Get Sponsored
There are two kinds of magic in Final Fantasy Tactics. You can either target a certain character, be it enemy or comrade, with a spell, or you can target a specified location on the battlefield. So if you'd like to damage an enemy archer with a Fire1 spell, you can either hammer him right away with the spell, or you can target a certain location on the battlefield with the spell and fool him to walk into that location. Either way you will get the same results.
As a magic spell will consider anything within its range a target, the selection of targets is very important. A spell will affect anyone, regardless of whether it is a friend or opponent. Consider applying an attack spell with an extremely wide
coverage onto an enemy. Suppose that enemy wanders in to the thick of your forces, when the spell is activated. The enemy character and any of your soldiers who are within the spell's field of coverage will get hammered. Similarly, you could do the same thing with one of your soldiers and have him wander into a cluster of enemies:) In this case, it would be a good idea to equip that character with items that reduce the damage of the attack spell to himself.
When a specific map location is targeted with a certain spell, that spell's field of coverage stays where you put the put the spell. Therefore enemies may be able to wander out of the spell's field of coverage before the spell is activated, but you don't have to worry about any of guys wandering in either.
Another battlefield tactic would be to target a map location, over which the enemy would have to travel, to serve as a timed minefield of sorts. Each of the aforementioned magic types is further divided into four categories. There are four types of magic in FF Tactics: Black, White, Time, and Summon spells.
Black is offensive-type magic like bolt, ice, and fire.
White is defensive or curative-type magic used for restoring lost HP or reviving fallen comrades.
Time magic consists of spells which change the course of time against your enemies within battles.
Summon magic enables you to summon forth monsters such as Bahamut and Titan, very much like Rydia in FF2.
From this menu, click on the type of magic you want to learn more about.
Black | White | Time | Summon | Yin-Yang
Black Magic
The roots of black magic mirror the evolution of white magic in that black magic is dedicated solely to destruction. In Yvalice, the study of black magic became popular after the years of the War of Unification. Many black spells were developed, each more powerful than the last. Because of the destructive nature of black magic, users of black magic are often considered evil and unholy. However, it all comes down to the intent of the magic-user. Wielded by those representing justice, black magic could be the mighty hammer of justice against all things evil. There are two major kinds of black magic: those that draw their power from nature, and those that affect the mental or physical aspects of living things. Those spells which draw their power from nature harness the elements of fire, ice, and thunder to inflict damage. The latter group tends to be extremely effective, including some that can cause death instantly.
Spell Description Fire Strikes one target with fire. Faira The second level Fire spell provokes several fireballs encompassing the target, then blowing straight up in the center. It has greater range and inflicts greater damage than the basic Fire. Faiga The third level Fire spell summons forth an enormous fireball above the target area, then smashes down and burns everything within its range. Faija The forth and highes level of Fire spells draws the thermal energy over the field map to a spot over the large target area, and then creates an enormous explosion damaging anybody in the immediate area. Blizzard The first level blizzard spell creates a block of ice that drops onto the selected target. Blizzara The second level Ice spell creates pillars of ice that stab upwards from the field of range to skewer enemies while freezing them. Blizzaga The third level Blizzard spell creates a block of ice which drops onto blizzaga's field of coverage. It's freezing temperatures and crushing weight inflict severe damage. Blizzaja The fourth and highest level of Blizzard spells form enormous blocks of ice which are dropped onto the field of coverage with cold and crushing weight. Thunder The first level Thunder spell strikes the target with a lightning bolt. Good for mechanic enemies if there are any in FFTactics. Thundaja The fourth level Thunder spell smotes the target with a ball of thunder drawn from all corners of the field map to annihilate all within its field of range with intense heat and shock. Great for Christmas Cards.:)
Black | White | Time | Summon | Yin-Yang
White Magic
People have conducted religious ceremonies since ancient times. There is a surprising variety of folk rituals, and the most basic of these relate to the power of healing. The refinement of such rituals to real effectiveness led to the birth of white magic. In Yvalice, white magic is said to have developed against destructive black magic. White Magic is used for healing the wounds of the soldiers, minimizing damage from enemy assaults, and bringing harm to undead creatures. White mages are essential to your party as 'support crew', although they may contribute little in physical battles. It may prove impossible to win battles without at least several white mages on your side.
Spell Description Cure The most basic white magic curing spell can be used to replenish lost HP, as well as damage undead enemies. Curera This spell is an enhancement over the standard Cure spell; it offers a wider field of range, as well as greater healing strength. For double the benefit, use this on an ally while standing next to an undead enemy:) Curega The third level Cure spell offers high HP replishment and an even wider field of range than Curera. It is essential to minimize damage incurred from a wide area attack spell cast by the enemy. Protes A spell that temporarily raises an ally's defense against any physical attack. This spell is useful for minimizing the amount of Curing spells you will be forced to cast for healing severely injured allies. Shell This spell temporarily raises an ally's defense against any magical spell, in contrast to it's physical counterpart Protes. Shell is essential when taking on enemy wizards. Wall Creates a barrier than protects against both physical and magical attacks. Effective when encountering stage bosses. Regene A healing spell that restores HP at regular intervals. This spell should probably be cast on those allies who will lead the attack against the enemy. Esna A spell than encompasses the recipient party member in a curative light that rids them of all negative status changes.
Black | White | Time | Summon | Ying Yang
Time Magic
Time sorcery was originally considered black magic; over time, spells involving the control of time and space evolved as time sorcery. The study of time sorcery is still in its infancy, while the two major schools of black and white magic have been studied extensively over many years. Many time spells alter the passage of time and control gravitational force in limited areas. As time is a crucial factor in FFTactics, given the fact that the quickness of characters determine their sequence of action. Also, the ability to manipulate gravity can cause critical damage to the enemy forces. A time wizard could be an important ally given the fact that it uses magic that fills in gaps unserved by both white and black magics.
Spell Description Haste The Haste spell increases the recipient's quickness. This spell is particularly beneficial for those party members with large charge times. Slow Slows the quickness of the recipient. By casting this on the enemy troops and slowing down their charge time, you can decrease the frequency of their attacks. Gravide Creates a heavy fog around the recipient. The damage that this spell exacts varies with the amount of HP the recipient possesses. More HP results in more damage. Graviga An enhanced version of Gravide, with a wider field of range. If successful, this spell could leave all affected enemy troops with only a fraction of their original HP. Don't Move This spell removes the recipient's ability to move entirely. It's effective against enemies who can only deal out physical attacks to damage your allies. Levitate This spell levitates the recipient, allowing him or her to avoid earthquake spells. It also appears to allow the recipient to reach heights previously inaccessible.
Black | White | Time | Summon | Yin-Yang The use of summons is a very common thing in Final Fantasy games. It seems to add a more vivid touch to a game's play and style. Using these summons skills, you, the character are able to call up a different good monster, each with their own characteristics, into battle! Some require the use of a special character in the game, while some needs a sufficient amount of MP (magic points). Although some may look, weak, in appearances, they can be deceiving! Trust me!
Summon Magic
Spell Description Moogle Recovers allies' HP Shiva Punishes enemy with freezing cold Ramuh Inflicts lightning damage on the enemy Ifrit A specialist in fire damage Titan This mighty giant brings forth the power of the earth Bahamut A dragon which causes non-elemental damage Odin A fearsome horseman who attacks with non-elemental damage Leviathan This sea serpent drowns enemies in water Cyclops His evil eye inflicts non-elemental damage Black | White | Time | Summon | Yin-Yang
Yin-Yang Magic
This page was created with HTMLPad and was also launched on November 29, 1997.
