At the center of the interface was a three-dimensional image of himself, with the forest carriage he was currently in as its background. Beneath it was an option labeled [Edit Appearance].
A vertical column on the left displayed four options: [Race], [Class], [Background], and [Abilities].
On the right was a detailed character sheet:
[Name: Ye Weian Xiaxing]
[Level]: LV.0 (15/0)
[Race]: Human
[Class]: Unselected
[Abilities]: Strength 10, Dexterity 11, Constitution 10, Intelligence 12, Wisdom 11, Charisma 12
[Feat]: War Caster
[Spells]: Cantrips—Light, Minor Illusion, Prestidigitation
Ye Weian froze, then quickly realized—wasn't this the character creation screen from Baldur's Gate 3?
He'd been transported here while playing that very game.
Combining this with the original owner's memories, this was clearly the world where the game took place. He just didn't know whether the timeline was before or after Baldur's Gate 3.
Regardless, if this system worked the same way as the game, he'd soon be able to gain a class. Even a level-one class would make the crisis before him seem like nothing.
But on closer inspection, he realized the interface wasn't exactly the same as the game's.
For instance, the [Race], [Abilities], and [Edit Appearance] options were all grayed out. [Race] was locked to [Human], while the other two couldn't be selected at all.
That was understandable.
After all, this wasn't really a game. In the real world, he had an identity and people who knew him. A sudden change in his appearance or race would be impossible to explain.
It was a shame he couldn't remake his face and turn himself into a handsome guy. He'd actually wanted to experience what it was like to "get by on looks."
After looking over the ability scores, Ye Weian finally understood why, despite years of hard study, the version of him in this world was still only a magic apprentice.
Looking across the other man's six abilities, they were all more or less at ordinary levels. Nothing stood out as exceptional.
Even his highest score, Intelligence, was only slightly above the average of 10.
With 12 Intelligence, he could get into a decent university on Blue Star, but that was about it.
With 12 Intelligence, studying at the Battlemage Academy for four years, learning three cantrips, and acquiring the [War Caster] feat—he'd certainly worked hard.
[War Caster]: You know how to cast spells in combat. Increase your Intelligence, Wisdom, or Charisma by 1. You can cast spells while holding weapons; your spellcasting is harder to interrupt; and when an enemy leaves your melee range, you can use your reaction to cast a spell at them.
As an academy dedicated to training practical combat spellcasters, War Caster techniques were part of the Battlemage Academy's basic curriculum.
This feat would let him cast reliably under all kinds of chaotic conditions, which would be a great help in his current situation.
Brushing aside his stray thoughts, Ye Weian first opened the [Class] option.
The twelve basic classes appeared before him:
Barbarian, Bard, Cleric, Druid, Fighter, Monk, Paladin, Ranger, Rogue, Sorcerer, Warlock, Wizard.
Each class also had several subclasses.
He first ruled out Barbarian, Fighter, and Rogue. Who'd want to be some disposable melee fighter?
Then he crossed out Cleric, Warlock, Monk, and Paladin. As a modern person, he couldn't stand handing his fate over to any god, devil, or demanding oath.
That left Bard, Ranger, Sorcerer, and Wizard.
After some thought, Ye Weian ruled out the first two as well.
In his previous life, he'd been a small-town exam grinder from childhood through college, where he'd studied software engineering. He wasn't used to spending all day in the woods or singing and dancing in front of a crowd.
In the end, his gaze settled on Sorcerer and Wizard.
Both were arcane spellcasters. They suited his preferences and matched the original owner's experience at the Battlemage Academy, so even if he suddenly displayed related abilities, it wouldn't seem too strange to others.
In theory, he preferred Wizard.
Wizards were the quintessential arcane spellcasters. They relied on Intelligence to cast spells and had the broadest selection of spells and the most versatile ways to respond to any situation.
But for some inexplicable reason, his finger moved to the [Sorcerer] option.
If Wizards were scholars who shaped miracles with wisdom and knowledge, Sorcerers were the lucky ones who relied on bloodlines and innate gifts.
A dragon's bloodline, a devil's touch, a fey blessing, or even a single drink from a mysterious spring could ignite the spark of magic within someone.
Sorcerers relied on Charisma to cast spells.
Depending on the source of their power, Sorcerers had a variety of origins: [Draconic Bloodline] from dragons, [Divine Soul] granted by divine favor, [Shadow Magic] inherited from the Shadowfell, and so on.
Of course, most of the options were grayed out.
It seemed that the Summerstar Family had neither an ancestor bold enough to bed a dragon nor one who'd received special favor from a god.
Ye Weian's gaze fell on the only two available options: [Wild Magic] and [Spellfire Sorcerer].
[Wild Magic] arose from the untamed surges of chaotic magic.
Every time a Wild Magic Sorcerer cast a spell, it might trigger a random effect. With luck, they might instantly heal a wound or even cast a high-level spell out of thin air. With bad luck, they might turn themselves into a sheep or blast themselves in the forehead with a fireball.
It was certainly entertaining in a game, but in real life, it could get you killed.
That left only one choice.
[Spellfire Sorcerer]: Your innate power comes from the source of the Weave. This rare gift is known as "Spellfire." Echoes of this primal magic constantly surge through you. With this gift, you can scorch enemies, heal allies, and devour enemy spells.
This subclass didn't rely on a specific bloodline or miracle. It came purely from the awakening of an individual's innate talent, making it perfect for Ye Weian's current blank-slate situation.
In terms of prestige, Spellfire Sorcerer was far above the likes of Draconic Bloodline Sorcerer, Wild Magic Sorcerer, and Divine Soul Sorcerer. It touched the very source of magic.
According to recorded history in Faerûn, there had been no more than twenty known users of Spellfire, most of them chosen by the Goddess of Magic.
The power of the Spellfire Sorcerer lived up to its rarity.
It excelled at both offense and healing, and could even absorb enemy spells to restore Sorcery Points, greatly enhancing its Metamagic. It was powerful and versatile.
The Sorcerer class itself already had plenty of offensive power. Spellfire Sorcerer was an excellent enhancement.
Ye Weian didn't hesitate. He selected it immediately.
The level-one [Spellfire Sorcerer] granted him an ability, [Magic Absorption], and a cantrip, [Spellfire Flame].
[Magic Absorption]: When you take spell damage, you can absorb some of the energy to reduce the damage slightly.
This ability was powerful against spellcasters, but it was completely useless against a bunch of bandits.
[Spellfire Flame]: You can cast this spell without preparing it. Summon a beam of arcane fire from above to scorch an enemy. This fire deals both radiant and fire damage. The cantrip's damage increases when your spellcaster level reaches 5, 11, and 17.
As a damage spell, [Spellfire Flame] was incredibly overpowered.
First, it didn't need to be prepared; he could cast it at a moment's notice. Second, it dealt both radiant and fire damage, making it effective against a wide range of enemies. Finally, its attack appeared out of nowhere, with no projectile to dodge or block.
Compared to ordinary damage cantrips like [Fire Bolt] and [Ray of Frost], [Spellfire Flame] was on a whole other level.
In addition, becoming a level-one Sorcerer granted him four cantrips and two level-one spells.
For his cantrips, he chose:
[True Strike]: Gain a brief magical insight, making your next weapon attack a perfect strike. With this cantrip, even an ordinary person who'd never held a knife could use a weapon to seriously wound a trained soldier.
[Mage Hand]: Summon an invisible magical hand to help you act. An extremely useful cantrip.
[Charm Person]: Temporarily make a target regard the caster as a friend. It could be used to question people after a battle.
[Four Symbols Method]: Create or manipulate small amounts of air, earth, water, and fire—for example, digging up a small patch of ground, creating a gust of wind, or conjuring a pot of water. It had little direct offensive power, but a wide range of uses.
For his level-one spells, he chose [Mage Armor] and [Silver Light Sharp Tongue].
[Mage Armor] could create a layer of invisible magical armor that might save his life at a critical moment.
[Silver Light Sharp Tongue] could disrupt an enemy's mind, turning their momentary hesitation into inspiration for his allies. It served both offense and defense, and was a long-standing, notoriously overpowered spell.
With [Spellfire Flame] as a ranged attack, he now had melee offense, ranged offense, control, defense, and support. He was prepared for just about anything.
That was one of the advantages of using the system to assign his abilities.
Normally, a Sorcerer awakened their spells spontaneously, and which spells they got was entirely a matter of luck. It was common to end up with a set that was all offense, all support, or a completely baffling mix. Assembling such a practical spell list was almost impossible.
After selecting his class, he immediately looked at the bonuses granted by [Race].
[Race]: Human
[Racial Traits]:
Ability Score Increase: Choose two different abilities to increase by 1.
As for his ability score increases, one point obviously had to go into Charisma. He assigned the other to Constitution.
Staying alive came first. He valued his life.
There were plenty of feats to choose from. Given how low the original owner's ability scores were, Ye Weian prioritized feats that could increase Charisma.
Of several useful feats, including [Spell Sniper], [Telepathy], [Telekinetic], and [Inspiring Leader], Ye Weian chose [Telepathy].
[Telepathy]: You know how to cast spells in combat. Increase your Intelligence, Wisdom, or Charisma by 1. You can communicate telepathically with nearby creatures, provided they understand your language. You learn the level-two spell [Detect Thoughts].
Telepathy would let him coordinate with allies on a noisy battlefield, while Detect Thoughts was an excellent interrogation tool.
Naturally, he chose Charisma for the ability score increase.
Then, with the bonus from [War Caster] as well, his Charisma increased by 2.
Finally, there was the [Background] option.
A [Background] represented the bonuses a character gained from their social identity.
Among the many choices, Ye Weian could only choose [Noble] or [Sage].
[Noble] came from his birth, while [Sage] reflected his time at the Battlemage Academy.
Choosing [Sage] would let him learn a few more spells, but [Noble] could increase his Charisma.
After a brief struggle, Ye Weian chose the latter.
When it came to ability scores, he once again put +2 into Charisma and +1 into Intelligence.
Once he'd selected the final option, Ye Weian's 3D model in the interface had completely changed.
The helpless little figure was now floating slightly above the ground, blue-white flames swirling around him. He looked every bit the powerful Sorcerer.
A pop-up appeared in the center of the panel:
[Character creation complete. Exit the current interface?]
It was time to return to reality.
Ye Weian took a deep breath and selected "Yes" with his mind.
The gray-and-white world suddenly shattered.