SoK Chapter 195

Item: Ritualist’s Knife Blade (Copper (I)); This blade fashioned from the horn of a Wendigo Ritualist Copper-tiered Boss is not a complete piece of equipment. Instead, it is an item that has been carefully and deliberately changed to be a perfect medium for ritual magic. If the blade is fastened to a handle, it can become a piece of equipment, but as it is, the Ritualist’s Blade is an item that can be used to increase the potency of a ritual by 20%, if the Blade can be realistically used to treat, prepare, or handle the materials of the ritual.

Race: Semi-Divine Human (Copper (I)) has advanced to level 30.
Attribute points allocated: Strength +8, Agility +8, Endurance +8, Vitality +13, Toughness +8, Wisdom +8, Intelligence +13, Perception +8, Willpower +8, Fixation +13. Additional Free Points currently available.

Occupation: Savage Shaman (Copper (I)) has advanced to level 30.
Attribute points allocated: Strength +5, Agility +5, Endurance +5, Vitality +5, Toughness +5, Wisdom +12, Intelligence +12, Perception +12, Willpower +12, Fixation +12, Free Points +15. Additional Free Points currently available.

TJ sucked his breath through his teeth as he nodded appreciatively, though he was more surprised by the level notifications that’d escaped his notice before. Yes, more than the incomplete item in his hand, he was excited at the option to choose a new Skill now that he’d reached level 30, and that he’d be able to make progress faster now with his higher Attributes. He hadn’t expected this incomplete item to have been something that the System designated as such a successful and impactful use of his Occupation's growth, but he wasn’t going to be upset as he hit level 30 in both his Occupation and Race. After thinking for a while, he distributed the Free Points and observed his Status.

Status Sheet

Name: TJ (Thiago Jorge) Harris IV

Race: Semi-Divine Human – lvl 30

Class: Storm-Calling Neophyte lvl 30

Occupation: Savage Shaman lvl 30

Level of Divinity: Copper (I)

Divine Bloodline: Kukulkan

Health Points (HP): 6280/6280

Mana Points (MP): 6460/6460

Stamina: 5480/5480

Attributes

Strength: 320+15(+64)

Agility: 300+10(+60)

Endurance: 440+20(+88)

Vitality: 500+28(+100)

Toughness: 370+25(+74)

Wisdom: 380+10(+74)

Intelligence: 530+10(+106)

Perception: 392+10(+78)

Willpower: 462+10(+92)

Fixation: 540+10(+108)

Free Points: 0

Skill List: Hidden

Titles: Irregular
Elite Hunter (Copper (I))
Evolutionary Frontrunner

Current total maximum Divine Transformation time: 9:59:30
(End+Vit+Will+Fix)/4 Current cooldown: 0:00

Status Sheet

Name: TJ (Thiago Jorge) Harris IV

Race: Storm Coatl – lvl 30

Class: Storm-Calling Neophyte lvl 30

Occupation: Savage Shaman lvl 30

Level of Divinity: Copper (I)

Divine Bloodline: Kukulkan

Health Points (HP): 12280/12280

Mana Points (MP): 12720/12720

Stamina: 10760/10760

Attributes

Strength x2.5: 800+15(+160)

Agility x2: 600+10(+120)

Endurance x2: 880+20(+176)

Vitality x2: 1000+28(+200)

Toughness x2.5: 925+25(+185)

Wisdom x1.5: 570+10(+140)

Intelligence x2: 1060+10(+212)

Perception x2: 784+10(+157)

Willpower x1.5: 693+10(+139)

Fixation x2: 1080+10(+216)

Free Points: 0

Skill List: Hidden

Titles: Irregular
Elite Hunter (Copper (I))
Evolutionary Frontrunner

Divine Trial Records (Copper (I)):
2 Minor, 0 Moderate, 0 Bitter, 0 Celestial

Now that the simple part in the beginning was complete, it was time to choose his new Skill. TJ held the Blade in his lap as he opened up the Skill options available to him.

Mobile Ritualism (Copper (I)): You are a Savage Shaman, a leader. A leader must always lead, and leading requires movement. However, rituals are made to be stationary and are weakened by moving. Thus, this Skill allows for any rituals up to Copper (I) tier to be performed while mobile and for the ritual ground to be moved without suffering any ill effects. Rituals of Silver (II) tier and above will experience a decrease in the reduction to their efficacy.

This was a Skill he’d been offered earlier, and it was disappointing to see that it hadn’t upgraded to Silver, even though there wasn’t any reason for it to have done so. He hadn’t been challenging himself or trying to use his single Ritual on the move, so the fact that the Skill’d been offered again was enough of a reassurance that he was working in the direction of more rituals. If that was what he wanted to do long-term.

Just as TJ was about to move past the possibility, a thought occurred to him that nearly had him choosing the Skill immediately: with Mobile Ritualism, Ritualistic Transfer could work as a poor man’s Paternal Protector. These two together could work on that, and TJ had to fight to leave behind the possibility, even to consider another. He wrenched his eyes away and looked at the next. 

Influential Leadership (Silver (II)): You have gained multiple Title that grants you a greater realm of influence over those who would follow you, most especially that of the Nascent Storm Serpent, a low-tier Title of Divinity. You can grant strength and morale to those who follow you. This Skill will grant any of your willing followers the Moderate High Morale buff as well as a 10% increase to all Attributes while in battle under your command. 

TJ’d been offered the Skill already, but now it was at the Silver tier, with an increase from 5% increase in the bonuses to Attributes for his subordinates who followed him into battle. As he continued shifting from a solitary snake fighting in the forests to a leader of a crowd, a town, and a pantheon, this would be something that served him better and better. Even so, it wasn’t what he wanted, but wasn’t it his responsibility as the leader of these people to do what would best for them all in the long run? He didn’t discount the possibility, and moved to the next possibility.

Prehistoric Huntsman (Copper (I)): Since the Integration, you have dedicated yourself to hunting the monsters that plague your homeland. This Skill will grant a 50% bonus to tracking and ambush attacks. In addition, any attacks made with an item or weapon made without any pre-Integration tools or materials will benefit from minor additional damage scaling with the Participant’s Wisdom and Perception.

Looking at the current version of Prehistoric Huntsman, TJ was pretty underwhelmed. The only two changes were an additional 20% added to the tracking and ambushing, as well as adding Perception for additional damage scaling. Honestly, he’d never felt like there’d been a huge difference from having taken Prehistoric Huntsman, and TJ largely regretted having taken the Skill. He didn’t concern himself with this possibility, quickly moving on to the next.

Ritualism Adept (Copper (I)): A Shaman frequently dabbles, experiments, or specializes in ritualism. You have begun to take steps beyond mere occasional use of rituals, but have begun a journey searching for how to utilize your rituals to move beyond their face-value use. This Skill grants a greater familiarity with the mechanisms of rituals and grants a 10% strengthening of all rituals that you participate in. In addition, this Skill will grant a baseline understanding in the general uses and applications of rituals. This understanding scales on Willpower and Fixation.

TJ’s initial reaction to the Skill’s description quickly faded away. Instead of liking it, he quickly realized that all the Skill would do, beyond giving the small strengthening to his rituals, would be to cut out some of the original research required to learn about rituals. This was a Skill TJ figured he’d earn if he continued to put time into learning about how to create rituals, how to experiment with them, and what made them. There wasn’t much point in taking this Skill, given that it was a shortcut Skill, like the ones he’d been offered back in the Tutorial that’d allow him to evolve to Copper. He pushed the option away completely, looking at his final choice.

Storm Serpent’s Awakening Ritual (Silver (II)): You are the Nascent Storm Serpent, a mere Copper-tiered Participant who has seized the beginnings of Divinity. Beyond that, you have garnered the respect of your fellow Participants and named them as your devoted. As such, you can grant your followers a measure of your strength. Through the use of this Skill and a base sacrifice of 1000 HP, MP, and Stamina, the Shaman can create a ritual which will allow up to 10 willing participants who are active devoted followers of the Shaman to gain the temporary Skill: Storm Serpent’s Awakening. The bonuses granted by the Skill and ritual  scales off all of the Shaman’s Attributes while under the influence of Divine Transformation. This Skill is added under the umbrella of the Skill: Storm Serpent (Copper (I)) and elevates Storm Serpent to Silver (II)

Skill: Storm Serpent’s Awakening (Silver (II)): You are one of the chosen devoted of the Nascent Storm Serpent. When you are granted his approval and might, you gain 15% of all his Attributes when under the influence of Divine Transformation.

“That’s stupid.” TJ grunted to himself. “There’s no reason to choose anything else. This…” He looked up to the sky. He didn’t really think that the System listened to anyone, not like a God or anything, but he felt the need to vent something. 

“Every time I’ve gotten Skills offered to me, I had to make a choice of some sort. There was at least a little bit of a reason to choose one Skill over another, but this? This is so obviously twisted…” 

Despite the anger in him, TK felt parts of his mind settle into the thought about why he was being offered an obviously superior Skill. Other than Prehistoric Huntsman, the other Skills offered were all good, and he would have had some reason to take each one. But this? Not only was it far away the best Skill offered, he also probably would have felt obligated to take the Skill anyways just to get the upgrades to his other Storm Serpent Skills! That it also gave him a standout ritual was another reason why he couldn’t not take it. Again, TJ couldn’t begin to understand how to create this ritual, and that it also assisted his followers and him was just a cherry on top. Or an entire crate of cherries on top of the massive wedding cake. Whatever the analogy was, he wasn’t so good at it, but he wasn’t so stupid as to turn down this option. As he selected it, a thought occurred. What is the change going to be for Stormcaller and Storm Soul?