#sir aran wants to be a game designer

[siraranispleased]

Fire Emblem Elibe - Skills

Or: “How I Would’ve Handed Out Jugdral/Tellius/Modern Style Skills.”

There were enough Skills to go around that I could assign two characters to a skill for both the FE6 and FE7 parts of the game, including new characters. The only exceptions were Merlinus, Nils, Ninian, Lalum, and Elphin; as strict utility characters, they didn’t get Skills. Otherwise, it would’ve been Miracle or Bargain for all of them.

I’ll also do a refresher on what each of the skills were and who I would’ve assigned them to. Some of the assignments are very much themed, and some are explicitly for shoring up statistical weaknesses of the character in question.

Adept - Skill% to perform an immediate followup attack. FE6: Hugh, Niime. FE7: Wil, Dorcas.

Awareness - Negates the enemy’s combat related skills. FE6: Klein, Sue. FE7: Rath, Pent.

Blossom - +10% to all Growth Rates. FE6: Chad, Dorothy. FE7: Available through Afa’s Drops.

Cancel - Skill% to negate the enemy’s next attack. FE6: Melady, Allen. FE7: Bauker, Harken.

Charisma - Allies within 3 spaces gain +15% to Hit and +10% Evade. FE6: Roy, Echidna. FE7: Eliwood, Priscilla.

Counter- Skill% to instantly deal half the damage you just took to the enemy. FE6: Dieck, Wade. FE7: Isadora, Hawkeye.

Daunt - Enemies within 3 spaces lose -10% to Hit and -10% to Evade. FE6: Gonzales, Rutger. FE7: Raven, Vaida.

Discipline - Gain Weapon Ranks at twice the rate. FE6: Lance, Lugh. FE7: Kent, Erk.

Fortune - Enemies can’t land critical hits on this unit. FE6: Saul, Fae. FE7: Nino, Jan.

Gamble - Activated ability. -20% to Hit, +15% to Crit. FE6: Wolt, Geese. FE7: Rebecca, Geitz.

Guard - Activated ability, take damage for one adjacent ally. FE6: Zealot, Barth. FE7: Available through Bonus Scrolls.

Imbue - At the start of the player phase, restore Health equal to 25% Might. FE6: Fir, Dayan. FE7: Guy, Karla.

Initiative - +20% to Hit and +10% Evade on attacks personally initiated. FE6: Shin, Lilina. FE7: Hector, Canas.

Miracle - Luck% to survive fatal damage with 1 HP. FE6: Cecilia, Ellen. FE7: Serra, Ursula.

Nullify - This unit doesn’t take Effective Damage. FE6: Bors, Gale. FE7: Wallace, Lowen.

Paragon - Doubled experience gain. FE6: Clarine. Noah. FE7: Eleanora, Louise.

Pass - Move through enemy units. FE6: Cath, Shanna. FE7: Matthew, Legault.

Provoke - Enemies more likely to attack this unit. FE6: Bartre, Percival. FE7: Sain, Bartre (again).

Reflex - +20% to Hit and +10% Evade on attacks during the enemy phase. FE6: Guinevere, Raigh. FE7: Lyn, Florina.

Renewal - At the start of the player phase, restore 30% Max Health. FE6: Yodel, Treck. FE7: Renault, Athos.

Resolve - When at 30% HP or less, +50% Skill and Speed. FE6: Wendy, Douglas. FE7: Oswin, Heath.

Saviour - Negates the stat penalty while Rescuing. FE6: Marcus, Juno. FE7: Marcus (again), Fiora.

Stillness - Enemies won’t target this unit unless they’re the only valid target. FE6: Sophia, Igrene. FE7: Lucius, Jaffar.

Vantage - Take the first attack during the enemy phase while at 50% Health or less. FE6: Ashtol, Karel. FE7: Karel (again), Leila.

Weapon Saver - (Luck x 2)% to not use up Weapon Quality on hit. FE6: Oujay, Thea. FE7: Available through Bonus Scrolls.

Wrath - +25% to Critical Hits when at 50% Health or less. FE6: Garret, Zeiss. FE7: Dart, Farina.

Would I have done Personal Skills? Maybe...maybe not. Did you see how large the FE6 cast list is? I’d have to borrow so much from Fates!

[siraranispleased]

Fire Emblem Elibe - Final Battle

One thing I really would’ve wanted to do, and one thing I really hope they do in a potential remake, maybe even the regular games going forward, is have a little extension to the final battle final sound off the characters do, that last quote before the battle starts. This time, if you bring two Support Partners to the final battle, and they have max support, they have an additional option to talk with each other during the fight, either for one last bit of character development, or maybe even a minor, temporary stat boost.

So far, I had in mind the following pairs and what they’d talk about...

Lyn and Hector - In a remake of their Hector Mode talk, instead of Lyn pulling the whole “He will not cry so I’ll cry for him” schtick with Hector over Uther, Lyn realizes that Hector’s barely keeping himself together for Eliwood’s sake, and encourages him to be strong just a little bit longer, promising that she’ll mourn with him once they get back to Ostia. After she leaves, Hector notices he’s actually shed some tears over Uther, and promises, “When this is over, I’ll cry so much I’ll flood the Ostian Rivers. For now...I hope these two tears are enough, Uther.”

Florina and “Ninian” - If you got Florina and Ninian to A Support, and bring these two into the final battle, Nils will talk with Florina, let her know just how special she was to Ninian, and to him. Florina’s heart breaks a little, but it also gives her the strength to fight on.

Lyn and Florina - Florina tells Lyn to stay behind her, promising she’ll give Lyn all the space she needs to make use of Mulgries. Lyn reflects once more on how much Florina has grown, and agrees, telling Florina if she can buy Lyn enough time, she’ll shoot down all their foes.

Serra and Leila - Leila speaks to herself and the morphs, about to boast how she’s already on borrowed time, and isn’t afraid to die...before Serra stops her, insisting that, even if Leila’s not long for the world, she shouldn’t throw her remaining life away again, pouting and threatening that if Leila dies here, she’ll never forgive her. Leila laughs and promises she’ll survive this, for Serra.

Eliwood and Nils - This one’s short and sweet. The two quietly reflect. “For Ninian?” “For Ninian.”

[siraranispleased]

Fire Emblem Elibe - Character Updates

Just as a reminder, this was for a personal project I thought about doing, did some planning for, but, in the end, it looks like I might never actually get around to it or do it in a way that does it justice, certainly not before any theoretical, official remake of FE6 and/or 7 were to come out.

So, in addition to the 7 characters who would’ve risen to Playable status, there were a bunch of smaller changes planned for the playable characters already in the game. And I’m not talking statistical changes (although there was plenty of that. For example, Hawkeye would’ve gotten a Buff by being set to Level 1 instead of Level 4, but with the same stats, allowing him more room to grow).

These were changes to their personal stories, either during the main game itself, or during their supports.

Kent and Sain would’ve gotten the Shadows of Valentia treatment, and risen to reoccurring characters throughout Eliwood’s story once the Lyndis Legion joined the team, alongside Marcus and Oswin. Kent would continue to provide exposition and colour commentary along with Sain, who would also be doing his usual schtick and help provide comic relief. Kent would get supports with Pent and Dorcas, continuing with his pleasant and professional, if rigid, demeanour by bonding with like minded individuals. Sain, meanwhile, would get supports with Florina and Ursula, but unlike with his other female supports, these would be of a much more friendly, tame, and innocent nature. Sain’s not actually looking to woo them, but be friends with them in his special way, bonding with Florina over theater, and, in a similar vein to his Serra support, giving Ursula a chance to regain her confidence and composure after splitting from the Fang has her shook, by letting her act like he’s her trusted lackey.

Florina and Wil would have also gotten a bit more presence in Eliwood’s story past their introduction, Florina more-so, and have also gotten a Support together, also strictly platonic. Despite Wil being an archer and a guy, both of which would normally make Florina very nervous, like she was when they first met, after a year Florina doesn’t see Wil as either of those things: she just sees him as Wil. As such, they get to just chat and bond over Wil’s plan to bring more travelers and business to Ryerde (as a reminder, instead of freshly-made-up Caelin, Lyn was the long lost scion of name-dropped-but-never-utilized-Ryerde)

Lyn would have gotten a massive update to her character, with a focus on her failures. Her failure to adapt to her new life as a noblewoman, but, more chiefly, her failure to let go of her grief and her anger. Between an update to her Wallace support and a new Lucius support, Lyn would either be forced to realize, or come to her own realization, that the anger and drive for revenge that once kept her alive out on the plains has started to poison her, and those thoughts don’t bring her strength anymore, but pain, and she has to find a way to let it go. Also, her Florina support would be changed to include Lyn’s realization of another failure: to change, realizing that Florina, her childhood friend, is actually all grown up and a fine young woman, while she herself has remained stagnant and unable to grow. Finally, of course, there was the plan for her to gain the Mulgries as her signature weapon before the final battle, and the Mani Katti to become her father’s sword rather than a sacred relic of the Sacaeans, with an additional Rebecca support showing Lyn practicing archery with her.

Rebecca would have also gotten an additional support with Eliwood, establishing a relationship close enough and friendly enough that Rebecca would become Roy’s milk mother, and perhaps Eliwood’s confidant after the passing of his wife before the start of the FE6 portion of the game.

Serra’s new supports with Priscilla, Farina, and especially Leila, would’ve played with the “reveal” in Lucius’s support that Serra doesn’t get along with girls prettier than her: she actually gets along spectacularly with those three. She even thinks they’re all cute, just not as cute as her. Lucius is just that amazing. Her Matthew support would’ve also been dropped; Serra would instead support with Lyn, which I scripted out for @darkflierliesel / @scarlet-riot‘s birthday, yesterday. Matthew, in turn, would have gotten a new support with Raven, as well as Leila and Heath.

Hector would get a revamped support with Florina; instead of having all three focused on Florina’s anxiety around approaching him to thank him for catching her when she fell when they first met, she only spends their C support being a nervous wreck, thanking him in their B, and the two genuinely connecting during their A. Hector also would’ve gotten a new support with Hawkeye, impressed with and wishing to challenge (wrassle) the Guardian, before learning of Arcadia and other wisdoms Hawkeye can teach. Finally, he’d get two new supports with Leila, getting the chance to thank her for her service and friendship one last time, and Bauker, learning more about Laus and the other noble houses of Lycia before accepting his responsibilities as a leader.

On top of his new support with Rebecca, and his obvious support with his mother, Eleanora, Eliwood would get one more new support with Louise, as would Eleanora. Louise would be revealed as a family friend, particularly to Eleanora, and Louies would remark on how much Eliwood reminds her of both Elbert and Eleanora.

Finally, as far as major character/support plans I had, Renault and Karla would’ve joined the party a little earlier, in Chapter 29. After Ninian’s death, as everyone’s in shock and mourning, Renault would arrive as a wandering bishop to put her to rest, Karla traveling with him as a guard. Seeing the Morphs suddenly attacking and speaking of “Lord Nergal,” Renault wishes to come along, Karla continuing to come with. They’d also get a new support with each other, where Karla also realizes Renault’s past as a mercenary and a scoundrel. Out of respect she doesn’t pry, but she does relate it to her own life and to Karel’s.

[siraranispleased]

Fire Emblem Elibe - New Hidden Characters

Continuing on from the New Characters who joined automatically (or, in Bauker’s case, somewhat telegraphed recruitment requirements), there were also plans for three other characters to be promoted to playable (in the main game), albeit with more challenging or arcane requirements to recruit them. Two of these were for the FE7 side of the story, one of these was for the FE6 side, all of them are late-game units, and ones I wanted to keep the most held back for a surprise, but, since the projects probably not going to actually ever be a thing, anyway, might as well share those plans I had.

Careful, folks, under the cut, this gets pretty long.

Ursula

Recap/Summary: One of the Four Fangs, and technically the first one whose presence is felt. While perhaps the least “sympathetic” of the Fangs, Ursula still had a tragic quality both in the text and the subtext, between a manipulative, no doubt unrequited and exploitative relationship with Sonia, and the understanding that, Jaffar aside, the Fang used to be a noble if anti-heroic organization before Nergal and Sonia corrupted it, and Ursula was already one of the Four Fangs before they joined. Frankly, I just wanted to give her a chance.

Recruitment: Which is ironic to say given what you have to do to recruit her. First, talk to her in Chapter 26...with Nino. If you can somehow get Nino through the fog of war and Bolting, Nino will ask Ursula why they even had to kill Prince Zephiel in the first place...and keep asking her when each answer doesn’t satisfy her, until Ursula’s cool facade cracks and she admits that she doesn’t know, either, and has her own concerns. She doesn’t technically join the party, yet, but this does unlock 26x as well, and Ursula joins Nino and Jaffar in confronting Sonia, to which Sonia shows disappointment and casts Ursula aside. With lingering affection for Sonia holding her back, Ursula still only joins the fight as an allied NPC who otherwise doesn’t move. If she survives the Chapter, she finally joins as a playable character.

Gameplay: If you never recruited or used Priscilla that much, Ursula proves an alternative for your Mounted Magic User needs, especially given her very high Weapon Ranks compared to freshly promoted Priscilla. Her stats might pale a little bit in comparison, but Ursula would prove a very solid end game unit.

Supports: Ursula could support with the following characters: Vaida, Nino, Legault, Priscilla, Sain, Jaffar, Rath, Leila, and Karla. A lot of these supports would touch on a lot of tragic feelings: Ursula would’ve been resentful of Legault for being able to walk away from the Black Fangs despite being a founding member; Ursula would join Nino in mourning Lloyd, Linus, and Brendan; and talks with Rath and Karla would let her know more about Sacae, and of Uhai, another former member of the Fang. Priscilla and Sain would be somewhat of a bright spot, taking Priscilla on as an apprentice of her own without the manipulative relationship Sonia had with her, and Sain would continue to do his thing of helping his female partner forget her worries (she quickly makes it clear that no amount of flirting will actually woo her to him, but she appreciates his jovial company). With Vaida, Ursula is at first bitter to swallow her pride and apologize to her former “rival,” and though Ursula at first mocks her, she takes pity on her in their A Support, and offers for Ursula to ride with her in support of Zephiel, if it’d give her new purpose. In most of her endings, Ursula goes into hiding, living out her days in obscurity, continuing to pursue her knowledge of magic and history. In a paired ending with Nino, she even offers the girl a place to lie low until she can go back for her family after the events of FE6. However, if Ursula pairs with Vaida, she instead joins her as Zephiel’s “shadow,” and shows up with Vaida as an unnamed bonus boss during the fight in Chapter 22 of FE6.

Leila

Recap/Summary: This one was tricky. I mean, I always intended to have Leila become a playable character; she was too cool and had just the perfect potential Serra support not to promote to playable. The quandary was: what about her death in Chapter 18? I was really inclined to just dump it, since you didn’t need more of a reason to despise Ephidel, and the man-pain it brought Matthew and Hector was rote, less-so with Matthew, but, still, could’ve easily been dropped... But there was what it brought to Jaffar. The emotionally void Angel of Death, when he finally starts to become human, is confronted by the lover of one of his victims, repercussions of his deeds come back seeking revenge, and confronting him with the weight of his past. Entirely for what it does with Jaffar, that support works, and thus, Leila’s death works...but it can still work with her recruitment.

Recruitment: At the end of Chapter 27, after defeating Linus or Lloyd, and the last remnants of the Black Fang, Eliwood and co meet with Bramimond, the Enigma, the Legendary Hero who lost their soul and their identity to the Dark. To unlock Leila as a character, you’ll need to have deployed Matthew, Canas, and Pent during Chapter 27, and all three of them must have gotten at least one kill, each. So long as you’ve been using all three of them, there’s more than enough enemies to meet that bar, but the key word is using. Once you meet that requirement, during the meeting with Bramimond, a bonus scene plays out, where Canas and Pent seek to find out just why Apocalypse stole Bramimond’s soul while the other Legendary Weapons didn’t, to which Bramimond reveals that Apocalypse wasn’t the ultimate power of Dark Magic, but Oum. The magic of resurrection, which Bramimond was able to achieve. Hearing this, Hector immediately suggests using it to revive Elbert, but Bramimond explains that those whose Quintessence were drained and stolen could not be brought back. But Leila wasn’t; Matthew steps forward and pleads with Bramimond to bring her back. Bramimond tries, but, without her body present, and without using all their power for fear of their body deteriorating to nothing, Leila is brought back to life on borrowed time, doomed to pass on within a year’s time. Deciding to make the most of it, Leila joins the team to defeat Nergal. This also sets up just how Bramimond was able to completely resurrect Ninian, why that seemed to kill Bramimond, and why Ninian’s human life span was cut so short afterwards.

Gameplay: Like Jaffar, if you’ve been using Matthew and Legault strictly for their utility and not actually putting them in battle, Leila can function as a more combat oriented Assassin, and is, along with Jaffar, the most statistically capable of that class with the Strength, Skill and Speed to back it up. Using the absolutely bonkers stat growths hidden in the FE7 data, Leila would’ve just been insane, “held back” only by her “low” for an Assassin speed of “just” 26. She was, next to Athos, the “treat” character. You jumped those hoops, you have fun.

Supports: Leila would’ve supported with the following characters: Matthew, Hector, Serra, Jaffar, Raven, Guy, Karla, Ursula, and Bauker. Like with Ursula, Leila’s supports would have been on the more sad side of things, albeit presented with a stiff upper lip and attempt to be chipper. Her supports with Matthew, Hector, and especially Serra are her last chance to connect with and bond with her friends and loved ones before she dies for good, although Serra insists that, just because Leila’s on borrowed time, she not actually throw her new life away without fear, otherwise she’d never forgive you and “won’t eulogize your funeral.” With her past as a spy, Leila is able to confront Raven and help bring clarity and understanding as to what happened with his noble house, and impress on and convince Bauker to turn his talents to field intelligence rather than be strictly a soldier. She also gets a chance to forgive Jaffar, or, rather, allow him to make amends and wish him well on his journey of humanity. In her ending, Leila eventually settles down and just enjoys a quiet life before passing away peacefully. In a paired ending with Matthew, they have just enough time to sire a daughter, to carry on Leila’s memory after she’s gone.

Gale

Recap/Summary: The true Third Dragon General of Bern, made official after the death of Narcian, Gale is a noble, if grim, knight, ever true to Bern, whose only crime was committing to Zephiel and Murdock as much as his lover, Melady, committed to Guinevere. Though bearing no true ill will to Roy, Melady, or Zeiss, and indeed encouraging them to remain true to their convictions just as he does to his own. But does he really have to throw his life away for “honour?”

Recruitment: First, talk to him in Chapter 21 with Melady, the one time he shows any sort of hesitation in his conviction. Then, talk to him with Roy, which will prompt Guinevere to take the field and speak with Gale, herself, impressing on Gale just why Melady chose her instead of all of Bern. Realizing that, even though they’ve treated him personally well, Murdock and Zephiel aren’t best for Bern anymore, and wouldn’t have been exclusive in giving a lowly foreign-born like him a chance, Gale leads his squadron off the field, giving you room to breathe. So long as you quickly defeat Murdock afterwards, Gale will join the party at the end of the chapter.

Gameplay: Already a famed Dragon General and master knight, Gale serves as a sort of Physical version of Niime, the Hermit of the Mountain. He’s already got serviceable, boss-worthy stats, and has pretty much hit his ceiling, he doesn’t have much more room to grow after that, maybe a point in Luck or Defense, some complimentary HP bumps on his last two levels.

Supports: Gale would’ve supported with the following characters: Melady, Guinevere, Zeiss, Perceval, and Fae. Able to repair the rift between him and the other two wyvern riders, Gale would’ve been able to atone for his stubbornness and pride, and continue to act as support and guidance for the two promising knights. But the real meat of his supports would’ve been his chance to meet Fae, the divine dragon, and the youth of dragonkind, to see who Zephiel would’ve turned the world over to, and espousing some truth in Zephiel’s ideals, stripped away of all the bitterness and betrayal Zephiel himself went through that muddled and soured his outlook. In his ending, Gale would have voluntarily stepped down from his rank of Dragon General, serving as a humble rank-and-file captain in the standing army under Guinevere, out of respect for his new queen, and his initial opposing affiliation.

[siraranispleased]

I'm going to take another look into my writing/thought process, and share an anecdote of how a spur of the moment, musical decision forever shaped one of my OC's, essentially filling in the missing piece that made them multi-dimensional.

So, one year, my last summer in Vancovuer before going to Victoria, I attended an anime convention (Anime Revolution). And this one, weekend long event was Anime Idol, where people competed in singing competitions with the stipulation that the songs had to be in Japanese. (Also, since professional singers were judges, they were...fair, but strict, to the surprise of the host). So, the final day comes, we're into our finals, and this woman goes up and sings. And it was beautiful, she sounded great, and the song immediately touched me, even though I couldn't understand a word of it outside of the gratuitous English. I even expressed to her that her performance was my favourite and she sang beautifully (she ended up getting runner up, third place, something like that). So, a few months later, I'm in Victoria, I've settled in, even got my new computer all set up. And, in a spur of the moment, I decide to look up that song, because I had decided it will be adopted as the sort of image song to my OC, Nami.

The song was “Hello/How Are You?” If you've never heard the song before, I suggest you give it a try, but, spoilers, a) It's Vocaloid-esque, and b) Despite the bouncy music and the pleasant voice, it is a very sad song about living in a grayscale, motivationless depression. After my sobs got out of the way, I was taken aback by the actual meaning of the song, and I kind of felt a little silly. But then, something happened. I listened to it again (because I'm the type to listen to a new-to-me song on repeat several times), and when I got to the bridge to the final chorus, "(Thank you), From the bottom of my heart, I want to say Thank You." Maybe in the song, it was about loneliness and just wanting SOMETHING or SOMEONE to be thankful for, but, I still linked it back to Nami...and I was just off from writing about my Fire Emblem: The Black Seal project. And so, in that instant, I create a small background story that has absolutely nothing to do with the song: I introduce a past life/reincarnation plot.

For the majority of the song, Nami is living with depression, holed up away from the world, a hermit life in the heart of the village. But then, one day, she hears a voice in her head, her heart, her very soul, faintly saying "Thank you." She realizes that, for some reason, she has to say "thank you" to...someone. It motivates her to seek out answers. She learns about the concept of past lives, and meditates deep into her own to find that she's the reincarnation of Princess Nyna from the Akaneia timeline. As well, her mentors help her through her depression, and she comes out the other end wiser, perkier, happier. She finds inner peace and enlightenment, becoming a Bodhisattva figure, seeking to bring this peace to others (her main efforts going towards Rosin, Miho, and/or Agravain in Black Seal).

Also, the big reveal about Nyna's "Thank you," because I'm completely self-indulgent how cares deeply about my faves, is that she wants/needs to say thank you to Prince Hardin, for giving her sanctuary while she was in exile, and for trying to be there for her after Camus's death (before the whole Darksphere, Emperor Hardin thing happened).

But, yeah, a spur of the moment decision to make a bouncy, happy sounding tune the image song of my bouncy, happy shonen-heroine-wanna-be OC, turned out to be the missing piece to finally filling in her backstory, which I had struggled to hammer down, finally giving her some more depth that transferred over into the not!Fire Emblem continuities.

[siraranispleased]

Actually here’s a thought: for Fire Emblem Elibe (and, to a lesser extent, Fire Emblem: The Black Seal), what if I put my money where my mouth was and give every support a paired ending, familial, platonic, or romantic?

I’d just like to take this moment to announce I will be adding THAT to my to do list in these projects.

But then, what happens to the canon pairings, by which I mean what happens with Bartre and Karla...

[siraranispleased]

I once said, as my only praise for the FE6 manga, which I want to be on the record as saying I find it a big load of pppbbbbbttt. The one thing I said it had going for it was that it’s really hard to screw up Narcian.

The thing is, for my Fire Emblem Elibe project, I feel like I might have done just that. By giving him a win, where he was in control of a situation. (Spoilers)

Given my comment as to how I found it a big load of pppbbbbbttt, the FE6 section of the game will include a few digs at it. Some will be subtle, like the Gant Lance and the...Luke? No, Al. Al Sword. Those will be replaced by Ephraim and Eirika, with the Tiena Staff instead being the Selshia Staff, in reference to my other Fire Emblem project, The Black Seal.

Other digs will...not be as subtle, with one of Narcian’s underlings being replaced by that weird Wyvern Rider guy, Zeed, who had that mage sister who was no-name brand Serra. Only, instead of getting to kill Narcian before moving on to further bother the...I was going to say heroes, but let’s go with protagonists. Anyway, instead, in the game, Narcian instead gets the win. Complete with the punchline to the running gag of Rude being a reoccurring character.

Narcian: *chews out Zeed for failing to defeat Roy during Chapter 12 and 13, effectively shifting the blame off himself*

Zeed: *swears a blood oath of vengeance against Narcian, not so subtly threatening his life*

Narcian: Wow. Rude.

Rude: No need to tell me twice. *kills Zeed with a Wyrmslayer Axe crit*

Narcian: Actually, I was just commenting on how insubordinate he was being.

Rude: Oh. Sorry.

Narcian: No, it’s alright, I was going to ask you to kill him, anyway.

[siraranispleased]

Damn my arbitrary rules and my stubborn adherence to them!

So, the other Fire Emblem project I have in the works (or, at least, desire to be in the works, but, more on that later) is Fire Emblem Elibe, a Mystery of the Emblem, FE3 style Book 1/Book 2 retelling of Blazing Sword/FE7 and Binding Blade/FE6. There will be a few characters promoted to playable (Bauker, Eleanora, Guinevere), some story changes to make 7 feed more easily into 6, and a bunch of new supports.

And the supports is...where I run into a bit of problems (I mean, beside the fact that writing supports is hard). 

See, I should do what comes naturally, but I’m compelled to set some hard and fast rules (for instance, no more supports for Roy and Lilina, 10 is enough, although Roy’s Lalum support is getting swapped out for a Cath support, and the Cecilia support would be rewritten). Just using FE7 as an example, although I think it can just as easily apply to 6, a rule I came up with was “Everyone gets +2 new supports, with Eliwood, Hector, and Lyn getting another +1 on top of that, for a total of 10 supports for the Lords.” This, of course, means other characters with 7 supports go to 9, which is a weird number, but, in context, probably less so.

The problem comes with Serra; there are three supports I really want to write for her, Priscilla, Farina, and one of the new, spoiler characters. Thing is, this would give her 10 supports. Now, of the three, I suppose the Farina support would be the easiest to cut, but, if I had to be perfectly honest, if I wanted to go completely in my direction, I’d actually cut her Matthew support, which is, in my opinion, easily her weakest. But then, if I start cutting supports that are from the base game, the first one I’d cut would be Hector and Florina’s. But I know that those supports are (probably) important to those who enjoy them, and I do want FE Elibe to be for fans in general, not just for me and maybe my circle.

So, I’ve got several options ahead of me: Abandon the Farina support, cut the Matthew support to make room, make Serra the exception because f**k it, she’s my fave and my FE7 waifu, I do what I want. Or completely junk the whole +2 rule and just add as many supports to whomever I want (which would mean certain characters like Rath, Raven, Heath, Guy, Bors, and Barth would get NO new supports because I aggressively don’t care about any of them).

[siraranispleased]

So one of the Fire Emblem projects, The Black Seal, involves three storylines (Easy/Normal/Lunatic, Hard, and Final), and thus three sets of antagonists. The antagonists for the E/N/L difficulty are based on Germany during the lead up to the Great War, the first World War, while, design wise, they’re heavily influenced if not expies of the Noxus faction of champions from League of Legends.

Some of them are fairly blatant, 1:1, all but name expies (the Riven expy, the Draven expy). Others are more tangential, to the point where some of the only things the Sion character shares with her influence is their status as the big wall of muscle with the heat of battle fervor.

But the other thing that influences their character, or at least their chapter fight, are the boss themes from Metal Gear Rising. If it wouldn’t be an absolute tonal shift, the instrumentals might very well be their boss battle themes. Under the cut, there’s going to be a list of all the major players from this faction, their LoL influence, and then their MGR influence.

Noel - Riven - The Only Thing I Know For Real

Orithia - Sion (although, more accurately, Bismuth) - I’m My Own Master Now

Samdi - Kled - The Hot Wind is Blowing

Demetrius - Draven - Red Sun

Joanna - Katarina - A Stranger I Remain

Breton - Talon - Rules of Nature

Mavia - Darius - Stains of Time

Jericho and Emille - Swain and LeBlanc - It Has To Be This Way

Apart from Noel, Orithia, Mavia, and Jericho, all names are subject to change. Noel and Orithia are also of the “recruitable enemy” type of character.

[siraranispleased]

So, another entry in the “Aran, honey, no...” school of Fire Emblem Elibe ideas.

In addition to Lyn getting the Mulagir instead of the Sol Katti during the final battle of the FE7 portion of the game, I’ve got plans for some characters also getting a new, sort of signature item. Some of them are in a potentially fruitless attempt to make some of them more viable than they have any hope of getting. For instance, Wendy/Gwendolyn starts with a Javelin and Vulnerary as before, but, instead of an Iron Lance, gets “Oswin’s Lance,” a Prf weapon for Female Knights, with the description of “Good at disciplining rowdy axe fighters.” It’d be to Axes, Pirates, Brigands and Fighters what the Swordslayer was to Swords, Myrmidons, Mercenaries and Lyn. Basically, give her a way to fight back in the Western Isles despite being so tiny.

Some of them are more for a gag, or an awesome visual set piece (as awesome a visual set piece you could get in a GBA Fire Emblem game). For instance, the tome Roy gives Lilina still looks like a normal Thunder tome, but it’s actually, under the hood, another Prf weapon for Female Mages, which gives her a WTA vs Lances, and is effective against Soldiers, Knights, and Generals. Because despite Leygrance being infamous for being an obnoxiously hard boss for being so early in the game, I’m basically planning to turn the entire back half of Chapter 8 into a sort of remake of the “Come a Little Bit Closer” sequence from Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2, with Lilina standing in for Yondu, and that tome standing in for the arrow.

Hence the “Aran, honey, no...” because that might be a bit over the top and harsh to put on a kid. I mean, on top of her already being an engine of destruction.

[siraranispleased]

Fire Emblem Elibe - Average Max Level

Just for fun, when I made those character sheets for the new, recruitable characters, I also punched their first draft Base Stats and Growth Rates into an Average Stat calculator, and made stat sheets out of that. For Bauker and Jan, the move to a more FE6 style Promotion Stat Bonus made for some rather silly results.

Bauker and Leila may be a bit broken. Bauker in the honest “I may need to rebalance him, what with his high base Res gimmick carried over from when he was a boss” sense. And Leila in the “You paid for your Rolos, you’re getting your damn Rolos” unlockable character sense. Plus, Fel Contracts are hard to get.

Jan’s balanced by being a slightly less good Nino. Guinevere’s the final Trial Map unlock, and Gale and Ursula are late game prepromotes through and through.

[siraranispleased]

A continuation of the story of Fire Emblem 6...AND Fire Emblem 8. Liberate the kingdom of Etruria from a mysterious army that appeared within the city itself. Investigate the weird underground cult known as the Black Seal. And uncover the mysterious of a strange, otherworldly gate...

...Okay, so maybe not 100% original.

[siraranispleased]

So I have a bunch of game concepts, unfinished design documents, and unstarted game projects, but the majority of them are essentially interactive fan fiction: a remake of FE7 and 6, giving them the FE3 treatment; a semi-original Fire Emblem story told in the Elibe and Magvel universe; a retelling of Heroes of Might and Magic V in the Clash of Heroes style; a Might and Magic sequel to that.

But there’s this one original idea I had, wholly original characters, setting, etc. The thing is, it is so goddamn confused, and I need to somehow make sense of it, come up with a coherent--let alone coherent, just, a story. Because, if I could describe it right now, it’s an urban fantasy mystery adventure game...with rhythm segments. Like, our heroes investigate supernatural happenings, and then put them away with the power of music. For example, pacifying a succubus at a nightclub with the sexiest goddamn song in recorded history.

[siraranispleased]

So, way back in late September, I said I would work on a RomHack of FE7, and, a few months ago, I dropped a message asking about limitations of the hardware. But, other than that, I’ve been super quiet. So I should probably rectify that.

Okay, so, Fire Emblem Elibe production update! Day 213: Things are comeing along right on schedule. So far, we seem to have only hit one major snag. Um, and that is I haven't um, started making Fire Emblem Elibe yet. But, before you start throwing full wine bottles at your computer screen, let me offer this as a cop-out:

Instead of making it a RomHack, the new plan is to instead wait for the release of the Fire Emblem XNA maker, and run two projects semi-concurrently: Fire Emblem Elibe, and an original (or semi original) FE story, Fire Emblem: The Black Seal. And until such time as the XNA maker is release, I’ll be spending my time scripting the two projects.

Like this!

Chapter 1: A Girl From The Plains

{Scene Opens: An inn in Bulgar. Low ambient background noise}

Wren: Hmm...it’s not often I get to hear myself think in places like this.

{Kent enters}

Kent: Lady Wren.

Wren: Oh! You’re back. Is it just as quiet out there as it is in here?

Kent: Indeed. Apparently, outside of the food merchant district, and the city guard, the rest of Bulgar’s citizens are out hunting or on pilgrimage or just inside, this morning.

Wren: Huh. If it’s a religious custom, didn't think our cultures would have that overlap...

Kent: ...You look exhausted. Were you unable to sleep, last night?

Wren: ...No. I couldn't. Not after hearing about what had happened. To have come all this way, only to learn the Lorca Tribe was wiped out...months ago. To have to return and bring the news back to Lord Hausen...especially given everything that’s happening in Ryerde...

Kent: What are those papers all over the table?

Wren: Hmm? Oh, these? These are some portraits of Lady Madelyn and Sir Hassar, and the letter they sent Lord Hausen six months ago. I was making notes to figure out what they would probably look like now.

Kent: Including Lyndis?

Wren: Why, yes. ...Are you suggesting...?

Kent: During my investigation this morning, I’ve heard that some members of the Lorca tribe survived, scattering to the winds when their camp was attacked. It’s possible that their daughter, maybe even Lady Madelyn herself survived.

Wren: Really? That...yes, Sir Hassar is the type of man who would’ve sacrificed his life to ensure the survival of...yes! We have to keep looking! Where’s Sain?

Kent: I’m...not sure. He left shortly before I did, this morning. Didn’t exactly say where he was going.

Sain: (from off screen) Aha, good day to you, my friends! So glad to find you both here!

Kent: (as Sain enters) Speak of the devil.

Wren: What were you up to just now, Sain?

Sain: The girls of Sacae are so different from the girls of Lycia! To a woman, regardless of standing, they are women of the earth and sky! And, to a one, they are all so strikingly ravishing!

Kent: Haaaaof course...

Sain: But, apparently, the fairest of all is a hermit of sorts; she’s a young woman who lives a few miles out from Bulgar. A refugee of the attack on the Lorca tribe, she only comes to Bulgar for the occasional supplies, but, when she does, she comes with an air of both regality and quiet tragedy. My friends, I do believe Madelyn’s daughter yet lives!

Wren: Kent just found out that there were several survivors, already. But now we know the one we’re looking for might be close by...thank you, Sain. This should definitely help.

Sain: Lady Wren, if I could bring relief and take a weight off your brow, it is reward enough for the whole trip.

Wren: Mmhmm. How charming you can be, even to a woman old enough to be your mother. Did they say where this hermit lived, as far as direction?

Sain: Not exactly. I was able to extrapolate from conversation that she mostly came from the southern entrance to tow--

{The noise stops. Suddenly, loud commotion}

Kent: Wait...what was that!?

{Fade out. Fade in outside in the streets, Sain and Kent appearing on the right side, an exhausted Sacaen woman on the left. Sain rushes over to her}

Sain: Whoa, easy now, I’ve got you.

Kent: What’s happening?

Woman: Bandits...a small army of them is attacking from the east! Most everyone is away, and the guard that remain are dealing with them.

Sain: Will they be able to handle it?

Woman: They should. Ex...excuse me, I must have panicked. Even with this surprise attack, we should be fine.

Kent: That’s a relief. Still, get to somewhere safe, and be ready for anything.

Woman: Thank you, sirs!

{Woman leaves. Kent moves to the left, as Wren appears on the right}

Sain: Hopefully, the guard does indeed have this.

Wren: But what would posses a band of raiders to attack a city like Bulgar, even if most of the men are gone?

Kent: Especially from the east. The richest district is to the south...

{Pregnant pause}

Sain: I think we should make a visit to the southern entrance to town.

Kent & Wren: Right.

{Fade out. Fade in on the first map of the game. Kent and Sain, in blue, ride in, followed by Wren, in green. A bunch of bandits are already present, including one with a boss icon}

Lackey: Just like you figured, boss. Everyone’s distracted by those lowlifes you threw at the east wall.

Batta: Heh. Looks like the “die to them or die to me” ultimatum continues to work. Plus, wipes another bunch of useless rivals off the map. Alright, boys! Get in, get the goods, get out! Get it?

Bandits: Got it!

Batta: Good! And anyone who tries to be a hero and stop us? You tell ‘em they answer to Batta the Beast!

Kent: I knew it. More bandits. And these ones look tough...

Sain: If they get in, they could do untold damage before the city guard could react! We have to stop them!

Kent: It’s incredibly dangerous for the two o us alone to try and stop them. It could compromise our mission to return Lord Hausen’s family to Ryerde.

Sain: But we can’t do nothing!

Kent: I know. I’m just letting you know to be particularly careful, out there.

Sain: Ha! Exactly! As ambassadors of Lycia to the biggest commercial city in Sacae, it is our duty to help them fend off this attack!

Kent: Indeed. Lady Wren, keep sharp; we’re going to need you thinking on your feet if we want a good strategy for taking them out.

Wren: Right. Good luck, gentlemen. Here they come...!

{The battle begins. At the start of the player’s second phase, Lyn spawns at the bottom of the map, next to a bandit who hasn’t moved}

Wren: Wait...a girl just appeared on the field! Is she with the bandits? not likely, but then, who...?

Girl: It’s Lyn! We’re saved!

Wren: Lyn? Lyn...Ah!

Lyn: Looks like I’m not too late...there’s a lot of them, but...until the guard comes, I can’t falter!

Lackey: Hey! Wh-who the heck are you? Pretty young thing, trying to be the hero? Let’s see how good you are; maybe there’ll be enough of you left over to salvage!

{The bandit attacks Lyn, but misses. Lyn counters with two hits. The first connects, the second crits. The bandit dies}

Lyn: Wasn’t enough of you to salvage for the buzzards. Who’s next?

{Talks - Sain talks to Kent, or vice versa}

Kent: Sain! Where’s your sword?

Sain: The lance is more heroic. A knight should look heroic, don’t you think?

Kent: You’re hopeless. If you don’t take fighting more seriously, you’re going to find yourself on the end of a blade!

Sain: Truth be told, I...forgot my sword back at the inn.

Kent: Forgot? Was this before or after your dallying with the ladies?

Sain: Don’t be so mad! I’ll be fine with a lance. I’m that good!

Kent: I’d prefer to rely on your skill, not your empty bragging! Take my spare blade and use it to attack next time!

Sain: Are you sure? My thanks, Kent!

Kent: You’re almost more trouble than you’re worth. Almost.

{Sain receives an Iron Sword}

{Sain talks to Lyn, or vice versa}

Lyn: You’re not Sacaen...are you a travelling knight?

Sain: Indeed, fair swordmistress! I am Sir Sin, noble knight of Ryerde, on a quest to find my lords lost granddaughter! But that will have to wait; the fair maidens of this village are in peril, and it is my duty as a knight to sample as much peril as I can!

Lyn: I...see... Are you alright? None of the bandits hit you too hard, did they?

Sain: Huh? Oh! Have I been injured? What a cad I am! To wrinkle that perfect brow of yours with worry for me...

Lyn: Uh... I was thinking of giving you a vulnerary, but... It looks like you’re fine. So, never you mind.

Sain: No, wait! I’ll take it! Please! I’ll take it!

Lyn: I thought so. Here, I have a spare. Make use of it, and we’ll talk when this is finished.

Sain: Of course, fair swordmistress! Ah... A gift from yon angel... Tis truly the healing power of love!

{Sain receives a Vulnerary}

{Kent talks to Lyn, or vice versa}

Kent: Young woman! Are you alright?

Lyn: Better than them. So you're also intent on helping the village?

Kent: of course. Though I am a stranger, I cannot sit idle while innocents are threatened. So I will give my all to drive these bandits out.

Lyn: Your all, you say? Then why do you seem so distracted?

Kent: Oh...am I? I apologize, I must be...no, there is no time. We'll discuss once this is over.

Lyn: Of course. I'll need to thank you for helping my people once this is done.

(Against Batta)

Batta: Who do you think you are? You think you can stand up to Batta the Beast?

(When Batta dies)

Batta: What? How... How did you--

{Post battle, Lyn approaches some Sacaen women}

Lyn: Is everyone alright?

Girl: Yes, thanks to you and those knights.

Woman: Thank goodness you were here, Lyn. You've done so much to protect us from bandits.

Lyn: I do what I can to help. I'm just glad no one was hurt.

Wren: Excuse me?

Lyn: Hmm? ...Are you with the knights?

Wren: Yes. I am Wren, courtier and tactician.

Lyn: I am Lyn, of the Lorca. It is a pleasure to meet you.

Wren: The Lorca...

{Image of Lyn and the two knights}

Lyn: And they are...?

{Back to the talking heads}

Kent: Permit me. I am Sir Kent, steward of Ryerde. And this is my partner, Sir Sain.

Sain: A most wonderful pleasure, Lady Lyn.

Lyn: A...yes, indeed. What brings two knights and a lady from...Ryerde, was it? Why have you come to Sacae?

Kent: We have ventured from Ryerde, in Lycia, in search of someone.

Lyn: Lycia... Ah yes. That’s the country beyond the mountains in the south-west, isn’t it?

Kent: Correct. We’ve come as messengers to the Lady Madelyn, who eloped with a nomad some 19 years ago.

Lyn: Madelyn?

Kent: Our lord the marquess of Ryerde’s only daughter. He was heartbroken his own daughter would abandon him so. Eventually, the marquess simply declared that he had no daughter.

Sain: And then, this year, we received a letter from Lady Madelyn. It said she, her husband, and their daughter were living happily on the Sacae plains. The marquess was ecstatic to learn he had a granddaughter of 16 years. I remember the smile on his face when he announced that he’d suddenly become a grandfather. The granddaughter’s name is Lyndis. This was also the name of the marquess’s wife, who passed away at an early age.

Lyn: Lyndis...

Sain: That she should bear this name thawed the marquess’s heart. Now, his only wish is to meet his daughter’s family at least once. This is why we’re here. We didn’t know that Lady Madelyn died a few days after sending her letter... We only learnt this shortly after arriving here in Bulgar.

Kent: But we also learned, just this morning, that all was not lost. Her daughter yet lives. We heard that she was living alone on the plains. I... I knew it immediately. You are the Lady Lyndis.

Lyn: (looks down, melancholic) ...

Wren: Yes... Your resemblance to your departed mother is remarkable.

Lyn: (looks up) What? Did you know my mother?

Wren: Intermittently during my time working for your grandfather, but I saw her portraits in Castle Ryerde every day.

Lyn: To the rest of my tribe, I was always Lyn. But when I was with my parents... When it was just the three of us, I was Lyndis. It’s all so strange. I was all alone in the world, and now I have a grandfather. Lyndis... I never thought I would hear that name again.

Kent: ...

Lyn: For...forgive my tears. I just... I thought I would be alone, forever. When my mother and father died, six months ago, and my tribe was shattered by bandits, I... I didn't have any family left, as far as I know. And now... It's sad, but also, I'm so...relieved.

Sain: Your grandfather feels the same way. I'm sure he'd love to meet you.

Lyn: I... ... I would like to meet him, as well. You came all this way to find me and bring me back to him, correct? Then, I accept your invitation, and I will gladly accompany you.

Wren: Do you need to collect anything before you leave?

Lyn: No--well, actually, there are a few things from my hut I would like to collect, if you'll excuse me.

Sain: Of course! Permit me, then, to escourt you, so that we are all together when we leave for home--

Lyn: No, no, that's alright. You'll still be in Bulgar, correct? We could hit out at first light, tomorrow morning.

Wren: Sounds perfect. We have things we need to pack, as well.

Woman: Excuse me? But... Lyn, if you're leaving on a journey to Lycia, then... Please, as thanks for saving us, you and your friends here, take whatever supplies you need.

Lyn: Are you certain? ... I thank you, then. You have always been so kind to me.

Woman: You've always watched out for us. I figure you had your reasons for keeping distant, but, the Lorca were a good tribe. We would've accepted you here and given you shelter for as long as you needed.

Lyn: Thank you...

Kent: We shall see you on the morrow, Lady Lyndis. And do not worry. Sain and I shall ensure you and Lady Wren return to Ryerde safely.

{Fade out. End Chapter 1}

[siraranispleased]

So that’s all the Fire Emblem Hearthstone cards I spent WAY too much time and thought on. For easier access to each of the sets, here’s a quick and easy navigation post:

Druid

Hunter

Mage

Paladin

Priest

Rogue

Shaman

Warlock

Warrior

Neutral Commons

Neutral Rares

Neutral Epics

Legendaries

The Fire Emblem

[siraranispleased]

Fire Emblem Projects - Update

So, in lieu of sticking to my schedule yesterday and adding some more writing up (sorry about the slip), I'd like to make another announcement regarding my two FE Projects, Fire Emblem: Elibe, and Fire Emblem: The Black Seal. At the recommendation of a friend, I will be attempting to create a couple of chapters of both projects via Romhack, as proof of concept until such time as the Fire Emblem XNA project is completed. Also, to make up for the lack of updates yesterday, I offer you this as a cop-out: some character tidbits for some of the revealed characters of Black Seal. They'll be behind the readmore, and some are kinda spoiler-y, hence the readmore.

-Rosin was designed as a sort of like a Fire Emblem protagonist for the enemy team, recruiting unique individuals to their cause through charisma and appealing to their nature. Hence the image being based so much on Seliph. Players, however, are able to recruit Rosin later in the game through an extended conversation and combat sequence with Alysa through a few chapters.

-Rosin is also a trans woman, who hasn't felt comfortable or safe coming out to anyone just yet. She will, however, come out to her support partners, in time. -Of the characters revealed... The following are straight: Winny, Jericho, Tyris, Jetsu The following are gay: Gavrael The following are lesbians: Selshia, Rosin The following are bi: Alysa, Honeychile, Ali Alhazred, Agravain, Catherine, Nami, Miho, Kay The following are ace: Jeddite -Jeddite is actually a dragon. An extraordinarily powerful black, bearded dragon, immune to magic and impervious to most weapons. Living in the human world for so long, a lot of Jeddite’s power waned, especially after the dragonstone was stolen. While still a powerful warlock, practitioner of Dark Magic, should the dragonstone be recovered, the game will essentially be broken in half. Jeddite is also above the notion of gender, not seeing themselves as any gender on the spectrum. They'll tolerate you using "he" pronouns, as it's a common mistake in English, but he'll give you much more respect in conversation if you use "they" and likewise. -Nami is the reincarnated soul of Princess Nyna, but is the first to realize this. After living much of her early life in crippling depression, her realization of these multiple lives, treatment for her depression, training, teaching, and meditation, have fast tracked Nami to enlightenment. She chooses to decline her nirvana, instead wanting to help others reach enlightenment and inner peace like she has. -Miho is a dreamwalker, able to enter other people's dreams and influence them. However, she once used this ability for evil purposes, to "test" her then present companions. Realizing the weight of what she had done, as well as many other awkward implications of the fallout, caused Miho to leave Agravain's service, and turn her self-hatred into full on self-loathing. -Selshia has a secret ending with Kay...AND Honeychile. There are a few other secret endings, but their's is the easiest to find (simply A Support with Selshia and Kay, and then B Support with Selshia and Honeychile at the same time)