Arc 1 Preparing Chapter 2 Part 5: Gaining Templates

OK, that's it - I now have to use the remaining scout charges to see what templates I can gain.

First however that remaining free template from Bareen's Quest. I can choose between [Fight], [Magic], [Healing and Crafting] and [Taming and Breeding] as the main focus, but the people I gain will be able to do all four types. Just fewer of the other types than the focus I select. And most probably that means which classes will be available for them.

I already have cores for Ranger and Elementalist classes, so I have some of the areas covered partially - and if this is anyway like the regular fantasy games on earth, healing will be mostly restricted to priests. And I still don't know why some of the gods try to tame dungeons while others try to strenghten them.

"Booble, how easy or difficult is it to heal someone? Does that require access to temples or gods or whatever?"

"Would a dungeon spawn with healing abilities be similiarly restricted?"

"In that case healer and crafter should be able to give the best long-term gain. [Select Healing and Crafting]."

Filtering Template List

Randomizing

Gained Race Template: Naga Naga Rank and Type [Very Low] Spawn Placement Cost 100 MP Details A body of a snake with the upper torso of a four-armed human, the Naga can excel at difficult crafting tasks that require a lot of coordination. They can also become warriors or mages, but their large bodies of ten to fifteen meter length require a lot of space and food and make them unusable as rogues or outside their environments.

Their females developed a natural healing milk due to low breeding rates and very sick children that would die without proper care.

Naga start at a rather low rank and need to gain a lot of experience to reach their maximum potential. Abilities [Cold-Blooded] (each rank of cold effect reduces all attributes by one rank) [Sick Child] (all body attributes, health and HP-Regeneration are halved at birth. 40% chance of losing this ability on each rank-up) [Caretaker] (female only, can give healing effect outside of combat) [Defender] (male only, can gain [Berserk] state if defending females or children) [Swimmer] (immune to effects of natural water, no need for a purifier) [Evolution (1)] (can only evolve once, usually into something based on titles gained) [Very High] Mind [High] Body maximum Rank [Master] Chance of one additional Ability, one of the following randomly assigned at birth:

[Crafter] (increased speed and quality when creating or using tools) [Gatherer] (increased chance of finding or growing plants at land or water) [Three-Eyed] (grows an additional eye that can see magic energies) [Quickness] (allows first strike on first combat turn) Hints Yes, dirty mind, everyone heals by drinking the Naga woman’s milk from their boobs. And that makes them sought out and valuable as slaves as well, because a mage can refuse to cast a healing spell – the Naga woman don’t have that option. Quest Completed.

+400 XP.

New Quest Available Final Warning

Questline Bareen's Quests

Details This is the last of the bonus quests, after this you're mostly on your own and have to work for all additional rewards. And at the same time this is a demonstration of an effect that has destroyed or devastated quite a number of otherwise promising dungeon cores - use this to be better prepared than they were.

Regeneration is not the only way to regain mana and other energies. In fact, it is not even the most used way. Instead a dungeon core gains most of its energy when adventurers are fighting and dying in his dungeon.

However these energy boosts can go beyond the regular maximum capacity, and when that happens it always causes negative status effects until the problem has been solved. XP never vanish and you'll have reduced regeneration until you level up, but that is harmless compared to the other four energies.

Excess energy of health, mana,influence and dungeon points is always lost quickly, but while it is still overcharging you'll be much reduced in your actions. Anything above five times maximum is lost so quickly that it doesn't count. It takes one second to drop the energy from five to four times maximum, but in that second you'll be under the maximum pain and penalty.

After that it takes two seconds to drop from four times to three times max and five seconds from three times to double. The last step from double back to normal takes ten seconds with the smallest problems - this is where most cores manage to still use some of the energy.

Concentrate on [Boost] to complete and trigger this quest. Hints This quest should also give you enough XP for another level-up or two depending on which level you are. Try to level up first as that will reduce the effects and allow you to keep more of the boost.

The better you manage this test, the more of the extra power you can use before it is lost, the better your chances are and it will also gain you some favor if you're good at it.

Rewards 800 XP, Energy Boost (1000 HP/MP/IP/DP), Bareen's Favor depending on success.

Level UP Level 5 Experience Cap 500/500 reached.

Excess Experience stored for next level. Cost for Level-up to Level 6: 5 MP (61 MP available)

Do you with to level up [yes]/[no]?

[yes]

"Nice, and that new quest changes a lot."

"Booble, is there any way I can use up influence points at the moment? I can push Mana into the Floor Crystals and use up DP by purchasing templates with the scout charges, but I have no idea if I can use Influence without a dungeon or without spawns."

"I doubt that I'll be able to change a [mythical] modification with only 46 IP, so let's start with the Loot modification. I read that it allows me to improve the traps on chests and other traps in return for some increased value either in the chest or in the construction parts of the trap. Would it be possible to remove that limit so that I could for example improve a room effect by using valuable construction materials?"

OK,here we go.

Why isn't anything happening? Don't lose it, concentrate

Concentrate

[ping]

Loot Modification (modified) [Limited]

Rank and Type

[Limited] Modification

Placement Cost +20% Target MP cost

Description Adding this modification will give the target a +1 level bonus as well as an increase in loot value for adventurers

Template has been permanently changed.

Old variant of Loot Modification is no longer available

"Booble? Care to explain? That was 43 IP, not 10 - and the added mana cost to using this modification is nothing you mentioned either..."

"Now THAT has some possibilities..."

...

"Use the next scout charge to send the eye up to the snowed area on top of the mountain - not the absolute top but where there are still plants and animals. That is an area where I'm unlikely to reach with regular scouting, and I would like some beasts and plants for the dungeon. After that I'll trigger that other quest, and use the gained DP on the more important scouting of the city for items and tools."

A picture of the inside of the scouting eye forms in the General's mind. It is a part of a snow-covered forest on a mountain side, and once again he is reminded that this is not Earth - the snow is black and only some of the plants are known to him. But beside the picture of the eye's sphere there is suddenly a window opening with a list of everything he can gain from there, and a countdown of 24 hours like for the first use.

Template Type cost (DP) Description Snowed Forest Environment 10 [very low]-ranked environment. Requires Adventurers to have cold-resistance/gear or lose health and power. Enables cold-based traps. Squirrel

Animal 5 [Limited]-ranked animal only usable for distraction and as a food-source Snow Owl

Animal 12 [very low]- ranked animal that is a good predator but requires large rooms and a cold environment Black Snow

Material 5 Frozen Water Granite

Material 5 Type of Stone Earth

Material 5 Earth, usable to grow simple plants Spruce

Plant 5 Tree, can either be used for wood or for decoration Fir Plant 5 Tree, can either be used for wood or for decoration Large Grass

Plant 5 Plant that can be used as a source of animal fodder Wildberries Plant 8 Plant that can be harvested as a source of food White Ivy Plant 7 [Very Low]-ranked plant with cold properties, can be modified to be a trap in cold-based environments White Galindren

Herb 25 [Low]-ranked herb that can be used in several healing potions. No direct effect. Usable as Loot. Green Coln

Herb 10 [Limited]-ranked herb that has a vomiting effect. Usable as Loot or in some traps

Hmm, something usable in there but I hoped for a better... wait a moment.

"Booble, there is a white tail and the hind leg of an animal visible at the edge of the sphere, but it is not in the list. Is there any way to get it included? It's already partially there after all."

"[One free point to core-size] - YES!"

Template Type cost (DP) Description Arctic Fox Animal 7 [Limited]-ranked animal suitable as a low-level spawn

"OK, I have 66 DP to use up. Arctic Fox 7 DP (especially as it is a bit larger than the foxes I remember), Snow Owl 12 DP, Snowed Forest 10 DP, Granite 5 DP, Spruce 5 DP, Earth 5 DP, Large grass 5 DP, White Ivy 7 DP, Green Coln 10 DP. And all DP are gone."

[last free point to core-Influence], [all Mana to Floor Crystal 1]

OK, that should be it for preparations - I can't use up the last 3 IP, Mana and Dungeon Points are zero, health is not usable for now.

I need to remember to first level up with the XP from the quest, put the Mana into the Floor Crystal to speed up the floor creation and perhaps purchase the rest of the templates from the scouting eye. The design for floor two and three is far enough along that I can push 1000 MP there without materialising them, so no problem there either.

[Boost]

"Icks Ouch" Whasch did Eey? Levsch - [Level Up]

Tha Col tascht nisch

Schman to Rystloor

Eye need - whasch?

Push up

Push up

no purchase from upmountain

ouch

....

"Booble, what in the hell happened? What exactly did I do? I remember tasting color and seeing sounds???"

...

OK, Health and Influence Overcharge can usually only happen if I do it to myself by reabsorbing spawns or room structures a lot faster than they were created. Effects to me would be pain or confusion - like being high or stoned in case of Influence Overcharge. The effects on my dungeon and spawns that were not absorbed would be random modifications and mutations - which is why sometimes young dungeons do this to gain new modifications.

But it is rarely done due to the problem of randomness - it's a gamble only when you're in a dead end otherwise.

MP and DP Overcharge can happen anytime and be partially controlled by adventurers - that is really bad. Mana is gained when adventurers use their skills in the dungeon, so a large number of adventurers fighting through at the same time is a big problem. Mana Overcharge causes me confusion as well, and the same confusion will happen to any spawns and swarms, causing them to randomly use their skills and spells instead of targeting them.

Apparantly that is a tactic used by adventurers if they want to kill a dungeon, but usually they limit their numbers themselves because this also has risks for them.

Dungeon Points are gained in minor numbers if an adventurer uses a node, or in high numbers if an adventurer dies. So it is not something they try for themselves, but it can happen any time if there are too many deaths in the dungeon. DP Overcharge is both causing confusion and pain and will cause random mutations and evolutions - including evolutions that can turn spawns or the core itself rogue or dormant. Which is another reason why the adventurers don't want to risk this.

On the good side I managed to get 517 Mana into the Floor Crystals, that is the equivalent of nine days of regeneration that I don't have to wait.

And I missed that message - I can now set the abilities and core types for the [Very Low] levels 11-20, need to set the reincarnation ability to revive Gunny as soon as possible.

Favored of the Gods

Several gods are pleased about your success and grant you their favor.

Bareen: 55 Favor (Request gained, 1/2 Requests available)

Rolandro: 32 Favor (Request gained, 1/1 Requests available)

Darklight: 20 Favor

Atlas: 15 Favor

Evendar: 5 Favor

[Status]

Infos/Titles Quests Gallery/Knowledge History/Log [Locked] [Locked] Status Storage Core Class: The General

Defense Values Skills Abilities Name general public Title: N/A Level (L) 7/120 Experience (XP) 510/700 Core Rank mythical Floors (F) 0/7 free Attribute Points 1 Needs: Core-Density (CD) 12/120 Health (HP) 142/142 Mana 219/7 Core-Power (CP) 23/120 Mana (MP) 219/219 DP 0/0 Core-Influence (CI) 17/120 Influence Points (IP) 177/177 RankedEscapees 0/0 Core-Size (CS) 18/120 Dungeon Points (DP) 184/184 RankedKills 0/0 Regeneration and Gain Values HP (10% CD/day) 1.2 MP (10% CP/hour) 2.3 [Locked] IP (10% CI/day) 1.7 DP (L/Level-Up) 8 [Locked] Temporary Status Effects Name Effect

"OK, free point to Influence and Mana to Floor Crystal. Then use the last scout charge to send the eyesphere to Rivansea to scan for templates. This position here, middle class business district, between two shops. I can't see which shops they are due to that fuzzy protection, but the eye should be big enough to get something from this street edge to both shops."

OK, there was a sewer system under the street, one of the shops is a scriptorium and the other a fruit trader - a lot of usable things are on the list. I think I'll reserve 50 DP for other uses and then - wait....

"Booble, what other uses are there for DP? Will I get more scout charges later or what can I purchase with them?"

Then a reserve of 30 DP should do for now, that is how much I'll need to purchase the current room options from the five entrances if I want them. That leaves about 150 DP for purchases now.

"Sewers Environment with sewer rats, Medieval Town environment, Medieval Cellar environment, Materials Textile, Leather, Glass, Soap, Oil, Copper, Silver, Gold; Furniture Simple Table, Simple Chair, Wooden Cabinet, Wooden Bed; Items: Book, parchment, inkwell, writing feather, sealing wax, seal, candle, barrel and basket; Tools: Hammer, Saw; Food: Apple, Oranges, Xav, sausage roll; Potions: Wake-Now, Anti-Alcohol"

What else?

"Booble, one of the items from the random list was a water purifier and now I read about a mass water purifier in this list. What exactly is that needed for?"

“So if I place an exit on the small rocky island just off to the City of Rivensea, they would take some time to get there despite it being inside their country and just half an hour away by boat. That means I can work with an exit there…”

“Booble, why is it that only loincloth is available as a template and very few tools? There should have been a lot more of that in a town.”

“And why aren’t the loincloths excluded then?”

“Slavery, huh? Back on Earth that has been declared wrong and illegal centuries ago…”

"OK, so the last things from the template lists will be Animal: Housecat; Items: pet collar, knife, nails, pins, glass jar and rope."

And now to planning where and how to use that on the floors...