Though he was quick to make his decision on evolving to become a Semi-Divine Human, the Occupation options required much more thought. As he'd suspected, there were more options than the two he'd seen as possibilities through his Skill Selection.
Unlike for Racial options, there is no guaranteed Attribute gain per level of Occupation. There are those of higher quality, and those of higher quality will provide more as a baseline, while those which are lower quality will provide less. All Attributes gained per Occupation level attained are listed below.
Primitive Craftsman (Copper (I)): Strength, Agility +4 per level, Endurance, Vitality, Toughness +6 per level, Wisdom, Perception +8 per level, Intelligence, Willpower, Fixation +10 per level, Free Points +8 per level.
Primeval Barbarian (Copper (I)): Intelligence, Willpower, Fixation +4 per level, Wisdom, Perception +6 per level, Toughness, Agility +8 per level, Strength, Endurance, Vitality +10 per level, Free Points +10 per level.
Primeval Champion (Copper (I)): Agility +4 per level, Endurance, Toughness, Perception +6 per level, Strength, Vitality, Intelligence, Fixation +8 per level. Wisdom, Willpower +10 per level, Free Points +12 per level.
Ancient Huntsman (Copper (I)): Vitality, Toughness +4 per level, Endurance, Willpower +6 per level, Strength, Intelligence, Wisdom, Fixation +8 per level, Agility, Perception +10 per level, Free Points +15 per level.
Savage Shaman (Copper (I)): Strength, Agility, Endurance, Vitality, Toughness +5 per level, Wisdom, Intelligence, Perception, Willpower, Fixation +12 per level, Free Points +15 per level.
TJ felt a bit better as he looked at the evolutionary options for his Occupation now. He'd left a fair amount of Attribute points on the table when he'd decided to get another level before evolving, but he was seeing here that the two options that'd been available to him before were the worst of the five. They were two sides of a coin, with the Craftsman being focused on the creative aspects of the Savage Occupation and the Barbarian focused on physical combat. Neither was surprising in what they were meant to do, but they provided 80 points per level. The other three provided progressively more total Attribute points, from 86 for the Primeval Champion, 87 for Huntsman, and a massive 100 for Shaman.
Off of Attributes alone, TJ wanted to go for Shaman, but he figured it was worth it to check the general purposes of the Champion and Huntsman Occupations. Even though both Barbarian and the Champion (being presented served as an affirmation that the Skill offered before would have counted as an evolutionary requirement) were primarily combat focused, the Champion had bonuses to creating buildings and community centers along with a bonus Skill called, simply, Leadership. Per its description, it would grant him an aura to boost the Attributes of those under his leadership by 5%. On the other hand, the Huntsman's sole crafting inclinations were towards traps and hunting equipment and it would upgrade his Prehistoric Huntsman Skill to the Copper tier.
Turning his attention once again to the highest Attribute value Occupation, he saw that it was, for all intents and purposes, the perfect Occupation for him. On impulse, he nearly immediately selected it, but took care to read through the Occupation's description first.
Savage Shaman (Copper (I)): A Shaman is a spiritual leader of the Savages of the Integration, and they serve as a leader to those who wish to listen to their wisdom. More than that, though, the Savage Shamans are potent warriors and healers, with powerful Skills and divine workings serving to allow them to serve as a bulwark of protection and a spear of violence in service to their aims and those of their tribe. A Savage Shaman provides relief to their allies and fear to their foes. Though this Class isn't focused on crafting as a whole, the Savage Shaman is focused on creating items that amplify the spiritual aspects of materials presented to them. Selecting this Occupation will grant you the Ritualistic Transfer Skill. Strength, Agility, Endurance, Vitality, Toughness +5 per level, Wisdom, Intelligence, Perception, Willpower, Fixation +12 per level, Free Points +15 per level.
The Skills provided with each other Occupation were interesting, if underwhelming. More than the better Attribute offerings by this Occupation was the Ritualistic Transfer Skill, which was particularly interesting to him.
Ritualistic Transfer (Silver (II)): A Shaman serves as the center of the Savages' community, and can, as such, siphon, grant, and transfer resources from those around them. Through the use of this Skill and a base sacrifice of 75 HP, MP, and Stamina, the Shaman can create a ritual which will allow free transfer of HP, MP, and Stamina between themself and the rest of the participants in the ritual. For the willing, there is no loss of resources from one transferred individual to the next. For the unwilling, the Shaman can attempt to force the victim to surrender their resources. The Shaman and the willing participants in the ritual can sacrifice resources to extend the length of the trial presented to the unwilling participants. The difficulty of the internal trial that the unwilling participant faces scales off the Shaman's Willpower and Fixation.
"If I want to, can I transfer the attributes just between what I have?"
Yes.
TJ suspected that he'd be on his own again, at least for a time, after the Tutorial ended, and having the ability to heal himself would go a long way to ensuring he didn't die alone. Though there was a cost to using this Skill instead of just spending MP and healing, this would allow him to use his frequently forgotten Stamina and transfer it to his HP. More complicated than he'd hoped, but still good. Maybe even better, given how high his Endurance was.
Even so, TJ did have a question before he selected the Occupation.
"Do I have to make my choice right now, or can I choose before I leave this space?"
All three evolutionary choices made will be confirmed before leaving the Systemic Audience Chamber.
So many unnecessary capitalizations, TJ joked to himself. Then, he finally moved on to his final options, his Class. He felt his anticipation rising, with the most impactful options presented to him.
Unlike for Racial options, there is no guaranteed Attribute gain per level of Class. There are those of higher quality, and those of higher quality will provide more as a baseline, while those which are lower quality will provide less. All Attributes gained per Class level attained are listed below. NOTE: Any Skills you have which grant additional Attributes gained per level are not factored into the Class options presented below.
Neophyte Adept (Copper (I)): Strength, Agility +5 per level, Wisdom, Intelligence, Perception +6 per level, Toughness, Willpower, Fixation +10 per level, Endurance, Vitality +12 per level, Free Points +8 per level.
Serpentine Devotee (Copper (I)): All Attributes +9 per level, Free Points +10 per level.
Storm-Calling Neophyte (Copper (I)): Strength, Agility +6 per level, Wisdom, Perception +7 per level, Toughness, Intelligence, Willpower +11 per level, Endurance, Vitality, Fixation +13 per level, Free Points +10 per level.
Paternal Protector (Copper (I)): All Attributes +10 per level, Free Points +10 per level.
Overwhelming Origin (Copper (I)): All Attributes +10 per level, Free Points +15 per level.
With his Class options, TJ was much more willing to spend time understanding what exactly was being offered. Near as he could tell, Neophyte Adept was just a baseline upgrade to the Neophyte Class, granting 80 Attribute Points per level. The only point of interest was that it upgraded Divine Transformation to the Silver tier, though the System didn't explain what exactly that would mean. The same Attributes were focused on as in the baseline Class, and when he read the description, it confirmed as much. The other four Class options, however, were variably interesting as well, given that only one of them made him intuit a meaning from its title.
Serpentine Devotee (Copper (I)): As a Neophyte with the Bloodline of Kukulkan, your Divine Transformation is that of a coatl. You have frequently prayed to the Great Feathered Serpent, and you have slain many monsters, Elite and common, to the aggrandizement of your Bloodline's prestige. Selecting this Class will grant you the Skills: Favored Bloodline and Scaled Defense. All Attributes +9 per level, Free Points +10 per level.
Favored Bloodline was simple, giving an additional and retroactively applied +3 per level of Neophyte bonus to Vitality and Endurance. Why it was granted in a Skill instead of the Class itself was strange to TJ, but he suspected it was because it could be upgraded outside of evolution, while the Class could not be. In essence, Favored Bloodline made Serpentine Devotee a Class that offered 106 Attributes per level instead of 100. The Scaled Defence Skill was much more interesting.
Scaled Defence (Copper (I)): Serpentine Devotees embrace the power of the reptile, and as such are blessed with the beauty and strength of their chosen serpent. As a Devotee of Kukulkan, you would be protected by the vibrant scales of the coatl and adorned with its feathers. While under the influence of Divine Transformation, your coatl form will gain an additional x.5 for Toughness. While not under the influence of Divine Transformation, your body will be lightly covered by scales which will increase the effect of the Toughness Attribute by 25%.
TJ liked all of those things, except for the statement that, if he took this Class and gained this Skill, he would become scaly. The System wouldn't tell him if the scales would be noticeable, but he suspected that they would be, considering the Skill's description of the coatl's beauty. Soft saying no to the Class but not rejecting it out of hand, TJ moved on to the Storm-Calling Neophyte.
Storm-Calling Neophyte (Copper (I)): Kukulkan was a god of the skies, wind, and souls. Even before you ascended onto the first steps of the path towards Divinity and the Divine Throne, you have seized Divine Authority for the domain of Storms. You have begun to learn to seize the achievements of your Progenitor and make them your own while hoping to grow beyond what Kukulkan once was. Selecting this Class will grant you the Skill: Storm Soul and will upgrade the Class Skill: Divine Transformation to the Silver (II) tier. Strength, Agility +6 per level, Wisdom, Perception +7 per level, Toughness, Intelligence, Willpower +11 per level, Endurance, Vitality, Fixation +13 per level, Free Points +10 per level.
The Storm-Calling Neophyte called to TJ more than the first two. It didn't quite offer as many Attribute points per level as the two that followed it, but TJ found that since he'd gained the Storm Divine Authority, he had grown more and more. Divine Manifestation was a good indicator of how he could continue to lean on his Divine Authority and grow stronger and stronger, especially since he was planning on using Stormcaller to make himself significantly stronger at the time of the siege. All this in combination with the upgrade to Divine Transformation to Silver tier made a strong first impression. Then, the description of the Storm Soul Skill made him more inclined to take the Class, though he still needed to check the other two.
Storm Soul (Copper (I)): You have seized a Divine Authority as a Dirt (0) tiered Participant, and your soul has been moulded by that Authority. Storm Soul is the manifestation of that influence. While within the domain of a Storm, you can draw on the Storm to replenish your resources, weakening the domain in exchange for your own recovery. While within the domain of a Storm, your resource recovery will be doubled. NOTE: This bonus to resource recovery is in addition to the bonus to resource recovery granted by Divine Authority.
TJ quickly realized that this meant that he would recover three times as fast while under the influence of a Storm. That would make him even more disgustingly difficult to kill, and if he had time to use Meditation, he'd be an absolute menace to defeat if he had even a little time to recover. And if Savage Shaman truly provided him with a healing Skill? A smile cracked his face and he didn't care to hide it. That with the total of 108 meant that the Attributes offered were near the highest possible. Even so, he looked to the last two Class options, strange as they sounded.
Paternal Protector (Copper (I)): You have made it clear time and time again that your sole motivation, more than immortality, than omnipotence, than respect and worship, is to protect your child. Many profess love for their offspring, you have demonstrated your devotion. This Class is focused entirely on the ability to protect its holder's offspring. Selecting this Class will grant you the Father's Sacrifice Skill. All Attributes +10 per level, Free Points +10 per level.
His face curled up at the description. The Class was offered because of his true devotion to his child. The guilt he truly felt at not talking about Junior more, the rage at being unable to see him, the helplessness, everything. This Class saw it, and awarded him for it. Looking at the Skill, TJ had to fight not to take the Class immediately.
Father's Sacrifice (Silver (II)): A father will lay down his life for his child. When your child is damaged, you will interpose yourself and take all damage intended for your child. This Skill will allow you to absorb all damage directed towards your child, though all damage you receive instead of your child will be doubled.
There was no way to say where Junior was or when he'd come back to Earth, so would this Skill be necessary? Would Junior remain in whatever place he was now, safe, for 13 years until he was 15 and ready to Integrate? Would all this be over by then? TJ couldn't know any of these things, and if Junior was killed, TJ could guarantee that he wouldn't survive much longer.
The Class was altogether underwhelming. It wasn't specialized, which TJ was already feeling the stretch with his current generalized Class and Occupation. With Savage Shaman and a specialized Class focused on Intelligence and Fixation, though, Wind Manipulation and everything that would follow afterwards would become more and more potent. But Father's Sacrifice…
"Is Father's Sacrifice a Skill exclusive to the Paternal Protector Class?"
No.
TJ sighed. That made the decision harder, not easier. Now Storm-Calling Neophyte was back on the table. Unable to make the decision, he turned his attention to the last of the offered Classes.
Overwhelming Origin (Copper (I)): You are one of the first 5,000 Participants on Earth to achieve the Copper (I) tier of Divinity. As such, you are offered the Overwhelming Origin Class. This is a Peak Copper (I) tiered Class, offering the maximum Attribute Points per level gained. This Class is unlike the four baseline Classes and their evolutionary paths, instead allowing the Class Holder to serve as a primordial version of a Deity. Selecting this Class will grant you the Divine Presence Skill. All Attributes +10 per level, Free Points +15 per level.
What exactly would this Class do, and why did TJ get a bad feeling about it?