Reborn as the First Boss, Chapter 32 (Patreon)

Chapter 32 – Level Up, Part 2

First off, there were some easy automatic buys. [Glorious Visage] was just a flat buff to all allies in line of sight, and a debuff to enemies in line of sight. The fun thing about percentage-based buffs and debuffs is that the stronger the individual they were applied to, the more effect they had. 10% of 50 was a boost of 5, which was nice, at low levels. 10% of 200 was 20, which was even better.

[Leadership] and [Inspiring Speech] were next up. Obvious choices, since I already had a leadership title, and was going to be at the center of things. I could skip the other General Skills for now. They were nice, but I had too many other demands for my skill points, for one thing. Plus, I didn’t see myself in a position to be needing things like [Survival], and I didn’t have the knowledge to use [Ritualist] to its full effect, and I had people in the Barony who knew [Fortifications] already.

That left 24 points to play with. The next four points went down to [Bestow Glamour], [Touch of Depravity], [Contract Magic], and [Fool’s Wisdom]. All four would allow me to better manipulate people, and bind them to my will. That could be very useful, especially since slapping slave collars on people might be a bit noticeable.

I held off on [Sensual Violation] and [Unholy Violation], for now. If I had points to spend later on, I’d circle back to them, but the wording of those two skills made it clear that they only came into play if I was basically raping someone. But since my stats and skills were more geared towards seduction, rather than forcing things, would those really come into play? Plus, [Unholy Violation] relied on me picking on creatures much weaker than I was to have a decent chance of activating, and I had plenty of ways to deal with people weaker than me.

Moving to the Mind Sorceress skills, [Bind Familiar], [Group Shields], [Pierce Defenses], [Mental Awareness], [Debilitating Spells], and [Bolstering Spells] were all obvious picks. Well, I was on the fence with [Bind Familiar], but the fact that the skill didn’t specify a creature type for the familiar meant that I could probably pick something (or someone) powerful to make into my familiar, if I knew what I was doing. The rest of the skills were obvious in their boons. Being able to shield my whole party, giving them a boost as I did so, while my offensive spells dealt some guaranteed damage and reduced enemy abilities? All while being aware if anyone nearby was trying to do mindfuckery besides me? Yes, please!

Next were the Spellshooter skills. [Explosive Shot] was a given, even at two points to take. The fight against the goblin horde would have been a lot easier if I had area effect abilities on demand. Along with that, I quickly grabbed [Stun Rounds] and [Blinding Shot]. More ways to debilitate tough bosses were always good tricks to have in my arsenal.

There were other interesting choices, but I decided to put a pin in that, for now. I only had eight skill points left, and some of the Courtesan skills looked interesting. Sure, they weren’t flashy, or powerful, on the face of them, but my Magic Touch skills had gotten a solid workout in the runup to the battle, proving that they were far from useless.

[Magic Touch (Remove Poison)] was an obvious pick, which meant I needed [Magic Touch (Delay Poison)] first. Sure, my cute healer could handle poisons, but that was like saying you didn’t need to have your own tools, because someone else had tools. Never mind the fact that they might be using the tools, or you might not be able to get to them. And, with poison, what if Angelina was poisoned, and it kept her from using spells?

For the same reason, I also grabbed [Magic Touch (Cure Disease)]. Of course, the main reason I got it was because it would probably keep me from getting diseases in the first place, which was always good. However, if there was an outbreak of disease in the barony, people seeing me walk around, curing the disease as I went would make people love me. More than they already did, anyways.

On the other hand, [Magic Touch (Rest Easy)] and [Magic Touch (Pacify)] were actual skills that I could see myself using in combat. Or to prevent combat. Just get close enough to touch someone, and they either fall asleep, or stop fighting, at least temporarily. That could be a big deal, depending on who or what I was facing.

Two skill points left. I decided on [Knockback Rounds] and [Piercing Shots]. Doing some quick math, using [Knockback Rounds] on a target that was my level would end up sending them flying 12.5 meters back on every hit. If it also worked with [Explosive Shot], then it might send everyone in the blast flying. And if it worked with spell shots, my [Magic Missile] spell now did three missiles every time I cast it, which might mean I could autohit and send someone flying over 37 meters away with a single spell. And if they happened to be near a cliff…

[Piercing Shots] was not as game-changing, especially since it basically let me get the same effect as [Pierce Defenses] with my magic bullets. I could have picked one or the other, but together they covered the other skill’s gaps. [Pierce Defenses] didn’t apply to my magic bullets, after all, and [Piercing Shots] wouldn’t affect my Mind Sorceress spells, or anything I cast that didn’t use spell shots. So, it was worth dropping a skill point on it, in my opinion.

You have reached Level 10. For this achievement, you gain two new spells for each magic category you have unlocked. Spells may still be learned by finding them in the world.

Oh, what was this? It seemed that ever ten levels, I got some free spells. That was an unexpected boon. Probably meant to help people who didn’t spend all their time in magic shops, or were away from civilization for long periods of time. I opened my Spells page, to see what new additions I had.

Enchantment Spells

Daze – Stun a target temporarily.

Basic Charm – Cause target to become friendlier

Confusion – Cause target to act randomly temporarily.

Hypnotism – Causes creatures with total levels less than (CHA/10) to become fascinated with mental images.

Horrific Laughter – Causes target to be unable to do anything but laugh for (CHA) seconds.

Illusion Spells

Phantom Sound – Create an illusion of sound to draw attention.

Chameleon – Blend with the background.

Mind Bolt – Blast the target with psychic damage.

False Appraisal – Changes the information provided by [Appraise] or similar skills and effects when used on the target.

Blur – Causes attacks to miss 20% of the time.

Invisibility – Subject becomes invisible for (CHA) minutes, or until they attack.

Shielding Spells

Mind Shield I – Create a barrier of psychic energy to protect a creature from mental attacks.

Backlash Shield – Create a barrier of psychic energy that damages those who try to pierce it.

Disrupt Control I – Disrupt illusions and mental controls on a creature.

Scry Shield – Protects subject from divination magic.

Shield – Conjures an invisible disc in front of the caster, capable of blocking attacks.

Spellshooter Spells

Fire Shot – Fire a magical bullet that does the weapon’s base damage as fire damage.

Ice Shot – Fire a magical bullet that does the weapon’s base damage as ice damage.

Lightning Shot – Fire a magical bullet that does the weapon’s base damage as lighting damage.

Magic Missile – Launches a number of projectiles made of magical force.

Acid Shot – Fire a magical bullet that does the weapon’s base damage as acid damage.

Shattershot – Fire a magical bullet that does 2x the weapon’s base damage to objects or crystalline creatures.

Hmm. First off, [Acid Shot] was basically the same as the [Fire Shot] and the others, except it dealt acid damage, obviously. That would be useful when I found creatures who had elemental resistances or weaknesses. I hadn’t met too many of those so far, but I figured that, as I got up in levels, I’d probably meet more of them. Good to have options.

Shattershot

Cost: 40 MP extra per shot

Range: Weapon Range

Target: Crystalline creature or object within range

Fire a shot from any Spellshooter or other suitable weapon. The shot deals 2x normal damage for the weapon, but it is Sonic damage instead of the normal type, and only affects objects or crystalline creatures. Reduced effect on held or worn items.

[Shattershot], on the other hand, was completely badass. Oh, it didn’t do shit to most creatures, but there would be no such thing as a locked door I couldn’t get through, for instance, and I could probably shoot chains off people. If I’d had it during the fight with the Goblin Hero, I might have been able to shatter his sword at the start, making the whole fight easier. Though, that ‘reduced effect’ bit probably meant it would have been tougher to pull off.

Hypnotism

Cost: 100 MP

Range: 30 meters

Target: One or More Creatures

This spell creates a hypnotic effect in one or more creatures, with no more than (CHA/10) total levels, no two of which can be more than 10 meters apart. Creatures affected by this effect remain motionless and lose concentration on any effects. They are considered helpless, but any damage received will break this effect early. Hypnotized creatures may be susceptible to suggestion. Some creature types are immune to this effect. Duration lasts for (Your Level+CHA)-(Target Level+WIS) seconds. If this would drop the duration to 0 seconds or less, the target cannot be Hypnotized.

Horrific Laughter

Cost: 200 MP

Range: 50 meters

Target: One Creature

Causes one creature to laugh, and continue laughing, for the duration. The creature cannot attack or use spells or skills, but may defend themselves, and can move as normal. The laughter continues for (CHA) seconds, or until dispelled.

The Enchantment spells were both pretty sweet. [Hypnotism] basically let me send a few people into a trance, meaning that I could potentially slip out unnoticed while they were staring at nothing. The ‘susceptible to suggestion’ thing was also promising, but I didn’t know how good it would actually be. Could be budget mind control, or it could be something like subliminal messages to try and affect behavior over time. Something to test in the future.

[Horrific Laughter], on the other hand, was a great way to take one enemy out of a fight. It wouldn’t have been much good against the Goblin Hero, but facing a party, like the bandits from before? Slap that on a healer or tank type, and you’d be able to seriously cripple the enemy’s defense. Time it right, and you could turn a hard fight into a cakewalk.

Blur

Cost: 200 MP Reserve

Range: Touch

Target: Self

When you cast this spell, you are surrounded by an illusory haze, causing enemies to have trouble accurately targeting you. While this spell is active, all incoming attacks have a 20% miss chance. This spell lasts until it is dismissed or dispelled.

Invisibility

Cost: 250 MP

Range: Touch

Target: One Creature

Causes the touched creature to become invisible to sight for (CHA) minutes. The effect ends prematurely if the creature attacks (including spell attacks), regardless of the attack’s success or failure.

The illusion spells were, in a word, awesome. [Blur] was basically giving me a one in five chance to avoid getting hit, anytime someone shot at me, while [Invisibility] did exactly what you thought it would. That was especially great for allowing me to sneak around, since my Courtesan profession didn’t allow me to even attempt to try Stealth unless I was invisible. And if I hit Blur when getting in a fight, it made me just that bit more difficult to hit, on top of adding my CHA to defense, and reducing any damage taken by my CHA, thanks to the different abilities and items I had.

Scry Shield

Cost: 200 MP Reserved

Range: Touch

Target: One Object or Creature

While the spell is in effect, the targeted creature or object is protected from scrying and other divination magics. For such magics to view the target, the diviner must have a (WIS+Level) equal or greater than the caster’s (CHA+Level).

Shield

Cost: 50 MP/Second

Range: Touch

Target: Self

Creates a transparent disc in front of the caster, increasing their defense by (CHA). Can intercept magic missile spells and similar effects.

And then, there were the Shielding spells. Scry Shield was underwhelming, really. Oh, I could see times when it might be useful, but I probably wouldn’t be casting it all that much. Certainly not as often as I would be using Shield. Adding my CHA to Defense yet again, and protecting from auto-hit spells? Totally worth the per-second cost if I get into a tight spot.

I dismissed the screens detailing my level-up goodies as a knock came on the door. “Mistress, are you awake?” I blinked. That was Linette’s voice. Quickly taking stock of my situation, I realized that I was in the room I’d borrowed in Stonebreak’s chapel, and someone had apparently dressed me in a night-gown to sleep in. Right, I’d collapsed after the battle, so there were probably people worried about me.

I took a breath, and then called out, “Enter!”