04. Noble Phantasms

Noble Phantasms are the crystallization of a Heroic Spirit's legend. They are in effect, the Servant's trump card, their greatest legend given form, and are easily the most dangerous thing about a Servant. A Servant could have terrible parameters and an exceptional Noble Phantasm, and guess what? They're a legitimate threat, probably more than the guy with great parameters but a mediocre Noble Phantasm.

Servants for the most part usually have only one Noble Phantasm. There are cases where they can have a second or even a third, but a second is uncommon, and a third is rare. Anything beyond that is almost unheard of. Noble Phantasms come in many, many form. It would be safe to say that there's no one universal way to say what a Noble Phantasm is.

-They can take the form of a physical weapon, like King Arthur's Excalibur.
-A support item, like Astolfo's Casa Di Logistilla.
-A living creature, like Alexander the Great's Bucephalus.
-A technique, like Li Shuwen's No Second Strike.
-A completely abstract concept, like Heracles's God Hand.
-etc.
-etc.

The list goes on and on.

When calculating damage from a Noble Phantasm, you just go by its rank. Unless specified otherwise, a Noble Phantasm will always do damage equivalent to its rank. Meaning Excalibur, if the Excaliblast hits, will deal 150 damage. When C rank Endurance gives you 300 HP, this sounds like nothing. But there's a minor catch; damage from Noble Phantasms can't be reduced by the Endurance or Mana Parameters. Meaning that unless you have something in store, Artoria's Exalibur will deal 150 damage flat.

Doesn't sound so weak now, does it? That being said, the cost is also equivalent to the rank, meaning Excalibur costs 150 MP to use. Some Noble Phantasms may be passive, some may have a low cost. But their cost is usually a reason not to spam it. Not to mention that doing so will give your identity away pretty quick, more often than not.

When making your Noble Phantasm, it doesn't mean it's to be taken literally. Māui of Hawaiian mythology is known for having hauled up the islands of Hawaii with his fish hook. This does not mean that, using this as a Noble Phantasm, he has the strength to literally move entire continents. Maybe the hook itself is a weapon that grants him powerful earth based attacks or something? Who knows! Arthur's Excalibur definitely couldn't fire doombeams, but it does in Fate. But seriously.

Repeat after me: Noble Phantasms are not literal.

One more time: Noble Phantasms are not literal.