《Thomas the Brawler》Ch 1. Avatar Creation

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Thomas sat upright, looking around with a jolt of panic, the light filtering in through his window far, far too bright. He was late, he had overslept! His eyes swung around to his alarm clock; a blank black screen greeted him. The covers on his twin bed were thrown aside, and he moved quickly to the closet in the corner of the room, nearly slipping on the dirty clothes discarded on the hardwood floor. The closet door opened, and he flicked the switch three times, on, off, and on again, before his sleep-addled mind caught up that the power was out.

He dressed quickly, grabbing whatever of his nicer button-down shirts was closest on the rack, as well as a pair of slacks and a belt – no clean underwear, no time. No socks, either, but he slipped on a pair of black socks from the floor, mismatched as finding a matching pair would take too long, and slipped on an already-tied pair of black wingtips that needed both cleaning and polishing, and he was out the door.

The darkness outside the door didn't fully register – too dark, too complete, even without power - the sunlight from his window not filtering in at all – until he had already stepped through, and the world lit up in blue.

Welcome.

Thomas stopped, staring at the all-encompassing blue. What?

The message abruptly changed.

Do not be alarmed. You have been chosen.

What?

Please select an archetype. Please be aware this selection cannot be changed once made.

Warrior

Magus

Rogue

Other

Thomas stared, turning his head back and forth – or trying to. He didn't feel like his head was moving, but neither did he feel like his head was being constrained; the image didn't change, and he felt no sense of motion. What? Archetype? A warrior would be something like Cona -

Warrior archetype chosen. Please select a class.

Warrior

Spellsword

Vanguard

Barbarian

Brawler

Phalanx

Accursed (Special)

Knight

Warden

Sergeant

Paladin

Mercenary

Noble

Warlord

Berserker

Monk (Special)

Thomas froze. Okay. He was a … no, don't even think the word. Oh gods. Alright. He had no idea what was going on. He knew what some of those classes were, whatever they were classes for. Could he get more inform-

Warrior archetype chosen. Please select a class.

Detail

Warrior

The Warrior is the prototypical - well, Warrior. The Warrior specializes in dealing and absorbing damage, with a low critical hit chance but a high general hit chance. The Warrior typically chooses a single weapon and battle style to develop mastery in and of, and branches out into other fields of expertise only opportunistically. The Warrior gets a high number of Martial Distinctions, which permit either exceptional specialization into a particular form of combat, or broad mastery over a range of styles of combat. In battle, the Warrior is exceptionally good at dealing with Rogue and Rogue-like classes, soaking up their critical hits with a substantial Health pool and avoiding everything else, but may have more difficulty with Magic-wielding classes, whose less direct abilities can stymie attempted attacks and wear down the Warrior's effectiveness over the course of a battle.

Spellsword

The Spellsword is a Warrior-like anti-Magus, emphasizing magical resistance, with a lighter emphasis on melee combat. Not as good in direct melee combat as most other Warrior-like classes, the Spellsword instead relies on a pool of mana and a small set of spells, which permit the Spellsword to more readily adapt to circumstances. The Spellsword is strongest in group combat, at higher levels providing a passive shield against offensive spells directed at nearby party members, and is exceptionally good at fighting Magus and Magus-like classes. The Spellsword is somewhat more vulnerable to Rogue-like classes, however, and is particularly vulnerable to other Warrior-like classes.

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Vanguard

The Vanguard is a Warrior-like class with an emphasis on one-on-many combat, and the class is at its strongest in exactly this situation. The typical Vanguard wields a Halberd or Axe, wears Heavy Armor, and is the first into and out of every fight. The Vanguard relies heavily on the ability to get in and out of combat without impediment, and so may take Distinctions which improve Movement Speed. Each opponent beyond the first in melee attack range makes the Vanguard hit more often, and that much harder to hit, which results in a curious situation, whereby the Vanguard may be overwhelmed in a one-on-one fight, but completely in control when fighting three of the same enemy. The Vanguard is particularly vulnerable to Magus-like classes, who can hinder the Vanguard's advance without entangling themselves in the fight, and particularly strong against other ranged combatants, whose movement speed can't avail them much.

Barbarian

The Barbarian is a damage-and-armor oriented Warrior-like class, for whom every weapon is ultimately disposable. The typical Barbarian is a master of every weapon, and destroys weapons on enemy's heads with disturbing regularity, pausing only briefly in the massacre to acquire the next stick to break on the next skull. The Barbarian deals extremely high damage, and has the potential for considerable protection using Heavy Armor, but the low Health pool mean the Barbarian is a very challenging class to use effectively, being vulnerable both against Rogue-like classes and offensive Magus-like classes.

Brawler

The Brawler is a Health and Damage Reduction oriented Warrior-like class, who excels at surviving pretty much anything. The typical Brawler is wielding bare fists and wears no armor, and is somewhere in the middle of the fighting, pounding on and getting pounded back for long, sustained bursts. The Brawler tends to be best against other Warrior-like classes, simply outliving them, and is weakest against Magus-like classes, who can gradually wear the Brawler down without ever getting directly involved, and Rogue-like classes, who the Brawler can never quite catch up to.

Phalanx

The Phalanx is a Warrior-like class emphasizing prolonged defensive combat. The typical Phalanx is to be found dual-wielding spiked tower shields and covered in Heavy Armor from head to toe, side-by-side with two or three allies, in the middle of the densest knot of enemies. The Phalanx gets more powerful the more allies are nearby, and is a potent force multiplier with other group-oriented classes, pairing particularly well with Sages. The Phalanx in group combat is particularly vulnerable to Magus-like classes, and in solo combat is vulnerable to other Warrior-like classes, although high Stamina regeneration and Health mean the Phalanx can simply outlast opponents.

Accursed (Special)

The Accursed, as a class, is all about randomization, and manipulating the results of randomization. A typical Accursed could be any class type whatsoever, but probably has a dense pool of Luck, used partially to help offset the otherwise completely random nature of leveling up, but also to offset situational disadvantages as they arise. An Accursed can be found in any role, in any position on the battlefield - and is, as a rule, doing very well, or doing very badly, with very little room in the middle.

Knight

The Knight is a tanking Warrior with slow but deadly attacks. The Knight's core powers use large amounts of Stamina to deal incredible damage, and recharge Stamina while turtling against attacks. Typically found in Heavy Armor in the midst of the most violent fighting, wielding Sword or Mace and a sturdy shield, the Knight is an asset to any fight.

Warden

The Warden is a staff and crossbow wielding tanking Warrior who spins from opponent to opponent, keeping targets distracted and harried, disrupting their assault. Typically found in Medium Armor wielding a Staff against the opponent's flanks, the Warden does best holding lines that would be abandoned by a lesser soldier.

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Sergeant

The Sergeant is a two-handed weapon wielding tanking Warrior who is equally at home at the front or the rear of the battlefield, throwing opponents into constant disarray with a dizzying range of strategies and tactics.

Paladin

You have not been granted additional information about this class

Mercenary

You have not been granted additional information about this class

Noble

You have not been granted additional information about this class

Warlord

You have not been granted additional information about this class

Berserker

You have not been granted additional information about this class

Monk (Special)

You have not been granted additional information about this class

Uh. Right. So none of the … classes that had locked information. What did that even mean? Was this a game? He had an interview to get to, damn it, and he was already going to be late. Hell, he was already late on rent, and … alright, get this over as quickly as possible. Thomas reviewed the “classes” quickly, mostly skimming the descriptions; it was a tossup between brawler and -

Please select your class path. Additional information requested.

Detail

Legend of Earth

You understand the earth, and prospecter's maps whisper to you of caverns and ore and gem deposits

Legend of Fire

Yeah. You're the guy. The guy who punches out dragons. People know your name, and come to you with their dragon-related woes.

Legend of Wind

Sure, the other guy might beat you in a short race, but you have -staying power-, and people trust you to always get their deliveries out

Okay. Wind. Whatever.

Please select your Background

Detail

Sharecropper

You were raised among sharecroppers, poorest of the poor

Farmer

You were raised among land-owning peasants

Country Craft

You were raised among the children of, or apprenticed at a young age to, a local country craftsman; a wainwright, or perhaps a blacksmith

Caravan

You were raised among a traveling caravan, perhaps the child of a merchant, or a traveling circus

Bandit Party

You were raised in a traveling party of bandits

Army Follower

You were raised among the army followers, mostly composed of prostitutes, craftsmen, and merchants

City Slum

You were raised in the city slums

City Gang

You were raised amidst a party of city thieves and rogues

City Merchant District

You were raised among a city's lower burghers

City Craft District

You were raised, or apprenticed at a young age, to a city craftsman

City Court

You spent most of your young life in the city courts, surrounded by low and country nobility

Country Nobility

You were raised with the country nobility

County Courts

You were raised in the county courts, seeing a mixture of low and high nobility passing through

City Nobility

You were raised among the city nobility

Capital Slums

You lived most of your young life in the slums of a capital city, scrounging for scraps in the wealthiest city for miles

Capital Merchant District

You were raised among merchants in the wealthiest city for miles

Capital Craft District

You were raised, or apprenticed at a young age, to crafters in the wealthiest city for miles

Capital Court

You were raised in the capital courts, seeing mostly high nobility, and occasionally perhaps the ruling family

Capital Nobility

You were raised among the capital nobility, perhaps a distant cousin to the ruling family, and know most of the high nobility with at least passing familiarity

Ruling Family

You were raised in the ruling family itself, and have connections to the most powerful people in the land

Uh. Hm. Bandit party!

Please select the profession you worked in

Detail

Stat Bonus

Starting Skill

Smith's Assistant

A simple smith's assistant, hoping someday to own a forge of your own.

+1 Strength, +1 Constitution, -1 Intelligence, -1 Perception

Endurance

Blacksmith

A blacksmith, strong and pure of body, from hours at intense labor over hellish heat.

+2 Strength, +2 Constitution, -2 Intelligence, -2 Perception

Endurance

Tanner's Assistant

A tanner's assistant, aiming to someday be a master tanner yourself.

+1 Constitution, +1 Perception, -1 Agility, -1 Wisdom

Woodcraft

Tanner

A tanner, skin thickened and hardened and stained from decades of chemical exposure.

+2 Constitution, +2 Perception, -2 Agility, -2 Wisdom

Woodcraft

Farmhand

A farmhand, who helps keep the animals in line and performs basic maintenance.

+1 Constitution, +1 Wisdom, -1 Perception, -1 Intelligence

Discipline

Farmer

A farmer, eyes squinted against years of glare, hands and mind strong and firm from years of use.

+2 Constitution, +2 Wisdom, -2 Perception, -2 Intelligence

Discipline

Carpenter

A carpenter, strong of hand, keen of mind, well-versed at turning thoughts into action.

+1 Strength, +1 Intelligence, -1 Wisdom, -1 Agility

Concentration

Builder

A builder, well-accustomed to taking diverse elements and making a complete whole of them.

+2 Strength, +2 Intelligence, -2 Wisdom, -2 Agility

Concentration

Dockhand

A dockhand, accustomed to the sway of the boat as heavy loads are carried to and fro.

+1 Strength, +1 Agility, -1 Wisdom, -1 Perception

Grace

Sailor

A sailor, agile and strong, as comfortable on a heaving ship as on dry land.

+2 Strength, +2 Agility, -2 Wisdom, -2 Perception

Grace

Pickpocket

A pickpocket, quick of hands and sharp of eyes, only as rich as his pickings.

+1 Agility, +1 Perception, -1 Strength, -1 Constitution

Dexterity

Thief

A thief, subtle of touch and careful of wit, best never known to his victims.

+2 Agility, +2 Perception, -2 Strength, -2 Constitution

Dexterity

Entertainer

An entertainer, a jack of all trades, from juggling to simple instruments.

+1 Agility, +1 Wisdom, -1 Intelligence, -1 Constitution

Grace

Musician

A musician, master of a single instrument, but skilled with all.

+2 Agility, +2 Wisdom, -2 Intelligence, -2 Constitution

Grace

Deliverer

A deliveryperson - getting things from here to there, and surviving the trip besides.

+1 Agility, +1 Constitution, -1 Intelligence, -1 Wisdom

Alertness

Messenger

Messengers live sometimes dangerous lives, on account of the dangerous messages they deliver to dangerous people.

+2 Agility, +2 Constitution, -2 Intelligence, -2 Wisdom

Alertness

Trapper

A trapper, skilled at luring prey with bait and killing or catching it, without ever having to be there.

+1 Perception, +1 Strength, -1 Intelligence, -1 Wisdom

Stealth

Hunter

A hunter, skilled at stalking and catching or killing prey, and skinning and dressing it.

+2 Perception, +2 Strength, -2 Intelligence, -2 Wisdom

Stealth

Detective

A detective - a thief-taker in modern times, following evidence more subtle than a fleeing perpetrator.

+1 Perception, +1 Intelligence, -1 Constitution, -1 Strength

Spycraft

Spy

A spy, slipping in plain sight amongst those who are seen but do not see.

+2 Perception, +2 Intelligence, -2 Constitution, -2 Strength

Spycraft

Research Assistant

A research assistant - the hardest working and least credited in the scholarly staff.

+1 Intelligence, +1 Wisdom, -1 Agility, -1 Strength

Arcana

Scholar

The scholar, who is most adept at making other people work very hard.

+2 Intelligence, +2 Wisdom, -2 Agility, -2 Strength

Arcana

Scribe

Scribes are universally treasured, but rarely paid commensurate wages for their value.

+1 Intelligence, +1 Strength, -1 Constitution, -1 Perception

Recollection

Librarian

Librarians work surprisingly hard, sorting and placing hundreds of pounds of tomes per day.

+2 Intelligence, +2 Strength, -2 Constitution, -2 Perception

Recollection

Healer

A healer, skilled with poultice and bandage and simple curatives.

+1 Wisdom, +1 Agility, -1 Strength, -1 Perception

Medicine

Doctor

A doctor, skilled with scalpel and needle and leech alike.

+2 Wisdom, +2 Agility, -2 Strength, -2 Perception

Medicine

Trader

A simple trader, perhaps owner of a modest store, perhaps moving from village to village, small wagon in tow.

+1 Wisdom, +1 Perception, -1 Agility, -1 Constitution

Spycraft

Merchant

A merchant, more possessed of the trappings of wealth than wealth itself.

+2 Wisdom, +2 Perception, -2 Agility, -2 Constitution

Spycraft

Chemist

A chemist, face marked with the scars of years of experience and learning.

+1 Intelligence, +1 Constitution, -1 Strength, -1 Agility

Woodcraft

Alchemist

An alchemist, discolored and scarred from experiments conducted over years.

+2 Intelligence, +2 Constitution, -2 Strength, -2 Agility

Woodcraft

Fucking hell. Musician. Whatever.

Please select your ancestry

Detail

Farmer's Line

The lineage of a simple farmer from the days of Old Haven

+1 Strength, +1 Constitution, +1 Wisdom, -1 Intelligence, -1 Agility, -1 Perception

Bluebrim's Line

The lineage of the Biomancer Ferran Bluebrim, who singlehandled fed the armies of Old Haven during the First Sundering

+1 Strength, +2 Constitution, +3 Wisdom, -1 Intelligence, -2 Agility, -3 Perception

Scholar's Line

The lineage of a simple scholar from the days of Old Haven

+1 Constitution, +1 Wisdom, +1 Intelligence, -1 Agility, -1 Perception, -1 Strength

Fiern's Line

The lineage of Seam Fiern, who is credited with identifying the source of The Sundering

+1 Constitution, +2 Wisdom, +3 Intelligence, -1 Agility, -2 Perception, -3 Strength

Merchant's Line

The lineage of a simple merchant from the days of Old Haven

+1 Wisdom, +1 Intelligence, +1 Agility, -1 Perception, -1 Strength, -1 Constitution

Tegrile's Line

The lineage of Leone Tegrile, who converted his mansion into a flying fortress - First Citadel, although it has crashed three times since and little resembles its original form - and his collection of rare artifacts into a magical arsenal.

+1 Wisdom, +2 Intelligence, +3 Agility, -1 Perception, -2 Strength, -3 Constitution

Thieftaker's Line

The lineage of a simple thief-taker from the days of Old Haven

+1 Intelligence, +1 Agility, +1 Perception, -1 Strength, -1 Constitution, -1 Wisdom

Heunchmenn's Line

The lineage of Lenne Heunchmenn, whose corps of thieftakers, remnants of six dozen different corps devastated by The Sundering, patrolled the streets even during the war, taking heavy casualties but keeping the city intact.

+1 Intelligence, +2 Agility, +3 Perception, -1 Strength, -2 Constitution, -3 Wisdom

Mariner's Line

The lineage of a simple mariner from the days of Old Haven

+1 Agility, +1 Perception, +1 Strength, -1 Constitution, -1 Wisdom, -1 Intelligence

Vexbeard's Line

The lineage of the captain Sern Vexbeard, whose ship, sole survivor of the raids on the ports during The Sundering, held off six dozen behemoth off-worlders for the six days it took for reinforcements to arrive

+1 Agility, +2 Perception, +3 Strength, -1 Constitution, -2 Wisdom, -3 Intelligence

Smith's Line

The lineage of a simple smith from the days of Old Haven

+1 Perception, +1 Strength, +1 Constitution, -1 Wisdom, -1 Intelligence, -1 Agility

Tongesh's Line

The lineage of the enchanter Irem Tongesh, who forged and enchanted the armaments of the First Company, who first turned back the invasion of The Breach

+1 Perception, +2 Strength, +3 Constitution, -1 Wisdom, -2 Intelligence, -3 Agility

He had an interview to get to, what the hell was this shit? Bluebrim?

Please select your quest

Detail

Destiny

The world has a destiny in mind for you, and you must pursue any means to fulfill it.

Repayment of Debt

You must repay a debt, whether to an individual, to society, or to the gods.

Hero Complex

You must help others, and will seek to help anybody in need.

Guardian

You must protect the innocent, defend the harmless, fight the power.

Find Purpose

You are motivated primarily by a lack of motivation, and are seeking to find a purpose in life.

Greed

You are motivated primarily by a desire to acquire more of something - money is the typical target.

Justice

You have an overwhelming desire to visit Justice upon the wicked.

Power

Your objective is to attain power - but even becoming emperor of all creation won't satisfy this drive.

Chaos

You seek to disrupt order and introduce a little bit of chaos into the world.

Overcoming Failure

You are haunted by a great past failure, which you seek to overcome and/or rectify.

Honor

You are defined by your sense of honor.

Spreading Joy

You just want to make everybody happy.

Glory

You are haunted by the desire to attain ever-greater glory - it isn't enough to die in battle, unless you do so strangling a dragon to death a mile above the ground to plummet to a fiery - but glorious - death.

Collector

You must complete a collection. Stamps, the heads of the enemies, kingdoms...

Entertainment

You just have to entertain everybody, all of the time.

The Buddha

You have no motivation, nor does you feel the need to acquire one.

Overcoming Weakness

You must overcome a weakness of body or spirit.

Vengeance

You need to visit vengeance upon an enemy, or perhaps a kingdom, or perhaps the world or the gods themselves.

Utopian

You seek to make the world Perfect.

Return Home

You just want to get Home.

Uh. What? This prompt threw Thomas for a loop for a second, existential confusion gripping him. He did owe his roommate rent, but that was more a requirement for not ending up on the streets than … no, no, get through this and get to the interview. Fine. I'll be The Buddha. Whatever.

What is your greatest value?

Detail

Money

Whoever has the most money when they die, wins.

Honor

Honor isn't a way of living life, it is the way of living life.

Home

Home is where the heart is, and also where you stash your loot. Treat it well.

Self

Selfishness is only a fault when you do it wrong.

Mind

You have one tool, one weapon, that is always at your disposal - hone it well.

Body

You have but one canvas to paint with yourself, paint a masterpiece.

Soul

You have but one soul, treat it well.

Victory

The point of living is to win. Winning -is- living well.

Logic

The only correct decision is the provably correct decision.

Loyalty

Friends, family, and fine spirits, these are what make a life grand.

Friendship

Live alone, die alone; live together, instead.

Love

Whatever you achieve is meaningless if you can't share that achievement with somebody.

Freedom

Liberty -is- life, anything else is to be mere machinery.

Patriotism

For one's nation, for one's people, for glory.

Knowledge

Acquire all the knowledge, acquire all the power.

Order

A well-ordered life, a well-ordered universe.

Inebriation

Better living through chemistry.

Faith

Be true to yourself, be true to what you know, that is the heart of faith.

Abstinence

Restraint is what separates man from beast.

Excess

What's the point of life if you aren't living it?

Well it sure as shit wasn't Logic – wait, no –

Choose two characteristics

Detail

Lust

You can figure this one out yourself.

Pride

A Prideful person is unlikely to engage in acts they consider beneath themselves; this can avert catostrophe in some situations, but in others may prevent that character from doing what is necessary.

Sloth

A Slothful person will generally prefer to do nothing over doing something, or to do less rather than more.

Wrath

A Wrathful person is prone to flashes of great rage, and may overreact to simple provocation - but may be the only person willing to rise to the occasion when the occasion merits it.

Gluttony

A Gluttonous person is one prone to excess - not necessarily of food, but to any of the pleasures of life.

Loyal

A Loyal person is unlikely to stray from their friends - whether or not their friends deserve to be strayed from or not.

Honorable

An Honorable person sticks by their own brand of ethics, even - or perhaps particularly - when those ethics handicap them.

Ambition

An Ambitious person is always seeking to improve their lot in life, sometimes to the detriment of others.

Perseverent

A Perseverent person is less likely to give up, even when giving up is the right thing to do

Diligence

A Diligent person dots every i and crosses every t - which can delay necessary action, or ensure that that action goes according to plan.

Honesty

An Honest person is disinclined to be untruthful, even when the truth is harmful.

Passion

A Passionate person is inclined to brash action and enthusiastic responses.

Mirth

A Mirthful person is disinclined to take anything too seriously.

Valor

A Valorous person is inclined to rush in, in spite of any danger a situation may pose, and whatever wisdom might say.

Stoicism

A Stoic person doesn't take anything too personally, or respond strongly to any particular situation; a Stoic tries to stay in control of him or herself at all times.

Devotion

A Devoted person pursues their values to extremes.

Humility

A Humble person doesn't think too highly of themselves - and perhaps doesn't think highly enough of themselves.

Resourceful

A Resourceful person is always looking for the advantage in a situation.

Prudence

A Prudent person is inclined to wait for more information before taking any action, perhaps delaying action until it is too late.

Peacefulness

A Peaceful person is disinclined to engage in violence until it becomes absolutely necessary.

Thomas was again thrown for a loop, staring at the details. Some of these were vices, and some were virtues, but the descriptions … he'd never really thought about vices and virtues in the light they were presented in here, and it caused him to stop for a second, feeling like he understood the world just a little bit better. Huh. The description for Lust – wait, shit. Okay, that description had been a damned trap. Right. Uh. Stoicism seemed the least bad?

Avatar creation complete. Please stand by.

This last message appeared for only a second or two, and then, finally, blessedly, the fucking blue field disappeared. Thomas immediately tried to turn back to his room, and found that, again, although he didn't feel constrained, he also didn't feel like trying to move … did anything. He was just in an utterly black nothing.

And then there was something.

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