Arc 1 Preparing Chapter 2 Part 2: Gods and Titles and unwrapping gifts

Why would a god help to tame dungeons? Didn't Bareen tell me that they are frantically trying to prevent that to save the sphere?

There was something mentioning that God Favors are listed on the [Infos/Titles] screen, perhaps that has more info...

Infos/Titles Quests Gallery/Knowledge History/Log [Locked] [Locked] Status Storage Core Class: unchoosen Defense Values Skills Abilities [Set Name] [Set Public Title] [Locked] [Locked] Gods and Favor God Favor Bareen Requests [Limited] 0/1 (50/100 Favor) Titles Name Effect [Locked] Name Description

"What the hell is that with all these locked options on the screen?"

That was more info than I expected, but shows that I won't get anything there soon. So next point is

"Blue Core, what is the format and meaning of those numbers with favors?"

So nothing for now, I'm still stuck and can't ask Bareen more questions about this until I have more Favor.

...

"Since I'm here, what is the difference between a public title and a normal title, and how do I gain any title?"

"OK, that sounds as if selecting a name can be done only once?"

"In that case..."

...

"[Set Name to general] - lower case like the attribute and not like my military rank."

Title Gained: Trickster [Limited]

For selecting a name that both shouts and hides your true identity, you gain the title "Trickster [Limited]". You can select that title as public for a cost of 1 MP.

Effect: All attempts to see through any distraction or illusion (magic or non-magic hiding) are at -2 penalty.

The Trickster God finds your action funny and grants you 10 Favor:

Rolandro: Requests [Limited] 0/0 (10/30 Favor)

Nice - "Blue Core, what is the effect or strength of that -2 penalty?"

For a while the general remains silent, checking through other knowledge entries and his quests - most of which are already solved without new ones appearing, and he still had only limited knowledge on how to create a dungeon.

Seems like I have to start that regular dungeon training - that would be logical as well because I can't plan without knowing the options I get randomly assigned. OK, let's start unwrapping gifts...

[Get my Starting Package]

Dungeon Options Gained

Spawns: Slime [Limited], Lizardmen [Low], Astral Dragon [Mythical]

Traps: Rockfall [Limited], Stoning Trap [Average], Eternal Corridor [Mythical]

Auras: Itching [Limited], Weakness [Below Average], Aging [Mythical]

Swarms: Bone [Limited], Water [very low], Adamant [Mythical]

Environment: Water Cavern [Limited], Twilight Swamps [Average], Ethereal Academy [Mythical]

Floor Effect: Misdirection [Limited], Increase Need [very low], Defensive Wards [Mythical]

Modifications: Loot [Limited], Health Boost [Low], Mind-Flexibility Boost [Mythical]

Room Structures: Torch [Limited], Pillar [very low], Skill Forge [mythical]

Treasures: Water Purifier [Limited], Sword [below Average], Bareen's Glass [Mythical]

Other: Wooden Chest [Limited], Breeding Pit [Average], Reanimator Grid [Mythical]

Quest Completed, two new quests available

"Blue Core, what are auras and swarms?”

“Hey – the systems gave a different list just two minutes ago, and I've read references to auras in the knowledge list”

Let’s check – all references have been changed, but I’m good at remembering details. Everything that is now called a "Plague" was called an "Aura" just a few minutes ago. I don't know what happened or why - I need to keep it in mind for later. For now plague is a better description than aura anyway.

“Then what are swarms?”

"In my original world we had a lot of problems with a plague creating something like undead, so I doubt I'll ever use those options - especially since I guess they're not liked by the people here, or am I wrong with that?"

"Let's check the details on those options before the next steps."

Slime Option Rank and Type

[Limited] Spawn Placement Cost 2 MP

Description Slimes are weak spawns with a lot of potential. They are easily destroyed and don't gain XP for winning their fights - instead they grow by absorbing material. Material absorption takes a lot of time depending on which material, but there is always a chance of gaining an ability based on the absorbed corpse or material.

Abilities [Absorbtion] Ability and progress cause [Limited] Mind [Limited] Body maximum rank [High] Lizardmen Option Rank and Type

[Low] Spawn

Placement Cost 30 MP

Description Humanoid, upright-walking lizard with a medium tail. Has hands with claws and can use any tool or weapon adapted to clawed hands. Average life expectancy and below average breeding capacity. Abilities [Natural Armor] (scales give +2 protection) [Cold-Blooded] (each rank of cold effect reduces all attributes by one rank) [Below Average] Mind [Average] Body maximum rank [Very High] Astral Dragon

Option Rank and Type

[Mythical] Spawn

Placement Cost 5,000 MP and 1 large Astral Crystal

Description Astral Dragons are rare and powerfull beasts that cannot be harmed by physical damage and are very intelligent spellcasters. Their only real limitation is that they cannot move far from a connection to the astral energy plane as they would rapidly weaken without that constant power.

Abilities Spellcaster of [Mythical] rank (focuses on Astral spells) Immunity to Physical Damage (Astral Body)

Random [Heroic] Ability [Legendary] Mind [Heroic] Body maximum rank [Holy] Ethereal Academy

Option Rank and Type

[Mythical] Environment

Placement Cost 10,000 MP

Description A magical academy that has been placed into the astral realms, this floor does not have physical walls but magical barriers between its structures. The effect improves learning for all sides (adventurers, spawns with class or beast cores and the dungeon core itself get +200% XP gain). Each room can contain up to three magic effects of [very high] rank at no cost. If a higher ranked effect is chosen its costs are halved.

All magical skills gain a bonus +5 to their skill rolls for everyone. Increased Needs

Option Rank and Type

[Very Low] Floor Effect Placement Cost 10 MP

Description While being on a floor with this effect, the needs of all living beings (water, food, sleep and others) are depleted with triple speed. Theoretically this also happens to dungeon spawns, but since spawns have their need taken care of with mana this is only a problem if something disrupts the mana flow in the dungeon.

Loot

Option Rank and Type

[Limited] Modification Placement Cost +10% Target MP cost

Description Adding this modification to traps or chests will give them both a bonus level to their difficulty as well as to the value of the materials contained.

Bareen's Glass

Option Rank and Type

[Mythical] Treasure

Placement Cost 7,000 MP and 1 blue topaz (value 100+ gold)

Description This magical treasure is rumored to have been created by Bareen as a gift to a specially devout follower. It is a magnifying glass that allows the user to anayse or identify any object or being, effectively creating a [Mythical]-ranked Identification effect.

Wooden Chest

Option Rank and Type

[Limited] Other

Placement Cost 1 MP plus slot cost

Description This is a simple chest consisting of rather weak wood. It could easily be smashed if not for the risk of either destroying the content or triggering a trap.

It contains one slot each for a trap, a treasure and a modification.

If no treasure is selected, a random trasure of the chests rank and level will be created on opening.

The chest's level and rank can be choosen up to the floor number, but it will not increase in stability even if placed on higher rank floors. And higher ranked treasure will be more likely to survive smashing the chest.

A lot of those thirty options are either too expensive for now or useless - I'll never install that reanimator grid on a trap as I've seen more than enough former friends turn zombie even before coming to the sphere. And the glass would risk me being revealed as [Xenotic]. But a lot of people would like that XP-bonus from the ethereal academy...

"Blue Core, some of those costs are not only mana points but also special items, what does that mean?"

Gotcha, I think I now know what one of those [locked] parts is about - trading...

"You said that I can try to change any such option or template with Influence Points, is that correct?"

"OK, then let's look at those two new [Quests]"

Use a Scout Charge

Questline Dungeon Training

Details You have one scout charge - the green spark of lightning near you. You can use this charge to send one scouting eye to a place of your choice, giving you an observation there for 24 hours.

If you send the scouting eye into the sky above your land, then you can select your exact placement on the land within view and gain advantages for your opening.

If you send the scouting eye into a position on the land itself, you can use dungeon points to purchase templates of whatever is within a short range of the scouting eye.

Hints Both options are equally valid – with a good placement in the choosen environment you can send out spawns to collect samples of the area around the entry for free as well as estimate how easy or difficult the travel of adventurers to your position is.

With a scan you can purchase samples from areas far beyond your dungeon placement (but have no real selection on the environment for your entry) Rewards 50 XP

Multiple Floor Crystals

Questline Bareen's Quests

Details The Floor Crystal is one of the most important possessions of a dungeon core, because it gives them two important abilities:

First it allows to plan the next floor without needing to extract the stone (once extracted, stone cannot be replaced and a wrong floor would have to be blocked by other means).

Second it allows the storage of mana for creating that floor, which is important for floors with low mana storage (especially if the spawns or rooms placed cost more than the core can have available naturally)

As part of the rewards for your first choice you have three instead of one floor crystal, which allows you to plan over three floors at once and gives you triple the storage.

Use this to plan three floors before placing your dungeon.

Hints The crystals will give warnings if the single floor within them does not follow the system rules, but the system itself will only check them on placement. That might allow you to circumvent some warnings by placing several floors at the same time if the crystals have enough mana.

The XP for placing the floor will be gained on placement, but can be checked during planning. Rewards 400 XP