Ask.fm: Characters in their element

The Fourth as a whole:
The Fourth is not an especially subtle Officio when it comes to combat. It has its share of Calliduses and will employ them intelligently as need be, but it's certainly not the 20th. Therefore, the Fourth best employs its combat strength in open battle, where it can leverage its advantages the most.

To that end, the Fourth likes to turn a given battle into a siege when it can. They find it irritating to have to hunt down fleeing enemies and dig them out of whatever hiding spots they flee to, so one favored tactic of theirs is to herd their enemy into a single spot, where they'll inevitably try and hunger down. From there, the Fourth uses its drones and combat engineers to quickly construct a ring of light fortifications around the area, to prevent anyone from running away and to give themselves some cover. Once fortifications are complete, the Fourth prefers to bombard the shit out of the enemy position to soften them up, then annihilate them in one overwhelming assault under the cover of drone fire. All of this forces the enemy to deal with the Fourth's greatest assets; easy communication for tight coordination, the strength and toughness to win out a battle of attrition, easily concentrated firepower, and disposable drones that don't have to do anything more complex than "stand behind this wall and shoot the enemy" and therefore are presented with fewer opportunities to be outsmarted.

If the Fourth can get you in a position where they're laying siege to you, you're in very deep trouble indeed...unless something extraordinary happens. The Lady help you if they decide to bring along the Olympia.

For individual characters:

Honoka: As chapter 4 implies, Honoka is used to playing a marksman role rather than in an assault role. She's also not bad with her exoskeleton; she might not go around punching people with it, but her prized creation lets her move and relocate faster and more easily. Give her a good marksman's rifle, her exoskeleton, and some clear lanes of fire, and she'll show you why she's survived four years of being a Magical Girl despite lacking, say, Sayaka's sheer grit, Chiaki's abilities, or Kharn's overwhelming strength.

Petra: Petra is really only good at doing 2 things: making things and breaking things. If a problem can be solved by creating something to deal with it (a robot, a weapon, etc.), or by destroying it, then Petra will be able to deal with that problem quite handily. Anything else, however, and she's going to be average at best. She's been learning how to play the diplomacy game recently (see chapter 5), but she's heavily reliant on girls like Barbara to carry out her will--she's not very good at negotiation and conversation on her own.

Fiona: Much like Petra, Fiona prefers to deal with things directly. She's not stupid, but at the same time she'll be on the backfoot if she has to start scheming and plotting against her enemy. If she can figure out a simple solution to the problem, however, she is very difficult to stop.

Yda and Ach: Socially, they're at their best when they can leverage their dominant position--usually derived from their high rank--against a subordinate person. In combat, they're at their best somewhere with plenty of room to maneuver and the ground itself is nice and smooth. Those who are fastest shall win the battle, as they say.

Barbara: Barbara can best use her smooth talking skills when her opponent has the wrong impression of her. Once Barbara has control over her opponent's perception of her, she's now properly set up to spin info to her advantage. A situation where Barbara knows more than you do is a situation where she's got you wrapped around her cold, metal finger.

Amal: Amal is at her best when she's in an environment that gently, patiently encourages her to grow and fulfill her true potential.