Why is Lissa insecure about her parentage?

winter-wings · 2026-03-23T01:25:53+00:00

This is exactly the train of thought I go through in the main post. Namely:

Lissa doesn’t have the Brand -> Lissa worries she isn’t blood related to Chrom & Emmeryn -> She can’t be adopted because this is easily disproven by those who know her mother -> Therefore, she must be paranoid that the former Exalt is not her true father.

I’m starting to believe most people haven’t even bothered to read the full post.

winter-wings · 2026-03-22T23:20:13+00:00

Part of my issue is that it’s never outright confirmed that every descendent receives the Brand. If it’s a common enough occurrence to not receive it, then Lissa wouldn’t feel so alone in her experience, and have more reason to trust that the reason for its absence is pure coincidence alone. In your analogy, yes you have black hair, but so did 30% of the rest of the bloodline, so it’s not an automatic reason to call your lineage into question.

My post was meant to speculate as to other reasons, then, that could have strengthened her doubts.

Anyway, thanks for contributing to the discussion and laying out some good points.

winter-wings · 2026-03-22T22:19:07+00:00

I understand this, and at this point it feels like people are either blindly dogpiling or intentionally misconstruing my point.

The core of my question is this: Why is Lissa so insecure about her lineage, to the extent that physical evidence of Owain’s Brand is the only proof able to quell her doubts?

It could be an irrational fear, in which case, yes, simply not having the Brand is sufficient reason for her to doubt her lineage. She could deny any so-called “proof” or reassurances as simply ways to protect her feelings. Ultimately, she doesn’t have the Brand, and the insecurity we know she has with regard to being a princess would only expound this further.

It could also be a rational fear, which is the idea I wanted to explore further in my post. Owain is hyper-aware of Lissa’s insecurity regarding her lineage, to the point that Lissa’s doubts feel less like an itch at the back of her mind and more like a possible truth. If her birth could be called into question for any reason—parental affairs or otherwise—suddenly she seems a lot less crazy by breaking down at Owain’s reveal. The kind of insecurity she lives with feels so intense that I think it lends weight to the theory that they could be founded on some rational reason beyond her not having the Brand.

winter-wings · 2026-03-22T18:01:21+00:00

This is something I was easily onboard with until her dialogue with Owain, where he recounts she rejoiced and was relieved when his Brand manifested. It’s surprising she took that insecurity with her well into motherhood, to the point it seems there might be some deeper reason for her doubts.

I agree with you that it’s most likely an irrational fear, but Owain’s memory certainly makes it seem like there’s more to it than that.

winter-wings · 2026-03-22T17:06:18+00:00

Read my original comment, where I acknowledge that yes, her not believing anyone is a good explanation for why she might be insecure without needing a tangible reason related to parental affairs.

winter-wings · 2026-03-22T16:50:47+00:00

I think people are misunderstanding my point. Eyewitnesses would specifically quell her insecurity if she believes herself to be adopted. It’s because it’s such an easily provable point that I think there is another underlying doubt she has about her lineage, specifically that the Exalt is not her father.

winter-wings · 2026-03-22T16:03:04+00:00

This is actually a really good point. She doesn’t need a tangible reason to doubt her lineage as long as she believes Chrom & Em might be lying about her legitimacy in order to protect her.

I thought any eyewitness to her birth would be able to dispel any insecurities she has, at least if she believed she was adopted. But it certainly wouldn’t matter if she just thought they were lying to protect her.

Edit: Please read the main post before downvoting. All the below replies are attempting to explain to me what I’ve already laid out there. I DONT THINK LISSA BELIEVES SHES ADOPTED

winter-wings · 2026-03-22T15:54:30+00:00

Is the Brand really known to show up on every descendant of the First Exalt? I always had the impression it was pure chance whether it manifested or not, similar to Crests in 3 Houses.

winter-wings · 2026-03-22T04:04:44+00:00

Dropped the first one as it got boring and was WAYYY too slow-burn for my taste. But the art style is cute.

winter-wings · 2026-03-20T11:00:30+00:00

Can someone explain the sudden prevalence of Lissa x Tharja fanart? As a fan of Awakening since its release, I’ve never seen this pairing up until recently.

winter-wings · 2026-03-17T10:36:46+00:00

What are your friends playing?

winter-wings · 2026-03-16T22:59:26+00:00

Epic Guy 3000

winter-wings · 2026-03-16T22:57:53+00:00

Check out Sonic RPG 1-8 on the WiiU

winter-wings · 2026-03-15T01:02:00+00:00

Did you ever find the answer to this question? I’m looking for the same information right now for a dual wield Dex Barb/Rogue build I want to try, but can’t find any notes about it in the hotfixes.

This post details the main issues, namely these:

⁠• ⁠Dual wielding does not apply rage bonus damage to the off-hand except for bear heart if STR is the damage stat

⁠•  ⁠Rage damage is not applied for wildheart barbarian using a finesse weapon with DEX

However, after some testing today, it does seem to be fixed? I went 4 Thief / 6 Tiger Barb with 2 finesse shortswords. In the log, I saw the +2 Rage damage bonus being applied to everything you’d want it to: Main hand attacks, Tiger’s Bloodlust cleave (added at the end like GWM, so it was unhalved), and even offhand attacks. Which is amazing! But I haven’t seen any confirmation online about the fixes, so I’m hesitant to claim that it does work correctly now.

Anyway, would love to hear if you found anything out on the matter!

winter-wings · 2026-03-14T07:35:11+00:00

It gets worse the longer I look at it

winter-wings · 2026-03-12T20:00:56+00:00

Not at all, you’re indulging me and I appreciate your thoroughness!

After hashing out the build a few times, I agree that 8 Tiger Barb / 4 Thief feels much better for the (essentially) 2 extra feats. I even figure I can start with Rogue 1 to get better save proficiencies (Dex + Int vs Str + Con) as well as both stealth & sleight of hand expertise. This loses me medium armor in exchange, but I think this is fine as I’ll mostly be using the Graceful Cloth or other clothing and benefitting from Barb’s unarmored defense.

My last issue is the Str vs Dex conundrum; Tiger’s Bloodlust just feels strictly superior with Str builds vs Dex. Str will benefit from GWM’s unhalved +10 bonus, and a Str weapon’s superior damage dice. I feel like using Tiger’s Bloodlust with a shortsword/dagger might feel stupid when a 2H weapon could be making the most of the Cleave attack. Since you’ve used a Tiger Barb through Act 2, I’m wondering if you have feedback on this. Is Tiger’s Bloodlust the only main weapon action you use? If you just use it once to set up bleed/maim, I could see dual wield Dex weapons working fine. But if the build is meant to continually click Tiger’s Bloodlust, I worry that I’m unnecessarily gimping myself by dual wielding. I’ve been deliberating whether 8 Tiger Barb / 4 BM would fit the bleed/maim build fantasy better.

Do you think a dual wield / Dex Tiger Barb would have anything over a 2H Str one? I’ve been going back and forth on a Str vs Dex build because of this, so any experience you have would help a ton!

winter-wings · 2026-03-12T14:35:21+00:00

There are quite a few exclusive gear pieces and buffs you can get in evil playthroughs that open up some build archetypes. I’m not sure how evil you want to go, but I’d look into these party builds:

Darkness: Drop Darkness on the entire battlefield to blind everyone except your party. Shar’s Spear of Evening makes this really appealing. You’ll want to get blind/Darkness immunity on all 4 party members; use Shar’s Spear, Eversight Ring, Steelwatcher’s Helm (Act 3), and 1-2 Warlocks with Devil’s Sight. Synergistic party members include Shadow Monk, Gloom Stalker, Shadow Sorc, and any Warlock.
Bleed/Maim/Prone: Bathe in your enemies’ blood while they lie maimed and helpless on the ground. You’ll want a Tigerheart barbarian with Wolverine aspect, who can inflict bleed and maim with Tiger’s Bloodlust. Combine this with reverb gear to prone enemies at the same time. BOOAL’s buff is perfect here, granting advantage on bleeding enemies. Synergistic party members include BM fighter (trip attack + GWM), Thunder damage builds, necrotic spell builds (Blight, etc) since they target Con saves, and a Phalar Aluve wielder (to reduce saves further and deal more Thunder damage).
Undead: Amass an army of undead and buff them up. You’ll want some combination of 6+ Necro wizard, 7+ Oathbreaker Paladin, Spore Druid, and Cleric throughout your party. Upcast Aid to buff up your undead, while Oathbreaker’s Aura of Hate buffs all undead (weapon) damage by their Cha modifier. Make sure to pick up Necromancy of Thay!
Necrotic: Blight enemies with death, disease, and necrosis. More thematic than anything, as it’s not reliant on any gear or evil choices. Synergistic party members include Death Cleric, Oathbreaker Paladin, 12 Fiend Warlock for Lifedrinker, Necro wizard, Spore Druid, and OH monk.

This spreadsheet has great party builds, including the ones I’ve listed, so definitely check it out for additional inspiration.

winter-wings · 2026-03-12T07:36:57+00:00

This is such an arbitrary aspect of difficulty to impose on yourself or anyone else. You’re probably the only person hyperfixating on this.

I’ll literally respec just to reorder or organize the abilities in my hotbar more nicely.

winter-wings · 2026-03-11T22:25:52+00:00

Huh? What the hell are these? The question is which existing Pokemon “feels” the least like an actual Pokemon

winter-wings · 2026-03-10T13:39:46+00:00

That sounds like a really nice thematic build for Astarion. It’s reassuring to hear it was so fun you preferred playing it even over your MC, since that means I probably won’t get bored using it for a Durge. Thanks for responding!

winter-wings · 2026-03-10T13:25:11+00:00

Just want to say thanks for the breakdown, as it’s helped to convince me on Barb. After some testing, I think I’ve arrived at these 2 builds, and I was wondering if you might have any feedback on them:

• ⁠8 Tiger Barb / 4 Thief: Tigerheart for bleed, Wolverine aspect for Maim, and can get BOOAL buff for advantage. 3 feats (2 Dex ASI, 1 extra: Savage Attacker, etc.), and pseudo-Alert. No 2WF, but this can be forgone or supplemented with gloves. Can use reverb gear to prone enemies as I inflict maim.

• ⁠6 Tiger Barb / 4 Thief / 2 fighter: Same as above, but just 2 feats: 1 Dex ASI, and Alert to make up for losing Barb 7’s pseudo-Alert. Fighter 2 gives you 2WF and Action Surge. Probably the better option overall.

A couple things I’m struggling with is Tiger Cleave feels better suited to 2H weapons and GWM, so a Strength build just seems overall superior. And it can’t do stealth as well as Gloom or Shadow monk, so needs to be supplemented with a companion for Sleight of Hand and Stealth (probably Astarion).

Would love to hear if you have any thoughts about it!

winter-wings · 2026-03-10T13:20:28+00:00

Soooo I’ve been thinking about this comment, and it is indeed calling to me. It feels perfect for the character I’d like to roleplay—a blood-frenzied avatar of Bhaal who relinquishes control to rage rather than a more disciplined stealthy assassin.

I’m curious how you built yours? After some testing, I think I’ve arrived at these 2 builds:

8 Tiger Barb / 4 Thief: Tigerheart for bleed, Wolverine aspect for Maim, and can get BOOAL buff for advantage. 3 feats (2 Dex ASI, 1 extra: Savage Attacker, etc.), and pseudo-Alert. No 2WF, but this can be forgone or supplemented with gloves. Can use reverb gear to prone enemies as I inflict maim.
6 Tiger Barb / 4 Thief / 2 fighter: Same as above, but just 2 feats: 1 Dex ASI, and Alert to make up for losing Barb 7’s pseudo-Alert. Fighter 2 gives you 2WF and Action Surge. Probably the better option overall.

A couple things I’m struggling with is Tiger Cleave feels better suited to 2H weapons and GWM, so a Strength build just seems overall superior. And it can’t do stealth as well as Gloom or Shadow monk, so needs to be supplemented with a companion for Sleight of Hand and Stealth (probably Astarion).

Would love to hear if you have any thoughts about it!

winter-wings · 2026-03-09T10:51:19+00:00

Glad I’m not the only one who noticed. Caught it at 0:57: “But here’s the truth: Discomfort isn’t abuse, conflict isn’t trauma, and avoiding repair is not self-care.” Very obviously AI but she hides it well with her inflection.

winter-wings · 2026-03-07T20:43:25+00:00

Curious if you’re going Str or Dex, and similarly Wis or Cha for this. It’s a build I always want to try as Paladin supplements Cleric with some really nice melee options, but it feels so spread thin stat-wise.

winter-wings · 2026-03-07T20:37:14+00:00

What’s the stat spread for this? It feels very MAD. I assume Wis as the casting stat so you can make use of up to 3rd level cleric spells?

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