[D'sP] And Then Everything Else - Chapter 505 (Patreon)

Of course, there were also monster patterns which didn’t need all of that and Doyle had a solution. Why change what isn’t broken? Any creature pattern that doesn’t have multiple types of template can just be a simple entry at the top.

So with that in mind, Doyle finally begins to construct what the monster patterns sub-table would look like. He still hasn’t figured out what it would look like to have stacking templates. Whatever the case, it takes him only a short period of time to make, considering it had taken days to get to this point.

Though he does make a few changes after seeing it. Mainly, patterns with a bunch of templates get moved down to the bullet list. Mostly because it confuses the list to have them there. Oh, and the golem pattern. It only has a single entry, but that entry has six words to it.

{

Monster Patterns: hexku lv52, brown bear lv34, shrieker lv27, violet fungus lv26, razer fox lv24, udoroot lv21, permafrost lynx lv17

kobold lv98

kobold (void)

elder (lv10, void)

goat (wooden lv3, grassen lv3, cyclone lv25) lv97

myconid lv70

sprout swarm (lv3)

lesser (lv6, troop guard lv9)

myconid (lv12)

assassin vine lv46

assassin vine (freshwater aquatic)

elder (lv8)

cattle (dungeon lv2, mad lv2, longhorn lv2, earthen lv3, ashen lv4, sea lv4, herb lv5) lv42

wolf (wind lv4, stone lv4, lesser shadow lv9) lv36

golem (plated crystal core crystal clay hexape) lv33

axebeak (lv2, Windcutter lv14) lv30

}

With it laid out, Doyle felt happy with the results. Though he did notice a point or two that was missing. The first was he hadn’t tried to make a troop guard out of the adult myconids. After that, there are also the assassin vines, specifically he hadn’t aged up one of the freshwater versions into an elder.

He wasn’t going to at the moment either. With the monsters done, he needs to figure out the rest of the patterns. In particular, the metal patterns are busy. Not quite on the level of the monster patterns, but every metal has at least the option to be crystal attuned. Which makes the way it is displayed quite annoying. 

One entry of “iron (crystal lv10 [-10lv]) lv43” isn’t a problem. Easy enough to parse. A block of seven such entries? Well, at that point things are less legible. Except Doyle isn’t certain that there is much he could change.

Well, he could use bullet points again. The biggest question however would be if the crystal attunement was going to be a thing for all his metals going forward. Because if that was the case? Doyle actually had a solution.

All he had to do was stick the attunement on the main heading. So “Metal Patterns (crystal lv10 [-10lv]):” and then only copper and tin would need anything special. Except then he noticed something that ruined this. Mithril did not have the option to be crystal aligned.

Doyle spends some time considering the issues until he decides to just leave the metals as they are. Which meant next he needed to figure out the various energy storage solutions. Meh, those are fine. He decides to let it remain a sub-table. You can’t win them all.

So, moving onto the arrays and enchantments, and having just allowed himself to keep the energy storage stuff a sub-table? Well, these two sub-tables are even more worth leaving as such.

Now technically there was still alchemy, gem, and trap patterns, but they would easily fit in with the singular items. Which meant he had to decide whether to leave that all as one big bluster of patterns or to have more sub-tables. Similar to the monster sub-table and not something more specific.

Doyle spends way too much time pondering potential categories. He was tempted to make a “living” sub-table, but with magic? That could be way too general. After all, what happens if he gains a living metal?

So instead, he decides on a “Plant and Animal patterns” sub-table. Which technically didn’t even cover all of the living, pre-system. Doyle was fine with this as the collection was more about decorating the dungeon as they weren’t exactly loot. Though speaking of loot, that seemed like a fine sub-table as well. And anything else? Well, it all could be left alone for the moment.

So with that decided, Doyle spent hours dragging patterns around until finally, his database skill was organized how he wanted it.

{

Dungeon Patterns: loot patterns lv99, plant and animal patterns lv99, bricks lv99, monster patterns lv98, sugar lv70, strange dungeon stone lv62, charcoal lv58, standard air mix lv56, clay lv55, glass lv50, metal patterns lv43, water lv42, dungeon soil lv42, vial lv34, salt lv32, trap patterns (kobold traps, mineshaft traps) lv27, cloth lv27, array patterns lv21, enchantment patterns lv20, cart lv20, bread lv16, leather lv12, clothes lv11, wax lv6, volcanic rock lv4

Metal Patterns: iron (crystal lv10 [-10lv]) lv43, copper (earth, water, air, and fire [-5lv]; crystal lv10 [-10lv]) lv31, tin (earth, water, air, and fire [-5lv]; crystal lv10 [-10lv]) lv29, gold (crystal lv10 [-10lv]) lv22, silver (crystal lv10 [-10lv]) lv22, mithril (lv20) lv20, lead (crystal lv10 [-10lv]) lv17

Array Patterns: simple world energy gathering array for individuals [lv14] lv21, tiny area right angle gravity array [lv1] lv3

Enchantment Patterns: Preservation [lv12], Unbreaking [lv10, 12, 20], Sharpness [lv10, 20], Impact [lv10, 20], Piercing [lv10, 20], Magical Efficiency [lv10, 20]

Monster Patterns: hexku lv52, brown bear lv34, shrieker lv27, violet fungus lv26, razer fox lv24, udoroot lv21, permafrost lynx lv17

kobold lv98

kobold (void)

elder (lv10, void)

goat (wooden lv3, grassen lv3, cyclone lv25) lv97

myconid lv70

sprout swarm (lv3)

lesser (lv6, troop guard lv9)

myconid (lv12)

assassin vine lv46

assassin vine (freshwater aquatic)

elder (lv8)

cattle (dungeon lv2, mad lv2, longhorn lv2, earthen lv3, ashen lv4, sea lv4, herb lv5) lv42

wolf (wind lv4, stone lv4, lesser shadow lv9) lv36

golem (plated crystal core crystal clay hexape) lv33

axebeak (lv2, Windcutter lv14) lv30

Loot Patterns: mystic energy storage patterns lv99, gem patterns (quartz polymer) lv95, weapon patterns lv50, quartz synced polymer lv32, alchemy patterns (Moota’s coagulant, minor cure all, pauper’s fix) lv27, wooden hinged box of preservation lv21, armor patterns lv10

Mystic Energy Storage Patterns: sealed quartz mana cable lv99, quartz mana cable lv99, mana stone lv30, spirit stone lv30, monster stone lv30, psicrystal lv30, karma star lv30, luck stone lv30, elementally energized crystal lv30, prana lotus lv30, bloodstone lv30

Plant and Animal Patterns: ant lv99, vines lv99, tree (earth [-20lv]) lv77, shrubbery lv62, grass lv54, herb patterns lv55, wheat lv48, sunflower lv42, olive lv40, insects lv23, horned rabbits lv17, lemon lv14, strawberry lv14, horned lizard lv13, squirrel lv12, seaweed lv1

}

Doyle nods, it doesn’t look too different, yet at the same time? It is completely different. There are fewer sub-tables and those that do exist are more general. Also, the monster sub-table was quite slick. ‘Hey, Ally, I finished up the database reorganization. What do you think of it?’

Ally hops over and checks on the finished product. ‘Oh, hey! You bolded some of the text. Also, kind of surprised you didn’t grind away at it until all the original sub-tables were integrated. I could see there being a “mystical” sub-table for arrays, enchantments, and the energy storage.’

Doyle nods, ‘Yeah, I can see that working. Though I think I’ll keep how things are. They could go together, but “mystical” is much too broad of a category.’

Ally laughs, ‘Says the guy who has a “plant and animal” category.’

Doyle shakes his core, ‘That might seem pretty broad. And you know what? I won’t deny it. Except, “mystical” would be even broader. Horned rabbits? Mystical. Mithril or any of the other metals when aligned? Mystical. Some of the traps? Mystical!’

Ally shrugs, ‘Okay, fair enough. I guess just about anything can be mystical. You just have to shove some magic into it. Whereas a plant or animal is pretty distinct.’

Doyle sighs, ‘Eh, well, science likes to find edge cases. Plant? Animal? You can find things that don’t fit perfectly.’

Ally, ‘Well, if we ever come across it you can decide on your own. However, now that you’ve finished this, what will you do?’

Doyle pulls up a view and sighs, ‘Well, it looks like my bear is still just a bear. Though I do have more ideas on this. While working on the monsters, I dug up some insights on the elemental templates and I think I know what’s missing.’

Ally frowns, ‘That sounds like something I should know. Can you give me the basics?’

Doyle nods, ‘That I know of there are two, three types of template. Natural progress, which I’ve been calling age, but now as I say this, I realize it might not be. This is basically the natural progress of a being. So sprout, to lesser, and then an adult myconid.

‘The troop guard doesn’t count because it is either a side evolution of the second template type. An evolution of the body. Which differs from the age categories because the template is something outside of that paradigm and can be “unnatural” for the being.

‘I am half tempted to call these bloodlines. The troop guard thing doesn’t quite match that as they’re a dead end, but the voibolds are a perfect example. A kobold can turn into a void kobold, but can also be born as one if their genetic history includes enough void kobold in them. Generally by way of one or both of their parents being a voibold.

‘Though I guess bloodline isn’t entirely correct as an ashen cow will have an ashen calf and that isn’t a “body” template. All kinds of confusing. Anyway, ashen cattle are an example of the third template type I know of which might also just be a part of the body template type as well.

‘The short version is that every power source a thing has can be aligned to something. Ashen cattle have their Mana pool aligned with the concept of ash, whatever that means. And the body templates might overlap as your body is a type of power, technically. So yeah, you can’t have multiple attunements for the same source, having to merge new things in with the existing attunement, but you can have other attunements if you have other power sources.’

Ally nods, ‘That sounds familiar. I should know that. Like, having studied to be a dungeon fae, that is very much something which seems critical to my job!’

Doyle, ‘Did you have some kind of knowledge skill that got stripped when you joined up with me?’

Ally shakes her head, ‘No, that’s not the case. I think we’re just poking at the edge of a downside to being a dungeon fae. Pretty certain I’ve got a few things closed off. Though I think there’s more missing than normal. Likely because you’re already awakened.

‘If I had known about attuning a Mana pool to an element as a method of evolving monsters? That would have been a major step up for us. I think? Do you have a way to force this on your bear?’

Doyle shakes his core, ‘I get the feeling that forcing a bunch of earth Mana into the bear isn’t going to be an easy fix.’

Ally, ‘Oh yeah, that rarely ends well for anyone involved. Though the wild mutation into an abomination might be useful?’

Doyle is about to respond, ‘Wait a second.’ He pauses as something pings in his mind. ‘Oh yeah, no, that wouldn’t work. I get the feeling the abominations that result aren’t stable and uncontrolled.’

Ally, ‘So you wouldn’t get anything from them dying?’

Doyle nods, ‘I would guess the changes are more like a temporary form. Sort of like I wouldn’t get a cougar pattern if a druid who was shape shifted into a cougar died in the dungeon.’

Ally, ‘I don’t think I’ve ever heard of one of those abominations recovering? Then again, I didn’t remember this at all a few moments ago. It seems I’ve managed to unlock some of those memories. Still not enough to be useful, but I guess that’s the point?’

Figuring Out Monster Patterns - Chapter 504

That Was Inevitable - Chapter 506