5. Technique and Moveset Creation Guidelines

[Legion]

Technique and Moveset Creation

For the most part, we have two goals with this site: give members the freedom to explore the site and the Digimon franchise in any manner they prefer, and develop simple, easy-to-understand rules that'll help keep the site fair and fun for everyone. Combat's where those two priorities start to grind into each other a bit. This is going to be the most text and number heavy section of the rules, but we promise it's for a good cause. Our goals here are threefold:

• Let people design pretty much any technique they can envision, listing an index of keywords and traits to help inspire members and guide them through the moveset creation process.
• Use simple, easy-to-grasp point values to ensure that all movesets at a given level are kept in balance with one another.
• With these point values and keywords, make these freeform, user-designed movesets surprisingly simple for staff to grade.

It might seem a bit intimidating at first, but we won't leave you hanging. We'll be developing a Digimon throughout this guide in order to show you how the process works.

If you'd like to see more information on a particular type of move, please follow the attached index links. Otherwise, scroll on down to see how your Digimon's basic traits work.

Attacks

Status Effects

Support Moves

Shields

Advanced Techniques

Digimon Combat Traits

There are three important traits that define how a Digimon operates in combat on site. These are as follows:

• Stat Ranks, which describe a Digimon's general combat aptitude in five key areas.
• RAM, the number of points a Digimon can use to build their moveset.
• Archetype, which gives a RAM discount on the category of moves your Digimon is most comfortable with.
• Optional Traits, such as forms of mobility and elemental resistances.

Stat Ranks

Stat Ranks are relative comparisons of how well your Digimon performs in combat when compared to other Digimon of their level. They cover the following five stats:

• Power - A measure of your Digimon's sheer offensive force. The more Power a Digimon has, the more devastating its attack techniques are.
• Brains - A measure of your Digimon's tactical aptitude. Status effects and support moves are more potent coming from Digimon with higher Brains.
• Speed - A measure of your Digimon's movement speed and overall mobility.
• Defense - A measure of your Digimon's ability to endure physical punishment. Digimon with high Defense are stronger against melee attacks and have more stamina overall.
• Resistance - A measure of your Digimon's ability to resist attacks against their coding. Digimon with high Resistance more easily weather ranged attacks and status conditions.

These stats are ranked as follows:

• 0 - Your Digimon is weaker than the average Digimon of the level below them in this stat. You cannot make a character with a 0 in a stat, but debuffs can weaken your character to this point.
• * - Your Digimon is very weak for their level in this stat.
• ** - Your Digimon is weak for their level in this stat.
• *** - Your Digimon is average for their level in this stat.
• **** - Your Digimon is strong for their level in this stat.
• ***** - Your Digimon is very strong for their level in this stat.
• ****** - Your Digimon is stronger than the average Digimon of the level above them in this stat. You cannot make a character with a ****** in a stat, but buffs can strengthen your character to this point.

Partner Digimon get 15 stars to spread across their stats. This means a perfectly average Digimon will have three stars in every stat, while more specialized ones will tend to vary.

Twin Digimon and Xros Recruits, being weaker than most Digimon of their level, only have 10 stars to spread across their stats. This is compensated for by the fact that they typically operate in large numbers. Twins that cover for each other's weaknesses tend to be greater than the sum of their parts when working in harmony.

Please remember that these rankings are A) relative and B) broad strokes. This isn't a hard, granular stat system. They are more like guidelines to help you understand how you and your opponent's Digimon will behave in a fight scene. Imagine a fight between a Machinedramon with sky-high defense but bottoming Speed, and a Slayerdramon whose stats are the opposite. Their posts will look very different from one another!

RAM and Archetypes

If Stat Ranks define what your Digimon is, RAM defines what your Digimon can do. These are the points you use to build your Digimon's moveset, and we'll be going into a lot more detail on how they work in future posts. For now, all you need to know is that your Digimon gets a number of RAM to spend proportionate to their level.

Fresh: 2 RAM.
In-Training: 5 RAM
Rookie: 10 RAM
Champion: 15 RAM
Perfect: 20 RAM
Mega: 25 RAM
Ultra: 30 RAM

As Twins and Xros Recruits operate in groups, they have fewer points to spend individually. Instead, each twin or recruit uses the following RAM pools.

Fresh: 1 RAM
In-Training: 3 RAM
Rookie: 6 RAM
Champion: 9 RAM
Perfect: 12 RAM
Mega: 16 RAM
Ultra: 20 RAM

This means, for example, that two twin Rookies have 6 RAM each to work with. Together, they have slightly more points worth of techniques to throw around than a solo Rookie's 10, but their individual potential for techniques is lower by a decent bit.

By default, each technique your Digimon has costs 3 RAM. Stronger techniques cost more RAM, and techniques with drawbacks associated cost less RAM, but think of 3 RAM per move as a basic guideline as to how many techniques you'll have access to. For example, a Champion level Digimon will know about five techniques.

If technique lists aren't your kind of thing, or you're building a form that prefers the simple, direct approach, you can use RAM to buy more stat ranks instead. Each rank purchased this way costs 5 RAM. The 5 star cap on a stat still applies: you cannot purchase your way to 6 stars.

A technique's RAM cost is decreased for attacks relating to your character's Archetype. Think of these as guides describing the kinds of techniques that your Digimon favors. These are as follows:

• Brawler - Melee attacks cost 1 fewer RAM.
• Blaster - Ranged attacks cost 1 fewer RAM.
• Guardian - Defensive techniques cost 1 fewer RAM. So do reaction or passive support moves.
• Support - Buffs and cures cost 1 fewer RAM.
• Trickster - Status effects cost 1 fewer RAM.

Not all of a Digimon's moves need to match their archetype. In fact, you should vary it up! A Brawler with nothing but melee techniques may know more attacks than most Digimon of their level, but they'll be at a major disadvantage in any situation but a straight punch-up. Knowing when to stick to your archetype and when to vary things up is key for making fun to play movesets.

Optional Traits

With how many species of Digimon there are, its no surprise that they can move in all sorts of ways. Basic examples of this include flight, swimming, burrowing, and climbing. For the most part, these are both fairly situational and innately tied to a Digimon's design, so they won't take up any RAM. However, we'd still prefer that you list them on your Digimon's profile. As a balancing factor, a Digimon that has no special forms of mobility is typically faster on level ground than a Digimon that has one.

The one exception to this is flying, which opens up a lot of options and strategies that a Digimon normally wouldn't have access to. The higher you get in level, the more likely it is that your Digimon can either fly or has a means of easily attacking flying Digimon, so at most levels we won't attach a RAM cost to flight either. However, flight is very rare at Rookie level, and movepools are too small to assume everyone can work around it, so we're going to put a price on it for fairness' sake.

Flight on a Rookie level Digimon costs 2 RAM.

The other main types of optional traits are elemental weaknesses and resistance. These are fairly self explanatory: you can spend RAM so your Digimon takes less damage from a certain element, or get extra RAM if your Digimon takes more damage from a certain element. Extra RAM cost can let your Digimon be immune to an element, or even absorb it to heal or gain a small stat boost.

For the sake of consistency, we recognize the following elements on site: Fire, Ice, Wind, Earth, Water, Lightning, Nature, Metal, Light, Darkness, Psychic. An attack that doesn't deal one of these types of damage is considered typeless.

The RAM cost on these element-based traits is as follows:

• Minor Element Resistance: 1 RAM
• Element Immunity: 3 RAM
• Element Absorption: 5 RAM
• Minor Element Weakness: -1 RAM
• Severe Element Weakness: -2 RAM

You can also purchase Resistance, Immunity, Minor Weakness, and Severe weakness for status effects and sensory techniques. These immunities must be as specific as you can make them (ex, instead of a weakness all Addles, a weakness to Fear or Berserk. Instead of an immunity all sensory techniques, immunity to sight-based or sound-based techniques.) Please use the RAM costs listed for these. You cannot just be immune to untyped damage or physical touch, as these make up the majority of techniques and would be drastically overpowered. Resistance and immunity to a more costly status effect takes extra RAM: +1 for Fatigue and Seal, +2 for Stun and Purge, +3 for De-Digivolution.

Finally, if you have any other traits worthy of mention that don't have impact on battle, you can list them down as well. Digimon have all sorts of wondrous, fantastic abilities, after all, and many are more fit for flavor or out of combat creativity than they are for combat usage. We may request a RAM cost be put on a trait like this if it has significant combat ramifications, or if you overload your Digimon with them, but this is rather rare.

Let's Build A Digimon! Part 1:

Now that we've gone over the different types of Digimon traits, let's build ourselves a Digimon! I'm sure you're all expecting a Greymon, but I'm going to subvert your expectations and go with a more versatile Digimon to play around with. Today, we're building an Angemon!

For the most part, we're going to be sticking to average parameters for Angemon, starting with a three star ranking in each stat. However, Angemon tends to be a heavy-hitter that punches above his weight class in combat, especially when against the evil Digimon he doggedly pursues. In addition, his pureness and determination are the subjects of renown, allowing him to stubbornly push through status effects and enemy magic. We're boosting Angemon's Power and Resistance to reflect this. To make up for these higher stats, we'll take a star out of Defense: Angemon isn't the most durable Digimon, and the lack of armor he wears means attacks that'll smash through cybernetics or scales will cause him a good bit of trouble. In addition, he's more the type to slowly, imperiously float forward rather than dart around the battlefield like greased lightning.

RAM's easy. He's a Champion, so we're going to have 15 RAM. As the living incarnation of evil's bane, we're going to be putting a lot of love into Angemon's combat techniques. Rather than the support roles many angels are pigeonholed into, we're going full avenging angel here: Angemon's going into the Blaster archetype.

That leaves us with optional traits. With those six wings, there's no way Angemon can't fly. He's a Champion, too, so we're not taking a RAM penalty for having it. However, we will take a slight RAM penalty for some elemental resistances. As a bane against evil Digimon, we're going to be giving Angemon a resistance to Dark element attacks. He's not immune to them, but it should give him a leg up against many demonic Digimon.

Put all of these together, and we get the beginnings of a profile for our Angemon:

Species: Angemon
Level: Champion

Power: ****
Brains: ***
Speed: **
Defense: **
Resistance: ****

Flight
Minor Resistance - Dark (1 RAM)

RAM remaining: 14/15

In the following posts, we'll be building a moveset for our avenging angel here. Stay tuned!

[Legion]

Technique Templates and Basics

Before we get into the specifics of different types of techniques, here's the template for making them:

Name: The name of your technique. This can be pretty much anything you want it to be.
Description: How your Digimon uses this technique. Even if two techniques work the same way, they can have completely different descriptions. For example, a move that slows the opponent down may be chilling mists causing their data to slow down, or it may be chains of light binding them and holding them back. Feel free to get creative with this!
RAM Cost: How much RAM are you spending on this technique? This is calculated by . . .
Type: Is this a melee attack? A ranged attack? A status effect or support technique? A defensive technique? Something more unique?
Modifiers: Keywords that make a technique stronger or help them function differently, but add to their RAM cost.
Drawbacks: Keywords that make a technique weaker or limit its function, but make them cost less RAM.
Duration: For status effects, buffs, and shield moves, how many posts does the move last?
Cooldown: If a move has a cooldown, how long is it?

Name:
Description:
RAM Cost:
Type:
Modifiers:
Drawbacks:
Duration:
Cooldown:

You can see how this system makes both making and checking movesets surprisingly simple. If you're stumped on ideas for making techniques, taking inspiration from the keywords listed below can help you come up with something. If you have an idea for a move already, checking the RAM costs of its keywords can help you get a sense of how balanced it is. If you're a staff member checking an app for approval, all you need to do is make sure a technique's keywords and RAM costs are in order, instead of hand-wringing over each one individually.

Techniques with higher RAM costs, for balance's sake, have cooldowns automatically applied to them. These ensure that you can't just spam your strongest techniques post after post, and are set up as follows:

RAM of 3 and below: No cooldown.
RAM of 4-5: 1 post cooldown.
RAM of 6-7: 2 post cooldown.
RAM of 8-9: 3 post cooldown.
RAM of 10+: Once per thread.

In combat, a Digimon can only use one technique per post! If all participants in a thread agree, you can play fast and loose with this, but this is the default standard and would be enforced in any tournament or site event.

Finally, please make sure that the techniques you create make sense. Digimon are weird, weird creatures, so the bar for this is pretty high. However, stuff like a Meramon spitting water or a Terriermon drawing a massive buster sword out of hammerspace is a bridge too far. We'll allow a lot of room for creativity and individual characterization, but try to make techniques that resonate with your Digimon's design and capabilities instead of clashing with them.

Attacks

Attacks are pretty much the bread and butter of any moveset. After all, a big part of writing fight scenes is . . . well, fighting. Depending on how you choose to build your attacks, they can be anything from a simple energy blast or physical strike to a huge, flashy finishing move, so don't be shy about exploring your options.

Remember, these aren't just any old attacks. These are attack techniques. They're basically your Digimon's signature moves, and they should at least be somewhat noteworthy. Something that literally anyone can do, like a punch, a kick, or a strike with a held weapon, isn't necessarily a move. The mods aren't going to crash into your thread and tell you that your Agumon can't headbutt people with its big old head just because you didn't write it in your app. However, keep in mind that even a basic named technique tends to be stronger than an unnamed strike.

As a reminder, attacking moves cost 3 RAM by default. Modifiers will add to this total, and drawbacks will detract from it. Some modifiers will also add cooldowns to a technique in order to prevent it from being used too frequently.

The keywords you can use to fancy up attacks are as listed below:

Modifiers

SPOILER: Click to show

Strong
Cost: +1 RAM.
Function: Compared to most techniques that your Digimon knows, this one packs extra power.
Extra: You may add this modifier up to three times per move, with each tag making the move noticeably stronger.

Accurate
Cost: +1 RAM.
Function: This attack is difficult to dodge compared to most. Maybe your Digimon's movements are particularly quiet and subtle, making it hard for your opponent to see them coming. Maybe you're using a guided projectile of sorts that follows your opponent as they try to dodge. Maybe you're using a particularly precise weapon, like a sniper rifle or rapier. These moves aren't impossible to dodge, but they're certainly going to take more effort and on-the-fly thinking to escape from.

Long Range
Cost: +1 RAM.
Function: This attack has a further range compared to most. Melee attacks can be used from a comfortable distance away from an opponent, and ranged attacks can function like snipers or artillery pieces. In either case, you can comfortably out-range an opponent with these techniques in a fight.

Pierce
Cost: +1 RAM.
Function: This attack counters defensive techniques, smashing through shields and barriers as if they weren't even there. You can't block a piercing move through any means, though you can still dodge or counter one.

Pull
Cost: +1 RAM.
Function: Rather than knock your foe around like most techniques, this technique is designed to pull them closer to you. Shouting "get over here!" is recommended but not required.

Combo
Cost: +1 RAM.
Function: The more often you hit an opponent with this technique, the stronger it becomes. If you miss, or change targets, the attack goes back to its original strength. Attacks like this tend to start out on the smaller side, but time and persistence can make them major threats.

Contest
Cost: +1 RAM.
Function: Choose a stat when creating this technique. The power of this attack varies based on how high one of your stats is relative to an opponent's. A psychic battle of wills could be more effective against opponents with lower Brains, for example, whereas a hard body press could be more effective against opponents with lower Defense.

Union
Cost: +1 RAM.
Function: Your allies can lend their strength to this technique, either by sharing their energy with the user or joining in themselves. Instead of attacking on their turn, allied Digimon can give a move with Union a powerful attack boost.

Target
Cost: +1 RAM.
Function: The power of this attack varies depending on a characteristic innate to the target Digimon. This can include their Attribute, their Level, their Family, or even their name. WarGreymon's Dramon Destroyer gauntlets, which are especially effective against the many Digimon with -dramon in their name, are an example of this. Please choose one characteristic similar to these when making this technique, and specify your choice in the technique's description.

Area of Effect
Cost: +2 RAM / +3 RAM, see Extra.
Function: This attack covers a wide area and can hit multiple targets with ease. This can be any "shape" of AoE that you want: cleaving every Digimon standing near you, creating an explosion at an area that you pinpoint, or making a beam of energy so massive that it overwhelms multiple targets are just a few of many examples.
Extra: You can pay an additional +1 RAM to have your Area of Effect technique only hit enemies, leaving allies in its path unharmed.

Leech
Cost: +2 RAM.
Function: Part of the damage that your Digimon deals with this attack is returned to you as healing. This tends to be much weaker than a dedicated healing move, but in a close battle a little bit of healing can make all the difference.

Cause Status
Cost: +2 RAM and +1 cooldown, see Extra.
Function: Choose an status effect with a RAM cost of 3 from the below list. Your attack also inflicts the chosen status effect on the target when used. These are considered Weak status effects with a duration of 1 post.
Extra: You can pay an additional +1 RAM to increase the status effect's potency or give it a longer duration, but not both. Alternatively, you can pay the RAM cost of a higher-tier status effect (+1 for Fatigue or Seal, +2 for Stun or Purge) to use it instead. De-Digivolution can never be selected.
Note: This does not count for the Trickster RAM bonus. Only a dedicated status effect technique gives this bonus.

Element
Cost: 0 RAM / +2 RAM, see extra.
Function: Choose one of the following elements: Fire, Ice, Wind, Earth, Water, Lightning, Nature, Metal, Light, Darkness, Psychic. Your technique now utilizes this element. An elemental move is slightly stronger than a move without an element, but only slightly. Outside of that minor boost, whether this is a bonus or a drawback depends heavily on your opponent's elemental weaknesses and resistances. For that reason, this trait doesn't have a RAM cost attached to it. Keep in mind that going all-in one element will leave you vulnerable to an opponent with a resistance or immunity.
Extra: If instead you pay 2 RAM, you may freely choose this technique's element with each usage.

Sensory
Cost: 0 RAM.
Function: Unlike most techniques, this isn't a strike or projectile that targets your opponent's body. Instead, its a sight, sound, thought, or other sensory phenomenon that goes after your opponent's core directly. While these attacks cannot be dodged the traditional way, they can be dealt with on their own terms. For example, mental fortitude can help push back against intrusive thoughts, closing one's eyes can block out horrifying visions, and a particularly loud sound can drown out an opponent's auditory moves.

Counter
Cost: 0 RAM.
Function: Similar to Traps yet also distinct from them, Counters fill a very similar role: set up an attack and dare your opponent to interact with it. However, whereas a Trap is something placed on the battlefield, a Counter comes from your own body. If you're hit by a melee attack and take damage, you lash back out at them with a fearsome attack of your own. A counter isn't impossible to avoid, but doing so is very, very hard. However, considering your foe needs to activate their counter first, you should already know the risk when you go to strike. A Counter's cooldown and duration only begin after it either triggers or expires.

Trap
Cost: 0 RAM.
Function: Rather than immediately see use, this technique places a trap on the battlefield for two posts. If a Digimon triggers the trap, typically by touching or approaching it, the technique is immediately unleashed upon them. A trap can be trickier to use than just attacking your opponent directly, but it can also catch unaware opponents by surprise and allow for surprisingly potent combos in concert with other techniques. A Trap's cooldown and duration only begin after it either triggers or expires.

Drawbacks

Please note that, no matter how many drawbacks you add onto your Digimon's moves, they will always cost at least 1 RAM.

SPOILER: Click to show

Weak
Savings: -1 RAM.
Function: Compared to most techniques that your Digimon knows, this one is weaker than the norm.

Inaccurate
Savings: -1 RAM.
Function: This attack is easier to dodge compared to most. This may be due to a slow-moving projectile, a long windup before using the attack, or an attack so precise that a glancing blow might as well not even hurt.

Short Range
Savings: -1 RAM.
Function: This attack has a shorter range compared to most, making ranged attacks more for close-up skirmishing than firing from far away.
Restriction: This drawback cannot be applied to melee attacks. The difference between short and regular melee range are too negligible.

Recoil
Savings: -1 RAM.
Function: This attack doesn't just deal damage to the target: it also deals damage to the user! Reckless use of these attacks can lead to a Digimon being more of a danger to itself than its opponent, so use these responsibly. Or don't, if you're the gambling type.

Burnout
Savings: -1 RAM / -2 RAM, see Extra.
Function: The strain of using this attack weakens and hampers your Digimon. You can select any status effect with a RAM of 3 cost from the below list and apply it to your Digimon whenever they use this technique. By default, this is considered a Weak status effect with a duration of 1 post.
Extra: If you increase the status effect's potency, give it a longer duration, or choose a status effect with a higher RAM cost, this drawback is worth -2 RAM.

Longer Cooldown
Savings: -1 RAM.
Function: When determining your technique's cooldown from the table above, add an extra post onto it.
Extra: This drawback can be taken up to twice. If you take it a second time, the technique can only be used Once per Thread.
Restriction: This drawback cannot be applied to techniques that already have a Once per Thread cooldown, or to techniques that knock out or permanently de-Digivolve your Digimon.

Charge
Savings: -2 RAM.
Function: When using this technique, you spend one post charging up, then actually use the technique on your next post. You can still move and dodge while charging up a technique, but you can't perform another technique.

Regression
Savings: -3 RAM / -5 RAM.
Function: Your Digimon is forced to regress to a lower level of Digivolution after using this technique, forcing them to fight from a disadvantaged state. This lasts for one post longer than this technique's cooldown (ex, 1 post for a move with no cooldown, 2 posts for a move with a 1 post cooldown).
Extra: If you instead opt for this regression to last for the rest of the thread, this drawback is worth -5 RAM.
Restriction: This drawback cannot be applied to techniques that knock out your Digimon.

Self KO
Savings: -10 RAM.
Function: Your Digimon is knocked out, regressed all the way down to a baby form, or even deleted entirely. You'll save a lot of RAM buying this modifier, but do not take it lightly.

Now that you've seen how these work, let's put them into practice.

Let's Build A Digimon! Part 2

With a pretty versatile statline, our Angemon can cover a lot of bases at once. However, he's primarily a fighter, so we'll be making him one melee attack and one ranged attack today.

We're going to be taking some inspiration from Wikimon, which I highly recommend as a first step when planning movesets. Immediately, Angel Slam catches my eye, because the idea of a messenger from God using his bo staff to suplex anyone in his way sounds hilarious. Because this is a grapple, I feel like it's not an easy move to score a direct hit with. There are just too many opportunities for my opponent to slip out of Angemon's grip and escape harm. For that reason, I'm giving it the Inaccurate trait. However, if I do hit, dropping an opponent right on their head is going to be very disorientating. I'll pick the Status Effect modifier to reflect that fact, leaving opponents dizzied and disoriented whenever Angemon scores a hit with this move. I could increase the potency or duration of this dizzying effect, but I don't see the need to. I'm happy with the move as is.

Instead, I'll move onto the ranged attack. What better choice than his signature move from the anime, the Hand of Fate? I set Angemon's Power as one of his highest stats, and I want to leverage that by giving this move some punch with the Strong tag. In addition, I don't want the forces of evil to be able to parry this move away. I'll have it Pierce through their shields like a light piercing through the darkest night. Finally, it's Light element, because it's a literal beam of holy energy. That's a lot of oomph put on a single move, however, and I'd rather not be wasting a ton of RAM on the first two moves I've made! For this reason, I'm adding in the Short Range drawback. The Hand of Fate is basically punching with style, after all. The beam would diffuse if I'm using it on a far away opponent. This also opens an interesting question for me as a player. Angemon is a little slow and a little squishy compared to most Digimon, so making his strongest offensive tool a short ranged attack means he has to put himself into a disadvantageous state when he's bringing a fight to a close. It can pay off big time, especially since we have no cooldown on the Hand of Fate to stop us from using it repeatedly. However, it can also lead to us getting a little too overzealous, ending up in over our heads, and letting a faster foe run circles around us.

With our moves made, let's see how they work!

Name: Angel Slam
Description: Angemon flips an opposing Digimon with his staff, slamming them into the ground and leaving them disoriented.
RAM Cost: 4
Type: Melee Attack
Modifiers: Status Effect [Addle] (+2, +1 Cooldown)
Drawbacks: Inaccurate (-1)
Duration: 1 post.
Cooldown: 2 posts.

Name: Hand of Fate
Description: Angemon punches towards his opponent, a beam of light launching from his fist. This attack passes through enemy shields as if they weren't even there.
RAM Cost: 3
Type: Ranged Attack (-1)
Modifiers: Strong (+1), Pierce (+1), Element [Light]
Drawbacks: Short Range (-1)
Cooldown: 0 posts.

We've gone from 14 RAM free to 7 RAM free. That's a little more than I expected! Once we've made an example move of every category, I'll trim them down, edit them, and rearrange them to make the perfect moveset for our Angemon. But right now, we're just brainstorming, you know? You don't need to get everything perfect on the first pass. Never be afraid to toss around a bunch of ideas and see what comes of them. You might end up surprising yourself!

[Legion]

Status Effects

Status effects are the second category of technique, refer to all manner of debuffs, afflictions, and adversarial conditions that your Digimon can inflict on their opponents. While they may deal light amounts of damage, this is not the primary purpose of these moves. Instead, their purpose is to disable and hamper your opponent, preventing them from fighting at their full effectiveness.

We've seen above that attacks can have status effects as a secondary effect. Compared to those techniques, these are stronger, and by default last for 2 posts. If trying to determine which archetype a technique falls under, consider the following: if a move is primarily debuff focused, with damage a secondary concern, it is built with these rules gets a discount for the Trickster archetype. If a move is primarily damage focused, with a debuff as an add-on, it is built with the Attack rules gets a discount for the Brawler or Blaster archetypes.

To reflect the fact that status effects last longer and interfere with your opponent's ability to fight, they have slightly longer cooldowns.

RAM of 3 and below: 1 post cooldown.
RAM of 4-5: 2 post cooldown.
RAM of 6-7: 3 post cooldown.
RAM of 8-9: 4 post cooldown.
RAM of 10+: Once per thread.

Status effects do not stack. If the same status effect targets a Digimon multiple times, only the strongest of those will remain active. In addition, once a status effect wears off, the Digimon is immune to further applications for a single post. This is to prevent a Digimon from being disabled by the same effect over and over again, because nobody likes being stunlocked.

Types of Status Effects

Pretty much any adversarial condition can serve as a status effect. We've listed as many of them as we can think of here. If you think we've missed a spot, please let us know so we can add it to the list!

The below spoilers include the types of status effects, as well as their RAM cost to add. The majority of these cost 3 RAM, but this cost may differ for particularly powerful status effects.

SPOILER: Click to show

Debuff
Cost: 3 RAM
Function: Choose a stat when creating this technique. Your Debuff decreases this stat. Typically, a debuff decreases a Digimon's stat by about half of a star rank. Weaker debuffs have less of an impact, while stronger ones can decrease a stat by a full star ranking.

Burn
Cost: 3 RAM
Function: A Burn technique deals damage over time. This can be elemental in nature, like an actual burn or poison technique, or can just refer to a bleed effect caused by physical damage.

Addle
Cost: 3 RAM
Function: Addles are a catch-all category for debuff techniques that alter a target's mental state. This can include frightening a Digimon to keep it away from you, enraging or confusing a Digimon so they can't tell friend from foe, charming it so it sees you in a positive light, or taunting it to try and make it focus on you. Please choose one effect similar to these when making this technique, and specify your choice in the technique's description.


Dull
Cost: 3 RAM
Function: A technique that Dulls Senses hampers your opponents ability to perceive or communicate with the world around them. The most common forms of these techniques blind, deafen, or silence your opponent. Please choose one effect similar to these when making this technique, and specify your choice in the technique's description.

Scourge
Cost: 3 RAM / 10 RAM, see extra
Function: Choose an element when creating this technique. A Scourge makes your opponent more susceptible to the chosen element, giving them an elemental weakness. If your opponent already has an elemental weakness, it is worsened. If your opponent has an elemental resistance, it is nullified. An absorption or immunity is downgraded to a regular resistance.
Extra: If you instead pay 10 RAM, you can choose the granted elemental weakness every time you use this technique.

Jinx
Cost: 3 RAM
Function: Choose a drawback from a certain class of techniques with a RAM cost of -1. A Jinx adds this drawback to all techniques of that class used by your target. For example, you can make enemy attacks Short Ranged, or add Recoil damage onto them.

Fatigue
Cost: 4 RAM
Function: A Fatigue technique tires your opponent at the very core, making it more difficult to use their moves. Every move used while Fatigued gains an extra post of cooldown.
Restriction: Modifiers and drawbacks cannot change this technique's power.

Seal
Cost: 4 RAM
Function: A Seal technique bans the target Digimon from using a move of your choice while active. The move disabled must be a move you've seen in character: you can't target a move that you don't know exists!
Restriction: Modifiers and drawbacks cannot change this technique's power.

Stun
Cost: 5 RAM and +1 cooldown
Function: A Stun technique numbs, freezes, or otherwise incapacitates an opponent's body, leaving them unable to make sudden motions. Stuns do not disable all movement, but a stunned Digimon is very unlikely to dodge incoming attacks unless outside circumstances give them an edge.
Restriction: Unlike most status effects, a stun can only last for a single post. A Stun move's power and duration cannot be modified.

Purge
Cost: 5 RAM and +1 cooldown
Function: A Purge removes the effect of a helpful support move from an enemy Digimon. A stronger Purge technique can remove multiple support moves, up to three. A weaker one can only lower their duration.
Restriction: This is an instant effect: its has no duration, and its duration cannot be modified.

De-Digivolution
Cost: 6 RAM and +2 cooldown
Function: One of the most feared status effects imaginable, De-Digivolution regresses an opponent to an earlier Digivolution level. Until the duration of the move expires, they cannot Digivolve back to their highest level form.
Restriction: De-Digivolution cannot be modified or added to other techniques in any way.

Modifiers

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Strong
Cost: +1 RAM.
Function: Compared to most techniques that your Digimon knows, this one packs extra potency.
Extra: You may add this modifier up to two times per move, with each tag making the move noticeably stronger.

Long Lasting
Cost: +1 RAM.
Function: Your status effect lasts for 3 posts instead of 2 posts, allowing it to have a longer-lasting impact on the battle.

Long Range
Cost: +1 RAM.
Function: You can inflict this status effect across great distances, allowing you to hamper and harass your opponents before they can even close into attacking range.

Intensifying Effect
Cost: +1 RAM.
Function: Your status effect starts weaker than normal, but becomes stronger for each post it remains active. These status moves tend to become quite strong if left unchecked, but curing them prematurely leaves them wanting.

Aura
Cost: +1 RAM.
Function: An aura-based status condition triggers against every hostile Digimon nearby yours. The status condition expires as soon as the Digimon is out of range, but as long as they're close they'll be afflicted. Auras can be uniquely impactful, but can also be easily maneuvered around.

Reaction
Cost: +1 RAM.
Function: Rather than being triggered by an active move, a Reaction is a debuff triggered by a certain condition being met. This can be as simple as "you're attacked by a Digimon", or a more specific trigger. While their autonomous nature makes them very valuable, reactions are weaker than normal status effects and you have less control over their usage.

Painful
Cost: +2 RAM.
Function: Your status effect is delivered in a parricularly forceful, damaging way, serving almost as an attack in its own right. In addition to causing a status effect, this technique deals damage on par with a Weak attack of your level.

Multi Target
Cost: +2 RAM.
Function: A multi-target status effect can target up to three Digimon at once. The three Digimon must all be within range and nearby one another: think of this as an area of effect equivalent for status effects.

Drain
Cost: +2 RAM.
Function: A status effect that Drains doesn't just hamper the opponent. It also benefits the user in turn with the opposite effect. A stat debuff becomes a corresponding buff for the user, for example. For another example, the extra cooldown gained from a fatigue takes cooldown away from the user's own moves.

Contagion
Cost: +2 RAM.
Function: A status effect with Contagion hops from target to target during the move's duration, making the afflicted Digimon very dangerous to stand by. The effect ends for all targets once the move's duration expires, no matter how recently they've caught it.

Second Effect
Cost: +2 RAM, see extra.
Function: This technique has two status effects from the above list instead of one. For example, a damage over time move that also weakens the opponent's defense can represent burning acid eating through the target's armor.
Extra: Adding Fatigue or Seal costs an extra +1 RAM. Adding Purge or Stun costs an extra +2 RAM.

Element
Cost: 0 RAM / +2 RAM, see extra
Function: Choose one of the following elements: Fire, Ice, Wind, Earth, Water, Lightning, Nature, Metal, Light, Darkness, Psychic. Your technique now utilizes this element. An elemental move is slightly stronger than a move without an element, but only slightly. Outside of that minor boost, whether this is a bonus or a drawback depends heavily on your opponent's elemental weaknesses and resistances. For that reason, this trait doesn't have a RAM cost attached to it. Keep in mind that going all-in one element will leave you vulnerable to an opponent with a resistance or immunity.
Extra: If instead you pay 2 RAM, you may freely choose this technique's element with each usage.

Sensory
Cost: 0 RAM.
Function: Unlike most techniques, this isn't a strike or projectile that targets your opponent's body. Instead, its a sight, sound, thought, or other sensory phenomenon that goes after your opponent's core directly. While these attacks cannot be dodged the traditional way, they can be dealt with on their own terms. For example, mental fortitude can help push back against intrusive thoughts, closing one's eyes can block out horrifying visions, and a particularly loud sound can drown out an opponent's auditory moves.

Trap
Cost: 0 RAM.
Function: Rather than immediately see use, this technique places a trap on the battlefield for two posts. If a Digimon triggers the trap, typically by touching or approaching it, the technique is immediately unleashed upon them. A trap can be trickier to use than just attacking your opponent directly, but it can also catch unaware opponents by surprise and allow for surprisingly potent combos in concert with other techniques. A Trap's cooldown and duration only begin after it either triggers or expires.

Drawbacks

Please note that, no matter how many drawbacks you add onto your Digimon's moves, they will always cost at least 1 RAM.

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Weak
Savings: -1 RAM.
Function: Compared to most techniques that your Digimon knows, this one is less potent than the norm.

Short Lived
Savings: -1 RAM.
Function: Your status effect lasts for 1 posts instead of 2 posts, giving it less time to wreak havoc on the battlefield.

Short Range:
Savings: -1 RAM.
Function: You need to be up close and personal to apply this status effect, risking an opponent's retribution in the process.

Waning Effect:
Savings: -1 RAM.
Function: Your status effect decays over time, becoming weaker for each post it remains active. While the original payoff can be quite helpful, your technique is overall weaker than usual.

Delayed Effect
Savings: -1 RAM.
Function: Your status effect takes a round of posting before actually kicking in, such as a curse taking time to develop or a slow-acting poisonous dart. While this can make a status effect more subtle than usual, it also makes it difficult to rely on.

Snap Out
Savings: -1 RAM.
Function: If your opponent takes damage, your status effect ends early. This is especially common for mental effects, where a quick jolt of pain snaps the target back to reality.

Silver Lining
Savings: -1 RAM.
Function: Choose a support technique from the below post. Along with the status effect you cause, the target receives this support technique's benefit as well. The buff is considered Weak, has a duration equal to your status effect's duration.

Longer Cooldown
Savings: -1 RAM.
Function: When determining your technique's cooldown from the table above, add an extra post onto it.
Extra: This drawback can be taken up to twice. If you take it a second time, the technique can only be used Once per Thread.
Restriction: This drawback cannot be applied to techniques that already have a Once per Thread cooldown, or to techniques that knock out or permanently de-Digivolve your Digimon.

Charge
Savings: -2 RAM.
Function: When using this technique, you spend one post charging up, then actually use the technique on your next post. You can still move and dodge while charging up a technique, but you can't perform another technique.

Regression
Savings: -3 RAM / -5 RAM.
Function: Your Digimon is forced to regress to a lower level of Digivolution after using this technique, forcing them to fight from a disadvantaged state. This lasts for one post longer than this technique's cooldown (ex, 1 post for a move with no cooldown, 2 posts for a move with a 1 post cooldown).
Extra: If you instead opt for this regression to last for the rest of the thread, this drawback is worth -5 RAM.
Restriction: This drawback cannot be applied to techniques that knock out your Digimon.

Self KO
Savings: -10 RAM.
Function: Your Digimon is knocked out, regressed all the way down to a baby form, or even deleted entirely. You'll save a lot of RAM buying this modifier, but do not take it lightly.

[Legion]

Support Techniques

If most techniques are designed to hurt or hamper opponents, support moves represent the other side of the coin. These moves are designed to help, heal, and protect your allies from harm. In many ways, these function similarly to status effects, focusing more on shaping the battlefield instead of doing direct damage. Many of the tags you see below will either be identical to those on the status effect page or equivalents to them. However, healing techniques also fall under the support umbrella. Support techniques rarely win a battle on their own, but when used smartly they can be legitimate game-changers.

Like status effects, support techniques last for 2 posts unless specified otherwise. These moves have a higher cooldown than most others.

RAM of 3 and below: 1 post cooldown.
RAM of 4-5: 2 post cooldown.
RAM of 6-7: 3 post cooldown.
RAM of 8-9: 4 post cooldown.
RAM of 10+: Once per thread.

Support techniques do not stack. If the same support technique targets a Digimon multiple times, only the strongest of those will remain active. In addition, once a status effect wears off, the Digimon is immune to further applications for a single post. This is to prevent a Digimon from spending every post enhanced by the same powerful buffs, or from being healed faster than it can take damage.

Types of Support Techniques

As with status effects, there are countless types of support techniques. Please let us know if there are any effects you think we've missed so we can add them in!

The below spoilers include the types of techniques, as well as their RAM cost to add. The majority of these techniques cost 3 RAM, but this cost may differ for particularly powerful support techniques.

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Buff
Cost: 3 RAM
Function: Choose a stat when creating this technique. Your Buff increases that stat. Typically, a buff increases a Digimon's stat by about half of a star rank. Weaker buffs have less of an impact, while stronger ones can increase a stat by a full star ranking.

Infuse
Cost: 3 RAM / 7 RAM, see extra
Function: Choose an element when creating this technique. Your Infuse adds this element to a Digimon's non-elemental techniques and makes them slightly stronger. If using a technique that already has an element, the target can choose whether it replaces the element, has no effect, or counts as both elements.
Extra: If you instead pay 7 RAM, you can choose the element granted every time you use this technique.

Immunity
Cost: 3 RAM / 10 RAM, see extra
Function: Choose an element when creating this technique. Your Immunity gives a Digimon an immunity to this element. If the target is weak to that element, their weakness is instead neutralized. If the target already has an immunity or absorb effect, this technique has no effect.
Extra: If you instead pay 10 RAM, you can choose the granted elemental immunity every time you use this technique.

Thorns
Cost: 3 RAM
Function: A technique that grants Thorns causes a Digimon to automatically retaliate against melee attacks. This can literally be spikes or blades coming from a Digimon's body, or it can be an elemental aura or bursts of unstable energy. Thorns deal no damage to foes performing ranged attacks.

Inspire
Cost: 3 RAM
Function: Inspires are a catch-all category for buff techniques that alter a target's mental state. This can include emboldening a Digimon to face against even the most imposing odds, calming them down to stave off doubts and fears, or heightening their focus so they become much harder to distract. Many Inspire techniques cancel out Addle techniques, and vice-versa. Please choose one effect similar to these when making this technique, and specify your choice in the technique's description.

Sharpen
Cost: 3 RAM
Function: A technique that Sharpens Senses enhances an ally's ability to perceive or communicate with the world around them. These can include improving natural senses such as sight, hearing, and smell, or giving a more supernatural sense like telepathy or x-ray vision. Please choose one effect similar to these when making this technique, and specify your choice in the technique's description.

Stealth
Cost: 3 RAM
Function: A Stealth technique prevents an ally from being noticed by other Digimon in some fashion. Stealth abilities can include standard options such as invisibility or silenced footsteps, or more esoteric abilities such as not showing up on cameras or having undetectable thoughts. Please choose one effect similar to these when making this technique, and specify your choice in the technique's description.

Upgrade
Cost: 3 RAM / 4 RAM, see Extra.
Function: Choose a modifier from a certain class of techniques. An Upgrade technique applies the modifier to all techniques of that category. For example, an Upgrade move may make all status effects Long-Lasting.
Restriction: If a modifier costs more than +1 RAM to apply, this technique costs 4 RAM instead.

Ease
Cost: 4 RAM
An Ease energizes an allied Digimon's core, allowing them to recover previously spent techniques. A move that's currently on cooldown has its cooldown reduced by 2 posts.
Restriction: One per Turn moves cannot have their cooldown lowered. This is an instant effect: its has no duration, and its duration cannot be modified.

Overclock
Cost: 5 RAM
Function: An Overclock drives an allied Digimon's core into overdrive, allowing them to use moves even while they're on cooldown.
Restriction: Once per Turn moves that have already been used cannot be reused with an Overclock effect. Modifiers and drawbacks cannot change this technique's power.

Heal
Cost: 4 RAM and +1 cooldown
Function: A Heal restores a Digimon's HP. By default, a Heal is slightly weaker than an Attack of the same level.
Restriction: This is an instant effect: its has no duration, and its duration cannot be modified.

Regenerate
Cost: 4 RAM and +1 cooldown
Function: Rather than heal in a single burst, a Regenerate move provides healing over time. By default, a Regenerate is slightly weaker than a Burn of the same level.

Cleanse
Cost: 5 RAM and +1 cooldown
Function: A Cleanse removes a harmful status effect from a target. A stronger Cleanse technique can remove multiple status effects, up to three. A weaker one can only lower their duration.
Restriction: This is an instant effect: its has no duration, and its duration cannot be modified.

Modifiers

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Strong
Cost: +1 RAM.
Function: Compared to most techniques that your Digimon knows, this one packs extra potency.
Extra: You may add this modifier up to two times per move, with each tag making the move noticeably stronger.

Long Lasting
Cost: +1 RAM.
Function: Your support move lasts for 3 posts instead of 2 posts, allowing it to have a longer-lasting impact on the battle.

Long Range
Cost: +1 RAM.
Function: You can grant this support move across great distances, allowing you to boost and bolster your allies without putting yourself at risk.

Intensifying Effect
Cost: +1 RAM.
Function: Your support move starts weaker than normal, but becomes stronger for each post it remains active. These support moves tend to become quite strong if left unchecked, but purging them prematurely leaves them wanting.

Aura
Cost: +1 RAM.
Function: An aura-based support move triggers against every friendly Digimon nearby yours. The support move expires as soon as the Digimon is out of range, but as long as they're close they'll be afflicted. Auras can be uniquely powerful, but can require precise positioning from your allies.

Reaction
Cost: +1 RAM.
Function: Rather than being triggered by an active move, a Reaction is a support move triggered by a certain condition being met. This can be as simple as "you're attacked by a Digimon", or a more specific trigger. While their autonomous nature makes them very valuable, reactions are weaker than normal support techniques and you have less control over their usage.

Multi Target
Cost: +2 RAM.
Function: A multi-target support move can target up to three Digimon at once. The three Digimon must all be within range and nearby one another: think of this as an area of effect equivalent for support moves.

Second Effect
Cost: +2 RAM, see extra.
Function: This technique has two support effects from the above list instead of one. For example, a commanding battle cry can both Inspire a Digimon with supernatural bravery and buff their power as they charge into the glorious combat.
Extra: Adding Ease, Heal, or Regenerate costs an extra +1 RAM. Adding Overclock or Cleanse costs an extra +2 RAM.

Element
Cost: 0 RAM / +2 RAM, see extra.
Function: Choose one of the following elements: Fire, Ice, Wind, Earth, Water, Lightning, Nature, Metal, Light, Darkness, Psychic. Your technique now utilizes this element. An elemental move is slightly stronger than a move without an element, but only slightly. Outside of that minor boost, whether this is a bonus or a drawback depends heavily on your opponent's elemental weaknesses and resistances. For that reason, this trait doesn't have a RAM cost attached to it. Keep in mind that going all-in one element will leave you vulnerable to an opponent with a resistance or immunity.
Extra: If instead you pay 2 RAM, you may freely choose this technique's element with each usage.

Sensory
Cost: 0 RAM.
Function: Unlike most techniques, this isn't a strike or projectile that targets your opponent's body. Instead, its a sight, sound, thought, or other sensory phenomenon that goes after your opponent's core directly. While these attacks cannot be dodged the traditional way, they can be dealt with on their own terms. For example, mental fortitude can help push back against intrusive thoughts, closing one's eyes can block out horrifying visions, and a particularly loud sound can drown out an opponent's auditory moves.

Blessing
Cost: 0 RAM.
Function: Rather than immediately see use, this technique places a blessing on an item or area for two posts. So long as a a Digimon wields the blessed item or stands in the hallowed area, they benefit from the effect of the support move. A blessing can allow support moves to be passed around between allies, but also risk falling into the wrong hands against a particularly canny foe. A Blessing's cooldown and duration only begin after it either triggers or expires.

Passive
Cost: +1 RAM.
Function: A Passive effect is like an always-on support technique. Rather than a technique your Digimon uses, these are more like abilities innate to their physiology. They are far weaker than their equivalent techniques, but due to always being active are incredibly reliable. For obvious reasons, a passive effect can only target your Digimon, and cannot have its duration or range modified. If disabled by a Purge effect it can be re-enabled, but takes a post to do so: think of this as using your technique for the turn to "re-activate" it.

Drawbacks

Please note that, no matter how many drawbacks you add onto your Digimon's moves, they will always cost at least 1 RAM.

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Weak
Savings: -1 RAM.
Function: Compared to most techniques that your Digimon knows, this one is less potent than the norm.

Short Lived
Savings: -1 RAM.
Function: Your support move lasts for 1 post instead of 2 posts, giving it less time to empower your allies.

Short Range
Savings: -1 RAM.
Function: You need to be up close and personal to apply this support move, forcing you to keep close to your allies in order to lend them your aids.

Waning Effect
Savings: -1 RAM.
Function: Your support move decays over time, becoming weaker for each post it remains active. While the original payoff can be quite helpful, your technique is overall weaker than usual.

Sacrifice
Savings: -1 RAM.
Function: The support you provide comes from your own sacrifice. For example, to heal, you take on another's damage. To buff a stat, you give away a portion of your own.

Fleeting
Savings: -1 RAM.
Function: Your support move only lasts long enough to open a single key opportunity. As soon as your target benefits from the move, it is removed. For example, a defensive buff expires after the first damage your target takes, while an offensive buff expires after the first attack they use.

Trade-Off
Savings: -1 RAM.
Function: Your support, while helpful, comes at a price. Choose a status effect from the above post, Your target receives this status effect along with the buff that you've provided. The status effect is considered Weak and has a duration equal to your support move's duration.

Backlash
Savings: -1 RAM.
Function: Your support's intensity bites back at the Digimon you've boosted, causing them pain and even damage from the strain. Every technique used while under the effect of this support move causes recoil damage to your target.

Burnout
Savings: -1 RAM.
Function: Your support wears down the core of the Digimon you've boosted, tiring them out further with each technique they use. Every technique used while your target is under the effect of this support move has an extra post's worth of cooldown added onto it.

Self-Targeting
Savings: -1 RAM.
Function: You cannot use this support move on other Digimon. It only effects yourself.

Longer Cooldown
Savings: -1 RAM.
Function: When determining your technique's cooldown from the table above, add an extra post onto it.
Extra: This drawback can be taken up to twice. If you take it a second time, the technique can only be used Once per Thread.
Restriction: This drawback cannot be applied to techniques that already have a Once per Thread cooldown, or to techniques that knock out or permanently de-Digivolve your Digimon.

Charge
Savings: -2 RAM.
Function: When using this technique, you spend one post charging up, then actually use the technique on your next post. You can still move and dodge while charging up a technique, but you can't perform another technique.

Regression
Savings: -3 RAM / -5 RAM.
Function: Your Digimon is forced to regress to a lower level of Digivolution after using this technique, forcing them to fight from a disadvantaged state. This lasts for one post longer than this technique's cooldown (ex, 1 post for a move with no cooldown, 2 posts for a move with a 1 post cooldown).
Extra: If you instead opt for this regression to last for the rest of the thread, this drawback is worth -5 RAM.
Restriction: This drawback cannot be applied to techniques that knock out your Digimon.

Self KO
Savings: -10 RAM.
Function: Your Digimon is knocked out, regressed all the way down to a baby form, or even deleted entirely. You'll save a lot of RAM buying this modifier, but do not take it lightly.

[Legion]

Defensive Techniques

The last major category of techniques is also one of the smallest. However, it is arguably one of the most important. If attacks caused harm, status effects enable harm, and support techniques undo harm, defensive techniques are all about avoiding harm in the first place. These are some of the most expensive techniques on site, but there's little better for escaping a sticky situation.

Much like the difference between basic attacks and attacking techniques, it's important to remember that a defensive technique is different from just defending yourself. The main area where this comes up is dodging. Theoretically, anyone can dodge, but it largely depends on the situation you're in. Being shot at with a slow projectile from super far away gives you plenty of time to dodge. Rapid fire punches being thrown in close quarters will give you a lot less of a chance. A good RPer will weigh the situation and respond accordingly instead of repeatedly typing "I dodge." In contrast, a defensive technique is non-negotiable. If you use a defensive technique, you're safe from harm.

The duration and power of a defensive technique vary heavily depending on the type of move being used. However, they all share a cooldown 2 posts higher than most, similar to healing techniques. In addition, all defensive techniques cost 4 RAM base rather than 3.

RAM of 3 and below: 2 post cooldown.
RAM of 4-5: 3 post cooldown.
RAM of 6-7: 4 post cooldown.
RAM of 8-9: 5 post cooldown.
RAM of 10+: Once per thread.

These will be in terms of "average attacks," reflecting an unmodified move used by an average Digimon of that level. A higher strength move, or a Digimon with more power, will have an easier time of bursting through these shields than normal. Each star of Power above 3, or Strong tag added to an attack, counts as an extra attack being made against the shield.

Types of Defensive Techniques

Unlike the other categories of moves, there are only a few types of Defensive Techniques. While they all have the same net effect of escaping harm, the way they function is very different from one another.

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Shield
Cost: 4 RAM
Function: A Shield summons a shield that your Digimon can guide, allowing them to protect themselves from harm. This can be anything from an energy barrier hovering in front of them, a summoned object that they use to intercept enemy attacks, or even a literal shield held in their hand. The main downside of a Shield move is that it requires active defense on the part of its user. Digimon using these moves are susceptible to attacks from behind, feints slipping past their guard, or being unable to protect themselves from multiple attacks at the same time. In addition, these moves are usually sized for a single Digimon, making them poor fits for groups.

A Shield technique lasts for 2 posts by default, and can weather 3 attacks of average strength.

Wall
Cost: 4 RAM
Function: A Wall generates a large, powerful piece of cover on the battlefield, providing shelter from an enemy's attacks. Some walls are literally formed from the surrounding area, while others are summons or constructions made by your Digimon. A Wall is the only type of shield that, by default, can protect multiple Digimon. It also lasts longer and weathers much more punishment than a handheld shield. However, the fact that a Wall cannot move drastically limits its utility.

A Wall technique lasts for 3 posts by default, and can weather 7 attacks of average strength.

Escape
Cost: 4 RAM
Function: An Escape is the polar opposite of a Wall technique, providing an immediate, infallible single-use escape from harm. This is essentially a get out of jail free card for when you can't otherwise avoid or block an opponent's attack. These can be quickly-summoned barriers that cover your entire Digimon's body, emergency bursts of teleportation, or deflecting an enemy Digimon's attack with a quick flourish of your weapon. Compared to other defensive techniques, these have no long-term defensive value, instead being used up in a single burst.

An Escape technique is instantaneously used. It will protect you from one attack, or several attacks occurring near-simultaneously.

Modifiers:

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Sturdy
Cost: +1 RAM.
Function: Your defensive technique can take more punishment than the norm, allowing it to stand against stronger foes than normal. A Shield will now endure 5 average attacks, and a Wall will now endure 10.
Restriction: This cannot be applied to Escapes.

Retaliation
Cost: +1 RAM.
Function: Your defensive technique is spiked, explosive, radiates elemental energy, or opens an opportunity for you to lash out with a counterattack. When you use your defensive technique, any Digimon that strikes it takes damage as a result.

One-Way
Cost: +1 RAM.
Function: Your defensive technique prevents enemies from attacking you, but does not offer them the same safety. Anyone behind your shield or wall can walk or attack through it, while anyone in front is prevented from doing so.
Restriction: This cannot be applied to Escapes.

Siphon
Cost: +1 RAM.
Function: Your defensive technique functions as a battery, converting the impact of enemy techniques into extra power. For each attack that your shield weathers, the strength of your next attack is increased.

Longer Lasting
Cost: +2 RAM.
Function: Your defensive technique lasts for one post longer than usual, allowing Shields to last for 3 posts, Walls to last for 4 posts, and Escapes to last for an entire post.

Multi-Guard
Cost: +2 RAM.
Function: Your defensive technique is larger, allowing it to protect both you and other nearby Digimon from harm. Walls, which are already large enough to do this, get even bigger.

Reflect
Cost: +2 RAM and +1 cooldown.
Function: Your defensive technique redirects an opponent's attack, either sending it right back at them or bouncing it towards one of their allies. This reflected attack is weaker, but if used on a strong enough technique it can still pack a punch.

Curse
Cost: +2 RAM and +1 cooldown, see extra.
Function: Choose status effect with a RAM cost of 3 from the below list. When you use your defensive technique, any Digimon that strikes in melee it is afflicted with this status effect. These are considered Weak status effects with a duration of 1 post.
Extra: You can pay an additional +1 RAM to increase the status effect's potency or give it a longer duration, but not both. Alternatively, you can pay the RAM cost of a higher-tier status effect (+1 for Fatigue or Seal, +2 for Stun or Purge) to use it instead. De-Digivolution can never be selected.

Element
Cost: 0 RAM / +2 RAM, see extra
Function: Choose one of the following elements: Fire, Ice, Wind, Earth, Water, Lightning, Nature, Metal, Light, Darkness, Psychic. Your technique now utilizes this element. An elemental move is slightly stronger than a move without an element, but only slightly. Outside of that minor boost, whether this is a bonus or a drawback depends heavily on your opponent's elemental weaknesses and resistances. For that reason, this trait doesn't have a RAM cost attached to it. Keep in mind that going all-in one element will leave you vulnerable to an opponent with a resistance or immunity.
Extra: If instead you pay 2 RAM, you may freely choose this technique's element with each usage.

Drawbacks:

Please note that, no matter how many drawbacks you add onto your Digimon's moves, they will always cost at least 1 RAM.

SPOILER: Click to show

Flimsy
Savings: -1 RAM.
Function: Your defensive technique can't hold up to significant amounts of punishment. A Shield will now only endure 1 average attacks, and a Wall will now only endure 3
Restriction: This cannot be applied to Escapes.

Imperfect
Savings: -1 RAM.
Function: Instead of preventing damage entirely, your defensive technique merely halves it.

Short Lived
Savings: -1 RAM.
Function: Your defensive technique lasts for one post shorter than usual, allowing Shields to last for 1 post and Walls to last for 2 posts.
Restriction: This cannot be applied to Escapes.

Intangible
Savings: -1 RAM.
Function: While your defensive technique stops projectile attacks, Digimon can walk through it as if it wasn't even there. This makes defensive techniques with this ability fairly useless in melee.
Restriction: This cannot be applied to Escapes.

Weakness
Savings: -1 RAM.
Function: While otherwise sturdy, certain types of technique ruin your shield with ease. Typically, this is an element or a type of Digimon. For example, an ice wall may be pierced by fire techniques as if it wasn't even there, while a viral barrier may melt away when targeted by Vaccine Digimon. Please choose one characteristic similar to these when making this technique, and specify your choice in the technique's description.
Restriction: This cannot be applied to Escapes.

Longer Cooldown
Savings: -1 RAM.
Function: When determining your technique's cooldown from the table above, add an extra post onto it.
Extra: This drawback can be taken up to twice. If you take it a second time, the technique can only be used Once per Thread.
Restriction: This drawback cannot be applied to techniques that already have a Once per Thread cooldown, or to techniques that knock out or permanently de-Digivolve your Digimon.

Charge
Savings: -2 RAM.
Function: When using this technique, you spend one post charging up, then actually use the technique on your next post. You can still move and dodge while charging up a technique, but you can't perform another technique.

Regression
Savings: -3 RAM / -5 RAM.
Function: Your Digimon is forced to regress to a lower level of Digivolution after using this technique, forcing them to fight from a disadvantaged state. This lasts for one post longer than this technique's cooldown (ex, 1 post for a move with no cooldown, 2 posts for a move with a 1 post cooldown).
Extra: If you instead opt for this regression to last for the rest of the thread, this drawback is worth -5 RAM.
Restriction: This drawback cannot be applied to techniques that knock out your Digimon.

Self KO
Savings: -10 RAM.
Function: Your Digimon is knocked out, regressed all the way down to a baby form, or even deleted entirely. You'll save a lot of RAM buying this modifier, but do not take it lightly.

[Legion]

Special Mechanics - NOT RECOMMENDED FOR NEW MEMBERS

The four types of techniques listed above should cover most everything you'd need to make the moveset of your dreams. However, there are a few types of techniques and passive abilities that require even higher levels of mechanical complexity. We're listing these in a separate section due to their higher levels of complexity and involvement. If you're already familiar with the ins and outs of our moveset system, then feel free to give these a close look. However, if you're already finding the rest of the moveset creation rules a lot to take in, we recommend that you skip these for now.

Move Copying

The first of these special mechanics is mimicry. When you use a mimicry technique, you use the last technique used by one of the other Digimon in battle. You can then continue using that technique for the rest of the thread. In many ways, this is basically a free moveslot that you can change on the fly, provided your opponents (or allies) are giving you useful techniques to work with. For all intents and purposes, your version of the move is identical to the original copy.

The catch is that this moveslot isn't free. At base, the ability to copy techniques costs 2 RAM. This 2 RAM can be modified by drawbacks, as with any other technique. You then set aside a portion of your own RAM that you want to dedicate to storing your copied move. You cannot copy a move with a RAM cost higher than the number you've set aside, and drawbacks cannot reduce the cost. This means that, if you want to copy moves with a high RAM cost, you'll need to set a lot of RAM aside to do so!

Forgetting a move that you've mimicked counts as your attack for the turn. This is to prevent characters with a mimicry ability from constantly switching between attacks. If the copied technique has a cooldown, you must wait for its cooldown to expire before you can forget it.

Move Copying Drawbacks

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Knock-Off
Savings: -1 RAM
Function: Your mimicry is a pale imitation of the original. Unless their power cannot be modified, the techniques that you copy are considered to have the Weak or Flimsy modifiers applied to them.

Limited
Savings: -1 RAM
Function: Choose a category: Melee Attack, Ranged Attack, Status Effect, Support Technique, Defensive Technique. You can only mimic moves from the category you've selected.

Fire-and-Forget
Savings: -1 RAM
Function: As soon as you use the copied technique, you immediately forget it. If the copied technique has a cooldown, you must wait for its cooldown to expire before you can learn a new one.

Permanent Choice
Savings: -1 RAM
Function: You are incapable of forgetting a copied technique. As soon as you make your choice, it remains until the end of the thread.

Power From Pain
Savings: -1 RAM
Function: Just witnessing a technique being used isn't enough to learn it. Instead, you must take a direct, unblocked hit from the move.

Summoning

For the purposes of defining techniques, Summoning is going to refer to creating a semi-autonomous entity capable of using moves of its own during your posts. You can flavor other techniques as summons if you'd like, such as a stat debuff being represented by an evil spirit menacing your foe, but they won't be subject to the restrictions that are listed here.

Like mimicry, summoning involves setting aside some of your RAM to enable a more flexible use of it in the future. You can use that RAM to make techniques for your summon, just as you would for yourself. Outside of this, there is no additional RAM cost associated with summoning at base. While being able to fight alongside your summon is potentially quite powerful, the fact that your summon isn't always present means you'll often be missing a sizeable portion of your moveset. These pros and cons should cancel out with one another. Summoning counts as your Digimon's attack for the turn, though as the summon gets to make its attack you aren't exactly helpless.

By default, a Summon can take 3 attacks of average strength. A higher strength move, or a Digimon with more power, will have an easier time of bursting through these shields than normal. Each star of Power above 3, or Strong tag added to an attack, counts as an extra attack being made against the summon. If not prematurely destroyed, a Summon lasts for 2 posts. All Summons have a cooldown of 3 posts.

While the techniques a summon uses can be modified as usual, you can also modify the summon itself with the modifiers and drawbacks listed below.

Summon Modifiers

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Sturdy
Cost: +1 RAM
Function: Your summon can take more punishment than the norm, allowing it to stand against stronger foes than usual. Your summon will now endure 5 average attacks.

Swift
Cost: +1 RAM
Function: Your summon is faster than most summons, and even average Digimon of your level. It can dart around the battlefield with ease.

Longer Lasting
Cost: +1 RAM / +3 RAM, see Extra.
Function: Your summon now lasts for 3 posts instead of 2, giving it more time to make an impact on the battlefield.
Extra: If you pay 3 RAM instead, your summon becomes permanent. Its duration never expires. If destroyed, you will still need to use your attack for the turn summoning it again.

Summon Drawbacks

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Flimsy
Savings: -1 RAM
Function: Your summon can't hold up to significant amounts of punishment. Your summon will now only endure 1 average attack.

Immobile
Savings: -1 RAM
Function: Your summon cannot move under its own power, though depending on its shape and size it may still be carried or moved through other means.

Lifelinked
Cost: -1 RAM.
Function: Your summon's data is crafted from a portion of yours. Every time you spawn it, you take damage in turn.

Permadeath
Cost: -3 RAM.
Function: If your summon is destroyed, it, and all of the techniques that it can use, are gone for the rest of the thread. This must be destruction by an enemy Digimon: if its duration simply expires, the summon is unharmed and can be spawned again with no issues.

Evolution Mechanics

Not all Digimon enhance themselves through the use of support moves. Some, instead, develop and change over the course of a fight. Their abilities ebb and flow with the tides of battle, triggered by certain conditions on the battlefield. Think of these as a more intricate type of support reaction, functioning bit by bit and building upon itself instead of being used all at once.

Unlike most techniques, these Evolutions have no maximum duration or cooldown. Instead, they operate entirely within terms of conditions. Every Evolution has a triggering condition. If that condition is met on your post, the benefit it provides develops. No matter how many times the condition is met, your Evolution can only develop once per posting round.

If the condition isn't met, the benefit it provides goes away immediately. When this happens, the benefit needs to be built up from scratch again. This careful balance of building up a buff and trying not to lose it is part of what makes Evolutions so intricate, both in creating the technique and in making the most of it. For example, a Digimon who gains an attack buff when taking damage may be forced to choose between taking damage to maintain its sky-high attack stat and avoiding harm but losing everything as a result. You cannot choose a condition with no viable end period! There must be at least a reasonable chance that your Evolution can be stopped.

An Evolution takes time to reach its full power. This development period can be 3 posts or 5 posts. When below this halfway point, the Evolution is weaker than an equivalent support technique. When above the halfway point, it is stronger. 3 post Evolutions start stronger but end weaker, whereas 5 post Evolutions start weaker but end stronger.

The following types of support technique can be turned into an Evolution: Buff, Infuse, Immunity, Thorns, Inspire, Sharpen, Stealth, Regenerate. These can only target yourself.

Due to their power, complexity, and autonomous nature, Evolutions cost +2 RAM more than the support technique they are based on. However, Guardian-type Digimon are in luck: these get the -1 RAM discount for their archetype.

Stockpiling Mechanics

Much like an Evolution, a Stockpile is an alternate means of enhancing your Digimon's capabilities. However, whereas Evolutions impact the abilities of your Digimon itself, Stockpiles are an alternate means of improving their attacks.

Like Evolutions, Stockpiles trigger on certain conditions and build up over time. However, unlike Evolutions, this pile does not deplete on its own. A Stockpile only goes down when you spend the points you've built up to enhance your techniques. You choose to spend from your Stockpile when you use a technique: you cannot retroactively decide to spend when you see an attack has hit. Much like an Evolution, you can only add to your Stockpile once per posting round, and it caps out at 5.

If your Digimon has a Stockpile, you can choose add an extra modifier to every one of your techniques. This modifier is not always in play: instead, you need to pay from your Stockpile to turn it on. The point cost is one greater than the RAM cost you would have paid: making an attack Strong would cost 2 points from your stockpile, while giving it a Status Effect would cost 3.

You can also opt to have a technique that can only be used when your Stockpile is maxed out, as a finishing move of sorts. This technique costs -3 RAM fewer than it normally would, to reflect the fact that accessing this technique is much more difficult than most.

You may also choose to pay 3 RAM for a special support technique. This technique immediately adds 2 to your Stockpile, regardless of what the normal trigger condition is. You can use RAM to add modifiers and drawbacks to this technique, just like you can with any others. However, this technique cannot be modified by your Stockpile.

The usefulness of a Stockpile depends heavily based on how many moves and effects you can spend it on. For this reason, the cost of a Stockpile is equal to the number of techniques affected by your Stockpile, minus 2. As an example, a Digimon with Stockpile and 6 affected techniques would pay 4 RAM.