Stand

Stands are supernatural familiars that can be summoned and banished at will. They are created by the Fruit of Life. Each stand is a completely unique entity, representing one of the possible forms of life that could exist within the BZPB Multiverse.

Description
Stands possess no mind or personality of their own, and instead follow the user's instructions, spoken or otherwise. They can be anything from humanoids to sentient weapons or vehicles, and each one possesses a unique power, often, related to its name, which is predetermined at the point their master gains control of them. Unlike conventional names, the names of Stands are barely recognizable as them; as such, Sefer Yetzirah's stand is known as Cruel Angel's Thesis, Lilith Heyerdahl's is known as Only My Railgun, and Original Zero's is known as Two Heavens as One. Their most important feature, however, is that Stands cannot be killed independent of their wielder - but a fraction of the damage dealt to a Stand is taken by said wielder.

Methods of acquisition

 * Contact - simply touching the Fruit of Life is enough to gain a Stand. Results in Contact-Type Stands.
 * Meditation - requires the user to be aware of the existence of the Fruit of Life and Stands. Enough meditation may generate one. Results in Meditation-Type Stands.
 * Random - stands gained by chance, due to the random nature of the BZPB Multiverse, and the wide-ranging influence of the Fruit of Life. Results in Random-Type Stands.

The differences between the three types are outlined below;


 * Contact-Types are the most powerful in terms of raw power, due to the direct exposure to the Fruit of Life.
 * Meditation-Types aren't as powerful, but often feature more useful non-combat abilities, such as time slowing/stopping, or teleportation.
 * Random-Types are usually the weakest, but have more wide-ranging abilities. Random-Types are more likely to have quirks, such as being permanently summoned, or part of the user's body.

However, these are more general guides than absolutes; Contact-Types can have incredibly powerful non-combat abilities, and Random-Types can be specialized entirely towards combat. Regardless of the type, however, an individual can only ever have one Stand.

Naming
A key feature of Stands are their bizarre names. Instead of having conventional names, or names taken from mythology or history, Stand names are drawn from book, film or song titles, turns of phrase, and quotes. Effectively, they are named after anything not intended to be used as an actual name. Stands possess neither first or last names; they should either be referred to by their full names or their initals. Stand names can include punctuation such as exclamation or question marks as part of their names. Their names can be silly or serious, though Stands intended as serious characters can still have silly names.

Whilst this is not a rule, Stand names may relate to the user or their user's faction in some way. Possible examples include:
 * Mercenaries - reflecting their nature, these Stands may have names relating to money, such as Payment in Advance or A Fistful of Dollars.
 * Soldiers - their Stands may assume names relating to the military, such as American Sniper or Black Hawk Down.
 * Samurai - their Stands may assume names relating to Bushido or Japanese history, such as Book of Five Rings, or Sengoku Jidai.

Cruel Angel's Thesis
Main Article: Cruel Angel's Thesis

Named For: Cruel Angel's Thesis, the opening theme of Neon Genesis Evangelion. User: Sefer Yetzirah

The first Stand to be generated by the Fruit of Life, and as such, the original Stand. Assumes the form of a robotic (possibly bio-mechanical) humanoid. Its power is currently unknown.

Only My Railgun
Named For: Only My Railgun, the first opening theme of A Certain Scientific Railgun. User: Lilith Heyerdahl

This stand has only been mentioned in passing.

Two Heavens As One
Named For: Ni-Ten Ichi Ryu, a dual swords technique developed by legendary swordsman Miyamoto Musashi. User: Original Zero

This stand has only been mentioned in passing.

Sympathy For The Devil
Main Article: Sympathy For The Devil

Named For: Sympathy For The Devil, a song by The Rolling Stones. User: Lucy Farr

An incredibly powerful Random-Type stand, with the power to control fire and ice. Assumes the form of a robotic (possibly bio-mechanical) humanoid.

Noble Eightfold Path
Main Article: Noble Eightfold Path

Named For: The Noble Eightfold Path, one of the core teachings of Buddhism. User: Cassius Calm

A Meditation-Type Stand, which appears as a being of swirling white energy, clad in Calm's discarded purple robes, and with a golden wheel resembling the Dharma wheel on its back. Has the ability to generate force-fields, in fitting with Calm's pacifistic beliefs and emphasis on non-lethal combat.

Trivia

 * Stands in BZPB are based heavily on the Stands seen in JoJo's Bizarre Adventure. To this extent, the only real things that have been changed are the amount of damage taken by the user of the Stand if the Stand is attacked (proportional, as opposed to equivalent in JJBA), and the naming schemes (after Part Three, all Stands in JJBA are named after songs, albums or musicians). Another change is the addition of the role of the Fruit of Life in their creation.