Doyle of course was watching as they fumbled around. More to the point, he made sure to ask Ally, 'Will them messing around with spatial magic cause any problems?'
Ally shrugs, 'Could it? Sure, anything possible with the right set up. Will? Almost certainly not.
'A big part of my assurance comes from the difference between your power and their magic. It is a little hard to package the concepts down into a few terms, but your abilities basically count as being a part of the landscape. That's why you get to also have location paths. You are a location, similar to how the planet they live on gently warps space with its mass.
'In fact, fooling around with spatial magic while in your territory is for the best. Now, being in your territory won’t stop fatal consequences from catching up to the caster. However, similar to how your territory stopped the fairy ring, your territory will dampen any spatial magic that escapes. So, instead of someone managing to turn everyone in the town inside out, only they suffer that fate and maybe any nearby helpers.'
Doyle nods, 'Fair enough. Though wouldn't the whole dampening thing make it harder for them in general? Same as what happened with the fairy ring?'
Ally, 'The fairy ring didn't work because while those fairies are called Fae, they're more like balls of fae attuned fluff. It is like how your world had so much trouble deciding if viruses were living or not.
'For any creature with an actual status, your territory can't stop them as it is. Sure, you can set rules in your dungeon to prevent stuff, but that is different. At most your territory might shorten the distance a spell can travel when disconnected from the caster.'
Doyle, 'Fair enough, now onto something else. I've had some idle chatter with her, but you've been the one talking to her the most. How do you feel the kobold boss is doing mentally?'
Ally shrugs, 'It is kind of hard to judge those sorts of things with dungeon monsters. After all, if she was a normal kobold, she would be insane by now. To die and revive, sometimes multiple times in a day? Normal beings aren't really set up for it.
'As a dungeon monster though, from the very start she has had certain revelations about reality that most lack. Stuff like being able to process pain as a signal and not something traumatic. She doesn't feel the sword chopping her arm off and lose herself over what that means to most beings on a primal level.
'After all, most humans would first have the idea that they just lost their arm permanently, hit them. Even if intellectually they know their healer can regrow the arm from nothing if needed or they have enough regeneration going on that it will grow back naturally. Sapient dungeon monsters on the other hand will instead have the idea that nothing done to them physically matters at the core of their beings.'
Doyle, 'I hadn't even considered that. Well, I guess that isn't entirely true. I had thought about it a little with the normal monsters, but figured it was brainwashing or some such.'
Ally shakes her head, 'Many people come to that conclusion. It is sort of unavoidable with how much control a dungeon has over its normal monsters. Though even that isn't really mind control. Well, at least it isn't if you don't consider programming a bot mind control.
'Anyway, the kobold boss and the myconid boss aren't going to see all that much emotional development, as it were, until you get them names. If you get them names.
'Even dungeons who have that ability already don't use it on every boss. Sometimes you need an animal boss or a mindless undead boss. Not to say that naming stuff magically makes them into people.
'Give your kobold enough time and she will become a full fledged person and not just some caricature or trope. Though that isn't really fair, I guess. They aren't really less people now? It is just that they're more on the level of young children except without most of the childishness.'
Doyle sighs, 'I had noticed that. Though I have to ask, why would using the naming function change that?'
Ally shrugs, 'Asks the person with a skill based around concepts. While there isn't anything like the whole "true name" magic your world played around with for a bit. Having a name or knowing someone's name does have some power to it. As an example, it is a lot harder to put a curse on someone if you don't know their name.
'Though for normal beings outside of a dungeon, names are a lot more loose and personal. Knowing a person's given name means nothing if they don't accept that name. Also, people aren't restricted to a single name.
'That last one tends to trip people up who are trying to avoid curses or similar. If you use something as your name and accept it, the name works just as well as the name they use normally. So someone trying to hide their identity by giving a name like "John Smith" will be out of luck if they use it enough that they accept being called by it.
'This is why anonymous groups end up with everyone being called something really edgy. Stuff like "The Dark Lord" or "Savior". By having a generic enough name that in their language can't be a name, they automatically distances themselves from the moniker. Your world's superhero genre has a bunch of good examples of this sort of naming scheme.'
Doyle nods, 'That makes some sense. Now why do I need something special to name my monsters and why would it make my bosses more mature?'
Ally coughs, 'Sorry, got a little carried away. Names are a bit important to the Fae so I know a good bit about the subject. Anyway, the reason as a dungeon you need something special to name your monsters is because they are designed to inherently not maintain an identity.
'It's not "the goat in the first room", it is "there is a goat in the first room". This is more obvious for you since you're farming the replacements instead of spawning them in. However, it even goes as far as the bosses themselves.
'Though I must admit, you've sort of broken that with the kobold. Normally the boss would spawn in with all kinds of minor differences. Stuff like being a different shade of color, random spike patterns, you name it. You, on the other hand, have gone and made the kobold boss an individual.
'However, you're still fighting against the natural state of a dungeon. The name function is something that normally only develops in a dungeon once the people delving it have put enough conceptual reinforcement behind some monster's identity. Doing so actually diverts some of the world energy towards the feature until it naturally unlocks and then gets applied to the monsters.'
Doyle nods again, 'That does make some sense. Though I guess I will have to be careful about monsters gaining names naturally. Still doesn't explain what is up with the bosses though!'
Ally smiles awkwardly, 'There, erm. There just isn't really a good explanation? Like, I have the info right from the system that names stabilize a sapient dungeon monster's personality. It just doesn't explain why.'
Doyle rolls to the side, 'Fair enough, though you don't have to give me the run around. We've been getting along pretty well as of late, though in a more hands off sort of way. I understand you don't know everything. On the other hand, I also know some stuff of my own, so don't be afraid to ask if you have questions.
'For instance, with this particular bit. If I had to guess what is happening, while the souls and memories are the same, the brain or equivalent is likely in just as much flux as stuff like coloration. So like a kid, their mind is always changing. Adding a name sounds like it stabilizes their form and thus their mind.'
Ally nods, 'That would make some sense.'
Doyle laughs, 'Though it is only a guess. Could also be that the name gives them a concept to build upon outside of "dungeon monster". Not really much idea of stable person behind that title.
'Anyway, since we are on the topic of bosses, what is taking Ace and company so long in getting to my second boss? They had gotten so far and yet suddenly seemed to stall out.'
Ally shrugs, 'You gave them a spook with those psychic sunflowers of yours. If I'm not judging things too badly, Jim's team should be able to make it to the boss and Ace's team can at least make it to the boss floor.
'As it is though, they've decided to improve their foundation, going for more of a pyramid of power instead of a tower. Oh, and your world is stupid amounts of psychically charged. Like, generally to have this many talents develop requires a race devoted to psychic power.'
Doyle tilts to the side, 'What do you mean?'
Ally laughs, 'I think your world's variety of human all have the potential to develop psychic powers. Of course not everyone will, but even those who don't will develop psychic mental defenses. Do you know how hard that is? Thɪs chapter is updated by novel⁂fire.net
'Most people have to settle for magic based defenses or similar. Not that the power used to make the defense makes it any stronger or weaker in theory. However, psychic power is its own resource. That means a mage with psychic mind shielding can throw around fireballs until they're empty and still be protected.
'So yeah, both Ace and Jim have developed such a defense and others will likely gain it soon enough. Also, one of the other core members, Dan, has already developed a psychic power. That of a self buff.
'It is the really annoying type as well. He doesn't just give a flat bonus to his Strength or some such. No, the more he believes in a certain aspect of himself, the more that aspect is buffed. So seeing as he decided on the name "Dan TheMan" I'm predicting he will be a bit of a powerhouse.'
Doyle nods, 'A buff based on how much they believe in themselves could be really dangerous. And I'm assuming this also comes with quite a sturdy mental defense as well?'
Ally, 'Eh, in a sense? The more he develops a persona, the more solid that persona will become. So say he decides to play the role of some honorable muscle man. The more into the role he gets, the harder it will be for someone to try and alter that.
'A good example of this is someone trying to trick him with illusions. Someone tries to make a friend look like an enemy? Dan the honorable would never attack a friend and so he is going to see through the illusion on "instinct" alone.'
Doyle, 'So on the other hand, if he decided he was a muscle brain, it would instead make him weaker to those types of manipulations?'
Ally, 'Very much so. However, Ace seems to have sussed out Dan's power and given him guidance on the matter. Not directly of course, since that type of power also suffers from major performance anxiety. The whole "Am I really this good" thought worm, except by doubting yourself with that power, you are literally weakening yourself.
'Instead, Ace has basically written up a face powerset for the guy and convinced him of it. Honestly it is a brilliant piece of brainwashing. By convincing Dan that he knew what he was talking about, Ace was able to reinforce Dan's belief in him.
'Though Ace is still taking it slow. He basically wrote up a pretty nice slow growth talent and convinced Dan that it was what he had. Give the kid a few thousand years and he'll be able to punch out a good after out thinking them.
'I of course suspect this will only be able to work for a relatively short period of time. After all, for all the behind the scenes evil planning Ace has done. He is overall a decent person. So, instead of convincing Dan he was a muscle brain and Ace knew best, he instilled Dan with a belief that he was also growing mentally and spiritually.'