A boy encounters an life-line unlike anything else in the world. Andrew's concept of the future and reality itself will be tested and refined by the arcane force of the Dream.
Perhaps the trails shall shatter him, or perhaps he shall be reborn anew.
Alternate Title: The 5e Bestiary gets isekai'd into a slave boys dreams, and starts spilling over into the real world.
After my long break dealing will all manner of wonderful health problems. I need to get back into the swing of writing before I feel I can do It's a Girls World Justice, so welcome to this nugget of a story idea. Perhaps it will grow it something a lot more, that's what happened with my first quest.
Andy fell asleep much like he usually did after a full day in the mines. The uncomfortable bedding and the soreness of his muscles trying to hold him awake a poor competition when faced against crushing fatigue. Andrew seldom dreamed, and when he did, they were hardly remembered.
Yet Andrew would remember this dream. Andrew would remember every dream for every night for the rest of his life. Be it the deliberate machinations of unknowable powers or perhaps sheer astronomical luck, it made little difference. Andrew had just connected to something vast, alien and world shaking in its ramifications.
So naturally, it all started with a bunny…
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Andrew snapped to awareness within the Dream, standing in a lightly shrubbed clearing below a sparkling starry night, moon-lit patches tracing beams up to holes in a thick canopy of lush dark green. To another this may have seemed an ordinary sight, yet for Andrew who had never seen a night sky or indeed anything outside Alcair's slave district deep beneath the ground, it was the most fascinating sight imaginable. The electric excitement of smelling fresh chilled air rustling through the foliage amidst the calls of nocturnal birds left Andrew wholly enraptured and thus completely unprepared for the rabbit that chomped down on his left toe.
"Ahh! Hey!" the boy cried, trying and failing to stomp on the nimble creature which darted back out of reach.
'What on Apera is happening?' he thought, carefully eyeing the little pest while pondering how he felt so awake and could even feel actual pain in a dream; the vague awareness of his sleeping body resting in the back of his mind. Any further thought was cut off as the hare darted back in for another bite at his foot. Feeling entirely over the stupid creature's antics, Andrew simply fell upon it with his body as it raced in, seizing the surprised hare and wringing it with his hands in one quick motion. A lifetime spent catching rats for extra food proving its use. With a simple twist, a final crack sounded from the hare's neck, and it fell limp.
The world lost its colour, fading away.
Defeated Entities:
Congratulations. A victory is attained. To the Winner, the spoils.
Armor Class +3 | Burrow Speed 5ft | Dexterity +7 | Wisdom +1 | Perception +2 | Stealth +5 | Passive Perception +2 | Ability [Escape] Come next midnight's toll, perhaps you triumph again…
- - -
Name: Andrew (Andy) XP: -190
Armour Class: 13 Hit points: 4 Speed: 30ft. Burrow 5ft.
Str: 10 Dex: 17 Con: 10 Int: 10 Wis: 11 Cha: 10 Perception +2, Stealth +5
Passive Perception: 12 Languages: Common Proficiency Bonus: +2 [Escape]: May Dash, Disengage or Hide as a bonus action
- - -
And Andrew awoke, seizing stiff on his straw bed as wracking pains flowed down his body. The Words burned into him as he felt himself become more in some ineffable way. As quick as they had come, the words and their promise of his next dream were gone. Andrew lay still, covered in sweat, breathing heavy.
Magic was terrifying. Only the elves were allowed to use True magic unsupervised. If they knew, he'd be taken away. He'd seen the celebrations when someone in their community unlocked some aspect of the vast Arcane and turned themselves in. Their masters would give all the humans triple meat rations and fruits for a month on those rare occasions it happened.
'But', Andrew thought, rolling over to look at his two siblings. Samuel wasn't snoring tonight, his breath just a light wheeze as he lay pressed against the stone wall of their room. His younger brother Laire was tucked against Samuel, unaware and peaceful. Laire always picked one of them to snuggle for warmth at night. 'I don't want to go…'
There was a guilt there. Life was hard for the humans in the subterranean portion of Alcair. He heard rumours things were better on the surface of the city, but Andrew had his doubts.
Careful not to rustle the straw floor, he rose and quietly slipped out of the room he and his brothers slept in. Walking through their doorless threshold and out into Moonstone lit street. For all that the slums cramped the slaves together into tight accommodations. Their construction literally dug into and expanded a cavern that had naturally existed, providing very sturdy and permanent housing.
Andrew didn't know how long he spent standing in the quiet of the street staring up at the dimly lit ceiling of impure Moonstone that cast a pale blue glow over all beneath it. It really didn't compare to a true night's sky. He thought of his brothers, his mother and father, his community. He thought of his simple life and how the known offered a comfort that opportunity and risk did not.
Lastly, he dared to entertain that thought in the back of his head. That little seed that try as he might to ignore, could not. A dangerous thought. A terrifying one.
He danced along the ground, testing his balance. So much greater now. He reached into the thin layer of dirt beneath him, finding it parted like less than air before his hands until he hit the hard rock a short way beneath. He briefly dashed along the narrow passage between the homes, moving faster than he ever had before.
Andrew had seen the magics humans awoke. They seemed mild, limited in scope, small. One could call forth a fist sized ball of fire, another could tell when rains would fall on the surface above. The Dream was not small, what it promised was not small.
'Freedom,' Andrew barely whispered, holding down his fear. When no shadow assassin or other master leapt out to punish the insurrectionist thought, Andrew said it again.
"Freedom."
He liked the word. Liked the way it rolled off his tongue.
Freedom. Not just for himself, but for everywhere. All the young miners, all the foragers, all the cullers that fought each day below. All the slaves. The Dream's promise was audacious, was Andrew willing to be audacious too.
He thought for a while, then made his decision.
Planning for the Future
[ ] PftF: The night was still young, he lay down and waited impatiently for sleep to come. Decisions could wait for tomorrow, and Midnight still awaited…
[ ] PftF: He would wake his mother and father, tell them of this impossible thing that had happened. He trusted them. Together, they could plan.
[ ] PftF: He would confide in his brothers. Unlike his parents who might insist on telling others, Andrew knew he could swear his brothers to secrecy.
[ ] PftF: He would turn himself in to the Elven masters. It was wrong to deprive his community of extra food and better treatment for some naïve dream.
[ ] PftF: He had another idea (Write in). [X] PftF: Try to find a dagger and go to bed wearing boots since you didn't notice a lack of clothes last time you went into the dream implying you take what you're wearing
The Dream Approached
Decide what trial awaits Andrew when he next sleeps and faces Midnight's toll.
[ ] TDA: Write In. [X] TDA: Cranium Rat, Paper Bird
/ / / / / / / / / / / /
Dream Disposition
0 : Neutral
Quest Mechanics
Each midnight, the Dream shall refresh and await Andrew entering the realm of sleep. You may send any combination of 5e DnD entities at Andrew, if he prevails against them within the Dream, he shall gain all of their beneficial attributes and features. If he fails, he shall be punished. Andrew must defeat all contenders in a Dream to succeed, these creatures will work and coordinate together regardless of prior affiliation though their precise behaviour will vary.
Easy reference for 5e creatures here https://5e.tools/bestiary.html.
(Tentatively, I will allow creatures from other sources, as long as they are easily accessible and not too weird to get working.)
An example Dream vote may appear like
[X] TDA: Boneless x2, Barovian Witch x1.
Andrew does not have experience fighting or using weapons, but does have a grit and determination forged through a life of hardship.
You are more than welcome and in fact encouraged to cheese things, if Andrew picks up Fire Immunity somewhere along the way, feel free to load him up with a ton of creatures who specialise in Fire Damage for some easy wins. Andrew's going to need it to survive what's coming for him in the Waking World. Beware though, the complete absence of a challenge will anger the Dream and cause it to severely raise the difficulty of an encounter.
In general, easy challenges will lower your Dream disposition, causing it to subtly tilt encounters against your favour through terrain, creature behaviour and alertness, etc. Harder challenges will raise your Dream disposition, perhaps eventually earning additional rewards. Failing a Trial does not anger the dream, the punishment when you fail settles the issue.
The world doesn't run on DnD mechanics, so these abilities are slightly deabstracted when granted. For example, Hit Points don't literally exist, but are used as a guideline for the amount of punishment a creature can endure. Things like Multiattack roughly double his attack rate, but the 6-second Round Rule doesn't exist. Abilities that a very similar will be consolidated into simpler wholes (without making them worse, sometimes even making them better).
If Andrew outgrows or outright obsoletes an ability, it will be converted into some XP and removed. (Fire Resistance would be converted to XP for example if he gained Fire Immunity).
(Side note: To prevent XP farming abuse as eventually Andrew will be able to scythe through lesser lives like butter, Only the 10 most powerful (by CR) creatures grant their XP when defeated.)
[X] PftF: The night was still young, he lay down and waited impatiently for sleep to come. Decisions could wait for tomorrow, and Midnight still awaited…
Interesting idea can't say I'm that happy to see this since I was really looking forward to Girl's World coming back but if this is how you get back into the swing of things so be it.
[X] PftF: Try to find a dagger and go to bed wearing boots since you didn't notice a lack of clothes last time you went into the dream implying you take what you're wearing
Basically I'm assuming we take what we're wearing/holding while asleep to the dream so to better prepare for the next fight we get a dagger and some boots cause even if we're trained with daggers it will still be helpful and boots to prevent ankle biters
Not sure what animals are best to fight but looking at the 0 challenge rating stuff I think fighting a bat and a cat would be good for enhanced hearing/echolocation and keen smell while being hopefully weak enough that a kid with a dagger can kill since they only have 1 hit point (well cat has 2 hit points but I can't imagine it's that much more difficult). Better senses feel like they could really help in general especially hearing since being able to hear if people are talking about you behind your back can help keep our dreamer alive.
Other low level creatures of interest is that Awakened Rat is still a 1 hit point chump and keen smell but more interesting is it having language common which while we already have now that I double check it's still interesting a rat knows language lol.
There's also chimeric cat which has the same stats as a normal cat but also has blindsight and tremorsight which sounds useful (bat also has blindsight btw).
Note for future reference Chwingas seem pretty weak (though still out of our baby weightclass) but have evasion, innate spellcrafting and an unusual nature that means they don't need to eat or breath along with the ability to give someone a charm once a day. Certainly a good bounty of abilities for our MC when we get buff. Also not seeing what their attack stat is unlike the other monsters so not sure if they actually can attack?
Also of note is Chwinga Astronaut which is buffer chwinga that can take shelter in rocks or ponds and is magically protected. Sounds very useful ability for keeping ourselves safe and hiding. Though not sure we'll be able to kill it even if we got buff enough to kill the normal version.
Next is another target for a later Clockwork which is immune to poison and is conditionally immune to alot of things. Issue is even though it doesn't seem to attack not sure if we'll be able to kill it even if we buff up since it can just fly above us and try and shriek us to death (and pretty sure shriek doesn't do damage)
Next monster is something a little difficult in the cranium rat where it's only 2 hit points and only has a 1 damage attack but I fear that it could be more dangerous in reality than it's stat sheet implies cause well hard to fight if you're being brainblasted. The reason I bring this mosnter up is that it has this ability
Telepathic Shroud.
The cranium rat is immune to any effect that would sense its emotions or read its thoughts, as well as to all divination spells.
Aka something we'll really want to get in order to not be instantly caught if our elven masters have mind reading or divination. Only issues I could see is if suddenly going 'dark' is more obvious than our low level grinding or if we'll get the rat's bonus action of having a glowing brain which would be pretty obvious. It also gives us language telepathy
Another monster is Crawling Claw aka a zombie hand which has poison immunity and conditional immunity to charm, exhaustion and poisoned while still being pretty weak. Would not recomend fighting now since it does 1d4+1 damage aka enough to potentially one shot us if we get unlucky. Also sending our MC to kill a zombie human hand this early feels like it would be oof character wise.
Crow is another weak creature that we can probably beat right now with an interesting ability in mimicry which allows it to mimic simple sounds.
One last one cause I'm getting tired already is paper bird it's a construct so it has immunitites to poison and psychic and the standard construct conditional immunities along with keen sight.
[X] TDA: Cranium Rat, Paper Bird
Not sure if this too easy for the dream or not but I think it will really help us if there's a sudden "we did a standard divination/mind check and caught a rogue magician! Go kill him and his entire family!". Also don't think this is going to get us that much stats wise but oh well.
Chimera cat and bat are also valid low level possibilities just not sure if we're ready for 4 creatures at once even if we can one shot all of them as far as I can tell.
Another monster for future reference is Tressym which is a bit strong for us at the moment but has detect invisibility and poison sense which would both be useful for not dying in the waking world.
[X] PftF: Try to find a dagger and go to bed wearing boots since you didn't notice a lack of clothes last time you went into the dream implying you take what you're wearing
[X] PftF: Try to find a dagger and go to bed wearing boots since you didn't notice a lack of clothes last time you went into the dream implying you take what you're wearing
Note for future reference Chwingas seem pretty weak (though still out of our baby weightclass) but have evasion, innate spellcrafting and an unusual nature that means they don't need to eat or breath along with the ability to give someone a charm once a day. Certainly a good bounty of abilities for our MC when we get buff. Also not seeing what their attack stat is unlike the other monsters so not sure if they actually can attack?
Good news: Looking over their abilities, Chwingas don't seem to have any actual offensive options. In addition, the whole "steal the highest stat" ability would make us a MONSTER in the early game, let alone their innate spellcasting and other abililities Bad news: If we don't go first AND kill them in one hit, we're not hitting them at all. This guy can just hide in a rock or a tree that we'll be breaking our rusty dagger on, and their stealth game is absurd.
There's Meeseeks, that seems pretty winnable, well assuming that the dream encounter starts as a Meeseeks Box and not an already unleashed Meeseeks which would probably be unwinnable. Meeseeks have no HP and are 'immune to damage' so I'd expect defeating one for that to be a reward, damage immunity. Might be best to fight a Meeseeks when Andrew has a more positive Dream Disposition, just to be safe.
[X] PftF: The night was still young, he lay down and waited impatiently for sleep to come. Decisions could wait for tomorrow, and Midnight still awaited…
There's Meeseeks, that seems pretty winnable, well assuming that the dream encounter starts as a Meeseeks Box and not an already unleashed Meeseeks which would probably be unwinnable. Meeseeks have no HP and are 'immune to damage' so I'd expect defeating one for that to be a reward, damage immunity. Might be best to fight a Meeseeks when Andrew has a more positive Dream Disposition, just to be safe.
*looks through Beastiary* ...Huh, there is a Meeseeks entry. Of course, I fear that the "immune to damage" aspect would not only make a Meeseeks impossible to kill, but that even if we did, we would also inherit its trait of "every moment I live is agony."
Bad news: If we don't go first AND kill them in one hit, we're not hitting them at all. This guy can just hide in a rock or a tree that we'll be breaking our rusty dagger on, and their stealth game is absurd.
Oh apprently the pages I looked at cut off and didn't show that even the non-astronaut versions have Natural Shelter and therefore can magically hide. Oh well t'was a nice thought while it lasted cause no way we're dealing with these until we have some actual magic
[X] PftF: Try to find a dagger and go to bed wearing boots since you didn't notice a lack of clothes last time you went into the dream implying you take what you're wearing
-Andrew started the chapter at -200 XP, hinting that this is the XP he needs to earn before he can officially get a starting Class. One big question is if the elves would be able to detect him and hunt him down based off his current stat ups, or if their magics would only trigger once he reaches Level 1.
-Andrew has killed rats down in the mines, which hypothetically give 10 XP. Is killing rats in the Waking World a way to gain XP, or only in the Dream? Would killing things in the Waking World also give the overpowered "steal the highest stat" aspect? Come to think of it, does any aspect of the Waking World run off D&D mechanics (other sapients can kill things to become stronger, etc.)?
-Another important aspect is trying to correlate the transfer of injuries and loot between the Dream and the Waking World. Right now, we are hoping that the items we have in the Waking World will transfer over to our Dream fights, but if we wake up with wounds or new loot, that's going to be harder to cover up.
-One other possibility is that the alarm bells will only trigger once Andrew learns castable magic, meaning that we need to be careful about going after fights in the Dream to copy a monster's magic. In addition, we may end up stuck in a position where we have "earned" a spell but are unable to cast since our casting stat (Wisdom, Intelligence, Charisma) is too low.
-Boosting the 3 mental stats should probably be a priority, regardless of casting, since those will help Andrew better process information regarding the world around him (and thus grant us questors more complete information to work off of). Unfortunately, creatures with higher mental stats are generally harder to kill, either because they get magic or because they are able to tactically use their abilities with better efficiency.
-Apparently, burrowing doesn't work on stone (so no Super Miner powers yet). I am curious to see exactly how it is implemented in the Dream (along with other natural attacks we may gain like Claw, Bite, or even Tail Attack). The main issue is that we don't also have tremor-sense, and our speed is atrocious, meaning that burrowing might work as an escape tool, but not as an offensive tactic (unless we leave some bait right above us).
-…I mean, there's a chance that the humans who are taken out of the mines with a month of feasting AREN'T immediately murdered or sent to be cannon fodder in some elf war, but I'm not counting on it.
[X] PftF: He would turn himself in to the Elven masters. It was wrong to deprive his community of extra food and better treatment for some naïve dream.
Unlikely to win, but I am very curious as to where this would take the story.
Think of this a bit like Junk Food. It's quick and easy and fun for me to write, but its not the main dish. I wouldn't be satisfied long term leaning on 5e content for my monsters. All that creative energy goes to monsters for Lilly!
I'm going to let the world-building be a bit more generic medieval fantasy with a few fun twists rather than the much more involved moving pieces in It's a Girl's World.
Once I'm back up to snuff, It's a Girls World will be the main quest, with this one becoming the auxiliary.
Nice catch! Andrew does in fact take his immediate effects with him. No daggers in the family home as any non-civilian items are restricted by the masters to specific locations, but I'll have him grab the family's small knife.
DnD 5e is an Outside Context problem for this world. Andrew can technically learn and practice this world's magic. But he'd have to do it the hard way like everyone else.
[X] PftF: Try to find a dagger and go to bed wearing boots since you didn't notice a lack of clothes last time you went into the dream implying you take what you're wearing
[X] TDA: Cranium Rat, Paper Bird
The Dream is satisfied by the presence of a mild but still genuine danger. Increasing the contenders from 1 to 2 impresses the Dream. Disposition +1.
'Magic…' Andrew whispered to himself, tiptoeing through the other room of the family's humble house. His parents slept on the only proper bed made from something softer than straw. Nearby was his current goal. In the corner of the room was a simple table and wooden chairs and a space carved out of the rock to form a raised inset bench where meals were prepared. Careful not to make a sound, Andrew took the knife the family used on those rare occasions the cullings delivered uncorrupted meat or the Sprite Roots had been harvested too early.
He lay himself back down beside his brothers with his leather sandals on and knife in hand. His clothes had come with him last time and Andrew hoped the Dream would allow him the extra protection the items afforded.
Laire was still tucked right next to Samuel. The fact Laire had not yet had a growth spurt like Samuel and Andrew made his small sleeping form seem strangely innocent. Laire was still a harvester, he would not leave the womenfolk and enter the mines until he was 15 and had put on some bulk.
And that was how Andrew drifted into a restless slumber, thinking of his family's place within their tight community, and if he was making the right decision. He did not ponder if he could succeed in the Dream, it was a question he dared not ask. A hope once ignited, is a terrible thing to lose.
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And Andrew entered the Dream into a scene once again alien to what he'd ever known. His feet rested on hard wood floors. He was sat in a plushly cushioned chair with a single Desk facing him. A small lantern burned upon the desk, casting the small room in long golden streaks and shadows playing off the many letters, papers and unknown trinkets adorning what must be some kind of noble's office and desk.
Andrew was tempted to marvel at the golden trimmings inlaid in the furniture, but quickly focused. A gift from the hare, Andrew was able to exit the chair into a low stealthy crouch preternaturally quickly for a human. Eyes open and listening carefully, Andrew waited with bated breath, clutching his small sharp implement tight in hand.
…
…
Nothing seemed to happen. Andrew still waited, his heartbeat thumping in his chest so hard it almost seemed the only noise in the room.
He nearly missed it. Out of the corner of his eye Andrew noted a piece of paper slowly twisting atop the desk. The unliving head of some small animated animal-esque form scanning the room with silent intensity.
Andrew crept closer, freezing any time the little thing craned its head anywhere close to his direction. He got closer, and closer. The intensity grew as Andrew slowly shifted his feet without trying to creak the boards of wood beneath him. Twice he thought he'd been spotted, and twice the animated paper creature atop the desk glanced its scanning over and past him.
When he was but two paces from the desk, Andrew dashed.
In a single swinging motion, he brought his knife down with all the force he could muster. The blade pierced through his target with ease, punching a short way into the desk beneath before the handle snapped a wooden splinter stabbed into Andrew's hand.
He hissed in pain but didn't take his focus off his target. Ready to strike again with his bare fists if need be.
He needn't bother, whatever magic animated the paper was long gone. Andrew breathed a sigh of relief, he'd done it, he'd won again.
Any second the Dream would disperse, and he'd be made anew once more. It had been silly of him to stab so hard, he thought as he held the cut on his hand. He hadn't seen paper often, but he should of known it was soft compared to metal.
'Shouldn't the Dream already be' "Arhhhg!!! Andrew cried as something landed on his neck and bit deep into it. Andrew flailed to the ground resisting the urge to further scream, instead he reached behind and grasped fur between his fingers. With a great heave he ripped the thing off, taking a small bit of his own flesh as teeth were tore from soft tissue.
Blood spurted from the opening running freely onto the floor boards as Andrew seized a large rat in his hands and in one motion brought it down smashing it against the hard wood floors, dazing the aggressive rodent. Andrew felt dizzy…. tired. He raised the now weakly writhing rat up and smashed it against the ground again. With a satisfying squelch, something broke inside it.
'There can be more than one,' Andrew's thoughts slurred.
He watched the light go out in the rat's eyes. Then he lay there, unmoving. Andrew couldn't resist the growing need to droop and close his eyes start to take hold of hi-
Defeated Entities
Congratulations. A victory is attained. To the Winner, the spoils.
Fly Speed 60ft | Wisdom +3 | Perception +2 | [Damage Immunity] Poison | [Damage Immunity] Psychic | [Condition Immunity] Charmed | [Condition Immunity] Exhaustion | [Condition Immunity] Frightened | [Condition Immunity] Poisoned | Passive Perception +2 | [Ability] Keen Sight | Darkvision 30ft | Telepathy 30ft | [Ability] Telepathic Shroud | [Morphic] Bite | [Morphic] Sharp Edges | [Ability] Illumination Come next midnight's toll, perhaps you triumph again…
- - -
Name: Andrew (Andy) XP: -160 Proficiency Bonus: +2
Armour Class: 13 Hit points: 4
Speed: 30ft. Fly 60ft. Burrow 5ft.
Str: 10 Dex: 17 Con: 10 Int: 10 Wis: 14 Cha: 10
Perception +2, Stealth +5 Damage Immunities:Poison, Psychic Condition Immunities:Exhaustion, Charmed, Frightened, Poisoned Senses: Darkvision 30ft, Passive Perception: 14
Morphics: Sharp Edges, Rat Bite
Languages: Common, Telepathy 30ft
[Escape]: May Dash, Disengage or Hide as a bonus action. [Keen Sight] Advantage on Wisdom (Perception) checks that rely on sight.
[Telepathic Shroud] Immune to all divination and magics that can read minds.
[Illumination] May shed light in a 5ft radius as a Bonus Action
- - -
And Andrew was awake. The pain of his body changing was somehow more muted this time, merely a deep throbbing ache. Andrew sat up, holding a hand to his neck, intact. He looked down at his blood soaked shirt, clean. His broken knife on the floor, whole. The enormity of what nearly happened struck him.
I… nearly died.
What did death in the Dream mean? And why was he not terrified? It took Andrew a moment to remember the words, there had been many, but one was definitely an immunity to fright. How did he feel right now? Cautious, concerned, worried… but it seemed he would never know terror again, not even of death.
That was concerning in its own way. The Dream was unavoidable, and so its possible consequences were easy to accept since Andrew could only plan was to win either way. But the idea that winning might strip him of parts of what made Andrew Andrew, well, he supposed he really had no choice there either.
The cost of magic, it seemed, was to become more and less in equal measure.
It was the early morning, very early actually. He must have slept but a scant few hours, yet somehow Andrew was filled with energy. Again, he remembered. Immunity to Exhaustion.
Oh. That changes a lot.
The dark room was somehow seen in sharp and unoccluded detail like never before. He could feel the ability of his body to mimic the sharp teeth of the rat and something more esoteric from the bird.
It took Andrew an embarrassing amount of time to remember he could fly. No wings sprouted, there was no muscle required, Andrew simply willed himself into the air applying a not insubstantial amount of self-control to not shout with glee. His flight wasn't entirely steady, waving and dipping when he tried to hold himself in one place, but flight.
Andrew landed. He let out a brief of relief, whatever doubt he had that the Dream wouldn't change everything had been thoroughly quashed.
What will I become? I don't know, but I'll do right by my people, wherever this road takes me.
/ / / /
Voting Time
(Vote will open in like 12 hours or so)
(Vote by Plan allowed)
To reveal, or lurk in shadow
You have gained a lot of power in a short time including a shroud that may hopefully hide you from whatever strange magics the Elves use to discover hiding human magi. You put off the decision last night, but now you need to decide who, if any, can know at this stage.
[ ] Secrets: Tell no one. This is a secret too huge to risk discovery. Your thoughts are shrouded from intrusion, but no one elses. [X] Secrets: A family united against the odds. If there anyone you can trust, it is your family. You are categorically certain they wouldn't turn you in if you revealed to them the potential of the Dream. And your parents in particular (beside the fact that you don't particularly like hiding secrets from them) could use the family's meagre assets to better equip you for the Dream's trials as they escalate.
[ ] Secrets: One Community, One Goal. A risk to be sure, but if you and your family were to approach the Elders with this audacious plan, there is a genuine chance they may throw the entire community's resources behind you. The yoke of masters is heavy, and there is not much sympathy for them to be found amongst anyone. Given a chance to rise, the humans of Alcair would seize it.
[ ] Secrets: Write in.
A Free Morning
Your need for sleep greatly reduced and filled with inexhaustible energy, you have a few free hours before the responsibilities of the day come. [X] Morning: Training. The street in front of your house is barely lit by the Moonstone fragments in the ceiling above. It is the perfect place to practice the many new abilities you've gained while the slum's occupant's slumber. You won't have time in evening to practice unobserved unless you want to try faking going to sleep and getting up after.
[ ] Morning: Go visit Chawel. He is the only awakened not claimed by the Elves, with a responsibility to ensure any person-of-age knows how to try attaining magic. You've seen him train for hours on end lifting weights that would crush an ordinary man. You doubt the man sleeps like everyone else either and although the official lessons only commence for adults, you've seen him always entertaining children's questions.
[ ] Morning: Go suss out the quatermaster's compound. The weapons and armours stored for the culling are not particularly well guarded, (especially against someone that can fly over walls). Crime is rare in the slums and the community stands as one against external pressures, there might be as little as a single guard at the main entrance. If the way to gaining a culling weapon unnoticed lays bare, you could swoop in and claim one.
[ ] Morning: Go for a stroll through the slums, visiting the growth fields and mine entrance before the workers arrive. No stress, no plans for the future for now. Just a time to reflect.
[ ] Morning: Try to get close to some Elven guards near the boundary of the slums and the upper layers, gather intelligence.
[ ] Morning: Write in.
The Daily Grind
8am to 8pm, mine duty is harsh and long, and its huge winding caverns of slick slate and sharp protruding edges isn't that safe to even walk through. But everyone old enough to contribute and not proficient enough to venture below for the cullings goes willingly. The masters demand a high quota, and the community barely scraps by to avoid sanctions. You know that the quota is dangerously close to not being met this month in five days.
[ ] Grind: Go, and work as you always have. Maintain the secret, it is too soon to show any difference. [X] Grind: Go, but work with the unending vigour you now possess whenever others are not nearby. By timing your drop-offs, no other individual miner will be able to notice you tripling or quadrupling your usual contributions of high purity moonstone.
[ ] Grind: With darkvision and flight, you could venture deeper into the uncharted sections of the mines, to untouched caverns. Try and find some exceptionally pure moonstone. You know it is magic somehow, perhaps you can figure out a use for it?
[ ] Grind: Stay home. Regardless of the guilt, you have more important things to focus on for now (???)
[ ] Grind: Write in.
A larger weapon?
If you go to the mines and there is opportunity to smuggle a pickaxe home (somehow?), will you take it?
[ ] Steal: Yes, it is worth the risk. [X] Steal: No, you think with your new abilities, you can handle the next challenge.
The Dreams Call
The next Dream always awaits. Sleep might be delayed, but the Dream will always come calling.
[ ] Dream: Soldier. Sacred Stone Monk. The Dream is displeased by contenders with no counter to your flight, but is mollified by the danger of entering melee. No Disposition change.
[ ] Dream: Dolphin. The Dream is impressed by a dangerous contender in a terrain you are disadvantaged by. Disposition +2 [X] Dream: Pixie. The Dream applauds a truly dangerous encounter with both great stakes and great rewards. Disposition +4
[ ] Dream: Write in. (Encouraged, I don't optimise the sample trials for Feature Gain, they might be great, they might not.)
Dream Disposition: 1
Note: Morphics are physical features that cannot easily be applied to the human form that Andrew gains. Instead of gaining a copy of such features, they are modified as optional morphic expressions. Andrew for instance can now at-will bite someone with the sharpened teeth of a Rat but his teeth are normal at all other times. Likewise, Andrew can now selectively sharpen any 'edge' on his body. It won't be much harder than a nail, but I imagine that will make the first person that ever tries to grapple him very unhappy.
Notable Rolls:
* You succeeded on your three stealth rolls against the bird (d100) by 5, 6 and 2 respectively. Passing one or two was supposed to make the fight easier. But passing all three after also first noticing it with Perception, if that isn't deserving of a free ambush Massive Critical, I don't know what is.
* Somewhat expectedly, you failed to notice the smart rat taking advantage of the assumption there would only be one creature to fight. As yes, you nearly died but the Rat was just too small to really capitalise on its ambush meaning you won by sheer bulk.
Hard to say from Andrew's perspective. In terms of consequence, getting caught trying to smuggle the pickaxe would be a significantly smaller deal perhaps addressed by dragging you right to your parents for a walloping. Getting caught trying to steal culling weapons, that would need to be addressed formerly by the Elders, it would be a much bigger deal.
Either way, no ones going to do anything crazy like exile you or give you over to the masters or anything. Your reputation may take a big hit though.
I'm happy to answer questions like this when I have time, (just won't even give hard +- numbers until a selection is locked in).
I can't find Aarakocra Noble or Sylgar with search, are those the exact names? I can't even find the Aarakocra noble with google.
The Shrieker and Sylgar (Sylgar turns up on DnDwiki) are no where near threatening enough with your recent advances, so the 'Aarakocra Noble' whatever its features are would need to bring something serious to the table.
No real opinion on what to do in the morning especially since I'm not sure how much I trust our MC to not accidentally spill more than he should if he talks to the magic guy
I think using our lack of exhaustion would be a decent thing to do though I have no doubts that someone will notice despite our MC's confidence. Could also be convinced to go for business as usual
And now for the dreams. Personally I feel like Chimeric Cat and Bat are still good options but they might be too easy by themselves. Will go through what the defaults would give us
[ ] Dream: Soldier. Sacred Stone Monk. The Dream is displeased by contenders with no counter to your flight, but is mollified by the danger of entering melee. No Disposition change.
Soldier honestly seems like a fight outside of our current league despite what the dream says. Cause there's only so much flight can do if your opponent has 18 armor and 16 hitpoints which is way tankier than the 13 armor and 1 hitpoint monsters we've been fighting so far.
Soldier also has multiattack and and a longsword that hits for 1d8+2 damage aka even on a minium roll we'll be at deaths door if this thing hits us and with it throwing out two attacks that makes it way more likely.
As for what we could get from beating a soldier. There's the increased AC/armor which would be real nice though soldier's AC comes from it's chainmail and shield so not sure how that works for our ability. Like would it just give us AC flat out or would we get 'loot' in the form of its armor and weapon?
Soldier would also buff our atheltic and perception skills along with giving us str,dex and con. For ability it gives formation tactics which makes it easier to make saving throws against some statuses if you have a nearby ally. Not sure how useful that ability is for us in the dream nor if it really matters outside the dream.
Soldier also could have a random language other than the common we already have which could be interesting.
Scared Stone Monk also seems out of our league with 14 (really 16 or even 18) AC and 22 HP. It also has multiattack and 1d6+2 damage attacks. It has some useful stats and skills but what's really important is it's abilities since Unarmored Defense and Movement buff you if you don't have armor or shields which sounds real useful for our PC. It also has parry as a reaction allowing it to increase its AC against an attack it can see.
Basically I don't know what the Dream is smoking to think that flight makes this fight anywhere near possible for our current stats. Like if we had some range attack like being able to cast basic magic missile 3 times I would still be wary of this fight.
Dolphin has slightly less armor than what we're used to but it makes up for that in bulk with 11 HP. It's ability is hold breath which is as it says and honestly not that important since we should eventually be able to kill a creature that doesn't even need to breath.
What's important to note is it's attack which does 1d6+2 damage normally but if you moved 30ft before doing the attack you do an extra 3d6 damage which means if we struggle and flopping around in the ocean at the start and allow it to get a charge off it fucking one shots us.
Would not recommend unless we have better stats and even a swim movement type though have to say with our 60ft speed flight that slam attack could be real useful for ground enemies like the soldiers.
Pixie is an AC 15 but 1 HP monster with magic. it has innate magic for druidcraft which is just cantrip effects or it can use several once per day spells. Most of these aren't that important but what does matter is it can cast confusion, entangle, phantsmical force (basically an illusion that can hurt you), polymorph and sleep. Not a lot of direct damage spells besides phatsmical force but it can certainly stall us from doing anything and I assume it can do some basic attack even if the sheet doesn't have one.
The biggest issue though is that Pixies have superior invisibility which means it's invisibility has long as its concentrating on that i.e. not casting another spell.
So basically despite what the dream says I think this is honestly the easiest encounter since all we need to do is land 1 hit and we win and while Pixie has a lot of good tricks to keep us from doing that we still have a chance due to it's lack of real damaging options and that we can fly faster than it.
Honestly really tempting to just pick this fight now for all its abilities and that dream disposition but I feel it's a bit too risky with it's variety of spells and invisibility.
Actually wait we're immune to psychic which I assume means psychic damage meaning Phantom Force can't hurt us lol. Also Sleep doesn't work on those immune to charm which means our conditional immunity might prevent that from working too! So basically the only threats left are confusion, entangle and polymorph which mostly require the pixie to have some sort of attack option to be a threat.
TBH the biggest issue remanining is if we get polymorphed into say a rabbit while in midair cause fall damage could overflow the rabbit's HP into killing our actual body in one hit depending on how high we are when we fall. Then again I'm not sure becoming a rabbit would remove our flight given our weirdness already.
Anyways assuming the polymorph while midair trick doesn't happen I think we have good odds in being able to beat this pixie. Would prefer to have better/different senses like echolocation to have a better way to deal with its invisibility but not sure we'll keep that massive +4 disposition for next turn if we try and get bat + cat abilities first.
Honestly take Pixie we have such massive advantages towards it that even if we could do better with more abilities that +4 Dream disposition could radically help.
Otherwise take Chimerical Cat and Bat. Maybe add a third low level creature to get more buffs faster and make the Dream happy. Like maybe an Owl for keen sight and flyby? Though looking at it bat is redundant with Owl + Chimerical Cat since Bat only has blindsight over Owl and Chimerical cat also has blindsight at the same range as bat while not having the echolocation downside (echolocation means blindsight doesn't work when deafened meaning it's a rule that's only a downside if you have a blindsight without conditions like that).
@Slyvena so am I massively misreading things or is the Dream kind of having a balancing issue? Cause even with flight soldier vs monk is widely out of our league. Dolphin can probably one shot us without us even realizing it and even without that it has enough HP and damage to kill us before we kill it and Pixie seems like we kind of already counter it and even if there's still some risk it we still only need to get lucky once.
Mostly cause you can pick up heavy rocks and drop them on these guys never entering melee. They have no ranged weapons or magic, no way of attacking you.
You can fly faster than they can chase, meaning they never get a chance to force a melee you. Hence, no counter.
The Dream would call it a 'draw' if you didn't manage to kill them before you awoke naturally, but that's hours and a lot of rocks/etc.
(If the Dream disposition was a bit negative currently, it would guarantee something like a terrain with a low ceiling that nullified your flight advantage.)
So, you're kind of catching on to the fact that while the Dream says it favours dangerous fights... it kind of also favours interesting fights as much if not more. You can beat the soldier/monk via a boring repetitive trick that could take hours, lame. Dolphin is dangerous, but you will realise why the Dream undervalues its chances if you pick it. Your clue is that you never did leave the office inside the second Dream, never saw what was outside. Being immune to some but not all of the Pixie's tricks while both of you have the capacity to utterly wreck the other depending on what you try. It's interesting and dangerous, the Dream loves it.
[X] Secrets: Tell no one. This is a secret too huge to risk discovery. Your thoughts are shrouded from intrusion, but no one elses.
[X] Grind: Go, and work as you always have. Maintain the secret, it is too soon to show any difference.
[X] Morning: Training. The street in front of your house is barely lit by the Moonstone fragments in the ceiling above. It is the perfect place to practice the many new abilities you've gained while the slum's occupant's slumber. You won't have time in evening to practice unobserved unless you want to try faking going to sleep and getting up after.
[X] Steal: No, you think with your new abilities, you can handle the next challenge.
The best way to keep a secret is to keep it a secret and if he's not going to steal anything yet he'd best get use to his abilities.
[ ] Dream: Chwinga Astronaut, Space Guppy, Space Hamster
With the Chwinga Astronaut and its Space Hamster riding the Space Guppy
It should be possible to defeat the Chwinga Astronaut and Space Guppy and this seems somewhat fair, interesting and thematic for the Dream to be, at least, content with.
How achievable is it for Andrew to defeat F'yorl as he is now? They have some juicy skills that would be quite useful to keep his secrets secret.
[X] Secrets: A family united against the odds.
[X] Morning: Training.
[X] Grind: Go, but work with the unending vigour you now possess whenever others are not nearby.
[X] Steal: Yes, it is worth the risk.
[X] Dream: Vulture.
