Post by Vio on Jan 22, 2018 12:45:52 GMT -5
At Bon Voyage we use a special system known as the “X-Poinz” system, which is used to determine a character’s growth as they venture across the seas. X-Poinz (derived from “Experience Points”) are not a solid measure of a character’s physical growth, but instead combine various elements of worldly development. Together, they represent physical and mental prowess, wisdom, resourcefulness and other things that factor into a person’s overall mental, physical and even spiritual growth.
All characters begin with 300 X-Poinz (“XPz”) and will earn more through the completion of threads. Any X-Poinz earned can then be spent to learn new Techniques, upgrade Fighting Styles to make them truly extraordinary, purchase weapons and other equipment, and more!
Remember, X-Poinz are not a direct measure of power, but of experience. This means that two characters of similar X-Poinz totals can be drastically different in terms of skill and ability. One might be a physical powerhouse, able to cleave buildings in half with but a swing of their sword. The other might be a complete and utter weakling, but makes up for it with enough charisma to have some potent and loyal bodyguards at their disposal. X-Poinz allows diversity between characters, so whatever your character goals, you can always be sure that you can build as you want and not have to conform to some hard progression system.
At certain benchmarks a character will have earned enough X-Poinz in total throughout their adventures to enhance their skills and influence. An inexperienced adventurer has little chance of obtaining anything truly special, nor of forming a large and powerful organization. These benchmarks are as follows:
Once a character has earned an appropriate number of X-Poinz, they become entitled to new things. In order to improve upon one of your character’s Fighting Styles (“FiSt”), the character must surpass one of these benchmarks. For example, a character who has a total of 800 X-Poinz has passed the benchmark for “D” Class, and can therefore spend (200) X-Poinz on upgrading their Fighting Styles to “D” Class as well.
When a Fighting Style’s Class is increased, the characters gains further benefits. They can purchase new and more complex Techniques and Equipment that such a Fighting Style would use, such as a swordsman managing to obtain a Meitō, as well as gaining access to what is called an “Aspect” of that style. An Aspect is a special art or extension of the Fighting Style which strengthens it and allows for new, innovative uses. For example, Zoro’s ability to slice through stone and steel is considered an Aspect. Sanji’s “Diable Jambe” – an ability that ignites his legs to add the element of fire to his kicks – is also considered an Aspect.
What about Techniques and Equipment? These have their own rating system, defined by a “Rank” ranging from 0 to 5, and even beyond! In general, the higher the rank of a Technique, the more complex it is to learn and wield – the higher the rank of a piece of equipment, the higher its quality and the harder it is to replicate. The rank of a piece of equipment or a technique cannot exceed a certain threshold, and that threshold is based upon the Class of the Fighting Style it primarily belongs to. Here’s a table to show the way this works.
As an example, a character cannot learn a technique of Rank 3 until they have a Fighting Style of “D” Class or higher! The same applies to equipment. You can’t use weapons and other special tools if you don’t have the knowledge and skill to do so.
For Techniques, Rank is influenced by complexity. How much skill is required to execute the move? Normal attacks and “gag” techniques all fall under Rank 0 – they’re nothing special and pretty much anyone can do them. Attacks that use some sort of distinct pattern or general ability are considered Rank 1. For example, Luffy’s “Gomu Gomu no Pistol” is a Rank 1 Technique because it specifically makes use of his Devil Fruit’s passive elasticity to make his punch stretch. Zoro’s “Onigiri” – a series of three strong slashes that follow a distinct pattern – is another example.
Any Technique of Rank 2 or higher uses Aspects of their Fighting Style. Each additional Aspect increases the rank by one. A technique that uses two different Aspects would be (at minimum) a Rank 3 Technique.
Equipment follows a similar pattern to Techniques. Standard equipment that is easily obtained, such as a simple sword or flintlock – or even just daily items like a Log Pose or Den Den Mushi – is considered Rank 0. Any piece of equipment of Rank 1 or above generally is something special. It’s either very rare, made of some unusual material, or otherwise has distinct functions that are not easily replicated in the world of One Piece, which are represented by that item’s Qualities.
Here’s a table of X-Poinz costs for Techniques and Equipment:
There’s a lot more to learn about Techniques and Equipment when you’re ready. These are just the basics! For more information on Techniques and Fighting Styles, visit “The Dojo” – and take a look at “The Armory” for all the information on weapons and equipment.
