Upgrades

There are various upgrades and changes that can be applied for on PersonaMUSH. For the application needed for all of these changes, please see Upgrade Application.

In this file, we will discuss the themes of the changes in depth, along with their additional requirements and benefits.

Custom Rank Benefits

The following is granted to all characters who are of the Custom rank:

• +1 HP/SP weight to be distributed as you see fit on top of the four you already have.

• +2 discretionary abilities, one high and one standard, one of which may be a custom ability. For the details on this, please see Custom Abilities.

• The option of either of the following for elemental resistances:
  • Gain one additional resist at the cost of an additional weakness.
  • Resist all the magical elements (Fire, Water, Wind, Earth, Nuclear, Ice, Elec, Gravity) at the cost of weakness to all physical elements (Slash, Pierce, Strike).

The variants of Custom rank include Custom Persona, Shadow-Possession and those who have gained a Persona through contract with an entity as discussed in The Offer. Custom Persona and Shadow-Possession's themes will be covered below; for the contract method please see the relevant Newsfile. Contracts cannot be apped for later if the character has gained their Persona through any other means.

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 For Application:

• Six OOC months without any changes to your current "Main" Persona or 3 OOC months if the character was formerly Shadow Possessed or has otherwise previously regressed to a standard Persona from Custom Level (Persona Reversion).

• At least 100 total social links.

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 For Application:

• None. A player may start Possessed or become Possessed at any time.

Additional Notes:

• A Shadow-Possessed may not gain in power and grow to the Ultimate rank. They must become un-Possessed and gain a Persona first. See Shadow Un-Possession for the themes of un-Possession. The antagonist bonus (Antagonist Bonus) may be applied to Shadow-Possessed.

Antagonist Bonus

All would-be heroes need a sufficient challenge. All antagonists need to prove that their power is no idle threat. Thus, those who are granted this bonus receive greater power for combat situations, all the more to hold their ground against those who would stop their plans. However, this extra power is granted only to the dedicated: those who change sides frequently do not match up to the intent of this bonus. Since no one ties maidens to railroad tracks day in and day out, judgment for or against this bonus is made on a case-by-case basis rather than any hard metric of sufficient amounts of villainous activity.

Key Ideas: Villainy, Schemes, Dedication, Antagonism.

Additional Requirements For Application:

• None. A player may start as an antagonist, but they must be clear in application that they are dedicated to antagonism.

Changes:

• 1 severe group and 1 high group, 3 high groups, or 1 severe group and 2 standard groups. Support-type Antagonists (see Support Persona) gain instead 1 severe group, 2 high groups, or 1 high group and 2 standard groups.

• +2 HP/SP weight to be distributed as you see fit on top of the four you already receive. This will stack with Custom rank's bonus.

Additional Notes:

• Shadow-Possessed characters may gain this boost, and it stacks with their bonuses.

• A character with this bonus may also gain the power of Custom rank, as long as they are not Shadow-Possessed.

• A character will lose this bonus if they cease being an antagonist.

Ultimate Persona

The attainment of an Ultimate Persona is the result of a character reaching the endpoint of a particular phase in their life, capping off this part before they move on to the next. Marked by further pivotal changes in their lives from the acquisition of a Custom Persona, it may culminate in a particular truth or wisdom about what they have experienced up to this point. Perhaps the character has gained awareness of their place in the world. Or the character might have come to some powerful conclusion about themselves. Whatever the reason, while the change of Persona and power granted by this growth marks the end of this particular part of their life, it does not signal the end of their development as a character.

Key Ideas: Fulfillment, Attainment, Ending A Cycle, Development Peak.

Additional Requirements For Application:

• Six OOC months without any changes to your current "Main" Persona.

• At least 300 total social links.

• A Custom Persona.

Changes:

• The character gains a new Persona as their Custom Persona shifts its form and evolves.

• Ability groups for the Persona shift according to their type:
  • Most characters will be able to select from 1 severe group and 1 high group, or 3 high groups, or 1 severe group and 2 standard groups.
  • Characters with Support Personas instead choose from either 1 severe group, or 2 high groups, or 1 high and 2 standard groups.
  • Antagonists choose from either 1 massive group and 1 high group, or 2 severe groups and 1 high group, or 1 massive group and 2 standard groups.
  • Antagonists with Support Persona choose from either 1 massive, or 2 severe, or 1 severe and 2 high.

• The Unlock tag becomes available for Custom moves. If used, the tag increases the possible point total of the move to 10.5, allowing for additions. This tag also makes the move require use of the EX Meter to execute. This upgrade is optional. Moves with the Unlock tag count as Severe level, and take up a High slot.

• The option of either of the following for elemental resistances:
  • Gain one additional resist at the cost of an additional weakness.
  • Resist all the magical elements (Fire, Water, Wind, Earth, Nuclear, Ice, Elec, Gravity) at the cost of weakness to all physical elements (Slash, Pierce, Strike).

• The character's Persona may change its entire moveset, resists, and stats at the player's discretion. The character may also change Arcana.

Additional Notes:

• Characters with the Antagonist bonus /may/ gain an Ultimate Persona.

• Please provide a justification for your character's Ultimate Persona in the application.

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 For Application:

• Be Shadow-Possessed.

• At least three OOC 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 loss of the Custom power boost, including the Custom move. It may be regained later if Custom level is reattained.

• The ability to apply in the future for Custom and possibly even Ultimate upgrades, the latter so long as the Persona was not gained by the method in The Offer without rescinding the power the entity granted.

Type Change

Certain Personas or Shadows are masters of resonance, and possess skill with that talent that goes beyond what most characters may be capable of accomplishing. For most, this ability is native and shows itself the moment they awaken to the power of their Persona or Shadow. For some, however, this power awakens later on for them, sometimes as a result to a particular stress or stimuli, a growth of pre-existing in-born talent, or reflective of a shift in their general approach to problematic situations. The reverse is also true: those with this power may lose it for exactly the same reasons.

See Support Persona for the abilities and restrictions that come with this type of Persona or Shadow.

Key Ideas: New Abilities, Finding Information, Veiling Information, Indirect Approach vs. Direct Approach.

Additional Requirements For Application:

• Three months with your current Persona or Shadow type.

Changes:

• Shift to Spotter from normal type, or shift from Spotter to normal type.

Additional Notes:

• If you are not at the point where you can justify a custom application, you must wait after changing your character's type before you can apply for a custom.

• You must wait three months before changing your type again.

• This change may freely be combined with Custom, Shadow-Possession, Ultimate Persona, Shadow-Unpossession, Reversion, Arcana Change and Persona Change, so long as the requirements, if any, have been be met for these other changes.

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. In some cases, as in The Offer, this represents severing the bond with the entity that granted the Persona, but not the loss of the Persona. Whatever the reason, their Persona reverts to what it once was, be it a baseline Persona or, if they had a Custom prior to an Ultimate, the Custom itself, or even in the case of The Offer, simply transforms into a less powerful version of 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 For Application:

• 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 that your character possessed.

Persona Change

Sometimes, something about a character's personality changes, but rather than representing growth, it represents that their development has diverged significantly from the direction it had been headed. As their direction changes, the figure that they resonated most with on a subconscious level also changes, leading them to manifest a brand new Persona or Shadow. This change may bring with it a shift in abilities and power, as they associate with a different mythological figure.

Key Ideas: New Direction, Divergence, Change.

Additional Requirements For Application:

• Three months with your current Persona or Shadow.

Changes:

• Gain a new Persona or Shadow.

• A new movelist, if desired.

• New Persona of Shadow stats, if desired.

Additional Notes:

• If you are not at the point where you can justify a custom application, you must wait after changing your character's Persona or Shadow before you can apply for a custom.

• You must wait three months before changing your Persona or Shadow again.

• Please justify your character's new Persona or Shadow in your application.

• This change may freely be combined with Custom, Shadow-Possession, Ultimate Persona, Shadow-Unpossession, Reversion, Arcana Change and Type Change, so long as the requirements, if any, have been be met for these other changes.

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 character'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 For Application:

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

Changes:

• A new Arcana that fits your character better.

• Gain 10 link points in your new Arcana and lose 10 link points in your old Arcana.

Additional Notes:

• Please justify your character's new Arcana in your application.

• This change may freely be combined with Custom, Shadow-Possession, Ultimate Persona, Shadow-Unpossession, Reversion, Arcana Change and Type Change, so long as the requirements, if any, have been be met for these other changes.