Lord

"So what happens now? Do I have to wear a funny hat or something?"

- Ike, about to be promoted to Lord in Path of Radiance.

The Lord (called Junior Lord in Fire Emblem: Genealogy of the Holy War) is arguably the most important class on the battlefield. In every Fire Emblem game, except in Fire Emblem Gaiden and Fire Emblem: Radiant Dawn, the Lord class will represent your main character(s), whomever they may be. Unlike other classes, Lords have no real generalization, as their unique styles and abilities change depending on which Lord(s) is featured within the game. It should also be noted that should your Lord be killed on the battlefield, you will automatically lose the game.

Combat
Players are forced to bring the Lord onto the battlefield for every fight. While it is incredibly important to protect your Lord for fear of an instant defeat, one should not keep them on the sidelines while your other characters do the work. While initially frail, upon reaching higher levels, lords are capable fighters and gain access to unique and powerful weapons. For this reason it is beneficial that their skills be appropriately leveled when taking on the later enemies and bosses. They usually use swords, but there are exceptions (Hector, Ephraim, Micaiah). Because the Lord class and characters tend to change from game to game, no general strategy can be offered other than to find a way to make use of their abilities properly.

Promotions
Although every Lord is different, their promotions share the same trait. Different Lords are promoted to different Lord classes, each one specializing in their own fields of combat. Lord promotions are often reached by obtaining a certain level or using a special item after reaching that level. It should be noted that early Fire Emblem games do not have Promotions for Lords, the first game to feature this was Fire Emblem: Genealogy of the Holy War. In Fire Emblem: Thracia 776, Leif promotes to Prince (his class from Genealogy of the Holy War) upon retaking Leonster. In Fire Emblem: Fūin no Tsurugi, Roy has his class changed to a Master Lord after receiving the Sword of Seals. In Fire Emblem: Rekka no Ken, Lords must be at least level 10 to use the Heaven Seal to upgrade to the next class. In Fire Emblem: The Sacred Stones, both Lords are given the option to use the Solar Brace/Lunar Brace to become a Great Lord.

Gaiden
There isn't a lord class in Fire Emblem Gaiden. Alm is technically a Fighter, while Celica is a Priestess.

Path of Radiance/Radiant Dawn
In Path of Radiance, Ike is the clear-cut Lord character, but is the first Lord character that is not of noble birth. However, throughout the course of the game, he is introduced into nobility, and this event marks his promotion to Lord proper.

In Radiant Dawn, just like in Gaiden, there is not a Lord class, however the people who fulfill the Lord character are Micaiah (a Light Mage/Light Sage/Light Priestess) and Ike (a Hero/Vanguard in Radiant Dawn), while Elincia, Geoffrey, and Tibarn serve as temporary leaders (notably, Geoffrey can seize in one of his chapters).

Fire Emblem: Awakening
Chrom is the main Lord of Awakening; his daughter, Lucina, also joins as a Lord. Unlike previous games, their promotion is not tied to the plot, and they can become Great Lords at any time by using a Master Seal. While Chrom will have two children in most cases -- the sole exception being if he marries the Villager NPC (which only happens if Sumia, Maribelle, Sully, Olivia and a female Avatar are all dead or already married) -- only Lucina can be a Lord or Great Lord. The other child will inherit Aether or Rightful King, but cannot reclass to Lord.

Fire Emblem: Awakening Growth rates
In Fire Emblem: Awakening, Growth Rates are calculated by adding class growth rates to personal growth rates.


 * HP: 40
 * Str: 20
 * Mag: 0
 * Skl: 20
 * Spd: 20
 * Def: 10
 * Res: 5

Fire Emblem: Mystery of the Emblem

 * HP: 52
 * Str: 20
 * Skl: 20
 * Spd: 20
 * Lck: 20
 * Def: 20
 * Res: 20
 * Mov: 7

Fire Emblem: Genealogy of the Holy War

 * HP: 80
 * Str: 20
 * Mag: 15
 * Skl: 20
 * Spd: 20
 * Lck: 30
 * Def: 20
 * Res: 15

Fire Emblem: Thracia 776

 * HP: 80
 * Mag: 20
 * Str: 20
 * Skl: 20
 * Spd: 20
 * Lck: 20
 * Def: 20
 * Build: 20

Fire Emblem: Path of Radiance

 * Hp: 60
 * Str: 26
 * Mag: 20
 * Skl: 27
 * Spd: 28
 * Luck: 40
 * Def: 24
 * Res: 22

Fire Emblem: Awakening

 * HP: 60
 * Str: 25
 * Mag: 20
 * Skl: 26
 * Spd: 27
 * Lck: 31
 * Def: 25
 * Res: 25

Trivia

 * Through hacking in Genealogy of the Holy War, one can see that the ability to seize a castle is not locked to the main character. Anyone can seize a castle, as long as they are of the Lord class, so it can be assumed that seize is actually hidden class skill of the Lord class.