Blame yourself or God! Let's Play Final Fantasy Tactics!

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Lesalia Imperial Capital

(Scene: Ramza has figured out that there is a third power
behind the Lion War, but the facts are still too vague. He
needs allies. With few options to turn to, he hopes his
brother Zalbag will lend a sympathetic ear...)

(Dycedarg's Theme)

Zalbag: Alma's here, too. See her before you go.











Ramza: What's the purpose? Beoulves have fought to
protect the people, not royalty.



Ramza: You don't understand, brother! This battle's
someone's plot! Someone's using Larg and Goltana!!





(Ramza looks down at the floor, searching his thoughts.)

Ramza: I don't know much either.....



Ramza: But someone took the Princess to Goltana.



Zalbag: Ramza! You're saying your own brother came up
with such a plot!?

Zalbag: Don't you trust your flesh? Get out! Go back to
Igros!!



Zalbag: I've care about you being my half-brother but,
after all, bad blood is bad blood. Not suitable for a Beoulve!







(A Knight rushes in from behind Ramza.)

Hokuten Knight: Your Excellency!





Zalbag: We'll have an assembly! Tell everyone to join!! I'll
be there, too!!

Knight: Yes, sir!



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Back gate of Lesalia Castle

(Scene: Scorned by Zalbag, Ramza tries to sneak out the
back. Two people wish to prevent an early exit this day...)

(Alma's Theme)

Alma: What does all this mean?



Ramza: But he seems to be involved more with someone
else.



Alma: Is it true Dycedarg was involved in the kidnapping?



Ramza: Yes.







Ramza: Alma, listen carefully.



Ramza: Taking advantage of the war to achieve something
vicious.



Ramza: He seemed to have his own ideas about things
though...







Alma: I want to prove what you're saying is true!

(Ramza steps to the side.)

Ramza: No, no.



(Ramza turns softly towards his sister.)

Ramza: Alma.....

(A man in white robes enters the scene with a pair of
bodyguards.)





Zalmo: You will follow us! Any resistance will force us to
execute you immediately!

(Bloody Excrement)

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Whew! That's quite an intro. Hope you like images!

This battle divides your party up to begin with, but you've got plenty of time to huddle them near or around Ramza
before any enemy will get close. Going into this battle, we've switched Ramza to a Thief (for nefarious purposes) and
Junk has become a Ninja, so we can teach him Two Swords. There's not really a good reason to teach Junk Two
Swords, but then again with that skill do you really need a reason?

Alma is a guest on this fight, and she'll generally do three things (in this order): cast Mbarrier on Ramza, hit a hurt
unit with her staff (which heals them since it's Healing Staff) and running away. Protecting her is not necessary, and
her usefulness generally dies after she buffs Ramza up. But what a buff! Like Ovelia before her, Mbarrier will give a unit
Regen, Haste, Protect, Shell, and Reraise. The first four will wear off as normal, but since Reraise sticks around it allows
Ramza to really wade into combat if you desire.



High Priest Zalmo meanwhile is a moderately difficult enemy, or at least he would be if the computer used him properly.
His command set, "White-Aid" has a mixture of Priest and Oracle abilities in it.

However, his AI pretty much causes him to run for the furthest corner, and only come out to cast Cure or Raise 2.
Now, this makes him annoying, but not particularly deadly. He's got the standard "I'm a special character, screw you
status effects" deal, but he is vulnerable to Slow. His HP isn't anything out of this world, and his evasion is fairly low
naturally, but he is using an Elf Mantle. Still, nothing worrisome.

His skills make him immune to arrows (no big deal) and his equipment halves the damage from fire/ice/lightning spells,
but he's still vulnerable to a punch in the face. His Move-HP Up skill gives him a handful of HP back a turn, but nothing
you can't stab through.



The enemies carry some interesting equipment you won't have access to quite yet. Zalmo carries a White Robe, which
is an interesting counterpart to the Black Robe (which, as will be mentioned later, increases the damage of Fire/Ice
/Lightning). The Monks will be carrying Judo Outfits, which give a +1 PA bonus, and the Knights are using Aegis Shields,
which have a fat +50% magical evasion. Only the White Robe won't be available for a few battles (the latter items can
be purchased after this one), but if you've got someone who can steal something from them... such as their hearts...
why not?



Nuking Zalmo down is a pretty effective strategy, since the only dependable source of healing is his own. Getting him
to critical status (or lower) will end the battle. the only trouble you'll have is wading through the Monks and Knights
who are guarding him, a task made easy due to the natural choke points on the stage (to the left and right of the
platform Ramza stands on) coupled with their only healer retreating instead of moving with them.

Those looking to grab the Crystals the enemies drop will find it difficult. Raise 2 is a pain, since it's success rate will be
pretty good, meaning not only do you lose their death counter, but you're back to fighting a full strength Knight or
Monk.



Since I brought Junk into this fight, I'm going with a 'Solution' that negates Raise 2 entirely, allowing me to pick up
thems crystals (pun!). That's right: I'm going to teach this Priest science. I'm also going to put the fear of god into him!

Well, maybe a fear of Ninjas.

While I'm doing that, let's take another gander at the Wizard!

(too obvious?)

Wizard Advance Tactics

Using a Wizard is all about taking advantage of his massive MA. At a whopping 150% multiplier, there is no class
(outside a few Special ones that cannot join your party, such as Zalmo) that can match their magical might. There are
two routes that I like to build Wizards, and the effectiveness of each largely depends on the terrain and enemy
placement. First, let's look at some of the options you have to customize your Wizard.



Secondary Command Skills
Item (Chemist): A simple, yet always useful backup skill. In addition to giving your Wizard some moderate healing
ability, learning Ether or Hi-Ether can ensure your 'Black Mage' isn't without MP for very long.

White Magic (Priest): A weaker 'red mage' kind of route, this will ensure your heals are VERY powerful (not to mention
Holy!), but you should probably leave the Raising' to someone else.

Summon Magic (Summoner): While these skills do possess some redundancy, they still get a massive MA boost from
the Wizard, in addition to skipping the 'friendly fire' problem. Comparing them otherwise, Fire 3 deals the same amount
of damage as Ifrit, but with a much higher Charge Time (Fire 3's CTR is 7, while Ifrit's is only 4). In addition, Summon
Magic still gets you healing and a few other buffs that other classes can give you. It's an expensive secondary skill, but
very good (but you knew that)!

Draw Out (Samurai): Here's a very interesting pairing! All the Samurai 'Draw Out' skills are based off MA, and are
therefore can present a number of no-MP multi-hit attacks, while also offering some healing (Murasame), buffing
(Kiyomori), and long range awesomeness (Kikuichimoji). Our Sullivan was sitting on a MA of 12 at level 18, meaning that
even the weak Koutetsu we have access to would deal 144 damage (before compatibility)! Not too shabby!



Reaction Skills
Auto Potion (Chemist): Always useful for negating a chunk of damage, and the occasional Remedy-item.

Blade Grasp (Samurai): This skill will require your Wizard to have a pretty good Brave too, but the ability to charge
forth into a group of Knights/Dragoons/Archers/etc. and come out unscathed is powerful, allowing you to lay down your
favorite spells with little reprisal.

Sunken State (Ninja): Here's a nifty trick to do with your Wizard: hit him with a weak attack to trigger his Invisibility,
and then fearlessly sneak in to cast a spell, saving your turn until you can lock on to an enemy and retreat.

MP Switch (Time Mage): This, along side Move-MP Up, can give you a nifty combo that (along with a high Brave) can
make your Wizard incredibly hard to kill. It works like this: MP Switch ensures that any damage taken is dealt to MP
instead, while Move-MP Up allows you to gain 10% of your MP back when you move. If you've got at least 110 MP, this
will allow you to gain 11 MP back, which is just enough to allow you to Bolt 2 an enemy AND prevent the next incoming
damage with your measly 1 MP, all to do it again next turn!



Support Skills
Magic AttackUP (Wizard): increases your effective MA by 33%, ensuring your massive MA is even more massive.

Short Charge (Time Mage): While the early Wizard spells don't have much of a charge time, but skill can be useful for
getting off quick Bolt 4s and Flares.

Equip Shield (Knight): More evasion is always nice, but in particular, an Aegis Shield will stop about half of any incoming
spells at your Wizard (which could mess him up because of his presumably high Faith), while still giving a tidy +1 to MA.
There's even a rare shield (Kaiser Plate) that will strengthen Fire, Lightning, and Ice magic for you. Keen!



Movement Skills
Teleport (Time Mage): Not much to say here, except that the ability to jump around the battlefield to otherwise-
difficult/impossible to reach locations is powerful.

Move +2 (Thief) / +3 (Bard): An alternative to failing every once in a while, Move +2/+3 offers a reliable way to ensure
an escape route from the enemy.

Move-MP Up (Oracle): Powerful when paired with MP Switch, as discussed above.



Equipment

All gear that is listed below is all equipment that can be purchased through stores, with the only requirements being
advancing the story. Gear that comes from theft, the fur shop, move-find item, etc, are not included, but may
enhance the builds listed below, or potentially open up new ones.

Like a lot of magic users, higher level gear offers more MP primarily as the attraction. However, particular pieces of
equipment offer bonuses to MA, which tends to offer more than simple MP (which can be regained via items, Monks,
crystals, etc.).

Since Wizards can only use Rods naturally, the best choices are one of the Strengthening rods (Thunder, Flame, and
Ice Rods) or a Wizard Rod, which offers +2 MA. There are a few pieces of equipment that Wizards can get can enhance
multiple elemental spells, so it's usually better to get your 'Strengthen' from another slot.

There are a line of hats that offer a small MA bonus (+1), starting with the Triangle Hat, moving to a Holy Miter, and
ending with Flash Hat (which provides a +1 Speed bonus as well). If you're finding MP a problem, you can use a Golden
Hairpin, but as a Wizard you can probably get away without using one. Wizard Robe (+2 MA) is pretty much the
standard for magic users, but use Black Robe (Strengthen: Fire, Lightning, Ice) if you need a Strengthen source.
Accessories offer Red Shoes (+1 Move, +1 MA), Magic Gauntlets (+2 MA), and 108 Gems (Strengthens all elemental
magic).

Unless you're focused on casting a non-elemental spell like Flare, Strengthening magic is worth it for a Wizard. Since
Strengthen increases effective MA by 25%, it's worth using over a +2 MA item as long as you can reach 8 MA (which is
ridiculously easy as a Wizard).




Wizard Builds

The "Please don't make a Brian Clevinger reference" build

Secondary Skill: Item
Reaction Skill: Auto-Potion
Support Skill: Magic AttackUP
Movement Skill: Teleport

Weapon: Wizard Rod (+2 MA)
Head: Flash Hat (+1 MA, +1 Speed)
Body: Wizard Robe (+2 MA)
Accessory: Magic Gauntlet (+2 MA)

This build is all about big numbers, particularly with using Flare. Even the biggest monsters will likely fall to this
package. Item is used as a backup to regain MP with Ethers and Auto-Potion to ensure your HP is never in serious
danger. Magic AttackUP boosts you're already ridiculous MA, while Teleport lets you sneak around the perfect spot to
target a Flare. Use of some of the bigger Wizard spells (i.e. Bolt 4) is a little trickier in this build. Remember: this build
isn't about charging into the waiting maw of the enemy, it's about picking targets off one at a time. Since Flare isn't
related to an element, this build simply focusing on buffing it rather than the wider Wizard spell repertoire.



The "Entourage: Wizard" build

Secondary Skill: Summon Magic
Reaction Skill: Auto-Potion
Support Skill: Short Charge
Movement Skill: Move +2/+3

Weapon: Wizard Rod (+2 MA)
Head: Flash Hat: (+1 MA, +1 Speed)
Body: Wizard Robe (+2 MA)
Accessory: 108 Gems (Strengthen: Fire, Ice, Lightning, Water, Earth, Wind, Holy, Dark)

This build seeks to catch two or more enemies off guard, laying down a quick Summon Spell for massive damage. 108
Gems is the most convenient source of Strengthen magic because it boosts all elements, unlike armour such as a Black
Robe, making it perfect for Summon Spells like Titan and Leviathan. Short Charge is a no-brainer here, while Move
+2/+3 helps you get in close to the enemy quickly and reliably (although Teleport is still a great choice here). Bonus:
you sidestep the Summoner's speed penalty going this direction!

The "Ancient Samurai Master" build

Secondary Skill: Draw Out
Reaction Skill: Mp Switch
Support Skill: Magic AttackUP
Movement Skill: Move-MP UP

Weapon: Wizard Rod (+2 MA)
Head: Flash Hat (+1 MA, +1 Speed)
Body: Wizard Robe (+2 MA)
Accessory: Magic Gauntlet (+2 MA)

A very fun build, it combines strong Draw Out attacks, which, as a reminder, all use MA to execute, at no MP cost,
which is further boosted by Magic AttackUP. Furthermore, the MP Switch/Move-MP UP combo ensures that enemies are
going to have a very hard time hitting your HP! Think of it as the ancient master whose skill is so great, it appears that
his weapon never leaves it's sheath...



I should have left her for dead...


A note about Spell Constants

As has come up a few times during this LP, spells generally fall under two formulas. For damage inflicting/HP curing
spells, the formula ("1") is:

[(Target Faith / 100) * (Caster Faith / 100) * Caster MA * Spell Constant)]

For status buffing/debuffing spells, the formula ("2") is:

[(Target Faith / 100) * (Caster Faith / 100) * (Caster MA + Spell Constant)]

As mentioned during the discussion about Shell and Status Effects, Formula 1 favours a high MA, whereas Formula 2 is
only minimally impacted by MA. Spell Constants in "1" spells tend to be low, and because MA is multiplied in, stacking
MA is an effective damage boost.

The damage done increases in a linear manner as the spell constant increases. Thus a "1" spell that has a constant of
20 will deal twice the damage as one that has a constant of 10, and half the damage of a "1" spell with a constant of
40. Constants in "2" spells tend to dwarf MA numbers, meaning that while improving MA increases the success rate, it's
overall effect on the equation is minimal. The resulting equation produces a base 'success rate' that is then modified by
Zodiac Compatibility.



As we revisit some of the classes, I'm going to be listing various ability 'spell constants' so one can compare spells
between jobs. They'll all be compiled into one place later, for your bemusement.

Wizard abilities that use the first formula:

Fire / Ice / Bolt: 14
Fire 2 / Ice 2 / Bolt 2: 18
Fire 3 / Ice 3 / Bolt 3: 24
Fire 4 / Ice 4 / Bolt 4: 32
Flare: 46

Linking it to the effect of MA on these spells, an increase of +1 MA will cause your average Fire spells to deal 14 more
damage, your average Fire 2 spells to deal 18 more damage, etc. modified then by faith and zodiac compatibility.

Wizard abilities that use the second formula:

Poison: 160
Frog: 120

As you can imagine, going from 10 MA (Frog 'strength' of 130) to 11 Ma (Frog 'strength' of 131) isn't nearly as exciting.



Information overload? Hopefully not! We won't be revisiting ALL the classes like this, because some of them aren't
particularly interesting (imagine trying to do one of these posts about a Squire!). The ones that warrant further
examination tend to be the classes that have really good special abilities (Monks, Samurai) or the ones that are the
'best' at something (i.e. Ninja's, since they're the fastest class).

With zero Faith and near zero Brave (like all characters, Zalmo will regain one brave everytime he gets an action
until he reaches ten, and yes he's immune to "Chicken" status), I think we can put a notch in the 'win' category.

Apologies for the enormous amount of images, but it was just one of those kinds of updates. Next week we're going to
revisit another basic class that's ripe for more discussion: Knights! We're also going to try and attempt to solve the
problem of sorting out which of the following monsters (Behemoth, Dryads, Uribos, and ZOIDBERGS) deserve a place on
our team.

I'm thinking: Survivor: Ivalice?

See you next time!

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Zalmo: It's not too late! Repent! And your life will be
saved!



Zalmo: Don't be coy!



Ramza: That's a false charge!



Ramza: Further, the Cardinal became the legendary
'Lucavi' with its evil power!!

Zalmo: You dare to hurt him too? Oh... for shame! You are
a disgrace to the Beoulve name!



Alma: Those he takes never return! Run! Hurry!

Ramza: You should run, Alma!

Bonus Money: 13,000 Gil
War Trophies: Ether

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(Ovelia's Theme)

Ramza: How'd the examiner find out about the Holy Stone?
Maybe it was someone behind Delita or Glabados Church?
But why would the church...?

Alma: Holy stone? You mean the legendary Holy Stone?



Alma: Promise to take me with you?



Ramza: NO! I won't take you!





Alma: It may be too late already. Because you disobeyed
him. By now I'm probably a heretic, a fugitive like you.
Dycedarg may desert me to protect Beoulve...



Ramza: No, it's too dangerous.



Alma: I saw it at Orbonne Monastery.



Ramza: Before it passes into their hands....... Thanks for
telling me. Now, go back to Zalbag!

Alma: How do you get in Orbonne?



Alma: See? You DO need me, don't you?






(This idea can't possibly go wrong!)
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to be continued...