Monthly Create-A-Servant Contest

[NMR-3]

I'm having trouble too. To put it somewhat simply it's difficult finding a Servant that's both enough of a sidekick to qualify and interesting enough to actually write about.

[cooldownnow]

I would have participated but all I have access to is mobile this month. I guess Skull will win with a By.

[zikari8]

I don't know about y'all. I'm just lazy

[Skull]

Just putting it out there, if there are no new entries by the deadline then I'd be fine with sacrificing my auto-win to Mulligan this month into July with a different "prompt" so that people could submit entries.

Though preferably I would want to keep Diaochan as my own submission if only because I put too much effort into it to go to waste.

[ItsaRandomUsername]

Sounds like a pretty alright idea, IMO.

[cooldownnow]

I think that’s good too. No shame but this prompt it seems was a bit of a dud. Maybe we can do a romance of the three kingdoms prompt if you want to keep diaochan.

[Funderfullness]

I've got one in the works, here's hoping I can actually finish it in time.

[zikari8]

Well, I do have something now, but for the greater good, I'll hold off.

[CuriousHeartless]

I'm...still new...this is my first post and I've only had an account for like ten minutes. But this intrigues me and I've been making fan servants for a fair while...if it's okay I think I'll try whipping something up before the deadline in like a week.

[asterism42]

or them just being heroes in their own right who had one anekdote of being a sidekick (like say, Karna's charioteer Shalya).

I mean, that'd count. You'd get brownie points for emphasising the charioteer part of his legend tho.

[Dragolord09]

Don't know if I'll join in the contest, but what about guys like Hanuman, Calogrenant, and Iphicles? Would they count for the purposes of this contest, or not really?

[asterism42]

yes

well, idk if hanuman counts as a heroic spirit, but

[Dragolord09]

Well, considering all the rule-twisters and breakers in both canon and fanon Servant Sheets, I'm sure that Hanuman has a decent chance of getting a sheet sooner or later.

[Bugs]

I figured I'd come back after a long hiatus and enter the contest, but I'm fresh out of ideas. The only one I had I couldn't really get away with calling a "sidekick"

[CuriousHeartless]

The first two to pop to mind for me were Laeg (who I'm planning on doing) and Yasuke if you want to count him as a sidekick to Nobunaga.

[Funderfullness]

"I tell you, ladies, if your bones cause you one quarter of the anguish that I suffer at the hands of my husband, you have my deepest sympathies.
He's always up to some sort of tomfoolery."

"Oh, Mary, you know it's just my way of dealing with all the seriousness that piles up around here."

"Well, your timing is most inappropriate sometimes."

"That may be, but it gives me the greatest relief when I need it the most. I laugh because I must not cry."



Class: Berserker

STR: C++
END: D+
AGI: C
MGI: C
LCK: D

Class Skills

Madness Enhancement (EX): Grief puts a heavy weight on Berserker's shoulders, a feeling of being slowly crushed under the rending of the soul.
Compounding this is Berserker's self-imposed coping strategy of putting on the mask of a cheerful, charming and witty socialite in order to play
the part of the dutiful hostess. But play the part enough, and you become the mask. And what should happen if that mask cracks?

Personal Skills

Blindness to Death (A): A form of the Battle Continuation skill that allows Berserker to ignore grievous wounds, though not out of some supernatural
fortitude, but rather as a side effect of having a "small" Spiritual Core. By inviting spirits into her body, she is effectively creating armor out
of her comforters. Though her body might be easy to break, her spirit is a much harder target. A side effect of this makes her appear incorporeal,
and is more vulnerable to effects that damage the undead.

Migraine (B-): Due to suffering chronic headaches and other illnesses, the success rates of other skills decreases significantly. The presence of
Madness Enhancement mitigates the pain somewhat, but the associated mood swings are as strong as ever. A history of mood swings, fierce temper,
public outbursts and excessive spending has led historians and psychologists to argue that Berserker suffered from bipolar disorder.

Social Graces (B): As the First Lady, Berserker was responsible for many social functions. She was well educated, having studied dance, drama, music,
and languages. She was regarded as witty and gregarious, with an excellent grasp of politics. A function prepared by Berserker will greatly improve
party morale, whether it is a grand White House banquet or a small exchange of flowers and fruit.

Noble Phantasm

First Family in the Bardo~Letters to the Bereaved (B+, Support, Anti-Army)

Used loosely, "bardo" is the state of existence intermediate between two lives on Earth. According to Tibetan tradition, after death and before one's
next birth, when one's consciousness is not connected with a physical body, one experiences a variety of phenomena. These usually follow a particular
sequence of degeneration from the clearest experiences of reality of which one is spiritually capable, and then proceeding to terrifying hallucinations
that arise from the impulses of one's previous unskillful actions. Metaphorically, bardo can describe times when the usual way of life becomes suspended,
for example, during a period of illness or mourning. Such times can prove fruitful for spiritual progress because external constraints diminish. However,
they can also present challenges because our less skillful impulses may come to the foreground. It is under this principle that allows Berserker to exert
her power as a bereaved woman mourning her children and husband. Her Noble Phantasm takes the form of letters, messages of condolence from all
over the world. Because grief has eroded her spirit, this left her open to possession by the spirits carried by these letters. Ostensibly, these spirits are her
three children and husband, if photographic evidence is to be believed, but they take on a distorted form of powerful psychopomps from all over the world.
Overlaid on top of Berserker are innumerable spirits that can be summoned to join her in battle and defend her: jackal-headed priests from Egypt, Norse
Valkyries, angels, banshees, and more. Sewn into the lining of her dress, these letters are her armor and army both.

Background

Wearing an ink black dress that falls somewhere between a wedding gown and a mourner's garb, Berserker is nonetheless cheerful and articulate. She
speaks confidently in a lilting voice accented by a Southern drawl. Underneath her smile and charm is a biting wit that does not hesitate to tease and prod.
When her mood darkens and the jokes become insults and barbs, the smile remains plastered on her face. In battle, her dress appears to transform into
black smoke or mist, out of which stride all manner of beings dark and radiant.

"Mrs Lincoln."

"Madam President, if you please."

Mary Todd Lincoln was the wife of the 16th President of the United States, Abraham Lincoln, and as such the First Lady of the United States from 1861
to 1865. She and Abraham had four sons, only one of whom outlived her. She fiercely supported her husband during his career as a lawyer in Illinois and
even more so when he was elected President. Being from Kentucky, Mary had family serving in the enemy Confederate army, and was met with much
scrutiny and hostility from critics in Washington. She had difficulty negotiating White House social responsibilities and rivalries in a climate of high national
intrigue during the Civil War. She refurbished the White House, which included extensive redecorating of all the public and private rooms as well as the
purchase of new china, which led to extensive overspending.

"The miracles I have wrought out of fertilizer bills and cutlery invoices, but I had to. When the President and I arrived, this was pure pigsty. Tobacco
stains on the carpets, mushrooms sprouting from the ceilings, and a pauper's pittance allotted for improvements. As if all of Washington awaited in what
they anticipated would be our comfort in squalor. Further proof that my husband and I were prairie primitives, unsuited to the position to which an error
of the people, a flaw in the democratic process had elevated us."

During her White House years, she often visited hospitals around Washington to give flowers to wounded soldiers. She took the time to write letters for
them to send to their loved ones. From time to time, she also accompanied Lincoln on military visits to the field. Responsible for hosting many social
functions, she has often been blamed by historians for spending too much money on the White House.

On April 14, 1865, Mary sat with her husband contentedly while watching the comic play Our American Cousin at Ford's Theater. During the third act, Mary
said to her husband, who was holding her hand, "What will Miss Harris think of my hanging on to you so?" The president smiled and replied, "She won't
think anything about it." That was the last conversation the Lincolns ever had. Minutes later, President Lincoln was shot by John Wilkes Booth. She was
holding Abraham's hand when the bullet struck the back of his head. She stayed by his side all night, "kissing him and calling him every endearing name."

Afterwards, she returned to Illinois and was burdened with overwhelming grief and depression, displaying an abject fear of losing her one remaining son
and of poverty, despite the fact that she was well provided for. She walked around with $56,000 in government bonds sewn into her dresses. She also
proved a magnet for supernatural events, such as encountering a Wandering Jew and being photographed with the ghost of her husband. She spent one
year in an asylum after her compulsive overspending and erratic behavior culminated in a suicide attempt. After returning to Illinois she died of a stroke.

Neighbors and officials came to see her open coffin in the funeral parlor. The coffin stood in almost the exact spot where, 40 years before, she had stood
as a bride. Mary Todd Lincoln's hands were folded across her chest. On her finger was the wedding ring that Abraham Lincoln had placed there in 1842.
It was inscribed: "Love is Eternal."

Bond Craft Essence

"This is my very favorite letter. It's from Queen Victoria, perhaps the only person in the world who understands me.
It was only a short time before this that she lost her beloved Prince Albert, you see."

Copy of a letter from Queen Victoria to Mrs. President Lincoln, April 1865

Though a stranger to you, I cannot remain silent when so terrible a calamity has fallen upon you and your country; and must personally express my deep
and heartfelt sympathy with you under shocking circumstances of your present dreadful misfortune. No one can better appreciate, than I can, who am
myself utterly broken hearted by the loss of my own beloved husband, who was the light of my life, my stay, my all, —what your own sufferings must be,
and I earnestly pray that you may be supported by Him, to whom alone the sorely stricken can look for comfort in their hour of heavy afflication.

With the renewed expression of true sympathy, I remain, dear Madam, Your sincere friend, Victoria

[LeadDemon]

Would someone like Peleus be valid, given that he was mostly a second-fiddle Argonaut and is most known for being Ach's dad, or does he have too much of his own stuff going on? Just made a sheet for him on a whim, so I might as well enter it if that's valid.

[asterism42]

I guess so. This is a pretty tricky prompt, so the definition is gonna be pretty broad to make it easier

[Sunny]

Not sure I'll actually finish it today, but was toying with an admittedly silly Ruler Sancho Panza for the prompt. It was a tricky prompt, but an interesting one at least.

[LeadDemon]

It's ya boy. Here we go. Please forgive the faceclaim, it's a real sheet, I promise-

Father of Achilles

Appearance

Class: Saber
Gender: Male
Alignment: Chaotic Good

Legend

Saber's true name is Peleus. Descending from a royal line through one parentage and the grandchild of Zeus through another, Peleus was raised in luxury and folly. It was here that he was forced to learn of the world. Foolish mistakes led to pointless deaths, and so he fled city after city, falling into guilt over his own mistakes. However, he grew, he learned, and so as the years went on, he was gradually forged into a hero. He adventured with the Argonauts, who he valued as treasured friends, alongside his brother.

He married a woman and with her had a daughter, but the marriage was not fated for happiness. Another woman, scorned by Peleus, engineered the suicide of his wife, and sought to bring about the death of Peleus himself.

She failed. And here, Peleus knew rage. Here, for the first and last time in his life, he felt genuine, pure enmity for another living being. Something in him broke at that moment.

Reason fell away. Communication fell away. Identity fell away. The divine blessings he held were made to go berserk, and degenerated. A bottomless cup called hate poured out. On that day, he was not Peleus, but an armored berserker, a beast who sought to utterly eradicate the target of his hatred.

...he does not speak of this day, and it seems that he wishes to leave it behind, for obvious reasons.

One day, it was prophesied that the sea nymph Thetis, who Zeus had long pined for, would bear a child who far surpassed the strength of the father. Realizing this, Zeus sealed away his affections, and instead sought out the ideal candidate for her sire among mortals. Here, he found Peleus, and so for the first time since the dawn of man, the gods directly descended to Earth to speak with men. Peleus became the cornerstone of divine attention, the eyes of the pantheon fixed on him, for he unknowingly stood at the edge of that cliff called prophecy.

Peleus and Thetis met, and through sheer persistence, Peleus courted her. The two were married, and once more, the gods descended for Peleus, celebrating in raucous joy for the crisis that Peleus had unknowingly prevented, and heaping gift upon gift upon him. While the actions of a certain goddess soured that day, it was of little consequence to Peleus himself, and so life went on. Peleus and Thetis went on to bear a child, and life was kind.

It was one night, though, where he discovered the secret that had been kept from him. Thetis and his child stood in the center of a magic circle he could not describe, the air thick with the True Ether of godhead. Fire burned at that child, but he did not scream in pain.

It was, he realized, a ritual to raise their child into a god, to make him an undying existence. Eternal, exalted, standing above all. He should have felt excitement, he knew, but there was nothing of the sort there. His eyes, in that moment, did not meet those of Thetis, but those of that young infant, and he saw something there. Was it apprehension, unease, or simply the same fire that Peleus himself had? He could not explain what it was, but something propelled him forwards, something told him that, for that child’s case, he could not allow the ritual to complete. His body moved before he had realized what he was doing, lashing out to stop her, confiscating that divinity and replacing it with humanity.

The ritual was interrupted, the anointing of godhood had been tainted, and the child would be forever mortal. In a rage, Thetis departed, never to return.

He was left with that child, a young boy, who he raised. He taught him of the world, of gods and men, but above all else, what that child took to were the stories Peleus told of his bygone days.

And so, under those stars, he spoke of heroes. Of Heracles, who stood above all, a source of awe and an insurmountable mountain. Of Atalanta, the beautiful huntress with the strength to treat hardships as if they were nothing. Of the great leader who amassed countless heroes, of he who conquered the Labyrinth and wept for a lost child, of the great trainer of heroes that he would one day meet, of the Myrmidon people who called him king.

When the time came, and that child stood ready to become a hero, Peleus passed down his ‘everything’. Weapons, mounts, wings. Legacies inherited from the gods, titles forged by men, all things Peleus had collected through the years were passed down to the one who he loved most in all the world. That great trainer of heroes was pulled from hiatus at his behest; for that child, who wished to be a hero, Peleus did not hesitate.

He gave that child every opportunity he could, because he knew, the two of them were the same. The same sort of fool, charging headlong into the horizon. He saw his child off to war, holding him in his arms for the last time.

...so then, did he weep, when that child died so young?

Did he regret his actions, for letting that child be mortal?

Did he curse himself? Did he curse the world? Did he face it all with that same, foolhardy smile?

“You did well, ■■■■■■■■. I’m proud of you.”

That is not spoken of in legend.

Only the man himself knows.

Character

Put simply, Peleus is a rather simple individual. In casual conversation, he can be called easy to get along with- he is sociable, easy to please, quick to laughter, and generally pleasant to have around. In disadvantageous situations, he maintains a smile and works tirelessly to develop a solution. In the dead of combat, he bears a smile and thoroughly enjoys himself. He is, first and foremost, a hero who charges forwards, bearing every bit that same eagerness and naivete as his son.

He values his friends to a fault, and will exalt their praises with the same glee as a starry-eyed child learning of heroes for the first time. At the same time, he is one who values his friends moreso than himself, and so is quick to fall into guilt for actions or omissions that rest on his shoulders. All of this perhaps stems from his persistent nature, which he maintains to a fault, refusing to stop on a task until he has completed it.

While he has “love” for the gods, appreciating all they have done for both himself and those he cares for, he cannot be called a pious worshipper, especially summoned to an age where mankind has taken on the mantle of Prime One. His love, rather than being a fervent subservience to the divine, is that of ‘I appreciate everything you’ve done, but really, can’t you dial it back a bit?’ This is in contrast to the love he holds for those such as his child and wife, which can be considered absolute. While he cannot be called an “ideal parent”, he is one who does his best for his loved ones.

...however, there is something under the surface. He is, in most cases, a reed that will bend without breaking, but when pushed to a breaking point for such causes, “something else” rises to the surface.

Rend apart. Slaughter. Lives, creations, and civilizations will become dust. There will be no books singing praises of their heroes. There will be no statues vaunted in their name. There will be no children to carry on their story.

A genuine fury more fitting for a Berserker than a Saber, a desire to eradicate the injustices he has perceived. If this impulse is forced to rise to the forefront too frequently, the smile of that hero may be lost.

Sing, O Goddess, The Anger of Achilleus. For that rage carries with it the burden of blood.

Parameters

STR: B
CON: B
AGI: A
MGI: C
LCK: D++

Class Skills

Magic Resistance: -

Due to possession of the Noble Phantasm ‘The Promised Time Has Come, The Age of Man Rises’, the Class Skill ‘Magic Resistance’ has been sealed as compensation.

Riding: A

The ability to ride mounts and vehicles.

All vehicles and all creatures but those of Phantasmal Beast and Divine Beast-rank can be used as mounts. This rank is high enough to have an aptitude for the Rider Class.

Personal Skills

Supporting Curse (Chain): A

Put simply, an attribute of Binding that operates based off of clashing cognition rather than clashing power. That is to say, it is a form of "attack" manifested by using one’s mental circuit, as opposed to something like Binding magecraft which is reliant on the Magic Circuit. One could call it similar to a psychic ability. Use of this skill naturally consumes mental energy rather than magical energy, and rather than being a battle of magical energy and concepts, it is a battle of ‘will to bind’ and ‘will to not be bound’. Once something has been bound, its nature, properties, and concepts can be utilized at will, as though it was captured by a conceptual binding magecraft; however, familiarity is a necessary condition for ideal usage.

While attempting to court his second wife, Thetis, she transformed into myriad forms, including beasts of the sky, earth, and sea, as well as fire itself. In spite of this, Peleus held fast, and succeeding in obtaining her as his wife, a feat that has not been replicated among men. At this rank, even higher-class beings and immaterial concepts are ‘targets to be bound’. One could call this “an ability born of a hero’s hardheadedness”.

The skill is, in truth, completely unrelated to support being received from Thetis. However, due to his own insistence, perhaps as a means of paying respect, it has been given the name accorded to abilities that stem from another’s support.

...however, what’s with him saying “Come, Undine” when he uses this?

Awarded Hero (False): EX

A burden of existence inherent to Peleus. Rather than one given everything he desired, he is one who is a focusing point for divine will, a ‘funnel’ that the attentions of the divine pour down in order to interact with the world.

In spite of the age that Peleus existed in, the twilight of the Greek age of heroes when the gods had long since ceased to directly manifest in the world of men, it was for Peleus that they appeared, that they directly interfered, and that they descended upon the world for the first time since the early days of humanity.

At this rank, the ‘divine attention’ that Peleus draws is something which exceeds what should be possible under the world’s rules. The Greek pantheon shall surely notice his appearance in the world.

Myrmidon Charisma: B

The aptitude of Peleus as a warrior-king. In life and through posthumous exaltations, Peleus was known as the king of the ant-people known as the Myrmidons, raised from simple animals into one of the greatest warrior races among men. Strictly speaking, this carries a form of 'Innocent Monster' within it, as while Peleus led men, he is only recorded as King of the Myrmidons in posthumous statements.

This is not the typical form of Charisma, but rather a distortion that premises itself on ‘operating an army as a single, eusocial unit’- efficacy falls off tremendously with the independent willpower of subordinates, and Nature of a Rebellious Spirit at D rank or below is sufficient to negate these effects. However, as this nature is bestowed, Peleus himself is endowed with a combat might sufficient to be declared a Myrmidon king.

If asked, Peleus admits that this style of leadership is his attempt to mimic that of the gatherer of the Argonauts, though he believes that his own version falls tremendously short of the genuine article.

Noble Phantasms

Pantheon's Blade

Grand Gathering Atop Mount Pelion

Rank: A+
Classification: Anti-Unit (Self) / ???
Range: 0 / ???
Maximum Number of Targets: 1 / ???

A composite Noble Phantasm, an amalgamated existence formed through the synthesis of each of the wedding gifts that Peleus received during that fateful day on Mount Pelion.

Originally, each of these components would be considered a separate Noble Phantasm, and materializing as a Servant possessing all of them would of course be impossible. However, through the synthesis of the Personal Skill ‘Awarded Hero (False)’ and the second Noble Phantasm, a creation of this nature was able to take root, agglomerated around the sword of Hephaestus that was gifted, due to Peleus’s own preferences.

The nature of this sword, then, has accumulated the collective concepts of those wedding gifts. Songs and a flute, so the mind may prosper. Salt, so the body may prosper from within, and a chlamys, so the body may prosper from the elements. Horses and wings, so space is no obstacle. A spear cursed to hold ‘eternity’, so that these blessings will not fade.

So long as the sword is held in one’s hand, they will not know hunger, harm from the elements, or instability of the mind. In other words, the blade passively bestows ‘protection against status effects’ upon its wielder by sealing them within the blade, and is capable of bestowing such contained effects through its edge. Under ordinary circumstances, this is the sole ability of the sword.

If, however, a significant quantity of magical energy is poured into the blade, the gifts of Poseidon and Zeus are tapped into, and the slash of the blade becomes something that rends space, allowing for near-instantaneous transit. Strictly speaking, a true name release is not required in order to achieve this, but Peleus seems to be in the habit of yelling something nonsensical when he utilizes this, such as “Infallible and unfailing...The Dance of the Fallen!”

For reasons unknown to Peleus himself, the visual form of the sword is grotesque, appearing more as a cursed blade than a divine one. Profane eyes cover its surfaces, and the images of angels in the throes of torture are carved into the blade itself. It is undoubtedly poor on the eyes.

Father to Son

The Promised Time Has Come, The Age of Man Rises

Rank: E
Classification: Anti-Unit (Self)
Range: 0
Maximum Number of Targets: 1

The nature that could most be called “Peleus himself”.

From the gods, Peleus received countless gifts and blessings. However, none of these were returned to the gods, but rather were passed down to humans. The case of his son is perhaps the most notable example: the ash spear he wields, the divine horses he rides, and the peerless speed which originates from the wings of Arce all stem from the passage of Peleus’s wedding gifts to that very son.

At the same time, this Noble Phantasm is symbolic of humanity ‘taking’ from the gods. That son who stood on the cusp of divinity was pulled back by Peleus’s hand, and in doing so, Peleus gave that child the chance to become a hero, rather than living on as a god.

This Noble Phantasm is the crystallization of that heritage, and the crystallization of the life of Peleus. It is a burden of existence that converts blessings (curses) which originate extrinsically into ‘natural possessions’. Rather than being limited to oneself, it uses his nature as a divine mouthpiece to invert that very premise, and changes ‘transient divine blessings’ into ‘things to be left behind for humanity’.

In other words, integration of inhuman things into the Human Order. An aptitude that can be called either praiseworthy or insane for the fact that it predates the true instantiation of the Age of Man.

While this can apply to things which originate from within the Human Order so long as it is an existence extrinsic to Peleus himself, the overall effect falls off tremendously; this does not mean the end state is different, but rather ‘there is less work needed to reach that end state’.

Relationships

Achilles
“...you’re all grown up, huh? Good work, Ach. You’ve made your old man proud.”

Heracles
“Oh, he’s in that state, huh? Damn. Hey, keep us away from each other, alright? Seeing him like that...dredges up some stuff I’d like to avoid.”

Yagyu Munenori / Li Shuwen (Old)
"Training up the new ones...the same sort as me, huh? Heh, sorry Master, but that's getting my competitive blood boiling. I'll need to ask for a spar."

Atalanta
“Ha, well, look who it is. How’ve you been? Have you met my kid? You two want to get coffee sometime?”

Shakespeare
“You’re a nutter, but I like it. Let’s get a drink.”

William Tell
[They share a knowing nod once they meet eyes.]

Minos
“...wow, uh, alright. Wow. Oof. Now I really don’t feel bad about keeping Ach mortal.”

Asterios
“Wait a minute, you’re-...so, that’s why Theseus acted like that, huh. Sorry, kid.”

Mordred
"Hey, I saw this lonely-looking kid in the halls. I'm gonna invite them out with us next time we do something, sound good?"

Penthesilea
“Alright, alright. What did he do to you? Called you beautiful? Why’s that a proble- okay, okay, calm down-”

Hassan of the Cursed Arm
“I can’t fault the guy for doing what he did, but...that kind of philosophy annoys me so much! Why would you give that up, what pushed you that far-...ugh, poor guy...”

Artemis
“Oh, hey, Arty, you look...uh, different. Have you done something with your hair?”

Queen Medb
“...the same sort of person. Hey, Master, keep me away from that woman. ‘Angel Killer’ Peleus doesn’t need a comeback tour.”

Musashi
“A swordsman from the Orient, huh? You seem fun, come on, let’s have a few rounds! Food’s on me after!”

Bond Craft Essence

The Object That Can Bind A God

Well, here it is! What do you think? The legendary restraint that sealed a nymph.

...Well, yeah, it’s just a rope, were you expecting something better? Some sort of magic thread? Why would you need something like that?

No, no, look- things like that are just tools. They can obviously help, but you never need them to do something. If you have the choice between a magic thread and this old thing, sure, take the thread, but if all you’ve got is a rope, don’t give up.

It’s all about keeping at it. That’s our gift: if you keep bashing your head into a wall, either your head’s gonna break, or the wall is. So, if your head never breaks, that just means there’s no wall you can’t break down, get it?

...geez, what’s with these looks? My kid always got what I was saying.

Creator Notes

So, basically this all started with a comment a friend of mine made a while back of “Peleus with Heinrich faceclaim” as a joke. I decided to run with that. The sheet itself basically started as “how many Monster Girl Quest references can I cram into a Peleus sheet while remaining valid”, so the original draft had bullet points like “war mode like when Heinrich’s insane in MGQ Paradox that references the time Peleus went nuts and also Achilles being nuts”, “four spirits knockoff from the time he bound his wife in a bunch of different forms”, “wedding gift Angel Halo”, and so on, and those all pretty clearly made it into the final draft.

That said, as this became more of an ‘actual sheet’ and less of a ‘pure joke sheet’, I tried to make those references more like footnotes than the point of the sheet in their own rights, so it didn’t detract from the sheet as a whole in terms of it just being a bunch of references, or for people not familiar with MGQ nonsense.

Anyway, the character himself is something I’m pretty happy with. At base, Peleus was friends with Herc and was given tons of divine stuff, and that’s usually enough to make a ‘strong’ Servant, but beyond that, his role in Greek mythology’s pretty interesting. The prophecy around Thetis’s child and how the gods reacted was a pretty unique situation in that culture sphere, since in general, the Greek gods didn’t directly interact with mortals after all the nonsense they did at the dawn of humanity with Lycaon and pals, but then you cut to Mount Pelion and this huge wedding feast and all these honors they heap onto Peleus, right before the final worst generation of heroes. That was sort of the core idea I went into the sheet with outside of “lmao references!!!!!!”.

The Personal Skills are designed to slot together, but not ideally. In essence, he’s the kind of guy who gets himself into trouble, but he’s also reasonably able to handle being in trouble. Awarded Hero (False) is kind of the core of his legend, while Myrmidon Charisma and Supporting Curse (Chain) both work with one another and provide different ways of handling and taking advantage of the stuff that happens as a result of Awarded Hero, and there’s some fun stuff you can think of as far as interactions, like if Awarded Hero would basically make him a lightning rod when Teardrop Photon Ray is used, little things like that.

The theme of the sheet as a whole is basically “leaving hope behind for the future”, and I think that takes form in the NPs most.

The first Noble Phantasm is meant to show ‘inheritance’. Essentially, it’s something like a conglomerate of some of Achilles’s Noble Phantasms (speed, invulnerability, and no-heal spear), because of their similarity to the concepts of the wedding gifts and Peleus’s own role in shaping those Noble Phantasms for Achilles, but they also show his “inferiority” to his son. The offensive aptitude of the sword is inferior to the strength of Achilles’s spear, the invulnerability it grants is leagues below Achilles’s, and even the trump card using the concept of Arce’s wings (which were passed down to Ach and are theorized to be the origin of his epithet as swift-footed, ergo the reason for the speed NP) and the divine horses is ‘slower’ and less efficient than Achilles’s own movement Noble Phantasm. So, it’s both a sort of proto-version of Achilles’s kit, but it’s also a sort of testament to “the future generation exceeding the old”.

The second Noble Phantasm was sort of my starting point for the ‘concept’ of the sheet overall besides "haha MGQ", and how it works with the Personal Skills is pretty inherent- it’s basically meant to be a ribbon that ties the skills together and gives the kit as a whole something it “aims towards”. It’s not a strong Noble Phantasm in terms of what it does, and is pretty useless in 99.99% of circumstances, but I think it has really nice “narrative” power and could be fun to play with in a story. It’s not meant to enhance Peleus’s combat power or make him more able to win something, so much as it makes everything he has and everything he acquires “something to be passed down”, entrusting his unfinished hopes to the future generation.

I’m rambling, here, but that’s basically the core idea of the sheet. The previous generation inherits their own legacies and burdens (awarded hero), fashions it into their own (binding, charisma, the first NP), and then leaves what they created behind for the next generation (the second NP). It’s a stubborn, optimistic shounen hero’s take on inheritance and the passage between generations, which I think is fitting for this kind of character.