Death Battle Bio: Bonhoeffer/Assassin

Name: Dietrich Bonhoeffer
Aliases: Preacher of Courage, Preacher
Alignment: Neutral Good
Summoned Class: Assassin
Other Qualifying Classes: Caster
Height: 5'5
Weight: 110 lbs
Affiliation: Holy Church, Confessing Church, Abwher, Allied Forces
FEATS...
Earned theology PhD at 21
Spent time in America to dodge the draft
Became an outspoken critic of Hitler
-Included radio broadcast where he said "We must be careful that the leader not become the misleader"
-Was cut-off halfway through under suspicious circumstances
Used his brother's connection to Abwher (German intelligence) to help sneak information to the Allies
Died less than two weeks before Hitler's suicide and Germany's surrender
Theological works influenced Christianity's views in the modern era
Was considered worthy to ascend to the Throne of Heroes
-Surprising since Heroic Spirits from the 20th century are rare
Beat up Captain Hook with just a briefcase
-Got the assistance from the rest of his crew
-Assembled them to to Sunday morning worship service

Question: Some Heroic Spirits are from the dawn of time, in an era where mystery and magic was commonplace. However, some figures in human history made themselves legends in the modern era. From the military tactics of George S. Patton and Erwin Rommel to the infamous regime of Hitler to the downright insane actions taken by Audie Murphy. However, not all acts of courage come from the battlefield...

Bella: Some of them come from goofy men with glasses!

Question: ...Yes.

Steel: This guy's legend would come in the form of three things: theology, spywork, and explosions! Now THERE'S a Sunday school teacher I woulda loved! I mean, imagine how much more interesting the story of Gideon woulda been if crap just blew up in it! Instead, all I got was a message that God knows our strengths better than we do. What a waste!

Question: Born to a rather well-off family and the older of a set of fraternal twins in Wroclaw (which would later be added to Poland), Dietrich Bonhoeffer proved himself to be a rather bright young man, earning his doctorate in theology when he was in his twenties. Because Germany was recruiting an army (which was illegal under the armistice in the aftermath of World War I) and he had no interest, he hopped over to America to do some studying abroad. There, he found immense spiritual strength in the African-American communities.

Steel: And also some magic stuff that he quickly gained a knack for. Starting with basic alchemy, but advancing to forging his own Mystic Codes...those'd be magic tools used by magi.

Bella: Then he went BACK to Germany to kick some Nazi butt!

Question: ...Not exactly. Bonhoeffer was a pacifist, preferring to take a diplomatic route of reason in order to win public support. Heck, the night Hitler was dubbed Fuhrer, he went on live radio to warn people about the "leader becoming a misleader". Only to get cut off halfway through his transmission. Because of course he was.

Steel: But, when that didn't work, he took the middle route--he wouldn't FIGHT Nazis, per say, but he WOULD send info to the Allies so THEY could! Since his older brother, Klaus, was involved in a ring inside the German Intelligence agency, Abwher, he ran across Europe, filtering information and relaying it to the British forces during World War II. Honestly, we can NOT do the details of this justice because it's actually kinda like a living spy thriller.

Bella: However, it all came crashing down. The 20 July Plot happened and a briefcase bomb failed to kill Hitler. Many people in Abwher were arrested for this conspiracy and Bonhoeffer was among them. He was sent to a concentration camp and was executed by hanging about two weeks before Hitler's death and Germany surrendered. But he proved to be enough of a hero to ascend to the Throne of Heroes!

Steel: Almost on accident, he was summoned to Arieh Sachar, a former Mossad agent who was inducted into the Secret Holy Grail War. While he seemed like a strange option, he quickly proved himself useful in the coming fight.

Question: Due to his legend of spying, intel-gathering, and his connections to an assassination plot, he was summoned as the Assassin-Class Servant.

Bella: Being the Heroic Spirit of Silent Kills, their parameters are pretty low in comparison to the others due to their legends not being as strong as the others. So, their primary strategy is to sneak-attack Masters. Bonhoeffer's physical parameters, though? A bit stronger than expected, due to him magically enhancing his physicality.


ASSASSIN CLASS:
Heroic Spirit of Silent Kills
Class Skill: Presence Concealment
Basic Parameters:
Strength: D
Endurance: D
Agility: B
Mana: E
Luck: B

Bonhoeffer's Parameters:
Str: D+
End: D+
Agi: B+
Man: C
Luck: C

Steel: Moving on from that, let's see what skills the man packs. See, with Holy Grail War Servants, their skills are usually based around the legend they're summoned as. Bonhoeffer's legend of being a spy is so strong that it even goes into his other class of Caster. As an Assassin, though, he has the Class Skill of Presence Concealment, which allows them to hide their presence from being sensed. Bonhoeffer's is a B+, making him ideal for spying, but when he's attacking, it basically shuts off.

Question: He also has the Skill of Sacraments, knowledge of the spellcraft known best within the Holy Church. It's B-ranked, meaning he's capable of exorcisms, healing, protective blessings, and other standard abilities expected of an Executor.

Bella: And, due to being considered one of the Twentieth Century Martyrs and honored in Westminster Abbey in the form of a statue of in in a goofy-looking robe, he has the Skill Soul of a Martyr, which grants him mental armor from the strength of his determination and faith. What does that mean? Well, Hannibal's got a Skill that can paralyze an enemy with fear just from his mere presence...and Assassin just sorta shrugged it off.

SKILLS:
Presence Concealment
-Class Skill of the Assassin Class
-B+: ideal for spying
Sacraments
-Knowledge of Church Sacraments
-B: Capable of exorcisms, healing, protective blessings and other standard abilities expected of an Executor.
Soul of a Martyr
-Determination and faith that protects from mental interference, both mundane and magical.
-A: Mundane intimidation or confusion is completely ineffective. The effects of magical fear and compulsion are reduced or eliminated. The effects of Fearsome Mien and Charisma are treated as two ranks lower.

Steel: Despite being a man of God, Bonhoeffer's armed to the teeth, carrying Black Keys, the main weapon of the Executors.

Question: These rapier-like blades are specifically designed to slay evil spirits, such as Dead Apostles. However, they can be effective against mundane, human targets. Excellent for slashing, defense, or throwing, they're at their strongest when held in a fan formation.

Bella: He's also got a German Dagger that he kinda swiped from an SS Officer who was part of the infamous Thule Society. As such, it's kinda got runes on it to enhance its strength and durability, making it able to go toe-to-toe with other weapons wielded by the other Servants.



BLACK KEYS:
Primary weapon of Church Executors
Ideally used in three-per-hand
Designed specifically to kill evil beings
-Just as effective against mundane opponents


DAGGER:
A dagger he swiped from an SS Officer
One foot long blade
Inscribed with runes
-Result of it being a tool by the Thule Society

Steel: But you're all impatient, aren't ya? You've sat through his Skills, his Parameters, and his tools. But that's not what ya wanna see from a Heroic Spirit, is it? Ya wanna see his Noble Phantasms, don't ya? What legends were so powerful that they become super weapons? Well, HERE YA GO!

Bella: First and foremost is his old reliable, The Cost of Discipleship: I Bring My Magic With Me, named after his book on theology. It may SEEM like an ordinary Bible, because it IS an ordinary Bible! ...Kinda.

Question: Yes and no. See, it's actually a collection of Mystic Codes. The Bible is more of a representation of all of them. It's rather low-ranked when he's an Assassin and its uses are limited to the abilities connected to his spy work, granting him abilities to help in that. Meaning he can teleport, leave means of see and hear others inside defended areas, creating barriers, and can even form weapons and tools with a C-ranked Item Construction. The pages themselves can even be weaponized, proving that the book is the mightiest tool of all.

Steel: Nah, that's his OTHER Noble Phantasm. See, even if a Servant wasn't directly responsible for something, they CAN still obtain it. Medusa was the mother of the Pegasus, so she has the Noble Phantasm Bellerophon. Semiramis didn't build the Hanging Gardens, but some legends say she did. And Bonhoeffer's arrest for the 20 July Plot was more of a "guilt by association" arrest (and the Nazis REALLY hated him), but...

Bella: His ultimate trump card is Valkyrie: To Stand Against Evil. Most people forget that the first country the Nazis invaded was their own. After the humiliation on the international level in the fallout of World War I and the perceived betrayal of the Weimar Republic, the German people were broken until Hitler reignited their pride and passion...but at a terrible price that slowly proved himself to be a megalomaniac and a tyrant. This brought many German people wanting strength, but not the way he was presenting. This came in the form of assassination attempt after assassination attempt, causing righteous fury to gather, coming to a head in the 20 July Plot and the very similar Operation Valkyrie.

Question: That was...surprisingly insightful, Bella.

Bella: And it all turns into a big kablooie!

Steel: It's AWESOME!

Bella: Yeah, I KNOW!

Question: I don't know WHY I got my hopes up there...but Valkyrie is Bonhoeffer's ultimate trump card. An Anti-Evil, A++ Noble Phantasm, manifesting the desire to remove an evil ruler only to be frustrated time after time. This takes the form in Bonhoeffer's briefcase. For the most part, it's a normal briefcase. He can even use it to wail on enemies if needed, but if properly prepared and charged for the right amount of time, it can release an explosive force in proportion to the evil presented. Most effective against Evil-aligned targets, somewhat effective against Neutral-aligned, and utterly ineffectual against Good-aligned. It also only has one shot. Any more than that and it will be useless. However, it's a powerful punch that can be reset if it hasn't been used yet and it can even remain in place after its user's died.

NOBLE PHANTASMS:


COST OF DISCIPLESHIP:
Bonhoeffer's Bible
Support, C-ranked
A collection of Mystic Codes he gathered in life, connected to his spywork
-Would be stronger if summoned as a Caster
-Includes an easy teleportation, a means to spy on opponents, a barrier, and capable of being turned into weaponry


VALKYRIE:
Appears to be a mundane briefcase
Anti-Evil A++
Is actually influenced by the 20 July Plot
Ideally aimed at opponents of the Evil alignment
-Somewhat effective against Neutral aligned
-Useless against Good aligned
Only has one shot

Steel: However, there's some drawbacks. When Heroic Spirits are given strength by age and prestige, a low-tier Servant from less than a century ago tends to be kinda...low-balled. And Assassins aren't that strong in a mono-e-mono throwdown.

Question: Also, due to his own philosophy, Bonhoeffer's a pacifist. He prefers to talk rather than fight.

Bella: Also, two things you never do with him: NEVER trust him to drive and never get in the way of his chocolate. Both end with destruction of property and you getting a severe concussion.

WEAKNESSES:
A rather low-tier Servant
Pacifist nature
Can't drive
NEVER INTERFERE WITH HIS CHOCOLATE

Steel: Even with that in mind, he's no slouch. Even before becoming a Heroic Spirit, he was a spy who earned great fame after the war ended. His theology's gotten renown as being what helped influence modern Christianity, but he's also studied magic to great degree. He's the man who'd be nice, polite, and make cocoa with you if you'd be his friend...but then beat the living man-crap outta you with his briefcase for being a jerk. With a smile and a friendly, German accent!

(dark, ominous voice) You who summoned me in the form of an Assassin, are you my master? (adjusts glasses) Wunderbar. Our pact is formed. (upbeat, cheery voice) So, as long as we are working together, we should become acquainted, right? Guten tag, I am Assassin...but you may call me Dietrich Bonhoeffer!