Jeb returned the report about the Dragon and started his walk home. After a single step, the fear of what his family would say was already too much, and he knew he needed a distraction.
Now is not a good time to start learning a Glyph, he thought, mentally discarding the Mud, Earth, and Water Primers. That really just leaves the Magic Primer.
“Arthorns Primer to Beginning Magics: A Guide for the Edification of Young Commoner Students, Before They Can Find a Suitable Instructor” The title suggested that it would either be hopelessly pretentious or fifty years out of date. If Jeb had been forced to wager, he would have guessed both.
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First, Congratulations to you. You have set yourself apart from the rabble of the world, being chosen to wield the very forces of Creation itself. My earnest hope is that reading this book will keep you on this path, rather than falling off it as so many plebeians do. This Primer is divided into a number of sections, each of which should be read and fully comprehended before moving on to the next. When you find a Master to Apprentice under, he will likely pick up where I have left off. Because of this, I have put the minutiae and dry details early in the tome, as they are essential to your life, but not worth a Master’s time to explain. Section 1: Planning your Statistics It is no secret among the Classed that Statistics have a bearing on what High Tier Class options you receive. Why, even the meanest Farmer knows better than to focus his efforts on Intelligence, because he knows that it is a useless Statistic for his Class.
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The book had worked to distract Jeb from his crisis, at least. Had the author never met a single Farm Manager or Breeder or Brewer? All of those Classes required high Intelligences, if his family was to be trusted at least. Still, if the Librarian gave him the primer, it was likely to be useful. He looked back down.
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It is important from your first Tier increase that you choose how you want to grow as a Mage. Instead of the single point you likely received in each of the four relevant Statistics, you will instead see that higher Tier Classes have more gains but more focused gains as well. Completing Class-granted Skill Quests can also be a good way to mold yourself, so long as you are careful to only complete the Quests relevant to the Statistics you hope to increase.
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Again, Jeb felt like the author must have made a mistake. He checked his Class Description once more:
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Least Mud Initiate First Tier Magical Class (Advanced) Rare
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Congratulations young Mage. Without access to the fullness of the System you have claimed knowledge over Earth and Water. You have not stopped at wielding these two powers separately, though. Rather, you have worked to join these powers into one, creating Mud. Continue working, that you may grow in your power.
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Level Bonus: +3 to Willpower +2 to Mana Depth +1 to Intelligence
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Hmm, it doesn’t seem as though I have any increases in Magic Affinity or Charisma, he thought, though I am also getting more than four points for the Level. I wonder what that could be about. Jeb thought.
The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement.
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Now, on the off chance that you have somehow earned a Rare Class, you will note that the Statistic gains are both higher and more focused already. It is of the utmost importance that you find a Master immediately, so that you do not accidentally fall off of the path that the Paragons have laid for you.
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Well that wasn’t happening.
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Now, the savvy among you might notice that you have no gains in Charisma. This is normal. Charisma is hardly a Mental Statistic at all. Leave growing that to the Bards and Minstrels. Focus instead on the two Statistics you need. In general, an Intelligence focus is for those who wish to optimize Spell Glyphs. Of course, an optimized Spell Glyph is only useful if the caster can still use it. After all, if optimizing a Second Tier Glyph makes it a Twelfth Tier Glyph, even if all of the Mana is being used perfectly, the Spell is now only an academic curiosity. In short, Intelligence is a Statistic only to strive for if you wish to live in a dusty academic facility. On the other hand, a Willpower focus is for those who wish to use Spell Glyphs in an optimized manner. Once the Glyph has started its effect, Willpower is what allows you to direct the Mana. The great ramparts that our Battlemages build are possible through use of Low Tier Glyphs used excellently. Should you take the correct route and focus on Willpower, it is generally recommended that you have a secondary focus on Mana Density. It is the Density of his Mana which allows Weather Mages to summon great gale winds, or Fire Mages to burn their enemies where they stand. All of the direction you give Mana means nothing without the power behind it, and vice versa. Now, in the interest of appeasing my academic colleagues, if you should choose to focus on Intelligence, it is generally accepted that one should also focus on their Magic Affinity. A high Affinity allows for the faster creation and learning of Glyphs, which is essential for those who wish to spend a thousand Mana on reducing the Mana usage of a Spell by a fraction of a single point.
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Though the guide seemed to recommend against it, Jeb found himself leaning towards an Intelligence-based build. After all, if he wanted to become a Farmer Mage, ridiculous as the idea might be, he would clearly need to create his own Spell Glyphs. Then again, maybe he would be better served by working existing Spells into what he needed. After all, Least Move Earth did, in fact, serve to move the Earth when he was working it. He would need to find someone else to ask about it.
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Though it is theoretically possible to make other combinations of two Statistics, it is actively advised against. A Willpower and Magic Affinity build, for instance, is both redundant and self-sabotaging. After all, what is the point in learning one hundred Glyphs to create a campfire, only to focus on bending another Fire Spell into creating one? A Willpower and Intelligence build might, on first glance, seem reasonable. After all, knowing where to move Mana should make it easier to move the Mana, right? It is here that I find I must remind the reader that you must focus. After all, having any Statistic higher will make their Magic more effective. Yet, working to increase all of your Statistics will mean that you cannot spend the needed time honing your talents. You will be worse at displays of power than one who focused on Mana Depth, and worse at optimization than one who focused on Magic Affinity. It is not my goal to demoralize the reader, but rather to provide a place of optimism. The Republic has, in its great workings and recordings, found the path which leads to your best chances at power and health.
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Jeb was close enough to the farm now that he didn’t think he should start on the next section. Still, something in the book rubbed him the wrong way. Surely there had to be a benefit to the other combinations, or at least in not specializing so heavily. After all, on the farm, he knew that there were uses for any combination of Statistics, at least if he ignored Mana Depth and Magic Affinity.
Speaking of the farm, Jeb noticed that his home was nearly in sight. Strangely, though, there was no one out working in the fields. All of the animals seemed to be gone as well. He was beginning to get nervous when he saw the house.
It was dark. There was no sign that anyone was inside at all. What could have happened to his family in the few hours that he had been gone? His mind helpfully supplied the image of a Dragon descending down to kill everyone he loved. Heart heavy, he opened the door to his home.