[Ranylyn]

I propose lowering the upkeep cost while instead lowering youkai stats.

Youkai, as they are now, range from pretty good to beyond terrible. Many of them aren't worth the FP cost per turn to have out, and with the change to their skill power/costs, it's not even like they're all worth having just for Sync Mind skill evoking. Stat +Half level, eh? Unaffected by weapon at all? So Stat + 30 at level 60, versus... say... Stat + Tome + Base powers of over 20? (So... assuming 60 will, 90 before res vs at least 110 assuming a Kigal, non mind charged before res.) And did I mention that a lot of them have completely inappropriate stats? (10% Base will growth on Avians, who use will as their scaling stat, hilariously terrible!)

Youkai simply cost way too for what they deliver, and lowered stats in exchange for lower costs isn't unreasonable. Lower their HP since summoners have ways of managing that (Reihou/ healing discharge) and suddenly they're still viable without being OP if you lower the costs; it would allow players to realistically deal with a summoner's youkai without too much trouble, and it would actually be worth paying for the youkai to be out.

I mean, there's a reason a lot of bonders prefer to only have the one bonded youkai: Upkeep costs are brutal. Even if you just have the one out, it adds up fast.

EDIT: To clarify, someone who brings a bunch out deserves to burn FP fast. But you also need to spend FP just to level the damn things up at all, and levelling them is a colossal chore unless you're already level 60 and self sufficient without them, due to that FP scaling. And you'd still burn FP fast with a lot out.