Ar Tonelico Jump v1

---Rules


Lazy temporary summary from elsewhere.


The Ar tonelico series consists of a trilogy of JRPGs for the PS2 (the first two games) and PS3 (the third game), developed by Gust Corporation of Japan, best known for their Atelier Series of video games, and localized in English by Nippon Ichi Software. The games (which are largely independent of each other in plot and characters) take place in a post-apocalyptic world of Ar Ciel, in which the ground was swallowed hundreds of years ago by a mysterious Sea of Death. Humanity clings to life only on Floating Continents surrounding three great towers, each of which serves as the setting for a game. Humanity's engineering ability has regressed to a Steam Punk level, and their only interface with the fantastic technology of the towers are the Reyvateils - an all-female race of artificial beings capable of singing songs to conjure Magic from Technology.

Metafalss: A tiny continent built upon the rim of a tower much like the first game's Ar tonelico, it revolves around two opposed factions: the ruling Grand Bell, which has recently declared war against the Goddess Frelia; and the Sacred Army, who believe that the Goddess enables Metafalss to exist. This ire against the Goddess stems from a failure centuries past at creating Metafalica, a paradise-like land spoken of in legend, which was interrupted by a vicious attack by her defenders. In addition to civil war, Metafalss is ravaged by outbreaks of I.P.D, a Reyvateil-specific disease which causes the victim to execute song magic uncontrollably and do much damage to herself and her surroundings.



---Locations:
Roll 1d8 to determine time and place. Alternatively, pay 50CP or take the 50CP drawback "Plotbound" to choose.
1: Airport City
2: Platina
3: Wilderness of Ar Tonelico
4: Grand Bell
5:
6: Wilderness of Metafalss
7:
8: Free Pick

---Origins: Age 2d8+10
You may pay 50CP or take the 50CP drawback "Standout" to change your gender and age.
(Free): Drop-In
100CP: Teru Tribe
100CP: Faction Agent
100CP: Halfblood Reyvateil, Lifespan approximately 30-40 years.
200CP: Pureblood β-class Reyvateil, Lifespane ~150 years

Item CP

Explanation of Song Magic: What it can do, how it does it, how it will continue to work post-Jump.
Explanation of Reyvateil: What they are, and why you won't turn into goo, post-Jump.

---Perks

Non-reyvateil Jumpers can take Reyvateil powers, as these come from the Tower recognising you as having limited access to its energy manipulation functions.

100 (Free for Drop-In): Backstage Pass - Despite your lack of history in the world, you find it surprisingly easy to gain acceptance from the major organisations of the world. This doesn't make it simple to get into the restricted laboratories or bank vaults, but expect to be invited to see beyond the public face of any organisation you join within days.
100 (Free for Teru): Draconic Heritage - [comes with minor magic, horns, tail and a love of interpretive dance]
100 (Free for Faction Agent): Innuendo Singularity - [expect to make many music boxes]
100 (Automatic and Free for Reyvateil): Song Magic - [input song, receive magic]
100 (Automatic and Free for Reyvateil): Install Port - [put grathnode crystal/magic gems into tattoo, augment or acquire songs, hurts like fuck - best done with a partner or in a hot bath]
100 (Free for Reyvateil): Stripper-riffic - no matter how outlandish or improbable your clothing, it somehow provides the basic functions of keeping you covered and protected from the elements. I would also let this extend the protective effects of such armour (when clearly displayed) over uncovered areas, except that I'm not sure I want to make a Chainmail Bikini perk.

300 (Discount for Drop Ins and Faction Agents): Combat Prosthetic - [Minigun arm? Chainsaw arm? Skulgun?]

300 (Discount for Drop Ins): Intuitive Grathmelder - Grathmeld is an artificial magic created as a safer alternative to Song Science by the Goddess Eolia. By combining items via ritual alchemical methods with a Grathnode crystal, the immense Silver Horn wrapped around the tower detects the signal emitted and computes a burst of transmutation magic in response. This ranges from creating magic swords, mechanical armour, advanced prosthetics, healing potions, guided missiles, all the way up to airships and extremely powerful emergent creations beyond the knowledge of Eolia herself. You can divine a deeper logic behind the often-bizarre recipes and .

300 (Discount for Teru): Clan Magic - the blood of dragons divides the Teru into 12 tribes, with their own unique magics and familiars.

300 (Discount for Faction Agent): Dive Compatible - You find it easy to gain the trust of Reyvateil, such that they will allow you access to their Cosmosphere - the part of their mind contained within the Tower. Doing so involves descent through nine levels, each time getting closer to their true self. But, people are complicated, and their problems and anxieties have real power here - with no easy solution. Resolving - surviving - their issues can take time, and if rushed or carelessly done can completely destroy both of your minds.

300 (Discount for Halfblood): Powerful Emotions - Song Magic is mediated by the Reyvateil's connection to the computational hardware of the Tower, in the form of song. These songs extend several orders beyond range of human hearing, and encode the emotions and intent of the singer. The Tower broadcasts power in response to the intensity of the request - so as not to overwhelm the singer - and your emotions are stronger and purer than the majority of your peers. This also effects communication with other Reyvateil, and you find it easy to fan the flames of their hearts to cast synchronised spells.

300 (Discount for  β-class): Hardened Cosmosphere - Familiar with the software mechanics of your cosmosphere, you have a great deal of control over its composition and the ability to access the systems of the Tower through meditation. This ranges in utility from being able to browse information archives, playing ancient full-VR videogames - possibly running them inside your cosmosphere, to being able to attempt to hack into systems and automation.

600 (Discount for Drop In): Song Science - before there was Song Magic, in the golden age of the First Era it was discovered that three materials, Parameno, Grathnode and Ardel, allowed for the conversion of sound into magic. From this, came the Tower and all its glories - as well as the eventual destruction of the world. Long forgotten, you have a complete theoretical knowledge of the true underpinnings of Song Magic, Reyvateil biology and the Tower as was understood at the height of the First Era. With sufficient resources, you are capable of creating or altering reyvateil, and repair and alteration to Tower hardware, something it has gone millennia without. With resources comparable to a superpower, you could potentially could raise your own Tower or complete Metafalss.

600 (Discount for Teru): Grand Mage -
600 (Discount for Faction Agent):  -

600 (Discount for Halfblood): Creative Composition - You possess a true gift for song magic composition, able to construct your own spells on-the-fly, emulate extracted songs without possessing its Song Crystal, and to optimise the energy use and emotional content of all your songs for greater efficiency and power.
600 (Discount for  β-class): TOWER CONNECT - When a Reyvateil's partner is successful in reaching the deepest levels of their cosmosphere, having fought through their doubts, fears and surprisingly intense psychoses, the Reyvateil is liberated and the part of their mind that runs on Tower hardware is able to survive reaching beyond itself and connecting to the greater Tower. Aside from general improvements to peace of mind and sense of self, this increases the power available to the Reyvateil by a noticeable amount, and opens access to the greatest weapons systems of the Tower - usually in the form of homing laser annihilation.

--Companions -
OC Companions - These companions will be right there with you upon entering the world, already loyal
and friendly. Drop Ins will meet them upon arriving and hit it off quickly, as well as you could in this
world anyways, while other origins will already have some memories of them. Name is up to you.

Drop Ins get either a free Companion or an extra XXX Equipment-only CP
Faction Agents get a discount on Reyvateil
Reyvateil get a discount on Guardian
Teru get a free Monster - their familiar, as detailed . If they pay the discount cost, their familiar may be any Monster.



---Equipment
Free:
25: A wallet that can hold any amount of money and cards without bulk. Each jump it is filled with the equivalent of $5000 in local currency, which vanishes into mist after a month. Reappears in your Warehouse if lost or stolen, sans any of the $5000 that remains.

50: House Key - a small property with no distinguishing characteristics in a boring part of the first settlement you enter, paid upfront for 10 months.

100:

100: Weapons and Armour - Two suits of armour and four weapons of whatever weight class you prefer, quality equivalent to that wielded by the majority of professional warriors in the world. Armour is usually a lightweight ceramic over metal, and most have exoskeletal support that carries its weight and augments strength slightly. Has limited capacity for upgrades, but very diverse range of appearances. Ranged weapons exist and in common use, but melee still has its place against monsters that need to be hacked apart with brute strength or held at bay from casting Reyvateil.

200: Grathmeld Supplies [Free Grathmelder]. You receive a 1m white ceramic cube, that contains 50 kilograms of randomised base Grathmeld components and 20 Grathnode crystals. Stocks replenish every month, and ratios skew towards whatever ingredients you used the most of. Keyed to your Dynamic H-Wave signature, which is almost impossible to fake.

200: Songstone Composer [Discount Grathmelder]. Another 1m cube. This produces the essential elements of Song Science, in the form of 1 ton each month of Songstone rubble, a crystalline ore of Parameno, Grathnode and Ardel. By itself, Songstone converts sound into magic, storing it until a threshold is reached and it emits it as a burst of wild energy - making them effective improvised grenades. Extracted and refined, their true potential can be reached. Parameno absorbs sound, Grathnode emits it as "magic" and Ardel acts to direct or suppress its flow.

250:

300: Ar tonelico? - A device the size of a basketball, overlapping wings that shelter a golden core. Whoever assembled it left a big shiny key inserted into the top. Mysterious. Comes with its grathmeld recipe, as well as recipes for another half-dozen random high-end items.

300: Jaqli Robo - A vaguely humanoid robot about 2.5m high, with limited AI and a cramped cockpit. Capable of limited shapeshifting and self-repair, usually without the occupant inside. In humanoid form, hovers on two jet-legs. Can extend solid legs and change the position of the thrusters. Has a large golden trumpet on its back, which acts as a receiver for the Tower's broadcast energy - as such it has unlimited operational endurance.

400: Orgel of Origins. A copy of the original Song Science device. A handheld music box that plays a very carefully calibrated song. It is made of Parameno and Grathnode - it got hot pretty quickly. Enjoy your white hole generator - and yes, this is what powers the entire tower, including the antigravity generators, weather control, beam cannons. All of it. Unless you buy Song Science, replicating it is nearly impossible.

500: REPLAKIA - This… isn't a good idea.


---
Drawbacks:

+50: Plotbound - not minutes after you arrive, the plot of the games finds you. This alters the time of your arrival to the first time Croix or Lyner visit your starting location. Whenever you travel to a new and distinct location, if any of the cast are there you are fated to run in to at least one of them.
+50: Standout - drab, dull and ordinary do not describe your taste in clothes. While you are aware of how distinctive you look, you are unable to care enough to change, except into something equally unique. Feather dresses, clockwork top hats, floating armour pods - however bizarre it looks, at least you'll fit in with the protagonists.

+100: Tone Deaf [+400 if any Reyvateil] - You are not merely ignorant of the magical language of Hymnnos like most civilians, you can never learn it, fail miserably at speaking it, and it has no power to reach your heart. The whole singing thing does nothing for you. This disconnection from a fundamental cultural feature causes a degree of alienation from your fellows, and reyvateil reactions range from pity to nausea. For a Reyvateil, it represents a tragic cosmosphere deformity, and you will always be aware of your diminishment.

+300: Neo Pureblood β-class Reyvateil [β-class Only]. You are a relic from a time when reyvateil were considered by many as little more than tools, an experiment designed for half again as much power and casting speed as your peers - almost equal to the goddesses - through the psychosurgical destruction of their capacity for emotion. Your sister, Mir, was the only one of their four successful prototypes to awaken when intended - later destroying half of the world in revenge. You have been released from a cryotube at the physical age of 15 - emerging from your choice of dust-choked ruin, secret basement or sealed cell.

Your emotions will not return naturally for the duration of the Jump, and implanted commands prevent you from thinking about their absence and leave your mannerisms eerily robotic. Your previous Jumps fade into a flat, contextless mess inside your tortured Cosmosphere and lose all meaning and informational content beyond nonsense scraps that will inform alien behaviours.

The only way to recover yourself is via another person Diving into your Cosmosphere, a gauntlet far stranger and more dangerous than any other reyvateil's - but finding a trustworthy and capable Dive partner is the first step, and you're just a doll.

It will not be easy or pleasant, and the Jump will not end until you have recovered every scrap of yourself - unless you want to leave those pieces and powers behind.

+200: Location Unknown - Your sense of direction is actually worse than Shurelia's. Which is bad, as it isn't just a faulty map module you're dealing with. In addition, you rarely notice when you're lost without outside intervention, and you're extremely resistant to accepting that you have a problem.
+200: Dysfunctional Cosmosphere [Reyvateil Only] -
+200: Reyvateil Bane -

+300: The Planet does not like you.
+300: I.P.D Positive [Reyvateil Only] - You're infected with Infel Phira Dependency, a psychic malfunction that moves your cosmosphere (normally stored on Tower hardware) into the faulty core of Infel Phira. Originally intended to allow and amplify massive song magic choirs, the subconscious barriers between IPD Reyvateil are missing - causing bleedover from thousands of other minds. The effect is a creeping schizophrenia, along with increasingly severe bouts of wild song magic. As the condition's severity depends on how each IPD reyvateil is feeling, the feedback loop is causing the insanity of the entire IPD population to accelerate. While initially, only your song magic is affected, as the deterioration progresses it may spread to all your abilities.
+300: Unstable Nuclear Triangular Loop [Reyvateil Only] -

---Survival

xE rre ewle uteu qEgLYIs eh, en xE rre qoga tErLYIm/.  -- You wake up, in the bed you left so long ago.
Was yea ra chs hymmnos mea --
Kiafa Hymme Mea? --

Notes: