Jab’s Builds! (Beaker! Sam Eagle! Miss Piggy! The Swedish Chef!)

Where in all of your character write ups will go.
Jabroniville
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Joined: Fri Nov 04, 2016 8:05 pm

Lyle

Post by Jabroniville »

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"Dragon, shmagon! Taste the power of Dr. Crock's mechanical crossbow!"
-Lyle, during the final battle


LYLE
First Appearance:
Shining Force I
Class: Assault Knight/Strike Knight
Role: Mobile Archer, "Two-Role" Character
Weapons: Bows & Arrows, Shells
PL 9 (94)
STRENGTH
4 STAMINA 5 AGILITY 3
FIGHTING 8 DEXTERITY 1
INTELLIGENCE 1 AWARENESS 2 PRESENCE 2

Skills:
Athletics 8 (+11)
Expertise (Soldier) 7 (+8)
Insight 3 (+5)
Perception 3 (+5)

Advantages:
Equipment 2 (Mechanical Crossbow, Assault Shell, Armor +2), Improved Aim, Improved Critical (Arrows), Power Attack, Precise Attack (Ranged/Cover), Move-By Action, Ranged Attack 11, Teamwork

Powers:
"Centaur Physiology" Speed 2 (8 mph) [2]

Equipment:
"Mechanical Crossbow- Assault Shell" Blast 6

Offense:
Unarmed +8 (+4 Damage, DC 19)
Assault Shell +12 (+6 Ranged Damage, DC 21)
Initiative +3

Defenses:
Dodge +7 (DC 17), Parry +9 (DC 19), Toughness +5 (+7 Armor), Fortitude +6, Will +7

Complications:
Responsibility (Terrible Sense of Direction)- A common "Anime Disease", Lyle suffers from a terrible sense of direction, and is always getting lost.
Relationship (Dr. Crock, Guntz)- Lyle & Guntz help out Dr. Crock with his inventions.
Drawback (Hindered)- Centaurs do not do well in varied terrain- deserts, mountains and dense forests will heavily reduce their movement rant to slower than that of normal human beings.

Total: Abilities: 50 / Skills: 22--11 / Advantages: 19 / Powers: 2 / Defenses: 12 (94)

-Lyle is acquired in the late mid-game, along with Guntz- both are the assistants of a weirdo scientist Dr. Crock, and given great powers by his inventions. Lyle duplicates the Archers' later weapons, but carries the difference of being a Centaur, like the Knights- the "Assault Knight" class is thus a faster, more durable Archer... or a Knight that's better at range. He's less durable than Knights, I suppose, but is generally used in their stead.

-Lyle is a cross between an Archer and a Knight, which makes him effortlessly better than either Hans or Diane- he not only has their archery capabilities, but the speed and high HP of a KNIGHT! As the game is all about tactics, movement, and character placing, the faster, tougher guy is going to always win out. However, you have to be careful- Archers never suffer due to terrain, while the battles immediately following the acquirement of Lyle are all in mountains and heavy forests- he'll get bogged down easily.
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HalloweenJack
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Re: Jab’s Builds! (Shining Force! Max! Warriors! Archers! Ken! Mae!)

Post by HalloweenJack »

Jabroniville wrote: Thu Apr 23, 2020 11:28 pm
HalloweenJack wrote: Thu Apr 23, 2020 7:24 pm I legit expected a Pervy Jab comment.

I am become disappoint.
But Sexy Centaurettes are only sexy ABOVE the waist! Otherwise it’s just beastiality!

semantics.
Jabroniville
Posts: 24689
Joined: Fri Nov 04, 2016 8:05 pm

Guntz

Post by Jabroniville »

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"The grinding gears! The blasts of steam! Witness the true power of Dr. Crock's Steam Suit... and tremble!"
-Guntz, when facing Dark Dragon


GUNTZ
First Appearance:
Shining Force I
Class: Steam Knight/Steam Baron
Role: Front-Line Fighter, The Tank
Weapons: Spears, Lances
PL 10 (88)
STRENGTH
5 STAMINA 8 AGILITY 0
FIGHTING 9 DEXTERITY 1
INTELLIGENCE 0 AWARENESS 1 PRESENCE 2

Skills:
Expertise (Soldier) 6 (+6)
Intimidation 6 (+6)
Perception 2 (+3)

Advantages:
Diehard, Equipment 2 (Lance +3-4, Armor +3), Fearless, Improved Critical (Polearms), Interpose, Last Stand, Power Attack, Ranged Attack 7, Teamwork, Ultimate Toughness Save

Equipment:
"Spears" Blast 5
"Lance" Strength-Damage +4
"Steam Suit" Protection 3, Movement 1 (Mountainous Terrain)

Offense:
Unarmed +9 (+4 Damage, DC 19)
Lance +9 (+9 Damage, DC 24)
Spears +8 (+5 Ranged Damage, DC 20)
Initiative +0

Defenses:
Dodge +6 (DC 16), Parry +9 (DC 19), Toughness +8 (+11 Armor), Fortitude +8, Will +7

Complications:
Relationship (Dr. Crock, Lyle)- Lyle & Guntz help out Dr. Crock with his inventions.
Disabled (Slow)- Guntz is INCREDIBLY slow. So slow that he becomes a huge hindrance in battles, and can't keep up with any of the regular troops. The whole army may have to fall back just so he can keep up.
Power Loss (Steam Suit)- Guntz's suit will be unable to move if it does not get access to water semi-frequently.

Total: Abilities: 52 / Skills: 14--7 / Advantages: 16 / Powers: 0 / Defenses: 13 (88)

-And then there's GUNTZ- out of nowhere in the village of Rindo comes this friggin' talking armadillo, which nobody finds weird, and he joins your army in a suit of steam-powered ARMOR. Like, just this completely off-the-wall, 100% unit- how can you NOT use Guntz? He ended up becoming one of my favorites, both for his great visuals, his friendly personality, and the fact that he was almost immediately invincible. His damage-dealing is okay, but he's almost impossible for enemy units to bring down. You can apparently put your Dwarves up to his durability level fairly easily, but I find those units so plain I nearly always took the Steam-Knight Armadillo instead- this is the only game in the series I can find that has one.

-Guntz is naturally the toughest guy on your entire team, and has solid attack, but is naturally extremely slow and easy to hit. He's so ponderous, in fact, that the character is a constant source of frustration in battles (especially ones where speed is of the essence), as he'll lag behind even the basic foot-troops. Typically, I will give him the "Mobility Ring", which boosts him up to normal levels, making him a perfect tank- without it, he's effectively worthless, meaning that it's either an "Auto-Take" or you give it to another unit you like better to make a Warrior move at the speed of your Knights, or to turn your favorite Knight into The Flash. Overall, Guntz ends up being PL 9 offensively, PL 10 defensively- a true "Tank" unit.
Jabroniville
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Joined: Fri Nov 04, 2016 8:05 pm

Lowe

Post by Jabroniville »

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Dark Mage: "So this is the great Shining Force that will save Gardiana?! Won't Woldol be scared when I tell him! Why, you're just a bunch of kids!"
Lowe: "Don't underestimate them, Wizard. It might be the last mistake you ever make."


LOWE
First Appearance:
Shining Force I
Class: Priest/Vicar
Role: Healer, Hero's Buddy, Weak Later Character
Weapons: Staves
PL 8 (91)
STRENGTH
1 STAMINA 3 AGILITY 2
FIGHTING 6 DEXTERITY 1
INTELLIGENCE 1 AWARENESS 3 PRESENCE 3

Skills:
Athletics 3 (+6)
Expertise (Priest) 9 (+10)
Expertise (Soldier) 4 (+5)
Insight 3 (+6)
Perception 3 (+6)
Persuasion 3 (+6)
Ranged Combat (Spells) 3 (+8)

Advantages:
Equipment 1 (Staves +1), Ranged Attack 4

Powers:
"Slow 1" Affliction 8 (Defenses; Vulnerable/Defenseless) (Extras: Ranged, Cumulative) (Flaws: Limited Degree) (16) -- [22]
  • AE: "Heal 4" Healing 12 (Flaws: Unreliable- 5/day) (12) -- [15]
  • AE: "Heal 3" Healing 8 (Flaws: Unreliable -1/2- 8/day) (12)
  • AE: "Heal 2" Healing 6 (12)
  • AE: "Heal 1" Healing 4 (8)
  • AE: "Detox" Healing 10 (Extras: Restorative Only +0) (Flaws: Limited to Poisons) (10)
  • AE: "Quick 1" Enhanced Defenses 2 & Advantages 2 (Improved Initiative 2) (Extras: Ranged, Affects Others) (14)
Equipment:
"Staves" Strength-Damage +3

Offense:
Unarmed +6 (+1 Damage, DC 16)
Staff +6 (+4 Damage, DC 19)
Slow +8 (+8 Ranged Affliction, DC 18)
Initiative +2

Defenses:
Dodge +6 (DC 16), Parry +6 (DC 16), Toughness +3, Fortitude +5, Will +7

Complications:
Relationship (Max)- Max is Lowe's best friend.
Power Loss (Magic- MP)- All Magic requires a base level of "Magic Points" to cast- Unreliable spells thus stack, so casting them multiple times can also prevent other spells from working.

Total: Abilities: 40 / Skills: 28--14 / Advantages: 5 / Powers: 22 / Defenses: 10 (91)

-The best friend of Max, Lowe is a Priest, and your party's healer- he will often show up throughout the story more, more than another other Shining Force I supporting character, as he often talks to Max directly. A terrible fighter, he is nonetheless kind and friendly, and your earliest Healer- it takes a fair bit for a second one to get recruited, making him vital. However, once you move on in the game, Lowe is unfortunately easily outdone by them- Khris & Torasu are far superior and gain more wide-reaching spells. Lowe is thus nearly always dropped unless you really like the character specifically. He reappears in Shining Force Gaiden/CD as an advisor to Queen Anri.

-Lowe has Heal 1-4, which is great, then learns Slow, Detox & Quick, but never touches the mighty "Aura" Spells that are so useful in the late-game portion, nor the upgraded versions of the Status-Affecter (aka "Debuff") spells. It's really too bad- healing only one party member at a time becomes a huge liability later on, so Khris is far superior. Lowe ends up at PL 8 with "Slow 1", but is otherwise PL 5- weak in combat and highly vulnerable.
Jabroniville
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Joined: Fri Nov 04, 2016 8:05 pm

Re: Jab’s Builds! (Shining Force! Max! Warriors! Archers! Ken! Mae!)

Post by Jabroniville »

HalloweenJack wrote: Fri Apr 24, 2020 10:28 pm
Jabroniville wrote: Thu Apr 23, 2020 11:28 pm
HalloweenJack wrote: Thu Apr 23, 2020 7:24 pm I legit expected a Pervy Jab comment.

I am become disappoint.
But Sexy Centaurettes are only sexy ABOVE the waist! Otherwise it’s just beastiality!

semantics.
Haha, well too bad, for I have no desire to engage in romantical activities with a lady Centaur. Even one who's so... so STRONG... and so SERIOUS... and probably very, very tall...

Image

OH GOD AND SHE'S GROUCHY AND COMMANDING TO I WANT TO BE HER STALLION SO BAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAD

I mean no- you have misjudged me entirely, HJ. I don't want to be Mae's bitch at all! Not in the slightest!
Jabroniville
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Joined: Fri Nov 04, 2016 8:05 pm

Re: Jab’s Builds! (Shining Force! Max! Ken! Mae! Arthur! Pelle!)

Post by Jabroniville »

greycrusader wrote: Fri Apr 24, 2020 7:34 pm I found this funny, since Jab frequently mentions how silly the "official" strength limits for comic book characters are (particularly the Marvel guys), because comics writers and artists just don't know how much stuff really weighs:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZAVkP5n8Fto

The Spider-Man examples are particularly amusing, since they show him doing stuff that should mean guys like Dr. Octopus, Kraven, and Kingpin would be in traction for a month if Peter so much as gave them a stiff slap.

All my best.
haha, neat! I watched that a bit at work! Though his point seems to be "Duh, Spider-Man can actually lift 70 tons!" versus "The writer and artist didn't have f*ckin' Wikipedia in 1992 so had no idea that he shouldn't have been able to pick up that tank!", which is more accurate.

This is why "UM, but the character lifted _____ in issue #__, so they are clearly Strength X." is so incorrect to me.

(it reminds me of the scene with the train cars in The Incredibles being used to justify Mr. Incredible's strength level, when it's more likely the creators just went "hey, these look heavy and are the right size- let's use that!"
Jabroniville
Posts: 24689
Joined: Fri Nov 04, 2016 8:05 pm

Khris

Post by Jabroniville »

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"No Matter how great the foe... For the sake of this world... I will fight to the end. I call upon the powers of Light to lend me their strength!"

KHRIS
First Appearance:
Shining Force I
Class: Priest/Vicar
Role: Healer
Weapons: Staves
PL 10 (106)
STRENGTH
1 STAMINA 3 AGILITY 2
FIGHTING 6 DEXTERITY 1
INTELLIGENCE 1 AWARENESS 3 PRESENCE 3

Skills:
Athletics 3 (+6)
Expertise (Priest) 9 (+10)
Expertise (Soldier) 4 (+5)
Insight 3 (+6)
Perception 3 (+6)
Persuasion 3 (+6)
Ranged Combat (Spells) 3 (+8)

Advantages:
Equipment 1 (Staves +1), Ranged Attack 4

Powers:
"Quick 2" Enhanced Defenses 3 & Advantages 4 (Improved Initiative 4) (Extras: Ranged, Affects Others, Selective, Area- 15ft. Burst +1/2) (Flaws: Unreliable- 5/day) (28) -- [37]
  • AE: "Heal 1" Healing 4 (8)
  • AE: "Heal 2" Healing 6 (12)
  • AE: "Heal 3" Healing 8 (Flaws: Unreliable -1/2- 8/day) (12)
  • AE: "Heal 4" Healing 12 (Flaws: Unreliable- 5/day) (12)
  • AE: "Aura 1" Healing 4 (Extras: Area- 15ft. Burst +1/2, Selective) (14)
  • AE: "Aura 2" Healing 4 (Extras: Area- 30ft. Burst, Selective) (Flaws: Unreliable -1/2- 8/day) (14)
  • AE: "Quick 1" Enhanced Defenses 2 & Advantages 2 (Improved Initiative 2) (Extras: Ranged, Affects Others) (14)
  • AE: "Slow 1" Affliction 8 (Defenses; Vulnerable/Defenseless) (Extras: Ranged, Cumulative) (Flaws: Limited Degree) (16)
  • AE: "Slow 2" Affliction 10 (Defenses; Vulnerable/Defenseless) (Extras: Ranged, Cumulative, Area- 15ft. Burst +1/2) (Flaws: Limited Degree) (25)
Equipment:
"Staves" Strength-Damage +3

Offense:
Unarmed +6 (+1 Damage, DC 16)
Staff +6 (+4 Damage, DC 19)
Slow +8 (+8 Ranged Affliction, DC 18)
Slow 2 +10 Area (+10 Ranged Affliction, DC 20)
Initiative +2

Defenses:
Dodge +6 (DC 16), Parry +6 (DC 16), Toughness +3, Fortitude +5, Will +7

Complications:
Motivation (Adventure)- Khris has long dreamed of being an adventurer, and sees joining the Shining Force as a way to get what she craves.
Responsibility (Healer)- The GBA remake of the game indicates that Khris visited an orphanage where the children were dying of disease, and decided to become a great healer to help people like them.
Power Loss (Magic- MP)- All Magic requires a base level of "Magic Points" to cast- Unreliable spells thus stack, so casting them multiple times can also prevent other spells from working.

Total: Abilities: 40 / Skills: 28--14 / Advantages: 5 / Powers: 37 / Defenses: 10 (106)

-Khris is a female of a strange-looking dog-like race, and joins your Force early on, after rescuing you from a jail in Alterone, where the easily-manipulated King has imprisoned you. Saying she dreams of being an adventurer, she also wishes to save Alterone from Runefaust, and seems shy and introverted and reserved, having been verbally abused as the Princess's aide for years. She looks like a very long-faced dog-thing in the original game, but the Game Boy Advance remake turns her into a much more human-looking character- it seems that they're based off of the Gelflings from The Dark Crystal, as that was the name of a similar race earlier in the Shining series, and was later dropped.

-Khris, your second Healer, is recruited very early in the game, between the 4th & 5th battles. This is very important, as your Force gathers in size and thus might require two people who can heal others. Khris, in fact, ends up superior to Lowe overall, having more options to help- Heal 1-4, Aura 1-2 (group healing is key later in the game, and as you know Khris much better than the late-stage Torasu, you might like her a lot better by then), Slow 1-2, and Quick 1-2. This makes Khris almost an "Auto-Take" unless you really prefer Torasu. She ends up as PL 10 overall thanks to the Area Effect nature of "Slow 2", but otherwise she's likely stuck at PL 8 for "Slow 1" and better used as a Healer.
greycrusader
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Re: Jab’s Builds! (Shining Force! Max! Ken! Mae! Arthur! Pelle!)

Post by greycrusader »

Jabroniville wrote: Sat Apr 25, 2020 3:22 am
greycrusader wrote: Fri Apr 24, 2020 7:34 pm I found this funny, since Jab frequently mentions how silly the "official" strength limits for comic book characters are (particularly the Marvel guys), because comics writers and artists just don't know how much stuff really weighs:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZAVkP5n8Fto

The Spider-Man examples are particularly amusing, since they show him doing stuff that should mean guys like Dr. Octopus, Kraven, and Kingpin would be in traction for a month if Peter so much as gave them a stiff slap.

All my best.
haha, neat! I watched that a bit at work! Though his point seems to be "Duh, Spider-Man can actually lift 70 tons!" versus "The writer and artist didn't have f*ckin' Wikipedia in 1992 so had no idea that he shouldn't have been able to pick up that tank!", which is more accurate.

This is why "UM, but the character lifted _____ in issue #__, so they are clearly Strength X." is so incorrect to me.

(it reminds me of the scene with the train cars in The Incredibles being used to justify Mr. Incredible's strength level, when it's more likely the creators just went "hey, these look heavy and are the right size- let's use that!"
Oh, definitely. And hey, its understandable that creators don't have the time to research everything, and Rule of Cool is more important that staying too close to details. Jeff Dee, the co-creator of Villains and Vigilantes and a talented rpg artist, once told me that when translating characters into game stats, one should just assume their wildest feats are exaggerations by storytellers.

Yeah, its like something you've pointed out about comics (and even TV/movies) that use giant characters or monsters, and clearly the artists/animators have no real idea of scale-a 10 story building (which is just a the height of a large parking garage) is about 150' tall. A 30 story office building is about 440-450' in height; but kaiju are usually shown looming over such buildings, meaning they'd all be at least five hundred feet or more. Remember, even freaking Godzilla is listed at 120 meters tall, so about 360 ft, and in Tokyo there are more than 50 skyscraper that exceed 650 feet or more. But it looks way more impressive to have the King of Monsters towering over nearly everything.

All my best.
Jabroniville
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Joined: Fri Nov 04, 2016 8:05 pm

Gong

Post by Jabroniville »

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GONG
First Appearance:
Shining Force I
Class: Monk/Master Monk
Role: Healer/Fighter, Martial Artist, Jack Of All Trades
Weapons: Unarmed
PL 7 (118)
STRENGTH
4 STAMINA 4 AGILITY 5
FIGHTING 10 DEXTERITY 1
INTELLIGENCE 1 AWARENESS 3 PRESENCE 3

Skills:
Acrobatics 5 (+10)
Athletics 8 (+12)
Expertise (Monk) 9 (+10)
Insight 4 (+7)
Perception 4 (+7)
Persuasion 3 (+6)
Ranged Combat (Spells) 3 (+8)

Advantages:
Agile Feint, Improved Critical (Unarmed), Fast Grab, Improved Hold, Improved Trip, Ranged Attack 4

Powers:
"Aura 1" Healing 4 (Extras: Area- 15ft. Burst +1/2, Selective) (14) -- [18]
  • AE: "Heal 4" Healing 12 (Flaws: Unreliable- 5/day) (12)
  • AE: "Heal 3" Healing 8 (Flaws: Unreliable -1/2- 8/day) (12)
  • AE: "Heal 2" Healing 6 (12)
  • AE: "Heal 1" Healing 4 (8)
Offense:
Unarmed +10 (+4 Damage, DC 19)
Initiative +5

Defenses:
Dodge +10 (DC 20), Parry +10 (DC 20), Toughness +4, Fortitude +6, Will +7

Complications:
Power Loss (Magic- MP)- All Magic requires a base level of "Magic Points" to cast- Unreliable spells thus stack, so casting them multiple times can also prevent other spells from working.

Total: Abilities: 62 / Skills: 36--18 / Advantages: 9 / Powers: 18 / Defenses: 11 (118)

-Gong is acquired as a Secret Character- one of a few in the game, I missed him the first time around because I didn't feel the need to escape the first battle. Yeah, Gong is found almost immediately if you use the "Egress" spell and escape the bad guys in the very first battle. You awaken in the cabin of a strange Monk, who immediately joins your quest. This makes Gong a very useful character at first, as he's an extra guy in the early fights, and takes up two roles- melee fighter & healer.

-Gong is a cross between a front-line fighter at a Healer, and is thus fairly decent at both things... while not being QUITE the best at either. If you love the idea of beating the ass out of Dragons & Chimerae with your fists, though, Gong is absolutely your guy, though he levels up very slowly at first, having weaker attacks. He learns Heal 1-4 and the first "Aura" spell only, but has solid attack powers as well- though he shouldn't be your only healer (especially as he has low MP and learns Aura VERY late), he is definitely the best fighter of them all. This is reflected in his points cost, which is way beyond most fighters OR Mages.
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Ares
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Re: Jab’s Builds! (Ken! Mae! Arthur! Pelle! Earnest! Guntz!)

Post by Ares »

Always fun to see a Monk in games like this, especially when they can do more than just punch things. Overall, the Monk in Final Fantasy Tactics is one of my favorites, being extremely powerful and versatile, as well as having a good look.

Also, Guntz is just a cool concept, an example of what I love about these kinds of games. Steampunk Power Armor? Yes please.
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HalloweenJack
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Re: Jab’s Builds! (Shining Force! Max! Warriors! Archers! Ken! Mae!)

Post by HalloweenJack »

Jabroniville wrote: Sat Apr 25, 2020 3:19 am
HalloweenJack wrote: Fri Apr 24, 2020 10:28 pm
Jabroniville wrote: Thu Apr 23, 2020 11:28 pm

But Sexy Centaurettes are only sexy ABOVE the waist! Otherwise it’s just beastiality!

semantics.
Haha, well too bad, for I have no desire to engage in romantical activities with a lady Centaur. Even one who's so... so STRONG... and so SERIOUS... and probably very, very tall...

Image

OH GOD AND SHE'S GROUCHY AND COMMANDING TO I WANT TO BE HER STALLION SO BAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAD

I mean no- you have misjudged me entirely, HJ. I don't want to be Mae's bitch at all! Not in the slightest!
Unless the internet has lied to me, there'll be some futa action here.
Jabroniville
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Joined: Fri Nov 04, 2016 8:05 pm

Zylo

Post by Jabroniville »

Image
Image

"I am Zylo, the Forest King! Those who stand in my way will be slashed to ribbons by my fangs and claws!"

ZYLO
First Appearance:
Shining Force I
Class: Werewolf/Wolf Baron
Role: Fast Melee Fighter
Weapons: Claws & Teeth (Unarmed, Technically)
PL 10 (117)
STRENGTH
5 STAMINA 6 AGILITY 5
FIGHTING 12 DEXTERITY 1
INTELLIGENCE 0 AWARENESS 2 PRESENCE 1

Skills:
Athletics 8 (+12)
Expertise (Survival) 7 (+9)
Insight 2 (+4)
Intimidation 9 (+10)
Perception 7 (+9)
Stealth 3 (+8)

Advantages:
Daze (Intimidation), Fast Grab, Fearless, Improved Critical (Claws), Improved Initiative, Power Attack, Startle, Teamwork

Powers:
"Wolf Physiology" Movement 1 (Forested Terrain) [2]
Speed 1 (4 mph) [1]
"Animal Senses" Senses 6 (Acute & Extended Scent, Low-Light Vision, Scent-Tracking, Ultra & Extended Hearing) [6]
"Claws" Strength-Damage +2 (Feats: Split) [3]

Offense:
Unarmed +12 (+5 Damage, DC 20)
Claws +12 (+7 Damage, DC 22)
Initiative +9

Defenses:
Dodge +11 (DC 21), Parry +13 (DC 23), Toughness +6, Fortitude +8, Will +8

Complications:
Relationship (Diane)- Zylo was raised by Diane, and joins the Shining Force to be close to her.

Total: Abilities: 64 / Skills: 36--18 / Advantages: 8 / Powers: 12 / Defenses: 15 (117)

-Zylo is the first big "other" race you find in your party- the Centaurs, Dwarves, Elves and others soon encounter a friggin' WEREWOLF. One so bad-ass that you discover him while he's been driven insane after being poisoned for fighting with abandon after his foster-mother, Diane, was chased off by the Runefaust invasion of Bustoke. When you cure him with the Lunar Dew you've attained, he joins up with Diane. Almost immediately, Zylo is a force of nature- extremely fast and strong, he does a lot of damage, howling as he does so. This makes him an early favorite, and he never really gets worse with time. Best yet- he LOOKS AWESOME. In a team of friendly, long-chinned heroes & heroines, Zylo is a goddamn WEREWOLF, kicking ass like Jon Talbain and wiping out fools left and right.

-Zylo starts off with very good attack, and he's one of your best front-line fighters as soon as you recruit him! Unlike other units, he can also move very quickly through heavily-wooded terrain, so he's perfect for forest battles, too! This makes him a fantastic "general use" character, as there's really no situation in which Zylo sucks- Knights can be held back by terrain, Fliers are defensively weak, Warriors & Guntz are slow, and Spellcasters are fragile- Zylo is among the few units that are strong, fast, skilled and somewhat durable. Overall, I made him PL 9.5 on offense and parrying.
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KorokoMystia
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Re: Jab’s Builds! (Ken! Mae! Arthur! Pelle! Earnest! Guntz!)

Post by KorokoMystia »

The sheer variety of races in this series is always something that's made it unique and stand out, I think, though the way the classes are divided by race is kinda odd (every Dwarf is a Warrior, every centaur is a Knight, ect.), almost like oldschool D&D where Elf and Dwarf were treated as distinct classes.

Also, here's a neat piece of Shining Force trivia: Players in Japan who bought all three scenarios of Shining Force III were able to mail order a special "Premium Disc" that aside from including model/artwork galleries, a sound test, and the like, included the ability to play a bunch of special battles, including ones based on pivotal battles from previous games! (the Kraken battle from II, Dark Dragon from the first game, Zeon from II, Iom from the Gaiden games, ect.)
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Tao

Post by Jabroniville »

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"...Such a tremendous aura of evil... Gods of light, give me the power to fight!"
-Tao, before the final battle with Dark Dragon


TAO
First Appearance:
Shining Force I
Class: Mage/Wizard
Role: Blaster, Fragile Elementalist
Weapons: Staves
PL 11 (117)
STRENGTH
1 STAMINA 3 AGILITY 2
FIGHTING 6 DEXTERITY 1
INTELLIGENCE 2 AWARENESS 3 PRESENCE 3

Skills:
Athletics 3 (+6)
Expertise (Magic) 8 (+10)
Expertise (Soldier) 4 (+6)
Expertise (Maid) 4 (+6)
Insight 3 (+6)
Perception 3 (+6)
Persuasion 3 (+6)
Ranged Combat (Spells) 6 (+11)

Advantages:
Equipment 1 (Staves +1), Improved Aim, Improved Critical (Fire) 2, Improved Initiative, Ranged Attack 4

Powers:
"Dispel" Nullify 10 (Extras: Broad & Simultaneous- Magical Powers) (30) -- [35]
  • AE: "Boost" Enhanced Strength 2 & Ranged Damage 2 (Extras: Affects Others, Ranged) (Flaws: Unreliable- 5/day) (10)
  • AE: "Sleep" Affliction 8 (Will; Dazed/Stunned/Incapacitated) (Extras: Ranged) (16)
  • AE: "Blaze 1" Blast 3 (6)
  • AE: "Blaze 2" Blast 6 (Extras: Area- 15ft. Burst +1/2) (15)
  • AE: "Blaze 3" Blast 9 (Extras: Area- 15ft. Burst +1/2) (Flaws: Unreliable -1/2- 8/day) (18)
  • AE: "Blaze 4" Blast 11 (Flaws: Unreliable -1/2- 8/day) (Ranks 10-11 Limited to Toughness 8+ Troops) (16)
Equipment:
"Staves" Strength-Damage +3

Offense:
Unarmed +6 (+1 Damage, DC 16)
Staff +6 (+4 Damage, DC 19)
Blaze 1 +11 (+3 Ranged Damage, DC 18)
Blaze 2 +6 Area (+6 Ranged Damage, DC 21)
Blaze 3 +9 Area (+9 Ranged Damage, DC 24)
Blaze 4 +11 (+11 Ranged Damage, DC 25)
Nullify +11 (+10 Ranged Nullify, DC 20)
Sleep +11 (+8 Ranged Affliction, DC 18)
Initiative +2

Defenses:
Dodge +8 (DC 18), Parry +8 (DC 18), Toughness +3, Fortitude +5, Will +7

Complications:
Relationship (Diane, Wendy)- Tao is apparently the sister of both of these characters (Wendy is from the Gaiden game).
Power Loss (Magic- MP)- All Magic requires a base level of "Magic Points" to cast- Unreliable spells thus stack, so casting them multiple times can also prevent other spells from working.

Total: Abilities: 42 / Skills: 34--17 / Advantages: 9 / Powers: 35 / Defenses: 14 (117)

-Tao joins your party right at the beginning, having been the maid to Princess Anri, and is your first Spellcaster- this means she's incredibly fragile and very, VERY difficult to level up with time, but you reap the rewards as she quickly gains very powerful magic. Most Shining Force games split up the Fire, Ice and Lightning spells among three Mages, and she gets the cheaper, earlier "Blaze" spells, meaning she's good pretty quickly. Undead are also vulnerable to those spells, and you encounter a lot of them in the early & mid-game.

-Tao is your very first Spellcaster, and is keyed around fire spells (Blaze 1-4), which accesses good power for a great price- typically, she will always have the MP for SOMETHING. Blaze 1 is only PL 7 but nearly free, Blaze 2-3 are PL 6 & 9 Area Attacks respectively, and Blaze 4 is a PL 11 powerhouse attack, putting her in a league beyond any of your melee fighters but Max! She will also learn Sleep, Dispel & Boost with time- utilitarian spells, especially Boost, which can help out your suckiest units in fights. Useful throughout the game, Tao is nonetheless highly vulnerable and needs to be carefully built up, lest she fall behind in XP. Like most Mages, however, she is incredibly-vulnerable to damage- a mere PL 5.5 defensively. These awful stats mean that she has to be protected at all times, and needs to be behind your more durable troops or she'll go down immediately. Either that, or you need to wipe out the enemies with their powerful spells first. Mages also suffer from slower movement- baseline human-level speed. Despite being an Elf, she lacks the Archers' abilities in forested terrain.
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Woodclaw
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Location: Como, Italy

Re: Jab’s Builds! (Mae! Pelle! Earnest! Guntz! Zylo! Tao!)

Post by Woodclaw »

My only experience with the Shining series was one of the games on the Saturn (I think it was The Shining Holy Ark), which was completely bonkers in terms of character. I'm glad to see it was a theme of the series.
"You're right. Sorry. Holy shit," I breathed, "heckhounds.”

WareHouse W (main build thread for M&M)
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