1.10 Reckless Addicts Anonymous

I spent the rest of the day recovering, not thinking about the people I was summoned to help, burning me at the stake. Nope, didn’t think about that at all.

However long the Ordeal lasted, it was long enough for the mushrooms in my coat pockets to have started going bad. Still, I needed the calories, and hoped that [Iron Gut] could handle a little decay.

I tried to meditate, then paced, and finally went to sleep as evening came.

My routine for the next week was fairly simple. Waking up a little before dawn, I would meditate for an hour, make some herbal tea for breakfast, and then spent the rest of the morning exercising. At noon I would meditate again, cooked lunch of mushrooms and root vegetables, if I had any, and then go foraging in the near woods. I had set my active Title to Survivor, for the [Forage] bonus. I was far more careful, staying as close to the Glade as possible.

In the evening I would practice Skills, meditate for another hour, and would go to sleep. It took me a week to fully recover physically. The mental Afflictions needed two. Initiation was not the cure all I had hoped.

Once I was fully restored, I tried Summoning more Gear. I managed three successful Summons in the following five weeks when the Spell, just changed. Instead of Summoning Otherworldly Gear from my former home, it became a Spell to Summon Attuned Gear from up to Seven Leagues away. It did gain the added feature that allowed me to spend extra Mana to repair lost Durability.

During the same five weeks I only gained a handful of new Abilities. [Cookery] Level 10, gained from cooking my Foraged food, not only improved taste and nutrition, but also reduced Toxicity. Surprisingly it gained Synergy bonuses from both [Knifeplay] and [Herbalism]. The bonus from [Taster] was completely expected.

[Contemplation] Level 1 was a [Meditation] subskill that created Experience for Abilities merely by Thinking! Sounds great, except it requires a number of hours of [Contemplation] equal to the Ability’s Level divided by the Skill Level of [Contemplation], with a minimum of one hour. For most Abilities it would be better to just practice. For something like [Vigilance] though it was perfect.

[Pray] Level 8 was a Chaplain Skill, I wasn’t sure at the time how useful it would be but I had gotten in the habit of speaking out loud to Janus, to God, to whomever was listening.

From mapping out my limited explorations, I acquired [Cartography] Level 5, one of the few Crafting Class Skills for Scholar.

I chose to not spend any Skill Points at first. I only had five to spread between all the Ranger/Scouter Abilities. At Fifth Level, I had the following Ability and Feature List for Ranger:

[Animality: Handle/Husbandry/Ride/Train]-The suite of Skills dealing with animals.

[Athletics:Climb/Lift/Run/Sprint/Swim/etc]-The suite of physical activity/movement Skills.

[Bestiary]-Knowledge/Identification/Information Skill concerning Monsters and Beasts.

[Butchery]-Resource extraction/gathering Skill for Animal and Person type Creatures.

[Harvest]-Resource extraction/gathering Skill for Plant and Fungus type Creatures.

[Herbalism]-Crafter Skill for using Herbs, Plants, Fungi, and other natural extracts to Craft poisons/medications and reagents.

[Insight]-Understanding the emotional motives of others, especially lies.

[Investigation: Track]-Finding and Analyzing Clues, used for tracking.

[Navigation]-Determining current Location, and find the best Routes when travelling

[Stealth:Prowl/Stalk]-Avoiding detection. Specifically Subskills that involve increasing Tracking Difficulty and following/watching others without being seen.

[Surveillance]-General active Observation/Perception Skill.

[Survival:Firecraft/Forage/Scavenge/Shelter/etc]-Suite of Skills involving surviving without tools.

[Trappery]-Crafter Skill to design, build, repair, and subvert Traps.

[Weaponry:Simple, Limited Martial]-Various weapon skills, including all simple weapons, bows, crossbows, spears, and swords. Also includes Proficiency Skills for cloth, leather, and chain armour. While Rangers can learn other weapon/armour skills, they would not count as Class Skills.

[Fighting Style: Archery, Dual Weapon, Fencing]-Combat Style Skills that can be applied to multiple weapon types.

{Favored Companion/Enemy}- Feature gives the Ranger the opportunity to choose a specific creature type and either gain Companion Bonuses or Enemy Bonuses. The default Companion choices are Mount, Hound, and Falcon. I also had Eagle available. My two Enemy choices were Plants and Flowers. I would get better bonuses by choosing the more limited Flower option, but just how many Flowers would I have to fight?

{Favored Terrain/Territory}-Again, I could have chosen a general environment or a specific location to gain bonuses in. My choices were Woodlands or Briarwood.

{Favored Weapon/Style}-Full Combatant Bonus for either a specific weapon, or fighting style. The chosen weapon would also be added to the Class Skill List. Only choice at that time was knife.

All Features that required a Choice would give no benefit until the choice was made. Features can be Sacrificed for more Skill Points, and Skill Points spent for multiple choices.

Obviously five points were hardly enough to grab all those Skills. What made it even worse, was that several Spells and Feats had Skill prerequisites, they would not appear on the List until the prereq was acquired. The matter got even worse when I included the additional Skills and Features from the Knight and Chaplain subclasses:

Chaplain

[Medicine]-Using medications, bandages, etc to heal physical injuries/illness.

[Pray]-Requesting help from above.

{Confession}-This is listening to Confessions, not giving them.

{Words of Encouragement}- Feature that allows Chaplains to help heal Mental/Spiritual Afflictions in others by Speaking to them. Has no effect on other Chaplains of equal or higher Level..

Knight

[Voice: Command]- Spell-Basically telling others what to do. There are other [Voice] subskills, but [Command] was the only Class Ability for Knights.

[Weaponry]- Knights have more [Weaponry] options than do most Rangers.

{Favored Armour}-Like Favored Weapon, but with Armour.

{Honorary Gentry}-Partial (⅓) Knight Levels act as Honorary Caste Levels for the Aristocrat subcaste Gentry. Must be an Aristocrat.

{Military Rank}-Partial (⅓) Knight Levels acts as an effective Military Rank modifier. Must be a member of a Militant Organization.

It took me almost a whole week after I had fully recovered to learn that much. [Introspection] drained Stamina to use, and when I wanted additional information, sometimes drained Mana as well. I would explore different Class options, and then need to rest and recover.

I was a little afraid of what the Scouter Ability List would add. I was paralyzed by all the options I already had. But of course I needed more. I could have kept things simple, but had to push my luck. It did help explain [Pray], as Class Skills were easier to acquire. It also helped to explain [Cookery] which turned out to be a Scouter Class Skill. Actually all the Scouter Skills seemed suspiciously similar to various Merit Badges, as a second week revealed:

[Animality:Husbandry/Ride/Teamster/Veterinary]-Same as the Ranger Skill, different Subskills.

[Athletics:Climb/Fitness/Hike/Swim]-Same as Ranger Skill, limited subskills.

[Cryptography]-Codes and Cyphers and Crossword puzzles. System doesn’t see the difference.

[Campery]- A more advanced/civilised version of [Survival], finding, planning, preparing, restoring campsites and campgrounds. Maintenance/Repair for tents, backpacks, and other camping supplies. Packing and load said supplies. Includes [Backpacking] subskill.

[Cookery]-Improving the flavor and nutrition of food. Also good for limited Preservation and Toxicity reduction.

[Construction:Pioneer]-Primitive Construction type skill, good for building log cabins.

[Finance]-Basic money handling Skill.

[Horticulture:Farm/Forestry/Garden]-Resource cultivation/Gathering Skills for Plants and Plant type Beasts and Monsters.

[Handicraft:Bookbinding/Carpentry/Leatherwork/Masonry/Smithery/Weavery]-A Jack of All Trades Crafter Skill. Analogous to Weapon Play Skills, this isn’t a true Full Skill, more a Repair and Maintenance Skill. Each of the listed subskills is a normal Crafter Skill, but they are only considered Class Skills if subordinated to [Handicraft].

[Investigation:Criminology/Fingerprint/Journalism]-Same as Ranger Skill, different subskill selection.

[Knottery]-I think the Translater got this one wrong, but it’s supposed to be knot tying and untying.

[Medicine: Lifesaving]-Stopping people from dying, CPR, tourniquets, that sort of thing.

[Navigation: Orienteering/Oceanography]-The subskills help navigating on land and on sea. [Orienteer] uses landmarks with maps, and compass. [Oceanography] uses currents, tides, and oceanic phenomena.

[Signal:Bugle/Semaphore]-Using different types of signals, specifically Flags and Bugle calls.

[Strategy: Chess]-Yes, Chess as a System Skill.

[Survival: Firecraft/Fishing]-Suite of wilderness Skills.

[Vehicle:Bicycle/Ski/Boat;Canoe,Row,Sail]-Suite of Vehicle operation Skills.

[Weaponry:Knife/Bow/Crossbow/Rifle/Sling]-Scouters have a much more limited list of approved weapons.

[Fighting Style: Archery]-Only one Fighting Style, Archery.

{Citizenship:Community,Nationality,World}-At Fifth Level Scouters can spend Skill Points to become Honorary Citizens of any Community with whom (1) the Scouter is present within Community Borders, and (2) Scouter’s Reputation is Neutral or Positive with the Community. At Tenth Level Scouters can become Honorary Citizens of any Qualified Nationality. At Twentieth Level Scouters are considered Honorary Citizens of the World. Honorary Levels equals ⅓ Scouter Levels, except World, which uses ⅕ .

{Emergency}- All Affliction penalties are reduced by half during a Prepared Emergency. There is a list of potential Emergencies, and I can only Prepare for one at Fifth Level. I can freely change what Emergency I am Prepared for every Long Rest.

{Environmental Conservation}- While on the one hand this feature does exactly what one might expect, to truly explain I need to take a step back and talk some more about Presence. Presence is generally described as the strength of Soul, I think a better description is Astral Deplacement. Just like my physical presence is the degree my physical body affects the world, Presence is the degree my Astral Form affects the World. From a practical viewpoint it determines both Detection Difficulties and Analysis Difficulties. Think of a stone thrown into a still pond. The bigger the stone, the farther away the ripple travels, but the bigger splash obscures the rock. Detection Difficulties have an inverse relationship with Presence, while Analysis Difficulties (including for Abilities like my [Examination] Spell) have a direct relationship. Essence fueled Abilities,(mostly Feats and Spells) also have an effective Presence equal to their Rank or Circle plus their Level. Presence also affects the amount of Astral Traces a Spell or Creature leave, as well as the Duration of their Astral Signature. While the System text mentions avoiding disruption, harmony with nature, leaving things in a better condition than when found, practically {Environmental Conservation} increases both Difficulties, both for me and for any of my Abilities. All Astral Signatures and Trace also fade faster. It even affects the physical world, as all traces of my physical presence also fade at an accelerated rate. It’s not quite [Pass without Trace], but close enough for government work. It also has a Synergy Modifier from my Vow of Neutrality, which makes avoiding future Alignment Crises even more important. The adjustment is equal to half of my Scouter Level plus full Alignment Modifier.

{Preparation}- Extra bonus to Task Checks when given at least Seven Days to Prepare. At least one hour a day must be spent preparing.

{Scholarship}-Scouters can learn Artistry, Knowledge,Performance, and Science Skills as independent Amateur Skills instead of as Subskills.Technology Skills available at Level Ten. They are not considered Class Skills.

Food was becoming a problem again. For the first month I was a vegetarian, [Foraging] all the edible plants within a safe range of the Glade, then all the poisonous plants I could make edible with my Level 10 [Cookery], then plants whose Toxicity was at an acceptable Level for [Irongut]. I found an interesting feedback loop between [Herbalogy], [Taster], and [Examination], where I got more information for less Mana if I used [Examination] on chewed cud. Once I managed to Summon an appropriate weapon, then I was able to try and add some meat. Oh it was a glorious battle of man versus nature. I fought long and hard before defeating the vicious, cruel, mutant...rabbit. Ok. I admit, it was a true RPG stereotype, filtered through the lens of British humor. It did have big sharp teeth, and nubs on its head that would someday become horns.

When I was Twelve, my father decided it was time for me to go hunting. I had a miserable time, and never went again. I did learn his Five Rules of hunting:

Eat what you kill. A living creature sacrificed its life for you, honor that sacrifice and do not waste it. Do not let the Prey suffer. Kill cleanly and quickly. Only shoot if you are confident of a kill. Clean your trash. You are a guest in the woods. Take what you bring, and bring what you take, leaving no mark of your visit. Guns are for war and self-defence. Real hunters use bows. Any Prey you can not kill with a bow and knife, you have no right to hunt. Show gratitude. Offer a prayer of Thanksgiving to the Province that supplied the Prey. Thank the Prey for its sacrifice. A life was offered and accepted, that is a Holy bond.

I guess it would take a Ranger Sniper turned Chaplain to turn the act of hunting into a Scriptorial Allegory of Atonement and Redemption. Yes, growing up we prayed over every meal, and before going to bed. Yes, he was a Distinguished Marksman who didn’t like guns.

Let’s be clear. I could only Summon Gear I owned. I did not own any firearms. I did not even earn the Rifle merit badge as a Scout. My father was a Counselor for Archery, I did earn that one, barely.

Two years after the accident, my father bought me a crossbow for Christmas. I was in a bad way, and I know he was trying to help. It wasn’t even a recreation of the classic Swiss model Guillaume de Tell used to shoot apples off his son’s head. The one he bought me was all fiberglass and composite materials, pulleys and cords, high end scope and laser site, 470 fps (whatever that means) and 182 ft-lbs of force. The stock had a woodlands camouflage design. He was an Archer, crossbows were too much like guns, but he compromised because I didn’t have his hand eye coordination, or endurance, or enthusiasm.

I knew that successful Summoning required focus, but it was difficult to focus on that Crossbow and accompanying bolts without thinking of my father, his lessons and beliefs. Which might explain why when it arrived, the System called it a +3 Heirloom Ranger Heavy Crossbow. I felt like I was borrowing some of his skill when shooting it. Which must be why it only took three shots to kill the rabbit.

It was more to honor my father’s gift, than anything else, that I said an honest prayer of gratitude and thanksgiving over the corpse of the large bunny. That triggered a System Notification that finally explained the [Pray] Skill.

Congratulations!

You have acquired “Prayer of Gratitude and Thanksgiving” or {Thanksgiving}!

This Prayer placates the Great Beast/Nature Spirits that govern the Wylds when Harvesting Animals and Plants for food. It also eases the Transition of the Souls of the Plants and Animals Killed/Harvested, greatly reducing the chances of possible Hauntings and normalises the World Essence fluxuations generated by the Deaths. Wild Taint suppressed by ½ [Pray] Level. Prayer must be enacted within Level Minutes for Full Effect, 10x Level Minutes for Half Effect, and Level Hours for Latent (⅕) Effect.

Alignment Synergy detected…

Alignment Modifier Added to effective [Prayer] Level.

Negative Alignment Experience Atonement Protocol…

{Thanksgiving} will reduce Negative Experience by 50-100% based on Circumstances.

{Thanksgiving} has offset 100% of Negative Alignment Experience.

+1 Reputation with Beasts of Briarwood.

+1 Reputation with Great Beast Spirit Jackalope, Lord of the Horned Rabbits.

+1 Reputation with

...Error...unknown Sysadmin...Precursor Power…

identified with Ancient Aeternalian Precursor...

Reputation converted into System Precursor Reputation…

New Special Attribute Acquired, Faith Score: 10.

Well that answered many questions. My excessive use of [Forage] had cost two more points of Alignment. I hadn’t understood how a Neutral Ethos Alignment was supposed to eat when almost every action outside of the Glade earned me Negative Experience. {Environmental Conservation} seemed to reduce the amount by a fraction, but could [Pray] be the answer? Eventually I would learn it was not that simple. Unlike Spell Chants, that have to be Vocalised precisely, every inflection, every nuance exact, Prayers are all about sincerity and intent. Each Prayer does require around a minute of Vocalisation, but other than certain Keywords, such as

and {Thanksgiving}, the details are fluid to the circumstance.

Prayers unlike Spells do not work just because they are Spoken, they require the full Concentration and Intent to Activate. Neither Feats nor Spells, they drain both Stamina and Mana, one point of Mana for every four points of Stamina.

Once I realised the importance of Intent, my childhood provided my with several other Prayers.

“Prayer of Remorse and Repentance” or {Repentance}

Reduces Negative Alignment Experience accumulated over the last 24 hours, by 3% per [Pray] Level. Delays implementation of Negative Experience for Level days.

“Prayer of Gentle Repose” or {Repose}

Increase quality of sleeps, improves all Recovery Rates while sleeping by [Pray] Level.

“Prayer of Courage, Serenity, and Wisdom” or {Serene}

Grants preemptive Tolerance to all Mental Afflictions equal to [Serenity] Level for [Prayer] Level minutes.

The Serenity Prayer isn’t just for addicts, my father thought it helpful for Vets suffering from PTSD, and had it framed in his office. The implementation delay from {Repentance} would give me a chance to earn Positive Experience to offset any Alignment Score Reduction.

“Meal Blessing Prayer of Gratitude and Nourishment” or {Nourish}

This Prayer improves the flavor of the Blest Meal by 1% per [Pray] Level, nutrition improves by 3% per Level, and reduces Daily Spoilage by 10% + 1% per Level. Toxicity is suppressed by one Rank and Blest Meal Preserved for Level Hours.

No Alignment Synergy this time, and it was not as good as the [Purify: Food and Drink] Spell, but it useful in my current circumstance. Most of the edible plants in the Briarwood, still have some Levels of Toxicity. Even with [Iron Gut], I could use all the help I could find.

Afflictions have Ranks, like Abilities. They represent Damage Potential and Penalties. The Difficulties for Removal is normally 3x the Rank. Special Afflictions have a Difficulty of 4x, and Legendary Afflictions have a Difficulty of 5x.

There are several types of Afflictions. Standard or Temporary Afflictions last for a set Duration, and ether fade or are healed from natural Recovery. Permanent Afflictions last until removed by an outside Source. Progressive Afflictions, like my Wild Taint, continue to grow in Intensity every Duration Period. Finally Toxic Afflictions, like Poison, Pathogen, Parasite, Disease, and certain Curses, actually makes Attack Checks every Duration Period against a Difficulty equal to the Afflicted’s Consitution. The Toxin adds its Intensity Rank to the Attack. If the Toxin succeeds then the current Toxicity Rank continues another Duration. On a Superior success, the Toxicity improves by one Rank. On a Critical success it improves by 2 or 50%, whichever is greater. On a Failure, the Toxicity reduces by one Rank, on a Fumble it reduces by two Ranks or 50%. On a Critical Fumble the Toxin is rendered inert.

The various Protective Abilities help against Damage and Afflictions in different ways. Immunity subtracts its Level from the opposing Intensity or Damage Rank. If the Rank is reduced to Zero, the Attack/Affliction has no effect. Resistance adds its Level to Constitution or Wisdom, depending, and is used as a chance to reduce damage by half. Tolerance reduces non lethal damage and Penalties by its Level.

My new Prayers helped me keep my Alignment Score at 10. Zero modifiers, but at least no penalties. I avoided further Affictions, and Prepared. I tried my new version of [Summon Gear] to fetch my knife, now +1 Floral Bane.

The nights were getting longer and the days were getting cooler, unless I wanted to winter in the Glade, I needed to think about my next steps. I had been preparing for close to two months, it was time to go back into the Woods and check out the second Obstruction, recon only. What could possibly go wrong?