Templar

Base Stats:
Power: 13
Armor: 16
Speed: 10
Dexty: 10
Resis: 14

Move List:
F,F,F,>>,F
F,F,cF
cF,hold,(>>)
>>,F(hold>)
D
>>,D
cD

Game Play:
Templar are defensive fighters, relying on their longer attack range, numerous flinchless attacks and high armor to outlast their opponents. The Templar's most outstanding attack is his cF(hold), which can be used in a number of situations. While charging up, it creates a field of damage around the Templar, and if charged for long enough, it will increase in power and gain an extended range. Also notable is his cD, which holds opponents in place for a long period of time, allowing the Templar to charge up his cF without worrying about incoming attacks, or to set up other combos.

Development:
The Templar was originally based on the idea of a 'paladin', a popular jobclass in D&D and WoW, and often a staple of western RPGs. This is the basis for his cross shaped spear and heavenly special effects. The mold of the paladin is not followed exactly however, because paladins are almost universally considered good and virtuous, whereas all jobclasses in Rune Star have the option of engaging in villainy. The name change also occurred to facilitate a more futuristic feel, and because a surprisingly large percentage of the jobclasses planned at development also started with "p".

Valkyrion

Base Stats:
Power: 13
Armor: 15
Speed: 11
Dexty: 10
Resis: 8

Move List:
F,F,F,F,F
cF
>>,F
D
cD
>>,D

Game Play:
The Valkyrion is a jobclass that knows no moderation. All but her most basic attacks are ridiculously powerful, and come with appropriate drawbacks to using them. The Valkyrion's most memorable technique is her cD, which creates a giant magic stunning field around her and then cuts all nearby opponents with 4 ethereal swords. While this technique may seem almost unbeatable, overusing it will reveal many weaknesses. The Valkyrion is incredible at taking on overwhelming situations, but her large moves are sloppy when forced to deal with situations that require delicacy.

Development:
The Valkyrion is obviously based on the Valkyries, minor goddesses of war (to put simply) in Norse Mythology. Specifically, her design is heavily influenced by the character Lenneth from Tri-Ace's Valkyrie Profile. There is actually a chasm of differences between the Valkyries of video games and the true Valkyries of mythology, and the Valkyrion is more similar to those from video games. She is also very reminiscent of characters from Pili, especially in her sword spinning animation. The Valkyrion was especially designed to be the "face" of Rune Star. When Rune Star is mentioned, the Valkyrion should be the first character to come to mind for most people.

Pirate

Base Stats:
Power: 9
Armor: 14
Speed: 14
Dexty: 16
Resis: 12

Move List:
F,F
cF
>>,F
(>>),D,D,D,D
cD
>>,cD

Game Play:
Pirates are clever fighters, relying on devious, even underhanded tactics rather than brute force. The pirate's most unique move is his rapid fire pistol, which can be used with D. Although the shots have no stopping power on their own, the Pirate's high dex score makes up the difference, and he can use his gun to defeat minor enemies before they ever get close enough to draw their own weapons. To really get the most out the Pirate, it's important to master balancing all of his techniques.

Development:
The real reason that Pirates are in Rune Star is of course because they are better than ninjas. Originally, there had been a plan to include a ninja jobclass as well, but it was dropped in favor of the more diverse Juggernaut and Warlord classes and to avoid blatant cultural references (we are in space after all). The Pirate's sword is based on a toy electric glowing pirate cutlass that I almost bought at a Cracker Barrel while on a road trip, and his gun resembles the old laser blasters that the first Power Rangers used. The Pirate was a true pleasure to draw, since he is the only character that has some sort of cultural standard as far as appearance. It's much easier to draw when you know what you're drawing.

Psychon

Base Stats:
Power: 14
Armor: 12
Speed: 10
Dexty: 16
Resis: 8

Move List:
F
>>,F,F,F,F
D
cD,hold(x3)
>>,D
>>,cD

Game Play:
Psychons are powerhouses of offense, but they are very tricky to play because of their low armor and slow speed. Their speed can be partially countered with their trademark teleportation, dashD, which allows the Psychon to move a set distance nearly instantaneously. The Psychon's low stamina is a true curse, and because they do not possess many flinchless attacks, it is important to be extremely careful when attacking. Psychons are a high stakes jobclass, but those who can take on the risk can find great rewards.

Development:
Rune Star's jobclasses are designed to be like futuristic versions of the jobclasses of old RPGs like D&D or Final Fantasy, and Psychons are the attempt at a futuristic magic-user. This is a position which I find is under represented in action games, so her style borrows heavily from SNK's Athena and Mewtwo from SSB Melee with special effects styles from Pili. Her appearance is also a bit reminiscent of KOS-MOS and the Realians of XenoSaga, but I think that is more to do with just being an enigmatic futuristic female.

Juggernaut

Base Stats:
Power: 10
Armor: 18
Speed: 9
Dexty: 12
Resis: 16

Move List:
F,F,(>>,)F
cF
>>,F
>>,cF
>>,cF,(hold>)
D
cD
>>D

Game Play:
The juggernaut lives up to his name with the highest Armor and Resistance scores of any jobclass. The Juggernaut's bare-fisted fighting style is unique and takes more practice to get used to. The Juggernaut has the largest selection of attack variations, and picking the right one at the right time can be difficult. The Juggernaut's slow speed and limited attack range means that he can't avoid getting hit in many situations, but he has the stamina to get through it.

Development:
Certain inappropriate internet phenoma aside, the idea of a giant, indestructible guy is present in nearly every action game ever created, and the Juggernaut has come to follow this long tradition. But of course, Rune Star isn't allowed to do things the way every other franchise has done them, so rather than use the normal balancer of giving the big guy really slow but damaging moves, Rune Star Juggernauts have very fast attacks, but a very limited range and don't do much damage. A big inspiration for this approach was Heihachi's appearance in Soul Calibur 2, the only fist fighter in a crowd of weapon users who suffers similar restrictions. The Juggernaut's physical appearance is modeled on the idea of a "Samurai Chuck Norris".

Reaper

Base Stats:
Power: 13
Armor: 14
Speed: 12
Dexty: 13
Resis: 8

Move List:
F,F,>
cF
>>,F,(hold>)
D,>
cD
>>,D

Game Play:
Reapers are fairly average statistically, but they have an arsenal of bizarre moves that can dispatch their foes with grim efficiency. The Reaper's moves are all on the slow side, but they pack a much bigger punch in terms of both damage and stun time. Her moves are also designed to 'trap' enemies and set up additional combos, and many are also good at BREAKing various opponents. Her most fearsome move is by far her cD, which calls forth a localized black hole. This move is hard to dodge and hard to escape once hit by it, and as such can spell certain doom for unwary adversaries.

Development:
Unlike the other characters, the Reaper's physical appearance was not freshly designed for Rune Star, but was a form that I invented years ago and has been featured in many of my projects that never came into full fruition. Her design shares some loose similarities with Guilty Gear's Testament and Dynasty Warrior 4's Yue Ying. The Reaper is based around the idea of a 'witch' or 'succubus', a female magic-user that taps into deeper, darker realms for her powers. She is supposed to be very physically attractive, but Rune Star's low resolution puts some restrictions on this.

Warlord

Base Stats:
Power: 16
Armor: 14
Speed: 15
Dexty: 10
Resis: 7

Move List:
F
cF
>>,F,F
D
>>,D

Game Play:
The Warlord is a high-speed high-powered combatant that sweeps through the battlefield like a bolt of lightning. They are interesting to play because although Warlords have the fastest Speed of any character (in fact of anything in Rune Star) their moves tend to be a bit on the slow side, focusing on longer reach and heavy damage. Of particular interest is his dashD attack, which homes in on nearby enemies while swirling his glaive about in front of him. While the Warlord's high octane approach to combat can be very effective, it can also be quite draining to use, and most of the attacks tend to leave the Warlord vulnerable if they don't connect.

Development:
The Warlord's development is unique, because he was the only character to be created completely by accident. The Warlord was originally designed to be only an enemy, the next stage up from Captains, but his great potential was soon obvious, and he eventually became a playable character. Glaives are my favorite medieval weapon, and oft am I disappointed when they are absent from weaponry based action games. That being the case, there are few video game inlfuences for the Warlord's fighting style, except for a sprinkling of Dynasty Warriors. The backbone of his style is from kung-fu demos on you-tube, my endearing safety net Pili, and personal experimentation. (cuz I totally practice with improvised pole-arms)

Legionary

Base Stats:
Power: 11
Armor: 16
Speed: 13
Dexty: 12
Resis: 14

Move List:
F,F
cF
>>,F
>>,cF
(>>),D,D
cD,hold(x3)
>>,D,cD(hold>)

Game Play:
The Legionary is another defensive character, but with some high-powered abilities. Most notable is her cD, which can be charged up several times to unleash a devastating burst that strikes a huge area. Her cF is also useful, a powerful ranged energy wave that can keep foes at a good distance, and is also good at BREAKing a number of foes. The Legionary's style is straightforward, use powerful charge attacks from a distance and strike quickly with normal attacks when they close in.

Development:
Originally the Legionary was supposed to fit the same role as the Valkyrion in the four core classes under the name Rune Blade, but was replaced, abandoned even, because she was less photogenic and to be honest, just plain bad as a fighter. The Valkyrion even has the same circlet and shape to the top of her head, under the assumption that the Rune Blade would never be used in enough situations that players would notice. She was demoted to an enemy-only class alongside the Warlord, but as the Warlord slowly stepped outside his bounds as an enemy, it became apparent that it was time to invite the Rune Blade back to the party as well. She was given a revised sprite set, a new name, a tweaked move set and was modified to be a defensive character. In retrospect this reborn 'Legionary' now has all of the characteristics that she had originally been abandoned for not having, but events could no longer be changed back and she is forevermore doomed to rule Rune Star's underworld with her male counter-part, the Warlord. When I look at the Legionary, I often think that she looks a bit cranky, as perhaps her hard life has really become a part of her...