Minions

[Genesis Rhapsodos]

Ok so this OOC tab is to clarify all the rules of Valhalla and behavior of NPCs. I will split it into three parts, but this tab is for all three.
So ideally you have seen the opening cutscene of FF XIII-2, if not go watch it: it is amazing. Regardless it features a battle in Valhalla where both Lightning and Caius summon hordes of monsters to fight for them. My rules here will be based off my interpretations of this cutscene and others throughout the game. Because nothing is spelled out in 13-2 this is open to discussion, but not debate.

1. Obtaining Minions
Long story short: summoning minions is possible in Valhalla! Hopefully this will be fun rather than confusing, and this guide will work towards that. Any NPC you defeat will become a minion to be summoned in battle.
Monsters are the main minion of Valhalla, and can be thought of as footmen. The three main monsters are Beast (the wolf-like monster in the cutscene), Wyveren (the dragon-bird thingy), and Nekton (the bug thingys). Both Caius and Lightning start with a wealth of these, everybody else starts with no monsters. Anytime you defeat a monster it becomes yours, and any monster can appear before you in Valhalla. If you want a monster other than the three listed: have it appear before you and defeat it. Yes I know that is time-consuming but it gives you something to do. If you pick a unique monster be sure to post a picture or description in this ooc thread. Otherwise you will probably gain thousands of generic minions as soon as you go up against Lightning or Caius.
Summons: Summons are an exception to monsters. Any character can have any summon (even if there are duplicates around), but preferably from your own game. You do not need to obtain them, but have them automatically. Note that monsters and summons will not win battles for you, but hopefully will make a nice change of pace or augment your own attacks.
Other characters: you can choose to dominate other characters after besting them in battle. Remember no one dies in Valhalla. A defeat will either be the standard KO or a verbal admission of defeat, crying 'Uncle' if you will.

2. Controlling Minions
Minions are obtained anytime you best an opponent.
Monsters can be summoned to be defeated at anytime, and can be summoned to attack other characters at anytime. If your monster goes down from another character, their loyalties switch. You cannot summon a monster immediately after obtaining it, but wait until the next battle.
Summons are pre-set and cannot switch loyalties, but are simply banished from the battle when defeated.
When you defeat another character: You can chose to dominate them. This doesn't mean they are your slave, it simply means you can force them to assist you in battle. Thats it. They are in no obligation to fight hard for you, and as soon as they are defeated they are no longer obligated to you. You can only be dominated by one person at a time. Unlike monsters they cannot be summoned, and are only obligated to you if they are in speaking distance. Indeed there is no way to keep them by your side. This simply means that battles will shift rapidly as allegiances change. Please don't fight this, I know it sounds bad but it is very temporary and should make for an element of unpredictability.

3. Actions of NPCs
As much as I would love to play every NPC I will not. So the rules for who controls the actions of NPCs are laid out here, if you don't know NPC=non-playable character.
Monsters will be given a direction by the summoner. Yet monsters actions will without fail be controlled by the person they are attacking. Feel free to destroy them if you wish, these are child's play to FF characters after all.
Summons are similar. Given direction by the summoner, actions stated by the prey. There are two exceptions. One, because Yuna only fights with summons they will be treated as her weapon, and she will spell out their actions. Two, if you are using them as a vehicle you will have control of their actions. But if they are a vehicle they shouldn't have much offensive power.
Characters: NO GOD-MODDING! Only authors control actions of their characters, including wether or not they are hit by an attack.


I hope this guide helps, and that I haven't scared you off yet! If you have any questions please ask. You are not required to use any of these features, but I want this to be fun. I rarely find anything more entertaining than unpredictable battles and slaughtering hordes of monsters.