There's also sect points to consider. They can be very significant, given that they mean a guaranteed mechanical advantage (think along the lines of the Adventure vote benefits, which is pretty big) from social events. First, I think it's much better to use them than to save them, at least early on, because snowballing is a thing, so I'm looking to do that. And second, we should try to gain more, which is accomplished by being first in a subject or overall.
From what the QM said, we can extrapolate that Pansy is at the top with 349 points of combined progress, so that's out of reach, at least for now. Mandy has 150+ in Physical Cultivation (and likely a few others as well, since Defense was said to be heavily contested), and Padma and Lisa focused on Charms (and the latter is the top scorer for it). We know nothing about the other subjects (
@Karf , could you tell us, if Rei knows?) , but I think it's likely we could get a sect point for Astronomy (a subject I really can't see many first years go for) with relatively little effort, thanks to the guaranteed 1d100 we can select with the Gallery option. So:
[X] Plan Safe Leveling and Sect Points
-[X][Adventure] The gallery
-[X][Training] Spiritual cultivation x2
-[X][Training] Astronomy
-[X][Social] Write in: What happened with Lisa has broadened your magical horizons to a new wondrous frontier, and you've been thinking that perhaps your love of drawing can be more than just a hobby. Though you're sure you couldn't create anything even remotely close to what you've experienced at the gallery, at this point, the path to it must start somewhere. Take advantage of your Quidditch meeting with Elder Flitwick to ask him for guidance on the subject.
-[X][Social] Although you've been assured that you'll get to choose your flying weapon soon, and training ramps up before the actual match next month, you'd still like to get a head-start. Go and find the captain, one Jeremy Stretton
-[X][Social] This talk of portents and omens has got you curious. Divination, you distantly recall, is an elective after you've started forming your core, but surely you can at least glean a basic understanding from somewhere.
-[X][Points] 1 point 2nd social
This all but guarantees a Social Cultivation level up (how bad would it feel to have a bad Training pool and/or roll, and miss out again?), making it so that next turn, we have 4 dice per action to push Physical Cultivation and get our extra action. It's also very likely to net us a sect point from Astronomy and the mechanical benefit it will bring us. And that's not mentioning the fact that cultivation sites can grant us on-going bonuses and other major benefits, and that Astronomy itself boost Spiritual Cultivation, which we need to level to the second stage by August (or more likely June).
As for the social options, once again, many of them are appealing, but alas we only have 3 picks. I already talked about my Write In, but let me explain why I chose the others.
Quidditch is gonna be an important part of our year and the more advantages we pile on that, the more benefits we will reap. It's safe to assume that we'll get good returns for such a heavy investment as 2 locked social options for 3 months out of 9. Spending 1 sect point on it early might mean more/better returns later, not to mention a guaranteed, immediate mechanical benefit now (maybe on physical cultivation for the training, or spiritual for the weapon control, or something else).
As for the Divination option, I like it for two reasons. First, the subject gives a boost to social situations, which I assume means actions. That's 3 events every turn (or more, with future Physical Cultivation gains), which "may provide a choice of mechanical
bonuses or maluses depending on the narrative consequences or the associated roll". That's huge (great or terrible), and with so many rolls, it adds up! The second reason is sect points. If any first year going for Astronomy is unlikely, for Divination it's almost impossible. That's an almost assured sect point, I'd wager.
Tl;dr: Spiritual Cultivation for certain, 1 or 2 sect points gained from being top scorer in two subjects with little to no competition, enchanted art plays to our strengths, and we're Quidditch newbies who need the training.
