Himeko Sutori has two class trees for humans, each with three trunks, and each of those has two branches.

The base classes are Adventurer and Student.

Adventurers can become Foresters, Grifters, or Warriors.

Foresters become Rangers or Druids. These are the Green element classes.


Grifters become Rogues or Illusionists. These are the Black element classes.


Warriors become Berserkers or Warlocks. These are the Red element classes.


Students can become Acolytes, Cadets, or Tinkers.

Acolytes become Paladins or Clerics. These are the White element classes.


Cadets become Knights or Mages. These are the Blue element classes.


Tinkers become Alchemists or Gunners. These are the Bronze element classes.


Each class has one of six Attributes, one of six Elements, and one of six Skills; the 12 tier 3 classes share a Skill, Element, and Attribute with another class, so there are some natural pairings, while others share a role, like Healer, or a style of fighting, like dual-wielding, and those have some potential cross-over.

Elements have an opposite, and increasing an element will decrease its opposite, so you won't often want to mix Bronze with Green, Red with Blue, or Black with White. Mercifully, the same is not true for Attributes or Skills, so increasing Agility won't decrease Strength, and increasing Spellcraft won't decrease Heavy Weapons.

• Blue gives Damage and Leadership to Knights and Mages, and no other benefit.
  
• Black gives Damage and Leadership to Rogues and Illusionists, and a little bit of Dodge to everyone.
  
• Bronze gives Damage and Leadership to Alchemists and Gunners, and no other benefit.
  
• Green gives Damage to Rangers, Healing to Druids and Leadership to both, and a little bit of HP to everyone.
  
• Red gives Damage and Leadership to Berserkers and Warlocks, and reduces incoming Magic Damage for everyone.
  
• White gives Damage to Paladins, Healing to Clerics and Leadership to both, and reduces incoming Physical Damage for everyone.

Elements have an opposite, and increasing one will decrease the other.
The opposition pairs are:

• Black and White
  
• Bronze and Green
  
• Blue and Red

When trying to cross-class, you should be aware of opposing elements and try to avoid taking them, because doing so will reduce long-term effectiveness in the destination class.

• Strength gives damage to Berserkers and Knights, and no other benefit.
  
• Agility gives damage to Rogues and Rangers, and a little dodge to everyone.
  
• Will gives damage to Gunners, healing to Clerics, and reduces incoming attack damage.
  
• Intellect increases the damage of Alchemists and Mages, and gives no other benefit.
  
• Charisma increases the damage of Illusionists and Paladins, and gives a little Leadership to everyone.
  
• Spirit gives damage to Warlocks, healing to Druids, and increases HP for everyone.

• Blades skill increases the damage of Rogues and Knights, anyone who uses daggers or swords. Blades skill also gives Block.
  
• Heavy Weapons skill increases the damage of Paladins and Berserkers, anyone who uses Axes, Hammers, or Maces. Heavy Weapons skill gives HP.
  
• Marksmanship increases the damage of Rangers and Gunners, anyone who uses Bows, Long Guns, or Pistols, but does nothing for magic and melee classes.
  
• Healing increases the healing of Druids and Clerics, as well as healing reaction skills for everyone, but does not benefit anyone without a healing skill.
  
• Spellcraft increases the damage of Warlocks and Mages, but does nothing else.
  
• Control increases the power of Illusionists and Alchemists, and increases Leadership for all characters.

When we assemble the lists of elements, attributes, and skills that don't benefit anyone outside of their affiliated classes, we get three stand-out combinations: the Blue, Intellect, Spellcraft of Mages, the Blue, Strength of Knights, and the Bronze, Intellect of Alchemists.

• Physical Defense (+10 base, hereafter PDef)
  
• Magical Defense (+10 base, hereafter MDef)
  
• Melee Attack (a bonus to attacks made with Blades and Heavy Weapons)
  
• Ranged Attack (a bonus to attacks made with Bows and Guns)
  
• Magic Attack (a bonus to attacks made with Spellcraft and to Healing)
  
• Dodge (a chance to avoid an attack)
  
• Block (a chance to stop the damage from an attack)
  
• With Might (transfers a portion of Melee Attack to all Ranged and Magic attacks)
  
• With Precision (transfers a portion of Ranged Attack to all Melee and Magic attacks)
  
• With Focus (transfers a portion of Magic Attack to all Melee and Ranged attacks)
  
• Movement (granted by the rare Swiftness card, this allows characters to move one extra hex)
  
• Leadership (this allows characters to lead a larger Lance. The minimum number of members is Leader +4, while the maximum is leader +9)

Leveling in Himeko Sutori has two tracks. There is the Character Level, which is bound to the character and cannot be increased directly, and the Class Level, which gains experience through story progression and combat actions. When the Class Level of a unit increases, so will its Character Level.

Experience gain is dictated by Character Level, so a higher-level unit will gain experience more slowly when fighting enemies of a constant level, i.e. a level 20 character will get fewer experience points for fighting a level 15 enemy than a level 10 character will.

Experience requirements are dictated by Class Level. Regardless of Character Level, going from Class Level 1 to 2 will always take 100xp, going from 2 to 3 will take 110, and so on. This holds true for all tiers of classes, so the total experience required to advance from level 1 to 2 as an Adventurer, a Grifter, or a Rogue will be the same.

Equipment is also tied to class, most importantly Armor/Clothing. No matter how far you progress in the game, an Adventurer can only wear Adventurer's Gear (or run about naked, and after a certain point, the difference in terms of survivability is academic), a Student can only wear Student's Robes, and so on.

When you combine these factors, you'll find it's optimal to progress through the lower-tier classes early in the game, before your experience gain slows and you're forced to fight late-game enemies wearing early-game equipment and risk death. If you want to go through both Warrior->Berserker and Forester->Druid, for example, it's better to finish Warrior and Forester before starting Berserker and Druid.

I have listed cross-class combinations grouped by the destination (final) class, with the following format:

Class Name




Mandatory Path: These are the classes and skills required to reach the final destination no matter what, for example a Berserker must first be an Adventurer, then a Warrior. [The minimum number of levels required to take the cards I recommend - the maximum number of levels it can possibly take to get those cards will appear after the card list in brackets, along with recommendations on what to skip if you're behind schedule or in a hurry.]

Cross-Classing: These are classes and skills recommended for a particular style of unit. The cards which we took the class specifically to get are in bold, including the next class in the chain if applicable, and the other cards which are beneficial but not mandatory are in plain text. Leadership-related skills are in parenthesis and not included in my calculations. [Once again, opportunity cost in brackets]

Endgame: The destination class, where the unit will spend the rest of the game.

Cumulative Level Cost: This is the sum of all the low numbers above - the sum of the high numbers. Essentially, this tells you how long it will take to train a unit with the recommended skills if you get everything you want on the first try, and how long it will take if you have to wait until the deck is exhausted to finally see the card you're looking for in every class. In practice, the number of levels required to complete the build will fall somewhere in between unless you're in the habit of save-scumming level-ups.

Absolute Minimum: If you have perfect luck or more than a passing familiarity with the "Save" and "Load" functions, and only take the cards in bold, you'll invest this many levels to reach the destination class.

Afterwards, I may have some notes for you on how to utilize this unit, what sort of Lance composition it may work well in, etc.

Berserkers are high-risk, high-reward melee fighters. They use Axes (Heavy Weapons), rely on Strength for damage, and are aligned with the Red element. Berserkers can focus on either dual-wield one-handed axes or a single two-handed axe, and as such cross-classing the ideal Berserker will depend on what weapons you want them to use.

A unit of Berserkers will need healing support, as they have no innate healing ability and cannot easily cross-class to get any.


"What is best in life? To crush your enemies, see them driven before you, and hear the lamentation of their women." - Conan the Barbarian


Mandatory Path:

• Adventurer: Warrior, Forester, Red x2, Heavy Weapons [2-5 levels]
  
• Warrior: Berserker, Spirit, Strength, Red, Heavy Weapons, Melee Attack, Axe Specialization [3-5 levels]

Cross-Classing:

• Forester: Ranger, Dodge, Spirit, MDef [1-5 levels]
  
• Ranger: Swiftness, Dodge, Keen Strike [1-9 levels]

Endgame:

• Berserker: ∞levels.

Cumulative Level Cost for Adventurer, Warrior, Forester, Ranger, and Warlock: 7-24 levels | Absolute Minimum: 4 levels.

On the low end, this provides a spectacular front-line fighter by early mid-game. On the high end, you might as well leave that soldier as a Ranger if you get stuck digging for Swiftness and end up taking lots of Bow Specialization, Marksman, and Green, though Agility can provide extra survivability in the form of Dodge and With Precision can add to your damage a little. Tactical Shot is a Blue, Agility, Control ability, and as such, even if you get it, it will do almost nothing to the enemy healer.

The 2H Berserker is a fighting force to be reckoned with, and offers a surprising amount of versatility in how you can improve the damage and durability of your fearless fighters. Movement speed is a little awkward to acquire for a 2H Berserker, requiring time spent in Forester and Ranger. This is worth the investment because Berserkers have no healing, low defenses, and no innate Dodge growth. Picking up some Dodge naturally via levels or with cards in Forester and Ranger, or taking levels in Warlock for bonus Spirit cards and growth for more HP is beneficial to your Berserkers' ability to survive.


You have two hands. Why limit yourself to just one axe?


Mandatory Path:

• Adventurer: Warrior, Grifter, Red x2, Heavy Weapons [2-5 levels]
  
• Warrior: Berserker, Spirit, Strength, Red, Heavy Weapons, Melee Attack, Axe Specialization [3-5 levels]

Cross-Classing:

• Grifter: Rogue, Suprise Attack, (Dodge, Keen Strike, Illusionist) [1-5 levels]
  
• Rogue : Swiftness, Ambidextrous x2, Dodge x2, Keen Strike x2, Surprise Attack x2 [3-9 levels]

Bonus:

• Illusionist: Ambidextrous, Smoke Bomb x2, Dodge, MDef, Enduring Spell [2-9 levels]

Endgame:

• Berserker: ∞levels.

Cumulative Level Cost for Adventurer, Warrior, Grifter, Rogue, and Master Berserker cards: 19-33 or 20-42 levels | Absolute Minimum: 13 levels.

On the low end, this provides a powerful front-line fighter by mid-game. On the high end, you will definitely want to skip Illusionist if you get stuck digging for Swiftness, though almost all of the cards in Rogue have at least some marginal benefit, with the exception of Dagger Specialization and Blades, since Agility offers a small amount of Dodge.

The Dual-Wield Berserker has a much more natural path to Swiftness than the 2H Berserker, largely because Rogue already offers two Ambidextrous cards, and as such is the best way to increase off-hand damage available to any class. Most 1H axes can be used in either hand, so it pays to pick up all 3 available Ambidextrous cards if you can.

Unlike 2H Berserkers, who rely on Spirit-based HP increases, Dual-Wield Berserkers will rely on Dodge and reaction healing from supporting units to survive. The Rogue path offers perfect synergy, giving Berserkers a chance at up to three counter-strikes after successfully dodging an attack. Illusionist, in addition to being along the same path and easy to acquire, offers the Smoke Bomb reaction skill, further increasing Dodge, and Enduring Spell, which offers great synergy with Berserker's own Reaction: Enrage and Smoke Bomb, as well as the final Ambidextrous card.


An end-game unit of Berserkers is best supported by Druids, due to their easy access to Ranger and its Swiftness card. I recommend Warlock-Druids from the next section (especially because of the Leadership bonus from Shaman's Blessing, but a pure Druid with just one level in Ranger will suffice. An early-game Berserker unit (Adventurers, Warriors, Grifters/Foresters, and Rogues/Rangers) won't have Swiftness yet and can be supported by any healing class or filler students while you train up dedicated healers.

Druids and Warlocks have near-perfect natural synergy. Both are Spirit-based classes which benefit from Magic Attack, and their elements do not conflict. I personally recommend that all Warlocks take a dip into Druid, and while Druids may prefer to dip into Cleric/Paladin for extra reaction healing, they do well with levels in Warlock instead.

Druids have a good reason to visit their element partner, Ranger, for the rare Swiftness card that gives Move +1. Their skill partner, Cleric, will be covered in the Cleric section. Warlocks don't much benefit from Berserker, though, and even less from their Skill partner, Mage, because Blue is opposed to Red and Intellect doesn't provide them with anything.


Instead of an imp familiar, why not familiarize yourself with the healing arts?


Mandatory Path:

• Adventurer: Warrior, Forester, Green, Red x2, Spellcraft, Healing [3-5 levels]
  
• Warrior: Warlock, Spirit, Red, Spellcraft, Magic Attack, Wand Specialization, (Leadership) [2-5 levels, +1 leader]

Cross-Classing:

• Forester: Ranger, Druid, Dodge, Spirit, Healing, (Leadership) [2-5 levels]
  
• Ranger: Swiftness, Green x3, Dodge, Keen Strike, (Leadership) [2-9 levels]
  
• Druid: Rejuvenating Breeze x2, Spirit x3, Green x3, Healing x3, PDef, Leadership, Thorns x2 [5-9 levels]

Endgame:

• Warlock: ∞levels.

Cumulative Level Cost for recommended Adventurer, Warrior, Forester, Ranger, Druid, and Master Warlock cards: 22-42 levels | Absolute Minimum: 14 levels.

On the low end, this provides a flexible single-target ranged damage-dealer by mid-game. On the high end, you might as well leave that healer as a Druid if you get stuck digging for Swiftness and end up taking lots of Bow Specialization, Marksman, and Agility. You don't need all the Greens in the Ranger deck, they're simply a nice bonus while you're looking for Swiftness.

Warlocks are the best option for magical, single-target damage in Himeko Sutori, and a full contingent of them can be devastating. Their natural Spirit growth means they gain HP quickly, which offsets their low defenses. Warlocks have no reaction healing or active healing, so they're very vulnerable if caught out or subject to return fire. Fortunately, taking levels in Forester and Ranger for Swiftness offers an easy side-track into the Spirit-based Druid class, which has two copies of Reaction: Rejuvenating Breeze, and two copies of Reaction: Thorns, which deals damage based off of Spellcraft, Warlocks' primary skill. A unit comprised solely of 10 Warlocks who have all taken levels in Druid will therefore have 20 reaction heals available to compliment their high damage, long range, and naturally high HP.
 

Black Sabbath sang a song about their pets once.


Mandatory Path:

• Adventurer: Forester, Green, Healing (Warrior, Red x2, Spellcraft,) [1-5 levels]
  
• Forester: Ranger, Druid, Dodge, Spirit, Healing, (Leadership) [2-5 levels]

Cross-Classing:

• Ranger: Swiftness, Green x3, Dodge, Keen Strike, (Leadership) [2-9 levels]

Bonus:

• Warrior: Warlock, Spirit, Red, Spellcraft, Magic Attack, (Leadership) [2-5 levels]
  
• Warlock: Nightmarish Rebuke, Flame Shield x2, Spirit x3, Red x3, Spellcraft x3, Magic Attack x3, (Leadership, Shaman's Blessing) [1-9 levels].

Endgame:

• Druid: ∞levels.

Cumulative Level Cost for recommended Adventurer, Forester, and Ranger cards: 5-19 levels. With Warrior + Warlock: 7-33 levels | Absolute Minimum: 4 levels.

If you get lucky with your draws, this provides a competent healer that won't slow down a swift unit before the early game ends. If you get side-tracked looking for Swiftness, you can skip the reaction spell damage and offensive flexibility that switching freely between Druid and Warlock offers, and the consolation prize for your terrible luck getting Swiftness will be survivability in the form of Agility-derived Dodge, HP and extra healing power from more Green, and additional healing power from With Precision.


Druid-Warlock, Warlock-Druid. You can quite easily round out a unit for the mid-game or end-game with a combination of Warlocks and Druids. A WarDruid makes for an excellent leader of Berserkers; they need healing and get a bonus from the Warlock ability Shaman's Blessing, which remains active after taking the card no matter what class the unit ends up in.

The only pairing with more synergy than Warlock-Druid is Paladin-Cleric. They share an element, White, have access to the same vital reaction spell, Healing Burst, come from the same intermediate class, Acolyte, and benefit from each other's primary attribute (Healing Burst uses Paladin's Charisma and Cleric's Healing; while Divine Retribution uses Cleric's Will and the shared White). To be honest, I wasn't sure if it would be worthwhile to write a guide for it, because it's practically screaming at the player, begging to be picked.


"Where piety fails, my hammer falls."


Mandatory Path:

• Student: Acolyte, White, Heavy Weapons, Healing, Control [2-5 levels]
  
• Acolyte: Paladin, Cleric, Healing Burst, Will, Charisma, White, Heavy Weapons, Healing, MDef, Hammer Specialization, (Leadership) [5 levels]

Cross-Classing:

• Cleric: Healing Burst x2, Will x3, White x3, Healing x4, PDef, MDef x2, Magic Attack x2, With Focus x2, (Under the Banner of Faith, Leadership) [8-9 levels, can be cut down to 7 by skipping any one of the non-mandatory cards]

Endgame:

• Paladin: ∞levels.

Cumulative Level Cost for recommended Student, Acolyte, and Cleric cards: 15-19 levels. Absolute Minimum: 3 levels.

There are no bad results here, and the Omniknight is useful at all stages of development. While it takes up to Character Level 24 to Master Paladin, it only takes up to level 15 to become a Paladin, and you're off to the races.

You can stick an Omniknight in any unit for a front-line warrior with middling damage and a whopping five reaction heals which are based on its primary element and attribute. The Paladin is highly survivable, offering access to heavy armor and shields, and has sustain unmatched by practically any damage-dealing unit.



"Fear not, my friends. Our guardian is here."


Mandatory Path:

• Student: Acolyte, White, Heavy Weapons, Healing, Control [2-5 levels]
  
• Acolyte: Paladin, Cleric, Healing Burst, Will, Charisma, White, Heavy Weapons, Healing, MDef, Hammer Specialization, (Leadership) [5 levels]

Cross-Classing:

• Paladin: Healing Burst x2, Charisma x3, White x3, PDef x2, MDef, Block, With Might x3, Divine Retribution x2, (Leadership) [6-9 levels]

Endgame:

• Cleric: ∞levels.

Cumulative Level Cost for recommended Student, Acolyte, and Paladin cards: 13-19 levels. Absolute Minimum: 3 levels.

There are no bad results here, and the Warrior Pope is useful at all stages of development. While it takes up to Character Level 22 to Master Cleric, it only takes up to level 13 to become a Cleric and begin healing like the game has permanent unit death (it does).

A Warrior Pope can fit in any unit for a whopping five reaction heals in addition to an on-turn heal action. The Cleric is the default late-game healer class, and the Warrior Pope is the tankier version with even more ability to keep allies alive. With Under the Banner of Faith, a Warrior Pope is the perfect unit to lead a Lance of Paladins into battle and keep them there until they're not White, but Red with the blood of your enemies.



"The All-knowing One protects us all."


Mandatory Path:
Student: Acolyte, White, Heavy Weapons, Healing, Control [2-5 levels]
Acolyte: Paladin, Cleric, Healing Burst, Will, Charisma, White, Heavy Weapons, Healing, MDef, Hammer Specialization, (Leadership) [5 levels]
Cross-Classing:
Forester: Ranger, Druid, Spirit, Green, Healing, MDef, Dodge, Magic Attack, (Leadership) [1-5 levels, don't dally after unlocking Ranger and Druid]
Ranger: Swiftness, Green x3, Dodge, (Leadership) [1-9 levels, don't stay any longer than you absolutely must to draw Swiftness.]
Druid: Rejuvenating Breeze x2, Green x3, Healing x3, PDef, MDef, Block, Dodge, Magic Attack, With Might, Reaction: Thorns x2 [1-9 levels, but given the way experience scaling works, the longer you stay, the harder it will be to finish your build.]
Paladin: Healing Burst x2, Charisma x3, White x3, PDef x2, MDef, Block, With Might x3, Divine Retribution x2, (Leadership) [6-9 levels]

Endgame:

• Cleric: ∞levels.

Cumulative Level Cost for recommended Student, Acolyte, Paladin, Forester, Ranger, and Druid cards: 16-42 levels. Absolute Minimum: 6 levels.

Unlike the Warrior Pope and Omniknight, it is possible to get a bad result here. If you get stuck in Forester, Ranger, or Druid, you'll gain dump stats like Spirit and an element you don't really want that much of, Green. You'll risk taking near-useless Agility and With Precision, and utterly useless Marksmanship, Bow Specialization, and Ranged Attack. If you pull it off, though, or you're not above save-scumming, you'll get a divine healer as a result.


It is likely you won't be using just Paladin-Cleric hybrids as a single Lance, and you'll spread them out, especially the Warrior Popes, to keep your other units alive. As such, you'll likely want to train dozens of them over the course of a game. It's a good thing the Warrior Pope build is nearly impossible to bungle; it'll save you a lot of note-taking along the way.

Ranger is one of two classes with access to the Swiftness card, providing +1 Movement (the other is Rogue). While a Ranger could lead a pack of wolves, it's often better to assemble an entire Lance of archers and let them work in coordination.


"The Bow and Arrow: Elegant, Effective, Eternal." -Ahoy


Mandatory Path:

• Adventurer: Forester, Grifter, Green [1-5 levels]
  
• Forester: Ranger, Druid, Agility, Spirit, Green, Marksmanship, Healing, Dodge, Ranged Attack, (Leadership) [3-5 levels]

Cross-Classing:

• Grifter: Rogue, Agility, Keen Strike, Surprise Attack, (Leadership) [1-5 levels, skip Agility if you have the others.]
  
• Rogue: Swiftness, Agility x3, Dodge x2, Keen Strike x2, Surprise Attack x2 [4-9 levels, 3 if you skip Agility.]

Bonus:

• Druid: Rejuvenating Breeze x2, Healing x3, Dodge, [1-9 levels, get in and out ASAP]

Endgame:

• Ranger: ∞levels.

Cumulative Level Cost for recommended Adventurer, Forester, Grifter, Rogue, and Druid cards: 10-33 levels. Absolute Minimum: 5 levels.

Because every class you'll be in except for Druid offers innate Agility growth, taking the Agility cards isn't strictly necessary, and going fishing for them could hurt you in the long run, especially if you do so in Grifter or Rogue where you'll be gaining Black instead of Green and Blades instead of Marksmanship.

The Longstrider is one of the longest-range units in the game, offering four tiles of movement plus three of ranged attack for a total of seven, or five tiles of movement if you're just trying to move into position. At present, it's not possible to move again after attacking, but should that ever be implemented, the Longstrider will be the undisputed masters of kiting and killing, the Queen to your opponent's Pawns.

the Shadow Walker:

Agility. Mobility. Damage.


Mandatory Path:

• Adventurer: Forester, Grifter, Black [1-5 levels]
  
• Grifter: Rogue, Illusionist, Surprise Attack, Agility, Black, Blades, Keen Strike, Dagger

Specialization, (Leadership) [3-5 levels]
Cross-Classing:

• Forester: Ranger, Agility, Dodge, (Leadership) [1-5 levels]
  
• Ranger: Swiftness, Agility x3, Dodge, Keen Strike, With Precision x3 [3-9 levels]

Bonus:

• Illusionist: Smoke Bomb x2, Ambidextrous, Blind, Under the Cloak of Darkness, Black x3, Dodge, (Leadership)[3-9 levels, 2 if you skip Black.]

Endgame:

• Rogue: ∞levels.

Cumulative Level Cost for recommended Adventurer, Forester, Grifter, Ranger, and Illusionist cards: 12-33 | Absolute Minimum: 6 levels.

Because every class you'll be in except for Illusionist offers innate Agility growth and Dodge via Black, taking the Agility and Dodge cards isn't strictly necessary, and going fishing for them could hurt you in the long run, especially if you do so in Forester or Ranger where you'll be gaining Green instead of Black and Marksmanship instead of Blades.

The Shadow Walker rivals the Longstrider in terms of potential movement, and surpasses him in damage output by far with all six copies of With Precision, adding 60% of ranged damage to the long knives. Ambidexterity offers yet more damage output, and the Smoke Bomb and Blind reaction skills combined with frankly absurd Dodge mean if the Shadow Walker can survive one hit, he can evade the rest until long after his target is dead. It'll be hard to find a healer that can keep up with your Shadow Walkers, but with their speed and damage output, they might not need one.

Gunners, like Rangers, have ranged attacks on single targets. They gain survivability from their natural growth in Will and the accompanying damage reduction, and unlike Rangers have an easily-accessible (and extant) Leader buff in the form of Armorer.


"The mission of the Marine Corps rifle squad is to locate, close with and destroy the enemy by fire and maneuver, or repel the enemy assault by fire and close combat." - USMC Basic Training Manual



Mandatory Path:

• Student: Tinker, Bronze, Marksmanship [1-5 levels]
  
• Tinker: Gunner, Alchemist, Bronze, MDef, Control, (Leadership) [2-5 levels]

Cross-Classing:

• Adventurer: Forester, Grifter, Healing [1-5 levels]
  
• Forester: Ranger, Marksmanship, Healing, Dodge, Ranged Attack, (Leadership) [1-5 levels, only here for Ranger.]
  
• Ranger: Swiftness, Dodge, Keen Strike, Ranged Attack x2, Tactical Shot, (Leadership) [2-9 levels, skip Marksmanship in favor of organic growth in Gunner along with more useful Bronze growth.]
  
• Grifter: Rogue, Keen Strike, Surprise Attack, (Leadership) [1-5 levels]
  
• Rogue: Swiftness, Dodge x2, Keen Strike x2, Surprise Attack x2 [3-9 levels]

Bonus:

• Alchemist: First Aid, Bronze x3, Control x3, PDef x2, MDef x2, (Armorer, Leadership) [4-9 levels, or 1 if Control, Bronze, and defenses are skipped.]

Endgame:

• Gunner: ∞levels.

Cumulative Level Cost for recommended Student, Tinker, Adventurer, Forester, Ranger, Grifter, Rogue, and Alchemist: 15-52 levels. Absolute Minimum: 8 levels to Gunner.

The Rifleman is the staple of modern infantry, and the closest thing you'll find in the Himeko Sutori universe is a Gunner guided with exacting precision through a number of classes, offering five tiles of movement or four plus combat, and potentially another three of range, along with the highest feasible critical strike chance in the game (there's one more in Warlock, but that will cost you anywhere from 3-19 more levels to obtain). It's hard to train a superlative Rifleman in either universe, but these will serve.

First Aid offers a self-heal, while Will reduces incoming damage while increasing damage output. This build is tricky to pull off due to the time invested in Bronze-opposed Forester and Ranger, but a full Lance of Riflemen is enough to overpower almost anything, and can take incoming damage far more easily than the similar-but-easier-to-train Longstriders.



" You see in this world there are two kinds of people, my friend. Those with loaded guns, and those who dig. You dig." - The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly


Mandatory Path:

• Student: Tinker, Bronze, Marksmanship [1-5 levels]
  
• Tinker: Gunner, Alchemist, Bronze, MDef, Control, (Leadership) [2-5 levels]
  
• Cross-Classing:

Adventurer: Grifter, Control, Healing [1-5 levels]

• Grifter: Rogue, Illusionist, Control, Keen Strike, Surprise Attack, (Leadership) [2-5 levels, 1 if Illusionist is skipped.]
  
• Rogue: Swiftness, Ambidextrous x2, Dodge x2, Keen Strike x2, Surprise Attack x2 [3-9 levels]

Bonus:

• Illusionist: Ambidextrous, Smoke Bomb x2, Blind, Dodge, Enduring Spell [2-9 levels]
  
• Alchemist: First Aid, Bronze x3, Control x3, PDef x2, MDef x2, (Armorer, Leadership) [4-9 levels, or 1 if Control, Bronze, and defenses are skipped.]

Endgame:

• Gunner: ∞levels.

Cumulative Level Cost for recommended Student, Tinker, Adventurer, Grifter, Rogue, Illusionist, and Alchemist: 15-47 levels. Absolute Minimum: 7 levels to Gunner.

The Cowboy is armed with two six-shooters, or wishes he was. Instead, he's got two oversized Derringers, but his enemy is likely bringing a sword to a gunfight, so those will serve just fine. The Cowboy takes levels in Grifter and Rogue to be light on his feet, and Rogue and Illusionist so he can actually aim both pistols at once. He offers more consistent damage output than the Rifleman, since it's less likely to miss two shots than it is one, and the harsh nature of the Wild West means self sufficiency is a must, so he learns a little First Aid on the side. In a pinch, the cowboy can pay homage to the Man With No Name and strap a metal plate on in place of a second gun (though he'll need to attach it to his arm, not under his poncho).

The Illusionist is a ranged, AOE-damage-and-debuff unit that's light on the damage, but quite skilled at reducing the damage of an enemy Lance. Unlike most other units, you won't want a full lance of Illusionists, just one to reduce the enemy's damage output before they attack or counter-attack. The Illusionist shares his primary attribute with the opposite-element Paladin, and nothing more than his element with the physical-melee Rogue, so there isn't a natural cross-class opportunity available.


"Now you're looking for the secret. But you won't find it because of course, you're not really looking. You don't really want to work it out. You want to be fooled." - The Prestige


Mandatory Path:

• Adventurer: Grifter, Black, Control [1-5 levels]
  
• Grifter: Rogue, Illusionist, Control, Charisma, Black, Wand Specialization, (Leadership) [2-5 levels.]

Cross-Classing:

• Student: Cadet, Control [1-5 levels]
  
• Cadet: Mage, PDef, Magic Attack, (Leadership) [1-5 levels]
  
• Mage: Enduring Spell, Force Field x2, MDef x2, Magic Attack x2, (Tactician, Leadership)[2-9 levels, skip something.]

• Rogue: Swiftness, Ambidextrous x2, Black x3, Dodge x2, [3-9 levels]

Endgame:

• Illusionist: ∞levels.

Cumulative Level Cost for recommended Adventurer, Grifter, Student, Cadet, Mage, and Rogue cards: 10-38 levels. Absolute Minimum: 8 levels.

The Illusionist can be ready for his final class very early in the game, and makes a decent leader of a unit of Knights due to Charisma growth and access to Mage's Tactician card, or Rogues due to Under the Cover of Darkness. Just don't forget the healers, because the Illusionist cannot shield others with Force Field, and Blind is single-target.

The Knight is a physical damage dealer with high Physical Defense. A Knight is a strong front-line fighter with a few options for cross-classing, but nothing particularly noteworthy. Paladin and Cleric can provide reaction healing and Paladin can provide Block. There's Rogue or Ranger for Swiftness, and as with Berserker, that choice will coincide with whether the Knight prefers a two-handed sword, two one-handed swords, or a sword and shield.


"Wind's howling." - Geralt of Rivia


Mandatory Path:

• Student: Cadet, Blue, Blades, Control [2-5 levels]
  
• Cadet: Knight, Strength, Blue x2, Blades, PDef, Melee Attack, (Leadership) [2-5 levels]

Cross-Classing:

• Adventurer: Forester, Blades [1-5 levels]
  
• Forester: Druid, Ranger, Spirit, MDef, Dodge, (Leadership) [2-5 levels]
  
• Ranger: Swiftness, Dodge, Keen Strike (Leadership) [1-9 levels]
  
• Druid: Rejuvenating Breeze x2, Block, Healing x3, Spirit x3, Green x3, PDef, MDef, Dodge, (Leadership) [5-9 levels]

Endgame:

• Knight: ∞levels.

Cumulative Level Cost for recommended Student, Cadet, Adventurer, Forester, Ranger, and Druid cards: 13-33 levels, though skipping most of Druid can bring the low-end estimate down to 10. | Absolute Minimum: 6 levels.

The Witcher will block what he cannot dodge, and if you're feeling lucky, there's time to dip into Acolyte-Paladin for the final Block card with an investment of 2-14 levels, depending on your draws. This build aims to survive anything the enemy can throw your way without a scratch, and to punish them for trying with Knight's Riposte reaction skill.

 

"Now tell me, what does that mean to be noble? Your title gives you claim to the throne of our country, but men don't follow titles, they follow courage." - Braveheart


Mandatory Path:

• Student: Cadet, Blue, Blades, Control [2-5 levels]
  
• Cadet: Knight, Strength, Blades, Blue x2, PDef, Melee Attack, (Leadership) [2-5 levels]

Cross-Classing:

• Adventurer: Warrior, Forester, Blades [1-5 levels]
  
• Forester: Ranger [1-5 levels]
  
• Ranger: Swiftness [1-5 levels]
  
• Warrior: Berserker, Strength, Spirit, Melee Attack, (Leadership) [1-5 levels, skip something.]
  
• Berserker: Two-Handed Specialization, Enraged, Death Avenged, Strength x3, PDef, Melee Attack x2, Permanence, (Leadership, Smithing) [3-9 levels, I recommend skipping Strength and Physical Defense once you have the reaction skills and 2H specialization.]

Endgame:

• Knight: ∞levels.

Cumulative Level Cost for recommended Student, Cadet, Adventurer, Warrior, Forester, Ranger, and Berserker cards: 11-39 levels, though skipping most of Berserker can bring the low-end estimate down to 8. | Absolute Minimum: 7 levels.

Berserker has good reaction skills to compliment a greatsword-wielding Knight, and the useful two-hand specialization, and Swiftness is near-mandatory on everyone. This isn't much different from the 2H Berserker.

 

"To win any battle, you must fight as if you are already dead." - Miyamoto Musashi


Mandatory Path:

• Student: Cadet, Blue, Blades, Control [2-5 levels]
  
• Cadet: Knight, Strength, Blue x2, Blades, PDef, Melee Attack, (Leadership) [2-5 levels]

Cross-Classing:

• Adventurer: Grifter, Blades [1-5 levels]
  
• Grifter: Rogue, Illusionist, Blades, Keen Strike, Surprise Attack, (Leadership) [2-5 levels]
  
• Rogue: Ambidextrous x2, Swiftness, Black x3, Blades x3, Dodge x2, Keen Strike x2, Surprise Attack x2, (Leadership) [5-9 levels]

Optional:

• Illusionist: Ambidextrous, Smoke Bomb x2, Blind, Black x3, MDef, Dodge, (Leadership) [3-9 levels]

Endgame:

• Knight: ∞levels.

Cumulative Level Cost for recommended Student, Cadet, Adventurer, Grifter, Illusionist, and Rogue cards: 15-38 levels, though skipping Black and Blades can bring the low-end estimate down to 12. Absolute Minimum: 6 levels.

The dual-wielding Knight is a lot like the dual-wielding Berserker, just with Swords instead of Axes, and much higher armor. Ambidexterity and movement speed require dipping into the Grifter line. The Knight variant has much higher survivability than the Berserker, but functions in much the same role, as a front-line damage-dealer who uses physical attacks and relies on other members of the Lance for healing.

Mages are the primary source of AOE damage in Himeko Sutori, striking an entire enemy Lance at once rather than an individual member. As such, they're the best way to make enemy healers ineffective and soften up targets for allied Lances to quickly finish off in melee. Unfortunately, like Illusionists, Mages don't have an immediately useful cross-class. There's very little synergy with the other Intellect class, Alchemist, even less with the Blue Knights, and Mages share Spellcraft with the elementally-opposed Warlocks, so cross-classing there is counter-productive. Fortunately, a full contingent of Mages is very strong all on its own, and with an Illusionist for support, a Lance of Mages can leave even the most powerful enemy Lance vulnerable or destroy it outright before they have a chance to strike back.


"I once knew every spell in all the tongues of Elves... Men... and Orcs." - Gandalf the Grey


Mandatory Path:

• Student: Cadet, Blue, [1-5 levels]
  
• Cadet: Mage, Intellect, Blue x2, Spellcraft, PDef, Magic Attack, (Leadership) [2-5 levels]

Cross-Classing:

• Adventurer: Forester, Healing, Spellcraft [1-5 levels]
  
• Forester: Druid, Ranger, Spirit, Green, Healing, MDef, Dodge, Magic Attack (Leadership) [3-5 levels]
  
• Ranger: Swiftness, Dodge, Keen Strike [1-9 levels]
  
• Druid: Rejuvenating Breeze x2, Spirit x3, Green x3, Healing x3, PDef, MDef, Dodge, Magic Attack, Thorns x2, (Leadership) [6-9 levels, can be reduced to 1 by skipping Healing, Green, Spirit, Thorns, and Dodge/Defenses]

Endgame:

• Mage: ∞levels.

Cumulative Level Cost for recommended Student, Cadet, Adventurer, Forester, Ranger, Druid cards: 14- 38 levels. Skipping most of Druid reduces the level requirement to 9. Absolute Minimum: 6 levels.

With a bit of self-healing and the powerful Reaction: Force Field at their disposal, a Lance of Mages can sustain the occasional instance of retaliatory fire, provided they avoid direct engagement. An Illusionist for support will further this cause by reducing the enemy Lance's physical and magical attacks.

 

"Look to my coming, at first light on the fifth day. At dawn, look to the east." - Gandalf the White




Mandatory Path:

• Student: Cadet, Acolyte, Blue, White, [2-5 levels]
  
• Cadet: Mage, Knight, Intellect, Blue x2, Spellcraft, PDef, Magic Attack, (Leadership) [2-5 levels]

Cross-Classing:

• Knight: With Might x3, PDef, MDef, Blue x3, (Leadership, Trainer) [3-9 levels]
  
• Acolyte: Paladin, Cleric, Healing Burst, Charisma, White, Healing, MDef, (Leadership) [2-5 levels, skip something.]
  
• Paladin: Healing Burst x2, PDef x2, With Might x3, Charisma x3, MDef, (Leadership) [4-9 levels, 3 if you skip the Charisma.]
  
• Cleric: Healing Burst x2, Healing x4, Magic Attack x2, PDef, MDef x2 (Leadership) [4-9 levels]

Endgame:

• Mage: ∞levels.

Cumulative Level Cost for recommended Student, Cadet, Knight, Acolyte, Paladin, and Cleric: 17-42 levels, can be cut to 14 by skipping some of Cadet and Paladin. Absolute Minimum: 8 levels.

The Battlemage gains some innate tankiness from time in Knight and Paladin, along with up to 4 copies of Physical Defense and the standard five reaction heals from the Acolyte-Paladin-Cleric line. This is a mage you can put into combat repeatedly, even on the front lines. A full Lance of ten Battlemages has access to twenty Force Field shields and fifty reaction heals, and while those won't be the most powerful, they won't need to be with an extra 50 physical defense and up to 40 extra magical defense. This build is moderately difficult to pull off and requires some luck to be finished in a timely manner, and there's no time for Swiftness, but you won't need it. These Mages will hold the line.

Alchemists are another class with little crossover. They can sidestep into Gunner or Illusionist for reaction skills, but overall, Alchemist is, like Rogue, primarily a class that is crossed into, not crossed out of. They have good defenses and AOE damage, but they lack the tankiness of Knights and Paladins and the range of Mages. They may cross with the Grifter line for Swiftness and the reaction skills from Illusionist or the Cadet line and the reaction skills from Mage with some success, but I would not recommend any units end up as Alchemists in their current state.

While you are often able to purchase better equipment than you can craft, some late-game gear and Druidry, Engineering, Necromancy, and Alchemical units have their uses. As such, here are the class combinations you'll need to max out each crafting skill:

Alchemist x2

Piece of cake. One of your Gunners can pick this up by accident while in Alchemist for Armorer, Creator, or First Aid.

Ranger x1, Druid x1

Again, quite simple. Both on the same branch of the class tree, and there's the potential to pick this up on a Ranger who wants reaction healing or a Druid who wants movement speed.

Tinker x2, Gunner x1

Pie. You'll have to go through Tinker to get to Gunner, so just delay for a level if you must.

Cleric x2, Warlock x1

This one is tougher. You'll need to go out of your way to get this one from Cleric, though Clerics get Necromancer (not to be confused with Necromancy, the crafting skill) which gives a leadership bonus to the Undead. If you're using Necromancy, your dedicated Necromancer may as well take Adventurer-Warrior-Warlock instead of Adventurer-Forester-Ranger, since the rattling bones and shambling corpses aren't very fleet of foot.

Tinker x1, Berserker x1, Knight x1

Holy Toledo, Batman. I know I suggested Knight + Berserker in the Highlander Knight section, but Tinker's got even less synergy than that. You probably won't have much of a fighter if you build a smith, unless you get exceedingly lucky. Just getting Smithing 3 requires a 7-level minimum investment (Adventurer->Warrior->Berserker Smithing + Student->Tinker Smithing & (Student)->Cadet->Knight Smithing)