Note: Should be painfully obvious, but I do not own Dragon Ball, Dragon Ball Z, Dragon Ball GT, or Dragon Ball Super. All of that goes to Akira Toriyama and co. Either way, disclamer over. Enjoy.
Prologue: Character Creation
You are in a void of gray. An expanse of nothing is before you, behind you, to your sides, and above as well as below. You aren't aware of this fact, as you have been suspended in this limbo for so long that you have stopped thinking of your surroundings. The amount of time that has passed since you arrived here could have been anywhere between an instant and eternity, both being equally plausible, you'd think. At least you would, were you capable of cognitive thought.
You aren't even sure what constitutes "you" or "here", in this case. What defines "you", exactly? How can anything be "here", if everything is homogenous? Are you moving? Are you still? You would be thoroughly perplexed by this, if you were aware of your surroundings.
After an eternity (or an instant, time's impossible to tell when everything is the same), a light begins flashing before you. A rectangular object appears, with words written on it. They read:
GAME OVER.
…
…?
You begin to wake up, shaking your "head" in order to cure yourself of the drowsiness you're feeling. At first, you wish to drift back to oblivion, but the light before you keeps incessantly buzzing, robbing you of any notion to sleep. You focus on the light, glazing over the words a few times before your mind begins to fully wake up.
Once you do so completely, you start to wonder "Where am I? What is going on? Who… am I?"
Upon the thought of "Who am I", the words change, displaying the following:
Name: Ellis Steele
Score: 5,190 (NEW RECORD!)
Iteration: Earth Alpha (FIRST PLAYTHROUGH!)
Achievements:
First Birth: Most people have to start somewhere, and you start here! +100 Points.
First Word: In your case, it was "Plate". Adorable! +20 Points.
Acquiring Hobby: You quite enjoyed painting when you were growing up. What a talented little artist! +300 Points.
Education (Elementary): You know your ABC's and 123's. What a smart cookie! +500 Points
Lived to age 10: Pat yourself on the back, your teen years are approaching. +100 Points.
Friendship: While you had many people you liked growing up, these people hold a special place in your heart. +250 Points
Sports: You excelled at outdoor work. You're pretty strong! +350 Points
...
The list seemed to keep going and going, steadily listing off achievements and the given points. It's honestly a lot of information. You really wish it would narrow it down to a more manageable and readable field, maybe getting to the point-
The thought barely even finished before the words flicker, changing into the following:
Interface version: 1.02.304.c
Name: Ellis Steele
Age: 57
Score: 5,190
Occupation: Botanist
Hobbies: Fishing, Baking, Hiking, Watching trashy RomCom's with your Significant Other, Reading.
Death: Car Accident on a Ski Trip.
Game Iterrition: …
You stop reading after your death is revealed. Shock fills your being; how could you have forgotten? You were on the road, the roads were slick, there were lights and… and…
You're hyperventilating now. Your life, cut so short. What about your children, your family? You look up, expecting, begging the "interface" to tell you what happened. Are they alright? What is going on here!?
It doesn't change. All it seems to be doing is carrying on with information about "your game". You feel sick; did this thing think that your life was just a game? "Where the Hell am I?" you demand. "I know damn well that you can read my thoughts. Tell me what's going on, now!"
You've never felt this furious in your life; how DARE this thing treat your life as if it was some sort of entertainment? The screen flickers again. Finally, some ans - you calm down almost immediately. You gaze at the text on the screen, your previous anger forgotten.
Emotions Locked for the remainder of the explanation.
You're okay with this. A small part of you feels… off… but the majority of you simply ignores it. You're okay with your situation. It's likely that your family is safe, after all. The truck that crashed into your car only hit the driver's side, so your family is most likely unharmed. You're perfectly calm, ready for the interface to continue with its explanation of where you are.
Status: (STR-Strength, PERC-Perception, END-Endurance, CHAR-Charisma, INT-Intelligence, AGI-Agility, LUCK-Luck.) Your stats define how strong you are in certain areas. Without going into too much detail, Strength represents physical prowess, Perception represents sight, Endurance represents physical hardiness, Charisma represents how people perceive you, Intelligence represents cognitive thought and problem solving, Agility represents speed and coordination, and Luck represents how likely things are to go in your favor.
STR : 8
PERC : 3
END : 4
CHAR : 5
INT : 9
AGI : 4
LUCK : 4
You find it odd that LUCK needed its own definition, given how it was the exact same. Might've been some glitch in the programming.
+1 Perk Point for finding a hidden Easter Egg. How perceptive!
If you had eyes to roll, you would do so.
Reincarnation options:
Classic: Reincarnate in Earth Alpha, with randomly generated stats. No bonus skills.
Fantasy: Reincarnate into one of your favorite series!
[GAMER] Fantasy: Reincarnate into one of your favorite series, with the bonus of treating reality as a game! (1,000 points to unlock.)
Creative: Make your own world from scratch! Why should you have to play in someone else's sandbox? (100,000 points to unlock.)
[GOD MODE] Creative: Make your own world, and rule over it as a deity! Why stop at a sandbox when you can make an entire beach? (1,000,000,000 points to unlock. Must have unlocked Creative and played for 1,000 sessions before purchasing, as well as having all Fantasies unlocked.)
You look at the choices given; so much potential! Well, not that much potential, now that you think about it, you're only given two options. Three, if you count that you can afford the GAMER version of Fantasy. You want to go back to Classic, but a small part of you feels almost… vindictive? A small, barely noticeable part of you wishes to select the GAMER variant. You shrug, deciding to select it on a whim.
-1,000 points.
Now the amount of points you own is down to 4,190. Oh well, you assume that you can earn more through your new reincarnation.
Random Fantasy: Free.
Rent Fantasy: 5,000.
Purchase Fantasy: 10,000.
Well. Random Fantasy it is.
Random Fantasy selected!
The interface then shows a slots machine, like the kind you would see at a casino if you ever went to one. Funny, you think.
Dragon Ball selected! A world of fun, adventure, and combat await you in this fantasy! Please, create your character.
Huh. Dragon Ball. You heard from your children that it was really good. Well, it's never too late to connect with the youth, you suppose.
The stats screen is back, but all that's left are the S.P.E.C.I.A.L. stats and a new option called "Race Selection". How confusing.
*All but starting stats and chosen race will be randomized.
Well, you suppose that explains it. No matter, onto basic customization.
Remaining stats: 40
STR : 1
PERC : 1
END : 1
CHAR : 1
INT : 1
AGI : 1
LUCK : 1
Race Selection: _v
This fantasy was a "fighting" thing, right? You never really played video games. You guess that your previous stats were good enough as a baseline though.
Remaining stats : 10
STR : 8
PERC : 3
END : 4
CHAR : 5
INT : 9
AGI : 4
LUCK : 4
Race Selection: _v
Now what? Ten points remaining, and you already copied your previous stats. You decide to try and increase the weaker stats, in order to balance your character.
Remaining stats : 0
STR : 8
PERC : 6
END : 6
CHAR : 6
INT : 9
AGI : 6
LUCK : 6
Race Selection: _v
With that settled, you focus on the race dropdown menu. It shows a list of several races, including "Saiyan, Namekian, Demon, Majin, Dracon…" You understandably have no idea what these are. Are they aliens? Where's the Human race at, you wonder?
As soon as you think that, the Human race appears.
Human: While not the strongest of the races, they have lots of untapped potential as well as being able to learn skills and techniques much faster than others. In addition, Humans are balanced in the stats they increase per level, gaining +1 in all stats per level. Don't underestimate Humans!
You shrug. You're certain that all the other races probably would be a lot harder to control than a human. Not that you speak from experience in controlling races. Still, they might have extra arms or something; you really don't want to deal with alien physiology. You decide to pick human, having no other information on the topic.
Once your status screen was finished, the interface flickers over to the perks selection area.
Points Remaining: 4,190
Energy Manipulation: All living beings are born with the energy known as Ki; you're just unnaturally gifted at using and manipulating it. +25% Ki Control and regeneration. Create one Ki move at the start of the game. Gan an additional +1 to Energy Control per level. Cost: 1,000 points.
Third Eye: You were born with a third eye, opening your sight to the astral plane. You're capable of sensing energy at birth, given your unnatural form. In addition, you get +3 to Perception, though a -1 to Charisma, given your defect. You also gain +1 to Perception per level. Cost: 300 points.
Bookworm: You spent a lot of your time reading. How studious! All skills that require Intelligence receive a +15% bonus success rate. In addition, +5 to Intelligence, as well as an additional +1 to Intelligence per level. Cost: 750 points.
Athlete: You spent a lot of your time improving your physique. You gain +3 points in Strength, Agility, and Endurance, as well as an additional +1 points per level. Cost: 600 points.
Enhanced: You're not your typical human; at birth, you were subject to experimentation, granting you a +15 in Energy Control, as well as +50% Ki regeneration. However, you require maintenance every month to maintain your abilities. Cost: 1,500 points.
Prodigy: Some people are simply naturally gifted at what they do. You are one of those people. +25% to skill and technique gain, as well as being able to potentially use techniques and skills when you first see them if physically possible. Cost: 750 points.
Training Savant: You're really, really good at self improvement. +15% to S.P.E.C.I.A.L. gain during training. Cost: 500 points.
Lucky: You're in Lady Luck's good graces. Fortune seems to always follow you in whatever you do. +10% bonus success rate to anything attempted, depending on your current level, as well as +1 Luck per level. Cost: 1,000 points.
Silver Tongue: People tend to listen to you. You have a knack for getting people to do what you say. All skills that require Charisma receive a +15% bonus success rate. You also gain +5 Charisma, as well as +1 Charisma per level. Cost: 750 points.
Battle Hardened: You might not get as much out of it as Saiyans do, but you get your fair share of experience in battle. +0.3 additional Energy Control per serious battle you experience. (Note, a serious battle requires you to use a bare minimum of 50% of your full power.) In addition, sparring grants you +0.1 additional Energy Control. Cost: 500 points.
This is… a bit much to take in. You have a fair amount of perks to select from, but not much to purchase with. What's this "Energy Control" thing? Whatever it is, the interface seems to think that it's very important, given how expensive it is.
You can cross Enhanced off of the list immediately. Whatever it is, that maintenance cost sounds a bit too steep. That, and it's 1,500 points, so it's easily over a third of what you have on you.
Third Eye sounds interesting; what's "energy sensing," you wonder. Then again, you aren't too keen on the dip in Charisma. You don't even know how these stats will function in the game. You might get it if you have the points for it at the end.
Energy Manipulation has really caught your eye. You have no idea what Ki is, but having +25% to control and regeneration sounds really good to you. The price is a bit steep, but you assume that it's more than fair. You hope it's more than fair, because you're purchasing it regardless.
-1,000 points. 3,190 remaining.
Prodigy and Training Savant seem to be obvious choices; who could say no to getting better faster, after all?
-1,250 points. 1,940 remaining.
You aren't certain what Battle Hardened means, exactly. Then again, Energy Control sounds like something that would take a while to build up naturally. You didn't see it in your S.P.E.C.I.A.L. screen, after all. You also wonder what a Saiyan is and how much stronger they get per battle. It's probably irrelevant. Probably.
-500 points. 1,440 remaining.
Lastly, you get Lucky. Sure, you might not get extra stats in all but lucky per level, but the +10% success rate seemed too good to pass up.
-1000 points. 440 remaining.
Huh. Seems like you have enough points to get Third Eye. Ah well, you're certain it can come in handy.
-300 points. 140 remaining.
Confident in your selection, you will the interface to continue. It displays the next page, titled "Advanced Perks". You're about to lament spending those points before you realize that the currency required for these perks use "Perk Points", of which you have six. Seems like the extra perk point you earned earlier will come in handy here.
"Advanced Perks": Advanced perks are unique achievements that you can earn via adventuring, as well as enhanced using Perk Points that you obtain also through achievements and quests. You don't have too many for now, but that could change later! Input more points into a skill to increase the potency it has.
Perk Points: 6
Transformation? Who needs that?: A Human exclusive perk; the lack of transformations gives rise to increased base strength! Any time your opponent or opponents use a transformation that you can see, you gain +5 Energy Control. Cost: 1 Perk Point.
Advanced Regeneration: You're able to heal much faster than others. Gain additional HP per second based on current max HP. Cost: 1 Perk Point. Prerequisite, Athlete.
Advanced Ki Control: You're able to manipulate Ki more effective than others, causing your Ki abilities to become much more potent. Cost: 1 Perk Point. Prerequisite, Energy Manipulation.
Enhanced Lungs: Scream your little heart out! You're able to hold your breath a lot longer than others, as well as being able to hold a lot more air in your lungs. Multiple levels.
Level One: You can spend 30 minutes without oxygen. In addition, your metabolism increases due to your blood being able to hold more oxygen. You need less food and water to survive. In oxygen rich environments, you gain +1 stats to all except Luck.
Level Two: You are now capable of obtaining oxygen in any area that has it in some form. You can breathe underwater. Smoke and other gas-based attacks no longer affect you, as you're capable of scrubbing the oxygen from them, like a permanent gas mask. In addition, you can spend two hours without oxygen and only need a slight gasp to get the amount of energy you need; you no longer need to eat. In oxygen rich environments, you gain +5 stats to all except Luck.
Level Three: Your body is capable of generating oxygen in a closed loop on the inside of your body; you no longer need oxygen to survive! Without oxygen, you can go fifty years without any external sustenance such as food and water. In oxygen rich environments, you gain +15 to all stats except Luck.
Cost: Lv 1: 1 Perk Point. Lv 2: 3 Perk Points. Lv 3: 10 Perk Points. Prerequisite, ?
Numerical Sensing: Hard to gauge how strong people are? Use this to get the gist of how strong people are! Comes in multiple levels.
Level One: You get a vague sense on how strong someone is if they are within 10 levels of you. Averages to the largest whole number (i.e., Someone with a power level of 18,000 would read as 20,000). Any level beyond that and you simply know if they're stronger or weaker than you. This can be hidden if the person you attempt to sense is hiding their power level, however.
Level Two: Your senses become sharper, and you're able to sense people within 50 levels of you. The averages become more precise the closer they are to your level (i.e., Someone on your level would have their exact power level being read to you, whereas someone in the twenty range above or below you would read as a general amount, of their first and second whole number (a power level of 157,000 would read as 160,000)). In addition, you can also predict basic movements depending on energy fluctuations. Also, you're able to tell if someone's holding back, but not by how much.
Level Three: Your senses are heightened to the extreme; no one's safe from your energy sensing! You're able to sense someone's power to its exact amount, as well as knowing how much someone is holding back by. You can also see the fluctuations in their energy more accurately, being able to predict their moves far more efficiently than you could before. Additionally, you can tell if the person has transformations, although you're unable to tell how strong their transformation is.
Cost: Lv 1: 1 Perk Point. Lv 2: 3 Perk Points. Lv 3: 10 Perk Points. Bonus! Third Eye unlocks Level One for free!
You feel quite pleased with yourself, having decided previously to get Third Eye. A free perk is a free perk, after all.
Looking over your remaining choices, you decide to get everything you can afford; Transformation? Who needs that?, Advanced Regeneration, Advanced Ki Control, and Level Two of Numerical Sensing are under your belt. You suppose you could have saved one of the perk points for later, but you don't know how long it would take for you to unlock new perks, so it's best to make due with what you have, you suppose.
Good Job! You're almost done creating your experience, but now we have a question for you; how would you like your adventure to go?
Canon: Your adventure starts how the series would normally start, where you team up with the Z Warriors and go on great adventures!
Deviation: Don't like canon? No problem! There are tons of alternate timelines to choose from! (Cost: 1,000 points)
Well, considering how you don't have enough points to afford Deviation, you guess you're stuck with Canon. That would probably have been your choice regardless, as you don't even know the story you're getting into, much less the alternate worlds it proposes.
Wonderful! Now, when would you like to begin, and what will your age be?
Huh. Your starting age. You haven't really given much thought to it, if you're perfectly honest. You wonder if you can just skip your toddler years-
Warning: You may skip your toddler years up to being ten (10) years old, but you will be unable to collect achievements or experience during this time.
Well that simplifies things. You decide to forgo skipping your toddler years; points are a premium, if fifty-seven years only net you 5,190 of them. That, and from what you've seen of your kids RPG games, experience is a pain to grind. You also decide while you're here that you may as well start at the beginning; no need to overly complicate things.
Splendid! Generating Player Seed: Please Wait!
A loading bar appears, as your "game" begins loading. You then wonder; shouldn't the interface have given your emotions back? You distinctly remember them being disabled-
Seed Generated! Emotions re-enabled! Enjoy your adventure.
Suddenly you remember why it disabled your emotions, and the mounting stew of emotions inside you are unleashed. You worry about your family, you're enraged about the situation you're in, you feel slight vindication about your decision to enter a Gaming variation of Fantasy, maybe in an attempt to show this interface that you can walk the walk and talk the talk.
The interface seems to grow before your eyes, encompassing your entire field of view, before shining in dazzling colors. You don't want to feel impressed, not for whatever freak put you through this.
Though a part of you, one that you want to dismiss but is too loud to ignore, feels excited about this. You feel like this will be one hell of an adventure.
Status Window:
Level : 1
STR : 8. Going into more depth, Strength represents how physically strong you are. It increases your physical damage the higher it goes, as well as allows you to carry heavier loads and persist in higher levels of gravity. Training typically involves increasing strain on your muscles.
PERC : 9. Perception allows you to see, but not just in terms of sight. The higher perception you have, the easier things become to notice, such as variations in sounds, smells, and at higher levels, differences in air pressure. You can also use this in combat, by predicting where an opponent will go based on the subtle movements of their muscles and energy fluctuations. Meditation is a key factor in leveling this stat.
END : 6. Endurance controls how much damage you can take, and how much can be ignored completely. Someone with a low level in Endurance might not withstand the attacks you dish out, while you might not deal any damage to someone with a high level respectively. In addition, people with low endurance are prone to illness and have difficulty recovering. Increases in line with strength, but be sure to get your vitamins too!
CHAR : 5. Charisma is how well people perceive you. In social situations, a high Charisma allows you to convince people to do what you want; your influence in social situations typically depends on how people perceive you. In addition, at higher levels, lying and deception become easier to manage. In combat, a higher Charisma can have effects in intimidation or feints to fool your opponent and provide advantage. To increase this, work on your leadership skills and presentation, both on and off the battlefield.
INT : 9. Intelligence determines how quick you're able to solve problems. Someone with a high Intelligence score can be a genius, but it's application that shows where their "smarts" lie. Someone able to master techniques at a glance may have high battle Intelligence, but they might barely be capable of spelling their own name. In your case, Intelligence works in tandem with such things. Intelligence can be increased through solving incredibly difficult problems, such as a difficult puzzle or how to overcome an obstacle.
AGI : 6. Agility enables you to move and respond quickly. People with high Agility can react far faster than others, and move quicker than others can perceive. To you, the world would feel sluggish, your opponents movements so obvious that you could counter far before they even thought to begin to move. Agility is increased through strenuous movement and working on your reaction time. Increases in line with Perception and Strength.
LUCK : 6. Lady Luck tends to shine on you. People with high Luck are capable of miraculous feats, such as surviving an incurable disease or surviving a planet exploding. In your case, you also can deal Critical hits more often, as well as have attacks simply miss you on occasion. Luck increases through chance, such as winning a prize in a raffle contest.
Energy Control: How powerful you are. This changes based off of your current level, the fights you have had, and the current transformation/technique you're using. You gain one point per level, being Human, as well as one point due to your perk. You gain Energy Control via experience in battle; +0.3 per serious and +0.1 per normal spar, however your perk doubles this amount. In addition, you gain a +5 modifier depending on your opponents transformations, if they are using any. Current: 1
HP: How much damage you can take. Careful; when this runs out, you'll be knocked unconscious. If you lose more than twice your total HP, you die. Calculation: (STR + END) * Level * Energy Control Modifier * 10. Current: 140/140. Regeneration rate is currently 2% per minute, *10 when resting in a comfortable environment.
KI: How much energy you have stored for special maneuvers, such as ki attacks, flight, and ki enhanced abilities. When this runs out, you will begin to consume HP in order to sustain ki techniques, as it is essentially life energy. A strong body typically holds more energy. Calculation: (INT + END) * Level * Energy Control Modifier * 10. Current: 150/150. Regeneration rate is 1.5% per minute naturally, *10 when resting in a comfortable environment, *5 when charging your energy. This can be done when meditating.
Perks:
Energy Manipulation, Third Eye, Prodigy, Training Savant, Lucky, Battle Hardened.
Advanced Perks:
Transformation? Who needs that?, Advanced Ki Control, Numerical Sensing Level 2.
Power Level: Your power level determines how strong you are through a combination of your base Strength, base Energy, and your Energy Control. For the sake of convenience, your system will use Intelligence in place of Energy. Calculation: (STR + INT) * Level * Energy Control Modifier * 10. Current: 170. Warning: You will only be able to activate your full Power Level once you reach Ten (10) years of age, as to acclimate your body to change over time.
Thank you for your patience. Please, enjoy your game.
Good luck.