Part 126

It's been way too fucking long. Sorry



After Rise's capture into the TV world, and now with Mr. Morooka having met his untimely demise, too, the pressure keeps mounting on the Inaba Investigation Team. Margaret has another very important duty in Souji's quest to find the truth about the murders and kidnappings that are happening in Inaba.

Margaret also keeps a close eye on the changes in the collective unconcious, and the effects of the fog that covers Inaba. Like a mystical weather woman, Margaret maintains a Fusion Forecast, another unique feature that has first been introduced to Persona 4. What it entails for our craft of Persona's, however, will be explained shortly.



   _{Enjoy something snazzy.}

Lesson the Third, Fusion Forecast: Chance and Mastery

The Fusion Forecast is a new addition to the Shin Megami Tensei series - or rather, something familiar in a fresh coat of velvet blue. Margaret can tell, similar to the weather forecast extending in the real world, what mutations exist on top of fusing a Persona. Crafting specific Persona's or using specific ingredients may net you new skills, bonus experience, and the like. Earlier Shin Megami Tensei games have a system that is somewhat similar to the Fusion Forecast, in that by certain phases (of the moon, planet, or other celestial body) may grant a fused demon a new set of abilities or bonuses. However, these tended to be either random or static, with very little means to see just what exactly was to be expected. Margaret tells you exactly what's up on any given day, for any given fusion.

In the year Souji will stay at Inaba, there are over one hundred instances where fusion will be... a little different. Chances aplenty for various small bonuses, but at the same time, very few instances for very particular bonuses to pop up for your favourite Persona's - gotta keep a moment free to craft for that specific day!

A Fusion Forecast generally looks like the following:



Of course, this is but a basic example of a forecast. Fusion Forecast bonuses (and their conditions!) are rather varied. Every single bonus is always added after fusion, so you may tweak your Persona's in crafting, get a bogus skill in its results, and the tables may yet turn thanks to Fusion Forecast! Note that you may get more than one bonus on any given day, so keep your eyes on Margaret's Fusion Forecast.

• Condition - None: No condition means you get the bonus, whatever you make! They're among the most common of conditions, usually granting minor bonuses, but hey, they're free.
  
• Condition - Use X Persona as an ingredient: Pretty obvious - just use the given Persona, or Persona's, or Arcana, to craft another, so that you may get the bonuses Margaret tells you are available on that given day.
  
• Condtion - X Persona as result: Get the given Persona, or noted Arcana, as the result. Sometimes pretty easy, and given what you should know about the Arcana's and how to craft them, this should be a cinch.
  
• Bonus - Bonus stats: Among the most common of bonuses, Bonus stats impart 2-5 extra stat-ups as if the Persona had leveled up. These are added after fusion. It's a minor thing, but stats do help in the combat performance of Souji, since he relies on all his Persona's, rather than just his single façade.
  
• Bonus - Social Link Bonus UP: Whenever you craft a Persona, it gains bonus experience thanks to your efforts in maintaining the Social Link. Usually, this translates to the following amount of levels worth of experience:
  SL 1, +1.1 LVL ; SL 2, +1.5 LVL ; SL 3, +2.1 LVL ; SL 4, +2.5 LVL ; SL 5, +3.1 LVL ; SL 6, +3.5 LVL ; SL 7, +4.1 LVL ; SL 8, +4.5 LVL ; SL 9, +4.8 LVL ; SL 10, +5.2 LVL
  With Social Link Bonus UP, however, this is adjusted as follows:
  SL 1, +1.2 LVL ; SL 2, +1.8 LVL ; SL 3, +2.5 LVL ; SL 4, +3.3 LVL ; SL 5, +4.0 LVL ; SL 6, +4.6 LVL ; SL 7, +5.7 LVL ; SL 8, +6.3 LVL ; SL 9, +6.7 LVL ; SL 10, +7.5 LVL
  The increases especially towards the latter end of the Social Link are enormous, and the best thing is, they are straight level-ups, even for high-end, level 70-90 Persona's.
  
• Bonus - +[SKILL]: A great and another common event on the Fusion Forecast, the Persona in question gains a particular skill, or skill from a particular skill family (as you may remember from the second installment). They help diversify Persona's with unique skills they might otherwise not inherit, like an ever useful healing skill.
  
• Bonus - Skill Change: Ah, the best one there is. Skill Change is an odd beast that changes one of the Persona's final skills after fusion in one semi-random other one. Semi-random, for there is a system.
  Every skill is scaled along a number ranks - 8 to be exact, with a 9th for Unique, unchangable and uninheritable skills a handful of Persona's have access to, like Fool Loki's Niflheim or Death Alice's Die For Me! (_{which is probably a mistranslation - it's more of a would you kindly phrase given the earlier games}). When a skill is chosen for Skill Change, it is compared to its rank, and a random skill will be chosen to replace it. At least the game will ask you if you want Skill Change to take effect, but again, the process of choosing a skill is random. But this is the perfect way to change a Ma-dyne skill of one element into a Ma-dyne skill of another, or even to change Makarakarm or another such skill into Spell Master or even Victory Cry. Great luck and forcing the dice can really help you get crazy good skills - after which you can SPREAD THEM LIKE THE PLAGUE through your Compendium. Below are the ranks and their skills, follow:
  
  1. 28 skills:
     Cleave, Bash, Skewer, Agi, Bufu, Zio, Garu, Enervation, Soul Break, Balzac, Pulinpa, Poisma, Makajama, Evil Touch, Dia, Patra, Traesto, Tarunda, Rakunda, Sukunda, Tarukaja, Rakukaja, Sukukaja, [Element] Boost, Sharp Student
     
  2. 37 skills:
     Single Shot, Sonic Punch, Double Fangs, Poison Skewer, Skull Cracker, Hysterical Slap, Muzzle Shot, Arm Chopper, Maragi, Mabufu, Mazio, Magaru, Hama, Mudo, Life Drain, Spirit Drain, Foul Breath, Re Patra, Posumundi, Nervundi, Energy Shower, Recarm, Dodge [Element/Physical], Resist [Ailment], Alertness, Growth 1
     
  3. 39 skills:
     Assault Dive, Kill Rush, Twin Shot, Cell Breaker, Brain Shake, Swift Strike, Gale Slash, Rampage, Agilao, Bufula, Zionga, Garula, Mahama, Mamudo, Megido, Old One, Anima Freeze, Valiant Dance, Tentarafoo, Poison Mist, Foolish Whisper, Evil Smile, Diarama, Media, Me Patra, Trafuri, [Element] Break, Dekunda, Dekaja, Counter, Auto-Tarukaja, Auto-Rakukaja, Auto-Sukukaja, Apt Pupil, Regenerate 1, Invigorate 1
     
  4. 52 skills:
     Fatal End, Power Slash, Black Spot, Cruel Attack, Mind Slice, Crazy Chain, Seal Bomb, Atom Smasher, Maragion, Mabufula, Mazionga, Magarula, Stagnant Air, Amrita, Revolution, [Element] Wall, Matarunda, Marakunda, Masukunda, Matarukaja, Marakukaja, Masukukaja, Counterstrike, Evade [Element/Physical], Resist [Element/Physical], Survive [Light/Dark], Null [Ailment], [Ailment] Boost, Growth 2
     
  5. 30 skills:
     Mighty Swing, Torrent Shot, Poison Arrow, Heat Wave, Blade of Fury, Mustard Bomb, Navas Nebula, Agidyne, Bufudyne, Ziodyne, Garudyne, Hamaon, Mudoon, Diarahan, Mediarama, Samarecarm, Tetraja, High Counter, Endure [Light/Dark], Resist [Light/Dark], [Element] Amp, [Hama/Mudo] Boost, Endure, Regenerate 2, Invigorate 2, Cool Breeze
     
  6. 30 skills:
     Gigantic Fist, Tempest Slash, Vile Assault, Deathbound, Arrow Rain, Vicious Strike, Aeon Rain, Virus Wave, Maragidyne, Mabufudyne, Maziodyne, Magarudyne, Mahamaon, Mamudoon, Megidola, Ghastly Wail, Power Charge, Mind Charge, Null [Element/Physical/Light/Dark], Ailment Boost (All), Auto-Mataru, Auto-Maraku, Auto-Masuku, Growth 3, Regenerate 3, Invigorate 3
     
  7. 24 skills:
     Brave Blade, Rainy Death, Akasha Arts, Myriad Arrows, Agneyastra, Blight, Mediarahan, Tetra Break, Mekara Break, Tetrakarn, Makarakarn, Repel [Element/Physical/Light/Dark], Angelic Grace, Insta-Heal, Enduring Soul, Arms Master, Spell Master, Victory Cry
     
  8. 13 skills:
     God's Hand, Primal Force, Vorpal Blade, God's Judgment, Hell's Judgment, Megidolaon, Salvation, Absorb [Element/Physical], Divine Grace

After this wall of text, I can imagine people going   Don't worry, that's the last you'd ever see like this.

With this beast out of the way, there is but two more things left to explain, but that's best for a last update. Heck, Feinne him/herself may yet get the next fusions, they should be pretty close to introduction. Look out for the next dungeon, it's a doozy, and a fun one.

Next time, Shuffle Time! Arcana Chance! Me finally stopping to sperg out about Fusion!