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Golden Signatures - Rolina's Guide to Creating an Adept (Basics)

Started by Rolina, 20, January, 2013, 09:07:19 PM

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Rolina

In order to better set up your character and class for the signature thread, I've created a helpful guide that should assist you in coming up with the necessary information.  Furthermore, as an added bonus, these also work to allow you to create adepts both for the purposes of RPs, GS-inspired RPGs, and Editor-based Hacks.

A table of contents is provided for each step of the process:


Rolina

Builds and You
The very first thing you determine has nothing at all to do with your class!  Yes, that's right, you need to first determine what your build is.

What is a Build?
In simple terms, an adept's build is the equipment they know how to use well.

Why is my build so important?
Build also has other effects, such as determining how some spells work or upgrade, as well as determining what alt classes you get in an RPG (an RP is a bit more lenient).  Perhaps most importantly, though, it sets the theme for your base class.  By choosing your build, as well as what you'll likely have in mind for your signature weapon, you can better come up with a plan for how you want to grow your base class, and from there your alt-classes.

What are the builds?
There are six builds in the game - three physical, three spellcaster.

[spoiler]
Warrior
Warriors are brute force fighters.  They tend to be the physically strong, and rely more on focused might rather than tactics or trickery.  They can equip Axes, Swords, Blades, and Maces as weapons, and can use Heavy and Light Armors.

Fighter
Fighters prefer tactics over sheer force.  They tend to be more defensive, preferring to strike multiple targets rather than focus everything on a small group.  They can equip Spears, Swords, Blades, and Bows as weapons, and use Heavy and Light Armors.

Striker
Strikers focus more on guile than force or tactics.  They're quite skillful, and tend to inflict maladies in order to wear out the opponent quicker.  They can equip Scythes, Swords, Blades, and Maces as weapons, and can use Heavy and Light Armors.

Hexer
Hexers are spellcasters that focus on wit and cunning.  They prefer to inflict maladies with their spells, causing opponents to suffer ailments as well as damage.  They can equip Scythes, Maces, and Staffs as weapons, and can use Light and Mage Armors.

Spellsword
Spellswords are spellcasters that focus on crowd control.  They tend to cast spells which cover wide areas, wearing out entire groups of enemies at once.  They can equip Blades, Bows, and Staffs as weapons, and can use Light and Mage Armors.

Magus
Magi are spellcasters that focus on power.  They tend to focus on the strength of their spells, and as a result make for both excellent attackers or healers.  They can equip Maces, Ankhs, and Staffs as weapons, and can use Light and Mage Armors.

In short:

Warrior: Axes, Swords, Maces, Blades, Helms, Hats, Shields, Gloves, Armor, Clothes.  Spells upgrade via Power.
Fighter: Spears, Swords, Blades, Bows, Helms, Hats, Shields, Gloves, Armor, Clothes.  Spells upgrade via Range.
Striker: Scythes, Swords, Blades, Maces, Helms, Hats, Shields, Gloves, Armor, Clothes.  Spells upgrade via Effect.
Hexer: Maces, Scythes, Staffs, Hats, Circlets, Gloves, Armlets, Clothes, Robes.  Spells upgrade via Effect.
Spellsword: Blades, Bows, Staffs, Hats, Circlets, Gloves, Armlets, Clothes, Robes.  Spells upgrade via Range.
Magus: Maces, Ankhs, Staffs, Hats, Circlets, Gloves, Armlets, Clothes, Robes.  Spells upgrade via Power.
[/spoiler]

What do each of the weapons do?
Not all weapons are the same.  You don't use an Axe like you do a Sword, and some weapons are better at doing certain things than others.  Which weapon you use depends on the setting.  In an RP, you'll likely be using your Signature Weapon.  This is the weapon that you're depicted with in artwork - it's the weapon that just fits with your character, simply because you say so.  In an RPG, though, it'll depend on the situation.  The right weapon in the right situation can be the difference between an easy victory and a prolonged battle.

[spoiler]
Axes
Axes are the signature weapon of the brutish warrior.  They specialize in raw brute strength, and their unleashes tend to cripple enemy stats.  Axes are the strongest of all weapons, and the most damage will be done with him in hand.  However, swinging an axe tends to leave the user open to attack, and as a result axe users have lower defense.  All axes can only strike a single target with their unleash, regardless of whether the unleash is in it's Howling or Bestowed Form.  Axes are unique to Warriors.
[spoiler]

Weapon Type's unleashes are FPAs instead of EPAs
Cursed weapons get a +15% boost to positive stats, a 25% reduction of negative stats, but are cursed and are given other penalties depending on the weapon's thematics
Boosts to elemental power only apply to the element of the weapon's attack unleash.
Base 120 Check gives the stats of the average weapon of this type with a power value of 120.  Does not include weapon-specific increases or decreases in stats, only the general trend for this weapon type.
Check = common effect, Check+ = very common effect.[/spoiler]

Spears
One of the most common weapon types seen on the battle field, spears offer both range and attack power to their wielder.  The length of the weapon allows for its user to strike multiple foes, and the piercing nature of the weapons are able to strike through enemy defenses with ease.  Many spear unleashes have extended range in their bestowed variation, and they all involve some type of piercing nature to them.  Pole Arms are unique to the Fighter build.
[spoiler]

Weapon Type's unleashes are FPAs instead of EPAs
Cursed weapons get a +15% boost to positive stats, a 25% reduction of negative stats, but are cursed and are given other penalties depending on the weapon's thematics
Boosts to elemental power only apply to the element of the weapon's attack unleash.
Base 120 Check gives the stats of the average weapon of this type with a power value of 120.  Does not include weapon-specific increases or decreases in stats, only the general trend for this weapon type.
Check = common effect, Check+ = very common effect.[/spoiler]

Swords
Swords are the most iconic of all weapons.  While they may not be the most powerful, they are the standard by which all other weapons are judged.  This is mainly due to their nature as highly versatile weapons.  They have the greatest variety in terms of unleashes, and also have a slightly higher rate of unleashing as well.  It is common for a Sword's Howling Unleash to be notably different than it's Bestowed Unleash.  They are usable by Warriors, Fighters, and Strikers alike.
[spoiler]

Weapon Type's unleashes are FPAs instead of EPAs
Cursed weapons get a +15% boost to positive stats, a 25% reduction of negative stats, but are cursed and are given other penalties depending on the weapon's thematics
Boosts to elemental power only apply to the element of the weapon's attack unleash.
Base 120 Check gives the stats of the average weapon of this type with a power value of 120.  Does not include weapon-specific increases or decreases in stats, only the general trend for this weapon type.
Check = common effect, Check+ = very common effect.[/spoiler]

Blades
Light and easy to use, blades are made for quick strikes and the ability to get in and out when needed.  Blades tend to emphasize speed, even when it comes to their unleashes.  They're the only weapons to regularly have unleashes with a higher priority than barrier moves, thus being able to strike before a barrier is raised.  They are also the only weapons to be capable of actually piercing barriers, negating much of their damage reducing abilities.  However, due to their need for precise strikes, unleashes only ever strike a single foe.  Blades can be used by Warriors, Fighters, Strikers, and Spellswords.
[spoiler]

Weapon Type's unleashes are FPAs instead of EPAs
Cursed weapons get a +15% boost to positive stats, a 25% reduction of negative stats, but are cursed and are given other penalties depending on the weapon's thematics
Boosts to elemental power only apply to the element of the weapon's attack unleash.
Base 120 Check gives the stats of the average weapon of this type with a power value of 120.  Does not include weapon-specific increases or decreases in stats, only the general trend for this weapon type.
Check = common effect, Check+ = very common effect.[/spoiler]

Maces
Maces are designed to have a great impact as well as being able to support spell casting.  In addition, the power of their unleashes tends to be proportionally higher than that of other weapons.  It is common to see them with unleashes designed either to assist in ally spellcasting, or to weaken the spellcasting ability of the enemy.  Maces can be used by Warriors, Strikers, Hexers, and Magi.
[spoiler]

Weapon Type's unleashes are FPAs instead of EPAs
Cursed weapons get a +15% boost to positive stats, a 25% reduction of negative stats, but are cursed and are given other penalties depending on the weapon's thematics
Boosts to elemental power only apply to the element of the weapon's attack unleash.
Base 120 Check gives the stats of the average weapon of this type with a power value of 120.  Does not include weapon-specific increases or decreases in stats, only the general trend for this weapon type.
Check = common effect, Check+ = very common effect.[/spoiler]

Scythes
Scythes are among the most intimidating of weapons, as they are iconic of the grim reaper.  While they may be unorthodox, scythes are also among the best weapons by which to inflict ailments, given their longer then usual blades and greater reach.  Scythes are also one of the rare weapon types able to unleash in either a physical or spellcasting style of attack.  Many scythe unleashes have extended range when the Bestowed Unleash is used.  They also have the distinction of being the only weapon type with access to every ailment in the game.  Scythes are only usable by Strikers and Hexers.
[spoiler]

Weapon Type's unleashes are FPAs instead of EPAs
Cursed weapons get a +15% boost to positive stats, a 25% reduction of negative stats, but are cursed and are given other penalties depending on the weapon's thematics
Boosts to elemental power only apply to the element of the weapon's attack unleash.
Base 120 Check gives the stats of the average weapon of this type with a power value of 120.  Does not include weapon-specific increases or decreases in stats, only the general trend for this weapon type.
Check = common effect, Check+ = very common effect.[/spoiler]

Bows
Bows are feared for their great range, and with good reason.  Bows are the only weapons that can strike a range of 3 with their Howling Unleash, and a range of 5 with their Bestowed Unleash.  Furthermore, they're the only weapon types that have a Moderate AoE instead of a Weak AoE.  This makes them quite the formidable weapon, even though they have lower attack power compared to other weapons.  In addition, they're one of the only two weapon types that can inflict either physical or spell-type damage with their unleash.  Bows can be used by Fighters and Spellswords.
[spoiler]

Weapon Type's unleashes are FPAs instead of EPAs
Cursed weapons get a +15% boost to positive stats, a 25% reduction of negative stats, but are cursed and are given other penalties depending on the weapon's thematics
Boosts to elemental power only apply to the element of the weapon's attack unleash.
Base 120 Check gives the stats of the average weapon of this type with a power value of 120.  Does not include weapon-specific increases or decreases in stats, only the general trend for this weapon type.
Check = common effect, Check+ = very common effect.[/spoiler]

Ankhs
Often overlooked, though often saught by healers, are Ankhs.  Ankhs are the only weapon type with a primary focus of defense and support rather than offense.  While most other weapons are made to do damage, Ankhs are made to reduce it.  They're the only weapon type to only have 2 sub-types as opposed to the usual 3, and can only be used by Magi.
[spoiler]

Weapon Type's unleashes are FPAs instead of EPAs
Cursed weapons get a +15% boost to positive stats, a 25% reduction of negative stats, but are cursed and are given other penalties depending on the weapon's thematics
Boosts to elemental power only apply to the element of the weapon's attack unleash.
Base 120 Check gives the stats of the average weapon of this type with a power value of 120.  Does not include weapon-specific increases or decreases in stats, only the general trend for this weapon type.
Check = common effect, Check+ = very common effect.[/spoiler]

Staffs
Staves (also spelled Staffs) are the iconic weapon of spellcasters.  They're also the only weapon type to have 4 sub-types instead of the usual 3.  Staves are designed to empower the wielder's spells rather than for attacking, giving little in the way of attack power and instead providing a nice boost to spellcasting instead.  Staves can be used by Spellswords, Hexers, and Magi.
[spoiler]

Weapon Type's unleashes are FPAs instead of EPAs
Cursed weapons get a +15% boost to positive stats, a 25% reduction of negative stats, but are cursed and are given other penalties depending on the weapon's thematics
Boosts to elemental power only apply to the element of the weapon's attack unleash.
Base 120 Check gives the stats of the average weapon of this type with a power value of 120.  Does not include weapon-specific increases or decreases in stats, only the general trend for this weapon type.
Check = common effect, Check+ = very common effect.[/spoiler][/spoiler]

What should I choose for my signature weapon?
That depends on you.  The signature weapon doesn't affect spells or abilities in any way, so rather than going for whatever is the most functional, it's probably better to just go with Rule of Cool here.  What weapon do you see yourself using?  If you can see yourself using many different ones, which one do you personally prefer?  The Signature Weapon is simply the weapon you're most often seen with, the one typically depicted in art.  For example, Mia's is an Ankh, and Jenna's is a Staff.  Just because you're a mage doesn't mean you have to use a staff - you could do what Karst does and use a scythe, for example.  So long as it's a weapon your build can use, you should be fine.

What if I want to use a weapon that's not in my build?
Depends on if it's an RP or an RPG.  In an RPG, you can't.  You're limited to what's programmed into it.  In an RP, it depends on what you want to use.  If it can be justified as close enough (ex:  a Kusarigama is close enough that it can work as a Scythe weapon) it should be fine.  However, if it's a weapon type your build can't use (ex:  A Fighter trying to use an axe), then your character won't very good with it.  Simply put, they haven't had the training to use it properly, so they suck with it.  Weapons are more than just "pick it up and swing it".  Someone without archery training can't hit the broad side of a barn, a warrior doesn't know how to call out the psynergy inside of a staff, and a magus can probably barely even lift an axe, let alone swing it.

However, more importantly for RPers, if you are trying to use a weapon that is not part of your build, you cannot get any of the positive benefits out of it.  An axe still leaves you really open to attack, but you can't swing it with the force you need to make use of its power, and unleashes just plain aren't happening.

What about Claws and Knuckles?
This is a tough subject.  Sveta pretty much got the shaft equipment-wise in Dark Dawn, and having her build is actually really unfair to those in an RPG who would get it.  Likely what will happen is that somewhere down the line, six new builds will be introduced, and Claws, Knuckles, and possibly another weapon type or two will be mixed in with them.  However, this is likely very, very far down the line.  For an RP, these will likely have to be done on a case by case basis, but for the sake of simplicity, it's highly recommended that you not use these or other weapon types not on the above list.

What if I want to use an Armor Type I can't use?
Again, depends on the setting.  An RPG simply won't let you.  An RP, on the other hand, will give you problems.  If you can't use Heavy Armor, it's because it's simply too heavy for you.  They'll slow you down and burden you, and probably cause you to be worse off in combat because of it.  If you can't use Mage Armor, it's because it'll lower your mobility, or will be otherwise useless to you.  Robes will literally trip up a warrior, as they need to move around a lot in combat.  Likewise, the Armlets and Circlets contain psynergy within them that is responsible for the defensive boosts they provide - so without the training to bring it out, the warrior might as well be wearing a plastic tiara or something.

Rolina

Roles and Psynergy
Now that you know your build, the next step is to determine which role you have in the party.  The role your class plays pretty much determines how you want to set up your psynergy.  For example, you don't want to try and be a healer by focusing on attack spells - that pretty much defeats the point.  This will guide you in determining which types of spells you should have in your classes.  After all, not all classes have the same setup.

Physical vs Caster Setups
Physical Fighters and Casters have two very different philosophies when it comes to what types of roles they have in the party.  How they preform different roles varies quite a bit - for example, no physical fighter is going to specialize in healing.  This puts them at odds with their build, and is better suited for casters.  Likewise, a caster's lower health and defense rating makes them very much unsuited to be a tank.  As such, the roles you can pick are clearly divided based on whether you're a physical fighter or a spell caster.

Physical Roles
Physical fighters focus on dealing and taking damage.  Their main assets are their strength, stamina, and health.  Their Added Damage, Multiplier, and Cover/Counter moves are called "EPAs", or Elemental Physical Attacks by the fandom, and the power of these skills is based on their physical attack strength rather than on their spellcasting prowess.

[spoiler]
Attacker
[Added Damage] [Multiplier] [Basic] [Intermediate] [Advanced] [Support 1] [Support 2] [Support 3] [Support 4]
The role of the Attacker is, well, right there in the name.  It's their job to do damage, to hit hard and hit fast.  Their main focus will likely be their Added Damage and Multiplier spells.  Their support spells are likely to be buffs, debuffs, or ailments.

Tank
[Added Damage] [Cover/Counter] [Basic] [Intermediate] [Advanced] [Support 1] [Support 2] [Support 3] [Support 4]
The role of the Tank is mainly support, but they do so with quite the show of force.  Rather than a standard multiplier line, the Tank chooses to take damage in place of an ally, and counter attack with each hit.  Given how common area of effect skills are, this is quite a powerful ability when used wisely.  Their four support spells are likely to be healing or buffs.

Rogue
[Added Damage] [Basic] [Intermediate or Advanced] [Support 1] [Support 2] [Support 3] [Support 4] [Support 5] [Support 6] [Support 7] [Support 8]
The Rogue changes things up by swapping some offense for support.  This can make them quite the assassin by filling them with debuffs and ailments, or a pretty good support unit by filling them with buffs and maybe a healing line.

Paladin
[Added Damage] [Multiplier or Cover/Counter] [Basic] [Intermediate] [Advanced] [ST or MT Healing] [Support 1]
The Paladin, also known as the Squire role in honor of its most familiar variety, balances offense with defense.  The Paladin can function well as a healer if needed, but will often enjoy being able to strike hard like an attacker or protect their allies like a Tank.[/spoiler]

Caster Roles
Spell Casters focus on blasting and healing.  Their main assets are their spellcasting power, warding, and psynergy pool.  Their Added Damage, and Multiplier moves are called "FPAs", or Focused Power Attacks to mirror the fandom term for the physical variety, and the power of these skills is based on their spellcasting prowess, rather than physical attack strength.

[spoiler]
Blaster
[Added Damage] [Multiplier] [Basic] [Intermediate] [Advanced] [Support 1] [Support 2] [Support 3] [Support 4]
The Blaster is, by all accounts, the caster counterpart to an attacker.  Their job is to hit hard with their spells, and often fill their support slots with ailments and debuffs.

Trickster
[Basic] [Intermediate] [Advanced] [Support 1] [Support 2] [Support 3] [Support 4] [Support 5] [Support 6]
The Trickster mainly focuses on their support spells.  While they do have some offensive options available to them, their main role in the party is usually to either buff their allies, or to be a pain to enemies through various maladies.

Healer
[ST Healing] [AT Healing] [Support 1] [Support 2] [Support 3] [Basic] [Intermediate]
Healers forgo offense almost entirely to focus purely on healing their allies.  They're guaranteed to have both point healing as well as full party healing, and their support is often recovery in nature, with skills such as ailment cleansing, revival, and buff/debuff neutralizing.

Generalist
[Added Damage] [MT or AT Healing] [Basic] [Intermediate] [Advanced] [Support 1] [Support 2]
Generalists, sometimes referred to as Justices due to the original iteration of this role, balance the role of attacker with the role of healer.  Much like with Paladins, this allows them to shift back and forth as needed, thus able to serve the needs of a healer when they're not dishing out damage.[/spoiler]

Builds vs Roles
At first glance, one might be tempted to associate certain builds with certain roles, such as the Striker with the Rogue.  However, this is an incorrect way of thinking.  Any build can pull off any role in the party well, they simply do it differently.  For example, while it's tempting to have a Magus Healer, also consider a Hexer Healer.  While this may seem to be contradictory, alt-classes can make good use of the varied weapons, and it also gives the base class some potent options when it comes to times where healing isn't needed.  All and all, the role in the party and the physical build of an adept are but two separate parts to the whole, rather than a set.

Spell Categories
Above was listed many spell categories, but what do they mean?  What are the rules for each category?
[spoiler]
[Added Damage] - This type of spell adds a certain amount of power to your attack or spell.  Added Damage spells such as Ragnarok, Diamond Burg, and Ripple Drive are most effective at lower levels in an RPG, and in both an RP and RPG they retain much of their added strength even against enemies with high defenses.

[Multiplier] - This type of spell multiplies the damage of an attack or spell by a certain amount.  Multiplier spells such as Quick Strike, Megiddo, and Incinerate scale in power with the caster, and thus are much more powerful at higher levels than in lower ones.  However, because their additional power comes after the check for defenses, they lose much of their effectiveness against targets with high defenses.

[Cover/Counter] - This spell readies the caster to take damage in place of an ally, then counterattack with a weak multiplier.  While it doesn't do as much damage as a more traditional multiplier, the nature of golden sun to have many AoE attacks means that there's a high chance for the skill to activate multiple times, making up for lower power by both having a higher frequency, as well as keeping an ally healthy.

[Basic] - There are 12 spell lines in both an RP and an RPG.  They are the most basic of all spells, and all intermediate and advanced spells are created from the knowledge gained by using and training with these basic spells.  Examples include spells like Douse and Bolt.  The reason for the limitation to 12, though, is because all basic spell lines also have a field use.  Rather than make things convoluted, the decision was made to simply not allow for custom-made basic lines.

[Intermediate] - Intermediate spell lines are the next step up from basic.  They include spell lines such as the Spire and Fire spell lines.  As a general rule, intermediate spell lines only involve one aspect of an element (ex: a lesser luna Jovian can have a line that uses either wind or lightning, but not a line that uses both).

[Advanced] - Advanced spell lines are the most powerful of the traditional spell lines.  They include spells such as Cool and Plasma.  Furthermore, Weak Sol, Weak Luna, and Balance fundamental adepts can have spell lines which combine the two aspects of the element that they wield (ex:  Explosions of Acid, Whirlwinds of Lightning, Ice Floes, etc).  While these are not more powerful than their pure-aspect counterparts, they do offer some more variety in terms of spell aesthetics.

[*T Healing] - Healing comes in three forms - ST (Single Target), MT (Multi Target), and AT (All Target).  ST healing is the strongest, but only affects a single target (ex: Heal, Pray).  MT heals an area, with the healing strongest in the center of that area (ex:  Aid, Bless).  AT heals all allies on the battlefield equally, but is the weakest of the three healing types (ex:  Aura, Wish).

[Support x] - Support is, well, support spells.  Buffs, Debuffs, Ailment Infliction, and Ailment Healing.  Buffs and Debuffs increase or decrease an attribute of their target (impact boosts strength, impair lowers defense, etc).  Ailments can inflict various maladies on their targets, such as paralysis and poison.  These spells have a higher success rate for infliction than their Damage+Ailment counterparts.  Ailment healing, well, heals many of these inflicted ailments.  Note that support spells very often come in sets - buffs and debuffs always come in sets of 2, and some ailment spells are always paired with one another, such as Haunt, Curse, and Condemn.  You can only select a spell if you have enough support slots for it and the other spells in its set.[/spoiler]

Do I have to use one of the listed roles?
No, but if you do decide to mix things up, keep in mind a few rules -
[spoiler]
You have 15 slots available.
[Added Damage] is worth 1 slot, but is comprised of three spells.  You can only have one.
[Multiplier] is worth 1 slot, is comprised of two spells, and cannot be taken with Cover/Counter.  You can only have one.  Cannot be taken without Added Damage.
[Cover/Counter] is worth 1 slot, is comprised of two spells, is physical only, and cannot be taken with multiplier.  You can only have one.  Cannot be taken without Added Damage.
[Basic] is worth 3 slots, and is comprised of 3 spells, and IS REQUIRED.  You can only have one basic line.
[Intermediate] is worth 3 slots, and is comprised of 3 spells.  You must have at least an intermediate or advanced spell line.  You can only have one intermediate line.
[Advanced] is worth 3 slots, and is comprised of 3 spells.  You must have at least an intermediate or advanced spell line.  You cannot have two healing lines and an Advanced line.  You can only have one advanced line.
[ST Healing] is worth 3 slots, and is comprised of 3 spells.  You can only have one.
[MT Healing] is worth 3 slots, and is comprised of 3 spells.  You can only have one.
[AT Healing] is worth 3 slots, and is comprised of 3 spells.  Caster only.  You can only have one.
[Support] is worth 1 slot per spell.  Buffs and Debuffs always come in pairs.  You may have up to 8.[/spoiler]

Try to base a custom role off of another role.  For example, a Dark Knight role could replace the [ST or MT Healing] of the Paladin Role with the [Haunt, Curse, Condemn] spell line, effectively swapping three slots of healing with three ailment-type support slots.  Note that if you stray too far off the rules, you will be called out on it.  Remember that your are limited to 15 classes for base and dual elemental classes.  Tri-Element lines allow up to 16, but also follow a different set of rules, which will be covered later in the Advanced thread.

Traditional Spell Lines and Physical Fighters
A common misconception is that the traditional spell lines (Basic, Intermediate, and Advanced) are useless for fighters.  However, the way these work proves this to not be the case.  While yes, spellcasting does influence these spells, the influence is small.  As such, while a spell caster may still deal more damage with these spells, physical fighters don't lag very far behind.  The real source of power for these attacks is elemental power and resistance, which is not affected by build or level, but by which djinn and armor are equipped.  A fighter who focuses in the venus element casting Gaia will out damage a mage who barely touches it every time when they're casting the same spell.

The Role You Want VS the Role You Are
There is a very bad tendency for people to focus purely on dealing as much damage as they can.  As such, the Attacker and Blaster roles are easily the most common roles out there.  However, one must ask themselves - as this is my author avatar, is this what I'd really do in that situation, or would I do something else?  Imagine a confrontation in real life.  How would you handle it?  Would you become aggressive and try to force your way?  Would you try to show support for your friend who's doing most of the arguing?  Perhaps instead you try and mediate the situation and calm both parties down?  Consider these things before picking which role you use.  Remember, THIS IS YOU.  If we know you on the forum to shy away from fights and try and get people to calm down, then expect people to make a big deal when you try to be Johnny McKillsalot in an RP/RPG, since it'd not fit you as a person at all.

Base Role vs Alt Role
The role you have depends entirely on your class.  Your Base Class represents who you are, and thus it is the Role You Are.  However, Alt Classes do not have such a restriction.  Instead, Alt Classes are the Role You Could Be.  For example, I'm sure most of you have noticed that I get very aggressive when confronted, thus working well as Blaster for my Base Class.  However, I also tend to provide support around the forums when not in a fight, so I could find myself using a Trickster for one of my Alt Classes.  Of course, the role you have is still limited by your fundamental affinity, so keep that in mind.  Speaking of...

The Role of the Fundaments
The fundaments of Sol and Luna were introduced in Dark Dawn, and exist as one big "screw you" to many of us.  However, I found a way to implement them while neither contradicting canon nor just making them fully castable elements.  Instead, what the fundaments do is give shape to the elements - in other words, your fundamental affinity determines which types of spells you get.

[spoiler]

(For reference, the types of affinities, from top to bottom, are "Greater Sol", "Lesser Sol", "No Affinity", "Lesser Luna", "Greater Luna", and "Neutral")

Rank 1 Recovery includes spells like Cure Poison and Restore.  This also includes Drain and Psy Drain type spells.
Rank 2 Recovery includes spells like Break and Normalize
Rank 1 Buffs are the type you see in Canon (Single 25% (4 turns) → Full Party 12.5% (4 turns))
Rank 2 Buffs are the new types of buffs - extended duration and enhanced magnitude.
Rank 1 Ailment Groups include spells with standard infliction rate and duration, and first tier ailments for those with multiple tiers of strength (ex: Poison, but not Venom)
Rank 2 Ailment Groups include spells with higher infliction rate, duration, as well as second tier ailments for those with multiple tiers of strength.  This also includes the Haunt, Curse, Condemn group.
Rank 1 Debuffs are the type you see in canon (Single 25% (4 turns) → Small Area 12.5% (4 turns))
Rank 2 Debuffs include the new types of debuff - extended duration and enhanced magnitude.


It is very important to note that this refers to you overall, rather than for every single class.  It is perfectly fine for a Balance fundamental to have a healer role with Luna-form spells and no maledictions in their class, but then have an ailment-heavy trickster role as one of their alt-classes.  However, a Greater Luna fundamental can't do a healer role quite as well because they lack access to recovery spells in their base class.  However, many more support options open up in their Dual Element classes since debuffs become available, and a healer role is plausible for a tri-element class thanks to the availability of basic recovery spells.[/spoiler]

Fundaments vs Effect Upgrades
At first glance, it may look like having a Scythe wielding Greater Sol fundamental would be absolutely pointless - however, the benedictions/maledictions trend only applies to support spells.  Upgrades to Traditional, Added Damage, Multiplier, and Cover/Counter moves which add a chance for an ailment to the attack are not affected.  As such, those with a Greater Sol fundament may want to consider a build with weapon types that allow for maledictions, while those with Greater Luna may want to look at builds with weapon types and gear that can be used for benedictions, thus balancing their weaknesses.

Why Only 15 Spells?
If you were paying attention, you'll see that there are fifteen spells for each role.  So why only 15?  Well, Base and Dual-Element Classes only get 14-15 spells, and this thread focuses primarily on those classes.  Tri-Element instead have a maximum of 16 spells, but also follow very different guidelines for how roles are handled. This is for two reasons - first, the actual games tend to follow this rule to an extent, so there's no reason not to follow it here.  Two, it's to prevent people from learning an obscene amount of spells.  This makes them be not only more creative with their spells, but to actually experiment with other classes in order to try new things.

Field vs Battle
So, some people probably want to put in Avoid or Hunt into a class.  However, it is highly recommended to never, ever, ever put a field-only spell in your class selection.  This is because such spells are actually recommended to be innate, learned, or bestowed.  What do I mean?  I mean you can have both Avoid and that other fancy skill you might want.  This allows you to not only use the field spell in any class, but to also have more benefit to your allies with whatever support spell you replaced it with.  It's a win/win situation.

Types of Field-Only Spells
There are three types of Field-Only Spells - Innate, Learned, and Bestowed.  These are not classified based on what they do, but rather how they're obtained.

[spoiler]
Innate
Innate spells are the spells most natural to you, something you know by instinct.  You have one and only one Innate Spell.  Some spells can only be innate, such as Mind Read, since these are abilities you must be born with.  Along with those few spells, most other field spells can be innate, such as Retreat, Catch, and Pound.  Innate Spells must be of your innate element, no exceptions.  If you really feel insistent on having more than one Innate spell, then look at it this way - the spell you choose as innate is the one you want displayed on your signature.

Learned
Learned spells have been gained in one of two ways - either you trained to learn them, or they were gained by visiting a place high in elemental potency such as the Elemental Rocks.  For any spell you know outside of your class/role that isn't gotten though an item, it is learned.  You must explain how you learned every learned spell.  It doesn't have to be some crazy epic story, something simple like "Trained to move objects with my mind, as every Venusian adventurer should" or "Acquired after visiting Air's Rock" will do.  Just don't go overboard - you shouldn't be a walking talking swiss army knife.  Learned spells must be of your innate element, no exceptions.

Bestowed
Bestowed spells are gained by equipping psynergetic tools, such as the Catch Beads or Whirlwind Chip.  Some more powerful abilities, such as Hover, Teleport, and Grind can only be obtained through these Psynergy Tools (as it would be pretty hax otherwise).  As a general rule, try to limit equipped Psynergy Tools to 5, again in the spirit of not being a one-man fix all.  Most bestowed spells can be learned regardless of element, however, there are some exceptions, such as Grind and Hover, which are restricted to adepts of their element.[/spoiler]

Rolina

Class Basics
With all these talks about classes, some of you may be wondering what exactly determines class.  Well, to put it simply, it's what djinn you have set to you.  To be more technical, it's your current element level.  However, for the sake of simplicity, and because the only way to change element level is to set or unset djinn anyways, this post will refer not to the element level approach, but rather to the set djinn approach.

The best way to explain this is to simply provide a visual reference for all the classes you have available.  Simply choose your element, and view how to get each type of class.

Venus Adepts
[spoiler][/spoiler]

Mars Adepts
[spoiler][/spoiler]

Jupiter Adepts
[spoiler][/spoiler]

Mercury Adepts
[spoiler][/spoiler]

Class Type and Tier
Every adept naturally has eight types of classes, which range in power up to what is classified as "Tier 5".  The purpose of these tiers is to determine what spells are available when - for example, certain types of spells upgrade themselves when tier increases.  As such, when an adept qualifies for a higher tier of that class type, they may actually gain more powerful form of that psynergy.  Further more, some types of spells are only available once you reach a certain Class Tier.  Most notably is MT and AT Healing types, which are only available starting at at Tier 2 and 3 respectively.  Of special note is the Dual Symbiotic class, the only class to have a half-step tier increase.  No new psynergy would be learned or upgraded at this step, but rather this represents a simple increase in overall power exclusive to that Class Type.

Where to Begin?
Well, simply put, the best place to start is with creating your Base class, followed by your Dual Adjacent, Dual Opposite, and Dual Symbiotic classes.  Tri Element and Tri Hybrid classes tend to follow different rules, and will have their own threads discussing them.  Your priorities, though, are going to be on the more simple Base and Dual element classes.

What about Item Classes?
Item classes have their own set of rules... but it's not something that can be explained globally, as these rules depend on the item themselves.  While the items in TLA did in fact have a standard upgrade pattern, how they upgraded was very different from one another, and they very likely do not represent all item classes.  Rather, items themselves should come with their own set of guides as they are developed.  If you wish to create an item class, the Advanced thread will be describing several approaches to its upgrade path and trends.

What about Overdrive Classes?
Overdrive classes, while they do follow a specific pattern, are not currently a part of the RP system.  What I can say, however, is that all three types of Overdrive classes - Overburst for Humans, Beastform for Beastlings, and Dragonform for Drakes - follow the same upgrade style.  However, due to their relatively new nature, they cannot be properly implemented until they are better understood and a solid set of rules can be explained for them.  After that, they will be added as part of the Advanced thread.

Rolina

Heavy Hitters - EPAs and FPAs
This post is all about the strongest spells in an adept's repertoire - EPAs and FPAs.  When an adept needs to focus down a single target, these are the go-to spells with which to do it - pure, focused damage, as opposed to the more spread out damage that other spells provide.

What is an EPA?
EPA is short for Elemental Physical Attack, a term coined early on by fans in Golden Sun's history.  This refers to any spell that uses physical strength to deal damage, and tend to be the signature moves of physical fighters.  Essentially, it is the art combining both strength and spell together, and unleashing it in one powerful, focused blast.  There are three main types of EPAs available to physical adepts - Added Damage, Multiplier, and Cover/Counter, named for their mechanical properties in the games.

What is an FPA?
FPA is short for Focused Power Attack, and is the spellcaster's answer to the EPA.  Rather than use a more traditional wide area spell, they focus their power into a powerful, focused spell, causing much more of their spellcasting might to take influence over the spell.  The result allows mages to keep up with the focused damage that a warrior can dish out when faced against a single foe.  There are two main types of FPAs - Added Damage, and Multiplier, named for their mechanical properties in the games.

How Added Damage style spells work
The first type, and most common type of EPA and FPA, is the Added Damage style spell.  This type of spell works by adding raw elemental power to an adept's native strengths.  Due to the nature of the spell, it's quite capable of overcoming foes with higher than normal defenses.  For the Physical Fighter's EPAs, these spells add elemental power to the power of a physical attack, checking against an enemy's physical defense.  For a Spell Caster's FPAs, these spells add elemental power to a strong pulse of psynergetic energy, and check against an enemy's ability to ward spells instead.  Because this is the most basic variety of Heavy Hitting spell, it is available right from the start - even at Class Tier 1, if your class can learn this style of spell, it'll have it available.  At Class Tiers 3 and 5 the spell will actually upgrade itself, becoming a more powerful version of spell before it.

How Multiplier style spells work
The second type of heavy hitter, the Multiplier works by amplifying an adept's power by a certain percentage of strength.  The stronger the adept, the more power added to the spell itself.  However, this amplifying nature has one drawback - foes with higher defenses are able to better defend against it, as the amplified power comes after the spell makes contact.  So while foes with lower defenses will be wiped out by this type of spell, those with higher defenses will be able to take glancing blows until an adept grows strong enough to overcome the defenses of such enemies.  For a Physical Fighter's EPA, these spells magnify the power of a raw physical attack, and check against an enemy's Defense.  For a Spell Caster's FPA, these spells are essentially a powerful amplification of raw psynergetic power, and check against the target's ability to ward spells.  This is a more advanced type of spell, and can only be used at Class Tier 2 and above.  At Class Tier 4, this spell upgrades, becoming more powerful.

How Cover/Counter style spells work
The third type of heavy hitter, Cover/Counter spells are essentially a weak multiplier that takes the form of a counterattack.  When an adept uses this spell, their target isn't an enemy, but rather an ally who they wish to protect.  When an enemy targets this ally, the caster will defend them, taking damage in their place, and then countering with this attack.  While it is weaker than it's Multiplier cousin, the nature of the spell, as well as the wide areas that spells can have, often cause this spell to trigger multiple times, striking at each and every attacker who tried to hurt the target.  However, due to this nature, only Physical Fighters, whom have trained to have higher vitality and durability than mages, are able to use this spell style.  Cover/Counter spells rely on physical strength to deal their damage, and check against an enemy's defense.

Added Damage vs Multiplier
A common argument is what the value of Added Damage spells are against the amplified power of Multipliers.  A simple counter to the claim that Added Damage can't keep up is that the defenses you'll come to encounter are much higher than you would expect in the games.  Against foes with tough skin or armor, you'll likely find that an Added Damage spell outdoes a Multiplier spell almost every time.  Of course, it's important to know your enemy, too - those with high defenses often have low warding, and those with high warding often have low defense.

Heavy Hitters vs Base Damage
Another thing to keep in mind is when to use your heavy hitters, and when to use your Basic, Intermediate, and Advanced spell lines.  These three lines, often grouped together under the category of "Base Damage", may deal less damage in the end, but strike a much wider area, and have a much easier time breaching defenses.  As such, when you're up against a large hoard of foes, a Base Damage spell may be ideal.  Also consider it when you're up against a foe with both really high defense and warding - while high warding does lower the damage of the spell, because the spell's wider area of effect, targets cannot ward everywhere at once, and thus warding has a much smaller effect.  Also, if you're a physical fighter, this is an excellent means of dealing damage to foes with really high defense who can shrug off even your added damage spells, and to get around foes that have a physical barrier up.

Multipliers vs Cover/Counter
One last question some may have is about the point of Cover/Counter when Multiplier spells work almost the same way, but hit harder.  Well, the answer is really simple here - Multipliers are pure offensive, while Cover/Counter spells are made with defense in mind.  Also, while they deal less damage than Multipliers, they do have the ability to trigger multiple times in quick succession, doing damage rapidly to a group of foes.  The main point of using it, though, isn't to do damage, but to protect.  It could be a friend who's severely injured, allowing you to protect them while your healer helps them out, or perhaps a friend who has particularly low defense against a particular type of foe.  When you choose between Multiplier of Cover/Counter, what you'll want to keep in mind is the role of your class - if it's an attacker, go with a Multiplier.  If it's a protector, go with Cover/Counter.

Rolina

Basics for Beginners
There are a grand total of 12 basic spell lines, no more, no less.  The reason for this is simple - these base lines double as field spells, and so as to not convolute any RPG or hacks that attempt to use these with umpteen bajillion different field effects, a simple set of twelve - one for each elemental form - are in place.  As an adept, you will have one of these twelve spell groups, no exceptions.

Why no original Basic Spells?
In case the above wasn't clear, the reason we only have twelve is to keep field spells limited.  The premise here is that the basics are just that - basics.  As such, they are the most commonly used of all spells, what an adept first learns in school, and what they use in field situations so as to not exhaust themselves.  Why use Pyroclasm when Burst will suffice?  Why Nettle when Growth gets the job done without any effort at all?  Despite the fact that in an RP situation, other spells could work well for field use, the sensible adept would opt to instead be efficient with their spells, only doing what's necessary for the job.

What defines a "Basic" Spell?
Basic spell lines are the spells from which all other psynergy is derived.  By casting the basics, one can work on manipulating that element in new ways, creating new and more powerful psynergy as a result.  From simple higher power (or tier) versions of that same spell, to even heavy hitters like Ragnarok - all of these are created by the experience gained from casting the basics.  With a better understanding of the basics, an adept can create new spells either as an expression of themselves or even as imitations of others.

Adding Variety to "Basic"
While in the original GS games the basic spell lines (and all spell lines for that matter) had but a single path, in this RP we allow what's called "Third Tier Branching".  Upon reaching the third tier of power in a Basic, Intermediate, and Advanced spell line, an adept can learn one of three variations of a spell, based in either Power, Range, or Effect.  Of these three types, one is the most common, and is referred to as the "Natural" growth.  For example, the natural growth for Bolt is Bolt → Flash Bolt → Blue Bolt, which is a Power growth.  However, if one were to opt for Range instead, the line could look like Bolt → Flash Bolt → White Bolt instead, having less raw power with the spell, but a medium range to make up for it.  As a general rule, Effect growth is never the natural growth type of a spell line.

What are the Basic Lines?
The meat and potatoes of any adept, the basic lines themselves, are as follows:

[spoiler]Venus:
Quake, Growth, [Crystal]

Mars:
Flare, Blast, [Corrosive]

Jupiter:
Whirlwind, Bolt, Gleam

Mercury:
Douse, Frost, [Vapor]

The full spell lines in each of their forms are as follows:

Quake → Earthquake → Quake Sphere (Range, Natural)
Quake → Earthquake → Grand Quake (Power)
Quake → Earthquake → Crush Quake (Effect - May lower enemy Defense by 12.5%)
Quake works like Tremor from the games.

Growth → Mad Growth → Wild Growth (Range, Natural)
Growth → Mad Growth → Frenzy Growth (Power)
Growth → Mad Growth → Tangle Growth (Effect - May lower enemy Agility by 12.5%)
Growth works similarly to how it does in the games.

[Crystal] → [Crystal Tier 2] → [Crystal Tier 3A] (Range)
[Crystal] → [Crystal Tier 2] → [Crystal Tier 3B] (Power)
[Crystal] → [Crystal Tier 2] → [Crystal Tier 3C] (Effect)
The crystal aspect spell line has yet to be created and the effect discussed.  Likely, however, it could work to refract beams of light.

Flare → Flare Wall → Flare Stream (Range)
Flare → Flare Wall → Flare Storm (Power, Natural)
Flare → Flare Wall → Flare Rage (Effect - May lower enemy Attack by 12.5%)
Flare acts as Fireball did in Dark Dawn.

Blast → Mad Blast → Fiery Blast (Range, Natural)
Blast → Mad Blast → Core Blast (Power)
Blast → Mad Blast → Fury Blast (Effect - May lower enemy Defense by 12.5%)
Blast acts as the Burst Psynergy did in the games.

[Corrosive] → [Corrosive Tier 2] → [Corrosive Tier 3A] (Range)
[Corrosive] → [Corrosive Tier 2] → [Corrosive Tier 3B] (Power)
[Corrosive] → [Corrosive Tier 2] → [Corrosive Tier 3C] (Effect)
The acid aspect spell line has yet to be created and the effect discussed. Likely, however, it will have to do with the corrosion of objects.

Whirlwind → Tornado → Twister (Range)
Whirlwind → Tornado → Tempest (Power, Natural)
Whirlwind → Tornado → Vortex (Effect - May lower enemy Agility by 12.5%)
Whirlwind acts as it and Gale do in the games

Bolt → Flash Bolt → White Bolt (Range)
Bolt → Flash Bolt → Blue Bolt (Power, Natural)
Bolt → Flash Bolt → Bright Bolt (Effect - May lower enemy Spellcasting by 12.5%)
Bolt acts similarly to the lightning bolts on the Jupiter Lighthouse, generating energy into smaller alchemy machines and contraptions

Gleam → Glimmer → Shine (Range, Natural)
Gleam → Glimmer → Glare (Power)
Gleam → Glimmer → Radiance (Effect - May lower enemy Warding by 12.5%)
Gleam calls down a ray of light, which can be used to trigger various light-sensitive devices.

Douse → Drench → Deluge (Range, Natural)
Douse → Drench → Inundate (Power)
Douse → Drench → Downpour (Effect - May lower enemy Spellcasting by 12.5%)
Douse works as it does in the games

Frost → Tundra → Ice Shelf (Range)
Frost → Tundra → Glacier (Power, Natural)
Frost → Tundra → Iceberg (Effect - May lower enemy Warding by 12.5%)
Frost works as it and Cold Snap do in the games.

[Vapor] → [Vapor Tier 2] → [Vapor Tier 3A] (Range)
[Vapor] → [Vapor Tier 2] → [Vapor Tier 3B] (Power)
[Vapor] → [Vapor Tier 2] → [Vapor Tier 3C] (Effect)
The Vapor aspect spell line has yet to be created and the effects discussed.  Possibly used to create artificial steam vents?[/spoiler]

What are those other four that weren't in the games?
The GSARverse/Refugeverse has 12 different elemental aspects - three for each element, representing the Lunar, Solar, and Pure forms of each element.  By doing this, we keep both the elements from the main series, as well as the fundaments introduced in Dark Dawn, without having to do something derpy like allowing usable forms of Light and Dark, which for well over seven years were generally seen in a negative light by the Golden Sun community as they were typically reserved for Mary Sue type characters.  By having this system, we eliminate the light and dark psynergy issue, but also have to come up with 4 original spell lines to act as the basic lines for the four new aspects.

Why are only some of them named?
These things take time, and I'd rather work with an adept who'll actually use them than just come up with all of them myself.  It's not fair to have one person come up with them who never uses them - for example, the Gleam line was created originally for the Jupiter Adept Liena.  Likely, the other three lines would be created with adepts of those particular elements in mind.

What if I don't like the name of one of the non-natural lines?
If you have a suggestion, then by all means bring it up.  These were created mostly on the spot with a small bit of research to keep things relevant.  However, if you've got something better and the community likes it, we'll use it instead.

What if I don't like the effects of one of the lines?
The added effects, again, were made on the spot.  If you don't like it, you're welcome to change it, but let's try to keep these effects spread out in terms of what they do.  No effect should do something that another form of the element can do - for example, Crush Quake probably shouldn't lower Agility when Tangle Growth already does that.  No need for redundancy, the point here is variety after all.  However, there is one rule - Because these are basic lines, only debuffs are allowed.  Simply put, they're too weak to allow for powerful ailments like stun, seal, or drain.  Leave these for the intermediate and advanced lines.  The only time you'll really be told no on this is if someone is already using the effect version of a spell.  When that happens, it's been "canonized", and cannot be changed.

I want to create a new line, though!
No.  We've been over this - the basics are what you're taught when you learn how to become an adept.  You can control how you grow it and what spells you come up with after it, but the basics are called "basics" for a reason.  You'd be hard pressed to find a mathematician who didn't know how to add or multiply, or a Harry Potter wizard without a levitation or disarming charm.  Same goes here - you know one of these twelve basic spells, end of discussion.  The only exception here are the three (at the time of this post) lines that have yet to be created - if you want to use a Crystal, Corrosive, or Vapor based basic line, you get the right to create it so long as you're the first to use it.

Why is "Whirlwind" a basic line?  It was Intermediate in the games!
We changed it.  Technically, Ivan and Sheba had two Intermediate lines in the games, which is really kind of strange.  Furthermore, the first tier spell in the line, Whirlwind itself, is actually basic level, while the other two tiers in the line, Tornado and Tempest, seem to be Intermediate in strength.  To keep things consistent, as well as to keep things following the rules of our version of the GS world, Whirlwind was been nerfed to be the power of a basic spell line.

Why do Quake, Flare, and Blast have the effects of other spells?
Tremor was basically quake, Burst was basically Blast.  There wasn't a real reason to have them separate at all in the games.  The reason that Flare does what DD's Fireball did was basically to keep field effects at the Basic level, thus keeping their costs down due to how often they're used.

Rolina

Intermediate and Advanced
Adept's don't just have a single spell line - they usually have two or three.  That's where the intermediate and advanced spell lines come in to play - the adept, working with what they learned from their basic line, crafts and molds a new, stronger spell line.  This is how the intermediate and advanced lines are formed.

Intermediate Lines
This is the next step up from basic.  It includes spell lines such as Ray, Froth, Ice, and Thorn.  In the games, this was the second spell line that an adept learned, and it'll most likely be the same here.  Occasionally, this is also the strongest spell line an adept learns - for example, Mia has other things to worry about than killing things.  Her Angel line focuses on healing and keeping her team alive.  As such, rather than focus on an Advanced line, she instead diverts her attention towards learning AT (All Target) healing.  As such, some roles, such as healer roles, may want to consider this to be their best spell line, especially if they're focused on helping the team over felling a foe.  Rarely, this line will be skipped in favor of the Advanced line.

Advanced Lines
These are the strongest of the base damage spell lines, and among the last spells learned by an adept.  It includes lines such as Gaia, Volcano, Plasma, and Cool.  High Level adepts will most commonly use this type of spell to take out large groups of foes, and it represents the peak of an adept's mastery over the elements.  Occasionally, the sheer power of these spells will cause an adept to be unable to cast it until they can muster enough elemental power to control it - these delayed spells may not be readily available at first, but are quite powerful when learned.  Casters, being specialists in the area of spellcasting, tend to learn these spells one class tier sooner, and when dual-element classes are used, the harmony between the two elements they use means that any adept is able to learn these spells one class tier sooner than they would in their base class.  Occasionally, this spell type isn't learned at all, though - when an adept has other things to worry about with their role, such as in the case of Healers, they'll skip this entirely and focus on something else that'll help them do their job better.

Skipping Intermediate vs Skipping Advanced
So let's say your role most certainly will skip one of these lines.  How do you know which one to skip?  Well, that depends entirely on what your main focus is.  Do you focus more on buffs, recovery, and healing spells?  You may want to skip the Advanced Line, since your focus is more on supporting your friends than felling your foes.  Do you have a bunch of debuff and ailment spells?  Consider skipping the intermediate lines, under the claim of focusing more on strategic spells.  But what if you want to balance the two?  To have both benedictions, but skip the intermediate line?  That's perfectly fine as well.  However, if your class favors Maledictions, I must recommend against skipping the Advanced line, as it will hurt you in the long run.   Remember, what benefits the role the most?  If the advanced line would be wasted on you, don't waste your time with it!

Added Effects for Intermediate Lines
Unlike Basic lines, which only had Rank 1 debuffs open to them, Intermediate lines have any Rank 1 effect available to them for use, with the sole exception of PP Drain.  This includes things like Sap, HP Drain, Sleep, and Impair effects.  In the current iteration of the system, these are only available in the third tier of power for the spell line, should you choose to grow it along the effect path.  However, the effect inflicted must make sense for the aspect of the spell.  It makes no sense for an explosive spell to Drain HP, but it does make sense to inflict daze or defense down.

Added Effects for Advanced Lines
Advanced lines are a bit trickier than Intermediate.  They can inflict any Rank 1 effect except PP Drain, and most Rank 2 effects, as well as a chance of either.  This type of spell can also inflict a certain amount of PP damage as well.  What do I mean?  Well, a plant base spell may have a chance to inflict poison or venom.  It simply checks for venom first, then poison.  For spells that can inflict PP damage, 10% of the damage dealt to the target's HP is also dealt to the target's PP.  Rank 2 effects that this type of attack cannot inflict include:  Reaper, Instant KO, Trouble Spirit, PP = 0, Plague.

About Level and Power?
For the purposes of this thread, we don't care about those things.  They only really matter in an RPG, so in the case of an RP or the Signature thread, which this is geared more towards, all you really should care about is the relative power of a spell, not the specific power.  As such, rather than nitpick which spell is stronger than which, simply accept that Tier 2 Intermediate spells are roughly equal in power to one another, and focus instead on how you'd use it.

Of Aspects and Advanced Spells
Those of you who have a fundamental affinity that gives you multiple aspects of an element, you can actually combine these in your advanced line.  A vortex of lighting?  You can totally do it.  Petrified thorns?  Give it a shot.  A spell that freezes then vaporizes (eff yeah, Sublimation!)? You totally can, provided that you have two different aspect styles used for your Basic and Intermediate lines.  This doesn't mean you have to have used both of the styles you're combining, though - in a Dual line, if you used the Growth Line for your basic, and lightning for your intermediate, you can use a Plant/Crystal hybrid or a Lightning/Celestial hybrid spell for your advanced.  Is it necessary for you to do it?  Not really.  It's mostly just for Rule of Cool.

Of Elements and Advanced Spells
So for those of you thinking "I can totally mix Lightning and Crystal then!", no.  No you can't.  If someone does want to make an RPG out of it, multi-element spells turn it into a nightmare of coding trying to figure out how to handle elemental power and resist for it.  And for an RPG, it's just plain not necessary - you can cast the crystal spell, then combine it with a different, lightning spell.  The RP opens you up to crafting all sorts of techniques - conjure thorns, then make them explode, for example.  But the thing is, you're not casting a single spell there - you're dual casting, and unlike a certain adventure in a certain frozen land to the north, if you combine spells in the right way, even if they're different spells and different elements, the results can be amazing, and you're not limited by spell category, either.  You can combine your Added Damage and Basic lines if you so cared, so long as you're clever about it.  You're limited not by your class and the spells you can learn, but by your own imagination.  As for the signature, I only have room for one elemental bullet.  I'm not gonna find a way to show off two.

Original vs Canon
So, should you use canon spells like Ray, or original spells like Thunder?  That's entirely up to you.  If you just wanna do things quick and easy, you can go with canon if you want.  If you wanna custom make your spells, you're more than welcome to.  Unlike the Basic Line, you're limited only by your own imagination for what you want this to be.  Just remember to try and keep some kind of sorting algorithm of coolness, and make sure your advanced line is cooler/seems more powerful than your intermediate line, okay?

Rolina

Supporting the Team
For every Superman there is a Batman.  While Supes deals the heavy damage, Batman's advantage is that he's crazy prepared.  Batman doesn't need power to win - he has the utility belt.  And that's what support spells tend to be - the utility belt of an adept.

Just what is support?
Simply put, support is anything that isn't inflicting or healing damage.  While some games such as Final Fantasy split this into Recovery and Indirect, globally it's simply referred to as "Support".  As a general rule, if you're not attacking or healing in combat, you're using support spells.

Why use support?
Simple question with a simple answer.  Who cured your ailments in Golden Sun?  Mia, right?  Support Unit.  Who did you use to power up your attackers?  Ivan and Sheba, right?  Support Units.  Support is used to kill enemies faster and stay alive longer.

Wouldn't joining the attackers in doing damage beat enemies faster?
No.  Not in Golden Sun.  The damage output of a buffed attacker far outdoes that of an attacker being joined by the supporter in damage dealing.  Buffing attacks helps to overcome defenses, as well as greatly increasing the power of any multiplier-type attack.  Furthermore, such a strategy leaves you very open to being countered - after all, boosting one's defenses is also an important part of support - as well as lowering an enemy's power as well.

What types of support are there?
To put it simply, Recovery, Buffing, Debuffing, and Ailment-Inducing.  There's no real need to explain these, since any person who's played an RPG knows what these are, and you'd not be here if you hadn't.  However, I will go in depth with each type, explaining the various varieties available to each.

Types of Recovery (Benedictions)
Recovery is likely the form of support most familiar to everyone.  It comes from many sources - items, spells, and even some equipment.  These are spells that heal maledictions, like Cure Poison, Restore, and also include spells like Break, Drain, and Psy Drain, due to their nature.
[spoiler]Vital Recovery is essentially spells that recover HP and PP draining effects like Poison, Venom, Sap, Blight, Disease, and Plague.  Examples include Antidote and Cure Poison.  It's usually grouped along with Temp Recovery, though this isn't required.  Important to note - Vital Recovery spells that only heal Poison, Venom, Sap, and Blight are considered Rank 1 recovery spells.  Those that also heal Disease and Plague as well are classified as Rank 2.

Status Recovery is essentially spells that recover temporary ailments, like Delusion, Stun, Sleep, Daze, Seal, and Countdown/Death Curse.  Examples include Remedy and Restore.  It's usually grouped along with Vital Recovery, though this isn't required.

Drain Spells work by draining the target of either their HP or PP and restoring the caster by the amount of damage done.  These can be of varying magnitudes, ranges, and elements, though stronger ones will be classified as Rank 2 Recovery.

Revival Spells are not as powerful as they are in Canon.  While they do have a guaranteed revive, the cost is greatly increased, and the amount of recovery is decreased.  Venus heals the most with their Revive spell, at 70% health.  In decreasing order, the strength of the revival spells are as follows:  Mars at 65% health, Mercury at 60% health, and Jupiter at 55% health.  The reasoning for this order is twofold - the precedent set by the GS games, with more revival effects being Venus and Mars than any other element, and the healing strength order set by Dark Dawn.  The order is set to reflect that.  Currently, these are classified as Rank 2 recovery, though it may become Rank 1 recovery depending on later testing.

Furthermore, despite appearing like a debuff, you also have Break.  The effect itself can be learned by any element, you just need a name for it.  The Break effect, despite popular belief, actually works by only removing buffs from the target, leaving all debuffs inflicted intact.  This is how it works in the canon games, as well as how it'll work here - quite a powerful effect.  However, it is being nerfed by a tiny bit - rather than being guaranteed, it now simply has a very high base chance - something like, maybe 120% or so.  Also, rather than be Target All, it now has a Large Range with a Moderate Area of Effect (Range 7, Summon-type diminishing effect). This means that at particularly high luck values and appropriate element levels, it can be resisted, and that when it's an added effect on a psynergy, there is a notable chance that it won't work.  This still is a powerful ability, but by doing this not only are long-duration buffs feasible, but having Break as an added effect isn't broken.  Break is considered a Rank 2 Recovery spell.

Finally, you have one more type - the "Normalize" spell.  This is basically the opposite of break - it targets the whole party and removes ONLY debuffs, keeping buffs in tact.  As such, it is important to note that buffs and debuffs stack.  If you have both Attack +50% and Attack -50% in effect, they are still both in place, but cancel each other out.  Getting hit by a Break-type attack will remove only the buff, while getting hit with a Normalize type spell will remove only the debuff.  Unlike most recovery spells, this doesn't have guaranteed chance of success - rather, it follows the same rules as Break, only instead of Luck lowering the chance of success, it raises it.  Note that there are no named spells of this type at the time of this post - they were designed specifically to be a pair with the Break-type effect.  Normalize is considered a Rank 2 Recovery spell.

Why Nerf Revival?
Because revival was dirt cheap for what it did, and made revival djinn absolutely useless as a result.  As a direct result, revival spells are being nerfed, while revival djinn are being buffed.  Originally, I planned to change revival to a two-tier spell group, learned at Tier 3 and improved at Tier 5.  The original values were much lower, between 20-35% revival, while the upgraded values were a tad higher, between 60-75% revival.  The only way for a full revive would be djinn, which had a small chance at a perfect revive (but also a small chance of a revive with only 1 HP).  If you guys prefer that original incarnation over this, I'll be happy to change it, but the incarnation I'm using for the sake of the bios, an RP, and an RPG is in place for one simple reason - familiarity.  This way you have not only a reliable form of revival, you have one that's a bit more balanced as well.

Healing vs Recovery
Contrary to popular belief, healing is not quite the same as recovery.  It is entirely possible to know healing spells, but without recovery spells.  The reason that these are separated is simple - to allow for a wider variety of classes.  As such, healing is entirely independent of fundament - an Ice user can heal just as well as a Mist user.  Still, it's something that needs to be gone over, so a quick overview is given:
[spoiler]Single Target healing tends to be the strongest of the three main types.  These include the Soothe, Cure, Boon, and Pray (yes, Pray, not Ply.  Ply is a typo) lines.  They are the most focused types of healing, and thus heal the most damage upon use, and can be used in any class tier.

Multi Target healing heals within a range, but with strength focused towards the center.  As such, those who receive healing further from the center target get healed less.  These include the ____, Aid, Fresh Breeze, and Bless lines.  They are only usable in class tiers 2 and up (ex:  If Isaac knew Aid instead of Cure, he could only cast it if he was a Knight or higher).

All Target healing heals all teammates across a battlefield, but with notably lower strength than the other spell types.  These include the Aura, Heal, ____, and Wish lines.  They are only usable in class tiers 3 and up (ex:  If Isaac knew Heal instead of Cure, he could only cast it if he was Gallant or higher).[/spoiler][/spoiler]

Types of Buffs (Benedictions)
Buffs are pretty standard as to their effect - they increase an attribute of an adept.  These are very important for increasing damage output, as well as decreasing damage taken.  The right buff spell can mean the difference between a quick and easy battle, or a long and brutal fight.  Every element can buff every stat (save for luck and elemental power), it's just a matter of creating a name for the spell.  As for the effects of each individual boost type:
[spoiler]
Boosting Attack boosts the power of Physical Strikes and EPAs.
Boosting Defense helps to lower the damage from Physical Strikes and EPAs.
Boosting Spellcasting helps to raise the damage from Basic spells, Intermediate spells, Advanced spells, and FPAs
Boosting Warding helps to lower the damage from Basic spells, Intermediate spells, Advanced spells, and FPAs
Boosting Agility allows an adept to move and act at a faster rate
Boosting Luck allows an adept to better resist ailments
Boosting Power allows an adept to deal more damage with any attacks of a particular element
Boosting Resist allows an adept to receive less damage from any attack of a particular element


The following types of Spell Lines can be learned:

Boost Attack (25% ST) → Boost Attack (12.5% AT)  Rank 1
Boost Attack (25% ST) → Boost Attack (50% ST)  Rank 2
Boost Attack (25% ST) → Boost Attack (25% ST, 2x duration)  Rank 2

Boost Defense (25% ST) → Boost Defense (12.5% AT)  Rank 1
Boost Defense (25% ST) → Boost Defense (50% ST)  Rank 2
Boost Defense (25% ST) → Boost Defense (25% ST, 2x duration)  Rank 2

Boost Spellcasting (25% ST) → Boost Spellcasting (12.5% AT)  Rank 1
Boost Spellcasting (25% ST) → Boost Spellcasting (50% ST)  Rank 2
Boost Spellcasting (25% ST) → Boost Spellcasting (25% ST, 2x duration)  Rank 2

Boost Warding (25% ST) → Boost Warding (12.5% AT)  Rank 1
Boost Warding (25% ST) → Boost Warding (50% ST)  Rank 2
Boost Warding (25% ST) → Boost Warding (25% ST, 2x duration)  Rank 2

Boost Agility (25% ST) → Boost Agility (12.5% AT)  Rank 1
Boost Agility (25% ST) → Boost Agility (50% ST)  Rank 2
Boost Agility (25% ST) → Boost Agility (25% ST, 2x duration)  Rank 2

Boost Resistance (+40 to all elements, ST) → Boost Resistance (+20 to all elements, AT)  Rank 1
Boost Resistance (+40 to all elements, ST) → Boost Resistance (+80 to all elements, ST)  Rank 2
Boost Resistance (+40 to all elements, ST) → Boost Resistance (+40 to all elements, ST, 2x Duration)  Rank 2

Boosts to luck are unique to Djinn (Boost Party Luck by 7), and Boosts to Power are unique to Summons (Boosts power of an element by an amount proportional to the number of djinn used to summon).

Spell Variance?  In my Buffing Spells?
It's more likely than you think.  Along with Tier 3 Variance for your Basic, Intermediate, and Advanced spell lines, buffs also have a variance growth with their second tier.  However, Duration and Magnitude buffs are considered Rank 2 in power, and only those with the right fundamental affinity and class type have access to them.

Why bother with Duration?
After all, every other boss in GS has break, right?  Right?  No, unlike Camelot, we take pride in the practice of not being lore-breaking jerks.  When it makes sense for a boss to have a Break or Normalize type skill, they will have it.  If it doesn't, they'll have other things which makes them a challenge.  There is no, and should be no one-skill-fits-all situation.  While Break should be a threat people are mindful of, it's neither as common, nor is it guaranteed to succeed on an adept.

But Himi only had one buff, the +50% one!
And Himi'd better straighten up if she knows what's good for her.  Just because a canon character did it doesn't mean it was right to do so.  While Himi did establish the premise behind buff/debuff variance, it should be also noted that while she had the room and build type to allow the inclusion of a lower tier version, for some stupid reason she doesn't.  Maybe they didn't want it treading on Impact (but then why does Angel Spear exist?).  Basically, don't limit yourself like Himi did.  Having a lesser form of your ability available sooner is of huge benefit to you - take advantage of it!

Buffs and Class Tiers (also applies to Debuffs)
Okay... this is weird, but it's basically what I see in the GS games, and kind of sort of makes sense.  In a way.  Okay, not really, but I hope you sort of understand.  Basically, if you have a spell line that has a delayed Class Tier to learn (example:  Aura is only known by Jenna's base class at Class Tier 3 and up), then you learn buffs and debuffs at Class Tier 1. If not, they're learned at Class Tier 2 instead.  If you are a physical fighter, add another Class Tier onto that - so for warriors like Garet, they'll learn their buffs/debuffs at Class Tier 3 (Warrior for Garet), for Mages without other offset spells like Ivan or physical fighters with offset spells (like Isaac), they'll learn their buffs/debuffs at Class Tier 2 (Magician for Ivan, Isaac's Knight doesn't have buffs for the example, but would learn them now), and for Mages with offset spells like Jenna, they'd know their buffs starting at class Tier 1 (Flame User for Jenna).

Is this confusing?  Yes.  By God, yes.  Don't be afraid to ask for help here if you don't understand.  To make matters even more confusing, support specialists may have exceptions allowed, but only for certain buffs (Rogues, for example, may have Agility buffs/debuffs from tier 1, defense buffs/debuffs from tier 2, and offense buffs/debuffs from tier 3), and is largely best done on a case by case basis.  If you're not sure, ask.  As for the RPG and how to handle this... it'll likely need some recognition algorithm in place.  Or something.[/spoiler]

Types of Debuffs (Maledictions)
Debuffs are the opposite of buffs - instead of boosting an ally's stats, this focuses on reducing the stats of a foe instead.  Here's what each of them do.
[spoiler]Lowering Attack reduces the power of Physical Strikes and EPAs.
Lowering Defense helps to raise the damage from Physical Strikes and EPAs.
Lowering Spellcasting helps to reduce the damage from Basic spells, Intermediate spells, Advanced spells, and FPAs
Lowering Warding helps to raise the damage from Basic spells, Intermediate spells, Advanced spells, and FPAs
Lowering Agility causes the target to move more slowly and clumsily
Lowering Power causes the target to deal less damage with elemental attacks
Lowering Resist causes the target to take less damage from elemental attacks


The following types of Spell Lines can be learned:

Reduce Attack (25% ST) → Reduce Attack (12.5% 3T)  Rank 1
Reduce Attack (25% ST) → Reduce Attack (50% ST)  Rank 2
Reduce Attack (25% ST) → Reduce Attack (25% ST, 2x duration)  Rank 2

Reduce Defense (25% ST) → Reduce Defense (12.5% 3T)  Rank 1
Reduce Defense (25% ST) → Reduce Defense (50% ST)  Rank 2
Reduce Defense (25% ST) → Reduce Defense (25% ST, 2x duration)  Rank 2

Reduce Spellcasting (25% ST) → Reduce Spellcasting (12.5% 3T)  Rank 1
Reduce Spellcasting (25% ST) → Reduce Spellcasting (50% ST)  Rank 2
Reduce Spellcasting (25% ST) → Reduce Spellcasting (25% ST, 2x duration)  Rank 2

Reduce Warding (25% ST) → Reduce Warding (12.5% 3T)  Rank 1
Reduce Warding (25% ST) → Reduce Warding (50% ST)  Rank 2
Reduce Warding (25% ST) → Reduce Warding (25% ST, 2x duration)  Rank 2

Reduce Agility (25% ST) → Reduce Agility (12.5% 3T)  Rank 1
Reduce Agility (25% ST) → Reduce Agility (50% ST)  Rank 2
Reduce Agility (25% ST) → Reduce Agility (25% ST, 2x duration)  Rank 2

Reduce Resistance (+40 to all elements, ST) → Reduce Resistance (+20 to all elements, 3T)  Rank 1
Reduce Resistance (+40 to all elements, ST) → Reduce Resistance (+80 to all elements, ST)  Rank 2
Reduce Resistance (+40 to all elements, ST) → Reduce Resistance (+40 to all elements, ST, 2x Duration)  Rank 2

Power reduction is unique to certain unleashes and monster abilities.  There is no luck reduction, because that would easily break an RPG.  Doing so would allow exploits like inducing Venom into a bonus boss, and we can't have that.  As for the upgrade patterns, they're exactly the same as the buff upgrades listed above - only those with access to the Rank 2 Debuffs will be able to select from the alternate debuff types.

Debuffs and Range
Unlike Buffs, Debuffs do not have the ability to target all enemies, targeting a small group of them instead.  As such, like most psynergy, they suffer from the effect reduction that comes with the expanding area.  For pure debuffs, this follows a Strong AoE (same as Base Damage).  For when it's an added effect, it follows the same rules as the attack it's attached to.[/spoiler]

Types of Ailments (Maledictions)
Ah, Ailments.  While buffs alter stats, and recovery, well, recovers, Ailments inflict a variety of maladies that cause numerous complications for whatever poor sap gets inflicted with them.  They come in many forms, some of which have upgraded versions to be wary of.  In fact, each one's got enough info that they each get their own little mini section.
[spoiler]Poison/Venom
Poison and Venom drain the victim of their health, eventually rendering them unconscious.

In an RPG: Poison drains the victim by 10% of its max HP every turn.  Venom drains the victim by 20% of its Max HP every turn.  Poison lingers after battle, and will do a small amount of damage as the player moves from place to place.  Venom also lingers, dealing twice the damage of poison for each move.

In an RP: Poison is significantly more debilitating in an RP.  Rather than just dropping your statistical health, the actual physical side effects of the poison also take effect, from nausea, to blurry vision, constant pain and a notably hampered combat ability.  Venom is even worse, taking this to near-paralyzing degrees.  Nausea comes with vertigo-esque spinning and vomiting, severe pain, and a general inability to fight at all.  Even more importantly in an RP than in an RPG, it is absolutely vital to cure this ailment as soon as it is inflicted.  Notably for an RP, it is hard for an adept to concentrate on spells if they're poisoned/envenomed, so it's a very good idea to carry antidotes in case your healer gets nailed with this ailment!  

Cured By:  Rank 1 Vital Curing Spells, Rank 2 Vital Curing Spells, Antidote items, Revive spells (if KO'd)
Classified as: Poison is a Rank 1 Ailment, Venom is a Rank 2 Ailment.
Notes:  Despite its similar nature, stacks with Sap, Blight, Disease, and Plague.  Poison cannot stack with Venom.


Sap/Blight
Sap and Blight drain the victim of their psynergy pool, eventually leaving them unable to cast.  Essentially Poison and Venom, but for PP instead of HP.

In an RPG: Sap drains the victim by 10% of its max PP every turn.  Venom drains the victim by 20% of its Max PP every turn.  Sap also lingers, preventing any PP recovery from movement.  Blight lingers as well, actually dealing PP damage at the rate of their standard PP recovery from movement.

In an RP:  Again, like with Poison/Venom, these are notably more debilitating.  In the case of Sap, the inflicted finds their energy draining away, becoming increasingly tired and lethargic, and eventually being unable to gather the strength needed to cast spells.  This isn't a sleepy-type of tired, but rather in the form of sheer exhaustion.  Blight is worse - the inflicted finds themselves becoming rapidly exhausted, to the point of often having to catch their breath even if they'd otherwise be physically fit.  Unlike poison and venom, which tend to clear up quickly, after being cured of Sap or Blight an adept will take much longer to recover.  As such, while they aren't deadly like Poison/Venom are, it is still important to heal these as quickly as possible, especially on those who rely heavily on casting, such as blasters or healers.  Only in the cases of extreme exhaustion will a healer not be able to heal themselves, but either way, it's a good idea to carry not only antidotes, but also PP-recovery items like Ginseng and Khiren Water to help restore an adept's energy.

Cured By: Rank 1 Vital Curing Spells, Rank 2 Vital Curing Spells, Antidote items, Revive spells (if KO'd)
Classified as: Sap is a Rank 1 Ailment, Blight is a Rank 2 Ailment.
Notes:  Despite its similar nature, stacks with Poison, Venom, Disease, and Plague.  Sap cannot stack with Blight.


Disease/Plague
Disease and Plague infect the target with a psynergy-borne illness, crippling their strength and draining them of their health and energy.

In an RPG: Disease is very crippling, and harder to cure than Poison and Sap.  It reduces the inflicted's Attack, Defense, Spellcasting, Warding, and Agility stats by 10% each, and deals damage to both HP and PP equal to 10% of the total maximum of the two stats.  Plague is twice as bad - lowering the stats by 20% each instead, and inflicting HP and PP damage equal to 20% of the total maximum of the stats.

In an RP:  Unlike a common disease, a psynergy born disease is incredibly debilitating.  The inflicted will feel significantly weaker, it will be painful to move and fight, and the body will feel as though it is being affected by both poison and sap at the same time.  Plague is notably worse, acting twice as fast in taking down the inflicted, and making them feel that much weaker.  These effects are incredibly dangerous to an adept, rendering them incapable of fighting quite quickly, unconscious within a day (or several hours for Plague), and are quite lethal if left untreated.  If an adept is inflicted, their teammates will want to immediately treat them if able, and if not, hastily retreat to the nearest sanctum for emergency recovery.

Cured By: Rank 2 Vital Curing Spells, Revive spells (if KO'd)
Classified as: Disease is a Rank 2 Ailment, Plague is a Rank 2 Ailment.
Notes:  Despite its similar nature, stacks with Poison, Venom, Sap, Blight, and all debuffs.  Disease cannot stack with Plague.  Despite their names, Disease and Plague are not contagious, and cannot spread from one adept to another, save through purposeful infliction via spell.


Delusion/Blindness
Delusion, and the proposed upgrade of Blindness, severely hamper an adept's ability to see and fight effectively.

In an RPG:  Delusion is getting one hell of a buff.  Previously, it was a 20% drop in accuracy only to the attack command.  However, now it's a 35% drop in accuracy to all abilities that target enemies.  This means that you can now miss with psynergy as well.  Blind further increases this drop to 70%, meaning you only have a 30% chance to hit anything.  With this, Delusion actually becomes a formidable ailment, rather than the ignorable joke it was in canon.

In an RP: Delusion, like other ailments, is nastier than the video game version.  Go to the nearest playground and throw sand into your eyes.  Congrats, that's what it's like to be deluded!  There's pain in the eyes and vision is severely impaired, either by means of light spots, dark spots, or some other illusion type thing.  Still the effect remains similar to having sand in one's eye, and if one's not careful, one may screw up and attack a friend - friendly fire is a very real threat when delusion is in play.  Blindness is notably worse - robbed of your main sense entirely, you now can't even see where you're aiming, quite literally swinging blindly.  Notably, though, for Delusion and Blind, only the primary sense of Sight is effected - unless something's happened to also disable your secondary senses, you should at least be able to hear your allies' and enemies' voices and the sound of the battle.

For Rules Lawyers:  I know you're out there - those of you who play blind characters to claim immunity.  You don't get that option, bub.  Delusion and Blindness apply to your primary sense of detection, so if you're blind, that's probably hearing.  If you're a beastling, make it smell, too.  If you wanna claim that you use all of your senses evenly, congrats, now you can't us any of them.  Trying to get out of the rules will make things worse for you every time - do not try to find loopholes and get punished for it, instead play fair and you'll get properly unaffected secondary senses.

Cured by: Status Recovery spells like Restore, Elixir item, wears off with time (usually 4 turns)
Classified as: Delusion is a Rank 1 Ailment, Blind is a Rank 2 Ailment.
Notes:  Delusion and Blind do not stack with one another.  Even though Blind is a Rank 2 ailment, it can be healed through Rank 1 Status Recovery.


Sleep
This is no time to be falling asleep!  Sleeping in the middle of battle is quite literally bad for your health, which is probably why it's quite the effective ailment...

In an RPG:  Sleep disables its victim entirely, rendering them unable to battle until it is cured.  Notably, it's instantly cured when the victim is struck by a physical attack, an EPA, or a summon.  Because sleep was induced via psynergy, Basic, Intermediate, Advanced, and FPA type spells won't wake a sleeping target.

In an RP: The victim has been put to sleep by psynergy.  It works almost identically to the RPG version - psynergetically induced sleep that can only be woken up by right type of physical trauma or through time.  Unlike most ailments, this actually has the potential to be useful, since just as in the real world, some people have trouble getting to sleep.  As such, some people actually get paid to go around casting sleep spells on people...  It's quite the profitable business, especially in times of great duress such as war or disaster.

Cured by:  Status Recovery Spells, Elixir item, wears off with time (usually 4 turns), Physical Attacks, EPAs, Summons
Classified as: Sleep is a Rank 1 Ailment.


Daze
The Daze ailment is essentially when the victim has been knocked senseless.  You know how when you take a really hard spill and have trouble getting up and oriented?  Kinda like that, but a bit worse.

In an RPG:  The victim has been knocked into a daze.  Because this ailment is largely induced by trauma to the head, physical blows and EPAs won't knock a target out of it.  However, Basic, Advanced, Intermediate, FPAs, and Summons will snap them back to their senses.  Daze is induced as a standard status effect, either via added effect or ailment spells.

In an RP:  Daze is pretty devastating in an RP - the inflicted enters a semi-conscious state, they loose any and all orientation, and most importantly, the ability to properly use their senses.  The world seems to spin, they get a sharp ringing in the ears, and they can't feel much physical pain.  The same things will snap them out of it as in an RPG, but much more notably, there does not have to be an effect tied to a spell or ability to induce this onto a target - any well placed blow to the head can actually cause it.  Because of this, Daze is extremely dangerous, as it opens the inflicted up to physical blows they cannot defend, and the cause of Daze was most likely a physical blow itself.  Being knocked into a daze is pretty much a one-way street to the nearest Sanctum for a PC, or a one-way street to the morgue for an NPC.  Also note that this can be inflicted by emotional trauma as well, as well as out of battle.  As a general rule, if something would have happened that'd make you wander around in a dazed state, you would be considered to be under the effects of this ailment.

For you Rules Lawyers:  The head is a small target.  If you always aim for it, you'll usually miss.  Also, not every blow to the head will cause this, either.  Many attacks bypass this altogether for rather obvious reasons.  Rather than to get smart by causing a Daze-induced take down, wake up and realize that any well-placed blow to the head will likely result being dropped in battle.  Since, you know, it's your head.  Also, remember that it's not your call about if you hit or not - just where you aim.  If you complain that people are dodging your constant head-shots, it's because you're a predictable oaf and they always know how to dodge as a result.  I'm not calling them out for not having a willful lack of intelligence.  Fight properly.  >_>

Cured By: Status Healing Spells, Elixir item, wears off with time (usually 4 turns), Basic, Intermediate, and Advanced spells, FPAs, Summons
Classified as: Daze is a Rank 1 Ailment.


Stun
Your muscles stiffen and are unresponsive - you can't move at all!  You've been stunned.

In an RPG:  Stun completely immobilizes an adept, and they are rendered unable to act at all until it is either cured or wears off on its own.

In an RP: The victim is completely paralyzed for the duration of the spell.  They cannot act at all, but unlike with Daze and Sleep, they are perfectly aware of what is going on around them.  As a stunned character cannot move at all, they also cannot evade, and thus are in quite a bit of danger until they return to normal.

Cured by:  Status Recovery Spells, Elixir item, wears off with time (usually 4 turns)
Classified as: Stun is a Rank 2 Ailment.
Notes:  Although Stun is a Rank 2 Ailment, it is cured by Rank 1 Status Recovery Spells.


Psynergy Seal
Someone who has been placed under a psynergy seal simply can't use psynergy, simple as that.

In an RPG:  Psynergy Seal locks off the Psynergy Command, meaning that class spells, bestowed spells, and bestowed unleashes are impossible to use until it wears off.

In an RP:  Psynergy, period, doesn't work, and one cannot use bestowed spells or psynergy tools of any kind.  Unlike in an RPG, this does last after battle, lasting for a set time unless cured.  The severity can range from a minor inconvenience to life or death, depending on the situation.  It's quite common to find this being inflicted by traps.  Unlike most RPGs, Psynergy Seal just blocks your psynergy - you can still talk just fine.  That's why it's not called Silence.

To note:  Also in mind are three similar ailments - Djinn Seal, Summon Seal, and High Seal.  Djinn Seal bind an adept's djinn so that they cannot be invoked, reset, or recover.  Summon Seal blocks off all summon use.  High Seal is a combination of the three, but only lasts half as long.  Unless there is demand for these ailments, there are no plans to introduce them.  After all, this is the kind of ailment set that is useless for the player to cast, and is pretty much exclusively harmful to them.  An RP of course would have them see much more use, but in an RPG, they'd basically be useless in a class unless we somehow could pull of some crazy PvP stuff.

Cured By:  Status Recovery Spells, Elixir item, wears off with time (usually 4 turns)
Classified as:  Psynergy Seal, Djinn Seal, and Summon Seal are Rank 1 Ailments.  High Seal would be a Rank 2 Ailment.
Notes:  High Seal has no cure, but wears off after two turns (turn of infliction, turn following).


Death Curse/Countdown/Reaper
In the original games, this was a countdown of seven turns that would insta-KO an adept after the seventh (including the turn of infliction).  However, that meant it was useless, and we can't have that.  Instead, this now acts like Doom from Final Fantasy.  Three turns and you're gone.  As for what it's called... depends on your fandom community, apparently.  GSHC referred to it as the Reaper ailment, GSU calls it both Death Curse and Countdown.

In an RPG:  Starting with the turn of infliction, a target has 3 turns before their HP automatically becomes Zero.  The turn of infliction, the turn after, and the final turn.  After the end of the final turn, they're instantly felled.

In an RP:  There is little to no indication that you are inflicted with this ailment.  After a certain amount of time, you're instantly covered in wounds and go unconscious from the shock.  I hear it's quite painful.  Unlike in previous versions of this spell, this can be cause for quite the nightmare fuel, but due to the extreme pain and the rather graphic nature of hundreds of open wounds suddenly appearing all over one's body.  There's a very good reason to fear this ailment, especially since, as mentioned right off the bat, you can't see it coming.  Note that this does NOT equal death, nor anything particularly life threatening unless it isn't treated quickly.  NPCs can be healed by a Revive spell, and being hit by it doesn't mean heading to a sanctum for a PC unless they're allowed to bleed for a bit or are in battle with an attacker who tries to "finish them off".  Or eat them, if they're fighting monsters or something.  Some adepts, particularly those trained as healers, have been trained to detect it.  Still, outside of those whom have a role of healer as their base class, it's relatively unheard of for an adept to be able to detect it at all.

Dear Rules Lawyers:  It's not your call to say that they were inflicted but just didn't know it - it's up to their player to introduce the dramatic irony.  Due also note that they have the right to opt not to say anything, either - it could be entirely possible that they said nothing, but after a battle victory, WHAM, celebration cut short by OH THE HORROR.  Of course, it could also be possible that they weren't inflicted and just choose not to mention it.

To Note:  A version that drops PP to 0 has also been discussed in various circles, called Trouble Spirit.  In an RP, it'd work by suddenly causing intense physical exhaustion, rendering an adept with too little energy to cast spells, as well as the likely moment of delirium upon being triggered.  Like with Reaper, there would be no actual warning to this trigger.  If you guys want it, I can make it official.

Cured By: Status Recovery Spells (yes, actually!  In canon, even!), Elixir item, Revive (post-effect)
Classified as: Reaper and Trouble Spirit are Rank 2 Ailments.  Related spells like Condemn, which inflict instant KO or instantly drop PP to 0, are also considered Rank 2 Ailments.
Note:  Despite their stats as Rank 2 Ailments, they can be cured by Rank 1 Status Recovery spells.  Despite their similar nature, Reaper and Trouble Spirit can stack with one another.


Restrain
The afflicted is rendered literally unable to move for a very short amount of time.

In an RPG:  Caused by djinn such as Ground and Petra, this removes one of the target's turns.

In an RP:  Again, caused by Djinn, this freezes the target in place, disrupting any spell channeling or momentum they would have had and throwing them off their game.  It only lasts about a second or two, but that's all it takes to negate an action.

Cured By:There is no "cure" so to speak, but it doesn't even last a full turn, only a single action, so even the ability to act to cure it would be kind of impossible to do.
Classified as:  Restrain is unranked.
Note:  This ability can only be induced by djinn, and only on a single target.


Haunt
A person is haunted by victims of those it's felled in battle.  Or at least, that's the premise behind it anyways.

In an RPG:  There is a 50% chance that an adept will receive 25% of the damage they inflict as recoil.  For area attacks, this is the damage dealt to the center target.  This includes all damaging abilities, even summons.  While yes, it is stronger than the canon counterpart, that is only in terms of trigger frequency, where in canon it often triggered too infrequently to be a legitimate threat unless at low HP.

In an RP:  The damage here isn't physical so much as it is psychological.  Being haunted by the spirits of those you've defeated could really do a number on one's psyche, especially as they really do mean one harm.  Unlike in the an RPG, they can deal any number of things to you, such as sap your energy, induce Restrain, or even damage you in the retribution method done in an RPG.  Likely, though, it'd doubled by the adept having to deal with a waking nightmare.

Dear Unimaginative Rules Lawyers:  You can neither have friendly spirits haunting you nor an immunity to being "Scared" by them.  For one, in this world spirits can and will hurt you physically (uh, Hello?  Amaze and Ghost lines, anyone?), and for two, spirits that actively wish you harm are specifically being drawn to you.  Even if you had no connection to them or technically haven't killed anyone, some spirits could simply be spiteful jerks who like to play with how rules are defined or enforced.

Cured By:  Can only be cured via djinn effects or at a Sanctum.
Classified as: Haunt is a Rank 2 Ailment.


Equipment Curse
You are wearing cursed gear.  You cannot take it off, and it will randomly trigger Restrain on you.

In an RPG: Without the Cleric's Ring, you'll have a 25% chance of being hit with Restrain in battle every turn.  This does not stack, so equipping four pieces of equipped gear won't be any worse for you than equipping a single piece.

In an RP:  Pretty much the same thing.  Note that actually holding a piece of cursed gear isn't enough to trigger the curse, you have to actually wield the weapon in battle or wear the armor.  Otherwise, you wouldn't be able to even pick it up, let alone sell it without being hit by the curse.

Cured by:  The Restrain effect is nullified by wearing a Cleric's/Fallen Angel's Ring (same ring, different names).  The actual binding effect can only be removed at a sanctum.
Classified as:  Equipment Curse is unranked.[/spoiler]

Why consider Effect Only over Added Effect
Some of you may be wondering why to even consider using pure effect spells over spells which cause both damage and a malediction, such as most unleashes and several Tier 3 variant spells.  The reason you may want to consider Ailment Only or Debuff Only spells is that they have a significantly higher chance of working as effect only than as Added Effect.
[spoiler]Aren't the chance of Added Effect simply half that of Effect Only?
No.  This is where it gets tricky - what it has is half of the base chance to succeed.  Base chance is modified by the following - Caster and Target Element Level, Target Luck, and the Target's effect resistances, which are static values.  This means that in practice, half base chance translates to a much lower chance of success, or even just plain not working if the value is low enough.

How does effect chance work specifically?
Nobody knows.  No, really, after all these years, how this works exactly is the only formula unknown to the fandom - every other formula - physical, healing, summons, base damage, etc - is known, except for this one.  In general terms, though, we can assume this:

(Base Chance + Caster's Element Level) - (Target's Luck + Target's Element Level) * Target's Resistance to the Effect

So, pulling values out of thin air and using the basic assumption that it's exactly like it is above, then you get this:

Effect Only (Also:  Added Effect, Cursed Scythe)

Base 120, Caster Element Level 14, Target Luck 30, Target Element Level 8, Target's Resistance 20%
[(120 + 14) - (30 + 8)] * (1.00 - 0.20)
(134 - 38) * 0.80
96 * 0.8
76.8% Chance for effect


Added Effect (standard)

Base 120 (→60), Caster Element Level 14, Target Luck 30, Target Element Level 8, Target's Resistance 20%
[(60 + 14) - (30 + 8)] * (1.00 - 0.20)
(74 - 38) * 0.80
36 * 0.8
28.8% Chance for effect


Added Effect (Cursed Weapon, Scythe Unleash, Djinn Added Effect)

Base 120 (→90), Caster Element Level 14, Target Luck 30, Target Element Level 8, Target's Resistance 20%
[(90 + 14) - (30 + 8)] * (1.00 - 0.20)
(104 - 38) * 0.80
66 * 0.8
52.8% Chance for effect


If it really was 50% or 75% effective in practice, then the Added Effect values would be 38.4% and 57.6% respectively.  Take note, however, that actual values are less than that, and are subject to the diminishing effects of of area spells.  While you aren't bound by random number generators in an RP, the same basic premise applies there that it does here - Added Effect spells and abilities are less effective in practice than they are in theory.

Wait, Element LEVEL?!
You heard correctly.  Not Element Power and Resist, actual Element Level is looked at for ailments.  This is why even monsters have an element level in the games.  You can thank Teawater for this little discovery.  In practice, this means that ailments cast from spells of an element that an adept is strong in will have a stronger chance of working, and they'll have a better chance at resisting those same spells too.  In general, the rules of Element Level are this:

Your innate element (the element of your base class) has a base level of 5.  Other elements have a level of 0.
Every djinn you have set adds 1 to the element level of that djinn.  Max Djinn count is 9.

In simple terms, you have a small amount of power and resistance to effects from spells and abilities of your innate element, and each djinn you have set will further increase the power and resistance to ailments of the djinn's element.

About Effect Resistance
How this works specifically, nobody really understands yet.  However, for lack of a better understanding, basic guesstimates are being given, and thus suggested guidelines to follow until we better understand it.  Note that this only applies to adepts. and that your Effect Resistances are different for every class line.

1:  If you can cast it, you resist it.
If you can cast the Effect Only version of the spell (ex:  Condemn, Paralyze, Enfeeble), then you resist its effect by 20%.  For two-spell lines, this only applies once (you don't resist 40% of the attack down effect by knowing both weaken and enfeeble, only 20%).  Note that this includes the Break effect - so those who know how to induce this effect can actually resist it.

2:  If you can cure it, you resist it.
If you have the right spell, you can resist the right effects...

Vital Recovery type spells resist:  Poison, Venom, Sap, Blight, Disease, and Plague by 10%
Restore type spells resist:  Sleep, Daze, Seal (all types), Paralyze, Delusion, Blind, and Trouble Spirit, Reaper by 10%
Revive type spells resist:  Instant KO (condemn), PP = 0, Trouble Spirit, and Reaper by 20%
Normalize type spells resist: All debuffs and break by 10%, increases Normalize success by 10%

Buffs do not remove debuffs, and thus do not resist debuffs.  This is because Buffs and Debuffs stack, rather than override.  Thus, they'd cancel each other out until either one wore off before the other or until one was removed via a Break or Normalize effect.

3:  Certain Equipment can resist certain effects
Unlike in canon, in my system equipment can actually be imbued with protective psynergy so as to resist an effect.  Some pieces of equipment will add between 10% and 30% to the resistance of a particular effect.  The equipment that typically does this are accessories like rings and boots.  Occasionally a piece of armor will as well.  Very rarely will a weapon do this, and usually at the cost of one of its two unleashes (such as the Fireman's Pole).[/spoiler]

Rolina

An In Depth Guide to Healing
Healing spells are, well, exactly what they say on the tin - the main source of healing in the game.  In canon, there are two main types of healing - Single Target (ST) and All Target (AT).  New to my system is the Multi Target (MT) variety of healing, which is affected by the diminishing effect most spells go through.  This post will be an overview of the spells you will find in an adept's natural line of classes.  Because this refers specifically to the natural classes, other healing spells, such as the Pixie line, will not be covered due to dependance upon item classes.  Also, this will not cover healing spells bestowed by weapons such as Ankhs.

Basics of Healing
The first thing to know about healing is that your stats are irrelevant.  The only thing that matters for healing is your elemental power for the element in question.  As such, a healing spell in the hands of a warrior will heal the same amount as it would in the hands of a similarly equipped magus.  However, that doesn't mean that Physical types and Casters are the same when it comes to healing.  Casters have far more options available to them when it comes to boosting their elemental power, and Physical types do not have access to AT Healing lines at all.  This means that unlike in the games, classes like Paladin wouldn't be getting the AT Healing line Wish, but instead would be getting the MT Healing line of Bless.  Casters have all three lines available to them, though.

Single Target Healing
Single Target Healing, sometimes called Point Healing, is the most focused of the healing groups, healing much more health than other spells, but only to a single target.  It also requires the lowest amount of elemental power - adepts are able to cast it as early as Class Tier 1.  The following chart shows the relative power of these spells:


Multi Target Healing
Multi Target Healing, sometimes called Area Healing, works by spreading healing out over an area with a focal point in the center.  It has a moderate magnitude, sharing the same power depletion ratios as bow unleashes and summons.  However, it does take a bit of elemental might to pull off, and as a result it is only available at Class Tier 2 and above.  This is also the most advanced healing technique available to Physical fighters.  The following chart shows the relative power of these spells:


All Target Healing
All Target Healing, sometimes called Full Party Healing, works by channeling the healing power directly into every member of an adept's active party.  Unlike Multi Target Healing, it does not suffer from area depreciation at all, affecting all targets evenly.  However, this even distribution requires quite a bit of elemental focus, and as a result is only available at Class Tiers 3 and above.  This type of healing is exclusive to Casters, and most commonly cast by those with a Healer role.


Umm, some of those spells look like placeholder names...
Yeah, that's because they are.  Until someone actually decides to create these spells, placeholders they shall remain.  If you do wish to create one of the placeholder spell lines, you're more than welcome to.

Can I create a totally new spell not on the charts?
No, not for natural classes.  Like with the Basic Lines, these spells are set in stone.  Unlike the Basic lines, though, you actually can create new healing spells, but they'd need be Bestow Unleashes or unique to an Item Class.

MT vs AT Healing
So you're a caster and you're wondering which to use, right?  Well, consider what your class does.  Healers need to have ST healing for early on, so they'll likely want to opt for AT Healing for a more consistent healing.  However, if you're not a healer, you have to weight your options.  MT Healing is stronger than AT at its core, but quickly loses power.  AT Healing is only available at higher class tiers, but retains its power in a way MT Healing can't.  Also consider what your options are in other classes.  If one of your other classes is a healer, it may be beneficial to have AT healing in this class so as to add to the variety of what you can do as an adept.

Isn't Fresh Breeze an AT Healing Line?
This was a tough choice - Dark Dawn's Fresh Breeze was Tier 1 AT Healing, which in this system can't exist.  However, a compromise can be made - by making it MT Healing instead, it's still given access before other AT spells, though at the cost of consistency.  However, in the transition to the new system, it's been given a generous buff in regards to power, so I think it's a fair trade at least.