Spellcrafts: OCs, Alts, and More (2/4: Grattius- Vainglorious Pontiff)

[SpellcraftQuill]

Welcome back to the stage of history my fellow Creators of Souls!

I am glad that Soulcalibur VI has finally released. Ever since I could first speak, I was told that I'd be able to come up with long stories. I always wanted study game design, but lacked both the technical and artistic skills required, so it was best for me to focus on my writing. Soulcalibur has provided me the opportunity to see my original characters come to life in a way until I can feel more confident about my writing and artistic skills.

The majority of my custom characters will be from my pet project, Kingsbane. The lack of alternate costumes for the main cast is also jarring, so I'll also be providing secondary appearances. I may also post custom characters from other favored series such as Game of Thrones and Fire Emblem on occasion. Well in that case...

My primary selection of custom characters that are my guests of honor from my WIP novel/RPG Maker game Kingsbane, a dark fantasy set after a once proud world fell to the judgment of those claiming to be gods in human flesh and a man who once served them now seeks their blood. Bios and gameplay screen captures will be included.

• XIII: Phantom of Retribution
  • Young XIII: Blades of Despair
  • Christmas
• Maelys: Righteous Heir
  • Christmas
• Jairus: Hand of Judgment
  • Young Jairus: He Who'd Be A Hero
• Iris: Last Guardian
• Ciaran: Freedom Seeker
• Gideon: Order's Shadow
• Lucia: Flower Amidst Her Bloodline
• Simeon: Sword of Navarre
• Borja: Twisted Desire
• Ohran: Blade Amidst The Sands
• Dorien: Young Mastermind
• Gaea: Wrath of the Dragons
• Renault: Demon’s Bane
• Yelena: Dance the Tempest
• Grattius: Vainglorious Pontiff

Alternate Costumes

• Nippon Set
  • Mitsurugi (Tsunami)
  • Yoshimitsu (Yaksha)
  • Taki (Onmyouji)
• Mystic Set
  • Ivy (Paracelsus)
  • Zasalamel (Sands of Time)
  • Azwel (Messiah)
• Adonis Set
  • Maxi (Seiryuu)
  • Raphael (Disgraced)
  • Groh (Tormented)
• Horror Set
  • Voldo (Fool's Gold)
  • Nightmare (Tormented)
  • Astaroth (Reaver)
  • Cervantes (Leviathan)
• Crusader Set
  • Sophitia (Saintess)
  • Siegfried (Penitent)
  • Talim (Gentle Breeze)
• Wuxia Set
  • Seong Mi-Na (Mugunghwa)
  • Kilik (Deva)
  • Xianghua (Sword-Dancer)

Recreations

• Soul Calibur
  • Li Long

Random Name Generator Challenge

• 10/30/2018
  • Ares (Fire Emblem: Genealogy of Holy War)
  • Mei (Overwatch)
• 11/5/2018
  • Joshua (Fire Emblem: The Sacred Stones)
  • Mae (Fire Emblem Echoes: Shadows of Valentia)

Contests, Challenges, and More

• Elseworlds
  • Seong Mi-Na (Warrior Princess)
• Smash Cosplays
  • Lucina Maelys, Simon XIII, Marth Jairus
• Gajinkas
  • Mipha (The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild)

Constructive criticism, including Kingsbane
character stories are always welcome!

 

[Ardent]

I'm pretty sure that your teaser OC is your profile pic, he/she (as i can't zoom in properly) looks very well-detailed, gives off a nice medieval vibe!

On the other hand, i've seen your post of Mi-na on her CaS thread and i agree with you that not having sarashi shorts is clearly a missed opportunity as they would've fit her or a Japanese/Ryukyu fisherman/pirate OC.

I'm very fond of your presentation and how you use CaS as a source of inspiration for your original designs and, the fact that you even have the imagination and writing/artistic skills to bring them to life is simply admirable, i could never do something so passionately well-structured. Keep it going!!

 

[SpellcraftQuill]

So when are the CaS topics coming? The perfectionist in me spends a lot of time designing my characters and new threads for the main cast. For today, I've adorned two of our favorite Japanese swordsmen.

First off, it is he, Yoshimitsu, showing off his new look.

Spoiler: Alternate Design: Yoshimitsu

This design is a hybrid of varying designs throughout both Soul Calibur and Tekken. Personally, I am most fond of his Tekken 2 default appearance, hence the Raiden hat. Combine that with one of his Tekken 5 designs and the Soul Calibur II default color scheme and this is the result. Added plenty of patterns to go with his eccentric designs throughout both series. Who knew this ninja would nab from Kilik's wardrobe and make it his own? Namu!

And now, Heishiro Mitsurugi. Remember the name. And his sense of style.

Spoiler: Alternate Design: Mitsurugi

Went for a more simple gi. Why do only the women get the one that'd be perfect for Ryu? I claim inspiration from his SCIII 2P for this design and I also want to note that I could have gone for white, but Haohmaru is coming back and wants to keep his design for himself. Instead I went with blue for the top half of his outfit and also chose to take advantage of another one of his available hairstyles. Kind of simplistic, but Mitsurugi doesn't seem the type to fuss about his apperances.

 

[SpellcraftQuill]

And now the moment you've all been waiting for...

Spoiler: XIII: Phantom of Retribution

Age: 27
Height: 5'9"
Weight: 137 lb
Occupation: Former Left Hand of the Order
Allegiance: None
Theme: Darkest Shadow
Motif: Black cat playing with the threads of fate

A renegade from the Left Hand, the Order's elite spies and assassins. He turns his blades against his former masters.His loyalty been tested once too many, XIII sets out to slay those behind the wheel of strife along the Leviathan Coast.

Cursed with human blood from his biological father and dragonsblood from his long gone mother, he was considered an abomination, yet Father, the head of the Order, claimed XIII as a weapon.

Having learned to consider his lineage a boon, XIII gained an affinity with the Aether, able to become as if a phantom and able to claim the powers of those whose blood he claims. As such many rumors are spread of him.

XIII believes his destiny is to usurp Father and bring down the Order as directed by the Red Spirit who guides him in his dreams.

Considered a menace to society, XIII has vowed to bring down the Eleven of which the one calling himself Father leads.

Their sacred blood shall make the former Left Hand become as if a god, yet he swore to use his power wisely to end the Order's tyranny. He cares not whether he is labelled a hero or villain. The Order shall fall.

 

[brucege]

That Yoshi alt is stunning. It's really hard to pull off multiple patterns without overloading the design, but you pulled it off by alternating light/dark and bright/soft colors. The light purple/gold/black scheme mesh extremely well.

Phantom of Retribution is also tastefully designed for an edge-lord build haha. I like how you carried the whole belt theme from the armor to the pants. I also like how you offset the high detailing by lowering the saturation and darkening the colors. Not sure if that's what you had intended, but it turned out superbly.

Moving forward, I'd recommend you check out the advanced technique thread here to up your sticker/motif game. One technique you may find helpful for light armor is to block off fancy patterns using the square (which wraps around the torso or limbs at max size) so you can get a cool border effect. I like how your characters' personalities are reflected in their design. Personality is definitely something I hope to see more of in future creations in this forum.

 

[SpellcraftQuill]

I feel Yoshi’s thing is to be flamboyant plus Destiny Monk Robes would look great on a samurai type since Mitsurugi already has similar stuff. Also left notes on the alts along with my inspirations for others looking for to make them.

The Voldo gear gives XIII lots of leather straps and even helps give him a neat set of boots in conjunction with other equipment as well as the bracers I envision him wearing. He is supposed to look vaguely vampiric/albino and not healthy. The beard is really meant to be a goatee too. Like a deconstruction of the anime pretty body I guess. Couldn’t find any good stickers for him but I already have three of the Chinese motifs on his arm hidden under the shoulder armor that spell the number he goes by. His alt may show it off better.

If XIII had a symbol like the main cast it’s probably be a black cat playing with thread to represent someone with a bad reputation playing with possibly the threads the Fates spin.

And the high saturations look out of place to me. I go with 5 at the highest.

 

[VILARCANE]

Good CAS here, can't add much agree with Brucege's comments, my fave is Yoshi. I really like you take the time to post ingame shots too and do your background story, cool.
I am not sure about the weapon choice for your last one, a bit obnoxious weapon design from PS.

 

[SpellcraftQuill]

Well I originally wanted to make him a Taki but he prefers dual scimitars and that was the closest I could give him. And Cervantes gives him a matching aura. But his swords look like Dollar Store toys.

And I admit it, XIII has lots of features I like. Leather, burgundy, assassin, and dual swords. Here’s a preview of my next character.

 

[Ukkesh]

I really enjoy the designs and lore behind these characters. As someone who enjoys literature and writing, as well as worldbuilding and character creation I love this! XIII looks awesome, and I can't wait to see what else you can come up with! Keep up the good work.

 

[SpellcraftQuill]

Currently revamping the first post to feature all my designs, whether they're part of the Kingsbane collection, guests from other series, or alternate attire for the main cast. Uploaded higher quality screenshots of XIII too. Also want to start off a certain weekly event on my page which you'll see tonight. This is just an update for XIII. That aside...

XIII, Phantom of Retribution

Age: 27
Height: 5'9"
Weight: 137 lb
Occupation: Former Left Hand of the Order, now Outlaw
Allegiance: None
Arcana: XIII - Death
Theme: Darkest Shadow

A renegade from the Left Hand, the Order's elite spies and assassins. He turns his blades against his former masters.His loyalty been tested once too many, XIII sets out to slay those behind the wheel of strife along the Leviathan Coast. Cursed with human blood from his biological father and dragonsblood from his long gone mother, he was considered an abomination, yet Father, the head of the Order, claimed XIII as a living weapon. Having learned to consider his lineage a boon, XIII gained an affinity with the Aether, able to become as if a phantom and able to claim the powers of those whose blood he claims. As such many rumors are spread of him. These rumors foul to many, yet a hero to the enemies of the Order. XIII believes his destiny is to usurp Father and bring down the Order as directed by the Redwraith who guides him in his dreams. Considered a menace to society, XIII has vowed to bring down the Eleven of which the one calling himself Father leads. It is their sacred blood that shall make the former Left Hand become as if a god, yet he swore to use his power wisely to end the Order's tyranny. He cares not whether he is labelled a hero or villain as long as the order falls.

Notes: XIII has always been my first CaS. He started off as basically a self-insert before merging identites with inconsistent basic premises and fighting styles (Iron Sword in III, Mitsurugi in IV, Xiba w/spear in V) with another one of my OCs who started off as a dual swordsman and then evolved into an assassin with Taki's/Natsu's style. I'd hesitate to say that the latter character won over in the end since the original character XIII was was basically an idealized me. RIP Xavier.

Found the process for creating XIII relatively simple. I knew he didn't wear sleeves and had a tendency for leather. The Allegiance Uniform added a lot of flair to his design and even gave him the bracers I was looking for. One thing I'm proud of are his boots. Look closely and you'll see that they're Ashigaru Greaves! You probably can't tell they're an Eastern equipment. The Allegiance Uniform covers his feet which makes for shoes when doctored up with the gear that normally exposes feet. They also cover the torn parts of the Warlock Trousers.

 

[SpellcraftQuill]

Time for my first set of alternate costumes, now with improved quality snapshots. This set is what I call the Nippon Set, featuring alternate designs for Mitsurugi, Yoshimitsu, and Taki.
Tsunami Mitsurugi

Notes: Went for a more simple gi. Why do only the women get the one that'd be perfect for Ryu? I claim inspiration from his SCIII 2P for this design and I also want to note that I could have gone for white, but Haohmaru is coming back and wants to keep his design for himself. Instead I went with blue for the top half of his outfit and also chose to take advantage of another one of his available hairstyles. Kind of simplistic, but Mitsurugi doesn't seem the type to fuss about his apperances anyways.
Yaksha Yoshimitsu

Notes: This design is a hybrid of varying designs throughout both Soul Calibur and Tekken. Personally, I am rather fond of his Tekken 2 default appearance, hence the Raiden hat. That's not even the Sedge Shade, but two Tortoise Shells meant to cover the horns of the Hannya Mask. The best part is that the mask works with Yoshi's unique headgear and still perfecty suits him. Combine that with one of his Tekken 5 designs and the Soul Calibur II default color scheme and this is the result. Added plenty of patterns to go with his eccentric designs throughout both series. Who knew this ninja would nab from Kilik's wardrobe and make it his own? Namu!
Onmyouji Taki

Notes: I found that I got the three aspects to Taki right here: kunoichi, blacksmith, and onmyoji. I was inspired by Fire Emblem Fates' Orochi, who herself is an onmyoji and incidentally best friends with the female ninja of that game. I thought I'd use the Spy Robe for Taki, but something told me that the lovely sarashi on the Blacksmith outfit was the way to go. Funny enough, one of Taki's daggers does make the forced hammer stand out less.

Also took in mind that she tends to favor blue as a secondary color and also has a tendency towards headbands in her alts. I was initially unsure about giving her the Slops but they look better than I thought. Also wanted to consider makeup, but her face looked lovely au natural. I didn't want to do yet another character wearing Hakama either.

 

[SpellcraftQuill]

It's pretty late and probably not even Wednesday for some of you, but on Wednesdays, I like to do a little something called Waifu Wednesdays where I post a favorite female character. And what better way to start off a Waifu Wednesday than with one of my original characters?
Maelys, Righteous Heir

Age: 21
Height: 5'6"
Weight: 117 lb
Occupation: Nun. In truth, Princess of Navarre.
Allegiance: Kingdom of Navarre
Arcana: III - The Empress
Theme: Fortune Favors the Brave

The only child of the Navarrean king, Maelys has been sent away by her father at a young age to protect her from would-be enemies of the realm.
Fate would bring her face to face with the man who killed her father she never knew, yet he seeks to put her in power. Perhaps it's his atonement for putting a nation in chaos. Regardless, she is the key to his new order. A kind soul, yet she is naive in the ways of power. Maelys doubts her heritage as the daughter of a man whose actions were against the Order she was once faithful to, yet she lacks the pride of those who serve the Eleven. The seven who have orchestrated the evils she despises. Thus, she dedicates herself to reclaiming her country not as a usual tyrant, but as the benevolent ruler long dreamt of by many.

Notes: Maelys was someone I was worried about designing in VI because of the limitations on items. And she's the longest-lasting OC I had with the least amount of changes too, so of course I'd have a special attachment to her.

I couldn't decide whether to give her the Breastplate or Menghu Cuirass to go over the Long Sleeved Dress. Part of this reason was because the armor clipped through her cape. For this reason, I gave her the Seong Wrap for her sleeves even though it'd show some leg... or would it? That's when I had to really teach myself how to use stickers. Her leggings actually consist of the Seong Sarong combined with some stickers that conveniently cover her legs. It took lots of trial and error to get them to work. There was even a topic on GameFAQs about the difficulties of creating a female knight-type of character with the removal of certain equipment. Still, the limitations force you to be creative and improve your CaS game.

I also would like to credit @VILARCANE for his hack with the Blacksmith Googles to function as a circlet. Hopefully at least the Bong-Seong Circlet and Honor Boots can be DLC.

And Sophie suits her very well. The CE actually inspired me to make her magical affinity be lightning. In my plans for the RPG Maker version, it is she and not XIII who has the gameplay style of a typical RPG hero. Shame Cervantes forces XIII to have gun attacks, but I'm thinking he'd get some fire spells, but I don't see how fireballs can break knees...

Sorry for the constant posts, but I thought it'd be convenient for me to link to each of my designs on my original post rather than have an image spam.

Who are these two? Friends? Foes?

 

[VILARCANE]

Thanks for crediting me, i am humbled. Love the Taki authenticity and historical accuracy. You are quite the erudite CAS maker. I would have used an apple to cover the circlet metal part with a nice jewel a la CROM (tip :) and is a bit tiny and hard to spot. Great ingame pics.

 

[SpellcraftQuill]

I had a hard time getting the apple right. Tried that. Rather use the “buckle” since the Pure Ring and Crescent Moon don’t have anything like that.

Really? You think my take on Taki is historically accurate? You also commented something about Maelys so I’m not sure if you’re referring to her.

I actually have plenty of WIPs I haven’t colored.

 

[VILARCANE]

I had a hard time getting the apple right. Tried that. Rather use the “buckle” since the Pure Ring and Crescent Moon don’t have anything like that.

Really? You think my take on Taki is historically accurate? You also commented something about Maelys so I’m not sure if you’re referring to her.

I actually have plenty of WIPs I haven’t colored.

Yes apple part comment was related to Maelys circlet, i thought i wrote her name in my post but it was late :)

 

[Alexandra]

I'm really loving your new design for Yoshimitsu. The mask and hat suit him so well and I'm surprised PS haven't used a similar pairing before in official designs. Mitsurugi is great too. Your Taki custom is my least favorite of your main cast creations but it's still a solid, detailed design. I would suggest maybe making the lavender color a little bluer to tie the colors together.

Maelys is a really nice simplistic design that doesn't forgo detail or flair. She reminds me of Arwen from LOTR. I find it really hard to make that breastplate work on women but you did a fantastic job tying the outfit together. My only criticism is that the armor does look a bit flat. You could add a subtle pattern to give it more dimension (my favorites are the tiger stripes and the marble pattern from the Basic tab) and really make the armor her own.

This is just a general tip, but I see you have a good eye for color palettes and I think what can really take your color schemes to the next level is following the 2-3 shade rule. For each dark color, include a couple variations of it throughout the design to give clothing more dimension. The Western patterns are extra helpful here for creating the illusion of highlights and shadows on a piece of clothing as they generally have 2-3 color slots.

All in all, very good designs so far. Looking forward to what you put out next!

 

[Ardent]

She reminds me of Arwen from LOTR.

Thanks for this, i spend the entire day thinking about who would be my first creation. Genuinely hyped now. I'm definitely, MOST definitely creating Aragorn with Geralt's style when i get my hands on the game, and Arwen too (probably going to use Sophie's style for her)!!
Also, LOTR fans unite!

 

[SpellcraftQuill]

I'm really loving your new design for Yoshimitsu. The mask and hat suit him so well and I'm surprised PS haven't used a similar pairing before in official designs.

All in all, very good designs so far. Looking forward to what you put out next!

That really means a lot! Thanks.

I have a special attachment to CaS since I was in a creative slump for a while but the reveal of VI really excited me. I’ve honestly spent most of my time in CaS since it’s making me enjoy the creative process.

And funny you mention Arwen since I feel that my interpretations of Maelys’s face in Dragon’s Dogma and Monster Hunter World do have a similarity.

 

[SpellcraftQuill]

I'm getting so addicted to CaS, it's making me feel like a creative wiz. Speaking of wizards, I present the Mystic Set, featuring Ivy, Zasalamel, and Azwel.
Paracelsus Ivy

Notes: Any resemblance to Bayonetta is unintentional. I'm seeing plenty of her early 2Ps on this board recreated, so I figured why not combine the masculine clothing with the latter games' elegant attire. Seeing plenty of users use the Allegiance Moon Mask as a hair decoration also inspired me to create the fascinator combined with the flower. Most importantly, I found a use for the Fetching Leotard in that the Rocaille Suit and Flight Necktie do well in concealing it. Add some patterns to make it pop and I combined her best alternates being those of I and III. Truly she looks domineering in these clothes.
Sands of Time Zasalamel

Notes: Zasalamel doesn't have a lot to reference being that his outfits have been pretty consistent throughout, with VI combining both his preferences. I ended up searching for images of Babylonian sorcerors and Killer Instinct's Kan-Ra came up. Seeing him reminded me of the lower half of the Truth-Seeker Robes which helped add some oomph to my alternate. The Savannah Wrap to me looked perfectly suiting for Zasalamel and I knew that I wanted his alt to feature it even before I resorted to Google. I originally had him wear the turban, but I really liked his bald head and his head was already covered in his primary design. Green was the last step, both to match an untouchable design on his Savannah Wrap and also as a call-back to his debut.
Messiah Azwel

Notes: Being a newcomer in a game where there aren't even alts makes dressing up Azwel even hard. All I knew was that I could incorporate his secondary colors and his battle damaged appearance. Having a messiah complex and possible inspirations from Algol, Azwel ended up with a set of armor fitting for one who calls himself a Leader of Humanity. Probably one of my more random designs since as stated before, there's not much to look up when it comes to Azwel besides Jesus wannabe.

 

[SpellcraftQuill]

Nice cooler weather means better running days so I can lose this weight. Granted, I'm not really an looker but you might find that those featured in the Adonis Set are...
Seiryuu Maxi

Notes: Went for a typical Maxi 2P. Inexplicable blond hair, showing off them pecs, general martial artist look. I gave him green pants as a reference to his SC1 alt but left his hair messy, showing that this take on Maxi is more vengeance-driven. And then I added the usual scarf he gets for a pop of color to match his sash.
Disgraced Raphael

Notes: Since his vampirism/malfestation is gone, I wanted to capture his malfestation. Since his main apperance's glasses are possibly an addition to make up for his preference for masks in his alts, they sadly had to go. Thought of giving him a Thief Mask, but there'd be two characters of the same name wearing that thing. The coat may evoke the more vampiric outfits he had from 3-5, but still being exiled from nobility, I had to make the coat look like it's been through hell. I just wish there was a Raccoon Tail or something so he could get that awesome goatee he had in II. Wanted to make him look disheveled, so I gave him Kilik's hair. Also since I'd like to try to avoid using the same item if it's one of the main features and my take on Voldo wears the Strategist Bodysuit as well, I covered up the metal part with a rose. Gift from Amy perhaps?
Tormented Groh

Notes: Groh, being a newcomer in a game that removed alternate apperances, was easily the hardest to come up with an alternate for. At least my key word for Azwel was "Messiah." "Edgelord" is the closest idea I could come up with for Groh. Went with white to match his alternate color scheme and the red was to match the unchangeable accents on the armor. I gave him chains and the blindfold/bandages to perhaps imagine him being experimented on by Azwel. Note that I tried to make his hair color look like it is transitioning to the one he has in his main appearance.