Interdimensional Observer

Sounds like that is going to require a lot of tweaks for some of the prepromoted units (something which SD skipped on doing, and NM did with a crude massive growths buff). Also, not everyone has low growths, there is a lot of variation in FE5 ranging from Dagdar bad to Sara/Marita/Xavier/Ced good. They seem overall comparable to the GBA games.

Availability only matters if you're doing something significant with it, And in Odin's case, he probably isn't. So here, I agree with you. Perfectionist would be better if Subaki wasn't one of the slowest units by personal growth in Fates. On Hana it'd be better (no need to get into a SM bashing- I'm just pointing out that an avoid bonus only matters if you are already dodgy or borderline dodgy). Prodigy is somewhat situational, and if it triggers, it is sorta a sign that Caeldori is weak (because it means Caeldori has low Strength when it activates vs. physical units). I'd still call Prodigy better in practice though. I like waiting for Offspring Seals. If I don't need the kids right away, then I wait. For Offspring Seals let you skip E rank weapon hell with the kids and you get a rare unit actually decently versed in multiple weapon types at base. I concede finite weapon quantities makes having a character wield multiple weapon types less desirable, but I still like the option.

Tie-ins to FE7 would work and certainly be something I'd approve of, interlinking the games might be a bit too much though. There are three ways we can handle Roy's promotion: the post-C16 option, massive promotion bonuses, or give him an increased unpromoted level cap. When the redesigns come, do cut down on the difference between the games. FE6 and 7 share a general aesthetic, but 7 cuts down on the cartoonish side of things and fades the colors a bit, and I prefer that small change. Compare Rath and Sue and Karla and Fir on the Binding Blade-Blazing Sword page on this site to see what I mean. I've also heard FE6 C24 called an expose dump- maybe reallocate bits of it to the prior gaiden chapters? A minor detail I'd like explored in a nugget of new dialogue is what happened to the Bern royal family after the Fire Emblem incident. Did Helene's attempt to reconcile with Desmond undone by him, or did she revert to her callous ways? What did Zephiel think of it all? Or just a few lines at least from Zephiel regarding his mother. Fairly true. Ragnell I've discovered is near identical to the Binding Blade too, with even less availability and frills, but being tied to a better combat unit and infinite uses makes it better. And given how late the BB comes, let's give it infinite uses in a remake. (The Regal Sword and Roy's Rapier are likewise near identical.)

I've on-off returned to this one idea for some time for an FE-styled fanfiction (which I named "Insignia"- a synonym for emblem). And I kinda want to flesh it out more than any other fanfict idea I've done, but I keep stumbling on it. I want to center things on the main character, Leona. Leona's basic story, which has remained consistent across my changes, is she is a 18 (or 22) year old daughter and heir of a dead "warlord" (feudal lord in a chaotic time) who I've named Antoine. Leona loves her late father, and has issues with her mother Melusine (40s). Her hair color is a shade of brown on the darker side, of length undecided. Her preferred weapon is the spear, but she gets an inferior sword rank to back it up, and she can also mount a horse. In my original version, Leona is fights other warlords to defend her realm of Marseia, as is par for the course in the European Dark Ages setting. Making things more difficult is that Melusine and Leona's stepfather, a more barbaric warlord, force her to do their bidding. In my revised version, Leona (~14), under the protection of Godwin, her Jagen, flees Marseia after her mother's betrayal when Antoine is on the verge of losing to a rival warlord. She, Godwin, and some other Antoine loyalists flee end up becoming roaming knights, mercenaries who become vassals and who shortly before the game's start, establishes her own little fiefdom removed from Marseia with the help of a Baroness Lorelei. Beyond Leona and Melusine, there is only one character I've kept on the whole time, and that is Aniel. Aniel is defined as a priest, well more an acolyte on the verge of taking his vows. Gentle and courteous of course, versed in esoteric theology and preaching to the masses alike. I've decided to abandon a fragile/feminine appearance, and actually make him a rather handsome young man you could see as being an athletic lady getter if things had gone differently. Aniel has always been Leona's spiritual aide and general servant, but I've evolved him into also being her secret paternal half-brother. (Had Antoine known about this, he would have heartily loved Aniel, for he never put his full love in Leona, because she was female and only raised her as his heir due to not having a viable son- but she doesn't know this either). Aniel is ultimately only as important to Leona's story as Mist is to Ike's, or Lyn's to Eliwood's and Hector's; a supporting player who doubles in gameplay as the first healer. My most recent version has some playable characters outlined beyond this (namely a cursed boy named Pollux and his big sister/mother figure and rescuer Vivian), but otherwise is incomplete. One thing I am dead set on is leaving out an evil empire or dark cult of the dark god/dragon. No world-saving from a big bad, Leona's quest, despite any historical significance it may have, is ultimately personal. My most recent progress has been made solely by virtue of cutting out some of my ideas. No more Hekati (pagan) and Monist (Christian) struggle which Leona is caught in, complete with a division in both camps- the former into Germanic and Viking, the latter into Western/Catholic and Eastern/Orthodox. No more al-Andalus imitation with its Hadi. No more three-way route split towards the end. Keep things simpler, and relegate much of the above to the background. But despite this, I still haven't been able to put together a good story outline. The absence of a clear singular antagonist is one problem. Another is that Leona, though in her heart desiring to reclaim Marseia, isn't solely driven by the desire to take it. She realizes that she may never reclaim it, and works realistically towards expanding her new realm, whilst keeping her eyes open towards any opportunity that may inch her closer to Marseia. Furthermore, I don't want to end the game with the reclamation of Marseia and the final confrontation with Melusine, I want to continue beyond that. I want roughly 2/3s of the story battles to precede Marseia's reclamation, with the final 1/3 being what Leona does immediately afterwards. (And then maybe I can throw in a post-story scenario as well.) Some of my issues originate from lacking a good in-depth knowledge of the geopolitics of the Dark Ages. Others from not having Berwick Saga translated yet, which means I don't know exactly how the game's plot and characters work out. But on just the very surface, BS's 17 Chapter plot with loads of side battles appears to be a fascinating way to approach FE storytelling and world building. I'm a little infatuated with the game for its radicalism, though cognizant of it too having clear errors or questionable aspects. Also here is an outline I wrote for the aforementioned side characters Pollux and Vivian:

Their avi could probably be bypassed with a P-Wing.

Technically, Affinities do in a way exist in Fates. The stat bonuses a character gives as the backup in Defensive Stance which are gained with support level increases are not universally the same across all units. Plus the Offensive Stance bonuses differ too, albeit with much less variation (more like Affinities than the DS boosts). With this said, bring back Affinities because they look pretty and sound cool, just tone down the bonuses they give and restrict how many bonuses a character can received at once. No +30/45 Avoid, and everything will be good.

*Quietly claps* Bravo I must say! A fairly well done portrayal with the gusto of passion through it. I too would like to see a bit more politics and administration involved in FE plots/lords. Nothing turgid, but enough to form some general realistic political contours, like with Elincia and Eliwood and Hector. And I don't want perfection either; you can romanticize the characters, but don't make them unrealistically godly. Could IS please copy/paste a summary version of Holy Roman Emperor Joseph II into an FE? Not as the main character, but as a character among the many.

Scarlet Adventurer Because I like giving people healers when they don't have one. Plus she is surprisingly good in any class not purely magical.

Eliwood is good enough as a character. I like that he isn't a god of war, (well in FE7, apparently he got better in old age and Hector worse). He's gentle like many a FE lord, but is suggested to have some knack for politics and diplomacy, even if we don't see too much of it. I don't like Ninian as his wife (plus the whole "she won't live long" thing is a load of convenient BS that contradicts Arcadia). Fiora is a soldierly Ninian sister-clone, so I don't care much for her either. Lyn is the only woman who works for him. The Hector support is good to start, and ends decently with an okay blend of FE6 referencing and originality. But the B is as someone else pointed out just a big FE6 reference that does nothing to really develop Hector and Eliwood. Harken is dull, though Marcus and Lowen aren't too shabby.

The original can probably be ruled out as your first choice. Dual Strike has even more content than Dark Conflict (outside of the Design Room), but isn't as refined as the latter. Black Hole Rising is overall more strategic than Dual Strike, but lacks as much content, and has less than Dark Conflict. My entry point was Black Hole Rising, but I never got much beyond the Orange Star campaign. Dual Strike was where I really sank my teeth into things, and it's pretty easy so it isn't a bad starting point. Dark Conflict you'll appreciate more when you see what came before it, and but it's very good even without prior experience, if a bit challenging in the campaign. I'd go with Dark Conflict if I had to choose just one. (By the way, Forsythe(NA)/Carter's theme sounds very Fire Emblem-like.)

Sure, do it again. If only to take away the dual weapon status of cavaliers as has been pointed put. Being mounted with balanced stats across the board is good enough, having two-thirds weapon triangle control as well is too much. Splitting up armor works as well. More variety for enemy and player units alike is nice.

Kiragi is notably faster, but the demand for Speedwings isn't that high in BR. Fujin Yumi has terrain utility, but there aren't that many fights where it comes in handy. The Silver Yumi is stronger by 2 anyhow (and a Silver weapon is totally viable for a Sniper). If you wait until C18 or later and Kiragi joins with a Offspring Seal, he can use that and gain a usable naginata rank by going Kinshi even if for just the promotion (you can reclass him to Sniper for cheap), something Takumi has to work for. Use Takumi early on when he's at his best, you can continue using him along with or dump him for Kiragi later on.

Also, have you tried the Mario and Luigi series? The plots are weak, but generally filled with lighthearted humor to compensate. The worlds are colorful and vibrant. Minor puzzles, minigames and platforming elements add elements of traditional Mario games. Reflexes are required for dodging enemy attacks and making your's strong, which keeps the turn-based system very much alive and exciting. The music is nice too.

Cast Megidoloan (not even Protect should be able to block Almighty). And then use Samarecarm because I'm nice.

Why not Dual Strike? It's the most packed game of the cheery trio. You've already played the original I can tell. Black Hole Rising is the sequel with new COs, a rebalancing of the old ones, a new tank unit, new campaign, and basically more and better of the the same. The difficulty is less than the original's though. Dark Conflict/Days of Ruin gives you 50 save slots for the design room, which is pretty sweet (but still not enough). There has been a total rebalance of the units, and several interesting new ones. The plot is serious, nothing incredible, but good (the European version Dark Conflict has a less funny script if you care about humor that much). The new CO system was a good move after Dual Strike got CO Power crazy. Fog of War is at the closest its ever been to perfect and fun (it's almost there). The campaign mode is far easier than the original's and doesn't have an Advanced version (but it is still harder than Dual Strike's) and the War Room challenge battles have been replaced by Trial Maps. I've been waiting for a sequel to come. I'd say Dark Conflict, unless you want to play it safe.

Where do Eirika and Ephraim like to spend some alone time? What about a divorce banner later down the line? Marriages and relationships that just didn't work out. Polar opposites that didn't attract. And also things like Astrid and Makalov, where years later Astrid finally grew a backbone, realized she had a horrid husband, and suddenly yelled at him with such ferocity that he ran all the way into other dimensions to escape her wrath.

Peri is Dark Mage for her class offering, while Beruka's is Wyvern Rider. I'd say Beruka wins here due to Dwyer's Magic being too low with Peri as a mom to use magic. Plus Lifetaker, Heartseeker, and Bowbreaker aren't as good as Savage Blow, Strength +2, Rally Defense, Trample and Swordbreaker. Plus Dwyer can wed Ophelia if he wants Dark Mage skills, he can't wed anyone and get Wyvern (unless Corrin/Kana has Wyvern as their second). On the growths side, Peri gives 10% more Strength, Speed, and Resistance- not bad offensively. Beruka gives 12.5% more Skl, 7.5% more HP and Def, 5% more Luck, and 2.5% more Magic (still useless though). Strength +2 and Trample can sort of counter Peri's Strength boost, though her Speed lead remains if you care about that. Beruka's Skill lead can be mitigated in turn by Heartseeker, but the Defense gap remains. On cap modifiers, for Peri, it's +1 Str, Spd, and +2 Res, with -1 Skl and -2 Def. Beruka gives +2 Skl and Def, with -1 Str and Res, -2 Spd. Jakob already gives +2 Str, Skl, and -2 Mag, -1 Lck and Res. Though do remember children get an automatic +1 modifier to all stats. In terms of caps and growths, Peri is better. But in terms of skills and classes, Beruka is. I'd go with Beruka.

Maybe I was being a little too harsh on Suikoden. I just felt Suikoden II didn't live up to the hype it gets as a masterpiece. Also, I'm worse when I'm being analytical than when I actually play the games. When I play them, I enjoy them for what their worth. I junctioned away in FFVIII without much complaint in the moment, and I only cringed when the plot was forcing the relationship between Rinoa and Squall. I came to like Zell and Irvine, and thought the Gardens, Esthar, and Laguna were all well done. I'm being fair though and admitting to the flaws of each game, not one is perfect. I confess to FFVI's magicite and magic destroying character uniqueness in gameplay in the end, and FFV's plot not being of the highest tier. If you want me to admit flaws to the Metroidvanias, I can. RPGs take 30-60 hours to complete, if someone is going to invest that much time of their short life into a game, they might as well make sure it is well placed. I have nothing against being traditional or simplistic (Child of Light's problem was only that it was rushed at the end), nor do I demand modernity everywhere. After all, I love SMT and EO, and they aren't MMO or action heavy. Perhaps my wording adds a pejorative tone to those words, but I'm simply saying them as a general descriptor of the gameplay. Paper Mario and M&L I feel do the action reflexes better than LoD. It feels much more varied. I did like the aesthetics and the reusable special items though.

Bravely Default. Magic is bad in the long run there, if useful in the beginning for penetrating high P. Def enemies. Once Pirate and Dark Knight show up, the game devolves into Amped Strikes and Rages/Dark Nebulas. Bravely Second though invented Spellcraft, which is fun but all too powerful. Also, Golden Sun and Dragon Quest alike have crap magic. Offensive psynergy that doesn't add physical attack like Ragnarok, Heat Wave, and Swift Strike do, is painfully weak. Even Ivan is better off normal attacking with hopes on an Unleash than spamming a Plasma psynergy. The lack of a M. Atk stat of any kind, save for the pathetic elemental power levels, really hurts, and that plus enemy resistances is why physical is generally superior in DQ as well. Magic in Nocturne wasn't bad, and a Dual Cannon Demi Fiend is better than a purely physical one for 99% of the game anyhow. Weakness targeting/not getting walled by phys resistant demons is a big deal. Other SMTs like I, IV and DS2 have the same problem of Magic being superior for most of the game (how much of it varies), but then in the end, physical takes the lead. Skies of Arcadia made magic cost SP in addition to MP, which just made it worse than Super Moves. That the power of healing magic was fixed and replicated in the form via cheap healing items (which could bypass Delta Shield unlike the spells) didn't help either. I also have this lying around I wrote up about magic in FE10:

You could always go for Final Fantasy if you haven't already. If you're going to play just a couple of them, go with V and VI. V is the best gameplay with its class system, and VI has probably one of the best plots of the series, and a varied and powerful soundtrack. Bravely Default and its sequel Bravely Second are sisters to FFV. Class-based turn-based gameplay is the series' hallmark and strength. Bravely Default is repetitive in the latter half for spoilerific reasons, but you can skip much though not all of the repetition to little cost. Play Bravely Second second, as its opening sequence alone spoils a gigaton from Default. And it isn't like Default is that much worse in gameplay from Second either. The characters range from cartoon-bad, to decent, and the plots throw in a few surprises, which counteract some of the dullness they fall into at times. Default's plot is considered better than Second's, as is it's wonderful music. Etrian Odyssey is very old school, and also very challenging on the highest difficulties. You make your own team of generic adventurers from a number of classes, each with its own skill trees. Once this is done, you dive into giant labyrinths, avoiding FOEs and fighting bosses as you work your work your way through the labyrinth, drawing your own maps along the way (GFAQs has all the floors mapped out if you don't wanna bother with that). The plot is generally thin and lacking, but good traditional turn-based gameplay is the franchise's strength. The Untold games (remakes of the first two EOs) do have a Story Mode with a preset team of characters with actual personalities- but the plots and characters are nothing great. Pick one of the 3DS Etrian Odysseys if you want to try the series, the DS ones lack many quality of life improvements which the 3DS ones have. The best start would be to download the EOIV demo- the data transfers over to the main game if you choose to buy it. EOIV has 3-floor labyrinths + small caves instead of the 5-floor stratums of EOU and EOU2, which along with it's Normal Mode not being too difficult, make it a very good starting point for seeing if EO is up your alley or not. For an Action RPG- Castlevania from Symphony of the Night to Order of Ecclesia works. Symphony established the "Metroidvania" and is simple, but pretty good. Circle of the Moon had some issues, but the Dual Setup System was a solid gameplay gimmick (use a guide to find out which baddies drop which cards) and it has 4 new game+ variations which alter how you play the game a bit. Harmony of Dissonance is the forgettable middle child of the GBA Metriodvanias, with gaudy colors, awful music, and lacking gameplay. Aria of Sorrow is good in plot and gameplay alike. Dawn of Sorrow (the plot sequel to Aria) is a bit repetitive with Aria of Sorrow, but on a technical level did better in the gameplay. Portrait of Ruin is another forgettable middle child without much originality. Order of Ecclesia spiced up the stagnant gameplay, was a good challenge, and had a new aesthetic. Symphony, Order, Aria, Dawn, Circle, Portrait, Harmony is my personal preference order. If you have a New 3DS, Xenoblade Chronicles is a good choice for something modern. It has some religious themes, but they're pretty light compared to Xenogears or Xenosaga. The modernized gameplay is good (though for your own benefit, ditch Sharla once you get the fourth character- at least for generic baddies- it'll make things go by so much faster). The plot is decent, the music beautiful, the physical world is art unto itself. If only they bothered to fix the problem of being 5 levels above or below your enemy making fights a joke or a nightmare. Quests give experience- so do not do too many if you want to keep the game being a challenge. Do eventually complete enough of them to unlock at least the 4th skill trees though (which begin to unlock around the time you get the fifth and sixth playable characters). Skip Suikoden, at least I and II. Suikoden II is supposed to be the best in the series, but I thought it was only okay. The villain Luca Blight was good, but there were a lot of plot and characterization issues beyond him. Gameplay is better than the original's, but far from anything you'd remotely consider coming back to, and War Battles are as clunky as Camilla and Charlotte. Legend of Dragoon was legend of nothing special, if nothing bad either. Chrono Cross had too many issues in plot and gameplay alike to recommend it. Resonance of Fate had flashy gameplay, if little depth and a plot that had unused potential due to an insistence on restricting plot for 1 minute cutscenes. Eternal Sonata has a cringeworthy kiddy plot at times, but the gameplay was good and the music, which includes selections by the famed 19th century composer Frederic Chopin, is solid. Golden Sun is very easy and traditional. The main reason to play if you ask me is for the psynergy puzzles, though I do like the flashy animations as well and find the simple characters charming, if lacking in depth. Play Golden Sun (no subtitle) and then transfer your data to The Lost Age. Dark Dawn promised to be new vista of hope for the series- it ended its miserable existence with a cliffhanger. It needs a sequel, but was so bad that we haven't heard of one in the years since. Earthbound is also very traditional and simple in gameplay, and tough as well. But its world, if not so much its plot, is very quirky and unique and some people love it for that reason.

As a UI change, if they keep adding characters without some getting cut, things are going to get too cluttered on the character select screen. My suggestion would be make a small expandable/collapsible box for each franchise. A player clicks open the box they want, and then puts their token on the character within that box they want. For franchises which have only one or two playable characters, we lump multiple franchises into a single box. For instance, select the box with the Fire Emblem logo, and then you can choose Marth, Lucina, Ike, Roy, or Corrin. Select the "Mario Offshoot Series" box with the Yoshi, DK, and Wario logos on it to pick from Yoshi, DK, Diddy, and Wario. Fox, Falco, Samus's variants, Ness, Lucas, and Captain Falcon get placed in an "Nintendo Sci-Fi" box (I know I'm stretching things a little with shoving the Earthbound duo there). Shulk, Olimar/Alph, and WFT get placed in the "New Nintendo Series" box. Duck Hunt, ROB, Little Mac, Mr. Game and Watch all fall into an "NES Retro" box. Pac, Bayo, Ryu, Sonic, and Mega belong in the "Third Party Franchises" box.

An enhanced port over a Smash 5 would be better in the short term at least. I'd go ahead and say yes to adding the Inkling, and no to more FE for now. Bringing back the Ice Climbers and Wolf I wouldn't mind. Issac feels too antiquated to include at this point, and he doesn't have the NES retro-ite status IC, ROB, DH, MG&W, plus LM to an extent, all have. And of course, all originally DLC characters should be included for free, and maybe the costumes too. Shantae I would like, but Nintendo might not see this indie character as a good choice, even though she is most frequently associated with Nintendo systems. Maybe an ARMS character- but that'd possibly be too much like LM. The port better include all 3DS and Wii U exclusive stages, plus more. Pokemon Stadium 1 would be nice too- surprised none of the Smash 1&M stages include a Pokemon one. Also, both Smash Run and Smash Tour should be in there.

This is a problem I myself, and I know others too, struggle with in FE. Every game with durable weapons invariably gives you some you simply cannot replace easily or at all. Things like Legendary Weapons, Braves, or earlygame Killers and Silvers, long range tomes, and effective damage weapons like Hammers. Also, rare staffs like Warp, Fortify, Sleep, and Hammerne. Their power is awesome, but you have to contend with the fact they won't last forever. This means you have to be strategic with them, but as different people play in different ways and with different strategies, people will use rare weapons differently. And in all games barring Gaiden (though Lion Heads exist) and Genealogy, you get items that permanently increase stats, but are available only in finite quantities (okay, technically you can buy infinite quantities in some secret shops- ignore that). And like with rare weapons, they have to be used strategically, and thus people use them differently. I'm curious how other FE players tend to be with these kinds of things. Select one choice from the rare weapons trio of answers, and one from the stat boosters trio of answers. I acknowledge that sometimes a person may play in different ways. One day you're doing an LTC/draft where its abuse every resource available, another its Ranked FE7 where you need to hoard for your Funds rank, and yet another you're just chilling doing a casual run not caring about about turns or funds or anything else. Base your answers on what you'd instinctively do on your definition of a "normal" playthrough. As for myself- I'm a chronic hoarder, no matter how much I want to break out of that irrational mold.

A few ways to handle knives/daggers: Get rid of Ninjas and leave Knives the sole stat-debuffing weapon type. (Honestly, I think that Ninjas much of the time would have to be shoehorned into future FE games, so I have nothing against them and their shurikens mostly disappearing.) The idea of mitigating enemy counterattacks sounds interesting. Perhaps include a proc version of Vantage with % activation rate = Speed to make things a little more effective. Berwick Saga gave Knives really low Might, and Thieves really low Strength, but made Knives completely bypass the enemy's Defense stat and tossed a little Critical on them (plus an increased rate of inflicting the "Injury" status on an enemy, which if it happened, would increase the chances inflicting the "Crippled" status, and then you could capture them and take their stuff). Though if the point of buffing Knives is because we want to improve Thieves, then we could just expand the skills and utilities offered by Thieves instead. Though a combination of the two- weapon and class/character/skills could work as well.