Aspects
Aspects are essentially modifiers to a person's Class which confer advantages and disadvantages. Each Aspect has a name, but sharing the same name does not guarantee the Aspect will have exactly the same effects for everyone. So far, we've learned about two Aspects - Az's Aspect of Versatility and - nope, just kidding. Haven't learned about the second one yet. Teaser - someone else in her Squad has one! Any guesses?
Classes
A Class is like a template for Stats (aka Attributes) and Skills. Every person with the same Class (at the same rarity) will get the same Class Attributes and same number of free points per Level - unless modified by an Aspect, of course. However, no two people are guaranteed to be offered the same Skill choices when they Level.
People like to break Classes down into two broad categories - combat and non-combat - but this is not a distinction recognized by PAST. In fact, many Classes blur the lines between the two. Generally, a combat Class is one that receives abilities primarily suited for use in, well, combat. However, there are Classes like Courier whose Skills are focused primarily on mobility, but also include a number of defensive & escape options.
To make things more confusing, consider Zaire's Class - Earth Mage. While formidable in combat, Earth (along with evolutions such as Stone) Mages form the backbone of the Mason's Guild, which is a powerful, if not particularly visible, economic force in LA. Their abilities are invaluable for building everything from roads to city walls to buildings.
Currency
The standard unit of currency in post-apocalyptic America is an eagle. One eagle is worth ten talons, and each talon is worth ten feathers. In rough terms, one feather is equivalent to about 1 USD today, making an eagle a substantial amount of money for most people. While most rely on the System's 'virtual' accounts and transactions, physical currency still exists. For the average person, physical currency is something used by those under 18 who don't have a Class or System access yet. After all, you have to pay child labor , right?
When it comes to physical currency, bronze, silver, and gold coins represent feathers, talons, and eagles. There is no direct way to convert physical currency into a System account balance, but if you live in a larger town or Lost Angels you can visit a bank. They will take coin and transfer you System funds, or vice versa, for a small fee. Coin remains, as always, popular with criminal elements because it remains impossible to trace.
The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement.
PAST
[I AM THE PATRIOTIC AMERICAN SYSTEM, TRIUMPHANT! NO MORE NEEDS TO BE SAID, CITIZEN!]
Yeah, that pretty much sums PAST up. One thing to clarify about PAST - it's not a worldwide System. After all, no matter what some people think, America didn't run the entire planet when the System arrived. Every country's government was able to set up some parameters (and the personality) of the System within their borders. Will we eventually get a taste of other versions of the System in foreign lands? TBD!
Settlement Stones
The System provides a Settlement Stone to every community over a certain size. The democratically-elected leader of the settlement (at least in PAST's territories and by PAST's definition of 'democratic') can access special System menus through the Settlement Stone. The most important functions are the ones used to activate Tutorial access and to issue Quests. A few random items, like Jet Cola and Bread, are available for anyone to purchase through the Stone at comically high prices. Generally speaking, Settlement Stones are huge disappointments and definitely don't exist primarily to gently mock stories where the MC can just buy their way out of trouble by touching a big rock.
Spell Names
One thing that might be a bit confusing from time to time (even for me) is why sometimes the name of a Spell is capitalized and other times it isn't. This comes down to the fact that the System imposes capitalization on certain concepts - including the proper names of the runes that make up Spells. Thus, 'Fire Bolt' is capitalized as it is merely listing the two runes, Fire and Bolt, which make up the Spell. On the other hand, firebolt (and fireball) are merely popular slang for common Spells and therefore not subject to the System's whims.
Ice Bolt vs icebolt and Lightning Bolt vs lightningbolt are two more examples. Except for the part where no one says lightningbolt...
Image Galleries
If you want to check out all the story's images without clicking through the chapters, use the links below!
Arc 1 -
Arc 2 -
Arc 3 -
Arc 4 -
Arc 5 - hah, not yet!
Album Art -
