Doyle sighs, ‘I guess I can’t really do much about those skills right now. Instead, I should figure out my paths and then try and think of new skills to gain. Because until now, it’s mostly been haphazard.’
Ally, ‘Not quite haphazard, rather curated. While the system won’t pop up a ssage asking if you would like to learn a skill. It will not force a skill on you. In fact, if you ever co across sothing that grants a skill, the system will at that point give an option on whether you want to learn it.’
Doyle, ‘So how do you learn a skill then? If I just decide I don’t want to learn any skills, will the system oblige ?’
Ally, ‘No, but yes. If soone is forced into cutting down trees, the system won’t force a skill related to chopping down trees. However, there are a ton of skills out there and the system isn’t shy about rging and dividing things to make new skills. So while the person might abhor chopping trees, they might still gain a skill related to more generic ax use or maybe a skill to help chop stuff no matter the tool.
‘There are even so schools of belief that have people doing things they don’t like, but are related in one way to what they do. For instance, that tree chopping thing. A chef would do it to gain the more general chopping skill, as attempting to get the skill while chopping food might give them a more specific version of the skill.
‘Also, don’t think the system limited it to the action itself. The forced tree chopping could result in a skill related to protecting or boosting the body, a ntal skill that lets them go into a fugue state so the task passes quickly for them, or maybe even a skill to reduce their presence because they are doing as little as possible and trying not to be noticed. Your village planner skill is a good example of this.’
Doyle, ‘How is that a good example? I guess I could have gotten an “architect” based skill, but most of what I do is plan.’
Ally, ‘It could have been a much broader planning skill or it could have been a skill about making things with mushrooms. After all, you even have myconids with a skill like that. No reason you couldn’t have had sothing similar.
‘Instead, the system knew you had plans to keep making villages, so you got the skill to plan villages. Not settlents, cities, or garrisons, but villages. And don’t think it is a waste to have a more specific skill.
‘As far as anyone can tell, there is no true level limit on skills no matter how broad or narrow they are. Rather, the difference between them is how quickly they get into the weeds of the subject. You will learn things about villages that an architect might not learn until a hundred or maybe even thousands of levels later. Their skill is too broad to pick up the specifics so easily.’
Doyle, ‘So I need to figure out a couple of skills that fit in with the whole “dungeon” aesthetic and do stuff with them in mind?’
Ally shrugs, ‘Or just be more open to learning new skills in general. By now, most people will have learned all the skills they can. There are, of course people like you, who knowing it is a limited resource, will have unconsciously held back on gaining them. Hell, there are so people who go even more extre than only following a single class path. People who only learn a single skill.’
Doyle nods, ‘There is probably so power in such purity of will. If anything, I bet their paths pack a lot more bang for their buck. Anyway, I got a bit side tracked from my paths. So to start the ball rolling, I’m definitely going to finish the monster rancher path.’
Ally, ‘That one does seem like a good choice. On the other hand, I would not take the golem crafter path. Not because it wouldn’t benefit you, but because it would just boost your golems. Instead, we should probably look into other types of crafted monsters and see if we can get a path for crafted monsters in general.’
Doyle, ‘Honestly, at this point I’m tempted to just see if the rancher path has a follow up as well. Rancher 1 cost 50 and now rancher 2 costs 100, so if there is a III, I’m guessing either 150 or 200, depending on if the cost is doubling or going up by 50.’
Ally sighs, ‘Looking at it now, I’m tempted to tell you to just finish rancher and then wait. We really need so way to snaffle up so regular critters at this point. Our selection is too limited to provide the paths we really need. While kobolds and cows can probably last us forever, if we keep grabbing specialized paths, we won’t have a choice in the matter.
‘You probably want to look into plant monsters more and see if you can build on your vegetation variety path. I can’t quite rember, but I think that path ntioned sothing about developing abilities?’
Doyle, ‘Yeah, pretty certain it said sothing about them being more able to absorb energy and likely to develop special qualities.’
Ally frowns, ‘When did you get that path? Or I guess more specifically, did you get it before or after you developed the elder vine and the troop guard?’
Doyle thinks back, ‘I, hmm, should be before? Are you thinking the path might be why I got those monsters?’
Ally shrugs, ‘Maybe, maybe not. With the elder assassin vine, there isn’t really anyway to tell. That is already the natural advancent of an assassin vine. On the other hand, the troop guard is considered a rare variety and they only develop under special circumstances.’
Doyle, ‘In that case, I really do need to see if I can get another path for it. I’m gaining a decent variety of myconids and if it helps get more, that will be even better.’
Ally, ‘You might actually need it if you want the next stage of myconid any ti soon. For normal myconids, the regular “myconid” form is the end of the line. There are elders and other such things, but even if a myconid was immortal, that does not an they will ever age into becoming an elder.
‘Rather, forms like an elder myconid or a troop guard require outside influences to force their developnt. There are other even more unique forms possible. A good example of this being the boss myconid who is a troop lord. I’m going to guess those evolutions might never be available to normal monsters, only showing up with the use of boss slots.’
Doyle, ‘That makes sense and I bet I know how to open up the next step in that path.’
Ally raises an eyebrow, ‘Really now?’
Doyle nods, ‘The capstone benefit was this developnt of abilities. So if I develop enough fungal or vegetal monsters, it should be enough for a path. Maybe not the second step in that specific path, but probably another similar path.’
Ally, ‘Huh, yeah, that should work. But the question is, do you have an idea on where to start?’
Doyle tilts to the side and back, ‘Eh, sowhat. I’m thinking of playing around with the udoroot. It feels a little too constrained, what with the whole “sunflower” thing it has going on. I could probably swing a new form by forcing it to turn aquatic, but instead I’m going to see if the flowers can adjust to the environnt. That should be different enough to count and yet remain as a single pattern.’
Ally, ‘That does make wonder what the aquatic form would be.’
Doyle, ‘If it was in shallow water, that is easy enough to answer. It would likely replace the sunflowers with lily pads. Deeper water though? I’m sure there is so sort of underwater plant with a flower analog it would take after. Maybe so form of seaweed?
‘Oh well, we’ll figure it out when we get there. Let’s instead see about sothing that can be done right now. [System, add 70 points to Monster Rancher II.]’
{70 points applied to Monster Rancher II path...
45/100 - Your monsters gain 5 to every stat, Earned 50 Monster Pattern Adjustnt Points, Monsters with a type related to ranching can give more complex orders
65/100 - Through effort or luck your monsters are naturally healthier and gain 2 Constitution/Level, Monsters set to guard other monsters will have their sense enhanced
80/100 - Monster Patterns now allow for wider variety before splitting into separate patterns, Monster Pattern Adjustnt Points can now be used to force a monster pattern to split and if similar enough rge, 100 Monster Pattern Adjustnt Points
100/100 - When you gain new monster patterns that you are not directly creating such as through splitting or rging them, you gain 20 Monster Pattern Adjustnt Points; Your sapient monsters share your Destiny and gain 2 Destiny/Level, Now instead of being limited to only being able to release a monster at half the level for half the point cost you can create monsters directly at a lower level at any level as long as it is above the monster’s minimum level and the point cost can only go down to a tenth of the original cost to a minimum of 1}
Ally smiles, ‘Got a quick little boost there to all your monsters. At least, all the monsters of level 7 or greater.’
Doyle nods, ‘That is definitely a nice bonus. Though what I’m really looking at is the non-path thod of getting more adjustnt points. Until now, they ca purely from paths which puts an inherent limit on them.
‘Now, I’m not expecting to keep gaining monster patterns ad infinitum. However, this opens up the possibility of other thods to gain those points. Maybe even thods that I can work on to slowly generate them so as long as I have the ti, I never run out.’
Ally shrugs, ‘I guess that is nice, I just don’t see too big of a use in having so many of those points as compared to just summoning stronger monsters.’
Doyle, ‘The points to represent power through being skilled instead of strength. My myconids alone are a lot tougher to handle because I can stack teamwork skills on them. The kobolds in turn will be much more usable.
‘With adjustnt points, I can customize their magic and lee abilities in a way I wouldn’t be able to. All you have to do is look at the bevy of damage enhancent skills I got for them.’
Ally nods, ‘This is probably one of those instances where there isn’t a correct answer. Though I have to ask. Are you going to go back to the eleventh floor to cram even more sprouts into it?’
Doyle shakes his core, ‘I noticed that, but no. While having lower-level sprout swarms might not do much, I’m assuming that lower-level myconids have worse poison spores. So since the entire gimmick of that floor is stacking spores it would actually make things easier on the delvers. After all, only so many sprouts can physically fit in one place.’
Ally, ‘Fair enough. That certainly makes enough sense. There is only so much quantity can do when it cos to poison, at least once magic is involved. Did rancher three pop up?’
Doyle checks his paths before shaking his core. ‘Nope, not seeing it. I’m probably going to have to do more things related to the concept first. That or find another path like that.’
Ally, ‘There are an infinite number of paths out there, even if the system only knows a limited number of them. At so point we’re going to really open up so interesting, high cost, paths. You’re only gaining so much right now because it is making up for the fact you entered the system after you had already grown up.’
Doyle, ‘I’ve still got 73 path points right now and I think I’ll save them for now. Maybe more of the paths will combine.’
Ally, ‘Heh, newly integrated worlds certainly have relatively unique problems. Most other places people have a problem getting enough paths to use their points. Of course, that is partly because they are a lot better at gaining said points, but also because opening up new paths is harder.’
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