Anyway here’s Richard. Ended up being too lazy to change the format, especially since I sorta designed it to be read in the order it’s being presented rn. I’ll just change the format for future Servants.
Servant Berserker: Richard III
Servant Berserker:
True Name: Richard III
Alignment: Chaotic Mad
Alternate Classes: Saber, Rider, Assassin
Strength- B
Agility- B
Endurance- A
Mana- D
Luck- D
NP- A
Appearance: This art by Yefuum is the closest thing to a FC I’ve found. Richard’s hairstyle, armor, and skin tone are all very similar to that. However, Richard’s circlet is a simpler silver band, not that spiked crown thing. Additionally, he very rarely smiles, and he doesn’t have blood all over his face (most of the time). This art is closer to that of Shakespeare’s Richard III than to Richard III as he manifests as a Servant.
Lore: There are few figures in history as divisive and controversial as Richard III. Several accounts, like that of Thomas More, or Shakespeare’s famous play, portray Richard III as a tyrannical despot, a heartless killer, and a twisted (both figuratively and literally) monster of a man who murdered his nephews for power. Other sources paint a completely different picture: a just, pious, and effective king, worthy of his motto “Loyalty Binds Me” and beloved by the people of Northern England. There are countless other interpretations of his character somewhere between these extremes, and the discerning the truth is nearly impossible.
The uncertainty of Richard’s true nature has become a part of his legend, warping his mind as a Servant. He does not qualify for a skill like Innocent Monster, for he may well not be innocent. To “fix” this problem, the Grail has manifested all of Richard’s possible personalities, memories, and lives into one singular mind. He remembers things from all personas simultaneously, even if those memories are completely false. The mental conflict this causes is a kind of madness and thus enables him to be summoned for the Berserker class.
Personality: Richard’s condition is an identity crisis of epic proportion. The sheer volume of his memories is difficult for him to comprehend, but more than that, he is unable to tell which of his memories are real, what he actually believes in, or what kind of a person he truly is. He doesn't know what to feel about anything, least of all what to feel about himself. All this has understandably devastated his mental state. He doesn’t suffer from the mindless rage of other Berserkers, but Richard is far from sane.
Unlike most Berserkers, Richard is capable of communication. However, outside of his phantasm Bosworth Field, concentration, decision-making, controlling his abilities, and even discerning reality is difficult, causing constant agitation for Richard. Because of this tension, his teeth are always clenched. He blinks very rarely, and his eyes are bloodshot and wild. Servants rarely sleep, but Richard is completely incapable of it. Summed up, Richard is a volatile and deeply unstable man.
Richard is incredibly vulnerable to manipulation and “talk-no-jutsu.” He has a difficult time thinking rationally and is lacking purpose. As such, he could be pulled to the side of good or evil pretty easily by a suitably charismatic speaker, and is in general unreliable. His wish for the Grail is to know what kind of person he truly was. He believes that knowing the answer to this question will help him find meaning and purpose for his life as a Servant.
Likes: ??? (Conflicting due to Richard’s particular type of Mad Enhancement.)
Dislikes: ??? (Conflicting due to Richard’s particular type of Mad Enhancement.)
Talent: ??? (Conflicting due to Richard’s particular type of Mad Enhancement.)
Natural Enemy: ??? (Conflicting due to Richard’s particular type of Mad Enhancement.)
Class Skills:
Mad Enhancement (B (EX))- This skill raises basic parameters in exchange of hindering mental capacities. Richard’s Mad Enhancement is the result of the innumerable interpretations of his character and motives being sealed into his one Servant body. Most of the time, his Mad Enhancement manifests as a constant tension due to his overwhelming memories. It makes him stronger, but it hurts his control over his abilities. Inside of Bosworth Field,Mad Enhancement is entirely sealed; however, should Bosworth Field ever be damaged, his Mad Enhancement shall become even stronger and more dominant than before.
Personal Skills:
Mental Pollution (B (EX))- Makes it highly possible to shut out any mental interference Thaumaturgy, due to possessing a distorted mentality. However, at the same time it becomes impossible to come to an understanding with individuals that do not possess an equivalent rank of mental pollution. Richard’s Mad Enhancement is a kind of Mental Pollution in and of itself, and thus gives him the skill in an equivalent rank. While actively using Bosworth Field, this effect is sealed. If Bosworth Field is damaged, his rank increases to EX.
Lies and Legends (A): A kind of Expert of Many Specializations (False) or Distortion (False). Each portrayal of Richard qualifies for its own set of skills, but no one knows which version is the true Richard. He theoretically has access to every skill attributed to him at rank A, but (unless actively using Bosworth Field) has difficulty utilizing them properly. In practice, he has access to three skills (provided he could theoretically possess them) at a time, and is unable to choose which ones they are. For example, at a given moment, he might have Battle Continuation, Bravery, and Weak Constitution (Exaggerated Disfiguration). Though the skills are random, Richard maintains a small amount of control. At any given time, he may discard a skill, which will be replaced by another random skill he qualifies for. To continue with our example, Richard could discard Weak Constitution and gain Military Tactics or maybe Sadistic Constitution instead. The skill is always different, but it isn’t necessarily more useful than what he had before. Additionally, using the skill several times in a short period of time will drain more mana. Not only that, but as the skill relies on drawing from different versions of the character, overuse of the skill during a short period of time will invariably worsen his mental state. His technique functions in a manner similar to EMIYA, but unlike EMIYA, he does not copy from other Servants and instead copies from other versions of himself. Should Bosworth Field be damaged, Richard’s control will be worsened and he will not be able to choose which skills he discards and which he keeps anymore, instead discarding random skills and switching at random intervals.
Noble Phantasm:
Legacy of the King-The King’s Weapons(D-B, Anti-Unit): A Phantasmal version of Lies and Legends. At the cost of more mana, Richard is able to utilize Phantasms from all versions of his life. Once again, outside of Bosworth Field, he doesn’t have the precision to properly choose which weapons he receives, but is able to discard weapons he deems inappropriate to his situation. The weapons are true Phantasms, and have Phantasmal effects, but vary wildly in power. (One example of a weapon he might be able to summon is Blade of the Treacherous King, a C-rank dagger Phantasm representing his alleged murder of the twin princes. This Phantasm is increasingly effective against royalty.) Of course, also like Lies and Legends, he is limited by the possibilities of his legend; he may only summon weapons that different versions of himself might have possessed. Legacy of the King is affected similarly to Lies and Legends when Bosworth Field is damaged.
Bosworth Field-The Miserable Battlefield (A, Anti-Unit, Anti-Self): The site of Richard’s death. It was here, at the bottom of Ambion Hill, that he was defeated by his rival, Henry Tudor. It is an uncommonly miserable place: muddy, littered with bodies, perpetually raining. How ironic that such a place would become Richard’s saving grace a Servant. This is because the battleground possesses one quality different from the rest of Richard's life: the battlefield is consistent. In every account of Richard’s story, the details are always different. Sometimes he is a man trying to do right, other times he’s tyrannical. Sometimes he was loyal, other times a traitor. But Bosworth Field is consistent. In every incarnation, in every portrayal, Richard III ends up at the bottom of Ambion hill, fighting the armies of Henry Tudor. He takes his last breaths in the same place on that same rainy battleground every time. In every version of his memories, Richard remembers Bosworth Field.
This Phantasm is as a Reality Marble representing the endpoint of every Richard’s story, the one consistent aspect of Richard’s life. The Marble manifests as a perfect re-creation of the battlefield from Richard’s memories. As he has countless memories of fighting on that battleground, he has an intimate knowledge of the landscape. Where other Servants may have difficulty moving properly in the treacherous terrain, receiving a rank down in agility, Richard is able to move with incredible swiftness and efficiency, receives a rank up in agility.
More importantly, the Phantasm works as an anchor for Richard. As a constant in Richard’s memories, he is able to focus on it and gain much of his sanity and reason back, giving him greater control over his actions and abilities. Rather than basically getting skills and weapons at random, Richard is able to focus in on specific ideas in his memories and draw them out, allowing him to chose what to have skills and Phantasms to have active and make the best use of his abilities.
Unbeknownst to Richard, this Noble Phantasm actually partially reduces the effects of Mad Enhancement. Mad Enhancement is devastating for Richard, but he is actually less affected than he should be the debilitating nature of his condition. Due to the presence of an anchor in Richard’s mind, he is able to maintain a small modicum of control. However, should this Reality Marble be damaged or destroyed, the effects of Mad Enhancement shall come out in full. He loses any control over which skills and Phantasms he has active, and is left randomly pulling abilities from his fractured mind. His skills and Phantasms begin to have an active effect on his personality, making him untrustworthy and prone to violent mood swings.
Tactics: Stay out of his way and hope he doesn’t totally lose it. He is capable of communication to a degree, and has a small amount of control over himself, but complex strategy usually eludes him (unless he has appropriate skills from Lies and Legends, but even then the effect is too inconsistent for reliable tactics.) If up against an opponent he can’t beat, tell him to open his Reality Marble and pray it doesn’t break.
Important Notes:
Some of the skills he could theoretically possess are Battle Continuation, Bloodstained Demon, Bravery, Charisma, Eye of the Mind (True), Guardian Knight, Masochistic Constitution, Military Tactics, Riding, Ruthless Warrior of Turbulent Times, Sadistic Constitution, Unyielding Will, Weak Constitution (Exaggerated Disfiguration), and countless others.
If you find Richard’s Mad Enhancement confusing, here’s the simple explanation: There are countless versions of Richard’s character, and there isn’t really a consensus on what he was really like. To fix this problem, the Grail just manifests all of the potential takes on his character into one mind and body (when summoned as Berserker, anyway). This drives him insane. However, thanks to a quirk of his Noble Phantasm, it doesn’t drive him as insane as it should. While inside that Noble Phantasm, he is unaffected by Mad Enhancement, but if the Reality Marble is broken, the full extent of his Mad Enhancement is realized.
If summoned in a different class, Grail-kun would probably pick a personality and just send that one. Maybe a Shakespearean interpretation for Assassin, a more heroic interpretation for Saber, and somewhere in between for Rider, for example.
What do you guys think?
Originally Posted by Andaeus
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