Background Some students in Kurtzpel University were passionate. Others were naturally proficient. But Albrecht Dietrich was simply prestigious. Ever since he was a child, he had all the educational benefits that came with wealth, from tutors to boarding schools to subscriptions to multiple online resources, and he had parents that would drive him towards it as well. A lawyer? A doctor? A pilot? No, those were far too lowbrow when he stood to inherit the grandeur of the Dietrichsâ multinational conglomeration, which had a grasp that ranged from pharmaceuticals to big data, and the sheer amount of resources he had available to him served to make him one of the highest scoring students in his class, all at a small, small cost of any independence or agency.
Really, when the bus smashed into the 18-wheeler and his head splattered against the window, Albrechtâs last thought was simply âGood riddanceâ.
And when he found himself remade to the preference of a capricious Goddess, he couldnât help but celebrate.
Maybe now heâd actually have a shot at living for himself.
Extras
Albrecht has spent his entire life pent up, and now heâs ready to explode.
He skipped three grades, but is currently in the body of a grown man.
Though he acts like a dumbass, Albrecht can still be remarkably insightful when he wants to be.
None are more beloved by the Goddess than the Frenzied Saint, the warrior-priest who stands alone as the bulwark between all that is righteous and all that is obscene. Clad in holy sacraments and bearing virtuous wrath, their soul-shearing supplications towards the Most Holy can change the world itself, filling the blackest skies with the Goddessâs light. For Her Purest, Her Dearest, the Goddess has bestowed a sin-effacing sword of stardust that reminds the lost that their faith and effort will be rewarded, no matter how many fell beasts pound against the sanctum of the Praying.
Notable Items Wishcatcher â A sin-effacing sword of stardust that strengthens itself as a reflection of the Saintâs own faith, capable of emboldening those who stumble and nullifying the dark whispers of the monstrous. It resonates with a radiant force, illuminating even the darkest dungeons.
Kite Shield â A sturdy, steel shield. Nothing special, but it was free, at least.
STA âââ STR âââââââ DEX âââ INT ââ FAI ââââââââââ
Physical Abilities: Swordsmanship â Powerful blows mark the Saintâs fighting style, for Champions need not worry about vulnerabilities when they can smash through a foeâs defenses in a singular strike.
Shieldwork â A stalwart warrior needs only to trust in the Goddessâs protection when put to the iron test, but the shield that the Saint bears is to protect others and to push back the enemy.
Magical Abilities: Miracle â As the conduit of the Goddess upon the land, her miracles of healing, protection, and empowerment flows through the Saintâs hands, granting respite and renewed vigor in the glorious crusade.
Penance â As the physical manifestation of the Goddessâs wrath, the Saint can call down holy lightning and clad their blessed blade in resplendent flame in order to judge the souls of those that have erred from the Goddessâs path.
Sacrament â As the ever loyal servant of the Goddess, the Saint can empower his Miracles and his Penance by offering up anything from livestock to lifespan. Their benefactions may mean nothing to the omnipotent Keeper of Light, but who was she to deny the pledges of the faithful?
Name (Former): Minoru Tachibana Name (Character): Ewan Berrybranch Age: Late 20s
Appearance: Diminutive and androgynous, Ewan perfectly fits the phrase âfair youthâ, his snowy complexion and silky hair bringing him to that fantastical boundary of physical attractiveness that only a complex character creation system could create. A Halfling by race, his feet are bigger and tougher than what one would expect out of a 4â3 humanoid, and his muscles far more developed as well, but overall, one could still call Ewan a child. Thatâs fine though. With oversized clothing and princely features, itâs clear that Ewan was designed with one goal in mind: MAXIMUM CUTE.
Personality: Minoru was tired, beaten down, and lost, an individual that oozed through life who latched onto anything that sparked her interest for an intense period of time, only to burnout way too soon and fall apart once more. Sheâs riddled with self-doubt and anxieties, depression and nihilism, but the circumstances of her family and her social life has taught her how to fake carefree ambivalence all too easily. If nothing else, sheâs a hardworking individual capable of chugging on through life even on fumes. But sheâs short-sighted as well, someone with no clear goals and no real hope for the future, a person that would suffer long-term consequences in order to avoid short-term embarrassment. Reflexively, she lies, and most of the time, she doesnât even know why.
As Ewan, nothing really changed, but at least she can go around playing or whatever. Itâs not like the world would miss her, and itâs not like sheâd miss the world either. Itâll be good enough if the status quo of âdo quests, get paid, eat food, sleepâ could be maintained.
Ah, if only shapeshifting really did turn her into another person.
Character Level: 43 Character Class: Shapeshifter
Abilities: Someone out there said that Halflings were supposed to be intelligent, dexterous, and lucky, but outside of being able to walk anywhere on bare feet, Ewanâs just lucky, with lower than average physical stats and the only standout being his relatively high MP regen. Shapeshifters, after all, rarely apply only their ânormalâ form in combat, and are largely enabled by the variety of monstrous forms they can shift into.
The core of the class is the <<Thousandfur>> passive, which enables them to transform into monsters that they have slain in the past, with the caveat being that the higher the ârarityâ of the monster, the more of those monsters they have to kill in order to gain access to such monstrous metamorphosis. While common creatures like goblins or wolves can be obtained with relative ease, higher rarity mobs like greater demons or pure dragons require more kills, and to transform into a boss monster would require a hilarious amount of grinding, especially the higher-level boss monsters.
Once the Shapeshifter has transformed, their MP is drained at a consistent rate regardless of what actions they perform, while their stats are scaled based off their level and the monster theyâve transformed into. Wolves would be AGI-focused, for example, while Golems would be END-focused, and the rarity of the monster affects stat-scaling and MP consumption as well, with the general rule being that the higher oneâs rarity, the high the stats and MP consumption. Alongside the <<Thousandfur>> passive, however, Shapeshifters do have a few other transformation-related abilities.
<<All Tongue>> - Enables communication with monsters that you can transform into.
<<Half-Form>> - Partially shift into a monster, gaining extra stats and monstrous passives, but with no monstrous abilities.
<<Extra Shift>> - Instantly manifest a part of a monster from your body to perform a monstrous ability.
<<Scapegoat>> - Cloak yourself in the skin of a monster, increasing resistances and gaining a temporary HP shield. After the HP shield is destroyed, monster cannot be shifted into for a long period of time.
<<Superior Amalgamation>> - Transform into a fusion of [Level/20] monsters, gaining both their stat bonuses, passives, and abilities, while also doubling mana consumption.
Goblin Shaman â INT-focused mage with a variety of non-elemental single target spells. Also has the ability to summon a maximum of three Goblin Warriors.
Orc Axewielder â STR-focused berserker, with a variety of passives that grant buffs when damage is taken. Has a combination of armor-shredding and defense-piercing abilities.
Ironjaw Wolf â AGI-focused grappler with heightened senses and acrobatic skill. Special abilities enable DoTs and debuffs when bite attacks land.
Frenzied Bear â END-focused disrupter. Very big body with a variety of crowd control abilities, most of them being knockback effects. Physical damage taken is reduced by a percentage.
Blackflame Knight â END-focused tank. Immune to non-magical debuffs and instant-kill magic. When receiving or dealing damage, can choose to affect either MP or HP. Can inflict Silence effects on successful attacks.
Windchant Harpy â INT-focused debuffer, specializing in AOE debuffs, especially charm effects against male enemies. Capable of flight, scaling off of AGI.
Achromatic Wyvern â AGI-focused ambusher, with armor-shredding claws and a venomous, barbed tail. Capable of flight, and large enough to carry three passengers. Can change the color of their scales at will.
Velnir Fallenheart, the Dark Queenâs Blade â INT-focused magic duelist specializing in shadow magic and dual daggers. A High Elf mini-boss with superior stats and abilities to the rest of Ewanâs transformations.
Backstory: Back when Minoru was still in university, she got into a game called Emerald Odyssey, playing the game when it was just released. It provided her an opportunity to have fun and play out some fantasies, and when they released a super hot, super tragic quest line, perhaps that opportunity to have fun turned into a bit of an obsession that ended up with her nabbing the super sexy, super dark mini-boss as a viable transformation for her over-leveled Shapeshifter.
Then everything about the game became tedious, and she stopped playing.
Five years later, and life became tedious as well. Minoru didnât manage to get the job she really wanted right out of university, got swatted by a glass ceiling, had to deal with perverted managers and shitty customers, realized that the world would be fine even if she wasnât part of it, and repressed her anger every day when her parents innocuously asked if she found herself a boyfriend yet. She did her unpaid overtime, her afterwork drinking parties, her 6AM commutes, her daily diet of fast food, and it was all weighing down on her too much. Escape was needed. A lot of escaping. Maybe she could even just give up on full-time work altogether. Minoru didnât expect to want to live past her 50s, after all, not when she already had headaches and back pain and a crippling sense of isolation.
Maybe it was enough if she could just buy ready-to-eat dinners from the local Lawsons and pay for her basic utilities with wages earned in a part-time job.
Maybe being a shut-in wasnât so bad.
But before those steps could be taken, before she could fall fully, Minoru disappeared.
And found herself in the world she left five years ago.
Other: Minoru likes little boys, but itâs definitely really weird, being one. Most of Ewan's gear is outdated, relics of a younger game. Thankfully, Shapeshifters don't really have to worry about equipment.
Light shone, but Minoru had no intention of waking yet. Rolling in her sheets, she smeared her eyes against her pillow, grabbing as much darkness as she could. It had been a long time since she had such a pleasant, light dream, and now, all she wanted was to bask in that pleasant warmth again. Her alarm was set for 6 AM, and it couldnât be past that yet. Sheâd get up after it rang.
Time passed as she laid there, becoming more and more restless as minutes ticked away. Napping longer was good. It was even great. But what if she fell asleep and then couldnât wake up even after the alarm rang? What if she forgot to set the alarm last night? It wouldnât hurt to look at her clock, just to gauge how much she could commit to sleeping longer.
She rolled over and opened one eye carefully.
There was no clock. The walls were wood. The sun shone soft. No cars sounded outside. Her cheap curtains were missing from a window that was much larger than what she had before. There were bright, beautiful flowers bundled up in an expensive vase by the window, and her bed was so much larger than the cheap, DIY twin-sized bed she purchased two years ago.
Minoruâs first instinct was to jump up into a sitting position, pulling the sheets up over her body. Where the hell was she? Whose bed was this? Did she have clothes on? Yes, thank god for that. Didnât recognize them, butâŚwhat did she even do last night? Think, think. Drinking, but she remembered coming home later. Wait, why didnât she have a hangover? Was this kidnapping? Her phone, oh god, she needed to Google maps her way out of this cabin and get to work. Her eyes scanned the room, and she spotted a wardrobe easily enough. Scampering off the plush bed, Minoru stormed towards the wardrobe and practically tossed it open, hoping forâŚ
âOh, this is bad.â
This could be the actual worst. These werenât the clothes of some muscular lumberjack. These werenât even the clothes of some off-grid hippie. These were child-sized clothing that looked like they all came from a cosplay photoshoot, from frilly coats to fabulous hats to gorgeously colored cloaks to amazingly cute shorts to a whole bunch of things that Minoru definitely could NOT wear on the Tokyo line. Hell, that wasnât even her first concern. Her first one would beâŚdid she end up sleeping with a minor?
No. She reached for her throat and felt that strange bulge. She looked at her hands, and realized they were much paler than she remembered, much smaller as well. Fingers combed her hair, coming away with silky silver strands. The memories came back. How cute it was, that limited edition Red Riding Hood outfit. How nice and dainty it was, to be a small cute kid who fought monsters so bravely. How little it made sense now. On a whim, Minoru pulled out the Menu.
âŚ
Of course the Log Out option didnât work. As expected, none of her friends were online either.
Slowly, she sank to the floor, hugging her knees with her too-thin arms. Minoru always knew the world didnât need her, but to be shunted into a game she hadnât touched in five years? That was even worse. Yeah, thatâs what it was.
This was the worst. It wasnât like there was any particular reason for him to get up. No real motivation behind it, no particular drive that propelled him out of his comfy little house. It was just that, after ten minutes or so of crawling into a little ball, his butt was sore from sitting on the hard floor and he figured that it was probably a good thing to look around after all. Even if no one else shared his plight, confirmation that civilization existed was a good thing, right?
Right.
With that, Ewan pushed open the doors of his house and into the blinding light ofâŚnature. Just nature. Nature of the wild kind, nature of the savage kind, nature of the âmonsters will be hereâ kind. Of course. After five years, the developers WOULD have changed the world map a bit, wouldnât they? So there was no civilization nearby and his house was in the middle of nowhere. It was enough to bring a tear and a chuckle to the Halfling.
Then he picked up a rock and hurled it against a tree, leaving a dent in the bark as the rock ricocheted into the deep grass.
Nothing more to it than to walk, thatâs for sure.
Name (Former): Minoru Tachibana Name (Character): Ewan Berrybranch Age: Late 20s
Appearance: Diminutive and androgynous, Ewan perfectly fits the phrase âfair youthâ, his snowy complexion and silky hair bringing him to that fantastical boundary of physical attractiveness that only a complex character creation system could create. A Halfling by race, his feet are bigger and tougher than what one would expect out of a 4â3 humanoid, and his muscles far more developed as well, but overall, one could still call Ewan a child. Thatâs fine though. With oversized clothing and princely features, itâs clear that Ewan was designed with one goal in mind: MAXIMUM CUTE.
Personality: Minoru was tired, beaten down, and lost, an individual that oozed through life who latched onto anything that sparked her interest for an intense period of time, only to burnout way too soon and fall apart once more. Sheâs riddled with self-doubt and anxieties, depression and nihilism, but the circumstances of her family and her social life has taught her how to fake carefree ambivalence all too easily. If nothing else, sheâs a hardworking individual capable of chugging on through life even on fumes. But sheâs short-sighted as well, someone with no clear goals and no real hope for the future, a person that would suffer long-term consequences in order to avoid short-term embarrassment. Reflexively, she lies, and most of the time, she doesnât even know why.
As Ewan, nothing really changed, but at least she can go around playing or whatever. Itâs not like the world would miss her, and itâs not like sheâd miss the world either. Itâll be good enough if the status quo of âdo quests, get paid, eat food, sleepâ could be maintained.
Ah, if only shapeshifting really did turn her into another person.
Character Level: 43 Character Class: Shapeshifter
Abilities: Someone out there said that Halflings were supposed to be intelligent, dexterous, and lucky, but outside of being able to walk anywhere on bare feet, Ewanâs just lucky, with lower than average physical stats and the only standout being his relatively high MP regen. Shapeshifters, after all, rarely apply only their ânormalâ form in combat, and are largely enabled by the variety of monstrous forms they can shift into.
The core of the class is the <<Thousandfur>> passive, which enables them to transform into monsters that they have slain in the past, with the caveat being that the higher the ârarityâ of the monster, the more of those monsters they have to kill in order to gain access to such monstrous metamorphosis. While common creatures like goblins or wolves can be obtained with relative ease, higher rarity mobs like greater demons or pure dragons require more kills, and to transform into a boss monster would require a hilarious amount of grinding, especially the higher-level boss monsters.
Once the Shapeshifter has transformed, their MP is drained at a consistent rate regardless of what actions they perform, while their stats are scaled based off their level and the monster theyâve transformed into. Wolves would be AGI-focused, for example, while Golems would be END-focused, and the rarity of the monster affects stat-scaling and MP consumption as well, with the general rule being that the higher oneâs rarity, the high the stats and MP consumption. Alongside the <<Thousandfur>> passive, however, Shapeshifters do have a few other transformation-related abilities.
<<All Tongue>> - Enables communication with monsters that you can transform into.
<<Half-Form>> - Partially shift into a monster, gaining extra stats and monstrous passives, but with no monstrous abilities.
<<Extra Shift>> - Instantly manifest a part of a monster from your body to perform a monstrous ability.
<<Scapegoat>> - Cloak yourself in the skin of a monster, increasing resistances and gaining a temporary HP shield. After the HP shield is destroyed, monster cannot be shifted into for a long period of time.
<<Superior Amalgamation>> - Transform into a fusion of [Level/20] monsters, gaining both their stat bonuses, passives, and abilities, while also doubling mana consumption.
Goblin Shaman â INT-focused mage with a variety of non-elemental single target spells. Also has the ability to summon a maximum of three Goblin Warriors.
Orc Axewielder â STR-focused berserker, with a variety of passives that grant buffs when damage is taken. Has a combination of armor-shredding and defense-piercing abilities.
Ironjaw Wolf â AGI-focused grappler with heightened senses and acrobatic skill. Special abilities enable DoTs and debuffs when bite attacks land.
Frenzied Bear â END-focused disrupter. Very big body with a variety of crowd control abilities, most of them being knockback effects. Physical damage taken is reduced by a percentage.
Blackflame Knight â END-focused tank. Immune to non-magical debuffs and instant-kill magic. When receiving or dealing damage, can choose to affect either MP or HP. Can inflict Silence effects on successful attacks.
Windchant Harpy â INT-focused debuffer, specializing in AOE debuffs, especially charm effects against male enemies. Capable of flight, scaling off of AGI.
Achromatic Wyvern â AGI-focused ambusher, with armor-shredding claws and a venomous, barbed tail. Capable of flight, and large enough to carry three passengers. Can change the color of their scales at will.
Velnir Fallenheart, the Dark Queenâs Blade â INT-focused magic duelist specializing in shadow magic and dual daggers. A High Elf mini-boss with superior stats and abilities to the rest of Ewanâs transformations.
Backstory: Back when Minoru was still in university, she got into a game called Emerald Odyssey, playing the game when it was just released. It provided her an opportunity to have fun and play out some fantasies, and when they released a super hot, super tragic quest line, perhaps that opportunity to have fun turned into a bit of an obsession that ended up with her nabbing the super sexy, super dark mini-boss as a viable transformation for her over-leveled Shapeshifter.
Then everything about the game became tedious, and she stopped playing.
Five years later, and life became tedious as well. Minoru didnât manage to get the job she really wanted right out of university, got swatted by a glass ceiling, had to deal with perverted managers and shitty customers, realized that the world would be fine even if she wasnât part of it, and repressed her anger every day when her parents innocuously asked if she found herself a boyfriend yet. She did her unpaid overtime, her afterwork drinking parties, her 6AM commutes, her daily diet of fast food, and it was all weighing down on her too much. Escape was needed. A lot of escaping. Maybe she could even just give up on full-time work altogether. Minoru didnât expect to want to live past her 50s, after all, not when she already had headaches and back pain and a crippling sense of isolation.
Maybe it was enough if she could just buy ready-to-eat dinners from the local Lawsons and pay for her basic utilities with wages earned in a part-time job.
Maybe being a shut-in wasnât so bad.
But before those steps could be taken, before she could fall fully, Minoru disappeared.
And found herself in the world she left five years ago.
Other: Minoru likes little boys, but itâs definitely really weird, being one. Most of Ewan's gear is outdated, relics of a younger game. Thankfully, Shapeshifters don't really have to worry about equipment.
I'll be keeping an eye on this for now. How fast do you intend the RP to go? And where in the spectrum of despair vs lightheartedness will this fall, cause self-awareness isn't a real indicator of comedy.
Zenon Spear (Uncommon)-10% MP Cost for Lancer Actions Cutthroat Gloves (Uncommon)+5 AGI Lightâs Bane Cloak (Uncommon)Increase Hiding Chance Leather Armor (Uncommon) Fancy Clothes (Uncommon) Skirmisherâs Buckler (Uncommon)+5 AGI Power Treads (Uncommon)+5 STR Ring of Protection (Uncommon)+1% to all items' resistances Teleport Ring (Common)Teleport small distance, once per day. Jewelry x2 (Common)
Lycanbane - Increased Damage against Lycan-based Enemies
Zenon Spear -10% MP Cost for Lancer Actions Lightâs Bane Cloak Increase Hiding Chance Ring of Protection Small Damage Reduction Teleport Ring Teleport small distance, once per day.
Bounty (1/Universal) User gains D10 extra Renn whenever they receive Renn from GM. Passive. Greater Bounty (5/Universal) User gains D10 extra Renn whenever they receive Renn from GM. Stacks with Bounty. Passive. Grand Bounty (10/Universal) User gains D10 extra Renn whenever they receive Renn from GM. Stacks with Bounty and Greater Bounty. Passive.
Flexible (1/Lancer) Whenever an opponent misses a melee attack against the user, user may immediately move backwards or counterattack to deal low damage. Passive. Practiced Steps (5/Lancer) User gains a low chance to evade melee attacks if the target is holding a short-ranged melee weapon. Passive. Polearm Mastery (10/Lancer) User's normal attacks deal additional damage. Passive.
Redeeming Glow +400 MP Accelerate 200 MP - User's movement speed increases for a bit. Shield-Breaker Jab 180 (200) MP - User jabs out strongly, aiming for an equipped item with a chance of breaking it. Attempting to break Brute 4âs Leather Armor. Charge 50 MP â Low concussive damage + chance to stun. Targeting Brute 3. Piercing Strike 180 (200) MP â High piercing damage + stun. Targeting Brute 5. Piercing Lift 90 (100) MP â Moderate piercing + disabled. Targeting Brute 1. Retreating out of the melee.
It wasnât deep enough.
Blazing past the goblin brutes and sending a cloud of dust upwards as she stopped to re-assess her situation, Cecilia clicked her tongue at her dwindling resources, both for her Mana and her Health. Brute flesh was rather thick for a level 12, and the damage they dealt with their powerful swings was problematic as well. Unlike the wargs, who were largely unarmored, there was definitely a lack of efficiency in her âmulti-hitâ fighting style. Not enough strength and skill to simply blast through their resilience. Big hitters were going to be River and Karuu then. Sheâll turn her focus onto being a distraction for the rest of them.
Cecilia grinned at that, bright and excited. âCiciâs going on CC,â she called out, a golden burst of light assuaging some of her mana concerns as magical tempest built around her legs. âSo the rest of you, start stealing them kills!â
A pause. Two lancers came out of nowhere as well, a pair of twins that launched twelve quick blows. âHey, Zks, thatâs a big no-no! Getting new friends to help out still isnât the same as actually doing anything, you know?â
She stepped off, the world slowing down around her as she passed under the club of the first Brute, the Zenon Spear roaring as it smashed against the monsterâs leather armor, ripping into the straps that held the armor together. Before he could respond, the cloaked Lancerâs shield glowed next with the telltale sign of an activated skill, and she charged off like an arrow from a bow, slamming the solar plexus of the next Brute with the edge of the Skirmisherâs Buckler, the blow enough to lift the much smaller creature off his feet as Cecilia performed a half-step reset. She bounced off again, a black comet within the melee that broke in and out, before the next brute in her sight found themselves with the Zenon spear digging deep into their flesh, a piercing strike that pinned them to the ground. For an instant, they were transfixed, and it was in that moment that Cecilia planted her foot against their chest and kicked herself off. Scarlet pixels trailed out of the length of her spear as she somersaulted once, and the spear shot out a third time in midair, hooking under the arm of another brute to flip them upwards.
âWelp, have fun, guys," Cecilia said, with a salute and a starry wink, "This is Cici, signing out~!â
And with that, a powerful backstep shot her out of the fray once more, to observe the chaos she caught from a safe distance.