Sir Raymond III

"'A famous champion knight of the Prideshead Order, Sir Raymond III is the protector of the city. Having fed up with the reign of the Prince of Darkness, it is under his command that the tides have come to turn.'"

Sir Raymond III is a hero added in Bloons TD 7: Dark Times. He is a melee based hero and is referred to as 'The Grand Protector' in his subtitle. Sir Raymond III is unlocked from the get-go, and is the starting Hero unlocked during the Tutorial.

Lore
Sir Raymond III began his military career in the southern city of Prideshead near the outlands of the Monkey Kingdom. Despite the industrializing and quickly developing army, Raymond was far more fond of the medieval warfare that was yet to completely fall out of style. Having dedicated himself to the spear and shield, Raymond began his intense training as a squire in the Prideshead Order at a young age.

As a young adult, while the kingdom still prospered and long before the Soul Fracture, Raymond slowly rose in the ranks of the Order in Prideshead. When the city falls under siege or threat from factions of bloons in the Outlands, it is Raymond and his loyal cavalry that always take the first strike.

Now, with the world wrapped around the fingers of the Prince of Darkness, Raymond has had enough of fending off the city in his growing age. While no longer in his prime and yet not terribly old either, Raymond still has battle spirit to expend and a final grudge to settle before he knows he will rest at peace.

Design
Sir Raymond III appears as a large and bulky masculine monkey coated in heavy metal and chainmail armor from the waist down. The lower half of his head is covered by a faceguard extending upward from the chestplate, and the large helmet accompanying the suit lays resting at his side.

Raymond has a rather strong and serious face with a pronounced chin, and a small X-shaped scar to the right of his mouth. A black eye patch covers his eye on the same side as the scar, implying a mortal wound there.

Raymond holds in his hand a decorated steel and gold spear as well as a large shield in the shape of a long rounded rectangle nearly the length of his body. It is colored red and yellow in the pattern of a typical crest or household seal.

Stats

 * Cost: $600 on Medium
 * Attack Type: Raymond swipes his spear in a small arc, stripping three layers off of bloons with each heavy swing. Will cap off at dealing damage to up to 7 bloons before stopping, limiting his crowd control.
 * Attack Speed: 2 seconds
 * Range: Short, around the range of an Ice Monkey with its range boost.

While a melee hero with a high damage and slow attack speed, Raymond is exceptional when it comes to support. His very presence and will to fight as well as his exceptional leadership inspires others.

Levels

 * Level 1: Default.
 * Level 2: Attack speed increased to 1.8 seconds.
 * Level 3: Unlocks the Aura of Victory ability.
 * Level 4: Towers within Raymond's range take 5% less damage from all attacks.
 * Level 5: Range increased by 10%. Raymond's spear now projects a magical wave that extends passed its normal length and continues till the end of his new range. This effects all future range increases as well.
 * Level 6: Raymond will occasionally slam his shield down, releasing a short range stun attack that pops 1 layer and stuns bloons for 1 second. Has a 3 second cooldown. Takes priority over the swipe when competing for his next action.
 * Level 7: Raymond's pierce is increased by 2.
 * Level 8: Raymond's health is increased by 10%.
 * Level 9: Aura of Victory cooldown reduced by 5 seconds.
 * Level 10: Unlocks the Crushing Smite ability.
 * Level 11: Towers in Raymond's vicinity gain 20% additional health.
 * Level 12: Raymond's spear now can pop Lead Bloons.
 * Level 13: Increases shield slam damage to 2 layers and stun length increased to 1.25 seconds.
 * Level 14: Raymond now swings his spear twice in a single attack, back and forth, dealing 2x as much damage.
 * Level 15: Crushing Smite now strips bloons of Regrow effect and deals 1 additional damage.
 * Level 16: For every bloon that Raymond kills during a round, his attack speed increases marginally.
 * Level 17: Raymond can now cancel an attack happening against a tower in his radius once every 8 seconds. This passive being prepared is denoted by a soft blue light around his shield.
 * Level 18: Raymond's damage reduction aura now cancels 10% of damage.
 * Level 19: Aura of Victory now makes it so that bloons killed by towers under its effects drop 3x as much money for its duration.
 * Level 20: Unlocks the Shield of the Ceaseless ability.
 * Level 21: Raymond's increasing attack speed per kill now also effects all towers in his range. Stacks with Aura of Victory.
 * Level 22: Every fifth attack from Raymond will deal 2x damage to bloons.
 * Level 23: When Aura of Victory is used, Raymond will heal for 20% of his maximum health.
 * Level 24: Crushing Smite now slows bloons struck by it down to 60% of their usual speed.
 * Level 25: Raymond's health increases by another 20%.
 * Level 26: Raymond's ability to cancel an attack against towers in his range now causes the attack to be deflected back to the bloon, and its damage done to them.
 * Level 27: Raymond's shield bash cooldown decreased to 2.5 seconds.
 * Level 28: His spear attack is now a full 360 sweep of his radius, and its pierce increases tremendously, to 20.
 * Level 29: Raymond's health increased by a whopping 50%, stacked with the past health increases.
 * Level 30: Shield of the Ceaseless now makes all towers in an area 3x Raymond's range completely invincible to damage as well for its duration, giving them the same golden aura shield as the lives counter.

Abilities

 * Aura of Victory: Raymond will release a red shockwave within an area 4x his range that causes all towers in the vicinity to attack 20% faster, and see 20% further for 8 seconds. Has a 40 second cooldown.
 * Crushing Smite: Raymond leaps into air as his spear glows a bright red. Upon hitting the ground, a large red wave of energy will be sent down the length of the track toward the entrance, dealing 4 damage to everything it passes. Does 5x damage to MOAB class bloons and can pop Lead Bloons. Has a 75 second cooldown.
 * Shield of the Ceaseless: When used, the lives symbol will become reinforced with a golden bubble-like aura that releases a soft golden light for 5 seconds, as any bloons that pass through deal no damage to the lives counter. Bosses are an exception to this. Has a 160 second cooldown and requires at least 3 rounds to pass before it can be used again.

When Placed

 * Even in this grave hour, we shall emerge victorious.
 * Come with me, my kin of battle, and may we fight for what's right.
 * By the end of this day we shall bask in glory!

When Selected

 * An honor to serve.
 * What ails you?
 * What is your request?
 * Your concern, my friend. It bothers me.
 * Need a hand?
 * Do not meddle with a warrior in his glory. (When annoyed)
 * I must kindly ask you to desist, my friend. (When annoyed)

When Leveling Up

 * Glorious!
 * An honor indeed!
 * At last!
 * I can feel my strength grow.
 * This is a day of reckoning! (When reaching Level 30)

MOAB Class Bloons

 * A MOAB comes. Destroy it! (MOAB Spawn)
 * A BFB dares wander here? (BFB Spawn)
 * A fine ZOMG as payment for the lives you've taken. (ZOMG Spawn)
 * These DDTs shall fall. (DDT Spawn)
 * An ultimate claim of retribution awaits. (BAD Spawn)
 * No more games! (MOAB Kill)
 * A futile attempt! (BFB Kill)
 * At last a thousand souls can rest easy. (ZOMG Kill)
 * Out of sight... out of mind. (DDT Kill)
 * An injustice has been righted in the court of the stars. (BAD Kill)

Bloons Leaking

 * You shall atone for this!
 * Oh, how we fall.
 * Friends, to arms. We shall demand payment!

Ability Use

 * Join me in victory, my friends! (When using Aura of Victory)
 * Enough playing around! (When using Crushing Smite)
 * You shall not take another innocent life. (When using Shield of the Ceaseless)

=Trivia==
 * Some effects extend in a radius far beyond Raymond's range, because it is always exceptionally short. Even 4x his range is usually not too far even at Level 30.
 * He refuses to wear the helmet at all times because it is very heavy.
 * Raymond's powers have a lot to do with health and defense reduction. The health system for Dark Times is yet to be created.