Ozzy rolled over and sat up, vacating his cozy spot on the floor of his cabin underneath his hammock. He'd have to remember to tie himself in bed the next time he leveled up. The dream was fading. It was familiar in some ways to the earlier dream. What the hell it all meant he could only guess at. As soon as he stood up, he was surprised by a notification that he hadn't allocated his free points from his class upgrade. He was hoping to save those for later. He pushed the notification aside.

It immediately popped back up.

Did you think I wasn't expecting this? Butchers never think the rules are about them. You must spend your +4 Free points so we can finalize your upgrade and you can get back to wrecking ships and causing trouble.

Ozzy was tempted to toss it all into strength. That would make it much easier to get STR to 45 and try for another level of monstrous. If the pattern of advances was consistent, he could expect 10 points from experience in STR skills, and another 3 points buyable with CSP. Maybe even a point from Shipkiller? He was unsure if that added before or after he gained benchmark bonuses. But he had a lot of STR skills. Spending them elsewhere might be better?

He had several low stats, but it seemed a waste to reinforce those instead of raising the stats he relied on the most. After evaluating each stat, he put two points into RAD. It was equal to COR, but only because of his earring. By adding two points, both stats were naturally at 20. One point went to STR and another to CON. He finished and got a final notification, followed by his character sheet appearing.

It's refreshing to have a Butcher follow directions! (Actually, it's refreshing to have a Butcher that can read. Welcome to Level 11! We even have a new gift for you, but keeping it is up to you.

Perk: Balanced in Shadow

By learning to balance your corruption and radiance you have succeeded in masking them. It is more difficult for anyone to notice your level of COR or RAD. Your actions will determine how successful this masking works. If your COR or RAD are not equal, this benefit will fade until you correct the imbalance. Name: Ozzy Titles: Butcher of Sedgewick, Whale Rider, Ship Killer, Fyrebeard's Crew Class: Contract Worker: Butcher, Specialty: Seasoned Pitmaster Level: 11 0 Heritage: Human: 70% (options pending) Monstrosity, Smokey, Shadowed, Knightly, Chiseled, Burning Bright Base (200+200 per L)+Stat Special Benefits Total Health Smoke 2400 + 2590 550 5540 6040 Stamina (x3) Heat 2400 + 2620 200 15660 19660 Mana Fuel 2400 + 2200 200 4800 7800 Furnace 307 Smoke Eating 78 Characteristics Stat: T2 Base Rank Total STR 32 0 32 DEX 12 0 12 AGI 6 0 6 CON 33 0 33 INT 13 0 13 WIS 6 0 6 CHR 24 +1 25 PER 4 0 4 COR 20 0 20 RAD 20 +2 22 Magic Items Description Golden Hoop +1 CHR, +2 RAD Gauntlets of Gauderang the Vile (Legendary) +50 mitigation to hands and forearms. +50 acid mitigation plus acid resistance. Abused Ring of Mental Reflection The ring creates a subtle disruption in magical spells or skills used to read your mind, or detect your location. Hade's Kilt A knee-length black and silver tartan. Indestructible and smells of death and taxes. Trammelian Chain A magical tattoo that becomes a thick chain of smoke. Ironhide Treasure Chest Size: 1' x 2' x 1.5' high. A magical tattoo that becomes a small treasure chest. Gitsplitter's Axes A pair of Flensing Hatchets. Magical and heavy. (40 lbs each.) Skills Name Stat Level P/S/T Pit Alchemy CHA 10 Primary Butchering STR 10 Primary Slaughter STR 10 Primary Choice Cuts WIS 5 Primary Precision Cuts DEX 5 Primary Anatomy of a Monster INT 5 Primary Hack Undead STR 6 Tertiary Strike Undead RAD 10 Primary Active Fire Resistance INT 10 Primary Weak Poison Resistance CON 10 Tertiary Weak Acid Resistance CON 4 Tertiary Resist Torture CON 3 Primary Aspect of Fire INT 10 Primary Aspect of Smoke: Smoke of a Distant Fire COR 10 Primary Aspect of Radiance: Angel Fire RAD 1 Primary Spell: Cleanse RAD 1 Spell Aspect of Heat. In the Heat of Battle RAD 6 Primary Aspect of Wood: WIS 0 Primary Cantrip: Curse COR *** Spell Throw Caber STR 5 Primary Billhook STR 8 Primary Meat Hook DEX 3 Primary Demon Slaying RAD 5 Primary Fire Eating CON 10 Primary Boar Hunting STR 3 Primary Bulldogging STR 5 Primary Bull Leaping AGI 5 Primary Grilling DEX 1 Tertiary Adze STR 5 Primary Bear Hug STR 1 Primary Skinning DEX 10 Primary Scrimshaw DEX 3 Primary Shark Hunting STR 3 Primary Woomera DEX 5 Primary Fishing WIS 5 Primary Hide Crafting DEX 5 Primary Look Out PER 3 Primary Run the Chains AGI 5 Primary Row CON 3 Primary Smoke Weaving COR 10 Primary Throw Chain STR 2 Primary Swim the Smoke CON 3 Primary Smooth the Deck INT 2 Primary Sail Making INT 4 Primary Boatwork CHR 5 Primary Smoke Stealing COR 10 Primary Perk: Dig 4 Dig at ten times the normal rate creating tunnels that don't cave in. Perk: Haul 5 You may pick up and move objects weighing six times your normal limit. Perk: Sleepless in Seattle You only need 4 hours per day of sleep. Perk: Endure 4 Nothing gets you down or keeps you from working. Perk: Push Onward 2 Usable once per day. Cost: 1000 Stamina or Health. Gain +5 STR, and +5 Universal Mitigation for 10 minutes. Usable a second time for a cost of 2000 Stamina, and a third and final time for 3000 Stamina. Perk: Tastes like Chicken Convert food and food-like substances you put in your mouth to bland, boiled, vat-grown, Chicken. Perk: Butcher Shop Basics Basic knowledge of running a mundane butcher shop, packaging and selling meat in a totally normal way. Perk: Enhanced Hometown Reputation Increases the trust between a butcher and his community. Those bad things you heard? Never happened. Perk: Hunter's Slyness Your scent is masked from both other hunters, and your prey. High Perception can negate this. Perk: Herd Sense You know when a member of your herd is in danger, and roughly where they are. Distance lessens the feelings. The closer you are to the herd member, the better the information. Perk: Whales Strength +1 STR and CON per tier. Currently (+3 STR, +3 CON). Perk: Monstrously Tough Grants 60 points of Mitigation versus physical and elemental attacks. Combines with Hull and Mitigation skills. Perk: Noble Bearing Better reactions from nobles, and people who deal with nobles. Officer Material. Perk: Darkly Glorious Respect from powerful creatures, better reactions from low level monsters. Perk: Powerful +20 Weapon and Unarmed Damage Perk: Chiseled Your muscles are perfectly aligned to gain the most of your strength. Perk: Vigorous +400 Health Trifecta Level 2 +50 Health, +200 Health Quadratic Level 2 +150 Health, Gain: Magical Aspect: Wood Mate's Perk: Tight Chains You know the tricks for weaving smoke into the best chains and nets. Captain's Perk: Shielding +2 The size of ship that your shield can completely cover is increased by +2. Jack Fyrebeard's Crew Gain: Shielding (2) Core Skill Description Next Upgrade Cost Mitigation 4 +100 Physical Mitigation Mitigation 5 20 Extra Health 2 +150 Health Extra Health 3 7 Weapon Damage 1 +10 points of damage with melee and ranged weapons Weapon Damage 2

+20 Damage 10 One Fist of Iron 4 Your fists are weapons. Base 30%+10xL+5xSTR to Hit. Damage = 50+5xSTR. 5% chance to stun. Flurry every 3rd round. One Fist of Iron 5.

+10 Damage 10 The Other of Steel 5% Chance to Stun opponents of Tier 1, or Tier 2 on hit. None If the right doesn't get you, the left one will. Flurry of Blows every 3rd round. Six attacks. Cost = 600 Stamina None Taunting Voice 3 Tier 1, and many Tier 2 creatures will focus all of their attacks upon you, even when this is a poor strategy. Cost: 100 Stamina Taunting Voice 4 *** Don't Mess Around with Jim 3 Intimidating Aura when actively used. Affects creatures up to Tier 3 DMAWJ 4 *** Dark Vision 2 Low light vision to 40' Dark Vision 3 *** Eyes of Magic You can see low level magical auras on T1 creatures and objects Eyes of Magic 2 *** Endless Breath 4 You do not need to breath for an hour of normal activity. Minor Hostile atmospheres don't bother you. None Jumping Jack 1 Your ability to jump is doubled. Jumping Jack 2 *** Skilled Provider 3 Your gathering skills have an increased chance of finding better quality items. (Gems, heart of a tree, magical ingredients, etc.) None Abundance 5 When you gather resources, you produce +100% more than normal. This includes basic crafting of logs into board, flax into thread, or anything into sausage. None

Tier 2 Bonuses for reaching the Benchmark of: 20 in a pair of stats.

The Bonuses earned for high stats in Tier 1 may be upgraded if you have again hit the benchmarks for each stat at the end of Tier 2. in

STR and CON of 30: VERY Tough has upgraded to Monstrously Tough.

Universal Physical and Elemental mitigation is increased to 60.

Your creature type has been upgraded accordingly.

STR and CHR of 20: Knightly is increased to Noble Bearing.

You may try to hide it, but the blood of your ancestors is obvious to any noble and their retainers. You have to be related to someone in the higher circles of the Empire. You have good initial reactions from the upper parts of society, and any military will give you a position as an officer.

STR and COR: Might is increased to Powerful.

All of your physical attacks with weapons or natural weapons cause +20 damage. Minions are happy to call you master and join your household. Evil Overlords have you on a shortlist for possible boss positions.

STR and CHR: Sculpted is increased to Chiseled.

Your muscles are perfectly aligned to gain the most of your strength. You are immune to sprains, pulled muscles or other minor injuries from exerting yourself. It is recommended that you keep your shirt on around female barbarians unless you want to be carted off to the far north.

CON and COR: Vigor is increased to Vigorous

The health boost from from Vigor is increased from +200 to +400.

COR and CHR: Dark Glory is increased to Darkly Glorious. Practitioners of the Darker Arts recognize you as someone to respect. Intelligent evil monsters look beyond your apparent humanity and may seek an alliance with you, or at least know to be polite. (This does not include monsters in dungeons, or already engaged in battle. Or liches, they hate everyone.) You have that knack for appearing good to bad people.

TRI-FECTA: As before, you have raised three stats to their benchmark and scored a Triifecta bonus!

The benefit of Trifecta is increased to +200 Mana, +200 Stamina, and +200 Health.

QUADRATIC: You have solved the Universal Quadratic Equation by raising four sets of stats to their benchmark. Choose one of these abilities:

-A simple aspect of magic. (Fire, ice, acid, earth, water, storm, poison, dark, wind, wood, light.)

-A resistance, either active or inactive, to one of the following: Fire, ice, acid, earth, water, storm, poison, dark, wind, wood, light. This is a skill, and must be increased by exposure to that type of mana.

-Choose +500 Health, Stamina, or Mana.

-Gain 1000 Gold Coins.

-Gain: +2 to any stat.