Video uploaded on November 19, 2023.

“Hello, Zack Liner here with the second video in my series on learning about Dungeons and Dungeoneers” the man opened in a casual, friendly tone. Just like the first video, this video showed a mostly blank white screen. In the corner was the webcam footage of a man with the same messy black hair and wearing a cloth mask that covered his nose and mouth.

“Now, if you haven’t already seen my first video about Skills…it’s probably fine. You can just watch this one first. Alright, now, for those of you who have seen my first video, you may recall me saying that there was no need to get deep into Stats. Well, I’ve read the comments that a lot of you have left on the last video and I realize now that I may have been mistaken about that. And that is why this video will be a deeper dive into Stats.”

The blank white screen suddenly showed the word “Stats” in large, bold text.

“A few of you also commented on my poor PowerPoint making skills. You are just going to have to deal with that one.” The next slide showed a familiar stick figure man. Next to it were five rows of words that read: Strength, Defense, Stamina, Dexterity, and Magic. On the next slide, it was titled “Strength” and showed the stick figure again, but this time with its arms spread out and curved, as if flexing.

“Strength. This Stat relates to a Dungeoneer’s physical strength. It is also sometimes used as a modifier for certain Skills and types of magic. I will go over magic in more detail when we get to the Magic Stat.” The slide then showed four rows.

10 Strength: Olympic weight-lifter

100 Strength: Elephant

500 Strength: Pick up the elephant

“Now, I’m using these three Stat values as examples, but if you will recall from the first video, I did say that there is variance from person to person. So, I am conservatively using these as minimum examples. If you have 10 Strength, even at the lowest growth valuation, you should be at least as strong as an ordinary human Olympic weight-lifter. At 100 Strength, your strength should at least be on par with that of a juvenile African elephant. At 500 Strength, you should possess enough strength to pick up that elephant off the ground. And remember, this is a minimum example. A Dungeoneer with that much Strength could be significantly stronger than that.”

The next slide was titled “Defense”. Underneath was the stick figure man with its arms crossed over its chest.

“Um, I thought about putting more examples for Strength, but, honestly the comparisons just start to get a bit ridiculous and much harder to isolate from Skills that further modify the Strength Stat. But, if you are curious about the greatest example of physical strength that has been publicly documented, then it would be the fight in Prussia. I don’t think I need to further elaborate on that since I already made a video about that. I’ve provided a link to that video if you haven’t already seen it.”

Next to the defending stick figure were three rows.

10 Defense: Really bulky guy

100 Defense: Bulletproof

500 Defense: Blast proof (small explosives)

“Yeah, 10 Defense is kind of a weird one. I mean, with only that much Defense, you don’t really want to be testing your body against something too dangerous, right? Well, as far as how well your body can take on physical blows, it is at least on par with the limits of ordinary humans. Ah, right, almost forgot. Defense refers to a Dungeoneer’s physical defense. Like Strength, it can also be used as a modifier for certain Skills or types of magic. To get it out of the way now, any of the five main Stats could be used as modifiers for certain Skills or types of magic.”

Zack coughed.

“And, uh, right. So, at 100 Defense, you are essentially completely bulletproof. Now, against smaller caliber guns, even 50 Defense would make you bulletproof, but at 100 Defense, even armor-piercing rounds and shots from sniper rifles are blocked. On average. There are, as you might expect, certain weak points on the human body that are more susceptible to taking damage. Mainly, I am referring to the eyes and ears, and to a lesser extent, the neck and joints. But, at 500 Defense, even your eyes would resist sniper bullets. And more generally, small explosives such as grenades or small amounts of C4, or equivalent amounts of any other similar explosive compound will not cause injuries. Even in close proximity. And if you want to go big, although it has never actually happened, the Dungeoneers with the highest Defense in the world would likely survive anything short of nuclear bombs. And, with the right combination of Skills, who’s to say if even that would work.”

The next slide was titled “Stamina”. Underneath was a stick figure man holding a heart-shaped object.

“Stamina. This is the Stat that relates to a Dungeoneer’s endurance and health. It is also a Stat that is very difficult to quantify. One of the reasons for this is because it likely has a secondary role like an HP bar. There is no visible HP bar on a Dungeoneer’s Status screen, but the available data suggests a correlation to a hypothesized HP bar. And, if you are familiar with games, you may recall that the amount of damage a character takes is often a formula that also factors in the character’s Defense Stat. Well, it’s probably very similar here as well. So, because of this, I decided to use some different types of examples for the Stat milestones.

Three rows appeared as follows:

10 Stamina: Stronger immune system / Marathoner endurance

100 Stamina: Resistance to non-magical poisons and diseases / Resting breathing rate halved

500 Stamina: Immune to all non-magical poisons and diseases / Half the sleep required

“Now, this might seem a lot less impressive, but remember, these are examples that do not relate to how much damage, or injuries, a Dungeoneer can take. Also, those halved amounts are in reference to humans at the peak level of fitness. I mean, just think about it, only requiring half the amount of sleep for the rest of your life is quite significant. That halves the amount of time you are at your most vulnerable. Also, these are minimum examples. As for an example about extremely high values of Stamina…well, you can think back to Prussia.”

The next slide was titled “Dexterity”. Underneath the title was a stick figure in a running motion. Probably. There were also lines drawn, seemingly to indicate quick movement.

“Dexterity. This is not speed. Or at least, it does not scale with speed anywhere near where the larger values may indicate. A Dungeoneer with 500 Dexterity might only have twice the top running speed as a Dungeoneer with 10 Dexterity. The main improvement from Dexterity is quicker reflexes. Higher Dexterity values can also increase the casting speed of certain Skills and types of magic, in addition to acting as a modifier for other effects. As an example of a speed increase you might not have thought about, a higher Dexterity Stat can allow you to analyze information faster using the Perception or Insight Skill.”

Two rows appeared next to the stick figure.

10 Dexterity: Olympic gymnast

500 Dexterity: Dodge bullets (like in The Matrix)

“Just two rows this time. Don’t really have a good example of the in-between. Also, these are not exactly minimum examples. I mean, when concentrating, a Dungeoneer could showcase high-level gymnastic dexterity, but the Dexterity Stat does not improve your state of mind. Meaning, if you are not used to moving quickly, or if you are nervous or panicking, the Dexterity Stat is much less effective. In those kinds of situations, the Dexterity just kind of helps to keep you alive due to the quicker reflexes. However, the movements of a veteran Dungeoneer with high Dexterity is quite the sight. Just think about Prussia again as an example.”

The next slide was titled “Magic.” The slide depicted a stick figure with a pointed hat and holding a rectangle (most likely a book).

“Magic. This is the big one. For a lot of Dungeoneers, the Magic Stat is by far the most important Stat. Higher Magic increases the maximum amount of mana that a Dungeoneer can use. And mana is what is needed to activate most Skills and types of magic. For this Stat, I will be going over three things: mana recovery and capacity, Skill usage, and Spellcasting.”

The three subjects appeared in rows next to the stick figure. Zack moved onto the next slide which was titled “Mana Recovery and Capacity”. Underneath the title were four identical stick figures. Underneath the leftmost stick figure, a word was suddenly revealed. It read: Normal.

“Mana capacity increases with the Magic Stat, but there is another important factor to mana recovery. This is not stated on the Status screen, but there are actually different types of mana recovery. First, there is the most common type, also known as the “Normal” type of recovery. If you have this type of recovery, you can fully recover your mana to maximum capacity within 24 hours. Your mana recovers at a constant rate, regardless of what else you are doing at the time, barring any status buffs or debuffs that affect your ability to recover mana.”

Under the second stick figure was the word “Rest.”

“The second most common type of mana recovery is the “Rest” type. These Dungeoneers only recover mana when they are resting. This does not mean they need to be asleep, although sleep would qualify. Resting mainly just means when they are not fighting or performing any other kind of mentally or physically demanding activity. However, even if you are not doing anything like that, if you are worried, or are in some other disturbed mental or emotional state, then it may not be considered resting. This is the type of mana recovery that varies the most even among those with the same type. A “Rest” type Dungeoneer can recover their maximum mana capacity within 8 hours of rest.”

Under the third stick figure was the word “Cruiser”.

“The “Cruiser” type of mana recovery is the second rarest, and is often considered to be the best. “Cruiser” type Dungeoneers recover their mana no matter what they are doing, but at two different rates. If their current mana is at or above half of their maximum capacity, their mana recovers at three times the rate a “Normal” type Dungeoneer recovers their mana. But, if their current mana is at less than half of the maximum capacity, their mana recovers at one third the “Normal” type rate. This is considered the best by some because it allows a Dungeoneer to constantly use their Skills and types of magic against waves of enemies. And, even if the Dungeoneer needs to dip below half to take on a stronger enemy, such as a Dungeon Boss, they can recover again afterwards since if the Dungeon Boss is defeated, there would be no more threats. However, this wouldn’t be the case if it was only a Mid-Boss that was defeated.”

Under the last stick figure was the word “Phoenix”.

“This is the rarest type of mana recovery, and sometimes also known as the worst. A “Phoenix” type Dungeoneer can only recover their mana in one way. At a time of the Dungeoneer’s choosing, they can instantly recover their mana up to the maximum amount. Also, if their mana was at an amount greater than zero, any excess mana heals them instead. If used when mana is already at or near max, a Dungeoneer could even recover themselves from the brink of death. However, this mana recovery can only occur once every 24 hours. Now, despite that cooldown period, you might be thinking that this is actually the best. Instead of gaining it over time like a “Normal” type, or having to rest, wouldn’t completely refilling your mana all at once every 24 hours and potentially also healing be the most convenient, especially in tight situations? Well, that advantage does exist, but not to the extent that you may think. You see, those rates of recovery are when a Dungeoneer is outside a Dungeon. Inside a Dungeon, the rate at which a Dungeoneer can recover mana is significantly increased. In D-rank Dungeons, they recover at least 50% faster. In C-rank Dungeons, they recover at least 100% faster, and the rates are even higher in higher rank Dungeons. However, this does not affect the cooldown period for “Phoenix” type Dungeoneers. It is always 24 hours no matter what. Long periods of time in Dungeons and the risk of ambushes are what factors into people thinking that the “Cruiser” type may be the best and why the “Phoenix” type is the worst.”

Zack moved onto the next slide, which was titled “Skill Usage”. This slide had three blank boxes.

“Now, moving onto Skill usage. So, I broke this up into three categories of Skills.”

Inside the first box, the word “Passive” was revealed.

“First are passive Skills. As you may have already guessed, these Skills do not consume mana at all in order to have their effects. Here are some examples of passive Skills.”

Under the box, a list was revealed, which read as follows.

Mental Resistance

Fire Resistance

Magic Resistance

Layered Defense

“Yeah, the passive Skills tend to be defensive. As for active Skills,” the second box was revealed, along with four more rows, “they can be either utility or offensive.”

Evasion

Power Strike

Tracking

Reinforcement

“And then, there are hybrid Skills. These Skills have multiple effects, which could either be passive or active.”

The third box was revealed with the word “Hybrid” inside, and there were four more rows underneath.

Insight

Spear Arts

Alchemy

Apprentice’s Spellbook

“Spellbook Skills are kind of special, and maybe they don’t quite belong under this category. I will go into this further now.”

Zack moved onto the next slide, titled “Spellcasting”.

“So, Skills related to spellcasting used to be very rare, barely any Dungeoneers had it initially. However, after the first C-rank Dungeon appearances, they became much more common. Currently, about ten percent of Dungeoneers have Skills that allow them to cast spells. On somewhat of a tangent, Magic Resistance Skills also used to be very rare, but also became much more common after the C-rank Dungeon appearances.”

The slide then listed four rows.

Apprentice’s Spellbook

Mage’s Spellbook

Master’s Spellbook

Archmage’s Spellbook

“Just like Unarmed Combat and the various weapon training Skills, these Skills can rank up to the one below it. The way these Spellbook Skills work is that you give you the ability to cast certain Spells. More powerful Spells are learned whenever the Skill reaches the next rarity. Also, each Spellbook Skill has a specialization for a type of magic. For example, fire, water, wind, and earth. The method of raising the Spellbook Skill and optimizing it can get pretty complicated so I’m not going to go that far. Just know that, generally speaking, Dungeoneers can only cast Spells with a Spellbook Skill, and that this is the most common type of magic. There are some other types of magic such as healing magic, summoning magic, and rune magic, but they are a lot rarer and there isn’t as much verified information on them, so I won’t go into detail about any of them.”

On the next slide was the title “Increasing Stats.”

“Okay, this is the last thing I’m going to go into. It’s nice to know all about how the Stats work, but how do you increase your Stats? There are only two known ways: physical/mental training and defeating monsters/destroying Empowering Stones.”

There were two depictions shown under the title. One was a stick figure that appeared to be lifting weights, and the other appeared to be a stick figure punching a crudely drawn bear.

“It is possible to gain Stats without ever fighting monsters or entering Dungeons, but the growth is slow and there appears to be a limit to how many Stat points you can gain in this method. It does not appear to be possible to raise your Stats past 100 through this method. The other, most obvious method is fighting monsters. You also can gain a point in all Stats by destroying Empowering Stones, but that’s…well, don’t bank on that being a major source.”

The next slide was titled “Dungeon Raiding”. On it were four stick figures surrounding a bear-like drawing.

“So, defeat the monster and get Stat points. Simple, right? Sort of. As it turns out, the amount of Stat points you can gain from defeating points is random! This is the case whether it is a common monster, a Mid-Boss, or a Dungeon Boss, although you are guaranteed at least a minimum amount of Stat bonuses from Mid-Bosses and Dungeon Bosses. Also, what if you defeated the monster, but another Dungeoneer did most of the damage? Well, the Stat points you can gain are split up, roughly based on damage dealt. Why do I say roughly? Well, regardless of how much damage you deal, if you dealt the finishing blow, you get at least half. Also, no matter how little damage you dealt, as long as you did something, you get at least 5 percent. Also, the split Stat gains are also random! You might have a reduced chance in gaining any particular Stat points, but let’s say you do roll an increase in Dexterity, another Dungeoneer might roll an increase in Stamina instead. To further change the split, damage dealt by non-Dungeoneers does not count! Meaning, if a monster is killed by explosives or by falling down a cliff, if a Dungeoneer dealt just the tiniest amount of damage, as long as they were the only Dungeoneer that injured it, they would receive the full distribution.”

Numbers now appeared over the four stick figures: 50, 90, 5, 5.

“Here is an example of how weird the distribution can get. One person scratches it. They get 5%. A second person does slightly more damage, but it’s still a small amount. Still 5%. Then, there is someone who deals the finishing blow to a dying monster. They get 50%. Finally, there is the Dungeoneer who did all the heavy lifting and nearly defeated it all by themself. They can get 90% which truly represents the distribution of damage. So, out of the base chances, these modifiers are applied to each one, respectively. And yes, I know this adds up to more than 100. That’s the point. This is also the basis in what is known as ‘power-leveling’ or ‘carrying’ where a much stronger Dungeoneer will heavily injure a monster, and then let a weaker Dungeoneer deal the finishing blow.”

The final slide was titled “The End”.

“Honestly, even I’m a bit surprised about how much I ended up preparing for this and there’s actually even more that could be said about Stats, but I really need to cut it here. The video is long enough as is and this series was supposed to be for my more casual viewers anyway. Well, I hope you liked it and if there is another topic you’d like for me to go deeper into, please let me know by commenting below. Thanks for watching and I’ll see you all next time! Zack Liner, signing off.”