[FE14] Conquest: Jakob eventually learns to ride a horse

[Gradivus.]

Yay, everyone can shoehorn a prepromoted Adventurer into their team! Though it's not really shoehorning when he's a good unit

Edited August 28, 2016 by Gradivus.

[lapismaid]

You're missing the real prize of F R E E B E N N Y

or more accurately F R E E P A R A L O G U E if you can be bothered to pair him with anyone

[eclipse]

Screw that. I get to ship Flora and Jakob!

I'll start this. . .eventually.

[Gradivus.]

Female Corn, called Cornßread, +Mag/-Lck, Dragon talent, this is partly experimental and partly for some prostrats I have in mind for later.

Prologue 2/2 turns

Gooned the goons.

C1 5/7 turns

Justice prevails.

C2 3/10 turns

Went up the left, Cornßread got fed an Oni kill by Jakob on PP2 and Gunter attacked Rinkah, making her suicide against Cornßread on EP. Jakob just got attacked by a Samurai. Turn 3, Jakob moved away, Gunter killed a Samurai (so Cornßread survives the EP) and Cornßread killed Kaze with a Gunter DS, at pretty good hitrates since Gunter's great Forcefulness grants Corn +25 hit in attack stance.

C3 5/15 turns

Used the Dragon Vein on turn 3, Gunter and Jakob ganged up on the Archer. I wasn't exactly sure how I can safely kill the boss so I had Cornßread pair with Gunter and attack him on PP4. Got an unintentional crit on the first attempt and would totally have rolled with a 4-turn, but Jakob wasn't in range to seize so I took 5 turns anyway.

C4 8/23 turns

Cornßread used the Goddess Icon on turn 1 after Rinkah got the village and Kaze also gave her his vulnerary. She used the first dragon vein on turn 2, with Rinkah baiting two Faceless, along with a third one who couldn't reach her and then got murdered brutally by Ryoma. Got the boss mountain dragon vein on turn 5, making most of the Faceless suicide on Ryoma, Cornßread only got 3 Faceless kills total during this chapter (the two that attacked Rinkah on turn 2 and the boss). It took Ryoma until turn 8 to reach the Faceless attacking Sakura, so I can't see this map going faster without Kaze being there for extra manpower and/or Spd pairup.

C5 7/30 turns

Forgot how I 6-turned this in the last draft and didn't find it out again, so I sticked with 7. Cornßread killed the mercs to the left on turn 1, then headed down to kill the rest of the enemies. Ryoma fell to the boss so Cornßread had to murder the remaining mages on turn 6/7 on her own.

C6 2/32 turns

Elise used the dragon vein, Xander fullmoved down, Leo counterkilled Yukimura with a Camilla DS, Jakob baited Takumi and hit him back. Turn 2, Xander finished off Takumi, Camilla (with Jakob DS since Xander would kill) attacked Hinoka so Cornßread can finish her off pretty safely with Xander DS as a backup chance. Jakob then paired with Leo to kill Sakura in 1 shot. Spared Ryoma again.

C7 8/40 turns

Cornßread had just enough Spd and slightly more than enough Str to ORKO the Faceless with tonics while unpaired. Jakob went left with her and dropped her ahead on turns 1 and 2, the area there was routed after EP2 so they quickly returned to the right. I think I then had Cornßread kill one faceless in attack stance with Silas and then she went down to ORKO the Faceless there, eventually 2HKOing the boss with Dragonstone on PP+EP8. Jakob helped Silas kill the Seal Speed Faceless pair (second enemy coming from above) by chipping on EP5 and once again on the PP6 so Silas could finish off. He then got healed by Elise to survive another Faceless (who couldn't double without the pairup bonus, even after Seal Speed) on EP. He finished off that Faceless on PP7 with another DS from Silas. Silas moved atop the chokepoint to face the two remaining Faceless up there, 2HKOing them on EP7 and EP8 with Elise's aura (Jakob could've given him a Str tonic had I anticipated a problem, I actually bought one before the map but didn't end up using it).

UNIT        CLASS             LEVEL HP STR MAG SKL SPD LCK DEF RES WEXP
Cornßread   Nohr Princess     10.58 23  14  14  13  13  11  11   8 D Swd D Drgn
Jakob       Butler          xx/3.94 23  10   6  13  10  10   7   9 D Shu D Stf
Elise       Troubadour         5.76 19   2  11   5  10  14   4  13 D Stf
Silas       Cavalier           7.60 23  12   0  10   9   7  10   5 D Swd E Lnc

Damn, the stat box doesn't accept ß as normal text, resisting the OCD shall be a fun masochistic challenge.

Paralogue 1 6/46 turns

Silas' Spd proc in C7 came in handy for ORKOing the Faceless with Jakob pairup and Str/Spd Tonics. Started building Silas' lance rank since Bronze Lance was good enough for everything here. Turn 1, Silas dropped Cornßread to the left and counterkilled a bunch of faceless with Dragonstone DSes. Turn 2, he got healed by Elise and headed right to PP+EP kill the closest Faceless coming from below the start. Jakob paired with Cornßread and dropped her a tile ahead so she can counterkill two Faceless, preventing one of them from just moving for Attack stance and then blocking the way to the boss next turn. Turn 3, Cornßread PP+EP'd the boss to death with Dragonstone, Jakob paired with Elise and Silas moved just within range of another Faceless to the right, being given Jakob by Elise and healed up. Turn 4, Cornßread just killed a straggler from the boss area that didn't die on EP and moved down, Silas just moved down. Turns 5-6, Silas and Cornßread counterkilled the remaining Faceless, with Yato and Bronze Lance respectively.

Edited August 29, 2016 by Gradivus.

[lapismaid]

Female Corn, called Cornßread, +Mag/-Lck, Dragon talent, this is partly experimental and partly for some prostrats I have in mind for later.

By any chance, does this involve A-ranking Nyx? If so, I think I see where you're ultimately going with this and I love it.

Prologue (2/2): Went Fem!Corrin with +HP -Luk named Fir. Originally planned on using Ninja but… that’s boring. And no matter how stupid and fun Magical Corn is in Conquest, I used Diviner last time I went through, so I’m doing SAMURAI for exactly one purpose. It’s probably a terrible idea that will lose me several turns, but we’ll roll with it; worst comes to worst, no one else needs Spirit Dusts so I can dump them on Corrin and have her use Levin Sword for 1~2 range. (i’m already hating myself for no strong Kunai user in Chapter 26)

Apparently taking +HP makes the Avatar's character statue give +Str cap, so that might be worth something, I guess.

Chapter 1 (4/6): I got access to the Options menu and Fir got a good level.

Chapter 2 (3/9): Standard right-side clear. Fir got good stuff, Jakob got an ok level. I’ll have to be sure his Str gets some pumping at some point early on. My least favorite part of the prologue is making sure I don’t get garbage levels.

Chapter 3 (5/14): Standard 5 turn. Fir killed the boss on EP so Jakob snagged an Archer kill.

Chapter 4 (8/22): I got a 7 turn on this once, in the past. It is super dumb and requires some random single-digit crits so uh, no. Fir got some good-ass levels and that’s what really matters.

Chapter 5 (7/29): Standard 7-turn, nothing special. Tried to smuggle the Bloom Staff over, I know you couldn’t do it with weapons but I figured it was worth a shot. It didn’t work :(

Chapter 6 (2/31): Elise DVs, Xander moves down, Leo+Camilla dogpile Yukimura (he crit so uh thanks for the moral support Cam), Jakob chips Takumi. Everyone not named Elise or Jakob dogpile the Takumi and Hinoka power duo, then Jakob pairs to Leo and he OHKOs Sakura. Miracle is annoying when you get a great level on Jakob and then you just see that little green star of hate pop up.

UNIT        CLASS             LEVEL HP STR MAG SKL SPD LCK DEF RES  WLVL
Fir         Nohr Princess      8.28 28  13   7  10  12   7  12   3  D Swd D Drgn
Jakob       Butler          ??/4.14 22  10   6  13  11  10   9   8  D Shu D Stf

[Carmine Sword]

The 6 turn clear of Chapter 5 requires Ryoma to be alive in order to kill the last dank mage on ally phase Gradivus. That's the only way I can think of for it to work. I tried getting the 6 turn clear without Ryoma and Corrin would always end up 1 tile short of attacking the dank mage due to her INFERIOR MOVEMENT.

[eclipse]

I take it that buying stuff from other people's castles is disallowed?

[lapismaid]

Yeah, no visiting other castles to buy stuff. Don't buy Hoshidan imports; support local Nohrian business!

[Gradivus.]

The 6 turn clear of Chapter 5 requires Ryoma to be alive in order to kill the last dank mage on ally phase Gradivus. That's the only way I can think of for it to work. I tried getting the 6 turn clear without Ryoma and Corrin would always end up 1 tile short of attacking the dank mage due to her INFERIOR MOVEMENT.

I'm pretty sure I did it without Ryoma attacking any mooks, I just couldn't seem to replicate it here, Ryoma or not (plus I lost Ryoma most of the time anyway). I can see it working if you engage the boss area offensively, by having Corn kill a mage on PP and killing off damaged Rinkah to distract the other from Corn, so Ryoma could start routing them on the Ally Phase after Corn kills the boss, but that's definitely not how I did it back then.

C8 5/51 turns

Cornßread got the first village on turn 1, and was given to Jakob (who got dropped ahead on turn 1 by Elise) by Silas. Jakob led the charge by ORKOing Dark Mages and switched to Cornßread on turn 3 to ORKO some Fighters with Yato. Turn 4, they seperated within Flora's staff range, distracting her from Elise. Turn 5, Elise visited the village right below the castle, and Silas visited the one to the north, so I got 10000G. Jakob paired with Cornßread and she killed Kilma with Yato.

C9 6/57 turns

Went through the south, recruited Nyx on turn 2 and used her to break the wall. Silas then dropped Cornßread ahead and Elise froze the paired Samurai. Turn 3, Silas and Cornßread split pulled the melee enemies in the castle in attack stance while on a chokepoint, with Cornßread just barely OHKOing the Spear Fighters with Dragonstone (which is handy against the paired one), the archer got frozen so Silas survives. Turn 4, I bailed Azura out and killed the Archer while taking on the remaining mooks. Positioned Cornßread on a choke on turn 5 so I can safely approach the boss area (since she can tank the archers as a dragon) and got into position to seize on the next turn. Nyx killed an archer in the way, Jakob got the rescue staff with Azura's help, Cornßread attacked Haitaka with Dragonstone at 70 hit and Silas finished off with a 60 hit bronze lance attack. Elise seized.

Edited August 30, 2016 by Gradivus.

[Skellow]

Went +HP/-Mag Ninja because i'm boring.

Prologue - 2/2

stuff

Chapter 1 - 4/6

^

Chapter 2 - 3/9

Went the left side.

Chapter 3 - 5/14

Standard stuff.

Chapter 4 - 7/21

Corrin visited the village on turn 1 and activated the dragon vein on turn 2 to allow Kaze to kill the 3 faceless with a

Rinkah pair-up. Rinkah lured the boss away on turn 4 so Corrin wouldn't eat the strength seal. Corrin then mostly plowed through everything with a Kaze pair-up and Ryoma's help while Rinkah hid in a corner.

Sadly there was only one faceless left at the end of turn 6. I could have killed with a crit but it didn't happen.

Chapter 5 - 5/26

Apparently a 4-turn is possible, but I spent so much time trying it that I just gave up. 5-turn is pretty easy though.

Chapter 6 - 2/28

Turn 1, Elise use the dragon vein, Xander + Camilla get in Ryoma's range, Leo in Yukimura's and Jakob in Takumi's. Turn 2 Elise freeze Ryoma to allow Xander to finish him, Corrin finish Yukimura, Leo finish Takumi and Jakob + Camilla kills Hinoka.

Name   Class         XP   HP Str Mag Skl Spd Lck Def Res Wxp
Corrin Nohr Princess 8.00 25 12  6   11  13  10  12  3   D Sword D DrgStone
Jakob  Butler        3.44 22 9   7   14  10  11  7   8   D Dagger D Staff

Edited August 30, 2016 by Skellow

[eclipse]

. . .I thought Kaze wasn't free for 4/5? Unless I misread the rules?

Still trying to shuffle pairings in my head and whatnot. May start a bit later tonight, time permitting.

[lapismaid]

Skellow drafted Kaze, so he can use him before the route split.

Chapter 7 (9/40): Tonic’d up Fir with Speed and Strength. With a Speed level at the start of the map, she hits 16 Speed and can ORKO the paired-up faceless with no assistance. Arthur smacks the first guy from the bottom, and with some shuffling gets the Heart Seal and Silas’ Bronze Lance; much as I hate to tear him away from JUSTICE, I need him to get on a horse and learn to be good at it. After Fir deals with the first Speed Seal Faceless, Jakob chips the other with AtS, Arthur finishes it after Fir starts running down. Jakob and Arthur man the top, while Fir heads down, chugs the last of Kaze’s old Vulnerary, and KOs the boss with Dragonstone over the course of two turns, using the Iron Sword on the mooks. Arthur gets a good level up and learns Elbow Room.

Chapter 8 (6/46): Str tonic for Jakob and Arthur for bosskilling if Nos hits. Fir visits the first house. Arthur+Jakob run left, Jakob gets dropped off. Turn 2 Niles pairs to Jakob and he runs over and destroys the first Dark Mage from just outside Freeze range. Arthur moves just 1 right of Odin’s starting position, Odin runs back towards the start, and Fir moves left. Fir pairs to Arthur. Jakob fullmoves left and Niles drops him outside Freeze range. Arthur fullmoves left and drops Fir, who serves as Freeze bait for the rest of the chapter. A fighter from the start notices Odin, but by constantly moving him the two will never engage. Arthur pairs to Jakob, and drops him two left of the far-left house. Niles moves up closer to said house. I think whether Flora freezes Jakob or Fir here is random, but it might also be based on Res/Hit%? Someone who actually knows something about Staff AI let me know. Niles grabs the far-left house, Fir equips Dragonstone to tank the Dark Mage better, Arthur pairs to Jakob, drops Jakob two left of the boss. Final turn people do some last-minute house getting and EXP grabbing and Jakob and Arthur finish the boss. 10k get.

Chapter Mozu (6/52): Str and Spd tonic for Arthur so he can ORKO stuff (he gets really good levels). He and Jakob charge right and deal with the boss, Jakob snagging the kill on Turn 5 EP. Fir and Niles charge south and recruit Mozu. I have a plan for her.

Chapter 9 (6/58): The bosskill is super sketchy with Fir having to connect with Yato at shaky ~50% hit rates. She tanks pretty much everything in the center, then the rest of the squad busts through to allow Fir to attack the boss with Arthur ferrying her there. Stuff in the center can be a little sketchy, but with some maneuvering, Azura gets busted out, Fir kills the boss on EP, Niles gets to break the wall and get dance’d to the Rescue staff, and Fir seizes. I recruited Nyx for her weapons.

UNIT     CLASS             LEVEL HP STR MAG SKL SPD LCK DEF RES  WLVL
Fir      Nohr Princess     13.08 33  15   9  13  16   8  16   4  C Swd D Drgn
Jakob    Butler             7.81 24  13   7  16  12  12  11   9  C Shu D Stf
Arthur   Justice Cavalier  11.19 28  14   0  10  11   3  14   6  E Swd D Lnc
Niles    Outlaw             8.92 22   9   5   9  15   6   7  12  D Bows
Mozu     Villager           1.12 16   6   5   5   7   3   5   2  E Lance
Azura    Songstress         2.36 She's a dancer...

[Gradivus.]

C10 11/68 turns

Free units were Niles and Selena, Niles got the Master Seal on turn 1, used the ballista to chip the spear fighter + ninja group coming from the left on turn 2 and teamed up with Selena to kill the archers. Nyx got the 10000G and took on some Oni Savages and was helped by Camilla later on because her HP/Def and lack of a pairup partner prevented her from Nostanking safely. Silas could counterkill Oni Savages with Dragonstone DSes from Cornßread using a bronze lance. Jakob, Elise and Azura helped out Cornßread and Silas in the middle. Before helping Nyx out, Camilla got the Dual Club village and defeated some enemies in the middle since the oni savage reinforcements don't show up until turn 6 anyway. Got the Dracoshield village shortly before Dragon Vein happened. Silas hit D Lances and got a lot of exp.

UNIT        CLASS             LEVEL HP STR MAG SKL SPD LCK DEF RES WEXP
Cornßread   Nohr Princess     14.64 27  15  17  14  16  13  13  10 D Swd C Drgn
Jakob       Butler          xx/8.31 27  11   9  17  12  12   8  13 D Shu D Stf
Elise       Troubadour         8.64 21   2  12   6  11  16   5  14 D Stf
Silas       Cavalier          13.46 25  13   0  13  11  10  14   6 D Swd E Lnc
Nyx         Dark Mage         11.40 20   1  14   5  13   3   4   9 C Mgc
Azura       Songstress         4.16 Dancer/10

C11 5/73 turns

Silas pocket Cornßread charged through the left, softening up archers with Javelin so Nyx can pick the kills next turn, killed them all except one on turn 2 PP, so Elise healed Nyx from an EP1 hit and anyone in the room could survive a hit from the remaining archer. He got lunged through the Ninja room on turn 2 (didn't take much damage with Cornßread's personal and high defense), entered the room with the Samurai stacks on turn 3, switching to Cornßread since she didn't take much damage even against the Life and Death samurai, they seperated in the boss area on turn 4 and killed Hinoka with Dragonstone hit (15 damage) and Javelin hit + Dragonstone DS (14+7 damage) on turn 5.

[eclipse]

I need to recheck my turn counts, so don't consider them final until I've actually finished!

I have a bad fanfic idea, so I'm going to use this playthrough to write it.

Avatar has +Mag/-Lck and Diviner.

Prologue - 2/2

This is supposed to be a dream, right?

Chapter 1 - 5/7

Sword training, and the options menu has never looked better!

Chapter 2 - 3/10

Straight up the left, and abused Gunter's personal skill for this turn count.

 

Spoiler

"Hey, Rinkah," Kaze whispered, long after the Nohrians had left. "Doesn't she look familiar?"
"Nohrians all look the same to me," Rinkah replied flatly, arms crosed in front of her chest.
"One of them was the spitting image of Princess Sakura." Rinkah's slowly receding back was to him.
"I guess it was my imagination," he mumbled, before hurrying after her.

Chapter 3 - 5/15

Need to check turn counts once the credits roll, to make sure that this one's accurate.

Had to rely on some pretty shaky hit rates to get this one. Gunter/Jakob hurried down and cleared out the boss area, with a single hit from Gunter on EP and a dual strike on PP used to kill the boss.

"I guess she does look like Sakura, if I squint hard enough," Rinkah muttered under her breath, the limp form of the kidnapped Nohrian princess over her shoulder.

Chapter 4 - 8/23

Kaze handed over his stuff and sulked in a corner. Everyone else went north, then towards the boss area. Ryoma's AI won't attack anyone if he's on the boss area FSR, and I haven't figured out how to make him attack the boss. Hence the turn count.

Spoiler

"Y-you're my sister?" The pink-haired priestess took a look at her namesake - the middle child of the Hoshidan royal family, presumed dead. Both of them had pink hair, cut nearly the same way. Only the height difference, and Sakura's hairpiece were enough to distinguish them.
"I looked exactly like you when I was your age," the older girl responded lightly.
"I can't believe it. . .both Sakuras, together again. . ." Hinoka's words were interrupted by her own tears, as she grabbed the other two girls in a giant hug.
"And now that we're together again. . .I won't let anything separate us. . ."

Chapter 5 - 7/30

The once-pristince capital lay in ruins, its queen part of the refuse that littered the ground. In place of their long-lost sister, a white dragon stood.

Rinkah and Kaze were about equally useful, because a certain white dragon killed everything. Luckily, Ryoma had weakened the boss to the point where said white dragon could one-shot it.

 

Spoiler

"LOOK OUT!" Azura called out, in vain. With the last of its strength, one of the invaders plunged a wickedly sharp sword straight through the dragon's scales. Rinkah's club ended the enemy's struggle for good, but it was far too late for the white dragon. Azura closed her eyes and sang, tears running down her face. The white dragon's form shrank, horns transforming into pink hair, claws into hands, and scales into bloodstained clothes.

"T-thank you. . ." the figure on the ground whispered, raising her hand towards Azura's face. Sakura raised her staff, its healing light doing nothing to staunch her older sister's bleeding.

"Sakura, it's over. She's gone," Ryoma said softly. Sakura looked up at her older brother, sorrow transforming into fear. Something metallic flew towards him. She opened her mouth to scream, but no sound came out. Instead, she mutely pointed. Her brother turned, just in time to see the glint of steel that flew towards him. He shielded his face--

--as the sword landed in Sakura's outstreched hand.

"W-what is this?" Sakura stated numbly, sinking to her knees.

"Yato. . .it's chosen you. . ." Ryoma mumbled.

"A sword? But this should be yours! I don't know how to use it!" Sakura yelled. Ryoma shook his head.

"The sword chose you, not me. But you'll need training. I'll start you on the basics tomrrow," her older brother said flatly. "Swords of legend show up during times of trouble. We need to be prepared."

Sakura carefully put the sword down, before burying her head in her hands. Ryoma carefully got down on one knee, and held his sobbing sister.

"I'm sorry," he whispered, his voice thick with emotion.

Chapter 6 - 3/33

With shaking legs and an unsteady grip on Yato, Sakura walked onto the battlefield. Instead of spending her time meditating, she endured all sorts of physical training, from running to weight lifting to proper sword technique. The thought of using Yato to hurt others made Sakura's stomach roil, but what choice did she have? The sword chose her, so she had to be strong. For everyone.

Elise dried the river up, Camilla paired with Leo, Leo baited Takumi, Xander ran sort-of towards Elise (but not within Ryoma's range), and everyone else followed Leo. On EP, Takumi took a hit. On turn 2, Elise ran to Xander and paired up with him, Xander ran towards Sakura (as in, the actual enemy unit), and Takumi/Hinoka went down (I don't remember the precise order, sorry). Yukimura was baited out, and fell to Yato. Meanwhile, Elise used Entrap on Sakura, so that Brynhilder's hit rate wouldn't suck, and Leo finished the map.

 

Spoiler

Sakura screamed as an arrow found its way to her shoulder. She looked back towards he family, but only saw Nohrian soldiers. The sound of hoofbeats drew her attention. A man in black armor stood above her, sword pointed at her head.

"If you wish to live, surrender now."

 

 

Name         Class             Level  HP  Str  Mag  Skl  Spd  Lck  Def  Res
Sakura       Nohr Princess      7.90  22   9    9    9    9    4   11    2
Jakob        Butler             2.99  21   9    7   13    9   10    7    9

Someone explain to me why my avatar has more defense than anything else. ;/

Chapter 7 - 12/45
 

Spoiler

"This. . .child is the one that bears Yato?" Sakura shrunk back at the site of the man on the throne. Unlike her mother, he radiated ill will.

"Yes, father, she does. She also bears a striking resemblence to our Sakura, no?" Father? She'd be captured by a prince? He ordered his men to tend to her wounds, and to keep an eye on her, but that was all that they did.

"Very good. She will make a fitting replacement for our missing princess." The man on the throne smiled coldly. "If she's willing, of course," he added.

"Your Highness, I don't think this is a good idea. She's still a Hoshidan, and they can't be trusted!" a man with lanky, oily locks of black hair interjected.

"W-why would I want to do anything for you?!" Sakura interjected. The king's smile became even wider.

"Bring them in," he ordered one of the guards. A short time later, two familiar figures were rudely shoved into the audience chamber.

"Y-your Highness! You're safe!" The brown-haired girl's frown turned into a brief smile.

"Don't worry about us! You've got to get back home!" Though his words were harsh, Sakura saw relief in the redheaded man's eyes.

"If you do as I say, they'll be. . .taken care of. If not, I'll see to it that they feel the depths of my disappointment in you. Do I make myself clear?" Sakura bit her lip, and looked at the prisoners. Both of them shook their heads.

"Do you truly expect me to be of any use in this state?" Sakura stated, pointing to her bandaged shoulder. "And how am I to fight, if I have no weapon?" she continued.

"You've made a wise decision, young lady," the man on the throne said, no kindness in his tone. "One week. That's when I'll expect something from you."

---

Sakura massaged her newly-healed shoulder. She'd told each of them what had happened to her older sister. Xander's stern expression hadn't changed at all, while Camilla sank to the floor, sobbing. Leo immediately stormed off, while Elise silently stood where she was, her eyes wide with shock. Yet their mourning only seemed to last a day, as each of them did their best to teach her something. Xander's sword lessons were no less grueling than Ryoma's. Camilla taught her the differences between Nohr and Hoshido, something that Sakura never dreamed she'd have to learn. Leo provided her with reading material, to pass the time. Elise sneaked various foodstuffs to her, things that Sakura would've never been served in Hoshido. It wasn't the home Sakura had grown up in, but it felt oddly comforting.

"You called, Your Highness?" she said deferentially. Camilla would probably point out a thing or two that Sakura had erred on, if she was around.

"Good, good. Your first assignment is to go to the Ice Tribe, and assess their loyalty to Nohr. If they are unwilling to submit to the proxy of the king, you must subjugate them, by force." Sakura swallowed hard.

"Where is this 'Ice Tribe'?" she asked, doing her best to keep the fear out of her voice.

"You will be provided with a map before you leave. I will await the good news." Once the door behind Sakura closed, the king let out a chuckle.

"You're in a good mood, Your Highness," the ever-present sorcerer commented.

"Yes, indeed. There's no way the Ice Tribe will believe that a Hoshidan is acting under my orders. They'll probably kill her on sight. And then. . .we can take their land as ours, as reparitions for killing one of our princesses."

 

Due to my lower stats that literally everyone else (yes, really), wound up having to keep her as a dragon more-or-less the entire time. Once Effie showed up, Jakob ran between both ladies, healing as necessary. Silas' contribution was trading a Bronze Lance to Effie.

I got some nice levels, and Jakob has Live to Serve (not Live to Swerve, WTF), so I guess it worked out.

 

 

Spoiler

"T-thanks, you two," Sakura huffed, the last of the monsters laid to rest. "But what possessed the two of you to come out here? Won't you get in trouble?"

"I am Sakura's butler, milady," Jakob stated bluntly. "My loyalty is with you alone."

The larger girl offered a gloved hand. "My name is Effie, Your Highness. Elise sent me to make sure you'd be okay. She can explain away my absence."

"It's nice to meet you, Effie! But please, call me Sakura. I'm not your master--AH!" Effie loosened her overenthusiastic handshake.

"Alright, Sakura. Let's go to the Ice Tribe. Your claim should look more legitimate with me around."

 

 

Edited January 17, 2017 by eclipse

[lapismaid]

Chapter 10 (11/69): Free units were Beruka and Elise. Got all the villages and some decent levels. Did the standard Mag Tonic Camilla and had her solo the left side. Selena paired to Beruka and solo’d the archers. Arthur with Fir took on the lower right, including Oboro. Jakob with some Ballista assistance dealt with the spearmen and Ninjas. Mozu picked up a few kills, actually doing something useful by distracting and killing one of the ballista’d Pegs.

Chapter 11 (5/74): Heart Sealed Selena to Sky Knight, might as well build Lance rank. Arthur charges through the left room with Fir, Azura refreshing from one tile right of the stairs. Arthur stands in Setsuna’s range and Javelins the one Archer that can reach Azura so someone else can kill him next turn. Jakob stands 1 right of Azura. Niles with Mozu stands 1 up of Azura, and Selena stands on the stairs. EP stuff attacks Niles and Azura, Niles hangs on with 1 HP thanks to Azura being targetted first. Turn 2, all the archers get cleaned up and Arthur charges into the Ninja room to get Lunged. On Turn 4 Arthur and Fir seperate in the boss room. Mozu kills Setsuna Turn 2 EP, Turn 4 Jakob with Azura goes to tank the Ninjas to soften them up for some kills and build support. Turn 5, Niles grabs the Spirit Dust from the Ninja room, people scramble for some last minute Ninja kills, and Fir Yatos Hinoka and Arthur Javelins with Fir AtS for the finish.

Chapter 12 (7/81): Went up the right side since I didn’t really have a way or want to deal with the Ninja hell in the center. RIP Flame Shuriken. A 6-turn is probably doable with better shuffling around in the Entrap Shrine Maiden room, but I don’t like this map much in LTC so fuckit. Got the Kodachi and 5000g chest, finally Corrin has a 2 range option. Not looking forward to 13, Takumi’s side always gives me problems without a Nostank.

Edited September 2, 2016 by Finalinsanity

[eclipse]

Chapter 8 - 9/54

 

Spoiler

The freezing winds whipped through Sakura's short hair, as she drew her cloak closer. Thanks to Effie and Jakob's help, they had little trouble reaching Ice Tribe territory. The blizzard they'd encountered had separated Sakura, and she wandered aimlessly, partially to keep warm, and partially in hopes of finding the village.

The ground underneath her gave way. Her scream was lost to the winds.

---

"I-is this the afterlife?" In stark contrast to the raging winds outside, Sakura found herself in a small room. A fire on the opposite wall threw shadows all along the walls. Her legs were covered with a pale yellow blanket, its worn edges a testament to its usefulness. A bookshelf was placed within arm's reach, with a small table nearby. The books themselves ranged from wilderness survival to history to flights of fancy. Sakura's head jerked towards the far corner, where footsteps approached her.

"I see you're awake," the man at the other end of the room said, his voice as warm as the fireplace. "How do you feel?"

"I'm fine," Sakura said softly. "Thank you for taking care of me," she continued. The man's eyes sparkled in spite of his age, not unlike Yukimura's when the latter had an idea.

"It's my pleasure, young lady. Your clothes look like they're from Hoshido. What brings you all the way out here?" Sakura swallowed hard, then took a deep breath.

"I was sent here by King Garon to investigate rumors of a rebellion," she blurted, mangling the truth in the process. The man's eyebrow arched.

"Someone from Hoshido acting on behalf of the Nohrian King? Surely you've been addled by the cold weather!" Shouting and footsteps from outside saved Sakura from having to answer that.

"Sir, we have intruders!" Jakob and Effie were hauled unceremoniously into the house. "We found them wandering outside of our village!"

"Jakob! Effie! You're alive!" Sakura yelped.

"Well, someone had to deliver Yato to you," Effie responded, placing the sword on the ground.

"That armor is of Nohrian make, and Flora worked with a butler named Jakob. And at the foot of my doorway is a sword of legend. Who are you, girl?!" the man demanded.

"My name is Sakura. Yato flew into my hands the day I lost my mother and sister. Then, I was taken into Nohrian custody, and now here I am." The man shook his head.

"If it wasn't for that sword, I would have you all executed on the spot. However, I will make an exception for this. . .unsightly intrusion. Show me why you were chosen by Yato." Sakura sighed. Not another deal!

"I-if I win, you'll stay loyal to the Nohrian crown," Sakura said slowly.

"And if I win, your lives are forfeit." Sakura slowly rose to her feet and nodded.

"Jakob, Effie. . .I'm sorry, but I really need your help," she apologized.

"I will do whatever milady asks," Jakob stated curtly.

"They'd better feed us after we win!" Effie growled.

Strength Tonics to everyone for various OHKO purposes (Jakob against magic users, Effie for the boss and to OHKO squishies with a Javelin, and Sakura so she'd ORKO the bulky fighters in the middle). Sakura also got a Speed Tonic so she'd double the axe guys.

Baited out and mostly murdered the first group (with Sakura visiting the nearest village), then worked my way across the lake. Managed to kill one of the soldiers, which allowed Jakob to visit the norther village. From there, went north to avoid Flora, then had Effie sit next to the boss. Her personal skill + Sakura pair-up + Strength Tonic (and maybe a hit from Jakob earlier) allowed her to do 15 damage to the boss, which is pretty easy 3HKO range.

 

Spoiler

"A deal is a deal," the defeated village leader acknowledged, holding his side.

"W-wait, all you have is Jakob and your daughter as healers?!" Sakura said, shock in her voice. "But there's so many wounded people!"

"Nonsense. These scratches are nothing compared to the weather." Sakura shook her head.

"If you have an extra staff, I can--" A tap on her shoulder stopped her thoughts. Effie held out a staff.

"Elise told me to bring this to you," she said.

"Oh, thank you!" Sakura said, her voice light with happiness. "I can start with you! After all, you saved my life earlier." Sakura closed her eyes, remembering simpler times, when all she had to worry about were her studies. Her innate magic reacted to the staff, and in moments, the village leader was enveloped in a warm glow.

"A staff in one hand, and a sword in the other. Perhaps that is why Yato chose you," the village leader mused, poking the area where he'd been injured. "It takes strength to face an enemy, but even more to move on from a conflict."

"I-I'm glad you're okay!" The village leader chuckled at Sakura's expression.

"You're all more than welcome to stay! Dinner should be ready soon, and it should be an experience to remember." Effie's cheer was cut short by her growling stomach.

Paralogue 1 - 9/63

(no story here, this chapter makes no sense)

Effie solo up top, while Jakob and Sakura went south. Recruited Mozu for her lance. Yes, it took a while. No, I don't regret it, because I can promote Effie at any time.

Edited January 17, 2017 by eclipse

[Gradivus.]

C12 7/80 turns

Didn't have the manpower to survive while blitzing through with the Dragon Vein so I took the boss area slowly. The entrap room wasn't a good idea either due to few units and no lockpick. Went through the middle, Silas with Javelin + Cornßread DSes killed the Ninjas just barely on turn 1 and chipped Saizo on counterattack (gave him Talisman + Res Tonic so he's safe). Turns 2 and 3, I finish off him and Kagero, Silas shelters Cornßread and gets danced to drop her within range of the Spear Fighters to kill 2/3 of them with Dragonstone on EP, with Jakob and Silas finishing off the third one on turn 4. Cornßread killed the Myrmidons on turn 4, also with Dragonstone (with pocket Nyx). Turn 5, Nyx broke a poison pot and took one for the team (Hexing Rod effect), and Cornßread killed a Lunge Apothecary who would've been an asshole otherwise. Silas killed a generic spear fighter on a pillar, who got hexing rodded too. Turns 6 and 7, I barely managed to fight my way through the remaining enemies and pots and escape with Cornßread. The silence jerk preferred to target Jakob over Cornßread so he wasn't a big hindrance.

Paralogue Kana

Passed down Shelter. Promoted Cornßread to build tome rank. Trained dudes, Jakob got a lot better here.

Paralogue Sophie

Passed down Dragon Fang. Heart Sealed Kana to Wyvern Rider. Cornßread hit D tomes, didn't save the villagers since they had the idiocy to enter enemy range. Trained Kana and Sophie.

C13 3/83 turns

Promoted Silas to Paladin and Nyx to Dark Knight. Turn 1, Jakob froze Takumi and counterkilled the 3 thwomps near Takumi with a Flame Shuriken, blocking one of their attacks with Elise pairup. Silas and Sophie killed two of the knights in the top area on turn 1 and softened up the third one (who has a Javelin). Cornßread got danced to kill Orochi's squad and Kana sheltered Azura. Turn 2, Cornßread went towards Reina's group and Kana brought Azura down to reach the village and counterkill Reina (with Inspiring Song). Sophie attacked Takumi with Iron Sword and Silas finished him off with a Javelin + Iron Sword DS, Sophie debuffing Def with her personal helped. Jakob used a vulnerary to counterkill the remaining knight from the top area. Corn faces one of the Wyvern + Knight pairs, Sophie the other. Corn killed one of the enemies so she could just kill the other next EP. Sophie didn't ORKO the knight, so Jakob finished off with Flame Shuriken and Sophie ORKOed the wyvern with an Iron Sword + Flame Shuriken DS. She needed to dodge a 61 from the Knight on EP2 or a 41 from the Wyvern on turn 3 to survive. Silas got the Master Seal village and Corn counterkilled Scarlet's squad (only faced 7 crit from Scarlet even with Death Blow). Got 5000G and Master Seal.

UNIT        CLASS             LEVEL HP STR MAG SKL SPD LCK DEF RES WEXP
Cornßread   Nohr Noble      17/5.29 34  22  24  18  23  19  17  17 D Swd D Mgc B Drg
Silas       Paladin         19/1.31 30  17   1  19  17  14  18  14 D Swd C Lnc
Jakob       Butler         xx/17.04 33  15  13  21  20  16   9  15 C Shu D Stf
Kana        Wyvern Rider      19.33 31  16  11  20  17  16  19  10 D Axe
Sophie      Cavalier          16.24 30  16   6  19  17  14  12  13 D Swd D Lnc
Elise       Troubadour        13.18 22   2  14   8  12  21   6  18 C Stf
Nyx         Dark Knight     16/1.14 23   9  18  11  17   7   9  10 E Swd B Mgc
Benny       Knight            15.00 31  15   0  15   6  12  21  10 C Lnc
Charlotte   Fighter           10.00 33  15   0  10  13   9   8   2 C Axe
Azura       Songstress        10.38 18  10   5  17  17  15   7  11 E Lnc

C14 1/84 turns

Partner sealed Silas to Wyvern Lord and promoted Kana. Kana (pocket Nyx) lunged through a Samurai, Sophie finished said Samurai with Javelin to free up the way, Azura (ferried by Silas) danced Kana to just barely drop Nyx within Entrap range. EP, Nyx gets entrapped and Kumagera attacks first because none of my units would get killed in one round by the mooks (Azura got Spd tonic to avoid doubling from the Sky Knight pair) since the AI is a fool like that, he just barely fails to kill her with a DS from that archer next to him and gets counterkilled by a Mjölnir crit.

C15 5/89 turns

Cornßread replica (pocket Azura replica) fought her way through the bottom, ORKOing everything with Thunder. Cornßread killed some enemies at the top and supported her replica by using Vulneraries or getting danced by Azura for Inspiring Song since the effects are synchronized. The boss got casually roflstomped on turn 5 with a Mjölnir tome (although it really didn't matter what tome, Cornßread replica would've survived a second round on EP anyway). Got the spirit dust and speedwing, but not the goddess icon. There goes a free 1000G I guess, not that it's a huge loss.

C16 2/91 turns

Promoted Elise. Xander get. Turn 1, Sophie pocket Benny got danced to attack one of the Outlaws in the NE area with javelin and Kana kills the other with a hand axe + Sophie DS. Charlotte paired with Xander (because might aswell build the support, +str pairup doesn't matter here) and he gooned the Enfeeble Adventurer. Jakob pocket Elise froze a Fighter in the SW area so he can survive the EP safely. Cornßread got ferried up west by Silas and murdered everything with Fimbulvetr. EP, Kana counterkills the other Outlaw (can take a hit) while some Mercs and the paired Outlaw focus their attention on Sophie. Xander got frozen and hit the Heart Seal!Hero on counter. Turn 2, Xander finished the Hero off, Jakob talked to the SW soldier (+1 mov from Elise pairup helped him do this no matter how the Berserker moved on EP), Sophie talked to the NE one, Kana got danced to get the east-most soldier and Cornßread talks to the west-most one, defeating Shura with Mjölnir Critblem. Recruited him after the map. Got the Heart and Master seals.

C17 2/93 turns

Shura get. Promoted Sophie to Paladin. Turn 1, Shura lockpick'd the closest caltrop patch, got sheltered by Silas and dropped to the right after Cornßread used the Dragon Vein. Sophie then sheltered Azura and Nyx took her to dance Kana pocket Xander ahead. Xander got dropped next to the protrusion towards the area with the large group of ninjas, not getting attacked by any of them with Def tonic, so the path was clean after the EP. Turn 2, Nyx gave Azura to Silas, Elise used another DV, Shura paired with Kana and Silas gave Azura to Xander. Kana fullmoved ahead twice with help from Azura, getting just far enough so Shura can 2-range Kotaro, OHKOing with a Killer Bow crit (16.4% chance). Didn't fight any generics.

C18 2/95 turns

Promoted Charlotte for higher pairup boosts. Turn 1, Nyx pocket Cornßread and Kana (with a Hammer) got shelter danced down, with Cornßread and Kana murdering two Generals on PP. Jakob froze the Silver Sword!Hero since if he aggroed, I wouldn't have a clear path to Zola after killing two enemies (don't have the manpower to kill a third one). He got enfeebled and chipped one of the Heroes on counterattack with a Flame Shuriken. Turn 2, Cornßread Mjölnir crit Generic General Guy 1 and Kana killed Generic General Guy 2 with a Hammer + Mjölnir DS, needing a crit on either of those or a Dragon Fang from Kana (12.8% chance). Shura ORKOed a full-HP hero with a Xander DS and Jakob finished the one he weakened on counter, using a Flame Shuriken + Silas DS. Azura paired with Silas and danced Xander to ORKO Zola through Nostank healing, he just barely doubled with the pairup boosts, Spd tonic and Inspiring Song, although I could've burned a speedwing otherwise. Sophie got a random Sorcerer kill on the right.

UNIT        CLASS             LEVEL HP STR MAG SKL SPD LCK DEF RES WEXP
Cornßread   Nohr Noble      17/7.65 34  23  24  20  24  19  20  21 D Swd C Mgc B Drg
Silas       Wyvern Lord     19/1.67 30  17   0  21  16  13  21   9 C Lnc E Axe
Jakob       Butler         xx/18.85 33  16  13  21  23  17   9  15 B Shu D Stf
Kana        Wyvern Lord     19/3.07 34  19  13  26  19  18  23  12 E Lnc D Axe
Sophie      Paladin         17/1.51 33  18   8  22  20  16  15  16 D Swd D Lnc
Elise       Strategist      13/1.16 23   2  18   7  14  22   7  19 E Mgc C Stf
Xander      Paladin         xx/4.81 38  23   4  18  15  20  27  11 B Swd D Lnc
Shura       Adventurer      xx/2.87 31  18  10  21  24  13  13  21 C Bow D Stf
Nyx         Dark Knight     16/1.56 23   9  18  11  17   7   9  10 E Swd B Mgc
Benny       Knight            15.29 31  15   0  15   6  12  21  10 C Lnc
Charlotte   Berserker       10/1.00 38  20   0  12  16   7   9   1 C Axe
Azura       Songstress        12.71 20  11   5  18  18  17   8  11 E Lnc

Edited September 8, 2016 by Gradivus.

[eclipse]

Chapter 9 - 16/70

 

Spoiler

"I have returned, Your Highness," Sakura said, bowing deeply.
"I have received the message from the Ice Tribe. They will no longer be of any concern," Garon said slowly.
"My sources tell me that you had others with you on the expedition to the Ice Tribe," Iago countered swiftly.
"They followed me of their own volition, and were forced to fight for their lives against the Ice Tribe. Surely that is punishment enough," Sakura said quickly.
"Still, Anankos was not pleased, and demanded a payment in blood," Garon continued. Sakura gasped as Jakob and Effie were paraded in front of her, in shackles. "Anankos had no interest in the Hoshidans, but he seemed most interested in the interlopers."
"What kind of mad god demands a blood sacrifice?!" Sakura blurted out.
"Silence, child! Anankos' will is absolute, and it's YOUR disobedience that caused it!" Garon roared.
"If this is how it ends, so be it," Effie said, her voice unnervingly calm. "At least I will have a clean conscience." She gasped as a mailed fist found its way to her gut.
"Yet fortune smiles upon you again, Sakura, for Anankos has decreed that another sacrifice was equally worthy." One of Nohr's soldiers entered, a bag in his hands. He dumped its contents unceremoniously at Sakura's feet. She screamed as her eyes met the unblinking gaze of the severed head in front of her.
"The Ice Tribe has paid for your blunder, to the last child. Anankos will NOT be so forgiving next time," Iago said, a hint of glee in his voice.
"Your next mission is to capture Notre Sagasse," Garon said, ignoring the grisly remains in front of him. "Take no prisoners."
"Where IS Notre Sagasse?" Sakura asked, averting her eyes from the object at her feet.
"If I may, Your Highness," Jakob interrupted. "Sakura does not know the customs of the land, and may very well fall short of her destination. Furthermore, Notre Sagasse is quite a distance away, and the neighboring territories WILL notice if you send too many soldiers there."
"Silence!" Iago cut in.
"No, he has a point. Continue," Garon replied.
"Thank you, Your Highness. A lone Hoshidan will draw unwanted attention to her mission. A Hoshidan princess with a butler and a guide will look less threatening. As Effie is from Nohr, I propose that she act as Sakura's guide."
"Absolutely preposterous!" Iago spat out. "Since when do Hoshido nobles come to Nohr?"
"If she goes to Notre Sagasse under the pretext of a pilgrimage, it will sound believable," Jakob replied.
"Very well," Garon said, stroking his beard. "You will leave tomorrow."

---

"SAKURA!" Elise bounded towards her, something in her hands. "What do you think of my handwriting?" she said, far too loudly for the confines of Sakura's room.

"Don't worry about us, Sakura! Get back to Hoshido as soon as possible! --Hana"

"W-where did you get this from?!" Sakura demanded. Elise put a finger to her lips. "Uh, I've never seen such flowery script! Who taught you how to write like this?" Elise snatched the note and tossed it into the fire, grinning happily. Then, she sat next to Sakura, holding the crying girl's hand.

"I know Garon will never let you go down to the prisons, but I can sneak in. I slipped them some paper, and the girl wrote that for you. The guy would've written something, but his hand's busted," Elise whispered. Sakura took her sleeve to her face, wiping her rapidly-cooling tears away.

"T-thank you," she whispered back.

"You're taking good care of Effie, so it's the least I can do."

---

"W-what is this fort?" Sakura said to herself. Jakob ran back, his cheeks flushed.
"Soldiers are in the fort! They're from Hoshido, too. I also heard reports of a prisoner being kept in the fort, as well." Sakura's brow furrowed.
"Milady, we need to pass through that fort, whether we like it or not," Effie chimed in.
"Very well. I'll see if I can talk some sense into them," Sakura replied, her knees shaking.

---

"T-that's Lady Sakura!" one of the guardsmen exclaimed.
"Look, she's with some Nohrian troops. She's turned traitor!" another one called out.
"W-wait!" Sakura yelled. Before she could continue, someone threw her to the ground. Arrows whizzed above her head.
"They aren't interested in talking! We have to fight!" Effie yelled.

Screw this chapter. Doing it with three people ain't fun. Gave Sakura a HP Tonic for tankiness and a Magic tonic to OHKO sword guys.

Sakura with an Effie pair-up was able to wall mostly everything. Jakob slipped in a heal, and I made it a point to bring Azura over to the main group. Stuck around to kill off the reinforcements, then the boss went down to two well-timed Effie hits. Brass Naginata OP.

Edited January 17, 2017 by eclipse

[Skellow]

7 - 10/38

Corrin and Jakob tag-teamed the chapter pretty much. Don't think I can get any lower unless Corrin get a low% crit on the boss.

8 - 6/43

Can actually do it in 5 turns but 6 turns allow me to visit 2 villages. Don't know if it's worth it but getting 1k sucks.
Jakob ferried Corrin to the boss. With a bunch of tonics and Corrin AS he could actually ORKO Flora so I don't have to worry about the freeze staff.
Corrin fall 1 Str short of ORKOing Kilma but she blocked a Nosferatu hit and killed him on EP so it worked out. Odin visited a village and chipped a fighter for 10XP.

1x - 7/50

Jakob and Odin went north and killed the boss while Corrin slowly walked south and killed everything.

Name   Class         XP    HP Str Mag Skl Spd Lck Def Res Wxp
Corrin Nohr Princess 12.63 29 14  5   13  14  10  13  4   C Swd D DrgStone
Jakob  Butler        8.13  26 11  8   17  14  11  10  9   C Shu D Staff
Odin   Dank Mage     7.04  22 7   9   12  9   11  8   8   D Tome

Edited September 17, 2016 by Skellow

[Gradivus.]

C19 5/100 turns

Xander went Wyvern Lord and took a beastkiller, got danced up and killed the dead tree, standing on the water before doing it so the foxes can only attack from tiles without +Avo. He remained in the right half of the map for the first 3 turns to help kill foxes and got danced to pull Kaden on turn 4 (attack stance with Charlotte to increase the hitrate), either OHKOing him back if he got enough str procs or just nearly OHKOing (or whiffing), in which case he attacks again on turn 5 and banks on two hits against Kaden's generic fox friends while they're on forest tiles on EP, but it works because they have beastrunes. Otherwise he can retreat to a tile that forces them to attack from Avo-less tiles, but it isn't too unreliable anyway. Cornßread soloed the left with Grim Yato and Jakob pair up and some stragglers were fed to Kana by the rest of my dudes because he's the unit I'm the most likely to want competent later on (though chances are he won't be great anyway).

C20 2/102 turns

Silas ferried Cornßread up, getting danced by Azura (ferried by Kana, who then got dropped off by Xander so he isn't in the back on turn 2). Cornßread got blown onto Fuga's platform at the start of turn 2 and killed him with a Mjölnir crit. Xander then ferried Azura to Kana so he can get danced to the throne without being in the downward stream. Elise dropped Shura to the left to get the rescue on turn 2 after getting dragon vein'd up. The rest of my team fed a kill to Charlotte so she can maybe reach Rally Str by Endgame or something.

C21 4/106 turns

My team wasn't strong enough to 3-turn (Xander doesn't have the speed to frontline without getting savage blow'd to death and Corrin gets like, 3HKOed at 60 hit even with Grim Yato's +10 avo, plus no mov pairup), so I fielded Kana and Silas for extra flight since that allows for an extra DV on turn 2 to make things a lot more reliable. Turn 1, Kana used the Dragon Vein above the start, Silas (pocket Cornßread) and Xander just flew up the left. Turn 2, Kana paired with Xander and he flew further ahead to pop the next DV. Silas just moved up and used a Vulnerary to survive another Stoneborn attack. Turn 3, Silas switched to Cornßread and she attacked a Stoneborn to the left of the boss area using Dragonstone and Xander finished it off with Javelin (lunging through it). EP, Cornßread and Xander took quite a beating from 2 Faceless and 1 Stoneborn, but their survival was completely reliable. Everyone escaped on turn 4.

C22 3/109 turns

Cornßread reclassed to Sorceror since she reached the A support with Nyx. Xander reclassed back to Paladin. She counterkilled two of Hana's goons (through the levee) and the Blacksmith trio, with Jakob pair up. Turn 2, Xander pops the 2nd Dragon Vein to the right, opening up the way to Hana's group. I then froze her and killed the 2 remaining Onis with Cornßread. Silas got danced towards the seizing point and dropped Nyx off. Turn 3, Cornßread was given to Nyx and they went to Yukimura. Cornßread doubled him with Mjölnir, needing a Dragon Fang or crit to kill. The chance for the kill was around 45%, could've been higher had I melee'd him to make use of Heartseeker. Silas seized.

C23 3/112 turns

Lunge skipping this. Suck it, wall.

Reclassed Elise to Malig Knight and Flora to Strategist. Bought a KE. Cornßread counterkilled Rallyman and his spear goon companion on turn 1 so Elise can fly Shura to the boots chest on turn 3. Turn 1, Silas dropped Xander across the gap and Kana dropped Flora there. Turn 2, Kana dropped Nyx across the gap and Silas sheltered Azura. Flora froze a Spear Master so he doesn't kill her. Turn 3, Silas gave Azura to Nyx and paired up with Flora. Xander lunged through the lowest Spear Master pair in the wall. Nyx went up to him, switched to Azura, was given to Xander and he got danced by Azura. He then killed Takumi with a KE crit. Kana then sheltered Azura, Flora took Azura (giving Silas to Kana for +mov) and she danced Kana. He barely reached the throne and seized. Got the boots, but not the cash.

Edited October 1, 2016 by Gradivus.

[lapismaid]

I'm alive, I promise.

Chapter 13 (6/87): Gave Talisman to Arthur and Spirit Dust to Corrin, who promoted. Annoyingly RNG dependant. I need a Speed level on Arthur to double Orochi with a Niles pair-up, and a Magic level on Corrin or a Yato Dragon Fang proc to ORKO Scarlet. This combined with various chances to miss attacks all over the board makes for reset city. Got the 5k village at least.

Chapter 14 (3/90): This would be two-turnable with a different strategy, but I decided spend an extra turn to get Arthur and Fir more support. Arthur with pocket Fir runs north, Selena ferries Azura to Dance him forward further and he drops Fir a space ahead with the Yato. The rest head down to where Keaton is to self-improve off some dudes. On Turn 3 Fir holding the Killing Edge gets entrapped to the boss and KOs with two hits + 1 crit (or just one crit if she procs Str). Leo just kinda moves around and avoids combat. Most annoying part of this map was Entrap missing Fir.

Fir and Arthur hit S after the map.

Chapter 15 (4/94): Reclassed Fir to Swordmaster, I probably could’ve done this last map but I doubt it would’ve changed much. Azura backpacked a Heart Seal and Hand Axe to Gunter. Heart Seal’d Gunter to Wyvern Lord, who ferried Fir to the boss. She has to connect with 3 out of 4 Grim Yato hits at about 70% accuracy, so it’s not too bad. Managed for Gunter to pick up Str+2 and Lunge, and Fir Duelist’s Blow. Picked up the Spirit Dust and Speedwings.

Chapter Kana (18 Free): Purchased the Beastkiller because I’ll need it eventually and it makes dealing with the Pegs and Falcos easier. Promoted Benny to get it out of the way and give +Move to Selena, who got a bunch of mediocre levels. Mozu gained a bunch of not-crappy levels. I’ve elected to focus on her over Niles at this point because she’s just statistically better and has some Lance rank built up, and once they marry she can Partner Seal for quick Locktouch and Move+1 while working a bit on Bow rank. She killed both of the Berserkers and a bunch of promoted dudes, it was cool. Gunter picked up Rally Defense, might be useful sometime.

Mozu and Niles are at A rank now, so hopefully just a little left to go for them. Jakob and Azura at B, and Selena and Benny at C.

Chapter 16 (4/98): Sold a lot of stuff to promote Mozu and Arthur. Used Spirit Dust on Fir for more Levin Sword action. Gunter flies north just in range of the dark mages up top (above the boat), to draw their fire for the first turn. Selena flies up as well to get into position to talk to one of the Soldiers on Turn 3. Fir pairs to Jakob and then moves in range to Levin Sword the Enfeeble!Adventurer so he dies on EP. Mozu (pocket Benny) moves down in range of both Fighters and one Dark Mage w/ Bronze Sword. Mozu and Niles deal with the bottom left Soldier with not great but not terrible success odds, Frozen Fir switches to Jakob and Steel Shuriken’s a Merc, then gets refreshed and dumps Fir outside of Freeze range near the two mercs on the right. Arthur Shelters Azura so she doesn’t die horribly. Turn 3 Jakob and Fir open up the way to the far right soldier, and Mozu + Niles clean up the Berserker (who got drawn out on the previous turn). Turn 4 everyone talks to the Soldiers, Fir going last to Killing Edge Shura. Didn’t get the Master Seal, but did get the Heart Seal.

A 3-turn would be doable banking on one of two Freezes missing followed by Jakob Steel Shuriken + AtS Killing Edge crit to open the way for Fir to talk to the far right soldier on Turn 3, but it’s a little uh, unreliable for my taste.

Opted not to kill Shura.

Chapter Percy (16 Free): Kid Justice’s time is here. Passed down Nobility and Elbow Room. Trained some dudes and dudettes and got some money. Mozu and Niles hit S. Jakob and Azura haven't even hit A yet which is slightly worrying, but it'll probably work out.

UNIT     CLASS             LEVEL HP STR MAG SKL SPD LCK DEF RES  WLVL
Fir      Swordmaster        7.17 41  21  16  21  26  12  18  11  B Swd
Jakob    Butler            22.73 30  18  11  24  18  21  11  18  B Shu D Stf
Arthur   Justice Paladin    2.52 34  21   1  15  17   4  21  13  E Swd C Lnc
Niles    Outlaw            15.12 26  12   7  13  19   8  11  16  D Bows
Mozu     MOZU of Arms       3.49 27  22   3  21  24  14  22  10  C Lance E Swd/Axe
Selena   Falcon Knight      2.16 28  15   7  15  24  18  15  20  D Lnc E Stf
BENNY    PAIRUP KNIGHT      1.47 33  17   0  16   9  12  23  11  C Lnc E Swd/Axe
Shura    Adventurer         2.16 31  18  10  21  24  13  13  21  C Bow D Stf
Percy    Justice Rider     18.00 30  16   4  16  15  16  20   6  C Axe
Azura    Songstress        10.18 Good Enough
Gunter   Wyvern Lord       13.96 what are growths?

Chapter 17 (2/100): Promoted Percy and gave him a Dracoshield so all the enemies would ignore him with a Def Tonic. Gave a Str tonic to Shura. Long and short of this map is that everyone kinda muscles their way into a position where Gunter ferrying Shura can reach Kotaro at 2 range and Shura can OHKO with a Killer Bow crit (43% Hit, 28% crit). Fairly reliable to get to the boss, at least. I set up a mini-ferry for Fir to hit the northern DV on Turn 2 since I lack a second DV user not named Percy.

Chapter 18 (4/104): Reclassed Mozu to Bow Knight and Niles to Archer. I didn’t really have the resources (read; a Tome user) to deal with the General Stack faster. Fir is pretty much my only unit capable of ORKOing Zola (meaning no Armorslayer user down with the General Stack), and getting her to him safely requires Tomebreaker!Jakob to ferry so she can get past all the Sorcerers in good enough condition, as well as Freeze the Silver Sword Hero so he can actually get through to Zola. A double refresh on Turn 1 sets Fir off to deal with the Maid and Heroes using Levin Sword, and puts Percy+Benny down onto The Magic Tile where he can kill all but 2 of the Generals and chunk the Paladin. The rest of the squad deals with the General stack; since I don’t have my Armorslayer user (Fir) down with the rest of the squad, I instead have to pretty much unpair everyone except Percy and Benny, and have Percy with a refresh take down the first part of the General stack; after that, my bow users use their 2-range to get Hammer DSes off onto the second General (feeding levels to Niles and Mozu in the process), with a Shelter Refresh to get the final blow.

Took longer than I would’ve liked, but was fairly un-demanding. The only big RNG is killing Zola (and making sure Percy doesn’t get crap levels)

Edited October 2, 2016 by Finalinsanity

[Gradivus.]

C24 2/114 turns

Xander reverted to Wyvern Lord. Turn 1, Xander got danced and dropped Sophie ahead, then Silas took Azura and dropped Cornßread ahead. EP, no combat happened and Hinoka used the DV. Turn 2, Silas moved further ahead, Elise ferried Azura to him so she can dance. Cornßread then took Elise and switched so Elise is the lead unit. Sophie sheltered Azura and Kana took her to dance Elise. Elise then flew Cornßread to Hinoka, killing with a Mjölnir Dragon Fang crit (4.5% chance only even with Heartseeker and Sorc's hit/crit bonuses), Xander killed her pairup fodder with a Javelin + Lightning DS from Corn (Javelin had 79 hit, and Cornßread had a 40% to crit with Lightning in case Xander still misses (he didn't), so the chance of failure is pretty low) and Silas seized the gate.

C25 2/116 turns

Cornßread killed Ryoma. Didn't have a good enough Corrin to 1-turn, so Cornßread attacked him on turn 1 and finished him next turn, with the following "strats" depending on what happens:

- Mjölnir DF crit -> Lightning (needs at least 1 DF or crit)

- Mjölnir crit or DF -> Mjölnir DF crit

- Mjölnir miss or regular hit -> restart

The chance is roughly 7.5%. Meanwhile, everyone concentrated on the left side. Xander lunged through a swordmaster, Flora froze the other and Kana baited 2 Master Ninja's away from Xander. Turn 2, Kana cleans a path by lunging the swordmaster next to Xander out of the way and got danced. He and Xander then double lunged the Swordmaster stack in front of the Silence chest room (Kana lunged them to a spot where Xander can lunge through the wall so that the hallway is free) and Silas ferried Shura to the chest (Sophie sheltered Azura), netting me the Silence.

UNIT        CLASS             LEVEL HP STR MAG SKL SPD LCK DEF RES WEXP
Cornßread   Sorcerer       17/17.63 38  19  35  26  29  23  22  31 B Mgc
Xander      Paladin        xx/11.86 44  29   3  24  16  24  34   8 D Lnc E Axe
Silas       Wyvern Lord     19/2.80 31  20   0  22  17  13  22   9 C Lnc E Axe
Kana        Wyvern Lord     19/5.02 35  21  14  26  20  18  24  12 E Lnc D Axe
Jakob       Butler         xx/20.09 33  16  13  21  22  17  10  17 B Shu D Stf
Sophie      Paladin         17/1.74 33  18   8  22  20  16  15  16 D Swd D Lnc
Elise       Malig Knight    13/1.36 25   9  17   7  12  17  13  18 E Axe E Mgc
Flora       Strategist      xx/5.64 27  14  18  22  14  12  11  28 E Mgc B Stf
Shura       Adventurer      xx/3.31 31  19  10  21  24  13  13  22 C Bow D Stf
Nyx         Dark Knight     16/1.65 23   9  18  11  17   7   9  10 E Swd B Mgc
Benny       Knight            15.41 31  15   0  15   6  12  21  10 C Lnc
Charlotte   Berserker       10/1.00 38  20   0  12  16   7   9   1 C Axe
Azura       Songstress        12.71 20  11   5  18  18  17   8  11 E Lnc

C26 7/123 turns

Reclassed Xander back to Paladin for Siegfried and no Excalibur weakness. Gave him 3 speedwings and Cornßread 2 dracoshields. Turn 1, Flora silenced Iago at 44 hit (goodbye, Iago!) and Cornßread killed 2 heroes and the maid in the first room. Xander also killed a Hero (doubling because Tomahawk). EP, Cornßread survived 2 Wyrmslayers and counterkilled the Heroes, and also counterkilled another one with shield gauge activated. The eighth Hero got frozen by Shura beforehand. Turn 2, Cornßread got danced to kill the Entrap Maid after Xander broke down the door and took on the Sorcerers. Turn 3, Xander chipped the 3rd door with a Javelin, for Cornßread to rush in on turn 4 with a dance (Azura got shelter chained back to safety). Turn 5, Flora entrapped Hans and Cornßread killed him with Lightning. Turn 6, I opened the 4th door, had Cornßread kill the Sorcerer behind it and prepared to charge the throne room. Turn 7, Silas lunged through a General and got danced so he can ferry Shura to the door. Xander then sheltered Azura and Charlotte gave Corrin to him, then switched to Azura to dance him to Iago. He killed him with 2x Siegfried at 84 hit and faced 8 crit from the Excalibur. Flora then used a rescue staff so Elise (+mov pairup) can seize the throne.

Edited October 3, 2016 by Gradivus.

[lapismaid]

Chapter Nina (14? 15? Somewhere around there, Free): Reclassed Shura to Master Ninja and purchased a Bronze Dagger, I have a plan for him and I need to start working on it immediately. Niles promoted to Kinshi Knight mid-map. Managed to get the 3000g. Passed down Quick Draw and Aptitude and promoted her to Bow Knight.

Chapter 19 (7/111): Speedwing to Percy. Though Shura doesn’t have D Kunai going into the map, I throw the Hunting Knife on him anyways; he’ll reach D rank by Turn 3 and can start using it then. Gunter buffs up Percy’s Defense and he gets thrown to the north with a Nina backpack to axe some dudes in the face. Everyone else stood around and did random shelter refresh stuff to build up Jakob and Azura support and picked off stragglers. This could probably have gone a lot faster with one of my frontliners actually having the rank to use Beast weapons from the start, but alas.

Chapter 20 (3/114): Annoyingly inconsistent due to Lunge AI. Jakob and Azura head to the left to fight Onmyojis and gain support (unequipping Tomebreaker so they actually attack). Shura pairs to Percy, Fir to Gunter, who position themselves to get blown up for Turn 2. I let the wind go on its own, not activating the DV. Turn 2 Percy and Gunter fly up to the top platform, Switching to Shura, who attacks the Freeze Priestess, and Fir finishes with Levin Sword. On Enemy Phase, the Priestesses must Lunge Fir in such a way that she winds up being attacked by Fuga with the Levin Sword equipped, dealing 19x2 damage. On Turn 3, Fir sometimes will have been in a position to be blown down, so Jakob can trade Azura to Arthur and she activates a DV to get her back up; if not, the two can muck around a bit for more Support. Shura moves up and switches to Percy, who doubles with Dual Club for 12 damage (66% disp. hit) to finish Fuga’s remaining 10 HP. Niles gets the Rescue staff and Fir seizes.

Jakob and Azura hit S!

Chapter 21 (4/118): If Percy needed any more training, he got it here. The good news about not having the Move to finish this map faster is that I could critblick the boss on EP for a free Arms Scroll.

Chapter Shigure (19 Free): Trained dudes. Mozu Heart Sealed to Kinshi Knight after Move+1, two 9-move fliers is a good time. Importantly, Shura hit C Kunai and gained some Strength. Saving Dwyer’s paralogue for later. Selena and Benny hit A so maybe there's a chance Ignatius can exist? Passed down Tomebreaker and Luck+4, promoted Shigure to Falcon Knight. He'll probably not be anything more than DV filler, but he may as well be filler that can also Rally Speed.

Chapter 22 (4/122): The end is so close I can taste it, yet still so far away. Shigure and Jakob deployed on the right, everyone else on the left. My initial strategies for this were very dumb and/or I lacked the benchmarks to make them work, so I came up with something still dumb, but that actually worked. Shigure pops the first and only DV for the map, Jakob just kinda stands in Onmyoji range to the right of him for free EXP (Shigure can heal off any damage). Percy critblicks the upper left Chieftain. Azura holding Nina transfers and refreshes Percy. Arthur Shelters her, then Gunter holding Shura takes her place and chips the second Chieftain. Fir pairs to Mozu and Levins the Chieftain from one tile above. Niles takes Azura and waits, Selena holding Benny switches, then takes her again and refreshes Shura. Percy breaks the wall, then Shura chips the Chieftain on a fort. Turn 2: Fir moves up and Levins the Chieftain from 1R of the fort, and people move in and start separating out for the great Flier Conga Line. This is what it looks like start of Turn 3 EP;

I both love and hate how something this dumb is actually completely safe. Anyways, some Blacksmiths and a Chieftain try to hurt people but don't end up accomplishing anything. Gunter flies over and Shura tries to chip at Yukimura; if he hits twice, Percy doesn’t need to crit (if he was debuffed by the Ballista), either way Poison Strike activates and he gives Percy a small Hit boost for being next to him, and he might proc Lethality and kill anyways. One way or another Yukimura keels over and Mozu moves in to Seize. Selena and Benny don’t need to be there, but they can chip a Blacksmith for some easy EXP and Support on the final turn. Doubt they’ll actually hit S, but every little bit counts.

[eclipse]

Sorry, still stuck on Chapter 10. Gotta figure out how to do this without taking a penalty/Corrin dying. Stupid Lunge guys kinda ruined my plan!

[lapismaid]

Chapter 23 (4/126): I really love this map, it’s fun no matter what way you go about it. Anyways, strategy; Fir pairs to Gunter and flies up and Levins Rallyman from just above the gap. Jakob moves into range to provide Gentilhomme support. Mozu and Shigure (pocket Shura) move into position to fly across the gap next turn. The other three pairs (PercyxNina, SelenaxArthur, and NilesxAzura) fly into a specific pattern;

...so as to avoid all the enemies except the Ballista which can’t kill them anyways. EP a bunch of stuff attacks Fir, all of which have low% crit chance that will instantly end the run. Fun!

Turn 2, Mozu finishes one of the Spear Masters, Shigure flies up and transfers himself to Mozu so Shura can AtS onto another for Mozu to gain a level (why not?), then Fir Levins the final one, hitting Lv 15 in the process.

End of Turn 2. Nothing happens on EP except some MoA stacks move in on the flying squad. Turn 3, Flight Squad shuffle themselves around a bit with Niles sitting on the stairs, Percy adjacent, and Arthur moving 2L of the stairs. Shigure heals Fir, Shura takes Mozu and drops her, and Fir moves up the stairs close to the ballista and Heart Seals to Master of Arms. EP; a lot of stuff attacks Fir and dies for their insolence, Fir barely holding on thanks to the MoA reclass, shield gauge, Def Tonic, and Gunter’s pairup. She’s just barely out of range of the Lunge Spear Masters thankfully.

Turn 4 is make-or-break time. Niles moves so that he’s 9 squares away from the throne (using the stairs), as does Percy. Nina moves, transfers herself to Percy, and Azura refreshes him. Arthur Shelters, and Selena takes Azura and refreshes Niles. Percy has to land a Killer Axe crit on Takumi at 61% hit, 28% crit for 52 damage (Skill Tonic). He doubles, but also dies if he doesn’t get it on the first swing unless Takumi misses a >90% shot. Percy hits Lv 15 and learns Swordbreaker for his efforts. Mozu and Shura move in to grab the Boots and the 10,000g (thank god), Fir and Shigure get in some last minute kills, and Niles seizes. Fir learns Life and Death.

Chapter 24 (2/128): I have six fliers, two of which have 9 move. So that makes things pretty simple overall. Percy with Mozu pairup can critblick Hinoka at 65% Hit, 25% crit (Skl and Luk tonics for reliability, Str tonic for damage; I could’ve used Gunter instead but wanted the extra reliability of Kinshi bonuses). Shura grabs some easy EXP off the Onmyojis, Selena does the same for Benny support. Once Hinoka goes down, Fir backpacks on Niles to Levin the Chieftain, and Shigure gets refreshed with some help from Gunter ferrying Azura to seize.

Chapter 25 (3/131): Fir walks up to Ryoma and gets a normal hit, then a Killing Edge Dragon Fang (3 damage short on the crit, thanks game). If I gave her Boots she could Kodachi him on Turn 1 and save a turn by getting that plus KECDF, but… the odds aren’t great to begin with, and this just kinda happened. I'll keep a save here in case I need to redo it for the Silence staff (god i hope not).

Chapter Dwyer (17 Free): This won't get any easier. Benny reclasses to Berserker to learn Rally Strength. Fir level capped. Shura gained Shurikenfaire. Mozu and Selena did some training.

Benny and Selena hit S, at quite literally the perfect time. Ignatius… may have some use. And if not, free EXP before the hardest chapter in the game, so why not?

E: Finished!

Chapter Ignatius (13 Free): Passed down Rally Strength and Rally Speed. Offspring’d him to Great Knight and reclassed to Berserker; I needed some raw power for 26, and Ignatius as a Berserker has got that in spades. Combine this with two rallies and he’s pretty much set to contribute in 26. Percy reclassed to Malig to learn Trample and Savage Blow, then back to Wyvern Lord after the map.

Chapter 26 (6/137): VERY fun map to plan, I’d say it was the most fun map in this entire run to be honest; every unit had a use. Took a few tonics out for Fir, Percy, Shura, even Ignatius. Reclassed Flora to Strategist. Distributed out statboosters. Boots to Percy, two Speedwings and a Goddess Icon to Ignatius, Dracoshield and Goddess Icon to Fir. Arms Scroll and Talisman to Shura, who hits A Kunai. Nina opens the front door, Selena Rallies Speed. Fir with Gunter pairup and some Shelter refreshes kills two Heroes and the Maid, moving to the lower gap in the torches.. Percy Lunges the top right Hero, and Ignatius kills another. Flora and Jakob freeze two Heroes. Ignatius gets Enfeebled and the un-frozen Heroes die on Fir EP. Turn 2: Nina opens the right door, Percy flies down and switches to Shura, killing a Sorcerer. Fir gets refreshed ahead to Levin the Entrap Maid. Everyone gets as far in the hall as they can without being in Sorcerer and Hero range. Turn 3, Shura gets Rallied by Ignatius and opens the door from the top; his odds of survival are pretty high, but not foolproof. Fir and Ignatius form a wall to block the Heroes and kill them on EP (they die on Fir, who has Shield Gauge and Vantage so she will survive 100% of the time). Flora and Arthur block the stairs from Sorcerer reinforcements. Everyone else positions themselves.

(image taken from failed attempt, but it’s pretty close; Turn 4 makes the exact positioning not matter as much)

Turn 4: Benny pairs to Mozu and she goes and kills the Freeze Maid with a Bronze Bow. Everyone else positions themselves to open the bottom door. Turn 5 the door is opened, the Sorcerer killed, and everyone positions themselves for the final charge. Turn 6: Flora Entraps Hans, and Gunter with a Javelin Lunges one of the generals out of the way. Azura with Shelter refreshes a couple people; one to open the door to Iago, and one to bosskill (Shura with Percy, in this case). In my successful run, I forgot to Rally him so I had to rely on a crit/lethality proc (He does 21x2 with his stats still somewhat Enfeebled, Rally would bring him up to guaranteed ORKO range). The crit happened, so I had Shigure use Rescue on Mozu to Seize. Fir chipped Hans with Levin Sword out of spite. I think I could’ve avoided using Rescue with slightly better positioning but I never figured out where to best use these, so… *shrug*. Sold Excalibur for tonic money.

Chapter 27 (2/139): Used two Rescue charges to get Fir and Azura close enough to reach Garon on Turn 2. Probably could do it with only one if I did shelter shenanigans. Ignatius with Shura pair deployed in the top left to Rally. One Dragon Fang required. Swordfaire + Life and Death is a lot of damage. Exact damage, even.

Endgame (1/140): Rally Speed alone allows Corrin to do 33x2 and ORKO at 100% hit. Life and Death is so much fun. Standard Rescue+Entrap+Shelter strategy. I never appreciated it much before but Master of Arms has a pretty kickass design.

Overall I had a lot of fun with this run and I didn’t expect to beat Gradivus anyways besides the dumb bosskills in 17, 23, 24, and 25.

May edit in unit stats later but it’s like 11pm right now.

Fir/Corrin: Taking a Samurai talent does not save turns. That aside it was a fun build and I’m glad I tried it out, it was not nearly the hinderance I thought it’d be. Low Mag made Levin Sword pretty sketchy though, I had exactly enough with a Mag Tonic and Gunter pairup to ORKO stuff in 26 which was pretty lucky.

Arthur: Helpful early on with mounted-ness, saved turns (and sanity) later on with Shelter-ness. Sadly not fast enough to really contribute mid-lategame combat-wise, but such is life. You’ll always be a hero in my heart, Arthur.

Percy: Wyvern is pretty dumb. Nobility and Elbow Room on a Wyvern are triple dumb. What can I say? He took a little bit to take off, but once he did he was the team MVP no questions asked. Trample wasn’t a necessity on him in retrospect (other units could clean up after his Lunge), but I didn’t lose much by getting it on him.

Jakob: Jakob did not, in fact, eventually learn to ride a horse. We are all disappointed in you, Jakob. He did staffbot things and his combat was useful at times. I could have made him a Falcon Knight with a Partner Seal if i needed a… seventh… flier… hey, maybe it could’ve saved a turn somewhere, I dunno.

Azura: Inspiring Song is pretty dumb in the best possible way.

Shigure: I was originally thinking Wyvern Shigure could be a cool backup plan in case Percy ended up being pretty bad. That didn’t happen, and would have been hilariously impractical anyways. Still, he had just enough of everything to be useful when he needed to be.

Niles: I was kind of disappointed by him combat-wise, but a 9-move flier is never useless.

Mozu: Half the shit in this run I did was made infinitely easier/actually accomplishable thanks to her and Niles, what with their 9 move flight shenanigans and Mozu having actual combat. I can officially say Mozu was actually a valuable member of the team. She was an extra Locktoucher and had a crazy 9 move with flight. She had pretty poor HP growth overall which kept her from the front lines most of the time, but she still actually did significant work.

Nina: +Move +Spd pairup for Percy and a free lockpicker. Not complaining. Poor bulk prevented her from actually doing anything combat-wise, but having a 9 move mount was very helpful in a lot of situations. Like 26.

Benny: Half pairup fodder, half rallybot. He was free, so I can’t complain much. Rally Str was pretty cool.

Selena: I’ve heard legends of Selenas with existent survivability and combat. I think they’re bullshit. That said, flying staff user, Rally Speed bot, and Rescue bot. I had Shigure, yeah, but two is better than one.

Ignatius: He ate two Speedwings, but hey; I can legitimately say no one else needed them, so he was the best candidate. He killed a Hero in Chapter 26, served as a rock-solid meatshield there as well, and rallybot’d Fir to victory in 27 and Endgame. Thanks a bunch, Ignatius.

Gunter: For the cost of 1 Heart Seal, you get one of the best pair-up fodders in the game (even for not-Corrins). Worth it.

Shura: Secretly the most important member of the team. I had NO answer to the Sorcerer room in 26 until I realized Shura has the Ninja line. Being able to bosskill in Chapter 17 is already pretty good, but then you can reclass him to Master Ninja and use paralogues to grind out his Kunai rank. Only problem is mediocre Str growth and Conquest’s low number of Energy Drops means he might have trouble hitting the benchmarks. Still totally worth it, did everything I could’ve ever wanted and then some. And he avenged Kohga. Shura > Boots.

Flora: Free staff user. She did everything she needed to excellently.

Edited October 6, 2016 by Finalinsanity