Companion Rules & Types

Not every character is an entirely independent fighter. When you want to play with a close ally, friend, or henchman as a direct part of your playstyle, your best bet is to create a Companion. Companions function as additional 'sub-characters', and the main three your create will be specifically tracked in the Sides tab of your accounts mini profile!

Companions have a specifically tailored rule set, which is as follows.

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Companion Rules

Function & Intent

• Companions are assigned power based on how much experience you spend on them. They convert XP to PL just like player characters do in the XP to PL converter.
• Companions progress through standard XP>PL conversions, with their own technique slots.
• Companions may join threads independent of their main character, with the exception of Action Threads where the main character must always be present.
• Companions must always be on the same planet as their main, unless they have the Ultra Shuttle item that allows them to thread on a different planet.
• Companions have separate KP and MP pools.
  
• If a player has multiple companions present in a thread neither they nor their companions can use multiform in a way that exceeds 4 active KP/MP pools.

Trait Outlines

• Companions have full access to traits, however, some either do not work or have restrictions.
• Now Thats Teamwork and Legendary Lackey cannot be taken by any companion whatsoever.
  
• The following Traits cannot be taken by a non-Guardian companion: Avenger, Ambidextrous & Battle Buddy.
• Wealthy, Aftermarket Contacts and Receipt Records, cannot be taken by any Minions or Lackies.
• Adventurer cannot be taken by any Buddies or Guaridans
  
• Wealthy, and Aftermarket Contacts and Receipt Records cannot taken on a singular Buddy or a Guardian's 'Main'. If you'd like to use one of these traits as a buddy build, the main and EVERY Buddy must also take it in the same slot. In the case of a Guardian build, the Guardian itself must take these traits instead.
  
• The Gang-Up trait does not trigger on damage from fellow Buddies, but still works with outside allies.
  
• When used as part of a Buddy build, Underdog & Survivalist calculate based on the cumulative PL of the account instead of any individual Buddy.
  
• Salvage allows for discount purchasing of items which work normally in regards to companion rules, but only the companion(s) with this trait can refresh their own item uses.
  
• Similarly, Kai Kai also Otherworld Training also work, though the ability to freely thread in the Otherworld even if they are not dead only applies to the character that has one of these traits.
  

Refunds & Archival

• If you wish to refund a living companion, 50% of their PL is returned to you in the form of XP. If you wish to refund a dead companion, then 70% of their PL is returned to you in the form of XP. The companion character is considered archived and cannot ever be brought back into a mechanically playable state after this process.
  
  • However, in this case, the character(s) may be retained for story purposes as an NPC.
    
  • With the addition of new rules, players may opt to fully refund or keep their companions with the intention to respec their available XP. To do this, you just need to send a Ticket in via the discord so Staff can review the process!
• You may opt to turn your companion into your main character at any point. The main character will be archived in this instance, and cannot ever be brought back into a mechanically playable state after this process.
  • Normal archival rules for NG/NG+ apply in terms of what is transferred.
    
  • The previous main character may be retained for story purposes as an NPC.
  
  

Wounds, Death and Revival

• For Minions and Buddies any wound related timers are always halved.
• If the main survives, and the companion dies, the companion may be revived on a reduced timer. Four months, reduced to two if you remain active.
• If the companion dies with the main, or follows them to the afterlife in any form, they will revive when the main does with no additional cost.
• If your main is alive but your companions are dead, they can thread in the AL independent of the main.
• If the main dies but the companion is alive they may continue to reply to and join new threads as normal. However they cannot join or create Action Threads and you cannot create new companions that start outside of the AL until the main revives.

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Companion Types

Companions function as additional characters that work alongside your main character. There are three different types to consider. Their details are as follows.

Minions, who are designed to be weaker than your main character, be it a student, underlings or just stronger than average individuals of note under the command or guidance of the main character.

• You may have up to 3 Minions present and mechanically active in a thread, but otherwise create as many as you wish.
  
• Both the Main character and Minions can be targeted individually by others.
• The Main character can block for their Minions without expending KP. They cannot use techniques if opting for this free, non-KP block.
  
• Minions may learn a single Sparking Technique each. When the Main gains a Sparking Technique, their minions gain 3 standard technique slots.
• If a Minion’s PL is under 10% of the current Malus, XP put into the Minion will not count toward Malus.

Lackies, who are designed to be relatively strong, but ultimately lesser compared to your main character, a dependable individual that grows in strength as your main character does.

• You may only have 1 Lackey, and it is provided to you via the 'Legendary Lackey' General Trait.
  
  • If for whatever reason the Main character loses the 'Legendary Lackey' trait, the Lackey is considered archived.
• While your Lackey is present in a thread, your Minions (should you have any) cannot take mechanical actions and cannot be targeted by any attacks including area of effect attacks.
  
• Both the Main character and your Lackey can be targeted individually by others.
• The Main character can block for their Lackeys without expending KP. They cannot use techniques if opting for this free, non-KP block.
  
• Lackeys start with a single Sparking Technique and cannot learn more. Whenever the Main would gain a Sparking Technique, Lackeys gain three standard technique slots.
• Lackeys are automatically and perpetually 30% of your Main character's base PL
  
  • Lackeys do not contribute their Power Level toward a Players total XP (meaning they are not included for Malus)
• Lackeys can pick species and general traits as per normal, but forfeit their regular transformations. Instead, they gain a unique transformation equal to HALF of the highest modifier the Main character currently has (rounded up).

Guardians, who are designed to be stronger than your main character, protecting the main character and acting as a more primary focus of combat.

• You can only have 1 Guardian.
• Ordinarily, the Main character cannot be targeted by any attacks including area of effect attacks. However, the main gains access to the following unique uses for MP which put them at risk. These costs cannot be reduced by Overdrive and do not stack with the effects of Avenger.
  
  • For 2 MP - The Guardian can activate the MP Power Boost on 2 techniques rather than 1 for 1 turn. However, the Main can be targeted for 2 turns.
  • For 4 MP - The Guardian can activate the MP Transformation Boost for 2 turns. However, the Main can be targeted for 4 turns.
    
  • Additionally, if the Main character is defeated through these means, the Guardian cannot use MP for any Momentum Boosts for 6 turns. They are still allowed to use Second Wind and Sparkings
• The Main cannot fight a character mechanically, unless the Guardian is defeated.
• The Main cannot use traits on their Guardian.
• Guardians may learn Sparking Techniques like regular player characters would, but the main character is unable to learn any.
• The Main character cannot have a PL that exceeds 10% of Malus.

Buddies, who are designed to be on equal footing to your main character, a fighter or individual of equal/very near equal capabilities or strength.

• You may have up to 3 Buddies.
  
• If a Buddy is within 80% of the Main, the combined PL of the Main and Buddy will count towards transformation unlocks but they will be unable to do the initial Tier-Break.
  
• Both the Main character and Buddies can be targeted individually by others. However, they both gain access to the following unique mechanics to compensate when interacting with each other, not other players.
  
  • The Main and Buddies are allowed to freely intercept attacks targeting each other without using KP.
    
  • May add the effects of Distance or Merge to any standard technique, ignoring the variant limits of the technique they are added to.
    
  • The free effect of Distance granted specifically by these rules can be used to assist a Buddy's defense, even if they intercept for you directly! This works a bit different from vanilla Distanced.
    
  • Merge techniques created by this mechanic may use the Main and all Buddies available to do so, and the combined technique can only have two variants as normal in addition of the effect this mechanic gives.
    • Any trait that provides free variants or Sparking variants will still work, but Buddies will be entirely unable to MERGE the technique with their fellow Buddies AND outside allies.
    • Buddy Builds may only defend against each unique instance of damage with a single Shield Variant instead of being able to stack Shield.
      
  • For 3 MP - Divide incoming damage between the target and themselves, per character using this MP feature.
• Buddies with Evasive-boosting traits will get to keep them, but the boost will not carry over to other Buddies even with the 'Battle Buddy' trait. The Buddy may still make use of the Bansho Fan super item to grant others their boosted Evasives.
• Quake damage will ONLY target the 'Main' character of a Buddy Build.
  
• The items owned by the account can be used once each by the Main and their Buddies for each other. However, if any of them do so, that item cannot be traded to another character, nor used on another character. The inverse is also true, if that item is traded to or used on another character, the Main and their Buddies cannot benefit from it.
  
• Tech Slots are gained through combined PL instead of individually per buddy - I.E. a main and a buddy at 5,000 PL each will count as 10,000 PL, and gain one slot each. This means that if you wish to benefit from Quick Learner, all buddies and the main must take it. 
• Both the Main and any Buddies learn Sparking Techniques at the prerequisite thresholds using their total cumulative PL - I.E. a main and a buddy at 50,000 PL each will count as 100,000 PL, and both gain their second Sparking slot as a result.
  
• Any PL put into a Buddy will always counts towards a Players total XP. However, Only 80% of the total cumulative PL of the Main and Buddies is considered as counting towards a Players XP to Malus.