SOUL ELEMENTS and the WEAPON TRIANGLE

[Chespinlover23]

Soul Elements and the Weapon Triangle exist to balance the roll system in IC combat, removing a fair amount of the luck factors in combat. They work similar to the type matchups in Pokemon, and the weapon triangle from Fire Emblem.

Soul Elements are attributes given to each and every character regardless of class, race, or alignment, giving them a strength and weakness against different attacks. Each soul element relates to an already-existing magical element, such as Fire or Earth, and follow their rules.

The soul elements are as follows:
Fire: Power [Beats Patience, weak to Calm]
Water: Calm [Beats Power, weak to Devotion]
Wind: Virtue [Beats Heart, weak to Patience]
Earth: Heart [Beats Devotion, weak to Virtue]
Ice: Patience [Beats Virtue, weak to Power]
Lightning: Devotion [Beats Calm, weak to Heart]
Light: Courage [Beats Solitude and is weak to Solitude]
Darkness: Solitude [Beats Courage and is weak to Courage]
Non-Elemental: Hopeless* [Weak to nothing, and resists nothing]
[*- Hopeless is a soul element given out in extremely rare cases, as a character with Hopeless does not have a soul of their own.]

Soul Elements give a passive +/- 5 to their strengths and weaknesses. For example, if a character with the Heart Soul Element was attacked in any manner by one with the Virtue Element, they would have a  -5 on the defense roll for that attack. Every element will resist itself.
In addition, Soul Elements follow the same rules as normal elements, as mentioned above. As such, they are not only affected by their other Soul Elements, but by normal elements too. As such, if one with a Patience soul element was hit by a Fire-element attack, they would be weak to it, and if one with a Heart soul element was hit by an Electric-element attack, they would resist it.
Soul Elements do not give a character who does not use magic the ability to use magic. Think of it as a passive skill, almost, that grants a strength and a weakness. For those who use magic, it is very common for their soul element to relate to the main type of magic they work with, though not to say that this is always the case. However, a mage's main magic type cannot contradict their soul element, and vice versa. [I.E; a mage who uses fire magic with a Calm soul element is not allowed]

The Weapon Triangle deals in weapons aside from magic, which fall into the elemental weakness spectrum. Soul Elements do not affect weaknesses and strengths here, it is the weapon types pitted against each other that determine weaknesses and strengths.

The triangle works as follows:
Slashing beats Crushing
Crushing beats Piercing
Piercing beats Slashing.
The same +/- 5 of weaknesses/resistances apply to the weapon triangle as well. Different weapons inflict different attack types, and are listed as follows:

Slashing: Swords, knives, scythes, claws, and chakrams.
Piercing: Polearms, bows, guns.
Crushing: Axes, boomerangs, flails, unarmed combat, and shields.

There are also weapons that are classified as Dual-Style weapons, meaning they apply to two or more of the weapon triangle styles.
These weapons include:

Halberds [crushing/piercing]
Swords [all three]
Knives [slashing/piercing]
Boomerangs [slashing/crushing]
Scythes [slashing/crushing]

In instances where a character wields one of these weapon types, they must make a choice on which fighting style they use. For example, halberds include crushing and piercing attacks according to the weapon triangle, but a character may only employ one of those styles in their combat. They cannot have both of the types. The one exception to this rule are characters who have the Style Swap skill, which allows them to switch between the multiple styles of their weapon at will depending on the scenario.

As a final note, magic falls into the elemental/soul elemental weakness category to determine its weaknesses and strengths. If a weapon possesses an element, it will then utilize the elemental weakness category as opposed to the weapon triangle. All skills and racial traits will still apply in combat, and the roll system will be used as it always has. It is the creator's choice what element to give the character overall, and do not affect race, alignment, or personality, nor is it affected by them.