#atinybitweird

[zombiecare-rot-art]

Hi  @atinybitweird !! I’m your secret santa this year!!! you requested green and something with winter food and my mind went straight to cookies whether he made them or not is up to you but he sure is excited to show them off!!

This is actually my first proper drawing using Clip Studio Paint and also my first animated gif using it too!! (and is going to be the only ones for a while because the the headache it was to make such a simple animation ahhhhhh)

My Insta/Twitter: @ zombiecare_rot

#Four Swords #Green Link #Four Swords Adventures #loz #loz fanart #four swords secret santa #four swords secret santa 2021 #digital art #gif #animated gif #green #legend of zelda #LoZ FSA #loz fs #my art #my gif #zombiecare rot's art #atinybitweird #zombiecarerotsart

[hauntinghyrule]

No Green in that ask about the FS Links breaking character? Ouch :')

Aaaw. If it helps, the reason he didn’t get included in that post is because he has so much character development!

‘Cause originally I was going to say something like: “Green is loyal to his friends and dedicated to protecting Hyrule, but even he can be pushed past his limits...”

... but that’s not really what’s happening here, is it? That’s not an out of character moment for Green, that’s a pre-character-development moment, set before he properly grew into his role as leader!

#kae replies #atinybitweird #green link #four swords #four swords headcanons #four swords meta

[imorphemi]

@atinybitweird

Merry Christmas Tato! I’m your secret santa and you requested Green, so here you go! A christmas morning with a bunch of gifts just for him! Hope you like it and thank you @imaginefourswords for hosting this!

#secret santa #christmas #loz #legend of zelda #green link #four swords #link #four swords adventures #four swords manga #fsa #atinybitweird #my art #arts

[youmixxx]

So, I just wanted to use the chance to promote @atinybitweird‘s new fic right here! It’s a really humble and gripping fic, which sends you on a little rollercoaster of feelings. She did an amazing job. It’s definitely worth a shot! Check out her work and leave her some love! :D

Warning: Contains major character death!

#four swords #other people's fic #blue link #green link #ao3 #character death #sad fic #atinybitweird

[flute--loops]

The Duality of Dumbass

This was part of the four swords summer swap and a gift for @atinybitweird!

#four swords #green link #blue link #loz #zelda #summer swap #doodles #this was really fun to draw! #I did all the coloring this afternoon

[4dorks-1windmage-1shadow]

The Links as D&D Characters, Part 3: Blue Link

Inspired by a question I saw on @hauntinghyrule ‘s blog. My character analysis and thoughts on what character class the boys would be if they were D&D characters, and why.

@atinybitweird drew her interpretation of D&D Blue! You can find him here

Green / Red / Vio / Shadow / Vaati / FS Zelda

As a preface, there won’t be any doubles on classes except in the case of dual-classing, and in those cases the first class I talk about my justifications for will be the primary class (i.e. the class they would have chosen at level one). My choices will be based on the character theming and personalities, even though at a base level it would be easy to say “they’re all paladins, duh” because of the implied “holy knight chosen by the gods to eradicate evil” concept.

You’d think Blue’s class would be an easy pick. Barbarians are a tank class with the highest potential HP pool (they’re the only class that gets a d12 for hit dice), and a special ability called Rage which gives them advantage on Strength checks and Strength saving throws, bonus damage to melee attacks, and resistance to bludgeoning, piercing, and slashing damage. It’s an easy shoe-in for Blue’s D&D class because he’s known for his temper. He’s hot-headed, stubborn, and engages in the most physical violence out of all the Links. But to say that Blue is only characterized by these things does a disservice to his character and to his role as a knight. Blue is a lot smarter than people give him credit for- he was the only one to notice something was amiss during the Erune story arc, and he’s shown to be kind in his own sort of clumsy way while trapped in the Temple of Darkness with Red. He’s a skilled enough fighter to go head to head with the Captain, and for a primary class, I think Fighter is actually a good way to go, with Barbarian being a secondary class. Fighter gives him access to all armor and weapons, Second Wind (which allows him to heal himself during battle), Action Surge, and the ability to re-roll failed saving throws. The Martial Archetype I would choose for him would be the Battle Master. Battle Master gives him a proficiency in artisan’s tools (which is nice if you head-canon Blue taking up any sort of crafting hobby as stress relief), and at 7th level the ability to learn combat capabilities of an enemy through observation and interaction with a creature outside of combat. The thing about Battle Master that fits Blue’s background as a knight in training is that it gives him access to Combat Superiority: a plethora of special moves (such as Parry, Riposte, Rally, Trip Attack, Feinting Attack, etc) that can be used during combat by spending special dice called superiority die. As a knight, Blue (by extension Link) would be trained in many different styles of combat and strategic maneuvers, which is why I think this fits well. It’s an opportunity to make him a much more tactical player than what is shown in the manga and its not actually that far removed from his character.  And the great thing about multi-classing him to Barbarian is that it does open up that option for Rage as a tactical option, and Rage doesn’t effect Combat Superiority. He can use the rage ability and still be able to use Parry, or Riposte, or Disarming Attack because none of the Battle Master maneuvers use concentration like some spellcasting would. With Unarmored Defense, he can forgo armor if he needs to and still be fairly defended against enemy attacks. Reckless Attack is just pretty fitting for Blue’s character- although he can be tactically minded, Blue is the personality that drives Link’s “I can do it on my own, I don’t need help” mentality- it gives him advantage on attacking but in turn makes him vulnerable to attacks. And remember when he sensed that Shadow Link’s rock spy was in the room with them during the Erune arc? Barbarians get Danger Sense, an ability that gives them advantage on Dexterity saving throws to avoid danger. He gets a boost in speed, and extra damage for critical attacks. The Barbarian-Fighter combination is basically about making Blue the best Tank/DPS melee combatant he can be. He’s a high Strength, Dexterity, and Constitution player so this combination really highlights those features. Xanathar’s Guide to Everything has a Barbarian subclass called Path of the Storm Herald. Path of the Storm Herald grants a barbarian an ability called Storm Aura, the effects of which depends on a chosen environment out of Desert, Sea, and Tundra. Blue’s Minish Cap element is Water, and so you’d think Sea would be the best environment to pick- I would disagree. Sea Storm Aura revolves around giving extra lightning damage to attacks, and resistance to lightning damage. Although it would give Blue the ability to breathe underwater and a swimming speed of 30 feet, fitting his water element, I would argue that the lightning damage type is more derivative of the wind element than of the water. Tundra Storm Aura is an ironic jab at Blue’s time being a frozen ice statue in the manga, but it actually still fits his water element connection; ice is just a solid form of water, and Blue doesn’t really need any help doing more damage between the Barbarian’s rage and improved critical hits and Battle Master’s maneuvers. Tundra gives Blue the ability to grant temporary hit points to those within 10 feet of him, as well as resistance to cold damage for both himself and those within the effected area of his aura. Furthermore, Blue wouldn’t suffer the effects of extreme cold, and he can freeze 5 foot cubes of water at will. I think the Storm Aura would be a fitting character choice for him- he learns to harness the power of cold and ice in order to protect himself from becoming a Bluecicle again. Preventative measures. Blue isn’t necessarily locked into his choice of environment though; he can change his choice when he takes a new level in Barbarian. However, if I’m reading it right, he would take both of the aura effects when choosing a different environment, meaning he couldn’t have the temporary hit point aura from Tundra AND the swimming speed, underwater breathing and lightning resistance from Sea. It would have to be one or the other. In conclusion, Blue is a multi-classed Battle Master Fighter and Path of the Storm Herald Barbarian. 

#let blue be tactical!!! #let him be rage!! #he can be both!! #four swords #blue link #dungeons and dragons #character analysis

[eeveelinktions]

It’s my FS Summer Swap for @ atinybitweird! I’ve drawn Green (though I feel weird since I haven’t drawn any of the boys in so long :0). The colors are very refreshing though. Thanks @imaginefourswords for hosting the event as always!

#legend of zelda #four swords #green link

[hauntinghyrule]

I know that's not really a question but I genuinely love your headcanons, especially when they're as relatable as no sense of direction whatsoever because same... Places I've gotten lost in so far include but are not limited to my own street bc I walked in from a different direction, a small cruise ship and a literal barn. But I DO have a question building on this because how do the Links find their way in the end? I like to think it's sheer luck and a VERY benevolent goddess.

Thank you! :D Really glad you enjoy them!!

I think you’re right on the money with that headcanon, too! It seems like after getting split up, their main method of getting from place to place becomes Miss Fairy’s teleportation, which seems to be at least a little bit random ^^;; So, yeah: sheer luck and the powers of the Goddesses. (Or more directly, the Yellow and Blue maidens, but I assume they get their powers from the Goddesses in turn)

#kae replies #atinybitweird #four swords

[hauntinghyrule]

Hey, thanks for worrying about my exams xD should all be fine tho But I also have an actual question, I didn't quite understand what Blue's power in your reverse AU is? You said he makes the dark mirror work reliably, but I thought it does that anyway in that it acts as a revival point for Shadow (or probably the Links in your AU) or a glorified crystal ball. Or is Blue the only one who can actually use it to watch the rest of the world and all?

To the first bit: I hope so! Good luck! ^_^

To clarify about the mirror thing: they can all use it as a respawn point, it’s the “glorified crystal ball” powers Blue has domain over.

Technically they could all try to use it for that, but... not very effectively. For everyone else, it’s like iffy voice-recognition software --

Vio: “Mirror, show me the Knights of Hyrule”

Mirror: *images of a coastline at low tide, the sky above dark and twinkling with stars*

Vio: “That’s-- I said HY-RULE not TIDE POOL! Ugh...”

I also considered giving Blue this ability:

(since he had to suffer getting hit with it in canon, it seemed only fair xD ) but I’m not entirely sure that’s specifically a shadow ability -- since Link can do sword beams in the games, maybe that’s just A Thing Swords Do in the Zelda universe?

#kae replies #atinybitweird #role reversal au #four swords #blue link

[hauntinghyrule]

First time doing that so I hope I figured out how questions work, but is there a complete story to your role reversal AU? Did you ever write a full story about them or is it just the bits and pieces from this and your art account so far? Btw, your art is so nice to look at and, I don't know how to phrase it, but despite you having been one of my favorite artists for the last years you keep improving? That's just really cool.

At the moment, it’s just bits and pieces. I do have some (tentative) plans to maybe do some comics covering how a few pivotal scenes from the manga would play out in the AU! Not the whole thing start-to-finish, though. That would be a huge undertaking ^^;;

Also, thank you! :D  I think improving is pretty much inevitable for anyone who practices a skill regularly, and I’m glad the progress shows!

#kae replies #atinybitweird

[4dorks-1windmage-1shadow]

The Links as D&D Characters Part 1: Green Link

I started writing this as a reblog of a question that @hauntinghyrule​ got on his blog, but then it was getting WAY too long and all I had written was just about Green. D&D is one of my favorite subjects/games since I got into it in 2017, courtesy of a couple of very good DMs and the weird camaraderie that comes from sharing a dorm floor with a bunch of gaming majors. My thoughts on what classes the characters of Four Swords and the Minish Cap would be have definitely evolved since then and I think I’m in a good position to try to answer the question: What character class would each of the boys be in Dungeons and Dragons?

@atinybitweird drew her interpretation of D&D Green! You can find it here

Red / Blue / Vio / Shadow / Vaati / FS Zelda

As a preface, there won’t be any doubles on classes except in the case of dual-classing, and in those cases the first class I talk about my justifications for will be the primary class (i.e. the class they would have chosen at level one). My choices will be based on the character theming and personalities, even though at a base level it would be easy to say “they’re all paladins, duh” because of the implied “holy knight chosen by the gods to eradicate evil” concept. That being said. . .

Green’s class is Paladin- specifically the Oath of Devotion subclass. Paladin is a high Strength, high Charisma based class, which actually fits Green fairly well- as Link, he was training as a knight for presumably a good amount of his childhood and seeing as in the first chapter of the manga he’s seen kicking the ass of a grown man, I would assume he has higher strength and dexterity so a class that values that would fit best. 

You could ask: why not make him a Ranger? or a Barbarian? or a Fighter? Those are all strength based classes, right? In order, my answers are: Rangers are usually more dexterity based, since most ranger PCs opt for ranged weapons like bows. While I don’t doubt that Green has high dexterity, and we DO see him using a ranged weapon (the boomerang), I think the tenets of the Oath of Devotion Paladin fit him better (more on that later though.) Barbarian isn’t a great fit either, because that class hinges on the Rage ability that Barbs are known for, and Green is rarely shown being truly angry at anything, even in his arguments with Blue. Fighter would actually be my secondary choice for him, but there’s more emphasis on combat mastery with that class, and less emphasis on the Charisma. Green is not the most charismatic of the Links- that honor goes to Red. However, he is the de facto leader of the group. He shows himself to be kind and helpful, and is pretty much always the first to rally the group around a common goal, and while that’s not necessarily what Paladins are known for, the features of the class lend itself well to that. You get to choose two skills from Athletics, Insight, Intimidation, Medicine, Persuasion, and Religion, and three of those have to do with interacting with people (Insight, Intimidation, Persuasion). Green in this case, would have Persuasion and Athletics. On top of that, the class features contribute greatly to team play: high-level paladins have Aura of Protection-which gives a bonus to allies within 10 feet (expanding to 30 feet later on) that helps them evade harmful effects- and Aura of Courage, which makes it so that allies within 10 feet (later 30 feet) can’t be frightened as long as you’re still conscious. Paladins also can sense the locations of celestials, fiends and undead creatures, can do extra radiant damage with their weapons against fiends and undead, and have a healing pool that they can expend on their self or an ally to keep them from dying too hard in battle. They also become immune to disease so that’s useful as well, and they get limited spellcasting- which means Green gets access to stuff like Compelled Duel, Zone of Truth, Revivify. He doesn’t even need to be dual-classed because Paladin pretty much covers every conceivable asset of his character- protective, diplomatic, a leader in his own right. But there’s more: Paladin sub-classes, called Sacred Oaths, are the paths that a paladin is bound to at 3rd level. Oath of Devotion in particular strikes me as fitting for Green’s character. While he’s not devoted to any particular god or goddess (unless you really want to read into Zelda being a reincarnated form of Hylia), he is devoted to Princess Zelda, to his father, to the safety of Hyrule and the people within it. The Tenets of Devotion seem very much like a knight’s code of honor, which would be something ingrained into Green while he was Link. The Tenets of Devotion are: Honesty (Don’t lie or cheat. Let your word be your promise); Courage (Never fear to act, though caution is wise); Compassion (Aid others, protect the weak, and punish those who threaten them. Show mercy to your foes, but temper it with wisdom); Honor (Treat others with fairness, and let your honorable deeds be an example to them. Do as much good as possible while causing the least amount of harm), and Duty (Be responsible for your actions and their consequences, protect those entrusted to your care, and obey those who have just authority over you.). All of these tenets are traits that Green shows throughout the manga (with some exceptions) and the only thing setting him apart from a regular knight is the fact that he wields a magical holy sword (which by the way, he gets to empower as a paladin using one of the Devotion Channel Divinity features). It fits his strong sense of justice and all around just makes sense for his character and even his story arc throughout the manga. Paladins are a tank class, but they can only take so much damage before they’re forced to rely on other classes to back them up (that Lay on Hands HP pool doesn’t last forever); Green’s arc (as the character most closely associated with Link,) is about learning the power of teamwork while also coming into his own power as a hero. And also saving the Princess from an evil demon, which is like the perfect D&D story line for a paladin.

#four swords #dungeons and dragons #green link #character analysis #kaenith i got real fucking excited about this #next will be red #then blue #vio and shadow #princess zelda #and vaati #stay tuned

[youmixxx]

Two new fics in one week and one of them is actually my first multi-chapter fic! Damn, we are feeling ambitious lately! :D I’ve been tackling the 20′s theme recently and did a lot of brainstorming and thinking with the aid of @atinybitweird, until eventually this fic came along. I decided to go with Blue/Green for this one, because those two loveable dorks are valid and definitely need more attention!  I hope you enjoy the first chapter! Make sure to check the tags for potential sensitizing themes!

#four swords #blue link #green link #blue link/green link #fanfic #ao3 #golden 20's inspired au #multi-chapter fic #snogging in an alleyway

[4dorks-1windmage-1shadow]

The Links as D&D Characters, Part 5: Shadow Link

Inspired by a question I saw on @hauntinghyrule ‘s blog. My character analysis and thoughts on what character class the boys would be if they were D&D characters, and why. Also! @atinybitweird has been drawing the boys D&D designs, and she’s doing really great! I’ll link to her posts on the individual analysis as well as reblog them here so look out for those : D

Green / Red / Blue / Vio / Vaati / FS Zelda

As a preface, there won’t be any doubles on classes except in the case of dual-classing, and in those cases the first class I talk about my justifications for will be the primary class (i.e. the class they would have chosen at level one). My choices will be based on the character theming and personalities, even though at a base level it would be easy to say “they’re all paladins, duh” because of the implied “holy knight chosen by the gods to eradicate evil” concept. For Shadow, there are plenty of shadowy-themed D&D subclasses to choose from. Kaenith mentioned Way of the Shadow Monk in his initial answer on his blog which is actually not a bad pick for him. However, I wouldn’t initially say that Monk is the class for Shadow, because he’s shown relying on magic much more than martial arts (like a Monk would) or even swordplay (like the other Links). He has a sword in the manga, but I think it’s mostly for show- a visual parallel to Link, who does use his sword to fight. This is just a small part of the big reason why I’ve chosen the particular classes and subclasses I have for Shadow, so lets look at the reason as a whole: Shadow’s origin, and how it ties well into the Sorcerer class.

The Four Swords manga and the Four Swords games don’t give us a lot of information about how Shadow Link was created (if he was born vs conjured like Dark Link) and also what exactly the Shadow Realm is. We never actually see the realm that Shadow came from (except for the Erune arc in the manga, and only a small town) so we have no idea if it is a true shadow version of Hyrule, like the Dark World/Lorule (if you believe they’re the same place) are. Furthermore we don’t see any evidence that there are others like Shadow Link, like we do with Lorule with Ravio being a parallel to Link and Hilda being a parallel to Princess Zelda. There’s nothing pointing to the idea that Shadow was born and raised the way a normal kid would be, and so the most logical conclusion canon-wise is that he was literally conjured from Link’s shadow. Magic would be weaved into every fiber of Shadow’s being, and we see this evidenced in the manga because he wields it naturally and easily against the Links. Sorcerers in D&D can be born as well as made, but the key thing that separates the magic sorcerers use from the magic used by wizards, bards, druids, clerics, and warlocks is that a sorcerers magic is innate, often carried through a bloodline or via transforming from the latent energy of a place. In this case, Shadow was literally made with the arcane magic he controls. Xanathar’s Guide to Everything introduced a Sorcerous Origin called Shadow Magic where the arcane magic is sourced from the Shadowfell (i.e. Shadow Realm for authenticity to Zelda), either through being exposed to and transformed by the energy of the place or from being descended from a denizen; neither of these situations are applicable to Shadow BUT I think being created from the source magic should and does count. The majority of Sorcerer abilities come from their Sorcerous Origin, but there are two features that all sorcerers regardless of origin gain that I think fit Shadow based on his story in the manga. Font of Magic and Metamagic can be linked to the Dark Mirror being Shadow’s source of life and magical power because of the abilities that Shadow is able to display while being linked to it. Font of Magic gives Shadow access to Sorcery Points, which he can spend to create new spell slots, or sacrifice spell slots to gain more sorcery points which effectively translates to giving himself more power to wield in battle. Metamagic lets him twist the magic of his spells to suit his own needs, using sorcery points to do so. It can let him double the range of spells, double the spells’ duration, potentially do more damage on a hit and target more than one opponent with a ranged spell that normally only targets one creature. I’m choosing to translate this as him getting a boost in power and flexibility that he normally wouldn’t have without the power of the Dark Mirror (though depending on your interpretation of post-manga shenanigans he could have these abilities anyway because of whatever method brought him back allowed him to have them). Back to Shadow Magic though. Thematically it makes the most sense: Shadow Link is created from shadow magic and thus is a Shadow Magic Sorcerer. But the abilities here are what we want to look at to see if it really fits. At 1st level, Shadow Magic gives Shadow a darkvision range of 120 feet, and the Strength of the Grave ability means he can charm his way out of death. That’s not entirely accurate- the actual text says he can take a Charisma saving throw and attempt to equal or exceed a target number equal to 5 + [amount of damage taken], and drop to 1 hit point instead of 0 if he succeeds. I think this makes sense- if he’s a shadow, he’d be able to slip out of battle or narrowly avoid life-threatening attacks just by the art of deception; this isn’t necessarily supported by the Sorcerer class itself, but if you mix the game canon into the manga canon, Shadow can technically clone himself and use those copies to his advantage. At 3rd level, he learns the Darkness spell without it counting against the amount of spells he knows, and he can cast it with either sorcery points or a spell slot (he can see through the effected area of the spell if he casts it using sorcery points). At 6th level, he can spend sorcery points to summon a shadow creature that effectively acts like an attack dog, which he can sic on a creature within 120 feet of him. Shadow is shown leading an army of monsters in the manga, so the Hound of Ill Omen feature actually lends itself well to that image- maybe one of the creatures he used to attack Hyrule Castle was his magically summoned shadow hound. It isn’t that far-fetched of an assumption to make. Shadow Walk lets him teleport through darkness and dim light up to a distance of 120 feet, which is an ability he already portrays in the manga and in the games. The only Shadow Magic ability he doesn’t get to benefit from is Umbral Form, and that’s because I want to call a parallel to Link that I think is fitting for Shadow’s role as his foil in the story. Shadow is not a copy of Link- I don’t want anyone to get confused by what I’m saying. However, he is still Link’s shadow, the reflection of everything Link could have become if he wasn’t the hero, didn’t grow up with all the people around him who loved him and supported him. Shadow’s main motivation in the story is loneliness and the desire to be recognized, but who is going to recognize him if he doesn’t make himself recognizable? I talked at length in my analysis of Green’s class about how Paladins take oaths that serve as pillars for their conduct and core beliefs as paladins, but what happens if you don’t have any of those beliefs or you did have them but chose to cast them away? In the Dungeon Master’s Guide, it describes a class option for Paladins called the Oathbreaker: essentially a paladin who has abandoned or broke their sacred oaths. Shadow probably never had any oaths to begin with, but he wanted to be recognized the way Link was, and so I think he chose to take the mantle of Paladin without really understanding what makes Link (Green) a true Paladin. He has to take at least 3 levels in Paladin to subclass as Oathbreaker, and that unlocks light and medium armor, shields and all weapons for him to use in combat. It also unlocks spells like Hellish Rebuke, Inflict Wounds, and if he takes up to 5th level in Paladin, the Crown of Madness spell. He still gets all of the normal Paladin abilities, but his Channel Divinity options are kind of the opposite of Green’s: He can control undead creatures with it, or use Dreadful Aspect to create an aura of fear around himself with a radius of up to 30 feet.  Depending on how you look at the option of Shadow being redeemable, there is an option for Oathbreaker Paladins to “atone” for their evil actions as an Oathbreaker. They lose the Oathbreaker features and gain the features of a Sacred Oath, and I can’t think of a more fitting tribute to his character journey than him becoming an Oath of Vengeance Paladin from the Player’s Handbook. It lets him fill a different niche of paladin than Green does, and takes his character into account in regards to the Tenets of Vengeance: Fight the Greater Evil (Faced with a choice of fighting my sworn foes or combating a lesser evil, I choose the greater evil). No Mercy for the Wicked (Ordinary foes might win my mercy, but my sworn enemies do not.) By Any Means Necessary (My qualms can’t get in the way of exterminating my foes) Restitution (If my foes wreak ruin on the world, it is because I failed to stop them. I must help those harmed by their misdeeds) Taking Oath of Vengeance in this way would replace Hellish Rebuke, Inflict Wounds and Crown of Madness with Bane, Hunter’s Mark, Hold Person and Misty Step, and the Channel Divinity features include Abjure Enemy (inflicting fear on a targeted creature) and Vow of Enmity (basically pointing at an enemy and saying “I choose you” and then he gets to attack them with advantage for a minute [10 rounds of combat]). In conclusion, Shadow ends up as a dual-classed Shadow Magic Sorcerer/Oathbreaker Paladin (later changing to Oath of Vengeance Paladin to account for character growth). 

#I like the fact that paladin has the option to go apeshit and evil #and likewise change from evil and apeshit to following some sort of moral code #none of the other classes have that distinction #i mean i GUESS you could change your wizard school if you thought that Divination wasn't working for you but you'd like to try Illusion b/c #that's basically the equivalent of changing your major #but you couldn't do that with sorcerer #i think it would only work if you and your dm really hashed out WHY said character would make such a huge choice to switch patrons or gods #or fighter types or whatever else #but with paladin there are actual rules #sorry im gay for dungeons and dragons #four swords #shadow link #character analysis #dungeons and dragons

[4dorks-1windmage-1shadow]

The Links as D&D Characters, Part 2: Red Link

Inspired by a question I saw on @hauntinghyrule ‘s blog. My character analysis and thoughts on what character class the boys would be if they were D&D characters, and why.

@atinybitweird drew her interpretation of D&D Red! You can find it here

Green / Blue / Vio / Shadow / Vaati / FS Zelda

As a preface, there won’t be any doubles on classes except in the case of dual-classing, and in those cases the first class I talk about my justifications for will be the primary class (i.e. the class they would have chosen at level one). My choices will be based on the character theming and personalities, even though at a base level it would be easy to say “they’re all paladins, duh” because of the implied “holy knight chosen by the gods to eradicate evil” concept. Red’s class is actually kind of a tough one. Although its still an option for a dual-class, paladin is already taken as a primary class, and even if it wasn’t, it wouldn’t be my first pick for Red. Red has _oodles_ of charisma, and so he’s more fit for charisma centric classes like Bard, Warlock or Sorcerer. Bard could be a good fit, since he’s the metaphorical “heart” of the team- keeps morale up, always cheerful, always optimistic, but I’m having trouble finding a WOTC Bard College that works. As a result, bard could be a good secondary class for him, but that still leaves finding a primary class. I’ve ruled out sorcerer because sorcerers get their magic innately, meaning that they’re born with it. And although I really like the idea of Red being a draconic sorcerer (because of the connection to his Minish Cap element, Fire) I don’t want to contribute to the “weakest Link” idea by making him a class with the least amount of health (Sorcerers only get a d6 for health die). So that leaves us with Warlock. Which. . .actually works pretty well for a couple of reasons. Warlock is a high Charisma, high Constitution class. Like I said before, Red is very charismatic, so it makes sense to pick a class for him that uses that charisma in a more attack-based way- also, he’s so energetic and upbeat that I can’t imagine him not  being healthy enough to have high constitution. I also think it coincides with is personal journey in the manga- becoming more confident in himself, and standing up for himself when it matters seems like a fitting story for a warlock. Warlock spellcasting is more limited than the other full casters like wizards, sorcerers, and bards; warlocks only ever learn four cantrips, and only ever have four spell slots, and can only learn up to 5th level spells. Through Mystic Arcanum at 11th level and up, they can learn one spell of 6th, 7th, 8th and 9th level each, casting them at will without using spell slots, but most of their attacking and buff spells are 5th level and lower. Red is only shown using magic through a fire rod and ice rod, so his spell set is technically limited in the manga as well. However, the main reason boils down to the Otherworldly Patron. Warlocks are magic users that gain their magic through a pact with a super-natural being, and there are two viable options for subclasses here: the Archfey patron from the Player’s Handbook, and the Celestial patron from Xanathar’s Guide to Everything. Red as a Celestial warlock would be fitting from the point of view of his role in the Four Swords story. Like Green, he’s trying to save a princess from a demon, and celestial patrons usually make their warlocks hunt down fiends and undead. Celestial warlocks are very much like more spellcasting oriented paladins or clerics (that last one is kind of redundant b/c clerics are spellcasting oriented but you get my point). They offer access to the Light cantrip and spells like Cure Wounds, Guiding Bolt, Flaming Sphere, Lesser Restoration, as well as a pool of d6 dice to heal allies, the ability to give temporary HP to allies (effectively giving them an HP boost), and bonus radiant damage at high levels. This sounds pretty good for him, until you think: man, that kind of treads on Green’s territory with the paladin class. You’d be right- most of the spells granted with Celestial Warlock are also on the Paladin’s list. Furthermore, we have less of an emphasis on arcane magic, like Red uses via the fire/ice rod, and more on divine magic.  On the other hand (the stronger hand IMO), Archfey patron has a tangible link to the manga. Throughout the mid-story, Red travels around looking for his friends with a fairy- and if we pretend that the D&D story is separate from the manga story and Miss Fairy isn’t a product of the Blue Maiden’s magic, that would make her a pretty good patron (interesting even, that she travels around with him). Fey are known to be charming, beguiling, whimsical and mischievous, traits that Red shares with them. Archfey Warlocks gain access to spells like Faerie Fire, Sleep, Calm Emotions, Plant Growth, Dominate Beast and Dominate Person; they can make creatures within a ten-foot cube charmed or frightened of them, can turn invisible and teleport upon taking damage, and can become immune to being charmed themselves, reflecting enchantment magic on the caster. At the highest level, they can even plunge creatures into illusory realms. This doesn’t seem like a very Red thing to do at first glance, but he’s been shown to be vindictive at times (lighting Blue’s ass on fire, everyone?), and when the going gets tough he can and does stand up for himself. And the choice of a Pact Boon is much easier with this subclass: Pact of the Chain gives him Find Familiar as a spell and lets him get a pet to use for attacking and spellcasting. But there’s still one more thing I’m not really sure about. . . Red is an inspiring force on the team- while he doesn’t fall into the role of a natural leader, like Green, he’s undeniably a positive and optimistic force to behold. He cares so goddamn much for the others and inspires them to keep their spirits up, and that’s like the entire purpose of a Bard. But the problem I ran into- Bard subclasses not really fitting his character- puts a damper on that being his primary class. The great thing about multi-classing is that you can take what levels you want, when you want. . .and you only need to be a 1st level Bard to get Bardic Inspiration. I want this feature for Red because of his role as the “heart” of the party. Bardic Inspiration allows him to give his allies a d6 dice that they can use to bolster their attacks, defenses, reflexes, even their normal skill sets (like just being smart or acrobatic and shit). With a high Charisma stat, Red would have plenty to go around, and dual-classing one level in Bard would give him one skill of his choice (i would go with Persuasion for him, personally) and one musical instrument proficiency (ocarina ocarina ocarina-) His Warlock spell-casting doesn’t really get effected, and he’s got access to 1st level bard spells and bard cantrips- meaning he gets to roast bad guys until they DIE  with Vicious Mockery. So my conclusion is this: Red is an Archfey Warlock with a Pact of the Chain familiar, and he has one level in Bard for access to Bardic Inspiration.

#four swords #dungeons and dragons #red link #character analysis #if there was a way of the yin and yang monk with a fire/ice motif that would also be a good alhtough superficial pick #but there is not #sadly

[4dorks-1windmage-1shadow]

Princess Zelda as a D&D Character, Part 7 Final: FS/FSA Princess Zelda

Inspired by a question I saw on @hauntinghyrule ‘s blog. My character analysis and thoughts on what character class Princess Zelda would be if she was a D&D character, and why. Also! @atinybitweird has been drawing the boys D&D designs, and she’s doing really great! I’ll link to her posts on the individual analysis as well as reblog them here so look out for those : D

Green / Red / Blue / Vio / Shadow / Vaati

As a preface, there won’t be any doubles on classes except in the case of dual-classing, and in those cases the first class I talk about my justifications for will be the primary class (i.e. the class they would have chosen at level one). My choices will be based on the character theming and personalities, even though at a base level it would be easy to say “they’re all paladins, duh” because of the implied “holy knight chosen by the gods to eradicate evil” concept. HA I TRICKED YOU AGAIN It’s time to analyze Princess Zelda from the Four Swords manga/game. I’m analyzing this version of Zelda because this blog is Four Swords/Minish Cap specific content, but I could analyze analyze any iteration of Zelda and come up with a different class/subclass for each. (I might do that anyway, just because this was fun to do). Princess Zelda is the descendant of the reincarnation of the goddess Hylia in mortal form, and the bearer of the Triforce of Wisdom. She effectively counts as the mortal avatar of two goddesses: Hylia, the patron goddess of the Hylian race, and Nayru, the goddess of Wisdom. Technically speaking, Clerics in D&D are divine servants of the gods, but I don’t think it’s a stretch to say that in this way they become mortal avatars of the gods like Princess Zelda is. Cleric is fitting for FS/FSA Zelda as it is her divine and royal duty to watch over the kingdom of Hyrule, and attempt to prevent cataclysmic events like those that happen in the games and manga. Admittedly she doesn’t get to have a lot of agency in the games or the manga, but with the power of Dungeons and Dragons and also throwing all of canon out the window WE CAN CHANGE THAT! Clerics are one of the two classes who’s purpose in D&D falls under “healer”, but they also have really great combat capability. I think it works for Zelda because she knows when to put her foot down, and her holy powers are strong enough to seal Ganon with the help of the Links. Clerics are a high Wisdom-based class, with Wisdom being their spellcasting stat, so it fits Zelda’s role as the bearer of the Triforce of Wisdom. On top of that, they’re specifically built to combat the forces of the undead, with their base Channel Divinity options being Turn Undead (THE POWER OF NAYRU COMPELS YOU TO FUCK OFF), which later upgrades with Destroy Undead at 5th level (that’s pretty self-explanatory). At 10th level Zelda can call upon her deity, or rather the power of the Triforce, to perform an act of divine intervention, with a percentage equal to her current level that it will work, and at 20th level such a act succeeds automatically. So in terms of Zelda’s role in the story and her role in the universe as a whole, cleric checks all of the basic boxes for “divine avatar of the gods”. Zelda’s role as a princess actually somewhat ties into the Divine Domain that I’ve chosen for her; the Knowledge Domain. The Divine Domain is based on the powers of a Cleric’s deity and grants spells which are always prepared for the cleric and don’t count against the number of spells they can prepare, as well as additional Channel Divinity options related to the subject of their domain. I chose Knowledge Domain for Zelda for three reasons, one of which is related to the fact that she is a Princess:

1. According to the Player’s Handbook, gods of knowledge value learning and understanding above all, sharing and gathering knowledge, and promote practical knowledge of craft and invention. In the A Link to the Past manual, we learn that Nayru (Zelda’s domain deity) “created science and wizardry, and brought nature to order”; in Ocarina of Time, she “gave the spirit of law to the earth”; in Majora’s Mask, it’s implied that Nayru may have been worshiped as the Goddess of Time due to her responsibility for the physical and meta-physical rules for Hyrulean existence and her creation of space-time itself. Even if you look at her associated Water Temples throughout the games, it takes a lot of patience and brain-power to get through those dungeons. With Nayru as Zelda’s Cleric deity, it makes sense to have her Cleric powers associated with the domain that Nayru’s Wisdom falls under. (I know that Knowledge is not the same as Wisdom, but you can’t have Wisdom without Knowledge.) 2. As was pointed out by Kaenith in another answer on his blog, Zelda in FS seems to have the power of prescience. She has visions of ill omens in both the manga and the games, and the Knowledge Domain cleric spells include many spells from the School of Divination: Identify, Augury, Arcane Eye and Scrying. She also would have some handle on magic or knowledge of magic based on her ability to take down Ganon while helping the Links in the final fight. As part of the 1st level benefits of the Knowledge Domain, she can take proficiency in the Arcana skill, which “measures your ability to recall lore about spells, magic items, eldritch symbols, magical traditions, the planes of existence, and the inhabitants of those planes” (Player’s Handbook, Page 177) to reflect this. 3. I don’t know much about royalty, but I know (based on the plethora of princess related media I’ve seen in my 5-days-away-from-21 years of living) that Princesses are highly trained in an array of areas, including history, linguistics, politics, diplomacy, dancing, etc, etc. As I mentioned, 1st level benefits of Knowledge domain allows her to learn two extra languages, as well as become proficient in two skills from Arcana, History, Nature, or Religion; which she can then double her proficiency bonus if she uses either of those two skills. It fits thematically that a Princess trained in many areas of personal and professional skills would take up a domain that highlights those skills. Interestingly, the 2nd level Channel Divinity option from Knowledge Domain allows her to become proficient with a chosen skill or tool for 10 minutes, which I think can be translated into her having skills that might be surprising for a Princess to have (such as sneaking around, or poisoning people : D). The Channel Divinity option at 6th level gives her the ability to read the surface thoughts of a creature within 60 feet of her for 1 minute, and then she can use her action to end the effect and cast suggestion without expending a spell slot- the creature automatically fails the saving throw to resist the spell. She gets to basically mind control creatures who aren’t immune to those kinds of effects, which could potentially be useful in any number of situations. at 8th level, she can add her Wisdom modifier to the damage she deals with Cleric cantrips, and the final benefit from Knowledge Domain calls back to her gift of divination. Visions of the Past (17th level) allows her to call visions of past events that relate to an object she holds or her immediate surroundings through the power of prayer and meditation. She can learn the events going as many days back up to her Wisdom modifier, from the more significant details to the more mundane. I’m sure she would agree that a thorough knowledge of the past helps with preparedness for disaster in the future. . .especially since she didn’t foresee her own kidnapping at the hands of Vaati and Shadow Link. But remember, we’re giving her utility and agency, which means she got kidnapped and then pulled out a massive warhammer from her Zelda-style inventory and WHACKED Shadow in the face and went “Were it not for the laws of this land I would kill you.” Princess Zelda from Four Swords/Four Swords Adventures is a Knowledge Domain Cleric!

#IT IS DONE!!!! #I HAVE FINISHED!!! #four swords #princess zelda #character analysis #dungeons and dragons #LOOK UPON MY REALM OF LEGEND OF ZELDA/DUNGEONS AND DRAGONS ANALYSIS AND TREMBLE!!!!

[4dorks-1windmage-1shadow]

Vaati as a D&D Character, Part 6: Vaati

Inspired by a question I saw on @hauntinghyrule ‘s blog. My character analysis and thoughts on what character class the boys would be if they were D&D characters, and why. Also! @atinybitweird has been drawing the boys D&D designs, and she’s doing really great! I’ll link to her posts on the individual analysis as well as reblog them here so look out for those : D

Green / Red / Blue / Vio / Shadow / FS Zelda

As a preface, there won’t be any doubles on classes except in the case of dual-classing, and in those cases the first class I talk about my justifications for will be the primary class (i.e. the class they would have chosen at level one). My choices will be based on the character theming and personalities, even though at a base level it would be easy to say “they’re all paladins, duh” because of the implied “holy knight chosen by the gods to eradicate evil” concept.  HA I TRICKED YOU We’re talking about Vaati now. I’m gonna blow your mind. Here’s a revolutionary concept I bet nobody’s thought of before (I’m being sarcastic do NOT message me): Vaati’s not a sorcerer, he’s a wizard. Or rather he was a wizard before he abandoned his studies to cheat his way to becoming a powerful Sorcerer. But Athena, he’s the Sorcerer of Winds, not the Wizard of Winds? Why is he a wizard then? BECAUSE CHILDHOOD THAT’S WHY. Vaati’s origin story is that he was the apprentice of a renowned and legendary Minish sage, Ezlo. Wizards are the only magic users who become magic users through study- both personal study and through apprenticeships and formal schooling. Until Vaati used Ezlo’s Wishing Cap to turn himself into a Sorcerer (thereby dual-classing from an intelligence based spellcaster to a charisma based spellcaster), he was probably learning to harness the arcane arts through good old fashioned book learning (and of course, Ezlo’s tutelage). He may have even chosen an Arcane Tradition to study under Ezlo before realizing that the Wishing Cap was a quicker shortcut to the power and change that he wanted to enact. You only need 2 levels in Wizard to choose an Arcane Tradition, and at that point the only abilities Vaati really has is some low-level Wizard spellcasting, Arcane Recovery, and the 2nd level Arcane Tradition ability which is pretty fitting and just shows how lazy Vaati ended up being.  Every Arcane Tradition has a little section telling you what the school of magic is about, and the one that made me think “oh yeah, that’s what Vaati would be into” was the School of Transmutation description. It reads thus:

 “You are a student of spells that modify energy and matter. To you, the world is not a fixed thing, but eminently mutable, and you delight in being an agent  of change. You wield the raw stuff of creation and learn to alter both physical forms and mental qualities. Your magic gives you the tools to become a smith on reality’s forge.

Some transmuters are tinkerers and pranksters, turning people into toads and transforming copper into silver for fun and occasional profit. Others pursue their magical studies with deadly seriousness, seeking the power of the gods to make and destroy worlds.” - Player’s Handbook, Page 119

You’ll notice I bolded some stuff in those paragraphs- that’s because they can directly relate to events in Vaati’s timeline as a character. He has five forms which, as far as I know, makes him the villain with the most forms out of all the Zelda villains. His most plot relevant moments involve him transmuting someone into a different form including himself, the Gleerok in the Cave of Flames, the Great Mayfly Fairy (in the manga), Ezlo, and Princess Zelda. His element is Wind, which is most commonly associated with change, adaptation and flexibility, and Transmutation is about mastering magic that does these exact things. Vaati’s ultimate goal was to become a “perfect” version of himself by finding the Light Force and using it to turn himself into a god, which worked for the entire Vaati Reborn battle. If he had just applied himself to his studies under Ezlo, he wouldn’t have needed to cheat and use the Wishing Cap to make himself a powerful sorcerer. Just for fun, lets talk about what he would have gained by only being a wizard. First, he would have access to certain spells that he could cast without using spell slots, including Polymorph. School of Transmutation lets him create a Transmuter’s Stone, which he can use to grant himself darkvision, increase his speed, grant himself proficiency in Constitution saving throws, or resistance to acid, cold, fire, lightning or thunder damage. This Transmuter’s Stone could later be used to emit a burst of power that would allow him to transform objects no bigger than a 5 ft cube into other objects of similar sizes, masses and value, as well as remove all curses, diseases and poisons from an afflicted person while healing them to their maximum HP; he would be able to cast Raise the Dead without using a spell slot and even if he didn’t have it written in his spell book, and even use it to reverse the effects of aging on a person to a minimum of 13 years. He could have had a fucking Philosopher’s Stone but he CHEATED!!! Wizards by far have the most diverse amount of spells that they can learn, and by only taking 2 levels in wizard he locks himself into only having access to level 1 wizard spells and cantrips.  By taking Sorcerer, he still gets access to 9th level sorcerer spells, but the amount of 4th, 5th, 6th, 7th, 8th and 9th level sorcerer spells is half the amount of wizard spells of those same levels. His spells have a wider range of versatility with the Metamagic options supplied by the Sorcerer class, and although he wouldn’t get the cool perks of Transmutation Wizard, Storm Sorcery is nothing to joke about. This is where the Sorcerer of the Winds part comes in- Vaati altered reality using the Wishing Cap and imbued himself with the power of elemental air. He finally gets to use those sweet sweet Evocation, Conjuration and Necromancy spells that I theorize Ezlo wouldn’t have let him dabble into much because the Minish are a peaceful race- why would their sages need to know Meteor Swarm (Evocation) or Flaming Sphere (Conjuration) or Soul Cage (Necromancy)? And Storm Sorcery perks are pretty awesome. Vaati learns to speak, read and write the language of elementals, and whenever he casts a spell of 1st level or higher he can fly up to 10 feet without provoking opportunity attacks. He gains resistance to lightning and thunder damage, and when casting spells of 1st level or higher that deal lightning or thunder damage he can cause anyone within 10 feet of him to take lightning/thunder damage equal to half his sorcerer level automatically. Eventually, when he’s hit with melee attacks he can deal lightning damage to the attacker equal to his sorcerer level and push them away with a burst of wind, up to 20 feet. And his two levels in wizard mean that he still gets the highest Storm Sorcery ability at 18th level: immunity to lightning and thunder damage, and a magical flying speed of 60 feet. Vaati’s transformation really just gives him all of his wishes on a platter, no pun intended- the freedom to fly and power to wield the elements and change himself on the fly- and his high Intelligence stat means he knows how to use those abilities to gain the advantage, making him a formidable opponent and party member. In conclusion, Vaati is a level 2 Transmutation Wizard, who dual-classed to Storm Sorcery Sorcerer through the power of a wish.

#IM SO PISSED #I HAD THIS POST WRITTEN OUT #AND THEN MY COMPUTER ZOOMED OUT BECAUSE MY HANDS BRUSHED AGAINST THE TOUCH PAD #AND IT DELETED MY WHOLE FUCKING POST #AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH #THIS WAS WRITTEN OUT OF RAGE #FUCK FUCK FUCK FUCK #FUCK THIS SHIT #FUCK MY SHITTY COMPUTER #four swords #minish cap #vaati #character analysis #dungeons and dragons #im done writing this and less angry so i will just say #vaati changing from an intelligence spellcaster to a charisma spellcaster makes sense if you take into account four swords games #specifically the first one #where he kidnaps maidens and stuff #which means he had a stupid amount of confidence in how charming he actually was or he actually was that charming #and zelda was just having none of it #editing the tags to say #what if the wishing cap was a wizard hat #just sayin y'all