Wondering what ability level twenty gave him, Ruwen looked in the Warlord section and gasped.
Ability: Banner
Effect: Designate one group per layer as a Banner Group. For every ability level taken, a Banner Group gets an additional Banner benefit. Banner benefit choices include:
Renew - Healing received 30% more effective
Havoc - Damage increased by 25%
Awareness - Perception increased by 25%
Forced March - Movement Speed increased by 35%
Muffle - Sound decreased by 35%
Notice - Detect Trap increased by 30%
Unrelenting - Regeneration Rates increased by 30%
Indestructible - Armor Class increased by 25%
Vigor - Resilience increased by 50%
Blur - Haste increased by 25%
Blockade - Parry and Block increased by 25%
Heft - Max Encumbrance increased by 20%
Advanced - Attributes increased by 20%
Cripple - Critical Strike increased by 20%
Bludgeon - Power Strike increased by 20%
Untouchable - Dodge increased by 25%
Sway - Persuasion increased by 25%
Grit - Endurance increased by 35%
Tutor - Experience increased by 20%
The quest for Warlord had mentioned Banners, but Ruwen hadn’t completely understood what it meant. Now he did. If he invested five ability points in Banner he could give five of the benefits listed above to a single group.
Even more powerful, if he invested in Battlefield Promotion, he could pick someone to form a group under them, and so on, until he had five layers of groups, each with a Banner Group, each with five Banner benefits.
But, after the massive investment of ten points in Hey You to unlock True Name, Ruwen only had twenty-one ability points left, six of which had been refunded from his Observer choices. This would not be easy.
Ruwen realized he’d never looked to see what his level twenty Gatherer abilities and spells were. He pulled the Worker book off his mental shelf and found the Gatherer ability section.
Ability: Analyze
Effect: Provides detailed information on target allowing the Gatherer to more easily determine uses and value. Analysis takes 5 seconds. Each Ability Point decreases analysis by 1 second.
That didn’t have the instant wow factor of Banner, but Ruwen knew better than to dismiss this ability. The fact that it was the level twenty ability must make it useful. He glanced at his level twenty Gatherer Energy and Mana spells since he had the Worker book open.
Spell: Sixth Sense
Effect: Channel Energy in a 1,000 foot radius to provide details on nearby nodes such as type, location, density, purity, etc. Every spell level increases the radius by 1,000 feet.
Spell: Worker Wagon
Effect: Create an air wagon that rests on a cushion of air and can be pulled over any terrain with very little effort. Measuring six feet wide, fifteen feet long, and five feet high, the sled has a capacity of 450 cubic feet. Each spell level allows another wagon to be created. Wagons will follow the lead wagon.
Again, Ruwen didn’t dismiss these spells. There had been a lot of node choices in his map interface, and Sixth Sense might save a lot of time if he needed to find something specific. He also remembered the bland sounding ability Survey that improved his map’s abilities. It wouldn’t surprise him if there were hidden synergies between all these spells and abilities.
Ruwen put the Worker book back on his mental shelf and reopened the Fighter book. He wanted to quickly look at what his spell choices were for Commander and Warlord before everyone came back down from Shelly. There were two Energy spells for Fighter he didn’t have.
Spell: Quicksand
Effect: Slow attackers by 5% for every enemy within 5 feet. Additional spell levels increase slow by 5% and distance effected by 5 feet.
Spell: Vital Signs
Effect: Increase Critical Strike chance by 10% every 5 seconds while channeled. Each additional spell level reduces duration by 1 second.
Ruwen continued on to the Commander Energy spells.
Spell: Gust
Effect: While channeling, create erratic wind gusts in a circle 50 feet in diameter, making arrows, bolts, and spears 50% less accurate and reduces damage from missiles by 25%. Each additional spell level increases the diameter by 50 feet.
Spell: Move On
Effect: Create a bridge to span gorges, rivers, trenches, or any other obstacle where the two sides are relatively level. Each spell level provides 500 square feet of surface area.
Spell: Bodyguard
Effect: Link to a group member and absorb 20% of the damage they receive. Each additional spell level increases absorption by 20%.
Spell: Fallen Heroes
Effect: Summon an apparition to aid a group. Apparition will be the same level as the Commander and remain for the duration of the channeled spell. Each additional spell level adds another apparition.
Spell: Coma
Effect: While spell is channeled, keep a member under your command in a coma, keeping them alive until a healer arrives. Each spell level reduces the Energy cost by 25 Energy per second.
All of the Commander Energy spells looked great. Ruwen hoped he had enough spell points to go around. He glanced at the single Warlord Energy spell available to him at level twenty.
Spell: Warcry of Freedom
Effect: Cleanse all impairing effects from those under your immediate command and increase Mind Resistance by 50% while channeled. Each spell level will allow the spell to affect an additional command layer.
That cleanse was better than an area of effect spell. Eventually, Ruwen might manage five separate groups, all in different locations. This cleanse would help everyone, regardless of where they were located, which made it a very powerful spell.
The only thing left was his Fighter Mana spells. He could hear distant voices, and he glanced up to see people emerging from the doorway. He didn’t have much time to see what the Mana spells offered.
The first two were the level six and eight spells.
Spell: Draining Bandage
Effect: Convert 95 Energy into 80 Health. Each spell level decreases Energy cost by 5 and increases Health benefit by 5.
Spell: Painful Charge
Effect: Convert 95 Health into 80 Energy. Each spell level decreases Health cost by 5 and increases Energy benefit by 5.
Ruwen hurried on to the Commander Mana spells.
Spell: Last
