Upgrades

There are various upgrades and changes that can be applied for on PersonaMUSH. For the application, please see the Upgrade Application. In this file, we will discuss the themes of the changes in depth, along with their additional requirements.

Custom Persona

A Custom Persona is a change in a persona triggered by overcoming a barrier to further personal growth. This is not an event that concludes a character's persona story arc, but an event that allows them to continue or even start on their journey instead of stagnating. This is reflected in the Persona, which is strengthened but remains the same. This can be confronting and overcoming a deep-seated fear or a being put into a position where some denied or repressed fear is brought to light in a way where the character must acknowledge it. For instance, a girl who is a tomboy might realize she's never dated because she dislikes men, or a talented musician who always fails at concerts overcomes his fear of performing in public.

Key Ideas: Acknowledgement, Realization, Discovery, Development, Overcoming, Confronting.

Additional Requirements:

• Six months without change in your current "Main" Persona without changes.

Changes:

• A new Arcana that fits your character better.
• At least 100 total social links.

Changes:

• +5 Persona Stat Points to be spread among your persona's stats at your choice. These added points shouldn't take the averaged score above 85. HP and SP are re-figured for the new amount if applicable, dependent on scores adjusted.

• Upgrade 1 resist to Null; this must be an existing resist.

• Ability list shifts to 4 high, 4 standard. One of these may be a custom ability.

A Further Contract

Personal growth isn't the only way to gain power. In fact, there is a much easier way. More than a few supernatural entities exist, who are more than willing to grant a person a boost, and all they have to do is ask for it. Maybe the entity will ask for a few favors, or for their alliance in achieving their goals, but other than that the cost--up front--isn't much. While pursuing this path has its obvious benefits in terms of immediate raw power, it brings with it a cost. The character is henceforth bound to whatever entity they contracted, and is extremely unlikely to come to a good end. Even turning away from this path, once started down it, is highly unlikely to save a character from their fate; the entities mighty enough to bestow such power do not take kindly to being betrayed, and as such it might even be worse than if they accepted the consequences of their choice. This option will require significant OOC communication with staff due to the consequences of the character's choice. Staff will both work with and be watching over the path of a character who chooses this option and reserve the right to step in at appropriate dramatic moments. Loss of condeath is, for example, very much a potential long-term outcome. However, this sort of character arc can be, for some, a way to dramatically enhance a storyline.

Key Ideas: Power With A Price, Patronage, Exchange, The Ends Justify The Means, Power Above All, Inescapable Choices, Hidden Costs.

Additional Requirements:

• Contact a supernatural entity for their patronage.

• Discussion with staff about long-term consequences.

Changes:

• The character gains +5 to the character's personal stats and +10 to their Persona's stats. Their ability list shifts to 1 Severe, 3 High and 4 Standard attacks. They gain one resist and lose one weakness.

Shadow Possession

On PersonaMUSH, someone who has yielded to their Persona is referred to as Shadow-Possessed. This may result from a number of causes, but often as a result of person with a weak self-image being given a Persona and being unable to control it. Without the higher desires of the user to control it, the Persona once more becomes a Shadow: a thing of primal desires, unconstrained emotions, and runaway passions. This yielding to base urges gives the Shadow-Possessed power beyond that of most Persona Users, the clarity from giving into one's desires, results in greater power. However, this is at the price of loss of control. If left unchecked, the Shadow will gradually erode the user's sense of self completely, until they are no longer human but a Shadow. See Shadow Possession for more details.

Key Ideas: Weak Self, Loss of Control, Negative Emotions, Obsession, Dependence, Despair, Delusion.

Additional Requirements:

• None. A player may start Possessed.

Changes:

• +10 Persona Stat Points

• One Standard slot power is changed to a high slot. (4 High Slots, 4 Standard Slots.)

• Shadow Possessed characters change to having only one additional persona slot aside from their main.

• Shadow Possession indicates a blockage of personal growth. A Shadow Possessed may not apply for Custom and Ultimate persona upgrades.

Shadow Un-Possession

The climb from Shadow-Possession is difficult, but key if one doesn't want to tread the dead-end road of being a mindless Shadow. It's difficult to reassert control over one's deepest desires: taming the Shadow to make it your Persona is a step backwards in power as denying one's primal desires means putting checks on a part of the self. To the Shadow-Possessed the world often seems colorless and bland without the passions of the Shadow and many Shadow-Possessed see nothing wrong with their path as they are being "true" to themselves. To escape being Shadow Possessed usually requires help from others, their emotional support, discipline, and external viewpoint are all things that need to be acknowledged to become un-possessed. Yet at the same time, others can only set the path for un-possession; only the person in question can really want it.

Key Ideas: Asking For Help, Empowerment, Self-Awareness, Self-Control.

Additional Requirements:

• Be Shadow-Possessed.

• At least three months have elapsed since your Possession.

• 100 Social Links since onset of Shadow Possession.

Changes:

• Reversion to a standard Persona. This will result in the revoking of the extra ten stat points and the change of the additional High power slot to a Standard one.

• The ability to apply in the future for Custom and Ultimate upgrades.

Persona Reversion

In some cases, a person's change, be it towards a Custom persona or an Ultimate, proves only temporary. It's possible that they've backslide in some manner, or the change they'd made wasn't one that was right for them in the end. Whatever the reason, their persona also represents that backwards shift and reverts to what it once was, be it a baseline persona or, if they had a Custom prior to an Ultimate, the Custom itself.

This does not, of course, prevent a character from later gaining a Custom or Ultimate again, but such a shift, if it does occur again, will require another application.

Key Ideas: Turning Back, Reversion, False Resolution, Trying Again.

Additional Requirements:

• None. This is a unique occurrence for each character and will be handled on a case-by-case basis.

Changes:

• A loss of all upgrades from the type of persona your character possessed.

Arcana Change

In a real tarot reading, a person is described by many Arcana through their life. On PersonaMUSH, a particular emphasized aspect or dominant feature of a User is used to determine their Arcana at the moment. However, as the tarot represents the journey of personal development and of life, few people remain a single Arcana their entire lives. In some cases, a change in Arcana might be required to fully describe a User's viewpoint shifts. This is a special case and does not usually result in any shifts in power.

Key Ideas: Development, New Values, Abandoning Of Old Values, Changing Priorities, New Desires.

Additional Requirements:

• None. This is a unique occurrence for each character and will be handled on a case-by-case basis.