[Fern]

As it stands, Checkmate is a rarely used Black Knight skill, due to its cooldown and relatively mediocre bonus damage. Here's a simple proposition to make it more attractive, based off a suggestion Lonestar mentioned a while ago.

Checkmate, besides adding your scaled DEF to damage, allows you to ignore defensive skills such as Eviter and Stalemate.

It could make sense from a roleplay point of view since you're adding your weight to the attack, making it more difficult to block.


A more detailed alternative would be the following:

Checkmate
A heavy attack iconic to the Black Knights, using a surge of Black Wind to crush their opponent with power. On use, attacks a nearby target. If the attack hits, you deal bonus damage equal to your Scaled DEF. Gains bonus effects based on Rank.

Rank 1: 9 FP, Ignores Armor/Magic Armor.
Rank 2: 13 FP, Ignores Eviter.
Rank 3: 17 FP, Ignores Stalemate.
Rank 4: 21 FP, Ignores Snake Dancer.
Rank 5: 25 FP, If the Black Wind is active, and if the enemy has less than 15% of their maximum HP, they will be instantly incapacitated.

[Autumn]

Due to the nature of HP% based attacks I'd wager the last rank of checkmate should perhaps actually add a portion of your torso's weight to the attack, mostly in concern of people with high HP pools getting insta gibbed, especially ghosts who wouldn't have the chance to just last chance it, making it an excellent (if not too effective) ghost killer.

Other than that, this seems like a fine addition.

[Snake]

I mean, it does have a relatively long cooldown but it doesn't do anything special, so why not?

Currently what kills me is the 'why bother ranking checkmate up' when you can just spend one point for the same effects of it at rank five, for just a small FP eating? That suggestion of giving it one way to avoid something that would impair this decisive attack sounds genial to me.

Also, people with 15% HP are already one feet to the grave, checkmate is just a kind welcome for them to stay down. But maybe, just maybe, it shouldn't ignore Last Chance if it's incapacitating enemies a la Grandupper.

Also, another condition for the Rank 5 to happen could be 'only if you are wearing Heavy Armor'? And then chance the base effect to 'doubles the Scaled DEF bonus damage'.

Rank 5: 25 FP, Doubles the bonus Scaled DEF damage. If you are using Heavy Armor, and the enemy has less than 15% of their maximum HP, they will be instantly incapacitated.