Elemental- Those who wish to command the Four Primary Elements. Fire to burn, Earth to crush, Water to drown, and Air to extinguish.
Mental- Others see this as a taboo to use amongst the more intelligent of races, though the effects could be quite astounding.
Summoning- For those who wish to delve into the art of creating the perfect weapon, whether it being alive or composed of the elements.
Dark- The darkness is known to be an effective tool when in the right hands. While not evil, it is known that those who use the dark are able to mimic the effects of death, slow, inevitable, irreversible.
Light- Some say the light heals. Others say it is a way for those to defend others. But everyone knows that light is able to purify anything that it touches.
Nature- In its purest form, those who walk this path tread closely with the Fauna and Flora of the world. They are able to connect to it like no other.
Research- For those who simply cannot stand not knowing how or why something was created or cast, this sub-specialization helps those who wish to further their understanding of the very nature of magic.
Scrying- For those who wish to see what normally could not be seen.
Hmm. A glance at Father Jonathan shows he is in no rush for me to decide as he knows this is most likely a very important decision so I do have some time to think this through.
Let's see, what do I want to do in this game? Magic obviously but what kind of magic? Let's think about this rationally. This game just started so there will most likely be a mad rush to start killing monsters. This means a lot of people will pick a combat specialization as this would help them the fastest and they do not have to spend time learning new spells. I would wager that Attack and Support type casters will be the norm with the Utility types will be the least picked simply because they seem to have the hardest learning curve. Still, each of these options is extremely appealing. Let's break this down further.
All Attack options are going to give you some spell to directly or indirectly harm something. Elemental is the simplest to understand with the options being the 4 classical elements. I would assume further specializations gets you into more advanced subtypes of these like sound or metal. While this is great, I feel out of all these options figuring out elemental magic is going to be the easiest. Next is Mental which I will say is kind of concerning that people would be able to mess with my mind. I can assume a psionic type powerset with potentially mind reading, illusion, and all sorts of trickery. This would be a good pick only because I am terrified of people using this against me I would want to defend myself. Hopefully at low levels it wouldn't be able to do much though. Finally we have summoning which sounds really cool to do. Summoning weapons? Could I summon a gun or would it be more medieval fantasy type stuff like bows and spears. Summoning creatures could be interesting. Imagine having a whole army you can create anywhere anytime that completely obeys you.
The Support options are not that appealing to me, at least not to start. I do believe I should at some point pick up some support spells though as healing and debuff's are game changers, especially with my soloing tendencies. Utility though, there's a lot of promise there.
Research would potentially allow me to learn new spells faster and probably create new ones with what I learn. The only problem is that while its long term benefits are the best out of all so far, its short term benefits are tiny compared to others simply because this specialization seems to be one with a serious time investment before seeing any return. Last and certainly not least would be Scrying. I admit from the sound of it alone it could encompass all types of mystical spells like seeing into the past or astral projection. Scrying seems to be a true utility sub-spec that while enticing doesn't feel me.
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What does feel me? I am playing this game to have fun and do all the things I can't do anymore since the accident so what do I want out of this world? Pondering on this I hear Father Jonathan give a light chuckle.
"Ha, I was the same when I first got to choose my Sub-specialization from the Great System. Please, why don't you sit down and I might be able to offer some assistance with your choices."
"Yeah, that would be grea- wait a minute, did you just sat the Great System? You know about the blue screens?" I look at Father Jonathan dumbfoundedly. If he knows about the system and what I am struggling about, he probably has an idea on what all these can do. I sit down while Father Jonathan replies.
"Of course I have the Great System. The nine Gods of Light created this system in order to help their people grow stronger to fight the ever evolving demons that plague our land. I myself chose a Warrior with a specialization of ShieldBearer. After a few, well actually I am getting ahead of myself. Yes, if you have any questions then I would be glad to answer them."
"I will take you up on that, what spells do each sub-spec give you?"
"Well, each specialization will give you a passive skill and for your case an active spell. Elementals usually receive a variation of bolt and resistance passive depending on their affinity towards the sub branches of that one. Mentalists are tricky as information on their skills is somewhat of a secret but if you choose to pick that one let me know as you would need to get registered with the mentalist guild before we can let you leave. Be careful around those by the way, their guild is as illusive as their members but the only way to keep a Mentalist in check is with another Mentalist so what do you do. Summoning is a weird one but you would get a passive skill that allows you to keep a certain amount of summons at once and a spell to summon, well something. No one is really sure what determines what a summoner gets but they always like what they get. In fact even if you do not choose the class the spell is somewhat simple and would be a good thing to learn. I myself have it and it can be very handy sometimes."
"Oh? what can you summon?"
"haha, well you are new to this world so I understand but it is considered rude to ask the details of my spells. But seeing as it is not a big secret anyway I am able to summon a Neophyte Angel. Nothing too impressive but she can heal and shield others. Very handy as a priest. Anyways the Support sections are very handy. Each passive skill gives your magic a direct buff if you are in the presence of their affinity. So light for light, dark for dark, and nature for nature. Light will either get you a shield spell or a healing spell. Dark will get you shadow grasp or shadow entangle. I should point out that Dark specializations are not illegal as the Light Gods have made it very clear it is not the same magic the Dark Gods use. Nature will usually get you a vine entangle spell or a ring of flowers spell which is a slow acting heal that works a bit differently then Lights healing magic." Father Jonathan says informatively. "Finally we have the Utility specialization. This category is a little...odd in how it displays things. Tell me, are there any sub specializations displayed currently?" He looks at me with curiosity.
"Yes actually, there are two. Research and Scrying" I say before he looks at me with surprise etched on his face before curiosity sets in once again.
"That is actually surprising to hear. Utility sub-specializations work a bit differently then the other two sections. This one only shows sub specializations when you have the aptitude for them. To get two though is astounding." He looks to the side in contemplation before slamming his fist into his open palm " Ah wait a minute. Do you perhaps have a trait? Yes, you must have one to get two."
"Um yes, I do have a trait, what does that have to do with anything?" I ask, curious to see how this game mechanic worked. So what, people who get the VIP package get a serious leg up?
"That's right. It is not unheard of for our people but the Light made a proclamation that some of the Heroes carry more of their Divine blessings then others simply due to their virtue." He then waves his hand again before a stillness in the air encompasses him and I. " Do not be alarmed, I merely casted a privacy shield. Anything you and I say in here will only be heard by us so, may I ask, what trait do you have?" His eyes shone with hidden intensity waiting for my answer.
"Um, sure I guess. It is called Omnilinguinism and the description says 'The ability to understand all forms of written and spoken languages' though I'm still unsure of why its that importa-" Before I could finish my sentence he cuts me off while staring straight at me, a hint of urgency in his voice.
"Listen to me very carefully. Never tell anyone else you have this Trait. Take researcher, it is exactly what you want. I have a feeling you were given those options in Utility because of your trait and based on what I know about the sub specializations researcher is going to tie in very nicely with your trait. Assuming of course you wish to maximize your potential."
"Well, if I am being honest it seemed the most out of place out of all the others. It does feel right" Before I can back out I select my decision.
If I am reading this right, this would pair perfectly with my dream of researching magic and using my trait to my fullest potential. This seems extremely overpowered. A slight chuckle escapes my lips and Father Jonathan finally drops the isolation spell and chuckles as well.
"Yes, one of my closest friend had the same reaction when he chose it too. Now, do you have any more questions?"