This section will be all about the essential information required to understand the scale I'll be using in this series. This is important, not only to provide consistency across all of the characters, but also to demonstrate the most fair, and accurate takes possible. I'll be assuming the reader knows nothing about the concepts I'll be laying out. Now, with that out of the way, let us begin:
Defining Falna
Falna ~ The blessing gods give to mortals, takes the form of a tattoo on a blessed mortal's back.
Defining Excelia
There are different varieties of Excelia, however, they are all generated via the exact same thing… The individual's lived experience. The intensity, or depth of meaning behind the experience, directly determines the quality of the Excelia.
There are two different qualities:
Regular ~ Improves all attributes of the individual's falna, except for their level
High ~ Improves all attributes of the individual's falna, including their level
A few things to note:
Excelia will never disappear from the falna, regardless of the length of time it remains unused.
As one grows stronger, be it through raw power of the falna, or through natural techniques, Excelia gain slows down in direct proportion to this growth, requiring the challenges the individual faces to increase at a proportional rate to their growth.
Another thing that directly influences excelia gain, is talent. The stronger the talent, the faster the growth.
Defining Basic Abilities
Basic abilities are what determines the baseline ability of an individual, at any level. Upon level up, their improved value becomes a hidden, static value. It is for this reason that people have wildly differing power from within the same level, and is how some people can manage to leap over the level gap. It is not nearly as impossible as one would think… As the gap is much smaller than what the general fandom seems to believe…
Strength ~ Improvements in this ability, directly influence any, and all situations requiring strength. Is also improved by excelia gained from performing feats of strength.
Vitality ~ This stat is directly responsible for durability, endurance, and overall bodily functionality. It is NOT JUST endurance, or defense. One can legitimately gain points in this ability from intercourse… Ain't no way that would improve defense, though perhaps endurance could go up from such actions… That redlight district all of a sudden became a lot more important.
Dexterity ~ This is directly responsible for fine tuned motions, and handling. How well someone can wield a weapon, as well as doing things like parrying, or using the opponent's strength against them. Is increased via excelia gained from feats of this variety
Agility ~ This is directly responsible for; speed, acrobatics, and rapid movements, think running, and hopping around. It is also great with DEX in chain attacks. Is increased through feats of agility…
Magic ~ Directly responsible for the strength of one's magic, likely has an effect on mind in some, or many ways. It is also not a stat that everyone has. It is increased once again, by using magic, and performing feats of magic. There is also a potential for it to increase through meditation.
All of these are equally important in combat:
Dexterity can limit the power generated by strength, and work in synergy with agility to combat vitality.
Agility can create attacks fast enough to limit the effects of vitality, limit the viability of strength (can't hurt if you don't get hit…), and working together with DEX, can severely hamper strength even further outside of avoiding attacks.
Vitality increases the amount of damage you can take, how long you can last during a fight, and even how fast you recover. Provides a limiting factor on DEX, and AGI, usually overcome when the two synergize.
Strength is a raw increase in damage output. All three other stats have methods of directly interfering with this effect, but it is still required to break through high VIT, overpower DEX, and can provide a little speed when used throughout the whole body to make up for a portion of AGI.
Magic, is admittedly the only one that could be a bit higher than the others in importance, but only if one can get spells off faster than AGI, Strong enough to break through VIT, or endure strength, or defend against the deflections of DEX.
All serve their own unique purposes, and are equally important, to the point that regardless of the stat spread, so long as the total stats don't differ too greatly, plus or minus 250 total, a match between any two people would be an interesting, and compelling fight to see.
STATS
Ranked, I through S, 0-999, they become harder and harder to obtain the stronger one gets. However, each subsequent stat point gives slightly more than the previous one did as a direct response to the slight increase in difficulty. Difficulty being what I laid out above in the excelia portion, Stronger you are, the more you need to ramp up the challenge to continue gaining excelia at a regular rate.
This means the increase from 100 to 101, is less of a change, than 900 to 901. However, this is only compared to the individual stat point. But when reflected against the whole number, it still has an immense amount of diminishing returns.
Case in point: for the 100 to 101, it is an increase of 1% A full percent ffs, that's nutty! However, 900 to 901 is 1/9% or 0.111…% It has a ninth of the gain.
This explains the difficulty of gaining stats, the return of stats, the differences between lower & higher, and the importance of grinding out as many as possible at every level, while also explaining why people bother to give up grinding, and opt for a level up instead, due to the slow down feeling like their being punished.
Note: Recall that as stated above, all stats become hidden, but are still there. Soon you'll see that a level boost is 300 points to every stat. So here, is an example of how all this works across levels:
A level 2 with a hidden STR stat of 300 from level 1, the level boost of 300, and 200 points in level 2's STR would have a grand total of 800 points of equivalent STR. So, a level 1 with 800 points, would have a roughly equivalent STR value, when converted to just stats.
Defining Level Boost
This is a part of the series that is surprisingly over estimated. I will state right now, that it is not 1000 points, per stat, per level up. This is absolutely impossible for many reasons, chief among them being that any brand new level two, would objectively solo 2 minotaurs at once, with ease, Which has never, ever, happened, nor stated as possible in the series. It is, however, stated that at level 2, minotaurs are hard enemies at the peak of average adventurer's level 2 status.
So, let's calculate the actual boost, using what we know to be fact! First up, let us use the Bell VS Minotaur fight since we have stats for both, and know that monsters do not get a level boost, they are simply rated based against the average adventurer, THIS IS EXTREMELY IMPORTANT!!!!
Bell's status during the minotaur fight:
Strength : 982 , Vitality : 900, Dexterity : 988, Agility : 1049, Magic : 751, Total : 4670
Minotaur's Status during the Bell fight:
Strength : 1980 , Vitality : 1700, Dexterity : 200, Agility : 950, Magic : 0, Total : 4830
We can see here that the Minotaur was overall stronger than Bell was. Yet, that monster is rated as a top tier level 2 monster… with stats below a grand total of 4995… This causes a lot of issues for the 1k per level per stat idea, as anyone gaining such a huge boost would instantly win against that same minotaur with a difficulty of none to a light warm up, and this was one of the stronger minotaurs with a little bit of training.
The reason Bell was able to win was due to an ingenious way to use his magic, and a firm mindset, without either of those, he would have lost. And even then, it still took everything out of him.
Now then, an absolute monster at the top of level 2, has less total stats than a level 1 could possibly get. This means we can make an assumption of where the limits for level 2 lay. As we can see, a difference of 160 points wasn't enough to make the difficulty impossible, and the Minotaur is only slightly further away from 5000 than that, specifically 170 points. It seems reasonable to assume the cut off for level 2 monsters is somewhere around 5000 total points.
With that set, and the understanding that monsters don't get level boosts, they are just sitting there with raw stats, we get this formula:
5000 = Average Level 2 Status + Average Level 1 Status + Level Boost.
Why the average? Because basing it off of the low end will result in an inaccurate rating, and similarly it would be dangerous to undersell the monsters too. As a result, it is safer for the adventurers to know what they are up against. This is also how the guild measures things too… Using this, and making the assumption that the average person will have a similar status in each level, so long as they spend the same amount of time in those levels… We can simplify the formula to:
5000 = 2 x Average Adventurer Status + Level Boost
Now, how do we find the average status? Simple, we know that the average adventurer is going to try and level up ASAP. Which means 500 points in at least 1 stat!
So let's take a similar combat type like the minotaur? Strength is their main squeeze, Vitality usually trails just behind or keeps up with it. They will be slow enough that agility types could out maneuver them, but not blitz them so, let's say they are about halfway through the second rank below their mains. Agility will be helpful to keep them up in the front, and dealing attacks, while keeping the enemy focused on them, and to keep up with the faster monsters. So, it's likely to be rather high, but also not alone, as it synergizes rather well with Dexterity. As a result those two should be similar to each other, or have a gain in one that offsets the losses in the other. Also, no magic. Why no magic? Because this is a frontline warrior, not some mage and the average adventurer doesn't really have access to magic. Finally let us add in an additional 50 points split into the other stats as a gift they would receive from the feat to level up, before they actually go through with it, like how Bell did.
Average Adventurer Status = STR: 500 Vit: 500 Dex: 350 Agi: 350 Other : 50 Total = 1750
This is just one spread, but moving them around won't change the overall stat score. This shows just how big of a difference there is between regular people and those who have immense talent. As well as explains why it is so much harder for people to comprehend the things others can do, even at the same level. Now let's plug this into the formula:
5000 = 2 * 1750 + Level Boost
5000 = 3500 + Level Boost
5000 - 3500 = Level Boost
1500 = Level Boost
As we can see here, the total status amp for a level boost is actually around 1500 points. This keeps in line with the difficulty rating of monsters, is consistent with how difficulty ratings are assigned, and even what we have been shown in the series. And the best part is, that any deviation in this would affect both sides of the equation. Leaving the boost number relatively unchanged, meaning we can go forward with the assumption this is true, at least for the first level up. I'll prove why all level ups are exactly the same later. For now:
Level Boost = 1500
Per stat = Level Boost/5 = 300 each
Now let's show why it can't be 5000 as this is a simple af. Use the formula
5000 ( >/=/< ) 2 * Avg Adv + 5000
0 ( >/=/< ) 2 * Avg Adv
We know for a fact there is at the absolute most minimalistic BS person possible! They are gonna have 500 points… Not 0.
Also, the Average at 1750 + 5000 + 1750 = 8500
The strongest minotaur outside of Asterius is 4830
8500/4830 = 1.76x stronger…
There is no world in which the average adventure would struggle against any minotaur if they are nearly twice as strong as the strongest one. Yet in series, minotars have been responsible for the deaths of level 2s.
Now, for the proof of Level boosts being the same regardless of person or level… It's rather simple, the regular consensus is that on average, it takes 3 adventurers with decent teamwork, to take down a monster 1 level higher than themselves. This is a fact held true in multiple scenarios throughout the series, and is a rule the people basically entrust their lives to. Meaning it holds a non-insignificant amount of weight. Since this is held true at any level, then anything that signifies the increase is also the same at every interval. This includes status and level ups.
Oddly enough, this also definitively proves the concept that stats gained at higher stats are worth more than those gained at lower ones, like I had laid out in a previous section. And it is further proven that, should the boost radically increase each time, it would dull any reason to grind any stats, at any level, as the boost would simply be far too great to not keep rushing for the next one. And, the stats gained at any level would rapidly become negligible at best, and a chore at worst.
Finally, I'll note this, the fact that some gods pressure their familia to increase their status by 2 or 3 ranks before leveling up, despite it taking an objectively longer time to boost 300 points past D, than it takes to gain that many after a level up, proving it has to be worth it in the face of leveling up, which 1000 points would completely negate any notion of that instantly, as it's worth more than 3 times as many stats in their main, and more in non focused areas. Even when compared against 300 points in all stats, it still seems iffy, however, they would be stats one wouldn't have access to afterwards.
Then the comparison between those in the same level can be so vast, it's as if there were a whole level of difference between them; Base Bell needing argonaut as a new 3 to defeat Aisha at peak of 3, who also had experience with actually being a level 4 from time to time. And this is despite his status at level 2, being on par with another peak level 3…
Then the fact that people of lower levels can defeat those of higher levels, if there were no instances of this happening below level 5 against a 6, then it wouldn't matter, however, there are numerous instances where this happens; Ais & Phreme, Boosted Bell & Phreme, etc. Phreme is just the best example since there's no way she bothered to train more than she needed, or had to.
Also, the fact that a beast transformation is enough to give a similar effect. It is quite substantial, that a feat regularly performed by mortals, is capable of generating a similarly intense buff.
Also the fact that a development ability at rank H, is enough to give a full level up's worth of increase to a specific stat: Leyfia's Mage rank H, gives her magic a full level. You'll see why this is problematic for the current generation… Alfia's was at RANK C!!! Development abilities are not static increases, despite how some may claim this… It legit defeats the purpose of getting them in the first place.
With all of this, I will be taking a single level boost to be 300 points per stat at most!