I'm also seconding that I'd be willing to consult via PM on how they work. I did some work on Ashen the 3H quest and its combat and class system.
Side note: one of the big things that to me makes the franchise what it is, I'd say, is "white box" mechanics where it's all transparent what things do. That isn't to say you couldn't do a pure narrative or a black box lite-dice quest. A 2d6 system with multi-dimensional characters feels like PDQ would be apropos to me, just off-hand.
honestly?
despite what casuals will tell you, there are ways to seriously mitigate the RNG in Fire emblem. It's really, really hard to get yourself in a situation where RNG can screw you over no matter what you do. Any dice system should reflect that, I feel
honestly?
despite what casuals will tell you, there are ways to seriously mitigate the RNG in Fire emblem. It's really, really hard to get yourself in a situation where RNG can screw you over no matter what you do. Any dice system should reflect that, I feel
If you're thoughtful. Insightful. If you have time to make good decisions and your analysis is sound. If you can read the map and the terrain. If you can handle the math and the interface. If there aren't surprises like PCC or JugdralCrits or Galzus.
Were we playing Robin? Byleth? Oifey or August or Marcus or Ephraim or Titania...the list goes on. Were we one of the number of other characters with a combat-oriented education or particular gifting in this sort of thing? Absolutely.
We are an orphaned dragon girl who can throw lightning around who's just entered her first combat with a bunch of green units in an early legit chapter. Probably half of those things I mentioned are not specialties of ours.
[X] This is bad, this is bad, you can't afford to hold back anymore! People are getting hurt! You have to fight! Your dragon is a part of you, let her help a little!
"The villain does not gain the moral high ground just because their victim had overwhelming force on their side this time."
-Sky-Marshal Victoria in response to criticism about the death of Crown Prince Ignacious Wyrmblood in the Duel of Defilement
The sound of chaos and fighting surrounds you. The bandits are growing bolder, pushing forwards more aggressively against the villagers, who were beginning to waver as more and more bandits were arriving. Kelton's will is holding them in place for the moment, but even you can see that they're going to break and run soon, and if they don't they're going to die under the rain of axe blows. Artemis, Lancel, Axton and the healer with them are still cut off, with more and more bandits noticing them and turning to attack. This was splitting the bandit force, but not enough, not enough, not enough!
In the center of it all is you, using levels of magic that you had surpassed decades ago because you were trying to pretend to be normal.
"I'm sorry, Artemis," you whisper, closing your eyes for a moment as the noises and smells almost overwhelm you. "I'm sorry I wasn't strong enough to do this the way you wanted me to.
Your eyes open, and you can feel the tickles of lighting around them. "I'm sorry I wasn't good enough, but I can't let anyone else get hurt! Not when I know I'm strong enough to stop it!"
Then, you let go. Finally!
Your wings spread behind you as thunder crashes, your magic roaring through you fully. So great is the sudden unleash of power that you actually knock yourself back, your wings flapping to catch you before you take a painful and embarrassing tumble.
As you look up, you see the bandit leader staring at you, his cruel confidence replaced for the first time by worry.
"Voidspit-"
With another flap of your wings, you hover a few feet above the ground and raise Thunder's Cry above your head. "I'm not letting anyone else get hurt!" you scream as fully realized bolts of lighting begin to fall as fast as you can cast them. You don't care that you're tiring yourself out, that you'll pay for this level of magical exertion in a few minutes, all that matters is that the nice people who came with you will still be alive.
The first second-tier bolt strikes the bandit leader, its flanking offshoots scarring the ground as the main blast throws him away from Kelton. He still doesn't stay down. Somehow he gets back to his feet despite the dark burns on his chest. This time, though, his movements are shaky, and rather than charge again he stumbles back, staring at you like you're a monster.
Your second enhanced lightning bolt falls amid the group that was preparing to rush Artemis and friends, sending their twitching forms to the ground. Artemis's eyes widen, and you see her turn towards you. You quickly avert your eyes; you don't want to see her looking at you with disappointment.
Instead, you focus on the other bandits. They are all staring at you, some even backing away slowly. Lighting crackles through you again as you push through the growing discomfort and draw in a deep breath and try to channel Mother.
"Go away!"
At your roared command and as another lightning bolt slams into the largest group of bandits, some of them do start to break and run, fleeing away from you and the villagers. Your attention is drawn, however, to one of the last of the archers, and you realize that in your new, hovering position, you're actually a head above the mass of villagers. Clearly in view. In range of an arrow, just like the one he's aiming at you right now.
You let out a squeak of panic as you flap your wings to the side just in time, darting to the left just as the arrow zips through the space you had been occupying. Of course, in so doing, you forgot that there was a tree right there, and you slam painfully into it.
"Owww…" you say, stabilizing yourself and throwing an irritated glare at the offending archer. You then follow that glare up with a lightning bolt, which he is unable to successfully dodge.
A rustle in the trees around you catches your ear just in time, and you turn to see that the bandits which had been circling through the forest, who must have missed the turning of the tide. They start to hustle out, looking to pin the villagers in on all sides, and the villagers are still either fighting off the bandits still trying to attack them or staring fearfully at you.
Which means you're on your own back here, and all the flanking bandits are looking at you and the lightning crackling around you.
You yelp and flap your wings hard enough to send you straight up as they charge with roars of rage and raised axes. Now you're up among the branches, your wingbeats causing leaves and sticks to rain down. Focusing your magic, you call down a blast of magic right where you had been hovering, where several bandits were stumbling away from each other having collided in their haste to jump on you and do who-knows-what to you.
"Come on, boys!" Kelton's voice somehow sounds over the echoes of thunder, and as you look over you see him standing over the body of the bandit leader that you'd badly injured, his spear raised triumphantly. "We've got them on the run!"
This, more than your magic, decides the battle. The bandits in front of Kelton, already on edge after your sudden display of magical power, are unwilling to stay and fight an enemy that seems confident and had defeated their leader. They break and run, causing the others along the line to follow suit. In turn, the villagers surge forward, following their leader after the bandits (and, hopefully coincidentally, away from you). Those beneath you, seeing no way of reaching you and unwilling to take lightning bolts with no way to retaliate, retreat into the woods.
Finally, as the sound of running feet moves away, you feel comfortable to start trying to extract yourself from the branches that prick at you wings. After a few moments of work, you're able to glide back to the ground, looking around as you do.
Your mind automatically starts to tally the number of bodies, both charred by lighting and bleeding from axe wounds, that lay around you, but before you can fall too deeply into the horror of realizing just how many people are dead you hear a groan. One of the villagers: the one the bandit leader had slashed open at the very start, was clutching at his stomach, trying to hold his insides in.
"Hold on!" you cry, hustling over and falling to your knees besides him. Mother had once told you that, if someone got badly injured, the first few seconds were the most crucial to get them help. "Hold on, it's okay, I'm here."
"Mama… it hurts," the man groans, his face pale and his eyes dim as he stares up at you.
Desperately pulling out the bag of medicinal herbs that Father had left for you, you start to put them onto the bleeding wound. "It's okay," you babble. "It's okay, you're okay…"
His hand, wet with blood, grips yours weakly as you start to rub the herbal medicine on. "Tell… tell mama…" he tries to choke out.
"Tell her yourself!" a voice says, and Mother be praised Artemis is suddenly next to you. She's okay, she's okay, and Lancel and Axton are nearby, tending another injured villager. Artemis presses the bandage in her hands to the wound, covering your clumsy herbal spread. "You're going to be okay! Healer! Healer, over here!" She grabs your hand and holds it next to hers. "Come on, Ryza, just put pressure on, you're doing great." You nod, trembling slightly (though that could just be the magical overload.) and do as she says, trying to keep them man dying in front of you from the Mother's embrace for just a little longer.
"I'm here!" a new voice says a moment later, and then before your eyes white light begins to glow over the man's wound. "Divine Sentinel, sacred guardian, it is not yet this one's time…" The man's ragged, weak breathing begins to steady as the magical healing worked its way under the bloody bandage you and Artemis were pressing to his chest. "That's good, you two," the woman whispers. "That's good, hold it right there. Divine Sentinel, sacred guardian…"
"I'm sorry, Artemis," you whisper. "I'm so sorry…"
Artemis nudges you with her shoulder. "It's okay, Ryza," she whispers back. "It's okay, you did what you needed to." She pauses for a moment before adding in a low voice. "We'll talk about it later."
You shudder: those are the words of Mother when she's upset with you but wants to marshal her thoughts before telling you exactly why what you did was wrong.
However, before you can worry too much or try to defend yourself, the man's eyes finally sharpen. "I… I'm alive…" he whispers.
"You are, Edmond," the healer says softly, lowering her staff. "You're safe now." You look up at her, and she smiles gently down at you. "That was quick thinking, child," she says softly. "You probably saved Edmond's life with your vulnerary."
You smile. "Thank you," you say.
"No, thank you, child," she says. "My name is Ardan, the healer of Miau. It's a pleasure to make your acquaintance." She looked around. "There are still others who need my aid. Please, excuse me." With that, she hurried over to another fallen villager, her staff glowing.
Artemis, meanwhile, was helping Edmond to his feet and escorting him to a tree he could lean against; even magical healing had its limits. When she looks back, she sees you still kneeling, shaking. "Ryza, are you well?" she asks softly as she returns.
"I'm okay," you say, forcing yourself to smile. "I just… overused my magic a bit. I'll be okay."
Artemis frowns. "Are you sure?" she asks, placing a palm against your forehead. "You're burning up, are you sure you're not sick?"
You shake your head, resisting the urge to press your head into her hand. "No, no, that always happens when I use too much magic in a short amount of time," you say, before flinching as you remember that you weren't supposed to have done that. "I-"
"Ardan!"
You and Artemis turn to see Kelton hurrying back, leading the villagers that had followed him after the routing bandits. The healer, meanwhile, finishes with her current patient and stands just in time for her brother to pull her into a massive hug. "You're okay!" he cheers, giving her a squeeze.
"Yes, I'm fine," Ardan says, patting her brother's back before pulling herself from his grip. "Are you?"
Kelton puffs up his chest. "Of course!" he says, raising his voice so that it carries. "With me around and a super-mage on our side, these bandits never had a chance!" He winks at you.
Ardan frowns. "You shouldn't be so cocky, Kelton," she says. "You're not invincible: one of these days you're going to bite off more than you can chew. Just like Father." She looks around. "By all rights, today should have been that day."
"Haven't you always said that the Sentinel protects?" Kelton asks cheekily.
She jerks back before using the butt of her staff to whack him on the shin, causing him to hop on his good foot. "The Sentinel protects those who take proper precautions to protect themselves!" she hisses. "He is less merciful to those who grab whoever they can get their hands on and rushes a prepared bandit camp without a plan! People are dead, Kelton, and you could have been one of them!"
"And if we hadn't acted, you'd be dead, or worse!" Kelton snaps, rubbing his injured leg. "Every man here came willingly: none of us were willing to let these bandits make off with you!" He gestured around. "Besides, everything worked out!"
Ardan runs her hand through her hair. "They weren't going to kill me, Kelton!" she shoots back. "I'm a healer, I'm too useful to just kill! They were going to make me work for them; that's why they took me to begin with! They'd been hearing rumors of another big bandit group moving down from the Icewall mountains and they were worried they were going to be displaced if they didn't have an advantage!"
Artemis went ridged. "These bandits from the mountains," she says as she stands and strides over, you in tow. "Are they already nearby?"
Ardan blinks as she looks Artemis up and down. "Who are yo-" she starts to ask before going pale as she peers at Artemis's face. "M-my lady!" she cries, bowing. "My apologies, I didn't recognize you!"
"Huh?" Kelton says.
His sister's eyes light up furiously. "You dragged a lady into your fool crusade!" she shrieks, grabbing Kelton's shoulders and shaking him. "Are you mad!? Didn't you recognize her?!"
Artemis steps forward aggressively. "I came of my own free will," she says sharply. "I knew the risks and chose to take them. Your brother had nothing to do with that."
"I did too," you say, hurrying over to stand next to Kelton. He may be overly confidant and a bit loud for your taste, but he alone among humans seemed not to be afraid of you. "And we helped!"
Ardan takes a deep breath. "I… suppose that is true," she says, stepping back and bowing again. "And I am grateful for your aid, my lady, truly I am." She throws a dirty look at her brother. "I just would have preferred if my brother had thought about what he was doing and taken the time to recognize you rather than just accept anyone's help!" For once, Kelton looks cowed, gaping at Artemis with a look of real shock on his face.
Artemis gives a smile that you could tell was mostly forced. "Indeed. I am Lady Artemis Cartese of Agrithe. However, the important thing right now is that the bandits have been defeated and you are safe. However, I do need to know: are the bandits from the Icewall mountains already in the area?"
The two villagers glance at each other, then back at their fellows who were giving the conversation (and you, if the nervous glances meant anything) a wide berth. "I'm afraid I don't know, my lady," Ardan says carefully. "Batte, the bandit leader, he had just started making his demands when another of the bandits came in and said they'd heard something from the forest, and he decided to deal with that before finishing with me."
Artemis nods. "I suppose that makes sense," she says, glancing at Axton and Lancel. "Thank you for your information." She looks around at the men and raises her voice. "I would also consider it a great favor from you all to not mention my companion's… special abilities, when you speak of these events. She is still young, and deserves her privacy." The men all quickly nodded, though from their haste you got the feeling that it was as much fear of as respect for you and Artemis. Still, Artemis finally gives a real smile. "With that done, we should be getting back to Miau. I'm sure the people will be glad to know we have been successful."
Ardan nods quickly. "Of course, my lady," she says.
Soon, the procession is returning to Miau. Of the villagers that had fallen, sadly two of them were beyond even Ardan's help, and were being carried by their quiet comrades. The others, thankfully, were alive, though one did still need to be supported, and Ardan was hovering around him with her staff at the ready. You, Artemis, Lancel and Axton, meanwhile, are at the back of the group, just in case any of the bandits decide to try and ambush you as you left. As you walked, you notice that Artemis is staring at you again whenever she thought you weren't looking, that familiar thoughtful frown on her face. You think about asking her why, but you decide that if you were in trouble, you might as well postpone the scolding as long as possible.
"Hey- I mean, pardon me, my lady." You look up to see Kelton had made his way back, still looking nervous. "I would like to apologize-"
Artemis raises her hand. "Please, don't," she sighs. "As I said to your sister, I went into this fully knowing the risks: Miau has agreed to aid and shelter me when I had little to give in return. I was happy to help."
"But you're a lady. If I'd known-"
"Why do you think I didn't tell you," Artemis asks dryly, ignoring Axton and Lancel's shaking heads. "Look; I will admit that this whole thing could have been handled better, but you were right that rescuing your sister was something that couldn't wait, and I could not in good conscience have left you and your people to fight alone."
"And we could not leave our lady to fight alone," Axton says coolly.
"And I wanted to go with them to help," you say.
Kelton blinks a few times before at least the shade of his former confident smile appears. "Well, you certainly did that," he says before looking down at you. "And kid… don't get too upset about the other guys: I'll set 'em straight about you. As far as I'm concerned, you're great. A bit weird, what with the wings and all, but great all the same."
You and Artemis look at each other with nearly identical confused glances. "Thank you?" you say.
He pats you on the head. "No problem, kid," he says, before stopping mid pat. "…You're not a lady too, are you?"
"…No?"
He grins. "Good. Sis would probably strangle me if I made that mistake again." With that, and a final small bow to Artemis, he hurries back to the front of the line.
"Disrespectful little…" Axton was muttering, glaring after him.
Artemis rolls her eyes. "Perhaps, but he's also a good man, if a bit rough around the edges. Let him be, Axton."
The yeomen glance at each other before both nodding. "If you wish, my lady," Axton says with only the barest hint of grudging acceptance.
Before Artemis could say any more, the group broke out of the last of the trees, only to find what looked like half the village, with the mayor at their head, waiting for them.
"KELTON!" Mayor Preston roars. "What have you- Never, in all my years- How could you- This is-"
Kelton sighs. "Mayor, please-"
"I am still talking young man!" Mayor Preston says, stomping forward. "Not only do you run off without so much as a by-your-leave-"
"But-"
"-Could have all been killed, tearing an irreparable hole in our defenses-"
"I-"
"You also drag good Lady Cartese into your damn fool crusade!"
"Look, I didn't know about-"
"THAT DOES NOT MAKE IT BETTER! THAT MAKES IT WORSE!"
Artemis clears her throat as she steps forwards. "While I would not presume to interfere in the running of this village, good Mayor," she says, "I would ask that you take into account that not only was this man's mission successful, but that I volunteered to accompany him rather than he asking me."
Mayor Preston's mouth works silently for a few moments before he grinds out, "Of course, my lady." Then, he turns his eyes back to Kelton. "Come with me, we are going to have a very long talk." With that, he all but drags the man away. Ardan sighed, but trots after her brother and the mayor. Another man, an old, hunched being wearing a long dark cloak stitched with odd symbols, gives Artemis a respectful nod, studies you for a few seconds, then turns and follows.
As the remainder of the posse broke up, many hurrying to friends and family and starting to tell the tale, Aremis gently grabs your shoulder. "Come on, let's go, quickly," she says.
"Why?" you ask.
"Because," Artemis says as she guides you away, "I give it five minutes before someone blabs about your abilities, no matter what they promised, and I would rather you not be in immediate view of the crowd when that comes up. To prevent staring if nothing else." You quickly nod, and soon the four of you are sitting outside Bill and Rebecca's home (the two having left, and Artemis not wanting to intrude without their permission.)
As you settle in the small meadow near the edge of the village, Artemis looks around. Seeing nobody, she takes a deep breath before speaking. "Lancel, Axton, please give Ryza and I some space, we need to talk. If any of the villagers want to speak with me, please tell them to wait until we're finished."
You cringe slightly as the two yeomen nod. Lancel gives you a sympathetic look, Axton a judging one, but they both leave you alone with Artemis. 'Here it comes,' you think as the human studies you silently for a long minute. You fidget, wondering if you should try to defend yourself or just wait for the blow to fall.
"So," Artemis says in a conversational tone that doesn't fool you for a second. "Wings, huh?"
You finally break. "I'm sorry," you say. "I know you told me to not show off and to be normal but I just couldn't I couldn't there were too many of them and I couldn't both be normal and cast well enough to keep them off us and people were dying and and and-"
Artemis's arm quickly wraps around your shoulder, pulling you into a hug. "Breath, Ryza, breath," she says gently. "I'm not upset; I understand that you did what you needed to do to protect the people who we were there to help. I should apologize that I didn't make my wishes clear: when I asked you to keep your… oddities secret, I only meant when we were at peace. In battle, you do whatever you need to do to protect yourself, you understand?"
You nod shakily. "O-okay," you say.
Artemis smiles, but it doesn't reach her eyes. "Ryza, do you like fighting?"
"I've never really done it before all this," you say, trying to ignore the sounds of screaming, the scent of blood and burning flesh. "But… I don't think so…"
"Do you feel that you have to?"
You frown, considering. You didn't just want to leave Artemis alone, so when she decided to go and help Kelton, or save Axton and Lancel. So… "I… I want to help you-"
Artemis shakes her head. "That's not what I mean. I just…" she pauses to think. "You say you've never fought before, and it's clear you don't really want to, but you are still very good at it. I just wonder if you feel… well, compelled, to fight. As if that was what you were made for." She gestures towards your back. "You certainly seem well equipped for it." It might just be you, but she seems to sound… sad, maybe even angry, as she says that.
Before you can open your mouth to… well, you don't know what you'd say. Reassure her? Disagree with her? Either way, she forces a smile on her face before you can. "So what do you think you were made for, Ryza? What have you been told about why you are the way you are?"
[] "I… I don't know. I'm just a manakete, all manakete are like this."
[] "Mother always said that we are strong so that we can protect the ones we love. I don't like to fight, but if it keeps you and everyone else safe…"
[] "Father said that we're blessed with magic, that it is our gift. I guess I'm meant to learn how to use that gift."
[] "I don't know what you mean! What are you trying to say?!"
For my part, I kind of enjoy having the misunderstanding dragged out - to see how Artemis and everyone else try to understand Ryza's situation as more and more "oddities" arise and they have to update their theories to account for the new details... and Ryza's maintaining an ignorance of just how different things have become since she was put into stasis. Eventually that's going to come to an end on both sides but I don't see a need to force it.
I think I'm leaning towards the "Mother always said..." option because it sounds right from Ryza's perspective even if it seems unlikely to disabuse Artemis's current suspicion that Ryza has some subconscious instinct to fight "programmed" into her.
[X] "Mother always said that we are strong so that we can protect the ones we love. I don't like to fight, but if it keeps you and everyone else safe…"
[X] "I… I don't know. I'm just a manakete, all manakete are like this."
I mean while it is amusing seeing all the miscommunication going on but the root of the miscommunication is that Ryza doesn't realize that the dragons are all gone and that Artemis doesn't know what a manakete even is and thinks that Artemis knows what she is. As such I don't really think shed try to hide it as she thinks that at this time she's just a weird manakete and not that no one has ever seen a manakete.
Hell even after telling Artemis that Ryza is a manakete she still might know that means Ryza is basically a dragon.
Manakete or 'mother says' would be the better options of the four non-Write-ins, but... I think we should probably clarify that we are, in fact, a dragon, and that might be the reason we can handle fighting so well. The bestial instincts from our dragon-self. The problem is just a matter of phrasing...
[X] "Mother always said that we are strong so that we can protect the ones we love. I don't like to fight, but if it keeps you and everyone else safe…"
If this were a FE game, I don't think Ryza's manakete-ness would be revealed until, like, chapter 5 or something at the earliest, once The Villain makes a play at her or something.
[X] "Mother always said that we are strong so that we can protect the ones we love. I don't like to fight, but if it keeps you and everyone else safe…"
-[X] "I won't run away. Not this time."
[x] Write-in.
-[x] "Mother always said that when we dragons sealed away our species's own power and became manaketes, we wanted to still be strong enough to protect the ones we love... I don't like to fight, but if my dragon-self helps keep you and everyone else safe..."
[X] "Mother always said that we are strong so that we can protect the ones we love. I don't like to fight, but if it keeps you and everyone else safe…"
If this were a FE game, I don't think Ryza's manakete-ness would be revealed until, like, chapter 5 or something at the earliest, once The Villain makes a play at her or something.
not arguing against you but I could also see a FE game were they do tell you early but no one has any idea what it means until a certain character comes around to explain it... probably after Ryza goes full dragon for the first time in quest.
[X] "Mother always said that we are strong so that we can protect the ones we love. I don't like to fight, but if it keeps you and everyone else safe…"
[] "Father said that we're blessed with magic, that it is our gift. I guess I'm meant to learn how to use that gift."
I would prefer this choice, however, if I could make a write-in, it would be some kind of draconic wisdom of this kind :
[X] Write-in.
-[X] "My people have wings so that we can embrace the sky and everything below us. If there is battle in this land, then battle is a part of me."
[X] "Mother always said that we are strong so that we can protect the ones we love. I don't like to fight, but if it keeps you and everyone else safe…"
-[X] "I won't run away. Not this time."
I wrote a sub-vote, cause Ryza could feel like she abandoned her parents when they sealed her.
Also, can't believe I only just thought of this, but those dice probably set us on Lunatic mode or something, considering that post about the system change.
