Statistical Roleplaying FAQ

Although it may seem intimidating or the most polar opposite thing in the world, statistical roleplaying is not extremely different from regular roleplaying. Sure there are a bunch of other things to keep track of, but you still post as regular and most successfully done stat roleplays don't make stats the whole meal. This topic will explain most if not all aspects of Statistical Roleplays; if you have any questions, however, PM me or put them in the Statistical Roleplaying Q&A.

These roleplays focuses on battling, but it can be spiced up with dialogue and descriptions. If you are wondering what that means, then I shall tell you that it is similar to Final Fantasy Tactics or another Strategy-based RPG video game. Unlike other role plays, you must be adept at both writing and mathematics in order calculate damage values and the such. They are extensive and require much thought. Without further ado, here they are:

Name: (The name of your character :p)
Age: (The age of your character :p)
Gender: (The gender of your character :p)
Appearance: (What your character looks like, images or description is just fine =))

Spoiler:

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Profession: (This can be whatever you want. Here are some examples of some jobs: Warrior, Fighter, Black Mage, White Mage, Arcane Mage, Knight, Dragoon, Archer, Pirate, Dancer, Bard, Barbarian, Time Mage, Green Mage, Thief, Blue Mage, Summoner, Gambler, Trickster, Magician, Ninja, Samurai, Psychic Iniate, Equipment Kineticist, Fusilier, Beastmaster, and the list could go on. =3)
Level: 1 (All Characters start at level 1, but as they battle, you gain Exp and grow.)
Exp: 0/10 (Exp Values are determined by the GM, I'll get into the system for Exp later in the topic.)
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Weapon: (You pick your own weapons depending on what your job is. When you do, I will add them to the Inventory. The weapon must be weak though. Examples: A Pirate could start off with a Fragile Rapier, a Gambler could start off with Ripped Cards, a Fusilier could start off with Antique Pistol, or a White Mage could start off with a Cracked Staff.)
Armor: (It is the same sense as weapons. Examples: A Knight could start off with Rusty Mail, a Ninja could start off with Tattered Garments, a Beastmaster could start off with a Dirty Shawl, or a Black Mage could start off with Holey Robes.)
Accessory: (This one is a little different, but only slightly. Once again, you choose your own accessory. You can name it anything you like and can be almost anything, but try to restrain yourself as the others have. The difference with this item is that you choose which stat boost you want. Here are the options: HP+5, MP+5, Atk+1, Def+1, Int+1, Spr+1. You can either boost your dominant stat or a stat that seems to be lacking…)
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A-Ability: (This stands for Action Ability and is a summary of the definition of all your special attacks. For example: Time Mages can cast Slow, Stop, Haste, etc. and their overall A-Ability is called Time Magicks. A Dragoon can use Jump, Ice Breath, Fire Breath, Thunder Breath, Howling Gale, etc. and his A-Ability would be Draconic Artes (or something; feel free to be creative X3). A Barbarian can use Rage, Boulder Smash, Reckless Rush, etc. and his A-Ability would be called Immense Anger or something of the sort. Basically a title for actual abilities to fall under.)

+ (This is your first special attack and is dependent on your job and A-Ability once again. Just put what the NAME is, what the attack DOES, how much DAMAGE the attack deals, and the RANGE of the attack. Damage: This can be based on ATK or INT depending on your job. If you’re a Mage, then it would be INT. If you’re a Warrior, then ATK would be the best option. After that, you have to determine the percentage of that stat. Keep it between 100% and 120% for now. Example: Here could be the first attack for a Fighter-- Powered Strike: Punches the enemy with slightly increased power. 120% Atk Dmg. Range: Adjacent Cell. 8 MP. (I will determine MP cost based on a formula I have created.))

+ (Same thing as above. It is more or less another beginning technique.)
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A-Ability: Item (This is your second A-Ability. Right now, it is set to “Item” as default. However, when you reach a certain level, you will be offered with a Job Promotion and could possibly have another A-Ability similar to the one above. There are a total of 3 job promotions, so you'll eventually have 4 A-Abilities.)
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R-Ability: (This stands for Reaction Ability. This is an ability that activates in response to a certain action. You can NOT start out with one of these. The only way you can get one is by expending 3 Skill Points which are rewarded at the end of battle. Example: Counter: When attacked, deals 50% of damage taken back at the enemy as long as it is within range. Immortal Body: When character is KOed, revives automatically in 3 turns with 20% HP. Pickpocket: When attacked, steals an item from the attacking enemy.)
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S-Ability: (This stands for Support Ability which can be activated at the whim of the user unless the user decides to place a limitation on the ability. Support Abilities can only be used ONCE per battle unless the ability is always active (see Intangible). Examples: Spirit Tap: Restores 10% of Max MP for 5 turns after MP reaches an unusable amount. Intangible: Immune to Physical attacks, but Magickal attacks deal double damage. Dragon Power: Raises ATK by 25% for 3 turns.)
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D-Ability: (This stands for Deathblow Ability. This is an exceptionally powerful ability, mainly because it has the power to pierce the enemy’s DEF and SPR. For this one, you MUST be creative. Just give your D-Ability a name and an element (Fire, Water, Ice, Thunder, Wind, Earth, Holy, Dark, or Neutral). This is the formula to calculate damage: Base ATK (INT if a spellcaster) x 2 x 2 (if enemy is weak against the element) = Total DMG. This ability also has the power to instantly kill an enemy with less than 50% HP (only if they are NOT a Boss creature). This ability can only be used ONCE per battle.)
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Stats: (These will be determined by the game master depending on what job you choose. Here are the stats that your characters generally use (some GMs choose different names or unique stats).)

Hp: (Hit Points. This is the measure of how much damage a character can endure before becoming incapacitated. If HP equals 0, then the character gains the KO status and can no longer participate in battle unless revived using an A-Ability or an item. If all characters are KOed, then the mission ends in failure.)
Mp: (Mana Points. This is the measure of the capacity of mana that a character possesses. All A-Abilities cost a certain amount of MP and when MP equals 0, they cannot be used.)
Atk: (Attack. This is the measure of how much physical damage a character can deal. This stat is increased by equipping certain weapons and/or accessories.)
Def: (Defense. This is a measure of how much a character can resist physical attacks. This stat is increased by equipping certain armor and/or accessories.)
Int: (Intelligence. This is a measure of a character’s knowledge of the workings of mana. In essence, it is how strong a character’s magic is. This stat can be increased by equipping certain weapons and/or accessories.)
Spr: (Spirit. This is a measure of how much magical damage or INT-based damage a character can resist. This stat is increased by equipping certain weapons and/or accessories.)
Move: (This is a measure of how far a character can move in a turn. Every character has a base movement of 2 cells, but that can be increased depending on which job the character chooses.)
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Skill Points: (These are also a vital part of this game. Skill Points are earned after completing Requests and are used to purchase abilities. A-Abilities cost 1 SP, S-Abilities cost 2 SP, and R-Abilities cost 3 SP. Also, Skill Points can be used to upgrade A-Abilities that you have already learned by increasing their damage (20% intervals), changing the range (1 cell intervals), or adding a special effect (1 effect intervals). For each alteration that you make to the ability, it will cost 1 Skill Point.)

However, the sheet above is just the standard. In some roleplays (and in some other cases), there are other things like C-Abilities, Affinity, T-Abilities, Summons, and the list could go on. Here are the basics:

C-Ability: (An ability between two characters that have the maximum (100) affinity for each other. For these abilities to work, the said characters must be in adjacent cells and they both must be free to use the ability. Once again, you create it based on the characters involved )

Affinity: (The bonds between characters in a group. This is gained (and lost.) through actual interaction between characters in just about any situation. Once you reach 100 you have a C-Ability with said character. If your character is constantly butting heads with another, there will be an Affinity break. This is extremely bad, as it will cause problems within the group and cause... unfortunate... effects in battle.)

T-Ability: (An ability also gained through Affinity. Once you reach a halfway mark with another character (50 Affinity) you have the option to use a T-Ability in battle. T-Abilities do two things and two things only (names change between GMs). If the character you are close to falls (is KOed) in battle, you can get into an adjacent and use one of the two effects. The first is instant revival of the other character at the cost of your character being KOed. The other, requires you to give up 25% of your Max Mp to slowly revive the other character (though, once you give up the Mp, you are free to move around, the other character will be revived in 3 turns).)

Summons: (Summons are unique to the character, most commonly found with Summoners (:p) or other Summoner arch-types. While useful, they work slightly differently from normal characters. Summons require Summon Points (Sp; Summons also require Mp) to summon to the field (each summon has a certain number of Sp required to summon), and this stat can not be healed. Once a summoner runs out of Sp they can not summon anymore and have to make themselves useful in other ways (Most times people make them healers or capable of attacking without summons). Also, Summons grow with the Summoner. So when you level, they level, and require the Summoner's Skill Points to learn new skills. For more information, contact me.)

{ } { } { } { } { } { } { } { } A
{ } { } { } { } {S} { } { } { } B
{ } { } { } { } { } { } { } { } C
{T} { } { } { } { } { } { } {N} D
{ } { } { } { } { } { } { } { } E
{ } { } { } { } { } { } { } { } F
{ } { } { } { } { } { } { } { } G
{ } { } { } { } {M} { } { } { } H
-1---2---3---4---5---6---7---8-

This is the battlefield. It will change depending on the area or circumstances of the request. On it, you will see representations:

Player characters are a blue letter. Each player will have their own letter designation.

Enemies are represented by a red letter. These are the things you want to target with your attacks in most cases. There may be special cases where it would be wiser to target something else, but you have to figure that out for yourself.

Neutral Characters are represented by a green letter or number. These characters are standby characters who may help or harm the party. Interacting with them may unlock a special event or help advance the story. More often than not, they are there to help you out.

Treasure is represented by a orange letter (since yellow is hard to see on this forum), either a 'B' or a 'T'. A 'B' means that the treasure is in a bag that is easily opened. The letter 'T' means that the treasure is locked within a treasure chest and you must use a Chest Key item to unlock them. Enemies and Neutral Characters may take treasure if they please. Killing them (enemies) or perhaps asking them (neutral characters) then you can obtain the treasure.

The spaces on the battlefield are known as cells and the location of a character is represented by a coordinate. For example, the enemy 'S' is located at B5 (row B, column 5.) Thus, when you determine where you are initially going to place your character, represent it as a coordinate.

In battle, there are 3 phases: Player Phase, Neutral Phase, and Enemy Phase. It is obvious that during Player Phase, player characters take their actions, and during Neutral Phase, neutral characters take their actions, and the same applies to Enemy Phase.

Okay. It is the first player phase, So what do you Do? There are several possibilities:

1) Move, then Act.
2) Act, then Move.
3) Move, then Wait.
4) Act, then Wait.
5) Wait.

Move Actions: Moving is just moving your character from cell to another represented by:

[Name] moves to [Cell].

A character can only move a number of cells equal to or less than their total move rating. Moving diagonally counts as moving 2 cells and a character MAY move through other characters.

Act Actions: There are several Act Actions. Here they are:

1. Attack- Use a basic attack against an enemy. All basic attacks do damage equal to 100% ATK and have a range of adjacent cell. This is how attacking is represented:

[Name] attacks [Target Name OR Cell]. [100% Atk] Dmg.

2. A-Ability- Use an A-Ability move against an enemy. These have various damage ratings and ranges depending on which skill is used. However, they do consume MP most of the time. This is how it is represented:

[Name] uses [Skill] on [Target Name or Cell]. [The percentage of ATK or INT] Dmg.

MP: [Current MP (after using skill)]/[Max MP]

3. Pick up a Bag or Treasure- Pretty much self-explanatory. You must be in a cell adjacent to the Bag or Treasure Chest to pick it up or open it. This is represented by:

[Name] picks up Bag! OR [Name] opens Treasure Chest!

**Remember: All Treasure Chests are locked so you MUST use a Chest Key on them, so really it would be:

[Name] uses Chest Key! [Name] opens Treasure Chest!

4. Using Items- A character can use items if need be. All items have a range of adjacent cell so you must be in a cell next the thing you want to use an item on unless the target is yourself. This is represented by:

[Name] uses [Item] on [Target Name or Cell].

[Number of that Item after use] [Item] left!

5. Interaction- Sometimes, there will be special actions you can take. For example, there might be a switch to pull or something on a wall you wish to examine. That takes up your Act Action for the turn. It is represented by:

[Name] [Special Action] [Target Name or Cell].

For example, there is a switch on the wall.

Zero pulls the Switch.

Or there is a creepy, hovering candle nearby:

Zero blows out the Candle.


Wait Action: If there is nothing better to do, just wait. You attack and don't feel like moving? Wait. You move but don't feel like attacking? Wait. Don't feel like doing anything? Wait. It is represented simply by:

[Name] waits.

Okay, I think that takes care of everything. Well, go ahead and show me what you've got! That explanation should have clarified everything for you~!