Skill Potential

Whisper event (ウィスパーイベント, Wisupaa Ibento), also known as Skill Affinity and Skill Potential , is a mechanic in the Shin Megami Tensei series, first appearing in Shin Megami Tensei IV. Whisper events refer to the ability to upgrade specific skills via inheritance, while Skill Affinities (and their synonymous Potential) focus on influencing different types of skills.
Those affinities are usually presented as a suffix after their respective skill. For example, "Megidolaon +6" and "Hama -2."
==Profile==
===Shin Megami Tensei IV===
Once a demon has learned the last of its hidden skills during level up, a Whisper event will take place, where they can pass off any of their skills to Flynn, save for Auto Skills and certain specific skills. If he already has a skill from the demon's skillset, it will be strengthened, decreasing the MP cost and increasing the attack damage to a degree. The number of times a skill can stack this way depends on the type of skill. Elemental skills stack to 8 while stat buffing/decreasing skills stack to 3.
Skill type 	Skill rank	Skill rank	Skill rank	Skill rank	Skill rank	Skill rank	Skill rank	Skill rank
Skill type 	1 	2 	3 	4 	5 	6 	7 	8
Dia, Diarama, Media, Mediarama 	Heal+5 	Cost-1 	Heal+5 	Heal+5 	Heal+5 	Heal+5 	Heal+5 	Heal+5
Maximum healing, ailment recovery, revival and Support skills 	Cost-1 	Cost-1 	Cost-1 	- 	- 	- 	- 	-
Death's Door 	Cost-1 	Cost-1 	Cost-1 	Cost-1 	Cost-1 	- 	- 	-
All Almighty draining skills 	Dmg+1 	Cost-1 	Dmg+3 	Dmg+5 	Dmg+5 	- 	- 	-
Non-draining Almighty skills, all Fire, Ice, Elec and Force skills, Stigmata Strike, Deadly Fury and Star Tarantella	Dmg+1 	Cost-1 	Dmg+3 	Dmg+5 	Cost-1 	Dmg+5 	Dmg+5 	Dmg+5
The rest of Physical and Gun skills 	Dmg+7 	Cost-1 	Dmg+7 	Dmg+7 	Cost-1 	Dmg+7 	Dmg+7 	Dmg+7
All Light, Dark and Ailment skills 	Hit+5 	Cost-1 	Hit+5 	Hit+5 	Cost-1 	- 	- 	-
===Shin Megami Tensei IV Apocalypse===
Whisper events are still the same in Shin Megami Tensei IV Apocalypse, although this time the maximum rank is 9 for damage skills and 5 for other support skills.
Demons also gain skill affinities which can power up their skills in a manner akin to the protagonist, although those instead apply to specific types of skills. Demons often have affinities for skills corresponding to their own resistances, and penalties for those corresponding to their weaknesses. Like with skill bonuses, the maximum possible affinity, positive or negative, is 9 for damage skills and 5 for supportive skills.
Battle plans, which can be dropped by Fiends in Twisted Tokyo can be used on demons to improve their Skill Potential.
Skills and costs are now modified by percentages instead of specific numbers.
Skill type	Skill rank 	Skill rank 	Skill rank 	Skill rank 	Skill rank 	Skill rank 	Skill rank 	Skill rank 	Skill rank 	Skill rank 	Skill rank	Skill rank 	Skill rank 	Skill rank	Skill rank 	Skill rank 	Skill rank 	Skill rank
Skill type	-9 	-8 	-7 	-6 	-5 	-4 	-3 	-2 	-1 	1 	2 	3 	4 	5 	6 	7 	8 	9
Attack 	Dmg -10% 	Dmg -10% 	Dmg -10% 	Dmg -10% 	Dmg -10% 	Dmg -10% 	Dmg -10% 	Dmg -10% 	Dmg -10% 	Dmg +10% 	Cost -10% 	Dmg +10% 	Dmg +10% 	Cost-10% 	Dmg +10% 	Dmg +10% 	Dmg +10% 	Dmg +10%
Ailment 	Affliction -10%	Affliction -10%	Affliction -10%	Affliction -10%	Affliction -10%	Affliction -10%	Affliction -10%	Affliction -10%	Affliction -10%	Affliction +5%	Cost -10% 	Affliction +5%	Affliction +5%	Cost-10% 	Affliction +5%	Affliction +5%	Affliction +5%	Affliction +5%
Heal 	- 	- 	- 	- 	Cost +10% 	Cost +10% 	Cost +10% 	Cost +10% 	Cost +10% 	Heal +15% 	Cost -10% 	Heal +15% 	Heal +15% 	Cost-10% 	- 	- 	- 	-
Full Heal 	- 	- 	- 	- 	Cost +10% 	Cost +10% 	Cost +10% 	Cost +10% 	Cost +10% 	Cost -10% 	Cost -10% 	Cost -10% 	Cost -10% 	Cost -10% 	- 	- 	- 	-
Support 	- 	- 	- 	- 	Cost +10% 	Cost +10% 	Cost +10% 	Cost +10% 	Cost +10% 	Cost -10% 	Cost -10% 	Cost -10% 	Cost -10% 	Cost -10% 	- 	- 	- 	-
===Shin Megami Tensei V===
Each demon, as well as the protagonist, have Skill Potential properties that influence the cost and power of each type of skill. This also applies to Recovery and Ailment skills, boosting their healing power and ailment affliction rate respectively. Demons have preset Skill Potential values similar to that of stats and affinities, while the protagonist starts with a blank slate and can improve his via learning Miracles of the Cosmos category.
Sutra items can be used on demons to improve their Skill Potential, raising a specific affinity depending on the Sutra used by 1 point, up to the maximum of +9 for offensive skills and +5 for supportive skills. However, only affinities of +1 or greater can be further improved with Sutras, so they serve to improve a demon's existing strengths rather than add new ones.
Magatsuhi Skills are unaffected by Skill Potential, even if they fall into the same categories as regular skills.
====Skill Efficacy====
Value	Damage Multiplier 	Ailment Affliction Rate	Recovery Multiplier
-7 	x0.55 	x0.55 	-
-6 	x0.60 	x0.60 	-
-5 	x0.65 	x0.65 	x0.60
-4 	x0.75 	x0.75 	x0.75
-3 	x0.80 	x0.80 	x0.80
-2 	x0.85 	x0.85 	x0.85
-1 	x0.90 	x0.90 	x0.90
0 	- 	- 	-
+1 	x1.10 	x1.10 	x1.10
+2 	x1.15真・女神転生Ⅴ 攻略本で新たに分かったこと; 攻略本で新たに分かったこと, hyperts.net (2021-12-27) 	x1.15 	x1.15
+3 	x1.20 	x1.20 	x1.20
+4 	x1.25 	x1.25 	x1.25
+5 	x1.35 	x1.35 	x1.40
+6 	x1.39 	x1.40 	-
+7 	x1.43 	x1.45 	-
+8 	x1.47 	x1.50 	-
+9 	x1.55 	x1.60 	-
====Skill Cost====
Skill Potential 	Cost 	Cost 	Cost 	Cost 	Cost 	Cost 	Cost 	Cost 	Cost 	Cost 	Cost
Skill Potential 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
-9 	* 	* 	* 	* 	* 	* 	* 	* 	- 	- 	-
-8 	* 	* 	* 	* 	* 	* 	* 	* 	- 	- 	-
-7 	Cost +46% 	Cost +46% 	Cost +46% 	Cost +46% 	Cost +46% 	Cost +46% 	Cost +46% 	Cost +46% 	- 	- 	-
-6 	Cost +40% 	Cost +40% 	Cost +40% 	Cost +40% 	Cost +40% 	Cost +40% 	Cost +40% 	Cost +40% 	- 	- 	-
-5 	Cost +34% 	Cost +34% 	Cost +34% 	Cost +34% 	Cost +34% 	Cost +34% 	Cost +34% 	Cost +34% 	??? 	??? 	???
-4 	Cost +25% 	Cost +25% 	Cost +25% 	Cost +25% 	Cost +25% 	Cost +25% 	Cost +25% 	Cost +25% 	Cost +50% 	Cost +50% 	Cost +50%
-3 	Cost +16% 	Cost +16% 	Cost +16% 	Cost +16% 	Cost +16% 	Cost +16% 	Cost +16% 	Cost +16% 	Cost +40% 	Cost +40% 	Cost +40%
-2 	Cost +13% 	Cost +13% 	Cost +13% 	Cost +13% 	Cost +13% 	Cost +13% 	Cost +13% 	Cost +13% 	Cost +30% 	Cost +30% 	Cost +30%
-1 	Cost +10% 	Cost +10% 	Cost +10% 	Cost +10% 	Cost +10% 	Cost +10% 	Cost +10% 	Cost +10% 	Cost +15% 	Cost +15% 	Cost +15%
0 	- 	- 	- 	- 	- 	- 	- 	- 	- 	- 	-
+1 	Cost -10% 	Cost -10% 	Cost -10% 	Cost -10% 	Cost -10% 	Cost -10% 	Cost -10% 	Cost -10% 	Cost -15% 	Cost -15% 	Cost -15%
+2 	Cost -13% 	Cost -13% 	Cost -13% 	Cost -13% 	Cost -13% 	Cost -13% 	Cost -13% 	Cost -13% 	Cost -20% 	Cost -20% 	Cost -20%
+3 	Cost -16% 	Cost -16% 	Cost -16% 	Cost -16% 	Cost -16% 	Cost -16% 	Cost -16% 	Cost -16% 	Cost -25% 	Cost -25% 	Cost -25%
+4 	Cost -19% 	Cost -19% 	Cost -19% 	Cost -19% 	Cost -19% 	Cost -19% 	Cost -19% 	Cost -19% 	Cost -30% 	Cost -30% 	Cost -30%
+5 	Cost -25% 	Cost -25% 	Cost -25% 	Cost -25% 	Cost -25% 	Cost -25% 	Cost -25% 	Cost -25% 	Cost -40% 	Cost -40% 	Cost -40%
+6 	Cost -28% 	Cost -28% 	Cost -28% 	Cost -28% 	Cost -28% 	Cost -28% 	Cost -28% 	Cost -28% 	- 	- 	-
+7 	Cost -31% 	Cost -31% 	Cost -31% 	Cost -31% 	Cost -31% 	Cost -31% 	Cost -31% 	Cost -31% 	- 	- 	-
+8 	Cost -34% 	Cost -34% 	Cost -34% 	Cost -34% 	Cost -34% 	Cost -34% 	Cost -34% 	Cost -34% 	- 	- 	-
+9 	Cost -40% 	Cost -40% 	Cost -40% 	Cost -40% 	Cost -40% 	Cost -40% 	Cost -40% 	Cost -40% 	- 	- 	-
*There are no demons with an offensive Skill Potential of -8 or -9.	*There are no demons with an offensive Skill Potential of -8 or -9.	*There are no demons with an offensive Skill Potential of -8 or -9.	*There are no demons with an offensive Skill Potential of -8 or -9.	*There are no demons with an offensive Skill Potential of -8 or -9.	*There are no demons with an offensive Skill Potential of -8 or -9.	*There are no demons with an offensive Skill Potential of -8 or -9.	*There are no demons with an offensive Skill Potential of -8 or -9.	*There are no demons with an offensive Skill Potential of -8 or -9.	*There are no demons with an offensive Skill Potential of -8 or -9.	*There are no demons with an offensive Skill Potential of -8 or -9.	*There are no demons with an offensive Skill Potential of -8 or -9.
===Tokyo Mirage Sessions ♯FE===
Whisper events have been renamed to Skill Inheritance. Every time any given Carnage of a transformed Mirage wielded by their Mirage Masters levels up, they pass on skills, which are placed in either three lists: combat/support/healing skills to the Command Skill list, passive skills to the Passive Skill list, and Session Skills to the Session Skill list for Session Attacks. Just like standard whisper events, learning duplicate skills increases that skill's rank, which either raises the power of a Skill or lowers the cost. This includes Passive Skills, improving that Passive Skill.
Learning duplicate Session Skills always raises their power.
==Trivia==
*When a Whisper Event is triggered, the demon is surrounded by flashing words in several languages, including Hebrew, Sanskrit, Japanese, Arabic and Greek.
Meaning	Japanese	Greek (translit.) 	Hebrew (translit.) 	Arabic (translit.)
War 	戦争 	Πόλεμος (Polemos) 	מלחמה (milkhamá) 	حرب (Harb)
Truth 	真相 	ἀλήθεια (aletheia) 	אמת (emét) 	حقيقة (Haqiqah)
Curse 	 	κατάρα (katara) 	קללה (qlala) 	
Makeup 	化粧 	μακιγιάζ (makigiaz)	איפור 	بنية (Benyah)
Medical	医療 	 	טיפול רפואי (tipúl r'fu'í)	الرعاية الطبية (Alre'aya AlTebiya)
==References==
Category:Mechanics
Category:Shin Megami Tensei IV
Category:Shin Megami Tensei IV Apocalypse
Category:Shin Megami Tensei V
Category:Tokyo Mirage Sessions ♯FE