The Face Beneath: Difference between revisions

In order to obtain the Scythe of Sariel, Caspar must be the one to defeat the Death Knight. In order to one-shot the Death Knight, a unit would need (on Normal/Hard/Madding after Chapter 15) 73/83/99 physical attack or 68/77/96 magical attack; Caspar has boons and high base skill levels in [[axe]]s and [[gauntlets]], neither of which have weapons or [[combat art]]s effective against cavalry, with one exception. The axe art [[War Master's Strike]], learned by mastering [[War Master]], is effective against all units, including cavalry; however, War Master is a master class and mastering it may take some time, even with each of the saint statues' boosts. To two-shot him, a unit would need 49/56/67 physical attack or 44/50/64 magical attack, and 21/27/37 [[attack speed]]. Caspar can ignore the attack speed requirement with [[gauntlet]]s, a [[brave weapon]], or one of three [[combat art]]s which strike consecutively and increase [[crit]] by 10: [[Bombard]], [[Fierce Iron Fist]], or [[Hunter's Volley]]. Hunter's Volley is the art Caspar is least likely to learn, as it requires mastering [[Sniper]], and Caspar's weakness in bows makes it harder for him to reach the requirements for the class; it is the only art of three to increase hit, though with Caspar's [[Born Fighter]], it is only by 5 points compared to the other two. Bows generally have similar hit to gauntlets, but usually have higher might. Caspar can learn Bombard at C+ brawling, but it only adds 3 might to each strike when gauntlets already strike twice. Fierce Iron Fist also adds little might, but it strikes three times—when striking thrice, Caspar needs 41/47/57 physical attack, or 36/41/54 magical attack with the [[Aura Knuckles]]; additionally, as Fierce Iron Fist strikes thrice, it is the art with which Caspar is the most likely to get at least one crit, potentially allowing him to defeat the death knight without meeting the bare minimum requirements. If Caspar was not significantly invested into, he is unlikely to meet the requirements to defeat the Death Knight alone.

With his goal set to lances, Caspar can reach D lances in only a few weeks—even less time with instruction and seminars—which allows him to use the [[Horseslayer]] and learn [[Tempest Lance]], at base [[strength]] using Tempest Lance and a Horseslayer, Caspar will deal 6 damage to the Death Knight on Maddening. If Caspar reaches C lances—which requires more investment than D but is still reasonable—he will learn the [[Knightkneeler]] combat art; at base strength using the [[Lance of Ruin]] and Knightkneeler, Caspar will 23 damage to the Death Knight on Maddening. Caspar will not be able to defeat the Death Knight without help this way, but he can reliably defeat him. If Caspar has not been invested into, the Death Knight can be weakened to 1 HP and Caspar can deal the last point of damage; on Normal and Hard, with his stats and skill levels as they are when he is first recruited in the Black Eagles, Caspar can deal at least 1 damage with [[Freikugel]] or a [[Devil Axe]] and [[Smash]]—on Maddening, he needs one point of strength from base to deal 1 damage with Freikugel and Smash. Weakening the Death Knight may be difficult, as [[Commander]] reduces the damage of [[gambit]]s and [[Counterattack]] does not allow ranged attackers to avoid damage. The [[Windsweep]] sword combat art, learned by [[Byleth]] and [[Dimitri]] at A and [[Yuri]] at C+, can prevent a counter attack, or the [[Subdue]] sword art, learned by mastering [[Lord]], can leave the Death Knight at 1 HP; both arts can be used with the cavalry-effective [[Rapier]].

One final potential strategy to defeat the Death Knight can be used if Caspar's recruitment is delayed until [[To War|Chapter 12]]. If recruited in Chapter 12 and certified as a Warrior, Caspar has 35 attack with the Smash combat art, and needs 41/47/57 attack to kill the Death Knight with a single critical hit. On Normal and Hard, the [[Killer Axe+]] provides enough might to do the job; on Maddening, the Freikugel has enough might to ensure a critical kills, although the [[Axe of Ukonvasara]] provides more crit chance and the 3 points needed to reach the one-shot threshold can easily be covered with a battalion.

Disregarding the Death Knight, the rest of the battle is a fairly straightforward rout map. There's little need to rush, so pull each group in one at a time and overrun them before moving onward. The only thing to worry about is the reinforcements that attack Caspar and Mercedes on turn 10. If at all possible, try to reunite them with the rest of the army by then.