Burning Embers Part II: Conspiracy [Arc 6-10]

Adventurer Guidebook: Classes

When adventurers first sign up, given their affinities towards the elements, their base parameters and such, they are given the option to select a class. A class allows the adventure to auto-learn a specific set of skills and strengthen their parameters accordingly by clearing quests and earning experience and skill points. These classes are divided under three main categories: knight, spellcaster and specialist, each offering something different. Within these categories, the classes themselves are very different in their requirements, advantages and disadvantages.

Knight Classes:
The classes most suited to direct combat using a wide array of weapons are called "knight classes". They form the primary offensive line of most adventuring parties, and overall, are the most common of the classes (barring dragon-knight). Even among the knight classes, however, there are differences in the roles fulfilled by each class.

Dragon-knight: Only possible by possessing a sufficient amount of dragon-blood. They have extremely high stats, acute senses, and an innate armour that is very difficult to break through. It is possible for them to learn a massive variety of advanced skills, and they can harm undead as well. One can only become a dragon-knight either by killing a dragon alone or being the descendant of a dragon-slayer. This is considered by far the most powerful class, and the only known dragon-knights are those of the Del Roddea noble family. Once an adventurer turns into a dragon-knight, they are unregistered from their previous class automatically.
Requirements: Slaying a dragon, or inheriting the ability.

Hunter: The ranged support among the knight classes, hunters are bow specialists, expert at sniping targets from a distance. Other than their ability with the bow, they also have the ability to set, detect and dismantle traps, while also gaining superhuman vision, night-vision and tracking abilities via their skill tree. They can thus serve very well as scouts as well.
Requirements: A base agility stat of 6, strength stat of 5, and endurance stat of 5.

Crusader: The endurance class and 'jack of all trades' among the knight classes. They can wield a wide variety of weapons including swords, axes, maces and such. Due to the nature of this class, crusaders are generally hard-hitters and also focus on drawing enemy fire, being able to take a beating and fight for a long time due to their high endurance.
Requirements: A base strength stat of 6 and endurance stat of 7.

Phalanxeer: This class is suited to using ranged melee weapons, such as spears, lances and pikes. Their high agility and strength allows them to wield polearms with incredible efficiency, and their speciality is keeping foes at a distance while poking and prodding past their defences.
Requirements: A base agility stat of 7 and strength stat of 5.

Spellcaster Classes:
The spellcaster category of classes contains those who are proficient with magic instead of physical abilities. These are classified as support classes, instead of the offence-oriented knight classes. Each one of the four classes in this category focuses on a different type of magic, but what is common is that they all wield a wide variety of spells which serve as support for their front-line party members. Spellcasters are less common compared to knights, but more common than specialists.

Mage/Archmage: The wielders of offensive magic, and also classified as ranged-support, similar to hunters. However, unlike hunters, mages and archmages are capable of wide-area attacks, being able to easily clear swathes of weaker enemies with powerful spells. Of course, they also have spells focused on taking out single, stronger targets, but that is generally a job better suited for hunters. Archmages have access to the "mastery" tree of skills, which mages do not.

Requirements: An intelligence stat of 6 for mage and 7 for archmage. A base mana stat of 5 for both.

Exorcist: While exorcists are more specialised than mages and healers, they can still serve a generic role in the party due to being able to cast general light-magic. Generally, exorcists are dungeon-specialists, since their skillset is meant to destroy undead monsters instead of living ones. However, their spells can still serve to stun or slow living monsters and even humans, and they can eventually gain access to offensive light-magic spells.
Requirements: A base mana stat of 6 and high affinity for the element of light.

Healer: While mages are offensive spellcasters, healers are the exact opposite. Unlike mages, however, having a healer is more or less essential for any party. They can heal, strengthen and protect their fellow adventurers using defensive and support magic, but the major downside is that they cannot cast any of these spells on themselves. Therefore, it is normal for healers to carry around some healing potions and antidotes in case they are attacked, but they usually stay back, out of immediate danger.

Requirements: A base mana stat of 7.

Specialist Classes:
Unlike knights or spellcasters, specialist classes are, as the name implies, specialised in a very specific set of skills, and not usually considered nearly as essential as the other two due to their more niche roles. As such, it is no surprise that this is the least common category of classes.

Scholar: Considered the weakest class, almost no adventurer would opt to be a scholar. Their main role is simply to map out dungeons and decipher ancient texts, a skill set that is very rarely if ever needed. However, they can learn basic skills of any other class, making them a very versatile class, but still weak in direct combat or as support. Some scholars in the past instead served as tacticians for their guilds and parties, a role they are more suited to.
Requirements: An intelligence stat of 8.

Swordmaster: The absolute pinnacle of swordsmanship. Unlike the other sword-wielding classes like crusader and dragon-knight, swordmasters can only wield swords, and all of their skills are based on their swordsmanship instead of magic. It has been noted that the majority of skills swordmasters possess are self-learned sword techniques, but while they get registered to the card and system, they cannot be auto-learned. The only auto-learnable skills are the Intermediate, Advanced and Mastery trees of Swordsmanship. Due to all this, the class is rare, but is more common in Lanexi.
Requirements: A base strength stat of 5 and agility stat of 7.

Thief: A must-have for dungeon clearing, thieves are specialised in passing-by traps undetected, stealing and detecting treasure, and immobilising foes. Outside of dungeons, however, this class is almost entirely useless, though thieves can learn both Beginner and Advanced assassination-skills as well. Not as rare as other specialist classes, the thief class is usually picked by adventurers who only have their luck going for them, and they tend to party-hop, taking only dungeon-clearing quests. Also due to this, other adventurers are distrustful of thieves.
Requirements: A luck stat of 8, and base agility stat of 6.

Assassin: Just like thieves, assassins are at their strongest in dungeons, albeit for different reasons. While they are also specialised in stealth, they are even more specialised in killing, and are specialists at killing enemies far stronger than themselves using underhanded means. Oftentime, assassins are used to track down and kill criminals that have committed crimes worthy of the death penalty.
Requirements: An intelligence stat of 6 and base agility of 7.

Sage: Controller of the elements itself. Such magic is inaccessible even to archmages. While archmages can use spells like 'Heaven's flame' and 'flood', they cannot actually control the elements of water, fire, earth, lightning, wind, ice, light and dark. Sages are the rarest class after dragon-knights, as the requirements for one are nearly inaccessible to humans, who are usually born with middling affinity to one element and some affinity to the rest. As such, it is very rare for a human to be born with complete affinity to only one element. This class is the rarest after dragon-knights.
Requirements: A base mana stat of 7, and complete affinity to a single element.

Monk: Keepers of the peace, monks do not ever use any weapons or magic. Instead, they are experts in martial arts, and use only their fists to settle things. Though they do not use magic, they use their mana flow to instead reinforce their body to increase their physical parameters, helping them with their martial arts. Monks are also rare, since the idea of fighting with fists instead of weapons is generally unappealing, as it requires years of training in the martial arts to be anywhere near effective.
Requirements: Base physical parameters of 6 each.

Defunct:
Necromancer: Summoners and controllers of the undead, necromancers were banned after the Second Great War after a number defected to Dagunland and caused incredible destruction and chaos. Normal adventurers cannot be necromancers, and necromancers are enemies of the state. Adventurers are instructed to kill a necromancer on sight. However, it is technically possible to be a necromancer through the adventurer-card system, but is just illegal.
Requirements: Unknown.