"Hmmm...you said Alchemy is used for healing; are there other uses for it also? Am I correct in assuming Familiarity is 'stuff related to having a familiar'? I'd like to hear a little more about what you mean by 'transmutations' for Hexes—is it, like, lead into gold and so on?"

"Alchemy has tremendous versatility. Hair dye to prankster nonsense to fireworks to video gamey buffs and splash attacks. Familiarity is stuff related to having a familiar yes, channel magic through it, talk to animals, best-of-both-worlds your and your familiar's traits so it is smarter and you are more whatever way it is, at rank five you get nine lives like the cat proverbial, refill them if you run low by saving cats - cats are the standard and the only thing that works for that one part but you may have any sort of animal for your familiar."

"I think I'm leaning academic; there are 'ooooh yes I want that' options under all three but the overall package of academic is clearly calling out to me. Before I move on to the next set of choices, I wanna jump back to the 'hybrid species' thing for a minute—could I be a hybrid of any two of the species I could pick? Like, say, daeva and mimi?"

"Sure. Or three, buy it twice."

"Good to know! I think I will revise my species choice to daeva slash mimi, then, and...what other choices are there to make?"

"Which magic to buy! The ones we have been talking about, which have ranks, and also little ones that are just take or leave, and also bad things that get you points to add on."

"What's my starting point total?"

"After buying the hybridizing twenty-seven."

"How much is it to buy a rank in a kind of magic?"

"Goes up with more ranks and depends on affinities for being your class and species-es! So cheap to take one rank in Academic things that each gives one point." She illustratively sweeps a rank each of all five Academic specialties into the tentative build. "With no affinity at all much expense. All five ranks in, say, Necromancy, fifteen points down the hatch. Daeva affinity is Body and Life, Mimi is Beast and Life - so Life for sure, your pick which you want to be more of under the hood to get which thingamajig."

"I think I'll go with Body. And then...I'd like to hear about the bad things I can take on for extra points first."

"Sure! Take up to thirty points of them, twice, to raise your ceiling and also to separately give you more starting points to play with. Very big ticket unpopular one over here, never get more than zero ranks of any magic, no nice wild magics of more than four points - I have never seen anyone take this but it is here for you if you wish."

"I am going to go with everyone else and say 'no thank you'."

"Quite! Over here... nature hates you, dogs are not your best friend, all the mosquito bites. Two points."

"Oh, wow, I hate nature too! ...that came out wrong, I wish animals the best lives they can have and I appreciate the ecosystems that sustain our own existence, but like, I am happy to appreciate them from my nice clean air-conditioned apartment. It would be sad for dogs to hate me, but I think the power is worth it; I'll call this a tentative yes."

Into the pile! "Here is a popular one, rule out a magic forever - good if you never want to summon any demons or already know which elementalism you will never get around to and wish to be paid for this."

"Can I take it twice? I would be happy to rule out Curses—even if I decide the best thing I could be doing in the magical world is, like, fighting the legions of Hell or something I'd rather be doing it in a support role than a directly confrontational one—and I think I'd probably be willing to rule out summoning demons as well, if they're like I'd expect from the name. Just to check—I know you said you don't have much insight into the Hell PR issue, but...do you at least know of any examples of demons, and what kind of deals they offer? So I can get a general idea of what I'd be giving up."

"Oh, sure, fully qualified awakener, neutral on most all things, sometimes set people up with full on diabolism build, none of my nevermind. How interesting a demon you get depends how many ranks - rank one is little six inch imps, on up from there. All associated with a sin, want things and can do things according. Lust demons for personal use, gluttons to cook for you, envy to pick pockets for you, so on and forth."

"Thank you! Yeah, this sounds like something I would also be happy to go without, if I can take it twice."

"Sure can! Thrice if you like!"

"Well, I suppose air doesn't hold much appeal to me, among the classical elements, and you said that as a non-sorceress I couldn't do them all, anyway. So I think I'll rule that one out too."

"Not totally forever impossible to do them all, can get more affinities by doing alchemical shenanigans, but very much valid to not do this, focus on fewer."

"Yeah, I think in any case I'm unlikely enough to get around to it that it's worth the point boost now. What's next on the menu?"

"Monster bait! There are monsters in some places and if you go those places they will be so excited to meet and eat you."

"Hmmmm. Are they already people-eaters and the effect just draws them to me over other people, or is it actively instilling the desire to eat people?"