Character Sheet

This item had no name, and its origins were unknown. The dice were merely its outward appearance; at its core, it was the extraordinary manifestation of some kind of rule.

Its basic function was the Character Sheet. Its other abilities could be activated by lighting up the symbols on the dice.

"How do I activate it?" Anse pressed.

The dice gave no response. It seemed they weren't intelligent.

"View Character Sheet."

The dice trembled slightly, projecting a screen full of data into his mind.

[Name: Anser Horleywen]

"Race": Human—Silver-browed Subrace (Medium)

"Background": None

"Class": None

"Level": 0

"Hit Points": 2/4

"Armor Class": 11

"Alignment": Absolute Neutral

"Faith": None

--Core Attributes--

[Strength: 11]

[Dexterity: 12]

[Constitution: 11]

[Intelligence: 12]

[Wisdom: 13]

[Charisma: 14]

"Skills": Arcana +1, History +1

"Languages": Common, Netherese, Illyscian

"Feats": None

"Equipment": Crystal Arcane Focus

--Spells--

"Cantrips": Light Spell, Freezing Ray

After skimming the Character Sheet, Anse understood. It was a data panel based on the DND rules.

"Silver-browed Subrace?"

It took Anse a moment to recall that the Silver-browed Subrace was probably a Dragonblood Subrace, descended from the Metallic Dragon that most enjoyed mingling with human society—the Silver Dragon.

One of the more common physical traits was a silvery streak or sheen in the hair, which was why they were called the Silver-browed.

The original owner hadn't known this, and his body showed no Spell-like Abilities. The bloodline was probably ancient and thin.

That was common enough. Toril was home to countless races, many of which lived alongside one another. Some had such powerful reproductive abilities that they could cross species boundaries. Who knew how many strange hybrids had been born over the long ages?

Aside from his race, the original owner's attributes... were honestly pretty lousy!

Under DND rules, a commoner had 4 hit points, and the six core attributes hovered around 10.

A Mage with an Intelligence below 10 would lose the ability to cast spells. Below 8... they were practically an imbecile. In most cases, a character's attributes wouldn't fall below 8.

The original owner was only a little stronger than an ordinary person. With an Intelligence of 12, becoming a Mage would be far from easy.

Mages were all highly intelligent, and qualifying for the class was extremely difficult. Ordinary people couldn't manage it through hard study alone.

His Charisma of 14 was probably related to his race.

Fortunately, the original owner wasn't entirely useless. Through diligent study, he'd learned two extra languages and gained some grounding in Arcana and History.

The Character Sheet flickered. Anse touched it lightly, and an editing page appeared. From top to bottom, it listed Origin (Background, Race), Class, and Attributes.

However, Origin and Attributes were both grayed out.

"Looks like I inherited the original owner's background, race, and attributes. I can't change them." Anse felt a little disappointed.

He "clicked" the Background field, and the Character Sheet displayed a prompt:

"Your Noble and Sage backgrounds have been detected. You may choose one as your character's origin. This will increase your attribute scores, grant you a feat, and improve your skill proficiencies."

"Oh... Having to choose between the two isn't so bad."

He examined them one by one and found that the backgrounds were based on rather shaky grounds.

Noble probably came from his surname. Anse himself had no title whatsoever—he was a bona fide commoner.

Sage was more plausible. After all, he'd spent countless long days and nights studying books and scrolls, reading accounts of the multiverse. He could just about pass for a scholar. His mind yearned for more, but he was a terrible student.

Noble increased Strength, Intelligence, and Charisma, and granted the Skilled feat. Sage increased Constitution, Intelligence, and Wisdom, and granted the Magic Initiate feat.

Anse didn't rush to choose. He continued examining his race.

"Race": Human

"Creature Type": Humanoid

"Size": Medium

"Traits":

Ability Score Increase: Increase two different ability scores of your choice by 1.

Skill: You gain proficiency in one skill of your choice.

Versatility: You gain one Origin Feat of your choice.

"Two attribute points, one feat, and three skills." Anse raised an eyebrow, his spirits lifting.

Once he took a class, his background and race could give him five attribute points and two feats. Not bad at all.

Finally, he opened the Class option. Thirteen icons appeared.

Barbarian (Strength), Warrior (Strength or Dexterity), Paladin (Strength or Charisma)

Cleric (Wisdom), Druid (Wisdom), Monk (Dexterity or Wisdom)

Ranger (Dexterity or Wisdom), Rogue (Dexterity)

Sorcerer (Charisma), Warlock (Charisma), Bard (Charisma)

Mage (Intelligence), Artificer (Intelligence)

These were all main classes. After taking one, he could also choose from a large number of subclasses.

Each class had a different primary attribute, and most could cast spells. But only Mages, Sorcerers, Clerics, Druids, and Bards counted as full spellcasters. At level 17, they could master ninth-level spells.

"Why are these classes covered in varying shades of black and red?" Anse frowned slightly, feeling a vague sense of foreboding.

He touched the Mage class, which was dark red, and two warnings immediately appeared:

"The Weave is unstable. Uncontrolled surges of raw magic are occurring. Cast spells with caution!"

"The character's innate Intelligence is too low. Choose with caution!"

He'd already anticipated the first warning. "Unstable" was probably accurate. The Weave hadn't collapsed entirely, since flashes of magic still lit up the battlefield in the distance.

The second warning stung a little.

Low Intelligence was a serious handicap. If he could assign attributes freely like in a game, he could raise his primary attribute to 16 or higher at level 1. Unfortunately, he had no extra attribute points.

In DND, a character could choose a feat or gain two attribute points only every four levels. If their starting attribute was too low, they had to give up a valuable feat, greatly lowering their potential.

"Looks like the Weave affects Mages the most," Anse thought.

The turmoil in the Weave wouldn't faze those freakishly brilliant Mage lords, but ordinary Mages were in trouble. They'd have to get by on Cantrips alone.

If he couldn't choose Mage, he'd pick another class.

Right now, he needed a class that could help him escape the Giant Pit at level 1. He didn't need to think about the future. DND allowed unlimited multiclassing, as long as he met the attribute requirements. He could always take another class at level 2.

"I can only climb up!" He looked up at the cliff face and waterfall, dozens of meters high, and felt a growing sense of urgency. "Before this place collapses."

If he fell into the Underdark, even if he survived the fall, he'd be overwhelmed by the swarming subterranean creatures.

Professionals were highly athletic, but relying on his body alone would be extremely dangerous. It would be better to use spells to keep himself alive, like Mage Hand, Feather Fall Spell, or Leap Spell.

"Spellcasting classes first. I'd also better find a way to heal my injured leg." Anse looked at his numb right leg and considered his options.

First, he touched the Cleric class, which glimmered gray:

"An unbeliever cannot take the Cleric class!"

Anse could only sigh. It was too late to start believing now. Cleric spells came from the Gods they worshiped, and being discovered would have serious consequences.

He looked around. All the spellcasting classes were covered in an ominous red glow. Bard and Druid glowed fiercely, while Warlock and Sorcerer glowed more faintly.

Warlocks were also known as pact-makers. They borrowed power from patrons—angels, Archfey, demons, and the like—through a pact. The idea alone made him uneasy, so he'd leave that aside for now.

He clicked the Sorcerer class, and the relevant information immediately appeared:

"A dragon's blessing, a dryad present at a baby's birth, or even being struck by lightning under a clear sky could awaken a Sorcerer's talent.

A gift from the Gods, exposure to strange magic from another plane, or even a glimpse of the principles underlying reality could also make someone a Sorcerer..."

"Sorcerers don't study magic. The raw magic roiling within them is an innate part of who they are..."

To Anse's surprise, Sorcerers could choose their Sorcerous Origin—a subclass—at level 1:

Aberrant Mind, Clockwork Soul, Draconic Bloodline, Wild Magic, Divine Soul, Shadow Magic, and Storm Sorcery.

But five of the seven subclasses were grayed out!