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.
  
• The following Traits cannot be taken by a non-Guardian companion. Avenger, Deep Pockets, Minion Mastery, Double Defender & Battle Buddy.
• Absorption and Zenkai do work, though the XP must be applied directly to the character that has the traits, and attempts to use Companions with these traits specifically to farm XP will likely result in the attempt being denied and a warning.
• Salvage also works, though only on non-consumable items, and any items purchased in this way must be declared as owned and used by the character that has the trait exclusively, and cannot be traded to any other characters.
  
• 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.
  
• Favourable Contracts, Cash Money, Nomadic, Homecoming, Wealthy and Receipt Records, cannot be taken by any Companion.

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 avaliable 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.

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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.

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
• Both the Main character and Guardian can bring their own set of items into threads
• 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.
  
  • Add Distance or Merge to any standard technique, ignoring the variant limits of the technique they are added to. Normal Merge variant restrictions in the combined technique otherwise still apply.
  • For 6 MP - Divide incoming damage between the target and themselves, per character using this MP feature.
• The items owned by the account can be used once each by the Main and their Buddies. However, if any of them do so, that item cannot be traded to another character.
  
• Buddies may learn a single Sparking Technique each, the combined PL of the Main and any Buddies will count for Sparking Technique slot unlocks for the Main.
  
• 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.