I don't really have anything to say here. Something else from the backlogs.
Allow Me To Tell You A Story
Once, there was a boy. This boy was a brilliant genius. Under the tutelage of another, he fostered his talents at an astounding pace. In the most mundane aspects of the world, he found things to be admired, to be polished and crafted to a mirror sheen.
Innovations that hadn't been dreamed of before. Wondrous things perfect in their simplicity and yet sublime in their function. He created, and created, and created without pause.
And so, one day, his mentor asked of him: For what purpose do you create? Why do you strive into that frontier to give rise to new things? Why do you examine these systems and tie together the threads that others have missed?
The boy smiled.
A simple smile."Because I want to help people."
An innocent smile."Because I want to better the world."
A pure smile."Because I want to be a part of something beautiful."
Yes, for that boy, it was not for mere invention's sake that he invented. It was for that loftier goal, it was to create a system necessary for human flourishing, it was to pursue the end that laid forwards, that terminus of 'beauty' that his eyes could glimpse.
And so, his mentor looked upon him, looked upon that smile, and felt one of the same kind blossom at the edge of his lips.
He set his hand down on the boy's shoulder, time-worn gaze looking upon him, and spoke.
-HOW STUPID CAN YOU BE, PERDIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIX?!
...and then I pushed that idiot off of the Acropolis.
Come on! "Because I want to help people"?! "Because it's beautiful"?! How are you going to reach the apex like that?!
THAT'S WHY YOU LOST, KIDDO, TO NONE OTHER THAN-
THE GREATEST-
GENIUS-
IN-
HISTORRRRRYYYYYYYYYYYYY!
Caster
Inventor of the Dance Floor
Appearance
“I spank bad children like you with my 'Super Daedalus Invincible Robot, Version No: 28.72, Upgrades: It's just stronger, dammit!”
Class: Caster
Region: Greece
Alignment: Runaway Good
Attribute: Earth
Natural Enemy: Pygmalion
LegendCaster’s identity is Daedalus, the great designer of the Labyrinth, as well as the inventor of carpentry, automata, masts and sails, the dance floor, and so on. He is somewhat arguably the best known mythological inventor, and it wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say that he is among the archetypes for a “mad scientist”, who creates something that quickly spirals out of his own control.
Caster is, put simply, an utter lunatic. A brilliant man who could create things that even he could not conceive of prior to the building process, he was an innovative mind ahead of his time by far. At the same time, though, he is obsessive and narcissistic in his craft, going as far as to murder his nephew in cold blood and steal credit for his inventions due to a fear of being one day surpassed. As with any artist of a sufficiently advanced nature, he is an eccentric who will take any chance to prove himself, even taking the riddle challenge of King Minos despite it being an obvious trap simply to prove that he could.
He is not without morals, and does ultimately act in terms of what he believes to be good, as evidenced in his aid of Ariadne. However, his understanding of what is good is irreconcilably bundled up in the other countless sources of mental baggage that come with his existence. He is loudmouthed, overbearing, and takes every effort to make himself the center of attention even when he is supposed to be incognito and running for his life.
Much like a certain Berserker, Caster took to the modern day with an ease rare among Heroic Spirits. However…
“THIS ‘CARBON FIBER’ THING IS INCREDIBLE!”
...he has taken a true obsession with the modern world, beyond that of mere familiarity. Delving into the modern knowledge he was granted, he is a child seeing everything for the first time, and then promptly trying to create things out of it.
It might be worth noting that, perhaps due to inventing the dance floor, he is a surprisingly apt dancer.
TacticsFor most Casters focused on Mystic Code creation, their utility lies in the value they have for others. It is possible for these individuals to work out alliances with others by offering their creations, or even to work as an arms dealer for all players. And, of course, the value this has for a Master cannot be understated.
Given Caster’s curse, though, this rule is entirely overturned. Unless a truly extraordinary hero or the Tiger of Fuyuki were to descend on the battlefield, Caster is a creator who can only create for himself. Though, strategic use of his curse as an offensive tool might be possible, if the other party is unaware of his true name.
Caster is an extreme example of a Servant with one thing going for them. He makes things, and nothing else. His role in a standard Grail War is running from any instance of combat, attempting to hunker down and create items, potentially trying to off a Servant or two through having them take said weapons, and then charging out in a blaze of glory on the last day of the war.
A Master who can fight or use magecraft competently, then, is of little use, as ideally Caster should not see combat until the final day. Rather, the Master should be capable of escaping from combat and surviving as well as Caster does, and potentially in gathering information on the enemy Servants.
As for dealing with Caster himself, an equally large ordeal is presented. Caster is bombastic and attention-drawing, but if this is allowed to be exhibited, a certain death will follow. Rather, the Master should be quick to stoke the fires of his competitive spirit and prompt a single-mindedness in him. Teach him the wonders of online shopping so he does not leave the house, stay out of the public eye, and work like a madman. If this is followed through, it should be possible to defeat even first-class heroes.
...but really, where’s the fun in that?
ArmamentsA lyre. However, his own modifications have been conducted on the lyre, albeit not in the same way that a certain Rider’s bear and drums became a bike and another Rider’s magic boat spaceship became a scooter. It takes the form of an electric guitar, and safely fits into a guitar case, which relatedly happens to shoot ether-propelled explosives.
When asked as to how and why he created such a thing, his sole response is to look at the inquirer as though they just asked why he has a face.
He additionally possesses the wings known for causing the death of his son. These allow for flight, but do not possess any other capability. They cannot be called a Noble Phantasm, but are nonetheless a Mystic Code of Caster’s design.
ParametersSTR: C
CON: E
AGI: B
MGI: C
LCK: A
Class Skills
Territory Creation: C (EX)
Capability to create a territory advantageous to oneself as a magus.
Caster is not a proper magus, and as such has difficulty even with creation of a Workshop. However, through the passive capacity afforded by the Noble Phantasm “Eternally Changing Innovation”, the rank becomes nonstandard.
At this point, it is possible to create a “Labyrinth” which functions as an alternative texture of the planet in its own right. In other words, creation of a territory beyond the limits accorded by the Age of Man. One could call this the next step up from some Casters’ ability to create alien worlds.
Tool Creation: -
The Class Skill "Tool Creation" has been sublimated into the Personal Skill "Wisdom of the Entrapped".
Personal Skills
Wisdom of the Entrapped: EX
The ability to raise one's luck, especially when in danger. The cumulative wisdom of his own natural brilliance and the gifts of the goddess Athena. It is this aptitude which saw him out of countless dangers.
Freely allows for exhibition of the Caster Class Skill "Tool Creation" at equivalent rank. It is no exaggeration to say that this capacity is the nexus of Caster’s being. Caster is not an all-rounder genius such as Leonardo da Vinci, but rather is the hero whose name is most synonymous with “inventor”.
He is credited with such things as creating the first statues with range of limb movement, so lifelike that they would run away were it not for the chains binding them, and a litany of other creations. He does not create potions or photonic crystals, but rather structures and mechanisms. In this field, he can be said to stand near the peak. Creation of tools on par with a Servant’s Noble Phantasm is possible...or rather, it might be better to say that anything Caster creates is implicitly on par with a Noble Phantasm.
This is further amplified by the Noble Phantasm “Eternally Changing Innovation”, though this is not factored into the skill’s displayed information.
Curse of Knowledge: -
Not an ability of Caster in life, so much as a curse inflicted upon him through deification to Heroic Spirit.
Caster’s legend is one in which “those who attempted to use his inventions came to ruin”. The wooden cow which gave rise to a monster, the nefarious Labyrinth that proved beyond any expectations, the wings that killed his own son. When, in any point of Caster’s life, someone besides Caster attempted to use his creations, they were met with demise. This curse is the realization of that rule.
At the time of another individual attempting to utilize Caster’s creations, they must pass a LCK check in order to do so. Should they fail this check, their fate is altered to bring about certain ruin upon themselves. An additional check is required with each subsequent use and each turn that ownership is possessed for. The initial difficulty of this check is high, and further rises over time if consecutive checks are called.
Caster himself is obviously exempt from this condition, though his Master is not. However, in exchange for his inventions being useless to others, Caster himself is implicitly capable of using his creations “to their fullest potential”, regardless of their nature.
Natural Insight: A
The ability to perceive the true nature of things. His sharp eyes for observation will not overlook any sort of information. The wisdom that let him devise the plan of Ariadne's Thread and solve the riddle of King Minos.
Although their principles are completely different, this can read into the future in a way that is similar to the future prediction of Clairvoyance.
In Caster’s case, the theory this abides by is the logic puzzle of Ariadne’s Thread. That is to say, possibility exhaustion. He does not read the future so much as develop contingencies for “all futures”. One might call it an absurdly inefficient, yet somehow absurdly effective cousin of the theories of the Atlas Academy.
Use of this skill consumes mental energy, rather than magical energy.
Disengage: C+
Aptitude to withdraw from the battlefield. A talent of fleeing, gained through his escaping of the grasp of King Minos’s prison tower. Bonus effect of returning battle conditions to what they were at the beginning of the match.
The plus modifier is the result of synergy with the Personal Skill “Wisdom of the Entrapped”. This activates in the case of Caster being in the condition of “trapped”; in other words, a state of affairs where he is prohibited from leaving.
This does not add additional bonus conditions, but rather drastically raises the chance of escape. For instance, the one-on-one combat of the Knights of the Red Branch could be feasibly escaped from with this.
Noble Phantasms
Chaos LabyrinthosEternally Changing Innovation
Rank: A
Classification: Anti-Unit (Self) / Anti-World
Range: -
Maximum Number of Targets: -
The feat of creating the great Labyrinth.
One might believe that, as its creator, Caster’s Noble Phantasm would be nothing other than that Labyrinth itself. This, however, is wholly incorrect. In the first place, if there was a hero who could do such a thing, it would be that misbegotten child whose world was nothing other than the Labyrinth.
Instead, this is the feat of its creation, of creating a living structure built into the Backside of the World. More specifically, it is the aptitude to create “things that do not belong in this world”. In other words, the continuously-active effect of this Noble Phantasm is the alteration of Caster’s creation skills, giving them the additional property of manufacturing things which function outside the common sense of the "world" he presently exists in. Naturally, this also weakens the magical energy, time, and material requirements of all such crafting by a significant amount. The result is similar to being capable of building as though it was still the Age of Gods.
Through release of the true name, the principle is taken to its highest possible point. That is to say, Caster becomes capable of a direct invention process of something that does not belong in this world, using the fundamental building block of the Fifth Imaginary Element. Undoing a prior edict, conversion of the Fifth Imaginary Element into the Fifth True Theoretical Element is made possible, albeit at an appropriately inefficient scale. Naturally, the efficacy of this amplifies when inside of Caster’s territory. This is generally used as a superior grade of power source for his own creations, allowing them to further break past their standard limits, but it should be possible to utilize it in other means.
Example Crafts
Earth-Shattering Coffee RetrieversJUDGMENT BREAKAH
A group of five automatons, dubbed by Caster as interns. Each of them is fashioned in line with one of the Great Five Elements as a key concept, and is powered by a continuous loop of True Ether, based off of the ichor flow of Talos.
They are beyond first-rate, as expected of their creator, and generally do menial tasks to help speed up his work, or fetch him coffee to help speed up his work. If forced into combat, they are each roughly equivalent to an average Dead Apostle, wielding the concept of their element with a frightening degree of power.
When needed, they are capable of integrating with one another to bolster their capabilities, becoming a combined automaton for a time. When all five combine in this fashion, their integrated form is referred to by their maker as the “OKAY Daedalus Barely-Vincible Robot Mk I”. Its power is beyond appreciable, including the abilities of each of its components, Elemental Conversion, and an absurdly inefficient "DAEDALUS BEAM" formed of unprocessed True Ether.
**
Death God's Balanced BreakfastThanatoaster
A toaster. It is capable of toasting bread, as well as things that are not bread, such as bagels. It is capable of running on ludicrous amounts of electricity, but usually runs on True Ether so as to not cause a power crisis.
The coils of the toaster do not conduct heat, but rather are contained underworlds looped into such a shape. The interior of the toaster is a “land mired in death”, and so it can be considered a conceptual weapon that imposes death. Or rather, a tool that makes conceptual weapons of death. Due to its limited function, it can be considered at the border of Authority-grade within its very narrow scope of operations.
It is, however, perfectly safe for use in the bathtub.
When asked, Caster states that he wanted to make his toast “to die for”, as the Holy Grail informed him that this was understood to be a good thing in the modern day.
He does not appear to have grasped the meaning of this saying.
**
ERROR ERROR ERROR ERRORSuper Daedalus Invincible Robot Mk I
[We are sorry, the corresponding adventure log has been lost.]
Relationships
Pasiphae
So-rry! Not taking a-n-y commissions from her any time soon! Geez, I don't judge, but what's with that woman's tastes?!
Qin Shi Huang
[The emperor attempted to approach him. The two are now prohibited from ever speaking together unsupervised.]
Mecha-Elizabeth/Charles Babbage/Xiang Yu
[Frothing at the mouth and twitching.]
Thomas Edison
That's going to be a PASS from me, NO THANK YOU!
Sakata Kintoki (Rider)
EXACTLY! The initial design philosophy is ACCEPTABLE, but you saw its performance against Zeus! If you give me access to it for TWO TO FOUR WEEKS-
[A dangerous collaboration is in progress.]
Pygmalion
HAAAAAH?! What's with this "cuteness is justice" NOOOONSEEEEENSE?! You could make that thing SIX TIMES BIGGER and ADD A CANNON, you IIIIIIDIIIIIOOOOOOOT!
Asterios
[He goes out of his way to avoid the minotaur. When passing him in the halls, there is a profound look of guilt.]
Bond Craft Essence
DaedaLand Design Blueprint
H-ey, Commissioner, SO! I'm going to be REMODELING the place! I can't work in these conditions for a whole lot longer! Just need a SIGN OFF before we get to business! I'm excited for the Super Daedalus Lounge, but first, for the Super Daedalus Hallway-
-What? You want to help in the design process? Commissioner, did you BANG your HEAD somewhere? You have the GREATEST GENIUS IN HISTORY in front of you, and here you are wanting to MESS UP MY CREATIVE PROCEEEEESS?Geez. I guess EVERYONE'S a critic!
Tch, don't give me that look. Fine, you get to help out this ONE time! Be grateful, I don't do collaborations! This is a FIRST for RECORDED HISTORY, you know! So, as I was saying, for the-
...eh? What do you MEAN we can't include death traps in the halls? "Occupational safety"?! What the hell is THAAAAAT?! DON'T START MAKING UP PHRASES TO PROVE SOME NEBULOUS POOOOIIIIIIIINT!
Creator Notes
About three years ago, a friend was making a sheet for Akhenaten. While we were talking about how he was handling Aten, he posted an image of Nyar from Demonbane. For some reason, in response, I said "So what you're saying is I need to make Doctor West Daedalus." After saying this, I realized that it actually fit.
A bombastic nightmare of an individual who I don't have a lot to say about that's not evident in the sheet. I can't call him multi-dimensional, but a better way to describe him would be like a crumpled up sheet of paper- thoroughly two-dimensional, but contorting itself to pretend as if it's three-dimensional. That much is reflected in his Bond CE. Certainly not the best writing I've done, but a strong contender for one of the Servants I've had the most stupid fun writing.
Bonus points if you can guess who Icarus' faceclaim would be,I guess.
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Originally Posted by DelRey
