by Dean Henegar
“Wait a minute! Five silver! You charged me twenty silver last time!” I said, as I felt my blood pressure increase. This scammer had charged me four times as much the last time I had something identified. Then I remembered that after our last meeting he had agreed to not rip off myself or my followers. I couldn’t get mad now, he was simply following through with what he had promised.
“Ahhh yes, you see folks, the good Lieutenant here is taking advantage of my repeat and referral bonus. A discount to folks who have shopped with me for many years, and referred many customers to my exquisite shop,” Phineas said, the slick huckster taking a potential problem and turning it into a marketing point. “Please hand over the bracelet and my decades of mystical mastery will quickly identify every detail for you,” Phineas said with a flourish and then held out his hand. I plopped the bracelet in his palm and he covered it with his other hand, chanting and causing lights to spark from between his fingers. I knew the spectacle had little to do with identifying the item and everything to do with attracting business. The light show finished and Phineas handed the bracelet back.
“You found quite the unique item, Lieutenant. May it serve you well. Now, who is next? You sir! Facing the dungeon this day? Purchase the amulet of protection from Basilisks. Guaranteed to prevent you from turning to stone, or your money back!” I shook my head as I made a hasty retreat back toward the garrison. While walking, I looked at the bracelet.
Tessel’s Promise: This unique, soul bound bracelet is the symbol of the lifepact between Raytak and Tessel. The bracelet confers the following bonuses and will increase in power as Tessel increases in power. It is unknown what the bracelet will become at higher levels.
+1 defense. The bracelet allows the wearer to have skin that is hardened like the bark of a tree. The skin looks and feels normal but will toughen up under attack.
+1 resistance to poison and disease. The corruption of the dryad has taught your body to reject and overcome both poisons and disease more effectively.
+1 attack. The hand this bracelet is worn on moves a bit faster and hits a bit harder than normal.
Spreading corruption. Once per day, the user can fire a stream of acidic sap at any single opponent within thirty feet. This attack always hits, doing a combination of acid and poison damage. The damage scales with player level.
Blood is power. Reborn from the Foul Spore by using the blood of Raytak, Tessel still requires a bit of his life essence. Once equipped, the wearer will lose 50 health. The health is transferred to the dryad, Tessel, as a reminder of the lifepact between the two.
The item was powerful, as was its drawback. Somehow, I felt that equipping this item was something I needed to do, despite the penalty to my health total. I equipped the bracelet to my sword arm. As the bracelet hit my wrist, thorns sprouted and dug into my flesh. The bracelet wormed its way into my flesh as I screamed in pain. Several villagers ran up to me looking to help as I collapsed on the ground. The pain ended quickly and I looked down toward my arm, expecting to see terrible damage and bleeding. There was no blood and the bracelet was no longer visible on my wrist. There was only the distinct outline of a scar that resembled a branch with thorns encircling my wrist. A faint voice was heard in my head.
“We are bound again, though not in conflict. What threats I face, you face, and your enemies are my enemies. May we both grow in power and reach our destinies…” The voice of Tessel faded away, the tone not unpleasant like before. Perhaps I just heard a bit of what she must have sounded like before her corruption. I thanked the folks nearby for trying to help me and hustled to the garrison. When I arrived, four squads of standard soldiers and the squad of scouts were formed up in ranks with Sergeant Brooks moving up and down the rows, checking on equipment and gear. He also had my pack out and ready for me. I silently thanked the AI for attaching such a competent npc as my elite soldier.
“Sir, the platoon is formed and ready. Everyone has ten days food and water, no tents or extraneous gear. Shall we move out sir?” Brooks asked.
“I’ll move the men out, Sergeant. I need you to stay here and administer things while I’m gone. Make sure the replacements get here and assigned to our understrength units. Continue training everyone hard, specifically on how to fight in larger formation battles. I get the feeling things will ramp up as I level,” I said as the sergeant saluted, then returned to his duties. I took a moment to address the troops before we moved out.
“Soldiers of the Imperium! We face the potential of an old foe. We have reports that the Drebix tribes may be moving into this area and encroaching on the town. While there is currently an uneasy peace between our peoples, it is not unknown for clans to break off from the leadership and form their own hostile groups. If we do not face this threat now, they will increase in number and eventually overwhelm the town. Look to the soldier to your left and to your right. These are the men you will give your life to defend. These are the men who will give their lives to defend you. We fight together and conquer together. No band of savages can withstand the iron discipline of the Imperium...move out,” I ordered, and the men fell in step. We traveled out of the main entrance to the town, crossing the hastily constructed bridge my men had placed over the stake filled pit that was part of our meager town defenses. The bridge could be quickly pulled back when danger approached, preventing attackers from having easy access to the town. I counted seven town guards keeping watch. They did look woefully under-equipped and I hoped that Mayor Delling would get them some upgrades soon.
The road switched back several times as we descended from the plateau to the valley floor. The terrain toward the Northeast, where we were headed, consisted of rolling hills, broken occasionally by sparse groves of trees. Once out of sight of the plateau that held Hayden’s Knoll, I sent half of the scouts out ahead and to the flanks. The scouts should give us some warning when we neared our foes. The first day’s march passed uneventfully and we made camp for the night inside a small copse of trees. A few fires were allowed for cooking, as the smoke would be hard to spot in the dusk and the flames would be extinguished before it became fully dark. A hot meal at the end of the day worked wonders for morale. Guards were posted to keep watch, two soldiers and one scout on each shift. We began to cook our rations while the dusky sky inched closer toward darkness.
After the other men had been fed, a soldier handed me a plate with my ration of “back and beans”, which was the main meal we ate on the road. I always believed in taking care of my men before myself, insisting on not eating until all the men had been fed. Accompanying the back and beans was a hard, dried bread that tasted vaguely like a cornbread cracker. The “back” portion of the meal was a fatty, tough, salt cured piece of pork. The soldiers had said the piece of meat was so tough even a starving man would throw it “back” into the garbage. I found the food to be quite good, relishing the experience of the solid food that the game provided. My age and injury-ravaged body back in the medpod had been on a feeding tube for over a decade. While the camp was quiet, I took a moment to go over my character sheet. It had been some time since I looked at it and I wanted to see how my class was progressing.
Player: Raytak
Class: Commander (Imperium) Rank: 2nd Lieutenant
Level 5 (1590/5000)
Stats: n/a. This unique class does not use the standard base stats and cannot gain any benefit from standard stat-enhancing items.
Attack: 7. (1 gained per level in addition to any gear/ability/trait bonuses) The attack ability helps to determine whether a blow lands on an opponent. The attack rating, in conjunction with the weapons item level, determine damage to a target
Defense: 11. The defense skill has many variables and is modified by armor/level/agility/magic items. The commander class starts with 1 point in defense and gains 1 point every 5 levels.
Health: 650. (100 per level, +25 per level for the physically fit perk, +5 per level for the melee specialist perk, +50 for minor health medal, -50 for Tessel’s promise). The com
mander class gains 100 health per level in addition to any other item/ability bonuses.
Equipment:
Crude Imperial light leather armor set: +5 defense.
Simple large wooden imperial shield: +2 defense.
Standard bronze short sword: Item level 30. The item level of a weapon is the representation of the weapons overall power. Weapons of the same item level will still vary in damage based the nature of the weapon. A dagger of the same item level of a great-axe will still inherently do less damage.
Crude bronze dagger: Item level 15.
Crude bronze-tipped javelin: Item level 10.
Tessel’s Promise: Bracer, +1 attack, +1 defense, +1 resistance to poison/disease, -50 health. 1/day ranged, spreading corruption attack.
Minor Health Medal: This medal is awarded for distinguished service to the Imperium. +50 health.
Feats/Abilities/Class Skills:
Command Presence: Creates an aura in a 25-yard radius that inspires troops and allies under your command. They receive +2 attack, +2 defense, +1 to morale saves. The commander must concentrate on inspiring his forces and takes a -2 penalty to attack and defense while the aura is active. This ability increases in power as the commander levels. Toggled passive ability/30 second cooldown.
Honor Guard: Honor guard summons 2 advanced soldiers to protect the commander. These soldiers have the same stats as your other advanced troops and will exist for 30 seconds. During the time they are on the battlefield all opponents targeting you will be forced to fight the honor guard first. This ability can be used once every 22 hours. This ability scales with the commander’s level.
Manaless: You have eschewed learning any schools of magic. As a result, you have hardened your magical defenses and become resistant to hostile spells, or magical abilities used against you. A portion of your resistance will be transferred to the forces under your command. Current magic resistance 5%. Magic resistance for the forces under your command 2%. This ability scales with the commander’s level.
Shield Bash: This active ability orders your troops to bash the closest opponent with their shield, automatically hitting their target and dealing minor damage. The ability will force back foes and has the chance to deal a stun or knockdown. The ability can be activated on select troops, or on the entire unit at one time. 1-minute cooldown.
Thrust: Soldiers automatically activate the thrust ability once every 30 seconds in combat. Thrust adds a +5 attack bonus to the next strike and has a 10% chance to cause a bleeding wound.
Melee Specialists: This passive ability increases your soldier’s attack and defense by 1. Health is increased by 5 points per level. Soldiers have a -2 penalty to ranged attacks due to this specialization. This ability scales with level and may eventually open up new upgrade paths.
Physically Fit: You have implemented a physical fitness regimen for all your forces. This has beneficial health effects. Standard soldiers receive a +5 bonus to health per level, advanced soldiers receive a +10 bonus to health per level, and the commander/elite soldiers receive a +25 bonus to health per level. Should you become lax in your training, this bonus will be removed.
Negotiator: This perk provides a + 1 bonus to opposed haggling or negotiation checks.
Forces under your command:
Forces under your command will typically be equipped the same as the commander, only differing items will be listed here. Soldiers’ level is the same as the commander’s level.
Standard Soldiers Level 5. Max 2 platoons (100 soldiers).
Health: 125 (15 per level, +5 per level physically fit bonus, + 5 per level for melee specialist).
Attack: 2 (1 gained every 5 levels, +1 for melee specialist).
Defense: 8 (7 for gear and +1 for melee specialist).
Advanced Soldiers (Scout) Level 5: Max 1 squad (10 soldiers).
Health: 200 (25 per level, +10 per level for physical fit bonus, +5 per level for melee specialist).
Attack: 3 (2 gained every 5 levels, +1 for melee specialist).
Defense: 8 (7 for gear and +1 for melee specialist).
Crude light crossbow: Item level 15. The advanced scouts are not issued javelins and are instead equipped with the much more powerful, longer ranged crossbow. The ranged attack penalty for the melee specialist perk does not apply to advanced soldiers.
Elite soldiers Level 5: These are the non-commissioned officers of the Imperium (nco’s) and are the glue that holds the army together.
Health: 400 (50 per level, +25 per level for the physically fit perk, +5 per level for the melee specialist ability).
Attack: 4 (+3 every 5 levels, +1 for melee specialist).
Defense: 8 (7 for gear and +1 for melee specialist).
Command Presence: Elite soldiers inspire the troops around them. When the commander activates the command presence ability, the same effect will happen in a 10-yard radius around the elite soldiers. This enables the commander to influence a larger portion of the battlefield through his subordinates.
I still had a long way to go until I reached level six, but this mission should help get me there. I set the character sheet to notify me only of changes when leveling up in the future to help simplify the wall of text. I was surprised that I had been promoted to 2nd Lieutenant. The change might occur every five…”Ughhh!” I exhaled as a powerful blow hit me in the chest and howling war cries sounded from all around us.
Chapter 6
The blow to my chest had knocked the breath out of me and it took a few seconds for me to recover my wits.
You have been hit by a Drebix throwing spear. Critical hit and stunned for 5 seconds.
I turned off combat text as I looked around. Two of my soldiers were also down with spears in their chests as the rest scrambled to gather shields and draw their swords. A second flight of spears hit the camp as the stun wore off of me and I regained my feet. I noticed that, once again, there were only three spears hitting us. One of the spears missed, one was imbedded in a shield and one had hit an unlucky soldier in the head, the critical blow killing him instantly. I activated Command Presence and took charge of my troops.
“Form up! I need a circle with shields out! Scouts, ready your crossbows! There are only three out there throwing spears. Pick them off, if you get a shot,” I said as a protective circle of shields formed around me. The scouts frantically tried to load their crossbows as the howling war cries began again.
“Death to the Imperial dogs!” several voices shouted as figures emerged from the dark. A dozen tribesmen charged our ring of shields. Most were equipped with hand axes and small wooden shields. They wore no armor and had blue patterns crudely drawn over their bodies. Two of the attackers appeared to be of a different class. These two were larger than the others and they were frothing at the mouth while charging. One of the two held a bronze great-axe and the other held a two-handed club that was embedded with the teeth from various creatures. I scanned the attackers to find out what we were dealing with.
Drebix Raider (10): Level 3.
Drebix Berserker: Level 3
Drebix Berserker: Level 5.
There were ten of the raiders and they didn’t appear too threatening, as we had them both outnumbered and out-leveled. The berserkers were a bigger threat. The level five one with the huge club was intimidating…but I had ways to deal with him. The ones throwing the spears still had not shown themselves.
“Scouts! Section one, target the one with the club. Section two, target the axe wielder,” I ordered the scouts as they finished loading. Only nine crossbows fired instead of the ten I was expecting, noticing for the first time that one of the scouts was missing. The missing scout was one of the soldiers that had been on guard duty and I had a feeling we wouldn’t be seeing any of the three guards again. Six of the nine shots hit their targets. The axe wielding berserker was a clear kill as all five shots aimed at him hit the center of his chest. Like a puppet with its strings cut, the berserker dropped face first on the ground fifteen yards from our circle of shiel
ds. The club-wielding tribesman must have had some ability that protected him from missiles, as only one bolt from the crossbows hit him, punching through his bicep and dangling through the meat of his arm. Just as the wave of tribesmen hit, I activated shield bash for all my soldiers. Several of our foes were stunned and all but the berserker were pushed back several paces.
“We outnumber them! Break ranks and engage by sections,” I ordered. The men broke into four and five-man teams. Frustrated tribesmen didn’t know which way to attack, as they were quickly surrounded. Each time they tried to attack, a large shield was there to block them. When the tribesmen tried to attack, the soldier behind the tribesman had a chance to strike their own blow. The only exception to this was the berserker. As the group of four that were attacking the berserker began to surround him, a faint red glow covered the berserker and he spun in place. Thump, thump, thump, was heard as the spinning club knocked into the shields of three of the soldiers, the berserker having activated an ability called whirlwind. All three of the soldiers hit were knocked off their feet by the force of the blow. The fourth soldier facing the berserker brought up his shield just as the berserker committed to an overhand smash. Club met shield and the shield lost this time, shattering and allowing the club to hit the soldier square on the top of his head. The soldier’s head burst like a melon, as his body dropped to the ground.
A long mournful note sounded from a distant horn and the remaining tribesmen tried to flee. None of the remaining raiders made it back to the forest, as they were mercilessly cut down by Imperial bronze. The berserker, engulfed in his rage ability, was too slow to realize he was alone in the fight.
“Surround him! Don’t let him get away! I need some answers from this one. Scouts, reload and check on our sentries,” I ordered, and the soldiers got about their business. Turning back to the berserker, I watched as he was swarmed by my soldiers, one of the men taking a glancing blow from the club before the behemoth was tackled to the ground. The berserker continued to struggle, with a half dozen soldiers desperately hanging on, trying to keep the berserker down. Someone produced a length of rope and began to securely tie our new prisoner.