Ross (The Sacred Stones)

"Yeah! Don't be fooled by my appearance. I'm actually pretty good."

- Ross, in a support conversation with Gerik

Ross（ロス Rosu）is a young villager from Ide, son of the former warrior Garcia, who left the army in order to raise him.

He is one of the three characters in this game that starts at the lowest promotion level, namely the Journeyman, who specializes in axes. The other two who are on the same tier of ranking are Amelia the Recruit, who specializes in lances; and Ewan the Pupil, who specializes in magic. He also comes with a Hatchet, which is a light, fairly-accurate axe, that can be used one space away from an enemy, similar to a Hand Axe. However, it is not really powerful, making it similar to a Slim Sword or a Slim Lance.

Like all trainees, Ross has an unusual extra 10 levels to gain, making him more of a time investment, but giving him greater potential for stat variance.

Personality
Ross is a wild and impetuous youth, who seeks to emulate his father by becoming a warrior. In his support conversations, he is shown to be serious about his oaths.

Ross lost his mother, Risa, when he was very young; in a support conversation with Lute, it is revealed that Risa knew some degree of magic, and Ross believes that he had a chance at learning magic, for Lute states that you have to be born with magic in order to use it. Garcia retired from the army to raise little Ross; as a result, father and son are extremely close, and Ross adores his dad and seeks to become as strong as he is.

Initial Stats

 * Journeyman
 * Fire
 * 1
 * 15
 * 5
 * 2
 * 3
 * 8
 * 3
 * 0
 * 8
 * 4
 * Axe-E
 * Hatchet

Promotion Gain
Fighter
 * HP +2
 * STR +2
 * SKL +1
 * RES +1
 * CON +3

Pirate
 * HP +2
 * STR +2
 * SPD +1
 * DEF +1
 * CON +2
 * Can walk across water

2nd Promotion Gain
Pirate to Warrior
 * HP +3
 * STR +1
 * SKL +2
 * DEF +3
 * RES +3
 * Can use bows E

Pirate to Beserker
 * HP +4
 * STR +1
 * SKL +1
 * SPD +1
 * DEF +2
 * RES +2
 * Increase Crit Rate by 15%
 * Can cross water and mountains

Fighter to Warrior
 * HP +5
 * STR +3
 * SKL +3
 * DEF +3
 * RES +4
 * Can use bows E

Fighter to Hero
 * HP +6
 * STR +3
 * SKL +3
 * SPD +2
 * DEF +2
 * RES +3
 * Can use swords C

Growth Rates

 * HP 70%
 * STR 50%
 * SKL 35%
 * SPD 30%
 * LCK 40%
 * DEF 25%
 * RES 20%

Overall
In his earliest levels, Ross will be near dead weight, felled by the weakest of enemies and only reliably hitting with his trusty hatchet. However, since trainees have almost unrivaled experience gains from combat, and he joins early on in the game, Ross should have no great difficulty catching up to your team. Ross's problem stats are similar to his father, Garcia's, in that he has poor speed and defenses, but it's made worse by Ross's low Constitution. Being that he and Garcia share a common use, affinity, and have the fastest support available, pairing them off can substantially boost their offensive power from the start of the game. In terms of promotion, Ross will function almost identically as a Fighter or Pirate, but not so by his second promotion.

Ross performs ably as a Berserker or Hero, the Warrior's potential falling in a distant third. As one of two possible Berserkers you have at your disposal, Ross will end up with a situational but convenient ability to walk over water tiles, and a much more significant +15% chance to gain a critical hit. As a Hero, Ross will gain the use of swords, useful in that they're light and accurate, to compensate for Ross's mediocre Con. and skill, and fantastic stat gains upon promotion. As a Warrior, he'll gain the use of bows, a rigid weapon whose effectiveness is overshadowed by Ross already having access to ranged axes. Put bluntly, his Super Trainee class option should be disregarded, as it's fundamentally the same as a Berserker, but without the movement bonus over water and mountains, and the lack of the Constitution gains Ross sorely needs. His speed issue can be remedied somewhat if he is equipped with the sacred weapon Garm, provided his axe level is high enough.

Endings
He returned to Ide, village of his youth, and helped rebuild it after the bandit attack that brought it to ruin. Years later, he set out on his own to perfect his fighting skill and hone both body and spirit.
 * Ross, His Father's Son (受け継がれし豪腕 Uketsuga reshi Gō ude)

Ross and Garcia returned to their village, where they toiled together to rebuild their village. Ross grew to become a greater warrior than even his father. When he himself had a son, that child continued his family's legacy.
 * (A Support with Garcia)

Amelia traveled to Ross's hometown, where she decided to remain. Over time, the two fell in love and were wed. Years later they had a son who grew into a warrior. As he grew in skill and strength, he surpassed even his father.
 * (A Support with Amelia)

Other Supports

 * Lute
 * Ewan
 * Gerik