside, it's not as complex and has many useful features, and many people use it and swear by it. Plus? It's free.
 
*''SimpleMU*''
[http://simplemu.onlineroleplay.com/ SimpleMU Website] 
This is a relatively simple client to get used to. While it claims to be shareware, it will Mildly Nag at you for thirty days and then pretty much leave you alone. There are options to even turn off the nag screen. If you do obtain a full, legal copy of it, you get some additional features that are kind of handy, but hardly necessary to get the job done.
 
*''MUCKclient''
[http://muckclient.software.informer.com/ MUCKClient Website] 
This is a very simple client, and does not have a wide variety of features to it. If you're really seriously just looking to 'press button, receive MUSH', this is not a bad one to start.
 
*''Mudlet''
[http://www.mudlet.org/ Mudlet Website] 
Simple to use and fast MUD client. Runs on Windows, Mac and Linux. Give it a try to see what it can do.
 
*''PotatoMUSH''
[http://code.google.com/p/potatomushclient/ PotatoMUSH Website] 
A graphical MUSH/MUD client for Windows and Linux.
 

=== Mac OS ===

*''Atlantis''
[http://www.riverdark.net/atlantis/ Atlantis Website] 
This is the one many Mac users swear by. As I don't /have/ a Mac, I can't tell you if it's really that great, but it's supposed to be, so give it a try?
 
*''Savitar''
[http://www.heynow.com/Savitar/ Savitar Website] 
This is the other one I keep hearing about, so give it a try?
 
*''Huge List Here''
[http://www.hsoi.com/mud/clients/ A list of clients] 
I suspect this list is a little terrifying if you're new to MUSHes, so please try the top two first, and if they blow up, click these at random?
 
*''Mudlet''
[http://www.mudlet.org/ Mudlet Website] 
Simple to use and fast MUD client. Runs on Windows, Mac and Linux. Give it a try to see what it can do.
 

=== Linux ===

*''Kmuddy''
[http://kmuddy.com/index.php/Main_Page Kmuddy Website] 
Relatively simple client, comes with a binary so you don't have to compile it, all around good times. Has a variety of basic functions to make your life simpler and easier! :D!
 
*''Kildclient''
[http://kildclient.sourceforge.net/phpwebsite/index.php Kildclient] 
Also a very userfriendly client, if you have troubles with KMuddy for some reason.
 
*''TinyFugue''
[http://tinyfugue.sourceforge.net/ TinyFugue Website] 
I'm only suggesting this because you already use Linux, so the concept of 'inordinate amounts of front end effort for maximum end-use benefit' doesn't particularly faze you. Requires ridiculous setup to get going in any rational sense, but can do basically anything once you get it running.
 
*''Mudlet''
[http://www.mudlet.org/ Mudlet Website] 
Simple to use and fast MUD client. Runs on Windows, Mac and Linux. Give it a try to see what it can do.

For more information, please see: [[Tutorials]]

[[Category:Tutorials]]

Tutorials

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Battle Fantasia uses the [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MUSH MUSH], or Multi-User Shared Hallucination, system to host its community of roleplayers.

* [[MUSH Clients]] - Here you will find links to programs that can be used to log into Battle Fantasia MUSH with far more grace and style than a raw telnet shell.
* [[Basic Commands]] - Here you will find descriptions of commands used within the MUSH to interact with the environment, and others, by retrieving and sharing information.
* [[Battle Commands]] - Here you will find descriptions of the commands used within the MUSH to conduct [[battle]] on Battle Fantasia.
* [[Other Commands]] - Here you will find descriptions of other Battle Fantasia-specific MUSH commands.
* [[Examples]] - Here you will find examples of character creation, combat, and so forth.
* [[MUSH Survival Guide]] - An introduction to the roleplay medium of MUSH, how to log into and interact on our game, and a guide to successful applications.
* [[The Care and Keeping of Antagonists]] - A guide to oppositional etiquette: how to treat your antagonists well.
* [[Wikipage Tutorial]] - Here you will find instructions on how to make pages on this wiki.
* [[Wiki Templates]] - Character pages, cast pages, class pages and more.

[[Category:MUSH Commands]]
[[Category:Tutorials]]

Glossary

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This is a guide to unfamiliar terms that are used in Battle Fantasia’s [[Combat System|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 [[Reactions|reaction]] used to take the full effects of an [[attacks|attack]], usually to accept buffs and Cheers.
* '''[[Attacks|Attack]]''' - All non-reactions are technically attacks. Attacks have names, tiers, power levels, types, ranges and [[Attack Flags|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 Modes|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 [[Reactions|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.
* '''[[Attack Flags#Flags that buff|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 [[Attacks|attack]] slots. Character Points are initially defined by a character’s [[Ranks|Master Rank]] and gradually increase over time, and reaching a certain number of CPs is one prerequisite for [[Advancement|advancing]] in Master Rank.
* '''Cheer''' - A [[Attack Flags#Flags that affect Morale|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 [[Stats|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 Attacks|Combo Attack]]''' - An attack performed by multiple attackers simultaneously, but reacted to all at once by the defender(s).
* '''[[Stats|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 [[Stats|Stat]] not bought with Character Points.
* '''[[Counter]]''' - A [[Reactions|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 [[Attacks|attack]] used by the defender in the counter [[Reactions|reaction]] to represent their counterattack. Without the [[Attack Flags#Flags that alter certain Reactions|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 [[Attacks|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 [[Reactions|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 [[Attack Flags|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.
* '''[[Attack Flags#Flags that debuff|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 [[Reactions|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 Attacks|Finishing Attack]]''' - Also called Finishers. Finisher is the highest [[Attacks|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.
* '''[[Attack Flags|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 [[Ranks|Rank]]. Usagi Tsukino is a Henshin Form, and so is Sailor Moon. To Henshin or [[Transformations|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.
* '''[[Ranks#Henshin Rank|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 [[Attack Flags|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.)
* '''[[Knockouts|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.
* '''[[Ranks#Master Rank|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 [[Stats|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.
* '''[[Attack Flags#Flags that affect morale|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 Attacks|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.
* '''[[Attacks#Power Levels|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.
* '''[[Powers of Darkness|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 [[Attack Flags#Flags that affect Morale|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 [[Attack Flags#Flags that affect Morale|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]].
* '''[[Attacks#Attack Type and Range|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.
* '''[[Ranks|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 [[Base Modes|noncombatant rank]]s; 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.
* '''[[Reactions|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 [[Attacks|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 [[Reactions|react]] to before they take their next turn to attack. It is accessed by +queue.
* '''Reflex''' - The [[Stats|Stat]] that determines, along with [[Abilities]] and an [[Attack Flags|attack’s Flags]], the effectiveness of the Dodge [[Reactions|Reaction]]. It is bought by spending a given Henshin Form’s Character Points.
* '''Speed''' - An attribute of an [[Attacks|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 Flags|attack’s Flags]], the effectiveness of the Brace [[Reactions|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 Modes|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 [[Finishing Attacks|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 [[Attack Flags#Flags that affect Morale|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 [[Stats|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.
* '''[[Attacks#Attack Tiers|Tier]]''' - A permanent attribute of every attack. An attack’s Tier can be [[Free Attacks|Free]], Special, or [[Finishing Attacks|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.
* '''[[Attacks#Attack Type and Range|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 [[Stats|Stat]] that determines, along with [[Abilities]] and an [[Attack Flags|attack’s Flags]], the effectiveness of the Brace [[Reactions|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 Templates|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]]

[[Category:Combat System]]

Example: Character Application

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With permission from and gratitude to their authors, we present to you a selection of applications that made it straight through the application process without needing any revisions. They include examples who did their own stats and attacks, and examples of those who provided qualitative description instead, and in between, as well.

__TOC__

===Application - FC - Maron Kusakabe/Kaitou Jeanne - Kamikaze Kaitou Jeanne===

'''1. Nice to meet you!'''

''What is your name, age and e-mail address? We won't share this information with anyone, so please tell the truth. Additionally, if you do not have one yet, use this section to tell us what username you'd like on the wiki. We'll use that and your email address to make an account.

'''(Censored)''' I go by '''(Censored)''' online, so if you're gonna make a wiki account that would be a good name for it!

'''2. Haven't we seen you before?'''

''Please state some of the characters you've played at other games, if any. If you're currently playing any characters here, or dropping any, list them here as well. Remember, you're allowed a maximum of four Feature Characters at any time.

'''(Censored)'''

'''3. But what's your secret identity?'''

''If you're applying for a character who already has a +finger, just state their name here. Otherwise, or if you want to write your own +finger, please fill out the following information:

Name: Maron Kusakabe

Also Known As: Kaitou Jeanne

Gender: Female

Source: Kamikaze Kaitou Jeanne

Type: FC

Organization: Unaffiliated

School: Juuban Public School

Grade: 10 (1st year of high school, 16 years old)

Quote: "Strong and serious, matchless and marvelous, energetic and courageous!"

Profile: To most who know her, Maron is a cheerful ball of energy, a champion gymnast who doesn't appear to have a care in the world. But beneath that facade lies an incredibly lonely, insecure girl, barely able to hang on to the hope that one day her parents, who left her at a very young age, will come back for her. Though she has issues with confiding in others and has her bouts of child-like immaturity, she nonetheless faces life's responsibilities with an eternal smile. Which in her case includes a double life as the phantom thief magical girl Kaitou Jeanne, infamous for stealing works of art all over Tokyo. While she is actually a reincarnated soul blessed by God, guided by an angel-in-training by the name of Finn Fish, and her 'thefts' are in fact the result of sealing demons that were possessing the artworks, try explaining that to the police...

'''4. Do you remember the past?'''

''Tell us your character's history. Use as much detail as you think the character needs. If your character has super powers or magic, be sure to explain how they got them (and keep the Paths to Power in mind!). Remember, Battle Fantasia's world isn't exactly like your character's canon theme, so if the world setup has affected their past, be sure to factor this in. If your character is attending one of the schools, be sure to mention it here.

(As a starting note - while I have both seen the anime and read the manga, I'm going with the anime version for most things. Though elements from the manga may sneak in from time to time, such as in me having her already using a gymnastics ribbon in combat from the very beginning. Anyway, on with the history!)

Maron Kusakabe didn't have the easiest of childhoods. Not because she came from a poor family, far from it: both of her parents are architects with many successful projects around the world under their belt. However, she never had much in the way of a loving household. Since as far back as she can remember, her parents were always arguing, and finding excuses to travel abroad so they wouldn't have to see each other. And a child can't help but feel somehow responsible for their parents' woes. Knowing the fairy-tale-like story of how her parents met each other, it didn't seem like things could have been that bad right from the start. It must have started around when she was born. Overheard careless words even directly confirmed as much.

Even so, she endured. She always believed that one day things would improve. That as long as she had faith, as long as she did her best to not be a bother and showed that she was a good girl who could take care of herself, things would eventually get better.

They didn't. All that her attempts to not be a bother led to was getting more and more ignored by her parents. Eventually things got so bad that when she was barely 10 years old, her parents both went abroad at the same time, leaving her completely alone with only the vague promise that they would send a letter or give her a phone call to tell her when they would be coming home.

That was six years ago. Her parents never came back, and she never got the promised letter or phone call. And yet, the rent of her family's apartment continues to be paid, and the bank account she was given access to to cover all her expenses continues to have money deposited in it every month. Clearly her parents hadn't forgotten about her. But if they hadn't, why weren't they contacting her? Such thoughts, whenever they came up, were quickly surpressed. She just needed to keep believing, and everything would be alright in the end.

Thankfully, she's not been entirely alone all these years, or she may never have managed to keep up this - let's be honest - hopelessly unrealistic optimism. She owes the family of her childhood friend and neighbor Miyako a lot for looking out for her all these years, even though their happy family life also serves as a constant sad reminder of what she doesn't have. She's been a student and member of the rhythmic gymnastics club at Juuban from the earliest possible age along with Miyako and is generally well-liked there for her cheerful disposition, and appreciated for being one of the school's top talents in the field of gymnastics.

However, she always dreaded the moment when she would come back home, checking the mailbox and the answering machine for the message that never comes, and return back to an empty apartment. When night fell, and she was all alone in the darkness, all that could keep her going was repeating a phrase she adopted as her personal mantra, constantly reminding herself of what she should be like: "Strong and serious, matchless and marvelous, energetic and courageous."

And then, only a few weeks prior to present day, everything changed. Maron was visited by Finn Fish, an angel-in-training, informing her that she was actually the reincarnation of Jeanne D'Arc (or Joan of Arc, if you prefer), blessed by God and possessing the ability to seal demons without the risk of becoming possessed herself. A plot by the Devil was underway, to steal the beauty in human hearts by having demons possess people with beautiful hearts through inhabiting the objects of beauty that they so admire. If it's not stopped, God would die, and the entire world would be lost to the darkness. But no pressure!

Even with the reality of a tiny angel appearing in front of her, Maron didn't believe a word of it and was reluctant to accept, to put it mildly. But Finn's guilt-tripping eventually won out, especially once she mentioned that if her mission succeeds and the Devil's plan is stopped, she would surely be promoted to a full angel, gaining the ability to grant her any wish she desires. Finally presented with a concrete means to bring back her parents, no matter how unlikely, Maron grasped the chance with both hands. Whatever it took, she would do it.

It quickly became apparent after her first 'job' that sealing a demon while it's inhabiting a work of art causes the artwork to disappear, so to most people it looked like it had been stolen. Making this work for her, she adopted the identity of a Kaitou, or Phantom Thief, starting to announce her 'heists' by sending notice cards in advance. That way, the 'thefts' wouldn't be left unexplained, and she would be able to take all of the blame for it so as to not get anyone else into trouble for what she did.

And if she was being completely honest with herself, she'd have to admit that she really kind of enjoys the thrill of all this. Not only that, she made a new friend and confidante who supports her through thick and thin in Finn Fish. Having someone else to share the apartment with at all times makes it feel a whole lot less lonely already!

And yet, behind the scenes, all is going according to the Devil's designs. Jeanne's appearance was not unexpected, it was all part of the plan to at last decisively shatter the heart of God's chosen. It took much preparation, but the time is fast approaching to drive the final nail in the coffin...

'''5. Open your heart!''' ('''Staff note: this application was written before section 5a, specifically asking for information about relationships, was added to the application; however, Maron's app always included that necessary information directly in section 5. In an app today, we'd ask that they be separated for clarity.''')

''Describe your character's personality. Don't skimp; this is arguably the most important part of the application. What are their hopes and dreams? How do they view their mission, if they have one? What do they do for fun? How do they relate to their friends and enemies? What do they think of school, magic, current events and the world around them? Include as much as you think you need. Obviously some characters are going to have more complex personalities than others, but everyone has a little bit of depth.

Maron is very much seperated in the side of her personality she shows to the world, and what she doesn't show, wearing a constant mask of cheerfulness. It's not insincere so much as this is just the way she's chosen to deal with her problems - she does genuinely enjoy life at school, hanging out with her friends, basically any excuse to not have to be alone. That's when she tends to turn to more dark, depressing thoughts.

Due to her past experiences, and growing up mostly alone as a result, she's become slow to trust people completely. While she's willing to give just about anyone the benefit of the doubt, it would take a LOT to get her to actually confide her deeper feelings to anyone. She doesn't want to burden anyone else with her troubles, preferring to keep up that guise of a happy, cheerful girl around others. She hates to be a nuisance, and doesn't want to burden anyone with her weaknesses. And she hates being so weak too, which is why she constantly does her best not to be. She keeps telling herself that she is a strong girl and doesn't need anyone to protect her, which leads to her often reacting badly to attempts by others to actively shield her from adversity.

The truth of the matter is, the absence of her parents has made her an extremely lonely girl, barely able to contain the deep sadness she's held inside for so many years. Many things common to other people's childhoods are just missing from hers, having grown up without much in the way of supervision. Above all, it spawned a profound fear of loss and being left all alone. As much as she doesn't let even her best friends get too close, she wouldn't be able to cope if she didn't have any at all. She therefore greatly treasures her friends, and will do everything in her power to protect them.

While she doesn't actually understand the concept of love and the feelings behind it very well, she's extremely concerned with ensuring that those who have found it don't end up losing it. A couple, or worse, a family breaking up is the saddest thing in the world to her, and such smaller-scale personal matters are a much bigger motivation for her to act than the bigger picture of the fight between Good and Evil is. As an extension, she absolutely can't stand insincerity in matters of love, leading her to severely dislike the 'playboy' type of guy.

A good way to sum up her general attitude in these matters is 'emotionally self-sacrificial'. Keeping her own burdens to herself while going out of her way to make other people's lives better in whatever way she can. If she had to give up her own happiness to ensure another's, she'd do so in a heartbeat, even when she doesn't really know the other person at all. Actually sacrificing one's life, however, is where she draws the line. That's a notion she rejects about as much as killing others, whether it comes to herself or other people. One should always choose life in every situation, and focus on finding a better solution in which no lives are lost. As long as you live, things can always get better.

That they not only can but will get better is a thought she very strongly clings to: that if you believe in something strongly enough, it will one day come true. Holding on to the hope that she will one day receive the promised letter from her parents is what keeps her going. Even though it's been many, many years since that promise, and indeed since she had any contact at all with her parents, her belief that this letter will arrive one day has never wavered. If she were to ever lose that hope, she would be thoroughly devastated.

Still, she manages okay from day to day. Although she must take care of everything at home herself, she's been doing that since she was ten years old. This has led to the odd contradiction that in some ways she has a greater maturity level than you might expect from the average high school girl, and yet in many other respects, she has never really grown up due to the lack of parental supervision.

On the one hand, she handles her responsibilities at home and at school well enough. She keeps the house clean, does all of her own shopping, cooks dinner for herself when she has to (she eats at Miyako's house a lot too), her grades are good, and her performance at the gymnastics club is nothing short of outstanding. It only makes sense: when her parents come back, she wants them to be proud of her.

On the other hand, she doesn't have a whole lot of respect for authority. She loves her freedom and basically feels that rules are meant to be broken. She doesn't even see being on time for school as being particularly important, although she has Miyako to wake her up whenever she oversleeps, which is often due to staying up late a lot, even when she didn't have a job to do the previous night. She may just watch TV all night watching science fiction marathons until she falls over, it beats sitting alone in the dark.

To sum up, while perfectly capable of being serious and adhering to rules, she does so only when it suits her. Like where it comes to gymnastics, she always take that 100% seriously. She's extremely competative, enjoying challenges but hating to lose them, so she makes sure she's in tip-top shape for every competition that comes along.

Where it comes to the world beyond her own little slice of it, it never really interested her all that much beyond the occasional fantasy of what it would be like to actually... go places. She isn't planning on actually doing that: she needs to be there when her parents return. Most of her free time, she simply spends at home.

This used to make her feel a lot more lonely than it does now, because now she has Finn Fish living with her! She can be a bit of a nag, always focusing on the jobs she needs to do as Jeanne over everything else, and has the annoying habit of sending out arrival notices for Jeanne's planned crimes without first discussing it with Maron... but other than that duty focus, it's nice to have someone to talk to. And talk to Finn she does. It took basically no time for her to confide all of those hidden feelings and pent-up emotions to the little angel-in-training. It began as thinking she was only talking to a figment of her imagination, especially considering no one but her could see this alleged angel, but in a few short weeks, she's already come to treasure Finn as a friend and confidante.

Even moreso than her poor childhood friend Miyako. Maron feels pretty bad about never telling the one who's supposed to be her best friend about her true feelings like that, though to be fair, words may not be needed so much between those two girls, they tend to understand one another implicitly. In a twist of fate, Miyako happens to be the daughter of a police detective, and very enthusiastic about one day joining the force herself, leading her to become obsessed with capturing Kaitou Jeanne.

And yet, Maron doesn't hate being Kaitou Jeanne, not really. It's extra work on top of everything she already has to do, that part of it is a huge pain, but the jobs themselves... she would have never dreamed she'd ever get to do something that /exciting/. It's all one big game to her, eluding the police and 'stealing' the artwork inhabiting the demon of the week, a game which, like all games, she plays to win with everything she has. Which is a lot in Jeanne's case.

So Finn is totally right in accusing Maron of not taking it seriously enough. Truthfully, she barely even believes in all that talk about God and the Devil, and her being Jeanne's reincarnation, no matter all the evidence right in front of her. But even though it may not always be without protest, she will still do every job given to her, and she won't fail. Not when people and their families are suffering as a result of what the demons are doing to them.

And because should she fail, a very bleak picture has been painted to her. A world without light, where all of what's left of humanity has been possessed by demons, leaving her as the only one incapable of becoming possessed. Then she'd truly be alone, forever. Her worst nightmare.

She'll use all her power to stop that future from becoming a reality, no matter what.

'''6. Fight for your friends! Fight for your school?'''

''Are you apping your character into an organization or planning on having them join one? If so, explain why your character is working for that organization. Also, whether they are in one or not, how do they feel about the different organizations? It's okay to say if they don't know much about the organizations, especially if they are unaffiliated. If they attend school, how do they feel about their own school, and do they have views on the others?''

At game opening Maron is going to be still pretty new to this Magical Girl thing and unaware of just how deep the rabbit hole goes, which combined with her trust issues is probably going to leave her Unaffiliated for at least a while as she figures things out. Probably. I don't have any plans that are 100 percent set in stone, and one never knows how RP goes, after all. But I can speculate!

There is a possibility that at some point she might end up joining the Tuner Organization, as there's a lot of benefits involved that could make it an easy sell to a solo Magical Girl lacking in support. Especially if she ends up befriending other people involved with it. As long as she doesn't feel like her freedom's too constrained and they're not doing anything irreconcilably objectionable, she'd get along fine with a mercenary way of doing things. But this could change at any time - she'd be one of the more likely people to go 'I quit' and storm off in an emotional outburst. The expression 'flighty thief' was pretty much invented for her.

She's unlikely to ever really get along with the Magic Association as a whole. Too stuffy, too many rules, and they'd probably get nervous about the Magical Girl thief stealing their precious artifacts.

Dark Fall is the obvious enemy, not much to say about that. Less seen as an organization and more on an individual basis as threats emerge probably, it's just where the most blatantly evil people are coming from. She'll likely be as much as a target to them as they are targets to her. It's as basic Good vs. Evil as you can get here.

Ends of the World tends to be more subtle in their workings, likely far too subtle for someone like Maron to easily notice what they're doing or even learning of their existence for quite a while. Would be a terrible shame if anyone were to take advantage of that.

As for school, Maron likes school, really. Except for needing to get up so early for it. And it taking up so much of her time. And classes requiring her to sit still for so long. But other than that, it's great! At the very least she appreciates the relative normalcy of her school life. If that was weird and/or complex in addition to what she's gotten herself roped into as Jeanne it would all get to be just too much.

Although fairly neutral to the other schools and their students in so far they aren't being jerks, she definitely looks forward to showing them what she can do in the field of gymnastics! And given her new... side job, she can't help but be a little more professionally intrigued by Ohtori especially. It's where rich people go, which makes it a likely place for enthusiasts of fine arts to congregate, which means a lot of potential targets. If any of them should start to behave strangely... it's worth keeping an eye on.

'''7. Show us your true power!'''

''Describe your character's combat and non-combat powers here. Are they fierce fighters, careful combat analysts or idol singers? What is their transformation like? What is the origin of their powers -- their Path(s) to Power, which must include some sort of Artifact? Please list ways that their powers might be taken away from them, and ways that they might someday be enhanced. Even if your character doesn't use any magic or supernatural power whatsoever, tell us about any capabilities they have, physical or otherwise.

Maron herself doesn't outwardly display anything supernatural about her. She's in good physical condition and pretty amazingly agile due to her considerable gymnastics prowess, someone to be competatively reckoned with in that regard. But that's just due to talent and frequent training from a very young age, nothing supernatural about it.

What IS supernatural is what's on the inside. Those sensitive to such things will probably be able to sense that her existence is literally blessed by the holiest of holy forces, which simultaneously makes her heart and soul a big prize to demons of all kinds as well as rendering them incapable of easily getting at them. Many of the more conventional methods of stealing such things just aren't going to work on her. At least, not without working at it. Her magical resistance is only as strong as her faith, so to weaken it, that's what will need to be shaken. If she's emotionally distraught, her resistance will be weakened. Break her resolve entirely, and there's nothing to stop you.

Moreover, her faith at present is not all that strong in general. She's not even really buying into all this stuff that Finn's told her, even with the transforming and other obvious evidence. With time, as her faith increases, so can her magical resistance and other powers, ultimately gaining things like a new transformation artifact, a potent active magical barrier and the ability to manifest a holy blade, but that's talking faaaar into the future.

For Paths to Power, Maron has all three: a Legacy in being the reincarnation of Jeanne D'Arc, a Contract with Finn Fish, and she has no less than two Artifacts. First is the Petit Claire, a hand-held orb that beeps and flashes when it detects the presence of demons nearby (as Jeanne, she can detect demons simply by concentrating), acts as a communicator with Finn Fish over long distances, and while she's transformed, projects various magical tools as needed. To activate said transformation, she requires a different artifact: a magical rosary. For this to work, each time it must first be charged with holy energy by Finn, insuring that she won't be able to transform without the chibi-angel's consent. The transformation itself appears as pink flames surrounding her body and forming into wings, briefly appearing as a vaguely angelic figure before dissipating, revealing the transformed Jeanne little by little.

Jeanne fights in a very calculated way, using her superior speed and reflexes to maximum advantage. Ideally, she will always be in motion, letting opponents tire themselves out, focusing on avoiding their attacks and retaliating with quick pin-point counterstrikes. Even more ideally, she'll keep from getting into direct combat to begin with. She's an escape artist first and foremost - her main priority when a fight breaks out is to keep the advantage hers in whatever way she can and always leave open a way to make a quick getaway. Even if she can't manage to achieve what she set out to do, she'll always have another chance as long as she lives to thieve another day.

To aid her in this, she has many different tools available to her. Most commonly used are the versatile Rebound Ball, a ball that can change size and shape as needed and can be attached to her arm via a wire that stretches pretty much as long as it needs to, and a ribbon not unlike those used in rhythmic gymnastics that can be used for many a fancy trick. But she has many, many other tools, some magical in nature, some that she MacGyvers together herself. I can't even begin to quantify exactly how many there are - it's basically her Thing that she'll pull out some crazy new tool or another during a heist that happens to do exactly what she needs at the time. Anything from smoke bombs, to fireworks bombs, to just plain bombs, typical thieves' tools such as metal pellets to crack glass, straw and/or balloon dummies, she's even been known to don disguises so accurate that she's indistinguishable from the real person! I can only hope you'll trust me at my word that I won't use this to 'game the system' or anything like that, but I do fully intend to make things interesting and hopefully amusing!

Really the main point here is that as a master thief, it should be expected that she'll have /some/ kind of answer to most things that get in her way. Most mundane things, anyway. With so much magic from so many sources thrown into the mix, she may well end up surprised a lot more often than she would like. You can't really plan for people having the ability to stop time or anything like that.

Finn Fish may aid her from time to time, but that tends to come only in the form of informing Jeanne of what lies in wait (aided by being able to fly and being invisible to most people, ideal for scouting) and acting as a distraction by triggering Jeanne's decoys for her. There's not a whole lot she can contribute in actual combat: she does have some measure of holy powers, but in her current form, they're unlikely to do much but tickle even minor demons.

'''7a. ...And your strength?'''

''This is where you'll build your stats, or suggest changes if you're apping a character that already has stats. If you would like the staff to build your stats for you, simply suggest which stats are most important to your character. If you are building your own stats, please refer to the our detailed Chargen instructions, and fill out the following template:

I'm one of those freaky people who actually enjoys fiddling with numbers and creating stat builds, so that's what I'm gonna do here! Of course I'll still be counting on staff for their judgement concerning to what degree this works, so I'll be sure to explain what I'm trying to go for at every turn for consideration when y'all tweak things. So, here we go!

Starting Master Rank: C. Pretty much the typical just-starting-out Magical Girl here.

Master Traits: Improvisationalist, Flash, and Parry. She has a /lot/ of tools to use, many of which she makes herself, and being able to improvise well when things don't go as planned is a hallmark of any successful thief. She quickly gains confidence and gets more 'into it' whenever she succeeds at escaping attempts to capture or inflict harm upon her, hence the morale bonuses for both avoiding and parrying attacks.

Antagonist: Nnnnot really. As a thieving Magical Girl, I do intend for her to fill a somewhat antagonistic role especially at first, but this is moreso born of circumstances and misunderstanding. It's not like there's any evil that needs to be redeemed here - she means well to begin with.

Then, for each transformation:

Henshin Name: Kaitou Jeanne

Henshin Rank: C

Might: 33

Reflex: 57

Vitality: 30

Spirit: 35

Henshin Traits: Advanced Dodge, Fade, Hollow Body

Extra Attacks: 1

Total Character Points Spent: M (33) + R (57) + V (30) + S (35) + Abilities (20) + Extra Special Slot (5) = 180

Composure: 3. Generally speaking, as Kaitou Jeanne she's perfectly capable of keeping her eye on the prize and proceeding as you'd expect a professional thief/magical girl to, though not without emotion - she very much enjoys the thrill of what she does. But a lot depends on her being able to keep her emotions in check. This is no problem for her most of the time - she's had a lot of practice in that area over the years. But the right/wrong kinds of words can have a serious impact on her, probably more than any kind of attacks could. So, not exactly uncomposed, but her performance does highly depend on her emotional state. I think that would put her somewhere around a 3, but feel free to adjust if you feel this description better matches another value.

Notes: I think this rather speaks for itself. While obviously 'better' than most normal people would be in all areas, she's not particularly outstanding among Magical Girls except for where it comes to speed and agility. This is exactly the point: it's what a master thief must excel at if they're going to be able to do their job against all odds. Advanced Dodge further cements her untouchability when she puts her mind to it, with Fade for a literal rush of energy whenever she pulls off another miraculous escape. Finally, Hollow Body represents being able to 'roll with the punches' rather well, as long as she sees the attack coming; when she does take a solid hit however, she'll be feeling it. She's purposely not built for straight-up damage dealing: head-to-head fighting is just not what she does if she can at all help it. Spirit is just 'okay' at the starting point, but there's likely to be a lot of growth in that area over time.

Henshin Name: Maron Kusakabe

Henshin Rank: E

Might: 13

Reflex: 25

Vitality: 17

Spirit: 25

Henshin Traits: None

Extra Attacks: None

Total Character Points Spent: 13 + 25 + 17 + 25 = 80

Composure: 1. Yeah, this is pretty much a measure of extremes. When not playing the part of Kaitou Jeanne, in day-to-day life she's faking emotions basically 24-7. Kind words mean the world to her, and unkind ones can wound her deeply. She really only gets the 1 point because she's had so much practice at least /faking/ composure so much.

Notes: I fully realize that there's two fairly exceptional stats in here, for humans anyway. This is for a reason, which I've explained in earlier questions. Maron is an amazing gymnast capable of some serious acrobatics, granting the incredible reflexes you would expect from someone who's been doing it since they were a very young child. As for Spirit, this represents the passive holy power that always surrounds her, shielding her heart from evil. Most can't detect it, but to some she may just stand out like a sore thumb because of it, so I wanted to represent it as another outstanding trait. Not that I actually intend to have Maron herself regularly involved in coded battles to begin with, but hey. Of course, I fully understand if this is not okay and I'm fine with it being reworked as you see fit.

'''7b. ...And you use Saint Rainbow Lily Lipliner?!'''

''Name your attacks in each Henshin Form here, with a bit of description. Remember, attacks can also include buffs, cheers and taunts; the power of emotion is every bit as potent as that of a magical blast. If you would like to build your own attacks in Combat System, please refer to Attacks, then fill out the following form for each attack:

These are all for the Kaitou Jeanne form obviously, as it's the only one with specials. These have a high debuff focus in general, as she's always trying to take her opponents off-balance in whatever way possible, with a few Psychs thrown in to further represent her being quick to get more into things whenever she's doing particularly well.

Name: Rebound Ball

Tier: Special

PL: 1

Type: Physical

Range: Ranged

Flags: Accurate, Stagger, Psych, Rush3

Total points: PL (1) + Accurate (2) + Stagger (1.5) + Psych (2), + Rush3 (1.5) = 8

Notes: A staple in Jeanne's arsenal, the Rebound Ball is commonly used to help her get around more easily, using it to swing around or get to higher ground. But it can and is also used to attack, in many possible ways. Most commonly by swinging it around by its wire and smacking people in the face with the ball, but sometimes the ball alone is used as the weapon. Or multiple balls, as she can always create more of them. Either way, she does this with remarkable speed and accuracy, aiming to knock opponents off-balance.

Name: Ribbon Whiplash

Tier: Special

PL: 2

Type: Physical

Range: Ranged

Flags: Defense Breaking, Tangle, Psych, Charge1

Total points: PL (2) + Defense Breaking (2) + Tangle (1.5) + Psych (2), + Charge1 (0.5) = 8

Notes: Her second staple weapon, the gymnastics ribbon she uses mostly when combat has truly gotten serious comes into play when power is more important than speed. It may look like a perfectly ordinary ribbon, but in Jeanne's hands it can knock people silly, hold them in place, or even slice other things to ribbons.

Name: Smoke Bomb

Tier: Special

PL: 0

Type: Physical

Range: Ranged

Flags: Blind, Cripple, Area

Total points: PL (0) + Blind (2) + Cripple (2) + Area (4) = 8

Notes: When you really, really need to get away, there's nothing like the good old-fashioned smoke bomb. It's a classic. Jeanne's smoke bombs are effective enough to leave several people blinded and coughing until the smoke clears, by which point she'll hopefully be long gone.

Name: Miraculous Reversal

Tier: Special

PL: 1

Type: Physical

Range: Melee

Flags: Bind Break, Rush1, Efficient1

Total points: PL (1) + Bind Break (6) + Rush1 (0.5) + Efficient1 (0.5) = 8

Notes: This one's hard to describe exactly - it's made to represent Kaitou Jeanne's considerable talent in escaping from a jam. No matter what kind of traps or tricks people employ in an attempt to capture her, she'll probably find some way to escape from it and turn the tables. Physically, psychologically, whatever's needed to deal with the situation at hand. Needlessly to say this can be many things depending on the situation, but the basics stay the same: freeing herself from whatever bind she happens to be in. The fatigue damage may be actual damage from the result of her actions to do this, or just pure dismay at watching her manage to escape yet another elaborate trap.

Name: Checkmate!

Tier: Finisher

PL: 6

Type: Magical

Range: Ranged

Flags: Banish, Defense Breaking, Rush1

Total points: PL (6) + Banish (3) + Penetrating (2) + Rush1 (0.5) = 11.5

Notes: This is Kaitou Jeanne's standard finisher, normally used when sealing demons who are possessing works of art. A deceptively simple attack, it consists of Jeanne conjuring a magical pushpin and throwing it at the target. It's not very flashy, but that's part of the point. The attack doesn't show its true colors until an evil presence gets a pushpin stuck in it, at which point it will be subjected to a massive cascade of pure divine energy. Minor demons will get sealed outright, transforming into a chess piece to be collected by Jeanne, but bigger baddies will probably not find it very comfortable experience either. The slightest contact with the tip of a pushpin is enough to trigger the full force of the discharge, so it's a far better idea to try knocking it away with something mid-flight or avoiding it than it is to try blocking it. This doesn't do anything special against the non-evil though - it just acts like a normal pushpin would.

Name: In The Name Of God!

Tier: Finisher

PL: 7

Type: Magical

Range: Melee

Flags: Purify, Charge3, Efficient2

Total points: PL (7) + Purify (2) + Charge3 (1.5) + Efficient2 (1) = 11.5

Notes: This is honestly kind of an improvised one, as Jeanne only has one finisher to start with in canon. It's moreso based on the way she seals demons later on in the series, using her ribbon. Rather than a sealing technique however, this attack 'merely' infuses her ribbon with holy energy, allowing for a single strike of extreme power, releasing all the energy from the tip in an explosion of holy force. This can harm anyone, but those with evil hearts that much more. It is however slow and pretty obviously telegraphed, since it would involve Dramatics. It's very much a desperation move, activated by directly (and possibly unwittingly) channelling the evil-slaying powers of her previous incarnation. I don't expect to use this one much, it's really more of a plot thing than something to be casually thrown around. And quite possibly something to feel terrible about later, if she ends up seriously hurting someone she didn't mean to. Why yes, I do enjoy my background drama, pretty much have to with this series!

'''8. Are things different now?'''

''If your character is from a preexisting theme that hasn't been integrated yet, describe the integration here. Some themes won't need very many changes at all in order to fit in; others will need heavier alteration. If your theme is already integrated, but you want to specify something about your character, you can do that here, too.

''Likewise, if there's anything we need to know about an original theme that isn't covered in the history section, this is the place to let us know.

''If your theme does not yet have its single paragraph of introduction and explanation in the Theme Primer, please fill out the template below and we'll add it for the world to see, so that people unfamiliar with your theme will have a reference!

''The intent of Theme Primers is to sufficiently inform people who who know nothing about your theme such that they can think about it deeply enough to try to incorporate things important to you into their RP and plots (with your permission).

''Share as much as you want to! Spoilers are often at least downplayed in FC theme integration, but if you want to just get real and lay it out, that makes it that much easier for people to integrate with it, either with additional applications (with your permission) or plots (with your permission).

''The opportunity cost of that, of course, is shocking the public with the big twists (which you will presumably provide for the staff, elsewhere in the application, if there are any pre-planned ones).

There's certainly one very important note to make here regarding relating themes. Jeanne D'Arc was a Puella Magi in the PMMM canon. That's when Kyubey learned that while delicious, Destined Spirits are not so easy to claim. Maron is thus 'the one who got away', though how much better off she is now, her life literally made miserable by the Devil and once again having a wish dangled in front of her, is questionable. I fully support Kyubey being a sore loser about it if that can ever be brought into play, and Maron will probably have an inexplicable bad feeling of deja vu if she ever encounters him/her/it.

But that was just her last of many incarnations. She has a reincarnation cycle, which in canon goes right back to freaking /Eve/. For here, I'm going to keep that nebulous since it's not like it matters, but what does matter is what that implies for where she's been. Or rather /when/ she's been. The cycle happens once every 500-600 years or so, so there have been a LOT of versions of her around. Each time she was reborn, it was as a force of good that opposed evil, in some form or another.

This is kind of hard to lay out the details of, and I don't presume to even try establishing who all she'd been before Jeanne. Since Maron can't remember a thing about any of her previous lives anyway, this is mainly just saying that you have free reign to decide that there was an incarnation of her around for events long past. Allowing for things like an ancient evil that appeared to possibly identify her and be Not Amused. So feel free to pass me hooks related to this whenever you feel like it, or I might be knocking on your door for one when I see a possibility, because I do love me some hooks!

At the very least, if it's acceptable, I'd like to establish that there was an incarnation around as far back as the Silver Millennium. Assuming that's okay, if you actually have an identity that you feel would be a good fit for that particular time period, please do let me know! If not, feel free to make that call at any time.

A final note about what demonic possession actually does in this theme: it causes a person's virtuous principles to become reversed, thus the people with the most beautiful hearts become the most callous kinds of individuals. Caring people suddenly hate everything and everyone. Generous people become super greedy. Those who would normally not hurt a fly become incredibly violent. And they will all fiercely protect the artwork that the demon itself is hiding in, aided by supernatural abilities according to the strength of the demon. Most commonly this means gaining superhuman strength, agility and/or telekinetic abilities. While it's thought that long-term possession eventually leads to a person's death, in truth this is how powerful major demons are born, through the permanent fusion of a minor demon and a human.

And lastly, here's the theme primer!

Theme Name: Kamikaze Kaitou Jeanne

Theme Info: Since time immemorial, primeval forces of light and darkness that some refer to as 'God' and 'Devil' have been locked in an eternal stalemate. However, in recent times, the light has become severely weakened, giving the darkness a unique opportunity for a decisive victory. By possessing objects of beauty, demons are capable of possessing the humans that admire them, and steal the beauty of their hearts, the source of God's power. Servants of both light and darkness are scrambling to locate destined souls immune to demonic possession capable of sealing these demons, to enlist their aid or remove them from the equation by any means necessary. If champions of God seal the demons, the light will regain strength, but if champions of the Devil do so, the darkness will consume the demon, taking all of its syphoned power in the process. The first of these champions, claiming to be the reincarnation of Jeanne D'Arc (Joan of Arc), has become known as the phantom thief Kaitou Jeanne, as her actions to seal demons cause the artwork to disappear. But she may not be the only Kaitou out there...

Theme Organizational Connections: Thieves are free spirits, they go where they like! Demons come from Dark Fall, though where there's a spiritual chess match for the fate of the world going on, machinations by Ends of the World are almost certainly involved somehow.

Example Theme Paths to Power: Artifact (Religious symbolism), Legacy (Reincarnations of historical figures that are now phantom thieves for some reason), Contract (With an Angel, possibly a Demon if you're on the opposite side)

'''9. Origin Story GMing Round Robin'''

I think I will decline participating in this. I appreciate what you're trying to do with it, but my time tends to be fairly limited (plus being in the European timezone sucks), so I'd rather focus on just playing my character. Maybe later, we'll see!

===Application - FC - Ami Mizuno/Sailor Mercury - Bishoujo Senshi Sailor Moon===

'''1. Nice to meet you!'''

''What is your name, age and e-mail address? We won't share this information with anyone, so please tell the truth. Additionally, if you do not have one yet, use this section to tell us what username you'd like on the wiki. We'll use that and your email address to make an account.

'''(Censored)'''

'''2. Haven't we seen you before?'''

''Please state some of the characters you've played at other games, if any. If you're currently playing any characters here, or dropping any, list them here as well. Remember, you're allowed a maximum of four Feature Characters at any time.

'''(Censored)'''

I would like the username '''(Censored)''' on the wiki.

'''3. But what's your secret identity?'''

''If you're applying for a character who already has a +finger, just state their name here. Otherwise, or if you want to write your own +finger, please fill out the following information:

''Name: Your character's "civilian" name. On BF, we use the Western order of 'given name' 'surname', so it's Usagi Tsukino, not Tsukino Usagi.

''Also Known As: If your character has a powered alias -- Sailor Moon, Wedding Peach, etc -- state it here. You can also use an alternate title (i.e. Rose Bride) or even something just for fun.

''Gender: Male, Female, Plural or Neuter.

''Source: State the name of your character's source theme here. Original characters should either list a theme they are related to or the name of their original theme. If it is an original theme, make sure to describe it in section 8.

''Type: Is your character a Feature Character or an Original Character?

''Organization: If you're apping a character into an Organization, state it here. If not, state Unaffiliated. For more information, please see: Organizations

''School: Juuban Public School, Infinity Institute, or Ohtori Academy. If your character doesn't attend (or work at a) school, say "None." For more information, please see: Schools

''Grade: Your character's grade in school. If your character doesn't attend school, say "None." If your character works at a school as a teacher or staff member, say "S." If they're a university student, say "U." (For an age-to-grade guide, please see: japanese grades on wikipedia. The elementary/junior high/high school breakdown, in American terms, is K-6, 7-9, and 10-12. BF is starting in the second half of a school year, so barring exceptional birthdays, 14-year-olds are usually in what would be American 8th grade, equivalent to the 2nd year of junior high school in Japan.)

''Quote: A transformation or attack phrase, spell incantation, or a characteristic pre-fight speech. If your character doesn't have anything like that, you can use a regular quote instead.

''Profile: Tell us a short, one paragraph summary of the character. Nothing too complex; a summary of their background, personality, and goals that will give other players a general overview of your character. Check out the profiles of pre-existing characters for some examples!

Ami Mizuno

'''4. Do you remember the past?'''

''Tell us your character's history. Use as much detail as you think the character needs. If your character has super powers or magic, be sure to explain how they got them (and keep the Paths to Power in mind!). Remember, Battle Fantasia's world isn't exactly like your character's canon theme, so if the world setup has affected their past, be sure to factor this in. If your character is attending one of the schools, be sure to mention it here.

Ami Mizuno has always been alone; fate conspires, it would seem, to keep her that way. Her parents broke ties with one another early in Ami's life, at a time when Japan's already-low divorce rate was at a relative nadir. While a few years of their lives were spent at least vaguely together, as soon as Ami could look after herself -- so, five or so -- she started seeing less and less of her mother, to the point that they would communicate almost exclusively by whiteboard.

That's not to say the notes weren't loving, of course. The two clearly loved each other -- in Ami's childhood, the notes they left one another were almost saccharine. Ami quickly mastered the art of cooking (in no small part out of necessity), and would leave notes pointing to the baked goods sitting on the table. It wasn't what you would call a typical mother-daughter relationship, but it was a loving one.

When school really started in earnest, this didn't change in the least. Instead of finding some degree of togetherness with her peers, Ami found herself isolated from them. In part, this was due to her own shyness; having failed to develop the skills necessary to interact with her peers, her natural response was to withdraw a little -- a response which never really stopped.

In part, though, it was due to her considerable intellect. Taking after her parents in both the sciences and the arts, Ami proved herself a veritable genius in school, blowing past her peers... which, in practice, meant that she was a little intimidating. One way or another, she developed a reputation as a bit of a snob -- not talking to people yet standing out due to her intellect...

The notes became a little shorter -- no less loving, but as school became more of a focus of Ami's life, it was natural that her mother's busy work schedule would spin back up to its normal extremely busy state, and in turn that the notes became a little more on the functional side. Mentions of grades. Encouragement to keep at it. Encouragement to think about the day she'd be a doctor too. This became the new dynamic -- from both sides, mind.

Alone during the day, alone at night, Ami rapidly turned her attention toward her strengths -- her brains. As both a natural genius and a hard worker, Ami rapidly blossomed into quite the academic... right around the time that she started having the option to take mock exams. Perhaps it was the opportunity to have something her mother could praise her for -- not just good marks, but /achievements/. Perhaps it was the opportunity to be viewed positively for the only good trait she (perceived that she) had. Perhaps it was just a natural competitive streak.

But by God, she threw her heart into it with a force the likes of which is rarely seen. She was always at the top of the charts, knocking out perfect score after perfect score -- which, for a child who rarely sees positive interpersonal reinforcement, is heartening. A number will always tell you exactly how well you did, after all. The subject didn't matter, either -- she could pick anything up fast enough if it was going to be tested. The library became a second home... albeit one just as isolated as the first, one with sometimes-literal walls of books blocking her off from others.

The Mizuno home, by junior high, was very empty indeed -- a mother always working with patients or presenting at conferences, and a daughter absorbed in exam after exam... The whiteboard notes became more functional and less overtly loving from both sides. Reports of success. The occasional encouragement -- but now with more of an eye to the next big accomplishment.

The absurd thing was that by this point Ami saw about as much of her distinctly absentee father as she did her mother. He would make the occasional stop by the local community center -- an event that Ami would never miss, even though there was the tiniest part of her that resented the fact that he'd left her, left them -- left her to practically raise herself.

Just as with her mother, though, the love was not diminished too much by absence; he taught her to play chess. He taught her the joys of the arts. He taught her how to swim, too -- a skill she took to with incredible passion. None of this blunted her academic talent, either -- even as her interests diversified, she kept knocking out exam after exam, like a champion boxer with a glove made of brainmeats and numbers.

By her last year of junior high, Ami's natural academic strength made her a surprisingly hot target for academic organizations -- cram schools and study sessions -- to court, to improve their own reputations. One such organization, by the name of Crystal Seminar -- reached out to her with a scholarship opportunity. She was already attending cram school nonstop by this point, so, well, why not attend the most expensive cram school for free?

That, of course, is where our story begins in earnest.

Ami found, increasingly, that as she studied at Crystal Seminar, her ability to study actually diminished. She felt tired. She couldn't quite make the lessons on the cram school's proprietary disc mesh with what she was writing down in her notes. She could see it in the other students, too -- though they seemed to be having a much worse time of it.

The explanation came, of course, when a nurse burst into the room and insisted, loudly, that everyone stop studying. At first, she resisted -- she may have even snapped a little bit at the nurse, or at least such is how she remembers it. (She didn't, at least not in any objective sense. She may have raised her voice very faintly. To her, this feels like snapping.) The teacher, however, took a little more exception -- the kind of exception that involves turning into a murderous monster -- and grabbed Ami.

In that moment, Sailor Mercury was born -- and it wasn't when she threw her ridiculous pen into the air and shouted her transformation sequence, either.

"I'm not a slacker! Learning is something you have to want to do -- you can't force it upon someone! I can't take this anymore -- !!"

Ami's sense of justice awakened in that moment, and even if she hadn't become a pretty guardian, she would have found something to do with it. The youma was banished, of course, and from that moment, Ami Mizuno was a soldier for justice.

'''5. Open your heart!'''

''Describe your character's personality. Don't skimp; this is arguably the most important part of the application. What are their hopes and dreams? How do they view their mission, if they have one? What do they do for fun? How do they relate to their friends and enemies? What do they think of school, magic, current events and the world around them? Include as much as you think you need. Obviously some characters are going to have more complex personalities than others, but everyone has a little bit of depth.

Ami is shy. Ami is /really/ shy. She has some serious problems talking to people, to the point where she doesn't even try; people assume her to be arrogant because she doesn't even engage a lot of the time. Rather than having the sort of shyness where she trips over her words, she just doesn't bother trying sometimes, because this is really not her purview.

Now that she's started to have some friends, she's starting to come out of her shell, but her natural inclination is not to seek others out. The biggest change that has been effected in her so far is that she won't retreat if someone else starts talking /to her/.

Ami's dream is to be a doctor, or so she says; the truth is a little more complex than that, equal parts a genuine desire and a feeling of intense, intractable pressure from her mother, who wants nothing more than to see Ami succeed. At heart, she really does want to do so -- but it's a somewhat innavigable set of feelings, right now.

Being a doctor would be fantastic for her -- it'd let her do what she wants to do most, which is help others and use her brains for something worthwhile... but there's always that feeling, at least for now, that she might just be trying to make her mother happy, and what she really wants is something she doesn't even know exists yet.

Ami is also quite passionate about the need of people to choose their own paths -- somewhat at odds with her own personal feelings and somewhat uncertain pursuit of her own dreams... but then, that's the thing with being a person, isn't it? There are few things that seem quite as abhorrent to her as forcing someone to make a choice they don't want to make.

Likewise -- Ami works hard, and as a result, she also values recognition for that work. It's something that is occasionally at odds with her magical girl duties; she recognizes that, while many of the things the senshi in particular do will see some degree of attention, the true depth of their activities will probably never see the light of day. It's sort of a sobering thought -- of course, being recognized isn't so important to her that she'd ever /not/ magical girl it up, but it is sometimes a little sad.

... and there very much is that streak of needing to excel in the things she does -- and needing to have that be seen by everyone -- in Ami. After all -- why else would you just go all in on mock exams, over and over and over? She needs that feeling of achievement -- that feeling of having something to show for all her efforts.

She's quite competitive about it, too; when she's placed across from someone else in direct competition, she feels the need to do her absolute best... though it gets a little more complicated when it's strictly personal, rather than academic in nature. The question of winning versus saving someone's feelings gets a little harder to navigate and complicated at that point; Ami likes to win, but she doesn't like to see other people lose, either. She is humble in victory and supportive even in defeat, and tries to draw as little attention to it as possible if she lets someone else win a little bit.

Ami loves school to an extent that might almost be unhealthy. She feels most comfortable at a desk, taking an exam; pretty much anything else is, to some degree or another, a little less on the pleasurable side. School is familiar and regular and steady and good. It's something she's good at, even if she isn't /quite/ sure what to do with the fact that she's a ridiculous genius.

Magic is a surprisingly simple concept for someone like Ami; she doesn't have the reflexive rejection of it that some other more sciency types might -- for her, this is just sort of a natural extension of the universe as it is. She has a pretty natural facility for combining the paradigms; her approach to magic is very methodical and straightforward.

Like most magical girls, Ami keeps her magical identity separate from her mundane one, insofar as she can. The idea of someone else being harmed on her account is extremely uncomfortable, so maintaining this divide is very important to her approach to, well, magical girling; as flimsy a disguise as a senshi's sailor suit is, it's essential. For her conscience, if nothing else.

5a. The heart speaks!

''Describe in depth the relationships your character has with various important individuals in their life. For Feature Characters, we want to explore your understanding of canon relationships, with the understanding that once a character is approved, their subsequent roleplay can change these profoundly. On Battle Fantasia, not everyone may even have met yet, but we still want to know how they're likely to feel given canon. For all characters, we want to know who's really important in your life, and how you feel about them, because magical girl stories are very much about relationships.

Ami's feelings about her friends might best be termed, on the whole, loyalty -- particularly to Usagi, as one of the first people to show an interest in her rather than just assuming her to be a snob -- and for her own sake, no less, rather than strictly as a potential study partner. While not quite at the stage of unbreakability yet, Ami's feelings toward Usagi are exceptionally strong. It's not some sort of ridiculous friendleader worship, granted; Ami is occasionally embarrassed by Usagi's outbursts and the extent to which she just sort of loves everybody she sees, a feeling she shares with certain tiny cats on occasion, but this is more in the realm of 'something goofy about a friend' than 'something that actually bothers her.'

... though there /are/ circumstances where those feelings are strained a little, which brings us right to our next topic: Rei. For the most part, Ami likes Rei... but her tendency to quarrel with Usagi makes her a little uncomfortable. Ami hates watching people fight, even if they don't really mean anything by it; she has a hard time feeling at ease when there's conflict between her friends, in particular. There's also a certain kinship there, with the distance at which their parents place them, even if the reasons and reactions differ.

Makoto and Ami -- perhaps to the considerable surprise of everyone else -- tend to get along really well. The two of them complement each other -- where Ami tends to get bogged down in particulars and have a little difficulty taking decisive action, Makoto just acts; the inverse is also true -- when Makoto wants to move prematurely, Ami can usually talk her down. Ami also finds Makoto's physicality and gracefulness impressive, and finds her relatively easy to talk to among the senshi; indeed, Makoto is the only person Ami is comfortable pulling into things rather than vice versa, if only because it's so rare to see her uncomfortable doing things.

Minako and Ami, having much less in common /and/ not going to the same school, are not quite as naturally close as Ami is with the rest of the team. As a result, while Ami still likes and respects Minako, and can occasionally be a little starstruck by Sailor V's notoriety, the relationship isn't /quite/ as close as with the other girls.

Among other, less familiar magical girls and allies of justice -- at least, in the context of magical girling it up and/or dropping in throwing roses -- Ami tends to try to act as a rational, mediating voice; she tends to encourage taking things slowly and deliberately, and advocates for avoiding needless conflict when possible.

As for her enemies... Ami is a little more deliberate and merciful in the way she tends to engage them than some of the other senshi might be, and certainly more than certain other groups of magical girls out there. She'll fight, of course -- but she finds fighting a little on the difficult side, as conflict really isn't in her nature, at the end of the day.

'''6. Fight for your friends! Fight for your school?'''

''Are you apping your character into an organization or planning on having them join one? If so, explain why your character is working for that organization. Also, whether they are in one or not, how do they feel about the different organizations? It's okay to say if they don't know much about the organizations, especially if they are unaffiliated. If they attend school, how do they feel about their own school, and what are their views on the others?

Juuban: Ami attends Juuban, despite having the brains to go anywhere she pleases. Juuban is stable and pleasant; Ami views Juuban as one of the most stable places in her life. School is always going to be school no matter what happens; youma come and go, and home is... complicated, but school is always there and always worth fighting for in every sense of the word.

Unlike the stereotypical nerd, she actually has some school spirit going! This is mostly because of her tendency toward competition; she has a hard time getting swept up in it like a lot of people but you best believe that if she ends up in mock exams or quiz competitions with students from other schools that she will REGULATE on behalf of Juuban. Quiet though it is, there's a little pride there.

Infinity: She has a particular competitive streak regarding Infinity, primarily because she thinks, a little bit, that the academy's reputation is just a touch overblown. It might be a little bit of a blowback against her own reputation as an academic snob -- she feels it's important that some magical ticket forward called 'talent' not have its importance overemphasized. You can come from anywhere and do anything as long as you work at it.

Ohtori: While Ami does feel strongly about school in general, she does not have a lot of specific thoughts on Ohtori -- it's a school to compete with, but she doesn't have the same competitive streak toward it she does toward Infinity.

Dark Fall, Ends of the World, Magic Association, Tuner Organization: Sailor Mercury is too recently awakened to have many thoughts on factions beyond her base-most sense of justice. We'll see how that one goes. She is likely to have complicated, adult feelings regarding the Tuners in particular, since she is both naturally attracted to cooperation and naturally repelled by cynicism.

'''7. Show us your true power!'''

''Describe your character's combat and non-combat powers here. Are they fierce fighters, careful combat analysts or idol singers? What is their transformation like? What is the origin of their powers -- their Path(s) to Power, which must include some sort of Artifact? Please list ways that their powers might be taken away from them, and ways that they might someday be enhanced. Even if your character doesn't use any magic or supernatural power whatsoever, tell us about any capabilities they have, physical or otherwise.

Perhaps unsurprisingly, Sailor Mercury does not like hurting people very much. Most of her offenses are focused on either wearing an opponent down or making them less capable of hurting others. She also spends a lot of her combative time carefully analyzing her opponents, gathering the necessary data for herself and others to make smart tactical decisions.

Sailor Mercury received her transformation pen from a talking cat, and is also a reincarnated princess from before the dawn of modern man who transforms into a sailor-suited guardian of knowledge and who may some day become a slightly cooler version of same, and then a significantly cooler version of same. Everything in that sentence is true and correct.

'''7a. ...And your strength?'''

''This is where you'll build your stats, or suggest changes if you're apping a character that already has stats. If you would like the staff to build your stats for you, simply suggest which stats are most important to your character. If you are building your own stats, please refer to the our detailed Chargen instructions, and fill out the following template:

''Starting Master Rank: Normally C, granting 180 Character Points. Please justify any other choice. For more information, please see: Starting Ranks

''Master Traits: Abilities that your character retains in all of their Henshin Forms, including their Base Mode. A character gets a number of points for these defined by their Master Rank. For more information, please see: Ranks, Abilities

''Antagonist: If you are applying for a villainous sort of antagonist character, are you a Permanent Antagonist or a Temporary Antagonist? For more information, please see: Antagonist Starting Ranks

''Then, for each transformation:

''Henshin Name: The name of a given transformation, such as "Sailor Moon."

''Henshin Rank: Normally equal to Master Rank; higher ranks incur a per-round mana surcharge. One's civilian Base Mode is usually Rank E; please justify any other choice. For more information, please see: Ranks, Base Modes, Supercharged Henshin Modes

''Stats range between 1-100, but 30 is already epic in scope by any normal metric. For more information, please see: Stats

''Might: The strength behind your character's attacks.

''Reflex: The ability of your character to avoid attacks by dodging.

''Vitality: The ability of your character to avoid physical attacks by bracing.

''Spirit: The ability of your character to avoid magical attacks by bracing.

''Composure: The ability of your character to retain their composure in battle. Ranges between 0 (Sailor Moon) and 10 (Miyu Greer, a robot). For more information, please see: Stats, Morale

''Henshin Traits: Special abilities that your character only has access to while transformed into a given Henshin Form. For more information, please see: Abilities

''Extra Attacks: An extra Finisher or Special attack slot costs 5 points apiece. Henshin Forms start with 2 Finishers and 3 Specials. Base Modes get neither, and cannot spend points on Extra Attacks in this fashion. For more information, please see: Attacks

''Total Character Points Spent: Might + Reflex + Vitality + Spirit + cost of Henshin Traits + 5 * (# of Extra Attacks) = 180, unless Starting Master Rank is something other than C.

Sailor Mercury is mostly a reflex character; she is not particularly tough, though she can do an okay job of countering magical attacks. Her statistical priority order is probably dodge, then magical defense, then power, then physical defense.

'''7b. ...And you use Saint Rainbow Lily Lipliner?!'''

''Name your attacks in each Henshin Form here, with a bit of description. Remember, attacks can also include buffs, cheers and taunts; the power of emotion is every bit as potent as that of a magical blast.

''If you would like to build your own attacks in Combat System, please refer to Attacks, then fill out the following form for each attack:

''Attack Name: Self-explanatory.

''Attack Description: What does it do, qualitatively?

''Attack Tier: Finisher or Special.

''Attack Power Level: 0-10. Remember that 3 is "dropping a building on someone's head," Specials cap at 5 and Finishers start at 4. 8 is the upper limit for attacks that can be used with any kind of regularity.

''Attack Type: Magical or Physical.

''Attack Range: Melee or Ranged.

''Attack Flags: Various modifiers to the attack. For more information, please see: Attack Flags

''Total Points Spent On Attack: Power Level + Attack Flag Costs. Please break it down for us very clearly, and make sure it adds up to the correct number as listed on the wiki.

Specials:

Sabao Spray - Bubbles! Also, obscures vision and is generally a pain in the butt to deal with. I don't think this is actually damaging?

Mercury Aqua Mist - An actual offensive attack with a spray of water.

Shine Aqua Cutter - Sailor Mercury conjures blades of ice, which rotate around her midsection for a little while before getting launched. This is the 'actually scary' thing among her specials (and is from an arcade game).

Finishers:

Sailor Planet Attack - The obligatory team finisher.

Mercury Water Bullet - Mercury flying-kicks while wreathed in water. Shockingly, this is a real move, albeit one from an arcade game.

'''8. Are things different now?'''

''If your character is from a preexisting theme that hasn't been integrated yet, describe the integration here. Some themes won't need very many changes at all in order to fit in; others will need heavier alteration. If your theme is already integrated, but you want to specify something about your character, you can do that here, too.

''Likewise, if there's anything we need to know about an original theme that isn't covered in the history section, this is the place to let us know.

''If your theme does not yet have its single paragraph of introduction and explanation in the Theme Primer, please fill out the template below and we'll add it for the world to see, so that people unfamiliar with your theme will have a reference!

''The intent of Theme Primers is to sufficiently inform people who who know nothing about your theme such that they can think about it deeply enough to try to incorporate things important to you into their RP and plots (with your permission).

''Share as much as you want to! Spoilers are often at least downplayed in FC theme integration, but if you want to just get real and lay it out, that makes it that much easier for people to integrate with it, either with additional applications (with your permission) or plots (with your permission).

''The opportunity cost of that, of course, is shocking the public with the big twists (which you will presumably provide for the staff, elsewhere in the application, if there are any pre-planned ones).

Not especially.

'''9. Origin Story GMing Round Robin'''

''9a: Do you want to participate in the Origin Story Round Robin, in which in exchange for GMing someone else's origin story (typically, 'my first day as a magical girl'), someone else does the same for you?

''9b: If yes, which themes do you feel comfortable storytelling in? If you're willing to do a little research beforehand to fill in the gaps in your knowledge base, 'all of them' is a perfectly acceptable answer, but if you have any themes that you have some depth of knowledge of, please mention them too.

Yes, absolutely; I am familiar with Sailor Moon and Rayearth first and foremost, and can also GM in Perfume Splash (which is someone's OC theme that I am also apping into eventually) and could /theoretically/ do Madoka if there's a pressing need (though that last I would prefer not to).

===Application - OC - Akemi Tsukiyama/Scarlet Rune Maiden - Shining Rune Maiden Akemi===

'''1. Nice to meet you!'''

''What is your name, age and e-mail address? We won't share this information with anyone, so please tell the truth. Additionally, if you do not have one yet, use this section to tell us what username you'd like on the wiki. We'll use that and your email address to make an account.

Name: ('''Censored''')

Age: ('''Censored''')

Email: ('''Censored''')

Account name: ('''Censored''')

'''2. Haven't we seen you before?'''

''Please state some of the characters you've played at other games, if any. If you're currently playing any characters here, or dropping any, list them here as well. Remember, you're allowed a maximum of four Feature Characters at any time.

('''Censored''')

'''3. But what's your secret identity?'''

''If you're applying for a character who already has a +finger, just state their name here. Otherwise, or if you want to write your own +finger, please fill out the following information:

Name: Akemi Tsukiyama

Title: Scarlet Rune Maiden

Gender: Female

Source: Shining Scarlet Rune Maiden Akemi (Original Theme)

Type: Original Character

Organization: Unaffiliated

School: Juuban

Grade: 10

Quote: "It's okay to have a little hope."

Profile: A quiet, sometimes sleepy girl with a kind heart and a diligent attitude, Akemi secretly comes from a family with unorthodox methods in dealing with spirits. Using a lotus tattoo of holy energy magically passed down her family line, Akemi uses her body as a seal, housing kami and spirits until they are purified enough to be released or, if that isn't possible, sealing them into another object. For things like Noise and things she can't seal, she calls upon the power of the kami sealed within her, transforming into the Scarlet Rune Maiden. Attempting to protect humanity and the spirits of nature from each other and from forces that exist beyond them, Akemi's motives are innocent enough, but some are wary of a girl who allows herself to be possessed by what some would consider a 'demon'. Others, meanwhile, may be interested in an example of a human bloodline influenced by playing a seal to a powerful kami...

'''4. Do you remember the past?'''

''Tell us your character's history. Use as much detail as you think the character needs. If your character has super powers or magic, be sure to explain how they got them (and keep the Paths to Power in mind!). Remember, Battle Fantasia's world isn't exactly like your character's canon theme, so if the world setup has affected their past, be sure to factor this in. If your character is attending one of the schools, be sure to mention it here.

For as long as Akemi could remember, she noticed things other didn't. They were strange things, that always existed on the outskirts of civilization, in small streams, old trees, or shrines. Some were pretty or strange-looking, while others lurked in the shadows, scary and menacing, threatening to gobble her up if she strayed too close. When she attempted to talk or interact with the nicer seeming ones, most shied away- the scarier ones, who did come close, she avoided at all costs. As time went on, Akemi learned to keep her sight her special secret, confident that she was safe as long as she watched out. It was odd, though- the darker spirits disappeared, as if taken care of by someone. Yet, what disturbed her was that the nicer-looking 'spirits' has a tendency, when their homes were paved over or cut down, to become scary, transforming into what she could only term 'demons'. Raised by her father, Haruto, after her mother died due to complications during childbirth, Akemi's strange behaviors were overlooked as the imagination of a little girl. Giving credence to this was her father's stories about her 'distant aunt', who was considered a sort of priestess in her day, and even came to give her blessing to a newborn Akemi.

When Akemi was five, her father was diagnosed with a rare form of leukemia. As her beloved, gentle father faded away, Akemi was confused- who would take care of her? Would she need to go to the nature spirits and become one herself? With no relatives seemingly around, when Haruto passed on, Akemi was sent into Japan's foster care system. While at first it was hard for her, being uprooted from the only family she had ever known, Akemi eventually made friends among the children at the foster home as well as at school. Over time, her bond of friendship became so strong that she revealed her secret to her closest friends, only to have them to accuse her of lying. She needed proof, or else face being seen as a liar, a fate that seemed all too terrible for someone as lonely as Akemi was.

One day, while crying alone underneath a tree, Akemi was approached by a spirit who seemed very interested in her dilemma. This was odd, since before, most spirits either ignored or refused to respond to her. Listening to her story, the spirit was interested in helping her prove that, indeed, she could see spirits. Following her to the foster home, the spirit revealed its true nature as that of a demon, and began to terrorize the children there. Horrified by her mistake, Akemi attempted to protect her friends, only to discover that she, out of all of them, was the one the demon wanted. The demon explained that she held a lot of energy; there just was a of seal on it. Thus, it was going to feast on her friends, then kidnap her, where it would find one way or another to destroy the seal on her. Before the demon could do either, a magical girl suddenly appeared and valiantly fought the demon off. In spite of her shame, confusion, and terror, Akemi was in awe. Perhaps she could become someone like that, someday?

It wasn't long after that, when Akemi turned seven, that she received a message: her distant aunt, Katsumi Tsukiyama, had decided to take her in. Ripped again from what she called 'family' and her friends, Akemi traveled to a distant shrine far into the mountain forests of Akita Prefecture, far from any city. When Akemi was dropped off and told to go up the stairs up to the top of the hill, the young girl climbed up the steps, moving deeper and deeper into the forested hill and spotting various wards on different trees as she got higher. When the exhausted Akemi got to the top, she was surprised to find a older woman with dark red hair and amber eyes, who introduced herself as Katsumi Tsukiyama. The woman who drove her here, Katsumi explained, was her old friend, a shinto priestess who had once helped her establish the wards around the hill.

What Akemi didn't know was that her family was the original line of Rune Maidens, who passed on the Scarlet Lotus Seal, which holds the kami once known as the 'oniguma', the Demon Bear, though the kami preferred to be called simply 'Guma'. In the Dark Ages, back when Japanese civiliation started to spread into the mountains of what came to be known as the Tohoku region, the balance of nature began to shift towards humanity's advantage, causing once peaceful kami to become wraithful demons. One such kami lived in these mountains, respected by local villages as the Tsukinowaguma, the moon bear, who was sacred due to the lack of a cresent mark on her chest. As interested parties from the south came in, they ignored the warnings of the locals and, while excavating the mountains, did the unfortunate act of killing the Tsukinowaguma's cubs. The Tsukinowaguma's rage transformed the kami into a demon, far beyond the strength of humans in the area to contain or even fight her. One woman, named Kazue, afraid her village would fall but realizing that any violence would be useless, devised a risky but peaceful method to stop the demon bear's rage. By using her body as a seal, she could contain the oniguma instead of killing her. Then, using the purity of her heart and will, she purify the demon back to its original state as the Tsukinowaguma and release the kami in an area and time where the kami could live in peace.

Facing the oniguma by herself and using a mystical lotus tattoo as a conduct, Kazue allowed her body to become a seal for the oniguma, allowing for peace for her village, but not without a cost. Overnight, her hair turned a dark red and her eyes gold, and her village shunned her and cast her out, afraid of her powers. Sharing the former kami's pain allowed Kazue to realize the scope of what was happening- the pain of those, kami and human alike, trampled by the vices and greed of humanity as a whole, as well as the resulting malice of demons and kami that have descended into evil. While she was just one person, she was in effect between worlds, able to communicate with both. Using the kami as a guide and eventually as a source of power, she and her descendants set out attempting to mediate the balance between nature and humanity, as well as protecting both sides from the evil that came from beyond and within.

Katsumi Tsukiyama was actually far older than Akemi had assumed- what her pale red hair, streaked by grey, and clear gold eyes covered was an old life spent as a hermit, made longer by Guma's presence. Katsumi was, in fact, the last known Rune Maiden of the Scarlet Seal, active from the late 1940's until her disappearance in 1958, after the battle with the King of Sands and his Devils. Those who knew her found her to be generally likeable- while gruff, she was supportive of those younger and/or less experienced then her. While she fought to protect the balance of nature, it was never at the cost of leaving those who fought alongside her in the dust- valiant Tuners she took a liking to would find themselves somehow compensated for lost bounties, while wizards were able to study the unrepentant demons she sealed inside herself and transferred into their care. She was far from perfect, and she made no promises to please everyone, but Katsumi was seen by those who knew of Rune Maidens as a positive direction from a family whose intentions were sometimes doubted.

What no one knew was that Katsumi and Guma (the kami sealed inside the lotus seal) had decided the world was in better hands in their travels. Guma wanted to return to nature, and Katsumi was eager to go back to the normalcy her life had lacked since taking on the Scarlet Lotus Seal. Thus, after releasing Guma, Katsumi moved in with her younger brother, the happy-go-lucky Nori, and began to enjoy life, helping to raise his son with his wife, Aki. Aki and Katsumi became close friends despite their initial differences, and Katsumi related to her the story of her life, which Nori, eager for his wife and sister to be friends, confirmed. Encouraged by Aki's interest, Katsumi even told her the process of the seal, and spoke of the various spirits and kami she's encountered and helped.

It did not last long. In 1964, a chemical company nearby the area had been releasing methylmercury-tainted water into the Agano river, which contaminated fish, wildlife, and the water itself, causing everyone and everything that depended on the river to show signs of severe mercury poisoning. Guma, while now a kami, was sensitive to the environment and depended on the river. Rather than being poisoned, she went mad, reverting to a mindless destructive demon state. The entire event would eventually became known at the Niigata Minamata disease, one of the Four Big Pollution Diseases of Japan.

Alerted by an ally who lived near the area, Katsumi rushed to the area, only to find Aki there, attempting to seal Guma into her own body so that Katsumi could have a chance at a normal life. Before Katsumi could intervene, Aki had completed the ritual successfully. While the poison did not transfer to Aki's body, she quickly grew sick from the influence of the feral Guma. While Katsumi transferred Guma into her body as quickly as she could manage, it was too late- with all the hospitals in the area already filled with those dying and in pain from mercury poisoning, Aki's fragile condition could not be treated properly. As Katsumi and the now sane Guma watched rooms of people cry in pain, all they could do was stay by Aki's side, until she eventually died days later. Despite Nori's claims that it was not Katsumi's fault, and that, even in his sadness, he did not blame her, Katsumi felt wholly responsible for Aki's death, and, saying her good byes, retreated to an old shrine deep in the hills to the north, in Akita Prefecture, where she was certain she and Guma could live in peace and eventually pass away, relics of a naive idea that balance could ever be achieved. Guma herself was in agreement; feeling Katsumi's sorrow as her own, she also felt there was no longer a place for her in this world of skyscrapers and sleek machines. It was better to die sane and as a kami, albiet trapped in a mortal body, than sealed away, ready to wreak havoc the second her unpurified form was released.

Katsumi only came out of her exile a few times, including visiting the newborn Akemi. It was Katsumi who suggested Akemi's name, taking the character used for 'Aki', her old friend, which was 'dawn', and adding the character for 'light'. Recongizing the possibility that Akemi may have inherited Guma's 'gifts' due to being the first female in the family for generations, she placed an unused part of the lotus seal on the infant, which would keep her from being detected by spirits. It would also seal any spiritual energy within in order to render her unable to be targetted by more malevolent spirits, as well as keep Akemi from using it herself in any fashion. Akemi was going to live a normal life. Unfortunately, Katsumi did not factor in the possibility of Akemi sensing spirits herself and well as, in her old age and dimming view of the world, the seal was beginning to weaken, which allowed the small seal on Akemi to weaken in turn, eventually attracting the attention of an old enemy.

Realizing that Akemi would be in danger without someone to protect her, Katsumi took her on, even if it meant Akemi would have a much harder life, kept in the dark about Katsumi's own past and the secrets of her own abilities. Katsumi, in the time she had left, would teach her to become able to survive on her own, and somehow find a way to strengthen the seal on her, to cover Akemi's potential. All Akemi knew was that Katsumi was a 'distant aunt', stubborn and secretive, but loving in her own way. Adjusting to an existence with no electricity aside from an ancient bunsen burner and a small heater, Akemi was often sent to do errands into town and hard labor, such as finding sticks for the heath, getting water from a pump for washing, drinking, and for cooking, gathering eatable plants when they were in season, and helping clean the shrine.

When Akemi felt everything was too much, she thought of the mysterious magical girl who came to save her, regardless of whether or not it was simply a figment of her imagination, and how, someday, she wished she could be like that, helping others. Going to the local school was difficult at times, as Akemi had little in common with the kids around her, and many children had inherited their fear of her aunt from their parents, which transferred onto her. Still, she managed to find a small group of friends, who related to her in that they were 'outcasts' of sorts themselves. It helped that bullies that would regularly bully them were afraid of her, afraid she'd send some sort of ghost from the abandoned shrine at them.

As the seal om Akemi began to further weaken, she found herself able to talk to the spirits of nature that still inhabited the area, bringing them to a reluctant Katsumi to see if they could be helped. While Katsumi was stubborn, Akemi's will to help the spirits was just as unwavering. Eventually, Katsumi gave in, realizing Guma was beginning to respond to the hope and caring heart Akemi represented. The two began visiting the local town, often peacefully intervening, helping fix old small shrines, cleaning debris out of streams, and other small jobs, along with the help of Yuki, the priestess that helped Katsumi when she first came to town. While their power wasn't that great, spirits and people responded alike, touched by the old woman and the young girl's efforts. Spirits began to visit the old shrine, either inhabiting the area around it, or coming back to pay their respects to someone who was willing to intervene for them.

The other thing Akemi noticed was a sort of 'different personality' in Katsumi who responded to her efforts. Where Katsumi was too tired, another 'wind' would take her over, determined to not let Akemi down. Katsumi herself didn't seem disturbed by this, often commenting vaguely to Akemi's questions about it. In the end, it didn't seem as important- these two sides seemed so alike, and the latter seemed to help Katsumi respond better to the world itself, as if reinvigorating her.

Yet, as that came, Katsumi's strengthened belief in the world ironically caused Akemi's abilities became sealed by the small bit of tattoo placed upon her. Akemi, wondering if something was wrong with her, went to Katsumi, who, eventually, explained everything: Guma, the tattoo'ed seal on her back, the family's history. Everything was revealed, except for one key detail: thet Katsumi was a magical girl, as well as the events surrounding Aki's death. Akemi was faced with the first of many key choices: keep the seal on her and live ignorant of the world of kami and nature, as a normal human being, or be caught between worlds, possibly placing herself in further danger by old enemies and demons wishing to harm her. There was no way Akemi could protect herself, after all.

Akemi chose the latter. The world of nature needed them, and even if it was just helping the spirits and kami here, in this small village, why should she turn her back on them, when it helped people as well?

Life continued, until she reached the age of fifteen. Fully immersed in nature, Akemi felt in harmony with nature and humanity, and perhaps a bit too confident in her safety. This changed, two weeks ago.

------ This can be scened out, but UH it's kinda weird so I don't mind if it's not------

Even an old hermit like Katsumi knew something had happened. There was a great disturbance, much akin to how she felt in 1958. Yet, there was no sign there, or in the isolated town, that anything was amiss. Guma tensed as well, afraid of the girl she considered akin to her own child.

The impact was delayed- an old enemy of Katsumi's, a demon still remembering the sting of its defeat, had gathered allies in light of recent events, knowing that if it wished to gain a foothold in this dark new future, it needed power. Knowing of Akemi's existence from its previous attack on her, it had decided to kill two birds with one stone- defeat Katsumi, as well as kidnap Akemi, using both the Rune Maiden and her distant niece for the power it needed for its glorious first steps in the demonic social ladder.

Attacking as Akemi was going to school, the demon found her defenseless, even as Katsumi came running up, alerted by some kami in the area. Attempting once more to transform into the Scarlet Rune Maiden for the first time in over 50 years, Katsumi found her old body too weak to handle the process of transformation.

Akemi, realizing the truth of Katsumi- she kept the balance not just by taking to spirits, but fighting them as well. She was, in essence, the same sort of fighter as the magical girl who protected Akemi when she was younger. Desperate to protect Katsumi, her friends, the town, and herself, Akemi called out to the kami in Katsumi's body.

Guma, desperate to save both Katsumi and Akemi, reached out for the first time through the small tattoo on Akemi's body, speaking to her mind.

"I have watched you since you were small. I have loved you as Katsumi loved you. This hope, this love... I will not let this end. Not when this dawn of hope is just beginning to break.

If you want to save everyone, as I do, chant these words after me."

In a blaze of light, Akemi was transformed. Her dark hair was now dark red, her eyes gold- as she looked up at her shocked opponents, Guma smiled wryly. "Hello, old friend. Still haven't gotten over your defeat in over fifty years?"

Spurred by the awakening of the new Scarlet Rune Maiden, kami and spirits from around the town responded in kind- even as weak as most of them were compared to the might of demons, they cheered on the Maiden and the allies who came to the isolated town to help.

After the battle was done, Katsumi sat there, her hair now a pure grey, with warm brown eyes. Explaining that this town will be fine from now on, due to the kami, she added that, if Akemi wished to take the seal on willingly, Katsumi will abide by the wishes of her old friend.

"Go to Tokyo with the ones who helped you. They need you. You and Guma."

Akemi, bewildered by the change in events, thought back to the image of the magical girl who helped her. This was her chance- she will carry on the will of her family, protect others- perhaps, strange little girls like herself, who need a vision of hope to carry on.

As Akemi traveled to Tokyo, she heard Guma's voice in her head:

"I promise you this, Akemi: I will never fail you. This is not a contract- this is my redemption."

'''5. Open your heart!'''

''Describe your character's personality. Don't skimp; this is arguably the most important part of the application. What are their hopes and dreams? How do they view their mission, if they have one? What do they do for fun? How do they relate to their friends and enemies? What do they think of school, magic, current events and the world around them? Include as much as you think you need. Obviously some characters are going to have more complex personalities than others, but everyone has a little bit of depth.''

Friendly enough, a little naive, shy, sometimes spacy, and prone to eccentric habits, Akemi can stand out, especially in an environment that may not match the one she's grown up with for most of her life. While her life in the small town nearby her aunt's shrine has made her somewhat up to date, she's often clueless about popular culture (though she's found some things she likes here and there), as well as life in the city. One interest she's developing is one in clothing, taking her sewing skills that she learned growing up and attempting to make new outfits with it. For better or worse, her taste in fashion isn't exactly wholly modern.

Akemi likes to sleep. And sleep. And sleep. This isn't because she's lazy; it helps her body and her seals to heal. Thankfully, she's able to sleep in the oddest places and oddest positions, sometimes able to 'turn off' at the flip of a switch. It's not really to everyone's benefit that she's able to do this, however- she's slow to wake in most cases, and is grumpy and cross if she's awoken from a good nap. She is also definitely *not* a morning person- anyone who catches her when she's forced to wake up early in the morning is certain to find her instead placing Guma at the helm, so to speak.

In fact, her current weakness is sometimes depending on Guma to handle situations that she's anxious about, like talking to people she admires, or applying for a possible part-time job. Part of this is her unfamiliarity with the setting; she was much more confident at home. This doesn't always apply to situations where she thinks someone is wrong- if someone annoys her enough, she'll forget her anxiety and approach them. It's mostly in situations where she doesn't feel the person is entirely at fault that she's nervous.

Akemi is most at peace in nature. She thinks nothing of, say, going out and devoting a few days to scavenging mushrooms. In fact, it may be rather amazing to some how Akemi gets along without many modern conveniences, though city life makes a few more necessary than it was living in the country, as it were. In fact, due to being from a rural area of the Akita prefecture of northern Tohoku region on Japan's Honshu island, Akemi sometimes slips into a Tohoku accent when stressed, talking to her aunt on the phone, or when she's tired. It's not so bad that she's not understandable, but it makes it very obvious that she's 'not from around here'. Another aspect of this is that she *hates* hot humid weather, despite her love of nature. Part of this is her unwillingness to wear any clothing that may expose her back (due to the lotus seal tattoo), as well as being more used to the colder winters and slightly less relenting summers, though it's not too much of a change.

Akemi finds waste deplorable- while things like wrappers and used paper are fine, things she deems perfectly salvageable, like perfectly eatable food, or clothing that is being thrown away for being out of fashion, rather than tears or stains, will rub her the wrong way. While she understands it's sort of a kink due to modern society's consumer nature (if no one consumes, no one gets paid for things made to be consumed, etcetc), it's still hard for her to quickly put into context. As such, wasteful people will probably get on her nerves more often.

Sometimes, but not always, Akemi is one the first one to notice something important, be it an odd detail, especially if it deals with nature. She can, however, be wrong, and sometimes, her lack of experience with 'normal behavior' for girls her age could have her miss something that would be obvious for someone else. In fact, what will often get her in trouble most often is her naivete. While she's not so sheltered that she doesn't distrust people, her lack of knowledge about city life and technology will often put her at a disadvantage. Her previous school had decent programs and technology for a country school, but compared to Juuban High, it's completely different. This does not apply to things that seem out of the ordinary- coming to Tokyo under the idea that demons have increased in number for some reason has left Akemi sometimes paranoid, sometimes about things that turn out to be simple pranks, or a result of her lack of street knowledge.

Akemi likes sweets. Unfortunately, like with sleeping, this is not just because she has a sweet tooth- she needs the calories, sugar, and fat to provide energy to maintain her seals. She can pack in a lot of food. The one way she *has* managed to get by is the feast or famine approach: when there's a lot of food and people give her their word that she can eat, she eats. And eats. And eats. Sweets in particular just makes it a bit more fun to have to endure this particular cost of her seal. This has also given her the distinction of being *willing* to eat some of the worst tasting cuisine one can offer. Well, okay, sometimes it's less 'willing' and more 'she can't stand the sight of food being wasted'. Even with her iron stomach, there have been times Akemi has volunteered, with grim humor, to eat something that she knows may just strike her down. It takes something above simple food mash-ups to accomplish this, but the world just seems to carry more people who are terrible at cooking than those who are able, for some insane reason.

As for Akemi's own cooking skills, she tends more towards traditional dishes, especially specific to Tohoku which can sometimes be on the salty and strongly flavored side. She's also the type to eat plainer foods, having gotten used to it due to not always having access to a lot of cooking options during her stay with Katsumi. While this may not mean she's a bad cook, it does mean she's more accustomed to flavors that others may not like.

Akemi's attitude is very serious when dealing with entities like Noise or Witches, but she's more sympathetic when dealing with demons that came from nature, or simple nature spirits. Oftentimes, she's more willing to attempt to convince them to forgo their evil ways and look for a way of existing alongside humanity, or sealing them into an object instead of killing them. This often puts her at odds with other magical girls, though she doesn't fault someone for having a more mercenary approach to things, as long as it isn't needlessly cruel. If she feels forced to intervene, she may try to mediate a situation, even if it means putting herself in danger. Due to having a trusting, gentle nature and not that much experience, sometimes the only thing that comes between her and a grim fate is Guma's forceful intervention.

Despite her wish for a world more in balance between humanity and nature, Akemi isn't such an idealist that she thinks it'll come within her lifetime, or should be forced above the needs of people. She doesn't have answers, and she thinks it would be foolish to think she did at her age. Balance should never come at the price of carelessly sacrificing others, especially for some narrow ideal.

Having known what it felt to be lonely, seen as strange, or to be overlooked, Akemi often likes to reach out to those who display these same traits, even in potential enemies. Soon, this need to reach out may be strong enough to overcome Guma's much more mercenary tactics, as Akemi *can* resume control while in henshin form.

------

Guma, as she prefers to be named, is a creature of passion, ego, and protection. When she is manifested as a consciousness to front for Akemi's own, her stark difference in personality from Akemi's own often gives her presence away. Sarcastic, confident, and prideful, she's used to using powerful methods to get what she needs done, which often leads to impatience with anything overly complicated in a way she can't appreciate, like paperwork, computers, electronic devices in general, etc. While this may color her as 'impatient', there's many things Guma may show patience for where many others would fail, like babysitting a sick crying infant, fishing, guarding an important object, etc. As long as she sees the logic, she can be rather tolerant.

Where Akemi is reserved, Guma likes thrills. This sometimes means her pulling risky maneuvers in battle, trying out new kinds of foods, being on roller coasters, etc. It's certainly helped her view of humanity- they always think of neat ways to entertain each other. Guma is often annoyed with Akemi's naive nature, but she often doesn't intervene until she feels Akemi is threatened in any way. Akemi needs to learn on her own how to adapt, after all.

Then again, it'd be better if she didn't intervene at all- Guma is also very protective of Akemi, sometimes interposing herself into conversations when Akemi is confused, overwhelmed, or embarrassed, especially if it's something she thinks is the least bit perverted. In the latter case, she's not hesitant to slap or prepare a fist of righteousness at anyone, male or female, though her sense of what is 'perverted' can be oddly conservative. This has led to situations where Akemi would seemingly switch from a tongue-tied, shy girl to a furious young woman attempting to plant a punch in someone's face for a seemingly innocent question. Context is everything, of course- if Guma senses Akemi isn't embarrassed, she won't intervene. If the boy or girl doesn't look like the 'sort of person' she'd deem a possible pervert, she'd keep herself at bay. Children get a free pass.

The guilt of Guma's insanity killing Aki, Akemi's great grandmother, still plagues her to a deeper extent than even Katsumi might be aware of. Sharing Katsumi's emotions of grief, disillusionment, and anger as well as her memories all at once when reintroduced to Katsumi's body, Guma felt she had committed the worst sort of sin. For all she refers to Katsumi as 'that old lady', it's a cover for how she connected to her on a deeper level than any Tsukiyama Rune Maiden before, akin to a sister. This was the reason Katsumi was so powerful as a magical girl- more than any ounce of strength or magical prowess, both their hearts beat with pure intention and will. It was Guma's actions that ruined that, and for that, Guma deserved to die.

It was Akemi that reawakened Guma, at first responding to Katsumi's reawakened emotions of love, which she developed in turn for the small, short girl who wanted nothing but to help, in spite of everything that happened to her. Now, as Akemi's 'partner' of sorts, Guma wishes to make sure Akemi retains that hope, and never regrets taking on the Scarlet Lotus Seal. While her love is tough, and she'll allow Akemi to make mistakes and fall, never will Akemi bare such a despair as Katsumi felt alone. These aspects of her rarely surface; as a proud spirit, she'd rather people (even Akemi!) think of her as unflappable, all-powerful, and not prone to any weakness.

As much as Guma hates how Akemi's nature clashes with her own mercenary nature, she sees it as something she wants to preserve. Woe to anyone who attacks it, as it may send Guma off the deep end...

Guma is quite old, which sometimes means she has extensive knowledge on certain things simply due to experience, or learning them through her hosts' interests and daily life. This isn't foolproof, as Guma only knows and remembers what she deems important. For instance, she may know Puella Magi have been around for a long time, that they tend to 'retire' young, and that they specialize in fighting Witches. Beyond this, she's never really invested enough attention to understand them as more as a type of magical girl her hosts have encountered.

The other problem with Guma's memory is that time, for her, is different than it is for a human being. She estimates being 'born' during what is referred to in the timeline as 'the Dark Ages', but can't point to a rough date when she changed over to a demon, how long, etc. She tends to mark things by 'hosts', which is in itself a faulty mechanic as her hosts' lives are prolonged by her existence within them. She may even know something, but keep it a secret even from Akemi, either to protect Akemi, test her, test those around her, or because of a random whim. In other words, it's just as easy to justify ICly why Guma wouldn't know/say something important about a matter as it would to justify why she would, allowing this possible RP device to be tailored to OOC concerns.

Being the essence of a she-bear, Guma is protective of babies and young children. She's also very tolerant and patient with them; a toddler could constantly tug on her hair and she'd take it. A six year old could tell her all about her doll and she'd nod and listen. Guma will even attempt to protect magical girls she perceives as being inexperienced or who she perceives as 'young' (even if they're Akemi's age or slightly older), trying to take an attack for them when they're down, assisting them, or urging them on, even if it may be with rough words. It's not to the point where she'd be obsessive; a magical girl needs to know how to stand up for herself in battle, and they may never learn if they don't take a few scrapes in the process. She just doesn't like someone taking the fall simply for not having enough experience to know better.

Since Akemi is giving her a chance, Guma will do the same with humanity. And really, it's not as if Guma views humanity badly; she admires them for their heart, their tenderness, their cleverness, and their adaptability. She'd rather see a world where humans and nature are in balance than one without humanity altogether; she feels such a world would lose its ability to change, as well as its own 'heart'. Also, as part of the Tsukiyama family's legacy, she is able to have an active hand in seeing this future.

5a. The heart speaks!

''Describe in depth the relationships your character has with various important individuals in their life. For Feature Characters, we want to explore your understanding of canon relationships, with the understanding that once a character is approved, their subsequent roleplay can change these profoundly. On Battle Fantasia, not everyone may even have met yet, but we still want to know how they're likely to feel given canon. For all characters, we want to know who's really important in your life, and how you feel about them, because magical girl stories are very much about relationships.

Katsumi Tsukiyama - Akemi's 'distant aunt' and former Scarlet Rune Maiden. She's the one who took Akemi in after she determined that Akemi was safer with her. Now a normal woman, she still possesses the ability to see spirits of nature, many of whom help her with day to day life. Akemi still regularly visits her for advice, and often worries about her. While Akemi calls Katsumi 'Auntie Katsumi', her relationship with Katsumi is akin to a cross between a grandmother, a mentor, and a mother, having lacked such a figure in her life beforehand. This doesn't mean their relationship was always peaceful- Katsumi was a tough, no-nonsense sort of woman, often blunt and in her raising of Akemi.

Haruto Tsukiyama - Akemi's father, who died of a rare form of leukemia when she was five. Despite being there for such a short period of time in her life, he instilled a sense of wonder in her though his tales of her distant aunt, as well as never looked on her with shame at her stories of spirits and 'fairies'. Despite having no 'gifts' from Guma, he felt most at piece in nature, and often took Akemi on trips to the forest. One of Akemi's most treasured possessions is a book on mushroom hunting, which belonged to him. To this day, Akemi holds the memories of her father close to her- some might say she hasn't really ever come to grips with his death.

Aki Tsukiyama - Akemi's great grandmother. Close friends with Katsumi after Katsumi's 'retirement' from being a magical girl. Despite marrying into the family, Aki relished in Katsumi's stories of her adventures, as well as the rich history of the Tsukiyama family. At the same time, Aki realized that Katsumi missed many things she had, such as love, a child, and being a mother and wife. When Katsumi had to reseal Guma, Aki managed to get there before Katsumi could, and attempted to seal Guma inside her own body in order to allow Katsumi the life she wanted, an act that would lead to her death days later. The experience embittered Katsumi's heart, and saddened the now-coherent Guma. Akemi's influence decades later managed to reverse this somewhat, and it's Aki's legacy that carries on in Akemi, despite Akemi herself being unaware of her great-grandmother's friendship and sacrifice.

Mysterious Magical Girl Who Saved Her - The Magical Girl's identity is kept a mystery to allow for possible RP devices in the future- all that's set is that Akemi was inspired by her bravery.

Old Enemies and Allies - If any survive to this modern age and remember Katsumi, Akemi's distinctive red hair and gold eyes are likely to give her away. Time will tell how they'd react to this new generation...

Other Rune Family Lines - They possibly exist, but Akemi doesn't know of them. Katsumi and Guma? They might know, but due to the practice's rarity and the dangers that come with it, as well as the practice dying with many who took it on, it's hard to say what anyone'd know.

'''6. Fight for your friends! Fight for your school?'''

''Are you apping your character into an organization or planning on having them join one? If so, explain why your character is working for that organization. Also, whether they are in one or not, how do they feel about the different organizations? It's okay to say if they don't know much about the organizations, especially if they are unaffiliated. If they attend school, how do they feel about their own school, and do they have views on the others?

Akemi's knowledge on the various organizations is a work in progress. Guma tells her certain things at specific points, but Akemi's notions are still very basic. The Tuners do things because they need the money; it could have been a Tuner that saved her that day. The Magic Association is mysterious and interesting- Akemi wants to know more, even if Guma tells her she's better off not getting involved in all their politics. The Dark Fall are enemies of Rune Maidens, but if she can convert someone with doubts to come to the side of light, that's just as much of a victory, but she can't allow that to keep her from realizing that many would sooner kill her, or 'do worse', as Guma often says, like suck her dry of any spiritual energy, or release Guma. The Ends of the World makes her feel uncomfortable as she doesn't know much, aside from the fact that it makes Guma extremely cautious every time Akemi gets close to anything that is connected to them.

Juuban is definitely more Akemi's style, even if it's still a little overwhelming. There's just so many students around! Yet, most things are like her previous school, aside from her having to keep an eye out for strange occurances. Everyone's reliance on computers and the internet really put her at odds, sometimes. While she has a smart phone, it's a little outdated, and her computer was something she fished out of a dump, and laughably outdated.

Ohtori is mysterious, though Guma often comments that it's a good thing Akemi's not the sort of student who'd be accepted there. Isn't that supposed to be a bad thing? They have nice outfits.

Infinity Institute makes Akemi feel... overwhelmed, and rather dumb in comparison. While Akemi seems to be gifted, it doesn't seem to be the sort of 'gifts' that would make her look particular useless in today's modern age.

'''7. Show us your true power!'''

''Describe your character's combat and non-combat powers here. Are they fierce fighters, careful combat analysts or idol singers? What is their transformation like? What is the origin of their powers -- their Path(s) to Power, which must include some sort of Artifact? Please list ways that their powers might be taken away from them, and ways that they might someday be enhanced. Even if your character doesn't use any magic or supernatural power whatsoever, tell us about any capabilities they have, physical or otherwise.''

(Artifact) Scarlet Lotus Seal: As the rune maiden, Akemi's main source of power is the seal, a scarlet lotus tattoo that covers most of her back. Fueled by her heart and pure will, it exists as a cap on Guma's existence, keep her from reverting to her mad demon state, and slowly purify her so that one day she can be released. As it's made of holy energy, it can be used as a weapon to repel or bind sources of evil to varying degrees.

In action, it's a visible bright red glowing ribbon that slides off Akemi's arm, that can be formed into various shapes. As energy, it can be used to coat a punch or kick to give it a more powerful impact.

Like Katsumi, Akemi can, in certain cases, apply a part of her seal on a person or object to give them a slight boost in protection against evil, but it really isn't that much more powerful than a traditional ward, so this may only be used for possible RP purposes, not csys. Buffing attacks are more Akemi sharing the seal's protective effects on some allies for a temporary boost.

Guma 'borrows' its abilities to do many of her attacks, as well as safely channel her essence so as to not overwhelm Akemi's body. Akemi in time can learn to use it herself, possibly giving her a different Henshin form, but for now, she needs to learn how to control it, a process Guma cannot help her at all on.

The way currently known way one could turn off the seal is to drain its power source: her heart. While the seal will take a long time to power down and Guma will do whatever it takes to power it back up, when the seal disappears, Guma will be released, revert to her mad state, and need to be resealed. Assuming someone is able to restore Akemi's heart, Akemi can revive the seal and reseal Guma, if necessary. If by some mechanic Akemi's seal is actually removed, it can be regenerated, but she will most likely need the help of someone like Katsumi to repair or remake the seal once again. The seal can copied and used by someone else, as was the case with Aki, Akemi's great grandmother, but they must have the innate spiritual ability, physical health, and heart to survive. While Aki had the latter, she was too weak to withstand Guma's insane wrath inside her body.

Akemi could, in the future, take on a spirit and, after forming a strong bond of friendship and understanding, use its powers to transform like with Guma, but thise would have to come after she's gained a better understanding and experience with the Scarlet Lotus seal.

Other family lines using a Lotus seal often differentiate in what spirit lies at the root of it, as well their seal's color: Akemi's is vivid red, hence her being the Scarlet Rune Maiden.

(Legacy???) Spiritual Reservoir: While not a real method of defense, it's worth noting, especially due to the trouble it's caused for women of Tsukiyama heritage. The ancestor who created the seal naturally a talent for holy magic, but it's Guma's influence on Akemi's family through the generations that they were better able to 'sync' with Guma on a certain level. Akemi is almost like a large reservoir of spiritual power, though she has no ability to express it beyond the seals. Despite this capacity, she still needs to continually refill this resevoir through sleep and food, though other techniques may exist as well. While it's possible that she could learn some magic, it runs the risk of weakening her and her seals faster than someone who is used to such things due to her family's specialized nature. While it sounds like she has a large amount of potential due to this, a better comparison is that she's like a normal computer with an unusually vast amount of memory, much of it hogged up by large programs the computer can run in limited capacity. However, while Akemi can't use it for purposes other than her seals, that doesn't stop creatures of the dark from trying to feast upon it or find ways to harvest her. This does not extend to her heart, of course- heart-wise, she's like any magical girl, which are each extraordinary in themselves.

The nature of their inheritance (ie legacy) in other Rune Maiden family lines often depends on the spirit- Guma was a mother bear, so the Tsukiyama's legacy was passed on from to female to female.

Sealing: In specific cases (ie, player and/or staff consent) Akemi can seal more supernatural creatures' spirits inside her body, but due to the finicky nature of the seal, whether the ritual will work is up in the air most times. Also, the more demons, the more stress is placed on Akemi's body- she'll get tired more easily, and will need to eat and sleep more to replinish her energy. Also, she can't use that spirit to transform; Guma is the only one that is able to manifest as such due to having sync'ed with the Tsukiyama family line. At best, Akemi'd be able to allow the spirit to speak through her, much like a medium. If she releases the demon, it will simply manifest in the state it was when it was sealed. Storing an unwilling powerful spirit can exhaust her over time, so this is not recommended as a permanent solution.

(Contract) Guma: Akemi's main ability in combat is when she uses the Scarlet Lotus seal, as well as Guma's power, to tranform. Being a normal human being, Akemi's body bottlenecks Guma's power, but the boost she gains in strength, speed, and defense places her on par with an average magical girl. For better or worse, this often comes with Guma taking control as well, which translates into Akemi being a largely offensive fighter, focusing largely on physical attacks. As mentioned, Guma can 'borrow' the rune's holy energy to repel or bind evil, make barriers, cast beams of light, or strengthen her melee attacks. As a being affiliated with the mountain, she also her own power to do some attacks that use earth as an element.

In time, Akemi will learn to take more initiative and perhaps control this form on her own, but for now, it's Guma.

Haughty in battle, Guma's very quick to attempt to decrease her opponent's morale, attempting to insult their logic or abilities. She also attempts to increase her allies' morale, even if it's to a lesser degree, as her 'tough love' may not be the most effective at getting others to fight. She's very willing to protect allies she thinks need some help, whether due to inexperience or being very young.

Guma has a lot of experience and knowledge, which makes her adept at recognizing many sorts of enemies as long as they've been something she's experienced before. She also relishes a tough battle, but this has been one form of thrill-seeking she's had to sometimes hold back on. While she sees it as a good way to 'toughen' her and Akemi up, Akemi isn't yet as strong as Katsumi once was. Therefore, Guma sees no shame in retreating when it's necessary.

Those who may have known her before might be surprised that Guma is... as weak as she is now. The reason why Guma, a powerful kami and demon with tons of experience and know-how, isn't at her true 'level' is threefold:

1. Guma's not used to Akemi's body and mind. She and her former 'partner', Katsumi, were so successful near the end of their 'career' due to the bond they shaped, both understanding each other's limits, weaknesses, strengths, and tactics. Guma is used to Katsumi's taller, more built body, and their psyches were more similar. One could substitute for the other and no one would be none the wiser, whether in combat or social life. Guma also still sees Akemi as a sort of 'child' she needs to protect, rather than a partner. Akemi is also shorter, less experienced, and less confident in combat situations. Guma sometimes likes to chide Akemi for not 'eating enough food' or 'you're short because you don't eat the right things', even in the middle of combat.

2. The lotus seal naturally bottlenecks Guma's power to what Akemi's body and spirit can handle, to keep her from being overwhelmed simply from her initial transformation. As Akemi gets stronger, she'll be able to handle more of it, as well as explore other options for funneling her abilities. While Guma is 'at the helm' for now when it comes to being a magical girl, this is likely to change in the future. The Lotus Seal's potential often is limited only to each maiden's heart and personality.

3. Guma has been 'out of the game' for over 50 years. While this means her abilities are rusty, it also means there's many things that astound, confuse, and can even throw her off that a normal magical girl would find normal. It's one of the reasons Akemi lets her experience normal life as a citizen, though this won't cover new tricks and tactics potential antagonists may have. Then again, the more things change, the more they stay the same...

Akemi can't release Guma to fight for her outside the seal, as Guma would simply revert to her mindless demonic nature once outside the seal. If the seal breaks and the oniguma manifests, it will be of a large mass of dark blood red energy in the shape of a bear, with no distinctive features aside from burning bright red eyes and, when it's open, a gaping black maw of glowing white teeth. When released, the oniguma becomes a creature of violence and pain, destroying anything that is human, humanoid, or seemingly man-made. Nearly impossible to kill, it's better to recapture the oniguma than spend the energy needed to kill it, as Akemi only needs to reseal Guma for the threat to be neutralized. While nearly impossible to kill, the oniguma is not impossible to overpower, especially from a small tightly-knit group of magical girls and wizards. It also tires, retreating from battle to rest when raw instinct determines it. While still powerful and deadly if awoken in this sleepy state, her reactions and power will be diminished to an even more manageable level. Those facing the oniguma in such a group have more to fear from it targetting and hurting civilians than it hurting them. Thankfully, Guma is on guard against this scenerio- if the seal weakens, especially during battle, Guma will probably withdraw, though Akemi's determination may make this strategy impossible if she overpowers Guma's will.

'''7a. ...And your strength?'''

''This is where you'll build your stats, or suggest changes if you're apping a character that already has stats. If you would like the staff to build your stats for you, simply suggest which stats are most important to your character. If you are building your own stats, please refer to the our detailed Chargen instructions, and fill out the following template:

Pleasepleaseplease, if I am off with my build, feel free to change things. T-T how do I comkputer

Starting Master Rank: C

Master Traits: Analytical, Improvisationalist

Abilities that your character retains in all of their Henshin Forms, including their Base Mode. A character gets a number of points for these defined by their Master Rank.

Then, for each transformation:

Henshin Name: Scarlet Rune Maiden

Henshin Rank: C

Stats range between 1-100, but 30 is already epic in scope by any normal metric.

Might: 39

Reflex: 30

Vitality: 36

Spirit: 34

Composure: 6

Henshin Traits: Explosive Counterfire, Riposte, Battlefield Presence, Massive Impacts

Special abilities that your character only has access to while transformed into a given Henshin Form.

Extra Attacks: 1

An extra Finisher or Special attack slot costs 5 points apiece. Henshin Forms start with 2 Finishers and 3 Specials. Base Modes get neither, and cannot spend points on Extra Attacks in this fashion.

Total Character Points Spent: 39 + 30 + 36 + 34 + 36 + 5 * (1) = 180, unless Starting Master Rank is something other than C.

'''7b. ...And you use Saint Rainbow Lily Lipliner?!'''

''Name your attacks in each Henshin Form here, with a bit of description. Remember, attacks can also include buffs, cheers and taunts; the power of emotion is every bit as potent as that of a magical blast.

...... I don't know which if these should be specials and which should be finishers, so, uh, I'll leave it up to you.

Scarlet Knife - Akemi, enchanting her fists and feet with some of the Scarlet Lotus's energy, comes in for a combo attack, attempting to wear down defense of her opponent.

Scarlet Lotus Seal - Using the holy aspect of the Lotus Seal, Akemi casts an attack of glowing red energy in the shape of the tattoo, radiating outward.It has the potential to great hurt the forces of evil. Could be a beam???

Lotus Shield - Using the Lotus Seal's power, Akemi strengthens three allies. A... uh... Withstand Area AUGH

Hard to Bear - Slamming one hand into the ground, Akemi calls upon Guma to send a ripple of energy through the ground, causing a 'wave' of ground to violently jostle her opponents to their knees.

Servant of the Mountain - Slamming two hands into the ground, Akemi calls upon Guma to send a ripple of energy through the ground, causing the ground underneath her opponents to explode upwards with ragged pieces of earth.

Red Moon - An illusion of Guma's kami self, a mass of red energy in the shape of a bear with a white cresent across its breast, appears behind her. Intended to intimidate her opponents and... possibly cheer her allies, because there's a damn bear spirit on their side. If it needs more flags, it could buff Akemi?

'''8. Are things different now?'''

''If your character is from a preexisting theme that hasn't been integrated yet, describe the integration here. Some themes won't need very many changes at all in order to fit in; others will need heavier alteration. If your theme is already integrated, but you want to specify something about your character, you can do that here, too.

''Likewise, if there's anything we need to know about an original theme that isn't covered in the history section, this is the place to let us know.

''If your theme does not yet have its single paragraph of introduction and explanation in the Theme Primer, please fill out the template below and we'll add it for the world to see, so that people unfamiliar with your theme will have a reference!

''The intent of Theme Primers is to sufficiently inform people who who know nothing about your theme such that they can think about it deeply enough to try to incorporate things important to you into their RP and plots (with your permission).

''Share as much as you want to! Spoilers are often at least downplayed in FC theme integration, but if you want to just get real and lay it out, that makes it that much easier for people to integrate with it, either with additional applications (with your permission) or plots (with your permission).

''The opportunity cost of that, of course, is shocking the public with the big twists (which you will presumably provide for the staff, elsewhere in the application, if there are any pre-planned ones).

Theme Name: Shining Rune Maiden Akemi

When Japanese civiliation started to develop, the balance of nature began to shift towards humanity's advantage, causing once peaceful kami of nature to become wraithful demons. Mediators were needed, and one brave young woman unwittingly answered the call. Using a mystical lotus tattoo of holy power as a conduct, she allowed her body to become a seal for a dangerous demon, allowing peace for her village, even if it came at the cost of being cast out. Sharing the now purfied kami's pain allowed the maiden to realize the scope of the problem, and, using the kami as a guide and eventually as a source of power, she and her family line set out attempting to mediate the balance between nature and humanity, as well as protecting both sides from the evil that came from beyond and within. No longer would the forces of evil be fed by forgotten spirits of nature; someone was willing to walk between worlds, spreading a message of hope, love, and light.

The founding Tsukiyama family line seemed to end with the disappearance of the no-nonsense Katsumi Tsukiyama in 1958, perhaps for the better. In these modern times, wouldn't taking on such a naive role be ultimately useless? One young girl will find out...

Theme Organizational Connections: The Tsukiyama line has worked alongside the Magic Association and the Tuners, though playing host to a rumored 'demon' as well as the maidens' efforts to rehabilitate certain demons have called their allegiances into question at times. Dark Fall hates the maidens for denying them potential recruits, though some may be curious as to the effects playing host to a kami could have on a human family line, as will some in the Ends of the World. As for separate or distant family lines of Rune Maidens, their ties may be another matter...

Example Theme Paths to Power: Artifact (Lotus Tattoo), Contract (a sealed kami, after a period of time), Legacy (descendants have a chance to gain certain attributes & sync with their family's kami better)

'''9. Origin Story GMing Round Robin'''

''9a: Do you want to participate in the Origin Story Round Robin, in which in exchange for GMing someone else's origin story (typically, 'my first day as a magical girl'), someone else does the same for you?

Sure, as long as it doesn't conflict with anything in my schedule!

''9b: If yes, which themes do you feel comfortable storytelling in? If you're willing to do a little research beforehand to fill in the gaps in your knowledge base, 'all of them' is a perfectly acceptable answer, but if you have any themes that you have some depth of knowledge of, please mention them too.

Generally, I do well with one-shot dramatic scenes and wacky crazy social scenes that appeal to my horrible sense of humor. Certain people will be able to warn you on what my brand of humor entails. Wacky one-shot villains are also fun for me.

Series I can maybe help on, but I'm not an expert on, and these may not all be technically MG series but whatever: Princess Tutu, Penguindrum, Puella Magi Madoka Magica, The Adventures of Tweeny Witches (look, wiki said it was so I'm including it), Gakuen Alice (it's been a while, though), Shamanic Princess (again, wiki)

For more information, please see: [[MUSH Survival Guide]], [[Tutorials]], [[Examples]]

[[Category:Examples]]
[[Category:Tutorials]]

Youma Templates

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Just choose a name for +youma/create, and replace # with the number it gives you.

+youma/create <youma name>

+youma/setsheet #/masterrank=

+youma/setsheet #/mastertraits=Ability|Ability|Ability

+youma/setsheet #/rank=

+youma/setsheet #/might=

+youma/setsheet #/vitality=

+youma/setsheet #/spirit=

+youma/setsheet #/reflex=

+youma/setsheet #/composure=

+youma/setsheet #/henshinabilities=Ability|Ability|Ability

+youma/setsheet #/desc=

+youma/setattack #=Attack Name|Finisher, Special or Free|Power Level|Magical or Physical|Ranged or Melee|Flag1|Flag2|Flag3...

For more information, please see: [[Chargen]]

For more examples, please see: [[Examples]]

[[Category:Combat System]]
[[Category:Examples]]
[[Category:Tutorials]]

Combat Examples

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On the to-do list.

For more information, please see: [[Battle]], [[Reactions]], [[Attacks]], [[Battle Commands]]

For more examples, please see: [[Examples]]

[[Category:Combat System]]
[[Category:Examples]]
[[Category:Tutorials]]

Examples

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There are a variety of examples and templates available to clarify the Battle Fantasia MUSH combat system.

'''Sub-topics:'''

[[Chargen Examples]] - Step-by-step walkthroughs of the character generation process.

[[Attack Examples]] - A longer list of canonical attack implementations in the combat system.

[[Combat Examples]] - Example fights within the combat system, broken down in detail.

[[Youma Templates]] - A template of the commands used to set up an NPC Youma form in the Battle Fantasia Youma Repository System.

[[Example: Character Application|Character Application Examples]] - Full example applications (including the combat system sections).

For more information, please see: [[Chargen]], [[Attacks]], [[Battle]], [[Battle Commands]], [[Combat System]]

[[Category:Combat System]]
[[Category:Examples]]
[[Category:Tutorials]]

Template:Extension DPL

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Administrator: Template:Extension DPL

<noinclude>This page was automatically created. It serves as an anchor page for all '''[[Special:WhatLinksHere/Template:Extension_DPL|invocations]]''' of [http://mediawiki.org/wiki/Extension:DynamicPageList Extension:DynamicPageList (DPL)].</noinclude>

Template:Rplogs

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Administrator: Created page with "<noinclude> == Usage == <pre> {{ RPlogs | name = <Character Page Name> | columns = <Number of Columns> | date = true (This adds a date field infront of your logs. Don't includ..."

<noinclude>
== Usage ==
<pre>
{{ RPlogs
| name = <Character Page Name>
| columns = <Number of Columns>
| date = true (This adds a date field infront of your logs. Don't include it if you don't want the dates shown.)
| userdateformat = <Date Format> (Only useable if date is true)
}}
</pre>

This template will automatically add all logs which link to the page referenced in 'name' field.

=== Example ===
<pre>
{{ RPlogs
| name = Mamoru Chiba
| columns = 2
| date = true
| userdateformat = Y-m-d
}}
</pre>
</noinclude><includeonly>{{ #dpl:
| namespace=Logs
| category=RP Logs
| linksto={{{ name | {{{ 1 | }}} }}}
| shownamespace=false
| ordermethod=firstedit
| order=descending
| columns={{{columns|3}}}
| rowcolformat=width="100%"
| noresultsheader=''No logs filed yet''
| addeditdate ={{{date|false}}}
| userdateformat={{{userdateformat|Y-m-d}}}
}}</includeonly>

Battle Commands

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The following commands are useful for managing combat in Battle Fantasia.

=====Basic Commands=====
* +transformations: Lists available henshin forms, preceded by their henshin number (or letter; B is for Base Form, Y is for Youma Form).
* +transform <henshin number>: Transforms a character into a given henshin form. +henshin # and +form # accomplish the same thing.
* +sheet: Displays a character’s stats, abilities, and current status effects. +sheet/henshin <henshin number> shows what they would be if transformed to a different henshin.
* +status: Displays a character’s current fatigue, mana, morale, reaction penalties, type/range of recent attacks reacted to (which is relevant to the usefulness of certain Abilities), status effects and (un)available Finishers.
* +attacks: Lists a character’s available attacks. +attacks/henshin <henshin number> shows what they would be if transformed to a different henshin.
* +attacks/sort <sorting type>: sorts attacks in +attacks and +attacks/henshin by name, tier, PL, type, range or mana cost.
* +show/sheet <target list>=<henshin number>: Displays a character's +sheet, as though they were currently transformed into their <henshin number> form, to <target list>.
* +show/attacks <target list>=<henshin number>: Displays a character's +attacks, as though they were currently transformed into their <henshin number> form, to <target list>.
* +heal/full: resets fatigue to 100, mana to 100, morale to 0 and reaction penalties to 0, clears all status effects and otherwise wipes the slate clean.
* +heal/boss <X>: As +heal/full, but sets fatigue, mana and morale to appropriately scaled numbers for a single combatant to challenge multiple opponents at an entertaining level of difficulty. Also, allows such an attacker to make up to X +attacks before their turn automatically ends, instead of the usual single attack.
* +heal/bossadjust <X>: Can be used mid-combat to adjust boss fatigue and mana levels, and maximum +attacks per round, without resetting everything, in the event that someone leaves or an extra opponent arrives.
* +heal X: sets fatigue to X, where X is less than your current fatigue. Cannot be used while KOed.
* +color <ansi color code>: Sets a character's name to display fabulously within the combat system as <ansi code>. For more information, please see +help ANSI on the MUSH.

=====Attacker Commands=====
* +attack <target(s)>=<attackname>: To attack more than one target (separated with spaces), an attack requires the Area flag, at which point it can target up to three. You must have the Mana required to pay for your attack, as listed in +attacks.
* +analyze <target>: Only usable with the Analytical ability; in lieu of an attack, analyze a target’s capabilities.
* +combo/start <target(s)>=<attackname>: Initiates a combo attack; other combo attackers then use:
* +combo/join <combostarter>=<attackname>. Once all combo attackers have joined the combo, the combostarter uses:
* +combo/finish
* +combo/cancel: May be used by any member of the combo to cancel the entire combo.
* +combo/name <comboname>: May be used by the combostarter to rename the entire combo to something suitably epic.
* +noko: Secretly guarantees that no target of your next attack will be KOed by it -- unless they +accept, or if they would suffer a morale KO. '''''The first rule of +noko is to never talk about +noko. If you tell your opponent you're using it, you're using it incorrectly.''''' Excessive use of +noko is heavily, heavily discouraged; this narrative tool only has value when used secretly and sparingly. +noko is an OOC decision to not KO someone; it has no IC meaning.
* +round: Ends an attacker’s turn, if they’re using fewer attacks than their regular 1 to (+heal/boss) X attacks.

=====Defender Commands=====
* +queue: Shows incoming attacks from any attackers, and basic information about each attack.
* +dodge <attacker>: Used by the defender to invoke the Dodge reaction against Attacker's incoming attack.
* +brace <attacker>: Used by the defender to invoke the Brace reaction against Attacker's incoming attack.
* +counter <attacker>=<counterattackname>: Used by the defender to invoke the Counter reaction against Attacker's incoming attack, using Counterattackname as a Counterattack.
* +accept <attacker>: Used by the Defender to invoke the Accept reaction against Attacker's incoming attack.
* +cover <ally>=<attacker>: Attempts to transfer Ally's incoming attack from Attacker to oneself.
* +cancel <defender>: Used by an attacker to cancel their attack on defender. If used for an area attack, please allow the attacker to cancel all defenders before proceeding.

=====Miscellaneous Commands=====
* +check <player> <player> vs. <player> <player> <player> (etc): Optionally used to quickly determine the outcome of a battle by comparing Fatigue and Mana values across both sides. Requires consent from all parties. A good way to settle a duel if both characters have used their Finishers without a definitive victor, a la samurai having flashed past each other with katana, yet they’re both still standing up; +check decides who topples over.

=====Initiative Commands=====
The initiative system in Battle Fantasia is optional, unless [[Items In Combat|Items]] are being contested using the combat system, in which case all characters involved in the item contestation need to use it. It orders characters by a combination of their Reflex and Composure; characters with higher Reflex are physically faster, while characters with higher Composure are more prepared to react quickly to the unexpected.
* +initiative/start: Defines an initiative order for everyone connected in the room.
* +initiative/join: Adds yourself to the initiative order.
* +initiative/leave: Removes yourself from the initiative order.
* +initiative: Displays the initiative order. Players who have used +observe will not be included in the order.
* +initiative/clear: Clears the initiative order in the room. Please try to remember to do this when a scene is over.

=====Item Commands=====
* +item/start <Item>: Used by the original holder of an item to allow for an [[Items In Combat|item contest]]. For example, someone holding a Grief Seed who wants to allow it to be contested would type '''+item/start Grief Seed'''. Currently, you can only start one contest at a time, but multiple contests can be going on in the same room simultaneously if necessary.
* +item/join <Item Starter>: After an item contest has been started, anyone interested in contesting the possession of the item should use +item/join. '''You are not allowed to change your mind later on; either you're in or you're out at the beginning.''' If you join the scene late, or if something changes in character that would cause you to suddenly be interested in the item, you're welcome to RP accordingly, but you will not succeed at obtaining the item in this scene.
* +item/leave <Item Starter>: If your character is no longer contesting the item, please use +item/leave to take yourself out of the pose order. You may not use +item/leave if you're the current holder of the item. For game balance reasons, if out of character circumstances force you to have to miss part of the scene, you must use +item/leave to take yourself out of contention.
* +item/clear: Used by the original holder of the item to end the item contest.
* +item <Item Starter>: Displays the initiative order of everyone contesting the item, indicates the item's current holder, and if they're trying to escape, how many turns remain until they succeed. Everyone contesting the item needs to respect this pose order. Characters who aren't contesting the item do not need to strictly follow a pose order, but if they are involved ''at all'' in the csys with anyone in the item contest (attacking them, buffing them, cleansing them), they must only take one action per round of the item contest.
* +items: Displays the names of all item contests currently underway in the room, and indicates the items' current holders, and how many turns they have left to escape, if they're trying to.
* +item/transfer <Item Starter>=<Target>: Usable by anyone to transfer the item to a given target. There are three reasons to use this command:
::* The current item holder has disconnected and doesn't seem to be coming back. At this point, ownership of the item is transfered to a character of the Item Starter's choice.
::* You are the current item holder, and you are using your combat action to hand a contested item to someone else. Please remember to use '''+round''' afterwards.
::* You are the current item holder, and have just been knocked out. If whoever knocked you out is part of the contest, transfer the item to them. Otherwise, you may transfer it to the character of your choice.
* +item/escape <Item Starter>: Usable by the item holder on their turn; uses their combat action to run away, and announces to the room how many more turns it will be until they have escaped with the item.

=====Free Attack Commands=====
The following commands are used to add and remove Free attacks from one’s currently equipped henshin form:

* +freeattack/set: allows a player to set a free attack on their current henshin, under certain limitations: only one flag allowed, only a limited selection of flags allowed, attack is made on a limited number of points as defined by their Master Rank and the Improvisationalist ability, if applicable.
::Syntax: +freeattack/set Name|Free|PL|Type|Range|Flag

* +freeattack/del: Allows players to delete Free-tier attacks off their current henshin.
::Syntax: +freeattack/del <attack name>

* +freeattack/wipe: Allows players to wipe all Free-tier attacks off their current henshin at once. Can only be used if no nearby players have an attack from the user in their queue (ergo, best used out of combat, or when it's not your turn).
::Syntax: +freeattack/wipe

Our own [[Kinzo Hiroyuki]] made a nice [http://tinyurl.com/BFAttack Free Attack Builder] in Flash!

=====The Battle Fantasia Youma Repository System=====
The Battle Fantasia Youma Repository System is a set of commands to allow players and staff alike to define, edit, and transform into ‘youma’ -- in other words, NPC boss forms. It exists to promote free and easy GMing of spontaneous scenes. Use of the Youma Repository System to cheat in combat, by faking a player character's henshins, is abuse and will be treated accordingly.

* +youmas - Lists the available youma forms and their associated form numbers.
* +youma/create <youma name> - Initially creates a youma form and assigns it a form number.
* +youma/wipe <youma number> - Completely wipes a youma form from existance. Can only be used by staff, or on forms a player created themselves; players cannot wipe each others' forms.
* +youma/setsheet <youma number>/<field>=<entry> - Defines a field within a youma form. Valid fields include masterrank, mastertraits, rank (as in henshin rank), might, vitality, spirit, reflex, composure, henshinabilities and desc. Can only be used by staff, or on forms a player created themselves; players cannot edit each others' forms.
* +youma/setattack <youma number>=<attack entry> - Sets an attack on a youma form. Entry format is Attack Name|Tier|PL|Type|Range|Flag1|Flag2|Flag3... Can only be used by staff, or on forms a player created themselves; players cannot edit each others' forms.
* +youma/delattack <youma number>=<attack name> - Deletes an attack from a youma form. Can only be used by staff, or on forms a player created themselves; players cannot edit each others' forms.
* +youma/wipeattacks <youma number> - Deletes all attacks from a youma form. Can only be used by staff, or on forms a player created themselves; players cannot edit each others' forms.
* +youma/sheet <youma number> - Displays a youma form's +sheet.
* +youma/attacks <youma number> - Displays a youma form's +attacks.
* +youma/desc <youma number> - Displays a basic description of the youma in question.
* +youma/summon <youma number> - Summons a youma form's +sheet and +attacks to your henshin slot Y, which is listed like any other henshin in +transformations if filled; one can then subsequently transform into that youma form with +transform Y.

For more information, please see: [[Tutorials]], [[Battle]], [[Reactions]], [[Free Attacks]], [[Abilities]]

[[Category:Combat System]]
[[Category:MUSH Commands]]
[[Category:Tutorials]]

Cover

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'''In-Game Command Syntax:''' +cover <ally>=<attacker>, then, on a success, +dodge/brace/counter <attacker>

Desperate efforts to defend a friend in need are a fundamental part of the world of Battle Fantasia. The cover command exists to represent that. However, covering is not automatically successful; it is more successful when an ally has low morale, or is the target of a high-Power Level attack. If the cover attempt fails, the ally must react normally, because the coverer did not make it in time.

If the cover succeeds, the coverer must then react. However, all of their reaction options come with a severe penalty to their success chances, because pushing a friend out of the way of a big attack, taking it right to the face, and this chain of events spurring the original friend to great deeds (or despair) is hugely typical of the setting. Someone whose investment in the protection of their allies is a fundamental part of their character might buy the Guardian ability to improve their odds of a post-cover reaction.

Covering has no effect on Reaction Penalties.

Using +cover requires the permission of the attacker. Please don’t do it without asking first, and don’t expect to be allowed to do it every round, or even most rounds. If everyone agrees that it is narratively appropriate for the cover to succeed, one may continue to attempt +cover multiple times without penalty until they do. Abuse of +cover will be taken very seriously by the staff.

For more information, please see: [[Reactions]], [[Abilities]], [[Battle]]

[[Category:Combat System]]

Accept

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Administrator: Protected "Accept" ([Edit=Allow only administrators] (indefinite) [Move=Allow only administrators] (indefinite))

'''In-Game Command Syntax:''' +accept <attacker>

Sometimes it’s time to accept one’s defeat at the hands of a glorious enemy. Other times, an incoming attack isn’t offensive in nature, but carries with it healing or buffs! Either of those times are an appropriate time to use +accept -- and in the latter case, in fact, to do otherwise is cheating.

Accepting an attack does not alter existing reaction penalties. An attack that is accepted cannot count as a successful attack for the purposes of an attacker's once-a-round successful attack morale gain; to gain that extra morale, an attack must have a chance to fail.

For more information, please see: [[Reactions]], [[Battle]]

[[Category:Combat System]]

Counter

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Administrator: Protected "Counter" ([Edit=Allow only administrators] (indefinite) [Move=Allow only administrators] (indefinite))

'''In-Game Command Syntax:''' +counter <attacker>=<counterattack name>

The narrative definition of counter, as opposed to brace, is centered around the potential to actually do damage. (Usually; see the note on the Interrupt flag below.) Parrying a bolt of magic is a brace; bouncing it back at its caster is a counter. Taking an incoming punch with a force field is a brace. Absorbing an incoming attack’s energy with a force field, then detonating it in the attacker’s face, is a counter. Blocking a punch with the flat of a blade is a brace. Blocking a punch with the edge of a blade is a counter.

In general, only Ranged attacks can counter Ranged attacks, and only Melee attacks can counter Melee attacks. With the Barrier flag, an attack can counter both Ranged and Melee attacks (though it need not be a literal barrier or shield to do so; an aegis of one’s swirling sword or spiraling magical bolts will do). Finisher-tier attacks may only be countered by other Finishers, and one’s Opportunity Finisher for surviving the incoming Finisher does not unlock until after the reaction is done; if you want to counter a Finisher, your own Finisher must have already been available. Counterattacking requires some investment; as such, Power Level 0 attacks can never be used as counterattacks.

A counterattack can mitigate some or all damage; it can also deliver some or all of the damage and effects of the counterattack back at the original attacker. Note that debuffs attached to counterattacks last for one fewer round.

An attack with the Interrupt flag has altered functionality. It can only be used as a counterattack, and can never do any damage back to the original attacker. In return for these drawbacks, it has outstanding damage mitigation ability. This represents the tactical option to invest mana in an active defense (empowering one’s force field, or parrying sword, with a little extra verve, so to speak).

'''Reaction Advantages:''' What primarily drives the success odds of a counter reaction is the Power Level difference between the incoming attack and the counterattack. (Secondarily, a crit on either side helps success chance, as do a variety of attack flags). If they’re equal, counter has excellent damage mitigation, and if the counterattack has a higher Power Level than the incoming attack, counter can have the best mitigation in the game. This doesn’t run on stats at all; a sufficiently massive blast from a Rank C has solid odds at countering a Rank S. Using a low-PL attack to counter a high-PL attack has progressively lower odds. In other words, people get what they pay for; if they spend about the same amount of mana as their attacker, they’re likely to not take much damage at all, and possibly do some back.

'''Reaction Disadvantages:''' Every time one counterattacks, one is denying oneself mana they need for attacks, and having enough mana to use a Finisher-tier attack at the end of the fight tends to require fairly tight resource management. To be able to counter a wide variety of attacks effectively, a character requires a mix of Ranged and Melee attacks at a variety of PLs, or investment in the Barrier flag.

'''Abilities that improve Counter:''' Interceptor, Reverse, Tactician, Explosive Counterfire, Riposte, Barrier Warrior

'''Flags that punish Counter (or improve an attack when it’s used as a counterattack!):''' Accurate, Defense Breaking, Overpower

'''Flags that debuff Counter:''' Diversion, Blind (lowered crit chance)

'''Flags that buff Counter:''' Surge (raised crit chance)

For more information, please see: [[Reactions]], [[Brace]], [[Attacks]], [[Attack Flags]], [[Abilities]], [[Battle]]

[[Category:Combat System]]

Brace

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Administrator: Protected "Brace" ([Edit=Allow only administrators] (indefinite) [Move=Allow only administrators] (indefinite))

'''In-Game Command Syntax:''' +brace <attacker>

Brace encompasses, narratively, a lot more than just putting one’s arms in front of their face and passively taking a hit, perhaps skidding back a little or being blown off their feet entirely if they fail. Skillfully rolling with a hit is a brace. Actively blocking, parrying, or magically shielding oneself are all brace tactics. Want to punch a beam and stop it with sheer awesomeness? Want to cut an incoming attack in half with a sword? That’s brace, generally (and counter, occasionally). The brace reaction is not binary; one may brace more or less damage, or none at all.

'''Reaction Advantages:''' Brace has the lowest chance to entirely fail on a reaction, and on average mitigates more damage than dodge in general, and, at higher levels of investment, outperforms counter as well. The Brace stats, Vitality and Spirit, also resist debuffs, so even if one is struck by an attack, odds are they’ll very possibly resist any exotic effects!

'''Reaction Disadvantages:''' Magical attacks are braced against with the Spirit stat, while physical attacks are braced against with the Vitality stat (and many of the Brace abilities are also split by incoming attack type) so for a character to be great at bracing everything, there’s a higher Character Point investment involved than for the dodge reaction. Brace has the lowest chance to critically succeed, so opponents will rarely be denied their successful attack morale gain.

'''Abilities that improve Brace:''' Advanced Brace, Block, Parry, Hollow Body, Magic Cancel

'''Flags that punish Brace:''' Penetrating, Barrier Breaking

'''Flags that debuff Brace:''' Stagger, Stun

'''Flags that buff Brace:''' Withstand

For more information, please see: [[Reactions]], [[Counter]], [[Stats]], [[Abilities]], [[Attack Flags]], [[Morale]], [[Battle]]

[[Category:Combat System]]

Dodge

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Administrator: Protected "Dodge" ([Edit=Allow only administrators] (indefinite) [Move=Allow only administrators] (indefinite))

'''In-Game Command Syntax:''' +dodge <attacker>

Dodging can be graceful or not, but deliberately evading an opponent’s attack is a very common strategy on Battle Fantasia. Notably, the dodge reaction is not binary; narratively, one may succeed or fail to dodge an attack, but usually the result will be somewhere in between, as one loses Fatigue from their Fatigue pool, exerting themselves to dive out of the way.

'''Reaction Advantages:''' Whether an attack is ranged or melee, physical or magical, dodge runs on a single stat, Reflex, making it a highly efficient Character Point investment. Also, dodge has, by far, the highest chance to critically succeed on a reaction. Excellent dodgers will thus often deny their opponents successful attack morale gains.

'''Reaction Disadvantages:''' Dodge has, by far, the highest chance to entirely fail on a reaction, and on average mitigates less damage than the other reactions. And on anything less than a critically successful Dodge, all that Reflex won’t help at all when resisting debuffs.

'''Abilities that improve Dodge:''' Advanced Dodge, Fade, Flash, Supersonic

'''Flags that punish Dodge:''' Homing, Accurate

'''Flags that debuff Dodge:''' Tangle, Trap

'''Flags that buff Dodge:''' Accelerate

For more information, please see: [[Reactions]], [[Morale]], [[Stats]], [[Abilities]], [[Attack Flags]], [[Battle]]

[[Category:Combat System]]

Template:Quotation

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Reactions

2014-08-22T06:42:40Z

Administrator: Protected "Reactions" ([Edit=Allow only administrators] (indefinite) [Move=Allow only administrators] (indefinite))

When a character is attacked in Battle Fantasia (as listed in the defender’s +queue), they have a variety of coded reactions available to them: dodging, bracing, counterattacking, or accepting the attack. Additionally, they can have someone else use +cover to transfer the attack to themselves (and then react normally). Each of these reactions have advantages and disadvantages; they also have a variety of abilities and flags that benefit or penalize them.

All reactions have a variety of levels of success, mitigating more or less potential incoming damage from the attack in question. They can succeed critically, mitigating all damage and thus causing the incoming attack to be unsuccessful, denying the attacker their successful attack morale bonus. They can also fail completely, mitigating no damage whatsoever. If a reaction does anything less than critically succeed, any debuffing Flags on the attack have a possibility of working.

'''[[Dodge]]''' -- ''Greater risk, greater reward, and notably not binary in its outcome.''

'''[[Brace]]''' -- ''Reliable damage mitigation, but rarely spectacular.''

'''[[Counter]]''' -- ''The potential to prevent or even do damage, but at the cost of mana.''

'''[[Accept]]''' -- ''No attempt to avoid full damage from the attack; mostly used to accept help from allies.''

'''[[Cover]]''' -- ''Attempt to ensure an ally’s safety at the expense of your own.''

Reaction Penalties (as seen in +status) accrue whenever a Dodge, Brace or Counter reaction is used successfully. Each point of Reaction Penalty provides a stacking decrease in a given reaction’s effectiveness, up to a fairly extreme value of Reaction Penalty 5. Using any other reaction will decrease all other reactions by 1. Reaction Penalties reset to 0 at the beginning of a fight.

{{Quotation|Sailor Moon is targeted by a monster’s Gnashing Teeth. She dodges out of the way, and then has Dodge Penalty 1, Brace Penalty 0, and Counter Penalty 0. Following that, the monster tries to beat her with its Possessed Tire Iron. Sailor Moon counters with her Moon Tiara, and then has Dodge Penalty 0, Brace Penalty 0, Counter Penalty 1. If Sailor Moon had tried to dodge, she would have had a reduced chance of success. On the other hand, since her Moon Tiara is rather pitiful, it might have been worth the risk!}}

For more information, please see: [[Morale]], [[Battle]]

[[Category:Combat System]]

Items In Combat

2014-08-22T06:41:37Z

Administrator: Protected "Items In Combat" ([Edit=Allow only administrators] (indefinite) [Move=Allow only administrators] (indefinite))

In the magical girl genre, fighting over items happens constantly. Whether people are collecting Rainbow Crystals, Heartiels, Grief Seeds or Heart Shards, contesting the possession of an item often drives the content of a scene. While it is always acceptable to simply roleplay out item possession, we have rules for adjudicating items in the combat system. After an item combat is initiated in the code, attacks with the Item Grab flag can be used to steal it. Characters can opt to flee from battle with their prize, but they have to hold onto the item long enough to escape!

====Initiating an Item Contest====
We use the [[Battle Commands#Item Commands|+item]] system to track who is currently holding an item. We also use it to track who is involved in an item contest; since item contests necessitate a strict pose order, this allows them to go on within a larger scene without restricting the pose order of those who are not interested in contesting the possession of an item.

'''+item/start <Item>''': Used by the original holder of an item to allow for an item contest. For example, someone holding a Grief Seed who wants to allow it to be contested would type '''+item/start Grief Seed'''. Currently, you can only start one contest at a time, but multiple contests can be going on in the same room simultaneously if necessary.

'''+item/join <Item Starter>''': After an item contest has been started, anyone interested in contesting the possession of the item should use +item/join. '''You are not allowed to change your mind later on; either you're in or you're out at the beginning.''' If you join the scene late, or if something changes in character that would cause you to suddenly be interested in the item, you're welcome to RP accordingly, but you will not succeed at obtaining the item in this scene.

'''+item/leave <Item Starter>''': If your character is no longer contesting the item, please use +item/leave to take yourself out of the pose order. You may not use +item/leave if you're the current holder of the item. For game balance reasons, if out of character circumstances force you to have to miss part of the scene, you must use +item/leave to take yourself out of contention.

'''+item/clear''': Used by the original holder of the item to end the item contest.

'''+item <Item Starter>''': Displays the initiative order of everyone contesting the item, indicates the item's current holder, and if they're trying to escape, how many turns remain until they succeed. Everyone contesting the item needs to respect this pose order. Characters who aren't contesting the item do not need to strictly follow a pose order, but if they are involved ''at all'' in the csys with anyone in the item contest (attacking them, buffing them, cleansing them), they must only take one action per round of the item contest.

'''+items''': Displays the names of all item contests currently underway in the room, and indicates the items' current holders, and how many turns they have left to escape, if they're trying to.

'''+item/transfer <Item Starter>=<Target>''': Usable by anyone to transfer the item to a given target. There are three reasons to use this command:
* The current item holder has disconnected and doesn't seem to be coming back. At this point, ownership of the item is transfered to a character of the Item Starter's choice.
* You are the current item holder, and you are using your combat action to hand a contested item to someone else. Please remember to use '''+round''' afterwards.
* You are the current item holder, and have just been knocked out. If whoever knocked you out is part of the contest, transfer the item to them. Otherwise, you may transfer it to the character of your choice.

'''+item/escape <Item Starter>''': Usable by the item holder on their turn; uses their combat action to run away, and announces to the room how many more turns it will be until they have escaped with the item.

====Grabbing An Item====
* Attacks with the '''Item Grab''' [[Attack Flags#Miscellaneous_Flags|Attack Flag]] may be used to attempt to grab an item from another person, ''after'' an item contest has been started with +item/start. Without +item/start, Item Grab doesn't function, but grants the attack a critical chance bonus.
* To succeed at an Item Grab attempt, the attack itself must be successful (in the sense that it is not perfectly [[Dodge|Dodged]], [[Brace|Braced]], or [[Counter|Countered]]). [[Accept|Accepting]] an Item Grab attack will always cause the attempt to succeed. An attack that is a Critical Hit has a better chance of success; the Magpie [[Abilities|ability]] also improves the chances of grabbing an item.
* If you succeed at an Item Grab attempt, you gain an extra 5 Morale, and are now in possession of the item in question. '''No one may attempt another Item Grab on you until after you take your next turn.'''
* '''Item Grab attacks explicitly cannot be used to grab weapon or transformation Artifacts'''; disarming someone of their ability to fight is not the purpose of these rules.
* Item Grab attacks may not be used as counterattacks.
* If you succeed at an Item Grab attempt against someone who is holding multiple contested items, and you are in multiple contests for those items, you will grab only one. You cannot choose which to grab. (This probably-rare situation will eventually be improved; right now, it's a code limitation. Using +item/transfer to pass multiple items to someone in order to 'shield' one of them is using the system in bad faith -- don't.)
* If you [[Knockouts|knock someone out]] who has a contested item, you automatically take the item (which should be transferred to you with '''+item/transfer'''). If your character is not in contention for the item, the knocked out character decides who gets it next.
* You may hand a contested item to someone else with '''+item/transfer''', but this takes your combat system action for that turn. It does not cost a combat system action to ''receive'' a contested item from the giver, however.

====Leaving A Scene With An Item====
* If you want to grab an item and run away with it, you must use '''+item/escape''' on your turn. Turning to run uses your attack for that round; you may not, therefore, turn and run ''in the same turn'' as your successful Item Grab attack, because you've already used your attack for the round -- the clock can start on your ''next'' turn.
* While you are running away, you may not make more combat system attacks. You may still pose (fleeing), of course, and must use '''+item/escape''' on your turn in lieu of other actions.
* If two full turns pass, and you still have the item and have not been [[Knockouts|knocked out]], you escape with it. This means that everyone in the scene has two chances to take it from you.
* If, at any time during your escape attempt, you suffer from the Trap [[Attack Flags|Attack Flag]] status effect, it takes a total of three full turns, instead of two full turns, to escape.
* Allies are always permitted to [[Cover]] for their escaping item-holder, but they cannot 'dramatically' cover; if the covering attempt fails, it fails. Only a single ally can attempt to cover any one attack.
* If the contested item changes hands at any point, the escape clock has to start over, with all the normal rules applying.

====Tactical Notes====
* The best way to defend against Item Grab is with a fairly high-Power Level counterattack (which has the added benefit of likely doing damage back to your attacker), but, naturally, this gets expensive quickly.
* The second best way to defend against Item Grab is with Dodge, since it's more likely to crit and prevent all damage than Brace is, thus causing the attack, and thus the grab attempt, to fail.

====Pose Order====
* A scene with item contestation going on, by necessity, must respect the firm pose order defined in '''+item'''.
* For game balance reasons, if your character is involved in an item contestation, they must participate in every round of combat. If for some reason you are unable to continuously participate OOCly, you will need to remove your character from contention of the item in that scene with '''+item/leave'''.

For more information, please see: [[Attack Flags]], [[Abilities]], [[Battle]]

[[Category:Combat System]]

Transformations

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Administrator: Protected "Transformations" ([Edit=Allow only administrators] (indefinite) [Move=Allow only administrators] (indefinite))

Most characters only transform once a fight, right at the beginning of combat, before any other combat system actions are taken. (It is occasionally amusing to disrupt the usual ‘wait for everyone to stock footage transform’ but attacks should never target someone’s Base Mode without the defender’s consent.)

However, once a battle has begun, a character can opt to transform up no more than once per round, before they attack and after all their previous attacks have been reacted to, as well as after they have reacted to all attacks in their Reaction Queue. In other words, at the very beginning of their next combat round, as defined by ‘when they’re about to make their first (and usually only, barring boss modes) attack. As stated more precisely above, they must then remain in their new Henshin Form for at least one entire round -- that is, while people react to their attack, and then attack them in turn, and while they’re reacting to those attacks. Transforming more often than that is against the rules (though the code should prevent most attempts). If it’s done by accident, as long as the transformer immediately swaps back before any ongoing attacks or reactions involving them proceed, there’s no harm done.

The Battle Fantasia Combat System is not designed to accommodate someone swapping between six or seven different forms, lasting one round apiece (as this is not behavior relevant to the genre it’s trying to emulate -- Henshin Forms are not fluid combat stances, they are fundamental transformations through one’s very spirit); our usual “don’t be a dick” policy applies here, as in all places. Swapping, over the course of the fight, from one non-Base Henshin Form to another, and then perhaps back again to the original Henshin Form, is generally sufficient flexibility. Excessive mid-combat transformation may lead to conversations with the staff about alternative ways to build a character in the combat system, such that their concept is preserved along with the spirit of the rules.

For more information, please see: [[Mana]], [[Supercharged Henshin Modes]], [[Ranks]], [[Battle]]

[[Category:Combat System]]

Knockouts

2014-08-22T06:41:01Z

Administrator: Protected "Knockouts" ([Edit=Allow only administrators] (indefinite) [Move=Allow only administrators] (indefinite))

In Battle Fantasia, a character is unable to keep fighting when their [[Fatigue]] or [[Mana]] reaches 0, or when their [[Morale]] reaches -100. But what does this actually mean in terms of roleplay?

It can mean whatever the player wants, within reason; posing an attack being totally ineffective when it has knocked one's character out of the fight isn't very classy. Often, it means that the character can no longer retain their [[Transformations|henshin]], and revert to their [[Base Modes|base mode]] -- perhaps draped in ribbons of energy that somehow prevent their enemies from learning their true identity, a last bastion of [[Serenity's Miracles#The Second Wish: Recognition Inhibition|Recognition Inhibition]].

Here are some suggestions:

'''[[Fatigue]] 0:''' This is the most common 'KO' condition, typically caused by an opponent's [[Attacks|attack]]. Being literally knocked out is fine, but simply too worn out to stand is just as genre-appropriate -- which is actually one reason why our hit points are called 'Fatigue'! Because a magical girl often has a higher purpose than crushing their enemies, their mission isn't always over when they reach KO! They are still allowed to speak and (weakly) move around. Remember, as a magical girl, your true power is in your heart, and some foes you cannot erase with an energy beam can be reached in other ways.

'''[[Mana]] 0:''' This usually happens either due to an [[Attack Flags#Miscellaneous Flags|Energy Drain]] attack or a [[Supercharged Henshin Modes|Supercharged Henshin Mode's]] mana surcharge; either way, it generally means the same thing: the character lacks the energy to maintain their henshin (or re-transform), and reverts to their Base Mode. Such a lack of energy also often causes unconsciousness, but it need not.

'''[[Morale]] -100:''' This usually happens either due to a Quip or Taunt attack. A Morale KO generally represents a character losing the will to fight. Whether they become blank-eyed zombies, collapse in silent tears or walk -- or run -- away, they may retain the physical and magical strength to fight, but their heart just isn't in it, and in Battle Fantasia, it's the heart that matters most.

'''Escape:''' In all cases, it is sometimes appropriate for a character to withdraw rather than collapse. This is perfectly reasonable! However, it's good form to limp a little, after being walloped with a gigantic lovebeam, before tossing your cape, twirling your mustache, and vanishing.

For more information, please see: [[Battle]]

[[Category:Combat System]]