Convergence: Eclipse Chapter 4: Chapter 4: Distribution

Read chapter 4 of Convergence: Eclipse by J.L.Hollingwell on NovelPedia.

“You know, I once met a Trallodox who had put all his free points into strength - ALL of them. He was as dumb as a bag of mudlo’s, but he could also run straight through stone walls, so people tended to not mention it.” Memory Retrieved from the fractured mind of Threll the Mage. Laurie moved to lean up against a nearby evergreen and opened his character sheet. Name: Laurie Tamworth Pseudonym: Puck Faction: Earth (unaffiliated) Species: Human Health points: 35/50 Mana pool: 20/50 Dexterity: 5 Strength: 5 Wisdom: 5 Intelligence: 5 Vitality: 5 Mana: 5 Affinities: Light and Shadow Titles: Template Pioneer +5 free points Laurie painfully slid to the floor, rubbing his sore leg, whilst reading through the sheet. It looked like he had gained one point to all six of his attributes and had five free points to put where he wanted. He realised he didn't really know what each attribute meant, although some seemed self-explanatory. He focused on each in turn, and a small window appeared in his character sheet giving more details: Dexterity: Improves movement speed, reaction time, and coordination Strength: Improves physical strength, endurance, and durability Wisdom: Improves senses, willpower, intuition Intelligence: Improves mana potency, mana manipulation, and number of templates available Vitality: Increases maximum number of health points and speed of health regeneration Mana: Increases size of mana pool and speed of mana regeneration Laurie read each one a few times, but the pain in his leg from where the spider had hurtled into him made it difficult to concentrate. 15 points of damage… 15 out of 50, that’s almost a third… The thought chilled him; it was a higher percentage than he had expected, and he felt suddenly vulnerable. Maybe I should have picked heavy armour after all. He decided to put some free points into his vitality attribute every time he reached a new level - the higher his maximum hit points were, the harder he would be to kill. If he built a solid base now, Laurie reasoned, he should at least be able to get through the Starting Zone and be ready for whatever came next. But what did a solid base look like? He could put all his free points into vitality and mana every time he levelled up, which would make him a generalist. His other attributes take a long time to reach the higher levels, but he would have a balanced foundation. Or was it better to specialise, having fewer areas of greater power? From what he had seen and done so far, he just didn’t have enough information to make an informed decision. I have to make the best call I can for now, and if it’s wrong, well, I’ll worry about that later. I just have to focus on getting through the Starting Zone alive. Whatever comes after, comes after. Laurie looked through the attributes again. It was pretty basic stuff, but the more he thought about it, the stranger he found it - wisdom, especially. How could putting points in wisdom change his will as well as his intuition? What did that even mean? Would it change the way he thought, or processed information? Eventually, he made his choice, and with a mental command put two points into vitality, one into mana, one into dexterity and one into intelligence. Laurie felt the energy inside him shift slightly as he allocated the points, like water moving in a tilted cup. More health and mana would always be helpful, and the gradual increase in his dexterity and intelligence would suit what he wanted to achieve: becoming a skilled fighter who used a mix of magic and close-combat fighting to bring down his foes. After the changes, his attributes now read: Health points: 49/70 Mana pool: 24/60 Dexterity: 6 Strength: 5 Wisdom: 5 Intelligence: 6 Vitality: 7 Mana: 6 Laurie opened the templates tab next, to see if more template slots were available now that he had increased his intelligence. Spell Templates: 3/6 Light Ball (basic/upgradable) Shadow Blade (basic/upgradable) Blinding Flare (basic/upgradable) Excellent, it worked! He wo