NOVEL WEB Chapter 6
I didn't know what to expect before starting the Pip-Boy. So much of its function was only possible because it existed in a fictional game universe. Looking through the home screen, I recognized the vault boy diagram that indicated the health of my limbs. Above the character were several tabs: Stat, Inv, Data, Map, and Radio. On the bottom of the screen were fields showing my health, level, and ap.
Just under the Pip-Boy character was a simple drawing of a pistol and helmet representing my attack and defense. Rotating the nob on the Pip-Boy, I navigated into the Inv tab. I saw that the Pip-Boy could recognize that I had the combat rifle on me. Thinking how cool it would be if I could store the combat rifle caused it to suddenly disappear. Shocked by what happened, I looked into the Inventory tab and found the rifle still showing in the weapons category.
I could inspect, equip, or drop it from the inventory from there. Equipping it put the rifle back into my hands. After further experimenting, I selected the drop option for the baton. A moment later, the baton spawned mid-air and fell to the ground. My mind immediately went to all the weapons I left behind, and I ran back excitedly to the weaponry.
I stored all the guns and ammo in my system using this incredible cheat ability. Rechecking my inventory showed that the weapons category had all the items I looted. The weight indicator was also updated from 13/230 to 67/230. Moving and jumping around, I felt none of the extra weight from the guns. I probably wouldn't slow down until I passed the 230 weight limit.
Fascinated by this superpower, I thought about other possibilities and remembered the perk system of Fallout 4. Flipping through the Pip-Boy, I noticed three categories inside the STAT page: Status, SPECIAL, and Perks. Clicking on the Perks tab caused a giant chart to pop up in my face.
I eyed the chart in front of me and realized that this chart was the perk screen from Fallout 4. The first row was the seven SPECIAL stats. The column underneath each was populated by unique perks that had something to do with the stat on top. My SPECIAL stats had stars showing the level it was, and the stars matched up with how I distributed my points the day my PC exploded.
Strength: 3
Perception: 2
Endurance:4
Charisma:7
Intelligence: 5
Agility: 3
Luck: 4
I could see a little green bar and the text Level 5 in the lower left-hand corner. The text 5 Points Available could also be seen in the lower center of the chart. The radroaches shouldn't have been enough to give me these levels. Scratching my head trying to figure out where I got these levels, I remembered installing a mod that modified all exp to 3 folds. Could the mods I installed affect this world too? If so, this world will be much more random, and my knowledge will not be as extensive as I thought.
Shaking my head, I decided to not focus on that right now and see if I could spend my points. Touching the chart didn't do anything, so I tried thinking about how I wanted to add a point to strength. Immediately afterward, a small box popped up.
Would you like to add one point to SPECIAL Stat: Strength? Once confirmed, the point can not be refunded.
Mentally confirming yes, I saw my strength stat increase from three stars to four stars. Figuring out that my mind probably controlled this chart, I thought about how I wanted to exit the system. Immediately the chart poofed out of existence. I should be more robust now, so I opened and closed my hands and experimentally threw a few punches to feel how my strength changed.
There was a change, albeit a small one. My body felt lighter, and I could swing a baton and punch faster than before. Looking at my menu also showed my carry weight went up by 10 and was now 240. Pulling up the chart again, I reviewed the different little pictures, each representing a perk.
Like in the game, most perks had a level limit associated with unlocking and upgrading them. Some perks also had SPECIAL stats limitations. Now that I knew spending points positively affected me, I started perusing all available options.
The wasteland was ruthless. It has slavers, gunners, and super mutants. I needed to reliably get through any threat that came to me. With survival in mind, I narrowed down the options. I put my remaining four points into unlocking Rifleman, Leadbelly, Bloody Mess, and Toughness.
Bloody Mess gave me an immediate +5% damage bonus to all weapons. Any damage boost is greatly welcomed, though I'm unsure how to feel about the possible body exploding. Still, the higher damage output is more important than my mental health. This, combined with the 20% boost by Rifleman, made my combat and bolt action rifle considerably more lethal.
Toughness gave a general boost to my damage resistance. At the same time, Lead Belly allowed me to drink and eat food from the wasteland with fewer consequences. Considering the wasteland's abundance of psychopaths and lack of clean drinking water, these perks should greatly benefit my odds of making it.
After spending my points, this was what my stats looked like.
Ideally, I would have taken other perks, but my current level and SPECIAL stats needed to meet the minimum requirements for the good stuff. Seeing the Lead Belly perk also reminded me that I needed to load up on clean water when I still had the chance in the vault. With preparation in mind, I made my way to the kitchen.
