Specialist Stats
Specialist Stats are an additional stat field typically reserved for more advanced characters. A Specialist stat is
always an ability slot, and is functionally an expanded ability slot. Most commonly seen in Jinchuurinki of the
Legendary Beasts, Specialists Stats are used for a variety of skills and abilities of great prestige and power. This page helps in understanding how exactly a specialist stat works and what you’re capable of doing with it.
The Stat Itself
The Specialist stat, like every other stat, goes up to 50. However, unlike other stats, the Specialist Stat
does not count against your maximum total of 250 stats. This means you can have 250 stats between you main 6 stats and still pay into buying 50 stats for a specialist stat. You may only have 1 Specialist Stat at any given time. Most often the specialist stat is listed with the main 6 however, though some members choose to keep it in the ability description or elsewhere on the application. This stat is increased like the others, by buying for 4 ryo each, or by training it. Training your specialist stat counts against your 75 stat trainings, however. You are allowed to have it so your specialist stat is capped before 50, but it must be in increments of 10 (meaning it can only be 10, 20, 30, 40 or 50).
Having a specialist stat gives you access to two things; Stat Boosts and/or Expanded Abilities. Below we’ll explain each one.
Stat Boosts
Stat Boosts from the Specialist Stat are different from the one mentioned on this page because they
do not require debuffs. Meaning the boosts created by a Specialist stat actually increase your stat total. Any stats can be increased, as much as you would like. If your specialist stat is 50, you can increase your stat total by +25, however if it has a max value less than 50, it can only boost by ⅓ it’s value (a Specialist Stat capped at 30 could only do +10). However, the stats being increased is locked at creation, meaning when you are creating your specialist stat you must decide in advance how the stat boosts will look, and annotate this on the app. The
Legendary Beasts can be referenced on how to format this.
Additionally, the boosts from these stats can break the maximum individual cap, and the total stat cap on your character. One[1] stat can be boosted to 55, and your stat total can be boosted to 265. That means if you are at 240 or below and use a specialist stat, your stat total could reach 265. If your stat total is above 240, when you activate the boost you can decide which boosts you take (it can be partial to the values). If multiple stats would be boosted past 50, you may only allow 1 to break the cap in that topic, and you cannot change it during that topic. That means if you have +5 Control, +10 Speed and +10 Willpower, and your stats are 50 Control, 40 Speed, 40 Willpower, you could end at 55 Control, 50 Speed and 50 Willpower.
Expanded Abilities
Because the additional stat means more work for you, the ability slot that you place a Specialist Stat on is “worth” slightly more than a normal ability slot. This means you have slightly more leeway in what you can put in the ability. The standard example would be to have Regeneration, the aforementioned Stat Boosts, and then a unique concentration. For others, potentially powerful and potent abilities can be made workable by including an ability stat (like the Soul Genma’s revival power).
It is also worth noting that Stat Boosts are not required, and in fact, by taking on a Specialist Stat you gain even more leeway. One of the best examples of this is the Synch Stat for Swarms, which function as if their entire stat layout is equal to their Synch stat, functionally giving the swarm a stat total of 300 (that’s more than what’s possible even with boosting!!)
The Expanded Abilities granted by Specialist Stats are handled on a case by case basis, when designing one it is strongly recommended you work with staff in order to come out with a design that is functional and acceptable. Following the framework set by other examples is a good way to ensure your Specialist Stat can get accepted.
Time Limits
Of course for every boon, there is a bane. And for Specialist Stats, it is the endless march of time that gets to them. Specialists Stats can only be activated for five [5] posts in a thread. Once turned on, that is the one shot you have. The posts must be consecutive, that means you cannot turn it on for 2 posts, turn it off, then turn it on again for 3 more. At a minimum, what you’re turning on is the stat boosts, and skills granted by the Specialist Stat may be useable beyond five posts. However, you are given
even more space if it is limited to the 5 posts. Meaning an ability that you can use all the time with a specialist stat will be weaker than an ability that is only accessible for 5 posts a thread. Keep this in mind when designing!
- You may only have 1 Specialist Stat
- The Specialist Stat is the only way to recover chakra, and a boost to the chakra pool stat effectively increases the amount of chakra you have. This can be a boost for the duration of the thread, or for the allotted time, depending on how the ability is balanced.
- You may start with a Specialist Stat. If you do so, you can either distribute from your starting stat points to it (reducing your stat total), or spending points from your starting points on it. If you do the former, you will retain the title you started with, but will not rank up until you hit the next stat total.
- Any skills you gain from a Specialist Stat must still be powered by one of your main 6 stats. This means you can't grow a 3rd arm that has [Specialist] Strength, or gain control of magic black orbs that fly around at [Specialist] speed. They would instead be [Strength] for the arm, or [Control] for the orbs, for example.
Weapon Stats
Some weapons create an additional stat field on a character’s sheet just like a specialized stat. Weapon stats are most commonly seen in the
Legendary Objects. These stats usually track the capabilities and power levels of certain weapons possessed by a character. These stats also cap out at 50 and also do not contribute to the 250 maximum. A weapon stat is
not always a specialized stat. Weapon stats are treated as specialized stats only where they provide an Expanded Ability. This means weapons with only one ability do not attract the specialized stat rules, but those which employ multiple ‘abilities’, such as stat boosting, regeneration, and access to an element or other styles all on the one weapon for example, would be classified as a specialized stat.