Von's Fire Emblem Art

[Von Ithipathachai]

So something I've been wanting to do for a while is make a full set of profiles for my ideal Fire Emblem class tree.  Each one is a set of class uniforms (both male and female for each class) followed by class bases, max weapon ranks, weaknesses and promotions (if applicable), and Skills.

The Skill system I thought of works like this:  Each class has 1-2 Class Skills and a single Learnable Skill.  Class Skills are, as you would imagine, tied to the class and are not retained when reclassing, except when the old and new classes have a Skill or two in common.  For example, if a Swordmaster reclasses into, say, a Sage, his/her Class Skills would change from Pursuit and Critical +10 to Focus and Miracle.  The Learnable Skill, on the other hand, is obtained when the unit reaches a certain Level (usually 10) and always carries over between classes.  For example, given the above scenario, if the Swordmaster had Astra when reclassing, then he/she would keep that Skill, unlike the fixed Class Skills.

[Von Ithipathachai]

Starting off, we have both of the Lord classes I created for protagonist OCs:

The first variant is for Claudus, a prince of the kingdom of Rema (based off the Roman Empire, if you couldn't tell).  He and his half-brother Cato are both the sons of the king, though Cato takes precedence as inheritor of the throne since his mother is the queen, whereas Claudus's mother is a concubine.  When their father dies and Cato ascends the throne, Cato makes Claudus a commander of the Reman army and Claudus reluctantly carries out his father and brother's operations of conquest.  As a unit, Claudus's main focus is on Strength and Speed, and his promotion, Knight Lord, is essentially a modified Paladin class that can also use Staves in addition to Swords and Lances.

 

The second variant is for Carol, the last living member of Rema's original royal family.  Her family was overthrown in a coup led by Claudus's father; her mother took refuge with a merciful bandit chief who eventually became her father.  She grew up in the neighboring kingdom of Ferenca, subsisting as a counter-bandit who targets other bandits and returns their loot to the needy.  Unlike Claudus, Carol focuses more on Skill than Strength to offset her inaccurate choice of weaponry in Axes.  Her promotion, Great Lord, is essentially a modified Warrior class that also wields Swords in addition to Axes and Bows.

Carol starts a rebellion against Rema's attempted annexation of Ferenca and other kingdoms, so Cato sends Claudus to stop the rebellion.  However, Claudus, who sympathizes along with his troops with Carol's cause as someone who opposes Reman imperialism, cannot take it any longer and changes sides, and so Claudus and Carol work together to thwart Cato's plans of continental conquest.

Edited June 9, 2017 by Von Ithipathachai
Gallia renamed to Ferenca

[Von Ithipathachai]

With the Lords out of the way, I can start showing the other unpromoted classes.

For the Myrmidon class, I tried to do something that looked more like their GBA/DS appearances, yet still looked different.  ...Okay, so I pretty much just adapted Inigo Montoya's (from The Princess Bride) costume into a more simplified appearance for my drawing style.  Most of the less formal groups (like bandits and villagers) would have these as their main Sword-wielding units, with Mercenaries being employed by wealthier ones.  Oh, and these Myrmidons can also promote into Mage Fighters for added ranged utility with Tomes, since Assassins, their traditional alternate promotion, wield Daggers instead of Swords in my class drawings.

I have less to say about Mercenaries.  I wanted to do a blend of their GBA/DS and Awakening/Fates designs, so they have the same uniform as GBA/DS Mercenaries, but the shoulder shield from the Awakening/Fates ones instead of that weird half-chestplate thing.  Instead of Rangers, they can promote into Doppelsöldners (basically the Landsknecht class from the Staff of Ages hack and Mangs's FE8 PME hack) for the added ability to wield Lances.

Edited May 13, 2017 by Von Ithipathachai

[DaleCooper]

I like your ideas! I really like that you post skills and promotions. I love doppelsöldner class (I introduced it in my class chart too, but with name Conqueror). I wish you post more ^^

And you can take a look to my class chart if you want :3 

Soon ill illustrate my class tree with sprites (maybe after my university exams u.u)

[Von Ithipathachai]

14 minutes ago, DaleCooper said:

I like your ideas! I really like that you post skills and promotions. I love doppelsöldner class (I introduced it in my class chart too, but with name Conqueror). I wish you post more ^^

And you can take a look to my class chart if you want :3 

Soon ill illustrate my class tree with sprites (maybe after my university exams u.u)

Thanks!  I have all of the Lance-wielding unpromoted classes ready, but would not like to post them too quickly.

[Von Ithipathachai]

The Soldier class's design here mostly resembles its Awakening/Fates appearance, but with a different helmet and a mail skirt to make it look a little less anachronistic.  They share the option of promoting to Doppelsöldners with Mercenaries.

Here, the Knight class is instead known as Heavy Soldier to fit a more Roman theme.  I tried to make the design look particularly bulky while also bearing a passing resemblance to a Roman soldier (mainly in the shoulders, helmet, and shield).  This is especially important since the Reman military uses many of this class.  These Knights can also promote into Barons for more Resistance and the ability to wield Tomes.

These Cavaliers are meant specifically to look like light cavalrymen to contrast themselves with the more heavily armored Knights.  They also wear turbans reminiscent of Hardin and Alec from Shadow Dragon and Genealogy of the Holy War, respectively.  They are Lance-locked and gain Swords upon promotion to Paladin.  Speaking of promotion, instead of Great Knights (which will not be appearing in these class drawings), these Cavaliers promote into Dragoons, an original class of mine that acts as a tankier alternative to the Paladin and rides a flightless dragon called a drake.

In my class drawings, Pegasus Knights are known instead as Pegasus Riders (like in Thracia 776).  They are more covered up in my depiction than in traditional ones, as I imagine it must get rather chilly while flying through the air.  Male Pegasus Riders wear something resembling a modern-day flight suit (altered to fit the archaic/Medieval fantasy setting).  Female Pegasus Riders now wear full-body tights under their clothing, but are otherwise unchanged.  Also, they can now promote into Griffon Knights to gain the ability to wield Axes.

Edited May 16, 2017 by Von Ithipathachai
Renamed Knight to Heavy Soldier

[Von Ithipathachai]

The Fighter class's design is mostly based off the one from the GBA games with added gold trim around the sleeves and bottom.  These Fighters promote into Crusaders (renamed War Cleric class) instead of Warriors; that promotion has been given to the Hunter class instead.

The Brigand class's design is actually based more on the Pirate class's design from the DS games, with an added Arabian (is that right?) twist.  Aside from the new female design, there's not much else to say about it.

The Wyvern Rider's design is probably the most challenging I've yet had to do.  The main problem I had with making it was how I could make it look more distinct from its pegasus-riding counterpart.  Unlike with the previous classes up to now, I did not base it on any official designs, instead basing it mostly on my Pegasus Rider design with changes (that is, a little more armor) to make it look 'heavier' than what a pegasus might be able to handle.

[Von Ithipathachai]

The Archer class's design is rather simple, being largely based off its GBA look.  ...And that's about all there is to them, other than that they now have two unique promotions, Sniper and Ranger.

 

The Hunter class, on the other hand, is far more interesting.  Once again I turned to the movies for its design, basing it on Robin Hood as portrayed by Errol Flynn in The Adventures of Robin Hood (which I suddenly want to watch now).  Considering that the Hunter class has curiously been associated primarily with bandits and criminals for much of its history, the design seemed very fitting.  These Hunters now have a completely different promotion set; as Warriors they continue to focus on their Strength while gaining proper close-quarters protection in Axes, while as Assassins they focus on their Speed, seeing a natural progression from hunting wildlife to hunting other human beings and gaining the ability to weaken enemies at close and long range with Daggers.

Edited June 6, 2017 by Von Ithipathachai

[Von Ithipathachai]

The Thief class here wields Daggers as it does in Heroes, which was in turn based on the Dagger-wielding Ninja class from Fates.  (I always saw the Ninja class as the more proper iteration of the classic Thief class, with Outlaws coming across to me as more of a mix of Thieves and Hunters.)  Its appearance is mostly based on the class's (and Dew's) concept artwork for Genealogy of the Holy War.  This version of the class uses its promotion set from Sacred Stones, with Rogues becoming a "weapon master" class for Daggers a la Swordmasters or Berserkers.

[Von Ithipathachai]

This version of the Dark Mage class is a more traditional depiction, based on the Shaman class's appearance in the GBA games.  It can use Dark Tomes, but cannot do so until it learns Shadowgift, which works exactly like Lumina, but for Dark Tomes, and can thus expand other Tome-wielding classes' weapon selections in the same manner.  These Dark Mages can also promote to Barons as well as Sorcerers, further enhancing their defensive edge over Mages, but also making them weak to anti-Armor weapons in the process.

This version of the Mage class is designed with more of a martial arts theme in mind than other depictions; this extends to its Mage Fighter promotion.  This version can also use Light Tomes like its Shadow Dragon/Mystery of the Emblem version, but it cannot do so until its learns Lumina, which can then be carried over to other Tome-wielding classes, allowing those to use Light Tomes as well.

Edited May 23, 2017 by Von Ithipathachai

[Von Ithipathachai]

The Priest and Cleric here are essentially a single class referred to by a different name depending on gender.  Both designs are based on the Priest's Tellius incarnation, though I took some more liberties with the female design.  They promote into either Crusaders (renamed War Monk/War Cleric class) or Bishops.

The Troubadour has been redesigned to look more like a medieval bard (that is, the class's namesake that traveled through Europe in the Middle Ages performing lyric poetry).  Male Troubadours learn Gentilhomme and female ones learn Demoiselle like in Fates, though their descriptions have been merged for the sake of conciseness.  They have two unique promotions.  It can promote into Hussar, which capitalizes on its base class's unusually high base Strength with access to Swords (in other words, like the female version of the Paladin class seen in Thracia 776), or alternatively the more familiar Strategist, which sticks to magic for combat and wields Tomes.

Those are all of the unpromoted classes!  Next up are the two non-promoting classes I plan on including, followed by the promoted classes.  (Those ought to be quite challenging!)

Edited May 23, 2017 by Von Ithipathachai
Priests now promote into Bishops

[Von Ithipathachai]

EDIT:  Apparently there's already a kingdom called Gallia in the Tellius games.  So I had to rename it.  Dangit.

So as a sort of intermission between unpromoted and promoted class drawings, I decided to try making a map of the continent that my OCs inhabit.  It currently does not have its own name and for now is being referred to simply as the Ferencan continent (for one of the kingdoms).  This is a political map of the various nations, as I haven't thought a whole lot about complex geography yet.

 

The nations:

Rema- A kingdom based on the Roman Empire.  Its original royal family was ousted in a military coup, and its current king has plans to conquer the continent.

Ferenca- A typical Fire Emblem kingdom based on Medieval Europe.  The last surviving princess of Rema's original royal family fled and died here, survived by a single daughter, the bandit Carol, born within the country.

Feniz- A kingdom based on the lower Mediterranean (Arabia and northern Africa).  It has a prominent trade economy, bordering or otherwise in close proximity of most of the other nations, and its king has notably tried hard to stay on the king of Rema's good side, sending him tributes such as material goods and even a servant girl to whom the king of Rema took a fancy and made a concubine (Prince Claudus is a product of this relationship).

Tirna- A kingdom based on Celtic and possibly Norse civilization.  It is inhabited by a number of tribes that are often too busy fighting amongst themselves to pay mind to affairs outside of their own country, and they and the other nations largely ignore each other.

Xanadu- A kingdom loosely based on East Asia.  It is isolated from other nations by sea and mountains, and few foreigners besides seafaring merchants have set foot within its borders.

Aegan Islands- A kingdom based on Ancient Greece.  One of the most peaceful nations of the Gallian continent, its military is particularly underdeveloped, making it a prime target for Reman annexation.

Therian Islands- A group of islands inhabited by the Therians, a people with the ability to transform into fierce beasts who were driven from Gallia in ages long past.  The island is also inherited by a few other barbarian tribes.  Like Xanadu, few outsiders have been there.

I'd appreciate feedback and suggestions on what I may improve.

Edited May 29, 2017 by Von Ithipathachai
Gallia renamed to Ferenca

[Von Ithipathachai]

The following classes cannot promote, but have Level caps of 40 to compensate.

This version of the Dancer class is visually based on the dancers seen in Shadows of Valentia's opening narration.  I looked at many different past incarnations of the Dancer class for inspiration, but in the end I found that the dancers in Shadows of Valentia best exemplified the sort of exotic beauty that the class seems to carry with it.  Though, I decided to cut its arm sash into two pieces because I thought those would be less likely to get caught on something than a single piece.  Anyway, this version of the Dancer class now wields Daggers as its main weapon of choice.  Those of you who've seen my thread about refresher units in FE Switch will know that I suggested Daggers as the class's new weapon since they make for a relatively light and easy to carry/conceal means of self-defense and can also debuff enemies to emphasize the class's primarily support role.

The Therians are essentially the Gallian continent's equivalent of Laguz/Taguel/Manaketes.  They can transform into powerful animals by using special Stones.  They originated in Ferenca and eastern Tirna, but most of them were forced to migrate to a group of islands (now known as the Therian Islands) further east by other hostile humans.  However, a few scattered groups still inhabit the more remote areas of the mainland, such as the Xanadese land border, and subsist as bandits or guides.  They have access to five different types of Stones for combat, which affect their stats and weaknesses:  Wolfstones for balanced stats (physical weapon, weak to anti-Beast), Catstones for Skill and Speed (physical weapon, weak to anti-Beast), Bearstones for Strength and Speed (physical weapon, weak to anti-Beast), Hawkstones for Speed, Resistance, and Movement (physical weapon, weak to anti-Beast/Flying), and Dragonstones for Magic and Defense (magical weapon, weak to anti-Dragon).  They have no weaknesses when untransformed.

Edited July 15, 2017 by Von Ithipathachai

[Von Ithipathachai]

Now that we're finally seeing my drawings for promoted classes, I think now would be a good time to post my actual class tree now that you all have information about the base classes and can refer to that if you have any questions.

Once again, we will start with my protagonist OCs' personal classes.

Claudus promotes into a Knight Lord, which is mounted, has balanced stats and mainly fixes his low Magic and Skill.  Its appearance is based on that of a classic sculpture of Augustus and symbolizes how Claudus has matured as a commander and leader.  It is one of only two promoted classes that has access to three different weapons, having Swords as its primary weapon, Lances as its secondary weapon, and Staves as its tertiary weapon.

Carol promotes into a Great Lord, which also has balanced stats and mainly enhances her solid Skill and Speed.  It has more armor than her previous class and shows her preparation for the difficult task of not only thwarting Rema's plans to conquer the Gallian continent, but also for taking her rightful place on the throne as Rema's queen.  It is one of only two promoted classes that has access to three different weapons, having Axes as its primary weapon, Swords as its secondary weapon, and Bows as its tertiary weapon.

Edited June 9, 2017 by Von Ithipathachai

[Zerxen]

This is a really creative class tree and while I am not too fond of weapon and magic hybrid classes, I find it great how you've managed to weave them in. This is so much better than the one I made.

[Von Ithipathachai]

25 minutes ago, Zerxen said:

This is a really creative class tree and while I am not too fond of weapon and magic hybrid classes, I find it great how you've managed to weave them in. This is so much better than the one I made.

Thank you!  I appreciate the feedback greatly!  I thought for a very long time (at least since Fates came out in the US) about what kinds of weapons would be best for the classes to maintain variety.

[Zerxen]

33 minutes ago, Von Ithipathachai said:

Thank you!  I appreciate the feedback greatly!  I thought for a very long time (at least since Fates came out in the US) about what kinds of weapons would be best for the classes to maintain variety.

Do you intend to make your own game with this class tree, or did you make this for yourself and decided to share it? When I am bored, I love brainstorming thoughts for a Fire Enblem game such as character and character names, mechanics, growth rates, etc.; your class tree reflects the type of ideas I get. 

Edited May 23, 2017 by Zerxen
Missing info

[Von Ithipathachai]

15 minutes ago, Zerxen said:

Do you intend to make your own game with this class tree, or did you make this for yourself and decided to share it? When I am bored, I love brainstorming thoughts for a Fire Enblem game such as character and character names, mechanics, growth rates, etc.; your class tree reflects the type of ideas I get. 

Much of my inspiration comes from the SNES and GBA games and other hacks.  I'd love to make a hack with this class tree and original continent, but I simply don't have the time or knowledge of the process to do so.  The very least I wanted to do was record my ideas somewhere and share them so that maybe someone else can make use of them.

I wouldn't mind making more OCs (complete with stats and growth rates) for this continent like Claudus and Carol, and indeed I have some ideas for a few, but would like to finish my drawings for promoted classes before I get too far ahead of myself.  XD

[Von Ithipathachai]

Instead of a traditional Eastern look for the Swordmaster (used for the Mage Fighter class instead), I decided on a Swordmaster design that extended from the Myrmidon's patterning after a European fencer, adding on a fancy jacket and ruffles.  Like in Fates, the Swordmaster is the only class capable of obtaining an S Rank in Swords.

The Mage Fighter's design adheres to the tradition of Myrmidons usually hailing from a particular country (Xanadu in the case of my original continent) while also extending from the Mage class's more kung-fu inspired design.  Interestingly, if promoted from the Mage class, this class and not the Bishop is the best class for wielding Light Tomes (since the Mage's other promotion, Bishop, has a Tome Rank that caps at B as well as a Staff Rank that caps at A).

[Von Ithipathachai]

The Doppelsöldner is inspired by the Landsknecht class from the Staff of Ages hack, but is designed to look more like an actual flamboyantly-dressed German Landsknecht.  Its name translates from German to "double-pay man", and historically referred to Landsknechte who fought on the front lines and took double pay for the greater risk.  The name fits either Mercenaries who have become more renowned and sought-after or experienced Soldiers of higher rank.  Stat-wise, they are essentially Basara from Fates with reduced Magic since they don't wield Tomes or Staves.

The Hero's appearance here is based on its concept art for Genealogy of the Holy War.  This version is largely identical to its official game appearances.

[Zerxen]

1 hour ago, Von Ithipathachai said:

The Doppelsöldner is inspired by the Landsknecht class from the Staff of Ages hack, but is designed to look more like an actual flamboyantly-dressed German Landsknecht.  Its name translates from German to "double-pay man", and historically referred to Landsknechte who fought on the front lines and took double pay for the greater risk.  The name fits either Mercenaries who have become more renowned and sought-after or experienced Soldiers of higher rank.  Stat-wise, they are essentially Basara from Fates with reduced Magic since they don't wield Tomes or Staves.

The Hero's appearance here is based on its concept art for Genealogy of the Holy War.  This version is largely identical to its official game appearances.

I really dig this topic, Von. It is a shame that this forum doesn't get more posts where the user shares their class tree with illustrations; it really adds on to the creative aspect of the work and we get to see a glimpse of your imagination which is a big bonus. Anyways, when you made these classes, did you ever have growth rates and maximum stats in mind? I see Pokemon fans assign base stats to their "Fakemon" and I don't really see FE fans do the same with their OCs unless they are making a hack.

Edited May 26, 2017 by Zerxen

[Von Ithipathachai]

8 hours ago, Zerxen said:

I really dig this topic, Von. It is a shame that this forum doesn't get more posts where the user shares their class tree with illustrations; it really adds on to the creative aspect of the work and we get to see a glimpse of your imagination which is a big bonus. Anyways, when you made these classes, did you ever have growth rates and maximum stats in mind? I see Pokemon fans assign base stats to their "Fakemon" and I don't really see FE fans do the same with their OCs unless they are making a hack.

...I thought about doing caps, but concluded that bases would be easier to calculate.  I also decided I'd hold off on growth rates until I started drawing individual OCs.

[Von Ithipathachai]

 

This version of the Sentinel class is designed to resemble a Greek hoplite.  Like in Fates (in which the class was known as Spear Master), the Sentinel is the only class capable of obtaining an S Rank in Lances.

Edited June 2, 2017 by Von Ithipathachai

[Von Ithipathachai]

The General's design is mostly based on my existing Heavy Soldier design, with added status symbols to signify its higher rank, such as a cape, helmet crest, brighter armor, and the gold sun emblem on its shield.  This version is largely identical to its GBA/3DS incarnation.

Out of all the class drawings I've done so far, the one for the Baron class is easily the one I'm most proud of, mainly because I feel I was able to flex my creative muscles with it more than I could with other classes.  This version is largely an approximation of its appearance in the Jugdral games as a magic-wielding armored class.  In terms of stats, it is largely a more well-rounded version of the General class with its most glaring flaw of very low Resistance patched up at the cost of being overall worse at fighting.  Unlike Barons in the Judgral games, these Barons can wield Dark Tomes if promoted from Dark Mages, but they will be inhibited by their maximum B Rank in Tomes.

Edited May 31, 2017 by Von Ithipathachai

[Rezzy]

I like the Mediterranean/Arabian style you have going.  It looks like you put a lot of thought into these.

My only gripe is you have the stats going horizontally rather than vertically like past FE games.