JBRam2002

Final Fantasy 13 / Fabula Nova Crystallis RP Idea

Ok, @Kyrisse, @PrettyWings, @Landaus Five-One, @SnowLeopard, and @fer1323, I have set up an OOC for us here. Let's move discussion to that thread. Thanks for helping to make this happen!

Fabula Nova Crystallis: War of Transgression

F A B U L A N O V A C R Y S T A L L I S

^{An RP based on the universe of FF13 and FFXV}

Long ago, before the Fall of Cocoon, there was a great war between the worlds of Pulse and Cocoon. Thousands of Cocoon soldiers fell upon the mechanized automata of Pulse, led by their gods Gran Pulse and Lindzei. Both sides chose their champions, and the battle culminated in the destruction caused by Ragnarok, destroying civilization as we know it on Pulse and severely damaging the shell of Cocoon.

But our story deals not with these great champions. More intriguing is the story of the common soldiers: those who were turned into l’Cie by the fell whims of their gods and became the face of war itself. Some fought and died in the trenches. Others attempted to broker peace in secret between the rulers of the two worlds. The bravest soldiers were the ones who learned the deepest secrets that both sides had to hide, and realized that the war being fought would produce no victor.

~ = + = ~

Welcome to Fabula Nova Crystallis: War of Transgression. Although this is technically an RP based on the game FF13 and its sequels, my intent is to design this RP in a way that no one needs to have played the game in order to participate. All are free and welcome to join. I intend this to be a high-casual RP. See more below in the Rules hider for particulars on what I expect. As a side note, I like the people who show interest to read and understand everything, so I have a couple of checks hidden in the hiders below. Let’s see who gets all of them!

Before we get too far, I want to say hello to everyone in the future that reads this. If this RP is still active and I have not removed this line, I am accepting newcomers. I have designed this RP to allow people to easily join in as needed. Just send me a PM that you're interested, and I'll go over the details with you. I don't bite!

Also, here is a link to the Public Sheet and the Interest Check.

Let’s delve into some of the particulars, shall we?

Setting

This RP will be set approximately 600 years prior to the occurrences in FF13. We will be playing as Pulsian and Cocoon soldiers working together to infiltrate the governments of Pulse and Cocoon, as well as attempt diplomatic and political maneuvers to end the war peacefully. The RP will take place both on Pulse and Cocoon. As there is limited canon regarding the world during this time period, I will be making several assumptions throughout, and will hopefully create an intriguing story that veterans and newcomers alike will enjoy.

Pulse is a lush and verdant open world, full of beasts and fal’Cie. The people live either in small villages or the large archaeopolises in Haerii or Paddra. An archaeopolis is an ancient city that has survived for thousands of years, still built in the original manner of construction. Travel is often done by Chocobo (large flightless yellow birds, although some are other colors, and a few rare ones can actually fly) or for the brave or crazy, via Wyverns (dangerous wild flying beasts that would kill you rather than look at you). The terrain is wild and varied, with steep cliffs and caverns such as the Mah’habara to wide open plains like the Archylte Steppe. The people of Pulse have learned to domesticate some of the beasts that roam the wild, and many beasts (like the Gorgonopsids) have been trained to fight.

Cocoon is a floating world above Pulse that can be prominently seen from many locations on Pulse. It is held aloft by the power of the fal’Cie, and was created by the god Lindzei from a chunk of Pulse to be a paradise to keep humans safe from the dangers of Pulse. Tens of millions of people live in the futuristic cities, from Eden to Palumpolum to Bodhum to Nautilus, however there are beautiful nature reserves such as the Sunleth Waterscape. The city of Eden holds the Sanctum, or the seat of power for Cocoon, and floats in the center of Cocoon. As the name implies, the citizens of Cocoon are sheltered from Pulse. Indeed, most cities cannot even see Pulse, as they are on the inside of the crust. Everything is provided by the fal’Cies, from their sunlight to their food and water.

Travel between Pulse and Cocoon is done through personal aircraft or other means of flight. However, as a war is underway, travel between the worlds is forbidden. Most people from Pulse fear and hate anything from Cocoon (and vice versa). That said, the players will be able to get between Pulse and Cocoon with relative ease as needed since they are a part of a military operation.

Conflict

Ever since Cocoon was created, both sides have feared and hated each other. Pulse is called a land of monsters, and their inhabitants are treated as savages by those on Cocoon. On the other side, Cocoon is called a “nest of vipers” by those living on Pulse, and the inhabitants are treated as completely dishonest. This animosity goes beyond mere prejudice, however, as the hatred is ingrained and taught since birth by the government and the fal’Cies. Few people are able to escape this prejudice, and even those harbor distrust towards the other side. The extremes of this prejudice can be seen in the two descriptions of Cocoon from the FFXIII datalogs:

From her lofty seat, the world of Cocoon has long enjoyed tranquility. The interior of her spherical shell supports several sprawling cities and a population numbering in the tens of millions. Although a variety of dangerous beasts prowl the wilds, advanced technology and the protection of the world's fal'Cie keepers ensure residents a peaceful and prosperous existence. Travel to the lowerworld of Pulse is forbidden, but given their deep-seated cultural fears of the place, Cocoon citizens would not even think to venture beyond the paradise they know.

Datalog/Locales

And lo, the viper Lindzei bore fangs into the pristine soil of our Gran Pulse; despoiled the land and from it crafted a cocoon both ghastly and unclean. Lies spilled forth from the serpent's tongue: 'Within this shell lies paradise.' Men heard these lies and were seduced and led away. O cursed are the fools who trust a snake and turn their backs upon the bounty of Pulse's hallowed land! For those who dwell in that cocoon are not Men, but slaves of the demon Lindzei. Ye who honor Pulse: rise unto the heavens, and cast down the viper's nest! -- Author unknown

Datalog/Analects: II. Lindzei’s Nest

With tensions rising, the armies of Pulse made a Preemptive Strike upon the floating shell of Cocoon, destroying a portion of the outer shell and exposing its interior before being driven back by the armies of Cocoon. We will be exploring the immediate aftermath.

Combat

When I create an RP based off an existing game, I try to keep as much of the gameplay intact as possible. That said, FF13’s Active Time Battle system is fairly difficult to recreate in a forum setting. I have done what I can to keep the spirit of the game intact while making a combat system that is hopefully fun for you and simple enough for the DMs to run without going crazy every combat. When indicating interest, please list your favorite character from the FFXIII trilogy, or put None if you haven’t played.

Standard Combat in FF13. Combat in the game revolves around the concept of roles and paradigms. Each character has a set of roles that they can use to deal damage and drive up the Chain Gauge. The Commando role deals high damage (usually non-elemental) and stabilizes the Chain Gauge, but does little to increase it. The Ravager role deals lower damage (usually elemental), but increases the Chain Gauge significantly. The Sentinel role draws attacks in and has a lot of damage resistance. The Saboteur role deals a little bit of damage and can stabilize the Chain Gauge, but their primary function is to inflict powerful debuffs. The Synergist role buffs the party. The Medic role heals the party. Each role has several abilities that are unique to that role and cannot be used while a character is performing a different role. Changing the roles of the party members is called a Paradigm Shift.

Roles and Paradigms. Each character will have three primary roles and three secondary roles, just like in the game. The secondary roles will not be unlocked until later, and we will play a few levels with just two primary roles to get the hang of things before expanding. In the game, the leader calls for a Paradigm Shift, and the characters change their roles to match. There are only 6 Paradigms available in any given battle to choose from. This is far too restrictive and difficult to coordinate in a forum RP. Instead, I will allow any character to shift their Role at the start of their turn, at the cost of 2 ATB segments. This adds a lot more versatility into the combat system and might make some fights less challenging than intended, so I may change the cost at a later date if needed.

ATB Gauge. ATB stands for Active Time Battle. During each turn, you have to wait for your ATB gauge to fill before you can act. In the game, normally you have multiple people acting at the same time, and you are able to cancel some segments to attack earlier if you need to. In the RP, both of those are difficult to do while maintaining structure and consistency. Instead, each character will perform their full turn before the next can act. You can choose to cancel any number of ATB segments in order to act sooner next round. Your ATB Gauge charges at a rate dependent on the number of ATB segments you have. We will start with three ATB segments that charge at a rate of about 1.4 seconds per segment (4.2 for all three). Every action you take will then have a certain duration between actions based on your weapon type (weapons based on casting magic generally have shorter casting time but take longer to swing, while weapons based on physical attacks are the opposite). Each round then will have a 0.5 second delay at the end of your actions before your ATB begins to charge. This is to make it less desireable to cancel ATBs in order to game the system (such as keeping an enemy launched indefinitely) and approximates the animation time in the game of the character rushing up to an enemy and backing away afterwards.

Chain Gauge. In the game, the main strategy in battle is to build the Chain Gauge on each enemy until it hits its Stagger Point, and then unleash a barrage of attacks to take out their insanely high HP. The Chain Gauge increases the damage dealt by whatever percentage is shown on the gauge. Stagger points vary by enemy, but once an enemy hits Stagger, the Gauge immediately increases by 100% and begins to deplete. At this point, COM does not extend the Chain Gauge anymore, but it deals a massive amount of damage, and RAV generally gets more bonuses to increase the Gauge. In addition, many enemies have weaknesses that can be exploited when staggered, and several can be Launched, putting them out of commission until they land (usually several rounds later). While Staggered, enemies can be interrupted much easier as well.

Actions. Role Actions are active abilities granted to you by your Role, and may include Attacking (COM), casting a spell (RAV), guarding (SEN), debuffing (SAB), buffing (SYN), or healing (MED). Every Role Action you take has an ATB cost. You cannot use a Role Action if you do not have enough free ATB segments. In addition to Role Actions, you can also use Items or Techniques. Both of these take your turn (including the 0.5 second delay after), but do not use any ATB segments, so you can join in the battle nearly immediately after using an item. In keeping with the battle system of FFXIII, you can only target one individual per round (AoEs hit multiple people, but all have an initial target). If you need to target someone else, you must first cancel your remaining ATB segments, then wait for your ATB Gauge to refill. You also may only use abilities from a single Role during a round, but may change your Active Role at the start of your turn (as noted above). Unless you are a Sentinel and have the ability unlocked, there is no “Guard” or “Defend” ability, although you can simply wait and do nothing for a while.

Techniques. Techniques are skills that do not take any ATB segments to use. These include Libra, Quake, Renew, Erase (called Dispelga in FFXIII, but there’s a SAB ability with the same name), Stopga, and Summon. With the exception of Summon, all Techniques are unlocked in your primary Roles’ Crystariums. Techniques typically take as long to cast as a standard magic spell would, with the exception of Summons. Techniques cost a resource called TP to use. Each character will have their own TP bar that has three segments. TP refills over time, and along with ATB segments, is the only non-item resource to not be fully restored at the start of battle. The TP segments are not all the same value. Regaining your first TP segment takes far less time than regaining your final TP segment.

Summons. I will likely cover this in more detail as we get to Summons, but each character will have the option of acquiring an Eidolon during this RP. Once acquired (through story progression), you may summon your Eidolon by using all three segments of your TP bar. Eidolons will be treated differently than in game, and will essentially take the place of your full-ATB Abilities (like Army of One). They take two seconds to cast, but will have devastating impacts on their target. In the game, there are three types of full-ATB abilities: COM, RAV, and SAB. The COM ability dealt a massive amount of damage and reset the Chain Gauge to zero. The RAV ability dealt a series of hits and boosted the Chain Gauge, with more bonuses after the enemy is staggered. The SAB ability was Vanille’s Death, which had a low chance to instantly KO an enemy and dealt a fair amount of damage. In addition to the above, I will also have a SYN option which will grant all allies several offensive buffs (similar to using an Aegisol) and heal them slightly, a SEN option which will nullify all damaging actions from the enemy’s next turn, and a MED option which will heal all allies to full and grant several defensive buffs (similar to using a Fortisol). I will also expand the SAB option to put a series of debuffs on an enemy (similar to Anathema from Sacrifices) and deal a fair amount of damage.

Items. I intend to use Items from both FF13 and FF13-2. I will not be using Shrouds (Aegisol, Fortisol, Deceptisol, Ethersol), but you can get some of their effects from Summons. There will also be multiple weapons and accessories. I am currently planning on a simplified upgrade system where you pay a certain amount to upgrade your weapons (no need for components). I may even have quests to find catalysts to further enhance weapons. I do not plan to have upgrades for accessories. You will be able to upgrade and buy items, weapons, and accessories at specific times (usually any time you are in contact with your organization).

Parties. The RP will be split into parties of 2-3 people. Some parties might join each other on missions (or everyone might go together), but for the sake of combat, you will be in small parties. I am hoping for a minimum of 6 participants to start. That way, if we lose or add a participant, I can restructure parties fairly simply. If you are placed in Group A, that doesn’t mean you’ll never interact with Group B. There might even be points where Parties might get switched around mid-mission (although this should be fairly rare unless there’s a problem with set-up).

Crystarium. This isn’t particularly Combat-oriented, but it fits here. When you complete a battle, you will gain CP (Crystarium Points, which in any other game would be called EXP). You may distribute your CP in any way you choose, as long as you have unlocked that Stage of your Crystarium. At the end of each Stage is a Role Level node that increases the passive bonuses your Role grants you and allies. I have condensed the Crystarium somewhat to give bonuses to every stat on each node, whether you gain an ability or not. Generally, you gain an ability every 2-4 nodes, depending on the Role. This ability might be a Technique, a Role Ability, or something else like an extra Accessory slot or ATB segment. For each of your Primary Roles, you will start with 1-2 abilities for free when the role is unlocked. For each of your Secondary Roles, you will need to purchase several nodes in order to unlock your first ability, at which point you can use that Role in battle. Primary Roles have 4 Stages and 5 Role Levels, while Secondary Roles have only 2 Stages and 5 Role Levels (two Role Levels per Stage). As you acquire more and more nodes in a Role, they get more and more expensive: by the end of the first stage, your Role Level node costs as much as 20 of your first nodes. However, you gain more CP per fight as time goes on. There might be a point where you gain CP, but have nothing to spend it in. That’s fine: you can stockpile CP as long as you need. Once we get to the next unlock, you’ll have plenty of immediate upgrades to spend the points on. The next Stage will likely soon be unlocked after we defeat a (hopefully challenging) boss.

Character Creation

I will post an updated Character Sheet in the OOC once we have enough interest. In the meantime, here are a few things to consider.

Name. No, your name does not have to be a weather phenomenon. If your character is from Cocoon, you will have a first name and last name, as per normal western naming convention. If your character is from Pulse, your name is structured differently. The first word is the town you are from, the second is the name of your tribe (basically our last names), and the third word is the name people call you. For example, Paddra Nsu Yeul would be called Yeul by her friends, is from the area of Paddra, and her tribe is the Nsu tribe.
Age. Anything within reason. For reference, the youngest playable character in FFXIII is Hope at age 14, and the oldest is Sazh at age 40. I would like to avoid going younger than Hope, but older than 40 is a possibility.
Gender. Self-explanatory.
Place of birth. This is fairly important for story aspects. Your character will be either from Pulse or Cocoon. Those who are from the other World will likely treat you more harshly, and those who share your world will likely be more understanding. In addition, you might want to provide a hometown.
Description. Pictures are also welcome, but please also give a brief description of the character. Any race that’s present on Earth can be used as well.
Backstory/Personality. What motivates your character? Why are they part of a covert operation of peace? Why aren’t they running from the enemy forces? Who did they leave behind? Did they lose someone in the initial attack? Personally, I like most of these to remain hidden until explained IC, but everyone should have an answer to the above questions, and everyone should have at least a paragraph or two of public information here.
Mechanics. There are three important things I will have you set up for your character:

1. Assign a value of 1-6 to each of the primary stats: HP, STR, MAG. 1 is weakest, 6 is strongest. The sum of your values must equal 12. A completely balanced character will have 4 in each stat. The astute among you will notice there are no defensive stats. That’s correct. FF13 only has HP, STR, and MAG as stats. The numbers you associate will govern how much you get for each stat every time you level up your Crystarium.

2. Pick three primary roles from the list of COM, RAV, SEN, SAB, SYN, MED. Rate them 1, 2, 3 with 1 as most used and 3 as least used. The third primary role will be locked for the first several levels. The other three roles you don’t use will be locked until mid-game, and will generally be weaker than your primary roles. Keep in mind that if everyone chooses COM RAV MED, this will be a very boring RP in terms of combat. Try to think about your character’s personality when you choose your roles. Each set of two or three roles has a particular name to it. For example, COM SAB SYN is called Bully, while COM RAV SAB is called Ruthless. Some of these names can work really well in describing a character’s way of thinking (which is called a paradigm, by the way). On the other hand, if you choose SEN SYN MED (Protection), you will probably not deal any damage until you unlock your secondary roles. I suggest everyone pick at least one of COM or RAV, or things might get a bit boring for you.

Some hidden information that you might have noticed if you played FFXIII-2 (or were really paying attention in FFXIII): Every role will give different bonuses to different stats based on what they are typically used for. For example, Commando gives more bonuses to HP and STR, and less to MAG. Ravager gives major bonuses to MAG, but less to HP. Medic boosts HP and MAG, but gives much less to STR. Every role gives varying amounts of bonuses, but unless something messed up in my calcs, you should always gain at least 1 in every stat with every node.

3. Pick your weapon type. This choice is surprisingly one of the most complex. Each weapon type carries with it a handful of properties and modifiers for the stats you gain. I would like you to pick a generic type, such as “axes” or “wands.” From there, I will create a series of weapon options that you can upgrade and use at your leisure. Some weapons enhance magical properties, and some enhance physical properties, and the ones with lower stats often have strong passive abilities.

There are four major things to consider when picking your weapon type: Reaction Speed, AMP%, Rand%, and Attack Speed.

Bulky weapons tend to have a slow reaction speed, while light weapons give you a faster reaction speed. A slow speed means you are far less likely to dodge an attack, but you will take a bit less damage from being hit. A faster reaction speed means you are more likely to dodge, but you will be unable to reduce damage from attacks.

AMP% is a measure of the strength of your weapon. AMP stands for Antimatter Manipulation Principle, and is the main technology behind all weapon enhancements. Those who employ high AMP% weapons do so to make up for their innate lack of natural ability. If you want to avoid upgrading weapons and focus solely on your own strength, try a weapon with low AMP%.

Rand% is pretty easy to explain. In every damage formula, there’s a random number associated with the final output. Weapons with a low Rand% tend to have consistent damage output. Weapons with a high Rand% are less consistent, but can deal significantly more (or less) damage depending on your luck.

The speed of your attacks depends on the type of weapon as well. Every weapon has a base physical attack speed and magical attack speed. Some weapons enhance physical speed at the cost of magical speed, and vice versa. Although the bonus is only 0.1 seconds, it adds up over time. If you intend to specialize in one area or another, I suggest finding a weapon that complements the type of attacking you’ll do most.

FFXIII had a variety of weapon types, many of which were unique to that game in the series. I am willing to consider pretty much any weapon type you have in mind. Just let me know what you’re planning, and I’ll try to work with you.

Rules

I am a fair and patient DM, but there are a few expectations I have of those who join my games.

1. Respect. My #1 rule is to respect the DM and co-DM, respect your fellow RPers, and respect yourself. As my current status states, respect is a measure of oneself, not the other individual. In addition to following the rules of this forum, I expect players to let me know when they will be gone for long periods of time, to treat each other with dignity in any communication related to this RP, and to work together to improve over time. If a DM makes a blatant mistake, please feel free to point it out, but do so respectfully. If you are for some reason not enjoying your time or have a grievance to air, please send me a PM so we can figure out a solution for all involved, rather than ranting in the OOC.

2. Posting Requirements. As I mentioned, this is intended to fall within the high-casual range. I expect a post approximately once per week. Please make an effort to improve your grammar and spelling, as the whole point of RPing for me (in addition to having fun) is to improve my writing. In the past, I have made frequent use of Google Docs to make combo posts with others. I find this allows for longer, in-depth posts with plenty of back-and-forth without being needlessly complicated. Generally, with 2-3 people in a combo, it is not unreasonable to see several-page posts each week. I do not expect multiple paragraphs between each reply if this method is used, but if you decide to single-post, I do expect a descriptive and well-thought-out 2-3 paragraphs at minimum. However, quality is better than quantity, in my opinion. That said, combo posts require coordination, but you generally only need to spend a few minutes to make a reply, rather than an hour or so to create a full post.

3. Quality. I have mentioned this already a few times, but my intent is to help people improve their writing skills over time. Everyone can improve, even the most seasoned veteran. I have seen a friend go from near-godmod one-line posts riddled with grammar and spelling errors to in-depth five-page masterpieces with emotion and intrigue. I don’t necessarily expect marked improvement from everyone, but I want you to respect yourself enough to try to improve over time.

4. The Usual. No godmodding (controlling things and characters that aren't yours to control, or performing acts that are physically impossible), no metagaming (acting on knowledge your character does not have), and no Mary Sues (characters that are created as perfect and everyone loves them) or emo brats (Squall). Your character can have emotions, but if they shop at Hot Topic and listen to Evanescence, I suggest finding a different FF RP to play. Please put a number between 27 and 38 somewhere in your interest post if you have read these rules. I mean, nothing against Hot Topic or Evanescence, but whining does tend to get old after a while. Hope.

5. Worst Case Scenario. In long-term RPs, it is inevitable that someone will want to (or have to) drop out. If the reason is because of the RP itself (story, gameplay, other participants, your DM), please come and talk to me before it gets to the point where you have no choice. If it is because of time constraints or other unavoidable real-life issues, please let me know as early as possible so I can plan for it. In both cases, please make an effort to finish the current story arc so that your character can exit the game naturally. If there is a sudden reason why you cannot continue, I will control the character as needed to finish the arc (which pretty much means I will do combat actions for them). My intent with this RP is to make it relatively simple to switch up group composition, but there are always going to be times where a new character’s entry or an old character’s exit is unfeasible.

FAQ

What exactly is Fabula Nova Crystallis? Fabula Nova Crysallis, or FNC, is a collection of games that include Final Fantasy XIII and its sequels Final Fantasy XIII-2 and Lightning Returns: Final Fantasy. Early in the development of two other games (Final Fantasy XV and Final Fantasy: Type-0), the FNC universe was expanded to include them under the names of Final Fantasy Versus XIII and Final Fantasy Agito, respectively. However, as development continued on those games, they were removed from the FNC universe and given a distinct flavor of their own.

If FNC does not include Final Fantasy XV, why did you mention it under the picture at the top? Good question, astute observer. I included it because, although it was removed from the FNC universe, there are still elements of FF XV that tie into similar themes as the Great War in FF XIII. As such, I have included some of these elements in the story I have planned.

So why did you not include Type-0? In all honesty, I haven’t played or watched enough of the story to know how it could tie into FFXIII. It’s possible I will pick up some elements I like and add them in the future, though.

Do I have to worry about spoilers if I have not played FFXIII and FFXV? In short, yes. There will be some thematic elements of both games that may get spoiled for you if you have not played them. For FFXIII, these are not extremely important elements (much of it gets revealed before you obtain all party members in the game, and the rest is buried in lore). For FFXV, I hope that my story’s usage of these elements will be obscure enough that it does not directly spoil important things from the game (I mean, I won’t have a big sign pointing at it and saying “this is from FFXV,” and I will be making up a lot of information as well). However, if you have played FFXV, you might see some of the inspiration at work. So although technically there are spoilers, they should be minor enough or obscure enough so as to not foil your fun.

Surely the world has changed in 600 years. Why are you using images from the games? Two reasons. One: I can’t draw. And two: having a familiar setting is helpful. There are a few locations that will look different. The archaeopolises will be more intact than the images show, and Lake Bresha will actually exist as a city (since the city was destroyed later on). In addition, most Pulsian locations will be in much better repair than seen in the game, including locations like Taejin’s Tower and Oerba.

What are l’Cie and fal’Cie? I’ve used these terms in a few locations, but haven’t explained them. Fal’Cie are demigods that control various aspects of nature. They have no free will, but are immensely powerful. L’Cie are humans that have been chosen by the fal’Cie to complete a specific task, usually without knowing exactly what that task is. All they get are a few vague images, which are definitely not helpful in being specific. For example, a l’Cie might be tasked with killing a megistotherian, a large wolf-like beast. They might get a few flashes of the beast in combat. Or, another interpretation of the vision might be to protect the megistotherian from hunters. Or perhaps it’s rare, and you are to find it and lead it someplace. It is up to the l’Cie to interpret the vision and act on it. Refusal or failure, and the l’Cie eventually turns into a Cie’th: a horrible ghoul-like monster that roams the world in eternal pain, until their souls condense into a Cie’th Stone that calls out woefully to passersby to finish their quest. Success means you are turned into a crystal and granted eternal life... as a crystal. It’s kind of a lose-lose situation. Our characters will be turned into l’Cie at the start of the RP.

Final Fantasy XIII is a stupid game. Why would you make an RP based on it? Well, first off, that’s an opinion. FFXIII happens to be one of my favorite games of all time. The lore in the game is deep and rich if you look for it, and I love many of the themes used in the game. I also believe that, despite having two sequels, there is a ton of unexplored history in the series. You do not have to be a fan to join this RP, but I do request you abstain from bashing the game and those that enjoy it. And yes, there is a difference between discussing the design flaws of a game and outright bashing it. The upgrade system definitely could have used some transparency.

~ = + = ~

NOTE: See the Character Thread for a CS Layout.

For those joining us later:
This post discusses the first steps to take after finishing a Character Sheet.

Status Icons

-- DEBUFFS --
Deprotect:
Deshell:
Slow:
Poison:
Imperil:
Curse:
Pain:
Fog:
Daze:
Debrave:
Defaith:
Provoke:
Doom:
Death/KO:

-- ELEMENTAL BUFFS --
Barfire:
Barfrost:
Barthunder:
Barwater:
Baraero:
Barstone:
Enfire:
Enfrost:
Enthunder:
Enwater:
Enaero:
Enstone:

-- OTHER BUFFS --
Bravery:
Bravera:
Faith:
Faithra:
Protect:
Protectra:
Shell:
Shellra:
Haste:
Veil:
Vigilance:

Primer: ATB System

When in combat, most RPGs use some sort of initiative tracking system. Final Fantasy uses the Active Time Battle system which adds a delay between actions. This is done for several reasons, such as allowing the player a little bit of time to consider and input their next move while also allowing for various buffs () and debuffs (,) that affect how quickly someone can act.

But we're not looking at specific actions right now. Let's just look at when we can act. We all will start with 3 ATB segments. We can gain one additional ATB segment each through leveling up our Crystarium, unlocking our Summon, and using a weapon that we have upgraded to the final tier. Here's a screenshot from the game with the active character using 4 ATB slots (Image is of the JPN version).

Your ATB Gauge generally takes about 4-ish seconds to fill fully, although this number changes based on the number of ATB segments you have. The more ATB Segments you have, the faster each segment fills, but the slower the overall bar fills. It still ranges between about 4.2 seconds with 3 ATBs and 4.7 seconds with 6 ATBs, so it's generally worth it to have more ATB segments. Once your gauge is full, you may act. If multiple people have full ATB at exactly the same time, the order of action will be by whoever is listed first on the public sheet, with enemies acting AFTER all allies.

Your Turn consists of enough Actions to fill your ATB Gauge. Any unused segments will be Canceled which will speed up the time until your next action, but over an entire battle, will allow for fewer Actions. Generally, the more segments an ability uses, the stronger it is. There are several actions that do not take up any segments, such as using items or Tech abilities. I will cover these later. The image I linked above shows Lightning in a COM role using four Attack actions, each with a cost of 1 ATB Segment. She could also have used two Blitz Actions (costs 2 Segments), or 2 Attacks and one Blitz, etc. You may mix and match any abilities as long as ALL abilities come from the same Role (in this case, Commando). In order to change Active Roles, you must use 2 ATB segments at the start of your turn to change your Role. After using this ability, you may select any ability from the Role you switched to, and may no longer use abilities from the previous Role. This is called Paradigm Shifting.

After you have selected all of your abilities, the next thing you must do is select a target. In the sample image above, Lightning is choosing between three Sahagin. When she selects her target, all of her abilities will target that one enemy. You may only target enemies with damaging or debuffing abilities, and you may only target allies with buffs or healing abilities. SEN always targets himself, and all of his abilities apply to all enemies on the field. You may not split your abilities to target different enemies without first canceling your abilities, but if you defeat an enemy, you will automatically target the next one on the list with the remainder of your actions. AoE abilities target the enemy you select and those just before and after it on the list. Small AoEs (like Blitz and -ra abilities) will target 1 enemy above and below your selected target for a maximum of 3 targets. Wide AoEs (like Area Sweep and -ga abilities) will target 2 enemies above and below your selected target for a maximum of 5 targets. All -ra and -ga MED abilities target the full party regardless of who the initial target is. SYN -ra abilities are single target (confusing, I know), but -ga abilities will target the full party. All of your actions will be resolved before the next party member acts.

A hidden tip for those wishing to maximize effectiveness: you might have noticed that the AI for Ravagers tends to switch between two different abilities, such as Blizzard and Froststrike or Fire and Thunder. The reason for this is that alternating abilities will increase the chain gauge faster. To see other hidden conditional chain bonuses, check out the Cond Chain tab on the public sheet.

Typically, the actions of one party member do not significantly change the actions of the next. As such, I would like all party members to attempt to provide me with their next turn's actions as soon as they can. Typically, this is after the enemy acts. Waiting until it is your turn generally slows the pace of the battle and forces the group to wait for one individual. Waiting will be inevitable, of course, but the more stacked actions the DMs have, the faster we can go through battles. It is a bit frustrating for all involved to wait for several hours or days between each action when typical actions will be "Attack 3 times." With that said, all players should realize that real life exists, and that sometimes people will be asleep, working, or otherwise unable to respond. All I ask is that people prioritize checking in on the battle when it's active.

If 24 hrs pass while waiting for an individual and I have not heard from them, I will Auto-Battle their actions. Auto-Battle rules are rather straightforward, but generally not optimal. Your character will target either whoever else is being targeted or their previous target if no one else has an offensive Role. Your character will not Paradigm Shift. Your character will attempt to find weaknesses if unknown (Magic, Phys, elements), and if known, will cycle abilities to raise chain gauge as much as possible. Attacking weaknesses always takes priority. For MED, SAB, SYN, if there are no actions they can take, they will wait and do nothing until the enemy acts or 3 seconds, whichever is sooner. SAB will not refresh debuffs without player input. Cheer, Endless Nightmares, and Endless Blessings will not be used during Auto-Battle. Items and Techniques will also never be used during auto-battle.

Items and Techniques do not take ATB Segments to use, but must be used on your turn. Items will delay your next action by a total of 1 second. It's possible that you will be able to use an Item and then act immediately. In that and most other cases, please state your next action when you ask to use an item. Potions target all party members and Librascopes target all enemies, but most other items require a single target.

If anyone has any questions, please feel free to ask! The battle system is fairly complicated to look at, but once we begin, it should be rather simple to input your Actions.

Primer: Chain Gauge and Battle Format

One of the most important parts of FF13 battles is the Chain Gauge. This describes what the chain gauge does and how it and other information will be represented in the RP.

The Chain Gauge is a passive modifier on all damage that a target receives. The minimum value of the Chain Gauge is 100.0%, and the maximum value is 999.9%. Every enemy has a Chain Resistance which modifies how quickly the Chain Gauge is built. Every enemy also has a Stagger Point. Once an enemy's Chain Gauge reaches the Stagger Point, several things happen. 1) The Chain Gauge immediately jumps by 100% (so if the Stagger Point is 120%, it jumps to 220%). 2) The Keep value for the target is reduced to 0, and nearly every action taken against it will interrupt the target. 3) The target often changes resistances. All targets are immune to Launch when not staggered, but some might be launched after the Chain exceeds its Stagger Point. Certain targets are significantly easier to defeat when staggered, and some are essentially impossible to beat until they are staggered.

Every action performed has two values that modify the Chain Gauge: Chain Bonus and Chain Duration. Chain Duration is a value that extends the length of the time that a Chain is active. In practice, these actions stabilize the Chain Gauge, slowing its rate of decay. When the Chain Gauge is depleted, the Chain is broken, and we start over at 100%. COM abilities are best at stabilizing the Chain Gauge, but SAB abilities are also relatively strong at this. Chain Bonus raises the value of the Chain Gauge. RAV abilities have the best Chain Bonus, but SAB abilities are decent in a pinch. Some abilities (specifically the -ra abilities in the RAV role) have higher Chain Bonus against staggered targets. Look for the S in the Chain+ column.

Next, this is the table you will see during battles. This table has most of the pertinent information you will need for battles. It's about 99% done - only thing I'd like to add is a link to images for the enemies, but that could be done in the Libra section. Anyways, this gives you a ton of information: Enemy HP%, Chain%, Chain Break, Initiative, who's next, Paradigms and Roles, and Statuses. I intended to show off several different possibilities in the battle. For example, you can see that the color of your HP bar changes as you reach certain thresholds. Red HP is considered "Critical." Yellow HP is between 30% and 70%. There are a few modifiers that look at the HP% in these terms. You can also see TP. TP is used to cast Techniques. The first TP you get costs 20 points, the second costs 30, and the last costs 50.

There's a lot of information in this table, but it's fairly condensed. Also in case you were wondering, this table is completely automated from my spreadsheet. Fun stuff.

Group A Battle!	Current Time: 2 sec	Paradigm:	Delta Attack	Next Up: Noir
Nadia - COM	HP: {[][][][][][][][][][]}	Next: 5 sec	TP: {[][][][][][][][][][]}	Status:
Noir - SEN	HP: {[][][][][][][][][][]}	Next: 2 sec	TP: {[][][][][|---------|}	Status:
Julian - RAV	HP: {[][][][][][][][][][]}	Next: 4 sec	TP: {[]-|-----|---------|}	Status: None
Barbed Specter	HP: {[][][][][][][][][][]}	Next: 10.5 sec	Chain: {[][][][][][][][][][]} 120.5% Break: 17.9 sec	Status: (Julian)
Breshan Bass A	HP: {[][][][][][][][][][]}	Next: 12.3 sec	Chain: STAGGER! 231.6% Break: 17.9 sec	Status:
Breshan Bass B	HP: {[][][][][][][][][][]}	Next: 10 sec	Chain: {--} 100%	Status: None

Primer: Synthesis and Weapon Effects

One of the more customizable aspects of the RP is the weaponry. In most combat RPs, you have a single weapon throughout tge RP. In keeping with the spirit of Final Fantasy XIII, each player has six weapons they can customize and upgrade. Everyone starts with their Balanced weapon and can later find or purchase 5 more. The 5 additional weapons each have a focus. One focuses on increased STR, another on increased MAG, and the last three in your primary roles. Your Balance weapon has good stats at the cost of having no additional weapon effect.

When you customize the weapons, you should consider the weapon's name, Synthesis ability, and Weapon Effect. The latter two are found on the Synthesis tab on the spreadsheet. There are two sets of info on the Synthesis tab. The left set are Syntheses and the right set are Weapon Effects.

Syntheses can be on weapons or accessories. The more accessories/weapons you have, the better the Synthesis outcome. For example, if you have Physical Wall on your weapon and you have an accessory with Physical Wall (such as the Power Wristband), you negate 5 points of physical damage on every hit. If you have three items with that Synth, you negate 10 points, etc. So if you have everything with the same Synthesis (4 accessories and one weapon), you negate 30 points from every physical attack. However, in order to get any bonus at all from Synthesis, you need at least one accessory that shares the same Synthesis.

Weapon effects are simpler. Only weapons can have these effects. Some of them are negative (Like leadenstrike - slows down your ATB charge rate). Most are positive (like Attack: ATB Charge - recharges part of an ATB slot whenever you hit an enemy). Nearly every ability on that list has a second tier that's stronger than the first. Leadenstrike is weaker than Ironstrike (although both are negative). Improved Raise is weaker than Improved Raise II, etc. You are only going to request the weaker option. Once you upgrade a weapon to Tier 2, you gain access to the stronger option.

So to simplify things, I would suggest completely ignoring any Synthesis that has Affinity or Duration in the name. Those are less than useful, but are included because some accessories have them. That limits you to 10 options to spread around to 5 weapons, and your base weapon already has High HP: Power Surge. I'd figure those out first, then decide on the Weapon Effects. For Weapon Effects, a lot of them are specifically for certain roles. For example, you won't get much mileage out of Improved Guard if you aren't a SEN. In addition, you cannot choose ATB+ for any Tier 1-2 weapon. That is only available on Tier 3 weapons, but automatically comes with your Tier 3 weapons.

I've mentioned Tiers for weapons a few times, so I should probably introduce the Weapon Upgrade system as well. This will come up later on in the RP, but once we get to camp, an NPC will be available to upgrade our weapons for us, as well as make other weapons with the other effects. Upgrades are progressively more expensive. Your first upgrade costs 5,000 gil and increases the stats of your Tier 1 weapon. The next upgrade is 10,000 gil, etc. Once your Tier 1 weapon is upgraded to level 10, you will be able to turn in a specific catalyst to upgrade your weapon to Tier 2. This catalyst will likely be the result of a quest, but it might be available in a store. The process continues until your Tier 2 weapon reaches lvl 20. At this point, you can get a Trapezohedron to upgrade your weapon to Tier 3. These are extremely rare and will require a very difficult quest to obtain one. Once you upgrade your weapon to Tier 3, you unlock your final ATB segment and are done upgrading that weapon. Upgrading weapons is extremely expensive, but also extremely rewarding. You can increase your stats a ton through weapon upgrades, but keep in mind that the group shares their gil and will likely want to upgrade everyone about equally.

Final Fantasy 13 / Fabula Nova Crystallis RP Idea

@PrettyWingslol don't worry. My sheets are ridiculously complicated... but somehow much simpler than what the game had. Just ask if you have any questions :)

Final Fantasy 13 / Fabula Nova Crystallis RP Idea

@PrettyWingsAwesome. I love sparkling personalities! If you would like to PM me the details on your character, including the weights for HP, MAG, STR (rated 1-6, 6 is highest, sum of all three equals 12), I can fix that part of your sheet up too. Also, weapon, but I expect that will take a bit longer. I've added your PC to the public sheet~

Final Fantasy 13 / Fabula Nova Crystallis RP Idea

@PrettyWingsInteresting choice. If you really want full support, I would suggest MED / SAB / SYN instead because SAB can do a lot to stabilize chain gauges. The reason I suggest an offensive role is because you will find yourself struggling to feel useful in certain combats otherwise. Having SAB as your second ability will help you find more use in the first several combats where there are fewer bonuses to chains. If you don't unlock it until later on, you won't be able to affect enemy chain at all for a while, which means if you get put into a two-person group, you're really going to struggle.

That said, I'll let you go with that choice if you want to. :)

Final Fantasy 13 / Fabula Nova Crystallis RP Idea

Alright guys, we have enough done so I can finally reveal the Public Spreadsheet! It's not complete yet and there are a few placeholders, but this gives an insight as to how I'm going to run sheets.

Don't worry if there are some things that are hard to understand. If you have any questions about the sheets, feel free to ask. Right now, @fer1323 and I are the only ones who should be able to edit the Public Sheet.

Final Fantasy 13 / Fabula Nova Crystallis RP Idea

@Landaus Five-OneThis RP takes place about 700 years before the events of FF13 during the War of Transgression. It is unlikely we will meet the majority of FF13's cast.

Spoilers for FF13 / Definition for War of Transgression

The War of Transgression is the war where Pulse attacked Cocoon, and Fang and Vanille turned into Ragnarok to stop it. We might run into Fang and Vanille or hear about them, but it will not be a focus of the story.

@fer1323 And replied :D

Final Fantasy 13 / Fabula Nova Crystallis RP Idea

@Landaus Five-One Thanks for the interest!

I'd like to have more people sign up, so I'll leave this for a little while for people to express interest. Right now, we have 5 players plus the DM for 6 PCs. I'm making this RP in such a way so people should be able to easily join the story, even mid-mission in some cases.

As for now, I need to finish my DM sheet. The battle calcs in particular are a little ways from completion, and although I don't -need- those done to start the RP, I'd rather have my ducks in a row instead of making people wait after it's started.

@fer1323, you mentioned you wanted to help co-DM. If you're still up for that, I have a lot of busy work that needs to be done that would really help me out (my free time is limited, and I can't just fill in excel sheets while at work, sadly). Send me a PM if you're up for it! :)

Final Fantasy 13 / Fabula Nova Crystallis RP Idea

So while we're waiting, I was hoping to get a quick headcount / update. I heard from @Kyrisse that she wanted to play a female Pulsian. @PrettyWings, @SnowLeopard, and @fer1323, what characters were you looking to play? Also to all: What kind of roles are you looking at playing? I would like to have somewhat close to a balance between those from Cocoon and those from Pulse, as well as male to female. I'm probably going to run a PC as well, and I will try to fill in spots that we're missing.

I suggest everyone take one or both of COM and RAV, but after that, your other choices are completely up to you. Here's a list of Paradigms. As I mentioned above, I feel like a character's Roles match their outlook on life to some degree, and that's reflected by a Paradigm name. For example, Fang has COM SEN SAB, which is Dirty Fighting, and Hope has RAV SYN MED, which is Coordination. Both of those Paradigm names give an interesting insight into those characters' outlooks on life. For reference, Lightning is COM RAV MED = Diversity; Snow is COM RAV SEN = Delta Attack; Sazh is COM RAV SYN = Decimation; and Vanille is RAV, SAB, MED = Variety.

Another interesting thing to look at is how one's outlook on life will change. We will start with two Paradigms, then grow to include a third. Although most characters did not follow that pattern in FF13, Sazh changed from RAV SYN (Archmage) to COM RAV SYN (Decimation) when he became more determined to save his son. An example could be someone who starts as COM SAB (Divide and Conquer) and then gains MED to be COM SAB MED (Scouting Party). Their outlook could change from someone who jumps into the fray before planning to one who learns to devise a plan.

Your Paradigm doesn't need to be this in-depth by any means, but it's definitely an interesting way of looking at things. Also, a lot of useful Paradigms either don't really work well for an individual's way of thinking (Delta Attack?) and some really good Paradigms require multiple of the same role (Aggression, for example). I'm just trying to get people to start thinking about their characters in an abstract way. You can also see how the game views each role by looking at the paradigm that has both or all three of the same name. COM: Double Trouble / Cerberus, RAV: Dual-casting / Tridisaster, SEN: Twin Shields / Tortoise, SYN: Rally / Rapid Growth, SAB: Havoc / Infiltration, and MED: Double Dose / Salvation.

Have fun!

DnD 5e - Beginner's Game

@The Harbinger of Ferocity It was nice formatting. :) I appreciate nice formatting. Mine was kinda thrown together because it was the first post, and I wasn't sure what was normally done (Our last forum didn't have these handy multi-thread things).

I would like to see a Druid Archetype that allows one to upgrade a single shape over time, but sacrifices the versatility of Moon Druid. A lot of the Moon Druids I see prefer to stick with a single shape, even after it's no longer viable. Keyleth in Critical Role has Minxy, Harbinger is a great cat, a Moon Druid that I played was a bear... etc.