The Velvet Book (Draft 0.3) - HQ

What is Monsters and Other Childish Things?
Monsters and Other Childish Things (MaOCT) is a roleplaying game written

by Benjamin Baugh, based on Wild Talents by Dennis Detwiller and Greg
Stolze, using the One Roll Engine (O.R.E.) that Stolze designed. In it, the
players control school-age Kids (Elementary through High School, usually)
who are accompanied by horrible, slavering, nightmarish Monsters that also
happen to be a Kids best friend. They have adventures, deal with school
bullies (hopefully with words, not by eating them), experiences crushes
(again, hopefully without eating them) and discover the horrible secrets of
other worlds on the fringes of human awareness. Good fun is had by all.
What is Persona?
Persona is a Japanese Roleplaying Video Game series made by Atlus. A
spin-off of the Shin Megami Tensei series, Persona focuses on high
schoolers pitted jointly against other-worldly forces and the crushing gravity
of their own social obligations and psychological trauma. Their instrument
for dealing with these are Personas: manifestations of psycho-spiritual
power that come to their aid and defense. In each of the Persona games,
the player controls a group of Persona users who must unravel the mysteries
of some supernatural phenomena that threatens the existence of their
friends, town, or even the entire world.
What am I reading?
The Velvet Book is a conversion module for MaOCT designed to optimize
its rules for running a game inspired by the Persona series. In truth, you can
run Persona with MaOCTs vanilla rules; the Drunk and Ugly Podcast did an
entire series like that (check out Shin Megami Tensei and Other Childish
Things) and it worked just fine. All you need to do is change Monster to
Persona and youre done.
This module, however, is designed for players who want to inject a little bit
more Persona flair into their MaOCT game. It shows how to slip your
characters more into the mold of a Persona protagonist; has some new
rules that introduces elements from the Persona series into the gameplay of
MaOCT; and has some advice and ground-rules for GMs to help them run a
game inspired by Persona.
So, then, without further ado...

Contents
Chapter I: Characters 5
Arcana Archetypes Index 8
Chapter II: Personas 13
Persona and Arcana Compendium 18
Chapter III: Combat 21
Chapter IV: The Players Chapter (WIP)
Chapter V: Shadows 32
Appendix A: Sample NPCs 39

Appendix B: The Shadow Compendium 46 (WIP)
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My soul, my soul, where are you?
Do you hear me?
I speak, I call youare you there? I have returned, I am here again. I have shaken the dust of
all the lands from my feet, and I have come to you, I am with you. After long years of long
wandering, I have come to you again....
Do you still know me? How long the separation lasted! Everything has become so different.
And how did I find you? How strange my journey was! What words should I use to tell you on
what twisted paths a good star has guided me to you?
Give me your hand, my almost forgotten soul. How warm the joy at seeing you again, you
long disavowed soul. Life has led me back to you. ... My soul, my journey should continue
with you. I will wander with you and ascend to my solitude.
C. G. Jung, 12 November 1913
Chapter I: Characters
Your Character
Not much changes in how a player character is built in this module from vanilla MaOCT. Youre still a
seemingly normal adolescent. Persona characters are usually high-school age, though theres nothing to
stop a GM from running a middle-school, elementary school or even college Persona experience.
Your Stats
The Velvet Book uses the same fundamental Stats as MaOCT: Feet, Guts, Hands, Brains and Face.
However, the process of fusing Persona into the mix has changed them somewhat; now each is coupled
with a social stat inspired by those used in Persona 3-5.
Feet are coupled to Diligence

Guts is still Guts
Hands are coupled to Proficiency
Brains are coupled to Knowledge
Face is coupled to Expression
This isnt that much of a change from how Stats work in MaOCT. In that game, Feet represented your
overall ability to move around without looking like a dorkus, and Face was both your sociability and
your actual grill. Were just surfacing those links because, in Persona, a characters inner-self is more
important than their outward ability.
Stat Details
Diligence is your self-discipline. Characters with low diligence are frail and shaky on their feet because
they lack the focus and drive to strengthen themselves. Characters with high diligence are strong and
steady regardless of how much strain they feel.
Guts is your moxie and bravery. Its largely the same as in vanilla MaOCT. Gutless people snivel and
retreat; Gutsy folks run in to save the day.
Proficiency is your talent and craftinessusually involving stuff with your hands like painting or music.
The Proficient love their work and take pride in it; a lack of Proficiency makes you clumsy or like your
hands are always coated in potato chip grease.
Knowledge is how smart and alert you are. It includes both book learning and creative problem solving.
Low-knowledge characters are easily stumped, while Knowledgeable ones figure can figure out complex
puzzles.
Expression is your ability to deal with others tactfully, or sneakily. An Expressionless person is a
wallflower, whereas a person full of Expression is the life of the party.
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Your Skills
Skills have been adjusted slightly to accommodate the style of play encouraged by Persona. Old Skills are
listed as unchanged, new ones are described.
Diligent Skills
Beat Down: Hit things that cant hit back. This includes inanimate objects like doors, lockers and crates,
and living-but-helpless things like jerk Rico after your Converse to his groin flattened him.
Block: Stop things from hitting other things. Unchanged except now its under a different Stat.
P.E.: Running, jumping, climbing, carrying, etc. Unchanged.
Gutsy Skills
Courage: Standing up to bullies and elder gods alike. Unchanged
Fighting: Facing off against foes that can fight back. This is basically Kicking, Wrestling and Punching
rolled into one skill. If your foe cant resist you, roll Beat Down instead.
Wind: How healthy and generally in-shape you are. Unchanged.
Proficient Skills
Aim: How precise your eye is. Use this to throw a basketball, chuck eggs at the principals car or shoot
your dads hunting rifle. Remember kids: guns are dangerous.
Reflexes: Getting out of harms way. Its basically the same as Dodge, but under a different Stat.
Shop: How good you are with your hands, especially when it comes to making stuff. Unchanged.
Knowledgable Skills
Academics: Your books-smarts. It has the same function as Remember, and is basically unchanged.
Notice: Spotting things before they endanger you. Unchanged.
Out-Think: Figuring problems out. Unchanged.
Expressive Skills
Charm: Making people like you. Unchanged
Connive: Lying to and tricking people. Unchanged
Put-Down: Delivering sick burns. Unchanged.
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Relationships, Arcana and Archetypes

One of the reasons why MaOCT works so well for Persona is that both games feature rules by which a
characters relationship with another person can improve their ability to complete a task.
Persona introduces a new level to

Arcana and Psychology these interactions: Arcana. As in the Major
Arcana of the Tarot Deck. Each Relationship is
Atlus didnt adopt the Arcana system for Persona just to add linked with one of the Arcana, which describes
another element of mysticism to their game. The psychologist core aspects of that persons nature or the
Carl Jung, whose interpretation of the persona and shadow nature of his or her circumstances. The section
serves as the basis for this entire game, viewed the Arcana as that follows lists the 22 Major Arcana and what
archetypes for the human condition, and represented distinct, kind of people they represent. For each of your
obvservable patterns of human behavior and mental conditions. Relationships, choose which Arcana best fits
His archetypes are listed in italics along side each Arcana. that characters personality or how you relate
to that person. Remember, Relationships can
be with Groups or Things; so your Relationship with the Football Team could be of the Chariot Arcana
(as the archetype of success in spite of resistance), and your Relationship with the Quran could be of
the Hierophant Arcana (as the archetype of moral guidance and spiritual authority).
Each Arcana offers certain benefits to your character and your Persona that will be covered later
in this module; for now just review the list and use it as a
tool to match your Relationships to the Arcana they are Arcana and Gender
archetypical of. Try and choose a different Arcana for
each Relationship. The following section uses gendered pronouns for each
Arcana. These are based on the traditional
In addition, you must choose an Arcana for your interpretation for each Arcanas psychological
own charactersomething that resonates with who they archetype (as well as the symbolism on the Arcana
are and what they want in life. Each player characters itself). Its not absolute. You can have a male High
Arcana should be unique and, ideally, unique within the Priestess, a female Heirophant or, like, a genderfluid
game. That way the PCs themselves can benefit from Lover. What matters is how they act, not what they are.
forging Relationships with each other.
Starting Relationships
In MaOCT, new characters start with 6d to spread across however many Relationships they want. In
Persona, however, the players social network is a blank slate, usually because hes new in town. The
Velvet Book balances these approaches by giving starting characters the same 6d, but not necessarily at
once. Instead, the GM can choose to introduce potential Relationships gradually, and allowing the
players to assign those first 6d as they come. This approach works nicely for long-term campaign play.
For shorter one-shots, we suggest following the standard MaOCT rules.
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Arcana Archetypes Index
The Magician Surpassing the plausible

The Magician represents a person with knowledge or skill that surpasses your own. He
could be a mentor or a peer whose made it his mission to achieve some great feat.
However, magicians tend to exhibit magical thinkingexcess faith in the pursuit of an
unrealistic goal (surpassing the plausible).
Examples: A conspiracy theorist who knows the secrets of the Shadow World; a student pursuing a
relationship with a teacher; an eccentric scientist who lives in the old mansion down the street.
The High Priestess Hidden influence

The High Priestess is someone whos got a secret or secrets. She often seeks positions of
authority but prefers to run things from behind the scenes. Shes usually a tough nut to
crack, but can be a valuable ally as you need to earn her trust before shell spill the beans.
Examples: A guidance counsellor whos got a whiff of the weirdness going on; the vice-
captain of the cheerleading squad who knows everyones dirty laundry
The Empress Gentle power

The Empress gets things done. Shes a politician who knows that an easy smile and a firm
handshake can work where the threat of force fails. Shes smart and determined, and
usually kind and genuine, but that doesnt make crossing her any less unwise.
Examples: The school principal who knows how to keep her kids in-line; the mayor
elected on a reform platform; your mom.
The Emperor Irresistible power

The Emperor demands respect. Hes in a position of power and hes earned it, by god, so
you better fall in line whether you like it or not. Not all Emperors are tyrantsa good
ruler uses his might wiselybut tyrants are usually Emperors.
Examples: The coach of the football team who hasnt lost a championship in six years; the
CEO wholl do anything to raise stock value; the boss of the local gang of greasers.
The Hierophant Spiritual authority

The Hierophant is who you turn to for moral and ethical guidance. You trust him when it
comes to matters of right and wrong, good and bad. Sometimes though this goes to their
head and they start thinking that they are the sole arbiters of morality.
Examples: The parson at your local church; your English teacher whos been through a lot
and knows how hard it is to be a kid; your dad.
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The Lovers Intense affection

The Lovers love, and love means having to make tough decisions. Who to date, what
career to pursue, whether to move away for school or stay home and support the family
business: this person a faces a hard choice that may determine the route her life takes.
Examples: The cute but nerdy guy slipping anonymous notes into your locker; the child
of divorce who must choose which parent to stay with; the graduate torn between moving off to school
or staying to support the family business
The Chariot Success in spite of resistance

The Chariot is one of the many Arcana that embody action. In particular, it means a
person who struggles and perseveres in pursuit of victory even against significant
roadblocks. If his goal seems out of reach, you may be the one who helps him grab it.
Examples: The underdog football team who hasnt had a winning season in a decade; the
studious bookworm who maintains a 4.0 despite difficult family circumstances.
Justice The rule of law

A person of the Justice Arcana is all about rules, regulation and doing whats required,
even in situations that would seem to require a more nuanced outlook. Hes rigid and
inflexible and once hes made up his mind theres no budging him.
Examples: The truancy officer with a firm three-strikes policy; the school gossip who
keeps a book of every slight against her; the religious kid who keeps his beliefs in the face of challenges.
The Hermit Isolation

The Hermit perfers to go it alone. Maybe she thinks she gets more done by herself and
thinks other people will just slow her down; or maybe theres something unpleasant going
on behind the scenes driving her to recede from the social scene.
Examples: Your poor trailer park friend who never invites you over his house; the egg-
head whod rather study than go to a party; the guy on probation trying to stay out of trouble.
Fortune The unpredictable

The Fortune Arcana is actively trying to reroute his future by seizing a big opportunity. Its
doubtlessly a massive risk, and the dangers of failure match or even outweigh the reward
hes seeking, but that doesnt matter. Sink or swim hes got to take the shot.
Examples: The kid who films himself doing dumb stunts on YouTube; a gambler who plays
to pull himself out of crippling debt; a businessman who puts everything he owns into a new enterprise.
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Strength A great feat

Strength is a person, not of physical might but of resourcefulness and inner fortitude. She
looks for creative solutions to problems and doesnt back down when confronted with
severe threatshence why its Arcana depicts a maiden holding a lion at bay.
Examples: A streetwise punk who knows how to survive in the underground; a wife
keeping her family intact while her husband is at war
The Hanged Man Sacrifice

The Hanged Man is a martyr. He gives up a part of he for the greater good or in pursuit of
some deeper enlightenment, usually of his own accord. Hes selfless and uncaring of the
hardship he brings upon himself. Or that's what he wants people to think
Examples: A terminally ill billionaire who turns to philanthropy; an overworked but
devoted teacher; a criminal who tries to help others avoid his mistakes.
Death Coming to an end

This isnt as scary as it sounds. Ends can bring new beginnings, and a person of the Death
Arcana understands this better than anyone, as he has changed after experiencing loss.
Learning to cope with this and carrying on is Deaths burden, as change is an inevitable
part of life.
Examples: A surgeon whos lost many patients; an office worker coping with financial ruin; a washed up
and purposeless athlete.
Temperance Time passes

Waiting is the nature of a person of the Temperance Arcana. Shes usually someone whos
got a lot going on and tries to balance all of it at onceand keeping those plates spinning
is a full time job. Shes patient in looking for a solution, but time is a cruel mistress.
Examples: A teacher who works a second job to support her kids; an overachiever
involved in every after school activity he could sign up for.
The Devil Nemesis

The Devil thinks with his heart (or his stomach, orother parts) before his head. Hes
often a pleasure seeker, trapped by his habits, and would love for you to join his party.
Above all, a Devil is passionate in whatever he truly wants and pursues it hungrily.
Examples: the food reviewer whose lost his faith in the food industry; your impulsive,
troublemaking older brother; the classmate who grows and sells weed.
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The Tower Failure

The Tower has experienced some great disaster, or seems to bring disaster on others.
Whichever it is, he knows what its like to suffer. Towers usually fall into this state
because of their doing, thanks to pride or a lack of foresight and outside counsel.
Examples: a homeless man buried in debt; a street racer who lost his legs in a crash; a
gangster who always gets his dues paid.
The Star Distance

The Stars got a dream that inspires her and fills her with hope, even if its far off and not
terribly realistic. Inspite of whatever obstacles she faces shes resolute in her pursuit,
never losing sight of her objective twinkling in the darkness.
Examples: an artist who wants to master his craft; an activist who wants to inspire hope
in the government; an inner city teacher who wants her students to reach for a better life.
The Moon Longing

The Moon has a dream, but instead of chasing it she tries to live in it. She longs for life
other than her own and masks that longing with fantasysometimes to protect her
mental state, or worse, as a way to deny the reality around her
Examples: a rich girl who spends frivilously to hide her feelings of neglect; an artist with
delusions of fame and grandeur; a bullied kid who retreats into a world of science fiction.
The Sun Triumph

The Sun has a dream, and attacks it with a relentless, fiery drive. She wont stop, wont
rest until its firmly in her grasp, and her confidence invigorates everyone around her.
Even in the face of tragedy and defeat, she never loses her passion or spirit.
Examples: the valedictorian applying for the countrys top university; a scientist pursuing
a groundbreaking new theory; an aging artist who strives to complete his magnum opus.
Judgement Final outcome

Judgement holds the future in her handsyours, your familys, the student bodys, the
towns or some other person or group. Its up to her to weigh the options and evidence
and make a call that will determine the shape of that future.
Examples: a developer buying up parts of the city breathe new life into it; a town official
assessing whether to liquidate a troubled school disctrict; your parole officer.
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The previous pages list the standard Arcana encounterd in Persona as characters the player can
interact with. There are still two more, though, not covered. These are somewhat special in that regard
as they have unique roles both as Arcana and in Persona.
The Fool Carefree ignorance

In Persona, The Fool normally represents the main character, as controlled by the player
himself. Thats because The Fool is a blank slate, utterly unaware of whats about to
transpire. Its you, before all the craziness that is life happens to you. So a relationship
with the Fool isnt usually with a person but with your journey itselfyour advance from
being carefree and ignorant of the greater world to fully understanding it and your place in the cosmic
scheme of things. Since this is a fairly big theme to deal with, a GM may want to make it easier on
everyone and keep the Fool as a separate shared relationship that all players in the party can have. If
the Fool is, indeed, a person, then its either the person who baptized you into all this craziness, cracking
the shell of your ignorance, or its someone with a childs knowledge of the world.
Examples: your groups crusade against the Shadows; the mysterious figure who taught you how to
Evoke your Persona; your 5 year old nephew.
The World Success at hand

If The Fool is the start of your understanding of the universe, then The World, fittingly, is
its culmination. In Persona the World Arcana comes into play at the very end of the game,
once the mystery at the heart of the narrative is laid bare and all other cards, literal and
figurative, are on the table. One suggestion for GMs is that the World is the antithesis of
the Fool: as one moves away from ignorance and embraces understanding, they cease to be The Fool
and embrace the World. Its not really an Arcana meant to casual use, but one that stands for the final
road markers on the partys journey to enlightenment and the fulfillment of their task. If you want it to
be a person, then its the guy with All the Answers, or, conversely, the final boss at the end of the line.
Examples: your groups goal to reach the source of the Shadows and stop their incursions once and for
all; the being of pure thought who oversees the unconscious realm; the living nightmare waiting for you
at the end of your dreams.
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Chapter II: Personas
What is a Persona?
A Persona is a part of your characters psyche and personality that manifests a physical form to serve
and protect you.
One reason why Persona and Monsters and Other Childish Things go together like chocolate and
peanut butter is because of how similar Monsters and Personas are-- but they aren't the same. This
section addresses both points.
How Personas are the Same as Monsters

Personas aren't from around here. What exactly causes a character to manifest a Persona depends on
the the GMs backstory, but it's not a normal thing that happens to people. For you to have a Persona
that you can call on, something seriously weird has happened to your life. Personas arent affected by
hunger, exhaustion or any other physical strain that would endanger a normal creature.
Your Personas got your back. Its your weaponized subconscious. It exists to protect you from
otherwordly threats youd otherwise be hopelessly unequipped for, and its the means by which you can
combat those threats.
Personas have the same basic parts. You build a Persona the exact same way you build a Monster: with
dice, hit locations and extras. Theres a few new bits but talk about those when we get to them, and
they only add a couple technical details to the process.
How Personas are Different from Monsters

Personas dont exist in the real world. These are in quotation marks because existance and the
real world can be fluid concepts in Persona. In most versions of the game, a Persona cant interact with
the mundane world around you in any meaningful way. But stories taking place in a Persona setting
usually travel between our world and other, stranger ones where Personas (among other, nastier things)
are quite tangible forces. That said, we encourage a GM to freely bend or ignore this rule if theyd prefer
their setting to be one where Personas can freely interfere with their users lives. It wont break the
game, we promise.
Your Persona is a part of you. There are some optional rules later in this module that tweak this axiom,
but generally speaking you have one Persona, and it's special to you because it springs from some mysic
recess of your mind. As a result, it normally takes on a form thats significant to you, like a character
from a fairy tale your grandma recited to you when you were little; a fictional or mythological hero you
identify with; or a weird, non-euclidean mass of soccerballs and astroturf (astralturf?) congealed out of
your love of sports. Whatever it is, its a fragment of your own psychic matrix. It may act like an
independent, separate creature, but its still, in some way, the product of your own fears and
aspirations.
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Should Personas have personalities?

In the Persona video games, a character's Persona can talk with its user and has a definite
personality, but it never actually factors into the player's experience with the game. Most Personas
have a few lines of dialog when they're initially summoned, and are silent for the other 50-100 hours
of game time. You can certainly play this module that way, thereby making your Persona just a tool
to solve puzzles and a weapon to vanquish evil. But we don't recommend it. Doing so ignores key
features of the tabletop role-playing format and of Monsters and Other Childish Things in particular.
We encourage players to treat their Personas like fully formed characters with their own voices,
desires, frustrations, fears and needs. You'll get much more mileage out of the experience that way,
trust us.
Forging your Persona

The Velvet Book uses the same rules to create a Persona as Monsters and Other Childish Things uses for
making Monsters. The big difference is how many dice you get for each Hit Location, for which there are
two models.
3d Personas are best suited to long-term, campaign driven gameplay. They start weak (3d per
Hit Location, for a total of 30 dice), but it leaves a lot of room for growth and customization, and each
new die or Extra you add to your Persona feels like a major accomplishment. It's also a good model for
new players to the game, since it means you'll be introduced to Extras and new Qualities more gradually
instead of having a huge lump of them dropped onto your character sheet at once. 3d Personas also put
more emphasis on the human side of the Persona/User equation, since their dice pools are more
comparable.
5d Personas may fit better in one-shot style gameplay. These follow the standard MaOCT rules
(5d per Hit Location, a total of 50 dice), meaning you're starting the game out slinging 8-10d dice pools
with lots of Extras stacked on top. You can definitely still play a long-term campaign with 5d Personas,
but you're going to be facing severe threats from the moment your feet touch the ground, and each
additional die you earn for your Persona is less of a big deal. 5d Personas also tend to marginalize
human characters during Shadow combat, since a 5d Persona can just deal so much more damage. A
GM running one of these games may decide to levy additional restraints on when and how a Persona
can be used to combat this.
To illustrate how these rules work, the following page has examples of each model. It also
demonstrates some of the new features introduced into Persona design.
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Orpheus (3d Persona) Arcana: The Fool
Favorite Thing: Music

Evocation: SEES Model Evoker
Resist: Fire
Weak: Dark
1-2 Mechanical Legs 5d

Defends, Wicked Fast x1
3-4 Resonator Core 5d

Useful (Control Sound), Tough x1
5-6 Musicians Hands 5d

Useful (Dexterity), Sweet x1
7-9 Mystic Harp 6d

Attacks (Physical, Fire), Awesome x2
10 Mournful Visage 3d
Useful (Weaken Spirits
Arsene (5d Persona) Arcana: The Fool
Favorite Thing: Stealing

Evocation: Unmasking
Resist: Dark
Weak: Light
1-2 Fancy Bladed Legs 6d

Defends, Attacks, Awesome x1, Wicked Fast x2
3 Gentleman's Coat 4d
Useful (bottomless pockets), Tough x1
4-5 Nimble Claws 8d

Attacks, Useful (picking pockets and locks), Sweet x1
6-8 Wings of Darkness 8d

Attacks (Dark, Wind), Useful (Windy Flight), Defends,
Awesome x2, Gnarly x2
9 Glowy Eyes 5d
Useful (see the invisible)
10 Dapper Tophat 5d
Useful (magic tricks)
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As you can see, the process and end results are fundamentally the same, with only a few new
details added. We'll get to those in a bit. First let's talk about Extras.
Extras, Old and New

This module is compatible with all of the Extras from Monsters and Other Childish Things as well as
those added in Bigger Bads. Some GMs may choose to avoid Range, Bigness or other Extras but that's
their call; none of MaOCT's Extras are inherently allergic to Persona.
Along with the above, this module adds as Extras two vital pieces to the Persona puzzle: Element
and Healing.
Element: This Extra applies to an Attacks Quality. Normally, you can choose to add one Elemental effect
to an Attacks Quality at no charge, but this Extra lets you add another. This was used on Arsene's Wings
of Darkness location, where it says Attacks (Dark, Wind). It means that Arsene can use its Wings to
launch either Dark- or Wind-based attacks. Each instance of this Extra on a location adds another
Element to an Attack's Arsenal, so you could trade 4d to be able to attack with 5 different Elements
(We'll get into how Elemental attacks work in the next section)
Healing: This Extra applies to a Useful Quality. It allows that Quality to restore Width-1 dice to a Persona
(including itself) that lost them due to damage. Height doesn't matter-- a roll of 3x5 can heal 2 dice
anywhere on the target's hit locations. This is pretty powerful, so it's got limited uses. Each point of
Healing you add to a Useful Quality lets it heal once per fight or scene. Healing x1 is a single use, Healing
x3 has three doses.
Arcana
The first of the new design elements is Arcana. We talked about Arcana back in the Characters chapter,
focusing on how they add another layer to your Relationships. Well, Arcana also affects your Persona.
Specifically your Arcana.
Your Persona shares your Arcana. If you are a Hanged Man, so is your Persona. Why does this matter?
Personas are shaped by their Arcana. Just as a humans Arcana is tied to her mental and emotional
condition, a Personas Arcana shapes its physical form. Personas of the Emperor appear as powerful,
imposing icons of irresistable authority, while Personas of the Moon manifest as avatars of illusions,
dreams and, yes, as avatars and representatives of the moon itself. A Persona is almost always some
character or figure from folklore, mythology or even popular fictionanything implanted into the
collective consciousness of human culture. You may not even fully understand why your Persona has a
certain form, and learning its significance may be a major step towards understanding yourself.
On page [XX] theres an index of features and qualities shared by Personas of each Arcana. Just
know that Arcana is meant to be a guide to form, not a restriction on it. We encourage you to be as
creative as you want in bringing form and life to your Persona.
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Evocation
Unlike Monsters, Personas dont hide. Theyre already hidden by default, squirrelled away within their
users consciousness. So the normal rules about Monsters having a unique Way to Hide is flipped
around: Personas have a unique way to appear. This is called their Evocation.
Depending on your GMs story, all Persona users may have a common method of Evocation. This
is how it works in Persona 3, where Personas are forcibly hauled from their users minds with devices
called Evokers; and in Persona 5, where users wear masks that, when stripped off, call out their
Personas. Persona 1 and 2 have no defined method of Evocation, and in Persona 4, characters smashed
hallucinatory tarot cards to unleash their Personas in various ways (kicking, crushing in ones hand,
shooting with a gun).
Elemental Resistance and Weakness

This is a big one. A key part of combat in Persona is that Personas and the threats they face can be weak
against certain elemental forces and strong against others. Exploiting this system is essentially the core
of Personas battle engine. Its not quite as important in this module, simply because grafting those rules
unchanged into MaOCT would blow the games flow of battle to smithereens. But its still present and
accounted for.
What are they? The Elements of Persona

In Persona, Elements are the physical forces and natural energies Each Persona game has a unique batch of
that Personas are subject to. They infuse a Persona, strengthening it Elements, and your GM can choose which
against certain threats in exchange for exposing it to others. he wants to use for his game. He can also
make-up any that suit his setting. Bear in
Resistance and Weakness mind that the more Elements you have, the
more unpredictable combat can become.
Resistance reduces the damage a Persona takes to all locations by 1
when its hit by an attack of a particular element. Weakness is the Common Elements
opposite: it adds 1 damage when the Persona is hit by that element. Fire
Ice
In Arsenes example posted two pages earlier, it takes 1 less Electric
damage from Dark attacks and 1 more damage from Light attacks. Wind (also called Force in some games)
This in addition to any points of Tough a Persona has in the damaged Dark (also called Curse in some games)
location. Light (also called Bless in some games)
Uncommon Elements
For each Resistance your Persona has, it must also have a Earth
Weakness. You dont need a Resistance, but it definitely makes the Water
game feel more like Persona. Nuclear
Psychokinesis
Gravity
(Page #)
Persona and Arcana Compendium
The Magician: Personas of the Magician are, as The Lovers: Personas of the Lovers are associated
their name suggest, explicitly magical. They are with romance and affection, of both the pure and
figures that have supreme mastery of some force tragic kind. They include gods and spirits of love
of the physical world, whether as a nature spirit, as well as mythic and literary figures entangled in
an elemental deity or a hero so exceptionally love triangles, forbidden romance and fiery
skilled that his talents seem magical in their own passion. Examples: Aphrodite, Carmen,
right. Examples: Djinn, Gandalf, Houdini, Jiraiya, Guinevere, Ishtar, Kushinada, Lord Byron, Tristan
Nikola Tesla, Queen Mab, Susanoo, Zorro
The Chariot: Personas of the Chariot are warriors
The High Priestess: Personas of the High Priestess and heroes of extraordinary strength and skill.
are normally feminine figures of wisdom and Their martial prowess dominates the battlefield
strength, who wield their insight into the swiftly and completely, and are the things of
mysteries of the universe as a powerful weapon. legend. Gods and goddesses of war are included
They often take the form of maidens, princesses, within this Arcana. Examples: Ares, Athena, Davy
witches and spiritual warrior women. Examples: Crockett, Hercules, Lu Bu, Miyamoto Musashi,
Artemis, Konohana Sakuya, Lady of the Lake, Pope Thor,
Joan, Pythia, Scathach
Justice: Personas of Justice are towering icons of
The Empress: Personas of the Empress are law and order, frequently at the expense of all
renowned queens from folklore and antiquity and other concepts, which they smash beneath their
high goddesses of mythology. Though they hold gavels or rend to shreds with sharp swords. They
almighty power, they wield it with a maternal include those who craft the law; enforce it; and
hand, though never with weakness. Examples: pass judgement against its violators. Examples:
Durga, Echidna, Ellen Ripley, Freya, Hippolyta, Isis, Hammurabi, Javert, Judge Dread, Lady Justice,
Titania, Zenobia Punisher, King Enma
The Emperor: Personas of the Emperor are, as The Hermit: The Hermits Personas exemplify the
their name suggests, famous emperors and kings fruits of contemplation and inner strength built
as well as the chief gods of different mythologies. through meditation and knowing ones self. They
Their power is absolute, dominant and include gods and wise men who gained spiritual
overwhelming to stand against, forcing all to bend awareness through their own inward focus as well
the knee. Examples: Alexander the Great, Caesar, as poets and artists whose isolation produced
Gilgamesh, Jade Emperor, Oberon, Odin, Zeus works of genius. Examples: Baba Yaga, Chiron,
Dante, Gautama Buddha, J.D. Salinger, Kurt
The Hierophant: Personas of the Hierophant Cobain Yoda
typify figures of profound wisdom and spiritual
strengthprophets, gurus, holy men and saints. Fortune: Fortunes Personas represent the cycles
They are guides along the road to enlightenment of the world. Good luck and bad, rise and decline,
and higher understanding. Examples: Confucius, the steady march of time. These Personas spring
Elijah, Obi-Wan Kenobi, Pythagoras, Thoth, Virgil, from myths that seek to explain these cycles and
Xuanzang help one cope with the inevitability of change and
the randomness of life. Examples: Janus, Erwin
Schrodinger, Fortuna, Norns, Pele, Persephone
(Page #)
Strength: Strength Personas are warriors famed The Tower: Tower Personas bring doom or are
for their unshakable bravery and resolve. Their themselves doomed, by fate or by their own
legends have them stand against seemingly arrogance. Some are legends cursed by higher
insurmountable dangers, driven inexorably by powers for impudence, others are gods or spirits
faith, willpower or unbending devotion to a of wrath and destruction. Examples: Abdul
cause. Examples: Beowulf, Boudicca, Hua Mulan. Alhazred, Cu Chulainn, The Fisher King, Macbeth,
Jeanne dArc, Sif, Siegfried, William Wallace Odysseus, Set, Shiva
The Hanged Man: Personas of the Hanged Man The Star: Personas of the Star embody hope,
are martyrsgods and heroes who have suffered possibility, inspiration and virtue. More
tremendous hardship and sacrifice in the pursuit specifically they may be gods or spirits of music
of a higher cause, even to the point of death and and art, and even of the stars themselves, which
beyond. Examples: Benkei, Frodo Baggins, symbolize the yearning of human hearts for
Prometheus, Socrates, St. Peter, Valentine distant desires. Examples: Buck Rogers, Calisto,
Michael Smith Da Vinci, Galahad, Maat, The Pleiades, Sarasvati
Death: Death Personas are, naturally, beings of The Moon: Personas of the Moon are creatures of
death, decay and the underworldbut not always illusion, dreams, trickery and the subconscious.
malevolently so. These figures may stand for These traits align them directly with the Moon
death as the passage from one life to the next, itself, and so many of these Personas take the
and so are as often gentle guides as they are grim form of lunar spirits and gods. Examples: Baku,
reapers. Examples: Anubis, Baron Samedi, Mothman, Morpheus, Princess Kaguya, Selene,
Charon, Daisoujou, Hel, Osiris, Thanatos Tsukuyomi
Temperance: Personas of Temperance are The Sun: Sun Personas are beaming sources of
stalwart icons of stability and fortitude. They goodness, beauty, vitality and positivity. They
often represent elements of nature revered for very commonly take the form of solar deities or
their reliability and resistance to the winds of heroes connected directly with light and purity.
change. As mythic figures, they fight to preserve Examples: Amaterasu, Apollo, Baldr, Ganesha,
life and order against forces of chaos. Examples: Horus, Phoenix, Quetzalcoatl
The Four Chinese Symbols, Harmonia, Kali, Talos,
Vishnu Judgement: Personas of Judgement are
harbingers of The End of All Things. They stand in
Devil: Personas of the Devil are diabolical judgement of men and the world in general and
creatures of sin and temptation. By nature they decide whether to usher in destruction or rebirth.
seem less friendly and more sinister, luring their As a result they are often linked closely with
victims into ruin with honeyed words and offers revalations of the future, as well as of impending
of gifts and power. Examples: Circe, Delilah, cataclysm. Examples: Ancient of Days, Bolon
Emperor Palpatine, Mara, Mephistopheles Yokte, Cassandra, Gabriel, Jormungandr,
Maitreya
(Page #)
The Fool: Personas of the Fool are special. In

Personas 3-5 they are the domain of the
Protagonist, who acts as a silent, blank slate for
the player. As such, they normally have the form
of protagonists various mythic stories. When not
directly connected to a single main character,
Fool Personas are jesters, mischief makers and
heroes that walk a fine line between carefree
innocence and hazardous ignorance. Examples:
Anansi, Bugs Bunny, Candide, Coyote, Don
Quixote, Loki, Puck
The World: Personas of the World are even more

special. In the Persona games they are the
culmination of the casts journey and struggle
against the otherworldly forces threatening them.
Thus, they arent for public consumption, so to
speak, and take the form of creation deities and
supreme, almighty gods. Examples: Ahura Mazda,
Atum, Brahma, Gaia, Izanagi-no-Okami
(Page #)
Chapter III: Combat
Preface:WhatPersonaPlayersShouldKnowaboutFighting
SincethecorerulesforstagingfightsinTheVelvetBookearethesameasinMonstersandOther
ChildishThings,welltakeasecondtohelpthosereaderscomingintothisfreshfromPersonatoget
acclimated.
ThebigthingtounderstandisthatyourenotjusttradingaPlaystationcontrollerforsomedice
andpaperthetranslationfromtheTVtothetabletopmeansawholenewwayofengagingwiththe
mechanics.YourenotgoingtobegettingintoahundredrandomencounterswithShadowsonyourway
tosomedestination,andthefightsthatdoeruptarentgoingtoendin16secondsafteryour
meticulouslycraftedandleveledteamstompsthemintothegroundwithElementalSkillsandAllOut
Attacks.ThatworksgreatasasingleplayerelectronicRPGexperience.Itdoesntworkasacooperative
tabletopgame.
ShadowFightsinMaOCTand,byassociation,thisPersonamodulearemoredetailed,free
flowingandunpredictable.Theydontnecessarytakeplaceinvast,emptyhallwaysbutindynamic
environmentsthatbothsidescanusetheiradvantage.YourGMisntgoingtothrowwaveafterwaveof
identicalencountersatyou:hehasthetoolstomakeeachfightunique,
whethertheyreagainstgroupsofweakerMinorShadowsorterrifying,
The3PhaseofORECombat
solitaryMajorShadows.
Werenotreprintingtherulesfor
Fightsalsotakelonger.Personagamesarenotoriousforhaving combatinfullhere,sincetheyreinthe
blazinglyfastcombatforaturnbasedRPG.TheOneRollEngineisan MaOCTcorebook,butheresthebasic
attractivefittothatbecauseitsquickandsimplebuteventhen,a outline.
minorfightmighttake515minutesandaseriousbossencountercould 1. Declare
stretchonforoveranhour.Thisisntaflaw,itsafeature.Ingoingfrom Everyoneinthefightsayswhattheyre
theTVtothetable,yourcharacterandPersonaarentshackledwitha goingtodo,inorderoflowestBrains+
OutThinktohighest
setofcannedattackanimationsandscriptedinteractions.Playersand
GMsareencouragedtobefloridandelaborateinhowtheydescribe 2. Roll
whattheyaredoingandhowitworks,notjusttosayIattack.Igota Everyonerollstheirdicepoolsatthe
sametimeandthensortouttheirSets.
3x8.Ido2Firedamage.Eachplayerisnowaprogrammerofthe
gamesmentalcodeandananimatorofitscinematics.Gonuts. 3. Resolve
Actionsunfoldinorderofgreatestto
Wehave,however,takengreatpainstoincorporateasmany leastWidth(soa4x2happensbeforea
piecesfromPersonascombatarchitectureaspossible.Theydontwork 3x5,whichhappensbeforea2x8).Ifyou
exactlyastheydointhevideogames,becausetheyvebeenadaptedto gethitbeforeyourActionhappens,you
loseadiefromyourbestSet.
takeadvantageofhowthingshappenatthetabletop,buttheyvebeen
includedtocreateasfaithfulaPersonaexperienceaspossible.
(Page #)
Chapter III: Combat
StreamliningMonstersCombatforPersona
InMaOCT,theexpectationisthatinafightinvolvingMonsters,bothaKidandhisMonsterwillhave
theirownseparateactionsthattheydeclare,rollandresolve.Thatsnothowthismoduleworks.During
thedeclarephase,eachplayerdeclaresoneaction.So,eitheryourPersonahurlsascreamingballoffire
atanenemyShadow,ORyourPersonaUsertriestosneakaroundfringesthemeleetosnatchthe
treasuretheShadowsareprotecting.YoucanattempttodobothbutdeclaringactionsforaPersona
anditsUserinthesameRoundrequiresMultipleActions,whichareexplainedclearlyintheMaOCT
corebook.
Thisisadeparturefromthosecorerules,buttherearesomegoodreasonswhy.
YourPersonaisapartofyou.DependingonhowyourGMsetsupthestoryyourPersonamayhaveits
ownwillandamindofitsown,butnomatterwhatitsstillafragmentofyoursubconsciousrenderedin
stunning3Dtechnicolor,anditactsonyourbehalf.ForittodoathingyouneedtoEvokeit,commandit
andinfuseitwithyourowndriveandwill,whichtakesupagoodchunkofthecharactersfocus.
Itskeepsfightsbrisk.WhenPersonasandUsershaveseparateactionsyouendupwithtwiceasmuch
rolling,diceandSetstokeeptrackofanditslowsdowntheflowofcombat.BattlesinPersonaare
lightningfast,andbystreamliningthingsthismodulebringstheactionofMaOCTalittleclosertothat.
Whosthetarget?
Sincethebattleeconomyhasbeentightenedup,theplayershavelessoptionsforwhattheycandoina
fight.Tocompensate,yourenemiesalsohaveakeyrestraintontheirattacks:Ifyoudeclareanaction
withyourPersona,yourPersonatakesanydamagecomingatyouthatturn.Inotherwords,ifyou
attackwithyourPersona,yourPersonawillbethetargetofanenemysattacks.IfyourPersonaUser
decidestodosomethingelse,hesexposinghimselftopossibledirectharm.
ThismeansitsgenerallyagoodthingforcharacterstorelyontheirPersonasduringfights.
Theyretougher,hitharderandcansoakupmoredamagethanthefleshpinkmeatbagstheyre
attachedto.ButPersonascantdoeverythingandeventuallyyouregoingtofindyourselfinasituation
wherethatfleshy,pinkmeatbagwillhavetodosomethingcrazyanddangerousthatthepsychic
monstrositylivinghisbrainwontbeabletohelpwith.
Battleforeveryonessouls
OnelastthoughtbeforewegetintothenittygrittyofthisTheVelvetBookscombatadjustments,and
itsthatPersonaconflatesmartialcombatwithpsychospiritualwarfareevenmoredirectlythanMaOCT.
Inthevanillagame,beingembarrassed,terrifiedordemoralizedisoftenmoredangerousthanbeing
shotatorexploded,partlybecausetheformerisalotmorecommonthanthelatter.InPersona,thats
notreallythecase.Yourveryhuman,verymortalcharacterswillbeventuringintoplacesthatwill
imperilthemphysicallyjustasmuchastheyaretestedmentally.Dontexpectthemtocomeoutofit
withoutsomereal,tangiblescars.
(Page #)
Chapter III: Combat
Weapons
Personasarerealgoodatfighting.Theycanconjurethunderboltsfromclearskiesandmashupsmaller
baddieswiththeirtoothyjaws.TheirUsersarentsolucky.Toeventheodds,theyneedalittleoutside
help.
WeaponsareupdatedabitfromtheoriginalMonstersandOtherChildishThingsruleset.A
weaponisreallyanythingyoucanusetoinflictseveredamageonanotherperson.Arockisaweapon
thesameassamuraisword,thesameasa.38snubnoserevolver.TheexplicitrulesforusingWeapons
againstpeoplearedetailedingorydetailintheMaOCTcorerules.
WhichskillyouuseforaWeaponattachdependsonhowyoureusingit.Ifyouregoingup
againstsomeonereadyforafight,rollGuts+Fighting.Ifyoureattackingadefenselessperson,roll
Diligence+BeatDown.Ifyourethrowingsomethingorusingafirearm,rollProficiency+Aimbutbe
careful:usingweaponslikethiscanescalateasituationveryquickly,andgunstendtodrawalotof
attention.
Mostofthetimeusingaweaponagainstaclassmate(oranyotherhuman)isntnecessaryor
evenaverygoodidea,butitsadifferentstorywhenyourefightingShadows.Intheirworlditskillor
bekilled,sodontpullyourpunches.HumanweaponsdealWidth1inScarsagainstShadows.Allothe
otherfeaturesofaweapon,likeextrapointsofGnarlyorSpraythatmakethemsuperlethalagainst
peopledontreallymatterforShadows.
PhysicalDamageTypes
Plus,justaboutanythingcanbeusedasaweaponagainst
OnewaythataGMmightmakeweapons
Shadowsaslongasyouredevotedenoughtoitsuse.Persona
importantisbyaddingphysicaldamagetypes
gameshaveseencharactersfightwithshoes,razorblades,coins, tothegame.TheseworklikeElementsdo,
fans,foldingchairs,slingshotsandwrenches.Whattheweaponis buttheydescribethevariousnastywaysthat
doesntreallymatter.Theimportantpartisthatyoubelieveitwill amanmadeimplementcaninflictdamage.
protectyou,andyourpsychologicalinvestmentinitdoestherest. Shadows(andPersonas)canbeweak
orresistanttodiversetypesofphysical
WhenyouattackShadowsyoureprettymuchalways
damage,soifyouhaveaswordandyoucome
rollingGuts+FightingorProficiency+Aimdependingonwhether acrossaShadowthatsWeaktoslashing
yourattackisclosequartersorranged,respectively.Youcouldalso attacks,suddenlyyourPersonaUsers
createacustomweaponskillintheblankskillslotforeachStat; weaponbecomesavalidoffensiveoption.
thisisespeciallythecaseifyourGMwantstomakeWeapons IfyoudoaddPhysicalDamagetypes
REALLYimportantinthegame. tothegame,thentheycanalsobeappliedto
aPersonaorShadowsattackqualities,the
Youshouldknow,though,thatmostofthetimeyour sameasanElementcan.
PersonawillbebetteratcrushingShadowsthanyouare.Afterall
Commonexamples
thatskindofthereasonitexists.Butifyou,forsomereason,cant
EvokeyourPersona,oriftheressomespecificadvantagetousing Slash (swords,knives,claws)
Strike (clubs,staves,brassknuckles)
aweapon,thenyoulldefinitelybegladyoubroughtitwithyou.
Pierce (spears,arrows,spikes)
Firearm (guns,explosives)
(Page #)
Chapter III: Combat
ElementalWarfare
WebrieflytalkedabouttheElementalforcesinthePersonacreationsection.Sincetheymainlyimpact
thecombatrules,wellgointomoredetailhere.
AllAttackQualities,whetheronaShadoworaPersona,canhaveElementaleffectsaddedto
themtoalterthekindofdamagetheythrowout,whichlookslikethis:Attacks(Fire).Affixingasingle
ElementtoanAttackisfree,butanyadditionalElementaleffectscountasExtrasandneedtobebought
withdice,whichlooklikethis:Attacks(Fire,Ice)
AnAttackQualitywithoutanElementdealsphysicaldamagecrushing,chomping,carvingto
pieces.IfyouwantanAttacktobeabletoinflicteitherphysicalorElementaldamage,youneedtoadd
theElementasanExtra,likethis:Attacks(Physical,Fire).MostPersonasdontneedtoresorttothis,
sincetheyhavelotsofnastymovingpartswiththeirownAttackqualities,butitsanoption.
WhenyouhitatargetusinganElementitisWeakto,youinflict+1Damage.Atthesametime,
ifyouhitatargetwithanElementitResists,youinflict1lessDamage.Itslikeyourfoehasapointof
Toughalloveritsbodyagainstthatkindofattack.ThatswhyaddingoneElementtoanAttackQualityis
free:becauseitsjustaslikelytohurtyouasitistohelpyou.
Therefore,itsagoodideanottoturnyourPersonaintoanalmightyarsenalofElementalforce.
ItspossibleforShadowstoresistphysicaldamage,butouradvicetoGMsistokeepthemfewandfar
between,sincethatshutsdownalotofapartysoptionsincombat.Soasatip,youshouldconsider
givingyourPersonaatleastsomeabilitytoattackphysically.Infact,Personahasalonghistoryofgiving
purephysicalbruisersthespotlight,sodontfeellikeyourboyissomehowweakerbecausehecant
launcheveryelementunderthesunattheenemy.
Inadditiontoextradamage,theresanothermajoradvantagetoattackinganenemys
Weaknesses,whichiscoveredinthenextsection.
ElementalSkillNames
IfyouwanttoinjectalittlemorePersonaflavorintoyourgame,youcanusethetraditionalShin
MegamiTenseinamesforElementalattacks,listedbelow
CommonElements SkillName UncommonElements SkillName
Fire Agi Psychokinesis Psi
Ice Bufu Nuclear Frei
Electric Zio Water Aqua
Wind Garu Earth Magna
Dark Eiha Gravity Gry
Light Kouha Force Zan
Almighty* Megido
*AlmightyisauniqueelementinthatitcannotbeResisted,andisgenerallyreservedforonlythemost
powerfulPersonasanddangerousShadowsonemightencounterasonenearstheclimaxofthestory.
(Page #)
Chapter III: Combat
DetectingWeaknessesandResistances
WhenyouhitaShadowwithanelementit'sWeakorResistantto,you'llgenerallyknowit.YourGMwill
describehowitlaughsofftheattackorgetsblownacrosstheroombyit.Butyoudon'talwaysneedto
playaguessinggametosussanenemy'selementalaffinities.
APersonaUsercanrollKnowledge+OutThinktoscopeoutaShadowandtrytoidentify
WeaknessesandResistances.Maybethere'ssomethingaboutthewayitlooksormoves,ormaybethe
waythattheairaroundyousmellsmoreozoneythatmakesyouthinkit'sgotsomeelectricalqualities.
TheHeightofyourSetdeterminesifyouidentify...
14 ...oneofitsWeaknessesorResistances
58 ...allofitsWeaknessesorResistances
910 ...allofitsWeaknessesANDResistances
Becarefulthough:detectionleavesyourPersonaUseropentoShadowyattacks,unlesshetries
touseMultipleActionstokeephisPersonaactivetoo.
PersonascanalsoDetect,buttheyneedaspecificUsefulQualitythatallowsthemtodoso.In
thatcase,youcanscantoyourheart'scontentwithoutworryingaboutexposingyourPersonaUser.
(Page #)
Chapter III: Combat
OneMore!
Persona3introducedtheOneMoremechanicthat,inmanyways,hascometodefinetheflowof
combatinmodernPersona.TheVelvetBookintegratesthatmechanicintotheheartofMaOCTscombat
inaformthattakesadvantageoftheOneRollEnginesuniqueconflictresolutionsystem.
WheneveryouhitatargetsWeakness,youreallowedtouseOneMoreSetthatyourolledas
anotheraction.SosayyourPersonaisattackingaShadowWeaktoFirewith8dwithofflamingdeath.
Yourollandgetthefollowingresult:
1,3,5,5,7,7,9,10
OutofthatyouhavetwoSets:2x5and2x7.YoubarbequetheShadowwith2x7,inflicting2Scars
againstit(Width1forbasedamage,+1forhittingaWeakness).YoudescribehownailingthatWeakness
causestheShadowtoeruptintoatoweringpyreofflameforafewseconds,sendingitsfellows
scatteringfromtheintenseheatandgettingyourcharactersbloodandneurotransmitterspumping.
AndsinceyouhitaWeakness,youcanuseOneMoreSetthatyourolled,soyouputthat2x5to
worktoo.Forthatyouhavethreeoptions:
1. KnockdowntheShadowyoujustattacked.YourOneMoreSetcanbeusedasafollowupactionthat
flattensyourtarget,leavingthemsprawledandproneforWidth1rounds.Downedcharacterstakea
1dpenaltytoanyactionsaslongastheyreinthatconditionandgrant+1dtoanyonethatwantsto
goafterthem.Adownedcombatantcanstandbackupearlyiftheychoose,butittakesafullround,
somostShadowswontevenbotherunlesstheyredownformorethan1round.

Knockingdownanenemyalsogivesyousomeotheroptionscoveredonthenextpage.

2. Makeanotherattackagainstadifferenttarget.Youcanchannelyourmomentumfromthat
righteousattackanduseyourOneMoreSetasanotherattackagainstadifferentenemyinthefight.
AndifyouhappentohitANOTHERweakness,thengetOneMoreagain,thoughyouneedathirdSet
forthattowork.Ifyoumanagetoroll4Sets,thatspotentiallyThreeMoreactionsyoucantake,as
longasyoukeepchainingWeaknesses.

3. UseyourOneMoreSetforsomeotheraction.Healsomeone,helpafriend,calloutencouragement,
insultanenemytodrawtheirattention.
NaturallyifyoudontrollanotherSetyoucantuseOneMore,so
youcanneverguaranteethatyoullbeabletochainyourwaytoa
PlayingwithoutOneMore
sweepingvictorywithOneMores(asyoucaninthePersona IfyouwanttoplaymoreinlinewithPersona
games),butitsanicebonuswhenithappens,andwithenough 1and2,cropthismechanicoutofyourfights.
Itwontbreakanythingandwillbetter
diceitbecomesstatisticallyreliablethatyoullgetatleasttwo
simulatetheexperienceofthosegames.
Sets.Alsobeware:yourenemiescanscoreOneMoreaswellby
takingadvantagesofyourPersonasWeaknesses.
(Page #)
Chapter III: Combat
HoldUp
Persona5introducedtheabilitytoHoldUpShadowsthathavebeenknockeddownorsocompletely
overpoweredthattheyvelostthewilltofight.ThisgivesaPersonaUserthechancetonegotiatewith
theShadowforitssurrenderorevenitscooperation,whichitsnormallyunwillingtovolunteer.
DuringaHoldUp,aPersonaUsercanusehisother,generallynoncombativeSkillstotryand
sway,intimidateoramuseaShadow.TheShadowwillrollitsdicetotryandresist,counterordownplay
theUsersaction.IftheUsersucceedsthentheShadowcanbewonover,butiftheShadowcomesout
ontopitregainslostdiceequaltoitsWidth1.
AShadowsnatureinfluenceshowitrespondstoaUsersattemptedHoldUp.Atough,
physicallyimposingShadowmightdemandadisplayofstrength(rollDiligence+P.E.toarmwrestleit),
whileamorejovialspiritcouldaskyouforajoke(rollExpression+Charm)andacerebral,thoughtful
creaturemayofferyouapuzzletoresolve(Knowledge+OutThink).Ofcourse,givingaShadowwhatit
wantsisntalwaystheonlyoption.Youcanthreaten,flatterorlietoitthesameasyouwouldapersonif
youthinkitwillgiveyouabetterresult.
InasuccessfulHoldUp,theWidthofyourSetdeterminestheoutcome.
Width Result
2 Itsopentoyoursideofthings.Itwontattackyouinthenextroundandyoumay
continuenegotiations.TwooftheseinarowistheequivalenttoaWidth3result.
3 Itsonboardwithyou.Itwillleavethefight,giveyouinformationorstufforevenlet
youbenefitfromaUsefulabilityithas.
4+ Itwantstobeyourfriend.Itwillsidewithyouinthebattleandmightevenfollowyou
aroundforalittlewhile.
NotethataHoldUpdoesntpauseordivertcombat:whileonecharacterisHoldingUpa
Shadow,hisbuddiesmightbefightingtherestofthebattlearoundhim.Ontopofthat,characters
engagedinaHoldUparentprotectedbytheirPersonas,soanydamagetheytakegoestotheirsoft,
squishyhumanbodies.IfyouredeterminedtoHoldUpaShadow,orifyourmissiondemandsit,you
mayneedtohaveyourallieswatchyourback.
YoucanonlyHoldUpagivenShadowonceperfight;afterthatitswisetoyourshenanigansand
wontlistentowhatyouhavetosay.
AlternativestoHoldUp
InPersona1and2,youdidntneedtoKnockDownanenemytostarttalkingtoit,youcould
Negotiaterightfromthestart.Thiscouldpotentiallyallowyoutoavoidafightaltogether.In
Persona3and4,mostShadowswerestrange,abstractcreatureslackingthemeansto
communicateor,seemingly,anykindofhigherintelligence,makingconversationimpossible.
(Page #)
Chapter III: Combat
AllOutAttacks
TheotherhalfofthelingeringchangestocombatbroughtintothegamebyPersona3istheabilityto
launchanAllOutAttackwheneveryShadowonthebattlefieldhasbeenKnockedDown.Whenagroup
ofPersonaUsersagreeonanAllOutAttack,theychargeinontheirproneenemiesandlayintothem
withtheirweapons,fists,feet,nearbyobjectsandwhateverelseisathand.Significantly,AllOutAttacks
dontusetheirPersonasitstheUserschancetoattackfreelywithoutaprotectivepsychicproxyfor
theiraggression.
Hereshowitworks.
1. DeclareanAllOutAttack.UsuallythecharacterwhoKnocksDownthelaststandingShadowmakes
thedeclaration.Whenthishappensthefightimmediatelyswitchesintoaspecialcombatroundin
whichtheAllOutAttacktakesplace.Weencouragethatplayertobeasdramatic,brazenandshowy
aspossiblewhenheorsheannouncestheattack.Ifeveryoneinthepartyisonboard,movetothe
nextphase.

2. GatheryourDicePool.Startwith2dforeachPersonaUserinthefight.Thenaddtogether
everyonesBeatDowndice.ThatsyourAllOutAttackpool.Yourpoolshouldbeatleast11dyes,
youreallowedtorollmorethan10dinthisoneinstance.Ifitslessthan11d,goaheadandraiseit
tothatlevel.

3. RollandSortyourSets.Theplayertotheleftofthedeclaringplayermakestheroll.IfyougetaSet
withaWidthof4orgreater,splititupintoWidth2orWidth3Sets.

4. Taketurnsdescribingtheattacks.StartingwiththeplayertotheleftofwhoeverrolledtheAllOut
Attackdiceandmovingclockwise,taketurnspickingoutaSetanddescribingtheactionthatwent
down.Remember,yourPersonaUsersaredirectlyattackingtheShadows,sotaketheopportunity
todetailhowtheyresmashingthemintothegroundasagroup.EachSetinflictsWidth1Scars,and
youshouldhiteveryShadowinthefightoncebeforecyclingaroundanddoublingup.
OncethelastSethasbeenused,thefightresumesasnormalandanyKnockedDownShadowsarenow
backupandstanding(orfloatingorflyingorwhatevertheydo).
YoucanonlyexecuteoneAllOutAttackperfight.
(Page #)
Chapter III: Combat

ArcanaBoosts
LikeMonsters,PersonascansuckuptheirUsersRelationshipsDicetoaddtotheirowndicepools.This
candramaticallyincreasethePersonasabilitytopullofactions,butitputsthatRelationshipintoharms
way.Thoseruleshaventchanged.
Thismoduleaddsanotherlayertothat:ArcanaBoosts.EachRelationshiphasanArcana,and
eachArcanaislinkedtoanExtrawithwhichithassomethematicresonance.ForexampletheEmperor
islinkedtoGnarly(asrepresentsirresistiblepower)whereastheMagicianislinkedwithElement
(representingtrickeryandsubstitution).
WhenyoufeedaRelationshiptoyourPersona,youcanuseitsdicebuypointsinthatArcanas
linkedExtra.Ifyoufeed2dworthofEmperortoyourPersona,youcangiveita+2dbonus,oryoucan
giveitGnarlyx2,oracombinationofboth(+1d,Gnarlyx1).Aswithdicegainedbychowingdownona
Relationship,thesepersistuntiltheyreknockedoffbydamage.
Playingwithout Extra Arcana Extra Arcana

ArcanaBoosts
Theserulesare Area Heal
anotheradditionmade
tothegametobring
Empress Moon Lovers Star
itsmoreinlinewith
thePersona
experience,buttheyre
innowayrequiredfor
Bounce Spray
playingit.Ifyoufeel

likethissystemistoo Fortune Tower Sun Judgement

fiddly,complicatedor
justdoesntsitright
withyourgroup,you Burn Sweet
canskimitrightoff
withoutbreaking
anything. Temperance Devil Hierophant HighPriestess
FreeformArcana Element Tough

Boosts

Anotheroptionistolet Magician Hermit Strength HangedMan
playersassignExtrasto
theirRelationship Wicked
Arcanaanywaythey Gnarly
Fast
want,aslongaseach
oneisunique.
Emperor Death Chariot Justice
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Chapter III: Combat
PlayingDirty:BuffsandDebuffs
AmajorpartofcombatinPersonaisusingBuffstoimproveyourabilitiesandDebuffstohamstringyour
opponents.Thisisnormallyaccomplishedbygivingplayersaccesstoanarsenalofoddlynamedskills
thatboosttheirattack,defenseandevasionorlowerthosetraitsfortheirenemies.
DoingthatinMaOCTrequiresalittlelateralthinking,butitworksjustaseasily.
Buffingyourself
PreparingAttacks:ImprovingyourPersonasabilitiesontheflyisveryeasy.EachturnyoutaketoAim
orotherwisewarmanattackadds+1dtoyourpoolwhenyoufinallyletitloose.Thisnicelyemulates
PersonaskillslikePowerChargeorMindCharge.
EatingRelationships:EatingRelationshipstogainmorediceorArcanaBoostssimulatestheeffectof
Personaskillsthatapplylastingbuffs.AddingdicetoalocationwithanAttacksQualityboostsyour
attackpower(liketheTarukajaskill),whileboostingaDefendslocationhasthesameresultasraising
yourevasion(theSukukajaskill),andaddingpointsofToughfromStrengthorHangedManArcana
Boostsbuffsyourdamageresistance(akaRakukaja).Infact,duetotherangeofoptionsmadeavailable
withArcanaBoosts,youhaveahighlydiversearrayofbuffoptionsatyourdisposal.
Debuffingenemies
Puredamage:Sinceeachhityoulandonanenemyknocksdiceoutofitspool,youreeffectively
debuffingthemwitheachsuccessfulattack.
Usefuldebuffs:PersonalocationswithUsefulQualitiescanfoulupanenemysabilitytoactbyStunning
them(neutralizingahitlocationforWidth1rounds)andTanglingthem(restrictingtheiractionsina
meaningfulwayforWidth1rounds).UsefulQualitiescanalsonegatetheeffectofExtrasforWidth1
rounds,providedyoucomeupwithaconvincingexplanationastohowitgoesdown(suchascovering
theirGnarlyclawswithdeliciouslysoftcottoncandy).IfyourGMagrees,aUsefulQualitycanalsogrant
1levelofaspecificExtraforWidth1Rounds,eithertoyouoranothercharacter.ForexamplUseful
(FreezingBreath,+Tough)couldbeusedtograntToughx1toyouoranally,butnotGnarlyoranyother
Extra.
BuffandDebuffSkillNames
AswithElementalSkills,youcanaddalittleextraPersonaflavortoyourbuffanddebuffabilitiesby
usingthetraditionalShinMegamiTenseinamesforthem.

AbilityAffected SkillPrefix
Attack Taru
Toughness Raku
Defense Suku
Buffskillsaddkajatotheendoftheskillname(Tarukaja)whiledebuffsaddnda(Tarunda)
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Chapter III: Combat

Shadows101:WhatPlayersNeedtoKnow
Shadowsaretheenemy.WhereasPersonasarebornfromapersonsidealizesenseofselfandtheneed
tobeprotectedfromthedangersoftheworldaroundthem,Shadowsspringfromthedarksideofthe
humansoul.IfyourPersonarepresentswhatyoudmostliketobe,yourShadowiswhatyouareafraid
youalreadyare.
TheindepthrulesforhowShadowsworkareinChapterV:Shadows.Butsincetheplayersare
goingtobefacetofacewithShadowsonaregularbasis,thissectionwillpreparethemforwhatthey
areandhowtobeatthem.
MinorShadows
MostShadowsareMinorShadows.MinorShadowsarethemaggotsthathatchfromhumanitys
negativethoughts.Theyaresimple,relativelyweakandtheypopulatetheOtherWorldlike
cockroaches.DestroyingMinorShadowsmightclearthepathtoyourgoalbuttheywontsolvethe
greaterissuesathand:therearealwaysmorewheretheycamefrom.
AMinorShadowhasanArcana,asingledicepool,someExtrasand
ExampleShadow anInitiativelevelthatsetswhentheyDeclaretheiractionsincombat.
Addedtogether,thesearetheShadowsArcanaPoints(AP).Heresan
JackFrost(Magician7) 5d
exampleofa7APMinorShadow.
Attacks(Ice,*Fire*),Useful(IcyTricks)
Resist:IceWeak:FireInitiative:2 Whereitsays*Fire*itmeansthattheShadowgetsthatExtrafor
FavoriteThing:Jokes free,thankstoitsArcana(liketheArcanaBoostsystem).EachQualityafter
thefirstcosts1AP,asdoesevery2pointsofInitiative.
SinceMinorShadowsonlyhaveasingledicepool,anyhittheytakewilldrainitaway.Asa
result,asingleMinorShadowisntusuallymuchofathreat.ButMinorShadowsarerarelyalone.Usually
theycomeingroups,butsometimestheyretheminionsoffarstrongerMajorShadows.
MajorShadows
ThemostdangerousShadowsareMajorShadows.MajorShadowsarebornofthecomplexdesires,
illusions,prejudicesandvicesofpeopleintherealworld,cookedtogetherinabigpsychicpotuntilit
boilsoverintoatangible,menacingformintheOtherWorld.MajorShadowsmaybeattachedtoa
specificindividual,ortheymaybethecongealedmentalpollutionofthecollectivesubconscious.Either
waytheyrebadnews.TheycanthreatenboththerealworldandtheOtherWorld,anditsuptoyouto
stopthem.
MajorShadowsarebuiltlikePersonas,withtheirownhitlocationsanddicepools.Theyalso
havegimmickslikebeingabletotakemorethanoneactionperturnorsummonMinorShadows,which
makethemsingularthreatsthatneedtobeopposedbyawholegroupofPersonaUsers.Thismodule
discussestheminfulldetailinChapterV:Shadows.
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Chapter V: Shadows
What is a Shadow?
Shadows a creatures native to the Other World that want to do you (and the rest of humanity) physical,
psychological and/or spiritual harm. They can take a wide array of forms and shapes, including figures of
mythology and folklore and weird-yet-recognizable crystallizations of human fears and desires.
Most Shadows are simple, single-minded entities called Minor Shadows, which represent
negative impulses and emotions common to people everywhere. But a tiny minor are Major Shadows:
powerful, dangerous monstrosities born from unique, singular sources of ill-intent and misdirected will.
Personas and their Users are often responsible for hunting down and dismantling Major
Shadows and the hordes of Minor Shadows that congregate around them like flies to a rotting carcass.
Where do Shadows Come From?

Various Persona games take different approaches to the origin of these species. GMs are encouraged to
work out their own logic behind where Shadows come from. Here are some examples.
Shadows are the consequence of suppressed negative desires. Selfishness, greed, jealousy, self-hatred,
intentional cruelty, pridewhen people repress these feelings instead of working through them, they
spawn Shadows in the Other World. In areas where these thoughts are concentrated, great masses of
Minor Shadows congregate, potentially around a powerful Major Shadow that acts as a kind of dark
Persona of one twisted individual.
Shadows are the natural citizens of the Other World. The act of venturing from our world to theirs
makes a Persona User a target as an unwelcome invader. This does mean that Shadows arent
universally hostile, especially if you know how to handle their idiosyncracies.
Shadows are created to serve a purpose. It may be a piece of a larger conspiracy, but sometimes bad
people with the right know-how unleash Shadows just to get what they personally want.
Whatever their source, Shadows present a looming threat to whatever real space their fragment
of unreality has intersected with. If the nature of the Other World allows them to influence the real
world, they do so by infecting people with negative emotions and hostile thoughts, expanding the same
darkness in the collective subconscious that theyre bred form. If the Other World is more isolated from
our own, its Shadows occupy an alien ecosystem that the Persona Users must bushwack through to
accomplish their objectives.
Shadow Styles
In Persona 3 and 4 Shadows were weird, often amorphous creatures like giant masked boulders,
floating mouths and bizarre animals. Shadows in Persona 5 are drawn from the standard stock of
Shin Megami Tensei enemies like Pixie and Jack Frost. Shadows described in The Velvet Book are
based on the latter approach, but both styles are valid and are available to the GMs discretion.
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Chapter V: Shadows
Some Shadows are Helpful

Theres precedent in some Persona games for Shadows with an unusual amount of self-awareness
to help out the party or even join forces with them like Metis in Perona 3 and Teddie in Persona 4.
These beings should be statted out like normal NPC characters instead of using Shadow rules.
Shadow Types
As mentioned briefly in the Combat Chapter, Minor Shadows are simple creatures with a single dice pool
and a few basic attributes, whereas Major Shadows are constructed the same way that Personas are,
with separate hit locations each housing their own dice pools. Minor Shadows are common foes that
Persona Users will usually face in groups, while Major Shadows are designed to be drastic, unique
encounters that require the partys full focus and firepower.
Arcana Points
A Shadows strength is measured in Arcana Points (AP), which represents how much psycho-spiritual
power the Shadow is infused with.
For Minor Shadows, AP is the sum of its various traits, including its dice pool, extras, resistances
and other features. The greater its AP, the tougher and stronger it is. For Major Shadows, AP measures
how much extra stuff it gets on top of its normal dice pools.
Minor Shadow Parts

Example Shadow
Heres the example of a Minor Shadow laid out in the Combat Chapter so
Jack Frost (Magician-7) 5d
we can discuss each of its moving parts.
Attacks (Ice, *Fire*), Useful (Icy Tricks)
Name: What the Shadow is called. They could be a creature from myth Resist: Ice Weak: Fire Initiative: 2
or folklore or a figment of the GMs imagination. Favorite Thing: Jokes
Arcana: All Shadows have an Arcana that informs what kind of creature it Description: A winter fairy resembling
is. A Shadows Arcana also grants it a free use of a specific Extra (here its a jolly snowman wearing a purple cap.
a free Element.) Normally friendly, if provoked hell kill
his victim by freezing him in ice and
AP: The -7 after Magician is the Shadows Arcana Points, which inform snow.
everything that comes next.
Dice Pool: Each die in a Shadows dice pool is worth 1 AP.
Qualities: Since Shadows are born to fight and cause conflict, every Shadow gets the Attacks Quality for
free. Additional Qualities on top of that cost 1 AP.
Extras: Each Extra is also worth 1 AP, except the Free Arcana Extra, which is contained by asterisks.
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Chapter V: Shadows
Resist/Weak: Each Resistance costs 1 AP, and each Weakness

refunds -1 AP. In Jack Frosts case, they cancel out.
Initiative: Initiative is the Shadows equivalent to Knowledge + Out-

Think for combat declaration timing. Every 2 points of Initiative is
worth 1 AP.
Favorite Thing: Shadows like things too. Leaning on a Shadows

Favorite Thing can be helpful when youre negotiating with them.
Description: This tells you about the Shadows appearance,

disposition and personality. GMs pulling from the vast canon of
Persona enemies can also find illustrations of the critters online.
Encountering Minor Shadows

The Other World is lousy with Minor Shadows. Sometimes theyre enlisted as henchmen and foot
soldiers of Major Shadows, other times they just prowl the dark jungles of mankinds collective
consciousness, like animals propelled by inscrutable motives.
How a Shadow behaves when you run into it depends on how your GM interprets their role in
the narrative. Traditionally, Shadows in Persona are universally hostile and their first instinct is to attack
any outsiders they see, but that doesnt have to be the case here. Shadows can have as wide a ray of
reactions to meeting Persona Users so you may be able to vary up your approach. Or dont and just
leave a trail of ectoplasmic gore in your wake.
Fighting Minor Shadows

Since a Minor Shadow only has a single dice pool, any damage it takes will knock dice out of that pool,
regardless of its height. Deplete that pool and its kaput, ripped to shreds that evaporate back into the
ether of the collective subconscious from whence it came. If you manage to reduce to a measly 1d then
youve physically neutralized it: it keeps its form but cant successfully act until it gets some dice back
through Healing or whatever other means your GM describes. In this state, the Shadow is at your mercy,
and is usually highly pliable to your suggestions.
To balance this out you rarely encounter a Minor Shadow on its own. They tend to group
together, and these groupings can offset the specific deficiencies of individual Shadows. Take Jack Frost
above; it can only Attack and set up nasty frosty traps and tricks with its Useful Quality. Its got no
defense, but if its grouped up with a Shadow with a healthy Defense, the two can work together to
cause a lot more havoc than either could accomplish individually. Sometimes you can simply overpower
groups of Shadows with naked force, but often its prudent to divide and conquer. A timely Expression +
Put-Down roll can sow dissent among the ranks of especially well synergized Minor Shadows (Whats
wrong, Jack? Too much of a wuss to fight me without your pal there?).
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Chapter V: Shadows
The GM: Master of Shadows The Shadow Compendium

This Chapter is about the rules for how Shadows The Appendices of the The Velvet Book
work and what they can do. The GMs Chapter, include the Shadow Compendium, a catalog
the Velvet Room, has rules specifically for of read-to-play Shadows at the GMs
engineering Shadow encounters, so go check disposal. Feel free to use the Compendium
that out if youre interesting on the behind-the- to build Shadow encounters or as
scenes of how these scenes are set-up. inspiration for your own nasty creations.
Minor Shadows as Threats

Another way of handling Minor Shadows is to treat them as Threats as laid out in Bigger Bads. In a
sense, Minor Shadows already work this way: theyre a dice pool with some Qualities and Extras. But
Threats are special because they represent widespread sources of danger instead of individual ones, like
a whole horde of slavering nightmares.
When Shadows act as Threats, theyre switching out quality for quantity. Each Shadow that
comprises the Threat is weaker, but theres a whole lot more of them. Every successful attack against
the Threat is erasing whole Shadows from the scene, but in exchange, the Threat gets to use every Set it
rolls against the Players.
Building Shadow Threats is the same as building a normal Minor Shadow, but with a bigger dice
pool. Each Threat Die costs 2 AP. A single Jack Frost is a 5d enemy worth 7 AP (5 AP of which is dice),
whereas a 10d mob of Jack Frosts is 22 AP: 10d at 2 AP a pop, plus 2 AP for their Useful (Icy Tricks)
quality and their Initiative. How many Jack Frosts are in this mob is up to the GM, but its usually based
on the dice pool (1 Shadow per die or every 2d are fairly common) and ultimately it doesnt really
matter: the players goal is to blast that Threat pool down to nothing, whether its 5 Shadows or 20.
Having the Players cleave through huge swarms of enemies is a pretty good way of making them feel
awesome, though.
(The explanation for why each Shadow in a Threat mob is weaker than one on its own comes
down to Arcana Points. On its own, a Shadow is a lightning rod of the collective consciousness,
represented by AP, whereas in a mob that power is diluted.)
When should Minor Shadows be used as Threats?

The Velvet Book assumes that Minor Shadows normally appear as individuals in small groups, with
each counting as a separate combatant wielding its own dice pool. This allows the GM to assemble
interesting, customized encounters of specific enemies working with one another to spoil the
Persona Users missions.
Shadowy Threats can be used when the GM wants to present the players with a massive,
sprawling enemy force that highlights the enormity of the task that the characters are facing.
Theyre good for forcing characters to move from one place to another, for slowing them down or
making them consider alternative forms of action or movement.
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Chapter V: Shadows
How Major Shadows Work

Major Shadows are the big mama-jama. The nastiest things youll face in the Other World. Theyre
congealed tumors of malice needing excision from the collective consciousness and the powerful,
twisted dark Personas of corrupt humans from the real world. Once you start encountering Major
Shadows it means youve started poking the Other World where it counts.
Major Shadows are built like Personas: 1-10 hit locations, 5d per Location, same Qualities and
Extras. If you can know how to build a Persona, youre 90% of the way there to building a Major
Shadow. Heres an example, based on the Shadow Priestess from Persona 3.
Shadow Priestess Arcana: High Priestess
Favorite Thing: Uncertainty

Arcana Points: 8
Resist: (+3) Ice, Dark, Light

Weak: --
1-2 (+1) Sacrilegious Gown 7d

Attacks, Tough x2, Wicked Fast x2
3-4 (+1) Boaz and Jachin 8d

Defends, Tough x3, Bounce
5-8 (+1) Heretical Scrolls 10d

Attacks (Ice), Defends, Useful (Entangling grasp),
Useful (Frightening verse), *Sweet x2*, Awesome
x2, Gnarly x3, Spray x2
9-10 (+2) Shadow Mask 8d

Attacks (Dark), *Useful (Gimmick: Summon Allies)*,
Tough x2, Gnarly x2
Lets analyze what were looking at here.
Arcana: Like Minor Shadows, Major Shadows have an Arcana that grant them a free use of a specific
Extra. Unlike Minor Shadows, though, a Major Shadows Arcana gives it two levels of its signature
Extra. So under Heretical Scrolls where it says *Sweet x2*, that means the Shadow Priestess didnt
have to spend any dice to score both levels of that Extra.
Arcana Points: Arcana Points work differently for Major Shadows. A Major Shadows AP is spent to
boost its stats and give it extra dice. A 0 AP Major Shadow is identical to a baseline Persona, but every
AP above can be spent to make it more formidable. Everywhere on the Shadow Priestesss sheet where
it says (+X) is a place where AP was spent to boost its parameters so it can threaten an entire band of
Persona Users.
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Chapter V: Shadows
Resist/Weak: Major Shadows dont need to balance their Resistance and Weaknesses the way that
Personas do. Instead they can buy Resistance for 1 AP each, as well as offset that cost by taking
Weaknesses.
Dice: If you do the math for these Locations you can see that it doesnt add up to the standard 5d per
Location. Take its 1-2 Location, the Sacrilegious Gown. That would normally be 10d from Hit Locations,
and then with 4 levels of Extras it would be down to 6d, yet its dice pool is 7d. Thats because Major
Shadows can spend 1 AP to add +1d to a dice pool.
Gimmicks: Lastly, take a look at the 9-10 Location, the Shadow Mask. It has this *Useful (Gimmick:
Summon Allies)*. Gimmicks are special abilities that are unique to Major Shadows. In this case, the
Shadow Priestess can use her Shadow Mask to summon Width-1 in Minor Shadows to her aid, each with
a dice pool equal to the Height of her roll. All Major Shadows get one Gimmick for free. Additional
Gimmicks cost 2 AP each.
Initiative: Major Shadows dont need to spend AP to buy points of Initiative the way that Minor
Shadows do. The timing at Major Shadow Declares in combat can be determined in two ways. If a
Major Shadow is attached to a human character, it declares using the humans Knowledge + Out-
Think pool. This basically means youre fighting the equivalent of a hostile Persona. If a Major Shadow is
not attached to a human, its Initiative is equal to half its Arcana Points. So the Shadow Priestess here
would Declare based on a score of 4; this means any Persona Users with Knowledge + Outhink of 3 or
less would Declare before her, and anyone with a 5 or better would Declare after.
Fighting Major Shadows

The rules for fighting Major Shadows are mostly the same as when youre against Minor Shadows,
except for the vast gulf in power between the two classes of beings. Only a few things change.
Major Shadows dont give you One More when you hit their weaknesses. A lot of Major
Shadows dont even have Weaknesses, but if they do all they offer is more damage. As a result, you
cant Knock Down Major Shadows with regular attacks. So you cant just hammer away at a Major
Shadow and get a million hits in by chasing their Elemental vulnerabilities.
That doesnt mean that a Major Shadow cant be knocked down; its just that it takes more than
just picking the right elemental attack. Its more of a combat puzzle negotiated between the players and
the GM, who has customized the circumstances to require creative thinking.
For example, imagine that the players are fighting the Shadow Priestess in an out-of-control
train car, as is the case in Persona 3. Shes embedded herself into the car by driving her Heretical Scrolls
into its metal walls. By breaking her loose from those points of contact, the Shadow Priestess loses the
grasp and collapses when struck by a follow-up attack, knocking her down and giving the Persona Users
a shot at an All Out Attack. This series of actions requires coordination from all the Persona Users as
they need to cut her loose from the train and then strike her in a single Round.
(Page #)
Chapter V: Shadows
Other instances of viable knock down strategies include attacking or exploiting a Major
Shadows favorite thing or even trying to talk sense into its human host (if it has one). Whatever the
case, the same rule applies for Major Shadows as for Minor: Major Shadows cant be knocked down
more than once per fight.
Gimmicks
The full list of Gimmicks for Major Shadows is in The Velvet Room chapter, but heres a sneak preview.
Remember, Major Shadows get 1 Gimmick for free. Each additional Gimmick costs 2 AP.
Multitasking lets a Major Shadow roll two separate actions each Round. If the Shadow Priestess had this
Gimmick, she could roll 10d to attack with her Heretical Scrolls and 8d to defend with Jachin and Boaz.
This only works if each action uses a different Location, though.
Endless Healing lets a Major Shadow use a Useful (Heal) Quality as many times as it likes, without being
limited by how many levels it has. A Major Shadow that fights flanked by Minor Shadows can get a lot of
mileage out of this Gimmick by keeping its minions topped-off and deadly.
Heavy Armor knocks 1 Width off every attack that hits the Major Shadow. This means that any Set with
a Width if 2 simply fails outright, and every other attack loses damage before even calculating the Major
Shadows Resistances and Toughness.
Penetration allows a Major Shadows Attacks Quality to ignore all points of Tough on its target. It
doesnt apply to every Attacks Quality the Shadow has, unless the GM spent more AP to purchase this
Gimmick on multiple Locations
Some Gimmicks act like Extras that apply to specific Qualities (like Penetration and Endless
Healing). Others are Qualities on their own, like the Shadow Priestesss Summon Allies ability. Still
others are passive traits that are always on an affect a Major Shadows entire presence, like Heavy
Armor. Each one has its own rules and opens new avenues for encounter design for a GM.
Fighting to the Finish

Fights against Major Shadows dont always go until the Shadow has been blasted down to 0d in all
locations. Your GM has a slew of options (detailed in The Velvet Room chapter of this module) for
how to stage the climax of one of these encounters to make sure they end with a bang, not a
whimper.
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Appendix A: Sample NPCs
IfyoureaGMlookingtofleshoutthepopulationofhiscampaign(oraplayerlookingforinspirationfor
yourowncharacter),thenextfewpageslist20premadecharacters,oneforeachoftheprimary
Arcana.
YoullnotethatwhileeachNPChasthesameStattotal,theirSkilltotalsmaydiffer.Adult
charactersespeciallyhavealotmoreSkillpointsthanteenagers(about45orso),andthatevenyounger
charactershavemoreSkillpointsthanstartingcharacters(around25insteadof15).Thisletsthem
presentmoreinterestingandcompellingchallengeswhenaplayerscharacterisaskedtorollwithor
(moreoften)againstthem.
ThelistalternatesbetweenAmerican/European/generallyWesterncharactersanddistinctly
Japaneseones,inordertopresentabridgebetweentheMonstersandOtherChildishThingsand
Personasettings.
Dr. Helmut Weiss The Magician

Description: Thewiley,whitehairedresidentofthatFrankensteinlookingplacedownattheendof
BerkleyLane,DocWeissisaneccentricyetbrilliantinventorandscientistinneedofayoungassistantto
helphimoutwitherrandsandhisexperiments.
Problems: DocWeisswasonceahighlyrespectedexpertinhisfield,butwasostracizedfromthe
scientificcommunityforhisfringetheories,andthenagainfromthelocalcommunityforjustbeingkind
ofweird.Parentstelltheirkidstoavoidhisproperty,andkidsinturnmakeupstoriesaboutwhatgoes
oninsidehisestate.
Diligence2d (BeatDown+0,Block+0,P.E.+2)
Guts2d (Courage+3,Fighting+0,Wind+2)
Proficiency4d (Aim+3,Reflex+2,Shop+5)
Knowledge5d (Academics+4,Notice+3,OutThink+4,SuperScience+5)
Expression2d (Charm+2Connive+3,PutDown+2,CreepingOutPeople+3)
Yanagi Misa The High Priestess

Description: Misa,abluehairedthirdyearstudent,isbetterthanyouatvideogames.Like,alot
better.Herdadownsaretrogamestoreinthecitysoshewaspracticallybornwithacontrollerinher
hands.Morethansheerskill,shehasadeepintuitionwhenitcomestogamesthat'sallowedtoher
excelonthecompetitivescene.
Problems: Misashomelifeisawreck.Herparentsarenegotiatingamessydivorceandherolder
brotherjustgotkickedoutofhisuniversity.Forallherskillinvirtualreality,shefeelswoefullyill
equippedtodealwithactualreality.
Proficiency4d (Aim+1,Reflex+2,Shop+1.ProGaming+3)
Knowledge3d (Academics+1,Notice+2,OutThink+2)
Expression3d (Charm+1,Connive+2,PutDown+4)
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Bonnie Grissom The Empress

Description: Mrs.GrissomisthewifeofKyleGrissom,theschoolsbasketballcoach.Calmandyetfirm
inherconvictions,shesoftentheeyeofthestormthatishighschoolathletics.Likeitornot,shes
becomeanauthorityfigure,especiallyamongfemalestudentswhoseeherasastrikingiconofpoise.
Problems: TheironyofBonniessituationisherownstrainedrelationswithherdaughterElle;
moreover,thestressputonherandherhusbandbytheschoolsexpectationsforthebasketballteam
incurvisiblewearonherpsyche.
Guts3d (Courage+3,Fighting+2,Wind+2,)
Proficiency2d (Aim+2,Reflex+2,Shop+2,HomeCooking+3)
Knowledge2d (Academics+3,Notice+3,OutThink+3,DetectBS+5)
Expression4d (Charm+3,Connive+1,PutDown+2,CalmFrazzledTeenagers+4)
Shirai Masutaro The Emperor

Description: Taroisthestrong,tall,handsomecaptainofthehighschool'sbaseballteam.Theother
playerslookuptohimastheirleaderthey'veeventakentocallinghim"TheColonel"forhis
commandingpresenceandthewayhe'sabletokeeptheunrulygaggleofteenathletesincheck.
Problems: Tarolovesbaseballmorethananything,andespeciallymorethanschoolwork.Whileagood
athleteandanaturalleader,hisfutureprospectsbeyondbaseballlookbleak,asnoseriousschoolsor
teamshaveyetshownanyinterestinhim.
Coach Kyle Grissom The Hierophant

Description: Kyleisthecoachoftheschoolsbasketballteam.Lastyearhetookthestruggling
underdogstothestatechampionship,andexpectationsarehighforarepeat.Whennotcourtside,Coach
Grissomfindhimselfasthefatherfigureinanadhocfamilyofyoungathleteswrestlingwithquestions
ofidentityandmoralitycommontoadolescents.
Problems: DespiteCoachGrissomsuprightreputation.gothisownmoralstrugglestocontendwith
mostimmediately,whethertoacceptahigherpayingpositionatanotherschool,leavinghisteaminthe
lurchandforcinganothermoveforhisbeleagueredfamily.
Guts5d (Courage+3,Fighting+3,Wind+2,IgnoreHeckling+2)
Knowledge3d (Academics+2,Notice+2,OutThink+3,BasketballStrategy+4)
Expression3d (Charm+2,Connive+2,PutDown+2,PepTalk+4)
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Oyakawa Yuji The Lovers

Description: Yujiisaglowingreactoroftalentandgreathair.Hesthecaptainofthetennisteamand
thepresidentofthedramaclub.LastyearhetookhomethetrophyatthePrefecturalGrandSlam
contestwhilealsodirectingtheschoolsrenditionofLesMiserables.
Problems: YujihasbeenofferedasportsscholarshiptoJapansmostprominentcollegeathletics
programandascholarshiptothenationsleadingperformingartsschool.Andheisutterlyterrifiedof
havingtochooseoneovertheother.
Expression4d (Charm+3,Connive+1,PutDown+0,Theater+3)
Alexandra Macklemore The Chariot

Description: Alexisanexceptionallybrightyoungwomanwithanevenbrighterfutureaheadofher,
despitecomingfromthebooniesofNowhereville,USA.Herworkethicisseeminglyunreal,bywhichshe
hopestobethefirstmemberofherfamilytoattendcollege,andinaSTEMfieldatthat.
Problems: TherearesomeveryrealreasonswhyAlexissettobethefirstcollegegraduateinher
family.Theyredirtpoor,numerous,and,toputitpolitely,setintheirways.Theydontputanymeritin
highereducationanddolittletosupportAlexsacademicendeavors.
Diligence4d (BeatDown+2,Block+1,P.E+2,PullinganAllNighter+3)
Knowledge4d (Academics+2,Notice+1,OutThink+2,)
Maniwa Yoshii Justice

Description: People,usuallyadults,oftendescribeYoshiiassquirrelyandclearlyuptonogood.That
doesntbotherhimthough,ashehasahighercallingthanmainstreamapproval:hesaselfproclaimed
hackerofrighteousness,usinghisskillstodigupthehiddendeedsofhiscorruptsocietycryingoutfor
punishment.
Problems: Yoshiiscrusadehasntgoneunnoticed,andtheresacybercrimedivisionslowlybutsurely
zeroinginonhisidentity.Heknowsthisanditsmakinghimparanoid,yethecantbringhimselftostop
eveninthefaceofcertaindisaster.
Proficiency3d (Aim+0,Reflex+2,Shop+2,CraftingElaborateCallingCards+3)
Knowledge4d (Academics+2,Notice+1,OutThink+2,ComputerHacking+4)
(Page #)
Julian Hall The Hermit

Description: Agruffteenagerwithawearinessinhiseyesbeyondhisyears,Juliankeepsalowprofile.
Hesanaveragestudent,andanaverageathletewithonlyafewfriends.Herarelyspeaksinclassbut
whenhedoesitrevealsayoungmanwithakeenmindwhosbeenthroughthewringermoretimes
thanherightlyshould.
Problems: Juliansonhislaststrike.Growinguponthewrongsideofthetracksleadhimontothelaws
badside,andtheSystemschewedhimupandspithimout.Hesbeeninthreeschoolsinthepastfour
years,andhisprobationofficerwarnedhimthatthenexttimehecrossestheline,hisagewontsave
himfromrealincarceration.
Diligence3d (BeatDown+3,Block+2,P.E.+2,SneakingAround+3)
Expression4d (Charm+1,Connive+2,PutDown+1,KeepaLowProfile+2)
Shinohara Ritsuko Fortune

Description: RitsukoistheownerofShinoharaExplorationandRecovery,anunderwatersalvage
operation.Fromthewheelofhertrustworthyvessel,theIshizakamaru,Ritsukotrueobjectiveisto
strikeitrichbydredgingupsunkentreasurefromancientwrecks.
Problems: Ritsukosenterprisehasnotbeensuccessful.Itmightbeifshewouldonlysticktoreputable,
sensiblejobs,butsheswastedhugesumsofmoneyandmanhoursfollowingleadsandhunchesthat
pulledinexactlyzilch.Ifshecantrighthercoursesoon,herentirebusinesswillcapsize.
Diligence3d (BeatDown+0,Block+0,P.E.+2,ScubaDiving+4)
Proficiency4d (Aim+3,Reflex+2,Shop+4,BoatOperation+2)
Knowledge2d (Academics+3,Notice+3,OutThink+2,SearchingforTreasure+4)
Expression3d (Charm+2,Connive+1,PutDown+1,ConvincingInvestors+3)
Dr. Kamala Montes Strength

Description: Kamalaismedicalresidentatthecityslargestandbusiesthospital.Becauseshe
specializesinoncology,shesbroughtfacetofacewithmanyofthehospitalsmostchallengingand
tragicmedicalcases,testingnotjustherskillbutmoresoherresolve.
Problems: Kamalahasithardenoughdealingwiththefactthatmanyofthepatientsshetreatsdont
havemuchhopeofsurvival,butherlifehasbeenfurthercomplicatedbydiscoveringthatshe(andher
husbandChristian)aregoingtohaveababy.
Proficiency5d (Aim+2,Reflex+3,Shop+2,Surgery+3)
Knowledge3d (Academics+3,Notice+3,OutThink+4,Medicine+4)
Expression2d (Charm+3,Connive+2,PutDown+0,BedsideManner+4)
(Page #)
Hada Takechi The Hanged Man

Description: Takechihadapromisingfutureasaneducator.Hecouldhavetaughtatthenations
highestinstitutions.Instead,defyingeveryoneofhispeersandadvisors,heacceptedapositionatthe
prefecturesmosttroubledandpoorlyperforminghighschool,hopingtousehisabilitiestohelpthe
peoplewhomsocietyseemedtoforget.
Problems: Takechiisdisrespectedbyhisstudentsanddistrustedbyhisfellowteachers,whorefuseto
believethatsomeoneofhisstaturewouldwillinglytorpedohisownfuture.Hesfarawayfromhome
townandhasapatheticallyfeeblegraspofhowcitylifeworks.Notadaygoesbywherehedoesnt
wonderifhesmadeacolossalerror.
Diligence2d (BeatDown+0,Block+2,P.E.+2,WithstandExhaustion+4)
Guts4d (Courage+2,Fighting+1,Wind+2,KeepCoolinBadNeighborhoods+2)
Proficiency2d (Aim+2,Reflex+3,Shop+1,ThrowEraser+3)
Knowledge4d (Academics+4,Notice+3,OutThink+2,EyesintheBackofhisHead+3)
Expression3d (Charm+3,Connive+2,PutDown+2,InspireStudents+2)
Mr. Chadee Death

Description: DhipyamongkolChadee(heusuallygoesbyjusthislastname)ownsandoperatesthe
CurryExpressfoodtruck.Friendlyandcordial,hesstartedtoattractsomeminoracclaimforhiscreative
takesontraditionalandmodernThaicuisine.
Problems: Inanotherlifeandhemisphere,Mr.ChadeewasknownastheOperator,oneofthemost
fearedandrenownedfightersintheasianmixedmartialartscircuit.Thatallendedonedayadecade
agowhenheaccidentallykilledamaninthering.Seeingitasawakeupcall,Mr.Chadeesworeoffthat
worldforever.
Proficiency4d (Aim+2,Reflex+4,Shop+3,ThaiCuisine+2)
Expression3d (Charm+2,Connive+1,PutDown+4,ThreateningGlare+4)
Ubukata Okura Temperance

Description: Okura,ashort,slightlyoverweight2ndyearstudent,isinvolvedinthechessclub,thego
club,themahjongclub,thedebateclub,themodelU.N.,thecommunitybeautificationclub,thetea
club,theanimationclub,theacademicolympics,andisthetreasurerandvicepresidentofthestudent
council.
Problems: Okurasmembershipinvirtuallyeveryextracurriculargrouphesignupforhashimstretched
thin,andmoreimportantlyitstakenatollonhisnormalschoolwork.Ifhedoesntfigureouthowto
balancehisschedulehesheadedforscholasticperil.
Diligence2d (BeatDown+0,Block+3,P.E.+0,Punctuality+2)
Proficiency4d (Aim+2,Reflex+0,Shop+3,SettingUpDisplaysandMurals+2)
Knowledge4d (Academics+1,Notice+2,OutThink+1,BoardGames+2)
Expression3d (Charm+2,Connive+1,PutDown+1,ParliamentaryProcedure+2)
(Page #)
Jessie Wu The Devil

Description:Jessieisajunior,agoodstudentandpopularwithherteachers.Herparentsare
pharmaceuticalchemistsandsheseemswellpoisedtofollowintheirfootsteps.Alwayswelldressed
andfashionable,sheswelllikedforherfriendly,relaxedattitude.
Problems: NooneevensuspectsthatJessieisherschools#1hookupforpartydrugs.Shestealssome
fromherparentslab,othersshecooksuponschoolgrounds,usingthecoverofaprecollegeextra
creditcourse.Throughitallsheneverrelentsonhersunnydemeanor,firminthebeliefthatshes
engagedinavictimlesscrime.
Proficiency3d (Aim+1,Reflex+1,Shop+0,StickyFingers+3)
Knowledge3d (Academics+2,Notice+1,OutThink+1,Chemistry+3)
Expression4d (Charm+1,Connive+2,PutDown+1,AppearUpstanding+3)
Mikami Nyoko The Tower

Description: Nyokoownsastationerystoreinthecity,butherrealbusinesshappensbehindtheshop,
wheresherunsabackalleymarketofstrangeandinterestingproducts,mostofforeignmake,andmany
ofquestionablelegality.
Problems: NyokossidejobisalinkedwithacompanycalledBetterFuturesNow.Ithasallthe
telltalemarkingsofapyramidscheme,anditsdrainingherandherfamilydrywithoutherevenrealizing
it.
Proficiency3d (Aim+2,Reflex+3,Shop+3,ConcealContraband+4)
Knowledge2d (Academics+3,Notice+2,OutThink+2,IdentifyProspectiveCustomers+5)
Expression4d (Charm+3,Connive+3,PutDown+1,Salespersonship+3)
Anthony Singer The Star

Description:TonySingerisanidealisticyoungmanwithanundyingfaithindemocracyandhis
countryspromiseofopportunity.Heschanneledthatenthusiasmintovolunteeringforhiscommunity
andgettinginvolvedinlocalcitygovernment.
Problems: Tonyswideeyedidealismblindshimsomewhattotheseediersideofpolitics,andhetakes
itverypersonallywhenhisidolsdontliveuptowhathesbuiltthemuptobe.Mostofall,hesafraidof
becomingasjadedandcallousasmanyofthecareerpoliticiansheencountersinhisvariousinternships.
Guts4d (Courage+1,Fighting+3,Wind+2,ClingtoIdealism+2)
Knowledge3d (Academics+1,Notice+1,OutThink+1,Empathy+3)
Expression4d (Charm+2,Connive+1,PutDown+1,ImpassionedSpeech+3)
(Page #)
Kitamura Sho The Moon

Description: Shoistherichestkidintheschoolandmakessureeveryoneknowsit.Hehasapersonal
driverwhodropshimoffeachday,wearsdesignerclothesfromhissockstohissunglassesandthrows
elaboratepartiesathisparentsestatewhentheyreoutoftown.
Problems: Shosfrivolousspendingandexaggeratedhighrollerlifestylemasksdeepseatedfeelingsof
neglect.Bothofhisparentsarebusinesspersonsandspendvirtuallynotimewithhim,expectingthat
theiraffection,suchasitis,isdemonstratedthroughgiftsandluxuries.Shoseemsintentonspending
hiswayoutofthatreality.
Proficiency4d (Aim+3,Reflex+0,Shop+0,OrganizeParties+3)
Expression4d (Charm+3,Connive+2,PutDown+2,ImpresswithWealth+4)
Erika Freeman The Sun

Description: Erikaisanenergetic,cheerfulseniorwithapassionforgymnastics.Shesbeentrainingin
thesportvirtuallysinceshecouldwalk,andisoneofthetopperformersinthestate.Shehasone,all
consuminggoal:Olympicsorbust.
Problems: Erikahasageneticconditionthatrenderedherblindatage7.Shehasntallowedittoslow
downherambitionsorherperformance,butitsmadeitdifficultforthemajorathleticprogramsshes
aimingattotakeherseriously.Assheentersherfinalyearofhighschool,shesdoubleddownonher
training,refusingtosurrendertocircumstances.
Diligence5d (BeatDown+0,Block+0,P.E.+2,Gymnastics+3)
Guts3d (Courage+2,Fighting+2,Wind+1,NeverGiveUp+4)
Knowledge2d (Academics+1,Notice+0,OutThink+0,CompensatewithOtherSenses+3)
Ishihara Hisato Judgement

Description: Ishiharaisanurbandeveloperwhosecompanyhasbegunacquiringpropertyinthecity,
startingwithitsmostrundowndistricts.Hetalksaboutsavingthesepovertyrackedneighborhoods
fromtheirwoefulmismanagement,buthisgrandplansleavethecurrentresidentsuneasyabouttheir
futures.
Problems: Ishiharadoesntwanttobeabadguy,andheprivatelylamentstheimpacthisworkhason
poorandhistoriccommunities.Hestrugglesattimestoviewhisjobwiththepragmatismdemandedby
hisinvestors.
Diligence3d (BeatDown+2,Block+3,P.E+1)
Guts2d (Courage+2,Fighting+2,Wind+2,AnsweringtotheInvestors+3)
Knowledge4d (Academics+3,Notice+3,OutThink+4,UrbanDevelopment+3)
Expression3d (Charm+1,Connive+2,PutDown+0,InspireFearofEviction+5)
(Page #)
Appendix B: The Shadow Compendium
The Magician The High Priestess

Shadows of the Magician are Shadows of the High Priestess are
troublesome fairies and dangerous witches, feminine fairies and
magical beings that excel at mystical beasts who often seem
channeling elemental forces to harmless, but such appearances are
harm their enemies, frequently a crafty illusion belying cruel,
embodying those forces directly. menacing intelligence.
Source: Shadows of the Magician Source: Shadows of the High

are linked with a persons desire to control and Priestess come from a conflict
manipulate the world without purposepurely as an between intellect and instinctbetween knowing
act of arrogance, malice or simply because he or she what is right, the desire to stray form that course and
can. the indecision about which to choose.
Bonus Extra: Element Bonus Extra: Sweet
Jack Frost Magician-7 5d Unicorn Priestess-7 5d

Attacks (Ice, *Fire*), Useful (Icy Tricks) Attacks, Useful (Sense motives), *Sweet*, Wicked Fast
Resist: Ice Weak: Fire Initiative: 2 Resist: Light Weak: Ice Initiative: -
Favorite Thing: Jokes Favorite Thing: Pure hearts
Description: A European winter fairy resembling a jolly Description: A horse with a single horn between its
snowman wearing a purple cap. Normally friendly, if eyes. It can read the hearts of others and is said to be
provoked hell kill his victim by freezing him in ice and tamable only by a pure maiden; all others face its
snow. violent wrath.
Jack OLantern Magician-10 6d High Pixie Priestess-12 7d

Attacks (Fire, *Dark*), Useful (Disguise), Gnarly x2 Attacks (Ice, Elec), Useful (Heal x1), *Sweet*, Gnarly x1
Resist: Fire Weak: Ice Initiative: 2 Resist: Electric Weak: Wind Initiative: 2
Favorite Thing: Tricks and Treats Favorite Thing: Giving orders
Description: A phantom who tricked his way out of the Description: An armored, winged sprite that
underworld. He wanders the earth wearing a carved commands younger fairies, theyre still every bit as
gourd for a head and carrying a faint ember for light. mischeivous as their younger counterparts.
Jinn Magician-15 8d Tzitzimitl Priestess-20 9d

Attacks (Fire, *Wind*), Defends, Useful (Hide in Attacks (Physical, Elec), Defends, Useful (lots of arms),
objects), Wicked Fast x1, Awesome x2 Useful (spreading darness), *Sweet x1*, Spray x2
Resist: Fire Weak: Light Initiative: 4 Resist: Dark Weak: -- Initiative: 8
Favorite Thing: Whatever its contained in Favorite Thing: Night
Description: A spirit of wind and fire from Arabian Description: An Aztec race of feminine beings who
Lore. Contained in a bottle, jar or other precious wage war with the sun. Their many arms reach out to
object, Jinns can be helpful, wish granting beings or grasp the stars from beneath their billowing skirts
nefarious creatures that seek to lead men astray. which contain fragments of the cosmos.
(Page #)

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What is Monsters and Other Childish Things?

Monsters and Other Childish Things (MaOCT) is a roleplaying game written

So, then, without further ado...

Appendix A: Sample NPCs 39

Feet are coupled to Diligence

P.E.: Running, jumping, climbing, carrying, etc. Unchanged.

Wind: How healthy and generally in-shape you are. Unchanged.

Notice: Spotting things before they endanger you. Unchanged.

Out-Think: Figuring problems out. Unchanged.

Connive: Lying to and tricking people. Unchanged

Put-Down: Delivering sick burns. Unchanged.

Relationships, Arcana and Archetypes

Persona introduces a new level to

The Magician Surpassing the plausible

The High Priestess Hidden influence

The Empress Gentle power

The Emperor Irresistible power

The Hierophant Spiritual authority

The Lovers Intense affection

The Chariot Success in spite of resistance

Justice The rule of law

The Hermit Isolation

Fortune The unpredictable

Strength A great feat

The Hanged Man Sacrifice

Death Coming to an end

Temperance Time passes

The Devil Nemesis

The Tower Failure

The Star Distance

The Moon Longing

The Sun Triumph

Judgement Final outcome

The Fool Carefree ignorance

The World Success at hand

How Personas are the Same as Monsters

How Personas are Different from Monsters

Should Personas have personalities?

Forging your Persona

Orpheus (3d Persona) Arcana: The Fool

Favorite Thing: Music

1-2 Mechanical Legs 5d

3-4 Resonator Core 5d

5-6 Musicians Hands 5d

7-9 Mystic Harp 6d

Arsene (5d Persona) Arcana: The Fool

Favorite Thing: Stealing

1-2 Fancy Bladed Legs 6d

4-5 Nimble Claws 8d

6-8 Wings of Darkness 8d

Extras, Old and New

Elemental Resistance and Weakness

What are they? The Elements of Persona

The Fool: Personas of the Fool are special. In

The World: Personas of the World are even more

Playingwithout Extra Arcana Extra Arcana

FreeformArcana Element Tough

Where do Shadows Come From?

Some Shadows are Helpful

Minor Shadow Parts

Dice Pool: Each die in a Shadows dice pool is worth 1 AP.

Resist/Weak: Each Resistance costs 1 AP, and each Weakness

Initiative: Initiative is the Shadows equivalent to Knowledge + Out-