I was floating again in the black void. The black void was not so empty now though. Surrounding me were countless lights, calling me out, calling for my aid. First, my many update windows.
Two traps set, two succeeded. 1 * 3 for irony for Amanda's trap, and 1 * 6 for Jigsaw's trap.
Ah, Jigsaw. His trap had been a doozy. A true dilemma.
200 perk points awarded for achieving two goals! Reduced by 75% for dying twice unnecessarily. Stay living.
That was unfair. "The goal in the tape was to survive. I did survive against all the traps within, and all the dangers within, but was murdered externally by Jigsaw and Amanda. Your judgement is unfair, almighty dungeon master. Also, Gordon was fine, my deaths shouldn't count against that goal."
There was a long pause of consideration from the black void around me, and a new pop up appeared.
Argument accepted. 150 perk points awarded. You attacked Jigsaw in the second loop, and pay a penalty for that. Go for the king, you better make sure he swings.
I will make sure Jigsaw swings next time I go for him. I wasn't sure if I could kill him. Maybe if I got a powerful gun skill and a lot of firepower.I had seen that stat debuffs could make even the mighty vulnerable, but he seemed tough.
15 levels of observation awarded for use of the observation skill! No levels of stealth awarded, because you never used stealth.
Harsh, but true. The system was harsh and cruel, but seemed to be fair, at least.
I went to open my stat screen, and found a surprise.
Name: ?
Job: Gamer
Level: 1
Level: 1 (0/100)
Title. Pipeslayer
HP: ?
Stamina: ?
Strength: +2
Constitution: +2
Dexterity: +2
Intelligence: +3
Wisdom: +4
Luck: 0
One point available.
Skills
First aid level 1 0/100 exp
Scavenge, level 12, 39/100 exp
Observation, level 15, 0/100 exp
Baseball, level 3, 10/100 exp
Crafting level 1 0/100 exp
Where to allocate that point. And I was no longer Adam. I was back in my own beautiful body. I kissed my hands and feet happily, returned to the best body.
I checked my perk screen.
271 perk points available.
All perks below are at apprentice level. The grades are apprentice, advanced apprentice, journeyman, master, grandmaster. All perks of a higher grade automatically nullify any lower grade perks, or untrained skill uses.
Crafting perks
Shoddy Craftsman. You can make simple tools out of common household objects, with a single common property. 25 points.
Trap novice. You can make simple traps out of common household objects, with a single common property. 25 points.
Scavenging perks
Gacha. The will to seek and find, even in a sparse place. You find one extra common item a day to use for whatever purposes you wish. Constant between deaths. Every week you can find one uncommon item, and greater items await if you can survive longer. The timer starts as soon as you enter a world. 3 points.
Packrat. You are skilled at holding objects, and can always find a way to balance or hold items, if your strength and materials permit it. Once a day you can draw out a common storage object. 3 points.
Observation perks
Dungeon eye. You can competently see traps, tricks, and hidden areas, and could earn a living as an adventurer. 25 perk points.
Outside the box. Gain one common hint to any trap you are trapped in, revealing a course of action or a solution to some aspect of it. Can be used once a day, and will will not vary between deaths. 3 points.
Picture perfect. You can observe any object or sound or sense under a minute long, and perfectly commit it to memory. No more need to rely on tape recorders! 3 points.
Death's Calling. Gain an unnatural chill whenever a deathly intent is near. Works once an hour. Grants +2 wisdom for the sake of detecting deathly intent. 3 points.
First aid perks
Medical scrub. You have a basic understanding of the human body, and automatically succeed at treating any common conditions. You can get a job as a nurse. 25 points.
Poison maniac. You're resistant to common poisons, and once a day can find a common poison on your person. 3 points.
Baseball perks.
Local expert. You're pretty good at baseball. You can dominate the local field, and earn a modest salary as a sports teacher. 25 points.
Power attack. The will to destroy. Focus your will and hate and unleash it against a target in range. Does double damage at the cost of 2 stamina, and causes a critical hit if focused on a weak point. 3 perk points.
?
?/ Number one/ two minion. When you follow through on orders you gain a +2 stat bonus. In addition, once a day you can gain 1 or more rep from succeeding exceptionally on supporting your leader in a task. 3 points.
Constitution perks.
Fast food skin. Your excessive consumption of fast food has left you obese, with +2 constitution per level and greasy skin that is hard to grab onto. 3 points.
Desperate struggle. Your will to fight, to live, to stay alive in the face of terrible injuries. Regain 10 HP and remove 10% of a stat debuff. Can cause long term damage, and is only useable once per month, requiring substantial rest to heal. 6 points.
Supernatural perks.
Air mastery. 50 perk points. Gain a basic mastery of air. You can summon enough air for a breath for one stamina, and manipulate it in minor ways for one stamina a second.
Earth mastery. 50 perk points. Gain a basic mastery of earth. You can manipulate in minor ways as much unworked earth as you could hold in a hand for one stamina a second.
Final death. 2 perk points.
Fire mastery. 50 perk points. Gain a basic mastery of fire. You can summon enough fire as a candle for one stamina, and manipulate it in minor ways for one stamina a second.
Gamer's body. 100 perk points. Gain a basic form of the gamer's body. All healing is 100% faster, and you have a reduced need for food and water. All physical stat debuffs are reduced by 10%
Gamer's mind. 100 perk points. Gain a basic form of the gamer's mind. All mental healing is 100% faster, and you have a reduced need for sleep. All mental stat debuffs are reduced by 10%.
Inventory. 100 perk points. A basic form of an inventory, with 8 slots. Works between deaths and worlds.
Lockpicking. 3 points. You can once a day find a common lockpick and use it skillfully enough to defeat common locks.
Magic user. 100 perk points. You gain access to the ability to use spells, rituals, and potions. Need magical components to perform.
Ninja body. 100 perk points. You gain access to the ability to enhance your body with chi. Use 10 stamina a second to enhance your physical stats by 50%.
Super strength. 50 points. You can produce temporary feats of super strength, beyond that of normal humans. Once an hour, at the cost of 10 health, gain +20 strength for one action.
Water mastery. 50 perk points. Gain a basic mastery of earth. You can manipulate in minor ways as much water as you could hold in your mouth for one stamina a second.
It looks like perks were not so permanent. I could swap them in.
I checked out my world choices. I had a lot of options. I got a sense I would be returning to Saw 2 when it said.
Pick a world, before you return to Saw 2!
In the meantime, each of the distant golden or shining points called to me.
Alien Isolation, Halloween, Friday the 13th. Child's Play, Texas Chainsaw Massacre, Final Destination, Dead Space, Until Dawn, Halo, Outlast, Resident Evil, Little Nightmares, Michigan, Until Dawn, Deadly premonitions, Don't Escape, Half Life, Nightmare on Elm Street, IT, Scream.
But first, I sat down for a think.
I was a lot smarter now. 8 was the base int I had in Saw 1, and I am pretty sure I was above that. I don't know if they tracked to IQ tests. But I wasn't 80 IQ, and I had remembered more about the Saw films before I had been dropped in. I had to remember that. I should plan out a course of action for a world before I got there. I might be dropped into a meat sack with less processing power.
I was notably smarter than I had been before I had come to this world. +2 int and +4 wisdom might not sound like a lot, but everything was a lot clearer. I needed to plan for the other Saw films, if they arrived, and any of these worlds.
There was also the luck issue. I had been 1 luck when I was there. I was pretty sure that's why I had to be on the sidelines. I was fighting against destiny trying to do it on my own skills. Should I spend my stat point augmenting luck? Or try and improve my general skill set?
Regardless, I needed to get stronger. Much stronger. Saw 2 onwards was where it got to be torture porn and where Amanda started being herself more and I needed to be ready.
Soon he shall advance forward to his vacation home. Do post any build ideas or suggested worlds, and we can see where he goes. Horror films are ideal.
Dragonbornthesam. Thanks for the suggestions. The last two are comedies though, aren't they? He's not that lucky. I need to get him injured more so he can get fancy perks like that. Saw 2 should be great for that.
Tetsujinvinalay. Maybe. It was a fun game, and it would be a pretty good low level grind for him.
DG2. We do all want to live a life under the sea.
Dr. Cookie Deleter. Yeah, he could get a lot of rewards from Deadspace, but it's a really horrible place to be with no plot armor. And so, perfect for him.
Sansas22. It is added, and a fun potential place to go. With his luck, let's see what his final destination is.
Thanks Gatling 2745. Your perks and worlds are a large percentage of my total number.
Zackman2k12. Thank you, and thanks for reading.
The Realization. Yes. A mixture of horror, adventure, and a deep and penetrating connection between Kramer and Amanda.
Pinkpuffy69. I am not sure where he will end up. He may end up in the real world, in horror land, eternally dead, in zombieland. Many options.
In terms of weight of public opinion, I am going to make the final decision of course, but reviews are weighed heavily in my decision as to where he goes. Little Nightmares, Resident Evil, Halo, Friday the 13th, and Don't Escape are popular options.