Alright, let's give this a go. And rather than go for "what would plausibly make a cool character" I'll try for "what would I actually do, given these random stats and no access to the Nasuverse wiki". Dungeons and Dragons Dice Roller, you are the oracle of my future.
Circuit Count: 3, 6, 2, 2, 6, 6 (re-roll 6s) 4, 4, 3 = 36
Circuit Quality: 6, 6, 1, 4, 4 (re-roll 6s) 6, 2 (re-roll 6s) 4 = 33
What the shit. I was expecting something totally pathetic so I could justify hanging around and picking weeds without looking like an outright coward. Instead I am apparently kicking the shit out of your average magus.
How Many Elements: 5, 4 = 9 = 2 Eastern Elements
Ugh. I really would have preferred a Rare Element, so I could just focus my efforts on one hyper-narrow avenue of development and not be expected to engage in more general learning and application. Looking at the table, that would have been the most likely outcome, too. Bah. You keep piling expectations on me, D&D.
What Elements: 4, 5 = Wood, Metal
What the fuck am I supposed to do with this? What's even a good link between Wood and Metal? Oh, god, I'm going to need to experiment and sit through lots of NPC fluff-dumps, here. Represented out-of-universe by Wikipedia.
As for Origin... hm. This is distinct from Circuit Count/Quality (pure genetics) and Element (largely genetics?), in that it actually serves as the root to my entire self (no pun intended). It's the holy grail for therapists (also no pun intended), the point from which the path of your life springs. The verb to the Element's noun, the Alaya to its Gaia. As such, it requires a bit of self-examination, rather than just being what I think would lead to cool powers. Well, what did my reactions to my rolls suggest? Laziness? Eh, that doesn't dominate my existence (appearances aside). Leaning - that is, relying on/making use of other things to support myself? Hm, no, that could lead to some cool things, but it's not really honest - being British, I try to avoid troubling other people with my needs or problems. Carelessness? No, I'm pretty exacting about things I consider to matter, when I get around to them - I have to be, to copyedit and proof things.
That's a thought, actually - something derived from that? I proof stories, often rewriting whole paragraphs, but don't write my own. I write hundreds of thousands of words of hacks and homebrew for games, but no homemade system or setting. I edit documents and letters, but seldom actually write them. I almost compulsively make changes to recipes, even ones I've never made before, but don't come up with my own. I'd rather mod games than make my own. I tend to troubleshoot and play devil's advocate in planning meetings, pushing my ideas to replace ones I consider unsound. I modify images (over 9000 hours in MSPaint) but seldom actually produce any art of my own from scratch. I made a ton of custom models back when I was playing wargames, but always on top of an existing frame, never a wholly original sculpt. An origin of "editing"? Or "replacement"? Or "reconstruction"? Not building stuff on my own, and not improving existing stuff, but coming up with my own components to replace parts of existing stuff? Or, haha, no, I've got something better and more suitable.
So, final results:
Name: Revlid
Circuit Count: 36 circuits
Circuit Quality: 33 units
Total Circuit Capacity: 1188 thaums
Elements: Wood & Metal
Origin: Doubt
So. My attitude to being trapped in a death game will be "what the fuck, no no no". I will swiftly get bored and try to rank up my non-combat skills, like hey isn't there a magic system now? I'd be turned off by the pain, but it'd put me on the path of "I cannot be sure the game won't screw me over in more unexpected ways". This would lead me to try to pick up levels and explore the game - with pick-up groups and a safe margin between me and the front line, because I am not a hero. Pretty soon the addition of universal pain, the discovery of magical research as an experience source, and deducing how much better than average my basic magical traits were would converge on a decision to revisit thaumaturgy and check out my Elements. I keep my username (or swap to it, if I started with something else), but freely tell anyone I team up with my real name. I have trouble really understanding the common aversion to discussing the outside world, frankly.
Honestly, I'd probably end up as a pure "crafter". I'd still go out, to test my products and theories, explore cleared floors out of boredom and curiosity, and... well, play the game. I don't think I could ever quite distance myself from the fascination of exploring a "new world" where anything was possible. I'd probably delve into a great variety of different magecraft schools, not necessarily looking for one style that fit, but cross-comparing and searching for bits and pieces and ideas that I can hack into each other - replacement, remember? I'm not after practical combat-usability, I'm after an understanding of the system so I can make(replace) stuff with it.
Correspondence and comparison with other researchers and magic users is, therefore, a given - I'm happily able to compromise my pride in matters of that sort. Researcher-for-hire, maybe? On the cheap, if I'm getting xp for it anyway. If some sort of forum for such things could be established, I'd happily involve myself - perhaps a publication, once newspapers are announced. I do have a pre-existing publishing skillset, if we assume I'm me-but-a-Japanese native, and so my tourist-tier ability in Japanese (stupid fucking language, anyway - who needs three alphabets and no proper conjugation or tenses?) is a non-factor.
As for what unique areas of magecraft I'd explore... well. I get the lovely benefit of having Eastern-style elements, which are shared by exactly no characters in a series set entirely in Japan*. Even better, of that system I get the two elements without even analogues in the Western system. Why hast thou forsaken me, Britannia? I'd expect such behaviour from your misbegotten and slatternly sibling Hibernia, not you!
*though, granted, "Eastern" elements is a misnomer, since Japan, Tibet, India and most of Indochina generally use systems closer to the "Western" system. Fucking Clocktower, tarring every foreigner with the same brush. Indeed, the "Western" system (understandably, from a Doylist perspective) seems to draw more on Buddhist conceptions of the five elements than Plato or Aristotle's bullshit.
So I'll have to guess at how Wood and Metal work. Well, sitting through some NPC explanations (Wikipedia) tells me that they basically split Wind and Ether's applications between them, with some additional applications plucked from the other three Western Elements, which take on their own slightly different slants in the Eastern model - Earth, for instance, gains the purview of "space", which is associated more with Wind in the Western model, while Water gains "time", which if Emiya's elements are anything to go by certainly isn't associated with that element in the Western model.
Metal is hardness and hardening, combination and division, refinement and consolidation. As a thing mostly of human artifice, it also gets the spiritual aspects of Ether that haven't already been parceled out to other elements (mostly Fire). Like Ether, it's useful for modifying other elements - under the Eastern model, the easiest path to creating ice is almost certainly combining Metal with Water.
Wood deals with flexibility and elasticity, consumption and appropriation, growth and expansion. Along with literal plants (though interestingly, Water also covers some kinds of vegetation), it takes most of Wind's purely physical aspects, like air, sound and (most of) electricity. It also nabs the parts of Ether that deal with life force and mana. Most organic substances fall under Wood, too.
Looking at the bits where these crossover, I see a lot of ways to help out with chemistry, and medicine. Basically the only way to be better at brewing poisons would be if I had Water (or a Rare Element, fuck you protagonists), and I've got a perfect set for surgery. I could see myself producing prosthetics, transplants or outright regrowth when the injuries get that realistic, though by that point I'd need to have boosted several skill ranks to the point where I'd have picked up enough actual knowledge from NPC tutorials that I could presumably practice basic surgery even in the real world. Not easy. Puppet-making would be a definite avenue, though my origin and inclinations would make me more suited to puppet-harnesses (in the manner of Doc Ock), or modular puppet-armour (think Mistral, perhaps). Spiritual surgery is also a route to be seriously considered - though beyond basics like making Familiars (hello again, puppets and cyborgs) I'd have to seek out Illya as (currently) the only tutor for modifying human souls - and I'm unlikely to do that, even if I hear about it, because she's a frontliner and I can't be wasting her valuable time, no. Frankenstein's monster requires, in theory, nothing but Wood and Metal from start to finish - though again, my origin suggests something more along the lines of Hassan's Self-Modification, taking useful bits off things and putting them on other things (once more... puppets, frankenstein'd creatures, and cyborgs in between).
So that'd be me, then. The guy you go to for customized or repaired Familiars and other surgical magecraft, who's always eager to look over any theories and offer constructive criticism and potential fixes. Will eagerly trade work for spellbooks or unusual [Body Parts]. Not interested in hoarding knowledge, and eager for others to make use of his ideas and creations. Unlikely to formally join a Guild, unless there are sufficient passive perks that I can just opt into a large, impersonal one and then not really bother with it or bother it past basic obligations - I'd like to keep myself approachable by all, and avoid formal obligations. As such, my occasional "midliner" forays would be either as part of a pick-up group, tagging along with some gatherers, or (once I'm established) me on my own, swamped in custom familiars.
...though there's actually a lot of other ways a Wood/Metal combination could prove useful, looking at them. Well, that's the route I'd probably end up focusing on.
Most likely way to die? Just look at my origin. Someone desperately needs a healer - maybe the frontline has to split up into groups and there aren't enough healers around. I'd try to fill the gap, because that's what I do (especially with such high magical traits - if I'm taking up a "slot" on the clearly randomly-generated probability curve, do I have the right to stand by while less fortunate people go out and do their best?) and end up dying due to lack of actual experience. As opposed to lack of xp, if I've been doing my research.
Circuit Count: 3, 6, 2, 2, 6, 6 (re-roll 6s) 4, 4, 3 = 36
Circuit Quality: 6, 6, 1, 4, 4 (re-roll 6s) 6, 2 (re-roll 6s) 4 = 33
What the shit. I was expecting something totally pathetic so I could justify hanging around and picking weeds without looking like an outright coward. Instead I am apparently kicking the shit out of your average magus.
How Many Elements: 5, 4 = 9 = 2 Eastern Elements
Ugh. I really would have preferred a Rare Element, so I could just focus my efforts on one hyper-narrow avenue of development and not be expected to engage in more general learning and application. Looking at the table, that would have been the most likely outcome, too. Bah. You keep piling expectations on me, D&D.
What Elements: 4, 5 = Wood, Metal
What the fuck am I supposed to do with this? What's even a good link between Wood and Metal? Oh, god, I'm going to need to experiment and sit through lots of NPC fluff-dumps, here. Represented out-of-universe by Wikipedia.
As for Origin... hm. This is distinct from Circuit Count/Quality (pure genetics) and Element (largely genetics?), in that it actually serves as the root to my entire self (no pun intended). It's the holy grail for therapists (also no pun intended), the point from which the path of your life springs. The verb to the Element's noun, the Alaya to its Gaia. As such, it requires a bit of self-examination, rather than just being what I think would lead to cool powers. Well, what did my reactions to my rolls suggest? Laziness? Eh, that doesn't dominate my existence (appearances aside). Leaning - that is, relying on/making use of other things to support myself? Hm, no, that could lead to some cool things, but it's not really honest - being British, I try to avoid troubling other people with my needs or problems. Carelessness? No, I'm pretty exacting about things I consider to matter, when I get around to them - I have to be, to copyedit and proof things.
That's a thought, actually - something derived from that? I proof stories, often rewriting whole paragraphs, but don't write my own. I write hundreds of thousands of words of hacks and homebrew for games, but no homemade system or setting. I edit documents and letters, but seldom actually write them. I almost compulsively make changes to recipes, even ones I've never made before, but don't come up with my own. I'd rather mod games than make my own. I tend to troubleshoot and play devil's advocate in planning meetings, pushing my ideas to replace ones I consider unsound. I modify images (over 9000 hours in MSPaint) but seldom actually produce any art of my own from scratch. I made a ton of custom models back when I was playing wargames, but always on top of an existing frame, never a wholly original sculpt. An origin of "editing"? Or "replacement"? Or "reconstruction"? Not building stuff on my own, and not improving existing stuff, but coming up with my own components to replace parts of existing stuff? Or, haha, no, I've got something better and more suitable.
So, final results:
Name: Revlid
Circuit Count: 36 circuits
Circuit Quality: 33 units
Total Circuit Capacity: 1188 thaums
Elements: Wood & Metal
Origin: Doubt
So. My attitude to being trapped in a death game will be "what the fuck, no no no". I will swiftly get bored and try to rank up my non-combat skills, like hey isn't there a magic system now? I'd be turned off by the pain, but it'd put me on the path of "I cannot be sure the game won't screw me over in more unexpected ways". This would lead me to try to pick up levels and explore the game - with pick-up groups and a safe margin between me and the front line, because I am not a hero. Pretty soon the addition of universal pain, the discovery of magical research as an experience source, and deducing how much better than average my basic magical traits were would converge on a decision to revisit thaumaturgy and check out my Elements. I keep my username (or swap to it, if I started with something else), but freely tell anyone I team up with my real name. I have trouble really understanding the common aversion to discussing the outside world, frankly.
Honestly, I'd probably end up as a pure "crafter". I'd still go out, to test my products and theories, explore cleared floors out of boredom and curiosity, and... well, play the game. I don't think I could ever quite distance myself from the fascination of exploring a "new world" where anything was possible. I'd probably delve into a great variety of different magecraft schools, not necessarily looking for one style that fit, but cross-comparing and searching for bits and pieces and ideas that I can hack into each other - replacement, remember? I'm not after practical combat-usability, I'm after an understanding of the system so I can make(replace) stuff with it.
Correspondence and comparison with other researchers and magic users is, therefore, a given - I'm happily able to compromise my pride in matters of that sort. Researcher-for-hire, maybe? On the cheap, if I'm getting xp for it anyway. If some sort of forum for such things could be established, I'd happily involve myself - perhaps a publication, once newspapers are announced. I do have a pre-existing publishing skillset, if we assume I'm me-but-a-Japanese native, and so my tourist-tier ability in Japanese (stupid fucking language, anyway - who needs three alphabets and no proper conjugation or tenses?) is a non-factor.
As for what unique areas of magecraft I'd explore... well. I get the lovely benefit of having Eastern-style elements, which are shared by exactly no characters in a series set entirely in Japan*. Even better, of that system I get the two elements without even analogues in the Western system. Why hast thou forsaken me, Britannia? I'd expect such behaviour from your misbegotten and slatternly sibling Hibernia, not you!
*though, granted, "Eastern" elements is a misnomer, since Japan, Tibet, India and most of Indochina generally use systems closer to the "Western" system. Fucking Clocktower, tarring every foreigner with the same brush. Indeed, the "Western" system (understandably, from a Doylist perspective) seems to draw more on Buddhist conceptions of the five elements than Plato or Aristotle's bullshit.
So I'll have to guess at how Wood and Metal work. Well, sitting through some NPC explanations (Wikipedia) tells me that they basically split Wind and Ether's applications between them, with some additional applications plucked from the other three Western Elements, which take on their own slightly different slants in the Eastern model - Earth, for instance, gains the purview of "space", which is associated more with Wind in the Western model, while Water gains "time", which if Emiya's elements are anything to go by certainly isn't associated with that element in the Western model.
Metal is hardness and hardening, combination and division, refinement and consolidation. As a thing mostly of human artifice, it also gets the spiritual aspects of Ether that haven't already been parceled out to other elements (mostly Fire). Like Ether, it's useful for modifying other elements - under the Eastern model, the easiest path to creating ice is almost certainly combining Metal with Water.
Wood deals with flexibility and elasticity, consumption and appropriation, growth and expansion. Along with literal plants (though interestingly, Water also covers some kinds of vegetation), it takes most of Wind's purely physical aspects, like air, sound and (most of) electricity. It also nabs the parts of Ether that deal with life force and mana. Most organic substances fall under Wood, too.
Looking at the bits where these crossover, I see a lot of ways to help out with chemistry, and medicine. Basically the only way to be better at brewing poisons would be if I had Water (or a Rare Element, fuck you protagonists), and I've got a perfect set for surgery. I could see myself producing prosthetics, transplants or outright regrowth when the injuries get that realistic, though by that point I'd need to have boosted several skill ranks to the point where I'd have picked up enough actual knowledge from NPC tutorials that I could presumably practice basic surgery even in the real world. Not easy. Puppet-making would be a definite avenue, though my origin and inclinations would make me more suited to puppet-harnesses (in the manner of Doc Ock), or modular puppet-armour (think Mistral, perhaps). Spiritual surgery is also a route to be seriously considered - though beyond basics like making Familiars (hello again, puppets and cyborgs) I'd have to seek out Illya as (currently) the only tutor for modifying human souls - and I'm unlikely to do that, even if I hear about it, because she's a frontliner and I can't be wasting her valuable time, no. Frankenstein's monster requires, in theory, nothing but Wood and Metal from start to finish - though again, my origin suggests something more along the lines of Hassan's Self-Modification, taking useful bits off things and putting them on other things (once more... puppets, frankenstein'd creatures, and cyborgs in between).
So that'd be me, then. The guy you go to for customized or repaired Familiars and other surgical magecraft, who's always eager to look over any theories and offer constructive criticism and potential fixes. Will eagerly trade work for spellbooks or unusual [Body Parts]. Not interested in hoarding knowledge, and eager for others to make use of his ideas and creations. Unlikely to formally join a Guild, unless there are sufficient passive perks that I can just opt into a large, impersonal one and then not really bother with it or bother it past basic obligations - I'd like to keep myself approachable by all, and avoid formal obligations. As such, my occasional "midliner" forays would be either as part of a pick-up group, tagging along with some gatherers, or (once I'm established) me on my own, swamped in custom familiars.
...though there's actually a lot of other ways a Wood/Metal combination could prove useful, looking at them. Well, that's the route I'd probably end up focusing on.
Most likely way to die? Just look at my origin. Someone desperately needs a healer - maybe the frontline has to split up into groups and there aren't enough healers around. I'd try to fill the gap, because that's what I do (especially with such high magical traits - if I'm taking up a "slot" on the clearly randomly-generated probability curve, do I have the right to stand by while less fortunate people go out and do their best?) and end up dying due to lack of actual experience. As opposed to lack of xp, if I've been doing my research.
