3. How To: Mechanics

One of the main parts of a Dragon Ball related RPG board is, of course, combat! This majestic anime is well-known for its intense fights, with tons of power struggles and ki blasts, and we don't want to be any different from it. Combat plays a major role here, and that's why we put a lot of effort into developing a nice system. In order to give players the same feeling as if they themselves were in favorite anime and manga.



Actions per Turn
Every Character can use a maximum of 1 action requiring stamina per turn, and 1 action that does not require stamina. What this means, is that Vegeta could dodge an attack with his basic melee then fire off an energy beam to counter attack. He could NOT however use a technique like after-image to dodge, then use an OT-1 to attack as both of those actions require a point of stamina.

The sole exception to this rule is when your opponent is below 50% of your character's power level. When such a situation happens, the stronger character will be allowed 2 actions per turn that use stamina, such as using Rapid Movement to reappear behind an opponent and firing an Energy Blast in the same turn.

Technique Mechanics

Techniques are the meat and bones of any Dragon Ball roleplay forum, and DBU is no different! However, once you have applied for a technique and have had it approved by Staff in the Technique Applications, you do not have to learn it IC, you can start using it right away!


Technique Tiers

They are separated into five tiers: Offense, Variation, Support, Passive and Unique. From there, each technique has it’s own tier which indicated how effective each of them are.

Offense Tier

[OT-1] 25% of your PL in damage
[OT-2] 50% of your PL in damage
[OT-3] 100% of your PL in damage

Variation Tier

[VT-1] 25% of your PL in damage, plus one effect
[VT-2] 50% of your PL in damage, plus one effect

In order to obtain a Variation, you first need an Offense Tier 1. Here are some examples:
Explosive Wave [OT-1] > Super Explosive Wave [OT-2] > Ultra Explosive Wave [OT-3]
alternatively; Explosive Wave [OT-1] > Stunning Wave [VT-1] > Super Stunning Wave [VT-2]

Support Tier

[ST-1] ex: Rapid Movement allows you to dodge up to 100% of your PL
[ST-2] ex: Afterimage allows you to dodge up to 175% of your PL
[ST-3] ex: Wild Sense allows you to dodge up to 250% of your PL

Unique Tier
[ULTIMATE] Destructo Disk

Ultimates are the strongest abilities you will learn when mastering a Martial Arts School. These are much more powerful than your [OT-3]’s and therefore have their own tier. You only have 2 available slots for unique techniques.


Technique Trees
So how many techniques can you get? Good question! There are three trees for you to pick from:

Offensive Tree

Level 1 = 0-10k PL can have 4 Offense Tiers and 2 Support Tiers
Level 2 = 11k-50k PL can have 8 Offense Tiers and 4 Support Tiers
Level 3 = 51k-100k PL can have 12 Offense Tiers and 6 Support Tiers
Level 4 = 101k-150k PL can have 16 Offense Tiers and 8 Support Tiers
Level 5 = 151k-200k PL can have 20 Offense Tiers and 10 Support Tiers

Defensive Tree

Level 1 = 0-10k PL can have 2 Offense Tiers and 4 Support Tiers
Level 2 = 11k-50k PL can have 4 Offense Tiers and 8 Support Tiers
Level 3 = 51k-100k PL can have 6 Offense Tiers and 12 Support Tiers
Level 4 = 101k-150k PL can have 8 Offense Tiers and 16 Support Tiers
Level 5 = 151k-200k PL can have 10 Offense Tiers and 20 Support Tiers

Balanced Tree

Level 1 = 0-10k PL can have 3 Offense Tiers and 3 Support Tiers
Level 2 = 11k-50k PL can have 6 Offense Tiers and 6 Support Tiers
Level 3 = 51k-100k PL can have 9 Offense Tiers and 9 Support Tiers
Level 4 = 101-150k PL can have 12 Offense Tiers and 12 Support Tiers
Level 5 = 151k-200k PL can have 15 Offense Tiers and 15 Support Tiers


Charging
Yes, moves can be charged! And they vary based upon their tiers. However in order to do so, you forfeit performing any other action during your turn. If you wish to continue charging you cannot perform any other action otherwise the build up charge is disrupted. Additionally if you are attacked and successfully hit with the same amount of PL as your base (or transformed) PL, this would disrupt your charge.

(Example: Goku tries to charge Kamehameha for 100% Charge and his PL is 100,000. Frieza fires a Death Beam at 100,000 PL at Goku. Goku’s charge is stopped - meaning he has to either fire his uncharged Kamehameha or cancel the technique and dodge instead.)

[OT-1] Moves charge via the following...
Turn 1 - 50% Damage
Turn 2 - 75% Damage
Turn 3 - 100% Damage

[OT-2] Moves charge via the following...
Turn 1 - 100% Damage
Turn 2 - 150% Damage
Turn 3 - 200% Damage

[OT-3] Moves charge via the following...
Turn 1 - 200% Damage
Turn 2 - 300% Damage
Turn 3 - 400% Damage

[VT-1] Moves charge via the following...
Turn 1 - 50% Damage
Turn 2 - 75% Damage
Turn 3 - 100% Damage

[VT-2] Moves charge via the following...
Turn 1 - 100% Damage
Turn 2 - 150% Damage
Turn 3 - 200% Damage


Beam Struggles
This is an intrinsic part of Dragon Ball, and couldn't be missed here on Dragon Ball Universe. As with the other rules, our goal is to keep things simple. Whenever two techniques clash, the stronger one will, as a general rule, prevail. However, if, during a beam struggle, a character still has available points of Stamina, he will be able to use them to add an additional charge, equivalent to the level of the technique, in order to try to turn the tables.

For example: Goku and Vegeta are in a Beam Struggle, where Goku's [OT-2]Kamehameha was fired at 12,000 PL, and Vegeta's [OT-3]Gallick Gun was fired at 18,000 PL. Considering that Goku used only 2 points of Stamina to fire his attack, while Vegeta used all his 3 points, Goku will be able to use his remaining stamina point to add an additional charge to his attack, raising its power to 24,000 PL. This way, Goku's Kamehameha will overcome Vegeta's Gallick Gun, and he will win the beam struggle.


Combining Attacks
It's entirely possible to combine attacks with friends in order to create a larger, more powerful blast. This is pretty simple. You add the total power level of both attacks and combine it into one!


Transforming
Transforming is a passive action and, therefore, takes place immediately as it's narrated by the player. Unless stated otherwise, transforming does not require the use of stamina, nor will recover any of it upon transforming. The sole exception to this rule is the first time a user transforms into a new form, which will completely renew his stamina pool and heal a small part of the players health. You cannot however, unlock multiple transformations in a single thread.


Absorbing Rules
In some cases a player may be able to absorb another. For this to happen your enemy must be ko'd and unable to move (or dead). People can always interfere with your absorption attempt, making it quite difficult to accomplish your goal.

Note: Vaporizing and Absorbing can only be done when a thread has become a Risk Of Death or a Saga.


Escaping
You may use your action to start attempting to run away in a thread. This means you cannot use another technique that requires stamina as you are attempting to run away. If no one stops you before your next turn, you do not post again and have successfully fled.

If someone does attack you while attempting to flee you must block the FULL damage or dodge the FULL damage coming at you. If you are hit with any of it your flee fails and must be attempted again if you wish, or you may simply return to the battle at hand if you use your action for anything other than attempting to flee again.



Stamina tells you how much energy your character has. Every new character will start with 3 points of stamina and will be able to increase this number later on in the game.

Using a technique usually consumes stamina points, below we have written out which kind of techniques do and don’t take stamina to use. To recover Stamina, the character needs to spend a whole turn without using any other techniques. It is important to point out that melee attacks also don't consume Stamina, and are a good way to keep on fighting while recovering from releasing a powerful attack.

Note: It’s a good idea for you to write how many points of stamina you have, and how many you use at the end of every post.

But your Stamina will not be the same forever! There are 2 ways of improving Stamina. Every character who achieves these milestones will be granted an additional point of Stamina:


Therefore, when achieving a milestone, the character's Stamina pool will be permanently increased by 1, this means you will eventually be able to have a maximum limit of 5 stamina. This makes the player much more deadly, as they can withstand the wear and tear of combat for far longer.

Stamina in relation to Dodging
Melee combat is the major part of combat, as the techniques are that special thing that can shift the odds in a battle. However, although melee attacks don’t consume Stamina, Stamina plays a major role on how effective you can fight. An untrained fighter can use 5% of their total power level in their regular attacks, while techniques can deal far more damage.

In order to successfully dodge an attack the character must be ABLE to do it. And Stamina determines just how much PL your character is capable of dodging (without the use of techs), as the following:



What is melee finess you ask? Well please see the Melee Finesse section in this thread.
**Important Information Regarding Dodging: Although an Afterimage [ST-1] technique can dodge up to 100% of the user's PL, it will NOT be able to dodge a [OT-3]. Keep that in mind.**

Stamina relation to Blocking
Being tired also affects how effectively you can block damage received. Therefore, we use the following:


Damage, Death and Vaporization
As it was already mentioned, we don't have a HP system. Therefore, we really need our users to play fair and square in order for everyone to be able to have fun. But, in order to have a fair game, we need some guidelines regarding how death works, so our users can use them. Stamina plays another major role in the ability to resist massive amounts of damage.

In order to die in combat, someone usually needs to take more than his total PL in damage, but we are not fixing an amount, as long as it’s lower than 250% of his total PL. However, to die in a single attack it goes like this:

As you can see, having 0 stamina is absolutely dangerous in battle and needs to be paid attention to. Also, dying in a single blast with this system doesn’t mean your character was vaporized; he was just too damaged and will die (or will be knocked out in the event it’s not a risk of death). At this point it’s is still possible to eat a Senzu Bean or healing to avoid death, but it has to be done immediately.

Another important thing is: if the attacking character states that the attack is not meant to kill, the one being attacked can survive , but they have to take into account that the attack will be at least crippling and will knock them out.

It's also important to point out that, in a Risk of Death/Saga thread, it is also completely possible to lose limbs. With the sole exception of the saiyan tail, all limbs can be regenerated if, on the same thread, the character heals, be it with senzu, a healing machine or a healing technique. But if the character doesn't heal in the thread, the limb is gone for good! Beware of that!




One of the main things in Dragon Ball is the martial arts and its respective schools. The purpose of training a certain fighting style of a martial arts school is to push one’s physical condition so that they become stronger. Therefore, a trained martial artist is far more deadly than an average street brawler, since they can harvest the fullest potential of their bodies to increase the efficiency of their attacks, dodges and blocks.


Melee damage/finesse...
Every player will start with 5% melee finesse. What that means, is every time you punch, kick or use a basic energy blast (not a technique) you will deal 5% of your total PL in damage. However, a trained martial artist can increase their melee finesse depending on how far they have advanced in their School.

[BG] – Beginner = 10% PL applied for both offensive and defensive moves
[IN] – Intermediate = 15% PL applied for both offensive and defensive move
[AD] – Advanced = 20% PL applied for both offensive and defensive moves

This means that as a Beginner, you will be able to deal 10% of your total PL in basic damage, and so on and so forth. Make sure you refer to the stamina rules as Stamina will always affect how efficiently your character can fight!


Martial Arts School
Everyone is encouraged to look for a martial arts school to learn the ways of fighting so that you can develop plot with your master and fellow students and also develop your own character traits and skills! Everyone can learn at a martial arts school, as long as they fill in the requirements set by the master, pay the fees and have the right motivation.

There are both canon schools as well as custom schools that you can join. If you choose to join a canon school that does not currently have a master, then you must first buy a Dojo and a Martial Arts School from the Iguana Street Mall, and then proceed to learning the school on your own. You must somehow incorporate the method in which you’ve learned the cannon school.

You will also be able to create your own school in the same way, you must purchase the needed items, then proceed to train yourself up to the level of [AD] Advanced before becoming the master.

Every character can be a part of 2 schools, meaning that he can either be a student of 2 schools, a master of 2 schools, or finally, the most common one: be a student of one school and a master of another.

Learning from a master is far easier than creating a style yourself. This way, to advance in a school you decide to learn from you will need to fill the following requirements:

[BG] = Any PL. Be accepted by the master.
[IN] = 10,000 PL.
[AD] = 50,000 PL.

For someone creating their own fighting style:
[BG] = 10,000 PL.
[IN] = 50,000 PL.
[AD] = 100,000 PL.

To advance in a fighting style you will need to finish a thread with your master (Player character or otherwise). Every thread in which you are learning a School Technique must have 500 words dedicated to learning each technique.

Note: All techniques pertaining to a martial arts school MUST be learned IC. Each tier of the school must be learned in a separate thread. This encourages the idea that it's taken more than one day to master. Since the first threads start date is the day the RP takes place, no matter how long it lasts...

ex:
I start my BG training on Sept10th. The thread ends on Sept 20th. ( I mastered BG)
I start my IN training on Sept 20th. The thread ends Oct1 ( I mastered IN)
The BG thread and the IN thread are IC 10 days apart from one another, not one day after the next. This is to give school a more real sense in learning it. While irl it can take years to master a specific fighting style, we obviously don't have that kind of time here


Becoming a Master
Inheriting a school: if there was a previous master alive, the player needs to have the master pass the torch to him, recognizing him as his true successor or, in case of the death of a master, one student would need to claim the title.

For schools with no master or brand new ones: The character will need to, after buying the items needed, post a solo thread with at least 1,000 words claiming a title or mastering his style. After that he/she will fill the role of master with both advantages and responsibilities.

Masters can select their students using their own criteria and are allowed to charge them fees for teaching the techniques and fighting style within the established limitations, and are able to flavor those fees as anything. The amount paid goes to the master, so he is free to choose not to charge a student at his own responsibility.
School Techniques
Each and every school will have 3 techniques to be taught, and those techniques don't count towards the characters technique limitations. Any specials learned from a school do count towards their 2 Unique tier spots.

**All of those techniques will have to be approved by the staff beforehand and assigned to your school.**


Master's Fees
… A Master can charge his students for teaching them. The nature of the fee can vary and be flavored any way the master wants (buying a dogi, paying for rent due to staying on the master house, pure fee for learning the techs…), and can be easily negotiated ic between master and student. However, the fees cannot be higher than:

[BG] = 500z.
[IN] = 1,000z.
[AD] = 2,000z.

Once paid, it’s understood that the Master had previously accepted the character as a student and, therefore, he cannot refuse to teach him without a proper reason and subsequent refunding of the money paid, otherwise he will face judgment from the staff.



Celestial Events


Certain abilities are affected by various Celestial events. Below you will find a list of the events and which parts of the month they are active!

Full Moon: 1st through 9th,
Makyo Star: 10th through 19st,
Solar Eclipse: 20th through 25th ,
No Celestial Events on 26 through 31st