Disclaimer: I don't own RWBY, D&D, Overwatch or any other references mentioned in this fanfic.
A/N: This chapter is to help the reader understand more of what Jesse is capable. Hopefully you can understand my butchered explanation. I apologize to any D&D players that reads this, since I glossed over many aspects of the game and setting to make it more manageable for people new to D&D.
Anyways, this chapter will set the stage, but the next will hopefully be more action packed.
Enough. Enjoy.
Chapter 2
With a shiver, Jesse opened his eyes and noticed that he was still alive and not eaten in his sleep like he had feared.
Groggily he rubbed the last of his sleep from his eyes, noticing that the campfire had gone out sometime during the night though the glowing stones he had placed around his camp grounds were still working.
The sky in the distance showed that the sun was starting to peak out of the horizon, but the position of the cliff ensured that he would continue to be shaded until noon.
It took a couple seconds to dust the cobwebs from his mind but a glance at the journal was enough to remind him of the to-do list he had made before going to sleep the night before.
"Right. Spells, Infusions, and then breakfast," he listed with a yawn.
"Let's see, I was able to make three of those glowing rocks last night so that puts my Intelligence modifier at +3. Artificers can prepare a number of spells equal to their intelligence modifier + half their Artificer level (rounded down), so if my American education hasn't failed me, I can prepare up to four spells."
Opening up the journal he flipped toward the section with spells and began to memorize the first arcane formula.
The actual formula was fairly simple in design, reminding him of calculus except the numbers were replaced with strange symbols… so exactly like calculus he supposed.
It only took a minute to commit the strange formula to his memory but once he was done, he found that it was almost impossible to forget it almost as if it had anchored itself into his mind.
So, what spell had he chosen exactly?
Only the most used and vital spell that any good adventuring party should have.
[Cure Wounds]
Itwas the most basic healing spell in the game, capable of magically healing low to moderate injuries. While it wouldn't restore a decapitation head or his severed arm, it could easily fix a broken bone or serious burns so long as they were still fresh.
Normally in-game, all injuries were healed after a long rest, but seeing as this was real life, Jesse wasn't exactly willing to test that out. Just having the option made him feel safer about his chances of survival.
The rest of the spells were also prepared fairly quickly.
Alarm (Ritual)
As its name indicated it was used to ward a window, door, or space against intruders. It lasts for 8 hours, covers a 20-foot-cube area, and can mentally alerts the caster whenever a tiny or large creature enters the area so long as they are within 1 mile.
Expeditious Retreat
This handy spell allowed the caster to move at incredible speed for up to 10 minutes, almost doubling their running speed so long as they maintained concentration on the spell.
Purify Food and Drink (Ritual)
All nonmagical food and drink within a 5-foot-radius sphere within range (10ft) is purified and rendered free of poison and disease.
While Expeditious Retreat and Cure Wounds would certainly help increase his chances during combat, the other two would insure his survival out of it.
Alarm and Purify Food and Drink were both ritual spells, meaning that like all ritual spells he could take an extra 10 minutes to cast either one without wasting one of his precious spell slots.
"I feel like I'm forgetting something," Jesse contemplated, feeling something nudging at the back of his mind but couldn't think of what, "Well I'm sure it's not that important."
With his spells prepared he moved on to his Infusions.
If the book was to be believed he could apply a magical circuit to an ordinary object to mimic the functions of a magical item. The only requirement was that it had to be similar to magic item he wanted to replicate. These infused items could even be used to cast his Artificer spells without the use of tools.
The magical circuits he could create were Bag of Holding, Prosthetic Limb, Repeating Shot, and Spell Tattoo.
Bag of Holding was probably one of the most iconic magic items that had come out of Dungeons and Dragons. It allowed one to carry a large amount of equipment in a relatively small bag without it weigh them down.
Prosthetic Limb, was a magical prosthetic that replaced a lost limb like a hand, an arm, a foot, a leg, or a similar body part. It functioned as identical to the part it replaced and couldn't be removed without your consent. Though it did detach if you died.
Repeating Shot, transformed a normal weapon that used ammunition, like a bow or a crossbow, into a magic weapon with better aim and damage to its attacks. It would also produce its own ammunition should you ever fire the weapon without reloading first. The ammo created by the weapon would then vanish the instant after it either hit or missed a target, ensuring it couldn't be used against you.
Spell Tattoo were similar to spell scrolls in that they allowed one to cast a spell from it without needing to use a spell slot. Unlike spell scrolls however you didn't need to be a spellcaster to use one; completely normal civilian could use them too.
As much as Jesse desired to have the use of both hands again, he was missing a crucial piece, namely the artificial arm which he could apply the arcane circuit to.
Without a second hand, Repeating Shot was also out, seeing as the only weapon he currently had that used ammunition was a light crossbow that required two hands to properly aim and shoot.
Luckily, he had the necessary ingredients for the Bag of Holding and the Spell Tattoo.
Grabbing his backpack, he made sure to empty its contents out first before placing it on the ground. Focusing on the arcane circuit he wanted to use, he laid a hand on the bag and felt something from his body attach itself to it. The surface of the bag was briefly covered by a blue circuit board pattern before returning to normal.
"Oof, okay I definitely felt that," the Texan commented, feeling the connection between himself and the bag finish forming.
Opening the top of the backpack, he was surprised to find the inside completely obscured by shadows. Sticking his arm inside, he was both surprised and unsurprised to find that he couldn't touch the bottom of the bag. The inside of the bag had an interior volume of 64 cubic feet and a maximum weight limit of 500 pounds. The bag itself however would constantly weigh 15 pounds even if completely empty.
"Bigger on the inside indeed," Jesse spoke in slight admiration, before remembering that he wasn't finished just yet.
On to the spell tattoo.
For this he needed a needle. Unfortunately, he currently didn't have any sewing needles, but he did have the next best thing. Pitons. Pitons were the metal spikes that some used in rock climbing to anchor themselves to a surface incase they slipped and feel.
Now he wasn't complete sure if it would work due to its size, but hopeful its overall shape would be enough to pass as a needle… maybe. Afterall, Giants must use similar sized needles. Right?
The instructions said that you needed to think of the spell you wanted the needle to have when creating it. While there were more powerful versions of this item, he could only create the lowest level using this method, meaning that the needle could only hold either a cantrip or a 1st level spell. To activate it you needed to hold it against your skin and speak a command word, where it would then dissolve into ink that would become the tattoo. You could use it to cast the spell at any time, but once it was used it would disappear from your skin.
"Please let this work," Jesse prayed not knowing what he would do if it didn't.
There was a brief moment were nothing happened before he felt the connection form.
"Oh, thank God!" he let out a sigh of relief.
Placing the tip of the piton against the skin of his chest and called out the keyword, "Taboo." Immediately the piton dissolved into black ink that seeped into his skin with the image of a glass of water appeared soon after.
He wasted no time in taking out his empty waterskin and the iron pot from his supplies.
Aiming his hand at the two items he called out the name of the spell.
"Create or Destroy Water!"
His tattoo glowed briefly before fresh water filled the waterskin and iron pot to the very brim.
It was a simple 1st level spell that allowed him to create 10 gallons of water in an open container or as rain in a 30-foot cube.
With his source of water secured, all he needed know was food.
Speaking of which, it was about time he had breakfast.
-Skip-
Polishing the last of the hardtack, he washed it down with a large gulp of water.
He briefly lamented the fact that he couldn't use the spell tattoo to cast Goodberry, another 1st level spell that magically created ten berries that when eaten provided enough nutrition for a day. The only reason why he hadn't was because he didn't know if hydration counted as nutrition and he wasn't willing to risk it.
Now that he was mildly fed and rested it was time to get a move on.
His goal for the day, besides surviving, was to get a better sense of his surroundings. To do that he need a high vantage point. The top of the cliff behind him would do, but he would have to walk around the base until he found a natural incline since he doubted, he could climb the nearly vertical cliff face even if he did have both arms.
It was with great reluctance that he changed out of his silk Strixhaven uniform and back into his recently restored armor because no amount of comfort could beat out protection.
As he was putting away the rest of his equipment in his bag of holding, he noticed somethings that he had almost forgotten about.
Jesse d'Cannith, no matter which campaign or what setting he appeared in was easily identified by two items he always carried on his person, his artificer's All-Purpose-Tool and the Star of Creation, a magic necklace that was rumored to contained House Cannith's entire collection of crafting knowledge, including the secret to building their most prized invention, the Creation Forge, a powerful machine that they used to make their army of constructed soldiers.
Holding the circular pendent in his hand, Jesse was tempted to throw it away. Should anyone learn of its existence, he was sure he would be up to his neck in bounty hunters and assassins all wanting to get their hands on it. Nations would gladly go to war over it and House Cannith would do everything in their power to destroy anything that could threaten their power.
But as much as he wanted to, that would mean giving up one of the best and only advantages he currently had. It might even contain clues on how to get back to his original world.
Reluctantly he put on the necklace and tucked it under his armor.
The All-Purpose-Tool was the fancy looking screwdriver from last night. While still not as powerful as the Star of Creation it was still pretty impressive, as it could transform into any tool he wanted and grant him instant proficiency with said tool. It also allowed him to cast any one cantrip of his choice that he didn't know for up to eight hours every day.
To use it however, he first needed to spend an hour building a spiritual bond with it, in a process called attunement. The only other requirement to attune to it was that the wielder had to be an Artificer, something that Jesse had already proven to be.
"Eh, I can do that while moving," he said as he tucked the screwdriver into his belt.
The only things he didn't pack after that was a dagger that he strapped to his thigh and a crowbar that would serve as his sole weapon.
"Alright, lets see if we can get out of this blasted desert first!"
-Skip-
Four hours of walking around the base of the large mountainous structure and Jesse was finally able to locate a path that looked to lead to the top.
"Judging by the number of plants growing around the area there must be some type of underground aquifer," Jesse guessed as he took a look at the few small trees dotting the surroundings, just barely providing enough shade to shield oneself from the suns harsh rays.
There were even signs that it had rained recently with patches of cracked dirt and sprouting wildflowers littering the area.
And for the first time since waking up in this place he was finally able to see signs of life. Insects could be seen pollinating flower in full bloom, birds would briefly leave the safety of their nests before returning almost as swiftly, the sound of rattling-
Jesse's eyes widened in shock as he followed the source of the rattling sound to its location.
"What in the world."
A few dozen feet away from him was a rattlesnake being attacked by a giant crab. It was a bizarre sight, made only stranger when you took into account the size of crab, about 2 feet in height and 3 feet across with a set of massive pincers that looked strong enough to rip a car door. It shared a similar appearance to that of a king crab only bigger and with more spiks going along its shell.
"I mean damn, I knew this place would be weird, what with how D&D animals could get, but come on," the dimensional travel begrudged at his first encounter with what he thought might be Eberron's wildlife.
As the giant crab advanced the snake lunged against its armored foe not knowing any better. The giant crab however surprised Jesse as despite its large size it proved to be extremely agile, catching the snake in between its pincers and then proceeding to behead it in a single motion.
Seeing what a threat it could be, the Texan wasted no time in attacking the large crustacean before it had the chance to notice him.
"Chill touch!" he shouted making a grabbing motion in the crab's direction.
The air distorted above the crab and a ghostly skeletal hand appeared.
The crab was just about to stuff the snake in its mouth before the hand landed on top of its shell and it froze in place.
For a second Jesse was worried that it might not have been enough but just then, the crab flopped to the ground, like a puppet that had its strings cut. The hand continued to linger for a few more seconds before finally disappearing.
Walking over, Jesse inspects the large animal, noticing that there seemed to be no visible damage to the shell.
That more than anything reinforced his earlier concerns of how dangerous this world really was. Cantrips were supposed to be the lowest of the low. Spells that anyone could pick up with just a bit of practice. If this was the amount of power you could expect from a fledging then he shivered at the thought of going against an actual trained spellcaster.
"On the bright side, I won't have to worry about food for a while," he noted once more impressed by its size. From looks alone it looked to weigh anywhere between 60 to 80 pounds.
His attention however was focused on the rattlesnake's body still in its claw that even now continued to wiggle and writhe.
Looking around he spotted the decapitated head that stared back at him as if ready to strike him with its needle like fangs. Needle being the key word.
"If the piton worked, I don't see why bone 'needles' shouldn't either," Jesse hypothesized.
First, he would need to dismantle the crab while it was still fresh since sea food tended to spoil quickly.
Taking out his All-Purpose-Tool, he focused on the newly established bond, and pictured what he wanted.
The screwdriver jumped in his hand before rapidly transforming into a large, flat, rectangular, wooden box that opened up to reveal a set of kitchen knives including those required to take apart shellfish.
The sharp instruments seemed to call to him, begging for his touch, like a liter of excited puppies all seeking his attention. Brushing his fingers against the biggest cleaver Jesse had to hold back a gasp.
Culinary knowledge suddenly flooded his brain, as he received a hundred different ways of preparing and cooking crab.
"Wow," the cowboy let out.
What followed was a strange experience as Jesse expertly began to take apart the giant crab. Even the missing arm didn't seem to slow him down, as if the tools themselves were guiding his body rather than the other way around. Or in the immortal words of Gordon Ramsey, "Letting the knife do the work."
After he was done, he placed the usable crab meat on top of the wooden cutting board, along with the snake head and body, and prepared to cast the 1st level spell Purify Food and Drink to get rid of any lingering poisons and disease they might be carrying.
To cast a ritual spell all you needed was to extend the casting time by 10 extra minutes, and you wouldn't need to waste a spell slot. The journal had mentioned how a long chant wasn't strictly necessary, but it did help focus the mind and reinforce the intentions behind your words.
"Ahem. Holy father that is in the sky, please bless this food and the hands that prepared it. It is in your infinite mercy that we may partake in your bounty-"
Roughly ten minutes later Jesse finished saying grace ending with one last amen. The crab meat and snake body in front of him briefly flashed with a golden light before returning to normal, showing that the spell had worked.
"It's still a little early for lunch, I can probably make it to the top and back before noon hits."
Stuffing the purified meat in his backpack he continued his trek up to top of cliff.
-Skip-
As predicated, he was now able to make it to the top with mild ease.
From this vantage point he was able to make out the landscape much better. The land seemed to be split into two ecosystems: sandy desert and dry grassland. No sign of civilization as far as he could tell. He didn't know if that was a blessing or not, seeing that most D&D worlds had an abundance of bandits and murderous monster tribes.
"Hmm, what this?" he asked spotting something imbedded into a large stone archway neary the edge of the cliff that overlooked the sandy desert below.
Walking over, he noticed that it was a cluster of dark orange crystals.
Looking around more carefully he saw a number of these crystal growing out of the stone surface, eerily reminiscent of barnacles growing on the underside of a ship.
Grabbing his APT, he wished for something to help him see better, and watched as it transformed into a jeweler's eye piece.
Once again, his mind was flood with new information, particularly pertaining on the method to identifying and working with different types of gems. As well as to how certain gems and stone could be used to channel magical energies through their unique crystalline structures as one would a magnifying glass.
Shaking such thought away, he placed the loupe next to his eye and began to inspect the strange crystal.
The information that he received from his borrowed knowledge was certainly interesting to say the least.
For starters, this crystal wasn't even a crystal in the traditional sense. Rather it was magic energy that had been crystalized. Second despite its crystal structure, it was incredible brittle and incredible volatile where one good whack would be enough to release its pent-up energy. The last tidbit he got was that it had an absurdly strong affinity for earth and transmutation magic.
'Hmmm, could this really be Eberron then? Eberron had something similar called Dragonshard, though I've never heard of orange shards before.'
Perhaps a bit of background was required.
The creation myth of Eberron in true D&D fashion started with dragons. To be exact the Progenitor Dragons: Siberys, Eberron, and Khyber.
To quote the book:
In the dawn of time, these three cosmic beings created thirteen planes of existence, each embodying a concept. Their final work was the Material Plane, where all ideas would become manifest: a realm that could know war and peace, life and death, order and chaos. But cruel Khyber sought ultimate dominion over this new reality. She struck Siberys without warning and tore him apart. Eberron wrestled with Khyber and bound the traitor in her coils but could not defeat her. So Eberron became a living prison, a world that would forever contain Khyber's evil.
Dragonshards got their name due to their magical nature and the location where they are found. Eberron dragonshards, the most common, are rosy in color with crimson swirls and found on the surface of Eberron. Khyber dragonshards, were either purple or blue, and could only be mined in the deep underground. Siberys dragonshards, amber in color with golden veins, came from the Ring of Siberys, a ring of crystals that encircles the world which formed from the body of Siberys.
Dragonshards were used to enhance the powers of a dragonmarks or in the creation of magic items, artifacts, or constructs. As such dragonshards played an important role in the magical economy of the world.
To make a long story short, if this really was Eberron, then Jesse had just stumbled into the magical equivalent of finding hundreds of dollar bills stuck to a wall.
Suffice to say, Jesse was determined not to leave until he took every single last bit of the magical crystal.
"When if this isn't Eberron, I'm sure I could still get a good price for them. Magical objects are always in demand by spellcasters and scholars," he assured himself as he took out the eyepiece.
The loupe then transformed into a hand pickaxe.
It was like a switch had been flipped in his head. His knowledge of jewelry left him and was instead replaced with knowledge that came with being a mason. He could craft stone structures, including walls and building crafted from brick. More importantly he could now find the weak points in a stone wall.
"All right, lets get to work," he told himself as he hefted the hammer and began collecting the strange magical crystals.
-Skip-
Sitting around the campfire, Jesse gently stirred the pot of crab meat and edible plants that he was able to find around the area.
He had ultimately decided to set up camp under the archway. He would have preferred to have a prober shelter but at least the higher elevation would help him notice anything coming his way. Multiple wards that would alert him when something enter the area had already been set using the ritual Alarm spell. By the time he finished collecting an reasonable amount of materials from the surrounding area the sun was beginning to set.
Taking the ladle that was part of the cooking tools provided by his All-Purpose-Tool, he gave the watery soup a taste test.
"Hmmm. As I thought, it needs seasoning," Jesse muttered slightly grimacing at the bland taste. He gained a thoughtful expression before seemingly coming to a decision.
Focusing on his All-Purpose-Tool, he decided to finally use its unique feature. For the next 8 hours he would be able to cast the cantrip Prestidigitation.
Prestidigitation was a simple utility spell that any spellcaster worth their salt would have in their repertoire. It was magical equivalent of a Swiss army knife with its wide variety of magical effects. In many cases it was the first magical trick that novice spellcasters used for practice.
So, what exactly could it do?
Prestidigitation could:
*Create an instantaneous, harmless sensory effect, such as a shower of sparks, a puff of wind, faint musical notes, or an odd odor.
*Instantaneously light or snuff out a candle, a torch, or a small campfire.
*Instantaneously clean or soil an object no larger than 1 cubic foot.
*Chill, warm, or flavor up to 1 cubic foot of nonliving material for 1 hour.
*Make a color, a small mark, or a symbol appear on an object or a surface for 1 hour.
*Create a nonmagical trinket or an illusionary image that can fit in your hand and that lasts for 12 seconds.
The range that it could affect things was 10 feet and could have up to three of its non-instantaneous effects active at one time.
Dipping the ladle back into the soup he gave it a stir and called out, "Prestidigitation."
No flashy effects happened this time but when he went to taste the food he found that the flavor had improved.
"Damn, that tastes exactly like Neddie's Auntie's seafood gumbo," the Texan noted, "slurp. It even managed to capture the flavor of the spicy sausage and sweet corn."
With the taste of the soup remarkably improved, it didn't take very long for Jesse to empty the entire pot. He even managed to have dessert in the form of a hardtack flavored to taste like a chocolate brownie.
Once he was finished, he transformed all the cooking tools back into its screwdriver form, allowing him to avoid cleaning up entirely.
"I guess I can't avoid it any longer," the youth sighed, looking at the soiled bandages that covered his stump. He took off his shirt and mentally prepared for what was about to happen.
Touching the tip of his screwdriver to the bandages.
"Prestidigitation."
In an instant they changed from a dark brown to an egg white.
Very gently he started to remove them piece by piece, revealing the true extent of the damage.
A lump formed in his throat that he tried to push away with a halfhearted chuckle, "Haha, well at least he was precise."
The arm had obviously been taken off at the elbow in a single swing by what had to have been a very sharp blade. The end had burn marks, an indicator that the boy had tried to cauterize afterwards so as not to bleed out. Surprisingly a small amount of scabbing and new skin had started to form over it, though pieces of red muscle tissue could still be seen, making him believe that it hadn't been formed naturally, perhaps the result of an ointment or potion.
He filled a pot with some water and used prestidigitation to both sanitize and warm it up. Then he grabbed the bandages and used them to start cleaning some of the foul smelling gunk that had formed on the stump, making sure to clean them and the water after every couple of cycles.
The pain was manageable, though there were a few tender spots that made him clench his teeth, showing that some nerves were still working.
Once he was finished, he retrieved the herbalism kit from his bag of holdings.
Inside the kit there were a couple of pouches filled with herbs, clippers and leather gloves, a mortar and pestle, and several glass jars, some of which already seemed to contain some ointment.
Grabbing the jars he pulled off the tops and sniffed, recognizing one that had been on the bandages.
Sticking his finger in one he began to apply the concoction onto his wound, hissing at first before feeling the aching starting to go away. There seemed to be some numbing and paralyzing agent in the mixture seeing as it had also started to numb his fingers.
He quickly began to reapply the bandages before they could go fully numb, making sure that they wouldn't fall off.
Once he was done he let out a sigh.
Now for the rest of him to get cleaned up.
Unfortunately, prestidigitation didn't work on living material so he would have to do it the old fashion way, with a rag and some water.
At least the water was still warm.
He even managed to clean his teeth using prestidigitation to summon a toothbrush and some dental floss.
He was just about to dress himself when he noticed a strange mark on the side of his hip toward his back.
At first he thought it might be another bruise but as he turned his waist and pulled at his skin for a better look he found that it appeared to be a series of letters.
"What the?"
Now curious, he retrieved the small mirror from his thieves' tools.
It took a bit of work but he managed to place it in between some rock aimed at his back. Then he used his all-purpose-tool to summon a second mirror which he used to see what the first mirror was showing.
A gasp of surprise escaped his lips, and he nearly dropped the mirror.
Tattooed on his back was his character sheet.
A/N: Thanks for Reading
Here's his updated character sheet to reflect his changes.
I won't do this for every chapter.
Also you couldn't tell, Jesse earned experience points by killing the mole crab. 10 exp to be exact.
Most of the Grimm, will give out roughly 50-100 EXP.
If you didn't understand something like the abilities or spells you can easily google them. Just type Dnd 5e- and whatever you were confused about.
Name: Jesse McCree
Class: Artificer 2
Race: Human Variant- House of Cannith
Background: Strixhaven Student
Alignment: Chaotic Good
Experience: 430/900
Proficiency Bonus: +2
Current Hit Points: 20/20
Ability Scores:
Strength: 13 (+1)
Dexterity: 18 (+4)
Constitution: 16 (+3)
Intelligence: 16 (+3)
Wisdom: 15 (+2)
Charism: 18 (+4)
Saving Throws: Constitution and Intelligence
Skills:
Arcana
Insight
Perception
Persuasion
Proficiencies:
Simple Weapons
Light Armor
Medium Armor
Shields
Alchemy Tools
Thieves Tools
Tinker's Tools
Smith's Tools
Languages: Common, Dwarven
Spell Prepared
Cantrips:
Mending
Guidance
Sword Burst
Chill Touch
Spare the Dying
1st Level Spells (2 slots):
*Alarm
*Cure Wounds
*Expeditious Retreat
*Purify Food and Drink
Magic Weapon (once per long rest)
Silvery barbs (once per long rest)
