The Overseer paused here as Kyran digested this. The Overseer’s response raised more questions than it answered. So, thought Kyran. Myelad was a prison and the gods, prisoners. That would make the Overseer the prison warden and would explain the earlier behaviour of the gods. But what did that make him? A fellow inmate? And who was Eld? Why did he imprison the gods? Kyran rubbed his temples. As important as these questions were, he had to set them aside for now. He could not lose sight of his primary concern. “And the resemblance to games from Earth?” asked Kyran.
“A few decades ago one of Divine Weeran’s champions earned a greater boon, which he used to retire from the game and live out the rest of his life in the world of his birth, Earth. He then, for reasons unknown, incorporated concepts from Myelad within popular earth games. Being a former champion of Weeran – a god whose aspects include knowledge and wisdom – he well understood the underlying mechanics of Myelad and was able to closely replicate them in roleplaying games on Earth.
“In a manner similar to Earth games, players in the gods’ game accumulate experience through meaningful acts such as combat, quests and crafting. As players gain in experience, they increase in level and rank. At each new level, players are provided the opportunity to improve their skills and learn new abilities and spells.
“Beware however that despite the superficial resemblance, the world of Myelad is real, as are all entities within it. No game mechanics impede the free will or choices of any sentient on Myelad – the exception being where said beings have relinquished such choices through a vow.
“Unlike earth games, combat results are not determined by game mechanics, instead the game, uses its mechanics, to report on the results of combat. This is an important and subtle distinction, one little understood and often the downfall of many a champion. Remember, the game only gifts you knowledge. How you make use of that knowledge is entirely up to you. It is completely within the realm of possibility, for a level 10 player to defeat a level 100 one, regardless of any disparity in skill levels. Always remember, that it is the effective use of knowledge that will determine success, not knowledge itself.”
Kyran chewed on this. With respect to levelling, abilities and skill gains, the gods’ game was similar to many RPGs. He would need to gain experience points (XP) to level up, after which he would be awarded skill points (SP) to increase his skill level, and ability points (AP) to learn abilities and spells. Combat however, if he understood the Overseer correctly, did not depend on game mechanics, its outcome potentially far more variable.
But back to his original concern. So, earth RPGs were imitations of the gods’ game. It sounded plausible enough. At least no less implausible than everything else. Once again, he withheld scepticism, and accepted the reality before him. He decided to refrain from further questions as well, at least until he had seen the other aspects of the avatar creation process, and better understood how all the parts fit together. The statues stood patiently awaiting his decision. He studied each carefully.
Race: Elf
Rarity: Uncommon
Description: While not as populous as humans, elves are a staple part of life in Myelad and are exceptionally long lived. Their settlements are generally found within woodlands and forests.
Racial Traits: Nature’s Guardian (Beast bonding modified by + 25%), Long lived (Elves age very slowly and live sedate lives. All experience (XP) gains are modified by -25%).
Racial Skills: Nature Lore, Longbow, Longsword.
Race: Half-Elf
Rarity: Rare
Description: Half-elves are descended from both humans and elves. Due to their mixed ancestry they are generally loners and wanderers.
Racial Traits: Versatile (Receives twice as many combat abilities per level), Loner (Due to their solitary nature, half-elves make poor leaders. All leadership skills modified by -15%).
Racial Skills: Knives, Longbows, Mapping.
Race: Draconian
Rarity: Rare
Description: Draconians are mix-raced descendants of the other mortal races and dragons. They are fierce warriors and fire mages.
Racial Traits: Dragon Heritage (Due to their dragon ancestry, fire magic modified +25%), Long lived (Draconians age very slowly. All experience (XP) gains are modified by -25%).
Racial Skills: Heavy Armour, Fire Magic, Commander.
Race: Dwarf
Rarity: Uncommon
Description: Dwarves are hardy mountain folk whose kingdoms can be found in every major mountain range.
Racial Traits: Gifted Smiths (Dwarves are natural smiths, smithing modified +25%), Night Vision (From generations of living underground, dwarves have learnt to see perfectly in the dark).
Racial Skills: Smithing, Battle hammers, Heavy Armour.
Race: Half-Giant
Rarity: Rare
Description: Descended from humans and giants, half-giants are natural warriors and a commanding presence on any battlefield.
Racial Traits: Ironskin (Half-giants have toughened skin, difficult to penetrate with physical weapons. Natural armour modified by +25).
Racial Skills: Two-handed weapons, Mining.
Race: Gnome
Rarity: Uncommon
Description: Gnomes are a short-lived race known for their marvellous magical inventions.
Racial Traits: Talented Enchanters (Enchanting modified +25%), Short lived (Gnomes live their lives more rapidly than other races. All experience (XP) gains are modified by +25%).
Racial Skills: Mystical garments, Earth magic, Enchanting.
Kyran found nothing overly surprising about the statistics of the seven races. They followed the general stereotypes of roleplaying games from Earth. Though there was one bit of information that immediately drew his attention – the reference to age. “Do players in the game age naturally?” he asked.
“They do, unless the player has the ageless trait – as all champions do.”
Kyran nodded and pondered further. “Do I need to choose a race now, or can I view the other aspects of the avatar creation process first?”
The Overseer thought about this for a moment, and then consented, “You may.” The mists closed over the well and when it parted again, it revealed a statue of Kyran. “The next step is attribute redistribution. However, as a free agent, your attributes cannot be re-forged and will remain unchanged.”
What! thought Kyran, that sounds decidedly unfair. Before he could register his protest, the human Kyran statue floated forward and its attributes appeared.
Attributes
Attributes are a measure of your basic nature. They determine your inborn talent for wielding a particular skill and modifies it accordingly. The baseline value for an attribute is 50 (0%).
Body Attributes
Strength: 40, Weak, Skills governed by this attribute modified by -20%
Dexterity: 61, Agile, Skills governed by this attribute modified by 22%
Constitution: 50, Average, Skills governed by this attribute modified by 0%
Strength is a measure of how physically strong you are. It defines the maximum weight you may carry in your inventory and the power of your melee attacks.
Constitution is a measure of how sturdy you are. It influences your total health points (HP) and defines the size of your stamina pool (physical energy).
Dexterity is a measure of how agile you are. It defines your movement speed and the power of your ranged attacks.
Mind Attributes
Intellect: 102, Genius, Skills governed by this attribute modified by +104%
Creativity: 53, Average, Skills governed by this attribute modified by +6%
Charisma: 36, Introvert, Skills governed by this attribute modified by -28%
Intellect is a measure of your mental strength and ability to reason. It defines the power of your psionic attacks.
Creativity is a measure of your artistic abilities. It influences craftsmanship.
Charisma is a measure of your social abilities and powers of per
suasion. It influences leadership and governance.
Spirit Attributes
Divine Spark: 0, Unique, Skills governed by this attribute modified by -100%
Magical Spark: 120, Savant, Skills governed by this attribute modified by +140%
Karma: Slightly Good.
Divine Spark is a measure of your faith and spirituality. It defines the power of your divine spells.
Magical Spark is a measure of your magical ability. It defines the power of your magic.
Karma is a measure of your morality and actions through all incarnations.
The Overseer explained, “There are three basic aspects to all living-"
Unable to remain silent, Kyran burst out, “Why? Why can my attributes not be redistributed?”
Unperturbed at the interruption, the Overseer explained, “Given that attributes define your basic nature, the process to change them is fraught with danger and may only be performed with a god's assistance.” The Overseer paused, and when Kyran did not immediately respond, added (unnecessarily Kyran felt), “As a free agent, you have no god.”
Kyran winced. There were some downsides to being a free agent, after all. Mutely, he nodded for the Overseer to continue.
The Overseer resumed, “There are three basic aspects to all living beings: spirit, mind and body.
“The spirit is life, that essential ingredient that provides all creatures with the spark of life. It is eternal, the core of who you are, in your various incarnations in the wheel of life, and the sum of all your actions, across all incarnations. It is composed of three distinct attributes: divine spark, magical spark and karma. A being’s spirit evolves naturally over eons and cannot be forcibly changed.
“The mind is consciousness, a being’s sense of self. For mortals, who are endlessly reincarnated in the wheel of life, the mind is reformed with each rebirth. It too is composed of three distinct attributes: creativity, intellect and charisma. Your incarnation on Myelad is not a true rebirth. By the will of the gods, your spirit has been plucked from the wheel of life and chosen as a player in their game. Hence, your mind will be imprinted, unchanged, on your avatar.
“The body is the shell in which your mind and spirit resides in your present incarnation, and is the most malleable of the three aspects. It is composed of three attributes: strength, dexterity and constitution.
“In the game, all attributes are permanent and unchanging.”
Kyran grimaced unhappily. In RPGs, attributes were usually one of two pillars on which skills rested (the other being traits), and in this respect the gods’ game appeared little different. Being unable to change his attributes meant his skill choices would be hampered. To maximise the strength of his skills, he would have to restrict his choice of skills to those governed by his better attributes. Studying his attributes, Kyran winced again. Most were less than stellar. But it was not all doom and gloom. Two attributes in particular, intellect and magic spark, appeared quite exceptional. He would build his skills around these.
Looking through his attributes again, he asked, curious, “My magical spark attribute is quite high. Is this because I lack any divine spark?”
“Perhaps. There is no direct correlation between the two, but the cosmos strives for balance in all thing. So possibly, it is it's way of compensating you.”
Kyran digested this and waded through the rest of the information. A new thought occurred to him. He said, slowly articulating his thoughts as he spoke, “From your earlier conversation with goddess Iyra, it appeared that she was unaware of my divine spark level. I assume this means that she and the other gods are equally unaware of my other attributes. Does this mean that the gods cannot perceive another being’s attributes? But if that is the case, how do they select their champions?”
“This information is not necessary for your avatar’s creation. Do you wish for this query to count as your second question?”
“No,” said Kyran, waving aside the Overseer’s query. While he was curious, the information was not crucial. However, he would make sure to keep it in mind. With his attributes hidden, he might yet surprise the gods.
Seeing that Kyran had no further questions, the Overseer went on. Gesturing towards the well, he said, “Your attributes define the total energy available to you.” A new window opened in the well, this one showing Kyran’s basic avatar profile.
Profile (Basic)
Name: Kyran Seversan
Race: undefined
Effective Player Level: 1
There are two types of player levels, combat and civilian. Your effective player level is the higher of these two.
Combat Level: 1 (0 / 2000 XP)
Civilian Level: 1 (0 / 2000 XP)
Your combat level is a measure of your overall combat strength. It is increased by accumulating combat experience points (XP). This is primarily achieved through kills in battle.
Your civilian level is a measure of your competence in non-combat activities such as crafting, gathering, exploration, etc... It is increased by accumulating civilian experience points (XP). This is primarily achieved through the use of civilian abilities.
Health: 10 / 10 Health Points (HP)
Stamina: 500 / 500
Will: 1020 / 1020
Essence: 1200 / 1200
Health is a reflection of your remaining health or the amount of damage you can sustain. It is primarily determined by your player level and further influenced by the attribute: Constitution.
Stamina is the energy you have available to perform physical actions. It is equal to 10 x Constitution.
Will is the energy you have available to perform mental/psi actions. It is equal to 10 x (highest mind attribute).
Essence is the energy you have available to cast spells. It is equal to 10 x (the higher of divine or magic spark).
Defences:
Your defence is a measure of your ability to avoid hostile actions. Defence is primarily determined by your player level and is modified further by worn equipment, and the applicable armour skills.
Physical Defence: 1.
Psi Defence: 1.
Spell Defence: 1.
As Kyran studied the profile sheet, the Overseer continued, “Each aspect, mind, body and spirit generates its own form of energy. Stamina (physical energy) is generated by the body. Will (psi energy) springs from the mind and essence (spiritual energy) is derived from the spirit.
“All actions, be they basic actions, such as the thrust of a sword or abilities – special actions – are performed using one of the three forms of energies: stamina, will or essence. For players in the gods’ game, the cost of these actions is quantified and explicitly defined.
“Defences represents your ability to avoid attacks. There are three forms of defences, physical, psi and spell. Each is a measure of your ability to negate hostile actions of the same energy type. Your defences will scale with your effective player level as you progress in the game.”
“In the game, every sentient being has two associated levels: a combat and civilian one. The combat level is a measure of a being’s combat effectiveness. Likewise, the civilian level is a measure of a being’s competence in non-combative activities such as crafting, exploration and leadership. Each is levelled independently, and your effective level is the higher of the two.”
The avatar creation process was complex, and he could not help but wonder how champions managed to navigate it. He asked, “Do all champions go through this process? Surely many do not have the knowledge necessary, to wisely choose between the options presented?”
“All champions go through this process, however, their gods usually guide their choices.”
“Of course, they do,” murmured Kyran, unconvinced, “but guide or dictate?”
The Overseer did not offer a response, but instead stared steadily back at Kyran.
“Never mind. I can guess,” said Kyran. Whatever the situation with the champions, without a guide, he was quite fortunate to have the necessary background to under
stand the choices presented. Or… was it more than fortune? The string of circumstances that led him, to both being here and possessing the knowledge to understand Myelad’s game mechanics… well, to the say the least, it was extremely unlikely.
He had only been twelve when old man Jonas, who, at wits end on how to keep a young rapscallion out of mischief, had sat him down at the wreck of his ancient computer, and sternly tasked his younger self with fixing it. Kyran remembered that day vividly. It had been the second turning point in his life, and the day his lifelong passion for computer gaming had begun. What, he wondered would the old man make out of all this? Likely he would tell him to stop daydreaming and get back to work. He would miss the old man. Wistfully, he pushed back his memories and returned to the present.
The majority of the concepts presented were familiar to Kyran. The only twist was the use of two player levels. He wondered how it would impact the game mechanics. Though for now, he felt he could safely ignore it. “Can I please view the next aspect of my avatar’s creation.”
The mists rolled over and parted again. This time when it cleared it was filled with long lines of text. “Next determine your avatar’s traits.
“In addition to the racial traits shown earlier, there are four other trait categories: player, champion, god-given and class traits. Class traits are not available at this time, and will be unlocked during your time on Myelad. Player traits are automatically awarded to all players. Likewise, all champions inherit the champion traits. Each god can also gift its champions with two god-given traits, these being traits unique to champions of that god. As a free agent, you do not qualify for the champion traits, nor do you have a god to gift you its traits.
Crota Page 4