Persona: Card Dimensions *Plot Pitch*

Their struggle for power has trickled from the heavens above and the places beyond to change the fate of humanity forever. But in such struggles, the art of warfare continued to evolve from the original barbaric means. To maintain class and culture among the Beyonders, the Egyptian god Thoth created a game to settle their scores.



And it was disguised as.............a children's card game?!!!







In the city of Imagina, Image Works Entertainment has turned a seemingly boring city into a utopia of entertainment. This was made possible through the use of solid holographic imprinting, which is the use of image holograms to manipulate and interact with the immediate decor of the city. Holograms have been given mass through the Beyonder's Veil, a source of energy produced by a runic well within the middle of the city. The true purpose of the veil is still unknown, but with the introduction of the natural energy that the Beyonder's Veil continuously produces, 70% of Imagina city functions have cycled off fossil fuel usage in favor of it.

Spoiler:

Imagina is also home to the hottest card game of this generation, Persona. The Persona TCG is not only seen as a game, but it's also seen as something akin to an Olympic sport that's played by men and women of all ages. By proxy, this also means that this is one of the main sources of entertainment, with firey hot battles being televised up until the world championship. It was said that those who win are offered things beyond their wildest dreams.

However, there are those who with hidden agendas that are forcing shadow games through black spots, vell cracks that lead to the escape of actual beyonders into the city, and selfish wishes of prior champions that trickle down to others, regardless of whether it helps or hurts the population in the name of their particular benefactor. The city has problems, but its final fate is entirely up to you.






Invoker Interface

Your new invoker design is an interface that contains your deck(s). The method of doing such things only involves the action of drawing and crushing the card. Drawing is not random, you still have the free choice of choosing the cards from the deck that's being used at the moment. It's all second nature in regards to how you use it and access it.  Combat happens as usual, with it being a little more visually appealing.

image example of invoker interface "fully customizable to each user"  *Warning, enlarged photo so you can get a full idea of how they can look like in average, but customization is still up to you.*

Spoiler:

But At Times...It's Not Just A Game...





I'm sure you heard of the concept of being banished to the shadow realm. It exists here, being banished to the great beyond is a Russian roulette of many different species dimensions that you may or may not come back from. It's usually the result of this plot's version of death when someone is hit with 0 hp, but not everyone has the option of dueling like their life was on the line. Some were just taken away by the rouge demons, dragged into the veil, and adding to the growing list of missing person's cases. But with those going in, things do come out in return. Maybe you end up leaving something behind and not returning whole (like a shadow self). You may want to stop their havoc or entice it, but your special permissions are more like a cursed weight of the world on your shoulders, bearing the burden of the city's truth as the battlefield of an eternal power struggle.  Maybe you'll be saved by your benefactor?  But in truly desperate times, an Ante is required.

Ante-  Staking up a skill of your main deck (not structure decks) in place of your life.  You can probably buy back that card, unlock it all over again, or win it back upon the defeat of that enemy, but rarer cards might be difficult to recover.

New Mechanic: Structure Decks - A structure deck will be released every couple of months and will serve as the mask fragment replacement. These structure decks will have a signature Beyonder and a couple of skills to go with them. This adds the option of a pure VC buyout of added versatility instead of fragment hunting. However, Persona TCG is a popular game and continues to evolve. The set can either be sold out (low in volume) or replace by the new set (every other month or so is a new structure deck, the time frame varies).

This is an introduction to a new role type that can be added to any deck custom deck.  There are Four roles in total, Defenders, Strikers, Mender, and Technicians.  The special ability that each role can perform, is considered a free action upon being initiated.

:shield: Defenders: This role maintains access to the persona blocking function (in Pvs as well) of where your persona will take the hits in your place and nullify the damage for the round, serving as your one and only "get out of jail free card". Defenders are also the only roles whose effects can be used on a companion other than yourself.  Afterward, that deck will be inaccessible for the next three turns, causing the user to use their structure deck or another deck that they have available to them. After a defender function exhausts all of their blocks, they cannot utilize that function for the rest of the battle.


:crossed_swords:  Strikers: For one turn, this role can ignore opponents Resists/ blocks/repels/absorbs, hitting them for neutral damage. This only works for damage dealing skills only. It cannot negate a user's ability to guard if they choose to do so, only things outside of that action. After the turn is up, they cannot use that function for the rest of the battle.

Menders: For one turn,  the use of restoration-based techniques that fall under the recovery category will add the sp cost to your pool instead of taking it away as cost. After the turn is up, they cannot use that function for the rest of the battle.

🧠 Technicians: Upon initiating this role ability, any active buffs on enemies and debuffs on allies will be deactivated. After using this ability, they cannot use that function for the rest of the battle.

Quick Relevance Glossary *will update if needed and ask as well please ^_^*

Byonders=Personsa
Cards=Skills
Prime/Initial Persona= Deck Master
Quick FAQ: Direct your questions here if it's a lot and I'm not immediately on to answer any problems you may have.

https://newarcana.forumotion.com/t3251-s-a-v-e-r-s-mini-plot-a-free-discussion-as-well-just-tossing-ideas

For the record, this was created as a mini-plot. Overall, this is a pantser based plot, I shoot from the hip at times, I would categorize myself as a pantser writer if I'm being honest. Certain things are set in stone but certain things are not.  It is a character-based based plot that is driven by the choice of the characters, action, or inaction in certain cases. If that turns you off, I wanted to lay everything on the table

The three baseline groups

The Four - "Pavillion Of Hope" Species Associations: Avians, Fairies, Oni, Vegetation

Description: The true form of the four is Phra Phro, the four-faced god. They have split up into four separate personalities and forms to better help the world and assist the human beings in place of Philemon. The names of each are numbers, One, Two, Three, and Four. The main goal of the Pavillion Of Hope each tournament is the invocation of their power outside of the game for a currently unknown reason. Even if their intentions seem noble and pure, they have used such "morally correct" actions to enforce their beliefs upon others. For better or worse, the idea of hope is the new christ. Luckily for them, the past champion and representative of the four, Donavan Rivera, keeps such ideas in line.

Pazuzu - " The Enders" Species Associations: Evil Spirits, Demons, Demonics, Elements

Description: In ancient Mesopotamian religion, Pazuzu was the king of the demons of the wind. The Ender's Main purpose is to destroy the veil and allow it to act as a portal for the Beyonders to come and go as they please. They are the champions of the very first tournament held with the Persona TCG, with their wish causing the cracks on the veil in the first place for beyonders to slip out and come and go as they please. The winner of the first tournament who serves as the representative of Pazuzu, Oleneva Stanislavovna, is the head.

Thoth- "Image Works Entertainment" Species Associations: Humans, Beasts, Dragons, Flying

Description: Thoth, the Egyptian god who started it all. To avoid the world coming to ruin with the fighting of the beyonders, he used his powers as a source to host the existence of the persona TCG game, as well as founding Image Works Entertainment as the creator of the game. The main purpose of winning the tournament of his own game is simple, providing more restrictions for the other gods to act as they please with their powers outside of the game. Not only would this give humans the freedom of choice, but it also allows the beyonders to take more responsibility for their actions now that their actions are limited and they can be combatted through the game. The current head as Thoth's representative is Joseph Thouser.

Hidden Groups (A little harder to Join)

Hermes - "The Undivided" Species Associations: Gods, Kishin, Fiends

Descriptions: Those who loved the game so much, why not make it last forever? Hermes, the Greek god of gambling figured that Persona TCG was the ultimate game and widely agrees with Thoth on a few things. It's just that he has more of an interest in keeping this as the neverending entertainment for the gods, and is fond of the creation of more dark spots that force the invocation of the game, regardless of the people being willing to play or not. Their end goal? Shadow games are no longer optional and not only last in the city, but around the world. Everyone should enjoy the game the way that they do. To them, the world should be undivided.

Enlil - " Nibiru" Species Associations: Machines, Fouls, Ghosts

Description: The Anunnaki, those who have said to truly enlighten man in the past with advanced technology and sen in modern days as "aliens". Anunnaki are deities in the pantheon, descendants of An and Ki, the god of the heavens and the goddess of earth, and their primary function was to decree the fates of humanity. The organization of Nibiru desires to eject the beyonders of the veil, and recreate the other side as a paradise and create a utopia free of the rule of god and ruled by the desires of science.

Note for species: You are allowed to diversify and have different deck types in your arsenal. However, the species bonuses stack among each other, even if the structure deck you have with you at the time is not being used at the moment. In a sense, you can be a species-specific player and go for the single species route to maximize your bonus, or find unexpected synergy with your playstyle. You are only able to have a maximum of two species in your deck.



Avians:   Description- It is the bird's version of Holy Beast and Godly Beast races. They are usually the god in bird's form or the sacred bird which brings good fortune. However, they also include demon birds that are bringers of ill-omens or disasters to humanity. Those kinds often abduct humans to eat their souls or turn them into more of their kind.  Species Passive: Avian Decks receive a 5% boost to wind-related skills. (10% if pure)


Fairies: Description- fairies are mischief-loving creatures. They do not have a particular preference towards good or evil and are chiefly concerned with doing as they please and having fun. Species passive: Fairy decks receive a 5% boost to restoration skills. (10% if pure)


Oni: Description - Though fearsome to behold, this powerful species is actually very kind and sensitive. Species Passive: Oni decks receive a 5% boost to strike based skills.  (10% if pure)


Vegetation: Description -  Most of them are spirits or deities portrayed as plants, trees or other vegetative creatures. Species Passive: For Vegetation decks, a 5% boost is granted to earth related skills.  (10% if pure)


Evil Spirits: Description -  They are evil spirits used to bring death and torment to people. They mostly take the form of zombie-based or zombified creatures. Species Passive:  For Evil Spirit Decks,  death based skills receive a 5% boost. (10% if pure)


Demons: Description - This species correlates to demons, spirits, and lesser deities associated with the night. They often use deception to drain the life out of their victims. They are powerful spellcasters that rely on curses and ailments to make up for their weak physical attacks. Species Passive: For demon decks, the owner of the deck can either pick a chosen aliment type to increase by 10%, or get a 5% increase across the board for all aliment skills.  (10% if pure)


Demonics: Description - Demonics are somewhat unique for a species type.  These are items that have been possed by a demon or are demonic in nature. These items mostly take on the form of weapons or appliances or anything of that nature that could be possessed. Species Passive: For demonic Decks, -Kaja skills receive a 5% increase.  (10% if pure)


Elements: Description - Elements are elementals. They are spirits with control of the elements. Species increase: For Elemental Decks,  the user will receive a 5% increase for all baseline element skills(non-mutated). (10% if pure)


Humans: Description - These are some of the more self-explanatory species types. These are humans that have stolen some technology from the machine species to combine their conventional methods of warfare with magic, thus making it effective enough to combat other species. Species increase: For the Human deck, a 5% increase is added to gun usage and gun-based skills. (10% if pure)


Beasts: Description -  As the name suggests, most of them are regular wild beasts and animal-like demons. This deck species contains mythical animals from various legends that are neither considered sacred nor evil but retain more naturally bestial behaviors. Description: For Beast decks, all -Unda skills receive a 5% increase. (10% if pure)


Dragons: Description - They are Dragons, Humanoid Snakes, and Fire Breathing Serpentine-like creatures. Species Passive: For Dragon Decks, the user receives a 5% increase in crit chance.  (10% if pure)


Flying:  Description - In regards to the flying species, they are categorized as winged humanoids with various backgrounds. However, one of the more dominant backgrounds of the flying race is the angelic seraphs.   Species Passive: For Flying decks, the user receives a 5% increase in Hama based skills.  (10% if pure)


Gods: Description-  They tend to be well-rounded demons, capable of using high level physical and magical attacks. In the real world, they are the chief deities of their pantheons; generally, the lord of other gods and are associated with maintenance or creation. Species Passive: For God Decks, a 10%  boost can either be granted to a user's physical skills or magic skills *must choose one and this only correlates to damaged based skills. * However,  the user will receive a 10% increase to whatever damage they take to the opposing damage type they didn't choose. Example: pick PPstr, 10% increase to the magic damage you take.


Kishin: Description - Kishin are all patron gods or warrior deities from various pantheons or countries. They protect a specific direction, race or country accordingly. Most of them however, are derived from Far Eastern mythology. They are generally physically overwhelming demons, and are all capable of utilizing weapons. Species Passive: For Kishin Decks, a 5% increase is granted to all physical-based skills.  (10% if pure)


Fiends: Description- Fiends are a race of demons, often powerful in major attributes. With a few exceptions, the Fiends are dominantly portrayed as clothed skeletons due to the fact that they are often the incarnations of death or evil in various forms, and even then, most of the exceptions tend to be closely associated with death and disaster of sorts. Species Passive: Fiend decks increase the use of mutated skills by 5% (10% if pure)


Machines: Description - Machine is based on mechanical devices - robots and inanimate objects brought to life. Most members of the Machine race are not demons, but manmade machines and objects that are either programmed to fight or possessed by a demon. Species passive: Machine decks increase the use of lightning skills by 5% (10% if pure)


Fouls: Description - Most of them are corrupted spirits that are bound to the human realm, and unholy creatures created against the will of God. They are creatures with strange bodies and alien in appearance, (tentacles, slimes, E.T. looking creatures).  What stands at the pinnacle of the fouls are Karmic Demons that represent one of the seven deadly sins.  Species Passive:  Foul Decks increase the use of fire-based skills by 5%. (10% if pure)

Ghosts: Description - Ghosts are the lost souls of the dead who tend to possess humans. Their mere presence makes your skin cold to the touch, but their complex nature is highly dependent on how they lived and how they died. Unlike the obvious evil spirit, these are not evil in nature.  Species passive: Ghost decks increase the use of ice-based skills by 5% (10% if pure)