I did give Dullahan alot of weaknesses to try and compensate for his strong phantasm. I'm sure he's stay well away from heroes like Gilgamesh, as Golden Rule would spell his end.
I say Harbinger of death is actually quite fair as you have to be pinned beneath him. And A good combatant would never allow that to occur.
Plus, the other five instances of Phantasmal Direhorse would have to manifest as well. It wouldn't be a monstrous beast you're pinned under, only a warhorse, if anything
@vancexentan Well, here's Rider in all his headless glory
Class Name: Rider
Nicknames: The Headless Horseman, Dullahan
Alignment: Lawful Evil
Servant of: ????
Catalyst For Summon: Compatibility (Normally, Magi with a strong resentment resonate with Rider best. If one had lost his head, they, too, can serve as a catalyst to summon Rider)
Weapon(s): A dark, shadowy whip, appearing to be made of a human corpse's spine. Can take the shape of other melee weapons of similar range.
Wish: "..." Rider wishes to restore himself to his former status as a divine spirit.
Skills:
Divinity: E The measure of whether one has Divine Spirit aptitude or not. Declined when the Heroic Spirit's own rank as a Monstrous or Demonic Beast raises.
Mental Pollution: C Makes it possible to shut out any mental interference Thaumaturgy due to possessing a distorted mentality. However, at the same time it becomes impossible to come to an understanding with individuals that do not possess an equivalent rank of Mental Pollution. Provides a moderate probability that mental interference magecraft will be rendered ineffective. Mental Pollution takes the form of Rider's very limited speech and his tendencies to act upon its own wishes.
Presence Detection: A The ability to detect other Servants and local mana sources. By holding his severed head aloft, Rider can see for vast distances across the countryside, even on the darkest night. To be more accurate, it is more on the sense of "detection" instead of "long-range sight", as Rider cannot exactly "see". Effective range is at a radius of 250 km.
Mystic Eyes (Terror): C Possession of Mystic Eyes of Terror, a common power among monsters and evil spirits. Cast as soon as the user looks upon the target. Cripples one's mental state and paralyzes them with fear momentarily. Can be nullified by Magic Resistance or Bravery
Weakness to Gold: N/A Not necessarily beneficial, Dullahan suffers a severe weakness and fear of Gold, mere touches causing him harm. As such, this skill cannot be removed, and no matter what class, it will remain with him.
Class Abilities:
Magic Resistance: C Cancel spells with a chant below two verses. Cannot defend against Magecraft on the level of High-Thaumaturgy and Greater Rituals.
Riding: E A Class Skill of the Rider and Saber class, denoting the ability to ride mounts and venicles. Though classified as a Rider, the only thing he can mount is his Coise Bodhar Noble Phantasm
Base Parameters:
Strength: C Endurance: D Agility: A Magical Power: C Good luck: D Noble Phantasm: EX
Noble Phantasms:
Name: Coiste Bodhar - Phantasmal Direhorse
Rank: B Type: Anti-Army Range: 1 - 50 Maximum Targets: 6
Description: Takes the form of a pack of six demonic horses with glowing red eyes mounted by Rider. They are actually split bodies of Rider. Because of this, they cannot possibly be separated from him.
An embodiment of Rider's legend as a courier of death. When not manifested, they appear as a shadowy horse figure melded with Rider's shadow. Seperation of up to five horses is possible, although Rider must either remain mounted on one, or keep one within his shadow at all times. Their shape isn't limited to a horse, being able to take the shape of any beast Rider deems fit for the circumstances. Hounds, rats, or even sharks are an example, so long as the amount is limited to six bodies. They share perception with Rider, although their presence can be easily detected. This, along with their lack of long range, makes this Phantasm unsuitable for spying tasks.
Individually, they are weaker than a Servant, although they are as strong as the animal they split themselves to, being potentially able to overwhelm a human. They can combine their bodies with each other in order to increase their strength, wirh the cost of reducing their strategic advantage in numbers.
Name: Capall Bhais - Harbingar of Death
Rank: EX Type: Anti-Unit Range: 1 - 2 Maximum Targets: 1
Description: This Noble Phantasm can only be active once two certain conditions are met: Rider must have managed to pin his target beneath his mount, and Rider must know their true name. Rider's limited speech only allows him to speak the name of one whose death he heralds, which he utilizes in this Noble Phantasm. All of the other five Coiste Bodhar begin to coil around the pinned target, enveloping him/her in shadows. When Rider invokes the name of the target, and the name of the Noble Phantasm, it inflicts death upon the target.
This ability cannot be nullified no matter how high the target's Magic Resistance is, as it is a form of heralding one's fate rather than Magecraft. Those with a high Rank of Saint and/or Protection of the Faith may be able to nullify this ability, but not by much. A high LCK check may also nullify this ability.
True Name: Gan Ceann
Believed to be a type of unseelie fairy, described as a headless person dressed in black armor and carrying its head under one arm.
The headless horseman appears as an omen of death to families in Ireland. He is possessed of supernatural sight. Legends said that when the headless horseman stops riding, that is where a person is due to die. He calls out their name, at which point they immediately perish. All gates fly open to let rider and coach through, no matter how firmly they are locked, so no one is truly safe from the attentions of this fairy.
In fear of the headless rider, men alone in the fields at night cower behind the bushes because of his reputation with a whip, made from the spine of human corpses. With his whip he can accurately remove the eyes of all mortals foolish enough to spy on his ventures. Since he has no head, he is somewhat defective in his physical sight and the dullahan resents those with skilled vision.
The dullahan has limited speech. He can only speak once on each journey he undertakes, and that is when he pulls up a home and calls out the name of the person who is dying.
Incidentally, there is a theory among modern scholars, which defends that the dullahan was not some Grim Reaper-like figure that robbed human lives, but rather something more closely resembling the Valkyries of Norse Mythology: a spirit that had the role of leading the souls of people to the other world.
In truth, the origins of the headless knight are the embodiment of an ancient Celtic god, Crom Dubh, or Black Crom, also known as Crom Cruach. Crom Dubh was worshipped by the prehistoric king, Tighermas, who ruled in Ireland about fifteen hundred years ago and who legitimized human sacrifice to heathen idols. He was venerated as a fertility god. At the same time, he was the god of heaven. This is a stereotype that repeats itself over and over again in Africa, through Egypt and many more countries. One finds this stereotype in the concept of Crum Dubh. He was both a fertility and a seed god. He was represented with seed carried on his back. He is often personified as grain.
It is described that Crom Dubh demanded human lives each year, the most favored method of sacrifice was decapitation. The worship of Crom continued in Ireland until the sixth century, when Christian missionaries arrived from Scotland. They denounced all such worship and under their influence, the old sacrificial religions of Ireland began to lose favor. In later times, he came to be considered an evil god as Christianity spread through Europe as part of the suppression by Christians of the worship of Pagan deities. The element "dubh" (black, dark) had sinister connotations in Christianity, this also perhaps leading to a large part of the eventual association.
Nonetheless, Crom Dubh was not to be denied his annual quota of souls, and was believed that he took on a physical form which became known as the dullahan or far dorocha (meaning dark man), the tangible embodiment of death.
With times, the believe of the populace has reduced what once was a proper Divine Spirit, what had became god after becoming objects of worship, into an "anti-hero closer to a monster", an anti-hero who became as such due to the dark thoughts of humans. The more the folklore spread, the more the thought of populace implanted into his legend. Thus, the headless horseman was born.
Gan Ceann, meaning "without a head" in Irish, has become the truest name associated with him. His old true name as a god, Crom Dubh, has long since been reduced to almost nothing due the believe of the populace.
Appearance:
Rider stands at 6'6.
Rider's severed head is pale with long, curly hair. Its features are gaunt, with a hint of nobility, as a nod to his origins being an Unseelie Fairy. Its eyes glow a sinister crimson, which intensify upon the use of his Mystic Eyes (Terror) skill.
Rider keeps his head in a sack tied to his belt when not in use.
I also have an Archer in mind if nobody else is taking it, although that's only if anyone's interested in me being Archer more, instead of Rider. He's based off of a certain one-eyed warrior.
@vancexentan The main difficulty I had in finding good Riders is how alot of them have more than a few Noble Phantasms. Even the canon Riders have three-to-four of them. I almost think it's pretty much a class trait of theirs to have alot NPs
@vancexentan If you prefer, I can choose another Servant. I've spent this whole time looking up suitable Riders, both canon and noncanon, and a few have come to mind.
Okay the only problem I seem to have with him is Ascalon's "Invincibility" which gets even more ridiculous when combined with the A+ rank of Guardian knight. Both are completely fine separately. But Saint Georges Entire pool of abilities/Phantasms are aimed to be highly defensive, Combining the fact he is capable of doing massive damage with Interfectum Dracones combined with Abyssus Draconis. The end result is pretty darn stupid as his output is higher than Jeanne's whom is also a saint with defensive orientated skills.
(even the horse can negate 1 attack. The dude literally has Invincibility built into to his being.)
Perhaps only a small Tone down of some of the abilitys would be fair but otherwise I like your taste in rider. It'll create some interesting interactions with the red and white dragon pair.
Sounds fair, considering that while he was originally going to be in Apocrypha, he was pulled out due to being overpowered. For his Noble Phantasms, I was thinking Ascalon could have the same side-effect that Siegfried's has whereas attacks of A or higher can pierce through its invincibility after being reduced its damage. For Abyssus Draconis and Interfectum Dracones, I figured they could be sealed into Ascalon until an appropriate trigger happens.
If you or anyone else has some other ideas of balance, let me know, as I'm really open to suggestions at the moment, mainly so I can get approved and finally get this show on the road xD
Sweet baby jesus thats alot of skills and noble phantasms.
Dietrich potentially had more. It turns out he was the kind of hero that liked collecting weapons from his enemies. Alot.
As far as NPs go, I'm sure Ascalon and Interfectum Dracones can be combined into one, seeing as the latter is a "gestalt-phantasm" of the former. While his skills and abilities seem overwhelming at first, it looks as if they all orient Saint George towards being very defensive, as said in his abilities section.
Bradley spent his time behind the trees waiting for the right time to strike. He placed enough hope in his team's skills to give him an opening enough to get the flag.
It was at this moment that a multitude of fantasies rushed Bradley's head. He would rush in to the enemy team's defences, finally revealing his true channeling capabilties as he washed them all away in his tide-sheathed blade. He would grasp the flag, and raise it high, running to his base as his team supported him on the way, cheering him on as he finally succeeded in achieving victory. His team would congratulate, and even learn to respect him. Perhaps one of the more skilled teachers would see that he's indeed skilled at Wavecasting, and would offer to mentor him. Maybe he could even get a kiss on the cheek from-
... Wait, why's everyone leaving the arena already?
Bradley stood up, scratching his head, confused. Apparently the match ended, and... they won?
"Huh? What?" Bradley uttered, as he looked around. "Well... okay, then?" He shrugged, and just wandered off on his own, towards the Institute.
While Bradley was a bit crestfallen that he himself didn't recieve as much recognition, he was still a bit glad his team managed to come up top. Of course, it wasn't really due to Bradley's leadership skills, and in the end, it looked as if someone else from his team took the credit in that. After a few long moments of dwelling on what had taken place, Bradley had resolved to prove everyone how great of a leader and channeler he actually is.
And then Bradley realized he had no idea where he was going. He was too consumed in his thoughts to ask any of the teachers where he's supposed to go. He began to notice one of the students heading to the same general direction he was going. She looked around his age, but he didn't remember seeing her in the CTF game. Probably an upperclassman, he thought. She also looked like a person Bradley wouldn't have considered approaching, under normal circumstances. Well, regardless, he was lost, and she was the closest person he could ask for help.
"Ahoy!" Bradley called as he walked towards Mina, waving. "The name's Bradley. I seemed to 'ave misplaced my map and-" Wait, he didn't have a map in the first place. Bradley cleared his throat. "I mean... I don't think I 'eard the instructors well, earlier. Might ye' know where all the first years're supposed to head to?"
@vancexentan My computer has been acting up as of late, and I've been forced to work with my mobile phone for the most part. That being said, I've been trying to find a proper balance for Dietrich's abilities.
For the sake of expediancy, and due to shifting interests, I was planning to use a canon servant instead. One servant came to mind. Would this Rider be alright?
EDIT: Ignore the Placeholder I posted on the character tab. Accidentally posted this over there instead of here ^^'
Catalyst For Summon: Compatibility (Normally, Magi with a strong resentment resonate with Rider best. If one had lost his head, they, too, can serve as a catalyst to summon Rider)
Weapon(s): A dark, shadowy whip, appearing to be made of a human corpse's spine. Can take the shape of other melee weapons of similar range.
Wish: "..." Rider wishes to restore himself to his former status as a divine spirit.
Skills:
Divinity: E The measure of whether one has Divine Spirit aptitude or not. Declined when the Heroic Spirit's own rank as a Monstrous or Demonic Beast raises.
Mental Pollution: C Makes it possible to shut out any mental interference Thaumaturgy due to possessing a distorted mentality. However, at the same time it becomes impossible to come to an understanding with individuals that do not possess an equivalent rank of Mental Pollution. Provides a moderate probability that mental interference magecraft will be rendered ineffective. Mental Pollution takes the form of Rider's very limited speech and his tendencies to act upon its own wishes.
Presence Detection: A The ability to detect other Servants and local mana sources. By holding his severed head aloft, Rider can see for vast distances across the countryside, even on the darkest night. To be more accurate, it is more on the sense of "detection" instead of "long-range sight", as Rider cannot exactly "see". Effective range is at a radius of 250 km.
Mystic Eyes (Terror): C Possession of Mystic Eyes of Terror, a common power among monsters and evil spirits. Cast as soon as the user looks upon the target. Cripples one's mental state and paralyzes them with fear momentarily. Can be nullified by Magic Resistance or Bravery
Weakness to Gold: N/A Not necessarily beneficial, Dullahan suffers a severe weakness and fear of Gold, mere touches causing him harm. As such, this skill cannot be removed, and no matter what class, it will remain with him.
Class Abilities:
Magic Resistance: C Cancel spells with a chant below two verses. Cannot defend against Magecraft on the level of High-Thaumaturgy and Greater Rituals.
Riding: E A Class Skill of the Rider and Saber class, denoting the ability to ride mounts and venicles. Though classified as a Rider, the only thing he can mount is his Coise Bodhar Noble Phantasm
Base Parameters:
Strength: C Endurance: D Agility: A Magical Power: C Good luck: D Noble Phantasm: EX
Noble Phantasms:
Name: Coiste Bodhar - Phantasmal Direhorse
Rank: B Type: Anti-Army Range: 1 - 50 Maximum Targets: 6
Description: Takes the form of a pack of six demonic horses with glowing red eyes mounted by Rider. They are actually split bodies of Rider. Because of this, they cannot possibly be separated from him.
An embodiment of Rider's legend as a courier of death. When not manifested, they appear as a shadowy horse figure melded with Rider's shadow. Seperation of up to five horses is possible, although Rider must either remain mounted on one, or keep one within his shadow at all times. Their shape isn't limited to a horse, being able to take the shape of any beast Rider deems fit for the circumstances. Hounds, rats, or even sharks are an example, so long as the amount is limited to six bodies. They share perception with Rider, although their presence can be easily detected. This, along with their lack of long range, makes this Phantasm unsuitable for spying tasks.
Individually, they are weaker than a Servant, although they are as strong as the animal they split themselves to, being potentially able to overwhelm a human. They can combine their bodies with each other in order to increase their strength, wirh the cost of reducing their strategic advantage in numbers.
Name: Capall Bhais - Harbingar of Death
Rank: EX Type: Anti-Unit Range: 1 - 2 Maximum Targets: 1
Description: This Noble Phantasm can only be active once two certain conditions are met: Rider must have managed to pin his target beneath his mount, and Rider must know their true name. Rider's limited speech only allows him to speak the name of one whose death he heralds, which he utilizes in this Noble Phantasm. All of the other five Coiste Bodhar begin to coil around the pinned target, enveloping him/her in shadows. When Rider invokes the name of the target, and the name of the Noble Phantasm, it inflicts death upon the target. While the target is enveloped in this darkness, no other being, Servant or not, may interfere or interact with the target. Rider, on the other hand, can be interrupted from using this ability.
This ability, once active, cannot be nullified no matter how high the target's Magic Resistance is, as it is a form of heralding one's fate rather than Magecraft. Those with a high Rank of Saint and/or Protection of the Faith may be able to nullify this ability. A LCK check may also nullify this ability. Those who manage to escape this ability through these methods are immune to this Noble Phantasm until the dawn of the next night, for the Horseman only calls for the deaths of wayward souls at night.
True Name: Gan Ceann
Believed to be a type of unseelie fairy, described as a headless person dressed in black armor and carrying its head under one arm.
The headless horseman appears as an omen of death to families in Ireland. He is possessed of supernatural sight. Legends said that when the headless horseman stops riding, that is where a person is due to die. He calls out their name, at which point they immediately perish. All gates fly open to let rider and coach through, no matter how firmly they are locked, so no one is truly safe from the attentions of this fairy.
In fear of the headless rider, men alone in the fields at night cower behind the bushes because of his reputation with a whip, made from the spine of human corpses. With his whip he can accurately remove the eyes of all mortals foolish enough to spy on his ventures. Since he has no head, he is somewhat defective in his physical sight and the dullahan resents those with skilled vision.
The dullahan has limited speech. He can only speak once on each journey he undertakes, and that is when he pulls up a home and calls out the name of the person who is dying.
Incidentally, there is a theory among modern scholars, which defends that the dullahan was not some Grim Reaper-like figure that robbed human lives, but rather something more closely resembling the Valkyries of Norse Mythology: a spirit that had the role of leading the souls of people to the other world.
In truth, the origins of the headless knight are the embodiment of an ancient Celtic god, Crom Dubh, or Black Crom, also known as Crom Cruach. Crom Dubh was worshipped by the prehistoric king, Tighermas, who ruled in Ireland about fifteen hundred years ago and who legitimized human sacrifice to heathen idols. He was venerated as a fertility god. At the same time, he was the god of heaven. This is a stereotype that repeats itself over and over again in Africa, through Egypt and many more countries. One finds this stereotype in the concept of Crum Dubh. He was both a fertility and a seed god. He was represented with seed carried on his back. He is often personified as grain.
It is described that Crom Dubh demanded human lives each year, the most favored method of sacrifice was decapitation. The worship of Crom continued in Ireland until the sixth century, when Christian missionaries arrived from Scotland. They denounced all such worship and under their influence, the old sacrificial religions of Ireland began to lose favor. In later times, he came to be considered an evil god as Christianity spread through Europe as part of the suppression by Christians of the worship of Pagan deities. The element "dubh" (black, dark) had sinister connotations in Christianity, this also perhaps leading to a large part of the eventual association.
Nonetheless, Crom Dubh was not to be denied his annual quota of souls, and was believed that he took on a physical form which became known as the dullahan or far dorocha (meaning dark man), the tangible embodiment of death.
With times, the believe of the populace has reduced what once was a proper Divine Spirit, what had became god after becoming objects of worship, into an "anti-hero closer to a monster", an anti-hero who became as such due to the dark thoughts of humans. The more the folklore spread, the more the thought of populace implanted into his legend. Thus, the headless horseman was born.
Gan Ceann, meaning "without a head" in Irish, has become the truest name associated with him. His old true name as a god, Crom Dubh, has long since been reduced to almost nothing due the believe of the populace.
Appearance:
Rider stands at 6'6.
Rider's severed head is pale with long, curly hair. Its features are gaunt, with a hint of nobility, as a nod to his origins being an Unseelie Fairy. Its eyes glow a sinister crimson, which intensify upon the use of his Mystic Eyes (Terror) skill.
Rider keeps his head in a sack tied to his belt when not in use.
Yankee
Dane