AN: Hey guys, if you're tuning in from my other story welcome back, if you're a first time reader then welcome. Now that I blundered my way through things in Sean's story I want to try things again. I hope this goes better, but you guys will have to let me know. Reviews and PMs are both good ways to tell me what you think, I'll always read them but won't bother responding to spam and flames.
Anyway, here we go!
Chapter 1: Welcome to the Chain
Calvin's eyes snapped open to a vast, white nothingness. The ground beneath him felt solid as he sat up, but there was no indication of a floor or walls. Scrambling to his feet, he instinctively patted himself down to make sure everything was still attached.
The last thing he remembered was crossing the street during a bar crawl. He wasn't even that drunk, falling into his usual role of herder for his heavier drinking friends. The crossing sign was on and his friends had already crossed while he tied his shoe, when he went to jog after them there was a bright light and then nothing.
Shaking his head to clear it he looked around again, "What the hell? Did I get hit by a car? That's shitty, I was gonna rewatch Firefly tomorrow." Before he could wonder any more about his situation words appeared floating in front of him.
Welcome to the Jumpchain! You have been chosen to test the new Auto-Chain System!
"Wait, I got hit by the fricking isekai truck? Assuming of course that this isn't just a near-death fever dream of some sort." Calvin thought back on all of the Jumpchain fanfiction he had read, looking forward to what could be an interesting adventure. He'd never heard of an Auto-Chain before though. As if reading his mind the words disappeared and were replaced with new ones.
The Auto-Chain is designed to be a self contained system with no outside interference, having all aspects of the Jumpchain automated. This is to allow omnipotent beings to enjoy Jumpers' travels without trying to compete with each other by aiding or hindering Jumpers unduly.
"Okay, so why did I get picked? I don't remember making a deal with any higher powers. Unless that homeless guy with the creepy smile was one, I guess that's possible. He seemed strangely pleased about the dollar in change I gave him."
As mentioned, the Auto-Chain system is still in the testing phase. You were chosen at random from the 10,639,252,805,001 candidates to test this version of the Auto-Chain. Several others were given a chance before you and the data compiled from them has led to changes in the system.
Calvin nodded his understanding to...well himself. "I assume the general Jumpchain rules are in place. Ten years in each setting, and a choice of staying, continuing, or going home after each Jump?"
Yes. Further rules will be explained as they become relevant. Do you consent to join the Auto-Chain?
He actually took a moment to think about the question. On one hand there wasn't much waiting for him if he turned it down, that is if he doesn't just die immediately. A few good friends, a steady (if mind-numbing) job, a decent apartment, what was left of his family, and of course his cat. On the other, potentially limitless power and adventure on the Chain. Not to mention if he did ever die he'd just end up right back where he started with everything he had collected.
"Seems like I have nothing to lose by giving it a shot. I'm game."
Initiating Auto-Chain Start-up. Please standby…
Selecting Body Mod Supplement…
Skipped...
Body Mod will be decided after first jump...
Calvin wasn't terribly happy about not getting a Body Mod from the outset, but he also knew that traditionally the Jumper didn't get that or a Warehouse until after the first jump anyway. Hopefully since it listed just the Body Mod he might get to start with a Warehouse. The next words to appear confirmed his thoughts.
Selecting Warehouse Supplement...
Loading Fortress of Jumper…
Around him a building took shape. He was standing in what looked like an entryway, though it was hard to tell since there was only one small end table next to him. "This doesn't look like a normal Warehouse. Fortress of Jumper sounds familiar though." Calvin spotted a tablet on the table and picked it up.
Turning the tablet on revealed a description of what features the Fortress had. It was equipped with a medbay, a workshop, a full set of utilities, restocking food supplies, practically limitless storage, and free housekeeping. On top of all that he could portal into any room in the Fortress at any time and even halt time in specific rooms indefinitely (as long as they weren't occupied).
At the bottom was a section explaining about companions, it seemed his particular Chain would be using modified companion rules. Any companions he picked up wouldn't need to be put in stasis, they could freely live in the Fortress whether the door/portal was open or not.
The companion purchasing options on jumps were now only used to create new people, or arrange meetings with canon characters. He was free to recruit anyone with just their acceptance of his offer to join. After that it would cost 50cp to import them into a jump, 200cp for eight, and they would receive 600cp to spend for themselves unless the jump specified more.
Selecting Challenge Mode…
Double-Or-Nothing Selected...
According to the description of this 'Double-Or-Nothing' challenge at the beginning of each Jump he could put any points he didn't spend in a bank. At the end of the Jump those points would double and he'd get the new total added to the starting total for his next Jump. It maxed out at 10,000, but that meant that after a while he would have a free 5,000 points to spend while maintaining a full bank. Since each Jump normally started with a budget of 1,000, he was looking forward to being able to buy pretty much anything he wanted eventually.
Loading Jump Document…
Generic First Jump Loaded…
Make selections when ready…
The tablet in Calvin's hands beeped quietly, the screen having changed to show a selection sheet for his first jump. At the bottom, after all the drawbacks and things, was a large button that read 'Start Jump', but was grayed out for the moment. He recognized this Jump as sort of a tutorial for new Jumpers.
Instead of ten years in one setting he would do one year in ten different genre specific settings. This Jump had a lot of good perks for starting out, serving to give the Jumper a strong foundation moving forward. It also explained the lack of a Body Mod, one of the rewards for completing the Jump was that all of his choices here would act as his Body Mod if he was ever reduced to just that (like in a Gauntlet). He sat down on the floor of his Fortress' entrance way and began deciding his fate for the next ten years.
LINE BREAK
Name: Calvin
Age: 25
Gender: Male
Origin: Power Gamer (Free)
Perks:
Basic Requirements (1000cp) You will receive whatever special abilities, traits, backgrounds, and skills that are required for basic participation in the Level you are in. For example, if you are going to a Modern Occult setting focused on psychics tracking down ghosts, you would receive general knowledge of the supernatural in that world and enough psychic abilities to match the average in the setting. A Military setting based on the Vietnam War would give you a decent level of fitness and basic training for the military organization you were a part of. A superhero setting would provide powers or abilities to match the average ability of the featured characters of the world. This also provides in-universe backgrounds, histories, and memories that fit the identity you acquire in that Jump. These abilities go away when you leave that Level and this perk goes away when you finish this jump. Nothing can be done to retain these abilities, but you do benefit from any practice, training, study, or actual use in the Level itself of any mundane skills.
Body Like A Jumper (1000cp) You are cured of any physical ailments or disabilities you may have entered this Jump with. You become as physically fit as an average healthy athletic person would be. Your fitness will never deteriorate below this level, or any higher level that you have reached by actual training, unless you wish it to do so, as long as you have sufficient food and water to survive. You can also render yourself fertile or infertile at will, and can stop or start any menstrual or breeding cycle at will.
Mind Like A Jumper (1000cp) You are aware of any mental illness, disorders, disabilities or other conditions you may be suffering from as you enter this jump, and may choose to have any or all of them be removed. This does not make you immune to these things, it just removes pre-existing conditions.
Sexy and I Know It (950cp) Jumpers tend to be rather vain. Almost all of them eventually take some sort of appearance boosting perk, so let's just deal with that now. You are incredibly good-looking. On a scale of one to ten, you are a perfect ten. The exact details of your appearance, build, and "endowments" are up to you, but you look as good as it is possible for a human being to look and you stay that way no matter what your condition or the circumstances might be. Anything that happens to alter your appearance, such as scarring, amputation, cybernetic implants, or genetic mutation, will always leave you somehow still looking incredible. You may become a rotting zombie, but you will be the sexiest rotting zombie to ever crave brains. You will retain your fit and attractive appearance, even without exercise or proper diet, as long as you consume enough calories to avoid starvation. You will either heal perfectly, without any form of scarring, or your scars will enhance your appearance in some way. Even if your current appearance is inhuman in part or completely, you still remain this attractive. You never actually get dirty, always staying as pristine and perfect as you could be, unless you choose otherwise. In which case the sweat, dirt, blood, or whatever else will somehow compliment your looks perfectly. You also instinctively present yourself as well as you possibly can at all times. Your posture and movements never make you seem awkward or unattractive, always showing you in your best possible light and making anything you wear look amazing. Supermodels train for years to stand and move like you, and never quite make it. You never need to brush or floss, having perfect teeth and a great smile, your hair is always perfectly done up in whatever style you want it in, and if you don't want to shave you simply won't need to, facial or body hair simply not growing until and unless you want it to. Furthermore, you have perfect control over your fertility, and menstrual cycle in the case of females. Any sexual partners will believe you when you tell them you are protected, as long as you are telling the truth. Your voice is equally incredible in some way, whether it be sexy, commanding, soothing, or just pleasant. Your body scent is either extremely pleasant or you have no scent at all, and you can switch this at will
Common Sense (900cp) The least common advantage of all. You can tell when something you are about to do is contrary to basic common sense and rationality, or when you are about to do something your Benefactor will punish you for. You can also tell when your emotions are clouding your judgement.
Good Fortune (850cp) You are luckier than most people. Not to the extent that people will be shocked by it or that you could rely solely on this to keep you alive, but random odds do tend to tilt in your favor. Also, you will not experience any fate that could end your chain solely because of bad luck.
Self-Motivation (800cp) You have no difficulty motivating yourself, easily putting your full effort into any task, training, or activity.
General Knowledge (700cp) When you enter a new Jump, you gain knowledge of the location and culture you start in that is equivalent to what the average citizen would know. You also gain fluency in the local language or languages. For an additional 50cp, all of your knowledge will have the local equivalent added, such as a student of history knowing as much as an equivalently educated student of history in the new setting. This added information never goes away, but is never confusing and does not impair you in any way.
Friendly Sort (600cp) People like you, you have charisma and charm. Nothing supernatural or superhuman, but you are a very likeable person. This also removes any shyness, social anxiety or similar problems that you possess.
Boredom Immunity (500cp) You are completely immune to boredom. When engaged in a simple repetitive task, you can choose to fast-forward through it, remembering performing the task without having to experience it fully. This fast-forward ends instantly if something changes that requires your attention.
No Matter Where You Go, There You Are (400cp) Your priorities, sense of morality and beliefs only change how you desire them to. You will instantly process and deal with any trauma in the best possible way for you, making you immune to PTSD and similar issues.
Veteran (300cp) You never lose your cool, keeping your head no matter what the situation you are in. This does not mean you don't feel emotions, just that you can control them.
Try, Try Again (-100cp) You can instantly negate and reverse any injury, attack, or action that would otherwise result in failing your Chain, after which you cannot use this for ten years or until the beginning of your next jump, whichever comes first. After your chain ends, this can negate anything that would result in your death, but still only functions once per ten years.
The Road Goes Ever On And On (-200cp) Your mind is well-prepared for dealing with eternity. You can find joy and satisfaction in everyday life no matter how long you have been alive, you can adapt to new cultures with ease, and you will never find your emotions blunted by the passage of time and ennui.
Seeing The Sights, All The Sights (-400cp) When your primary focus is the experiences you acquire and the stories you could tell, forgetting them is a tragedy. You will never have to worry about that. You have a perfect memory, with instant recall, unlimited storage, tamper-proofing, perfect indexing, and protection from any form of harmful memory. This perfect memory is fully retroactive. You can choose to erase memories, leaving a knowledge that something was erased and a basic description of what that memory was, and can restore that erased memory later. Nothing can detect these erased memories or force you to restore them. Your memories can only be read by an outside force with your permission.
Harmony (-800cp) Sometimes, the things you are collecting will clash with each other or are difficult to use together. That is no longer the case. You could safely use both the Dark and Light sides of the Force, channel both divine and demonic energies, wield conflicting forms of magic or energy, mix radically different technologies or biologies, even keep your entire harem in one place, and they will all get along with each other. They will get along with you as well. None of your abilities, possessions, Companions or anything else that belongs to you in some way will be able to harm, corrupt, or alter you against your will.
Oh, The Possibilities (-800cp) You have a gift for making the most of your resources. You can find clever or inventive ways of using your abilities or possessions, and figure out how to compensate for weaknesses or downsides. You are very creative when it comes to using your assets.
What's Mine Is Mine (-900cp) You never give up what is yours. Your abilities of any kind never fade or deteriorate with time or disuse. A skill not used for decades will be as effective as if you relied on it for daily survival. This also means you are likely to age gracefully and healthily, though it does not extend your lifespan beyond what having the immune system and healing of a person in their prime would do.
Hard Work Pays Dividends (-1100cp) Being the best takes work. You have to spend the time and put in the effort to maximize your potential. Thankfully, the time and effort you require is a bit less than for most people. Any form of training or advancement works five times faster for you than it otherwise would.
Lone Survivor (-1200cp) You do not suffer any difficulty resulting from isolation or loneliness. Your social skills do not degrade, and you are guaranteed not to start having conversations with a volleyball.
Run Like Hell (-1300cp) You have a talent for running from trouble. You tend to choose the best path to lead to safety, you are a bit faster than would be expected, your endurance is extraordinary, and you are extremely sure-footed and agile.
Be Not Afraid (-1400cp) You are immune to the mind-bending or destroying effects of eldritch abominations, are never impaired or disabled by fear, and are also immune to any form of spiritual corruption.
The Quick and the Dead (-1500cp) You think fast, react fast, and move fast. Your reaction speed is peak human, and your thought processes are three times as fast as they otherwise would be.
Secondary Superpowers (-1600cp) Any power or ability that you acquire, no matter where or how you acquired it, you also receive the necessary secondary superpowers to make it function properly. You also have the ability to shut off any of your abilities, or to weaken them to any level between off and full power, at will.
Screw the Devil (-1700cp) You are completely immune to any form of possession. Outside control might still work on you, but you are the only actual occupant of your body, mind and soul, and you are going to stay that way. If you allow something else to possess you, you can resume control and kick them out at will. Nothing can stop you from doing so, if that is what you want to do.
Universal Translation (-1800cp) You can understand, speak, read, write, and think any language you have ever encountered, as long as you have the necessary anatomy. This is retroactive to any languages you might have been exposed to in the past.
Engineer (-1900cp) Once you know how to use a piece of technology, you can figure out how to fix it. This does not provide tools or materials, just the know-how.
Items: (+200cp) (-1700cp)
Bare Necessities (-1800cp) You have a job that pays enough for you to live on, assuming you live simply. You also have a home of some sort, a cheap but decent vehicle of an appropriate type, and the various basic sundries needed to live. Basically, you have a life, set up and waiting for you. The job will be something you are capable of performing, and that works with your background, and the schedule will be flexible enough that it will not interfere in your normal jump activities. For 100cp, you have a trust fund that pays in whatever the local currency is, equivalent to two hundred thousand dollars ($200,000.00) per year. Your home, vehicle, and other possessions are upgraded to be appropriate for this level of income. This money is legal, with all taxes paid and all documentation needed. No one will question where it comes from. Each time you purchase the upgrade, move the decimal point one space to the right. This item follows you to all future jumps, adapting as needed, and can be toggled off for a jump. Any other form of income you receive, including from other perks or items, can be added to the trust fund, and will also be completely legal with all taxes paid and documentation needed.
Your Best Friend (-1850cp) JumpChan knows what it is like when you lose a pet or have to leave one behind. (She calls her pets "Jumpers", by the way.) So, she has decided to let you bring yours along. Your Warehouse now has proper housing, care facilities, and supplies for any pets you have or acquire, which includes a veterinary version of the Medbay. This allows them to be brought into subsequent jumps. Pets will be kept healthy and in the prime of their lives, not aging beyond that point. If a pet dies, it will be restored to life and full health in 24 hours. To be considered a pet, they need to be non-sapient and be registered in the Veterinary Medbay. If you choose, you can have your pets from home already registered and in the housing facilities. This applies even to pets that passed on before your Jumpchain began.
Smartphone (-1950cp) You have a top-of-the-line smartphone that never needs to be recharged or maintained, will instantly repair itself, is immune to malware and hacking, and always has a signal, along with unlimited data and memory. This smartphone can never be tracked, except by its own GPS app and its signal is completely undetectable. For the duration of this jump, it will assume a camouflage appropriate for the level. For additional 50 CP it will always upgrade to match the best equivalent device in each new jump, and will automatically upgrade to have all the abilities of any similar device that you purchase with CP.
Laptop (-2100cp) You have an absolutely top-of-the-line laptop. It never needs to be recharged or maintained, will instantly repair itself, and can always connect to Jump-Chan's Wi-Fi network, along with possessing unlimited memory. It also has perfect antivirus/malware protections and cannot be hacked. For the duration of this jump, it will assume a camouflage appropriate for the level. For additional 50 CP it will always upgrade to match the best equivalent device in each new jump, and will automatically upgrade to have all the abilities of any similar device that you purchase with CP.
Security Pass (-2200cp) This name badge will alter itself to be the appropriate credentials to bypass any security. It does not create any background records or add your name to exclusive lists, just provides a perfect fake credential. How else are you going to get to meet your favorite characters?
Jumper Total Fitness (-2200cp) You have access to special workout facilities. These facilities, besides being an absolutely amazing gym, will adjust to provide a good, safe workout for you, no matter how great your physical abilities become. It also includes facilities for safely and effectively training any special abilities you might possess, no matter how powerful or dangerous those abilities are. This attaches to your Warehouse after this Jump.
Drawbacks:
Randomized (-2100cp) Your level choice is out of your hands. Roll a d10. Check the list to see which level that number corresponds to. That's your first level. Survived it? Good. Keep rolling and completing levels until all 10 are completed. You re-roll if you roll a level you have already faced.
Power Loss (-1900cp) How can you have a Power Loss Drawback in a Jump is required to be your first? Simple, for the duration of this Jump, any Level perks you have purchased are now only available in that Level.
Amnesia (-1800cp) Until the end of this Jump, you can not remember the events of any Levels except the one you are in.
That One Drawback No One Ever Takes More Than Once (-1500cp) You are being chased by an enemy that is as skilled and powerful as you are. In fact, this enemy will follow you through all ten Levels of this Jump, taking on an appropriate role in each setting to allow them to pursue whatever grudge they have with you. If you manage to kill this enemy, he will respawn when you begin your next Level. If you survive this, you get an indestructible t-shirt that will adjust to fit any of your forms, with a legend on the front reading "I Survived A Scaling Enemy Drawback And All I Got Was 300cp And This Lousy T-Shirt".
Accident Prone (-1400cp) You are prone to minor accidents that tend to be inconvenient, painful, or embarrassing, but will not likely kill you. Expect bad luck to adversely affect any plans you might make.
Odd Jobs (-1300cp) You'll constantly be gaining and losing your job, having to learn a new minimum wage task every few weeks. Sometimes you'll be qualified, others much less so. Still, you've got to try your hardest.
Resource Shortage (-1200cp) Food, water, and other staples are scarce. You will find it more difficult to acquire enough resources to live.
Disability (-1100cp) You have a limp, or a missing eye, or a crippled arm or some other physical disability that hampers your efforts to stay alive.
Horrific Weather (-1000cp) For the duration of your stay in this Level, you will be plagued with bad weather. It will be drought when you need rain, rain when you need clear skies, and alternate between blistering heat and freezing cold.
Scripted Encounters (-900cp) You'll run into whatever threat you're dealing with more often. You will not automatically become a priority target, but sheer proximity is likely to put you at risk.
Born to be a Victim (-800cp) Your common sense is going to be slightly impaired for the duration of this Level. You are going to check out the abandoned house, split the party, or get drunk and decide to skinny dip in the lake. You are not blatantly suicidal, but you are going to take risks and you are definitely not going to be genre-savvy.
I Have Truly Found Paradise (-700cp) Your chain of command is… sub-optimal. Expect vague orders that are of little help in letting you or your unit know what you're supposed to be doing but still stick you with the blame if anything goes wrong, reinforcements or resupply to be inconveniently scheduled or diverted at the last minute, a stupid emphasis on spit-and-polish at the expense of combat readiness, or whatever else would be inconvenient. This will never be to an outright suicidal extent but it will be damned annoying. Whether you're on the front line or in the rear with the gear, during wartime or peacetime, one way or another you're going to need to game the system and make things happen despite the best that "channels" can do to fuck things up, or your military service will not be the thing that recruiting videos are made out of.
The Meat Grinder (-600cp) Welcome to the tip of the spear. This Drawback guarantees that your year in this jump will be spent not only in wartime but in frequent, grueling combat. Whether it's because your unit is a penal battalion/slave-soldier dumping ground whose job is to catch bullets that would otherwise hit soldiers who are actually worth something or because your unit is the elite division that the high command entrusts with all the most important missions, either way it ends up mostly in the same place; with all war and no play turning Anon into an unhappy grunt. Your R&R opportunities will be few and far between, your chances to sleep in a proper bunk instead of a tent or a foxhole likewise. Embrace the suck, soldier.
Bad Comic Relief (-500cp) You have a friend, or comrade, or student, or whatever other reason you might have a person following you around. The thing is that no matter how much you might like this person, they are really more trouble than they are worth. They say or do the wrong thing almost constantly, need rescuing on a regular basis, and seem to be a lot more likely to get you killed than any of your actual enemies are. Unfortunately, there is just no getting rid of this person.
Retired, Extremely Dangerous (-400cp) You have skill, talent, and experience. A little too much experience. The fact is that you are just plain too old for this shit. Your body is wearing down, you don't react as fast as you used to, and the general complaints of old age make "adventures" seem more like torture.
Nemesis (-300cp) There is this one enemy that you can never seem to get rid of. No matter what, this enemy, who is dangerous enough in some way to at least require effort to beat, will always survive or escape anything you do to stop him. You will be dealing with him repeatedly.
PR Nightmare (-200cp) Public relations never seems to go the way you want it to. You always screw things up, often presenting the exact opposite of the image you wanted.
Masquerade (-100cp) The public is not ready to discover the existence of the supernatural, and part of your job is ensuring that they don't. This could be limited to making sure you don't reveal anything to the public, or it could extend to having to put down other people attempting to reveal the supernatural world.
Bandits (0cp) No matter where you are going, you will be accosted by bandits, muggers, bullies, or someone else that wants to beat you down and take your stuff at least once a week. They may not be powerful, but they will be persistent, and probably ugly.
Siege At Jumper Fortress (100cp) At some point in your time in this Level, you will be forced to participate in the kind of large set battle that fantasy blockbuster movies love. It will be bloody and dangerous, and you will be there.
Archmage's Interest (200cp) A very powerful, well-connected and influential being of some sort has taken an interest in you. They don't hate you, but they are not necessarily on your side either. They mostly are just finding amusement in your antics, and they want to keep things interesting for as long as possible.
Three Sea Shells (300cp) The future is full of amazing new technology designed to improve every aspect of life. The problem is that you have no clue how to use most of it, cannot figure it out for yourself, and for some reason have difficulty getting anyone to teach you how to use it. This is a quality of life issue that applies mostly to everyday convenience technology. If your life depends on it, you have as good a chance to figure it out as you normally would.
Total Remaining Balance: 300cp
LINE BREAK
Taking the first three perks was common sense. All of them were free and while he wouldn't get to keep Basic Requirements it would only be a trial in frustration to try going into the different genres without the necessary abilities. The good thing was that he could retain mundane skills that he learned, practiced, or used in the settings.
Body of a Jumper and Mind of a Jumper didn't really give him a bonus to either aspect, but they served to rid him of anything detrimental. Body put him in good shape and prevented decay of physical fitness, and Mind made him aware of any mental problems and rid him of them. Unfortunately Mind wasn't a defensive perk, as time passed he could still pick up mental disorders and such if he wasn't careful.
On top of that he took Sexy and I Know It, because honestly who wouldn't. Before all of this craziness Calvin wasn't bothered by appearance very much, not putting too much effort into looking good. With this he wouldn't even need to try, he would always be a perfect ten. Even dirty and bloody he would look spectacular.
Of course he used the opportunity to change a couple things that had always bothered him. His legs that were just a little gangly, his hands being slightly smaller than seemed right for his body, and the way his face seemed like it was put on his face just a little crooked. There wasn't a need to bother with his height, at 5' 10" he could be both tall and imposing, or small and non-threatening based on how he held himself.
The most noticeable changes were to his hair and eyes. While brown hair and eyes looked really good on some people, Calvin was not one of them. On him they looked plain and watery, like the artist ran out of color when filling them in. Instead he opted for stormy gray eyes, and dark black hair. These were the features he usually used in games, like his height they could be scary or friendly depending on the situation.
Moving on to the general section of perks there were so many good choices that Calvin decided to take all but two of them. Non-Human Race might be helpful but for now he was happy to stay human, and Life Skills wasn't worth spending points on things he could learn later.
This gave him: Common Sense, to keep his head on straight; Good Fortune, for a luck boost and protection from Chain ending bad luck; Self-Motivation, something Calvin always had trouble with; General Knowledge, to give him local information about each Jump he goes to (only expanding as he learns more); Friendly Sort, making social situations much easier; Boredom Immunity, let him montage through boring tasks; No Matter Where You Go, There You Are, prevented PTSD and other mental trauma; Veteran, for better control of his emotions; and Try, Try Again, for a once-in-ten-years protection from a Chain ending event.
All things considered Calvin would likely have been happy with a Jump that just gave him those things, but that was only the beginning. The combination of those perks as his Body Mod would be infinitely useful if he ended up in a Gauntlet Jump later on.
Next were the Origin specific perks. The Origins in this Jump were all free, so Calvin had peeked at the discounts they offered to make his decision. In the end it was best to go with Power Gamer as it was the only one he wanted all of the perks for, iit also just felt right.
From the Tourist Origin he picked up The Road Goes Ever On and On and Seeing the Sights, All the Sights. The first would keep him from being worn down by the passage of time, Jump Chains could last centuries and Calvin wanted to be as close to the same man at the end as possible. The second perk also helped in that, but had its own massive bonuses. It would give him unlimited storage and recall for his memories, even making it so they couldn't be messed with unless he allowed it.
The Collector Origin gave him only one perk: Harmony. Harmony would make sure that all of Calvin's abilities, tools, Companions, and such would work together without conflict. It probably wouldn't necessarily make them happy to work together, but they would. As a bonus this prevented any of those from harming or corrupting him, which would allow him to make use of more dangerous abilities and items without fear.
Calvin skipped over the Creator Origin. He wasn't a terribly creative person, though that may change somewhere further along the Chain. For now the perks available in this Origin didn't appeal to him. This put him on to his chosen Origin, where he took all three perks.
Oh, the Possibilities would let him get the best out of his resources, allowing him to creatively make use of things in the best way possible. What's Mine is Mine kept his skills sharp indefinitely, so if stopped using something for a few Jumps he would lose none of his talent with it. That was a seriously valuable perk, the sheer amount of skills he could get would lead to loss somewhere along the line.
The last perk for Power Gamer was Hard Work Pays Dividends. This one was a multiplier for all of his training, allowing him to make progress five times faster than would be considered normal. With those perks he would be able to rack up a lot of different options to deal with a problem and never have to worry about losing them.
Calvin moved on to the next group of perks, which were perks generated by the different types of settings he would be going to. Slice of Life's perks weren't very powerful so he gave them a pass. From Survival he took Lone Survivor, which would keep him from going crazy during periods of isolation.
The Horror setting gave him Run Like Hell and Be Not Afraid. Run gave him a boost to his endurance and agility, letting him run further and better than he would be able to otherwise. The other perk, Be Not Afraid, was even better. It would protect his mind from the effects of beings like eldritch abominations. A slightly more common feature would prevent him from being crippled or corrupted by fear.
Like Slice of Life, the Military setting only offered perks that he could get the hard way through effort. Merely skills packages, not worth spending points on. Modern Adventure netted him The Quick and the Dead, which boosted his reaction times and thought processes by a factor of three.
Superhero's Secondary Superpowers would make sure that whenever he got powers or abilities he would also get any secondary powers to make sure it worked right. It also gave him the ability to adjust any of his abilities or powers to any level between 'Off' and 'Full Power', giving him more control of them.
From Modern Occult came Screw the Devil, a fairly basic but powerful anti-possession perk. He could still be controlled by outside forces, but he would never be possessed unless he allowed it. Calvin was tempted to take Cantrips from the Fantasy setting, but decided against it as he had already spent far more than his budget. Likewise there wasn't anything in Alt-History that caught his eye.
The last setting, Sci-Fi, gave him Universal Translation and Engineer. With these any language he encountered he would be able to read, write, speak, and understand. Something that would be invaluable in Jumps with several languages, especially esoteric or lost languages. He would also have the knowledge of how to fix any piece of technology that he knew how to use. That ability should make it much easier to dismantle and reverse engineer things from higher tech settings.
Finally Calvin was done picking his perks and moved to the items. He gained a 200cp stipend to spend in this section and planned to make good use of it. First he took the second level of Basic Necessities, which gave him a trust fund valued at the local equivalent of $200,000 a year with all taxes and documentation taken care of along with a house and car to match. The best part was it was persistent in other jumps, giving him a source of income anywhere he went.
Calvin was more than happy to take Your Best Friend, wasting no time in registering his cat Falkor. The all white feline had been with him through thick and thin, it would be nice to have him along.
Next he grabbed both the Smartphone and Laptop, taking the option for both that would upgrade them to the best available for each Jump. The fiat backing that would prevent them from being hacked was icing on the cake. When working together with his Fortress he would never have problems with getting a connection.
The Security Pass was too good to pass up, it would give him fake credentials for anywhere he tried to go. They weren't real, just good forgeries, but sometimes that's all you needed. Last he took the Jumper Total Fitness that came free for Power Gamer. An infinitely updating workout facility to train any and all powers that attached directly to his warehouse, yes please.
Unfortunately all of his purchases put Calvin over two thousand points in debt, but now it was time to pick his drawbacks. With a sigh he worked his way down the list taking everything he thought he could stomach.
When all was said and done Calvin had 300cp left over to put in the bank. So when he started the next jump it would double to 600, giving him 1600 to start with. It wasn't a huge amount to bank, but considering he got over three thousand points worth of stuff out of this Jump he was happy with that.
After double checking his selections, Calvin nodded to himself and pressed the 'Start Jump' button.
Initializing Jump…
Randomizing Setting Order…
Loading Military…
Generic Setting Selected…
Good Luck!
Before he could think to do anything the floor dropped out from under him and he fell into darkness, ready for his new adventure.