Techniques

[puppetmasterpossession]

Techniques

These are the heart and soul of any shonen RP, and they certainly play a major role here. They contribute to the unique fighting style of each character, and can range from terribly simplistic, to incredibly complex and flamboyant in their effects.

Types of Techniques

There are three broad classes of techniques: Offensive, Defensive and Supportive.

~Offensive – These include techniques that are used to directly or indirectly damage the enemy, whether they are melee or ranged. They can be unarmed, or use weaponry, both melee and ranged, and can also involve devil fruit abilities designed to harm.

~Defensive – These include techniques that can protect you, whether directly or indirectly, from others’ attacks. They can also be used to prevent hits from landing, either by raising your own evasive capabilities or by lowering the opponent’s accuracy, or to soften the blow of attacks that do land.

~Supportive – These are basically techniques that cannot be classified into either of the other two categories. They may affect the offensive or defensive potential of other techniques, but in themselves, are neither directly offensive nor defensive. They can affect the character’s own or someone else’s attacking/defending capabilities, by altering stats or otherwise, or do something entirely miscellaneous. These also cover things like buffs, debuffs and transformations.

Technique Points and Maximum Rank

Your character’s techniques are limited by the number of Experience Points (EP) they have. The number of EP is easily found by doubling the character’s willpower score. The number of EP you have is how much you can spend on all your Techniques in total.

The cost of each technique is the same as its rank. More on ranks later, but the maximum rank of any technique is given by doubling the character’s Willpower score.

If you do not wish to use up all your EP, you can save them. The Character Template has a section for Experience Points, where you put both your used and total TP numbers. E.g. 12/16 for a starting character who has three rank 4 techniques.

Technique Ranks

A technique’s rank basically determines its power and just what the technique is capable of. More complex, damaging techniques will obviously require a higher rank, and whilst damage can be influenced by stats, the rank of the technique will determine any additional effects the attack may have. In battle, typically the higher ranked technique will have the advantage. However, a one or two rank difference may not be that significant, and it is up to the players to make reasonable judgements on their part. Staff can be consulted if you feel that godmodding is taking place.

Here are some example guidelines that can help you rank your techniques, but note these are just guidelines, and the leaders of this RP will let you know whether the rank is appropriate or not.

1 - Baseline. Techniques at this point are little more than basic manoeuvres that can be performed normally.
5 - Techniques at this level are stronger than basic moves, but typically cannot accomplish superhuman feats (excluding devil fruit powers).
10 - At this rank, techniques begin to represent an attack or move that is not unrealistic but much more powerful than freeform. Examples would be melee attacks with an added effect (pushing the victim back, knocking someone down, spinning them, etc.) or stronger defensive techniques, such as specialized block or dodge techniques.
15 - This is the rank of technique when abstract or superhuman feats begin to become possible. Techniques of this rank may accomplish things difficult for normal individuals to do, such as use melee attacks at range or perform moderate feats of superhuman nature.
25 - Techniques at this level begin defying logic. Powerful melee-generated ranged attacks, feats of supernatural nature, spirit-generated illusions, etc. are possible at this level.
50 - At this point or beyond, techniques can be extremely abstract and accomplish virtually anything that the character themselves is capable of doing.

Canon Examples
1 – Usopp Hammer: Usopp uses a hammer to attack the enemy. It is not very strong, but will do damage.
5 - Oni Giri: Uses a basic combat style, but the effect is more damaging than a normal swing.
10 - Strong Hammer: A strong punch that pierces through defenses, and is powerful enough to break steel.
15 - Thirty-Six Pound Hou: An example of a superhuman feat being performed without devil fruit powers.
25 - Diable Jambe: A supernatural feat performed without the aid of any devil fruit.
50 - King's Disposition: Distinctly supernatural and massively powerful feat being accomplished without devil fruit powers.

Devil Fruits and Technique Rank

This is where determining technique ranks can get it's trickiest. Because Devil Fruits give innate supernatural powers, it may feel like you're starting off around rank 16. The fact is, that's far from the truth.

Every devil fruit has a single, basic, rank 4 technique that comes with it for free (two in the case of Zoans). These define the parameters of "freeform" fruit usage. Just like with your plain old normal techniques, the rank of a technique will be determined by its deviation from the "freeform" usage. For example:

Gomu Gomu no Mi
Gomu Gomu no Mi (4) – Free DF Technique
Type: Support
Range: Self
Description: Luffy's body is made of rubber. This allows the user to extend their limbs, inflate their body, and grants a virtual immunity to all blunt attacks.

Now, using this, we'll try just a couple techs.

Gomu Gomu no Pistol (1)
Type: Melee
Range: Mid-range
Stats: N/A
Description: Luffy winds up and throws a basic punch. Because his body is stretchy, this punch goes further and has additional force.

This technique looks more powerful than a rank 1, and for someone without a devil fruit it is. However, this character has fulfilled the criteria of a rank 1: the technique isn't any stronger than a freeform attack.

Gomu Gomu no Bullet (4)
Type: Melee
Range: Short-range
Stats: N/A
Description: Luffy winds up a basic punch. However, he closes in on the opponent before throwing the punch. Because the punch is executed at close range, no energy is lost in transit, creating a stronger blow.

Just like before, we see what is otherwise a freeform attack, but has more power to it.

Gomu Gomu no Gatling (8)
Type: Melee
Range: Mid-range
Stats: N/A
Description: Luffy throws a large number of quick, straight punches with no wind up to the same area in a short amount of time. Because of the rubber quality of his arms and the rapid snap back, this creates the illusion of a great number of arms all attacking simultaneously.

Here we have a rank 8, an attack with an additional effect; in this case, short reload. Again, the devil fruit adds to its range and base power, but it is otherwise an attack by the rank 8 guidelines.

Combination Techniques

These are basically techniques that involve a series of actions, where each successive attack will require the one before it to hit, thus giving the opponent no time to react in between attacks. These are not allowed, and Character Moderators will be on the lookout for these in particular. Attacks which are just a flurry of rapid attacks, generally termed ‘gatlings’, are acceptable, since they are just random blows in the hope that something gets hit, but a technique that involves rushing up to someone, stabbing them in the stomach, grabbing their arm, twisting it behind their back, kicking them into the air before jumping up and slamming them to the ground is not acceptable as one technique. If you really wish to do that, you would make separate techniques perform them one after the other. In general, no more than two actions will be allowed for a technique. Don’t assume that any technique that involves two actions will be allowed, though, they could still count as a combination technique.

Buffs/Debuffs

General Buffs

Any buff that doesn't belong to chefs or entertainers, is considered a general buff. General buffs have a unique duration that depends solely on the buff's rank. In addition to their durations, general buffs all have cooldowns that stop the character from refreshing a buff until the cooldown is up. For a better understanding of how long a general buff lasts for, refer to the chart below.

Rank Duration Cooldown Buff/Debuff Effect
1-13 3 posts 3 posts 1-2 stat points
14-27 4 posts 4 posts 3-5 stat points
28-43 5 posts 5 posts 6-12 stat points
44+ 6 posts 6 posts 13-17 stat points.

Entertainer Buffs

Entertainer buffs are treated as toggle buffs. This means that the buffs or debuffs are only active while performing their specific form of entertainment. If the entertainer ceases to perform, their influence on others diminishes.

Chef Buffs

24 Hours IC
The duration of a chef's buff is 24 hours IC. This means that if the setting of the SL suddenly changes to a new day, all statistical benefits from the chef's food is lost until said food is eaten once again. This type of buff is always treated as effecting 1 target.