Genjutsu ~ Art of Illusions

Genjutsu ~ Art of Illusions

For those unaware of it Genjutsu is the most powerful, most problematic and most confusing specialty of the lot. It is almost universally avoided by new RPers not only because of the limited cannon techs but the great confusion that surrounds them. The following treatise is both a guide and a rule set about how to apply, utilize and deal with Genjutsu with an aim to do away with the misunderstandings that surround it

What is a Genjutsu?

Genjutsu (幻術; literally meaning "Illusionary Techniques") are techniques that are employed in the same fashion as Ninjutsu, requiring chakra and hand seals. However, the primary difference between the two is that the effect of Genjutsu is illusory, creating chakra imbalances in the victim's brain, and thus causing a disruption in their senses. This is often used to create false images or to cause pain from trauma (because the body is led to believe it is in pain); however, there are plenty of other uses depending on the situation. They are not used as often as Ninjutsu because they don't physically harm the opponent

Making a Genjutsu

When making a genjutsu please use the following template:

Name: The name of the technique
Rank: (E-S. Please rank appropriately in line with effect and difficulty)
Difficulty: (See Below)
Type: Genjutsu
Element: (Element used. In most cases there wont be one so put N/A) Description: (See Below)

Difficulty

The first thing you will note is like medical jutsu genjutsu have a unique addition to the standard template. The difficulty of a genjutsu technique denotes the level of kai needed to break it and while normally the same as the rank of the technique itself can be up to one rank higher or lower. This should be balanced out so that a C rank tech with a B rank difficulty would be only half as powerful as a regular C Rank while a C Rank tech with a D rank difficulty would be more akin to a B rank in raw power and scope.

Many genjutsu will not have a difficulty rating mostly because they were created prior to these rules. Where they do not it assumed the difficulty rating is the same as the rank of the technique

Description

All genjutsu descriptions must contain the following:

1. Details of how the illusion is performed
2. The individuals it can affect
3. Its effects
4. Duration of the illusion
5. If it is a visual/active illusion a detailed illustration of the illusion.

Guidance Notes:

1. Primarily by use of Hand Seals, Some techs can be done by use of a genjutsu focus
2. Generally all genjutsu fall into one of the four types: - Single Target – Effect one person only, tend to be the most potent - Multiple Targets – Effect numerous individuals, number of possible targets should be included - Area of Effect – Rather then target specific individuals target a specified area, must include size and dimensions of the affected area (include size of the area effect) - Genjutsu Focus – Affect anyone seeing/hearing/smelling/tasting or touching a genjutsu Focus. May only affect one of the 5 main senses, so you can’t have a genjutsu that both effects everyone looking at the focus and also hearing the sound it makes
3. What the genjutsu actually does to its victims
4. Unlike ninjutsu or indeed most other specialities, which are largely created and then instantly used, nearly all genjutsu last a set duration often for great many posts or even till broken. Please state how long the genjutsu last even if it is one of the few ones which last but a second or two. Though not a requirement you are also allowed to state how long it will take someone to notice the genjutsu is in effect though rank and whether they are genjutsu specialists should factor into the equation. While this takes something that is by nature subjective, personal awareness, and makes it objective it serves to counter the unfortunate nature of people who are aware of a genjutsu OOC all too often claim awareness IC. Please note if you do so this should always be the same length or shorter then its actual duration of the technique for obvious reasons
5. Visual aspects should be well described and not misleading. It may be simple enough to use just a sentence for this but where more abstract the description should be clear and well defined.

Using Genjutsu (and the Genjutsu Buddy System)

Normally with techniques you are expected to post any tech used in a spoiler below the post itself. Given that genjutsu are intrinsically secretive and often Dependant on catching people unawares they lose a lot of their effect once revealed and risk being meta-gamed into uselessness. To avoid this genjutsu’s are not required to be posted directly below posts, only have the hand seals (or other method of creation) and effects described within them. Instead of posting the genjutsu they can PM a staff member, called a genjutsu buddy in this scenario, with the jutsu used and a link to the thread. Then it can’t be claimed at a later point that the user was god-modding and had never done the technique. It is not good enough to PM just anyone and should always be a staff member For example if a Genjutsu gave the illusion of a sand storm, then it is quite fine for the user to simply do hand signs and state a sandstorm appears from the west etc and not make mention that it is in truth a illusion brought upon by a active Genjutsu However this must be done from the victim/targets point of view so if they have a Doujutsu such as a Byakugan that would see straight through it then they should be informed (by PM is fine) and user must always perform the necessary hand seals etc in the post the Genjutsu was initiated

Noticing a Genjutsu

Before you can attempt to break or dispel a Genjutsu you must be aware that you are under the effects of one. This is not easy since genjutsu as illusions are intrinsically difficult to notice and often designed to mislead or confuse as to their true purpose. Invariably a great many of these so called techniques will remain in affect till you notice them and remove them. After all why anyone try to remove the affects of something they don’t even know is there.

Of course the problem with this particular aspect of Genjutsu is the profound and far too common practice of meta-gaming, if normally unintentional. I and any experienced RPer will know of a case, often many cases, where a member who upon realizing their character is afflicted by a Genjutsu OOC will result in their character trying to dispel/break it in RP either by breaking unintentional or claiming to notice it often highly implausibly.

To avoid this Genjutsu users may, as previously mentioned, both avoid directly posting that they are using Genjutsu and/or create/use Genjutsu where the duration it takes for others to realize, taking into account rank and gen specialty, is clearly written in black and white. Where duration isn’t specifically stated then it is fine to notice a Genjutsu at any time after you are become effected as long as it is done so in a logical and understandable manner. If you cannot clearly explain to others how you have noticed then you a probably meta-gaming

To be clear on the matter, nearly all attempts to unintentionally dispel/break a Genjutsu (allow yourself to take minor harm to break a D rank Genjutsu your character isn’t aware of for example) or claims to notice ones affects with no logical chain of causation will be considered meta-gaming and dealt with appropriately. Please note, all Genjutsu can be potentially noticed, how difficult this act may or may not be

Dispelling a Genjutsu

There are two main ways to dispel a Genjutsu. The primary way is for the victim or somebody in direct contact with the victim to use the Ninjutsu known as Kai to sop the flow of chakra in their body then apply a even stronger power to disrupt the users flow and in so doing break the Genjutsu. The second is by means of Pain, which can be used to focus ones mind away from the Genjutsu and with any look bring their senses back into order.

Kai The main way to break Genjutsu. Kai is one of the seven basic techniques on site all Shinobi, whatever their specialty, can have and is highly recommended. Without it characters expose themselves far more to being killed horrifically be a gen user, an action commonly referred to as Gen rape.

Kai is a D Rank tech and can be used to instantly dispel or break upon activation any one genjutsu up to the users own rank. The genjutsu difficulty rank (rather then the jutsu rank though this will most often be the same) indicates the level of Kai need. What this means in practice is A rank Shinobi with Taijutsu and Medical Jutsu, who can use it to break a Genjutsu with an A rank difficulty rating but not an S rank. On other sites the practice is often quite different allowing only Genjutsu specialist of the highest level to break the most difficult gen but this is not especially balanced since it means all gen users can counter techs at higher levels. That said it should be recognized that obliviously genjutsu specialists would be better at this given they have significantly more experience handling genjutsu. Therefore characters with a genjutsu specialty may dispel genjutsu as though it they are one difficulty rank lower

The chakra cost for kai is directly equivalent to the difficulty of the genjutsu you are trying to break. To break a technique with B Rank difficulty requires a B Rank’s worth of chakra

Pain

Pain while another useful way to break Genjutsu is not as effective as Kai. It requires a significant amount to work and is only a defense against low level techniques. Pain can only ever be used to break techniques with a C rank difficulty or lower.

Characters with a high tolerance for pain or high pain threshold can not use it so effectively to break a Genjutsu and can only use pain to break techniques with a D rank difficulty or lower.

Characters that are immune to pain or can not feel it can never use it to break free of a Genjutsu

Other Methods

There are other ways that replicate the effects of two above but these tend to be highly limited and often kkg related.

Genjutsu Resistance

This section covers Genjutsu resistance and all the techs, abilities or kkg’s with Genjutsu resistant aspects. You will note no mention of Genjutsu immunity any where in this section since it doesn’t exist, no character is allowed or will ever be allowed to be immune to genjutsu much like no character can be immune to ninjutsu or weaponry for that matter. Being highly resistant is one thing, immunity quite another.

It is allowable to have some inbuilt resistance to it within a kkg or have techs that make you resistant to it etc. However when linked to a kkg it must be balanced as whole and fit in logically. Don’t expect it approved if you just added it on the side for extra protection

Doujutsu

There are certain Doujutsu that can see through illusions or allow their users to use their own eyes as Genjutsu focuses. Any Doujutsu that allows the user to see the flow of chakra, which includes the Byakugan and the Sharingan, can directly see changes in its flow that are a clear sign that are gen is in effect. In such a way the can quite literally see the effects of Genjutsu on themselves and others. There is a mistaken assumption by many that they can see through all Genjutsu though this is far from the truth. While the can tell if others and their own bodies are affected in standard conditions by looking at them with their Doujutsu active it does require that their eyes are passing sensory information to the mind to be unscrambled by it to make a picture in our brain. Any Genjutsu that directly affects the minds perception, cutting off the information they are receiving from the eyes and replacing the sensory images received with new ones cannot be detected by them in this way.

In a short a Doujutsu that can see chakra flow can:

• Can see changes in chakra flow, in others and themselves (if looking at themselves) and thus realize the Genjutsu is in effect while they can see and the Doujutsu is unaffected

Theses Doujutsu can not:

• Make the user immune to genjutsu
  
• Allow the user to actually see through genjutsu. They simply see the affects a genjutsu has on other people where the genjutsu does not inhibit site or entirely change their perception
  
• Work at all on any technique the blinds them or totally replaces what the see with an illusionary perception of the world. Thus they can not see past dream like or illusionary worlds by means of a Genjutsu
  
• Ever break the illusion akin to Kai, pain etc. They just make the user aware of it when it works

Additional Information

Emotions

Some Genjutsu hints or even straight forwardly states that they play on, affect and manipulated certain feelings or emotions. This is all well and good but the emotions must be their in the first place for the genjutsu to have any affect. While most people are assumed to have most emotions, even in very small amounts there are people to whom certain emotions do not exist nor are meaningless who will not be affected. That said it is possible to make targets believe they have theses emotions which may then be played on in this manner while the latter effect continues

Subconscious Techniques

Subconscious techniques are those that remain dormant in the opponents mind or place supplementary effects on them via mental suggestion/blocks. By there very nature they are far harder to notice. However until they become active they are easier to break and there 'difficultly rank' can be no greater then 'B' while in this state

Genjutsu Focuses

A Genjutsu focus is an item that can be used as alternate means to activate a genjutsu. The best known users of genjutsu focuses are the Uchiha clan who often use their eyes and jewellery, such as rings, to use a genjutsu by eye contact alone. Anyone may user a genjutsu focus, though a focus may only work in one of the following sensory ways:

• Work upon the focus making eye contact with the victim
  
• Work upon playing music or a sound heard by the victim
  
• Work upon being touched/felt by the victim
  
• Work by creating a smell which will affect those who sniffs it

Note a focus well only ever work in one of these ways. The use of a Genjutsu focus replaces regular hand seals. Only B Rank+ Shinobi with a Main Specialty of Genjutsu, or A Rank+ shinobi with a Sub Specialty of Genjutsu may use Genjutsu focuses and may never have more than two

An example of a Genjutsu focus would be: jewelery of some type, a bright or garish piece of cloth or clothing, a Doujutsu, musical instrument. The item itself must be out of the norm and attract attention; it can not be a drab or unattractive item.