The year is 1888. It is the very eve of the Second Holy Grail War of Fuyuki City. Confident of his proteges victory, Matou Zouken visits Clocktower to relax with friends both old and new. He cannot comprehend what he will return to- the raw devastation that will occur within a meager two weeks. The bloodiest Grail War in history is about to begin.
The war is in its infancy, and thus so are its regulations and rules. There is no Church overseer, no rule against fighting in daylight or in front of the uninvolved. There aren't even any cameras or means of recording to break the masquerade of magecraft and magic. Only common decency could prevent the war from spiraling into an endless bloodbath. It is unfortunate for participants, then. For there is no decency in War.
A tragedy of epic proportions is about to raise its curtains. One never equaled by a Holy Grail War, past or future.
Will you be an actor in this twisted play?
A battle for the Holy Grail. Not of legend, but rather, a mythical wish granting device created by German alchemists. For a standard Grail War, 7 servants are summoned by 7 masters(magi) to fight in a battle royale. The winning pair gets a single absolute wish- a fulfillment of any desire they have. Servants are incarnations of legendary figures summoned by the Holy Grail within a certain class. Their attributes as a Hero are determined by their class as a result. The ultimate expression of their legend, called a Noble Phantasm, are their main armament to achieve victory in the Holy Grail War. More can be read on the TM wiki, though it is not the best source so I'm open to any questions. It is possible to play in this universe without any knowledge about Fate.
Everyone in the roleplay will apply a Master and a Servant. You may pair them with whoever you like, or with yourself. This is a versus roleplay, but in a casual sense. Try to make a story and have fun more then trying too hard. In the same breath, its a war so people will lose. A lot of what makes stuff like Fate/Apocrypha or Fate/Zero good is interactions between characters, so I'd like to think that's the focus of this roleplay. Depending on the route, you may be able to apply new characters to replace old ones.
Current Route |Sage of Heaven|15+ Players(Grand Order scale/level of Epic. A Free for All.)
Character Sheets
Name:
Title(s):
Class: As this is a war with [Non-Basic Classes], I have listed all options in the sheet for your convenience.
Personality: Feel free to fill in as you please. Include why they answered the summons of the Holy Grail- what wish do they desire? Or perhaps do they just want to partake in glorious battle.
Appearance: This is what your character looks like; describe armor in Noble Phantasm's if it's special. Unless stated otherwise pictures will be what your character looks like, exactly. If you have a picture delete this section and throw it at the top of the sheet.
Bio: Heroic Spirit's biography. If you're too lazy to write one use Wikipedia or another website for this, but this is your Servant's legend. You should have something here, for sure. Any changes to their characterization should be covered in this(King Arthur as a girl).
Weapon: Some Servants may use non Noble Phantasm weapons in combat. Usually this should only be one or two things as appropriate.
Parameters:
Strength: Damage. A rank STR means one attack can destroy a small house.
Endurance: Damage one can take. How much HP one has.
Agility: Dexterity or reaction time.
Mana: How much Prana one can handle.
Luck: Ability to defy fate.
Class Skills: For all skills. Please do not just put name and rank. Give an explanation of what it does. Your class skills are listed by class elsewhere. Use anecdotes, feats, and themes to gauge where this should be.
Personal Skills: Certain abilities a Heroic Spirit may have, such as Charisma, Artistic Talent, etc. Keep close to the legend. Three maximum. Exceptional circumstances may bend this rule, however Personal Skills exist to create a themed servant so keep that in mind.
Noble Phantasm: Limit two. Exceptional circumstances may bend this rule, however Noble Phantasms exist to create a themed servant so keep that in mind.
Name:
Title: Kanji name. Usually an explanation like "Sword of Promised Victory."
Rank: E-EX. Plus modifiers are possible
NP Type:
Range: 1 is minimum, 99 is maximum. Format is usually something like 2-50, that's Via Expugnatio and Bellerophon's range. That means Via Expugnatio cannot attack you if your range is 1 from it.
Maximum Number of Targets: 1 to 1000. The format is usually a single number. This may get weird depending on your classification.
Description: What does it do? A paragraph for fluff and a paragraph for what it "does" is usually best. However I will trust you in the formatting. Try to be somewhat original here- Iskander is a really cool guy, so don't make Iskander 2, no one can do that.
Name: Diarmuid Ua Duibhne
Title(s): Knight of the Fianna, Diarmuid of the Love Spot
Class: Lancer
Gender: Male
Birth and Death Dates: Around 100 to 200 A.D.
Alignment: Lawful Neutral
Personality: Lancer is an extremely proud and noble knight who wishes to serve his lord to the best of his abilities. The geis laid upon him by Gráinne was taken by Lancer as a test of his pride. He never once blamed her for forcing it upon him, and he truly admired her ability to throw away her pride, title, and future for the sake of her love. He was constantly distressed by the fact that he betrayed his lord, and even as he died while Fionn did nothing, he did not blame his lord for his actions. Lancer believed that despite the cruel twist of fate that led him down this path, the days spent with his lord and his love were used to the fullest.
Lancer sees the Grail War as a miracle that will allow him to regain his pride as a knight by fighting noble battles and delivering the Grail to his master. He sees no use in wishing upon the Grail, as simply being summoned has already half-fulfilled his greatest desire.
Bio: The son of Donn, foster son of Aengus Óg, and first warrior of the knights of Fianna. He is known as Diarmuid of the Love Spot, due to a magical love spot granted to him by a young girl. Any woman who gazes upon the spot instantly falls in love with him, which eventually leads to an encounter with Grainne, the bride of Fionn mac Cumhaill. Gráinne, having fallen in love with Diarmuid at her wedding party, placed a geis upon him to run away with her.
It has been said that, even while at large, Diarmuid stuck to his fidelity to Fionn and did not lay a finger on Grainne. They were pursued relentlessly by Fionn, but after much blood was shed, he decided to recognize their marriage, granted Diarmuid a proper title and land, and welcomed them back as subjects.
Sometime later while hunting with Fionn, Diarmuid was fatally injured by a Demon Boar, the reincarnation of his half-brother. Fionn, who had the ability to transform spring water in to a powerful healing agent was with him, so he had no fear of death. Fionn only needed to walk a few steps to the nearby spring, but with jealousy and hatred towards Diarmuid on his mind, he spilled the water twice. By the third time he went to scoop water, Diarmuid had already succumbed to his wound.
The story of his tragic love affair with Grainne would later become the model for the story of Lancelot and Guinevere.
Parameters:
Strength: B
Endurance: C
Agility: A+
Mana: D
Luck: E
Class Skills:
Magic Resistance: B
Grants protection against magical effects. Differing from the Resistance effect that merely rejects Magical Energy, this ability cancels the spells altogether.
Cancel spells with a chant below three verses. Even if targeted by High-Thaumaturgy and Greater Rituals, it is difficult for them to be affected.
Personal Skills:
Eye of the Mind (True): B
A danger-avoidance ability that utilizes the intelligence collected up to the current time as the basis in order to predict the opponent’s activity and change the current situation. So long there is even a 1% chance of a comeback, this ability greatly improves the chances of winning.
Capable of calm analysis of battle conditions even when in danger and deduce an appropriate course of action after considering all possibilities to escape from a predicament.
Knight Tactics: B
A battle methodology in which one grasps the flow of battle and induces the opponent to make a mistake, even without being a match for him/her in strength. A Skill not for self-strengthening, but to invite a check failure for the opponent. Consists of composed observation powers to wager on a momentary chance of victory.
Love Spot: C A spell (curse) inherent of one's facial features which is cast as soon as the target looks at the user's face; a Mystic Face. Enchants those of the user's opposite sex with magical energy.
It is because of this curse that he is known as 'Diarmuid of the Love Spot'. A woman who confronts Diarmuid gains a strong love affection for him. Effects are similar to those of Charm-type Mystic Eyes. Avoidable with the Magic Resistance Skill.
Noble Phantasm:
Name: Gáe Buidhe
Title: Yellow Rose of Morality
Rank: B
NP Type: Anti-Unit
Range: 2~3
Maximum Number of Targets: 1
Description: A cursed spear 1.4 meters long that inflicts wounds that cannot be healed naturally or with magecraft. It was a gift given to Diarmuid Ua Duibhne by Manannán mac Lir, the king of fairies, and he normally keeps it wrapped in a talisman cloth to seal its abilities and keep it from revealing his identity.
Unlike most other Noble Phantasms, the abilities of the spear are passive in nature. It does not require its name to be called upon in order to be utilized, allowing it to instantly actualize its curse of mortality upon striking the enemy. The spear lowers the opponent's maximum health limit, thus limiting healing and regeneration abilities to the point where the opponent received the injury. It is a dangerous spear, but only its owner, Diarmuid, can stand up to the tip of Gáe Buidhe and stay uninjured while stepping into it. The effect cannot be normally dispelled, and canceling the curse requires the destruction of the spear or the death of its owner.
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Name: Gáe Dearg
Title: Crimson Rose of Exorcism
Rank: B
NP Type: Anti-Unit
Range: 2~4 Maximum Number of Targets: 1
Description: A demonic scarlet spear two meter long that renders magical enhancements and projections useless by severing all ties with magical energy. It was passed down to the Heroic Spirit Diarmuid Ua Duibhne, given as a gift from his foster father, the druid Aengus Óg, and he normally keeps it wrapped in a talisman cloth to seal its abilities and keep it from revealing his identity.
Unlike most other Noble Phantasms, the abilities of the spear are passive in nature. It does not require its name to be called upon in order to be utilized, allowing it to instantly affect whatever it strikes. The spear will pierce directly through any projection made of magical energy, summoned armor; Bounded Fields, any weapon that is magically enhanced, will have its enhancements and ability boosts rendered useless when struck by the spear; and any item that acts as a magical energy source, will have all to its recipients connections severed. The nullification is not strong enough to cancel or break the source of the magecraft, making it unable to sever completed magecraft such as contracts exchanged in the past or curses
Name:
Title(s):
Appearance: (This is what your character looks like; a picture up top also works~)
Gender: (Duhh.)
Age: (How old is your character? The maximum age for a non-distorted magus is probably 300 years.)
Rank: (Your capability as a Magus. Use this even if you aren't part of the Association, as in that case it's just a designation it would use to describe your talent. Ranks are listed in the opening. If a member of the Association, it can be inflated by politics.)
Objective for the Grail: (What will you wish for? Or perhaps you have another aim for the Grail. . .)
Command Seal: (What will it look like when you summon your servant? Optional. Pictures are acceptable, just spoiler them.)
Personality: (A paragraph or so suffices. We want to leave room for development!)
Bio: (A few sentances, just a basic ideal. Include information on the family you're descended from. The more information on the family, the more its detailed, the more its coherent, the more justifiable having, say, an above average Magus is)
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Magic Circuit Switch: (What activates your magic circuit. For example, Tohsaka Rin activates hers through the sound of stabbing herself in her heart. Emotions and feelings such as pain or sexual arousal also work. Optional, as it's fluff for your character.)
Number of Magic Circuits: Number of circuits. Ranked A-E. Modifiers allowed with scrutiny.
Quality of Magic Circuits: Amount of magical energy one circuit can safely hold. Ranked A-E. Modifiers allowed with scrutiny.
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Elemental Affinity: (Average one's are acceptable, as well as dual elements. Valid elements are Fire, Water, Earth, Wind, Ether. Special elements beyond this are acceptable, but are under scrutiny. Additionally, you can list your Origin here if you want to bother with it.)
Magecraft: (Include all schools of magecraft you know, including General Magecraft(Things students at Clocktower would know). We assume they do not know the basics unless the basics are included as an example. If its not mentioned here it's assumed that particular type of magecraft is not something within their capabilities. Do not apply individual spells, but you can use them as examples.)
Crest: (Rough age of the crest, thus family. The magecraft within the crest is assumed to be in your magecraft section.)
Weapon: (Mystic codes, other weapons, etc. Any magus should have a few mystic codes, average for this sort of situation will be considered 3.)
Exceptional Benefit: Meant to be a representation of the special situation inherent to a specific Master. The Three Families have their own special situation, so they don't make use of this section. You may pick one, and it must be justified for your character. It's more flavor than anything.
Second Owner- Your Magus' Family owns spiritual land somewhere in the world. You may summon your servant in Fuyuki, or in your own land.
Special Catalyst- You secured a rare, valuable catalyst to summon your servant. You are free to select your Servant, instead of your servant selecting you. However they can still refuse the pairing offer. If this option falls through, you may select a different option.
Superior Mystic Code- You may have an exceptional mystic code. It should have importance. It may be a family heirloom, a spoil of war, etc. It is a very high grade mystic code that won't count against your mystic code section in the sheet.
Finality- A singular spell that is a secret technique passed down through your family. It is truly exceptional at whatever it does. Only older families have these however.
Three Day Early Summoning- Your master arrived a bit early to the Grail War. They can summon their servant three days before anyone else(excluding the Three Families).
Supply Line- Due to support or contacts with an external organization, you will receive backup(material support typically) from an external organization. This could be your family, the Church, the Association, etc.
Support Magi- You arrived with ten average magi, or double that if its normal people. Every four days, you get your starting amount as reinforcements.
Useful Materials (Will be added to as interest is shown/as needed)
Note: Knight and Cavalry classes will take priority over Extras if we have a lot of people. Additionally, the Knight classes may not be replaced by Extra classes if we do a 7 person war. They may only replace the Cavalry classes. Your class may also shift what is acceptable on your sheet, such as higher attributes on saber, better/more NPs on Rider, or better/more skills on Caster. Extra classes exist in this roleplay because the basic "lineup" of the Fuyuki War is less defined at this point.
Knight of the sword, Saber. Magic Resistance Riding
Knight of the lance, Lancer. Magic Resistance
Knight of the bow, Archer. Independent Action Magic Resistance
Mounted soldier, Rider. Riding Magic Resistance
Magus, Caster. Item Construction Territory Creation
Silent killer, Assassin. Presence Concealment
Mad warrior, Berserker. Mad Enhancement
Living Bulkwark, Gatekeeper. Fortress Creation[A form of territory creation that focuses on creating a place advantageous for you in battle]
Modern Sharpshooter, Gunner. Marskmanship Independent Action
Master of Battle, Strategist. Advice of the Strategist Command of the Strategist
Herald of Salvation, Saver. Charisma Counter Hero
Spirit of Vengence, Avenger. Avenger Memory Correction Self-Replinishment
Impartial Moderator, Ruler[Lesser]. Magic Resistance True Name Discernment God's Resolution
A rough measure of your talent as a magus by the Mages Association. This does not necessarily reflect your circuits, though having good ones will make being a powerful magus easier. Ranks can be inflated by prestige or politics rather than talent however. An example of a magus of this caliber is next to each Rank.
Grand: Crown (Touko Aozaki) Only a handful of Magi in the existence of the Association have ever reached this point. This is the height of Magecraft in the modern era, a level even the Lords of Clocktower are unlikely to reach. Put simply, monsters in the form of humans.
Brand: Color (Kayneth El-Melloi Archibald) The level of a talented Lord of Clocktower. A true prodigy is at this rank, someone who can revolutionize an entire field of magecraft just by existing. Around the absolute limit of someone like say, Rin Tohsaka. Those truly at the level of Brand in the Clocktower probably number in the couple hundred at most in its entire history.
Pride: Law (Nigel Sayward) Exceptional Magus. Only a handful of Magi in a families entire history may exist at this rank. In fact a family is quite lucky to have such a great magus as their head at all. The difference between "Pride" and "Brand" is like the difference between the Heavens and the Earth below it.
Fes: Festival (Norikata Emiya) A magus who has broken through the barrier that is 'my craft has matured and stabilized' and gotten past that important roadblock. A Fes is nothing to scoff at, if they received the rank from actual talent. In the history of their family, they will definitely be a noteworthy family head.
Cause: Open (Protagonist F/GO) A magus who has fully stabilized their magecraft and its foundation. While this could be considered average, it is genuinely a feat to reach this point at all. Someone at this level is a "matured magus".
Count: Eldest Child (Kiritsugu) Someone who uses magecraft at a level above a greenhorn, but has yet to stabilize their craft properly.
Frame: Youngest Child (Ayaka Sajyou) Someone totally new to magecraft. A bit above the likes of Emiya Shirou, who can barely practice magecraft. At this level it's probably more about theory then actual magecraft.
[As an aside, highly ranked Masters will have their identity made public to other roleplayers, much like the Three Family masters.]
The Three Families are always guaranteed a spot in the Holy Grail War. By this point, they all still understand and strive for the completion of Heaven's Feel- the true function of the Holy Grail. They are all considered to have massive preparation time, and can possibly even summon their servants early. Additionally, the Einzberns may summon in Fuyuki or Germany at their pleasure. Any are applicable for a Master sheet.
Einzbern They are likely to make use of a Doll(Homunculus) in this war. Homunculi are extremely powerful, possessing circuits beyond any human magus. In other words, the Einzberns always possess the "strongest" master of a Holy Grail War. Despite this, the Einzbern's do not have the mentality for or any magecraft geared toward combat. They also posses the Lesser Grail- At this point, a literal cup. If it is destroyed, the war will be rendered inconclusive. They own a massive amount of land in Fuyuki's Forests, where they base themselves at.
Matou Their current master is the hand groomed protege of Matou Zouken. While certainly a Magus, he is a kind man who wishes only good for both humanity and his children. Recently he has started to become a bit cold, but he has great hopes in his descendant. Hopefully, they will fulfill his wish for the salvation of mankind. The Matou are ascendant in this war, their magecraft having excellent compatibility with the Servant system. The Matou line is showing signs of faltering in the long term, but currently they still have a great deal of strength. They base themselves at the Matou house within Fuyuki proper. Externally, they are probably seen as the strongest party in this Grail War.
Tohsaka The weakest of the three families. In fact, they are probably weaker then most Magi joining the war of their own volition. They are righteous people and have quite a few important contacts. They also enjoy excellent relations with the Church. In terms of magecraft, they have not yet received the capacity to use jewels from the Edelfelts. They still focus on reaching the Root via martial arts, but aren't doing a very good job of it. Their representative would be Nagato Tohsaka's grandchild. Despite appearing the weakest party, the Tohsaka Manor(located in Fuyuki) will be where the Lesser Grail materializes. This is their great advantage, unknown to even them at this point. Disciples of a True Magician and friends of the Church makes them a sleeper power in the right position. One cannot forget that Fuyuki is considered their property by the Mages Association, as its Second Owners.
(Weird F/SN terms that come up. A reference to draw upon as a quick messy resource. I oversimplified a lot of it, but it may help out people inexperienced or new to the universe.)
Boundary Field Usually created via magical energy, these separate "inside" from "outside". Age makes boundary fields stronger, though not at a scale generally relevant to a Holy Grail War. Typically they are defensive and indirect in nature, and almost never directly interfere with humans. Good boundary fields are hard to notice. An Alarm Boundary field that notifies its owner of enemies is a good example.
Catalyst A physical object that holds a connection to the Heroic Spirit(Servant) you wish to summon. Very expensive and rare for more than obvious reasons. If the catalyst has connection to multiple Heroes, then the Hero with the most affinity for a Master would be summoned.
Command Mantra The latest addition to the Holy Grail War, devised by Matou Zouken. Three tattoo like emblems formed in a shape corresponding to the magecraft or mentality of the Magus. They appear immediately on your hand after summoning a Servant in the Holy Grail War. As crystallized miracles, they can be spent to give absolute orders to even Servants. If used in tandem with your Servant(and with proper wording), even Great Miracles can be achieved. One of the most used functions is summoning your servant to you in a moment of great duress.
Element One of the Five Elements listed in the Master sheet. While elementalists do exist, it doesn't necessarily operate like Avatar: The Last Airbender. "Water" for example deals with flow, binding and manipulation. It is no surprise then that the familiar experts of the Matou family all have the Water element.
Familiar Inferior lifeforms created by Magi, which share a link with them. They are assistants that spy, gather reagents, etc. They grow stronger with age, but aren't apprentices. Usually take the form of animals like cats, dogs, birds and so on. Most Magi make use of them because of their convenience. Servants are technically a kind of Familiar, but Servants are beings with more power than their "Masters". As a result, the absolute power of Command Mantra are a "Masters" leverage.
Fuyuki City Modern Map of Fuyuki [The left side of Fuyuki is Miyama District. The right side is Shinto District. The later is mostly woods and farmland currently, at least compared to Miyama.] The southern Japanese town this war takes place in. The site of the First Holy Grail War, which wasn't even a real war at all. Currently it is bustling with new developments because of the recent Railway added to the city. Foreign and native housing is popping up all across Miyama. As an aside, the Outskirts are where the Einzbern camp is located. They are several hours away from the city proper.
Heroic Spirit Those who existed, fictional legends, real legends- all create "Heroic Spirits". Their achievements make them into existences of a much higher rank then any normal human. They are "stored" eternally on the Throne of Heroes, off the worlds time-axis. What is summoned by the Holy Grail is actually just a degraded copy of a "Heroic Spirit".
Homonculi A form of inferior yet superior lifeform created with Western Alchemy. Their rank as lifeforms are low, but they usually possess magic circuits far superior than even the greatest magi. They are 'perfect' beings born with all knowledge to complete their designated job. However in exchange they usually have fatal flaw(s) such as being lame, or having very short lifespans.
Leyline(Including Fallen Leylines) The heartbeat of the planet(life), where magical energy naturally flows. Fallen Leylines are places of power where the leylines have 'broken'. Thus the power along the leylines naturally pools at these places, making them excellent nodes to collect magical energy, do magecraft, or dominate leylines in the area around them.
Fallen Leyline Locations Best Spiritual land possible in Fuyuki. The Tohsaka residence, Ryuudou Temple(Keystone Leyline), Fuyuki Church, and a Farmers house in Shinto are the locations of the current fallen leylines.
Magecraft Using magical energy to effect change on the external world. Magi of the modern era make use of incantations as the basis of their magecraft. The strongest form of magecraft achievable in the modern era are Grand Rituals, which usually require multiple magi to perform. Reliant on Mystery.
Mages Association International self-defense organization created by Mages for mages. It controls and helps develop magecraft, while protecting its mystery(hiding it from outsiders). For most Magi it is an important resource which they should make use of. They ignore hideous crimes as long as they don't expose magecraft. Led by the Clocktower, based in London England.
Magic Circuit A nervous system expressed from the soul itself. They are a mutation that is intentionally encouraged by Magi which allows magecraft in the modern era. By putting magical energy through them, Magecraft becomes possible. They can never be altered or changed after birth, and repairing them is almost impossible. Thus the system of Nobility inherent to Magi is highly encouraged, along with things like arranged marriages. The decline or loss of magic circuits is a fear beyond fear for Magi.
Magic Crest The greatest treasure of any magus family. Magic circuits of previous heads engraved with the magecraft knowledge and research they completed in life. In that sense, they're like an inherited magical spellbook. They become stronger and more stable with age, and act as an organ transplanted from each head to the next. It is very difficult to transfer crests out of the bloodline, as rejection is likely. Almost always transferred at a young age.
Magical Energy(Prana, Od, Mana) Magical energy(Prana) is used to power spells, sustain servants, etc. It is created by passing along od(internal life energy) or mana(external energy of the world) through a magic circuit. Od is always tiny in amount compared to mana.
Masters Clairvoyance A special ability granted to all Masters in a Holy Grail War. It allows a Master to "see" the skills, parameters, class, general data, and noble phantasm of a servant as if reading a book- if they are demonstrated. Functionally, it means you can read that servants sheet or part of it.
Mystery The "power" everything supernatural in this universe holds. To Magi, who use artificial mysteries(magecraft) it could be called the most valuable thing. As a result Magi are want to use their magecraft in front of others, let alone explain it. Stronger Mysteries always defeat lesser ones. A servant is a sort of living mystery, just as a Pegasus would be.
Mystic Code Magical artifacts that Magi use to execute a predetermined function(spell), or amplify their magecraft. For example, a Magic Wand that flings fireballs or a Witches broom that lets you fly. Also called formalwear.
Noble Phantasm Crystallized mysteries. They exist on a scale beyond normal mysteries, embodiments of the exalted legends of Heroes. They could be physical objects, weapons, or even more abstract things like curses, states of being, properties etc. It is good to use examples as references to what Noble Phantasms are and do. To fully utilize a Noble Phantasm, typically their true name must be invoked. Though Heroic Spirits aren't at the rank of beings such as Divine Spirits, Noble Phantasms allow them to 'defeat' even beings vastly superior to them.
EX-??? Off the scale A-50 Highest B-40 Above Average C-30 Average D-20 Below Average E-10 Lowest
Modifiers + modifiers temporarily add the rank to itself under certain conditions, increasing it drastically. There is a maximum of three modifiers on a rank.
For example, A+ would be 100 on the numerical scale. A++ would be 150. A+++ would be 200.
Phantasmal Race Existences of the highest order. Things of legend such as Dragons, Oni, Giants, or Pegasi. They are typically intrinsically things beyond humans, even Heroic Spirits(if the rank is high enough). In other words, they are living "Mysteries". The ranks are Monstrous Beast, Phantasmal Beast, and Divine Beast. While Riders tend to be individually weak- if their mount is from the Age of Gods, their Noble Phantasm tends to be supreme because Phantasmal Races are beyond servants. Age is what gives them power.
Second Owner The assigned(By the Association) caretaker of a spiritual land with some amount of power.
Servant What you will use to win the Holy Grail. High class spirits, and your familiar that talks back. Unfortunately. Though they are powerful(being immune to things without mystery), their greatest asset is typically always the Noble Phantasm.
Servant Knowledge Servants are imparted with all necessary information(including language) to function in the modern world.
Servant Skill(Class, Personal) Part of the Class Container given to Servants by the Grail. Class skills are inherent to the class container(IE Saber), while personal skills are something far more personalized.
Spellcaster Someone who uses magecraft for the sake of magecraft, rather than for research toward the Truth. Hated and despised by most Magi. Kiritsugu was a Spellcaster.
Spiritual Form The form Servants take when dematerialized. It conserves magical energy, lets them move through objects, makes them invisible, and even fly through the air. In other words, they become something like a "Ghost". After all that's what they are in a manner of speaking.
The Holy Grail(Lesser, Greater) The device that summons servants. The Lesser Grail is the gateway to the Greater Grail, which is the actual omnipotent wishing device. In this story, the Lesser Grail, the "key" is in the possession of the Einzberns. It is a Golden Cup. Touch it at your own peril.
Workshop The territory of a Magus. Usually prepared to be highly receptive to their magecraft, workshops are the hearts of magi. Typically they make use of many boundary fields, traps, and amplifiers for their craft.
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Servant Ban List Heracles, Benito Mussolini, Lugh, joke Servants, funny business Servants, canon servants with partial(incomplete) sheets,
You may not reapply the same Heroic Spirit twice, unless your master took the catalyst exceptional benefit.
All Servants must be historic or mythological figures who lived before 1900 AD. Servants still "alive" as of 1888 can be summoned. Figures before Gilgamesh are banned. Additionally, Gods and such aren't applicable. Humans, mixed bloods, machines, and animals qualify as Servants. Try to avoid composite skills.
Master Ban List Anyone who could defensively fight Servants in a fair fight(Dead Apostle Tier) as a Master cannot apply a Servant. No one may be a Dead Apostle Ancestor period, or in that weight class. The second rule may be negotiated if you do not apply a Servant, and the character isn't a Master.
Command Seals Can be used to temporarily boost the fighting strength of your servant, or bail out of a terrible situation. Additionally, they can be used to give absolute orders to your servant. However, the more vague or long term an order is, the weaker it becomes. Additionally, they can even be used by a master to increase their own abilities temporarily. Command seals have various functions, and some aren't listed here.
It is recommended to be very careful with the wording of your command seal. It takes approximately one second to use a command seal, the same as using a Noble Phantasms True Name.
Actions It takes time to actually complete most tasks. This won't be emphasized much in the roleplay, but it is a guideline to determine exactly how much a character can get done in a given post compared to an enemy if there is a conflict. Basic logic however does apply, so keep that in mind.
However, Servants move at extreme speeds and have varied reaction times, so speed depends on the character. Typically Lancers will outdo Casters when it comes down to burst, melee speed and so on. Keep in mind that even the slowest Servant is easily faster than the fastest human.
This is more relevant for Mages, as magecraft incantations are measured by single actions, bars, and so on. Please refer to CM3 for more information.
Advice There is an advice section of the discord, so please take advantage of it. However, the GMs would also like to avoid propping one side of a fight up against another. Part of losing fights is making mistakes.
Good tactical thinking, creativity, and good RPing should be rewarded in equal measure.
Travel Time With some exceptions for exceptionally fast servants(Riders for example), it is generally best to account for lag time if you wish to participate or intervene in a scene with other characters, even if you are in the same district. This obviously increases if you are in different districts. The roleplay won't be any fun otherwise.
It would be easy to assume Servants can dash everywhere, but travel time also accounts for Servants trying to avoid detection from familiars or others looking for them.
Preparation Time Between day and night, there is usually a timeskip to give a few hours of rest between battles. Use this to establish your workshop, prepare items, send your servant to scout, or any other multitude of actions. If you aren't participating in a days events, you can also take that time to work on various projects.
Defensive Alliances Alliances against a specific foe are a good idea against particularly strong enemies, or a super-bloc that forms. If there is in character motivation to do so and you desire to win the Holy Grail War, it is recommended you take advantage of this diplomatic option. Strong enemies that you cannot defeat now should always be your initial target, and multiple weak servants can take down even the strongest servant with planning and teamwork.
Sometimes, it takes an angry mob to win a Grail War too.
Scouting/Roaming It is recommended that you constantly scout for enemy workshops and bases as much as possible. This can be done by sending your servant out to scout the map over timeskips or during an active phase. Just message the GM, and they can give you the results of your scouting. From there, you can attack a discovered enemy or return to base with your newfound knowledge.
Super-Alliance A super-bloc is most likely inevitable in this RP, so it is recommended that you prepare to band together against it when that happens. Simply allowing them free reign will not help your chances of survival, let alone winning.
Inactivity Simply hiding in your base the entire war is not recommended as Caster or the average master. Eventually, your base will be found and stormed. It is recommended you establish objectives and work toward them while you still have the advantage of not being found. This means that outside of a few exceptions, you should be on the offensive.
Additionally, if a large bloc(or powerful singular pair) forms but refuses to take action and is passive for too long a time, there will be dire in character consequences for them.
DracoLunaris
