Chapter 201. Recruiting the Team.
Time to build a team. Maybe the best choice was to start from the highest tier first and work my way down. The tier two minions would be my most powerful, and I’d prefer to build a team around that choice. One thing I noticed was that there were several picks that sounded like multiple minions. It was kind of like some of the consumable figurines I’d used before.
Another issue was that all my choices were now common minions, and even my old standby Grulnok was no longer a veteran. It must have to do with them now able to gain ranks and abilities. Of the five tier two choices, one stuck out. It was the Mana Slayer Drone. These were the things I had fought onboard the starship. They were like some kind of terminator bots, that sought out mana users and tried to destroy them.
I also liked the Verminfolk assassin. One of those had ended me quickly, but I was reluctant to have a rogue type character as my top tier minion. Maybe it was short sighted, but I kind of wanted someone tankier at that tier. The plague warrior was powerful, and it was odd that a human summoned being from back home was chosen as one of my minions. I kind of figured that the lack of mana on Earth would make the system have a harder time pulling options from there.
Maybe a swarm tactic was good for the top tier, but my options were a bunch of kobolds or the tiki monsters, neither of which I was overly impressed with. It came down to the drone, the assassin, and the plague warrior. At least I already had a good idea of what each minion did, after all, I had fought them all at some point. Another approach when deciding was to think about which one would remain effective even when I was higher tier and had more powerful minions.
I feared the assassin would lose effectiveness over time as I faced more powerful enemies. A tier four or five opponent would have a strong chance of seeing through the stealth of a tier two minion, even when he eventually reached veteran status. The plague warrior had the same concern. His whole schtick was the toxic fumes he exuded, and like the assassin, I feared that higher tier foes would be able to easily resist them. After that, I’d be left with just a mediocre fighter in the case of the plague warrior, or a decent, but fragile, damage dealer in the assassin’s case.
For my first choice, I was going to go with the mana slayer drone. They were powerful at their tier, and even at higher tiers, it could still function in several roles. The ones I fought aboard the ship had a stealth field that mimicked the assassin’s ability, as well as powerful bladed limbs that made short work of any of the defenders up close.
Its armor had been strong enough to absorb multiple hits, and the icing on the cake was that they also had grenades that shot out death rays. Sure, my newly minted minion might not have disruptor beam grenades from the start, but I’d expect him to add some by the time I was done ranking him up. Making my selection, the system responded with more details.
You have selected Mana Slayer Drone. Tier 2, Rank 0.
Experience, 0/35.
Equipment/Abilities/Spells.
Equipment: You must activate an upgrade token to improve your minion’s equipment.
1. Armor, Rank 0. At this rank, the minions armor consists of overlapping steel plates that are strong against most physical attacks.
2. Weapons, Rank 0. At this rank, your minion is equipped with a pair of bladed hands with long reach. In addition, a shorter pair of mechanical arms provides your minion with the ability to manipulate objects or function as close-range, simple bludgeoning weapons.
3. Stealth Field Generator, Rank 0. At this rank, the stealth field generator may operate for up to one minute per Tier. The field leaves behind a slight distortion which may be used by more observant foes to track and target your minion. Higher ranks will improve the generators’ ability to conceal the minion, as well as block other forms of vision and scrying.
Open: This equipment slot is open.
Abilities: Abilities will improve automatically as your minion gains new ranks. Occasionally, you may be asked to make path choices for your minions.
1. Nullify magic. This passive ability grants the mana slayer a damage reduction of 10% for all mana-based spells and abilities.
2. Open.
Spells: None, this minion cannot use magic of any type.
Okay, that wasn’t bad, but I could see that even at tier two, my mana slayer had a way to go before it would unlock more of its signature skills. Sadly, it looked like I’d have to wait for the grenades. Its strong armor and ability to resist magic damage could be used in a pinch to shield me from powerful attacks.
Next up was my tier one, rank five minion. Grulnok had always been a solid pick, but I feared his effectiveness would be blunted now that he was no longer a veteran minion. I didn’t know how long it would take to get him back to that status. It was also offset by the fact any of my minions could now become veterans.
The gnoll and the halfling rogue were new to the list, and a rogue wasn’t ever a bad choice. Having the gnoll with some tracking abilities might come in handy on a few of my summonings, but there were just as many times that the ability would be useless.
Vaylon was the weird, mutated warrior that had his body randomly mutate each time I summoned him. The more random nature of his mutations made him a bit more inconsistent than Grulnok, who seemed to fill the same tanky dps role.
My last option were the goblins. I’d liked their synergy before, but the veteran Grulnok had outperformed them. Now, they were a much more attractive choice with two melee warriors, and a ranged attacker all in the same minion slot. To further sway me in their favor, I liked the idea of having a three for one summon where all three members would eventually become veterans.
You have selected Glem, Glamb, and Glurk, goblin raiders. Tier 1, Rank 5.
Experience: 0/30.
Equipment/Abilities/Spells.
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Equipment: You must activate an upgrade token to improve your minion’s equipment.
1. Armor, Rank 0. At this Rank all three goblins wear patchwork armor consisting of bits of leather, with steel scraps tied or sewn into their clothing.
2. Weapons, Rank 0. Each goblin has a different weapon loadout and at this Rank, they consist of a simple short spear for Glem, a simple chopping blade for Glamb, and a crude shortbow for Glurk.
3. Open.
Abilities: Abilities will improve automatically as your minion gains new ranks. Occasionally, you may be asked to make path choices for your minions.
1. Horde Tactics, Rank 0. As long as at least one other goblin with this ability is alive, each goblin with the ability receives a 10% bonus to attack and defense.
2. Open.
Spells: At this Rank, none of the three goblins possess the ability to cast spells.
The three goblins weren’t missing anything, and I had hopes that when I upgraded their gear, they would be much more powerful. Their Horde Tactics ability also looked like would improve as they gained new ranks. As far as magic was concerned, it was left open as a possibility, unlike with the mana slayer drone.
I had my stealthy tank in the mana slayer drone, a horde of goblins to distract and wear down my enemies, and now it was time for my tier one, rank zero choice. This one was going to be the easiest choice of all for me. While I now had the spell Health Bloom, having a dedicated healer for the team was a must-have.
Elida Silverbarrow, halfling healer. Tier 1, Rank 0.
Experience: 0/25.
Spell Slots: 4. When resting, Elida will regenerate 1 spell slot per hour.
Equipment/Abilities/Spells.
Equipment: You must activate an upgrade token to improve your minion’s equipment.
1. Armor, Rank 0. Elida wears a healer’s robe which provides minimal protection.
2. Weapons, Rank 0. Elida wields a simple wooden staff.
3. Open.
Abilities: Abilities will improve automatically as your minion gains new ranks. Occasionally, you may be asked to make path choices for your minions.
1. Channel Mana, Rank 0. 1/day, Elida can stop for ten seconds and quickly gather any ambient mana, refreshing one of her spell slots. This ability can be disrupted if Elida is harmed or distracted during the channeling.
Spells:
1. Minor Healing Burst, Rank 0. This spell heals any ally that Elida can touch. The amount of healing is currently minimal but will improve at higher Ranks.
2. Burst of Light, Rank 0. This spell emits a bright light at a targeted point. Elida can choose any location within her line of sight as the target for this spell. Anyone close to where the burst hits may receive a penalty to their sight for the next 5 seconds.
3. Personal Shield, Rank 0. This spell grants Elida a magical barrier that is the equivalent of leather armor. The duration is one hour, plus an additional hour per Rank.
I was happy with this pick, and a bit surprised that the system granted her spell slots as opposed to a mana pool. Resting for an hour wasn’t always an option, but she could recover at least one slot quickly with her Channel Mana ability. For now, I’d have her reserve most of her spell slots for healing, but casting the shield before a fight was probably a good option as well.
Next up was my tier zero, rank five minion. Here, Lillia had always been my choice. She was a good all-rounder, but it was more a case of her being the best choice out of a few not-so-great ones. The spider and zombie were old pics, and I had no desire to replace her with either one. As for the human thug, he seemed to fill the same role as Lillia, and she was more of a known quantity which gave her the edge over the thug.
My other option was the gnoll scout. I’d passed on the gnoll tracker at tier one, rank five, but here, having a minion that could scout might prove a better fit. I wouldn’t be giving up much in the way of combat power, and gnolls could usually hold their own in a fight. I think having a scout outweighed having another mediocre fighter at this tier.
Khurr, gnoll scout. Tier 0, Rank 5.
Experience 0/20.
Equipment/Abilities/Spells.
Equipment: You must activate an upgrade token to improve your minion’s equipment.
1. Armor, Rank 0. At this rank, Khurr wears only a sturdy tunic that offers no defensive bonus.
2. Weapons, Rank 0. At this rank, Khurr wields a crude hand crossbow and has a simple dagger as a backup weapon.
Abilities:
1. Scout, Rank 0. At this rank, Scout allows Khurr to notice nearby danger, traps, and potential defensive positions that others might miss.
2. Open.
Spells: At this Rank, Khurr has no access to magic.
The gnolls scout was about what I’d expected at this tier and rank. He might prove useful, and I was interested to see how all of them would improve as their rank increased. Having another ranged fighter was a nice bonus as well. With the drone, and two of the goblins, we had a solid front line of melee, and now a bit more punch to hit attackers at range.
It was also curious how the amount of experience needed for the next rank was less for the lower tier and rank minions. Maybe the system was trying to compensate for their weaknesses by letting them rank up quicker. I still didn’t know how they gained experience and I’d likely have to wait for my next summoning to see how it all panned out.
Last up for my minion selection was the bottom barrel tier zero, rank zero minion. I kind of missed my hound, but Rupert had always proven a bit more versatile. Thinking about back home, the hound might be the better choice. A dog suddenly appearing to help me in a fight would draw less attention than a dwarf.
My other options weren’t exciting, though I did wonder about the goblin spearman. Would the Horde Tactics of Glem, Glamb, and Glurk work with another goblin? It might if the spearman had the same ability.
Was that something common to all goblins? I really wished that Tzes’zod was here, he would probably know the answer. If the ability was a species feature, even my lowest rank goblin might boost the three more powerful goblins. It was my lowest rank, and least powerful minion, so I didn’t mind taking a chance on the goblin.
Blieek, goblin spearman. Tier 0, Rank 0.
Experience 0/15.
Equipment/Abilities/Spells.
Equipment: You must activate an upgrade token to improve your minion’s equipment.
1. Armor, Rank 0. At this rank, Blieek is equipped with a torn and stained tunic that offers no protection.
2. Weapons, Rank 0. At this rank, Blieek is equipped with a sharpened stick that he uses as a makeshift spear.
3. Open.
Abilities:
1. Open
Spells: Blieek does not have access to magic at this rank.
My new minion Blieek was about as exciting as I had expected. Sadly, it looked like he wasn’t going to be a participant in the Horde Tactics either. At least I now knew that the ability wasn’t a universal goblin trait. I had my first regret over my choices, there would be no unstoppable goblin horde for me to command.
Your minion lineup is as follows:
1. Blieek, goblin spearman. Tier 0, Rank 0.
2. Khuur, gnoll scout. Tier 0, Rank 5.
3. Elida Silverbarrow, halfling healer. Tier 1, Rank 0.
4. Glem, Glamb, and Glurk, goblin raiders. Tier 1, Rank 5.
5. Mana Slayer Drone. Tier 2, Rank 0.
The die was cast, and I couldn’t make any changes until tier three. It was time to find out what else had changed with my class. Hopefully, I’d get to spend some time in the training center before my trip to Somhagen began. It would be good to put the new team through their paces and see how they worked together.