#hypothetical rank ups

[eeriecode-fgo]

FGO Servant Rework - Henry Jekyll & Hyde

Passive Skills

Presence Concealment - Rank A (Jekyll only)

Increases own critical star generation by 10%.

Mad Enhancement - Rank A (Hyde only)

Increases own Buster performance by 10%.

Proliferation of Sin - Rank C (Hyde only)

Apply Buff-On-Attack to self (apply a Mark of Sin trait to self for 5 turns)

Apply a Buff to self that activates when the 10th Mark of Sin is applied (charge own NP gauge by 10% for each unremovable Mark of Sin + 500% chance to seal own Face Cards for 3 turns) (demerit)

Increases own Max HP by 5% for each Mark of Sin on self (max. 50%).

Increases own Buster performance by 5% for each Mark of Sin on self (max. 50%).

Append Skills

Anti-Berserker Specialization (Jekyll only)

Replaces Append Skill 3

Deal extra Special ATK damage to [Berserker] enemies. (20~30%)

Increase damage resistance against [Berserker] enemies. (20~30%)

Anti-Ruler Specialization (Hyde only)

Replaces Append Skill 3

Deal extra Special ATK damage to [Ruler] enemies. (20~30%)

Increase damage resistance against [Ruler] enemies. (20~30%)

Bond Skill

Increases all allies' Buster performance by 15% while on field.

Begin battle with 2 Mark of Sin traits on self (permanent, unremovable)

Active Skills (Jekyll)

Medical Knowledge - Rank B

Cooldown: 7~5 turns

Recover one ally's HP (1500~2500)

Removes their debuffs

Information Erasure - Rank C

Cooldown: 8~6 turns

Removes latest buffs from one enemy (1 at Level 1~5, 2 at Level 6~9, 3 at Level 10)

Reduces their critical attack chance for 3 turns (10~20%)

Elixir of Debauchery - Rank A

Cooldown: 7~5 turns

Charges own NP Gauge (50~80%)

Gains C.Stars (20~30)

Active Skills (Hyde)

Murderer of West End - Rank B

Cooldown: 7~5 turns

Increases own ATK for 3 turns (5~15%)

Increases own ATK for 3 turns (Hyde only) (20~35%)

Gain C.Stars each turn for 3 turns (5~15)

Howl in the Night - Rank A

Cooldown: 8~6 turns

100% chance to Stun all enemies for 1 turn

Apply Terror to all enemies (1 time, 3 turns)

Apply Special ATK [Stun] to self for 3 turns (Hyde only) (20~40%)

Self-Alteration - Rank A

Cooldown: 7~5 turns

Increases own Critical Strength for 3 turns (5~15%)

Increases own Critical Strength for 3 turns (Hyde only) (20~35%)

Increases own C.Star Gather Rate for 3 turns (Hyde only) (300~500%)

Noble Phantasms

Dangerous Game - Rank C+ (Jekyll only)

Buster NP

Change to Hyde

Increases Max HP (Hyde only) (3000~6000)

Increases own Buster performance (Hyde only) (40~80%, scalles with Overcharge)

Reduces all skills' cooldowns (1~5 turns, scales with Overcharge)

Recovers 100% of own HP

Dangerous Game - Rank C+ (Hyde only)

Buster NP, 1 hit

Deals damage to one enemy that scales with the number of Mark of Sin on self (max. 10)

1000% chance to remove all "Hyde only" buffs from self (demerit)

Change to Jekyll

Apply 2 Mark of SIn traits to self (permanent, unremovable)

Decreases own Max HP (permanent, unremovable, demerit) (2000~1000, scales with Overcharge)

Apply Evade to self (1 turn)

Charges own NP Gauge by 20%

Reduces the cooldown of Skill 3 by 5 turns.

Writer Notes

Decided to do something different for once, so, instead of an original fanServant, here's a full revamp for a canon Servant! Probably not the most original idea, but hey, I was inspired, might as well post it anyway! This will likely be a one-off, but we'll see.

For the most part, I've left the base stats and passive skills as they were, so we're still dealing with a 3-star Servant. About the only change is that the passives are exclusive for each character, kinda like FGO is already doing with Aoko and her Super self. I did however change the Append skills as a reference to the characters: Jekyll has an Anti-Berserker append because of his dislike for Hyde, while Hyde has an Anti-Ruler append because of Jekyll's friendship with Holmes and his desire to hurt Jekyll by hurting those dear to him. Ironically, this would have worked with the original's Anti-Saber affinity and Mordred, if only the one with that skill was Hyde and not Jekyll...

The new original passive for Hyde, and kinda the theme for the character as a whole, is the growth of sin over time. A theme of many Jekyll & Hyde stories is the escalation, how the released evil seems small and petty at first, but eventually becomes strong enough to overpower the other half. The passive represents this with the Mark of Sin trait: the more Hyde hurts others, the more he grows bigger and stronger. The restriction on the face cards is mostly a balance patch for his low rarity: once you're reached max strength, you're pretty much forced to use the Noble Phantasm.

As for the active skills, Hyde kept most of the originals with a few buffs here and there, such as a anti-Stun power mod and some tools to facilitate high critical damage. Of course, like canon Hyde barely bothered to hide his vices and crimes, Hyde's skills are entirely focused on causing damage, without any form of protection aside from his natural HP.

Jekyll, on the other hand, ended up more as a support. He kept the original's battery (with a star bomb to facilitate early crits), but the rest of the kit focuses more on cleaning up after Hyde: from a small heal as if he was attempting to fix the damage Hyde caused, to his Information Erasure representing his attempts to cover Hyde's tracks, Jekyll is the only one of the team who attempts to look after himself.

Jekyll's Noble Phantasm is pretty much unchanged, with the only addition being the cooldown reduction: once again, Jekyll is the only one trying to think about the future. Hyde, on the other hand, has his own Noble Phantasm, a single powerful strike with the same damage scaling mechanic as Super Bunyan. Like in the original novel, once the violence is done Hyde goes into hyding (no, I'm not apologizing for that pun), represented here by the temporary Evade on the newly returned Jekyll.

As mentioned before, when I designed this rework of Jekyll, I focused mostly on the idea of the slippery slope, and how easy it is to fall back into sin after the first time: this is represented by the final effects of Hyde's NP. Yes, reverting to Jekyll seems to erase Hyde's sins, but the unremovable traits only prove the sins never go away, just accumulate over time. Hyde also has a cooldown reduction effect, but it's only for the elixir, and the small battery from the NP would definitely encourage the player to immediately let Hyde loose again instead of wasting time with more strategic options; and with Jekyll growing weaker and weaker because of the HP demerit, that's just more reason to switch to the form with higher health. And the card seal effect only triggers when the tenth Mark of Sin is placed on Hyde, so, once he has enough permanent Marks, there's really nothing stopping him from staying as Hyde forever, isn't it?

[300iqprower]

HRU Preview: Janta

See the issue here is that while this is pretty much exactly what Janta needed, it took so unbelievably long that the role it's meant to fill is one she's thoroughly outclassed in by like a dozen different units. Her role (Buster AOE lancer with battery + healing and star generation support) is FULL of competition who've been viable for way longer not even because of numbers but because of availability and subsequent investment. It's pretty emblematic of why it was so immensely stupid to not give Welfares rankups or reruns until now.

so let's give her something absolutely way too over the top bc fuck it it's fun and would certainly make her stand out. Really only one of these rankups is "a bit much" but dont worry it'll be obvious which.

New passive:

Child’s Guidance -If an allied unit has [Star] attribute, this unit does as well. -Increase Mental Debuff Resist for all [Child] allies by 12% -Increase NP Strength for all [Star] attribute allies by 5% while you are on the field

Saint's Gift C -> C+

Recover HP for an ally. Increase Critical Star Drop Rate for an ally by 35% (3 turns).^ Decrease own Critical Star Gather Rate by 100% (1 turn). Increase Buff Success Rate for one ally (1 turn). [10-60%]

EX:

Self-Transformation A -> Beacon of Change A+/-

Increase own NP Gauge by 20%. Increase own Debuff Resist (3 turns). Grants Darkness Battlefield Nullification buff to self (3 turns). Apply all other allied unit’s alignments to this unit (1 turn), then activate effects based on this unit’s alignments: - [Lawful]: Apply Damage Cut to all allies (3 times, 3 turns). [200-1200] - [Good]: Increase Debuff Resist for all allies (3 times, 3 turns). [30-50%] - [Chaotic]: Increase Debuff Success Rate for all allies (3 times, 3 turns). [20-30%] - [Evil]: Increase Critical Star Drop Rate for all allies (3 times, 3 turns). [15-65%] - [Neutral]: Increase Critical Rate Resist for all allies (3 times, 3 turns). [10-30%] - [Balanced]: Increase Extra Attack Card effectiveness for all allies (2 times, 5 turns). [25-50%] - [Other]: Invert own class affinities (5 turns).

Ephemeral Dream EX -> “An Ephemeral Dream, but a Wonderful Life”

Increase own Buster Card effectiveness (3 times, 3 turns^). Apply Invincible to self (3 times, 3 turns^). Locks currently dealt set of Command Cards (3 turns). Decrease own Instant Death Resist (3 turns; Unremovable). [Demerit] [100-50%] Deal 3500v damage to self. HP cannot fall below 1 from this skill. [Demerit]

La Grâce Fille Noël A+ -> A++

Deal heavy damage to all enemies.^ Decrease Debuff Resist for all enemies (2^ turns).^ <Overcharge> Increase ATK for all allies (2^ turns).^ [Activates First]^ Increase HP Recovery Amount for all allies (2^ turns).^ [Debuff Resist scales with Level at 10/25/32.5/36.25/40%, ATK up scaling increased to 10/20/30/40/50%, HP Recovery up increased to scale from 35/5065/80/100%.]

[eeriecode-fgo]

Hypothetical Rank-Ups: Manannán mac Lir (Bazett)

Sea God's Rune EX -> Ath nGabla B

Charges own NP Gauge by 30~50%.

Increases own critical star absorption by 300~500% for 1 turn 3 turns. (Upgraded effect)

Increases own critical damage by 50~100% for 1 turn 3 turns. (Upgraded effect)

500% change to apply Skill Seal to one enemy for 1 turn. (New effect)

Succession of the Red Branch B -> Succession of the Red Branch B+

Grants self Evasion for 1 turn.

Grants self Debuff Immunity for 1 turn 3 times, 3 turns. (Upgraded effect)

Increases own buff removal resistance by 50~100% for 1 time, 3 turns. (New effect)

Gains 10~20 critical stars.

Notes

Something different from the usual modern fiction fan-Servants on this blog: taking inspiration from @300iqprower 's Hypothetical Rank-Up series (which sadly seems to be either over or on hiatus), here's my take on an upgrade for everyone's favourite Enforcer!

If there's one major issue with Bazett's gameplay, it's having to rely on the enemy's AI for her Noble Phantasm: there's little more depressing when you're using her than setting up her NP and then having the enemy use non-targeting skills three times in a row. The upgrade to her second skill aims to fix this issue, by applying Skill Seal to one enemy and guaranteeing your NP will be applied that turn: the turn upgrades to the other effects are mostly to improve her general performance, since nowadays it's unusual for a modern Servant to have buffs that only last one turn.

Lorewise, the upgrade is inspired by the Ath nGabla magecraft she used during the climax of her debut event. As Caren said "any warrior who draws that formation can no longer flee in defeat, and any warrior who sees it cannot retreat": the application of Skill Seal enforces the "cannot retreat" clause by ensuring that the battle is unavoidable.

The upgrade to her third skill, on the other hand, is a more standard strengthening for quality of life: the duration of the Debuff Immunity is extended to make it more useful, and the new buff removal resistance will help ensure Bazett will go into battle with all her buffs.

[300iqprower]

HRU Preview: Koyanskaya of Darkness

(Have I ever mentioned how much I hate that her superior design fox-form has like 1.5 pieces of artwork ever)

[Anyways, reminder that as far as my rankups are concerned, "Demonic Beast" is not a trait, but just having both the Wild Beast and the Demonic traits! Also we're replacing that stupid "Animal Characterisitcs" trait outright with "Bestial" which is basically the same but the list actually makes sense and truly includes any servant with animal-like qualities.]

Dominator Fox A -> A++

Increase Buster Card effectiveness for all allies (3 turns). Further increase Buster Card Effectiveness for all [Tamamo] allies (5 turns). [5-15%] Increase Debuff Success Rate for all non [Heaven or Star attribute] allies (5 turns). [10-40%] Decrease Debuff Removal Success Rate by 100% for all [Hominidae] enemies (1 time, 5 turns). Decrease Critical Star Gather Rate by 100% for all [Hominidae Servant] allies (1 turn). Increase NP Gauge for all allies.

Beasts of Slaughter A -> A+++

Increase NP Overcharge level by 2 for an ally (1 time, 4^ turns). Apply Status to self that has "Increase NP Overcharge for all [Wild Beast] allies by 1" (4 turns). Apply effect on an ally (4^ turns): When attacking with Buster Cards, gain Critical Stars.^ [3-8] Increase ATK and DEF for all [Bestial] trait allies (3 turns). Increase Buff Removal Resist for all [Wild Beast or Demonic] allies (2 turns). Decrease Skill Cooldown for all [Wild Beast and Demonic] allies by 1.

Tunguska Nine Drive C -> 'C++~EX-'

Increase own ATK by 20% (1 turn) [Activates first]. Deal damage to all enemies.^ Remove Offensive Buffs from all enemies. Decrease Buster Card Resistance for all enemies (3 turns).^ [20/27.5/30/32.5/35%] Apply [Wild Beast] trait to all allies and non [Heaven] enemies (3 turns). <Overcharge> Deal supereffective damage to [Earth or Star attribute] enemies.^^ [150/175/200/225/250%] Inflict Disastrous Curse to all enemies (4 turns). Inflict Spreading Fire to all enemies (4 turns). Inflict Toxic to all enemies (4 turns). [150/175/200/225/250% for all DOT effects]

[300iqprower]

HRU Preview: Charlemagne

Not nearly as bad as I expected but still not exactly what I want. I like the parallel to Quirinus's on-crit-trait-effect thing, and it's especially nice that the 5 turn duration means unlike Quirinus there won't be any uptime issues. The star bomb is flat out unnecessary though and he would've been much better off with better NP gain up or....i can't believe I'm saying this, but yeah a small battery would've probably been better. A conditional one preferably, like based on how many X trait you have (paladins, knights, whatever). Also just like Quirinus, we really didn't need another "Crit focused Lancer/Saber with AOE Buster/Quick NP".

Either way, great for Charlie's gimmick, would be a lot better if his gimmick was something more unique rather than just a convuluted way of upping his NP Damage. At least with Quirinus you can use his Roma status with other Roman specific effects, this one is JUST for Charlie and his NP, so....yeah, let's give him wayyyyyyyyyy more! As well as take away one or two things, because Charlie's biggest issue is how redundant his kit is, whether in the sense of regarding himself or regarding how many servants already fill his niches.

Over the Royal Road C -> ‘C’

Apply Invincible to an ally (2 times, 3 turns). Increase own NP Gain if not Invincible (5 turns).^ [10-30%?] Apply buff to self if not Invincible (5 turns): Apply [Brave King] trait to self when attacked (5 turns). Inflict NP Seal on self if Invincible (1 turn) [Demerit]. Apply various effects based on Ascension. [For Ascension 1-2] - Apply [Fairy Tale] trait to self (5 turns). - Apply [Earth] attribute to self for ally support effects (3 turns). - Increase own Instant Death Resist by 100% (X times, 3 turns).[For Ascension 3] - Apply [Human] attribute to self for ally support effects only (5 turns). - Increase own Buff Removal Resist by 100% (X times, 5 turns). [X varies with skill level; 1 to start, 2 at 5, 3 at 7, 4 at skill level 9+]

Holy Knight Emperor EX -> ‘EX’

Increase ATK for all allies (3 turns). Apply Special ATK [Demonic] to self (3 turns). Increase own DEF against [Heaven] enemies (3 turns). Apply status to self (5 turns): If Critical Stars >35, apply Damage Cut to all allies based on the total number of stars. Choose an effect: - Apply Target Focus to all [Holy Warrior] allies (2 turns). - Increase NP Gauge for all [Paladin of Charlemagne] allies.^

(yes i replaced "Divine" with "Heaven". We have MORE than enough anti divine units already while i can count the number of anti-heaven units on one hand)

Mana Burst (Light) A -> A+

Increase own Critical Strength (3 turns).^ [20-65%] Increase own Quick Card effectiveness (3 turns).^ [20-40%] Further increase own Critical Strength against [Evil] alignment enemies (3 turns). Inflict Skill Seal on all [Evil or Insane] alignment enemies (1 turn). Chance to inflict NP Seal on all [Chaotic] enemies (1 turn). [40-80%] 85% Chance to inflict Confusion on all [Evil] alignment enemies (3 turns). [20-70%/turn] 500% Chance to inflict Myopia on all [Sight-Reliant] enemies (3 turns).

(Reminder: Myopia = all evade on units a Myopic unit attacks is treated as True Evade, meaning the Myopic unit cannot bypass it with Ignore Invincible)

Honestly this is only like 70% of what I have planned I'm still probably gonna give him at least 2 passives and definitely an NP rank up but since his official rank up for a skill dropped and people are asking, i'll go ahead and save that for the full write-up and post these now!

[300iqprower]

HRU Preview: Ereshkigal

Perfect, no notes, congrats to Esh fans on your massive W. Her kit is a solid contender now for the most cohesive in the game! ...but we can still make it better. Specifically by rounding out her S2!

Mana Burst (Cage) A+ -> ‘A+’

Increase own Buster Card effectiveness (3 times, 3 turns^). Increase own NP Gauge. Increase NP Gain when taking damage for all [Pseudo-Servant or Human attribute] allies (3 turns). [10-40%] Apply [Undead] trait to all non [Heaven or Death God] units (3 turns).

(I was also considering giving it "Apply Target Focus to all [Earth or Heaven attribute] allies for 1 turn" but i dont like to add hard effects like target focus to skills that otherwise dont have it without making it choice based, and don't really have any thoughts on what the alternative would be. Besides, the skill IMO is definitely fine without that thanks to the indirect cooldown reduction from her S1's rank up)

[300iqprower]

Hypothetical Rank Ups No. 89-92: Bedivere

New Passive:

Caretaker (Camelot) B

While on the field: - Increase buff success rate for all [KOTRT] allies by 20%. - Increase HP Recovery for all other [KOTRT] allies by 20%.

As Camelot's official team mom steward and personal caretaker to the King themselves, Bedi's definitely gonna need a few automatic benefits if they want to wrangle a group as dysfunctional as that lot. To that end we're giving a buff to all KOTRT healing while Bedi's on the field. They're not going to be gaining any direct healing effects, but this will increase anyone else's healing, be it a fellow knight or a third party providing the heals - from Barghest's buff devouring to Merlin's regen to any non-knight providing support. Though, running around caring for a group like that doesn't leave Bedi with much time to look after himself, so while there's no demerits involved, don't expect the steward himself to benefit from the extra healing. As for the Buff Success Rate, while none of the KOTRT normally have chance based skills, this will act a niche shielding against anyone who would LOWER their otherwise normal success rates, be it something like a unique/situational boss debuff or, more realistically, a certain Moth's pettiness. (Plus who knows, maybe i have some WIP ideas about conscripting temporary KOTRT members who would find buff success rate much more directly useful)

Knight's Tactics B -> Knight’s Tutelage B

Increase NP Strength for all allies (3 turns). Increase NP Gain for all allies (3 turns). Increase DEF for all [Chivalrous] allies (3 turns). [10-20%] Increase ATK for all other [KOTRT] allies (3 turns). [5-15%]

A model knight in most every regard, Bedivere not only supports his allies, but inspired his fellow knights. Chivalrous allies take their duty to protect more seriously, and his fellow Round Table members in particular especially benefit from this coordination. for other knights, works even more efficiently with the KOTRT who cover one another's strengths and weaknesses (even if as their support he's not exactly leading the charge). Simple as that!

Calm and Collected B -> B+

Increase own NP Gauge by 30%. Increase own Mental Debuff Resist (3 turns).^ Apply Buff to self: Increase NP Gauge for all [KOTRT] allies every turn (3 turns). [2-8%] Applies "gain 4 Crit Stars per turn" to all [Chivalrous] allies (3 turns).

If it wasn't obvious yet, there's something of a theme here in wrangling other knights into doing their job properly. Well, case in point, Calm and Collected is Bedivere doing exactly that as he calms himself and collects his allies, providing moral support to fellow chivalrous types, and going even further to accommodate his comrades from Camelot. This not only only keeps the instincts of his allies well honed, but brings out the Knights of the Round's greatest strength and source of their legend: Unity. Not only does Bedivere embolden the feats of all KOTRT, but the more knightly allies at his side, the more honed their attacks. IE more crit stars. (...That said, unity implies looking out for Bedi as much as his allies, so don't go thinking you can or should just send Bedi out to pop the skill and die, because that NP Regen is going with him if you do.)

Oath of Protection B -> B+++

Increase DEF by 30% for all allies (1 turn). Increase Debuff Resist for all allies (1 turn). Apply Target Focus to self if there is an [Arthur] ally (3 times, 3 turns). Apply Delayed On-Death Buff (1 turn). - Restore HP for all other allies. [1000-4000] - Increase NP Overcharge Level for all [KOTRT] allies (1 time). [1 stage at level 1-3, 2 stages at level 4-5, 3 stages at level 6-8, 4 stages at level 9+]

Enough about what kind of person Bedi is in general though, lets get into the things truly specific to him...even if that means acknowledging his failings as well. Arthur's steward, he's the first to defend his King, but....well, it's fleeting to say the least as something of a legacy to the incident at the lake. Rather than 3 turns of Target focus, Bedivere gains 3 Single Target charges of Target Focus. To remind you, Target Focus Charges are used up when any single target attack or debuff is used. Thankfully, Bedivere's new max of 50% defense up between his S1 and S3 means he can tank very well when optimized, and his debuff res is pretty damn well off too. However, should both those things fail him and he ends up falling the very same turn, it'll clear a path for his allies much like a certain Gudaguda flower of war. At it's absolute max potential, this sacrifice will bring the wrath of the entire round table down on the fool who struck him down.

EX Rankup:

Switch On - Airgetlám C+ -> EX-

Ignore an enemy's Anti-Enforcement Defense buffs (1 turn). [Activates first] Deal damage to a single enemy. Deal 150% extra Special Attack damage to enemies who are both [Knight or Cavalry class] and [Threat to Humanity]. Removes a single enemy's Invincibility buffs. Reduce your Max HP by 2000 (5 turns). [Demerit] <Overcharge> Increase your Buster effectiveness (1 turn). [Activates first]

This one's pretty self explanatory, and probably completely unnecessary for the most part given Bedi's already seen as having a really good budget ST NP, but there's just too much potential given the whole role he played in Camelot for me to not give it SOMETHING. I was really on the fence about making "Anti Purge Defense a thing" thing since Purge Defense is, itself, a bad solution to how ubiquitous Anti Invincibility has become, but i figured if there was EVER going to be someone who deserved it it'd be the slayer of Rhongomyniad. Plus, unlike Ignore Invincibility, anti purge defense would have no overlap with Invincible let alone evade. The invincibility removal grants a degree of utility but is mostly flavor since...well, unlike the Anti Enforcement ignore, it activates after, meaning if you didnt already have Ignore Invincible you'll be doing no damage with the NP. On top of all that, it's especially effective on story bosses, since that's pretty much the only time we see non-extra class enemies with the Threat to Humanity trait. No prizes though for guessing which particular threat to humanity goddess from the main story this is meant for. Of course, the massive burst in power comes with a similar story based penalty, with each use of Airgetlám draining Bedivere life force.

....So yeah! I dont know why this one took me so long to write up when in hindsight it's pretty damn straightforward where most if not all the effects are coming from. I admit though that's the last time I leave which one is next up to a vote because now I not only need to post Phantom and Sanson's rework, but after Summer 6 i'm dying to post Blackbeard's sweep of rank ups too-

(also I used official arts this time not because I'm too lazy to find fitting art like i usually do, but because Bedi's official art always goes hard)

[300iqprower]

Hypothetical Rank Ups No. 86-88: Jing Ke

[Okay I know I usually do these in order of Passive - S1 - S2 - S3 - NP, followed by the same priority of the less necessary "EX" rank ups, but I'm gonna move the S1 to last for this because it's a complete ground-up rework that'll take a lot of explaining. So instead it'll be Passive - S3 - NP - S1]

New Passive:

Qin Slayer (Augmented) -Apply Special ATK [Qin] to self (33%). -Immune to Immobilization from [Qin] enemy skills. ((Unlocks after clearing Lostbelt No.3 Section 13))

Self Explanatory really. Honestly EVERY assassin deserves an Oberon style ??? unique skill that reflects the kill(s) that made them famous, particularly since it allows a way to offset the natural damage penalty assassins have to deal with...even though they're, ya know, specialized killers. 33% effectively brings the damage up from a base .9 to a base 1.2, which I think is a fitting enough offset. The immobilization immune is reflective of how things went the second time around between the two in Lb3.

Insolent A -> Insolence Towards the Sun

Increase own Quick Card effectiveness (3 times, 3^ turns).^ Increase own Critical Strength (3 times, 3 turns^). Gain Class Affinity half-advantage against [Ruler] class (3 turns). [Quick scaling increased to 20-40%]

Pretty simple here. As always i cannot overstate how bad Quick has it, and that's made even worse when the only quick buff you have is both 1 turn AND only a max of 30%, so we're raising that slightly to 40% (but with the same base amount of 20%, to place more emphasis on leveling the skill to get its worth) and making both the critical and the quick buff split from one turn, to three attacks across 3 turns. Same number of hits, but with much more flexibility, and that flexibility is needed because if you're using Jing Ke as intended then the new effect makes it so you want this skill active as often as possible, emphasizing individual precise strikes that rely on both specific color and criticals rather than a constant boost to strength

Now against ruler enemies, Jing Ke gains both offensively and defensively the 1.5x advantage that extra classes typically get (such as what Rulers have defending against the standard non-berserker classes, or Alter Egos have when attacking cavalry classes). When combined with their new passive this also means they have near full advantage against any Ruler enemy with the Qin trait at. How oddly specific. 1.8x base damage means by default they're just as effective at taking out a certain peacocking emperor as any berserker, but without the berserker's weak defenses.

Name wise, I'm particularly proud of this one. Not just with the parallel's to Jing Ke's recurring connection to the moon through their poems, but also just the idea of that idea of "Insolent towards authority" taking up a few notches in scale to match them standing up to the "one true human". The idea of standing up to something that's all encompassing and omnipresent, that is the center of the universe, something that is unfathomably bigger than oneself, and still managing to defy it.

All I Do is Kill B+ -> EX-

Deal significant damage to a single enemy. Grants self On-Death buff (2 turns). [Activates First] - When defeated, Decrease NP Gauge by 2 and inflict Stun on a single enemy (1 turn). Reduce your HP by 2000^. [Demerit] [Caution: This can kill Jing Ke if her HP is below 2000!] <Overcharge> Medium chance to apply Death for a single enemy.^ Gain Critical Stars.v Restore a large amount of NP Gauge to yourself. [NP Refund scales with overcharge at 20/28/35/43/50%. Instant Death chance scaling increasing to 50/75/100/125/150%. On Death debuffs will default to last enemy to attack Jing Ke, or failing that the rightmost enemy. If Jing Ke dies from her own NP and the target survives, these effects are applied to the surviving target.]

God Jing Ke's NP ticks me off. Such an emotionally moving concept, such a significant event, and it's just....a mediocre damage single hit NP whose main use might as well be generating a star bomb. I'm not saying its the only NP like that but god it's the one that's always irked me since day 1. So yeah, this one had a LOT of rewrites before I finally settled on what it ended up as.

The damage is unchanged, and we're also getting one of the rare times I'm nerfing the base abilities by bringing the number of crit stars down by 10 to 10/15/20/25/30. Not only was this effect redundant, given they're a triple quick unit with a star bomb skill already, but anything I want to give this NP would be too much if I let them generate THAT many stars, and I very much want to take things in a different direction. You could frankly argue that I should just get rid of the star bomb on NP entirely and the only reason I'm not is because while Jing Ke is a triple quick assassin with a Quick Np on top of that, they have the dreaded year 1 hitcounts - including a 1-hit NP - meaning they're completely gimped for both NP and Star generation So on the subject of NP generation, that's why they get a massive refund on their NP now that effectively makes them Assassin Medea in terms of NP spam, with the same base refund and significantly lower but still notable scaling with overcharge (7.5% as opposed to an entire additional 20% per level). Oh and her other overcharge effect is getting buffed but to have double the level scaling, but...well It's an instant death effect so whatever. So let's just move onto the hook of all this!

Put simply, Jing Ke now has 500-Year Old Obsession on steroids directly built into their NP. Rather than 2 turns NP seal and a useless DOT though, it instead immediately reduces charge by 2, which depending on the situation could be much more or much less useful AND it also ensures it doesnt make the CE obsolete AND even more than that allows the two to stack with each other should you so choose to orchestrate that scenario. Of course, this comes at a cost. The NP actually has a second nerf compared to before....though depending on how you view it, it might not actually be a nerf. Jing Ke now loses double the HP, at 2000 per NP. This combined with their new refund potential means they risk burning through their own HP, even recreating their own death as they strike out at an opponent only to die immediately after. Should they die this way, instead of being based on who last damaged them their grudge will instead target the one they used their NP on (assuming the enemy survived, otherwise it once again defaults to the rightmost enemy remaining).

SO, tldr, their np is now much less about the crit stars and more about spamming it until either Jing Ke or their target dies, and even if the former goes first it's not without the last laugh as they throw a massive wrench into any enemy plans to buy their remaining allies a moment of opportunity. Which is a perfect lead in to Jing Ke's completely reworked first skill:

Restrain A -> The Perfect Moment EX-

Increase own Critical Star Gather Rate by 200% (3 turns). Gain Critical Stars. Apply Ignore Invincible to self (1 time). Apply Evade for yourself (1 time). Apply Target Focus to all allies except self (1 turn). Apply Fated Hour (Opportunity) to self if there are at least two of this unit’s normal command cards available: -Locks currently dealt set of Command Cards (2 turns) -Decrease your Critical Star Gather Rate by 500% (1 turn). -Apply delayed buff: Increase own Quick Card Star Gathering Rate (1 turn). -Apply delayed buff: Gain Critical Stars after 1 turn. -Apply delayed buff: Increase own NP Strength after 1 turn. [10-40%] -Decrease own ATK by 35% (1 turn). [Demerit] [Skill cooldown changed to 9/8/7. Star bomb scales from 5-10, NP Strength up scales from 10-40%]

I love you deck manipulation <3 ...even if you along with the sheer number of other effects are forcing me to increase the skill cooldown by more than i'd like. But hey that's why it's a full on rework i guess. This is the first of a potentially reoccurring effect I've decided to call "Fated Hour." The general idea is Fated Hour always involves either shuffle or deck lock mechanics combined with other effects that reflect an attempt to recreate what could be seen as the servant in question's "zenith" or otherwise pivotal moment in their legend. In Jing Ke's case, they find that once in a lifetime moment to strike a seemingly untouchable enemy, and they take it. Naturally, this has the qualifier that Jing Ke must have the ability to launch a precise attack, meaning Fated Hour will only activate if at least two of Jing Ke's command cards is currently available (which in combination with an NP would mean an Extra Attack chain is available). If not, then the skill's effectiveness is drastically reduced meaning you need to actually plan this out by counting cards to get the skill's real value rather than bank on RNG.

Without Fated Hour, The Perfect Moment becomes, if nothing else, a powerful survival tool. For the current turn target focus is applied to all other allies and Jing Ke gains an evade charge for insurance against the likes of AOE NPs, as well as a single hit of Ignore Invincible for the same indefinite duration as the evade. Fated Hour wouldnt trigger simply from having an NP available, so this could be used to grant Jing Ke a temporary Ignore Invincible ST NP while they have less than the required 2 command cards available. That said, Fated Hour is clearly what everything really revolves around.

Laying in wait among their allies, Jing Ke spends the current turn preparing to strike. They decrease their star gather to nothing, both to prevent their own criticals drawing attention to themselves and to allow their allies a better crit chance. They also give up a hefty amount of their already below-par attack stat this turn in exchange for a an even heftier and much more valued NP strength buff the next turn; the aforementioned survival tools naturally exist to increase the chance they're going to make it to that next turn. This is all naturally in addition to the usual benefits of locking command cards. ...On that note, however, this is where it becomes important to count cards. The ignore invincible applies to the next attack from Jing Ke regardless of whether it is needed. This combined with the fact that fated hour requires you have at least one of Jing Ke's normal cards means in order to get maximum efficacy you'd HAVE to have no more than the minimum requirement of 2 of Jing Ke's cards available. Most of the time you won't need that ignore invincible in theory but the sheer fcking number of bosses they slap it on says otherwise but it'd certainly make dealing with a certain Ruler's NP much easier. How very fitting that they'd remain a particular challenge for Jing Ke to properly assassinate...but either way, Jing Ke will still receive a hearty buff next turn. Their actual attack stat will remain unchanged aside from the aforementioned NP buffs, and they're still reliant on their third skill for Quick and Critical buffs, but they'll have the tools to take full advantage of those buffs with a delayed activation on Restraint's original star bomb and a burst of quick-star-gather. The fact that the gather is color specific of course means there's yet another requirement to optimizing the skill, as you'd ideally need not only 2 of Jing Ke's cards, but specifically 2 of their quick cards for maximum damage. What's more, 10 stars is not enough on its own to guarantee two crits, in fact double that would be needed, so if you dont want to leave it up to chance you'll need to make sure that Jing's allies be it by card or skill can generate an additional 10 stars between turns.

This is all a very long winded way of outlining all the requirements needed to truly take advantage of ALL this skill now offers, but given all the new kit brings it's hopefully worth it. More flexible burst damage, anti-ruler F2P niche, sacrifice tactics, and now quick crit synergy with everything from ignore invincible to deck lock. I dunno if it rounds out to Ten Steps per say, but it's clear that when Jing Ke is allowed proper planning, naught will stay their pace.