[GD3] ShinMegaTen (AKA Persona 3) conversion

[KrakaJak]

So, I'm working on a GD3 what was going to be a quickie conversion based on the Shin Megami Tensie Videogame RPG series. It just keeps getting bigger. I'm basing it off the whole of the series, although Persona is probably the most influential (and easily the most well known). This is also going to basically be a shotgun blast of my rules and ideas, as they are not that well organized/formatted yet. Opinions are encouraged and welcomed.

So far what I've got here are the player types. Not quite vocations, as I wanted vocations to be closer to actual real life jobs. I'll probably be writing up vocations later. I've added a new track called the "demon" track, although each summoner type has a different name and governing Ability for it. I've also got the framework for creating the demons characters will be summoning.

The premise of the game is this:

There is an evil conspiracy of some sort. A supernatural mystery must be solved. Monsters and shadows must be fought. The mystery can only be solved by those who are gifted enough to summon and control a demon. This gift can take many forms, and the players play one of these rare individuals.

Demon Track

Each summoner type has a unique Demon track. This tracks the use and the durability/usability of the demon under their control. The term demon is used closer to the Japanese appreciation of an unborn spiritual force, rather than the western one of a strictly evil entity. Each demon track also has it's own governing ability.

Persona Wielders

These characters summon persona only for brief intense moments. Usually requiring an Evoker pistol or some other form of focusing device (Tarot Cards, Artifact Weapons etc.). The demon summoned is an aspect if the user personality; hence the title of Persona. A vengeful person might wield the Persona of Eris, Goddess of Chaos. A selfless person may wield the Persona of the Messiah or the Martyr.

Demon Track: Persona:

Governing Ability: - Reasoning. Although the Persona is based on the characters personality, a great force of willpower is what draws the Persona into being. One of the ways of summoning a Persona is by shooting oneself in the head with an Evoker Pistol. By using her willpower to conquer the fear of death with a ritualistic re-enactment of suicide, the user is able to draw the Persona out.

Special Rules:  

It costs one mark on the Persona track to summon a Persona for a single action, after which, it immediately disappears.

Character wielding a Persona must have a single, specific and unique focus item. Without this item they are unable to summon their Persona. These items are always indestructible.

The Persona Track heals at the rate of 1 line per night of rest.

Avatars

These characters are inhabited by and able to transform into violent cannibalistic demons. This is a brutal transformation that comes close to destroying the host. They are able to maintain this form indefinitely, however the demon form has a near insatiable hunger for flesh, preferring the flesh of other demons over himself.

Build points: 10

Demon Track: Avatar

Governing Ability - Fitness. The brutal physical change of changing into ones Avatar form is incredibly demanding. Avatars stand usually 6 inches or so taller than the user. They are lithe, sharp and deadly in appearance. All avatars have a thin toothy mouth, used to consume the flesh of other beings.

Special Rules:

Avatar form -  It costs one mark on the Avatar track to change into Avatar form. It costs one slash to change back into your human form. If an avatar user has no boxes left on his Avatar track, he may instead  sacrifice a line of fatigue to force a transformation.

An Avatars base abilities are that of the players, however, when in Avatar form the characters scale is increased by one (to extra). Every build point spent on the demons abilities or pursuits raises the characters base stat by that amount when in this form.

When taking damage in your Avatar form you may apply it to either your Damage tracks or your Avatar track.

Avatar forms have the Fangs and Claws gimmicks automatically.

Avatar Hunger - Avatars wish to consume the bodies of their kind. Being half-human half-demon gives them a choice: To heal boxes on the Avatar track, the user must consume the flesh of human beings or that of other demons. To consume another being, the avatar must immobilize or kill it's prey and take 2 actions to completely consume them. For every grade of Health or demon track the target has, the Avatar gains one Grade back itself, minimum one grade.

If an Avatar has no boxes left of the avatar track, it is consumed by hunger. It will attempt to attack and eat a randomly determined, viable target in sight until it has completely consumed it.

Build points: 5

Controller

This is a demon wielder whose family has made a pact with an order of demons. Usually an esoteric rule is in place i.e. only the seventh son of a seventh son, or the carrier of a specific family heirloom. Controllers have a demon, invisible to all non summoners humans (although dogs, cats and other animals have seem to be able to sense the demons) at their beck and call.

Demon Track: Contract

Governing Ability : Influence : Although the Demons will is bound to that of the controller, their relationship is what drives it to action. Pacts, bargains, threats or just plain friendships are where a controllers power over their demon comes from.

Special Rules -

Invisible: Contract demons are invisible to the majority of non-Summoner humans. Animals and a few supernaturally gifted/attuned humans may be able to sense their presence. Other summoners can see and target them normally as can other demons.

Communication - A contract demon can communicate telepathically with it's summoner from anywhere at any time. It can only communicate with other summoners or demons through direct "vocal" communication. All communication by the demon is silent to any human onlookers.

Travel - A Contract demon cannot be trusted to leave it's summoners presence. A contract demon can only leave it owners line of of sight for a number of minutes equal to it's summoners Influence rating without causing some sort of calamity or mischief. The summoner may pay one mark on the Contract track to continue journeying the same number of minutes and can do so indefinitely until it runs out of contract boxes.

Contract demons are able to walk through walls, fly through ceilings and generally travel where they want to. Because of this, they make great spies, assassins and messengers.

The Contract - The demon is under contract with it's summoner. It grants it's loyalty and access to it's power by reaching an agreement with it's summoner. If a summoner has marked it's last box on the Contract track, the demon will not follow any orders, grant requests. It will communicate with only the summoner it's contracted to.

A summoner may make bargains with the demon to regain spent Contract boxes. The Demon requests are usually something simple. It may ask you find it something it's interested in, which are usually mundane or mildly esoteric items (candy bars, a record player, a porno mag, a book in french) or perhaps to do some strange task. The requests usually aren't hard to come by, but they take time to complete. Each request completed "heals" one line of you Contract track.

Build Points: 8




Creating the Demon:

The demons themselves are usually aspects of an ideal, or perhaps more like Gods or Nature spirits. It's hard to say really. They are Ethos made manifest. Occasionally, summoners will find another summoner with the same Demon under their control, although they look different depending on which type of summoner has them. Because of this phenomenon, it is theorized that Demons are only an aspect of a greater being.

Players should create their own demon. the should think along the lines of Mythical or religious figures, especially individual aspects of those figures.

Some examples for the Demon based on Ares, the god of war:

Persona: Ares appears as a Roman soldier with red skin. When summoned he appears out of nowhere riding on a marble chariot, wearing bronze armor; polished to the point it shines like gold and brandishing a spear.

Avatar: The character skin turns red and brittle, as his maw forms and resembles a dog's maw coming to a point as a birds beak. Sharp and dangerous protrusions jut out of his skin and whips dangle down like black chains.

Summoner: A red orb which glows like a dying ember and flies buy the grace of two large black wings. When it "speaks" it's voice is aggressive and chaotic. It has been known to leave behind bits of wheat and grain in it's wake.


As you can see, there can be a great variety of character choice. Creativity is encouraged, as the demons do not have any physiology of which to adhere to. Go nuts and have fun with it!

Build Points: each summoner type gets a certain number of build points. Abilities and pursuits all start at 0 and max out at 5. You use points to buy +1 to abilities, +2 to pursuits or to purchase gimmicks (including monster gimmicks). All demons start with the Bane and Demon Damage gimmicks. You can get rid of this gimmick buy spending 1 build point. You can add up to 2 negative gimmicks and they give you an extra build point to spend a piece. Other points can be spent as follows:

• Per spell level. You must buy the previous spell in a school to purchase the next spell. Only demons can learn or cast spells.

• To add a point of in defense to the character and the demon track (1 point for +1 defense to both)


Demon Gimmicks -

Bane  - Demons should be given one specific weakness. This should be as common and as specific as a single element: fire, water, electricity, wind, wood, holy, evil, etc. Any attack formed of or consisting of this element strikes the demon, it  does an extra line of damage.

Demon Damage - If a demon is struck for an amount of inj damage, it applies damage directly to the demon track associated with it.

So, this is what I've got so far, I need to come up with spell schools and lists. I know I kind of want one for a bunch of elements (Fire, Ice, Water, Electricity, Iron, Earth, Wind etc.). I also want a Light (good/holy) and a dark (evil/unholy) lists, I was thinking 3 spells a piece for now. I also want to put together a bunch of vocations (like ten). Detective, High School Student, Photographer, Soldier...regularish people.

All questions comments and/or ideas are completely encouraged!

[brettmb]

Sounds interesting so far.

[KrakaJak]

thought this might prove useful for people interested. Cross posted back from pigames board:

Shin Megami Tensei is a long, LONG running horror CRPG series (think Final Fantasy, as the first SMT was out for the Famicom). The Persona subseries started on the PS1 and has continued through to the PS2 with Persona 3-4. All titles in the series have certain things in common: the end/rebirth of the world and they all have mostly the same demons.

The major inspirations for this conversion are:

Persona (series)
Devil Summoner: Raiduo Kuzonoha vs. the Soulless Army (longest title for a video game ever!)
Digital Devil Saga: Avatar Tuner
Nocturne (the most recent of the main series)


It's not a "direct" conversion. I just wanted to take and combine my favorite elements from the game series and make them playable on the tabletop. I'm still playing around with the spell lists. I'm pretty sure I'm going to do something much simpler than what is presented in the GD3 core. They will probably be along the lines of Forward to Adventure!'s in implementation.

[J Arcane]

I don't know what a "GD3" is.  But I do like Persona.

[KrakaJak]

That would be Genre Diversion 3. It's a generic ruleset by Precis Intermedia, written by Mr. Brett Bernstein... Definitely worth checking out...

Now I need some players to try and help me hammer these rules out.