devilofajob (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
devilofajob) wrote2009-06-21 05:23 pm
devilofajob) wrote2009-06-21 05:23 pm
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OOC: Demon Investigation Skills and You
Raidou's day job - when he's not in school, whenever he goes to school, if he goes to school - involves doing (most of the) legwork for the Narumi Detective Agency. To make this easier, he will frequently use his demons, most of whom have special abilities that help him find clues/get information from whomever he's interrogating. Every demon has at least one investigation skill based on its order (Pyro, Frost, etc.); some have additional skills based on their species.
In the first game, the demon investigation skills are as follows:
Ignite - Exclusive to Pyro order demons. Used on objects, it sets them on fire. Used on people, itsets them on fire "ignites their spirits" (read: relaxes their inhibitions), which usually results in them blurting out some bit of information that Raidou can use. Also useful for temporarily energizing someone who may be paralyzed by depression or fear.
Cool Down - Exclusive to Frost order demons. Has a calming effect on agitated people. Also freezes liquids.
Inspect - Exclusive to Volt order demons. Reveals nearby hidden objects.
Scout - Exclusive to Wind order demons. The demon will tell Raidou which types of enemies are in the area and how many items there are to collect. Occasionally the demon will bring Raidou a present; this tends to get awkward if they bring him Old Underwear.
Use Force - Exclusive to Fury demons. Demon hits object; object moves out of the way.
Read Mind - Exclusive to Pagan demons. The demon will read the target's mind and report any interesting information back to Raidou. Useful for recalcitrant suspects and/or witnesses.
Demonstrate - Exclusive to Skill demons. The demon will either turn an object into another object or do something to Raidou and/or his demons that may or may not be beneficial. The single most useless investigation skill in the game, since the result is entirely random. It's great if, say, the demon turns a Twig into a useful item or heals up your demons... not so much if it turns one of your Beads of Life into a Dainty Snack or Old Underwear, or reduces Raidou to 1 HP.
Allure - The demon releases pheromones into the air. This is actually necessary once; you have to use Allure on a pair of demons who are blocking your way in the final dungeon and won't get off the path until they, well, get off. In other instances, the subject will simply start fixating on Raidou. Raidou will never willingly use this skill, for obvious reasons.
Scavenger - The demon will occasionally find something shiny on the ground that Raidou can use or sell.
Loose Change - Like Scavenger, only with money.
Intimidate - Scares off weaker demons in the area (read: lowers the encounter rate).
Provoke - Makes demons more aggressive (read: increases the encounter rate).
Fly - Allows demons to fly over obstacles that Raidou cannot in the course of a solo investigation. They cannot as a rule fly Raidou with them, but I'm sort of making an exception for Sandalphon, who is after all really big.
Sneak - Restricted to very small demons. Allows them to enter passageways Raidou can't access.
The second game tweaks some skills, gets rid of others, and adds a few. I'm listing them here on the off chance that I canon update Raidou:
Ignite - No change from the first game, aside from keeping Raidou from freezing in very cold areas.
Cool Down - Now prevents Raidou from taking heat damage in a specific dungeon, but otherwise no change.
Inspect - No change.
Light Up - New Volt demon-specific skill. Lights up darkened areas, which has the added bonus of preventing Raidou from falling on his ass (stupid banana peels).
Scout - No change.
Kamikaze - New Wind demon-specific skill. Allows Raidou to ride air currents to quickly move to another area of a given dungeon, which may or may not be otherwise accessible by other means.
Use Force - No change.
Read Mind - No change.
Demonstrate - No change.
Transform - New Skill demon-specific skill. Enables Raidou to transform into various other individuals (including a dog) as long as he has a lock of hair from the individual into whom he's transforming.
Intimidate - No change.
Provoke - No change.
Fly, Sneak, Scavenger, Loose Change - All gone. Scavenger and Loose Change have become passive skills and been renamed (to, respectively, Finders Keepers and Money Getter). I cannot remember offhand if Allure still exists, either. Sneak has been replaced by Raidou's dog transformation.
The majority of these skills probably aren't going to make any difference to campers, aside from the following:
Ignite
Cool Down
Inspect (maybe, if you're physically hiding something)
Read Mind
Allure
Transform (canon update only)
It is highly unlikely that Raidou will try to read your mind unless you're hiding something important and he doesn't have time for niceties. Even then, all he's going to care about is that specific piece of information; he doesn't care about anything else and really would rather not know. Allure is not something Raidou will use if he can help it, because the results can be inconvenient at best and potentially dangerous at worst. If it is a dire emergency and there is absolutely no other way to get you to cooperate... then he may, but he will feel terrible about it and avoid you afterwards. After all, he doesn't particularly like getting hit with Charm effects either.
Raidou is a bit more likely to utilize Cool Down or Ignite, especially Cool Down, if it seems like a camper is endangering themselves or others in some fashion. An overly amorous camper might also be a candidate for Cool Down, if they're causing problems somehow.
Inspect doesn't directly affect other campers, but if you're physically hiding an object, Raidou's Volt demons will easily be able to detect it and tell him about it.
Transform may or may not be an issue. I actually can't see Raidou using it all that much, if at all, should he canon update. I can see Wacky Hijinks occurring if he has a bored Skill demon on his hands.
So basically what I need from you is to let me know what Raidou's demons can or cannot do to you. It would also help to know whether they can physically attack you should it come to that, e.g. Gdon attempting to maul Canaan when he injured Raidou. (I am generally fine with campers attacking them, with the understanding that they will retaliate - and if they don't, then Raidou probably will.) Raidou's demons will not attack unless provoked, although Gdon will probably threaten you or be generally rude.
Edit to add: It would also help to know if your characters can see or otherwise sense demons. Most humans in the Devil Summoner-verse cannot, unless they are summoners or otherwise supernaturally gifted (or Victor, but it's anyone's guess what's up with him). The only possible exceptions I can think of are humans trapped in the Dark Realm, which is where most demons normally live, or demons who deliberately reveal themselves to humans, as one does to Raidou and Narumi at a certain point in the game. Raidou's demons do not generally reveal themselves to "normal" humans, and tend to assume you can't see or hear them unless you address them directly, although some of them are getting used to total strangers talking to them in camp (they may not like it, but they're getting used to it).
Edit again to add: As far as animals go, the canon is a bit sketchier. The stray cats you find in alleys around Tsukudo-cho will not react to a solo demon, although they will startle and run if Raidou approaches them. On the other hand, there is a dog in the second game who reacts warily if you approach him with a solo demon but is perfectly happy when Raidou does the same, whether Raidou happens to have a demon out or not. Whether this means that the dog's demon-sensing skills are more acute than the cats' or that the cats are simply very zen about the whole thing is debatable. For the time being, I am assuming that animals can generally see/sense the demons.
In the first game, the demon investigation skills are as follows:
Ignite - Exclusive to Pyro order demons. Used on objects, it sets them on fire. Used on people, it
Cool Down - Exclusive to Frost order demons. Has a calming effect on agitated people. Also freezes liquids.
Inspect - Exclusive to Volt order demons. Reveals nearby hidden objects.
Scout - Exclusive to Wind order demons. The demon will tell Raidou which types of enemies are in the area and how many items there are to collect. Occasionally the demon will bring Raidou a present; this tends to get awkward if they bring him Old Underwear.
Use Force - Exclusive to Fury demons. Demon hits object; object moves out of the way.
Read Mind - Exclusive to Pagan demons. The demon will read the target's mind and report any interesting information back to Raidou. Useful for recalcitrant suspects and/or witnesses.
Demonstrate - Exclusive to Skill demons. The demon will either turn an object into another object or do something to Raidou and/or his demons that may or may not be beneficial. The single most useless investigation skill in the game, since the result is entirely random. It's great if, say, the demon turns a Twig into a useful item or heals up your demons... not so much if it turns one of your Beads of Life into a Dainty Snack or Old Underwear, or reduces Raidou to 1 HP.
Allure - The demon releases pheromones into the air. This is actually necessary once; you have to use Allure on a pair of demons who are blocking your way in the final dungeon and won't get off the path until they, well, get off. In other instances, the subject will simply start fixating on Raidou. Raidou will never willingly use this skill, for obvious reasons.
Scavenger - The demon will occasionally find something shiny on the ground that Raidou can use or sell.
Loose Change - Like Scavenger, only with money.
Intimidate - Scares off weaker demons in the area (read: lowers the encounter rate).
Provoke - Makes demons more aggressive (read: increases the encounter rate).
Fly - Allows demons to fly over obstacles that Raidou cannot in the course of a solo investigation. They cannot as a rule fly Raidou with them, but I'm sort of making an exception for Sandalphon, who is after all really big.
Sneak - Restricted to very small demons. Allows them to enter passageways Raidou can't access.
The second game tweaks some skills, gets rid of others, and adds a few. I'm listing them here on the off chance that I canon update Raidou:
Ignite - No change from the first game, aside from keeping Raidou from freezing in very cold areas.
Cool Down - Now prevents Raidou from taking heat damage in a specific dungeon, but otherwise no change.
Inspect - No change.
Light Up - New Volt demon-specific skill. Lights up darkened areas, which has the added bonus of preventing Raidou from falling on his ass (stupid banana peels).
Scout - No change.
Kamikaze - New Wind demon-specific skill. Allows Raidou to ride air currents to quickly move to another area of a given dungeon, which may or may not be otherwise accessible by other means.
Use Force - No change.
Read Mind - No change.
Demonstrate - No change.
Transform - New Skill demon-specific skill. Enables Raidou to transform into various other individuals (including a dog) as long as he has a lock of hair from the individual into whom he's transforming.
Intimidate - No change.
Provoke - No change.
Fly, Sneak, Scavenger, Loose Change - All gone. Scavenger and Loose Change have become passive skills and been renamed (to, respectively, Finders Keepers and Money Getter). I cannot remember offhand if Allure still exists, either. Sneak has been replaced by Raidou's dog transformation.
The majority of these skills probably aren't going to make any difference to campers, aside from the following:
Ignite
Cool Down
Inspect (maybe, if you're physically hiding something)
Read Mind
Allure
Transform (canon update only)
It is highly unlikely that Raidou will try to read your mind unless you're hiding something important and he doesn't have time for niceties. Even then, all he's going to care about is that specific piece of information; he doesn't care about anything else and really would rather not know. Allure is not something Raidou will use if he can help it, because the results can be inconvenient at best and potentially dangerous at worst. If it is a dire emergency and there is absolutely no other way to get you to cooperate... then he may, but he will feel terrible about it and avoid you afterwards. After all, he doesn't particularly like getting hit with Charm effects either.
Raidou is a bit more likely to utilize Cool Down or Ignite, especially Cool Down, if it seems like a camper is endangering themselves or others in some fashion. An overly amorous camper might also be a candidate for Cool Down, if they're causing problems somehow.
Inspect doesn't directly affect other campers, but if you're physically hiding an object, Raidou's Volt demons will easily be able to detect it and tell him about it.
Transform may or may not be an issue. I actually can't see Raidou using it all that much, if at all, should he canon update. I can see Wacky Hijinks occurring if he has a bored Skill demon on his hands.
So basically what I need from you is to let me know what Raidou's demons can or cannot do to you. It would also help to know whether they can physically attack you should it come to that, e.g. Gdon attempting to maul Canaan when he injured Raidou. (I am generally fine with campers attacking them, with the understanding that they will retaliate - and if they don't, then Raidou probably will.) Raidou's demons will not attack unless provoked, although Gdon will probably threaten you or be generally rude.
Edit to add: It would also help to know if your characters can see or otherwise sense demons. Most humans in the Devil Summoner-verse cannot, unless they are summoners or otherwise supernaturally gifted (or Victor, but it's anyone's guess what's up with him). The only possible exceptions I can think of are humans trapped in the Dark Realm, which is where most demons normally live, or demons who deliberately reveal themselves to humans, as one does to Raidou and Narumi at a certain point in the game. Raidou's demons do not generally reveal themselves to "normal" humans, and tend to assume you can't see or hear them unless you address them directly, although some of them are getting used to total strangers talking to them in camp (they may not like it, but they're getting used to it).
Edit again to add: As far as animals go, the canon is a bit sketchier. The stray cats you find in alleys around Tsukudo-cho will not react to a solo demon, although they will startle and run if Raidou approaches them. On the other hand, there is a dog in the second game who reacts warily if you approach him with a solo demon but is perfectly happy when Raidou does the same, whether Raidou happens to have a demon out or not. Whether this means that the dog's demon-sensing skills are more acute than the cats' or that the cats are simply very zen about the whole thing is debatable. For the time being, I am assuming that animals can generally see/sense the demons.