1.8 No Bad Deed goes Unrewarded

I woke up with the dawn, feeling worse than my first day. My stomach hurt, my muscles hurt, my head felt full of cotton fluff making it hard to think. The blinking dot I saw whenever I closed my eyes had turned red.

Caution! You are suffering from the following Afflictions(negative Status Conditions):

Undermana- All recovery rates reduced by 50% for 24 hours.

Understamina- You have acquired 3 Ranks of Exhaustion.

Undersanity- You have acquired 2 Ranks of Psychosis.

Underhealth- You have acquired 2 Ranks of Wounded.

Critical Injury-You have acquired 2 additional Ranks of Wounded. Penalties when using left arm,

Poisoned- You have acquired 3 Ranks of Toxicity, 2 Ranks Inebriation, 1 Rank of Hallucination.

Cursed- You have acquired Curse of Gluttony(Tier 2). Self control difficulties to stop eating in increased.

Cursed- You have acquired Curse of Recklessness(Tier 1). Self control difficulties increased.

Marked- You have been Marked for Death by a Superior Foe. All future damage from Foe increased by 50%.

Tainted- You have consumed raw reagents! You have been Tainted by Wild Mana!You have acquired 2 Ranks of Wild Taint. You will continue to accrue Taint until Source is Purged. Next Rank will be acquired in 5 hours 23 minutes. You are in immediate danger of Mutation! Mutation will result in Alignment Crisis.

Attention! You have Engaged in Conflict with a Superior Foe, you will suffer 7 Ranks of Level suppression until engagement is resolved. Error! Error! Error!

Calculating Terms of Engagement...Escape range requires recalculation...Glade of Ascension Protections Activated…Determining Ratio of Responsibility for Damage inflicted by Glade against Foe.

Foe has been defeated by Glade of Ascension.

Victory Requirements Achieved...

Achievement Acquired! Survival of the Fittest! For surviving against a Superior Foe more than 10 Levels higher you are Awarded New Title:Survivor!

Achievement Acquired! Cunning Victory! For defeating a Superior Foe more than 10 Levels higher you are Awarded New Title:Underdog! New Skill:[Knifeplay]...Implementing bonus...Level 5

Achievement Acquired! Escape from Certain Death! For escaping from the Traps of a Superior Foe, you are Awarded New Talent:[Vigilance]...Level 1

Congratulations!

You have Acquired Amateur Combat Feat:[Chomp]...Implementing Otherworlder bonus...Level 5.

You have Acquired Amateur Combat Subfeat:[Gnaw]...Implementing Otherworlder bonus...Level 2.

You have Acquired Amatuer Combat Feat:[Vorpal Bite]...Implementing Otherworlder bonus...Level 1.

You have Acquired Amateur Skill:[Herbalism]...Implementing Otherworlder bonus...Level 1.

You have Acquired [Meditation] Subskill: [Serenity]...Implementing Otherworlder bonus...Level 1.

You have Acquired Amateur Talent: [Ironjaw]...Implementing Otherworlder bonus...Level 1.

You have Acquired Amateur Talent: [Irongut]...Implementing Otherworlder bonus...Level 1.

You have Acquired Amateur Skill: [Taster]...Implementing Otherworlder bonus...Level 1.

Offering Accepted! Altar of Ascension has accepted the Free Offering of Tier 2 Seedcore of Crimson Monarch Blood Orchid.

Reward Offered, Alignment +5, Personal Talent:[Assimilation]

At that point I had to stop, or risk even more Understamina. I had gained additional abilities, including some honest to goodness Combat Abilities. They only worked when I were to bite things, so not that good, but something. The Affictions were pretty bad. I was very worried about the possible Mutation.

One of the things that bugged me about the game, which carried over to my System Interface, was the incorrect use of the words Evolution and Mutation.

Before Darwin there was a common belief in a Hierarchy of Being. Certain animals were considered inherently better than others, with humanity at the top, then angels and finally God. This belief seems to have infiltrated the common understanding of Evolution. So often I’ve found Evolution portrayed as if it was about advancing the individual to some higher/better state. As if there was some predetermined best possible outcome. Darwinian Evolution isn’t about inherent superiority, but rather that over time, generations of time, species, not individuals, adapting to their environment.

In the Realm, Evolution means upgrading one’s Race or Class to a higher Tier. As each Tier acts as a Level limit, creatures that reach the Max Level must Evolve into a higher ranked version of their Race. The same is true of Classes, since High Scholar is a Tier 2 Class, I can only earn 20 Levels before needing to Evolve.

Mutation, which should mean change, any change, good, bad, indifferent, is used to mean unnatural changes. I prefer to think of them as lateral evolution, but the System disagrees with me. The big problem with Mutation is that it oftens results in Class and Ability Depletion. Mutant Abilities are payed for with existing Levels. Too much Mutation and the System would treat me like a Monster, not a Person.

On the one hand my [Purgation] Skill should have been able, in theory, to eliminate my Wild Taint. On the other hand, due to all my accumulated Afflictions, my Stamina recovery was down to 3 points an hour of sleep or [Meditation]. I only had a little over 5 hours until I gained another Rank. Each Rank increased my odds of Mutating. At Rank 2, I was at a 30% chance. Rank 3 would be 50%, and Rank 4 would be 70%. Waiting until I had enough Stamina to Purge ran too high a risk of Mutating, or so I thought. The only other solution I could think of was Initiating into a high Tier Class.

Initiating is normally a big deal, but carries more benefits than just improving one’s connection to the System. Any Affliction of equal or lower Rank than the Tier of the Initiation is reduced one Rank, furthermore all Pools recover up to half their Limit, assuming the Initiation is successful. One of the dangers inherent with using an Altar, or my own [Introspection] to Initiate is increased chance of Failure. Normally, once a person has Qualified for either a new Class, or an Evolution of their currant one, they would need to seek out an Authorised Initiator for their specific Class, or gain access to an Artifact like the Altar of Ascension. Because Initiators specialised in specific Evolutions, the chance of something going wrong was limited. By using the Altar I had Freedom of Choice. Even then there was a Cost that must be paid. I still had three Free Initiations as payment for being Summoned. It was time to use one.

Although I was running out of time, I couldn’t afford further recklessness either. I drank some Sweetwater, used my latrine trench, set up my camp chair, and [Meditated] for an hour. Initiation seemed like the best bet, as long as I could Qualify for a Tier 2 Class in the next four hours. Generally there are two types of Qualifications: Personal Qualifications, that is Achievements, Titles, Personal and Amateur Abilities that are on the Class’s Ability List; and Legacy Qualifications, which were acquired by either Blood Ancestors (Ancestral Legacies), or passed down from Teacher to Student, Master to Apprentice, Suzerain to Vassal (Endowment Legacies). My Bachelor of Letters title Qualified me for High Scholar. Master of Letters, was actually a Qualification for Great Scholar, the Tier 3 Class Evolution. Normally one would need 3-5 Qualifications for a Tier 1 Class, and an increase of 1-2 Qualifications per Tier. My hope was that in the past couple of days, the Skills and Achievement/Titles I had gained would qualify me for a new Tier 2 Class. Trying to Initiate without sufficient Qualifications not only greatly increased the chances of Failure, but introduced the possibility of Mutation in the case of a Critical Failure.

The two Classes I was most interested in was Wizard, because of its synergy with Scholar, and Paladin, because it was the Class I had the most familiarity. The ones I thought would be most likely were Ranger and Barbarian, simply because most of my new Skills and Titles happened in a wilderness setting.

I lifted my left arm with my right hand, placed my left hand on the Altar, my palm covering the triple rings of the Triquetra, my Celestialium Ring glinting in the sun, and focused on connecting to the System through the Altar instead of my Skill.

Accessing User Qualifications…

Listing Tier 2 and above Qualified Classes:

Planescaller

Presbyter

Ranger

Spellscriber

I wasn’t exactly sure what Planescaller or Presbyter did, and Spellscriber would not offer any wilderness utility. Given the choice I focused on Ranger.

Accessing Ranger Qualifications...Implementing Otherworlder bonus...processing…

Otherworlder Ceremonial Achievement Found: Arrow of Light! Eagle Scout! Scout Master!

Translating...Equivalency not found!

New Ceremonial Achievement Registered...Arrow of Light!

New Badge of Honour Registered...Arrow of Light!

New Title of Rank Registered...Arrow of Light!

Processing Badge Symbolism…

Processing Seven Virtues of Scouting…

Processing Scouter’s Promise…

Processing Scouter’s Law…

Processing Totemic Affinity…

New Ranger Calling Evolution Detected!

Analysing...

That was unexpected. I had felt that my Scouting experience would contribute possible Qualifications, I wasn’t expecting a new Subclass. Subclasses fall into several categories; Universal Subclasses, Associate and Diversity Subclasses, Calling and Specialisation Subclasses. Universal Subclasses are those to which almost every Class has access. A good example are the Delver, Leader and Trainer subclasses. The first grants bonuses when in a Dungeon. The second grants bonuses to others of the same Class grouped with the Leader. The third grants bonuses when teaching/training others. At higher levels both latter subclasses become Authorised Initiators.

Associate and Diversity Subclasses are a way to use the Subclass system to avoid many of the problems with Multiclassing. Associate Subclasses are lower Tier Independent Classes that have enough in common with the Higher Tier Class in question to serve as a Subclass. Diversity Subclasses are lesser versions of main Classes that do not have an independent existence. Sometimes it isn’t clear to which of the two subcategories a Subclasses actually belongs. For example, Arcanist, is a Diversity Subclass that grants improved Spellcasting to Classes that normally focus on Feats. Think of Arcane Warrior for Fighters, or Arcane Trickster for Rogue. Acolyte, appears to be a similar subclass, granting Sacred Abilities to Classes not normally thought of being affiliated with a church. The difference is that there are people for whom Acolyte is their primary class.

Classes can only be subordinated to higher Tier Classes. Acolyte, Scout, Scoundel, Squire, and Thug are all Tier One Classes that routinely are used as Associate Classes.

Callings, or Evolutionary Classes, focus on a particular upgrade path. Fighters who chose the Warrior Subclass can Evolve into Warleaders, Warmasters, and Warlords.

Specialist, or Specialisation Subclasses focus on a specific aspect of the base Class. Typical Ranger Specialisations are:Hunter, Skirmisher, Slayer, Strider, Tamer, and Tracker.

Since there was already a Scout Class, that was often subordinated by Fighters and Rogues who wanted some Ranger type Abilities, I was curious what new Subclass my life experience would generate.

New Preparatory Subclass Registered...Cub Scouter

New Preparatory Class Registered...Scouter

New Tier One Class Registered...Totem Scouter

New Tier One Class Registered...Assistant ScoutLeader

New Elite Tier One Class Registered...ScoutLeader

New Tier Two Registered...Totem ScoutLeader

New Tier Two Class Registered...Assistant ScoutMaster

New Elite Tier Two Registered...ScoutMaster

New Tier Three Class Registered...High ScoutMaster

New Elite Tier Three Class Registered...Great ScoutMaster

New Elite Tier Three Class Registered...Lord Scouter

New Tier Four Class Registered...High Lord Scouter

New Tier Four Class Registered...Grand ScoutMaster

New Elite Tier Four Class Registered...Great Lord Scouter

New Tier Five Class Registered...Grand Lord Scouter

New Elite Tier Five Class Registered...Scouter Sovereign

New Tier Six Class Registered...Scouter Saint

That...that I was not expecting. Not a single Subclass, but an entire Evolution Chain! Scouter instead of just Scout, it made some sense. All this just from the System trying to analyze the meaning behind the Arrow of Light. The badge was the highest award in Cub Scouting. True there was a whole history behind its symbolism, sometimes thought of both as a rank and an honor, but it was an award for 9 and 10 year olds. What occurred to me was the ceremonial significance of the Scout Promise and Law. Inspiring words for a ten year, transformed by the power of the System that takes Oaths and Vows literally, and backs them up with consequences.

Ceremonial Achievement/Badge/Title: Arrow of Light

Acceptance of this Honour, Requires a Vow to uphold the Promise and Law of the Scouter, and a Covenant to Honor the Seven Virtues of the Scouter.

Passive Properties:

+1 Affinity to School of Photomancy/Domaine of the Sun

+1 Affinity to all ranged missile attacks.

+1 ASI to Perception

Active Properties:

+50% Reputation Modifier for all Scout/Scouter/Ranger Organizations

+10% Reputation Modifier for all other Ranger Organizations

+1 Honorary Scouter Level

New Class Chain: Scouter

The Scouter is a hybrid Class, combining aspects of Scout, Shaman, and Squire. The Sacred aspects are Devoted to the Ethos embodied in the Scouter Law and Virtues, not to a specific Theos or Pantheon, although commitment to a compatible Patron is not forbidden. Varient Scouters may claim a Totemic Bond to a limited number of Beast Spirits who represent Aspects of the Ethos. Scouter is a fully compatible Subclass, Associated with Rangers, Paladins, and occasional secondary Subclass for Cleric(Shaman)s.

Scouters are Partial Combatants, Half Crafters, Full Explorers, Partial Speakers, Partial Spellcasters, Half Thinkers, and Partial Tricksters.

Scouters have access to both the Primordial and Sacred Magic Traditions.

Seven Scouter Virtues:

Wisdom

Courage

Discipline

Justice

Faith

Hope

Charity

Twelve Points of the Scouter Law:

Trustworthy

Loyal

Helpful

Friendly

Courteous

Kind

Obedient

Cheerful

Thrifty

Brave

Clean

Reverent

Scouter Promise:

On my honor, I will do my best

To do my duty to my God, Myself, and the Realm of Triquetra

and to keep sacred the Scout Law;

To help other people at all times;

To keep myself physically strong, mentally awake, spiritually square, and morally straight.

Not quite the Promise I remember from Dirt, but a reasonable adaptation.

Ranger Qualifications Attained-

Personal/Amateur Abilities: [Herbalism], [Navigation], [Survival], [Vigilance]

Combat Abilities: [Knifeplay]

Achievement/Titles: Survivor, Arrow of Light, Eagle Scouter, ScoutMaster

Legacies, Ancestral: Translating three generations to Realm Equivalents...Third Generation: Citation/Silver Star, Master Sergeant; Second Generation: Purple Heart, Ranger, Master Sergeant; First Generation: Ranger, Chaplin, Honors Restricted/Classified Citations, Major...Five Qualification Equivalents and Legacy Achievement: Hereditary Yeomanry Silver.

Qualified Authorisation for Tier Two Initiation: Ranger

Qualified Authorisation for Elite Tier Two Initiation: Ranger Chaplain

Qualified Authorisation for Elite Tier Two Initiation: Ranger Sergeant-at-Arms

Qualified Authorisation for Elite Tier Two Initiation: Ranger Knight Errant

Qualified Authorisation for Tier Three Initiation: Ranger Master-at-Arms

Qualified Authorisation for Tier Three Initiation: Ranger Knight Bachelor

Qualified Authorisation for Elite Tier Three Initiation: Ranger Knight Commander

Qualified for Dual Ranger/Scouter Initiations

Again, I wasn’t expecting Ancestral Legacies to transfer across Time and Space. I knew about my great-grandfathers heroism and Silver Star, (although at the time it was called a Citation Star), and that my grandfather was a Ranger in Korea. My father never talked about Vietnam much. He enlisted after playing Minor League Baseball for two years in the Sixties. He was trained as a Ranger, like his father before him. He left in 1974, got his degree, and returned as a chaplain for ten more years in 1978. Classified Citations. I never knew.

I specifically Qualified for three different non standard Ranger Evolutions: Armsman, Chaplain, Knight. I could have still tried for a more common subclass like Hunter or Strider, but my Ancesters paid in blood sweat and tears for the Qualifications. Armsman is normally an Elite Fighter Subclass, usually either acting as personal guards or senor non-coms for wealthy/noble families. Chaplain is a more military focused varrient of Acolyte. Knight is to Paladin, what Scout is to Ranger, a less magical lower Tier Class Varient.

The temptation was to go for the highest Tier possible, but there would be a downside to that. Each Tier increased the Experience needed to Level. It would be cheaper to just grab a Tier Two Class now, and then Upgrade to a higher Tier I Qualified for later. Unlike multiclassing, Evolving or Upgrading a Class allowed accumulated Levels to transfer. That means while I could have Initiated as a Dual Ranger Knight Commander/Great ScoutMaster (or Scouter Lord if I wanted to be treated as Nobility), I would still only be Level 1 out of 35. Progress would be slowed by the higher Experience Requirements. On the other hand, I only had three Free Initiations, the higher the Tier the higher the Cost and Difficulty. If I didn’t take the highest possible Tier now, I might not have the future opportunity. On the third hand, I had just gained several new Abilities of which I had never heard, maybe one of them could be key to other Class Evolutions I had not yet considered.

I considered my options for over three hours. I quickly ruled out trying for a Tier 4 or higher, the Experience Costs were just too high. Mixing and matching different options, and finally deciding on current survivability over potential progression.

Initialising Elite Tier Three Dual Class: Ranger Knight Chaplain/Eagle ScoutMaster...

Free Initiation Difficulty Exceeded...

Wild Taint Encountered…

Error...