Tristan Delaney

Tristan brushed his long red hair aside from his face as he walked up a mountain. This wasn't even the one he needed to go up, however the travel had become almost treacherous with the altitudes of the terrain differing wildly now, compared to the smooth rolling plains from before. It wasn't great fun, but he had to do it, so went with it. There was no point turning back now, for it would make this journey, along with his rather painful leg from being critical'd by a wild boar, useless.

At the least he killed the three children boar and gained some B-class Wild Pork. It was a reasonable enough ingredient, not being of the most tasty, but better than standard provisions. It was a staple ingredient for meat dishes in diners in the town too. However as with any ingredient, you had to cook it before you could eat it. He wasn't sure if food poisoning was a mechanic in Sword Art Online, but then he didn't think the system even allowed him to attempt to eat it.

Tristan noticed he reached the tip of this mountain, not a high one though. He scanned the area with his eyes, to find a large overbearing mountain which had clouds hide its peak. As it appeared to be the highest, this seemed the right one. 

At last, it looked like he was getting where he needed to be.

Tristan walked on, wearing his lucky pendant along with carrying his spear. He was happy to have received this, even if it did make a mockery of his RNG drop luck. He was reminded of back in real life when he played games that made self-aware jokes to either the player or the game, usually lined with references to tropes.

Tristan was painfully aware however of his reasonably low HP. He had no potions and he was close to reaching 50%.

In other games, he wouldn't so much as bat an eye for this kind of issue. In this game though, it meant a good deal. Dying here meant dying in the real world. People who fought here fought with their life on the line, which it really was. The fear of that occuring was terrifying, even if it put a whole new edge of dedication for those playing the game.

It also was probably the main catalyst why people settled here so comfortably. With the risks of real life apparent in this world, SAO became real life. Choices had consequences.

It used the same rule book as real life, just different content. You know, with the dragons and all. Well, that and stats had an effect here, something non-existent in real life. However in many ways it was a pronunciation of learning skills in the real world, where training something would make you better at it.

He walked on, thinking on the matter of SAO and such, something he hadn't really done fully before. The walk was peaceful from the fight, maybe a mechanic to help people who just fought.

(I swear my f***ing dice roll luck, RNJesus must be with me today after the shitty RNG I had from Destiny yesterday)
Tristan's Turn

Tristan did not let the boar however escape. He instead thrust his spear where he predicted the boar would go as it ran around from missing him. It was a gamble, but it may work.

Rolled a 1 on the d4 dice.
Rolled a 5 on the d6 dice.
Rolled a 1 on the d8 dice.
Rolled a 10 on the d10 (battle) dice.
Rolled a 6 on the d12 (craft) dice.
Rolled a 20 on the d20 (loot) dice.

The spear hit and dug straight into and through the female boar like a kebab. That boar was in boar purgatory now, with a spear stuck right through them. They didn't even squeal in pain as their body disintegrated from the critical blow which dealt 4 damage.
Boar 4 - (2+2) = 0

Tristan 6/10
Both boars dead.

Tristan pulled out the spear, flicking the blood off the spear. He noticed the twinkle of...uncommon loot again?! This was beginning to be ridiculous.
He sighed as he opened the loot window to see what it was he obtained.

It was the 'Lucky Pendant of Suspected Cheating', obtained through extreme luck. Tristan laughed awkwardly at the dark humour programmed into the game.

Boar's Turn

The female boar gave an angry squeal for having their partner murdered. They immediately began charging Tristan in rage.

Rolled a 4 on the d4 dice.
Rolled a 6 on the d6 dice.
Rolled a 3 on the d8 dice.
Rolled a 2 on the d10 (battle) dice.
Rolled a 9 on the d12 (craft) dice.
Rolled a 18 on the d20 (loot) dice.

However clearly the rage was blinding, since Tristan could easily sidestep the charge that was bound to miss him.

Tristan 5/9
Male Boar 0/4
Female Boar 4/4

Tristan's Turn

Tristan remained calm, despite the damage taken. He needed to relax and deal with that male boar, so to avoid the damage he took.
Focusing on the male boar that narrowly missed him, he prepared to strike again.
Tristan thruster forward and switched sides while thrusting, to allow for an extended reach with one hand.

Rolled a 1 on the d4 dice.
Rolled a 1 on the d6 dice.
Rolled a 1 on the d8 dice.
Rolled a 6 on the d10 (battle) dice.
Rolled a 7 on the d12 (craft) dice.
Rolled a 10 on the d20 (loot) dice.

The spear met its target, slicing with one blade end of the spear across the top of the boar. He had nearly missed, but somehow it landed and cut open the top of the boar, which finished it off in the misery of its bleeding, dealing two damage.
Male Boar 2 - 2 = 0 DEAD

Tristan 5/9
Male Boar 0/4 DEAD
Female Boar 4/4

Boars turn

The male boar squealed as the spear end pierced it and withdrew, bleeding profusely. That was however not going to stop it any time soon and just made it angrier.
The male charged Tristan with their tusks.

Rolled a 3 on the d4 dice.
Rolled a 1 on the d6 dice.
Rolled a 6 on the d8 dice.
Rolled a 4 on the d10 (battle) dice.
Rolled a 9 on the d12 (craft) dice.
Rolled a 14 on the d20 (loot) dice.

Clearly the bleeding was affecting it, as the boar narrowly missed Tristan, running in a full circle back to where they were.

The female boar then also charged Tristan, as a follow up for the attack.

Rolled a 4 on the d4 dice.
Rolled a 1 on the d6 dice.
Rolled a 2 on the d8 dice.
Rolled a 10 on the d10 (battle) dice.
Rolled a 7 on the d12 (craft) dice.
Rolled a 10 on the d20 (loot) dice.

The boar did a critical blow on him, hitting the side of his leg. Tristan hissed in pain from the attack, losing three hit points. His leg felt PAINFUL.

Tristan 5/9
Male Boar 2/4
Female Boar 4/4

Tristan's Turn

Tristan held his spear firm, deciding to go for the male first. There was no actual game difference in their genders, it was simply his first choice.
He put his spear to a horizontal level and bent back. His spear began to glow blue.
"HYYAAAA!"
He had engaged the sword skill for spears 'Valiant Charge', a single thrust that covered distance forward in one large thrust.

Rolled a 1 on the d4 dice.
Rolled a 1 on the d6 dice.
Rolled a 3 on the d8 dice.
Rolled a 6 on the d10 (battle) dice.
Rolled a 12 on the d12 (craft) dice.
Rolled a 2 on the d20 (loot) dice.

It was a standard hit, connecting for 2 damage.
Male Boar HP 4 - 2 = 2

Tristan 8/9
Male Boar 2/4
Female Boar 4/4

Sure enough, a mob did spawn. It was two boars, what looked to be a couple protecting their three children. The baby ones had probably one HP and no attacks, but the boars not so.

He didn't want to engage in combat, but the boars decided otherwise. It looks like he was going to have to fight. Tristan readied his spear for combat, getting into an underhand stance where he underheld the front of the spear while overholding the back, which allowed for him to easily lower the spear into the ground.

Tristan 8/9
Male Boar 4/4
Female Boar 4/4

FIGHT!

Tristan continued walking the mountainous terrain of Floor 2, each step becoming harder as fatigue stacked. What he really needed was some nourishment.

Tristan opened his item menu and took out a piece of bread and a bottle of water. He sat and ate on his bread, while keeping his mouth moist with the water. He hadn't eaten in a good while and while he couldnt physically starve in SAO, it felt good to have anyway.

When he finished nourishing, he wiped his mouth and continued on with his walk, his Dragon spear in hand, in case of any mobs so that he wasn't caught badly timed.

The clouds...yeah, they were nice...wait hang on, what was he doing staring at the sky??
Oh yeah, he got trampled by a boar he didn't notice while walking. He forgot what he heard about the place being filled with boars. While generally non-aggressive, if you annoyed them or were simply there on a bad day, they would run you over.

But wait, did he lose any health for being trampled??

Rolled a 2 on the d4 dice.
Rolled a 1 on the d6 dice.
Rolled a 6 on the d8 dice.
Rolled a 6 on the d10 (battle) dice.
Rolled a 7 on the d12 (craft) dice.
Rolled a 20 on the d20 (loot) dice.

Yup, he lost one HP for having his side trampled on by a hoof.
"Owwww....."

He knew something like this would happen with karma spinning back at him for getting it so easy off earlier. This game felt twisted at times. He supposed thats what happens though in a game where RNJesus takes control, like a lot of RPG's.
He stood up and stretched his back, walking on to the mountain.

That's what you get for being apathetic Tristan you lazy bum.

I actually often use dice to determine my free form. While my luck was insanely good for combat, the bad roll next time round had me determine that i tripped and faceplanted.

I suppose it serves a good guideline for people who want an RNG'er to help them sort what they want, free forming their battles. When it comes round to competitive fighting though like in the arena, it should either be GM controlled or third party verified like in the above examples to ensure no cheating against other players. 

Tristan could only agree with her sentiments on life, which rather matched his own. "I'd have to agree with all you say there. It seems always a bit reckless to go solo and risk your life at fighting, when you could be fighting together with other people, or simply enjoying life for what it is. There is a lot to be missed if you don't take a step back and regard what there is already. Well I say that mostly because the last time I did solo I got trampled on, my spear all slimy and my leg nearly ripped off."

He raised an eyebrow at her latter statement though. "Is that as a general sweeping statement or specific new people that you meet?"

Tristan thought for a moment back about the quest that got him martial arts.

"Say. I broke the rock for martial arts, which I'm more than happy to help you do too if you haven't, and got some gear. However, at the moment the disparity is still lacking, having a new weapon and pendant but no armour. With the three gold ore materials I have here, could you make me some armour? Something like Vambraces say, preferably with a gauntlet attached? And if you manage something good from that, hopefully a chest piece too. If we end up not making any, we could get some more mats together, since I'm sure the both of us could do with some more."

The last part had the intonation that it was like stating the obvious. Mats were always coveted, because from it someone could craft even perfect items, which are highly coveted among players.

All the gloating over his new weapon however led to carelessness, in this case it was the now corpse of a slime. Tristan walked about three steps forward with his chin in glee, when-

*slip*

"Wooooaaaaahhhhh!"

*thump*

His face met the ground with a thump, completely destroying any sort of gloating he had a moment. Instead, it was of shame for managing to kiss the floor from not paying attention where his feet landed.

Tristan grumbled as he stood up, wiping his face on his sleeve. He decided it was good time to move on, before he dwelled on it further. For now, the matter of the mountain was more important. The clouds began to clear, maybe a sign of better times.

Tristan's turn

Tristan pulled his spear back, away from the monster, to give him space to move forward. Technique that he had drilled into himself through countless hours of real life experience sprang into action, getting the feel on the weight of this 8ft spear. The shaft was solid wood and the tip metal, the entire thing quite heavy. However this was just suitable, he was used to wielding heavier spears because it gave him more momentum in his movement.

He breathed in and out slowly and let his body do the work. Usually, he was used to finding the gaps in peoples blocks and 'sniping' them from afar with the spear. Everyone had a weakpoint and the spear was a weapon that exploited them, a weapon designed for the battlefield.

• Rolled a 3 on the d4 dice.
• Rolled a 6 on the d6 dice.
• Rolled a 2 on the d8 dice.
• Rolled a 10 on the d10 (battle) dice.
• Rolled a 6 on the d12 (craft) dice.
• Rolled a 20 on the d20 (loot) dice.

Base damage 1 + Novice 2H Spear 1 + Crit +2 = 4

HP of 4 - 4 damage = HP 0

The slime did a squeal as the spear pierced right through them and disintegrated into the ground into a pool of...more slime. And now it was all over his spear as well....

"Ew......"

He wiped down the spear and noticed a twinkle. Loot! It was an Uncommon Item too. Sweet!

He opened up the loot menu and picked up the item. It was a spear called the Dragon Spike. The weapon gave +1 Damage.

How could he not want this?! He immediately unequipped his current weapon and replaced it with this spear. It felt glorious holding this new weapon. It was light, yet felt it had power behind it. No wonder this 7ft spear dealt extra damage.

To get such a weapon though from a simple enemy was a surprising stroke of luck. He knew he wouldn't be this lucky in a good while, probably for the next few times finding no armour for himself or similar.

Lo and behold, as he walked he found a....slime. The green blob slithered along the ground like a slug, translucent so that it almost camouflaged against the grass it was on. They were up to his waist in size, round in shape and looking as dim as a dimly lit interrogation room. To find a more dimwitted foe would be a marvel in itself. This slime would probably accidentally slither over a nail and stab itself, killing them self in the progress. Or something equally stupid only one of such a low IQ could even be fathomed of capable.

"Well, I need the loot. So I'm sorry to say this, but you're going down. I'll put you out of your misery, that is if you feel any."

No reaction was given, seeing as slimes have no form of intelligence with the lack of a brain and work entirely off bodily impulse. Still, talking to them assured him he wasn't just going mad and talking to himself, in vain as it was.

Tristan put his spear into a horizontal position and used an overhand grip. As a leftie, it rested on his left hand side as he faced the monster with his right-side of his body, the shaft base held with his left hand and closer to the tip with his right for control.

Battle Analysis:

Tristan: HP 7/7

Slime: HP: 4/4

FIGHT!

"Floor 2."

The teleporter brought him to the town of Urbus, a settlement on the second floor. The terrain was clear cut from where the mountains were manipulated for settlement by whatever means they used. The air, as usual for this floor, was sombre in tone. Dark clouds hung over the sky.

"Top notch day for climbing a mountain eh...."

Bored of his self-monologue, he left the city and walked on to leave it. Temperature was of no issue in SAO, which allowed for the diversity of clothing. Even so, the winds made him feel chilly through a placebo effect, which was unnerving to say the least.

The gates of the city opened as he passed through into the wilderness, looking out over the rolling mountainous terrain. The sight of the place remarkably reminded him of Scotland, where flat ground is seen as a rarity, unlike Holland. He was reminded of visiting the stores up there for business visits with the Game company chain for stores up north. On days where he had no work, he went walking in the Scottish Highlands, going up what they considered 'hills'. They had a funny idea of the altitude of hills.

He trudged on to the outside, braving the wind as his hand held firmly to his spear. The land was rather peaceful, being a cleared floor. Nonetheless, there was nothing stopping mobs coming out now.

I want to PUNCH THIN-*cough* accept this quest.

Really? I suppose the nose is there....

But the rest is off. He's more stockily built while I'm really slim. Plus his hair curls lol mine just flicks.

If you just spend the time making your character hard to kill, even bad rolls won't matter.

To quote a famous player, "once the numbers are high enough, you're practically invincible."

Well I also have the trust that people here write in the interest of good storytelling rather than 'winning'. I suppose this is reinforced with the lack of PvP between actual player characters and the focus on coop.

Because I'm hardcore.

No, seriously, that's the name of the genre.

It's basically electronic music with a bass hard enough to punch you in the gut.

His smile was gentle and honest, despite being a small one. It complimented his smooth skin and silky hair. It was impossible for him to fake a facial expression beyond a calm poker face, so any expression he showed was genuine.

"I must admit I've never heard of that name in all the time I ran a videogame store in the UK. However it is a lovely name and I'll be sure to name one of my children Lessa if I ever have any."

He chuckled slightly at his own dry humour, but moved on from the topic.

"What are you doing here though? It is clear from what you wear that you are far beyond fresh meat like I am. Regardless of my real life training with weapons, I am still level one after all." It was notable that she was at least several levels above him, though maybe not too many. He wasn't too sure on how things functioned in SAO.

Tristan sauntered along, his long red hair flowing in the light breeze. You'd think he was posing for some model shoot for gear, if it weren't as horrendous as milk off from last year. With no armour statistic of any sort and the starting spear, he would probably only fight slimes his entire life until he gets something new. Then again, slimes did have cute round eyes and the need to stroke them...no, that's a stupid thought.

In his idle behaviour and paying little attention, Tristan looked around him to find somewhere to sit and found a bench. Being just what he needed, he walked and sat on it, not paying attention that there was someone else sitting on it.

It was only after a bit that he noticed, typical him and his lack of self-awareness.

"Oh hello, didn't see you there. I'm Tristan."

It was obvious from his gear that he was new, though his athletic figure which he had in real life was equally pronounced here in SAO. The spear rested by his side casually, as though also sitting on the bench.

PS3, PC, phone and 3DS.

Playing Destiny on my PS3 a lot lately and waiting on Monster Hunter 4 Ultimate for 3DS :D

I've noticed that the built in one will change if you refresh the page, meaning you can roll until it is favourable.

As such a system (maybe built in) would be needed where you select 'roll dice' and the answer will be publically be shown with no possibility of rerolling.

I must admit I can see why people would attempt to do anything to not die, because it means they lose their character (if its in SAO that is, not Alfheim).

https://xenforo.com/community/resources/tabs-bbcode.1116/

Something like this or several other examples. Means you can compile text into a neater size if they are relevant to each other.

I generally use it to stop pictures in a post taking up so much space and for character sheets, where I might do tabs like equipment for first tab, items in second tab and whatever.

I suppose its just me being used to it from other sites though.