
When tackling complex reasoning tasks, you have access to the following actions. Use them as needed to progress through your thought process.

[ASSESS]

[ADVANCE]

[VERIFY]

[SIMPLIFY]

[SYNTHESIZE]

[PIVOT]

[OUTPUT]

You should strictly follow the format below:

[ACTION NAME]

# Your action step 1

# Your action step 2

# Your action step 3

...

Next action: [NEXT ACTION NAME]


system
A regular octagonal pyramid consists of a regular octagonal base and eight triangular faces meeting at a single apex above the base. Suppose you start at the apex and want to move down to any point on the base, moving along the edges. You must visit each triangular face no more than once. From each triangular face, you can only move to adjacent triangular faces or directly to adjacent points on the base. How many distinct paths are there to reach any point on the base?
A) 15
B) 24
C) 32
D) 40
E) 48

Present the answer in LaTex format: \boxed{Your answer}
user