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Analysis by Wecondo12
Kempf - Conniving General

Hero Stats

Max Avg Total Stats at Lvl 40
161
HP 42
ATK 33
SPD 33
DEF 27
RES 26

Stat Variations

Level 1 Stat Variation
5★
4★
3★
HP ATK SPD DEF RES
Low 17 6 6 7 6
Middle 18 7 7 8 7
High 19 8 8 9 8

Level 40 Stat Variations
5★
4★
3★
HP ATK SPD DEF RES
Low 39 30 30 24 23
Middle 42 33 33 27 26
High 45 36 36 31 30

IV Sets

Key stats worth increasing through nature if possible.
Complementary stats that matter, but not to the point of picking them over key stats for nature increase.
Relatively worthless stat that can safely be decreased through nature.
HPATKSPDDEFRES

This unit requires use of Trait Fruits to get access to IVs

Skill Sets

The American Truth (AR Defense)

Build by Wecondo12
Recommended
Venin Edge A AR-D Spd/Res 3
Alternate: AR-D Spd/Def 3
Positional Assist B Windsweep 3
Escutcheon
Alternate: Sacred Cowl
C Fatal Smoke 3
Alternate: Savage Blow 3
IVs

+SPD

SDeflect Melee 3
Alternate: Phantom Spd 3

Show Explanation/Analysis

Weapon: Venin Edge

Assist: Positional Assist

Special: Escutcheon / Sacred Cowl

Passive A: AR-D Spd/Res 3 / AR-D Spd/Def 3

Passive B: Windsweep

Passive C: Fatal Smoke / Savage Blow / Preference

Sacred Seal: Deflect Melee / Phantom Speed

  • As a member of the Meta AR Defense Sword Cavalier trinity (The other two members being Sigurd and Eliwood) it should come as no surprise that Kempf’s main role is as an AR Def sword cavalier who can punish the opponent heavily for brainlessly end turning in his Attack range.(Brave Ike users anyone?)
  • Kempf’s Venin Edge is what makes Kempf into a deadly threat on AR Def, as the debuffs it inflicts(10 Damage and Counterattack preventing status) only require Kempf to Attack and doesn’t even require him to survive combat. This means that regardless of whether the foe successfully KO’s Kempf or not, they’ll still be weakened and made easy prey for any other team member who can follow up on Kempf’s attack.
  • Despite this, one still wants to make Kempf as difficult to KO as possible, so that he can also take advantage of the new Fatal Smoke, which cripples his foes even more by denying their ability to heal in combat. AR-D Spd skills are perfect for this, as they grant Kempf a massive stat boost as long as his team’s AR Def structures stay up. 
  • Windsweep adds an additional layer to the threat Kempf poses on the foe’s enemy phase, as if he wins the Speed check, the foe can’t counterattack at all without the aid of Null C-Disrupt, and it’s downsides are irrelevant to Kempf, although one should be wary of extremely quick sword users such as Fallen Ike and Mareeta.
  • Deflect Melee allows Kempf to absorb even more damage on his Player Phase should the foe get through his Windsweep and perform a follow-up attack against him. Phantom Speed can also be used to increase his Windsweep threshold.

Reinhardt's #1 Fan (Non AR Player Phase)

Build by Wecondo12
Venin Edge A Swift Sparrow (2 or 3)
Positional Assist B Windsweep 3
Alternate: Lull Spd/Def 3
Luna C Fatal Smoke 3
Alternate: Joint Drive Spd
IVs

+SPD

SDarting Blow 3
Alternate: Heavy Blade 3

Show Explanation/Analysis

Weapon: Venin Edge

Assist: Positional Assist

Special: Luna 

Passive A: Swift Sparrow 2 or 3 

Passive B: Windsweep / Lull Spd/Def

Passive C: Fatal Smoke / Joint Drive Spd / Preference

Sacred Seal: Savage Blow / Atk/Spd Solo / Swift Sparrow

  • Unfortunately, unlike the other members of the Meta AR Def sword cavalier trio, Kempf’s nowhere near as outstanding when used in a capacity other than Aether Raids Defense. He can still perform reasonably well as a Player Phase sword cavalier in other modes, however, as his role as a passive damage dealer cannot be replicated by any other Sword cavalier, and Kempf additionally has access to Fatal Smoke, which Staff users lack.
  • Kempf’s Venin Edge is still his best choice of weapon, as even if Kempf fails to KO the foe, they’ll be left weak enough for another ally to finish off. 
  • Swift Sparrow gives Kempf a sizeable boost to his offensive power during player phase without any drawbacks, and the Speed boost can help him immensely with outpacing foes and activating Windsweep, or just scoring follow-up attacks in general.
  • Windsweep helps Kempf take advantage of his exclusive weapon by protecting him from Enemy counterattacks, although bear in mind Windsweep does not work on dragons or magic users. He can also use Lull Spd/Def for a stat lead and buff negation against foes, but Kempf is generally not the best option for a straightforward player phase cavalier(Hello Eliwood).
  • Fatal Smoke allows Kempf to cripple foes even further after combat, although unlike his Venin Edge, Fatal Smoke will not trigger if Kempf is Ko’d during combat. Joint Drive Spd can also be used to grant a Speed buff to both Kempf and his allies.
  • Finally, Savage Blow allows Kempf to stack passive damage even further, but Atk/Spd Solo and Swift Sparrow also solid options.

Strengths

Venin Edge

It cannot be understated how much of a threat the Venin Edge makes Kempf on AR Defense. Inflicting the counterattack negation status and 10 damage after combat to all foes within 2 spaces regardless of whether Kempf survives the combat or not makes him a massive threat on the foe’s Enemy Phase. The weapon also pairs amazingly with the newly released Fatal Smoke, which denies the foe’s healing Specials and prevents them from healing through their next action, leaving the foes afflicted easy pickings for Kempf’s team. Kempf can also work decently outside of AR as a passive damage dealer thanks to the Venin Edge, as his access to Fatal Smoke and passive damage coupled with the effect of the Flash staff is something Pain+ Staff users cannot replicate.

Weaknesses

Middling Base Bulk

Although his Venin Edge gives him an additional 3 Defense, base 27 Defense and 26 Resistance are rather middling, and without the aid of skills such as Windsweep or buffs from allies, Kempf will struggle to take more than 1 hit from any source and especially strong attackers will likely KO Kempf in a single blow, leaving Kempf more vulnerable to being KO'd in his starting position on an AR Defense team than his contemporaries.

Less Potent outside of AR Defense

While Kempf is still a decent passive damage dealer in non AR modes, he leaves much to be desired when it comes to AR Offense, although cavaliers that do well there tend to be the exception rather than the rule(Hello Sigurd). In any case, Kempf is nowhere near as dominant in other gamemodes as he is in AR defense, which should be kept in mind if one wishes to build Kempf for general use.

Weapon Skills

Weapons SP Rng. Mt.
Iron Sword
Learns by default at 1 ★
Unlocks at 1 ★
Only Inheritable by Sword Units.
50 1 6
Steel Sword
Learns by default at 3 ★
Unlocks at 2 ★
Only Inheritable by Sword Units.
100 1 8
Silver Sword
Learns by default at 4 ★
Unlocks at 3 ★
Only Inheritable by Sword Units.
200 1 11
Venin Edge

Grants Def+3. After combat, if unit attacked, deals 10 damage to target and foes within 2 spaces of target, and inflicts status on those foes preventing counterattacks through their next actions.

Learns by default at 5 ★
Unlocks at 5 ★
Non-Inheritable skill.
400 1 16
Weapon Evolution
Weapon Upgrades
Weapon Upgrades

Special Skills

Special Skills SP Turns
Holy Vestments

Reduces damage inflicted by attacks from foes 2 spaces away by 30%.

Learns by default at 3 ★
Unlocks at 4 ★
Restricted to melee units.
100 3
Aegis

Reduces damage inflicted by attacks from foes 2 spaces away by 50%.

Unlocks at 4 ★
Restricted to melee units.
200 3

Passive Skills

Passive Skills SP Slot
Fortress Res 1

Grants Res+3. Inflicts Atk-3.

Inheritable by all units.
Unlocks at 1 ★
40
A
Fortress Res 2

Grants Res+4. Inflicts Atk-3.

Inheritable by all units.
Unlocks at 2 ★
80
A
Fortress Res 3

Grants Res+5. Inflicts Atk-3.

Inheritable by all units.
Unlocks at 4 ★
160
A
Savage Blow 1

If unit initiates combat, deals 3 damage to foes within 2 spaces of target after combat.

Inheritable by all units.
Unlocks at 3 ★
50
C
Savage Blow 2

If unit initiates combat, deals 5 damage to foes within 2 spaces of target after combat.

Inheritable by all units.
Unlocks at 4 ★
100
C
Savage Blow 3

If unit initiates combat, deals 7 damage to foes within 2 spaces of target after combat.

Inheritable by all units.
Unlocks at 5 ★
200
C

Other Info

Origin
Fire Emblem: Thracia 776

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