NOVEL FROG 5. It's Time
I look at my status briefly before my awakening
Name
Rowan Attain
Level
0
Race
Human/Janin
Attributes
Strength - 7
Agility - 10
Dexterity - 12
Endurance - 5
Perception - 9
Intelligence - 8
Willpower - 15
Masteries
Swords - 15
Temperance - 12
Stealth - 7
Sprinting - 6
Exercise - 5
Thievery - 3
Deception - 3
Killing – 2
Blending In - 1
Skills
Feats
Early Killer - The deadliest killers started young, and once you've killed once, what's another? Kill a sentient being before level 1. Very slight increased progression towards your Killing Mastery.
Swords Prodigy - You've trained and begun your path of sword mastery strong. Get Swords Mastery to level 10 before level 1. Slight increased progression towards your Swords Mastery. +1 to all Stats.
Temperance Prodigy - You've tempered your mind to be as solid as stone. Get Temperance Mastery to level 10 before level 1. Slight increased progression towards your Temperance Mastery. +1 to all Stats.
Early Enlightenment - Form your core before level 1. One trait can be chosen related to your core.
Core
Sword – Your sword resonates with omnipresence.
Traits
Indomitable Swordsman - Your will remains steadfast and unbroken while holding a sword. Receive a slight boost to perception when in a tough situation. Scales based on willpower.
Meager Swordsman - A true swordsman needs nothing but himself and the sword. Increased progression towards your Swords Mastery while living humbly.
Sword of Silence - Your sword is silent until it strikes true. Harder for enemies to detect your sword coming. Very slight increased progression towards Stealth.
‘Coming along nicely I’d say. Choosing Sword of Silence should give me more stealth maneuverability will vastly increase the number of options I have in combat. Anyway, should be any moment now that the good stuff starts happening.’ I think as I rub my hands together greedily.
Just as I’m about to turn to look at the clock, the notification that marks the start of my path to power rings in my head.
‘Wow, it finally happened.’ I think to myself, ‘Feels like I’ve been waiting my whole life for this.’
After reminiscing for a little while longer on the past, I quickly recollect myself. After all, I’ve got some interesting choices to make.
First, I look at my options for my free level 1 trait. These traits are almost always guaranteed to be some of the best I can get and core parts of my build, at least for the first few tiers.
‘Man, two traits in one day! Lucky me!’
‘This one is just a plain upgrade in every way. If this is the first one, I’m excited to see what’s next!’
‘Hmm, I know most, if not all combatants who are worth a damn almost all have something similar, but do I really want to get one now? After all I might get a better one down the road when I get my class instead of having to upgrade it, as these types of skills aren’t exactly rare, though I’d have to be alive to get it. Also, the Scouting mastery is damn useful.’
‘Wow, ok that’s a lot. I’d heard about dedication masteries, and if this is just the level 1 version of the trait, how strong could I be with a sword if I ever decide to upgrade it’ I think while almost drooling.
‘Ok anyway, on to the last one.’
‘Yet another potentially lifesaving trait. Ugh, why couldn’t they make this easy.’ I groan mentally.
The way I see it, both Tempered Body and Dedication to the Sword are offensive traits to help me in fights last longer and deal more damage in drawn out engagements.
On the other hand, Danger Sense and Steadfast Exit are defensive traits, either allowing me to disengage a potentially unfavorable fight or allowing me to defend myself in the case of an ambush or something similar. Both traits I hope I’ll never have to use but will be thankful for them when I need them.
The sword maniac inside of me wants to skip everything and immediately pick Dedication to the Sword. After all, for most of my life, all I’ve ever known is practicing the sword, and to be honest, when am I ever NOT going to have my old reliable with me.
‘Screw all this other nonsense, all I’ll ever need is you pal.’ I think looking at my sword resting in a corner of the attic.
With that my decision is made and I choose Dedication to the Sword.
One tough decision made, one slightly easier decision left. There are a few ways of thinking when it comes to Attribute Points. One way is to use them for what is immediately useful, and not think at all about the future. People often think like this due to the higher amount of AP available to people the higher level they climb. I can understand where these people come from, as what’s 4 AP when I’m tier 10 and have hundreds of points in each stat.
Another way of thinking is to use them for what you may need in the future, aka use them for what you plan to make your build. This, while not immediately beneficial, is perfect for people who hate being ‘suboptimal’.
I think a good balance is key in this situation. Nothing good comes from extremes, or so Uncle Moren always says. I think I’m going to invest 3 AP into stats that will help me in the future and 1 more in case I’ll need it.
That being said, where do I invest these 3 points is the real question? Well, looking at my stats, I think investing in what I’m good at is a good move here, so at least 1 point into willpower and dexterity. I’m hoping when I reach level 10 that I get a class that plays off my high willpower. I mean, I already have one trait that does just that, and it is most likely the reason I don’t have a knife in my chest right now.
Spending 1 point to maybe shore up a weakness wouldn’t be a bad idea either. Strength probably isn’t the worst idea here, considering I might be going dungeon diving soon to try and level up quicker.
I’m saving the Skill Point until level 10, as most people do, to get an easy feat that gives +1 to all stats. This is a pretty commonly known trick to help new tier 2’s keep up with the spike in difficulty from tier 1 to tier 2 monsters.
With all that done I take a look at my brand-new and improved stat sheet while holding my sword.
Name
Rowan Attain
Level
1
Class
Race
Human/Janin
Attributes
Strength – 10 (+2)
Agility – 12 (+2)
Dexterity – 15 (+2)
Endurance – 7 (+2)
Perception – 11 (+2)
Intelligence – 10 (+2)
Willpower – 18 (+2)
(1 AP Remaining)
Masteries
Swords - 15
Temperance - 12
Stealth - 7
Sprinting - 6
Exercise - 5
Thievery - 3
Deception - 3
Killing – 2
Blending In - 1
Skills
(1 SP Remaining)
Feats
Early Killer - The deadliest killers started young, and once you've killed once, what's another? Kill a sentient being before level 1. Very slight increased progression towards your Killing Mastery.
Swords Prodigy - You've trained and begun your path of sword mastery strong. Get Swords Mastery to level 10 before level 1. Slight increased progression towards your Swords Mastery. +1 to all Stats.
Temperance Prodigy - You've tempered your mind to be as solid as stone. Get Temperance Mastery to level 10 before level 1. Slight increased progression towards your Temperance Mastery. +1 to all Stats.
Early Enlightenment - Form your core before level 1. One trait can be chosen related to your core.
Core
Sword – Your sword resonates with omnipresence.
Traits
Indomitable Swordsman - Your will remains steadfast and unbroken while holding a sword. Receive a slight boost to perception when in a tough situation. Scales based on willpower.
Meager Swordsman - A true swordsman needs nothing but himself and the sword. Increased progression towards your Swords Mastery while living humbly.
Sword of Silence - Your sword is silent until it strikes true. Harder for enemies to detect your sword coming. Very slight increased progression towards Stealth.
Dedication to the Sword – When without a sword, even the smallest of foes may slay you, but with a sword, giants bow to your might. +2 to all stats when holding a sword, -2 to all stats when not. Increased progression towards Swords, decreased progression towards all other weapon and combat masteries.
‘Finally done, see now that’s a status sheet!’ I think while having a stupid grin plastered on my face. ‘And I can start leveling.’
Leveling in the multiverse is a widely discussed topic among its inhabitants, in that, no one really can quantify it or really study it more than broad observations. What the systems grants levels for varies widely based on how challenging an action was relative to your level, type of challenge, whether or not you succeeded in overcoming said challenge, how dangerous the challenge was, and a multitude of other factors that add too much variance to any kind of attempt at a research study.
That’s why killing monsters in or outside dungeons is so popular for people looking to level up quicker. Because the ‘challenge’ is easy to see and understand. Kill thing in front of your, number go up, see very easy to understand. Especially when you compare it to something like an espionage mission or a planet raid.
Also it helps that most monsters aren’t exactly the ‘smart and sentient’ type, and are more the ‘rip your throat out’ type. There are people that hunt other people for levels though. These people are called level hunters and usually hunt people of a high level in groups. Almost all of them have crazy high bounties, enough to tempt even people that are higher tiers than the hunters in question.
Anyway, back to the topic at hand, levels just come when they come. Usually by challenging yourself or through just life experience. The harder the challenge or the more memorable the experience, the more levels you get, though you’ll rarely if ever get more than one at a time.
‘Ok enough thinking, time to turn my brain off and go back to sleep. I got things to do tomorrow after all.’