It started out as just another day browsing the internet. Alex Hastings, your average 26 year old Australian Joe had wandered into the CYOA topic on Reddit and having been a fan of reading some peoples attempts on Space Battles (Namely WORM) He thought; ‘Hey! Lets do a few.’

It started off with the popular super power WORM one every one loves in Space Battles. After that, he just looked around for more CYOA. Why? He wanted to try his own hand at writing.

Fantasy and LitRPG are a favourite of Alex’s reads, so he thought why not try a LitRPG It would make a fun time waster and side project from his studies.

Having scanned over a few, and filling out several lists on a word document, there was one in particular that tickled his fancy.

Generic System Apocalypse.

“It’s a jumpchain, but the premise is still good.” Alex mutters as he reads the description.

Alex was not ashamed to admit. He loved LitRPG, and system apocalypses had become a staple to his reading list. Just imagining what it would be like if the world turned upside down and he acquired  his own system, abilities or magic.

In any case, Alex downloaded the file after browsing it and started to go over his own list.

He liked the sound of the premise of this one.

“It’s the end of the world as we know it. Not from plague, war, or from storm, but from a

simple box that pops up in front of each person, announcing that they are level 1. This is the

System Apocalypse, where everyone is granted RPG character powers, monsters spawn across

the world, and dungeons now dot the landscape. The chaos and overturning of the social order

spells the end of the world as we know it.

People will recover, but much will be lost. So many lives snuffed out, and so much

change. Where will you go from here?

Take +1,000 Conversion Points to give yourself an advantage in this new world.”

The premise of the rules is simple. You get 1000 points to spend

“What do you do outside of combat?” He taps his chin in thought. “I like the idea of crafting in my system apocalypse. Might not be every ones cup of tea, but the idea of creating my own OP loot instead of finding it just seems more full-filling”

What is your combat role?

“When it comes to RPG’s I’ve always had more fun being a support or spell caster. Throwing giant fireballs and culling large swathes of enemies, buffing, debuffing or healing. So I’ll go Anchor.”

”Race?” Alex shrugs. “I like being human. Sure I could be a dwarf or elf or some shit like that but.” He shrugs again.

Human(Free/ +100CP)

“Demographic? I’ll go native and be just me.”

“Time and Location?” He thinks about it but… “Cities are nice, but I like rural areas.” Hell right now, he even lived in a peaceful one, which only just added to the choice.

“Here we go, Perks.

All Perks are discounted 50% for their Origins and Roles, with 100 CP perks.

discounting to free. This only applies to the first purchase; additional purchases are at half price

General perks:

Having a system is free and mandatory.

The System is an addition to a person, giving them additional potential, giving them the

ability to perform magic, and guiding and aiding the user via limitations.

A small shard of the System has grafted to your soul. This is one of the strongest

shards, giving you the maximum potential growth from the System. It will aid you, adding that

power onto you

Minimum Stats (free)

Being unhealthy is going to be a death sentence if you can’t get your Stats up fast

enough, or perhaps even then if your condition is less “generally unhealthy and out of shape”

and more something specific that can still kill or cripple you even through high Stats.

Fortunately I don’t play that kind of game, so you are now healthy. You’re in good

shape, and don’t have any health issues whatsoever. Your Stats are above 95% of the best

humanity has to offer for each one, before any potential from the System is actualized. No old

injuries acting up, no organs that don’t perform all their functions, no organs that

over-enthusiastically do their jobs. I’ll even do a quick pass to get rid of genetic issue

”As someone with a lot of health issues, being in peak physical condition seems too good to be true” Alex said with a chuckle but it is free so…

“Special shard… God touch or data cached?” thinking it over, he wouldn’t really want to be under the thumb of a god he has no prior knowledge off, so he crossed that off his list.

Cached Data 400CP

You gain experience. Not XP. With every Class you gain, you also gain a decade of

battlefield experience (or “workshop” experience for crafting Classes) of the previous user in

that Class. This is nearly 90,000 practical hours, not just time with the Class active.

If you have Class Supply List, then instead of gaining starter gear, you get some

mid-tier gear used by the previous user.

If you have a race with a racial Class, then so did the previous user. Make a second

race selection, also with a racial Class. (Pay only for the most expensive one.) You are a

chimera and get the benefits and weaknesses of both your races

Alex read, and re-read the description before he actually articulated what it meant. Its like if the system did appear, all his experience through his studies would not give him XP or generate skills for him, but still help with his knowledge and practical use of what ever class he may get stuck with. He would be stuck with someones  shard who perished or what ever, and gain their knowledge and expertise in their field.

But the knowledge that some people may instead become (God touched), that wasn’t himself added to the story.

“But first, who or what was the person’s race?” He questioned before bringing up a digital dice roller on the computer and rolling it.

He googled the dice and a digital 10 side dice started to roll on the screen.

“Eight, lets see what that is.”

Alex blinked after seeing what race it was and even laughed at the description. It was so apt, so on point with what he was going for besides dwarf that it was ridiculous.

8. Angel (300 CP)

Angels have floating, glowing elements on and around their head and vestigial wings.

They are notably more powerful at buffing, healing, and creating. They are more skilled at

light-related magic. Angels get access to one of multiple racial Classes, giving them access to

several unique healing, buffing, creation, and/or restoration Abilities and Feats, and unlocks the

ability to fly, among other boons. They live hundreds of times longer than humans but have

almost no fertility

One question remained. Was it a biblical angel or one of the more modern trope angels? “Meh, don’t think it matters.” He shrugged before going down the list.

This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience.

“Okay lets go to crafter perks.”

He read the perks and just loved all of them. Thing is though, he needs to be careful with what he spends as he only has 300 points left plus the 100 for being human. Then he smacked himself in the head.

”I forgot about drawbacks.”

Drawbacks are as stated. They are things that make the scenario harder, but give you points to spend in addition to the drawback

Drawbacks:

’There are world drawbacks that affect every one, personal that only affect me, and party. Since I wont have a party per-say, there's no point doing that one.’

Redistricting (+200 CP, +100 GP)

When the System initialized, it scrambled the large-scale geography of Earth.

Apparently New York and Oslo are in a single metropolitan area on the equator, and you can

walk from Cario to McMurdo station in a week. Meanwhile Portland and Seattle are now on

opposite sides of the globe. Well, maybe that doesn’t exactly describe what happened, but you

get the idea. While the original climate will stay for a bit, expect large-scale climate change

everywhere all at once to happen soon

Proprietary System (+300 CP, +200 GP)

Like any megacorp program, the System is designed to only work with certain other

technologies. And it does not like modern technology. Semiconductors, lightbulbs, electric

motors, gunpowder, modern medical manufacturing, and even applied nuclear physics are

incompatible. If it was invented after the start of the industrial revolution, it probably won’t work

anymore. This even applies to your items as well. Mechanical systems still work, as do baking,

brewing, and other more “established” forms of chemistry.

Level 1 (+300 CP, +400 GP

‘Starting at level 1 was just a freebie really. This was meant to be a Jumpchain thing. Ima abuse the shit out of that.’

Bad Starting Spot (+100 CP)

Remember when I said you could start anywhere you liked? Well, that’s still true, as

long as you like starting in a dungeon. You start in a dungeon, and you aren’t getting out until

you defeat a boss

‘There is a scenario at the bottom, but I don’t see the point of it. That is for Jumpchain in mind, where this is just a one shot type of thing.’

Alex then recalculated his points. 900 CP to spend plus 700 GP. GP or gameificaiton points, are meant to be spent on what type of applications the system every one will have.

‘Ok so I have 2000 points and have already spent 700. Lets continue where I left off.

Old Hobby Free (100)

Did you participate in ren faires before the apocalypse? Made your own clothes?

Forged your own swords? You're an expert at one pre-modern crafting skill, like blacksmithing,

herding, or weaving. Your skills have definitely improved from before the apocalypse, though, as

your experience in this just skyrocketed. This is sure to make yourself a valued member of the

community, but also increase the demand on your time.

You can take this multiple times, with a different skill each time.

Alex pondered and decided that since he was going to be a crafter, he would choose something to do with it as such. Not something he ever actually did, but tickled his fancy when it came to RPG’s which was black smithing or alchemy/chemistry. In this case, black smithing.

Scavenger (100 CP)

With long-distance transport dangerous at best, getting resources isn’t going to be as

easy as in the pre-System era. Fortunately, you’re good at scavenging, adapting existing

resources into new creations. You’re also good at harvesting resources, as well, and know how

to harvest monster parts, plants, and other resources.

You’re also lucky when it comes to harvesting and scavenging. Delicate parts are more

likely to be intact, monsters are more likely to be in a harvestable condition, and so on. This

won’t give you a 100% looting rate, but you should be bringing in a lot more than other

harvesters.

Consistent Crafting (200 CP)

If you could craft something once, you can craft it as many times as you have the

physical resources for. You perfectly remember anything you’ve made and can always

recognize your creations.

You do not make mistakes when it comes to crafting, harvesting, and scavenging, as

they are executed at your best every time. Your hands don’t slip, you harvest materials so they

don’t develop flaws, and so on.

There was one ability he wanted that did not come from the Crafting or Anchor skill tree, and that was Lucky.

Lucky (600 CP)

Luck is not a Stat. But it sure is a cheat. You’re lucky. While bad things happen to you

randomly, they happen only a tiny fraction of how often statistics says, and are a lot more

mitigatable. You will never die or otherwise be trapped, bottlenecked, or otherwise stuck just

because of luck - you would have to make poor decisions as well. You can’t be cursed with bad

luck, can’t have other people use luck against you, and are immune to tempting fate.

And of course your luck is more than just protective. When you get loot, it’s better, and

you get loot more often. You’ll stumble across plot coupons more than most people. Whenever

you do get into a crazy situation, you get crazy XP and other rewards from it like a proper

Protagonist

Alex knows how luck affects a protagonist in any story, and it just seemed, if he was going to be one in his own story, he should have a good reason why. Protaganist luck or ‘Plot Armor’ would be easier to explain with luck on his side. Plus better loot drops would go hand in hand with crafting.

“After all that, I have 400 points to spare.” He said to himself with a nod. “How about I convert them to Gamification points. That would be an additional 800.”

Now how will the system look?

‘Well, there goes the starter 1000 GP you get at the get go.’ He mentally mused with a sigh.

Unlimited Power! (1000 GP)

The System has no maximum potential. Stats can go up forever, Classes have

unlimited levels (though not unlimited Abilities and Feats) and Abilities and Feats have no limit

to their efficiency and versatility. Well, aside from the temporary ceiling of Class level. There are

now dozens of tiers of advanced Classes, each more powerful, MP-hungry, specialized, and

requiring more of the previous tier to unlock

‘This means I have 1500 points to spend now on how the system will work for every one or even perks for myself.’

Locked XP (+100+ GP)

This will lock XP when first acquired, requiring you to complete some action to make it

actually available for advancement

‘For these 100 points, lets make it simple. You can’t level up while in combat or while enemies are nearby.’

There are 7 classifications to this system that I can spend points on not pertaining to power rating which I selected unlimited.

They are as follows;

Exp or XP

How experience is gained and spent whether its on  classes, stats and skills/feats.

Decay (Free)

By default, the System locks in your gains, meaning you don’t diminish in raw power

over time.

Stats which is stats and attributes such as strength or dexterity.

No Grind (+100 GP)

Stats cannot be grinded up. The only way to improve them is through advancement (XP

or Stat Points.)

So, leveling up classes, or advancing them or even feats and traits are the only way to gain stats.

Energy pools

Something akin to say, SP for Stamina points, MP for Mana points, PSI for psionic points, Ki, chi, chakra, ect.

Unification (700 GP)

Cannot take with School Energy

Rather than having separate Stats for each school of magic, you instead have a single

magic Stat. This unifies all your magical and other esoteric powers into a single whole, where

your improved potency empowers everything you do

Classes

Class in gamer term refers to what abilities/skills and stats you get per level such as Warrior, Mage or cleric.

Class Registration (+100 GP)

For +100, in order to unlock a new Class, you must max out an existing Class you have.

If Unlimited Power! is taken, there is a fixed level that counts instead. Racial Classes will not

give an unlock.

For free, Classes can also be unlocked by finding rare, single-use dungeon loot items

that unlock a predetermined Class for one person

Skill Files (200 GP)

Whenever you acquire a new Class, you get basic skill knowledge related to it.

Whenever you get a new Ability or Feat, you get some basic skill knowledge. This isn’t

experience with them, but you know how to hold a sword, and how to use your Abilities. As you

level Classes, Abilities, and Feats, this knowledge improves

Abilities/Feats

Abilities are actions mediated by the system, active capabilities that consume MP. Feats

are passive rules that can be toggled, but do not consume MP. An Ability could be a fireball,

while a Feat could cause you to deal more damage with a school of fire magic when you are on

fire. They are mechanical and more physical in effect and design, not narrative.

All Abilities and Feats are linked to a single Stat, which controls their power. Leveling up

an ability or feat improves efficiency and adds side features at certain levels. Abilities and Feats

are tied to multiple Classes, and are limited in how much they can level by the highest level of

those Classes. Not all Classes associated with an Ability or Feat will provide it

No Grind (+100 GP)

Abilities and Feats cannot be grinded up. The only way to improve them is through

advancement (XP or Ability Points.)

Directed Evolution (50 GP)

When Abilities and Feats level up, they gain additional versatility. By choosing this, you

can choose from several options each time this happens. For example, you could get an

upgrade for a fireball to continue to light things on fire inside the area of effect for a brief time,

detonate again a moment later, detonate and then slowly expand, implode and drag things in

instead of blasting them away, or something else. Or you could choose to upgrade an effect

already on the Ability or Feat.

Other Features

Other features can include things such as creating parties, proximity chat or status tracking.

Inventory (150 GP)

A virtual storage space, capable of storing objects until their combined weight reaches a

limit related to your strength, a few times what you could carry. Includes filtering and sorting

options as well. You can move things in and out of the inventory through the window for the

inventory screen, and you must be holding the object for it to work

Class Supply List (50 GP)

Requires Inventory

Whenever you get a new Class, you also get a basic starter set of equipment to go with

1. It’s not high-quality, but it is reliable.

Chat (50 GP)

The ability to connect with people. In close proximity, you may send a friend request to

another System user. When you get a friend request, you can accept, which lets the two of you

exchange text, emoji, and voice information.

Also included are things like copying text from other parts of the System, group chats,

and archiving of all this information.

No Party Like A System Party (100-300 GP)

You have a party screen, allowing you to invite other System users to your

System-party, kick them, and accept invites to other parties

and leave them. A maximum of ten System users can be in a single party at once. Party

members are automatically aware of each other’s locations, pool levels, and any temporary

status effects on them. Summons and familiars count as part of the party but do not take up a

Slot

Dungeons

 Dungeons are System-related structures that exist in a pocket dimension except for the

entrance/exit. They have multiple levels, with a single way down in each level defended by a

dangerous encounter called a “floor boss.” Each level is made up of multiple rooms. Rooms

really only matter in terms of boss rooms, as those will seal when an expedition enters them and

starts the boss fight. Rooms will respawn after a random interval from being cleared.

The final level of a dungeon consists only of the final boss, the toughest fight in the

entire dungeon. No final boss fights alone, and all of them will have additional monsters joining

the fight at multiple points.

Dungeons will clear the area around their exits, keeping them accessible

By default, for free, each boss encounter will have a chest unlocked by completing it. It

contains useful materials, items, consumables, and one piece of equipment. The more powerful

the boss is, the more other stuff there is and the better all the loot is.

After going over everything, Alex was happy with what he got done. Though all that reading and calculating had taken its toll and he was feeling oddly tired. He saved his work, shut off his computer and decided to go to bed

‘I’ll start on it tomorrow when I got free time.’ He mused with a yawn before turning off the lamp on his bed side table and going to sleep.