Elements

"Light won't work. Plan B, anyone?"

In combat, an "element" describes how exactly you are dealing damage to your opponent. There is a significant difference between using a baseball bat or calling upon holy lights to smite an opponent, after all, and as such we have classifications for how one is exactly harming someone.

Elements Overview

Persona MUSH has fourteen different elements that characters may utilize in combat, twelve of which are subject to being protected (or effective) against a given target. All this is dependant on the target's Persona. (Non-Persona users have no innate resistances or vulnerabilities.)

If a character is resistant to an element, they will take roughly 0.6 times as much damage. If they are vulnerable to an element, they will take 1.5 more. In addition, should an ability has a chance of inflicting status, those who are resistant to the attack's element will have its chances of success upon being hit reduced. The opposite holds true as well.

Some attacks can have multiple elements. These multiple elements are simply assigned their own damage levels independently, and said damages are also independently calculated. If you are vulnerable to Fire but resistant to Strike and are struck by an attack that consists of both, the Fire part of the attack would be magnified to 1.5 times normal, where the Strike part of the attack would be reduced to 0.6 times normal.

It should be noted that one's reactions to an element can be adjusted through use of several abilities. It is possible to have a resistance or vulnerability magnified further, which makes any damage adjustments even more dramatic. A character that is extra-resistant to an element will take only take about 0.3 times normal damage. A character who is extra-vulnerable will take twice as much damage. No Persona is naturally extra-vulnerable or extra-resistant to any element, however.

Unlike the games, elements cannot be rendered null (no damage), reflected (full damage back at the attacker), or absorbed (damage becomes health instead).

You can see your own resistances and vulnerabilities for your current Persona with +stats or +health, or by using +pstats (number of slot, such as 'M' or '1') to check any other you may have equipped. A resistance is marked with a small arrow pointing up (also known as a caret) underneath the type abbreviation. A vulnerability is marked with a downward arrow (or a capital V). Higher grades of vulnerability or resistance are marked in triplicate of normal (three carets for extra-resistant, for example).

Elements List

• Pierce (PRC): Piercing attacks involve using means that attempt to run through the foe, such as stabbing or shooting. Almost all pierce attacks are physical in nature.
  • EXAMPLES: Spears, arrows, guns.

• Strike (STR): Striking attacks involve using means where force (read: pain) is attributed evenly across the surface struck. Almost all strike attacks are physical in nature.
  • EXAMPLES: Hand to hand, clubs, furniture.

• Slash (SLS): Slashing attacks involve using means to slice apart the enemy, or at least leave long gashes in their wake. Almost all slash attacks are physical in nature.
  • EXAMPLES: Swords, axes, whips (not chains, chains would be Strike).

• Fire (FIR): Fire attacks inolve the use of high temperatures in which to deal damage.
  • EXAMPLES: Heat, flames, explosives, the Agi series of abilities.

• Ice (ICE): Ice attacks involve utilizing low temperatures in which to produce dangerous results.
  • EXAMPLES: Cold, snow, ice, the Bufu series of abilities.

• Wind (WND): Wind attacks are those that stir or displace air at rapid enough speeds in which to deal harm.
  • EXAMPLES: Storms, gasses, sound, the Garu series of abilities.

• Electric (ELC): Electric attacks use the phenomena of electrical charges in order to kill things dead.
  • EXAMPLES: Tasers, lightning, static, the Zio series of abilities.

• Earth (EAR): Earth attacks use the very ground around you for sake of injuring your enemy. There can be some ambiguity between this and Strike attacks, but generally speaking the use and manipulation of the ground will go under this.
  • EXAMPLES: Rocks, sand, earthquakes, the Tera series of abilities.

• Water (WAR): Water attacks inflict damage by use of liquid agents. Although 'water' is the catch-all term, just about any kind of liquid used in an assault counts under this.
  • EXAMPLES: Water (duh), rain, liquid chemicals, the Aqua series of abilities.

• Light (LGH): Light attacks utilize not just light, but also the notion of being sacred and divine as part of the assault. It must be noted that possession of Light abilities is not indicative of being good and just.
  • EXAMPLES: Bright lights, "sacred" rituals, spirituality, the Hama series of abilities.

• Dark (DRK): Darkness attacks make use of not only its namesake, but the element of chaos and the unknown with it, often preying on fears of such. As noted with Light, possession of Dark abilities is not indicative of being evil and corrupt.
  • EXAMPLES: Darkness, unknown, chaos, the Mudo series of abilities.

• Mystic (MYS): Mystic attacks are those that assault one's senses directly, and are equivalent to the 'Nerve' and 'Mind' spells of the first two Persona games. Virtually all Mystic attacks are magical in nature, and almost universally are involved in inflicting status effects instead of just raw damage.
  • EXAMPLES: Illusions, mind tricks, placebos, the -unda series of abilities.

• Almighty (No status abbreviation): Almighty attacks are, in spite of the name, not specifically the very strongest. It is the catch-all classification for things that do not fit any of the above types, and are very rare for the largely inexplicable nature. The benefit is that one cannot be resistant to Almighty damage, though none can be vulnerable. Some attacks are partially Almighty in the damage they deal, in spite of its nature. Most passives abilities are tagged as Almighty.
  • EXAMPLES: The Gry and Megido series of abilities.

• Heal (No status abbreviation): This is what recovery abilities are classified as. Instead of doing damage, they recover HP or remove negative status effects. Abilities marked with "Healing" in place of "Physical" or "Magical" are primed to never miss, and are used primarily for things of this nature. One cannot be naturally resistant or vulnerable to this type of attack.
  • EXAMPLES: The Dia, -kaja, and Patra series of abilities.