Take Me Out to the Crux Game! (Crux Game test) (AKA clusterfuck)

Markers (To the left) for each character show their place in turn order, based on their luck (in the event of a tie, PCs go before NPCs). The numbers on the right are their Crux Modifiers for the stats list (P for Physical attack, M for Magical attack, S for Strength, and A for Agility). The large number or letter in the center is their starting position on the Field, which is shown on the Right hand side beside the order list.

Each turn, after movement takes place, the map will be updated by the Crux Runner (in this case, me). In live Crux games, the players will decide their own starting positions, but in the interests of simplicity, I have done so for you here. Dark grey sections of the field are barricades which can not be seen through. Casting a skill on them may damage or destroy them. If a skill hits a barricade, be sure to list how much damage the skill will deal. Different types of barricades may take more or less damage from certain skills.

Crux is played with two opposing teams of Fighters. Each team has four Advance units and a Support ( or support Tension). The game is played within a circular field, cut in half. Each half circle is crowned with a triangular marking where the Support player is positioned. The other players move around the half-circle as they see fit during the game.

The objective of the game is to knock all the opposing team's players out of bounds using persona skills and weapon attacks. Because the goal is to knock the opponent's out of bounds and not to do lethal harm, in many cases skills are not used directly on the targets, but as Terrain effects. During Crux combat there are strict rules in place in order to keep the game from getting out of hand. Instant kill spells are banned from use within Crux. Skills that guarantee hits for self or party members, or skills that increase critical hit potential are also banned. Once the four Advance members have been removed from play, the opposing team wins. A Support player does not need to be knocked out of bounds in order to win the game. Attacking the enemy Support at a distance from your own side of the field adds a -3 penalty to your attack.

Stamina points | Removed

Melee Dex Attacks | Removed

Knockback | With the grid system (played on the field shown above, Players are placed in starting positions, and move around the field in an attempt to knock each other out of bounds with their persona skills (Determining hits and misses is detailed in the section below on modifiers and combat). When a player is hit with a skill successfully, they are propelled away from the skill by a number of squares equal to the tier of the skill +1. Different skills function differently based on their Trajectory, which will be outlined later in this section.

Type Advantage | Type advantage increases the knockback of skills of the given type by one square. Likewise, resisting a certain type of skill allows you to ignore the first square of knockback in a turn from that type.

Status Ailments | Fear; characters under the fear affect who flee from combat actively may also disqualify themselves. They use their action to move their full movement in the opposite direction of the character who caused them to be afraid. If this movement would take them out of bounds, they are disqualified. A charmed character will not attack the character that charmed them, but will otherwise act normally. All other ailments work as if in PvS.

Crux Functions on a different type of combat than normal PvS or PvP does. In order to a) even the playing field, and b) provide dramatic struggle, the traditional stats are boiled down into new stats called "Crux Modifiers," detailed further below. These modifiers are added to randomizers in order to determine whether the attack hit or miss. Unlike PvS battles, the target will have a chance to clash or evade the attack with a randomizer of their own, modified by their own relevant modifier. More on this below as well.

Crux Modifiers

Magical Attack (Ma): Ma is used when clashing skills in Crux (specifically using your skills to disrupt an opponent's skill, and thus avoid taking damage. You have 1 point of Ma for each 25 points of Pmstr you have, rounded down.

Physical Attack (Pa): Pa is used when clashing physical skills, similarly to Magical attacks, you can use Physical attacks to parry or otherwise avoid physical attacks. You have 1 point of Pa for every 25 points of Ppstr you have.

Strength (Str): Str is used when using your dex attack to parry an incoming dex attack. You have 1 point of strength for every 20 points of Dex you have.

Agility (Agl): Agl is used when attempting to hit an enemy, or attempting to dodge an incoming attack. You have 1 point of Agility for every 20 points of Luck you have.

Boosting Modifiers
Additional modifiers apply when using skills in Crux. Each unique type of boost you would normally receive to an attack modifies your roll by +1. For every tier above 1, the attack also receives a +1. So, a character with a +2 Ma who uses a Agilao gets a +3 modifier (2 from Ma +1 from being tier 2). If the same person has an Arcana boost, they get an additional +1. If they have Fire Boost, they receive an additional +1, and so on. Buffs and debuffs such as Tarukaja and Tarunda increase/reduce the modifiers by 1 as well. These boosts apply only when clashing skills, they do not apply when dealing knockback or when rolling to hit.

The same applies when rolling Agility rolls in order to hit a target. A strength or skill that boosts evasion or hit chance grants a +1 to the relevant action (evading for evasion, attacking for hit chance, or both depending on the boost).

Rakukaja allows you to ignore one point of Knockback in a round for the duration of the effect.

Attacking and Defending
I've given you all these numbers and rules, now lets put them into action. When it becomes your turn you are allowed an action. You can choose to attack, or buff, or use any Crux-sanctioned skill. Items and Firearms are not allowed in Crux. When you make an attack with a skill, you roll two 8 digit Randomizers one of them is Modified by your agility, and determines whether or not you hit. The second is Modified by your casting stat (Ma for Magic, Pa for Phys, Str for Dex), and is used if the opponent decides to clash the skill with their own.
Example:

Casting Agi:

I won't know the outcomes of these rands until after I post this, but say the first randomizer rolled 4, 4+5= 9, and 9 would be the number the opponent would have to beat in order to successfully avoid the attack by dodging. Likewise with the second number, added to it's modifier, would determine the number the opponent would have to roll in order to successfully clash the skill.

If you become the target of a skill or attack, you are allowed to dodge using your Agility like this

Dodging Agi:

If the number, plus the modifier, is higher than the number the opponent rolled for their attempted hit, they have successfully avoided the attack. You can dodge any number of attacks made at you, without using an action, but if you decide to clash, it will deny you the ability to dodge that attack, and casting the skill to clash will also use up your action for the turn. The Clash roll is rolled against your opponent's Clash roll made in their previous post. The lose of the clash takes a point of stamina damage, meaning that if you are successful in clashing an incoming attack, it also successfully deals stamina damage to your attacker.
*Notice that the dodger in this instance was wearing Tearless loafers, which modify agility, and grant a +1 bonus  when dodging in Crux.

Status Ailments | Fear; characters under the fear affect who flee from combat actively may also disqualify themselves. They use their action to move their full movement in the opposite direction of the character who caused them to be afraid. If this movement would take them out of bounds, they are disqualified. A charmed character will not attack the character that charmed them, but will otherwise act normally. All other ailments work as if in PvS.

Player Movement | On your turn, you are allowed to move up to three squares in any direction, or two squares diagonally. Movement strengths increase Crux Movement by 1, and Sukukaja increases this number by 1/2 rounded down (so a character with normal movement speed of 3 would have 4 (3 + 1.5 rounded down), but a character with a speed strength that increased their speed to 4 would have 6 (4 +2) movement. This method also applies when determining the trajectory of a spell cast in a diagonal.

Attack Trajectory
Certain skills act differently than others when used on a grid. Be sure you know the trajectory of your skills, and how you can use that to your advantage.

Line | Earth, Lighting, (Sidearms)
As it implies, the Line trajectory is a straight line from the caster to the target of the skill. The skill must travel this line in order to reach it's target, and it effects the first target it hits on that line. The distance the skill travels is determined by it's tier. If a Line skill misses it's mark, it continues to travel, and may hit something or someone else on it's path.
• Sidearms that target multiple enemies function similar to line in that they receive a separate line of effect, and then an additional line of effect for each tier increase in weapon.
• Multi-target Line skills ricochet from one target to the next. Once they hit their first target, they will attempt to ricochet to the next closest target, each time halving their range. If they do not have enough range to reach their next target, the skill ends.
• Tier 1: 6 squares, Tier 2: 8 squares, Tier 3: 10 squares, Tier 4: 14 squares, Tier 5: 18 squares

Arc | Ice, Wind
An Arc skill sails overhead in an arc, bypassing obstacles that otherwise would have hindered it. An Arc skill will only target it's target, and if it fails to hit, will not continue onwards. By the same token, it will not be obstructed by ground level obstructions on it's way to the target. The range of an Arc skill is determined by it's Tier.
• Multi-target versions of Arc skill allow the caster to select a number of additional targets equal to the tier who are targeted by separate arcs.
• Tier 1: 7 squares, Tier 2: 9 squares, Tier 3: 11 squares, Tier 4: 15 squares, Tier 5: 20 squares

Burst | Fire, Water, Nuke
A Burst Skill travels along the ground in a  line to the square it's caster designates, like a fuse. Once it arrives at the square, it bursts outward, potentially hitting anyone in the selected square or any adjacent squares. Targets in the center of the blast are propelled away from the caster directly, targets hit in adjacent squares are propelled outward from the epicenter of the burst. The burst's initial line range is determined by it's tier.
• Mult-target Burst skills effect 1 more space outward in a radius per tier.
•  Tier 1: 4 squares, Tier 2: 6 squares, Tier 3: 8 squares, Tier 4: 10 squares, Tier 5: 12 squares

Force | Dark, Light, Psio, Grav
Force skills require line of sight with their targets in order to cast. This means an unobstructed lone from you to your target on the grid. They travel this line, passing through anything in their path until they reach their target. When a target his hit by a Force skill, the caster chooses in what direction the target is knocked back.
• multi-target Force skills target a number of targets in line of sight equal to the skill tier +1. When the caster selects the direction of moves targets, they are all moved in the same direction.
•Tier 1: 5 Squares, Tier 2: 7 Squares, Tier 3: 9 Squares, Tier 4: 11 Squares, Tier 5: 15 Squares

Physical Skills | When a character learns a physical skill, they decide upon getting the skill what kind of trajectory it will have (Either line, arc, or Burst). After this decision is made, it can not be changed unless the skill is upgraded to a higher tier using a skill card. The trajectory of a phys skill is half of what it would be if it were a magic skill (listed above).

Dexterity Attacks | When a character makes a dexterity attack, they attack an adjacent square with their soul bound weapon. In the case of ranged weapon attacks, they have an Arc trajectory and half the range of an arc skill of the same tier.

Three squares to the right

Casting Zionga targeting Big Boi, 8 squares, line stops in his square. Moved back 3 squares if hit.

Roll to hit +5 (A +5)

Random number (1,8) :

1

Clash +1 (M +1)

Random number (1,8) :

6

Moves one space forward, one space right to J3

Casts Sukukaja on Klaus, granting +1 Agility

Moving diagonally to L12.

Casting Materazi, targeting Guts.

Hit (A+4)

Random number (1,8) :

1

Clash (M+2)

Random number (1,8) :

4

1 left, two down to J9

Tremorou - Arc, earth, pierce, aimed at Zeta
Moved back 3 spaces if hit.

Hit +5 (A+4, Strength +1)

Random number (1,8) :

2

Clash +2 (M+2)

Random number (1,8) :

6

Alchemy without a Circle | When using Earth Skills, Klaus does not need to summon his Persona to use the skills. (if he does not have access to the Persona, he still loses access to the skills) | Tier 1 | Passive

Moving one right, two up to I10

Using Evil Smile. Inflict Fear on 1-25
A

Random number (1,100) :

29

B

Random number (1,100) :

22

C

Random number (1,100) :

32

D

Random number (1,100) :

60

E

Random number (1,100) :

55