Solution: Random Anagramming

Answer: TAXABLE

Author: Dan Simon

Despite the scary title, this puzzle actually has a fairly straightforward concept. Caesar-shift some words by the letters of the given “shifts” converted to numbers via A = 1, Z = 26. This forms an almost-perfect-pangram that needs one more word to complete it. (Solvers are not given the order of the letters in this word, hence the puzzle title.)

After doing this for each of the 7 sections, solvers reach the final section, in which they note that all of their shifts together (as letters) form an almost-pangram (without shifting), which gives a new word. Using the letters of this new word as shifts for the words needed to complete pangrams from the previous sections (in section order), we get an almost-double pangram (as indicated by the 2×) that needs one more word to complete it; that word is the answer, TAXABLE, somewhat thematically given the theme of pangrams with stuff removed.

To assist solvers and let them confirm their work, all the words solvers have to construct (one per section, plus the final shifts and final answer) are clued obliquely in a section below the puzzle, with the clues given in alphabetical order (though the clue for the shifts is second-to-last and the clue for the answer, which is just “Your final answer,” is last). Note that which anagram some of the section words are are only disambiguated by this final list of words (for example, REIGNS could be SINGER or RESIGN, but only REIGNS fits “Rules.”). However, the only ? words where letter order matters are the final shifts and final answer, both of which are unambiguous, so this isn't too important.

We work through the puzzle (presenting all clue answers) below:

Learning (8) (STUDYING → WXYHCMRK, shift by 4)
D&D stat (6) (WISDOM → JVFQBZ, shift by 13)
Common city bird (6) (PIGEON → PIGEON, shift by 26)

Shifts: Area where, e.g., troops are forbidden (3) (DMZ = 4, 13, 26)

shift(word #1, shift #1) + shift(word #2, shift #2) + shift(word #3, shift #3) = A-Z - ? (? = A-Z - WXYHCMRKJVFQBZPIGEON = ADLSTU = ADULTS)

Stockpiled (6) (STORED → YZUXKJ, shift by 6)
[ (7) (BRACKET → NDMOWQF, shift by 12)
Magical girl's enemy, in the anime Puella Magi Madoka Magica (5) (WITCH → VHSBG, shift by 25)

Shifts: Move through the air (3) (FLY = 6, 12, 25)

shift(word #1, shift #1) + shift(word #2, shift #2) + shift(word #3, shift #3) = A-Z - ? (? = A-Z - YZUXKJNDMOWQFVHSBG = ACEILPRT = PARTICLE)

Business department (9) (MARKETING → CQHAUJYDW, shift by 16)
Forming groups, as in data analysis (10) (CLUSTERING → VENLMXKBGZ, shift by 19)

Shifts: Letter addendum, in brief (2) (PS = 16, 19)

shift(word #1, shift #1) + shift(word #2, shift #2) = A-Z - ? (? = A-Z - CQHAUJYDWVENLMXKBGZ = FIOPRST = PROFITS)

Fourth plus fifth? (6) (OCTAVE → YMDKFO, shift by 10)
Word before "goodness" or "you" (5) (THANK → CQJWT, shift by 9)
2 + 2 = 4 and a^2 + b^2 = c^2, for example (9) (EQUATIONS → LXBHAPVUZ, shift by 7)

Shifts: Dance (3) (JIG = 10, 9, 7)

shift(word #1, shift #1) + shift(word #2, shift #2) + shift(word #3, shift #3) = A-Z - ? (? = A-Z - YMDKFOCQJWTLXBHAPVUZ = EGINRS = REIGNS)

Type of snake that often has a hood (5) (COBRA → YKXNW, shift by 22)
Like One Piece's protagonist, among his brothers (8) (YOUNGEST → ZPVOHFTU, shift by 1)

Advice (7) (COUNSEL → AMSLQCJ, shift by 24)

Shifts: Disease preventer, in short (3) (VAX = 22, 1, 24)

shift(word #1, shift #1) + shift(word #2, shift #2) + shift(word #3, shift #3) = A-Z - ? (? = A-Z - YKXNWZPVOHFTUAMSLQCJ = BDEGIR = BRIDGE)

Vocabulary (7) (LEXICON → OHALFRQ, shift by 3)
Unsafe (9) (DANGEROUS → YVIBZMJPN, shift by 21)
Circle or sine wave, for example (5) (CURVE → EWTXG, shift by 2)

Shifts: Baby bear (3) (CUB = 3, 21, 2)

shift(word #1, shift #1) + shift(word #2, shift #2) + shift(word #3, shift #3) = A-Z - ? (? = A-Z - OHALFRQYVIBZMJPNEWTXG = CDKSU = DUCKS)

Song from Abbey Road (9) (SOMETHING → AWUMBPQVO, shift by 8)

Step-by-step methods (10) (ALGORITHMS → RCXFIZKYDJ, shift by 17)

Shifts: Where ops are directed from (2) (HQ = 8, 17)

shift(word #1, shift #1) + shift(word #2, shift #2) = A-Z - ? (? = A-Z - AWUMBPQVORCXFIZKYDJ = EGHLNST = LENGTHS)

Shifts: shifts #1 + shifts #2 + shifts #3 + shifts #4 + shifts #5 + shifts #6 + shifts #7 = A-Z - ? (? = A-Z - DMZFLYPSJIGVAXCUBHQ = EKNORTW = NETWORK = 14, 5, 20, 23, 15, 18, 11)

(ADULTS → ORIZHG, shift by 14; PARTICLE → UFWYNHQJ, shift by 5; PROFITS → JLIZCNM, shift by 20; REIGNS → OBFDKP, shift by 23; BRIDGE → QGXSVT, shift by 15; DUCKS → VMUCK, shift by 18; LENGTHS → WPYRESD, shift by 11)

Answer: shift(word #1, shift #1) + shift(word #2, shift #2) + shift(word #3, shift #3) + shift(word #4, shift #4) + shift(word #5, shift #5) + shift(word #6, shift #6) + shift(word #7, shift #7) = 2×(A-Z) - ?

(? = 2×(A-Z) - ORIZHGUFWYNHQJJLIZCNMOBFDKPQGXSVTVMUCKWPYRESD = AABELTX = TAXABLE)

? bank:

Birds (DUCKS)
Extents (LENGTHS)
Gains (PROFITS)
Many people (ADULTS)
Rules (REIGNS)
Structure (BRIDGE)
Tiny thing (PARTICLE)
Web (NETWORK)
Your final answer (TAXABLE)

Author’s Notes

This puzzle is somewhat inspired by the 2018 GPH puzzle Everything and More except I suppose it's instead Everything but Less. Of course, that's impractical to actually do without shifting (too few vowels), hence the shifting. I hope the do-it-again extraction was not too hard and enjoyable.