Spells
Enhanced Sight – May be cast on self or ally. Improves visual acuity of the recipient in dark or obscured conditions. Cost – 20 Aura. – 52%
Create Trap – Place a magical trap upon an area. Size, type, and trigger of traps is determined by your proficiency. Cost – 40 Aura. – 53%
Elemental Arrow – Your next arrow is imbued with elemental energy and causes additional elemental damage accordingly. Cost – 30 Aura. – 28%
Spike – Launch Ice Spike(s), delivering bonus cold damage on a successful hit. Cost – 40 Aura. – 20%
Bolt – Release a Bolt of pure Lightning at your target(s). Cost – 40 Aura. – 27%
Find Weakness – Highlights vulnerable points on the target. Modifier – Intelligence. Cost – 80 Aura. – 20%
Summon Elemental – Summons an Elemental creature. If you succeed in binding it to your will, the creature will serve you faithfully until the spell’s expiration. Modifier – Charisma. Cost 100 Aura. – 42%
Shield – May be cast on self only. Manifests a forward-facing barrier against incoming projectile attacks. Duration and resistance of the barrier are based on proficiency and modifier value. Modifier – Constitution. Cost – 80 Aura. – 24%
Entangle – Create an area of entangling vines that will hold any foes caught within its radius. Area of effect, the distance you may cast the Spell, and the power of your vines will all vary based on your Abilities and proficiency. Modifiers – Strength and Dexterity. Cost – 150 Aura. – 26%
Compel – Force a sentient creature to answer a single question. If you successfully dominate their will, the target will reply with a truthful answer to one question you ask. Modifier – Charisma. Cost – 80 Aura. – 1%
Slumber – Area-of-effect sleep Spell. All enemy creatures caught within the boundaries of this magic who fail a Constitution check will fall into a deep state of unconsciousness. Modifier – Charisma. Cost – 350 Aura. 1%
Fireball – Launch an orb of raw fire energy at your foes, which will explode on contact. The force and magnitude of this blast will vary depending on your proficiency and modifiers. Modifiers – Intelligence and Wisdom. Cost – 300 Aura. 1%
Shadow Magic – Affinity 17%
Life Drain – Rip the life force from your target and add it to your own. This will either restore your own Health or add a temporary boost to it if it is already full. Modifier – Constitution. Cost – 150 Aura. 1%
Skills
Bow – 68%
Critical Hit – 54%
Blades – 51%
Long Sword – 50%
Short Sword – 53%
Dagger – 60%
Critical Hit – 44%
Two-Handed – 57%
Pole Arms – 14%
Spear – 23%
Armor – 45%
Medium Armor – 47%
Perception – 58%
Environmental – 59%
Identify Enemy – 56%
Identify Person – 54%
Combat Dodge – 26%
Subterfuge – 41%
Stealth – 41%
Find Trap – 20%
Disarm Trap – 20%
Set Trap – 20%
Manipulation – 57%
Persuade – 68%
Barter – 41%
Survival – 24%
Tracking – 27%
Identify Creature (Beasts) – 19%
Skinning – 16%
Field Dress – 15%
Alchemy – 19%
Herbalism – 31%
Potion Craft – 27%
Lore – 8%
Identify Magical Item – 14%
Damn, that was pretty awesome!
Long ago, my rough math told me that at ‘max level’ of 80, each my stats would fall in the mid-50s range, assuming the even distribution that the game, Second Skin, had implied. But that game was no more, and even distribution had gone by the wayside with it, so some of my Attributes were well above that mark already, even though I had over 15 levels left before I’d reach level 80. And the bonus from my Amulet made me even more powerful—only my Wisdom and Intelligence lagged behind, but not by much, and I didn’t seem to be suffering for it.
I’d gone over most of my messages and decisions with Venna but kept the note about my path and everything else regarding Shadow magic to myself. Venna understood who I was well enough, but I wasn’t sure that pushing the issue with her was a good idea. Besides, I was entitled to keep at least a few of my own secrets, right?
Sharing the experience with her seemed to help Venna unwind a little, and she stayed to talk with me for a while afterwards. She let me know that Stel was doing fine, but that the experience of dying and being resurrected had been stressful for him. It wasn’t the first time I’d heard that, so it didn’t surprise me; I told her to let him know that I’d look in on him the next day before she left.
I called Bane to me almost immediately after, and I spent the night huddled against him. I missed Tási being next to me, but Bane provided me with the comfort that I needed to fall asleep—eventually. Even knowing that Tási wasn’t entirely gone didn’t completely fill the hole in my heart, but it helped. And deep down inside, I knew that with Bane and my Tári, I would emerge from the shadows of my grief even stronger than I was before, and that the Dark Lands would feel the fury of my wrath when I did. Every orc, ogre, or other foul creature I came across would be an outlet for my rage until there was no more of it left. Which was just another way of saying forever.
Thank You!!!
This is my first series, so I hope you liked reading it as much as I’ve enjoyed writing it. I have a lot more planned for Dreya and her friends, so I hope that you will stay to follow their story as they continue to explore the world around them.
The Dark Lands await, and although Dreya may have discovered a lot about herself, I think we both know that there’s more yet to come. I used to be nervous about that, but now I think she scares me more than anything. Believe me when I say that sometimes… okay, a LOT of the time, I don’t know what she’s truly capable of. I guess we’ll just have to find out when she finally lets me know.
If you can, please take a moment and post a review for me. I really do want to hear from you and read your feedback.
I can be found lurking the pages of:
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https://www.facebook.com/groups/LitRPGsociety, among others.
Or, you can message me directly via @MDamonBaker1 or https://www.facebook.com/damon.grey.1401
Special thanks to my Editor, Casey J Fenich. Without her help, this book may have never come together. She literally is the best, and can be found at: https://www.thothediting.com
www.facebook.com/thothediting
About the Author
M Damon Baker lives in sunny Florida with his family, dog, and 8.5 million alligators. Having played both tabletop and MMO RPG’s for more years than he cares to admit, M Damon was inspired to write his first novel after discovering the LitRPG genre. Keep up with him and be the first to discover his new releases by following M Damon on Amazon and his social media sites:
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Twitter: @MDamonBaker1
Second Skin: Unified: A litRPG Adventure (Second Skin Book 3) Page 101