Spoiler alert.
You're not supposed to read a Professional's full status unless you have the right skills or grasp their arms. Do you have the right skills?
Okay, let’s do this.
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Augusta Mary Cowen will probably one day star in a prequel short story set on the days when the Gilded Gate opens up in London (tentative title: The Infinite Labyrinth – Knight), but she began as a newbie in the days of the Gate opening, like everyone else.
Augusta Mary Cowen
Health: 186/186
Mind: 165/165
Endurance: 163/163
Aether: 151/151
Effective level: 1
Level 1 Defender
Experience: 0/1000
Strength: 14
Dexterity: 15
Agility: 15
Constitution: 18
Stamina: 16
Wisdom: 14
Focus: 17
Presence: 15
Fortitude: 16
Intellect: 15
Milestones: none
Skills: none
Equipment: none
18 years later (and she still looks like a young 30, not a late-40ish old victorian hag, in case you're wondering), she’s there, at the end of the ship's plank in front of Randel:
Augusta Mary Cowen
Health: 26869/26869
Mind: 12884/12884
Endurance: 11109/11109
Aether: 9879/9879
Effective level: 708
Level 28 Imposing Knight
Level 96 Imposing Banneret
Level 73 Precise Fixer
Level 109 Advisor
Level 78 Light Commander
Level 62 Calculating Guardian
Level 86 Spellbringer
Level 81 Calculating Barrier
Level 58 Protector
Level 47 Defender
Experience: 7762/280000
Strength: 213
Dexterity: 165
Agility: 203
Constitution: 795
Stamina: 300
Wisdom: 255
Focus: 102
Presence: 259
Fortitude: 269
Intellect: 234
Defence Rating: 9971
Regeneration: 11%
Accuracy: 8%
30% Health/CON
30% Aether/INT
2.5 Aether/WIS
25% Mind/FOR
22.5% Team defence
35% Armour
Milestones: Defender III , Protector IV, Calculating Barrier VI, Spellbringer VI, Calculating Guardian V, Light Commander VI, Advisor IX, Precise Fixer VI, Imposing Banneret VII, Imposing Knight II
Skills: Dodge (13), Flat Blade (11), Protect (9), Anticipate (7), Intimidate (5), Burning Aura (4), Shielding (4), Lightning Grasp (3), Shock Touch (3), Share Debuff (3), Assess Mind (2), Freeze Limb (2), Repel (1), Fire Spark (1), Asphyxiate (1), Cold Blood (1), Cleanse Poison (1), Increase Healing (1), Share Pain (0), Deflect Attention (0), Assess Threat (0)
Equipment: Plated Intricate Runic Circlet, Plated Strong-path Breast Masterworks, Plated Strong-path Deflecting Handgrips, Plated Speed-path Adjusted Swordholder, Greaves of the Sarmasion Painmaker, Plated Speed-path Flexible Sollerets, Aerial Focus Neck Links, Dyremic Red Dualstone Ring, Ring of the Biskantan Swordbearer
Whoa, indeed.
As an aside, while the French, British and American Great Empires still rely mostly on conventional armies enhanced by various Labyrinth-powered tech, that’s why the Chinese go full Xianxia. A Hero (the Chinese name for their Professionals) leading the charge might be defeated by a company-strength force, a group of high-tier Heroes is nigh undefeatable (see the fight in London from chapter 1 or the worries from Randel in the Interlude just before this), except maybe a full brigade willing to stand their ground (and kill the healer first). However, if you lose your Heroes, it can take a decade or more to replace them.
The italicized items in her loadout are Artefact-level items (earned from the Sarmasios and Biskanta zones). Her sword (currently unequipped) is her third and biggest Artefact overall:
Armament of the Biskantan Swordbearer
Two-Handed
Artefact
Requires: Level 559
Provides: 671 lightning damage (+42% FOC), +2 Flat Blade ranks, +3 Shock Touch ranks, INT+93, CON+104, PRE+98, health+1104, mind+592, endurance+1561, +3% regeneration, +6% lightning skills cost reduction
She's a terror, isn't she? Typical lair enemy in tier 5 zones which are Cowen’s group latest haunts:
Enraged Frozen Elemental
Level 625 elite
Health: 30393
Mind: 29221
Stamina: 2088
Aether: 40196
(yields ~10600xp. Uses icy attacks that do 2091 dmg before mitigation… and spell attacks that do upward of 2860 area-of-effect dmg. That's considered trash mob, of course)
The real threat is when you encounter this guy:
Dirmankali of the Endless Ice
Level 610 boss
Health: 440975
Mind: 161982
Stamina: 379899
Aether: 320945
So, how does all this work?
She’s a trailblazer. She’s not the highest level in the British Empire, but she’s been doing Labyrinth scouting for 18 years, meaning she’s picked stuff as they found it. The build might not be optimal, but it’s a solid build.
Classes she’s picked along the way:
Defender
Stolen novel; please report.
(tier 1)
Required: 18 CON
Provides:
+6 health/+2 endurance/+3 mind/+1 aether per level
+1 Milestone/15 levels
Defender Milestone: +3 CON, +2 AGI, +1 STR, +1 INT, +1 WIS, 5% health/CON
Skill set: Personal / Defence
Protector
(tier 2)
Required: 25 CON
Provides:
+8 health/+3 endurance/+5 mind/+2 aether per level
+1 Milestone/14 levels
Protector Milestone: +5 CON, +3 STA, +2 WIS, +1 INT, +1 DEX, 5% health/CON
Skill set: Personal / Defence
At the edge of tier 3, she looked like this:
Augusta Mary Cowen
Health: 1357/1357
Mind: 591/591
Endurance: 548/548
Aether: 383/383
Effective level: 105
Level 58 Protector
Level 47 Defender
Experience: 0/116000
Strength: 17
Dexterity: 19
Agility: 21
Constitution: 47
Stamina: 28
Wisdom: 25
Focus: 17
Presence: 15
Fortitude: 16
Intellect: 22
20% Health/CON
Milestones: Defender III, Protector IV
Skills: Dodge (2), Flat Blade (2), Anticipate (2), Protect (1)
Skills are the 3 she's picked ranks at both Defender/Protector and the last 4th at Protector. The 5% health/CON does NOT stack between both Milestone types, only the strongest effect takes place.
Anyway, she's got the right stats to pick the next class (there’s none with just CON, but she qualifies for both possibilities):
Calculating Barrier
(tier 3)
Required: 45 CON, 20 INT
Provides:
+12 health/+3 endurance/+7 mind/+5 aether per level
+1 Milestone/13 levels
Calculating Barrier Milestone: +7 CON, +4 PRE, +3 AGI, +2 FOC, +1 STR, 5% health/CON
Skill set: Personal / Defence
And then she stumbles upon a problem once she discovered that her tier 4 should probably be:
Calculating Guardian
(tier 4)
Required: 85 CON, 36 INT
Provides:
+18 health/+5 endurance/+10 mind/+7 aether per level
+1 Milestone/12 levels
Calculating Barrier Milestone: +9 CON, +5 DEX, +4 STA, +3 INT, +1 WIS, 5% mind/FOR
Skill set: Personal / Defence
Can you spot the problem? Calculating Guardian requires more INT, but Calculating Barrier gives none. That’s when Charles Babbage, build expert, comes out and suggests picking some INT class for the missing 14 INT. She doesn’t qualify for the tier 2 full spellcaster, but she does for the hybrid tier 2 Spellbringer with INT/AGI. As much INT gains and better stats. Plus melee/control skills more suited for a tank than the full offensive set of spellcasters.
Spellbringer
(tier 2)
Required: 20 INT, 20 AGI
Provides:
+3 health/+2 endurance/+6 mind/+9 aether per level
+1 Milestone/14 levels
Spellbringer Milestone: +5 INT, +4 WIS, +2 STR, +1 PRE, 5% aether/INT
Skill set: Aether / Control
The downside is that she immediately loses all of her non-ranked defensive skills while she’s grinding Spellbringer. That puts a small crimp on her tanking abilities, but she still has her +3 dodge/flat blade/etc… She can’t rank them, but she can use them.
Augusta Mary Cowen
Health: 3133/3133
Mind: 1674/1674
Endurance: 963/963
Aether: 2018/2018
Effective level: 272
Level 86 Spellbringer
Level 81 Calculating Barrier
Level 58 Protector
Level 47 Defender
Experience: 0/344000
Strength: 35
Dexterity: 19
Agility: 39
Constitution: 89
Stamina: 28
Wisdom: 49
Focus: 29
Presence: 45
Fortitude: 16
Intellect: 52
30% Health/CON
30% Aether/INT
Milestones: Defender III, Protector IV, Calculating Barrier VI, Spellbringer VI
Skills: Dodge (3), Flat Blade (3), Anticipate (3), Protect (2), Intimidate (1), Repel (1), Burning Aura (1), Shock Touch (1), Freeze Limb (1), Lightning Grasp (1), Fire Spark (1), Asphyxiate (1)
Now, she can rank her Calculating Guardian… and then discover her next challenge while she does that, the only tier 5 tank class found so far. It is one of the "hybrids":
Imposing Banneret
(tier 5)
Required: 116 CON, 116 WIS, 116 PRE
Provides:
+28 health/+9 endurance/+15 mind/+12 aether per level
+1 Milestone/11 levels
Imposing Banneret Milestone: +12 CON, +7 WIS, +5 FOR, +4 DEX, 5% armour
Skill set: Equipment / Defence
“Oh, bollocks!” she says. She hoped for some sort of CON/something hybrid, but the closest she finds requires 3 stats. She has some WIS and PRE, but they’re absolutely not in range of what she needs.
“Hey, Babbage? Any ideas?”
“Sure, Cowen. How about starting with Light Commander, which you qualify for. Good stats, and you can rank your skills. Then you move on to Advisor, as soon as possible to get more PRE and good stats. And you finish with Precise Fixer which gives you exactly the stats you want. Yes, you do want that healing class. Trust me.”
Light Commander
(tier 3)
Required: 45 PRE, 20 AGI
Provides:
+5 health/+7 endurance/+12 mind/+3 aether per level
+1 Milestone/13 levels
Light Commander Milestone: +7 PRE, +4 STA, +3 DEX, +2 FOC, +1 WIS, 5% aether/INT
Skill set: Aether / Defence
Advisor
(tier 4)
Required: 68 PRE, 68 CON
Provides:
+12 health/+8 endurance/+19 mind/+6 aether per level
+1 Milestone/12 levels
Advisor Milestone: +9 PRE, +5 CON, +5 AGI, +3 WIS, 2.5% Team defence
Skill set: Team / Defence
(Group Defence is an effect by which she shares her Defence with the rest of the group. Everyone in her team gets 22.5% of her current defence rating as a bonus at Advisor IX. Alas, will not stack with anyone else's group defence - only the largest bonus wins)
Precise Fixer
(tier 4)
Required: 85 WIS, 36 STA
Provides:
+7 health/+5 endurance/+10 mind/+18 aether per level
+1 Milestone/12 levels
Precise Fixer: +9 WIS, +5 INT, +4 PRE, +3 STA, +1 CON, 0.5 aether/WIS
Skill set: Aether / Support
The two presence classes are in the Defence area, meaning she can improve her tank skills. The sideshow in healing is not that important, but it works to rank the skills she picked as a Spellbringer since it's all aether.
All of that grinding yields some good results:
Augusta Mary Cowen
Health: 7693/7693
Mind: 6071/6071
Endurance: 3646/3646
Aether: 5504/5504
Effective level: 594
Level 73 Precise Fixer
Level 109 Advisor
Level 78 Light Commander
Level 62 Calculating Guardian
Level 86 Spellbringer
Level 81 Calculating Barrier
Level 58 Protector
Level 47 Defender
Experience: 0/584000
Strength: 35
Dexterity: 62
Agility: 84
Constitution: 184
Stamina: 87
Wisdom: 132
Focus: 41
Presence: 188
Fortitude: 16
Intellect: 92
30% Health/CON
25% Mind/FOR
30% Aether/INT
2.5 Aether/WIS
22.5% Team defence
Milestones: Defender III, Protector IV, Calculating Barrier VI, Spellbringer VI, Calculating Guardian V, Light Commander VI, Advisor IX, Precise Fixer VI
Skills: Dodge (6), Flat Blade (6), Anticipate (5), Protect (5), Intimidate (3), Burning Aura (3), Lightning Grasp (3), Share Debuff (2), Shielding (2), Shock Touch (2), Freeze Limb (2), Repel (1), Fire Spark (1), Asphyxiate (1), Assess Mind (1), Cold Blood (1), Cleanse Poison (1), Increase Healing (1)
Okay, her Fortitude is pitiful and 25% Mind/FOR is going to be a waste. So what? The goal is tier 5, not stats.
She managed to rank defence skills for 6 out of 8 classes, and she's got some interesting control and team skills. Sounds very, very good indeed.
And now she can level her tier 5 Imposing Banneret. And when they find out the Imposing Knight class, she’s very happy that she’s followed Babbage’s advice since she already has enough PRE for the next step! No more detours!
Okay, by then, Babbage has a General Theory of Professions and has a fairly good idea of what each profession has for stats and requirements. It's almost as if he had an excel spreadsheet with the class designs on it!
A reminder of the Imposing Knight as seen in the previous chapter:
Imposing Knight
(tier 6)
Required: 188 CON, 188 WIS, 188 PRE
Provides:
+45 health/+13 endurance/+23 mind/+19 aether per level
+1 Milestone/10 levels
Imposing Knight Milestone: +15 CON, +10 WIS, +6 AGI, +4 FOC, 5% armour
Skill set: Opponent / Defence
And that’s the final “naked” build for Ms Cowen (not Mrs. Common error from Avery Randel):
Augusta Mary Cowen
Health: 13279/13279
Mind: 8655/8655
Endurance: 4874/4874
Aether: 7278/7278
Effective level: 708
Level 28 Imposing Knight
Level 96 Imposing Banneret
Level 73 Abiding Fixer
Level 109 Advisor
Level 78 Light Commander
Level 52 Calculating Guardian
Level 86 Spellbringer
Level 81 Calculating Barrier
Level 58 Protector
Level 47 Defender
Experience: 0/280000
Strength: 36
Dexterity: 108
Agility: 96
Constitution: 299
Stamina: 72
Wisdom: 210
Focus: 49
Presence: 192
Fortitude: 81
Intellect: 67
30% Health/CON
30% Aether/INT
2.5 Aether/WIS
25% Mind/FOR
22.5% Group defence
35% Armour
Milestones: Defender III, Protector IV, Calculating Barrier VI, Spellbringer VI, Calculating Guardian IV, Light Commander VI, Advisor IX, Abiding Fixer VI, Imposing Banneret VII, Imposing Knight II
Skills: Dodge (8), Flat Blade (8), Anticipate (6), Protect (6), Intimidate (4), Share Debuff (3), Burning Aura (3), Lightning Grasp (3), Shielding (3), Shock Touch (2), Freeze Limb (2), Repel (1), Fire Spark (1), Asphyxiate (1), Assess Mind (1), Cold Blood (1), Cleanse Poison (1), Increase Healing (1)
She's already ranked Dodge and Flat Blade and will progress on the skill ranking as she gains Milestones in Imposing Knight. By the way, Dodge looked like this on Ira last time we saw him:
Dodge
Personal/Defence
Rank 2: Gives a 22% +2% × AGI/CON chance of dodging. Cost on trigger: 0.98 Endurance/AGI.
Cowen's rank looks like that:
Dodge
Personal/Defence
Rank 13: Gives a 31.5% +13% × AGI/CON chance of dodging. Cost on trigger: 0.87 Endurance/AGI.
You see why she likes that skill. Any melee attack, she has a 34.8% chance of negating outright (at current AGI/CON).
Then she has mostly level 500-550 heroic-type gear, with three Artefact items. Stat-wise, without the sword, she gets ~16500 in terms of vital pools, ~1350 total potentials and 17 various skill ranks, which brings her to the total stats at the start.
And then? What is she's looking for?
There's a new tier 7 zone unlocked recently and she is aiming for that new tier 7 Profession they’ve just discovered (and yes, the word Lord is used - Queen Elizabeth II in our history is "Lord of Mann" for instance, so it's not really inappropriate):
Impassable Lord
(tier 7)
Required: 292 CON, 292 WIS, 188 PRE, 188 STR
Provides:
+70 health/+23 endurance/+40 mind/+18 aether per level
+1 Milestone/10 levels
Impassable Lord Milestone: +19 CON, +14 PRE, +9 STR, +4 FOC, 2.5% group defence
Skill set: Team / Defence
… and she has a big problem to address, her unequipped STR is… only 35. She’s missing 153 points in it.
She's going to need some serious boostrap. Or find a different defence class.