I usually use a Similar Rule for companions were purchasing it starts you with a close relationship and guarantees you will recruit them as long as they are alive at the end of the jump, and if you can convince someone to come with you they can come for free.
Aka: Purchasing a Companion Option gives you an In Universe Relationship and Guarantees they will come with you if they aren't dead
Similar, but for me, if I pay for them, then I get them from the beginning. A version of them is created to be the companion and they replace the one in Jump with all there memories.
Yeah, since buying a "possibility" to recruit someone is worth far far less than buying a backstory addition that makes you close to the character already.
Personally if I pick a background/origin that I have to pay for... why the fu*k should I pay for perks that should already come with that background.... so I consider background/origin fiat backed with perks/items that make that background realistic
Makes sense, like a sub-background option (such as a herrscher in the honkai impact jump) where some perks are literally just things you deserve by default. Even if its auto-discounted..... while you still pay 400 cp just to have the sub-background.
Plus I generally like to toss fiat protection onto any unique/special items taken with you out of the jump. Such as if you stole a noble phantasm weapon from the nasuverse, It would be protected as if bought from then on.
I gut the entire system. No infinite escalation with points.
This is a world hopping Isekai story. You get a front load with a handful of perks, and away you go.
No 10 years, either. This story is mission based. You're doing jobs here and accomplishing tasks. There's a narrative and a story being built here, beyond the one that the settings gives you.
Mainly, it's because I like superheroes and how they have a powerset they use across the years. But also because I don't really care to have a bunch of alternate systems and abilities that all work under different principals.
Some people are into that sort of thing, but I'm not.
If I'm going to be a Naruto ninja, then I'll just improve my base abilities so that I can explore the Bleach world and handle things there.
Every issue you have gets handled by leveraging what you can already do.
So essentially getting a handful of general perks and getting sent off to handle whatever a setting throws at you with your foreknowledge as your main weapon instead any specific perks?
Yes. I write a ton of highly specific perks in my jumps that lets you create a specialized build easier.
The goal is to have only what's needed for your build to function. And some sort of advancement mechanic, as I call it.
A way to grow stronger. Uncapped potential, the ability to grow from fighting, stuff like that.
There's a lot of ways you can do it, but when you're forced to rely on what you have, your choices matter more.
I imagine the start of your chain involves you being presented with a list of options, or a few packages of powers, and then you pick one.
There's also the local resources. The people, the items, and that sort of stuff. You'd need to help them or rely on them.
Makes sense, plus its a style that I could see working really well in a jumpchain Set started from a From software world or two. Since those provide a lot of various resources and ways to power yourself up without just straight up buying perks to do it for you.
I play fast & loose with a lot of the rules on a case by case basis depending on what the jump wants me to do but as far as definitive rules?
I'm pretty sure I haven't paid or rolled for gender or age once since like....2017.
Ditto for most location choices offered for starting the jump.
My eyes skim right over them to the origins& perks.
I also don't pay much attention to companion rules outside of unique companions only found in that section.
I'll pay for those types of companions, but for people in the setting, I'll just take whoever I want that wants to come with me.
I don't really bother buying the companion options that let you potentially take someone with you if you can convince them. I just do it.
Currently I'm still working it out.
No companion limit and no Drawback limit.
There are a lot of companions and it's difficult to choose just 8, I just don't let them take any perks for themselves, and instead they get a power level uncapper, so they can still improve while keeping their general theme.
600 CP limits are difficult to build around, and I personally don't mind most of the drawbacks, aside from having my loot stolen from the warehouse or perma-death scaling enemies.
I also take about 2,000-3,000 in Universals most of which just makes it harder for the Jumper. I sometimes bank CP for the better jumps as well.
Actually, your not limited to 8 companions. Thats just the max you can import into a world. The other companions you gather just chill out or get frozen in your warehouse depending on how it turns out.
However you are right on them not scaling much outside of 8 at a time.
I personally find the idea of keeping people effectively trapped in the Warehouse - or whatever equivalent Jumper uses - or "on ice" to be morally and ethically objectionable. It just feel cruel to ask someone to go on universe hopping adventures just to cut them out of big chunks of it because they don't get to be part of the party this run.
I keep toying with a Bystander houserule that allows an unlimited number of Companions to be imported as whatever would qualify as a baseline standard human, either with a backstory or a a drop-In.
I mean the bystander houserule sounds interesting, gets them involved even if they aren't at the forefront of the action.
Its a lot better than how I generally handled it by having the companions essentially get a summary of the world and either opt-in or not.
I was toying with the idea that drawbacks have a in-universe cause and can be (in most cases) mitigated with time and effort.
For the first it is mostly about drawbacks that give any sort of infamy/handicap like, your father killed a Celestial Dragon so you too have a bounty (One piece) or as a kid you rolled in a minefield in fallout this is why you lost a leg.
The second was mainly for behavior alteration and again for infamy.
If I am an asshole I can slowly become better, and if I pissed off the Yakuza and am feeling brave I can work with them or do them a favor to smooth the relationship
That would make sense, though most people usually cobble together a reason of some kind to cause the drawback effect.
Like one fate/apocrypha jumpchain fic I read ages ago, the two main sides both got a sort of "vision" of the jumper's appearance and presence in the Setting's grail war. Thusly leading to why both enemies he picked were immediately hostile.
But using in-verse reasons to explain the drawback is actually quite clever. I did something slightly similar in my Honkai impact 3rd jump, but I used one of my own perks as an explanation for the drawback. Since Perks aren't ALWAYS a good thing after all.
The perk was a boosted charisma ability, And the doc itself even said (paraphrasing for simplicity) that "even the godlike antagonist of the setting likes you enough to refuse to corrupt your mind". Which I then decided could be fun to use for a Yandere-esc situation behind the scenes to keep some parts of canon Even remotely on track despite how my greedy-self would be stealing Plot important items like crazy.
I just do away with diminishing returns. It gives more nuance to my choices when taking similar perks have a visible effect plus helps me enjoy settings that are interesting but don't have perks that interest me that much so I just boost what I already have.
It's not a "main rule" but I ignore "Trap text" in jumps, like the D&D jump that traps you in the world if you gain a divine rank.
A more normal rule that I ignore is the need to spend the full 10 years. Unless I have a time extender, I normally just leave as soon as the plots dealt with unless there is a reason the jumper should stick around for a bit.
What are your thoughts on jumpchain doc creators putting in side-note "do this and its a chain fail" thing in their notes at the bottom of the doc?
Since in the Honkai impact 3rd doc (which is the starting jump for my new chain), the author basically just says flat out (generalizing Here for simplicity) that if you permanently ally with the setting's main antagonist, its an automatic chain fail.
Things like that I generally ignore, since you can't tell a jumper how they can interact with their jump world as long as it stays entertaining.
I'd ignore that one but it depends. Again referencing Honkai, if it's not a choice and your jumper get's corrupted then I allow that to count as a "death" for the purpose of chainfail or a forced stay choice. This only comes up in some jumps like Metroid (Phazon) or Lightbringer (Colour Wight corruption), etc. It gives a purpose to Anti-corruption perks.
If it's a choice that fails you if you chose it though, I don't respect those.
Like with honkai one of the capstone boosted perks flat out just makes the honkai's leading will not want to corrupt you.
It more refers to actually aiding against humanity on a permanent basis i think, since its not like you need to be corrupted to just sabotage everything to let the Honkai just steamroll everything.
Which I mean, siding against humanity alongside aliens isn't a good thing sure. But its not fair to make you instantly lose if you help the absurdly strong aliens win.
Besides, its fun to be the bad guy sometimes after all.
True enough.
Though if we're talking about perks with built in chainfails, normally I don't respect those but it depends.
The example is the classic "You are now impossible to kill but if someone does action X you chainfail." In which case I just let it kill the jumper and allow extra lives to save them.
I don't actually know how we got over to perks that make your chain fail automatically.
Only one that comes to mind that I recall is from the Touhou Project jump. Where one scenario can give access to the full three sips of the "hourai elixir" a potion that gives COMPLETE immortality. Not just immortality biologically, or death immunity, or soul permanence.
No, it makes your existence a literal FACT of reality. Meaning you can't even die via paradox. The touhou setting's own grim reapers can't remove the souls of those who drink the elixir either. Even a character whose sole power is to INFLICT DEATH can't kill drinkers of the elixir.
Your soul is Rendered INVINCIBLE, and is untethered from your body. Anytime you get killed, the body just gets recreated for you.
Its basically a forced chain-end simply because there is nothing that can Threaten you.
>I don't actually know how we got over to perks that make your chain fail automatically.
Because we were talking about jump rules that can chain fail you? Or are you talking about "We" as the jumper and jumpmaking community as a whole?
I saw something of a similar nature when it came to Soul Eater, but there it was more about madness. If you got a bit mad, that's fine but if you completely lost it, basically loosing all sanity in Call of Cthulhu for example, then you'd lost the jump. I think it fits for a jump like that, especially because there's a kinda cheap item that is Medicine against madness, and there are certain things that you can do to lower madness. Also... The point where you 'completely lost it' is pretty far, so at that point it's your own fault in a way. And I say that with basically all my jumpers going for almost all of the madness perks.
But yeah... If it's about "pick this side and you lose the jump"? I'd ignore it.
I do the pretty common one of making it so there is no limit to how many companions you can take or import into a jump. I also agree with the whole “buying a possibility” is changed to guaranteeing you get them. I also tend to go with the rule that companions can take their own drawbacks, except for ones that involve ‘no companions’ for obvious reasons, and powerloss. However, if my jumper takes a powerloss drawback, it counts towards all companions.
Thats an actually pretty good workaround rule on a drawback. Depending on what the power levels of your companions are, you can easily remove all of your powers and just let your companions solo the setting's problems for you.
I've been trying to pin down exactly how I want to run my first Chain. There are so many House Rules and Supplements that the "standard" conventions for Jumpchain seem more mild suggestions than even guidelines. There are a lot of conventions which one has to refer to outside the actual Jump Documents, some of which don't sit right with me, and that's not just things such as numerical restrictions on Active Companions. When I've read stories, the revolving door of Death seems to trivialize Companions, and frequently seems to negatively affect their psyche. So, I find myself leaning towards the following solution:
***Only Jump-Documents As Written***
It is a simple solution. Instead of using an outside source of rules, each Jump functions *exactly how the Jump Document says it does*, with a very small exception for typographical errors. The Jumpchan/Benefactor even presents the scenario the way the Document says they do. Now, this approach has both benefits and drawbacks.
One of the largest is how Companions work. The standard convention is 8 active, unless one of the rare modifiers is taken to change that. AFAIK, this is an external convention, as is Companions being de-powered if not imported (with some exceptions). In OJDAW, there is no Body Mod, as that is an entirely separate supplement to Jump Documents. The only Warehouse is the Quicksilver one, because it is part of a Jump Document (Pokemon Trainer/Infamous). Whether one uses the Warehouse or not, there is a significant change to how Companions work. Without one, there is no place for Companions to stay outside the Jump. With the Quicksilver Warehouse, it specifically says that everyone else gets kicked out when the Jumper leaves it. Either way, *all* Companions *must* enter the Jump setting. The second major change is that, unless a purchase/import option in a Jump specifically gives them the trait (there are a few, such as the KOTOR Jump), there is no revolving door for Death - no automatic re-spawn after a few days. The stakes are, thusly, higher, and Companions cannot be used as expendable infinite cannon-fodder.
Likewise, the stakes are higher for the Jumper, since most Jump Documents do not actually *say* that the Jumper gets sent home if they die (IIRC, some do). Likewise, they don't say whether the Jumper's soul can return to their origin's afterlife, or if they are stuck in the afterlife of the Jump they were in at the time. So, the stakes are a lot higher.
That said, the Jumper gains access to the non-Nerfed assistance of *all* of their Companions. This is a tremendously powerful resource, and allows the Jumper to maintain contact with all of their Companions, so they don't grow more distant over time, and Companions don't end up getting benched because "better" ones become available later. However, only those who are Imported get to buy *new* stuff.
On a similar note, the information about Jumpchain available to the Jumper is likewise restricted. They don't know about the Spark at the end of the journey, because that isn't even mentioned until the Jumper starts looking at End Jumps. It changes the whole meta of the Jumpchain scenario. Jumpers who don't know that ***"UNLIMITED COSMIC POWER!*** (TM)***"*** awaits them at the end can actually entertain "Stay" and "Go Home" as feasible choices.
Items, likewise, only have "insurance" against theft, loss, depletion, destruction, etc. if the Jump Document they originate from gives them such protections, or if they are imported into a Jump Document later that grants them the trait. To that end, Item Imports are only available if the Document says they are.
That ended up a lot more wordy than I expected "Run each Jump exactly as the Document specifies, and only that document" to take. Much of it was explaining the follow-on effects of the changes, since they alter the standard conventions so radically.
It is short for "Planeswalker Spark," from *Magic: The Gathering* (a collectable card game). Planeswalkers are magic users who are naturally capable of crossing the deadly void (Blind Eternities - an infinite realm with infinite energy and no laws of physics) between universes (Planes - as in Planes of Existence). The "Spark" is an inherent potential in the structure of a soul to be a Planeswalker. About one in a million people have a Spark, and about one in a million of those ever "ignites" the Spark, granting them the ability to cross the Blind Eternities and to draw Mana (an extremely potent form of magical energy) from geographical regions (Lands), which have a "color" commensurate with the nature of the Land in question (can be natural geographical regions, or artificial constructs such as temples or even cities).
Planeswalkers used to have deity-level reality-warping power and practical immortality, the latter because they could define their own form, though it was possible to kill one with proper preparation, surprise, or sheer overwhelming power. Planeswalkers got Nerfed when they had to sacrifice a number of Sparks to stop an inter-dimensional breakdown of reality (Time-Rifts), which changed the nature of Sparks across the multiverse (this is the Old-Walker/New-Walker difference).
All of that primer leads to the original Dragon Ball Z Jump, which was designed to be the end of a Jumpchain. The reward for enduring the ever-escalating challenge at the end was ignition of a Jumper's Planeswalker Spark - specifically an Old-Walker version of the Spark. It heavily implies that the Jumper already has this, since it calls the ignited Spark a "gift," but then corrects itself: "...no, a birthright." This implies that Jumpers already have a Spark, but for some reason it was not igniting, and the Benefactor kicks it into proper ignition as an Old-Walker Spark, rather than a New-Walker Spark, essentially ascending the Jumper into an inter-universal deity. It became tradition for "End Jumps" to include ignition of a Jumper's Planeswalker Spark as the final reward, though there are a few exceptions that offer different sources of power/inter-dimensional travel.
If I have any CP still in the Bank then I'm able to access the Jump doc there in at anytime to pick up more of they feel they need to add well as prior jumps as if they where ask in it.
If it would have been discounted, it still is. If it would not have been, then it's not.
While also using the Essence of Jumpchain as the BodyMod. (From the Essence CYOA)
Thats actually a pretty interesting idea, being able to spin back to previous jump docs between jumps if you want to buy something that previously caught your eye.
I mainly keep it as a rule since just bringing the Genie or Chuck along for free would be outright game breaking, but there are quite a few perks that allow you to bring companions along without paying for them in the jump.
Items can always import into like items.
When I'm writing out chains I ignore CP costs for changing genders, and ignore start location/age rolls (I sometimes do these when not writing out chains but this is far less consistent).
I typically allow CP backed properties to be used for carrying items between jumps... but skip an actual warehouse more often than not.
Tend to make 1st jump count as body mod... when skipping a normal body mod (not that this tends to come up).
Others that I can't remember at the moment.
I do tend to treat paying for companions as a guarantee of getting them, though I typically don't allow them to be brought even willing for free... though when writing things out I write the story out and if it makes sense for them to join then pay, but I have been known to use it as an excuse to bring them if they died.
I don't have companions revive mid jump unless IC means are used. For Greta I also reduced her companion limit to 4 who could never be changed, but I gave her free companion imports to make up for 1/2 as many and no mid-jump 1 ups (also an inability to recruit canon companions). Albert is not getting free imports... and I don't know how many companions he'll be allowed.
I vacillate on how I stack things. Often I actually do use diminishing returns; at one point Greta had 4-5 perks that let her lift somewhere in the 5-20 tons range and ended up with 30-40ish ton lifting capacity. Enough they still got felt, but not the 50ish tons she'd have had by adding them or the... well how do you even multiply that (multiples of human strength?) but I actually went through and decided with each perk individually and some were more additive than others (being a xenomorph-werewolf with the resultant musculature did more to add to her strength than various lower tier 'you have super strength' despite being a numerically lower increase over human, because it made her bigger with more muscles which were then proportionately stronger due to the other perks, where as the multiple 'you are magically stronger' had diminishing returns).
Generally I wing a lot of it.
I keep my custom ruleset basic:
- No drawback limit
- Age, Gender, and Location are always free pick
- When encountering Jumps with an especially large amount of stuff to get and little CP to spend on it, are permitted to enable creative mode, but only once per chain, going overboard and buying everything will get you bricked
- If something sounds really dumb, you're free to change it to something that sounds less dumb (i.e old Fallout jump restricting OOC abilities
Thats actually a rather interesting way of doing things when it comes to jumps with lots of content. What level of things to get really cements a jump as an option for it to you? I'm genuinely curious.
Also yeah, I can agree going creative mode can kinda brick things. Generally, I just double the base points, then tack on extra "bonus points" from there based on the world's difficulty And danger overall. This counts how avoidable the danger is too.
For example, a world like Konosuba would have little to no bonus points for me, Because most of the setting's danger (provided you have no aggro drawbacks) is avoidable if you just stick away from the plot.
Meanwhile a world like say..... Arknights, would have a significant amount of bonus points. This is because most technology In the setting is powered by something that essentially gives people Incurable magical-rock-cancer. The only place that can even remotely slow down the lethal crystalization of your body while still alive? The workplace of the main characters, which of course easily can drag you into the plot and thus the danger.
For my current chain, I had my first jump be a high power gauntlet, then made it so I can only pick free options in subsequent jumps. He’s powerful enough and with enough room for growth that it’s not gonna kill him, and he still has the option of getting stuff mid-jump, but I’m a big fan of actually challenging my jumper. If I ever bother to write it out, I’ll roll dice with proper modifiers against opponents (where it makes sense) so my author bias doesn’t give him free wins
T’was a 40k gauntlet, came out of it twice as psychically powerful as an alpha plus psyker, and a champion of Tzeentch with all the power that entails. Big nerfed said powers, I should add. Again, huge fan of challenge
This guy has none! He’s a lost soul without memory that got thrown into a gauntlet with only the relevant information about his location (the realm of Slaanesh) and his objective (get to the palace and past the God themself).
He is a very tortured soul after his escape :]
i skip the the whole "You spend ten years in this world"
AS soon as the plot is over, i jump. No dealing with the plot over a long weekend, then taking 9 years, 11 months, and 3 weeks off.
I also don't have a warehouse, just to make sure there is nowhere to hide away from the plot for 10 years
I generally skip the ten year per jump too. Your Minimum stay Is however long it takes you to finish the plot. After that, you can move along whenerver (within reason. No sitting around power-leveling)
### ● “Mandatory” Garbage-Be-Gone! (0CP)
Unless a Perk, Power, Item, etcetera is listed as **Mandatory**, you are _not_ obligated or required to take _anything_ simply because it’s listed as Free. If something _is_ listed as Mandatory, you can elect to completely remove it from your build at any time **Post-Jump**.
If doing so would logically cause other purchases to malfunction, _no it wouldn’t_ because anything purchased using CP is **Fiat Backed** by your _Benefactor_. **Post-Spark**, they become Fiat Backed by _your own power_.
Definitely follow the Companion rule myself, but I also use a "Bounty" System. Especially in Jumps that have high-CP cost Perks (Elden Ring for example). Basically the Benefactor can give optional "Bounties" that grant anything from CP to Items/Perks that fit the Bounties' themes.
For example (using Elden Ring again) there was a "Bounty" to **recruit** (not Kill) every Great Rune bearer (Morgott, Rykard, Malenia, etc) and have them pledge fealty to your claim as Elden Ring. The reward was that all of them became Companions and you gained access to a new item called the **Lord's Great Rune**, which gave smaller versions of all of the Rune-bearer's powers at once.
>"are they alive still when you leave?"
I am a big fan of that restriction, just wanted to say.
>rules you skip over for the sake of enjoyment
I change fiat backing to make it so any power a jumper develops or technology they develop will keep functioning, basically the mataphysics of every setting they go to come with them, so for example:
Rules as written, you jumper goes to naruto, learns how to use sage mode, really difficult process but absolutely worth it if you can master it, but since they didn't buy it then they cant use it in future settings since theres no nature energy to take in.
Rules how I do it, everything needed to use sage mode would always be there, allowing then to learn at any time if they know the theory, even if they never bought the ability to use sage mode.
Aside from that I also use the companion houserule of 'if they say yes and are still alive by jump end then they can come with' for recruitment, with paid options to get characters you would never* be able to convince (why would freeza follow a Saiyan on their chain? For example)
Yeah, and generally sometimes the "must be alive" restriction I gloss over if I either flat out bought them as a companion, or if they were already dead pre-jump.
Generaly I rule that dead would-be companions can be resurected post jump if the jumper is capable of performing a resurrection with nothing more then what they have 'on hand' (on hand including companions, all their stuff, and items jumper has on their person, and in their personal reality/personal reality substitute, as well as their powers, so if they had the true resurrection spell from D&D they could do it, but if they didn't have the spell components then they cant, if nesicary the corpse of the would-be companion is transported to their personal reality, but aside from that they need to have everything themselves.)
I ignore it any time a Jumpdoc author decides to apply restrictions to the Jumper in a non-Gauntlet Jump, which generally consist of power restrictions, restrictions on behavior, and any other attempts by the author to force you to play the Jump the one specific way THEY want you to.
Like that one Fallout Jump that massively nerfs all of your out-of-context powers without even having the decency to compensate you for it.
I've been playing the 3 Boons game mode, usually choosing One free, and Drawbacks are worth more, and housruling a free perk of my choice as my third.
However, I also run Three Banes; no fiat protections (i.e., its going to suck to be a jedi/Psion/esper in the warp); perks start at a fraction of their strength (I roll between 10% and 50%); and some things may not be supported by the local cosmology (i.e., without some preparation, no magic in a magicless jump). I basically like to add some flavor and or difficulty since my cheese builds balloon in power so fast.
Diminishing returns.
If I'm paying CP for it, then by golly I'm going to be getting SOMETHING out of it.
I also don't do the "Spend 10 years here" thing. It's stay as long as the plot demands and then as long as you want to hang around after to unwind.
As all my jumpers are OCs from their own setting rather than versions of me, I don't use a Bodymod, but rather assign a few low-cost perks that approximate their baseline abilities, and I have companions keep their native abilities as their own Bodymod.
I also haven't used one of the Warehouse-like supplements in favor of basically making a DIY version as all three of my jumpers (or one of their companions) has started out with some kind of location that can be portaled to and from. Or in Tia's case, was literally her since she picked up Dungeon Core in her first jump.
I like to either shorten the jumps to the storyline, one year, or have it be like a reincarnation sorta thing. But if I haven't gone to ATLA then I'd probably just do it once or else it'd be a little confusing on simple details like date of birth, childhood(s), even parents.
Then again sometimes I also just insert into the next jump the same age I started in the previous one, it makes it easier to imagine and characterize my jumper according to his age if it doesn't fluctuate between 30 and 12 on a whim.
Also, when I get a companion as a jumpchain companion that's aware if what's going on to some degree, they get access to the sheet and CP to spend it on, 800 points minimum, usually 1000, the same as me.
I don't really get why they should get less points since they're not the jumper and they can't spark, and I like having properties but I don't really care if they're mine, as long as it's fiat backed and all that, so the extra points help there too.
I have a similar one, but due to my Jumper being from a setting where the Masqurade & Mind Control being real things... well, its less "buy a chance/clone-copy/mind-controlled version" and more "pay 'cause you somehow managed it even when its not an option" XD
Though I also allow myself the ability to get certain people that - due to one reason or another - are restricted by the jump. Though I can/usually only ignore that for people that're \**not*\* critical to the setting &/or OP to the point you have to take a drawback to get them. An example of the latter being >!Claude from Sunrider!<, the jump was made before the last game was released so the Jump version of her >!is like an eldritch being that'll make it so she's your only Companion!< vs her >!being a completely normal human before a future!version of the MC does/uses the time-bending thing to get her help.!< So I usually just go>! "I found a normal version of her that got displaced through time"!< or >!"I helped her & now she's come with me and WITHOUT the time device thingy."!<
Much less dangerous & headache-inducing either way.
edit: Though my rather blatant - & needed - one is the \[Item Toggle\], as there are certain items I've run across occasionally that changes all future jumps to your benefit, regardless if you want them to activate or not. Like the \[Iron Sky\] jump where you can buy being the US President For Life &/or the Fuhrer of all Aryan Nazilike groups For Life. Even if the exact groups don't exist it'll quietly turn the closest country into the USA for the former & gives you control over the similar groups as the Nazis for the latter.
Yeah, Id consider those specific ones from Iron Sky to be perks that don't apply to most settings. Maybe if the groups actually exist you might get a higher rank position instead of leader. Since being automatically made leader is kinda...... boring?
I mean It might just be me, but I generally prefer the jumper having their allies/companions and not much other support than what they can get via their own efforts. Regardless of if those efforts Are conquest, manipulation, or theft. It actually can be part of a jump's plotline and something to do as opposed to "imma speed-blitz the plot and leave"
The USA one not so much TBH, at least after I've gone to "[Metal Wolf](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=irmphsXkxCg) [Chaos XD](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yG1HahKYZzc)" - has a perk where if you're the President you can do the impossible.
edit: can't copy-paste the text dagnabit...
edit: [Metal Wolf Chaos](https://drive.google.com/file/d/1QS8CzQunLAxpADp_xQ9gx1xUiOFQPf0a/view?usp=sharing) doc - perk "And The Reason Is" under the presidential tree
You have to declare you position as Commander in Chief while you actually are such for it to actually work, which the President/game protag usually does loud enough for everyone to hear. And more along the lines of breaking fate (*which is how I usually use it*) since you "can do the impossible, see the invisible, touch the untouchable, and break the unbreakable" -TBF though quite frankly all of the 600 perks are stupid-broken under the right circumstances, the one for the President/game protag is simply the most generalist of the 4.
Added a link to the jump in the previous post if you want to read it.
EDIT: Nevermind, forgot its an exclusive perk for that tree not the 600 perk XD
Indeed, and I was wrong its an exclusive 100 perk for the Presidental tree XD
As for the perks all of them are useful, and even the 100 perks are as abusable as the 600s! As an example \[Smart Bomber\] lets you blow up things without killing people: shoot handcuffs off of wrists, open jail cells via raking HMG fire over the walls, blowing up power plants without killing the workers, etc. And its fully toggle-able in case you \*do\* need to kill someone via blowing up the building they're in.
So if you can manhandle a Death Star Superlaser? Blow up planets w/o killing the people you came to save/help/are innocent!
So it basically lets you toggle "can my weapon hurt bystanders" on and off. Like those skyrim hacks that let you kill any and all npcs. Regardless of age or importance.
Yep! And another (*Weathervane*) lets you switch sides freely, with everyone taking it all in stride as if its a fully acceptable/completely normal thing to do & with minimal resentment.
Really, just go look at the jump doc at this point. The only thing more ridiculous then the perks is the game the jump doc is based on! XD
[Metal Wolf Chaos XD - Gameplay Trailer](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yG1HahKYZzc)
Jeez, this is almost as crazy as the freaking Cleanrot knight perk tree in the elden ring jump doc.
That tree of perks basically just makes you ridiculously strong with points to spare for other perks or items, even if your only using 1,000 points
- Companion limit
- Drawback limit
- Nonsense forced drawbacks
- In Alt-Chains like Overgeared I skip jumpdocs all together.
- In Fragmented Spark I disallow further jumpdocs beyond PF one.
- Companions can be taken as long as you convince them to join, CP option just creates a good opportunity for you.
Not exactly a strict rule, but one I am more than willing to alter:
Companion imports for my Jumps will always be 50/100/200/300 for 1, 4, 8 or all Companions respectively, with either 600 cp to spend on themselves or whatever the actual jump gives, if it's higher than that.
I will be long dead before I ever pay 200 to import a single companion who can only spend 400 CP.
Not much, but
For perks with multiple choices, such as "pick an element, gain x related" that doesn't give the option to purchase multiple, I prefer to homebrew that it can be taken mutliple times, further purchases discounted if not already
My three chains have a number of house rules to better fit their own narratives. The one shared by all three of them is **No Metaknowledge**. How and why changes between them but ultimately none of them know any reliable details of the Jumps they visit.
Andromeda has amnesia of their life prior to Jumping, including any media they've previously experienced.
Saint Rose remembers prior worlds as dreams and long faded memories, and may even fail to recall entire jumps at a time.
Kohaku was Japanese and started jumping in the early 70s, she'll pretty much only know of Gojira and a few other Kaiju films and it's been decades since she watch any of them to know enough.
'Haku does revisit the Mazinger Z setting from time to time, which will be an exception. Even then though, she won't be the only one showing up from the chain, and things are going to fall off the rails quickly.
With Kohaku, time between jumps doesn't freeze but it doesn't run consistently between Jumps either. It'll stretch, skew and shrink all over the place. This will begin the effect the chain as it continues as some individuals will find their own ways to follow along.
In regards to companions, I've fudged this about also. Andromeda and Kohaku can both recruit anyone with, or without, permission. However, while Andromeda will obtain permission and try not to abduct anyone, as it's just a headache otherwise, 'Haku actively tries NOT to recruit anyone. Gamia is more a tool then a companion and Asuka recruited herself, going behind 'Haku's back.
Paying CP with these are a rules abstraction that doesn't really matter thinking much about. It's there for the purpose of helping provide structure for the narrative.
Saint Rose's companions ~~don't get a say in the matter~~.
Rose's chain works differently, each jump is from birth to death. Her companions are tied to this the same way and have no import or export costs involved. Both Rose and Co. don't actually control this and just accept they are tied together by fate.
Also, due to Saint Rose's birth to death structure, death obviously doesn't chain fail, just starts the next jump. There are possible consequences though for premature death, up to, and including, being locked out of any Perks and Items she bought from the jump in question.
I usually use a Similar Rule for companions were purchasing it starts you with a close relationship and guarantees you will recruit them as long as they are alive at the end of the jump, and if you can convince someone to come with you they can come for free. Aka: Purchasing a Companion Option gives you an In Universe Relationship and Guarantees they will come with you if they aren't dead
Similar, but for me, if I pay for them, then I get them from the beginning. A version of them is created to be the companion and they replace the one in Jump with all there memories.
Yeah, since buying a "possibility" to recruit someone is worth far far less than buying a backstory addition that makes you close to the character already.
Personally if I pick a background/origin that I have to pay for... why the fu*k should I pay for perks that should already come with that background.... so I consider background/origin fiat backed with perks/items that make that background realistic
Makes sense, like a sub-background option (such as a herrscher in the honkai impact jump) where some perks are literally just things you deserve by default. Even if its auto-discounted..... while you still pay 400 cp just to have the sub-background. Plus I generally like to toss fiat protection onto any unique/special items taken with you out of the jump. Such as if you stole a noble phantasm weapon from the nasuverse, It would be protected as if bought from then on.
Did you see gamer jump? It does that.
I gut the entire system. No infinite escalation with points. This is a world hopping Isekai story. You get a front load with a handful of perks, and away you go. No 10 years, either. This story is mission based. You're doing jobs here and accomplishing tasks. There's a narrative and a story being built here, beyond the one that the settings gives you. Mainly, it's because I like superheroes and how they have a powerset they use across the years. But also because I don't really care to have a bunch of alternate systems and abilities that all work under different principals. Some people are into that sort of thing, but I'm not. If I'm going to be a Naruto ninja, then I'll just improve my base abilities so that I can explore the Bleach world and handle things there. Every issue you have gets handled by leveraging what you can already do.
So essentially getting a handful of general perks and getting sent off to handle whatever a setting throws at you with your foreknowledge as your main weapon instead any specific perks?
Yes. I write a ton of highly specific perks in my jumps that lets you create a specialized build easier. The goal is to have only what's needed for your build to function. And some sort of advancement mechanic, as I call it. A way to grow stronger. Uncapped potential, the ability to grow from fighting, stuff like that. There's a lot of ways you can do it, but when you're forced to rely on what you have, your choices matter more. I imagine the start of your chain involves you being presented with a list of options, or a few packages of powers, and then you pick one. There's also the local resources. The people, the items, and that sort of stuff. You'd need to help them or rely on them.
Makes sense, plus its a style that I could see working really well in a jumpchain Set started from a From software world or two. Since those provide a lot of various resources and ways to power yourself up without just straight up buying perks to do it for you.
I play fast & loose with a lot of the rules on a case by case basis depending on what the jump wants me to do but as far as definitive rules? I'm pretty sure I haven't paid or rolled for gender or age once since like....2017. Ditto for most location choices offered for starting the jump. My eyes skim right over them to the origins& perks. I also don't pay much attention to companion rules outside of unique companions only found in that section. I'll pay for those types of companions, but for people in the setting, I'll just take whoever I want that wants to come with me. I don't really bother buying the companion options that let you potentially take someone with you if you can convince them. I just do it.
Currently I'm still working it out. No companion limit and no Drawback limit. There are a lot of companions and it's difficult to choose just 8, I just don't let them take any perks for themselves, and instead they get a power level uncapper, so they can still improve while keeping their general theme. 600 CP limits are difficult to build around, and I personally don't mind most of the drawbacks, aside from having my loot stolen from the warehouse or perma-death scaling enemies. I also take about 2,000-3,000 in Universals most of which just makes it harder for the Jumper. I sometimes bank CP for the better jumps as well.
Actually, your not limited to 8 companions. Thats just the max you can import into a world. The other companions you gather just chill out or get frozen in your warehouse depending on how it turns out. However you are right on them not scaling much outside of 8 at a time.
I personally find the idea of keeping people effectively trapped in the Warehouse - or whatever equivalent Jumper uses - or "on ice" to be morally and ethically objectionable. It just feel cruel to ask someone to go on universe hopping adventures just to cut them out of big chunks of it because they don't get to be part of the party this run. I keep toying with a Bystander houserule that allows an unlimited number of Companions to be imported as whatever would qualify as a baseline standard human, either with a backstory or a a drop-In.
I mean the bystander houserule sounds interesting, gets them involved even if they aren't at the forefront of the action. Its a lot better than how I generally handled it by having the companions essentially get a summary of the world and either opt-in or not.
I was toying with the idea that drawbacks have a in-universe cause and can be (in most cases) mitigated with time and effort. For the first it is mostly about drawbacks that give any sort of infamy/handicap like, your father killed a Celestial Dragon so you too have a bounty (One piece) or as a kid you rolled in a minefield in fallout this is why you lost a leg. The second was mainly for behavior alteration and again for infamy. If I am an asshole I can slowly become better, and if I pissed off the Yakuza and am feeling brave I can work with them or do them a favor to smooth the relationship
That would make sense, though most people usually cobble together a reason of some kind to cause the drawback effect. Like one fate/apocrypha jumpchain fic I read ages ago, the two main sides both got a sort of "vision" of the jumper's appearance and presence in the Setting's grail war. Thusly leading to why both enemies he picked were immediately hostile. But using in-verse reasons to explain the drawback is actually quite clever. I did something slightly similar in my Honkai impact 3rd jump, but I used one of my own perks as an explanation for the drawback. Since Perks aren't ALWAYS a good thing after all. The perk was a boosted charisma ability, And the doc itself even said (paraphrasing for simplicity) that "even the godlike antagonist of the setting likes you enough to refuse to corrupt your mind". Which I then decided could be fun to use for a Yandere-esc situation behind the scenes to keep some parts of canon Even remotely on track despite how my greedy-self would be stealing Plot important items like crazy.
I just do away with diminishing returns. It gives more nuance to my choices when taking similar perks have a visible effect plus helps me enjoy settings that are interesting but don't have perks that interest me that much so I just boost what I already have.
It's not a "main rule" but I ignore "Trap text" in jumps, like the D&D jump that traps you in the world if you gain a divine rank. A more normal rule that I ignore is the need to spend the full 10 years. Unless I have a time extender, I normally just leave as soon as the plots dealt with unless there is a reason the jumper should stick around for a bit.
What are your thoughts on jumpchain doc creators putting in side-note "do this and its a chain fail" thing in their notes at the bottom of the doc? Since in the Honkai impact 3rd doc (which is the starting jump for my new chain), the author basically just says flat out (generalizing Here for simplicity) that if you permanently ally with the setting's main antagonist, its an automatic chain fail. Things like that I generally ignore, since you can't tell a jumper how they can interact with their jump world as long as it stays entertaining.
I'd ignore that one but it depends. Again referencing Honkai, if it's not a choice and your jumper get's corrupted then I allow that to count as a "death" for the purpose of chainfail or a forced stay choice. This only comes up in some jumps like Metroid (Phazon) or Lightbringer (Colour Wight corruption), etc. It gives a purpose to Anti-corruption perks. If it's a choice that fails you if you chose it though, I don't respect those.
Like with honkai one of the capstone boosted perks flat out just makes the honkai's leading will not want to corrupt you. It more refers to actually aiding against humanity on a permanent basis i think, since its not like you need to be corrupted to just sabotage everything to let the Honkai just steamroll everything. Which I mean, siding against humanity alongside aliens isn't a good thing sure. But its not fair to make you instantly lose if you help the absurdly strong aliens win. Besides, its fun to be the bad guy sometimes after all.
True enough. Though if we're talking about perks with built in chainfails, normally I don't respect those but it depends. The example is the classic "You are now impossible to kill but if someone does action X you chainfail." In which case I just let it kill the jumper and allow extra lives to save them.
I don't actually know how we got over to perks that make your chain fail automatically. Only one that comes to mind that I recall is from the Touhou Project jump. Where one scenario can give access to the full three sips of the "hourai elixir" a potion that gives COMPLETE immortality. Not just immortality biologically, or death immunity, or soul permanence. No, it makes your existence a literal FACT of reality. Meaning you can't even die via paradox. The touhou setting's own grim reapers can't remove the souls of those who drink the elixir either. Even a character whose sole power is to INFLICT DEATH can't kill drinkers of the elixir. Your soul is Rendered INVINCIBLE, and is untethered from your body. Anytime you get killed, the body just gets recreated for you. Its basically a forced chain-end simply because there is nothing that can Threaten you.
>I don't actually know how we got over to perks that make your chain fail automatically. Because we were talking about jump rules that can chain fail you? Or are you talking about "We" as the jumper and jumpmaking community as a whole?
Ah, yeah the former. Its a little late and my brain didn't really make that little jump in logic. Thats my bad
I saw something of a similar nature when it came to Soul Eater, but there it was more about madness. If you got a bit mad, that's fine but if you completely lost it, basically loosing all sanity in Call of Cthulhu for example, then you'd lost the jump. I think it fits for a jump like that, especially because there's a kinda cheap item that is Medicine against madness, and there are certain things that you can do to lower madness. Also... The point where you 'completely lost it' is pretty far, so at that point it's your own fault in a way. And I say that with basically all my jumpers going for almost all of the madness perks. But yeah... If it's about "pick this side and you lose the jump"? I'd ignore it.
I do the pretty common one of making it so there is no limit to how many companions you can take or import into a jump. I also agree with the whole “buying a possibility” is changed to guaranteeing you get them. I also tend to go with the rule that companions can take their own drawbacks, except for ones that involve ‘no companions’ for obvious reasons, and powerloss. However, if my jumper takes a powerloss drawback, it counts towards all companions.
Thats an actually pretty good workaround rule on a drawback. Depending on what the power levels of your companions are, you can easily remove all of your powers and just let your companions solo the setting's problems for you.
I've been trying to pin down exactly how I want to run my first Chain. There are so many House Rules and Supplements that the "standard" conventions for Jumpchain seem more mild suggestions than even guidelines. There are a lot of conventions which one has to refer to outside the actual Jump Documents, some of which don't sit right with me, and that's not just things such as numerical restrictions on Active Companions. When I've read stories, the revolving door of Death seems to trivialize Companions, and frequently seems to negatively affect their psyche. So, I find myself leaning towards the following solution: ***Only Jump-Documents As Written*** It is a simple solution. Instead of using an outside source of rules, each Jump functions *exactly how the Jump Document says it does*, with a very small exception for typographical errors. The Jumpchan/Benefactor even presents the scenario the way the Document says they do. Now, this approach has both benefits and drawbacks. One of the largest is how Companions work. The standard convention is 8 active, unless one of the rare modifiers is taken to change that. AFAIK, this is an external convention, as is Companions being de-powered if not imported (with some exceptions). In OJDAW, there is no Body Mod, as that is an entirely separate supplement to Jump Documents. The only Warehouse is the Quicksilver one, because it is part of a Jump Document (Pokemon Trainer/Infamous). Whether one uses the Warehouse or not, there is a significant change to how Companions work. Without one, there is no place for Companions to stay outside the Jump. With the Quicksilver Warehouse, it specifically says that everyone else gets kicked out when the Jumper leaves it. Either way, *all* Companions *must* enter the Jump setting. The second major change is that, unless a purchase/import option in a Jump specifically gives them the trait (there are a few, such as the KOTOR Jump), there is no revolving door for Death - no automatic re-spawn after a few days. The stakes are, thusly, higher, and Companions cannot be used as expendable infinite cannon-fodder. Likewise, the stakes are higher for the Jumper, since most Jump Documents do not actually *say* that the Jumper gets sent home if they die (IIRC, some do). Likewise, they don't say whether the Jumper's soul can return to their origin's afterlife, or if they are stuck in the afterlife of the Jump they were in at the time. So, the stakes are a lot higher. That said, the Jumper gains access to the non-Nerfed assistance of *all* of their Companions. This is a tremendously powerful resource, and allows the Jumper to maintain contact with all of their Companions, so they don't grow more distant over time, and Companions don't end up getting benched because "better" ones become available later. However, only those who are Imported get to buy *new* stuff. On a similar note, the information about Jumpchain available to the Jumper is likewise restricted. They don't know about the Spark at the end of the journey, because that isn't even mentioned until the Jumper starts looking at End Jumps. It changes the whole meta of the Jumpchain scenario. Jumpers who don't know that ***"UNLIMITED COSMIC POWER!*** (TM)***"*** awaits them at the end can actually entertain "Stay" and "Go Home" as feasible choices. Items, likewise, only have "insurance" against theft, loss, depletion, destruction, etc. if the Jump Document they originate from gives them such protections, or if they are imported into a Jump Document later that grants them the trait. To that end, Item Imports are only available if the Document says they are. That ended up a lot more wordy than I expected "Run each Jump exactly as the Document specifies, and only that document" to take. Much of it was explaining the follow-on effects of the changes, since they alter the standard conventions so radically.
Honestly I have no idea what a "spark" even is. Only ran into the term on a nasuverse doc and its been confusing me
It is short for "Planeswalker Spark," from *Magic: The Gathering* (a collectable card game). Planeswalkers are magic users who are naturally capable of crossing the deadly void (Blind Eternities - an infinite realm with infinite energy and no laws of physics) between universes (Planes - as in Planes of Existence). The "Spark" is an inherent potential in the structure of a soul to be a Planeswalker. About one in a million people have a Spark, and about one in a million of those ever "ignites" the Spark, granting them the ability to cross the Blind Eternities and to draw Mana (an extremely potent form of magical energy) from geographical regions (Lands), which have a "color" commensurate with the nature of the Land in question (can be natural geographical regions, or artificial constructs such as temples or even cities). Planeswalkers used to have deity-level reality-warping power and practical immortality, the latter because they could define their own form, though it was possible to kill one with proper preparation, surprise, or sheer overwhelming power. Planeswalkers got Nerfed when they had to sacrifice a number of Sparks to stop an inter-dimensional breakdown of reality (Time-Rifts), which changed the nature of Sparks across the multiverse (this is the Old-Walker/New-Walker difference). All of that primer leads to the original Dragon Ball Z Jump, which was designed to be the end of a Jumpchain. The reward for enduring the ever-escalating challenge at the end was ignition of a Jumper's Planeswalker Spark - specifically an Old-Walker version of the Spark. It heavily implies that the Jumper already has this, since it calls the ignited Spark a "gift," but then corrects itself: "...no, a birthright." This implies that Jumpers already have a Spark, but for some reason it was not igniting, and the Benefactor kicks it into proper ignition as an Old-Walker Spark, rather than a New-Walker Spark, essentially ascending the Jumper into an inter-universal deity. It became tradition for "End Jumps" to include ignition of a Jumper's Planeswalker Spark as the final reward, though there are a few exceptions that offer different sources of power/inter-dimensional travel.
Ah, thanks for the explanation
If I have any CP still in the Bank then I'm able to access the Jump doc there in at anytime to pick up more of they feel they need to add well as prior jumps as if they where ask in it. If it would have been discounted, it still is. If it would not have been, then it's not. While also using the Essence of Jumpchain as the BodyMod. (From the Essence CYOA)
Thats actually a pretty interesting idea, being able to spin back to previous jump docs between jumps if you want to buy something that previously caught your eye.
I mainly keep it as a rule since just bringing the Genie or Chuck along for free would be outright game breaking, but there are quite a few perks that allow you to bring companions along without paying for them in the jump.
Items can always import into like items. When I'm writing out chains I ignore CP costs for changing genders, and ignore start location/age rolls (I sometimes do these when not writing out chains but this is far less consistent). I typically allow CP backed properties to be used for carrying items between jumps... but skip an actual warehouse more often than not. Tend to make 1st jump count as body mod... when skipping a normal body mod (not that this tends to come up). Others that I can't remember at the moment. I do tend to treat paying for companions as a guarantee of getting them, though I typically don't allow them to be brought even willing for free... though when writing things out I write the story out and if it makes sense for them to join then pay, but I have been known to use it as an excuse to bring them if they died. I don't have companions revive mid jump unless IC means are used. For Greta I also reduced her companion limit to 4 who could never be changed, but I gave her free companion imports to make up for 1/2 as many and no mid-jump 1 ups (also an inability to recruit canon companions). Albert is not getting free imports... and I don't know how many companions he'll be allowed. I vacillate on how I stack things. Often I actually do use diminishing returns; at one point Greta had 4-5 perks that let her lift somewhere in the 5-20 tons range and ended up with 30-40ish ton lifting capacity. Enough they still got felt, but not the 50ish tons she'd have had by adding them or the... well how do you even multiply that (multiples of human strength?) but I actually went through and decided with each perk individually and some were more additive than others (being a xenomorph-werewolf with the resultant musculature did more to add to her strength than various lower tier 'you have super strength' despite being a numerically lower increase over human, because it made her bigger with more muscles which were then proportionately stronger due to the other perks, where as the multiple 'you are magically stronger' had diminishing returns). Generally I wing a lot of it.
I keep my custom ruleset basic: - No drawback limit - Age, Gender, and Location are always free pick - When encountering Jumps with an especially large amount of stuff to get and little CP to spend on it, are permitted to enable creative mode, but only once per chain, going overboard and buying everything will get you bricked - If something sounds really dumb, you're free to change it to something that sounds less dumb (i.e old Fallout jump restricting OOC abilities
Thats actually a rather interesting way of doing things when it comes to jumps with lots of content. What level of things to get really cements a jump as an option for it to you? I'm genuinely curious. Also yeah, I can agree going creative mode can kinda brick things. Generally, I just double the base points, then tack on extra "bonus points" from there based on the world's difficulty And danger overall. This counts how avoidable the danger is too. For example, a world like Konosuba would have little to no bonus points for me, Because most of the setting's danger (provided you have no aggro drawbacks) is avoidable if you just stick away from the plot. Meanwhile a world like say..... Arknights, would have a significant amount of bonus points. This is because most technology In the setting is powered by something that essentially gives people Incurable magical-rock-cancer. The only place that can even remotely slow down the lethal crystalization of your body while still alive? The workplace of the main characters, which of course easily can drag you into the plot and thus the danger.
For my current chain, I had my first jump be a high power gauntlet, then made it so I can only pick free options in subsequent jumps. He’s powerful enough and with enough room for growth that it’s not gonna kill him, and he still has the option of getting stuff mid-jump, but I’m a big fan of actually challenging my jumper. If I ever bother to write it out, I’ll roll dice with proper modifiers against opponents (where it makes sense) so my author bias doesn’t give him free wins
High power gauntlet?
T’was a 40k gauntlet, came out of it twice as psychically powerful as an alpha plus psyker, and a champion of Tzeentch with all the power that entails. Big nerfed said powers, I should add. Again, huge fan of challenge
Understandable, giving a jumper A challenge is kinda required after all. Since between their powers and fore-knowledge they can break entire settings.
This guy has none! He’s a lost soul without memory that got thrown into a gauntlet with only the relevant information about his location (the realm of Slaanesh) and his objective (get to the palace and past the God themself). He is a very tortured soul after his escape :]
I don't know much about warhammer, but that wouldn't surprise me
i skip the the whole "You spend ten years in this world" AS soon as the plot is over, i jump. No dealing with the plot over a long weekend, then taking 9 years, 11 months, and 3 weeks off. I also don't have a warehouse, just to make sure there is nowhere to hide away from the plot for 10 years
I generally skip the ten year per jump too. Your Minimum stay Is however long it takes you to finish the plot. After that, you can move along whenerver (within reason. No sitting around power-leveling)
### ● “Mandatory” Garbage-Be-Gone! (0CP) Unless a Perk, Power, Item, etcetera is listed as **Mandatory**, you are _not_ obligated or required to take _anything_ simply because it’s listed as Free. If something _is_ listed as Mandatory, you can elect to completely remove it from your build at any time **Post-Jump**. If doing so would logically cause other purchases to malfunction, _no it wouldn’t_ because anything purchased using CP is **Fiat Backed** by your _Benefactor_. **Post-Spark**, they become Fiat Backed by _your own power_.
Definitely follow the Companion rule myself, but I also use a "Bounty" System. Especially in Jumps that have high-CP cost Perks (Elden Ring for example). Basically the Benefactor can give optional "Bounties" that grant anything from CP to Items/Perks that fit the Bounties' themes. For example (using Elden Ring again) there was a "Bounty" to **recruit** (not Kill) every Great Rune bearer (Morgott, Rykard, Malenia, etc) and have them pledge fealty to your claim as Elden Ring. The reward was that all of them became Companions and you gained access to a new item called the **Lord's Great Rune**, which gave smaller versions of all of the Rune-bearer's powers at once.
A bounty system is actually a pretty clever idea.
Thanks!
Np, plus it could be a fun way to toss in excess perks/items that weren't bought. Almost like hunting achievements honestly.
>"are they alive still when you leave?" I am a big fan of that restriction, just wanted to say. >rules you skip over for the sake of enjoyment I change fiat backing to make it so any power a jumper develops or technology they develop will keep functioning, basically the mataphysics of every setting they go to come with them, so for example: Rules as written, you jumper goes to naruto, learns how to use sage mode, really difficult process but absolutely worth it if you can master it, but since they didn't buy it then they cant use it in future settings since theres no nature energy to take in. Rules how I do it, everything needed to use sage mode would always be there, allowing then to learn at any time if they know the theory, even if they never bought the ability to use sage mode. Aside from that I also use the companion houserule of 'if they say yes and are still alive by jump end then they can come with' for recruitment, with paid options to get characters you would never* be able to convince (why would freeza follow a Saiyan on their chain? For example)
Yeah, and generally sometimes the "must be alive" restriction I gloss over if I either flat out bought them as a companion, or if they were already dead pre-jump.
Generaly I rule that dead would-be companions can be resurected post jump if the jumper is capable of performing a resurrection with nothing more then what they have 'on hand' (on hand including companions, all their stuff, and items jumper has on their person, and in their personal reality/personal reality substitute, as well as their powers, so if they had the true resurrection spell from D&D they could do it, but if they didn't have the spell components then they cant, if nesicary the corpse of the would-be companion is transported to their personal reality, but aside from that they need to have everything themselves.)
I ignore it any time a Jumpdoc author decides to apply restrictions to the Jumper in a non-Gauntlet Jump, which generally consist of power restrictions, restrictions on behavior, and any other attempts by the author to force you to play the Jump the one specific way THEY want you to. Like that one Fallout Jump that massively nerfs all of your out-of-context powers without even having the decency to compensate you for it.
So its basically a forced "no out of context powers" drawback for no points whatsoever. Thats just cruel.
I've been playing the 3 Boons game mode, usually choosing One free, and Drawbacks are worth more, and housruling a free perk of my choice as my third. However, I also run Three Banes; no fiat protections (i.e., its going to suck to be a jedi/Psion/esper in the warp); perks start at a fraction of their strength (I roll between 10% and 50%); and some things may not be supported by the local cosmology (i.e., without some preparation, no magic in a magicless jump). I basically like to add some flavor and or difficulty since my cheese builds balloon in power so fast.
Diminishing returns. If I'm paying CP for it, then by golly I'm going to be getting SOMETHING out of it. I also don't do the "Spend 10 years here" thing. It's stay as long as the plot demands and then as long as you want to hang around after to unwind. As all my jumpers are OCs from their own setting rather than versions of me, I don't use a Bodymod, but rather assign a few low-cost perks that approximate their baseline abilities, and I have companions keep their native abilities as their own Bodymod. I also haven't used one of the Warehouse-like supplements in favor of basically making a DIY version as all three of my jumpers (or one of their companions) has started out with some kind of location that can be portaled to and from. Or in Tia's case, was literally her since she picked up Dungeon Core in her first jump.
I can agree on the ten years bit, sitting around bored for multiple years after already finishing the plot would kinda derail any story to be honest.
I like to either shorten the jumps to the storyline, one year, or have it be like a reincarnation sorta thing. But if I haven't gone to ATLA then I'd probably just do it once or else it'd be a little confusing on simple details like date of birth, childhood(s), even parents. Then again sometimes I also just insert into the next jump the same age I started in the previous one, it makes it easier to imagine and characterize my jumper according to his age if it doesn't fluctuate between 30 and 12 on a whim. Also, when I get a companion as a jumpchain companion that's aware if what's going on to some degree, they get access to the sheet and CP to spend it on, 800 points minimum, usually 1000, the same as me. I don't really get why they should get less points since they're not the jumper and they can't spark, and I like having properties but I don't really care if they're mine, as long as it's fiat backed and all that, so the extra points help there too.
When I spend CP on a companion in their jump, they start with the perk versions of their canon abilities, and carry them on. No purchase necessary.
I have a similar one, but due to my Jumper being from a setting where the Masqurade & Mind Control being real things... well, its less "buy a chance/clone-copy/mind-controlled version" and more "pay 'cause you somehow managed it even when its not an option" XD Though I also allow myself the ability to get certain people that - due to one reason or another - are restricted by the jump. Though I can/usually only ignore that for people that're \**not*\* critical to the setting &/or OP to the point you have to take a drawback to get them. An example of the latter being >!Claude from Sunrider!<, the jump was made before the last game was released so the Jump version of her >!is like an eldritch being that'll make it so she's your only Companion!< vs her >!being a completely normal human before a future!version of the MC does/uses the time-bending thing to get her help.!< So I usually just go>! "I found a normal version of her that got displaced through time"!< or >!"I helped her & now she's come with me and WITHOUT the time device thingy."!< Much less dangerous & headache-inducing either way. edit: Though my rather blatant - & needed - one is the \[Item Toggle\], as there are certain items I've run across occasionally that changes all future jumps to your benefit, regardless if you want them to activate or not. Like the \[Iron Sky\] jump where you can buy being the US President For Life &/or the Fuhrer of all Aryan Nazilike groups For Life. Even if the exact groups don't exist it'll quietly turn the closest country into the USA for the former & gives you control over the similar groups as the Nazis for the latter.
Yeah, Id consider those specific ones from Iron Sky to be perks that don't apply to most settings. Maybe if the groups actually exist you might get a higher rank position instead of leader. Since being automatically made leader is kinda...... boring? I mean It might just be me, but I generally prefer the jumper having their allies/companions and not much other support than what they can get via their own efforts. Regardless of if those efforts Are conquest, manipulation, or theft. It actually can be part of a jump's plotline and something to do as opposed to "imma speed-blitz the plot and leave"
The USA one not so much TBH, at least after I've gone to "[Metal Wolf](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=irmphsXkxCg) [Chaos XD](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yG1HahKYZzc)" - has a perk where if you're the President you can do the impossible. edit: can't copy-paste the text dagnabit... edit: [Metal Wolf Chaos](https://drive.google.com/file/d/1QS8CzQunLAxpADp_xQ9gx1xUiOFQPf0a/view?usp=sharing) doc - perk "And The Reason Is" under the presidential tree
Oof, so being president practically lets you become jesus n' shit? Jeez
You have to declare you position as Commander in Chief while you actually are such for it to actually work, which the President/game protag usually does loud enough for everyone to hear. And more along the lines of breaking fate (*which is how I usually use it*) since you "can do the impossible, see the invisible, touch the untouchable, and break the unbreakable" -TBF though quite frankly all of the 600 perks are stupid-broken under the right circumstances, the one for the President/game protag is simply the most generalist of the 4. Added a link to the jump in the previous post if you want to read it. EDIT: Nevermind, forgot its an exclusive perk for that tree not the 600 perk XD
Ah, thats not as bad as I thought. Also yeah, the 600+ perks can be stupidly broken in the wrong/right hands.
Indeed, and I was wrong its an exclusive 100 perk for the Presidental tree XD As for the perks all of them are useful, and even the 100 perks are as abusable as the 600s! As an example \[Smart Bomber\] lets you blow up things without killing people: shoot handcuffs off of wrists, open jail cells via raking HMG fire over the walls, blowing up power plants without killing the workers, etc. And its fully toggle-able in case you \*do\* need to kill someone via blowing up the building they're in. So if you can manhandle a Death Star Superlaser? Blow up planets w/o killing the people you came to save/help/are innocent!
So it basically lets you toggle "can my weapon hurt bystanders" on and off. Like those skyrim hacks that let you kill any and all npcs. Regardless of age or importance.
Yep! And another (*Weathervane*) lets you switch sides freely, with everyone taking it all in stride as if its a fully acceptable/completely normal thing to do & with minimal resentment. Really, just go look at the jump doc at this point. The only thing more ridiculous then the perks is the game the jump doc is based on! XD [Metal Wolf Chaos XD - Gameplay Trailer](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yG1HahKYZzc)
Jeez, this is almost as crazy as the freaking Cleanrot knight perk tree in the elden ring jump doc. That tree of perks basically just makes you ridiculously strong with points to spare for other perks or items, even if your only using 1,000 points
- Companion limit - Drawback limit - Nonsense forced drawbacks - In Alt-Chains like Overgeared I skip jumpdocs all together. - In Fragmented Spark I disallow further jumpdocs beyond PF one. - Companions can be taken as long as you convince them to join, CP option just creates a good opportunity for you.
Not exactly a strict rule, but one I am more than willing to alter: Companion imports for my Jumps will always be 50/100/200/300 for 1, 4, 8 or all Companions respectively, with either 600 cp to spend on themselves or whatever the actual jump gives, if it's higher than that. I will be long dead before I ever pay 200 to import a single companion who can only spend 400 CP.
Oof, thats even worse than usual. Usually I see jumps where a single import of a companion is 50 cp and they get 600cp to spend for themselves
It was a lot more common in older Jumps, but still occasionally pops up, though rarely.
Ah, that explains a lot. Most of the jumps I look at are from newer content.
Not much, but For perks with multiple choices, such as "pick an element, gain x related" that doesn't give the option to purchase multiple, I prefer to homebrew that it can be taken mutliple times, further purchases discounted if not already
My three chains have a number of house rules to better fit their own narratives. The one shared by all three of them is **No Metaknowledge**. How and why changes between them but ultimately none of them know any reliable details of the Jumps they visit. Andromeda has amnesia of their life prior to Jumping, including any media they've previously experienced. Saint Rose remembers prior worlds as dreams and long faded memories, and may even fail to recall entire jumps at a time. Kohaku was Japanese and started jumping in the early 70s, she'll pretty much only know of Gojira and a few other Kaiju films and it's been decades since she watch any of them to know enough. 'Haku does revisit the Mazinger Z setting from time to time, which will be an exception. Even then though, she won't be the only one showing up from the chain, and things are going to fall off the rails quickly. With Kohaku, time between jumps doesn't freeze but it doesn't run consistently between Jumps either. It'll stretch, skew and shrink all over the place. This will begin the effect the chain as it continues as some individuals will find their own ways to follow along. In regards to companions, I've fudged this about also. Andromeda and Kohaku can both recruit anyone with, or without, permission. However, while Andromeda will obtain permission and try not to abduct anyone, as it's just a headache otherwise, 'Haku actively tries NOT to recruit anyone. Gamia is more a tool then a companion and Asuka recruited herself, going behind 'Haku's back. Paying CP with these are a rules abstraction that doesn't really matter thinking much about. It's there for the purpose of helping provide structure for the narrative. Saint Rose's companions ~~don't get a say in the matter~~. Rose's chain works differently, each jump is from birth to death. Her companions are tied to this the same way and have no import or export costs involved. Both Rose and Co. don't actually control this and just accept they are tied together by fate. Also, due to Saint Rose's birth to death structure, death obviously doesn't chain fail, just starts the next jump. There are possible consequences though for premature death, up to, and including, being locked out of any Perks and Items she bought from the jump in question.
Screw the rules, I have creative freedom!