Lancer (F/SN)

Background
From Fate/stay Night

The great hero of Ireland. A half-god, half-human hero born of the light god Lugh and Dechtire, the sister of king Connor of Ulster, who appears in the legends of Ulster. His childhood name was Setanta, and it was phophesised from a young age that "this child will live as a hero".

Cu Chulainn means "Hound of Culann".

The name comes from an oath Setanta made when he was a child, when he mistakenly killed a guard dog of a wealthy merchant named Culann. He promised, "if this dog has a child, I will raise it strong and as faithful as this guard dog. Until that time, I shall guard you myself." His nickname of Cu Chulainn praises not only Setanta's strength for killing the famous savage dog of Culann unarmed, but also the character of Setanta that thought of the owner of the lost dog, even as a child.

Cu Chulainn grew up to be a strong man and went into an evil land called the Country of Shadows to satisfy the requirements to marry a particular woman. Cu Chulainn overcame many difficulties and reached the Country of Shadows. He was well liked by the ruler of that country, the witch Scathach, and he trained under her and learned many sorceries and techniques. He obtained the cursed lance Gae Bolg that later became the symbol of Cu Chulainn, and he left the Country of Shadows.

In the legend, it is said that Cu Chulainn was brave, compassionate, and a likeable young man. Cu Chulainn mercilessly killed his enemies in the battlefield, but he respected faith, and was noble enough to never break a promise once made. Celtic warriors had the custom of making an oath called a "geas", and those warriors who broke this geas were cursed. Cu Chulainn, like his nickname, had a geas that said he must never eat a dog, and he faithfully tried not to break that promise. This geas later became the cause of his death.

During a battle with an opposing country, to protect his weaker country of Ulster, Cu Chulainn made several geasa accepting even his own ruin in exchange for forcing the opposing country to make geasa unfavorable to them. Some of the famous geasa Cu Chulainn made were "fighting just one warrior a day", promised with his rival Queen Maeve, and "one win, one loss" promised with his old friend Fergus.

Cu Chulainn's brilliant war record can be summarized into the battle against the neighboring country of Connaught. The war between the two started when Connaught's Queen Maeve irrationally invaded to steal Ulster's golden bull, Donn, just to beat her husband in a bull comparison contest. Cu Chulainn supported the weaker Ulster army against the Connaught force, an allied army of three countries, for a length of seven years, and finally succeeded in making them retreat. At that time, Cu Chulainn captured the main culprit of the war, Maeve, but he released her saying that that he could not kill a woman and a reconciliation was reached  between Ulster and Connaught.

But Queen Maeve perceived her release as the greatest insult, and began a personal revenge against Cu Chulainn. After numerous schemes, Cu Chulainn was forced to break his geasa one by one, and as a result lost all his powers, and was at last stabbed in the side with a lance. The proud Cu Chulainn would not allow himself to die lying down, and tied himself up to a post. On the verge of death, he saw an otter drinking the blood that had spilled into the river, and as he laughed at its greediness, he died standing.

A thrilling great man, Cu Chulainn had the protection of the goddess Morrigan who governed death and destruction. But the story isn't that simple. At first, Cu Chulainn declined the goddess's protection. So insulted, Morrigan transformed into many animals and went after his life. But Cu Chulainn was able to repel off every attack, and actually treated the wounded Morrigan. Morrigan admired that nobility from the bottom of her heart, and decided to support him without his knowledge. So as not to destroy Cu Chulainn's pride, she did not help him when he was in his greatest perils, but merely observed the way of a hero.

From Complete Material III

Once Ireland was called Erin, which means "green" in Gaelic. In this land named after its abundant greenery, there was a boy with great talent. His name was Sétanta. It is said that his father was the sun god Lugh and his mother was royalty. One day, he accidentally killed the guard dog protecting the house of master blacksmith Culann. Sétanta alone strangled to death "Culann's savage dog" that was well-known to have the strength of ten men. In order to compensate for this deed, for a while he himself would carry out the duties of a guard dog. Consequently, all began to call the boy "Culann's savage dog" i.e. Cú Chulainn.

In time, the grown Cú Chulainn was accepted as a member of the famous Akaeda Knights. His actions after that rendered him unmatched. He went to the "Land of Shadows" to fulfill his own love; there with incredible magic and unrivaled demonic spearmanship, he acquired Gáe Bolg. Cú Chulainn had become invincible but the sun still set. At a young age, a close Druid's prophecy said "in exchange for glorious deeds of valor, his life would be short" and accepting such a fate, he smiled and laughed.

In his final battle Cú Chulainn battled furiously and died pierced by his own magical spear. A crow landed on the shoulder of his standing corpse in his death. It is said that it was the incarnation of the witch Morrigan who continued to give him her unrequited love.

Character
From Fate/Side Material, p077, Fate Dictionary

Heroic Spirit of the lance. Requires supreme agility, as  well as excellent close combat skills. Though they tend to  be less flashy than the other classes, they are a very  reliable type of Servant.

The Lancer in the story has a rough and tumble  personality, but at his core he believes in justice and is  easy to get along with. He is an agreeable youth acting  out the role of one gentle in disposition yet strong in  body.

His true identity is the great Celtic hero, Cu Chulainn. If the stage of this Holy Grail War were anywhere but  Japan, he would be a shining existence on par with  Heracles and King Arthur.

As was mentioned in the story, he is a Heroic Spirit that  specializes in survival, capable of returning alive no  matter how hopeless the situation. Unfortunately, this  time luck wasn't on his side.

It is said that in the midst of battle he would unleash a  fearsome war cry, and at the same time his body would  swell and bulge with muscle as his behavior became like  that of a demon.

However, though he possesses the qualifications to be  a Berserker there is no doubt that the Lancer class suits  him best.

He responded to the summoning solely because he  wanted to engage in a valiant fight to the death, but this  simple wish was never granted to him.

He is a tragic Servant, who embodies the cynical notion  that "wishes don't come true".

Combat
From Complete Material III

Naturally by his own beliefs, he prefers to fight with his full power as a warrior. However, due to the Command Spell of his Master Kotomine "Fight with everyone, then withdraw," he was commanded to involuntarily perform reconnaissance missions. Even in the middle of his first battle with EMIYA, he showed decisive action by leaving the battle to kill Emiya Shirou whom he recognized to have witnessed it. The withdrawal was also very skilled, giving the appearance of realizing that the situation was unfavorable. Contrary to his legendary battle prowess, Cú Chulainn's fighting in the Fifth Holy Grail War was extremely limited.

Magic Resistance: C
From Fate/stay Night

Nullifies all magic that requires less than two verses. Cannot block large-scale magic such as great magic and ritual magic.

From Complete Material III

Cú Chulainn holds a Magic Resistance of Rank C. Aria of two verses and below are cancelled, but beyond that High Thaumaturgy and Greater Rituals cannot even be defended against. That said, confronting a Servant of his superior speed (Agility A), finding the opportunity to use large-scale magecraft is next to impossible. Also, considerable skill is required to successfully "hit" him with the invoked magecraft. Judging from these factors, in situations of close combat, Cú Chulainn may have a "necessary and sufficient" rank of Magic Resistance.

In addition, as depicted in legend, he himself learned magecraft (18 Original Runes) in the "Land of Shadows", taking pride in having the skill and knowledge to qualify for Caster class. Even in a scene of the story, he sees through the presence of Medusa's Blood Fort Andromeda at a glance, considers the situation, and makes the decision not to destroy it. Cú Chulainn is not just a reckless warrior.

Battle Continuation: A
From Fate/stay Night

Does not give up easily. It allows for battle even on the verge of death, and allows the user to stay alive until they receive a clearly fatal blow.

From Complete Material III

In legend, the dying Cú Chulainn tied his body to a tree, and then took his last breath. Because he possesses that extent of a legend, he struggles fiercely on the verge of death. He demonstrated miraculous tenacity even in a desperate fight, continuing to stall Gilgamesh for half a day. Against Emiya who dextrously fended off his spear thrusts, Cú Chulainn countered with an unyielding fighting spirit.

Disengage: C
From Fate/stay Night

The ability to escape battle. It can also return an unfavorable battle to the beginning (turn 1), and restore the conditions of techniques to their initial states.

From Complete Material III

The ability to withdraw from the battlefield in the midst of combat. Having been commanded to go on reconnaissance missions by his Master Kotomine, it can be said that this ability was fully demonstrated. From the start, Cú Chulainn excelled in seeing through battle situations, and had the responsibility to wage war and withdraw repeatedly from all the Servants.

Runes: B
From Fate/stay Night

Possession of the North European Magic Crest, Rune.

From Complete Material III

Cú Chulainn obtained 18 Runes from his studies with Scáthach (Norse Runes), appropriately using them to respond in different situations. It is said that among these runes, one with the purpose of searching existed. It was the ability that supported his elusive actions during the Holy Grail War.

Protection from Arrows: B
From Fate/stay Night

Defense against projectile weapons. As long as one keeps the shooter in its vision, one can perceive and defend against any projectile weapon. However, it cannot be used against a direct attack from a distance, and it also cannot be used against a wide-ranged attack that hits many.

From Complete Material III

The ability to respond to projectile weapons. It is an ability Cú Chulainn possessed from birth. As long as he can identify the object of attack with his eyes, it is possible for him to evade any kind of ranged attack. Also, even in a situation where the object cannot be seen, he can generally deal with most projectile weapons. Even in the battle with Hassan-i Sabbah, the blades fired from the darkness had no effect on him. As long as it is a throwing type of attack, even if it is a Noble Phantasm, it can be avoided, but for the wide range of weapons that explode in a large radius on impact or direct strikes with weapons with long reach, it is not possible to receive the effect of this skill.

Divinity: B
From Fate/stay Night

Strength of one's god-like nature. The more godlike blood possessed, the higher this stat becomes.

From Complete Material III

The circumstances behind Cú Chulainn's great divinity is his father's existence. His father was Lugh, the god who governed over the sun, a member of the Danann divine family in Celtic Mythology. As a demigod whose father was an almighty god who possessed every skill such as knowledge, techniques and magic, and whose mother was Deichtine, younger sister of King Conchobar, he exhibited superior talent from birth. Boasting supernatural ability that separated him from ordinary people from a young age, in his training in the Land of Shadows, he received the original runes and terrible magic spear Gaé Bolg from Scáthach. Truly, he was a man predestined to become a hero. In Ireland, poetry and statues praising Cú Chulainn still remain to this day.

Piercing Lance of Death Thorns - Gae Bolg


Rank: B

Type: Anti-personnel Noble Phantasm

Range: 2-4

Maximum Target: 1 person

From Fate/stay Night

A cursed lance that will always pierce the opponent's heart once it is thrust. A surely fatal strike from the cursed lance, Gae Bolg. Its true nature is the reversal of cause and effect, where the cause of the lance's thrust comes from the effect of the lance piercing the opponent's heart.

As the lance has pierced the heart even before it is thrust, it is impossible to dodge or block it once this result has been determined. To dodge Gae Bolg, one does not need high AGI (agility), but instead the ability to change this fate before Gae Bolg is executed: LCK (luck). It is the most mana efficient Noble Phantasm, as it requires little magical energy to activate, and each activation is a sure kill.

From Complete Material III

While this is a technique employing Gáe Bolg as a melee attack, it is originally a magic spear for throwing. With a technique that reverses the meaning of "cause and effect" in the order of things, the "result" that "the heart of the opponent has been pierced" is created earlier than the moment it is thrust. Accordingly, the "cause" that "the lance has pierced through the heart" is generated from it later. Without a great deal of luck (like Artoria), it can be said that this is a technique that determines "if it is released, the opponent is dead." However, against Servants like Heracles who can move even when their heart is destroyed, there is a small disadvantage. Compared to the Spear of Striking Death Flight, both the range of effectiveness and the destructive power are weakened. However, it is worth mentioning that "the magical energy cost is low." For having such a strong effect as "almost certainly will destroy the enemy's heart," without the need of a terrible amount of magical power, it becomes an excellent Noble Phantasm of extraordinary usability.

From Fate/Side Material, p061, Fate Dictionary

Piercing Spear of Death Thorns.

A cursed spear that always pierces the target's heart.

It is an unfair technique that reverses cause and effect, thrusting the spear only after the reality of the heart being hit has already been created.

Because the spear has already hit, no matter what sort of evasive maneuvers the target takes it will always reach them in the end.

In order to escape from Gae Bolg, you would either need a Noble Phantasm like Berserker's capable of automatically resurrecting you after death, or enough good fortune (LCK) to throw off the spear's curse.

Putting it in gaming terms, it's an outrageous Noble Phantasm that scales its damage based on the enemy's hit points.

For instance, if we assume that Saber has 100 HP, then Gae Bolg's damage would be (Spear Damage) + (100)! As you can clearly see, being hit means certain death.

Such convenience comes at a cost of less than a hundred units of magical energy. It's hard to believe that such an efficient anti-personnel armament exists.

Also, it's a bit of a digression, but this version of Gae Bolg is something Lancer came up with himself.

The original Gae Bolg is actually a throwing weapon, and is anti-army rather than anti-personnel.

Thrusting Lance of Death Flight - Gae Bolg


Rank: B+

Type: Anti-army Noble Phantasm

Range: 5-40

Maximum Target: 50 people

From Fate/stay Night

Fully unleashing the curse of Gae Bolg and throwing it with full force, this is a special use of the Noble Phantasm. Gae Bolg was originally a thrown lance, and this was actually the correct usage. Unlike the Lance of Death Thorns, this emphasizes attack power over aiming for the heart, and it blows away an entire unit with a single throw. It is rather like an exploding bullet.

The damage and form both come close to that of "Brionac, the Roaring Five Stars" possessed by Lugh, the Celtic God of Light, but its ability of "striking an opponent no matter how many times it is dodged" makes it closer to the chief god of Northern Europe, Odin's "Gungnir, Declaration of Great God".

From Complete Material III

The largest and most powerful attack delivered using Gae Bolg. The “attack that unleashes countless darts at the enemy” which legends speak of is Gae Bolg – Striking Death Flight. After accelerating through an approach run, Cú Chulainn takes to the skies and activates Striking Death Flight by hurling it towards the ground with all his might. Different from Gae Bolg – Piercing Death Thorn, Striking Death Flight does not carry the property or concept of “always pierces the opponent’s heart”, but compared to Piercing Death Thorn, both power and area of effect are increased (intense consumption of Magic Energy). It is a technique that attacks the enemies together with the surrounding area, in a carpet bombing fashion. Even resilient bulwark or agile body are not immune to the power of Striking Death Flight; Gae Bolg will send the enemy horde flying. In legend, the demonic spear is said to split into 30 and pour down over the enemy, but it seems the number has increased after Cú Chulainn became a Heroic Spirit. During the battle with Emiya, Emiya spoke of Striking Death Flight “exceeding the original, Gungnir – Declaration of the Great God”.