Part 28: Prep: The Hat

Update 18: The Hat

Launching into this with pretty much the most dull of intros.



: Enemy troops are waiting for us ahead.





That's about as generic as things get. That said, this is kind of an interesting chapter.



This is the whole map. This chapter is really short, it can actually be beaten in one turn with use of the Rescue Stave. That said, you have to strategize a bit if you want to get the recruits from this one...



Caesar, the mercenary from the port in FE1 is here.



And so is Radd, his buddy.



Also this guy. We haven't seen Roro in a while.

I'll get into the specifics of how that goes when I actually do the map. Suffice to say our tanky characters are going to be vital. Here's How's Everyone this time around:





This is handy. It'll buff up any unit's Magic stat by 2 for one chapter.









Bord, those are like the worst stats for you anyway.





Oh boy. More poles.



On to the talking.

Ogma Teaches Striking





: There something I'd like to ask you. Please let me... learn from you, Sir Ogma.

: ...I don't understand. You're a full-fledged knight, are you not? What do you seek from a mere mercenary?

To be fair, she just picked up that sword like 3 chapters ago.

: Sir Ogma, not only are you a hero from the previous war... But you saved Princess Yumina and Prince Yubello from an enemy castle, all by yourself. I don't think you're a "mere" mercenary.

: Sorry, but find somebody else. I'm not someone who teaches others. ...I'm a man who can do nothing but fight.

I could have put this quote into a Metal Gear Solid codec and none of you would be any the wiser.

: Then... I want you to fight me. Could I ask you to spar with me, one-on-one?

: What...?

: My grandfather used to tell me this: The best way of knowing somebody is fighting them. Through battle, you get to understand not just your opponent's techniques, but also their personalities and upbringing.

:"HIT PEOPLE TO LEARN ABOUT THEM. MY BIOGRAPHY IS A BIG OL' BRUISE."

: ...I see. Your grandfather is correct.

They were friends on PunchintheFacebook.

: But, you realize this right? Once I start... I'm not going to play around.

: ...I am prepared.

: ...Very well. Come.

Everybody Loves Marth



: I'm sorry...you had to save me.

: It's fine, we're comrades after all. But you left yourself wide open in battle. That's not like you. Did something happen?

: N-no... I just lack experience.

You're like the highest level non promoted character we have.

: That's not true. If you fought with your full strength, you wouldn't need my help at all.

: ...

: That reminds me... Sometimes I'd see you just staring off into the distance. Were you watching Prince Marth?

I'm pretty sure like half of our army has a thing for Marth now.

: ...Ah! N-no. It isn't like that! I was, uh...

: You don't need to hide it, Catria. Prince Marth is a great man, after all. Everyone is fighting in this army because they admire Prince Marth. I'm no different. You feel the same way, don't you?

I'm pretty sure at least Castor is fighting because we gave him offscreen money. Personally, I admire Jagen.

: Y-yeah... That's right.

: For your sake as well, Catria, I must do my best as a Royal Guard. I will work my hardest. For Prince Marth, for you, and for all...

: Steve...

Dear Mom and Dad, I'm being stalked by a blind woman...





Finally, a good blink from Ryan.

: You should take a break once this war is over, then. You ought to go home and spend some quality time with your family.

: Yeah, I want to. Won't you go back home, Steve?

: Mmm. Ever since grandfather passed away, there's nobody home anyway... So, if I'm there all alone, I'm only going to feel lonely.

: Er, then, why don't you come to my home?

: Your home?

: Well, yes. If it's okay with you... I think of you as a big sister, Steve.

: Thanks, Ryan. I love your idea. If you don't think I'm a bother, then I would like to visit...

: Yes, I'm sure my family will be happy to meet you too.



This Def Bond increases a unit's Defense by two for a chapter. We got it for getting all Ryan's Base Conversations.

I've put it off long enough, I think, let's talk about Supports in this game. When units participate in the same chapter, if they're compatible, they get a Support point with eachother. Once those reach a certain threshold, they'll get stat bonuses in game for being within 3 squares of one another. This is separate from the base conversations, by the way.

The tiers are C, which gives both +5 Hit Chance and Dodge Chance, B, which gives +10 Hit Chance and Dodge Chance, and A, which gives all that and +5 Crit Chance and -5 Chance for enemy Crits.

Compatible characters are fairly limited for some people. Like, Marth has 4, Warren only has 2 (Steve and Catria). They can also be one-way only. This is never shown anywhere in the game, and you'll have to look on Serenes or something to find it. It's a really strange and obtuse mechanic compared to some of the other Support systems in the other games, but hey, it's there.

Anyway, closing out Talk Time with some good old Jagen.

Strategy.

:

: However, we are the renowned and mighty Altean army. There is no need for us to fear mere mercenaries. We'll crush the enemy and return to Altea as soon as possible.

Smug Jagen is my favorite Jagen.

I headed into the Drill Grounds to give Warren a quick boost. Totally not because I'm losing faith in Ryan's speed. Nope.



Caeda gets a boost too, because I keep forgetting to use her. She might need a reclass, we have 2 good peg knights already.





Refunding!



Next time, a quick chapter and the greatest evolution of Steve Headgear.