“How do skills grow in rarity?” Alarion asked, the question directed at ZEKE even though his stare was still evenly matched against Sierra’s.
“It varies.” ZEKE admitted as he paced. “For general skills the easiest way is simply to max out their progress at the current rarity. A common detection skill will advance to an uncommon detection skill if you fill its progress when it is already 10th level. Beyond that you can advance an existing skill by taking it as a class skill, which will typically bump up its rarity and effects. Sometimes you will see a rarity increase if skills merge, or if you develop them into an earned skill.”
“An earned skill?” Alarion glanced back to his floating status to see if he’d overlooked something, then frowned. “I don’t see a category for those.”
“You will not until you have earned one.” Sierra explained with just the slightest hint of self-satisfaction.
“They’re beyond the scope of this discussion.” ZEKE replied, before attempting to mollify Alarion’s clear annoyance with a brief summary. “Imagine them as much more specialized general skills, for now.”
“Mm.” Alarion grunted, nonplussed. “What about Class skills?”
“Those are harder to advance. Typically you need to max out your progress on the skill in question, and then have an epiphany about the skill.” ZEKE explained.
“An epiphany?”
“Like with your trick with the Shifting Imperial Greatsword.” Elena clarified. “You need to push the edge of what the skill is capable of. To try to expand the boundaries of the function the system has imparted onto it in order to make it do something new.”
“That sounds difficult.” Alarion frowned.
“It is, but we will cross that bridge when we arrive. The last major omission in your knowledge is that of Rank.” The Steelborn continued onto his original focus. “For that, we need to speak briefly on the subject of classes.”
ZEKE gestured and the projection of Alarion’s status shifted once again to display both of his classes.
> Survivor [Common](Rank I)
>
> Description: Survival in grueling circumstances can be a challenge. The survivor rises to that challenge like few others, imparting lifesaving skills and endurance.
> Requirements: None.
> Growths - STR – +4 – 50% | AGI – +4 - 50% | VIT - +4 - 70% | INT – +4 - 30% | WIL – +4 - 50% | PER – +4 - 50%
> Note: Due to the flaw [Single-Minded] this Rank Up was automatically selected.
—
> Orphan [Rare](Rank II)
>
> Description: Survival in grueling circumstances can be a challenge. Survival as a child, alone, is nothing short of a miracle. Or dumb luck.
> Requirements: Level 1 Survivor Class. Age 13 or below. Aptitude of 150% or higher. No verbal or physical contact with any adults for a minimum of fifteen days.
> Growths - STR – +5 – 40% | AGI – +5 - 40% | VIT - +5 - 40% | INT – +5 - 40% | WIL – +5 - 40% | PER – +5 - 40% | LUK – +64 – 80%
> Note: Due to the flaw [Single Minded] this Rank Up was automatically applied.
“As an Awakened, class choice is one of the single most impactful decisions you will ever make.” ZEKE began, careful not to draw attention to the note at the bottom of each class summary. “While there is no known limit to the amount of classes a person can have, there are very practical concerns about taking bad classes. If you have two martial combat classes that both specialize in sword usage, you will split your progress between them any time you fight with a sword and crucially, the split progress will be less than the sum of its parts.”
“A trap class choice, like your Survivor class, could cripple someone with less potential.” Elena added. “There are ways to remove a class to prevent it from wasting valuable experience, but they are expensive and invasive so it is best to avoid it all together. In general, a class with no requirements like that is a complete dead end, offered by the system solely as a method of survival for the truly desperate. That you fumbled into taking it without your knowledge, and to a meaningful Rank Up almost makes me wonder.”
The Steelborn uttered a few arcane words, and a third projection appeared, this one displaying a class that was entirely foreign to Alarion.
> Steelborn Sentinel [Exceptional](Rank I)
>
> Description: Patient and steadfast, to be a Steelborn Sentinel is to endure and to outlast. Uninterested in the decisive finish, a Steelborn Sentinel watches and waits for vulnerabilities, wearing down their opponent through the steady march of time.
>
> Requirements: Steelborn. POW 30. VIT 20.
>
> Growths - STR – +6 – 50% | AGI – +6 – 50% | VIT - +6 – 60% | INT – +6 - 40% | PER – +6 – 50% | WIL – +6 – 60%
“One of yours?” Alarion asked.
“Quite astute young master. The name rather gives it away,” ZEKE replied as Alarion’s cheeks took on a slight bit of color. “As you can see, even a small jump from common to exceptional can provide a large overall boost. My class averages eighteen attributes per level before aptitude compared to twelve from your survivor class. If we’d both progressed fully through our respective classes with similar aptitude, I would have roughly eighteen hundred to your twelve hundred, a massive gap in power.”
Alarion reviewed the numbers, then turned his attention to Orphan and started counting. “Rare is only one rank higher than exceptional. But the difference there is way higher. Is it…?”
The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement.
“The benefit of Rank.” ZEKE confirmed. “Which is most of the point of this detour. What do you know about rank?”
This time, perhaps to his tutor’s surprise, Alarion replied only with a shrug.
“The basics, then?” ZEKE asked. “You remember the stem example?”
Alarion paused, as though thinking on the matter. Then his hand dipped into a pocket to retrieve one of the few grapes he’d stored away for snacking. “Yes.”
ZEKE set his pupil with a long, heavy stare before he continued.
“As you level up in your class and your skills, you will grow in power. These increases in skills, attributes and feats of strength, along with less tangible aspects tracked by the system, such as contact with others in case of your orphan class, will come together to meet the requirements of higher rank classes. Once you have met the requirements for a minimum of three alternate classes, you will receive your Rank Up notification, and be prompted with the offer to select one of the qualifying classes. If you refuse, then you will be offered the choice again, possibly with updated choices to reflect your growth, once every ten levels at what are known as milestones. The same levels in which you gain new skills.
“This is one of the dangers of overspecializing, or of taking weak classes and skills.” Sierra’s interjection was more helpful than pithy this time. “If you do not meet the requirements for at least three classes by the time you hit the maximum level in your class, you simply cannot Rank Up further. Even if you later somehow meet the requirements.”
“And ranking up will make me stronger?” Alarion surmised.
"Somewhat." ZEKE explained. "You don't gain a boost from the class itself, but instead a jump in the value of each new level. Attribute growths triple for each additional rank, while the overall rarity of class skills, and future classes, tends to increase over time. Lastly, class skills are considered to be the same rank as the class-line that granted them, meaning their stat growths also triple, while general skills are considered to be one level below your highest rank class. These bonuses are retroactive which can result in a considerable bump if someone has ridden out their class for all six skills.”
The young man considered ZEKE’s words. “So... rank up as soon as I can?”
“Absolutely not.” The Steelborn replied with alarm. “At the bare minimum you should almost always deny your first Rank Up. Waiting until a milestone gives you at least one more skill, and allows for the possibility of more than three Rank Up options. In an ideal world everyone would always want to wait until they've hit the maximum level in your class before Ranking Up.”
“Why don’t they then?”
“Because we do not live in an ideal world.” Sierra explained, as though it were self-evident. “A craftsman might take a year or more to advance from the fourth milestone to the final one, and in that time he’d be making inferior creations that sell for less than he could be earning. Meanwhile soldiers often sacrifice their long-term potential for short-term growth simply to survive.”
“Or a Survivor might subconsciously advance to an Orphan for the survival benefits of a few dozen points of luck.” Elena added, pointedly.
“Did I cripple myself?” Alarion asked with a frown.
“Not with your Aptitude, no. And not given that you advanced into a fairly good Rank II class.” Elena smiled reassuringly. “That you haven’t progressed in it at all since your arrival makes me curious, but I have my suspicions about why that is.”
ZEKE made a point of clearing his throat, despite having no mechanical need to do so.
“But that is a topic for another time. If we digress any further, I suspect things may get bloody.”
“Thank you.” ZEKE said stiffly. “Display Status reads your existing condition, but it isn’t able to see potential upcoming skills or classes unless you personally review them. If you would be so kind, as to open your skill selection?”
Alarion did as he was asked and after a short delay, the air around him was flooded with visuals depicting each of his offered skills.
> Survivor’s Endurance [Common]
>
> Description: Hardship breeds resilience. Having crept to the brink and somehow survived, you have a more solid grasp on your limits and how to endure hardship as a result.
>
> Requirements: Suffer from the condition [Hunger – Starvation] at least once.
>
> Type: Passive
>
> Effects: Gain a minor increase to the effects of VIT for the purposes of resisting debilitating conditions (hunger, poison, exhaustion, etc.). If you have previously suffered from the most severe version of a condition and survived, this increases to a moderate bonus.
>
> Growths: VIT +12
—
> Survival of the Fittest [Uncommon]
>
> Description: Nature is not kind to those unfit to survive. You will not be either.
>
> Requirements: Kill five living creatures that are suffering from some form of debilitating condition.
>
> Type: Passive
>
> Effects: Gain a minor increase in damage against any foe suffering from a debilitating condition (hunger, poison, exhaustion, etc.). If your damage source exploits this condition, the bonus doubles.
>
> Growths: PER +6 STR +9.
—
> Hungry Eyes [Uncommon]
>
> Description: While others find their senses dulled by hunger, your intimate familiarity instead sharpens those senses to a razor focus in search of new prey to fill your aching belly.
>
> Requirements: Suffer from the condition [Hunger – Starvation] at least once.
>
> Type: Passive/Active
>
> Effects: Gain a slight increase to PER when suffering from any level of the [Hunger] debilitating condition. This increase improves as the hunger condition worsens. Do not suffer any penalties to PER due to the [Hunger] condition. For a minor MP cost, the user can become aware of all edible creatures within 20 feet.
>
> Growths: PER +9. VIT +6.
—
> Share the Pain[Exceptional]
>
> Description: Deprivation leaves its mark. Even the most strong-willed or good natured find themselves asking ‘why me, and not them’. That question is no longer purely hypothetical.
>
> Requirements: Suffer from a minimum of ten different debilitating conditions.
>
> Type: Active.
>
> Effects: At a touch, for a minor MP cost, the user can share a reduced version of any debilitating condition they are currently suffering from. For a moderate MP cost, the user can share any debilitating condition they are currently suffering from, or two reduced versions of any debilitating condition they are currently suffering from. For a major MP cost up to two conditions can be shared at a distance of up to 100ft.
>
> Growths: INT +9. VIT +9.
—
> Dimensional Bindle [Exceptional]
>
> Description: When one has no home, the ability to store things is at a high premium. The ability to store them securely, outside the reach of thieves or violence, even moreso.
>
> Requirements: Homeless. No other storage power.
>
> Type: Passive/Storage
>
> Effects: For a moderate MP cost the user can open a circular dimensional aperture no more than 1 ft in diameter. This aperture leads to a dimensional space 2 cubic ft in size. Items stored in this dimensional space cannot be accessed by any other means, but can be retrieved by additional uses of this ability.
>
> Growths: STR +9. VIT +9.
As Alarion finished with the last descriptions, he noticed Sierra at the corner of his vision. The girl was looking intensely, not at the skill details, but at him. That gaze lingered as he turned his eyes her way, a sadness in those ice blue eyes as she offered him a wan smile, then looked away.
Elena was the one to break the silence. “There are certainly some options.”