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Level Up Thread

Well, as I promised, I am going to allow the participants still in the tournament to show their characters progressing by allowing them to LEVEL UP! That means you get a +3 to all your stats, a few additional increases to your HP and MP, and you may learn a new ability if you're the right level. How awesome is that?!

Actually, it doesn't work quite like that. What happens here is that each person is allowed to add one of the following to their character: a new item, a new ability, enhancing a present item, enhancing a present ability, or enhancing some physical aspect of the character.

A New Item - Your character can bring in another piece of equipment for their character. Be it a new sword, rubber gloves for fighting those electrical characters, or anything else that your character will like to bring into these later rounds. However, new items usually are not POWERFUL in magic if you give it a magical enhancement, which is the downside of bringing in new items instead of using current items. However, the upside is that you can add more versatility or specialization to your character's arsenal. Realize that this new item must also keep to the rules of the tournament, meaning no guns, explosives, etc. In addition, if you want to bring in a piece of armor for your character, make sure it covers only one major part of the body (torso, legs, arms, or head or a variant of this), and that your character does not already have two pieces of armor on their body already. You can still add armor regardless, just know that your character can only walk into a fight with up to two pieces of armor.

A New Ability - This option allows your character to learn a new ability, such as a mage finally learning how to cast Blizzard after reaching a certain level. However, unlike in an rpg where the mage is instantly a master with it, having a new ability means that the character isn't "a master" of it, and will mainly mean they'll be using it on its most basic level. Or, it's powerful, but it's very very hard to control, which can backfire on the character themselves. For example, if that mage learned the Blizzard spell here, they can use it as an ice spell, but they won't be able to use it in more creative, freeforming ways such as allowing it to create a star-shape out of ice (unless that's its basic description already). The rule of thumb here is: the new ability adds to the character's arsenal of skills.

However, do not take this as having a new ability that is simply a new use of an already pre-existing power. For example, if you are a psychic user who finds a new way to use their psychic power to do something different, it'll be best if you use the "Enhance Current Ability" option instead.

Enhancing Current Item - This is for those who want to take a present item of theirs, such as a sword or anything else, and give it an enhancement. This could be from making it magical, to giving it a new ability, or a variant of this. Making it physically stronger, giving it a shape change, it's your choice. Now, when it comes to "allowing a sword to spawn fire along its blade," this isn't an excuse to use fire as your main weapon. It allows you to put a burning edge on your slashes, but it doesn't mean you can now throw fireballs. In addition, this power up usually isn't directly manipulative, such as a fire user using that fire as a source. Though that is applicable, he shouldn't be pooling fire from the sword infinitely nor at a fast rate.

In summary, if you're going to make your weapon magical, know that it isn't the same as giving a "new ability."

Enhancing Current Ability - This option will allow a character to take one ability that their character possesses, and give it some upgrade, be it power upgrade, speed upgrade, a new special effect, whatever you wish to do. This doesn't mean that your fireball can now become a "SUPER KAMEHAMEHA FIREBALL", but you can make it close to that. However, remember that with upgrades like this, it usually comes with an increase in cost if it does scale up in power. As long as the upgrade is "reasonable," it will be accepted.

Direct Character Upgrade - This is an option that will be better for those people with no powers. Mainly, it allows a person to add either a physical or mental increase to their character, such as an increase in muscle, increase in leg speed, increase in reflexes, or whatever you believe will help show the character's enhancement. Even an "overall" body increase performance can work, though the benefits will be distributed across the body. However, know that if you're trying to add a magical or technological enhancement, such as a new robotic eye, this goes under the "New Item" option instead.

Additional Details

If you give your character an upgrade, make sure you supply a brief explanation to "why" the character is getting this upgrade, either intentional or if it was developed throughout their experience in the tournament thus far. This will add to the story part of both your character and this tournament instead of giving the impression that your character was just magically given this new feature.

Your upgrade will be proposed in this thread. If there's something that won't be liked about it, you will be informed of what you need to change in order to make it a reasonable upgrade for balance reasons.

Anyone who wants this upgrade has until Sunday, August 22, 11:59 PM Central to get their proposals in this thread. If you miss this deadline, you will not be able to upgrade your character until after the next round, assuming you make it past the next round. For everyone else, this is your only upgrade period for the time being, and there won't be another.

Does this mean that since my character didn't make it this far that he'll have to enter next year with the same equipment and (lack of) abilities?

Strength of Earth.

This buff works like many of the other buffs Saphen has employed in the tournament but instead of enhancing a plant he enhances himself.

Level 1: Saphen's skin begins to harden. Due to the lack of Mastery in this buff any real effects do not occur until level 2.
Level 2: Endurance: Saphen's skin finishes hardening, allowing him to take blows in a similar fashion to someone somewhat heavier than him (think light heavy weight boxer)
Level 3: Strength of Earth: Saphen's strength increases in a similar fashion to his endurance. His attacks have more weight behind and overall strength is increased. (Again like someone much heavier than him, heavy weight boxer example blah blah) He is also now able to take blows similar to that of a full heavy weight fighter.

Special- Stone Gauntlets: Releasing all the power Saphen had gathered *from either one of his full plant buffs or this one* Saphen's arms become encased in stone slabs. Allowing him to punch with devastating power or defend himself from oncoming attacks. The stone covers from his hand down to his elbow and can be shaped either sharply or bluntly. No further detail can be established due to his lack of mastery. The instrument is also encased in the stone if he still holds it...effectively cutting his buffing ability in half. The stone gauntlets last for three posts unless launched off his body (can be used as a projectile once for either hand) or destroyed.

Human Transducer: The ability to, like a loudspeaker, transform electrical energy into sound via electromagnetic means.

Energy drain and level of concentration required is dependent on complexity and volume of sound.

tl;dr Deitric can now have a theme song, and play it where-ever he goes.

Reasonable enough. It is a throw back to his previous years in the GTB. since he always sued stone every year he finally found a way to combine it with his new style of combat. A mix of the physical and the purely magical. Most of the time there is a stone floor beneath every single stage though I can always make a logical reason if such were not the case I suppose.

Though I would ask since level 1 does not have any real effect (because that was going to be my reasoning for it to be fairly new) would it be a slight upgrade in stage 1 then? Or what?

Well, he could make REALLY LOUD NOISES to hurt people's ears or disrupt their concentration, I guess.

I mean, he's not going to be able to tune the sounds to resonance frequencies and shatter items or something crazy like that.

@Saphen: Approved, then.

@Darth: lol shatter items. Okay then, it seems good enough.

Approved.