Have questions? Perhaps someone else also had that question! Feel free to peruse the answers below. If your question has not been answered yet, please go ahead and ask here! Just in case: some details and mechanics are set aside until later on in the game, so you may receive answers that ask you to kindly wait a bit longer.
Click on each question to expand its answer!
GENERAL GAME MECHANICS
Do I need to know Bravely Default canon?
No! Not at all! While it may help with a bit of world flavor, Bravely Borrows was not made with sticking to canon in mind whatsoever. The setting has been shamelessly stolen to adapt and change to whatever our whims may be, with full intentions of pulling in bits and pieces of many worlds. While some themes of the setting will come through in some locations, the plot of the Bravely Default series will not be coming in to play... for the most part. Aspects that are will be explained when the time is right. To be brutally honest, things will be actively incorrect as things were made from the memories of Bravely Default and picking/choosing the parts that were fun. Does my character get to keep their powers from canon??
No, but also… yes? Characters are mostly power-nerfed, but there are options! Canon powers can be used to influence Job Classes in unique ways. (A Stand or Persona could be used as a summon or as a vehicle for magic spells, for example. Certain abilities could be translated into different job powers once unlocked.) Characters can also get a special job asterisk for a secondary job class that can be tailored specifically around canon powers. Or if their powers are a curse on their existence they can just roll with new job classes! A fresh beginning! There’s a lot of room to mess around with ideas. The main point of playing with job classes is to give everyone an equal playing field and chance to grow.
Powers such as telekinesis or mind reading/telepathy would be limited to small objects or a certain range. Things like inhuman super strength would be toned down to regular very strong levels (you cannot lift a planet but you can still lift a car, sure).
So in the beginning: Yes. They will be nerfed until they receive their first asterisk, and from there it will depend on what they are working with!
But my characters needs a certain aspect of their powers to exist!
If it is something that is keeping them alive or a transformative based power to make their lives easier, these sorts of canon-aspects do not need to be locked to job classes. We can take a look at these on a case-by-case basis, so just touch base if you’re not sure!
Something like a werewolf character might still be able to transform, they might just… be dog. Awooo.
How do languages work?
For reasons people have not been fully able to discern, characters that step into Luxendarc are all granted the ability to understand the common tongue! Characters that are able to speak and write will be able to do so without thinking about it.
With some conscious effort, native languages can be spoken and written down if so desired.
If a character can't read or write, or is blind perhaps, do the magic journals accommodate that in any way?
This is an issue that some gilded inhabitants have been working to solve, and they believe they're very close to some solutions! They have been working on magic rings that allow the user to brush their fingers across the page and read what is written aloud. Messages can also be spoken to them, and the ring will inscribe the message to the page when brushed back over it! It is very magical, but also very new, so they are looking for some active test users! Free of charge, of course.
It is not a perfect system. Again, its new technology! The rings can sometimes have a hard time with particularly messy handwriting, and their descriptions of images are very basic. Sometimes it will not use the correct word if it is phonetically similar to something else. Sigil stamps are still highly recommended to use in conjunction, but they can have a coupon for one free one. As thanks! For helping them test this out!
They are very willing to try and put this magic techonology into something feasible for non-humanoids or those that need larger than the normal ringsizes.
Is death permanent?
It certainly is not recommended, but adventuring is a perilous activity at times! In most cases, your character is more than likely to just be KO’d. There are healing items that are able to revive them, so it’s important to be prepared!
They can die, however. The ability to come back from such a fate is yet to be seen. So for the moment: Yes. Again, not recommended.
JOB CLASSES
So the sport manga kids are getting a boost and the superheroes are getting brought down, but what if my character is just absolutely ripped with no supernatural aspect behind it, huh. What if their usual outfit includes plate armor. What if they usually carry a Gun. How much does that character need to be toned down as a Freelancer?
Excellent questions! The point of buffs/nerfs is to bring everyone to a happy medium so that no one is breaking the game, but people can still do cool things! If a character is naturally ripped, we are proud of them and we won't take their muscles away. They can still be strong, but their strength may not be practical in every Job Class. Then again, you could get creative with it. That ripped Pattissiere has a special delivery etc.
If they usually wear plate armor, they don't have to give it up. The outfits for different job classes can be entirely unique from character to character. Plate armor can certainly be incorporated into any of them, if you truly desire it. However, in a job such as a Black Mage or White Mage for example, it may be wholly cosmetic. You are not meant to go tanking as a mage.
They can carry their Gun, but it similarly might not be as effective! We'll cover that in the next question more.
Freelancers are meant to be middle-of-the-road, average job classes. Not super great at any one thing, but not terrible at anything either. All weapon and armor skills are average, the skills are average. You can get by, but you're not super cool yet. You are an average Joe setting out on an adventure.
Actually going back to the Gun, how are weapons gonna work. Can characters bring them in? Do they have to buy them, or do they come with asterisks? Are job classes strictly tied to certain weapons?
Characters can certainly bring in their own weapons. They can also definitely purchase weapons. New adventurers with no weapons at all can bring their shiny new asterisk to a weapons shop in Gildenhirst for a discounted entry-level weapon; [aka don't sweat it, we're handwaving that.]
That being said: While a character can bring in their own weapons, their own weapons might not be as effective as before. Different job classes are proficient with different weapons! When you pick up a sword as a Knight, you will be naturally more proficient with a sword. If you blast someone with a gun as a Knight, the gun may not be as powerful as it would be in the hands of a Hawkeye or their aim might suddenly be Atrocious. How you'd play out those weapon deficiencies is up to you and what you think would be fun to mess with.
Certain job classes have weapon proficiency skills that can be earned and taken to other classes. Please check the job class listings for what each job class is proficient with, and which ones have those skills you can earn!
CHARACTERS / APPS
Tell me more about characters' state upon arrival! Are any injuries or sicknesses they had healed? If they were covered in shit at home, are they still covered in shit?
If they were covered in shit, they are regretfully still covered in shit. L'Abovo has hot showers available for some of those gold coins in their pocket. Please.
Mortal injuries are healed upon arrival. Death's door is still a door they have passed through, so they are given the same new adventure as anyone else. (That goes for those that have already perished as well, of course.) If you the player wish for them to retain any other lingering injuries, you are welcome to if that is fun for you to play out.
Illness is also up to player discretion. In the future, there are medical facilities in Eternia that could be useful for characters with such plights. Should you wish to retain an ailment to play with that later, illnesses can be slowed or minimized if you so desire.
Those with contagious diseases will find that they are no longer contagious-- or rather, the contagion is contained. There is the potential that future events or player plots could come in to play for such things, if only temporarily.
If a character brings in a magical object from home, is that nerfed?
Short answer: Yes.
The longer answer depends on the magical object. Generally speaking, magical objects can still retain a bit of their magic capabilities, but they may be pared down to basic functions. Small items with only one or two very basic magical qualities may be fine as is, but an ancient magical artifact that can kill god mmmmiiiiiight need to be toned down. If you are unsure, please reach out and we can discuss things case by case.
What are the rules for bringing in pets/familiars/etc?
Can you bring your pet or familiar? Yes!
Regular Pets up to the size of an English Mastiff are allowed no problem. Magical Pets up to the size of an English Mastiff are allowed, but they are also considered a magical item so their abilities will need to be pared down to basic things. You can use them in your Job Classes. Pokemon are considered a kind of Magical Pet. You can bring up to 3, as long as they are no larger than the average size of a fully evolved starter. You can use them in your Job Classes-- movesets are now more generic species skills. They are subjected to the same pare down as other magical pets-- no reason to fear staring into the void of your Shedinja here.
All small pets count as one item slot. Pets in the Mastiff example range count for two. Any pets or familiars larger than that (horse, chocobo, bigger guys, etc.) and additional pets would be available to purchase as a regain later on.
What if a particular pet/familiar can talk/interact with other characters to the extent of being a character in their own right? Examples might be if someone wanted to bring in Tikki with Marinette from Miraculous Ladybug, or Hermes with Kino from Kino's Journey? Is this allowed at all, would it require a second app, etc?
Generally if they are a character in their own right, then they are a character in their own right. Unless it is impossible for one character to function without their mascot character, the pet/familiar would be considered appable. If you did truly desire to play both, you could app both, but they would be considered one unit for the sake of Activity Rewards in threads they are acting in tandem by the same player.
Can I AU my character as having been in the setting longer?
You know? Probably! Send us a message about what you've got in mind and we can brainstorm on how feasible it is.
Can I app a Bravely Default character?
Of course! There's enough changing and shifting with all these other connected worlds that it should be a new enough experience for canon characters as well. (Sorry for mucking up your homeworld, dudes.)
SETTING
How tall is the Tree?
It's Really Big.
At it's tallest, it is about 400 feet (121 meters) to its highest (unusable) branches.
What is the technology level?
Luxendarc's level of technology is Fantasy Level. Both magic and technology exist in the world, used in tandem as often as they are in isolation. Low-level electricity and running water exist in larger cities, but lamps and candles are still widely common. The electricity itself, when one can figure out adapters, is not Efficient. Your phone is going to take at least 10 hours to charge. Most of it is powered by wind or water, but magic is involved in some places. Eternia, for example, siphons power from the Earth Crystal to power all of its medical technology, while Ancheim uses the desert winds to power its machinations.
Ships are the most common form of transportation between continents, but airships have existed for quite some time as well.
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