“Brrpt!” Auri commented.
“It is a huge building.” I agreed.
I was practically drooling over the size of the library. I’d been torn. On one hand, I wanted nothing more than to sprint over there, dive into a pile of books, and never be seen again.
On the other, I’d never be seen again, and who knew when I would need to actually eat food and the like. I could totally see myself getting so immersed in the books that I skipped a ton of meals, and then suddenly woke up one day, having not eaten for days, with no money and no job to make more. My usual go-to of healing for cash wasn’t nearly as easy to come by with a bustling hospital filled to the brim with other students and teachers trying to get as much practical experience as possible.
That would be an awkward way to go out. My tombstone engraving would be “Here lies Elaine, she wrote herself off.”
I slowly entered the library like an alcoholic entering a liquor store, who promised they were only going to buy one beer.
Novelty-sized.
“Brrpt brpt?” Auri asked, her beak sticking out adorably from under her tiny little black witch’s hat.
“First thing we’re going to do is ask someone about you.” I promised.
Books plus fiery bird was not a good combination, and I was going to check on the rules about that first. I was not getting banned from the library. That’d be a disaster.
“Brrrpt!!”
“I know you can be good.”
With no small amount of excitement and trepidation, I opened the doors into the library.
The antechamber was large and spacious, and a nice front desk dominated the left side of the room. A few students were talking with the library assistants behind the desk, most of whom also appeared to be students, but plenty more were available.
This place was clearly magical, even by School standards. No damn lines.
Without further ado, I approached one of the open front desk workers.
“Hi!” I was getting better at High Elvish, and bless the omnipresent translations. Still, I was no master at it, and it was only a matter of time before some snafu caused problems. “Is Auri allowed in?”
“Auri?”
“Brrpt!” Auri cheerfully introduced herself. The dude raised an eyebrow.
“You must be new here. Welcome! The library has a number of high level [Librarians] with numerous skills to preserve the books. They’re protected against numerous things, like fire, water, stains, spills, rips, and the like. They are not immune to food bookmarks, so please don’t.” He shuddered, and I didn’t think it was for dramatic effect.
He quickly eyed Auri, possibly checking her level. He then thunked a book onto the counter.
“Try and light it on fire and see!”
“BRRRPT!” Auri took to the challenge with enthusiasm, and within seconds, there was a book merrily burning on the library counter.
“Oh shit.” The front desk worker swore.
“Brrrpt.” Auri was unbearably smug.
“What is going on here!?” A high-level blue-robed [Librarian] stormed out from the main section of the library.
I felt the blood drain out of my face.
=======================
We all ended up getting hauled into a private room, where the poor student worker got himself verbally destroyed. I could even say he got the book thrown at him. I couldn’t quite catch all the words - they were speaking too quickly - but I got the general gist of what was going on. Slouched shoulders, head down, and lots of yelling by lots of high level people.
Finally it was my turn.
“Martin. Wish we’d meet under better circumstances. What happened?” The first [Librarian] asked me.
There was no question that the dude was a demon, and a demon librarian named Martin was further short-circuiting my thinking.
The words exploded out of me in a gush.
“I was asking if it was ok for Auri to come inside and he said the books were immune to fire and said we could check and Auri lit it on fire anyways please don’t ban me.” I was practically crying.
His face twisted into a puzzled look, and he looked at the little hummingbird on my shoulder.
“She did that? At level 128?”
I nodded, afraid I’d burst into tears if I opened my mouth. My library access!
“Fascinating. I don’t recognize the species. What is she?”
I froze with my mouth open, looking at everyone else who was in the room. We weren’t the center of attention, but…
The librarian saw my consternation, and snapped his fingers.
“[Study Quietly]. A skill of mine, handy to silence students working in groups being a little too loud. I am exceedingly curious how a small bird at such a low level was able to break through all of our protective auras, and general enchantments. I am also curious on a personal level as to what she is, given that I don’t recognize her. Him? No pressure though, it’s simply personal curiosity.”
“I’d.. rather not say. Please don’t ban me from the library, I was trying to follow the rules.”
He gave a small frown, but nodded understandingly.
“You are naturally not banned, although young Lyphus is going to get a most stern talking to. However, Auri is not allowed in the library. We simply can not have a creature capable of turning the entire place into a bonfire on the loose. I hope you understand.”
I nodded furiously.
“Sorry Auri.”
“Brrpt brrrrpt.” She wanted to know if she could leave, and go play with Fenrir.
“Sure, let’s finish up here.”
“I apologize for the inconvenience, miss. I hope you have a fine day.”
With that, the [Librarian] left the room. Lyphus was still getting roasted, and since nobody seemed interested in yelling or talking with me more, I slipped out as well.
After quickly popping out to let Auri go have fun and play, I reentered the library and talked with a different student worker.
“Hi! I’m new! How does this place work?”
“Welcome! Don’t try lighting anything on fire around me, please. I like my job. This is the library! We’ve got a few levels. First floor is general reading. Second and up are more specialized. Eighth floor’s the restricted section, you need special permission to go there. Archive’s in the basement, along with the metal doors. Questions?”
“How do I find a book? What’s the organizational system?”
“Well…”
In short, the organization was a bit of a mess. There were ledgers that detailed where books were supposed to be, and concerted efforts of the various workers here tried to keep everything in the right place, but things did go missing for one reason or another. Poorly filed paperwork, someone grabbing a book and not putting it back in the right place, students smuggling books out instead of checking them out - or just absent-mindedly walking out with them - students deliberately hiding books in the library so they could read more later without someone else checking it out from under them, the possibilities were endless.
There were also a few “activity” areas.
“Like what?” I asked him.
“There’s a whole pile of wizardry rune arrangements in a single stack! People put in their diagrams, other people ask questions, some try to answer them, it’s great! They call it the overflowing stack.”
I was getting distracted.
“I’m looking for The Big Book of Classes and How to Get Them. Do you know where it is? Also, a Vampire Tongue to High Elvish dictionary?” Marcelle had mentioned they tried to keep a lid on it, but it was worth checking.
“The first is one of the more popular texts, yeah. I’m not sure on the Vampire Tongue dictionary; I’ll have to go looking.” He gave me directions, and I was let loose on the most holy of grounds.
The library!
The soft gentle mage lights that provided illumination. The cozy corners with deep chairs. The cubbies to study in. The musky smell of old books. The soft crinkle of a page turning, and the inevitable librarian going [Shush!] to students who were too loud. The rows of shelves, stacked high with books crammed into every inch of them!
I grabbed a book somewhat at random, just to feel the weight of it in my hands. I held it close, breathing in deeply, getting a flood of sensations that weren’t quite properly reproduced in the library of my soul.
Books.
Oh beloved books. I’d been deprived of a proper library and reading experience for decades. Being here was like finally feeding my soul much-needed nourishment after being starved for so long. Me without a library was like a priest without a temple. A fisherman without a lake. A farmer without a field.
I felt tension bleeding away as the soothing atmosphere of the place washed over me.
However, just standing here wasn’t getting books read, and as nice as the place was, reading the books is what called to me, not just standing here.
The organizational system was the inspired genius of some madman. I’m sure it made perfect sense to whoever invented it, but it was completely opaque to me. Having only a passing familiarity with one language didn’t help, and it looked like the books were arranged by what they were, not what language they were written in. I idly opened one up, but whatever translation magic the School had going on didn’t extend to the written word.
The deeper into the stacks I went, the fewer people I saw. It was like I was in my own little private world back here, which suited me just fine.
Way too much hunting later, and I had the book in question - in the right language. The Big Book of Classes and How to Get Them, by Edwin Asano. I found a lovely plush chair in a hidden corner, sank down thankfully into it, completely ignored how dirty it might be, and cracked the book open.
I was met with a foreword, and since I had the time, and it was important, I decided to read it.
Hello dear reader!
This book is a compilation of everything I’ve been able to find out about starter classes. At the same time, I know I only have a small fraction of the vastness that the System is able to offer inside, along with the hundreds of thousands of small modifications that the System twists on each Class. Nevertheless, I hope that my meager efforts here will be helpful for you.
I would love to claim credit for writing this entire book myself. Alas, that would be a lie most foul, as numerous others have written to me, giving me details of their classes, and generously permitting me to use their book in this book. It has made the entire thing more complete, and the list of contributors would take up an entire book of their own!
Each and everyone one of them has my heartfelt thanks. This would not be what it is without them.
Sadly, the world is rarely peaceful. This book is divided into two halves. The first are the peaceful classes, and may you find yourself in a time where you can leisurely peruse the front half. The second half are classes dedicated to fighting. A number of classes overlap, such as the ever-famous [Mage] class, and those generally have been split in half. One in the peaceful side, detailing the types of activities a peacetime [Mage] might enjoy, while the wartime side will dive into combat capabilities, fighting styles, and more.
Organization: The book is…
I continued reading, getting the overview of how the book worked.
There was an interesting note early on, that wasn’t quite a foreword, and wasn’t a class or organization. More of a warning, than anything else. I eagerly dove into it, mostly to see what the caution was about, and out of a little bit of vanity, hoping that my own Immortality-granting skills would make the cut.
Forbidden Elements and Classes.
In the course of civilization, a number of elemental-class combinations have been found to be far too dangerous, and polite society has deemed that no man, woman, or child should gain access to them.
I had a point in my life where I was skeptical of such an arrangement. ‘Surely’, I reasoned to myself, ‘it does not matter if an earthquake destroys a city, or if a plague wipes the city out. The difference is academic, especially to the poor fellows inside the city.’
Further study and inquiry down the path led me to what I believe the true answer is. It isn’t the scale of the devastation possible. It is a combination of the scale and level of the villain most foul who would seek to destroy an entire city.
A mage who wishes to split the earth and have it swallow a city whole would require over a thousand levels, multiple classes, and dedicated skills towards the endeavor.
A mage who wishes to unleash a plague to kill everyone inside only needs about a hundred levels, give or take.
It is not quite as simple as that, and the proper differences between the two are subject to a treatise I was politely but insistently told not to write, for reasons that were obvious in retrospect, but the idea remains.
There are some classes and elements that, while some good can come out of them, massive destruction and murder on an unbelievable scale are entirely possible at low levels.
Beware those mages who have the following elements, and if offered them yourself, decline and find a different class.
Spore
Poison
Miasma
Void
Now, these elements can have quite a lot of good when properly applied, Spore farmers being a most famous example, while many guards employ Void Cancelers, half the apothecaries end up with the Poison element, and the occasional miner grabs Miasma to properly handle bad air.
Most places I have traveled to will declare those with the element and a mage designation to be outside of the protection of the law.
Please dear reader, I implore you. Do not take the class. There are so many more options in the world.
A few more specific combinations are also frowned upon, but tend to be very explicit arrangements of classes and elements doing particular tasks, and even then societally it will vary. There are also some classes and elements that can only cause true issues at the highest levels, and most who find themselves with that level of power have already demonstrated a certain level of restraint.
Well then.
That was food for thought and a half.
I’d seen what Toxic did with the Formorians. He almost killed off an entire species, while being a quarter of their level.
Hesoid in Perinthus, one man working quite hard to kill off an entire town. Almost succeeded to boot, although it wouldn’t have been his hand that killed people off, it was almost the army.
I’d been warned about Void mages before, and it looked like Spore was just as bad.
Good things to learn.
I flipped to the first page of actual classes, and got started.
Farmer: The bedrock of civilization. Every country, every district, every city, every species, every single living person needs food to live. Rare are the individuals who can entirely subsist off of hunting and gathering for their entire life, doubly rare for those who are able to do so while also living a fulfilling life. The job isn’t glamorous, but in lean times of hunger and starvation, you’ll always be able to feed yourself. The class has a dizzying number of variations and sub-types, depending on specialization, crops grown, livestock being raised, and more.
Common Elements: Most Wood-aligned elements. Water. Most Earth-aligned elements.
How to obtain: Plant a few seeds, and try to make them grow!
Related Classes: Rancher, Grower, Cultivator (Growing, not martial), Raiser, Peasant, Producer, Agriculturalist, Gardener.
I mentally cursed as I realized I forgot to bring paper and quill with me, and I had no easy way of taking notes. I wasn’t in the world of my soul where I could easily summon the materials I needed.
Trying to do it all mentally could work, but…
An hour of adventuring and running around later, I had fresh paper in a notebook - bless it for not being a scroll, so much more convenient - and a very expensive quill that I hoped would last my entire time here. According to the salesman, I could change the color, and it’d never run out of ink, as long as I fed the enchantments mana.
Given my normal track record of losing pens, and generally losing my stuff, I was taking a bit of a risk here, but I hoped it’d pay off.
I noted the [Farmer] class as being good for me to grow mangos. Like the foreword of the book, I had hopes and dreams that I was living a more peaceful life, and that I could afford to have a class not dedicated to killing.
I ruthlessly crushed the whispers in the back of my head that said I was part of the School’s combat team.
I read the book, some classes jumping out at me more than others.
Merchant: Money makes the world go round! Not everyone uses money, but those who don’t tend to live in huts in the woods, not interacting with society as a whole. There is nearly nothing money can’t buy. Health? Purchase the services of a healer. Food? Go to the store. The calling of a merchant isn’t just the acquisition of wealth either, no. Merchants are vital members of society, ensuring that goods reach people who need them. They’re the middle men that save countless hours from every single person they interact with. There are as many different types of merchants as there are goods and services in the world to buy and sell.
Common Elements: Gemstones, Metal.
How to obtain: Buy anything, and sell it again.
Related Classes: Broker, Dealer, Exporter, Retailer, Seller, Shipper, Shopkeeper, Trader, Vendor, Wholesaler.
The Amber class.
I sucked at the social aspects of bartering, although I likely had a fantastic merchant class waiting for me after bargaining with Augustus. There was also something to be said for having a class dedicated to selling my Immortality gems. I wasn’t leaning that way - the entire enterprise felt far too dangerous - but a whole class that could leverage what I already had towards making me rich?
I saw the opportunities and positives in every class.
Priest: The gods and goddesses above are with us every step of our journey here on Pallos. They are our constant companions, able to divinely intervene when requested. They are the conduit to the afterlife. Is there any calling higher than connecting people with their gods? Each god and goddess can have their own priest, and it's rare for a priest to be a generalist, instead of dedicated to the worship of a single god.
Common Elements: Any.
How to obtain: Lead others in prayer.
Related Classes: Cleric, Elder, Monk, Preacher, Paladin, Disciple, Prophet, Oracle, Acolyte, Holy man/woman.
I knew I had [Prophet of Papilion] waiting for me - not that I was going to take it - and it was fun to see Iona’s class in the book!
Noble: Here for the sake of completeness, one generally needs to be a noble before one can acquire the [Noble] class! Generally powerful, you can orient the class in hundreds of different ways, from martial to administrative.
Common Elements: Any.
How to obtain: Be nobility.
Related Classes: King, Queen, Princess, Prince, Duke, Duchess, Count, Countess, Baron, Baroness, Heir, Heiress.
A fun read, but not an option for me. I had a distinct lack of peerage and blue blood needed for the class.
The next class was similarly not one I was going to take, but it was interesting to see what Asano had to say about my class.
Healer: One of the highest callings anyone can aspire towards, healers are the last bulwark against death. Everyone has a body. Everyone needs the services of a healer at some point or another. A class that is in demand across the world, when someone needs a healer, they’re able and willing to pay any price. Additionally, I know of no society that doesn’t praise and respect healers, nor one where they are unable to make a good living.
Common Elements: Celestial, Light-aligned, Dark-aligned, Water-aligned.
How to obtain: Help someone heal.
Related Classes: Medic, Doctor, Nurse, Midwife.
A fair take, and with my life experience, I could see how the book’s words translated in practice. A mostly fair, if somewhat rosy-eyed look at the class, which seemed to be how all the classes were painted.
Revolutionary: All things new start with an idea and the person who’ll see it through. From trying out those strange round things called “wheels”, to removing the corrupt government, revolutionaries make change happen. Revolutionaries are those who have ideas and ideals, the first to venture further, experiment, think, develop. Careful though, most revolutionaries aren’t well looked upon or well-paid, and occasionally venture into the more violent aspects.
Common Elements: Fire, Storm.
How to obtain: Have a burning desire for change
Related Classes: Radical, Subversive, Insurgent, Rebel, Anarchist
Interesting to see this here, and… gods, I was going to get a lot of high quality classes wasn’t I?
Researcher: Knowledge is power! There's a lot to know about the world, and someone has to figure it all out. How do birds fly? What makes fire hot? Who was the first [King] of Iktres? Researchers are the ones at the vanguard of civilization, pushing back the darkness of the unknown with every step they take. You might not be remembered, but the millions of researchers before you are the foundation of the modern day. Join them, for a brighter tomorrow. Employment prospects tend to require a high-minded sponsor.
Common elements: Metal, Fire, Light, Fossil, Celestial, Radiance, Brilliance.
How to obtain: Answer your own question with no external guidance.
Related Classes: Natural Philosopher, Librarian, Archivist, Inventor, Historian
I didn’t see myself going down that route, although I was going to dabble in the field a hair to figure out what the heck happened to Remus, and everyone. Maybe I’d make a pit stop in the class during a quick cycle?
Fun to see Librarian! Given that she was who I was in my soul. I had been offered a [Librarian] class once upon a time, I wonder how strong it was now…
Princess: To lead is to accept the burden of responsibility for those amongst you. To accept that they are in your care and it is by the strength of your heart that they will live or die. To become a Princess is to stand tall when the walls of the city fall, when the fires burn the forests and the monsters taint the lakes. It is to stand amongst the ruins as the light of your people, the beating heart of the future promising salvation and prosperity. A true Princess is not merely royalty, but a protector and mentor to her people. And then there are those who win the lottery and are born the twelfth child of some couple who wants to ensure their lineage continues.
Elements: Most elements, with the exception of Fossil.
How to obtain: Be born into a family that is royalty or become considered royalty by local life in the location which you call home.
Related Classes: Noble, Leader, Warlord, Villainess, Heroine.
I was a little confused that this class was in when there was already [Noble], but at the same time, it was a pleasant day dream to imagine I was a princess.
I wasn’t going to let the reality of the role destroy my daydream. I doodled myself as a princess riding a flaming phoenix. Because screw unicorns, I had Auri.
Smith: Also called Metalworkers, a smith is anyone who works primarily in shaping, tempering, and purifying metal. Many smiths specialize in specific metals or specific functions, and many of these specializations also require some work with wood, leather, or similar materials. Smiths are a vital piece of any society, and can be found even in the smallest villages, often being the most prosperous members. Farmers need iron beaten into plows, carpenters need nails, and it spirals from there to guards needing armor and warriors needing weapons. Wherever you go, there’s demand for your craft, although the initial investment in materials will make moving difficult once you’ve set up somewhere. More practically, in a war, smiths aren’t levied into armies, and are nearly always spared when a town is looted - provided they’re willing to work for the invaders. Most smithing involves working at a forge, as the high temperatures of a forge are needed to make the metals more malleable and in the processes used to remove impurities.
Common Elements: Metal, Fire, Crucible, Mantle, Lava.
How to Obtain: Shape metal into a tool, preferably using a hot flame to make the metal more malleable first.
Related classes: Armorsmith, Weaponsmith, Coppersmith, Whitesmith, Farrier, Blacksmith.
The sheer time investment didn’t interest me, but the class was moderately famous for a reason.
If nothing else, I thought I might be too scrawny for it, before my strength kicked in. Blacksmiths were built like Iona.
Alchemist: This particular set of classes are tricky, as there are several different types of alchemists, which aren’t able to properly describe an overlap in spite of having the same name. The first type is the transmuter or transformer (external), one who turns one substance into another. The famous example is the alchemist who transmuted a full sheet of lead into gold. A pretty, if ultimately useless, display. Interestingly, transmuted materials are considered to be real, and do not obey the normal conjuration rules. With this class, everything you need will always be at your fingertips! Simply transmute the closest block of wood or dirt under your feet into clothes, shelter, and food!
The second type of alchemist is the Potioneer. Potions are interesting, as a number of them ignore the vitality-defense rule. This is to say, a potioneer is able to make an effective potion for a warrior, regardless of said warrior’s vitality. Similarly, tonics of transformation, flight, and the massive array of other potions are also usable at all levels!
The profession and learning of it is expensive, but commands a correspondingly high price from those who can afford your services.
Common Elements (Transmutation): Varies, depending on the subtype.
Common Elements (Potions): Water-aligned, Wood-aligned.
How to Obtain (Transmutation): This class is often difficult to obtain, generally requiring a learning-type Apprentice, Student, Pupil, Disciple, or related class to evolve into the class. Obtaining the class on your own is difficult.
How to Obtain (Potioneer): Mix herbs and “ingredients” together in fluids a few times to unlock the basic class.
Bubble, bubble, toil and trouble! This sounded like a TON of fun! Both of them! Being able to turn matchboxes into mice, or brew up a potion of SUPER DUPER AWESOME FUN TIME sounded great! A whole variety of magic at my fingertips!
Getting the class seemed hard, and the next one up was about that.
Student: Not the end, but certainly the means! Education is critical for many of the classes listed in this book, with the more you know, the better skills you’ll be offered, and the more intelligently you can apply them. The [Student] class is excellent for learning, and tends to easily sidegrade to any number of other classes. Additionally, the class often gets skills that help the student dabble in the various activities they’re learning. For example, a student might be able to make the most basic of potions that might otherwise require a skill, but never more than the basics, and always under limited circumstances. However, the raw flexibility tends to come with a minor penalty in class quality when sidegrading. The related [Jack] has similar flexibility with fewer restrictions.
Common Elements: Any.
Related Classes: Apprentice, Disciple, Trainee, Pupil, Jack.
AHHH I WANTED EVERYTHING! And [Jack] sounded like [Jack of all Trades] which also sounded super cool! The name implied that I could do a little bit of everything, and that was almost exactly what I wanted.
Guard: Essential to a functioning society, [Guards] keep the rules and the peace. I know of no society that doesn’t employ numerous guards, and even when situations and governments deteriorate, [Guards] are found employed in number, although perhaps with a different name. This class is one of the ones that crosses the peaceful-violent spectrum, as [Guards] are often called to break up fist fights at a minimum.
Common Elements: Earth, Fire, Water.
Related Classes: Enforcer, Bodyguard, Sentry, Warden, Bouncer
WOO GUARDS! I loved guards!
My major gripe with working as a guard was the hours. I liked needing to work only a few hours in a day, getting paid boatloads for it, then being free for the rest of the day to do what I wanted. Still didn’t stop me respecting the profession!
Artificer (Peaceful): Civilization is built upon tools. From the humblest wheel to the mightiest wall, to the farmer's hoe and the soldier's sword, their absence would be harshly felt, and their improvements can drastically increase the lifestyle for countless individuals.
Civilization is also built upon magic. From the simplest [Farmer] using their Skills to ensure a bountiful crop, to the highest [King] overseeing their domain, to the mages wielding stone and wood to build a mighty castle overnight, magic is strictly entwined with all of life, and its presence is a great boon to those it touches.
The Artificer seeks to combine these two great disciplines. Their tools are magical and powerful even before Skills are used with them, and rarely simple. Create mills capable of grinding tons of grain, golems to harvest crops, and carriages which need no beast of burden to pull. If there exists a problem, an Artificer can build a solution. Pay and ease of work tends to dramatically differ depending on local situations.
Common elements: Metal, Crucible, Mantle, Wood, Lighting, Steam.
How to obtain: Make a magical tool (usually with inscriptions).
Related classes: Smith, Inscriptionist, Inventor, Engineer, Mason
Hmmmm. I hadn’t been big on making things, but it sounded interesting! There was a world of difference between making things for other people, and spending hours tinkering on my own projects.
I didn’t dismiss it out of hand, making a little note about it.
Artist: From the mud on your hands, you write mosaics into a grand epic. From the ink in your quill, you pen the notes of a thousand tunes. From the essence of flowers, you make your brush the genesis of the world your mind sees. To be an artist is to take what is within your heart and pour it into your creations, so that the hearts of others may be stirred. Maybe song is your calling, or dance, writing, sculpture, or painting... There are as many forms of art as there are minds who dream. The pay tends to be abysmal, requiring a sponsor or patron, along with years of education simply to be competitive. Not for the faint of heart.
Common elements: Mirror, Sound, Mirage, Brilliance, Ice, Light, Wood, Metal.
How to obtain: Create something!
Related classes: Dancer, Bard, Sculptor, Painter, Designer, Architect, Gardener, Singer, Storyteller, Author, Parodist, Critic.
I did like the arts, although historically I’d leaned more towards the “patron” side of things. I could see myself dabbling in it, but not taking an entire class for it.
Prostitute: The oldest profession! All that’s needed is a willingness to have sex with strangers, and the class usually has some skills to help in that direction. There’s almost never a shortage of work, although income dramatically varies, there’s not a lot of growth in the field, and with rare exceptions, is societally frowned upon.
Common Elements: Water, Mirage.
How to Obtain: Have sex with someone in exchange for money.
Related Classes: Escort, Hooker, Whore, Streetwalker, Courtesan, Tart, Madame, Siren, Flirt, Tramp, Harlot, Scarlet Woman, Concubine, Wench, Gigolo, Stud.
I thought the writer had a little too much fun finding the related classes. Not the class for me, but the author was thorough.
Explorer: Finder of new things, creator of maps, spearhead of civilization. Before settlement spread into the unknown there are those who come before them. They explore for precious goods that might be worth trading, arable land that might be worth farming, or just the thrill of finding something new. Often overlooked as eccentric hermits or ostracized for their ideas to dream of what lies beyond the horizon. The northern continent can always use good [Explorers], although getting a position can be difficult.
Common Element: Air, Water, Earth, Wood-aligned.
How to Obtain: Go exploring! Most everyone already has this class unlocked from childhood adventures.
Related Classes: Prospector, Cartographer, Navigator, Pathfinder, Researcher.
Teacher: The giver of knowledge, the ones who make obtaining powerful classes and skills possible. The very foundation of all powerful classes, nobody has strong skills without a teacher in the background educating them on how to get the skill, and imparting the knowledge needed. Always in demand, only the most backward and primitive societies don’t value their teachers with ample pay and social status.
Common Elements: Water, Fire, Wood, Metal.
How to Obtain: Teach another!
Related Classes: Tutor, Educator, Instructor, Lecturer, Professor, Scholar, Mentor, Master, Student.
The job of teaching kept coming up in my life, time and time again. I’d worked as a teacher before, both lecturing at Artemis’s school, and lecturing Ranger Trainees on medicine and first aid. It wasn’t the worst job, although I wasn’t sure if I needed an entire class for it.
Biomancer: Our bodies are the very foundation upon which everything is built, and biomancers look at that and say “but what if we made it better?” They are limited by what is ‘biologically’ possible, but that has a wide range of possibilities. A single biomancer in the right place can make a normal army into a superior fighting force, a normal guard into the perfect detector, and allow a village to literally eat trees and obtain enough food from them. They are only limited by their imagination and education.
Common Elements: Forest
How to Obtain: The student route is easiest, although there are unconfirmed reports that attempting to glue various insects together will have the class be offered.
Related Classes: Healer, Alchemist (Transmutation), Transfigurer.
Interesting. The book said many of the same things that Marcelle said regarding biomancer, and the changes were implied to be permanent.
An idea was starting to itch at me. Grab [Biomancer], make myself superhuman, then ditch the class and go take a ‘real’ third. It sounded appealing, and if I angled things properly, I could even work on the educational aspect of my third class while also working on the biomancer part, which would let me gain full advantage of my time here at the School.
It got a little star.
Golem Maker: In spite of the fear the Pekari spread, golems are some of the more useful innovations one can make. Who needs a farmer, when you can build golems to plow the fields? Who needs builders, when golems can tirelessly haul rocks? Golems come in a wide variety, from wood to stone, elvenoid in shape to golems in the shape of a cube that simply play music. Build your own personal army! Societal status and pay dramatically depends on the society in question. Some revere golem makers, while others shun them. Cost of the profession varies dramatically, depending on materials used, if an Arcanite heart is used, etc.
Common Elements: Metal, Wood, Earth, Mantle, Mountain, Fossil.
How to Obtain: A Mage class directly manipulating the material in question to act like a golem. Student route.
Related Classes: Necromancer
Ok, WAIT WHAT!? [Necromancer]was a related class!?
Something to explore another day. Controlling hordes of shambling zombies and skeletons did sound somewhat fun though…
The class sounded interesting, but also fiddly and time consuming. I didn’t feel myself pulled that strongly towards it, although I should probably take an introductory course just so I could get an idea of what it was like.
Writer: I extol the virtues of many classes, but the [Writer] class is the best, bar none. Indeed, it is the very class I myself have! There is nothing more magical than putting quill to parchment, detailing out knowledge for others to read and learn. This book, teaching you all there is to know about classes, is only possible thanks to the class! It is the primary way to pass knowledge along, a way for a single individual to touch the lives of millions. Different societies tend to value writers differently, and the type of writer will also matter quite a bit. The pay tends to be poor, except for the very successful ones, but don’t worry! Every [Writer] believes they will be the hugely successful ones. Self-delusion is critical for the class.
Common Elements: Water, Wood.
How to Obtain: Write anything!
Related Classes: Publisher, Author, Reader, Erotica Writer, Procrastinator, Editor, Biographer, Columnist, Journalist, Composer, Poet, Reporter, Essayist, Propagandist, Novelist, Serial Novelist.
The next entry was [Mage]. At last! This was more like it!
Mage: No class is as wide or diverse as the [Mage] class, and indeed, arguably most, if not all, of the classes in this book could be considered a subset of the [Mage] profession. Indeed, even within the proper [Mage] classes are near-infinite varieties, of which detailing them all would be worth an entire encyclopedia of its own! The most flexible class, bending the very fabric of reality to your whims, there is practically nothing a [Mage] can’t do. However, reader beware! Mages can’t do everything, no matter what wizards will claim, and they are only useful for the very short period of time until they find themselves without mana. A [Mage] without mana is little more than a massively underleveled body, generally without the education to make themselves useful in other ways. Employment and status in society variable on type.
Common Elements: All.
How to Obtain: [Meditation] skill, among other methods.
Related Classes: See Appendix F.
The [Mage] class. What I was likely taking in the long run.
I must’ve gone through thousands of different classes. [Hunter]. [Gatherer]. [Builder]. [Architect]. [Wagoneer]. [Sailor]. [Captain]. [Knight]. [Bard]. [Actor]. [Craftsman]. [Butcher]. [Miller]. [Barrister]. [Innkeeper]. [Runner]. [Scribe]. [Logger]. [Miner]. [Spy]. [Storyteller]. [Smuggler]. [Rogue]. [Manager]. [Servant]. [Courier]. [Clerk]. [Weaver]. [Potter]. [Trapper]. The entire breadth of the world, every job that society needed to function, from the highest to the lowest.
It wasn’t the first time I’d done this exercise, no. However, different from before, I felt like I’d gotten high quality on my starter classes, and I was ready to class up and lock them in. I could always reset my class later back to level 8, and pick a new start, a new path to go down. My only hesitation had been locking things in the first place, and while I still wasn’t sure exactly what class I’d end up with, I felt comfortable enough to take a class in the first place, and start the adventure that was my third class.
When it came down to it, there was an easy, obvious selection for my first-pick third class. My current job. A class I’d taken before, and was familiar with. A class that kept coming up again and again, described as a springboard towards all sorts of other classes.
A class that would help me pick my ‘real’ class.
It was time to become a [Student] once again.
“Brrpt!” Auri commented.
“It is a huge building.” I agreed.
I was practically drooling over the size of the library. I’d been torn. On one hand, I wanted nothing more than to sprint over there, dive into a pile of books, and never be seen again.
On the other, I’d never be seen again, and who knew when I would need to actually eat food and the like. I could totally see myself getting so immersed in the books that I skipped a ton of meals, and then suddenly woke up one day, having not eaten for days, with no money and no job to make more. My usual go-to of healing for cash wasn’t nearly as easy to come by with a bustling hospital filled to the brim with other students and teachers trying to get as much practical experience as possible.
That would be an awkward way to go out. My tombstone engraving would be “Here lies Elaine, she wrote herself off.”
I slowly entered the library like an alcoholic entering a liquor store, who promised they were only going to buy one beer.
Novelty-sized.
“Brrpt brpt?” Auri asked, her beak sticking out adorably from under her tiny little black witch’s hat.
“First thing we’re going to do is ask someone about you.” I promised.
Books plus fiery bird was not a good combination, and I was going to check on the rules about that first. I was not getting banned from the library. That’d be a disaster.
“Brrrpt!!”
“I know you can be good.”
With no small amount of excitement and trepidation, I opened the doors into the library.
The antechamber was large and spacious, and a nice front desk dominated the left side of the room. A few students were talking with the library assistants behind the desk, most of whom also appeared to be students, but plenty more were available.
This place was clearly magical, even by School standards. No damn lines.
Without further ado, I approached one of the open front desk workers.
“Hi!” I was getting better at High Elvish, and bless the omnipresent translations. Still, I was no master at it, and it was only a matter of time before some snafu caused problems. “Is Auri allowed in?”
“Auri?”
“Brrpt!” Auri cheerfully introduced herself. The dude raised an eyebrow.
“You must be new here. Welcome! The library has a number of high level [Librarians] with numerous skills to preserve the books. They’re protected against numerous things, like fire, water, stains, spills, rips, and the like. They are not immune to food bookmarks, so please don’t.” He shuddered, and I didn’t think it was for dramatic effect.
He quickly eyed Auri, possibly checking her level. He then thunked a book onto the counter.
“Try and light it on fire and see!”
“BRRRPT!” Auri took to the challenge with enthusiasm, and within seconds, there was a book merrily burning on the library counter.
“Oh shit.” The front desk worker swore.
“Brrrpt.” Auri was unbearably smug.
“What is going on here!?” A high-level blue-robed [Librarian] stormed out from the main section of the library.
I felt the blood drain out of my face.
=======================
We all ended up getting hauled into a private room, where the poor student worker got himself verbally destroyed. I could even say he got the book thrown at him. I couldn’t quite catch all the words - they were speaking too quickly - but I got the general gist of what was going on. Slouched shoulders, head down, and lots of yelling by lots of high level people.
Finally it was my turn.
“Martin. Wish we’d meet under better circumstances. What happened?” The first [Librarian] asked me.
There was no question that the dude was a demon, and a demon librarian named Martin was further short-circuiting my thinking.
The words exploded out of me in a gush.
“I was asking if it was ok for Auri to come inside and he said the books were immune to fire and said we could check and Auri lit it on fire anyways please don’t ban me.” I was practically crying.
His face twisted into a puzzled look, and he looked at the little hummingbird on my shoulder.
“She did that? At level 128?”
I nodded, afraid I’d burst into tears if I opened my mouth. My library access!
“Fascinating. I don’t recognize the species. What is she?”
I froze with my mouth open, looking at everyone else who was in the room. We weren’t the center of attention, but…
The librarian saw my consternation, and snapped his fingers.
“[Study Quietly]. A skill of mine, handy to silence students working in groups being a little too loud. I am exceedingly curious how a small bird at such a low level was able to break through all of our protective auras, and general enchantments. I am also curious on a personal level as to what she is, given that I don’t recognize her. Him? No pressure though, it’s simply personal curiosity.”
“I’d.. rather not say. Please don’t ban me from the library, I was trying to follow the rules.”
He gave a small frown, but nodded understandingly.
“You are naturally not banned, although young Lyphus is going to get a most stern talking to. However, Auri is not allowed in the library. We simply can not have a creature capable of turning the entire place into a bonfire on the loose. I hope you understand.”
I nodded furiously.
“Sorry Auri.”
“Brrpt brrrrpt.” She wanted to know if she could leave, and go play with Fenrir.
“Sure, let’s finish up here.”
“I apologize for the inconvenience, miss. I hope you have a fine day.”
With that, the [Librarian] left the room. Lyphus was still getting roasted, and since nobody seemed interested in yelling or talking with me more, I slipped out as well.
After quickly popping out to let Auri go have fun and play, I reentered the library and talked with a different student worker.
“Hi! I’m new! How does this place work?”
“Welcome! Don’t try lighting anything on fire around me, please. I like my job. This is the library! We’ve got a few levels. First floor is general reading. Second and up are more specialized. Eighth floor’s the restricted section, you need special permission to go there. Archive’s in the basement, along with the metal doors. Questions?”
“How do I find a book? What’s the organizational system?”
“Well…”
In short, the organization was a bit of a mess. There were ledgers that detailed where books were supposed to be, and concerted efforts of the various workers here tried to keep everything in the right place, but things did go missing for one reason or another. Poorly filed paperwork, someone grabbing a book and not putting it back in the right place, students smuggling books out instead of checking them out - or just absent-mindedly walking out with them - students deliberately hiding books in the library so they could read more later without someone else checking it out from under them, the possibilities were endless.
There were also a few “activity” areas.
“Like what?” I asked him.
“There’s a whole pile of wizardry rune arrangements in a single stack! People put in their diagrams, other people ask questions, some try to answer them, it’s great! They call it the overflowing stack.”
I was getting distracted.
“I’m looking for The Big Book of Classes and How to Get Them. Do you know where it is? Also, a Vampire Tongue to High Elvish dictionary?” Marcelle had mentioned they tried to keep a lid on it, but it was worth checking.
“The first is one of the more popular texts, yeah. I’m not sure on the Vampire Tongue dictionary; I’ll have to go looking.” He gave me directions, and I was let loose on the most holy of grounds.
The library!
The soft gentle mage lights that provided illumination. The cozy corners with deep chairs. The cubbies to study in. The musky smell of old books. The soft crinkle of a page turning, and the inevitable librarian going [Shush!] to students who were too loud. The rows of shelves, stacked high with books crammed into every inch of them!
I grabbed a book somewhat at random, just to feel the weight of it in my hands. I held it close, breathing in deeply, getting a flood of sensations that weren’t quite properly reproduced in the library of my soul.
Books.
Oh beloved books. I’d been deprived of a proper library and reading experience for decades. Being here was like finally feeding my soul much-needed nourishment after being starved for so long. Me without a library was like a priest without a temple. A fisherman without a lake. A farmer without a field.
I felt tension bleeding away as the soothing atmosphere of the place washed over me.
However, just standing here wasn’t getting books read, and as nice as the place was, reading the books is what called to me, not just standing here.
The organizational system was the inspired genius of some madman. I’m sure it made perfect sense to whoever invented it, but it was completely opaque to me. Having only a passing familiarity with one language didn’t help, and it looked like the books were arranged by what they were, not what language they were written in. I idly opened one up, but whatever translation magic the School had going on didn’t extend to the written word.
The deeper into the stacks I went, the fewer people I saw. It was like I was in my own little private world back here, which suited me just fine.
Way too much hunting later, and I had the book in question - in the right language. The Big Book of Classes and How to Get Them, by Edwin Asano. I found a lovely plush chair in a hidden corner, sank down thankfully into it, completely ignored how dirty it might be, and cracked the book open.
I was met with a foreword, and since I had the time, and it was important, I decided to read it.
Hello dear reader!
This book is a compilation of everything I’ve been able to find out about starter classes. At the same time, I know I only have a small fraction of the vastness that the System is able to offer inside, along with the hundreds of thousands of small modifications that the System twists on each Class. Nevertheless, I hope that my meager efforts here will be helpful for you.
I would love to claim credit for writing this entire book myself. Alas, that would be a lie most foul, as numerous others have written to me, giving me details of their classes, and generously permitting me to use their book in this book. It has made the entire thing more complete, and the list of contributors would take up an entire book of their own!
Each and everyone one of them has my heartfelt thanks. This would not be what it is without them.
Sadly, the world is rarely peaceful. This book is divided into two halves. The first are the peaceful classes, and may you find yourself in a time where you can leisurely peruse the front half. The second half are classes dedicated to fighting. A number of classes overlap, such as the ever-famous [Mage] class, and those generally have been split in half. One in the peaceful side, detailing the types of activities a peacetime [Mage] might enjoy, while the wartime side will dive into combat capabilities, fighting styles, and more.
Organization: The book is…
I continued reading, getting the overview of how the book worked.
There was an interesting note early on, that wasn’t quite a foreword, and wasn’t a class or organization. More of a warning, than anything else. I eagerly dove into it, mostly to see what the caution was about, and out of a little bit of vanity, hoping that my own Immortality-granting skills would make the cut.
Forbidden Elements and Classes.
In the course of civilization, a number of elemental-class combinations have been found to be far too dangerous, and polite society has deemed that no man, woman, or child should gain access to them.
I had a point in my life where I was skeptical of such an arrangement. ‘Surely’, I reasoned to myself, ‘it does not matter if an earthquake destroys a city, or if a plague wipes the city out. The difference is academic, especially to the poor fellows inside the city.’
Further study and inquiry down the path led me to what I believe the true answer is. It isn’t the scale of the devastation possible. It is a combination of the scale and level of the villain most foul who would seek to destroy an entire city.
A mage who wishes to split the earth and have it swallow a city whole would require over a thousand levels, multiple classes, and dedicated skills towards the endeavor.
A mage who wishes to unleash a plague to kill everyone inside only needs about a hundred levels, give or take.
It is not quite as simple as that, and the proper differences between the two are subject to a treatise I was politely but insistently told not to write, for reasons that were obvious in retrospect, but the idea remains.
There are some classes and elements that, while some good can come out of them, massive destruction and murder on an unbelievable scale are entirely possible at low levels.
Beware those mages who have the following elements, and if offered them yourself, decline and find a different class.
Spore
Poison
Miasma
Void
Now, these elements can have quite a lot of good when properly applied, Spore farmers being a most famous example, while many guards employ Void Cancelers, half the apothecaries end up with the Poison element, and the occasional miner grabs Miasma to properly handle bad air.
Most places I have traveled to will declare those with the element and a mage designation to be outside of the protection of the law.
Please dear reader, I implore you. Do not take the class. There are so many more options in the world.
A few more specific combinations are also frowned upon, but tend to be very explicit arrangements of classes and elements doing particular tasks, and even then societally it will vary. There are also some classes and elements that can only cause true issues at the highest levels, and most who find themselves with that level of power have already demonstrated a certain level of restraint.
Well then.
That was food for thought and a half.
I’d seen what Toxic did with the Formorians. He almost killed off an entire species, while being a quarter of their level.
Hesoid in Perinthus, one man working quite hard to kill off an entire town. Almost succeeded to boot, although it wouldn’t have been his hand that killed people off, it was almost the army.
I’d been warned about Void mages before, and it looked like Spore was just as bad.
Good things to learn.
I flipped to the first page of actual classes, and got started.
Farmer: The bedrock of civilization. Every country, every district, every city, every species, every single living person needs food to live. Rare are the individuals who can entirely subsist off of hunting and gathering for their entire life, doubly rare for those who are able to do so while also living a fulfilling life. The job isn’t glamorous, but in lean times of hunger and starvation, you’ll always be able to feed yourself. The class has a dizzying number of variations and sub-types, depending on specialization, crops grown, livestock being raised, and more.
Common Elements: Most Wood-aligned elements. Water. Most Earth-aligned elements.
How to obtain: Plant a few seeds, and try to make them grow!
Related Classes: Rancher, Grower, Cultivator (Growing, not martial), Raiser, Peasant, Producer, Agriculturalist, Gardener.
I mentally cursed as I realized I forgot to bring paper and quill with me, and I had no easy way of taking notes. I wasn’t in the world of my soul where I could easily summon the materials I needed.
Trying to do it all mentally could work, but…
An hour of adventuring and running around later, I had fresh paper in a notebook - bless it for not being a scroll, so much more convenient - and a very expensive quill that I hoped would last my entire time here. According to the salesman, I could change the color, and it’d never run out of ink, as long as I fed the enchantments mana.
Given my normal track record of losing pens, and generally losing my stuff, I was taking a bit of a risk here, but I hoped it’d pay off.
I noted the [Farmer] class as being good for me to grow mangos. Like the foreword of the book, I had hopes and dreams that I was living a more peaceful life, and that I could afford to have a class not dedicated to killing.
I ruthlessly crushed the whispers in the back of my head that said I was part of the School’s combat team.
I read the book, some classes jumping out at me more than others.
Merchant: Money makes the world go round! Not everyone uses money, but those who don’t tend to live in huts in the woods, not interacting with society as a whole. There is nearly nothing money can’t buy. Health? Purchase the services of a healer. Food? Go to the store. The calling of a merchant isn’t just the acquisition of wealth either, no. Merchants are vital members of society, ensuring that goods reach people who need them. They’re the middle men that save countless hours from every single person they interact with. There are as many different types of merchants as there are goods and services in the world to buy and sell.
Common Elements: Gemstones, Metal.
How to obtain: Buy anything, and sell it again.
Related Classes: Broker, Dealer, Exporter, Retailer, Seller, Shipper, Shopkeeper, Trader, Vendor, Wholesaler.
The Amber class.
I sucked at the social aspects of bartering, although I likely had a fantastic merchant class waiting for me after bargaining with Augustus. There was also something to be said for having a class dedicated to selling my Immortality gems. I wasn’t leaning that way - the entire enterprise felt far too dangerous - but a whole class that could leverage what I already had towards making me rich?
I saw the opportunities and positives in every class.
Priest: The gods and goddesses above are with us every step of our journey here on Pallos. They are our constant companions, able to divinely intervene when requested. They are the conduit to the afterlife. Is there any calling higher than connecting people with their gods? Each god and goddess can have their own priest, and it's rare for a priest to be a generalist, instead of dedicated to the worship of a single god.
Common Elements: Any.
How to obtain: Lead others in prayer.
Related Classes: Cleric, Elder, Monk, Preacher, Paladin, Disciple, Prophet, Oracle, Acolyte, Holy man/woman.
I knew I had [Prophet of Papilion] waiting for me - not that I was going to take it - and it was fun to see Iona’s class in the book!
Noble: Here for the sake of completeness, one generally needs to be a noble before one can acquire the [Noble] class! Generally powerful, you can orient the class in hundreds of different ways, from martial to administrative.
Common Elements: Any.
How to obtain: Be nobility.
Related Classes: King, Queen, Princess, Prince, Duke, Duchess, Count, Countess, Baron, Baroness, Heir, Heiress.
A fun read, but not an option for me. I had a distinct lack of peerage and blue blood needed for the class.
The next class was similarly not one I was going to take, but it was interesting to see what Asano had to say about my class.
Healer: One of the highest callings anyone can aspire towards, healers are the last bulwark against death. Everyone has a body. Everyone needs the services of a healer at some point or another. A class that is in demand across the world, when someone needs a healer, they’re able and willing to pay any price. Additionally, I know of no society that doesn’t praise and respect healers, nor one where they are unable to make a good living.
Common Elements: Celestial, Light-aligned, Dark-aligned, Water-aligned.
How to obtain: Help someone heal.
Related Classes: Medic, Doctor, Nurse, Midwife.
A fair take, and with my life experience, I could see how the book’s words translated in practice. A mostly fair, if somewhat rosy-eyed look at the class, which seemed to be how all the classes were painted.
Revolutionary: All things new start with an idea and the person who’ll see it through. From trying out those strange round things called “wheels”, to removing the corrupt government, revolutionaries make change happen. Revolutionaries are those who have ideas and ideals, the first to venture further, experiment, think, develop. Careful though, most revolutionaries aren’t well looked upon or well-paid, and occasionally venture into the more violent aspects.
Common Elements: Fire, Storm.
How to obtain: Have a burning desire for change
Related Classes: Radical, Subversive, Insurgent, Rebel, Anarchist
Interesting to see this here, and… gods, I was going to get a lot of high quality classes wasn’t I?
Researcher: Knowledge is power! There's a lot to know about the world, and someone has to figure it all out. How do birds fly? What makes fire hot? Who was the first [King] of Iktres? Researchers are the ones at the vanguard of civilization, pushing back the darkness of the unknown with every step they take. You might not be remembered, but the millions of researchers before you are the foundation of the modern day. Join them, for a brighter tomorrow. Employment prospects tend to require a high-minded sponsor.
Common elements: Metal, Fire, Light, Fossil, Celestial, Radiance, Brilliance.
How to obtain: Answer your own question with no external guidance.
Related Classes: Natural Philosopher, Librarian, Archivist, Inventor, Historian
I didn’t see myself going down that route, although I was going to dabble in the field a hair to figure out what the heck happened to Remus, and everyone. Maybe I’d make a pit stop in the class during a quick cycle?
Fun to see Librarian! Given that she was who I was in my soul. I had been offered a [Librarian] class once upon a time, I wonder how strong it was now…
Princess: To lead is to accept the burden of responsibility for those amongst you. To accept that they are in your care and it is by the strength of your heart that they will live or die. To become a Princess is to stand tall when the walls of the city fall, when the fires burn the forests and the monsters taint the lakes. It is to stand amongst the ruins as the light of your people, the beating heart of the future promising salvation and prosperity. A true Princess is not merely royalty, but a protector and mentor to her people. And then there are those who win the lottery and are born the twelfth child of some couple who wants to ensure their lineage continues.
Elements: Most elements, with the exception of Fossil.
How to obtain: Be born into a family that is royalty or become considered royalty by local life in the location which you call home.
Related Classes: Noble, Leader, Warlord, Villainess, Heroine.
I was a little confused that this class was in when there was already [Noble], but at the same time, it was a pleasant day dream to imagine I was a princess.
I wasn’t going to let the reality of the role destroy my daydream. I doodled myself as a princess riding a flaming phoenix. Because screw unicorns, I had Auri.
Smith: Also called Metalworkers, a smith is anyone who works primarily in shaping, tempering, and purifying metal. Many smiths specialize in specific metals or specific functions, and many of these specializations also require some work with wood, leather, or similar materials. Smiths are a vital piece of any society, and can be found even in the smallest villages, often being the most prosperous members. Farmers need iron beaten into plows, carpenters need nails, and it spirals from there to guards needing armor and warriors needing weapons. Wherever you go, there’s demand for your craft, although the initial investment in materials will make moving difficult once you’ve set up somewhere. More practically, in a war, smiths aren’t levied into armies, and are nearly always spared when a town is looted - provided they’re willing to work for the invaders. Most smithing involves working at a forge, as the high temperatures of a forge are needed to make the metals more malleable and in the processes used to remove impurities.
Common Elements: Metal, Fire, Crucible, Mantle, Lava.
How to Obtain: Shape metal into a tool, preferably using a hot flame to make the metal more malleable first.
Related classes: Armorsmith, Weaponsmith, Coppersmith, Whitesmith, Farrier, Blacksmith.
The sheer time investment didn’t interest me, but the class was moderately famous for a reason.
If nothing else, I thought I might be too scrawny for it, before my strength kicked in. Blacksmiths were built like Iona.
Alchemist: This particular set of classes are tricky, as there are several different types of alchemists, which aren’t able to properly describe an overlap in spite of having the same name. The first type is the transmuter or transformer (external), one who turns one substance into another. The famous example is the alchemist who transmuted a full sheet of lead into gold. A pretty, if ultimately useless, display. Interestingly, transmuted materials are considered to be real, and do not obey the normal conjuration rules. With this class, everything you need will always be at your fingertips! Simply transmute the closest block of wood or dirt under your feet into clothes, shelter, and food!
The second type of alchemist is the Potioneer. Potions are interesting, as a number of them ignore the vitality-defense rule. This is to say, a potioneer is able to make an effective potion for a warrior, regardless of said warrior’s vitality. Similarly, tonics of transformation, flight, and the massive array of other potions are also usable at all levels!
The profession and learning of it is expensive, but commands a correspondingly high price from those who can afford your services.
Common Elements (Transmutation): Varies, depending on the subtype.
Common Elements (Potions): Water-aligned, Wood-aligned.
How to Obtain (Transmutation): This class is often difficult to obtain, generally requiring a learning-type Apprentice, Student, Pupil, Disciple, or related class to evolve into the class. Obtaining the class on your own is difficult.
How to Obtain (Potioneer): Mix herbs and “ingredients” together in fluids a few times to unlock the basic class.
Bubble, bubble, toil and trouble! This sounded like a TON of fun! Both of them! Being able to turn matchboxes into mice, or brew up a potion of SUPER DUPER AWESOME FUN TIME sounded great! A whole variety of magic at my fingertips!
Getting the class seemed hard, and the next one up was about that.
Student: Not the end, but certainly the means! Education is critical for many of the classes listed in this book, with the more you know, the better skills you’ll be offered, and the more intelligently you can apply them. The [Student] class is excellent for learning, and tends to easily sidegrade to any number of other classes. Additionally, the class often gets skills that help the student dabble in the various activities they’re learning. For example, a student might be able to make the most basic of potions that might otherwise require a skill, but never more than the basics, and always under limited circumstances. However, the raw flexibility tends to come with a minor penalty in class quality when sidegrading. The related [Jack] has similar flexibility with fewer restrictions.
Common Elements: Any.
Related Classes: Apprentice, Disciple, Trainee, Pupil, Jack.
AHHH I WANTED EVERYTHING! And [Jack] sounded like [Jack of all Trades] which also sounded super cool! The name implied that I could do a little bit of everything, and that was almost exactly what I wanted.
Guard: Essential to a functioning society, [Guards] keep the rules and the peace. I know of no society that doesn’t employ numerous guards, and even when situations and governments deteriorate, [Guards] are found employed in number, although perhaps with a different name. This class is one of the ones that crosses the peaceful-violent spectrum, as [Guards] are often called to break up fist fights at a minimum.
Common Elements: Earth, Fire, Water.
Related Classes: Enforcer, Bodyguard, Sentry, Warden, Bouncer
WOO GUARDS! I loved guards!
My major gripe with working as a guard was the hours. I liked needing to work only a few hours in a day, getting paid boatloads for it, then being free for the rest of the day to do what I wanted. Still didn’t stop me respecting the profession!
Artificer (Peaceful): Civilization is built upon tools. From the humblest wheel to the mightiest wall, to the farmer's hoe and the soldier's sword, their absence would be harshly felt, and their improvements can drastically increase the lifestyle for countless individuals.
Civilization is also built upon magic. From the simplest [Farmer] using their Skills to ensure a bountiful crop, to the highest [King] overseeing their domain, to the mages wielding stone and wood to build a mighty castle overnight, magic is strictly entwined with all of life, and its presence is a great boon to those it touches.
The Artificer seeks to combine these two great disciplines. Their tools are magical and powerful even before Skills are used with them, and rarely simple. Create mills capable of grinding tons of grain, golems to harvest crops, and carriages which need no beast of burden to pull. If there exists a problem, an Artificer can build a solution. Pay and ease of work tends to dramatically differ depending on local situations.
Common elements: Metal, Crucible, Mantle, Wood, Lighting, Steam.
How to obtain: Make a magical tool (usually with inscriptions).
Related classes: Smith, Inscriptionist, Inventor, Engineer, Mason
Hmmmm. I hadn’t been big on making things, but it sounded interesting! There was a world of difference between making things for other people, and spending hours tinkering on my own projects.
I didn’t dismiss it out of hand, making a little note about it.
Artist: From the mud on your hands, you write mosaics into a grand epic. From the ink in your quill, you pen the notes of a thousand tunes. From the essence of flowers, you make your brush the genesis of the world your mind sees. To be an artist is to take what is within your heart and pour it into your creations, so that the hearts of others may be stirred. Maybe song is your calling, or dance, writing, sculpture, or painting... There are as many forms of art as there are minds who dream. The pay tends to be abysmal, requiring a sponsor or patron, along with years of education simply to be competitive. Not for the faint of heart.
Common elements: Mirror, Sound, Mirage, Brilliance, Ice, Light, Wood, Metal.
How to obtain: Create something!
Related classes: Dancer, Bard, Sculptor, Painter, Designer, Architect, Gardener, Singer, Storyteller, Author, Parodist, Critic.
I did like the arts, although historically I’d leaned more towards the “patron” side of things. I could see myself dabbling in it, but not taking an entire class for it.
Prostitute: The oldest profession! All that’s needed is a willingness to have sex with strangers, and the class usually has some skills to help in that direction. There’s almost never a shortage of work, although income dramatically varies, there’s not a lot of growth in the field, and with rare exceptions, is societally frowned upon.
Common Elements: Water, Mirage.
How to Obtain: Have sex with someone in exchange for money.
Related Classes: Escort, Hooker, Whore, Streetwalker, Courtesan, Tart, Madame, Siren, Flirt, Tramp, Harlot, Scarlet Woman, Concubine, Wench, Gigolo, Stud.
I thought the writer had a little too much fun finding the related classes. Not the class for me, but the author was thorough.
Explorer: Finder of new things, creator of maps, spearhead of civilization. Before settlement spread into the unknown there are those who come before them. They explore for precious goods that might be worth trading, arable land that might be worth farming, or just the thrill of finding something new. Often overlooked as eccentric hermits or ostracized for their ideas to dream of what lies beyond the horizon. The northern continent can always use good [Explorers], although getting a position can be difficult.
Common Element: Air, Water, Earth, Wood-aligned.
How to Obtain: Go exploring! Most everyone already has this class unlocked from childhood adventures.
Related Classes: Prospector, Cartographer, Navigator, Pathfinder, Researcher.
Teacher: The giver of knowledge, the ones who make obtaining powerful classes and skills possible. The very foundation of all powerful classes, nobody has strong skills without a teacher in the background educating them on how to get the skill, and imparting the knowledge needed. Always in demand, only the most backward and primitive societies don’t value their teachers with ample pay and social status.
Common Elements: Water, Fire, Wood, Metal.
How to Obtain: Teach another!
Related Classes: Tutor, Educator, Instructor, Lecturer, Professor, Scholar, Mentor, Master, Student.
The job of teaching kept coming up in my life, time and time again. I’d worked as a teacher before, both lecturing at Artemis’s school, and lecturing Ranger Trainees on medicine and first aid. It wasn’t the worst job, although I wasn’t sure if I needed an entire class for it.
Biomancer: Our bodies are the very foundation upon which everything is built, and biomancers look at that and say “but what if we made it better?” They are limited by what is ‘biologically’ possible, but that has a wide range of possibilities. A single biomancer in the right place can make a normal army into a superior fighting force, a normal guard into the perfect detector, and allow a village to literally eat trees and obtain enough food from them. They are only limited by their imagination and education.
Common Elements: Forest
How to Obtain: The student route is easiest, although there are unconfirmed reports that attempting to glue various insects together will have the class be offered.
Related Classes: Healer, Alchemist (Transmutation), Transfigurer.
Interesting. The book said many of the same things that Marcelle said regarding biomancer, and the changes were implied to be permanent.
An idea was starting to itch at me. Grab [Biomancer], make myself superhuman, then ditch the class and go take a ‘real’ third. It sounded appealing, and if I angled things properly, I could even work on the educational aspect of my third class while also working on the biomancer part, which would let me gain full advantage of my time here at the School.
It got a little star.
Golem Maker: In spite of the fear the Pekari spread, golems are some of the more useful innovations one can make. Who needs a farmer, when you can build golems to plow the fields? Who needs builders, when golems can tirelessly haul rocks? Golems come in a wide variety, from wood to stone, elvenoid in shape to golems in the shape of a cube that simply play music. Build your own personal army! Societal status and pay dramatically depends on the society in question. Some revere golem makers, while others shun them. Cost of the profession varies dramatically, depending on materials used, if an Arcanite heart is used, etc.
Common Elements: Metal, Wood, Earth, Mantle, Mountain, Fossil.
How to Obtain: A Mage class directly manipulating the material in question to act like a golem. Student route.
Related Classes: Necromancer
Ok, WAIT WHAT!? [Necromancer]was a related class!?
Something to explore another day. Controlling hordes of shambling zombies and skeletons did sound somewhat fun though…
The class sounded interesting, but also fiddly and time consuming. I didn’t feel myself pulled that strongly towards it, although I should probably take an introductory course just so I could get an idea of what it was like.
Writer: I extol the virtues of many classes, but the [Writer] class is the best, bar none. Indeed, it is the very class I myself have! There is nothing more magical than putting quill to parchment, detailing out knowledge for others to read and learn. This book, teaching you all there is to know about classes, is only possible thanks to the class! It is the primary way to pass knowledge along, a way for a single individual to touch the lives of millions. Different societies tend to value writers differently, and the type of writer will also matter quite a bit. The pay tends to be poor, except for the very successful ones, but don’t worry! Every [Writer] believes they will be the hugely successful ones. Self-delusion is critical for the class.
Common Elements: Water, Wood.
How to Obtain: Write anything!
Related Classes: Publisher, Author, Reader, Erotica Writer, Procrastinator, Editor, Biographer, Columnist, Journalist, Composer, Poet, Reporter, Essayist, Propagandist, Novelist, Serial Novelist.
The next entry was [Mage]. At last! This was more like it!
Mage: No class is as wide or diverse as the [Mage] class, and indeed, arguably most, if not all, of the classes in this book could be considered a subset of the [Mage] profession. Indeed, even within the proper [Mage] classes are near-infinite varieties, of which detailing them all would be worth an entire encyclopedia of its own! The most flexible class, bending the very fabric of reality to your whims, there is practically nothing a [Mage] can’t do. However, reader beware! Mages can’t do everything, no matter what wizards will claim, and they are only useful for the very short period of time until they find themselves without mana. A [Mage] without mana is little more than a massively underleveled body, generally without the education to make themselves useful in other ways. Employment and status in society variable on type.
Common Elements: All.
How to Obtain: [Meditation] skill, among other methods.
Related Classes: See Appendix F.
The [Mage] class. What I was likely taking in the long run.
I must’ve gone through thousands of different classes. [Hunter]. [Gatherer]. [Builder]. [Architect]. [Wagoneer]. [Sailor]. [Captain]. [Knight]. [Bard]. [Actor]. [Craftsman]. [Butcher]. [Miller]. [Barrister]. [Innkeeper]. [Runner]. [Scribe]. [Logger]. [Miner]. [Spy]. [Storyteller]. [Smuggler]. [Rogue]. [Manager]. [Servant]. [Courier]. [Clerk]. [Weaver]. [Potter]. [Trapper]. The entire breadth of the world, every job that society needed to function, from the highest to the lowest.
It wasn’t the first time I’d done this exercise, no. However, different from before, I felt like I’d gotten high quality on my starter classes, and I was ready to class up and lock them in. I could always reset my class later back to level 8, and pick a new start, a new path to go down. My only hesitation had been locking things in the first place, and while I still wasn’t sure exactly what class I’d end up with, I felt comfortable enough to take a class in the first place, and start the adventure that was my third class.
When it came down to it, there was an easy, obvious selection for my first-pick third class. My current job. A class I’d taken before, and was familiar with. A class that kept coming up again and again, described as a springboard towards all sorts of other classes.
A class that would help me pick my ‘real’ class.
It was time to become a [Student] once again.
